Six Days

When the matriarch finished making dinner, Raine and her friends gathered in the kitchen and filled their plates, filing back to their study area. Auron continued to watch idly until Katie's father came home, parking his machina vehicle in the garage. It felt odd to watch a family he didn't know; how Katie's younger siblings ate in front of the massive holographic screen and how they let their dishes pile up in the sink to be dealt with later.

Another hour went by. Night took over. And Auron's eye was captured by a small window on the first floor as a light flicked on. He could see a cloudy image moving through the glass before the curtains split open and Raine appeared, fumbling with the locks. Auron glanced around to the other windows to make sure it was clear and burst through the trees, rounding the pool with alacrity unlike him. He thought she might want to keep her distance after the mishap on the train. He also felt the need to explain, but explain what? He had been holding back...and more than just his climax.

She was smiling when he approached, her hips leaning over the window sill to drop a kiss down on his lips. His gauntlet tangled in her hair.

"I'm sorry," she whispered on his mouth. "I freaked. It was taking so long. I thought I was doing something wrong."

His hand ran down the curve of her skull, smoothing her hair, loving and sympathetic, but his lips quirked teasingly. "Faster is not always better." It wasn't the explanation he wanted to give, but it made her smile through her kiss and she wrapped her soft, sweatered arms around his neck. Wrestling his arm out of his cloak, he let the sleeve fall back and touched the side of her ribs. Her face tilted to deepen her kiss and Auron matched her intensity. He couldn't get enough of her mouth.

"Come with me," he whispered.

She retreated. There was a funny expression on her face. "Where?"

"Anywhere. I'll walk you home."

She looked confused as she considered and Auron sensed a no and smothered it with his lips. He wanted her to himself. No other guardians, no students, no second bells, no people on a train. Just the two of them.

"I can't," she said, regretful, but somewhat dogged, too. "I'll get in trouble."

Auron winced. The restraints of underage. The rules she had to live by seemed so arbitrary and meaningless. In Spira, women younger than her were already married, having children. But 19 was the legal age in Zanarkand. She was old enough to make her own decisions now, what was the difference if it was now or in 5 days when she turned 19? But it occurred to Auron she was making her own decision and it was to play by the rules. Auron never thought he would be the one talking her into breaking them. He felt sheepish for even suggesting she stay out past her curfew and he also had a strangely unprotected feeling in her presence, like he'd run into battle before making sure he had the proper equipment.

"I have to go," she said. "They're going to think I'm constipated or something."

"One more."

Grinning, she swooped down so they could kiss and it was full and simple and it made Auron's heart expand. "I'll see you at home," she said.

Auron nodded and let her go. Checking his surroundings, he headed back to the trees. The last leg of the study session seemed to take forever to end, but finally the garage opened and Katie's dad backed out with Raine and her friends in the back seat. Auron ran to the train station to catch the last train back to the school. He always preferred it when she walked or took public transportation but on those times when she was at the mercy of someone else, Auron's nerves were on edge until he could catch up.

On the way back, Auron was alone on his train car. He took a rare moment to close his eye and thought back to her warm hand on his erection, exploratory at first and then firm with determination. Her confidence was so thin from inexperience, although sometimes she masked it well. It confused him. He hated to think of her with hurt feelings. There was very little Auron could do about it, it was simply the nature of the situation. He couldn't push her along too quickly and he couldn't take back what experience he already had.

It was his nature to keep all things at arm's length. But now he had the peculiar sensation of being held back, by an arm not his own and not necessarily by Raine, either. Her school schedule, her social life and the boundaries set not only by her caregivers, but the rest of society too, was keeping her just out of his reach. Her inaccessibility distressed him and made him want her more. It was all very complicated and Auron preferred simple. Some spare gil and the glory of being a guardian on a pilgrimage made it effortless to have his basic needs met, but when he thought back to the hungry, soulless women in the darkest parts of Spira, simple just felt hollow. And Auron suspected his needs had become less basic and more convoluted as of late.

Waiting at the door when the train stopped, Auron slipped out onto the platform the moment the doors opened and headed down the avenue towards Raine's street. He wasn't that much farther behind her, seeing Katie's father swerve away from the curb as Auron came down the sidewalk. He turned into the alleyway shortly after Raine disappeared through her front door.

In the backyard, Raine's window was black, but upstairs, he saw her chatting with Aunt Naya. He didn't even bother going to the junipers first and stayed in the shadows as he quickly crossed the yard, pushing open her bedroom window. He liked how she kept it unlocked and slightly ajar for him. An intruder's welcome mat. Dropping inside the dark room, he closed the window and went to the door to listen for her foot treads on the stairs.

He heard the faint swell of the game upstairs, along with the mumble of conversation. Soon, Raine was on the stairs and he backed against the wall. When she walked in, he grabbed her. One arm slid around her waist, the other clapped around her mouth. She seized in startle, but Auron's lips brushed her neck and she softened. He felt her turning in his arms and he kissed her face in the dark until he found her open mouth.

"How long have you been here?" she whispered.

"I just got here," he said, nudging her chin up with his nose to kiss her throat.

Her arms came up around his neck and his hands traveled all around her backside and when he came back up to kiss her lips, he could feel her smiling. "Did you miss me?" she asked.

"Hmmm" was his only response. Understatement at best. He was missing her now, knowing she would be asleep soon, knowing in the morning she would have to leave him again. The moments they stole today were too short and left him wanting more every time.

"Sit down, okay? Let me get changed."

He made a whining sound on her mouth that surprised even him.

"Don't worry, you're going to like this."

Moving back his face, he tried to focus on her in the dark, but it was impossible behind his sunglasses. "You've planned something?"

"Sort of. Sit, sit."

She left him to do something in another part of her room and Auron felt around nearby for the arm chair. He drew the strip of his scabbard off his shoulder and set it on the floor next to him before sinking into the chair. He could hear the woody drag of drawers opening and closing and the spark of a match lit up Raine's face as she ignited a few of the scented candles on her dresser. Shaking the match, she left it smoking on the surface and the sulphur reached his nostrils as she closed her bedroom door.

Adjusting in his seat for ideal comfort, he plucked that heart pillow out from behind him again. Of all the paraphernalia forgotten on her bedroom floor, why was the pillow the only thing to ever get picked up and put back? Although lately it seemed her floor was less cluttered, at least he hadn't stumbled over any books or humps of clothes while maneuvering her room in the dark.

Auron held up her laced heart pillow with an ironic look.

Her brief smile was dry and humorless. "Jory gave it to me for our anniversary."

With a questioning tilt of his head, Auron turned the pillow around so "Luv Sux" was facing her.

"Inside joke."

"Funny," Auron said just as blandly and threw it down by his feet.

He didn't take his eye off her as she passed him to go to the closet, rummaging around in the dark for some item and removing something long and snake-like. She kneeled down on the right side of the chair and toyed with it a moment until Auron was able to see it.

"A belt?"

In the dim, shaky light, he saw the corners of her mouth turn up. "Shh. No talking. Hold out your hands."

He did, both of them, just a few inches above his legs and she slipped the loop she made around his right hand. But she had another belt, too, and did the same with his left hand, cinching them tightly around his wrists. The belts were made of real woven leather, not the plastic fashion belts some women wore. Circling behind, she tugged on one belt, the left one, until his arm was dangling over the side of the chair and slightly back as she tied the other end of the belt to something. Twisting back to look behind the chair, he found her shackling the belt to the back leg of the chair.

He automatically tested his limits and found the belt surprisingly unyielding.

"Where did you learn to tie a knot?"

"Cheerleading camp." Her voice had come from his other side now, cinching his right hand backwards, and stretching the tendons in his shoulder until he flinched. "We had to tie our own harnesses."

"Wonderful," Auron said dryly.

When she finished, he was tethered down rather snuggly and had to slouch down slightly to take some of the pull off his shoulders. His heart began to race with exhilaration. He realized he was getting hard and couldn't do a thing to hide it, except hope it was too dim to see.

Raine got up to the dresser again and opened the second drawer, pulling out some articles and tossing them to the bed. She began to disrobe, tugging the sweater over her head, casually, the way she probably did every night, until she realized he was watching her every move. She smiled, blushing in the candlelight, and made light of the situation as she did a little funny dance in just her cheerleading skirt and bra. Auron chuckled and she slid her eyes away, suddenly very shy as she put on her tank top first, before unclasping her bra and maneuvering out of it. She changed into clean underwear before unzipping her cheerleading skirt. It was so quick he didn't even get a chance to see what she had changed into. He had seen her almost completely naked last night, but she was being coy now and his organ stiffened even more.

A second later, she opened her bedroom door and was gone without explanation. Auron shifted in his seat to look into the hall, the straps cutting in his wrists. A light clicked on from her bathroom and there was the rush of running water as she attended to her nightly routine. Smirking, Auron shook his head to himself as he adjusted his hands against the restraints. They were unnecessarily tight, but Auron wasn't about to ask her to loosen them. He expected his erection to diminish in her absence, but the bulge in his trousers was still prominent when she returned. Her face had been freshly washed, her make-up removed and her features had a naturally naked look.

Bracing both hands on the arm of the chair, Raine drifted closer to him as if to kiss him and he snapped forward to meet her. But the belts made him stop short. Auron realized it was so Raine could know exactly how far his limits were. Her mouth was within an inch of his, her lips slightly apart to anticipate him, but she stayed purposely out of his reach. Clearly, this was the motif for the day.

Well, no more. He lifted his boots off the floor, his knees bumping against the back of her thighs, knocking her over and straight against his mouth. She recoiled, looking very insulted and Auron smirked, clever, triumphant.

"I have enough belts for your feet," she warned.

Auron smothered his smile so as not to incur further punishment, but she confiscated his sunglasses anyway. When one of the earpieces got stuck, he helped her take them off by slanting his head and she placed them on the floor. Kicking over the "Luv Sux" pillow, Raine positioned it between Auron's feet before kneeling down in front of him.

Without the glasses, the candlelight gave off a natural sepia hue similar to what his saw through his sunglasses on a bright day. Her face was imperfectly divided by the flickering light. One half, her skin was illuminated creamy vanilla, her eyes giving him warm, romantic looks, the other half shrouded in icy darkness, her intent conveniently hidden. He found himself drawn to the dark side. The idea she had a dark side made him rock hard.

Biting her lip, she nervously eyed the erection under his pants and reached around the bulk to release the drawstrings to his trousers. Her fingers quivered slightly as she unfettered the buttons and smoothly wrenched on his breeches, springing him free. Glancing down, he was pleased most of his pubic hair was still tucked into his trousers and if there were any gray hairs, they were camouflaged in the low light. Not that she took any time to look. Her mouth was on him in a second and Auron groaned before he could stop himself.

Her gentle fingers curled around his shaft, and the occasional empirical stroke of her thumb on the underside of it was shy, but affectionate. She gave head like a kitten. Quick, friendly licks with a relaxed tongue. Mostly teasing, but tender, too.

It was different than what he was used to paying for. Deep throat stunts with practiced hand-and-mouth coordination used to bring him to a swift and efficient apex. Not a second was wasted: misspent warmth cut into a productive turnover. And for the most part, it suited Auron. But even then he would have to close his eye to the stranger suckling him and imagine someone else, usually faceless, who cared for him. But Raine was taking her time with him, taking enjoyment in his pleasure, and the little licks, while lacking the friction he needed to climax, were driving him stupid with want. It was a good thing she had bound him. There wasn't a chance in hell he could keep himself from ripping those panties off and madly pumping her until his seed squirted into her.

Her lips made a wet sound as she removed him from her mouth and she seemed to be staring at the tip, engorged, red and shiny. Belly diving, Auron feared she was rethinking what she was doing, what he had allowed to happen. Soon, she would be an adult, but he was the adult now and he was supposed to know better.

"Raine?" he rasped. He folded his leg around her to hug her the only way he was able right now and in a way he was urging her to continue, his brain hazy with lust, but miraculously he was able to say the exact opposite of his body language. "You can stop. Anytime. You know that?"

Her eyes flicked up to him. "Shhh," she said.

Auron frowned. Raine's gaze was floating around, looking for something to focus on.

"Be right back," she hissed and jumped to her feet.

"Wait, Raine. Untie me."

But she had zoomed out of the room, the door drifting open all the way until it tapped against the door stop. Dammit. Wrists struggling on the belts, Auron leaned all the way to one side, hoping it would loosen his hand enough to slip out, but Raine had secured them like he was a fugitive. He looked down at his open breeches, his erect cock, and squirmed to cover up, but it was futile. Had her parental custodians woken up? Would they come into her room? See him tied up and hanging out like a pervert? Taking advantage of the girl who was in their charge? This was not going to end well.

Still hostile with the belts, he thought he was making progress on the left one, but he could hear hushed voices upstairs. He could feel himself getting frustrated and bared his teeth as he pulled on the cuffs. His shoulders were feeling the strain.

"Okay," Raine said from the next room, probably calling up the stairs. "Night." A moment later, she was back in the room, closing the door. She smiled at him. "Sorry about that."

"Untie me," Auron instructed, firmly but quietly.

Kneeling back down in place, she smirked and curled her hands around his softening shaft, goading him back to his previous stiffness. "That's not the game."

"Did they hear us?"

"Don't worry about it." Slowly, she enveloped him with her mouth.

He made a motion with his foot to push her back, but it was weak. "Untie me," he said and it sounded a little like a plea.

"Mm-umm," she said.

"Raine, please," he whispered, but he was relieved she didn't listen. In his attempts to get free, he had slouched impossibly low and his arms had become useless, his shoulders hunched up, hands taut on the leather straps and he was unable to straighten his posture. He felt truly stuck, at her mercy, and he watched her hungrily through his lashes, his breath quick and ragged. She had found her courage since their intermission and consumed a little more of him this time, clutching him with both hands, her head bobbing with a genuine purpose and determination that impressed him. Both his legs hugged around her, squeezing her in his appreciation, keeping her close in case she decided to scamper off again, moving his hips around a little to encourage her. He pressed his lips together to keep his moans in his throat.

"Okay," he said when he was about to come, but she stayed latched to him. "Okay, okay," he said again, voice strained, his last warning as he spurted forward, his hips elevating off the cushion.

She slanted her head slightly to compensate for his movements, accepting his semen with vague alarm and he wondered if it was the first time someone had come in her mouth. Auron plopped his rear wearily in the chair and Raine's lips drew off his manhood carefully to avoid drips, immediately swallowing. Advanced move for a novice. He pinched her between his knees in loving gratitude, trying to entice her closer, the overwhelming urge to kiss her and hold her drove him mildly insane when he couldn't do either. Still out of reach. Still unattainable. And it was miserable for him.

She regarded his jostles with light humor, giggling when he jabbed his knee in a ticklish spot, but didn't let it stop her from kindly tucking him back into his pants, buttoning and nimbly tying his drawstrings. With a final pat of his groin, she began to withdraw, untangling herself from his legs. Instead of kneeling to the chair legs to unstrap him, she rolled into her bed.

"Untie me," he said.

She smiled drowsily. "That's not the game."

The game wasn't over? Auron managed to kick up with his boots to straighten his posture. "What is this game?"

She considered seriously for a moment. "It doesn't have a name."

"I mean what does it entail?" His patience was running thin.

"Well it looks like you're forced to watch while I fall asleep."

Auron didn't like that. What if her guardians came downstairs to check on her? He would never be able to hide in time. The game had to end quickly. "How do you win?"

"I lose if I untie you. You lose if I wake up."

"It sounds rigged. Come. Untie me now."

"And lose the game?"

"I don't want to play."

She arranged the covers around her, bundling herself as she lied on her side. Her little smile wouldn't wipe off her face. "Funny. You were more than willing to play before."

"You're wicked," he said reproachfully.

This was her crafty side, veiled through her sweet side and he was beginning to think the deviousness in her was winning, but there was something genuine in the way her face fell just then, as though he had truly hurt her feelings and it made him feel awful. He grinned at her to show no malice and rolled his wrists to figure out a way to get loose. It couldn't be impossible. They were knots tied by a teenage girl. How good at it could she be? Although he hated to admit it, she was going to win either way. Even if he ended the game by disturbing her sleep, it wouldn't guarantee she'd let him go.