#I've always said you CAN move to a country - but you can't start demolishing houses with people in them and renaming places

[naradreamscape]

In order to help keeping pressure on the occupation, I'm going to keep sharing news from Palestine. Additionally, I'm going to experiment with ostracizing the occupation through words alone, and we'll see if anything catches on, like how language changed to reflect the intrusive nature of Apartheid South Africa

In my mind, I quantify Palestine as a land of normal citizens indigenous to the land going about their daily lives as best as they can, various indigenous resistance factions pushing back against border shrinkage and hostage-taking, and Western citizens who are immigrating but are mostly really, really fucking weird about it

[casspurrjoybell-22]

Master - Chapter 6b

*Warning: Adult Content*  

Kalem had been slowly building up an appetite and I think he was just about ready for an egg. 

One scrambled egg with the gruel today should be okay, a couple of strawberries would open his stomach right up. 

He'd grown a licking for them.

By the time I'd put his egg to fry, Kalem was making his way into the room. 

His steps careful as he came straight up to me, placing himself next to me as I cooked.

"What is it Kalem?" I question not daring to let eyes meet his.

“It's fine," he replies confidently, his chest puffed out as he stood tall.

‘What the fuck...’

“What’s fine?” I ask while plating the egg.

"T-The l-love," he stutters out making me tense in turn. "I-I don't mind if..."

"No," I say quickly making him frown deeply. "I'm not calling you that."

"Why not Master?" he asks with clear defiance and sadness.

"Because that's a term of endearment."

"You said you cared for me," he replies with tilted brows that showed his confusion.

‘I fucked myself with that one.’

"I do. But still no," I say giving him a slight nudge. "Eat."

He glared at me for a moment before reluctantly dragging his feet to his favorite stool. 

With one more glare of confusion and annoyance, he began eating everything with noticeable hunger. 

I let my own mind drift as I try to come up with the best way to leave Kalem without him breaking down on me again. 

I'd wasted enough time not acting on Diablos' threat and needed to get a move on tracking him or at least breaking down his assets before he had a chance to put all his cards into play.

The first place I'd hit would be the slave house. 

Not only because I knew that's where he held the majority of his auctions on this side of the country but because it was where they hurt and abused Kalem. 

I'd tear that building down brick by brick, soak the soil in their blood and demolish any remaining pieces of it, so not a single soul would even consider rebuilding again.

The problem was getting there when I had a little human attached to the hip.

I couldn't take him, that was out of the equation, he'd seen enough bloodshed. 

I couldn't leave him in the fucking castle alone, someone could take him or attack while I'm out. 

The only and safest option was to leave him with Malcolm. 

The Elf would protect him with his own life and Malcolm would not let a soul set a foot onto his property.

But would Kalem let me go easily, I already knew he wouldn't.

I return my focus to my boy, watching him eat happily with a sheer level of innocence that seemed almost angelic on him. 

He didn't even notice the egg as he ate it, his mind too full of thoughts to comprehend something new.

Once he was done, I leaned on the counter in front of him and took a breath.

"Kalem," I start making him look to me. "I've spent every moment with you since you came here and they've been great." 

He smiles. 

"But I need to tie up some things, sooner rather than later, and I can't take you with me for them." 

His smile fades.

"W-Why not Master?" he asks in a slight whine. "Did I do something bad?"

"No, no nothing bad at all. You've been nothing but good, perfect, you're always perfect," I say quickly, scrambling to banish the hateful thoughts from his mind.

"Then why Master?" he asks again, face struck with anguish.

"Because it's dangerous and I rather you somewhere where I know you are safe and comfortable," I answer with a weak smile. "I can leave you with Arias, if you don't want to be alone."

"I-It's not that I don't want to be alone, I-I just want to stay with you Master," he insists, slipping off the stool and rushing over to me. 

I held my breath as he hugged me tightly, clinging to me like a lifeline. 

He was nervous, the hugs always came out when he was nervous, happy or very happy. 

"I don't want to separate from you."

"Kalem, you know we'll have to separate sooner or later," I reply while rubbing his back.

"I don't want to," he continues, voice strained with need as he began to tremble. "I want to stay with you Master."

"Your safety is more important Kalem," I reply gently. 

He didn't say anymore and just frowned as he detached himself slowly. 

"What is this really about Kalem? Will you tell me?"

He gnawed on his lip once more, balancing on the line of truth and fake responses.

"You are the first person who's ever been nice to me Master. To care for me so much and not hurt me at all. It's strange and different, b-but I think I-I like it and I don't want to lose you, Master," he finishes honestly making my heart leap at his words.

If I wasn't careful, I'd find my lips on his and my hands delivering pleasure all over that seductive, little body.

"You won't," I whisper but he shakes his head.

"Then let me come with you," he offers as he draws closer once more. "I'll be good, I promise. I won't make a sound Master."

"You're always good," I say with a chuckle as I caress his face with both my hands, my thumb sweeping over the smooth skin over his cheeks. "You're perfect." 

He blushes deeply for me making my hands warm slightly at the feeling. 

"That's why I don't want to taint you."

‘He won't go easily, this wasn't working.’

"No more arguing. Here or Arias. Choose," I say pulling my hands away as I take a step back. 

Hurt floods his gaze along with slight panic as he stands stranded and confused. 

There was no way in hell I was letting him stay in the castle alone but I needed to give him the option of choice. 

Even though I knew he'd pick Malcolm's home.

"M-Master I..."

"Choose Kalem or I'll choose for you," I reply a bit sterner than usual.

"Arias," he mumbles, his eyes downcast to the floor so he was no longer looking at me.

"Okay, we'll leave in twenty," I say before turning and leaving before he could change my mind or before I caved into him.

‘Yet again.’

                                                      ******

The drive to Malcolm's was tense and awkward. 

Kalem wasn't his usual talkative self, in fact, he didn't say a single word. 

He didn't ask questions about the outside world that he was previously so fascinated by, didn't ask questions about me or try to hug me even despite the resistance of the seatbelt. 

Instead, he kept his eyes on his lap, playing with his fingers anxiously with a deep frown distorting his beautiful face.

When we pull into Malcolm's estate, I park the car and lean into the seat before turning to face Kalem. 

His eyes remained down, keeping his silence as he had been since the kitchen.

"Kalem," I start but he doesn't move to give me his attention. "Kalem, look at me please."

Nothing.

"It won't be so bad," I try but his silence doesn't falter.

Instead, he shot me a glare before getting out of the car and walking to the front door.

Did he actually just glare at me? Did Kalem just glare at me?!

I got out after him, following him completely bewildered that he was so upset for something so simple. 

Before I can conjure up a response, the door swung open revealing a naked Arias. 

The Elf gave me a smug look before smiling down at Kalem who didn't seem to even notice his friend's nudity.

‘Why the hell is the Elf naked? And how did Malcolm get it done?’

"Come here," he offers softly, hugging my Kalem like some ugly, mother hen. 

My eyes twitched slightly to see his arms wrapped around my boy through his nudity. 

"Kalem," I try but he just hides his face in Arias' chest. 

I release a frustrated sigh as frustration and anger pumped furiously into my veins. 

"I'll be back soon, I promise."

With that, I turn and make my way to my car. 

Driving away without so much as glancing back, knowing if I saw him in a distressed state for too long I'd return immediately to comfort him.

I curl my fingers around my steering wheel tightly, trying to transmit a fraction of the anger that flooded my veins into something else. 

I was angry that Kalem was mad at me but that just added to the rage that'd been building for the past two weeks. 

Not because of Kalem but because of everything he knew and seen, everything he knew before me was dark, unforgiving and merciless. 

I was both of those things but I'd made it my mission to never direct those parts of me to him.

I'd only shown him kindness and the parts of me that weren't as dark as the rest. 

His actions reflected the horrors he endured perfectly, the fear returned to his eyes within seconds every time I raised my hand a bit too high or I was just a little upset, he'd find himself on his knees begging then. 

It also showed through his relentless need to please me, something that I feared would never fade. 

Nobody, even the most fucked of us all, should want to please anyone more than themselves. 

It was selfish but true, he needed to love himself and serve himself, not the highest bidder, which happened to be me.

That was what made me more bitter than anything else, knowing that his feelings to me were nothing more than a slave trying to please their Master. 

Knowing that he'd behave the same way with anyone who bought him that night if I hadn't broken his chains from him.

He may be my world but I wasn't really his, not truly.

The drive was long and silent. 

I'd always been a fan of silence, for as long as my memory took me, I'd always preferred a quiet space over any other. 

But now, for a reason all to clear to me, I hated it. 

I hated that I couldn't hear the soft thumping of Kalem's resilient heart or his little gasps at things that shocked him that I'd come to take for granted, like a bird in the sky or a man with grocery bags. 

I hated not hearing him, not having him around. 

But it was for the best.

Kalem had already seen enough tragedies in his life. 

I could only imagine what his poor soul had been exposed to at a young age and I didn't want to add to that in any way. 

A massacre would be an understatement for what I had planned for Diablos, he didn't need to see that side of me. 

The last thing I needed in my life was Kalem fearing me.

That would destroy me.