Oh my gosh I'm so surprised and happy that people are still reading this story! Thank you to those who left a review! Enjoy this next bit~

After a few more consecutive kisses, Toby finally pulled back from the man beneath him, panting softly, mind in an endorphin filled haze. He opened his eyes slowly, smiling when he found the other man already staring back at him with soft eyes and just as out of breath as him. He laughed quietly and sighed contently, struck with how amazing the feeling of Sweeney's lips on his had been. Who would have guessed that all they needed was a little alone time to turn their once non-existent relationship on its head. He moved to kiss Sweeney again, but the elder held him still with hands that had moved from his hips to his face during the kiss. Toby frowned slightly. Was something wrong?

"Wait," Sweeney said, voice barely above a whisper. Good lord had that felt amazing. Kissing Toby had filled Sweeney with feelings that he thought had died in that cold, rotten jail cell so many years ago. All he had felt, up until very recently, was a mixture of rage of emptiness. Now, he felt warmth radiating from the body above him, and the goosebumps on his skins. He felt the smile at his lips, something that was becoming less of a rare oddity and more of a commonplace item. He felt happy.

As he looked into the other's bright eyes, all he wanted to do was shower him with affection, but, through the delirium of delight he felt, something dangerous nagged at the back of his mind, and if he didn't address it right then, he'd never be able to be fully comfortable with whatever this was that was happening between the two. Toby furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, and Sweeney could see fear starting to lace through them.

"I-I'm sorry. Did I do something wrong?" Toby asked, voice wavering. Bloody hell! Sweeney quickly shook his head and stopped Toby from pulling away.

"No!" He accidentally said quite loudly in his panic. Toby froze and stared at him. "No," he said softer after taking a calming breath. "You did nothing wrong. Nothing. Alright?"

"O-ok," Toby nodded, relaxing. "Then what…?"

Sweeney sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before saying, "I just… I just need to know that this is truly something you want."

"Yes, it is. I'm sure of it," Toby stated strongly. He had thought that the kissing had made that perfectly clear, but something else was obviously still bothering the other. Sweeney nodded and cleared his throat.

"It's just… you're so young and-"

"And I can't make decisions for myself?" Toby interrupted, anger sparking inside of him. "I am technically an adult, thank you. I know what I want, and I want you!"

"That's not what I was going to say," Sweeney glared at the boy above him, who immediately looked sheepish, but he couldn't stop the slight blush from dusting his face due to Toby's strong words. "You are young," he started over, running his thumb over the soft skin of Toby's cheek. Toby leaned heavily into the touch. "And I am so old. You have your whole life ahead of you and mine is already half gone. I have so little to give to you. You should be with someone-" His next words were a mumbled mess as Toby smashed his lips sloppily against Sweeney's, just trying to shut him up more than anything. Once they disconnected, he laid his forehead against the others'.

"I don't care. I want you, so you're gonna hafta accept that, sir," Toby said matter-of-factly, causing an amused smirk to grace Sweeney's face. "Unless," his face fell. "you don't want me?" Now it was Sweeney's turn to pull Toby into another quick kiss, one so full of passion that there was no room left to question Sweeney's feelings. He answered him anyway though.

"Of course I want you, boy," He rolled his eyes and Toby laughed. Warmth spread throughout his chest at Sweeney's words. "But if we're going to do this, we're going to do this right."

Toby tilted his head to the side, "What do you mean?" He leaned back to give Sweeney space.

"What I mean is, we barely know each other," Sweeney deadpanned. Toby stared at him before chuckling nervously. While this fact was true, Toby knew the feelings he got around the older man were not a lie and were very real. He likened it to what love at first sight must feel like; completely irrational, absolutely sincere.

"So, what do you propose we do?" Toby asked. Sweeney smiled.

"How about I take you out to dinner and then perchance a walk through the park?"

"Like… like a date? Do you plan on wooing me, sir?" Toby giggled in glee as Sweeney's eyes sparked.

"Exactly."

…

Evening in London was quite the scene if you knew where to look. Couples arm in arm, walking down the streets, heading to destinations unknown. Restaurants opening their doors for the dinner crowd, releasing the smell of good food into the atmosphere. The calming sound of the River Thames hitting the shipping docks and rocking the boats that slept there back and forth. The sun setting behind the buildings cast everyone in a soft, warm, glow that softened their features and elongated their shadows. Even the homeless beggars in the street looked a little less rough around the edges than usual.

Sweeney still hated London with the burning passion of a red hot hunk of coal, but he could admit that there were times when it could be nice. Particularly, it was when he was walking hand in hand with such a handsome companion. After digging through the back of his wardrobe, he had found and given Toby one of his smaller waistcoats and jackets to wear and smoothed his hair down and to one side with a little pomade. Toby had checked himself out in the mirror for at least ten minutes while Sweeney had changed into a nicer outfit. After which, Toby stared at Sweeney for another ten minutes before the promise of food was too good to pass up and they both left the shop.

As they joined the evening crowd, they watched the streetlamp lighters light the streetlamps and restaurant owners place their dinner menus outside their doors. A few people in the crowd gave them surprised or confused looks, but the two brushed them aside, completely focused on each other and the task at hand.

"What about there?"

"There's nothing you'll eat there."

"How do you know that?"

"Believe me, I know."

"Alright, how about… there?"

"Too crowded."

"Bloody hell!" Toby threw his free hand up into the air in exasperation. He'd suggested at least seven perfectly fine looking establishments thus far, and each one Sweeney had some reason or another to shoot down. Too crowded, too dark, not enough breadsticks, etc., etc. It was like he already had a place in mind to go- oh. "Ooh," Toby said when they stopped in front of a seafood restaurant. The restaurant itself was built upon the land right next to the river, but the outdoor seating was on a patio deck that circled the restaurant and jutted out over the water. A giant, red, wooden lobster was nailed to the front of the restaurant and served as the name sign. Toby sniffed the air and sighed at the glorious smell of what was easily to become his new favorite food, which he never would have tried if it weren't for Sweeney. Mrs. Lovett wasn't a fan of eating anything that lived in the water.

"Does this place look alright? We could always try somewhere else if you want," Sweeney said trying to keep a straight face, but failing when Toby gave him a deadpanned look that could rival his own. They both laughed as Toby began to pull Sweeney into the restaurant.

Once inside, they were told to wait while a table was cleared, and Toby became enamored with the lobsters in the glass tank that was situated near the waiting area. Sweeney smiled at him, enjoying his curiosity, and felt a warmth spread throughout his chest. When they were finally seated, the waiter gave them menus and glasses of water before leaving so that they could decide on what they wanted.

Toby frowned as he stared at the words on the piece of paper in his hand. A lot of the names were in a different language, he could only guess as French, and he already had a hard enough time reading English. He tried to whisper some of the words under his breath to try and figure out their meaning, but it didn't help. He looked up at Sweeney, who was sitting across the small table from him contemplating his own menu, and cleared his throat. Sweeney looked up and Toby chuckled nervously. Gesturing to the menu he muttered, "Can you read the menu to me… or, well, translate it?" He fanned himself with the menu as he heated up from embarrassment. He didn't want to have to rely on someone else to read for him, but alas, he did want to eat. Sweeney smiled gently at him, understandingly, and went over the menu with him.

When the waiter came back, they ordered, Toby got a shrimp plate while Sweeney got crab, and then chatted while they waited for their food. "Thank you for bringing me here," Toby started.

"It's my pleasure," Sweeney smiled warmly. "I noticed how much you liked the stew I made the other night, and I know that you don't eat other meat, so I figured this would be a good place to visit."

Toby fiddled with his fork that was on the table, raising an eyebrow at Sweeney. "How did you know that I don't eat meat?" He asked. It's not like he ever ate in the same room as the other before the other day. Sweeney shrugged.

"You notice things when you live in the same vicinity as someone else for a few years," Sweeney took a drink from his glass of water and quirked an eyebrow at Toby over the rim of it. "Even if that someone else always left the room whenever you entered."

Toby blushed and looked down at his hand that was still fidgeting with the fork. "Sorry," He muttered, almost too quiet to hear over the hum of other conversations in the restaurant. Sweeney reached across the table to place his hand over Toby's fidgeting one. Toby looked up at him.

"Don't be," The elder said seriously. "Don't ever be. You had every right to feel as you did then," Sweeney swallowed the lump threatening to form in his throat. "I-I just hope that those feelings are trumped by the ones you feel now because that is the truth for me. You have brought out feelings in me that I didn't know I could feel anymore." Toby felt his heart swell and face heat at the words. He smiled and adjusted their touching hands so that their fingers were laced together.

"Thank you," He said, trying and failing to keep a stupid grin off his face. "And there's no need to worry. What I feel for you now I've never felt before, but it is the strongest thing I have ever felt in my life, and I will not let what happened in the past stamp it out." Toby knew the feeling he was talking about had a name, but he didn't think it'd be wise to bring it up just yet. Still, when Sweeney leaned forward and brought their clasped hands to his mouth, leaving a chaste kiss upon his knuckles, he could not deny the flutter of his heart and the tears of happiness that sprang to his eyes (which he willed away quickly because the waiter was there with their food).

…

"So, then I said, 'But the chicken still 'as its head!'" Sweeney snorted before bursting into full out laughter, the never-before-heard sound surprising Toby, who quickly began grinning like an idiot. He didn't think his joke would be that funny, but he felt pride rise in chest at being about to make the other laugh so hard that he had to clutch Toby's shoulder to hold himself up. They had stopped walking, lest Sweeney trip in his current state, and now stood in the middle of the park.

Next to them, a wooden bench sat beneath a tall tree that in the day would provide excellent shade, but in the evening did little more than block the view of the stars in the sky. A small flower garden was planted behind the bench, and the path that the two were walking on ran right in front of it. A lamp was positioned next to the bench, but either someone had forgotten to light it that night, or it got blown out, for it cast no light, leaving only the moon to guide the couples' way.

Once Sweeney caught his breath, and regained something close to his usual composure, they began walking again, leaving the bench and tree and lamp behind them. Sweeney shook his head in disbelief before he asked, "You actually said that to her?"

"Well," Toby smiled dryly. "I would have if I had been able to speak at the time, but I did say it to myself and had a right good silent laugh later!" He cocked his arm at the elbow and swung it in front of his body as he let out a quite obvious fake laugh.

When Sweeney didn't respond, he glanced up, finding the other looking very deep in thought and looking off into the distance of the park, somewhere by the flower garden. He frowned. Was Sweeney still beating himself up over 'the incident'? He thought that they'd gotten past it at dinner. "Sweeney?" The barber flinched when Toby lightly touched his shoulder. He frowned at the worried expression on the younger's face.

"Sorry," He said, reaching out and wrapping an arm around Toby's waist. "I just had a bit of a memory resurface and got distracted."

"May I ask what the memory was?" Toby felt the grip on is waist tighten a hair. Sweeney took a deep breath before letting it out slowly.

"The last time I was in this section of the park. It was spring, and I was with… Lucy and Johanna, who was just a baby at the time," Toby could see the other's eyes glaze over, either in memory or sorrow. Or both, really. The heartache that the man had lived through was something that Toby could never imagine. He leaned closer to the other and tilted his head to rest it on his shoulder.

"Tell me about her," Toby said after a silent beat in the conversation. Sweeney's brows furrowed for a moment.

"Lucy?" Toby nodded against Sweeney's shoulder. Sweeney sighed and turned his head slightly to place a soft kiss atop Toby's head. "It was so long ago. Almost another life-time. I was a different man, London was a different city, and Lucy… She…" Sweeney took a few deep breaths while Toby waited patiently. "She had yellow hair," he started. "She was beautiful and virtuous, and also so very smart and creative," Toby could hear the admiration dripping from his words and imagined the hearts in his eyes. Toby wondered if Sweeney would ever talk about him in the same way. "We got in many debates over any and everything and, suffice to say, she won most of them," He chuckled. "She could be very emotional though, something that some people took as a weakness," he spat the last part, thinking of one certain person in particular whom he remembered called Lucy a 'pretty little thing, silly little nit'. The way Lovett had painted Lucy, anyone would've believed her to be a heartbroken fool, but Sweeney knew better. If she really had gone to the Judge's that night, you could bet it was in a furious rampage. "But I saw it as her throwing herself into things with everything she had. She had such a passion for whatever she was doing. Cooking, singing, writing, carpentry, whatever. She loved to learn new things," He rubbed at his sideburns and winced at a memory. "She never really got the hang of barbering though." Toby snorted a laugh.

They had reached the end of the stone path that spanned the length of the park and were exiting into a deserted street. Street lamps were lit up and down it, the orange light they threw off mixing with the blue from the moon above. They crossed said street and found themselves looking out over the moonlit River Thames, only a waist high brick wall kept them from walking right off the small drop-off and into it. Toby detached himself from Sweeney's side and sat on the wall, patting the space next to him until the other sat as well. The latter sighed again. "Some believe that pretty women should be only that. Pretty things that sit in the window or tend to gardens, write letters, brush their hair, or what have you, but I loved her for her mind more than her beauty," He looked over at Toby who was fidgeting with his shirt cuffs as he listened. "Come to think of it, overall, I think I'm more attracted to people's minds than their looks."

Toby smiled and felt his face heat in a light blush. He still couldn't help but feel jealous of Lucy, and a little sub-par. How could he ever live up to such an amazing woman? He looked to the other who was smiling back at him. Something about Sweeney's smile looked different though, Toby thought. It seemed more relaxed, more natural. Like, he had finally thrown off some weight that had been crushing him for so long. His eyes gleamed in the moonlight, full of emotions and admiration, and something about the way Sweeney was looking at him with those eyes made Toby realize that it wasn't Lucy that Sweeney was thinking about anymore. It was him. Sweeney was looking at him with eyes full of wonder and affection. His blush deepened.

"She sounds lovely. I'd have liked to meet her," Toby said sincerely. Sweeney chuckled.

"She'd have loved you, I'm sure. You wouldn't be able to beat her at chess though," The two shared a laugh before falling into a comfortable silence.

Toby turned on the wall so that he was facing out towards the river, his legs dangling off the edge. Sweeney unconsciously wrapped his arm around Toby's middle, paranoid that the other would fall over the edge. Toby soaked up the feeling as he gazed out at the dark water lapping at the rocks beneath his feet. The moon shone off the crests of the small waves as they rushed in and out, disappearing out to where the other side of the river met the other side of the city. Toby hummed, catching Sweeney's attention.

"You know where I'd really like to go? Where I'd really like to live?" He asked. Sweeney shrugged.

"Where?"

Toby smiled, kicking his feet. "Down by the sea," He sang out in a mocking falsetto. Sweeney snorted and Toby laughed but then hit him in the shoulder softly. "But, for real, I'm not kidding. I do like the idea of the beach and the warm sun. It's so grey here. I never been anywhere else, but I think I'd rather be anywhere but London." There were so many ghosts there. Sweeney hummed.

"A fresh start might not be a bad idea," He muttered, more to himself than anything. Toby perked up.

"Would you really leave just because I wanted to?"

Sweeney pulled Toby closer via his arm that was still around the younger's middle. "Me and London don't have a great history, but believe me when I say that I would stay here, or go anywhere,if it meant that I was with you." He leaned in, bumping his nose against Toby's. Toby gasped softly and gazed up at Sweeney with big eyes filled with such happiness and adoration that Sweeney felt his heart stutter. As he leaned in and connected his lips to Toby's, he made a mental promise to himself. He was going to get Toby out of this corrupted city if it was the last thing he did.

bum bum buuummmm~ sorry, anyway!

In the four years since I last wrote this story, I've come to regret killing Lucy like so offhandedly and random, so I tried to redeem her a bit here and make you see her through Sweeney's eyes cause you know strong female characters are good things to have and not randomly kill. oops.

Also, I'm kind of at a block for what should happen next. Like, I have specific plot points and I know how I want the story to end, but it's getting to those points that's a huge blur, so if anyone has any suggestions, things they'd like to see these two do, plot holes that need fixing or some such, just mention it in a review~ Thanks again for reading!