Again, working on my table . . . This was for the prompt "mute". I don't own anything.
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Jack was trying to make his way quietly from the kitchens to the back gardens of the Baskerville estate. Normally he wouldn't mind chatting it up with several servants along the way, but today he was only determined to get from Point A to Point B. He only made it halfway there.
"What are you doing here again, Jack?" Lotti huffed down the hallway towards him, annoyed that he was once again seemingly wandering about her house.
Jack put up his hands like he had been caught, but also to show that he was harmless. Wearing a bright smile, he said nothing.
"What's this? Cat got your tongue?" She stopped in front of him, standing proud, a look of annoyance on her face.
Jack shook his head, stopped suddenly, and then nodded his head.
"What? What's that supposed to mean? I'm not here to play games with you, Jack Vessalius." Lotti pointed at him as though she were calling his bluff. She jumped when she felt a strong hand on her shoulder.
"You lost your voice?" It was cool and deep, and she recognized it instantly, blushing as she looked up to see Glenn over her.
Jack pointed at Glenn, smiling widely and nodding.
Glenn let go of Lotti and she relaxed but only slightly; it was impossible to entirely relax when Glenn was around.
Glenn put his hand to Jack's forehead, "Are you sick?"
Jack looked up to him and shrugged, uninterested as to whether he was or wasn't. He didn't feel sick, and as long as he didn't have to stay in bed he was fine.
Glenn was not amused, "You don't know." He let out a "what am I going to do with you" sigh, and removed his hand. "You aren't running a fever."
Lotti watched as all of this went on, feeling like she was viewing some sort of intimate moment that entirely rejected her presence. She hated this feeling. She was always on the outside looking in with these two. She couldn't understand what Glenn saw in Jack. They were clearly the most unlikely couple.
"Do you need me to get medicine or anything, Master Glenn?" She noticed how much her tone of voice had changed. She went from sounding like a lion to squeaking like a mouse.
Jack shook his had quickly and waved his hands about in the air in a criss-cross fashion.
"No, Charlotte, it's fine." He all but waved her off with his words.
"I understand." She walked past them. Before she left Jack tugged on her skirts as she walked by. She turned quickly, nearly hitting him, but remembered herself and gained composure. He waved goodbye sheepishly, mouthing the words "See you, Lotti."
She would have said any number of things but instead she only made the slightest of curtsies, "Master Glenn. Master Jack." She stole a glance in Glenn's direction, happy for the momentary eye contact. That small moment would likely be enough for her to get through her day in an at least somewhat more pleasant mood. Most days she didn't even see Glenn throughout the estate, and he lived here. She felt jealous of Jack, knowing that he likely saw Glenn even more than someone who actually lived with him.
Glenn took Jack's hand in his and began to lead him throughout the mansion. After going down several hallways and up two flights of stairs Jack finally tugged on his sleeve, meeting Glenn's empty eyes with a questioning look.
"Just follow me."
The blonde pouted. He had been following him, and for quite some time now. After a few more hallways Glenn opened a pair of tall double doors.
Jack blinked several times as he entered, the light from the tall and large windows across the room blinding him somewhat. Glenn let go of his hand and began to close the curtains on the sun, leaving the room almost dark despite it being just after noon.
Jack looked about the large room and finally registered what it was. He looked at Glenn a little wide-eyed.
"Yes, my bedroom. Come here." It was convenient that Glenn could just read his expressions so easily. The Vessalius followed the Baskerville into a connecting room that already had the curtains drawn. Jack could barely see and stopped once he hit a large chair. He felt Glenn's hands in his and he latched on and followed, completely trusting his friend to get him to where they were going. Dark shapes about the room became a large bookshelf, several chairs and a table, and finally a grand piano. The outlines were there, but other than that, he felt lost.
Glenn led him to the piano and they both sat down. For some reason Jack felt nervous in the back of his mind. With only this amount of light, Glenn wouldn't be able to read his expression. They both sat there for a minute. He couldn't ask what Glenn wanted to play, or if he should play something for him, or anything. He remained still as he felt Glenn moving beside him. Suddenly he felt Glenn's hand on the side of his face, his bare fingertips moving the blonde strands away from his ear. He felt his friend's breath on his ear, "Play with me, Jack." It was a whisper.
The mute couldn't tell why Glenn was whispering. There was certainly no one else around to hear. He also couldn't understand why Glenn had to say it like that. It was giving him goose bumps.
Glenn began a simple melody, one used for warm-ups, and Jack joined in, playing in another scale. Glenn eased the tune into something more complicated and Jack mimicked the intensity. Then, the Baskerville started into a piece he had composed himself, therefore one that both he and Jack knew well. Jack played the accompaniment and Glenn stuck to the melody, but he began to change things around some what, adding and leaving out notes here and there, challenging Jack to keep up. He wanted to protest, to tell Glenn to slow down a bit, and that was when he realized Glenn had decided now of all times to do this. The blonde blushed a little in the dark wondering if he talked too much. Jack found himself concentrating as hard as he could. Glenn was certainly the more skilled pianist, and Jack was beginning to find it harder to keep up. Soon Glenn was playing a new piece altogether, entirely from improvisation, really challenging Jack to keep up the rhythm and tone of the new piece. The blonde focused on the music's melody. It was dark yet passionate, and thick with complexities. He found his notes as if Glenn were playing them himself. Together they created a new composition.
Glenn finally began to slow the song to a stop, Jack hitting the last note to end the piece. He realized then that he was breathing rather heavily, his heart racing. Had he been concentrating so hard, so enveloped in the music that he had forgotten to breathe?
He wanted to tell Glenn how amazing that was, how much he'd enjoyed it, and how impressive the piano's sound was, but he opened his mouth only to remember he could do none of these things. He was about to lean on his friend's shoulder to catch his breath when he felt lips on his. He didn't respond, too shocked to even process what was happening. Glenn pulled away and smiled, but it was too dark for Jack to see.
"Now, you can't even protest even if you wanted to." There was a tone in Glenn's voice Jack had never heard before, and it sounded mischievous and sexy. He felt dizzy. This was really happening. It wasn't that Jack had wanted to protest, it was that he was just too shocked to respond. Glenn had just kissed him, and he found himself hoping it would happen again.
It did. This time the Vessalius responded eagerly, and opened his mouth invitingly. Glenn's tongue took the invitation, massaging Jack's tongue with his own before reaching back further into his mouth. A faint noise escaped him as Glenn deepened the kiss, but no other sound made it out.
Glenn came back, saliva on their lips leftover from their hungry kiss. "No objections then?" He almost sounded disappointed, but there was a hint of relief underlying his words as well. The ebony haired man sunk his fingers into blonde hair, the other hand wrapping around the smaller man's back. Jack closed his eyes ready and waiting for a third kiss but nothing came. He was startled when he felt Glenn move, sliding him off the piano bench. Jack fumbled slightly to his feet as Glenn led him back into his bedroom leaning him up against his bed, pressing his body into his.
Jack was shocked. He never expected this. Was he really so naïve to not even notice that his best friend's feelings ran deeper than he thought? Though it was still some-what dark, he was sure the other man could make out his expression.
Glenn let his jacket slide off his shoulders and arms and then leaned in to whisper into the blonde's ear now pinned against the bed by Glenn's body. Jack felt himself leaning back further as Glenn got closer to him. "Are you really so naïve, Jack?" Glenn bit down on Jack's ear causing an inaudible gasp from Jack who was now squeezing his eyes shut.
Glenn pulled away and Jack felt Glenn's left hand go behind his back and his right to his ass. He hoisted Jack up onto the bed, straddling him as if to pin him down in place.
All of this was too fast and too stimulating. Jack gave up on trying to catch his breath and continued to breathe heavily, Glenn now on top of him. Glenn traced Jack's face with his finger. Jack looked up to see an empty face above him. When their eyes met, he realized he was wrong. Glenn's face wasn't empty. Everything that was going on behind those eyes was deep and desirous. Jack mouthed his friend's name without realizing it.
Glenn smiled softly. It was almost not present at all, only evident to those that knew the usual face he wore. Jack's heart rate sped up even faster.
"Surely you know . . . we were meant to know one another." He leaned down and kissed Jack again, softly this time. He wanted Jack to understand, and he wanted him to want him. While he was willing to take Jack even without his consent, he knew the experience would be so much more if he was met halfway. He knew that Jack would be the one to know him completely. The problem was Jack didn't know it yet.
Again he whispered down to him, planting open mouthed kisses from his temple to his cheek, his jawbone, and his neck. "I've finally . . . found you . . . my other half."
Jack felt himself losing control, like a spell had been cast upon him, and he had no choice but to want the man on top of him down to every cell of his being, like he had been made only to be service to him. Jack again silently spoke his name. He sunk his hands into Glenn's black hair, feeling how smooth it was between his fingers. He wanted to say so many things, but the words could not come out.
A knock at the door stopped the trail of kisses down Jack's neck, and Glenn sighed, annoyed.
He dismounted his friend and walked over to the door as Jack sat up, visibly shaken, still craving an even greater closeness with his friend.
Glenn opened the door to see a nameless maid standing there. She spoke simply, without a hint of personality, "There are some rather insistent visitors here to see Master Jack Vessalius. They are claiming he is with you. I can-"
Jack appeared next to Glenn in the doorway, much to Glenn's disappointment.
"Ah-here they are Master Vessalius." She moved out of the way to reveal two small boys, one holding a small bottle, and the other only holding the first one's hand.
Gilbert lifted the bottle up between himself and his master, "You forgot this, Master. Your voice will be lost forever if you don't take your medicine." He seemed genuinely worried. Jack smiled and took the bottle, ruffling Gilbert's wavy hair.
Glenn corrected the small boy, now seeing no way out of their presence, meaning that resuming what he and his friend had been doing before their arrival was now out of the question. "It won't be gone forever, Gilbert. The medicine just makes it come back faster."
Gilbert nodded, enlightened.
Jack opened his pocket watch to reveal the time, "Lacie" floating in the air around them.
Glenn looked from the watch to Jack. Jack smiled widely, showing the boys as well.
"It's tea time!" Vincent smiled, excited.
The nameless servant spoke again, "Afternoon tea is ready on the west garden patio. We were uncertain as to whether you would be attending or not, Master Glenn, but we went ahead and prepared it in case.
Glenn nodded without looking at her. Jack slapped his hands together over-exaggerating his excitement. He smiled at Glenn, and left to retrieve his friend's jacket from the floor. Halfway back to the now closed door he looked up to see Glenn blocking his way. Glenn touched Jack's cheek with the back of his hand, and Jack sunk into the touch blushing slightly, and staring into Glenn's eyes all the while.
"We'll finish this another time, Jack. Until then . . ." the Baskerville leaned in and kissed his friend once more with a love Jack was again surprised by. He pulled away. "You looking at me like that makes it harder not to take you now." If it was meant as a jest, it sounded more like a threat, but whatever the intent, it only made Jack blush harder.
Glenn turned away to join the others in the hallway, Jack following close behind him. Perhaps not having a voice was something Jack needed. At least now he had finally heard and listened to Glenn . . . his other half.
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Thanks for reading. Please review if you can.