marlowemuses | Fools in Love, for gentry

Laurent reached for him, hugging an arm around Gansey's waist and kissing him, instead, because that seemed to him like the more urgent priority. Smiling against Gansey's lips, he nuzzled the tips of their noses together. "I didn't bring any spoons," he said, voice warm with playfulness and just earnest enough to make it unclear as to whether the term meant something different in Vere.

"Oh? Do they not spoon in Vere?"

Eyebrow cocked, "I'll have to show you, then." If Laurent was going to play naive, Gansey had no problem playing teacher. Closing the distance between them, Gansey stole another soft, lingering kiss. Then another. Kissing Laurent was quickly topping his list of favorite things to do. His hand slid down to rest on Laurent's hip.

"Turn away from me, and I'll cup up against you. We'll fit like spoons. Clever, right?" His eyes sparkled with amusement. "I wanted to feel you against my back, but I don't mind being the big spoon."

Laurent felt warm with affection, loving the playfulness of Gansey's teasing. He obeyed, turning onto his side and nestling back into Gansey's arms.

"A brilliant Raven Kingdom invention," he said, grinning happily. "I love having you against my back." Shivering slightly, Laurent hugged Gansey's arm possessively. "Love feeling your breath against my neck. I love you."

When Laurent nestled back against him, he draped his arm over his waist, tugging him close and resting his face into the curve of the other man's neck. Their bodies fit together like they were made to.

Gingerly, Gansey pressed a kiss to where he could feel Laurent's pulse, just barely flicking the tip of his tongue over the spot. "I love you too," he exhaled, closing his eyes as he basked in Laurent's scent. "So much. My precious, darling Laurent. I can't wait until you're officially my husband."

It was such a comfortable position, Gansey knew at once that he could fall asleep that way. It was amazing. It was likely that he'd wake up and peter about the room, maybe read a book at his desk until Laurent woke and realized he was being restless, but even falling asleep for an hour at a normal time was a luxury.

Voice laced with drowsiness, "Will you ever take me to see Vere?"

"Yes," Laurent murmured, smiling with contentment at the drowsiness in Gansey's voice. He laced their fingers together, bringing Gansey's knuckles up to his mouth, breath and lips brushing over the skin as he spoke. "I want to show you off. My father and brother will love you. Vere will love you. And we can go shopping in all the kinky Veretian specialty shops."

Laughing softly, because he was certain that Gansey would blush at that, if he was still awake, Laurent yawned, nestling close and closing his eyes to sleep. "Love you. My Gansey."

Oh, that made him chuckle. "I look forward to it. Especially meeting your father and brother." He wanted to know what Laurent's family was like—what his father-in-law and brother-in-law were like. And he wouldn't say no to checking out those kinky specialty shops, even if he did color lightly at the thought.

"Good night."

He closed his eyes as well and slept for two hours. Longer than he ever had anytime before one. But still, his eyes opened, and he spent a great deal of time listening to Laurent's breathing before he slipped away to sit at his desk with a small candle as light. Unable to keep his busy mind from reeling, he scanned over some maps and notes that had been dropped off for his viewing. His mother left a note saying she'd like to see them tomorrow to discuss the wedding and what she had planned.

Laurent woke feeling cold and lonely, and the feeling confused him at first. He could tell that something was off about the sensation of being cold and lonely, but it was simultaneously so familiar. He'd often woken cold and lonely. It was his default state.

Stirring, he blinked his eyes and tilted his head, seeing Gansey by the desk at work with a candle. It was a charming sight, Gansey hard at work, gilded with candlelight.

Dizzy with sleep, Laurent got to his feet and padded over to him, wondering if Gansey had found any more of his little notes. He looped his arms around Gansey's shoulders and kissed his temple, staring sleepily at the pages on the table. "What are you working on?"

When Laurent looped his arms around his shoulders, Gansey started a bit, blinking owlishly. "Oh! I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"

Leaning back to show his lover the array of papers on his desk, "Keeping tabs on what's going on in the capitol. Some feuds are going on, I'll have to head down to the outer farms and help negotiate some contacts between them and the smiths. And then there's the feuds between the farmers themselves—a stray cow, some acres of land, an issue with a marriage. I'll have to go settle those. A few foreign traders want to set up a permanent line so I'll have to meet with them too and work out some terms, as well as look at what they're looking to bring in and what they want in return."

Tapping his finger on another note, "My mother wants to see us tomorrow, too. I guess she's figured out the details of the wedding and wants to fill us in."

"All right," Laurent said, smiling and brushing his lips against the side of Gansey's neck. "We'll do all that tomorrow. I look forward to seeing Prince Richard governing and managing."

He nipped softly at the skin of Gansey's neck. As jealous as he was of Gansey's time and attention, Laurent understood that this was his duty as consort. This was his role here. Caring for Gansey, so that Gansey could care for the kingdom. "Anything I can help you with now, or can it all wait until tomorrow?"

Raising a hand, he gently caressed the side of Laurent's head, tracing his fingers along the delicate shape.

"I wouldn't want to keep you up," he chuckled, relaxing against Laurent. "We've got a busy day tomorrow, now. I'll need your help with a lot of this. Plus, it'll be good for the people to see you weighing in. They'll love you even more."

Tilting his head back, he studied Laurent's face. "Though... can I beg a kiss off of you?"

"Always," Laurent murmured, kissing him warmly. He lingered in it, pouring all his affection and love into the kiss.

When he drew away, too early, he gave Gansey a smile of sweet temptation. "Come to bed," he coaxed, letting go. He hooked his smallest finger around Gansey's thumb, tugging very lightly and trusting that Gansey would follow him dotingly enough that such a light pull would be more than enough.

It was far too short a kiss for Gansey. He wanted to linger in that love and affection for longer, but it was gone all too soon, replaced with light coaxing and a gentle tug. Laurent was right, of course—Gansey stood, quickly blowing out the candle so he could follow his lover back to bed, a hopeless puppy eager to follow.

Returning to bed, he hovered close to Laurent, still wanting more that that kiss had left him aching for.

"Kiss you is dangerous," he murmured, "because I always want more."

"Good," Laurent murmured, eyes low-lidded and full of promises as he led Gansey into the bed. "I never want to stop kissing you."

He didn't offer another kiss yet, drawing Gansey into his arms so that he could spoon up against Gansey's back. Tired, he closed his eyes and nuzzled his face against Gansey's neck. The arm around Gansey's waist slid lower, wrapping around his cock and starting to idly stroke, hoping that another orgasm would lure Gansey into a few more hours of sleep.

Gansey found having Laurent pressed up against his back to be incredibly soothing. He could feel his lover's heartbeat, warm breath on his neck, and the delightful feeling of nuzzling made him sigh. It wasn't quite enough to make him want to sleep, but he was all right with staring at the wall for the last few hours they'd get before the sun broke and they had to rise.

When he felt Laurent's hand snake lower and fingers around his cock, however, he made a soft noise. A low groan, a catch of breath in his throat as Laurent began to stroke him. Closing his eyes, Gansey allowed himself to get drawn into the rhythm of Laurent's hand.

It relaxed him. Within a few minutes, he went from tense and awake to loose and comfortable. It was different from their passionate, desperate sex. Comforting. "Laurent," he sighed, lethargic and warmed.

"Love you," Laurent murmured, paying attention to Gansey's reactions so that he could get his lover off as quickly as possible. There wasn't any need for play or teasing now, he just wanted to offer Gansey enough comfort so that he could sleep.

Biting down on the back of Gansey's neck, Laurent groaned softly, heart aching with affection as he continued to stroke his partner.

"Love you.. too," he sighed, biting gently on his lower lip. It was easy to reach his climax with Laurent leading him there. The bite certainly helped, making his belly flipflop, a jolt of pleasure surprising his senses.

Exhaling and tensing only when his orgasm came, he spilled over Laurent's fingers. Not a lot, having already come once before, and it was a light orgasm, but still relaxed him thoroughly. He melted into the pillows and against Laurent's body, making another soft, gasping noise as he was washed in the sweet, numb sensation of afterglow.

"God, I love you," he breathed, voice drowsy.

Laurent licked his fingers clean as best he could, not worrying about a few stray drops. Nestling against Gansey's back, satisfied that they could both get back to sleep now, Laurent made a sleepy murmur in reply, closing his head and subsiding easily back into sleep, since he'd never fully awoken.

He awoke feeling ambitious, knowing that they had a full day ahead of them. Nipping at Gansey's ear, Laurent sat up and squinted at the sunlight. "Can we meet with your mother over breakfast? I really want some coffee."

Gansey murmured, already lingering near the surface of wakefulness when Laurent nipped at his ear, stretching out on the bed when Laurent sat up.

Yawning, he cracked his eyes open, admiring how lovely his fiance was in the new light of day. "We can," he answered as he pushed himself up onto his elbows, eyes still weary with sleep. "She'd probably like that." Coffee.... more of a tea drinker himself, a hot drink did sound quite nice.

"Mmmm! All right, all right. Time for another day."

He pushed himself up so that he could dress, "Ah. One of the notes last night said that your clothes would be delivered to your room. I sent a reply requesting something to be dropped off here so you had it in the morning..." Walking over to the door, he found a basket with some neatly folded clothes.

"Here you are."

"Thank you," Laurent said, kissing Gansey's cheek and getting dressed. He stretched, often stealing glances over at Gansey as they both got dressed. "Shall we go be princes?" Laurent asked, with a wry smirk. He would of course prefer to spend the day lounging or adventuring with Gansey again, but the kingdom's needs came first.

Stealing a kiss to tide him over, Laurent wound their fingers together. "I love you," he said, eyes starry with affection. "Let's go find out what your mother has decided for our fate."

"We had to at some point," he grinned as he smoothed down the clothes he'd dragged onto his body, making himself look proper. "It was only a matter of time before reality caught up to us." Really, he preferred the constant sex and frolicking in the woods.

When Laurent wound their fingers together Gansey gave him an affectionate squeeze. "I hope you'll still love me after you hear what my mother has in store," he chuckled, stealing just one more kiss for the road.

Leading the way to the private dining area, the Queen was already sitting at the table when they walked in, looking her usual ruddy and lovely self. "My darlings!" she said, delighted to have the company at breakfast. "I see you got my note. There's much to tell you about."

Gansey grinned and flagged down one of the maids, asking her to bring a cup of tea for him and some coffee for Laurent. "Good morning, mother," he greeted after, pulling out Laurent's chair for him and then taking the seat beside.

"I expect we'll be blown away by all your plans."

"Good morning, your highness," Laurent said, all warmth and friendliness to the Queen. "I hope you'll forgive our absence from court these past days. Richard has been touring me around your beautiful castle and kingdom."

Polite and unguarded, Laurent clasped Gansey's hand, being charming and playful, though his playfulness was entirely innocent while they were in the Queen's company.

"Is there a date for the wedding?" Laurent asked, knowing that both kingdoms would be impatient to have the matter secured. No matter what the personal feelings of the princes in question, the treaty was a fragile thing until the wedding was finalized, and there were plenty of persons who would benefit from the alliance being dissolved.

To say nothing of Laurent's own impatience on the matter. The sooner he belonged to Gansey, the better.

The Queen waved her hand back and forth, "Oh, it's nothing to worry about. You're getting to know one another, as you should. We all understand."

Gansey smiled, stuffing a piece of muffin in his mouth with his free hand as he reclined in his chair. The maid brought them their hot drinks.

She continued, "As it happens, I've called you here to detail how the next two years will go. It's a very important time. Starting, of course, with the wedding. The date is two weeks from now. We're all very eager to have the alliance set, and the sooner the better. Everything is fast underway. It'll be in the grand church, which is in the center of the capitol. I don't suppose Richard showed you it? Probably not, he's never been heavily invested in our faith."

Buttering a slice of toast, she took a bite and Gansey shot Laurent a look, eyebrow raised and shoulders shrugged. There were better things to do than go stare at a church.

"We'll have the rehearsal here, of course. The ceremony will lead to a parade through the capitol with a meet and greet with all our people, leading to the banquet hall here where we'll hold the reception with the lords and ladies. The invitations have already been sent. Of course, my dear, your family will have a seat of honor, with us. Then you're arranged for your two week honeymoon at Castle Cove—it's a lovely place along the sea—followed by a visit to each of our major towns and cities to introduce yourself to the people as the official consort.

Once that's done you'll both return here and Richard will begin formal lessons for inheriting the crown from his father, and we'll discuss adoption."

At adoption, Gansey choked on his muffin piece. The Queen looked at him, "Dear, don't interrupt. Of course you're going to adopt. I want grandchildren sooner rather than later, and how do you expect to care for a baby when you're king? You won't. So you'll have to do it before you inherit, obviously. I won't have my grandchildren raised by the servants. That's not our way." Turning to Laurent, she shot him a dazzling smile, "You understand, don't you, my dear?"

Laurent arched one perfect golden brow at the Queen's calm statement that she was going to detail their next two years. He had the utmost respect for the Queen, well-earned, and was happy to defer to her in arranging their social schedule, but Laurent wasn't about to have his entire life dictated by his mother-in-law.

All the fuss of the rehearsal and banquet sounded exhausting, but also necessary. The honeymoon was at the castle Gansey had mentioned, which would have been Laurent's choice, and he likewise was pleased by the tour of the country.

He hadn't yet begun to eat, not after that I've called you here to detail how the next two years will go, so he had nothing to choke on. As she spoke, Laurent calmly added a lump of sugar to his coffee, and some cream.

"I'm certain that Richard and I would be delighted to begin discussing our plans for adoption at that time," Laurent said, happy to promise that much. Discuss. Not enact. And there absolutely would not be any babies. He stirred his coffee with a delicate spoon, returning her smile cordially. "Richard and I would want to be sure we could dedicate adequate attention to the matter, and we would of course want to handle those arrangements ourselves."

He turned his cordial smile toward Gansey, as though just making idle breakfast conversation. "Is Helen working on those grandchildren?"

Edited 2016-10-28 04:41 (UTC)

Between talk of babies and being referred to as Richard so frequently, Gansey was beginning to feel rather exhausted. But he could play the game just as well as anyone else, even if he'd rather go muck out the stables or scrub all the toilets in the castle. The smile he returned to Laurent was just as cordial as he took a sip of his tea to wash down some of that muffin that had gotten stuck in his windpipe, "I don't know. I expect that she should, given that she's been married for some time now. A year, as a matter of fact."

The Queen smiled in return, taking a sip of her own coffee. "Oh, never you two mind Helen. She's not the heir to the throne. We must assure that our line will continue. Plus, the people will want to see the royal family continue to blossom. It's also a matter of morale."

"Her children could be in line," Gansey smiled, "considering that they're still related to us. Laurent, what would you like for breakfast today? I recommend the eggs and ham."

Laurent relaxed at Gansey's charming sass, glad that Gansey was on his side and that they had the capacity to challenge the Queen's will. He gave Gansey's hand a squeeze. "Eggs and ham would be lovely, thank you."

Letting go of Gansey's hand, Laurent sipped at his coffee, willing to negotiate how much they obeyed and how much they balked. "I know almost nothing about the orphanage systems of the Raven Kingdom. Once we return from our honeymoon, I'd like to get involved with that. It breaks my heart that there are children in the world without loving homes."

He didn't yet mention his idea of starting a school in the castle for orphans and training them to diplomacy and politics, so that they could choose an heir from the orphans and provide the rest with whatever careers they chose. But he wanted it established that he was actively interested in adoption, and to curtail any idea of them "adopting" a baby with political connections, which would otherwise still have access to a perfectly privileged life, which happened frequently in Vere. Same sex couples would "adopt" a cousin's youngest child, securely keeping the wealth in the family. Laurent found it disgraceful.

"But all of that can wait until after the wedding. We'll be busy enough until then. Have you decided on a color scheme for the wedding?"

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