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laurence

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A rare rainy morning and Granby finds himself unwilling to do much. He's at the counter making tea, sketchbook and pencils discarded on the seat. He glances up at Laurence, eyebrow arched.

"We could always just go back to bed?"
He knows that bed in the afternoon is still a trial for Laurence, but he's definitely been making progress.

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The touch was briefly but helpful. Granby smiled, taking a sip of his tea, knee still lolling against Laurence's.

"You must have heard her - when she stays," he said. "She cries out so often."

Laurence nodded, silent as he drank. He did not like to think of any lady in such distress, particularly Julie, but it was unavoidable. Unfortunately, he did not know what to do about the situation.

"I'm glad she's taken to staying some nights in the other room," he says, his tea resting against his chest. "You don't mind, do you? I like being able to keep an eye on her. When she lets me."

"Of course I do not mind," Laurence said, looking over at Granby quite seriously. He understood what the other man was saying quite well. "I hope you did not think that I do, John."

"Not truly, no," said Granby, shaking his head. "I just...would not hurt either of you for the world, Will. This is not exactly familiar territory."

"What?" Laurence was certain he could not be talking of lodging with a woman, and was fairly certain he was not speaking of dealing with the pieces that must be picked up after the rescue of a comrade, which left him with little idea as to exactly what he was talking about.

Granby didn't even really know what he was talking about, only that his heart ached to make things better.

"Ignore me," he said, shaking his head. "I think the rain's made me melancholy. Julie'll be fine." He sighed. "She says she feels safest around the two of us."

"That is rather comforting to know," Laurence said, though his heart did not sound entirely behind the statement. He gazed at the window, listening to the rain. "You are right, John. This is melancholic weather."

"You don't sound entirely convinced, Will," said Granby, turning his head to glance at him. "Anything I can do?"

"No." Laurence shook his head, still looking out the window. He did not seem however, to be seeing much as he did. "As I stated, it must be the weather."

Granby sighed and set down his tea cup, shifting into a more upright position, studying Laurence's profile for a moment. He reached out, fingers skimming against Laurence's wrist.

"Perhaps a distraction is in order. From the bloody weather, if nothing else."

The touch called Laurence out of his melancholy somewhat, enough to make him turn his attention to Granby once more. He gazed at him with some curiosity. "What manner of distraction, John?"

"I imagine you can guess," says Granby, fingers curling lightly around Laurence's wrist for a moment before he shifts closer. "If there's nothing else to be done on such a dismal afternoon."

Laurence took a calm sip of his tea. He looked at Granby, and he looked at his hand, and he smiled slightly, but fondly. "I fear there may be nothing else for it, John."

"It's a sacrifice we're going to have to make, Will," he says, shifting closer still, reaching out to gently lift the teacup out of Laurence's hand, setting it down on the bedside locker.

"If you're at a loss too, I mean."

Laurence remained smiling, letting Granby take and resettle his teacup without argument. He reached out, one hand trailing along Granby's cheekbone for the briefest moment. "Not so very great a sacrifice, I hope."

Granby turned his head, pressing a kiss against the heel of Laurence's hand before it drops away.

"Never," he says, shaking his head. "Not when it's you."

"Thank you." Laurence's hand left his face only to move to his hair instead, pressing him gently down for a kiss. "Thank you, John."

He lets Laurence press him where he will, lying back against the pillow but pressing up to kiss back.

"No need for thanks," he murmurs. "It's as natural as breathing."

Laurence shook his head. He often still could not believe that they had reached the point that they had and every now and again his sentiments on the matter had to be shared. "I will still say it nonetheless. Thank you."

A bright, genuine smile spread across Granby's face. He nods, his thumb tracing the line of Laurence's chin.

"I accept then," he says. "And you have my thanks too."

"And it is much appreciated, John." He leaned forward to kiss him once more. His heart, as he did so, seemed to swell somewhat with happiness. He was simply so very, very happy.

He honestly does feel like he could lie here like this forever, doing nothing but this. His fingers combed idly through Laurence's hair.

"Did you ever imagine," he asks, kissing along Laurence's jaw, "that we'd ever end up like this?"

"Never." Laurence smiled, tilting his head towards Granby's kisses. It was, he would have to admit, an entirely pleasurable use of his time so far. "I can definitely say that with certainty."

"And yet, here we are," he says, shifting his weight slightly, pulling Laurence down more squarely on top of him as his lips graze against the other's skin. "And I could find myself quite happy wherever I was, as long as you were there."

It sounds like the story of his life when he phrases it like that.

It did somewhat and Laurence's smile grew as Granby said it. He moved his body against the other man's body. "I am glad to know it, John. I truly am."

The press of LAurence's body against his is enough to make Granby moan, softly, and he pushes back.

"I never thought to love anybody so much, let alone you."

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