X~~~~~X

'E' is for the ecstasy.

X~~~~~X

10 October, 2000

Theodore shifted with nervousness in the antique Victorian leather armchair, careful to balance his tumbler of Firewhisky in one hand so as not to spill the spirit all over the priceless Aubusson carpet under his feet.

He and Draco had been friends for the entirety of their lives, but this was only the second time he'd been in the Master's Study. The first time, he'd chased Draco in here after an argument when they'd both been ten, and his friend had taken his favourite marble captive, demanding ransom. Lucius had been working behind his desk as they'd run shouting and laughing into the room. The moment they'd spied the older wizard stand to his full height behind his ancient, oak desk, both boys had immediately frozen in place and shut their mouths. Draco's father had taken one disapproving look at their torn and ruined clothing, and pronounced them both a filthy disaster. He'd sent them up to Draco's room to change into clean clothing and wash up, with an order for them to 'behave like civilized young men'. The boys had left the room with their tails tucked firmly between their legs, their earlier joviality quashed by the harsh censure.

Now, a decade later, Theodore was once more in this room, his heart drumming out a riotous beat under his ribs. This time, however, the elder Malfoy wasn't the one responsible for the roiling in his stomach and the sweat that dotted his top lip.

"If you don't mind, could you please repeat that last bit, Theo?" Draco teased him. "I'm afraid the acoustics in this old room are terrible."

Under his breath, Theodore swore. The bloody arse knew damned well what had been asked of him. Draco was just taking the piss now.

"I asked... that is..." Theodore paused to clear his throat, and yanked at the top button of his dress shirt to loosen it. "I said I'd like to employ you to take my virginity and to teach me about sex, properly. Tonight, if you've the time. I've brought money, and I think you'll find the sum to be... quite generous."

A sly grin crept up the side of Draco's cheek, and Theodore knew –just knew– that his best friend was about to say something wholly improper and completely inappropriate. He steeled himself for the inevitable mockery.

"You want me to pop your cherry 'properly', you say? So, indecent and unseemly don't do it for you, then?"

Rolling his eyes, Theodore glared at the man.

Draco ignored the silent censure and lay on the velvet-covered chaise nearby, crossing his ankles in a lazy pose that intentionally showed off the bulge in his trousers.

"How about filthy and shocking, instead? I do both of those quite well, I'm told."

Theodore sighed, and took a long draw on his drink, keeping his temper in check. Draco, the Ever-Irreverent, was well on his way to receiving a black eye for his efforts, if he continued on this line of ridiculousness.

Of course, Theodore was now counting on that same flippant attitude to get him exactly what he'd always wanted: a night in the bed of the man he'd been in love with since his third year at Hogwarts. And he was willing to break his own bank to get there, throwing his last Galleon to the offer, if need be.

The idea of offering Draco money in exchange for bedroom favours wasn't a novel one, by any means, as it had been something of a joke around the dorms when they'd been growing up that Draco would do anything sexual, as long as he'd been well-paid for his services. His exploits had been famous: wanking off in McGonagall's class in fourth year, seducing Zabini on a bet with Pansy, and then taking the witch's virginity as his due when he'd succeeded, and even winning that outrageous bet with Hestia and Flora Carrow to fuck Millicent 'The Toad' Bulstrode, 'Iron-Knickers' Granger, and Mandy "Looks Like Candy, Tastes Like Fanny" Brocklehurst in seventh year. Winning that bet had rewarded Draco with 'sharing' the twins for a whole weekend, and the ensuing orgy as the girls' roommates became involved in the fun had become the stuff of Slytherin House legend.

In the two years and five months since they'd graduated Hogwarts, Draco's penchant for indulging in debauched sensuality had never diminished; in fact, quite the opposite, heading more into the realm of the ludicrous. The man had, quite literally, done everything there was to do with another human being. He'd also let a female Veela fuck him into insensibility during their mating season just to try it out, consented to a sea nymph and her brother having at him at the same time, and had had sex with various magical creatures that could shape-shift to humanoid form upon command, the most bizarre of them being a Nāga while on holiday in India.

Draco's parents knew of his degeneracy, of course, but they'd chosen to ignore their son's bizarre appetites as long as said frivolities remained out of the sight and knowledge of the press... until lately, that was. Lucius and Narcissa had been, in recent months, become more vocal regarding their only child's settling down and beginning a family with the girl he'd been betrothed to since his eighth birthday: Astoria Greengrass. Citing the need for an heir before Draco hit a quarter-century old, Lucius had even begun cutting his son's funds off a bit at a time to push him in such a direction. Consequently, Theodore knew Draco would consider his proposition with favour, as ten-thousand Galleons was enough to keep even his best friend in his preferred type of mischief for at least another three years, staving off the inevitable loss of his bachelorhood.

And of course, the bonus would be that Theodore would not only rid himself of his unwanted virginity, but he'd be with the one wizard he'd always wanted, even if it was only for one night. Everyone else in the world had fucked Draco, so why not him? Why had he been the only one kept at arm's length?

"Yes, yes. Your friends and family are all quite aware of your hedonistic tendencies," Theodore growled in response to his friend's boast. "Why do you think I've come to you for something this important?"

Draco pulled no punches when he replied, "Because you know I'd make your first time unforgettable... and you're in love with me."

Theodore's heart stopped.

Oh, shit.

In all the scenarios he'd run through his head regarding their conversation tonight, being found out was the one thing he hadn't anticipated.

Hiring Draco to initiate him into sex could always have been later explained away as mere curiosity and wanting to get the job done right. Deeper emotions wouldn't have been part of the equation – at least on the surface – and that meant there could be no exploitation or pity later. But now Theodore wouldn't even have that lie for protection, because Draco knew. He knew.

The room began to spin.

The bottom fell out of his pride.

There was no saving the carpet this time, as his glass slipped out of his trembling hand and tumbled to the floor, its precious contents lost to the rug.

He turned his face away, shame and embarrassment warring for placement upon his cheeks. Theodore had always thought himself very careful at hiding his feelings. From the moment he'd hit puberty and realised he was as gay as a young Jay in May, and that Draco was the reason, Theodore had practiced keeping his reactions under control where his friend was concerned. Somewhere along the line, he'd slipped up, though. Perhaps his expressions were less restrained than he'd believed. Perhaps he'd let his eyes linger over his friend's face or body just a little too long at some point, and Draco had seen.

Gods, how long had he known?

For several minutes, he couldn't speak, and Draco didn't seem in the least bit inclined to fill the space or to distract from the conversation by cleaning up the mess that lay between them. Theodore knew his friend was waiting for an answer to his accusation, his patience endless, his focus that of a snake, ferreting out prey.

"T-this was a… a mistake," he finally said, mortified to the very thick of his bones at the quiver in his voice. "Forget the entire conversation. It was a... a foolish idea." On shaky knees, he got to his feet and made haste for the door. His emotions were a jumbled riot, burning a hole through his guts.

He reached for the brass handle, turned and pulled, but it did not give way. He tried again with the same results... finally recognising the futility: clearly, Draco had magically locked the door. When? No spell had been cast aloud, and Theodore knew his friend wasn't that powerful with non-verbal spells. Had he done it under his breath when they'd entered the room? It seemed the only possible explanation. Why would he do such a thing? Had Draco intended to ambush him, or was it just a typical privacy precaution?

He reached for his wand in the inner pocket of his robes, but was stopped before his fingers could curl around the Elm wood rod by his friend's body suddenly pressing into him from behind. Sinuously weaving his arms about Theodore's middle, Draco's elegant hands trapped him, and he was pulled off balance, forced to lean into Draco's more powerfully-built body.

"Do you know how long I've resisted this?" his friend whispered in his ear. "Resisted you?"

His heart exploded into a violent rhythm, and Theodore's whole frame began shaking, his emotional control hanging by a thread. "Don't," he choked out in an anguished whisper. "Don't lie to save my pride. This isn't a game to me."

His friend's lips buzzed over the whorl of his ear, breathing hot air against his sensitive skin. It felt so good...

"It's not a game to me either, Theo." He rubbed his lips over Theodore's flesh, burning him with the barest of touches. "For years, I've avoided touching you too much, afraid of doing something rash and ruining what we have, but now… bloody hell, you've come to me, offering me the one thing I've wanted for so long." He paused to press a small kiss to the throbbing pulse point in Theodore's neck. "I should tell you 'no'. For the sake of our friendship, I should let you walk out and pretend this never happened, like you want, but… I won't. I can't. I'm too much of a selfish bastard."

With deft fingers, he slipped his hands into Theodore's robes, finding the inner pocket near his heart and withdrawing the velvet coin pouch he'd brought for the occasion. "Open it," Draco bid in a sultry whisper, his mouth still pressed to Theodore's ear. When he hesitated, Draco pressed his hips closer, rubbing a sizable erection between the cheeks of Theodore's arse. "Do it. Open it and take the coins out. Hold them in your hand."

Draco's words held a compelling charm to them, and before he knew it, Theodore had done as Draco had asked, holding the stack of one-thousand-mark Galleons in his hand. There were ten of them in total, and they were all that remained of his inheritance, left to him in his mother's Will when she'd passed. Working at Ollivander's, learning the craft of wand-making while inventorying stock, had paid the rent on his one-bedroom flat, but his personal dreams for a future came with a small cottage on the beach. He'd been saving his inheritance for a down-payment on that ambition, knowing that there was absolutely no going back to Nott Manor after 'coming out' to this father two years ago and being repudiated of any connection to his family's legacy as a result.

Tonight, he was going to throw that goal away, investing instead on a reckless, irrational scheme that had absolutely no chance of being anything more than just a regretful one-off. Gods, did he really want to do this? He'd thought he'd prepared himself for the reality of the situation –rented sex– but now that it had come to it...

Dropping the coin purse, Draco held out his palm. "Give me the first one, and tell me what you want to buy with it."

Theodore's breath caught in his chest, remembering how Draco had forced him to do something similar when they'd been children... Slytherin's rod, they were really doing this, weren't they? Theodore was going to go through with it, and damned the consequences.

He imagined his ancestors collectively rolling over in their graves as he placed the first coin in Draco's hand and told him his leading desire.

"I want you to kiss me."

"Just a single kiss?" his friend teased, his smile stretching wide as he rubbed his lips over Theodore's pulse. "I've given you that once before. Remember? Or, do you mean a real kiss on the mouth, with tongue, wet and open and… filthy?"

Trembling, Theodore nodded. "I want it like that."

"For a thousand Galleons, why not a dozen such kisses? Or a hundred?" his friend encouraged.

Feeling empowered by Draco's logic, Theodore nodded. "A whole night's worth of kisses, then. Dozens and dozens. Until my mouth is sore and I can taste only you."

"Agreed," Draco stated. "What do you want for the next coin?"

Theodore slipped another thousand Galleon mark into Draco's hand, even as a thrill of anticipation rushed through him. "I want you to… to put your mouth… between my legs, and-" His throat clogged as he envisioned his long-time obsession on his knees before him, mouth and tongue working in conjunction to bring him pleasure. God, it would be a dream come true!

Draco's lips smoothed over his ear again, even has his free hand smoothed down Theodore's hip, reaching between his legs and stroking over his taut length. Theodore jumped from the intimate caress. "You want me to suck your hard cock, don't you? You want me to swallow your come, too, I'll bet."

Theodore's whole body shook. "Merlin, Draco!"

"Answer the question, Theo."

Taking a deep breath, Theodore nodded. "Yes. I want you to suck me deep and to swallow everything I give you."

"Agreed," Draco stated again without any reservation. "Next."

A third coin slipped through Theodore's fingers.

"I want to suck you the same way."

"Do you, now?" Draco asked with a wicked chuckle. "Do you want to taste my come as much as I want to taste yours?"

"Yes," Theodore hissed, liking the thought. He'd dreamed of what Draco would taste like, how his come would feel shooting past his tongue and down this throat. Knowing he'd be the one to bring Draco such pleasure would bring him pleasure, too.

Draco hummed with approval, and the vibration strummed down Theodore's spine, emboldening him. He placed another coin down with the others.

"I want you inside me. Deep. All the way."

He put a fifth coin into Draco's palm.

"I want to be inside you like that, too."

A sixth dropped against the others, as a growing possessiveness slowly began to overtake him.

"I want us to fuck everywhere in your private suite, where I know you've never taken anyone. I want to be the first in your bed with you."

"I want you to make me lose control."

"I want you to come all over me and massage it in."

"I want you to tattoo me with magic. It has to be something special to commemorate tonight, a nice image prominently placed, so when I look at it tomorrow or fifty years from now, I'll remember you."

"You mean 'us'," Draco corrected him. "You'll remember us and this night, when you lost every bit of yourself to me."

Theodore nodded. "I'll be yours. Every inch of me will be yours."

He paused before placing the last coin next to the others, knowing it was the most foolish bribe of all. He wanted Draco to fall in love with him, but there was no way to buy another's affections. The fact was Draco didn't love him. They were friends, and that was the best he could expect.

"And the last?" his would-be lover asked, prodding him.

Theodore shook his head, deciding not to say his greatest wish aloud, knowing it was folly. Still, he would pay its toll, as at least he'd been able to buy half of the dream. It seemed fair, after all. "It's just an extra coin to assure you give me everything I want," he lied.

Draco's fingers curled around the pile of glittering gold, but didn't move away. "Be sure about this, Theo, because once it starts, I won't stop until it's finished between us." He smoothed his cheek over Theodore's and then licked at the corner of his lips. "I'll push you to your limits, and make you feel things you've never known before. I'll take my pleasure from you how and where I see fit, and you'll only take yours from me when I allow it." His arm tightened around Theodore's waist, pulling them even closer together. "I won't let you go until it's done, and you'll never be the same after tonight. Neither of us will. I won't have regrets from you." He pressed his nose harder into Theodore's cheek. "So, be abso-fucking-lutely sure that you want this with me."

His head swimming with desire, his heart pounding with need, Theodore let out a shaky breath and made his final decision. "I'm sure."

Draco's hand, holding the entirety of Theodore's bank account, moved away and he heard the coins deposited into his friend's trouser pocket, the metal chiming as it collided.

"Then, we have a deal," Draco stated. "That's two."

Two? What?

Heart in his throat, Theodore was turned around before he could ask what Draco was on about… and then every thought in his mind took flight and there was no more time for pondering.

Pressed back into the solid wood of the door, Draco closed the distance between them, his body going flush against Theodore's, his erection pressing hard and insistent against him. Caged against his friend's solid form with no escape, Theodore's pulse raced and his breath quickened.

Draco's lips curled with a wicked, sensual smirk as he looked down at Theodore. "You're mine," he triumphantly growled. "Finally."

With that, he swooped in and stole Theodore's very first kiss with a passion that destroyed his senses, and made what came between them next the sweetest surrender he'd ever known.

TO BE CONTINUED…

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