gaius (ex_gaius583) wrote in snark_n_bark, @ 2008-09-28 19:33:00 |
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Entry tags: | complete, gaius, regulus |
Dinner for Two
Characters: Regulus, Gaius
Summary: A dinner at Vesuvius is seductive in more ways than one
"Here we are," Gaius said as he opened the door to Vesuvius and held it open for Regulus with a smile. "After you!"
He'd been anticipating this evening with steadily rising excitement ever since Regulus had agreed to come back to the hedonistic restaurant with him. It had taken him practically mortgaging his soul to get one of the Roman bath rooms on a Saturday evening, but he considered the cost well worth it if he could get Regulus to think of him as a man, rather than a friend or, even worse, Sirius' lover. It was an investment in their future happiness, he thought, and he knew he'd pay any cost to win Regulus' love.
Gaius' plan was simple, and it grew from the things he'd noticed when he and Regulus had gone out to the Hofbrauhaus. First, of course, there had been Regulus' own suggestions about how Gaius should get "his man" to notice him, suggestions that Gaius had begun to implement at once. He even thought he'd seen a flicker or two of awareness in Regulus' eyes, which was all for the good, especially given Regulus' admitted disinterest in sex. But even more encouraging had been the flashes of what might have been jealousy; if Regulus truly was feeling put out about Gaius' interest in "someone else", perhaps that might be the key to getting Regulus to acknowledge any feelings he might have for Gaius, at least to himself. He didn't expect Regulus' to throw himself into his arms this evening, but if he could get Regulus hot and bothered and thinking, that might be the opening he needed to start to woo him in earnest.
He followed Regulus into the entrance corridor and then to the foyer, noting that they'd changed the decor slightly, lush blood red and silver hangings replacing the gold and purple of their previous visit. The maitre d' greeted them, and Gaius smiled, barely able to contain his excitement about the evening to come. "Reservation for two for Snape."
"Ah yes, very good sir," the maitre d' said, giving Gaius a rather knowing smile. "I believe you'll find everything to your liking."
Regulus looked around, taking in the details anew; he had fond memories of this restaurant and of the evening he had spent here with Gaius and Severus, and he was pleased to be back once more. He was also pleased not to be alone, although he was still surprised that Gaius wanted to come here with him rather than 'his man', but that thought made Regulus a little smug despite the fact that he knew it was uncharitable. Even without knowing who it was or anything about the man, Regulus was inclined to think ill of him for being so stupid and oblivious.
"I am certain we will," Regulus agreed with the maitre d', looking forward to an evening of excellent food and lounging on plush chaise lounges.
Nodding graciously, the maitre d' gestured toward one side, where a stunningly handsome young man in a toga appeared, holding a small mound of folded fabric in his hands.
"If you'll follow me, please, you can change, and then I'll take you to your chamber," the young man said, and then he started off toward the changing room Gaius remembered from their previous visit.
Gaius was aware of what they would be changing into, and he only hoped that Regulus wouldn't be too daunted by the attire. He followed the young man, taking the opportunity to walk close to Regulus, dropping his voice so that Regulus would have to lean closer to hear him. "This is going to be a little different from before," he murmured. "I do hope you don't mind."
Regulus glanced at him, giving him a look of surprise. "Is it? Well, I have no objection to new experiences, and if it is anything like the last time, I imagine I will enjoy it. What are we doing this time?"
"We're going to do a Roman bath," Gaius said, his eyes alight with anticipation. He'd debated not telling Regulus, but he didn't want Regulus to feel compelled to do it if he didn't want to; if they had already been lovers, he wouldn't have hesitated, but things weren't at that point... yet. "We'll change into a sort of loincloth, and they will serve our drinks and meals while we recline in a fragrant, heated bath, our every whim served by the delectable young men who desire only to fulfill our whims."
Regulus stopped dead in his tracks and stared at Gaius. "A loincloth?"
Gaius grinned. "Totally modest, I assure you. I checked when I booked. If you feel uncomfortable, you could wear one of the togas into the water... but it might get a bit constricting."
Regulus raked his fingers through his hair, momentarily at a loss. It wasn't that he was shy or ashamed, but even though he had used Severus' salve on his scars, not all had disappeared, and if he was honest, he had to admit he was a little self-conscious about it. Then again, Gaius had seen Regulus in various states of dress when he was Anubis, so it wasn't as if the sight would be a new one to him.
"Isn't this something you ought to be doing with 'your man' instead?" he asked, keeping a derisive note out of his voice on the words 'your man', but barely.
"Perhaps, someday, when he's ready," Gaius replied quietly, reaching out to touch Regulus' hand. "We don't have to do this, if you don't want to. But I thought it might be something you'd enjoy, and I want to thank you for helping me so much. I enjoy doing things with you, I hope you know that. Even if I do win my man, you will always be important to me. I have no plans to cast you aside, no more than I would the other people I care about. I had too much of that with Sirius. I won't even pursue him if it means I can't have all the people I love in my life."
That was somewhat mollifying, and Regulus considered the Roman bath idea; there were warning bells going off in the back of his head, but he didn't know why, and that was at war with his pride, which was stinging because Gaius had felt the need to offer him an out. Was he so miss-ish or cowardly that he couldn't handle a bath and a loincloth? It wasn't as if they would be squeezing into a little tub together, after all.
"Thank you," he said at last, and then he took a deep breath and nodded. "Let's try the bath. If we do not enjoy it, we can always go back to the couches."
"Excellent!" Gaius beamed, then entered the changing room where their Adonis-like escort stood waiting patiently. The young man held out one of the loincloths, which was really more like a set of boxer shorts with extra fabric to make it look more authentic, and Gaius took it and slipped into one of the curtained changing areas. He was thrilled that Regulus was willing to go along with it - the first hurdle passed in his plan to overwhelm Regulus and win him forever.
He stepped out of the cubicle, hanging up his street robes and placing his shoes tidily beneath it on the floor, then turned and waited for Regulus to emerge, licking his lips in anticipation of the sight of Regulus in the skimpy outfit.
Regulus was relieved to see there was more substance to the garment than he had feared there would be, and he changed clothes swiftly and emerged from his changing cubicle, resisting the urge to clutch his robes in front of him like some prim maiden aunt. He hung up his robes neatly and left his shoes beneath them, and then he turned to Gaius and folded his arms across his chest, forced himself to unfold them, and folded them again, feeling a little more secure that way no matter how defensive or nervous it might make him appear.
"Right," he said. "Where do we go from here?"
"Follow me," the young Adonis said, and beckoned them toward a side door. Gaius followed, curious; he knew what this package entailed, but he'd not seen this area on their previous trip. The areas here were completely curtained off, and their guide lifted back a drape of scarlet silk and gestured for them to enter.
Gaius decided to go first, since Regulus seemed a bit nervous. He stepped onto the cool marble, his eyes widening as he took in their chamber. The room was dominated by a square, sunken marble pool, filled with water which sparkled blue under the light of the hanging iron braziers. The young man snapped his fingers, and the water began to bubble gently, sending up tendrils of steam that carried a subtle, spicy scent. The edges of the tub were lined with what looked like waterproof cushions, and there were other cushions scattered about the rest of the floor, obviously placed there for lounging if the occupants grew tired of the water. There were also several low tables, some close to the tub and seemingly meant for the occupants to use, while others were set among the cushions.
The masterpiece of the room, however, was the back wall, which was artfully done in what looked like natural stone, set with ferns growing on strategically placed outcroppings. Water tumbled down the rocks from the ceiling and flowed into the pool, murmuring in a soothing way.
"Wow," was all Gaius could say for the moment, and their guide smirked slightly, as though it was a common reaction.
"I second that," Regulus murmured, taking in the scenery with widened eyes. This was far more elaborate and beautiful than he had imagined, and it made the room they had dined in the first time look like a dingy cell in comparison.
"Feel free to either use the pool, or make yourself comfortable on the cushions. We can serve your meal in either fashion," the young man said. "Since you pre-ordered, we'll return with your wine and your first course in a moment." He gestured to a set of small inlays at the side of the pool. "You can control the water from there, whether you want it to bubble more or less. There are also privacy controls; if you don't wish to be disturbed for whatever reason - " again the small smirk " - all you have to do is press the inlay with the closed door on it, and no one will enter until you press it again."
"Thank you," Gaius said, and watched as the young man bowed and turned to leave. Then he looked at Regulus and grinned. "So, what's it to be? Want to try the water?"
"We might as well," Regulus replied as he moved to the edge of the pool. "Otherwise, I've got myself in a bloody loincloth for nothing." He glanced back at the retreating young man, having noted the smirk. "I suppose he thinks we will be putting out the 'do not disturb' sign. Cheeky bugger."
"Well, can you blame him?" Gaius asked, moving to the pool as well. "Two hot men like us? Why wouldn't he think we wanted to shag each other's brains out? I'm flattered, actually; think about how bad it would be if he assumed we were far too old to be interested in sex at all!"
"There is that," Regulus murmured as he grasped the rail and made his way down the wide steps into the pool; the warm water lapped at his ankles and then his shins, an accompaniment to the heat he felt rising in his face as Gaius' words. He had never thought of the words 'shagging each other's brains out' in relation to himself and Gaius, and he was disconcerted to find they gave him flashes of... interesting imagery. "Then again, perhaps that is my real problem. I am too old for bonfires and am left with cold ashes instead."
"Ha! Tell yourself that," Gaius scoffed playfully, stepping into the pool and quickly descending the steps, practically purring in pleasure at the warmth. "You're my age, and if I'm not too old, then you aren't, either." He stood in the middle of the pool, which came up just past his waist, and then quickly lowered himself beneath the bubbling surface. He stood up again, pushing his wet hair back from his face and humming softly. "Oh, that feels wonderful. I think this is going to be a very good evening indeed."
Regulus abruptly realized his mouth had gone dry, and he swallowed hard, hoping the servers returned with the promised wine soon because he felt a desperate need for fortification. He found himself mesmerized by the rivulets flowing from Gaius' hair down his chest, and that was just... wrong. Silently, he groaned, hoping he wasn't about to discover that what he thought had been cold ashes were really embers that were just waiting to be stoked back to life. He would almost rather be impotent than end up in the middle of a mess like this had the potential to be.
He forced himself to move and took a seat on one of the cushions, opting not to get entirely wet like Gaius, and he glanced back at the door. "Yes, quite," he murmured absently.
Gaius moved to the same side of the pool, sitting next to Regulus but a discreet distance away. "This is far more decadent than the last time. I think Severus will be envious. Oh, wonderful, here's our wine, and some food. I'm famished. What about you?"
A pair of young men entered, both blond haired and bronze skinned, and Gaius laughed in delight. "Twins!" he said, vastly amused by the coincidence. As handsome as the young men were, though, they didn't hold a candle to Regulus, and Gaius couldn't help his eyes straying to Regulus' bare chest for a moment, before he lifted one hand to accept the large goblet of wine one of the twins offered him.
"I'm Erik, and my brother is Damon," the young man said, holding out the other goblet toward Regulus with a smile.
"We'll be serving you this evening," Damon added, and he placed a platter of cheese and fruit on the edge of the pool, within easy reach of both of them. "Would you care for anything else at the moment?"
A burnoose and a tub of ice, Regulus thought sourly as he accepted the goblet with murmured thanks. He barely noticed the servers; they were too young, and he had never been particularly attracted to blonds, especially not after Lucius. Aloud, however, he merely said, "No, thank you", and he drank deeply of his wine.
"No, thank you," Gaius chimed in, and the young servers withdrew, leaving them alone again. He sipped his wine, giving a happy sigh at the taste, then reached for a grape, barely able to keep his face schooled into lines of polite friendliness. "Here, try this," he said, holding the fruit out at the level of Regulus' lips.
Regulus eyed the fruit, and for a second, he considered eating the fruit from Gaius' fingers, but the warning bells were going off again, and he thought perhaps that would be unwise, given the odd state of mind he seemed to be in at the moment. Instead, he plucked the piece of fruit out of Gaius' hand and mustered a smile. "Thank you," he said, popping the grape into his mouth. "Fortunately for us, Severus is not here, else he might demand we peel these for him."
Gaius was slightly disappointed Regulus didn't take the grape from his fingers, but he decided not to let it daunt him. "Oh, yes, Severus would have us all waiting on him hand and foot," he agreed, taking a grape for himself and enjoying the sweet taste as he bit down on it. Then he chose a cube of cheese, biting into it and watching Regulus. "I'm glad to have you all to myself, though, selfish as that sounds. You deserve to be spoilt instead of having to spoil someone else."
Reaching for a piece of cheese himself, Regulus glanced at Gaius, one eyebrow raised. "While the hedonist in me would be inclined to agree, I do not think I am in greater need of spoiling than any other person. I cannot think of anything I have done to warrant it."
"I think everyone deserves to be spoilt from time to time," Gaius replied easily, wishing that he could be the one to spoil Regulus in the future. "You deserve it because you've not had it for a while. I like being spoiled myself, as you well know; hopefully, my man will want to do that for me from time to time, too."
"He should," Regulus said, his voice tinged with indignation as if The Man had already been found lacking in the spoiling department. "A relationship should be equal when it comes to giving and taking. If it all goes one way, it is unhealthy. I should know," he said dryly.
Pleased by Regulus' defense of his supposed needs in a relationship, Gaius smiled, sipping at his wine and thinking about how to keep up this rather promising development. "I fully agree," he said, reaching for more cheese. "I enjoy giving people pleasure, seeing their eyes light up and watching them smile with happiness. I hope my man will like being spoiled in return, because I intend to do it often. He has a gorgeous smile; I wish I got to see it more often."
Regulus frowned and folded his arms, his appetite for the fruit and cheese suddenly diminished. "He sounds dour. Are you certain you want to be with someone like that?" he asked, feeling a twinge of guilt for saying anything disparaging about Gaius' chosen partner. He ought to be encouraging, instead.
Now that definitely sounded encouraging. "He's not dour. Well, not Severus-dour at least, and I don't think I need to mention who once found that very attractive." Gaius' eyes danced with a teasing light. "I think I told you he'd been hurt; that's why he doesn't smile more often. I think he may have forgotten how. But I want to change that. I want to make him smile. I want to make his heart beat faster and his breathing quicken. I want to see his beautiful eyes light up and know that I'm the one who caused it. That's what love is, isn't it? Wanting to heal all of someone's hurts and give them joy? When the sight of them smiling because of you makes you giddy with joy?"
Regulus felt a strange sensation like someone had strapped an iron band around his chest, stifling his breathing, and he felt his heart wrenching beneath that odd constriction; he struggled to draw in a deep breath, feeling off-balance and uncertain and unable to understand why. All he knew was that Gaius' words had struck him, and for a moment, he couldn't find the words to respond.
"I - I'm not certain," he said at last. "I loved Severus, and I wanted to be the one who healed him and made him happy, but he never smiled because of me. His eyes never lit up, and I know I never made his heart beat faster. The only love I have known was painful and unrequited."
Gaius longed to tell Regulus that he had smiled because of Regulus, that he had been healed by Regulus and that only Regulus made his heart beat faster. But he couldn't, not yet, and he ached for the pain he sensed behind Regulus' words.
"It does happen sometimes," he said softly, reaching out to touch Regulus' arm gently, rubbing the skin soothingly. "But it doesn't always have to be that way. You were stuck on Severus for a long time, and you've gone through a great deal since then, so you've not had much of a chance to think about love. But that can change, you know. You haven't given yourself a chance."
The gentle stroking of Gaius' hand was soothing and yet unsettling as well, but Regulus didn't pull away. Damnably enough, his skin seemed to have awoken from its dormancy and was reminding him that it was touch-starved.
"I suppose not," he murmured, turning his gaze downward. "I have no idea where to begin looking or how. Until recently, I was not even certain I wanted to. I am not entirely certain I do now, but it is difficult to remain indifferent to the idea while living with two people who float around in a state of perpetual bliss."
Since Regulus hadn't moved away, Gaius continued the gentle stroking, inching just slightly closer with the subtlety of a stalking cat. "Well, that's a step forward over how you felt a few weeks ago." He let the circling of his hand become slightly larger, up Regulus' arm to his shoulder. "It seems you're healing at last, and that's a very good thing all by itself. I've no doubt that there is someone out there for you, someone who can't wait to see your beautiful eyes light up just for him."
Regulus felt himself relaxing under Gaius' soothing touch, and he glanced sidelong at Gaius, peeking at him from beneath his lashes, more warmed by the compliment than he cared to admit. More than was good for him, he suspected.
"Perhaps," he murmured, his stomach churning. If Gaius wanted to see His Man's eyes light up, who was left in the world to care about Regulus'? And that, he knew, was a dangerous and stupid line of thought. "We shall see, I suppose," he said, although there was little conviction in his voice.
Gaius clucked softly, moving off the bench so that he could kneel in the water in front of Regulus, reaching out to frame Regulus' face with his hands. He couldn't bear to see Regulus' confidence so shaken; it made his heart ache, made him long to pull Regulus into his arms and tell him that Gaius wanted nothing more than to be the one to bring him joy. But it was too soon, and he didn't want to risk losing Regulus completely.
But he had to offer reassurance. "You are a Black," he told Regulus firmly, holding Regulus' gaze, his own eyes soft. "What was it you just told me only a few days ago? That I should go for it? You are handsome, you are proud. You are strong and intelligent, and you can do or be anything you desire. You've suffered, but that is something you are putting behind you. Don't ever, ever sell yourself short, Regulus... because if you do, I'm going to have to kick your arse, and trust me, you don't want to lose to a kitten, do you?"
"Certainly not," Regulus replied, a half-smile quirking his lips. "I do have my standards." He met Gaius' gaze, although it was difficult, partly because it was difficult to concentrate with Gaius' slender fingers framing his face and partly because looking at Gaius was making the knots in his stomach pull tighter. He was finding Gaius... attractive. Thoughts he had no business thinking were rising up in his mind, and he was filled with equal parts fear and despair over what was happening to him. Why was it his fate to nurse impossible attractions to unattainable Snapes? Was he stupid? A masochist? Or simply thick-headed enough to want what he couldn't possibly have? "At any rate, I appreciate the pep talk."
Gaius wanted to do far more than give a pep talk, but that wasn't an option, or at least not yet. "That's the spirit," he said encouragingly, although he wasn't quite as reassured by the look in Regulus' eyes as he portrayed. But he knew Regulus' pride, and he didn't want to press Regulus until he felt the need to either retreat or become defensive. He caressed his thumbs over Regulus' cheeks, a light touch that could probably be taken as being accidental, then reluctantly lowered his hands. "Now, can we continue with me spoiling you for the evening? This is something that is supposed to make you happy, Schönes, not make you feel pensive."
Regulus lifted his head and mustered a smile; he wasn't certain he could relax and be happy in the wake of the realizations unfurling within him, but he didn't want to disappoint Gaius or appear ungrateful that Gaius had gone to such effort for him. "Very well. Let us continue with the evening."
"I think more wine will help," Gaius said, moving to the side of the pool to retrieve the bottle their servers had left there. He refilled their goblets, passing Regulus' over and giving him a playful smile. "Hedonism, right? We should do what brings us happiness, especially in such beautiful surroundings. Being so beautiful ourselves, it's only fitting."
Regulus gave a little snort at that, but he accepted the goblet and drank deeply. "Right. So... tell me. What will bring you happiness? More food, perhaps?"
"Mmm... food would be good. They ought to be bringing our next course shortly, as a matter of fact; stuffed grape leaves and a meat pastry, and vegetables. All wildly decadent, accompanied by truffles and caviar." Gaius stood up straight, water dripping down his body, and poked at his waistline. "I think I can indulge, this once. I'd not want to end up pudgy!"
Regulus instinctively flicked his gaze down and quickly looked back up again. "I doubt you need to worry about it," he murmured, sinking lower in the water himself. This, he thought, was going to be a very long evening. A very long evening indeed.