The chains clinked and groaned as Josh hung limp by his bruised wrists from the basement rafters. His legs dangled beneath him and his head flopped forward, sweat-slicked hair sticking to his face. Every breath scraped his throat, and his beaten body viciously trembled with each shallow inhale.

Through tear-blurred eyes, Josh watched Felix’s footsteps pace around him. Round and round in endless circles. As much as Josh tried, he could never anticipate where the cane would strike next. A thwack to his spine. A sickening blow to his gut. A crack to the back of his legs or a swing to his ass. Welts and bruises bloomed against his porcelain skin, the pain spreading like wildfire. 

All he could do was try to brace for the next blow, to steel himself for the crack of the cane and the searing pain that would rip through him.  He couldn’t stop the sound that ripped from his throat, a desperate cry muffled by the gag, sobs shaking his chest in waves.

A kiss grazed his cheek. Feather light. Delicate. His mind, clouded by pain, couldn’t quite process it. He flinched, expecting the sting of the cane to follow soon after, but nothing. Josh shuddered, his eyes squeezing shut, only for a kiss to land on each one of his eyelids.

Josh’s eyes popped open just in time to see Felix’s hand reach towards his head. Josh squealed, twisting his head away but Felix only tugged the gag free from his cracked lips, a thick line of drool following the cloth. 

“Please-” Josh gasped, but the plea was interrupted by another kiss, this one to his temple.

“You’re doing so well, baby. My prince,” came the whisper, his breath warm against Josh’s face.  “Not long to go now. Don’t go and spoil it”. 

Felix’s hand reached down, gripping Josh’s ankle with firm force. The sudden motion caught Josh off guard as his foot was lifted from the ground, forced to balance on one shaky leg. A cold wave of dread washed over him. Not there… His mind screamed, but his body remained frozen. The tender vulnerability of his foot made his stomach churn. His chest tightened, each heartbeat echoing in his ears.

The cane pressedagainst the soft arch of his foot. Josh could feel the slight curve of the wood, the anticipation hanging in the air, and then-

-CRACK.

The cane collided with his foot with a force that sent a shockwave through his entire body. Josh roared in agony, his body jerking from the impact. His foot felt like it had been struck by a hammer, each nerve firing in agony.

Felix kissed away the tears trickling down Josh’s flushed cheeks. “Good boy. So brave. You wouldn’t have to be so brave if you were a good boy for me all the time, would you, Joshy?”

Josh’s face screwed up, nodding his head frantically in agreement. Just so woefully desperate to comply, to please -  to survive. But Josh often questioned what he’s even fighting to survive for…more torture and eternal misery? 

And that’s when the cane cracked down across his ribs. The pain exploded in his ribcage, a searing wave that seemed to stop time dead. His body locked. His vision blurred, black spots flickering at the edges. Before any pitiful sound could escape, a warm hand cupped his face, and Felix’s lips met his, silencing his scream.

The kiss was rough. More demanding than any kiss Josh had ever had from Felix. It was as though he was drinking up and swallowing down his cries. Felix’s lips pressed hard against his, his tongue wrestling with Josh’s and Josh’s mind went blank. He swallowed every gasp, every desperate plea that had been on the edge of Josh’s tongue.

When Felix pulled away, Josh’s head lolled, his energy spent and anguish consuming him. Every part of him begged for release, for it to end, but he knew it never would - not until Felix says so.

Felix took a step back, admiring his handiwork, eyes scanning over Josh’s battered form with a chilling sense of pride. “Breathtaking. You’re so beautiful when you’re like this,” his whisper dripped with cruel affection. “But don’t think you’ve earnt your rest just yet.”

Josh’s mind was a blur of exhaustion and pain. He was slipping, sinking into the depths of his own agony.  But Felix’s hand returned, gripping his chin and lifting his face to meet his gaze. “Not yet, Joshy. Not sleepy time, just yet. We’re not done here.”