Dominance

Part 1

When you return to yours and Mako's shared rooms, it is to see him staring out the window with his arms crossed. Jamie is nowhere to be seen, though the acrid stench of smoke still lingers in the air. Hmm, he must have left recently, though it is strange to see one junker without the other. You approach your lover slowly, watching the muscles in his back tense as you grow closer.

It confuses you a little; his behaviour, that is. He's never been so closed off and wary of your presence before. It worries you too, what happened to make him act like this?

"Mako?" you raise your hand to touch his shoulder, only for it to be snatched roughly and painfully. You let out a hiss in pain and jerk it back, but he doesn't let go. You glare at him lightly, and use your sternest voice, "Mako, let go of my hand."

He refuses to obey, his bare face scarily blank as he stares at you defiantly.

What the hell has gotten into him? "Mako, what the hell is going on? Answer me."

It takes several minutes for him to answer, though your fierce expression leaves him no choice. He breathes in through his nose, and starts softly but harshly, "I'm not your bitch."

You blink. What the fuck?

"I'm not your toy to use whenever you see fit. I'm not an errand boy, and I'm not your slave," he growls, his hand tightening on your wrist enough to make you wince slightly despite your gritted teeth. "Base has been talking about how you've been using me."

Toy? Slave? A fire burns and grows in your chest with every word he says, but your heart breaks at the hurt and despondent look in his eyes. You force the lump in your throat down, and husk out, "Toy? Slave? When the fuck have I ever made you into those? You're my partner, Mako, no more, no less. Who the fuck's been feeding this bullshit to you?"

He stays quiet, but steely anger still rages in his cold eyes. His grip is unyielding, though it stopped putting pressure on your considerably smaller bones. You ignore the pain, the stillness, and glare straight up at him.

"Being a toy or a slave means you have no fucking choice. That I never gave you a choice. Have I been using you, Mako? Did you feel like I have been using you against your will?" your voice cracks halfway through, but you power through it to finish your sentences. You can't break in front of him. Not now.

The behemoth of a man grunts wordlessly, says nothing. Still matches your glare dagger for dagger. His hand loosens its grip, however, yet you are unaware.

Tears well up in your eyes, unbidden, and you grit your teeth at his silence. What does that mean? That he thinks he's been used or he doesn't? It feels like a frog is lodged in your throat, it's so fucking hard to speak around it but you have to. "I have never forced you to do anything. I have never asked for more than you wanted to give. I always ask you if you want what I take, what I give. Were you lying the whole time?!" Your voice becomes more and more shrill against your will, and you have to shut up for a second to rein your emotions back in. Fuck, your vision is getting blurry. You swear and duck your head to angrily wipe your tears away.

Deep breath in, deep breath out. Calm...calm...fuck you're not calm, you gotta get out of here before you say or do something you'll regret. "Fuck. I can't do this right now," you mutter and rip your wrist out of his grip with a sick crack and turn heel to stomp out of the room. But as you slip through the door, you turn around with slightly reddened eyes and grit out, "Think about it, Rutledge. If you get back to me, we can sort this out. If you don't...then I'll see you around the base."

The door closes behind you as you storm through it, half wishing you could slam the door just to pacify your anger.

In the room, Mako stands where you left him, looking at the door you left through. His hand is still raised, and it shakes as he turns his gaze to it. He heard the crack earlier, the utter hurt in your voice and the devastation on your face, it wasn't...

He falls to his knees, eyes squeezed shut and his balled hands pressed to his eyelids. What has he done...

He's hurt you.