Title: Uprising
Author: High_Striker
Rating: NC17
Pairing: Nick and Rick
Summary: They're powerless to stop the war raging around them, and in the end, they're both forced to sacrifice something of themselves with just the hope that something more important will be spared.
Warnings: AU, Violence, Slave-fic, somewhat non-con/dub-con at first, some voyeurism as well.

He can see the fires burning from miles away, and it pains him deeply to see them spreading.  Even worse is the knowledge that they're getting closer with each passing second.
 
In all honesty, he knows that he'll defend his master.  And, in turn, be tortured and killed as well, but the thought of what they'll most certainly do to Nick makes his heart tighten with unbearable pain.  There's not the slightest chance that he'd ever betray the first man that had treated him like a human being.
 
It was hard to even think of himself as a slave anymore.  Not when they had stayed awake at night, talking of freedom.
 
But the former slaves that had started this uprising would never listen.  They were consumed with pure rage, and wanted nothing but revenge.  It wouldn't matter that Nick was as close to an abolitionist as was allowed without the punishment of treason, and subsequently death imposed on not only Nick, but his slaves as well.  That was the cruelty of the masters.  And they were being repaid for their horrible deeds tenfold.
 
Warrick certainly had suspicions that the few masters that had their lives sparred would be far better off being dead.  He could only imagine how cruel the slaves would be to the people that had turned their lives into hell.
 
At the moment he had no idea where his master even was.  But it pained Warrick even more to know that he was most certainly not oblivious to the war raging in the world beyond his manor.  A war that would be claiming both their lives soon enough.
 
When the pounding on the doors began, he felt his breath falter, his heart shuddering.  If he didn't move, if he didn't do a single thing then he would be safe.  Or more likely, he would be forced to kill Nick himself, and if he refused, he'd be tortured to the point where he could do nothing but give in.  He had the mark though, he'd been properly branded as a slave, an act that had once declared him a slave, and would now declare him a master if he did what was required of him by the new laws.
 
Unable to stay still he moved out from his quarters looking around the manor about him, the place he called home would undoubtedly be little more than ruins before the night was over.  He couldn't remember much beyond the sight of Nick's door growing closer as his legs carried them on their own free will.
 
When he slid the door open as quietly as he could, he felt his heart break.  Seeing his master, or rather, his friend, sitting on his bed, staring solemnly at a large knife, broke Warrick's heart.  It was all he could do to stand on his own two legs any longer, but as the pounding on the door below grew louder he knew he had to do something, anything that might save them both.
 
He could picture the things the men outside would do to Nick.  The ways they would torture him, and leave him begging for death.  If he was lucky, he would receive it, but Warrick knew better than that.  No one with Nick's looks would be given a swift death, at least not physically.  But he knew that Nick's heart and mind would easily be broken long before his body was allowed to crumble and die as well.
 
His body began moving on its own, and before it registered what his limbs were doing he had Nick's limp form lying face down on the bed beneath them.  He quickly pulled his belt free before fastening it around Nick's neck.  Looping it around two times before tying it in place.
 
Warrick didn't waste any time rushing for Nick's closet and pulling free every belt he could find.
 
He bit down hard on his bottom lip before securing Nick's wrists to the bed posts with two of the belts he'd grabbed.  It was all he could do not to cry as he spread Nick's legs, and tied them to the opposite bed posts as well.  But crying was a luxury he simply could not afford.  Not when their lives depended on this moment, this act.  It would be a lie to say he hadn't dreamt of this before, but he'd always thought it would be a consensual act between the two of them.  Not something he'd be forced to do, except he could think of no other way out.
 
Straddling Nick's back he leaned forward ever so slightly and whispered into his friend's ear, "I'm so sorry, Nick... I want you to know that... I care about you- deeply.  That's why I have to do this... please- just... forgive me for this."  He didn't give Nick the chance to reply before he fastened another belt so that he was effectively gagged.  It was a measure that he could easily defend, and one that would spare Nick much torment.
 
Warrick almost flung the dagger now in his hands across the room, but the pounding on the door had changed, and he knew that the barriers he'd put up days ago wouldn't last long against a battering ram.  Quickly slicing and tearing his way through Nick's clothes didn't take long, and the sight of the naked body laying beneath him was more than enough to make his libido take interest.  Which would have made him unbearably sick, but this was their only chance.
 
He had to claim Nick as his slave before anyone else could do so.  At least this way he'd be able to spare both their lives, and hopefully, they could go on with their lives as they always had before without too much interference from the rest of the world around them.
 
His fingers tightened the belt he'd left around Nick's waist, and he quickly grabbed another one, looping it around the first, and then fastening it.  It took one more belt to complete his small chain that forced Nick's waist up into the air, with one end wrapped around his waist, and the other end secured around the crossbars of the canopy over Nick's bed.  He quickly pulled himself away from the bed, freeing himself from his own clothes, and grabbing one of Nick's boots before he was back.
 
It took an incredible amount of energy just to get the laces untied as quickly as he possibly could, and he knew he was running out of time.  He swore he could hear the wood of their door cracking, and the items he'd stacked against it crashing to the floor.  Forcing his attention back onto the body beneath him wasn't hard, but that didn't keep him from fighting back tears as he began to wrap the shoelace tightly around Nick's balls and the base of his cock.  He was taken completely by surprise to find it hard and actually throbbing in his hand.
 
Warrick bit down harder on his bottom lip as he tightened the shoelace as tightly as he could, silently praying that it wouldn't cause too much pain, let alone any damage.  But if they weren't convinced, then they'd both lose everything, and he simple wasn't willing to let that happen.
 
He quickly sucked two of his fingers into his mouth, covering them with as much saliva as he possibly could before he thrust them quickly into Nick's tight heat.  They were nearly out of time, and the moment he heard the doors below finally give way, he was forced to pull his fingers free far sooner than he was ready for.  Using as much spit as he could muster within a few seconds, he did his best to coat his own cock before he finally moved into position behind his friend.
 
The sound of footsteps thundering through the building had fear coursing through him, and the only thing he could possibly think to do was to finish what he'd started.  With as hard of a thrust as he could muster it wasn't long before he was buried deep within Nick's ass.  He couldn't hold back a loud moan as he began thrusting at a pace that had to be agonizingly hard for Nick.  Both were drowsed with sweat well before the doors burst open, and Warrick took no more than a second to prepare himself for what he knew was coming.
 
"Why was the door not opened?"
 
The voice was cruel, and Warrick quickly steeled himself, forcing himself to continue thrusting into Nick when he answered, "I had more important matters here to attend to.  This was a chance I couldn't pass up."
 
He knew that they had killed many slaves for not letting them into their masters' homes, and he could only hope that they found his made up excuse quite believable.
 
"You must know the new laws by now, or need I remind you what you must now do?"  There was no need for him to look up at the men to see the sneers on their faces.
 
"I don't give a shit what your laws say- this man is all mine now.  After years of being in his service, it's about fucking time I got what I deserved.  No fucking way that you're gonna deny me that.  This piece of shit is mine, and only mine until the day I'm fucking dead."  It was all he could do to hold back from cringing at his own words.  He valued Nick far more than anything or anyone else in the world, and reducing his friend to a piece of shit hurt more than he could have imagined.
 
But at the very least, it seemed to work.  The sneers were no longer directed at him, and while that was hardly comforting, he was almost completely certain that it meant they didn't doubt his words.  And that was their best chance.
 
"Then by all means- if he truly deserves a punishment worse than death- carry on and prove that that is exactly what he will receive."
 
He'd known it was coming.  But beyond thrusting as hard as he possibly could, he didn't know what else to do.  He felt his hips pick up their pace, as he pounded into Nick repeatedly, and slowly he began cursing at the man lying beneath him, saying words he couldn't bring himself to listen to himself. 
 
Hoping that it would work he quickly pulled the belt that was gagging Nick free, before he stopped his thrusts and commanded his 'slave' to beg for him to continue.  Warrick's only real hope was that Nick wasn't just hard from having his body betray him.
 
All anyone could hear for several minutes was Nick's harsh panting, thrown off only by what sounded suspiciously like a sob to Warrick's ears.  He knew they were close- that it shouldn't take much more to convince the men surrounding them that he had in fact taken Nick as his slave.  But Nick's silence was threatening that, and Warrick bit his lip, fixing what he prayed was a convincing display of fury on his face when he cuffed Nick on the side of the head.  A second later he had nearly pulled his cock free from the almost completely dry heat of Nick's ass, before slamming right back in as hard and deep as he could before growling for the man beneath him to start begging.
 
"Please... pl-please Master... f-fuck me..."
 
The words nearly drove Warrick over the edge, and he could hardly believe that he'd actually heard them.  He hadn't missed the desperation, the fear, any of the emotions there, but the words were now coming out as a steady stream of pleas from Nick's mouth.
 
Warrick held out as long as he possibly could, waiting until Nick's voice was far more unsteady than he'd ever heard it before, and once he knew there was no doubt in anyone's mind about how genuine the words were, he started thrusting hard once more.  It wasn't long before he was driven over the edge, and felt his climax overcome him as he felt himself spill his seed deep inside of Nick's body.
 
After a few more lenient thrusts he pulled himself free, and had to refrain from biting his lip as he moved so that he was sitting in front of Nick's face.  It was something he could hardly believe that he was doing.  But he expected that it would be demanded if he tried to avoid it anyway, and any preemptive action he could take would hopefully mean less pain for his friend.
 
"Clean me.  Use only your tongue- slave."
 
For the first time Nick's eyes rose, though briefly, to meet his own, and once more Warrick felt himself fighting back his emotions.  The last thing he had expected to see in those brown orbs had been gratitude, but that was exactly what was in them.  It was clear that Nick was in pain, but the tears in his eyes couldn't hide that he didn't feel as though he'd just been raped.  That alone made Warrick's heart soar with relief.  He also hoped that Nick had seen that Warrick still thought of him as a friend, as someone who was equal, and as someone he cared deeply about.
 
By the time Nick was done Warrick was nearly completely hard and ready to go once more.  Nick let out a stifled moan as Warrick got out of the bed, and rose to face the men standing around them.
 
"I've proven everything I need to prove.  Now get out.  I wish only the best for the fight for freedom, but there is no need for you to be here."
 
"Fine," came the gruff response from the man that was clearly in charge of the others, "but your bitch has to wear this if you don't want someone to kill it."
 
Warrick nearly decked the man for referring to Nick as an 'it', but refrained himself when he caught the strap of leather that was tossed to him.  It took a few moments to realize that it was a collar, and the small chip made it clear that they'd be keeping track of Nick.
 
With a curt nod he dismissed them, and was glad that one of the men offered to repair the door.  Warrick nodded his acceptance before turning away, and securing the doors to the master bedroom behind him.
 
Now alone with Nick he wasted no time rushing over to the body lying limp in the restraints he had used.  "I'm so sorry."
 
He was surprised to see Nick shaking his head.  "Don't say that... you- you saved our lives.  I owe you everything for doing that.  And this... this is something I'd like to offer you freely."
 
Stricken with confusion from Nick's words it was all Warrick could do to respond, "I- I don't know if I can accept that offer."
 
"This isn't how I wanted this to happen, Warrick, but now that it has... I'm not offering myself to you because I have to.  You can take me, my body, any time, any way- that you wish, and I offer you this because... I- I love you.  I always have."
 
"Then consider your offer accepted.  Just promise me- you can always stop me if something is too much, don't ever let me take more than you're capable of giving."
 
"I promise."
 
Warrick smiled in spite of himself at the words, and he wasted no time before climbing back onto the bed.  His lips met Nick's, but the awkward angle had them both pulling away before long.  He slowly held out the collar, and waited until Nick nodded that it was okay before he removed the belt from around Nick's neck and wrapped the collar around it instead.  Warrick quietly whispered, "I love you, Nick.  Never forget that." And then his lips were kissing, gently and lovingly everywhere along Nick's body that he could possibly reach.  When Nick began to beg it was far different, so much more earnest, and best of all, it had not been forced.
 
The words finally had Warrick taking action, but he took much more time, and slowly prepared Nick for him.  They were both moaning by the time Warrick had sufficiently prepared Nick, and he slid in far slower than he had before, giving them both time to adjust.  From there he kept an agonizingly slow pace that had them both panting, and Nick begging for so much more.
 
Warrick's hands firmly grasped onto Nick's throbbing erection, using his grip there rather than on Nick's hips to pull himself deeper into Nick's body.  Soon Nick's please were becoming far more desperate, and Warrick struggled briefly to remove the shoelace before beginning to thrust his hands and his hips once more.
 
Neither one last much longer.  And by the time he had undone the belts holding Nick in place, the man was fast asleep.  Warrick quickly followed suit, lying down on his side behind Nick, and quickly pulling the other man's body against his own.  There would be plenty of time for words and cleaning up later.  At the moment they both needed to sleep.  And the relief he felt from both knowing that Nick would be safe to knowing that they truly loved each other, made sleep come far more easily than it ever had since the current uprising had begun.


The end.