Welcome to Charming, where swirling petticoats, the language of flowers, and old-fashioned duels are only the beginning of what is lying underneath…
After a magical attempt on her life in 1877, Queen Victoria launched a crusade against magic that, while tidied up by the Ministry of Magic, saw the Wizarding community exiled to Hogsmeade, previously little more than a crossroad near the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In the years that have passed since, Hogsmeade has suffered plagues, fires, and Victorian hypocrisy but is still standing firm.
Thethe year is now 1895. It’s time to join us and immerse yourself in scandal and drama interlaced with magic both light and dark.
Complete a thread started and set every month for twelve consecutive months. Each thread must have at least ten posts, and at least three must be your own.
Did You Know?
Did you know? Jewelry of jet was the haute jewelry of the Victorian era. — Fallin
Leonid had initially not had much interest in going to the Labyrinth but one of his siblings had dragged him along since groups needed to be in twos, fours or sixes. This ended up being the best idea as he wound up running into Victor. They had managed to lace a flirty little conversation before subtly hinting at the other to meet up here later. Then they had parted ways.
He had not been able to meet Victor like this since the other had gotten married. It was understandable since the other man had to go on a Honeymoon and adjust to newlywed life. Leonid had perhaps been a little overzealous once their bodies were entwined once more. "I did not exhaust you too much, did I?" He asked teasingly as he brushed a strand of hair out of the other mans face.
Victor sighed and reached up to catch Leo's hand as he moved it away from his hair, bringing it to the side of his face and leaning into Leo's palm. "I am exhausted utterly. I shall never leave this bed again," he said, and although his tone was teasing there was truth below it. He understood Leo would be eager to see him again; it had been a month since they'd last had a moment alone, prior to Victor's wedding, and since August they'd been used to meeting up more often. He was happy to see Leo again, too, of course — he would hardly have dropped hints and then gone through the trouble of the hotel room if he hadn't been looking forward to it — but a month after being married, Victor was certainly not starving for sex. Christabel was far more enthusiastic in that area than he had expected or hoped. He'd seen their honeymoon as a pleasant anomaly while they were gone, but they'd been back a week now and the pace had only slowed mildly (from as often as their schedule allowed to every night). Presumably this would fall off eventually, because Victor knew most married men were not this... well-provided for... but in the meantime, it was not at all a stretch to say he was exhausted.
"Did you get the letter I sent you from Greece?" he asked, still holding Leo's hand to his cheek fondly. "We were traveling too often to receive any replies, if you sent one, but I did miss you."
Leonid smiled as his lover captured his hand and brought it to the side of his face. He chuckled as Victor confirmed that he was spent. He was aware that he would now have to get used to taking whatever time Victor could spare. That was going to be an adjustment but it was better than nothing at all, as far as he was concerned.
"I did," Leonid confirmed. "I had sent a reply but I don't believe I had written anything too terribly important in it that I can't ask now." As far as he could recall, he had asked about what sights his lover had seen. "I did wonder what your favorite sight in Greece was." Leonid's only time in Greece had been during Victor's birthday party and it would probably be the last time he was ever there.
"My favorite sight in Greece wasn't there this time around," he teased, meaning Leo. Truthfully, he'd planned his days in Greece with Christabel to avoid any of the things he'd visited on his birthday trip with Leo. The country was big enough to support that, luckily, and it was a handy way to keep things disentangled in his mind. Since his proposal to Christabel he'd been wondering whether he ought to feel guilty about this ... or, more accurately, not whether he ought to feel guilty about it, but rather which flavor and intensity of guilt it merited. He had been honest with Leo about everything, at every point, and maybe he got some credit for that. He was doing his best to be a good husband to his wife, and maybe he got some credit for that, too. As to whether or not either or both of them would feel betrayed if they knew how he interacted with the other when they weren't around — he preferred not to think about it. Compartmentalizing the memories helped with that.
"Do you want me to get you a Christmas present?" he asked. "I know you don't celebrate it, but I'd hate for you to feel neglected."
He chuckled in response to Victors words, catching the meaning. He doubted he would ever go to Greece again unless Victor had another event there. Or purposely invited him along. So he was glad he had gotten to experience some of it with Victor.
"I wouldn't mind one. I am getting you something," he said coyly before kissing the other mans shoulder.
"Then what's the fun of guessing?" he said, with a faux pout. He could still think of plenty of fun to be had with guessing, of course — pairing questions like is it big? with some suggestive hand movements, for example — but he needed at least a few minutes more before they started up anything like that again. (His thoughts drifted towards tonight and he thought better of it entirely; Christabel would take note if he was too tired this evening).
He yawned. "It'll be nice when the newness wears off a bit," he said, not realizing he'd made a bit of a jump and hadn't explained his thought process. "When we're in more of a routine. It'll be easier for us to see each other regularly then."
Leonid chuckled in response to the others faux pout. Honestly, Victor was so darn endearing to him. That was part of what made it easier to compartmentalize that Victor was both a married man and his lover. "I'll be looking forward to that," Leonid said with a kiss to the others lips as Victor mentioned how things would get easier later.
