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Innocents abroad (Modern day AU)


Chevi

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She had expected him to pull back, to make some sort of quip about the state of her or their intimacy, and then he'd lead her out of the tunnel and back up to the surface and then they'd banter back and forth and get on with their day. But he didn't, and it confused and intoxicated her. 

Her dark eyes followed his as they want back to her lips. God above did he know how to make a girl melt? How had he read her so exactly right that she knew exactly what she wanted to hear? Her fingers tightened in his curls and the hand which had rested on the light switch came back to the side of his face. She pulled him close, forehead on his and smiled against his lips but didn't kiss him. "Maybe I'm not either...but maybe I want to hear you say that I've won." 

 

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He could tell she was enjoying this. Maybe her pride didn't, but the rest of her definitely was, fingers in his hair and all. Lucius was ready to let her go if she got bored of the game, but since she pulled him even closer, he was all too happy to oblige, resting his forehead against hers.

"Maybe I'm not either...but maybe I want to hear you say that I've won." 

There is was.

"Fine." Lucius looked at her for a moment, a smile playing on his lips, before his hands slid down to her sides and he simply lifted her off her feet, turning around so they landed on the nearby stone bench, with her sitting on his lap. It wasn't as elegant a move as in the movies, but it got the job done, and Lucius grinned up at Camilla. "What did you win?"

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Well, she hadn't intended when she'd asked a perfect stranger to move from under an orange tree, that an hour or so later she'd be quite literally swept off her feet in an abandoned, secret cult temple under the streets of Rome. She was absolutely not complaining though. And judging from his touch, neither was he. 

She looped her arms around his neck as they sat and her lips quirked in a soft smile, "I won our afternoon." She bent her neck to duck down to further the kiss again, unwilling to expand on her answer. The banter, the back and forward, the arguments were all now buried in the moment - a moment that genuinely made her feel a bit light headed as she pulled back. But she had to pull back because her phone was buzzing. Go figure that even several feet underground in an ancient monument you still got cell service. 

She could see her phone now - and it was not where she had found his leg and in one smooth move, one hand still draped around his neck for support, she swept down with the other to fish it up. It was her friend Nia. Oh shit. The time. She glanced up at him with dark eyes full of lust; "It's my friend...my composing seminar starts in ten minutes..." She made no move to get up though. God Nia would be furious.

 

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"I won our afternoon." 

"I concede victory" Lucius murmured, thoroughly distracted by pulling her closer and kissing her again. There was something about Camilla he could not quite fathom, but it made all this feel heavier and more exhilarating than a makeout session in an abandoned cave.

And then the phone rang. Goddammit.

"It's my friend...my composing seminar starts in ten minutes..."

Lucius gave a hurt look as she read the phone screen, wishing seminars, phones, and poor innocent friends to hell in one swoop. It was hard to think straight at the moment. "Well... you're not going to make that." he concluded. There was no what she could get anywhere close to a university building in the next ten minutes. "But hey, you've already sent her my photo. I'm sure she'll understand."

@Sara

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Victory! Victory at last! She didn't have long to enjoy the moment or the sensation though as Nia's face appeared beaming on her phone. He was right, of course. The man was right about everything, she begrudgingly admitted and so with a grin, she chucked her phone back to the floor where it landed in a heap on her bag. 

With a sly smile she moved her position so her thighs were either side of his own. She leant down, her face a few millimetres from his own. She could feel his heartbeat thrum against her fingers as they played against the skin of his neck. She half wished she'd kept the lights off, but  then looking at him, decided this was much better. God he was infuriating, but God was he handsome. 

She'd never been this reckless, this wanton in her life, but really, truly didn't care in that moment as she swept down, her hair falling next to him as she leant in for another heated kiss.

 

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This was actually happening. Lucius had been wondering how far the moment would go before the tension broke... and then it didn't. It appeared that she liked to play the goodie two shoes, but down here at the mithraeum, she abandoned all principles. Lucius smiled against her lips as she tossed the phone away. At least she would have a story to tell her friend later.

She straddled his lap, and Lucius' hands found their way under her dress, along her thighs as they kissed. Really he had not been planning on doing this right here, right now, but damn if he was not going to go along with it. He leaned into the kiss, parting her lips as his hands traveled higher. They were both already out of breath, and a moan echoed in the sanctuary as he moved his hands and dipped his head to the crook of her neck.

"Now, this" he breathed against her neck with a lazy grin, enjoying the signals her body was sending "This is third base."

One of these days, his mouth was going to be the death of him.

This was hopefully not that day.

@Sara

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She already felt on the precipice of something, something no man had ever managed to get her close too when he spoke against her neck. The motion of the words made a shiver run the length of her spine, although the actual words themselves not so much. Very fortunately for him, she was too far down this particular rabbit hole to actually take offence and instead just grinned an equally lazy, lusty smile and retook his lips, moving her hips ever so slightly. He wanted to toy with her, fine, but she was going to do it right back. "And t-this...is me telling you to shut up.

---

She had honestly lost sense of time down here. She was led on a cold stone floor, the darkness enveloping them. The lights had been switched back off at some point during their interlude but when or why...she honestly couldn't remember, and she was in no hurry to try and dredge it back up. She felt wrung out, but in the best way possible and was catching her breath against the floor - clothes discarded in a heap somewhere to her right, and hopefully not on anything priceless and irreplaceable. She thought she'd heard something clatter at one point but in the midst of the moment, hadn't cared what it was. Even now, afterwards, she found she didn't care that much either. 

She glanced across to him - although couldn't see him in the pitch dark. She fumbled for her phone and it illuminated the room sparingly and she saw him next to her. She reached out a hand to play over the muscle of his upper arm, staying silent but with a satisfied grin curling on her lips. 

 

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He did what he was told and shut up. He had stretched his luck far enough, even though she was not complaining. Besides, he had better things to do, and annoyance was not the only reaction he wanted to get from her before the afternoon was done.

Time had no meaning down in the cave. Maybe that had been the point all those years ago. The acoustics, on the other hand, were marvelous, and Lucius was lucky that Nico was a great guy with the patience of a saint, because no one made an appearance at any point to question the sounds. It was dark again now, the darkness filled with heavy breathing and the smell of skin on skin. The cold stone floor felt great against his back. Lucius stared into the void trying to catch his breath. He blinked as the light of a phone switched on, and reached out to gather Camilla lazily to his side.

"You know... I think... the Romans would be damn proud of us."

@Sara

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Camilla rolled into his side as he pulled her in and grinned against his chest. She felt contentment from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. Even his banter didn't irk her quite as much now and she only laughed. 

"Did they make love," Oh god what had she just said. Honestly fuck private school and its repressed sex education lessons that stuck. She swallowed and shook her head, "Did they have sex often in caves underground?" She turned her face up to him, dimly lit by her phone light. 

Her phone was buzzing again now, texts coming through probably but she ignored it - content to lie in the semi-darkness for a little while longer. "You better give Nico a nice tip." She said with a lazy grin. 

 

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"Did they make love... Did they have sex often in caves underground?" 

Lucius chuckled at her wording. For someone who's just banged a total stranger in an archaeological site, she still sounded like the innocent good girl she wanted to be. That ship had sailed, princess. With full wind and a lot of noise.

"Caves, no idea. But they did like sex." if classical literature was to be believed. Also, Lucius liked sex too. And he liked how Camilla did not mind snuggling up to him. 

"You better give Nico a nice tip." 

Lucius' smile fell as he gave her a semi-alarmed look in the dim light of the phone.

"Oh god, I'm never gonna live this down, am I... For the record, this is not my MO. I've never had a girl jump me in the middle of a tour before."

@Sara

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"Yeah, yeah, yeah." She said with wry amusement as she finally dragged herself away from him to try and find her discarded clothes and underwear. Finding a discarded bra in an abandoned, ancient mystery temple was not how she expected to spend a random Tuesday afternoon, but here she was. 

"I don't mind," She said as she stood, re-dressing in her underwear as she kicked around trying to find her dress. The moment wasn't over, not by a long way, but  the need to one-up him, to win, was returning and rising to bait was a...difficult thing for somebody like Ovinia to refuse. "It was fun," she said with a smile, trying to be the cool girl who wasn't bothered she was just another notch in the bedpost, "And it is a romantic place so I see why you bring girls here. But for the record, my friend, I think it was you that jumped me, wasn't it?" 

Where on earth was her dress? She glanced around, avoiding his eyes in the dimly lit room as she tried to source her dress but instead felt and heard a crunch as she crushed her very expensive sunglasses underfoot. Great.

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Somehow, she didn't believe him. Or she pretended not to. As Camilla got up, Lucius let out a sigh. He would not have minded to cuddle her a little longer. Even though the stone floor was not exactly comfortable. He sat up too, rolling his shoulders. He was going to feel this in the morning.

"I don't mind. It was fun. And it is a romantic place so I see why you bring girls here. But for the record, my friend, I think it was you that jumped me, wasn't it?" 

"First off, if I wanted to take someone to a romantic place, I'd take them to the Roseto. But you asked for something unknown." he noted, getting to his feet and beginning to hunt for his clothes. He located his underwear, and then looked around for the rest as Camilla managed to step on her sunglasses. "Second, you don't have to believe me. Third..."he grinned, walking over to the relief of Mithras to unhook her discarded dress from it "I'm not complaining, but you definitely kissed me first."

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Camilla was about to quip; 'well then, I expect date two to be at the Roseto. Pick me up tomorrow at eight?' but she stopped herself just as the words neared the edge of her tongue. She wasn't going to presume. She was beautiful and rich, she was, however, not desperate. Or she convinced herself she wasn't. The thought that the man who deftly fished her dress off of the relief might not call on her again unsettled her. She tried to shake it off with another retort. 

"Ah, I only kissed you because you were putting on the moves." She chuckled and snatched her dress from his hand, stepping off of the crumbled mess of her sunglasses as she did so. "Again, a rehearsed trick no doubt. How many women did you have to go through before you realise the perfect spot to stroke on the back to make a lady weak at the knees?" She was teasing but offered him a smug smile as she pulled the dress back over her head. 

 

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It was not exactly easy to hunt for clothes in the darkness of the mithraeum; Lucius switched the lights back on, but even those did not help much. Camilla took her dress back, and he located his pants, putting them on as they continued their banter.

"Ah, I only kissed you because you were putting on the moves."

"Uh-huh..."

"Again, a rehearsed trick no doubt. How many women did you have to go through before you realise the perfect spot to stroke on the back to make a lady weak at the knees?" 

Lucius flashed her a grin. He must have done something right.

"Lucky guess" he answered, walking back to her to fix the strap on her dress "What, you're trying to say all women work the same way?" he clicked his tongue, shaking his head in mock seriousness. "I am really not the player you think I am. Maybe we just work well together, hm?"

@Sara

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Camilla rolled her eyes and readjusted one of the thin straps of her dress that he has just fixed - out of principle, of course, rather than any actual need. 

She couldn't help the slight flush that coloured her cheeks though, although mercifully it was in part hidden by the dim lighting of the mithraeum. "I don't know about that," She replied, trying to affect an air of coolness that really wasn't very her"Up until about half an hour..." She frowned, reaching for her phone to look at the time and the flush deepened - had they really been down here for almost two hours? She decided to round down, "Up until an hour and a half ago, we were at each others throats." Still on her knees from where she looked at her phone, she looked glumly at the crumpled mess of her designer sunglasses, "That doesn't scream working well together to me? Unless you usually date women you mock?" He could claim all he liked that this wasn't a date, as he'd suggested ahead of the sex, but Camilla Birch didn't sleep with men without one really good date, at the very least. That was her rule.

Pushing the shards of broken glass from the lenses into a neat little pile she stood. Somebody would clean that up later, no doubt. Not her problem. 

 

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Camilla turned her attention to her phone and the remains of her sunglasses. Lucius located his t-shirt and his own glasses, scanning the mithraeum the best he could for things they did not want to leave behind.

"I don't know about that. Up until about half an hour... Up until an hour and a half ago, we were at each others throats. That doesn't scream working well together to me? Unless you usually date women you mock?"

Lucius chuckled at Camilla's face when she realized the time. It was hard to guess what time it was when one was underground. And otherwise occupied.

"Well, technically this wasn't a date." he grinned, running a hand through his hair after he had his shirt back on "But I do enjoy banter with someone who is sharp enough to bite back." he tilted his head, looking at her. " I wouldn't mind an actual date, though. Would you?"

@Sara

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So much for not getting your hopes up, she thought and she stared a little dumfounded at him. He was not her type, not at all. He didn't have manners, nor a crew cut or button up shirt, he was mean - in a needling, uncomfortable sort of way but not in a way that actually really offended her. He didn't have a plan, or it seemed  to her, ambitions for one. Sense would dictate she say no, but she had so rarely felt any sense of actual physical attraction that she was being swayed. 

Clearing her throat, she tried to look nonchalant as she laced up her sandals again, "I expect my dates to dress up and pay for the date," She glanced up at him with a self-satisfied little smile, "And take me somewhere nice." Dinner and drinks (when in Rome and it was legal!) were a standard for her.  "But, I suppose you can have my number, if you promise you'll put a little effort in?" Her lips twitched in a wry smile and she held out her hand to take his phone so she could put her number in. 

 

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Camilla seemed to consider the question in detail. Lucius was curious what she would say. He actually meant what he had said: he would have enjoyed a date with her. Go figure. But he was not entirely sure if she would choose her pride, or the fun they had together. It was a coin toss.

"I expect my dates to dress up and pay for the date. And take me somewhere nice."

Lucius grinned. He knew he'd won her over, even with the snooty expectations. She had already seen him break most of her expectations, he was not sure why she would expect now otherwise.

"But, I suppose you can have my number, if you promise you'll put a little effort in?"

Lucius unlocked his phone and handed it over, stepping closer to Camilla to give her a look.

"Fine. I promise I will put in more effort than buying fancy drinks at a tourist trap." he grinned "But you have to promise this number actually belongs to you, and not your bodyguard or something."

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Camilla typed as he spoke, filling in her name and then her Italian and American numbers. When she was finished typing, she clicked the profile icon button and flipped the camera to selfie mode, taking a grinning picture with the relief in the background. That would hopefully make him smile when he looked at it. She was pleasantly surprised by how she looked; you still got it, girl. 

"I promise," She rolled her eyes and threw the phone back to him as she pulled up her own, staring at him. "Text me then, so I have your number and can give you my address." She lived alone but her building had a concierge and keypad entry so if he wanted to y'know...come and murder her, he'd have trouble. "I expect you to pick me up. Do you have plans tomorrow?" She ventured, striving not to sound too keen and ending with; "Then again, I guess all the good places are booked up weeks in advance so you might struggle at such short notice..." 

 

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"I promise. Text me then, so I have your number and can give you my address."

Lucius took his phone back; it now had two phone numbers and a picture of her, which made it automatically better. He texted her Italian number You look lovely before he pocketed his phone and turned to lead the way back to the surface.

"I expect you to pick me up. Do you have plans tomorrow? Then again, I guess all the good places are booked up weeks in advance so you might struggle at such short notice..." 

"Says the woman having a date in a monument closed to the public." Lucius laughed. "I'll pick you up at eight."

Except... he didn't.

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Nine months later - December, Manhattan

New York in December was hideous. Why she had ever romanticised this season in this godforsaken city during her year in Italy was beyond her, but now she had suffered through the perennial chill, the snow drifts, the lack of cabs and the fact she had to wear an ugly big coat everywhere she went, she'd already had enough. Mercifully she had the holiday booked already - two weeks in Tulum, in January. A balm for the soul. 

At least she was indoors now, and dressed to the nines - no giant coat, scarf or bobble hat in sight. She hung from Jacob's arm with an easy grin. They had been dating for a little over five months now, since she he had come over to Rome for a holiday - their first date had been at the Coliseum where he had apologised for the crowds, but she hadn't minded. It felt...normal, and comfortable and familiar. He gave her a necklace on their third date which she presumed was expensive and real gold, and had booked tickets for Tulum last month. He was on the up - although his first congressional race hadn't been a success, he'd accepted a job in consulting and would try again in a couple of years. Life was good. 

Life was not so good for the people they were having the black tie gala for tonight, of course. Camilla wanted to say  that it was to raise money for a series of wells somewhere, for clean drinking water...but then she also thought she heard somebody mention Malaria, so she couldn't be sure. Either way, it was for a good cause and she'd cracked out her fathers chequebook as Jacob had broken out his. She fitted in, in this world - she knew the people, the organisers both independently from her boyfriend and with him. It was all very...comfortable. Until she spotted him.

 

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Lucius hated charity events. It may sound ironic at first, but they combined two things that he disliked the most: rich people in fancy outfits, and the pretense that they cared. Throwing money at problems was not a bad idea per se, but these black tie shebangs were much more about showing off one's wealth than actually giving a damn about a cause. None of these people would ever deem to visit the places they were claiming to help.

Lucius felt the strange looks on his skin as people milled about. Some knew his family and were bound to know him as the black sheep. He wondered how many of them knew why he was back stateside, after having "that unfortunate adventure" with the Italian law enforcement. His parents certainly did not want to advertise the fact, but there had been a few news articles, and scandal traveled fast. This whole gala was part of his atonement for his perceived sins. His father was holding the fact over him that he'd found and paid the lawyers to get Lucius back home. This is how you do charity right, the message was. Flash some money, and forget about the rest.

Lucius leaned against the bar in the corner, holding a glass of brandy. He was dressed in a black suit, but he had already crammed the tie into his pocket, unbuttoning the top button of his white shirt. They could throw a hissy fit for all he cared. Maybe he would get lucky enough to get thrown out before he died of boredom.

And then he looked up, and there was Camilla.

He had not seen her since that day in Rome. He got arrested the next morning, and didn't make the date they had agreed on. By the time he got out, she had blocked his number, which was a clear message of what she thought about him. He found her on social media, but did not make an attempt to contact her again. There was no way of knowing whether she had looked up what happened, or just made an assumption. Either way, that ship had sailed. (Oh, the irony.)

And now, here she was, on the arm of some rich-looking douche. Probably the politically ambitious one. And damn, she looked hot. And happy. Their eyes met before Lucius could retreat into the crowd, and she had a look of sheer surprise. Her happy smile wavered. Lucius sighed. This was not gonna be good. He smiled and nodded to her anyway, raising his glass.

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She wanted to throw the glass she was holding at his stupid fucking head and yet she blinked, surprised at her own vitriol. It had been nine months, and yet occasionally she still thought about him and it irked her beyond belief. It had only been one day, why it lingered in her mind so much she honestly couldn't say, but the fact that he was standing here now, in a suit, only made her stomach lurch more. 

Jacob must of sense her tense as he glanced down with a curious expression and then, following her eye line, he saw Lucius. "What's wrong? Is he bothering you?" She shook  her head with a tight smile, "No, no he's a friend from Italy. I hadn't expected to see him here, can you hold this? I'll say hello." She passed him the class of club soda she had (how irritating she couldn't have a big glass of refreshing, numbing wine now she was back inn the states and underage), out of fear if she carried it over to Lucius she might throw it in his face. Jacob looked wary but acquiesced with a nod. 

Brushing down the ruffles on her dress, she weaved through the crowds, her heels clicking on the marble floor, until she stopped a pace from him. She didn't say anything at first, merely  taking him in with a disparaging look. When she did speak, her voice was flat and she rose her brows in surprise. "This is a surprise." She stared at him hard, a dispassionate look on her face, before turning it to the side and shaking her head; "What are you doing here, Lucius?"

 

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Oh, she was angry. Lucius looked at as she glared at him, all ruffles and anger. It was a little surprising. It had been the better part of a year, and she had a whole new fancy boyfriend; Lucius thought she must have moved on by now. At least she didn't bring the guy over.

"This is a surprise. What are you doing here, Lucius?"

"Atoning for my sins against the family's good name." he deadpanned "By putting in an appearance at a charity event." he clarified, motioning at the rich people milling about. He kept looking at her, though. She looked taller in heels. Also, more dangerous. "How about you?"

@Sara

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She arched a brow and glanced about the room as he gestured to the crowds. She let the comment about sins slip by her. She had not only blocked his numbers, but had blocked his social media (which she had found one drunken evening) and had resolved not to google him again after that. She had no idea of the arrest, or that he was back in the states. She was moving on. No, she had moved on. 

"This doesn't seem like your sort of 'do though, does it?" She pulled her attention back to him but weathered an expression of utter contempt. "And I am here as an invited guest." She offered a self-satisfied, angry little smile as if inferring he hadn't been invited. A thought struck and her expression changed in to one of curiosity mixed with annoyance; "You're not here to do some sort of protest, are you? Cover us all in red paint and say we're all murderers for some inexplicable reason? Isn't that what your sort likes to do?" 

 

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