#then he did that smirk and laugh and I re-entered brain rot

[theworld-accordingtocasey]

!??!!? MARK!!?!???

[just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi]

Worth (PT 2) - Nik

CW: choking, captivity, angst, intimate whumper, noncon touch, collar mention, magic whump, it as a pronoun

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Thankfully, the Sorcerer left him alone afterwards. The man even unclipped the leash, to Nik’s delight. He was grateful, but he was equally frustrated. If the man intended on taking it off so quickly, why even bother? The Sorcerer glided around the room, moving from one group to the next with ease. Perhaps he just realized how cumbersome it would be to drag the boy around with him.

The entire room had seen him when they entered anyway. The Sorcerer had made sure of that.

Nik stood by the wall, the opposite side of the room from the other exotic pets. He bristled at the implication, refusing to give it any merit. He was not a pet. He was not trained; he didn’t follow the man around and lean into his hand. And he never would.

He didn’t want to look the animals in the eye. An Alicorn was saddled and hitched to a post in one corner, a phoenix in another. Nik smirked as he surveyed the golden cage.

Mine’s bigger.

He groaned silently at himself, unbelieving at how far he had fallen.

Gods, what would Kia say about me now? Would she understand? Would be angry that I don’t fight back? That I don’t make it as difficult on the vampire as possible?

Nik looked around cautiously. No eyes were on him. He could very nearly pass for a human, simply a human with a golden collar. There were no guards, no restraints that kept him down.

What’s keeping me here? The doors, the balcony is open. I, I could run; couldn’t I?

He tried to take a step forward, but found that his body wouldn’t move. The vow he had made echoed back in his mind.

“I will come peacefully and I will stay.”

He sighed and let his eyes fall closed. The Sorcerer’s addition had slipped his mind. That was why the man felt safe enough to leave him alone; to take off the lead. Nik wasn’t going anywhere.

“There you are little creature.”

Nik wanted to keep his eyes closed. He didn’t want to see the dark hair or the velvet dress ever again.

He should have realized that these humans didn’t care what he wanted anymore.

“I was surprised your keeper doesn’t have you by his side at all times. Has he trained you that well? He must know how valuable you are.”

Ramona tucked a strand of his hair behind his ear, and he shuddered, still refusing to open his eyes. He would take the man, the vampire, anytime to keep away from her. She looked at him as though she was starved. Even now, he could feel the intensity of her gaze over his skin.

“You are, by far, the most interested creature here,” he stated, hand still in his hair. Her fingers traced the braids, felt along the leaves and scratched at his scalp. It was torture. Pure torture to stand there and take the invasive touch, but madness would be a thousand times worse. “The rest of these beasts are so primal. So simple. Even the ones that have magic have a limit to their usefulness. But you? The possibilities are endless.”

It was like her words had crawled inside his chest and rot him from the inside out. His chest was tight and his stomach sour. Nik kept his eyes firmly shut, refusing to cry in front of her. She’d surely love to thumb away his tears and keep her hands on his skin.

“Come, let's look at them.”

She grabbed his hand, and Nik pulled away, frightened.

“I,I,” he stuttered, trying to find an excuse. “I shouldn’t move from where I was left.” His face was hot under the words, but he would take that over being with her.

Ramona smiled at him and draped her arm around his shoulders. “Argamon!” She called sweetly.

A few feet away, the man looked up at the sound of her voice.

“Can I take your little pet on a walk?”

Nik cringed at the term. It hurt to hear, especially how casually it fell from her lips. The conversational tone made it easier to believe, but Nik tried to remain steadfast. Tried to keep it form worming into his brain to stay.

The man waved them off without a word, turning back to the conversation.

Ramona locked her arm around his and started to pull him around the room. She would lean over occasionally, commenting on people’s attire or social ties. Nik didn’t care. He didn’t want to look at the animals on display, but it was either that or the people.

Most were magical, although some were simply exotic. A tiger, collared and chained to keep it docile. Peacocks and deer whose antlers were adorned with jewelry and flowers. Even in such decadence and display, Nik’s eyes caught on a cage in the corner.

His breath hitched.

To anyone else, they were simply little white creatures. Squirrels that chattered and climbed the sides of the cage. There were nearly a dozen in the cage that was used for decoration on one of the tables. Probably the most ordinary of the party.

Not to Nik. Not to those who knew where they were from.

They were from Nik’s homeland; his original home. The Sorcerer had forced them from that place years ago, and Nik hadn’t seen the little creatures since. The sight of them made him swallow thickly, a deep ache in his heart to go home. He wanted to be there, young and playing in the treetops. Unaware of the twists that life would throw at him.

One of the little squirrels wasn’t playing or fighting. It was simply sitting, watching the humans pass by with nearly intelligent eyes. Nik cocked his head, disbelieving.

There were sprites that took the form of the little white squirrels. Nik and Kia used to play with them, leave out food or build little huts to keep them dry and warm. In return, sometimes the sprites would leave them gifts or lead them to fresh fruits or berries.

This one seemed to look back at him, gold flashing over its dark eyes for a moment.

Nik nearly gasped, closing his mouth before anyone could see. They had caught a sprite. They had caught one and brought it here. They clearly didn’t know what it was; how precious it was. They had just shoved it into a cage with a dozen common ones, left to adorn some rich noble’s drink table.

What would happen to them after the party? They looked interesting, exotic, but the least so in this room. Would they just be released? Sold as pets? Nik refused to acknowledge any other alternative.

“Are you thirsty?” Nik, a bit lost in the moment, turned to look at Ramona blankly. She grinned at him, hand resting on the back of his neck over the golden collar.

“Here,” she said, leading him to the table. She grabbed one of the cups to hand to him, but he wasn’t paying attention to her. She followed his gaze and looked curiously at the cage.

He was looking at them intently, nearly making eye contact with one of the little rodents that was sitting still. Ramona watched, taking a drink from the cup herself. So very interesting, this one. Of all the creatures, magical and not, you’re enamored with the white rats?

“You can have one, if you wish,” she mentions offhandedly. The boy wheels to face her, more eager than she’s seen it all night.

“I, I, I can? They’re yours?”

Ramona smiles at his tone, so hopeful and trying to appease her. “No, but the host won’t mind. These little rats are nothing but table decoration. Five for a coin.”

Nik nods, even though part of him wants to correct her. Not all of them are worth so little.

He turns to the cage and slowly lifts one of the wire gates. The other squirrels darted away, chattering at him for invading their space, while the one stayed perfectly still. It watched him wearily, unsure of what to make of the hand that moved slowly towards it.

It didn’t recognize him.

Nik took a deep breath and tried to push that realization away. He was too weak, the reins that controlled his magic too tight for the sprite to see who he really was. Before, when he was free, they could sense the shared magic that wove through all of them. He never had to coax or entice them.

Luckily, the Sorcerer hadn’t re-adjusted the cuffs. They still had the leeway that was allowed for transforming the clothes. It was a pitiful amount, but it was more than he had had in months.

Nik summoned the smallest amount of magic that he could, rolling it until it was no bigger than a small seed. He hid it between his fingers and offered the hand to the sprite.

The little creature perked and sniffed his hand, quickly locating this hidden magic. It’s tiny paw padded on his finger as it surveyed, and Nik thought he might cry. It stiffed and nuzzled around his hand, nipping at his palm briefly.

After a moment, it climbed onto his hand dug between his fingers until it got to the magic. It pressed its paws into it and let it seep into its fur.

The dark eyes shone gold, as did stripes of fur on its sides. Nik blinked, and the patterns were gone, hidden back under the sprite’s disguise.

It recognized him, too.

Nik pulled his hand out carefully, and the sprite let him. It scampered up his arm and burrowed under the collar of his robe, a tiny heartbeat against his shoulder.

“Well! It likes you!” Ramona cooed, drawing a fingertip closer to it. The sprite poked its head out to inspect her finger, but wrinkled its snout and hid again into Nik. Ramona simply laughed.

Nik turned his head away and tried to wipe away the tears as discreetly as he could. It was so familiar, so wonderful to have something that reminded him of home. But it also made his chest tight, like someone was tightening a band around his heart. It hurt. It hurt so see what the humans had done to things like him. They refused to see they’re worth, refused to treat them the with respect that they deserved.

“Well.”

Nik jolted, hand protectively coming up to cover the sprite on his shoulder. The Sorcerer was advancing quickly, his composure slipping and exposing the anger in his face. Nik flinched violently when the man grabbed his wrist and dragged him away from Ramona, from the table and the party.

He was pulled into the hallway, away from prying eyes or fleeting glances. The Sorcerer grabbed Nik by the neck and pinned him to the wall, cutting off his air.

“What did I tell you about tonight, hm? About disobeying me? Did I give you permission to access magic? Did I?!”

Nik wheezed, scrambling to take in any air at all. His heart was beating like a drum in his head, pounding in his chest. The hard edge of the collar dug into his skin, sure to leave a deep bruise.

The man rammed him back into the wall again, bashing the back Nik’s head.

“Well? What do you have to say for yourself?”

As if on cue, the little sprite popped out and scampered to the Sorcerer’s hand. It bit him, and the surprise seemed to shock the man into letting Nik go.

He gasped, sliding to the ground. Coughing through his battered throat was torture, but unavoidable. His lungs spasmed, trying to remember the normal pattern of breathing. The man looked down at him, attention now on the little sprite that chattered angrily at him from the boy’s shoulder.

“What is this?” he demanded. Nik tried to clear his throat.

“It- it’s a s-prite,” he croaked. “They’re, they’re magic; like me. R-ramona said, I, said I could have one.”

“Come now, Argamon. Let your pet have a pet.”

Nik hadn’t seen her follow them, but he hadn’t been focused on much else. He looked up at the Sorcerer, eyes watering and throat aching.

“I’m, I’m so sorry. I’ll never do it again, but please. Please let me keep it. Please.”

The man didn’t answer him, instead reaching a hand out to the little squirrel. It sniffed at him and cocked its head. It pressed forward and nuzzled into his hand, then flinched back. Nik saw that it was confused, but was unsure as of why.

“Fine,” he conceded, Ramona’s eyes heavy on him. “You may keep it. But rest assured, there will be a punishment for this.”

Nik nodded even as he felt cold terror flush his system. He didn’t want to go back in the dark. He didn’t want go more than anything else he had felt his entire life. The knowledge of what was waiting for him was all he could think about, pulling images unwillingly into his mind. He was scared. Scared of the cell, scared of the workshop, scared of going mad.

The sprite nuzzled against his neck and Nik let his head fall back against the wall.

He was scared but this was worth it.

~

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