Title: The Green Man's Gift
Author: ldybastet
Characters: Lucius Malfoy/Severus Snape
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Pagan ritual, whipping, bondage
Kinks chosen: Outdoor sex, bondage
Word Count: 1950
Summary: Being the Master of the Manor brings its own set of obligations. Lucius takes help from Severus to fulfil one of them.
Author's notes: Some pagan rituals of fertility may, to our modern eyes, seem rather barbaric, but there's a deep layer of symbolism in them. If pagan rituals and/or bdsm-like themes are offensive to you, I advice you to not read this. Beta-read by viverra_libro, technical advice by by_starkiller. I hope my changes haven't brought new errors.

The Green Man's Gift

Spring was upon them again. Days grew longer and warmer and the cold fingers of winter had withdrawn from the land and from the hearts of men and beasts, leaving room for the sun to ignite little flames of joy and passion.

Lucius had sent out invitations to the yearly Spring Feast, and both the Manor house and the gardens had been decorated with early flowers and coloured ribbons. Now the guests had arrived, laughter and light words competed with the song of birds that flitted from branch to branch in the trees and the hedges. Lucius didn't flit. He moved like a peacock through the crowd, regal and beautiful, gracefully introducing those that had not met before and starting conversations. When he turned from the company of an elderly gentleman and his wife, Lucius caught sight of Narcissa, smiling at him across the lawn. Slowly, they worked their way to each other through the guests.

'Fudge, my friend. Things seem to favour you now. Congratulations on your new post.'

'Couldn't have done it without you, Lucius. Thank you for the donation.'

'My pleasure, entirely. It was a worthy cause.' Lucius smiled and moved on.

He took Narcissa's hand in his and lifted it to his lips, his eyes still fixed on hers. 'My dear...'

She smiled, and the coldness lifted from her face again. 'I think even the farmers are enjoying themselves.' Her eyes flickered over to the side where those from the surrounding non-Muggle farms were talking and laughing. 'But with less spirits this year.'

'I believe the one responsible for that commotion is still too embarrassed to come within a mile's distance of us.'

'That, or too afraid,' Narcissa replied with a smirk, looking less innocent all of a sudden.

'Well, you are magnificent with a wand. He won't forget that lesson, nor will his friends and neighbours. We won't see much of them until the harvest anyway.'

The tide of people pulled them apart again, their duties as host and hostess calling.

A figure dressed all in black despite the warm weather or the festive occasion turned as Lucius approached him. The lines between his eyebrows told volumes of what a hardship it was to him to socialise with these people. But Lucius smiled. He knew that Severus liked having something to complain about; the man always seemed the happiest when he had something to be unhappy about. Lucius also knew that even though Severus said he preferred his solitude, it was a lie. Cleverly wrought and with much evidence to back it up, yet still a lie. There was certain company that he didn't mind.

'Severus. Enjoying yourself?'

'Hardly.' Severus' frown increased and Lucius couldn't help teasing him.

'What? With all the lovely ladies here, the good food, the wine and the mead... and the birds that are singing their praise to the sun? Surely, there must be something that you find pleasurable this day?'

The glare he received in response drew a low chuckle from Lucius, and he leaned close, lowering his voice. 'Stay. I have something special for you later.'

~*~

'You're my sacrifice,' Lucius whispered in Severus' ear as he bound his wrists together behind his back. 'You're my gift.' He draped a thin robe over Severus' shoulders to shield him from prying eyes and the chill air. Spring had not come far enough yet to give them warm nights, and it was so late that what little warmth had lingered from the day was long gone.

He led Severus outside, through the gardens and out into the fields. The moon hung, round and pearly white, just above the branches of the tall tree that stood in the middle of the field. The gnarled oak looked as if it had been crowned, ruling over the lands.

When they reached the tree, Lucius took the robe off Severus, and he thought he could see Severus shiver slightly when what little protection and privacy he'd been allowed was taken from him. They had walked there in silence, and in silence also Lucius untied Severus' hands, only to tie them to a branch on each side of the thick trunk.

Lucius took a step back to let his gaze travel over the naked shape, smooth and pale skin that seemed almost translucent in the moonlight contrasting with the coarser surface of the oak, the rich browns and blacks.

Then he could no longer resist the urge to reach out and trace the length of Severus' spine with his fingers. The touch made Severus relax; he sighed and leaned his cheek against the rough bark of the tree - accepting his fate as sacrifice and symbolic representative of the god at spring. Lucius kissed Severus' neck and pressed his body against him, letting him feel something that Lucius hoped would reassure him now, as it always did at other times: that Lucius wanted him, and only his robe separated them.

A few paces from the tree grew a shrub, and Lucius cut a stem from it and removed the twigs and the remnants of last year's leaves. He took it in his hand and tried it out, swinging it in an arc through the night air with an ominous swish, and was satisfied with the flexibility and the feel of it. He preferred not to make any alterations magically. Not this night, not during this ritual performance. It was enough with the magic of old they were invoking.

Severus had started at the sound of the switch, and the taut muscles in his outstretched arms tested the bonds before he tried to relax again. His breathing had deepened, slowed, and Lucius knew that Severus could feel the same thing that he felt - raw and unrefined power, seeping into them from the night, from the ground and the shadows, like dark ribbons among the silver light of the moon, that were thrown by the thick branches overhead. It was a soft but unrelenting pressure that slowly built up, and Lucius' body reacted to it, interpreting it as pleasure.

The first stroke caused Severus to throw his head back and gasp at the sudden pain, and the sight sent a shiver through Lucius and he thought it was a long time since he'd seen anything as beautiful as that. He raised the switch again, and a second stroke followed, then a third and a fourth in slow succession. The rhythmic pace of sound and sensation was hypnotic, and the air around them gradually thickened and gained substance as if absorbing the pain being offered up to it. There was meaning behind every stroke, a ritual suffering, but that didn't exclude Lucius from taking pleasure in it.

By the time Severus' backside was striped with red, the magic that they had raised was thrumming around them. Lucius' cock was throbbing in time with the vibrations that caressed them, and he threw off his robe, dropping the switch to the ground as well. One again, he pressed his body to Severus'. This time, they were both naked, and Severus' back was damp despite the chill of spring, his buttocks hot against Lucius' hard flesh.

In silence, Lucius loosened the ties that bound Severus to the tree, and with one arm around his waist, he followed him down when Severus sank to his knees with a groan. Words were not needed when their bodies spoke so plainly for them, and Lucius could feel the hard shaft of Severus' cock when he moved his arm lower, his hand stroking skin scratched by the bark as Severus' had moved under the switch.

Severus planted his hands firmly on the ground, getting onto all fours, and lowered his back a little so that his arse was raised invitingly. 'Lucius, now!' he rasped and shivered when Lucius leaned over his back to bite his shoulder lightly. The length that he wanted inside rubbed teasingly along the cleft between his buttocks. 'Please...' came the whisper, and Lucius couldn't deny him the pleasure that they both longed for, the pleasure that the night seemed to demand from them.

A small flask flew to his hand when summoned, and, after coating his cock with the oil, Lucius entered his lover slowly. Severus' moan ended on a more painful note, but he pushed back, trying to get more of Lucius into him. When Lucius was finally as deep as possible, he took a moment to just enjoy the sensations. The pulsing of the tight channel seemed to blend together with the rhythmic hum of raw magic that surrounded them, and Lucius felt privileged to be allowed to be a part of one of Nature's mysteries.

Magic and pleasure continued to build, and Lucius was not aware that he had begun thrusting into Severus, in time with what now felt like the lifebeat of the earth. They were swept along on a tide of passion, and the rich smell of damp soil and grass being crushed under their knees gave further substance to the power and made them feel almost as if there was a third being with them, as tangible and physical as they.

Lucius pressed Severus down upon the ground while he drove into him, and soon Severus was rubbing his cock against earth and grass, rocking his hips to meet Lucius' thrusts. The sensations continued to build, and the fierce passion that it awoke inside them was simply too overwhelming for them to control. Both men gave themselves over to the pleasure and the magic of the ritual and it wasn't long before Severus came in hot spurts, his body clenching around Lucius. It took all the self-discipline that Lucius could muster not to continue and come inside his lover. The sacrifice given, Lucius had to give his own fertile gift to the land, and he pulled out of Severus to finish himself off, spattering his semen over the ground between their legs.

Birds began singing in the branches above, heralding the coming of dawn, while the two men tried to catch their breath. Severus was prostrate on the ground in front of Lucius, spent, and Lucius smiled as he moved a hand up over his lover's back, a caress so different from the frenzy with which they had just copulated. He pulled Severus to him and lay down next to the patch of flattened and stained grass. They were kissing softly, sharing the moment of stillness.

'Didn't I tell you I had something special for you?' Lucius whispered. 'Can you now say that you did not enjoy my Spring Feast?'

Severus huffed in response, but there was a hint of a smile curling the corners of his mouth. 'I suppose this makes it a tradition?'

'I think it takes three times for that.'

'I'm looking forward to next year, then,' Severus said and rested his head on Lucius' shoulder.

Nature could be cruel and harsh, as evidenced by storms and cold, by predators stalking and killing its prey, by sickness and death, by pain and suffering, but she could also be loving and nurturing. And when the golden rays of the rising sun kissed the entwined lovers, the birds of spring called out for partners with which to raise new families.

Lucius knew that he was doing this ritual differently from his father, or his father before him, choosing a lover of his own gender, but he didn't care. Their gift of love and fertile seed had been accepted. The magic around them unravelled, fading softly into the morning, and spread into the fields and the land. The Master of the Manor had fulfilled his obligation to ensure good crops this year as well.