shiver

But then the royal mentioned more plans, something in the evening. “Ooh, mysterious plans in the evening, hm? I hope birthday sex is in those plans somewhere,” Jay teased, fingertips lazily dancing over Nathaniel’s chest. Perhaps he liked these moments best, when they were still, before the day began or just after it ended, and they were alone and soft together. “Do I at least get any hints? Just a small hint?” He pressed a brief kiss to Nathaniel’s cheek before suddenly rolling back over to his side of the bed and getting up, the cold air hitting his naked body.

Feigning shock, Nathaniel gave a squeeze to the very hips where his hands rested, eyes drawing down to where Jay’s fingertips played across his skin. “D’you really think I’d let your birthday slip by without me getting to fuck you, hm? I mean, there’s gotta be at least one thing in it for me,” he spoke teasingly, whining as his boyfriend suddenly rolled off and stood up, reaching out to make grabby hands for him before the duke was distracted by the sight of his perfect ass sauntering away. “Nope, no hints,” Nathaniel shook his head, swinging his legs off of the side of the bed before moving to stand up himself. “S’all a complete surprise, because what fun is a birthday without any surprises, mm? You wanna eat something here before we go, or should we grab a bite of brunch in the city?” the duke questioned over his shoulder as he strode toward the grand closet.

Jay knew that if anyone had told him a year ago that he’d be like this, joking and teasing and laughing and flirting with Nathaniel, with no ulterior motives or sarcasm behind it, he wouldn’t have believed it one bit. And yet here he was, in the duke’s bed, giggling away and content and back home in England. Unbelievable. “I don’t know if you’ve got plans or something for the day, but I was thinking…maybe, if you wanted to, we could go into London, or something? Or just somewhere new to go and have a walk?” he asked, the shyness he still felt from time to time setting in once more. Asking for things still wasn’t something he had become more comfortable with—he’d adjusted to the staff and the elegance and even the etiquette he was expected to observe in certain company, but he couldn’t help but feel like a burden when he asked for anything.

Nathaniel’s eyebrows rose in interest at the mention of whether or not he had plans; of course, Jay had absolutely no idea of what he had in store -- not like he’d been planning it for weeks or anything. He had a tendency to spoil those that he loved, always lavishing them with gifts; but with Jay, it was different. He actually wanted to do things for Jay just to see the boy happy, for that sole purpose. And that made it so much different than anything else. “We can do anything you want during the day, I’ll have them get the plane for London,” Nathaniel nodded casually as if it were no big deal, anything for Jay. “But tonight, we have to return here. By six at the latest. For.. reasons,” the duke couldn’t keep the grin from returning, head cocking to the side as he tucked a strand of hair behind Jay’s ear. “Reasons for which you won’t know until tonight, birthday boy.”

He sat upright, feeling the corners of his mouth tug upward. “Nathaniel,” he whispered, laying on the duke’s chest and tugging at a loose curl. “Nathaniel, wake up. It’s my birthday and since you made my last one shit, I expect you to make it up to me today or you’re not getting any sex for a week.”

It was on the particular morning that Nathaniel was slowly roused from his sleep, however, than an even bigger smile than usual of late spread across his features. But god, how could he help it, with Jay being around? “Mmmm?” came the playful murmur, playing dumb for just the beginning, although he was well aware that the grin across his features probably gave him away. “What day is it again? Someone’s birthday?” eyes finally opened as the Duke smiled coyly, gaze roaming over Jay’s pretty features as he pulled the male even more onto his chest, arms securing around the boy. Of course, he’d already planned things for the special day -- none of which he’d told Jay anything about, deliberately. It was hard to keep the happiness from his tone as the duke held his boyfriend, eyebrows raising. “Would it happen to be this pretty one’s birthday, mm?” Nathaniel let his fingertips card through Jay’s fringe, still grinning playfully. “No sex for a whole week would be awfully tragic.”

“A bath, mm, just the two of us,” Nathaniel murmured lowly, letting the smaller male cling to his side, his arm looping itself casually around Jay’s curvy little waist as they made their way up the grand staircase. Nothing in the world sounded better than sliding into warm water with Jay, in all honesty; the royal continued to lead them both up to the second floor, the large chandelier that hung over the grand staircase sparkling in the lights. It really was a beautiful, magnificent home -- and it hadn’t even truly crossed Nathaniel’s mind to think that Jay had never been in a place like this before. He wanted the boy to feel comfortable, as comfortable as possible.. ever since they had first met, the duke had felt the initial instinct to take care of Jay. To protect him, to make sure he was safe.. and now, above all things, to make sure he was happy and.. loved. It was crazy, really, how this had all happened -- a year ago, Nathaniel wouldn’t have expected anything like this in the slightest. And now here he was, head over heels for someone who knew nothing of his world. Reaching the second floor, Nathaniel gave Jay’s hand a reassuring squeeze as he led him down the warmly lit hallway to the double doors at the far end, the grand master bedroom where he slept. “This is our room,” the royal grinned then, turning the handle on one of the doors and letting go of his hold on the boy only to allow him to step in first.

“Don’t be sorry,” Nathaniel spoke instantly in return, his tone soft as he shook his head a bit, hands coming up to rest gently on Jay’s sides. “’course we can.. I just want you to feel like you have your own space, too, yeah? But I -- definitely want you sleeping with me,” the royal took a bit of a step closer, already thinking that he wouldn’t like sleeping a single night without Jay in his arms. He’d come so used to falling asleep with the warmth of the smaller male pressed up against his chest, with Jay’s face nestling into the crook of his neck.. it was something that Nathaniel wasn’t sure if he would even be able to sleep without lately. “Our room, mm.. I like the sound of that,” the duke squeezed Jay’s smaller hand in his own, beginning to lead them both toward the grand staircase across the foyer. “I’ve got a great bath tub, if you feel like taking a bath or anything like that? Since we’ve had such a long trip,” Nathaniel’s thumb brushed over his love’s knuckles as he started up.

The words that Jay spoke aloud had that familiar funny feeling dipping through Nathaniel’s chest, the feeling that honestly no one had ever caused him to feel before -- and jesus, how was it possible that just a few words from the smaller male could be the cause of them? It was only when Jay tensed slightly that Nathaniel sensed a shift in the tone, eyebrows raising just slightly as he paused in his own step, gaze moving back over toward the male beside him. “That’s not how I meant it,” Nathaniel spoke carefully, hand coming up to gently catch Jay’s elbow. “It’s -- I thought that, maybe..” he trailed off for a moment, attempting to gather his thoughts and make sense of this new situation that they’d both been so suddenly thrust into. “You’ve been ordered to stay in one place for so long, and I thought it would be nice for you to be able to have your own space here,” Nathaniel murmured finally, brushing his fingertips gently against Jay’s elbow. “But I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t want you with me, in my room. Or.. our room?”

“Now’s good.. didn’t really wanna leave your side, anyway,” Nathaniel answered honestly, almost taken aback by how true his own words were before shaking his head some. He let both of his thumbs brush once more over Jay’s defined cheekbones, a chuckle escaping his own lips at the other male’s words. “I’ll definitely let them know that you’re not some street urchin -- they’re all gonna treat you like you’re fucking royalty, promise,” the duke couldn’t resist leaning back in once more to press yet another kiss to Jay’s lips, his own eyes closing briefly at the touch before Nathaniel was pulling back yet again. “You d fit in, okay? But.. I like having you by my side, so if you wanna stick with me m’not gonna complain about that one,” the male glanced upward as a few of the maids walked by, nodding toward them before taking another step closer to Jay. “’ve gotta say though, after that long car ride I’ve got half a mind to just scoop you up and take you right to my room,” his tone was a low murmur into Jay’s ear. “Want me to show you my room first, hm?”

It was almost as if Nathaniel could sense Jay’s tone -- did he not want to stay in the guest rooms? Did he want to keep sleeping in the royal’s bed, just as the royal wanted him to? Nathaniel didn’t quite want to question it yet, instead nodding some as they both made their way inside. He ran a hand through his hair, glancing over his shoulder to see the various attendants who worked at the mansion getting his bags and such. “’course I will -- D’you want me to show you around everywhere now, are d’you just wanna rest first?” the duke questioned, head tilting slightly to the side. A bit of a sheepish chuckle escaped him at Jay’s words, shaking his head some as he shifted on his feet. “You can go anywhere you want here, with or without me.. Or explore on your own, too. Whatever you wanna do,” Nathaniel suddenly stepped forward, meeting Jay’s eyes and bringing his hands up to the boy’s cheeks. He dipped in close enough to let their noses brush against one another’s, breathing out slowly. “Everything’s gonna be okay, yeah?” he spoke in a murmur against Jay’s lips, giving him a reassuring look before pressing a chaste kiss there. He could sense that Jay was.. nervous, worried even. And Nathaniel was too, if he were being honest with himself. “I promise.”

It was easy for the rest of the car trip, it seemed; the way that Jay fit so naturally against his chest didn’t go unnoticed by Nathaniel, his arm wrapping around the male and fingertips carding through the smaller boy’s soft fringe as he dozed off into his own sleep. He couldn’t nap for long, however, and found himself spending a majority of the ride with his gaze cast out of the window, taking breaks every now and then to watch Jay sleeping peacefully against him. It was.. crazy, really, how much he cared about this boy -- how much he’d grown to love him, in a way that he’d never expected to in a million years. He’d found something at the island that he had never dreamed that he would, and now he was taking that very thing back home with him to an uncertain future. It was only when the car was finally pulling up to the mansion that Jay began to rouse; as the car pulled up and the door was promptly held open for the two of them, Nathaniel stepped out, stretching languidly and extending a hand to Jay in order to help him out. His arm looped easily around the boy’s waist, nodding to a few of the guards as they grabbed for their bags and the duke began to lead Jay toward the front entrance. “S’not a dream, promise you,” he teased lightly, a chuckle escaping him. “I told them in advance to set up the guest rooms for you, so -- you’ll have a place all to yourself,” Nathaniel spoke as the doors were held open for them. He couldn’t help but secretly hope that Jay wanted to sleep with him in his room, but.. Nathaniel also wasn’t sure if the boy were sick of it, if he wanted his own space for a bit to just.. unwind from everything that had happened lately. 

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