Fic rec - The Professional

[sakura_no_miko]

Title: The Professional

Author: TruebornAlpha

Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender

Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Shiro/Keith

Warnings: BDSM, consensual sex work, explicit sex (gay), outed to the media, angst

Other notes: AU, sex work, client/employee relationship, paparazzi, alternating PoV, romcom-ish

Length: 24k

Summary: Shiro is trapped in a life of expectations and responsibility. The black sheep of a prominent business empire, he struggles to come to terms with the tragedy that knocked his life off course. He starts looking for solace through unconventional means.

Keith is ready to offer his services for a price, and it doesn't hurt that Shiro looks so good on his knees.

My thoughts:

 

Oh my gosh, I need to update my BDSM-themed rec list. I wrote it before reading any Dragon Age Inquisition fic so I know there will be new additions. Another thing for my to-do list.

Now, brace with me for a sec. I don’t usually enjoy romcoms. I don’t know why. I just read this meta piece on tumblr that made me think, you know, I read the exact same cliche tropes in fic and adore them, but I have, like, a visceral dislike of the the Hallmark movies my mom favors.

I’ve enjoyed romcoms on rare occasion. In fact, the ones I like, I really like.

And this is a roundabout way of getting to a very sad realization: I should have been the audience for 50 Shades of Grey. Actually, had I been younger — well, I mentioned that Anne Rice was a hugely influential author to me as a teenager, and, yeah, the sex was part of that. I don’t think anyone’s intro to BDSM should be 50 Shades, but I can see a timeline where, had I seen it at an impressionable age, it would have been quite eye-opening. Terrible, but eye-opening.

But you know what — this fic probably would have been better. Because the entire first part of this fic is about establishing consent and boundaries, and, like, I don’t think I saw anything this forthright when I was a teenager. I’ve probably learned more about consent from BDSM fic than anything else.

To tie it together, what I’ve wanted is a romance with a bit more bite to it. Which is why something like 50 Shades would have worked for me.

This fic has a lot of the tropes you see in romances — there’s the initial “we’re very attracted to each other, but there are outside factors preventing us from acting on it” (in this case, the employer/employee relationship and Shiro’s higher class status). There’s growing intimacy they’re both in denial of. There’s the moment where they cross the line. There’s the sudden break up. There’s the tearful reunion.

And also a lot of power play and pain play, which, yeah, I’ve got a more prurient interest in. Dealwithit.gif, etc.

This is another fic where I just adore every moment of the prose. The character details are so, so good. I could quote so much, but, um, let’s start here:

Keith demanded full honesty or he wouldn’t be able to provide his service and Shiro struggled. He’d gotten so used to covering up his hurts with a smile or dismissing what he wanted in favor of someone else it had become second nature. Keith kept pushing until Shiro was forced to be honest, haltingly describing what he liked and what was off limits. By the time Friday finally came, Shiro was wound so tight he thought he might snap.

Ffff, that description. Just start playing “Killing Me Softly.” That cuts a little too close. Of course, me having a personality more like Shiro’s means I automatically empathize with him, but then you switch over to Keith’s PoV and I utterly fall in love with him too:

He washed Shiro’s arms, then got on his knees to clean the mess down Shiro’s legs. Keith was soothing instead of playful, but all he could think about was how this felt like an act of worship and how Shiro deserved no less. Shiro watched him the entire time, subdued but still present. Keith left him alone to rinse off, water sluicing through his hair, his face turned into the spray. Part of him wished he could stay.

By the time Shiro emerged from the washroom, wrapped in fluffy towels and pink from the heat, Keith had finished tidying up. The sheets were pressed and clean, and a set of warm clothes waited for him. Keith knew he should’ve gotten ready to go. He had an extra shirt in his bag, but the idea of stepping back into an oxford was exhausting. Instead he waited in a pair of Shiro’s faded pajamas, well-worn and comfy, and it felt like he was wrapped in a blanket. When Shiro saw him, he stopped in place, inhaling sharply. There was a look in his eyes that said too much.

Keith pretended he didn’t notice.

Guuuuuuh. That made my heart skip a little, I think. Going back to that meta piece on tumblr about how romance novels are dismissed because they place more emphasis on female desire and female fantasy — I dunno if this is strictly a female fantasy, but, guuuh. Caretaking. So much tender, emotional caretaking. “Worship.” They dropped the word “worship,” and I feel like I only see that in romance novels. Or, more specifically — and this is exactly what I saw in Yuri!!! On Ice — this trope where the main character is really awesome, but has such low self-esteem or is stuck in a situation where they are being stressed out or depressed or generally unable to see their own worth, but the other person can. Which is a really nice, romantic trope — that someone out there loves you, even when you cant love yourself. I mean, you could criticize aspects of it — like how it’s bad to emotionally rely on another person instead, of, you know, working on your own problems. You can easily slip into an unequal relationship, a co-dependent relationship, etc. But in its purest form, it’s all hurt/comfort.

There’s always a personal element to fic recs. Obviously “your kink is not my kink” is a heavy factor. So, for me, I love reading about power dynamics. My own fics usually involve some amount of power play, and I constantly have to remind myself to be aware of it as I’m writing it. So, the other thing with the PoV switch is how lovingly the author writes both submission and domination.

Like, comparing these two scenes:

Shiro couldn’t see straight. Everything felt heavy. A thick haze settled over his skin, his very nerves scrubbed raw and aching. The earth beneath him swayed gently, just enough to keep him off his feet, and for the first time in a long time, everything was quiet. The incessant worries that drilled through his skull had quieted, and all he felt was empty, like he’d been carved open and taken apart, and all he could think was thank you.

 

“Shiro?” His partner blinked blearily up at him, sweetly pliant and still covered in Keith’s come. It left a wave of pleasure singing through Keith’s nerves, unapologetically proud and just on the wrong side of possessive. He could pose Shiro any way he wanted like this, make him do anything, show the whole world how thoroughly Keith could take him apart. It was a dangerous train of thought. “Are you still with me?”

For the life of me, I can’t write domination very well. I don’t have a domineering bone in my body. I hate leading things, so I somehow constantly end up in charge of things. So putting that into fic is…well, suffice to say I prefer to write pleasant things and trying to write domination just does not work for me. I understand it on a technical level, but not an emotional one.  I’m distinctly jealous of anyone who can write both.

Well, I feel like I’m doing more quoting than actual analysis. Let’s just say I’m heavily distracted by how sexy and emotional and distinctly rom-com-y this fic is in a way that really works for me.

 

As far as other fic recs, well, any of the Dragon Age fics I’ve rec’ced so far, or anything on my BDSM rec list.

But also: pennypaperbrains’ meta on how to write good BDSM. From someone who is both a fic writer and a BDSM practitioner.

(Looking for more fic recs?)

Originally crossposted to pillowfort on 12/11/18