#haken

Commodus

-I believe that, despite having an eldest sister he is very attentive towards, this is an aspect of the experience he is not as versed in. Emotional or physical, Lucilla would rather hide her pains from him, or most people in general. She does not like to be seen at her worst and would pull a strong facade through anything. I personally headcanon she had an eariler than the average menarche, partially because it thematically fits with the character aspect of how she had to grow way faster than Commodus.

-The movie doesn't dig much into this, but he was raised by the court's doctor. A very arrogant doctor with the most prolific amount of medical writing in the history of the Empire. For so, I like to imagine Commodus has some theorical knowledge, but it's not experienced in the practic of caring for a menstruating person. He understands the principles of the humor medicine proper of the times, objectively guessing what Galen would do.

-And yet, the vague memories of this objective scientific parroting from his old mentor don't mean much to the sight of you in pain. His emotions overcome any reason because he is extremely protective of you. He is the most powerful man in the world and your love is the biggest joy in his life: nothing should be ever troubling you.

-There is also the fact that, if Commodus loves you, he is always somewhat obsessed with you. He doesn't want to make a big deal about it, but he can't help himself. He thinks too loud, too fast, and the obsessive thoughts overcome his reason. And he has way more care for you than his own persona: he may not have slept well for two days straight, but a flinch of pain from you when he accidentally touches an aching area the wrong way has him shouting for a doctor.

-You think his concern is adorable and do your best in catching up to his level of adoration for you in your own responses to his issues. That's the secret of why you do so well together, since with you Commodus finally finds full retribution of his affection.

-He can be a bit overbearing at times and he is loudly romantic. He wants your love to be a legendary thing and you can't help to feel flattered. When you look back at all the imperial couples that came before you and what chronicles said of them, you feel the luckiest one in history and he makes you live that.

-Your period is no exception. If it culturally represents an exemption of your regular activities, Commodus would privilege his role of husband to keep up with you. And he does it to a point that keeps you reminding him not to neglect his duties of Emperor. Gracchus makes fun of it claiming that if he cared for Rome as much as he seems to care for you, he could someday be a good ruler, but the insult falls on him like a badge of honor instead.

-He is proud of what he has with you and the found happiness pushes his thrive to excell. He couldn't get to be the perfect son for Marcus Aurelius, but he can be the perfect husband for you and you love him for trying even if you don't need that at all. You love him for who he is, and everytime you remind him of that it's like a dream come true.

-Arround this time of the month he tends to spoil you more than usual, trying every mean at his disposition to cheer you up. Your shared bedroom is filled with your favorite flowers, slaves bring in your favorite sweet treats and Commodus himself prepares the herbal mix Lucilla recommended him to help with your pain. Anything your heart desires is granted.

-Since he loves reassurance and he has an exquisitely poetical vocabulary, I think he would be all about praising you. How beautiful and smart and kind you are, how wonderful it is to have you in his life. He is filling you of positive thoughts that remind you of the exceptionality that bonds you to him. You are perfect, you are special, and you are his.

-That being said, the situation brings a few challenges for you. It has to be with the fact that normally you act as the stable balance of his erratic behavior, but during your period you too face some emotional unstability.

-Commodus would gladly hold you in his arms as you cry out your sudden burst of tears and he won't question the cause, but he would be in tears himself if you ever lash out to him. Picture the kicked puppy face he has in the scene with his dad, that's what I have in mind.

-You yell, he cries and now you are crying too because you can't bear that sight, so you are two sobbing messes comforting each other with slopy kisses.

-Because he himself has an unhealthy crave for attention and possesive tendencies, he has a hard time understanding that sometimes you need your space and it can get on your nerves. Loving him is not always easy, but you have chosen him accepting all his virtues and flaws.

-About the taboo aspects of menstrual blood, i think it's safe to guess he doesn't share the opinions of the average upper class roman man. If not through a genuine naturalization of it, his freaky tendencies tell me he is fine with it.

-Nightime is a constant negociation between your discomforts and his insomnia. You have it harder to sleep than usual, he stays up with you and insists on guarding you for the night while you beg him to take care of himself.

-But when he lays his head in the tender flesh of your chest following the rythm of your breathing is the most relaxing thing for both of you. The íntimacy comforts you and it slows the speed of his convoluted mind. If you are experiencing trouble in the area, he would add some sweet caressing to ease you. It's not inherently sexual, not at least always. He has seen that you tend to touch your breasts as you switch position in the bed when they are swollen and instinctively tries that.

-The one thing that bothers him about your time of mandatory rest is that, since you can't make any big public appearances, he can't take you with him to watch the arena. He goes with Lucilla and it's hard to believe that's not good enough for him anymore. Something is missing, and in that feeling of unease he gets to realize how far you have came together. You have replaced the spot of his damaging obsession with her.

-Despite he manages to have fun, he wonders how you are doing from time to time. Eventually, he finds comfort in knowing that you are well cared for and will be back to normal in a few days.

-If Maximus wasn't around to ruin his day in that ocassion, he loves getting to tell you all the highlights of the day once he comes back to the palace. Even if you didn't have the pleasure of observing his joy by attending the spectacle, his narration adquires the same child-like excitement.

-If he comes back unstable because his enemy has turned out successfull and rousing the people against him with his defiance, you cheer him up offering your blood for curses.

-He finds it hilarious. It's mostly a vulgar belief of the crowd, but that shows how much you care for him. It's said the blood discharge of menses can kill the crops and turn animals mad, so why wouldn't it curse a gladiator to loose?

-"Are you willing to kill for me?"

The disbelief in his voice is a product of how he often judges you a more morally virtuous person than him.

" He is a gladiator: death is his natural fate … I would only be hoping to speed up the process, right? " You mischievously replicate. " I've heard I only need one of those token coins with his face on it to consecrate with my waste and the hatred that my pain brings … If I will wake up wishing to kill someone because of how I feel, let it at least be Maximus."

He has grabbed you by the waist and, after naturally leading his face towards your neck, he is chuckling against your skin.

" And finding out my detractors have named you a witch empress afterwards? No, I won't allow such stain in your reputation. I cannot bear the thought of our people fearing you when they should be loving you as much as they will love me."

He places one single loveful peck, then concludes.

" I appreciate your concern, but I will find my way to get rid of him."

Caressing his hair as he deepens the contact, you remember for an instant how you miss his curls. The little bit of carefreeness that a life without the heavy weight of ruling allowed him.

" You have made all my pains yours, from the highests to the most trivial. It's fair to guess I would claim yours in return. That's no less than what you deserve, my love. "

The endearing term enhaces the excitement of his softer side, as it does your so loyal disposition for retribution of his devotion for you.

" And for loving me so tenderly, you deserve nothing less than being the most joyful being in my domains. No troubles shall come to you, only those few I have no control over."

Juba

I have no gifs for any of the following men in the list :( I seriously should learn to gifmake

-He is the embodiment of calm and patient comfort, the one person anyone would wish to have around when their strenghts are fading. Juba is incredibly kind, even to strangers, so he would be the sweetest around someone he loves at their time of facing any difficulty.

-At least from the perspective I got from a quick research on the matter, the traditional cultural approach of menstruation in Numidia seems a little different from the roman. If both hold some sort of magic belief about it, Rome is all about dread of impurity while here it seems to be acknowledged as a time for healing. Something to be handled among menstruating folk, but not implicitly shameful.

-He knows you are fine by yourself, but would watch over you from afar waiting for the right moment to step in if you need anything. In what comes to your specifical needs of the moment, he would rather let you decide if you need aid.

-That being said, he does take over the household tasks because he understands the priority is your self care. Thinking ourselves in the place of his nameless wife, I love to imagine him making breakfast with your daughters. As you wake up to the cheerful noises, you already start feeling your sprits lifted. Your lovely husband is so amazing that, even when the girls would start having theirs, you will have nothing to worry about.

-We don't know anything about his backstory, but I like to imagine he was close to his mom. As and adjacent headcanon to this wider headcanon, I think he passively adquired some knowledge of very punctual things. If he is making food, he remembers and considers which things are better for you to eat around that time and what should be avoided. He may know some stuff about home made remedies too, what surprises you even more.

-Emotional comfort is his strenght, he always has the right words to raise you up. Juba speaks in few words, but his short phrasing says everything. If he finds you in pain and pretending everything is fine, he reaches out to you with a soft glance that carries inner peace within. A kiss in your forehead, and a sweet “Your pain does not lessen who you are.” send you back to rest.

-He makes you company when the pain fades and the excessive need for rest starts to bore you. May not be the best entertainer, but he is a great listener. He has been watching you from afar for a while, having seat near the bed to give you proper space as he observes you and once you admit him that you don't want to sleep anymore he awakens from the contemplative state.

-Meditates with you to help with the mood swings ( headcanon that is valid for maximus too, now that i think about it. That's something both would do, but i guess it makes sense cause they found afinity in the similarities that separated them from the rest of the ludus). If you don't know to do it, he guides you with his voice and makes it a very relaxing experience.

-If you are in the mood for it, he will get a bit more physically affectionate than usual. He knows you need it, but are afraid to come out as too clingy. Tender hugs that lean softer towards your troubled areas, plenty of kisses and the up close sight of his beautiful smile melting your troubles away.

-" How can you stay so calm with me around like this?"

He chuckles lightly and pulls you closer, his hands finding their natural place at the sides of your hips in a way that feels more reasuring than inviting of anything else. Steading you with soft romance, not wondering further.

" Because you are my peace, even when you don't feel it in yourself."

Swooning with delight, you answer with a sweet whisper.

" I feel your love, the one bless that never abandons me."

Haken

-Most clueless man in this whole list in what comes to caregiving. He is aware of what you are going through, but he is completely inexpert in the caring aspect.

-It's not his fault, tho. He is getting used to this new domestic life with you. He went from rebel germanic warrior to gladiator, quite a wild life in environments where a problem like yours wouldn't be part of the daily life. He knows only of war, and with you he is starting to discover peace.

-Just having someone to love and permanently share his life with is already a huge change. You are not his reward, not a fleeting encounter meant to last just what the owner allows. He is a free man, and you have chosen him despite the remaining social stigma following gladiators. You are his to keep for the rest of his life, and sometimes as he watches you sleep beside him he can't believe that.

-Your time of the month is one of the many things he is learning to handle. At first he pretended he knew how to care for you and once you watched him react as if it would be sickness or wound you knew he needed instructions he was too prideful to ask for. You kindly explain him that you can perfectly deal with it on your own, but he insists in helping.

-"I can walk. I may be bleeding but i am not wounded" everytime he offers to carry you arround. He knows it, but noticing you acting weaker than usual awakens that protective instinct making him rush into picking you up. At some point you catch it and stop complaining, indulging him from time to time because it does make you feel good after all. His mighty arms are the safest place in the world for you.

-Approachs comfort with humor in what comes to cheering you up. If you are cursing with frustration in the morning noticing a wet spot in your side of the bed, he is going to be telling you all about some time he got blood soaked in a particulary gory fight he recalls with pride. And he would give away the details so cheerfully that you can no longer find repulsion in your little discharge.

-He is fascinated by the ways in which your body changes, what it's sometimes hard for you to understand because in this topic you find more shame than in the blood itself. Your sweet giant is in excellent shape even after retiring from the arena and you feel self concious when his touch gets near your bloated lower belly. While he is not a sharply perceptive guy, he does notice that you don't react the same about that than when he lovingly teases his delighted shock to the breast growth.

-Volunteering to massage you when you have cramps includes reassurance. He needs of your guidance the first couple of times, but as soon as his hands find the right way, he adds in some of the kind of comfort he knows you don't dare asking for. The gentle pressure of his circular motions on your lower belly start easing you and he not so casually comments on how cute it looks, how soft it feels. Realising where he is going, you tell him to stop lying and he playfully doubles down giving you some tickles. Ask him between chuckles if he trully means it and he is bending down to kiss it all over.

-Haken is not the best with words, but he has a steady presence that easily breaks into goofiness according to the needs of the context. If you need a shoulder to cry on, he is serious and silently tender as he invites you to lean on him. If he senses you are feeling better, he may break it with a joke.

-He leans towards offering physical comfort. It's not something he rationalizes, more like his spontaneous reaction and a byproduct of his habitus. For a very long time he has been only valued for what his body can give and, unlike his two gladiator friends, he made of that an identity.

-It's not his intention, but your anger outbursts sometimes amuse him. You tiny, raging thing ... It's like watching a hissing cat! You are cursing loudly over some random thing and you can hear that strident laughter of his from across the room even if you haven't realized he got there.

-" What's so funny?" You question as you quickly turn back to face him. " I told you to pour some vinegar on the pan to help the cleaning, now this junk is unwashable! I'm scrubbing like crazy and I barely get anything done."

The laugh morphs into a cheeky smile right before he tries to point out you are having a disproportionate reaction to the simple mess up.

" Are you sure you aren't using the scrubbing as a substitute for your want to punch someone? Boxing may help, come to the gymnasium with me tomorrow! "

A raging stare from you proceeds the yelling.

" HAKEN, I'M SERIOUS! I'M VERY DAMN ..."

He observes attentively and the smile doesn't fade. He watches you shake your wet hands with frustration as you groan instead of finishing the sentence. Emotions are getting in the way of words, and the little drops of water don't get to splash him.

Even if he knows he shouldn't, he chuckles to your failure.

" If you could see how lovely you look ... Who do you think you are scaring? " He teases you, and the thick northern accent feels suddenly softer while he gives a few temptative steps forward. " I know you are upset because you are not feeling like yourself. Let me finish that for you! "

To look closely into his eyes you must rise your face a little bit, and when you do, the outburst starts to fade. He is approaching calmly, in open arms. Once he is close enough to touch you his hands capture each of your wrists in gentle caressing, wordlessly easing you, and you surrender.

" A good test for your strenght, I guess, because my patience has been tested enough today."

The back of his tunic get stained in the shape of your wet hands as you cling to him like if your life depended of it.

"I'm sorry, love. I am overwhelmed by ... "

Haken interrupts you with a shushing sound, focusing entirely on calming you instead of letting you force yourself into an explanation. You don't always need to rationalize everything you feel, even less in the particular context, and the ex gladiator understands it better than you would expect of him.

One of his hands is holding you still while the other finds entertainment playing with your hair.

" I love you still, raging little thing."

Cicero

-There not much he must adjust to. Taking care of his wife on the menses is a natural move for him, whenever his presence allows it at least. As Maximus' servant, he is used to be trusted with even the smallest details of another person's life.

-Very organized and thoughtful. If you are regular, I think he would keep a vague idea of when the thing should start after a few months living with you. Not because he is doing the exact counting or anything, but due to how he is very into being attentive to details. He " predicts " it out of his methodical nature, simply by remembering it has always started around the same week.

-The first time he casually admits it, it kinda freaks you out for an instant. At least until he explains himself: he is used to remember every single step in the General's routine ... Why wouldn't he memorize an important part of yours too?

-Not only he isn't troubled by your blood, he may dare to handwash your cloth pad for the next use. And the result is sublime! He washes blood out better than you ever could. What is saying a lot, because your washing is adequate.

-You didn't ask him to do so, of course you never would, but he found the dirty one that you left to soak planning to get it cleaned later and he didn't wait to ask. Why bothering you, when he can solve it himself? He knows it will surprise you, and your joy to the impecable result gets him all smiley and prideful because he sees it has impressed you.

-He doesn’t know the full experience, of course, but he respects it. If you tell him you’re in pain, he takes it seriously. With a nod and, a sweet “What do you need?”

-Big fan of napping with you. This sweet man needs a rest, and you make it so tempting! To some extent, you encourage it too because you are afraid he is overloading himself with such extensive, attentive care of you.

-He still respects your individuality, tho. If you need your space or would rather do some things by yourself, he is perfectly fine with that. He only means to help, and his extensive experience as a manservant in a warzone turns out very useful for some aspects of the situation.

- When you are stressed, he helps you to find calm again by letting you run your fingers through his hair while he tells you some big tale of his adventures with Maximus. His role may seem smaller than it should for the narrator, but his stories distract you and he knows you are very proud of him regardless.

-" You are perfect ... Do you know that? Everything you do is perfect, ... and I am a bleeding mess in need of your attentions. "

Cicero chuckles innocently, looking up in awe to your occurence, and the frontal strands of his hair catch your attention within the movement.

" You are perfect for me, always and forever. " He sweetly insists, in case you had any doubts. " If anything, I am glad of being able to take care of you so intimately. It proves you trust me, ... how much you love me."

A few pecks lovingly tease his chin in thankful confirmation.

" I will love you until feding you up, you will beg me to stop."