Fic: Negotiations, R, Severus/Percy Title: Negotiations Author:viverras Rating: R. Warnings:: Lack of penetrative sex. D/s. Compliant to:: HBP-ish. Archiving: No, please. Notes: Originally written for LJ's Daily Deviant's July theme of D/s. Summary: What happens in the almost-beginning of a not-exclusively D/s relationship. In other words, how to get to a second date.
Percy hesitated, Floo powder slipping through his cupped hand. Ever since The Incident, his employer had treated him with nothing more than cordial professionalism. Now, under most circumstances, Percy was an advocate of cordial professionalism. But after he'd sucked off his employer whilst wearing a rather naughty outfit that said employer had procured and dressed him in, he rather thought that cordial professionalism left something to be desired. And the lack made him wonder whether his presence was now unwelcome.
The more he thought about it, the more certain he was that the entire situation was quite unfair. Even supposing that someone could reasonably be expected to anticipate that the consequence of spilling tea on one's robe would be a demand to don a corset and (extremely saucy) ruffled skirt, it was beyond Percy's comprehension that the result of compliance would be to be treated as a stranger afterwards.
Perhaps he was expected to have refused? Stormed out in a flurry of outrage? That must have been it, he decided. It had been some sort of test, and his embarrassingly enthusiastic response had been the failing response. Or perhaps his performance was simply poor enough to have given Severus a disgust of him.
His shoulders drooped as he realized that he would have to offer to resign. Severus might appreciate his removing himself enough to give him a decent letter of recommendation.
It would be for the best, he thought bracingly. The situation had distracted him, and soon his work would suffer. Being unwanted was nothing new, but the prospect of letting his professional standards slip was unbearable. And yet . . . the thought of not working with Severus any more - not handing him a text before he asks for it, not completing projects at the perfectly appointed desk that Percy's come to consider his own – made him completely and utterly miserable.
Percy looked down at his hand, grains of powder slipping through his fingers.
He'd give it one more day, he decided. If Severus didn't do something today to let him know he's still wanted, Percy would resign. He would. He threw the powder, snapped “Snape residence”, and stepped into the fire.
~*~
Thanks to his dithering, Percy arrived late – which is to say that he was only twelve minutes early instead of eighteen. His employer was nowhere to be seen, and Percy's heart thudded in equal parts of relief and disappointment. He spied a note – the morning's instructions, no doubt – in the usual place on his desk.
Refusing to hope or fear or even think, he opened it and read, “Categorize practices in Haltwiddle's Third Compendium as likely to be pleasant or unpleasant; separate lists for each.”
Percy narrowed his eyes. “Practices”? And pleasant or unpleasant according to whose tastes? His? Those of a theoretical person? Perhaps the book itself would provide some clarity; Percy certainly didn't recall that title, and while it might have been a new acquisition, he was quite certain he'd already catalouged all those that Severus had bought recently. Frowning, he Summoned it from the shelves and flipped it open. The frown turned into brow-raised surprise.
Whomever Haltwiddle was, he was certainly a pervert.
The pages were covered with illustrations of what appeared to be a fairly comprehensive encyclopedia of sexual practices. He scanned down the index. They weren't alphabetical. Perhaps organized by the affected body part? Or the number of – acoutrements?
Well. If this wasn't an indication of interest, it was more insensitive than he would ever have expected from even a former Death Eater. His heart gave an annoying leap. Percy narrowed his eyes again and scanned the room, expecting Severus to come gliding in to expound on his instructions, but he remained quite alone.
Warily, he flipped through the first few pages. Did they really have to include female giants in the illustration for miscegenation? And that how exactly did that differ from allotriorasty?
Wondering again if this was some sort of trick, Percy glanced around the library but he remained alone. Suddenly quite irritated with everything, Percy decided to make it exceptionally obvious he was evaluating the practices with his own perspective. With his most ostentatious flourishes, he wrote “Percival Ignatius Weasley's List of Acceptable Activities” in large letters at the top of one parchment and the same, but “Unacceptable Activities” on the other. If Severus were indeed put off by Percy's . . . tastes, he might as well disgrace himself thoroughly.
Bending over the book, he began. Acousticophilia. The “Florentine Girdle.” Fibulas. Gregomulcia. This Haltwiddle fellow must have been insane in addition to being a pervert. Who would put Gomphipothia next to nasolingus? Did the man think that someone would research the best method to ingest snot, realize it was possible to also have a fetish for teeth, and suddenly expand their sexual horizons? Putting both those under the “Too Bizarre to Consider” heading on the “Unacceptable” list, he moved on.
Finally finding a section that included some saner practices, he relaxed into the research, adding sixteen techniques in a row under the “Quite Acceptable” heading on his “Acceptable” list. Percy was happily engrossed in speculating whether and how urination would be possible with a particularly thorough bondage technique, when a breath across his ear made him jump.
“I see you found my instructions.”
“Yes,” he managed, fighting the reflex to cover the book with his hands, “I've been working - ”
Severus reached around, the sleeve of his robe trailing Percy's wrist, and plucked the “pleasant” list from the desk. “Interesting categorization, Mr. Weasley: 'Marginally Acceptable, Acceptable, and Quite Acceptable.' ” The parchment was set down again, and a long finger stroked down the other list, tapping the equivalent headings.
“It was more sensible than the Haltwiddle's original method, and you did want -” Severus' hair brushed his cheek and Percy gasped “my personal assessment, did you not?” Percy had nearly crushed his quill in reflex.
“Indeed, Mr. Weasley.” This was said with what Percy quite hoped was affectionate amusement. “I shall leave you to your work then.” The arm withdrew and Percy bit his lip so as not to sigh in disappointment.
He heard Severus move to his own desk, but couldn't raise his eyes from the parchment; he was quite certain that if he did, it would all have been his imagination. Alternatively, he might expire from embarrassment. Percy unclenched his quill and blindly marked the entry he'd been working on, while a remote part of his brain observed that his cock had passed “interested” and moved to “painfully hard” as soon as Severus had bent over him.
Taking a deep breath, he managed two more entries before the pressure was too much and he shifted in his seat. It didn't help. He sneaked a hand down to his lap to ease the pressure, and was not at all surprised when Severus immediately said “Mr. Weasley, stop squirming and bring me your work.”
Percy closed his eyes. “May I have a moment, sir?”
“Oh, I think not,” was the definitely-amused reply.
Percy dropped his eyes to his lap and sighed. This would be it, then. At least he'd finally find out Severus' intentions. Prepared for the worst, he picked up the parchments, walked the five steps to Severus' desk, and stood to the side. He wasn't even trying to hide his erection; it wasn't as though Severus hadn't seen it before, and it would be futile anyway.
Severus held out his hand and Percy handed him the lists. Severus set them on his desk without looking at them, then swiveled his chair to face Percy. “It appears that you are distracted. Do you need assistance to control yourself,” he asked in that same warm tone.
Percy clenched his fists. He was only able to look up by biting the inside of his cheek hard. “What I need, sir, is for you to be plain with me. Do you want me in this way or not?” He wished he'd been able to keep from displaying such obvious upset.
Severus stood and cupped Percy's cheek, frowning. “I did not think this would be so difficult for you.”
“Only because you have not been . . . as you were,” Percy said morosely, turning his face away from Severus' hand.
“Percy, look at me,” Severus commanded quietly. When Percy had done so, he continued, “I thought you were owed some time to consider whether you wished to pursue this, without my influencing your decision. I am not,” he stroked over Percy's shoulders, “a particularly nice man, but I would not want you to feel I was requiring this as a condition of your continued employment.”
Percy glared. “You are not particularly good at making your intentions clear.”
Severus smirked, “No, I am not. But it is true none the less; if you find the prospect of continuing to be appealing, I would quite enjoy it. You must tell me whether you wish to do so or not, though.”
Percy stepped back. “What, exactly, do you want? To make me into a toy to fuck me at your convenience,” he snapped.
Frowning, Severus turned away. “Why would you be interested in anything more than that?”
Percy stared at him. “You, sir,” he wedged himself between Severus and his desk, “are an idiot. If I hadn't wanted more than that, I wouldn't have been out of my mind all week.”
Quite slowly, Severus threaded his fingers through the hair at the back of Percy's head. When his searching glance was met with defiant challenge, he yanked Percy's head back and kissed him, deeper and deeper as Percy melted against him. “You are a terribly impertinent boy,” he gasped when they finally broke apart.
Percy snapped, “Yes, I am, so come back here and teach me to behave,” reaching for him again, and glaring when Severus stepped back.
“You realize that I will require all manner of deviance from you,” he stated, raking his eyes up and down Percy's body.
“Yes, sir, I believe I figured that out the last week, around the time you laced me into the corset,” Percy replied tartly. “And if I had somehow missed it, the list would've given me a hint.”
“And that I am ill-tempered and overly-possessive.” He took a step forward.
“Yes, sir, I gathered that.” Percy unfastened his robe deliberately and leaned back on his elbows, displaying his painfully-hard cock.
Severus was nearly touching him, now, and murmured “And that you're going to spend the rest of the day on your knees with that cock properly restrained.”
Percy grinned. “Yes, sir.” He held out his arms.
Severus pulled him up and slid a thigh between Percy's. Between kisses and bites and thrusts of Percy's naked cock against Severus' clothed one, Severus growled out, “You want to behave for me, hmm? Constrained, on your knees? Helpless? Made to be a good, obedient boy?” And Percy pleaded for more with whimpers and moans, but Severus was the one who came first, when Percy whispered, “Make me perfect for you, Severus.”