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D aniel is much taller than Liam expected. He’d seemed so much smaller in the bed. Daniel looks at him, then away, and a blush crawls up his cheeks. His shoulders hunch in.

“What happens now?” Daniel asks.

“We get you comfortable with being my submissive. Your heat isn’t close, which is for the best. It’ll be enough of an adjustment without that, I imagine.” Liam reaches up a hand to Daniel’s face, touching his cheek. “Are you familiar with the traffic light system? If I ever do something you can’t handle or that you don’t like, I want you to say red. And I’ll stop immediately. If you’re scared or panicking, need a moment or something like that, you say yellow. If I ask you what color you are and you’re happy with what’s happening, what will you say?” He’s staring at Daniel’s mouth, thinking about getting his cock into that wet heat.

“Green.”

“That’s right, my good boy. I won’t be mad if you say red or yellow.”

“What about—I’m prey. Shouldn’t I not be allowed red?” Daniel tries to shrug, to make it seem like he doesn’t care very much. As if he hasn’t thought about what it might mean to be prey since the moment he came into his designation.

“That might be more advanced than what we have time for. Nonconsensual play is something we’d engage in if we knew each other well. Let’s see how it goes and if you’re not evening out well, then we might experiment.”

“What if… what if I’m too strong? What if I resist?”

It’s an interesting enough question that Liam wonders what Daniel has heard, how much he knows about his designation. “You won’t be, honey. If you were able to fight me, then I wouldn’t even try it. Your body will help me.”

“That’s—” Daniel whispers the next word. “Weakness. Isn’t it?”

The submissive is gorgeous, attempting to pretend he doesn’t know what the condition means.

“That’s right. Weakness is very special. It’s rare, and it usually only happens to submissives when your body knows what it needs and is trying to help you get those needs met. If you’re strong enough to fight me, then I’m doing something wrong. If you can fight me, then you should. Trust me and trust your body. You fight when you need to, and you surrender when you need to.”

Daniel whimpers, leaning against the wall as if the very idea is overwhelming. Hell, maybe it’s making him weak right now. He puts his arm more securely around the boy.

“I don’t want to fight you,” Daniel says, as if the very idea of being so defensive upsets him. Maybe it does. Daniel is an extremely gentle submissive who has been badly abused. He needs time and a place to recover. He needs to feel safe and process the things he’s endured.

Frankly, Liam isn’t sure if any submissive should be in the field. It all seems like one massive mistake that the military is determined to double down on. Submissives stay in the military to be of use to the Dominants who need them. To expect more of them is wrong.

That is not a popular opinion. He knows a lot of submissives who would be offended by the very suggestion that they shouldn’t be fighting right alongside a Dominant.

Anyway, it’s just his opinion formed after years of experience, and it’s not like anyone is going to let him guide policy, so what does it matter?

The submissive in his arms right now has no business being in the military. He needs to be a pet, a prize, kept in a home and well-loved by a greedy Dom.

Liam leans into his space and kisses him gently on the forehead.

“Oh,” Daniel whispers, as if the chaste kiss was unbearably erotic. “I might fall down”

A submissive as responsive as Daniel is a gift. He can’t wait to get Daniel home and in his bed. On his knot. “I’m expecting a little bit of fighting, sweetheart. Don’t worry about it. Sometimes, submissives have to be shown what they need. Instincts don’t always kick in. That might happen a lot with you. It might be very difficult, at first, to give yourself to me as much as we both need you to. Your handlers spent a lot of time making you believe things that weren’t true, teaching you to fight when you shouldn’t, and doing what they could to confuse your natural instincts. Whenever it’s difficult for you, you have to try to remember that it will get better, that I do know what’s right, and I want what’s best for you. And that it isn’t your fault it isn’t easy. It’s difficult for every submissive in different ways, but because of your experiences it’ll likely be especially difficult for you.”

Tears fill his eyes. “Why would you want to deal with that?” Daniel tries to push away from him. “I mean, I guess it’s your job. But why would you want that job?”

“Listen to me. I know we don’t know each other very well and this might be hard for you to believe. So pay attention and see if you think I’m lying: I want you and it has nothing to do with the job.”

“I don’t believe you,” Daniel says instantly.

He chuckles. “Well, alright. And that’s okay. Over time, you will. Getting weak for me, submitting for me and being on my knot, knowing you’re giving me pleasure and I’m taking care of you will convince you. When you find yourself too weak to struggle, unable to fight me, that’s how you know it’s right. That you’re just a little confused because of what they told you. That’s when you trust yourself as a submissive and you trust me as your Dom. Getting to show that to you is something I want.”

Daniel’s lower lip trembles and Liam kisses it. Then he presses a little closer, hauls him against his cock, and rubs against him. “See what you do to me? I need inside you.”

“G-good,” he whispers. “I believe that.”

It’s a start.

In Daniel’s apartment, all traces of the accident have been removed. The shattered glass coffee table has been replaced with a wooden one and the floor has been cleaned. It smells like disinfectant, but Liam can smell the misery under it. It’s seeped into the walls and the carpet in just the short amount of time Daniel has been here. Daniel shies away from the scent of his blood, chemicals, and misery, his hand going to his face, breathing in Liam’s shirt instead. He stumbles back into Liam, instinctively needing reassurance.

“It’s okay.” Liam squeezes his biceps, pulling him back into his chest. He bends down and kisses Daniel’s neck.

His submissive breaks out into goose bumps, head tilting in offer, arching a little so his ass goes back in invitation, Liam’s cock slotting in between his cheeks perfectly. His ass is incredible. The fabric separating them is a crime.

“Good boy. That’s right. You’re so clever,” he praises.

Daniel whimpers and steps forward just a little, but Liam holds him tight. “No, honey. The first instinct was right. We’re somewhere bad, in a place that has hurt you, and you know you need to get out. You want your Daddy to help you. Offering yourself is just right,” he says. Daniel shudders in his hold. “I don’t want you in this place. You’re going to pack a bag and we’re going to leave.”

“W-where will you take me?”

“Home. My home.”

“Your…. I don’t want to intrude.” It’s a heartbreaking thing to say. Denying himself the opportunity to be safe and secure in a Dominant’s home, protected and taken care of, knotted whenever he needs it. And instead of relief or confident knowledge that of course a Dominant wants to get him into bed and in their territory, he says no. Because he doesn’t deserve it. He’s a bother.

It’s terrible.

“You’ll be more comfortable there and so will I. I want you there. You’ll get my knot in my bed. I’m feeling a bit feral at the moment. I want you very badly and that’s how I need to give it to you for the first time.”

“Yes, Daddy,” he whispers, unmoving.

“Do you like the idea of that?”

Daniel is so still that it’s unnerving.

“Yes. Please. I would… yes.” He hears the submissive swallow.

Liam can’t stop himself from pressing his nose into Daniel’s neck and scenting him. He gives him an open-mouthed kiss, tongue sliding along the strong column of flesh. He lets his hands roam over his submissive, whispering into his ear roughly, “You say ‘yes, Daddy’ and I swear it’s like you’re begging me to knot you. That’s how it feels, Daniel.” He growls and cups Daniel’s chest in his hands, squeezing him gently.

Daniel cries out, jolting against him. “D-don’t,” he gasps and his hands come up, covering Liam’s. He doesn’t pull Liam’s hands away, but he might want to.

“What is it, sweetheart?” His voice is rough with desire and rising dominance.

“No one touches them. I’m not supposed to and—and no one else is, either.”

“That’s wrong. Your chest needs to be worked, honey. You’re a submissive. You’ve been changed and this is one of the most common changes that happens to men who become submissive. This tissue is heavily glandular. It gets congested, hot, sensitive to touch, and frequently becomes incredibly erogenous. If you’ve been told not to touch here then you’ve been denied, and it’s going to affect your health and limit your pleasure.”

“I’m not… pleasure isn’t something I’m allowed.”

It’s a horrible thing to hear.

“You weren’t allowed pleasure and look where it’s gotten you. You can’t deny your needs and go on functioning. You’ve been starved, Daniel. And while we’re together you’re going to get the things you need.”

“And then what? My father will recover, take over my care, and then I go back to nothing?”

Liam forces himself to slow down. Daniel deserves the truth. “With your designation you don’t have to stay in the military, Daniel. It’s so high that you could leave. Or you could demand to have a Dominant. He has no right to interfere with your life like this.”

Daniel laughs bitterly. “He’s controlled me and my brother for all of our lives. Every time I even thought about disobeying him, he knew and he’d punish me or my twin. Do you know the easiest way to keep someone in line? Threaten what they love. I love my brother more than I love myself. I can’t leave him and my father knows that. If I disobey him, I won’t just be losing my parents but my twin. I’ll lose my name and my place in the world. Before the change, I could have survived those losses but now it’s too difficult. I don’t have the courage to leave it all behind. They took that from me. I don’t know who I am now, I don’t know what I’m capable of, or if I’m capable of anything, honestly. I just go where he sends me, I have these procedures done and hope that whatever they do, maybe I’ll come out of it and I’ll be… done. Finally be enough.”

It’s heartbreaking.

“Thank you for telling me, Daniel. I’m sorry you’ve gone through this, that you don’t have more freedom and clarity over what you want. I think this time might be really good for you, then. A chance to see what your father has been denying you, what it’s like to get your needs and desires met. I know it’s counterintuitive, but satisfying your submissive needs might give you the strength to make decisions for yourself.”

“I don’t want to lose my brother. We did this together but he came out null. My father’s been able to pull strings and he’s thriving now.”

“Dr. Chang mentioned your brother was null.” Liam has heard of the designation, heard it’s rare, but he’s never met someone who had it. How could it be sustainable? But surely the doctors who’ve encountered it know, and he doesn’t need to be thinking about that right now. Right now he needs to take care of Daniel, the deprived and traumatized submissive in his arms.

He lets his thumbs brush gently over Daniel’s nipples, a light touch through the fabric of his shirt, and Daniel gasps in pleasure.

But Daniel is so unused to getting played with there, the flesh so unworked and knotted up that he whimpers and swallows back a cry, his hands coming up and over Liam’s, urging him to be gentler. His poor breasts are like rocks and will need a lot of attention to get them soft.

Daniel whimpers again loudly, mewling in protest.

“Tell me,” Liam says, working them softly.

“Hurts.”

“It’s good, baby. So good for you. Let’s see, honey. Let’s just see,” Liam demands and rubs his cock against Daniel’s ass, lets his teeth graze down his submissive’s neck. His hands work Daniel harder and Daniel sags back against him, crying out at the rough touch. “There you go. Stop me. I’m hurting you. We both know this hurts you. You haven’t had the love and attention you should have, so this is a lot. Go ahead and lift my hands away, sweetheart. That’s how you get your Daddy to stop. Do you want to try?”

Daniel tries, but it’s pathetic, hands lifting halfway and then dropping down by his side. The most perfect example of weakness he’s ever seen. His cock aches to be buried in the submissive.

“I’m weak,” he gasps, shocked. “Please,” he pleads. Daniel presses his neck to Liam’s mouth, trying to get a kiss or a bite on his claiming glands. It’s needy and adorable.

Tempting.

“Poor baby. Weak as a kitten because your body wants it. So fucking sweet. This is how it will always be, Daniel. Goddamn, I’m so hard. I’m gonna get your pretty tits so fucking soft, have them in my hands all day.”

Daniel groans, grinding back. Liam forces himself to get it together, hauls in a hard breath, then wraps his arms around the submissive, calming them both down. He kisses Daniel’s neck gently, nuzzling lazily at the gland he wants to take.

He lets Daniel go, making sure he’s near a chair so he can sit down, weak from Liam’s attention and dominance. Daniel will get used to it. But right now, even that small amount is a lot.

“What do you need so you can leave here?”

“Um, just… a few things. Maybe… I need a shower,” he says, clearly not wanting Liam to be stuck with him when he’s covered in blood from the night.

“How about you take a shower and I’ll go grab a few things from my room here so we can leave?”

“That’d be nice. Thank you.” Daniel rubs his hands over his face, trying to dispel the haze that his Dominant’s lust has brought on.

Liam stops at the door. He knows he’s being ridiculous, but he can’t help it. “How about you give me a key so I can lock the door behind me?”

“Really?” Daniel asks, not believing Liam would be so possessive of him.

Liam lets his embarrassment show, both willing and wanting Daniel to see that he does feel possessive and territorial about him. That Daniel is someone worth worrying over. He’s happy for Daniel to know that he’s concerned already about his safety, and that the idea of leaving him alone, even in his own apartment, is just about more than Liam can bear at the moment. That’s how much he wants Daniel.

Liam shrugs and runs his hand through his hair. “I know it’s dumb. I know you’re more than capable of taking care of yourself, and that we are in an incredibly safe environment. But, like I said, I really want you, more than I’ve ever wanted a submissive, and it’s affecting me. It’ll settle down once I have you in my space and on my knot for a few days.”

Daniel blushes. He does it every time Liam mentions having him on his knot. Probably because no one has ever said that to him before. It’s also clear the submissive loves it.

Daniel gets his key and brings it over to Liam, holding it out to him. There’s a small smile on his face and it makes him look soft and beautiful.

“Alright, I’ll be back soon and we will go.”

He leaves, Daniel grinning and trying not to when Liam tells him that he’s going to be the one to lock the door. But Liam has to hear and feel the twist of the lock sliding into place in order to leave him here. That’s how bad his instincts and urges are at the moment.It’s the only way he can leave the submissive alone.

Liam’s never felt like this before.

And it will only get worse the more time they spend together. It’s going to make letting him go difficult.

They’ll burn that bridge when they come to it.