A/N: I'm so happy you guys are enjoying this. I will say, writing chapter 3 put me seriously behind in my homework for grad school, so it was a total bear trying to get all caught up. Spring Break has begun, thank the fucking stars. I figured I needed to get back to this story. It really just wants to be written, and who am I to deny the muses?!

Chapter 4

It took some time for Freed to calm down. Mard wasn't accustomed to dealing so intimately with hysterical humans. He'd tortured plenty in his lifetime, and a good number of them did lose a fair portion of their sanity in the process, but he'd never actually cared about their tears. He'd only cared that they were having the proper reaction to his torture.

But he wasn't the one torturing Freed - and he didn't want to torture his little human in a way they wouldn't both enjoy. The Rune mage's mother was bringing this reaction out of Freed, and he seemed moments away from crumbling.

Even though he wasn't really sure how to deal with this, he could guess. He'd noticed how much Freed enjoyed his hands, and having pulled him closer did give the Rune mage an anchor. Maybe that was all he needed.

"I never should have said those things to her," Freed whimpered. "I was anxious and on edge around her, but that doesn't mean… I'm so stupid…"

Freed tightly gripped the lapels of Mard's jacket, leaned against him more fully as though his legs couldn't be trusted to hold him upright. He cried, and Mard let him, even though he could feel the moisture soaking into the fabric of his shirt. He didn't like this version of Freed, this pathetically broken shell of a man. Mard knew humans were fragile creatures, but to think Freed was just as fragile…

He hated it.

And still, he kept his arms around Freed and found his fingers seeking out the long green tresses he'd admired when they first met. He carefully brushed his fingers through Freed's hair, let his nails drag along his scalp.

That used to help Mard when he was in a particularly foul mood. Gada did it for him all the time. His lips turned down slightly, and he lifted Freed's chin again. Even with their noses nearly touching, he focused solely on the revealed demonic skin. He didn't remember Gada having those pale grey scales over his eyes, or anywhere on his body. Maybe this demon in Freed wasn't the one he'd known. Maybe it was someone else.

But that didn't explain the feeling he had while being so close to the dark energy that pulsed from within the Rune mage's soul.

"I have never heard of something like this happening," Mard finally said. He couldn't look away from what nearly seemed like a flaking tear in the right side of Freed's face, from just above his eyebrow and down to a centimeter below the bottom of his bangs.

"I told you," Freed said. "My mother is punishing me for the things I said to her. She says she will remove this when I am forgiven."

Mard's eyes narrowed angrily. "And how long has she had control over the demon in you?"

"My whole life," Freed said. "Before I left home, she would ensure I followed her every rule. If I failed, she would use the demon to punish me."

"In what ways?"

Freed sighed and laid his head on Mard's chest again, turning to the right so he wouldn't lose more of his human skin. "I snuck out with the baker's son one night, when I was nine. We went into town to the candy store, and I bought us both a lollipop. When we came back, my mother already knew. She said she watched it through the demon's eye…" His head lowered slightly. "That is what she calls it…"

"You were caught, but I suspect more…"

Freed nodded slowly. "She put me in the study and yelled at the baker's son, and then… She made the demon take over my body. I ripped off the boy's arm while I was changed. She changed me back, and made me look at what I had done."

"Take over?" Mard whispered to himself.

"I created a spell when I was older," Freed said. "It helps to control the demon myself. I choose when I use that body… But she forced me to do it. Because she's the one who gives it orders."

"You told me about the time before leaving your family home," Mard said. "What about now?"

Freed's eyes closed and his brow furrowed. He whimpered when he heard the soft crackle of peeling flesh at the simple movement. "She visits whenever she pleases," he said. "I cannot refuse her in my home. I am expected to be a shining example of gentility. She does grant me the courtesy of informing me before her visits, so I can prepare."

"And if you are unable to accommodate her?"

"Unless the circumstances are unavoidable - like an extended absence for a mission - I would be punished."

The woman controlled every aspect of Freed's life, with the exception of his work as a Fairy Tail mage. She had made her own child into a slave. And Freed had no choice in the matter. From what Mard had gathered, he had neither chosen to host the demon, nor to have his mother controlling the entirety of his existence.

"If she knew about you…" Free trailed off, unable to continue speaking, but Mard heard it.

'She would be ruthless. Maybe she would make me attack him, but he's strong. He would obliterate me in an instant. Maybe she would just force me to kill myself… She can never know the truth…'

"You honestly believe your own mother would have you killed over what we have done?" Mard was left speechless over Freed's timid nod. He could understand the terror that streaked across his mind when thinking about her. Freed was genuinely afraid of the repercussions of his mother discovering the truth about his sexuality. What in the nine hells had she done to him?

They were silent for several minutes while Mard let himself get lost in thought. He was genuinely surprised when Freed spoke.

"Would you tell me how you were in the study after she left?"

Mard's lips turned down slightly. "I have only been in your study once," he said.

Freed drew back with his confusion showing clearly in his pinched brows. "You were there," he said. "When I came inside after she left, you were in the study. You were clapping about what I said to her... And then my room when…"

Mard shook his head. "I do not have the ability to teleport," he said. "I can move very quickly, but not that quickly. And I did not hear any of the conversation between the two of you."

This wasn't good. The demon in Freed's soul sounded incredibly unstable, if he was hallucinating. If Freed was imagining him in his home, either a spectral image of his own desire or something else, this had to be the work of the demon in his soul. But Mard just didn't know enough about the circumstances around his possession to determine anything just yet.

"So now I am losing my mind…"

Was this his fault? Mard couldn't take responsibility for the psychological abuse Freed's mother subjected him to, but he'd mentioned so briefly that he'd been anxious that week. Mard had toyed with him, without considering the ramifications it might have. He'd neglected to take outside factors into consideration when they'd been in that alley. He'd been the one to leave Freed wanting, desperate for more of his attention, without realizing that the Rune mage's mother would compound the stress.

Because of his meddling, Freed was left in this state, mentally. He didn't feel remorseful, but he knew that they wouldn't be able to continue this escapade unless he was able to return the Rune mage to a healthier state of mind. Without knowing more about Freed's life, he'd put his little human in serious danger of being mentally damaged.

Mard admired Freed's intelligence. He refused to see it squandered because of something as minor as foreplay.

"I cannot help you with what your mother has done," Mard said, slowly brushing his thumb over Freed's chin. He didn't miss the tremor running through him, or how he expected for more skin to peel away - though it seemed confined to the area immediately surrounding his right eye.

"I don't expect you to," Freed sighed. "I must accept this, and hope she will forgive me."

He wanted to tell Freed that this could be remedied quickly by having him kill the conniving bitch. Then Freed would never have to deal with her again. Yet… he knew that couldn't happen. Freed had been so heavily conditioned, he would most likely defend her.

Instead, he bent down and hefted Freed over his shoulder, smirking when the Rune mage squawked and grasped desperately at his waist.

"What are you doing?"

"I cannot help with that," Mard said while walking toward the stairs. "But I can help in other ways."

"I do not need your assistance! I can walk for myself!"

Mard chuckled as he paused halfway up the stairs. "Would you have willingly taken me to your bed?"

"No!"

"Then you must be carried."

"Put me down!"

"I think not."

"Mard Geer Tartaros, I said to put me down!" he bellowed.

"I rather enjoy the way my name sounds coming from you," Mard chuckled. "Do stop struggling."

"I will when you put me down!"

Honestly, Mard had assumed Freed would make a point of getting himself down. Instead, he was allowing Mard to carry him. Did he feel as though he wasn't capable of doing something so simple? Had he forgotten that he could write runes to teleport himself away from Mard's grasp?

He stepped into Freed's bedroom and noticed the mussed bedding. It seemed there was a great deal wrong. A glance at the clock showed it was nearly four in the afternoon, but Freed had yet to make his bed. From what Mard remembered of the time they'd been together, Freed had made the bed just as soon as Mard had gotten up to use the mirror to brush his hair. By the time he'd finished, Freed was already fluffing the pillows.

"Your bed is a mess," Mard said. He hadn't expected Freed to flinch and go limp.

"I was busy… I apologize for the mess."

It was a response ingrained in him. Mard could tell. That hollowness in his voice, the shame wafting off of him. He was conditioned to apologize when someone mentioned a shortcoming of his. Maybe not everyone, but those Freed viewed as sitting in a position higher than himself. And considering he'd so willingly called Mard his Master before…

"If you let me down, I can fix it…"

Mard grinned and tossed him onto the bed, watching with no small amount of amusement as Freed yelped when he bounced, and the blanket flopped down onto his face. Before he could pull it away, Mard crawled on top of him, straddled his thin hips and planted his hands on either side of Freed's head. "Now, why would I make you fix it, when it will only be strewn about shortly?"

Freed's mind went silent, and his eyes widened. Mard couldn't tell if it was shock or fear. Interesting. But if he could make Freed relax, then he could help. And Mard knew the easiest way to relax was to be naked and writhing in a bed.

"I have been sensing more demonic energy coming from your eye," Mard said carefully. His fingers feathered across Freed's brow, brushing his bangs away once again. "Can you sense it?"

Freed shook his head.

"Allow me to inspect you," Mard said. "To be thorough, and ensure your mother's machinations are not affecting you elsewhere." A small lie. He could already tell that the power emanated from Freed's eye. It wasn't affecting him anywhere else, but Freed wasn't aware of that. Mard had a feeling that, if this was more severe, his skin would be peeling in more than just his cheek.

"Y-You mean…"

"I am familiar with the energy you emit," he said, a slow smirk pulling at his lips when Freed's breath hitched. "If it is more concentrated than usual, I will be able to tell."

"And what will you do if…"

"If I determine there is increased demonic energy?" he asked. Freed gave him a shaky nod. This turn in their conversation had thrown him off-kilter once again. That hadn't been Mard's intention at all. Maybe this would be more difficult than he'd assumed. Was he not willing to play this game?

When he listened closer, Freed didn't realize what he was doing. He hadn't picked up on the small cues.

This wasn't like him at all.

Mard sat back and removed the Book of E.N.D. from the leather strap on his belt - a contraption he'd fashioned after realizing that he didn't want his hands constantly occupied by holding it, but also not wanting to remove it from his person. He set it on Freed's nightstand.

He settled himself back on Freed's hips. If he wasn't aware of the game, then Mard needed to ease him into this. He knew that he could help the Rune mage, but he had to be willing to play along. It wouldn't work if Freed wasn't aware of what he was doing. Or if he refused to play along when he knew what Mard intended to do.

"Then I will help you," Mard finally said in answer to Freed's question. "I cannot stop what is happening with your skin, but I am fully capable of dealing with unruly demons." He leaned forward and brushed his nose along Freed's, not missing the way the Rune mage flinched. "Do not tell me to stop."

"What?"

"I will not listen if you say stop," Mard said again. "Say wait, and I will. When I may continue, tell me to begin."

It wasn't a perfect safeword, but what he had planned was nowhere near intense enough - in his opinion - to warrant different levels of safety. A simple wait would suffice.

"Why not stop?" Freed asked. Mard grinned and brought his hands to the collar of Freed's shirt. He deftly loosened the cravat, then started unbuttoning the pale pink fabric. Freed gasped and instinctively pushed at his hands. "Stop!"

"That is not what I want to hear," Mard said.

"Wait!"

Mard's fingers froze, and he sat back only slightly. His expression didn't change. He couldn't let Freed believe that he was upset or disappointed about having to stop what he was doing. If anything, his adorable little human needed to learn how Mard preferred to spend time with his lover. "This does not completely stop everything," he said. "But I will wait just like this. And you will tell me why you have given me that safe word."

"Safe word?" Freed asked, incredulous. With a quick listen, Mard finally understood. Freed hadn't realized that this was his preference. In his experience, Freed's previous lovers had only agreed to rough sex. Some light spanking here and there. He'd called a handful of men Master while in bed, but only in the sense of roleplaying. But Mard having used that word, safe word, unlocked the knowledge in the Rune mage. He wanted to truly own Freed - not quite as his slave, but his submissive. "M-Mard… I…"

"You are in no place to make a decision about that," Mard said. "But I toyed with your emotions the last time we were together, and left you in this state. It is up to me to remedy that."

"What are you talking about?" Freed asked. "You have not upset me. Dealing with my mother-"

"Have you yelled at her as you did today?" Mard asked. "Forgotten to control your temper around her?"

Freed drew back further into the bed and looked to the side. "No," he said softly. "I have never done that…"

"I can be very intentional with my words, Freed," Mard said. "Do allow me to continue, and I will explain." It took a moment for Freed to relax again, but he took a deep, steadying breath and allowed Mard to keep unbuttoning his shirt. "Remember to tell me to wait, if I must stop."

Freed breathed deeply again. "I understand."

Mard smiled down at the pale skin of his chest. His thin waist and thinner hips. He untucked Freed's shirt, then moved to the buttons on the sleeves. "What I said to you, our last time together, was meant to set you on edge until I came to claim you." He easily pulled Freed up to sit and removed his shirt - only just realizing that he wasn't wearing his maroon jacket. "It was a tool to force you to think about me, what we did in that alley, and the desire you have for the pleasure you were promised."

"Wait," Freed said as Mard reached for his belt, staring in wonder as Mard's thin fingers froze again, just before touching the polished bronze buckle. "You manipulated me."

"I did. Intentionally," Mard said. "With the understanding - I had assumed - that I would fulfill my end of the agreement after your mother had left."

"You willingly manipulated me," Freed said, scowling at his hands.

"I was incorrect in assuming that you understood my intent," Mard admitted. He hated admitting something like this, but considering how Freed's mind had been left in such turmoil… this needed to be spelled out. He refused to have misunderstandings ruin this. "I will not make that mistake again."

Freed took another heavy breath, and Mard listened as his mind turned over the information he'd been given. That was good. He was thinking more like himself again. "Begin," Freed said.

Mard chuckled and deftly unbuckled his belt, then pushed the button through on his pants. "With how you reacted to that Infernai lesson, and how easily you fit into the role I seek for a lover, I had been left under the impression that you were experienced."

"I am no virgin," Freed chuckled.

"That is not what I mean." Mard slid back off Freed's hips and stood at the edge of the bed. He grabbed the waistband of Freed's pants and boxers, and slowly peeled them down his thin, pale legs. It took more willpower than he'd thought to stop himself from reacting outwardly to Freed's naked body. It was just as he remembered, so toned and slim. The way his hip bones jutted out just slightly had Mard ready to mark him with heady, wanting kisses. His gaze trailed from Freed's slender ankles, over the pale green hairs on his shins and thighs, pausing at the flaccid cock that leaned to the left only slightly. Back to Freed's hips, his waist, his biteable chest and the pale pink of his nipples.

By the time he looked back into Freed's mismatched eyes, Mard's pants had grown exponentially tighter.

"I thought you were more experienced," he said, struggling not to sound breathless, "In having a proper Master. Submitting fully to someone."

"You mean BDSM?" Freed asked. The term was unfamiliar to him, but he listened to Freed's mind whirling with the possibilities - whips and chains, the Rune mage gagged and kneeling on the floor with Mard standing over him, heavy spankings, rope suspension… The list was endless. So humans had a name for that - an acronym, he realized. In his experience, that was just normal coupling.

Mard nodded. "For demons, bedding someone is about dominance. Rough sex and a little verbal foreplay is a far cry different from my past lovers." He did have to be honest. What he and Freed had done was mild in comparison. Mard hadn't made him bleed, that he was aware of. He'd been more cautious with Freed's fragile human body.

"O-Oh…"

Mard's head tilted slightly at that. It wasn't quite jealousy from Freed, but there was definitely a reaction. He couldn't be positive, but he was sure it wasn't a good reaction, either. "Make yourself comfortable on the bed," he said. "Lie on your stomach."

"But-"

"Do not question me," Mard chuckled, leaning forward to tenderly kiss the tip of his nose. Just that simple action had Freed's muscles easing. Did he need hints of affection to make him more pliant? Mard could do that. He wasn't accustomed to doing it regularly, but he was capable. He brushed his fingers through Freed's hair again, smirking when he saw how those mismatched eyes slid closed. "Lie on your stomach," he said again. "I will be in your bathroom for only a moment."

"Alright."

Mard hummed. He would love for Freed to call him Master again, but that could wait. If he wanted a slave to blindly devote themselves to him, he would go back to the Underworld. He stood to his full height and made his way to the ensuite, then quickly rummaged through the cabinets. He took a dry, folded towel from beneath one sink, and a bottle of lotion from the cupboard over the toilet. Just as he was about to return, he paused. There, on the counter, he saw Freed's brush. He walked over and picked it up, noticing that there were still a few dark violet hairs woven in the bristles.

If he wanted to keep Freed as his lover, he would need to pamper him on occasion. And considering the dangerous faux pas he'd committed, that was definitely in order. Just this once, he could be gentle. He could remember that Freed was no demon - as Mard's previous lovers had been - and that he might need more care afterward than Mard was used to providing. It would be a learning experience, but he was eager to learn.

Freed breathed deeply while waiting for Mard to return from the bathroom. He laid on his stomach, resting his left cheek against the pillow. He wasn't sure how he felt about what was happening. For so long, he'd ached to have Mard's attention again. For the past week, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about what they'd done in that alley, and how Mard had kissed him.

"When she is gone, I'll come to you."

Mard had made good on that promise, but Freed had been left so wound up while dealing with his mother. Trying to hide his anticipation of Mard's impending visit, wishing she had already left so he could see the Demon King again… Was that really why he'd snapped at her?

His eyes opened when he heard Mard return. Freed propped himself on his elbows and watched curiously as Mard laid a towel on the bed. What in the world was he planning?

Freed wasn't entirely sure if he could handle any of his teasing. Not with the way he felt. He was still too raw from what had happened with his mother. And yet… Freed didn't want to think about her any longer. There was nothing that could be done about his face now.

The fact that Mard didn't seem disgusted by what was happening, only served to baffle him further. Did he simply not care? Was he ignoring it in favor of something more pleasurable? Mard unfolded the towel, but Freed was too focused on the waves of violet hair cascading over his shoulder from his high ponytail to notice. Then the slender line of his jaw. Why did he have to be so beautiful?

Why did Freed have to lose his senses around Mard Geer?

He came back to himself when the towel was laid over his hips, giving him the smallest bit of modesty. Why would Mard have disrobed him, if he was planning on covering him up again?

He watched in silence as Mard crawled onto the bed and knelt beside him. Slowly, Mard removed his shirt - when had he taken off his jacket? In the bathroom? - and carelessly tossed it behind him. The sight of his brush in Mard's hands had Freed more confused.

He gathered the ends of Freed's hair and removed the tie that held it together. Freed turned to watch over his shoulder as Mard gently brushed the tips, moving his way higher with each slow stroke. "What are…"

"This is an apology, Freed," he said, meeting wide turquoise eyes with his own calm, steady midnight gaze. "They are not a common occurrence, but I am partially responsible for putting you in this state."

Freed was wholly surprised by the slow smile stretching over Mard's lips. For someone who should have been an unholy creature, he was positive that soft pink light in the air around him was misplaced. How could he be so divine?

"Tell me what you desire, and you will have it." Mard sectioned his hair and started brushing from his scalp down to the tips, but Freed didn't know what to say. He didn't deserve anything, aside from basic necessities to keep himself alive. He deserved to live, but that was all… His mother had taught him that, and he couldn't let himself forget it. He desired a great many things, but he couldn't have them.

Freedom? A joke.

Someone to love him? Impossible.

A warm body to pass the time with? Possible, but not recommended.

He didn't speak, and instead rested his chin on his arms. There was no point in answering.

Mard hesitated in brushing the next section of his hair, then leaned forward to look at Freed's face. "Do you not want the release you were promised?"

Freed didn't deserve this. Any of this. Mard had the audacity to ask what he wanted, but it was nothing that he could give. Freed highly doubted he would accept it as an answer in the first place. Or maybe he would, but only because he wanted to apologize for being manipulative. Freed couldn't think. This was… This was all just too much!

Freed wanted Mard.

"I can give myself to you," Mard whispered.

Freed wanted Mard to hold him. To be gentle just like this. To make him feel cherished again.

"I can hold you, if you wish," Mard said. His lips brushed across Freed's right cheek, taking another bit of human flesh with him as he pulled away. "I can cherish you."

Selfishness made his mother use her power over his demon to torment him. He couldn't ask anything of Mard Geer. What price would he have to pay for his selfish desires now? Freed didn't think he could pay any other price. Those things that Mard said, how would he know if the demon was telling the truth? What if this was just another manipulation? He'd toyed with Freed before, and maybe he had been since their first night together. How would he be able to tell if this was genuine, or Mard was only doing it to get what he wanted?

"Just tell me that I have permission to care for you," Mard said. "Do not worry about the rest."

Mard wanted to take care of him? That didn't sound right at all. The King of the Underworld, some high and mighty ruler with power beyond measure… lowering himself to take care of a lowly human like Freed? This wasn't right. Nothing felt right anymore. In such a short time, his life had been turned completely upside down, and Freed wasn't sure if anything could fix it.

Maybe Mard was only offering a temporary fix, or maybe it was truly what he needed.

He didn't know, and he found himself unable to put his thoughts in order. Never before in his life had he felt so chaotic.

Freed dropped his forehead to his arms and buried his face in the pillow beneath him. He didn't care if the rest of his skin peeled off. What did it matter? "I don't know what I need anymore," he muttered.

Mard stayed silent and started brushing his hair again. That was relaxing. The silence permeating his bedroom was usually a comfort, and the gentle tingle in his scalp from the brush bristles and Mard's dexterous fingers helped to lull him into a nearly meditative state. He wasn't sure how long Mard kept at it - Freed did have a lot of hair, after all, and it usually took him a good 45 minutes to give it a thorough brushing - but he eventually stopped. Freed's lips pursed slightly.

He didn't open his eyes to see Mard opening the bottle of lotion he'd gotten from the bathroom. Freed listened, only half aware of the sound of the cap twisting, the soft plop into Mard's hand, how he rubbed his hands together to warm the lotion before touching his shoulders.

Instantly, he groaned. Mard's thumbs pressed into the tense knots coiled around themselves in his shoulders. Every movement was precise, thorough, deep and penetrating with just the right amount of pressure to ease the tension that had been building in him for the past seven days… For the past six months…

His body was limp when Mard moved down his back to his thighs. Freed didn't think twice over Mard spreading his legs, or how close the demon's hand came to his genitals. Mard didn't venture higher. He focused on one thigh, then the other. Each knee, his calves, ankles, and feet.

Freed groaned a little more loudly as Mard's knuckles pushed from his heel, through his arch, and up to the ball of his foot.

He was unaware of the pleased smile curling Mard's lips at that reaction.

No words were spoken as the towel was removed and Mard carefully rolled him onto his back. He starts with Freed's fingers, up to his hands and wrists, paying special attention to the tendons in both elbows.

"I should have been honest from the beginning," Mard said, causing Freed's eyes to open to slits. "I will be honest now, Freed."

"I do appreciate honesty," Freed hummed. He took a slow, deep breath and closed his eyes again as Mard's hands massaged his shoulders, up to his throat.

"I enjoy seeing the way you cry," Mard began. Freed peeked one eye open when Mard straddled his hips again, finally realizing that he'd neglected to put the towel back. "I enjoy teasing you, physically and psychologically, and pushing your boundaries."

That was what put them in this predicament in the first place.

"But I must remember that you are a human." Mard massaged his chest, his thumbs trailing down Freed's sternum and circling around his ribs. "You are not accustomed to the way I interact with my lovers."

Did that mean he had more than one? Freed had to force himself not to care. It shouldn't matter whether Mard had one or one-hundred lovers at the same time, waiting in the wings. Freed knew that monogamy wasn't in the cards for him.

"You accepted my dominance over you so easily at first, I did not take the differences in our experiences into account." He slid backward and knelt between Freed's feet while rubbing them. "This, for example, is new to me."

"Massages?" Freed asked with a smirk.

"No," Mard chuckled while moving up to his shins, then knees. "Caring for my lover after the game is complete. Demons do not need things like this."

Freed wanted to say that he didn't need it either, but it would be a lie. He hadn't known just what he'd needed, but the slow relief of the tension in his body was a welcome distraction. He'd been able to think a little more clearly. Things were already feeling less hopeless, because Mard had made it feel as though he truly cared about Freed's well-being.

Mard gently kneaded his thighs, inching higher and higher. "Should this continue," he breathed, leaning forward so they shared the same air, "There will be times that you must stop me. Remind me that you are human, that you can only handle so much." Shame washed over Freed in a rush of heat, but he heard Mard's soft chuckle as his thumbs brushed the tender flesh between his legs and groin. "Do not be afraid to tell me what you need from me."

"Why?" Freed gasped when gentle fingers feathered across the short, trimmed hairs over his member.

"How could I hope to keep you satisfied, and happy, and safe, if you are not honest?" Mard rasped. "You will be miserable if you only accept what is given, and do not ask for what you desire."

Freed shivered as Mard's lips pressed against his in a barely-there kiss. He still smelled of roses. He tasted like dark promises and years of pain… like hope blossoming in his chest. Freed wanted more than anything for Mard to keep teasing him, to stroke him and touch him until he could hold back no longer.

But more than that, he knew that he needed something deeper.

For so long, he'd denied himself, and now… he had someone who seemed to truly want him. Whether Mard could be The One, he wasn't sure. But what Freed did know was that he didn't have to tell Mard wait to stop him from pushing things further.

It seemed, the Demon King understood when their eyes met, keeping their lips connected, that Freed couldn't be that vulnerable. Not with how he felt. This tender care being shown to him was all he needed.

"Thank you for the massage," Freed breathed as their lips finally separated.

"I am not nearly finished," Mard chuckled. "What else can I do for you?"

Freed's cheeks darkened in a healthy blush as his arms wrapped around Mard's waist, pulled him a hair closer. "Hold me," Freed said. "I cannot explain it, but… This situation seems less terrifying if…"

If Mard's arms were around him.

Who could possibly hope to break past the protection Freed had, wrapped up in the embrace of the King of the Underworld?

"Do all humans need this much affection?" Mard chuckled as he rolled them both onto their sides and pulled Freed tightly to his chest. His arms curled tenderly around the Rune mage.

"I do not know," Freed said. He nuzzled the pale chest just in front of his nose. "But it is something I need."

He couldn't stop himself from smiling as Mard's thin lips puckered against his scalp. This feeling, this warmth and the calm aura that radiated from the man holding him… this was what he'd needed. Mard Geer had been the balm to soothe the cracks and fissures tearing him apart inside.

"Then I will cater to your needs," Mard whispered. "My little human."

They laid together for hours in Freed's bed. He'd asked Mard if he wanted to borrow a book to read, and the demon had nodded his agreement. They stayed in Freed's bed, with Freed curled in against Mard's side, and read. The silence was welcome. Mard did enjoy losing himself in a good book, and this one about the evolution of language in Fiore was very enlightening.

After several hours, Mard had nearly completed his book, and the events of the morning had finally taken their toll on the Rune mage. He fell asleep so gradually, it took some time before Mard realized it had happened.

But once he was sure that Freed was no longer conscious, Mard carefully pulled his arm from under the Rune mage's head, closed his own book and set it on the nightstand, covering the Book of E.N.D. He silently left the room, plucking the miniature triangular lacrima prism from his jacket hanging on the back of Freed's bathroom door. It was just as strong as a normal lacrima - such as the one that Freed owned - but was more compact, and it had no image to accompany the voice on the other end.

Mard waited until he was downstairs to make a call. There was no point in wasting energy to send his telepathy over long distances when he could just as easily use this device that Lucy had convinced Jackal was a necessity.

"My lord," Seilah's soft voice drifted through the air.

"You will acquire several books for me," he said, walking into the study and taking a seat in Freed's reading chair.

"Of course, my lord," she said. He could practically hear her bowing. "What might I find for you?"

"The humans have a term that we do not," he said. "I wish to learn more about it."

"Oh?" Of course that had her attention. Seilah was very similar in her search for knowledge, though Mard knew that she loved fiction above all things.

"They call it… BDSM," Mard said. "As well as human literature on Masters and submissives."

"... Is this about that human?" Her tone was the same as always, but he was fully aware of the others' opinions on demons and humans being in any sort of relationship. He and Freed were nothing like Jackal and Lucy. Those two were destined for each other - and it had been written in the back of Jackal's own Etherious book. Mard didn't need to look in the back of his own book - to the new pages that had been added as a result of their lost contract with Zeref - to know that Freed was nothing more than a warm, pliant body to pass the time with.

Mard smirked down at the small communication device. "Do you not approve, Seilah?"

"N-No, my lord! I would never-"

"You have made your opinion clear," he said. "Find me those books. Everything you can, specifically concerning humans."

"Of course, my lord," she said quickly. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

He paused for a moment, then grinned. "Have someone look into an engagement ball for a human woman named Amelie Justine. And make sure, if an invitation is required, I have one."

Freed didn't need to know the specifics, but Mard was going to make sure that nothing happened at that ball his mother had been so adamant about having him attend. He could keep his distance, if Freed decided not to pursue anything further between them, but this was sure to be an interesting night. Mard didn't want to miss the festivities.

For those who don't remember what's up with the pages being added to the end of Jackal's book, check out Chapter 2 of my JackaLu Week 2016 story. This story is a companion to that (all of JackaLu 2016 is part of the same story, with the exception of Day 7), so the rules in that universe do apply here as well. I hope you enjoyed! Drop a review to let me know what you think.