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The night air felt cold as it slipped through the chink in the window, open just enough so that Arthur could feel the cool sensation over his fingertips. A wedding night should be capped with the consummation of the newly wed couple’s marriage in bed, however this husband stood alone in a guest bedroom. The noise, the merriment, the expectations of a husband grew all too much for this man to handle. Give me peace, he thought.
A quiet creak of the door hinge punctuated the silence, Arthur spinning around in fright only to meet the eyes of his younger brother Edward. Despite being taller, Edward seemed to look up at Arthur from across the room, a smallness enveloping him as he held himself like a field mouse tentatively approaching a barnyard cat.
‘Ah, as I thought, you slipped away to a bedroom,’ said Edward softly, care in his voice.
Edward always held himself and spoke in a manner which many found proper, yet cold–as if he were approaching conversations like they were business meetings. Knowing him all his life, Arthur could see that behind the rigid posture, Edward was a timid man who often found difficulty with emotional connections. Edward found comfort in planning and execution, not situations he could not see the end solution for. Arthur found the social flailing endearing, especially when it meant he could step in to help his brother during a failing conversation. He hoped Edward found him useful for it.
‘I fear my mask was beginning to somewhat slip. I would hate to find myself in tomorrow’s penny newspaper after only a few hours of marriage.’ Arthur smiled weakly before turning back to look out the window. While Olivia was a joy and a beauty, the lingering thought of the inescapable lie of their new life together pulled Arthur’s thoughts away to a dark place, his perfected smile slipping and his temper shortening.
While Arthur might not consider himself one, years of hiding his true self from society had trained him into a skilled thespian. It should have been no surprise to anyone that a life in politics would suit him so well. There was however a limit to his acting ability, as tiredness brought uncouth behaviour, which in turn brought whispers. Whispers always seemed to find their way to causing trouble for Arthur, so better to remove himself from prying eyes before trouble followed.
Edward walked closer, footsteps gentle, until he was standing behind his brother. ‘When our eyes met earlier, I could see you were not well. I understand–’ Edward said before being suddenly cut off by Arthur’s strained laugh.
‘Understand? You could not possibly understand how I am feeling,’ Arthur said in a voice lacking both bite and energy, before sighing and turning towards his brother again. ‘Sorry… sorry Edward. I am not well, I may never have been well.’
Sympathetic eyes watched as Arthur approached the grand guest bed where he sat down, collapsing into the soft woolen sheets. He sighed as he removed his shoes and jacket, then loosened his shirt collar. Closing his eyes and feeling a laxness in his body, Arthur spread his arms wide and fell backwards, the expensive bedding welcoming him.
‘I have been thinking, for how long I am unsure,’ Edward paused slightly as he brushed a hand over the windowsill and felt the cool night air on his skin, ‘that I have had a hand to play in your unhappiness. We all have our roles we must abide by… but I had Anne create a list of women that hastened this particular unhappiness. I thought of the company first and I hate myself for this.’
Arthur chuckled from behind Edward, his voice a droll. ‘Edward, please, if anything you are the only comfort I have left in this world. It is not your fault you must mind both me and the company. This was a smart decision, very pragmatic. If my life were to be any other way it would be to my detriment.’
Hearing this from his brother sent what felt like a shard of ice straight into his heart. Arthur must think that Edward cannot understand what his brother desires, that wishing for someone you love to share your life with is too difficult a concept for Edward. Edward moved towards the bed with a definite urgency, towering over his brother who still had his legs dangling off of the edge.
‘No, Arthur, I must apologise. I must–’
‘Bah, you must do as I say. I am your older brother and it is my wedding night!’ Arthur propped himself up on his elbows and smiled with a wicked charm, ‘I feel that you must stay with me until I am well once again.’
A small worry furrowed Edward’s brow as Arthur pulled himself fully onto the bed, shifting over to allow ample space for someone to join him.
‘Lay with me a while, won't you Edward?’ Arthur turned to look at Edward as he patted the area of the bed he expected his brother to occupy. ‘How many years has it been since we last shared a bed? It is something I often think back on and miss, especially so when I was in London and had not seen you in an age.’
Edward thought back to their younger years, the times he would lay close to his older brother under the quilts and drift off into deep and restful sleep. Sometimes their father had been in a foul mood and had not had patience with his sons, or a friend had teased until tears were shed. In these times, Arthur cradled Edward–who at this time still fit snugly under Edward’s chin–then spoke of trivial nonsense that made Edward laugh or scoff or simply hum in contentment. While the Guinness siblings could fight and bicker like any other family, in these moments the brothers simply let themselves feel the warmth radiate between themselves, listening to their combined heartbeats that told them of the unspoken love they had and would always have.
A smile crept onto Edward’s face as he began to remove his jacket, placing it neatly on a nearby chair. Noticing Arthur’s crumpled jacket discarded on the floor, Edward swiftly folded it and placed it atop his own before removing his shoes.
‘Am I to take the place of Lady Olivia this night? Unfortunate that I am far less comfortable to hold, I'm sure.’ Edward clambered onto the bed, turning to lay facing his brother as his brother did the same.
‘There are many parts of a man that are comfortable to hold. In addition, the joy of this shared form is knowing instinctively where and how a man can be made comfortable with the lightest of touches.’ With the last few words, Arthur lightly tapped the end of Edward’s nose, drawing out a wide smile from the younger brother, a smile which spread to Arthur. ‘Ah, there it is. How I’ve missed your smile.’
‘As I have missed yours,” Edward’s eyes flitted upwards, “although that moustache somewhat overpowers it. Must you really keep that?’
Arthur’s smile grew wider as he suddenly jumped on top of Edward, resting his elbows either side of his brother’s body as he lowered himself down to nuzzle Edward’s neck. The scratchy sensation of Arthur’s moustache hair quickly became ticklish to Edward, causing him to writhe and giggle like he were a young boy again. The more Edward tried to squirm away, the more Arthur would lower himself down to trap him in place.
Pulling away slightly, Arthur looked down at his brother with eyes overflowing with fondness. ‘I keep my moustache only to torment you, Edward. One of many acts I do only for you.’
Catching his breath, Edward met Arthur’s eyes and let contentment wash over his face. ‘Only for me?’ Edward uttered to which Arthur replied with a satisfied hum.
I love him so much, both brothers thought in unison. I have missed him so much.
Lifting his hand up towards Arthur’s face, with a gentleness sweeter than honey, Edward cupped Arthur’s jaw and began to stroke Arthur’s cheek with the pad of his thumb. Then, as Arthur noticed Edward’s eyes looking ever so slightly downwards, he felt the achingly soft sensation of Edward’s thumb running across his lips.
As if struck by lighting, a jolt ran through Arthur, eyes widening and breath hitching at the sudden tender touch. This was not something Edward had ever done before, with Arthur rapidly trying to reason that the pooling of heat he felt below his waist was simply due to nerves, stress, loneliness–anything to distract him from his sudden desire to kiss Edward.
Edward’s lips parted, briefly silent before the quietest of sounds escaped through the faintest of grins. ‘...the lightest of touches indeed.’
Slowly, guided by his brother’s hand, Arthur lowered himself down to connect his lips with Edward’s. It was chaste, the type of kiss given when the giver is scared that the receiver might be startled and run away. Tentatively, the older brother moved his lips more, testing the boundaries of this interaction. In response, Edward welcomed him, opening up until the warmth and wetness of their tongues connected.
A low moan left Arthur’s throat, to be caught in Edward’s mouth, brought forth by the sensation of Edward’s leg grinding up against Arthur’s cock. Desperate to chase that maddening feeling, Arthur began to slowly thrust down against Edward, an action that brought Edward’s own hardness to Arthur’s attention. The knowledge that Edward was also feeling this heated desire, that his body yearned for the same touch that Arthur’s did, spurred him on. Edward let out small moans of pleasure to match Arthur’s as he bucked upwards to find his own relief.
The brothers continued to kiss and grind together with a pointed neediness until Arthur felt the gentle push of Edward’s hands on his shoulders. Suddenly hit with fear that Edward wanted to stop–for reasons that might deeply hurt Arthur’s heart–Arthur quickly pulled back and stared down at his brother. Edward had his eyes closed, lips glistening in the night’s blueish light, a quickened breath escaping from his mouth.
‘Gods, Edward, I am so–’ Arthur’s eyes were wide with panic as he stuttered an apology, quickly trying to repair what he thought was broken.
‘Ah thank goodness, I thought I was about to suffocate!’ Edward breathily laughed before looking up at his brother. ‘I tried to match your pace, but I fear I may be less practiced than you at this particular task.’
As the realisation set in for Edward that his brother simply required air, he was completely overcome with relief. For a brief moment, images flashed through Arthur’s mind of Edward pushing him away, fear and disgust on his face, words such as vile and how could you falling from his lips like scalding hot water. Smiling with the knowledge he still had Edward, Arthur lowered himself down, resting his head on Edward’s chest.
Puzzled slightly by his brother’s behaviour, Edward lovingly stroked the back of Arthur’s head, trying to position himself so that his noticeable hardness was in a more comfortable position.
‘Arthur, are you all right? I do not mean to press you, however we both seem to have unfinished business below our waists,’ Edward said jokingly, only to become worried when Arthur gave no reply.
Clinging close to him, Arthur quietly said, ‘I thought I had lost you, dear Edward. For a brief moment, I thought you no longer wanted me.’
‘Not want you? Arthur, as much as you sometimes try my patience, we are and will always be bound together. Father has made sure of this with his will, and even if he had not, I would make sure of it.’
A moment passed, Arthur simply content listening to Edward’s heartbeat as he felt Edward’s hand on the back of his head. Eventually, he sat upright so that he could look down at Edward’s face, careful not to place too much weight on him, as with his next question he desired to see Edward’s reaction.
‘What we just did, the kiss, the… excitement between us just now–dear brother, what am I to make of it? When you said you were to take Olivia’s place, did you come to me with those intentions?’
‘Intentions?’ Edward said in a slightly offended tone, ‘as I said before, I came to you because I was worried for you. As to how we came to be in this position… I will need to think on it.’
Arthur’s eyebrows shot upwards. ‘Think on it? For how long? I may perish from anxiousness during the wait!’ Arthur pleaded, desperate to hear Edward’s feelings so that he may understand his own.
Edward paused, clearly trying to carefully piece together a response. His brows furrowed once again in the way that Arthur found endearing.
‘It is hard for me to put into words exactly how I felt, but in that moment when I looked up at you, I thought of all your previous and future, eh, suitors, and how none of them could possibly share even an ounce of the love that I have for you.’ Edward went quiet for a moment, eyes looking away from Arthur before looking back up with decided determination. ‘I wanted you to have a kiss from someone that truly loved you.’
Arthur looked as if he were about to cry, his heart about to burst through his chest. Unusual for the man, he was stunned into silence. Edward perhaps did not notice the full effect he had on his brother, as he continued on.
‘Although, that moustache of yours seemed to be kissing me more than yourself. And as for our physical reactions, it is completely natural for a male to–’ Edward is cut off with a kiss.
Arthur had not thought it possible, but he kissed someone that he loved on his wedding day.