Predatory

"So, about earlier. What you said. Giving up control. If I told you to do something, would you do it?" Kay asked.

Gabriel, who found his curiosity endearing and could tell Kay had bigger things in mind, answered, "Well, that largely depends on what it is, but if it's doable physically, doesn't severely endanger my health, and is not against any of my personal or moral principles, I'd theoretically have no reason to decline. Still, it's down to individual situations and requests."

Kay rolled his eyes when he said, "Can you ever just answer a question without making it a whole essay?"

Gabriel laughed, "Of course not. I'm a lawyer."

"Stop being a lawyer, then, and answer as the guy I fuck: Will you do what I tell you to do?"

Gabriel watched him, but Kay didn't look back. He still stared into the dark infinity of space above them. Only when he answered, Kay met his gaze.

"Yes," Gabriel said, "I'll do what you ask."

Kay looked surprised, then briefly disgusted which was quickly overshadowed by excitement as an idea materialized in his mind. There was only silence for a moment, and Kay seemed lost in thought. Even when he felt he had everything planned out, he waited a minute longer, because the amount of fun in his idea hinged on Gabriel being caught off-guard. So he observed him looking for patterns in the star-dusted sky.

After Kay felt enough time had passed, he slightly nudged Gabriel, sat upright, and leaned over, his face now looming over Gabriel's. They were so close that Gabriel expected a kiss, but Kay only stared, and, in a low tone, he whispered, "Run."

"What?" Gabriel asked with wide eyes.

"You want to give up control, so I'm taking it, and I'm telling you to run. Don't make me say it again."

That was a threat, Gabriel realized, and judging by the insanity mirrored in Kay's wild eyes, it was a serious one. Therefore, he scrambled, slid off the hood of his car and took off into the forest as soon as his feet hit the ground. He felt Kay's gaze on his back while he approached the forest, and when he broke the treeline, he heard him howl, "I'm giving you a head start. You have two minutes to hide, and then you best start praying I won't find you!"

His voice grew more quiet with the distance Gabriel put between them. He didn't know his way around the area, all he knew was that he'd soon be hunted, and as much as he refused to be afraid, his heart was still beating fast, pumping blood to his legs that carried him through the woods. It was rhythmic in his ears, and loud. Louder almost than his own footsteps. He registered the ground was softer here, more spongy from the moss and fallen leaves in different stages of decay. And it was darker under the dense coverage of the treetops. Gabriel didn't dare look back over his shoulder, afraid he might run into one of the many tree trunks that materialized out of the uniform gray-blue darkness around him so suddenly. The farther he got, the more their number increased, and they were but a blur as he flew past them. His breathing grew heavier, and briefly he wondered how long it had been since the last time he'd run like this. Didn't matter, because he knew for certain Kay was faster. He didn't feel any fear, not as long as he kept reminding himself he wasn't in any real danger. Right? It was just Kay after all, nothing to be afraid of. Just Kay. It's just Kay.

Holy shit! Gabriel thought, It's Kay!

Of all people, he realized, this confirmed deadly mercenary that probably knew as many ways to murder people as Gabriel knew laws, he was the last person he'd want to be hunted by. In a dark forest at night, no less, miles from any semblance of civilization, far from anyone who could hear him scream.

Nonsense, Gabriel reprimanded himself, Kay doesn't want to hurt me... Not really, anyway. Then... What does he want?

Gabriel couldn't answer the question, and it made him run faster. His adrenaline spiked when he heard a rustle in the flora around him, one that sounded different to his rapid footfalls, he was sure. It made him realize he'd only run straight ahead so far, so he turned sharply to the right and leaped over a fallen tree. Were the two minutes even over yet? He didn't know. It could've been moments, or it could've been hours since he started running.

Stop! Gabriel's mind suddenly screamed in a moment of clarity and he halted so abruptly that he almost stumbled on the uneven ground. His surroundings sharpened, and so did his thoughts.

If he was sure Kay was faster than him, then why was he wasting his energy running a race he couldn't possibly win? And he was making too much noise. All Kay had to do was follow his footsteps and catch up, something he'd surely done many times before and would execute with trained precision.

Then what did he have that Kay didn't? Outthink, outsmart, Gabriel instructed himself. Outlast. Only then he'd get out of this chase. And what was the goal?

Gabriel looked around and saw nothing but darkness. Of course. The car. That was his only chance. He would loop around, try to make as little noise as possible, and hope that he wouldn't run into Kay by pure chance. And he'd also hope that he'd find his car in the first place. He trusted his instincts and turned to start back into what he felt was the way he'd come.

The following sequence of events happened in under ten seconds, but to Gabriel they went down with astounding clarity, as if life was running in slow motion.

He took the first step into his chosen direction, and in that moment he heard a thud and a rustle in some ground-dwelling foliage directly to his left. It was so close, too close, and sounded suspiciously like a clumsy step or stumble. Before he even registered it, his reflexes made him start in the opposite direction, away from the perceived danger. It was a fatal move.

A whole eight and a half steps later, his escape came to a sudden end, stopped by a hand coming out of nowhere and closing around his throat. Unable to react, Gabriel glanced down and registered Kay who stood before him, his expression tight with the focus of a hunter. He balanced out his momentum and easily used it against him, moving with it, turning, diverting it so Gabriel felt himself stumble and finally fall, back first, into the forest floor. The pain was bright when his spine crashed into the unforgiving soil.

Kay's hand was still firm around his neck, and the not so great weight on his chest told him that the mercenary had dropped himself on it to pin him down. His knees were digging into both of Gabriel's arms, and it stung. Kay's other hand found Gabriel's hair and, tugging on it, he pressed his head into the ground.

"Got you," Kay hissed, so close that Gabriel felt his breath on his cheek, and time sped up again. Gabriel breathed once.

"Were you even trying?" He asked with a taunting smile. Gabriel breathed twice.

Adrenaline is a funny thing. Gabriel learned just how much it turned him into a different creature, caged the humanity, and allowed the instincts to take over. Prime directive: survive.

While death wasn't actually near, and part of Gabriel knew that, whatever caveman portion of his brain was controlling his body now would not go down without a fight. And so, without much input on Gabriel's part, he mustered up his strength, exhaled his third breath, freed his left arm, and hoped for the best as he sent his fist into Kay's stomach. It was harder than expected, but seemingly, he was caught off-guard, because the air was forced out of his lungs, leaving him gasping and sputtering an offended, "What the fuck?!"

But, most importantly, the tension in his oh so efficient muscles waned for a moment. That moment was all Gabriel needed. He went for Kay's hand that was restricting his airflow next, closing his fist around his wrist and ripping it away. Kay groaned when his joint was bent at an uncomfortable angle and made the mistake of loosening the grip of his other hand. It allowed Gabriel to free himself enough to push hard against Kay's chest and rear up at the same time, sending the cussing mercenary toppling off of him.

Gabriel got to his feet, and a refreshing rush of euphoria blazed through him. He almost laughed out loud when he began darting away again, completely baffled that it had worked out. In his mind, there was no way for him to outmatch Kay in a test of physical power.

Kay, meanwhile, was so hot with rage that he half expected his skin to split open and show the boiling contents beneath, like lava bursting through volcanic rock with unstoppable force, and then he'd set his surroundings and Gabriel and the whole forest on fire with his fury.

None of that happened. Instead, Kay was sat on the ground with an aching wrist like an idiot, briefly immobilized by his surprise and anger over Gabriel's successful getaway maneuver. Fine, maybe he had underestimated him. Time to take the training wheels off.

Gabriel had not gotten far when Kay's hunter-mind kicked in again. Methodically, he got up but stayed low as he leaned into a sprint worthy of an Olympic medal. He caught up in no time, saw Gabriel run in front of him, heard his hasty breathing, and when the right moment was there, Kay pushed away from the ground, kicked up dirt, and vaulted himself against his target. Like a rugby player, he crashed into Gabriel's back and tackled him to the ground.

With no way to balance out the extra weight, Gabriel let out a startled gasp, fell once more, and literally ate dirt when he smashed into the ground face first. His field of vision went bright white, then pitch black when he felt a sharp pain against the left side of his forehead. He'd hit his head on something, a rock or branch, not enough to be life-threatening, but enough to hurt immensely and daze him momentarily. His body went soft like a ragdoll, and for three seconds he saw nothing and only heard an unnerving, high-pitched screech stemming from his own auditory cortex.

When he came to again, Kay's arm was around his throat in an iron choke hold that left him gasping for air.

"Bastard," Kay growled into his ear, low and sharp, "Got any more funny ideas you want to try?"

The pressure on Gabriel's throat increased as an unmistakable warning.

"No," he croaked, and as a reward, Kay let him breathe. He felt sore and spent, now that the adrenaline was wearing off, and his head hurt. Whatever wound it was, it pulsed in sync with his still rapidly pumping heart. No, there wasn't much fight left in him, his current excitement was different-natured, after all, he knew what Kay really wanted, and he could think of far worse things to do with a killer in a lonely forest.

"Good," Kay said, "Will you be a good little whore and play nice?"

Gabriel looked up to the best of his ability. A long strand of Kay's hair was hanging in front of his face and tickling the side of his nose. Kay's back was curled and he leaned in close enough to breathe down Gabriel's neck. It made him shiver, but not as much as the glint of Kay's intense eyes that didn't leave him for a second. They told of insatiable hunger, the desire to enjoy the rewards of his fruitful hunt. Gabriel wondered if he'd ever done something like this before, something so wild and carnal. He himself sure hadn't. This was new. It was new, and it was exciting.

"Yes," Gabriel answered and felt heat rise to his cheeks, but not from embarrassment.

"And if I take my arm away, you will not try to run?" Kay went on.

"Uh huh," Gabriel said, his voice so strained it hurt to speak, but he couldn't move his head enough to nod. And he had a feeling Kay would rather hear him.

"Good," Kay repeated, then added with humor, "Good boy."

Gabriel gasped for air when Kay let go of his neck and sat upright on Gabriel's lower back. Between his heavy breaths, the lawyer tried to look up, and he smiled at Kay. Kay didn't smile back. He only stared down darkly, with one of the scariest looks Gabriel had ever seen on him. It was the absence of anger, Gabriel realized. Kay was almost always angry, but now he seemed more calm. Gabriel knew that meant that whatever he was about to do was what he intrinsically wished to do, regardless of superficial emotions.

Kay ran his hands through Gabriel's hair, and while he plucked small sticks and pieces of dry leaves out of the strands, he said, "This might hurt. Think you can handle that, Dog?"

"Yes," Gabriel whispered and shuddered.

Kay tilted his head and asked, "Do you want this to hurt?"

Gabriel shook his head. At that, Kay grabbed a fistful of Gabriel's dark hair and pulled up his head which sparked pain in his neck. "What was that?" Kay rumbled.

"I don't...," Gabriel panted and pressed his eyes shut to endure the stinging in his scalp, "want this to... hurt."

"Liar!" Kay snarled and drove his head into the ground forcefully. More pain. And more dirt that got on Gabriel's lips and into his mouth. It tasted strange. Not how he'd imagine the forest floor to taste like. He realized the metallic aroma was probably not from the dirt, but more rather his blood. He couldn't place the source.

"Try again!" Demanded Kay and lifted his head again, "What do you want? Be honest, this time."

Gabriel spat out bits of soil mixed with blood and thought he for sure didn't want to eat more dirt, and so he groaned, "I want you, and I want pain. I want you to hurt me."

Kay let go of his hair and instead ran his hand over Gabriel's right cheek, the one that wasn't covered in dirt and blood and spit and who knew what else. His fingers were warm and gentle. What an unusually soft gesture from the mercenary. Gabriel didn't know what to make of it or his oddly empty look. It wasn't absent, per se, Kay was thoroughly observing Gabriel, yet the lawyer wasn't sure. Was he actually seeing him? And if not, then what or who was he seeing?

The clarity returned to Kay's gaze, and with it he withdrew his hand.

"Stay," he ordered. Gabriel stayed where he was and saw Kay disappear from view, felt his weight lift off of his back, then he heard the unmistakable sounds of clothing being removed as he fought against his pants that were containing his arousal. Seconds later, Gabriel felt Kay's hands dive under his shirt. For a moment Gabriel wondered what it would be like if Kay allowed himself to linger for a while and explore more of his body. The feeling of his fingers and nails against his skin kindled smoldering passion, and the desperate yearning to be touched and caressed and worshiped. Kay was the wrong person for that, and Gabriel lamented the fact greatly at that time. Kay was rough around the edges, short-tempered, and a selfish lover.

Gabriel knew all that, and still he quietly asked, "And you?"

"What about me?" Kay asked back with suspicion.

"What do you want? From me? Out of this... arrangement?"

"Since when do you get to ask the questions?" Kay queried lowly and Gabriel felt his fingers curling around the edge of his pants. Too impatient to occupy himself with the currently hard to reach closures, he simply tore at the article of clothing until it gave way enough so he could pull Gabriel's underwear down as well. The night air was cool against his bare skin, and Gabriel groaned, shifting in an attempt to improve the rather uncomfortable situation, with little success. His erection was straining against the fabric of his bottoms that was stretched tight.

"I don't owe you any answers, Pet," spat Kay, "so don't get used to them."

Gabriel held his breath when Kay lowered himself down on him again and he could feel his hard cock press against the flesh of his ass.

"I want to hurt you," Kay said and ground his hips into him while he roughly palmed Gabriel's ass, nails digging deep into skin. Gabriel whined, both impatient and nervous.

"Use you," the mercenary went on and adjusted his position. He straddled Gabriel with his knees on the ground to either of his sides. Gabriel stared up at him, wide-eyed, when he felt the tip of his cock press against his rim. He bit his lip to stay quiet when the pressure increased.

"And break you." At that, Kay decidedly drove his hips forward, and finally, his cock breached Gabriel's ass and found the warmth inside him. Gabriel cried out, and the sound born from pain made Kay shiver in delight. He watched Gabriel's face, his eyes that were desperately searching Kay's face for his humanity, and his expression that teetered on the edge between pleasure and suffering, both present, none getting the upper hand. Kay wanted to change that. He buried his hand in Gabriel's hair again and let out a low hum.

"Be good and take it," he ordered and pressed Gabriel's head into the ground as he started moving.

Gabriel took heavy breaths with intermittent raspy groans. He tried to relax, he really did, but his whole being was on high alert, listening to Kay and into the forest, trying to keep the pain from Kay's cock stretching him in check. Part of him wanted to close his eyes, but he couldn't get enough of the sight before him. The light of the full moon found its way past the crowns of the trees above. It surrounded Kay atop of him, giving him the look of being surrounded by a twisted silver halo. He was determined, his self-control was slipping, and he looked so hungry. He wallowed in Gabriel's pain, and no matter how much he were to beg or cry, it would only fuel the overbearing inferno of lust dwelling inside him.

Gabriel lost the fight when Kay thrusted into him harshly, sparking a bright pain upon which Gabriel felt his eyes roll back and his lids flutter closed, and a long moan escaped his throat. Before Kay, he'd had no idea just how much he loved to suffer, because as brutal as the aches were, as much did they set the dark side of his being free, the one he was too reluctant to show anyone. Anyone but Kay. It had to be him, it could only be him.

So when Kay roughly tugged on Gabriel's hair with his nails raking over his scalp and asked, "Is this how you like it?", there was only one answer.

"Yes," Gabriel cried and dug his fingers into the forest floor. Smaller branches cracked under his grip, his fingertips tore through dead leaves and moss, and the hearty, living smell of the woods rose up from where he unsettled the soil.

Kay's breathing grew more irregular as he picked up the pace, forcing his cock deep into Gabriel time and time again, enjoying the heat and tight feeling. He put his whole weight onto the arm fixing Gabriel's head and surprised the man below with a new kind of pain.

At first, Gabriel only felt Kay's free hand running along the collar of his shirt and looking for his skin. Kay pulled his shirt away to reveal his neck, tugging hard enough so the seams creaked. He gathered the fabric in his hand on Gabriel's right shoulder and craned his neck low, burying his face at the side of Gabriel's neck, breathing in his scent - sweat from his run, earthy aromas from the environment around them, and the natural smell of his skin that was growing more familiar to Kay by the day.

Kay did all this, making intense shivers run down Gabriel's spine, without suspending his movements for even a moment, his hips still snapping against Gabriel's ass. And then he bit down, taking the skin of Gabriel's neck between his teeth.

Gabriel whined in pain and felt that if Kay bit him any harder, it would actually bring tears to his eyes. Despite that, he craned his head back to make it even easier for Kay to literally devour him.

When he noticed, Kay let out a grunt and his heart beat faster upon observing Gabriel's desperate obedience. He was the perfect slut for him, not only willing, but eager to suffer at his hands. He wanted to tell him, but desire took the reins. His thoughts were dispersed, entirely overshadowed by his need, and he needed to be one with Gabriel. He wrapped his arm around Gabriel's throat again, pulling his head back, pulling him into himself so he could take him even harder, and Gabriel rewarded each of his motions with a strained groan or mewl, music in Kay's ears that spurred him on even more.