Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/329246.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      The_Eagle_|_Eagle_of_the_Ninth_(2011), Eagle_of_the_Ninth_Series_-
      Rosemary_Sutcliff
  Relationship:
      Marcus_Flavius_Aquila/Esca
  Character:
      Marcus_Flavius_Aquila, Esca_Mac_Cunoval, Uncle_Aquila, Claudius_Marcellus
  Additional Tags:
      Alternate_Universe_-_Canon
  Series:
      Part 1 of A_Good_Little_Slave
  Stats:
      Published: 2012-01-29 Words: 3930
****** A Good Little Slave ******
by lallyloo
Summary
     Slight, young Esca is keen to perform all his duties as Marcus' body
     slave. Marcus, much bigger and stronger, takes good care of his slave
     in return for being well looked after.
Notes
     Originally posted to livejournal in May 2011.
See the end of the work for more notes
Esca's expectations weren't high when he was purchased by a new master. He'd
been sold, again and again, to old men with rancid breath who were far past
their prime – all too proud to simply take what they wanted, and Esca never
offered. So he became nothing more than a young virile body, handy with
household chores, dressing his masters, and fetching meals, and being silent
unless spoken to.
When old Aquila purchased him, Esca expected much of the same. It surprised
him, then, when he was taken to his new Master.
“How old are you?” Marcus asked.
“Sixteen.”
“I have no use for a slave,” Marcus replied, turning away. “Especially one so
young.”
“And I have no use for a bitter old master,” Esca spit back, “but I am yours,
so I will serve you.”
Marcus seemed struck speechless at his young slave's reply, and only gave him
an amused smirk before dismissing Esca for the afternoon. Marcus wasn't old,
not really, but he was older than Esca –nearing thirty, Esca guessed– and he
was far more attractive than any of Esca's previous masters. He was tall and
well-built, with obvious strength despite his injury, and a smattering of
freckles across the back of his neck, which disappeared beneath his tunic. He
was quiet and pensive, seemingly always lost in his own thoughts, and for the
first month Marcus requested little more than wine from his body slave.
After several drinks, Marcus often encouraged Esca to partake as well, pushing
the last of his wine in Esca's direction and nodding silently, attempting to
hide such indulgences from his uncle and Stephanos. Esca always took the
offering, sipping the bitter dregs and smiling appreciatively at his master.
This usually earned him a pat on the head, and Esca would sip again, slowly,
hoping that Marcus's hand would remain on him.
 
By the second month, Esca was permitted to sleep beside Marcus's bed. During
one particularly chilly night, Esca dragged his pallet to Marcus's side and
threw himself on top of it, his eyes meeting Marcus's as he silently challenged
his master to order him back to his side of the room.
“Are you warmer here?” Marcus asked.
“Much,” Esca replied, staring up from his place on the floor.
Marcus simply nodded and turned away, and Esca slept soundly for the first time
since his arrival in Calleva.
In the morning, Esca woke first and placed his pallet back on the opposite side
of the room – lest Stephanos should see it and give him trouble. Then Esca
fetched breakfast, claiming the nicest looking eggs before Stephanos could take
them for old Aquila, and brought the tray to Marcus's bedside. Esca stood
silently by the door and watched his master eat.
“Is there anything else you require?” he asked, clearing the plates when Marcus
had finished.
Marcus considered him for a moment, seemingly unsure what to make of his
defiant little slave.
“No,” Marcus finally replied. “You may go.”
 
By the third month, when the air grew damp and the rain began to fall, Esca
noticed Marcus's limp becoming more pronounced. Marcus asked for nothing,
attempting to hide his discomfort, and Esca would wait until his master was
nearly asleep, or light-headed from wine, before he would sit on the side of
Marcus's bed and gently massage the pained flesh. Often Marcus would wake and
watch Esca silently, and Esca came to understand that his master was too proud
to ask for help, but he was in too much discomfort to refuse it. Esca's actions
usually earned him another pat on the head, and some nights Marcus's fingers
would linger in his hair. At first, Esca leaned into the touch and Marcus would
pull away – so Esca learned to be still to get what he wanted, and when he was
still Marcus's hand would remain.
 
They received a visitor at the end of the third month, Claudius Marcellus, an
old friend of Marcus's uncle. He was accompanied by Placidus, an arrogant man
who stared at Esca with disdain, and Esca found he detested him at first sight.
As the evening wore on, Esca could detect discomfort in his master as Marcus's
conversation with Placidus grew more strained, and when he accidentally tipped
Placidus's bowl while serving the first course, Esca couldn't help but feel a
sense of satisfaction even as he managed to blurt out an apology.
“Idiot,” Placidus muttered, pushing Esca's hand away from the bowl, “take your
hands off it, slave, you'll only make more of a mess.”
“He may be a slave, but his name is Esca,” Marcus said, voice rising from his
side of the table, “and I ask that you not speak to him in that manner.”
The room suddenly took on a strange air of tension and amusement, as old Aquila
tried to shush Marcus, and Stephanos made apologies on Esca's behalf, and
Placidus asked Marcus how he had the gall to humiliate a guest over the
treatment of a slave, and Claudius continued eating, while Esca stood by the
table and watched his master defend him.
“We treat our slaves well in this household,” Marcus replied, interrupting
Placidus's tirade on how slaves should know their place. “While you're a guest
here, you'll do well to follow our example”
“Marcus,” his uncle warned.
Marcus ignored him and shifted his gaze to Esca. “You may go. Stephanos will
finish serving.”
Esca excused himself to Marcus's room and waited. As the evening wore on, he
detected the murmur of quiet conversation, and then he could hear the echo of
more raised voices and the sound of someone storming out. He believed the final
voice to be Marcus's, and he forced himself to remain in Marcus's room instead
of returning to see if his master was alright.
 
By the time Marcus retired to his room, Esca was nearly asleep.
Marcus undressed quickly, leaving on his tunic as he climbed under his sheets.
He seemed agitated and hadn't said a word to Esca, and Esca stayed on his
pallet by the door– thinking perhaps it would be best if he remained on his
side of the room for the night.
“Are you awake?”
The question took Esca by surprise, and he turned to glance across the room,
trying to make out Marcus's face in the dimly lit room.
“Yes,” Esca replied.
There was a long pause before Marcus spoke again, and Esca could hear him
shifting in the darkness, taking a deep breath as if considering the next
question.
“Would you like to sleep here?”
“Yes,” Esca said quickly, rising from his pallet and dragging it across the
room. As he dropped it beside Marcus's bedside, he finally glanced up and got a
proper look at his master. Marcus was staring up at him, silent, almost
nervous, and Esca could see that he was lying further away than normal, as if
he'd intentionally left space for a small body.
Esca paused, considering, before he slowly climbed into Marcus's bed. He braced
himself, waiting for Marcus to push him away or order him back to his place on
the floor, because perhaps he was mistaken. But Marcus said nothing, and simply
allowed Esca to curl up beside him.
Marcus was large and warm, and Esca felt very small pressed against his side.
Esca waited, wondering if Marcus would speak, or perhaps put his hands on him,
or strip him of his clothes and use him as masters often used their slaves, but
Marcus did nothing. He remained still and quiet, lying on his back beside Esca,
and it seemed as if his young slave's presence was enough of a comfort to him.
They fell asleep together, and when Esca woke the next morning he allowed
himself a moment to admire his sleeping master. Marcus looked very peaceful and
unguarded as soft breaths fell from his parted lips, and Esca watched the rise
and fall of his chest, and was able to detect the slight softness of Marcus's
stomach under his tunic as his eyes traveled down Marcus's body.
Then Esca's eyes caught something else, a distinct raise in the fabric between
Marcus' thighs, and he felt warmth begin to pool in his own belly as he stared
and it took every ounce of will for Esca not to lift the tunic and glance
underneath. He knew what was there –he may be young but he wasn't a child– and
he wanted to see it, to compare it to his own. He'd already seen his master in
varying stages of undress, and he knew Marcus was more well-endowed than
himself, but he'd yet to see him at his full length and he couldn't deny his
curiosity, he couldn't deny he wanted to see his master in such a state.
Esca refrained, however, and finally tore himself away from the bed and away
from the still-sleeping Marcus. He dressed quickly, and headed to fetch
breakfast. By the time he returned, Marcus was awake and fully dressed. He ate
quietly, with Esca watching from the doorway, and didn't mention the sleeping
arrangements from the night before.
When Marcus finished eating, Esca retrieved Marcus's sandals, bringing them to
his chair and setting them by his master's feet.
“Will you take a walk this morning?”
“No.” Marcus raised his hand to discourage Esca from placing the sandals on his
feet. “Not today.”
Then Marcus reached forward to clasp Esca's hand. “You're excused for the
morning,” he ordered, then released Esca's hand and turned his attention to the
window.
Esca stood in his place. “Have I done something to offend?”
Marcus turned back to him with surprise. “The opposite, in fact,” Marcus
replied, as a smirk played on his lips. “You provided me great comfort last
night, and I think it's fair to give you some time away from your old master.”
Esca stared, dumbstruck. He didn't wish to be free that morning, he wanted to
spend the day by Marcus's side.
“Stephanos can take care of the household duties,” Marcus continued, evidently
unaware of his slave's unhappiness with the order. “And I can care for myself
until--”
“I do not wish to be excused,” Esca said defiantly, interrupting his master. “I
wish to be by your side for the remainder of the day.
“Stubborn little thing,” Marcus smiled at him, amused. “Well, if you wish to
stay this morning, I won't send you away.”
Esca returned the smile, and then took the plates to the kitchen before
returning to Marcus's quarters. His master still sat with his gaze focused on
the open window, and Esca slowly closed the door behind him before approaching
Marcus's chair.
“May I sit with you?”
“Of course,” Marcus replied, gesturing for Esca to pull up another seat.
“No.” At the word, Marcus turned to him again, and Esca decided he would try to
see how far he could push their interaction. He was a body slave, after all,
and his master was in need of comfort. “I should sit in your lap.”
Marcus gave him a curious look, a look Esca had grown accustomed to over the
long months together. “Is that something you would like?”
“It is,” Esca said, stepping closer to Marcus's chair. Something deep within
him believed Marcus would enjoy it as well, but Esca refrained from voicing
that belief.
“Then come,” Marcus ordered, reaching up to grasp Esca's waist and pull him
onto his lap. Esca was careful to shift so his weight was on Marcus's good leg
and, as he curled up against Marcus's chest, he tucked his feet between
Marcus's injured leg and the side of the chair.
Marcus was careful with his hands, grasping the arm of the chair with one while
his other rested gently on Esca's lower back. “Is this what you wanted?” he
asked, his voice rumbling against Esca's side.
“Yes,” Esca nodded.
“Then you shall have it,” Marcus said quietly, raising his hand to touch Esca's
head.
 
The pattern carried on for more than a week, with Esca crawling into Marcus's
lap after his morning chores had been done and the two of them spending several
hours together, locked away in Marcus's room – much to the dismay of Marcus's
uncle.
By the second week, cuddling and quiet conversation moved to soft chaste
kisses, as Marcus grew relaxed enough to pull Esca to his lap and nuzzle his
face behind Esca's ear.
“So small,” Marcus would say, and Esca would press himself closer. He knew if
he was good to Marcus, Marcus would reward him. As the weeks went on, Esca
realized he wanted to be good to Marcus – he wanted to please his master, and
he wanted Marcus to touch him and pet him and take care of him.
He also wanted more from Marcus. Esca hadn't forgotten that morning when he'd
seen Marcus's hard length beneath his tunic and sometimes, when the mornings
grew particularly quiet and lazy, Esca would push himself down against Marcus's
lap, innocently rutting against him. Once, Esca suspected he felt a reaction
from his master, but for the most part if Marcus noticed he didn't respond.
“You could be a skilled fighter,” Marcus was saying one morning, as his fingers
trailed down Esca's arm. His muscles were becoming obvious beneath his soft
skin, and Marcus often admired his young slave's unexpected strength, and
predicted that Esca would be a force to be reckoned with when he reached
adulthood.
He'd brought a plate of grapes and figs for Marcus, and Esca knew Marcus would
encourage him to eat after his master had his fill. So Esca ate while Marcus
spoke, and he stayed still and listened, because he knew he was liable to spook
Marcus if he did something too unexpected. They'd built a certain level of
trust between them, and Esca enjoyed being held in Marcus's lap, and he enjoyed
having Marcus's strong hands on him.
Yet, something unspoken hung between them. Something Esca wanted, and something
he was sure Marcus wanted as well but was too noble to take.
When there was a lull and Marcus fell silent and nuzzled his face against
Esca's neck, Esca took the opportunity to speak.
“Would you like to touch me?” His voice was softer than he'd expected, but he
still felt Marcus tense against him at the question.
Marcus pulled his hand away from Esca, and settled his fingers on the arms of
the chair. “I would never impose myself on you.”
“I am your body slave,” Esca replied, “it is expected.”
There was a long pause, and Esca was sure Marcus was about to throw him to the
floor when his master finally spoke, “I hardly care if it's expected, I
wouldn't touch you for that purpose.”
“And what if I should want it?” Esca asked, turning to look Marcus in the eye.
“What then?”
“You're too young to know what you want.”
“My age has nothing to do with it,” Esca stared defiantly at Marcus, their eyes
level as they sat in the chair together. “I know what I want, and I know you
want it as well.”
“Esca,” Marcus said, and the use of his name rendered Esca speechless for a
moment. “You don't know what you're asking.”
His master had a point, maybe Esca didn't fully understand what he was asking
for, but he knew he wanted it from Marcus.
“Please,” he finally replied.
A low chuckle rumbled up from Marcus's chest, and Marcus smiled at him. “My
stubborn little slave,” he laughed. “I fear I can't deny you a thing, not even
this.”
Marcus was cautious, easing his hand away from the chair and back to Esca's
body. They stayed close together, with Marcus's hands moving slowly over him,
and Esca watching with excitement and mild apprehension. Marcus placed his hand
on Esca's chest, testing, seeing if Esca would pull away, but he stayed rooted
to his spot in Marcus's lap and waited. Still. Silent.
As Marcus's thick fingers traveled over Esca's tunic and down his torso, Esca
could feel the familiar warmth begin to pool in his belly, and he had to resist
the urge to thrust his hips up to meet his master's hand. Marcus paused,
kissing the soft spot behind Esca's ear, and trailing gentle kisses down his
neck, distracting him, until finally Marcus's hand was in Esca's lap. His
fingers fumbled, pushing gently as he searched for the hardness there, and Esca
let out a soft breath against his master's neck when Marcus found him and
gripped him, giving slow tugs through the fabric of his tunic.
Esca's arms were around Marcus's shoulders, and his fingers dug into the
freckled skin as his master pleasured him, and he barely had time to enjoy it,
barely had time to register that it was finally happening, before he was
gasping and spending in his breeches.
He felt Marcus laugh again as he pressed a soft kiss to Esca's mouth. “Consider
whether or not you liked that,” Marcus said quietly. “If you decide you did,
I'll gladly touch you again tomorrow. If you didn't, we don't have to speak of
it again.”
Esca smiled and nodded, climbing from Marcus's lap to change his braccae, and
Marcus averted his gaze like the respectful master he was. That afternoon,
after Esca fetched lunch, Marcus took him hunting on horseback, and late that
night, when Marcus's sleep was restless and filled with pained moans, Esca sat
on the edge of Marcus's bed and massaged his master's sore leg.
 
Unsurprisingly, Esca decided he did like being touched by Marcus, and he made a
point of climbing into his master's lap as often as possible to be kissed and
petted and fondled. Occasionally, Marcus would make him come and then tease him
until he was ready to spend a second time. Esca would push his hips down,
rutting himself against Marcus's lap, hoping for a reaction, but Marcus was
always relaxed and unresponsive, happy to kiss and pleasure his slave and take
little for himself in return.
Eventually Esca grew braver with his position, often straddling Marcus's lap,
knees on either side of him while being careful of Marcus's injured leg, and
placing small kisses across the wide expanse of his master's neck. One
particular evening, Esca dared to jut out his tongue and trail it along the
salty skin. The action brought a soft gasp from Marcus, so Esca did it again,
and again, trying to provoke another response. There wasn't a second gasp, but
Marcus's hands came up to grasp Esca's waist and hold him still, encouraging
him to continue. Esca licked and sucked at Marcus's neck, and then risked
kissing his master –something Marcus had always initiated– sliding his tongue
across Marcus's lips until Marcus opened for him.
When Marcus kissed him back, much harder and deeper than the gentle kisses
they'd grown accustomed to, his hands slipped down to palm Esca's backside
through his tunic.
“Esca,” Marcus panted against his mouth, and there it was, the gasp Esca had
been wanting to hear again. “Do you wish for me to fuck you?”
“Yes,” Esca replied, “please,” and suddenly he was being lifted as Marcus rose
from the chair. Marcus's hands were tucked under his ass, and Esca wrapped his
legs around his master's waist as he was carried across the room.
Marcus kissed him hard before setting him down by the door and asking him to
fetch the oil. When Esca returned, Marcus quickly closed in on him, towering
over his small slave. Esca hadn't realized just how much taller Marcus was
until he was staring up at him as Marcus whispered, “you're certain?”
“I'm certain,” Esca replied, rising up on his toes to kiss his master, and then
Marcus's hands were on him again, stripping off his tunic and unlacing the ties
on his breeches.
“You're so very small,” Marcus was saying as he admired Esca's lithe body, and
Esca raised his own hands to tug at Marcus's tunic – wanting it off, finally,
so he could see Marcus's body.
Marcus pulled his tunic over his head and unlaced the ties on his own braccae
and finally he was standing before Esca, tanned and freckled and naked. His
length hung hard between his legs, and Esca looked down at himself for a
moment, seeing his own cock jutting out proudly from his body, and he briefly
wondered whether or not he should feel inadequate. Then Marcus was laughing,
and leaning down to kiss him and he tucked his hands around Esca's thighs and
easily lifted him up off the floor. Esca wrapped his arms around Marcus's neck
and held on as his legs were spread wide and his cock pressed hard against
Marcus's stomach, and Marcus carried him across the room and laid him gently on
the bed.
Marcus knelt over him, careful to prepare him using his thick fingers and the
oil, opening and teasing Esca until he was thrusting down against Marcus's hand
and begging his master for more. Marcus took his cock in hand and pushed in
slowly, gripping Esca's slim hips and easing himself in until he was buried to
the hilt. Marcus was large, and Esca felt stretched and full, and suddenly
Marcus was pulling Esca up until he was seated on his lap. Marcus slid his
hands around Esca's thighs and lifted him, slowly, withdrawing a little, and
eased Esca back down until he was fully sheathed inside him again.
“Are you ready?” Marcus asked, and Esca tightened his hold on Marcus's
shoulders and nodded.
Finally, finally, his master began to fuck him, lifting Esca's hips up and
slamming him back down in a dizzying combination of gentleness and harsh
pleasure. Esca was gasping and kissing Marcus, his mouth open in a dazed smile
as Marcus fucked up into him. Then Marcus slid against a spot within him, and
Esca's body jerked, and the earlier pleasure combined with the feeling of
Marcus's thick cock buried deep inside him meant Esca wasn't able to last. He
came just as Marcus managed to hit a steady rhythm and reached between them to
take his slave in hand, and Esca watched, enthralled, as he spilled his seed
over his master's fingers and across his torso.
Marcus looked amused, but unsurprised, when Esca came so soon, and he continued
thrusting up as he held Esca to him. He trailed his tongue over Esca's smooth
pale skin, and when Esca moaned and brought his searching tongue to his
master's mouth, Marcus suddenly groaned and stilled. Marcus's large fingers dug
into Esca's hips as he came and he shot his seed deep within his slave, and
Esca's spent cock jerked and strained as the warm liquid filled him.
It was over almost as quickly as it had begun, and Esca climbed from Marcus's
lap to retrieve his tunic and used it to wipe his seed from Marcus's stomach
and chest. His master watched him, smiling lazily, and Marcus waited for Esca
to clean them both completely before he pulled him down for a kiss and then
lifted him up from the bed.
He carried Esca back across the room and settled them both, naked, back into
their usual chair. Esca curled up against Marcus, and Marcus's hand rose to pat
Esca's sex-tousled hair.
“Are you content?” Marcus asked quietly.
“I am,” Esca yawned. “Shall we do it again tomorrow?”
Esca could feel laughter rumbling up from his master's chest, and he just
smiled, pressing himself tighter against Marcus, and fell asleep.
End Notes
     Sequel - Indulgences
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