Exquisite Torture

II.

[Author's note: There's a lot I've left true to the original story but I made a few tweaks here and there to allow for my version of events to take place. And it helped make the story a lot shorter and faster.]

Type found out he was gay.

It wasn't really a secret. In fact, Tharn thought Type already knew and was too polite to bring it up. There were times he caught him staring; like he was trying to figure him out. Or like he had something he wanted to say but couldn't bring himself to give voice to.

He was uncomfortable around him but Tharn found out he was uncomfortable around most people. He didn't like to be touched without cause and even then, he only allowed a few people into his inner circle. Tharn had already met Techno and Champ. But the rest of Type's friends were a mystery. He dropped names from time to time but Tharn didn't even know if they were real.

It was very likely that someone he knew also knew Type and had told him about Tharn's sexual preference. But what should have been a simple point of information had turned into an all-out war. Tharn didn't think it was a big deal. But clearly Type disagreed.

He made his feelings known with violent clarity. Type wanted Tharn out of their shared room and he didn't care what he did to ensure it. Tharn was patient. He knew where Type was coming from—the insight he had into Type's past allowing him to give the other man more leeway than he would have afforded anyone else. Regardless of his understanding he also wanted to strangle the little shit.

He kept himself occupied by thinking of all the ways he could punish him.

Was Type the kind of person who would like the feeling of a whip on his back? The sharp sting and the painful welts it left behind aching for days afterwards. Or would he prefer a spanking. The intimate slap of hand against naked flesh, leaving red palm prints on pale skin. But little or no evidence after a few hours.

Maybe he could tie him up. The contrast of black leather cuffs on his hands and legs would make for a tasty display. And Tharn could do whatever he wanted with him. But if he really wanted Type looking good the thought of him in red ropes in intricate Kinbaku-bi* would probably drive them both crazy: Type with the desire to escape and Tharn with the desire to keep him tied to him forever; literally.

The one thing Tharn didn't let himself think of was sex. Yes, the bondage and the discipline were a part of his lifestyle. Giving pleasure through pain was his particular specialty. Yes, they were all closely tied to sex and satisfaction. But if he had ever doubted Type's position on gay sex there was enough evidence to damn him and his feelings forever.

Their bodies every being so intimately intertwined was a hard limit for Type and Tharn had to respect that. No matter how much it hurt to imagine what could have been otherwise. He endured the abuse. He endured the constant hostilities. But he never acted against Type.

Tharn could have made a complaint and had Type thrown out. Or he could have pushed him out himself—made a pass at him or threatened his well-being. But he wasn't about to give him the satisfaction. He wanted him to beg for forgiveness when the time was right. Because that was the treatment he only gave to someone he cared about.

Tharn had no idea what was going to happen—but he could wait. He was willing to put up with Type and his shenanigans. As long as they didn't affect his plans to do some more soul searching.

Except interfere with his plans is exactly what Type did.

Tharn was ready to push back if Type pushed too far. But he did something Tharn had no defence against. He got sick. It started as a light cough and sniffles. Type still went to class as did Tharn but by that night he was coughing continuously and he was running a fever. He looked miserable.

The part of him that was a pure sadist wanted to leave Type alone and revel in his suffering. But the part that was an inherent caregiver couldn't bear to see Type so vulnerable and weak. Taking care of him was not easy. Type swayed from being a model patient and listening to Tharn to cussing him out five minutes later.

Type would latch on to him like a lamprey one minute only to hit him for getting too close in the next. Tharn was trying to be patient but it was hard. Yet he took care of him, soothed his nightmares and made sure he got something to eat even when he was in the grips of a fever dream and didn't know what was happening.

Tharn wasn't acting from his desire to dominate, or from the expectation of care he would give his subordinate. He was caring for his roommate and it felt different to him. Different enough that he started to think there was hope for his future relationships. Something that didn't drive people away.

Something about it must have communicated to his sick roommate because when Type woke up, finally free of the effects of his illness, he no longer had the look of a belligerent schoolboy. He was a little softer. A little gentler. Different enough that Tharn could breathe around him.

It took a few more days for Type to be well enough to venture out and Tharn helped. They were sitting in the garden adjacent to their dorm when Type finally cleared his throat to draw Tharn's attention.

"Are you okay sitting in the sun?"

"It's nice."

"do you want something to drink?"

Type just shook his head."

"Are you going to get angry with me if I suggest you need to drink something anyway?"

Type smiled shyly and shook his head but he wasn't finished, "Thank you for taking care of me."

"I'm not a monster. I wouldn't have left you like that," Tharn dismissed.

"I know and I'm sorry for the way I acted...before. It's just..."

"Just what?" Tharn asked when Type didn't finish.

But Type just shook his head as if clearing an unpleasant through, "Just...thank you."

That was the beginning of their cease fire. Type stopped looking for a new roommate and stopped harassing Tharn. He was even kind enough to replace some of the things he had broken and destroyed. But he never did it overtly. Tharn would just come back from class and find something new.

The small things showed up first. Type replaced the posters on the walls. But instead of Tharn's music and his sport, he found some that melded their taste. Pictures warmed Tharn's heart and kept him away from their shared dorm room more than Type's bad behaviour ever had.

[Authors Note: *Kinbaku-bi: Japanese rope bondage often used synonymously with Shibari (binding or tying) in BDSM contexts.]