Exam # 15 - Daniel Cohen-Chang + Sam Evans
When: Sept 1st
Notes: No triggers, Daniel otps for a more simple, intimate display of D/s
Daniel usually arranged ahead of time for any necessary props, and this exam was no different. A black, leather wing-back chair with brass buttons sat in the middle of the room next to a small wooden table with a stack of white hand towels on it. Behind closed doors, Daniel squeezed Sam's shoulder and gave an exaggerated wink before his face settled into something serious and more 'professional.' He opened the double doors simultaneously and waited for Sam to walk through with the large bowl of warm water before closing them again. He met the blond at the center of the room where he addressed Miss Roselle. "Because Sam and I have had an intimate relationship in the past, I'd like to demonstrate something with a little more depth. Today, Sam will be playing my Mary Magdalene and washing my feet. For the remainder of our time together, I'll be asking questions that require only yes or no, sir for an answer. I don't expect him to make any mistakes."
Sam flashed a smile, though it was more for Daniel's benefit, since he himself was nervous, nervous that all of this would be too simple and Miss Roselle wouldn't like it, but he wanted to follow Daniel's instructions, so that's what he was going to do. He moved into the room and greeted their Headmistress politely before looking toward Daniel and down at the floor while he explained, still cradling the big bowl, trying not to give into his instinct to move over to get ready while Daniel was speaking. There was plenty of time for that, after he'd been given commands.
Daniel wasn't worried about Sam's ability to submit, so he was more than relaxed as he took his seat and gestured with a twitch of his fingers for Sam to come over. "I'd like you to kneel and remove my boots." They were tall combat boots that nearly went up to his knee and Daniel was looking forward to Sam having to take his time in taking them off. (link- http://www.cmstatic1.com/30912/30912.238011.jpg) He leaned back into the chair to watch as he asked his first question. "Do you think this is a degrading task?"
Sam moved over slowly, careful not to slosh the water in the bowl, and lowered himself down to his knees before he set the bowl to one side. He straightened up his back and knelt properly looking at the shoes. They were going to be a pain in the ass. He untied one and started to unloosen the laces, going down between the loops, not wanting to try prematurely and fail so he made sure to go down past the middle before he went to the next one, going to get them the same before he'd take either off. "No, sir..." He pulled off the boots one by one and set them neatly to one side.
Daniel leaned forward to brush a few strands of hair out of Sam's eyes as he worked. "That's a good answer. It's not. I like degrading, but this is something I've always wanted to experience." He rubbed his lower lip with his thumb, considering Sam as he removed his shoes. "Do you remember when I carved my name into your back? How I used to choke you and bite you and fill you up with my cock? Roll up my pant legs neatly so that you won't get them wet."
Sam pressed his lips into a firm line when Daniel had to go and mention the sex. He'd definitely not forget that dance and what followed after. He swallowed and set his hands to rolling up Daniels pant legs in even, smooth folds, to keep them up and hopefully not wrinkle too much. "Yes, sir." I do. He glanced briefly up at Daniel's face before working on the next pant leg, setting his hands in his lap once he'd finished, awaiting further instruction.
Daniel felt smug by that response and leaned back again. His eyes went to the bowl of water and he nodded at it. "Go ahead, but I'd like you to take care. I don't want to think you aren't enjoying this. Do you know that you can use your safeword with me?" That question had Daniel twitch as it reminded him of the last time he'd tried to be especially dominant with Sam. "Do you know that I care about whether you're happy, safe, healthy? That I want you to be?"
Sam looked at the bowl and then reached for a towel off the table, submerging it in the water and bringing it back out to wring out. He then cradled Daniel by the heel, lifting his foot up. He had a look of determination on his face as he put the towel to the Dominant's skin. Don't look like he was enjoying it? He wasn't about to start smiling or whistling a tune. "Yes, sir," He responded about the safe word, though it left a sting, and the next question had him hesitating, since sometimes in Sam's more negative frames of mind he often wondered. But he didn't want the Dom to look bad in front of Miss Roselle, so he murmured, "Yes, sir," though it felt a little false.
Daniel felt slightly wounded by Sam's lack of enthusiasm (especially in his last answer), so he lifted up his foot to shove the blond's shoulder with it- not hard enough to kick him over, but not gently. "I just said that I want you to look like you're enjoying this. I don't want to think this is torture for you." A voice in his head mocked him for being immature and overreacting, but it was easier to blame the actions on being strict and enforcing his commands. "This is your warning."
Sam jerked from the shove, pulled out of his more negative thoughts when Daniel pressed his foot into his shoulder. Right. Shit. Not torture. Enjoying it. Privileged. "I'm sorry, sir," His eyes widened to make himself look more forgivable. "It's a pleasure and a privilege to get to wash your feet." He swallowed and held his hand out, an offering to have Daniel's foot back. "I will do better for you, sir." He looked at him a moment longer before lowering his eyes out of respect, and to see if the dom would let him have his foot back now.
Daniel
His feathers were significantly less-ruffled as he lowered his leg and put his heel into Sam's hand, and there was surprised amusement in his voice. "I don't know how I could have forgotten just how good you are at apologizing. It never seems false. But don't forget again that you're supposed to stick to Yes and No, Sir." Unlike anyone else, Daniel always did feel better after punishing Sam. The fear and desire to succeed in his eyes were delicious, not depressing or uncomfortably desperate. As Sam got back to the task at hand, Daniel let his eyes drift shut for seconds at a time as he simply enjoyed the treatment. "Do you think you're a good submissive?"
Sam felt guilty for using so many words when he was supposed to stick to two at all times, but it had happened, and Daniel seemed pleased enough with them he wasn't going to punish him. "Yes, sir." Once Daniel gave him back his foot and closed his eyes, Sam returned to sponging it with the towel, rewetting it and ringing it out again before he gently scrubbed at the bottom of his foot, looking calm and focused. The question seemed like a trick and he felt like either answer would be bad, so he just went for what he felt was more accurate. "Yes, sir."
Daniel peeked down at Sam out of one eye, considering him. He looked intent, but not as tense as before. Closing his eyes again, Daniel nodded before saying, "Good. You should. You put in more effort than most people to understand why you're being criticized, instead of lashing out." When it came to these exams, Daniel did lean more toward punishment examples and he felt that he was doing well at practicing the rewarding side this time. The questions started to go that way as well as Daniel asked, "Do you still enjoy obeying?" There was a slight pause before he added curiously, "Do you think you're a good sub for Harrison, or just good enough?"
Sam was glad he didn't have a thing about feet, so that he could actually enjoy this. Daniel had nice feet, he decided while he washed them, long and kind of slender like the rest of the Dom. He rubbed the top and sides. "Yes, sir," He answered the first, before the second made him tip his head up, with a slightly questioning gaze, as if asking Daniel how he expected him to answer that with the two words. Either or questions didn't do so well with a singular answer, and he didn't want to misstep, as he thought himself more than capable of doing in this case. It was too easy to get him confused like that. "Yes, sir?"
Daniel met Sam's questioning gaze with a patient one and one corner of his mouth turned up into a half-smile as the submissive answered correctly. "A helpful part of sticking to yes or no answers is that you don't have to make any choices, really. Leave it up to me. Do you try hard to serve him, to anticipate his needs and take care of yourself? You can start drying now."
Sam exhaled quietly when he somehow managed not to screw it up. He took a dry towel down and started to gently rub and pat Daniel's foot dry, trying to pamper him. The question made him feel sad, he hated that he wasn't a better submissive to Harrison, that he was mostly his boyfriend and sometimes they did scenes. But Daniel didn't need to know that, and neither did Miss Roselle. "Yes, sir," he tried to sound confident, not show his hand.
Daniel watched steadily as Sam treated each foot with care, but he couldn't get a read on how true the answer was. He didn't know what Sam and Harrison were like behind closed doors, he only could use his own relationship with Sam for reference. With that in mind, he decided to take Sam at his word. "If that's true, then he's lucky to have you. You may use this with him, if you like. Or with any other Dom that you wish to submit to non-sexually." He nodded to his shoes and socks, "Go ahead and put them back on," before asking, "Do you think you did your best today here, with me?"
Sam exhaled and dried off Daniel's feet, feeling sad that it was coming to a close because he had missed this, being submissive in small ways. Perhaps it was time to do these things without requests ahead of time. He nodded to Daniel's permission, wanting to thank him but not thinking he'd yet left the yes or no zone. He fitted the socks on Daniel's feet easily enough by bunching them down first before pulling them up, something he remembered about putting socks and shoes on Stevie or Stacey, then went to lace the boots back up. "No, sir."
Daniel raised an eyebrow, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees to watch Sam's deft fingers work on the laces. In his eyes, the sub was handling everything remarkably well. He wasn't expecting that answer. "Is it because of the two errors? You can say more if your answer to that is no."
Sam inhaled and looked briefly up from the laces, "Yes, sir." It was the two errors, though he hoped Daniel didn't think there was another reason for him to be sorry that he hadn't noticed, not when he had been trying to be so keen about his actions and words after those mistakes, he'd hate it if he'd let something else slip and Daniel had just been waiting for him to pick it up himself instead of correct him on it.
Daniel took Sam's chin in his hand, holding it up as he met the blond's eyes. He didn't want what he was going to say to go ignored. "Unless you made those mistakes on purpose, you did well for me here today. You've never made a mistake twice, and I think that's as close to perfection as I need or want to get. Unless you did do it on purpose... Did you?"
Sam felt his breath still in his throat and he looked at Daniel, taking in what he was saying, wanting to make sure he didn't get tripped up by words again. "No, sir," He wanted to shake his head but also not remove any of Daniel's hold on his chin, so he kept still, looking up at him simply, wanting him to see he wasn't afraid to look in his eyes.
Daniel broke the gaze first with a nod, releasing Sam's chin as he lost the game of emotional chicken. The blond was more brave than he was, and Daniel could admit that to himself. It was hard to look at those big green eyes and face nostalgia, regret, shame. Still, he kept his poker face on, shifting his weight on the chair before answering calmly, "If you tried your best, then you've done your best. Do you understand me?"
Sam let himself swallow and breathe normally once the gaze was broken and his chin released, easing back into more comfortable kneeling as he looked back down to finish tying the laces of the Dominant's boots. He still questioned with two mistakes if he tried his best, but the Dom's reasoning was sound, so he nodded and rested back with the laces tied. "Yes, sir."