#dom!link

Link let his hand rest lightly on Rhett’s waist. That was nothing, he might as well be just holding on for balance. There was no reaction from Rhett. Link moved the hand slowly, tracing the lines of the tartan with his fingertips, down, down, down, until he got to the hem of the garment. His fingertips brushed the back of Rhett’s bare knee making him jump.

“Link?”

“Shhh,” Link shushed with a smirk. “There is no Link here.”

Rhett turned his body a bit and found Link’s eyes with his own. They were round and pleading.

“Sir?” The word was barely a whisper but it lit Link’s brain like it was the 4th of July.

“Mmh. Yeah. Just be a good boy and keep your mouth shut. Can you do that for me?” Link lifted an eyebrow at him asking for permission. Rhett swallowed hard and nodded before turning back. Link’s heart skipped a beat. Rhett was too good for him. Such a good boy. He knew how much Link liked the public setting; the thrill of the possibility of getting caught.

Link’s hand slipped under the kilt. It rose slowly, pressing lightly on the back of Rhett’s thigh. Link was holding his breath. He was anxious to get to his prize, to feel Rhett vulnerable and shivering in his arms. But they still had time. They still had many stops to go. Link could prolong the pleasure a bit. Enjoy the moment just before; the precipice, the thrill before the plunge.

Rhett’s thigh tensed under Link’s touch and he stopped to give it a firm squeeze. Rhett moved a little. His body swayed against Link, like he was silently begging Link to go on.

“So needy,” Link muttered against his neck and gave it a quick kiss. Rhett hummed under his breath, just a small sound, but it made Link’s insides burst into flames. He wasn’t waiting anymore. He was ready to jump.

His hand found its way to Rhett’s tight little rump. Link caressed the bare cheek and longed to give it a nice, hard slap. Unfortunately, there was no space for that kind of play here. Maybe later… He could hear Rhett’s breathing quickening and felt his own doing the same. He was painfully hard, his cock throbbing against his tight jeans.

Instead of a slap, Link gave Rhett’s ass cheek an almost brutal squeeze; just hard enough to make Rhett almost lose his balance and moan but not so hard that he’d scream. It was a tightrope that Link had learned to walk well. Rhett’s body crashed against him and Link wrapped his other arm around Rhett’s waist for support. Rhett huffed out an almost panicked breath.

“Okay?” Link whispered.

“Mm-hmm,” came the answer.

“Very good. You were so quiet. You deserve a prize for that. Don’t you think so?” Link whispered straight into Rhett’s ear. Rhett trembled on his arms and Link licked his lips hungrily. What wouldn’t he give right now to open his zipper, slip out his leaky cock and slowly thrust it inside his willing partner? But they had no time to go as far as that.

Link settled on something quick and fun. He extracted his hand and bent his head behind Rhett to coat his index and middle fingers with saliva. His hand was back on Rhett’s ass in no time and he pushed his lips against Rhett’s ear again.

“A little help? Spread for me, babe.”

Rhett’s other hand stayed above his head on the handle and the other ducked down and joined Link’s hand under his kilt. He grabbed his own ass cheek and shifted it to give Link more room to play.

“Thank you. So obedient.”

Rhett’s breaths came in small, shallows huffs as Link’s fingers circled his rim. Link tried to control his own breathing as well but it was hard. They were surrounded by people; someone was basically standing back to chest with Rhett. Link could barely contain himself. Shivers of excitement and pleasure ran through his body as he slipped his finger inside Rhett.

A small whimper. That’s all Rhett let out. It rolled from his lips like a present meant just for Link and he accepted it with a low groan of his own. He could feel Rhett’s hips moving as he undoubtedly craved for some pressure for his cock. He must be so hard right now. Link had to know for sure. The arm circling Rhett’s waist dropped down for a moment and palmed the front of the kilt under the codpiece. Link hummed with pleasure as his hand met the thick cock pressing against the accessory. It was very fortunate that was included in the get-up. Otherwise, Rhett would have had a very apparent tenting situation going on. Link gave Rhett another squeeze that was met with a cough that was meant to cover the low moan escaping Rhett’s throat.

Link’s finger worked deeper into Rhett’s tight warmth. Link let his forehead fall against Rhett’s shoulder and closed his eyes. For just a moment, they were alone; just the two of them in an empty car, Rhett shivering in Link’s arms and Link almost knuckle deep inside him. Rhett pushed against Link’s finger, rolled his hips, kept breathing heavy and erratic. Link drew his finger out and pushed in with two. Not as far this time, just enough to feel the little nodule of nerves with his fingertips. He braced himself and pressed hard.

Rhett bucked and writhed in Link’s arms. His hand grabbed the handle so hard his knuckles turned to white and he stopped breathing altogether. It was too much for Link and he had to sink his teeth into Rhett’s shoulder to quell the greedy growl that threatened to release from him. That just made matters worse for Rhett and Link knew that but couldn’t help himself.

“Please, sir,” a faint, raspy whisper floated to Link’s ears and his stomach burned with coiling heat.

“Relax. I got you,” Link whispered back.

Rhett drew a deep breath and his body stilled. Link kept moving inside him, rubbing up against the spot that usually made Rhett a mess of whines and moans. He was silent now, letting out only tiny little whimpers once in a while. His hips rocked against Link’s fingers and the hand holding onto the handle shook slightly from strain.

“Still good?” Link whispered.

“Yes, sir.” The answer was quiet but clear as day. Link almost howled from want.  

“Our stop’s coming soon,” Link rasped as his fingers scissored and applied more pressure against Rhett’s prostate.

Rhett drew a sharp breath and the movement of his hips quickened. He fucked himself with Link’s fingers. Link was about to pass out from the arousal. He was rutting his clothed cock against Rhett’s thigh. He knew he couldn’t come into his pants – he had no change of clothes – but he couldn’t help himself, the need to feel Rhett was too great. Rhett pinned him between himself and the door behind him.

“You coming soon too, darlin’?” Link murmured. He could see Rhett nodding but no sound came out. Their stop was approaching and Link felt the desperation in Rhett’s movements. Link’s hand slipped away from Rhett’s waist and found its way under the front of the kilt. He knew they were playing a dangerous came now. He hadn’t meant for this to escalate so far but damn if he wasn’t going to help Rhett get where he wanted. Link’s hand wrapped around Rhett’s cock and he stroked fast and hard.

That was just enough for Rhett to disintegrate. His body suddenly straightened and tensed up. Link was sure he could hear him grind his teeth together as he came. He felt the hot spurts of cum covering his fingers and he kept pumping until Rhett relaxed against him and let out a small satisfied sigh. Link let his head fall back against the door and closed his eyes. The waves of pleasure coursed through him as he was biting on the inside of his cheek to not scream. He tasted blood. He didn’t care. He was floating.

“Thank you, sir.” The dreamy whisper made Link’s still racing heart skip a beat.

“The pleasure is all mine, baby,” he whispered back.

Then the subway slowed to a stop. Link quickly cleaned off his hand on the underside of Rhett’s kilt. With shaky legs, they maneuvered their way out of the car and onto the platform. Rhett turned to look at Link. His eyes were soft and searching. Link drew him into a kiss. Public displays of affection weren’t really their thing but Link had to make an exception. Rhett tasted salty and sweet. Link sighed into his mouth and felt Rhett’s arms wrapping around him. They breathed each other for a moment, ignoring the world around them. When they finally parted, Link glanced at the clock.

*****

It was the weekend of the State Fair their freshman year of college. Needing a distraction from studying, he and Link had made their way to the fairgrounds. They'd claimed to be visiting ironically, keeping a detached air of disinterest about them in only the way cocky college boys can. When they'd found themselves standing in front of the belt vendor's stand, they'd listened to his convincing sales pitch about how each belt was hand-tooled right there on the spot. They'd laughed, poking each other in the ribs as they'd looked at the customization options. They'd played Rock, Paper, Scissors to see which of their names would end up on the belt. The two wolves were a last minute addition—Link's suggestion—to represent the two of them and NC State’s mascot. While the vendor worked on the belt, they'd wandered the fair: eating unhealthy food, showing off for some cute girls at the fair games, and riding rides.

It was only once they were back in the privacy of their dorm room that the mood had shifted. The air between them was fraught with tension. None of the levity had followed them home from the fairgrounds.

Link turned the belt over in his hands, staring down at the brown leather before saying, “You ever think about how it would feel to get whipped?”

Rhett's pulse quickened at these words. He glanced at Link, not quite meeting his eyes. “You forgettin’ what my dad used to do when he got mad?”

Link clicked his tongue. “That's different than what I had in mind.”

Rhett's mouth went dry. His response came out as less of a sound and more of a croak, “Oh?”

With a low chuckle that sent a chill down Rhett's back, Link ran a hand across his chin. “Wanna try? For research?”

Feeling as though he was having an out of body experience, Rhett found himself dropping to his knees, propping his arms against his bed. “Do it.”

“We can’t… You gotta...” Link seemed to be struggling to form complete sentences, which melted away the last of Rhett’s resistance.

“What do you need me to do, bo?”

“Pants. Off.” Link said, his voice thick.

Even though his face burned, Rhett did as he was told, lowering his pants and boxers down his thighs so he was exposing his bare ass to the one person he trusted more than anyone in the world. “Punish me, Link. Please?”

The first hit took him by surprise. He winced, bracing himself against the hard frame of the bottom bunk as Link reeled back and hit him again. The satisfying sound of the leather cracking against his skin was nothing compared to the way it felt. It hurt, yes, but it was more than that. The warmth that traveled up his spine and down his long legs was unexpected. With each crack of the belt, Link’s confidence grew. Gone was the self-conscious, hyper-focused boy he’d been friends with since the first grade. In his place was a confident man who made Rhett’s body shake with a need he couldn’t articulate.

“It really shoulda been my name on here. To mark what belongs to me.”

Rhett’s forearms burned as he buried his face against the mattress. Link’s words were a honeyed balm against the stinging ache on his backside. He could feel tears on his face; the hard dorm floor dug into his knees. And, yet, he didn’t want to be anywhere else.

With one final slap against his skin, Link joined him on the floor. His hand gently traced the patterns of where the belt—their belt—had left marks on his skin. Rhett whimpered as his hands traveled over the tender skin of his ass, across his hip, and around to the front where he most needed attention. Link’s hands had brought him much needed relief that night as he whispered in his ear about how good he’d been about taking his punishment.

This continued for months. Whenever Link’s stress got too high, he took it out on Rhett’s body. It was always followed by a release of each of their most primal needs. It had been good, but there were no strings attached. It was simply the stress relief they'd both needed. But, then, Link had met Christy, and everything between them stopped abruptly. They'd stayed together as friends, but agreed never to speak of this again. They'd both thought it was for the best.

*****

Back in the present moment, Rhett hesitated before posting the picture. He knew that Link didn’t use Instagram, but that didn’t mean he didn’t see the things Rhett posted there. Rhett was sure it would only be a matter of time before his phone would buzz with a message from Link. As expected, it came within minutes.

L: Is that The Belt?

Rhett smiled as he quickly replied: Yes.

L: Thought you’d lost it.

R: I guess not. Mama brought it with her.

L: So, you lied to me.

R: No, no, no. I never lied.

It took Link a long time to respond. When he did, it was with seven simple words that raised goosebumps on Rhett’s skin: Oh, you lied. You're gonna be punished.