Chapter Text
The first time Richard and Aidan’s eyes met, Richard felt a deep punch in his stomach. Across the crowded room, he couldn’t take his eyes off the most beautiful man he’d even seen. Just a few weeks earlier, Richard Armitage had breathed a sigh of relief after seeing pictures of all his future “The Hobbit” co-stars and finding none of them attractive. Sure, Aidan looked hot in pictures, but nothing could have prepared Richard for that smile and the carefree body language he now noticed in person from the Irishman who was 12 years his junior.
After deciding that his craft was much more important than love or any kind of serious relationship, Richard had poured all his energy into acting, delving deep inside his characters and losing himself. Acting without any distractions had become the only way to stop feeling the weight of his loneliness. The thought of an 18-month long shoot made Richard tense, and his relief after deciding that he wasn’t attracted to any of his co-stars seemed to be short-lived. With every step Aidan took towards him, Richard felt bigger knots in his stomach, and his Adam’s apple felt weirder and weirder. He knew what this meant, but he couldn’t believe it. He was blushing and he was losing his control and he was going to embarrass himself in front of beautiful Aidan, who was coming over to meet and touch him.
Carefully adjusting his pants to hide his growing erection, Richard felt time dilate and his eyes focused on every beautiful detail of Aidan’s body. He focused on Aidan’s black curly hair, imagining himself running his fingers through it in a moment of passion. He focused on Aidan’s gorgeous smile that Richard deemed so innocuous the first time he saw his co-star’s photo.
“Damn it, Richard, you’re no longer that little boy getting your first crush in the locker room. You’re a man and you’d better act like one”, the Englishman thought as he tensed his jaw in an attempt to regain his composure.
As Aidan approached, Richard was overcome by another unpleasant sensation. He was afraid of touching Aidan and he’d absolutely have to. The curly haired man was slowly making his way across the room towards Richard, meeting new people, shaking hands, hugging and placing his hands on everyone’s shoulders. As Aidan quickly tousled his hair, Richard noticed how wonderfully hairy Aidan’s hands were. His mouth quickly dried up at the thought of having to touch those beautiful hands, of having to only do that then stop. The wrong touch could give everything away, could show Aidan just what an infatuated mess Richard was quickly becoming.
Focusing on his own breath and keeping it regular, Richard lost himself in Aidan’s hazel eyes as they were presently fixed on Rob Kazinsky. He almost jumped when Aidan moved his eyes away from Rob and stared right into Richard’s. Just a few more steps and they’d be face to face, having to shake hands and Richard knew there was a chance that once his fingers grazed Aidan’s hairy hands, he wouldn’t be able to control himself. He’d raise his other hand, run it through those delicious dark curls and he’d kiss Aidan without being able to stop. Happy he didn’t wear a tight fitting pair of pants, Richard adjusted his now throbbing erection and breathed a sigh of relief when Aidan broke eye contact to say good-bye to Rob.
“I saw you in a play once,” Aidan sweetly chirped as he approached Richard. “I can’t remember what it was all about, but I remember you were great in it,” he added with a wide grin. Richard seemed immune to his charms, and it was pissing him off. One of the reasons he signed on for such a long shoot was the chance to be close to Richard. Playing Kíli was perfect for that, but it was starting to look like Richard was not excited in any way about meeting him. If anything, Richard looked stiff and uncomfortable, and Aidan was starting to get nervous himself.
He couldn’t extend his hand to touch Richard’s, like he did for everyone else in the room, and he couldn’t even get as close to Richard like he did with the others. Aidan almost felt a sort of magnetic pull that drew him towards Richard, and worried that if he got too close, he might smell his hair and have those lips in reaching distance, and do something really stupid.
The seconds of silence were adding up and both Aidan and Richard looked more and more uncomfortable in the crowded room. They started to focus on listening to the sound of the other’s breath as they kept looking into each other’s eyes. Richard opened his mouth to thank the Irishman for the compliment, but something entirely unexpected came out.
“Let’s go out for a bit of fresh air,” Richard said, hearing his voice almost crackle at the excitement of being alone with Aidan. Taken aback, Aidan also heard himself say something he wasn’t exactly planning to.
“Yeah, it would be nice to get away for a bit.”
Happy that he had chosen to stand near a door, Richard quickly turned around, relieved that he had a few more moments to calm himself down before having to look into Aidan’s beautiful eyes or speak to him again. Richard opened the door behind and stepped out into a poorly lit corridor that led to the backlot. The next thing that happened took both men by surprise. As Aidan closed the door behind him, he reached out and slipped his left hand inside Richard’s right one.
Along with Richard’s firm grip came the understanding that everything was fine. A wave of warmth and comfort overtook them both. The men kept walking along the corridor, with Richard in the lead, holding hands, feeling each other’s touch for the very first and feeling flushed with joy. Every tense muscle had relaxed in Richard’s body and he was feeling as happy as he ever felt. A few more moments and he’d get to hold Aidan close and kiss him and caress his curls. But could he even wait that long? Their steps got faster and Richard tried to contain himself from running when Aidan stopped, jerking his hand and making him turn around.
Their eyes met again, for the third time, and both men knew that they were on the same page. Aidan’s eyes connected with Richard’s and in that look lay the promise of a thousand kisses - a spark that might someday grow into love. For now though, lust was enough. Both Aidan and Richard would later confess to each other that they didn’t believe in love at first sight. Neither man was naive enough to think that a moment of intense passion meant they’d be compatible in the long run. But for now, they allowed themselves to get lost in this one adrenaline-filled moment and look deep into each other’s eyes with big grins on their faces.
Aidan slowly raised his chin and brought his lips closer to Richard’s. The taller man kept holding his hand, radiating warmth. Richard slid his left hand under Aidan’s untucked t-shirt and rested it on his lower back, bringing the curly haired Irishman closer very slowly. Richard’s hand burned Aidan’s back as every nerve ending in his skin clung to the touch of the man he desired so intensely.
With the widest grin on his face, Richard growled at Aidan like a lion preparing to play with a hurt and helpless gazelle before sinking his teeth into it. “You’re trembling, my sweet. Is it me that’s doing that to you?”. Aidan was shocked at how quickly Richard transformed from stiff and apparently panicked to the confident man that he always knew he would be.
“Yes,” Aidan purred letting Richard bring him closer and closer with his strong hands, feeling his underwear becoming unbearably tight.
The next few seconds were a blur. The noise of the crowd in the room the two men had left behind faded away, and the corridor itself seemed to vanish. Their clothes felt wooden and cold and all Aidan wanted to feel was Richard’s naked body, warm and safe, pressed against his. Their lips barely touched before Richard ravished Aidan’s mouth with his tongue. Richard slammed Aidan against the wall, grinding their erections together. Even their stubble touching felt electric in a new and unexpected way. Both had been with other men before, but this was different, there was nothing forced about it. This kiss was not at all like how Richard felt when he first experimented with a 19 year old when he joined the circus at 17. This kiss was completely different than everytime Aidan had himself been kissed by a man he didn’t particularly like, but whose company was better than loneliness. This was so much more than either of them had expected, even as they let their imaginations run wild in those first moments in the corridor.
As the kiss ended and they slowly withdrew to breathe, Richard knew there was no stopping now. Aidan’s hungry reception of his tongue and his hard cock had sealed the deal. “I’m going to have you right here and right now,” Richard growled and Aidan could only moan to consent to it.
At any other time, Aidan would have stopped and said “No, we can’t fuck here and now, in hearing distance of all the people we’ll spend the next year and a half working with! Are you fucking mental?!” This moment, however, felt so right in every way and Aidan would have completely flipped out if Richard though even for one second of breaking their embrace.
“I’m going to be inside you very soon and you’ll scream, you’ll beg for release,” Richard purred against Aidan’s ear before rubbing his cheek against the Irishman’s jawline while gently tonguing at his neck. Aidan wanted to kiss Richard again so desperately, but now the taller man pinned his arms against the wall and was taking control.
Bringing both of Aidan’s arms above his head, Richard kept them against the wall using just one hand, while he lowered the other to caress his lover’s face, then his chest, then finally the patch of skin exposed under the belly button. Richard started rubbing two fingers against Aidan’s happy trail and the touch made the curly haired man moan even louder.
Even if every basic impulse told Richard to hurry up and reach climax inside the shorter man, he was going to take it slowly and make it an unforgettable experience for both of them.