Yet another kmeme fill. Original prompt: "I want Nathaniel and Anders trapped somewhere and trying to pass the time until they get rescued, in whatever way they see fit. Bonus if the boys got a bit dirtied/roughed up from whatever trapped them.

Anders slowly resurfaced from the black waters of unconsciousness and immediately regretted it. His head felt as if it had been split open, and every muscle in his body was aching. Eyes still closed, he took a minute to take stock of the situation. Where were they? Bann Esmerelle's estate most likely. Why? He wracked his brain—which wasn't working very well at the moment—before he finally remembered.

The Commander had assigned Nathaniel to scout out Bann Esmerelle's estate. Adelaide, furious that the nobility of Amaranthine were conspiring against her, had decided that she'd rather know now than later what they had planned.

Anders, in his infinite stupidity, had insisted on going with the rogue. Nate had balked at this, stating that the mission was dangerous enough for one person, there was no need to risk two. He had also hinted at the fact that the mage was incapable of being stealthy. To both of their surprise the Commander had sided with Anders, though she refused to say why. That was normal, though, the woman rarely divulged the reasoning behind her decisions.

Of course, everything had gone to hell as soon as they had neared the estate. The Bann had apparently been expecting them and had set up an ambush. As skilled as Nate was with his bow, and as good as Anders was with his magic, the two men didn't stand a chance against a dozen well-prepared, heavily armed guards and a couple of mages. The fight was over embarrassingly quickly.

Ander now suspected that the Bann had at least one spy at Vigil's Keep. Esmerelle and her men had known exactly when he and Nathaniel would arrive and what route they would be taking. He'd have to tell the Commander if—when—they got out of here.

Knowing he was going to have to face the situation sooner or later, Anders opened his eyes and sat up, groaning at the pain this caused to shoot through his head. Looking about the room—the very small room—his eyes settled on a familiar figure sitting nearby.

"You're awake," Nate said.

"Unfortunately," Anders quipped. He couldn't help but notice that both men had been stripped down to their smallclothes. He didn't even want to know who had done that. "What is this place?"

"A storage room of some sort, I think."

A very small storage room, Anders couldn't help but think once again. His breathing grew ragged as his mind played visions of the walls getting closer and closer until finally they were—he shook his head, trying to banish such thoughts.

Nate moved a little closer to the mage, "Are you alright?" he asked.

Anders focused his mind inward, taking stock of his injuries. "Bruises. A few cuts. Nothing serious." He looked at Nate, noting the small gash on the rogue's cheek. "How about you?"

"Nothing serious," Nate replied.

"How long have we been in here?"

Nate shrugged. "Four or five hours, I think. Hard to tell without any windows."

Anders shuddered, wishing Nate hadn't mentioned the lack of windows. Suddenly it felt like there was no air.

"Can't you pick the lock on the door?" he asked, trying to keep the note of panic out of his voice.

Nate shook his head. "I don't have my tools. And the guards weren't thoughtful enough to leave anything in here that we could use to break out."

"How rude of them," Anders huffed. He winced as he shifted his weight. The guards had done quite a number on him during the ambush; he vaguely recalled being clubbed over the head with something hard.

Nate noticed his pained expression. "You should heal yourself." Anders noted that Nate didn't say anything about healing him. Curious.

"I used up all my mana fighting, it takes a while to regenerate. And," he added darkly, "I'd rather conserve my mana for more important things."

Nate nodded, understanding. It could be days or even weeks before Adelaide realized something had gone wrong—if an opportunity came for them to escape, Anders' magic would be needed. He found himself grateful to be a mage, for once. It meant he always had his weapon on him. Nate was not so lucky.

Anders wondered why he and Nate hadn't just been killed outright. What reason would their captors have to keep the two of them alive? He supposed it didn't really matter at this point.

The room was definitely getting smaller, he could feel it. It had been a stupid idea for him to come along with Nate. Scouting and spying were things the rogue had been trained to do; Anders had absolutely no experience with these sorts of things. But Nate meant too much to Anders for him to let the other man do this alone.

Not that Nate knew about his feelings, that was something Anders was not yet ready to admit. Nate had never given any indication that he was interested in Anders as anything more than a friend, and he had no desire to damage that friendship.

And he was still getting used to the feelings he had for Nathaniel. He had never been this close with anyone before, had never let himself get close. All he had ever wanted since he had first been sent to the Tower of Magi was to escape. What was the point of letting himself get attached to someone he was just going to wind up leaving sooner or later?

But it was different with Nate. As confusing and new as all of this was to Anders, he could at least admit to himself that he cared for the rogue more than he had ever cared about anyone. And maybe someday he'd be able to get up the courage to tell Nate. Maybe.

He was shaken from his thoughts by the sound of Nate absentmindedly whistling, and he became aware once more of their surroundings. There was hardly any light, just a small sliver that leaked in from under the door—and the darkness was making him distinctly uneasy.

He conjured up a small wisp of light and floated it toward the ceiling. He hated using any of his mana, but it was comforting to at least be able to see Nate. The other man must have been glad of the light as well, since he didn't comment on Anders' waste of his magic.

The only problem was that the light emphasized just how close the walls really were. His breathing started to hitch again and he closed his eyes, trying to slow the pace of his frantically beating heart. He felt Nate grasp his hand and squeeze it lightly. Anders looked over at him gratefully and managed a small smile.

"We'll be out of here soon enough, Mage," Nate said reassuringly.

Anders laughed harshly at that. "Oh yes, I'm sure they'll come round any time now and tell us how this was all just a big misunderstanding."

"The Commander—"

"Won't be expecting us back for a week at least," he said, echoing his earlier thoughts.

"It'll be fine," Nate said calmly, "don't worry."

Anders sighed. "I hope you're right."

Nate yawned loudly and Anders noticed how exhausted the rogue looked. "You should get some sleep," he said softly.

Nate looked at the door apprehensively and Anders guessed what he was thinking. "I doubt anyone's going to be able to get in here without us hearing them first. Besides, you'll need your strength for when we get out of here, right?" He hoped his voice sounded reassuring.

Nate nodded at him, then laid down on the floor facing away from the mage. Anders was surprised to find that he was tired, too. Of course, the sleep he had been in after being knocked out hadn't exactly been restful. He stretched out a little ways away from Nate and tried to get comfortable on the hard stone floor.

After half an hour or so of tossing and turning he sat up, frustrated and anxious. Every time he closed his eyes he could feel the room getting smaller. "Nate?" he whispered. No answer. Trying not to make any noise, he crawled over to where Nate was sleeping and laid down facing away from the rogue, their backs lightly pressed together. Just the feeling of Nate was comforting enough that Anders quickly fell asleep. He didn't notice the smile that was on Nate's face as the mage settled against him.

Anders awoke the next morning to the feeling of an arm draped over him. Smiling softly he rolled over to face Nathaniel, hoping to snuggle up to him for a minute or two before he woke up. Nate was wide awake, though, his slate grey eyes watching Anders intently.

Anders didn't dare breath as Nate reached out a hand and ran his fingers through Anders' hair.

"Nate?" Anders whispered.

Slowly, hesitantly, Nate leaned forward and brushed their lips together in the lightest of kisses. Anders stiffened, his eyes widening in surprise. Moaning quietly at the feeling of Nate's lips upon his, he relaxed into the kiss and parted his lips slightly. Nate took the invitation and soon their tongues were dueling, their passion deepening the kiss.

Nate's hand roamed down Anders' chest and Anders gasped as he felt the rough pad of the rogue's thumb rubbing at his nipple. Nate trailed his fingers downward to Anders' hip, briefly squeezing his backside before moving down to caress his thigh.

Anders hooked his leg over Nate's, pressing their bodies closer together so that their erections were rubbing against each other. Nate groaned at the feeling and slowly ground his hips against Anders'. "Maker," Anders panted as Nate nipped at his neck hard enough to leave a small bruise.

Nate pulled back and looked at Anders hesitantly. "Anders. This probably isn't the best time for this," his voice was gravelly with desire, "or place, for that matter…"

Anders growled. "If you stop now, so help me Maker I will blast you with lightning."

Nate stared at him in surprise for a moment, then started to laugh. "Eager are we?"

"You have no idea," Anders breathed.

Nate grinned at him, his eyes filled with desire. "Oh, I have some idea."

Anders cradled the back of Nate's head and pulled him into another heated kiss. Nate pressed forward, encouraging Anders to lay back. He grunted as his shoulder blades hit the stone floor. Nate pulled back and looked at him questioningly.

"Floor's a bit hard," Anders explained, "don't worry about it." He grasped Nate's hip, urging him closer. Nate relented and, after divesting both of them of their smallclothes, stretched out over Anders, grinding their hips together as he nipped at the mage's neck once again.

Anders hissed as his back scraped along the floor. Nate looked at him, exasperated. "We're not doing this if it's going to hurt you, Mage."

"No, no, it's fine, really." There was no way Anders wanted to stop. Not after wanting this for so long.

Nate rolled his eyes. "Here, come up on your knees." He helped Anders onto his knees before twisting around so he was behind the mage, his chest pressed against Anders' back.

"Better?" Nate asked as he ran his tongue along the shell of Anders' ear.

Anders gasped at the sensation and nodded, unable to speak. Nate's hardness pressed against Anders' backside and he moaned. He grasped one of Nate's hands and pressed a kiss into the palm before wrapping his lips around two of his fingers. Nate purred as Anders began suckling at the digits, flicking his tongue against Nate's fingertips.

When they were thoroughly coated Nate removed his fingers from Anders' mouth. Anders moaned as he felt Nate's finger pressing into his entrance. He rocked his hips backwards, encouraging Nate to thrust his finger in and out. Nate added a second finger and began scissoring them, making sure Anders was stretched enough.

"Nate, please," Anders moaned, "please, I need you."

Nate removed his fingers and kissed Anders' shoulder as he began pressing inside of him. Anders reached back and grasped Nate's hips, urging him forward until he was fully seated inside. Anders twisted his head around and captured Nate's lips in a kiss, moaning into the rogue's mouth as he felt him pull back agonizingly slowly.

Nate curled his hands around Anders' hips and he began thrusting, setting a deliciously slow rhythm that had Anders moaning with pleasure. Nate untangled one of his hands and reached around to stroke Anders' erection. Anders groaned and began rocking his hips backwards, urging Nate to thrust deeper.

He gasped as he felt Nate brush up against that spot inside of him over and over. "Oh, Nate, oh, Maker yes." Nate groaned as he picked up the pace, his hand pumping in time with his thrusts. Anders' gasps for breath were broken up by high-pitched whines as he felt himself nearing the edge.

Nate snapped his hips twice and he emptied himself deep inside Anders with a loud groan. Anders followed soon after, crying out Nate's name as he spilled into the rogue's hand. They sat like that for a few moments, trying to catch their breath, before Nate gently separated them.

Exhausted, Anders slumped back against the rogue. Nate wrapped his arms around the mage's waist and nuzzled his neck. "We should have done that a long time ago," he murmured.

Surprised, Anders twisted around to look at him. "Really?"

Nate nodded. "I would have too, but I thought you fancied the Commander," he said, a bit embarrassed, "I didn't think my…advances…would be welcomed." Nate moved so that he was sitting with his back leaning against the wall. Anders curled up beside him and rested his head on Nate's shoulder as the rogue curled an arm around his waist.

"So," Anders tipped his head back to look at Nate, "what changed your mind?"

Nate smiled softly. "You looked so worried when the Commander assigned me to this mission. And," his smile widened, "you insisted on coming along even though I know for a fact you would have rather stayed at the Keep."

Anders blushed a little, both embarrassed and pleased that Nate could read him so well. "But you didn't want me to come along."

Of course not," Nate frowned, "I didn't want you to get hurt. I was trying to protect you." He sighed. "I guess I didn't do a very good job of it."

Anders kissed him lightly on the lips. "It's okay, I'd rather be stuck in this cell with you rather than back at the Keep not knowing what happened to you."

Nate shook his head, smiling. "Well, I can't exactly complain about the company."

Anders chuckled at that. "Good." He frowned as his thoughts turned dark once again. "Do you really think we're going to get out of here?" he asked, biting at his lower lip.

Nate hugged Anders close to him. "I do. We just have to be patient."

Anders nodded, deciding to trust Nate.

oOoOo

The two of them spent the rest of the day talking, trying to keep their minds off the fact that they had seen no one since being thrown in here. The room still felt small to Anders, but not as suffocating as it had before. Eventually the lack of food began to take its toll on their energy and they fell asleep, Anders' head resting on Nate's chest.

Anders awoke what felt like hours later to the sounds of shouting somewhere nearby. Nate was at the door in a flash, body tensing in anticipation of a fight. The shouts soon turned into distinguishable words: "Nathaniel! Anders!"

Nate looked over at the mage. "It's the Commander!" Anders ran over to the door and together with Nate they started banging on it.

"We're in here!" Anders shouted. He heard the lock click and then the door mercifully swung open.

"Thank the Maker," Adelaide said, relieved, "we've been searching through this whole damn basement for you."

Nate shook his head in wonder. "How did you know to come looking for us? We thought it would be ages before you realized something was wrong."

Adelaide scowled. "One of our guards was acting as a spy for Esmerelle—"

"I knew it!" Anders exclaimed.

"Anyway," Adelaide continued, "he apparently had a change of heart about tipping Esmerelle off to your arrival and came running to me, begging for mercy."

Anders raised an eyebrow at that but didn't ask what happened to the guard. Adelaide rarely showed mercy towards anyone. As her and Sigrun's blades were covered in blood he assumed that she had shown an equal amount of mercy to anyone unlucky enough to have been in the estate when they arrived.

"You didn't find our effects by any chance, did you?" Anders asked, suddenly aware that they were standing here talking to their commander in nothing but their smallclothes.

Adelaide nodded. "There's a chest there at the end of the hall, I think all of your things are in it." Anders sighed with relief and went to fetch his robes. As he walked down the hall he heard Adelaide apologizing to Nate for not coming sooner.

"It's alright, Commander," he heard Nate say, "it…wasn't actually that unpleasant." Anders grinned to himself, and made plans to ask Adelaide to send Nate out on another dangerous mission as soon as possible.