Poking The Hornet’s Nest

Summary: Follows Stripes. Adrian pokes at Rorschach. It’s about more than needling one of his lovers
Warning(s): Spanking; spoilers for the whole Watchmen movie; sexual scenes between three men; violence; AU; descriptions of destructive behaviour
Pairing: Dan/Rorschach/Adrian – slash

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Adrian can’t really say why he does it. Picks at Rorschach. He’s been feeling antsy and out of sorts all day. All week, really…maybe even all month, if he’s entirely honest with himself. Actually, he can’t remember the last time he was able to relax. To get a release of the tension that’s been his constant companion since he started out on his plan.

It starts with the three of them eating dinner together. Such a normal, homey thing to do. It’s not even the first time. No matter how busy they are, they try to eat at least one meal together every day. Which isn’t exactly a rule, but it’s something that makes Dan happy. And Rorschach and Adrian are in unspoken agreement that they’ll do anything to make their lover happy.

The meal is good, if Adrian does say so himself. It’s just another thing that seems to make Dan happy: cooking for the three of them. Adrian eats another forkful of pasta and glances towards Rorschach, who has his mask rolled up just enough to eat. All that’s in view is his mouth.

“You should take your mask off,” Adrian says.

Rorschach turns his head towards him, but it’s Dan who speaks up, letting his hands rest on the circular table they sit round. “It’s not a mask, Adrian. It’s his face.”

Adrian waves a hand to indicate himself and Dan. “We don’t sit here with our masks. With our identities. You know everything about us. We should know everything about you.”

Rorschach turns his mask towards Adrian, who has the uncomfortable feeling that a laser-sharp stare is being levelled on him. “Don’t need to know everything,” he mutters, before adding, in a much lower voice, “Shouldn’t know everything about me.”

Dan reaches out and grasps Rorschach’s wrist. The other man flinches visibly, but doesn’t pull away, even as Dan rubs his thumb over his palm in slow circles. He does that until a tiny slither of tension trickles out of Rorschach’s body; until Rorschach’s body slumps towards him. Not quite touching, but close to it.

Seeing the affection Dan gives to Rorschach so easily irritates Adrian. He doesn’t know why. After all, it’s not like Dan doesn’t give him affection. He accepts it more easily than Rorschach does. Even today, before they’d cooked, he’d stretched out on the sofa, head on Dan’s leg while the other man had played with his hair.

He gets affection and he gets attention from the man he loves. He doesn’t need to feel jealous. Shouldn’t feel jealous. But it uncurls its ugly head. He feels hollow and empty inside. He shoves his bowl across the table. “I’m not hungry.”

Dan frowns and reaches his other hand out to clasp Adrian’s. “You haven’t eaten much at all. And I know this isn’t the first time. You’re not eating. You’re barely sleeping.”

“How do you know that?” Adrian blurts. “I always come to bed after you both are already asleep!”

“Tossing and turning all night,” Rorschach mutters.

Adrian wants to pull his hand out of Dan’s grip. He wants to storm off out of the kitchen like a child having a tantrum. Throw something. Break something. It’s not his style. Has never been his style. But he’s tired. Not sleeping. Not eating. Dan’s touch is warm and comforting.

He doesn’t deserve it. Doesn’t deserve a gentle touch. Doesn’t deserve care, or love. Doesn’t deserve anything approaching happiness. He tears his hand free of Dan’s and stands quickly, grabbing his bowl and tipping the contents into the trash. “There. I made my plate empty.”

Dan sits back in his chair and eyes Adrian for several long moments. Then, quietly, he asks, “Why are you trying to make us angry?”

“I’m not.” Adrian’s voice, his protest, sounds weak, even to his own ears.

“Want to be hurt. Punished. Suffer.” Once again, Rorschach’s mask is turned to him with that disconcerting, laser-focused intensity. “Feel guilty.”

The clear observation cuts through anymore denials Adrian might make. His eyes dart to Dan and he swallows. Not scared; not even nervous, really. But apprehensive. He thinks about denying Rorschach’s words. It disturbs him that Rorschach, the furthest removed from social out of the three of them, can read him so well.

Dan watches Adrian for a few moments. Then, gently squeezing Rorschach’s hand, he stands. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He walks past Adrian, quickly squeezing his hand, and exits the kitchen.

“Don’t try making me angry.”

Adrian turns to look at Rorschach. He wants to deny the words, but what’s the point? He settles on another truth. “You should be angry. With me. Both of you. I don’t understand why you’re not.”

Rorschach glances away; clears the rest of the items from the table. “Told you. Punishment means forgiveness.” He begins to wash up. “Go. Wait in the living room for him.”

Adrian’s never considered himself a submissive person, but he finds himself following Dan’s lead. And Rorschach’s, when Dan isn’t there to tell him what to do. He’s walking into the living room before rational thought catches up to him. Honestly, though, he’s too tired to second-guess himself. To look too deeply at why he wants Dan to take over.

He just wants to let go of everything.

It’s only a few minutes before Dan steps into the living room. Adrian looks up at him and his words dry up in his throat. They die before they can reach his lips, as he sees what the other man is carrying in his hands.

Dan is holding a selection of implements for spanking. Hairbrush, paddle, ruler, wooden spoon, carpet beater, strap and a thin cane. Adrian stares at him and them and asks the first question that comes into his head. “Did you just have all of those lying around somewhere?”

Dan sits down next to him, placing the implements on the other side. He reaches out and cups Adrian’s face in his hands, presses a soft, tender kiss to his lips. And even when he breaks the kiss, he doesn’t let go of Adrian. “I thought something like this might happen.”

“You thought I’d do something bad enough for you to break my ass?” Adrian’s eyes slant towards the implements and he swallows visibly.

“I’m not planning on using all of them on you.”

“Thank goodness for that.” Adrian tries to keep his voice light, but it just sounds sad instead. He places his hands over Dan’s on his face, needing to touch the other man. “What are you planning to do, then?”

Dan shifts closer to Adrian, pressing their bodies together, and kisses his forehead and then his cheeks. Then another kiss to his lips. “I know you feel guilty. I know why you feel guilty. But I don’t agree that you should spend your whole life feeling guilty.”

“I don’t need to tell you how many people are dead because of me,” Adrian whispers. “I knew it would happen, but I….”

“You expected and planned for your own death,” Dan finishes. “You never expected to survive. And now, you have to live with the guilt that comes from you believing you don’t deserve to live. That you should have paid the ultimate price for everything you did.”

“I turned Dr. Manhattan into the villain.”

“Which he was on board with and would have killed Rorschach to keep the secret.”

Adrian shudders at the words. “That would have been too high a price to pay,” he whispers.

Dan nods in agreement, his thumb almost absently stroking along the sensitive skin of Adrian’s lips. “Nothing will be gained by you tormenting yourself with guilt. Or by trying to goad me or Rorschach into hurting you. Beating you. Breaking your bones. We could beat you black and blue and it would hurt on the outside, but wouldn’t even touch on the pain inside.”

Some part of Adrian is aware of the door opening and Rorschach slipping into the room, but his eyes remain fixed on Dan’s face. He listens to the other man intently, not looking away, even though he flushes at the words. “You would never do that.” He speaks with complete certainty.

“Of course not.” Dan strokes his fingers through Adrian’s hair. “I want you to choose two implements that I’m going to spank you with. And you don’t pick the strap and the cane. It’s one or the other. And then one of the others. Then, I’m going to take you across my knee and spank you. It’ll be hard. It’ll be painful. Not only that, but it’ll be emotional. But once it’s over, I want you to try and forgive yourself.”

Adrian closes his eyes and leans into Dan’s touch. He stays pressed against his lover for a few moments and then slowly pulls back. He bends himself over Dan’s knees, settling himself in place as he studies each of the implements in turn.

Dan’s hand comes to rest on his lower back, rubbing in slow circles as Adrian picks up each of the implements and studies them.

Adrian isn’t a masochist. He doesn’t enjoy or get off on pain. But he does feel like he should be punished severely. But he also knows that Dan doesn’t enjoy spanking or causing them pain, even when it could be argued their actions deserve harsher responses. He loves Dan for being so alert to what he needs that he’ll do something hard on himself just to help Adrian feel better about himself.

The strap is the first implement Adrian picks out. He runs his fingers across the black, supple leather; imagines how it might feel across his backside. Wordlessly, he holds the implement behind his back; feels Dan take it from his hand.

Shifting slightly over the other man’s lap, Adrian looks through each of the other implements. As his fingers close around the hairbrush, he feels Dan’s fingers in the waistband of his pants. He tries not to tense up as they’re pulled down, off his backside and down his legs, settling at his ankles, leaving him with only the thin layer of his underwear covering his bottom.

Dan begins to smack his bottom with his hand. Not too hard, but they certainly aren’t pats either. He’s methodical and steady, ensuring every inch of Adrian’s backside receives attention, from the crest down to the tops of his thighs; which stings more, because not only are they more sensitive, but they don’t have any material covering them.

After three circuits of the fairly mild smacks, Dan begins to smack harder and firmer. He still keeps to the same methodical pattern, but Adrian’s backside is now beginning to sting. He clenches his fingers in the cushions and breathes in deep, trying to ride the increasing sting.

After two more circuits, Dan pauses and Adrian’s underwear is tugged down. He clenches his fingers harder as Dan begins to smack his bare bottom; a bit harder and faster now. It doesn’t take long for Adrian to begin squirming in reaction to the swats.

Dan pauses and his fingers thread through Adrian’s hair as he directs, “Give me the brush.”

It’s hard, taking an active part in the spanking. Harder than giving over the belt before the spanking started. But Adrian loosens his fingers on the cushions and slowly hands the brush to Dan. Once it’s taken, he leaves his hand there and Dan takes it and squeezes it, then gently pats his right cheek with the brush.

The first strike from the brush sends an explosion of pain across his buttock and Adrian’s leg jerks. He sucks in his breath sharply as the brush lands on his opposite cheek and can’t help a quiet whine that escapes when the brush lands in another two strikes slightly lower. He clings to Dan’s hand, tears filling his eyes as the brush continues to land, covering his bottom and thighs.

His whole world shrinks to the brush impacting against his flaming backside and his own quiet whimpers and groans in response to the swats. His legs jerk, but only in response to the punishment; not because he’s trying to escape. He wants to sob out his apologies, but if he does that, if he lets himself show it hurts, Dan will stop. Will lighten up. And he doesn’t deserve his lover to go easy on him.

Even so, Adrian can’t stop the tears. He knows Dan isn’t being overly harsh. He’s been hurt worse. Far worse in the past. Not just physically, but emotionally too. “I nearly lost everything,” he blurts out. And he doesn’t mean his money or his wealth. He’s talking about this. The relationship he has with Dan and Rorschach, something he’d never even considered could be possible. And he’s so terrified of losing them and losing this.

The couch dips on the other side of him and Adrian looks up as Rorschach sits. The mask makes his face impossible to read, but he reaches out and links his fingers through Adrian’s other hand. He grips on tightly, like a baby clinging to its parent’s finger.

The touch calms Adrian, enough to realise that the brush is no longer falling. He feels the movement as Dan reaches for the strap; hears the slight snick of the leather as it’s lifted. Feels the wide implement as it rests against the fullest part of his bottom, before being drawn back and landing in a burning strike that takes his breath away.

Adrian clings to both Dan and Rorschach, tears silently running down his cheeks as the strap lands with unerring accuracy. He wants to pull his hands free and throw them back over his burning bottom, but his lovers are holding onto him too tightly. He kicks and jerks his legs in response a bit more and then, finally, slumps, sobbing so hard, his tears blind him.

The punishment stops, finally, and Dan carefully shifts Adrian into a sitting position. He makes sure that no weight rests on his bottom, but the movement still hurts and Adrian moans softly before cuddling into Dan’s embrace, his head resting on the other man’s shoulder.

Rorschach shifts closer as Dan reaches out and wraps an arm around his shoulders to bring him into the embrace as well. Adrian’s hand is still linked to his and he clasps it to his heart, whispering softly, “I love both of you. Thank you for giving me another chance.”

Dan brushes a gentle kiss against his hair and then leans over to kiss Rorschach’s forehead, over the mask. “I love you both too. I don’t regret any of this. I’m glad we’re together.”

Rorschach doesn’t speak. Doesn’t verbally respond. But he lets himself be drawn into the embrace. He allows them both to touch him. And for now, it’s enough.

The End