#flinthomas

Thomas’ heart beat wildly in his chest. He pressed his hand lightly against it, wanting to slow its frantic pounding, but in vain. The last time he was this nervous, was... well, he could not really recall the last time. Thomas believed himself to be a fairly level-headed man, and yet, there he was, frozen in place by his own panic. And what a trifle it was to be worried about! This would be hardly the first time he had called upon the Lieutenant McGraw, but it certainly felt so. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that he had never visited James in his quarters before. Thomas thought it was quite ungentlemanly of himself to not have announced his arrival beforehand, but the matter was rather pressing.

For the past several weeks, James had been refusing any invitations from Thomas that were not related to their work. He was perfectly civil about it, of course, but Thomas could sense that there was something amiss. Only recently had Miranda convinced him that it might be related to to them becoming lovers.

“He's probably thinking you are angry with him,” she had said then, “and I think he's punishing himself for it. I suppose you should talk to him. And do make sure that he comes to dinner tonight.”

Thomas could hardly believe his ears. Him? Angry with James? Especially over something like his relationship with Miranda? Impossible. Early in their marriage, he and Miranda had reached an agreement that both of them could seek relationships with other people, and Thomas had never once been jealous or resentful of any of her paramours. However, James couldn't have possibly known that – were Miranda and Thomas’s marriage more conventional, he would likely harbor some animosity towards James, which is surely what James must be thinking is the case. Thomas considered Miranda's suggestion. I must simply explain this misunderstanding to him, face to face, he ultimately decided.

Which is how Thomas found himself standing in front of the door that led to James' room. It was in an attic of one of those tall but thin London townhouses, where it always seemed to be cold, regardless of the weather. The corridor was dark, despite it only being midday.

Thomas shuffled his feet with unease, before finally raising his hand to knock. If he doesn't open after a minute, I shall just leave him a note, he thought to himself, before rapping against the door twice.

Hearing only silence in response, A bout of disappointment coursed through Thomas, before he chastised himself for being an inconsiderate moron. Naturally, the Lieutenant must have had some prior appointment and was not home. Thomas was just about to turn back, when the door was yanked open rapidly, revealing James McGraw himself.

Thomas froze in place almost immediately. He opened his mouth to greet the Lieutenant, before realizing he was seeing a lot more of James than he was used to.

'Revealing', it appeared, was the key word here, as James stood before him, stripped of his neatly pressed uniform, bare-chested and sporting only a pair of well-fitting white breeches. His broad chest was covered only by a smattering of ginger hair and a myriad of freckles. Thomas could feel a sudden rush of warmth in his cheeks and prayed to God that the dim lighting was enough to hide it.

“Good day, Lieutenant,” Thomas managed to choke out, impressed with how steady his voice was, “I hope I'm not interrupting anything?”

“I- No, of course, not, My Lord, I-” James stammered for a moment, before removing himself from the doorway, “Please, do come in.”

Thomas had never seen James so flustered before, and truly, it was one of the most endearing sights he had seen recently. A faint tinge of blush was also visible on James' face, which only magnified the surge of affection coursing through him.

It appeared that only then James realized his state of undress, and hastily grabbed a shirt that was hanging over a chair, before pulling it over his head, much to Thomas' disappointment.

“I apologize for my appearance, My Lord,” James said, muffled slightly by the shirt, “I wasn't expecting company today.”

“No apology necessary, Lieutenant.” Thomas dismissed, “If anything, I should be the one apologizing, coming here unannounced.”

“Well, I assume it must be urgent then,” James' response had been intended to be witty, but it's delivery was rather solemn, and he was avoiding Thomas' eyes.

“It is nowhere near as urgent as you make it to be. Miranda and I – we would be very much delighted if you decided to join us for dinner tonight. Just us three,” Thomas glanced at James' face and braced himself for the inevitable refusal.

“My Lord, I... I apologize but I simply- I cannot accept this invitation,” There it was, “It is hardly proper-”

“James.”

The Lieutenant stopped his excuse abruptly. While Thomas had used James' Christian name before, those times were so few and in-between that every time it happened, James seemed to forget his train of thought.

“If you're punishing yourself for your relationship with Miranda, you must know that I don't resent you for pursuing her. I assure you,” Thomas added with a smile in his voice, “I've known of her intentions towards you even before you two became lovers. And I completely encourage you to continue your affair.”

James was silent for several moments more before finally reacting.

“Oh.”

And just that one disbelieving utterance was enough to further endear the Lieutenant to him. He glanced at James, and their eyes met. They both smiled at each other shyly, before Thomas cast his eyes downward, in attempt to conceal his blush.

After another few moments Thomas spent composing himself, he lifted his head to look at James once more. This time, he could definitely make out the blush on James' cheeks. Thomas then repeated his earlier question, “James, will you be joining Miranda and myself for dinner tonight?”

“It would be my pleasure,” James replied gallantly, before adding, a little quieter, “Thomas.”

And really, it was all Thomas could do not to wrap the darling man in an embrace. He even came closer to James, before catching himself the very last second, and ultimately settling for a warm grip of his forearm.

“It’s settled then,” Thomas answered, his eyes shining, “I shall see you this evening, then?”

James nodded, and with that, Thomas took his leave, sending one final smile at his liaison, before closing the door behind him.