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Innocents abroad (Modern day AU)


Chevi

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Well. That was her told. Again. She said nothing and sipped her mind, although mentally she chastised herself; stupid fucking woman. He had been like this that day they had met; talked circles around her in a way she couldn't quite do herself. How sad it was, and how hilarious that the evening after they had met she had actually read the news. She'd actually googled topical subjects. She wanted to learn. That desire, however, had slipped away when he was a no-show and now she regretted it. She was back to feeling like an idiot. 

John and Thomas, she saw, exchanged glances as did the women and much as she'd quite like to pout and stew in her discomfort, she didn't wish to cause a scene. With an affable smile plastered on her face, she chuckled. "A toast, maybe?" She raised her glass of wine and the others followed suit - although wariness was plastered in most of their eyes; "To Lucius Roscoe and his good endeavours; the smartest man I know without a degree." That comment produced a titter of amusement from the women at the table and Jacob and she drank her wine, basking in it. 

"Maybe we can move onto lighter topics? Now we all know where we stand, hm?" 

 

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He knew he had won that round. But it had been a fair fight. Camilla blushed again a little, and Lucius smiled at her. He liked the banter, not humiliating someone.

"A toast, maybe? To Lucius Roscoe and his good endeavours; the smartest man I know without a degree." 

He did laugh at that. It seemed to break the tension, and the others laughed too. "Touché."

"Maybe we can move onto lighter topics? Now we all know where we stand, hm?" 

"Yes let's" he agreed, as the waiters came to take the soup bowls away. Lucy piped up.

"I know!" she grinned after sipping her wine "Millie, you said you were going to Mexico soon, yes? Such an amazing place! So much culture." Lucius winced again, and gave Camilla an amused look. "Sooo, people... if you had to pick the most romantic place to travel to, where would you go?"

Lucius' look turned to that of exasperation.

Oh, for fuck's sake.

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Thank God she had nothing to choke on that time. She managed to keep her face neutral before turning to look at Jacob adoringly behind her. He left a kiss on her forehead. "Mhmm. In two weeks, and I don't know, Tulum sounds very romantic." She grinned lasciviously and squeezed Jacob's hand, pointedly ignoring the person sat to her right. She could sense his exasperation from here. 

"But Greece, I think. Island hoping, that sounds romantic to me." Jacob chuckled and squeezed her hand, "Noted for the future." which was met with a chorus of 'Aww' from the assembled group. Or most of the assembled group. 

"Was Rome romantic, Millie? Lucius? I've always wanted to go to Italy." Lucy queried, but there was curiosity in her voice that Camilla wanted to head off. Managing to look neutral again she nodded, "It was. Jacob and I had our first date there, don't forget." 

 

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It took them a whole soup course and half a glass of wine to get to couples talk. Lucius started to look for an elegant way out of this shit.

"Mhmm. In two weeks, and I don't know, Tulum sounds very romantic. But Greece, I think. Island hoping, that sounds romantic to me."

"Noted for the future." 

I hope you choke on the main course.

"Was Rome romantic, Millie? Lucius? I've always wanted to go to Italy."

"It was. Jacob and I had our first date there, don't forget." 

If she had been throwing comments at him to needle him before, this one actually hit a nerve. Lucius buried his expression in his glass of brandy before anyone could take too close a look.

"That's lovely." he noted, when he came up with a forced smile. "Did he take you somewhere romantic?"

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Jacob interjected before she had a chance to talk and she felt herself begin to shrivel with embarrassment. She knew exactly what Lucius would think of their date, even if the others at the table found it irresistibly romantic. "I did. Champagne at a place next to the Trevi Fountain, and then one of the afternoon tours of the Coliseum that they do. And then dinner, where was it again? You raved about the food, Mils." Kill me. 

"La Pergola." She replied into her wine glass as she sipped it. "Ah yes, Michelin starred restaurants only for my lady..When in Rome, after all!" She smiled blandly and chuckled as another chorus of awws went round the table. Aww indeed. 

"And what about you, Lucius?" Lucy continued her fixation on the guest at the table, her eyes glinting with curiosity. She'd evidently learned a lot in her first semester of law-school, judging by this inquisition. "I know you've been...busy, but you're here alone...no lovely lady you wanted to bring?" Which translated, meant; 'Are you single? I know a rich, vapid girl who wants a bad-boy phase'.

 

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Jacob answered instead of Camilla, just to make things any more fucking awkward. He was clearly proud of his dating game. And also of Camilla, Lucius had to give him that.

"I did. Champagne at a place next to the Trevi Fountain, and then one of the afternoon tours of the Coliseum that they do. And then dinner, where was it again? You raved about the food, Mils... Ah yes, Michelin starred restaurants only for my lady..When in Rome, after all!" 

For a moment, Lucius honestly thought he was going to throw up the soup.

"And what about you, Lucius? I know you've been...busy, but you're here alone...no lovely lady you wanted to bring?"

Fuck you, Lucy.

"I did meet a girl in Rome, but... I got arrested before we really got to know each other. Too bad. I had a fancy date planned and everything."

"Ooh! Do tell!" Tara chimed in. "Yes! Tell! Maybe we'll steal your idea." Lucy added. Thomas looked about as miserable as Lucius felt. Lucius smiled a little anyway.

"Well... I don't know..."

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If Lucius felt like he was going to throw up the soup, he wasn't alone. She could feel the tension in her boyfriend behind her, as if he was about to be one-upped, and she herself felt tense.

She didn't want to let him know that he'd hurt her. That she still day dreamed about him. That he had been the best lay she'd had. He was making it increasingly difficult not to blurt it out though...or slap him. She hated him! He made her so angry, so humiliated but God, the smile...she felt another bout of confusion, immediately followed by another wave of nausea.

"Oh yes, do tell..." She chimed in, strained, with a taut smile and gave Jacob a reassuring kiss on the back of his hand, as if to say 'don't worry - I'm sure I'll prefer the date you took me on'. 

 

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Aand the tension was back, except this time Lucy and Tara were completely oblivious to it, swayed by the excitement of hearing of a romantic date in Rome that never happened.

"Oh yes, do tell..." 

Camilla was looking at him, holding Jacob's hand. The look was just about killing him. Lucius had tried to remember that day in Rome as a one time fun thing, something that had happened and could be remembered with a smile. But if he wanted to be honest, it felt like more than that.

Date. Right.

"Well, there's this place in the Palazzo Massimo" he said finally, turning to talk at Lucy and Tara instead of watching Camilla. It was easier. "It's a whole room on the top floor of the museum, with Roman wall paintings all the way around, up to the ceiling. They found them in Livia's villa, and moved them in one piece. You see, Augustus caesar had a whole room painted for his wife like a lifelike garden... Marvelous piece of art. They call it Paradiso. Paradise."

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Camilla listened and shifted in her seat to try and dissipate the tension in her body. She was relieved when he drew to a stop at...that. A gallery? That...was it? She let out a little laugh, she couldn't help herself and she was joined by the men at the table with a chortle of their own. 

"A museum? Some old, no doubt beautiful paintings but..." She arched a brow, "No dinner? Drinks?" She scoffed and shook her head, relieved that the indecipherable feeling in her body was dissipating. She had thought he'd do something romantic, and much like the day dreams she had over what happened to him, she'd mused occasionally on what sort of date he would have taken her on. It was never just...wall paintings. 

"I think the girl had a lucky escape...It doesn't sound very romantic Lucius...you should get Jacob to give you some tips." She chuckled and reached out to pour herself more wine, although Thomas kindly did it for her. 

 

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"A museum? Some old, no doubt beautiful paintings but... No dinner? Drinks?" 

She laughed, and the others laughed too. Lucius winced. This was why he never hung out with people his age and social standing. None of them had an eye for anything beyond what the luxury brochures recommended for them.

"I think the girl had a lucky escape...It doesn't sound very romantic Lucius...you should get Jacob to give you some tips." 

"Maybe I will." he forced a smile and a small laugh, but the general amusement around the table proved to be too much. There had been more to the date, but he sure as hell did not feel like sharing it now. "Excuse me for a moment."

Lucius stood, making a beeline across the dining hall to the hallway, generally hoping they thought he was headed for the bathroom. He needed to find fresh air, before he punched in the face of someone passably important. 

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Something had hit a nerve and she felt guilty almost immediately. She shouldn't have, of course, she was only giving as good as she got but at the same time, at his flustered 'excuse me for a moment' she felt another wave of nausea burn her chest. 

"Should we go see if he's alright?" Tara enquired, looking - for once - a bit mollified, "We were genuinely interested...he didn't need to storm off." 

Camilla, against her better judgement, pushed herself up from the table. "I'll go see, I'm sure he's fine. He was always a sensitive soul, loves his art, can't take a joke." She felt a hand on her forearm and saw Jacob pushing himself up. "No I'll go see him, you should-" Camilla shook her head, "You don't know him, I-" Jacob shook his head, "Mils - the man is upset you joked at his expense, let me have a bro chat with him and smooth-" She pushed her arm from her forearm, "He doesn't strike me as the sort that wants a bro chat." Leaning down she kissed his forehead which pacified him for now. She knew he wasn't insisting on following Lucius out of anything other than jealousy, and she'd hopefully headed that off. "I'll be back in five, and don't forget I ordered salmon if they bring the main course through." 

She heard the tell-tale gossip of the group reconverting as she left, striding over to the doorway she'd glimpsed that he'd left through. Nowhere to be found. She frowned and then saw, at the end of the corridor - the fire escape. She wished she'd stopped for her coat. Still, it would hopefully be a quick conversation. 

As predicted, as she opened the door, there he was. She stepped out, wedging the door with a brick left out for the purpose. "I didn't expect  you to be the sort that goes off in a huff. Don't snipe at people if you can't tolerate it when it's given back to you." 

 

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Lucius made his way to the fire escape without anyone noticing where he was headed. The evenings were chilly in New York this time of the year, but the fresh air, even if it was city air, was much needed to calm him down. He wasn't even sure why, but he needed to get away from the table before things turned unfixable. He was already in enough trouble with his parents.

"I didn't expect  you to be the sort that goes off in a huff. Don't snipe at people if you can't tolerate it when it's given back to you." 

Lucius turned to see Camilla stepping out to the fire escape too, and immediately thought that she was going to freeze in that frilly dress. He honestly did not expect her to follow. Or Jacob to let her.

"I'm not in a huff. I just didn't feel like I had to explain something to them that was not meant for them."

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"Well," She rolled her eyes dramatically and wrapped her arms around her waist - the cold already biting at her skin, "You don't have to explain, but storming out of a dinner because of some good natured teasing," Well...it wasn't really good natured but still..."Looks pretty...immature." 

She gave him a self-satisfied smile and then glanced at him. "I'd ask if you're coming back in there but why do I get the sense you want everybody to be whispering about you, 'I wonder what mysterious Lucius is doing', hmm?" With a roll of her eyes she reached into the purse she'd snatched as she left and pulled out some cigarettes, lighting one without offering him one.

 

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Deep down, Lucius wanted Camilla to ask. He wanted to tell her what it would have been, even though he was not sure she would have appreciated it at all. Maybe the date would have been a disaster anyway. One could not get lucky with every off-the-beaten-track secret place, even in Rome.

"Well. You don't have to explain, but storming out of a dinner because of some good natured teasing... Looks pretty...immature." 

Lucius snorted, giving her a look. "Do I look like someone who cares about that?"

"I'd ask if you're coming back in there but why do I get the sense you want everybody to be whispering about you, 'I wonder what mysterious Lucius is doing', hmm?"

"Maybe?... Isn't that why you came out here, Millie?"

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She took one drag of her cigarette and then tossed it over the side of the fire escape into the streets below. She considered it her one vice, but here and now she felt it was ill advised. She'd already had wine and didn't often drink. She needed a clear head. 

"Don't call me that." She retorted coldly. She hated it. It made her feel small. She was Camilla Birch. Not 'Millie' or 'Mils'. "I came to see if you were okay," She swallowed the lump in her throat and shrugged her shoulders with an exasperated laugh. "That's why I came out here and yes," She was rambling now, voice angry and heated, "Maybe I was intrigued. It's been over half a year. Of course I wonder what the date would have been. Of course I wondered why I waited for two hours on the steps of my apartment building, dressed to the nines, waiting for you, for you to never show up." She couldn't stop herself even if she tried, "Of course I thought about you but..." She shrugged, "If you're going to act like an immature brat, and storm off at every joke at your expense, maybe you're not worth any energy at all." 

She stopped, slightly breathless. Where the fuck had that come from. 

 

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The cigarette was gone as fast as it had appeared, and he had no time to comment on it. 

"Don't call me that.

There it was. She didn't like it. Somehow he had suspected that, but damn, her own boyfriend called her that anyway. That spoke volumes.

"I came to see if you were okay. That's why I came out here and yes... Maybe I was intrigued. It's been over half a year. Of course I wonder what the date would have been. Of course I wondered why I waited for two hours on the steps of my apartment building, dressed to the nines, waiting for you, for you to never show up."

Well, that hurt. Regret was clear in Lucius' face as she finally called him out on what had happened with the missed date. She had actually dressed up, and cared. He had pictured her many times, wondering what she had been doing while he was being carted off to jail. Damn timing.

"Of course I thought about you but... If you're going to act like an immature brat, and storm off at every joke at your expense, maybe you're not worth any energy at all." 

"Oh please." Lucius sighed, shrugging off his suit jacket. That damn dress was not designed for the cold. "Like those people in there have any more mature topics. Or original ideas. Michelin stars? Really?... Take this before you freeze, princess."

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"They're nice people!" She protested with annoyance and anger in her face. "And yes! I like Michelin starred restaurants? Is that really a fucking surprise?" She choked on her own venom, eyes blazing. "I'm one of them - these people you loathe so much. I'm a Princess, right? Princess Millie?" 

As he tried to pass her his jacket, she snapped and snatched it, balling it up in her fists before turning round and hitting him with it a couple of times before she let it fall from her hand into a heap on the floor. Oh god. What the fuck Camilla. 

Struggling to regain her composure, she exhaled hard a few times, trying to calm herself down. "I don't know why I'm upset," she swallowed the dry lump in her throat, "It's fine. It's all fine. Now will you please just come back and have dinner so it's not fucking awkward, and then you can get lost back to wherever." 

 

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Lucius knew he had gone too far the moment she weaponized his own damn coat.

"They're nice people! And yes! I like Michelin starred restaurants? Is that really a fucking surprise? I'm one of them - these people you loathe so much. I'm a Princess, right? Princess Millie?" 

He held up his arms, but otherwise didn't protest as she hit him a couple of times, frustration clear in her actions. Finally she dropped the coat. She looked flustered and out of sorts. But also kind of beautiful. More real than when she was all poised.

"I don't know why I'm upset. It's fine. It's all fine. Now will you please just come back and have dinner so it's not fucking awkward, and then you can get lost back to wherever." 

"It's actually not fine at all. I'm not fine." Lucius noted, taking a step closer to look her in the eyes. "I'm sorry I stood you up. I didn't want to. I really wanted that date. And you shouldn't have been waiting for me without knowing what happened. I'm sorry."

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‘I’m not fine’ felt like a sucker punch to her ribs and she swallowed. She felt rooted to the spot as he stepped closer, and tried to keep her dark, angry, hurt eyes from his but gave up as he continued to speak. She was calming down now, anger seeping out of her now it was spent on her outburst.

”We…” Should not be standing like this. Last time there were consequences, “We need to get over ourselves, don’t we Lucius?”  She swallowed again and exhaled through her nose as she finally took a step back. “It was one date, nine months ago, that didn’t work out, Christ, it’s not like you were the love of my life.” She strained to sound confident, nonchalant. “But apology…apology accepted. At least I know you didn’t plan to ghost me.” Or he hadn’t fallen for some Italian beauty and decided she was a better prospect. “I’m sorry for…your jacket.” She winced and glanced at him. 

Dont torture yourself Camilla. 

“I’m happy now, with Jacob. Here but…” She tried to sound nonplussed, joking, “I do want to hear what you had planned. So I can steal them, the next time I’m back in Rome.” 

 

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”Well... We need to get over ourselves, don’t we Lucius? It was one date, nine months ago, that didn’t work out, Christ, it’s not like you were the love of my life.”

For a moment, standing close to her, Lucius felt the same tension he had felt months before, back in the underground mithraeum. Except now there was a heaviness to it. More emotion. More time. And more pain in her eyes, whatever she was saying.

“But apology…apology accepted. At least I know you didn’t plan to ghost me. I’m sorry for…your jacket.” 

"Whatever." he hated the damn jacket anyway.

“I’m happy now, with Jacob. Here but… I do want to hear what you had planned. So I can steal them, the next time I’m back in Rome.” 

Was she happy? Really? Maybe she was. Maybe Lucius did need to get over himself, and accept that she did want a different kind of guy more. One with more money and less personality. But she gave him an out at least.

"I was not kidding about the Paradise" he admitted with a sigh. "Except, it looks much better in candlelight. The museum closes at eight." which meant it would have been empty by the time they got there. "I knew someone who would have let us in. And set up a nice dinner table for two in Livia's garden. And then maybe go wandering around the palace at night." Alright, so it sounded less exciting when spoken out loud instead of experienced. "And maybe had some music. There is a nice view from the roof."

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She felt something swell in her chest at the description of the date. She smiled softly at him as he spoke, picturing them. She would have been horrendously overdressed - she omitted to mention she had spent a disgusting amount of money on a new dress and heels for the occasion - and he would have mocked her, but she would have weathered it and the tension would have been…good. Electrifying, as the banter merged into flirtation and then…she stopped herself and swallowed, realising she had been silent for too long. Her imagination always ran away with her.

Her throat was dry as she began to talk; “Well…that sounds quite something. Although a suspiciously cheap date for you.” She chuckled and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “A-and you’ll have to find new friends to let you in secret places for your dates,” she chuckled, trying to sound light and jesting, “Given I doubt Italy are going to let you in any time soon.” She exhaled and smoothed down her dress, before winding her arms around her waist again, feeling the chill more than before her outburst. “Dates for another girl, of course. You missed the boat with this one…if you’ll forgive the joke.” 

 

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At least she didn't laugh at him, not anymore. The date would have been much better in real life than in words. But she still looked a little impressed. Lucius smiled a little at her. She tossed her hair in a way that was very uniquely her.  

“Well…that sounds quite something. Although a suspiciously cheap date for you. A-and you’ll have to find new friends to let you in secret places for your dates. Given I doubt Italy are going to let you in any time soon.”

"Still worth it" he stated simply. He might not return to Italy for a while, which was a pity. But he had done good. Somehow he had stepped closer again, looking down at her although her heels have made up for some of the height difference. "Except for the date."

"Dates for another girl, of course. You missed the boat with this one…if you’ll forgive the joke.” 

Lucius chuckled at her joke, but his eyes followed her hands as she smoothed down her dress. He swallowed, his throat dry like hers. They were getting dangerously close to the edge of something where one could fall off either way. 

"He makes you happy, then? Really?" it wasn't a challenge, not really. Maybe he did. But Camilla deserved to be with someone who was good for her. "... because I think he is about to show up here in like two to three minutes. And I'm fighting really hard not to kiss you right now."

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She knew she didn't need to explain it to him, but wanted to. She felt she needed to justify it - to himself...to her. "He's good for me." She settled on, "And he makes me happy." Most of the time. When she didn't dwell for too long on what she actually wanted, the future she planned or the expectation on her. 

And then he stopped and she felt herself physically swoon, like they did in the movies, like she read in the trashy romance books that littered her spartan bookshelves. Her knees felt heavy and her chest felt full and she swallowed again, her throat scratchy and mouth dry. 

"Then fucking do something about it." 

She'd deal with the fall out after. 

 

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There was a moment when Lucius seriously expected her to hit him again. He braced himself from the yelling and the indignation, but instead, they just stared at each other for what seemed like a very long time. Half the world could have burned down in it.

"Then fucking do something about it." 

And there she was, the way he remembered her.

Lucius did not need to be told twice. In a flash, his hands were around her waist, fingers curling into the ruffles of her dress as he spun her away from the door and any windows, into the far corner of the fire escape. By the time he back hit the wall his lips were on hers, and he really hoped she was not about to change her mind. It was likely he wouldn't survive.

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And there it was. She sunk into the kiss with all the ferocity that had been lacking from her life since that afternoon in Rome, and for all the years preceding that. He inflamed something in her that she didn't know existed and as he pushed her away from the door, his hands on her waist in comfortable familiarity, she wound her arms around his neck. 

The kiss was heated and passionate and almost panicked. She forgot the world around them, the cold, her friends indoors for a few minutes until she pulled back, breathless, and rested her forehead on his. Her heart was beating a thousand miles a minute and she could feel his thrum as her fingers rested on his neck. 

"W-we should go back," She said, although she made absolutely no effort to move from his embrace. What she left unsaid was; we should go back to normal, now we've got that out our systems. "Jacob will come looking and..." She tilted her head against the wall behind her, raising her fingers to trace across his jaw, his lips, his cheekbones, "I quite like this face, I'd quite like it stay un-punched." 

 

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