Stuck in Rome

Titus leads Zander from the questioning room into the sunlit courtyard, keeping the Chronocom in Zander’s hand and his guarded status unchanged. Marcus remains behind at the register table, watching.

Near a shaded wall, a wooden tray waits with coarse bread, olives, dried meat, and a clay cup of water. Heat shimmers above the stones beyond the awning.

Titus pulls out a low stool and positions himself between Zander and the open gate. The Chronocom gives a delayed chime, then its reserve indicator dims another fraction.

From the register table, Marcus dips his stylus and studies Zander over the written account. The courtyard remains calm, yet every fading bar makes the next exchange feel costly.

Zander settles onto the bench with relaxed grace, stretching his legs so sunlight catches the fitted track pants. He takes a slow bite of dried meat, eyes lingering on Titus's sun-browned shoulders before flicking toward Marcus.

He sips from the clay cup, looking over its rim with a sly, confident smirk. Titus shifts his stance, while Marcus pauses over the register without lifting his head.

Zander leans back against the stone wall, offering Titus a slow, knowing smile before glancing toward Marcus. Nearby soldiers, a cluster of young adult human men in dusty brown tunics and leather sandals, their puzzled faces turned toward him watch with puzzled interest, uncertain whether his confidence demands formality or ease.

Titus's stern posture loosens into a crooked smile. He gestures toward the bathing quarters beyond the courtyard, while Marcus marks the arrangement in the register.

Zander takes a final sip of water, locks eyes with Titus Aelius over the clay rim, and sets the cup down. He rises smoothly, brushing crumbs from his track pants as nearby legionaries continue staring.

Unbothered, Zander gives the confused soldiers a calm, confident grin. He steps close to Titus Aelius, stopping just inches away, then casually adjusts his backpack near the heavy shoulder buckle.

Titus Aelius turns toward the bathing quarters. Zander falls beside him, leaning in only enough to make his quiet amusement private, while the soldiers' uncertain murmurs fade behind them.

The Chronocom chimes during the walk, consuming another sliver of reserve. Titus Aelius glances at its dim display, then opens the bathhouse door and ushers Zander inside under direct supervision.

The bathing quarters open into a warm stone chamber scented with water, oil, and dust. A tiled basin steams beneath a high lattice, while folded linens wait on a bench.

Titus sets the device where ordered, then checks the room with practiced attention. His stern expression eases when he finds no one else inside, though his hand remains near the shoulder strap.

He gestures toward the basin and begins loosening his own outer armor, maintaining the promised supervision. Beyond the doorway, muted voices and sandals pass, but no soldier enters.

Zander gives Titus a slow, knowing smile and steps toward the basin. He keeps the Chronocom visible on its dry ledge, while the device’s reserve indicator drops another faint fraction.

Zander sets aside his jacket and approaches the steaming basin, athletic ease contrasting with the careful watchfulness beyond the doorway. His fitted clothes draw another uncertain glance from passing legionaries.

Titus loosens his outer armor and places it within reach, exposing the linen beneath. He remains between Zander and the exit, but his guarded stance has softened.

Titus watches Zander approach the basin, then gestures toward the folded linens. The warm room muffles the outpost beyond, leaving only water, sandals, and the Chronocom’s faint chime.

Zander steps fully into the bathing chamber beneath Titus’s supervision. Outside, several legionaries glance through the open doorway, their puzzled attention lingering on his clothing and easy confidence.

Titus sets his shoulder armor beside the bench and checks the Chronocom’s position on the dry ledge. He keeps the device visible, while the basin steams quietly between them.

Zander holds Titus’s gaze, then removes his jacket and shirt with unhurried confidence. He sets them beside the basin, revealing his athletic build, belt buckle, and pale scars in the steam.

The watching legionaries fall silent as Zander steps farther into the warm water and begins washing away dust. The Chronocom remains dry and visible on its ledge.

Titus removes his heavy tunic and folds it over the armor, then steps into the basin beside Zander. Water ripples between them while he keeps the doorway in view.

Warm water laps against the stone as Zander washes his shoulders and settles near the rim. Steam softens the chamber, while the Chronocom remains dry and visible on its ledge.

Titus rests one arm along the basin edge, keeping the doorway in view. His guarded expression eases as he watches Zander clean the road dust from his skin.

For a moment, Titus looks toward the lattice and the bright courtyard beyond. Then he meets Zander's gaze again, offering the personal answer plainly, without deflection.

Titus studies Zander across the steaming basin. The guarded distance between them has narrowed into something deliberate, private, and no longer explained by duty alone.

Beyond the doorway, puzzled legionaries pass without entering. Titus shifts to block their view, turning the bathhouse into a sheltered pocket of warmth and quiet.

The Chronocom gives a faint delayed chime from its dry ledge. Titus glances toward it, then back to Zander, accepting that some truths remain withheld.

Titus reaches to draw the wooden screen across the entrance. Steam gathers between the basin and the ledge as the bathhouse door closes, and the rest passes from view.

Zander holds Titus's gaze across the steaming basin, his voice steady beneath the muted sounds beyond the wooden screen. The request is plain, and nothing in it asks to be mistaken.

Titus closes the remaining distance through the warm water and rests a hand at Zander's shoulder. His touch is careful, answering the certainty in Zander's words without taking more than offered.

Steam gathers around them as Titus kisses Zander, deliberate and unhurried. The Chronocom remains dry on its ledge, its faint indicator glowing while the bathhouse settles into privacy.

What follows is intimate and private, kept off-camera behind the closed screen. Later, the basin water is quiet again, and Titus remains beside Zander beneath the fading steam.

Behind the closed screen, steam and running water conceal their intimacy from the outpost. The Chronocom remains dry on its ledge as the bathhouse falls quiet.

Later, the basin water barely stirs. Zander and Titus remain together beside the stone rim, breathing hard while warm droplets slide through the fading steam.

Titus answers with a slow kiss, then gathers Zander close against his chest. The soldier's guarded composure has given way to open tenderness.

Outside the screen, sandals pass and voices murmur, unaware of what has changed. Inside, Titus keeps one arm around Zander while the Chronocom's faint indicator pulses.

Titus deepens the kiss and draws Zander onto the warm stone rim, his arm firm across Zander’s back. The basin water rocks against the tiles.

Their intimacy continues by mutual choice behind the closed screen, kept off-camera. Steam, water, and muffled movement conceal them from the outpost.

Later, they remain pressed together on the rim, breathing hard. Titus smooths damp hair from Zander’s forehead while the Chronocom pulses faintly on its ledge.

A sharper electronic chime cuts through the steam. The Chronocom’s display brightens briefly, showing a new signal trace before dimming again.

Titus turns toward the ledge without releasing Zander completely. Beyond the screen, approaching sandals slow as the outpost notices the unfamiliar signal.

The Chronocom confirms the moisture warning with a blinking seal. Zander lifts it from the ledge, and its reserve drops another bar as dampness triggers the protective alert.

Zander and Titus climb from the basin and dry themselves, keeping the Chronocom away from the lingering steam. They dress quickly in the warm, screened chamber.

They finish fastening their clothing and settle beside the basin. Titus checks the ledge while Zander retrieves his jacket, the room briefly returning to quiet.

The screen opens. Marcus arrives with a stern senior officer, a middle-aged man with a square jaw, close-cropped gray hair, and a dark red-plumed helmet over polished bronze armor,, a scarred legionary, an adult man with a powerful build, a shaved head, and a pale slash across one cheek, wearing a weathered leather cuirass and brown cloak,, and a broad-built soldier, a young adult man with a thick neck, curly black hair, and a broad nose, wearing dusty segmented armor and a faded blue tunic, in dusty armor. Their attention fixes on Zander, then Titus.