#feathersofmemory

Walking over to Mr. Burbidge, Blaine dragged his fingers down Mr. Burbidge’s shoulders. Blaine ducked down and pressed his lips up against Mr. Burbidge’s ear. “Is this alright?” Blaine kept his wide and innocent-looking as he sat on Mr. Burbidge’s lap, wrapping his arms around Mr. Burbidge’s lap.

Even facing away, he could tell that Sebastian was staring at him. It was impossible not to feel ashamed, knowing that Sebastian was watching his every move, and keeping the façade was always difficult.

“More than okay,” Mr. Burbidge replied, letting one hand slide down to Blaine’s ass and squeezing. Blaine did his best not to whimper, though he shifted a bit. The bruises were still there from two nights ago, and though Sebastian’s salve had worked a fair amount, having it squeezed still hurt. “I think I might have to take you up on that offer, Michael,” Mr. Burbidge said, looking over to Sebastian’s father and smirking.

Blaine glanced over to see Sebastian sitting there with an unreadable expression. Sarah’s expression was that of pity, and Blaine’s eyes fell back down to the ground. He started to get up when he was suddenly tugged down again. “Did I say you could leave yet?” Though Mr. Burbidge hadn’t tugged him down harshly, there was still something challenging and condescending in his gaze.

“I’m sorry, Sir,” Blaine mumbled, settling back down and pressing a kiss to Mr. Burbidge’s neck. He sucked lightly at the skin, too lightly to leave a mark, and his teeth grazed against it. Mr. Burbidge let out a soft moan and looked back over to the table. Blaine’s hands loosened a bit as he let Mr. Burbidge take what he wanted onto the plate.

“He’s obedient,” Mr. Burbidge said, popping a grape into his mouth and glancing at Blaine. As Blaine pulled back to look at Mr. Burbidge, Mr. Burbidge grabbed Blaine face and pressed down at his jaw, opening Blaine’s mouth. Blaine gasped in surprise and widened it a bit as Mr. Burbidge added pressure.

“He’d better be. If he wasn’t, he’d get punished.”

“As it should be. I can’t stand people who are lenient or feel sentimentally about their whores.”

On that note, Mr. Burbidge turned Blaine’s head to both sides, inspecting him, and Blaine suddenly felt like a dog. Mr. Burbidge let out a grunt of approval before reaching to his plate. He brought a strawberry up to Blaine’s lips, looking expectantly at him. Blaine flushed before leaning forward, biting into it. A bit of the juice dribbled down his chin, and when he pulled back, his tongue darted out, running over his lips and to the corner of his mouth.

“Suck,” Mr. Burbidge instructed, stretching out his fingers, which had some strawberry juice on them. Blaine flushed, feeling humiliated as he felt everyone’s eyes still fixed on him. His tongue swirled around Mr. Burbidge’s fingers, and he hallowed his cheeks, his eyes fixed on Mr. Burbidge’s. When he finally pulled back with a lewd pop, Mr. Burbidge’s cheeks were red and his gaze fixed.

“Good boy.” Blaine swallowed thickly, hating stomach clenched as that familiar feeling of degradation set in again.

“Thank you, Sir.” His voice was rough as his eyes fell down to the ground.

After that, the conversation slowly picked up again. Blaine, of course, didn’t know what they were talking about. It seemed to be politics of some sort. Mr. Burbidge balanced Blaine on his lap, and Blaine kissed at his neck and jaw, feeling sick to his stomach.

It took over an hour for dinner to end, and, when it did, Mr. Burbidge left with the promise that he’d come back next week to see what “your whore really had to offer”.

Blaine padded upstairs, his eyes stinging. He wrapped his arms around himself. Halfway up the staircase, Blaine collapsed against the wall, his shoulders shaking. His throat tightened, and he closed his eyes. Sniffling, Blaine tried to relax himself, but it didn’t work. Instead, he tensed before a few tears slipped past. His eyes stung, and he just felt tired.

After a moment, he could hear Sebastian and Sarah’s voices drifting up, followed by footsteps. Quickly, his hands reached at his eyes, his fists balling up as he tried to wipe away the tears and steady his back. Before he could, though, Sebastian and Sarah came into view. Blaine knew his eyes were red-rimmed, and he turned away, trying to go upstairs. Before he could, Sebastian called out to him.

“Are you honestly crying?” Sebastian scoffed. “It looked like you enjoyed it.”

Blaine flinched. “It’s just my job.”

“Well, it suits you.”

“Excuse me?” Blaine felt his chest tighten as he looked over at Sebastian. Sebastian’s expression, as usual, revealed nothing. He had his familiar smirk in place, and his arms were crossed over his chest. It was almost impossible to believe that this Sebastian and the one who’d given him the salve were the same person.

“I bet you’re disappointed he didn’t offer to fuck you tonight.” Sebastian arched an eyebrow and chuckled. Blaine reeled backwards, nearly tripping over a step.

“I should go,” Blaine muttered, his eyes watering again as he looked down at the ground.

“So you can jerk off to thoughts of Mr. Burbidge?” Sebastian asked, leering at Blaine.

“Sebastian, stop!” Sarah said, looking upset. She looked upset as he moved in closer to Blaine. “You okay?” she asked quietly, putting a hand on Blaine’s shoulder.

“I’m fine,” Blaine said, curling his arms around himself as he blinked rapidly, pushing back tears.

“No, you’re not.”

“This is ridiculous,” Sebastian muttered, looking at both of them with an incredulous expression.

“You know he never wanted this,” Sarah continued, running a hand soothingly in a circle on Blaine’s back. “Do you need help with anything?”

“Sarah, we’re leaving,” Sebastian said, glaring at her.

Blaine had no clue what he needed help with. Well, no, the only thing he could think of that anyone could do was to get him out of here, but that’s was more easily said than done. He shook his head. “I’m fine,” he repeated, though this time more weakly. He just wanted to go upstairs and sleep.

“Sarah, we’re leaving now,” Sebastian said, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her up the stairs. Blaine waited until they were out of sight before going up to his own room.

oOoOoOo

Blaine knocked on the door and bit his lips. After a moment, the door opened, and Sebastian’s head popped out. “Sebby?”

  “Don’t call me that,” Sebastian said with a scowl. When he saw Blaine’s wide, worried, eyes, though, his expression softened a bit. He reached out, ruffling Blaine’s hair. “What’s up, B?” Sebastian scanned the hall to make sure no one was looking before opening it all the way. Blaine slipped in, his arms winding around Sebastian’s waist.

  “I… I tried to come by earlier,” Blaine said, scuffing his feet at the ground as he stared down. Sebastian shut the door behind them and looked down at Blaine. Blaine’s chest felt like it was swelling, like he was about to cry.

  “Well, I had class. You know that. Father wants me to start learning Latin.”

  “I know. I’m just – I’m scared, Sebby,” he said, his lips mumbling against Sebastian’s shirt as he buried his head against Sebastian’s chest.

  “Hey, what’s wrong?”

  “I saw Mom and Dad. Mom was crying,” Blaine said quietly, clinging to Sebastian. “Why were they crying?” As much as he loved Sebastian, Blaine knew that “living with” the Smythes wasn’t exactly ideal for his parents. He knew that they had to cook and clean and spent all day doing chores. It wasn’t a secret that when he got a little older, he’d be doing the same things.

  He also knew that they tried to hide it. Blaine could sometimes see the fear in their eyes or hear it in their voices when they forced a smile on his face. He could hear the lie when they told him that everything was fine.

  So now that they were crying, it scared him.

  “How am I supposed to know that? I’m sure it’s okay.” He carefully reached out, running his fingers through Blaine’s hair and pressing a kiss to the top of Blaine’s head. “It’ll be okay.”

  “What if it isn’t? What if something happens?”

  “It won’t.”

  “But you don’t know that. You don’t!” Blaine said, pulling back, his eyes watering. Blaine gritted his teeth. He wasn’t going to let Sebastian see him cry. He wanted Sebastian to think he was strong.

  Sebastian just reached forward, wrapping his arms back around Blaine. He tugged him down slightly so that they were sitting on the edge of the bed, and he rocked Blaine back and forth.

  “Yes, I do. ‘Cause I won’t let anything happen. I’ll protect you. I promise.”

  oOoOoOo

Blaine rolled over in his bed, before glancing at the clock. It was already eleven in the morning. He didn’t have a client until three today. Sighing, he wrapped the blankets tighter around himself and buried his head into the pillow. His eyes closed, and he was just starting to drift off again when there was a knock at his door.

Blaine groaned, rolling over and walking towards the door, doing his best to fix his hair. At the moment, he didn’t really want to face Michael. “Coming.” He grabbed his bathrobe from over the chair and slung it on, tying it around his waist before opening the door. His shoulders slumped forward and he relaxed.

“I hope I’m not intruding,” Sarah said, smiling and offering Blaine a tray. On one plate there were two waffles stacked up, covered in powdered sugar and topped by a strawberry. On another, there was a croissant, coated in a chocolate sauce. There was a glass of milk as well as a slice of toasted bread with some jam. Blaine’s mouth watered as he looked down at it.

“That looks delicious” he murmured, his stomach whining slightly.

“Well, good ‘cause it’s for you. It isn’t much, but –“

“No, it’s amazing.” Blaine moved out of the way so that she could get in. “I’m used to just some oatmeal and tea or just a slice of bread with some milk. Michael reserves the better meals for himself and Sebastian and you.” Blaine flushed as he sat down on the edge of the bed. The last thing he needed was Michael finding out what he’d said. “I mean, he’s generous,” he added, though the words felt sour in his mouth.

“You don’t need to lie. I’m not going to tell him what you think. I don’t think he treats you fairly either, but that’s not really why I’m here.” She set down the tray on the bed, careful to make sure nothing would fall over. “Here, eat.”

“You really didn’t have to do this. Besides, if Michael finds out…” He glanced down as he took the croissant, leaning over the tray to take a bit off of one end.

“Well, he won’t.” She sighed. “I’m sorry about what happened last night.”

“Like I said, it’s my job. I’m used to it,” he mumbled, glancing downwards as he continued to nibble at the croissant.

“Not that. What Sebastian said. Well, I mean, I’m sorry about that as well. I’d imagine it isn’t easy…” She gave Blaine a sad smile and folded her hands in her lap.

“Well, Sebastian stopped caring about me a while ago. I’m used to that too.” Still, his chest twisted a bit as he spoke. His eyes prickled, and he reached out for his glass of milk, quickly taking a sip. He knew he was being ridiculous.

“No he cares. His pride’s too big to come here and say it himself, but he does.”

“He told you he cared?” Blaine asked, somehow feeling skeptical. Sebastian never admitted when he was wrong. It was something Michael had taught him. If he pretended he was right, people would even forget that he’d done something wrong to begin with.

“Well, not really. But you should have felt the way he was squeezing my hand yesterday, and he was completely pissed when we went back up to bed.” She bit her lip. “But he is sorry. I know he’s frustrating, but he means well.”

Blaine’s eyes fell to plate as he careful cut a piece of his waffles. “Funny, his good intentions really fell short.”

“Fell short? You wouldn’t happen to be talking about yourself, would you?”

Both of them looked up to see Sebastian leaning against the wall. Both of them had been facing away from the door, and they hadn’t heard it open. Blaine set down his fork and knife, pinching the bridge of his nose. “The height jokes really are getting old.”

Sebastian shrugged and walked over to the bed, sitting down next to Blaine. His hand reached up, and he ran his fingers through Blaine’s hair, trailing at his neck. Blaine gasped at Sebastian’s light touch and rolled his shoulders a bit.

Sebastian wet his lips and leaned his head against Blaine’s shoulder. Immediately, Blaine tensed up. Yesterday, Sebastian was poking holes at him, and today he was cuddling with him. Even Sarah looked worried. Her brow creased as she looked up at Sebastian. Sebastian just grabbed the waffle piece Blaine had cut out and popped it in his mouth.

“It’s good,” he said, smirking and grabbing a strawberry, biting into it. Blaine glanced over and flushed. Sebastian’s eyes were fixed on him as he licked the strawberry juice off of his lips and fingers.  “It’s just like last night with Mr. Burbidge, only I wouldn’t whore myself out to anyone.

Blaine shoved Sebastian off of his shoulder and scooted back on the bed, suddenly not hungry anymore. “Have the breakfast if it’s so good.”

Sarah pursed her lips as she looked over at Sebastian. “Sebastian, can we talk outside?”

“You can say it in front of Blaine. Don’t worry, the whore won’t tattletale.”

Blaine jerked upwards, getting off the bed as if burnt. His eyes burned, and his stomach knotted painfully. “I’m going to go take another shower,” he said, his voice shaking. He had no clue what’d given Sebastian the sudden change of heart, but it hurt.

“Blaine…” Sebastian started, reaching out for a moment. Blaine turned around, and, for a moment, he swore he saw regret and pain in Sebastian’s expression. Then, it disappeared. Sebastian smirked again, and that guarded expression returned to his face and eyes. “Feel free to take as long as you want. We won’t judge you if you have to jack off to the thought of Mr. Burbidge,” he said, cocking an eyebrow.

Blaine just grabbed his towel, bathrobe, and ran out of the room. He could hear Sarah yelling at Sebastian, but he didn’t listen to hear what she had to say. Blaine quickly shed his clothes and stepped under the water, gritting his teeth. He had barely been in for more than a two minutes when the door suddenly slammed open.

Sebastian moved forward, under the water. He sighed before moving forward and grabbed Blaine’s face. Their lips pressed together roughly. The kiss wasn’t sweet or loving. It was needy and desperate. Sebastian wrapped an arm around Blaine’s waist as he whimpered into the kiss.

Blaine knew that was Sebastian’s way of saying sorry. He kissed him back before pulling backwards. “Seb, your clothes.”

“I don’t know. I thought it was pretty funny. So, how did it go? He looked pretty smitten when he left.”

“That’s just my job, Seb,” Blaine replied with a sigh, closing the door quietly behind him and padding towards the bathroom.

“Am I not going to get any details?”

“I don’t know why you find this so entertaining. But he just wanted a blowjob. He was into the whole shy boy act.” Blaine was already relaxing. He stopped and turned around leaning against the wall as he looked up at Sebastian. His stomach twisted a bit, and he smiled.

“Hot. You do pull off that look well. Probably ‘cause you used to be that guy. I remember when you used to be all bashful. When I used to push you up against the wall and catch you off guard…” Sebastian moved forward, placing his right hand next to Blaine as he pressed up close to him.

Blaine looked up at him with wide eyes, stretching up on his toes. He leaned forward just a little bit as Sebastian bent down. He could feel Sebastian’s breath on his lips. No matter how many times Sebastian did it, Blaine still shivered at the thought of Sebastian kissing him.

“Now you’re just used to it,” Sebastian finished, suddenly pulling away. A small sigh fell from Blaine’s lips, and he pulled back from the wall and hurried up behind Sebastian as Sebastian started to walk away.

“Well, what did you expect?”

“I don’t know. I still sometimes see you as little Blaine.” Sebastian paused again, and this time his look was softer. Reaching out, he ran his thumb along Blaine’s cheek, and Blaine felt a real heat rise to his cheeks. A smile flickered on Sebastian’s face before it was quickly replaced by his usual smirk. His hand dropped back down. “Well, littler than you are, anyways.”

“I’m not little!” Blaine pouted and ran after Sebastian, hitting him in the arm.

“Careful, tiger. And yes you are. You’re just going to need to accept it.” Sebastian grinned. “I have to crouch down to even get eyelevel with you, babe.” He bent down, chuckling and ruffling Blaine’s hair.

Acting on an impulse to prove him wrong, Blaine lunged forward, pressing his lips to Sebastian’s. Sebastian’s eyes widened for a moment before he took it in stride. After tossing his books to the side, Sebastian’s hands moved down to Blaine’s waist and slipping under Blaine’s bathrobe. He ran his fingers across Blaine’s hips, and Blaine moaned, drawing closer to Sebastian.

“Seb…” Blaine’s head tilted back as Sebastian kissed down his jaw and sucked lightly at his neck. Sebastian’s teeth grazed against the skin before he nipped at it. One hand slipped down lower and teasingly ran up Blaine’s thigh.

“Maybe I can –“ Sebastian’s fingers ran carefully in a circle right around where Blaine wanted to be touched. He keened and whimpered. “—join you for just a little bit in the shower.” Sebastian’s lips tilted upwards, and he sucked lightly on Blaine’s lower lip, his eyes hazy as he stared at Blaine.

“Please.” Blaine and Sebastian started to tumble backwards together towards the bathroom, their hands roaming up and down each other’s bodies. Sebastian growled and one hand dug into Blaine’s hip as he roughly shoved him up against the wall again and cupped him. Blaine gasped, rolling his hips as his hands went to Sebastian’s coat to unbutton it.

“Sebastian!”

Both of them froze at the sound of Michael’s, Sebastian’s father, voice. Their hands fell from each other, and Sebastian moved backwards, his gaze suddenly cold as he quickly buttoned everything back up and fixed his hair. He cleared his throat and looked up at his father. Blaine stayed pressed against the wall, wishing he could disappear.

“You’re going to be late for Latin classes. Professor Devin is waiting,” Michael said, his arms crossing over his chest.

“I – Of course. Sorry, father.” Sebastian’s head bowed down, and he straightened his clothes again, readying to leave.

“Was this your idea or his?” When Michael spoke, he eyed Blaine distastefully. Blaine looked up at Sebastian with wide eyes, hoping for a moment that Sebastian would just tell the truth.

“His,” Sebastian replied quietly, not quite meeting Blaine’s eyes.

“I thought so. You may go.” At Michael’s words, Sebastian grabbed his books walked away as quickly as he could, straightening his back. Michael only waited until Sebastian was a few paces away before advancing on Blaine. “You’re not to distract my son during the day. At night he’s free to do what he wants. You’re not his friend or even a companion. You’re a whore.”

Blaine flinched. “I’m sorry, Sir.” His voice was rough, and he swallowed thickly. Michael was right. Maybe once upon a time they’d been friends, but now… Blaine shuffled, glancing down.

“You’ll look at me when I speak to you.” Michael reached out, roughly grabbing Blaine’s chin and tugging it forward, jerking Blaine’s neck. Blaine gasped and his eyes watered as Michael’s fingers squeezed for a second. He quickly let go before it could bruise.

After all, no one liked a whore with bruises on his face.

“I – I’m sorry, Sir,” Blaine repeated again, pushing back the tears and keeping Michael’s gaze.

“Good. Now get ready. You have another client in fifteen minutes.”

Blaine froze. He’d already had four back-to-back this morning. Michael rarely put them without a break like that, and Blaine rarely had more than three in a day. “But –“

“Don’t talk back to me, boy. Get ready in fifteen minutes. Or else.” Michael’s eyes narrowed, and Blaine nodded again.

“Of course. Yes, Sir.” Blaine moved towards the bathroom, hugging his robe closer to him again. Blaine had no clue what would happen if he wasn’t ready in fifteen minutes, and he wasn’t about to find out. He ran to the bathroom, dropping his robe and turning on the water.

Blaine leaned against the ceramic tiles of the bathroom wall, his eyes burning. He missed Sebastian’s arms around him and that familiar teasing look in his eyes. It’d been a while since he’d seen that side of Sebastian. Considering that Michael had caught them, it was probably going to be longer yet until he saw it again.

Blaine washed his hair and quickly cleaned his body with some soap. After taking a shuddering breath, Blaine turned the water off. He reached for his towel, drying himself off as best as he could before slipping the robe on again. The hallway suddenly seemed quiet without anyone in it, and when Blaine got into his bedroom, he shut the door behind him.

He had just hung up his towel when there was a knock on the door. “Come in,” Blaine called, pushing a smile onto his face. The door opened, and Blaine turned around to see a bulky man with crooked teeth. He glanced Blaine up and down before smirking.

“Get down on your knees and suck. Oh, and you can call me Master.”

Kinks like these were always the worst, and despite the twisting feeling of dread and self-hatred, Blaine widened his eyes and moved over, dropping down to his knees.

“Yes, Master.”

oOoOoOo

Blaine grinned, jumping up and down on the bed. “You should try this! It’s fun, Sebby!”

  Sebastian looked up at Blaine from the other end of the bed, rolling his eyes and scowling as the bed bounced beneath him. “How many times do I have to tell you not to call me Sebby? Besides, I’m too old to do that. I’m six. You can do it ‘cause you’re still five.”

  Blaine let his legs fall down and bounced lightly a few more times before settling down on the bed. Quickly, he crawled over to where Sebastian was, scooting next to him. His head fell against the crook of Sebastian’s neck, and Sebastian sighed before wrapping an arm around him.

  “What?” Sebastian asked.

  “Nothing.” After a moment, Blaine slid down. He rolled over before moving back. “I wanna go run around.” He looked up at Sebastian and pouted before letting his head fall flat against the bed, squishing his nose. He carefully scooted over until it nudged against Sebastian’s hand. “Play with my hair.”

  “Fine. But you better play with mine later.”

  “I will. I promise.” Blaine tilted his head so that he could see Sebastian’s face and gave Sebastian a toothy grin. “Thank you, Sebby. You’re the best.” Sebastian reached down and ran his fingers through Blaine’s hair as he smiled back down at Blaine, his expression soft. His eyes crinkled a bit, and Blaine felt a familiar swooping feeling in the pit of his stomach.

  “I know, B. I know.” He pressed a kiss to the top of Blaine’s head before leaning back and continuing to play with Blaine’s hair. It was silent for a little while, Sebastian’s fingers pulling through the mess of curls on Blaine’s head. Blaine closed his eyes, lulled by the feeling of Sebastian playing with his hair.

  When Blaine opened his eyes again, Sebastian was looking down at him with the same, warm smile he rarely had. He moved closer against Sebastian and flushed as Sebastian’s arm wrapped around him.

  “Hey, Sebby?” Blaine said quietly.

  “Hmm?”

  “You should smile more. You look so pretty when you smile.”

  Sebastian laughed, his smile widening. “Don’t I always look pretty?” he teased.

  “Well, yeah, but you look extra-super pretty when you smile.”

  “You know, B, you’re pretty when you smile too.”

  oOoOoOo

Blaine scrubbed at his skin with the soap, gritting his teeth. The last client had been rough, and everything he’d done had made Blaine feel uncomfortable. There was almost a feeling that if he scrubbed hard enough, he could make it go away. Of course, every time he tried, he just ended up with painfully raw skin and a sick feeling in his stomach.

He let the water wash over him as he leaned against the tiles. His fingers curled up as he swallowed thickly, trying not to cry. The bar of soap slipped from his fingers, but he let it stay on the floor as he closed his eyes.

After a moment, he let his arms wrap around himself, almost protectively, and pressed his head against the tiles. Blaine wasn’t quite sure how long he was there for, letting the water wash over him, but when the water started to run cold, he decided he’d had enough. Blaine picked up the bar of soap and shut off the water.

He slung on some black pants as well as a navy blue button-up shirt, which he left unbuttoned. Blaine made it out of the bathroom towards his room. Blaine winced. Each step was a bit painful; the last client hadn’t exactly been gentle with him. Moreover, he’d been impatient and barely prepped Blaine. Blaine opened the door to his room.

“Hey.”

Blaine looked up at Sebastian. “What are you doing here? Look, your father’s going to get pissed at me for making you come, or –“ Blaine waved his hand, feeling tired. He moved over to the bed and carefully sat down, groaning and rolling onto his side.

“He wanted me to come. I remember that last client you had. I saw him when he was leaving. He and I have hooked up before. I know how rough he is.” Sebastian looked down worriedly at Blaine.

“So, he doesn’t want damaged goods. Who would? Well, it’s all part of the job, isn’t it? He should know that.” Blaine couldn’t help but sound bitter. He closed his eyes, trying to shut out Sebastian.

“B…” The nickname made Blaine open his eyes. He looked up at Sebastian and swallowed thickly. “Please.” Sebastian leaned down next to him, wrapping his arms around Blaine. For a moment, Blaine’s breath caught in his throat before he fell against Sebastian.

“I brought some salve to help soothe it a bit.”

“Thanks.” Blaine looked up at Sebastian and pressed a kiss to his neck. Sebastian shoved him lightly.

“Turn over. On your stomach.” Blaine nodded and did what he was told. After a moment, he felt Sebastian’s hands reach to his pants. Blaine arched his hips, unbuttoning and unzipping his pants. Sebastian tugged them down along with Blaine’s boxers. There was a sharp intake of breath.

“Jesus.”

“What?” Blaine tried to lean back, but Sebastian just eased him back down so that he was against the bed.

“You have bruises all over your hips an ass. And a few cuts. What was he doing?”

“I – I don’t know. He was just rough, okay? It hurt.”

“Looks like it.” Sebastian reached out, his hand lightly resting on the curve of Blaine’s ass. Blaine gritted his teeth and swallowed thickly.

“Stay still.” Sebastian pulled away and grabbed something off of the bedside table. Blaine’s head turned, and he saw Sebastian get the container and slowly unscrewed it. He scooped some salve out on his fingers. “Ready?”

“Yeah.” Blaine nodded against the pillow and closed his eyes.

“Okay, actually, spread your legs a little more.” Blaine did as he was told, and, after a moment, he felt something slick and cold against his upper thighs. He shivered and tried to relax as Sebastian’s fingers ran small circles up his thighs, rubbing the salve into Blaine’s skin.

As Sebastian’s fingers moved upwards, and he pressed in harder, Blaine suddenly let out a small gasp. “Stop.”

“Blaine?”

“It just hurts if you put too much pressure on it.”

“Okay… I think I’m going to try to convince my father to reschedule your appointments for tomorrow.”

“No!” Blaine knew Michael was already angry at him. He didn’t need to give him another reason to hate him. “I’ll be fine.”

“Blaine, your ass is a little swollen and black and blue. Who’s going to want to even fuck you when you look like a bruised banana?”

Blaine flushed, shifting away from Sebastian. “You’re right… If I didn’t have this job, no one would want to fuck me.”

“That’s not what I said,” Sebastian replied, sighing. “Blaine, please just let me put it on…” His brow creased in worry again as he glanced down at Blaine’s ass. Blaine paused before relaxing again, though his fingers stayed clutched around the sheets.

Sebastian slowly eased two fingers inside Blaine, and Blaine whimpered.

“Jesus, when did you become this loose?” Sebastian asked. Blaine flinched and gritted his teeth. He whimpered as Sebastian pulled out and grabbed some more salve.

‘Well, it happened somewhere in between the hundreds of men who fucked me,’ Blaine wanted to say. Instead he shrugged his shoulders as best as he could. “I don’t know. Am I really that loose?”

“Father needs to be careful or else you’re only going to be making him money off of blowjobs.”

Blaine froze, tears coming to his eyes. So, it wasn’t a matter of anything other than that he was going to be a useless whore to them if he was stretched out too much. “God forbid that happen,” he said, rolling over. He forced himself to get up, ignoring the way everything ached as he moved around. He reached for his boxers and slipped them on, trying to ignore Sebastian’s eyes on his back.

“Blaine, that isn’t what I meant.”

“No, you’re busy anyway. You probably shouldn’t be here. Don’t tell your father to cancel my appointments. I don’t need you to take care of me.” Blaine fumbled with his pants, feeling a sharp pain as he tried to lift one leg to get them on.

“No, I don’t, you’re right.” Sebastian’s feet padded across the ground towards Blaine. Blaine finished buttoning and zipping up his pants and grabbed his shirt. Suddenly, Sebastian wrapped his arm around Blaine. “But maybe I want to.”

Blaine’s fingers tightened around the shirt, and he turned around, burying his face in Sebastian’s chest. His shoulders and his eyes closed as he took shaky breaths. Sebastian held him close, not saying anything for a good minute or two.

Blaine wanted to pretend like none of this had happened. Like this meant that everything was going to go back to normal. But he knew that wasn’t true. Things just couldn’t magically reverse back into place. Sebastian had a new life, and maybe he was part of it again for the moment, but it wasn’t going to last long.

Sure enough, Sebastian broke the silence by clearing his throat. “I have to go. Sarah’s probably waiting for me.”

“Right. Of course.” Blaine slowly let go, his eyes falling to the ground. Sarah was Sebastian’s fiancé, a sweet girl who was entirely devoted to Sebastian. Blaine wanted to hate her, wanted to be mad at her, but it was obvious Sebastian never paid attention to her. It was obvious that her affections weren’t ever going to be returned.

So, instead, Blaine simply pitied her.

“I’ll leave you the salve in case you want to put more on later yourself.” Sebastian nodded and glanced Blaine up and down. “You know, bruises and all, you still look hot,” he added before walking out.

Blaine stared at the door for a while after it shut before lying back down on his side and closing his eyes.

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