"Why?" He stared at her for a long moment before inhaling deeply, as if to prepare himself.

"I wish I could give you a simple answer. This outcome was honestly not my original intent, but I by no means regret it." He said, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead. "All I had wished to do was grant you an opportunity at retribution for my treatment of you, but to also test you."

"Test me?" she asked warily, looking up at him, the dim light of the machinery highlighting his cheekbones.

"If you will accept, I want you as my Praetorian Commander." She couldn't hide her surprise at his request.

"But, what of Lucius?" her cheeks burned as she realized she could be speaking of the dead while he was still inside her.

"He has been promoted to Legate, his original guard now serves him in that capacity. He is overseeing the conversion of New Vegas as we tie up what is needed, here."

"And the courier, is what she said true?" she asked, her brow creasing with concern.

"If you are referring to her position, then, yes." Her eyes shifted down, away from his piercing hold. "Hey." He caressed her cheek, bringing her gaze back to his. "It was not a slight against you. I needed to show that the Legion was growing, that women could serve and be more than slaves. Caesar's last order was for me to marry her so that she wouldn't be enslaved, I simply skipped a step, hoping that maybe one day, when it was normalized, you would no longer have to hide." She could only stare up at him in awe. "The frumenarii are required to travel constantly, her role is no exception. As the praetorian commander, you will have no choice but to be by my side."

"And what if I refuse?"

"You won't." he said simply. She blinked, knowing full well that he was right. He smirked down at her, watching that realization bloom on her face.

"Do you still consider me criminal?" his smirk faltered and he lowered his forehead to hers as his eyes closed.

"No. And, I never should have." He sighed and lifted his head, once more. "You were my one constant and I think having that interrupted broke something in me. I felt inadequate, like it should have been something I had figured out because lookingback, all of the signs were there. It isn't something that ultimately affected me, but to be in my position and not know such an important secret, I felt like I had failed both the Legion and myself. Then, when that feeling dissipated, I became angered that you didn't feel you could tell me, that I wasn't enough for you."

"Vul…" he brought a finger up to her lips to gently silence her.

"Please, let me finish." He said, his tone mimicking his action. "It took longer than it should have for me to accept that this had nothing to do with me. This burden was thrust upon you, and when the Malpai—when your father—was killed, you lost any protection you may have had. For all you knew, I could have exploited that information to gain favor with Caesar after he spared me from my crucifixion, or to placate him during my disappointing time as a recruit. You could have also avoided me as you have everyone else to protect yourself further, yet you chose me, regardless of the attention that would bring you. Upon realizing this, I became….fixated and suddenly everything we have ever been through together meant so much more." His tone had started to become husky. She could feel him twitching lightly inside her as he lost himself to his confession. Her breathing was becoming labored. "I chased you with the intention of bringing you before Caesar for justice, but it quickly evolved into something else." He said breathily as he slowly rocked his hips against her. The movement was subtle, but he was rapidly growing harder. "The more you ran, the more I wanted you. Hunting you was exhilarating and torturous. Sometimes, I was only hours behind you before being pulled away for an assignment. Even I couldn't constantly validate what had become an obsession without raising suspicion. You were my secret." He began to move in earnest, his lips parting as a low grunt left him. Maximus held a whine at the back of her throat at the feel of him dragging against her, the evidence of their previous coupling facilitating his movement. "Tell me you're mine." He demanded before kissing her. She immediately allowed herself to melt into him, parting her lips as he took her slowly, but with every ounce of passion he could convey. He reached down to pull at her tunic and she parted from him to allow him to remove it. "Tell me you'll stay" he growled as moved back to kiss her. She realized he wasn't giving her an opportunity to deny him. She began to tug at his tunic just the same, refusing to be alone in her vulnerability. After a moment, he relented and separated, tugging it over his head impatiently before pushing his undergarments down his legs, kicking them off. Without hesitating, he tore hers away, unwilling to separate their bodies entirely. He kissed her again as if their brief parting had been a lifetime that needed to be made up for as he slowly started to thrust into her again.

Vulpes hands landed on her waist and slowly trailed up her body until they reached the edge of her breast band. He slowed their kiss and then gently pulled away, his body rolled into her at an almost teasing pace. He wanted to stop, but it seemed nearly impossible now that he had her. Maximus looked up at him with wide eyes, out of conditioning and habit. He began to pull his hands away when she grabbed them and nodded her head in resolve. Guiding one of his hands to the side where the wrap was secured, she let the other hold her as she sat up and allowed him to slowly unwind it from her body. When it finally fell away, she held her breath. A lifetime of considering herself lucky for being small enough to bind, she was suddenly concerned she was not enough, at all.

"Gods, you're remarkable" he hissed before pulling her into his lap to straddle him as he kissed her once more. He began to buck up into her from below, one hand guiding her hips along with his, the other crushing her against him. She gasped at the sensation of her chest touching his, as alien as it was, clutching to his shoulders. He moved his lips down her throat to nip at her collar bone as he guided her to ride him faster. The hand on her back moved to grasp her other hip. No longer holding her against him, he nuzzled down her heaving chest, planting kisses along the way.

The moment his tongue swiped over her nipple, she choked out a scream, unable to register the pleasure coursing through her at the action. He latched on, gently teasing her with his teeth as he continued to swirl his tongue against her. One of her hands moved into his hair as the other clutched around his shoulder. Knowing she would soon fall apart, he moved his arms around her back wrapping her tightly in them as he increased his pace, holding her in place, giving her no option but to submit as he slammed into her. Her legs tightened around him like a vice as she started chanting his name, pulsing around him, her voice getting shriller until she was unable the breathe, unable to think. Her body seized around him, her already tight channel constricting him in the most delicious way.

"Maximu—oh!", Vulpes shouted as an orgasm unexpectedly ripped through him. He slammed her body down upon him as he thrust as deep as he could into her, flooding her with his seed. He continued to moan as her pulsing milked every drop he had from his body, too high to fight it, but too sensitive to keep from reacting.

They held each other as they slowly came down, bodies warm and glistening with sweat. Heavy breathing and moaning tapered out into a steady rhythm as they stared into each other's eyes as if they were unable to believe the past hour had actually happened.

"I'll never leave you, again." She rasped out. Her breath almost caught in her throat when a true smile broke out across his face. So rare and so beautiful, it made her heart ache. He leaned in and kissed her briefly in response, the same smile still there when he pulled away.