- Paris, spring -

"Bonjoor mon amoore, wake up...!"

"Mmmh..."

"Oh c'mon I've been up since 5am and you're still snoring in your sleep!"

"Mmh..."

Mundy sighed but smiled at the same time. He was sitting on the bed next to Lucien. He looked down at him. He looks so peaceful when he sleeps.

"I got some croissant from Michelle's bakery..."

Lucien opened one eye.

"It's a 'boulangerie', not a 'bakery'."

"And what's the difference?"

Lucien sighed. He opened his other eye and blinked a few times. He turned to face Mundy, still laying in bed.

"A bakery is an English invention created to compensate the fact that everywhere else in the world, people don't know how to make proper bread."

"And a boulangerie?"

"That's heaven on Earth. The mere smell of the hot flour goes throughout the street and when you open the door of the boulangerie..."

Lucien smiled, his eyes were dreamy.

"The smell of the fresh baguettes, their golden crunchy crust... and the croissants... mmmh...!"

Mundy smiled and sighed again.

"Anyway, when Sleepin' Beauty is ready, I'm in the livin' room for breakfast..."

Lucien got up and put a dressing gown on and went to the kitchen. Mundy was sitting and putting butter on his toast when Lucien arrived like a cat and sat on Mundy's lap.

"You haven't found any other chair to sit on?"

Lucien bit on the croissant still in Mundy's hand.

"Oi! That was meant for me!"

"Not anymore...!" Answered Lucien while chewing on the delicious pastry.

Mundy put his right hand around Lucien's waist and ate the rest of the croissant.

"So, what will you be doin' today?"

"Not much... I have an appointment with Marcel, remember the waiter from that restaurant I took you to during last Christmas?"

"Oh yeah, yeah. How is he?"

"Not that good actually, his wife has some health problems."

"Oh I see."

Lucien was lying to his lover. Marcel's wife was in excellent health but Lucien needed to see his ex-colleague for something else. Mundy would soon find out.

"Oh and Jeremy has his first date with his colleague, Mélanie, remember?"

"Ah yeah, I do. She's very good lookin', she's also a waitress, isn't she?"

Lucien helped himself to some black coffee and took a sip.

"Oui, she's a waitress working in the same bistrot as Jeremy. She lost her dad about 10 years ago and her mother works as a fleuriste."

"A what?"

"A fleuriste, she sells flowers."

"Aah, poetic job..."

"Mmmh, little Mélanie has been practising classical dancing since her youngest age and she is of a very romantic nature."

Mundy put the new toast he had in his hand on the table.

"Wait, how d'you know all that?"

Lucien sipped some more coffee and smirked.

"Ahem... let's say old habits are hard to ignore and forget..."

"You been spyin' on your son's would-be girlfriend?!"

"Well, that's a way of putting it... Nevertheless, I found some very interesting elements."

At that point, Mundy was confused. He wanted Lu' to stop prying into people's lives and at the same time he wanted to know more about that young girl. But curiosity was stronger...

"Yeah?"

"Oh, now you're interested in the matter? Let me warn you, you are both encouraging me and spying with me if you-!"

Lucien was interrupted by Mundy's sweet lips. He closed his eyes for an instant.

"What was that for?"

"To shut you up on the lecture and go straight to the point, d'you think it's going to work between them?"

"Let me first tell you that you have to shut me up more often."

Mundy blushed and smiled shyly. He knew Lucien was a very romantic person and each kiss made the world change for him.

"Then, yes I think she is a very good match for our dear Jeremy, if not the perfect match."

"Oh, is it?"

"Yes, her previous boyfriend was clearly mistreating her. He cheated on her! Mon Dieu! I could never understand that..."

"Says the number one womanizer..."

Lucien blushed.

"Yes, I had my little success with the ladies but I have strong moral principles. I like to have a flirt here and there but I never go beyond that if I'm already with someone."

"Oh you like to flirt?"

Mundy raised his eyebrows and smiled.

"Erm.. I should say I liked it, in the past form."

"Better."

Lucien put his hand around Mundy's neck.

"How can I go on flirting people when there's litterally a crosshair between my two eyes all the time?"

"True."

"Anyway, he cheated on poor Mélanie and since then, they broke up. She's looking for a good young man and I bet my reputation that she will fall for Jeremy's slight awkwardness. Oh and rumour has it that she intends to buy a small bistrot of her own."

"That's ambitious. I mean, it's good. Jeremy and her could both be the bosses there and they could have their own little restaurant, that's cute in a way."

"Cute indeed."

They soon finished their breakfast. Mundy wanted to get up and clean the table but his lover was still sittng on his lap.

"Want to go somewhere?"

"Well, if his Majesty would be so nice, I'd like to get up and clean the table."

"Ah-ah-ah! Nothing's free in this world! You have to pay!"

"And what is it that his Majesty wants?"

"Oh, you know it."

Mundy put both his hands on Lucien's cheeks and kissed him a long and deep kiss. Lucien's ears got hot and he blushed instantly. He closed his eyes and put his hands around Mundy's waist. They clung to each other for a while even after breaking the kiss. Lucien put his head on Mundy's shoulder.

"Je t'aime."

"Me too, love."

"Non."

"What?"

"You don't understand. I don't mean the usual 'I love you' like you tell one of your friends. I mean I'd give my life and soul for you. I mean I'm..."

Mundy felt Lucien's fingers clench harder around his waist, in his back.

"Take your time, luv'."

Lucien sighed.

"Each day that passes, each minute that passes... I feel older and older each day and I'm afraid... I'm afraid that, someday, I'll leave you alone."

Mundy's jaw dropped. He opened big round eyes. He tightened his hug to Lucien.

"You know, I never thought of that. On the contrary, I appreciate every instant I'm with you. I don't think about the future. Well, yeah o'course I do but all I see there is you, me and Jeremy. That's it."

"It never bothers you that I'm older?"

"Nah, I like you as you are..."

He smiled and took Lucien's face between his big thin hands. He took it close to his face until their noses touched. Lucien looked up to Mundy and all the Australian could see was those light blue, almost grey eyes he couldn't resist.

"I..."

Mundy was bewildered once again by the beauty of those eyes. He was at a loss for words. Lucien was looking at him with his feline look and saw Mundy's pupils dilate. He still can not resist my eyes...

Oh those eyes... the colour... those eyelashes... oh God, now he's half closing his eyes... oh...

And this time, Lucien got off his lover's lap with his face still a few millimeters away from his lover's. He took Mundy's hands and pulled him up. Mundy still looked as if it was Christmas and his younger self was seeing a ton of presents under the christmas tree.

"Mundy?"

He was still swimming in Lucien's eyes.

"Muundy?"

"Eh? What?"

Lucien smiled.

"You were lost again."

"Oh, sorry."

"Don't be..."

He went to his lover's ear.

"... J'adore ça!" [I love it!] He whispered.

Mundy blushed.

"So, anyway, better clean this table and get going."

Lucien went to his room to get ready for the day.

"Jeremy went to work already?"

"Yeah, he did."

"Oh, then I guess I'll see him this evening, just before his date."

"You wanted to tell him something?"

"Some advice."

"Let him have it his own way! You can't always be right behind him. The boy's a grown up now."

"You are certainly right."

After Mundy finished cleaning everything, Lucien came back from their room, freshly dressed and his hair impecably done.

"You look gorgeous today."

"Only today?"

Mundy answered with a smile, wiped his hands and went to kiss Lucien. He held him tight and Lucien felt his feet lift from the ground. Mundy carried him to the room and closed the door with his foot.

Lucien would have to dress up again and this time, he would try to look less... erm... attractive...

- Author's note -

Thanks for reading and as always, feel free to tell me what you think!

Special thanks to MiaJordan, I did and SQUEAL. I appreciated your kind words :D It really means the world to me :)

Stay tuned for Chapter 26! (Time flies...!)