Tyed

chapter sixteen

Tyler goes home in between lunch date and dinner date and even though it's barely hours it feels like too long apart. He tries to focus on homework but he can't. He ends up pacing his room back and forth, looking into the mirror and whispering to himself.

"Master," he whispers, practicing the shape of the word in his mouth, the weight of it. It's heavy, and it's a good weight but that doesn't make it any easier to lift. "Master."

When Colby texts him, it's with a copy of the same list Tyler filled out. Tyler had sent his version as soon as he left the restaurant. Here you go, the text reads.

Tyler bites his lip, trying to slow his racing heart as he loads up the list and starts reading. He compares back and forth the various things Colby's saying he'd like versus what Tyler said. Most of Tyler's ones- hard limits, Colby said, things he'd never do- are also hard limits for Colby, or at least things he's not even slightly interested in. Thank God, because even if Tyler wouldn't have had to do them it would've been weird to discover that Colby was into some of the grosser options presented. Not one of Tyler's hard limits is higher than a two, which is encouraging.

Some of his soft limits- twos, things he didn't want to do but could- were a bit different, though. Colby had put blood at a four, for example. The list had various rankings of different types of pain- spanking, hitting with different instruments, light hitting versus bruising- and Colby had put almost all of them at a five. Some more damaging or highly specific types were lower down, and largely, they were on the same page about what kind of pain- clean, skin-deep- but Colby seemed to want to push it further than Tyler knew he was okay with. Tyler's "severe bruising" was a tentative three, leaning towards a two. Colby's was a five.

Tyler supposed they'd see about that. Although, he can't say that he wouldn't enjoy the idea of it being a punishment.

Aren't you supposed to be at work? Tyler finally texts back, once he's done reading the list. He's screenshotted it all to take a chance to read it again.

It's hard to focus when you're on my mind, Colby responds, and Tyler blushes. He hates this new feeling; he's like a schoolgirl, truly, and it's unsettling. He loves it even though he hates it.

You're in charge, can't you just leave and make time for me instead?

Nice try, but you're going to have to wait.

Tyler feels called out and decides to ignore Colby's text for now. However, it's not long before he finds himself typing out a responce anyway.

I don't want to wait.

He waits for an answer, but one isn't immediately forthcoming. He waits for a bit, but Colby takes his time, and so Tyler's stress-cleaning his room, trying to find something else to occupy his mind. It's when he's halfway done putting clothes away that Colby decides to respond.

Too bad. From now on, I think you're going to do as I say.

There's a playfulness about it, a plausible deniability, but it's a move that Tyler feels deep in his stomach. Fuck. It's been several days since their first encounter, but Tyler doesn't think he can handle much longer. He considers breaking the third rule before the first is even enforced.

If you don't fuck me tonight...

Then what?

Tyler both loves and hates how much power Colby has over him. It's so intense, the feeling he gets, and he hangs on every word of Colby's, hoping for more of that high. He wants to push it further, to get Colby to retaliate, to get Colby to put him in his place.