AN: A million thanks to TheLovelyJudy for the...well...lovely review! True; it is sometimes frustrating when people can't stop looking at the past through a modern lens. I did try to make this story as tasteful as possible, but there will be some, shall we say, "scenes of a mature nature" in future chapters...
Twelve years later
"Drusilla, I'm a little frightened".
"Alright, Gaius, come over here, then" Drusilla said automatically through her sleepy haze. Normally she hated losing an instant of sleep, but she knew that her brother's needs were more important than her own.
He dove into her bed and wrapped his arms around her as best he could.
"Is it something you want to talk about?" she asked gently.
"No" he replied quickly before resting his head on her breasts.
She put her arms around him and held him as hard as she could while stroking his hair and pressing his head against her even more. All she wanted to do was keep him safe, not only from Tiberius, but from everything that wasn't benevolent or beautiful. She felt Gaius start to cry and began kissing the top of his head with a possessive ferocity and whispering the comforting words she had repeated on many nights since their parents had died.
"Hush, Gaius, darling. Nothing bad can happen to you. Drusilla's here. I'm going to protect you. Hush, love, it's all right. It's all right, there's no need to cry."
His terrors must have been worse than usual that night, because his sobs just grew louder and he started babbling.
"He killed our parents, Drusilla, he's going to kill us"
"No, he's not, darling; he needs you as his heir since you're the only one left"
This was clearly the wrong thing to say, as he started crying even louder.
"Can't we run away? We could just leave and live together and find work and-"
"We can't run away, Gaius, the guards would just find us and get us into trouble"
"Why do we always have to be guarded? What do they honestly think we're going to do? Why can't they leave us alone? I don't want to be emperor! I don't want to do anything except not die"
Drusilla began shushing him frantically, terrified that a guard would be awake and listening at the door. It had become a habit of theirs never to talk about or do anything private when there was even the remotest chance of someone's listening, but clearly Gaius was beyond caring. Gaius's sobs subsided slightly, as Drusilla held her breath, waiting for any sound that would alert her to any unwelcome company. After a few minutes without a sign of any alien presence, she relaxed slightly and continued to focus on her brother. His behavior that night was especially strange since they'd had a particularly happy day earlier on. They had raced each other around the villa many times, climbed the most manageable of the surrounding trees, and finally fell in an exhausted heap where they remained for a long time until they began play-wrestling.
The one positive aspect of living with their great-grandmother Livia was the fact that she was far too old to attempt to impose any control on the adolescents, leaving them free to do nothing but enjoy each other's company for days on end. Being an emperor's mother made the woman unbearably haughty, and she thought herself far too important to take care of children herself, and the two were constantly able to evade lessons and the social events Livia constantly threw.
Drusilla finally gave up trying to talk to her brother, and continued kissing him instead. Once the top of his head had been thoroughly taken care of, she moved farther down the bed and, tilting his head up, kissed his lips. He kissed her back with the terror-filled ferocity that she had grown used to in the last few years. Once Drusilla started enjoying herself, her brother pulled back with a slight whimper and moved as far away from her as he could, while still remaining near enough to feel her warmth.
"Gaius, stop doing that" Drusilla half-scolded; frustrated that he had interrupted their kissing once again that day. "It's perfectly normal. I don't mind it when you…" her voice trailed off, not quite sure how to describe her brother's embarrassing and increasingly frequent erections, especially since she wasn't quite sure what they were herself. "I enjoy it."
"Really?" He asked, suspicious and eager at the same time.
"Yes; now come here, silly Caligula"
He obeyed gratefully, and they resumed their kissing, as she felt his member grow even harder against her thigh. She began wriggling in her nightdress until it was sufficiently low enough to leave her breasts completely exposed. Gaius took the gesture as a cue, and began kissing her softly swelled chest as she continued to play with his hair. She gave a little shiver of delight at the combined sensations she was experiencing. Their movements both became more frantic, as they were desperate to be even closer to each other. Their mutual eagerness made up for their lack of experience, and after a few misguided attempts, they were able to fully seal the bond between them.
"I love you, Drusilla" he whispered the moment before their bodies merged together.
"I love you too, Gaius" was the equally soft reply that she made when they were finished.
She held him in her arms long after they were done and he fall asleep from sheer exhaustion.
Isis she thought, staring at the ceiling as though she could see the stars beyond it Gods, if you should exist, she added for safety make my brother live. Don't let anyone harm him; let them take me instead. I swear to always protect him and to die for him if I have to. Just please let him live. Let my brother live.