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Thomas stood near the door, waiting patiently for James to arrive. It had been a while since they had seen each other. They’d been busy with work, with life, with…. Everything. And Thomas missed his lover dearly.
He wanted to hold the other man, to kiss him, to touch him all in the ways he couldn’t in public because of the way their society viewed certain relationships.
The knock finally came, and Thomas immediately opened the door. “Jemmy, you made it. It’s good to see you.” he said with a grin.
James gave him a small smile as he stepped into the house. He had felt lonely in the days since he had last seen Thomas. If it weren’t for the strict standards they had to hold themselves to to make sure they were seen as only friends and political allies, he would have hugged Thomas as soon as that door opened.
But those standards - unfortunately- existed. They had to wait until they were alone, until it was just them.
“It’s good to see you too, Thomas.” he replied. A small, more-than-platonic look passed between them, but it didn’t stay long.
They headed to the dining room to eat dinner, and the meal went by quite quickly. The two men wanted to get to a place where no eyes would be on them, where they could drop their masks entirely.
Once they finally finished, they eagerly went to the guest room that James stayed in during his visits to the mansion. The door closed and locked behind them, and the two embraced, holding onto each other with all the love and affection in the world.
Thomas kissed James’s forehead, burying his face in James’s hair. “I missed you so much…..” he murmured. James rested his head against Thomas’s shoulder as he felt his heart flutter in relief and happiness. “I missed you too…..” he whispered.
He leaned in to kiss Thomas, and Thomas didn’t hesitate to close the gap. It had been too long since they had been able to do this. It slowly deepened over time, and even if it never went too far, the passion was still there.
They eventually pulled apart, and Thomas rested his forehead against James’s as his heart fluttered happily in his chest. “How about we snuggle for a bit?” he suggested.
James nodded. Why would he refuse? “I like the sound of that.” he replied. He slipped off his shoes and laid down, and Thomas followed suit.
Thomas pulled James close to him, letting one of his legs hook around the shorter man’s own. James buried his face in Thomas’s chest as his fingers started to card through the taller man’s curls. One of Thomas’s hands ran from the crown of James’s head to the base of his neck, before starting at the top again.
They both felt so warm, so safe, so alive…..
It was a shame they could only do this without anyone else around.
“I wish I could always hold you like this…..” Thomas said softly. James let out a quiet sigh, resting his ear over Thomas’s heart. “Me too…. I wish we could just love each other without having to worry about the risk…” he replied, his hands slowing their movements just slightly.
Thomas rested his chin on top of James’s head, holding the other just a little tighter. When he became president in a few years or so, he wanted his first order to be to remove every punishment he and James could face for this. But most of the hatred towards homosexuality came from a place of faith and religion, and he doubted that a few changes in law would keep particularly ‘passionate’ followers from committing acts of violence against people with same-sex attraction.
“Yeah…..” He pulled back to look at James, continuing to gently stroke his hair. “But…. It’s not all bad. I mean, we still get to have these moments together, and I guess that’s something.”
James nodded, knowing that Thomas was right. He supposed it could be worse. They might as well focus on the positives. “I guess you’re right……” he said, pressing a gentle kiss to Thomas’s skin. He gave the other man a small, grateful smile. “I’m so glad I have you here with me……” Thomas leaned into James’s touch as he sighed happily. “So am I….. More than anything.”
They stayed there in James’s bed, holding each other like the world outside didn’t exist, until they fell asleep in each other’s arms. In that room, they could take their masks off. They were safe, even if it was only for a little while.
The End