Chapter Text
At first, you didn't even think about asking for anything more than what you were given. Even when Strade asked if you had any grocery store requests, you refused his offer until Ren finally reassured you that it was okay to let Strade know what you wanted when he asked.
"He won't always get it for you, because he's, you know, Strade," he says, rolling his eyes, "but he'll get it sometimes so that you'll have enough hope to keep asking for it."
After that, you had a standing order for your favorite food, which, as Ren said, was only occasionally fulfilled. One day, Strade asked if you wanted anything aside from your usual, and, nervous, you requested some candy.
The cheap chocolate bar was the best thing you'd eaten in a long time.
Over the next few weeks, you occasionally requested a frivolous item here and there.
And then one day, Ren got an anime figurine in the mail.
You were never a huge collector of things like that, but you had a couple, and you knew how expensive they were.
"How did you get that?" you ask.
"I bought it for him," Strade says casually as Ren starts assembling the figurine on the kitchen table. "As a reward."
"A reward?" you repeat. "How do you even begin to earn something like that in this household?"
"Wouldn't you like to know," Ren responds. He's grinning smugly in a way that reminds you of Strade.
(Ren does a lot of things that remind you of Strade. It's hard to figure out which behaviors he picked up from living with Strade and which ones came to him naturally. You hope most of it is natural; you don't want to pick up any part of Strade's personality.)
"Of course, if you wanted something special," Strade responds, "that could be arranged in a different manner." Strade's smirking now, too. Well, not 'too,' as Ren's expression changes to a scowl at Strade offering you a new privilege.
You look down. "You know what, on second thought, it's probably not worth it."
Strade grabs your chin and forces you to look at him. "It's a small price for your first time, Schatzi," he says. "Tell me something about yourself that you don't want me to know."
It's definitely too easy, but you've always been too curious for your own good, and you have to try. With the idea of you not wanting him to know anything about you, you try a simple one. "My middle name is—"
"I know that already, I looked at your driver's license before I got rid of it. I'm not talking about trivialities. Tell me something you don't want me to know because you will regret it later." He makes eye contact, and you look away, your chin still held in his hand. You feel his finger tap your jaw, reminding you to maintain eye contact (a small discomfort he particularly enjoyed inflicting), and you reluctantly look up at him.
The eye contact makes it harder to think, but eventually you come up with something you think might appease him. "I actually... like, when you're not... shoving it down my throat and making me gag... that is...um." You feel your face grow warm as Strade's smirk grows a little more feral. "When... when I'm the one with control over it, I, um... I actually really like giving blow jobs," the last bit is said in a hurry, but it's clear enough for Strade to understand. He gives your chin a small squeeze before letting go, and you finally look away from him, towards Ren.
Based on the way his ears have perked up, it was clear enough for him, too.
"Well," says Strade, "we'll have to look into how to take advantage of that sometime. For now, though, you've earned something a little more expensive than usual. Any ideas?"
You shrug. "I dunno, edibles?" you suggest. "It'd be nice to relax and just kinda... distract myself from what's going on for a while."
Strade hums. "I'll think about it."