[ Oh. Suguru didn’t expect Yuji to react so intensely to an option presented to him, but he’s genuinely pleased to see sincere excitement in Yuji instead of the flickers of anxiety kept at bay. Suguru’s smile is so warm and he nods, reaching for the smooth, black titanium collar that’s been provided as a starting point for sizing. ]
Here, why don’t you try it on and see what you think?
[ He phrases it like a suggestion instead of an order, giving Yuji that out if he needs it – but Suguru is already turning with the open collar, sliding it neatly around Yuji’s throat. It latches with a tiny “click,” and then Suguru steps back to appraise the black against his submissive’s throat. ]
Oh, that’s lovely.
[ Beaming, he gestures to the boutique’s full-body mirror at the wall so Yuji can see for himself. ]
[ Yuji steps up to the mirror with wide eyes, lifting his fingers to stroke along the metal. The ownership of it is alluring, of course it is, and it makes him yearn for something - it makes him yearn for Suguru, to fall to his knees and reach for him, to stroke fingers over his skin and earn this reward. To be chosen and cherished like this...
Cheeks red, Yuji licks his lips and lifts his gaze back to his dominant, nodding carefully. His heart might be in his throat a little, and he's so overwhelmed with his affection for this man that it's hard to speak. ]
It looks good.
[ Possessed, owned, loved. Yuji can feel it, and he reaches out to grab at Suguru's shirt with a careful hand. ]
[ Suguru follows Yuji to the mirror, watching over his submissive's shoulder as Yuji appraises his reflection. Fondness brims almost painfully in Suguru's chest, any uncertainty or hesitation he'd felt about taking such a big step (for him) vanishes as he sets a hand on Yuji's shoulder, leaning down to kiss the top of his head. ]
It looks perfect.
[ Suguru is almost reluctant to remove it, but this is technically only the sample model. They'll have to ask for the real deal to be packed up for purchase. Suguru gently unlatches the collar, returning it to its display before winding his arm around Yuji's waist to draw him close. ]
Let's get both. The leather collar will be well-suited for play, but I think the eternity collar should be your daily-wear.
[ It makes him tilt his head back immediately, eyes closing for a moment as he enjoys the softness from his dominant. This is what it was supposed to be, what the counsellors and therapists had told him he should be looking for in a relationship, and his utter joy sparks through him like a rush of energy. ]
Yes, please, Suguru.
[ Leaning in, he tilts his head up to nuzzle into the other man's neck, closing his eyes and resting there happily. ]
[ Suguru holds Yuji close for a moment, relishing the comfortable rightness of the whole moment. He wonders if this is what it was like for Satoru with Megumi, but the fleeting thought pops into his mind and flutters away just as quickly. ]
Then I’ll go speak with someone and get them wrapped up for us.
[ Another kiss to the top of his head! ]
Why don’t you go pick a tag at the engraving machine while I pay?
[ All nameplates are the same base price, so Suguru will just tell the clerk to ring him up for that in addition to the collars. ]
[ Yuji leans up to kiss his cheek before he steps away and heads to the tags, leaning in to look at all the different shapes and symbols that are on offer. In his heart, he thinks a simple dog shape would probably work, but maybe he'd be able to convince Suguru to get a pair, one for different moods? Or they could start with one for now and see how it goes...
It's while he's peering at the different shapes and colours that he feels a prickling feeling, the sense of eyes on him that is so painfully familiar that it has his hands shaking on instinct. Swallowing, he turns to look at Suguru, but it's not his eyes - it's another dominant, someone that was supposed to stay away from him, someone who had been ordered to let him go -
turning his head, watching the entrance to the store, Yuji sees him. Mahito is there, leaning against the doorway, watching Yuji with that familiar, sadistic smile on his face that always made him understand that something deadly was about to come to him. It meant that his limits, if they existed, were going to be pushed, and now - now it makes his breathing catch in his throat, panic flooding him and making it suddenly harder to breathe.
All he does is lift his hand and wave, wiggling his fingers, and then crooking them, summoning. Yuji's body twitches, moving on instinct, but he has to stop himself from getting any closer. He feels as if the world itself has been ripped out from under him, and he almost collapses on the ground, hand over his mouth, barely able to blink as the panic sets in. He can't remember how to breathe. ]
[ Blissfully oblivious and chatting casually with the boutique clerk, Suguru doesn’t notice that anything has changed yet. He’s in the process of indicating which collars they’re going to take home, and he’s about to ask for a nametag to be added to the bill when he turns and spots Yuji. He barely gets a look at his submissive’s posture before he realizes something is wrong.
Spine going ramrod straight, Suguru only manages a terse “excuse me,” before he strides away from the confused clerk. His gaze snaps from Yuji to follow his submissive’s sightline, falling on the grinning man in the boutique doorway. There were no photos of Mahito in Yuji’s file, either a privacy measure or to protect the former dominant’s identity from social repercussions, but Suguru doesn’t need more than one guess to identify the source of Yuji’s sudden shift in demeanor. ]
Yuji.
[ Suguru speaks with the powerful, commanding tone of a dominant, just to get Yuji’s attention, to break the terrified tether seized around his submissive.
He steps up beside Yuji only a heartbeat later, hand falling gentle but firm on Yuji’s shoulder. He’s softer now, grounding instead of having the tone of an order. ]
Yuji, hey. Look at me.
Edited (Oh my god I can’t believe I fucked up my html twice in a row) 2024-09-21 16:51 (UTC)
[ The utter terror that he feels barely abates when he feels the shadow of Suguru return to his side, and even the sharp tone of his dominant's voice takes longer than it might have otherwise to bring him out of the horrors of his thoughts. Mahito hasn't left, watching them by the doorway as if he's going to be a voyeur in the new intimacy that Yuji has found himself, and it makes him dig his nails into his palm.
Every moment of happiness he has ends up spoiled because of this man. This beautiful moment, choosing a collar with the man he loves, is going to be tainted with the memory of Mahito watching him with that same, coy look on his face. All he has to do is stand there and Yuji is a mess of tears and horror, breathing out with sharp, desperate noises.
It takes him an age to lift his head to look at Suguru, but it seems as if he looks right through him. ]
[ Rage burns in Suguru’s chest, but he keeps his calm, keeps his expression gentle as he wraps an arm around Yuji’s shoulders, drawing his submissive protectively into his side. ]
We’ll pick up the collars later. Let’s get you home.
[ Home, because Yuji has one of those now. A safe home, a loving home, one that will never subject him to the same treatment he’d experienced at Mahito’s hands.
Suguru puts himself definitively between Yuji and the side of the doorway where Mahito lounges like a deceptively docile tiger. Half-guiding, half-dragging, Suguru ushers Yuji to the exit, dark eyes glaring daggers through the other dominant instead of any shred of his usual composure. Rarely does Suguru broadcast his real feelings about someone, especially not in such a public place; he so often maintains that unwavering steadiness and even faux-irreverence is its own form of defiance. He cedes ground by allowing his fury, his disgust into the set of his mouth and brow, but right now, he doesn’t care.
Staking his position as the man who will break Mahito’s arm in several places if he dares reach for Yuji is far more critical than seeming aloof. His priority right now is getting Yuji out of the shop, into the car, and home. ]
[ It's pathetic, how much this is affecting him, Yuji thinks. All that Mahito is doing is standing there, looking at him, and he feels as if he's going to fall to pieces. There's a painful, unnatural instinct to drop to his knees and ask for forgiveness, as if he's done something wrong when he doesn't belong to this man any more. He belongs to Suguru, who would never hurt him, never make him feel like this.
Dragged away, Yuji can barely focus on where they're going - only hearing the low whistle that comes out of Mahito's lips as he's pulled by, making his legs shake and his body twitch on instinct. That whistle was used to summon him before, to bring him to Mahito's side, to crawl to him, and Yuji has to squeeze his eyes shut and trust in Suguru to get him out of there, the tears prickling at him all over again.
Again, he's ruined things, caused problems that Suguru never wanted to deal with, that he had never wanted. He hadn't wanted to keep a submissive, and now he has one so broken he can't even blink without something going wrong.
Still, he squeezes at Suguru, breathing still coming hard, not sure what to do with his racing heart and the panic inside of him. ]
[ It takes every ounce of Suguru's self-restraint not to immediately round on Mahito as that whistle fills the air, but once again, his top priority is Yuji. Getting him taken care of, getting him away from Mahito.
Out the boutique, to the parking lot, and Suguru drags Yuji into the backseat instead of helpfully buckling him into the passenger side. Suguru climbs in beside him, shuts the door, and hits the lock on his key fob before he pulls Yuji close again, into his lap, and wraps him in the protective circle of his arms. ]
I'm right here, Yuji. Deep breaths – take deep breaths for me.
[ The desperate urge to apologise is still ever-present inside Yuji, but he knows he hasn't done anything wrong. In his rational mind, he understands that seeing Mahito has triggered something in him, the same way that their first attempt at blindfolding him had done - it had drawn out that fear and panic that had been slowly eroded away under Suguru's careful touch.
Finding a way to deal with that is going to be harder, in the long run, but he's going to have to find a way to do it.
Wrapped up in Suguru's arms, he presses his face into his neck and lets himself break a little more, sniffling as the tears roll down his cheeks and his throat feels utterly clogged with the depth of his panic and emotion. ]
[ Suguru holds Yuji – because there's not much else he can offer. He can't take these feelings away, can't teach Yuji's nervous system that he's finally free of the man who had tormented him for so long, not here in this moment. But he can hold Yuji through it. ]
I don't think he knew. I think it was a coincidence from living in the same area.
[ Right? Because Mahito shouldn't actually know where Yuji ended up and he certainly shouldn't have access to their location, so... coincidence, right? ]
He got lucky and saw the opportunity to cause a scene.
[ Yuji had always thought that he had moved far away from Mahito when he had been transferred, but he didn't really know that much about where Mahito's place had been. He feels on edge at the idea that the other man might know where he is, that he could come and find him and...
Do what?
Wouldn't Suguru take care of him?
Breathing out, he nuzzles into Suguru, trying to calm his shaking body. ]
[ Suguru rubs slow, gentle circles along Yuji's shoulder, up his neck as his other arm stays wound around his submissive's waist. He kisses over his hair, the top of his head, his temple. ]
I know.
[ And Mahito deserves every ounce of that hate. Suguru hates Mahito, and he's never even met the man. ]
But he will never get his hands on you again. Ever. I will always keep you safe.
[ Yuji nods his head, squeezing closer, trying to make himself small. Despite his bulk, despite the heavy weight of who he is as a person, he curls into Suguru as if he might be able to tuck into him like someone much smaller.
[ That's a hard question – and Suguru doesn't think he has an easy answer. ]
... I don't know. [ Because Mahito didn't suffer any consequences when Yuji was removed from his home. No protective orders were filed, no guarantees that Mahito cannot engage with Yuji again – so Suguru isn't sure what options are available to them. ]
I'm going to talk to Satoru and see if he has any suggestions. [ Gojo has one thing that Suguru abjectly doesn't, and that's the social cache and influence that comes with an established family like the Gojos. ]
But I don't want this to happen again. [ Or for it to get worse. ]
[ It's not as if a lot of people even think Mahito did anything wrong. Yuji was one of them for a long time: he used his submissive how he wanted to, and lots of people think that is the point of having one. To use them.
Frowning, he squeezes his eyes shut and breathes out a whimpering noise. ]
I hope Gojo-san can... I don't know if I could handle it, if he knew where we were and followed us...
[ Because that is exactly the kind of thing Mahito would do. ]
[ Yuji makes an incredibly good point, and it's something that concerned Suguru, too, though he didn't want to say it.
Sighing, he runs his hand along Yuji's back, petting slowly and soothingly. ]
Why don't we go over there now? [ To avoid Mahito immediately following them back to Suguru's place. ]
Do you think you'd be able to handle some time with Megumi while I talk to Satoru?
[ Suguru doesn't exactly want to have any discussion about Mahito around Yuji, lest it spike his anxiety or give him something to ruminate over instead, but he also doesn't want to leave Yuji alone, if he doesn't think he can manage it. ]
[ Worst-case scenarios are wildly throwing themselves around in Yuji's mind, and it's hard to focus for a moment - at least until there's a hand stroking down his spine and bringing him back to the moment, making him breathe out. ]
... Yeah. I can hang out with Megumi. He'll help me.
[ If nothing else, Megumi will cuddle him and offer him some physical comfort while he's away from his dominant. ]
[ Suguru is of the same mind about their current location. They're vulnerable, Mahito is probably still in the vicinity, and the longer they stay put, the more opportunities they give him to cause a problem.
He nods, kissing Yuji's forehead before he starts to unwind himself from around his submissive. ]
Come on. Let's get up front and I'll drive us there.
[ Hopefully, driving straight to the elaborate Gojo estate will also dissuade Mahito from following. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Here, why don’t you try it on and see what you think?
[ He phrases it like a suggestion instead of an order, giving Yuji that out if he needs it – but Suguru is already turning with the open collar, sliding it neatly around Yuji’s throat. It latches with a tiny “click,” and then Suguru steps back to appraise the black against his submissive’s throat. ]
Oh, that’s lovely.
[ Beaming, he gestures to the boutique’s full-body mirror at the wall so Yuji can see for himself. ]
no subject
Cheeks red, Yuji licks his lips and lifts his gaze back to his dominant, nodding carefully. His heart might be in his throat a little, and he's so overwhelmed with his affection for this man that it's hard to speak. ]
It looks good.
[ Possessed, owned, loved. Yuji can feel it, and he reaches out to grab at Suguru's shirt with a careful hand. ]
no subject
It looks perfect.
[ Suguru is almost reluctant to remove it, but this is technically only the sample model. They'll have to ask for the real deal to be packed up for purchase. Suguru gently unlatches the collar, returning it to its display before winding his arm around Yuji's waist to draw him close. ]
Let's get both. The leather collar will be well-suited for play, but I think the eternity collar should be your daily-wear.
no subject
Yes, please, Suguru.
[ Leaning in, he tilts his head up to nuzzle into the other man's neck, closing his eyes and resting there happily. ]
I can't wait to wear it.
no subject
Then I’ll go speak with someone and get them wrapped up for us.
[ Another kiss to the top of his head! ]
Why don’t you go pick a tag at the engraving machine while I pay?
[ All nameplates are the same base price, so Suguru will just tell the clerk to ring him up for that in addition to the collars. ]
no subject
[ Yuji leans up to kiss his cheek before he steps away and heads to the tags, leaning in to look at all the different shapes and symbols that are on offer. In his heart, he thinks a simple dog shape would probably work, but maybe he'd be able to convince Suguru to get a pair, one for different moods? Or they could start with one for now and see how it goes...
It's while he's peering at the different shapes and colours that he feels a prickling feeling, the sense of eyes on him that is so painfully familiar that it has his hands shaking on instinct. Swallowing, he turns to look at Suguru, but it's not his eyes - it's another dominant, someone that was supposed to stay away from him, someone who had been ordered to let him go -
turning his head, watching the entrance to the store, Yuji sees him. Mahito is there, leaning against the doorway, watching Yuji with that familiar, sadistic smile on his face that always made him understand that something deadly was about to come to him. It meant that his limits, if they existed, were going to be pushed, and now - now it makes his breathing catch in his throat, panic flooding him and making it suddenly harder to breathe.
All he does is lift his hand and wave, wiggling his fingers, and then crooking them, summoning. Yuji's body twitches, moving on instinct, but he has to stop himself from getting any closer. He feels as if the world itself has been ripped out from under him, and he almost collapses on the ground, hand over his mouth, barely able to blink as the panic sets in. He can't remember how to breathe. ]
no subject
Spine going ramrod straight, Suguru only manages a terse “excuse me,” before he strides away from the confused clerk. His gaze snaps from Yuji to follow his submissive’s sightline, falling on the grinning man in the boutique doorway. There were no photos of Mahito in Yuji’s file, either a privacy measure or to protect the former dominant’s identity from social repercussions, but Suguru doesn’t need more than one guess to identify the source of Yuji’s sudden shift in demeanor. ]
Yuji.
[ Suguru speaks with the powerful, commanding tone of a dominant, just to get Yuji’s attention, to break the terrified tether seized around his submissive.
He steps up beside Yuji only a heartbeat later, hand falling gentle but firm on Yuji’s shoulder. He’s softer now, grounding instead of having the tone of an order. ]
Yuji, hey. Look at me.
no subject
Every moment of happiness he has ends up spoiled because of this man. This beautiful moment, choosing a collar with the man he loves, is going to be tainted with the memory of Mahito watching him with that same, coy look on his face. All he has to do is stand there and Yuji is a mess of tears and horror, breathing out with sharp, desperate noises.
It takes him an age to lift his head to look at Suguru, but it seems as if he looks right through him. ]
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I don't- I can't -
no subject
We’ll pick up the collars later. Let’s get you home.
[ Home, because Yuji has one of those now. A safe home, a loving home, one that will never subject him to the same treatment he’d experienced at Mahito’s hands.
Suguru puts himself definitively between Yuji and the side of the doorway where Mahito lounges like a deceptively docile tiger. Half-guiding, half-dragging, Suguru ushers Yuji to the exit, dark eyes glaring daggers through the other dominant instead of any shred of his usual composure. Rarely does Suguru broadcast his real feelings about someone, especially not in such a public place; he so often maintains that unwavering steadiness and even faux-irreverence is its own form of defiance. He cedes ground by allowing his fury, his disgust into the set of his mouth and brow, but right now, he doesn’t care.
Staking his position as the man who will break Mahito’s arm in several places if he dares reach for Yuji is far more critical than seeming aloof. His priority right now is getting Yuji out of the shop, into the car, and home. ]
no subject
Dragged away, Yuji can barely focus on where they're going - only hearing the low whistle that comes out of Mahito's lips as he's pulled by, making his legs shake and his body twitch on instinct. That whistle was used to summon him before, to bring him to Mahito's side, to crawl to him, and Yuji has to squeeze his eyes shut and trust in Suguru to get him out of there, the tears prickling at him all over again.
Again, he's ruined things, caused problems that Suguru never wanted to deal with, that he had never wanted. He hadn't wanted to keep a submissive, and now he has one so broken he can't even blink without something going wrong.
Still, he squeezes at Suguru, breathing still coming hard, not sure what to do with his racing heart and the panic inside of him. ]
no subject
Out the boutique, to the parking lot, and Suguru drags Yuji into the backseat instead of helpfully buckling him into the passenger side. Suguru climbs in beside him, shuts the door, and hits the lock on his key fob before he pulls Yuji close again, into his lap, and wraps him in the protective circle of his arms. ]
I'm right here, Yuji. Deep breaths – take deep breaths for me.
You're here with me and you're safe.
no subject
Finding a way to deal with that is going to be harder, in the long run, but he's going to have to find a way to do it.
Wrapped up in Suguru's arms, he presses his face into his neck and lets himself break a little more, sniffling as the tears roll down his cheeks and his throat feels utterly clogged with the depth of his panic and emotion. ]
I didn't - how did he... How did he know?
no subject
I don't think he knew. I think it was a coincidence from living in the same area.
[ Right? Because Mahito shouldn't actually know where Yuji ended up and he certainly shouldn't have access to their location, so... coincidence, right? ]
He got lucky and saw the opportunity to cause a scene.
no subject
Do what?
Wouldn't Suguru take care of him?
Breathing out, he nuzzles into Suguru, trying to calm his shaking body. ]
I hate him. I hate him so much.
no subject
I know.
[ And Mahito deserves every ounce of that hate. Suguru hates Mahito, and he's never even met the man. ]
But he will never get his hands on you again. Ever. I will always keep you safe.
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[ Yuji nods his head, squeezing closer, trying to make himself small. Despite his bulk, despite the heavy weight of who he is as a person, he curls into Suguru as if he might be able to tuck into him like someone much smaller.
He wants to be protected. He wants to be safe. ]
I - I know you will. I trust you.
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Take some slow, deep breaths. We have all the time in the world.
[ And if Mahito tries to lurk around the car or cause more problems, Suguru won't hesitate to make it very clear where they stand. ]
no subject
Is there anything we can do...? To keep him away?
no subject
... I don't know. [ Because Mahito didn't suffer any consequences when Yuji was removed from his home. No protective orders were filed, no guarantees that Mahito cannot engage with Yuji again – so Suguru isn't sure what options are available to them. ]
I'm going to talk to Satoru and see if he has any suggestions. [ Gojo has one thing that Suguru abjectly doesn't, and that's the social cache and influence that comes with an established family like the Gojos. ]
But I don't want this to happen again. [ Or for it to get worse. ]
no subject
Frowning, he squeezes his eyes shut and breathes out a whimpering noise. ]
I hope Gojo-san can... I don't know if I could handle it, if he knew where we were and followed us...
[ Because that is exactly the kind of thing Mahito would do. ]
no subject
Sighing, he runs his hand along Yuji's back, petting slowly and soothingly. ]
Why don't we go over there now? [ To avoid Mahito immediately following them back to Suguru's place. ]
Do you think you'd be able to handle some time with Megumi while I talk to Satoru?
[ Suguru doesn't exactly want to have any discussion about Mahito around Yuji, lest it spike his anxiety or give him something to ruminate over instead, but he also doesn't want to leave Yuji alone, if he doesn't think he can manage it. ]
no subject
... Yeah. I can hang out with Megumi. He'll help me.
[ If nothing else, Megumi will cuddle him and offer him some physical comfort while he's away from his dominant. ]
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[ Suguru feels confident that Megumi will take care of Yuji, prickly urchin that he is the rest of the time.
Nuzzling into Yuji's hair, Suguru drops a few more kisses where he can reach. ]
Are you ready to go or do you want to stay like this for a little longer?
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[ He does want a little longer, but being out in public like this feels too vulnerable. Slowly, he shakes his head. ]
I want to go. Now.
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He nods, kissing Yuji's forehead before he starts to unwind himself from around his submissive. ]
Come on. Let's get up front and I'll drive us there.
[ Hopefully, driving straight to the elaborate Gojo estate will also dissuade Mahito from following. ]
(no subject)