#inspired by that awesome piece of art with Steve in a toga

[vankaar]

I’ve seen that amazing (awesome, breathtaking!! *___*)!art of Steve in ancient roman’s clothes while my hormones were wackos and I consequently fell into the superfun rabbit hole of ancient roman’s swear words and this drabble happened. Sorry for the English and bad latin (I bet my archeologists friends -who actually knows latin- would wack me with a newspaper if they ever read this xD ) no beta, we die like Julius Caesar.

———

Futuo, he was screwed. If they would catch him he was totally dead or worse, they’ll send him off to the mines.

Edyrn looked around frantically, dark eyes wide in the dim light of the cave, searching for a place to hide.

Nope, nothing.

So he grabbed the bigger piece of broken terrracotta he could see on the ground and lounged.

The man looked surprised by his attack, his wind momentarily knocked out of him as his back hit the cave’s wall, Edyrn putting all his body weight into pinning him, sharp piece of pottery, trembling near the pale throat.

“Edyrn! Stop!” Shouted the familiar voice of one of his little friends.

What was the little menace doing here? Wonderful, the rest of the gang were gawking behind him.

“It’s me, it’s Drustanus,” he said with the tone one uses to calm a spooked horse. “This is Stephanus, he’s not gonna hurt you.”

“I’m cool, comes! I’m cool” said the man putting his hands up in a placating gesture. To Edyrn total bafflement, he didn’t seem to be putting up any fight. Weird, everyone in the polis knew that Stephanus was a skilled fighter.

He squinted, trying to read into those pretty hazel eyes if the other was being sincere or if it was all some rich peoples’ plot at his expense.

Edyrn knew the little parvulus were there to help him but what in Hades’ realm was that patrician son of a scortor doing with them?

Looking at his plush, pomegranate lips, slightly parted from the fright, he remembered the first time he saw him.

—

It was a evening, one of the good ones, when his master let him play the pandura to entertain the guests. Edyrn had just finished to tune the instrument as the Invictus family made his entrance, father first, looking around like everyone was shit, the other family members after him weren’t better off with their noses held hight.

What a bunch of hateful pendulam, he thought to himself.

Luckily no one was paying him attention at the moment, so none noticed him glare at a patrician. In those last, hard years he learned to bite his tongue and keep his opinions to himself, but his too expressive face sometimes still betrayed him, even if he was careful not to show his disdain. He really didn’t wish to have another close up encounter with the flagellum.

Everything stopped, it felt like Chronos was holding his breath as Edyrn lifted his gaze from the lute’s keys some moment after thats, and saw the most stunning being in existence.

The young man was between a group of giggling, finely-dressed, ladies but he was looking at straight at him.

Fair skin, strong arms, a golden laurel crown on his shiny hair… the first unhinged thought that popped in his brain was that Apollo himself has came down from mount Olympus to mingle with the humans and Edryn was more than happy to kneel and worship him with his undeserving mortal mouth.

“That’s Stephanus Invictus,” whispered Rianne, while poking the bony elbow of the arm not holding her aulos, into his ribs “I can introduce you to him if you stop gawking like a sturnus!”

“Hey!!” He turned to glare at her “I wasn’t —gawking, tks! That’s just another patrician dick. He’s not even that pretty,” it wasn’t a lie, the man wasn’t pretty he was downright gorgeous but sure as death Edyrn wasn’t making Rianne privy to that particular info.

“Yeah right, and you totally aren’t drooling all over his strong thighs,” she deadpanned with a raised eyebrow.

Damn, he was caught. “Still a patrician dick,” he said faintly as his eyes fell on those sinfully muscled thighs.

“You’re wrong, he’s not a dick, he’s quite decent and brave,” she smiled challenging at the unimpressed face he made. “Now shut up and play.”

He stuck out his tongue at her in an impressive show of maturity and self restraint, and was rewarded with the funny sound of her snorting into her aulos.

—

Hours later, when the banquet was in full swing and Edyrn was tasked with wine service. He was sweating from the damp hotness in the cramped room and more than fed up of old, sweaty men feeling him up while he was trying not to spill red wine on the white tablecloths. The damned things were hard to wash clean without the bloody wine stains.

On clue a boisterous, balding patrician spilled his entire goblet.

Eryn couldn’t quite contain the eye roll, than took a better look at the man. This was the same filthy being that hit one of the younger servants the las time. He felt the fury growing in his chest. The Parcae lend him a chance as just then the man got up from his triclinium, more out of instinct that reasoning, Edyrn put his foot in front of him, sending the inepte man sprawling on the tiled floor with a satisfying thud.

The other servants nearby scrambled to help him, Edyrn kept up with his tasks of refilling empty goblets. A small satisfied smirk dancing in the corner of his lip until he stopped, horrified, as he saw the beautiful man from before, looking directly at him with an amused smile.

Oh no. No, no, no.

Merda! From the angle he sat he must’ve saw him.

Stephanus gestured with his goblet and Edyrn had no choice as to go to him and serve the wine. He kept his gaze on the ruby liquid so it looked he was caught up into not spill any but the truth was that his insides were cold and leaden and he was terrified because his fate was gonna be sealed the moment those pretty lips opened.

A finger under his chin made him turn to look directly into the young patrician’s face.

Edyrn took all his courage and looked at him straight in the eyes, daring him to made his move. The man inclined his head slightly, his smile growing “he deserved it, anyway,” he wispered with a wink and with a light pat onto Edyrn butt he sent him over to the next guest in need of some of Dionysius’ nectar.

What did just happened? Edyrn went to the motion in autopilot, his brain was mush and sure as fate the warm he felt at the tip of his ears were from the overcrowded room and he definitely didn’t kept sneaking glances at the pretty patrician for the rest of the evening.

—

Edyrn looked at him now, he wore no golden crown of laurel this time, a simple white tunic decorated with a couple of dark yellow stripe, instead of a toga but he looked breathtaking nonetheless, especially up close..

“Why are you here?” He asked roughly.

“To help you,” said Drustanus, eyes begging to believe him.

He turns again to Stephanusand with a last heated look at those kissable lips Edyrn backed away, mentally saying goodbye to the solid warm body he was pressing on the cave wall.

Homicides and monsters sure forge strange alliances.

—————

Futuo - fuck

Polis - city

Comes - man/bro

Parvulus - children

Hades’s realm - hell

Patrician - nobleman

Scortus - bitch

Pandura - lute

Pendulam - dick

Flagellum - whip

Chornos - God of time

Apollo - God of the sun and music

Mount Olympus - the place were gods live

Aulos - double flute

Parcae - goddesses of fate

Inepte - dumb

Merda - shit (fun fact in italians it’s still used Merda)

Dionysius - God of wine and intoxication

Toga - formal Ancient Rome’s clothes