Spliced: Part 4 - Chapter 13A

[flighty_dreams]

Sorry for the long wait between updates--Nanowrimo and other things kept me busy--but the second half of the chapter should be up pretty soon as well.

TITLE: Spliced 4.13A
AUTHOR: flighty_dreams
WARNINGS: NC-17. slavefic. scifi setting. M/m.
WORD COUNT:  4,356 (for this half of 4.13)
SUMMARY:  In a world where clones are made and sold as commodities, Matt Muldane can't resist purchasing an intriguing slave.
NOTES:  The index to this story available here. Thanks to aurila and tuawahine !
FEEDBACK: Always welcome.

Chapter Thirteen

 Min was speechless.

Matt watched surprise, relief and confusion flash through his eyes. The truthful words had come from some deep place inside him, beyond thought.

 “What?” Min broke the silence.

 “I’m not going to hurt you,” Matt clarified as he straightened, no longer looming over Min. “But you did offer to atone. I want answers instead.”

After what he’d seen at Kimbel’s today, he couldn’t stomach the idea of physically hurting Min right now—especially when it was obvious Min didn’t want it. But he still needed to get something from him. He couldn’t force answers out of Min, but persuading him to give Matt information as an alternative penance for Festun seemed reasonable.

The only complication was, having Min trapped in his bed was proving too great a temptation. The collar around his neck and the cuffs on his wrists so clearly shouted, Mine. It was harder to focus than Matt had expected—he’d still not had his fill after their long separation.

“If all you want is answers, why am I chained up?” Min asked then.

Because you pinned like this is such a delicious sight. Matt slid a hand along Min’s bare chest. “I wanted to keep you guessing.”

And he’d wanted to see how far Min would go. Would he really let Matt chain him down? He had, which had been surprising. But Matt was only human, and he hadn’t been able to resist goading Min in various ways, despite his certainty that he wouldn’t beat him. He’d showed each implement to Min, testing his resolve and studying his reactions. Beneath Min’s anxiety he’d seen something else. It had struck him then that Min offering himself up for punishment that Min believed he didn’t deserve—and following through with it—had taken courage. It made Matt appreciate Min’s offer all the more, a strange, warm feeling filling his chest.

Min had done violence to him on Festun, but their earlier talk had shown him the ways he had hurt Min too. Yes, Min was his slave, and legally Matt could do what he wished with him, including dealing out discipline, but he was protective of him as well.

As he’d watched Min submit to punishment—although not with complete grace, considering the glares he’d sent him—Matt had felt a need to act carefully. Min’s offer proved how serious he was about making amends. After all the things he’d done, and how badly this other version of him behaved, Min deserved a whipping and more. No slave owner would’ve disagreed with him, and yet Matt couldn’t bring himself to do it. Awareness of the importance of Min’s gesture and disgust for the abuse Min had suffered in the past made it unpalatable.

 “Congrats, you succeeded. Now why don’t you unlock these?” Min asked, pulling on the chains.

Matt made no motion to release him. He’d already given Min one reprieve. How could I pass up such an opportunity? It wasn’t likely Min would allow him to restrain him like this again anytime soon. Not without a fight or some serious compromises.

“If you really aren’t going to punish me...” Min said, prodding him again.

Forcing himself to focus on Min’s words instead of the distracting view, Matt supposed he’d not given Min much reason to trust him, not when it came to this. “You think I’ll change my mind.”

“Not all answers are ones you’d like.”

Matt’s jaw clenched at the prospect. But if Min feared reprisal, he’d be less forthcoming, to say the least. “I give my word I am not going to hurt you. I just want honesty.”

Min was somewhat mollified, but he jerked at his restraints again in silent inquiry.

“These,” Matt said, touching his wrists, “are a good look on you. Especially while I’m fucking you.”

Min’s eyes flared before he disappointingly shook the feeling away. “Matt…” he began, using a reasonable tone Matt recognized. He even licked his lips, giving Matt a don’t-be-crazy encouraging look.

Matt just smiled, and Min faltered, realizing that convincing him otherwise would be impossible.

Min frowned. “You really aren’t going to…?”

Matt shook his head. “No.”

The clone’s bafflement gave way to suspicion. “How many questions?”

A flash of irritation made Matt growl, “We are not playing another numbers game.”

Hands clenching over the shackles, Min scowled, aware he wasn’t in a good bargaining position. It didn’t stop him from arguing though, to Matt’s exasperation. “There are limits to what I can answer.”

Matt crossed his arms. “No more lying to me.”

“Muldane…”

Matt stared him down, not budging. With a groan, the clone tucked his head against his arm. “Fine.”

“Fine what?” Matt asked, tugging his chin back to face him.

Looking him in the eye, Min said, “I won’t lie.” Persistent as ever though, he couldn’t simply agree. “As long as you keep your promise.”

At the question in Matt’s eyes, he added, “To move on.”

“I will, if you promise to answer my questions honestly.” Matt suspected complete disclosure would be unlikely, but as Hollis had said, he had to give him the opportunity at least.

Min paused, and when it came his voice was a growl. “I promise.”

Matt ran a hand along Min’s skin, savoring the capitulation. It had been months since he’d seen Min displayed like this, naked and bound. The temptation to lose himself in the body splayed out before him, prevalent from the moment Min had taken off his clothes, rose higher. He’d always loved the way frustration had filled Min’s darkened eyes when Matt took him while he was restrained, his desire to touch his master thwarted by his chains. The helplessness of being tied often seemed to intensify the Andorian’s lust.

Blinking, Matt’s eyelashes brushed Min’s chest, suddenly aware that he’d moved without thinking. Somehow he’d one hand around Min’s hardening shaft and his mouth at his nipple. He froze, forcing his head to clear as he listened to Min’s fast, shallow breaths.

Sitting up, he looked at Min. Desire and confusion swirled in the clone’s eyes as he waited to see what Matt would do next. Matt liked that idea—Min having to wait on him. Once an expected concept, it was rare now.

Then the illusion shattered as Min spoke first. “What did you want to know?”

Matt scowled; sensing that the foreplay wasn’t continuing, Min obviously sought some control over the situation. Determined to prevent it, Matt’s hand found Min’s arousal again, stroking it. As he reveled in driving the manipulative clone into succumbing to mindless need, he made a decision.

“No questions tonight.” Part of him was impatient for answers; he’d waited long enough. But the rest of him was more interested in fucking Min senseless. He felt overwhelmed as it was today; better to leave the rest for tomorrow.

Wary, the clone squinted at him but said nothing. Matt suspected that Min’s growing lust was already making higher thought difficult.

He kissed Min, an assault that communicated how much he wanted him. How could he not, with Min bound so appealingly? Still eager to see him mindlessly needy, Matt drew back, sending him a devious smile.

“Aw, fuck. Don’t,” Min said, recognizing his intentions.

Matt’s smile widened.

“No, not after today. You already, no-” The words cut off into a moan as Matt’s tongue stroked just behind Min’s ear.

He’d memorized all of Min’s sensitive places months ago, and he hadn’t forgotten a single one. Min didn’t stand a chance, he noted, grinning. The fact that he’d already teased the clone twice today made his attentions all the more potent, and Matt smirked against his neck. This was a much more fun way to torment his Andorian.

He’d always enjoyed this kind of sex with Min. Not only for the obvious restraints, but also for the way it allowed him to extend the foreplay as long as he wished. He could drive Min’s pleasure so close to the brink, pause to bring him down, and then repeat it all over again. And the sounds Min made when he was so desperate would send jolts straight to Matt’s cock.

Already he was straining against his pants, eager to be inside Min, who would struggle so deliciously against the shackles as he fucked him. It took vicious self control to make them both wait as he returned to teasing the clone.

“Evil bastard,” Min muttered as Matt’s lips brushed along his collarbone.

Matt bit him in response.

“Asshole.” Min squirmed beneath him, the friction rubbing against his imprisoned cock in just the right way.

As the delicious sensation passed, Matt noted that the insults during sex were new—and inappropriate. But he also found himself enjoying them.

Min was glowering at him, a picture of frustration and need intermingled. The set of his jaw told Matt he wouldn’t be a mindless puddle of lust anytime soon. No, Matt had more work ahead of him if he wanted his teasing to overcome that agile mind.

Determined to win, Matt returned to his intimate tour of Min’s body. He glided leisurely downward, giving lavish attention to Min’s nipples. Leaving one untouched for the moment, he teased the other with lips and tongue, making it the focal point for Min’s pleasure. Shifting restlessly, back arching into it even while he tried to squirm away, Min growled out more insults. When the nipple was so tender the lightest lick made the Andorian shudder, Matt moved on to the other, giving it the same treatment.

Satisfied, and unsure whether he could withstand anymore of Min’s squirming without coming in his pants, he drew back. Min looked dazed, his chest rising and falling rapidly with his breaths. Sweat glistened on his forehead, and Matt leaned down, seeking his lips. The kiss was a demand that Min responded to in kind, conveying their raging hunger for each other.

Nipping Min’s lips and pulling on the bottom one gently, Matt let go. He resumed the teasing, his mouth sliding down Min’s stomach, enjoying the way he twitched beneath his tongue. When he found that spot on Min’s hip and suckled it, he was rewarded with a moan and a curse. “Fuck. Matt.”

“Not yet.” His smirk prompted a glare from Min.

He continued on, Min’s half-hearted resentment adding an enticing edge, as did his incredibly foul mouth. Min’s library of swear words was refreshingly extensive.

“Matt …” The rest of what he said was unintelligible, but Matt caught that much over his own pounding pulse. It didn’t stop him from biting Min’s ear again though, or pinching his swollen nipple. The muttered, vicious threat that followed the pinch delighted him, and he did it again.

“Gonna make you pay for this.” Matt’s knee brushed his throbbing cock on purpose. A gasp choked off Min’s next words.

Threats hadn’t been part of Min’s pillow talk before either, but Matt found them arousing as well. He loved the gruff, hoarse edge to Min’s voice as he cursed him. His own control hung by a thread, and Matt struggled to rein it in.

Finally, after eliciting several more curses and threats, he took pity on them both. Pulling back, Matt placed a soothing hand on Min’s stomach.

Repressing the urge that screamed take him, Matt rubbed his entrance with a finger. “Still sore?” he asked, hoping he’d healed enough.

Min’s lust-filled brain tried to focus and failed. “Don’t care.” He pushed against Matt’s finger, eager for the invasion.

Biting back a grin, Matt said, “Are you sure? We could stop.”

The glare Min skewered him with then was well worth the delay.

“I just want to make sure,” Matt said cheerfully.

“Muldane…”

His frustration pleased Matt, and made his own urges sharpen. He rose to his feet, shucking his clothes off. Grabbing the lube, he hopped back onto the bed, the need to be inside Min roaring through him.

With his lubricated fingers, he penetrated him slowly at first, the dim voice of caution telling him to be careful. His patience frayed even further than Matt’s though, Min thrust back against his fingers—not that Matt minded. His shaft twitched, as if he could already feel Min closing around him, and just imagining it almost made him come. He thrust his fingers in and out, brushing Min’s prostate on the third slide.

Back arching with pleasure, Min cursed, “Fuck.” He yanked on the restraints in frustration.

Unable to deny himself any longer, Matt removed his fingers and plunged into Min in one long thrust. Belatedly he remembered that Min might be sore, and he watched his reactions. There was no discomfort, only pleasure, and Matt soon lost himself, concern giving way to the roughness of raw passion. Release beckoned, and Matt’s hand found Min’s cock, stroking it. That brief, added touch was all Min needed to finally plunge over the edge Matt’s calculated teasing had denied him.

A guttural cry accompanied Min’s intense climax, his body shuddering, his arms pulling on the chains. Matt groaned too as Min’s muscles clamped down on his cock with near painful force.

He liked taking him like this, able to look into his eyes. Between Min’s grip on his cock and the pleasure in those eyes, Matt found himself coming as well. When Min’s hold loosened he thrust again, the friction prolonging his release.

All too soon it was over, and he collapsed onto Min. He allowed himself a few minutes, his lips contentedly nipping and teasing Min’s.

“Better now?” he asked, feeling smug.

Even through his well-pleasured afterglow, Min managed a scowl. “You are still evil. And heavy.”

Grinning, Matt slipped off of him. Cleaning himself off in the bathroom, he returned and cleaned up Min too. Stoic, the clone said nothing, but Matt sensed a thread of resentment for the helpless position that forced him to depend on Matt to take care of him. Matt didn’t share his unhappiness on that point.

After he was done, a chain clinked as Min tugged on it.

“In a minute,” he answered the unspoken question.

His mouth found Min’s neck above the collar. While tormenting Min before, he’d already given it plenty of attention—along with many other parts of him. But now he started slowly, suckling gently before gradually increasing the force. Min growled, his arms dragging on the restraints.

When he pulled back, Matt noted the reddened skin with satisfaction. It wasn’t as big or dark a mark as the one he’d made biting Min in the shower, but as that one was now disappointingly covered by the collar, this one would do.

Min looked at him with a blend of annoyance and desire. “Was that really necessary?”

“Yes.” Matt grinned.

Min sighed.

A quick kiss and then Matt unlocked the cuffs. Min turned onto his side, his back to Matt. The stiff set of his shoulders said a lot about his current mood. Seeing Min rubbing his wrists idly, Matt massaged his arm, his lips brushing Min’s hair. Sleepy, he settled on his side behind his Andorian, who relaxed against him.

Matt smiled. He’s not really as annoyed as he pretends.

  

 

He awoke confused.

Snatches of a vague dream—something about a long hallway he couldn’t escape, and his father’s abrasive voice—floated away as Matt’s mind cleared. But it was the soothing feeling of strong arms enclosing him, cradling him against a warm, bare chest, that most bewildered him.

Matt opened his eyes, discovering that the sensation hadn’t been an illusion. He was lying on his side, partly on top of Min, one hand pinned between them and the other flat against Min’s chest. The clone’s arms circled his back, and Matt’s head lay against his chest, the thump of Min’s heart a comforting sound. Their legs were tangled together and the sheet lay up to their chests, creating a warm cocoon.

He couldn’t recall the last time he’d been held like this. Taurent had done so a few times, but their trysts had often been hurried. And he definitely hadn’t gotten much comforting as a child. When he’d been about five, one of the servants had hugged him and murmured soothing words after he’d scraped up his knees in a fall. And his grandfather had comforted him a year or two later, after his mother said something that made him cry. Certainly his parents had never spared the time or the effort to soothe him with a kind word or a hug. His grandfather had done it that one time, but there’d still been a catch.

“Shh, enough. You’ll be a man one day, and men take care of themselves. They don’t cry, and they don’t need their grandpa to hug them.”

Terrified of disappointing his grandfather, he’d struggled to calm down, feeling ashamed of himself.

“No, it’s all right,” his grandfather had reassured him. “You’re still little, but I know you’ll make a great man someday.”

Determined to make his grandfather proud and to prove he was a big boy, he’d never turned to him for comfort again. Any crying he did, he did alone.

But Matt hadn’t asked for anything this morning. Surely he couldn’t feel ashamed of this. And besides, Min pinned naked beneath him was near the top of his list of Things He Could Never Get Enough Of. Of course, sex with Min held the top spot.

He tilted his head, wondering if Min was awake to witness this. The clone’s eyes were closed, his expression peaceful. Without the fierce personality shining through his features, he just looked like a regular Andorian. Someone who needed to be taken care of, not someone to seek support from.

Min’s hand drifted up his back, fingers stroking Matt’s hair. Without opening his eyes, he said, “You were muttering in your sleep. Sounded like a bad dream.”

Embarrassed, Matt stiffened. Such weakness—especially when it was beyond his control—dismayed him. He started to pull away, but Min’s hold tightened, preventing it.

“It’s okay.” Min smiled gently, and his lips brushed Matt’s hair, almost a kiss of benediction before he pulled away again. “I won’t think less of you for being human.”

“Hmm?” Matt asked, secretly wishing Min would kiss his hair again.

Min’s hold on him loosened as he shrugged. “Everyone has bad dreams sometimes.”

“What about you?” Strangely, Matt couldn’t remember Min ever having a nightmare. Knowing what he did now about the abuse he’d suffered, that seemed particularly odd.

A line formed between the clone’s brows. “Growing up, I had nightmares sometimes. Once I started switching though, I never had them as Min, only as Alex.”

Matt frowned. “Why only as Alex?”

“As a slave, it’s not good to have a dream—for example—revealing you’re claustrophobic, especially if your screaming wakes up your owner. As Alex, I never had that problem.”

“You’re claustrophobic?” Matt sensed it was more than just an example.

Min looked away, tension lining his jaw. Damn, Matt thought with unease, he is claustrophobic.

“But…” A few times when he’d traveled with Min, just like the first time he’d brought him back to Alister, Min had been forced to fly in a slave crate. At the time he’d attributed the clone’s apprehension before each journey to a fear of flying, but now he realized what the true issue had been. “I didn’t know.”

“I know.” Min’s hand caressed his back, but Matt wasn’t sure if he was comforting Matt or himself.

You should’ve told me. The words died on Matt’s lips. Lack of trust was at the core of their problems. That, and Min’s stubborn insolence. But Min seemed to be opening up to him more, between their talk last night, the offer of punishment, and this reveal just now. He could’ve lied about his phobia, but he hadn’t.

Matt didn’t move at first, clandestinely enjoying the feel of Min embracing him. It was nice to have him reaching for Matt for once; he was usually the one pulling Min close.

Since leaving Karta he’d been living contently enough, his life filled with his work and the friends he’d made on Monlea. And then he’d bought this baffling slave. It wasn’t until after he’d lost Min that he’d realized there’d been a void inside him for years, a void that Min’s presence had begun to fill. The emptiness of his bedroom after Min’s disappearance had been a physical echo of the loneliness within him.

Matt shifted his hand, curling two fingers through the ring of the collar. Min’s return was too recent; part of Matt still feared he’d wake up and find himself alone, Min’s reappearance either a dream or a short-lived respite. Remembering the clone’s words the night before, he told himself, Six months, I have that much at the very least. It’s far too early to panic.

He savored the cuddling for a while longer before reluctantly giving it up. His mouth found Min’s, kissing him briefly before slipping out of his embrace. He’d woken hard, no doubt a natural reaction to both the normal rhythms of sleep and Min’s close proximity.

As Matt rose from the bed, Min sat up, his eyes pausing on Matt’s arousal before shifting upwards. His hands clutched the sheet at his waist as he looked uncertainly at Matt.

“I have a couple of things to take care of today, but later I’ll be demanding those answers,” Matt told him. Actually he’d nothing urgent to do, but he found himself wanting more time.

Min smiled ruefully. “Somehow I didn’t think you’d forgotten.”

With a quiet chuckle at the impossibility of that, Matt tugged him towards the shower.

 

 

“Don’t even think about it.”

His words dragged Min’s gaze away from the tree, and Min sent him a shit-eating grin. “I wasn’t going to climb it.”

Matt just glowered at him. I think you’ve had enough broken bones for one lifetime, almost passed his lips, but he knew those words would wipe the smile off the Andorian’s face. For all that Min aggravated him, Matt couldn’t bring himself to do that. Maybe he just didn’t want either of them to dwell on Min’s past any more than they had to.

After dragging the clone out on a couple of errands—where he’d been the picture of decorum, at least in public—they’d returned home. When Matt had made it obvious that he wasn’t ready to talk yet, Min had suggested they go out to the garden. Although Matt found the request odd—the clone had never expressed any interest in the grounds before—he’d not had any reason or desire to object. Since Min’s disappearance months earlier, he’d gone out there sometimes when he couldn’t stand the emptiness of the house any longer.

While Matt sat down on a bench, Min prowled about restlessly. The motion itself was distracting, as was the way Min moved, drawing his attention to the tempting body beneath the clothes. A few times Matt caught him tugging at the collar around his neck too. He understood the agitation; Min was about as eager to answer his questions as Matt was to hear them. While he needed to know, Matt was afraid he wouldn’t like what he learned.

And then the crazy clone had almost climbed a tree. Now he was wandering farther off, about to disappear around the corner of the house.

“Minril.”

The clone looked over at him, one brow raising inquiringly.

Matt ignored how much he’d always enjoyed that expression. “Do I need to put a leash on you?”

Min scowled, clearly not finding the idea anywhere near as appealing as Matt did. Hard for you to get far then, Matt thought, smiling.

With a huff that amused Matt, Min moved closer, sprawling down in the shade of the tree. The fact that he would get his clothes dirty—including another one of Matt’s shirts—didn’t seem to bother him. As Matt watched, Min’s expression sobered as he gazed thoughtfully up into the sky.

Matt glanced up. It was a beautiful day, the weather neither too hot nor too cold, and the skies clear. But it couldn’t hold his attention; he’d too much else on his mind.

When a stray thought occurred to him, his gaze drifted over to Min again. “What did you and Hollis talk about yesterday?”

The twitch of the Andorian’s mouth confirmed Matt’s suspicions. “You. He convinced me that I should be more honest with you.”

I knew I put up with Hollis’ abuse for a reason, Matt thought with sudden thankfulness. Hopefully the promise he’d extracted from Min—and Hollis’ prodding—would provide some real answers.

“Matt,” the clone began, sitting up from the grass. There was something in his blue gaze that kept Matt pinned, unable to look away. “Why did you change your mind?”

Conflicted, Matt said nothing. He didn’t have to explain anything to Min; he could dole out or withhold punishment as he saw fit. Min should be kissing his feet for the lenience, not questioning it. But if he explained…

Frowning at the lack of an answer, Min said, “You made it no secret that you wanted to, but then when you had the chance… It’s like something changed, but I’m not sure what.” Something in the clone’s sharp eyes told Matt that he’d given this some thought. “Was it something Hollis said? Or the visit to Kimbel?”

Matt tensed at the second guess, and he cursed the clone’s perception.

“Ah, Kimbel.” Min rose to his feet, studying him. “Maybe the talk last night as well? Were you feeling a little guilty?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Matt said, keeping his tone even.

A chuckle from Min, and his expression softened, losing its intensity. “Of course not.”

His amusement lingered only a moment longer, Min’s face becoming thoughtful once again. Those knowing eyes analyzed Matt, making him fidget on the bench. Then thankfully Min turned away, lying back down on the grass.

“Let’s go inside,” he called to Min a while later. He was as braced as he could be for whatever he’d discover.

 

Chapter 13B