Beyond fate, there is choice
by Ainzfern
There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul
– Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Prologue
The night of the explosion at Dana Bahn
The tall and dignified Elite, standing before the large glass window of his opulent living room in his palatial residence in Apathia, stared through his own translucent reflection at the beautiful twin moons of Amoi. Although his flawless face was perfectly composed and his large moon-silvered eyes showed only clear serenity, inside he was carrying a burden of sorrow deeper than he had ever known.
He was alone, most unusually, in this grand house tonight but for one other person – his little male Pet, Tian. The Elite now waited with uncharacteristic patience for the aforementioned Pet to complete his evening ablutions and join him here in the main room.
It was Tian's birthday today. The sole reason the Elite had brought him here to Apathia, leaving his Furniture and his other young Pets to their own devices back in Eos.
He heard a soft foot fall behind him and he turned, smiling, his sharp eyes inspecting Tian's appearance with the same deep sense of pleasure he always got when looking upon the young man. Tian had chosen soft deep green satin for his sleeping attire tonight. Loose low-slung pants and a fitted sleeveless vest, showing his elegant collarbones and his flat, toned stomach to maximum effect.
Oh, he was beautiful... his master had to admit that.
Tian was different to any other Pet he had ever purchased and not just in appearance, although it had to be said the young man was absolutely exquisite. Thick, dark auburn hair and the most soulful sea-green eyes, perfect alabaster skin and a beautifully proportioned body the likes of which any ancient deity might have envied. This alone had contributed to his vastly expensive asking price – a price his Elite master had been more than willing to pay after one single viewing. But, had the Academy known of Tian's genuinely acquiescing nature back then, chances were his asking price would have skyrocketed beyond even his master's purse.
Tian was a perfectly lovely Pet, in every way. Softly spoken, happily obedient and completely trusting of his master's whims and directions. He could so easily have played off his good looks, sullenly insisting on only the best and most beautiful partners at the Pet shows in Apathia, but he did not. Instead, he willingly went with whatever partner was selected for him and did his best in every way to give and receive pleasure in order to enhance the voyeuristic experience of the Elites observing from beyond the stage. He enjoyed the other outings, the shopping expeditions, the treats and the gifts – of course... but he was just as content to curl up next to his master while the Elite worked on files at home late into the night, resting his head on his master's knee and providing unobtrusive and pleasant company, happy to have as his only reward the occasional gentle stroke of long fingers over his silky soft hair.
He was his master's absolute favorite.
Perhaps, upon reflection the Elite was forced to admit, as he held out one hand to beckon his Pet closer, Tian was more than that. As an Elite, as befitting his status and his station, he would never admit such things aloud but, he dreamed of Tian. Of him and Tian together, somewhere safe – where prying and disapproving eyes could not judge them, where he could finally hold his Pet in his arms the way he desperately wanted to, touching him without censor or hesitation. Calling him 'lover'. Free to know him as beloved in every way.
Impossible. Unacceptable. It could never, would never, be.
The Elite touched Tian's dearly loved upturned face, smiling calmly once more, as if the thoughts whirling around in his head were nothing more than distant echoes on the night's breeze. No Elite would ever jeopardize his position, his very life in Amoi, by sexually fraternizing and, even worse, emotionally bonding to a mere Pet.
But... the dreams remained.
"Are you wondering why we are here?" the Elite asked softly, leading his Pet towards a low sideboard where a selection of fine wines and crystal goblets awaited them.
Tian nodded, his gorgeous eyes looking up into his Master's face, so trustingly, so full of open affection. "I am," he replied, his voice soft as silk. "I was thinking... is it to do with today's date?"
The Elite heart jolted a little at that last question, at the way it was asked with just a hint of trepidation in Tian's tone. And he, better than anyone aside from the Pet himself, understood the reason for that tiny touch of fear.
Tian had turned twenty-one today.
Far too old, as dictated by societal laws and strict Elite conventions to remain as a Pet in any Elite's household. His master had already kept him a year longer than he should have, staying the inevitable for as long as he could.
But he could not bear the thought of turning Tian out into the streets of Midas. He could not stomach the idea of some foul brothel or whore pit, getting their mercenary claws into the young man, selling his body to whatever degenerate low-life citizen could scrape together the asking price. Killing his beauty, his gentle spirit, piece by piece through cruelty and over-use and mistreatment until one day, alone and riddled with disease and half starving, his beautiful young Pet would simply turn his hopeless face and dead eyes to the grimy wall and fade from existence altogether.
No. He could not bear that.
Stroking his fingertips down the smooth and unflawed skin of Tian's cheek, the Elite nodded at him. "Yes, Pet," he confirmed his voice warm and filled with assurance. "The date is, indeed, the reason we are here tonight." He handed Tian a filled goblet, taking the one beside it for himself.
Those huge eyes widened slightly, a full lower lips was caught between even white teeth as Tian waited, his whole body tense with his anxiety, for his Master to continue.
"I know that this date, this particular birthday, must have been weighing heavily on your mind for some time, now," the Elite said then, taking a small sip from his glass.
Taking a slightly larger sip from his own goblet, Tian nodded. "You can't keep me anymore, can you?" he asked, the expression on his exquisite face clearly showing that he already knew the answer, his eyes beginning to fill, even as he smiled tremulously, putting a brave face upon it all.
"No." The Elite touched Tian's suddenly damp cheek, whisking away the single tear that fell. "I cannot. However..." he gripped Tain's trembling shoulders with gentle hands. "What I can promise you is that I will not be sending you alone into Midas to fend for yourself. In fact, Tian, my dear Pet, you will not be going anywhere."
Staring at him, his eyes widening with impossible hope, Tian swallowed hard. "But... won't you get into trouble?"
The Elite shook his head, his heart both aching and swelling with affection at his Pet's soft question. "No," he replied, picking up his glass of wine once more. "You'll just have to trust me."
Tian smiled immediately, a stunning smile of absolute trust and total adoration. "Of course I do," he said with endearing honesty, relief and gratitude coloring his tone. "I always have."
The Elite swallowed hard, masking the sudden stab of pain through his heart with another sip from his glass. "Then come," he said, taking Tian's hand and leading him toward the plush armchair that faced the large window. "Drink your wine, and sit by me for while." He took his seat, smiling again when Tian gracefully knelt beside him, dutifully drained his glass before carefully setting it aside, and rested his head upon his master's knee, just as he had done for so many years.
What Tian did not know, could not possibly know, was that the wine he had just drunk was heavily laced with a powerful barbiturate and a combination of Pancuronium and Potassium Chloride. Odorless and tasteless the combination would, within a few more minutes at best, first put the young Pet to sleep, before effectively paralyzing his diaphragm and stopping his heart.
Painless. Quick.
And very, very effective.
"Yes," the Elite whispered, his throat tight and aching, as he stroked his fingers through Tian's so-soft hair for the last time. "Sit by me... while I watch the night."
And as he sat there, silently waiting, running his long fingers again and again over Tian's silky head, listening as his Pet's breathing grew shallower and shallower until it stopped altogether; he found that he could not weep.
He would not cry. Tears were not for men such as him. But his heart felt broken just the same.
The fact that he believed to his soul that he had done the right thing was cold comfort indeed.
1
Current day
Raoul Am, renowned Amoian scientist and second in command of the Tanagura Syndicate had to admit, as he stared up with dazed green eyes through the soft morning light that filtered through the curtains of his main bedroom in his Eos Tower apartment, that waking up these days was certainly far more pleasant than it used to be.
Just one of the myriad of advantages, his all-bemused mind told him, of finally getting his willful little mongrel to move into the apartment as Eos Tower permanently.
Above him, sleekly muscled and smooth chest glistening with sweat, his registered Companion, Katze, was utterly lost in his own pleasure as he sat astride Raoul's hips, the Blondie's cock buried deeply inside his body. Lean strong thighs flexed and strained, finding and settling into a slow sullen rhythm as he rode them both closer to completion. Soft deep red hair, damp with sweat, fell across a smooth brow. Sultry golden eyes, dazed with pleasure, luminous with affection, gazed down at Raoul through the gentle light.
Lying supine and beautiful in his clear abandonment under Katze, his mane of golden hair spread out across the pillows of their bed, and his powerful chest heaving as his body raced towards fulfillment, Raoul groaned, panting harshly, arching his pelvis up into the silky tight heat that gripped him, his elegant and deceptively strong hands grasping Katze's lean undulating hips, helping him move, guiding his pace. As the pleasure splintered through his flesh, white hot and indescribably sweet, Raoul fought to keep his eyes open, to enhance the depth of the purely physical experience of fucking with the intense emotional gratification that he never failed to feel by simply watching Katze achieve sexual release.
Perhaps, Raoul's few remaining functioning brain cells noted, it was because his mongrel, so human and flawed and perfect, so lost in making love to him right now, was utterly beautiful to him. Raoul honestly thought so. He knew he always would. Katze's beauty was in more than just the pleasing lines of his well-formed limbs or the pale and finely wrought features of his face. It was in his limitless heart, his forgiving soul. It was in his strength and vulnerability, his loyalty and his courage.
Raoul groaned again, a deep sound torn from low in his throat, as Katze shifted on him, leaning forward to brace himself with slender hands on powerful smooth skinned shoulders. He repositioned his hold on Katze's hips as his lover began to move faster, harder, plunging himself down onto the Blondie's aching erection with wild abandon. Katze's head fell back helplessly as he rode towards his own climax, the slender smooth line of his neck glistening in the low light. Releasing his hold of one lean angular hip, Raoul reached up and pressed his hand to Katze's sweat-soaked breastbone, feeling the beat of that precious heart hammering against his palm.
Now, as the pitch and intensity of Katze's husky cries signaled his impending orgasm, Raoul stroked his hand slowly down the length of the redhead's chest, drifting across the tautening skin of his flat stomach, and lower, to curl around the gorgeous length of Katze's twitching erection. He stroked firmly, his thumb pressing delicately against the weeping slit, spreading the slick moisture that had formed there and using it to smooth his caress.
He kept his eyes pinned to Katze's face, meeting that hot golden-eyed gaze and feeling himself simply fall into it. He watched as Katze stiffened and froze for an instant, his face twisting helplessly into a transparent expression of almost agonized need as he reached the cusp of climax. As always the very sight of him completely undid Raoul, stripping away any semblance of control he might have still held. He felt his own flesh seized with the sharp clenching spasms that preceded his release, that incredible moment of almost-pain that stilled his body fleetingly before, with a low soft moan of bliss and completion he thrust upwards into Katze's trembling flesh, shooting his essence in powerful pulses into the delightful warmth of Katze's body.
Even in the midst of his orgasm, Raoul felt the sullen pulsing contractions of Katze's body around his cock as his mongrel arched back and came with exquisite force. One of Katze's shaking hands shifted to cover Raoul's around his cock, gripping and guiding the Blondie's fist, milking the heated shaft firmly as his semen, hot and slick, spilled in copious spurts over the satin smooth skin of Raoul's flat belly.
For a long moment, there was nothing but warmth and completion, the sweet sound of ragged breathing slowly calming and the thick and heady scent of their releases lingering in the air. Then Katze lunged forwards, his hands sinking into Raoul's sweat dampened hair, gripping tightly while he kissed the Blondie to within an inch of his life, sucking firmly on his tongue, nipping lightly at his full lips before once more slanting his mouth firmly across Raoul's, drinking deeply from him, expressing in silence the depths of his affection and desire.
Raoul pulled him close and rolled to one side, gently withdrawing, before lifting one hand to smooth back a few sweat darkened strands of hair from Katze's face. He pulled back a little, still holding Katze tightly, and smiled at the flushed face before him.
"Good morning," he murmured, one elegant brow arching sardonically.
Katze laughed delightedly, his eyes sparkling with high humor. "Uhm, yeah," he hooked one leg over Raoul's hips, his broad shoulders shaking with mirth. "It's certainly started out that way."
Sighing contentedly, Raoul relaxed, resting his head back on his pillow. Keeping Katze securely within the circle of his arms he shifted again, this time onto his back, easing the mongrel over to lie comfortably beside him, his head pillowed in the crook of his shoulder. "I must confess, Katze, we appear to have developed a somewhat energetic morning routine of late."
"You're complaining?"
Raoul snorted softly with amusement. "I most certainly am not." He ran one hand down the length of Katze's arm, stroking him gently.
"Good." Katze stretched luxuriously before settling again with a soft sigh. "Raoul?"
"Hmm?"
"How long have we got before we have to get up and start the day like responsible adults?"
Chuckling, ticked by Katze's turn of phrase, Raoul lifted his head briefly at glanced at the clock on the bedside table. "About thirty minutes or so," he replied. Turning a little, looking down at the soft red hair spread across his shoulder, Raoul smiled again. "Do you have much in your schedule today?"
"Yeah, a bit," Katze answered though a yawn. "I'm finishing up the system upgrades for the Bio-Lab's admin and accounting department for the rest of this week. I want to get it out of the way as soon as I can."
"Oh?"
"Yeah," Katze eased one hand over Raoul's smooth chest, his long fingers gently pausing to brush across a dark nipple before moving up to stroke over the skin of a broad shoulder. "I had a couple of work orders for Jupiter Tower come through to my inbox yesterday. Nothing urgent, it looks like, just a couple of small glitches that are causing some headaches. Plus I need to schedule in my regular meeting with the Ceres black market. That always ends up taking the better part of a day." Propping himself up on one elbow, Katze smiled down at Raoul's sated face. "And you? What's on your agenda today? Further advancements in the field of reconstructive medicine?"
"Alas, no," Raoul ran one hand down Katze's side, cupping a firm warm ass-cheek for a moment. "I'm afraid the quarterly conference with the various Syndicate department heads is due. Iason will need me the entire day."
Katze winced. "Ah."
"Yes," Raoul quirked a wry brow at him.
"So... a whole day full of verbal eye-gouging and hair-pulling, huh?"
Raoul frowned a little. "Honestly, the way you talk sometimes, Katze," he chided mildly, "you make the greater number of the Elite class sound like a room full of spoilt brats."
"Aren't they?" Katze grinned, a wicked little glint entering his eyes. "All those enhanced brains, all those exceptional physical and mental attributes and yet most of them still haven't cottoned onto the fact yet that the average standard non-genetically engineered man in the street is totally capable of doing exactly the same jobs they do."
Raoul's eyes narrowed slightly. "You know, I think you've been spending far too much time listening to Riki's take on social principles."
"Actually, Raoul, I've always felt this way." Slowly Katze sat up, stretching again as he scooted out of bed and padded toward the bathroom. "I just hid it better than Riki did, that's all."
"One would wonder then," Raoul muttered, almost to himself, suddenly feeling slightly piqued for some reason he couldn't quite explain by Katze's casual observations, "if that is the case, how you've allowed yourself to become so intimately involved with me."
Katze halted just before the bathroom door, turning to look back at him, his face becoming serious. "Because you're different, Raoul. You know that."
"Am I?"
"Well... yes." Katze shrugged. "You're not blinded by your own superiority, for a start. You actually see worth in people even if they aren't a part of the ruling class."
Raoul sighed softly, sitting up and staring down at the rumpled bed-covers for a moment. "I also see worth in my Elite brethren, Katze," he replied, not so surprised to hear a genuine note of hurt in his voice. "I know that our ideologies differ. I have accepted that as a part of accepting you. But, in many ways, I do feel that what you know of the Elite class has been limited to what you have seen in your specific dealings with them in the past. You don't, for example, know that most of the Elites that Iason and I work with in the Syndicate are committed to their duties and are loyal to Iason Mink above all else... that they are genuinely trying, Katze, to adapt to the changes that Iason has introduced as best they can."
"Raoul..."
The Blondie held up one hand, looking up at Katze somberly. "It has not been easy, do you understand? For any of us." He smiled sadly. "What you said before, about me being different. I suppose you're right. I am different in that I have you. I have your affection. I have your support on a personal level. This helps, Katze, a great deal; it is a comport to me, but it does not make it any less difficult... in fact it makes it so much more complex, especially for me," Raoul's voice lowered to a murmur, "when you make such comments about Elites. Remember that, in spite of how much I mean to you, or how much you mean to me, I am still one of them. And what you say about them affects me too."
Katze moved back towards him, his expression now openly troubled. Sitting close to him on the edge of the bed, the ex-Furniture slipped one hand around the back of Raoul's neck, rubbing the tense muscles gently. "I'm sorry," he said softly, dipping his chin to look directly into Raoul's eyes, letting him see the sincerity in his gaze. "I didn't mean to insult you. I sure as hell didn't mean to hurt your feelings."
Raoul smiled at him, huffing a soft and slightly tired little chuckle. "I know this, Katze."
Leaning forward, Katze kissed Raoul's face tenderly. "Maybe it's time for me to do a little soul searching too," he murmured, the warmth of his breath brushing against Raoul's jaw. "I mean the irony is that Iason's social restructuring is all about moving forward, right?"
Lifting his hands to cup Katze's face, Raoul nodded at him, his deep green eyes warming once more, the former tension in his broad shoulders easing away.
"So," Katze shrugged. "In the vested interests of domestic harmony, how about I ease up on your colleagues, and you promise to call me on it whenever I start backsliding again."
"If you promise to extend the same service to me," Raoul replied, his rich mouth curving up at the corners, "I would say that we have a workable agreement."
"Deal." Katze pulled in a deep breath, straightening his shoulders as he rose to his feet. He held one hand out to the Blondie, winking at him. "Shower with me?"
Chuckling, feeling much improved within himself, Raoul pushed the covers back and rose gracefully, taking Katze's proffered hand in his. "Of course."
Moments later, standing under the warm spray in the spacious shower unit, enjoying the quite delightful sensation of being stroked from neck to knees by the gentle soap-slicked hands of his lover, Raoul Am closed his eyes and considered the previous conversation.
Differing ideologies...
And indeed, yes, this was quite true. From most outward perspectives, he and Katze were a logical improbability. Born and raised upon the same planet yet within two virtually separate worlds; trained and molded to take positions in life that, in the time prior to Iason Mink's remarkable return from near death, would have meant they would never have crossed social paths, let alone come to know each other. One an Elite of the highest ranking, and one a mongrel from the slums, each viewing the world around them from a vastly differing point of view.
And yet, here they were.
Lovers and in love.
That fact alone, Raoul thought as he turned under the soothing spray and began to soap Katze's sleek and well formed body with every sense of enjoyment, the fact that the two of them were even possible, gave him his greatest hope for the future. Yes, there were the inevitable teething problems, conflicts and misunderstandings. But they were adapting, that was the most important thing. They were finding their way forward, learning each other's temperaments, defining their needs, their limits... and in some cases just agreeing to disagree.
The comparison boded well, Raoul felt, for the greater populace of Amoi. He smiled again, bending his head to kiss the smooth curve of Katze's shoulder, sipping water from soft warm skin.
Yes, the comparison boded very well, indeed.