First: So, Who Are You?.
Previous: Change of Plans

Niobe was looking at him. Sedge was looking at him. And he was still on his knees. What do you say, ‘Obe? What was she going to say? Blaecleah’s heart was in his throat.

She sighed. “He’s a lovely boy. You really grabbed him just for…?”

“Don’t get me wrong, guys are okay in my book, but I prefer guys who prefer me, if you know what I mean. Or girls. Or…”

“We get the point. We get the point. Blaecleah, what do you think about it?”

“I’m not trying to back out of the deal. He said I couldn’t handle a year under the collar. I can handle it!” The words tumbled out over each other. He took a breath, finding he needed it. “I’m not trying to get out of the deal.”

“Trust me, kid, this isn’t going to be getting out of the deal. You’re still going to be under the collar for a year. It’s going to be my collar – but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be an easy ride or anything.”

Blaecleah swallowed. “I could…” She was a very cute girl. But he was Sedge’s. That was the agreement he’d made. She was a very cute girl. “It involves…”

“It might. It might not. But if it does, it’ll be with your consent.” Her mouth did something sort of like a smile. “I’m not a monster, at least. It’s not going to be torture, even if it’s not going to be easy.”

“I have a choice?”

“You have choices. I’m not going to take you from Sedge if you don’t agree. The whole point of the deal was agreement, after all.”

“You…” Was he really considering this? It’d been easier the first time. He swallowed again. “Why?”

“Well, we can talk about that if you say yes. If you say no – my reasons are gonna be your smallest concern.”

“Hunh.” Sedge wasn’t going to be happy if he said no, was he? Sedge had picked him up for a bet. He’d – what, lost the bet anyway? “Why do you want me?”

“Color me curious. I want to know what someone’s like who walks into it willingly.”

The lump in Blaecleah’s throat was never going to go away. “Guess I’ll walk into it willingly again.”

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First: So, Who Are You?.
Previous: Think Before You Deal

Do you want him?

Blaecleah stood. Tried to stand. “Hey! Hey, that wasn’t the deal! That wasn’t what I agreed to.” He was still kneeling. Damnit. He tried to stand again. Failed again. “I agreed to be yours.”

“Shh. Steady.” Sedge dropped a hand on his shoulder. His hand was warm and soft, big. Blaecleah shifted his weight from knee to knee.

“This wasn’t what I agreed to.” This time his voice was quiet. He sounded like a kid. That’s not what he wanted, either. “We had a deal. You don’t think I can hack it?”

“I’m pretty sure you could. But you don’t give off the vibe of being into guys – are you?”

Into. “Is this whole place about sex?”

“Well, yeah.” Sedge laughed. “I mean, there’s magic and classes, too, but yeah, really. We’re teenagers and there’s a world to repopulate. This place has a lot of sex.” He tapped the back of Blaecleah’s neck. “This, being Mine, it’s generally a lot about sex.”

Blaecleah twisted to look up at Tall Guy. Sedge. “I. Um. I dunno. Never done sex. Might like guys?”

“Look at ‘Obe and tell me if you’d rather do her or do me.”

He found his head turning, found himself looking Niobe up and down. Blushing. “Um. Her. But she just said…”

“There’s ways around that. So. You think you can handle a year under her collar? She’s not gonna be easy on you because she’s a girl, you know. The collar’s gonna be tough no matter who you wear it under.”

Blaecleah managed a laugh. “Sounds like you’re trying to sell me on this.” He paused. He swallowed, but the thought wouldn’t go away. “Or just sell me.’

“Does sound like you’re trying to convince him more than me.” Niobe’s hand landed on Blaecleah’s shoulder. “Which is fair. What do you say, Blaecleah?”

“I’m not trying to back out of the deal.” It felt like the ground was falling out from under him. “I’m not. I can handle it. I said I could handle it.”

“I believe you, kid. I do. What do you say, ‘Obe?”

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First – “So, Who are You?”
Previous – Bug

Graduation Requirements? Blaecleah looked between Sedge-too-tall and ‘Obe-Horned-person. The conversation just kept getting weirder, and all he really knew was that he had dived in way over his head way too fast.

And ‘Obe was sighing. “Some day…” The frown was morphing into a smile. “Some day, Sedge, you’ll learn to figure out your deals before you make them. So. Yes, I can help you find a nice girl to help you with the requirements.”

“That’s not what you said! That’s not…”

“Well, we didn’t shake on it nor did either of us promise, for one.” She shifted her weight to her front foot and ticked off points on her fingers. “So I’m under no obligation. For second, I didn’t say I’d do the deed with you – I’ve never said I’d do the deed.”

Sedge’s expression darkened. “It’s not like I’m ugly.”

Wait, what? Blaecleah looked back and forth between them. Were they talking about…

“No.” The smile slipped for a moment. “You’re certainly not. It’s just that I have two more years after this, and this is your last year, and I just don’t want to, right now.”

Sedge sighed, the sort of put-upon full body sigh that Blaecleah had seen younger kids do when they were told they could’t have ice cream before dinner. “Fine. So… you’ll help? Just not… help?“

Were they really still talking about… well, and if they were? People had weirder euphemisms.

“Well, you did manage to get the Easter Egg. I really didn’t think you’d be able to pull that off. So, yeah. I’ll help with the grad requirements.”

Something went a little limp in too-tall-Sedge. “Thanks, Niobe.”

Niobe! That was a more reasonable name than ‘Obe. And she was smiling a sort of sad older-sister smile. “You had reasonable expectation that I would help you, even if your listening skills are in doubt. What are you going to do with the kid, now?”

With the… she meant him. Blaecleah looked up at Sedge. There was a feeling in his throat like he was going to puke, and he didn’t understand why.

The look on the tall guy’s face didn’t help, either. He looked down at Blaecleah and sighed, all put-upon no-ice-cream again. “Damn, I don’t know. Do you want him?”

Next – Change of Plans

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After So, Who Are You?.

The halls seemed more empty than normal; it seemed as if Tall Guy was dragging Blaecleah down a viewing gallery to his execution.

He went where he was dragged, because Tall Guy had a very firm grip, and because he wasn’t sure that he could go the other way if he wanted to, even if Tall Guy let go.

Was that Master Tall Guy? Nah, that only happened in the stories. Well, mostly in the stories. He hadn’t been really sure about the collars, until D.J. had brought that skinny skinny girl around with the shiny gold collar. So maybe he just hadn’t read the right books? Maybe the creche library had been holding out on him…

“Here.” Tall Guy came to an abrupt stop, quick enough that Blaecleah kept moving. Somehow he found that momentum used to push him in front of Tall Guy, the grip on his arm traded for a grip on both shoulders. “See, ‘Obe? I told you.”

“‘Obe” was probably the woman – girl? – horned person in front of them, taller than Blaecleah by an inch, blonde and stunning with sun-burnished bronze skin. She looked as if Tall Guy had just handed her a bug, like they were kids on the playground.

Being the bug, Blaecleah found, was far less fun than handing the bug to someone else.

“‘Here?'” ‘Obe looked Blaecleah up and down. “It’s a first-year student, Sedge, well done.”

“Kneel.”

“Wha-” Blaecleah dropped to his knees. “Oh.”

Niobe sighed. “Sedge…”

“Tell her what happened, honestly.”

“What happened? I mean, you said you thought I was soft and dared me to take a year as yours.”

“And you knew what that entailed?”

“I know what being Kept is, doesn’t everyone?”

“See, ‘Obe? You said if I could get someone to willingly agree to the collar, you’d help me with the graduation requirements.”

Next: Think Before You Deal

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