1. Walter Thornley

    Private Trouble at the gate [M]

    'You've done enough.' Enough? Walter frowned slightly, but acquiesced. No apology from the lips that pressed tighter together, but attention returned to Laric for certain, trying to glimpse into him now. His hands rested at the other's shoulders, still no attempt to dust himself off when Laric...
  2. Walter Thornley

    Private Trouble at the gate [M]

    He swallowed, throat feeling raw from the self-inflicted intensity, kissed away the glistening saliva. He was panting, too, feeling a little light headed. His own hand found the edge of the table, to steady himself. He kissed the bend of the thigh, and struggled to get on his feet again, knees...
  3. Walter Thornley

    Private Trouble at the gate [M]

    A slight tilt of the head followed in response to the fingers tangling in his hair, an unsopoken yes, like this. Gentleness seemed a very carefully maintained facade, and Walter had already caught it slipping for a moment. Show me, he thought, feeling his own clothes growing tighter. Oh, the...
  4. Walter Thornley

    Private Trouble at the gate [M]

    He could almost sense the bit of pause given, but very few things mattered. Even the thought that he would have to stop, to maintain the tease, seemed rather heretical. Nostrils flaring in a voiceless chuckle, Walter didn't speak any more. For now. He turned. Fingers rose to Laric's face...
  5. Walter Thornley

    Private Trouble at the gate [M]

    Was the mask slipping, or was Laric finally letting some caution rest? Walter hummed low, as if in thought, mocking the question that brushed against his ear exquisitely. He could feel the restraint, them fit together, Laric clearly enjoying the maneuver for it allowing him to hide his face...
  6. Walter Thornley

    Private Trouble at the gate [M]

    "We could be," the baron smiled, "and I do. We have to make it from here... all the way to that place." His voice dropped to a whisper, and the numbness in his fingers was retreating, fading little by little. Excellent. Fingers curled, atop the beltline. "Tell me the truth, Laric," both of his...
  7. Walter Thornley

    Private Trouble at the gate [M]

    Walter opened the windowpane, and released the latches. A gale tore into the room, howling, and he closed his eyes for just a long moment, holding the shutter so it would not swing outward fully. A bit more light, at the cost of a draft and sparkling drizzle landing in the baron's hair and on...
  8. Walter Thornley

    Private Trouble at the gate [M]

    'I'm sorry.' "Oh, sweet," Walter's smile, though rueful, was warm. He shook his head, still not looking Laric in the eye. "Nothing to be done. And I have to accept this as I am, this - has its benefits, too. I have saved more lives since. My regrets should be few." A shorter exhale, a nod. "I...
  9. Walter Thornley

    Private Trouble at the gate [M]

    He welcomed the touch, tilting his face into it. Lips parted. Caught the tip of the thumb, eyes closing for a moment. He caught the attentive gaze, of course he did. He would have been worried, too, beyond simply switching the topic. So he kept the contact, in no hurry to move too far away. "I...
  10. Walter Thornley

    Private Trouble at the gate [M]

    He sat, slowly, still not too steady, keeping close to Laric. Shuddered at the thought, the sound of the other's words. "I hope that won't come to pass... because I won't be death, darling." The husky voice was slowly regaining its proper ring, outlining the receding tide of agony. "I will be...
  11. Walter Thornley

    Private Trouble at the gate [M]

    "Just hold." There was no new pain, just an old, old pain of him having been an idiot. No. He continued to be an idiot, continued to push himself, because he could do things other men could not. They barely fit, but the way Laric did it served well, his warmth against the back. "Everything is...
  12. Walter Thornley

    Private Trouble at the gate [M]

    The man would whimper, darkness flooding the vision so he almost connected his head with the bench harder than intended. Every nerve felt flooded, firing off when it should not. He heard the question, shook his head sharply. Oddly quiet, only a few groans parting his lips , eyes closing tightly...
  13. Walter Thornley

    Private Trouble at the gate [M]

    There was no tension, hand resting on Laric's shoulder idly to keep him yet a moment longer as it lasted. Lukewarm fingers traced Laric's cheekbone and curled, brushed softly down. Patience. Walter smiled, just the edges of his fangs showing. "The way you move against me, makes me think." A...
  14. Walter Thornley

    Private Trouble at the gate [M]

    The question on Richard had caught him while walking, and it was easier to glance away, into one of the rooms where a ship at sea was closing sails as a storm front crawled closer. The sun hit orange against the teal waves that turned steely and menacing where the sky had covered them from...
  15. Walter Thornley

    Private Trouble at the gate [M]

    "I did," he echoed, and offered no further detail, though the dark eyes turned distant for a moment. The beat passed, and he picked up the mask of the host again, taking thanks with a polite incline of the head in return. "It is a trifle, though Anthea has schooled the new cooks a few years...
  16. Walter Thornley

    Private Trouble at the gate [M]

    "Perhaps not for the homely folk, but I am a rebellious son and I have a taste for feats of athletics," Walter echoed. "So long as I don't... overexert, it is not only proper but the only thing that should alleviate the gloom that these prolonged storms bring. I hope it clears tomorrow." To the...
  17. Walter Thornley

    Private Trouble at the gate [M]

    "That, and, story goes, an annual celebration of the day that a mysterious man had saved Bremen." His gaze flicked to the hint of the tongue, then turned to the tapestry as Walter downed the brew and landed the tall clay cup on the aspen seat to be carried away, gesturing for Leon to pour him...
  18. Walter Thornley

    Private Trouble at the gate [M]

    His breath caught audibly with both wrists immobilized. A token struggle, tensing against the confines. But he was laughing until he was whimpering softly, to the soft noises of kisses. The pressure of tips of teeth, promised bite, summoned an open-mouthed sigh, Walter's chin tilting up. It was...
  19. Walter Thornley

    Private Trouble at the gate [M]

    "It doesn't. But it's one of those topics that I would address sometime later..." Came the murmur in response. The baron's mouth found a sweet spot above the line of collar, sighing with emphasized dejection when Laric would finally break that contact, and pull the box out of his hand. Was it...
  20. Walter Thornley

    Private Trouble at the gate [M]

    "How clever," the baron marveled. "But would it remaining rooted where it is not be a reason to visit it?" The thought of a cherry tree that didn't bloom nor fruit in season seemed to intrigue him. Many Shroud-woven mysteries that altered the nature of things did, and something so peaceful and...
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