La Maison 5: Darkness (Complete: mxm BDSM)

Chapter 9.1

A/N: Oh, god, he's at it again.

Under negotiated (read: not at all) punishment, Sawyer's usual awful BDSM practices, Gabriel being way too innocent for this shit and convincing himself of all the wrong stuff.

Look after yourselves.

Gabriel didn't have anything to do, and Sawyer was at work. The apartment was spotless, and he'd prepped dinner by nine am. He could play – practice – but he wasn't entirely in the mood. He had to kill some time though because, for some reason, he was feeling like he was bursting out of his skin.

He found his wallet in the pocket of his cello case, and a spare key in a porcelain bowl next to the door, and headed downstairs to find something to occupy himself with.

He didn't feel up to the subway, but there was a short strip of shops only a block away from Sawyer's apartment. It felt good to be outside. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed it, by hiding away in Sawyer's apartment the last few weeks. Even before, he wouldn't have claimed he was someone who wanted to be out all the time, spending most of his free time practicing, but now he could see he'd used the ability to be out of the apartment more than he'd known. And this time with Sawyer had let him easily forget that. He'd been using it to hide, no doubt. But maybe this was a first step in getting back to normal.

He wished he had his phone. Ellis or River were probably the only two people he might tentatively call friends and they might be free, but he had no way of getting in touch with them. It was okay though. Just being outside, in the chilled bright mid-morning, where other people were, was enough for now.

It was a wealthy area, so there were the usual type of store in the little row: a tiny art gallery, a boutique women's clothing store, an independent bookstore, an Italian delicatessen, and an artisan coffee shop. It was perfect for Gabriel's needs. He wasted some time in the gallery, imagining what he'd buy if he suddenly because a world-famous musician, but left when the assistant looked as though they were going to have an aneurism if he took up any more of the oxygen. The bookstore was more of a success, and he found a biography of Luigi Boccherini, the famous cellist, and took it to the coffee shop, where he ordered a huge mug of hot chocolate and settled down to read.

He didn't know how long he'd been there, but at one point he looked up and realized it was quiet – the busy midday chatter that had subconsciously soothed him had stopped. He gathered his wallet and book and left, walking quicker than he had on the way there, telling himself it was only the lunch rush that had finished, he wasn't actually late, so he still had time to get the dinner finished before Sawyer got home.

He couldn't have explained why he felt a sense of dread, not until he entered the apartment and saw Sawyer standing by the couch – his arms folded across his chest and a furious scowl on his face.

"Where have you been?"

"J-just to the stores down there. I went to a coffee shop."

"I was worried." But he didn't sound worried. He sounded coldly furious.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting you home."

"That certainly isn't an excuse. You must ask permission before you go anywhere that I'm not already aware of."

Gabriel blinked. It reminded him that Sawyer hadn't given his phone back, so he didn't know how he was supposed to ask, but it didn't seem like the time to mention that, while Sawyer's fists were tightening and his mouth was a thin line.

"Uh, yes Master."

"I think it would be appropriate to punish you for this."

Gabriel flinched reflexively. "But...I didn't know."