Brotherly Love

[Sharpie]

September 77

 

Having an ex-brother no longer living in the same house couldn't be the same as having a brother living in the same house. Despite his better instincts, Gaius did miss his brother, although he didn't in the slightest miss the chaos that perpetually swirled around him like dust around a traveller in summer.

So, in order to catch up with Lucius (and remind himself that no, he really didn't miss his brother's brand of chaos in the slightest!), he had invited his brother to dinner. A private meal, just the two of them, the way they had used to share meals before Lucius' whole adoption and everything else. Despite the adoption meaning that they were no longer brothers in the eyes of the law, he still felt a responsibility for Lucius... and dammit, yes, Lucius was his brother, the perpetual thorn in the side he had always been. He loved Lucius despite himself.

Things were set out neatly in the triclinium, and Gaius could console himself that at least this time he knew Lucius hadn't had a hand in any of the food preparation, getting in the slaves' way and upsetting the smooth running of the house.

[Chevi]

It felt good, to be invited to his brother's again. Even though they were not legally brothers anymore. Lucius made sure to clean up before he headed over to the domus for dinner. He half expected that his brother had something to scold him for... although the chances that he'd know about the one thing that really deserved a scolding were pretty low. Still, Lucius, as a younger brother, always looked forward to these visits with a mix of excitement and wariness.

He walked into the triclinium with a broad smile anyway. "Gaius! Missed my cooking?"

@Sharpie

[Sharpie]

Gaius Vipsanius Roscius

 

Lucius wasn't his headache to deal with any more. He just had to remind himself of that and keep reminding himself of that... But how on earth did Lucius manage to needle him even when he wasn't Gaius' headache to deal with now?

"Cooking is for slaves," he said once he was able to manage to speak with equilibrium. "Apparently even the vigiles haven't been able to instil that into you. So much for that hope." He looked his erstwhile brother up and down. "How is life among the plebiscite treating you, then? And do I need to send my body slave's recipe for a headache cure to your new paterfamilias?"

 

@Chevi

 

Edited May 12, 2023 by Sharpie

[Chevi]

"I missed you too, Gaius" Lucius grinned at his brother, unfazed by his comments as he clasped his arm. "The vigiles don't have slaves to cook for them, but I'm not complaining about the food." he took a seat on one of the couches. "And my paterfamilias' headache has let up somewhat now that I'm a centurion. I'm guessing it will disappear when I make tribune and start seeming halfway respectable." He added with a chuckle, pouring himself a cup of wine. "How about you? Charting a path to consulship?"

@Sharpie

[Sharpie]

Gaius Vipsanius Roscius

 

"I don't know about consul," Gaius said. "I am standing for Aedile, though - but I thought you knew that?" If he was fortunate enough to be elected to one of the two curule aedileships (the only two out of the four aediles who could be patrician rather than plebeian by birth), he would hold that position 'in his year', which would be an achievement in its own right. In three years' time, he could stand for election as a quaestor - but that was for the future and while it was good to think about the future, it was not good to dwell on it to the exclusion of the present.

"You were halfway respectable, and more, before all this lunacy," he said, and looked at his brother. He didn't seem to be regretting his choice, which was something Gaius had worried he might, once he started down that path. "They've made you a centurion - they must be mad. I thought you didn't want any sort of responsibility?"

He'd thought his brother would have hated any sort of responsibility; he'd never shown any sense of it before.

 

@Chevi

Edited May 12, 2023 by Sharpie

[Chevi]

"No, I just didn't want the boring kind of responsibility" Lucius grinned, raising his cup. He still felt at home in this house, despite not being at home. "But if it makes you feel any better, the men are giving me one hell of a hard time about it." Not that  he minded. He had Titus, who set the bar very high, but also kept him humble. He looked at his brother, aedile now, tilting his head.

@Sharpie

[Sharpie]

Gaius Vipsanius Roscius

 

"You could have become a military tribune, that's hardly boring," Gaius pointed out, and sighed. There was no way back through the waters of Lethe, and he had told his brother to think long and hard about what he was planning to do - and now they both had to live with the choice he'd made.

He gave his brother - erstwhile brother in the eyes of the law - a tight smile. "I can't say I'm not glad to hear it," he said. "Considering all the hard times you've given me over the years. Still, it doesn't look as if you're having too much of a hard time with them." Doubtless the slaves were glad they didn't have the young master under their feet all the time, too.

"How is your plan of reform coming along?" he asked, reaching for some olives.

 

@Chevi

Edited May 12, 2023 by Sharpie