#outllawed

really that's all you're asking?

There was a strange trepidation in the pit of his stomach when Cid brought out the blindfold. It was little more than a folded over piece of cloth that he could have burned through in an instant, and he also knew that Cid would never do anything to hurt him. If he wanted to try this, it would be safe. Joshua would still be in control, even if he couldn't see for the moment.

So why did he feel so afraid? Why was there a piece of him that was doubled over in anxiety, twisting into knots over some strange worry of what might happened?

He stripped before, leaving himself completely bare as Cid carefully tied the cloth around his eyes. Joshua blinked beneath it and found that his vision hadn't been entirely obscured; there was enough faint light that was seeping through to make out vague shapes in the room. It meant that, while he couldn't fully see what Cid was doing, he would be able to see Cid move.

The anxiety slowly untwisted... at least a small fraction of it did.

A hand pressed against his shoulder, slowly easing Joshua to lay back on the bed. He found himself hyperaware of the sensation of the sheets beneath them, of the slight friction of his body rubbing against them. Fingers traced along his chest, dragging a lazy circle around one nipple, and there was a mouth suddenly pressed against the other, teeth nipping at him gently. It drew a sudden gasp from him, and he could hear Cid chuckle in turn.

"Bastard."

"Am I? Could have sworn you liked it." As if to drive his point home, a hand reached down to give Joshua's cock a stroke. Just one, but it was more than enough to make it clear just how shamefully aroused he was.

In terms of hand-to-hand combat, Cid easily outclassed Joshua. Even with the tricks he had learned from the Undying, there was no comparing with the decades of experience that the Thunder God had over him. It was only there that Joshua had any actual advantage; the Phoenix had been part of Joshua since birth and there were times when he felt that was his true self, and Joshua was simply the persona he wore around others. Ramuh was an unfamiliar and seemingly unwanted ghost that haunted Cid, making him reluctant to rely on his lightning.

But that didn't really matter if they were meant to be exercising and practicing physical combat. There would be times when relying on the Phoenix would not be possible, like fighting in blight-infested land. He had to be capable of some level of self defense on his own merit.

But, predictably, Cid was better. And predictably, the rapier that Joshua used was knocked from his hand. If it were a real battle, it would be now that he would be able to land the killing blow across Joshua's neck, ending his life. Or perhaps he would simply hold-him at sword point and-

They were alone. Mostly, anyways. Likely Jote was somewhere, watching, but she would always be an ever-present specter.

Joshua pressed himself greedily up against Cid's body, one of Cid's legs pressing between his own as a hand traced up along the exposed skin of his chest. He leaned in to kiss him, tongue flitting out for a moment to taste Cid before his teeth nipped at his lower lip.

He could have risen if he desired to try to struggle. Cid was powerful, but the Phoenix was equally so; a burning emblem of rebirth and endless spiraling hope. It would not be so easily defeated by Ramuh, no matter how spitefully it was struck by lightning.

But Joshua was not the same. His knees had gone weak a moment before he felt himself falling forward, slumping down on the ground in front of Cid. But not Cid. A thing that worse his face but was different all the same. A thing that had slithered into his corpse to drag him back from the dead and for what? Why?

They're both Dominants. To Joshua they're equal.

The small, gentle kisses had lulled Joshua into a false sense of security, something that he should have known better than to sink into when Cid was around. The man was a menace, more than capable of managing to leave Joshua feeling confused, frustrated, and wishing they had more time together in one simple motion. Maddening-- And of course he'd find himself drawn to someone like that.

So the sudden bite was surprising, but not really... out of character. And while Joshua found himself letting out a small yelp, it was less from pain and more out of being suddenly shocked.

"What is wrong with you?" He spoke with a laugh but still pushed against Cid's chest, breaking away from the older man for a moment to stare up at him with a slightly wrinkled nose. "Is this some Southern Isles trick on how to seduce your partner? People do tend to bite less here."