"how would you like to hypnotize me?" adrianus asked.

"hypnotize you?" jim hadn't really even considered the possibility.

"you're perfectly capable of it, aren't you?"

he supposed he was, he should have been, though a part of him felt it was wrong, somehow.

they smiled gently at him, and it seemed more like they were the one who was going to guide him. "i don't mean a complete role reversal, unless that's something you would be interested in. but there are so many possibilities with hypnosis, aren't there? your love of hypnosis is not limited to your dynamic with me, as my subject. it's much deeper than that."

"that is true," he said. "i just don't really know what it would look like."

"there are many different ways it could go," they replied. "it could be like giving someone a massage, a service. you could bring yourself down into trance as you hypnotize me. and there is another thought i had, that you might find interesting..."

"what is it?"

"often, when i hypnotize you, i am treating you like something else. a pet, a doll, a puppet, or prey. but does that not go both ways? it isn't just about changing how you see yourself. it's about changing how i see you."

something clicked for him, gently tingling in the back of his neck.

"it makes sense, doesn't it?" they murmured. "if you were to hypnotize me to do or think anything, it would only be to reinforce the role that i already play, wouldn't it? it isn't that you cannot hypnotize me, or that you aren't allowed to. it's just that, even if you are given control, you'll likely use it to put yourself back into that submissive position." they leaned in close to his ear. "is there anything wrong with taking a more active role in it, jim? after all, as you tell me that you're simply a pet, or a toy, those suggestions will reach both of us. as you tell me precisely how to see you, how to treat you, you'll tell yourself the same thing."

it was a strange thought, an unfamiliar concept, but at the same time, it did feel right, somehow.

"focus on me," he said quietly.

of course, he knew that having their full focus would be overwhelming. their stare was intense, dizzying.

"i'll put you in a trance," he said, still feeling sort of nervous and awkward, trying to figure out his angle. "you'll... you'll be convinced i'm your pet. that i'm a cat."

"just take it nice and slowly, jim. i'm listening. i enjoy your voice. and i'm very willing to be convinced of that. take me through it, step by step..."

he was going to actively participate in his own submission, in his own dehumanization. he was going to methodically persuade them to act as his owner. it was a new sensation, which filled him with a sense of quiet desperation.

it wasn't enough to just ask, or beg.

he wanted to do a good job of it. a thorough job.

he took a deep breath, guiding their hand to the top of his head. embarrassment flooded his mind, but he had to focus.

"you can just relax, as you slowly pet my hair... each pet, each caress, sends you deeper... each movement becoming more mindless and automatic. it feels soft against your skin... it feels relaxing... it feels good."

he could tell, from the way they were moving, that they were gradually thinking less about the fact that it was his hair, thinking less about how he would want to be petted, and focusing more on what felt good and natural for them.

his heart fluttered.