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Throughout the years, Tomas thought of himself as a well-rounded Lin Kuei assassin in all three of the most important ways he needed to be: soul, mind and body.
He knew he was physically tough and durable when it came to combat, years of ruthless training and deep scars across his whole body were undeniable proof of it.
He was sure his soul was in harmony once he made peace with the fact that his purpose in life was to serve and protect Earthrealm, as he had finally come to terms with his gruesome past and what came after.
He could’ve sworn he had a stable, healthy and resilient mind when it came to Bi-Han, when the latter would verbally belittle him; ostracize him from his own clan, beat the daylights out of him when he, and even Kuai Liang, his dearest brother, deemed the excessive use of violence against him during practice unnecessary. He was alright with it, it didn’t faze him in the slightest.
Simply put, he had a balanced psyche. He was a role model among lower-rank assassins, he had earned his place within the Lin Kuei hierarchy.
No.
That could not be it.
If that was truly the case, then there would be no explanation for the fact that, at that very moment, he was on the run from home, his home.
Right, he had finally had enough. He was well-aware he was a member of the Lin Kuei’s top three assassins, and it was because of that he needed to preserve his dignity as one, so it made perfect sense for him to part from the Temple, it was better to leave while still maintaining a figure of respect, rather than live there as an object of ridicule, specifically, Bi-Han’s object of ridicule.
He would not come back nor contact them by any means, even if it broke his heart because, despite his departure, he cherished Kuai Liang so profoundly. “Oh, Kuai Liang, how it hurts to leave you…”
It was a hard decision to make and act upon, but in the end, it was all for his own sanity.
Tomas was sure he’d been running for more than half an hour, but for less than a whole hour, he didn’t want to slow down as he aimed to get as far from the Temple before he lost momentum. He had a simple plan: get the hell out of there, run as fast as he could until his body ached for a break, then seek shelter at whatever village he happened to be in at the time.
Such plan proved to be difficult to act upon when an unrelenting swirling mass of snow obscured the way ahead of him; the wind so loud, it disoriented him to a degree; and his limbs began numbing painfully.
He would sheepishly admit this wasn’t the most elaborate plan he’s ever had, but he figured he’d think of what to do once he’d cooled down. “Making a decision is one thing, but meticulously planning what to do after you make it is another!”, he would argue.
And so, he was becoming tired, how long has it been exactly? He had no idea. He started slowing his pace and just started panting and, to his own bewilderment, there was no village in sight yet. He was no stranger to sleeping out in the woods, but he’d much rather not resort to that.
“This cannot be…”, he groaned.
To be a member of the Lin Kuei required strong will, unbreakable loyalty, and the lethal perception of a ninja. That was the entry point for the clan's lowest disciples, but for the highest? For its heirs? It was so much more.
Kuai Liang may have been second-in-command, but his intuition was top-notch. None surpassed him at sensing danger, nor did any change, no matter how small, go unnoticed to the pyromancer's sharp eye. It was an infallible asset, working to balance out Bi-Han's reckless passion and ensure the smoothness of their combined operations.
Tomas always seemed to fall in the middle of that line. He was keen, but his mind often drifted somewhere Kuai Liang could not follow. While he wasn't shy about his thoughts and feelings, Tomas was far from an open book, withholding his strongest opinions behind a polite smile and, when Bi-Han demanded it, a submissive 'Yes, Grandmaster.'
No matter how far Tomas was pushed, no matter the venom directed his way and how it devastated him, he never let that composure slip. It was a quality Kuai Liang admired, one that saddened him, perhaps even concerned him, but was always in the background; something that, when brought up, Tomas was quick to dismiss, and Kuai Liang had always respected his brother's wishes enough to drop the subject.
Now, with no sign of Tomas after searching the clan's extensive territory for the better half of an hour, Kuai Liang was beginning to wish he'd pushed a little harder.
"Brother-" A frantic Kuai Liang had barged into Bi-Han's quarters, but the chill that engulfed him froze the words onto his tongue. It was like a blizzard had been through it, ice climbing up the far reaches of the walls, shattered bits broken in frustration all across the floor, and when Bi-Han turned to face him, the silent fury in his eyes confirmed all Kuai Liang needed to know.
They were leaving tonight, alone, and would not return until they had Tomas in their grasp so firmly he would never be able to run away again. There was no time for an explanation to the clan, no time to properly prepare. Perhaps it was foolish of them, the two remaining authority figures, to depart so abruptly, but for once, Kuai Liang found himself agreeing with Bi-Han's rash declarations. Every second they weren't pursuing him, Tomas was getting further away from them and, to Kuai Liang's dismay, closer to whatever voice in his head had convinced him this outburst was rational.
Heavy snowfall obscured any followable trail, but neither brother needed directions to track down their missing third, prowling through the thick Arctikan forest like two big cats with the scent of blood on their nose. Extensive training had made them into skilled hunters, and not once had they returned home empty-handed.
Kuai Liang didn't doubt Tomas' survivalist roots, but it didn't stop him fearing for his brother's safety. He stuck close to Bi-Han's side, weaving with him through the trees, and mostly to himself, he asked, "Why would he run away like this?"
"He has always been a fool," Bi-Han's cold voice betrayed no further concern, but Kuai Liang knew better. "This time, his ignorance will not go unpunished."
Kuai Liang wasn't sure how he felt about the idea of punishment—perhaps Tomas could be taught a better lesson through something more gentle-handed?—but the sadistic edge in Bi-Han's voice never failed to ignite something in him, and Kuai Liang would do whatever it took to ensure Tomas never attempted something like this again.
That fire in his chest grew with each passing moment, each step closer to their evasive younger brother. He couldn't have gotten far, not in such a short time, and certainly not in these conditions.
Kuai Liang knew it in his soul—wherever Tomas was, they would soon be there with him, and Kuai Liang would learn what caused his brother to act out in this way. With Bi-Han at his side, they would correct it, and if that meant punishment, then so be it.
Feeling like a wounded, bleeding animal, Tomas kept losing his strength as he plunged deeper into the ruthless Arctikan forest.
Under normal circumstances, he would have been able to go on for hours, perhaps even make it to daybreak, but these were not normal circumstances, tonight’s snowfall proved to be exceptionally crushing, combined with no adequate preparation for the occasion and his current troubled mental state, it was expected of him not to be able to withstand this predicament he willingly put himself through.
Was he to blame, though?
To Tomas, it seemed like a perfectly rational decision to defect the Lin Kuei once and for all after finally realizing that, as a person with, at least, an ounce of self-respect, he did not have to put up with any of Bi-Han’s vicious behavior and actions towards him no more, even if he was his Grandmaster.
Neither with Kuai Liang’s indifference towards such violence aimed at him.
Sure, he’d passively intervene every now and then with only so much as a “That’s enough, brother”, or maybe even “Control yourself, Bi-Han” if he was feeling daring, but never really seemed eager to fully defy his Grandmaster’s ruthless conduct.
Last day wouldn’t have been any different from any other if only Bi-Han hadn’t decided to dig up Tomas’ old graves, after defeating the latter in a heated sparring session. “See? Sooner or later you would have gotten your family killed!”, and Kuai Liang stood there, only offering a deeply disappointed look.
Tomas felt betrayed.
He kept rewinding that memory in his head, not realizing he was now walking aimlessly in the middle of the forest, then stopped. Unconsciously, he raised his hand to graze the surface of his Lin Kuei badge, and with little contemplation, took it off, and angrily threw it to the ground. That was it.
Just a few seconds later, he felt a shiver run down his spine. Maybe it was his unbalanced mental state playing tricks on him being a runaway in the middle of a pitch-black forest on a snowy night or, weirdly, the ghost of Father haunting him for what he had just done, but if he were to say it, he’d confess he felt like he was being hunt down at this very moment.
Sensing his panic rise, he quickly turned around to make sure no one was following him, took a few steps backwards, and turned around to attempt to run again, this time at a mediocre speed, he was mentally and physically exhausted.
He’d make sure to get as far away before he collapsed.
The search for Tomas was a silent one. When two were as close as Bi-Han and Kuai Liang, words weren't necessary; they understood each other's non-verbal tells on an intrinsic level, to the point of anticipating the other's thoughts. They traveled together in swift, synchronized movements, each silent step through the snow a perfect mirror of the other. In moments like these, you could almost believe they shared one mind.
It took nearly an hour to find any sign of their third brother, and by then, the snow had worsened to a bitter storm. The chill was real, and worrying to Kuai Liang. As a cryomancer, Bi-Han was tolerant of the cold, but Kuai Liang had to summon the faintest bit of his pyromancy just to ward off numbness in his fingers.
'Tomas,' Kuai Liang so mournfully recalled, 'has no such thing.' For him, this weather could be lethal.
Kuai Liang forced those thoughts away. Tomas was no fool—he knew the climate of his home, even if he intended to flee from it. He must have had a location in mind to run to, somewhere he could stay warm, and by any luck, he'd made it there safely.
It was a concern Bi-Han didn't share. Tomas was foolish, but even he wouldn't be incompetent enough to die out here. If he still had any loyalty left in him, he wouldn't think of perishing without his grandmaster's permission.
A small glimmer in the snow, the first sign of their brother, put a dash on those optimisms.
Even in Kuai Liang's trembling hand, the badge was unmistakable, identical to the ones that adorned them both. Silver, intricately detailed, with a symbol upon it that might has well been etched into their very beings.
"Bi-Han-" Kuai Liang regretted the prompt instantly, badge snatched away for Bi-Han to hold in a crushing grip, unwilling to look at it any longer.
Bi-Han spent the whole journey mulling over how to punish Tomas for his outburst, but now? The very badge that tied Tomas to the clan—because his blood sure as hell didn't—discarded in the snow like something he was worthy to refuse?
Bi-Han hadn't thought himself holding back on Tomas before, but for some unwelcome reason he must have been, because the ideas flooding his head now were like nothing he'd have considered before, when he still saw his unofficial sibling as an underling. Now, Tomas was a traitor.
For the first time that night, Kuai Liang fell out of sync with Bi-Han, the grandmaster stomping suddenly ahead and scanning the terrain with new intentions. Kuai Liang's heart pounded as he kept pace, looking to his brother's murderous glare as if trying to plead some softness into it, but Bi-Han's resolve didn't waver.
Kuai Liang could see the sadistic thoughts in his brother's head as if they were his own, each one putting Tomas' safety more and more in doubt. Kuai Liang despaired at his own reluctance to refuse even one of them.
Each step now made Kuai Liang's heart palpitate with anxiety, and something else; a sort of tingling in his person, hands aching to grasp something that wasn't there. The feeling swelled until it was nearly unbearable, and then-
Tomas laid unconscious in front of them, veiled by a thin dusting of snow. Bi-Han found it bitterly ironic what little distance he could go without his badge.
"Tie him," Bi-Han ordered, voice more akin to the cruel bite in the air than someone rejoicing over a lost brother now found.
Kuai Liang could barely process the command. "What? Bi-Han, he is not our enemy-"
"Nor is he our ally!" Bi-Han held up the badge in bitter reminder, declaration loud enough to startle any game in the area. Not that it mattered—they had their catch right here. "Binding him is a mercy. It will prevent him from making a bigger fool of himself should he wake."
With a heavy heart, Kuai Liang reached for his kunai. He maneuvered Tomas around, binding him gently so the ropes wouldn't chafe his too-cold skin, before hoisting him up into his arms. He held Tomas against his chest, trying to press his warmth into him.
Kuai Liang's attention flicked between the unconscious brother in his arms and the disgruntled one at his side the whole way home, but Bi-Han stared only ahead, or, every few minutes, at the badge Tomas had discarded, deep in thought.
Kuai Liang looked down once more at his more peaceful brother, apologetic for what he knew Tomas would be forced to endure the moment he awoke at the temple.
'Tomas is strong,' he remembered, holding him more securely, and removed his own mask to breathe heat into his brother's frost-bitten skin. 'And he loves us. As long as we are his punishers, he will endure.'
With a swift slash, Tomas’ deadly karambit shattered the last remaining ice clone Bi-Han had conjured on the arena in an attempt to block his way and, wasting no time, the hunter tossed a smoke bomb rendering himself unperceivable, then aimed to relocate to where the cryomancer was standing now, confident he would lay a hit on his opponent this time.
Living up the Grandmaster title, which meant he was above any other Lin Kuei assassin when it came to combat, Bi-Han saw right through Tomas’ strategy and just before the hunter manifested in the air behind him, ready to strike, the cryomancer quickly summoned an ice axe into his hands and, letting out a battle cry, delivered a powerful blow to his attacker’s side, pushing him out of his reach.
Tomas landed roughly on the ground, once again not accomplishing the task of beating Bi-Han in a sparring match. “Ugh…”, he grunted as he regained a sitting position.
“Nicely done, brother.”, Kuai Liang exclaimed from out of the designated training ground. “You came close this time.”
Tomas turned to look at Kuai Liang’s direction, giving the pyromancer a sheepish smile.
“He’s right,”, Bi-Han now stood next to him, “Brother”, then offered him a hand to help him stand up.
Tomas, without any reluctance and showing a humble smile, grabbed Bi-Han’s hand, “Thank you”.
Everything was exactly how it was meant to be.
As if he had just been reanimated, Tomas was now slowly coming back from his catatonic state.
The now blurry memory, suddenly, felt all too fake.
Feeling physically wracked, the only thing he managed to remember now was dragging himself against a vicious snowstorm in the middle of the forest… Right, he had forsaken the Lin Kuei.
Tomas was supposed to be laying on a cold white canvas, dying in the cruel grip of winter. Instead, he was feeling so light and almost warm, and most importantly, he felt constricted, tied.
“Something is wrong”, he thought.
With apparent difficulty and still feeling disoriented, Tomas managed to open his eyes, and what— or who— he saw first felt as comforting as it did mortifying. Strange.
Kuai Liang’s front, mere inches above him, stunning as ever even if he was now wearing a distressed expression.
"If Kuai Liang found me", he began reasoning, "then this means… we’re not alone."
The implications behind his resolve were enough to send a wave of energy rushing through him, pulling him out of his disoriented state.
“Kuai Liang!”, the hunter called out to the pyromancer, his voice laced with a hint of panic.
He quickly looked around and barely made out the shape of the Temple in the middle of the pitch-dark night. He was being carried back.
Then, he spotted Bi-Han at Kuai Liang’s side and, despite the darkness surrounding him, was able to make out a discrete, terribly rageous expression on his face.
Tomas felt an immense amount of dread, Kuai Liang and Bi-Han had found him.
The lack of adrenaline made the journey home feel much longer than the venture out. For being so ill-equipped, Tomas had covered tremendous ground. He may have always lived beneath Bi-Han's impossible expectations, but he never failed to impress Kuai Liang.
The pyromancer glanced down at him again. Tomas slept peacefully in his arms, like he hadn't a care in the world—an expression Kuai Liang couldn't recall ever seeing on him awake. For most of the journey, he didn't so much as stir, though Kuai Liang swore he felt Tomas press into him and mumble something he couldn't quite catch. 'He must be dreaming,' Kuai Liang realized. He hoped it was something pleasant.
Only when they neared the temple did things begin to change. It was well within sight now, perhaps a ten minute walk if they kept pace, but things never were that easy.
Movement in his arms alerted Kuai Liang to Tomas' stirring, and in hardly any time at all, the hunter was back to his senses—if drowsy and disoriented. The look in his eyes as they met Kuai Liang's own wasn't what he had expected. He prepared for anger, perhaps fear, but for a moment, there was none of that. In fact, Tomas almost looked relieved.
That was, until realization came crashing down on him, and Kuai Liang saw the restful tranquility give way to horror at being caught.
"Tomas-" Kuai Liang tried to speak, but a cry of his own name silenced the words; a panicked sound that made Kuai Liang's heart squeeze.
"Brother, it's alright," Kuai Liang was quick to reassure—though a glance to Bi-Han, who was glaring daggers at Tomas, proved the words untrue—and held Tomas tighter to stop his squirming.
"Calm-" At further resistance, Kuai Liang strengthened his grip even more, giving Tomas a stern look, like scolding a puppy. "Down. You'll wake the whole temple like this."
They were nearly at its doors now, subject to the night-watchers’ scrutinous glares. They hadn't told the clan the reason of their departure—in part because there wasn't time, but also to protect Tomas' image within it, or, as Bi-Han had said, to 'prevent unrest' amongst the clansmen, who would surely detest their third-in-command's attempt to forsake them.
It was a small kindness, but significant coming from Bi-Han. Though with all the noise Tomas was making, it was one that could very well be rendered futile.
Bi-Han scarcely resisted the urge to shut him up through physical means. "Silence." he commanded, and despite his murderous expression, his voice held no discernable emotion. In all his years of life, Kuai Liang had never heard his brother sound like that.
Now, they were about to enter, and if they wanted to do so without waking the entire temple, Tomas would have to hold his tongue. Kuai Liang didn't want to think of what Bi-Han would do should his order be disobeyed, so as they stepped inside, he looked down once more at Tomas and gently seconded the cryomancer's command. "Please, brother…"
Years of rigid training in the ways of the Lin Kuei included developing the ability to remain calm, almost unfazed, should one find oneself in high-risk situations. Logically, it was a skill required for survival as decision-making with clouded judgement could only lead to disaster.
Tomas had always been certain he’d already mastered this ability. That was until tonight, when he found himself caught in the grip of his former superiors, tightly tied up, taking him back to the Temple after a failed defection attempt, in short, he became a captured traitor to the Lin Kuei. No amount of training could have ever prepared him mentally to face such dire circumstances.
To call this a “high-risk situation” would be an understatement.
The emotions that ran through his being were only the direct result of anxiety, fear and panic, but upon hearing both of his captors tell him to keep silent, his blood began to boil.
How dare they? How dare they push him to his limit, drive him away, drag him back as if he was part of their property and then, not even allow him a word?
“No!” he yelled out, not caring who could see or hear him, “I won’t let you belittle me anymore!”
Though his statement was directed at both Kuai Liang and Bi-Han, Tomas stared deep into the cryomancer’s eyes intensely. Defying the, not his, Grandmaster for the first time in his life. He was livid.
Without breaking eye contact, Tomas opted to draw on his knowledge in escape methods and, not without a little struggle, he reached for his karambit at his side, and once it was in hold, he maneuvered his hand to sever the rope holding him in place, then forcibly freed himself from the pyromancer’s grip, and fell to the ground.
As soon as he was back on his feet, the hunter gravely declared, “I won’t abide by your rules any longer, Bi-Han”.
Something in the back of his mind told him that he was being senseless, it begged him to fall on his knees and implore forgiveness, to give up the last remainder of his dignity and let himself be taken back to try to earn both Kuai Liang’s and Bi-Han’s respect, if that was even possible anymore.
Tomas dismissed these thoughts…
Ever since his induction into the Lin Kuei, Tomas had always been good; obedient, well-mannered. Kuai Liang took it as a given, and although he didn't demand it the way Bi-Han did, he'd grown to expect Tomas' compliance, became reliant on it.
That expectation is what allowed Tomas to so easily twist out of his grasp, now glaring at both him and Bi-Han with years of pent-up resentment.
Bi-Han didn't hesitate like Kuai Liang—the pyromancer's hand hovering over his weapon, reluctant to turn it on the man before them. Bi-Han had no such qualms.
"If your wish, Tomas," Bi-Han spat the name like it was foul, accentuated by a sharp point in the hunter's direction. "Is to forsake your position in the Lin Kuei, then it would be my pleasure to offer you a new one as its prisoner."
Kuai Liang's protest went unheard. Bi-Han wasn't one to hold back, especially not with Tomas—in his youth, he'd always hit him harder during sparring than he had to, always came away from their sessions with blood on his fists. His aggression towards Tomas lessened with age, Bi-Han had too many responsibilities as grandmaster to nourish it, but if Tomas desired a taste of those times, he was happy to provide.
A deep chill ran up from Bi-Han's fingertips, cryomancy flowing through his veins like cold venom. Tomas' words were bold, but he couldn't defeat Bi-Han on his best days, let alone now, still weakened from his attempt at escape. It took Bi-Han nearly no effort at all to knock him off his feet; a few solid blows more than enough to have him stumbling into Bi-Han's arms, easily thrown over the cryomancer's shoulder with his hands and legs encased in ice.
Kuai Liang was saying something now, Tomas might've mumbled something or other in his disoriented state, and Bi-Han vaguely registered how many clansmen were now in the hall, but all of it came second to his own dark thoughts. He no longer cared for protecting Tomas' pride, carried him like dead weight through the temple before arriving at his own bedroom door.
The Lin Kuei had a dungeon specifically for uses such as this, but it felt too impersonal to Bi-Han; too ordinary for the height of Tomas' wrongs. He threw Tomas on the floor hard enough to shatter the ice on his limbs, but Bi-Han's boot damn near crushing his ribs rendered that new freedom inconsequential.
"It's my rules that confine you, is it?" Bi-Han lowly challenged, pressing the point of his shoe harder into Tomas’ sternum. "Tell me, Tomas, how liberation-" something cracked beneath his foot, "Feels?"
"Bi-Han!" Kuai Liang protested, wide-eyes full of alarm. "Enough. What will he learn from this?"
Bi-Han's darkened glare didn't shift from the pained expression beneath him. He pressed down harder. "Respect."
He felt it before he saw it coming.
Just how many times has Tomas been through this?
As messed up as it was, he’d already grown used to suffering Bi-Han’s disproportionate beatings. But this? This was a new thing entirely. The cryomancer’s prior aggressions through the years stemmed from preposterous spitefulness (or so Tomas thought), now, he was certain it was raw wrath, and he could feel it with each blow.
His attempt at rebellion was cute, brave even, but the hunter forgot one thing, the most important of them all: to make sure he could take on Bi-Han after declaring war on him, and because of this, sooner than later he met defeat.
He tried to protest, to vent his frustrations, “It wouldn’t be any different," he mumbled, but his words fell on deaf ears, they couldn’t even seem to reach his dearest brother, which was heartbreaking.
Next thing Tomas knew, his whole bodyweight hit the cold, harsh floor of… Bi-Han’s room?
He didn’t have time to understand or even question why he was brought here, as soon as he regained full consciousness, he felt the overwhelming weight of Bi-Han’s foot on top of his ribcage. “He’s going to crush me”, Tomas realized, alarmed.
Pure adrenaline ran through his veins, his heart rate increased, and all his senses sharpened.
Tomas understood he was completely at Bi-Han’s (non-existent) mercy. And Kuai Liang? His dearest brother was there to witness it all.
As Bi-Han raised him a question about freedom, their eyes met, so profoundly intense, intimate; seeing his former Grandmaster so up and above him, physically and figuratively, like never before, ragged because of him and him only, awoke something within him.
Something perverse, something abnormal, something fucked.
Then, Tomas felt something rupture inside of him.
“Ahh…!”, it all became too much for him, so he couldn’t help the strained moan that escaped his mouth as he closed his eyes and still struggled under Bi-Han’s weight, so much so he tried to desperately grab at the cryomancer's leg with both hands.
What.
What?
The malice across Bi-Han’s face, previously unbreakable, faltered for just a moment, replaced with confusion, and… Something else.
To Kuai Liang, it was a sound of pain, one that made him wince with sympathy for his beloved little brother, but Bi-Han wasn’t as naive. Tomas’ feeble grasp on his calf, desperate to free himself, should’ve been exactly what he wanted—vain attempts from a worthless leech, trying to resist a punishment he so wholly deserved—but it wasn’t that, not at all. That sound, that moan, was nothing like the pitiful ones he’d beat out of Tomas countless times before. Bi-Han’s gut twisted at the realization that Tomas was getting off on this, and with that, the hands upon him were no longer the satisfying attempt of self-defense in vain, but touches of a sick, more perverse nature.
Without thinking, Bi-Han kicked Tomas, hard. The hunter slid across the floor, crashed into the wall with a bang of his skull against the stone, but still, his touch lingered, like dirt on Bi-Han’s pant leg. A million different emotions flashed across Bi-Han’s face then, winded him with their intensity, or was it something else that had him breathless? Without answer, he stumbled forward, Kuai Liang following at his side in concern. “Brother, are you alright?” He asked, and Bi-Han’s pride cried out at the realization that Tomas could leave him so visibly perturbed.
“You…” Bi-Han swallowed. He took a deep breath, and his passion returned with a vengeance, sadistic as always, with a new undercurrent of sinful intrigue.
“You lecherous fool. This excites you?” Bi-Han accused, and with much a gentler touch, found something else to press upon between Tomas’ legs. The resounding gasp in response forced Bi-Han to hold back one of his own, rolling the ball of his foot atop the physical evidence of his underling’s excitement.
The sight all but floored Kuai Liang, head whipping between both men in total awe. “Bi- Bi-Han, what-” his mouth suddenly felt dry, and even for him, the room was much, much too hot. “Tomas… You aren’t…?”
Both brothers locked their gaze on Tomas now, expectant, and though Bi-Han’s voice shook with the words, his demand was no less imposing. “Answer me.”
Tomas should’ve cried out in pain when Bi-Han sent him crashing towards the wall. Instead, he let out a breathy groan.
He couldn’t help but grow more fired up as he realized that his feeble attempts at physical contact could dislodge Bi-Han to such a degree that they provoked an explosively violent reaction. For a fleeting moment, he caught a glimpse of his harasser’s repulsed expression, which suggested that he was no stranger to the lowly, primal concept of sex— from the looks of it, he was very much capable of being affected by it, albeit negatively in this case.
Tomas lay there, trying to register these newly discovered sensations running through him, which didn’t last long, as he heard the cryomancer approaching him ominously.
He must’ve been sick in the head because this did nothing, but thrill him. Which worried him as well.
Without warning, Bi-Han was pressing against him again, now onto his cock— much gentler this time— , questioning him about, apparently, his wicked tendencies. Tendencies he didn’t even know he had.
“I…”, the hunter attempted to control his voice tone through breaths, “I’m not sure.”
He began grinding against his harasser’s boot, using his arms to find leverage.
“D-do you think it does, Bi-Han?”, the way the hunter growled the cryomancer’s name was simply obscene.
As he jerked his head, he quickly met Kuai Liang’s dumbstruck gaze, then quickly moved on from that, locked eyes with Bi-Han, and flashed him a daring glare adorned with fully dilated pupils.
“What has gotten into me?”
Never had Tomas been so bold.
In any other instance, Bi-Han would rebuke him for his witty remark, but the suggestive lilt to it, the growl of his name, frustrated Bi-Han in a different way. Bi-Han knew, at a basic level, about sex—he was a man grown, after all, but the upbringing of the next-in-line was strict in all ways, and any curiosity Bi-Han may have had in regards to intimacy were fiercely scolded out of him. To Bi-Han, sex was a clinical thing, for the purpose of reproduction and nothing more.
This wasn’t the cold, emotionless obligation Bi-Han read about. This was primal, all-consuming lust, the likes of which Bi-Han had been carefully sheltered from, but now threatened to ravish his entire being. Tomas didn’t share any of Bi-Han’s discomforts, shamelessly grinding against the sole of his boot with no care for decorum. It was vulgar, it was whorish, and had Bi-Han feeling horribly unprepared.
Kuai Liang, on the other hand, was enthralled. For just a moment, Tomas looked his way, lip between his teeth as he rolled his hips upwards; a promiscuous sight that had Kuai Liang’s heart beating between his legs. Tomas never failed to take his breath away—with his looks, with his skills as a ninja, and now with his moans, wanton and tempting. The entire scene was utterly captivating; Tomas’ licentious teasing coupled with Bi-Han’s bone-deep desire left Kuai Liang especially grateful for the modest piece of cloth covering his groin. “Brother…” Kuai Liang gasped, though he was no longer sure which of them he was referring to.
“I think,” Bi-Han pressed the slightest bit harder before pulling away, amazed by the way Tomas arched after his touch. “It’s driven you mad. Since when do you dare talk back to me, your grandmaster? Your time away has made you insolent, Tomas. Depraved. I’d hoped to punish you, remind you of your place, but you enjoy this far too much.”
Bi-Han kneeled down then, level with Tomas’ gaze, and with a softer touch than he’d ever before laid on him, cupped Tomas’ face.
“Perhaps a better punishment now would be to leave you here, wanting,” Bi-Han threatened, his breath like a frigid breeze on Tomas’ neck. “Don’t you think?”
“Do not tease him, brother,” Kuai Liang implored, and Bi-Han’s hand fell away. “He’s been punished enough. If you wish to teach him a lesson, pleasure is a far better method than pain.”
Bi-Han’s eyes narrowed in consideration. Slowly, he looked Tomas up and down, as if sizing him up to eat. His hand returned now, gently cradling the back of Tomas’ neck.
“Which would you prefer, little brother?” Bi-Han mockingly implored. “Pain, pleasure—from which do you learn most?" his nails dug deep into Tomas' scruff. "Or are you so disgraceful to see them as one in the same?”
Tomas would’ve been perfectly capable of finding release by merely grinding himself against Bi-Han, so long as his tormentor continued to degrade him, to look down on him as if he were a lowly mutt. It was beneath that degradation—that brutal contempt—, that he found his deepest urges awakened. He scarcely understood the exact cause of this insanity, but he seemed to accept, and even welcome it, given how intoxicatingly good it made him feel.
Therefore, he couldn’t hide his frustrated expression once Bi-Han pulled back his leg from his groin.
Though Tomas’ (partially) conscious-self struggled to grasp why he found himself aroused by Bi-Han’s disproportionate display of wrath, his unconscious mind reveled in sick pleasure upon realizing that the cryomancer’s most stellar outburst yet had Tomas Vrbada’s name stamped on it; knowing that even though his captor always went to great lengths to make him feel insignificant and undeserving of his attention, he, ironically, still chased him through the vast Arctikan forest the moment he realized he had slipped from his grasp.
It was now clear to him that Bi-Han was a fraud.
And finally getting to see right through him made him feel empowered, even if he had never been more beneath him than in that moment.
Next thing he knew, Bi-Han was holding his face with a care he would never have expected from him, his fingertips so cold he wondered if the cryomancer was even human. Immediately after, a wave of panic ran through his body, mixed with an uncomfortable strain in his groin as Bi-Han threatened to abandon and neglect his carnal desires, paired with a chilling sensation on his neck, which did nothing but agitate him, the gesture was far too intimate.
Had Kuai Liang not intervened, he would’ve started begging desperately for Bi-Han to finish what he started. It was comforting knowing that, no matter how hopeless the situation, Kuai Liang, the light of his life, would always be there to save him.
Something about Bi-Han’s wording was off, though, “Grandmaster”, Tomas mentally raised a brow.
Before he could say a word, he caught on Bi-Han devouring him with such an intense gaze, he almost felt stripped off his uniform, his face becoming too hot.
The hunter had become the prey.
And for the first time in his life, Bi-Han addressed Tomas as his brother (though, sarcastically) which, combined with the sensation of cold nails against digging into his scruff, made him snap.
“What were you expecting, Bi-Han?...”, Tomas’ voice dropped to a husk as he closed in on the cryomancer’s ear, “You ruined me.”
As he sat there on the floor, he raised a hand and ran it smoothly, yet lightly across Bi-Han’s back, from the base of his neck to his lower back.
“Tonight, I gave up on you as my Grandmaster”, Tomas reminded him, “Any attempt at punishment would be without purpose on your part.”
His hand returned all the way up and stopped at the nape, opening his palm and letting his fingers sink into Bi-Han’s dark hair.
Truth be told, Tomas was desperate for Bi-Han to reclaim him, take him back, but now he knew that the only way to get what he wanted from him was through provocation.
“But you’re welcome to try, brother”, that last word rolled off Tomas' tongue laced with pure lust.
To make a cryomancer shudder was no easy task, but Tomas' whispered words, coupled with his hand tracing Bi-Han's back sent a chill all throughout him. For as long as he'd known him, Tomas was little more than a nuisance. When had he become so alluring?
He should have left him to freeze. He should have snuffed him out the second he found him face down in the snow. He should have finished him with his boot like the worthless dog he was, but all he could do was this. Bi-Han couldn't threaten Tomas with something he needed just as badly, and as much as he despised the fact, he needed Tomas, and whatever this... Thing blooming between them was.
A glance to Kuai Liang proved his younger brother was similarly afflicted, and the need in his gaze as it locked with Bi-Han's own confirmed that it wasn't just Tomas who was responsible for the unbecoming strain in the pyromancer's trousers.
Bi-Han bit his lip. This was so… So…
Then Tomas' fist closed in his hair, and Bi-Han couldn't take it anymore—groaning needfully into the hunter's neck. Bi-Han ached with shame for his own noises, his weakness, but pride had long since taken the backseat, second to the carnal desire burning him from the inside out.
You ruined me. Tomas meant the words to be teasing, but there was an underlying confession within them that Bi-Han couldn't miss. He had ruined him, hadn't he? This wasn't the timid, innocent boy who pined for his attention. No, Tomas was a fundamentally broken man, trained by Bi-Han's cruel hand to preen beneath hurtful touches and bitter words—a masochist of Bi-Han's making. His.
Perhaps it was only fair, then, for Tomas to alter Bi-Han just as greatly as the grandmaster had done to him—and the threat of Tomas giving up on him, of losing him forever, was the cruelest way to accomplish that.
Bi-Han had always wanted Tomas gone, always despised his presence, right up until Tomas took it away and forced him to realize how dependent he'd become on it; how much he needed a punching bag who was far too easy on the eyes, someone who took his abuse and always came back for more. Bi-Han burned to break Tomas for forcing such an unsavory revelation onto him, but the wires must have crossed somewhere in his brain, because the next thing he knew, a furious cry pierced the silence as he punched the hunter's mouth with his own. He vaguely registered Kuai Liang's resounding whine, the thump of his knees against the floor, and his pitiful nuzzle into his shoulder, more reminiscent of a puppy in its first rut than his contained second-in-command. He kissed Tomas harder.
"You don't get to give up on me, Tomas," Bi-Han declared, panting on his lips while his hand came up to hold Kuai Liang's sweat-slickened face. "I won't so easily relinquish my possessions," he scratched Kuai Liang's head, sunk his teeth into Tomas' bottom lip. "And I would hunt you to the ends of the Earth, but it's simpler to crush this senseless desire at the root. You..."
He buried his face in Tomas' neck, took a deep breath of his intoxicating scent, and hoisted him up into his arms, Kuai Liang clinging to his leg as he rose.
"...Are too much to lose.”
Still mesmerized by the power-play unfolding before him, Tomas was about to come up with another cynical, yet teasing remark, but Bi-Han, outdoing him —as he would always do so—, took the situation to a whole new level, and did the unthinkable: he kissed him.
It was no soft kiss, though; it was in no way similar to the kisses he innocently stole from Kuai Liang in his most repressed dreams. It was furious and desperate, and Tomas reacted instinctively, he hungrily pushed forward, mouth open, and shoved his tongue to meet with Bi-Han’s, moaning lowly as he did so.
As the cryomancer pulled back, the hunter opened his eyes to be met with the breathtaking sight of both his brothers above him: Kuai Liang was clearly lost in his own, obvious, incestuous desires, he barely looked like himself, ardently rubbing on the cryomancer’s shoulder. No longer able to conceal his excitement.
And Bi-Han? Just when Tomas was starting to feel like he’d finally achieved some semblance of control in this deranged affair, Bi-Han seized the reins once again, reminding him of his place in the world as part of his property, making a vow to never allow him to abandon him again.
This was maddening and did nothing, but ignite a fire in Tomas’ loins. The reason for this sexual deviancy was simple, yet screwed up:
On the days a younger cryomancer violently flung the much younger hunter out of the training ground with bruises and, if he happened to be in a bad mood, open wounds as cruel tokens of his defeats, a young pyromancer would always be there to lend him a hand, lift him up and offer him comfort for the rest of the day. Simply put, if there was abuse, there was love.
This, efficiently, nurtured unintentional, reward-based conditioning within Tomas’ mind, it was only logical for him to return to Bi-Han if it guaranteed Kuai Liang’s love and pampering.
Bi-Han and Kuai Liang were almost identical copies of each other.
Whenever this get-beat-up-then-be-coddled sequence unfolded, Tomas would first face Bi-Han and later reunite with Kuai Liang; in his heart and mind, he was dealing with the same person, caught in a perpetual cycle of (horribly) tough love.
Therefore, to finally have the two halves of the same soul he so-desperately yearned for, looming over him with the hungriest, most lustful looks he’s never seen before, sent him spiraling into delirium.
“You’re going to have to put me on a leash,” Tomas retorted as Bi-Han scooped him up, his touch dead cold; not showing any signs of resistance, instead, Tomas shifted to whisper into his brother’s ear, arms clinging to his shoulders, “and keep me closer than ever to you.”
“Are you willing to do that, brother?”, Tomas pulled back, and pointed at the life-long contradictions, half-lidded eyes staring into Bi-Han’s, “You hate me, and certainly, don’t need me… or do you?”
It was true, Bi-Han and Kuai Liang were more alike than not—pitch black hair that flowed to their collarbones when allowed, but was always kept up and out of the way; the same tan skin, same piercing eyes. Truly, it was no wonder visitors to the temple often mistook the two for twins, with how their differences could be counted on one hand.
Those similarities, however, were only skin-deep. As people, the brothers differed greatly; Bi-Han was cold where Kuai Liang was warm, cruel where he was tender, close-minded where he was open and accepting.
That's what made this moment so surreal—Bi-Han's body pressed to Tomas' own, warmer than it's ever been, and bringing something far different than the pain that typically accompanied such closeness. On any other day, Bi-Han was an unshakable force, as solid as the ice he summoned, but Tomas had broken through him, defeated him, for the first time in their lives, with just a few words.
It was Tomas' role, as Bi-Han's underling, to devote himself to him, but now, Tomas was asking how committed Bi-Han was to him, and the grandmaster didn't like the answers his mind gave—that leashing Tomas held a certain appeal, that he wouldn't chase down someone he didn't need so terribly, but to know that was one thing, admitting it was another, and Bi-Han couldn't bring himself to do it.
"I'll do what I must," he settled on, but the waver in his voice, the needful press of his body against Tomas' own, answered his question with a resounding 'yes' as he looked down to his other, more neglected brother. "As will you, Kuai Liang. Let us show our little brother just how much he is needed..."
Bi-Han was used to throwing Tomas around, but this was the first time he'd done so into his own bed. It was a striking sight, the hunter splayed out upon it, flushed and panting. Bi-Han had half the mind to strip Tomas of his role and reduce him to this, a mere bed-warmer for his grandmaster. It was an intriguing thought, and the only one on Bi-Han's mind as he and Kuai Liang climbed atop him, looking by all means like they were ready to devour him.
The brothers wasted no time feeling up their youngest, hot mouths lavishing his neck, Kuai Liang tugging at Tomas' robes while Bi-Han found something to squeeze lower down.
"Tomas..." Kuai Liang all but moaned into the hunter's chest, bare and defenseless to the kisses he laid upon it. To have his brothers like this was something out of a dream for Kuai Liang, a fantasy to keep him company during dark, lonely nights in his room, but this was real, and Kuai Liang's eyes rolled back when a gentle rock of his hips brought with it the realization of just how much better Tomas' thigh rubbed his cock than his own hand ever could.
Tomas' own was captive beneath Bi-Han's cool hand, a terrifying place to be if the cryomancer still held any of his usual cruelty. Bi-Han groaned at the feeling of it beneath his palm, pulsing with excitement, enough to leave a shameful wet spot at the front of Tomas' trousers.
"See how you long for me?" Bi-Han said softly, breath hot against Tomas' ear. "For us? You call us your brothers, and then want us in this way... Such depravity. How could you even think to survive on your own when we own your desires so exclusively?”
Amidst this outrageous fever dream materializing around him, Tomas understood it perfectly: He, Kuai Liang and Bi-Han, efficiently, trapped themselves in a toxic, soul-eating love affair.
Or at least, his subconscious had come to grips with this truth, upon hearing Bi-Han commanding Kuai Liang— as if the latter were an obedient dog he could order around —, to assist him on his most generous mission yet. “How kind of Bi-Han to share…”
To land on such a soft, comfortable bed instead of the cold, sand and stone floor of the training grounds came as a novelty to the hunter. However, the underwhelming force of the impact was enough to fire up the pain of whatever Bi-Han had previously fractured inside his ribcage; strangely, this forced a moan out of him. Immediately followed by his captors’ feverish fondling of him.
Bi-Han, allowing no time for senseless, sentimental caressing, went straight for his cock, and even though it was felt upon clothing, it was chilling, cryomancy in action.
On the other hand, Kuai Liang must have been desperate, wasting no time in stripping him of his upper garments, surrendering into his animalistic urges as if he were a tiger tearing into the day’s quarry, his touch almost scorching hot, which eased Tomas’ pain like a magic cure. As the pyromancer groaned out his name, Tomas couldn’t stop himself from gently grasping at the roots on the top of his silky black hair, gently pulling his face so he could get a better view of his lover’s face. “K-Kuai Liang…”, he dragged out the last syllable as if it were part of a melody. If Tomas was excited, he went ecstatic when he felt the grinding of Kuai Liang’s dick against his leg.
The cryomancer’s squeezing on his length prevented him from focusing entirely on the pyromancer; of course, he was never satisfied if he wasn’t the center of attention in one way or another. He succeeded in stealing his full attention through the melodic sounds that escaped his mouth. Tomas could feel himself becoming slick already.
Bi-Han whispered accusatory questions into his ear, clearly challenging him. Tomas, felt much more reinvigorated as he realized Bi-Han was one to talk. Letting go of Kuai Liang’s hair, he reached for the cryomancer’s head with both hands, forcing him to meet his gaze. A shiver of electricity coursed through him, pooling deep in his core as he took in Bi-Han’s lust-corrupted expression.
“I could find someone…anyone out there”, he mumbled, “someone to take me for the first time, and make me forget about you, once and for all”. He lied, pausing for effect.
“You’re both ravishing me as if you were a pair of courtesans, brother…”, he croaked, as he grinded himself eagerly into Bi-Han’s hold, “The three of us are rotten to the core, and you know it too”, then he kissed Bi-Han, it wasn’t the furious assault— like the cryomancer would’ve delivered —, nor the delicate worship he would have offered Kuai Liang. It was passionate.
As he kissed Bi-Han, Tomas lowered his hand to grab at his own, ornate, belt, with little effort undid it from behind and tossed it to the side, then guiding Bi-Han’s hand from his cock to the waistband of his trousers, he broke the kiss— a string of saliva connecting their lips —, “Shall we, Grandmaster?”
Bi-Han knew the irony of his own words, the hypocrisy, as if he weren't burdened by the same taboo desires that saddled his illegitimate younger brother, yet for Tomas to point it out was a bold, unwelcome encroachment upon the grandmaster's already devastated pride.
Less offensive were the hands on his face. While Kuai Liang whined at the loss of them on his own, Bi-Han despaired at how pleasant they felt, how they brought out the softer, more docile part of his mind that rendered him little more than a well-behaved cat, eyes closed in near-bliss, almost expecting Tomas to kiss him, but then the hunter just had to speak, marring this delicate moment with words that shook Bi-Han to his core.
Tomas... With someone else? It was a preposterous bluff, Bi-Han knew as much, yet the visual it painted, someone else's hands on what was rightfully his—Tomas, who had Bi-Han's name etched into him all over, in his uniform, his skills, his scars, all given to him, at least in part, by Bi-Han's own hand—lying beneath another?
It was sickening.
"Who-" else could give you what we do, Bi-Han tried to challenge, but the words melted into a sound of pleasure against Tomas' lips, the kiss far different than the one Bi-Han attacked him with—deeper, more intimate, in a sense, and all of Bi-Han's thoughts were lost to it; the sensation of Tomas' tongue against his own. He was so entranced, he didn't even notice his hand had been directed elsewhere until the kiss was broken and Tomas was spurring him further.
Bi-Han blinked as if in a daze, flicked his eyes down, and when they met Tomas' once more, any inkling of blooming submission had vanished. In its place was the sadism he was known for, locked onto Tomas as, in seconds, Bi-Han stripped him of his remaining attire.
"Shall we what," Bi-Han all but growled into Tomas' ear, hand snaking down to wrap around the hunter's length, giving it slow, firm strokes. "Do you want me to take you? Does my little brother-" an agonizing squeeze to Tomas' cock, "-Want to be bred by his grandmaster? Would you learn your place then, or would these treacherous thoughts still plague you?"
Kuai Liang paused when Bi-Han pulled away, looking curiously at him while the grandmaster sat back and straddled their youngest. Even in a moment as intimate as this, Bi-Han kept his place at the top.
Yet Bi-Han's promises perplexed Kuai Liang. At least, until he realized with a faint gasp that, 'Tomas doesn't know...'
Bi-Han preened beneath his brothers' attention, always loved being the center of it, and that love guided his hand down his chest in a slow, teasing display of undoing his own robes.
"No, that wouldn't do... But perhaps I could give you something better. You've never seen me bare, have you, Tomas? You've never earned it, but if I'm to expect your full devotion-" he shed each layer of clothing one by one, now in nothing but his trousers, uncomfortably wet and sticky between his legs, and without hesitation, discarded them as well.
His heart pounding anxiously, Bi-Han glanced down at his own parted thighs, his dripping wet cunt on full display, leaking slick all down them. He took a deep breath, and met his brothers' gaze once more. "-I'll have to show you all of what you're devoting yourself to."
Managing to steal such inebriating sounds straight from Bi-Han’s mouth and prompting him to properly caress his cock, Tomas was sure he’d successfully seized the lead— tough achieved through petty remarks, challenging questions and physical advances.
He was gravely mistaken.
Any trace of growing dominance he’d been attempting to assert abandoned him the second Bi-Han painfully squeezed his erection and teased him with an empty promise of claiming him in the last remaining aspect he had yet to do so.
Much less he expected Bi-Han to offer him “something better” than that, which changed his flirtatious demeanor into confusion. “What could possibly be better than you pounding into me?”, he thought in his stupefied state.
Tomas’ surroundings (including a needful Kuai Liang) became blurred as Bi-Han offered him a blunt, yet striking strip show— Tomas made sure to take in every single detail —, culminating in the thrilling revelation of his oldest brother having a cunt. Now, it all made sense to him and his expression shifted from puzzlement to genuine fascination.
And when he met the cryomancer’s intense gaze once again, his cock twitched, precum spurting from it. “Bi-Han…”, he sighed.
As he looked down to appreciate the view, the hunter barely registered his own mouth watering upon noticing Bi-Han’s drenched, leaking pussy, he gulped hard, and finally made up his troubled mind, “I-I won’t ever think of leaving you again, Grandmaster…”, he whined and, without hesitation, slid down so his face was now at level with the cryomancer’s cunt.
As Tomas possessively grabbed hold of his brother’s sculpted thighs, he closed his eyes and began lapping hungrily against his clit, soft hums escaping his throat. The hunter had never had his way with anyone before, but the act of eating Bi-Han out came as part of a repressed sexual instinct; so much so, he was mindful not to leave a single inch of his brother’s sex neglected, which prompted him to move on from the clit and repeatedly navigate across the folds with adoring care. His legs twitching from excitement.
Tomas pulled back, feeling his lips and tongue coated with a creamy liquid, panting as he looked up with the intent of stealing a glance of Bi-Han’s reaction. His own expression showing a desperate eagerness to be praised for his performance.
“Let me be at your service, forever”, Tomas pleaded, sweat dripping from his temples.
Bi-Han didn't know what to expect. The truth of his anatomy was kept from all but his doctors and a handful of relatives—Tomas not one of them, until today. Bi-Han worried that his youngest brother would be repulsed, that he'd see him as weak, but instead, Tomas just stared at him, jaw slack and eyes wide. Slowly, the confusion in them faded, and in its place...
Was pure worship.
As grandmaster, Bi-Han was admired by many, but then it was his skill, his leadership, that was looked up to. Those weren't what Tomas was pledging to, and they certainly weren't what made his cock twitch with need. It made Bi-Han almost shy, the ravenous stares of both his brothers locked between his legs, but at the same time, he was proud of just how much they belonged to him.
Then Tomas was moving down, and Bi-Han only managed a minuscule gasp before the hunter's mouth was on him. Any words Bi-Han wanted to say were lost as his mind blanked, completely dumbfounded by the sensation of a hot tongue against his sensitive parts. On instinct, he squeezed his thighs together, practically crushing his brother's head between them, and just once, bucked hard against his face.
Bi-Han closed his eyes and focused on the pleasure of slowly, rhythmically rocking on the hunter's tongue. He dug his nails into Tomas' hair, gasped out his name with each kiss to his clit. 'How could I have been so blind as to think him useless?' Bi-Han inwardly despaired. 'He is so, so very... Useful...'
"Ah- Mmnnh…"
Drunk on the sensation, Bi-Han was slow to register the pleasured sounds mixing in with his own. His misty eyes blinked open, searching for the source of them, only to bite his lip at the sight of Kuai Liang touching himself.
The pyromancer's eyes were half-lidded, one hand holding Bi-Han's discarded shirt to his face while the other covered his length in slow, firm strokes, hips twitching up to meet them. "Brother... O-Oh, brother," he gasped, over and over as he drowned himself in Bi-Han's scent and the sight of his beloveds finally, finally getting along. When their eyes met, the adoration in them made Bi-Han tense up, so, so close to- Something, but then-
Bi-Han whined as Tomas pulled away, torn from the brink of release. He wanted to yell, to scold him, but then he looked down at saw the praise-seeking wreck beneath him, flushed and panting and begging to be used...
"Y-Yes," Bi-Han panted, breathless as he took Tomas' face in his hands, thumbed over the hunter's lips, admiring the way they glistened with his own slick. "That's it. That's how you speak to me. You know your place, beneath us."
"With us," Kuai Liang gently corrected, embracing Tomas from behind and snaking a magically heated hand down to rub the hunter's length. "By our side, so we can take care of you, little brother…
Maybe—Tomas considered—he was still out in the forest, laid out on its snow-clad terrain and, perhaps, as he was fading away, he was succumbing to one last, pleasant, messed up dream, which just so happened to be the culmination of his conceptions (and misconceptions) about his brothers.
“What a way to go…”
But he knew in his heart that this was real. It felt too real to be a dream: Bi-Han’s spill on his mouth, Kuai Liang’s warm hand lovingly rubbing his cock and the pain in his ribcage were tangible proof of it.
“Ohh, K-Kuai Liahh-”, the hunter tried to acknowledge the words of the second-in-command, let him know that his words meant the world to him, but all he could do was whimper, grasp at the sheets and buck erratically against the pyromancer’s hold.
So, after Bi-Han praised him for the first time in his life and Kuai Liang subtly reassured him they would never give him a reason to try and forsake them again, Tomas realized consequences no longer existed within the walls of this room.
Therefore, he wouldn’t miss the opportunity to do what his body was begging for him to do.
“I-I swear I’ll be good”, he said to both between pants, then turned his attention to the cryomancer and fixed his gaze on him.
“So long as you allow me to fuck you, Bi-Han”, he dared to ask—or rather, lay out his one single condition in exchange of his renewed loyalty.
The hunter knew it was foolish, something outrageous to ask for, but he had already had a taste of Bi-Han, and while it was delightful, it wasn’t enough. He needed closure.
Softly, as if he was touching an otherworldly being, he placed his hands on the cryomancer’s waist, and devotedly slid them down to his hips.
“Please…”, it came out strained, his own voice sounded pitiful even to his own ears, but after all, he knew it was the proper way to talk to his Grandmaster.
Tomas was being so good. He was always rather obedient, and exceptionally skilled; a fact known by both his brothers, though only one bothered to verbalize it. Kuai Liang always seemed to like stroking his little brother's ego, and tonight, he did so more physically than ever.
Bi-Han was far more frugal with his praise, let alone praising Tomas, but the hunter's breathless pledge to behave had him aching to do so again. The words 'you've always been good' were on the tip of his tongue, but then-
'So long as you allow me to fuck you, Bi-Han.'
That stipulation made both brothers' breath hitch. The vulgarity was like a hard reboot to Bi-Han's system, hand clasped over his mouth in a perfect display of shock, with the added benefit of hiding his bitten lip beneath it.
It wasn't the term Bi-Han would use. Take, perhaps, make love if he was feeling sentimental; both things he'd already consented with himself to allow, but that wasn't what Tomas was asking. He wanted to fuck his grandmaster, no flowery words attached, no denial of just how obscene this all was; a boldness that made Bi-Han throb between his legs.
"So obscene," Bi-Han hissed, exhaling coldly down Tomas' chest as he slid back on him, "Who taught my little brother such foul words? But you did say 'please', so I suppose I can forgive you this once..."
Kuai Liang held Tomas steady for Bi-Han, who was suddenly all too aware of their youngest brother's impressive size. It would be a lot for anyone, let alone a sheltered heir's first time taking cock, so when Bi-Han glanced to Kuai Liang, his apprehension clear, the pyromancer didn't think twice before nodding encouragingly. You can do this, big brother...
He just didn't expect Bi-Han to do it all at once.
"Tomah-hhah-!" Bi-Han cried, head thrown back with the sudden intrusion. It hurt, but he'd felt worse pains, and was more than wet enough for Tomas to slip right in, but the stretch of accommodating him, the fullness, had Bi-Han seeing stars. He looked down at Tomas, his Tomas, as he rose up, and with tears in his eyes, slammed himself back down.
Tomas frequently went out on missions, sometimes assigned to work alone. During these solo assignments, moving between shady hideouts and rundown establishments, he often caught the eye of bold women who would later beg him to “fuck”, “do”, “get it on” with them, and each time, he never gave in–either outright ignoring them or offering them only dismissive gestures. He failed to understand the motivation behind those pleas as he was never interested nor able to see the appeal in the act of intercourse–or at least, with those women.
Now? He felt identified with those solitary, neglected women, imploring an unattainable person to have sex with him. It was strange, but nonetheless, it was an undeniable urgency he now understood all too well.
For that reason, he considered himself privileged once his unreachable object of desire became, in fact, reachable. Bliss washing all over him as Bi-Han subtly agreed to his one condition.
“Please. Yes, always” and the like spilled from Tomas' lips in an attempt to let Bi-Han know he was willing to do whatever fit his Grandmaster’s taste best.
He contemplated in pure awe his older brothers’ teamwork. He thought it endearing how Kuai Liang was always willing to assist and support Bi-Han through hardship, and he admired Bi-Han’s indomitable determination to overcome his own limits. And then…
“Bi-Hah-an!”,Tomas moaned through gritted teeth as he felt his brother’s pussy take his whole cock in without any warning, blacking out for a second.
The hunter barely had time to fully register their first shared penetration when Bi-Han recklessly took him in a second time.
“Mm-Ahh!” Tomas moaned out loudly, unable to control his reaction as he jerked his head to the side. The rest of his body tensing up from pleasure. "Bi-Han is so tight...", he thought.
He slowly returned to look at the cryomancer. The hunter now wearing an audacious expression on his face, but still clearly dizzy. His chest heaving up and down.
“Hah-Are you that hungry for your little brother’s cock, Grandmaster?”, Tomas taunted Bi-Han with a strained, immodest tone before looking down to fully take in the sight.
Blood.
Tomas noticed the faintest trail of blood dripping from Bi-Han's cunt, slightly smearing the base of his cock.
And the world around him seemed to stop.
Though bold and fundamentally ruined, Tomas was still a sweet man who yearned for affection. He quickly reached up, his hands lightly cradling Bi-Han's back, pulling him down for a deep, passionate kiss. As Bi-Han now lay on top of him, Tomas slowly began rocking his pelvis up and down, it came as natural instinct. The hunter hummed, savoring Bi-Han’s lips, which tasted so much sweeter now after realizing he had taken his brother’s virginity.
And just as Tomas had taken Bi-Han's virginity. Bi-Han had taken his as well.
Most knew better than to advance on the infamous grandmaster, but that wasn't to say Bi-Han hadn't received many offers—other great leaders seeking to court him, to give him heirs, for what better alliance than a child of both their blood?
As if Bi-Han would give such lame propositions a second of his time.
None deserved to lay with him, hence why none ever had. In truth, such things never crossed his mind. He hadn't the time nor the interest, and was only reminded of his duty to produce spawn when the clan elders pestered him for it.
'Your father was long wed by your age, Grandmaster,' they so often scold him, always eager to make the comparison despite knowing his disdain for it, but never did it sway him. In his eyes, every bit he differed from the man who sired him was a blessing, but in this moment, his father was the last thing on his mind.
No, the speck of blood in his vision captured all his thoughts. His heart clenched at the sight of it, as did he, around the blissful hunter beneath him—Tomas, the very man he'd despised so vehemently, who was so far from him only hours ago, now so close...
That Tomas had Bi-Han's purity dripping down his length; his innocence, what little he had, given to him in exchange for the hunter's own.
Bi-Han's movements stuttered, overwhelmed by a rush of conflicting emotions. Tomas' teasing remark, that would at any other time earn only a roll of his eyes, now drew a broken, almost startled whine from him, not of regret—certainly not that—but disbelief, even an ounce of shame, for how unbecoming of him this all was, and how much he enjoyed it.
Bi-Han was fearfully aware of his own vulnerability. He knew how easy it would be to abuse it, of how Tomas would have every right to do so. Of course, Kuai Liang would never allow such a thing, and if Bi-Han looked to him right now, he'd find the pyromancer struck with concern, but in this moment, Bi-Han wasn't in any state to do so.
But then Tomas kissed him, and all Bi-Han's thoughts were lost upon his mouth. The brush of tongue against tongue was like an off-switch for his mind, coaxing him back to reality; where he was in his brother's arms, moaning against his mouth. He relaxed into Tomas' embrace, eyelids fluttering with each of the hunter's deep thrusts. On instinct, he rolled his hips down to meet them, and-
"Mnnnh-!" Tears finally spilled down his face, lost in the pleasure of being filled so wholly. He barely even registered Kuai Liang rubbing his shoulders, trying to calm him. 'Are you okay, Bi-Han?' he faintly heard, and forced himself to answer, but with words so far from him, all he could do was attempt to soothe the pyromancer the same way Tomas had him, lips against his own.
Bi-Han only just learned what it felt like to kiss, and already he was learning how different it felt with Kuai Liang than it had with Tomas. The pyromancer was firmer, more confident, drawing from his fantasies on how to make his brother fall apart. He tilted his head to kiss deeper, snaked a hand up to tug Bi-Han's hair out of its bun, and as tresses of black cascaded down his shoulders, Bi-Han quickly realized that if he didn't pull away, Kuai Liang never would.
And even when he forced their parting, Kuai Liang chased his lips. He was always insatiable, spoiled, perhaps even more than Bi-Han—all the privileges of an heir without the strict rules of a firstborn—and that intemperance showed in the way he'd taken to rubbing himself against Tomas' cheek, not a care for the sticky mess left in his wake.
"Bi-Han," he gasped, "I-I need..."
How had Bi-Han never noticed just how perverted his brothers were? A pair of shameless mutts, but his to care for all the same, and in this moment, one was left far too neglected.
"Go on," Bi-Han locked eyes with Tomas, a sadistic glint in his own as he beckoned Kuai Liang to break the poor hunter beneath him. "Sate yourself, Kuai Liang. Let us share the pleasure only our baby brother can bring us..."
Kuai Liang bit his lip. He wanted to, he needed to, but this was about Tomas, and he needed permission, so with his hand on the side of Tomas' face, he looked down to the hunter beneath him, and brushed the tip of cock over his lips.
"Tomas..." A simple, breathless plea.
If the hunter was already high on ecstasy simply from pounding lovingly into Bi-Han, making him his with each motion, then the addition of watching his beloved brothers lose themselves in a heated kiss, just right above him, nearly made him pass out. If they keep it for longer, maybe, just maybe he would have come.
“Ohh, to cum inside Bi-Han…”
Not even in his wildest dreams Tomas would’ve been able to fabricate such a scene. Even so, such wildest dreams consisted of Kuai Liang only—the pyromancer pinning him down, grinding their cocks together, and as his lover found release, smearing both of them with his sweet, sweet load, he huskily whispered into his ear, “You get me off so good, little brother.”
Bi-Han never had a place in his depraved fantasies. And Tomas soon found that he didn’t mind having the man who degraded him on the daily now fucking him while the first, and last, love of his life caressed himself against his face.
Speak of the devil, it was an absolute honor for the hunter to have Kuai Liang deem him worthy of being used to fulfill his perverted needs; to be so desirable to the pyromancer to the point of smearing his pretty face with precum. It was flattering.
But once again, Bi-Han stole his attention, and even if his eyes betrayed his vicious intentions, Tomas couldn’t help but reflect on how hauntingly beautiful the cryomancer looked now: Long, dark, shiny hair down; full and flushed lips from all the kissing; sweat dripping down his face, which did nothing, but highlight his strong and well-defined facial features. In all, he was so lost in Bi-Han’s rawest form of appeal, he barely registered what his Grandmaster said.
Next thing he knew, Kuai Liang was practically begging him to suck him off, pitifully so. Not even giving the hunter a chance to fully consider his options as the pyromancer wasted no time half-inviting himself into Tomas’ mouth, asking was just a courtesy—not that the youngest would have declined, never.
Tomas gasped from amazement, a genuine reaction to the pyromancer’s perversity and his generous size.
“Oh, brother”, he groaned, “I never thought you were so… so”—“needy”—“big…!”, it came out so whorish he was almost ashamed of himself.
And with that, he fully opened his lips, finally allowing the man of his dreams to come inside and fuck his mouth.
As he took him in, all the way to the back of his throat, he couldn’t help, but choke, tears swelling in his eyes. Kuai Liang’s size was too much for a treacherous hunter to take for the first time!
Tomas’ gag reflex betrayed him, forcing him to quickly grab at the pyromancer’s thighs for support and let go of his dick. A trail of saliva connecting the head of Kuai Liang’s member to Tomas’ lips. The hunter looked wrecked.
Still, he wasn’t just about to back down. No, that’s not to say he wasn’t enjoying it, he was very much loving every moment of this, he just needed to adjust.
Tomas was a formidable warrior and he was dying to show his higher-ups that he wasn’t a quitter (Ironic, considering he tried to run away that same night), that they raised him well and was willing to take anything without protest, and said anything also included a double-fucking provided by none other than said higher-ups—his brothers; his savior and tormentor; the very pair that took turns in making a masochist out of him. He was hellbent on showing them what he was capable of.
Why? Because every thrust, every touch told him that he was wanted by them, and it felt impossibly good. This was what he had yearned for so long, he earned it and he deserved it.
Tomas let go of one of Kuai Liang’s thighs to grab at the base of his cock to guide it towards his mouth and shoved it in, a breathy hum escaping his throat. Feeling a pair of hot hands holding his head firmly.
That was much better.
Having adjusted to the pyromancer’s overwhelming presence, the hunter went back to his previous task, his hand releasing Kuai Liang’s length to possessively clutch Bi-Han’s leg, practically manhandling him, as he resumed rocking his pelvis up and down to feel the friction of the cryomancer’s tight pussy again, which he couldn’t get enough of. He had already made up his mind, he was going to cum inside his Grandmaster; no pulling out and not allowing his Bi-Han to hop off—the iron grip on the cryomancer’s thigh a guarantee of that—nothing was going to stop him. Bi-Han wanted him that bad? Then so be it, he was going to give it all to him.
On the other hand, he ambitiously raised his head up and down with the sole purpose of satisfying his Kuai Liang, with obvious difficulty, as his gag reflex threatened to force him to pause again—but this time, he wasn’t stopping. Swirling his tongue around the pyromancer’s length as it dragged in and out of his mouth. It wasn’t a flawless performance, of course, but he was giving it his best. Lovingly massaging his brother's leg as he did so.
And even if he couldn’t talk now, his incessant whimpering was undeniable proof that he was drowning in pleasure, each second more intoxicating than the last.
Kuai Liang tried to go slow, to show restraint. Truly, he did, because some part of his mind still saw Tomas as smaller, more delicate than himself; even if his brother had long since outgrown him, the instinct to treat him gently never fully went away.
But that protective urge was soft, feeble in comparison to the insurmountable wave of lust finally allowed to crash upon his shore, he and Tomas drowning within it, and the intended careful dip into his brother's mouth was instead a merciless plunge, tip to base sheathed in his ill-prepared throat.
"Oh, God," a deep, shuddering groan of bone-deep bliss, not deterred—strengthened, even, by the involuntary squeeze around him, Tomas choking and heaving and tearing up and trying so hard to please him, because was that not what he dedicated his every action, his life to? And perhaps Kuai Liang should mourn his brother's codependency, but-
"A-Are you-" Okay, he intended to ask, but all that came out was another low exclamation of pleasure, and before he could will himself not to, he was sinking back into his brother's open mouth.
Without a doubt, he would've finished then and there if Tomas hadn't forced him back, gasping, reeling for air, chest heaving as he saved himself from what surely felt like the brink of death, and Kuai Liang from an embarrassingly early release.
"I-I apologize, broth-er-!" his voice broke as, with much firmer resolve, Tomas took him in again, all the way to the back of his throat. Legs weak from pleasure, Kuai Liang leaned himself against the bed, nails dug into Tomas' scalp, and it was with a great deal of effort he kept himself from quite literally bursting into flames.
His fantasies couldn't hold a candle to the the real thing, Tomas' warm mouth, his eager sucking, tongue swirling around his length, and- 'Oh, oh, I won't last like this, I'm going to-!'
"Tomas!" Both elder brothers cried out, synchronized even in this, teary-eyed and trembling as they looked to each other, to the object of their pleasures, straining to please them, and doing so to unfathomable success and excess, enough to have Kuai Liang spilling prematurely down Tomas' throat with a full-body shudder.
Under Bi-Han's awe and attention, Kuai Liang pulled back, massaging now down Tomas' neck and shoulders. "I'm sorry," a whispered apology, "You just make me feel so good, baby brother..."
Bi-Han wasn't a sentimental person, he wasn't soft, he was educated and imposing in all things, but in this he felt lost, almost floating. Never had he seen, felt anything like this, and he found himself grasping for something to hold onto, to ground himself, a way to feel even more connected to his loves than he already was—absently he considered Tomas a lover; if he caught himself doing so he'd surely force it down, but he was too lost in ecstasy for that level of self-awareness. He reached for Kuai Liang's hand, was given it without an ounce of resistance, clasped it tightly in one of his own while the other sought that of his youngest brother, found it glued to his thigh. Gently he probed at it, tried to slip his fingers beneath the palm, but it wouldn't pry; stuck there, as if on a mission, but for what?
'What...' Bi-Han fought for focus, realized just how tight Tomas was holding him, how far it was from his earlier soothing embrace, almost like he didn't want him to break out of it, like he wanted to...
'Oh. Oh, God.'
It was with a start that Bi-Han realized his brother's intention—'he's going to... Inside...'—and an even greater fright at his own inability to resist it. Physically, he could, no doubt; if he despised this course of action, Tomas would cease it, for Bi-Han, even in this state of undress, could easily freeze him where he lie; but how could he want to?
He knew, had assumed, when giving himself to Tomas, that it would end this way; had no qualms with the risks, the possibility of a pregnancy, a child. In fact, he distantly considered laying down for Kuai Liang, as well. If he did so soon enough, perhaps he could be blessed with twins from both his brothers? He'd read of such a thing; a singular case, near impossible, yet his gut told him he could, would be the second, if he so desired, and a glance up and down of his kin, their virility on full display, made him clench around Tomas' length in a resounding yes.
"You want to- To own me, Tomas?" Bi-Han challenged, firm, steady rocks in time with Tomas' own. "Make me yours? Give me heirs?"
It was teasing, yet almost a warning. An irrevocable tie, a link between him and his brothers, bound forever through their potential children; never could they leave him, not then, never. 'Like a marriage,' Bi-Han quickly shelved the thought. He wasn't keen on the idea of bastard children, but that was for another day.
Presently, with the hand Tomas refused to hold, he reached for his own discarded clothing, forgotten on the bed. From his trouser pocket he retrieved an incriminating piece of silver, held it in front of Tomas like a prize.
"Or is this enough to bind you? I'd assumed so, but it seems-!" a particularly good thrust broke his words, "-You need something more permanent."
Bi-Han was close now, movements unrelenting as he pressed the lone badge into Kuai Liang's hand, icing over his own as the metal laid flat between their palms, heart stuttering as, without instruction, Kuai Liang obliged him diligently.
Extracted, the badge shone a fiery orange, silver heated just below its melting point, but well above that of flesh. Water dripped from where Bi-Han's fingers met it, ice regenerating constantly to replace all that steamed and sizzled away in a soft, menacing hiss.
"Here," Bi-Han's frozen index traced the spot of interest, high on Tomas' left pectoral, where the badge had formerly resided, above his heart. "Wear this with pride, Tomas. Never again will you lose it."
A firm press of scorched metal for all of five seconds left an eternal mark on him, a brand on his body, mind, and soul. Bi-Han doused its heat in a cold fist, set it aside, and brushed his frosted thumb over the resulting burn to both ease and admire it.
It wasn't the first scar he'd left on Tomas, of course, but unlike the others, this was to chain him rather than push him away; flesh forever raised in the outline of their clan's emblem. Property of the Lin Kuei, it denoted, and consequently, property of Grandmaster Bi-Han.
But while Bi-Han's claim on Tomas was unquestionable, seared now into his very flesh, Tomas’ ownership of him was just as potent; delivering Bi-Han his first orgasm, a full-body sensation that made him clench tightly around Tomas' length and fall into Kuai Liang's arms, calling both their names as a startling, heavenly loss of control shuddered through him.
Tomas should’ve felt cornered, forced to meet this exact moment in time, but he wasn’t in the frame of mind to realize it, all that drove him forward was a relentless mental rhythm of “take and thrust, take and thrust…” and then…
”It’s too hot…!”
It shouldn’t have surprised Tomas that Kuai Liang’s release was hot—not scalding, but enough to leave a tingling burn in his mouth—in fact, it made perfect sense, why wouldn’t it be?
The hunter huffed through his nose repeatedly, fighting the instinct to pull back as he diligently (but not without a hint of struggle) swallowed his lover’s cum, which was abundantly granted to him and couldn’t be more grateful for it for Kuai Liang had deemed him worthy of his eros.
Still, the pryromancer’s gentle attempt at aftercare couldn’t pull him away from Bi-Han, but it did fill his veins with a rush of dopamine, “Anytime, Kuai-”, Tomas sighed in the most mellifluous tone he could muster—sealing his own fate, though he had no way of knowing the full extent of what he was getting into.
There was only one thing left to do: seal his bond with Bi-Han. And he knew he was so close to his goal, and Bi-Han was aware of that fact.
“Heirs” and by extension, fatherhood were both concepts Tomas never fully allowed his mind to dwell on: the loss of his family; his harsh upbringing as an assassin; his duty as one of Earthrealm’s protectors… many factors prevented him from doing so.
Being a high-ranking member of the Lin Kuei came with deadly risks such as hoarding foul enemies who cared little about innocent family members getting caught in the crossfire, or worse, enemies being capable of kidnapping and holding innocent family members hostage for leverage. He wasn’t interested in adding another precarious concern to his already-long list of things to worry about, and most importantly, he didn’t think he could handle the loss of family again, let alone the agony of losing his potential children, which was a thought horrifying enough to bring him to his knees.
But Tomas’ fucked-out mental state kept him from taking his past musings about fatherhood into consideration when he helplessly cried out, “Yes, Grandmaster, Yes! I want you to be mine!”, then, with a growl, he added, “And have my children…! Ahh-“ The single thought of it drove him wild, letting his, perfectly rational, fears burn away in the heat of the moment.
But of course, having Bi-Han—that same cruel and, sometimes, brutal Bi-Han—just take him obediently until climax would’ve been too easy, almost boring, admittedly.
Tomas hadn’t anticipated being reminded of his shameful failed escape attempt right now. His breath hitched in surprise when the cryomancer pulled out what he was searching for in his garments.
His Lin Kuei badge, the very badge that he never thought he would ever see again—now glimmering in all its glory, as if it was instantly renewed after being separated from him—, Bi-Han holding it right in front of him! A clear accusation of what set off this fatally corrupted chain of events and a reminder that no matter where he went or hid, his brothers would always hunt him down. A declaration of Bi-Han’s and Kuai Liang’s absolute ownership of him.
His focused expression faltered, becoming one of unease, his brows twitching continuously under the pressure of both pleasure and disbelief upon realizing what Bi-Han was about to do.
He could only watch in fascination as his brothers worked together to make a branding iron out of his badge. Logically, he should’ve been overcome with utter horror, and truly, a small part of him was, but it was overshadowed by the overwhelming amount of euphoria that washed over his being. A fact he could only blame on his own pain fetish.
Tomas was pretty much incoherent at this point, unable to control the slurred words that slipped from his lips. “Ohh! Mark me, yes! Hurry up! Give it to me. Ahh…!” and so on.
And for the first time that night (and maybe, their lives), Bi-Han laid a gentle hand on him, to caress the spot where his heart resided inside, a sweet motion that proved more than enough to render the hunter quiet in an instant, as if he’d just been zapped.
Just before Bi-Han pressed the piece of scorching silver metal upon his chest. Tomas’ reminisced about everything that led to this moment:
Kuai Liang informing him Bi-Han demanded his presence in the training grounds; Tomas exclaiming feeling out of shape that day; Kuai Liang’s refusal to go against the Grandmaster’s wishes; Tomas obliging hesitantly; Bi-Han providing him with a, particularly, ruthless beating, “Surely, he’s angry about something”; being thrown against the harsh ground, ice shattering around him and the bitter taste of blood in his mouth; Bi-Han nearly putting the blame on him for his family’s death; Kuai Liang’s lack of intervention—something akin to a silent agreement—or what his indifference felt like; the heartbreak; the rage; the desperation, his poorly reasoned plan to escape; the rush of adrenaline as he escaped the Temple, the bone-chilling nature of the forest and… here he found himself once more, in both his brothers’ grasp...
A fervent moan escaped his mouth as Bi-Han, ceremoniously, left an everlasting mark on him—it being both a blessing and a punishment.
Never to escape again.
The floodgates finally burst open, and Tomas came inside Bi-Han harder than he expected, his vision whiting out for a few seconds. Erratically thrusting into his Grandmaster through the remainder of his orgasm, not caring about the mess he made as he dragged his cock in and out. Holding to Bi-Han’s thighs for dear life and a sense of control.
When it was over, all that remained was a wrecked hunter, lying beneath his superiors, hissing in pain and exhaustion. After a few moments of collecting himself, Tomas summoned the strength to reach out for the cryomancer’s hips, his affection was undeniable as he delicately circled his thumbs around frozen flesh. He lifted his gaze trying to lock eyes with Bi-Han.
“Brother,”, Tomas’ voice gentle and raspy, “…are you alright?”
The question so soft and sincere, and through it, Tomas showed Bi-Han—and by extension, Kuai Liang—his heart in a way that couldn’t be mistaken.
And what his heart showed, completely laid bare, was that Tomas, in this and every moment after, was wholly, irrevocably theirs.
Kuai Liang was the first to notice; gone was the defiance his little brother boasted mere moments ago. Now, Tomas had been beaten, subdued, rid of his self-preservation and shaped to see only them. It frightened Kuai Liang, and he would've repeated Tomas' question back at him if Bi-Han's deep, shuddering sigh didn't capture his every thought.
"Y-Yes..." Bi-Han carefully retracted from his brother's embrace, cheeks still glistening with tears, hands trembling as he reached for Tomas' own. This time, there was no resistance.
Only then, when their eyes locked, did he notice the depths of Tomas' devotion. 'You could do anything with me, and I'd never leave you,' that gaze said, and Bi-Han ached with a rush of power; of total, utter control. He kissed Tomas gently, with the knowledge that his brother's lips would just as graciously welcome his fist. "Thank you, brother..."
In any other circumstance, Bi-Han would die before he said such things, but what Tomas gifted him with was close enough; a little death, an addictive fullness—never could Bi-Han have imagined the euphoria of taking a lover's release, but now? He couldn't last a day without it.
He groaned on Tomas' lips as two hot, pyromantic arms wrapped around his waist. Oh, thank God he was blessed with brothers...
For Bi-Han and Kuai Liang, the months that followed were nothing short of glorious. They put little care into the secrecy of their relationship; openly admiring their loves when no eyes fell directly on them. Bi-Han's beratement of Tomas switched to longful mockery, teasing edges and quips; and Kuai Liang's genuine praise had taken on a new meaning in light of their bond's development.
Despite his skills in stealth, Tomas could hardly avoid them—innocent, loving glances, touches, even Bi-Han's occasional appreciation, and the less wholesome; Kuai Liang pulling him into secluded corners, enacting each fantasy in which Tomas starred, or Bi-Han demanding private spar sessions, where instead of bleeding him like he used to, he'd satisfy himself with pressing his knee too low, or growling cruel obscenities until Tomas showed excitement he would make a show of admonishing, "Such a filthy little brother," and drain the hunter like an ice cold succubus.
Bi-Han hadn't noticed how greatly he despised his empty bed until two mountainous men came to fill it. In just one night, solitary sleep switched from preferable to intolerable, and the decision to make his room a shared one was perhaps the easiest Bi-Han had ever made.
Of course, that meant leaving two perfectly good rooms vacant, which, while initially did not sit right with him, was quickly discovered to be yet another great convenience.
Cryomancers were renowned for their fertility, after all.
"Twins?" Kuai Liang gasped, squeezing Bi-Han's hand in his own. "You're certain?"
The exam room was cold, as was the gel on Bi-Han's abdomen, transducer gliding over the once hard muscle, now soft and pliable.
It was humiliating, almost, to lay here like this, on his back beneath the analytical eyes of his brothers and longtime healer; an old, kindly woman, his late mother's midwife and Bi-Han's own personal doctor. Alas, that familiarity helped little in this moment, where Bi-Han felt less like a grandmaster and more like the cat you pity when she comes home pregnant, because what was he right now if not pitiful? Still, the embarrassment for his swollen stomach paled beside his awe for the black and white display of what lay inside it.
Bi-Han saw it just as his brothers did; two small, barely there things crowding his womb, innocently decimating his every promise not to cry. It was his hormones, he told himself; that was it, certainly not joy, or maternal adoration, or the strangeness of harboring life after twenty-eight years spent destroying each one in his path.
Any reservations Bi-Han had vanished in that moment. He could hide his taboo indulgences, but he could not, would not hide his children, nor the identities of their fathers, no matter the backlash, the disgust he'd face in return; no one stood tall enough to defy him.
The clan elders, prudish as they were, were the only ones who dared try.
"I did only what you asked!" Bi-Han declared, pointing in accusation to the man before him; his father's former right-hand, who had never quit his loyalties to the late grandmaster, and parroted all his ideals as if he were his specter speaking from the grave. Without a doubt, of all the stubborn old fools, Bi-Han despised him the most. "You demand heirs from me, and then dare abhor their fathers? What right have you to detest my family?"
Bi-Han thrived watching the wretch struggle for words, for some senseless explanation, squawking lectures Bi-Han didn't care to entertain, all involving, in some way, what his father would have done, thought, said—'but father isn't here,' Bi-Han wordlessly contested all of them, an immensely satisfying truth.
Unfortunately, the blubbering leech made one fair point; how was Bi-Han to wed his two loves when their relationship went firmly against the Lin Kuei's own rules?
Kuai Liang knew his brother's ambition better than anyone, but even he was amazed when Bi-Han single-handedly rewrote the law that forbade their coupling. It was a controversial action to say the least; monogamy was long ingrained into Lin Kuei culture, and the divide upon incest fell heavily to the side of repulsion.
But he was their grandmaster, so what could they do? The Lin Kuei was exempt from the laws of the country, so long as acts happened within their borders, their self-government was the only dictating factor, and Bi-Han held nearly all power over it.
It was bold, it was reckless, it was everything Kuai Liang admired in his big brother—his rebellious husband-to-be. He couldn't have imagined how one night of passion would alter his life beyond his wildest his dreams, but he would never complain, even when his already limited freetime grew non-existent from tending to Bi-Han's every whim. After all, what kind of man would he be to deny his needy, hormonal beloved?
In truth, it was heaven to Kuai Liang. It'd be heaven to anyone, in his eyes, to place kisses upon Bi-Han's swollen stomach while a hand worked to make those lust-darkened eyes roll back. He much preferred their relationship now to what it had been; tense, unsteady waters, always waiting for the ice to break. Now it was more even, settled, as they would be in a few more months, wed and knee-deep in fatherhood.
Never before could he have spent a night of comfort with both his brothers simultaneously, let alone every night in such intimate closeness.
It was one night in particular, an hour or so after his brothers had been exhausted from lovemaking, that Kuai Liang noticed Tomas was still awake. He had been lost in his thoughts; imagining their future, daring for once to be optimistic, and assumed his little brother had joined their oldest in slumber, until he saw dim moonlight reflect off his eyes.
Kuai Liang smiled softly at him. Perhaps he, too, was kept up with excitement for the days ahead?
"You look tired, brother," he softly mentioned, words turning into a yawn as he reached across Bi-Han to grasp Tomas' hand. "Let us rest. We'll miss these quiet moments when the little ones arrive.”
With a kiss to the back of Tomas' hand, Kuai Liang settled both down atop the chest of their sleeping lover, to whom he pulled closer and sighed blissfully into his neck.
No dream his mind could conjure compared to the joy of his waking life, but the comfort of the grandmaster's bed—their bed—and his brothers beside him, never failed to lull him to sleep. So long as he had them, nothing else mattered. From birth, Kuai Liang knew Bi-Han would always be at his side, and Tomas? At last he was truly welcome in their family; a foundational part of it, and loved beyond belief. From now on, Tomas had to feel that. His brothers would make sure of it.
“Am I here because I belong to them, or because we belong together?” was the question that often plagued Tomas’ mind during his moments of raw clarity.
After their little tryst, the state of Tomas’ relationship with them changed on an exponential scale, the oldest no longer acted as if he’d murdered their father, and the other one… Well, the latter unleashed his true, unfiltered salacious nature.
Tomas couldn’t say he hated it, far from it, it was everything he could’ve dreamed of—maybe even better. Not everyone had the privilege to have two samples of perfection in human form crave for them!
But on certain days, it didn’t feel quite right. Something was missing, lost.
“Maybe it’s myself?”
Tomas wondered as he softly traced with his index finger the eternal mark that rested above his heart. Unable to tear away his intense, concerned gaze from his reflection in the cryomancer’s—now (also) his bathroom mirror.
Was he still that well-rounded assassin he took pride in being? His optimistic side told him he was, he had to be! Physically, he was performing way better than before, became even more of a role model amongst his underlings; earned his brothers’ full respect… maybe. What was the issue, then?
“The issue was the cost!” Tomas scolded himself, angrily put on his garments and headed out to tend to his daily tasks in the place he could no longer even think of leaving behind.
He could feel his sense of self crumbling with each day that went by, and there was nothing he could do about it—or rather, he didn’t want to.
It went on like that for a few weeks, Tomas would let himself drown in the mind-altering nature of his new-found life for days, only to come out and gasp for the air of self-awareness on bad days. In the end, none of it mattered. Tomas always allowed himself to be quickly pulled back into the deep by the dangerous duo.
His oldest brother wrapped his legs around Tomas’ torso as he obediently rammed into his cunt. One hand tenderly massaging his chest and the other caressing the top of his lover’s head, fingers brushing strands of dark hair. Sating his own urges, Tomas pulled away from a kiss to reach down to softly nibble and suck on his satyr’s nipple.
It surprised him immensely when a slightly-sweet creamy liquid leaked out of it, almost enough to sober him up.
“Bi-Han…”, Tomas breathed, slowing down his movements, but not ceasing them.
And then everything changed, again.
”Bi-Han is pregnant…”, Tomas bit his knuckle, pacing back and forth in one of the Temple’s many empty hallways, ”And whose little one it might be?”, he asked himself.
It was the most logical outcome, in fact, it would’ve been weird if it didn’t happen, even so, not knowing who was responsible for it was a worry that ate away at Tomas’ consciousness.
But Bi-Han, being the ambitious man that he was, turned out to be carrying twins!
As the trio was told about such a miracle, they understood, in silent agreement, that it was both Tomas’ and Kuai Liang’s doing.
The pyromancer was the first to break the silence, clearly not able to hide his wonder, with good reason. The hunter slightly turned his head to look at Bi-Han from the corner of his eye so as not to make his Grandmaster feel judged and noticed the modest trail of a single tear running down his cheek, forewarning a storm, and in that moment, Tomas could feel his heart grow, more than it already had.
He barely noticed his own sniffing. The old doctor nodded and continued, “Therefore, Grandmaster, you will now have to-“
Tomas made sure to take every single mental note of what the woman said.
So, that same night, instead of doing what they usually did, they talked. They talked for hours on end.
Initially it was only Bi-Han and Kuai Liang discussing things—such as how they were feeling about the reveal, Bi-Han now needing to adjust his lifestyle habits, up-coming responsibilities and the like—with Tomas’ occasional input and nodding. The hunter didn’t feel like he had a say in the matter. In all honesty, he couldn’t stop thinking about one particular what if?
“If one of them looks like me, will Bi-Han want to keep it?”, Tomas thought.
That single question stressed him out immensely and, truthfully, he couldn’t bear the implications of it. Sure, Bi-Han now wanted him around, at least for when he needed him and maybe when he was being particularly affectionate (which was rare, but welcomed on Tomas’ side).
But was his oldest brother willing to keep a child of his? Begging for it in the sheets and having it actually happen were two completely different things.
Tomas didn’t dare express his concerns, so he just agreed with everything his brothers said, so caught up in his emotional turmoil, he failed to notice the way Bi-Han lovingly talked about his future heirs, both of them.
Despite everything, Tomas swore to never leave their side again and that held true even now, no matter what.
But there was one detail the trio could no longer hide or pretend it wasn’t any less of an issue now that Bi-Han wasn’t going to be able to hide the consequences of their relationship.
The incestuous nature of their relationship, which was a topic brought up near dawn.
Still, it didn’t deter Bi-Han from making the bold decision of marrying them both, the cryomancer didn’t hesitate or show any sign of discomfort upon declaring it out loud and proud. Kuai Liang was delighted, Tomas felt a knot in his throat.
Next thing the hunter knew, the Grandmaster bent the rules to their favor.
In that moment, every single previous perception he had of Bi-Han shattered down—he was no longer the cold, ruthless oldest brother who considered him a burden; or the recently sexually-initiated man who saw him only as one of his sex partners—who he saw now was a man that loved him, willing to do anything for the well-being of his growing family.
He was right where he belonged, alongside his brothers, giving himself to them whenever they asked for it, genuinely happy to do so.
“I’m going to be a father…”, Tomas couldn’t stop thinking on a particular night.
He was still scared, of course. He knew they wouldn’t have it easy; silent judgement was guaranteed; enemy clans were a latent threat; he didn’t even meet his own father, how was he supposed to do it right?
His worries had long ceased being about his sense of self and switched to that of a future father, laced with the nature of his role as a Lin Kuei assassin.
But Kuai Liang’s soft voice pulled him away from those worries, Tomas turned to gaze at the pyromancer with half-lidded eyes, and then at a sleeping Bi-Han. “You’re right…”, he said as he exhaled a laugh.
His brother reminded him he wasn’t alone on this. As long as the three of them were together, everything would turn out fine.
And Kuai Liang was right, they had to make the most of the free time they had left before their little heirs’ arrival, so he let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, and fully relaxed into the comfort of their bed.
“I’m here because they love me.” was his last thought of the night.
He had no doubt of it.