Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters end up in. Everything else belongs to someone else and that's the way of it.

Happy New Year!

Step Three

People generally didn't laugh at him, but Weasleys and Potters tended to be the exception to that fairly concrete rule. Actually, that family was the exception in too many ways to count, which could get really, really annoying. The only other person who actively courted his wrath was his cousin Sev, but the man didn't really laugh at him so much as show amusement in his superior, egotistical way. That was equally annoying of course, but at least he saw his cousin as his equal which lessened the sting…a little. Plus the man was married to a Weasley, so knowing the man was constantly suffering usually alleviated most of his anger there.

But aside them no one else would dare laugh at him, and no one but Hugo would do so with such a joyous disregard for his own personal safety.

Of course the man had no sense where he was concerned, so that didn't surprise Alexei. And though he had learned to control his temper better since his schoolboy days, it still burned hot, bright, and lethal in his eyes as Alexei got to his feet and crossed the short distance between them to lean forward so that they were nose to nose.

There was some satisfaction in the fact that his actions shut off said laughter like a switch, but not enough to cool his anger. "So you think that's funny, do you?"

"If you look at it from my point of view, yes, it is. Absolutely hilarious, in fact."

Alexei bit off his next words. "Care. To. Explain?"

The gleam that came into the Gryffindor's eyes warned Alexei that the other man was up to something even before he made his move.

"Do you remember our time together so little?" Hugo asked the Slytherin, pleased to see the shadows of those memories cross the man's eyes as he did remember. And to further those memories Hugo reached out and placed his hands on Alexei's hips, fingers digging in ever so slightly. "Never once did I top you unless you wanted me to ride you, and even then your hands dug into my hips to control my movements to your liking without giving me any real control at all. And not once, again, did I ever ask for it to be otherwise. In fact, I believe I was quite vocal about just the opposite, to the point where you often complained I would leave you deaf if I didn't lower my voice and quit yelling. Now do you see why it's so funny?"

Unable not to remember, which was a constant problem for him, the anger Alexei had felt moments before began to change in purpose, the flames that raged inside him taking another form that was just as explosive, but far more likely to bring pleasure than pain.

"Trying to soften me before you give me your demands?"

The smile that crossed the Gryffindor's face was a knowing one. "And what use would you be to me soft?"

He'd become better at knowing when he was being manipulated by this man, he just expected it whenever he was dealing with the Gryffindor now, but currently Hugo wasn't even trying to hide his goal. "You're thinking to use sex to quell my anger?"

Hugo's smile was sweet, his expression ridiculously adorable. "It's always worked before. And now that that option is back in play…"

This was true. And they knew how this night would end as well. "Name your condition…and then I'll fuck your brains out to the point where you crawl out of bed come morning and the next."

Making a needy sound in the back of his throat, he couldn't help it, Hugo squirmed just a little closer, already aching for him. He knew that Alexei was always a man of his word, and he knew what was to come too and wanted it badly. It was the need that had him offering the first conditions he could think of off the top of his curly head. "A month, not a couple weeks, and afterwards I get to say I dumped you and you have to confirm it if asked. You dumped me last time, it's my turn."

"That's almost as bad as you topping. And we weren't dating so I didn't dump you. I told you I wasn't going to fuck you anymore and then avoided you like dragon pox for the rest of the year."

"True, from your perspective anyway."

From anyone's perspective, but Alexei didn't bother to argue the point since he was too busy weighing the Gryffindor's conditions. The month wasn't a problem; it was the idea of everyone thinking he'd been dumped that was going to stick in his craw. But he could figure out a way around that, do damage control, and if nothing else most people were too scared of his wrath to push him too far.

"Fine. It's a deal."

)

Leaning forward Alexei dropped down onto the couch on his knees, straddling the other man before taking Hugo's mouth in a punishing kiss that was guaranteed to leave the man's lips red and bruised before he was finished. It felt strange to Alexei to feel the short, crisp hairs of the man's short beard against his hands, this being a new addition since last they'd pitted themselves against the other this way. He'd long imagined what it was going to feel like on his skin, and now he knew.

Oh he was going to have fun with that beard later.

Making a thorough exploration of his ex's mouth for the moment, and wasn't he still absolutely delicious, Alexei nipped Hugo's bottom lip and then pulled away, loving the groan that escaped the Gryffindor's swollen mouth. That was something else he'd always loved where this man was concerned, Hugo's honesty about his wants and needs when it came to sex.

Here the curly haired menace was a fairly open book.

And wanting to make sure that Hugo was out of his brilliant mind with lust Alexei slid his hands around the other man's body to cup the Gryffindor's ass, squeezing hard rhythmically as he leaned forward to keep their lips a breath away.

Only then did he begin telling Hugo exactly how they were going to spend the night and what he planned to do to him in minute detail.

Rubbing up against Alexei eagerly to egg him on Hugo's eyes closed, his throat working desperately as he visualized what the Slytherin was planning to do to him. Alexei was not only a man of his word, but he was also the only one who'd ever talked to him this way, down and dirty, explicit and sexy as hell. Most people saw him as sweet, innocent and cute, and treated him accordingly in the bedroom. Not Alexei. Never his too sexy and erotic for words Alexei.

Thank Merlin. Oh thank Merlin.

"Yes, yes fuck me." He moaned, wanting that so desperately. "I want you to. I want you to take me. Do whatever you want, just start doing it, please!" And since Alexei's hands were occupied Hugo reached down to pull his own jumper up and over his head, inviting the other man to put his hands on him.

"Your bedroom. Now."

Cursing when he felt Hugo immediately stand up and haul him up with him, the man's hands on his thighs to keep him in place, Alexei glared down at him, pinching the Gryffindor's ass hard. "You know I hate when you carry me."

"You can punish me momentarily."

"Oh I intend to. Severely." Alexei assured him before bending his head to the side to begin leaving his brand up and down the man's throat as he was carried out of the room and down the hallway. "You'll leave these marks here."

For all to see, Hugo thought silently but didn't say as he invited the markings with a tilted head to the side. Why waste breath stating the obvious?

Plus it would be nice not to have to waste a lot of time trying to erase all the marks the man was going to inadvertently leave on his body through the night. He wasn't really all that flexible, and that had been a real bitch back in the day.

Thankfully his clumsiness and easily bruised skin were well known, so the occasional missed bruise had been easily explained away.

And thinking of what the man would do to him to put marks upon his flesh that night, well that was more than enough to have him hurrying towards his bedroom.

Once they reached the room and the bed they tumbled onto the mattress, fighting and tearing at each other's clothes without caring if buttons flew or zippers broke. They'd never had much time when they'd been teenagers, and quite frankly had always been too caught up in the moment to care about trivial matters like that when lust had its teeth sunk as deeply into their flesh as Hugo's hungered to be taken.

They only paused long enough to retrieve the container of lubricant and turn on the bedside lamp, needing to see what they did to the other. How the other looked at them when they returned the favor.

The primal need to mate was all that mattered, Hugo putting up just enough of a fight to excite the man who would always dominate him here, who knew as well as he did that that was precisely what he wanted. Top Alexei? Why the hell would he want to do that?

He drove that home again and again too, moaning out his pleasure and the Slytherin's name when he surrendered completely, lying back to give Alexei full access to his body and take what he would.

Loving the way the man trembled and went so loose and willing beneath him Alexei all but growled his enjoyment as he moved down Hugo's body, taking pride in how completely and easily he could destroy the Gryffindor's mind and focus with his mouth and hands. That he gave Hugo as much as pleasure as he took was partially pride, but the rest was all a need to claim and own the body beneath his.

To drive Hugo to the point of madness, as the man seemed to so effortless do to him.

When it came time to get out the lubricant Alexei had no problem with Hugo slicking up his hands before handing the container over to him, loving the feel of those long, strong fingers stroking him to nearly unbearable hardness while he coated his own fingers.

And oh but he remembered just how he liked it, Alexei thought as he forgot what he was doing as Hugo's hands drove him perilously close to the edge as the minutes ticked by, fighting off his climax only so that he could savor the feel of the man's fingers that much longer.

But since he didn't want to embarrass himself either Alexei forced himself to concentrate on preparing Hugo's ass too, eager to slide into something even better than the man's slippery fist. Not an easy task when all he wanted to do was drive inside Hugo's wet heat, and it had obviously been a while for the Gryffindor.

It took all his patience to open and stretch the hole that clenched around his fingers so tightly, but when he finally worked himself to the hilt and felt Hugo's body close around him…there were no words.

And Hugo's fingers dug into Alexei's shoulders and kept their eyes locked, not looking away for a moment as the man's body plunged into his, mating their bodies together until their voices and heartbeats were indistinguishable from each other.

Panted breathes, the sounds of damp bodies slapping together, and then the most ragged and desperate of cries as first one and then the other finished, climaxes leaving them wrecked and, for the moment, quite content to remain in each other's arms.

)

Stretching out his limbs that morning Alexei made a sound very close to a purr of contentment, staring up at the ceiling with a wide grin on his face. He hadn't slept so well in a very long time. This bed was amazingly comfortable, and normally he hated big beds because he felt small in them. Not the case today thanks to the man sprawled out beside him, who was taking up all but a quarter of the mattress. A man who looked completely and totally spent with his face buried in his pillow and hardly a movement of his blanketed back to suggest he was still breathing.

Alexei grinned with satisfaction over that, not even realizing that he'd reached out to stroke the curls his fingers loved to tangle in.

It was only when they were in bed together that he not only tolerated the most aggravating man he'd ever met, but enjoyed his company to the point that there was no one else he would rather be with.

Wait, no, that was just the sex talking, Alexei told himself, berating his mind for still being so fogged up by the stupid, irrational, and utterly mindboggling lust he felt for the most irritating Gryffindor in-okay no…Lily Potter was the worst, but Hugo was definitely in the top five-no, even then…Hugo was part of the most irritating Gryffindor FAMILY in the history of that stupid house.

Yes, that was it.

How long he thought about all his run ins with the man's family and stroked the man's curls Alexei couldn't say, only realizing he was doing the latter when Hugo's head moved under his hand, turning so that sleepy brown eyes met his gaze.

"Morning."

"Morning." And since he didn't know how long he'd been stroking the man Alexei deliberately gave the Gryffindor a cocky, smug grin. "So think you'll be up to walking today?"

A considering look crossing his face, Hugo carefully turned over so that he was on his back and then moved into a sitting position, wincing a little at the soreness he experienced but not terribly worried about his future mobility. It was a small price to pay for a night like the one he'd just had.

He'd been more than ready to rub it in the Gryffindor's face, how thoroughly he'd demolished the other man, but those words had died quick, surprisingly painful deaths when the blankets that had been covering Hugo from the shoulders down pooled around his waist when he sat up.

The bruises, was all Alexei could think as he sat up as well, struggling to wrap his head about them all. Most of them weren't big, and logically he knew that the majority were hickies, but when paired with the slight discolorations where Hugo's hips were visible…his hands? Had his hands put those marks there? And the one high on the Gryffindor's right side?

"What's wrong?"

In some part of his brain Alexei heard the words, but his brain just couldn't process them. He was too horrified and revolted by what he'd done to even string a sentence together anyway. Because while he'd threatened to physically harm the Gryffindor more times than even the brainiac could count…he'd never actually resorted to that. Had never been the type to use his hands to cause harm to someone else. It usually wasn't necessary, his words always inflicting more than enough damage.

Picking up on the fact that he wasn't going to get an answer until he figured out a way to force Alexei's attention back to him, Hugo considered flicking the Slytherin but quickly discarded that idea since it would likely lead to the threat of having said finger disarticulated.

Going with a gesture he hoped was still allowed Hugo leaned over and slated their lips together, keeping the snogging light and gentle for the brief seconds Alexei allowed the gesture before pulling back from him.

"Now that you're looking at me, what's wrong?"

"Look at you! That's what's wrong!"

Blinking in surprise, the Slytherin certainly hadn't been complaining about his body during the night and early morning, Hugo absently glanced down, the sight clearing his mind quickly so that his brilliant mind immediately began cataloguing the bruises and their various causes. "Ah, I do look a bit of a mess, don't I?"

"A bit of a mess?! It looks like I fucking forced or beat you!"

He disagreed, but coming to the conclusion that Alexei was upset because he thought this would reflect badly on him, or make people think the Slytherin had used violence to get him to agree to date him, Hugo assured the Slytherin that that wouldn't be the case. He was more than capable of removing all traces of the, in his opinion, light bruising, and his clothes would hide any he might not be able to reach.

Moving with the intention of jabbing his finger into the man's shoulder for being so blasé about the whole thing, Alexei caught himself just in time, yanking back his hand like the Gryffindor's skin would burn him on contact.

"Why the hell aren't you upset?"

Hugo just grinned and shrugged. "I bruise really easily, remember? If you hadn't always left the Room of Requirement as soon as you'd finished with me you would have noticed I always had some hickies and bruising from your fingers digging into my hips or bum. And back then we certainly never had a whole night together, which is why this looks so much worse than it actually is. This is like a week's worth of damage for us crammed into one night. Plus we rolled off the bed that third time, and that didn't help."

Naturally his mind went to that third time, which was currently etched on his mind like acid due to the sheer erotic hotness of it all. They might have started out on the floor swearing, they'd rolled off when it was just getting good, but it hadn't taken long for them to recover from the interruption or for him to get an idea.

Remembering what Hugo had looked like leaning over the bed with that pretty ass in the air, spine arching to invite him to take him…well that was going to haunt him for years, dammit.

Definitely time to change the subject.

"I'm hungry."

"If you want to shower, go ahead. I'll throw some stuff together for us."

A shower sounded good. "Can you even walk straight?"

"Nope, but then I've never been straight, now have I?"

Weasley humor. It made sense only to them.