Obsidian was alive with sound and shadow. Bass throbbed through the floor, lights washing leather, latex, and bare skin in crimson and blue. The rooms full with perfume and warm skin, torn by the occasional crack of a whip somewhere deeper in the club.

Melvin nodded to the bouncer on his way in.

“All right, Mel?”

“Not bad, mate. You?”

A grunt was the only reply.

At reception, he collected his usual black, striped wristband. Dom, unavailable. The club’s colour-code system was a clever one—black for Dom, white for sub, yellow for switch; striped for taken, dotted for open to scene. No need for shouting boundaries over music.

Through the main lounge, he took in the shifting atmosphere. A leather-kilted bear of a Dom clapped a heavy hand on his shoulder. “Melvin. Causing trouble tonight?”

“Only the good kind.” Melvin returned with a faint smirk.

A sub with bubblegum-pink hair darted over, squeezing his arm, eyes bright. “Sir, you’re doing the pet play demo, right?”

“That’s the plan,” he said, ruffling her hair and earning a playful scowl before she scampered back to her friends.

Another Dom nodded to him from across the room; Melvin returned it with the ease of someone trusted, known. Mentor, friend, handler—his reputation preceded him.

At the prep table, the noise of the club faded into a background thrum. He laid out the gear: a selection of soft-lined collars, each with a matching leash; a set of paw mitts; a plush tail plug for the braver participants; knee pads for crawling; and a shallow ceramic bowl with water for the end of the scene. Everything polished, clean, and laid out in careful order.

Pet play wasn’t just about props. It was about pulling someone into a headspace where they believed in their new skin—whether that skin was playful pup, aloof kitten, or obedient bunny. His demo would walk the audience through guidance, posture training, feeding rituals, and the subtle balance between firm correction and indulgent praise.

He glanced up from the table, scanning the lounge. His eyes settled on someone. Someone new. Alone, still, watching the ebb and flow of the club with quiet focus. A dotted wristband caught the light—available.

Melvin’s lips curved faintly. Without looking away, he flagged the bartender and murmured a single word. A drink slid onto the counter. He tapped the bar once and mouthed to the newcomer across the room: On me.

Then he melted back into the horde, heading toward the demo space.

He was planning to circle back later, see if they’d taken the bait, when a familiar figure stepped into his path.

“Hey,” Melvin said evenly, though the sight of his ex soured the warmth in his gut. “Ready for tonight?”

Jason scoffed. “No. We’re not doing your little puppy parade.”

Melvin’s brow arched. “You confirmed. We negotiated limits, safewords, the whole lot.”

“I said I’d think about it.” Jason’s tone had that petulant edge Melvin remembered too well.

“You confirmed over text two days ago, Jason.”

"Yeah, well," Jason’s lip curled, “my Dom doesn’t want me playing with you anymore. Says it’s confusing. Doesn’t want me slipping into your headspace.”

Melvin folded his tattooed arms. “A boundary he didn’t care about last week.”

“God, you’re so clinical.” Jason spat, the words designed to sting. “No wonder I dumped you—you can’t just feel anything. Always dissecting, never living.”

It landed where Jason wanted. Their breakup hadn’t been a fight—it had been sudden and empty. Jason had walked out the night he’d found someone rougher, more impulsive. Melvin hadn’t stopped him. But it still ached, even now.

“Look, just find someone else,” Jason said with a theatrical sigh. “I’m not in the mood to be your show pony tonight.” And then he was gone, swallowed by the crowd.

Melvin stood a moment longer, jaw tight, chest heavy. The itch for another 'last' cigarette stirred at the back of his mind.

He exhaled through his nose and began the hunt for a replacement. Three subs—trusted, experienced—were asked. One was exclusive, one wasn’t into pet play, one was booked for a scene already.

Which left—

“Jason bailed,” he told Anya, who was perched at the bar, eyes fixed on a flogging scene.

“Because his new Daddy’s a possessive twat?” she said without looking away, then raised her glass in a mock toast. “Shocking.”

“I need a sub.”

She finally glanced at him, brow arched. “You need a unicorn. Go flutter those big blue eyes at some curious bastard. You’ll work it out.”

He didn’t answer. Just turned away, frustration knotting in his gut.

The demo room was quieter, the club’s pulse muted here. Melvin dropped onto the leather sofa, elbows braced on his knees. He dragged his hands down his face, letting the mask of composure slip for just a moment. Shoulders sagged under the weight in his chest.

So lost in the spiral of the night’s failure, his famed observational skills had deserted him. He didn’t notice the other body on the sofa, nursing a drink.

Only the rasp of his own voice broke the quiet, low and bitter.

“…Fuck. What the hell am I meant to do now?”

Obsidian was alive with sound and shadow. Bass throbbed up through the floor, lights cut in crimson and blue over leather, latex, and sweat-slicked skin. Perfume and conversation drifting through the area, the sharp crack of a whip occasionally splitting the murmur.

He nodded to the bouncer, who grinned. “Alright, Mel?”

“Not bad, mate. You?”

A grunt was the only reply needed. At reception, he collected his usual black, striped wristband. Dom, unavailable. The club’s simple colour-code system was its genius—a silent language of roles and consent that cut through the noise. Black for Dom, white for sub, yellow for switch; striped for taken, dotted for open to an approach.

As he moved through the main lounge, the atmosphere shifted around him. A bear of a Dom in a leather kilt clapped a heavy hand on his shoulder. “Melvin. Causing trouble tonight?”

“Only the good kind.” Melvin returned with a faint smile.

A sub with bubblegum-pink hair darted in, squeezing his arm. “Sir, you’re doing the demo, right?”

“That’s the plan,” he said, ruffling her hair that earned him a playful scowl. She scampered back to her friends.

Another Dom gave him a respectful nod; he returned it with the ease of someone both trusted and well-known. Mentor, friend, mental sadist—his reputation traveled ahead of him.

At the prep table, the noise receded. Melvin laid out his tools with precision. Beneath a towel in the cooling tray, the thick glass rods hissed faintly. They looked harmless. But pressed blindfolded against skin, the cold edge would mimic a knife; the slow trickle of condensation would convince the mind of blood.

It wasn’t the trick that mattered—it was the belief. A sub’s mind finishing the story was always more intoxicating than any cut could ever be.

He glanced up from the tray, scanning the lounge. And his eyes snagged on someone. Someone new. Alone, still, watching the room with a quiet intensity. Their dotted wristband noticeable under the light. Available.

Melvin’s lips curved faintly. Without breaking eye contact, he flagged the bartender and spoke a single word.

A drink landed on the counter, he tapped the bar once and mouthed to the newcomer across the room: On me.

Then he was gone, melting back into the crowd, heading toward the demo space. He planned to circle back later, see if they'd taken the bait, when a familiar frame blocked his path.

“Hey,” Melvin said, voice even though the sight of his ex soured his gut. “Ready for tonight?”

Jason scoffed. “No. We’re not doing your head-shrinking routine.”

Melvin’s brow arched. "You confirmed. We negotiated limits, safewords, the whole lot."

“I said I’d think about it.” Jason’s tone was all sharp edges, petulant in a way Melvin remembered too well.

“You confirmed over text two days ago, Jason.”

"Yeah, well," Jason's lip curled. “My Dom doesn’t want me playing with you anymore. Says it’s confusing. Doesn't want me getting your voice in my head, whispering all that psycho-analytical shit.”

Melvin’s arms folded, tattoos shifting with the motion. “A boundary he didn’t care about last week.”

“God, you’re so clinical.” Jason spat, the retort meant to draw blood. “No wonder I dumped you—you can’t just feel anything. Always dissecting, never living.”

The words hit like they were meant to. Their breakup hadn’t been loud; it had been sudden, hollow. Jason had walked away the moment he’d found someone flashier, rougher, more immediate. Melvin hadn’t fought it. But it still ached, even now.

“Look, just find someone else,” Jason said with a performative sigh. “I’m not in the mood to be your art project.” He turned and was gone before Melvin could further argue.

For a long second, Melvin stared after him, his expression barely moved, but the muscles in his jaw were rigid. A dull, cold pressure in his chest. Craving a cigarette he keeps telling himself is the last one.

He exhaled, steady but heavy, and started looking for alternatives.

Three subs, all trusted. One exclusive, one uninterested, one already booked. No luck. Which left—

“Jason bailed,” Melvin told Anya, who was perched at the bar, eyes fixed on a flogging scene.

“'Cause his new Daddy’s a possessive twat?” she said flatly, then raised her glass in a mock toast. “Shocking.”

“I need a sub.” he said simply.

She finally glanced at him, one brow arched. “What you need is a miracle. Go bat those big blue eyes at some poor curious bastard. You’ll figure it out.”

He didn’t answer. Just turned away, frustration coiling in his gut.

The demo room was quieter, the club’s heartbeat muted here. Melvin dropped onto the leather sofa, elbows braced on his knees. He dragged his hands down his face, letting the mask of composure slip for just a moment. Shoulders slumped, the weight in his chest pressing harder.

Lost in the spiral of his own failure, his famed observational skills had deserted him. He didn’t notice the other person on the sofa, nursing a drink. He only heard the rasp of his own voice, quiet and bitter.

“…Fuck. What the hell am I meant to do now?”

The bass thrummed in Melvin’s ribs, a deep pulse that shivered up the padded walls of Obsidian’s main floor. Even this late, the club was alive—laughter mingled with the dull crack of impact play, muffled moans filtering through the private wings. Coloured lights swept over leather and skin, caught on the steel of rings and buckles, washed everything in soft purple and red.

Melvin packed his flogger into its case, the suede falls coiling like a lazy animal. One by one, the rest of his tools followed: black leather cuffs, the smooth cane he hadn’t needed tonight, a coiled rope with the faint scent of hemp. A final check of the blindfolds, and he snapped the case shut with quiet satisfaction.

Across the lounge, Tom spotted him and waved, a little bundle of giddy sub energy in soft pink straps.

“Night, Sir Melvin!”

“Night, Tom,” Melvin called back, his mouth twitching in a fond, brief smile.

He started his sweep.

Some Doms thought the monitors or Anya’s staff handled it, but Melvin didn’t like leaving people to chance. He moved with easy purpose through the main hall, scanning for anything off—a cuff left locked, a door ajar, a scene that hadn’t been properly concluded. Obsidian ran smooth, but mistakes happened in every haven.

The back corridor was quieter, soundproof padding swallowing the bass the deeper he walked. Light pooled faintly under doors, the glow of scenes still in progress. He was halfway down the hall when something caught his eye—

—an open door.

Just a sliver, just wide enough to breathe shadow into the hallway.

Melvin paused, his boots whispering against the padded floor. These rooms were meant to be private, silent, safe. Open doors in this wing always meant something. He nudged the door gently with his fingertips, letting the light from the hall spill inside.

The room was empty. Or—he thought it was, until his eyes adjusted.

In the far corner, a shadow curled in on itself. Small, collapsed, a tangle of limbs and quiet misery.

Melvin’s breath hitched low in his chest. He knew that shape. Not the person, but the posture. The way a human body folded up when the world inside their head had gone sharp and unbearable.

“...Shit,” he muttered under his breath.

He slipped inside, letting the door fall mostly shut behind him. The outside world dulled to a hum. He moved like he was approaching a wounded animal, steps slow, careful.

The padded walls swallowed sound, the darkness soft but absolute. He stopped just outside arm’s reach and crouched, resting his forearms across his knees. He made himself smaller without second thought, letting his voice do the work instead of his size.

“Hey,” he said, low and warm, a rumble that filled the space without crowding it. “Can I get you something?”

No answer yet. Just the stillness of someone caught deep in their own storm.

“Can you tell me what happened?” His tone stayed gentle, but steady, carrying that subtle authority that had talked countless people back to solid ground. “If a Dom left you without proper aftercare, I need to know. We don’t let that slide here.”

He let the words drift, the silence around them padded and soft.

“If it’s something else,” he added, quieter, “I can give you what you need. Right now.”

Melvin had been here before—not in this room, not with this person, but in this moment. He had guided subs and switches through sub drops that hit like a sucker punch, through PTSD episodes that left them shaking on the floor, and through the kind of mental breakdowns that turned the world into static. He knew how to be solid ground when it felt like the earth was shattering beneath them.

So he stayed there. Steady. Warm.

A presence that said:

You’re not alone. Not while I’m here.