- Maddox -

Though Sabre had joked about it, called attention to it, Maddox was not foolish enough to take that as meaning Sabre would approve of any sort of physical consorting with Varia. Varia, as far as Sabre was concerned, and really as far as Maddox should be concerned, was still the enemy. So no matter the kinship he felt, no matter how much Varia understood him or pretended to, no matter how attracted he was to Varia and their continued rivalry, he could not, under any circumstance except to fuck him over, sleep with Varia.

Yet he had kissed Varia with no deviant thought behind the action, but in fact pure sincerity, another thing he should not possess in this situation. But he wasn’t the only one doing things he shouldn’t for reasons unknown and foreign to him. For Varia was in front of him, standing between his legs like a lover might, looking down on him with that cocky amusement that whore’s had only feigned before.

Gods how Maddox wished at that moment that Varia were not his enemy and that things were wholly different. For the look Varia wore, the way he stood, the tone of his voice… it was out of Maddox’s fantasies. But the quip Maddox had ready on his tongue was halted by the gentle touch that spoke of a fragile moment. It was pushed back and swallowed by the lips that covered his own briefly, then more completely.

His hands came around Varia’s waist, encouraging him closer as Maddox’s mouth pressed and opened to the others. His hands traveled up under Varia’s clothing, mindful of the wounds and bruises, but undaunted by them.

He has such a gentle touch. Such a difference from his usual violence.

Varia tasted like winter and spruce. He reminded Maddox of the winters in the mountains, harsh but beautiful and strong. Feeling that mountain shudder beneath his hands made Maddox feel powerful. Varia pushed forward to straddle him. Maddox smiled against Varia’s lips. He may have been happy to let Varia stay there like that and to please him in such a position. But a small sound of pain left Varia as he broke the kiss, reminding Maddox that Varia was hurt far more extensively than himself. It would be selfish to allow the other to take pleasure in this way.

Varia won’t see it that way. He won’t be as tall as me in any other position.

Maddox gazed up at Varia as he half disrobed, enticed with Varia’s taunt muscles and milky skin. He brought his lips back to Varia’s and positioned his good arm around Varia’s hips. With a fluid motion he rolled them onto Varia’s good side so that the other was on his back beneath him. He could see the anger shift in Varia’s eyes at being put in an inferior position. Maddox was undaunted, beginning to kiss down Varia’s body, across the minefield of scars, across his toned abdomen and down to his waistband.

“If you intent to win a war against me, you must learn to lose a battle or two, Commander.” Maddox teased as his hands pushed down Varia’s pants, his lips covering every inch of exposed flesh.

Despite what he may seem, Maddox was a doting lover in bed most of the time. He could be selfish and simply take his pleasure, but he also enjoyed working his partner into a frenzy and giving them pleasure they did not think to receive from him.

Maddox divested Varia of his pants, letting the fabric drop to the side of the bed. Maddox’s mouth breathed warm air over the other’s cock before his tongue traced down its spine. This was something he could not do with Varia above him and was his consolation for the other consenting to be beneath. Maddox kissed the inside of Varia’s thighs, enamored with the pale and soft flesh, so at odds with the personality of the man it belonged to. Sweet kisses tempered with small soft bites as Maddox’s eyes traveled upwards. His lips moved inwards, curious whether Varia would accept this offering or not.

Maddox hardly needed to ask. Varia’s cock was hard, his body shuddering in anticipation. Varia’s hands gripped Maddox’s shirt. Maddox took the invitation and lowered his lips. A moan left Varia’s lips. It was soft and sensual, beautiful. Maddox took Varia into his mouth fully, savoring the taste and feel on his tongue. He was so focused on feeling the length of Varia with his mouth he didn’t think twice when Varia pulled at his shirt, insisting that it be removed.

Varia knew he was Arcturian, so perhaps it didn’t matter. But if he had thought about it he probably would still have tried to avoid being seen naked, lest Varia see the tattoo. The tattoo was not random, not given to him by the people at the camp. That one had been covered by the large one, the older one that no one used anymore. It was a sign of his rebellion, of the loyalty he had to Arcturus, if he had any. His allegiances, to Arcturus, to Er Rai, to himself and his family was something that everyone outside of Maddox thought they had clear, but which he kept close to himself. But he wasn’t thinking about what his back tattoos may or may not reveal or what Varia might glean from them.

He was focused on eliciting more moans of pleasure from the other. His head bobbed up and down on Varia’s cock, his hands massaging the other’s thighs and stroking his legs. He wouldn’t have thought Varia could make such sounds. They were sounds of a man repressed, of one who needed release as much as he needed violence and war.

Maddox’s face dipped deeper, below the others balls and between his cheeks. Asking the elves for lubrication for illicit acts with his enemy was not on the list of things Maddox planned to do and giving pain during acts of pleasure was not good form. Besides, Maddox was enjoying causing Varia pleasure he had never had, winning small battles that the other hadn’t anticipated fighting. His tongue dipped inside the others, his hands stroking Varia’s erection. Maddox enjoyed the feel of the other’s hands over his body, reaching, clawing for him.

Maddox never before had heard such a need directed at him and his actions. His face burned from the sounds coming from Varia. He wanted to feel him, to taste him. He kissed Varia’s hole, licking, lapping at it, before he pressed his tongue inside of Varia again. Varia’s moans only served to fuel Maddox’s actions.

Maddox didn’t expect Varia to speak, not then. It didn’t seem like he would be capable of speaking. “M-Maddox...” Varia whispered, drawing his attention. Varia gazed down at him, icy eyes shimmering through long and dark lashes. Maddox was so enamored with Varia then his actions paused. Hearing Varia concede to his pleasure, to call out for him made him harden almost instantly. Maddox lifted his face from between the other’s legs, smirking at the flush that had colored the other’s pale body. He kissed Varia’s lips deeply as he kicked off his own pants.

He wasn’t sure why the warmth of the other’s body against his surprised him. Perhaps it was because he kept thinking the pale skin should be cool to the touch, like marble in the snow. But Varia was warm and soft, his body arching into Maddox’s just so.

He entered slowly, as much to give Varia time to adjust as to protect himself should the other suddenly decide this was not what he wanted. He kissed Varia’s neck as his cock parted the other’s cheeks and pressed against his entrance. The sudden give of resistance and entrance into moist warmth caused Maddox to gasp into the other’s skin. Varia was so tight, so eager for him. It had not been very long since Maddox had slept with another, but it might have been his first time for how his body struggled to contain itself. But he pushed on, inch by inch, until he was fully sheathed inside of his enemy.

Varia looked different like this. With his legs tangled with Maddox’s, Maddox’s cock inside of him and both of their bodies flushed with lust and pleasure. He was beautiful, but Maddox felt that if he were to comment on it Varia would not appreciate it. Varia’s eyes opened and met his own once again, and the look Maddox gave Varia likely said more than he intended. Varia was so beautiful and Maddox wanted more of him.

Kisses, gentle yet hungry kissed over Varia’s collarbone and neck as Varia’s hips bucked slightly, indicating he was ready for more. Maddox began to move his hips steadily, hands kneading the flesh of the other’s thighs as he spread him. Maddox would have thought the other exceedingly quiet in bed. He also would have thought that, despite his stature, Varia would take a hard line against being penetrated and brought any pleasure in that way.

I’m learning a lot about the commander and his body tonight.

It was a good thing that they were removed from the others and from the rest of the elves. There were surely guards outside, and they would surely report the activities inside to Daylor and the Elders, but Maddox doubted that it would change very much. As far as the elves were concerned, they were the only two each other could have, tainted as they were. They could make insinuations about Maddox and Varia sleeping together that would force Maddox to spin this in a way that would surely alienate Varia, but Maddox didn’t think the elves that deep in the politics of other species to do so.

And damn them if they did. Maddox wanted nothing to take away from this moment, from the connection and the pleasure. Varia needed this as much as he did, perhaps more and Maddox would be damned if he was going to deny him.

Maddox fell into Varia’s arms as they wrapped around him, going as deep as the other allowed as then some. Varia caught his eyes, holding his stare for a long moment. Maddox expected the other to look away, or for the moment to be broken by either realizing just who the other was. But Varia’s eyes only reflected Maddox’s own, and soon his lips had descended back upon Varia’s. Varia’s kisses held the same need and fervor, the same passion and submission.

Maddox could count on one hand how many of his sexual encounters had been so intimate. He had seen the soul of many through sex, but none had ever seen through to him. But Varia could. It was terrifying and exhilarating, guiding his lips to bring pleasure to wherever his hands could not. His mouth left a small mark on the other’s neck, just inside where Varia’s hair fell and almost as dark.

“Come with me.” Maddox whispered against the other’s lips.

In the situation it may have been taken simply as an invitation to orgasm and a warning that such was impending from Maddox. But whether that was all that it meant was unclear. Maddox wanted the other to orgasm, his own body was tensing with need, his cock engorging with blood to expend his seed. But perhaps it was also an invitation to an adventure. One of the heart perhaps, if either had such romantic notions flitting around behind rationality, but also something else, somewhere else. Perhaps Maddox was asking Varia to be more than a bed partner and a temporary ally.

Varia’s legs began to tremble as Maddox pushed them towards Varia’s chest, spreading them further. He needed to go deeper, to claim every inch of Varia. Varia’s lips were parted, his eyes focused on Maddox’s, his face flush with pleasure. As taken with him as Varia was, Maddox was equally absorbed in the other.

Continuously he was struck by how different this all was from their usual interactions. His own actions baffled him, but he could easily chalk it up to a need to dominate and win against the other in some way, however small. But he could not deny the changes he observed and felt.

Ever since he had known him Varia had always carried a weight. In his movements, in his fighting, in every look and glare was a heaviness that never seemed to go away and with marred the otherwise attractive features. It was why up until recently Maddox had never given thought to whether or not Varia was attractive. Until the blast has forced them to reevaluate their positions, that weight had obscured everything. But since that night in the caves and every moment since, that weight had shifted and now was temporarily removed.

And oh was the man freed of it beautiful.

Maddox hung onto every twitch of that open face that displayed its feelings and emotions so unfiltered and honestly. When those eyes asked to be kissed, he kissed him. When they begged to be explored deeper, he pushed deeper. He could deny Varia nothing then.

The hands that trembled over his flesh and dug into it were vindication, the others sigh of release salvation. Varia’s body tightened around him from all sides, bombarding him with sensation and refusing to release him. Maddox’s thrust became more erratic and faster until the other orgasmed, a sudden convulsion that triggered Maddox as well and forced him to bury his face in Varia’s shoulder.

His hips kept moving even after he was expended, urging his seed into the other to claim him deeper than he could reach. He was unwilling to let go of the moment. He breathed heavily against Varia’s skin, aware of the stickiness that coated them as well as that which now filled Varia. He knew it was time to return to reality and yet he refused, not wanting to go back to the moments before. But he had to know that this had been real, that the moment had not been a figment of his imagination.

His head lifted, eyes gazing down at Varia beneath him. Varia stared back at him, the look in his eye was strange. A hand lifted to Maddox’s face and Varia brushed his fingertips against Maddox’s cheek softly, pushing his hair from his eyes. Such a natural and gentle gesture when Maddox expected the return of violence.

He gazed at the other, losing himself in the icy depths of Varia’s eyes for a long moment, before his lips descended upon the others once more. Gentle. Consoling. Grateful. His injured hand brushed back the hairs clinging to Varia’s face as his other kept Varia’s hands on him. He didn’t want to speak, to ruin the moment or extend it past its time. Leaving felt wrong, but so did staying so close. So he continued to kiss the other, extricating his body slowly until he lay just to the side of Varia.

His eyes opened again to the other’s as Varia turned his face towards him. He could see his eyes shifting as he struggled with his feelings. He wondered what he was thinking, if he was thinking the same as Maddox. Whether to let the moment slip away or not.

Varia’s hand lifted again, moving towards Maddox’s cheek, but it halted just short. “I...” Varia had begun to speak, but he trailed off, allowing his words to be swallowed by the moment.

It was a shame that the hand that reached for him stopped just short, for it may have stayed the growing tide of things Maddox could say to ruin this. It was welling up in his throat, all the things that came to mine, none of which were appropriate for their positions right now, but which would assure a speedy recovery of the people they had been just before.

“My mind quiets when you’re around...” Varia found his words. And what tumbled out arrested the tidal wave. He knew what the other meant and he was shocked by the confession. If only his own fears and whispers would be so kind.

You aren’t yet up to my demons standards.

Maddox gave a small laugh and pressed his face into the other’s shoulder, hiding eyes that could not properly return the gratitude he saw in Varia’s. “If I say anymore it would only be to ruin this.” Maddox’s hand slip down Varia’s arm, fingertips brushing Varia’s palm as they found the tips of his fingers. “I want this dream to last until morning.”

Because it was a dream, a passing fancy. Even if everything exposed in their gazes were true, even if this was Varia opening up, the fact still remained that Maddox was closed off. Varia had seen more than others. Maddox had shared a piece of himself that he typically didn’t. He had been more open tonight than he had with anyone or at any other time. But a cracked door was not the same as no door. There were still things that Maddox didn’t want others to know, to see, about him. Varia perhaps opened up a bit, allowed Maddox to see pieces of him he never had shown before, but Maddox did not take that as meaning Varia trusted Maddox.

A breeze blew in through the windows and Maddox realized for the first time that he was completely naked next to Varia. He felt exposed in a way that had little to do with what they had just done. He sat up and found his shirt, pulling it back over his head, keeping his back turned away from Varia. He found Varia’s shirt as well, but used it to clean up the mess they had left all over Varia’s abdomen. It wasn’t like Varia would wear the shirt to bed, still so used to the cold of Arcturus.

Cithrel was whispering softly, but Maddox chose to ignore it. The world was encroaching much too quickly on this moment, on them, on Maddox. Despite himself he found his mouth moving in speech anyway. “I will bring that look to your face again. I promise you that.” Whether he meant the look of complete abandon and openness Varia had displayed, or the complete closedness of a man betrayed, Maddox couldn’t say. Both were likely true, and both brought with them implications he didn’t want.