76. Solare
Date Written: July 13, 2019
Date Posted: November 23, 2020
Characters: Veneziano, Romano
Summary: One of Veneziano's favorite things to wake up to in the morning is the presence of sunlight.
Notes:
Veneziano's bedroom window faced the sun.
It was a small detail—an afterthought of an afterthought. Yet, that detail contributed greatly to Italy's sweet disposition. Back in the days of old, his grandfather's people had worshipped gods.
One of Veneziano's personal favorites had been the god, Apollo. Although he was quite the zealous womanizer with a penchant for having his lovers attain certain fates that Veneziano would never personally wish upon others, the myths were quite creative and well liked. It was during worship in the old days alongside drawing and reminiscing about the warmth of the sun upon his cheeks, his skin, and cradling his hair that Veneziano knew what he aspired to be.
No, he didn't want to be a god—why be a god when he was one already in his own right? What he did want was the charisma and the love that came with Apollo. He was a god of music, light, and medicine. Despite his womanizing ways, Apollo was one of the well loved gods—something that Veneziano envied.
He wanted to be well loved and talented and revered.
Many of the myths and tales had long since been passed into the well worn, yellowed pages of books that were used to recount the tales of such. Not many people aside from those who loved stories and the histories of past religions and ceremonies would talk about the glory that was Apollo.
Perhaps, one of the main reasons why he liked the acclaimed son of Jupiter was that he was the god of the sun. Veneziano loved the sun and wished to feel the sun's rays upon his skin during every waking moment—he was loath to see the sun set despite the beauty of such. Furthermore, the sun was just a positive, loving force in the world that not many people looked forward to anymore.
The sun was a positive force in everyone's lives. It provided light, comfort, and warmth to those who would seek its presence. It was because of these characteristics and traits that Veneziano loved the sun.
Perhaps, he wished that he could be the sun.
Perhaps, if he tried his hardest, he, too, would have the personality of the sun. He wanted people to flock to him, to bask in his warmth. He wanted to be regarded as a person who was friendly and well loved by many.
Like the sun, he wanted to provide companionship to those who sought him out—he wanted to be there for people who desperately needed light in their lives.
As Veneziano rested his arms on his windowsill, his brother knocked on his door. Unlike his smiling brother, Romano's face was marred by a light scowl as he leaned against the doorframe.
"You woke me up. Again." Although his tone and words were harsh, Veneziano paid him no mind as he turned back to the sky and allowed the sun's rays to caress his tan skin. "Don't tell me you're trying to worship the sun again."
Veneziano laughed at that. "It can't be called worship if I have nothing to sacrifice to our dear Lord Apollo."
Romano shook his head again, muttering a small "Heathen" in response to Veneziano's jest. "You know, Vaticano would have a field day with this?"
"With what?" This time, Veneziano finally turned back on his source of warmth and faced his brother, a small smile still present on his face. "Besides, you know as well as I that sometimes the old prayers come back and you remember…"
Romano frowned, but said nothing.
Instead, he approached his younger brother's bed and sat upon it, looking like a regal prince as he did so. For a moment, Romano closed his eyes as if he were trying to recall honeyed words brushing his ears, of calloused hands patting his head and bidding him to sleep.
"You smile like him, you know?"
"Like our dear Lord Apollo?"
Romano threw one of Veneziano's pillows at his face, hoping that it would wipe away Veneziano's ever present grin.
"Shut up, you little shit."
