Breaking the Rules- Chapter 6
Let's ignore the fact that I said this would be here in a day or two....five days ago 🙃 And just enjoy the content! There's magic and mayhem and all sorts of cute things today! 🪄🎩🃏
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Chapter 6- For One Night Only
You brooded over that morning’s walk as you prepared lunch, having a few moments of solitude as Max occupied the bathroom. He needed to wash the mud and grime off both him and the dog after their mishap in the woods (purposeful on Samson’s part, accidental on Max’s). The walk had brought you closer to Max, and you were confident you would no longer feel that uncomfortable twitch of hesitance to spend time with him. He was easy to be around, funny and charismatic. You considered him a friend, and hoped he reciprocated those feelings- you felt that Max, as much as yourself, needed a friend his life.
However, you still wanted to know more about Max’s past (and by proxy, Al’s too), though you were still unsure if your little recon mission had been successful or not. You had recalled some nostalgic, happy memories for Max, although not everything you had discussed was so pleasant. Those topics of conversation were only to be debated in small doses, you decided to yourself as you loaded the sandwiches with ham, bologna and cheese. Talking about Max and Al’s father? That was a wound you weren’t going to pick at for a little while.
The snippets of information you’d learned from Al about the Shaws’ history had come to you at a glacial pace. True, this was because you were beyond scared in the beginning that a wrong foot or a misplaced question might touch a nerve, which the Grabber might make you pay for in blood. But even after everything, when Al was just Al, he was still so reticent. Unwilling- or maybe unable- to share too much with you about his past. But Max had opened a dialogue without too much effort (and, you hoped, not too much pain). As sad as he'd seemed on the walk, what you’d uncovered in a few hours had been miraculous.
Hearing the bathroom door click open, you dipped your head out the kitchen doorway to announce lunch was ready, only to be met by the sight of Max’s bare ass, uncovered by the small towel he had unsuccessfully wrapped around himself.
“Ma-ax! Jesus- there are ladies in this house you know!” you spluttered, throwing a hand up to cover the side of your face, protecting your eyes from the sight.
“Oh, there are? You shoulda said you had company over.” He hollered back to you across the room. You scoffed and turned back into the kitchen, the image burned forever into your memory now. You busied yourself feeding Samson, who had wandered into the kitchen after his bath, then waited for Max before eating, contemplating whether you should prod a little more today- but Max seemed carefree and affable as ever, so you convinced yourself a few more questions wouldn’t hurt.
However, even though the younger Shaw was more unguarded, things would have to move slowly on your part, and you’d be careful to tread lightly. Whereas Al wore that icy, gruff exterior that hid a softness beneath- one you had chipped away at to find the real man below- Max seemed the opposite. As if his soft, unassuming surface belied a darkness, a hardness within, like a cuddly teddy bear filled with razor blades. You had to be careful to extract the less savory parts of his history without him ripping at the seams and falling apart completely. Still, you were hopeful that getting Max to open up even more wouldn’t be the months and months of work it had taken with Al.
Max wandered into the kitchen (fully dressed now, thankfully) and gave a guilty chuckle, along with a small apology about mixing up the towels meant for him and Samson. He tucked into the food enthusiastically, and things slipped back into that warm comfortability that formed so easily from his presence.
“So, spill. I want to know everything.” you said, a broad smile crawling its way onto your face. Max looked agape, pausing with his sandwich halfway to his mouth.
“Everything? About? Wait, what are we talking about?” Max stammered, his eyes bobbing frantically, suddenly panicked. Was it not obvious you were asking about Al? If not, what else would Max have to be worried about?
“Woah, calm down! I just want to know more about Al.” Max visibly relaxed, the tension is his shoulders dropping as he huffed out a breath.
“Oh, those juicy details. Well, that depends what you wanna know, Scout-” he paused, leaving the sentence to hover between you. You leaned forward across the table, all ears. You wanted to know everything. Was Max giving that to you already? He took a slow bite of his sandwich, savoring it purposefully to prolong the anticipation he could sense in you. But you knew the quickest way to a man’s heart.
“Well, I heard pork chops were your favorite, and there just so happens to be some in the refrigerator…”
“Oh, Scout, now you’re speaking my language. Ok, shoot. Ask me anything you want.”
Not wanting to disturb the relative calm, you decided to ask about Al’s childhood- the good parts that Max would know so well, having grown up alongside him. Parts that Al was reluctant to discuss- he was deeply uncomfortable speaking about himself in any way but through self-deprecation, and despite your best efforts to encourage him otherwise, only his actions towards you spoke of the kindnesses he was capable of. And despite the distance that had been between Max and Al, there was no animosity between them. Al must have been a great big brother. The natural assumption that they were close when they were younger proved to be correct when you questioned Max about it over the breakfast table.
“Oh sure, we were always pretty close, even with what- six, nearly seven years’ age difference?”
That surprised you- you had thought there was about a decade between them- but Al’s stoic, serious expression probably aged him in the photo of them both, just as Max’s small stature and dimpled cheeks worked in the opposite way.
“We were so different, even then. He wasn’t real tough, but he always looked out for me, ya know? At school, in town, and here,” he waved his hand loosely in the air, his meaning clear. Al looked out for Max in this very house, too. A small but obvious silence descended at the implication of that, but Max continued, wafting away the moment of discomfort with his sunny demeanor. “I was the opposite, a bit of a class clown- if you can believe it.”
“You do surprise me, Max.” you drawled sarcastically. Max’s words had reflected exactly what you saw in the old photograph of them- a solemn, serious older brother and his cheeky, happy younger sibling. That could have still been the case now, years later- with Max’s easygoing, cheerful disposition at odds with Al’s outwardly cold, distant attitude. But you’d changed that course for Al. He could still be standoffish (and you knew the darkness he was easily capable of), but you coaxed out the lighter traits in him too- the Al who was playful, kind. The one who was, at heart, a hopeless romantic. You pressed further, remembering that Al had once hinted that he’d learned magic just for Max.
“That’s right, I remember he picked it up to cheer me up! Oh, it was awesome- I never could work out how he did those little tricks. He was always so serious, but for me? Jesus, he’d put on this cape and do these amazing things with cards and coins. You know, the whole shebang- Ok Maxie, pick a card, any card.” Max’s chocolate eyes were alight with excitement, his arms flailing wildly playing out the past scene. “Man, he was the best. Mom loved watching the shows too when it was just us in the house-”
You didn’t respond, but gave a small, reassuring smile. You’d worked out the subtle meaning- that Al’s performances were a private affair, something clearly not approved of by their father. That same sullen silence shrouded you, a cold shadow at the mention of that man. Had it been Al, the mood might have sombered for the rest of the afternoon, but Max had an uncanny knack for blowing right through the bitterness with the strength of his fierce ardor.
“And I didn’t even tell you the best part! You know every great magician needs a stage name, right? Well, guess what Al picked for himself.”
“What was it?”
“Oh god, he might actually kill me if I tell ya, Scout.”
“No, you can’t taunt me like that! So help me Max, I’ll tell him you flashed your ass at me…”
“Oh you little… ah, goddamn. Ok, ok. He useta introduce himself as ‘The Great Alberto’.”
You sat for a brief moment in stunned silence before a wide grin tugged your lips from ear to ear. This was beyond brilliant. Memories of Al that he would have never willingly shared, not to mention the most hilarious thing you’d heard in a very long time.
“You did NOT hear that from me.” Max said, the weak threat in his voice failing to hide the realization of what he’d let loose.
“Oh Max,” you jested, “Where else would I have heard it?”
“Fuck.”
Whether you or Max might get into trouble for unveiling that fantastically embarrassing nickname, you figured it’d be worth it to see Al’s reaction. If backed into a corner, you could blame Max completely, but you were going to ensure you got a ticket to the next performance.
________
After dinner that night (you supposed Max had earned those pork chops after all), you all settled down in the living room. Max lounged on the armchair, whilst you lay on the sofa with your feet propped on Al’s willing lap, his fingers absentmindedly stroking your skin. When Al asked if there was anything anyone wanted to watch (obviously meaning on the television), you and Max exchanged knowing glances across the room, your closed-lip smirks and raised eyebrows daring the other to make the suggestion. Al’s gaze veered between each of you, confusion evident on his face, aware that he was missing out on the joke. Max set up the line for you to knock it down:
“I thought we could see a show tonight,” he quipped.
“Yeah,” you volleyed, looking at Max but cognizant of those cerulean eyes drilling into you. “I heard that the Great Alberto was in town…”
Rough fingertips dug into your shins, a pregnant pause deafening the room. Al huffed a slow exhale before throwing out a warning.
“You two should know,” he said menacingly, “That neither of you are too old to go over my knee.” Max guffawed at that, though your own laughter was a little more hesitant, if only because for you, Al’s threat was likely to come true. Not that you didn’t really want it to, but you worried to what degree Max might see your blush at such a comment. Undeterred, you still poked at Al, prodding at him with your toes, giving his leg a playful kick and telling him how much Max had missed his big brother’s magic tricks. Max’s nagging helped the persuasion and with a gruff sigh, Al finally conceded. You wanted a performance, and he rarely denied his sweet dove anything she wished, after all. He jostled your legs off of him, and with a request to bring him his blue set of playing cards, you scurried to the bedroom to rifle through his box of tricks. You could have sworn you heard Max actually squeal as you scuttled down the hallway.
In the bedroom, you placed a chair in front of the open closet and reached for the large plastic box containing Al’s magic equipment. You glanced beside the box only briefly, taking a quick peep at the masks that resided there. It was funny, you mused at the sight of the magic box and the masks- how different parts of Al were stored here, little compartmentalized pieces of his soul. He could retrieve the box of tricks and easily show that goofy, talented, magical side of himself. Or he could don those masks and signal the commencement of one of your many-faceted games, his wild, animalistic side coming out to play. Or he could leave those things behind for a while and just be Al. Whichever permutation he chose, you couldn’t envisage the Grabber there anymore.
Pulling down the hefty box and placing it on the corner of the bed, you riffled through the paraphernalia: silk handkerchiefs, a wand, felt flowers, metal rings, cups and balls, rope, thumbs caps, dice, a velvet bag of different coins and half a dozen sets of playing cards. You plucked out the deck of blue-embossed cards, reaching for one other object before turning on your heel and back towards the much-anticipated magic act.
Re-entering the living room, Max had relocated to the couch, and the armchair now sat on the opposite side of the coffee table from it. Al had risen and was standing in front of the TV, waiting for his props. He could huff and deflect all he liked, but he obviously relished the chance to perform, and had set his stage for the act. You held the deck of cards out towards Al and as he reached for them, you produced the black top hat from behind your back, holding it out to him by the rim, coaxing him to wear it. After all, what was a magician without his hat? He scoffed and shook his head, but still he took it from your outstretched hand.
With a deft flick of his wrist, he flipped the hat in his hands. It was much like how he’d maneuvered it when you first met him- except this time, it somersaulted its way atop your head instead. This time, he hadn’t asked for you to pass it to him; you’d retrieved it willingly, held it out so he could perform his role, and then enjoyed the feeling of wearing part of the disguise. Like you were part of the trick, part of the illusion yourself now. Al gave his lopsided Cheshire Cat grin, and gestured theatrically for you to sit beside Max, which you acquiesced. Max scooted up to make room, playfully knocking the hat so it sat askew on your head. Al cleared his throat, and you and Max turned your attention to the magician, all eyes focused on him. Even Samson, who had been snoring in the corner, seemed to raise his head out of curiosity.
“Ok folks, here for you tonight,” Al spoke in that grandiose, sing-song tone, “and here for one. Night. Only,” he punctuated those words, a gentle reminder that he wasn’t going to be coerced into doing this again, “The Great Alberto!”
You cheered enthusiastically, whilst Max put his fingers into his mouth to make a piercing whistle, Samson’s barking at the noise easily mistaken for his own canine version of applause. Al gave a quick bow before sitting across from you both, shuffling the cards expertly between his dexterous hands, a kaleidoscope of blue and white spiraling hypnotically in front of you.
“Maxie, would ya lend me a hand?” Al asked as he began the trick, his younger brother selecting a card from the filigree-embossed deck that Al fanned out for him. You noticed a name that both of them had mentioned that day: Maxie. The younger Shaw had used it to mimic Al, an impression of him doing similar tricks for his brother when they were younger. Did tonight somehow transport him back to that time, performing his little tricks to cheer up his brother? The way you watched them together now, maybe both of them had journeyed back, to a time when that old black and white picture might have been taken.
Max watched with glee as the 5 of spades he plucked from the deck was seemingly placed between his closed palms. With some dramatic flourishes and a few waves of his hand, Al ‘replaced’ the hidden card with the Jack of Diamonds he had hovered over the closed hands. Max peeled his hands apart, and the Jack had magicked its way there.
“Holy fuckin’ shit! No way!!” Max’s eyes widened as he looked incredulously at the swapped card in his open hand, flipping it to see if his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him.
You gave a small whoop and a round of applause as the trick was complete. Although you’d learned the mechanics of this particular sleight of hand (fetching Al the blue set of cards you knew housed two diamond-encrusted Jacks), it was still an impressive feat of close-up magic. You were strangely proud that Al had mastered the trick, but more proud with why he had begun to learn magic in the first place, a fizzing warmth spreading across your chest at the sight of the two brothers smiling at one another. The warmth didn’t dissipate when Max begged to know how it was done, Al refused, and the inevitable sibling bickering broke out between them.
________
The bedroom felt peaceful compared to the living room that had been so lively and vibrant that evening, which was both a blessing and a curse. The possibility of how the night might go always depended on Al- not that you were fearful at all. Not anymore. But it was a heady feeling of not knowing which way it could go. Option 1- the serenity and gentleness of his sweet touches and kind words, or Option 2- the thrilling danger of him toying with you. You clicked on the lamps, suffusing the room with a soft, low light. As you began putting away Al’s hat and cards, sorting out the box you’d shuffled through before, the door behind you clicked and his warm body pressed against your back. Strong arms encircled your waist, clasping in front of you as his cheek pressed against your own.
“The Great Alberto? Really?” The words were soft as cotton candy, but the semantics of his question meant an uncertainty for which way this could go. You adored either of the outcomes, so slipped into the repartee without fear of consequence.
“You know Max let that slip.”
“And who charmed that out of him I wonder?” his grip tightened around your stomach, not giving you time to come up with an excuse which was, at this stage, a moot point. He’d already made up his mind on how the night was going- clearly Option 2. Secretly, you were thrilled: if Al chose to be wicked and merciless, the comfort would still follow. It was the best of both worlds. Although, it didn’t seem much of a secret: the way the gasp so easily slipped from your lips and your body moved into Al’s instinctively whenever his firm grasp on your restricted tightly. He knew Option 2 was your preferred choice, too.
“You wouldn’t be prying now, would you dove?” he asked, retreating his head a little so the warm hush of his voice grazed your ear. The question dripped with danger. You supposed you had spent such a long time thinking about what details you could coax from Max, you hadn’t really considered how Al might feel about it all- perhaps because you knew, deep down, that he wouldn’t approve. If he wanted you to know, he’d have told you himself. You’d pondered his question too long, unsure of an answer, and had only half-noticed his arms had unclasped. One remained glued around your torso, finding its way intuitively to the bruise on your hip, recently blossomed into a brilliant watercolor of purples and greens. His other hand had risen to fist your hair in his grip.
“Well?” he yanked down, your head pulling back, your own eyes looking up into quickly darkening blue ones.
“N-no. We just talked.” you squeaked.
“Hmm, you have no idea how dangerous that can be, little dove,” he let go of your hair from his firm hold, resting his chin on your left shoulder as his now-free hand reached towards the box still in front of you on the bed. You watched intently, your rapidly increasing heart rate drawing out fast, shallow breaths beside Al, who rummaged through the box languorously, as if leisurely taking stock of its contents. His hand brushed over what he was obviously looking for, grabbing a small silk square by its corner and pulling slowly, a string of four or five squares, knotted together at the corners, forming one consecutive chain.
“I think that’s enough talking for tonight. Don’t you?” And with that, before you could hope to come up with any witty retort, he balled the silk scarves into your mouth, muffling your gasped inhale and any protests that might have dared cross your lips. Al didn’t need to warn you to keep the gag in, so you clenched your teeth around the silk, silently watching as his hand dipped into the box again.
The rope was next, pulled from the box with purposeful slowness. It was the same type of cord that Al had used months ago in another magic trick, the very first time he had taken your body, made you feel things you never thought possible. Simply holding it in front of you, the rope recalling that memory, had you rubbing your thighs together in arousal. It was the same for Al too; you could feel his hard manhood pressed into your back as he conjured items from the box. With his arms still cocooning your body, he brought your wrists together and quickly tied the rope tightly around them. He tugged at his handiwork once done. He had no need to test the strength of the knots (he knew you couldn’t escape, and you knew you didn’t want to), but it was a continued reminder of the hold he had on you.
Al worked his magic quickly, and in an instant had slid the box from the bed, slipped your shorts and panties from your body, and shifted you to face him, the back of your legs pressed against the bed. Wordlessly, he stroked the scar on your heart, a gentle caress, before roughly pushing into your chest, your body falling backwards and your throat letting out a stifled squeal before you fell onto the soft mattress. Al undressed slowly, his belt unbuckling, his shirt unbuttoning, until there was no more clothing to remove. With each item he discarded to the side, you could swear his eyes turned a shade darker, little notches that signaled the approach of the dark side of Al that wanted to devour you completely. He crawled onto the bed in front of you, and you squirmed backwards as best you could, knowing he wanted the chase, and needing it just as badly. You were easy pickings, already tied down for him, and huge hands took hold of your ankles, pulling you towards the beast. Your hand gripped the headboard slats and you shrieked behind the gag, half mock-terror, half genuine excitement.
He entered you in one wet thrust, right to the hilt. “Ah, fuck, Y/N!” he groaned, a little too loudly for the Quiet Game he had wanted to adopt. You sprung up, pressing the fingertips of your bound hands to his lips, silently reminding him of the need to stay at least a little quiet while the house was accommodating more than just the two of you. He laughed behind your fingers, giving a small nod of understanding, before hauling your arms back above your head, where he held them firm. His other hand slithered beneath your silk top, his thumb brushing a rock-hard nipple before kneading your breast roughly. The breathy exhale that left your nose might have been just as loud as Al’s groan, but fuck it felt divine, the way he could make your body tremble with just a few simple touches.
The act picked up pace rapidly, every sensation an electrifying spark of perfection at Al’s skillful touch; his fingers that moved seamlessly between your breasts, hands that knew every place that responded best to his touch. Him propping each of your legs on his shoulders, finding a deeper angle to enter you. The way his hands gripped your hips roughly, one moving down to thumb your clit in rough circles as his cock drove into your core again and again, picking up speed until you could hardly bear it, slowing to allow you to catch your breath behind the stifling gag, before speeding again to overwhelm you completely, moaning your pleasure in faint, muffled groans as you came for him. And for him, you rocked your hips in time to each beat of his movements, digging your heels into his strong shoulders to signal your pleasure, knowing how your moans affected him, and never once during the act breaking your gaze from his.
He jutted into you a couple more times, releasing the last of himself inside you, but not yet pulling out. Instead, he brought his face down to yours. In your gradual come down, your breaths had been steadying, but those piercing blue eyes still made your heart thump furiously, as if trying to signal to Al just how much he affected it. His gaze descended from your eyes down to your mouth and he smiled wickedly, teeth bared as he moved towards your lips. You readied for the kiss, but instead, Al’s teeth clamped around part of a silk square, and he pulled away slowly, unspooling the colorful scarf from your mouth in a ribbon of blue then pink then green then orange. As he retreated, his fleshy manhood left you too, and a groan escaped you finally- both a sign of satisfaction but also a lament of the loss of his warmth deep inside you. He spat out the scarf from between his teeth.
“I think I like this no talking rule.” he growled.
“So stop talking.” you retorted finally, heaving your still-bound hands around the back of his neck and crashing your lips into his, shutting the pair of you up in the best way possible. More kisses followed, wet mouths and tongues lapping against the other, and finally languid kisses on noses, along jawbones, no part of either of your faces left unmarked by the tenderness. Your mouth trailed the wrinkles at his temples, his brushed against your precious cheekbone scar. Eventually you freed Al from your grasp before he freed you from your bonds, though the two of you stayed entwined as you fell asleep together, a blissful tangle of body parts that slotted together perfectly, bound tightly together with something much stronger than rope.
________
You jolted awake, a sudden sound shaking you from peaceful sleep. A strange sensation crawled over your skin, and you realized the foreign feeling was having nothing touching you- no hand caressing your waist, no fingers trailing your spine or arm wrapped tightly around your body. But a soft rumble behind you revealed Al was still in bed, and you turned slowly towards the noise. It must have been this that woke you- this unfamiliar scene laid out before you. The bright moon allowed a faint picture to form: Al was dreaming. Not just a dream, it appeared. A nightmare. His open mouth displayed almost a grimace as if pained, matched by his eyebrows that twitched in syncopated beats to his eyes which you could discern were oscillating furiously behind closed lids.
“No - don’t - hurt - no - was me” The disjointed words barely formed on his lips, but the half-meaning you could work out from the dreamspeak vexed you. A nightmare, right now? You wondered- you’d had your fair share of terrors since arriving here, understandably so. But those types of dreams had been expected: dark, staticy images of abstract creatures, eldritch, ungodly terrors that filtered through your mind like a grainy horrorshow played on an old projector reel. But that had been so long ago- so long, that you had still conflated Al and the Grabber, thinking them one and the same. But that was no longer the case, and those awful night terrors no longer plagued you. Not now you had the comfort of Al to ease any worries and fears.
So why now had Al begun to suffer a similar ailment? You hoped it was simply the stress of worrying about his brother’s arrival, even though things had started off on such great terms. What was he worried might spill out? You had continued the Quiet Game tonight, though you wondered if Al’s questions about prying into his past were actually more malignant than the playful way he had posed them.
It hurt to think that your actions had, in turn, hurt Al, even if only in his dreams. You placed a hand on his chest, soft and light as a feather, stroking tenderly and shushing softly into his ear. You repeated this procedure, over his whimpers and spasms, until they dissolved, muted and stilled by your nurturing gestures.
Al woke early with the sun, the background chirps of larks and the view of the mountains and sky to greet him, the dawn sky a blithe canvas of apricot and peach. He ruminated over the past couple days, and was fairly satisfied with how things had progressed. Just as he’d predicted, Y/N and Max were getting along. Max could be an inconvenience at times, under his feet a little, but he was harmless- and Al could hardly say the same about himself.
He looked forward to having the house to just the two of them once more, though he wanted Max near, and truly hoped his little brother would stay for good this time, putting down roots here in Denver. The one problem with this, of course, was that the closer Max was- especially with Y/N- the closer more things might threaten to surface. Some of Al’s past had already come to light. Yes, it had been silly childhood secrets, but he had kept things from her for a reason. He wanted no more of her pity, no sorrowful looks or excuses for the things he’d done. He hoped his playful warnings last night had been understood as extending outside the bedroom too.
But it was ok, wasn’t it? The fear and unease was only in his head now. Faded and quiet, but constant, like a television playing pixelated white noise. He supposed that quiet hum in the back of his mind was the thing now haunting his sleeping hours. A manifestation of the guilt and regret at the things he’d done to her, and slowly, the creeping guilt of those worse sins that had begun to plague him more and more. He had no way of ridding himself of those feelings, and the nightmares had retreated eventually, chased away by the soothing coos of his dove- it was always her, wasn’t it?
Her voice was warm in his ear, her fingers running through his hair, over his heart. Whether Al had dreamt it, or whether real life had seeped into his dreamstate, she had banished the nightmares and conjured new dreams of her, and he had slept soundly the rest of the night.
Al looked away from the window to focus on his very favorite view- his love sleeping soundly beside him. Gentle not to wake her, he brushed the mess of tangled hair from her eyes, and allowed himself these free moments to simply observe before the reality of the alarm clock would wake her. Al felt content, and hoped he could hold onto that precious feeling indefinitely.
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