Forcing my eyes to blink the world back into focus, I took another drink. It was still dim, and voices floated over me.
“Welcome back, Asher.”
I wasn’t sure where I had gone to begin with. Instead of saying anything, I let out a sigh. I knew I should pull myself off Oscar, who was all but a stranger to me, but at the same time, I didn’t want to move a single muscle just yet.
“Wh-what happened?” My voice was rough, like I was just waking up.
“You went into sub-space.”
Oh. That made sense. I hadn’t experienced that before. Not that I had many opportunities to do so. And I knew what it was at least.
“I hadn’t expected you to get there. Most subs don’t.”
“I’m not like most.”
“No, you definitely aren’t.” A pause as his hand rubbed my arm. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired. Good, though.” I yawned through the answer. I was good. It had been too long since I felt so relaxed with my thoughts all but shut off.
“That’s to be expected. The first time or two of subspace can be a bit scary, and overwhelming.”
“I should go.” Yet, I didn’t move.
“Not yet, sweetheart. You won’t make it out the door on your own. Rest for a bit. I’ve got you.”
“But they-“ The voices were growing louder in my ears.
“It’s okay. They will all understand. Or another Dom will be happy to answer questions. You come first, even if you aren’t my sub. You are my responsibility right now.”
“Why?” I wiggled a bit so I could sit more on my own. My body was weak, and it took more effort than I expected to move, let alone pull away from Oscar some.
“It’s the natural human thing to do.” He answered. I almost wanted him to pull me back against him, giving me no options. “If I had expected such a reaction from you, I’d have done things differently. Now, I can’t let you leave our little bubble here until I know for certain that sub-drop won’t hit you. My needs go further than just some rope. Aftercare is more for me than anything I’ll ever do, so this isn’t just for you, Asher. It’s for me too.”
It took my mind too long to follow as he halfway switched subjects. When it did, I nodded. I think I understood.
“You don’t like ropes?” I hoped that wasn’t all I got out of his answer.
“I do,” he spoke slowly. “But I like touch more.” With that, his fingers trailed down my face gently, leaving a strange sort of warmth behind. “Touch is what I like. Rope makes it all more intimate, but I don’t need it. This aftercare is my kink. So really, you are doing me a favor right now.”
“Okay.”
“Did anything I did during the demo make you close to yellow?” I shook my head as his fingers fell away. Instead of grabbing ahold of his hand to put it back, I pulled the blanket tighter across my shoulders.
“I want more.” I think I did. It was hard to tell for sure at that moment as my body went against my brain.
“More of what?”
“Ropes. Touch. More of something. I don’t know.” I lifted a shoulder as I rattled off the words.
“Ropes are the best thing to start off with in my opinion. Others would say differently. But next time, I can help you find something else to explore, if you want.”
I nodded slowly. I highly doubted I’d have the will to try again anytime soon.
“Let me know if there is anything you need.” Oscar placed his hand on the back of the couch, his eyes bouncing from me to where everyone who had watched. “That goes for anything at all.”
I highly doubted that. There were dark and deep desires that couldn’t be spoken of. I refused to give those things my thoughts right now.
“I’m okay right now.”
