Counterclockwise

They've abandoned Noel and his friends at the Emperor's place this time. Noel seemed apprehensive, side-eyeing Simon in a way he wasn't particularly a fan of, but Lee told him to figure it out, and they left, before any of Noel's friends even noticed they were gone.

Simon laughs a little, hopping up onto the stone wall that they're now tracing to whatever end it'll lead them. "What if they get into some kind of trouble?"

Lee shrugs. He's down on the road, glancing around at the square buildings that get further apart as they walk, yellow-green bushes and trees that might be olives interspersing. "I asked him to not get into trouble for one fucking night. We've never had to jump back."

"Except for the last time I was here," Simon reminds him, and Lee looks away, hiding his smile.

"How did you even manage that?" Lee shakes his head. "The- what, the second time ever that you time travel, you're bumping into Roman emperors known for their temper tantrums."

Simon looks up at the sky. He's never been one for constellations, but he can certainly see a lot more of them before humans made their own on the ground. He can see why astrology's a big thing here. "It is kind of my fault. I'm the person who was so afraid of fucking things up all the time, and yet, I was just saying random Latin phrases to people."

"That's how you ended up in that situation?"

Simon takes a step and it almost pitches him off balance; Lee reaches up instinctually, ready to catch him, but he doesn't have to. "I was just saying shit like, you know, et cetera, vice versa, all the random Latin phrases I knew. I don't know how that lady got the idea that I wanted something from her."

Lee is looking away. "Maybe she just heard what she wanted to hear."

He slows down, and Simon takes the chance to jump down from the wall. "Unlikely, but I appreciate the sentiment."

Lee rolls his eyes. "Do we have to have the conversation where I tell you eighteen times that you're actually quite handsome and it's not surprising people would find you attractive?"

Simon probably should've expected something along those lines, but it genuinely hadn't even occurred to him. He makes uneasy eye contact with Lee for a moment, his face burning. "It's not a self-esteem thing, alright? I've just never had anyone like me much before."

Lee tilts his head to the side. "You do now."

Simon hides his face in his hands. "I'm just saying. I've never dated anyone or had anyone interested in me. Before," he adds at the last moment. It still feels wrong, somehow, to admit that Lee likes him; it's allowed to be one-sided, where Simon is falling for a doomed man, knowing fully what awaits him at the end of this road. Lee doesn't know, can't know, the full story of their future. Nobody who flirts or gets attached or falls in love knows how it'll end, so surely, it can't be wrong to let Lee think there's a chance for a happy ending.

No. Simon's still lying.

"Hey," Lee says after a moment of silence, and Simon feels his touch like a shock on his arm. "What's wrong?"

Simon puts his hands down, and Lee is close, too close. He lies to his face. "A lot of things." So that part's not a lie. "I've been meaning to ask you. Before I had the courage to tell her, your mother approached me. She knows."

Any smile on Lee's face disappears. "I thought she might."

"Did you tell her?"

Lee shakes his head. "I haven't spoken to her at all. It- I thought Noel might've said something to her. I just wonder what, exactly, he said."