Quiet Nights
cw: implied stockholm syndrome, dubcon touch, vaguely implied/referenced noncon, referenced abuse
~
"Come here."
The training day was over, the dinner dishes were washed, and Shepard was speaking with something silky in his voice; a stone wrapped in ribbon. It was the kind of tone he only ever used at night. A softness that wasn't praise, or an apology for taking something too far, but one that could've been normal, if it was coming from anybody else.
As it was, it was jarring how easily Shepard could shift from cruel teacher to a mockery of a lover, but should he really be surprised? His mentor could go from heartless to caring to proud to cold and merciless in the span of an hour, and there was very little Ander could do to sway that. At best, he could be as obedient as possible and keep Shepard in a good mood, but there was always the chance he'd mess it up somehow.
So far, he hadn't messed up sleeping. So far, he could almost take it as a comfort, if only he closed his eyes.