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The sound of Moses' staff padding on the floor echoed in the empty hallways in the silence of the night as he walked aimlessly in the place he once called his home, warm and welcoming that now felt hostile and dark, as if every corner threatened to reveal something that intended to harm him from the shadows.
Moses knew that, realistically, nothing was hiding there, nothing but his own memories. That thought did nothing to comfort him though, for it was these images that danced in front of his eyes that frightened him the most. What scared him was how they calmed him, how real they looked until he approached too close and everything faded away like someone blowing away dust.
Upon returning to his chamber, he set his staff aside and walked closer to the balcony, leaning on a column there. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to breathe the sweet perfume of incense. So familiar yet so untouchable. It reminded Moses of his mother but also Rameses. Both were people so close to him but now so far away. One in his heart but no longer among the living and the other in the very same palace yet drifting further and further away each passing day.
Too distracted by his own thoughts while staring at the deserts on the horizon, Moses did not hear the door opening or the footsteps coming from behind him until whoever it was stood so close to him Moses could feel their breath on the back of his neck.
"Tell me, Moses. What do you see?" Came Rameses' deep voice from behind him, asking him the very same question Moses had asked the day he returned to Egypt. That felt like it was ages ago, after everything they've been through.
Moses sighed and lowered his head. He briefly contemplated his answer. He could say what he truly saw, or what Rameses wanted to hear. In that moment he decided he did not want to argue with the man, he had had enough of that. "A greater Egypt than that of your father." Moses said plainly though behind that nonchalance hid hints of heartache. Rameses' father had also been his and the Egypt he ruled was his kingdom as well, a place that Moses would always hold close to his heart despite everything.
"I see what you're doing." Rameses scoffed, his touch feather like on Moses' nape. "But that's not what I see now. I see a kingdom brought to its knees, all because of one man." He continued. Moses sighed. "It was not me who did it, Rameses. I only acted on behalf of God." He explained once again.
That seemed to displease the pharaoh, as he pulled away with a groan. "Again with that God of yours, Moses?" He asked, visibly irritated. Moses turned to him, preparing to answer but he was not given the chance. "The slaves are free, yet here you are. Still here. I don't think they ever were your people."
Moses' brows corrugated into a tight frown. Rameses knew precisely what he was saying, he knew the exact words that would break that calm and gentle facade of Moses and bring back his stubborn, hot headed little brother. What would break him.
"I did my part. They are free." Moses said. It would need more than that to truly upset him, but Rameses was not done. "And you think they will thank you for it? You ruined everything we had for them. Who are they to you, Moses? Did they fight for you as you fought for them?" The pharaoh pressed on, walking closer, forcing Moses to step back.
"I did not ask anything of them. It wasn't their place to free me from you." Moses said firmly even with his back now pressed against a column and Rameses standing dangerously close in front of him.
"You fool!" The older man then shouted, his arm sweeping over the table next to them in a fit of anger, everything falling to the ground, shattering with a loud noise that made Moses wince. "Free you from me? I am the only one who truly cares about you!"
Moses kept staring at the other man, wide eyes full of uncertainty as Rameses shouted about how he had ruined Egypt and their relationship, how their parents would have been ashamed of him.
Back then, Moses would have argued. Such words would have made his blood boil. He would have pushed Rameses away, hit him even, but not now. This time, he could only stand still and stare at the black abyss that was Rameses' glare, full of anger and resentment.
"Rameses." Moses tried to speak calmly so as to not anger the pharaoh further but that did not seem to work. It only enraged Rameses more. To him, this tone Moses spoke in told him that he could not see why he had exasperated him so in the first place.
"I should have you whipped!" Rameses then raised his hand. "Don't-" Moses spontaneously turned away, eyes clenched and body pressing closer to the alabaster stone. Rameses slammed his hand on the column right next to Moses' head, making the man flinch and shrink away.
"Don't what, little brother?" Rameses asked, his voice no longer loud but now taunting. "Hit you?" He tilted his head. Moses stayed quiet, eyes still closed. "Look at me, Moses." Rameses demanded. "I said look at me." He spat, grabbing Moses' jaw with the hand he did not have on the column and making him look.
"All I want from you..." He paused briefly, eyes lowering to the shorter man's lips. "Is to be mine again." Moses felt a growing sense of unease at the words. It was only one thing they could imply. "You owe me that much." Rameses continued, seeing the obvious hesitation not only in Moses' eyes but in his whole demeanour.
It was Rameses who leaned in first, an image that had played before him so many times in the past, one he had tried to bury deep inside him, especially after marrying Tzipporah. It wouldn't be right, it never was. He loved her, but he would always love Rameses more, he had made peace with that thought long ago.
Now though things had changed. Tzipporah was gone and Moses was not sure he loved Rameses anymore. The man that before used to bring him comfort and ease now frightened him like a wild beast that had yet to be tamed.
Their kisses were deep, urgent and lustful as Rameses pulled Moses close to him. When they were younger, Moses had always been the eager one. His emotions now battled inside him and it kept him back, everything he felt for Rameses, how he dreaded being touched by him but also how much he had missed him.
Moses followed Rameses instinctively, even though this time it felt more like the older man was dragging rather than leading him along. Big, strong hands grabbed and tugged on Moses' clothes until they were standing in front of the bed where Rameses almost tore Moses' red robe away from him and tossed it to the floor.
Pulling aside the canopy that surrounded the bed, Rameses pushed Moses on it, the roughness of the movement forcing a huff out of the younger man as his back hit the mattress.
Rameses climbed on top of him swiftly, his lips quickly finding Moses' again. His hand tangled on the curls of his hair and pulled harshly, making Moses arch his neck. Rameses' tongue brushed across his throat, teeth nipping at his skin, lightly at first before biting down.
Moses jerked at the sudden pain but was soon distracted by the sensation of Rameses' body grinding against his in a fluid motion, dragging a soft moan out of him.
Rameses pulled away and looked down at him then. The sight of his little brother's kiss swollen lips and the faint bruises that had started forming pleasing him. "You'll no longer wear these rugged things." He said as he lifted Moses' tunic, his hands sliding up and caressing the exposed skin.
Even though he was tense, Moses made no move to stop him when Rameses finally fully rid him of his clothes and threw them to the floor, somewhere with his robe, leaving him only in his loincloth.
"Do you not want to be a prince of Egypt again?" Rameses asked softly as he caressed the younger man, his hand finding its way past the fabric of Moses' loin cloth. "This life of a shepherd, Moses, it's not for you."
Moses knew what Rameses was trying to do, using that gentle tone with him as he touched him in ways all too familiar that always made him agree with everything he was saying. "Enough of this, Rameses." He said, barely more than a whisper. Rameses shushed him quickly. "Haven't you tired of opposing me?"
"It will never stop, will it? Nothing will ever be as it was." Moses asked back and for a moment, all movement stopped as they looked into each other's eyes. From soft, even if falsely so, Rameses' stare darkened again. Moses had, this time unintentionally, once again provoked him.
Rameses tried, he touched him as he used to and spoke to him without letting the sheer indignation Moses for so long had filled him with show and there was Moses again, antagonizing him and insisting that whatever had become of them would never again be mended.
The loud sound of Rameses' open palm connecting with Moses' cheek rang into the silence of the night. "I have had enough of you!" Rameses fumed. "You want to be a slave? I'll treat you like one." He grabbed Moses by the hips and forced him around so he was on his knees with his back turned to him. He put his hand between the smaller man's shoulder blades and forced him down until his chest was touching the mattress.
"Rameses, no, wait, no." Moses protested, the panic from before now returning. "Stay still." Rameses hissed, holding his writhing brother in place by the nape and hip. No matter how much Moses squirmed and thrashed under him, Rameses was unmoved. He had always been stronger than him and Moses had never thought that would be used against him in such a way.
Rameses knew that spit wasn't exactly convenient but it was the only option, due to the lack of oil. A dark part of him insisted that he wanted it to hurt Moses, to break him physically and mentally. Was it any other time, such a thing may have disturbed him, but not now.
Now, nothing sounded more satisfying than the pained shout his little brother let out, along with the feeling of finally being inside him again after so many years apart. It was all about control and dominance. A sense of triumph filled Rameses as he thrust inside Moses. No matter what Moses' God brought upon them and whatever Moses demanded, he was still defeated in the end.
"Is this what you wanted?" Rameses said through gritted teeth, his fingers digging into Moses' hips in a manner that would surely leave bruises. Moses couldn't speak, he only groaned and huffed as his brother's cock breached him painfully. "Remember when you used to beg me for it?" Rameses whispered close to Moses' ear. The discomfort of the younger man as he yielded to him while he had his way with him made this vile act of his feel better than it had any right to.
"Hurts." Moses whined, his forehead on the mattress, his curly hair sticking to his sweaty skin. "You need to learn, little brother. What you do...has consequences." Rameses snaked his arm around so his hand had a good grip on Moses' neck and started putting pressure. "So take it, Moses."
Each thrust forced the breath out of Moses' lungs and slowly his body eased around the intrusion. That way, Rameses' movements became more steady, deep and filling, so much so that the sounds escaping Moses became those of pleasure despite the ever lasting ache.
"That's it, Moses." Rameses praised, caressing the younger man's back, his hand brushing through Moses' hair as he placed kisses on his shoulder. He drove himself deeper inside, changing his angle so he was rubbing against that spot inside his brother. A smirk tugging at the corners of his lips hearing the sounds leaving Moses.
"Rameses." Moses groaned, tilting his head. His eyes shut and his nose against the other man's cheek, consumed by all the sensations. "Yes, Moses?" Rameses whispered, turning more to him. "I...I'm sorry, Rameses." Moses whimpered in utter submission.
"I know, little brother, I know." Rameses said, his lips against Moses' bearded cheek and his hand pressing tighter around his throat as he felt the pleasure intensify. He was close and so was Moses, he could tell from the way his little brother's breath hitched and his legs twitched.
The pace of the thrusts became faster and the moans grew louder. Neither Moses nor Rameses had felt anything like this in all the years they were apart. All the feelings they stirred in each other couldn't be replaced, even though Moses loved Tzipporah and Rameses Nefertari, it was not the same. They were made for each other, the gods, or God, had after all led Moses to Rameses all those years ago.
The burst of pleasure felt better than anything Moses remembered, like waves taking him under. Had Rameses not been holding him up, he would be lying limp on the mattress. The thrusts continued until Moses felt Rameses spilling inside him and in that moment, he was in utter bliss. He couldn't even be bothered by the mild pain he felt when Rameses pulled out of him.
He lay on the bed, free of any thoughts, letting Rameses clean him with a wet cloth. For the first time in years, his head was empty and quiet. He had missed that feeling, the one of having no worries.
And when Rameses lay beside him, pulling him into his embrace, Moses welcomed it, bittersweet as it was. For nights on end he had longed to feel his arms around him again after he had left Egypt. He wanted to pretend, even just for a moment, that the past several years had all been a dream and when he opened his eyes, he would be a young prince once more, unaware of the cruelty of the world and the monsters that lived inside his own home.
When morning came and the sun rose to the sky again, shining upon the steadily reconstructed kingdom of Egypt, Moses felt the warm rays on his skin, gently awakening him.
Rameses, having awakened first, rested on his elbow and looked down at his still sleeping lover, finally getting a good look at him in silence, without heated words being exchanged between them. With his finger he slowly traced Moses' jaw and over his lips. Even after so many years, Moses was still the most beautiful creature Rameses had ever laid eyes on, no matter how much Moses angered and frustrated him, Rameses' heart would always be his.
They said nothing could make people who were not meant to be in each other's lives stay, yet he and Moses always found their way back to one another, even if their love was wrong. And even though how Moses left him all those years ago still hurt Rameses, he no longer blamed him. He had been the one to let him go.
Rameses' black eyes then were met with sleepy, warm brown ones. "How long have you been staring at me?" Moses asked quietly, sleep still clouding his voice. "Since the sun rose." Rameses said, caressing away a curl from Moses' eyes who chuckled softly before turning away to look towards the balcony.
Rameses rested his head on Moses' shoulder and took his hand, intertwining their fingers. "You, Moses, are the one for whom the sun shines." He said, and just like that Moses' fragile heart was Rameses' to break again.