“Just say it, baby.”
“I want a star chart,” Seven blurted. “Like…like the one in my desk. The secret one. I-I really like it.”
Enzo’s mouth curved faintly. Seven grabbed another raw tomato, chewing it slowly.
“Okay. I like the idea. We’d just need to decide what counts as ‘bad,’ other than eating all mymise en place.”
“Your what now?” Seven asked.
“My ingredients,” Enzo answered, leaning over to give him another kiss.
Seven felt like he remembered nothing, like he’d blacked out for most of this conversation. “So, what about you? What’s on your official no list? I mean, hard limits?”
Enzo set the wooden spoon down and ticked them off on his fingers. “No edge play with breathing, no humiliation that actually tears you down, no permanent marks without agreement, no public play without planning. I don’t do blood ormedical beyond patching you up. And no scenes if either of us is too angry at each other to think straight.”
Seven gave a stilted nod. “Soft limits?”
“Roleplay that gets too close to non-con. That can get messy fast. If that’s something you want to explore as we get deeper into this, we can discuss it further then. And…exhibitionism. I’m not saying no, just maybe, but only if it’s with people I trust completely and only if that’s something you want.”
Seven hummed. Who would Enzo trust that much? Who would Seven trust that much? Nico and Mal maybe? Or maybe someone they paid to be there.
It wasn’t really something Seven cared to explore right now. “That’s fair. I’m not totally against that stuff, but it’s not high on my list of things to try. But I also don’t know for sure that I want to try them.”
“See, was that so hard?” Enzo asked, wrapping his arms around Seven’s waist and pressing a kiss to his shoulder.
Seven stared at Enzo’s profile for a minute. “No. I guess not.” After a moment passed, Seven said, “Can—Can we go back to the domestic discipline thing for a minute?”
This time, Enzo smirked when he looked up at him. “You really like that idea, huh? If I’d known how much you love being rewarded, I would have used the star stickers more.”
Seven’s ears burned even hotter. “I know the kind of punishments I could get, but…what about the rewards?”
Enzo shot him a look “Wouldn’t you like to know.”
“I would, actually,” Seven said, smiling. “Yeah.”
“Then be good, and you’ll find out,” he replied smoothly. “Same goes for punishments, and I’m not above making you write ‘I will not mouth off to my Daddy in the kitchen’ a hundred times while dinner gets cold.”
Seven wrinkled his nose. “That’s cruel.” He held up a limp wrist like a puppy with a hurt paw, giving him his best pout. “I have carpal tunnel syndrome.”
“Then behave,” Enzo said, his tone unsympathetic. He snapped his fingers as if he’d just remembered something. “Aftercare preferences?”
“I’m not sure,” Seven said honestly. “I liked what you did last night.”
Enzo gave him an encouraging smile. “Which parts specifically did you like?”
“I liked you washing me, holding me. I liked the weighted blanket. It felt…grounding, I guess. I liked that you fed me. I was hungry and thirsty, but the thought of having to move or decide what I wanted to eat was way too much. I just…I just liked hearing your voice and smelling you and feeling your hands on me. That stuff always makes me feel better, even when we’re not playing,” he finished quietly.
Enzo cupped his face and kissed him until his toes curled. “I like that, too, baby.”
“Good.”
“My aftercare preferences are physical and verbal check-ins. I’m going to ask you how you feel, I’m going to dress any wounds I caused. I need to have you nearby while I watch you come down. I need to be the one taking care of you. Bathing you, feeding you, helping you get dressed. Holding you. Those aremynon-negotiables.”
“Do doms experience drops, too?” Seven asked, frowning.
Enzo nodded. “They can. You’re not in the scene alone. Your safety is entirely in my hands. If anything happens to you, that’s all on me. It’s a big mental load to carry. If you were to just leave after a scene and I couldn’t make sure you were safe, comfortable…happy…I would feel like shit.”
Seven dragged Enzo into a hug, wrapping his arms and legs around him. “You really are a soft-hearted person. You’re gonna make a great dad.”
