Chapter Text
After a long day, Caesar and Joseph are down an alleyway on Venice. Joseph's legs seem to have given out from walking and training all day long.
"I can walk.." Joseph grumbled, as he stumbled on a loose cobblestone. "You are walking, yes.." Caesar said. "But.. Very badly." He tried to hold Joseph up from collapsing. Joseph tried to pull him away, but Caesar's grip on his shoulders stayed tight. "Where are we even going? You act like you are taking me to some... secret hideout!" Joseph complained. "It's not a hideout." Caesar muttered. "It's an Inn." "An Inn? Since when did you have an Inn?". "I don't. I just know the owners." Caesar explained as if talking to a child. Joseph blinked. "Like.. You personally know the owners?". "Yes." Caesar once more said, somewhat unenthusiastically.
They turned the corner, and the Inn came into view. A warm yellow building with flower boxes in the front, overflowing with all sorts of beautifully colored flowers. A wood sign read "Bellini Inn".
A sweet looking old woman with green eyes sat at the desk, checking her nails before turning to the door as soon as the bell above rang.
“Is that… Caesar!!!” The woman said joyfully.
“Mrs. Bellini!” Caesar said as the woman embraced him. He gave Joseph a look of apology, but also warning to be on his best behavior.
“Well! You’ve brought a handsome friend with you? You both look exhausted! Please, sit! I’ve got the perfect thing for you two.” She said as she dragged the two in to sit in the welcome centre on two yellow cushioned chairs with brown wooden accents.
The woman left them two alone for a moment, before coming back holding a tray with a bottle of chilled limoncello and two big-ish glasses on the side.
“I just whipped up a fresh batch of limoncello just a few days ago! Please, do try it once you get to your room! I figure you two could use a little something to get the stress off of your backs! Hehe~!” She giggled.
Caesar turned his head and stood up for a moment.
“Wait did you say.. room? As in me and HIM have to share a bed together?”. “Oh yes… I hope you don’t mind caro. You two will live!! Just come along!” She said as she hand signaled them to follow her.
As they reached the door to their room, Mrs. Bellini turned to Caesar. “Please, do hold this for me.” Before taking a big ring of keys, and unlocking the door for the two. She unhooked the key from the ring and handed it Jospeh.
“Goodnight you two!! Sleep well! Just- don’t be too loud if you get drunk.” She yelled from afar as her voice faded away with distance.
“Well… that was something, wasn’t it?” Joseph said to Caesar as he locked the door behind them.
“Don’t say anything about it, Jojo.” Caesar blushed in embarrassment.
Joseph jumped on the bed immediately. “So.. are you going to try some of that with me?” He smirked.
“Fine. I’ll try some, but don’t expect me to be up with you all night long.”
Caesar walked over to the bed, placing the tray on the center before sitting on the opposite side, right next to Jojo. Caesar carefully opened the bottle, a cold vapor quickly jumping out once the cap popped off. Joseph couldn’t help but notice the way that Caesar was so gentle with the bottle when opening, and pouring the drink into the glasses, something about him was so angelic.
“Alright, cheers.” Caesar told as he clanked his glass against Josephs. The taste was that of a bittersweet lemon, but at the same time spritzy.
Joseph took another sip, letting that lemony flavor sit in his chest. “Okay, I’ll admit it.” He said, leaning his back against the headboard of the bed. “This is pretty impressive.”
Caesar rolled his eyes, but there was just a slight smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Mrs. Bellini makes everything with care. Can’t you tell by how beautiful this room is?”
Joseph watched him for a moment as he spoke, it was just how delicate he was, and how the light in the room seemed to soften his features. He looked very peaceful, for once. “You know. I think she loves you a lot. How did you two even meet?” He asked out of pure curiosity.
Caesars shoulders seemed to tense a bit. “Well, I knew her a few years back, I used to stop by this old cafe she owned. I think it went out of business if she’s here full time.”
Joseph grinned “Aww. Baby Caesar getting free biscotti?”
“I paid for them!” Caesar snapped, but there was no real heat behind it.
Joseph laughed, a soft, tired sound. He took another sip. “That’s still cute.” Caesar froze. Joseph didn’t seem to notice what he said. That, or he didn’t care. He reached for the bottle to pour himself more.
“Slow down, you’ll get dizzy Jojo.”
Joseph blinked at him, looking at him directly, surprised by the concern Caesar seemed to randomly have. “You’re fussing.”
“I am not!” Caesar muttered
“You always get like that when you’re upset or worried.” Joseph said smiling. Caesar looked away as his jaw tightened. “I’m not worried about you..”
Joseph’s smile softened a bit. “You don’t have to pretend, you know.”
Caesars breath caught as he said that. “Pretend what?”
“Like you don’t care.”
The airflow in the room seemed to stop for a moment, not in tension, just pure silence.
Joseph didn’t push, he just moved a tad closer to Caesar, brushing his shoulder against him. “It’s okay.” He said quietly. “I care too.”
Caesar didn’t move away. His face reddened, his thoughts raced through his body, everything he had been fantasizing about seemed to be coming into action, but in his head it felt wrong.
“Am I crazy? Does he feel the same way as I am? This isn’t right.. I- I can’t feel for Jojo.” He thought to himself.
Joseph hand rested near Caesar’s, finally relaxed. There was no pressure, it seemed to all just be natural. They became so close together that they could feel each others body heat emitting off of the other.
Caesar finally built up the courage to speak without stuttering. “Maybe sharing a room with you isn’t so bad…”
“Mhm” Joseph giggled a bit. “No it isn’t.”
Joseph brought the tray a little closer to the two. He poured himself a half glass, since he had finished the prior ones. “You know… this stuff is bad for you.” In a looser voice. “Makes everything feel warmer..”
“It’s just alcohol.” Caesar huffed.
“Mm-hmmm…” Joseph slouched. “Then why does it make everything in this room look softer..? You look softer too.”
Caesar stiffened, flustered. “Jojo, you’re drunk.” “No, I’m not drunk..” though, he absolutely was. “I’m just relaxed.”
He shifted, turning towards Caesar, laying on his side to look up at him.
Caesar thought to himself. “His eyes are so beautiful in this lighting, I wish this would last forever… Maybe.. i should say something. I don’t know what to do, every second I’m with him feels more addictive, Is this normal?”
“You’re sitting close..” Caesar shyly said. “You’re the one leaning!” Joseph laughed. “You don’t have to pretend you don’t like it.”
Caesar’s face went flushed, he looked down at his glass, then at Joseph again. He was obviously holding something back.
Joseph nudged him gently with his shoulder, “Hey, talk to me, what’s wrong?”
Caesar swallowed his words. “There’s nothing to talk about..”
“That’s a lie.” Joseph said softly. “You’ve been weird all day. Ever since you dragged me here.”
Caesar tensed a little bit. “Because you were tired Jojo, it’s nothing really.”
“And because you trust these people, and more so, because you wanted me to be safe.”
Caesar didn’t answer.
Joseph leaned in more, their shoulders now touching. “Caesar, just look at me.”
Slowly, Caesar did.
His eyes were nervously jumping to things around the room, avoiding eye contact with Joseph.
“You seem to care a lot more than you pretend to.” Joseph’s voice dropped.
Caesar exhaled shakily. “Jojo… don’t please.”
“Why not?”
“Because. If you say things like that..” Caesar lowered his voice. “I don’t know how I’ll keep pretending.”
Joseph’s heart thudded. “Then.. don’t pretend.”
The silence of the room swept, the only ambience being their heavy breaths.
Caesar’s hand resting on the space between them curled slightly. Joseph’s fingers brushed his knuckles.
He looked at Joseph like he was memorizing him. “I didn’t want you to collapse in the street.” Caesar said quietly. “I didn’t want you to get hurt of course, and I didn’t wan-“
He stopped for a moment, his breath trembling a bit.
Joseph waited.
“I care about you, Jojo.” Caesar said, barely audibly. “More than I should.. probably more than you even realize.”
Caesars eyes widened as Joseph put his hand on top of his.
“You should.” Joseph murmured. “Because I care too.”
“Caesar.. I think that.. there’s something special about you. I don’t know if this is wrong to feel, or- if you will hate me for saying this but..” Joseph sighed. “I think that I like you more than anyone else. Just the way you present yourself, the way you always look perfect no matter what you’re doing, and the way that I can see right through you.”
Joseph swallowed.
Caesars face turned red, he took Joseph’s hand and held it for a moment.
“I don’t know where this will go Jojo. But, I feel it too.” He said quietly, slowly starting to inch down to Joseph’s level.
They stared into each others eyes for a moment before Joseph moved closer to Caesar. He observed his features, all the curvature on his face, his nose shape, his defined cupids bow, and the pinkness to his cheeks.
Caesar leaned in to kiss Joseph, the whole world felt warm and happy for a moment. Jojo leaned out to climb himself on top of Caesar before going back in for a passionate, longer kiss.
Caesar ran his fingers through Joseph’s hair, trying to take in all of the beauty he had seen in him. Joseph put his hand on Caesar’s cheek, caressing it.
Their bodies became warm and compressed together. Caesar began to trace Joseph’s body with his fingers, He had never been this shy before. With all the women he had been with, this sort of feeling had never even crossed his mind. He thought to himself, “Could I be in love?”
Joseph eventually pulled out on the kiss, and rested his head on Caesar.
Caesar sat, listening to the sound of him breathing. Before he had known it, Joseph had fell asleep on him. He just admired the view he had of him, resting peacefully.
“How could I deserve this? I’ve never experienced anything like this before, but… it’s something I’ve felt like I’ve needed forever.”
Caesar synced his breaths to Joseph’s before eventually falling asleep too.
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HI GUYS TY FOR READINF PLS COMMENT IF I SHOULD MAKE MORE. I READ LIKE A FEW RLLY GOOD CAEJOSE FICS THAT MADE ME CRY SO PLS ENJOY THIS. I AM A BEGINNER SO PLS NO BULLYING TYSM MWAH MWAH MWAH