The Safe Word
Fandom: Helluva Boss
Ship: Robo Fizz/Concord (OC)
Word Count: 1,782
Warnings: This story is generally sexual in nature. It also explores trauma and abuse, including sexual abuse and rape. This chapter mentions rape.
Concord had a hard time concentrating at work the next day, knowing Fizz waited for him at home. He did his best to pay attention to his clients but, between them, his receptionist could catch him staring off into the distance with a silly grin.
“Sir, are you okay?”
Concord blushed and tried to pull his professional demeanor back together before turning his chair to face her fully.
“Yes, of course, Lannah.”
She lowered her spectacles and raised her eyebrows at him as she placed some papers on his desk.
“I’m fine,” he stated again in a warning tone.
She sighed as she set her glasses up to rest in front of her black and white horns, dropping the professional facade Concord liked to insist upon.
“I’ve never seen you make more than three facial expressions in all the time I’ve worked for you, Concord. What’s got you so excited?”
“It’s nothing.” He rearranged a few random items on his desk. “Has my three o’ clock arrived.”
“Canceled.” She gave him a smug look. “Looks like you have some time to talk.”
“It’s very unprofessional to engage in these sorts of conversations with employees.”
She gasped and hopped up to sit on his desk.
“These kinds of conversations? Do you have a date?”
Concord cursed his big mouth once more. Of course he used the same phrasing he’d used to try to curtail her oversharing with patients about her personal life.
“In...a way. I suppose. But again, it’s not appropriate workplace conversation.”
“Sir, I’ve worked for you for six years. You have never smiled the way you’ve been smiling today. I gotta know!”
Concord found himself being shaken by the shoulders.
“Okay, Lannah! Please, control yourself.”
She released him and wiggled excitedly as Concord eyed her like a live grenade.
“Who is it? What are they like? How’d you meet?”
“I...I’d rather not say too much. But I will gladly tell you he’s very out of my league in terms of physical appearance.”
“He’s hot?”
Concord lost his professional mask, giddiness taking over as he reacted to Lannah’s energy.
“He’s so hot, and so tall!”
“Picture! Picture!”
“I’m afraid I don’t have one.”
“Then what’s your favorite part of him?”
“His eyes. They captivate me.” Concord looked a little bashful as he recalled the way Fizz’s eyes shone in the darkness of the closet.
“Aww. That’s so sweet. I’m so happy for you, sir. I’ve been worried about you. Couple more years and I would have had to ask you out myself.”
Concord’s gave her a deadpan look.
“Really, Lannah?”
She laughed and poked him on his forehead.
“Hey, you’re cute enough for a pity date.”
“Sadly, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
The rest of the day went by fairly quickly. He did have to deal with Lannah giggling at him from time to time if she caught him smiling to himself. But he combated his embarrassment at being caught expressing happiness by reminding himself she was actually happy for him not laughing at him.
When Concord finally arrived home, he braced himself to be swept off his feet. But Fizz wasn’t waiting for him at the door like an excited puppy like he expected. That didn’t slow him down. He hucked his briefcase without looking to see where it landed, too busy struggling out of his sweater as he stumbled across the room.
“Fizz! I’m home!”
“I’m waiting!” he called back.
Concord finished fighting his way out of his sweater and followed the voice to his room. He found Fizz with his hands above his head, tied to the headboard as he reclined against a pile of pillows. His pose made Concord think of some romance novel covers he’d seen, long legs curled in a way that accentuated the hips, chest thrust forward a bit. Concord’s body reacted as intended, but his mind still got fixated on what should have been an irrelevant fact at this point.
“How did you tie yourself up?”
Fizz responded by sticking his long tongue out with a wink and that got him moving. He laughed as Concord scrambled up to him. He took Fizz’s face in his hands and their lips met, desperate and messy, only parting for moments so Concord could breathe. He finally had to lean back and Fizz followed those lips as far as he could, pulling on the ropes binding him.
He fell back against the pillows and stared up at Concord, a demure expression on his face as he rolled his hips to part his legs.
“I’m all yours. What’ll you do with me?”
Concord blushed more for the position he found himself in than anything. He hadn’t planned on taking charge. If he’d known, he’d have spent all day obsessing about it. What would he do? Why did he have to be so awkward? He couldn’t compare to what Fizz did for him.
He had to follow his instincts, Satan help him. He felt his body moving forward, hand sliding up Fizz’s thigh as he leaned up to kiss him again. Softer this time, less desperate as their tongues met and felt each other out. Concord opened his eyes as he pulled away, meeting Fizz’s.
“You have the most beautiful eyes.”
He hadn’t even thought before saying it and would have kicked himself if he weren’t so lost in them. Fizz looked amused.
“You’re such a softie. Did I even need to come up with a safe word?”
Concord felt a bit embarrassed for a moment. He’d said too much. He felt like hiding before the other half of what Fizz said clicked. He looked confused.
“Wait. You can’t use the one I use?”
“Not unless you want me to go rag doll on you, baby. Or are you into that?”
Concord ignored his attempts to keep things rolling.
“That works even when you say it?” Concord’s wheels turned slowly. “But that means….if you can’t…”
Concord reached up and started pulling at the ropes around Fizz’s wrists.
“I like to show off and all. But that was actually very hard to do on my own, you know.”
Concord ignored him again, wanting him to be completely free before he started talking. He straddled him as the ropes fell away and intended to look him in the eye, but he couldn’t. He kept his head down, tears stinging the corners of his eyes.
“Fizz. Your previous owner made it so you couldn’t tell them to….to cease their actions without….terminating your own functioning?”
“He didn’t like to be told what to do,” Fizz responded coldly.
“He raped you.”
“I don’t have bodily autonomy. Legally, he was within his rights.”
Concord looked up suddenly and took Fizz’s face in shaky hands, tears trailing down his cheeks.
“Fuck legality! Fizz. Who was he? What’s his name?”
“I can’t tell you. Confidentiality policies.”
“Could we get Cog to override that?”
“It’s part of my core programming.” Fizz’s voice suddenly took on a tinny sound. “It is inadvisable to tamper with core Fizzarolli programming. Tampering with core programming will void your warranty. Mammon is not responsible for dismemberment or death once the warranty is void.”
“Maybe we can….find a loophole?”
Concord’s eyes were scanning the air for answers now, frantic.
“Concord.” Fizz took his hands from his face. “Don’t.”
Concord looked at him and Fizz wiped away some of the tears on his cheeks. He stared into his eyes pointedly and Concord looked away. He wrapped his arms around Fizz’s neck and leaned into him for a hug. His voice came out a sad and desperate muffle.
“But he raped you.”
Fizz’s arms came up around him, tightening as he leaned his head against Concord’s.
“Yeah. Yeah, I guess he did. But I’m here with you now.”
He sounded as if he were only just accepting that word could apply to him. Rage wormed its way into Concord’s heart. It burrowed into the center and made a nest. Fizz couldn’t tell him who he was. But Concord would find him somehow. He’d find him and he’d kill him.
“You’ll always be safe with me. I promise.”
Fizz kissed his horn, rubbing his back.
“I know, baby.”
Concord pulled back after a bit and wiped at his eyes.
“I’m sorry. You shouldn’t be having to comfort me.”
“So, why don’t you comfort me now?” he suggested with a grin.
“We need to call Cog to turn this safe word off before we do anything.”
“You mean change it.”
“No. We can use safe words without them literally turning you off. I trust you to pause on your own when I ask. Why didn’t I realize it could be turned off before?”
“It can’t. It’s a safety protocol. There has to be a fail safe word. It’s part of the core programming.”
“Then we’ll change it to something ridiculous that I’ll never be able to pronounce.”
“Concord. Do I get to have a say on this one?”
“Of course. But why would you want to keep it?”
“The safe word isn’t bad. What he did with it was. What if something goes wrong with my programming? I could hurt you. I need to know you can shut me down. Let me have this.”
“...I don’t have to let you.” Concord was a little embarrassed he’d gone off and forgotten to take Fizz’s feelings into consideration. “It’s your decision.”
Fizz slipped a hand behind his head and hooked it around a horn, pulling Concord’s face up to his.
“Then let’s just wait to call Cog. I promised you a lot of things yesterday. And I really want to give them to you.”
Concord wanted to check with him that he really wanted to continue after such a sensitive subject, but he’d promised himself he wouldn’t try to be Fizz’s therapist. And that was a very therapist thing to ask. Right now he had to trust Fizz knew what he needed. So, he smiled for him and brushed his cheek with a thumb.
“Then take me. I’m yours.”
He leaned up to kiss Fizz softly, but Fizz didn’t let him pull away, pushing more passion into it. He released his horn and donned his demure look again.
“But first, let me be yours. Show me that strength in softness you talked about.”
Concord laughed a little and felt some of the pressure relieved. He didn’t have to live up to Fizz. He could just be himself and Fizz would at the very least find it adorable or quaint. Maybe that was okay. As long as he brought Fizz any kind of joy.
As long as he made him forget for even a moment.