I flopped onto the sofa with a groan, my head coming to rest on Sir’s lap. He immediately began running one hand through my hair, resting the other lightly around my neck, a comforting weight that made me feel a little better. I gazed up at his concerned face looming above me.

“Bad day, I gather.”

It wasn’t a question, but I gave a murmur of confirmation, exhaling heavily. “Mmh.”

At the start of the new school year, we’d both been moved into new classes to fill vacancies left by departing colleagues, splitting up our tight-knit, effective team. On top of that my new class had proven much more difficult than I’d anticipated. I was beginning to think it was more than I could handle.

“I heard the calls for support on the radio,” he admitted, chewing his lip anxiously. “I would’ve come, but, y’know - other side of the school...”

“Fair. Although you probably still would’ve got there before anyone from SLT bothered to show up,” I grumbled.

He shook his head exasperatedly. “Fucking joke. They’re always around my side of the school, and our kids need a lot less support than yours do. It might be cynical of me, but I can’t help thinking they’re actively avoiding the chaos on your end...”

“It’d make sense,” I muttered, rubbing the sore spot on my upper arm where one of my students had whacked it. Sir had left work at 3.30 this afternoon, but I’d stayed almost a full extra hour filling out reports about the day’s various behavioural incidents - which was sadly all too common lately.

“I wish I could do more to help,” Sir said sadly, still giving me soothing headpats. “I know you’re struggling over there...”

“D’you know, it wouldn’t be so bad if we had just a bit more support. They’re lovely kids most of the time - but when they go off, they go off. If SLT just fucking came when we called, it’d make life so much easier...” I let out another weighty breath. “It just, it’s wearing me down. It’s making me want to quit.”

I hadn’t meant to say that out loud, not yet - but I’d been thinking it for a while now. The words just fell out of my mouth, and I didn’t have the energy to hold them back any more. I stared up at Sir mournfully. “I do. I just don’t wanna go back in tomorrow, or the day after. I don’t think I wanna be a teacher any more.”

He’d been listening with evidently growing concern, but his eyes widened at my last statement. “Whoa, wait - I thought you just meant you wanted to quit the school, not quit teaching. Where’s this coming from?”

“It’s... been building for a while,” I confessed. “I didn’t wanna worry you, but I have been thinking it a lot. The thing is, it’s all I’ve ever done. I went straight into teacher training after my GCSEs, and I’ve never strayed from the path since then. That’s nearly a decade I’ve devoted to teaching... and at the moment it feels like I’m not getting anything back from it. Like maybe I’ve... well, no, I was gonna say ‘wasted’ that time, but that’s too strong. I haven’t wasted it. I’ve loved so much of it.”

“You have,” he nodded. “That much was obvious when I met you. I could tell you loved it, anyone could. That’s why you’ve never ‘strayed from the path’.”

“But, y’know, I’m still young...” I stared at the ceiling thoughtfully. “I still have time to make a change if I want to. Maybe there’s something else I could be doing. I’m just not sure what, yet...”

I refocused on Sir’s troubled expression. “Thoughts?” I asked plaintively.

“Honestly?” he responded, arching an eyebrow.

“Please. I could do with another opinion.”

He inhaled deeply, seeming to consider his words carefully. “I think... what you’re feeling at the moment is absolutely valid, I’m not disputing that for a moment. But I also think it might be temporary. It’s completely understandable - you’ve got a really difficult class, and no backup from the bosses. And like you said, you’ve been doing this job for so long - your entire adult life. And you work so hard. I should know - I’ve seen how much time, and effort, and care you put into doing it, planning all these fun, creative lessons and activities. Because you really do care about the job, and the kids. Even the ones who beat you up.”

I managed a weak grin at that.

“I mean, fuck, you got me to like the job. I was very apathetic about it at the start, I only took the job because I’d been unemployed for three years, and I thought maybe I’d be OK at it. But I started seeing it through your eyes, and that... changed me. Your passion inspired me.”

My smile broadened at that. “Aww, that’s so sweet.”

“You’re a brilliant teacher, love,” he assured me. “It’d be so sad if you gave it up...”

“I know. I just feel like maybe I’ve lost that passion,” I sighed. “But maybe you’re right, maybe it is temporary. Maybe I should just soldier on -”

“I didn’t say that,” he said hurriedly. “Don’t ‘just soldier on’ if you’re suffering. And look, I know we’ve made a thing of me owning you, and controlling you, but this isn’t a decision I can make for you. I will support whatever you decide, though.”

Even as I gave him a grateful smile, I sighed a little. “But why can’t you make the decision for me?” I joked, snuggling up deeper into his lap. “Why can’t you make me quit, and have me just be your full-time live-in slavegirl...?”

“If only,” he laughed. “Sadly, until I hypnotise a rich wanker into giving us all their money, we need to both be earning.”

“Crap,” I sniggered. “Unfair.”

He removed the hand on my neck (boo) and instead wrapped that arm around my torso, giving me a fond squeeze. “If you’re serious about quitting the school - even if you’re serious about quitting teaching altogether - or if you just wanna take a break for a while and then go back to it... whatever the case, you’ve got my full support, love. I know I’ve just come out pretty strongly against you giving up teaching, but if you really do want to try and find something else, we will figure it out. Whatever you want.”

I gazed up at him lovingly. This was why he was my Sir. However much he degraded me (and however much it turned me on to be degraded), I knew how much he valued and treasured me. Even if he didn’t necessarily agree with my choices, I knew he’d stand by me, take care of me, and help me however he could. I was so lucky to have him.

Especially because I was totally unwilling to endure another moment of this day, and I knew he could most definitely help with that.

“What I want, right now, is for you to hypnotise me so hard, I literally forget I exist,” I told him, smiling salaciously. “And then you can use whatever’s left of me as a stim toy, m’kay?”

He laughed. “Sounds good to me.” Then he frowned a little, peering down at me more closely. “Oh hey, you’ve got a little smudge on your face - let me get that for you.”

“Wha-whuh-uh-uh-eh-eh-eh,” I stuttered, my brain short-circuiting as he began to caress the sensitive spot on my forehead. I giggled helplessly, my body relaxing, my eyes rolling back in my head.

Ohhhhhh, that already felt so much better. That light, repetitive rub sent euphoric tingles through my head, rapidly eroding my thoughts, my awareness, my consciousness. I hung on just long enough to feel him slip his other hand down the front of my tights - and then the sensations multiplied in strength, blowing away whatever remained of my waking mind.

I eagerly, gratefully toppled backwards into the darkness inside my own head, consumed by pleasure, enthralled by Sir’s deft fingertips stroking in spirals between my eyebrows and my legs.