Kabuto fell back gracelessly onto the mattress beside me, grunting loudly in frustration. He spent the past several days locked in his lab working on who knows what, and I nearly had to drag him back to our room so that he would get some rest.

"I just don't get it. The grafts establish themselves just fine on snakes, but the cells won't spread. It's been days. The exact same ratio of snake skin to grafted skin remains, every time!"

"I'm sure you'll think of something, dear, but for now you really need to rest."

"The exact same ratio, Melo! That's not…that's not even how cells work! Some should have died, or some should have spread, or-or-or something! There should have been a shift in one direction or the other. But there's been nothing!"

I rolled over, tucking my arms in between us. I rested my forehead against his chest. His arms wrapped around me, bringing me closer. Our naked bodies pressed together under the blankets, ready for sleep. I murmured an answer to him, eyes already closing.

"Then it's a good time to take a break. Get a new perspective. And some sleep. Have you been eating?"

"Yes…"

That sounded like a lie. I'll tuck that information away until tomorrow.

He sighed, arms tightening around me.

"You're right, I should rest."

He rolled back and pulled me onto him, rubbing his hand over the skin on my back. I relaxed against him, feeling the coolness of his body drain the heat from mine. After several moments, he spoke again.

"There's another problem."

"Yes?"

I yawned.

"Another little…distraction."

I tilted my head up towards his face. He was already staring at me. I smirked, knowing what his 'distractions' usually entailed.

"Yeah?"

"I've been fixated on a certain idea, recently."

I moved off of him, laying on my side so that I could face him more easily. He followed my motions with his own body, pushing me onto my back and stradling me. The blanket fell back behind him.

"It's not something I can easily say, but I feel that at this point you might enjoy it."

It's not like him to skirt around an issue.

"What's on your mind?"

He cleared his throat.

"As your lover, I feel responsible for you. Protective over you. I like taking care of you."

I blushed at his sincerity, smiling.

"I want to keep you safe. I never want you to come to harm, ever. But…"

"But…?"

"More recently, Melo…"

He bent close to my ear, breath hot against my skin. His voice took on a silky tone, and he pronounced every word slowly and distinctly.

"I do want to hurt you."

I felt goosebumps raising on my skin, and my breath caught in my throat. He hovered over me, waiting for a response. I thought back to our earlier days together. The memories of his pinwheel and his paddle made my cheeks burn and my head swim. I spent so long trying to sort out my emotions that he sat back up.

"Of course, without your consent, I would never-"

"Yes."

"Hm?"

I shut my eyes, too embarrassed to look up at him. I gulped, then answered a little louder.

"Please hurt me, sir."

He shivered, a sharp grin splitting his features.

"Anything particular in mind?"

"It's your fantasy, you pick."

"You'll tell me if anything is too much."

"I promise."

He chuckled. It was a low, comfortable sound that rumbled from deep in his chest. He bent back down over me, kissing me gently. He let his kisses trail down my neck, pausing at the hollow where it dipped into my shoulder. He spread his lips open, slowly closing his teeth around the muscle and pulling. I gasped as his teeth sank in, holding me in place as I squirmed beneath him. He released me, biting further down my shoulder. I felt myself begin to reach for him.

He doesn't like to be touched, so I'll just…

I tucked my hands behind my head. He kissed a trail across my chest, repeating his bites on my other side. I let out a soft noise of both discomfort and appreciation. He ran his finger over the bites, gazing softly at the marks they left on my skin, then moved his hands down to rest at the base of my ribs. He brought his lips near mine, barely brushing against me. It sent an electric shock down my spine.

"Kiss me, Melo."

I felt myself getting wet. I raised up to meet his kiss, and he pulled back slightly. I followed him, then felt myself stop short just before I reached him. His thumbs were applying steady pressure to my ribs, and I was unable to continue towards him. He laughed, sitting up fully. I collapsed back onto the bed, and he pressed a little harder into my ribs. It felt like all the wind was knocked out of me at once. I couldn't take a deep breath in.

But he's barely touching me. I'm not that weak, surely.

"Do you know what I'm touching?"

I looked at him in confusion.

"My ribs?"

"Good~. These are specifically your floating ribs. They aren't attached to the sternum like your other ribs. It means that if I press here…"

He emphasized the word by squeezing my ribs in his hands, pressing slowly down with his thumbs. There was a slow, persistent build in pressure. I felt like I was being both crushed and smothered simultaneously, but he looked like he was barely exerting any force at all. He released the pressure, and I inhaled deeply.

"The pressure stops your lungs from expanding fully. Isn't that interesting?"

I nodded. He smirked at me, then pressed my ribs again, leaning down to meet my lips. I moaned against him, feeling his split tongue flit over my lips as he kneaded against my ribs. The pressure slowly built and released over and over again under his careful hands. I began to not just enjoy it, but to anticipate it. To wait for it. To crave it.

Having his full attention like this always makes me feel like I'm floating.

He withdrew his hands suddenly, and I let out a whine before I could stop it.

"Enjoying yourself?"

"Yes~."

He moved his hands over my skin, readjusting himself so that he sat on his knees between my legs. He rested his hands lightly on the tops of my thighs.

"You certainly look like you are."

I turned away, embarrassed.

"Don't look away from me."

He tightened his grip on my inner thighs, jabbing his thumbs into the creases where they joined my groin. I crumpled upwards, hands shooting back behind me to support me. Our eyes locked.

"That was a pressure point. Two, in fact. One on either side. How did it feel?"

"Painful."

"Too much?"

"Do it again."

He slowly increased the pressure with his thumbs, scrutinizing my face carefully. I gasped as the pain increased, throwing my head back and rolling my shoulders behind me. I raised my hips against his hands, and he withdrew.

"You will let me control how much pressure we use."

I pouted, exhaling loudly.

But it feels good~

"But-"

"No 'buts'. You can seriously hurt yourself if you move too quickly here."

"I thought that was the point."

"I feel like you're not taking this seriously."

"I totally am."

His eyes narrowed. He reached out his hand, then closed it into a fist. He placed his knuckles against the bare flesh on my sternum, then smiled.

"This will hurt."

He paused for a second, then rocked his knuckles harshly against the bone. I fell back onto the bed, shocked by the sudden pain.

"Ah~!"

"That was a sternal rub. It's used to test for possible unconsciousness in unresponsive patients. It's also what could have happened if my hand had slipped when it was on your ribs earlier."

"I understand."

"So please, try to be still."

That definitely hurt, but I feel…

I rubbed my legs together, trying to rub away some of the uncomfortable wetness.

He leaned over me, bracing himself against the bed with his knees and letting one hand caress my cheek. He kissed me deeply, and I felt myself relaxing under him.

Fine, if it's that important to you, you can be in control.

He slipped two fingers into me, and used my gasp as a way to push his tongue past my lips. He moved the appendages quickly inside of me, grinning as my face contorted in pleasure. His thumb pressed against my clit, moving slowly from side to side over it.

Fuck that feels good. Please control me~

He used his other hand to reach behind my ear, pressing another spot near my earlobe.

"Ah~!"

The pain from the pressure point made my body go limp, and all I could focus on was the way his hand felt as it moved inside of me. I moaned and slid myself down onto his fingers, rocking against them.

"Be still, remember?"

"S-sorry."

I tried to relax again, but the tension building in my stomach was too much to ignore. He moved his hand down to my jaw, pressing the spot where it joined the rest of my skull near my ear. The pain made me go limp again, and my mouth shot open in a silent moan.

"You're doing so good for me."

I'm doing good~

Kabuto think's I'm good~

"Ah~!"

"My precious toy. So well behaved."

His toy~

He pushed harder against the spot near my jaw, and I felt my body clench. He bent over me, catching my unfocused gaze with his eyes. Everything other than his face and the sensations from his hands melted away, leaving me only one thing to focus on. Him.

"Do you like this?"

I tried to answer, but the pressure point hurt too much for me to close my mouth. I nodded desperately, my whole body writhing in blissful agony beneath him. He thrust his fingers harder inside of me, pressing against an especially sensitive spot. My body shook as I stared up at him. He leaned over me, forced eye contact, then spit into my open mouth.

"Swallow."

He released my jaw, and I closed my mouth. I swallowed his saliva down, grateful for the taste of him. He laid a hand gently on my cheek and tapped once.

"Do you want me to…"

"Yes!"

He drew his hand back and slapped my cheek. Every muscle in my body tensed more than I thought possible, then released. The wave of pleasure that rolled over me caused me to gasp. I grabbed his hand in mine and brought it to my lips, kissing his palm before releasing it.

"Again, please~"

He lined his hand up on the same side, then drew back and slapped me again. I experienced the same overwhelming clench and release as the first time. I felt myself start to unravel on his fingers. My flesh was burning hot where he hit it, and I could feel tears springing to my eyes. I caught his hand again, rubbing it against my cheek to try to cool the skin.

"H-harder. Please. I need it."

I released his hand. He captured one of my own hands in his and pressed, tapping a pressure point on my palm. It fell open limply behind me on the pillow. He lined his fingers up against my cheek again, and drew back. He hit me harder than before. At the same time, his fingers inside of me pressed against my g spot. I gasped again as I came, moaning loudly. My chest arched off the mattress, and I felt him press his hand against my floating ribs to push me back down. I shook as I finished, unable to stand the pressure of his hands inside of me or on top of me anymore. I couldn't see, couldn't think, couldn't do anything but shout my release.

"Ahh~!"

Time lost all meaning beneath him. I felt like I had been shouting for an eternity, but his hands would not relent. I reached out blindly, tapping on the first part of him I made contact with: his chest. He ceased his movements immediately, withdrawing from me. I drug him over beside me, curling into his arms. I kept shaking for several seconds after I finished. Only the weight of his arm resting on top of me kept me grounded. My ears rang, and it took me entire minutes to get my breathing back under control. When I felt more composed, I looked up at him.

"So uh…was that all that you were hoping for?"

He smiled, kissing my forehead.

"And more. And I have more ideas for next time…"

I snuggled into his chest, already mostly asleep.

"I love you, Sir."

"I love you too."