In between

aPrologue

He was pinned on a wall, his wrist above his head and he could feel the light tickle on his neck. Exactly where his lover was kissing him right now. It was in a dirty alley well hide in a dark corner at the back of the most popular tavern in the entire kingdom. This alley was known as the place who all the boys go to break the rule and have a moment of pure pleasure. Nicholas and Rusell weren't an exception. The night was fresh, the sky illuminated by all the visible stars and the light of the full moon, give to this early morning all the romance those two boys needed.

They meet six hours ago in this exact same tavern where they were making out at the back. The place was gross and dirty, you could smell sweat and alcohol. Men were stacking one on the other and the music was loud, but it was covering by voices who were even louder, you could feel all the human heat escape from those bodies, and it was overwhelming the entire place. Despite of all of that, it didn't prevent them from crossing eyes. At the first sight when the green meets the blue eyes and inversely, they knew that they we're sharing the same secret. immediately the blue eyed one go straight to the green eyed. Siting side by side at the counter of the bar. The taller one, who just arrived, order two beers from the tavern. One for him and one for the men beside him. After a couple of them, they were talking about all the little stuff of life. Like their wife, their family, their house, their work. in the little hours of the morning and their mind still a little bit clear, one of them put his little finger on the thigh of the other. Then a second one follows a couple of seconds later, quickly it was his full hand who was dating back all the boy thigh. Feeling this touch the Brown one Chugg the rest of his beer and make a sing who suggest for the one with black hair to follow him outside of the bar. Guiding him at the back of the little house in this alley. The one who there are presently.

It's how it starts this little moment. Nicholas pinned him to the wall and kiss every part of his neck. Slowly lower his hand on each side of Russell's hip and they quickly end up in the shorter boy pants. That remind Rusell of the first time he felt like that, the first time that doing it, felt right. Surprisingly it was the same man back in the time he was doing the same thing that he is doing now and that was a new experience then with his wife. He didn't understand it at the moment because he did it with her but that day, it was the first time that he really enjoys himself, the first time he like it, the first time he takes pleasure of the overwhelming sensation of well-being the hand made him feel. His hand grab Nicholas black hair, pulling them, while is head press in the taller boy neck. He couldn't prevent a loud moan coming out of his mouth and his leg from shaking excessively. Nicholas presses harder Rusell's face in his necks, until his teeth sink into his flesh from his open mouth. Of course, he loves hearing the boy take pleasure of what he did to him but didn't want anyone else to hear. Because he knew what they do, wasn't good to the eyes of the law, to the eyes of the king.

But for them, this was their usual. Every Friday a new tavern, a new alley. just to not being caught. They couldn't risk letting someone discovered the love they have for each other. It was against the rules, and they knew it. But they didn't care, they loved each other for almost a year's now, they couldn't be apart. So, every Friday night they tell they wife they must stay late at work, aggreging on a new tavern and meet there. There they drink a little, speak to each other like normal friend after of what look like hours quit the building to have some fun and then go on their spared ways to they respective house, wife and family. They were ok with that. It's not like they have another option. they would like to have a public relationship and kissing in the street, in the middle of the day light, having their own house and family together, not forced to hide their love and their happiness in some crappie dirty and dark alley scared of being seen. Except it's not their reality. They live in the lie whit their wife and have a family, who they love of course but it's not really what they wanted whit the person they wanted it.

As soon as they pleasure reached its peak Nicholas feel a stick hit on a rib immediately follow by another one on his lower back. Resulting by a huge and unsustainable pain that makes him kneel right away on the hard and gross asphalt. still on the ground he could see three palace guards throw Rusell on the ground beside him. Both receive several kicks and punches superior at what they should have been received. And both fall in peach black, unconscious due at the number of punches that was thrown at them.

During this time the guards were cuffing them and throw them in a sort of jail attached to the back of their cart pulled by the royal guard horses. two massif black beast who were perfectly blended seamlessly into the now coal-black sky. They were alone and unconscious on the floor of the little jail with wall impregnate of a smell of rotten wood cause by all the rain who have fell lately and in the hundreds of years who had passed.

As soon the horse stops at the big black gate Infront of the castle, the boys were drag down trought the entire castle to be drop on a cold and smooth ceramic in the direct sight of a men sitting in a big chair at the back of the room. This has taken all his attention because he immediately stops his conversation with the men who was talking with him. the guards explain to the king that the tow mans on the ground were offenders they found doing illegal things like kissing and making out in a dark alley at the back of a bar. The king look at the men beside him asking for advice because he was so disgusted and that they were a too big abomination that he needed help to found them a good sentence for breaking a rule and the law. After a long discussion they decide that they deserved the death for what they did. So, the sentence would be to burn them alive in a woodshed on the public place in the middle of the day in front of all his subjects living in the lower town of the kingdom, so everyone could see what his goanna happened if they want to commit a such horrible sin and breaking one of the land's rules. The boys could serve as a lesson for all of the genius who could have the same idea as them. But waiting that moment he orders to put them in a cell in the dungeon lock on different walls face to face but with no way for them to touch each other.

As said by the king, they been lock int the cell and the next day the peasants saw the guard create a woodshed on the public place by telling anyone who would listen that there would be an execution in a few hours, and everyone can come and watch. Surprising this has attracted a lot of people. From hours to hours more people were standing directly facing the big structure wanting to see death in the eyes. We could feel the excitement in the air. When the sun was about to set the boys were brought on the stage wrist cuff to their ankle the crowd throw them insult, object, rotten food and more. Telling them how monstrous, gross and degusting there were and how they deserved to die in painful and horrible condition. They have passed the worst night of they life. Both close of each other but at the same time too far. Cuff to a different wall who were face to face, crying and frighten by what was going to happened today. And clearly today is not goanna being any much better.

The king starts his speech. He began by presenting itself and his wife. like if no one know him here. He's the king Daniel I of Audrey. After he start to read the law about the relation of people of the same sex, follow by how he was sorry that he had let sons of the devil live among his people and how the boy has dishonoured Audrey and his people his so horrible and he can't let that go any longer. It's on those last word that Nicholas and Russel were escorting to the woodshed by the guards.

Strapped back-to-back to the pole in the middle of the wood pile. No longer after, they already could feel the heat of the fire trace back to them. They take each other hand and pray. Because they know despite of what everyone thought that God still love them and if they pray, maybe his goanna gives them a chance to start again in a new life. Find each other, loved each other and show it to the world. But until it happened the only thing, they could do it's screaming they love out loud and wait for the fire to finish what it started.

The burning sensation was so painful, they couldn't feel their feet anymore too faster it was their leg and they body. Maybe it's just the literal mining of what everybody talking about. Love hurt. But whatever, it's doesn't matter now. Love can hurt or not, they wouldn't be able to feel it again from this moment on.