Work Text:
I
William Schofield closed the door behind him, his gaze on his lover who slowly walked through the tiny apartment. It was dusty and rather small - one bedroom and the kitchen was in the living room - but the light of the sun shined brightly into the apartment, making the wooden floor look golden.
Tom went into the bathroom, looking at the little bathtub and William nervously brushed his fingers through his hair.
“I know it’s not a lot, but it’s the best apartment we can afford at the moment”, he spoke softly, biting into his lower lip. William wanted the most beautiful apartment in the whole city for Tom - or even a castle if possible - but he knew that it wasn’t possible.
“Are you kidding? This is amazing!”, Tom replied, turning around with a big smile on his lips. It was that beautiful, careless smile that made William fall for Tom in the first place and Schofield shyly smiled back, taking Tom’s hand in his.
It might seem contradictory for Tom and William to settle down in France, the country in which they saw more pain and agony than any man should. But for Tom and William, it was a natural decision.
Going back to England hurt too much. The war had sucked away so much of who they were and seeing the sorry expression in their relatives eyes was too much, especially for William. And since Schofield wanted to follow a career in the arts, there was no better place in the world than Paris anyway.
“Have you seen the view yet?”, he asked Tom, pulling him out of the bathroom into the living room.
Immediately Tom rushed to the window, pressing his nose against the glass. Schofield couldn’t help but chuckle at the adorable sight, walking to his boyfriend and wrapping his arms around his waist from behind. He rested his head on Tom’s shoulder, staring at the view with his lover.
The view was gorgeous. The little apartment was on the fifth floor so they could see all of Paris. The Eiffel Tower, the Sacre Coeur, the people walking their dogs while holding baguettes securely under their arms… They could see the essence of Paris.
“This is so much better than a second bedroom”, Tom said after a while, his mouth wide open.
“Good, because a second bedroom was definitely not in our budget”, Schofield laughed, twisting Blake around that he could look at the boy’s gorgeous face.
His eyes were as blue as the sky over Paris, his lips as red as the roses on the dining table and his cheeks were the color of the frosted, heart-shaped cake William brought for Tom.
Paris looked incredible on Tom Blake, much better than the war ever did.
Delicately, Schofield brushed his fingers over Tom’s rosy cheeks.
“Does this mean you want to move in here with me?”, Schofield asked, peppering little kisses on Tom’s porcelain skin, getting a delightful little giggle out of Blake.
“Here yes, with you no”, Tom answered, sticking out his tongue adorably that Schofield couldn’t even manage to pretend to look mad.
“Too bad for you that we come as a package deal”, Schofield declared, pressing open mouthed kissed on Blake’s jaw. Tom immediately wrapped his arms around Schofield’s neck, pulling him closer to himself.
“Mm. If you giving me a million kisses a day is also part of the deal, then I might accept it”, he said, slightly pulling at William’s hair.
“Deal”, William mumbled, softly biting Tom’s ear.
Carefully, William picked Tom up and walked into their bedroom, never disconnecting his lips from Tom’s soft skin. Schofield could barely believe that this was what his life would be like from now on.
But after years in dirty trenches surrounded by death and despair, Schofield knew they deserved it.
II
“So you just want me to sit here?”, Tom asked, sitting down on a tall stool and looking around awkwardly. They were in a big atelier in the National School of Fine Arts, where Schofield had been accepted.
“Yes, blossom”, Schofield replied calmly, looking at his empty canvas. It was his first work for one of his professors and William had immediately known that he wanted to draw his lover.
During the war, Schofield had drawn several sketches of Tom on whatever piece of parchment he could find. Tom had such an indescribable beauty; he was all the colors and love in the world at once - and William could not resist drawing him.
But this was the first time William had a proper canvas and a palette of colors to draw his lover and he was deeply excited about it.
“Scho, You know that sitting still isn’t my forte, right?”, Tom said after a couple of minutes, wiggling around on the chair. He looked so adorable while doing so that William wanted to get up and press as many little kisses as he could on the beautiful boy.
“Just think about how glamorous it’ll be to have a painting of yourself. Only royals have that”, Schofield replied to motivate him to sit still and it seemed to work as Blake’s eyes lit up.
“Can you draw a crown on me? I always wanted to be a prince”, he giggled and William shook his head fondly, drawing a couple of lines.
“Maybe later”, Schofield replied, sticking out the tip of his tongue, something he always did when he was trying to concentrate. But concentrating was harder than it looked since Tom kept changing the way he was sitting.
“Babe, please”, William said when Tom decided to grab some snacks, looking at Will with big eyes when he was caught throwing some grapes into his mouth.
“Can’t you do it by heart? You stare at me, like, all the time”, he replied, a very innocent expression on his face.
“Besides I have a shift at the pâtisserie later”, Tom added, carefully trying to pronounce the word correctly. Tom didn’t have the chance to learn some French in school, so their neighbor was teaching him and William absolutely loved Tom’s thick, British accent.
Slowly, Schofield put the pencil down, looking at his boyfriend. Tom wasn’t wrong, Schofield knew every little detail of Tom. His adorable freckles, that cute, little blemish on his tummy, the soft curves of his thighs. Nevertheless, William could stare at Tom for eternity. He knew that he’d never get sick of Tom’s beautiful, soft face.
“Maybe I’ll just draw you when you’re asleep”, William said. Tom looked so gorgeous and peaceful when he was sleeping, he wanted to draw it down for all eternity to see.
“I’d like that but you better don’t draw me drooling”, Blake answered, eating another grape. Laughing, Schofield got up, walking toward his lover. He pecked a little kiss on Tom’s lips, earning a big smile in return.
“Can you try to sit still for ten more minutes? Afterward we can go eat at Gustav’s so that you won’t have an empty stomach during your shift”, Schofield requested, cupping Tom’s face delicately.
“Just for you, babe”, Tom agreed, swallowing the grape and pressing his lips swiftly on Schofield’s.
Tom still managed to change positions a dozen times during the short time, but Schofield couldn’t be mad. Tom was so alive and present in every moment and William loved him for that.
III
“I think we would have been a great reigning couple”, Tom stated, his fingers intertwined with Schofield’s as they walked through the beautiful gardens of Versailles. It was a beautiful, sunny day and William had decided to take Tom to Versailles to eat a picnic.
“You think so?”, William replied, holding the basket closer to his chest as they walked through a narrow, little path.
“Yeah, remember us in the military? We were a power couple, never messing up”, Tom argued, standing in front of William and waiting for a response. Carefully William touched Blake’s abdomen, raising his eyebrows.
“How sure are we about that?”, he replied and Tom shrugged, pouting adorably.
“Well, except once”, Tom answered, putting the emphasis on the last word. Schofield smiled, kissing Tom’s pout away and pulling him safely into his arms.
William would never forget that terrible day and he was so grateful that he could now laugh about it with Tom. The situation could have ended so differently if those medics wouldn’t have showed up miraculously.
“You’d be in charge anyway. I’d pull a Marie Antoinette and would live in a cute, little farm while you’d do all the work”, Tom steered back to the original conservation, earning a chuckle from Schofield. They started to walk again, soon spotting a beautiful fountain.
“That is not very different to reality”, Schofield laughed, earning a little slap on his arm.
“That isn’t even true! I am the one with a stable job while you are in art school doing God knows what!”, Tom shouted with a grin and Schofield sat down, carefully laying the basket on the grass. Then he took Tom’s hand, pulling him onto his lap.
“That’s correct and I love you for letting me follow my passion”, Schofield answered truthfully, laying his hands on Tom’s waist. Tom smiled, bumping his nose lovingly into Schofield’s.
“Of course. Being someone’s muse is quite flattering”, he giggled and William just stared at him, lovestruck. William Schofield was so heads over heels in love with that boy - every cell of his body was craving Tom constantly.
Delicately William pushed back that one curl on Tom’s forehead. His skin was beautifully sun-kissed, not even the sun could get enough of Tom.
“Actually… you’re not really my muse. Leslie is”, Schofield challenged Tom, giggling loudly as Tom pushed him back that he was laying in the grass.
Tom straddled his waist, pressing a sweet kiss on William’s lips.
“You can lie all you want. I have seen your sketches”, Tom replied an all knowing smile on his lips and William felt his cheeks heat up. There were definitely some drawings he hoped Tom hadn’t seen.
“Only I know the truth”, William replied with a little smirk and Tom rolled his eyes, nuzzling his nose into Schofield’s neck.
Happily, William wrapped his arms around Tom, listening to his steady and strong heartbeat - gaining inspiration from that very moment.
IV
William was looking at Tom, still asleep next to him. It was late in the morning and the sun was already creeping into their little room, shining brightly and highlighting Tom’s hair. Their feet were tangled together and Tom’s head was resting on Will’s numb arm.
Lovingly, Schofield brushed his finger over Tom’s cheek. Blake looked so incredibly peaceful and beautiful, making William nearly feel sick because of all the love he was feeling for Blake.
Carefully, William leaned a little closer, pressing a soft kiss on Tom’s cheek.
“Good morning, blossom”, he said quietly as Tom’s eyes twitched, pressing another kiss on his nose. Tom wiggled a little bit, scooting closer to Schofield, his eyes still closed.
“How did you sleep?”, William asked enamored, carding his fingers through Tom’s chocolate curls.
“Mm. You snore”, Tom replied, earning a little giggle from William. Then Blake slowly opened his eyes, getting accustomed to the brightness of the sun.
“Sorry”, Schofield mumbled, pressing a couple of little kisses on Tom’s lips, waiting for him to wake up completely.
“It’s okay, you sound very cute. Like a kitten”, Blake answered, definitely more awake and rolled on top of William, straddling his waist. Then he nuzzled his nose into Schofield’s neck, his hot breath fanning on him, making William feel dizzy.
Schofield laid his large hands on Tom’s hips. There was a loving smile on Tom’s face, his hands on William’s chest.
“I know a way you could make up for keeping me awake with your snores”, Tom decided, slowly unbuttoning Schofield’s sleeping gown.
“Keeping you awake? You were sleeping like a rock, blossom”, Schofield laughed. Tom just shrugged and Schofield cupped his face, kissing him deeply. Delicately, Tom’s hands started to roam over Will’s body, deepening the kiss.
“I still want my well-deserved reparations”, Tom giggled, quickly taking William’s shirt off and throwing it on the floor. And Schofield didn’t have to be told twice, softly biting into the younger boy’s lower lip, kissing him passionately. He twisted Tom around, laying on top of Tom, holding himself up with his hands so that Tom was caged in between his arms.
Tom’s lips were slightly parted and swollen and William couldn’t help but stop kissing Blake for a moment, taking in the view. His round cheeks were as red as cherries, his pupils were dilated to the point were Schofield couldn’t tell their pretty color anymore, and Tom was fluttering his lashes lovingly at him.
Tom Blake looked absolutely gorgeous and William Schofield knew right there and then, that his drawings would never pay Tom any justice.
“Scho?”, Tom whispered softly after William had stared at him mesmerized for maybe a bit too long, raising his hand to boop Will’s nose.
“Nothing. You’re just…”, the blonde man started, taking Tom’s hand in his and kissing his knuckled devotedly. Tom looked angelic.
“You’re just you, Tom”, he said in awe and Tom smiled his bright smile, knowing that William’s words meant so much more than just that simple statement.
“And I love you”, Tom whispered back, his voice so clear and innocent that William nearly wanted to cry. He didn’t deserve this boy and yet here he was, completely his and that for eternity, William knew that.
“I love you, sweetheart”, he answered softly and Tom’s smile got even brighter, giving William a quick peck on his lips, his hands on Will’s waist.
“Can you show me just how much?”, Tom replied cheekily, wrapping his legs around Will.
Will didn’t have to be asked twice.
V
It was one of those peaceful nights that William Schofield wanted to never end.
His hands were gently cupping Tom’s, attentively listening to a story Tom was telling from his childhood. Music was softly playing, two clear plates in front of them, as well as an empty bottle of red wine.
“Anyways, Joe just ran after Tim and got me my marbles back”, Tom finished his story, William laughing delightfully. Tom had always been the best storyteller, keeping morals high even in the trenches.
“Voulez-vous un dessert?”, the waiter asked, taking away their empty dishes, William quickly translating the sentence in his head. Even Tom seemed to have understood the waiter, his eyes lighting up at the wort “desert”.
“Oui, s’il vous plaît. Une crème brûlée pour mon amour et une salade de fruit pour moi”, William replied, ordering two desserts. Crème brûlée were Tom’s favorite.
“Comme vous le souhaitez”, the waiter said with a kind smile, walking away. Tom pressed William’s hand, looking at him confused.
“What did he say?”, he asked with big eyes and Schofield shrugged, quickly pressing a little kiss on Tom’s hand.
“I don’t know”, he chuckled and Tom giggled, leaning in to Schofield. French was a really hard language to learn, after all.
The music stopped behind them abruptly and Schofield turned around, eyeing an old man who walked into the room. He was carrying an accordion and sat down, giving everyone a little smile. His eyes were sparkling in the light of the candles as he started to play an all too familiar melody.
“Everyone get up and grab your lo’er”, the man spoke with a very strong French accent, pointing to the space next to him.
“This is Paris, ze city of love. De l’amour. Show your love and dansez!”, he added and the people around them started to whisper.
A couple got up and started to dance slowly to the music, the man’s hands on her waist.
“Aren’t the French just delightful”, a very British person said next to Schofield, making him smile. They truly were.
Slowly William got up, holding out his hand to his lover.
“May I have this dance?”, he asked politely and Tom giggled, his cheeks gaining a wonderful, pink color.
“Of course”, he answered flustered, laying his soft hand into Will’s and Will immediately pulled him into his arms. Everyone else around them was slowly getting up, moving their body to the calm music.
Tom wrapped his hands around Schofield’s neck, laying his head against his chest. William’s hands were on Tom’s waist, holding him close to himself.
“Quand il me prend dans ses bras, Il me parle tout bas, Je vois la vie en rose” the man sang behind them and William rested his head on Tom’s, pressing a kiss on the crown of his head.
“If I was any good at words, I would have written that song about you”, Tom smiled, lovingly gazing up to William. They were slowly swaying to the music in their own perfectly rose bubble.
William cupped Blake’s face, pressing a soft kiss on his youthful cheeks.
“I love this”, Tom said after a little while, his eyes wandering over the people and then back to Schofield. Tom had a way of looking at William as he was the only thing in the whole, wide world worth paying attention to that made William feel warm inside.
“You, me, Paris… That’s the dream, right?”, he giggled, his blue eyes twinkling.
“You and I anywhere is the dream”, William replied and Tom smiled happily, nuzzling his face into Will’s neck. Schofield absolutely adored the warmth of Tom’s lips on his skin.
"Although I prefer Paris to the trenches”, he joked and Tom giggled again, clearly a little bit tipsy from the tasty red wine. William decided to hold his boyfriend closer to himself to make sure he wouldn’t trip.
“I just never want this to end”, he whispered to himself but Tom heard in, nodding frantically.
“It won’t because -“, but Tom’s declaration of love was cut short as he spotted the waiter with two dishes.
“Is that my crème brûlée?”, he exclaimed instead, turning around swiftly that William quickly grabbed his hand to keep him from falling over.
“I think it is”, he laughed, following Tom to the table. The boy happily picked up his spoon, eating his cream quickly.
William just sat next to him, his dish untouched and stared at his lover.
He loved Tom so much.
V + I
And another egg. Carefully, Blake cracked the egg letting the yolk fall it into the large bowl. He was biting his lips as he always did when he was concentrated, his eyes flickering from the bowl to the handwritten recipe. Blake always had had a hard time reading his mom’s handwriting, but today was a special day and he wanted to surprise his lover.
It had been exactly a year since they had moved into their new little place in Paris. One year since they left the terrible war behind, focusing instead on themselves.
Of course, it hadn’t been easy to adapt to the real world. Nightmares woke them up more often than not and Tom was constantly reminded of the war when he felt a strong, pinching pain in his abdomen.
But next to the past that they couldn’t shake away no matter how hard they tried, Tom had the impression of living in his dream world. He worked in a cute, little bakery down the street and got to go home to the love of his life every day.
Carefully, Tom started to whisk the eggs and the sugar until the mixture was light and fluffy. He whisked the mixture to the rhythm of the French song on the radio. It was a love ballad and Tom turned around his own axis to the song, the bowl still in his hands.
“What are you doing?”, Tom heard his lover’s voice out of nowhere, turning around and nearly dropping the bowl in the process.
“You’re home early!”, he exclaimed and William laughed, carefully placing the bowl on the table. He cupped Tom’s face delicately, pressing a tender kiss on his lips.
*Yes, I am. Today is a special day”, he smiled and Tom nodded.
“You’ve had the chance to live with the best person in the whole world for one year”, he answered, winking at Will. He meant it as a joke, but by the look on Will’s face, Tom could tell that he believed it to be the truth and it made his heart skip a beat.
“I brought you a present. To celebrate”, he explained and Tom’s eyes lit up but quickly dimmed again as he looked at the bowl next to him. His present was far from finished.
“But I need to finish my pie first”, Tom complained and Will laughed, walking to the fridge.
“Alright, blossom, but I hope you don’t mind me opening the champagne”, he answered and Tom’s heart fluttered at the use of `blossom`, quickly walking back to the bowl. Tom quickly spread the pie crust in his pie dish. Then he grabbed the cherries that were marinating in a sugary solution, carefully pouring them into the pan. Some fell on the table, that Tom quickly grabbed them, getting his hands all sticky.
“Here, mon amour”, William said, standing in front of Tom with two flutes, filled up to the top. Tom slowly bit into his lips, looking at his sticky hands.
“Can you just hold it?”, he asked sweetly and Will laughed, holding up both glasses.
“To Tom, the love of my life and best roommate I could have asked for”, he said and clinked the two glasses against one another. Tom snorted at the use of `roommate` but decided to say some sweet words to his beloved.
“And to William, the hottest soldier in the 8th that I have no idea how I managed to make fall in love with me”, Blake said with a little grin, hearing Schofield’s melodic laugh.
“You know bloody well how you managed it. With those innocent, big eyes and loving gazes and by inappropriately touching me when other’s were around”, Will laughed and Tom thought about the memory fondly. Schofield had always been too irresistible for Tom to just stand next to him when he could just as well hold his hand or squeeze his bum.
“You liked it”, he answered and Will took a quick sip, walking closer towards Tom.
“Of course I did. You would have never done it otherwise”, Will said softly, holding the glass to Tom’s lips that he could take a sip. That was true, Tom would never do something William didn’t want him to do.
“Now let me finish the pie. Go wait for me in the living room”, he said, brushing William away and turning back to his cherries.
“Blossom, this is the living room”, Will chuckled behind him and Tom giggled, often forgetting how small their apartment was.
“Okay, but just move away. I need to focus”, he answered instead, cutting out stripes of crust to create his lattice.
As soon as he was done, Tom put the pie into the oven, looking at the clock. Then he washed his hand and walked over to William, sitting down on his lap.
William put his flute on the table, peppering little kisses all over Tom’s face.
“Are you ready for my present?”, he asked and Tom nodded excitedly as William got a big present out from behind the sofa. Delicately, Tom opened the paper, careful not to rip it and discovered a canvas. A little note was on it:
For my little blossom, you make my life better than I imagined in my wildest dreams. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you by my side (and maybe a puppy if we move into a bigger apartment or to the French countryside as we talked about) xx Scho
“Thank you”, he said lovingly and Will rolled his eyes.
“Babe, you have to turn the canvas around. I didn’t just gift you a blank nothing”, he laughed and Tom’s cheeks gained a pink color, quickly turning the canvas around.
The picture took his breath away. It was him, sleeping in an ocean of blossoms. The tones of the pictures were soft and pastel and Tom carefully brushed his fingers over the painting.
“It’s gorgeous”, Tom said, starring at the picture, noticing all the little details: his freckles, the golden specs in his eyes…
“I even drew a couple Fleur de Lis, since you wanted to be a little prince”, William explained pointing at some faintly drawn lilies. The Fleur de Lis was the symbol of the French monarchy, making Tom giggle lightly.
“I love it so much”, Tom said and stared at it again, looking up to his lover.
“You better. I got an A for this”, William laughed, pressing a kiss on Tom’s forehead. Carefully William took the painting out of Tom’s hand, placing it away.
“And I love you. So much”, Tom said, all the emotions falling over him. He loved Schofield so much that he sometimes felt like he would happily explode from all the love he was feeling. Will smiled lovingly, cupping Tom’s face as if it were a rare piece of art.
“I know. And I do too”, he replied softly, kissing Tom deeply. The younger boy quickly kissed Will back, leaning his hands against his chest and smiling into the kiss. Their lips fit together perfectly - they were made for each other, after all. Tom was sure of that.
But Tom quickly separated his lips from Schofield’s, looking at the clock.
“My pie!”, he exclaimed, getting up quickly to run to the oven, hearing William whine disappointedly in the back.
“You can kiss me later, Scho. We have the rest of our lives together”, Tom laughed, taking out the golden pie and thinking about his words.
They really had the rest of their lives together and nothing made Tom happier than knowing that.