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Aulus mal Asina found Zenos yae Galvus in the northwest corner of the Royal Menagerie looking out towards the horizon. The sun had only just crept up into the sky and the expansive roof terrace was filled with orange light. The prince was not yet dressed in his usual heavy armour, instead opting for a plain loose-fitting shirt, breeches and sandals — a comfortable outfit for the hot climes of Ala Mhigo but one he had had to get used to since taking command of the XIIth legion. Aulus was still used to seeing him in a thick woollen coat trimmed with fur, or in his stiff ceremonial attire he wore for official duties at the palace back in icy Garlemald. Even the latter outfit would likely be excessive here. In contrast, Aulus was already dressed in his engineer's uniform — shirt, tie, long white coat — and was grateful the prince had chosen to see him outside early enough that it was not yet swelteringly hot.
He approached him quietly, not wanting to disturb him, though he knew full well that Zenos would be able to sense him coming even with his eyes closed, thanks to his unnatural skill in utilising his third. His steps halted just a few yalms from the parapet and he cleared his throat before announcing himself.
"You wished to see me, my lord?"
"Ah, mal Asina." Zenos turned just slightly to look over his shoulder at his chief engineer, then gestured with a tilt of his head. "Come. Enjoy the view with me."
"My lord." Aulus gave a small bow before approaching the parapet to stand beside his legatus. He glanced down, then wished he hadn't. The rock face below the palace stretched on for what seemed like malms before disappearing into thick fog at the very bottom. If he fell from this height he would most definitely perish.
"How many times have you been up here?"
Aulus swallowed and forced his gaze away from the sheer drop in front of them. "J-just three, my lord." He cursed internally for allowing his voice to betray his fear.
Zenos looked down at him, one brow raised. "Then perhaps we should hold more briefings up here. To desensitise you."
"I-indeed, my lord. My apologies," he replied with a grimace. Next to him, the crown prince chuckled softly.
"I do not begrudge you this minor flaw. After all, it does not affect the quality of your work one bit, hidden away inside your lab as you are most days."
"Yes, my lord..." Suddenly he couldn't bear to look at him. Having such a weakness pointed out by his master at all made his face burn red with shame. He would have to come up here by himself to try and crush the fear that was so obvious, so pitiful, to be drawn attention to in such a way.
"That brings me to why I called you here," he continued and Aulus was glad at the change of subject. "I trust the upgrades to my scabbard have been completed?"
"Indeed they have, my lord. Just last night."
"Good. I have a hunt planned today, you see."
"Ah, very good, my lord. I ah..." He paused. This was his chance to redeem himself. "I've included a little something extra. To make your hunt more interesting."
Zenos visibly perked up at this. "Oh? And what might that be?"
A smile tugged at Aulus' lips. "One of the sheaths of the scabbard can be charged with a special drug that will coat whatever blade is placed within it. Upon being cut with the blade, the drug acts like a venom, working its way into the target."
"Poison?" Zenos scoffed, deflating. "I've no use for such cowardly tactics."
"Not poison, my lord. A powerful stimulant." He paused for a moment to let the information sink in. It didn't take long for the prince to understand his intentions.
"Ah... Very good. Very good!" he laughed and smacked the engineer hard on the back, making him stagger slightly. "To think I doubted you for even a second. This is why you're my chief engineer!"
"Thank you, my lord." A resounding success, it seemed. Yes. Now everything was back how it should be. Zenos' hand continued to rest on his back, a comforting presence that did much to alleviate the anxiety he had felt just moments ago. "I trust you will report back with your findings? And I will require your combat data as well."
"Of course, of course! If it enables you to continue innovating so I will give you all the data you desire."
"You have my deepest thanks, my lord."
"That will be all for now," he said, though his hand did not move from its spot between Aulus' shoulder blades.
"My lord?"
"You may go back to your lab. Or you could stay here with me a while longer in an unofficial capacity." Zenos' hand crept upwards to the back of Aulus' neck.
"Ah. I see." He shuddered. "What is it you have planned this time?"
"I thought we could work on desensitising you. As a reward for your exemplary work." His hand gripped hard around the engineer's neck and he began to walk him forwards towards the edge of the roof. Aulus knew better than to resist him by now and upon reaching the parapet, he gripped the stone tightly with both hands as Zenos bent him over the edge, forcing him to look down into the deep fog that obscured the very bottom of the long drop. "You're trembling, Aulus."
"S-sorry, my lord," he spluttered, his voice betraying him just as much as his body.
"I want you to keep your eyes on the bottom of that gorge," he commanded with a sharp squeeze of Aulus' neck. "You must not look away. Do you understand?"
"Y-yes, my lord."
"Good." There was a soft sound of rustling fabrics, then Aulus felt his coat being pushed to the side and his breeches yanked down his legs. He let out a gasp as a large calloused hand snaked around his hips and roughly grabbed his length and began to stroke him to hardness. "You must erase these feelings of fear and instead replace them with pleasure."
"Yes, my lord..." His voice shook again, but this time not just from fear. He tried his hardest to keep his eyes from falling closed, to keep his gaze on the cliffs below.
Then both of Zenos' hands abruptly pulled away, leaving him flailing to regain his balance, his heart pounding with a sudden rush of adrenaline. He almost made the mistake of looking back over his shoulder and he was met with a sharp smack to his backside.
"Do not turn around."
"Yes, my lord! Sorry, my lord!"
A few moments passed before he felt his hips being gripped tightly and what could only be his legatus' thick cock pushing its way inside him. The feeling was familiar and brought a measure of comfort so dissonant with the view of the gorge that he wasn't sure how to feel at all. His body and mind were a confusing swirl of emotions that made him feel almost sick. Then once he was fully impaled, Zenos took his arms in both hands and pulled them backwards, forcing him to let go of the parapet and rely only on him for balance. If his master let go of him now...
"Trust me and give in to pleasure," he purred softly into Aulus' ear.
He answered only with a nod and a soft moan, then Zenos slowly began to bounce him on his cock. With every movement his view of that foggy abyss changed. As his mind became clouded with pleasure his fear sank further and further back. It wasn't that he felt secure, that Zenos held him so tightly that he wouldn't fall, no. It was that the thought of falling was starting to scare him less and less with every thrust. It started to feel good. Every time his view changed and he was pushed further over the parapet, it was as if he wanted to fall.
"L-lord Zenos, please!" He couldn't help but cry out as his climax began to build inside him.
"You love to beg, don't you? Not yet."
The grip on his arms loosened and instead moved to his hips, then he felt his feet leave the floor as he was lifted upwards. After a moment he realised Zenos was climbing up on top of the parapet. There was no barrier stopping either of them from falling to their deaths if their balance was lost. As Aulus' view changed again he started to giggle almost hysterically from the whirl of fear and arousal. He felt like it might drive him mad.
"Stay with me, my dear Aulus," Zenos cooed, adjusting his grip and firmly sheathing himself inside his little scientist right up to the hilt. "I can't have you losing your mind just yet."
"I'm with you... I'm with you," he panted, saying it almost like a mantra as Zenos began to move again, slamming Aulus' hips down onto his cock over and over. He was surprised how soon he adjusted to the new view — his and Zenos' feet only being barely visible, the rest of his vision taken up by sheer rock faces converging together, drawing his gaze down, down, as if hypnotising him.
"Will you come for me?" Zenos' voice sounding low and unusually gentle in his ear brought him back to reality and he answered with a nod. Taking it as his signal, Zenos increased his pace, drawing increasingly desperate moans from the engineer that raised in pitch higher, higher, until he let out a choked cry. Zenos felt the smaller man's whole body tense as he came and he pounded into him a few more times, taking him long and deep before he too reached his peak and spilled inside him with a barely restrained groan. His legs wobbled slightly underneath him then he stepped back down from the parapet, unsheathed himself and set the engineer down gently on the stone floor.
Aulus scrambled to regain his balance, leaning against the barrier they'd just moments before been stood on top of. He was panting hard, with a stupid grin on his face.
"How do you feel now?" asked Zenos as he wiped himself off and readjusted his clothing.
"Hah. Sufficiently desensitised." He looked up and was surprised to see a faint smirk on Zenos' face. "Though I may need a few more sessions. Just to make sure."