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tir_synniTitle: Even When Stars Fade
Fandom: Dresden Files
Pairing: John Marcone/Harry Dresden
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: non-con, sex pollen, angst
A/N: Written for![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
dresden_kink
Summary: Mouse led Marcone to Dresden, and Marcone found himself entangled in Dresden's affairs again.
It wasn’t often that I walked through Dresden’s sorry shadow of a neighborhood. It was more rare that I was there without the specific excuse of seeing him. I felt his choice of residences reflected the martyr attitude from which I strove to break him. Otherwise, I saw no reason to be there.
This was one of those rare incidences that I was there for reasons other than Dresden. The need arose to have a conversation with a gentleman who had felt the abrupt need to leave his former residence and move here. I convinced him that Chicago was a poor fit for his needs. He was a smart man and agreed.
So this evening had nothing to do with Harry Dresden, but he intruded, regardless.
I walked with Hendricks and Gard back to my car. To my right, the shadows shifted, and then a large shape leaped from the shadows to plant itself in front of me. I quickly gestured at Hendricks and Gard to put their weapons away. I recognized the beast.
Mouse – because only Dresden would name such a large dog “Mouse” – whined and hunched down to press his belly to the cement. I knelt in front of him and extended a hand. He sniffed it and whined louder, even as his tail wagged. I remembered reports of the dog’s intelligence.
And protectiveness.
What trouble did you find now, Dresden?
When I caught Mouse’s eye, he stood up and whined again. Then he trotted past Hendricks and Gard. To my lack of surprise, he headed straight to Dresden’s apartment. I fell in step behind him. I felt Hendricks and Gard fall in behind me. I could feel Hendricks’ displeasure radiating from him, but he said nothing.
When it came to Dresden, he knew better.
Mouse led straight to Dresden’s apartment. The sour feeling in my stomach grew as I noticed the door standing wide open. Dresden was far too cautious for that.
It wasn’t paranoia when gods and mortals alike wanted you dead.
I heard him next: soft, pained noises and heavy breathing. Hendricks started stepping in front of me, but Mouse walked fearlessly ahead, so I held out a hand. If Dresden was injured, seeing Hendricks armed and ready would only make matters worse. I was not in the mood to die in a ball of flames today.
Someone needed to tell Dresden that there were other elements in the world besides fire. It would greatly help my insurance premiums.
I gestured for Hendricks and Gard to stay behind me. Then I followed Mouse into the apartment.
The only light was the fireplace. Dresden’s difficulties with technology followed him home. Mouse walked beside the eyesore of a sofa. Something tightened inside me as I saw Dresden curled up against the side of it, shockingly small looking for someone so tall. He was dressed in only jeans and shivered like it was the middle of winter. Mouse leaned against him and stared pointedly at me.
I knelt in front of Dresden. He panted into his knees like he had just finished outracing the latest monster he had pissed off. For all I know, he just had. I didn’t touch him. I spoke quietly, my voice mild, “Harry?”
His breath caught loudly. “Marcone?” he rasped, and my concern rose when he didn’t correct me on my informality. Dresden looked up from his knees. His eyes were dilated, face damp with sweat. Drugs? He would not voluntarily take them. Had someone drugged him then? “What are you doing here?”
Dresden still shivered. I shrugged out of my jacket and rested it on his shoulders. He flinched like I had struck him. Mouse whined lowly.
“Your dog brought me here,” I said quietly. “What happened?”
He shivered hard enough that my muscles ached in empathy and rested his head back on his knees. His voice came out muffled, but I could make it out. “Get out. Get out of here.”
Mouse butted his head against Dresden’s skinny shoulder. He whined again and looked at me. ‘Fix this,’ he seemed to say.
Behind me, Hendricks and Gard walked in. Gard knelt beside me and studied Dresden. Dresden ignored us all, too focused on whatever was tearing him apart. His lack of comments disturbed me. I felt Hendricks’ heat at my back and knew he was willing to pull me away if this turned out to be a threat.
Gard’s face tightened minutely. “He is ensorcelled,” she said flatly. “Faerie magic.”
Mouse huffed at her. Gard looked at him and nodded. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were having a conversation.
“Is it life-threatening?” I inquired. Dresden’s dark hair covered most of his face; his knees hid the rest. The sight of him hiding was alien to my sensibilities.
Gard nodded. “Yes.”
She resumed studying him while I digested this. Dresden in a life-threatening situation wasn’t particularly surprising; Dresden courted Death to a near obsessive degree. I researched his background to discover from where his martyr complex stemmed. There was a ten-year span between the orphanage and him starting working in Chicago, but I didn’t know if the inciting incident occurred then or not.
Unfortunately, Dresden in a life-threatening situation wasn’t alarming or even peculiar; however, Dresden appearing to be unable to fight back was.
Dresden convulsed, and my jacket fell from his shoulders. Mouse whined loudly and pressed hard against his side.
“What can we do?” I demanded. I moved to Dresden’s other side so he didn’t fall to the floor. Even with the multiple rugs, it still felt too hard.
Gard’s face remained expressionless. “Sex.”
Before I was introduced to the Fae, that answer would have surprised me. Unfortunately, based on what I knew of the Fae, that made a sickening amount of sense. Dresden’s convulsions abated, but he still shivered. I carefully touched his bare shoulder and watched him flinch again.
Dresden was familiar with the Fae, too.
“No,” he rasped, voice raw like he had been screaming. He lifted his head enough for me to see his bloodied lower lip and the beginnings of a bruise on his forehead. He had hit his head on his bony knees. “Go away!”
“There’s more to this spell, but I can’t see what,” Gard continued quietly like Dresden had never spoken. “It is tied to his life force.”
If Dresden didn’t have sex, he would die. My life had truly grown more interesting and varied since I met him. Mouse stared pointedly at me, waiting for me to fix this.
Of course, Harry Dresden would not obtain a normal dog. This dog contained at least human-level intelligence.
And he came specifically to me.
I was sure that Mouse knew what the spell was and chose me for a reason, even if Dresden was against it. Mouse knew that Dresden’s life was in danger and believed I could save it. In the matter of Dresden’s life, I usually overrode his protests, but if I do this, all of my plans involving Dresden would collapse. Of course, if I didn’t do this, they would all collapse, anyway.
I exhaled and tried to relieve the tension building in my chest. “Ms. Gard,” I said quietly, “Mr. Hendricks, please leave.”
I could hear Hendricks’ breathing behind me, rough and choked with undoubtedly countless protests. I heard Gard lead him out. I wondered if he needed another raise.
I waited until the door closed. Mouse stared hard at me before huffing and moving away.
We weren’t alone, but it felt enough like it.
I wouldn’t deny envisioning this. Harry Dresden was powerful and defiant and so bright that even the shadow he cast was horrifying. The attraction was inevitable; however, when I envisioned this, I envisioned the attraction being returned.
Even if he consented, it would be rape. Still, he would be alive to deal with the consequences.
I slid a hand over his shoulder. Dresden flinched back hard enough to hit the sofa. I didn’t give him room to recover. I sidled closer, my body pressed against his.
“No,” Dresden whispered. His eyes were damp when he looked at me. Something tugged in my chest. “No, John.”
His using my first name affected me like he knew it would; I didn’t let it show on my face. “I won’t let you die,” I replied softly. “Please, Harry.”
His eyes darkened. I knew how to affect him, too.
When I leaned forward and kissed him, Harry didn’t fight.
I tasted his blood and imagined I could taste his power. He moaned like something was breaking inside him and then his hands scrabbled at my shirt. I let him tear it away, giving him that bit of control.
I kissed him deeply and drank him in. This would not be the last time -- I would ensure that -- but I reveled in the opportunity, anyway. Metal and smoke and a hint of alcohol: I moaned back.
Harry grabbed my shoulders and dragged me on top of him. We were both wearing pants still, and I tore away from his wet mouth to finish stripping us. Whatever restraint Harry had earlier was gone. His hands roamed over my back and chest, nails scraping flesh. He mouthed at my shoulders and undulated under me, long hot body glistening with sweat in the firelight. By the time we were both naked, I was panting and hard. I pushed him back to the floor and kissed him again. He grabbed the back of my head and forcibly deepened the kiss.
My mind whirred even as I touched as much naked flesh as I could. Was full penetrative sex needed or just orgasm by another? I sincerely hoped if it was just an orgasm that was needed, Harry could have managed that himself. I hoped.
Mouse answered the question by dropping a bottle of oil by Harry’s shoulder. I have rarely been mortified during sex; it didn’t surprise me that it happened during sex with Harry Dresden.
Harry didn’t seem to notice. Harry didn’t seem to notice anything beyond me. Eyes wild with lust, he bit and sucked at my neck and rocked his hips into me. He left hot slick against my stomach. I had to stop and shudder.
I grabbed the bottle. I tore it open and lost the top. Harry moaned and arched. I groaned when he bit at my nipples. He raked unsurprisingly sharp teeth against my chest. I slicked my fingers and pushed into him.
Harry jerked like he had been electrocuted. An inhuman sound tore from his chest, and he clawed at my shoulders. I gritted my teeth and ignored his hungry mouth and hands. Regardless, this would hurt him; there was no reason to make that hurt physical.
He wrapped his long legs around me when I settled between his thighs. I pushed into him and he screamed.
Harry fit perfectly around me. I knew he would.
Harry tightened his legs around my waist and pushed into each thrust. I couldn’t help but bite his shoulder, snarling into his flesh as I fucked him. For this moment, he was undeniably mine. He dug his nails into my back; I dug my nails into his hips.
This. Just this. Harry hot and tight around me, sweating and wild under me. I snarled and he snarled back. I braced my knees on the rug and fucked harder. He cried out and bit at me. I bit harder and held him still.
Just this.
He scratched bloody grooves into my back and I bit into his flesh and tasted metal. I thrust and he slid across the rug. His thighs tightened around me. He panted hotly in my ear.
He came screaming on my cock.
Mine.
I came inside him and marked him so.
Harry collapsed on the rug, shaking and limp. I licked his bloodied shoulder. I slowly pushed myself up and out of him. His eyes were closed and his face was slack. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
I went to the bathroom and was unsurprised to only find cold water. I went back and found him still lying on the rug. I gently wiped him down and he twitched under my touch.
I knew what I had to do: get us both dressed and have him tell me more about the curse. I knew Hendricks and Gard still waited outside the door. They were undoubtedly concerned. Instead, I kept wiping Harry’s skin with a rapidly warming cloth and stared at his bruised lips.
Something was wrong.
“Harry,” I said quietly. I still couldn’t bring myself to pull away from him. My thigh pressed against his hip, and that simple touch sent shivers through me. “What was the curse?”
Harry shuddered and closed his eyes tighter. It looked painful. “It was a curse by my faerie godmother,” he said. The lifelessness of his voice seemed more painful still. “She hated how there was no one in my life. She decided to fix it.”
I narrowed my eyes. I kept my voice mild. “Part of the curse was sex.” If she hated him being alone, she wouldn’t have stopped there. “If you didn’t have sex, you would die, thus forcing you to choose someone to complete the act. The consequence of the act was the real curse.”
Harry swallowed. His throat was long and pale. I wanted to bite it, and I couldn’t blame that on the spell. “It was a binding,” he said dully. “Congrats, Marcone: you’re married.”
I didn’t let anything show on my face. Not that it would have mattered: Harry still hadn’t opened his eyes.
“All right,” I said eventually. I forced my hand away from his warm flesh. My ring finger brushed against smooth scar tissue. “This is permanent.”
Harry didn’t bother replying. Faerie magic was strong, as was magic involving sexual acts. He wouldn’t have hid in his apartment if he could get out of it.
I dressed myself quickly and then urged him to do the same. Harry finally opened his eyes but didn’t look at me. He only had pants and boxers. He didn’t resist when I slid my jacket over his shoulders. While I did that, Mouse walked over with his boots and socks. His tail wagged a little.
“Silly dog,” Harry said quietly, voice hoarse. To my relief, he didn’t need any encouragement to put them on.
I touched his shoulder and he jerked like he wasn’t sure if he wanted to move closer or away. I held on. “We need to go to my office,” I said, my mind already working. This wouldn’t be recognized by “vanilla” mortal society, as Harry liked to phrase it, even if the magical society would acknowledge it, possibly on sight. I would have to ask Harry about that later. The political repercussions would be enormous, but no one but us knew yet. We could –
“No,” Harry said flatly. If he had immediately agreed, I would have worried. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
I stared silently at him. He fidgeted and still didn’t meet my gaze. “This marriage is legal and binding according to the Accords. I take marriage seriously, and I know you do, as well. This is not the most…pleasant of circumstances, but if it means you are alive and healthy, I believe we can find ways to make the most of this.”
I stared at him until he finally looked into my eyes. Harry looked tired and scared and angry, a usually lethal mixture only tempered by his mental and physical exhaustion. Even if it worked to my advantage, I found myself not in the most pleasant frame of mind concerning his godmother.
Harry swallowed. “I hate you,” he said, sounding defeated.
I nodded. Everything about this had been forced, and nothing infuriated this man more than that. Still, he was alive. When he recovered, he would be fighting and shouting and burning my buildings down again. I just needed to move him somewhere safe and more manageable before then.
Mouse apparently agreed with me. He walked up to Harry and presented his leash. Harry stared at his dog like he had never seen him before. I waited.
Finally, with shaking hands, Harry clipped on the dog’s leash. When Harry looked at me again, his eyes were red but dry.
When Harry recovered more, there would be a terrible fight, but I was already preparing for it.
Harry was mine even if it wasn’t recognized by mortal society. I would not let him go.
Fandom: Dresden Files
Pairing: John Marcone/Harry Dresden
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: non-con, sex pollen, angst
A/N: Written for
dresden_kink Summary: Mouse led Marcone to Dresden, and Marcone found himself entangled in Dresden's affairs again.
It wasn’t often that I walked through Dresden’s sorry shadow of a neighborhood. It was more rare that I was there without the specific excuse of seeing him. I felt his choice of residences reflected the martyr attitude from which I strove to break him. Otherwise, I saw no reason to be there.
This was one of those rare incidences that I was there for reasons other than Dresden. The need arose to have a conversation with a gentleman who had felt the abrupt need to leave his former residence and move here. I convinced him that Chicago was a poor fit for his needs. He was a smart man and agreed.
So this evening had nothing to do with Harry Dresden, but he intruded, regardless.
I walked with Hendricks and Gard back to my car. To my right, the shadows shifted, and then a large shape leaped from the shadows to plant itself in front of me. I quickly gestured at Hendricks and Gard to put their weapons away. I recognized the beast.
Mouse – because only Dresden would name such a large dog “Mouse” – whined and hunched down to press his belly to the cement. I knelt in front of him and extended a hand. He sniffed it and whined louder, even as his tail wagged. I remembered reports of the dog’s intelligence.
And protectiveness.
What trouble did you find now, Dresden?
When I caught Mouse’s eye, he stood up and whined again. Then he trotted past Hendricks and Gard. To my lack of surprise, he headed straight to Dresden’s apartment. I fell in step behind him. I felt Hendricks and Gard fall in behind me. I could feel Hendricks’ displeasure radiating from him, but he said nothing.
When it came to Dresden, he knew better.
Mouse led straight to Dresden’s apartment. The sour feeling in my stomach grew as I noticed the door standing wide open. Dresden was far too cautious for that.
It wasn’t paranoia when gods and mortals alike wanted you dead.
I heard him next: soft, pained noises and heavy breathing. Hendricks started stepping in front of me, but Mouse walked fearlessly ahead, so I held out a hand. If Dresden was injured, seeing Hendricks armed and ready would only make matters worse. I was not in the mood to die in a ball of flames today.
Someone needed to tell Dresden that there were other elements in the world besides fire. It would greatly help my insurance premiums.
I gestured for Hendricks and Gard to stay behind me. Then I followed Mouse into the apartment.
The only light was the fireplace. Dresden’s difficulties with technology followed him home. Mouse walked beside the eyesore of a sofa. Something tightened inside me as I saw Dresden curled up against the side of it, shockingly small looking for someone so tall. He was dressed in only jeans and shivered like it was the middle of winter. Mouse leaned against him and stared pointedly at me.
I knelt in front of Dresden. He panted into his knees like he had just finished outracing the latest monster he had pissed off. For all I know, he just had. I didn’t touch him. I spoke quietly, my voice mild, “Harry?”
His breath caught loudly. “Marcone?” he rasped, and my concern rose when he didn’t correct me on my informality. Dresden looked up from his knees. His eyes were dilated, face damp with sweat. Drugs? He would not voluntarily take them. Had someone drugged him then? “What are you doing here?”
Dresden still shivered. I shrugged out of my jacket and rested it on his shoulders. He flinched like I had struck him. Mouse whined lowly.
“Your dog brought me here,” I said quietly. “What happened?”
He shivered hard enough that my muscles ached in empathy and rested his head back on his knees. His voice came out muffled, but I could make it out. “Get out. Get out of here.”
Mouse butted his head against Dresden’s skinny shoulder. He whined again and looked at me. ‘Fix this,’ he seemed to say.
Behind me, Hendricks and Gard walked in. Gard knelt beside me and studied Dresden. Dresden ignored us all, too focused on whatever was tearing him apart. His lack of comments disturbed me. I felt Hendricks’ heat at my back and knew he was willing to pull me away if this turned out to be a threat.
Gard’s face tightened minutely. “He is ensorcelled,” she said flatly. “Faerie magic.”
Mouse huffed at her. Gard looked at him and nodded. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were having a conversation.
“Is it life-threatening?” I inquired. Dresden’s dark hair covered most of his face; his knees hid the rest. The sight of him hiding was alien to my sensibilities.
Gard nodded. “Yes.”
She resumed studying him while I digested this. Dresden in a life-threatening situation wasn’t particularly surprising; Dresden courted Death to a near obsessive degree. I researched his background to discover from where his martyr complex stemmed. There was a ten-year span between the orphanage and him starting working in Chicago, but I didn’t know if the inciting incident occurred then or not.
Unfortunately, Dresden in a life-threatening situation wasn’t alarming or even peculiar; however, Dresden appearing to be unable to fight back was.
Dresden convulsed, and my jacket fell from his shoulders. Mouse whined loudly and pressed hard against his side.
“What can we do?” I demanded. I moved to Dresden’s other side so he didn’t fall to the floor. Even with the multiple rugs, it still felt too hard.
Gard’s face remained expressionless. “Sex.”
Before I was introduced to the Fae, that answer would have surprised me. Unfortunately, based on what I knew of the Fae, that made a sickening amount of sense. Dresden’s convulsions abated, but he still shivered. I carefully touched his bare shoulder and watched him flinch again.
Dresden was familiar with the Fae, too.
“No,” he rasped, voice raw like he had been screaming. He lifted his head enough for me to see his bloodied lower lip and the beginnings of a bruise on his forehead. He had hit his head on his bony knees. “Go away!”
“There’s more to this spell, but I can’t see what,” Gard continued quietly like Dresden had never spoken. “It is tied to his life force.”
If Dresden didn’t have sex, he would die. My life had truly grown more interesting and varied since I met him. Mouse stared pointedly at me, waiting for me to fix this.
Of course, Harry Dresden would not obtain a normal dog. This dog contained at least human-level intelligence.
And he came specifically to me.
I was sure that Mouse knew what the spell was and chose me for a reason, even if Dresden was against it. Mouse knew that Dresden’s life was in danger and believed I could save it. In the matter of Dresden’s life, I usually overrode his protests, but if I do this, all of my plans involving Dresden would collapse. Of course, if I didn’t do this, they would all collapse, anyway.
I exhaled and tried to relieve the tension building in my chest. “Ms. Gard,” I said quietly, “Mr. Hendricks, please leave.”
I could hear Hendricks’ breathing behind me, rough and choked with undoubtedly countless protests. I heard Gard lead him out. I wondered if he needed another raise.
I waited until the door closed. Mouse stared hard at me before huffing and moving away.
We weren’t alone, but it felt enough like it.
I wouldn’t deny envisioning this. Harry Dresden was powerful and defiant and so bright that even the shadow he cast was horrifying. The attraction was inevitable; however, when I envisioned this, I envisioned the attraction being returned.
Even if he consented, it would be rape. Still, he would be alive to deal with the consequences.
I slid a hand over his shoulder. Dresden flinched back hard enough to hit the sofa. I didn’t give him room to recover. I sidled closer, my body pressed against his.
“No,” Dresden whispered. His eyes were damp when he looked at me. Something tugged in my chest. “No, John.”
His using my first name affected me like he knew it would; I didn’t let it show on my face. “I won’t let you die,” I replied softly. “Please, Harry.”
His eyes darkened. I knew how to affect him, too.
When I leaned forward and kissed him, Harry didn’t fight.
I tasted his blood and imagined I could taste his power. He moaned like something was breaking inside him and then his hands scrabbled at my shirt. I let him tear it away, giving him that bit of control.
I kissed him deeply and drank him in. This would not be the last time -- I would ensure that -- but I reveled in the opportunity, anyway. Metal and smoke and a hint of alcohol: I moaned back.
Harry grabbed my shoulders and dragged me on top of him. We were both wearing pants still, and I tore away from his wet mouth to finish stripping us. Whatever restraint Harry had earlier was gone. His hands roamed over my back and chest, nails scraping flesh. He mouthed at my shoulders and undulated under me, long hot body glistening with sweat in the firelight. By the time we were both naked, I was panting and hard. I pushed him back to the floor and kissed him again. He grabbed the back of my head and forcibly deepened the kiss.
My mind whirred even as I touched as much naked flesh as I could. Was full penetrative sex needed or just orgasm by another? I sincerely hoped if it was just an orgasm that was needed, Harry could have managed that himself. I hoped.
Mouse answered the question by dropping a bottle of oil by Harry’s shoulder. I have rarely been mortified during sex; it didn’t surprise me that it happened during sex with Harry Dresden.
Harry didn’t seem to notice. Harry didn’t seem to notice anything beyond me. Eyes wild with lust, he bit and sucked at my neck and rocked his hips into me. He left hot slick against my stomach. I had to stop and shudder.
I grabbed the bottle. I tore it open and lost the top. Harry moaned and arched. I groaned when he bit at my nipples. He raked unsurprisingly sharp teeth against my chest. I slicked my fingers and pushed into him.
Harry jerked like he had been electrocuted. An inhuman sound tore from his chest, and he clawed at my shoulders. I gritted my teeth and ignored his hungry mouth and hands. Regardless, this would hurt him; there was no reason to make that hurt physical.
He wrapped his long legs around me when I settled between his thighs. I pushed into him and he screamed.
Harry fit perfectly around me. I knew he would.
Harry tightened his legs around my waist and pushed into each thrust. I couldn’t help but bite his shoulder, snarling into his flesh as I fucked him. For this moment, he was undeniably mine. He dug his nails into my back; I dug my nails into his hips.
This. Just this. Harry hot and tight around me, sweating and wild under me. I snarled and he snarled back. I braced my knees on the rug and fucked harder. He cried out and bit at me. I bit harder and held him still.
Just this.
He scratched bloody grooves into my back and I bit into his flesh and tasted metal. I thrust and he slid across the rug. His thighs tightened around me. He panted hotly in my ear.
He came screaming on my cock.
Mine.
I came inside him and marked him so.
Harry collapsed on the rug, shaking and limp. I licked his bloodied shoulder. I slowly pushed myself up and out of him. His eyes were closed and his face was slack. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
I went to the bathroom and was unsurprised to only find cold water. I went back and found him still lying on the rug. I gently wiped him down and he twitched under my touch.
I knew what I had to do: get us both dressed and have him tell me more about the curse. I knew Hendricks and Gard still waited outside the door. They were undoubtedly concerned. Instead, I kept wiping Harry’s skin with a rapidly warming cloth and stared at his bruised lips.
Something was wrong.
“Harry,” I said quietly. I still couldn’t bring myself to pull away from him. My thigh pressed against his hip, and that simple touch sent shivers through me. “What was the curse?”
Harry shuddered and closed his eyes tighter. It looked painful. “It was a curse by my faerie godmother,” he said. The lifelessness of his voice seemed more painful still. “She hated how there was no one in my life. She decided to fix it.”
I narrowed my eyes. I kept my voice mild. “Part of the curse was sex.” If she hated him being alone, she wouldn’t have stopped there. “If you didn’t have sex, you would die, thus forcing you to choose someone to complete the act. The consequence of the act was the real curse.”
Harry swallowed. His throat was long and pale. I wanted to bite it, and I couldn’t blame that on the spell. “It was a binding,” he said dully. “Congrats, Marcone: you’re married.”
I didn’t let anything show on my face. Not that it would have mattered: Harry still hadn’t opened his eyes.
“All right,” I said eventually. I forced my hand away from his warm flesh. My ring finger brushed against smooth scar tissue. “This is permanent.”
Harry didn’t bother replying. Faerie magic was strong, as was magic involving sexual acts. He wouldn’t have hid in his apartment if he could get out of it.
I dressed myself quickly and then urged him to do the same. Harry finally opened his eyes but didn’t look at me. He only had pants and boxers. He didn’t resist when I slid my jacket over his shoulders. While I did that, Mouse walked over with his boots and socks. His tail wagged a little.
“Silly dog,” Harry said quietly, voice hoarse. To my relief, he didn’t need any encouragement to put them on.
I touched his shoulder and he jerked like he wasn’t sure if he wanted to move closer or away. I held on. “We need to go to my office,” I said, my mind already working. This wouldn’t be recognized by “vanilla” mortal society, as Harry liked to phrase it, even if the magical society would acknowledge it, possibly on sight. I would have to ask Harry about that later. The political repercussions would be enormous, but no one but us knew yet. We could –
“No,” Harry said flatly. If he had immediately agreed, I would have worried. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
I stared silently at him. He fidgeted and still didn’t meet my gaze. “This marriage is legal and binding according to the Accords. I take marriage seriously, and I know you do, as well. This is not the most…pleasant of circumstances, but if it means you are alive and healthy, I believe we can find ways to make the most of this.”
I stared at him until he finally looked into my eyes. Harry looked tired and scared and angry, a usually lethal mixture only tempered by his mental and physical exhaustion. Even if it worked to my advantage, I found myself not in the most pleasant frame of mind concerning his godmother.
Harry swallowed. “I hate you,” he said, sounding defeated.
I nodded. Everything about this had been forced, and nothing infuriated this man more than that. Still, he was alive. When he recovered, he would be fighting and shouting and burning my buildings down again. I just needed to move him somewhere safe and more manageable before then.
Mouse apparently agreed with me. He walked up to Harry and presented his leash. Harry stared at his dog like he had never seen him before. I waited.
Finally, with shaking hands, Harry clipped on the dog’s leash. When Harry looked at me again, his eyes were red but dry.
When Harry recovered more, there would be a terrible fight, but I was already preparing for it.
Harry was mine even if it wasn’t recognized by mortal society. I would not let him go.
no subject
Date: 2011-06-14 05:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-23 01:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-07 01:17 pm (UTC)woo.
This was wrenching. And yes, Marcone is not going to feel warm about Godmother.
no subject
Date: 2011-10-08 09:18 pm (UTC)Slightly grateful but not particularly warm, no.
no subject
Date: 2011-10-09 03:42 am (UTC)Which means pissed off as he'll be...
Looking forward to seeing where going to the office is headed.