Title: It's Like A Church
Rating: M
Pairings: FinIta
Warnings: suggestive themes, naked people
Summary: Italy isn't sure if Finland is really that oblivious or if this was just an overly elaborate plan to get him hot and bothered. Oneshot.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by Himaruya Hidekaz. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
A/N: My first time writing shounen ai or anything that could be considered even vaguely porny. And it's a crack pairing; I got the idea in the sauna after reading Snakeskins by Sunruner.
His eyes were squeezed shut as warm air rushed up, causing a shiver to run through his body and pinching his cheeks, leaving his lips tingling. He didn't dare to lick them in the heat and he shifted uncomfortably on the shelf-like bench, feeling sweat trickling down his back and chest. It tickled but not enough for him to brush the droplets away, he felt somehow languid.
"You okay?" the question was vaguely amused and Italy opened his eyes glaring at the blond lounging half a metre away from him on the bench, near the wooden water pail and the stone filled stove thing. Blond hair was plastered wetly across his forehead and on his neck, the skin glowing softly red in the heat, the gentle rise and fall of his chest causing sweat to trickle down, slowly, deliciously.
"Of course I am," he answered and let himself relax back against the wall now that the heat had slowly evened out after the initial rush. "I've been to a Roman bathhouse lots of times."
Finland gave a lazy shrug, causing a trickle of water to slip from his hair down his neck and the pale chest. Italy found himself following it with his gaze, the way it skirted by the Nordic's nipple and down his stomach between his – Italy flushed, turning his eyes away with difficulty to stare at the dark wood panelled walls of the dim steam room, raising his leg as a shield against the gaze of the other Nation. The other didn't need to know he was getting aroused by this, especially when Finland himself seemed so at home here.
"To my understanding they were a lot more splendorous affairs than my simple sauna," Finland spoke as if nothing had happened, gazing dreamily up at the darkened ceiling. "You seemed uncomfortable there for a while."
Over the years Italy had noticed that Finland rarely talked about anything that could be termed nonsensical. But here he seemed a bit more willing to talk and the instances of silence in the room were surprisingly not heavy and Italy, unexpectedly found himself enjoying them and Finland's new talkativeness as he pondered on how to answer.
"…It was the rush," Italy admitted. "Nonno's baths were kind of… constant temperature." The heat in them had been gentler and drier, not this rising and falling, moist heat of a Finnish sauna he had been brought to.
This was his first time experiencing a Finnish sauna; it had been a long time since he had enjoyed a Roman bath but he had found himself talking about them fondly recently. Finland had heard and offered to show him how they cleansed themselves here in the northern lands. This small sauna had been built entirely of wood unlike the large stone and brick complexes that had dominated his nonno's cities. With the complicated murals and paintings decorating their walls, they were a far cry from the smooth planks making up this small one room cottage. There were no capsari to take his clothes aside and wash his back and give him a massage. There was only the small, dark room with two large pails of water for washing, and a porch outside for changing clothes.
And the location was different as well, whereas in Rome the bath houses were in the cities open to the public. Here saunas seemed to be more private, away in the countryside, built by lakes in the middle of nature, with no permanent human habitation for kilometres.
Just him and Finland… alone.
Italy found himself shivering at the thought.
Finland gave him a weird look. "But that's the best part! The way the heat just rushes, shocking your pores open and warming your muscles, leaving them relaxed. I love how relaxed it makes me feel."
Italy would have expected Finland to blush at his sudden openness but he was again surprised. The Mediterranean Nation shrugged uncomfortably as the Nordic shifted, his skin glistening with the water and sweat, accentuating his muscles and making Italy's throat go dry. God, did Finland have any idea what he looked like? Was he really that oblivious or was this an overly elaborate plan to get him hot and bothered? Because if it was, it was working.
The sauna had very little light, only some natural light trickling in from the small stained window that gave to the lake and the glow of the fire in the stove. They cloaked the room in soft shadows, hiding Finland by a sort of haze, giving Italy only the vaguest sense of Finland's presence. He could see the other Nation's pale skin, the droplets of sweat and water dotting it but he felt somehow etheric, like a spirit of a long forgotten past.
And the feeling was only made stronger by the fact that the Nordic was acting so differently to normal. He looked relaxed and comfortable on the bench, more open and somehow wild and predatory, in a way a tiger is in the lazy midday sun. He had expected the other to be a bit prudish with how he normally acted around other people but he was surprisingly relaxed about his nakedness. Italy had always thought him to be a bit stiff and uptight, always looking uncomfortable whenever anyone kissed his cheek in greeting or tried to have small talk with him. He was kind of like Germany that way…
And that probably explained why the two of them always teamed up about money matters.
"Can I throw more löyly?"
Italy glanced at Finland and hesitated for a moment, the other Nation noticing it. The blond Nation smiled gently; his violet eyes shining in the darkness, his voice was quiet as he spoke. "Lean back against the wall and close your eyes. Relax, don't think about anything, just be there for a moment."
Italy gulped, his heartbeat picking up and his sex stiffening even more against his inner thigh. Would he –? His mouth was dry and Italy found himself obeying the directions without a word, his mind hazy. But instead of feeling the other Nation's hands and lips on his hot body, as eager for a touch, taste, as he himself was, he heard the ladle in the pail. The slosh of water as it splashed on the stones before another rush of hot air rolled over him, intense and unforgiving. He would have stiffened almost instinctually if not for the soft voice reaching his ears.
"Stay relaxed, just breath and feel it."
He did and this time as the shiver ran through his body, it felt pleasant, his body going lax as beads of sweat broke out on his skin. A soft sigh escaped his tingling lips and he blinked hazily up at the ceiling. His head felt dizzy and he wanted to taste the sweat on Finland's skin. The heat, the steam, felt heady in a different way than it had been moments ago. He wanted more.
Hesitantly, he leant over the short distance separating them, placing his tanned hand on Finland's pale thigh, running his fingers over the sweaty skin, feeling the muscles bunch under his fingertips. His eyes fell closed as he breathed in deeply, lips parting as they pressed softly against the sweaty skin of Finland's neck, feeling the pulse and tasting the salty tang on his tongue. As his lips moved up, hoping for a taste of the northerner's lips, his hand moved up the shapely thigh, closer to his prize. As his lips met the other's a hand on his shoulder stopped him and he blinked his eyes open, confused as he pulled back a bit, brown eyes meeting violet.
Finland's lips were turned into slight smile, his eyes alight with a hot, teasing light. "Ei, Italia," he said softly, his voice seeming to hang between the two of them in the small room. "Not here, sauna is like a church."
The magic, the warmth seemed to disappear, leaving Italy sitting there awkwardly. The statement left him feeling cold but he knew he would never be able to attempt anything in the steam room again. Not unless he was ready to do such an act in a church and there was no way it could happen. Hesitantly he returned to his original seat, drawing further back from Finland and wrapping his arms around his legs to hide his softening erection, staring at the wall.
A soft sigh had him glancing at Finland. The other Nation's expression was sorry. "Want to cool down?" he asked quietly.
Italy nodded and the two of them slipped down from the benches and out of the sauna to the porch. The Mediterranean Nation had to blink at the sudden amount of light after the dim sauna and as his eyes got use to it, he was shocked to see the sun still above the woods across the lake. "It's still so light…" he whispered. It felt as if the sunset lasted for hours.
Finland chuckled from where he had opened a bottle of beer, taking a quick drink of the amber liquid. Italy tried to ignore the way the northern Nation's Adam's apple popped as he swallowed, taking up his towel and wrapping it around his waist in the hopes of hiding his interest.
"It's called the midnight sun or the nightless night," Finland offered, setting the bottle down. "You just missed midsummer when the day is at its longest here."
Italy was still staring up at the sky in wonder, hearing only distantly Finland's wet footsteps smacking against the floor and then on the pier. A splash woke him from his thoughts and with a flinch his gaze searched for Finland, only to see the water settling beside the pier. For a moment he wondered with vague panic if the other Nation had fallen in – before the blond head appeared on the surface, hair plastered on his face. Italy stared at Finland's long, even stroked as he swam around in the lake, staying near the pier. The warm summer air felt cold after the sauna where he stood frozen on the porch, just staring at the other Nation's skin as it glistened in the weak sunlight.
Italy couldn't hear anything in the late evening but the soft splash of the water as Finland moved through it, his muscles were somehow accentuated by the otherwise mirror-like surface of the quiet lake. Nothing moved in the summer evening except the Nation of these lands, swimming in one of his lakes, glorious in his nakedness, his form beautiful to Italy's artist's eye.
"Come down for a swim!" Finland called, reaching the pier after his small circles, hanging lazily on the edge of the pier, grinning up at the other Nation, looking breathless in the soft light.
He wanted to join him, to touch the other Nation, feel the water embracing them, but still he hesitated. "Isn't it cold?" Italy asked uncertainly, adjusting his towel.
Finland actually laughed, free and carefree, as if he found Italy's question delightful. "Everything feels cold after the sauna," he answered, climbing out of the lake, the water running oh so temptingly down his torso, making Italy want to lick it all up, to worship the pale form before him. "17 °C is pretty average for summer," he continued returning to the porch and picking up his towel, running it over his hair vigorously, giving Italy another chance to admire his body.
"I think I'll pass," Italy said distractedly, his hand again reaching out almost without meaning to, running his fingers up Finland's side, delighting in the slight shiver that followed. "I enjoy watching you," he continued, almost without meaning to.
Finland dropped the towel from his head, staring into Italy's eyes, a slight blush rising on his cheeks. The southern Nation smiled, his hand slipping behind Finland's back and pulling him closer, lips meeting.
The northern Nation tasted of beer and lake water, cold, bitter and sweet at the same time, as Italy nibbled his lower lip. As he felt Finland's arms wrap hesitantly around him, his tongue slipped out, seeking entrance into the other's mouth, which was granted without complaint. Finland shivered deliciously against him, getting a bit bolder, his pale hand running through Italy's hair and gripping it tightly.
He could feel the Finn's manhood stiffening against his own, only separated by the towel Italy had wrapped around his waist. For a second he cursed his thoughtlessness before it was forgotten in the northerner's kisses. Gently he rocked against the other, Finland to moan and ground awkwardly against him.
A moan escaped the Italian before the two of them pulled back, staring at each other.
"We should go back in," Finland breathed against his lips, giving him a gentle peck on the lips.
Italy groaned. "Do we have to?" he whined. "I just want to keep touching you and you won't let me."
A breathless laugh escaped the Finn as he dropped his forehead on Italy's shoulder, shaking with suppressed laughs. "Oh Italia, never change. Besides," his voice dropped as he raised his head, leaning close to Italy's ear and nibbling the lobe gently. The Italian shivered as the other whispered in his ear; "imagine how much more fun it will be when we're both clean, warm and relaxed after the sauna."
Oh. Maybe he didn't mind Finland's bathing culture so much after all.
Translations:
nonno: grandfather
capsari: the slaves serving in the Roman bath houses.
löyly: the name for the steam that rises when the water is thrown on the stones.
Ei, Italia: No, Italy.
17 °C: 62,6 F
A/N: Kinda wanted to have them whacking each other with vihta/vasta but I couldn't decide which word to use (because East vs West is srs bsns). And that's totally what summer evenings are by the water, just total silence and hours of sunset. And the shivers when you throw löyly are wonderful.
Hope that got you hot and bothered.