The urge to run away wasn't one that came to Marcus very often. As a soldier, the impulse to flee didn't serve him very well, although there had been select times when all he could do was retreat. He supposed it was all as much about being smart as it was about being brave.
At the moment, Marcus wished he were a little less brave.
Esca bit his lip as the roman's eyes bore into him. The slave was sitting in the middle of his bed, nude, face turned away from Marcus. "I thought we'd be on fairer terms if you…" Esca hesitated, his words stuck in his throat. "If-if you saw me like this as well."
Marcus wasn't sure how to respond, or if he should at all. His mind commanded him to leave the room entirely, but another part of him evidently wanted to stay, as his feet seemed rooted to the ground. As Marcus ran his tongue over dry lips, he decided to say something. "This wasn't necessary."
Esca nodded slowly. "You're right," he conceded. "But I had another idea, too." He looked up, his gaze locked on the wall behind the roman.
"… What is it?" Marcus prompted, agitated by Esca's reticence.
"It's just-" Esca finally looked to Marcus himself. "It gets boring; doing things by yourself," he finished softly.
Marcus felt faint under the weight of Esca's words. Before he could stop himself, he asked, "Do you… Want me to…"
Esca nodded quickly, before the roman could even finish his sentence, and Marcus couldn't help but think that he had never found the slave so attractive before. Marcus stepped forward and laid his cane against the wall as Esca shifted across the sheets of his bed, trying to make space for the other man.
Marcus settled into the slave's bed and looked to Esca, waiting for a command of some sort. He had imagined similar scenarios to this one before, but not involving himself. Without a word, Esca reached over, and with a careful, halting touch, pulled Marcus' shirt over his head.
Marcus raised his arms to facilitate the removal, and once it was off, the roman was greeted by a small smile from Esca.
"How's your leg?" Esca asked, tossing his master's shirt to the floor in what Marcus thought to be a rather indelicate fashion.
Shrugging, Marcus wondered what his leg had to do with the matter at hand. "It doesn't feel so bad at the moment," he replied.
Esca nodded. "So it's fine…" He carefully swung one leg over Marcus' waist, straddling him. "If I do this?"
Marcus wanted to confirm that it was, but the words wouldn't leave his throat.
"I'll take that as a yes," Esca continued, his voice taking on a tint of laughter.
Finally managing to nod, Marcus gingerly placed his hands on Esca's hips, trying to ground himself. He found it strange that Esca wasn't as outwardly flustered as Marcus felt, and he wondered if, since he had already come this far, he could be a little bolder.
Leaning forward, Marcus covered the slave's lips with his own, and was met with a hum of pleasure from the other man. Encouraged, Marcus allowed his fingers to ghost over Esca's torso, trailing lower until he reached the slave's hardening cock.
Esca's breath hitched and he recoiled, slipping out of Marcus' reach. The roman was about to apologize when Esca reached for Marcus' pants, hurriedly whispering, "Wait."
Marcus bit his lip and stifled a noise of displeasure as Esca pulled the roman's pants away, brushing roughly past his bad leg while trying to bare his lower half.
"Sorry-"
"It's fine," Marcus cut in quickly, pulling Esca close again. The slave was much less resistant this time, pressing himself against the roman. Marcus was suddenly aware of how fast he was breathing; how loudly his heart was pounding in his own chest.
Shifting his hips up and down, Esca let out a low gasp as he ground his erection into Marcus' own. Marcus reached down and took both of them into his grasp, tightening his grip and causing the slave to cry out. Esca clamped his hand over his mouth, his expression needy.
Marcus continued to apply pressure, bringing his hand up and down in a fast paced rhythm. The muffled sounds coming from Esca's mouth were heavenly, and Marcus didn't want them to stop. Those noises were the cause of this whole thing, Marcus thought to himself. Would his obsession be even worse after this? He couldn't bring himself to care much either way.
The slave's hands dug into Marcus' shoulders, his breath coming out in heavy pants as the roman continued his frenetic stroking. Marcus paused for a moment, bringing his thumb up to run over the heads of their cocks, evoking a whimper from Esca's lips.
"Marcus," Esca hissed.
A smirk appeared on the roman's lips. He had never loved the sound of his own name more. Leaning forward, he covered the slave's neck with kisses and gentle bites, enjoying the way Esca's grip tightened further, leaving marks on the roman's back.
Esca's cries were becoming louder, as he had completely given up on trying to silence himself. It was just as well, Marcus thought. He doubted anyone could hear, and even if they could, the roman thought it to be a fair enough trade off.
With a final, shuddering breath, Esca came, sinking against Marcus as his limbs went weak. With a few more pulls, Marcus came as well, leaning back against the bed as his chest rose and fell heavily against Esca's.
A few minutes passed, and as Esca caught his breath, he looked up, studying the expression on Marcus' face.
"That was one of my better ideas, don't you think?" Esca asked.
Marcus was quiet as he stared up at the ceiling, feeling at peace. He knew that at some point, he would have to return to his room, and he wondered how he would manage it in the state he was in.
"Come to my room tomorrow night," Marcus finally told Esca, looking to him with a slight smirk. "I have something I want to talk to you about as well."
Esca chuckled, seeming to get the message. "I suppose I'll see you then."
AN: Woohoo, it's done! I have no idea how this story got to be so long. I had originally planned for it to be like, 5 pages at most -_-
But whatever. I've got another story with these two that I'll be finishing up soon; more of a straightforward PWP, so look forward to that! Thank you for reading.