This was risky, this conversation, and the increasing tightness in Art's trousers. He didn't want to break eye contact to check whether or not it was hidden, but — he suspected that it would be obvious if Valerian looked down. Not that Valerian was looking down — no, he was staring right back at Arthur, caught in that eye contact.

"Oh, you know," Art said slowly, "Bet my house and lost it to goblins, tried almost all of the drugs you can find downstairs." He put his free hand on his cousin's knee; but didn't squeeze. He was relying on the signals that Valerian's body was throwing off, on the sustained eye contact, and on the public's perception of Arthur as someone who did publicly flirt with women; even if Valerian told people about this, he might not be believed.

"Had some women I shouldn't have had," Art added. With a tilt of his head, keeping his hand in place, "And some men, too."

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The following 3 users Like Arthur Pettigrew's post:3 users Like Arthur Pettigrew's post
   Angelica Selwyn, Reuben Crouch, Valerian Macnair

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set by MJ <3

This was... this was not something he was well-equipped to handle. The closeness, the eye contact, slow, intentional conversation—and Merlin, not the hand on his knee. He felt the urge to cover his lap with his free hand, but the way the mattress was he knew unsteadying himself by lifting it off the sheet would send him leaning even closer to Arthur, and that would do nothing much make his problem much, much more visible.

The goblins, the losing his house, the sleeping with women—all of that was definitely adventurous, but it was the last thing he'd said, and some men, too, that caused his heartbeat to pick up again, caused a little shiver through his legs that focused right in on where Arthur's hand was, leaving behind little goosebumps. His mouth went dry, and he sucked his bottom lip into his mouth, then his top lip into his mouth, trying to figure out what to say—or what to do.

He didn't just want to - to act, to do something that he shouldn't that might earn him a punch or a laugh or something else embarrassing, but he kept getting caught on the hand on his knee, which felt as much an invitation. He instinctively leaned forward, feeling his knee press further into Arthur's. His glass of brandy was still in his hand, but it was long forgotten; his eyes were still fixated on Arthur's.

Finally, after a long pause of weighing the risks, he muttered words he'd never been in a position to be able to: "Show me."

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The following 3 users Like Valerian Macnair's post:3 users Like Valerian Macnair's post
   Angelica Selwyn, Arthur Pettigrew, Reuben Crouch

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A shiver went down his spine at the sight of Valerian playing with his lip. It was sort of a relief that Valerian didn't flee at Art's admission, because he would have to find some way to expel this sexual tension — the thoughts of lips and the way the mattress' gravity was pulling them closer together.

Show me; Arthur felt himself twitch in his trousers at the invitation. He broke eye contact just long enough to set down his glass of brandy on the nightstand, so that he could fully direct his attention to Valerian. He pressed a hungry kiss to the other man's mouth, open-mouthed, any shyness having dissipated with Valerian's invitation.

He slid his hand from Valerian's knee and up to his thigh, and tangled his other hand in the fabric of the other man's shirt, tugging him closer.

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The following 3 users Like Arthur Pettigrew's post:3 users Like Arthur Pettigrew's post
   Angelica Selwyn, Reuben Crouch, Valerian Macnair

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set by MJ <3

It all happened so fast. Valerian, as inexperienced as he was, wasn't afraid to shy away from the opportunity when it presented itself, but that didn't at all mean he knew what to do once Arthur took the opportunity. Arthur leaned forward, forcing Valerian forward on the bed, which made it all the more difficult to keep his glass of brandy (fortunately not too full) from slipping right out of his hand. It was made worse—(or better? This was decidedly better)—when Arthur's hand crept up his thigh and his mouth pressed against his own, eliciting a moan from the back of his throat.

He was suddenly all too aware of the sensations in his body—the tinging in his fingertips, the constricting of his chest where the fabric of his shirt was pulled by Arthur's balled fist, the feeling of Arthur's tongue against his own, and the straining of his trousers as he tries to reposition himself. One hand went to tangle in Arthur's hair, the easiest place to reach since Arthur's position had forced him on him knees so he wouldn't fall against him with the shifting of the mattress, but the glass—damn the glass, it was still in his hand.

Carefully (or as carefully as he could, given the distractions) Valerian began lean into Arthur, over his lap, not breaking the kiss but opening one eye so he could watch as his outstretched arm tried to put the glass down next to Arthur. It missed. It clattered to the ground, but somehow didn't break; and although Arthur had told him not to make a mess, somehow he didn't care. Now with another hand free, he brought it to Arthur's chest and began playing with the buttons.

He knew what he wanted—just not exactly how to get there.

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The following 1 user Likes Valerian Macnair's post:1 user Likes Valerian Macnair's post
   Reuben Crouch

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This might be Valerian's first kiss, Art noted quietly; this didn't slow him down, as it was very evidently not making Valerian shy, but it was possible. So that just meant that Art had to make the kiss — and the rest of it — as good as possible. A gasp came out of his mouth at the feeling of Valerian's fingers in his hair.

He ignored the clatter of the glass to the floor. He could deal with that later. It didn't matter. It especially didn't matter when Valerian was playing with the buttons of his shirt and leaning over his lap. He slid his hand from Valerian's thigh to the front of the other man's trousers, and palmed him there. His thumb rested on Valerian's belt buckle.

Art broke away from the kiss and muttered, "Tell me what you want." He thought he knew — well, he knew where this was going, as long as Valerian didn't back out first, but he still ought to ask.

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set by MJ <3

He was feeling lots of things all at once, and it wasn't slowing down at all. He'd envisioned doing this before—in great detail, actually, though admittedly he hadn't envisioned his (albeit distant) cousin being the first person to share with though. But it didn't matter; it was clear that Arthur was experienced with matters such as this, because it wasn't the sort of thing a man admitted to without being experienced, and to Valerian that mattered more than how he felt towards him on any personal level.

(Not that he didn't like Arthur—no, in fact he was hoping that this would make Arthur see him as an actual man rather than the weird kid that so many other people had thought him. It was a weird dynamic. He couldn't think too hard about it, though, not with Arthur's hand there.)

A loud gasp escaped his lips, and he pushed his hips forward, desperate for more contact. He clawed his fingers down line of buttons, his fingers catching on each individual button until one snapped halfway down Arthur's shirt. The kiss was broken momentarily, giving Valerian a chance to breathe—but not to think. No, he didn't need to. He knew he wanted this. He could barely speak, his chest rising and falling with easy heavy breath that escaped his lips, and when the words left his mouth they came out raspy and quiet.

"A stupid question," he answered, his impatience clear. He pressed his mouth against Arthur's again.

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One of his buttons popped off, which was — probably going to be a little annoying later, like the brandy on the floor, but right now it was kind of a turn-on. And Valerian was impatient, too, and that was also a turn-on. This wasn't how he'd anticipated his night going, but he certainly wasn't complaining. He pressed his hand more firmly against Valerian. If Art had any doubts about Valerian wanting this — (he didn't) — then the feeling of him through his trousers would have chased them away, and he shifted closer on the mattress, trying to angle them so that they were both more solidly on the bed.

More deftly than his cousin had, although it was still hard to manage among all the sensations he was experiencing, Art worked to unbutton Valerian's shirt. If they were going to keep going — and it seemed clear that Valerian wanted them to keep going, and Arthur did too — then they were going to need fewer clothes. He pulled at the cloth of the shirt as he went, hoping to get it off sooner, and bit down gently on Valerian's lower lip.

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set by MJ <3

He wasn't sure how people did this sort of thing smoothly, because it was all he could do keep from popping more buttons off in his eagerness. He'd known he'd liked men; he known since he'd gotten to Hogwarts and seen his classmates without clothes. He'd known since he'd sat with his friends, getting annoyed that they wouldn't stop talking about girls when it was all he could do not to stare at some of the boys. He'd known it, and yet—never had the opportunity arose to act on it. It might have been Arthur, his cousin who he'd been occasionally paired with during family functions since childhood, but it was easy to set all of that aside when his hands left goosebumps wherever he touched and when his teeth were nipping at his tongue in a way that sent a surge through his veins.

(If anything, it was easier to justify in the moment than it would be later on. Arthur wouldn't rat him out, Arthur wouldn't say anything. He couldn't, because they were family at the end of the day, and those sort of rumors stuck.)

His clothes came off quicker than Arthur's did, another piece of evidence that spoke to Arthur's experience, but he wasn't complaining. He was only slightly aware of how much more muscular Arthur was than himself as his hands slid from the top of his shoulders down to his belt, and he knew a normal man would have been a little self-conscious, a little insecure, but Valerian wasn't—he was delighted. He tugged at the fabric at the shirt, struggling to get it over his shoulders without being able to see. Finally he pulled away, just long enough to get Arthur's shirt off, before leaning back in to press an open-mouthed kiss to Arthur's throat. (Was he allowed to do that? He hoped so.)

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He slid one hand over Valerian's abdomen appreciatively. Hopefully his shirt hadn't landed in the brandy, but Art didn't have the presence of mind to think about that at the moment — he was so hard it almost hurt, and he needed to get Valerian's belt unlatched so that they could actually do this, but also he still had a shirt on, and —

Valerian managed to tug it over his shoulders. Art didn't watch to see where it landed, because that was very much not a current problem.

"Oh," Arthur exhaled, at the kiss to his throat, "Fuck, do that again." He still didn't think Valerian was at all experienced at this, but his enthusiasm certainly made up for it. Finally, finally he managed to get Valerian's belt unlatched and pull it free of the loops of his trousers, sending it falling to the floor with their other articles of clothing. Art slid his hand into the other man's pants.

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set by MJ <3

Valerian had always been good at figuring things out on the fly; it was one of the reasons he liked potion-making so much. This was nothing like potion-making, but his hands followed the same path as Arthur's, mirroring his movements as he tried to figure out the best rhythm to this. Arthur's hands were on his belt, and his hands were on Arthur's belt, and for a moment he thought he might try to race to get Arthur's undone quicker; but then Arthur let out a little gasp and demanded he kiss his neck again, so his hands slipped from the buckle and found Arthur's hips while he proceeded to suck on the the little spot where Arthur's shoulder connected to his neck—

And then he was a goner. He heard the sound of his own belt buckle coming off, and then Arthur's hands were on him, and as hard as he tried to swallow the moan it managed it escape anyways. His fingernails dug into Arthur's hips, a silent plea—but for what, he wasn't sure. Finally his lips left Arthur's skin, and embarrassingly his forehead came to rest against the same crook of Arthur's neck where his lips had just been. He'd touched himself before; he knew his limits and just knew that this was going to be too much for him sooner rather than later.

His hands grabbed for Arthur's belt again, intent on getting it off this time. It took a moment longer than it should have—(but who could have blamed him?)—but finally he was able to tug Arthur's pants down his legs.

"I want this. Please." It was so undignified, begging, but it was like he was no longer in control of the words that escaped his lips.

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The following 2 users Like Valerian Macnair's post:2 users Like Valerian Macnair's post
   Angelica Selwyn, Arthur Pettigrew

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If Arthur had had any thoughts at all of stopping this, Valerian's words would have sucked him right back into it. "Alright," he said, leaning in to press a kiss to Valerian's mouth again, "Alright." If Valerian hadn't been so eager Art may have had second thoughts about taking someone's virginity tonight — or he at least would have entertained the thought that this was a bad idea for any amount of time at all, because sometimes taking someone's virginity was a whole thing — but it was impossible to think that when he was naked and exposed and so obviously wanting this too. He couldn't resist; could not even think about resisting.

He tugged Valerian's trousers down the rest of the way and reoriented them on the bed, bending the other man the right way. Arthur didn't really have strong feelings about which role he filled when sleeping with men, but it seemed like a lot to explain to Valerian and also like neither of them wanted to spend much time on explaining — so. He kept touching Valerian, sliding his hands over skin and eventually he slid himself inside with a gasp.

Art pressed a kiss against Valerian's shoulder. He had very deliberately paused in this moment, because it was sort of the point of no return, but he still took a second before he felt himself able to speak. "Is — this — okay?" he said, haltingly, with his hands on Valerian's hips; if it wasn't he would stop, obviously, but fuck he hoped it was okay. 

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The following 3 users Like Arthur Pettigrew's post:3 users Like Arthur Pettigrew's post
   Angelica Selwyn, Reuben Crouch, Valerian Macnair

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set by MJ <3

He wanted it, he needed it, he wouldn't know what he would do if Arthur suddenly decided he didn't want it. He was panting against his shoulder, the feeling of Arthur's grip on him freeing him from whatever inhibitions he still clung to. Then Arthur's lips were on his, and he was saying alright, and then—and thank Merlin for it—Arthur took the lead instead of continuing the game of back-and-forth.

Valerian had always liked to remain in control, but he quickly found that this was the best possible way to lose control. He squirmed and withered and moaned under Arthur's touch, not sure where to put his hands but also knowing that he didn't need to put them anywhere, because Arthur clearly knew what he was doing even if Valerian was still unsure of some of the specifics. The sensations that followed were nothing Valerian could have expected—nothing he could have ever imagined. He gasped as Arthur entered him, his whole body stiffening up at the sudden intrusion, but the kiss to his shoulder was a silent reassurance, and after a moment Valerian allowed himself to relax.

"Okay. Definitely okay. Keep... keep going," he rasped, his forehead pressed against the pillow. And Arthur did. He wasn't sure how long it lasted. He could only remember the sensations and the noises coming from Arthur, and finally the way his body had tensed up and his release came. It couldn't have lasted long, he decided—Valerian had never lasted very long, not on his own, at least—but by the time Arthur pulled out and laid down beside him it was all he could do to keep his eyes open. He'd never thought himself the affectionate sort, but in the moment he found himself wiggling himself backwards until his skin came in contact with his cousin's. He was warm, comforting. He remained silent, too tired (and a little embarrassed) to say anything.

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When they were both finished Arthur was satisfied and covered with a thin sheen of sweat, and tired enough that he could have fallen asleep right then.

He laid one arm over Valerian when he scooted closer, although whether this was out of affection, a desire for continued physical closeness, or some form of possessiveness — he couldn’t say. He hummed. The top of his blankets was sticky which was, objectively, kind of gross, but he couldn’t be bothered to deal with that right now, bogged down in physical tiredness and pretty pleased with himself — with both of them — besides.

”You can stay here tonight,” Arthur mumbled, tightening his arm over Valerian. After a second, and in a rush, he added: ”If you want.” It was possible that Valerian felt weird about this. It was especially possible that Valerian felt weird about this if he hadn’t previously realized his attraction to men — this happened to people, Art knew. His own discovery in this area had roughly coincided with the period of time he had started to actively ruin his own life — so, the bisexual thing had seemed less dire than it sometimes did to other men.

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set by MJ <3

At the feeling of Arthur's arm, warm and muscular and safe, around his body, Valerian exhaled a breath he hadn't been aware he'd been holding. His body relaxed, and he let out a yawn; and then, all of his muscles wanted to stretch at once, which only pressed his back closer against Arthur's frontside. He'd never done this before, any of it (a thought that continued pestering him), so he didn't know what was usually said or done after sex. He only knew he liked the touching, he liked the warmth, he liked the feeling of the bare skin against skin, and he liked finally having confirmation that his desires were able to be quenched. Boys talked all the time about how good it was to be with women, but no one ever talked about being with men.

Clearly they were missing out.

Valerian nodded against the pillow, gently pulling Arthur's arm across him further so he felt fully enveloped. Of course, he would have much rather done this in his bedroom, where the sheets were clean and there wasn't brandy all over the floor, and moreover where there weren't a dozen strangers downstairs doing drugs he hadn't yet bothered to try, but he was... content. Happy. Definitely sleepy.

"Yeah," he sighed, his eyelids beginning to flutter, the exhaustion setting in. "I'd like that."

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The following 2 users Like Valerian Macnair's post:2 users Like Valerian Macnair's post
   Angelica Selwyn, Arthur Pettigrew

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