Warning: Torture and blood

This had gotten out of control.

Severus walked briskly out of his shop that evening. The last slivers of sunlight peeked out over buildings in the distance, and the mid-summer sunset was coming to a close. He couldn't be late, and there was no time to waste. Severus looked down at his watch as he turned a corner, chewing his lip as he realized he definitely should not have let that last customer in and should have started getting ready to leave instead. Breaking into a run, he pulled up the hood on his jacket to cover his face and sped through the cobblestone walkways, down dark alleys, and up a few flights of stairs until he reached the nondescript building that he knew far too well.

As he let his bag slip off of his shoulder and into his hand, Severus reached up and gave the wooden door a single, firm knock. It opened almost as soon as his knuckles touched the surface, and he knew that someone had been waiting on him.

"I thought you were going to be late," said a man in the shadows, several inches taller than Severus himself and much more handsome by anyone's measure. "However… Just seconds early. What luck."

"Time management, Barty," he responded in a breath, wheezy from his sprint. Severus had never been in the best of shape, and now was not an exception. The door opened just enough to let his skinny frame in and he slid inside the house, with Barty closing and locking the door behind him.

The house was dim, and light didn't reach the corners of the spacious foyer. A lamp seemed to be on to the right, in the kitchen, and as Severus dug through his bag for a moment, he asked, "Dinnertime?"

Barty slipped past his guest to turn off the light. "Earlier," he said as he walked back, crossing his arms and waiting for Severus to be finished shoving something he couldn't quite see into his pocket. "I didn't want a full stomach for this, but these muscles don't feed themselves."

"Actually, if they're attached to your body, and you're feeding yourself, then I think – ."

"Shut up."

"Right," muttered Severus. He pulled off his hoodie and folded up it, placing it carefully on a small table that sat by the door. After taking a long, deep breath, he finally looked up at Barty and nodded, grasping his bag tightly in his hands. "Let's get on with it, then."

"Good. I don't have all night." Barty put his hand on the small of Severus' back and nudged him forward, towards a door in front of the two of them. With a slight trip, the smaller man crossed the room and opened the door, starting down a long set of stairs. He put a hand on the wall to his right, stepping carefully to avoid falling to his doom, and called back, "I thought you said you didn't have any other plans? Like always, on these days?"

Metal struck metal as several locks snapped into place. Heavy footsteps followed behind Severus as Barty said, "I have whatever time I feel like making for you. That, uh… That was just a threat, though. I do have all night. For today."

It was too dark for Barty to see Severus roll his eyes, and he was glad for that. When they reached the bottom of the staircase, Severus pulled open yet another door and stepped inside the final room. He groped around for the lightswitch, accidentally turning on the fluorescents and burning his eyes for a moment before he shut those off and flicked on the dimmer, more soothing red lights instead.

The room was of a modest size, painted head to toe in black. One of the far corners housed a padded area, and the one opposite was lined with shelves that had all sorts of things neatly arranged on them. While Barty fastened the last locks for good measure, Severus walked over to the shelving and admired the implements that were proudly displayed, his hand in his pocket as he palmed what he'd brought. There were gags and cuffs, to start, all fitted precisely to his measurements and cleaned from their last session. An entire shelf held only candles, and underneath it hung an array of thin whips that sent a shiver up Severus' spine just from looking at them. It'd taken some convincing to get Barty to put the effort into learning how to properly throw a whip, but in the end it'd been worth it for both of them.

As he was about to pick up a well-worn collar, Barty interrupted. "What are you doing? I haven't gotten anything new since you were last here, so stop staring. You'll see it all soon enough," said the man, looking more menacing than before now that he was under the red light. He reached out to take Severus' hand to lead him away, but he stopped him.

"I brought you something, actually…" he murmured, pulling his hand out of his pocket and offering him a thin, metal rectangle – jet black, like everything else.

"A gift from my pet? Well, isn't that sweet," said Barty with a mocking smile. He took the object and flipped it over in his palm a few times before hooking the tip of his thumb on the side and sliding out a sleek, sharp blade. "I suppose you want me to use this?"

Severus looked at his feet. "Yes, please."

"We'll see." Barty carefully sheathed the blade again and reached behind his guest to set the new weapon on a shelf next to a few other, more deadly toys. He then motioned for Severus to go to the opposite side of the room and the man complied, leaving Barty to ponder their night and pick a few things off of the shelves to start with.

Severus stood in the corner and peeled his sweaty work shirt off of his back, crumpling it up into a ball and shoving it into his bag. As he unbuckled his belt, Barty finished what he was doing and walked over to circle around him, running his fingers over fading pink marks that dotted his back and shoulders.

"You've not healed… We'll have to wait longer for next time," he said, tutting.

Severus quickly shook his head and insisted, "I'm almost healed, it's fine. I forgot to use the salve for a couple days, that's all. I'm fine."

Barty took the belt from him and rolled it up neatly while Severus finished getting undressed, save for his underpants. "Hmm, I don't think so. I'll let it slide for today, just this once. I can't have you getting hurt."

"Hilarious." Severus took the belt back and stuffed the rest of his clothes into his bag, pulling the cords tight. The room was ventilated, and the slight breeze made him shiver a bit, wishing that he was covered up like Barty was allowed to be. Even so, he knew neither of them would be cold for long, but for now he danced on the concrete floor in his bare feet and wrapped his arms around himself.

Barty looked amused at Severus' discomfort, but he didn't let him suffer for long. "Ready, then?" he asked, holding his hand out for the bag.

"As ever." He gave his things to the bigger man, who hung the bag on its own special hook by the door. Barty took a pair of cuffs that he'd picked out and unlocked them for Severus as he walked back to him, moving behind him. He grabbed his wrists one by one and secured them into the leather bonds, locking them tight and having Severus test their hold before he spun him around and pushed him towards the far wall.

Barty picked up the end of a chain that was drilled into the floor and clipped it onto the pair of cuffs. Severus was free to move in a small circle, but all he did was stand where the other man had put him and stare up into his eyes as he waited. The room was silent, save for the clack of Barty's boots on the ground as he inched closer to Severus, and tension filled the air.

"So… Here again, are you? I just can't keep you away…" the man murmured, trailing his fingers over Severus's protruding collarbone. "It's disgusting, really… Seeing you crawl back for more, begging me to do it again. It's almost as if you like it… But we both know that's absurd, isn't it?" Barty took Severus' cheek in his palm and moved his lips to the man's ear, whispering, "You don't want this… You deserve it."

Severus was silent, eyes closed and heart beating loudly as he focused on the sound of the man's voice. Barty stood in front of him and prompted him, "Aren't I right?"

"Yes," Severus breathed, opening his eyes just slightly.

"Idiot." Barty held up a hand and slapped him across the face. The sound of flesh against flesh echoed through the room, and Severus blinked water from his eyes as the sting of the impact spread across his cheek. "Address me properly."

"Yes, sir."

Barty looked pleased, starting to circle around him again. "That's more like it. You're not stupid, are you, Severus?"

"No, sir," he replied quickly this time.

"Of course you're not. You know what's good for you – that's why you're here. You're a smart boy… An intelligent little thing, just like me… We make a great pair… All you need is a little something to stay on track." Barty made his way to a small table he'd set up for himself, far out of Severus' reach, and picked up his first implement. The receding footsteps warned Severus of what was to happen, as many of their nights together started in this way, and his whole body stiffened up in anticipation. He stared down at his bare feet so that he wouldn't see what the other man had in store, chewing on his lip.

The air whistled as a thin rod sliced through the air and connected with Severus' back, between the shoulderblades. He stood on his toes when it hit his skin, tossing his head back and gritting his teeth as he sucked in a breath. The pain was sudden and harsh for a beginning blow, and as it subsided to a dull throb, Severus wondered what Barty had planned that warranted forgoing a slow build.

"How does that feel?" the man asked, standing at Severus' side now and fixing the long, black hair that he'd thrown about. The gentle touches calmed him, and the pain disappeared from his mind.

"Good, sir."

Barty gave him a short laugh. "Ah. Well, I guess I'll have to go harder, then. I thought you were here for pain." He moved in front of the man and carefully aimed three successive strikes on his upper thighs. Severus gasped and red welts appeared on his skin almost immediately, and his hands writhed in their bonds as he fought to reach down and cover his wounds. "How does that feel?"

This time, Severus knew better. "H-hurts, sir," he stuttered, looking up at the taller man as he loomed in front of him.

"Perfect. Turn around." Severus struggled with the chain and Barty put his hands on his shoulders to force him to face the wall. He trailed his thumb over the lingering injuries from their last meeting, acting like he'd never seen them before. "Oh, you poor thing… What happened here? Did somebody scratch you? They must have been a sadistic fucking person to do that to such a good boy…" He dug his nails into the tender skin and Severus whimpered beneath him, arching his back. "Oops. I slipped."

Barty took a few minutes to pace around Severus, throwing blows with the cane where he saw fit as the man groaned and pulled on the chain that kept him tethered. The back of his legs and ribcage bloomed pink and red, but the severity of the marks was hidden by the warm light. Barty set his cane back down on the table and then returned to Severus, running a finger down his spine and feeling the heat radiate off of his skin. "Look at that, you've stopped shivering. Must be warmed up now, hm?"

"Yes, sir."

"Rhetorical question." He spun Severus around and delivered another heavy slap to his face, this time on the other cheek. "You should have known better. I thought you said you weren't stupid? How unfortunate. Looks like I'm going to have to beat some sense into you." He reached behind the man and unfastened the chain from his cuffs, backing up a few feet and beckoning Severus with a finger, who obliged without complaint. "On your knees." Severus started to lower himself down, wobbly without his arms for balance, and the impatient Barty grabbed him by the hair and forced him down in front of him.

Severus' legs buckled and his knees scraped the floor. He stared up at Barty, his pulse starting to race. It seemed like they had just started their scene, but things were becoming intense all too quickly. Severus felt a looming sense of dread in the back of his mind, but the dreamy headspace that Barty was always able to put him in so easily kept him from thinking about everything too hard.

Barty reached down and slid his fingers through his guest's hair, tilting his head back. Severus batted his eyelashes as he met the man's gaze, leaning into his hand, but before he knew it his face was covered in warm, sticky spit and Barty let go of him to spread his saliva over his face. His eyes burned from the foreign substance, and Severus couldn't help but make a bit of a disgusted expression as it all started to dry to his skin.

"Aw, you look so pretty like that," Barty cooed as Severus blinked away the tears that were welling up in his stinging eyes. "Did I make you cry? All I did was compliment you… I guess you must not like to feel pretty." He frowned, but it didn't last long until Barty's lips turned up into a devious smile. "That's alright, because you know you aren't. You know you're an ugly little bastard – big nose, yellow teeth, slimy hair. Have you taken a shower in your life? I can't believe you think you deserve to be in my presence, looking like that. You're not good enough to be in public with me, and you never will be. The only way you'll ever be good enough for me is right here, where no one can see us and no one can hear you scream…"

He grabbed Severus' chin with one hand, leaning down and forcing him to stare right into his eyes. "I bet you want that right now. To scream? To feel a pain so terrible that you think you'll never recover?"

"Yes, sir."

"Disgusting." For the third time, Barty reeled his hand back and smacked Severus in the face. This one was harder than the others, so hard that he could have sworn he felt his teeth rattle in his jaws. Tears overflowed from Severus' eyes as he tried to fight through the pain, and a few drops fell onto Barty's boot.

He glowered down at the man, hands balling into fists. How disappointing it was to see his obedient pet muck up his clothes without being asked. "Look at all I've done for you – and this is how you show me respect? Lick it off, pig."

Severus bent down so that his nose was nearly touching the floor. He stuck out his tongue and swiped it across the top of Barty's boot, where the tear had fallen, but as he started to straighten up again he felt the man move from underneath him in a swift motion and suddenly Severus' jaw was pushed into the ground. He sputtered, stuck between the concrete and Barty's heavy boot, and the man squatted down to whisper in his ear, "If you ever disrespect me like that again, you aren't leaving this room alive. Got it?"

"Y-yes sir."

The weight lifted and Severus sat up, blinking furiously to make sure they wouldn't have a repeat of the incident. He took a moment to regain his composure as Barty walked to the opposite side of the room to switch out his implements, trading the thin cane for something a bit more advanced. By now, Severus' subconscious was completely in control of him. He'd been trained to follow Barty's orders, and in this state, he would go so far as to walk off of a cliff for him. Moreso, though, he just wanted to see the man happy, and he knew Barty was at his happiest when he saw his pet battered and broken.

"Get on the bench," came from the other side of the room. Severus didn't waste any time in dragging over a black, padded bench into the middle of the room while Barty sauntered over once more. The tail of a whip tickled Severus' spine, and his legs stiffened as he straddled the seat and faced the wall.

Barty crouched down and shackled the man's ankles into cuffs that were connected to the bench. His spidery toes curled as he awaited the pain, but it wasn't time to get down to business just yet. "Aren't you glad I took those lessons, hm?" he asked, circling around to crack the whip right in front of Severus' nose. "I don't thank you enough for this wonderful present."

Swallowing, Severus put his hands on the bench in front of him to brace himself. He nodded, "I appreciate it, sir, but you thank me enough. I am the one that should be thanking you."

"Oh really?" Barty chuckled. He slowly walked behind Severus again, letting the whip slide between his fingers. An amateur could cause real harm with a whip, but Barty was no amateur, and he knew just how to inflict the damage that he wanted. "You're going to have a lot to thank me for when I'm through with all of this, then."

The weapon flew through the air and landed on Severus' lower back with a reverberating crack! The victim shrieked, but he didn't dare reach back to rub the welt – he knew better than that. Several more blows hit in quick succession and scored the man's paper-white skin. They matched up nicely with the marks from the weeks before, and Barty frowned. Maybe he was a little too precise with his aim – and maybe there were other parts of Severus' body that needed some attention.

"Lift up your feet onto your toes," he ordered, and the man obliged with a whimper. With how much time Severus spent on his feet for work, he would surely be feeling the sting of this session until he came crawling back for more. Barty gathered himself and carefully measured his target, taking his precious time until he could see Severus shaking from the anxiety of it all.

Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!

The soles of Severus' feet burned like he'd walked on hot coals. He doubled over onto the bench and writhed in agony, screaming and tearing at the padding with his nails. The world around him spun, foggy, as his cries dissolved into labored breathing and shudders.

Across the room, Barty dropped the whip. It was a wonderful weapon when used correctly, but it put too much distance between the two of them, and he preferred something a bit more intimate. He walked over to the bench and surveyed his work, poking and prodding the marks as Severus hissed beneath his touch. With a smile, Barty bent down once more and released the man from his shackles.

It was time for the finale. Severus gasped and heaved as he slithered on the floor, overcome by the pain of the throbbing welts that rose all over his body. Barty paid him no mind – they had done this before, and he knew what his pet could take. Instead of comforting him, he put away the whip and pocketed the sweet gift Severus had given him, pulling a black box off of the shelf and returning to his pathetic excuse for a submissive once he'd stopped whining and whimpering.

Barty unlocked the cuffs that bound Severus' hands, leaving them on the floor as he urged him to get up. The man wobbled, the pain on the soles of his feet forcing him to walk on his tiptoes, and he carefully made his way over to the back wall as Barty prodded him in the right direction. He was left to stand there, using the wall to lean on while Barty laid out a tarp and covered a couple of pillows with towels. Once he was finished, he retrieved the man and had him sit with his legs out straight on the cushions, and Severus mumbled numerous words of thanks for the minute of comfort.

"Lean back and sit still," Barty told him, and Severus obeyed. He opened the black box and took out a bottle of rubbing alcohol, wetting a cotton ball with it and using it to clean Severus' torso. The marks from the whip hadn't broken the skin, and a cool sensation covered his chest as he glanced down to see what Barty was doing. He was sitting cross-legged, concentrating hard while he opened the thin knife and did his best to sterilize it with what cleaners he had. Just the sight of the blade sent Severus' heart racing again, and Barty reached out to rub his knee in an effort to calm him. He couldn't have him shaking like a madman while he tried to split his skin with a knife for the first time – that was just a recipe for disaster.

Once everything was clean, Barty set the knife on a towel next to him and motioned for Severus to look him in the eyes. The man had faded slightly from his floaty headspace, and adrenaline coursed through his body in anticipation of the act that he'd been thinking about for months. They were no strangers to edgeplay, but Barty knew that Severus had a past of self-harm, and there had always been a worry that dabbling in the practice of cutting would encourage him to pick up the habit again. But there was no denying it any longer – Severus wanted to feel the familiar sting of the blade, the trickle of the blood, and he knew Barty would keep him safe from himself.

"Are you sure you want me to do it?" Barty asked, his façade flickering for just a moment to show real concern. The two of them had spilled blood before, but not in this deliberate a fashion, and he worried that he would lose control in the rush and let things get out of hand.

Severus swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. "Yes, sir. Please."

"Beg for it."

Severus sat up slightly and took a deep breath, knowing that Barty wouldn't go through with it if he couldn't completely convince him that it was what he wanted. "Please, sir. I want to feel the blood pour down my legs – I want to see it run out of my veins and dirty my skin. Please hurt me. Please break my skin and make me beautiful. I'm shaking just thinking about it – I want it so badly and I am honored that you would do it for me. Please, sir. Make me bleed," he said, deliberate and sure of himself.

Barty was a sucker for Severus waxing poetic. He stared deep into his eyes as he spoke and neither of them blinked until Severus was finished. The anger that Barty usually felt during these sessions was gone; he'd pummeled his pet enough already that all that was left in him was excitement and longing for the intimacy and power that came with giving pain. Finally, Barty moved closer. He straddled the smaller man and let his free hand cup Severus' flushed cheek, soothing him as he scanned his skin for a place to start. It was vital that he kept himself reigned in, as even one misstep with the knife could put his guest in serious danger.

The back end of the blade touched Severus' chest and he flinched, looking down. Barty quickly shushed him, but he could feel that the other man was getting more and more nervous from the anticipation, and he knew he needed to get a move on quick. He rubbed circles on Severus' cheek, turning his head slightly so that he wouldn't look at the knife, and Severus reached up to squeeze Barty's hand tightly. Finally, he was ready. He flipped the knife around and steadied himself as much as possible, resting the tip of the knife just below Severus' collarbone. His mouth went dry as he pressed into the skin, much harder than he originally thought he would have needed to break the delicate organ, and he pulled the blade along for a few inches until he saw blood begin to seep from the wound. Severus was stiff as a board and holding his breath, and once the knife left his skin, he looked down at himself and let out a little whimper of pleasure. The blood welled up and began a slow trickle down his front, and the two of them were mesmerized by its path until it touched the elastic on Severus' underpants and stained the cloth. Then, it was Severus' turn to reach forward and touch Barty, putting his hand on his shoulder.

"Again, sir. Please," he whispered, doing his best to control his breathing as the excitement of it all overcame him.

Barty resisted the temptation to shrug away from Severus' touch. Normally, he would never allow his inferior to touch him without ordering him to, but this situation was different. There was a closeness between them that was hidden in years of secret meetings after school, sneaking off to evening appointments, and long talks of negotiation over tea. Severus was Barty's pet, but he was also a companion – one of the few that'd stuck with him through thick and thin regardless of the reason for their relationship. For once, Barty felt on the same level as Severus, and for once he just wanted to drop the mask and be real with him.

But the scene had to go on. Severus was squeezing Barty's shoulder, urging him to continue, and he snapped out of his thoughts to put a hand on the man's bare chest and pull the skin taut. This time, Severus watched as the other man used the blade to make three parallel slices on his sternum, one after another, and he had to dig his nails into Barty's shoulder to keep himself from jerking away. The work was delicate, and it had a macabre beauty; the four separate trails of blood streamed down Severus' pale skin, smudging as Barty moved slightly away and rubbed his arm in the mess.

So far, the pain had been bearable for Severus. Barty was light-handed and skilled in his craft, and perhaps anyone else would be satisfied with rows upon rows of shallow scratches across their body, but Severus had experienced that before and he wanted something more. He wanted to be scared, to truly let his control be taken away from him, and he wanted to feel alive. Depression was a deadly illness, and when all he wanted to do was stop living, masochism helped him feel again and thank the Earth that he never committed. Without Barty's help, he feared that he would be numb and soulless, six feet underground.

And that was why he reached forward, completely out of turn and deserving of punishment on any other day, and slid his fingers through Barty's hair to pull his ear close to his lips. "Deeper," whispered Severus, his voice wrought with need and desperation.

The larger man was taken aback by the gesture, moving away to look at Severus' expression – eyes full of lust, dry lips half-parted, and a frenzied aura about him. His pet rarely asked for things to be done to him outside of negotiations, and the fact that he overstepped so many boundaries just to get him to do something that he used to do back home was telling. There was something that Severus needed to get out.

Barty's heartbeat quickened. He pulled Severus' hand from the back of his neck and forced him to put both of them under his thighs so that they couldn't be used. "Don't move or we're never doing this again," he warned through his teeth, and the glint in his eye said that he really meant it. He held the knife tightly, once again scanning for the perfect place until he settled on the pec opposite their first cut. His breath went ragged and he forced himself not to doubt his ability, thinking only about how much his pet would thank him for doing this, inching the knife towards his skin. Severus whined as the blade approached, and his body started trembling so hard from fear that Barty had to put his heavy forearm down on the man's dirty chest, grabbing Severus' chin so that he could stare at the knife without flinching away.

The blade touched his skin. Barty pushed down the full length of the knife, his other hand twitching as he held Severus, who had erupted into a scream, and only pulled the blade out when blood was overflowing from the wound. Everything was slick and Barty was seeing red as figuratively as he was literally, and he felt a rush that made him want to repeat the act. His pet was moaning in agony, which increased to a tortured gurgle of a yell as Barty brought the blade down for a second time, crossing the wounds and making an x-shape.

The blood came out like a torrent compared to the previous cuts. Severus' whole front was covered in it, and the room reeked of iron and death. His underpants were half-soaked, Barty's hands were dripping red, and what was a beautiful scene in the mind had turned out to be too much for either of them in reality.

Severus sat there, half-slumped over and whimpering pitifully as his bloody chest heaved, and Barty snapped back from his headspace. He sheathed the knife and slid it across the room, far away from him, and then went to work to get the man cleaned up, praying that the damage looked worse than it really was. From the tacklebox of medical supplies that still sat beside him, he produced several thick sheets of gauze pads and started to blot at Severus' wounds to stop the bleeding. The man flinched and gasped at every touch, and Barty did his best to ease him with soft murmurs of 'I'll be finished in a second' and 'You've done a great job'. The worst part was next – Barty dabbed a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol as he had done to begin their scene, but this time he had to sit up on his knees and hold Severus down with one arm as he cleaned the cuts. Despite knowing what was coming, he thrashed against the sting of the antiseptic until it hurt so badly that he was numb to it, his eyes fluttering closed and his body trembling from the pain.

Barty had never seen the other man in such a subdued state after one of their sessions – he was usually back to his sarcastic self after ten minutes and a cup of tea – and he had to force himself to not panic about the situation. He affixed butterfly closures and gauze to the wounds as quickly as he could, and then swept everything around him out of the way as he stood up from Severus' lap and leaned down to hoist him into his arms. The man was still trembling, and he groaned from the pressure he felt on his sore chest and back as Barty started to take him over to the couch to rest.

As he crossed the room, he looked down at Severus' pale face, his expression sleepy and blissful from the rush of endorphins that were finally starting to disappear from his bloodstream, and he suddenly decided to try something that the two of them had never done before in all of their years of knowing each other. Barty walked straight past the couch and headed for the door, which was a bit tricky to unlock with Severus in his arms, but he managed. They traveled up the flight of stairs as Severus blinked slowly, muttering in confusion about what was happening, but Barty ignored him and brought him straight through the now-dark foyer and up a second flight of stairs. He passed through a threshold at the top and entered into his own bedroom, complete with a canopied four-poster, drawn, black curtains, and a healthy amount of clothes littering the floor, and Barty immediately walked to the bed to lay Severus down on the unmade duvet.

Utterly confused, he tried to sit up to figure out what was going on, but Severus was too exhausted to do more than grope around for a blanket and half-watch Barty rummage through his closet. The man came back out with a bathrobe that looked far too fluffy for its own good, and before Severus could protest, he was being carefully dressed with it and made to lay back on the bed. His body was cold – in fact, he hadn't realized until then that he'd started shivering – but the insulted cloth help tremendously, and he found himself starting to give in to just how tired he felt. There was a hand on his head, brushing back a few stray hairs, and then it was dark.

The hands on his chest were the first thing Severus noticed when he woke up, followed by a soothing sensation over what felt like cracks of red-hot lava in his skin. He blinked several times until his eyes came into focus on the man that was sitting beside him, looming over his body with a washcloth as he worked on changing his dressings. The only light in the room was coming from a lamp on the nightstand, which was just bright enough for Barty so see what he was doing when he affixed new butterfly closures to Severus' deep wounds and then covered everything with ointment and padding.

The other man didn't seem to notice that he'd awoken, so Severus asked in a groggy voice, "What time is it?"

Barty gathered up the bloody bandages that he'd changed and then slid off of the opposite side of the bed. "Three in the morning. You were asleep by eight – you almost got a full night's rest there," he explained, dumping everything into a bin by the door.

"And you were…?"

"Making sure you didn't die of shock." Severus frowned – that seemed like a bit of a reach, in his opinion. He hadn't been hit in the head with a hammer, he'd just bled a little too much. "I made some food too, after a few hours, and I watched a movie. By now, I knew you were either about to wake up, or in a coma."

"Oh. Uh, thank you. Looks like I'm not in a coma, but – fffuck!" Severus gasped with pain as he tried to sit up. The welts on his back had gone down and faded into bruises, and it felt like every inch of his skin was being ripped from his body when he moved even a centimeter.

Barty sat down on Severus' side of the bed, near his bare feet. "Yeah – I thought that would happen. I went pretty hard. Well, we did," he said in a gentle voice, giving him a little chuckle. Barty crossed his arms and motioned to the bedside table. "I, uh… Made you some tea to warm you up, in case if you were still cold… And you need to eat that jam and toast over there. Your blood sugar must be shit." Severus glanced over at the nightstand and tried to reach for the platter, but the movement tugged at his dressings and he could only wince and give up. "Here, I can get it – " said Barty, sliding off of the bed to get the plate of toast for him. He stood for a moment, frowning as he wondered how in the world they were going to do this without hurting Severus further, and then decided to climb into bed and hold the plate close to him so that he could eat.

Severus raised an eyebrow, but took a piece of toast anyway and started to eat. The proximity of the other man outside of the basement was a bit off-putting in itself, but as he fidgeted and whined from the soreness of his body, he was a little bit glad to be with company rather than alone in the apartment over the shop. He gazed around the room, silent save for his chewing, and tried to memorize his surroundings as he wasn't sure that he'd ever set foot in the room again. He hadn't pegged Barty as the most posh guy, but he did know that he came from a wealthy family and the ornate furniture his room was filled with certainly gave off that air. There was a rather nice television set across from the bed, on a stand with a VCR and a case of movies to its right, and in the far corner by the window was a large armchair where someone had discarded a towel and what looked strikingly similar to the very same pair of underpants that he had been wearing when he arrived.

Severus narrowed his eyes and took the other slice of toast, and Barty set the empty plate on the nightstand to his left before he got comfortable next to him. He had half-expected the man so scoot far away from him or get up and take a seat on the armchair, but perhaps he was still worried that he would fall into a coma or something else just as stupid. Regardless, he sighed and reached down to scratch at his leg and suddenly realized that the only thing covering any part of him was the robe that he'd been forced into. His eyes flicked back to the chair in the corner. Shit, those are my fucking underpants. Why the fuck would Barty take those off? He glanced down at his chest to see that the only blood that remained was stuck firmly under his bandages, and he started to piece an idea together.

He looked to Barty, wearing an incredulous expression. "Did you bathe me?"

The man, laying with his ankles crossed and fingers laced together on his chest, looked at him out of the corners of his eyes. "No, but I couldn't just let you cover my bed in blood. I used a sponge and some soap," he said, shrugging.

That wasn't nearly enough of a response for Severus, who had worked hard to keep any of his relationships from turning sexual. He didn't really think that Barty would have taken advantage of him, with how concerned he seemed to be for his well-being, but the paranoia was still there. "But, Barty, I – I'm naked under this thing, I don't remember taking off my – "

"They were soaked."

"Oh my god."

Barty turned onto his side and sat up a bit so that he could look at Severus properly. "I'm sorry, okay? I swear to fucking god I didn't look at your dick, I just did what I had to do," he promised, but then he gave him a look of frustration and continued. "This is what happens when you're a good pet. You get privileges. You get to live out your greatest fantasies thanks to me, and then you get to recuperate in my own bedroom because I had never seen so much blood in my life and I thought I might've really fucked up. And then you get your pants taken off while you sleep because these sheets are expensive and I can't have you staining them." He flopped back onto the pillows and crossed his arms, staring up at the canopy above. "I haven't heard one thank-you for that whole scene, either."

Severus ran his hand gently over his chest, frowning. After this many years, there really was no need to worry about Barty pulling something on him. They both knew that that wasn't what they were there for. He felt the huge wad of gauze that was holding together his deepest cuts, and he tried to relax and let himself be happy that the scene had even happened. "Thank you. I appreciate it," he said quietly, trying to remember what he could of the night. There were canes and whips, his eyes burned just enough for him to assume that he'd been spit on, and then there was red, red, crimson red, and then he was numb all over.

The wound still throbbed, and Severus turned his head carefully to look at Barty, biting his lip. "… You really did what I asked you to."

The man blinked but didn't look at him. "Of course I did."

"But, it wasn't in the negotiations… I didn't think you would go through with it today."

"Well, you brought the knife, didn't you?" said Barty, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I'm a sadist, but I'm not going to make you wait and watch you squirm. Not for something like that." Severus rolled his eyes and Barty put his arms behind his head, stretching out and continuing to stare at the dark drapes above. He stayed quiet for a moment before asking tentatively, "Actually, though… I was wondering why you wanted that in the first place."

Severus was quick to answer. "I like pain and wanted to get hurt. Duh."

"Right, smartass. What made you want to do that? I could have given you a black eye if you wanted to feel pain, but you wanted this," Barty gestured to Severus' bandaged chest.

The man turned to stare up at the canopy too, resting his hands on his stomach. "… I wanted to feel a pain that I hadn't felt in a long time."

They sat in silence for several long minutes. It was rare for them to talk about personal issues, and since they were only together every handful of weeks, it was useless to waste time complaining about things outside of the basement. For those few hours, nothing else really mattered but the two of them and what they could do together. It was a sanctuary, a safe haven, but life did go on beyond those four walls even though they preferred to ignore it.

Barty was the first one to speak. "You know that if you ever do that to yourself again, we can't do this anymore. I don't trust you with blades."

"I don't trust myself either, that's why I have you. You have no idea how hard it was to get that knife to you without opening it." Severus wrung his wrists, digging his nails into his own skin as he thought about the days before in which he'd been alone with the weapon. He'd had to keep it locked up so that it was harder for him to get at it, but the temptation had been brutal and highly distracting. Things were much better now that the knife would stay with Barty.

"I – I think you trust me a little bit too much, Sev."

He raised one eyebrow at the other man. "We've been doing this for years and you haven't killed me yet, why shouldn't I trust you? We go harder every time, but I'm still here. If it wasn't for you, I would've killed myself by now."

"But you didn't see me back there, you weren't all there – I almost lost it. You could've been dead." There was a genuine fear in Barty's eyes that Severus had never seen before.

"I don't care if you don't know what you're doing every second we're together. You've quite literally kept me alive all these years. You're feeding me in your own bedroom. You care. You wouldn't let me die."

Barty was silent as he thought for a minute. "Yeah. That's true."

"Well that's good, because I care too. So I'm glad we're on the same page, since I don't really want to stop serving you just because you've lost your confidence over some shitty bloodplay." Severus thumbed the bandages again. "I mean, really. You could've left me bleeding for a little longer."

Barty sputtered. "Fuckin' hell Severus, I thought you were going to die - "

The man just laughed, a hand on his chest where he'd been cut. "You know what I can take. Just admit it – you were scared. You didn't want to lose me."

"Fuck it. Yeah, okay? I was scared. I only see you once a month, maybe, and…" Barty sighed and looked away from him. "I mean, I like spending time with you, and I wouldn't want to fuck that up just because I'm too goddamn sadistic. You're not just a sub, to me. Not like the others."

"Yeah, I'm your pet."

"No, not like that. You're a friend."

Severus felt his cheeks flush. "Stop it, we said no romance."

Braty groaned and rolled his eyes. He always thought Severus seemed too bent out of shape about relationships, and he wondered if there was something in his past that'd put him off from them, but he had no way of knowing since the two of them never brought up the topic. "I'm not trying to be romantic, asshat, but I think – I think maybe we should see each other outside of scenes. You know, like friends. Like people that have known each other for nearly ten years and can actually stand to be around each other for more than five minutes."

Severus froze up a little bit. He didn't like change much, and the routine of seeing Barty so infrequently gave him something to look forward to. He wasn't sure what he would do if the man just because another person he knew, another person he got sick of seeing and another person that fell through the cracks when life got hard. "But it's in the contract, once per month for a length determined by Bartemius Crouch. I didn't make the rules. You did."

"Well, it's still once a month if you don't leave until tomorrow." Barty gave him a sheepish smile. It was obvious that the man didn't want to stay, but just being in the company of Severus for so many hours while he slept had felt so wonderful, so comforting. He had friends, but they were almost forced upon him socially, and when he was with Severus, he felt unlike he did with anyone else. He was at ease, and he was completely himself. Even now, with what he was saying, he wouldn't dare tell one of his friends that he thought they should spend more time together. Those friendships were merely transactions.

"I should probably go home, though."

"I don't think you can walk." Severus sputtered and shook his head, but Barty sat up and reached over to squeeze the sole of his foot. His toes curled from the pain and Severus hissed out a breath.

"F-fine. You win. But I refuse to move from here."

"That's alright, we can just watch another movie. You already slept through Indiana Jones, how about The Shining?"

Severus narrowed his eyes, but couldn't hide a small smile. "Ugh. You're really lucky that I love that movie." He crossed his arms and sighed as Barty grinned and hopped off the bed to put in the tape. The television flickered and he yawned, still feeling the exhaustion from before. The neon numbers on the clock beside him read 3:16am and he wondered how many years it'd been since he'd actually been happy to be up this late.

Barty flipped through the menu screen to hit play and then settled back in at Severus' side. The man glanced over at him with a quivering lip and watery eyes to say:

"Thanks… Mate."

A/N: Thanks so much for reading, everyone! This one-shot has been sitting around forever and was inspired by a thread I did in a roleplay last year. I just had to write more about these two... I hope everyone enjoyed. I know it's a weird pairing, but if there's any interest in this story, I could possibly write a prequel that details how their entire relationship started back in Hogwarts. Reviews and favs are always appreciated!