::Disclaimer: Gorgeous Carat belongs to Higuri You.::
Note: Written for Arwensong's birthday. Posted with her kind permission.
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"Just open the damned package!" Ray threw himself into his usual chair and bit down on his cigar in frustration. Why did Florian have to make everything so complicated?
"But it's not my birthday." Florian was eying the small, rectangular box warily. "And it's nowhere near a holiday. So why┘" He looked up at Ray and his eyes widened even as a faint blush spread across his face.
"Oh."
"Oh indeed." Ray countered, but his expression had lightened. "Now will you open your present?"
"Maybe." Florian waited for his answer to be heard and for Ray's expression to change before flashing a brilliant, delighted smile at his love. "Perhaps we should retire to our bedroom first."
"Lech. It's not that kind of present." Ray rose swiftly, losing none of his grace as he closed the distance between himself and his lover.
"I thought you were intent on proving that anything can be erotic in the right context?" Florian blushed a lovely rose tint and looked down as he added. "I'll never look at a serving spoon in quite the same way. Or an ashtray." He let his head move into Ray's touch,
luxuriating in the feel of Ray's fingers in his hair. "In fact"
Florian said a bit breathlessly as Ray's other hand began teasing open the buttons of Florian's fine shirt, "there's not much left in this house that you haven't subverted just to drive me mad."
"Such delightful madness it is, too; the way your eyes darken and your skin flushes so beautifully." Ray stepped back and reached for Florian, pulling the slighter body up and against his own. "Perhaps you should open your gift upstairs."
"Splendid idea as usual." Florian picked up the box, just barely resisting the urge to shake it. Living with Ray required a great deal of patience so Florian practiced whenever he could. After all, it was Ray who introduced him to the pleasures of delaying gratification. Not that Ray was a good model, Florian mused as Ray stopped them in the hallway, pressing Florian against the wall and gifting him with a very passionate kiss.
"We should move our bedroom downstairs," Ray grumbled as they hurried through the large mansion towards their suite on the second floor.
"Think of all the time we'd save." He grinned before adding, "and what we could be doing with all that extra time."
"Think of the servants wandering past our room all the time. We're the subject of enough gossip."
"We could convert all the rooms off the east hall. We'd have an enormous suite and they'd have no reason to wander past unless it was to clean the rooms while we were out."
"You're not taking my morning room. Besides, the gardeners could look right in." Florian opened the door to their suite and gasped as Ray swept him up into his arms. Quickly relaxing in the familiar embrace,
Florian held on tight and prepared for the usual drop onto the mattress. This time he didn't let go, pulling Ray down with him. He settled happily into the soft bedding, enjoying the weight of Ray's body on his own. He'd never have enough of that feeling.
"You really aren't going to open the present now." There was more than a hint of teasing in Ray's voice. He slid off Florian and dropped onto the bed beside him, waiting.
"You're very distracting," Florian reminded him.
"So you've said. Now open your anniversary present so I can do wicked things to you."
"As if you need a present as an excuse for that. And it's not our anniversary." Florian sat up and began carefully opening the heavy silver paper.
"It is. It was three years ago to the day that I bought you." Ray rested on his side, his head propped on one hand. His other hand was tracing idle patterns on Florian's leg.
"I'm not sure that qualifies as an anniversary." Florian spared him an arch look before setting the wrapping paper carefully aside and studying the nondescript box and its contents. He'd expected an extravagant jewel, instead there was only a piece of stone. He blinked at it in confusion. "I don't understand."
"You don't like it when I give you jewels," Ray reminded him. "You've already got a closet full of fine clothes."
"Yes, and I don't care for bric-a-brac. But I'm sure I never mentioned a fondness for pebbles."
"Not a pebble." Ray sat up and slid over to sit beside Florian so they could both look at the small, plain gray stone. "Rubble."
"You're giving me rubble?" Florian asked, thoroughly confused. He turned to look into Ray's eyes and was surprised to find a bit of uncertainty there. "Ray┘ where did this come from?"
"The Rochefort ancestral castle. I wanted to buy it for you, but some distant branch of the family had already claimed it and they refused to sell." Ray leaned in towards Florian, almost whispering. "I wanted you to have it something of your heritage, but this was the best I could do."
"It's perfect. Thank you." Florian set the box aside and drew Ray into a tender kiss. He focused entirely on expressing his love and gratitude for his beloved Ray. He had no need of things or places that tied him to an ancient past. What he had was real and vibrant and so wondrously alive. What more could anyone want?
They made love long into the night, the small gray stone and a fist-sized diamond sitting side-by-side on the nightstand. When he finally reached over to turn out the light, Florian barely noticed the diamond, but the gray stone made him smile.
::end::