Half-Dimension

45

Lucius had taken to trying and avoid Draco. It seemed almost every time that he was with the other, the longing to put Draco in his place reared its ugly head. It had been not even a week, he had seen Draco but maybe three times, and each time Lucius had to curl his fingers into his palm to avoid striking him against the cheek when he talked back to him. It left Lucius unnerved. Not once had he ever punished someone for something so simple. He had thought, perhaps, that it was simply because of Draco's new presentation. His Dragon was acting up, his instincts going haywire, but nothing would indicate that. Not a single hint of his losing control, or his dragon loosing its temper. No eye flashes no nail lengthening, no scales glowing...not a single thing. Yet, each time Draco acted up against him, the thought of beating him to submission weighed on Lucius' mind heavily. It was more than that, though, because Lucius was no stranger to pleasure, and the surge of pleasure he got from envisioning Draco's tears in his eyes as he bowed to his whims was something Lucius could scarcely handle.

It got to a point that even Severus was getting suspicious, and finally confronted him about it, pulling him into their dorm room, kicking the rest of the students out with a well placed glare and a harsh few words. Next thing Lucius knew he was shoved into a sitting position on a bed, while Severus kneeled in front of him, looking into his eyes. "What is going on with you?" Severus whispered, his voice uncharacteristically soft. Lucius felt some guilt at the sound. Still, his nerves continued to flood through him. "Draco is almost well enough to leave the hospital wing, Tom has been with him this whole time, Abraxas is worrying over you, because you have been off lately, and I have to admit I am a bit worried to." Severus paused, as if weighing his words before he continued. "I thought you would come to me in time, but it seems as if you are determined that I not know what is going on with you, and I have to admit that is a hurtful thought to have. So tell me, what is going on." Lucius bit his lip harshly, before sighing, running fingers through his hair in an uncharacteristically nervous motion. Severus' eyes caught the movement and his worry only deepened.

"I have been having worrying thoughts," Lucius admitted, his voice low, worried that it would carry and he would be damned. "Thoughts that I have never had before, and it scares me.""Well, you are two of the same..."

"It is not my dragon inheritence, not my instincts that are causing it either. I wanted this to be the case, but each time the thoughts cross my mind there is no hint of that. No flashing eyes, no claws, no scales, no transformation at all, and even my dragon doesn't lift his head. No, there is something else going on, and I just do not know what."

"So tell me," Severus insisted. "How am I supposed to help you if you are not willing to explain to me what is going on? Besides, Draco is leaving the hospital wing soon. You may be able to avoid him now, but how do you intend to do that when you are in the same house?" Severus' words struck a chord with him, and yet the ever concerning desire to beat a being into submission was once more absent, leaving Lucius even more concerned about his bloodthirsty thoughts about his brother.

"Draco's rebellious nature." Severus frowned at the wording.

"Draco is not rebellious though, in fact if anything he is one of the more obedient slytherins I know."

"That is the problem!" Lucius growled, fingers entangling through his hair. Severus hummed softly, pulling his fingers away from his head. He smoothed Lucius' hair and let his own fingers untangle the strands softly.

"Calm down, my love, and speak plainly."

"Draco is a bit of a brat, but we always knew that. He is, as ever, though, obedient to a fault. His words have never caused me to think such...such things before!" "What things, Lucius, you are going to have to be plain with me here." Severus was getting irritated, and Lucius could read it in the lines of his eyes and face. Lucius shook his head, not wanting to speak but knowing he should. He needed to have someone understand if nothing more. "Every time I meet with him, and every time he interrupts me, or talks over me, or even looks at me in the eyes, I get this...this longing, this desire, to beat him down...until he abides by my every whim. Until he apologizes for his disrespect and rebellion, and..." Lucius almost choked on the next words. "And I find myself pleased at the very thought of it." Lucius did not dare to look at Severus. "I thought at first that maybe it was my instincts acting up, but it can't be that because there is not any of the symptoms of it. It doesn't apply to anyone else, but when I am around Draco and we are speaking, I feel like a totally different person. Like an asshole. A cruel, vindictive asshole. I just...I just can't stop it. The last time I was with him, and he interrupted me, I could barely restrain myself from smacking him into silence." Lucius shared the worries in a hushed voice, as if saying them aloud was enough to curse him.

"You don't get the feeling with anyone else?" Lucius shook his head, and Severus frowned.

"I hate to say it but maybe you should..."

"What?" Severus lifted his hands up in the face of Lucius' incredulous anger. "You can't possibly be suggesting..."

"I am merely saying, if you allow yourself to lose control, perhaps you can learn a thing or two. Maybe it isn't just you that is feeling off brand. It may be Draco too. You know how things are after an inheritance comes along, especially with siblings. A hierarchy needs to be established, and while you say that you don't believe it to be your dragon or your instincts, I am almost certain that it is, and you just don't want to think that. I'm certain that if you allow yourself the chance to reprimand him once, or even twice, the hierarchy will be established, and you won't feel like that anymore." Lucius did not really like the idea, but he had to admit that Severus' thoughts did have some merit.