Beauty-Beast 31: Need and Desire

[aldersprig]

First: M/m Keeper/Kept
Previous: Ctirad

🔒

He leaned against his owner, his head on the taller man’s shoulder.  “Would you drop your Mask, sir?” He was feeling incredibly brave today.

“I suppose I could do that.”  Timaios shifted and, when Ctirad peeked, was stone and horns and still smiling.  “I would ask you to do the same, but I’m afraid you would take it as some sort of tit for tat situation.”

Ctirad swallowed.  “I like you - I like you liking me, sir,” he offered.  “I don’t want to ruin that yet.”

“Do you honestly think, with a Change like this, that anything behind your Mask would bother me, my sweet man?”

read on…

Comments

[clare_dragonfly]

I have to wonder if Ermenrich ever really wanted him.

[aldersprig]

aawwwwww :-(

[clare_dragonfly]

He gave CT so many personality-breaking orders, it seems like he either wanted a person diffferent from CT or an automaton.

[aldersprig]

This is true. But there are parts of the original CT he wanted; he just didn’t realize how tied to the personality they were … I think

[sauergeek]

Timaios has an interesting criterion for Ctirad being a person. Given Ctirad's position, even without the previous horribleness of Ermenrich, him calling Timaios "sir" is entirely ordinary. Admittedly, the rest of his staff — even the Kept — don't, but even so, it's odd.

Ctirad has been learning a lot, even if he doesn't think he has. Most critically, he's been learning that it might be OK to relax, even a little bit. Perhaps he'll learn it's not a trap.

I am curious to see what Ctirad looks like without the Mask. Maybe Ctirad will get to that point eventually.