Marius broke their kiss, out of breath, pulling Kyle’s head back. It was almost painful, but not quite, and Kyle’s eyes darkened, his chest heaving with lust. “Stop fighting, pet... I’ll so fuck you now you won’t be able to walk.”
Kyle smirked. “Prove it... you’re all mouth...”
Marius flung him down on all fours, tugging at his pants, and Kyle fought back, just enough to make it difficult, and make Marius grab his hips, smearing a good dose of spit all over his hole.
Kyle squirmed, whimpering, and hissed when Marius buried himself to the hilt. “Bastard...”
The pain was gone in an instant, but Marius stopped, concern washing over him. “I hurt you?”
Kyle looked back, his eyes blazing. “Don’t you dare fucking stop now...”
Marius grinned down at him and fucked him hard, gripping his hips, their moans filling the cave. They came together after a while, collapsing, Kyle looking down into Marius’ eyes, their bodies glistening with sweat. “I missed this...”
Marius grinned. “Me too...”
Meanwhile, at the fort, they had no news of Marius, thinking he was still a prisoner somewhere in the mountains. Clavius had let the emperor know they had found the settlement empty, the barbarians’ traces leading to the mountains, possibly for the whole of the winter. There was no way they could reach them, and they walled themselves up in the fort, grim, Clavius clinging to some hope when everybody around him had already buried the general.
It was the same in Rome, his father and the emperor agreeing that Marius would not survive the winter as a captive and that if the barbarians didn’t communicate, it probably meant he was dead. Still, officially, he was just missing, and the emperor bid his time to declare him gone for good. Seraphina made peace with the thought of him never coming back, not caring, as she was busy with her social life.
The weather got milder after a few weeks and they decided to move before the snow cleared completely, reluctant, as they loved the cave with all its comfort. Still, there was a long journey ahead, and they packed up, bundling their supplies and fur on their backs. Kyle had made new clothes for them out of animal skin and fur and they were warm, ready to walk in the cold. One last glance at their haven and they crawled out into the blinding sunlight, the air crisp around them, the snow glistening like diamonds.
They headed off towards the other peaks, vaguely hoping that they were walking in the right direction, towards the south. Marius had healed completely, the scar on his head just barely visible in his shoulder-long hair. He had insisted on being shaved but didn’t mind the hair, and Kyle loved it, those silky strands flowing around his gorgeous face and blue eyes.
They were walking fast, used to the mountain terrain after months of roaming them, hunting, and gathering. Their mood was light in the warm sun, and from afar, they just looked like two barbarians on a stroll.
After a couple of days, they found a path snaking through the peaks, and it led towards a valley, a distant village’s smoking huts visible down below.
Kyle sat down, pensive. “We can’t go near that village, not for now... not until we find out where we are...”
Marius nodded, grim. “Let’s continue up here, following the valley. We might be lucky finding a road... or some travelers who know where we are.”
Kyle looked at him. “We need also to lie about who we are... until we find a safe place.”
“We could be two barbarians just traveling?”
Kyle smiled. “You don’t look like one.”
“And with a beard?”
“You look like a Roman with a beard.”
Marius laughed. “So, what do you suggest?”
“I am a barbarian, sort of...” Marius nodded, looking at his long hair, and beard. Clad in fur, he looked the piece of the Celtic warrior on a journey. Kyle continued, watching him carefully. “I could be the traveling Celt, and you, my Roman slave, fallen from grace...”
Marius’ lips parted, his eyes wide. “What the fuck? Slave?” Kyle nodded, dead serious, and Marius laughed, his heart like ice. “Who would believe this? I have a patrician face...”
Kyle smiled. “You could be a Roman’s bastard, maybe born out of rape. Black hair and blue eyes are not common? It fits.”
Marius fell silent. Kyle had a point... a very valid one. He sighed. “How the fuck do you expect me to play the slave?”
Kyle shrugged. “You’ve seen me enough... just do the same. Be meek, submissive... and you need a new name. You can’t be Marius when the whole barbarian world might be after you.”
“What the fuck...” Marius whispered, trying to still his racing heart.
“So? Any preference?”
He laughed. “I have no clue...”
