a place in my heart (for you), Marcus/Esca, PG, 1/3aramleyJuly 5 2011, 15:26:35 UTC
(fandom newbie rolling in late to the party with ridiculous schmoop, oh yeah)
a place in my heart (for you)The clouds banked up over the horizon are dense and ugly, and the high wind brings air that smells sharp, like thunder. Marcus casts a distrustful look at the hills, behind the ridge of which lies the town where Esca is. Last month, last market day, it was Marcus' turn to go, but last month a final unseasonable vestige of summer had still been warming the land under cloudless skies. A week ago Marcus took out his winter cloak for the first time, earning Esca's fond derision ("Romans," he'd said, smiling, "you're all soft as children."). If the clouds had piled up earlier Marcus might have persuaded Esca not to slip out from their bed that morning in the pre-dawn grey. He's learning the subtle arts of persuasion; this, or Esca humours him. Either way, Marcus gets his own way more often than not, except when Esca employs similar counter-tactics. Marcus finds himself a softer touch than usual where Esca is concerned, though he does
( ... )
a place in my heart (for you), Marcus/Esca, PG, 2/3aramleyJuly 5 2011, 15:29:39 UTC
The little house holds out beautifully against the onslaught, and tucked snugly inside Marcus feels a stir of pride in this thing that he and Esca have built together with their own hands. The result is something between Roman and British, like so much else about the way they live now. There are no mosaics or hypocausts, but the wattle and daub walls are plastered inside and white-washed simply. The floors are beaten earth. The roof is thatch and Marcus had been insisting that they reroof in Roman tile come the spring, but he thinks now that he might not bother with the inconvenience, the thatch is holding up so well. He thinks about how pleased and yes, smug Esca will look when Marcus tells him, the things he might say. It would not be a lie to say that he looks forward to hearing them.
In the house that Esca and Marcus have built there is one bedroom, and one bed.
The thunderstorm blots out the sun, and night comes early. I'll be back before dark, Esca had said, if I can. Marcus thinks of him safe in town, speaking British with
( ... )
a place in my heart (for you), Marcus/Esca, PG, 3/3aramleyJuly 5 2011, 15:32:49 UTC
Marcus sees to the horse while Esca goes in to warm himself by the fire, and when Marcus returns he's already stripped and wrapped up in a thick blanket, petting Madoc's ecstatic head. Marcus should be angry with him - about the horse, about doing anything so stupid as travelling in a storm that bad - but Esca looks small and he's shaking, just a little, and Marcus can't bring himself to feel anything other than a kind of enormous gratitude that he's here. It used to disturb him, the strength of the feelings that Esca inspires. It is un-Roman to think so much of another person, to have one's happiness linked so inextricably to their presence. To love. But they carve out new spaces between them that are large enough to encompass the contradictions of British and Roman, and in these they build things that are the more than the sum of both
( ... )
Re: a place in my heart (for you), Marcus/Esca, PG, 3/3riventhornJuly 5 2011, 15:46:39 UTC
Yay! I'm so glad you joined in because this is just brilliant--I love your descriptions of their farm and their relationship. There are so many phrases that struck me--like Madoc "belying his ancestry" by crawling into Marcus's lap or Esca "touch-hungry" after his "starved years of slavery." Such evocative writing. And that Esca comes back because he's so worried about Marcus :)
"No," says Esca. "But, well. I thought I ought to check. If I ever met a person who could get swept away in an autum storm, it's - " but Esca can't continue, because Marcus is too busy kissing him.
Re: a place in my heart (for you), Marcus/Esca, PG, 3/3aramleyJuly 5 2011, 17:54:09 UTC
Thank you so much! I always get SO NERVOUS posting fic in a new fandom, so I'm glad you enjoyed it :) And thanks for hosting this challenge too, there can never be enough Happy Gay Farmers fic in the world ♥
Re: a place in my heart (for you), Marcus/Esca, PG, 3/3bunnJuly 5 2011, 21:06:55 UTC
This is fabulous, thank you so much for writing and sharing it. I just went back to see if I had a favorite bit to mention in this comment and it is ALL my favorite bit!
a place in my heart (for you)The clouds banked up over the horizon are dense and ugly, and the high wind brings air that smells sharp, like thunder. Marcus casts a distrustful look at the hills, behind the ridge of which lies the town where Esca is. Last month, last market day, it was Marcus' turn to go, but last month a final unseasonable vestige of summer had still been warming the land under cloudless skies. A week ago Marcus took out his winter cloak for the first time, earning Esca's fond derision ("Romans," he'd said, smiling, "you're all soft as children."). If the clouds had piled up earlier Marcus might have persuaded Esca not to slip out from their bed that morning in the pre-dawn grey. He's learning the subtle arts of persuasion; this, or Esca humours him. Either way, Marcus gets his own way more often than not, except when Esca employs similar counter-tactics. Marcus finds himself a softer touch than usual where Esca is concerned, though he does ( ... )
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In the house that Esca and Marcus have built there is one bedroom, and one bed.
The thunderstorm blots out the sun, and night comes early. I'll be back before dark, Esca had said, if I can. Marcus thinks of him safe in town, speaking British with ( ... )
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"No," says Esca. "But, well. I thought I ought to check. If I ever met a person who could get swept away in an autum storm, it's - " but Esca can't continue, because Marcus is too busy kissing him.
This is so them! Awwww, boys :)
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Your writing is vivid and evocative and the imagery is lovely, and you captured their characters really really well.
♥
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I hope you will write more!
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