"you're getting stuck on this," jim said.

"i'm just saying, it just bothered me, like-"

"you need to stop," he said, a bit more firmly.

shark did stop, even if they still felt annoyed by it. "man, when did you become the one telling me to stop? you used to overthink and spiral over everything."

"i learned how to get better at stopping."

"and did that have anything to do with you getting hypnotized all the time?"

"well," he said, "it kind of did."

"well, you're the kind of easy subject who just goes blank. i don't have that kind of off button for my brain."

"you do," he said matter-of-factly.

"you know that much about me and my mind, huh?"

"you've told me about it."

"i didn't say anything about an off button."

"well, you didn't phrase it that way, but you've said similar things."

they rolled their eyes. "if you mean the way i am when i'm being hypnotized during sex, i don't think that counts."

"if it ever happens, if you're even capable of feeling a certain way, that can be controlled."

"it can be for someone like you."

"it's definitely the same for you."

"oh yeah? you wanna prove that?"

they expected him to hesitate, look away, and drop it. instead, his expression didn't change, his eyes still focused on them with a kind of mild annoyance.

"you've been hypnotized before," he said, "so i don't think it would be hard for me to hypnotize you."

it caught them off guard.

"you're serious right now?"

"do i seem serious?"

"we've spent all this time talking about hypnosis and you've never talked about hypnotizing me before."

"i guess i didn't want to be too controlling," he said. "i worried a lot more about that in the past. but now, it kind of just seems like... i mean, it's not that you need it, exactly. but i recognize a problem and know something i can do about it."

they smiled. "you're always so straightforward about this kind of stuff now. i mean, i don't doubt that you could put me in a trance, but..."

"but what?"

"well. you know. i don't know. i'm picky with suggestions and tone and stuff."

"you've talked about that too. but you're more annoyed when you feel like someone's confidence is unearned, aren't you? i might not consider myself an absolute expert or authority on hypnosis, but i know you."

well, he was right. they knew he was right about that.

"maybe that's bothered me sometimes, too," he said, something about him shifting to be slightly colder. "you talk a lot about not liking things that i know you would respond to if a specific person was doing it."

"well i don't think that's the same as just liking something in general. like, if i only like it if it's done in this specific way-"

"but it isn't really about the way it's done," he responded. "it's about who's doing it."

they had to admit, the way he calmly and confidently interrupted them and corrected them was a little...

"well, even if it is about who's doing it, isn't that more about liking the person, then?"

"i don't think you understand." he was almost intimidating. "even if you only like it from specific people, you do like it. you can love something, and even be obsessed with it, even if you'll only do it with a specific person. what i'm saying is, you've said all of those things about not just wanting to follow orders, about not liking someone being more authoritarian." there was just the slightest hint of hesitation, a slight softening of his voice. "but i know you'd react if i did it."

their smile widened. "there is something about you just saying stuff like that."

"this is exactly what i mean." he leaned closer to them. it was interesting, detecting a little bit of restraint and tenderness under that firm confidence. his heart seemed to be pounding, even though his voice was his usual flat tone. "that's kind of what i was always afraid of. i knew i had an influence over you. you just..." he trailed off for a moment.

he was cute. "yeah, i know, you've talked about that, i-"

"be quiet," he said, just firmly enough to catch them off guard. "it isn't just... it's not just that. it isn't just that i was afraid of it."

there was a pause, but they didn't interject.

"it was just that feeling that i knew... that i could just..." even when he had trouble finding the words, there was a kind of intensity to it, in this context. "i'm not afraid of it anymore, because i know that i won't completely lose control over myself. i know that i can enjoy things without... i could use that control over you. it would be... satisfying. i've wanted to."

"of course you have," they said, still sounding smug even when their heart was pounding, too.

the tension was palpable.

"i just know you would give into it," he said quietly. "i know i could get you to react immediately."

"well then do it."

"this is what i mean," he murmured, moving even closer. he was still holding something back. "you do this on purpose with me."

"what?"

"you try to bait me into making you behave."

it really just felt natural talking to him like that, after being so close with him for so long.

but the shift in atmosphere was making them feel a little different. "look, it isn't really on purpose," they said, their casual demeanor fading just a bit.

"then that's... that's even more..." he put a hand on their hip. "it just makes me want to push you more," he said.

it was almost like he was in a trance himself. he was so focused on them.

it was hot. they kept alternating between being caught off guard and almost nervous, to feeling flirty and smug again, wanting to goad him on.

"that's cute," they said.

"you think so?" he asked in a low voice, with an unimpressed expression.

"i really do."

"i think you should just be quiet and listen," he said slowly.

they were surprised how quickly it made their head feel fuzzy, how quickly all of their thoughts were interrupted and their eyes widened.

"like that," he said, the tone sounding more like putting them in their place than like praise. "you just give in. you act like you need someone to gently coax you, but you can do it just fine. you can just listen."

"h-hold on," they said, managing to speak through the dizziness, "it's not really like i'm- i'm not super deep, or-"

"did i say you could talk?"

they stopped.

"good," he said. "i told you to just be quiet and listen. that's what you're going to do."

it was a really different sensation from the trances they were used to. it was so quick, so immediate, so binding. there was no room for arguing, no room for anything.

but it still felt like trance. it still felt kind of good.

"i'm going to pull all of your thoughts," he said. "you're going to focus on me. all of your focus is going to be on me. pulling it... pulling it... like that."

their head might have actually leaned closer to him. this was different from the thought pulling suggestions from adrianus. it was almost like having their hair pulled. it was a more tangible physical sensation.

"it's that simple. all you have to do is listen. all i have to do is tell you to listen. you want to be hypnotized. you know that i want to hypnotize you. and you know i won't let you resist. so you obey. you don't hesitate. you don't think about it. nod your head."

they nodded, chills running down their spine at their immediate compliance.

"i already knew it," he said. they believed him. "i'm glad you're starting to understand now."

they were turned on. their body was pulsing. a part of them wanted to move closer to him, to grind against him, or even to take his hand and put it on the parts they wanted him to touch.

but they didn't feel like they were allowed to move. their eyes didn't even flick down to see if he was hard, because they were still looking at his face.

"you like it, don't you?" he said. his tone wasn't teasing - it was something he knew was true, a statement.

they nodded quickly.

"you like being told what to do."

they continued nodding.

"you like being made to behave."

more nodding.

"tell me how you feel right now."

"i feel good," they said. "i feel turned on..."

"i thought you might," he said quietly. "do you want something?"

"please touch me," they said, kind of surprised by their own desperate tone, and the fact that they asked politely without even being told to.

"you're going to touch me," he said.

arousal flooded through their body, their breath already heavy. they still didn't move, somehow not really sure exactly what to do, or when to do it. as if they needed exact instructions for every step. as if they needed permission for every step.

he unzipped his own pants, pulling his underwear down to expose himself.

"touch it," he said.

they reached out their hand, wrapping their fingers around it. they still didn't know how exactly they should be touching it, how quickly or slowly they should be moving.

"start slowly for now," he said.

they did exactly as they were told. they still wanted to be touched, and they didn't know if he was even going to do that, or if he would just leave them turned on like this.

but they kind of liked that.

"you like to obey," he droned, putting an arm around them, leaning closer to their ear. "your mind feels weak. it gives in. you do exactly what you're supposed to do. you can fall into this state immediately. you don't need an induction. your mind just gives in. it only takes the right firm tone from me. your mind feels weak."

they were just statements. facts. hearing those kinds of things while they slowly stroked his cock just made them even more soaked.

he kissed their ear, in a surprisingly tender way, in contrast with how dominating all of his words were. "that's good," he whispered, with just a hint of affection. "just keep going."

he interspersed suggestions with kisses, licks, and sighs, steadily making them go faster, until he couldn't speak in the same firm, authoritative tone anymore, his voice affected by his heavy breaths.

he was going to cum on them.

"you're allowed to cum," he whispered, "if just touching me is enough to do that."

they moaned. they really felt like they might. just the idea that he needed to give them permission did something to them, and they could feel him twitching in their hand, they could hear the breaths and sighs and moans. all because they were doing what he said. because they were obediently touching him. because they were listening.

"keep going," he said. "i'm close."

they couldn't have stopped, anyway, and they already wanted to make him cum.

it finally spilled out of him, on their shirt, on their hand, warm and thick and sticky. he panted out praise, rubbing their back, kissing their ear.

they still didn't cum, but they felt so close. somehow, they felt like they would be fine just staying like this, hypnotized and turned on, almost on the edge.

but jim took their hand, the hand covered in his cum, and moved it over to their body, slipping it down their pants.

"finger it inside of you," he said.

they were so wet, they could hear their fingers going in. the combination of finally being touched, being told to do this, and feeling his cum inside of them, was almost enough to make them cum immediately.

"are you close?" he asked.

they nodded, moaning.

"good," he said. "cum for me. just cum for me."

he was watching them now, instead of focusing on their ear, watching them obediently push his cum into their body.

"cum for me," he repeated monotonously.

it was too much. their hips jerked, their body trembling through the orgasm, the feeling that they were just following a command running through their spine. he was quiet as he watched them, not saying a single word as they came.

when they came down from their orgasm, catching their breath, he finally spoke again, his voice softer. "you can wake up now."

he grabbed a cup towel from the table, wiping both of them off. "how was it?" he asked.

"it was really good," they said.

"you responded better than i expected."

that kind of straightforward, monotone praise felt good, too.