Roman Art

by Antares

URL: http://www.stargateslash.com/asa/antares/romanart.php
Summary: Daniel persuades Jack to accompany him to a museum
Info: Beta: Many, many thanks to KJ!! Thanks a lot for all your help!

"You want me to accompany you to a ... what?" Jack looked rather incredulously at Daniel and hoped that there was something wrong with his hearing and that Daniel hadn't just said, "Roman art exhibition". He cleared his throat. "I mean, Daniel, we have downtime, and that means it's all for the fun things in life, and- "

"Roman art can be fun," Daniel interrupted Jack mercilessly.

They were sitting at the kitchen table in Jack's house after a night of lazy love-making, and somehow Jack had hoped/dreamed/assumed that the rest of the week-end would continue in the same relaxed mood. Seemed he was wrong.

"My ass," Jack grumbled.

"It's the first time I've asked you to accompany me to an art exhibition. Think of all the times I went with you to hockey matches in a freezing cold ice rink," Daniel shuddered theatrically.

Jack smirked, "If I remember correctly you were never cold there because you'd always hop around and cry at the top of your lungs for the adversary team."

Laughter crinkled the tiny crow's-feet around Daniel's eyes when he answered, "Yes, that was fun when you had to get out the bad, mean, macho-Colonel to intimidate the other Avalanche fans so they wouldn't empty their popcorn buckets over my head." He slid one hand over the table and squeezed Jack's fingers.

Jack grinned in reminiscence. "If I had known back then that it tickled you pink to see me stuck between a rock and a hard place and also that it turned you on because from time to time you have a soft spot for a macho-Colonel ..."

"I'm very happy that I don't have to resort to such means anymore." He patted Jack's hand, got up from the table, made two steps to the dish-washer and asked casually, "So, what about the Roman art exhibition?"

"Daniel." Jack didn't whine because Colonels didn't whine.

"Jack?"

Jack sighed. Daniel was right. Of course, when was Daniel not? There were a lot of things Jack was fond of doing in his free time and Daniel participated in these activities so they could spend their days together. Jack had never really found out – and he had wisely refrained from digging too deep – if Daniel was indeed fascinated by hiking, biking or star-gazing, or if the greatest attraction in these spare-time activities was him. Not that he minded.

Perhaps it was time to ... sacrifice an utterly perfect Saturday morning with sunny weather and pleasant temperatures to go to a dusty, moldy smelling museum. When his next thought was, "The things you do for love," Jack felt awkwardly sappy and grudgingly mumbled, "Yes, okay."

Daniel beamed. "You won't regret it." He decided to ignore Jack's suffering grimaces and only register Jack's affirmation.

"Let's hope so. If I do, you have to make it up to me, once we return." He bumped his shoulder against Daniel's and his wolfish grin made clear about what type of recompense he was thinking. .

"Why do I get the suspicious feeling you will say you didn't like it anyway?"

"Hey! Are you calling me scheming?" Jack feigned outrage but ruined it by pulling the archaeologist against his body and bestowing a quick kiss on his lips. "Let's just say, you owe me one favor if I don't like it, and two favors if I like it. Deal?"

"Deal." Daniel sealed the pact with a long kiss that left them both breathless. All in all he was content. With his words Jack had at least promised to try to like the exhibition.

----

On their way to Denver Jack told Daniel two, no, three times what wonderful, perfect hiking weather it was. And he mentioned only once that Saturdays were perfect for mowing the lawn. And just before they reached their destination in Denver he remarked that this would have been the exit for the Beaver Brook Trail and that ...

"Stop it, Jack! I get your point." Daniel gripped the steering wheel harder and tried not to get impatient and react harshly. There was no malice in Jack's words but they were always vacillating between joking and complaining, and after the fourth time it was grating on Daniel's nerves. "We'll spend two or three hours in the exhibition, and then we'll still have time enough to do a bit of hiking, alright?"

Jack saw Daniel's firmly set jaw and remembered his good intentions. He took a deep breath and made an effort to mellow his friend. "Sorry. We'll stay as long as you want. Perhaps you can 'forget' me in the cafeteria for half an hour?" He extended his hand and put it on Daniel's thigh as a peace offer.

Daniel's face relaxed. "You are incorrigible, but yes, I can 'forget' you, if you really want me to."

"Great. Are we there, yet?"

"Jack!!"

Luckily, they arrived at the exhibition within the next five minutes. Daniel parked the car in a side road and they walked back the few yards to the front door.

Suddenly Jack stopped, rooted to the spot. "Roman erotic art, Daniel?" Jack read the blood red banner with golden letters that decorated the entry of the museum and raised his eyebrows.

"Didn't I mention that?" Daniel asked mischievously.

"No! Otherwise I would have immediately ... oh!" Jack gave Daniel a stern look. "That was a test, wasn't it?"

"Perhaps," Daniel answered enigmatically and ushered Jack into the building.

For the next two hours they looked at replicas and originals of vases, ceramics, pottery, coins and oil lamps painted with erotic scenes. In one room they admired a spectacular marble sculpture of a Satyr seducing a young woman and in the next a statue of the well-endowed god Priapus.

"Wow, look at that!" Jack choked back his shocked – and fascinated – reaction as he took in the giant phallus in all its 3-D glory.

"Don't be envious. It was more a sign of fertility than really the correct representation of a penis," Daniel explained.

"I hope so. It must've been very uncomfortable otherwise."

As they continued their tour, they saw many photos of paintings, mosaics and frescos from Pompeii and other Roman cities, depicting all sorts of sexual acts. There were copulating men and women, men with men or boys, two women, threesomes, foursomes, orgies and even animals – colourful and all in glorious detail, indicating that the sexual morals of ancient Rome were much more liberal than those of most present-day cultures.

"Can you imagine a painting like that in your living room?" Daniel asked and pointed at a colourful picture of a banquet where most of the participants, the musicians, the guests, the dancers and the slaves, were either naked or half-naked

Jack grinned. "No. But if I did have one, I would love to see General Hammond's face if I invited him over for dinner."

"In ancient Rome it wouldn't have been impossible to invite a general to have dinner to a scene like that. On the contrary, it would have proven your good taste. In fact, at that time, the erotic art was not hidden away in secret cabinets or in the master bedroom where no one was able to see it, but it was displayed proudly in homes as signs of social status. And it wasn't only for the richer Romans; also poorer citizens used erotic motives, for example on their oil lamps or other every day objects." Fascination written clear on his face, Daniel went from one exhibit to the next.

On the next floor Jack laughed when Daniel explained to him the concept of a carved penis that had been used at crossroads to ward off bad luck from travellers. "Imagine that in the middle of Colorado Springs!"

"Within five minutes someone would have thrown a sheet over it to prevent us from the horrible sight," Daniel shrugged.

"It's strange that two thousand years later we consider this ...immoral, and for the Romans it was ... commonplace and acceptable."

"In two thousand years a lot has changed and nowadays for a lot of people sex isn't any longer a blessing of the gods but a cause for shame and guilt."

They strolled along, and in the last room they stopped in front of a showcase, holding the exact replica of small ancient silver drinking cup with two very explicit scenes between men. On one side two young men were making love, and on the other side a younger man was sitting on the erect penis of an older, bearded man, holding a rope dangling from the ceiling with one hand as support. His other hand lay on his thigh, his fingers laced with the fingers of the older man.

Daniel pointed at the half-relief and lectured about the role of erastes and eromenos in Roman society. "The eromenos nearly always was a young man or a slave. In the texts ..."

But Jack, who didn't care who was top or bottom as long as the other person in his bed was Daniel, paid only half-hearted attention. He waited until they were alone in the room, then he invaded Daniel's personal space and whispered into his ear, "I like this exhibition very much and that's my first wish for tonight."

" ...the status of a slave. What? ... Oh!" Suddenly Daniel got it, followed Jack's index finger to the depicted scene and gulped visibly when pleasant images rippled through his mind. "Uhm, yes." His face lit up. "Fine with me."

"I'm the bearded one," Jack laughed against Daniel's cheek and neck and the warm air tickled and aroused the younger man.

"Okay." He gave Jack a conspiratorial smile.

They had to stop their flirting when other visitors came to the room. The group was accompanied by a guide who explained to his partly fascinated, partly nervously fumbling public that Romans really drank from this cup during their dinner parties, because they loved looking at men making love. "In their culture not all male-male intercourse was shameful but – under certain premises – widely accepted. Our modern conceptions of sexuality are – in certain areas – very different from those of an ancient Roman."

"The perfect parting words," Jack whispered to Daniel and they both slipped out of the room.

When they stepped outside in the warm sunshine, Daniel had to ask, "Are you disappointed you spent your day in a dusty museum with long dead Romans?"

"You know my answer." Jack put on his sun-glasses and leered at Daniel.

"Yes. And tonight I will feel it." Daniel gave him a look full of trust and love.

Jack had to fight very, very hard not to kiss him right then in the middle of a busy road in Denver. But his common sense won and he only nodded. In companionable silence they went to the parked car.

They spent the afternoon hiking in the surroundings of Denver, had dinner at a small restaurant on their way home and reached Jack's house just by dusk.

There was a lot of pent up anticipation and hunger in both of them, and the moment the front door closed, Daniel pressed Jack against it from the inside. He fumbled with the buttons on Jack's shirt and diverted Jack with kisses to his chin and his neck.

"Finally," he mumbled against Jack's lips before he parted them and invaded Jack's mouth with his tongue. For a moment speaking wasn't an option, but soon enough Daniel had opened Jack's shirt and ended the kiss. He pulled apart the lapels of Jack's shirt, bent forward, licked over Jack's left nipple and confided to Jack; "Visiting this museum with you made me so hard."

Jack chuckled although he felt great when he heard that admission. "Yeah, me too. See what you've done to me? Now I have a museum kink!"

"That's good for me, isn't it?" Daniel teased and bit gently onto Jack's right nipple.

Jack groaned and leaned his head against the door. "Perfect."

When the little nubs stood proud and erect, glistening with saliva, Daniel intended to return to Jack's mouth.

But Jack stopped him, caressed Daniel's cheek with one hand and said, "Let's postpone this until we reach the bedroom. You know the last time we were too impatient and made out in the hallway and on the floor we both regretted it the next day."

"Pfft." Nonchalantly, Daniel brushed away the memory of aching knees and elbows. "It was worth it."

Jack laughed. "But we have a wonderful bed; and the old, bearded man wants the young man to ride him now." He pushed Daniel in the direction of the bedroom.

"What do we do about the rope dangling from the ceiling?" Daniel asked once they entered the bedroom.

"We do without. Artistic license."

Daniel sighed but agreed; he definitely wasn't in the mood for DIY now. But he saved this thought in another part of this brain for later.

They undressed quickly and piled up all their pillows against the headboard. Jack leaned against them and Daniel kneeled between his legs. His hands wandered over Jack's shins, cautiously caressing Jack's knees, and then glided higher to the inside of Jack's thighs. He spread Jack's legs a bit more and Jack moaned when Daniel bent forward to lick his balls.

Daniel hadn't lied when he had told Jack that he had been hard for hours. Jack's proximity and the knowledge that Jack liked their trip to the museum had given him a warm simmering feeling in his belly and his groin. Gratitude, love, enthusiasm – they all had melted together and made it a very special day for Daniel. He inhaled deeply once more, memorizing touch and scent and the peaceful mood for less peaceful days on strenuous missions.

"Pass me the lube," he asked Jack after raising his head and kneeling again.

Jack fumbled in the nightstand, snatched the lube and ordered, "Turn around."

"No. You watch me. Remember, I'm your ... Roman boy toy - eromenos."

"Okay." Jack's breathing accelerated. Wow, when Daniel fulfilled a wish he was really thorough!

Daniel turned around, presented his behind to Jack and still kneeling, straddled Jack's legs and braced himself on one hand. With the other he started stretching and preparing himself. It was a bit decadent to do it before Jack's eyes – but then he remembered that this was perhaps only a very recent evaluation of this act. Maybe the young Roman man had liked to do this for his elder lover.

In the meantime Jack had coated his cock in lube, and when Daniel signalled that he was ready Jack helped to guide him down onto his erection. They both moaned because of the tightness – but it was perfect. When Daniel was seated he leaned back against Jack's chest, soaking in the warmth, but still holding part of his weight on his knees. Jack kissed his back and pressed his nose in Daniel's neck until Daniel purred contentedly. Daniel relaxed even more and they entwined their arms and legs. It was a very intimate position with lots of skin contact. For a moment only Jack's fingers fondled Daniel's fingers, savoring the moment, then Daniel started to move.

He increased his rhythm steadily, getting louder and more vocal. "Come on, Jack. Yes, there yes." Jack grunted, pushed his hips upwards, kneading Daniel's ass-cheeks. They didn't last long. Daniel spilled over his own hand and Jack's legs, Jack followed immediately, pressing Daniel very closely to him while pleasant shudders travelled through his body. For a moment they basked in the aftermath, before Daniel rolled onto Jack's left side and into his sloppy embrace.

They dozed a few minutes before Jack pulled the covers over both of them. He laid his head onto Daniel's chest, directly over the steadily beating heart.

He startled Daniel a bit when he suddenly said, "My first time was really perfect."

"Your first time?" Daniel looked puzzled.

"My first time accompanying you to an art exhibition."

"Oh, yes. Well, in about eight weeks they change their program and there will be an exhibition about the Visigoths who destroyed the Roman Empire. What do you say?"

"Authentic barbarians?" Jack lifted his head and his eyes gleamed mischievously.

"Yes, Jack," Daniel sighed, rolled his eyes, but snuggled closer.

"Okay, I'll accompany you. But ..."

"I know your conditions – and I accept wholeheartedly," Daniel assured Jack, and together they grinned like loons.

THE END

Notes: The cup I described is the so called "Warren Cup". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Cup