It was late by the time Thomas and Jimmy met up for their evening stroll. The sky was almost completely pitch black, and the only light being cast on their shadowy figures, was coming from the last few lights remaining on in the house.

As the light bounced off of Thomas' pale skin, it highlighted all the angles of his striking bone structure, and Jimmy found himself momentarily lost in the beauty of the other man, taking him back to his first day at Downton. He remembered the confusion he felt when he first looked at Thomas' awe struck face, but then the feeling of being lost all his life, stopping the moment his slate coloured eyes looked into his own, feeling as though they were passing straight through his skin and into his soul.

Before he came to the abbey, he knew not of his sexuality, but after only a few weeks of working along side Thomas, it was no longer a mystery to him where his interests lied, for he knew they lied with Thomas.

They walked for sometime down the winding paths surrounding Downton, before Jimmy finally decided to initiate conversation. And although Thomas was the only person he knew to ever make silence feel comforting and cosy, engulfing jimmy in the knowing that just being in his company was enough to make him feel content, he still longed for the sound of Thomas' voice.

Jimmy treasured the moments when they could speak freely to one another, holding no restrictions in regards to appropriate conversation limits, or what was merely to dangerous to say with others near by. And the fact that these moments were so few, seemed to make them even more special. Because these moments were real. They were rare situations, glimpsing into their genuine personalities, because both men knew that there was no emotion they had to hold back. They were themselves. They were fearless. And they were in love. And in the dark, abandonment of a country lane, they could show all this, with no worry of being over looked.

Intertwining his hand with Thomas', he began to speak.

"Do you remember when I first declared my love for you, and we became an item?"
Jimmy asked, smiling at Thomas, who was shuffling along beside him, in the thick winter snow.

"How could I forget? It was quite the night to remember. I've heard of all sorts of romantic approaches, but your approach, well...it was something else, I'll give you that."

Laughing, jimmy reached out an arm, grabbing Thomas' waist, drawing him towards himself, leaning his head to gently rest on his shoulder.

"I prefer to call my methods of romancing unique"

Letting out a scoff, Thomas objected.

"I'd hardly call running into my room in the middle of the night, startling my sleep, and then lunging upon me, to bite me on the nose, a method of romancing!"

Both men laughed at the memory, Jimmy thankful for the love they'd grown, and Thomas thankful that he never bit his nose again.

"You liked it though!" jimmy opposed.

"No, I liked the gesture you were trying to make, and the knowing that you loved me back. I did not on the other hand like been attacked by your teeth in my sleep!"

Opening his mouth to protest, he was cut off by Thomas' playful, yet questioning voice.

"And what if I had turned out to be straight, then what would you have done?"

"Oh please. You? Straight? Don't make me laugh! I knew you were queer the minute I remembered that it's not the social norm for straight friends to randomly grab one another! You can only stretch the excuse friendly familiarity so far."

Bashing his hip into Jimmy's side, causing him to be nudged out the way, he put on his best face of mock-anger face.

"Besides" Jimmy announced matter-of-factly, sweeping his arm across his body, "how could you not resist this!"

As the night drew on, they eventually started to make their way back to Downton. Their body's mere silhouettes by the end of the night, as they walked back to the courtyard door, hand in hand.

Running a palm along the back of the younger man's neck, Thomas pulled him forward lightly. As he returned the earlier kiss, he bid him goodnight, leaving Jimmy alone in the dark, as his figure retreated away and into the shadows of the corridor.