His right hand loosened its hold, sliding down to Baikal’s hip.
Only to be stopped in its tracks by a firm hand pressing against it.
“None of that now,” Baikal chided. “While I’m not above sex therapy, that’s not why I came today.”
“Why did you come?” he asked. When he’d left Rabbit alone in his room earlier, it’d sounded like he hadn’t intended to see him again until later that night. “To tell me you changed your mind and realized the error of your ways?”
“Love that even you know to say that sarcastically,” Baikal said. “However, you’ll pay for it later.”
Rabbit felt the ghostly press of warm lips against his own, the kiss so brief for a second he thought maybe he’d imagined it until Void spoke again, his voice closer this time.
“Remember this, little bunny,” he said, low and seductive despite his earlier claims he wasn’t there for sex, “now that the misunderstanding has been cleared, every time you try to bring up leaving me, I’ll punish you.”
“You can’t—”
“My father is dying.”
Rabbit grew quiet, waiting, but nothing followed after that. He wished he could see Void’s face to get a better read on the situation, unsure how he was meant to react. They’d never spoken about his relationship with his dad before, but Rabbit had gathered on his own that the two were close.
“I’m sorry,” he ended up saying, no longer able to take the cavernous silence threatening to swallow him whole along with the pitch black already doing so. He needed light, but knowing already that begging wouldn’t get him anywhere, opted to follow down whatever twisted path Baikal was choosing to lead them instead of bothering.
“You don’t understand why I’m telling you,” Baikal surmised, and Rabbit was forced to admit that was true.
“So that I’ll feel bad for you and give in?” He doubted it, but it was the only thing he could think of.
Sure enough, Void snorted derisively. “Bunny, once my father dies the crown moves to me. I’m going to be king soon, a lot sooner than I imagine anyone anticipated. And that means,” he leaned in even closer, his warm breath fanning against Rabbit’s left cheek, “I can literally get away with anything.”
“You already get away with murder.” Internally, he scolded himself but the words didn’t stop. “What else is there, really?”
“You tell me,” Baikal countered. “You’re the one who seems to think threatening me with the law will get you somewhere. It won’t though. In fact, you won’t be going anywhere without me for the foreseeable future, not until I know you can be trusted not to try to escape.”
His earlier thoughts about buying a ticket off planet flickered through his mind, which was unfortunate, because it caused him to be silent for a second longer than he should have, clueing the Brumal Prince into his train of thought.
A hand wrapped itself loosely around Rabbit’s neck, thumb and forefinger pressing at the bottom ends of his jaw so his head tipped upward slightly.
Rabbit squeezed his eyes shut.
“Are you afraid, little bunny?” Baikal asked silkily.
“Yes.”
“Of me?”
He considered the question. Of course on some level he was still scared of the Brumal Prince, only an idiot wouldn’t be. But right now his fear stemmed from the blackness surrounding them and the inability to see. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was out there, lurking in the darkness, waiting to attack the second he wasn’t careful.
“No,” Rabbit ended up answering honestly.
“That so?” It didn’t sound like he entirely believed him.
“You’re very frightening, Void,” he corrected, then explained, “And yeah, the things you say you want to do to me, how you keep insisting you won’t let me go, all of that is incredibly alarming. But I can see you. Touch you. You aren’t a ghost.”
Baikal was quiet and contemplative a moment before asking, “What does that mean?”
“I am running,” he said, “but I’m smart enough not to bother trying to run from you.”
“Then what are you running from?”
“I’m not quite sure,” he admitted. “I don’t remember. And I want to keep it that way.”
