Strengthening Bonds

Summary: Dwayne and Rick share an intimate moment, before someone asks Dwayne for his help
Warning(s): Spanking for intimacy purposes as well as disciplinary purposes; references to abuse and past trauma; D/s; submission as a form of love
Brief Background: Dwayne and Rick were the first to break free of the Ancient One's control. Dwayne was a self-admitted asshole before, spanking Rick in increasingly brutal ways and forcing him to submit to ever more humiliating punishments in front of other people. Now free of the Ancient One's control, their main focus is on healing and strengthening their bond...and on freeing other people from the same influence that hurt them so much

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As dawn's light slipped through the window, Rick stirred, eyes opening. He could feel Dwayne's arms wrapped around his waist, holding him close and protectively even in sleep, and reached up to tenderly trace along his Master's jawline.

At the gentle touch, Dwayne opened his eyes and smiled down at Rick. "Good morning, my naughty angel," he murmured, voice warmed through with affection and love.

"Good morning, Master." Rick leaned in and kissed him, slowly and tenderly. As he did so, he remembered that brief, fierce kiss as his submission had started to bring Dwayne back to him. His lips had burned after that kiss, with the only way to quench that fire being more kisses.

Now, he burned in an entirely different way for his Master.

"How are you feeling, Rick?" Dwayne asked softly. "Did you sleep all right?"

"I slept really well." Rick shifted slightly and gave Dwayne a sweet smile. "I can still feel where you were inside me last night."

Dwayne's smile made his eyes crinkle. Leaning in and pressing a tender kiss to Rick's forehead, he asked softly, "Would you like pancakes again for breakfast?"

"You're going to make me fat, if you keep feeding me like that."

Dwayne didn't return Rick's smile. Instead, he said in a soft voice, "You stopped eating so much when I was hurting you. You stopped doing things that you enjoyed, like running."

Rick blinked, leaning back to look into Dwayne's face. After that first public spanking Dwayne had given him, he hadn't gone running...even though he'd enjoyed it before. The brutal treatment he'd suffered through had made him unable to take joy in anything.

But he was getting his appetite back. So maybe he could start doing something else he'd enjoyed previously too? And he wouldn't have to do it alone, either.... "Why don't you come running with me?" he suggested. "I know I used to do a lot of running alone, but...I would really like to do it with you as well."

Dwayne's eyes softened and his fingers gently grazed Rick's cheek, thumb stroking over his lower lip. "Are you sure about that, love? It was after you came back from running that I..." His eyes darkened with pain.

Rick leaned forward, brushing his lips over Dwayne's in a deep, tender kiss. When he pulled back, he whispered, "That's why I want to go running with you. To remove that pain and anguish...to make good, new, better memories with you."

Dwayne's smile was achingly tender and he whispered, "In that case, I would love to go running with you...my beautiful, naughty angel. Maybe after breakfast?" he suggested.

"Okay." Rick smiled and then asked, softly, "Before we go down for breakfast, can you...warm my naughty bottom for me? So that I can feel your control?"

Dwayne's eyes softened even further as he whispered, "Of course, love." Pressing a tender kiss to Rick's forehead, he carefully sat up, resting his back against the bed's headboard, and then helped Rick to position himself across his lap.

Sighing quietly, a sense of relief filling him, Rick let himself slump submissively over his Master's lap. "I love you, Master," he whispered, his voice warmed through with affection.

"I love you too, my naughty angel," Dwayne murmured, rubbing Rick's bottom for a few moments through his underwear. He then lifted his hand, bringing it down in a light, stinging swat.

Rick sighed as the familiar warmth bloomed across his bottom. As Dwayne settled into his familiar rhythm of light, stinging smacks, Rick found himself relaxing even more over Dwayne's lap. Each time his Master's palm connected with his backside, he could feel the warmth of Dwayne's love and care for him. As the spanking continued, gradually warming up his bottom, tears slid down his face...although they had nothing to do with pain and instead more to do with the emotional release.

By the time Dwayne stopped, hand resting on Rick's bottom, Rick was feeling warm and floaty; protected, loved and safe. "Thank you, Master," he whispered, his voice seeming to come from far away.

"I love you, Rick. So much." Dwayne rubbed his bottom for a few moments, then helped Rick onto his lap instead of over it, wrapping his arms around him in a tight, affectionate hug.

Rick pressed his face into Dwayne's neck and kissed him there. "You take such good care of me, Master," he whispered. "I'm so grateful to have you."

"And I'm so grateful to have you, Rick," Dwayne whispered, brushing a kiss over Rick's hair. "You forgave me for hurting you, and trust me to take care of you and give you what you need. And I will never stop making sure you feel nothing but loved and cherished for the rest of our lives."

"I know, Master." Rick leaned up and pressed a deep kiss to Dwayne's lips. He cuddled into his Master's arms for a few moments, just enjoying the feel of Dwayne's strong, warm arms around him, and then whispered, "Are you ready for me to help you now?"

"Yes, my naughty angel." Dwayne pressed another kiss to Rick's hair and then loosened his embrace. "I'm ready."

It took a few minutes, but Rick was soon pressed against the headboard, Dwayne settled comfortably over his own lap. Feeling a wave of love and affection flow through him, Rick placed a hand on Dwayne's back, rubbing gently. "I love you, Master." Taking a deep breath, he moved his hand a little lower and then lifted his hand, letting it fall in a swat that was fairly light; just enough to warm a little.

Dwayne was quiet and still for the first few moments as Rick steadily swatted, using a similar rhythm to the same one his Master had used on him. After two full circuits, Rick paused, letting his hand rest on Dwayne's lower back. "How are you feeling, Master?" he asked softly.

"Loved...cared for. Grounded," Dwayne breathed out. "Thank you, my naughty angel."

Rick smiled, rubbing Dwayne's back gently for a few more moments, then began to swat once more, this time using a little bit more force. With the slightly harder smacks, he heard tiny sounds begin to escape his Master's lips: soft gasps and barely-heard whimpers. When Rick moved his hand a little lower, focusing some swats to Dwayne's unprotected sit spots and the tops of his thighs, Dwayne began to shift slightly, his gasps becoming a little sharper.

Rick paused when Dwayne's bottom was a warm pink colour, visible through his underwear, and he leaned down, pressing a kiss to the base of Dwayne's spine. "How do you feel now, Master?"

"Peaceful. Grounded. Like I belong." Dwayne carefully rolled over and pushed himself up, reaching out to embrace Rick once more. "Thank you, love," he whispered.

"You're welcome." Rick nestled in close to Dwayne and kissed his shoulder.

They stayed like that for a few moments, just holding onto each other, before Dwayne stirred. Kissing Rick's neck, he murmured, "Are you ready for breakfast, love?"

"Yes, Master." Rick kissed Dwayne's shoulder, then stood up. He smiled, holding still, as his Master began to dress him and then dressed himself, then reached out to take Dwayne's hand. "And afterwards, we can go for that run."

"Of course, my naughty angel." Dwayne's eyes gleamed with affection and love as he led Rick out of the bedroom and towards the stairs.

Rick followed his Master, feeling safe and protected with his hand held in Dwayne's. As they walked down the stairs, he sniffed the air delicately as a tantalising, delicious scent wafted its way up to them. "Someone's already cooking. It smells really good." His stomach made an embarrassing growl.

Dwayne snorted softly, giving Rick an affectionate smile. "I'm really glad that your appetite is completely back," he said. "You didn't eat all that much before."

"I didn't have my Master to love and take care of me before." Rick gave him a sweet smile and followed him into the kitchen.

Like the previous morning, Jake and Alex were in the kitchen already. Unlike the previous morning, Alex wasn't curled up on Jake's lap as he struggled with feelings of guilt and pain. Instead, the two of them were stood at the cooker, making breakfast together.

Rick cleared his throat, and grinned when Jake glanced over his shoulder at them. "Good morning. You making breakfast?" he asked.

"I thought we'd return the favour of you and Dwayne cooking for us yesterday morning," Jake replied. "And Alex wanted to make some hot chocolate for you both. As a way of saying thank you, for everything." He wrapped his arm around Alex's shoulders and kissed his lover's cheek.

Dwayne squeezed Rick's hand gently and led him over to the table, helping him to sit down. "Are you the only other ones awake?" he asked Jake and Alex.

"At the moment. But there'll be plenty of pancakes left for when they do wake up." Jake began to bring over plates of pancakes, putting the plates on the table.

Alex brought over mugs of hot chocolate and sat down next to Jake, leaning against his lover. His face was still a little pale, and there were dark circles under his eyes...but they weren't as pronounced as they had been.

"How did you sleep?" Rick asked softly, as he began to eat the pancakes.

"I slept really well." Alex's smile was small and slightly shy, but still genuine. "Better than I have in a long time. Since...." He bit his lip.

Rick was reasonably sure he could guess; that Alex hadn't slept well since before the Ancient One had taken hold of him, and Jake had left. He didn't push for details, instead wrapping his arms around Dwayne in a tight hug. "Sleeping in the arms of someone who loves you is the best feeling in the world."

"It is that." Jake wrapped an arm around Alex's shoulders and leaned in, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Eat up, my sweet boy. It's important you regain your strength."

"Yes, Master." Alex leaned a little more heavily on Jake before he resumed eating his pancakes.

The silence that descended was a companionable one. Unlike before, when Rick had forced himself to eat through the anxiety and dread while they'd been at the college, he now felt comfortable and at ease with the people who surrounded him.

There was the quiet murmur of voices just outside the kitchen and then Davison walked into the room, leading Theodore by the hand. "We could smell breakfast from our room," he said.

"There's plenty. Help yourselves." Jake gestured towards the plate of pancakes in the middle of the table.

"Thank you." Davison guided Theodore to sit, then moved over to collect both of them a plate. After he sat down as well, they began eating.

For the next few minutes, the only sounds in the room were the six of them quietly chewing their food, and the scraping of cutlery against plates. It was Theodore who finally broke the silence, looking down at his plate. "I don't know what to do with myself," he admitted quietly. "I understand why I need to stay away from the school. It makes sense that we all need to stay outside of the Ancient One's influence. But my whole life, all I ever wanted was to be a teacher. Not being able to go to work...I don't know what I should be doing," he admitted quietly.

"Theodore." Davison placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently. "I know how you feel. But even though it's hard, going back to the school right now isn't a good idea. We can't fight the Ancient One. Not yet."

Theodore nodded, but he didn't look happy as he continued eating.

Davison shifted closer to Theodore, pressing against the other man, but despite his attempts to comfort his lover, his eyes were shadowed...haunted. Finally, he put his knife and fork down and looked into Dwayne's eyes. "I wonder if I might ask you a favour."

"Of course." Dwayne gave a brief smile. "I can only say no, after all."

Davison gave a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. A more serious note crept into his voice as he said, "Theodore and I have been talking about the guilt I feel. I know that what I did under the Ancient One's control was not my fault, but as I'm sure you understand, logic does very little to remove the feelings of guilt." He hesitated, as if trying to gather his thoughts together, then said, "Theodore doesn't feel able to step in to help me. He's still working out his own feelings of submission."

"You'd like me to help you?" Dwayne asked.

"If you'd be willing," Davison said. "We've shared in intimate moments before, after all."

"And it would mean a lot, if you could help Davison with his guilt," Theodore murmured, his eyes shining with affection as he looked at his lover.

Dwayne nodded slowly. "I do understand the guilt that comes from hurting someone you love." His eyes shifted towards Rick as he spoke.

Rick leaned in and kissed Dwayne's cheek, but didn't make any comment. Instead, he pressed in close and hoped that Dwayne would draw comfort and support from his presence.

Dwayne took a deep breath and looked towards Davison, even as he wrapped one arm around Rick's waist and pulled him in close. "Okay," he agreed. "I do understand. And I'll help you. Of course."

"Thank you." Davison relaxed visibly and resumed eating his breakfast.

After a few minutes of eating, they were finished. Rick stood up and began to clear the plates, smiling when Theodore stood to help him as well.

"What are our plans, Rick?" Theodore asked, as they stood in front of the sink and began to wash up their breakfast items. "We can't just hide out here for the rest of our lives. We need to find a way to stop the Ancient One. For good."

"I know." Rick was quiet as the two of them washed, acutely aware of Dwayne in the kitchen, watching him with a protective, possessive gaze. He didn't need to look over his shoulder to feel Dwayne's presence. He took a deep breath and said quietly, "I'm going to arrange a meeting with Philip and Ryan tomorrow. Hopefully, they'll be able to give us some idea of what the situation is like at the college. And if there are any other people who might be under the Ancient One's influence who we could reach out to and ally ourselves with."

Theodore nodded and then cleared his throat. "You mentioned that you found a book that helped you understand what happened with you and Dwayne. I was wondering if I might be able to have a look at it myself. It might contain other pieces of useful information."

"Of course." Rick nodded. "It's upstairs in my room. I'll get it for you later." They'd finished cleaning up from breakfast now, and he turned to face those at the table.

Jake and Alex had slipped out of the kitchen already, but Dwayne and Davison were still sitting at the table. As his eyes met Rick's, though, Dwayne stood and walked over to him, wrapping his arms around his waist and drawing him into a deep, lingering kiss.

Rick found himself relaxing, leaning into the kiss, his arms coming up to wrap around Dwayne. By the time his lover broke the kiss, he was a little unsteady on his feet and had to hold onto Dwayne for support. "I never get tired of that," he whispered.

Dwayne chuckled softly at the response. He released one arm from Rick's waist, though kept the other one wrapped possessively around it, as he turned to Davison. "Do you want to do this now?" he asked directly.

Davison nodded and stood up. Taking a deep breath, he held a hand out to Theodore.

Eyes soft and vulnerable, Theodore immediately slipped his hand into Davison's.

"Would you like me to give you some privacy?" Rick asked.

Davison considered the question for a few moments before he shook his head. "You willingly shared some of your own intimate moments with us. There's no reason for you to give me privacy. Especially since I suspect something like this will make the bonds between us even stronger. And that's the goal, isn't it?" he asked. "To strengthen our bonds, in our relationships and with each other?"

Rick nodded. "I think so." He wasn't entirely sure his theory was right...but everyone else seemed to think it made sense. And they already knew that forming bonds within their own relationship had worked to protect them against the Ancient One.

Davison didn't say anything else. Instead, still holding onto Theodore's hand, he walked out of the kitchen.

Dwayne led Rick after the older couple, following them into the living room. Once inside, he guided Rick over to one of the chairs, encouraging him to sit down and pressing a kiss to his forehead, before moving over to the couch and taking a seat on it.

Davison let go of Theodore's hand after one last squeeze to it, then walked slowly over to stand by Dwayne's leg. He took a deep breath, then slowly undid his pants and pushed those and his underwear down, before positioning himself across Dwayne's lap.

Dwayne rested one hand on Davison's back, rubbing it gently, as he said, "I understand that you feel guilty, but you need to remember that this isn't about punishment. It's about helping you to forgive yourself. What happened wasn't your fault. What you did under the Ancient One's control wasn't your fault. No one here blames you for what you did when you were controlled."

"I blame myself," Davison whispered, his voice strained and filled with emotion.

Dwayne didn't say anything. He didn't try to convince Davison again that it wasn't his fault. Instead, he lifted his hand and brought it down in a firm smack at the crest of Davison's backside.

The older man jerked slightly, but otherwise didn't react.

Still keeping his other hand on Davison's back, Dwayne continued to deliver firm smacks to Davison's bottom. In much the same way he did with Rick, he worked over every inch of bare skin, from the crest down to mid-thigh, before he started over from the top.

As Dwayne began to swat skin that had already received attention, Davison started to shift slightly, seemingly unable to help reacting to the swats. Rick felt a pang of sympathy as he looked at Davison's face, noticing the tears that were already filling his eyes.

Theodore let out a tiny sound, maybe a whimper or maybe a groan, before he stood and walked over to Davison. Dropping to his knees in front of his lover, he wrapped his arms around Davison and hugged him tightly. "It wasn't your fault," he whispered, his voice low and fierce.

"I should have...I should have been stronger," Davison whispered, his breath hitching. "I should have been able to...able to resist. You should neve have had to suffer at my hands." The tears began to slide down his cheeks.

"No, my heart," Theodore whispered, kissing his cheek. "I didn't suffer at your hands," he said firmly. "You wouldn't have done those things to me if it wasn't for the Ancient One. It was the Ancient One who hurt me. Not you."

"Listen to Theodore, Davison," Dwayne encouraged gently, even as he continued to deliver the firm smacks, Davison's backside turning a deeper, darker pink. "He's forgiven you for everything. Now it's time to forgive yourself."

As if Theodore's comforting touch and Dwayne's words were permission, Davison's body slumped over Dwayne's lap and he began to cry hard, his breath coming in deep, body-shaking sobs.

Theodore hugged Davison tightly, kissing his wet face and murmuring soft, soothing words of love and forgiveness.

It seemed to take an age, but Davison's tears finally slowed and then stopped. He breathed in deeply, pressing his face into Theodore's shoulder, and whispered, "I'm so sorry."

"I know, my heart." Theodore kissed him tenderly, then helped him up from Dwayne's lap. After Davison pulled his clothing back into place, Theodore stepped closer to his lover and Davison wrapped his arms around Theodore, hugging him tightly.

Rick stood and walked over to sit down next to Dwayne. He reached for his Master's hand and took it, squeezing it gently, then put his head on Dwayne's shoulder and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and just breathing in his Master's scent.

By the time Rick opened his eyes again, Davison and Theodore were sitting together directly opposite them. Davison's eyes were still a bit red-rimmed, but he looked calmer and more at peace than he had done before submitting to the spanking. He caught Dwayne's eye and nodded slightly to him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Dwayne replied. "I can understand how much the guilt of hurting the person you love hurts." He gently squeezed Rick's hand, smiling down at him, before focusing on Davison and Theodore once more. "Rick had an interesting theory about forgiveness being an important weapon in our arsenal against the Ancient One, considering all of us here have been in the position of either having to forgive or being forgiven."

"That is an interesting theory," Theodore said thoughtfully. "I think it's one that makes sense, although I'm not sure how we could test it out. However, if you could let me see that book, it might have some more information, apart from true submission being the way to break the Ancient One's hold."

Rick nodded slowly, though he bit his lip as another thought occurred to him. "I thought that the Ancient One was just targeting those with more dominant tendencies, but I don't think everyone at the college who got a perverse pleasure in what Dwayne was doing were all dominant."

"You think that the Ancient One's influence can affect anyone?" A worried note crept into Davison's voice as he said, "That's going to be much harder to fight against."

Dwayne pressed a bit nearer to Rick, his eyes growing almost haunted as he said, "You've been right about everything so far, Rick. But I truly hope you aren't right about this."

"So do I," Rick admitted quietly.

Silence fell once more, this time slightly more tense than the earlier ones. But despite the worry and tension they were all feeling, Rick still felt a certain sense of peace and belonging fill him.

At least for the time being, he could enjoy the sense of peace that came from being around the man who loved him and who he loved in return.

The End