6 July 1891 — Macnair's London Home

This room looked different since Ford had last seen it more than a month ago. That was too be expected, of course; before it had been largely empty, and now it was ready for a new mistress of the house to take up residence tomorrow afternoon. Ford didn't notice the differences, though. From the moment he stepped through the fireplace, he was only looking for Macnair; when his eyes found the other man's face he didn't bother to look elsewhere. He was moving towards him before the green flames had even died out behind him, and before Macnair could say anything at all Ford had leaned in to kiss him, both of his hands moving up to the sides of Macnair's face.

"Sorry," he said when he pulled back. He was shaking his head slightly, but smiling too. "Not even five minutes in and I'm breaking my own rules. I'm supposed to wait until we're upstairs to do that," he said with a sheepish grin. He let his hands move down to Macnair's, twining the fingers of his right hand through the other man's. "I missed you."

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Valerian Macnair

  

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Set by Lady!

He wasn't sure how his nervousness about seeing Greengrass had surpassed his nervousness about the wedding, but it had. The day had been long, grueling, and at one point even painful, but the moment he'd stepped through the door all the tension had melted away. It would only be thirty minutes before Greengrass would arrive, so he took the time to freshen up as best as he could, only to give up halfway through to sit in front of the fireplace and just wait.

At least it did not take very long.

He stood up the moment green flames flickered in his fireplace, and before he could even open his mouth to greet him Greengrass was already walking towards him. Their lips met in a firm but unexpectedly soft kiss, with Greengrass' hands on his face and his own arms wrapped around Greengrass' waist. It ended before he could begin to enjoy himself, and even as Greengrass pulled back he found himself leaning forward to prolong the contact as long as possible.

"Rules be damned," he murmured, pulling his hands back so he could intertwine his fingers with Greengrass'. "I'd say I missed you, too, but I think you already know that."

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It gave Ford a little thrill to hear Macnair say rules be damned, except he knew the rules were there for a reason. It wouldn't bode well if they discarded them so quickly and easily, because that meant they'd only be more likely to continue in the future. Besides, the room probably wasn't as much of a haven as it had once been. It wasn't just an empty house anymore, and Macnair was the sort of person to have servants — even if they were discreet, or had been given instructions to avoid this room until his company had left, or even had been given the night off entirely, it wasn't as though this was as private as it had been the last time Ford was here.

"Right, well, if I undress you in your parlor I'll have Mr. Abbott to answer to," he joked. "I did promise him no one would be involved in lewd activities on the first floor."

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Set by Lady!

Valerian's lips slid into a smile as Greengrass spoke of undressing him as if they hadn't just spent an entire month apart. He spoke so casually, so self-assuredly—much different than it had been the first time they'd spent the night together, and even the nights they'd spent in the weeks after. He could almost forgive Greengrass for bringing the ghost into the conversation, as if it was going to divert his thoughts away from all the things he wanted to do to him.

"You haven't considered that I might not possess the willpower to wait until we're upstairs to undress you," Valerian teased, releasing his hold on their conjoined hands so he could play with the buttons on Greengrass' shirt. He didn't undo any of the buttons, aware that they really did need to wait, but he enjoyed messing with Greengrass nonetheless.

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Ford grinned and leaned in to Macnair's hand against his chest, though obviously he understood the need to wait until they were upstairs before they went much farther. Their respective situations in life made this relationship fragile; the merest suggestion of intrusion could shatter it. Ford didn't intend to let it go so soon after they'd agreed to start up again. The words Macnair had written in his letters were too softly thrilling for him to risk losing them. He'd never thought to hope, before, that Macnair might really like him, and he'd told himself it was fine because Ford didn't expect him to — but now that there was some evidence that he did, Ford was going to cling to this with everything he had. And that meant putting rules in place, and following them, even if the only thing he wanted to do at the moment was let Macnair tear his clothes off.

"We'd better go, then," he teased. He leaned in as though he was going to kiss Macnair's neck but didn't actually make contact, instead letting his breath play across the other man's jaw. "Before we reach the limits of your self-control."

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   Valerian Macnair

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Set by Lady!

He was going to reach the limits of his self control. Between Greengrass' breath on his neck, the suggestiveness in his tone, and the way their bodies were were pressed together in every way except the way Valerian needed them to be, he was going to go mad before they could climb up the stairs. Had they not just been involved in a side-along apparition accident he would have apparated them to the bedroom without another word, but he knew Greengrass well enough to know he'd probably react poorly to that.

Despite his quickening heartbeat and despite the strain in his trousers, Valerian knew this was different. Greengrass was acting different. He was bolder, more willing to taunt him; he usually reached this point once they were already in bed and their shame disappeared with their clothes, but Greengrass wasn't waiting for him to take the lead. He wasn't sure whether he wanted to push back and reassert himself as the dominant one in their dynamic or if he ought to tease Greengrass and see how long it would take for him to fully take matters into his own hands.

Better to save it for the bedroom, though, because he didn't have the patience to continue the game from the drawing room. None of the servants would be about, but anyone who thought to come through the fireplace (as unlikely as it was) could find them. "Tell me," he said, his hand back in Greengrass' as he led them out of the drawing room, "Do the stairs count as the first first floor?" The mental image of their clothes dangling from the railing and scattered across the steps brought a smile to his face, and he couldn't help but stop at the bottom of the steps to press a kiss against Greengrass' lips before they began their climb.

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Ford returned the kiss, but briefly — he was already smiling too much at Macnair's insistence to kiss him properly. It had been a stroke of genius to make Macnair write him a letter, so that they could talk about ground rules and boundaries in print rather than in person. If they'd been trying to figure this all out while Macnair was also trying to kiss him, they likely wouldn't have even gotten through the conversation before they'd thrown them all out the window. And it was important that they follow the rules, or this would end sooner than either of them would have liked.

"Stop it," he muttered, leaning in to Macnair and still smiling. "You're terrible. And you're wasting time. I'm only supposed to be here a few hours," he pointed out, starting up the stairs. He didn't really know his way around this house, but he knew the path from here to Macnair's bedroom well enough that he didn't need to wait to be led this time.

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Set by Lady!

Valerian pressed his forehead against Greengrass' and laughed. He was feeling giddy—not just from kissing Greengrass, but also from simply being together again after the torturous month of thinking being an engaged (or as of tomorrow, married) man would make relationships like this impossible. Compared to the month of being left alone in bed with his worries, being given a few hours felt like being given a lifetime. He was still smiling when Greengrass pulled away, and wasted no time in following, only one step behind him the entire time.

They approached the door of his bedroom, but before Greengrass could open it, Valerian grabbed hold of his shoulder and turned him around, pressing Greengrass' back against the door. "You said we have a few hours," he murmured, pressing one hand against the door and bringing his other up to caress Greengrass' cheek, "but we don't want to rush. I don't want to."

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At the top of the stairs before he'd reached the door to Macnair's room a thought had occurred to him unbidden: Ford wondered which one of these doors lead to her room. He still didn't feel great about carrying on with Macnair while he was married to someone else. Macnair could tell him over and over again that Tatiana Lestrange was under no illusion about the nature of their relationship and she didn't expect anything more from him, but Ford would probably never entirely believe it. Even if you were going to marry someone you didn't love, it would at least be nice if they respected you enough to stay faithful, and he was quietly convinced that if she ever found out about the two of them carrying on together, she'd be hurt (among other things, probably, none of which were good). But the weird relationship dynamic they had where they didn't love each other and were maybe both pretending that didn't matter wasn't Ford's fault, and he'd at least half convinced himself that he shouldn't miss out on getting to spend time with maybe the only person who'd ever really liked him because of it. In any case, the specter of Tatiana Lestrange wasn't going to chase him away tonight.

Not that he had time to think too much about it, anyway, because Macnair was stopping to kiss him again. Ford couldn't help the smile that came to his lips at how insatiable Macnair seemed to be. It felt good to feel wanted like this.

"You did say rushing was one of your fatal flaws," he teased lightly. He reached out to touch Macnair's chest with one hand, just brushing his fingertips along the front of his shirt. "How noble of you to turn your attention to self-improvement."

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Set by Lady!

Valerian dipped down and pressed a kiss to Greengrass' jaw, then his neck, then his shoulder, using his hand on Greengrass' cheek to gently angle his head to the side. He wanted to kiss further, down past the collar of his shirt, or maybe even the beginning of the sleeve, but beginning to undress Greengrass in the hallway in front of his bedroom didn't support the sentiment he'd expressed just moments ago.

"I wouldn't call it a noble pursuit," he said, dragging his lips over Greengrass' skin, back up his neck and onto his jaw, until they found Greengrass' lips once again. "In fact, it's entirely selfish. Rushing means I get less time to enjoy you." He brought his hand from Greengrass' cheek to the doorknob and turned it slowly, giving Greengrass enough time to notice that he was inching it open so he wouldn't fall backwards.

He led a backwards-walking Greengrass into the bedroom, his hands glued to Greengrass' hips. "And besides, I don't think my attention could be on anything but you right now." Not even the time, as much as he should be conscious of it. In less than twenty-four hours he would be a married man, and in less than twelve he'd be woken up to get ready for what he assumed would be an interesting wedding given how deeply his mother was involved in its planning.

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It was hard to think about anything with Macnair's lips on him. Another reason, he thought with some chagrin, why it had been so important to hammer out the details over letters. Not that they'd really gotten through all of the details yet, either. They probably ought to set some sort of schedule for overnight visits, so that they weren't tempted to do it too often and look conspicuous to either Ford's family or Macnair's wife — but all of that could wait, because Macnair's hips were on his and they were finally in the bedroom.

"Better not be," he agreed with a laugh. "I want all of you tonight." Before you pretend to love someone else tomorrow. The hand Ford had placed on Macnair's chest trailed down to his trousers, where he started removing Macnair's belt. Macnair might have been cautious of rushing, but Ford thought they'd waited long enough — over a month, all told. He was ready to have bare skin beneath his hands instead of fabric.

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Set by Lady!

Valerian felt his heart swell—and something else, too. Merlin he needed this. He needed Greengrass. He'd tried to tell himself that if he could just find someone—anyone—that he could have gotten over this, could have gotten over him, but now he couldn't imagine ever considering it an option. Greengrass' fingers left a trail of tingles as it traced down his chest and to his belt, and by the time they were on the buckle Valerian realized he'd been holding his breath. He hadn't wanted to rush, but he was beginning to think it was an inevitability.

Valerian reached up and hooked his fingers into the neckline of Greengrass' shirt, pulling him in for a kiss. His hands mimicked the path that Greengrass' had followed on his own body, but he took the time to fumble with the buttons of Greengrass' shirt, sliding his fingers underneath the fabric as he undid each one. He pulled back from the kiss, his eyes dropping to the visible skin of Greengrass' chest.

"All yours," he murmured distractedly, now very confident that he wouldn't be able to slow down unless Greengrass didn't stop him.

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Having Macnair's hands on him was almost as exciting as having his own efforts paying off. Ford might have groaned as he managed to dispatch with Macnair's belt except that he was already half out of breath, which was — just ridiculous, really. Surely this couldn't be normal, to feel this way around someone? Ford was still hesitant to assign a label to it (at any moment except that slip of the tongue last Saturday), but there was certainly something here that couldn't be replicated with someone else.

He slipped one hand into Macnair's pants while the other went to Macnair's neck. Ford leaned in to kiss him deeply on the mouth, then moved to his neck. He continued kissing while he stroked Macnair, then punctuated it all with a light bite to the other man's shoulder.

A thought occurred to him and he pulled back, his face slipping into an annoyed frown. "I suppose I shouldn't leave any marks," he said dourly. Ugh. Macnair liked when Ford bit him, though, or when their kisses got a little rough... and, to be honest, Ford liked leaving traces of their kisses behind. On more than one occasion when he'd spent the night before, he'd occupied himself with tracing over each of the edges with his fingers, reliving the kisses that had resulted in them. Hopefully they wouldn't have to leave off of that sort of thing forever, but at least tonight they both knew he was going to be on display for Tatiana Lestrange in less than a day... and those marks would be difficult to explain away.

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Set by Lady!

All precision in Valerians' efforts to undress Greengrass disappeared when he felt the man's hand on him, and he let out a strangled sound that was best described as something between a whimper and a moan. The noise disappeared into the kiss as their lips met, and while one hand continued to fumble with the last few buttons his other one went up to cup Greengrass' jaw. It was usually like this—the frantic touching, the slow undressing, the knowledge that by the time they were actually undressed they wouldn't have much time—but Valerian had never felt this desperate for closeness. Physically they were about as close as they could get, but this was something... different. He didn't even know how to describe the emotion, let alone how to fulfill it.

Valerian hissed as he felt Greengrass' teeth on his skin, and then—gone. Valerian pulled back just as he managed to get the final button undone, a light frown on his face that was more a response to Greengrass' frown than what Greengrass has said. "Probably not tonight," he murmured, letting his hand slide across Greengrass' jaw, down his neck, and over the planes of his torso. The corner of his mouth lifted up into a half smile. "But that doesn't mean, I can't, hm?"

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Well, it wasn't the same, but it was something. It was gratifying to hear Macnair frame it as a constraint only for tonight and not for every night moving forward, too... and it was difficult to stay annoyed about it when Macnair kept kissing him.

"Alright, then," Ford said, mollified at least for the moment. He took the pause they'd already created as a chance to turn his attention to the buttons of Macnair's shirt so that they could get undressed a little more evenly — not that it really mattered, but he didn't want Macnair to finish while he was still mostly dressed, for whatever reason. Especially if he was going to have to be careful about how he moved forward; it diminished the appeal of urgency considerably. Which wasn't to say his body wasn't still thrumming with anticipation, only that Macnair's response had shifted the focus somewhat.

"Do your worst," he said with a taunting smile.

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Set by Lady!

It did not last as nearly long as he'd wanted it to.

They did manage to both undress, and they even made it to the bed, but somewhere along the line Valerian had lost his perception of time. The clock was on the other side of the room, but his eyelids were heavy and the numbers on the clock were too small, and the mere thought of having to remove his body from the bed made his head sink deeper into the pillow.

One arm was outstretched to the side, allowing Greengrass to curl up against his side as he had those many nights before. It was soothing, serene, natural—he couldn't imagine just letting Greengrass leave.

They laid in silence as the minute passed by, exchanging gentle touches and pressing kisses here and there. Valerian's fingers brushed along the spot where Greengrass' neck met his shoulder, where the skin had turned red and bruised under the teeth marks he'd put there. They would fade in a few days, but at least Greengrass would be able to look at them while he was...

He felt his chest tighten up, and his entire body stiffened.

Shit. He shook his head silently, but didn't speak. Couldn't speak. What could he even say?

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