"I'm done with the bath, Mako, our prisoner needs it more, I think."
Haruka stiffened imperceptibly, locking eyes with Rin as the captain rose from the tub, entirely unselfconscious in his nudity and the beginnings of arousal. He couldn't quite stop himself from staring- even the skin usually hidden beneath cloth was only slightly lighter, still with that tempting glow of amber made all the more apparent by the water sluicing off his form.
Water. Haru's eyes locked on the tub with longing. He reeked of salt and ash, stale sweat and the lingering scent of sex still clung doggedly to him. He didn't give a damn what they meant to do with him, couldn't be bothered to care that both were watching him like eagles- he obligingly began to disrobe, ignoring Mako's smug chuckle and Rin's unbridled laughter. He knew once he sank into the water, once he felt his skin finally coming clean it would clear his head. He would decide then what tack to take.
He crossed the room with graceful, unaffected strides, lowering himself into the steaming water with no care for his skin. It stung, abrading a thousand little cuts he hadn't even realized were there, scalding his skin with its heat. It was a cleansing heat, a comfort. He dipped below the surface for a moment, holding his breath and allowing the water to envelope him in its silent embrace. Haru wanted nothing so much as to scrub his skin raw and leave it here, along with all his memories of the damn fiasco.
It was exceedingly plain neither Rin nor Mako were inclined to let him do so. He would have wagered the last of his own loot they meant to engrave some memento of themselves, of his foolish pride, right into the marrow of his bones. A rough hand fisted in his hair, yanking him pitilessly out of his thoughts, forcing him to meet the freezing air and draw a pained breath. He opened his eyes, glaring defiance at the man that had dared to lay hands on him again, only it was not Mako's placid eyes that greeted him, but Rin's disbelieving glare.
"Don't think for a second I will allow you to drown yourself, Haruka."
Now it was his turn to laugh, loud and mockingly, "You're not so fearsome as that."
For all his brave words, Haru couldn't muster a smirk to accompany them. He settled for meeting Rin's eyes dead-on and refusing to be the first to look away.
Rin's grip in his hair tightened, but Haru only leaned into it, trying not to betray his unease at being forced to bare a vulnerable throat. He had no doubt but that if Rin spoke a word, Mako would toss him a knife and their little game would be over in a matter of seconds. It was in his interest to play along, to amuse as best he could. Miho would come for him, and he was not entirely friendless in Sanctuary. He could wait. He could.
Something in his gaze must have betrayed him because Rin's fingers slowly disentangled from his hair, drifting through it with a thoughtless caress before he stepped back. There was no softness in the gesture, only an absolute certainty of victory. The last of Haruka's reservations disappeared; had he not indulged his interrogator earlier? Had he not been the one to instill that briefest flash of terror in the man's eyes?
Hadn't he even enjoyed it? Whispered a voice in the back of his thoughts, a predatory edge to it. Haruka became aware of his breathing, the shallow, jagged edge to his panting breaths. He was nervous, yes, but there was a shiver of excitement spreading through him, setting his skin to prickling with awareness, every heartbeat sounding impossibly loud in his ears- suddenly even the water lapping at his flesh was almost too much sensation.
He didn't even flinch as their frankly assessing gazes took in the sight he made: all gleaming wet skin and banked ferocity.
Makoto broke the silence as Haru had known he would, sauntering over carelessly to swirl his fingers in the water, flicking it playfully at Rin. They exchanged a knowing smile, Rin sinking bonelessly to the floor while Mako slipped behind him. It took all of Haru's considerable will not to follow the man with his eyes.
"You seem rather relaxed for a man so…vulnerable." Rin gestured vaguely to his form, yet there was no room for misinterpreting him.
Haruka had just opened his mouth to respond when a vicious shove forced him beneath the water once more. His lungs seized at the sudden influx of water, gut clenching with the need to breathe and muscles seizing with the effort to prevent exactly that. The warm water was no longer a comfort but a prison when two sets of hands joined to still his struggles, uncaring of his distress until a last bubble of air escaped him.
Mako hauled him up, gasping and sputtering while he coughed up water. He clamped his eyes shut against the burn of fresh air entering his lungs for the first time in a little over a minute.
Then Rin's lips were on his and he was drowning all over again, unable to draw in the oxygen he still desperately craved, unable even to wriggle away with Mako's weight pressing into his back and shoulders, threatening to submerge him once more if he so much as twitched in the wrong direction. He lashed out, sinking his nails into the soft skin at the join of Rin's neck and shoulder, tearing until he felt it give beneath his assault. Rin retaliated with a vicious nip, the tang of copper filling his mouth, its familiar taste soothing him for all of a second.
When Rin finally pulled away, he nearly sobbed with relief. Tears of effort had beaded at the corner of his eyes; Haru gave up the fight and let them fall, too busy regaining his breath to care.
"There now, that's better." Makoto whispered into the curve of his ear, thumbing away the tears as he pressed a kiss laden with a mockery of tenderness to the skin at the base of his neck. "I think we understand each other now."
"I think so." Haru ground out, eying the bloody scratches he had left on Rin's skin. An unexpected bolt of pleasure shot through him at the sight; they could play their games tonight, but Haru intended to be sure none of them were left unscathed. "But just to be certain-"
Rin didn't so much as flinch when his hand shot out to clamp on that spot, pulling him just over the edge of the tub to sink his teeth just there- laving at the scratches with his own tongue. They each had a taste of the other's blood now, and if Rin believed as he did- that the life of a man resided in his blood- then they both knew exactly where the other stood.
"You will want to be very careful what you do next." Mako hissed, and Haru was thoroughly unsurprised to feel the pressure of a blade's edge at his throat. He allowed himself to be pulled away, settling back into the water as though it had been his own idea. They had thought to turn his own element against him, but even now Haru could draw courage from it.
"Easy, Mako. He's only playing."
"So am I." Mako shot back, a smile lighting his voice. Haru twitched violently, but didn't turn. Just. The blade left his throat to glide across his collarbone, down the slope of his shoulder. He arched at the touch of its tip on his spine, tracing down the skin just hard enough to leave a thin welt. "I'm only suggesting he play a little safer."
!
!
Makoto wet his dry lips, entranced by the way the muscles in Haru's back leapt at the touch of cool steel. It must be torture, caught between the ice of the blade and the punishing heat of the water. Bad enough to be subjected to the openly hungry eyes of his captors- yet that hadn't fazed him in the slightest. Their laughter had, though, Mako saw it in the angry red stains on his cheeks as he sank down into the bath. An amateur, but with training Mako knew he would find a jewel in the rough.
All that remained was to convince Rin they needed to keep him. It wouldn't take much convincing, he could see. Rin had thrilled to Haru's touch, even as the hellion cut and bit him- he had a taste for the more agonizing pleasures. Timidity in his partners had never appealed to him, and too much gentleness soon lost its savor. This would be a treat for both of them.
He kept a close eye on them as he made his way to the small cabinet where they kept most of their supplies: a cloth, new soap untainted with harsh lye to avoid abrading such delicate skin… he hesitated when his fingertips drifted over the oil, but there was no use pretending this wasn't going to end in a bed. Or perhaps the floor. Hell, even the bath looked tempting. The knowledge was gleaming there in Haru's eyes, daring him to follow through on every threat and promise of their interrogation.
It was there in the curve of Rin's back, effortlessly sensual and daring Haru to follow the line of it with his eyes. He wanted to touch, Mako could see that much, but he didn't want to be touched. So much of his vaunted power had already been stolen from him, he had been pushed and prodded past all endurance. That wouldn't do, not if Mako wanted to keep him, not if he wanted to make him the masterpiece he was meant to be.
While he debated, Haru sank farther down into the tub, scrubbing viciously at his skin, nearly tearing his hair out with his scrubbing. Rin watched him with the sort of half-rapt, half-bemused indulgence he saved for some of Nitori's more unusual specimens. A wicked smile stole across his face when he caught Mako watching them; they had tried this particular hobby before, though Rin had always nominated himself for the position of voyeur rather than centerpiece. Rin needed his illusion of control as desperately as Haruka did. It was half the reason the sight of them together was so breath-taking.
A new thought came to Mako then. One he wasn't at all sure his partner would approve of. Rin might skin him for it. Rin might plead for more even as he hauled Mako down to the very darkest cell in the brig.
But as he watched them, both so clearly fighting an impulse to reach out and touch, to inflict pleasure so sharp it was pain or perhaps vice versa, he knew it was the right choice. It was the only choice that would end with Haru staying to accept his tutelage. The only choice where Haru might one day cease to resent them for ever having been his captors.
They would share Rin, Haru and he. Makoto would teach him that first lesson of tearing a man apart piece by piece in the most captivating way possible. He would lay all Rin's secrets bare for Haru to feast on, giving him back that control he so dearly craved. And because Haru was so like Mako himself, he could not fail to be captivated. Even just for the space of the night. That was all it would take to plant the first seed of lust in him, just that little taste of the forbidden.
Mako stood quickly, fastening the latch with a flick of his wrist. Rin's eyes brightened at the sight of the oil, growing hooded when he saw the soap and cloth. He couldn't let Haru have all of Rin, naturally, that was reserved for himself. So this task they would share, just to get Rin used to the idea of Haru's skin against his own, so he could see what his touch did to his erstwhile captive. Then he would make his move. If all went according to plan, Rin would forgive him- even thank him- very soon.
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!
Rin wasn't at all sure he cared for the tilt of Mako's smile; it was an expression he had not seen in years, not since that first night in the pleasure district when he had so blithely presumed himself the predator and become the prey instead. It was a cherished memory now, but it had also been his most valuable lesson in not judging a man by his appearance. That smile said Mako had devised a new game, one whose rules he did not mean to share. Plainly this was to be Rin's punishment for ever allowing his first mate the luxury of boredom.
No matter, tonight Haru would take the edge off.
Looking at him now, Rin had to swallow down an unexpected lump of guilt. When Mako had first approached him with the idea of sharing the islander, he had been delighted. There was no question but that the man was beautiful- he had thoroughly captured their fickle imaginations during that first encounter, and seeing him after the fire- that wild, spiteful look in his eye that reminded Rin so much of himself…
Now he languished in the bath as though entirely at his ease, paying them no more mind than if they had been his attendants- that was Makoto. It had been a pleasure to rock his composure for those few precious minutes, to see him panting and teary-eyed, struggling to understand what was happening when Rin had hauled him from the tub and kissed him. It had made him wonder what Haru would look like once they had their way with him. Desperate and unashamed? Poised and resistant?
This had been meant as a gift, both for Mako and himself. But whereas Rin was not a jealous man, he knew Mako was.
Rin had never equated sex to ownership, had never bothered himself with the details of Mako's profession or who his customers might have been. It was irrelevant so long as Mako still looked at him like he was the sun in the sky. If a bit of possessiveness had crept in every now and again he had sternly reminded himself that business and pleasure did not mix; wherever Mako was, he would rather have been at Rin's side. Their relationship had changed over the years- Rin had come to think of Mako as his. His first-mate, his lover, his partner in a thousand crimes.
No, he had never been a jealous man, but after so many years together he was fast becoming one.
Mako was a different matter. He had never liked anyone's eyes lingering too long on Rin. From their first night he had made it plain Rin was his to keep and anyone else that laid a finger on him without permission risked losing it. They had invited others to join them before, Rin had ever been forgiving of Mako's urges and enthusiastic in his participation, but he had known instinctively it was his place to watch. Never to touch or be touched. Mako thought he had learned to share his possessions, but the one time Rin had decided to join, Mako had pushed their partner past any boundary of sanity, and all for the crime of making Rin beg for his release.
If he had grown more jealous with time, he dreaded to think of what Mako might do.
For years they had only each other. Yet here he was, offering Haru like a gift for they two to share. And he did intend to share, even knowing the potential consequences. He wanted Haru, and had every intention of taking him. The guilt of it nagged at him; he had often been accused of being a selfish man, and tonight he was determined to prove it. Even if Mako found he still did not like sharing, Rin had no intention of turning away this offer. Not when it was everything he had wanted, not when his throat felt so parched that he wanted nothing so much as to lick the stray droplets from Haru's skin, not when his lips were still burning from the touch of Haru's lips against his own. His self-discipline simply was not equal to the task of self-denial.
He glanced back to Mako, taking in the flask of oil, the washing cloth and the soap- there it was, his excuse to touch.
Haru did not follow his gaze; Rin was beginning to find that basilisk stare unnerving. He regretted surrendering the shelter of the water now. He was painfully aware of his nakedness, his nearest weapon across the room just beneath his pillow, not a scrap to spare the modest streak he would have sworn was nonexistent but for the way he had to constantly fight the urge to hide himself. Through it all Haru watched him, and Rin had the sense there was very little those blue eyes missed.
For pity's sake! He had stared down Tachibana Makoto, even knowing who he was and what he had done, he had locked gazes with some of the most fearsome men and women to ever attempt a life at sea and never been the first to look away. But the mute accusation in Haruka's eyes was enough to have him curling away like a whelp fleeing its master's unforgiving boot.
"Something wrong, Matsuoka?"
Haru's voice broke the spell, and Rin could read the exact second he realized it had been a grave miscalculation to speak. The knowledge of his error was reflected in his gaze, as was the grudging return of his nervousness. It ratcheted up a notch when Mako knelt beside the tub, carefully laying out the tools of his trade. Interrogation chamber this was not, but Rin had seen him bring those same tricks into the bedroom a time or two. He looked forward to assisting tonight.
Their captive glanced over the edge of the tub with unabashed interest. Rin saw his expression stiffen for all of a moment before his eyes became cool unconcerned again. Rin reached over casually, plucking up the cloth to run it across the water suggestively. He nearly purred when Haru swallowed tightly, fingertips twitching with the stifled urge to pull the cloth from his hand.
"Aren't you going to join us, Mako?" Rin smiled, just enough of an invitation in it to show his preference.
Mako was surprisingly uncooperative. He shook his head, walking by Rin only to run playful fingers through his hair as he made his way to the bed. Rin gaped in disbelief before remembering the importance of a united front. It must never occur to Haruka that they had not planned this encounter down to the most minor of details.
"Not tonight. I'd rather watch."
It was Rin's turn to swallow dryly, muscles tensing with a spike of unease. This was something they had never attempted before, and much as the idea of playing with Haruka appealed to him, the idea of doing so alone was daunting. He wasn't ready for this.
He could imagine Mako's laugh if he confessed that. Matsuoka Rin had solicited a murderous whore the very day he had attained his majority. For months he had laid the groundwork for that first meeting, weaving together whispers of rumors and shreds of evidence until he was sure he had found the man he wanted. Years he had spent acquainting himself with his family's resources, expanding them with what pitiful influence he had over his mother. He had commandeered a ship before most men even married and taken to piracy like fish did to water.
Mako would never believe him. Neither would he admit it if this were not something he wanted. But this was what Rin had wanted, had he not a moment before decided he would have what he pleased? Now he panicked at the thought of it being dropped neatly in his lap.
"Well, Rin?" Haru whispered behind him, voice throaty with anticipation. He knew, damn him. He knew the beast they provoked and was delighting in Rin's discomfort.
Fair was fair, had their positions been reversed Rin had no doubt it would have been the same.
He turned back to Haru, acutely aware of Mako's gaze lingering on his bare skin, taking in his fill. He lifted the cloth, dripping warm water down Haru's exposed skin until his nipples beaded at the harsh contrast. Whatever his misgivings, Rin banished them from his thoughts. This was a night for indulgence, trepidation had no place here.
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!
Haruka shivered at the first touch of the cloth against his skin; he had expected the rough texture of fiber, but it was soft as a lady's hands. Not that Rin wielded it at all gently, his touch was firm and unyielding, and much as Haru hated the thought, he thrilled to the roughness of it. He didn't flinch when Rin pinched a nipple hard enough to be a bite, he didn't pull away when Rin's hand trailed up his throat and pressed in mute threat. In fact, it delighted him precisely because it had so thoroughly discomfited Rin.
He could see the uncertainty reflected back at him in Rin's gold-token eyes, could feel his touch gradually becoming bolder. It didn't take the finest mind of the century to deduce this newfound shyness had something to do with the man casually reclining on the bed. It did not escape his attention that Mako had not so much as shifted once since Rin had first laid hands on him. He hardly even blinked, though Haru could see his breath was coming shallow and quick.
Every time Rin's hand dipped below the water to re-wet the cloth, his hands clenched slightly on his thighs, then he would visibly remind himself to relax. That devil-may-care smile would settle on his lips again, replacing the frown that nearly obscured it whenever Rin looked away too long.
Nearly three minutes Haruka had counted his heartbeats, counted the number of times Rin's eyes flicked toward Mako on the bed, how often he had allowed his bare skin to touch Haru's own. There was a direct correlation there- the more often Rin glanced at Mako, the less often he allowed himself to touch.
A jealous man then. One that did not like to see his toys playing together. Which beggared the question of why he had ever encouraged this- not that Haru was inclined to complain. The idea of having Mako's hands on him again so soon after their interrogation still sent a bolt of unease up his spine. Unease and the pleasure of remembrance, making it all the more disconcerting. He banished his thoughts, willing himself to focus on Rin again.
He counted fifteen freckles on those bare arms, two scars on his left shoulder that a saber could have made, a mark at the join of his shoulder and neck that might have been a bite though hardly a loving one. He found he could enjoy this with Rin touching him so carefully, obviously as nervous as he was. With a few words, Mako had unintentionally knocked the captain from his pedestal-
"Rin, use the jasmine scent."
Rin leapt at the sound of his name, sucking in a startled breath that Haru mirrored with unexpected sympathy. It had been no easy feat, being at Mako's mercy for even the span of an hour. How this man had accomplished it for years he could not imagine. The only possible conclusion he could draw was that somehow they had made themselves equals; he watched Rin with renewed interest when the captain grudgingly did as he was told, loathe to introduce any new variables to their circumstances.
Haruka didn't enjoy tampering with unpredictable predators either, but his body did not care who it was that touched him. He felt himself reacting to the stimulation anyway, color rising in his cheeks and spreading down his chest to pool low in his hips. Rin had to rise as he poured the jasmine soap into the tub, baring a body made fit and tanned after years at sea- Haru briefly considered pulling him into the water, but considering what his defiance had netted him last time…
But then, Rin's kiss had been far from unpleasant once his panic had faded. The fear had even lent an edge to the sensation he found he wanted again.
"You didn't finish your bath, Rin. Why not join him?"
Haruka shot an incredulous glance at their observer, suddenly impossibly hard and yet cold with apprehension. He knew. He read their interplay as easily as he did his charts, and was directing the pieces accordingly. They were no more than puppets dancing on their strings for his amusement.
"Makoto-"
"Captain?"
Something was missing, some crucial piece of information was lacking that could make sense of this. Haruka ceased to think on it when Rin stood, half-hard himself and ever so cautiously began to lower himself into the tub. There wasn't enough room for the both of them, not front to front or side by side- unless…
Haru reached up to grab Rin's hips, unheeding of the sharp nails that viciously dug into the skin of his wrists. He pulled, guiding Rin to straddle his hips; the glint in those golden eyes said he was going to pay dearly for his boldness. Haru's pulse raced at the filthy thoughts running through his mind: here was Rin, as much at Haru's mercy as Haru was at his. Here was an opportunity to be sure Rin never forgot there was always a price to be paid for meddling in affairs not his own. Perhaps he would have second thoughts before taking a prisoner again.
Rin lowered himself down slowly, his own hands drifting down beneath the surface of the water, scratching lines in Haru's skin. Haru welcomed the sting, arching into the brutal touch unabashedly. Rin startled when his questing hands found the evidence of how much Haru was enjoying this recent development. His eyes widened slightly, wicked smile returning with interest. Evidently he had reached much the same conclusion: if they were puppets, of course they must put on a show.
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!
Makoto had not expected the sudden wave of bloody-minded possessiveness that swept through him at the sight of them together. It made for a beautiful portrait: Haruka's moonlight skin against Rin's sun-kissed tan, crimson hair resting against raven when he pressed their foreheads together, slanting his head to catch Haruka's unresponsive lips. Haruka was not still for long, his hands rose to Rin's shoulders, pressing lightly while he decided whether to welcome the contact or not.
Rin sank farther into the water and he relented, scoring his nails down Rin's spine instead until they arched into each other. It was a breath-taking sight, captivating. Thoroughly infuriating. It was not his place to be annoyed, after all he had demanded this, but now neither one of them were paying him any mind. He could see from the tenseness of Haruka's face that Rin's motions beneath the water were turning less cleansing and more salacious. Rin's panting breaths were no longer interspersed with whispered taunts. Greedy creature, he only ever thought of his own pleasure. Usually Makoto welcomed that enthusiasm, at least until he had seen it offered to someone else.
He rose and stalked to the tub with all the purpose of a panther closing in on its prey. It was one thing, sharing his partner with a prisoner. It was entirely another when his lover forgot who held the other end of his string. Makoto had never cared for being ignored. He was upon them before either had registered his movement, and it was with a certain amount of vicious glee that he pressed his palms onto Rin's shoulders, pushing him down just far enough until Haru's tip brushed against his vulnerable opening.
Both gasped in shock, Haruka's heavy-lidded eyes snapping open in disbelief and Rin now gasping with nervousness. He could push just that bit further, force Rin to move just the slightest bit and then impale him on Haruka. It would be agonizing without preparation, but they both knew Rin was no stranger to his little cruelties, and they both knew there were days when Mako still lost the battle to his memories. Rin's eyes told him this, wide and just shy of pleading. He would never debase himself enough to beg for mercy before a stranger-
Unless, of course, he would.
Makoto glanced to Haruka, waiting until the man's ocean eyes cleared of lust before twining his hand through Rin's damp hair and tugging him to his feet.
"Fuck." Rin hissed, and it was as much a curse as a prayer.
"Is there a problem, Mako?" Haruka was smirking, some vestige of his former confidence returning. He thought he had been forgiven; he thought Rin was the only one in danger now.
"There is. I'm bored of watching. Join us, Haru."
Rin stumbled from the tub, hissing with dismay even as laughter caught in his throat. It had been years since he had felt such desperation in Mako's hands- that minute tremor that said he was not so composed as he liked to pretend. He should have been ashamed of himself, so eager for whatever it was Mako was going to offer him that he could not remember his dignity before the islander. There was no place for shame here, though. Mako had never tolerated it in himself, and Rin had never been one to feel guilt for his pleasures.
He didn't flinch when Mako shoved him bodily to the bed, didn't protest when he kept pushing and pulling, arranging Rin however he liked on the coverlet. Instead he basked in Mako's demanding gaze, in the hungry light just beginning to spark again in Haru's eyes. He had never been the whore, but he felt it tonight.
Haruka rose from the tub, not even glancing in the direction of the door- any thoughts he had of escape had long since fled his mind when confronted with the opportunity to use his captors in such a primal manner. He was angry, perhaps even frightened, but it found its expression in lust and vengefulness. They would find nothing but another partner in him tonight.
"Bring the oil." Rin's cock leapt at the effortless command in Mako's voice, usually kept well hidden beneath a wheedling tone. Mako had ever preferred persuasion to force.
Haruka knelt to gather it up, watching them together out of the corner of his eye. They must make a sight, with Mako hunched over him like a predator guarding its next meal- but then, that would be Haru.
Except that when Haru proffered the vessel, Mako still didn't move. Rin began to feel uneasy, just the slightest flutter of doubt in his gut. Mako reached out to take the oil, caught Haru's wrist to pull him closer instead. He pressed his hot mouth to Haru's ear and Rin could see the full-body shudder of delight that ran through him, the way his skin turned redder still.
"Would you like to fuck him?"
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!
Haru nearly fell to his knees at the whispered words, no more than a puff of air in his ear, but enough to send filthy images cascading through his mind's eye: Rin bent over the bed, Haru in him and over him with that clever blade pressed to his throat, Rin bound as he had been while Haru fucked him mercilessly, Rin gasping for air while Haru's hands forced it from his throat, uncertain whether he was pleading for a final breath or his release. Unsure which he would prefer…
He wanted it, more fiercely than he had the words to say.
"Well?" Mako murmured, arching an inquisitive brow. Rin glanced between them hurriedly; he knew they were discussing him, but the question itself had been too low for him to hear. He didn't tense when Haru nodded, offered no resistance when Mako finally snatched the oil from Haru's hand and wordlessly gestured him to the head of the bed. Rin frowned slightly when Mako tipped some of the bottle's contents onto his fingers; he glanced uncertainly up at Haru, bending his neck and trying to crane for a better look.
Instinctively, Haru gripped his chin and forced him to face Mako again. He wanted to watch the captain's face unobserved once the man finally realized what was happening. Far from earning him a reproach, Mako grinned in open approval.
"Hold him for me."
"What?" Rin began, then arched off the bed when Mako plunged two fingers into him. "Fuck, Mako!"
He writhed on the invading digits finally attempting escape only to be met with stern resistance. Haru pinned his shoulders down, uncaring of the bruises his grip would no doubt leave, watching the confusion melt into understanding, a flash of disbelief, anger, nervousness… lust.
Just watching his face was nearly enough to make Haru come, the warmth of skin against his own hardly helping matters. And all the while Mako watched their faces, drinking in every aspect of their thoughts. He twisted his fingers at the first sign of Rin relaxing, leaning forward to force them in that bit farther. Rin bucked into the contact, gritting his teeth as he stared Mako down.
"What the hell are you doing?" Rin growled, the knowledge already there in his voice.
Mako was kind enough to answer anyway, a mockery of tenderness in his touch as he brushed his hand across Rin's face, "Preparing you, Rin. We wouldn't want you hurt."
A third finger pushed in unexpectedly and Haru and Rin both groaned. Rin's unfocused eyes rose to meet his once more, and Haru found that breathing had become a dicey prospect at best.
"I don't think it's fair that Rin's getting all the attention. What do you think, Haru?"
He was surely damned anyway, Haru read that in the harsh planes of Mako's face. Whatever he did now, there would be hell to pay later, so he may as well take what he pleased.
"No, you're right." He pulled Rin's face toward him, pressing his cock against unresisting lips. He half-yelped when Rin's mouth closed about his erection, teeth scraping the head. It hurt, and he instinctively grabbed Rin's face, nails perilously close to his eyes.
"That wasn't kind." Mako chuckled despite his words, clamping a cautionary hand about Rin's balls. Rin instantly stilled, throwing a glance to Mako whose significance Haru couldn't begin to decipher. They had been together so long it was only natural they shared a language barred to outsiders. Vexed, Haru trailed his hands down to Rin's throat, pressing gently, massaging until Rin instinctively swallowed and his eyes finally flew back to meet Haru's own.
He jumped at the first tender touch of Rin's tongue against abraded skin, scalding hot and unforgiving to damaged skin. Haruka didn't bother stifling a gasp, shamelessly arching into the wet caress.
"Better." Mako purred, fingers resuming their steady rhythm while his free hand wrapped about Rin's length, stroking firmly. Rin groaned, and Haru winced as the first few drops of pre-cum slid free. This was happening too fast: Rin's and Mako's eyes on him, the weight of their stares enough to prickle the hairs on his skin, Rin's tongue already lapping at the fluid, unholy mirth in his gaze, the tickle of his hair against drying skin-
Haruka tamped down on the thought, determined to resist until Rin came; his hips were rising and falling in a steady rhythm, breath shallow and choppy and skin turning darker by the moment. He couldn't hold out indefinitely, it didn't look like he even wanted to make the attempt.
"Greedy, both of you." Mako tutted. He twisted and Rin keened, hands fisting in the blankets, scrabbling for a connection he could not find. Unthinkingly, Haru clasped his reaching hand, bruising it in his grip though neither would know it until the morning.
"Rin."
Rin's hazy eyes turned to Mako once more, pliant even when Haru began to pull at him, forcing him to take more of his length until he felt the warm clasp of Rin's throat muscles working to take him.
"Look at me and come for Haru."
The sound Rin made was agonized denial, and it sent a bolt of lust straight to Haru's cock. The idea of taking this from Rin, forcing him to swallow every drop and reveling in the jealousy even Mako hadn't realized was beginning to tinge his every word- It was exactly what Haruka wanted.
"Rin," Mako said, gentler this time, "I want to see this."
A high-pitched keen was all the warning he had before Rin was coming, white stripes painting his chest as he writhed against Mako, frantically tonguing Haru in a desperate attempt to pull him under too. Tears of effort beaded in Haru's eyes, for a moment he thought he could resist, but Rin sucked viciously and he was gone, uncaring of the harsh pants as Rin struggled to breath, inured to Mako's delighted laughter. Rin took him, took every drop and swallowed wantonly, tonguing until pleasure turned to pain.
Haru endured it a moment longer, lost in the sight of them together before finally throwing himself back to escape. Mako was slowly bringing Rin down, rubbing a soothing hand just above his cock while his tongue cleaned the skin of Rin's stomach.
Words he did not recognize fell from Rin's lips, most of them harsh and lacking in melody. The timbre of Rin's voice was enough to tell him that he was the subject; Mako's whispered reply was visible only in the movement of his lips. Whatever he had said, Rin shot him an incredulous look mixed of equal parts intrigue and disbelief.
Mako's smile never faltered when he turned back to Haru, "Reach under the pillow, there's a knife there."
Rin bucked desperately then, struggling in earnest until it took the combined weight of both Haru and Mako to hold him down. Haru scrambled for the blade anyway, wincing when one of Rin's fists connected with his eye.
Haru found the blade easily enough. Ten minutes ago he would have cut Rin's throat immediately and gone for Mako not a second after. Ten minutes ago he would not have dreamed the night would begin with fucking the captain's mouth while the first mate looked on.
Now… now he wanted to stay and watch how this game played out. He didn't hesitate long when Mako stretched out a demanding hand, obviously testing him to see how far this new compliance would go. Haruka wondered what would happen if he pulled back. What if he chose to plunge the blade into Rin's exposed chest? What if his next swipe was for Mako's all too knowing eyes? No. Pride and curiosity were his weaknesses; the trap was set perfectly, and he had walked into it wide-eyed and aware.
He tensed when Mako rose from the bed, leaving Rin to prop himself on his elbows and gape after him. The rules had changed somehow, and he wasn't going to act until he knew whether the game had gone in his favor or not.
"Now that we have reached an understanding," Mako slid a chair from the far wall, pushing it closer to the bed and throwing himself into it gracefully, "I want us to be completely honest with each other, Haru."
"Meaning?"
"Do you still want to fuck him?"
Haru blinked incredulously at the faint stirring of interest. He would have sworn it wasn't in him, but that damned villainous smile coupled with Rin's pliant weight still resting against him…
"Yes."
Rin smiled thinly, a menacing taunt if ever Haru had seen one. "Really, Mako, he's practically a virgin. You used to specialize in those, didn't you?"
"I've had my turn. Now it's yours. Nervous?"
Rin's eyes narrowed, he hissed a few words in that unknown language again.
"Hence the knife, Rin. He'll behave." As if to illustrate the point, Mako turned the wicked edge to the light and watched the gleam play along the blade.
Haru had heard enough; he pinned Rin's throat beneath his hand once more, a warning that sent the captain's pulse flying beneath his fingertips. The lips he pressed to Rin's own were anything but gentle, teeth biting roughly at chapped lips just short of drawing blood, teeth smashing together with the force of it. Rin struggled, fighting to draw even half a breath, but Haru remembered well his own treatment and held him locked in place until Rin was forced to stillness, anything to keep that last bit of life-giving air in his lungs. This would be his vengeance, and by the time they were through Rin would know it.
And all the while his lover would look on and raise not a hand to help him. It would be the first fracture between them, a tenuous space where Haru intended to insinuate himself.
!
!
For an infinite minute, Rin's world was reduced to the pressure of Haru's hand on his throat, demanding lips against his own and a heavy weight in his chest screaming that he needed air. He tried to pull away, but Haru wouldn't have it and the pressure on his throat only intensified… but Mako was watching. Mako would not allow him to come to harm. He clung to that thought as he surrendered himself to the kiss, meeting violence with violence. He was exhausted, lethargic from his release but he could already feel a faint tendril of arousal taking hold again.
He had always had a taste for danger, and this man had no better reason to stay his murderous hands than Mako's watchful eye and Rin's own carefully tended knife.
Suddenly the pressure released and his first gasp of air was sweet as fine wine- tears had gathered in his eyes and his muscles would not obey him- the last defense of a dying beast, this illusion of helplessness. With shaking hands he caught the back of Haru's head and drew him down once more, locking eyes with him just before he mustered the strength to pull himself up and press another kiss to those lips that still tasted a little of salt. It was like kissing the sea, he imagined: tempestuous and calm by turns, always treacherous, ever fickle and subject to no will but its own. All of its traits made manifest in one man.
Rin followed when Haru pulled away, pushing himself into Haru until the man finally took the hint and fell back into the pillow. He could see uncertainty written in that azure gaze, a touch of worry easily overpowered by longing. He could read reluctance in the way Haru's hands closed about his waist, both pulling him up and yet trying to hold him away. His mind was not quite made up, but Haru's body had long since made the decision for him. Rin didn't allow him to dwell on it, one calloused hand finding the evidence of his interest and coaxing him out of his thoughts.
His eyes followed the muscles of Haru's throat when he swallowed; the temptation proved to much and he leaped down to nip at the Adam's apple, blowing cool air against heated skin until he felt Haru leap beneath him. He hid a wicked smile in the curve of Haru's shoulder, shifting deliberately until he found the right angle-
Rin arched back, pinning Haru's shoulders beneath him as he impaled himself on Haru's cock the barest inch, gasping with the effort of it, overcome with equal parts pleasure and pain but not sure where the division lay. Haru bucked instinctively and he could only cry out, nails digging into vulnerable flesh, praying that Haru would be still. He heard Mako's growl, a shift of the chair that indicated he was shifting his weight, resisting the urge to reach out and touch-
Did he want Mako's hands on him? Did he want this, writhing and helpless on his enemy's cock, the line between captor and captive irrevocably blurred?
He opened his eyes, meeting Haru's gaze once more: He was enthralled, eyes wide and questioning, completely free of any thought of malice for once. His hands still rested gently on Rin's hips, gliding up his sides now to explore all the bare skin that was his to touch and make his mark on. A ragged breath shuddered out of them, some tentative link neither could name yet was beginning to forge between them-
Mako's hands settled on his shoulders and Rin could feel the cruelty in them just before he was forced down another inch.
"Fuck." He wasn't sure which of them had said it, but Rin's own throat had closed on a scream that was as much agony as pleasure. He wasn't ready, they hadn't prepared enough, but Mako's inexorable pressure did not care in the slightest-
And then Haru arched into him just as Mako shoved down once more, and he was full. Rin cried out, leaning forward once more to sink his teeth in the join of Haru's neck and shoulder, muffling his scream there. Haru's arms folded about him, drawing him closer; he couldn't even care that those nails were scoring his back with scratches that would burn come morning. It was enough that he could feel the hitching motion of Haru's chest beneath his own, that he was surrounded by warmth and Mako's hand was combing through his hair, soothing and gentle at last.
His hair fell about them, hiding their faces from their voyeur. Rin shuddered as Mako drew it back, tucking it just behind his ear. It was unbearably intimate, but he could not bring himself to pull away or utter the words he knew would mean the end of it.
Haru took the choice from his hands anyway when he began to move, slow at first, shallow. Rin arched away from him, gasping when Haru's hips followed, never quite allowing him the escape he wasn't sure he wanted. Mako was whispering words of praise in his ear, telling him how beautiful he was, how perfect, and he was all of seventeen again- dabbling in rites whose significance he couldn't understand.
"Take him deeper, Rin, I know you can."
"I can't." Rin whispered, embarrassed to hear the beginning of a whine in his voice. He was still captain, dammit, and he was fucked if Mako was running this show.
Haru arched into him again, deep and lingering, still unforgivably slow. Mako pushed him forward only slightly until Rin could feel the drag of that hard length against his most sensitive area- it was over then. He gritted his teeth and fought it, but he could see in Haru's eyes the man knew exactly what he was doing and meant to unmake him thoroughly. He pulled Rin roughly to him, hitting that spot again, churning his hips until Rin felt himself coming again- though he wasn't certain it could have been called anything so tame as 'pleasurable'.
Haru laughed as speckles of cum dotted him, completely unconcerned, still moving until Rin wanted to beg for a reprieve. He bit his tongue and closed his eyes, allowing his head to fall back so that Mako could press wet kisses to the tears that had somehow begun to make their way down his cheeks.
It was awful and wonderful, terrifying and exhilarating all at once. He wanted more, he wanted it to end- and all of that was irrelevant because Haru's hand had closed about his cock, milking him for more even as incoherent pleas dripped from his lips: no more, faster, let me go, tighter, damn you.
It was a relief when he felt the heat of Haru's seed spread through him, seeping obscenely from where they were joined. Haru jerked, face twisting into a grimace- plainly it wasn't enough, and coming so soon once more had to be every bit as painful for him. He rocked gently until at last the spasms had ended, no sound to break the silence but their panting breaths and the echo of a heartbeat in their ears.
Rin stared, still struggling to comprehend anything past the buzzing restlessness just beneath his skin. He was reluctant to move, and when he tried Haru was quick to stop him by looping a sinewy arm about his waist. It seemed he was no more inclined to surrender their contact than Rin, both basking in an afterglow not untinged with shame and a lingering vestige of shock. Neither one the clear victor, if a battle it had been.
Makoto's voice broke their strange reverie, hushed though it was. "Beautiful, both of you."
Haruka bared his teeth, finally moved to action. Rin pushed away from him quickly, wincing at the sting. The gaze they fixed on Mako was just short of hostile, enough so that Rin could see him tighten his grip on the knife- his knife.
There was a thought. It was his knife. It was his ship, and Mako was still his lover. With Mako eyeing them so smugly, never had he been so certain that a reminder was in order.
Haruka had pushed himself up, folding his legs gracefully to settle on the bed for all the world as though aftershocks of sensation weren't running through him, tinging his cheeks pink and setting him to twitching. Rin allowed himself to sprawl forward, half on Haru's lap, stretching the merest bit until Mako took the bait and reached out to touch him, to reassure himself that Rin still came tamely to his hand. He tilted his head up, smiling that cocky smile that Mako always felt the need to kiss away-
When he drew too near, Rin caught the hand with the knife and twisted just so, enough that Mako had no choice but to release his grip or hurt his captain. Even now with lust and possessiveness swirling in his eyes, Rin knew the choice he would make. The knife was his again, and Mako kneeling helplessly before him… before them. Haru's delighted gasp was very nearly a purr, his fingers began to trace an unwitting pattern on the skin of Rin's shoulder-blades. A rune of protection, he thought, though Rei would have known for certain.
An interesting tic, one that he tucked neatly away for further study when he didn't have such pressing business at hand.
"Did you think you were only going to watch?" Mako had neatly snatched his composure away, had thrown him to a bloody wolf and then reveled in watching while Rin had been devoured. He was shaken, his skin was too small and so many thoughts were flitting through his mind it was nigh impossible to catalog them all. But he knew just the way to restore his composure and take back his pride all in one fell swoop.
He pressed the edge of the blade to Mako's throat, traced it down to the hem of his shirt and sliced in a ragged motion just a little too near the skin. Pity he was too damn tired to fuck him, but Mako had always delighted in their power games before. His expression said he wanted no part of this game where their prisoner might see, but then, Rin had never intended Haru to see him so thoroughly undone either. Turn about was fair play, after all.
Mako started to stand, pushed himself up all of an inch before Rin's foot settled atop his shoulder to force him down once more. He hooked a calf behind his shoulder, pulling until Mako ceded at last, grudgingly sinking the final few inches until he lay on the floor with Rin pressing firmly on the back of his neck.
"If I say kneel and you do not kneel, I will prostrate you. Am I clear, Mako?"
"Yes." Mako hissed. Rin had heard that timbre before a time or two, but never anywhere near their bed. The thought made his throat run dry with anticipation.
Inspiration struck and he didn't bother hiding his grin as he jauntily tossed the knife in the air, catching it by its dull edge to proffer it to Haru.
"I've taken his shirt, why don't you cut the rest from him?"
Mako startled, flashing an incredulous glance up at Rin through his lashes. Still he did not struggle and Rin did not relent.
Haru took the knife, sliding bonelessly from the bed to crouch next to Mako. Rin spoke again just as he lifted the blade to make the first cut: "If he bleeds, you're dead."
"Is that all?" Haruka lifted a brow, tracing his hand down the path his erstwhile blade would soon follow, down the curve of Mako's spine to the small of his back, plucking at the waist of his trousers.
"Yes, I think it is."
With deep breaths and fragmenting thoughts, Makoto fought the anxiety that threatened to overwhelm him at any minute. Rin knew what this meant to him, he knew exactly what he was inflicting by holding Mako's head so low, unable to see what it was Haru was doing to him- only feeling. He knew that he was baring Mako's back to an enemy- an armed foe no less- and yet Mako felt no shift in his weight that would indicate wavering resolve. He had miscalculated, and now Rin was exacting the price his pride demanded.
The first touch of the blade's tip to his unprotected skin felt like fire and ice- burning and yet too cold for words. Haru lingered over his task, no doubt revisiting his own memories of their time in the infirmary. Mako swallowed and forced himself to breathe. Rin would not hesitate to carry through on his threat if he felt Haru overstepped in any way. That thought was small comfort when he felt the blade slide just below the waist of his trousers-
He forced a laugh, harsh to his own ears but not so much that Haru would hear it. No stranger to his moods, Rin would catch the nuance of it: "Spare my clothes at least. I am always at such pains to mend them."
"Not tonight, I think." Rin's voice was inexorable and firm. It brought him some small shade of comfort, enough that he felt his lungs drawing in precious air at least, no more feeling of smothering beneath such a light weight. A man's thoughts were his fear's prey, his master had said. Mako had hated him, but he clung to those words now.
The fabric tore and Mako swore under his breath, feeling the first beads of sweat gather on the back of his neck. He gasped aloud when he felt the flat of Haru's warm tongue there, tasting it- it was enough to bring him fully into the present, the specter of his past fled back into the dark corners of his mind where he preferred to keep it.
Rin felt it too, the softening of his muscles, his sudden compliance and just as quickly lifted his weight. A mute invitation to raise himself to a kneeling position again. Mako obeyed with alacrity, soothed beyond his own comprehension by the simple act of resting his chin on Rin's knee, arms folded beneath his face.
The blade skimmed his skin as Haru cut through fabric once more, enough that he could roughly tear the last of it from Mako's legs, pushing him forward against Rin's bare knees. Skin to skin, he allowed Rin's fingers to comb through his hair, uncaring if they caught in tangles. Evidently this was to be a night of discovery; he would rather Haru had never seen it, rather he never witnessed Rin tearing down his shields so adroitly, but that was precisely the point Rin was making.
If one of them was vulnerable, then it must be both.
"Touch him." Rin commanded, soft now. Reverent. Mako didn't so much as twitch when Haru obeyed, no thought for subtlety- his hands closed about Mako's length, moving with such dry friction Mako wasn't sure whether to move into the touch that promised release or pull away from the punishing sting of it. He met Rin's eyes instead, telling him all these things in a way only they two would know. Rin rewarded him, calloused fingers playing over his nipples, pinching and soothing by turns.
Haru leaned into him, warm chest pressed into his back, warmer lips worrying at his shoulder until Mako knew beyond a doubt he had been marked. He refused to come though, not even when Haru's clever thumb found his slit, rubbing the wet pre-cum into his skin, teasing out more. He would show Haru the bond Rin and he shared, the one that had not wavered or broken even now. In the end, Rin still belonged to him, even with the islander's cum in him and on him, even as he watched Haru with the rapt expression of a man taking his first drink in days…
Rin still belonged to him because Mako was still his. He would not come until Rin demanded it of him; he would mark Rin's body again in his turn, show Haru exactly what manner of beast he had elected to climb in bed with. But all in good time; tonight was for Rin and Haru. For the former it was a reassurance of his place, and for the latter, an invitation to sins he had barely even begun to contemplate.
So he waited, patiently biding his time as he had always done until at last Rin bent down and offered him the words he had begun to crave: "Come for us, Mako."
This once he was prepared to obey, the certainty of triumph already settling in his bones. This he had not planned for, no, but every good interrogator knew to adjust his game to the subject- that he had become the subject was… liberating. A mere hour and already their dynamic had shifted to account for another, and if this was a taste of what he could expect from here forward-
"Stop thinking." Rin laughed, scooting farther down the bed until he could add his hands to Haru's own, and fuck-
He sank to the floor, uncaring that it was Haru's hands that held him, unresisting when Rin gently began to tug him into the bed.
Tomorrow. His heavy thoughts would keep.