fic: intret amicitiae nomine tectus amor.
Aug. 11th, 2010 04:31 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bonnefoisTitle: intret amicitiae nomine tectus amor.
Rating/Warnings: PG-13
Pairing(s): Rome/Germania, mentioned Ancient Greece/Ancient Egypt
Prompt: Rome/Germania - Gakuen AU, both are teachers at a school, Rome is constantly pestering Germania in between classes and Germania enjoys the interruptions but doesn't want to admit it.
Word count: 1606
Notes: the title is the original Latin of a quote from Ovid which translates as "Let love steal in as friendship."
Johann checked over his equipment. The principal wouldn't stand for him using anything but dulled practice swords with so much foam armor that the fun and bloodsport went right out of it. Kids today were entirely too pampered. Whenever Johann voiced that feeling, Julius would laugh and him and clap him on the shoulder.
According to Julius, Johann was born old. He'd been teasing him about it for as long as Johann could remember. Even back when they were schoolboys in their striped uniforms, playing baseball and first learning about those mysteries of life: enigmatic girls, the bittersweet first tastes of alcohol, and even each other.
He hadn't set out to be a PE teacher. Events had merely set up this way, so much that this was the way the sequence of events followed. He had meant to be an accountant, but then again, he'd avoided a major scandal by not going with the firm which had imploded into itself years later. It was for the best.
PE was never a popular class in general, though it did falter a bit behind such lovely classes such as Calculus, though Johann's class had gone up in popularity when he ditched the rulebook and essentially turned his students into a Barbarian hoarde. Archery, sword fights, mudwrestling – occasionally by girls in very short shorts, to say nothing of his monthly 'wars' where he pitted them against each other and taught them tactics.
Rules at the school were lax, which was understandable, given they had someone like Julius Roma as a principal.. He kept his flask right up in the open and if he caught students together, he'd wink and sigh about young love, and then do the responsible thing and tell them to use protection. He was somewhat harder on student drinking and drug use, though that was more because he saw it as a free excuse to party than actually wanting to protect his students from the effects of the narcotics.
As if he'd been called by Johann's thoughts, he saw Julius at the door. He had a book in original Latin in his hand as he lifted his hand in a partial wave. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing tanned, sinewy arms covered by dark hairs.
"Hey, Johann. Aren't you going to join us in Latin club?" He said, grinning. There hadn't been enough interest to turn it into a full class, but he was able to bring in a few of the more bookish students to make a small club which he shared his love of all things
"No," he said.
Julius threw an arm over his shoulder in a show of camaraderie "Come on, Nietzsche!"
Johann stared at him, blank and unresponsive. Julius had always taken such joy in giving him nicknames. Usually historical in nature, often Germanic, though he'd throw in other cultures if the mood struck him. Sometimes it was 'Genghis', 'Gregor' or 'Kant'.
Kant itself was an especial favorite – a play on his often repeated phrase: 'I can't, I'm too busy.'
Translation: I don't want to.
Of course, those were only some of his nicknames. He'd call him Liesel, Libechen, My Mann which was a reference to the author Thomas Mann, though he seemed to revel in the connotations. These among countless others Johann would get labeled if he was drunk enough, and to Julius, he took the adage from that one country song very seriously: To him it was always five-o-clock somewhere.
Julius laughed. "You're always like that, so stubborn." He pitched back a silver flask and offered it to Johann as always. Johann as always, declined.
Julius was a social drinker. He didn't do it to take the pain away, only to make the world a little more rosy. He laughed in the face of anyone who'd suggest he try Alcoholics Anonymous, because obviously, he wasn't an alcoholic, he just liked to drink. Then he'd probably invite them for a drink, and then maybe to his bed, because that was how Julius worked.
Johann never got irritated about these names. It'd only encourage him, for one. Usually he'd just go about what he was doing, but Julius didn't give up easily. He was impervious to aloofness, and if he didn't know better, he'd think he was as oblivious as Antonio. Enough time spent with Julius made it clear that this wasn't simple sunny obliviousness, but a well-thought out plan. Julius was crafty as ever, it seemed.
He'd always been like this. He used to carve their names on trees. J & J when they walked home together after school and he was wearing the perfume residue of other girls. Sometimes when he wanted to annoy him (which was most of the time) he'd put Latin phrases all over his binders and previously neat, clean papers. Johann would then pretend that he hadn't spent half the night looking them up, pretend he didn't care a whit about them or what Julius said.
He'd written omnia vincet amor! all over Johann's yearbook, and taken to doodling a mustache over the face of a girl who most of the school thought Johann had an interest in, though he didn't really. They'd survived the hazings and the exams together in college, and kissed once while very drunk under those same trees where their names were carved.
He remembered the scratchy feel of Julius' beard as he had leaned in, a lot drunker than Johann, the designated driver as always. He'd braced himself against the tree with their names carved in it, his hand feeling the rough indentations of J&J digging into his palm. It had been quick, sloppy, and tinged with the taste of alcohol. Moments later they'd broken apart and Julius had stumbled off deeper in the woods, singing some drunken song.
They'd never mentioned that when they'd sobered up. Johann decided it was merely a result of the alcohol.
"At least come for a drink with me," Julius said. He mixed pleading with a sort of smugness, already knowing that Johann would have to give in eventually. If not now, then later. He'd come back every day down the cracked pavement that wound past the woods they'd waged little wars in for so many years. Again and again until Johann would have to give in, for even his remarkable strength of will couldn't withstand such an assault.
"For old time's sake," Julius said.
Johann set aside the sword he was cleaning with a sigh.
"For old time's sake," Johann repeated.
"Attaboy," Julius said. Julius tugged at one of Johann's braids and pulled it across his face to make a blonde faux mustache. Julius laughed in triumph at the hint of the smile there breaking through Johann's usual stoic expression.
He couldn't help it. Some things never changed.
And yet, as Julius moved nearer, he felt his beard, scratchy and coarse against his unshaven chin. He kissed the side of Johann's mouth.
Johann drew back in surprise. Julius just laughed.
"Heh, you think I'd forget so easily?" Julius said with a wink. "Let's go, I hear Helen and Kemet are back in town."
Johann looked at him incredulously. "You–"
You're my favorite, Jo, but you know how I am. C'mon, we can double-team them. Helen loves to watch boys together. If we make out at the bar, those chicks are as good as ours."
Johann's brain was still trying to catch up, but that was par for the course with Julius. Julius was always dragging him into these crazy things. He felt the corner of his mouth. It tingled from where Julius' beard had raked across, from the feel of his lips. He followed after, listening to Julius ramble on.
"Though Helen has threatened to go lesbian before, so they only might just let us watch them, or watch us. How about that, Johann?"
Johann cleared his throat. "I'm not...opposed to this idea."
"Damn straight, or not so straight!" Julius chuckled and took another swig of the flask. He handed it over, and Johann took the flask and put it to his lips. He had to be drunk to make any sense of this, any sense of Julius, but that was all right with him.
He could see Julius out of the corner of his eye, and for one moment, they were schoolboys again, drunkenly making their way back to the dorm with mouths meeting and the taste of alcohol between them burning like the feel of autumn cold, of a two carved names in a tree against his hands and rubbing his skin raw.
He couldn't help but laugh, because this was what Julius brought out of him. He knew he could never really capture Julius, could never own him, but staying beside him, in something between friendship and love had kept him content.
Time had changed, but they had only grown older, with thicker skin and hands made coarse and scarred, but little else. They were schoolboys in the bodies of men finding each other once again.
--
In my headcanon Rome is utterly incapable of being in a committed relationship. He's just too damn slutty. However in my mind, Germania is ok with this. Maybe Rome brings him along, idk. The ancients are kinky bastards.
Rating/Warnings: PG-13
Pairing(s): Rome/Germania, mentioned Ancient Greece/Ancient Egypt
Prompt: Rome/Germania - Gakuen AU, both are teachers at a school, Rome is constantly pestering Germania in between classes and Germania enjoys the interruptions but doesn't want to admit it.
Word count: 1606
Notes: the title is the original Latin of a quote from Ovid which translates as "Let love steal in as friendship."
Johann checked over his equipment. The principal wouldn't stand for him using anything but dulled practice swords with so much foam armor that the fun and bloodsport went right out of it. Kids today were entirely too pampered. Whenever Johann voiced that feeling, Julius would laugh and him and clap him on the shoulder.
According to Julius, Johann was born old. He'd been teasing him about it for as long as Johann could remember. Even back when they were schoolboys in their striped uniforms, playing baseball and first learning about those mysteries of life: enigmatic girls, the bittersweet first tastes of alcohol, and even each other.
He hadn't set out to be a PE teacher. Events had merely set up this way, so much that this was the way the sequence of events followed. He had meant to be an accountant, but then again, he'd avoided a major scandal by not going with the firm which had imploded into itself years later. It was for the best.
PE was never a popular class in general, though it did falter a bit behind such lovely classes such as Calculus, though Johann's class had gone up in popularity when he ditched the rulebook and essentially turned his students into a Barbarian hoarde. Archery, sword fights, mudwrestling – occasionally by girls in very short shorts, to say nothing of his monthly 'wars' where he pitted them against each other and taught them tactics.
Rules at the school were lax, which was understandable, given they had someone like Julius Roma as a principal.. He kept his flask right up in the open and if he caught students together, he'd wink and sigh about young love, and then do the responsible thing and tell them to use protection. He was somewhat harder on student drinking and drug use, though that was more because he saw it as a free excuse to party than actually wanting to protect his students from the effects of the narcotics.
As if he'd been called by Johann's thoughts, he saw Julius at the door. He had a book in original Latin in his hand as he lifted his hand in a partial wave. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing tanned, sinewy arms covered by dark hairs.
"Hey, Johann. Aren't you going to join us in Latin club?" He said, grinning. There hadn't been enough interest to turn it into a full class, but he was able to bring in a few of the more bookish students to make a small club which he shared his love of all things
"No," he said.
Julius threw an arm over his shoulder in a show of camaraderie "Come on, Nietzsche!"
Johann stared at him, blank and unresponsive. Julius had always taken such joy in giving him nicknames. Usually historical in nature, often Germanic, though he'd throw in other cultures if the mood struck him. Sometimes it was 'Genghis', 'Gregor' or 'Kant'.
Kant itself was an especial favorite – a play on his often repeated phrase: 'I can't, I'm too busy.'
Translation: I don't want to.
Of course, those were only some of his nicknames. He'd call him Liesel, Libechen, My Mann which was a reference to the author Thomas Mann, though he seemed to revel in the connotations. These among countless others Johann would get labeled if he was drunk enough, and to Julius, he took the adage from that one country song very seriously: To him it was always five-o-clock somewhere.
Julius laughed. "You're always like that, so stubborn." He pitched back a silver flask and offered it to Johann as always. Johann as always, declined.
Julius was a social drinker. He didn't do it to take the pain away, only to make the world a little more rosy. He laughed in the face of anyone who'd suggest he try Alcoholics Anonymous, because obviously, he wasn't an alcoholic, he just liked to drink. Then he'd probably invite them for a drink, and then maybe to his bed, because that was how Julius worked.
Johann never got irritated about these names. It'd only encourage him, for one. Usually he'd just go about what he was doing, but Julius didn't give up easily. He was impervious to aloofness, and if he didn't know better, he'd think he was as oblivious as Antonio. Enough time spent with Julius made it clear that this wasn't simple sunny obliviousness, but a well-thought out plan. Julius was crafty as ever, it seemed.
He'd always been like this. He used to carve their names on trees. J & J when they walked home together after school and he was wearing the perfume residue of other girls. Sometimes when he wanted to annoy him (which was most of the time) he'd put Latin phrases all over his binders and previously neat, clean papers. Johann would then pretend that he hadn't spent half the night looking them up, pretend he didn't care a whit about them or what Julius said.
He'd written omnia vincet amor! all over Johann's yearbook, and taken to doodling a mustache over the face of a girl who most of the school thought Johann had an interest in, though he didn't really. They'd survived the hazings and the exams together in college, and kissed once while very drunk under those same trees where their names were carved.
He remembered the scratchy feel of Julius' beard as he had leaned in, a lot drunker than Johann, the designated driver as always. He'd braced himself against the tree with their names carved in it, his hand feeling the rough indentations of J&J digging into his palm. It had been quick, sloppy, and tinged with the taste of alcohol. Moments later they'd broken apart and Julius had stumbled off deeper in the woods, singing some drunken song.
They'd never mentioned that when they'd sobered up. Johann decided it was merely a result of the alcohol.
"At least come for a drink with me," Julius said. He mixed pleading with a sort of smugness, already knowing that Johann would have to give in eventually. If not now, then later. He'd come back every day down the cracked pavement that wound past the woods they'd waged little wars in for so many years. Again and again until Johann would have to give in, for even his remarkable strength of will couldn't withstand such an assault.
"For old time's sake," Julius said.
Johann set aside the sword he was cleaning with a sigh.
"For old time's sake," Johann repeated.
"Attaboy," Julius said. Julius tugged at one of Johann's braids and pulled it across his face to make a blonde faux mustache. Julius laughed in triumph at the hint of the smile there breaking through Johann's usual stoic expression.
He couldn't help it. Some things never changed.
And yet, as Julius moved nearer, he felt his beard, scratchy and coarse against his unshaven chin. He kissed the side of Johann's mouth.
Johann drew back in surprise. Julius just laughed.
"Heh, you think I'd forget so easily?" Julius said with a wink. "Let's go, I hear Helen and Kemet are back in town."
Johann looked at him incredulously. "You–"
You're my favorite, Jo, but you know how I am. C'mon, we can double-team them. Helen loves to watch boys together. If we make out at the bar, those chicks are as good as ours."
Johann's brain was still trying to catch up, but that was par for the course with Julius. Julius was always dragging him into these crazy things. He felt the corner of his mouth. It tingled from where Julius' beard had raked across, from the feel of his lips. He followed after, listening to Julius ramble on.
"Though Helen has threatened to go lesbian before, so they only might just let us watch them, or watch us. How about that, Johann?"
Johann cleared his throat. "I'm not...opposed to this idea."
"Damn straight, or not so straight!" Julius chuckled and took another swig of the flask. He handed it over, and Johann took the flask and put it to his lips. He had to be drunk to make any sense of this, any sense of Julius, but that was all right with him.
He could see Julius out of the corner of his eye, and for one moment, they were schoolboys again, drunkenly making their way back to the dorm with mouths meeting and the taste of alcohol between them burning like the feel of autumn cold, of a two carved names in a tree against his hands and rubbing his skin raw.
He couldn't help but laugh, because this was what Julius brought out of him. He knew he could never really capture Julius, could never own him, but staying beside him, in something between friendship and love had kept him content.
Time had changed, but they had only grown older, with thicker skin and hands made coarse and scarred, but little else. They were schoolboys in the bodies of men finding each other once again.
--
In my headcanon Rome is utterly incapable of being in a committed relationship. He's just too damn slutty. However in my mind, Germania is ok with this. Maybe Rome brings him along, idk. The ancients are kinky bastards.
