“Make one of those little sculptures for me.”

“Don’t you hate it when people demand you take photos for them?”

“Uh… please?”

Evan was sitting on the edge of Jasper’s bed, as the two enjoyed another evening of each other's company.

“Okay, I’m going to need more than that.”

Jasper was currently at his desk in the corner of the room.

“I want to show some of my artist friends what you’ve made. I might have told them some things…”

“Ah, I see. Not too much, I hope.”

“Just that I’ve met this guy who swore off art but then eventually came back to it.”

“I suppose that’s alright. How do you plan on showing it to them?”

“We’re having a gathering to show off our progress and finished projects. I’ve been meaning to invite you, but I want to get your work in there too.”

“Hmm…”

“Also, enough with that formal talk. I’m getting a little worked up…”

Evan moved back on the bed with a smug grin.

“Really, now? Then I have an offer for you. Do a rough scene with me this time. And I’ll consider it.”

“I hope you know that that’s only beneficial for me.” Jasper got out of the chair and towered over Evan, who was still sitting down.

“Then why am I not screaming already?”

Jasper's smile widened.

“I’ll see what I can do about that.” Walking up to the black slate on his wall, Jasper pulled a long hank of rope off one of the hooks.

Evan watched as he brought it back to the bed with him. He moved further back on the mattress once they were face-to-face again.

“Looks like the soft kind. Nice.”

“Mhm. Put your wrists together.”

“What? No small talk?”

Evan acted smug, but he still did as he was told. Leaning down until his back hit the mattress, he raised his arms over his head.

“Weren’t you the one hurrying me a second ago? Or are you just being difficult on purpose?” Jasper crawled onto the bed, his knee placed in between Evan’s legs, dangerously close to his crotch.

He untangled the rope and slowly wrapped it around Evan’s wrists.

“Oh no, he’s catching on.”

Jasper chuckled, lacing the rope over itself in the opposite direction to tighten it. Evan shifted against the sheets, testing its strength. It proved fairly difficult to move much more than his lower body, which was surprisingly arousing.

Jasper took the scissors that still lay on the nightstand and cut the rest of the rope off, before putting it back again. He then tied the ends into a knot and ripped Evan’s shirt open.

It only took a few minutes before the last fabrics covering him were gone as well. It all made him feel so vulnerable, especially when Jasper's hungry eyes scoured his exposed body.

“I have a question, Evan.” He got off the bed and headed for the hooks once again.

“Yeah?”

His dresser stood below them. Dragging the top drawer out, Jasper rummaged through it. He pulled out an object that Evan discerned as a toy shaped to enter someone and a riding crop.

He placed both on top of the dresser, but his hand hovered over the long, thin one.

“How did you feel about artists again? You know, before you met me?”

Evan caught on to where this was going, and he was more than willing to go along with it.

“Oh, hmm, I don’t know… That they’re all self-righteous and up their own asses?”

Jasper clutched the handle of the riding crop and turned around. As the soft end of it traced down the middle of Evan's chest, he inhaled deeply. Knowing what came next was making his heart race.

“Awh, that’s not very nice…”

“Did that cut a little too dee—Agh!”

Stinging pain carved itself into Evan’s lower waist, making his body jolt. Jasper watched him—pleased—as he stroked the same spot with his hand.

“Did that?”

Though Evan was trembling, a smile crept onto his face.

“Mmh… could have gone harder.”

Without giving him a second to breathe, Jasper slammed the whip against his skin yet again. Evan’s sharp inhale shifted into a moan right at the cusp, as he writhed against the bedsheets.

“Look at you… Getting hard just from this. What a slut.” Jasper picked up the other toy with his free hand, and when he pressed his finger into a specific part of the base, a clicking noise sounded, and it started buzzing. He brought it closer to Evan’s lower body, which made his legs twitch in response.

“S- Says… you…”

When Jasper pressed it to the head of Evan’s cock, a needy moan escaped him. The speed of that toy’s vibrations caught him off guard, and its contrast from the pain was startling.

“Behave, Evan.”

Jasper only wanted to give him a taste of pleasure before he eventually took it away again. Now that nothing was touching him anymore, Evan let out a whine.

“I’m sorry. I will… just… Let me feel it again.”

“Good boy.” Jasper drove it up along the underside of Evan’s shaft, meanwhile circling the end of the riding crop around his nipple. It felt like he was melting into the bed as he shifted against it.

His moans were steeped in desire, hitching in his throat when Jasper whipped his chest with a controlled grip.

“Jasper, please… fuck me… I want you…” Evan, through blurred vision, saw the other man’s eyes widen momentarily.

“Patience…”

Jasper didn’t act upon how it made him feel, though.

“But—Nngh…”

The toy dipped down below Evan’s cock, grazing his perineum.

“I suppose you’ve earned this.”

Jasper leaned down and spat on the black silicone, before shoving it brusquely inside him. Since it wasn’t covered in lube, the pain that accompanied his actions made Evan whimper loudly. His throat felt dry, but… he loved it.

Everything around them was fading away. It was just him and Jasper in the void now. The red, dimly lit void this room had become. As tears kept crowding his eyes, his body shuddered from the vibrations that came into contact with the gland deep within him.

Leaving his toy inside Evan, Jasper put the riding crop back into the drawer. He then got a hefty-looking flogger off its hook. 

Jasper watched him with a smile, before trailing the multi-stranded whip over Evan’s body. He quivered from the different sensations hitting him all at once.

When Jasper whipped that same leather multiple times against his chest and abdomen, Evan cried out in ecstasy, his back arching with every lash. A familiar surge was making itself known inside him.

“I- I…!”

Evan’s eyes widened, and his mouth shut tight the instant he heard himself. He had been reminded of what happened last time, but it was too late.

With a cocky expression, Jasper let the flogger fall down onto the bed next to Evan and forced the vibrator out.

“Don’t think I’m letting you come before I’ve had a proper taste of you.”

Evan whined, pulling on the rope. It didn’t give whatsoever, and Jasper merely chuckled at him. As he got his clothes off, he remembered to leave a certain piece on.

Seeing Jasper like that only made Evan long for him even more.

“Yes, please… Give it to me…”

Jasper didn’t respond at first, but the red on his cheeks spoke for him. Keeping eye contact with Evan, he prepared himself with the rubber and lube.

Once Jasper finally crawled onto the bed, he hovered above him as they both took in a deep breath simultaneously.

“Ah… you’re too good, Evan…”

Evan shivered as Jasper's hands closed around his thighs with a tight grasp. He pulled him closer, and with a huff, breached Evan’s body. It was an indescribable feeling—the way the warmth of Jasper’s rigid cock filled him up.

The violent thrusts that followed nearly made him choke, while heated moans left him every time Jasper went as deep as he could.

An intense surge of pleasure coursed through his body once more.

With a particularly harsh thrust, Jasper buried his cock deep in him. All tension and pressure released at once, as Evan’s breath hitched high in his throat, and his body convulsed.

He couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer. Though he sank into the mattress in satisfaction, it still felt like he was floating.

It wasn’t often he reached this state, but the high was like its own form of spiritual experience.

Something soft ran over Evan, removing the liquid that clung to his skin. After Jasper's touch left him, he heard the man rummage around the bedroom. Evan was unable to move his body, so when Jasper untied the rope, he also helped him get his arms back to his sides.

Evan finally managed to open his eyes again. What appeared before him was Jasper's gentle expression, as he pulled extra covers out from under the bed. He laid them over both of their bodies, wrapping Evan securely in their warmth.

“I… uh…”

Evan wasn’t sure why he even tried to speak, knowing full well it would be completely incoherent.

“I've never met anyone this receptive to me. How could I possibly ask for more… You can’t respond right now; I know. You don’t have to.”

Jasper grazed his hand over the red marks scattered across his skin. All Evan could do was smile as he curled up next to the other man.

It was a staggering compliment, but Evan couldn’t quite get his thoughts together. The only thing he knew at that moment was that this, this was what pure bliss felt like.

An unexpectedly grandiose house stood before them.

They had driven far out of the city, to what could be considered a mountain or a hill, depending on where you came from.

The clearing they stood in was covered in a canopy of trees, as foliage spread out around them. A house like this in such picturesque isolation was certainly a spectacle.

“Nice, huh? We all chipped in to rent this place out for the weekend. We get to have our own little exclusive gallery.”

“Yeah, wow. Wherever you ended up putting my ‘thing’, it definitely didn’t deserve to be.”

“Oh, shut up. It’s the reason it exists that matters.”

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go in.”

Jasper strolled up to the large front door, still glancing back at Evan with a grin.

“You already know exactly what that attitude is going to get you.”

“Correct. That’s why I do it.”

Jasper held the door open for him.

“Get in.”

“Of course, sir… Anything for you.”

Jasper tried to mask the way that made him react, but Evan noticed.

This wasn’t the time for it, but teasing Jasper was way too fun.

The evening went on, as Evan explored the mansion-like venue. Many different pieces grabbed his attention, but Jasper’s still held it the longest.

His own clay creature stood close to that man’s photos, which made him feel something… indescribable.

Evan didn't dare try to make a dragon head this time. He had gone for a snake instead. A much simpler shape that he was much more confident with. Even if it wasn’t anything special.

Some of Jasper’s friends came up and gave him a few compliments on it, but he could tell they were mostly being polite.

That became more evident as some also mentioned how Jasper had told them the story behind it. Some of it.

None of that mattered, though. Evan was satisfied. This whole scenario felt unreal to begin with; there was nothing more he could ask for.

Eventually, he broke off from the excitement and searched for peace in the house’s garden. A few people were hanging out in the moonlit greenery, but everyone seemed a lot more laid-back here.

Evan wasn’t used to all that energy, since his life had always been swallowed up by silence.

A bench was standing by itself, hidden further in the back of the garden. Perfect.

He went over to it and sat down with a long but satisfied sigh. A lovely visual spread out in front of him. The cold light outside contrasted with the soft, warm glow coming from the building's windows.

Also, the back door. Someone was coming out of it. And he was headed right in his direction.

“Enjoying the night air?”

The one who made all of this possible.

“Yeah… it’s so relaxing out here. I mean, I love city life and all, but this has its own charm.”

“I know, right? It helps with inspiration, too. At least for my friends. The nightlife I’m indebted to will always inspire me the most.”

Evan chuckled as Jasper sat down beside him.

“…Thank you.”

Jasper's eyes landed on his.

“For?”

“Ah… well… Man, this isn’t easy for me.”

“Thanking people? Ugh, you’re being cute again.”

“Shut up… Jasper, I can’t express how great it is to have met you. You’re too good for me.”

Jasper's eyes opened further. He definitely didn’t expect something so passionate. And perhaps a little sappy.

“Woah now… If you want me to fuck you, you can just ask.”

Evan rolled his eyes and, with a smile, scooted closer to him.

“Hey, I’m being serious.”

“I know, I know. Thanks for telling me. I’m glad I’ve actually helped out in some way. It’s nice to see people give the other side a chance. ‘Someone’ could have learned a lot from you.”

“If… your family never comes around to it. I hope you know you can always come to me.”

“Ah… fuck you…” Jasper leaned back, making the wood creak, as he glanced off to the side. Tears were gathering in the corners of his eyes, and it took a second for him to be able to look at Evan again.

“Awh, but it’s healthy to show your emotions.”

“I will not be hearing that from you, mister businessman.”

Evan laughed as Jasper’s shoulder landed against his.

“Come on. At least I’m not as bad as my boss.”

“I don’t doubt that.”

Neither of them could stop smiling. Evan felt completely tranquil at that moment. Everything was exactly as it should be. All he ever needed was right here.

Jasper, a beautiful environment, passionate people, and the hope that he so desperately needed.

“Should we go back inside? There’s some pieces I want to take another look at.”

Jasper's face lit up.

“I’d love nothing more.”

Maybe this world wasn’t all that bad…

This man was in it, after all.