Érik

Tranquillus picked up Florus' wandering hands, and kissed them. He'd never known he might one day feel like this. How was it possible to feel like he was a human torch and yet entirely liquid, all at once? There was nothing he could do about it, nothing except give in. Resistance was both futile and ridiculous. Why had he denied his feelings for so long? And why had he lacked the courage to plunge for that first kiss for so long? Though he'd considered his reasons extremely valid then, now, they seemed to evaporate and disappear into thin air. It made sense, given that he was burning. All of him was burning. The butterflies inside his stomach had probably exploded. All his body felt extremely sensitive. The smallest touch from the body slave felt... Well, there was no way to describe it, really. It tugged from his navel, from his chest, and from his throat. Gods, he wanted him.

But Tranquillus was talking, and Florus was enraptured. Any single word from the man was the most important thing he had ever heard. Gods, everything about him...

'Then I am yours,' he said simply. 'And you are mine.' It was as obvious as it was simple. There didn't have to be any obstacle between them. 'I've never felt like this for anyone either,' he said. He was young, and woefully inexperienced, but in his gut he knew that being flustered after looking at naked gladiators and the feelings he had for Tranquillus were two entirely different planes of existence.

'It seems that your Venus brought me to you,' he said, leaning his head against the other man's. 'I'll have to learn too.' His expression was suddenly solemn. 'Attis told me how to... But I've never actually done it.' Would Tranquillus have the patience to teach him yet another thing? He said he didn't know these things, but Florus chalked it up to his usual modesty. Tranquillus knew everything, as far as he was concerned. 'Do you want to... now?' He was certainly eager. A bit nervous, but eager.

@Chevi

Florus contemplated his empty cup, somewhat surprised to find that draining it all meant there was nothing in it. He was still thirsty. Did the effects of wine increase, the more one drank? Maybe the first cup had an effect, and then it meant you were immune for the other cups. That would be good. Then again, in his village, a lot of men got drunk on ale and mead, and that took several cups. Most likely wine behaved the same. But he wasn't in the habit of drinking, so nothing would happen to him. Probably.

'I like the baths,' Florus admitted. They were possibly the only good thing the Romans had come up with. 'Getting clean is a nice feeling.' He peered inside his cup once more. Nope, still empty. Why did that surprise him? Was he allowed to pour himself some more, or would that be considered rude? He ought to wait for Alexius to decide. He was the one who was paying, after all.

'I get sweaty every day,' the gardener said. 'And dirty. I can't make it to the baths everyday, though, so I just scrub myself down.' He could picture Alexius scrubbing himself down, too. Way too easily. Wine really was an odd beverage. 'I fill an amphora with water in the morning and then I wash myself at night. Sometimes you really have to rub to get the dirt and sweat out.' He contemplated his fingernails, which had probably never been entirely clean in his entire life. No amount of scrubbing and rubbing changed that.

@Atrice

That's what the Romans wanted them to think, though, wasn't it? That they were lucky and could have it worse. It was still true, though. Of all the things he could have been sent to do, he was able to do the thing he most loved. It was a bizarre conundrum, whether to be angry at the injustice or happy for his situation. He generally settled for a mixture of both. He nodded in answer, and put himself in what he supposed was a fighting position, with his legs apart at shoulder width and his back straight.

Florus wasn't uncomfortable with Cinnia being this close. She wasn't intruding his personal space, and she wasn't Tranquillus. Then again, was he really uncomfortable when the body slave was this close? Maybe that was part of the problem. He nodded as she explained what he was going to have to do, but then frowned. 'But I don't want to hurt you,' he said. He didn't think he'd necessarily have the upper hand on her if he tried her tactic. He was younger, and thought he might be more muscular, too, but she was a fighter, and she had experience on her side. They wouldn't assign her to guard a princess if she couldn't do more than just hold her own. But why did she want him to hurt her?

@Atrice

Both slaves were now gazing at each other in confusion, though Florus' lie had made his cheeks grow quite pink. The look lasted for a while, until the girl pointed at something, far off in the rain. Even by squinting he couldn't see anything. The rain was falling in curtains, and it had gotten so dark the trees were barely silhouettes. Whatever she might have seen, he hadn't.

'What am I supposed to be looking at?' Florus said, frowning. After a few more seconds of this, where he still hadn't seen anything, he turned back to look at her. 'What am I supposed to see?'

@Beauty

Florus felt like his heart was about to burst. He didn't know how it could contain this many feelings. Was it even possible? He had never felt this way about anyone. It was beautiful, feeling this way. Tranquillus had pulled him closer, and he found that he liked that. Could they be any closer? Florus wondered if they might fuse together. It wouldn't be unpleasant, he was sure of it.

Finally, the kiss broke, and the gardener was surprised to find that he needed to catch his breath. His forehead against Tranquillus', he moistened his lips and looked into the other man's eyes, his expression and smile slightly dazed. As Tranquillus spoke, Florus wrapped his arms around his neck. Gods, he liked this man. He never wanted to let go.

He paused for a second, closing his eyes, and then freed one of his hands, all the better to run his thumb on the other man's lip. He was so beautiful. And he'd called him by his name... Something tightened in his chest. There couldn't really be anything better than this, surely?

'Me neither,' he replied after a moment. 'Do you... Would you be mine? I would be yours.' Florus didn't know very much about relationships, but he knew he wanted to keep on kissing Tranquillus for a very long time. Amongst other things...

He freed his other hand, and placed it on the body slave's knee. Well, slightly above it. 'Do you want to... Do you want me...?' Florus trailed off, still too shy to say the word sex, despite being very, very keen to have it with the other man.

@Chevi

Tranquillus' lack of a reaction was stressful. Something pensive passed through his eyes, and Florus couldn't possibly divine what it was. Was he changing his mind? Already? After tasting the other man's lips, the thought of them being taken away from him forever was just too cruel to bear. He searched the other man's eyes for an answer, his own eyes almost pleading, but he found nothing.

And then, before he could form a single coherent thought, Tranquillus kissed him again. Gods, his lips were warm. And soft. Florus stopped holding the body slave's hand, and both his hands now were cupping the other man's face. Florus kissed him back, energetically, with purpose driving him. Gods, he liked that man. So much. His tongue darted along the other man's lips. Attis hadn't explained a lot about kissing, really, but now the gardener was ready to listen to himself. He knew what he wanted, and what he wanted was Tranquillus. And to kiss him.

@Chevi

Florus admired Tranquillus' features for a moment in silence. How odd it was, really, that he'd mistook his feelings for this man for annoyance for so long. What a handsome man. He was truly beautiful. He had eyes that made Florus want to melt. He had kind features, and a beard that, while well-trimmed, gave off a rugged look that Florus really saw the appeal of. And from what he'd seen of the other man's body, in the baths... well, he had liked that too. A lot.

'I am,' he confirmed. His hand was still on Tranquillus' cheek, and he stroked it, gently. 'You are the smartest man I've ever known,' he said, giving him a small peck on the lips. 'You're kind.' Another peck. 'Thoughtful.' Another. 'And patient.' Another. 'And you're the most beautiful person I've ever laid eyes on.'

This time, he did not kiss Tranquillus, but held his gaze instead, cheeks furiously red.

@Chevi

Confused, Florus looked at the other man, who was laughing, all of a sudden. He squeezed the body slave's hand back in response, but his look was one of disbelief.

'Me? Really? Are you sure?' It took half a second for Florus to realize he didn't want to hear Tranquillus deny it, so he decided to refuse him the opportunity to do so by kissing the other man once more. His free hand found the side of the body slave's face, but it was a short kiss. He didn't want to hear it, but he needed to, all the same. Suppose it really was true, that Tranquillus felt the same? He needed to know. After all these months, he had to know.

@Chevi

The corners of Florus' mouth curled upwards ever so slightly as Alexius said he wasn't too terrible at conversation. Now, did the gardener believe him? Maybe not, but all the same, it was nice to hear. He had spent most of his life trying to avoid interaction with people, so social skills weren't bound to just jump on him, just like that, at random. Maybe it was because he was so bad that Tranquillus couldn't ever see him. 'I will take a drink or two, then.' Or maybe more. However more it took to make things fun with Alexius. Not that he wasn't a pleasant man, but Florus' shyness in front of the attractive man did sort of get in the way.

Pursing his lips, he nodded to the toast, then drank a sip. Hopefully the wine didn't make him do too many foolish things. Not in front of Alexius.

'I've swept, once, but I'm a gardener, so I haven't done any household chores. There is enough to do in the gardens without needing to pile on more.' Briefly an image flashed before his eyes, of Alexius helping to clear out rubble. How was the other man dressed when he did that? Probably not the same way as in his mental image, which was to say, not at all. Pink lingered on Florus' cheeks. 'And yourself?' He downed his entire cup of wine in a gulp, hoping it would act quicker to make him less shy. 'Your tunic must get really dirty from all the dust,' he commented.

Wait, what?

@Atrice

Tranquillus replied to him, and it was Florus' turn to stare at him in confusion. 'But you said... you said you fancied someone else, the other night...' He had been very drunk, that night, but surely he hadn't misunderstood that badly? He knew there were a lot of things he didn't remember from that night, as large blanks were present in his memories of the evening, but that part, he was fairly certain he hadn't missed out on. Tranquillus loved someone else, and that was why Florus had been sad lately. Because he could never get what he wanted.

@Chevi

Florus nodded in agreement. 'I don't find myself in as bad a predicament as most other household slaves,' he said. 'I can keep to the gardens, and mostly no one bothers me. I do do it all on my own, though, so it's still a lot of work.' But at least it wasn't rebuiling walls and painting and stuff. Surely he wouldn't be good at it either. He didn't want to be asked. He liked that he would never be asked. He had his own responsibilities, and they were cut out for him.

Cinnia looked him over, but it wasn't in the same way that a lot of other people tended to do it. He found that he preferred her way. He felt less like a display at the meat stalls under her eye. Still, though, he was uneasy. In Britannia, and in Longinus' household, no one had really looked at him twice. The only people who did look at him seemed to be men and women who leered at him in the markets. The one by whom he wanted to be seen didn't even notice him, anyway. Being seen was certainly a curious thing.

'I'm ready,' he said. He hadn't much liked how the stranger had pawed at his waist. It had been quite obvious that he hadn't been carrying a purse; what was the interest in grabbing at him in that manner? 'I want to learn,' he said. 'I don't want to be a vulnerable target, I want to kick ass.'

@Atrice

It felt good to just be looking into Tranquillus' eyes, silently, peacefully. It felt like something he ought to always be doing. It also felt good to be touching him. His warm skin was just perfect under his hand. Would it be weird to just touch all of Tranquillus' face? Probably. Still, it was something he wanted to do. All of his beautiful face...

And then the other man pulled back. Florus contemplated him in surprise, willing him to come closer once more. The touch between them was so perfect, it should never be interrupted. In response to the body slave, the gardener simply took Tranquillus' hand in his own, tracing patterns on it with his thumb. The other man wasn't an idiot. Florus had not made any overt gesture or been obvious about his attraction to the other man, ever. Minus the blushing, which he couldn't control, he felt it had all played out so subtly.

'Your lover might not be too happy about this,' he replied, resisting the urge to bridge the space between them with another kiss.

@Chevi

Just as Florus was beginning to apologize for his spontaneity, Tranquillus kissed him. Tranquillus. kissed. him. If before he had felt like there was a bonfire inside of him, well, that had been nothing. The entirety of him was on fire now, and his lips were the portal through which it happened. This felt so perfect. So natural. As if it was meant to be. As if it had to happen. Maybe it was a sign by the gods, after all. Maybe the way this felt was their way to tell him that he was doing the right thing. By Lug, this felt so right. It should never end.

Eventually Tranquillus pulled back, and both men rested their foreheads against one another. Florus found himself short of breath too. Gently, he stroked the body slave's jaw, closing his eyes. It was unbelievable, that for all the scenarios he had come up with, where he kissed Tranquillus, the real deal had been infinitely better. It felt like his heart was going to burst, for all the warmth it contained.

He gave a small laugh as the other man spoke, but didn't open his eyes for a few seconds. 'There is,' he said, his voice still soft, now looking at Tranquillus. 'It's you.'

Florus looked at the potted plant Tranquillus had indicated. Was that... Yes, he believed it was.

'White heather? Is that white heather? Where I'm from, it's a symbol of good luck.' Florus' voice had never been this soft, and he swallowed thickly as he returned to look into the other man's eyes. 'You... you got me a gift?' Why?

White heather brought someone luck. This was an omen. Tranquillus had gotten him a gift, and it was white heather. He might not have known the symbolism behind the flower, but Florus did. And he had gotten the gardener a gift. Maybe this was a message the gods were sending him. How much clearer could things get?

'Close your eyes,' Florus ordered, gently. He wasn't sure he could do this otherwise.

And just like that, his lips were on Tranquillus'. The man's lips were every bit as warm as he had always thought. It was like all the bonfires of Beltane were lit up inside of him. His hand had found the back of Tranquillus' neck, and just as his other hand was about to touch the man's face some more, Florus remembered himself, and pulled back with a start.

Tranquillus loved another. He would never love him. He was reading into the situation the things he wanted to see, but he very well knew that they were not there, and he should never have done this. Alarm shone in his ice blue eyes.

'Apolo—'

@Chevi

Florus tried not to judge how bad the trees looked. He thought this was the emperor's palace, and that the emperor was one of the most powerful men, if not the most powerful man, of the world. Clearly, though, you couldn't be all that great if your plants were this lacklustre. Florus' gardens at the Roman's domus was more impressive, that was for sure. The thought gave him satisfaction.

Florus was completely indifferent to the marble and finery that surrounded him. He was certain that everything was even more luxurious inside, but he didn't care. This wasn't his universe, and so much stone made him uncomfortable. He preferred more natural materials. Britannia was clearly better in every single aspect of absolutely everything.

'I have been... good,' he measured. He had been, for the most part. He wasn't sure if getting closer to Tranquillus had been a good thing, because it wasn't like he would get what he wanted out of that relationship, and being strictly friends would likely be frustrating in the long run. And then there'd been the earthquake, of course.

'I was unharmed, but the gardens suffered some losses.' He knew it was a trivial thing to say, since learning of the number of victims, but the plants were what was close to him, what touched him most. He cared about them, and seeing harm come to them had hurt him.

'You were right, though. I was attacked the other night. That's why I need to know how to defend myself,' he said brightly. 'Anyway, how are you? I'm pleased to see you are equally unharmed.'

@Atrice

It was an unusual thing, taking care of Tranquillus. All the other times, it had been the opposite. Florus had needed the body slave's care, his touch, and Tranquillus had been quick to dispense it, unquestioningly. Florus didn't even ask himself a single question when it was time to do something for the other man: it was just the most natural thing in the world. He didn't like that the man had been stung. It hurt, especially so close to the eye. He never wanted anything bad to happen to the other man. He'd never really before felt this urge to comfort someone, but it was coming from somewhere deep in his stomach, the same place where the knots were tied and the butterflies fluttered.

He had his hands on Tranquillus' face, but it wasn't enough. More, the thing in his stomach said. He wanted more. He needed more. Quiet down, thing. There was no more. Just the feel of Tranquillus' skin under his hands would have to be enough. Gently, he brushed his hand along the side of the other man's face, but managed to stop himself from doing anything else. How was he supposed to justify that one? There was no bee sting there. He was being obvious, and especially stupid. He really needed to reign himself in.

'You're welcome,' he said, his voice low. It was nothing. He'd do it again in the blink of an eye. 'You're not foolish,' he added, automatically. 'What flower were you trying to smell?'

@Chevi

Florus nodded in agreement. He wasn't sure that he intended to drink the hooch at all. Alone? What good would that do? Drinking with someone else was out of the question, because what if he admitted to anyone else within the household that he had done such a thing? For starters, he didn't know any of them enough to drink with them. Well, there was Tranquillus, of course, but the gardener suspected he wasn't the type to indulge in such a thing. And then, there was also the fact he was certain this wasn't a thing the Roman would encourage if he came to know about it. It was a dumb thing to have done, really, when he knew the possible consequences, but it was done, and all that remained was to decide whether he wanted to drink it or not.

The barmaid had poured them a cup of wine each, and Florus nodded at her gratefully. 'Is it really me who is talking when I drink, or is it the wine?' He wondered. The wine had given him some rather interesting ideas, the other time. Or maybe it had been that the ideas were dormant within him, and the drink was simply waking them up?

'I will stay with you,' Florus said seriously, rubbing a spot on the surface of the table with his index finger. He looked up at Alexius, and held up his cup. It was customary for people to toast each other, but he didn't know what to toast to. As usual, he would let this other man take the lead. He wasn't versed in social niceties, so it was better that way.

@Atrice

Florus winced as well as Tranquillus yelled out. The last thing on Earth he wanted to do was hurt the body slave. The other man seemed disgruntled, and frustrated to have been stung, and something about his expression made Florus' heart warm. He knew by now that his cheeks were red, but there was nothing to be done about it. He blushed whenever he was around Tranquillus. If that hadn't been a hint, then he didn't know what was. But Tranquillus didn't see him, because he liked another. That didn't stop him from blushing, though. The body slave still had a major effect on the gardener, and that wasn't simply going away.

He gave Tranquillus a slight, soft smile as he ran a gentle but calloused thumb on the sting mark. Acting like that was going to land him in trouble, he knew as much, but his brain tended to disappear whenever the other man was around. It was as though he wasn't in control of his thoughts or actions. Most definetely this would end badly.

Without so much as a warning, Florus got up, and ran off to the kitchen garden. It was not long before he reappeared, peeling off a small bulb. He sat back down where he'd previously been, his knees touching Tranquillus', and used a knife to cut the clove in two. Taking the piece of garlic, Florus held it, open side on the body slave's skin, and rubbed the sting mark delicately with a trembling hand, holding the older man's chin up with his other hand. They were so close right now. So close. He needed to focus on the sting mark, though, because otherwise there was going to be a problem. He didn't actually know how long he could stand being this close to the other man.

'This is part two,' he said, his voice unsteady. Traitor. They were so close. 'This should, uh, help with the swelling and make it hurt less.' He swallowed.

So. Close.

@Chevi

'Gratitude, dominus,' Florus said, bowing his head slightly. Of course, he was still afraid of the Roman, and he still hated absolutely all of them, but by now he'd learned how to dissimulate his feelings, for the most part. He was every bit the docile slave Rufus wanted to see, at least on the outside. On the inside, things were different, but he kept his mind busy with the gardens, and that seemed to be enough to keep him happy. He truly did love the gardens, and he hoped the Roman cared enough to notice. On the other hand, his interest in the gardens wasn't feigned. It was real, and not for show, so whether he noticed or not, Florus still believed he had the best tasks.

The gardener was about to ask if the Roman wanted him to get started on the sweeping right away, when he asked him a question. That one startled the young man out of his neutral expression, and he gave Rufus a puzzled look. 'Ah, yes, dominus.' Why the hell did he care?

@Liv

'I don't have much occasion to drink,' Florus said. There was wine that the slaves drank, of course, but he tended to keep to water. Working in the heat, it just seemed wiser. He drank as much water as he could, because it was easy to feel faint under the harsh Roman sun. Even in Britannia, they'd drank a lot of water while they were working in the fields. Heat stroke was a very real thing, and with the weather here being so much worse than back home, he was not going to tempt the Fates.

They sat at a table, and the young gardener looked around, so as to be sure no one was listening in. No one seemed to be. 'Don't tell anyone, but I think I am making some sort of wine in the shed at the villa,' he said. 'I stored some old plums in a barrel of water, and I think they fermented...' It was only half accidental. He was more or less aware of how alcohol was made, and he'd mostly just been curious. It wasn't as though those plums were good enough for the Roman, anyway.

A very slight pink coloured Florus' cheeks at the mention of the other man's rudis. He remembered it too, and more than anything else, he remembered how it had troubled him, and how much he had been thinking of, well, something very different while handling it. Pressing his lips together, he looked down at the table. 'I'm afraid I don't make for a great conversationalist.'

@Atrice

Once the body slave had sat down on the bench, Florus sat down right beside him, worry in his pale eyes. 'If you're certain,' he said, though his tone betrayed his disbelief. How was it possible that he'd not been trouble, when he'd commandeered the other man's bed for himself? The truth of the matter was that Tranquillus was, as he always was, too kind, and didn't want to embarrass the gardener by telling him how he had ruined everything.

After that, he took the other man's head between his hands. 'Let me take a closer look,' he said, Pressing his lips together, Florus brought himself closer to the other man. He was absolutely red, but still, he needed to do this. 'It's just under your left eye. Don't move.' Florus' nails were neither especially long, nor especially clean, but after a moment's wrestling with his face at an inch from the other man's face, he managed to extract the stinger. 'There. That's part one,' he said.

@Chevi

'Oh,' Florus said. He moved closer to the other man, and squatted down beside him. 'Let me have a look,' he said gently. He gestured towards the nearby bench. 'Have a seat there,' he said, taking Tranquillus' hand as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

The light would be better there, and then Florus could really see what he could do for the other man. 'I- apologies, for the other night. I might have had a bit to drink. I didn't mean to intrude, or steal your bed. I, uh, I can't seem to remember much. Hopefully I didn't embarrass myself too much.' It was said, now. Hopefully Tranquillus might forgive him.

@Chevi

Tranquillus had avoided Florus ever since the night where he'd stumbled in his room, completely drunk, intent on trying out the things Attis had told him about. It was normal, he supposed. Tranquillus was embarrassed, and the gardener ought to be ashamed of his behaviour. He ought to regret his actions. But he didn't. Not really. For one, he didn't remember most of it. He remembered being on Tranquillus' bed, but pretty much nothing after that. If anything had happened, which he knew it hadn't, surely Tranquillus would be able to look him in the eye. Or would he? Florus didn't know anymore. It was so confusing.

And it was just sad. It wasn't even that he had blown it. He had never actually had a chance to begin with. Tranquillus fancied someone else. Someone who was not him. It stung, and it made him sad, but what was he supposed to do? It wasn't as though he could change the body slave's mind. Hearts didn't seem to work that way. So he'd busied himself with the gardens, pouring even more of his heart and soul into them than he previously had. They were lush, green, magnificent, and had never looked better. Flowers bloomed, and the air was abuzz with bees and butterflies. Florus loved it, but his joy was somewhat dulled. Unrequited love hurt.

Suddenly, a yell rang out on the other side of the gardens. Florus rushed out to see what had happened.

'Tranquillus?' He ran to the body slave's side. 'A-are you alright?'

@Chevi

Tranquillus had sat down on the ocean, and he sounded sad. Florus reached out a gentle hand that he rested on the other man's shoulder. It was no good if he was sad. The gardener didn't like it. No one should ever make Tranquillus sad. And if he had to protect him against sadness himself, then he was honour bound to do it. Even if it meant that he was happy with someone else. Florus didn't want anyone else, but he supposed men could find other men somehow. Or maybe there'd never be another. That made him sad too.

'I hope not,' he said, stroking Tranquillus' shoulder. 'Because then that means I truly don't have a chance.'

@Chevi

'I feel the same way,' Florus said, tightening his grasp and opening his eyes wider. 'I didn't know men could like men until... well, it doesn't matter. I see him every day, and then I see him in my dreams. I try to talk to him, and tell him how I feel, but I just... I never have the courage. He looks at me with his eyes, and he's so kind, but he doesn't see me.' Florus burped. 'Why doesn't he see me?'

Just then, Tranquillus' words reached his mind. The body slave fancied someone else. Oh. Of course he did. Of course. Immediately Florus let go of the other man's hand, though that translated to a slow gesture. 'I hope they like you back,' he slurred. Why couldn't Tranquillus like him?

@Chevi