Author's Note: This is the first full story I've written like this. Feedback is appreciated. Thanks for reading!


Chapter 1: The Introduction

Ben Danforth was your typical young, aimless guy at the age of 22. White, 180 cm tall, about 65 kilos heavy with dark brown hair in a short left part and an average face. He was shy, introverted and slow to make friends which, unfortunately, led to lonliness. Most of his life was painful for him, abusive home, social isolation at school and a lack of a social life outside that had left Ben numb to the world, coasting through life with no real direction or purpose in life. He never went through a goth or emo phase, never self-harmed or any other cliché, just....numbed himself to the world around him. Until he met Martin.

Martin Caldwell was quite different from Ben, at age 28 he was wealthy after founding a cyber security company, outgoing, charismatic, gregarious, daring and just a tad out there, so to speak. With a winning smile, sweptback black hair, a face like chiseled marble and a 190 cm tall body to die for Martin tended to dominate whatever situation he found himself in, especially in the bedroom. He could have had anyone and anything he wanted and he knew it too. But when he met Ben, he felt something he'd never felt before.

Ben and Martin met at Martin's company. The thing about cyber security is that, ultimately, you still need a man watching things somewhere sometimes. Martin liked to know everyone who worked for him by name, given that the company was still small enough for that personal touch, so he usually conducted interviews for positions himself. Ben was still drifting, looking for a job if only to pay the bills when he found a listing for a private security guard at Martin's company on a job listings website. Ben had actually been a security guard before for a while and still had his license to work security so he figured he might as well send in an application. He'd forgotten about it when he got an email from Martin's company asking to come in for an interview for the position. Surprised and with nothing better to do Ben agreed and, a day later, was at Martin's office.

Only about 5 people had sent in applications and Ben was the last to arrive, slightly late, so he was the last to be seen. He was wearing a bland, worn and slightly crumpled black suit with a dark blue tie, an utterly bland and forgettable suit. Ben wryly smiled as he thought about how well the suit...well, suited him. He sat outside Martin's office before a friendly woman sitting behind a desk that Ben assumed was the boss's secretary called him and gestured him to enter.

Martin had been slightly disappointed by the applications so far and felt no real expectation for the last one. He'd looked it over, a blandly written sprawling mess of various odd jobs, part time gigs and short term positions that spoke to an unfocused and unmotivated mind, hardly someone Martin wanted at his company. He'd damn near thrown out the application before he realized he only had received five and decided to give it a shot. When Ben entered his office, Martin froze a second as he stared at the man.

A bland crumpled suit he probably got at a department store, an unassuming posture with no other real features to draw Martin's attention. Except his eyes. Something about this guy's eyes... it spoke to someone else, behind the boring appearance and vacant stare, someone more.... Martin could not help but stare into those eyes, trying to seek him out......

Ben on the other hand, entered the office to freeze himself because the man in it that he assumed to be the boss was staring so intensely at him that, for a second, Ben thought he might have entered the wrong office or something. It was rather intimidating, having this imposing and admittedly very good looking man stare at him like he was some prey that had entered the lion's den. After about 10 seconds of awkward staring, Ben broke eye contact, looked around and said 'I'm sorry, do I have the right office? I'm here for the job interview."

Martin had been staring, thinking, trying to figure out what about this guy was so damn interesting. He was no Adonis, not bad but about average. His appearance was not anything special. Why was Martin so utterly intrigued by this guy? Ben's words tore him from his thoughts and back to the real world. "Yes, you have the right room. Please, come in and sit down." Martin spent the rest of the interview observing him, sizing him up so to speak. It took only 10 minutes for him to decide he wanted to take Ben to bed at some point. The thought aroused him so much he had to sit forward, closer to Ben, for most of the interview since he did not want Ben to see his hard on through his glass desk. After 30 minutes of various questions and rather dull responses from Ben he ended the interview, stood up to shake Ben's hand and said they would update him about the job.

Ben was slightly unnerved by the interview, the guy, Martin was his name, spent most of the interview staring right at him like a hungry lion, barely even blinking. And it got worse after about 10 minutes when he suddenly leaned forward, arms on his desk, staring at Ben even closer. He figured it was some kind of strange power projection move or something that high-flying business types did or something. Either way, he was nervous during the entire interview.

When it finally ended and Martin stood up to shake his hand he could have sworn he saw an erection behind his neatly pressed suit pants, if only for a second. Ben stepped out of the office, closing the door behind him. The guy looked very attractive, that was for sure, and Ben did swing both ways even if his sexual experience was incredibly limited. But... nah, he had to be imagining things. He shook his head, chuckling as he left the building.

Martin, on the other hand, was looking at the background check he had run on Ben. He had one done on all the applicants and had glanced through them all but after...whatever happened with Ben had happened, he wanted to know more. An unremarkable academic history, unremarkable work history, everything about this man was unremarkable. And yet, Martin was obsessed. He wanted Ben, he wanted him really bad. He had flings, he had little conquests with both men and women but Ben..... he was different. What Martin felt was different, something he had not felt before. Ben reminded him of...well, Martin. Something about him. Something he could not place. Martin thought about trying to forget him, trying to ignore it but after 3 days, he knew he could not. He had to meet Ben again so he called him on the number that Ben had provided on his application.

It had been 3 days since that meeting. Ben was sitting on his couch, reading a book he had read before in a way that was really more to pass the time than to actually enjoy the book. He'd forgotten about the interview with the odd fellow when his phone rang. He did not recognize the number but, with nothing better to do (almost the motto to his life he lamented) he picked up the phone with a simple "Hello?" Martin's voice came in on the other end. "Hello, is this Ben Danforth? It's Martin Caldwell from Caldwell Security calling." Ben raised an eyebrow, wondering what this was about. Did he have a job? "Yes, this is Ben. Hello again, Mr Caldwell.'

Martin fought back a chuckle from that response. "I wanted to talk with you, if you have a minute?" Ben smirked a bit, his life was nothing but time, "Yes, Mr Caldwell, I have time." Martin nodded. Good. This was going to be a bit risky. "Oh, please Ben, call me Martin. Anyway, I have two things I wanted to talk to you about. The first is about the job offer... I'm afraid we decided to go with someone else." Martin swallowed a bit. He did not want to make it seem like he was trying a little quid pro quo, so to speak. How Ben would take it was a gamble.

Ben nodded, unsurprised. Oh well. "I see, Mr Caldwell, I appreciate you telling me that. What was the other thing?" Martin took a deep breath. Moment of truth. "Please, do call me Martin. And I wanted to ask you would have dinner with me tomorrow." Ben froze. What...was...did he just ask me out on a date? "What, professionally?" Martin smiled. "Ummm, no, Ben, not professionally." There was silence for a few seconds as Ben stared, dumbstruck. Martin broke the silence. "You see, I'm rather attracted to you and would like to take you on a date. In a personal capacity." More silence. Martin was beginning to get worried that Ben was not at all interested. "I understand if you say no, I mean, I did just tell you I'm not going to hire you. Or if you...um, don't go that way. I just would not have forgiven myself if I did not say that I wanted to see you again."

Ben was still trying to process what he had just heard. The book had slipped out of his hand and onto the couch. After a short while, he finally regrouped his thoughts enough for a reply. "Oh, no, Mr Caldwell, it's...it's not that I'm not...interested....I'm... I...." Ben stammered a bit, trying to consider a response while Martin smiled. At least he was in with a shot. "I just... Mr Caldwell, this is just so unexpected." Martin could smell blood in the water. He figured that this nervousness must mean that Ben was, at least to some extent, interested in him. He went in for the kill. "First, please, call me Martin. Second, I understand if you are a bit apprehensive. This must be a bit of a shock. But I'm interested in you and I suspect you are interested in me. So why don't we go for dinner and see where it takes us? What do you say, Ben?" Ben sat silently, considering. Martin was right. What's the worse that could happen? "Ok, Mr...uh, I mean, ok, Martin."


Chapter 2: Despair

2 years later

2 years. It had been 2 years since that fateful day. Ben and Martin had actually hit it off, finding a lot of common interests, the same books, games and movies. Two nerds getting along. Ben actually enjoyed that date. One dinner became two, then four until, 6 months later, Ben was living in Martin's apartment. But beyond the talking, the sex was good too. Ben was inexperienced in sexual matters but Martin was almost an expert at this point and was more than willing to show Ben the ropes, figuratively... and literally.

Martin's interest in BDSM had begun from an early age. How exactly he found out about it was long forgotten but once he was in, Martin was hooked. He loved to dominate and while he had tried submission a few times his natural state was at the top. He lived to dominate people, to tie them up, to fuck them senseless. With Ben, however, he had to take it slow. As inexperienced as Ben was on sexual matters trying to immerse him into the life might have scared him away. He took it slow these 2 years, only even broaching the subject after one year together. What really surprised him, though, was that he was willing to wait. Every time before, when someone he had taken a fancy to had shown little interest in submission he grew bored and left them. With Ben, however, he wanted to wait. He did not mind the more vanilla stuff with Ben though he did hunger for more. This, above all else, made Martin realize he loved Ben and wanted him forever. But there was trouble in paradise.

After two years together, Martin finally knew what first drew him to Ben. Pain. In Ben's eyes, he saw pain. And Martin knew what that was like. He had grown up in an abusive home, he had been a social outcast among his peers as well. It was part of the reason that Martin was so ambitious, so driven, he wanted never to be in such a vulnerable position ever again. Ben had been through similar pain but, unlike Martin, it had broken him. Ben was a broken man, even after two years with Martin. He knew how to hide it but Martin could see through him. Ben wanted nothing more than to die. He wanted nothing more than the pain to stop, for the memories to be forgotten, for his misery to end. Ben had said as much after an intense argument.

Ben had continued with his drifting ways, even after Martin had promised him a position in his company, Ben still drifted aimlessly. When Martin confronted him about it Ben had tried to dodge the issue which led to an argument which in turn led to Ben's confession. Martin still remembered what Ben had said. When Martin had yelled at him, asking Ben why what Martin was trying to give him was not enough, Ben broke down and yelled back "Because it won't change anything! Because even after all the time I've spent with you, the best times in my life, I still feel numb! I still feel like I'm dead inside! I love you, Martin, but I cannot take this anymore. I thought it would change, I thought that I would feel alive again but now I know, for certain, that will never come. No matter what I'll still be dead inside so why not just die for good and be done with it?"

Ben had apologized profusely after that, promised that he had not meant it, swore he was ok but Martin knew that Ben had been telling the truth. Martin had hoped that with enough time Ben would learn to live again, that the pain would be let go, but now Martin knew that all that he was doing was assuring Ben that even with Martin he would still feel pain and numbness. He knew that he was driving Ben to an early grave. It was only a matter of time before he killed himself. So Martin set out to save Ben, save him from the depths of despair, save him from the pain he could not escape, save him from himself. Ben rejected the idea of Therapy, insisting that he was fine when Martin knew he was not. Ben had no family and no real friends to lean on. If Ben dropped off the face of the earth no one would know. Except Martin. All Ben had was Martin. And so Martin set out on a plan so crazy even he still had doubts right now, standing over Ben's body.

It had been easy enough to render Ben unconscious. A few pills in Ben's drink and he was down for the count. He had been afraid that he might kill Ben with the dosage but the doctor he had paid off handsomely assured him that he would be fine. Asleep, but alive. The doctor had been right. Martin got to work. He stripped Ben down, taking all his clothes off. Martin took a minute to admire Ben laying there, breathing softly. He had been right all those years ago. Ben was no Adonis but, to Martin, he was perfect. "I will save you, Ben. I will" he said, stroking his cheek. He snapped himself out it, he had a job to do, and got back to work.

He took the Bondage Cuffs he had prepared earlier and put them on Ben's wrists and ankles, then clipped then together with a short chain and padlock. If Ben woke up he would still be trapped but with the next addition that would not have been a problem. The tank of gas that kindly doctor had provided with the pills came next. It was a heavy tank but thankfully came with a dolly. He slipped the medical mask over Ben's face and turned the flow on. Ben would be out for a long while yet. "Sweet dreams, Ben. See you on the other side." He picked up Ben's bound and sedated body along with the dolly and carried Ben to his private elevator. It went straight to his private garage where his car was waiting. No one would see anything and the security cameras would not be recording a thing either. Martin gently put Ben in the trunk of his town car and secured him with the straps he had prepared before hand. He did not want to injure Ben, after all. Then he heaved the gas tank in to and secured that. Finished, he closed the trunk and got in the car, heading off to his planned destination. Doubts were his constant companion. Was he crazy? Was this the right thing to do? What if it went wrong? What if Ben never forgave him? He pushed the doubts away. Crazy or not, he was doing this. He had to save Ben, no matter the cost.......


Chapter 3: The Final Preparation

Martin's car finally pulled in to the secluded cabin he owned. A vacation house in the middle of nowhere he went sometimes to get away from it all. There was no one for a long way, no hunters, no curious townspeople, no one. Perfect for his plan. He turned off the car and sat for a second. He'd been here a couple days ago, making every thing perfect for his plan. He needed to go check on that first. Ben would sit for now.

He got out and smelled the air. It was crisp and clean, heavenly, but he had no time to take it in. It was nightfall already so he left the headlights of his car on. They shone over the area he had prepared anyway, it was right next to the cabin. He slowly walked towards it, apprehensive. This was crazy, he thought for the umpteenth time. He steeled himself and reminded himself of the plan. Despite his best intentions, despite his love for Ben and all the things he wanted to give him, he was driving him to an early grave, reminding him that he would always carry the pain he felt inside him. So if he was driving Ben to an early grave, why not put Ben in the grave himself? This was the plan he had come up with, the crazy plan, he thought as he looked down the 5 foot deep hole he had dug with the glass box at the bottom. Ben's grave.

It was all as he had left it, the special glass coffin, the dirt pile, the air tank with the connection above ground so that Ben would not suffocate. He wanted to save Ben, not kill him. But.... Martin closed his eyes as he considered his plan. Ben might die down there or worse, decide he did not want to leave. If Ben chose to stay in that hole, Martin would grant him that wish. It was the worst possible outcome but Martin was prepared to give Ben what he wanted.

He went back to make sure Ben was ok so he went back to his car and opened the trunk. Snug as a bug and still asleep. Martin smiled. "I'm doing this for you, Ben." He caressed his cheek lovingly. He lowered his hand, looked up at the sky, closed his eyes and whispered, more to himself than anyone else "Please..please let this work. Please." He opened his eyes, looked back to Ben and got to work. He had a lot to do.

Chapter 4: The Awakening

Ben's eyes fluttered. He felt groggy, not normal sleep groggy but something...something else. He also felt a bit cold. He felt... he felt naked. He moved his head a bit. The last thing he remembered was sitting with Martin at home, drinking a soda, then....nothing. He opened his eyes but still could not see. He tried to wipe whatever had to be in his eyes away but when he raised his hand it hit something hard. Ben was still a bit groggy so he reached left and right, trying to feel his way around and felt more walls around him. He looked around, still unable to see anything, trying to feel what was round him. "What...what the." He muttered to himself, still trying to wake up fully. Just after he muttered that a light went on, shining from the direction of his feet, illuminating the area around him. He was suddenly very, very awake.

"What..WHAT...WHAT THE HELL?" he yelled in surprise. It was glass, but more importantly, behind that glass was nothing but dirt, all around him. It took him a second to figure out that he must be underground. It took another second for the panic to set in. He started banging on the glass, screaming out as loud as he could "HELP! HELP! HELP ME! OH, GOD WHAT THE HELL IS THIS! GET ME OUT OF HERE, HEEEEEEEEELP!" He continued to scream for a minute before the hyperventilation hit him. He was breathing fast, tears streaming down his face, utterly, utterly panicked when he heard a crackle and a familiar voice.

"Hello, Ben. If I were you, I would save my breath as much as possible."It had come from his right side and when Ben looked, he saw behind the glass was a camera and a speaker. More importantly, though, he knew the voice. "MARTIN? MARTIN, IT'S ME! HELP ME, I'M TRAPPED DOWN HERE, PLEASE!" he yelled, looking at the camera desperately.

Martin was looking at the view from the camera. He could see the sheer panic on Ben's face, the utter desperation and the tears streaming down his face. He took a deep breath, this was much harder to do then he thought. He collected himself and replied "Yes, I know you are Ben, I put you down there."

Ben's eyes, opened as wide as possible already, did not react but inside, Ben was shocked. "What?" he whispered breathlessly. He was still hyperventilating and a bit out of breath. "You? You did this?" Ben's face was a look of confusion and fear. He had always known that Martin was a little odd, hell, that spark of madness was one of the things Ben loved about Martin since it made him feel alive, just for a little bit. This, though, this was something else, Ben never knew Martin to be this nuts. "You did this to me, Martin?"

"Yes, I did, Ben." Martin nodded, not that Ben could see that. Ben started breathing faster, if that was possible. Between panicked pants, he asked "Why? Why are you doing this?" Martin gritted his teeth as he responded. "Because we both know this is where you are going, Ben. We both know it's only a matter of time before you end up in the ground yourself." Ben looked at the camera desperately as he remembered all the times Martin had tried to get him to go get help, to open up to him, something, anything. He remembered all the times he had shot Martin down, insisting he was fine. Martin's voice broke him from his thoughts.

"The way things are going, you will kill yourself and be in that grave sooner rather than later. And I'll be wracked with guilt, wondering what I could have done. Well, I'm not interested in thinking what might have been. If you want into that grave so badly, fine. There you go. You are going to get the death you want and I will sleep easy knowing there was nothing more I could have done. We both get what we want this way, Ben."

Ben had finally managed to get a hold of himself, just a little bit. He swallowed as he tried to think what to say. He started in as measured a tone as he could but his voice was still shaky from panic and fear. "Martin, please....please, I'm begging you.....please, don't do this, please... I promise I'll get help, I promise I'll do anything, just please.....please, let me out, please." He lost his composure at the final word and began sobbing. Martin looked sadly at the screen in front of him. Ben looked so beautiful, even in this state. He sighed and replied.

"No, Ben. You won't. I'm not going to dig you out. Even if I did, you would leave. Then you would die anyway. I'm sorry, Ben. I love you to much to allow you to do that to yourself. I would rather kill you myself then let you do that to yourself." Ben began to cry, fear steadily rising. Martin continued "I promise you, Ben, this is for the best. You will die here. It will be almost painless. You'll run out of air and just....go to sleep forever."

Ben put his hands on the glass beside the camera, panic clear on his face, tears streaming down his face. "Please...please, Martin...please, don't...don't...." Martin held back a sob himself. He hated seeing Ben like this but he had to do this. "There is an air tank attached to your coffin, above you. Do you see it, Ben?" Ben's eyes widened and he looked up above his head. There was a small pipe coming through a small hole above his head with him lying down. There was also a small handle at the end of the pipe. "Yes, yes, I see it, Martin." He sobbed. Martin nodded. "Good. The tank will give you a few extra hours down there, time to...well, time to think about things, Ben. Time to make peace with yourself." Ben looked back to the camera, shocked. "If you don't want the extra time, Ben, turn the handle you see. It will close off the pipe and cut off your air. You'll die very quickly after that."

Ben could not believe his ears. This...this...this could not be happening. "What?" He sobbed out. This had to be a dream, or a joke, or something, this could not be real! Martin's voice continued "This is the end, Ben. What you finally wanted. No more pain, Ben. No more numbness." Ben stared at the camera, begging with his eyes. Martin sat in his car above ground, looking at the screen. "Goodbye, Ben. Rest In Peace." He turned off the microphone. Ben looked around his tomb. It was suffocatingly small and the constant reminder of the dirt all around him was to much. He broke down, crying, thoughts scattered and panicked. Then the light went out.


Chapter 5: Talk

Martin sat in his car, his face blank like stone. His eyes were red and cheeks tear strained, betraying his emotions inside. He had begun crying shortly after he turned the light off in Ben's grave. He'd collected himself after a couple of minutes, however, and sat, considering his next move. Ben, on the other hand, had begun screaming after the light went out. Screams of panic, incoherent begging, sobs, followed by more screams. Martin had sat, listening to it all. He had to. He did this, he could not look away. After about 30 minutes of Ben's screams, he'd finally quietened down though he could still hear Ben breathing and occasionally sob so he knew he was still awake.

After the light went out, Ben had a mental breakdown. The panic and fear took over and he lost control of himself, screaming madly, banging on the walls of the coffin, crying uncontrollably, begging for Martin, for God, for anyone to save him. After what seemed like an eternity, Ben finally screamed himself damn near hoarse and he went silent. He was still not in control of himself, though. He could see nothing at all in the total darkness, he felt incredibly vulnerable in his naked state and even though he knew there was still air he felt like he was already suffocating. He guessed that was not helped by the cramped environment though that was the least of his concerns. He was in a constant state of panic and his mind was in overdrive. He knew he needed to calm down or he would go insane with fear. He needed something to help calm him down.

He felt more tears coming and desperately tried to think of something to do. Ultimately, there was only one thing he could think of. Sobbing, he closed his eyes and whispered. "Martin....Martin...." He was willing Martin to still be there, to still be listening, it was a long shot but it was all he had.

Martin looked at the tablet in his lap. Ben was calling his name. He picked it up and looked at it. There might not be light for Ben but the camera had a low-light setting so he could see Ben laying, face up, eyes closed with tears on his face. He was crying. Ben continued to speak. "Martin, please....please be there, please...." Martin turned the volume up, he wanted to hear what Ben was saying. "Martin, please, please, turn the light back on..." Ben began to sob louder "Please, I'm going to go crazy down here, please, please, turn the light back on, please....."

Martin looked at the screen. He wondered if this was a good thing or bad. He looked at the button to turn on the light. Ben was clearly in a lot of distress and the darkness would not help with his panic. He looked at the button again then tapped it.

In the grave, Ben was still sobbing as he sat, praying that Martin was still there when the light mercifully came on. Ben half-laughed, half-cried in relief. He put his hands over his face, his mouth smiling a mirthless smile. "Oh, thank you, thank you thank you..." He tried to calm his breathing, trying to get his pulse down from the break neck speed it was before. He tried to think about other things and other places but that just made him more fearful so he just tried to think of nothing, tried to clear his thoughts. Slowly but surely, he managed to calm down after about 10 minutes. He sat there in his grave, staring at the dirt above him, wondering what to do next. The thought of the valve was still on his mind, turn the valve and the nightmare would end, right? But he could not do it. He even reached up and put his hand on the handle, tempted to turn it. But he could not bring himself to do it and after he let it go another round of crying began.

Martin sat, looking at Ben. He'd seen when Ben almost ended it earlier and when he cried after he did not do it. Now, he was sitting in his grave, barely even moving. He had finally managed to calm himself down and was breathing normally again. His face was blank though Martin suspected that Ben's face did not accurately convey what he was feeling. It had been almost an hour since Ben had woken up and he had broken down in that time. Martin readied himself for the next phase of his plan.

Ben was still not moving, mind clear as he desperately tried to keep his fear and panic at bay when Martin's voice came in. "Why do you want to kill yourself, Ben?" Ben barely stirred. Martin wanted to talk? What was there to say? He sat, silent. Martin stared for a short while then spoke again. "What do you have to lose, Ben? You're going to die down there. You might as well be honest with me." Martin bit his lip as his voice lowered. "You owe me that, Ben. You owe me that much."

Ben exhaled in his grave. Martin was not going to leave him be until he replied. "I don't, Martin." He said, voice cracking. Martin closed his eyes and pursed his lips. He knew Ben was lying. "You do, Ben. Please, don't let our last conversation be a lie." Ben closed his eyes but said nothing. Martin sighed and opened his eyes. "I know about the gun, Ben."

Ben opened his eyes and looked towards the camera, shocked. How? How...how did he know? Martin continued. "I found the registration. A double barreled shotgun. Bought 2 weeks ago. I never found it in the apartment, nor at the cabin so you did not buy it for self defense. You are not much of a gun fan and neither am I and I doubt you want to go hunting all of a sudden. So what was the gun for, Ben?" Ben continued to stare at the camera silently, his face a mixture of shock and sorrow. Martin looked straight at the screen, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Perhaps it was for something else? Like the anniversary of your fathers death next month?" Ben closed his eyes, his face a picture of sorrow. He sat silently for a minute before he opened his eyes, speaking barely above a hoarse whisper, a tone of sadness. "I didn't know you knew." Martin closed his eyes, fighting back tears. "I did. That's when I knew for sure. When I knew what you were going to do."

Ben thought back to his plan. He was going to leave a note for Martin. He was going to explain that Martin was the best thing in his life and how he was eternally grateful for having met him. How Martin made his life bearable even if it was only for a little bit and for a little while. How what happened was not Martin's fault. How he was sorry. Sorry that he was not strong enough to fight his own darkness. Then he was going to his fathers grave and blow his brains out. He just wanted the pain to end and he knew no other way to rid himself of it.

"I'm sorry, Martin. I'm sorry." His voice creaky. "You're right" A sob broke through but he fought it. Martin was right. He had to tell him the truth. He owed Martin that much. "I was going to do it. I was going to go to my fathers grave and...." He trailed off. "I'm sorry, Martin. I know how much you wanted to help me. But the past..I can't escape it. It's there, everywhere. I can never get away from all the things that happened and I wish I could. I wish I could feel alive again, not this constant, never ending numbness. But I can't. Nothing worked. I tried therapy before, I tried to make friends, I tried everything. Nothing worked." Ben turned to look at the camera. "Until you. With you I felt alive. I felt hope." Tears started to stream down his face. "But you were right. I'll end up in this grave one day by my own hand. I wish I could leave the past behind. But the only way I can think to do that is by dying.' He closed his eyes and turned away "I'm sorry, Martin."

Martin looked at his screen and laughed, the kind of laughter that denotes relief, not joy. Finally, Ben was being honest about his feelings. All it took was to be buried alive. He laughed at the thought. When he was done, he spoke, croaking "Well....I'm glad you were finally honest with me." Ben smiled, then said "And all it took was for you to bury me alive." Martin turned and looked at the screen, surprised. "I just thought that." He said, tone mildly curious. Ben looked at the camera, equally surprised. Then he smiled a bit and said "Well, great minds and all that." Both Martin and Ben stared at their respective connection to one another and began to laugh. Martin, because he was closer to helping Ben, and Ben because after over an hour in the coffin he was beyond caring about his anxieties.

When they had both stopped they sat silently for what felt like forever but was really ten minutes. Martin broke the silence first. "How do you feel, Ben?" Ben sighed, considering what to say. "Mildly liberated. A weight has been taken off my shoulders. But...." He stared straight ahead at the dirt on top of him. "Nothing's changed. The pain is still there. I still feel numb. And I know the solution is still the same." He looked sadly at the camera. Martin stared back. Ben was right. There was only one solution. Martin had hoped to save him but....was that even possible? Could he help Ben. He had known going in just how utterly broken Ben was. Was saving him even possible?

Martin just stared ahead, thinking. He was not in the habit of giving up. He leaned back in his car sea, closed his eyes and tried to think. No sir, he had many habits, many many habits, but giving up was......

Wait. Habits. Could...could that be it? He opened his eyes and looked at Ben. He was lying back, looking straight up again. Martin spoke softly. "You're right. There is only one way to help you. It's time to let Ben Danforth die." Ben looked surprised and turned to the camera, mouth slightly agape.

"You need to die down there. This has to be where we let Ben Danforth die. His past. His pain. All of it. You need to die in that hole. And I know how to do that." He could still not believe the words coming out of his mouth. "But something new can come out of that grave. A new person." Ben was confused but curious. Martin was a brilliant man but right now he was making no sense. "What do you mean, Martin?" Martin looked straight at the screen. This was it. Do or die. Literally.

"Become mine, Ben. All the things we talked about, my...particular tastes. Become my slave. Live to serve me. There will be no more past. No more Ben Danforth. He can die in that grave with the past and his pain. Come with me. I can make your new life better than the old one." Ben looked ahead, thinking. Martin continued. "Think about it, Ben. No more needing to make a choice. No more agony of decision. No more wondering what you're going to do for employment next, no more anything like that. You would exist to serve me. You would exist to do everything I say. You would belong to me, all of you. You would have no past, no identity. Slaves need no identity or past. You would be my property to be used as I see fit but....you would be free of the ghosts of your past."

Ben sat there, mind racing. That was....unexpected. This was sudden. Become a slave? The more he thought about it, the crazier it sounded. But it also... appealed to him. The past would be dead. And, honestly, he did not lead much of a life now. All he really had was Martin. They had talked about Bondage things, Ben had even done some stuff at Martin's urging. Ropes, things like that. He had loved it but this....this was far beyond that. "I...I don't know, Martin. That...that would be....that's quite a leap." He turned to look at the camera. "I...I want to be with you, Martin. But I don't know about being your slave. I...need to think about it."

Martin slowly nodded. "I understand it is a big change. I understand you need to think about it." He checked his watch. 2 hours in that hole. He made up a number. "You have 2 more hours of oxygen in that grave according to this. That's if you keep your breathing rate at a slow, measured pace. Otherwise, you die. I'll come back in an hour and a half to see what you decide. If you decide to stay, I will say my goodbyes and leave you there." He bit his lip as he thought about that possibility. He would do anything to avoid that situation. "If you want to live....I'll dig you out. You will no longer be Ben Danforth. You will be Slave. You will exist to please and serve me. I want you to understand that, Ben." He looked around. It was close to midnight. "But remember, Ben, you need to breathe easy down there. Understand?" Ben looked at the camera and nodded. Then he spoke quickly. "Wait, Martin. Before....before you go....I.... I love you, Martin. I always will. No matter what." Martin smiled. "I love you to, Ben. Always."

Then he turned off the light.


Chapter 6: Rebirth

When the light went out, Ben began to hyperventilate. The panic and fear began to take control of him again. Then he remembered what Martin said, he needed to control his breathing or whatever choice he made would be moot. He tried to calm himself but the darkness was all encompassing. He tried to think of something else, anything else, and found himself thinking about the first time Martin tied him up.

"I don't know about this, Martin, are you sure you want to do this?" Ben asked nervously. It had been about a year and 6 months since Martin took him on that date and now here he was. He was standing in Martin's bedroom, facing the floor to ceiling glass window up really close to it, so close he could almost touch it. The blinds were raised all the way so he could see out but, apparently, anyone could see into the room too. That would be embarrassing since Ben was currently naked and bound. His hands were bound to each corner of the top of the window frame while his legs were spread, bound to the bottom of the frame. Anyone who looked at this window would see Ben in his full glory.

Martin came up behind him, wearing a business shirt with the collar unbuttoned and his smart, formal slacks. The difference in the amount of clothing they were each wearing was incredibly humiliating but also...alluring. Martin's hand came around from behind Ben and inserted a bright red ballgag into his mouth. "Oh, come on, Ben, you'll enjoy yourself, trust me." As he buckled the gag tight, his other hand wandered to Ben's erect penis. "You seem to be enjoying yourself right now, in fact." He chuckled as he stroked it once, then let it go.

He took the next addition to Ben's....accessories out of his pocket, a simple leather collar with the word 'WHORE' in silver metal letter in the front. He began to secure it to Ben's neck. "Something the matter? I suppose your worried people might see you? Don't worry, we are quite high up, how likely are people to see us?" But when he finished securing the collar he leaned into Ben's ear. "Though you are not the first person I've done this to and the last time someone was here she swore she saw someone looking at her from the other building." He laughed as Ben tried to look back but failed due to the collar. "Final addition" he said as he pulled out two nipple clamps.

Ben mmphfd in concern, eliciting another chuckle from Martin. "If you did not want to have nipple clamps put on you should have thought about that before you played that hand." Ben rolled his eyes. They had been playing poker and Ben had been losing. He felt confident in the hand he had, a two pair, Jack and Nine, and figured Martin for a pair of Jacks. Martin had gone all in and Ben was sure he was bluffing but had no chips to match the bet. So when Martin had made his proposal, that for an hour Martin could do to Ben whatever he wanted, especially Bondage, Ben agreed. Martin had been slowly pushing him towards it but Ben had been a tad hesitant. No matter, though, there was no way Ben was going to lose. Until Martin put down a Jack and a Queen and beat Ben. The next day, Martin skipped work just to, in his words, "Teach you about poker, Ben."

He was brought out of his memory by a nipple clamp being attached to his nipple. It was, fortunately, rubber coated so it was not too painful but still. Ben moaned into his gag as the other clamp was attached, drawing another moan. The moan got louder when the small weights were attached. Now when Ben moved the clamps tugged and a light jolt of pain shot through his nipples. "He he, ok, time for a little discipline." That worried Ben. He tried to see what was going on but he could not turn his head. Martin came up behind him. "Hmmm.... 20.... yeah, 20 sounds about right." Ben moaned in confusion before he was struck on his left ass cheek with a flogger. It was painful but not incredibly so. Ben moaned loudly into his gag. "20!" Martin called out.

The next one was on his right ass cheek. Another moan of pain followed by Martin counting. The next 8 hits alternated between his left and right ass cheek. Ben moaned to all the hits as they stung more and more with each hit. The next hit came in between his legs, striking both ass cheeks, hitting the pucker right on and catching his balls with the tip of the flogger. This was the most painful one yet and elicited the loudest moan yet. His nipples ached from the jiggling of the weights, pulling on his poor nipples every time he jerked from the hit. Martin chuckled. "9 more to go."

The next 8 hits struck across both ass cheeks, reddening Ben's ass even more, each hit worse than the last as his nerves got more and more sensitive. With one hit left to go Ben was on edge, his ass hurt bad and his nipples felt like they were going to fall off. He could barely stand on his own. The final strike was another one between his legs, coming around and hitting not only his balls but also the tip of his penis. His mind exploded in pain, his legs gave out and the nipple clamps pulled as he jerked forward, crying out in pain. He hung from his wrists, panting and parts of his body ached from the pain.

Martin came up behind him, gripping his neck in his hand, applying just enough pressure to feel it but not enough to choke him as Martin sensually caressed Ben's ear with his tongue. He whispered softly. "Enjoy yourself, Ben?" Ben just hung from his restraints, panting. Martin reached down to Ben's still erect dick and wiped the precum all over his palm. He lifted it to Ben's face. "You look like you did, Ben." Then he wiped the precum all over Ben's face. "Now comes the fun part."

Ben could hear the sound of clothes being removed followed by a squirt. He felt a finger rub cold jelly on his sore anus. Ben jerked as he felt it. Martin was going to fuck his ass. They had done it before but not many times. Ben was still not used to it but Martin assured him he would get used to it. Now, however, Ben suspected Martin was going to go all out on his ass. The thought aroused him.

He felt Martin directly behind him. Martin's hands gripped his thigh as he leaned in close to Ben's ears. "Hope you're ready." He cooed as he inserted himself into Ben's ass. Ben stiffened and moaned, Martin did not have a small penis and it was also an...experience being penetrated. He moaned in pain until he felt Martin's thigh make contact with Ben's ass. Martin was still licking Ben's ear. "There you go. All the way." he whispered before he bit Ben's ear softly. Ben was being overwhelmed by sensation. The feeling of being filled up in his ass a mixture of pain and pleasure, his nipples cried out for relief, the body heat from Martin radiating to Ben, the feeling of his tongue, the feeling of his collar, the gag and the cuffs, it overwhelmed him and he began to tear up. Not tears of pain or sadness but tears of joy. Right here, right now he felt alive. He felt more alive that he had in years. It was euphoric. Then Martin began to thrust.

It was slow at first but the pace quickly picked up. Martin's head was right next to Ben's, he could hear every animalistic grunt from Martin as he thrusted. Martin's right hand came around Ben's neck, lightly choking him as he fucked him. The feeling in his ass, the pain from his nipples, the pain when Martin's thighs bounced off his sensitive ass, the choking sensation, all of it, it was heavenly. Ben felt closer to and more trusting of another person now then he had in years. It all overloaded his mind and he forgot everything, his past, his future, even his name. In the moment there was only sensations. Then he came, violently.

Martin came about the same time right in his ass, shooting his load deep into Ben. Ben, on the other hand, shot his load all over Martin's window. Quite a large amount to, he had been pent up for days. As both Ben and Martin came down from their highs, Martin pulled out of Ben with a pop. He chuckled. "Was that as good for you as it was for me?" Ben just hung from his writs, panting. He did not want this feeling to end, for it to go away. Martin reached over to where Ben had come on the window, whispering into his ear "Let's commemorate this moment." He wiped the cum all over Ben's face, smearing it on. There was a lot of it. Then, as some cum dripped out of his ass, Martin picked it up and smeared that in Ben's face too. He reached for his pants and pulled out his phone. He came up right behind Ben, positioning his face right behind Ben's, said "Smile, darling." and snapped a selfie with Ben. He was still gagged and had the 'WHORE' collar on, not to mention the fact that his face was covered in a layer of cum but he did not care. That became his favorite picture of the two of them together. It reminded Ben of that magical moment....

Ben's mind drifted from the past back to the present. It was dark, still. Ben's breathing was calm. He felt himself smiling and, if he was not mistaken, he was fully erect. He loved Martin and he loved being with him. He was afraid of being a slave, afraid of losing everything he knew and yet... what he knew was not very impressive beyond Martin. Would it really be worth losing everything to keep Martin? He knew the answer now, he supposed he always knew. Old things had to die. Old pain and old memories. Ben Danforth was always going to die. But something could arise from the ashes. Something new. He knew what he had to do.

"Martin." He calmly spoke. Up above, Martin sat straight. He almost drifted off. He picked up the tablet and looked at the screen. "I'll do it, Martin. For you. If it were just me, I'd stay here. There is nothing real out there. Except for you. I'll do it for you, Martin." Martin smiled. He'd done it. Ben would live, or rather, Ben would die but the man behind the broken mask, the soft, sensitive, clever and caring man, would live. "Ok, Ben. Now, you need to do something. He turned the light back on.

Ben flinched for a second as the light came back on. The dirt and glass illuminated again. "There is a box in the glass to your left, by your knees." Ben looked down and sure enough, there was. "Open it." Ben reached down with his left hand, it was rather cramped but he managed to open it. "Take out everything in it." In it was a leather neck collar with a thin metal leash attached, two pairs of bondage cuffs, two short chains and 4 padlocks. He could guess what came next.

"Put them on." Ben nodded and began to put on all the gear. Above, Martin was watching intently. He had left those down there for when he was going to release Ben. He did not want to release him with full control of his limbs so he left that down there to force him to.....secure himself to be dug out. This was better, though. By now, Ben had put on all the gear. His neck was secured with the collar, his wrists where chained in front of him and his legs chained together. Now came the final part.

"There is not much oxygen left in that grave, Ben. It might be to late to save you no matter what. I'll try to dig you out but.....I might not make it." It was a lie, there was plenty of air but Martin wanted Ben to believe there was not. It was vital for the final part of his plan. He lowered the amount of oxygen being pumped into the grave and set to work digging. "Good luck, Ben." Then he turned the light back off.

The light went off again, plunging Ben into darkness. His breath quickened as did his heart beat. He tried to calm down but he was losing control. All he could think about was Martin. That crazy bastard Martin who put him in here. That crazy bastard who cared enough to do this to try and save him. All the things Ben wanted to do with him. All the things he wanted to say. And the fact that he may never get that chance. It was too much. Ben finally broke down again, crying, tears streaking down his face. "I...I don't want to die down here! I don't want to die, Martin! Please, don't let me die down here!" He called out, crying as he did so. He wanted to live now, to live for Martin, to be with him. He wanted to experience all the things he never had a chance to before with Martin. He called out, begging Martin not to let him die here.

Martin heard him as he dug the whole. He smiled. He'd done it. He'd finally given Ben the will to live. He turned and redoubled his efforts to dig him out. Inside the grave, he heard the digging sounds. His spirit picked up but the air was getting thinner. He had no idea if he was going to make it but he tried to breath slowly, as slowly as he could. He willed Martin to dig faster, to get him out of this.

Up top, Martin kept digging, guessing that the air in the grave was going to be running thin. Good, he thought. The final step was going to need it. He dug again.

Ben sat, still as he could possibly be, trying to breath as little as he could. The air was getting really thin now, he could barely draw breath anymore. The sounds of digging were getting louder until finally the shovel Martin was using struck the glass coffin.

Martin felt the shovel strike the coffin. He was sure that the coffin would hold, it was made from the strongest plexiglass he could find. Still, best not to tempt fate. He threw the shovel away and pushed dirt aside with his bare hands. Finally, he could see the coffin itself. The light from the car headlights did a poor job of lighting the area but enough that he could see him. Ben. He was laying there, looking at Martin with pleading eyes.

Ben could see Martin now. It was dark outside but there was also some light. He was lightheaded, almost delirious now. He weakly raised one hand, the other hand resting on his chest, placing it on the top of the coffin.

Martin saw Ben put a hand to the glass. He put his own hand on the other side, right where Ben's hand was. Ben weakly spoke. "Martin...." he whispered. Martin leaned in close to the glass, his own eyes red from the ordeal of the past few hours for both of them. He said, loud enough for Ben to hear through the glass. "Rest in peace, Ben Danforth."

Ben heard his words. He was too late, then. He was going to die. He slowly blacked out and lost consciousness, his last thought of Martin.

Martin watched Ben pass out. Good, that went better then he thought. He picked up the tablet and upped the air in the coffin. Then the pushed aside more dire, enough until he could finally open the coffin. He lifted the lid, pushed it aside and jumped into the coffin. Ben was still, unmoving. Martin checked his pulse. He was still breathing. Thank god. He picked him up in his arms, wrapping his chain arms around his neck like a hug. "Hey, hey! Wake up!" He yelled as he shook Ben. Finally, after an agonizing minute, Ben began to stir.

Ben's eyes fluttered. He felt groggy, not normal sleep groggy but something...something else. He also felt a bit cold. He felt... he felt naked. He moved his head a bit. This all seemed a bit familiar, like this exact thing had been done before. He opened his eyes to be greeted by the smiling face of Martin Caldwell. His eyes were red, like he was crying. "Martin...." He slowly whispered. "Am I...alive?" Martin pulled him into a deep hug. He was on the verge of tears. They both were. Finally, Martin leaned back a bit and looked into Ben's eyes. "No, you are not. Ben Danforth is dead and so is his past. You are a new man." He looked at his watch. It was midnight. He laughed. "It is literally a new day." He pulled Ben in for a kiss. It was deep and passionate and they held it for a good minute before Martin pulled back. The man who used to be Ben looked back at him.

"What happens now, Martin? I'm yours, entirely. What do we do now?" Martin smiled, moving his face less than an inch from the other man. He needed to stop thinking of him as Ben. "That depends, Slave." That name struck him. Slave. Was that who he was now? It was. He was not Ben anymore. He was just a Slave. Martin nodded, seeing the acceptance on his face. "But what we do next, Slave, we will figure it out. Together." Slave nodded. This was it, he thought. The beginning of the rest of his life. And he could not be happier.