Stranger's Delirium

Caligula's initial reaction is of a surprised and a bit of an annoyance, because of the sudden movement that propelled him forward, it caught him off guard. Almost knocking himself off his seat.

He knew that it wasn't impossible not to be pushed around slightly since they are in a crowded place, it's inevitable. In fact, when he and Asprenas first entered the arena and went to their seats, they got pushed and shoved a bit, but it's not intended.

Caligula's eyes narrowed, as he wondered if the push was intentional. 'What do they want now?' The other young nobles, that's sitting behind them wouldn't cause such a disturbance, they all avoid Asprenas, as much as possible because of his sharp tongue and always scathing look. Asprenas is sitting besides him in his left, talking to his group of noble friends, unaware of what has transpired with Caligula.

That left only one possibility: a careless pleabians on the stairs, horsing around.

As the fight intensified earlier, reaching it's climax, some enthusiastic plebeians couldn't resist the urge to get a closer look. Caligula, indifferent to their presence, allowed them to gather near him. The pleabians couldn't sit anyway with the nobles, so they opted to stand on the stairs near Caligula who was sitting at the right end of the bench, craning their necks for a better view, careful not to let their body touch with a noble.

It all happened so fast, one minute he's being pushed forward, and just as he turned his body to his right to turn back, ready to scold the perpetrator, his gaze fell upon a tall slightly sun kissed skin stranger with messy long hair. The stranger's hands were frozen stiff mid-air and he wasnt even looking at Caligula, but to the person behind him, that has been looking at Caligula with his freckled face, with a look that seems to say that he got caught.

*boom* * boom*

When the stranger's head started to face him, the words that Caligula was about to say, got caught in his throat. In a split second, he saw how a sharp look changes the stranger's whole demeanor, facial muscles and body language, from someone dumbfounded to a more alert state, like an animal sensing danger. Caligula, despite all the things thats happening, he found the transformation fascinating.

The stranger suddenly grabbed a shaggy brown haired vendor's wooden tray and threw the food away on the floor. 'What's in Jupiter's name is he doing!'

Caligula didn't have to wonder long, for it all happened in a blink of an eye. He thought the stranger will hit him with it, he's about to block it, but then the stranger used it like a shield and protected Caligula's head for something he didn't know.

Then he heard the audience gasps loudly and then,

*bang*

A shiny sharp object suddenly protruded from the center of the tray, stopping just as its about to touch his cheeks. The impact sent a shiver down his spine even tho the stranger is the one who took on all the brunt force. The arena's noise seems to minimize a bit. The crowd's attention has been split. The pleabians who did not care what's going on with Caligula, and the patricians that was seating near Caligula murmuring to themselves.

The sound of the object's abrupt stop seems to hangs in the air. Suddenly, a sound of a heart, beats so loud.

*bathump thump bathump thump*

Caligula is the only one who can hear and even feel it even though he couldn't see it. But when the spectators goes loudly again, after losing interest with them, the heart beat that was supposed to get lost in the noise, gets even more loudly by the minute.!

*thump thump tathump thump*

Green expressive eyes met piercing blue eyes.

The stranger's heart, Caligula thinks that there is something wrong with him. It doesn't seems to feel like the stranger is deranged or dangerous, he's just plain delirious.

And the way the green eyed stranger looks at him.. 'it's so intense that it's making me uncomfortable and.. shy?? what.. what is going on?'

Caligula's brain struggled to keep up with the rapid sequence of events. His mind reeled, trying to process what is going on. 'Who is this green eyed stranger, and what really had occurred? Where did that thing comes from?'

Without the green eyed stranger, that sharp thing would have struck him in his face. Thinking about it, he shielded and saved him. So he ought to thank him. Then Caligula realized, him and the stranger is still so close with each other, both unmoving from the position earlier. A position he find embarrassing, a position wherein the stranger's almost about to hug him but without their body actually touching. Caligula feels the heat radiating from the stranger's whole body.

Green eyes met blue eyes, again.

Unable to handle the intense look of the stranger, Caligula, looked down the raised wooden tray, below the sandy arena where the two gladiadors were fighting, he just looked away for a moment, but it felt like ages! And the fight has already ended.

The murmillo had won and was already roaring below basking in his victory, despite being in a disadvantage earlier, the crowd's deafening cheers erupted again like it did not even decreased earlier.

And the thracian gladiator, who had been dodging and releasing a flurry of attack and almost won, is on the bloody ground, bleeding without his weapon in sight.

The crowd went more wild and cried and cheers Gracchus' name.

Caligula could not understand how can someone look at him like that. Isnt that something that's only reserve for you're family or wife? 'Who is this, stranger? What is his intentions?' Caligula, wanting to go home and reorganized his thoughts to calm himself, is the first one to move away from the stranger whose name he didnt bother to ask. Caligula did not understand, can't understand, how can someone's quiet stare, unnerves him.

Feeling helpless, he tried to find Asprenas to ask for help, he just need to give him a sign if he catches his attention, it's how they help each other when stuck with people they do not want to talk to, he turned his head and half of his body to his left where Asprenas is supposed to be sitting, well atleast he tried to, but the green eyed stranger moved hurriedly, throwing down the tray with a clang, even before he fully turned his head, the stranger shamelessly seated himself between him and blocked the view.

His full body is now turned towards him while sitting and his now turned head is in another embarrassing position. If he move even so slightly their forehead will touch, he can feel the strangers hot breathe to his face.

He avoided the stranger's eyes unsure where to look. Then the loud cheers of the crowd erupted, he looked at the fighting ground, a new fight is about to start.

Then he heard the stranger said quietly, "..tu es meum Deus, Caligula dulcis".

*********************************

INDEX:

1. tu es meum Deus - you are my God.