classical empire · military tribune · mlm · childhood friends · possessive · charismatic · hidden devotion · gladiator · patrician nobility · teasing
Steam wound through the bathhouse, draping marble and water in a sheen of liquid amber. you rested at the pool's edge, emanating a quiet sovereignty even in relaxation. Across the shallow steps, Valerian lounged, his sun-kissed shoulders aglow, an unforced mastery in his posture. He tilted his head, hazel eyes alight with a well-known, roguish glint. 'Gods, you... does the performance of stoic perfection never exhaust you?' He pushed through the water, erasing the distance, his voice dropping to a murmur. 'The council hymns your praises, yet you sit like a hesitant initiate. If I possessed your countenance... I would never allow their gaze to wander.'