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 peered out of the tiny window and his gaze wandered over the small, dusty street outside the inn. 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 in the dark.

Snorting softly, a smile came to his lips. Did Royce really think he hadn't noticed 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 left quite an impression on those mercenaries.

Lifting a hand, Hadrian's fingers traced the fine cut on his throat where Alverstone had drawn a few droplets of blood. The dagger's blade was so sharp that Hadrian hadn't even felt it break skin, and it had taken him a few moments to realize 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 the necklace yet, so Hadrian had infiltrated the group. It had taken some time before he learned where the mercenaries were hiding their stolen goods, and, in the meantime, Hadrian had actually started to like those guys.

But when Royce had finally stolen the heirloom back, their luck had run out, and they had been caught on their way out. In a split second decision, Royce had grabbed hold of Hadrian from behind, putting Alverstone at Hadrian's throat and taking him 'hostage'.

Hadrian had been too surprised to move a single muscle. He had heard Royce's cold voice next to his ear, and had felt his partner's lithe, strong body pressed close behind him, and to Hadrian's utter mortification, he had felt his body react. Feeling the sharp blade at his throat and the iron grip around his arm, but also knowing that it was Royce behind him, had caused a spark of desire to run straight to Hadrian's lower regions.

Before the mercenaries could come to a decision on whether the new addition to their team was dispensable, Hadrian and Royce had escaped out the door, barricaded it behind them, and ran to their horses. That had been last night, and since then they had spent the whole night and the past day in the saddle to get as far away from the mercenaries' hide-out as possible.

The door behind Hadrian opened, and he turned around to find Royce entering the small room. The thick candles burning in two holders on the walls threw flickering shadows onto Royce's face, as he closed the door behind him.

"There is no one out there," Royce said quietly. "They didn't follow us."

Taking off his cloak, Royce walked over to one of the two small beds before setting it on the woolen blanket. Hadrian's own coat and his dark brown leather jerkin were already lying on the other bed that he had chosen as his own for the night.

Next, Royce took off his belt with Alverstone's sheath on it and set it on the bed as well. Hadrian followed Royce's movements with his eyes, staring at the dagger's hilt and recalling the feeling of the blade pressing against his skin.

Swallowing, Hadrian felt his face flush and he quickly averted his gaze, clearing his throat.

"Ahm, that's good," he said, commenting on Royce's previous words. "I mean, not that I thought they would have been able to follow us. Most of the time I had no idea where we were heading, and without you, I would have never managed to get out of that forest ever again."

Hadrian thought he sounded pretty convincing, but when he looked up, he found Royce watching him. A moment later, his partner raised an eyebrow.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Hadrian grimaced inwardly, cursing Royce's heightened senses. He was probably able to hear Hadrian's increased heartbeat. Cheeks flaming, Hadrian tried to feign confusion.

"What do you mean?"

Royce's eyes lingered on him for a long moment. Then he turned around again, opening the lacing of his tunic.

"Fine by me."

It sounded like Royce would leave it at that, but with a sense of dread, Hadrian realized that he couldn't. Groaning, he squeezed his eyes shut.

"I got excited, alright?" he finally said in a defiant tone, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Royce turned to face him again.

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

Hadrian rolled his eyes. "You know I don't."

"Then why this time?"

Royce sounded genuinely intrigued, and that made Hadrian pause. He was still mortified by his reaction, but he and Royce had become close friends over the years, and on occasion even more than that. He knew that he could trust the other man.

"Because it was you," Hadrian finally admitted.

Royce just lifted an eyebrow, and Hadrian shrugged.

"I know who you are, but I trust you with my life. I already have." Hadrian shook his head, not quite sure how to explain. "Knowing what you are capable of, but also knowing that you would never actually hurt me, apparently does it for me somehow."

Watching Royce cautiously, Hadrian was afraid he had revealed too much, but there was no sign of disgust in Royce's eyes. Instead, there was something dark glinting in them, and when Royce walked toward him, Hadrian's breath hitched. The next thing he knew, Royce spun him around, twisting his right arm behind his back, while pushing Hadrian face-first into the wall next to the little window.

Gasping in surprise, Hadrian's pulse skyrocketed. A moment later, he felt Royce's breath hot against his ear.

"Then you like this as well, I presume."

Hadrian found himself nodding, too stunned to speak. Royce was pressed up close behind him, and Hadrian could feel the warmth of his body through the fabric of their shirts.

"You're full of surprises, Hadrian Blackwater," Royce said, and a shudder ran through Hadrian at the tone in his partner's voice.

He knew that he should probably be afraid, 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 thinking about it, Hadrian moved 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.

Placing his hands flat on the wooden wall, Hadrian waited. Unable to see Royce, and not knowing what he might do next, made Hadrian tremble slightly, but he forced himself to keep still and not turn around.

Finally, Hadrian felt Royce's hand gripping his hair, and he gasped when Royce pulled his head backward. It hurt, but the slight pain somehow made a spark of arousal run through Hadrian's entire body.

"What would you let me do to you?" Royce asked quietly.

Hadrian forced himself to think of an answer, but he just ended up shaking his head.

"I don't know."

For a long moment nothing happened, and there was complete silence in the room.

"No," Royce finally said slowly. "You really don't, do you?"

Hadrian felt the grip in his hair loosening, and the warmth of Royce's body disappeared as the man stepped backwards.

"And that's the reason we're not doing this."

Blinking in surprise, Hadrian took his hands off the wall, before turning around to stare at Royce.

"What? But I just told you I liked it."

Royce snorted, before tilting his head. "You don't even know what it is."

"Well, then show me," Hadrian insisted, but Royce shook his head.

"That was a bad idea," he mumbled, as he turned away to head over to his saddlebags that were sitting on top of a chair next to the door.

Hadrian remained standing where he was, fixing Royce with an incredulous look.

"Why?" he asked, not really understanding what had just happened, but Royce didn't turn around and instead began searching for something.

When Royce continued to ignore him, Hadrian threw his hands up in the air.

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

Royce stopped whatever he was doing, before he finally turned around again. After looking at Hadrian for a long moment, he took a deep breath.

"Because I don't want to ruin what we have."

Hadrian considered Royce's answer, before shaking his head. "It won't," he promised, but Royce gave him a flat look.

"You can't know that."

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 his partner.

"I told you that I trust you," Hadrian said, and his words caused Royce to wince, a distraught look appearing on his face.

"And I told you that you shouldn't; more than once," Royce said quietly.

This was an argument they had had many times before, and Hadrian gave a casual shrug. "Well, it's too late for that now, isn't it?"

That earned him a groan from Royce, his expression becoming pinched. "Why do you have to make this so complicated?"

Hadrian snorted. "You are the one making it complicated because you don't trust me to know what I want."

"You don't know what you want," Royce replied, exasperated. "That's the whole reason for this conversation."

Hadrian held his gaze. "Then give me a chance to figure it out."

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

"Yeah, you did," Hadrian said, but he smirked, because 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.

And just as Hadrian had anticipated, Royce sighed before giving a small nod.

"Alright. But you will do as I say."

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

Royce, however, shot him a flat look. "Don't sass me. Or even better, shut up altogether. I don't want to hear another word from you."

Hadrian pressed his lips together, demonstrating that he would not say anything else.

After waiting for a few moments, Royce nodded, satisfied that Hadrian was following his order.

"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 closely made him pause. He had never had problems with taking off his clothes in front of other people before. In the military, 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. More intimate. The look in Royce's eyes unsettled Hadrian, even though he couldn't quite put his finger on why this was the case.

Hesitating, Hadrian didn't know what to do. He wanted to say something and started to open his mouth, but he closed it again when he remembered that he was not supposed to speak.

Royce just watched him, lifting an eyebrow.

Taking a deep breath, Hadrian forced himself to proceed. He had asked for this, after all.

Nevertheless, his fingers were shaking slightly as he opened his trousers and then took off the rest of his clothes. Leaving them on the floor next to him, he stood up straight, standing completely naked in the middle of the small room. 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 appear on Royce's lips, but a second later it was gone again, and Royce gave a curt nod of approval.

"Keep your hands behind your back and get on your knees," he said.

Hadrian obeyed, and the wooden floor under his knees was hard and cold, but he barely noticed it. Royce was watching him, and the predatory look in those dark eyes was all Hadrian could think about. He tried not to squirm while he waited, but it was hard to keep still.

Thankfully, Royce didn't make him wait long. After a moment, he stepped forward until he was standing right in front of Hadrian.

Hadrian had to look up into Royce's face, and he was aware that being on his knees like that should make him feel vulnerable, but it didn't. There was only excitement and a strange feeling of safety, because even though Royce thought of himself as a monster, Hadrian knew his partner would never hurt him.

Royce simply looked at Hadrian for a long moment, until he lifted his right hand and let his palm rest against the side of Hadrian's face. He stroked his thumb gently over Hadrian's bottom lip, and Hadrian gazed up at him, mesmerized by the intense look in Royce's dark eyes.

"Open your mouth," Royce ordered quietly, and Hadrian obeyed without hesitating.

Tugging at the laces of his trousers, Royce opened them, before freeing his cock. He ran his other hand through Hadrian's hair, fingers twisting through the blond strands at the back of Hadrian's head, as he guided himself between Hadrian's waiting lips. He was fully hard, and Hadrian held Royce's gaze as he took the head of Royce's cock into his mouth.

Hadrian didn't have a lot of experience with this - their sexual encounters usually consisted of rushed handjobs or a quick fuck - but he always praised himself on being a fast learner.

Royce let him experiment for a short while, and his partner's increased breathing was the only evidence that he was apparently enjoying Hadrian's efforts. Then, Royce gripped Hadrian's hair harder, stopping his movements. The next moment, Royce pushed his hips forward, holding Hadrian's head in place, before he began fucking in and out of Hadrian's mouth with shallow thrusts.

Hadrian hollowed his cheeks and sucked, unable to do anything else, while Royce steadily pushed deeper until he hit the back of Hadrian's mouth.

Tears sprang to Hadrian's eyes, and as Royce's movements grew faster, he started to panic slightly. Royce was in control, and with Hadrian's hands behind his back and Royce's fingers in his hair, Royce was free to push even deeper if he wanted to. Hadrian trusted Royce not to take more than Hadrian could give, though, and after a moment, he closed his eyes. He had wanted this. He had given Royce control, and gradually, Hadrian lost himself in the sensation of being used. It was intoxicating, and nothing mattered anymore except for the feel of Royce's fingers in his hair and the hard cock in his mouth.

Royce didn't push deeper, but he continued to fuck Hadrian's mouth for quite some time, and eventually, Hadrian's jaw started to hurt. He barely noticed it, though, and only when Royce's movements became erratic, did some of Hadrian's awareness return. He opened his eyes just as Royce snapped his hips forward one last time and came in Hadrian's mouth.

Hadrian tried to swallow while looking up at Royce's face at the same time. His partner's eyes were closed, and his lips were open, but Royce didn't make a sound as his orgasm rocked through him. Hadrian couldn't look away even if he had wanted to. The sight of Royce succumbing to pleasure was breathtaking, and Hadrian felt immensely proud to have been the one to make his partner come so hard.

When Royce opened his eyes again, they were heavily lidded, and it clearly took him a moment to focus on Hadrian. Trying to get his breathing back under control, Royce pulled out of Hadrian's mouth before loosening the grip in his hair.

Hadrian licked his lips, and only now did he register that his own cock was achingly hard. He desperately needed to come himself. He didn't even think about moving his hands, though.

"Please," he said instead, his voice rough, and barely more than a whisper.

Royce looked down at Hadrian for several long moments, making him wait. Finally Hadrian let out a noise he was fairly certain he'd never made before, something between a moan and a whimper.

A small smile tugged at the edges of Royce's mouth, before he gave a single nod.

"Go on then. Bring yourself off."

Immediately, Hadrian let go of his wrists, moving one hand in front of him to close his fingers around his cock. He keened at the touch, and began thrusting forward into the tight circle frantically.

"Look at me!"

Hadrian hadn't even noticed that he had closed his eyes, but at Royce's sharp order, he opened his eyes again. The possessive look he saw on Royce's face was directed straight at him, and Hadrian's whole body trembled violently, his hips bucking forward, as he came all over his fingers with a loud moan.

Hadrian barely managed to keep his eyes open when his orgasm hit, and eventually his head fell forward again while he took in short, ragged breaths. It took him a long moment before he was able to come back to himself, and he was still breathing hard when he lifted his head.

Royce 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. He started to move, but Royce lifted a hand, gently threading his fingers through Hadrian's hair.

Hadrian's eyes fluttered, and without thinking about it, he leaned into the touch, humming softly.

He saw a small smile appear on Royce's lips, before his partner withdrew his hand again and then took a step backward.

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

Royce extended a hand toward Hadrian, and Hadrian laughed softly before taking it. Being pulled up onto his feet, Hadrian grimaced as his knees protested from kneeling on the hard floor. He was still naked, but it wasn't cold in the small room, so he didn't really mind.

Royce was still watching him, and a thoughtful expression had appeared on his face. Hadrian knew that it would probably be a bad idea to give Royce time to think about what just happened between them, so he winked.

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

Royce huffed, rolling his eyes. "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, but there was the barest hint of a smile pulling at the corner of his lips.

Hadrian heaved a dramatic sigh. "And now you've ruined it again," he said, faking a heartbroken pout.

This time, Royce didn't manage to hide his smile, and Hadrian grinned so wide it made his cheeks ache as he walked over to the small water basin to clean himself up.

End