Castor was back from a tour of the Fifth District, and Frau had brought him a welcome-home bottle of wine. (Castor had rolled his eyes and asked, “Do you even know what the word ‘abstinence’ means?” but he’d also accepted the wine.)

“So?” Frau asked, taking a long swallow and tipping the chair at Castor’s reading table back on its legs. “How are they?”

“Falling,” Castor said shortly. “Like all the God Houses. We shouldn’t be falling again so soon after Vertrag redeemed the Houses on the road to Seele.” He looked down into the glass cradled between his hands, settling a little deeper into the room’s single, worn armchair.

“Not normally,” Frau agreed, narrowing his eyes at the ceiling. “You think it’s because Mikhail is missing? Or because Raphael is…” He hesitated, groping for the right word.

“Unbalanced,” Castor finished, eyes dark. “Perhaps. If so, it will fall to us to correct that, in the end.”

Frau winced. This wasn’t the first conversation the Ghosts had had about this. No one liked the thought of cold-blooded killing, but if Raphael’s master really was as insane as the destruction of the Raggs War seemed to indicate… they might not have a choice. “Have another drink and cheer up,” he directed. “It hasn’t come to that yet. You’re home for now, back to drinking Labrador’s tea and nagging me about my perfectly natural urges and pretending to your flock that you’re actually a nice guy. Relax.” Castor gave him a deeply exasperated look and he laughed, hooking an elbow over the wooden back of his chair. “You need some help doing that?” he asked casually.

Castor didn’t always ask for what he needed. Personally, Frau thought he’d taken the whole abstinence and penance thing way too seriously. This evening, though, Castor made a thoughtful sound and took a sip of his wine, eyes fixed on Frau over the rim. “There’s something I think I want to try,” he said at last.

Frau lifted his brows; okay, maybe Castor really was learning that too much repression was bad for the soul. “Hmm?”

Castor rose from his chair, setting his glass aside on the window ledge, and came to lay his fingers lightly on Frau’s wrist. Feste’s strings wrapped slowly around it, and suddenly Frau’s arm wasn’t his to move. “This,” Castor said softly.

Frau looked up at him, turning that over in his head. Part of him tensed up, resisting the idea. The plain fact was, Castor was a dangerous man; he hadn’t been raised to even recognize kindness much less practice it. Against that, though, was the part of him that knew Castor hated that fact, knew he embraced the Church’s mandate of compassion with all his heart. So he asked quietly, “What were you planning to do with me once you had me?”

The smile that curved Castor’s lips and lit his eyes was pleased and just a little shy and more than a little wicked. “I think… take my time.”

Frau leaned back, laughing. He knew Castor, and he had no doubt he’d be cursing himself for agreeing at some point tonight, but… he knew Castor. And he didn’t actually object to being teased, by the right person. If anyone he knew was going to have a talent for it, it was almost certainly Castor. He set his drink on the reading table and smiled up at him. “Okay. Go for it.”

Castor’s fingers stroked over the back of his hand and the strings came loose. “You’re getting out of your own clothes.”

Frau smirked; he imagined that part would change in time. Once Castor had a taste of this, Frau was pretty sure he’d want more. Castor liked being protected, but he really liked being in control. For tonight, though, he shrugged out of his surplice and undid the fiddly cassock buttons quick and easy. And then he took a moment to stretch, nice and slow.

“Show off,” Castor murmured behind him, and Frau grinned as long fingers stroked down his spine.

“Maybe.” He kicked off his pants and turned to see Castor watching him. He was perfectly happy to take the chance to watch back. Castor was beautiful, not with Lab’s unearthly beauty, but like someone had taken a current of wind and given it human form: lean and poised and sleek. Frau smiled and held out his hands, offering. He was looking forward to this.

Castor took his wrist and tugged him onto the bed. Weightless, unbreakable strings followed after Castor’s hands, winding around Frau’s arms and down his thighs until he was kneeling on Castor’s sheets, legs spread, arms drawn up over his head. “You sure you haven’t been reading my porn?” he asked, a bit husky. It was no strain, being held by Feste’s strings; he just couldn’t move, and that put a sheen of sweat over his skin.

“Most certainly not,” Castor murmured, settling behind Frau with a rustle. “I’ve simply been… thinking.” His hands spread against Frau’s stomach and slid up his chest, and Frau shivered.

Castor, true to his word, took his time. His hands stroked over Frau’s body, down his thighs, long fingers trailing softly back up the insides. Frau’s muscles drew taut in answer, but it didn’t do him a bit of good. He could barely even flex his hips as Castor slid his palms over Frau’s flanks and down to knead his ass gently; Frau’s breath caught as fingertips carelessly brushed his entrance. He swore he could feel Castor’s smile as the teasing touch drew away only to be replaced by the equally teasing slide of Castor’s cock between his cheeks as Castor pressed up against his back. He moaned softly as Castor’s hands kneaded over his shoulders and up his arms, easing the tautness of Frau’s muscles back into waiting warmth. The strength of Castor’s hands was always a little surprising.

And then Castor undid that relaxation all at once by reaching down and running his nails slowly up Frau’s inner thighs. Frau gasped, arching hard against the strings holding him as heat shot up his spine, and Castor made a satisfied sound, nearly a purr. “You’re enjoying this,” Frau panted.

“Mm.” Castor trailed light fingers up and down the hard line of Frau’s cock. “It seems you are, too.”

Frau laughed, breathless. He had to admit it was true. “Yeah.” Castor’s mouth curved against his shoulder and Castor’s fingers wrapped loosely around his cock, stroking him. Frau moaned low in his throat; that touch coaxed and promised, but it wasn’t nearly enough and Frau could barely move his hips an inch. “Fuck, Castor…”

“Eventually,” Castor murmured, teeth closing on Frau’s earlobe. “Probably.”

Frau nearly whimpered as Castor’s thumb rubbed soft circles over his head. Yeah, Castor was definitely good at this. The especially unfair part was how firmly the heat of Castor’s cock was pressed up between his cheeks, the slow strength of his hand kneading over Frau’s stomach, all in desperate contrast to the delicate way Castor fingered his cock, his nipples, rubbed a light fingertip behind his balls. Frau was a little light-headed from panting for breath by the time the strings shifted and moved him, bending him over on his knees, bound arms stretched out toward the top of the bed.

“Oh my god, Castor, tell me you’re going to fuck me now,” Frau groaned against the sheets. Castor’s husky laugh sent a hot shiver down his spine to tighten his stomach.

“Perhaps.” Frau could hear that evil smile hanging in the air, again. “If you ask nicely.”

Frau couldn’t actually be surprised; on the other hand, it was possible that two could play this game. “You want me to beg for it?” he asked, husky. “All right, then. I want it, Castor, I want your cock inside me. I want it so bad I can taste it, to feel how thick and hard you are working in and out of me. I want you to fuck me until I scream, and hold me still for every second of it.”

“Then I imagine this will be very satisfying for you,” Castor murmured, and Frau had a moment to congratulate himself on the breathless tone in his voice before one cool, slick finger pressed into him and Castor added, “Eventually.”

Frau’s groan was heartfelt, as Castor worked that one finger slowly in his ass. “Castor, please,” he finally begged.

The point was pretty clear when that got him two fingers.

“You are such a bastard,” Frau told him fervently, and Castor laughed.

“Now, is that asking nicely?”

“God, fine, please Castor, fuck me already before I go fucking insane, here!”

Castor’s fingers twisted slowly, deep in his ass, and Frau shuddered in the hold of the strings. “In time,” Castor said, soft and dark as velvet.

When Castor started stroking soft fingers up and down the line of Frau’s cock, he broke and begged again, breathless variations on please and now. Castor gave him three fingers all right, but slowly, so slowly that Frau’s whole body was taut with trying to push back onto those long fingers. Castor ignored his straining and just kept fucking him very slow, very easy while Frau panted and whined low in his throat.

“Please Castor, please, oh god, fuck me like you mean it, I need it so bad, please,” Frau pleaded shamelessly. Being spread open like this and not getting more was driving him crazy.

“Yes. I think now is a good time.”

Frau didn’t quite manage to process that before Castor’s cock was driving into him, hard and thick and so incredibly good after being teased for so long that Frau could only moan wordlessly. Castor’s strings held him quite still as Castor fucked him ruthlessly, long hard strokes pounding deep into his ass and finally, finally letting all the built up heat go somewhere. Frau gasped and panted under it, more and more desperately as pleasure coiled tighter and tighter, and nearly screamed when it finally snapped. Every sensitized nerve in his body caught fire as orgasm ripped through him, shaking him under Castor, and it went on and on as Castor fucked the tightness right back out of his body. The last few strokes would have driven him into the mattress in a boneless heap if the strings hadn’t held him.

He collapsed anyway when Castor finally released the strings and let him down to the bed.

“Fuck,” Frau mumbled into the sheets after a little while, dazed. He could feel Castor laughing against his back.

“I take it you approve, then.” Castor sounded extremely smug, and Frau managed to turn his head and look over his shoulder. Yep. Castor’s smile was very definitely smug.

“You,” he declared, still husky, “are an evil bastard.” He couldn’t help the grin, though. “And, yeah, that was pretty incredible.”

Castor’s smile softened and he ran his fingers through Frau’s damp hair. “Does that mean you’d be interested in doing it again some time?” he asked. There was a hint of diffidence lurking behind the smugness, and Frau got an arm to hold him long enough to turn himself over and tug Castor down to a kiss.

“Yeah,” he said quietly, against Castor’s mouth. “Yeah, I think I would.”

Castor made a pleased sound and settled against Frau, one hand spread against his chest. Frau smiled and draped an arm around him.

He’d have to return this favor some time soon.

End