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Chapter Text

Swords clashing, men panting and soldiers cheering… For a whole week Octavius’s day was full of these sounds. Sometimes he couldn’t escape them even in his sleep. The army was strange. Of course, he had heard stories from his great-uncle Caesar and other men his mother knew but experiencing it first-hand was strange. He didn’t like it. And he especially didn’t like Marcus Antonius.

The man was an animal. A loud animal… He woke up loudly, talked to his friends loudly, laughed at the dinner table loudly and fucked those girls he found on the villages they passed loudly. Octavius didn’t like it. He was used to his quite life in Rome. Even when his mother was throwing parties, he still could find himself a quite stop to read his books. But in this camp, it was impossible.

The sky was getting darker as Antonius made yet another of his opponents surrender. The man laughed and helped his friend to get up from the dirt. They were smiling each other but it was clear the other one was tired. “I’m done for at least two days preafectus.” he said.

Antonius was pouting. “Gods please no, you are the best I have.”

“Sorry but we’ve been train-fighting for straight one hour. I don’t even think I can raise my arm to eat right now.”

“Fuck you, get out.” Antonius said with pushing him playfully. His friend smiled and saluted him before going back to see the camp doctor for his sore muscles.

Just then the dinner bell rang. The spectators cheered once again and started to walk towards to tent. Antonius yelled “What you choose food over training with me? Pussies!” behind them but everyone knew he was tired and didn’t want to fight too. The man was moving his arms around and trying to calm his muscles down. Octavius didn’t even realize when he started to watch him over his book from the short tree he was sitting on. He wasn’t hungry nor interested in eating with wild low-class soldiers. He could’ve made the chef prepare some cheese and olive for him in the night.

Finally, Antonius realized he was being watched. He looked at the boy sharply and he was caught red-handed. The man smiled and walked right up to him. “What? Little prince isn’t hungry? Go with them.”

“Not hungry right now.”

“Oh, right now? Sure, our chef can stop everything just to make supper for you when you are hungry since you don’t want to eat with everyone at dinner time.”

Octavius frowned. He wanted to treat him like how he treats low-class citizens all the time, but he just couldn’t now, could he? Antonius was the top commander of this camp and he was responsible for Octavius. That meant that he could’ve treat him however he liked, not the other way around.

“I will not be hungry.” He tried to protest. “And don’t speak to me like that, I’m not your fellow soldier, I’m the great nephew of…”

“Oh thank Gods you are not a fellow soldier of mine boy! I thank Mars Ultor!” Antonius said. “If I had soldiers like you, I would’ve committed suicide just out of shame to have you in my legions.”

Octavius’s frown got deeper. “Why? I study every great commander’s tactics regularly. I am perfectly capable of…”

“Oh you study. Sure… With this book? Let me see.” Antonius said before yanking the book away from him. Octavius jumped down the tree and ran after him, but Antonius was faster and taller. As he was reading the pages he was laughing. “Oh the little prince of ours is reading Scipio Africanus. How precious.”

“Give me that back!” Octavius said as he reached for his book, but Antony was holding it high. They got to middle of the training field as they walked. Antonius closed the book as he continued to hold it high. “You want the book?”

“Yes!”

“Why?”

“Wha… What do you mean why? It’s mine!”

“Yeah it’s yours but why did you take it with you, why are you reading it and taking little notes next to the words of it?”

“So I can study and be like Scipio Africanus.”

“You can’t be like Africanus via studying.”

“Of course I can!”

“No you can’t!” Antonius said. “The man was in multiple wars and he experienced it wildly! You know he was in Battle of Cannae right?”

“Yes.”

“Yes. So you do realized that just with studying, you can’t be like him.”

“I can…”

“No you can’t.” Antonius said with a voice that doesn’t accept any further argument. “You have to be a fellow soldier like you underestimate before you become a great commander. I started it this way, your great-uncle started this way, Africanus started this was, even Alexander the Great started this way. You have to learn how to hold a sword before you give orders to your legions about their weapons.”

Octavius had to keep his silence against his statement. He knew he was right, of course he knew. However, he still wasn’t interested in holding a sword or a bow. He was thirteen, he should’ve started to train years ago but he always found a way out.

“I am aware of it.”

“Are you?”

“I am!”

“Alright then, pick Perseus’s gladius and shield. Right there, come on.”

“But…”

“Do you want your book back?”

Octavius huffed and walked to the sword, picked it up. It was so heavy that he had to hold it with his two hands.

Antonius smiled at him and put the book on his cloak and swirled his own gladius with his ankle. “Alright so, take your stance.”

“How?”

“What do you mean how, didn’t your mother made you train before?”

“No?”

“Gods that woman…” Antonius cursed quietly and walked up to him. He stood next to the boy and adjusted his posture with pushing him roughly. Octavius felt his cheeks getting hotter as Antonius continued to touch him with his big hands. He tried to calm himself down. No, he thought to himself. Not to him, pull yourself together.

“Alright. Hold your gladius with one hand, we are Romans, not barbarians.”

Octavius held it with his one hand but it was way too heavy for him to hold it for long time let alone to sway.

Antonius walked back a few steps and checked him out. “This can work.”

He held his gladius and said “We will just do a simple hit and hide, okay? So, your arm can get used to their weight. I know they are heavy; Perseus has a strength of a bear. When I raise my gladius hide behind your shield and then attack me.”

Octavius just nodded. He started to respond to Antonius’s soft strikes. He watched how this man fights, and it was clear that he was going easy on him, which he was glad.

After a time, Octavius couldn’t understand how much, his arms started to feel like burning. He was sweating like crazy. As his body was trembling someone called for Antonius. The man stopped him and looked at his soldier.

Octavius looked at that direction too. Soldier was grinning like crazy as he held two pretty girls under his arms. Antonius smiled and nodded to him. “Enough for today kid, eat something and get some rest. You are sweating like a pig.”

“I can go on.”

Antonius looked at him with underestimation in his eyes. “Sure… But I have work to do, I can’t train you all the time. Good night.”

“But…”

“I said we are done. Go eat your dinner.”

Octavius huffed and put his shield and gladius down as he watched Antonius walking towards those girls. He took the blonde one under his arm and started to whisper something to her ear as they walked to his tent. Octavius could hear the giggle of her.

***

They were on the road for three weeks now. After the night they trained together, Antonius didn’t look at his direction again. He was just bored and used Octavius to kill some time then, the boy got that now but still… Still, he wanted to prove him that he could fight. So, he made a centurion to train him at night without Antony knowing.

“Hey.” Octavius approached to him at night.

Antonius looked back and lowered the wax tablet he had been reading as he smiled to the boy. “Hey. What do you need little prince?”

“Don’t call me prince, it makes me look like…”

“Like what? A tyrant?” Antonius said as his smile got wider. “Don’t worry about it much.”

“I will worry, and you should worry too. Words are everything in politics.”

“Thank gods I’m not in politics then.”

“You are marching Rome to become a tribune.”

“I am marching Rome because my commander ordered me to.”

Octavius blinked. “You… You will hold a great power over Senate, and it seems like you don’t even care…”

“Because I don’t and I will not be holding that power, your great-uncle will.” Antonius said. “Don’t confuse me one of those cunts who call themselves Senators. I am a soldier, and I want to remain that way.”

Octavius grew up in Rome. He grew up between the cunning men and ambitious women of Rome thanks to his mother. He always assumed that everyone would be like them. But now this man was messing everything in his head and just with a single sentence.

“Alright…” Octavius said trying to avoid the storms in him. “Then prove it, fight with me like a soldier you are.”

Antonius frowned but he was still smiling. “What do you mean?”

“Fight with me. Like you did with your friends.”

“Yeah, but my friends are the best of Roman army.”

“So, you don’t want to?”

“I don’t want to waste my precious time to train you boy, yes.”

“Oh, I don’t need training.”

Antonius closed the tablet gave it to his slave. “Bring me my shield.” he said to him while smiling to Octavius. “Looks like someone wants his ass kicked.”

“You can try.” Octavius knew that he was exaggerating but still, he wanted to push Antonius enough to make him put his all to his fighting. He wanted to see that war-animal everyone was talking about once.

When they finally got to the open area behind Antonius’s tent, Octavius drew his gladius from its scabbard. The man looked at his posture and smiled. “Oh, so you learned how to stand huh? Good for you.”

“Not just that.” Octavius said before initiating the fight.

After that was a blur for him. The clash of the swords was almost in a rutin where Octavius found comfort. But seeing Antonius’s at his war-zoned gray eyes made something in him tingle. He understood the soldiers who called him Mars’s son better now, watching him fight against others was something but fighting against him was something else. All he wanted was to prove the man that he can also fight but he was now enjoying this. Even if he lost, he didn’t think that he would be upset.

After a time, he couldn’t understand how much, something miraculous happened. He managed to made Antonius’s sword fly from his hand.

Just when he was starting to smile for his victory, he felt Antonius’s punch on his chin. Because he wasn’t expecting it, he fell into the ground. “Hey! That’s cheating.”

“And that’s whining.”

“I won, your gladius…”

“So? Every soldier loses their weapons at some point while fighting. I didn’t lower my guard, but you did, ergo I won.”

“You…”

Antonius smiled at his angry expression and put out his hand to him. “Come on, get up.”

Octavius held his hand and let Antonius pull him up. But he couldn’t balance himself because the man pulled him too harsh, and he bumped into Antonius. A body colliding to his made him put his hand on it as a reflex. As Antonius was holding him Octavius, he felt the hardness on his thigh.

His smile started to grow when he saw the realization on Octavius’s face.

“You sick little bastard, what was this to you, foreplay?” .

And the bad thing was Octavius hadn’t even realized that he was hard before feeling it between him and Antonius. He didn’t even know that he liked such thing. He never thought about those… unnecessary feelings. He never thought about what turned him on or made him horny.

But now this man was trying to suppress his laugh, and he was sweating and a man never looked more beautiful to Octavius. Antonius wasn’t Mars’s son, he was Mars himself and Mars was the god of war but he was god of lust and love too. Just like Venus was the goddess of both...

Chapter Text

“Oh Marcus!”

The boy closed the book his sister gave him as a birthday present loudly and signed angrily. He was exposed to his mother and Antonius’s noises since the first day they got to Rome. He didn’t understand when Antonius looked at him and said “Say hi to your mother for me.” while smiling but that night, he understood why. In the whole villa, their moans echoed.

Octavius tried to put some olive oil to the bread but when he heard his mother moaning Antonius’s name once again, he angrily threw the bread to the ground. He put the bottle on the table next to his bed and got up. He patted his cheeks to pull himself together.

So what if he got a boner thanks to the man once? What did that mean? Nothing. So what if Mark Antony was the exact opposite of what Octavius imagined for him to have as a partner? It was good for him. So what if Octavius couldn’t stop thinking about the man since that day and was masturbating at night thinking about his big and harsh hands and sly smile? These ridiculous things happen to young men his age all the time. Right?

When he heard the groan of Antonius his cheeks got flushed. He was familiar with the voice. The man never moaned or made a single noise when he was fucking with someone. But he always groaned a little before coming, which it was perfectly normal for Octavius to notice and learn.

After a few seconds the noises went dead altogether and the boy sign with relief. They were done, finally.

He got back to his bed and put his book on his table, next to the bottle of oil. The weather was too hot for him to put a bedspread over himself, so he let it be and put his head on his soft pillow. He closed his eyes as he tried to sleep but he still could hear the little laughter coming from his mother’s chambers. He tried to ignore them, but it was hard.

What could possibly be this funny for Antonius to say to make her laugh this hard? The man wasn’t even funny. He was an animal who knew nothing besides fighting, barking and fucking. This thought led Octavius to think about their fight and that led him to get hard. As he felt his cock getting harder, he tried to think of something else but in the end, he always found himself thinking about how Antonius was moving his body as he wished without even breaking a sweat.

He reopened his eyes and looked at the tent on his tunic. Great, just what he needed. His hands went to his cock beneath layers of cloth and hold it firmly. He thought about the friction he felt when Antonius was holding his body and pressing it against his. How his grey eyes shimmered with bloodlust as he swung his gladius and how he was enjoying Octavius’s attacks… How he punched him without a second thought the minute his gladius flew away and how he lifted him like he weighted nothing…

His eyes were closed without him even noticing and he was thrusting his hips towards this fist and panting as he thought about Antonius. He let go of his lower lip from his teeth and panted. He was hurting and he was close, and he wanted that man to be close to him again at least once and…

“Antonius!” He panted quietly and his hand was getting quicker. That was when he heard “Oh gods, that is something else boy.”

Octavius’s eyes shut opened, and he let go of it and put a pillow over his exposed cock. He looked at the man who was leaning against his door’s threshold. “Wha… What are you doing here, go away!”

“Oh, I was going away to give you little freak some privacy, but you moaned my name. This changes things.” Antonius said as he entered the room.

“It doesn’t, go away!” Octavius said. He could feel his cheeks were burning with shame. He would be dead if Antony told his mom.

“Why my name, say it and I’ll go.”

“It wasn’t your name.”

“Now a politician must be good at lying, this is sloppy.”

“I… So, what it if was your name?”

“That’s better.” Antony said as he sat on his bed. “Why though?”

“It’s…” Octavius was too horny and too full of adrenaline to come up with a plausible lie on the spot. He huffed and continued to look at man’s eyes which looked like they were black in the night.

“Juno’s cunt, just say you have hots for me, and I’ll go. You don’t think you would be the first now, do you?”

Octavius didn’t say anything but the look in his eyes was answering the man. Antonius nodded while smiling with victory. “Good, that’s all I needed for my ego. Thanks.” He made a move to get up but couldn’t. He held his forehead and gulped.

“What? Too drunk?”

“When it’s been a while since I had a drinking spree boy… I was campaigning for eight years.” Antonius said. “I’ll go.”

Octavius looked at him while hugging the pillow on his lap. “You… You can stay…”

Antonius looked at him with dizziness in his eyes. When he was closer, it was clearer that the man was drunk.

Antonius lied down to bed. His eyes were closed. “You know I’m so sick of it.”

“Sick of what?”

“Rome, Senate, people coming to me with problems, parties, your mother…”

Octavius smiled unintentionally. “What’s holding you back from going back to Gaul then?”

“Your fucking uncle!”

The boy chuckled. “Right… you were a soldier, not a politician, eh?”

“Good boy.” Antonius said while patting his naked knee. Octavius’s cock twitched again, and he tried his best to hide it. He hugged the pillow tighter. Antonius’s hand was still on his need, his fingers were circling his skin smoothly. “You are way too hairless, you know that?”

“What?”

“You are 14, almost an adult and yet you are hairless. Something must be wrong.”

“Mother say…”

“Your mother doesn’t know shit.”

“Well Octavia says it looks pretty.”

Antonius opened his eyes and looked at him. “Oh, it does.”

The boy shivered. Antonius was in his bed, looking at him like that, touching him and calling him pretty. Oh, it would be so easy to just sit on his lap and kiss him.

Antonius slowly pulled the pillow that was hiding Octavius’s cock without breaking the eye contact put it under his head. “I interrupted you, you can go on.”

Octavius couldn’t even try to hide himself again. He bit his lower lip a little and gripped his cock. As he was just starting to stroke Antonius sat up. “Gods boy, are you mad? You are going to hurt yourself.”

“What?”

“You have to make it wet first or you will get hurt.” Antonius said. “Just spit on your hand or use some oil.”

“I’m not spitting on my hand, that’s disgusting.”

“And touching yourself while thinking about your mama’s lover isn’t?”

Octavius didn’t say anything but didn’t do as he said either. Antonius signed and pursed his lips. “You are lucky I’m here.” He spat on his hand and licked his fingers before gripping Octavius’s cock and stroking it slowly. As the blonde’s breaths got heavier, Antonius smiled.

Now he was at his mercy. He was imagining this moment since that day and now he had it, he didn’t want to let go. He didn’t want Antonius to go back to his mother. He longed for his touch. He desperately tried to thrust his hips to Antonius’s grip which only made the man laugh a little. “Eager one, aren’t you?”

Octavius opened his eyes and looked at his grey ones. When his blues trailed down to his lap, he noticed Antony was getting hard too. He smiled and spat on his hand like how the man did a few minutes ago and let his hand find its way beneath Antonius’s tunic. When he held his cock, Antonius’s breath shifted.

He smiled at him. “Didn’t you thought it was disgusting?”

“And touching your lover’s son while she is waiting for you isn’t?”

Antonius’s smile got wider as his hand got faster. Octavius moaned unintentionally. The man put his other hand over his lips. “Shush now little prince. You wouldn’t want your mother seeing how you are seducing his lover now, are you?” Octavius’s answer was to try to bite his fingers and holding his cock tighter, which only made Antonius moan too.

“I’m… I’m close… Antonius…” The man let go of him and pushed his hand away from himself. Octavius looked at him with a little hurt in his eyes, but Antonius erased it quickly with his next words. “Have you ever been fucked by a man?”

“N… No…”

“Do you want to?”

“Depends on the man really…” Octavius said with a mischievous grin.

“Oh, so I have competitors huh?” Antonius laughed. “What do you do? Think one of us each night little prince? Surely one isn’t enough for an eager boy like you…”

“How about you try to make me forget all of the others?”

“Oh, I won’t try, I will.” Antonius rolled him on bed and made him lie face down easily. As Octavius’s breath got faster Antonius lifted his tunic’s skirt up while not stop touching his thighs and ass. He squeezed his cheeks and slapped on it lightly. “Juno’s cunt, the last time I saw an ass like that was when I seduced a Vestal Virgin boy.”

“Gods must hate you.”

“Oh, they do. Don’t worry.” He reached for the olive oil bottle next to the bed and poured some to his fingers. As his fingers were circling around Octavius’s hole, the boy hugged his pillow tighter. He looked back and saw the hungry look Antonius had in his eyes. He was reason, he was the reason Antony was horny. That made him be proud of himself somehow.

When Antonius’s middle finger entered his hole, he clutched the pillow and hide his face in it to kill the noises he was making. He unintentionally put his ass higher, towards his fingers. He could hear Antonius’s chuckle and curses.

The man was about to add another finger when they both heard a shouting. “Marcus! Where are you? I’m waiting!”

The man shivered and got up from Octavius’s bed quickly. The blonde looked at him, but Antonius was cleaning his hand with his tunic while cursing to himself. “Fuck, fuck, fuck. What have you been thinking dumbass. Gods I am stupid.”

“Where are you going?”

“Go to sleep boy and never speak of it again.”

“But…”

Antonius left his room without saying anything else and left Octavius there with shining thighs and ass thanks to oil and a still hard cock. He huffed and threw the bottle to the ground. He was so close, so close to have him and he was leaving him. He just wanted to have Antonius at least once to be able to let go of this stupid obsession.

He sat up and looked at his cock. By just looking at it, he could feel Antonius’s hand on it again. It was too hot and big. He wanted that warmth back, he wanted him back. He stood up from his bed and got out of his room before he could rethink about what he was about to do.

Back in Atia’s room Antonius got back to the arms of his lover and kissed her hard as if he was trying to forget what he was about to do. It was wrong on so many levels but gods was he horny right now. He got between Atia’s legs as he was kissing her and rubbed himself against her still wet pussy.

“Someone is eager. Didn’t you just went to kitchen to eat something, what made you so horny? The bread or the grape?”

Antonius laughed a little and rubbed his nose against hers. “I had an idea and the possibility of you accepting got me excited, sorry.”

“What is it?” Atia asked while caressing Antonius’s curly hair.

“How about I take you from your ass tonight?” Antonius asked while smiling. Atia smiled too. “You freak… You try everything you learn from Gaul on me, don’t you?”

Antonius shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t dare to say the real reason.

“Okay.” the woman said with a smile. She was already willing to do anything for him.

Antonius sat up and let her roll over. While preparing her, his mind was only thinking about Octavius. When he finally entered her, he closed his eyes and let his imagination take over. His thrusts were a lot harder and full of more enthusiasm before their previous ones.

When Atia’s moans started to mess with Antonius’s concentration on his imagination, he opened his eyes and grabbed the woman’s hair, push her face down to the bed. As he was holding her there, he grabbed her waist started to pull her to his hips.

That was when he saw the silhouette behind the half-closed door. He looked at it and saw the blue eyes he knew too well. He smiled and the thought of Octavius getting off by watching him made him fuck the woman under him hard. He locked his eyes with him and never closed his eyes again.

Chapter Text

He felt pathetic. He was fingering himself and biting his pillow like a cheap whore as he was imagining the moment he shared with Antonius one night. The way he manhandled him and squeezed his ass, the beautiful ache left after his fingers left his hole, the way he locked his lust filled gray eyes with him while fucking his mother…

He tried, Gods know he tried to get Antonius get close to him again. He even tried to touch himself door open at night again just so maybe Antonius would happen to pass before his room. He sat next to him at dinners, they shared a couch at parties, he would fill his cup with wine but no, nothing. The man didn’t even gaze at his direction.

The only good things came out of that night was the memories and the realization Octavius had about fingers up his ass was turning him on more than fucking his fist.

The boy came with a restrained moan thanks to the pillow and took his fingers out of his hole. He cleaned them by rubbing them to his tunic briefly. He was looking at his ceiling, thinking, imagining. He sat up and drank the rest of his wine. It was his fourth cup just after the dinner. He wanted to fill it from the jug he had but it was empty.

He huffed while getting up. He went to the kitchen with the empty jug in his hand. He knew that Antonius was staying the night. He had heard them from his chambers. Maybe it was why he was so bummed out now. Yes, Antonius was so close yet so away from him.

When he got closer to the kitchen he heard the noises clearly. He frowned. He really should punish their slaves better so they wouldn’t flirt all the time they found. But when he got to the kitchen, he saw it wasn’t their slaves, no, it was just one and she was in Antonius’s arms giggling.

He put the jug on the table loudly and ordered “Leave.” to the girl. The blond girl quickly got out of Antonius’s arms and ran out of the kitchen. The man was not looking at her, but him. “If you are worried about your mother’s honor, let me remind you that I am already married to someone else, and she doesn’t care about what I do with your slaves.” He defended himself.

“Why are you running away from me?”

“What?”

“You heard me.” Octavius said with walking towards to him. “You are running away from me.”

“I do not.”

“You do too.”

“You’re too close.”

“Yes, does that bother you?” Octavius asked. “Because if you are not running away from me, it wouldn’t.”

“I…”

“Do you regret what happened, is that it?”

“Nothing happened.”

“Almost did.”

Antonius looked at the boy. He dimmed light was hitting his face and doing wonders with his freckles. His lips and cheeks were red from the wine he drank. “How many did you drink boy?”

“The whole jug.”

“Perfect.” Antonius signed. “Okay, let’s get you to bed.”

“No!” Octavius protested and squirmed out of his hands. “You have to admit first. You are running away from me.”

“I do not.”

“Yes, you do!” The blonde said and held his tunic’s neck tightly. “I can see that you are lying. Why? I thought you… you wanted me too.”

His voice was so broken that Antonius had to hold his hands and caress them with his thumbs. “I did.” He whispered. “I did, okay? But… You are Atia’s son. I can’t…”

“But…”

“No buts… I care for your mother, and it will remain like that. And as long as I have your mother, I can’t see you that way. So never, okay?”

Octavius’s blue eyes were tearing up with sadness and anger. The sorrow was clearly doing wonders to his beauty. The wine made his lips so reddish that Antonius couldn’t really take his eyes away from them. And the boy noticed that. Even though he was saying that he can’t think of him that way, he was doing so.

He leaned up to him slowly and made their lips meet softly. He could feel Antonius’s heart beating faster from his hands still on his chest. He opened his lips and kissed his upper lip gently. As he was leaving little kisses to it, Antonius finally pulled himself together and gripped his waist. He lifted him like he weighted nothing and made him sit on the table in the middle. As their kiss got harder, Octavius wrapped his arms around his neck and let his fingers wander around in his dark curls.

He could feel how Antonius’s hot hands were caressing his naked thighs and how he was getting hard again. He would let the man take him right then and there if he dared to.

When Antonius’s lips went to his neck and started to suck kisses on it, he whined. It was hurting but hurt always made him enjoy this more. He was afraid if Antonius bit him, he might’ve come untouched. He held onto him tightly and left his little, quiet moans to his ear.

When Antonius started to rub himself to Octavius, the boy had to bite his lips hardly to shut himself from making a noise that would attract people there. The table was shaking with their movement and the jug he put there fell to the ground, shattered to pieces. The loud noise made Antonius tear himself away from him. He looked at the boy and planted one last kiss to his lips. “This… can’t happen, no, sorry.” he said apologetically. “Not when your mother is right next door.”

***

Just one mimic… Just one mimic was enough to get his mother’s attention. She was bragging about Caesar’s power to her friends and with just mimic of Octavius made her pause, hesitate to go on.

After the party, when they were just the three of them in the courtyard, she came to her son, wrapped her arm around his. “What was it that you did while I was talking about your uncle?”

“Nothing, don’t worry about it, mother.”

“If you have something in your mind, say it.”

Octavia watched them while eating her grapes. Octavius signed and looked at his mother. “I wouldn’t be so sure of my uncle’s power, that’s all.”

“But why? What happened?”

“Nothing just… he is not here, is he? He is chasing Pompey and Pompey will eventually gather an army greater than his. He already won the battle in Dyrrhacium. He has friends in Egypt. That means soldiers and supply, which Caesar does not have. However, Antonius is here…”

Octavia stopped eating and tilted her head. It would be a first to see her brother praise Marcus Antonius. While the young woman understood that her brother was stirring somethings up, her mother was holding onto her son and listening every word like they were divine.

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that who will win this civil war is not certain. However, Antonius being the decisive power is. He holds Rome, he has his legions here, the city is his. Unfortunately… he is still hooked on my uncle. If only he could see the power he had…”

Atia nodded and her blue eyes were the proof that she was plotting something. Octavius’s lips got strained like it was a smile. Octavia saw that.

“You are right…” Their mother said and let go of his son. “You go to bed now, and don’t speak of it again.”

“Of course, mother.” Octavius got up and kissed his mother’s cheek. “See you in the morning.”

“Good night mother.” Octavia said and flowed her brother. She wrapped her arm around his and whispered. “What was that?”

“What was what?”

“Don’t play dumb to me, not to me at least.” She said. “Why would you lie? You are sure of our uncle winning the war. Why would you lie to our mother?”

“That doesn’t concern you.”

“It does.” She stopped her brother by holding his arm. “Why?”

Octavius didn’t answer. He couldn’t. After all, how could he tell his sister that he was simply jealous of the attention his mother was receiving from Antonius, and he wanted to mess that.

“Alright. Don’t tell me why. Just tell me if she will get hurt from it.”

“If I am right about my assumption that she is really in love with Antonius, she will.” Octavius said.

His sister smiled. “Good.” She said. “Let her lose her lover too.”

“Are you still mad at her about your husband..?”

“Always will be.” Octavia said and kissed her brother. “Good night little brother.”

***

They were playing dice late at night in secret from their mother. Octavius loved this game and always made her sister join too since no other wanted to play with him. Just when Octavius put the cup down at the floor, they heard a loud yelling from their mother’s chambers.

Octavia looked at her brother. “So here it goes.”

Octavius didn’t say anything but watched to corridor that was going to his mother’s chamber. And after a few minutes, a very angry man with messy curls came out of that corridor. Even though he was fuming with anger, he noticed them sitting on the floor.

“Why are you up, it's late?”

“We were playing dice.” Octavia said. “Are you okay?”

Antonius signed and stroked his forehead. “I’m fine, I’m sane.” he said and angrily yelled towards the woman’s room. “Which your mother isn’t!”

A loud crash came from the room. Antonius huffed and looked back at them Octavius got up and walked to him. “What happened? You guys were good I thought?”

“Don’t worry about it, kid.” Antonius said while not looking at his eyes. After that drunken night, he ran away from this kid like a plague. He had this weird effect on him that he didn’t like.

“Kid? I’m fourteen.”

“And I’m your 20 years senior, kid.”

“I don’t think that’s the issue right now Octavian.” his sister told him and looked at Antony. “Seriously, what happened?”

The man signed and leaned to them before whispering. “Your mother is the mind of a traitor. She suggested that I would join her too.”

“What?” Octavius said with great shock. “How could she, what was she thinking?”

Octavia watched her brother acting like it wasn’t him who planted these seeds to his own mother’s brain. “I don’t even know what to say…”

“Yeah, me neither.” Antonius said. “Anyways, I don’t think I will continue to be with your mother anymore, but you guys are still the nephew and niece of Caesar. I will always be by your side, okay?”

“Thank you.” Octavia said like a lady she is. “And we are so sorry for our mother.”

“Don’t be, it’s not your fault.” Antonius said kindly. “See you guys later.”

“Good night.” Octavius said while watching him leave. He was openly smiling when the door was closed behind him. Octavia looked at her brother and signed. “I mean, congrats. It worked. You assumed right.”

“Yes.”

“But there is still one thing I don’t understand. Why did you break them up?”

“So, Antonius would join the war faster to prove a point, to prove he is loyal to our uncle.” Octavius said the rehearsed lie he prepared. “I didn’t really know if they would break up but still, worth a chance.”

“Now we don’t have Antonius’s protection, what now?”

“Oh, they will win the war, everyone is aware that our uncle will win including Pompey’s friends. Brutus and Cicero already deserted Pompey. And if Pompey goes to Egypt, there is an ongoing civil war among them too. Both sides would want our uncle’s military power next to them, ergo, they will try to capture Pompey for him. This means both sides of Egypt being against him. The war is already won. We don’t need protection, we need preparation for what will happen after the war.”

Chapter Text

“And I want you to leave for Rome immediately.”

“But… when will you be coming back? Everything’s settled in here, we still have to take care of remains of Pompey’s click in Africa.” Antonius’s voice was almost whining. He didn’t want to leave Egypt, no not Egypt, the East in general. He had missed these lands.

Sure, he grew up in Rome, but he was just Creticus’s son back there. The son of the bankrupt, unsuccessful man of Rome.

However, when he ran away from his creditors and moved to Athens, everything was different. It was like he had found himself finally. He wasn’t just Creticus’s son, no, he was Marcus.
But when he joined Caesar’s army, that was when he became the Marcus Antonius. Being under Caesar gave him a purpose, a goal, a motive, a desire even… He wanted to be worthy of this man, he didn’t want to be turn out like his father, he wanted to do great things. So great that even after centuries, they wouldn’t be forgotten.

And now he had everything he ever wanted, he was in the East and he was with Caesar. But unfortunately, his commander was ordering him to leave.

“And we will.” Caesar said with an assertive voice. “After I come back to Rome. But now, I must stay here to secure the queen’s throne.”

Marcus smiled. “Oh, so this is what this is about.”

“What?”

“You like the queen.” Marcus said. “I heard she was quite the little snake, never had a chance to meet her though.”

“She is.” Caesar said with a little smile. “But this is a good thing for Rome, nay? She will be a great ally for us.”

“If you say so.” Marcus said. “But I also heard that she is… how do I put it… unpretty?”

“So? This is business. I won’t declare my love and devotion to her now, am I?”

Marcus laughed. “Fine… Do I have time to stay the night or you want me gone now?”

“Stay the night, it would look suspicious otherwise.”

Marcus got up from his chair. “Okay… I guess you will have your dinner with the queen?”

Caesar just looked at him unimpressed.

Marcus was still enjoying his teasing though. “Good, I will be at the tavern, if you look for me but I believe you would be occupied.”

“Just get out.”

Marcus laughed a little and finally left Caesar’s chambers. As he was walking through the Egyptian palace’s corridors he had heard a scream. With his soldier instincts his hand went to his gladius and took a few steps to source of the voice.

When he peeked through the slightly open door and saw a woman screaming at some slaves holding dresses. Marcus smiled unintentionally. The woman was continuing to scold her slaves as she was pacing up and down. Marcus just stood there and watched her. He was unable to move Gods know why. There was something about this woman that got him hypnotized. He had seen women more beautiful and certainly sexier than her but there was something about her that made him weak in his knees.

When the woman signed angrily with her hands on her waist and raised her head, their eyes met. Marcus shivered and basically ran away quickly. He didn’t need Caesar to deal with his inappropriate actions against his diplomacy in Egyptian palace.

When he was walking away, Charmian looked at her mistress. “Did he bother you princess? Shall I get him?”

“No.” Cleopatra said with her slightly reddened cheeks. “Who was he, do you know?”

“No but I can learn.”

“No…” The queen said. “Let him be, I believe I’ll see him again.”

***

As Marcus walking through Alexandria’s streets to get to the tavern with his guards next to him, he noticed one of them was looking at a jewelry store a little too interested. He knew the young man’s sister had just married in Rome and he probably wanted to buy his sister a gift. He cleared his throat. “I need to go there, you guys can wait for me and look around, buy something if you want. It’s on me.”

His guard couldn’t even hide his smile. He entered the shop and wait for him to choose something as he pretended to be looking for something. The shopkeeper approached to him. “Is my lord looking for something specific?”

“No.” Marcus said without meeting his eyes.

“Perhaps a gift for his lovely wife.”

Marcus thought of his quiet and kind wife Antonia. He signed. “Yeah sure.” He said. “I like bracelets on her.”

As the Jewish shopkeeper was showing him all the luxurious bracelets, one caught his eye. He reached and took it. The more he examined it, the more he liked it.

“A great choice my lord.” The shopkeeper said. “It is decorated with Chinese lapises. Beautiful color, beautiful.”

“It is…” Marcus said quietly. When he spined the bracelet he could only think about Octavius. His eyes weren’t dark as lapis blue but nevertheless, they reminded of him. And it was clearly for a woman to wear, it was more delicate and more fancy. But oh, it would look good on Octavius’s pale, bald arms.

He still remembered what his excuse was, to Octavian and to himself. As long as he was with Atia, nothing could happen between them but now they were broken up. Does that mean if Octavius comes to him, Marcus should let him? Or does that mean Marcus can make a move too? Or maybe the kid had forgotten all about him and found himself a new older man to toy with.

“Can I buy this one sir?”

His guard’s voice broke him from his thoughts. “Yeah.” He answered and looked at the shopkeeper. “What he has and this one.”

After paying the man, they got out of the shop and walked straight to the tavern underneath the purple sky. They ate together and gossiped a little about Caesar’s new adventure about the queen while laughing. Marcus even played a little dice with them but as his men got more and more drunk, he had to carry them to their rented rooms.

When he got out of their room to enter his, he saw the innkeeper with three girls behind him. The look in his eyes were making his intention clearer then the half-naked girls there. “I thought my lord would like some company tonight… Our gratitude for our Roman saviors.”

Marcus smiled and eyed the girls. Without even being able to admit himself the reason behind his choice, he called the pale-skinned blonde girl over with a whistle. As he guided her into his room, he noticed the freckles on her face and shoulder. He smiled to himself. Perfect.

***

Marcus Antonius almost went to the temple to sacrifice for the gods after that awful sea ride. He immediately went to his villa and slept for hours, Antonia didn’t bother him, she knew better than disturbing his husband when he was asleep.

So, the hand on Marcus’s shoulder couldn’t be hers. Marcus huffed and whined without opening his eyes. “If the enemy is not attacking, get lost.”

“They are not attacking but you may want to get up. You have visitors.”

Marcus opened his eyes with the voice he knew. He saw the blue eyes smiling at him. “Now you’re sneaking into my room huh? Touching.” He said with a mocking voice.

“I didn’t sneak in, your wife sent me.”

“My wife, yes, uh… why?”

“Like I said, you have visitors.”

“Who?”

“Me, Octavia… and my mother.”

“Why?”

“She missed you?”

“Why?”

“How am I supposed to know?”

He pursed his lips. “I don’t know… maybe you missed me too and have an idea how that feels like.”

Octavius smiled a little. “You must get up.”

“Why did she send you? She could’ve come herself, this is her room as well.”

“Well…”

“Or did you volunteer?”

“Why the interrogation?” Octavius asked finally.

“I missed bickering with you.”

“We can bicker more in the courtyard.” Octavius said while attempting to leave but Marcus caught his wrist and got him under himself on the bed. “Or… we can continue to bicker here?” His heart was beating too much faster than his liking when Octavius was under him and looking at him with those stupid stupid blue eyes. He was almost scared that he was right about his assumption about Octavius forgetting about him.

But all his worries left him when he felt the boy’s hands on his cheeks. “So, it was really my mother that was holding you back from me huh?”

Marcus laughed a little. “Well your mother is the dumbest piece of ass I’ve ever slept with. You are lucky she offered me treason.”

“Yeah, lucky…”

Marcus tilted his head and watched Octavius closely. “Why did you say it like that?”

“Oh nothing… just that it wasn’t luck.”

“How?”

“My mother is dumb, you are right about that.” He said as his hands traced his body down to his waist. As his long fingers were leaving soft touches to his bare skin, he said “So, I manipulated into being someone you would hate. It worked and I won.”

“You… You manipulated your own mother and for what? Getting fucked, really? This is even low for me.” Marcus said with laughing. “It’s not worth it kid.”

“It is.” Octavius insisted. He had to. He had to at least once have sex with Marcus Antonius to get over him. It has been torturing him for years and he had to get it out of his system. “And if she was going to be this miserable without you, she should’ve been cleverer.”

“How come?”

“Well…” Octavius whispered with his hands even tracing down from his waist to his ass under his underwear. “You are kind of a wild one, Antonius. One should be smart enough to keep you interested to keep you.”

Marcus leaned down to his face more. He whispered as he couldn’t take his eyes off of Octavius’s pink lips. “And you are smart enough to keep me?”

“You have doubts?” Octavius whispered back with caressing his bare back with light touches.

“A little, care to prove?”

Octavius smiled and made their lips meet. As soon as their lips crashed, Marcus held his waist more firmly and held his blonde hair between his rough fingers. Octavius was hurting but it was making him have even more pleasure. They were grinding against each other with their clothes in between.

When Marcus moved onto his neck and started planting sloppy kissed down his skin, Octavius panted. “We… We should really go to the court. They… Oh! They are waiting. They are expecting us.”

“You should’ve thought that before coming to my bedroom boy.” Marcus snarled and kept on drowning him in kisses. Octavius smiled as his heart finally met the feeling of openly being desired by Marcus Antonius but his mind was telling him to escape his embrace so they wouldn’t get caught. And no matter how much he wanted this, he always put his mind first over his emotions. He somehow managed to push Marcus and met his eyes. “We have time, but we must go now.”

“Fine.”

The man got out of the boy and immediately Octavius missed the weight and warmth over his body. He got out too anyway and fixed his clothes and hair before the mirror. He managed to hide the hickeys too. His pale skin wasn’t helping him unfortunately.

“Hey.”

“What?” He turned back to see a dressed Marcus Antonius with a bracelet in his hand. “Kind of girly for you I must say, but it is good.” He tried to joke. It was probably a gift for Antonia.

“Um… It’s not for me…”

“I know I just…”

“It’s for you… If you accept…”

“For me?”

“Yeah, I saw it while in Egypt and thought of you and if you don’t like it, or it’s too girly, you don’t have to…”

“I’d love to.”

Marcus looked at him in disbelief. “Really?” He asked. “I mean… you said it was girly…”

“I said girly for you. It would look normal on me.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought!”

“So…” Octavius extended his hand. “Care to put it on?”

Marcus smiled and put the bracelet on his wrist. “Looks good.”

“It’s beautiful.” Octavius said. “Thank you.”

“Yeah well…”

Octavius leaned up and planted a soft kiss on his lips before leaving his room. It was funny though. For a boy who was so convinced that his interest in Marcus Antonius was only sexual, this kiss had no emotion other than plain love.