Fortunate Son (Part 21/?)
Title: Fortunate Son (Part 21/?)
Authors: wrestlemanix and eric_idle_rules
Pairings: Ted DiBiase Jr./Cody Runnels, John Cena/Randy Orton
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Taking place in feudal England, Cody's family comes from a long line of farmers who work the land belonging to the DiBiase family. Despite the enormous class differences, Cody and Ted meet and form an instant connection with one another, both learning things from the other that they otherwise never would have known.
Word Count: 6745
A/N: I admit, I'm no expert on the life and times of feudal England, but I tried. Forgive any errors when it comes to time frames and whatnot...
Disclaimer: Neither of us own the WWE.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20
“Um, well…” he began, then paused again for lack of anything to say. He tried looking across the table at his mother, but she was looking down the table at Maryse. “I just finished school; I did well-”
“No, no, I don’t want to ‘ear about school. I want to ‘ear about the things you like. Tell me about what makes you, well, you,” she said, crossing her hands as she rested her chin atop them.
“Well… I really like riding. I’ve got a horse, Mercury, and I’ll take him out whenever I can,” Ted told her, figuring that was a little something about him.
“Hmm, I could do without riding,” she replied, shaking her head slightly, making her hair flow along with her. “What else do you ‘ave to say about yourself?”
“I, uh, enjoy reading. My room has loads of books that I’ll read all the time,” he said. This probably wasn’t the sort of thing she was looking for, but what could he tell her? ‘Well, I am deeply in love with my personal attendant, Cody. I know he’s a peasant, and I know he’s a male, as well, but we love each other. I enjoy taking his cock in my mouth and in a few days, I’m going to lose my virginity to him. For that matter, we’re going to lose our virginity to one another, and I can’t wait.’ He didn’t think that would go over well.
“Don’t you do anything else besides ride horses and read?”
“Umm… Father is teaching me about running the castle and all the parcels.”
“Oh, is he?” That seemed to get her attention again. Probably because that aspect of his life involved monetary goods, which he quickly learned she loved.
Back out in the stables, John and Cody arrived back to find that things looked quite nice. Much of the bedding had been done, and done properly, at that. It didn’t look like they had bothered the horses, as they were calmly eating some oats at the moment. “Well done, boys. Gotta say it looks better ‘n I thought it would.”
“Look at you, John, you’re such a good teacher to them,” Cody said, going to check that the horses had enough food.
John went down with him, so that they were out of earshot of the other two. “You still doin’ ok?” he asked.
With a sigh, Cody glanced over at him and said, “I just really wish I could talk to Teddy right now.”
It was glaringly obvious that they were not compatible in any way, except maybe stature and familiar income, but Ted knew that expressing these doubts to his father would get him nowhere at all. She didn't seem the least bit interested in him and truth be told he wasn't interested in her-- and not just in the physical sense. It was an uneasy realisation even though he had been preparing himself for it all along.
After being told about Randy's arrangement he had sort of hoped that maybe he'd be able to get along with the woman that he would have to legally tie himself to as man-and-wife but after one meal and not even two conversations with Maryse he knew it was going to be a tenuous match indeed for them both.
Even before the dessert dishes had been taken away Ted could read the identical looks in the eyes of his father and Maryse's father; they seemed to be waiting on tenterhooks, as though expecting Ted to propose before the day was even out. That wasn't going to happen and Ted had never been this desperate to get back to Cody before. God, he wanted his Cody with him so badly.
~~~~
When dinner was over Maryse had politely requested that she be allowed to return to her room to rest... Caroline wasn't taken with the simpering French woman, but then figured that she was perhaps biased given that the woman was interested in her son (financially and shallowly in his undeniable handsomeness) and she had already grown rather fond of Ted's lover Cody. She wished they could acknowledge one another publically.
As the blonde entered her room she took a disinterested look around (mentally frowning and thinking that the master-bedrooms better be bigger than this; she had bigger for her wardrobe!) the decent sized, tidy and clean room before then laying atop the bed. She was tired and already missing her native France. She'd never liked England much.
Not five minutes after she had been settled there was a knock at her door and she sat upright and called, "Come in." When Mike entered the room and closed the door behind him she smirked slightly, "Since when do you knock before entering my room, mon chère?" she giggled wickedly at the pink appearing in Mike's cheeks.
“Have to keep up appearances, ma belle.” He walked towards her bed, a smile on his face. “Can’t just waltz right into such a beautiful young woman’s room, you know. One might think there’s suspicious activity going on.”
“Oh, thank God you’re here,” Ted said as Cody entered his room a short while after dinner. Cody hadn’t been able to meet him right after dinner, as he was still eating himself, since he was working so long out in the stable.
“Well, I was going to ask you how dinner went. I take it it didn’t go over too well, then?” He paused, then went on, “But that’s a good thing, right? I mean, you might not have to… to propose.”
“I don’t know. She’s… she’s so unlike me. All she seems to care about are her many possessions. Her fur coats, her clothing, anything material… The bigger, the more extravagant the better,” he explained, getting off of his bed to head over to Cody. “Not at all like you. You can appreciate all the little things in life.” He wrapped his arms around Cody, letting them drape over his shoulders as he began pressing kisses to his cheek. “I wish I could tell everyone that I want nothing to do with these daughters of all these rich noble families, because I have everything I could ever want right here in my arms.”
Instantly Cody’s eyes welled up, but he fought to blink back the tears. But Ted’s words meant so much to him. He was sure he’d never understand why Ted loved him, but he did, and that was what mattered. “I love you, Teddy.”
“I love you, too.” He inhaled deeply as his face pressed into Cody’s neck. “You bathed without me.”
Cody chuckled. “Trust me, you wouldn’t want to be anywhere near me had I not bathed first. Horse shit isn’t exactly a romantic smell.”
“Doesn’t stop me from wanting to bring you in the stables, hold you against one of the horse stalls and take you right there,” he whispered.
“Oh, God,” Cody said as he exhaled a breath. “Where else? Tell me where else you want to make love to me.” Cody knew about the library, he didn’t know if that would ever come into fruition, but he could certainly hope. Still, he didn’t know if there were other places that Ted would want them to partake in such activities. But he wanted to know.
"Oh, Codes-" Ted nuzzled Cody's neck once more and sighed dreamily, "-where don't I want to make love to you?" he felt Cody's body molding perfectly against his own and knew without a doubt despite never having held Maryse that she'd never feel so right in his arms.
"I told you about the library, right?" Cody moaned softly and nodded, the mental image returning once again now that Ted had repeated the thought. "And now the stables... I want to make love to you during one of our bubble-baths." As surely as Cody's breathing began to quicken just listening to the words Ted was speaking, Ted's own breathing was quickening with the fantasies he was sharing with his lover.
"During out bubble-baths?" Cody repeated, already feeling the phantom sensation of hot water, bubbles and Ted's skin when it was all slippery and wet. Ted nodded his head, "Baby, you have no idea what it feels like to touch you when you're partially hidden by bubbles but completely naked underneath them-- can you imagine it?" he breathed softly into Cody's ear, feeling his mate shivering so sweetly in his arms; it was less embarrassing to confess his inner-most sexual wishes with Cody when the other man was feeling it as much as he was.
"Yes--" Cody whispered, getting into the discussion himself, "-tell me Teddy." Ted brushed a kiss to Cody's flushed cheek, feeling Cody's arms tightening a little around him in turn. "When we make love, bubbles and water will be all over the place; with each thrust water will spill over the edge of the tub, revealing more and more of our naked bodies being exposed with the loss of the water..." In a strange, wicked way it'd be like they were both opening some belated present slowly, if that made sense.
~~~~
"And what if they did?" Maryse asked impishly but Mike didn't let her carry that thought on further since everyone knew that the English were much more reserved than the French when it came to ahem, physical situations. They did not need to be discovered in the midst of things like that.
However, Maryse had been forced to keep her hands to herself all day and seemed to have no intention of doing it any more. As soon as Mike got close enough she pulled him forward, he losing his balance and ending up so that his body was partially suspended over Maryse's. Swallowing, Mike knew that he should stop from going any further, but even as he went to say so Maryse was purring, "Do not attempt to deny me, mon chère. It wastes time."
He had never been able to deny Maryse anything. And she was one of those women, that if she wanted something, she made sure that she got it. Finally leaning down, he pressed his lips to hers, and her arms instantly wrapped around him as their kiss deepened.
Still, even though they were together, they had also yet to make love. They wanted to, had discussed it before, but neither of them could risk a potential pregnancy. If Maryse became pregnant before she was married, even in her native culture, it would be a stain upon their family. She heard that people used sheep intestines to prevent such things, but she was not going to let Mike inside of her with pieces of dead sheep around his cock.
That was the reason she was so intent upon marriage. Once she was married, she and Mike could finally consummate their relationship. Mike told her many times that it wouldn’t be that simple. That whomever she married would want to sleep with her. She swore to him, though, that she would deny her husband everything of that nature. Still, that couldn’t stop Mike from thinking about Maryse with another man. And now that he had seen Ted, the image of them in bed together wasn’t leaving his mind’s eye, even as Maryse’s hand slipped inside his trousers to take hold of his cock.
“I’d love to take you in the dining room,” Ted admitted. “Or the sitting room. God, I’d love for us to be together in every room of this house.”
“Starting with this room,” Cody said with a smile.
“Starting with this room,” Ted echoed. Looking into Cody’s eyes, Ted licked his lips as he said, “Your barn.”
Cody stared back at him wide eyed. “As in… as in the one down there? Where I live?”
“Yes. God, yes, how I’d love for us to make love there. We’ve kissed there, we’ve read there… I want us to, one day anyway, make love there,” Ted said. “What do you think, Cody? What about your bed at home?”
“My… but… my father sleeps so close to my bed.”
“I know,” he whispered.
“Ted…” Cody leaned his forehead against Ted’s and brought his hands to his shoulders, continuing, “You’re far more wicked than I ever could have imagined.”
And, also, even if Maryse insisted that she would deny Ted, how were they going to explain it if Maryse ended up pregnant? If she and Ted only slept together once (because neither would be able to escape at least that first consummation) and then further along down the line she became pregnant in a manner that wouldn't fit with the time-scale, how would they explain it?
Maryse frowned, lips pouting in displeasure as she noticed that Mike's attention was not on her despite what she was doing to him. When she bit on the lobe of his ear though and gave her manicured hand a pointedly placed twist Mike gasped and then groaned lowly, head tipping to the side. "Maryse--!" the slight pain mixed with the erotic sensation upon his now-hard flesh was more than enough to forcedly rip him from his tortured thoughts.
"Mike, whatever you are thinking about, stop!" Maryse commanded in a low voice, easing Mike out of his trousers completely and beginning to stroke him a little bit harder but no faster; Maryse was pretty-much a woman who demanded to be in control whatever the situation... and Mike knew that he really wouldn't have too much inclination to fight her for it. Their situation wasn't easy but Maryse had been a constant in his life since he was a child, and much like his seeming rival Ted had thought about his own lover despite their time-gap being less, it was pretty inevitable he'd fall in love with her.
~~~
"I don't see you denying my wickedness, sweet." Ted grinned a little shyly, but without any true intention to call back anything that he had said previously. "I won't." Cody admitted, meeting his lover's eyes, "As long as I'm the one who gets to be wicked with you." he bit his lip slightly, suddenly wondering if that was too demanding of him.
Despite his momentary concern though Ted didn't seem at all bothered by the sentiment; if anything Ted welcomed whenever Cody got a little demanding, or possessive, because then he didn't feel nearly as selfish when he acted like that. "So... Would you like to make love in those places, Cody?"
"Yes." Cody admitted softly, then licking his lips slightly, "And... Do you remember the hill-top you took me to the other day?" Ted nodded, understanding. "You want to make love there too?" Cody nodded, the pair exchanging private smiles and a kiss that was much more chaste than their previous words had been.
“What about the orchard? Do you think… I mean… That’s where John and Randy… but we…” he said, stumbling about his words, not really sure what he was trying to say.
“Mmm, yes, the orchard would be a wonderful place. Have I ever told you,” he went on, now pulling Cody along as he walked backwards to the bed, “that I’ve fantasized about us many years from now? It’s always you and me together, whether we’re making love, or simply sitting and talking, it doesn’t matter, but you’re always there with me.” They were finally on the bed, Ted underneath Cody’s body, about to tell him one of his oldest fantasies. “But one fantasy that keeps occurring involves us in what is currently my father’s study. Only this room is now where I do my work. And you’re there with me. We start kissing, when you flip me around and bend me over my desk, taking me right there. I can’t get the thought out of my head, Cody.”
Further turned on as Ted voices his fantasy, Cody ran his fingers through Ted’s hair, gripping him tight as he leaned down to capture his mouth in a fierce kiss. He should have been getting Ted ready for bed, not kissing the life out of him. But when he was around his lover, he never knew how he was able to control his emotions.
“Theodore!” came his father’s voice from down the hall.
“Shit!” Ted muttered, clambering off of Cody as quickly as he could, while Cody smoothed out his uniform and headed to Ted’s closet. Ted ran into his washroom, attempting to smooth down his hair. He splashed some water from the small basin onto his face.
His door opened, and Cody popped his head out from the closet, bowing his head and greeting, “Good evening, Lord DiBiase. Young Master is in his washroom.”
“Thank you, Cody.”
“Hello, Father,” Ted said, running his wet hands through his hair, leaving it sticking up even more than it previously had been.
“I just had to come and ask you what you thought about Maryse,” he said, waiting to hear his son’s opinion about this new woman.
The question had Ted's throat momentarily clogging up. Cody was currently hidden, face-wise at least, by the door of his wardrobe closest to him but Ted could sense that his lover had frozen in place. It was some small mercy that his father seemed to pay Cody little mind after their initial greeting. "Well..." Ted had to be careful here, both because he didn't want to upset Cody and also because he didn't need his father getting angry.
"She seems a lovely woman." he said lamely, definite disinterest in his voice even though he did try to tone it down. Ted Sr. seemed to take that as a much greater compliment than it was attempted as, nodding his head and looking delighted. "Well, she seemed very taken with you." Ted managed to turn his snort of disbelief into a cough-- and he could have sworn that Cody had just giggled from behind the wardrobe door. It wasn't as though he could ask though and he hastily nodded when Ted Sr. suddenly looked concerned and asked him if he was feeling alright.
"So, do you think she might be the future Lady DiBiase?" Ted Sr. certainly didn't go in for tact and Ted almost choked on thin air. There was a slight rustling in the wardrobe and Ted wanted nothing more to get his father out of his room and to take Cody back into his arms again. "Father-- it's much too soon for that." Ted said thickly.
Lord DiBiase frowned at the words but then sighed and nodded before then giving Ted one of the poignant 'father-looks' that he dreaded receiving; they made him feel like he was six years old all over again. "Don't muck this one up, my boy-- this would be a good match for out family and you know it." he then patted his son's shoulder, "Goodnight my boy."
As soon as the door was closed safely behind his father Ted immediately moved to the wardrobe, "Cody?" The other was still behind the door but Ted could make out that the other had his night-clothing in his hands already. Cody didn't turn around to face his lover, needing to use all of his self control to keep from crying over the things he had just heard. It was a reality he knew he'd have to face, but one that was going to hurt regardless of how much he tried to prepare for it.
Walking over to Cody, Ted wrapped his arms around his waist, chin resting on his shoulder. “You know that I don’t want any of this. You know that. Maryse is a pretty young woman, but you’re who I want by my side. You’re the one who fills my dreams. You’re the one I’m going to give myself to.” He managed to get Cody to turn around, to face him and look him in the eyes. “You’re the one.”
Tears were still welled up in his eyes. He knew that Ted was right, knew that everything Ted was telling him came from the bottom of his heart and that he meant every word of it. Yet he could never shake the feeling that he simply wasn’t good enough.
~~~
Lying in bed together, both having climaxed at the touch of the other’s hand, Mike lazily trailed his fingers over Maryse’s stomach and breasts. And still he continued to voice his concern. “What if Ted isn’t so content to not sleep with you? What if he wants to sleep with you and refuses to be denied?”
“Are you saying that he’ll force himself upon me?” she asked defiantly, horrified at the mere thought of anyone taking advantage of her perfect body. “I hardly think that he’s the kind of man who would do such a thing.”
“And how can you be so sure?” There was silence on her end, so he went on, “And then… then the wedding night. How do you feel about making love to him before you ever do with me? I… I hate the mere thought of him touching you in such intimate ways, and to think that he’d be the man to take your virginity…”
She rolled to her side, placing her gentle hand on his face. “Then you can have me the night before our wedding.”
He sighed. “I suppose that will have to do, ma belle. But, wouldn’t you think he’d know?”
“Know what? That I’m not a virgin on our wedding night? How could he know unless he took another woman’s virginity?” she reasoned. “Mon chère, you need to stop worrying so much.”
"I'm sorry." Cody was sure Ted must find him completely pathetic; Lord knew how many times the other had seen him crying now over things that he had known about essentially from the day they had met. He had walked into this situation nigh-on completely aware of all the consequences, but it didn't make it any easier. It didn't make it easier at all.
"I'll be," his voice wavered and he blinked his teary eyes desperately to try and dispel the traitorous showing of emotion, "-alright again in a minute, I just--" Ted shook his head, holding his lover close. "You don't need to make excuses to me, baby. I know. Believe me, I know." he whispered, his own eyes stinging.
A singular tear slipped down Ted's cheek but he refused to let anymore fall; he had told Cody he had envisioned a future for them together and he was going to use all of his power to make sure that happened, regardless as to whether or not Maryse was in the picture. Cody, as far as Ted was concerned, was the real 'spouse' he'd have. And hopefully his planned gift for Cody for Christmas show that.
~~~~
"Maybe you need to worry more." Mike muttered quietly though with no real heat in the words as Maryse dropped a tender kiss to his cheek. For all her brash flirtations and crass mannerisms she was never anything but genuine with him.
"I suppose you're right about him being..." Mike's mouth worked, clearly looking uncomfortable to be discussing another man as such, "Innocent; he didn't know where to look when you took your coat off." Her dress covered her modestly but it gave a definition to the breasts and hips that could not be ignored.
"Oh, Michael," she cooed his given name fully, Mike wrinkling his nose at the sound of it as it sounded so pretentious to him, "-you sound so jealous, it's adorable." Mike pouted at her in turn and arched a brow, "Maryse, men are not adorable." she looked like she begged to differ but didn't comment, merely fluttering her lashes slightly as Mike's strong hand rested over her stomach.
~~~
“I don’t want to leave,” Cody said in protest. He knew that it was getting late and that he’d have to leave Ted’s room soon.
“I don’t want you to leave, either,” Ted said, still holding Cody close to him in an embrace. “You know that. If I could, I’d stay here in my room with you forever.”
Smiling slightly, Cody couldn’t help but to agree with him. “Wouldn’t that be nice? I would love to never have to worry about someone seeing us together, and to tell everyone that we are together…”
“I want the same things, Cody. Look, you should probably go to your room now. I’ll try and meet you in your room tonight, but I can’t make promises. I ran into Randy briefly, and he warned me that with this party coming up, the staff works later and there’s a much greater risk of me being seen by someone in an area that I’m not supposed to be.”
“But I haven’t even changed you into your sleep clothes. I’m not going to my room with a chance of not seeing you again tonight without seeing you naked first.”
Stepping back, Ted chuckled. “I’m pretty sure that you’ve seen me naked now more times than I’ve seen you naked.”
“That just makes up for the first time that you saw me before we had even done anything together. Cheeky,” he teased, the smile much wider on his face now.
Downstairs, Randy was still directing members of the staff around. Time was drawing nearer, and the decorations weren’t complete yet. He wanted them to be done by today so that tomorrow they could take it a bit easier, since they would all have a long day ahead of them come Friday. Didn’t look like that was happening.
John was out in the stables still, having sent Cody and Justin away so he could have some one on one time with Heath. He wanted to see what he could do without having Justin to trail along behind. “My dad worked here, too, ya know, ‘n I still followed in his footsteps,” John said during a bout of silence. “Worked right alongside your dad, too. Was a hardworkin’ man, William was.”
“I know. All these people here looked up to my dad. But as much as I miss him, as much as I love him, I never-” He cut himself off before he said too much, before he sounded disrespectful of his father’s memory.
“You never wanted to be like him? Workin’ here, ya mean?” John asked. That would certainly explain a lot about just why Heath was never catching on, or why he was never inclined to do anything for the animals.
Ted had the grace to look sheepish at the playful accusation. "It wasn't as though I deliberately tried to see you like that." At Cody's arched brow he amended, "Well, not the first time anyway." His cheeks burned with a blush so bright that Cody felt he'd be able to see Ted's face in the dark even when they blew the candles out. He gently pushed Ted to sit on the edge of his bed, kneeling down to remove the other's boots like he always did. So familiar was this routine now neither had to think about it.
"Remember though..." Cody said softly, still smiling and eyes glittering slightly with emotion, "Soon you'll be seeing all of me, completely bared." And he didn't just mean all of his body; he meant emotionally he was going to be bared before Ted too. Ted would truly be able to see the depths of his feelings for him and vice-versa. It was something he couldn't wait for even with the internal anxiety of anticipation.
Ted caressed Cody's cheek, "I honestly can't wait for that moment." he confessed softly, and smiling when Cody pressed a kiss to his fingers before continuing to undress him. One day he hoped that he would have the chance to help Cody dressing, because the act had as much meaning and emotion in it as undressing his lover did. It was intimacy and connection.
There was a serious part of him that just wanted to kick everyone else out and do everything himself but he refrained from doing so. Whilst things may get done with more care then it would take much longer and he would like to get to bed -and his John- sometime before the night was out. So, he contented himself with using intimidation to keep up the work-line: no one went to bed until he said.
Sending the smaller man a look of understanding John sighed gently. "I get what you mean, Heath, I really do. Not everyone wants to do what their parents did, y'know? But... what would you do otherwise?" It wasn't a question that denoted Heath had no skills or anything, he was just genuinely curious as to what the other man wanted to do since he didn't like working with animals.
"I don't know." Heath admitted, running a hand through his red hair after removing the dark ribbon that was keeping it up and in place. "I sorta like cooking, but I'm not very good at it... truth be told I much prefer to be working inside, with people." he shook his head, "But I know we're pretty short-staffed as it is and it's not like I can just switch over." Familial roles tended to stick for the main part and everyone knew that much.
“That why you’re always tryin’ to get Wade’s attention, then?” John asked, turning his head to look over his shoulder at the red headed man.
Heath’s eyes grew wide. He truly had no clue how obvious his actions towards Wade were. “I… Well, that is to say… What I mean is…”
“Say no more. Just… lemme tell ya one little thing. When you’re ‘round him, jus’ try an’ be a bit less forward. Maybe jus’ see if you can talk to him one on one sometime. No need to throw yourself at him, or nothin’.”
Even in the darkness of the barn at night, John could see that Heath turned even redder than his hair.
Soon, Cody had Ted standing before him in nothing but his underwear. “I could never tire of seeing your body.” He placed his hands on Ted’s hips, slowly pushing the undergarments down over his hips where they fell to the floor, leaving Ted completely naked. “Every inch of it is a work of art.”
“Mmm, trust me, Cody, I’ve seen artwork my whole life. In the castle, or at other castles, paintings, sculptures, mosaics… but nothing I’ve ever seen could compare to you.”
“Ted,” Cody breathed out in shock. Did he just hear him right? He was just told he was greater than any work of art Ted had ever seen. Surely he was exaggerating.
“It’s the truth, Cody,” Ted assured him, pulling Cody’s fully clothed body to his nude one. “And on top of that, art is beautiful on the outside, whereas you’re beautiful inside and out.”
“Thank you,” he whispered as he stepped back out of the embrace to look at Ted’s body once more. “Now… I know it’s a shame to cover this up, but I’ve got to do my job, and right now, my job is to dress you into your sleep clothes,” he said, steeling his face back to a composed form.
Things downstairs were looking slightly better. They were nearly done with the decorations, thankfully. Randy really didn’t know how much more of this he could take. It was getting later and later, and all he wanted to do was pull John up beside him and fall asleep with him in his arms. “You would think that after doing this for days straight, you would know how to do this by now!” Randy shouted, the reality before him pulling him out of his thought process. Unfortunately.
"Come on," John said, saving Heath from what he was sure was crippling embarrassment, "A last few little jobs and we'll be done for the night." Heath nodded and merely did as he was told for the once, bidding John goodnight afterwards and returning to his and Justin's room.
Deeming that he was clean enough to put off having a bath until tomorrow (it was far too late now) John then headed indoors after going for a quick wash. Entering his and Randy's bedroom he found the other wasn't there yet but knew it wouldn't be long before he was. Stripping, he then got into their double-bed.
When Ted was dressed Cody reluctantly pulled away; it was much later than usual due to all the excitement of their visitors, and Ted had pretty much admitted that there wasn't a chance he could come visit in case he was caught, and in turn Cody couldn't linger or else he would be caught: it was a double-edged sword.
"I should go." he said softly, Ted's face mirroring his disappointment and reluctance. The elder teen pulled the younger into his arms once more, their kiss meeting in a deep, slow, sweet kiss that had Cody feeling weak at the knees despite himself. "I'll try to come down if I can." Ted promised softly, Cody quirking a small smile and nodding.
It was strangely cold to be away from Ted's presence even though the castle was well insulated and heated, the atmosphere around him seeming cold and unfeeling in turn despite all the bright and carefully positioned decorations. He hoped that Ted would be able to come down to see him, but at the same time he acknowledged that it was riskier than any other time until the Ouellets left. Padding down the hallway to his room he saw the attendant of 'Maryse' further down the hall going into his own room.
Eventually, knowing he wasn't going to get anymore out of the other servants and wanting to go to bed that night himself Randy dismissed them all. Mercifully, from the looks of things, they would be finished before lunchtime tomorrow with the final arrangements. Not a moment too soon, but it always seemed to happen that way around the annual party. You would think that they would get better each year, but it never seemed that way. Still, as long as it got finished he supposed.
Finally entering his room, Randy shut the door, locking it behind him, then spotting John on their bed. “You’re lucky you’re working out in the stables, because you don’t have to deal with me. Good God, you’d think that they’ve never decorated for the Christmas party before! Ok, some of them are new here, and sure, the family went to, whose family was it last year? But they still decorated for the staff party! And we haven’t had that many people begin working here within the last two years, have we? Honestly!”
“And how was your day, Randy?” John asked, smirking up at his lover from bed, trying to blink back the sleep in his eyes.
“At least I got to boss people around all day. That was the only saving grace,” he answered as he, too, stripped out of his clothes and slid into bed after blowing out the candle. As he pulled John’s body to his, he whispered, “I’ve been thinking about doing this all day.”
“Holding me?” John asked, now allowing the sleep to come as he finally lay in Randy’s arms.
“Mmm, falling asleep with you. Goodnight, John. I love you,” he said, pressing a kiss right behind his ear.
“I love you, too, Randy,” John whispered back, falling asleep not too long after, wrapped up in Randy’s arms.
It didn’t take Ted long to figure out that going downstairs was a bad idea. While there were no servants out decorating, the second he walked into the kitchen, he felt all eyes upon him. And there were several pairs of eyes. “Young Master, what brings you down here at this time of night?” Eric asked him.
“Well, I was hoping to sneak down here to find myself a nice snack, but it seems as though my sneaking around didn’t work out too well. What are all of you doing in here at this hour?” he couldn’t help but ask as he began rummaging for food.
“Randy worked some of us straight through dinner, even while he was off grabbing food for himself,” one of the servants explained. “Wade was kind enough to keep some stew warm for us over the fire.”
Turning around to look at the table, suddenly quite interested in food. “Is there any stew left?”
“Not much, but there is a little, I believe. And we’ve got some bread on the table.”
“Excellent.” Ted grabbed a bowl and spoon and managed to ladle the rest of the stew out. Ripping off a piece of bread, Ted said his farewells and turned back around. He got so close to seeing Cody, god, he hated nights when that happened. Only tonight it was even harder to turn around given the fact that they had seen so little of one another, hadn’t even touched each other… “Two more nights,” he whispered to himself once he reached his room. He shut his door as he walked in, setting the bread down next to him on his bed as he began to eat his stew. As he did, he couldn’t help but to think that, even though Wade was a brilliant chef, his stew still wasn’t as good as Cody’s.
The next morning John awoke slowly, his muscles aching slightly from all of the extra work that they had had to do that day to ensure that the new horses were well-fed and settled in the new environment. People thought that horses and other animals could just be settled any old place that was deemed acceptable for them and then that would be it. This, however, was not the case and John had taken extra pains to make sure the animals were contented for the duration of their stay, the same as their masters.
Through the night it seemed that he and Randy had shifted, Randy ending up with his back to John and John with his face pressed into Randy's shoulder, a strong arm over his waist and a hand splayed over his lover's strong stomach. A soft grin touched his lips at the consideration, dropping a kiss onto Randy's shoulder and gently starting to untangle himself from his lover's body reluctantly.
"And where do you think you're going?" the quiet rumble of his lover's voice sounded and John arched a brow with a soft chuckle, wiping sleep from his eyes from where he now sat upright. "Well, I was going to get a bath considering that I hadn't the time or energy for little more than a quick wash last night."
~~~
It became apparent to Cody -after he had been lain awake for about an hour or two- that Ted wasn't going to come and visit him and he couldn't stop the sense of disappointment that flooded him at the realisation. And, once again, that niggling little voice teased that it was too coincidental that Maryse arrived and--
The ravenette stopped the thought before it could fully progress; Ted had explained why it was too risky and for all Cody knew he could have tried to come down and then got cut off or something. If he had been a puppy his ears and tail would both have been down.
Pulling his pillow into his arms -a poor substitute for Ted's warm, strong body, that did nothing to quell his loneliness- Cody then tried to settle down and get comfortable. God forbid that he mess up in his duties because of lack of sleep or something. It was a long time coming but Cody eventually managed to nod off, Ted not leaving his mind even when consciousness left him.
Finishing the food (and feeling oddly empty despite it) Ted then headed into his bathroom to quickly brush his teeth and then he returned to bed. He lay on his back, hands on his stomach, trying to settle down enough to sleep. He knew, after Cody's upset earlier, that this incident wouldn't work in his favour- but he wasn't panicking.
His present for Cody would be ready the morning of the party and that night he would present it to his lover as his Christmas gift before then, well, giving himself as a secondary present. Both gifts had a deep, unshakeable meaning and Ted sincerely hoped that they would be enough to soothe Cody's tender heart of any wounds that their future situation might bring him.
Authors: wrestlemanix and eric_idle_rules
Pairings: Ted DiBiase Jr./Cody Runnels, John Cena/Randy Orton
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Taking place in feudal England, Cody's family comes from a long line of farmers who work the land belonging to the DiBiase family. Despite the enormous class differences, Cody and Ted meet and form an instant connection with one another, both learning things from the other that they otherwise never would have known.
Word Count: 6745
A/N: I admit, I'm no expert on the life and times of feudal England, but I tried. Forgive any errors when it comes to time frames and whatnot...
Disclaimer: Neither of us own the WWE.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20
“Um, well…” he began, then paused again for lack of anything to say. He tried looking across the table at his mother, but she was looking down the table at Maryse. “I just finished school; I did well-”
“No, no, I don’t want to ‘ear about school. I want to ‘ear about the things you like. Tell me about what makes you, well, you,” she said, crossing her hands as she rested her chin atop them.
“Well… I really like riding. I’ve got a horse, Mercury, and I’ll take him out whenever I can,” Ted told her, figuring that was a little something about him.
“Hmm, I could do without riding,” she replied, shaking her head slightly, making her hair flow along with her. “What else do you ‘ave to say about yourself?”
“I, uh, enjoy reading. My room has loads of books that I’ll read all the time,” he said. This probably wasn’t the sort of thing she was looking for, but what could he tell her? ‘Well, I am deeply in love with my personal attendant, Cody. I know he’s a peasant, and I know he’s a male, as well, but we love each other. I enjoy taking his cock in my mouth and in a few days, I’m going to lose my virginity to him. For that matter, we’re going to lose our virginity to one another, and I can’t wait.’ He didn’t think that would go over well.
“Don’t you do anything else besides ride horses and read?”
“Umm… Father is teaching me about running the castle and all the parcels.”
“Oh, is he?” That seemed to get her attention again. Probably because that aspect of his life involved monetary goods, which he quickly learned she loved.
Back out in the stables, John and Cody arrived back to find that things looked quite nice. Much of the bedding had been done, and done properly, at that. It didn’t look like they had bothered the horses, as they were calmly eating some oats at the moment. “Well done, boys. Gotta say it looks better ‘n I thought it would.”
“Look at you, John, you’re such a good teacher to them,” Cody said, going to check that the horses had enough food.
John went down with him, so that they were out of earshot of the other two. “You still doin’ ok?” he asked.
With a sigh, Cody glanced over at him and said, “I just really wish I could talk to Teddy right now.”
It was glaringly obvious that they were not compatible in any way, except maybe stature and familiar income, but Ted knew that expressing these doubts to his father would get him nowhere at all. She didn't seem the least bit interested in him and truth be told he wasn't interested in her-- and not just in the physical sense. It was an uneasy realisation even though he had been preparing himself for it all along.
After being told about Randy's arrangement he had sort of hoped that maybe he'd be able to get along with the woman that he would have to legally tie himself to as man-and-wife but after one meal and not even two conversations with Maryse he knew it was going to be a tenuous match indeed for them both.
Even before the dessert dishes had been taken away Ted could read the identical looks in the eyes of his father and Maryse's father; they seemed to be waiting on tenterhooks, as though expecting Ted to propose before the day was even out. That wasn't going to happen and Ted had never been this desperate to get back to Cody before. God, he wanted his Cody with him so badly.
~~~~
When dinner was over Maryse had politely requested that she be allowed to return to her room to rest... Caroline wasn't taken with the simpering French woman, but then figured that she was perhaps biased given that the woman was interested in her son (financially and shallowly in his undeniable handsomeness) and she had already grown rather fond of Ted's lover Cody. She wished they could acknowledge one another publically.
As the blonde entered her room she took a disinterested look around (mentally frowning and thinking that the master-bedrooms better be bigger than this; she had bigger for her wardrobe!) the decent sized, tidy and clean room before then laying atop the bed. She was tired and already missing her native France. She'd never liked England much.
Not five minutes after she had been settled there was a knock at her door and she sat upright and called, "Come in." When Mike entered the room and closed the door behind him she smirked slightly, "Since when do you knock before entering my room, mon chère?" she giggled wickedly at the pink appearing in Mike's cheeks.
“Have to keep up appearances, ma belle.” He walked towards her bed, a smile on his face. “Can’t just waltz right into such a beautiful young woman’s room, you know. One might think there’s suspicious activity going on.”
“Oh, thank God you’re here,” Ted said as Cody entered his room a short while after dinner. Cody hadn’t been able to meet him right after dinner, as he was still eating himself, since he was working so long out in the stable.
“Well, I was going to ask you how dinner went. I take it it didn’t go over too well, then?” He paused, then went on, “But that’s a good thing, right? I mean, you might not have to… to propose.”
“I don’t know. She’s… she’s so unlike me. All she seems to care about are her many possessions. Her fur coats, her clothing, anything material… The bigger, the more extravagant the better,” he explained, getting off of his bed to head over to Cody. “Not at all like you. You can appreciate all the little things in life.” He wrapped his arms around Cody, letting them drape over his shoulders as he began pressing kisses to his cheek. “I wish I could tell everyone that I want nothing to do with these daughters of all these rich noble families, because I have everything I could ever want right here in my arms.”
Instantly Cody’s eyes welled up, but he fought to blink back the tears. But Ted’s words meant so much to him. He was sure he’d never understand why Ted loved him, but he did, and that was what mattered. “I love you, Teddy.”
“I love you, too.” He inhaled deeply as his face pressed into Cody’s neck. “You bathed without me.”
Cody chuckled. “Trust me, you wouldn’t want to be anywhere near me had I not bathed first. Horse shit isn’t exactly a romantic smell.”
“Doesn’t stop me from wanting to bring you in the stables, hold you against one of the horse stalls and take you right there,” he whispered.
“Oh, God,” Cody said as he exhaled a breath. “Where else? Tell me where else you want to make love to me.” Cody knew about the library, he didn’t know if that would ever come into fruition, but he could certainly hope. Still, he didn’t know if there were other places that Ted would want them to partake in such activities. But he wanted to know.
"Oh, Codes-" Ted nuzzled Cody's neck once more and sighed dreamily, "-where don't I want to make love to you?" he felt Cody's body molding perfectly against his own and knew without a doubt despite never having held Maryse that she'd never feel so right in his arms.
"I told you about the library, right?" Cody moaned softly and nodded, the mental image returning once again now that Ted had repeated the thought. "And now the stables... I want to make love to you during one of our bubble-baths." As surely as Cody's breathing began to quicken just listening to the words Ted was speaking, Ted's own breathing was quickening with the fantasies he was sharing with his lover.
"During out bubble-baths?" Cody repeated, already feeling the phantom sensation of hot water, bubbles and Ted's skin when it was all slippery and wet. Ted nodded his head, "Baby, you have no idea what it feels like to touch you when you're partially hidden by bubbles but completely naked underneath them-- can you imagine it?" he breathed softly into Cody's ear, feeling his mate shivering so sweetly in his arms; it was less embarrassing to confess his inner-most sexual wishes with Cody when the other man was feeling it as much as he was.
"Yes--" Cody whispered, getting into the discussion himself, "-tell me Teddy." Ted brushed a kiss to Cody's flushed cheek, feeling Cody's arms tightening a little around him in turn. "When we make love, bubbles and water will be all over the place; with each thrust water will spill over the edge of the tub, revealing more and more of our naked bodies being exposed with the loss of the water..." In a strange, wicked way it'd be like they were both opening some belated present slowly, if that made sense.
~~~~
"And what if they did?" Maryse asked impishly but Mike didn't let her carry that thought on further since everyone knew that the English were much more reserved than the French when it came to ahem, physical situations. They did not need to be discovered in the midst of things like that.
However, Maryse had been forced to keep her hands to herself all day and seemed to have no intention of doing it any more. As soon as Mike got close enough she pulled him forward, he losing his balance and ending up so that his body was partially suspended over Maryse's. Swallowing, Mike knew that he should stop from going any further, but even as he went to say so Maryse was purring, "Do not attempt to deny me, mon chère. It wastes time."
He had never been able to deny Maryse anything. And she was one of those women, that if she wanted something, she made sure that she got it. Finally leaning down, he pressed his lips to hers, and her arms instantly wrapped around him as their kiss deepened.
Still, even though they were together, they had also yet to make love. They wanted to, had discussed it before, but neither of them could risk a potential pregnancy. If Maryse became pregnant before she was married, even in her native culture, it would be a stain upon their family. She heard that people used sheep intestines to prevent such things, but she was not going to let Mike inside of her with pieces of dead sheep around his cock.
That was the reason she was so intent upon marriage. Once she was married, she and Mike could finally consummate their relationship. Mike told her many times that it wouldn’t be that simple. That whomever she married would want to sleep with her. She swore to him, though, that she would deny her husband everything of that nature. Still, that couldn’t stop Mike from thinking about Maryse with another man. And now that he had seen Ted, the image of them in bed together wasn’t leaving his mind’s eye, even as Maryse’s hand slipped inside his trousers to take hold of his cock.
“I’d love to take you in the dining room,” Ted admitted. “Or the sitting room. God, I’d love for us to be together in every room of this house.”
“Starting with this room,” Cody said with a smile.
“Starting with this room,” Ted echoed. Looking into Cody’s eyes, Ted licked his lips as he said, “Your barn.”
Cody stared back at him wide eyed. “As in… as in the one down there? Where I live?”
“Yes. God, yes, how I’d love for us to make love there. We’ve kissed there, we’ve read there… I want us to, one day anyway, make love there,” Ted said. “What do you think, Cody? What about your bed at home?”
“My… but… my father sleeps so close to my bed.”
“I know,” he whispered.
“Ted…” Cody leaned his forehead against Ted’s and brought his hands to his shoulders, continuing, “You’re far more wicked than I ever could have imagined.”
And, also, even if Maryse insisted that she would deny Ted, how were they going to explain it if Maryse ended up pregnant? If she and Ted only slept together once (because neither would be able to escape at least that first consummation) and then further along down the line she became pregnant in a manner that wouldn't fit with the time-scale, how would they explain it?
Maryse frowned, lips pouting in displeasure as she noticed that Mike's attention was not on her despite what she was doing to him. When she bit on the lobe of his ear though and gave her manicured hand a pointedly placed twist Mike gasped and then groaned lowly, head tipping to the side. "Maryse--!" the slight pain mixed with the erotic sensation upon his now-hard flesh was more than enough to forcedly rip him from his tortured thoughts.
"Mike, whatever you are thinking about, stop!" Maryse commanded in a low voice, easing Mike out of his trousers completely and beginning to stroke him a little bit harder but no faster; Maryse was pretty-much a woman who demanded to be in control whatever the situation... and Mike knew that he really wouldn't have too much inclination to fight her for it. Their situation wasn't easy but Maryse had been a constant in his life since he was a child, and much like his seeming rival Ted had thought about his own lover despite their time-gap being less, it was pretty inevitable he'd fall in love with her.
~~~
"I don't see you denying my wickedness, sweet." Ted grinned a little shyly, but without any true intention to call back anything that he had said previously. "I won't." Cody admitted, meeting his lover's eyes, "As long as I'm the one who gets to be wicked with you." he bit his lip slightly, suddenly wondering if that was too demanding of him.
Despite his momentary concern though Ted didn't seem at all bothered by the sentiment; if anything Ted welcomed whenever Cody got a little demanding, or possessive, because then he didn't feel nearly as selfish when he acted like that. "So... Would you like to make love in those places, Cody?"
"Yes." Cody admitted softly, then licking his lips slightly, "And... Do you remember the hill-top you took me to the other day?" Ted nodded, understanding. "You want to make love there too?" Cody nodded, the pair exchanging private smiles and a kiss that was much more chaste than their previous words had been.
“What about the orchard? Do you think… I mean… That’s where John and Randy… but we…” he said, stumbling about his words, not really sure what he was trying to say.
“Mmm, yes, the orchard would be a wonderful place. Have I ever told you,” he went on, now pulling Cody along as he walked backwards to the bed, “that I’ve fantasized about us many years from now? It’s always you and me together, whether we’re making love, or simply sitting and talking, it doesn’t matter, but you’re always there with me.” They were finally on the bed, Ted underneath Cody’s body, about to tell him one of his oldest fantasies. “But one fantasy that keeps occurring involves us in what is currently my father’s study. Only this room is now where I do my work. And you’re there with me. We start kissing, when you flip me around and bend me over my desk, taking me right there. I can’t get the thought out of my head, Cody.”
Further turned on as Ted voices his fantasy, Cody ran his fingers through Ted’s hair, gripping him tight as he leaned down to capture his mouth in a fierce kiss. He should have been getting Ted ready for bed, not kissing the life out of him. But when he was around his lover, he never knew how he was able to control his emotions.
“Theodore!” came his father’s voice from down the hall.
“Shit!” Ted muttered, clambering off of Cody as quickly as he could, while Cody smoothed out his uniform and headed to Ted’s closet. Ted ran into his washroom, attempting to smooth down his hair. He splashed some water from the small basin onto his face.
His door opened, and Cody popped his head out from the closet, bowing his head and greeting, “Good evening, Lord DiBiase. Young Master is in his washroom.”
“Thank you, Cody.”
“Hello, Father,” Ted said, running his wet hands through his hair, leaving it sticking up even more than it previously had been.
“I just had to come and ask you what you thought about Maryse,” he said, waiting to hear his son’s opinion about this new woman.
The question had Ted's throat momentarily clogging up. Cody was currently hidden, face-wise at least, by the door of his wardrobe closest to him but Ted could sense that his lover had frozen in place. It was some small mercy that his father seemed to pay Cody little mind after their initial greeting. "Well..." Ted had to be careful here, both because he didn't want to upset Cody and also because he didn't need his father getting angry.
"She seems a lovely woman." he said lamely, definite disinterest in his voice even though he did try to tone it down. Ted Sr. seemed to take that as a much greater compliment than it was attempted as, nodding his head and looking delighted. "Well, she seemed very taken with you." Ted managed to turn his snort of disbelief into a cough-- and he could have sworn that Cody had just giggled from behind the wardrobe door. It wasn't as though he could ask though and he hastily nodded when Ted Sr. suddenly looked concerned and asked him if he was feeling alright.
"So, do you think she might be the future Lady DiBiase?" Ted Sr. certainly didn't go in for tact and Ted almost choked on thin air. There was a slight rustling in the wardrobe and Ted wanted nothing more to get his father out of his room and to take Cody back into his arms again. "Father-- it's much too soon for that." Ted said thickly.
Lord DiBiase frowned at the words but then sighed and nodded before then giving Ted one of the poignant 'father-looks' that he dreaded receiving; they made him feel like he was six years old all over again. "Don't muck this one up, my boy-- this would be a good match for out family and you know it." he then patted his son's shoulder, "Goodnight my boy."
As soon as the door was closed safely behind his father Ted immediately moved to the wardrobe, "Cody?" The other was still behind the door but Ted could make out that the other had his night-clothing in his hands already. Cody didn't turn around to face his lover, needing to use all of his self control to keep from crying over the things he had just heard. It was a reality he knew he'd have to face, but one that was going to hurt regardless of how much he tried to prepare for it.
Walking over to Cody, Ted wrapped his arms around his waist, chin resting on his shoulder. “You know that I don’t want any of this. You know that. Maryse is a pretty young woman, but you’re who I want by my side. You’re the one who fills my dreams. You’re the one I’m going to give myself to.” He managed to get Cody to turn around, to face him and look him in the eyes. “You’re the one.”
Tears were still welled up in his eyes. He knew that Ted was right, knew that everything Ted was telling him came from the bottom of his heart and that he meant every word of it. Yet he could never shake the feeling that he simply wasn’t good enough.
~~~
Lying in bed together, both having climaxed at the touch of the other’s hand, Mike lazily trailed his fingers over Maryse’s stomach and breasts. And still he continued to voice his concern. “What if Ted isn’t so content to not sleep with you? What if he wants to sleep with you and refuses to be denied?”
“Are you saying that he’ll force himself upon me?” she asked defiantly, horrified at the mere thought of anyone taking advantage of her perfect body. “I hardly think that he’s the kind of man who would do such a thing.”
“And how can you be so sure?” There was silence on her end, so he went on, “And then… then the wedding night. How do you feel about making love to him before you ever do with me? I… I hate the mere thought of him touching you in such intimate ways, and to think that he’d be the man to take your virginity…”
She rolled to her side, placing her gentle hand on his face. “Then you can have me the night before our wedding.”
He sighed. “I suppose that will have to do, ma belle. But, wouldn’t you think he’d know?”
“Know what? That I’m not a virgin on our wedding night? How could he know unless he took another woman’s virginity?” she reasoned. “Mon chère, you need to stop worrying so much.”
"I'm sorry." Cody was sure Ted must find him completely pathetic; Lord knew how many times the other had seen him crying now over things that he had known about essentially from the day they had met. He had walked into this situation nigh-on completely aware of all the consequences, but it didn't make it any easier. It didn't make it easier at all.
"I'll be," his voice wavered and he blinked his teary eyes desperately to try and dispel the traitorous showing of emotion, "-alright again in a minute, I just--" Ted shook his head, holding his lover close. "You don't need to make excuses to me, baby. I know. Believe me, I know." he whispered, his own eyes stinging.
A singular tear slipped down Ted's cheek but he refused to let anymore fall; he had told Cody he had envisioned a future for them together and he was going to use all of his power to make sure that happened, regardless as to whether or not Maryse was in the picture. Cody, as far as Ted was concerned, was the real 'spouse' he'd have. And hopefully his planned gift for Cody for Christmas show that.
~~~~
"Maybe you need to worry more." Mike muttered quietly though with no real heat in the words as Maryse dropped a tender kiss to his cheek. For all her brash flirtations and crass mannerisms she was never anything but genuine with him.
"I suppose you're right about him being..." Mike's mouth worked, clearly looking uncomfortable to be discussing another man as such, "Innocent; he didn't know where to look when you took your coat off." Her dress covered her modestly but it gave a definition to the breasts and hips that could not be ignored.
"Oh, Michael," she cooed his given name fully, Mike wrinkling his nose at the sound of it as it sounded so pretentious to him, "-you sound so jealous, it's adorable." Mike pouted at her in turn and arched a brow, "Maryse, men are not adorable." she looked like she begged to differ but didn't comment, merely fluttering her lashes slightly as Mike's strong hand rested over her stomach.
~~~
“I don’t want to leave,” Cody said in protest. He knew that it was getting late and that he’d have to leave Ted’s room soon.
“I don’t want you to leave, either,” Ted said, still holding Cody close to him in an embrace. “You know that. If I could, I’d stay here in my room with you forever.”
Smiling slightly, Cody couldn’t help but to agree with him. “Wouldn’t that be nice? I would love to never have to worry about someone seeing us together, and to tell everyone that we are together…”
“I want the same things, Cody. Look, you should probably go to your room now. I’ll try and meet you in your room tonight, but I can’t make promises. I ran into Randy briefly, and he warned me that with this party coming up, the staff works later and there’s a much greater risk of me being seen by someone in an area that I’m not supposed to be.”
“But I haven’t even changed you into your sleep clothes. I’m not going to my room with a chance of not seeing you again tonight without seeing you naked first.”
Stepping back, Ted chuckled. “I’m pretty sure that you’ve seen me naked now more times than I’ve seen you naked.”
“That just makes up for the first time that you saw me before we had even done anything together. Cheeky,” he teased, the smile much wider on his face now.
Downstairs, Randy was still directing members of the staff around. Time was drawing nearer, and the decorations weren’t complete yet. He wanted them to be done by today so that tomorrow they could take it a bit easier, since they would all have a long day ahead of them come Friday. Didn’t look like that was happening.
John was out in the stables still, having sent Cody and Justin away so he could have some one on one time with Heath. He wanted to see what he could do without having Justin to trail along behind. “My dad worked here, too, ya know, ‘n I still followed in his footsteps,” John said during a bout of silence. “Worked right alongside your dad, too. Was a hardworkin’ man, William was.”
“I know. All these people here looked up to my dad. But as much as I miss him, as much as I love him, I never-” He cut himself off before he said too much, before he sounded disrespectful of his father’s memory.
“You never wanted to be like him? Workin’ here, ya mean?” John asked. That would certainly explain a lot about just why Heath was never catching on, or why he was never inclined to do anything for the animals.
Ted had the grace to look sheepish at the playful accusation. "It wasn't as though I deliberately tried to see you like that." At Cody's arched brow he amended, "Well, not the first time anyway." His cheeks burned with a blush so bright that Cody felt he'd be able to see Ted's face in the dark even when they blew the candles out. He gently pushed Ted to sit on the edge of his bed, kneeling down to remove the other's boots like he always did. So familiar was this routine now neither had to think about it.
"Remember though..." Cody said softly, still smiling and eyes glittering slightly with emotion, "Soon you'll be seeing all of me, completely bared." And he didn't just mean all of his body; he meant emotionally he was going to be bared before Ted too. Ted would truly be able to see the depths of his feelings for him and vice-versa. It was something he couldn't wait for even with the internal anxiety of anticipation.
Ted caressed Cody's cheek, "I honestly can't wait for that moment." he confessed softly, and smiling when Cody pressed a kiss to his fingers before continuing to undress him. One day he hoped that he would have the chance to help Cody dressing, because the act had as much meaning and emotion in it as undressing his lover did. It was intimacy and connection.
There was a serious part of him that just wanted to kick everyone else out and do everything himself but he refrained from doing so. Whilst things may get done with more care then it would take much longer and he would like to get to bed -and his John- sometime before the night was out. So, he contented himself with using intimidation to keep up the work-line: no one went to bed until he said.
Sending the smaller man a look of understanding John sighed gently. "I get what you mean, Heath, I really do. Not everyone wants to do what their parents did, y'know? But... what would you do otherwise?" It wasn't a question that denoted Heath had no skills or anything, he was just genuinely curious as to what the other man wanted to do since he didn't like working with animals.
"I don't know." Heath admitted, running a hand through his red hair after removing the dark ribbon that was keeping it up and in place. "I sorta like cooking, but I'm not very good at it... truth be told I much prefer to be working inside, with people." he shook his head, "But I know we're pretty short-staffed as it is and it's not like I can just switch over." Familial roles tended to stick for the main part and everyone knew that much.
“That why you’re always tryin’ to get Wade’s attention, then?” John asked, turning his head to look over his shoulder at the red headed man.
Heath’s eyes grew wide. He truly had no clue how obvious his actions towards Wade were. “I… Well, that is to say… What I mean is…”
“Say no more. Just… lemme tell ya one little thing. When you’re ‘round him, jus’ try an’ be a bit less forward. Maybe jus’ see if you can talk to him one on one sometime. No need to throw yourself at him, or nothin’.”
Even in the darkness of the barn at night, John could see that Heath turned even redder than his hair.
Soon, Cody had Ted standing before him in nothing but his underwear. “I could never tire of seeing your body.” He placed his hands on Ted’s hips, slowly pushing the undergarments down over his hips where they fell to the floor, leaving Ted completely naked. “Every inch of it is a work of art.”
“Mmm, trust me, Cody, I’ve seen artwork my whole life. In the castle, or at other castles, paintings, sculptures, mosaics… but nothing I’ve ever seen could compare to you.”
“Ted,” Cody breathed out in shock. Did he just hear him right? He was just told he was greater than any work of art Ted had ever seen. Surely he was exaggerating.
“It’s the truth, Cody,” Ted assured him, pulling Cody’s fully clothed body to his nude one. “And on top of that, art is beautiful on the outside, whereas you’re beautiful inside and out.”
“Thank you,” he whispered as he stepped back out of the embrace to look at Ted’s body once more. “Now… I know it’s a shame to cover this up, but I’ve got to do my job, and right now, my job is to dress you into your sleep clothes,” he said, steeling his face back to a composed form.
Things downstairs were looking slightly better. They were nearly done with the decorations, thankfully. Randy really didn’t know how much more of this he could take. It was getting later and later, and all he wanted to do was pull John up beside him and fall asleep with him in his arms. “You would think that after doing this for days straight, you would know how to do this by now!” Randy shouted, the reality before him pulling him out of his thought process. Unfortunately.
"Come on," John said, saving Heath from what he was sure was crippling embarrassment, "A last few little jobs and we'll be done for the night." Heath nodded and merely did as he was told for the once, bidding John goodnight afterwards and returning to his and Justin's room.
Deeming that he was clean enough to put off having a bath until tomorrow (it was far too late now) John then headed indoors after going for a quick wash. Entering his and Randy's bedroom he found the other wasn't there yet but knew it wouldn't be long before he was. Stripping, he then got into their double-bed.
When Ted was dressed Cody reluctantly pulled away; it was much later than usual due to all the excitement of their visitors, and Ted had pretty much admitted that there wasn't a chance he could come visit in case he was caught, and in turn Cody couldn't linger or else he would be caught: it was a double-edged sword.
"I should go." he said softly, Ted's face mirroring his disappointment and reluctance. The elder teen pulled the younger into his arms once more, their kiss meeting in a deep, slow, sweet kiss that had Cody feeling weak at the knees despite himself. "I'll try to come down if I can." Ted promised softly, Cody quirking a small smile and nodding.
It was strangely cold to be away from Ted's presence even though the castle was well insulated and heated, the atmosphere around him seeming cold and unfeeling in turn despite all the bright and carefully positioned decorations. He hoped that Ted would be able to come down to see him, but at the same time he acknowledged that it was riskier than any other time until the Ouellets left. Padding down the hallway to his room he saw the attendant of 'Maryse' further down the hall going into his own room.
Eventually, knowing he wasn't going to get anymore out of the other servants and wanting to go to bed that night himself Randy dismissed them all. Mercifully, from the looks of things, they would be finished before lunchtime tomorrow with the final arrangements. Not a moment too soon, but it always seemed to happen that way around the annual party. You would think that they would get better each year, but it never seemed that way. Still, as long as it got finished he supposed.
Finally entering his room, Randy shut the door, locking it behind him, then spotting John on their bed. “You’re lucky you’re working out in the stables, because you don’t have to deal with me. Good God, you’d think that they’ve never decorated for the Christmas party before! Ok, some of them are new here, and sure, the family went to, whose family was it last year? But they still decorated for the staff party! And we haven’t had that many people begin working here within the last two years, have we? Honestly!”
“And how was your day, Randy?” John asked, smirking up at his lover from bed, trying to blink back the sleep in his eyes.
“At least I got to boss people around all day. That was the only saving grace,” he answered as he, too, stripped out of his clothes and slid into bed after blowing out the candle. As he pulled John’s body to his, he whispered, “I’ve been thinking about doing this all day.”
“Holding me?” John asked, now allowing the sleep to come as he finally lay in Randy’s arms.
“Mmm, falling asleep with you. Goodnight, John. I love you,” he said, pressing a kiss right behind his ear.
“I love you, too, Randy,” John whispered back, falling asleep not too long after, wrapped up in Randy’s arms.
It didn’t take Ted long to figure out that going downstairs was a bad idea. While there were no servants out decorating, the second he walked into the kitchen, he felt all eyes upon him. And there were several pairs of eyes. “Young Master, what brings you down here at this time of night?” Eric asked him.
“Well, I was hoping to sneak down here to find myself a nice snack, but it seems as though my sneaking around didn’t work out too well. What are all of you doing in here at this hour?” he couldn’t help but ask as he began rummaging for food.
“Randy worked some of us straight through dinner, even while he was off grabbing food for himself,” one of the servants explained. “Wade was kind enough to keep some stew warm for us over the fire.”
Turning around to look at the table, suddenly quite interested in food. “Is there any stew left?”
“Not much, but there is a little, I believe. And we’ve got some bread on the table.”
“Excellent.” Ted grabbed a bowl and spoon and managed to ladle the rest of the stew out. Ripping off a piece of bread, Ted said his farewells and turned back around. He got so close to seeing Cody, god, he hated nights when that happened. Only tonight it was even harder to turn around given the fact that they had seen so little of one another, hadn’t even touched each other… “Two more nights,” he whispered to himself once he reached his room. He shut his door as he walked in, setting the bread down next to him on his bed as he began to eat his stew. As he did, he couldn’t help but to think that, even though Wade was a brilliant chef, his stew still wasn’t as good as Cody’s.
The next morning John awoke slowly, his muscles aching slightly from all of the extra work that they had had to do that day to ensure that the new horses were well-fed and settled in the new environment. People thought that horses and other animals could just be settled any old place that was deemed acceptable for them and then that would be it. This, however, was not the case and John had taken extra pains to make sure the animals were contented for the duration of their stay, the same as their masters.
Through the night it seemed that he and Randy had shifted, Randy ending up with his back to John and John with his face pressed into Randy's shoulder, a strong arm over his waist and a hand splayed over his lover's strong stomach. A soft grin touched his lips at the consideration, dropping a kiss onto Randy's shoulder and gently starting to untangle himself from his lover's body reluctantly.
"And where do you think you're going?" the quiet rumble of his lover's voice sounded and John arched a brow with a soft chuckle, wiping sleep from his eyes from where he now sat upright. "Well, I was going to get a bath considering that I hadn't the time or energy for little more than a quick wash last night."
~~~
It became apparent to Cody -after he had been lain awake for about an hour or two- that Ted wasn't going to come and visit him and he couldn't stop the sense of disappointment that flooded him at the realisation. And, once again, that niggling little voice teased that it was too coincidental that Maryse arrived and--
The ravenette stopped the thought before it could fully progress; Ted had explained why it was too risky and for all Cody knew he could have tried to come down and then got cut off or something. If he had been a puppy his ears and tail would both have been down.
Pulling his pillow into his arms -a poor substitute for Ted's warm, strong body, that did nothing to quell his loneliness- Cody then tried to settle down and get comfortable. God forbid that he mess up in his duties because of lack of sleep or something. It was a long time coming but Cody eventually managed to nod off, Ted not leaving his mind even when consciousness left him.
Finishing the food (and feeling oddly empty despite it) Ted then headed into his bathroom to quickly brush his teeth and then he returned to bed. He lay on his back, hands on his stomach, trying to settle down enough to sleep. He knew, after Cody's upset earlier, that this incident wouldn't work in his favour- but he wasn't panicking.
His present for Cody would be ready the morning of the party and that night he would present it to his lover as his Christmas gift before then, well, giving himself as a secondary present. Both gifts had a deep, unshakeable meaning and Ted sincerely hoped that they would be enough to soothe Cody's tender heart of any wounds that their future situation might bring him.