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“Please, Than? Please? Just the one time, I wanna know if it works!”
Thanatos continued to glare at Zagreus over his morning cup of coffee. In some ways, Zagreus couldn’t blame his boyfriend for doubting this current obsession of his. It was, frankly, a ridiculous ask. But ever since he had read an article about it, he just had to know if it was real.
“Why don’t you do it yourself, then get back to me?” Thanatos countered, face impassive.
“Nooo,” Zagreus whined, bouncing slightly in his chair and pouting. Sometimes pouting worked on Than, and sometimes it backfired horribly. He was really hoping that today was a day it worked. “It’s something I wanna try with you! That way we both get something out of it!”
Thanatos rolled his eyes at that. “Let me get this right. You want me to eat a diet of salads and citrus fruit, and only that, for the next three or four days. You want me to give up coffee in favor of only water for that time, all in the hopes that when you blow me, my semen will taste less bitter and salty?”
“Exactly!” Zagreus chirped.
“Again, why don’t you want to test this yourself before you put me through a diet that is sure to make me extremely irritable?”
“Well, it’s not like you don’t already eat those things! You’d just need to eat only those for the next couple of days. And give up coffee.” The last sentence was said in a rush, words slurring together. He knew how much Than and his twin relied on coffee to get through the day. It was basically the only way they knew how to tolerate life.
“Energy drinks?”
“Nope, can’t have those.”
“Alcohol or weed to numb the fact that I might strangle you during this time without caffeine?”
“Uhh...no, you can’t have those, either?”
“Zag.” Thanatos was using that tone again. The one where he’s just about to give in but is extremely annoyed that he’s going to. Zagreus perked up a little, hope starting to alight in his chest. “If I do this, you're going to owe me. You understand that, right?”
Zagreus nodded enthusiastically. Whatever Than would want to make this request even was perfectly fine with him. “I won’t even fight you on whatever you decide on. No questions asked!”
Thanatos groaned, covering his face with his hands. “I seriously can’t believe I’m agreeing to this. Fine, I’ll do it.”
Zagreus practically leaped over the kitchen table to give his surly boyfriend the biggest hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” However, when he reached for the coffee mug, Thanatos grabbed his arm.
“Starting tomorrow. You’re not going to deprive me of my coffee today after springing this on me right before I have to go to work.”
***
When Thanatos came home that evening, it was to a kitchen full of groceries and overly energetic Zagreus making a mess of the lot.
“What’s all this?”
“Food prep! That way you don’t have to think about what’s in the diet, you just eat the stuff I give you,” Zagreus said cheerfully as he horribly butchered a pineapple. There were three more on the counter along with plums and salad ingredients.
“You’re taking this incredibly seriously, you realize that, right?” Thanatos dropped his work bag on the couch before giving Zagreus a kiss on the cheek.
“Of course, it’s like an experiment!” He somehow deconstructed the pineapple into manageable and not entirely unappetizing chunks. Zagreus quickly placed them in a plastic container and set it in the fridge before turning his attention to the salad.
“An experiment, you say,” Thanatos hummed, wrapping his arms around Zag’s waist. Zagreus leaned back, pressing the majority of his weight onto his much taller partner. “So if this is an experiment, I guess that means you’re going to have to go without sex while this is going on. In order to have some means of clean data.”
Zagreus froze, dropping his knife on the cutting board. “Now, wait a second, that wasn’t what I meant…”
Thanatos cut him off with a kiss, swallowing whatever retort Zagreus had been about to say. When he broke it off, Zagreus leaned in for more but was halted by a boop on his nose.
“I’m just playing by your rules,” Thanatos hummed, releasing his boyfriend. “You wanted an experiment, you got one.”
Zagreus sighed, rubbing his hand on the back of his head. Thanatos always did like to have the final say in things, and he definitely didn’t do things half-assed.
It was going to be a long four days.
***
Thanatos had stuck to the agreed-upon diet as Zagreus had requested. He had also kept his word on no sex during that time, causing Zagreus’ anticipation to reach a boiling point by the time the fourth day had come around. When Thanatos opened the front door that evening, Zagreus had pounced, slamming his boyfriend into the closed door as he wrapped his legs around his waist, kissing hungrily.
“That riled up?” Thanatos panted when they finally separated, Zagreus nuzzling into Than’s neck.
“I wanna know if it worked,” Zag whined, nipping lightly at Thanatos’ neck before moving to his earlobe, taking care to not pull the piercings there. “Come on, you’ve been so good about this, it’s time for your reward.”
Zagreus slipped off Thanatos’ waist and knelt on the entryway tile, deftly undoing Than’s fly. He pulled Than’s pants and underwear down just enough to free his cock, noting that it was already half-hard. Thanatos let out a gasp when Zagreus licked a stripe from base to head, carefully working the length until it was fully erect. He looked up at Thanatos, grinning wickedly as he lapped at the slit, watching as his boyfriend bit his palm to quiet his groans.
He wrapped his mouth around the head, allowing his tongue to lap at the underside briefly before relaxing his throat and taking all of Thanatos in one fell swoop. Zagreus hummed delightedly at the groan from above. He would have drawn the whole thing out more, but he was too eager to know if the experiment had worked. Hollowing his cheeks, he began energetically bobbing his head, pausing only to roll his tongue around the head before diving back in. Thanatos placed a hand on his head, lightly pulling his hair just the way he liked it. The tingles on his scalp just increased his fervor, and in what felt like no time at all, he heard Thanatos’ pants get heavier and louder.
“Zag...” Thanatos managed to groan out, the only warning Zagreus had before he came. Zagreus swallowed eagerly, milking Thanatos dry as he tried to detect any changes in his boyfriend’s taste. Unfortunately, though, his tastebuds were overwhelmed with Thanatos’ usual taste of slightly bitter salt. It had never been that Zagreus hated it, far from it, but rather he had been curious if such a thing could be changed.
He released Than’s cock with a pop, unable to hide a dejected look from Thanatos’ ever-observant eyes. “Well, I guess it didn’t work, after all,” Zagreus sighed, resting his cheek on Than’s thigh. He felt a hand carding through his hair sympathetically. Thanatos shifted and dropped down to Zagreus’ level, giving him a reassuring hug and kiss.
“Even if it didn’t work, there are definitely worse ways to come home,” Thanatos offered, lifting Zag up to standing. Zagreus helped pull up Than’s underwear and pants, no longer in the mood to do much more. “Hey,” Thanatos cupped Zagreus’ cheeks, placing feather-light kisses on his eyelids, “Don’t get hung up on it, alright? Not everything you read online works.”
Zagreus nodded, despite knowing that letting it go was easier said than done.
***
Zagreus sulked through dinner, much to Thanatos’ chagrin. He couldn’t help it, though. He really thought it should have worked based on the articles he’d read, but he felt like he was forgetting something.
While they were snuggled up on the couch unwinding from the day, it hit him. Zagreus struggled up, doing his best to straddle Thanatos without toppling off the couch.
“Something wrong?” Thanatos nearly dropped the book he had been reading, surprised by Zagreus’ sudden movement.
“When you said no sex, did you also not jerk off the past few days?” Zagreus asked, hands on either side of Thanatos’ head.
“Zag, you were with me almost the entire time, when would I have done that? In the bathroom stall at work?”
Setting aside office bathroom sex to discuss at a later date, Zagreus put his full body weight behind a kiss, causing Than’s lip to bleed slightly from the force.
“Mmph! Zag, what…?”
“That has to be it!” Zagreus trilled, already biting and sucking at Thanatos’ neck. His boyfriend made a confused sound, so he added, “You hadn’t cleared the old stuff out, so of course it would have tasted the same!”
“So you want to suck me off again? I’m not complaining, but if it’s the same again will you please promise to drop this?” Thanatos was panting already as Zagreus nipped and licked his way down Than’s chest, lifting his shirt for better access. He was feeling better about his conclusion, and as such was taking a bit more time as he left marks all across Thanatos’ chest. He gave a swift bite to a pierced nipple, causing Thanatos’ back to arc in pleasure.
“I solemnly promise I will forget all about this experiment if your semen tastes the same when you fuck my face until I choke,” Zagreus purred, keeping eye contact as he licked the other nipple. He felt Thanatos’ breath hitch, and, smiling, he felt that Than was fully aroused. He ground his hips down to feel it against his own cock before he shifted back, tugging down the sweatpants Thanatos had changed into before dinner.
Maintaining eye contact all the while, he lapped at the slit, cleaning it of the precum beading there. Making sure that Than was watching, he sucked on two of his fingers, moving them in and out of his mouth as suggestively as he could while still pumping with his other hand. When he felt they were wet enough, he lapped at Than’s cock again, circling his fingers around his entrance. As he took his head in his mouth, Zagreus slipped a finger in. He moved his head slowly down the shaft, allowing Thanatos time to adjust before slipping the second finger in.
He could feel Thanatos’ hands grabbing his hair. Zagreus knew that this combination drove Thanatos to lose his self-control, and he relaxed his throat. He bobbed his head, still taking his time, and began to scissor and pump his fingers in and out. When he knew his throat had relaxed enough, he crooked his fingers just so, and Thanatos violently thrust into his mouth, his cock colliding with the back of Zagreus’ throat. The force caused Zagreus to remove his hand from Thanatos and use both to brace himself against his thighs.
Thanatos’ grip on Zagreus’ hair got even tighter, bordering on the pleasure-pain threshold. He repeatedly thrust up into Zagrue’s mouth, fucking his throat raw in a way that Zagreus loved, causing the smaller man to hum in pleasure.
“Zag, keep humming like that, and I’ll cum,” Thanatos growled, giving a sharp pull on Zag’s hair. In response, Zagreus locked eyes and hummed again. Thanatos let out a feral growl and thrust up with all the force he had in his body, releasing his seed straight into Zagreus' throat.
And, Zagreus was pleased to note, he had been absolutely right. This time, the cum tasted sweeter, a faint hint of the fruit Thanatos had been dutifully consuming the past couple of days. He let Than ride out his second orgasm of the night, only letting his sore jaw move when Than let go of his hair.
With a wet pop, Zagreus smirked up at his boyfriend. Thanatos, understanding the meaning of the smirk, pulled Zagreus into a deep kiss, his tongue pushed against Zagreus' in an attempt to taste.
"Well, I'll be damned," Thanatos muttered, breaking the kiss. Zagreus flopped on top of him, giggling and wiggling in joy at being right. Thanatos chuckled, placing a kiss on Zagreus’ head. “Do you feel better now? Validated?”
“Uh-huh,” Zagreus sang, twirling a finger in Thanatos’ hair. “Could we maybe try doing that again in the future?”
“We can negotiate that after you fulfill your end of the deal,” Thanatos countered, still petting Zagreus’ head as he reached for his work bag.
“What, you mean the face fuck wasn’t it?” Zagreus pouted, knowing full well it wasn’t.
“Nope, that was just a perk. Your end of the bargain is this.” Thanatos held up a box, gesturing for Zagreus to open it.
Zagreus carefully got off Thanatos’ chest and slid to the floor, taking the box with him. He gazed quizzically up at Than as he undid the tape. Lying in the box, perfectly positioned on a velveteen insert, was a cock cage.
Thanatos leaned down and gave Zagreus a peck on the cheek, a dangerous glint in his eyes.
“Four days,” he said, holding up fingers to emphasize, “That’s what you get for depriving me of coffee for that long.”
Zagreus felt the color drain out of his face as Thanatos laughed, pulling up his sweatpants. He affectionately flicked Zagreus’ forehead as he got off the couch to shower.
“Aren’t you being a bit unreasonable here?” Zagreus called out, eyes fixed on the cage and a quiet heat forming in his stomach.
“Coffee, Zag.” Thanatos’ tone was low and serious. He really did love his coffee.
It was going to be an extremely long four days.