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“He looks rather majestic.”
Iustinian huffed. But he didn’t give a snarky or smart response to his dear wife as usual because he knew that she was right. Belisarius indeed looked majestic on that white horse.
He was saluting people who gathered just to see him, his handsome was smiling oh so sincerely that even from the platform Iustinian was waiting him on, it could’ve been felt. He was accepting every single flower from every young maid he passed, offering them gentle words and keeping on riding his horse through the forum.
“Must this triumph be this slow?” He asked to himself. He hadn’t seen Belisarius for months. He wanted to see his general, talk to him, drink with him, hold him, maybe even…
“It usually must have been faster our lord, but it seems General Belisarius had the favors of people, they are slowing down the flow of the triumph.” His slave answered, assuming it was not a rhetorical question. Iustinian just looked at him and signed. Theodora held his hand lightly. “He is just a few stades away. He will be here in no time.” She whispered. “You waited for months with him in another continent, you surely can wait a few more hours with him under the same roof you are dear.”
Iustinian looked at his wife. Her pale browns were shining with amusement and a bit of teasing. She knew. Of course she knew, Iustinian couldn’t kept anything secret from her. And she was clever enough to figure it out herself.
Before his uncle Iustin had died, before even they were married, when he was just an advisor to his uncle and Belisarius was just his personal guard; he would sneak out the palace to meet with her. And of course, Belisarius would come with him. Iustinian had tried to ditch him at first but after realizing this young man was too loyal to follow him everywhere as well as he was too stubborn to follow him everywhere, he opened him his secret and made him his alibi.
And he would start to seek comfort next to him at nights where he couldn’t see Theodora. Those nights would include them looking at the Bosphorus and the stars, talking quietly, drinking. After a while, those nights started to contain touching each other’s shoulder, arm, hand and hair. And when they touched the hair, they started to hold their hand there, pull the other in and meet their lips. Soon the nights were just them panting into pillows, their hands but most often into their faces as their bodies moved with harmony that only belonged lovers.
Iustinian was thrilled to have this little family of his own that didn’t concern the imperial part of his life. Theodora was just an actress, and Belisarius was just a guardsman. However, this little perfect bubble popped soon when his aunt died, and he decided not to risk letting Theodora go to someone else and married her. And when one’s two lovers are under the same roof, getting caught was inevitable. But when Theodora figured out the nature of their relationship, she wasn’t mad. She said that she was familiar with men like Iustinian’s nature, and she knew that cooperating would benefit all the parties.
Iustinian was relieved at first but when he saw Theodora and Belisarius getting along and even sometimes working against him with joint forces, he started to get annoyed. During the Nika Revolts as Procopius chose to name, when he was too focused on praying and making plans of fleeing the capital, Theodora and Belisarius both came to him at the same time and basically begged him to stay and fight. When they came alone, it was no luck but when the emperor saw them together, he allowed them to take any action they wanted to stop that madness.
As the waiting Belisarius reach him got more and more boring and annoying, Iustinian thought leaving for a second. It was not just his need to get Belisarius between his arms again, but it was the desire to choke him with his bare hands. Both emotions were fighting inside him. He had missed his general but seeing him get the recognition and the love he deserved as he rode his horse in the forum like the old times’ emperors made his blood boil. It was Iustinian who set the goal for restoring their empire’s former glory, it was Iustinian who chose him for the task so why it was Belisarius who got the praises and flowers?
When the general finally reached before the platform Iustinian was sitting, the older man saw his face clearly. His curly hair was longer, and his golden eyes were shining under the evening sun. His smile showed some teeth when their eyes met. Iustinian couldn’t help but respond this with smiling himself. Belisarius got of his horse and most of the flowers on his lap fell to the ground, but he seemed like he didn’t care. He climbed the stairs and got to the platform.
He greeted Theodora first and took her hand, gave her red ring a kiss. And then he turned to his emperor, greeted Iustinian as a loyal and decent general himself. His face wasn’t letting any emotion be seen but from close, his eyes were telling everything. Iustinian opened his arms as much as he can so every person in this forum would see. Belisarius accepted the offer and got between them, hugged his back tightly. As people were shouting and clapping with excitement and happiness, Belisarius planted a little kiss to his open neck. So little that even Iustinian almost missed it. The general whispered to his ear before letting go. “I missed you.”
Iustinian watched his smiling handsome face as they parted. While saluting the people before them, he realized he didn’t reciprocate Belisarius’s words. But he didn’t know if it was because he had no time or no desire to do so.
***
Belisarius was told that the emperor was waiting for him in his office. When he knocked and entered the room without waiting for an answer, he saw the office was empty. As he was getting confused, he noticed the door connecting Iustinian’s office and chamber was wide open. He took the hint while smiling and passed through the door.
Iustinian was watching the Bosphorus from his big window with a wine goblet in his hand. Belisarius stood at the middle of the room before getting closer to him. “General Belisarius, at your service our lord.”
“Really?” Iustinian asked mockingly. His drunkenness wasn’t obvious from his voice, but Belisarius could sense it. “Are you okay?”
“No, why?”
“What happened?” Belisarius asked as he paced the room quickly and reached for his face. However, Iustinian pushed his hands down and struggled out of his touch. His face was sour. “Like you don’t know.”
“I seriously don’t… Hey, please look at me.”
Iustinian looked at him and eyed his triumphal toga. He scoffed. “If you loved dressing up this much, you should’ve stayed in Africa.”
“What?”
“I said if you loved playing the king this much, you should’ve stayed in Africa!” Iustinian said again but with a more stern and loud voice. “Why did you come anyway?”
“To get to you…” Belisarius said but Iustinian dismissed his words with a motion of his hand. “Oh yeah, sure. You have every treasure in the world, you have Africa, you have people’s love and trust but you still want to get to me. How do you expect me to believe that filthy lies of yours?”
“This isn’t a lie.” Belisarius said. “I only have those treasures, lands and love because I am the shadow of yours. Everything I did, do and will do… belongs to you. Everything I am, is you. That’s why I try to be the best, to honor you.”
“I don’t need you to honor me!” Iustinian said. “I haven’t fall that far yet.”
“Why are you mad?” The younger one asked desperately.
“Why are you with me?” Iustinian asked finally. “You don’t need me anymore. People are more than willing to make you into a king in wherever you go to. Why do you keep coming back you me?”
“Don’t ask questions you know the answers of.” Belisarius said sadly.
“Well, I do not know the answers!” Iustinian yelled. “Tell me!”
“Because I love you…”
Iustinian laughed with this answer. His laughter couldn’t hide the tears falling from his eyes though. The man stopped his laughter and looked at his general. He tapped his chest with his index finger mockingly. “Liar.” He said. “Because why would you love an emperor when you can be one yourself!”
Belisarius frowned. “I don’t love you just because you are the emperor.”
“But it sure must help, doesn’t it?” Iustinian said. “And what will happen when you realize I am not that powerful, graceful and intelligent? What then? You will seek something else, a similar feeling. And one day, the people will offer you a crown and you will take it!”
“You really believe that?” Belisarius said with disappointment in his voice and face. “That I would leave you for a crown?”
“Yes!” Iustinian said. “Because if you don’t… then you are much greater of a fool than I imagined.”
Belisarius walked to him and took the goblet out of his hand, put it on the table near, held both his hands firmly. “I am that much greater of a fool.” He confessed. “I will never and I mean never, choose anything before you.”
“Idiot.”
“Why?” Belisarius asked while kissing his forehead. “Because I love you?”
“Yes.” Iustinian whispered.
“Wouldn’t you do the same if you were in my shoes?”
“I wouldn’t.” Iustinian said with confidence. “This is insanity. If someone offers you a crown, you take it!”
“Unless it’s from you, no, I will not accept any single title, insignia, land and garment.” Belisarius said as his lips moved to his temple and cheek. Iustinian was fighting hard to give in. “Why?” he asked again. “You shouldn’t be loyal to me this much. You shouldn’t love me…”
“Nonsense.” Belisarius said. “My whole existence is for loving you.” He kissed his temple. “Protecting you.” He kissed his cheekbone. “Fighting for you.” He kissed his nose. “Supporting you.” He kissed the corner of his lips. “Following you.”
Iustinian whimpered. This closeness was not good. His eyes were closed. He left his wine smelling breath on Belisarius’s burning lips. “You… You should be smart.”
“I am smart. But for your interest.” Belisarius said. “I will not use my wit to betray you.”
“For your own good…”
Belisarius took a step back but didn’t let go of his hands. The sensation of his muscular body leaving made Iustinian’s eyes open. He looked at his general more calmly. Belisarius asked with a colder voice. “Why are you talking like you are trying to get me to betray you?”
“Because one day you will.”
“I will not!”
“You will!” Iustinian said. “You will leave me. Because one day you will realize I’m just not worth it.”
“But you are…”
“Everything that I am, you can be too. What then?”
“You think everything that makes you you is the fact that you are the emperor?”
“Isn’t it?”
“It is not.” Belisarius. “Your wit, your humor, your love, your compassion, your slyness… they have nothing to do with your crown.”
Iustinian scoffed and the general captured his face, forced him to meet his eyes. “You say that I should be smart. But I already told you that I am insane. I will follow you until the very end and if The Lord allows, after the end. I can’t keep my sanity as long as I know one road will lead to you when life offers me choices. I will always choose you.”
The look, the desire and sincerity in Belisarius’s golden eyes made Iustinian weak enough to make him rush to his arms and crash their lips. The general welcomed the kiss enthusiastically and wrapped his arms around Iustinian’s waist. They were rediscovering the sensation left on their bodies when they kiss, the taste of their lips and the motion of their hands. They were remembering everything they only could dreamt of for the past months they spent apart.
They were quick to undress each other. When they fall onto the emperor’s bed, naked as the day were born, their bodies got even more clingy. The emperor was kissing every scar on Belisarius’s body, new or old. The general was caressing Iustinian’s messy hair and shoulders. For probably at least an hour, they only enjoyed kissing each other, caressing their bodies and making out in silk sheets. They were finally reunited after months, they took their sweet time to explore each other once again.
When Iustinian’s aching cock got more unbearable, the emperor pulled Belisarius’s dark hair and gave his general a look that could only mean one thing. Belisarius stopped leaving trails of his lips between his thighs and after planting a little kiss on his lover’s precum smeared cock, he raised Iustinian’s legs as he made himself more comfortable between them. He rubbed his own cock to just to tease the man beneath him more.
But his lust was intolerable too. When he entered him, both of them’s breath hitched for a second. They both had missed this feeling. This feeling of belonging, being wanted, being desired...
“M-Move…” Iustinian panted. “Please…”
Belisarius started to thrust into the emperor at a not too quick nor slow pace. His every move was hard though. It was as if he was trying to rewrite himself on Iustinian’s body back after all those months. As if he was trying to make him remember how much he loved him…
His wet fingers reached to the emperor’s cock and started to stroke it gently. The feeling of Belisarius’s calloused hand on his cock made Iustinian whimper and get tense. His back was arching with pleasure. He tried to push his hips to Belisarius but the man’s control over his body was greater.
After making love so much that they would be left sweaty and panting, Iustinian came just before the general with an unsuppressed scream without caring who would hear. The sight of Iustinian respiring with trails of cum on his belly triggered Belisarius and he exit his hole and started to stroke himself quickly towards Iustinian’s thighs. As he came with a groan, the emperor was watching him with a smile.
Belisarius left his body on top of Iustinian’s and panted into his face. He planted a little kiss on neatly groomed short beard and smiled tiredly. “I love you, I missed you so much.”
This time Iustinian both had time and desire to reciprocate Belisarius’s words. “And I you.”