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Benedict looks incredulous.
"...because--"
His face begins to flush, at least as much as it can for one of his complexion.
"--well because it's. Private." Did he just show his hand by accident?
"...because--"
His face begins to flush, at least as much as it can for one of his complexion.
"--well because it's. Private." Did he just show his hand by accident?
There's a sense they're talking past each other. Benedict cants his head uncertainly, narrowing his eyes at Edgard like he can't quite pin what he wants to say.
Maybe he's misunderstood.
"...why did you call Colin 'Maman'?" If Edgard thinks they were just fooling around, there's nothing to worry about.
Maybe he's misunderstood.
"...why did you call Colin 'Maman'?" If Edgard thinks they were just fooling around, there's nothing to worry about.
This is genuinely surprising, and Benedict almost does a double-take. He opens his mouth and closes it again.
"All right," he concedes, and sounds rather relieved. Then he starts to turn back, his mind shifting gears entirely.
...and then he turns toward Edgard again.
"You know," he says, with more confusion than malice, "...if you're that sensitive about it, why don't you just clean yourself more?"
"All right," he concedes, and sounds rather relieved. Then he starts to turn back, his mind shifting gears entirely.
...and then he turns toward Edgard again.
"You know," he says, with more confusion than malice, "...if you're that sensitive about it, why don't you just clean yourself more?"
Edited 2020-10-08 23:36 (UTC)
"...oh."
At that, Benedict actually seems to feel a shred of remorse.
"Well it's-- I was just--" He fights with the words for a moment, then sighs. "...I panicked. I said it just to hurt you. So you'd leave."
It hasn't been one of his prouder days, on the whole.
At that, Benedict actually seems to feel a shred of remorse.
"Well it's-- I was just--" He fights with the words for a moment, then sighs. "...I panicked. I said it just to hurt you. So you'd leave."
It hasn't been one of his prouder days, on the whole.
Well that wasn't so hard.
Benedict watches after him for a moment, then turns around to go back up the stairs, trying to be as poised about it as possible for someone whose ass hurts.
Benedict watches after him for a moment, then turns around to go back up the stairs, trying to be as poised about it as possible for someone whose ass hurts.
Seeming a little smaller as he comes in, Bene ducks his head slightly to rub the back of his neck, as if he's afraid to look Colin in the eye just now. Going forward into the room, he flops stomach-down onto a couple of pillows.
"Did I really?" he asks, and he's not being coy: it sounds like he actually means it.
"Did I really?" he asks, and he's not being coy: it sounds like he actually means it.
Colin closes the door and sits down by him. "Of course. This isn't all just punishment for doing bad things. It's also rewarding for doing good things. And you took the spanking without com--without whining, then gave a sincere apology to Edgard."
He takes a hose and passes it to Bene.
He takes a hose and passes it to Bene.
Accepting the hose with one hand, Benedict takes the opportunity to finally rub his backside with the other, wincing.
"It wasn't that bad," he half-lies, but his sheepish smile betrays him. "...the way you were looking at me after he left, I was afraid I'd come back to a second round."
"It wasn't that bad," he half-lies, but his sheepish smile betrays him. "...the way you were looking at me after he left, I was afraid I'd come back to a second round."
Colin shows him his still-red palm.
"Not sure if that would've been a good idea," he says, "but I'm glad I didn't have to decide."
He takes a hose with his left hand and takes a long, slow drag.
"You really want this?" he asks, smoke puffing from his mouth.
"Not sure if that would've been a good idea," he says, "but I'm glad I didn't have to decide."
He takes a hose with his left hand and takes a long, slow drag.
"You really want this?" he asks, smoke puffing from his mouth.
"Poor thing," Bene mocks, and takes a long pull, sinking down further onto the cushions as he exhales.
"I mean. ...yes and no." His cheek mushes into the pillow as he talks, lounging splayed across the pile like a lazy cat.
"I didn't like it, it hurt. But I also sort of..." He blushes, "...thought about how upset you'd be, if I didn't do what you said. Not that you have to hit anyone for that, but."
He shifts position again, clearly struggling to get comfortable.
"...I mean, it's a bit hard to forget about."
"I mean. ...yes and no." His cheek mushes into the pillow as he talks, lounging splayed across the pile like a lazy cat.
"I didn't like it, it hurt. But I also sort of..." He blushes, "...thought about how upset you'd be, if I didn't do what you said. Not that you have to hit anyone for that, but."
He shifts position again, clearly struggling to get comfortable.
"...I mean, it's a bit hard to forget about."
Though he can't even fathom Colin doing anything wrong along those lines, Bene just shrugs with a little nod, watching him, his mouth on the hose.
Bene lifts his head. "What? ...no, I just don't know what kind of rules you mean."
"Oh." He takes another pull from the hose and blows it out gently, thinking. It's an increasingly awkward conversation, and part of him wants to pull back on it-- this isn't something normal people talk about, right?-- but then, he has done nothing but prove recently that he hasn't reached Normal yet.
"That makes sense," he says mildly, watching Colin as he follows this train of thought.
"That makes sense," he says mildly, watching Colin as he follows this train of thought.
That look of discomfort gives Colin pause. Stepping back into their confessions, he tries to think of what he's afraid of.
I'm afraid he won't know the difference between this and abuse. I'm afraid he'll be abused in the future.
A deep breath.
"All right. Forget that. There's only going to be one rule: if anything I do makes you feel the way your mother made you feel, you use that word. You don't have to explain, you don't even have to understand why you feel that way. Deal?"
I'm afraid he won't know the difference between this and abuse. I'm afraid he'll be abused in the future.
A deep breath.
"All right. Forget that. There's only going to be one rule: if anything I do makes you feel the way your mother made you feel, you use that word. You don't have to explain, you don't even have to understand why you feel that way. Deal?"
That seems simple enough. Benedict nods, smiling faintly-- the mere idea that Colin could remind him of his mother is... well, that's why he and Colin are close in the first place.
"Deal."
"Deal."
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