Disclaimer: I do not presume to own Downton Abbey or Lana Del Rey's assorted works by writing this fanfic.
AN: A few of us were having a conversion on Tumblr about Lana Del Rey's song "Burning Desire" and how it applied to our ship. It was decided that we desperately needed a Mary x Tom modern AU based on it, and as the designated fic writer, I got that job (and I'm the still-kinda-sick one!). (I don't mind that much though.) I hope you enjoy it!
It was a late Saturday night and Mary had just returned to her apartment overlooking the shore. While she loved her trips into the city, it was so good just to be home, where everything was as it should be. Pulling on a silky, off-white robe, she settled tiredly down onto her sofa with a glass of red wine in hand and vanilla scented candles burning in an array around her. She tapped out a text before lying back with a contented sigh.
"Home now. Alone. Want you."
Tom was in the middle of his article for Monday's paper when his phone went off unexpectedly. He unlocked it with a flip of his fingers, eyes only leaving his partially-completed document to read the text he had received. A smile pulled at the corner of his mouth as he lept up, slamming his laptop shut and throwing on a leather jacket over his dress shirt as he sped out the door, flying into his car and towards her.
A knock came at her door ten minutes later. Mary sashayed over to open it. "Why ever would this handsome man come knocking at half past eleven, I wonder?" she smirked up at him, pulling him in by his jacket's lapels. Tom clicked the door closed with his heel, his eyes burning into her.
"You'd be surprised by what two little words can cause a man to do." He grinned.
"Two?" Mary raised her eyebrows, dropping her hold on his jacket and waltzing back over to the couch where she picked up her glass, swirling it contemplatively. "And here I thought it was five."
He strolled casually over to join her, plucking the glass from her hands and taking a sip himself, his body within three inches of hers. Her breath sped up and her eyes flicked down from his towards his lips where the glass was poised, framing his tiny smirk. "The others were nice too, of course, but the two that caught my eye…" He leaned in, lips pressed against her ear. "Want you." He breathed out, his voice rumbling in the back of his throat. He pulled back slightly, and Mary felt a small drop of wine from his mouth run down the cusp of her earlobe and trickle down her neck, where he suddenly caught it on his fingertip, a millimeter before it stained her robe.
"We can't have a stain on that white robe, now can we?" His gaze locked with hers.
"No. We certainly can't." she let it drop from her shoulders and with a mutual exhalation, they reunited in a craving caused by a week apart.
Sunday morning Mary awoke with a groan to a cup of tea posed under her nose. Tom sat properly dressed for the day on the edge of her bed, one hand supporting the teacup and the other playing with her hair.
"Glad you're finally awake. I made breakfast." His soft gaze warmed her as he helped her sit up.
She breathed in the tea gratefully. "Mmm. It had better not be eggs because mine are a thousand times better than yours." she mock-glared at him.
Tom rolled his eyes. "Pancakes, actually. Let's eat in a hurry though because I have a surprise for you."
"A surprise," Mary said dryly but with a smile. "What shall I wear to this… surprise?"
"Something a bit fancy, but light." He got up, pulling her out of bed. "We're going for a ride."
After a leisurely breakfast, Mary settled on a ruffled scarlet sundress with a matching scarf to hold her hair in place. A touch of perfume, red lipstick, and oversized sunglasses made her look like a retro film star. Tom's gaze flicked over her outfit approvingly, and with an arm around her waist, he escorted her out to his car.
They took the highway, and Tom drove a little faster than considered safe. The top was down, and the wind whipped the parts of Mary's hair not contained by her scarf around in little ringlets, brushing Tom's face. With a glance at each other, they shared an ecstatic laugh. Mary unclipped her seatbelt and slid closer towards him, and he wrapped an arm about her shoulders. She felt dangerous and free, completely uncaring about the busy world hovering just out of sight, her mind focused on the independence and plain delight that radiated from Tom, a pleasure she could only indulge in with him.
After sometime of treating herself to his simple presence, she sighed and said, "My family's noticed."
"Hmm?" he glanced down at her with a smile.
"I think everyone knows about us; they're just too nervous to actually spit out their assumptions." Her lips pinched, pondering possibilities.
Tom's eyebrows rose. "Ah." He stiffened slightly. "And you, do you mind?"
Mary nuzzled into his side, and he relaxed. "Not really. I'm just scared, you know, of their eventual reactions, about their questions about our future."
His chest vibrated with a sigh. "I know, Mary. But we'll be alright. Believe in that."
"But I really am scared though, that's the thing. What are we going to do, when the future comes knocking? How will we get by?" she said, not trying to hide her worry. Tom would understand.
"The same way we're getting by now." His hand teased a lock of her hair. "It won't be all you grew up with, but we won't be badly off at all. If you don't mind a dash of middle class, of course." He flicked her chin, and she let out a giggle.
"You're very lucky, Tom Branson." She said haughtily.
"Oh?" he said skeptically.
"If I didn't have such a burning desire for you, I would have given up a long time ago." She planted a kiss on his neck. "Now I don't think I could get over you if I tried."
"Well then, you're lucky I have a burning desire for you too, or you'd have to survive without me." He swallowed as she placed a languid kiss on his jaw. "Maybe we should cut our day trip short."
"Why?" Mary pouted, eyes twinkling mischievously.
"Because I have a burning desire,as you so aptly called it, for you right now."
"Oh really?" she drawled.
"Don't doubt it." And they cruised back home through the warm afternoon light.