FRAGILE

Chapter 12: What He Deserves - 1

Levi's mind raced. What was he supposed to do now? Thomas had always been there to punish him for his failures, but now there was no one to enforce the rules. His mind automatically turned to the only option left: self-punishment.

He slipped off the bed, moving across the room as he searched for something to use. His eyes landed on a belt and a pair of scissors. Without thinking, he took the scissors and began dragging the blades across his chest, tracing the lines of the rule he had broken. Thirty-seven cuts for Rule 37. The pain was sharp and familiar, and Levi barely flinched as blood seeped from the open wounds.

The raw, self-inflicted wounds pulsing with each shallow breath he took. Blood seeped slowly from the jagged cuts he had made, tracing uneven lines down his skin. But Levi didn't make a sound. Pain was familiar. Pain was part of the process. It was a constant in his life, an almost comforting reminder that he was still bound by the rules, still atoning for his failures. He knew no other way to exist, and punishment had always been a ritual—an expected consequence of his inadequacy. This is what I deserve.

When he finished, the scissors were neatly placed beside the bed, their purpose fulfilled. He had done what was required, what Thomas had drilled into him from the beginning of his training. Levi's fingers trembled slightly as he positioned himself on the floor, adopting the waiting position with mechanical precision. Knees bent, head bowed low, arms resting at his sides, palms up—a posture of complete submission. The belt rested beside him, ready for his Master's use.

He kept his body perfectly still, willing the blood not to drip onto the floor beneath him. The last thing he wanted was to create more mess, more reasons for punishment. Time passed in a slow, agonizing blur; it no longer held meaning. It could have been minutes, or it could have been a lifetime for all Levi knew. He had long since lost his ability to gauge the passage of time, trapped as he had been in the repetitive cycles of pain and servitude.

Every second was filled with quiet dread, his heart a steady thrum of anxiety as he waited for his Master's return. The silence of the room was suffocating, broken only by the faint rustle of fabric as his bloodied chest heaved with each shallow breath. Levi's mind raced, frantically replaying the rules, trying to anticipate what he had done wrong, what he might still be missing. Had the cuts not been deep enough? Was the punishment too light? Should he have used the belt as well?

Suddenly, the door was flung open with force, the impact reverberating through the room. Levi flinched instinctively, expecting the inevitable storm of anger to follow. His body stiffened, bracing for the blow, but instead, something unexpected happened.

Strong arms wrapped around him, and in one swift motion, Levi was lifted from the floor. His body tensed even more as the Alpha swept him up, holding him against his solid chest. Panic surged through Levi. His mind scrambled, trying to understand what was happening. His skin prickled with fear as the Alpha's hands roamed over him, searching, examining.

Levi's eyes flickered toward the belt and scissors, still neatly arranged by the bed. The Alpha's gaze followed his, and for the briefest moment, confusion clouded the Alpha's face. Levi's heart sank. He had done something wrong, hadn't he? He had followed the rules, hadn't he?

He had tried. He had done what Thomas had taught him—to punish himself, to offer discipline when his Master was too busy to deliver it. And yet, the Alpha's expression wasn't one of approval. The cuts on Levi's chest, deep and raw, seemed to harden something in the Alpha's eyes, but Levi couldn't place what it was. It wasn't the anger or disgust he had expected. It was something else entirely—something Levi didn't understand.

The Alpha carefully laid him back on the bed, but Levi's body immediately shifted into the punishment position, curling into submission with practiced ease. His voice came out barely above a whisper, shaky but controlled.

"Please punish 2197, Sir. I have attempted disciplinary action for the failure to follow assigned Rule 37 and hope that this pleases my Master. If it does not, I submit to any pain to correct my infraction."

Levi's heart hammered in his chest, his body trembling as he waited for the inevitable pain. His mind clung to the rules, the structure that had been drilled into him. It was all he knew, all he could understand. But once again, the Alpha did something Levi wasn't prepared for.

Instead of delivering the punishment Levi so desperately awaited, the Alpha cursed and leaned down to scoop him up into his arms once more, lifting him as though he weighed nothing. Confusion swirled in Levi's mind, disorienting him further as the Alpha carried him into a bathroom. The cold, smooth counter bit into Levi's skin as he was set down, his wide eyes following the Alpha's every movement.

The Alpha reached for the faucet, turning it on. Water gushed from the tap, and Levi stared at it, bewildered. It wasn't the murky, ice-cold water he had been forced to bathe in as a slave. This was clear, warm water, flowing freely into the sink. Levi's mind struggled to comprehend what was happening. This wasn't right. This wasn't how punishment went. Was the Alpha preparing to scald him?

But then, something even stranger happened. The Alpha soaked a clean rag in the warm water, wringing it out before pressing it gently against Levi's wounded chest. The warmth spread across his skin, soothing the angry burns and cuts. The gentle pressure of the cloth was nothing like the harshness he had come to expect. Levi's eyes fluttered shut for a brief moment, and before he could stop himself, a soft sigh of relief escaped his lips.

He didn't know what to do with the sensation. He didn't know what to do with the warmth that seemed to seep not only into his skin, but into the cold, aching parts of him that had forgotten what comfort felt like.

The Alpha's voice, deep yet soft and almost kind, broke through the haze of Levi's thoughts.

"So, you like warm water?"

The question was so foreign, so unexpected, that Levi could only nod at first, his voice barely above a breath when he finally answered, "Yes, Sir. Very much, Sir."

The Alpha studied him for a moment, something unreadable flickering in his eyes before he turned toward a large tub, filling it with more warm water. Levi stared, his mind still struggling to process what was happening. He felt the Alpha's strong arms wrap around him once again, lifting him gently from the counter and lowering him into the tub.

For a brief moment, Levi felt a spike of fear as his body was lowered into the water, but the warmth that surrounded him chased it away almost instantly. As the water enveloped his aching body, Levi couldn't help the involuntary sigh of pleasure that escaped his lips. It was like nothing he had ever felt before. The warmth seeped into his bones, soothing the raw, burning pain that had consumed him for so long. His body, always tense, always braced for the next blow, began to relax, if only for a fleeting moment.

For that brief, stolen moment, it felt like heaven. It felt like maybe—just maybe—he wasn't in hell anymore.

But the peace was fragile, and Levi's mind couldn't hold onto it for long. This isn't right, a voice whispered in the back of his mind. This isn't how it's supposed to be.

But for now, for this brief moment in the warm water, Levi let himself feel. He let himself believe, if only for a second, that maybe—just maybe—he could breathe again.