Page 19 of Sanctuary After Dark

Clenching my sleeve in my fist, I nodded and brought it up to my mouth as I leaned back against the couch. Lincoln continued to run his fingers through my hair while we looked over at Gar and Raven.

Gar smiled over at us. He was a very good-looking man. He was tall and lean, but he clearly had muscles and took care of his body; he wasn't broad like Lincoln and Lucas were. He had short brown hair with green streaks. His eyes were a warm chocolate brown and filled with kindness. His face was clean-shaven, with high cheekbones and a sharp jawline. There was a Medusa piercing on his upper lip with a purple gem, and when he smiled, I noticed he had a smiley piercing as well. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a dark grey T-shirt. In his hand, he held a purple and green leather crop.

"Just a little information for you, kiddo, in case you've never seen a TPE dynamic practicing poses. I'll have Raven go through the different poses they know, but I won't be speaking much. We work off hand signals, which is a lot easier if we're in a crowded space. Sometimes I'll push them to hold the pose for longer than they usually do, and that's just to work on their endurance."

He turned to look at Raven for a moment and leaned in to kiss their forehead gently. Raven smiled when he did, and the look in their eyes I could only describe as adoration. Their eyes literally sparkled when they looked at Gar. Like he was their entire world.

Raven was wearing just a pair of black boxer briefs. Along the band, though, in gold lettering was 'Property of Master Gar'.

Suddenly, Gar snapped his fingers and pointed down.

Raven didn't miss a beat while they gracefully slid down to their knees in front of him. They went into a simple kneeling pose, knees together, butt resting on their heels, and hands resting on their thighs. Gar lowered his finger, then raised it in slow motion. Raven instantly responded and tilted their head back to look up. Once they did that, Gar stepped forward and placed a black collar around their neck. The moment it was closed, Raven tilted their head back down and waited for their next instruction.

I sat there and watched as Gar moved his fingers, and Raven would seamlessly move into the next pose. Gar would correct them slightly here and there or praise them, but that was about it.

My anxiety didn't spike until Raven's knee moved a little and Gar smacked their thigh with the crop. The sound made me jump slightly. Raven brought their knee back in and corrected the pose, but my heart was beating a little faster. I had been so focused on Raven and how graceful they were that I had forgotten about the crop. It wasn't so much the tool but the memories that it brought up from the smack Gar had given them.

I couldn't help but shift on my butt a bit and turn into Lincoln's leg while I continued to watch them. My mind was going in and out of memories and trying to stay in the present. The entire time, though, Lincoln carded his fingers through my hair, grounding me.

Gar made another hand motion, and Raven raised up on their knees, spreading them before they leaned forward with their hands crossed and resting their fingertips on the floor between their thighs. Their chin tilted up, and their mouth opened. Their back was arched, and Gar ran the crop along their spine for a moment while he walked around Raven in a circle and made them hold the pose.

My breathing picked up some while I remembered when he would force me to my knees and open my mouth for anyone he commanded. He never cared when my knees and thighs protested from being on the ground for so long, and he really didn't care what kind of surface I was kneeling on. I always seemed to have bruises on my knees because of it. One time, he had even made me kneel on uncooked rice as a punishment. I had some small, rice-shaped scars on my knees from it digging into my skin. You could barely see them anymore, but they were there.

Glancing at Raven again, I wasn't sure how long Gar had them in that position for, but it was enough time for saliva to be dripping from Raven's mouth. I watched as it slid down their chin and dripped onto the floor. I shifted again and whined slightly because I knew their knees were probably hurting by now. I knew from experience that Raven's muscles would protest when they stood up after being in that position, and I really hated seeing them in pain. I didn't want anyone to go through what I had gone through before. It had my anxiety spiking up more and moving through my body faster, making my hands shake and my foot bounce.

I didn't want to be here. I didn't want to witness Raven being punished when they eventually disappointed Gar, because no one could hold that position perfectly for much longer without pain. I wanted to run from the room and find a corner to bury myself in so that I could hide from all of this.

"Easy, mo laoch. They're alright. Gar knows what he's doing."

Hearing Lincoln's soft voice closer to my ear, I turned to see that he had leaned down some. His hand moved to the back of my neck while he rubbed his thumb soothingly against my skin. I had turned more into his leg without even realizing it, subconsciously seeking comfort from him.

"Gar is watching them and cataloging every single movement, no matter how small it is. Watch him. How his eyes are always moving over Raven and taking everything in."

Letting my two-toned eyes really take Gar in, I saw what Lincoln was trying to tell me. Gar focused completely on Raven, his eyes intently taking in everything Raven did and how Raven reacted.

Lincoln motioned with his finger slightly to point out Raven's left thigh.

"There. See that quiver in their muscle? Gar saw it too. He'll make them wait just a bit longer before he lets them out of the pose. It's his job as Master to push them a little so that they can grow and be better. Raven trusts him to take care of them."

Just as Lincoln had said, Gar circled Raven once more before snapping his fingers and motioning upward with his two fingers together. Raven moved instantly to stand up with their hands behind their back, shoulders squared, and eyes forward.

My eyes bounced between the two of them for a moment. My brain couldn't comprehend that Gar didn't make Raven suffer. That he didn't make them stay down on their knees for longer, even though Raven was clearly starting to hurt. Then Gar stood in front of Raven and cupped their cheeks, smiling down at them before leaning in and kissing them softly.

"You did so well, my love. A few little mishaps, but nothing you didn't fix right away, and I'm so proud to call you mine."

Raven beamed up at him when he praised them. You could see the joy on their face at their Master's approval and how well they did. It was truly beautiful to see.

"Thank you, Master."

"Come and sit down, my love."

Gar led Raven over to the couch and sat down with them. Once Raven was sitting, he picked their legs up and placed them over his lap before he started rubbing them to get the circulation going. He spoke softly to Raven, checking in with them if anything was too sore.

The love and care that I saw from Gar as he gave Raven aftercare had my heart breaking. Not for them, but for myself. For the boy I was when I was with him. Because I didn't get this. I had allowed myself to take the bare minimum and think that it was all right.

My throat clogged with emotion as I watched them.

"Come here, little one."