Chapter Text
“Ughhh, I fucking hate Greek class! Magister does the same thing every day, asks stupid questions and believes that his students are supposed to know everything!”, Claudia whined while packing up her stuff, “I swear to the gods, one day I’ll spontaneously combust in one of his lessons! And I’ll have to study the whooole weekend all because of a single test!”
“Maybe we could study together. I can come over if that’s ok. Do you think we could have a ‘disco’ sleepover?”, her best friend, Julia, who was known as the prettiest girl in class, throwing everyone else into her shadows, suggested.
“Sure, is Saturday evening ok for you? I’ll ask my parents if you can stay over.” Her heart felt like it just went up to her throat from excitement, a fuzzy feeling nestling in her stomach, her brain feeling tickly, all from the thought of Julia sleeping next to her.
And so, they met at Claudia’s place to study together, Claudia was freaking out in her bedroom, as always before she meets up with her friend. What if she says something wrong? What if Julia thinks her room is too messy? Will she be in a bad mood? What if they accidentally set something on fire?
Her hands are shaking as she puts on her jewelry, hoping Julia would find the golden arm cuffs pretty. She even puts in the effort to pin her tunic. If her parents saw that she was “putting holes in the precious fabric!” they would not let her invite anyone over again for the next 2 months.
Although, when she thinks about the last time Julia complimented her style, all the worries were gone. She’d even take the risk of getting grounded for 6 months just to feel that bubbly feeling in her stomach and her cheeks getting warm from Julias words again.
“Claudia, I’m here! Come down!” a melodic voice shouts up to her window. She almost falls down the stairs from nervousness, checks her reflection in the water basin a last time, and opens the door with shaky hands.
„Hello, Claudia! “, Julia exclaimed while charging towards her. Claudia tried to answer: “Hi Ju-“, Before she had Julia’s arms around her neck and her lips were met with a sister’s kiss. Even though it was roman custom to do this among friends as a greeting, she felt like she couldn’t breathe for a few seconds. She only let Julia peck her lips, no one else.
One of Julia’s hands found its place at the back of her head, tangling in her hair for the moments the kiss lasted. It felt really special to her when her dearest friend did this, so as always it made her heart jump, feeling Julia so close. Claudia had to refrain from staying like that a little longer, or sticking her tongue out just to get a taste. What was she even thinking, wanting to lick her friend’s lips? She’s even worse than the boys in her class!
When her friend pulled away, Claudia’s lips were slightly moist from the olive oil Julia uses to keep her lips smooth and soft. She only snapped out of her thoughts when the other girl’s sweet voice filled the air. “How are you doing? Did you already do your homework?”
Oh, she could listen to her talk like that all day, watch as her lips pronounced every syllable and look into her gorgeous eyes as they spark when she ranted about something she li- “Claudia? Did you not hear me, dear?” Julia inquired with a concerned expression plastered on her face. “U-uhm, I’m doing great, and I already did my homework, so we can spend more time together!” Claudia quickly answered, embarrassed that she had been caught staring.
Julia was the most stunning girl at school after all, how could she not admire her? “Are you sick? Your face is all red and your mind seems a bit burdened”, her friend inquired. “I’m fine, don’t worry about it, the heat is just getting to my head”, the girl answered hastily while glancing down her friend’s attractive figure. She was wearing a modest tunic, but even that didn’t keep Claudia from dreaming about the smooth skin underneath.
“My father bought this one at the market a few days ago. Do you like it? Do you think it fits me?”, Julia questioned her beloved classmate, noticing her focused expression. Clauda could only stammer out a sound that’s meant to be a confirmation.
Her friend decides to mock her in response. “My eyes are up here, sweetheart” This makes Claudia take the chance to conceal her pining behind mutual teasing. “Well, they’re not the only pair staring at me”, she playfully remarked. “Oh, shut your mouth!” the girl snapped back. Luckily there was no anger in her voice, only a little annoyance at her friend’s dirty mind.
They decided to go to Claudia’s room to study. They spread out their vocabulary books and grammar sheets on the bed and tried to check each other’s vocabulary and translation skills. After only 2 minutes they already felt like they could die from boredom and the summer heat.
Claudia could barely focus. “Ugh, I’m melting~ ‘Lia, save me before I become a pathetic puddle”, she complained, blaming her lack of concentration on the weather. “How am I supposed to help? I feel just as warm as you”, Julia countered, bothered by the heat as well. “We could go to my family’s private bath!”, the shorter girl suggested with excitement.
And so, they put their school stuff away, and went through the house Claudia shared with her family. They entered the small bath, even if it was a humble abode, at least it was a private one.
They both undressed. Of course, it wasn’t the first time Claudia saw a woman’s naked body. There were many statues that showed female gods’ bare upper bodies, and she just had to look at her own reflection in the water or go to a public bathhouse. But it felt so different when she glanced at her friend. She was simply something else.
She looked like one of those statues, a literal goddess, but even more perfect. Her tunic was still draped over her arms, making it feel even more intimate than if she was fully naked. Her skin was smooth, as if she was an embodiment of Venus herself, and the structure of her body didn’t help keeping Claudia’s perverted thoughts away either. The way she let her hair down and unwrapped her tunic all the way made Claudia’s face feel warm, which only made her feel even more flustered, knowing her friend could see how much she liked admiring her.
The flustered girl felt a hand under her chin. “Aww, you like what you see?” Julia asked teasingly. “Uhm, I- Gods…” Claudia stumbled in response. She could almost hear the blood rushing through her ears. “You look wonderful”, she hastily finished her chain of words that barely formed a sentence before quickly looking away. Gods, what am I thinking? I can’t just stare at her like some horny boy from our class! I’m even worse than Quintus! Why am I even thinking of her like this?!
Julia just laughs it off. “Come on, get rid of that tunic, even though you do look good in it”, she says while putting a towel over her shoulders, which hindered a staring contest between her friend’s eyes and her chest.
Claudia didn’t hesitate to take her own tunic off in a hurry. She couldn’t wait to get into the cool water with her friend. She almost forgot to prepare a towel for herself while thinking about sitting next to her with the only thing separating their skin being water.
Julia was already getting into the water, her toes breaking the surface tension before making tiny ripples as she lowered herself into the water. Claudia followed her hastily and much less graciously. They both sat next to each other without saying a word at first, enjoying the cooling sensation of the water.
“This is really nice. Enjoying a cool bath on a hot day with the most amazing person I know next to me. I could get used to this”, Julia said before booping Claudias nose, leaving a droplet of water. “Oh really? Am I now obligated to stay next to you so you can enjoy your baths properly?” the girl with the droplet on her nose teased back.
“Yes, you are. You’re sticking with me”, Julia demanded, putting her hands on the other young lady’s cheeks. Claudia tilted her head to the side a bit, trying to decide which hand to press her cheek against first, before going left while closing her eyes. Her hands just felt too warm, too inviting not to seek out and relax in their touch.
A few seconds later she felt something soft and warm against her lips. She hesitated for a nanosecond before realizing it was her friend’s mouth against her own. She stayed like this, waiting for Julia to pull away first, as always when they kissed. But this time, Julia stayed almost motionless as well, as if hesitating or waiting for something.
Claudia lets her tongue go past her own lips before even thinking about it first, only to taste that bitter olive oil again. But at this moment she could barely feel the bitterness, but much more the sweet hint of honey, which Julia usually added to her lip balm. She was relaxed, simply feeling fantastic.
She was quickly broken out of this state of bliss as Julia pulled away, causing her to make a quiet disappointed whine. “Sorry, you just caught me off guard- “, Julia stammered before Claudia was pressing their lips together again, trying to continue what was cut short a second ago.
This time the normally more flustered girl was more confident, but still careful not to make her friend uncomfortable while sharing holy kisses. They’ve never done it this physically before, usually they only shared quick pecks.
Julias tongue joined Claudia’s, surprising her with its wet sensation. Claudia ended up leaning slightly backwards with her crush leaning over her. Julias hands found their place on Claudia’s shoulders, her left one wandering up to the back of her neck and her right one going down to her upper back.
Julia pulled away again for a short break, now leaning against her admirer. Her expression was still adorably surprised, almost a bit overwhelmed by the events that happened in the last few seconds.
Her lips were wet with a mix of both of their saliva, her face and ears reddened, the glint of lesbian panic in her eyes. But below all of that was one overpowering feeling: affection. The thing that held them together even though they sometimes felt some rivalry towards each other because of being the top students in their class. But that wouldn’t stop them from loving each other.
Claudia broke the oddly comforting silence. “Sweet Venus, my gods… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have interrupted you, what were you trying to say?” “I… forgot”, Julia replied, still a bit startled both by herself and Claudia.
Both girls decide to stay close, gossiping about their class, until Claudia starts getting cold. “Your lips are turning blue”, Julia pointed out. “you should get out.” “Nooo, but it’s even more cold outside when your skin is still wet!” Claudia replied stubbornly. “You’re gonna catch a cold. I’ll get out too if that’s what it takes to get your butt out”, her crush said with a concerned expression on her face.
Claudia finally got out of the cool water, shivering as the cold air brushes over her wet skin. She quickly wrapped herself in the towel she set out earlier and waited for her friend to follow. They sat quietly next to each other on a small, tiled bench, contemplating all their life choices as they sat there with dripping wet hair.
“Do you want me to fix your hair?” Claudia suggested after a few minutes of sitting in half soaked towels. Julia nodded and turned to face away from her. Claudia reached for the comb she always took to the bath, and started untangling her friend’s lilac hair, careful not to pull on it accidentally.
Her hair was still all wet and a bit tangled, falling over her shoulders in separate strands. Claudia makes quick use of the comb and gets rid of the worst knots, working carefully but efficiently. As soon as Julia’s hair was fully untangled and silky smooth, her fingers, which were still wrinkly from the water, started braiding the strands into two braids.
When Claudia was done, they switched up and it was Julia’s turn to take care of her friend’s hair. Hers was shorter, so they got done quicker than earlier. Julia’s fingers felt good in her hair, she almost wished she’d play with it for longer. “Thanks”, Claudia mumbled before pressing a kiss to her friend’s cheek.
Julia let out a quiet “Heh”, before turning her face towards her admirer, hoping for another one on her lips. Claudia got the hint and gave her a kiss, this time more gently than in the pool. Her friend tangled her fingers in her shoulder-long hair, almost clinging to her. Their tongues kept dancing, lost in a slow waltz, while they both forgot where they even were.
Claudia took deep breaths between the kisses, trying to keep her cool while making out with her crush, both bare and damp. She had been dreaming of this moment for months, occasionally getting small kisses, but never something as exhilarating as this, always making the butterflies in her stomach flutter and dance, but never satisfying her.
In contrast to her friend, Julia’s breath was quick and rather flat, her heart overjoyed with excitement. A warm, buzzing feeling started building up in her lower abdomen, spreading down to her thighs, while a similar warmth blossomed from her cheeks outwards to her ears. Her thoughts were tumbling over themselves and staying still at the same time.
Claudia’s hands ended up on Julia’s shoulder and chin, keeping a grip that wasn’t too firm or too loose, but just right, as if the brunette was worried her best friend was going to back out of her reach again.
They both relaxed into each other’s kisses after a few moments of inner giddiness, enjoying the closeness and intimacy. Claudia’s lips started wandering over to Julia’s cheek, causing her to make a noise of confusion and disappointment, before continuing their travels to her jawline and ending the journey at the side of her neck, right where she could feel the fast pulse under her own lips.
The brunette picked up Julia’s neatly folded tunic and draped it over its owner’s shoulders to keep herself from staring. “Uhm- you… t-that felt great”, she stuttered, “just… can you promise me this is not just a one-time thing?” she completed her sentence. “I’d gladly do this regularly with you, Claudia. I don’t want this to end either. It feels so good to be at your side”, Julia answered, much more composed than a few seconds ago, the redness in her face staying put.
Just the way she pronounced her name makes Claudia want to go to her knees in front of her, if it’s to pray to her, beg her for her affection, or bring her pleasure doesn’t matter. Maybe all of them at once. All she knew was, that in this moment, she would’ve followed every word Julia said without a single thought.
She felt the soft fabric of her tunic around her, still completely lost in the pictures that started forming in her mind. “Come here”, Julia suggested with deep care in her eyes. Claudia immediately obeyed, scooting closer on the tiles.
Julia opened her arms and welcomed her in a soft wrap of her own body and her clothing. Claudia had to gather her thoughts, snug against her chest. After a few seconds she relaxes, closing her eyes and leaning her head on her friend’s shoulder, smelling hints of an expensive lavender perfume that hadn’t been washed away fully.
She drifts in and out of sleep for a few minutes before she finally dozes off, taking a much needed nap in Julia’s arms.
Half an hour later
Claudia wakes up in Julias arms, in about the same position as she fell asleep. She contemplated if she should put her clothes back on, or enjoy her time with her dearest friend.
“’Lia…”, she whispered, “You’re so warm… simply perfect.” She melted into her arms even more and suddenly felt her friend move. “Hm…?”, Julia seemed a bit disoriented as she wakes up as well before remembering what got her into this place and into this position with Claudia.
“Aww, you look so cute when you’re sleepy”, the girl who had woken up just a few seconds ago lilted, before rubbing her eyes and pressing a kiss to the young woman slumped against her chest.
Claudia held onto her tighter in return while mumbling something along the lines of “Ugh, I don’t wanna get up…” “Oh, how adorable can a person possibly be?” Julia gushed over the girl who laid half in her lap and complained about getting up. “We need to get back to your room though, your parents will get worried”, Julia responded. “I sometimes stay in here for over an hour, we’ll be fine.” “Will it convince you if I were to say that I want you to go back inside?” Julia countered. “I wanna go to my room!” Claudia immediately decided.
Approximately 5 minutes later
Julia sat laid on Claudia’s bed with open arms. At this moment Claudia was just glad that they had both managed to convince their parents to let them have a sleepover. She let herself lay down on Julia, with her face against her chest. This truly seemed like the Olympus on earth.
The other young woman kept herself busy by carding her digits through the brunette’s hair while making sure she’s comfortable and whispering compliments. Claudia’s face and ears kept feeling hotter with each second in this position, thinking she must be dreaming.
“Are you tired again, pulcherrima?” Julia asked quietly, her voice soft like the expensive silk she likes to wear over her tunics. Oh gods, pulcherrima? The prettiest? Has she ever seen her gorgeous reflection? She was wide awake from nervousness, but she couldn’t help but relax against Julia’s slender frame. “No… you just make for a perfect pillow… and that’s a lie, you’re the most stunning girl under the deities’ eyes”, she answered grumbly, craning her neck so she could reach Julia’s collarbones for a small kiss.
“Only the most stunning girl? You mean you think there’s a boy prettier than me? Oooh, who’s the lucky one?”, she giggled. “Boys? No, not in our class for sure. Besides, they already have enough drama. Correction, you’re the prettiest. No matter the gender,” she replied with false confidence. “So, no one has caught your eye?” Julia dug deeper.
“Well… I don’t think she sees me as more than friends…” Claudia answered hesitantly. “She…?” she muttered in surprise, “You should at least try to shoot your shot, time is not eternal, you know.”
Claudia averted her gaze, seemingly hiding something. “But what if she only thinks of me as a friend? What if I gross her out?” she questioned quietly. “Who wouldn’t want a pretty girlfriend like you? I mean, you’re pretty, smart, organized, funny, good at listen-“, Julia tried to soothe her worries until she felt her friend’s hand over her lips.
“Respectively, stop it, it’s hard to kiss you when you talk”, she whispered before removing her hand and pressing kisses to Julia’s face. In reality, she just couldn’t handle the compliments for much longer before melting into a puddle or having her face turn an embarrassing shade of red. She really was down bad, wasn’t she? She could barely handle being her friend’s center of attention and laying on top of her, how was she going to get the courage to kiss her again?
She adjusted her position so her face was above Julia’s, before closing her eyes, trying to conquer her nervousness. She took a few deep breaths before feeling Julia’s gentle hands on the back of her head. Except, they weren’t gentle at all this time. There was a clear motivation in her movements, her hands pulled Claudia’s head down so they wouldn’t be stuck like this because of her nervousness.
At this moment, Claudia finally gathered her braincells. If her friend’s actions already conveyed something along the lines of: “Give me that damn kiss you promised me, fucker!”, her hesitance didn’t help anyone.
So, their lips finally ended up together, Claudia’s tongue inviting Julia’s for a dance. Julia continued to hold her tight, bringing one of her legs around the other pair while her brain shut off. Her heart played the lead in this dance, which turned the slow waltz of emotions and sensations into a chaotic tango of unspoken desires.
Claudia’s tense body sunk against Julia, paying no attention to their surroundings. She barely noticed when the pair got turned to the side, only when she ended up below her friend, with their limbs entangled and their hearts burning. She backed out of the kisses, startled as she was getting caged against the soft cushions.
“O-oh gods… Jupiter strike me down, I can’t handle this”, she whispered with a croaky voice while attempting to catch her breath. “It’s hard not to kiss you when you look like that, pulcherrima”, Julia answered with equal breathlessness before sitting down properly, ending up straddling Claudia’s hips, making the girl below her squeak out, “You can’t do this to me, that’s not fair!” but Claudia made no attempt to shove her off herself.
Once Julia had managed to gather her bearings, she came close again to form trails of kisses down her neck and shoulders, giving her tiny, playful bites at her collarbones. This almost made the girl on the bottom squeal in shock and excitement.
In the end she did end up squealing, but only when she felt her tunic slipping down, millimeter by millimeter. She tried to pull it up again, even as she’s met with a hint of resistance: Julia had been the one to cause the slip up. She leaves Julia to take the lead after getting the hint that Julia was ok with getting flashed in the first place.
“Too far?” Julia asked with red cheeks and a hint of shame in her voice. “Nonono, do anything you want to me!” Claudia quickly stammered. “If you’re sure? But you’ll tell me as soon as you’re uncomfortable, right?” “Yes, promise. If it ever comes that far. I don’t believe that though.”
Julia replied with equal amounts of sternness and care in her voice after the small pause she took to kiss her friend’s forehead: “Don’t let yourself get pushed around like this all the time. You don’t deserve to treat yourself like you’re lesser than others.” “I promise this is only with you.” Claudia’s words made Julia inhale quickly. Not just the words, but also the way they emanated from her Friend in such a breathy, genuine, but completely serious way.
“You’re the only person who I cherish like this. It feels like my whole life I’ve been longing to be close to you. Like my life found it’s place when it finally started revolving around you. You’re the center of my world and heart. Julia, you make me feel so much delight while I’m simply enjoying your presence. You’re my favorite part of life. I never want to share you.”
Julia didn’t have any time to mull her mind over the words her friend? just expressed.
“I love your presence, your words. I adore your wit and beauty. Please just be mine Julia. I can’t imagine a life without you.”
Claudia gathered the courage to meet her friend’s? gaze before taking her hands and resuming her heartfelt rambling. She only stopped as she noticed Julia’s eyes glazing over, going silent. She felt tears starting to prickle in her own eyes, not daring to close them.
Julia nodeed.
Slowly.
She didn’t say a word, attempting to verbalize her own feelings resulting in a small, choked out noise. She swallowed and took a deep breath. “Me too.” She whispered, the realization that this is not normal for regular friends bringing her to tears. The truth only awakened this sudden nervousness.
They both ended up sobbing out promises to stay with each other forever until they calmed down and fell asleep.