A/N: This is a prequel to my story 'In prefect trust' s/13140291/1/In-perfect-trust

Like a Moth to a Flame

Hadrian looked out of the small window and his gaze wandered over the small dusty street outside of the tavern. The windowpane was dirty, but Hadrian wouldn't have been able to see anything anyway, because it was pitch black outside, and unlike Royce, he couldn't see that well in the dark. He snorted softly and smiled. Did Royce really think he hadn't noticed that by now?

Royce's exceptional eyesight was the reason he was out there, making sure they had not been followed. Hadrian was not worried though. Royce had covered their tracks very well and it had been just as dark last night as it was now, so following them would have been next to impossible in Hadrian's opinion. Besides, Royce had made quite an impression on those mercenaries.

Hadrian lifted one hand and his fingers wandered over the small cut on his throat, where Alverstone had drawn a few drops of blood. The blade was so sharp, that Hadrian hadn't even felt it cut through his skin and it had taken a few moments, until he registered the slight pain, and realized that Royce had actually cut him.

Their job had been quite tedious this time. A group of mercenaries had stolen an heirloom of considerable value and Riyria had been commissioned with getting it back. They knew that the mercenaries hadn't had time to sell it yet, so Hadrian had infiltrated the group.

It had taken quite some time, before Hadrian learned where they had hid their stolen goods and, in the meantime, had actually started to like the guys. When Royce had stolen the heirloom back, their luck had evidently ran out as Royce had been caught on their way out. In a split second decision, Royce had grabbed ahold of Hadrian from behind and slid Alverstone across his throat, taken him 'hostage'.

Hadrian had been too surprised to move a single muscle. He had been able to hear Royce's dangerous voice next to his ear and he had felt Royce's lithe, but strong body pressed close behind him, and to his utter mortification, he had felt his body reacting. With the dagger at his throat and the iron grip around his arm, combined with the fact that it was Royce behind him, had caused a spark of desire to run straight to his groin.

Before the mercenaries could come to a decision on rather or not Hadrian could be dispensable, the partners had escaped out the door and had barricaded it behind them, before running to their horses. That had been last night, and they had spent the whole night and the past day in the saddle.

The door opened behind him and Hadrian turned to find Royce entering the small room, closing and locking the door behind him. The thick candles that were burning in a few holders on the walls, threw flickering shadows onto Royce's face.

"There is no one out there. They didn't follow us."

Royce went to one of the two small beds and took off his cloak, before setting it on the woolen blanket. When Hadrian didn't answer though, he turned around again.

"Ahm, that's good," Hadrian said hastily. "I mean, not that I thought they would have been able to follow us."

His own coat and the dark brown leather jerkin were already lying over the end of the small bed he chose as his own for the night.

Royce's gaze lingered on Hadrian for a moment, before turning away and taking off his belt with Alverstone's sheath. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Hadrian knitted his eyebrows and cursed Royce's heightened senses. He had probably been able to hear Hadrian's increased heartbeat, and maybe even had been able to smell his arousal as well.

Hadrian tried to sound indifferent. "What do you mean?"

Royce hummed curtly, and opened the lacing of his tunic, without looking up. "Fine by me."

It sounded like Royce would leave it at that, but Hadrian groaned softly and threw his hands up.

"I got excited, alright?" he replied in a defiant tone and Royce lifted his head.

"Do you usually get excited when someone threatens you with a dagger?"

Royce slipped out of his tunic and set it on his bed while Hadrian rolled his eyes. "You know I don't."

"Then why this time?" Royce sounded genuinely intrigued and Hadrian couldn't detect an accusing undertone. He hesitated another moment, but he decided that Royce deserved an answer. They had become close friends over the years and on occasion even more than that.

"Because it was you," he admitted at last and Royce lifted one eyebrow.

Hadrian shrugged. "I know how dangerous you are, but I trust you with my life. I already have." He shook his head, like he couldn't really understand it himself. "Knowing what you are capable of, but also knowing that you would never actually hurt me, does it for me somehow."

He looked at Royce cautiously, afraid that he had revealed too much, but there was no sign of disgust or rejection in Royce's look. He watched as Royce walked over to him and the next thing he knew, Royce spun him around and held his right arm behind his back, while pushing him face first into the wall next to the little window.

Hadrian gasped in surprise, but didn't resist. His pulse skyrocketed and he felt Royce's breath hot against his ear.

"You like that as well then, I presume."

Hadrian just nodded, because he wasn't sure that he could trust his voice right now. Royce was pressed up close behind him and Hadrian could feel his warmth through their shirts.

"You're full of surprises, Hadrian Blackwater," Royce said, and Hadrian could hear the amused smile in his voice.

Hadrian knew that he should probably be afraid of the tone in Royce's voice, but he wasn't. The only thing he felt was his heartbeat pounding in his ears and his cock hardening inside his trousers.

Royce's foot kicked lightly against the inside of Hadrian's left shin and without consciously thinking about it, Hadrian shuffled his feet further apart.

"Hands on the wall, next to your head."

Royce loosened the grip on Hadrian's arm, allowing him to obey the command. Hadrian placed his hands flat on the wooden wall and waited. Not being able to see Royce, and not knowing what he might do next, made Hadrian tremble slightly and he forced himself to keep still and not turn around. In his line of work, whether it was as a fighter or a thief, he didn't turn his back to someone else lightly and even when he trusted this person, he always felt a little thrill.

Royce's hand gripped his hair and Hadrian gasped for breath when Royce pulled his head backwards. His grip was strong and it hurt, but the slight pain made a spark of arousal run through his entire body.

"What would you let me do to you?" Royce asked quietly and Hadrian forced himself to think of an answer, but ended up just shaking his head slightly.

"I don't know."

Royce didn't answer right away.

"No," he said pensively after a few long moments, before he loosened his grip in Hadrian's hair. Suddenly the warmth of his body disappeared as Royce took a step backwards. "You really don't. And that's the reason why we are not doing this."

Surprised, Hadrian took his hands off the wall and turned around. "What? I told you that I liked it."

Royce tilted his head. "You don't even know what it is."

"Well, then show me," Hadrian insisted, but Royce shook his head. The look on his face was still pensive.

"That was a bad idea," Royce mumbled to himself before turning away to head over to his saddlebags, which were sitting on top of a chair next to the door, leaving Hadrian standing against the wall looking dumbfounded.

"Why?" Hadrian wanted to know, because he didn't really understand what had just happened, but Royce didn't turn around and continued to search for something.

Hadrian threw his hands up in the air, when Royce continued to stay silent.

"Oh come on Royce! I deserve an answer at least, don't you think?"

Royce stopped whatever he was doing and finally turned around. He looked at Hadrian for a long moment, before he took a deep breath. "Because I don't want to ruin what we have."

Hadrian considered Royce's answer before shaking his head in determination. "It won't."

"You can't know that," Royce said.

Hadrian huffed. "And you can't either. Or are you suddenly a fortune teller?"

Royce didn't reply and Hadrian crossed the space between them, until he stood right in front of the shorter man.

"I told you that I trust you," Hadrian said and Royce winced, a distraught look on his face.

"And I told you that you shouldn't, more than once."

Hadrian shrugged. "Well it's too late for that now, isn't it?"

Royce groaned and rolled his eyes. "Why do you have to make this so complicated?"

Hadrian snorted, baffled. "I'm not! You are the one making this complicated," he accused Royce. "Because you don't trust me to know what I want."

Royce raised his eyebrows. "You don't know what you want, that's the whole reason for this conversation."

"Then give me a chance to figure it out."

Royce took a deep breath. "You're as stubborn as a mule. Has anyone ever told you that?"

Hadrian smirked. "Yeah, you did."

He knew the look on Royce's face. It was the one he always got, when Hadrian managed to persuade him to do something he thought was a bad idea.

Royce had a long close look at Hadrian, before he finally nodded. "Alright. But you will do as I say."

"I thought that was what this is all about."

Royce lifts one eyebrow. "Don't sass me. Or even better, shut up altogether. I don't want to hear another word from you."

Hadrian closed his mouth, which he had already opened in preparation to reply before Royce's words fully registered in his head, and watched Royce patiently. Royce waited another moment before he nodded; satisfied that Hadrian had indeed not said anything.

"Alright. Take off your clothes."

Hadrian smiled and started with taking off his boots. Next, he pulled his shirt over his head. This was an easy task.

Once the shirt had fallen to the floor next to him, Hadrian looked at Royce again, but the dark, piercing eyes that watched him made him pause. He had never had problems with taking his clothes off in front of others before. In the army one couldn't afford the luxury of privacy, and he and Royce had taken their clothes off in each other's company hundreds of times as well. But this was different, somehow. More intimate. The look in Royce's eyes unsettled him, but he couldn't really put his finger on why this was the case.

Hadrian's fingers hesitated at the lacing of his trousers, uncertain how to proceed. He wanted to say something and started to open his mouth, but closed it again once he remembered that he was not supposed to say anything.

Royce watched him for a few moments, before lifting one eyebrow. Hadrian gulped and took a deep breath, forcing himself to proceed. He had asked for this, after all. His fingers were shaking slightly as he opened the lacing and removed his trousers and the rest of his clothes.

He left them on the floor next to him, before standing up straight again in the middle of the small room, now completely naked. He wasn't sure what to do with his hands, simply letting them hang next to his body didn't feel right, so he placed them behind his back and crossed his wrists. Habit took over and he pulled his shoulders back and looked straight ahead.

He saw a small smile appeared on Royce's lips, but a second later it was gone again.

"Get on your knees," Royce said next and Hadrian obeyed.

The wooden floor under his knees was hard and cold, but he barely registered it. The look on Royce's face was all he could think about.

Hadrian waited, trying to be patient. Thankfully Royce didn't make him wait long. He stepped forward until he was standing right in front of Hadrian, looking down at him. Hadrian had to look up into Royce's face and this was a completely new position for him, because with Royce being smaller, Hadrian was the one looking down on his friend usually.

Royce lifted one hand and Hadrian was surprised when he let his thumb stroke over Hadrian's bottom lip. He opened his mouth a little, mesmerized by the intense look in Royce's dark eyes.

"Open your mouth." Royce spoke with a low and quiet voice, but Hadrian had no problem hearing him in the near silent room, and he opened his mouth.

Royce retracted his hand, opened his trousers and freed his cock, before he guided it to Hadrian's waiting lips. Hadrian held Royce's gaze as he took the head of his cock into his mouth. He used his tongue and his lips, like he had done several times already during their encounters, but this was different. Royce kept looking at him the entire time and with Hadrian's hands behind his back, Royce was free to push deeper into his mouth at any time he wanted.

For now, though, Royce seemed content with letting Hadrian pleasure him like this. His increased breathing was the only evidence that he was enjoying Hadrian's efforts.

Royce lifted his hand again and his fingers gripped Hadrian's hair, stopping his movements all of a sudden. The next moment, Royce pushed his hips forward, holding Hadrian's head in place and fucked in and out of Hadrian's mouth with shallow thrusts.

Hadrian hollowed his cheeks and sucked, not being able to do anything else, while Royce steadily pushed deeper and hit the back of Hadrian's mouth. Tears sprang to his eyes when Royce's movements grew faster, and Hadrian clenched his fingers behind his back. He felt entirely at Royce's mercy as his world narrowed down to the grip of Royce's fingers in his hair and the hard cock in his mouth.

His jaw started to hurt, but he barely noticed it, and he let his eyes shut while he lost himself in the sensation of being used like that. Nothing mattered, except Royce's hard cock in his mouth and he heard himself moan softly, as Royce's movements became erratic. A few short thrusts later, Royce stopped and came in Hadrian's mouth. Hadrian tried to swallow everything and he opened his eyes to look at Royce's face.

Royce's eyes were closed and his lips were open, but he didn't make a single sound. Hadrian couldn't look away, even if he had wanted to. Royce's chest heaved and then his eyes opened again and he looked down at Hadrian with an unreadable expression.

He pulled out of Hadrian's mouth and let go of his hair, while Hadrian licked his lips. Only now did he register how hard his own cock was between his legs and how desperately he wanted to come himself.

Royce put himself away and closed his trousers, while Hadrian looked up at him.

"Please," he said without conscious thought and his rough voice was barely more than a whisper.

Royce heard him of course and nodded. "Go on, bring yourself off."

Hadrian released the grip around his wrists, moving one arm in front of him and closing his fingers around his cock. He groaned deeply, as pleasure shot through him and he started to stroke himself with fast movements.

"Look at me," Royce ordered and only then Hadrian realized, that he had closed his eyes. He opened them again and looked up into Royce's face. The look he saw there was too much to bear, and a few strokes later Hadrian came all over his fingers with a load moan. He barely managed to keep his eyes open once he came, and he could have sworn, that this had been the most intense orgasm of his entire life. Breathing heavily, he waited until the aftershocks passed, before he sat back on his heels.

Hadrian knew that he was a mess and he could feel the sweat on his forehead and dripping down his chest, while he fought to get his breathing back under control. When his pulse no longer echoed in his head, he looked up at Royce again. He was still watching him, and now that Hadrian was no longer overwhelmed with pleasure, and desperate to come, he became flustered under Royce's intense gaze. Before he could decide what to do though, Royce lifted his hand and let his fingers wander over the side of Hadrian's face and through his hair. Hadrian hummed softly and his eyes fluttered, while he inevitably leaned into the touch.

A small smile appeared on Royce's lips, before he withdrew his hand and took a step backwards.

"Come on," Royce said. "You better get off the floor or your knees are going to kill you tomorrow."

Royce extended a hand towards Hadrian and he laughed as he took it. Royce pulled him up onto his feet, and Hadrian grimaced as his knees protested immediately. He was still naked, but it wasn't cold in the small room, so he didn't really mind. Royce watched him with a thoughtful expression and Hadrian decided that it would probably be a bad idea to give Royce time to think about what just happened between them. He grinned broad and carefree.

"How considerate of you. I could almost get the impression, that you really like me."

Royce huffed. "Well, what can I say? You've grown on me."

Hadrian's grin broadened. "Aw, you say the sweetest things."

"Like a fungus, that you just can't get rid of," Royce added with a straight face and Hadrian rolled his eyes.

"And now you've ruined it again."

Royce couldn't hide his smile this time and Hadrian grinned, while he walked over to the water bowl.

End