"Jimmy? What are you doing here?"

Thomas was staring at the blonde man standing under the door-frame before Thomas's rented room at The Grantham Arms.

"You can come back," Jimmy blurted out, disregarding any form of greeting or introduction. He was squeezing his cap in his hands and his face was beaming with both delight and excitement.

"I made her fix it," he went on and awkwardly stepped into the room, moving closer to the confused man before him.

"I found some letters and I threatened her to give them to Mr Carson if she didn't admit that she set you up, and I don't know what she told him, but when they came out of his study they both looked so contrived, Thomas…"

He was babbling fast and with a lack of any proper coherence.

"And then Carson said he owed you an apology and that he'd come to you here in person, but I told him that I wanted to go, and I convinced him and-"

Thomas gently but firmly put his arms on Jimmy's.

"Slow down," he said and stroked his arms comfortingly, but Jimmy couldn't stop.

"You can come back," he breathed, eyes fixed on Thomas's.

The very moment he felt the other one's hands on his own, Jimmy became aware of how close they stood. An urge roused in him, starved and full of longing.

"You did that, Jimmy? For me?" Thomas mumbled in disbelief, gratitude shining in his eyes which looked like they were tearing up.

"You can come back, Thomas," Jimmy repeated. "To Downton, to… to me."

They were standing almost face-to-face now, and still Jimmy felt like they were leaning closer. He couldn't tear his eyes away from Thomas's. He wanted to kiss him, to touch him-

Thomas headed his wishes even though they were never spoken out loud. Recklessly, he pulled Jimmy in and pressed his mouth on his, hard and passionate. All the unspoken words disappeared between them, fading away together with longing and frustration and repressed desire.

But then Thomas suddenly pulled away and held Jimmy to arms' length.

"The door," he whispered to Jimmy's bewildered face and shot a look towards the open door behind them.

Jimmy turned around, still a bit entranced from the kiss, but realizing their carelessness. He paced over to the door and closed it shut, then turned the key in the lock and gave Thomas a questioning look.

The other man licked his lips and in a few steps he was by Jimmy's side, cupping his face and kissing him again while Jimmy's own lips parted willingly under Thomas's.

"How much time do you have?" Thomas asked breathless between the kisses, his voice sounding rough in his own ears.

"Enough," Jimmy mumbled in response, tugging at Thomas's clothes impatiently, his hands desperate to make their way to touch the other one's bare skin. He could already feel his pants tighten around his crotch.

They tumbled down onto the bed, eager and determined not to let go of each other for even a single second. Jimmy's back hit the mattress which made a squeaking noise but neither of them cared; the room was locked and they were too busy to worry.

"I thought-" Jimmy mumbled as Thomas was fumbling with his buttons, trying to undo his shirt. "Thought you'd left for good. Thought I'd lose you."

His last words were garbled into a kiss and his stomach dropped with desire as Thomas's hands moved across his bared chest, tracing the outlines of his body.

He wrapped his arms around Thomas's back, trying to pull him closer.

"Thought you'd leave me."

He wasn't sure what exactly he was saying anymore; he was getting distracted by Thomas's figure over his own, his warm hands and lips on his skin; they were chest to chest, with practically no more physical distance between them but they still craved for more.

"I didn't want to leave you," Thomas's rough, lust-soaked voice said. "But I couldn't because we- I couldn't-"

Jimmy's hungry kiss cut off the rest of his words.

"I know, it's alright, just kiss me, Thomas," he mumbled his request. "Touch me, god please, just-"

Thomas reached down to cup Jimmy's erection through his trousers.

Jimmy's eyes slid closed and he arched his hips into Thomas's hand, desperate for more pressure. A deep groan curled itself from the back of his throat as Thomas's fingers rubbed down the length of Jimmy's hard-on.

But then Jimmy remembered something. Something that found its way into his mind since the first night they spent together. Since the day he decided that he would stop resisting his feelings.

"Thomas, I-" he said and moved away from the other one's touch with great difficulty. He couldn't force himself to look Thomas in the eye; he knew his cheeks would go flush red if he tried.

He wasn't sure how to ask for what he wanted. He leaned against the headboard, taking a deep breath as Thomas settled himself beside him, looking worried.

"Is something wrong?"

"No," Jimmy said softly, reaching up to touch Thomas's cheek and wipe the concerned expression off his face. "I just… I was hoping…"

He gulped. He had no idea how to go about this matter.

"There was this one time… I heard some drunken lads at a pub talking about it," he began explaining in choppy sentences, avoiding Thomas's surprised stare.

"About the quee-"

He refrained from repeating the potentially derogatory term which the men had used.

"About men like you… us."

He said the last word in a questioning tone, feeling that referring to himself as a man of that sort was a very new and unusual experience – but it didn't feel wrong.

"They said that two blokes can do things like… like a man and a woman can…" he explained stiffly. He'd heard about the 'method' of going about it, of course he had – but he wouldn't be bringing that up.

He'd been deprived of Thomas's touch for so long – had it only been a day? – it didn't matter – he needed Thomas's hands on his body, his lips on his own, his voice in his ears. After having had a taste, Jimmy wanted more, selfishly and insatiably, he wanted all of Thomas, recklessly disregarding the consequences and what he was asking they should do.

Thomas's initial concern was replaced by an almost shy uneasiness. He closed his eyes for a second, letting the words and their objective sink in.

"Well, yes they can," he nodded. "We can if you... uh…"

After everything Jimmy has given him, done for him – what he had done in the past faded away in comparison with all the light that Jimmy has brought into Thomas's life. He couldn't blame him; it wasn't malevolence after all, it was fear.

But none of that mattered anymore. This was real, and Jimmy was all the reality Thomas could ever hope for.

"I want you to do that to me," a soft whisper spoke into Thomas's ear now. "I'm not sure I know how it works… exactly. But I trust you and I know that being here with you has made me feel alive and I want it, all of it."

Thomas could feel his face going red at these words, and Jimmy himself was astonished that it was him uttering those scandalous words.

"I want that," he repeated and sank back into another kiss that made his mind hazy with desire deep in his gut. It helped – it distracted him from being too nervous to speak about these things, and it also helped Thomas relax a bit.

"D'you mean it?" the black-haired man asked almost in awe. Jimmy nodded sharply in reply.

Thomas's head dropped down and he kissed Jimmy's neck fervently, making the blonde's knees feel weak even though he was lying down.

"I do, Thomas. I want to feel you against me, with me, inside m- ahh!"

The next thing to come out of Jimmy's throat was a deep breathy moan as Thomas bit his neck, arousal burning hot in his veins.

"Fuck, Jimmy," he whispered in a ragged breath that brushed warmly against Jimmy's exposed skin. "Don't say this, don't tease me-"

"I'm not," Jimmy insisted and cupped Thomas's face so that he could look him in the eye. "I want you – all of you. And I want to give you all of me. I used to fear wanting you, but now the thought of losing you scares me more than anything, so will you just-"

He stopped to take a breath and gather his thoughts.

"I want to love you for all the times that I should have done so in the past. I want to love you for all the days that we've lost already, and for all those that we will still have to let go because the world doesn't see our way. And I'm asking you to love me now because we're here and we can finally be together and who knows when-"

Thomas's lips found Jimmy's and a gentle but ardent kiss washed away the rest of his words. They leaned their foreheads together.

"Quite the romantic," Thomas commented and a huff of a laugh came from Jimmy in response. "Come here then," the dark-haired man said as he threaded his fingers through Jimmy's hair.

He crawled over Jimmy again and pushed one of his thighs between Jimmy's legs, who could feel Thomas's hard arousal pressing against his body again. He rutted his hips and rubbed himself against it as Thomas's lips continued kissing him, more roughly and with intent now.

"God, yes," Jimmy whispered breathlessly into a kiss as Thomas began moving with him, against him.

Their hands grabbed and tugged at each other's clothes wildly, working their way through all the buttons and clasps until the last layers of fabric separating their bodies had all been thrown down on the floor by the side of the bed.

The sun outside was low; orange and golden-hued rays ware casting a faint light through the curtains in the room, now illuminating Thomas's ivory skin, his bare back, thighs and backside.

Jimmy's body under him was only partly touched by the warm light; the side of his face was glowing gold, but it was constricted with pleasure as Thomas moved his hand slowly up and down Jimmy's erection. Thomas's own breaths were coming in heavy, low pants as Jimmy was doing the same to him.

"I think now we can…" Jimmy muttered. "Otherwise I'll…"

Thomas smiled softly through one of his moans.

"Yeah, fair point, me too."

He crawled off Jimmy and settled by his side.

"Alright. Well, uh… turn on your side then," Thomas instructed and leaned in to kiss Jimmy's ear.

Jimmy did as he was told and exhaled a deep and somewhat shaky breath. He closed his eyes to focus better on Thomas's hands; one of them on his hip and the other one in his hair.

Thomas's lips began kissing down Jimmy's neck and spine.

"Hmm," Jimmy let out a satisfied moan.

"Is this alright?" Thomas asked and pressed another kiss between his shoulder blades.

"Thomas, we've already done… things. I trust you."

Thomas felt his confidence wane at those words, even though they should have encouraged him. It was because he wanted it to make it pleasurable for Jimmy and he feared that his own lust could make him take things too fast.

He reached over to the nightstand by the bed and pulled out a little tub of petroleum jelly.

"Is that for…?" Jimmy asked insecurely as he looked back. Oh god! Well, of course…

Thomas nodded, but Jimmy let out a breathy laugh that provided a poor disguise for his own nervousness.

Jimmy attempted to diffuse his own anxiety with humour.

"So you always have that conveniently by your side? Carrying it around?"

Thomas grinned.

"It's got many uses," he commented with a small smirk. "This is just one of them, but arguably the best."

He placed the palm of his gloved hand on Jimmy's cheek, kissing him softly on the lips, trying to ease the tension that was etched across his face.

"It's going to be alright," he assured him.

"I know it is," Jimmy replied and stroked Thomas's arm. "It's you, ain't it?"

Thomas's expression beamed with a blissful smile before he settled himself next to the other man, pressing his chest against Jimmy's back and kissing his shoulder blade. Jimmy bit his bottom lip as he could feel Thomas's hard-on pressed against him as well.

Thomas's hand rand down Jimmy's side and his hip, dipping slightly forward, but then changed its course and continued down the thigh and circled back to rest on Jimmy's backside where it stopped.

Jimmy felt too uneasy to turn around and look, but he was only vaguely aware that Thomas had unscrewed the lid of the tub and smeared some its contents on his hand.

Next thing he felt was Thomas's breath on his skin, right before his lips brushed against it tenderly. Jimmy closed his eyes as the trail of kisses wound its way down his spine, all the way to his buttock. One of Thomas's hands continued to rest on Jimmy's hip while the other one began exploring the place it hadn't yet touched.

Jimmy reflexively flinched upon the first touch of Thomas's fingers and Thomas moved the hand away.

"No," Jimmy reached back to grab Thomas's wrist and keep it in place. "No, keep going, I'll get used to it."

Thomas's looked at him in awe and his lips pressed a kiss on Jimmy's neck.

"Alright," he whispered, his voice somewhat reserved. "Try to relax."

He left another kiss on Jimmy's neck and then his shoulder, all while his fingers returned to the spot.

Jimmy's brow knitted and he set his jaw. He didn't like it at first – but then it got better ans he was still painfully aware of Thomas's hard-on that was pressing against the back of his thigh. It was setting his skin on fire.

Thomas's other hand moved from his hip to cup Jimmy's erection and this drew a low moan from the blonde's throat.

"God, yes!" Jimmy groaned.

He felt his erection throbbing inside Thomas's hand which was stroking him at the same time; slowly, but with just the right amount of pressure that those movements, combined with the spot the other hand was hitting, made Jimmy slowly lose himself in the sensations.

His hips pushed into Thomas's hand, craving for more contact.

Even though it was an odd experience for Jimmy at first, the tension in his body was slowly washed away because he felt safe; he knew Thomas loved him and even though he still didn't fully trust himself with all of this, he did trust him.

That's not so bad, Jimmy thought, his mental and physical reservations gradually getting replaced by newly awaking lust and growing desire.

Something else took over when he was with Thomas – not just in this sense, but whenever they shared a moment. It was that same something that made Jimmy risk everything to be with Thomas; that something which made him risk getting sacked to clear Thomas's name; it was what made him reckless and irrational and brave enough to dare stand against the world. It was love.

And then when Jimmy was coming undone, Thomas's fingers moved away and he crawled on top of Jimmy, both turning around so that they looked each other in the eye.

They stayed like this for a moment and then Thomas sunk into him.

A new feeling overwhelmed Jimmy, taking his breath away for a split second. It was a mixture of pain and pleasure, deep and intense – and yet it was more still. It was a culmination of all the frustration and repressed emotions, the peak of the war which Jimmy had been waging on himself for so long. It was both an embrace of his own self and the embrace of what he felt for Thomas.

Thomas moved in and out of him; slowly at first, like waves gently crashing against the shore; but then Jimmy pushed his hips against Thomas too, wrapping his hands around the back of Thomas's thighs to draw him closer, to take more of him. They fell into a rhythm and moved faster and faster. Thomas dropped his head down, the black strands of his hair falling over his eyes, and his and Jimmy's foreheads met, not with a thump but rather with a comforting lean against each other.

Jimmy's mind had given way to the overwhelming sensations that were shooting through his body, making him feel as if he could lose himself in the intensity of it all.

All he could hear was their breathing, rough and ragged. All he could feel was Thomas inside him. All he could see was Thomas's face looming above him, his crimson lips parted and panting, his eyes shining with awe and devotion. Jimmy found it so arousing.

"Ahh- ah, Thomas, yes, please," he begged, his voice weak and breathless. He was drowning in pleasure and sheer bliss.

Each thrust made him crave more, made him lose control and move against Thomas harder, faster, with each thrust he was brought closer to climax.

"God, Jimmy, you're so- ah-"

Thomas's thoughts faded away unfinished. It was too overwhelming. It felt unlike anything ever had – it was Jimmy, his darling Jimmy. He wanted his love and Thomas had so much of it to give. He loved him more than anyone ever before, and Jimmy loved him back.

Jimmy felt Thomas's hand wrap around his erection and he dug his fingers into Thomas's arms, searching for balance because he had lost any proper sense of stability.

He felt as if he were caught inside a burning building; the fire that was blazing all around threatened to devour him, but he didn't care anymore. It was so liberating; he wanted to burn with Thomas.

His eyes flew open and his lips parted but no voice came out; Jimmy felt Thomas come inside of him and his own orgasm rippled through his veins, following suit. Thomas's lips pressed against Jimmy's, all their love contained inside that kiss.

The sun had almost set, and dusk was slowly settling down over the Yorkshire countryside in shades of dark purple, blue and burnt orange. On a bed in a small rented room at the Grantham Arms, two bodies lay entangled together, skin kissing skin.

A head of golden hair was resting the other one's chest and listening to his heartbeat. A gloved hand, the only item of clothing that was still covering either of their bodies, was threaded through the blonde hair.

"Shouldn't you go back?" Thomas's low voice asked. "Well, both of us, I suppose?" He was hoping that Jimmy would be supportive with a 'no', but he also knew that they had responsibilities.

"They'll manage without us a while longer," Jimmy replied despite Thomas's expectations, and tangled his fingers with Thomas's other hand. "It's still two hours till dinner anyway."

"But what will we say? Why did it take us so long to get back?"

Jimmy's breathy smile brushed against Thomas's skin.

"We'll make something up, won't we?" he casually replied. "I'll say you weren't all too eager to get back after being thrown out under false accusations. I wasn't able to convince you using tired and true methods, so I had to get creative," he said coyly and left a kiss on Thomas's chest.

He heard Thomas's laugh and it filled his heart with joy.

"But maybe…" Jimmy continued slowly, unsure where his train of thought was leading him. "Maybe we could… not go back?"

Thomas's body shifted under his own.

"What d'you mean?" he asked and Jimmy lifted his head up and settled himself beside the other man.

"Only that perhaps we don't need to," he shrugged.

Thomas's brow furrowed in question.

"You came here to tell me that I'm allowed to go back to Downton, and now you're saying that we don't have to return?"

Put into words like this, Jimmy did have to admit it sounded strange. His thought was only a fleeting, brief idea, an alternative.

"I know, Thomas, but…"

He struggled to express what he was considering, and his hand moved higher where his fingers began tracing little shapes on Thomas's chest.

"See, we're here and we're free. Almost... But back there in that house, we're constantly under scrutiny. We've no autonomy."

One of Thomas's eyebrows darted upward but he listened as Jimmy continued.

"Old Carson tells us what and how to do it, decides whether we can have a half-day or not; and needless to say that Lord Grantham is in charge of everything as it is."

"What are you saying? You want to leave service?"

"Only that I want something where I can be free. With you. Something where we can be together without people always watching and judging our every move, where we can be out own masters. I know we can never be ourselves in front of the world, but there must be a way for us to have more freedom and independence than we have at that damned manor."

Thomas felt something stir in his chest as Jimmy spoke those words; it wasn't pain or discomfort, but rather something indefinable. Perhaps it was closest to ardour.

"Leave? Both of us?" he asked, his tone somehow indicating both reservation and enthusiasm.

"Maybe," Jimmy said again. It seemed to be his favourite word in this conversation. "People do all sorts of things nowadays." He pondered for a second. "I guess we don't have to leave right now, not today. But we could start saving up and come up with something in the mean time?"

"Leave service," Thomas thought out loud again.

"With Jimmy Kent," Jimmy added with a smirk and leaned in to kiss the pensive expression off Thomas's face.

"You're really willing to leave all of this behind so you could be with me?" the dark-haired man asked unguardedly while his palm was caressing Jimmy's face.

Jimmy looked down towards Thomas's bicep.

"I love you," he said in reply, his voice quiet but candid. "I don't care where I am or what I leave behind as long as I'm with you."

"I love you too, Jimmy," Thomas said and muffled his emotion-filled voice with a kiss on Jimmy's lips. Maybe it wasn't perfect, but their dream was more than he could ever have hoped for.

Jimmy settled himself lower again, resting his head back on the same spot on Thomas's chest.

He remembered the Gypsy woman and the pocket watch and the fair. A pleased smile stretched across his face.

"If all else fails, we can still run away with the Gypsies," he commented quietly, much to Thomas's bemusement.

"What?"

Jimmy laughed and intertwined their fingers together again.

"Never mind that," he said. "We'll make it work, as long as we're together. That's where we belong."