Fic: And Nobody Wears A Crown, Pt. 2 [Merlin RPS]
Title: And Nobody Wears A Crown (Part 2)
Author: coffeejunkii
Pairing: Colin Morgan/Bradley James
Rating: NC-17
Warning/Spoilers: none
Word count: ~12k
Summary: A story about a summer in France, in which Bradley finds himself intrigued by Irish names, Colin reads a lot, Angel and Katie are their usual innocent selves, and a few moments change everything.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Characters do resemble actual persons, however.
Notes: Many thanks to everyone who has cheered me on, betaed, britpicked, and researched: aelora, bewarethesmirk, lost2mercy, and msdaccxx. The title is a line from the hidden track at the end of Kate Nash's "Merry Happy."
Part 1 is here.
"Morning, boys," Angel greeted them cheerfully as Bradley stumbled toward the van that would take them to the set, Colin right behind him.
Bradley grunted in response, feeling hung over even though he hadn't had anything to drink the night before.
"Oh my, aren't we grumpy this morning," Katie teased.
"He's not actually grumpy, he’s just letting on," Colin explained.
Bradley didn't dignify either of them with a reply. He climbed into the backseat and slouched as far down as the seatbelt and his leg room would allow. Colin sat down next to him, naturally, because Katie and Angel's preternatural cheerfulness wasn't enough punishment already. He had no idea what to do about Colin aside from snogging him senseless at the next available opportunity. If that was welcome. Which Bradley wasn't sure about. And that had been the vicious circle of thoughts that had kept him up almost all night. Sure, they'd kissed, but what now?
"Can you skip to number nine, please?" Katie asked the driver from the middle row of seats she shared with Angel.
Please not Kate Nash, dear god, please, Bradley thought. But the first few chords dashed his hopes. "God, why," he muttered to himself.
Colin laughed, which earned him a hard slap to his arm.
"Turn it up a bit?" Angel asked. "I love this song."
Half a minute later the chorus came on and both Angel and Katie started singing along at the top of their lungs.
I just want your kiss, boy
Kiss, boy
Kiss, boy
I just want...
Bradley didn't think it could get any worse, but, oh, how wrong he was because Colin started to mouth the words at him while pinning him with a gaze that could have melted glass. The really thick kind they used for bulletproof limousines and such.
"Stop that," Bradley hushed.
Colin never listened to anything he said, of course, so he actually started singing along, much to Katie and Angel's approval.
"That's the spirit!" Katie exclaimed.
Bradley could only think of last night, of Colin's lips against his own, of the firm grasp Colin had had on his hips. His jeans began to feel rather tight and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. As nothing ever escaped Colin's eagle eyes, there was a hand on Bradley's thigh a moment later. And Bradley could not move. At all. All he was capable of was holding Colin's gaze and praying that no one decided to look at the back seat. Colin's hand inched up higher and higher until his thumb could trace the grove between thigh and hip. Bradley's heart was racing and he was about thirty seconds away from really embarrassing himself, but he didn't care. All he wanted was for Colin to keep going, to keep looking at him as if the entire world had narrowed down to extracting waves of pleasure from a part of Bradley's body he'd never given much thought to before.
Obviously, this meant that Colin stopped.
A low whine escaped Bradley, to which Colin replied, "We're almost there."
Bradley looked out of the window, and indeed, the turrets of Pierrefonds were visible over the treetops. "Fuck," he breathed, trying to collect himself. He tugged his hoodie over his head and arranged it over his lap. There was no way he'd give Katie and Angel something to tease him with for the rest of his days.
"Sorry," Colin muttered.
Bradley glanced at him and saw uncertainty in his eyes. Too many words of reassurance swirled around in Bradley's mind and he couldn't fit them into the right order before the van stopped. They were immediately surrounded by people who started talking at them and moving in-between them. Colin was dragged off towards make-up and the production assistant pushed a new call sheet into Bradley's hands, firing questions at him. Fuck. He wanted just one minute with Colin, was that too much to ask? Apparently it was.
"Colin!" Bradley yelled. Colin turned back towards him, but kept walking. "Lunch?"
Colin smiled.
Good. At least Bradley would be able to concentrate this morning.
~***~
They never made it to lunch. They made it as far as Colin's trailer, where they struggled out of their costumes as fast as humanly possible, both came twice, and then spent the remainder of their break trying to find some semblance of coherence in order to make it through the rest of the day.
~***~
Colin hesitated in front of Bradley's hotel room door for half a minute before knocking. He'd never even thought about waiting before barging in before.
A confused-looking Bradley opened the door. "Why d'you knock?"
Colin shrugged. "Tried to be polite for once?"
"Really." Bradley muted the TV-football, Colin absently noticed-and stretched out on the bed.
Colin lingered by the bathroom door.
"Aren't you sitting down?" Bradley asked. A frown formed on his face. "This isn't going to be weird now, is it? Because of-you know."
Fucking fantastic, exactly what Colin had hoped to avoid. "'Course not." He made himself comfortable next to Bradley.
"Good. Feel like watching more Buffy?"
"Bradley-"
"Oh, no, please don't tell me we have to have a talk." Bradley rubbed his hand over his eyes. "And here I thought that since we're both, you know, not girls..."
"Want me to leave?" It wasn't as if Colin wanted to have a drawn-out analysis of their feelings for each other, but some basic agreement might be helpful if this was supposed to go anywhere other than some rushed fumbling here and there. And as much fun as that was, Colin rather wanted a bit more out of it.
Bradley sighed. "No."
They lapsed into silence. Bradley turned off the TV and picked up his mobile while Colin stared up at the ceiling, trying to come up with a way of talking without talking too much.
"Look," Colin started.
"Yeah?" Bradley's eyes were firmly on the screen of his mobile.
"Would you mind putting that away for five fucking seconds?"
Chastised, Bradley threw his phone onto the bedside table. "I'm all ears."
This evening really wasn't going as Colin had pictured it earlier. "Look," he started again. First things first. "Was that all right this morning? In the van?"
Bradley had an inscrutable look on his face. "If you mean your terrible Kate Nash impression, I could have done without that. But..." He paused. "Aside from Marion Caraway accidentally brushing against me in Year 10, no one's ever got me so close to coming in my jeans that fast as you did this morning."
Colin snorted. "Well, I suppose that's flattering."
"Oh, it is. She was fucking gorgeous." Bradley seemed lost in some very cherished memories.
Colin stared up at the telly mounted on the wall and wondered if the same kind of glare appeared on it that always reflected back into Colin's eyes when he tried to read on his bed in the late afternoon. Bradley shifted next to him, the mattress creaking with his movements.
"Are we being really stupid here?" Colin ventured.
Bradley searched his eyes. "Rather." He tugged on the edge of Colin's T-shirt until they were lying next to each other. "We could have been doing this five minutes ago."
Colin's laugh was muffled by Bradley's lips, and he gladly allowed Bradley push him onto his back.
~***~
They ended up watching All About My Mother, which Colin had been pestering Bradley about for the past two weeks or so. Bradley actually enjoyed the film, but loudly criticized everything regardless, remarking on the shoddy directing, the horrible set design, and the unbearable soundtrack. Colin took it in stride, but probably hashed out a plan of how exactly to ruin Bradley's love of Buffy, which was an impossible task, but he wasn't about to tell Colin that.
He was mostly glad they'd managed to avoid the near-catastrophe of "having to talk." The constant need to discuss their feelings had brought down his last relationship, and he feared he'd developed an allergic reaction to the phrase alone. It wasn't even so much the concept-he was quite capable of rendering emotions into words on occasion-but any kind of scheduled baring of souls grated on him.
Somehow, Colin ended up sprawled half on top of Bradley by the end of the film, and seemed rather unwilling to move.
He responded to Bradley's increasing nudges with a yawn and a mumbled, "'m staying here tonight, okay?"
And that was that. They stripped down to boxers and T-shirts and more or less successfully arranged their limbs in Bradley's too-small-bed. It was all a bit odd to fall asleep with someone Bradley hadn't shagged before, but that was Colin for you. Always doing the unexpected.
~***~
Colin wondered how long it would take until Bradley woke up. So far, only his shoulder had twitched. Next, Colin brought his nails into play when he tapped his fingers across Bradley's bare back. At some point during the night Bradley must have taken his T-shirt off-it was rather muggy-and Colin found the expanse of skin in front of him irresistible.
Bradley grunted and twisted, as if he was trying to displace an imaginary insect.
Stifling a laugh, Colin drew circles down Bradley's spine.
This time, Bradley flailed and batted at the unknown assailant. When Colin burst out laughing, Bradley blinked sleepily at him, and then flopped back down onto the bed. "Twat."
"Sorry."
"You're not sorry at all," Bradley mumbled, face buried in his pillow.
Colin wound his fingers into the hair at Bradley's nape, which was twisting in little curls again. He brushed over them with his palm, uncovering warm skin beneath. A hint of salt swept across Colin's tongue when he mouthed over that patch of skin, and Bradley squirmed in the most surprisingly delightful way.
"Stop! Stop that!" Bradley swatted at him, but Colin ducked out of his reach. "Were you just licking my neck?"
"Yes," Colin replied, and nuzzled along the top of Bradley's shoulder.
Turning onto his back, Bradley said, "You are so strange."
Having been dislodged by the swift motion, Colin tucked himself back against Bradley's side. "Is that good or bad?"
Bradley smiled. "Haven't decided yet."
Colin kissed that smile-and perhaps also the pretense of uncertainty-off Bradley's face. Hands roamed over Colin's back, drawing him closer. This was Colin's favourite kind of kiss; leisurely, without any goal, merely a way to connect.
Bradley remained quiet when they moved apart, for which Colin was grateful. It allowed him to study the sleep-worn crinkles around Bradley's eyes, the swoop of his nose, and the slightly parted lips.
"Good morning," Colin said.
"Morning," Bradley's thumb teased under the elastic of Colin's boxers, skimming the top of his arse.
Two can play this game, Colin thought. And one of us won't play fair. He pushed his hand into Bradley's pants. Hard, fast strokes worked best on Bradley, he'd discovered. It took less than ten to have him completely hard and sprawled over the sheets. Colin kissed the corner of his mouth, cataloguing each hitch of breath and the corresponding movement of his hand. When Bradley's eyelids fluttered shut, Colin knew he was nearly there. A sharp tug and twist was all it took to make Bradley arch and come over Colin's fingers.
"Fucking hell," Bradley panted. His eyes remained closed.
Colin laughed. "Cheers." He rolled over the edge of the bed and stood up. "I'll take a shower while your brain tries come back online, is that all right?"
Bradley waved his hand around, which Colin took as a "yes."
~***~
Were there any bones left in his body? Bradley wasn't entirely sure. Fuck. That had only been Colin's hand. Not even his mouth, or-well. He hadn't had it that bad for someone since his first year at DC, and that had led to a very strange moment on stage when he'd completely blanked out on his lines for about a minute. Something similar was not an option this time around. He had to focus. Arthur, crown prince of Camelot, good at sword fighting and commanding respect from his manservant, who he most definitely did not want to shag. Or did he?
A knock on the door interrupted that train wreck of a thought. Bradley stumbled out of bed, kicking off his boxers because there was no way he could open the door in their current state. The knock came again, sharper this time.
"One moment!" he called out. He picked a pair of track bottoms off the floor and struggled into them.
"I just wanted to know if-" came Angel's voice through the door.
Bradley opened the door. "Yeah?"
"If you've seen Colin. He was supposed to be downstairs ten minutes ago, and I don't think he's in his room."
Oh shit. "Colin, eh? Um, Colin is-"
As luck would have it, Colin chose that precise moment to open the bathroom door. "Hey, where d'you keep-" He trailed off, eyes widening at the sight of Angel in the door.
Angel did her best trying to pretend she hadn't seen a very naked Colin before he hastened back into the bathroom and closed the door firmly behind him.
"Colin is in my bathroom," Bradley finished lamely. "His, er, shower would only turn on cold this morning so he came over."
Still staring at some undefined point on the wall in the hall, Angel replied. "Well, could you please tell him that we're waiting for him?"
"Will do."
"Thanks." With a last curious glance, Angel left.
Bradley leaned his forehead against the door after closing it. Brilliant. Absolutely fucking brilliant.
~***~
Bradley's faint hope of having come up with a very plausible excuse for why Colin was in his shower at six o'clock in the morning was dashed when Angel walked past him on her way to the catering truck, singing I just want your kiss, boyyyy, kiss boyyyy under her breath.
~***~
If Bradley had a problem with their developing habit of ending up in each other's beds, he didn't say. Colin suspected it was the morning blowjobs that made Bradley agreeable to the arrangement. While Colin had assumed that Bradley was rather vocal in bed-he couldn't shut up the rest of the time, either, after all-the sounds that he made were utterly addictive. They also made it much more difficult to hold them back from moving on to shagging each other's brains out, but Colin felt a lingering hesitancy in Bradley where that was concerned. He wouldn't have said no to Bradley fucking him, but whenever they'd come close to that-for example when Colin had encouraged Bradley's questing fingers-Bradley had drawn back. Not that Colin minded that much because Bradley's tongue and hands were doing marvellous and rather inventive things to him.
They'd also managed to avoid any further run-ins with fellow cast members at badly timed moments.
Until the fire drill, at least.
It was three o'clock in the morning, and Colin and Bradley stumbled out of Colin's room, bleary-eyed like everyone else, finding their way downstairs and into the courtyard while being half-asleep still. The siren was blaring on as they waited in the chilly night air. Colin was absolutely freezing in his thin T-shirt and flimsy cotton pyjama bottoms. Rubbing his hands down his arms and jumping on the spot didn't help much, and he only felt marginally warmer when Bradley's hand settled on his lower back.
"Thanks," Colin mumbled. When he looked up, he met Katie's eyes. She was looking at him and Bradley with a rather calculating gaze and Colin knew then and there that the cat was out of the bag.
"Ah, fucking hell," Bradley muttered next to him. Apparently, he'd noticed Katie looking over as well. But he didn't move his hand.
Katie was whispering with Angel, who was absolutely pants at sneaking unobtrusive glances in their direction.
"D'you mind?" Colin asked.
Bradley yawned. "Mind what?"
"That Katie's apparently got us figured out."
When Bradley didn't respond right away, Colin added, "She's not going to tell. Well, aside from Angel, obviously."
"You think she won't?" Bradley sounded surprised.
"Nah. Katie's not like that." Call it instinct, but Colin was certain Katie wouldn't go around and talk about something that was rather delicate information.
"Yeah, she probably wants to keep it to herself so she can make those little remarks of hers and we can't properly tell her off for it."
Colin laughed. "Oh, we'll never hear the end of it."
As if on cue, giggling rang out over the courtyard. Bradley gave Katie the finger and received several rude gestures in return, which didn't surprise Colin in the least.
When the fire brigade had finally come and gone, they made their way back up to their rooms. Katie was about to disappear into hers when she called out, "Nice catch, Colin."
Colin opened his mouth to reply, but Bradley beat him to it. "You're just jealous, Katie," he said and took Colin by the hand to drag him back to his room.
Catcalls by Angel, and by what disturbingly sounded like Anthony, followed them inside. Colin leaned back against the door. He gave Bradley's hand a tug. "What now?"
"Now we're going back to bed," Bradley replied.
Colin rolled his eyes. "That's not what I meant."
Bradley shrugged. "It would've come out sooner or later, wouldn't it?"
"Yeah. I suppose," Colin replied slowly.
"Right then." Bradley let go of Colin's hand and made his way over to the bed.
Colin couldn't quite figure out if Bradley didn't care that rumours might spread all over the set because he didn't mind that people thought he was shagging his co-star or because it was too late to do anything about it.
It took a long time for him to fall asleep that night.
~***~
Over the next week, it became clear that the inner circle of the cast-Katie, Angel, Tony, and Richard-definitely knew about about them, but also didn't seem to care. Well, the occasional double entendre aside.
Bradley was relieved; not because he wouldn't want anyone to know that he and Colin were, well, something, but because they were still figuring this out and Bradley preferred to do that without having to deal with an incessant stream of whispering behind his back. It was bad enough that Stuart had praised him loudly for his passionate performance yesterday and had encouraged everyone else to take cues from the intensity coming through in Colin's and Bradley's scenes. Colin had accepted the compliment in his usual collected and humble manner, which had left Bradley to feel heat creep into his cheeks. He'd made Colin blow him in one of Pierrefonds' unused rooms for that because it was only fair. Colin, utter bastard that he was, hadn't only enjoyed that, but had kept licking his lips in the most perverted manner during all of Bradley's takes for the rest of the afternoon.
~***~
It was one of those days during which one hour bled into the next because there was nothing to do. Bradley was bored with everything. He was sick of watching the telly in French and of going round to the shops, and he certainly wasn't going to be on set on his day off, even if Colin had to be there for half of the day. Eventually, Bradley succumbed to a nap.
Colin came in at some point, trying and failing to be quiet. The degree of happiness caused by hearing Colin move about the room was frightening while at the same time absolutely thrilling. The mattress dipped, and then Colin was there, warm against Bradley's back. Bradley reached for his hand and kissed his wrist before tucking it against his chest. Colin's breath was warm against the side of his neck, and suddenly Bradley understood what Colin had meant about trust a few weeks ago; it was this, this doing without thinking.
He must have stirred because Colin asked, "What?"
Bradley didn't answer. Instead, he reached for the bedside table, rummaging through its drawer for lube and condoms, which he pressed into Colin's hand.
"Really?" Colin whispered. He seemed startled.
"Yeah." A deep calm settled over Bradley. This was Colin; it would be fine. They'd be fine.
~***~
It felt strange. Bradley hadn't expected this to feel so-scattered. Too many sensory impressions colliding without forming a coherent picture. Colin's hand on his thigh, five points of pressure digging into muscle. The slide of skin against skin, Colin's front to his back. The body he'd always felt rather comfortable in seemed unfamiliar to Bradley now; he didn't know how to move along with Colin, how to respond to Colin pushing into him again and again. It seemed relentless even though Bradley also knew Colin was pacing himself and trying to go slow for Bradley's sake, but it still felt far too fast. There were noises coming out of his throat, twisted, choked sounds that didn't sound like him, mingling with the harsh breaths pushing out of Colin's mouth and rolling over Bradley's neck.
Bradley twisted his fingers into the sheet and tried to hold on as best as he could.
~***~
Shudders wrecked their way through Colin when he came, his heart tripping over itself. Oxygen was in too short a supply, and he was still catching his breath when Bradley's hand pushed back against his hip, pushing him away. Not very forcefully, but pointedly enough. Colin made quick work of the condom, tying a haphazard knot and flinging it into the direction of the bin, more concerned about Bradley's state of mind than the hotel staff's assumptions.
Bradley was still on his side. Colin curled a hand around his shoulder and urged him onto his back. Bradley's eyes darted here and there, careful to avoid Colin's face. He looked lost. Colin remembered what this felt like; handing yourself over and not being entirely prepared for surrendering control. If he'd known how to tell Bradley what to expect, he would have. But there weren't really any words for this strange rendering apart. He knew Bradley was trying to put those scattered parts of himself back together again. It would take a few times until he'd discover the pleasure in allowing yourself to fall apart like this, until he'd learn how you could come to crave it with the right person.
Colin pushed Bradley's fringe away from his face. "Still there?"
"Yeah." The distance in Bradley's voice belied that affirmation.
"Feels strange, doesn't it?" Colin lowered his voice, almost whispering.
A choked laugh preceded Bradley's cautious, "Fucking weird."
"Any regrets?" Colin was almost afraid to ask.
Bradley met Colin's eyes for the first time that afternoon. "No."
"I promise it'll stop feeling weird."
"It better. This isn't the bloody fantastic sex I'm allegedly missing out on." Bradley's hand trailed up and down Colin's back.
Bradley saying more than two words at a time was reassuring. "Not yet, it isn't." Colin kissed the side of his neck. "But it will."
Bradley's breath quickened. "Very bloody sure of yourself, aren't you?"
"Yes."
~***~
Bradley had always been a big believer in getting back onto the proverbial horse right after falling off. He was also rather impatient. When it came to sex with Colin, those two impulses were on a rather unpredictable collision course. Colin didn't seem to mind being cornered at all hours, on and off the set, but he didn't handle Bradley's increasing frustration all that well. He was rather more patient than Bradley would have been had their roles been reversed, but there was a limit, even for Colin.
Apparently that point had been reached after another afternoon tumble that left them somewhat sated, but not entirely satisfied.
"You can't rush this," Colin pointed out tiredly.
"I know." Bradley was aware of how petulant he sounded.
"Then why-never mind." Colin got out of bed and started to get dressed.
Bradley sat up. "Because it's never been this difficult before! It's driving me fucking mad."
Colin tensed for a moment, and Bradley thought he could see a flare of anger in his eyes. "I'm not going to fight with you over this." Colin rounded the bed and kissed Bradley's cheek. "I'll be down by the pool."
"No going in the sun, now." The words slipped past Bradley's lips out of habit but lacked their usual playfulness.
Nevertheless, Colin smiled. "Katie's borrowed"--he made air quotes around that word-"one of the big umbrellas from the set, so we'll remain properly pasty." Colin's fingers skimmed over Bradley's jaw before he stood up.
Bradley flopped back onto the bed after the door shut behind Colin, thoughts going round in circles once again. A quarter of an hour later, he gave himself a kick in the arse for being such a girl and took a shower. Meandering down the stairs towards the lobby without a clear goal in mind, he ran into Tony, who seemed similarly listless. They decided dinner with indecent amounts of red wine were the solution to their late summer ennui, which turned out to be the best decision Bradley had made in days.
~***~
August announced itself with a round of thunderstorms. The wind drove rain against the balcony doors and thunder rumbled in the distance. Colin was absorbed in On Chesil Beach, but not too absorbed to sneak the occasional glance at Bradley, who was reading through the script of the final episode of the series. Bradley caught Colin's gaze one of those times, and held it. Colin let his book slip out of his hand. Bradley carefully placed the script on the floor. He crawled across the bed and slowly pushed Colin onto his back.
Everything after that was a blur of discarded clothes and of scrabbling hands, a rush of "come on" and "hurry up" and "like that." Bradley kept Colin's wrists pinned to the bed, moving above him, thighs a tight frame around Colin's hips.
Colin knew exactly when everything shifted for Bradley: his breath stuttered and he stilled, a choked "oh god" slipping past his lips. His fingernails dug painfully into Colin's skin, but he urged Bradley on nevertheless. Bradley kissed him with abandon, the rise and fall of his hips pressing Colin down into the mattress. When Bradley's fingers went lax around his wrists, Colin slipped his hands out of their lose grasp. Wrapping his arms around Bradley's back, he pushed up experimentally.
Bradley's breath hitched and his forehead dropped onto Colin's shoulder. "Again," he urged.
They found point and counterpoint, a fast rhythm that forged discords into harmony. Colin stopped thinking and let himself go, finally certain he could pull Bradley along with him.
~***~
Afterwards, they remained silent for a long time. Neither of them moved very much, either. In fact, Bradley would have been content to stay there for as long as possible, lying half on top of Colin with one arm flung around his middle, their sides pressing comfortably against one another.
Eventually, Bradley did move a little farther away, but only because he wanted to see Colin's face. The unguarded adoration Bradley saw in his eyes scared the shit out of him, even if he was certain he smiled back at Colin in an equally dopey way.
Colin burst out laughing, which was a convenient excuse to slap him across the thigh. The retaliation came in the form of a sharp kick to Bradley's shin, and with that, they were back on much more familiar territory.
And yet, something had slotted into place that had been up in the air before.
~***~
"Uh-oh." Bradley's fork hovered half-way to his mouth as he looked at something over Colin's shoulder.
"What?" Colin turned around, and saw Katie coming towards them. Her smirk did not bode well.
She set down her plate of spaghetti next to Colin's bowl of soup and pulled out a chair to sit down. "Colin. Bradley. How are you this fine, fine Monday?"
Colin and Bradley exchanged a look.
"Good," Bradley replied cautiously. "And you?"
"Fantastic." She expertly twirled a few spaghetti around her fork. "Say, Colin, have you looked at Bradley's Facebook recently?"
Colin noticed how Bradley's eyes widened a fraction. Turning towards Katie, he replied, "No, why?"
"Well, I just happened to notice that he's changed his relationship status."
"Having fun cyber-stalking your co-stars, McGrath?" Bradley interjected.
With an air of innocence, Katie countered, "I merely like to keep informed."
"So, what's it say now?" Colin interrupted. "Bradley's Facebook?"
"It says-" Katie paused dramatically. "That he's in a relationship."
A deep flush stole up Bradley's neck and he studiously looked down on his plate of chicken and peas.
"For serious?" Colin asked.
"Saw it with my own eyes." Katie's grin turned into a genuine smile.
Colin kicked Bradley under the table. "Anything to add?"
Bradley glanced up. "No."
"Arse."
Bradley unsuccessfully tried to hide his smile by gulping down half a bottle of water.
"Oh, there's Angel. I should go and ask her about this scene we're doing later." Katie gathered up her plate and cutlery. "Have fun." She winked at Colin and pushed her way through the crowded tables to reach the other side of the room, where Angel was sitting down.
Colin stirred his soup. "You knew she'd find out."
"Maybe." Bradley finally allowed that smile to emerge in full.
Colin shook his head. "Subtle, James, very subtle."
Bradley shrugged, but that smile stayed on his face all the way through lunch.
~***~
As Bradley was finished with his scenes earlier than anyone else-by which he meant Colin, really-he decided to film a bit more for the video diaries. He managed to catch Katie frowning and gesturing while mouthing along to her iPod, looking very serious and distraught. Bradley knew she was filming Morgana's confrontation with Uther that afternoon, but her efforts to get into the right mood were unintentionally hilarious, and consequently had to be captured on video.
Bradley finally found Colin outside the castle walls later in the evening. He had no qualms interrupting whatever conversation Colin was having, and Colin didn't seem to mind too much, either. Bradley asked a series of questions-about catering, and about the scenes Colin was doing for episode nine-that hopefully sounded coherent. He didn't really know what was coming out of his mouth because Colin kept sneaking those glances at him over the top of the camera and kept smiling at him in a way that Bradley had only seen in very different, and much more private, circumstances.
Colin had just explained that the Black Knight was going to BURN, laughing at himself and the world at large when Bradley shut off the camera.
"What, you didn't think that was funny?" Colin asked.
"You always think your jokes are funnier than they actually are," Bradley replied dryly.
Colin took a step closer to him. "Is that right, now?"
"Yes." Bradley looked past Colin's shoulder. "You need to stop looking at me like that."
Colin shifted into Bradley's line of sight. He still had that look on his face. "Like what?"
"Like..." Bradley gestured unsuccessfully. "Like you're about half a second away from snogging me in front of everyone."
Colin took another step closer. "Maybe I am."
Bradley's throat felt very, very dry. "You wouldn't."
There was mischief in Colin's eyes as he leaned in.
And snagged the camera away from Bradley, running off towards the castle.
"You absolute fucker, Morgan!" Bradley set off after Colin at a much slower place, once again cursing Arthur's fifteen-layer outfits.
~***~
Colin stumbled up dark stairs in one of Pierrefonds' turrets, falling over his feet but laughing nevertheless, allowing himself to be pulled farther along by Bradley, who appeared to be on much surer footing on the winding steps. Just when Colin thought his lungs might explode, Bradley pushed them through a door and out onto a narrow ledge high up above the castle. Colin barely had time to catch his breath when Bradley pressed him back against the sloping roof, kissing him until they were both lightheaded.
They fell back against the tiles, one next to the other, looking up into the starlit sky. Voices and music from the party below seemed far away, a cacophony dispersed by wind and silence.
"If you just wanted a snog, there are about half a dozen rooms on the first floor alone." Colin pointedly looked at Bradley.
"I like it up here. Best place to get away. Seems like no one else has found it yet."
"Well, no one else is daft enough to brave those stairs." Colin sidled closer until he could rest his head against Bradley's shoulder. "Know any constellations?"
Bradley turned a bit, fitting himself more comfortably against Colin's side. "Not a clue, sorry."
"Well, that's not very romantic." Colin threw in a pout for good measure, even if Bradley probably couldn't see it in the darkness.
"Oh, sorry, Colin, I didn't know you were the roses-and-chocolate type."
"I'm allergic to chocolate, actually."
Bradley snorted. "Of course you are."
They fell silent; Bradley wiggled his arm out from between them and wrapped it around Colin's shoulders. It was remarkably comfortable, all in all, considering they were half-leaning against sheets of slate.
"You've any plans for after?" Bradley asked.
They had three weeks left in France, something they hadn't really talked about. "'m going to visit my family first," Colin replied. "Then back to London, I suppose. My agent has a few auditions lined up."
"Yeah?" Bradley asked.
"Hmm. What about you? Don’t you live up around Old Street somewhere?"
Bradley's fingers wandered underneath the collar of Colin's shirt, tracing along his neck. "With two of my mates, yeah. But I've been thinking of looking for something of my own. Round Bankside, maybe. Be nice to be on the river."
"Bankside's not bad." Colin knew they were dancing around that vague thing called 'the future,' or maybe 'their future,' and it did funny things to his stomach, as if they were going down in a lift too quickly.
Bradley didn't respond, but his fingers continued their idle patterns.
"So I'll see you then, back in London?" Colin aimed for casual, but the hitch in his voice rather betrayed that.
Bradley stilled. "Of course you will. I mean-you didn't think this was-this was just-"
"No. It's..." Colin was loathe to put it-them-into words.
"Like this?" Bradley whispered right before he kissed Colin, fast and possessive and without room for doubt.
"Yeah," Colin murmured against Bradley's lips, "Just like that."
the end.
Read the sequel: A Jump and a Climb.
.
Author: coffeejunkii
Pairing: Colin Morgan/Bradley James
Rating: NC-17
Warning/Spoilers: none
Word count: ~12k
Summary: A story about a summer in France, in which Bradley finds himself intrigued by Irish names, Colin reads a lot, Angel and Katie are their usual innocent selves, and a few moments change everything.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Characters do resemble actual persons, however.
Notes: Many thanks to everyone who has cheered me on, betaed, britpicked, and researched: aelora, bewarethesmirk, lost2mercy, and msdaccxx. The title is a line from the hidden track at the end of Kate Nash's "Merry Happy."
Part 1 is here.
"Morning, boys," Angel greeted them cheerfully as Bradley stumbled toward the van that would take them to the set, Colin right behind him.
Bradley grunted in response, feeling hung over even though he hadn't had anything to drink the night before.
"Oh my, aren't we grumpy this morning," Katie teased.
"He's not actually grumpy, he’s just letting on," Colin explained.
Bradley didn't dignify either of them with a reply. He climbed into the backseat and slouched as far down as the seatbelt and his leg room would allow. Colin sat down next to him, naturally, because Katie and Angel's preternatural cheerfulness wasn't enough punishment already. He had no idea what to do about Colin aside from snogging him senseless at the next available opportunity. If that was welcome. Which Bradley wasn't sure about. And that had been the vicious circle of thoughts that had kept him up almost all night. Sure, they'd kissed, but what now?
"Can you skip to number nine, please?" Katie asked the driver from the middle row of seats she shared with Angel.
Please not Kate Nash, dear god, please, Bradley thought. But the first few chords dashed his hopes. "God, why," he muttered to himself.
Colin laughed, which earned him a hard slap to his arm.
"Turn it up a bit?" Angel asked. "I love this song."
Half a minute later the chorus came on and both Angel and Katie started singing along at the top of their lungs.
I just want your kiss, boy
Kiss, boy
Kiss, boy
I just want...
Bradley didn't think it could get any worse, but, oh, how wrong he was because Colin started to mouth the words at him while pinning him with a gaze that could have melted glass. The really thick kind they used for bulletproof limousines and such.
"Stop that," Bradley hushed.
Colin never listened to anything he said, of course, so he actually started singing along, much to Katie and Angel's approval.
"That's the spirit!" Katie exclaimed.
Bradley could only think of last night, of Colin's lips against his own, of the firm grasp Colin had had on his hips. His jeans began to feel rather tight and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. As nothing ever escaped Colin's eagle eyes, there was a hand on Bradley's thigh a moment later. And Bradley could not move. At all. All he was capable of was holding Colin's gaze and praying that no one decided to look at the back seat. Colin's hand inched up higher and higher until his thumb could trace the grove between thigh and hip. Bradley's heart was racing and he was about thirty seconds away from really embarrassing himself, but he didn't care. All he wanted was for Colin to keep going, to keep looking at him as if the entire world had narrowed down to extracting waves of pleasure from a part of Bradley's body he'd never given much thought to before.
Obviously, this meant that Colin stopped.
A low whine escaped Bradley, to which Colin replied, "We're almost there."
Bradley looked out of the window, and indeed, the turrets of Pierrefonds were visible over the treetops. "Fuck," he breathed, trying to collect himself. He tugged his hoodie over his head and arranged it over his lap. There was no way he'd give Katie and Angel something to tease him with for the rest of his days.
"Sorry," Colin muttered.
Bradley glanced at him and saw uncertainty in his eyes. Too many words of reassurance swirled around in Bradley's mind and he couldn't fit them into the right order before the van stopped. They were immediately surrounded by people who started talking at them and moving in-between them. Colin was dragged off towards make-up and the production assistant pushed a new call sheet into Bradley's hands, firing questions at him. Fuck. He wanted just one minute with Colin, was that too much to ask? Apparently it was.
"Colin!" Bradley yelled. Colin turned back towards him, but kept walking. "Lunch?"
Colin smiled.
Good. At least Bradley would be able to concentrate this morning.
~***~
They never made it to lunch. They made it as far as Colin's trailer, where they struggled out of their costumes as fast as humanly possible, both came twice, and then spent the remainder of their break trying to find some semblance of coherence in order to make it through the rest of the day.
~***~
Colin hesitated in front of Bradley's hotel room door for half a minute before knocking. He'd never even thought about waiting before barging in before.
A confused-looking Bradley opened the door. "Why d'you knock?"
Colin shrugged. "Tried to be polite for once?"
"Really." Bradley muted the TV-football, Colin absently noticed-and stretched out on the bed.
Colin lingered by the bathroom door.
"Aren't you sitting down?" Bradley asked. A frown formed on his face. "This isn't going to be weird now, is it? Because of-you know."
Fucking fantastic, exactly what Colin had hoped to avoid. "'Course not." He made himself comfortable next to Bradley.
"Good. Feel like watching more Buffy?"
"Bradley-"
"Oh, no, please don't tell me we have to have a talk." Bradley rubbed his hand over his eyes. "And here I thought that since we're both, you know, not girls..."
"Want me to leave?" It wasn't as if Colin wanted to have a drawn-out analysis of their feelings for each other, but some basic agreement might be helpful if this was supposed to go anywhere other than some rushed fumbling here and there. And as much fun as that was, Colin rather wanted a bit more out of it.
Bradley sighed. "No."
They lapsed into silence. Bradley turned off the TV and picked up his mobile while Colin stared up at the ceiling, trying to come up with a way of talking without talking too much.
"Look," Colin started.
"Yeah?" Bradley's eyes were firmly on the screen of his mobile.
"Would you mind putting that away for five fucking seconds?"
Chastised, Bradley threw his phone onto the bedside table. "I'm all ears."
This evening really wasn't going as Colin had pictured it earlier. "Look," he started again. First things first. "Was that all right this morning? In the van?"
Bradley had an inscrutable look on his face. "If you mean your terrible Kate Nash impression, I could have done without that. But..." He paused. "Aside from Marion Caraway accidentally brushing against me in Year 10, no one's ever got me so close to coming in my jeans that fast as you did this morning."
Colin snorted. "Well, I suppose that's flattering."
"Oh, it is. She was fucking gorgeous." Bradley seemed lost in some very cherished memories.
Colin stared up at the telly mounted on the wall and wondered if the same kind of glare appeared on it that always reflected back into Colin's eyes when he tried to read on his bed in the late afternoon. Bradley shifted next to him, the mattress creaking with his movements.
"Are we being really stupid here?" Colin ventured.
Bradley searched his eyes. "Rather." He tugged on the edge of Colin's T-shirt until they were lying next to each other. "We could have been doing this five minutes ago."
Colin's laugh was muffled by Bradley's lips, and he gladly allowed Bradley push him onto his back.
~***~
They ended up watching All About My Mother, which Colin had been pestering Bradley about for the past two weeks or so. Bradley actually enjoyed the film, but loudly criticized everything regardless, remarking on the shoddy directing, the horrible set design, and the unbearable soundtrack. Colin took it in stride, but probably hashed out a plan of how exactly to ruin Bradley's love of Buffy, which was an impossible task, but he wasn't about to tell Colin that.
He was mostly glad they'd managed to avoid the near-catastrophe of "having to talk." The constant need to discuss their feelings had brought down his last relationship, and he feared he'd developed an allergic reaction to the phrase alone. It wasn't even so much the concept-he was quite capable of rendering emotions into words on occasion-but any kind of scheduled baring of souls grated on him.
Somehow, Colin ended up sprawled half on top of Bradley by the end of the film, and seemed rather unwilling to move.
He responded to Bradley's increasing nudges with a yawn and a mumbled, "'m staying here tonight, okay?"
And that was that. They stripped down to boxers and T-shirts and more or less successfully arranged their limbs in Bradley's too-small-bed. It was all a bit odd to fall asleep with someone Bradley hadn't shagged before, but that was Colin for you. Always doing the unexpected.
~***~
Colin wondered how long it would take until Bradley woke up. So far, only his shoulder had twitched. Next, Colin brought his nails into play when he tapped his fingers across Bradley's bare back. At some point during the night Bradley must have taken his T-shirt off-it was rather muggy-and Colin found the expanse of skin in front of him irresistible.
Bradley grunted and twisted, as if he was trying to displace an imaginary insect.
Stifling a laugh, Colin drew circles down Bradley's spine.
This time, Bradley flailed and batted at the unknown assailant. When Colin burst out laughing, Bradley blinked sleepily at him, and then flopped back down onto the bed. "Twat."
"Sorry."
"You're not sorry at all," Bradley mumbled, face buried in his pillow.
Colin wound his fingers into the hair at Bradley's nape, which was twisting in little curls again. He brushed over them with his palm, uncovering warm skin beneath. A hint of salt swept across Colin's tongue when he mouthed over that patch of skin, and Bradley squirmed in the most surprisingly delightful way.
"Stop! Stop that!" Bradley swatted at him, but Colin ducked out of his reach. "Were you just licking my neck?"
"Yes," Colin replied, and nuzzled along the top of Bradley's shoulder.
Turning onto his back, Bradley said, "You are so strange."
Having been dislodged by the swift motion, Colin tucked himself back against Bradley's side. "Is that good or bad?"
Bradley smiled. "Haven't decided yet."
Colin kissed that smile-and perhaps also the pretense of uncertainty-off Bradley's face. Hands roamed over Colin's back, drawing him closer. This was Colin's favourite kind of kiss; leisurely, without any goal, merely a way to connect.
Bradley remained quiet when they moved apart, for which Colin was grateful. It allowed him to study the sleep-worn crinkles around Bradley's eyes, the swoop of his nose, and the slightly parted lips.
"Good morning," Colin said.
"Morning," Bradley's thumb teased under the elastic of Colin's boxers, skimming the top of his arse.
Two can play this game, Colin thought. And one of us won't play fair. He pushed his hand into Bradley's pants. Hard, fast strokes worked best on Bradley, he'd discovered. It took less than ten to have him completely hard and sprawled over the sheets. Colin kissed the corner of his mouth, cataloguing each hitch of breath and the corresponding movement of his hand. When Bradley's eyelids fluttered shut, Colin knew he was nearly there. A sharp tug and twist was all it took to make Bradley arch and come over Colin's fingers.
"Fucking hell," Bradley panted. His eyes remained closed.
Colin laughed. "Cheers." He rolled over the edge of the bed and stood up. "I'll take a shower while your brain tries come back online, is that all right?"
Bradley waved his hand around, which Colin took as a "yes."
~***~
Were there any bones left in his body? Bradley wasn't entirely sure. Fuck. That had only been Colin's hand. Not even his mouth, or-well. He hadn't had it that bad for someone since his first year at DC, and that had led to a very strange moment on stage when he'd completely blanked out on his lines for about a minute. Something similar was not an option this time around. He had to focus. Arthur, crown prince of Camelot, good at sword fighting and commanding respect from his manservant, who he most definitely did not want to shag. Or did he?
A knock on the door interrupted that train wreck of a thought. Bradley stumbled out of bed, kicking off his boxers because there was no way he could open the door in their current state. The knock came again, sharper this time.
"One moment!" he called out. He picked a pair of track bottoms off the floor and struggled into them.
"I just wanted to know if-" came Angel's voice through the door.
Bradley opened the door. "Yeah?"
"If you've seen Colin. He was supposed to be downstairs ten minutes ago, and I don't think he's in his room."
Oh shit. "Colin, eh? Um, Colin is-"
As luck would have it, Colin chose that precise moment to open the bathroom door. "Hey, where d'you keep-" He trailed off, eyes widening at the sight of Angel in the door.
Angel did her best trying to pretend she hadn't seen a very naked Colin before he hastened back into the bathroom and closed the door firmly behind him.
"Colin is in my bathroom," Bradley finished lamely. "His, er, shower would only turn on cold this morning so he came over."
Still staring at some undefined point on the wall in the hall, Angel replied. "Well, could you please tell him that we're waiting for him?"
"Will do."
"Thanks." With a last curious glance, Angel left.
Bradley leaned his forehead against the door after closing it. Brilliant. Absolutely fucking brilliant.
~***~
Bradley's faint hope of having come up with a very plausible excuse for why Colin was in his shower at six o'clock in the morning was dashed when Angel walked past him on her way to the catering truck, singing I just want your kiss, boyyyy, kiss boyyyy under her breath.
~***~
If Bradley had a problem with their developing habit of ending up in each other's beds, he didn't say. Colin suspected it was the morning blowjobs that made Bradley agreeable to the arrangement. While Colin had assumed that Bradley was rather vocal in bed-he couldn't shut up the rest of the time, either, after all-the sounds that he made were utterly addictive. They also made it much more difficult to hold them back from moving on to shagging each other's brains out, but Colin felt a lingering hesitancy in Bradley where that was concerned. He wouldn't have said no to Bradley fucking him, but whenever they'd come close to that-for example when Colin had encouraged Bradley's questing fingers-Bradley had drawn back. Not that Colin minded that much because Bradley's tongue and hands were doing marvellous and rather inventive things to him.
They'd also managed to avoid any further run-ins with fellow cast members at badly timed moments.
Until the fire drill, at least.
It was three o'clock in the morning, and Colin and Bradley stumbled out of Colin's room, bleary-eyed like everyone else, finding their way downstairs and into the courtyard while being half-asleep still. The siren was blaring on as they waited in the chilly night air. Colin was absolutely freezing in his thin T-shirt and flimsy cotton pyjama bottoms. Rubbing his hands down his arms and jumping on the spot didn't help much, and he only felt marginally warmer when Bradley's hand settled on his lower back.
"Thanks," Colin mumbled. When he looked up, he met Katie's eyes. She was looking at him and Bradley with a rather calculating gaze and Colin knew then and there that the cat was out of the bag.
"Ah, fucking hell," Bradley muttered next to him. Apparently, he'd noticed Katie looking over as well. But he didn't move his hand.
Katie was whispering with Angel, who was absolutely pants at sneaking unobtrusive glances in their direction.
"D'you mind?" Colin asked.
Bradley yawned. "Mind what?"
"That Katie's apparently got us figured out."
When Bradley didn't respond right away, Colin added, "She's not going to tell. Well, aside from Angel, obviously."
"You think she won't?" Bradley sounded surprised.
"Nah. Katie's not like that." Call it instinct, but Colin was certain Katie wouldn't go around and talk about something that was rather delicate information.
"Yeah, she probably wants to keep it to herself so she can make those little remarks of hers and we can't properly tell her off for it."
Colin laughed. "Oh, we'll never hear the end of it."
As if on cue, giggling rang out over the courtyard. Bradley gave Katie the finger and received several rude gestures in return, which didn't surprise Colin in the least.
When the fire brigade had finally come and gone, they made their way back up to their rooms. Katie was about to disappear into hers when she called out, "Nice catch, Colin."
Colin opened his mouth to reply, but Bradley beat him to it. "You're just jealous, Katie," he said and took Colin by the hand to drag him back to his room.
Catcalls by Angel, and by what disturbingly sounded like Anthony, followed them inside. Colin leaned back against the door. He gave Bradley's hand a tug. "What now?"
"Now we're going back to bed," Bradley replied.
Colin rolled his eyes. "That's not what I meant."
Bradley shrugged. "It would've come out sooner or later, wouldn't it?"
"Yeah. I suppose," Colin replied slowly.
"Right then." Bradley let go of Colin's hand and made his way over to the bed.
Colin couldn't quite figure out if Bradley didn't care that rumours might spread all over the set because he didn't mind that people thought he was shagging his co-star or because it was too late to do anything about it.
It took a long time for him to fall asleep that night.
~***~
Over the next week, it became clear that the inner circle of the cast-Katie, Angel, Tony, and Richard-definitely knew about about them, but also didn't seem to care. Well, the occasional double entendre aside.
Bradley was relieved; not because he wouldn't want anyone to know that he and Colin were, well, something, but because they were still figuring this out and Bradley preferred to do that without having to deal with an incessant stream of whispering behind his back. It was bad enough that Stuart had praised him loudly for his passionate performance yesterday and had encouraged everyone else to take cues from the intensity coming through in Colin's and Bradley's scenes. Colin had accepted the compliment in his usual collected and humble manner, which had left Bradley to feel heat creep into his cheeks. He'd made Colin blow him in one of Pierrefonds' unused rooms for that because it was only fair. Colin, utter bastard that he was, hadn't only enjoyed that, but had kept licking his lips in the most perverted manner during all of Bradley's takes for the rest of the afternoon.
~***~
It was one of those days during which one hour bled into the next because there was nothing to do. Bradley was bored with everything. He was sick of watching the telly in French and of going round to the shops, and he certainly wasn't going to be on set on his day off, even if Colin had to be there for half of the day. Eventually, Bradley succumbed to a nap.
Colin came in at some point, trying and failing to be quiet. The degree of happiness caused by hearing Colin move about the room was frightening while at the same time absolutely thrilling. The mattress dipped, and then Colin was there, warm against Bradley's back. Bradley reached for his hand and kissed his wrist before tucking it against his chest. Colin's breath was warm against the side of his neck, and suddenly Bradley understood what Colin had meant about trust a few weeks ago; it was this, this doing without thinking.
He must have stirred because Colin asked, "What?"
Bradley didn't answer. Instead, he reached for the bedside table, rummaging through its drawer for lube and condoms, which he pressed into Colin's hand.
"Really?" Colin whispered. He seemed startled.
"Yeah." A deep calm settled over Bradley. This was Colin; it would be fine. They'd be fine.
~***~
It felt strange. Bradley hadn't expected this to feel so-scattered. Too many sensory impressions colliding without forming a coherent picture. Colin's hand on his thigh, five points of pressure digging into muscle. The slide of skin against skin, Colin's front to his back. The body he'd always felt rather comfortable in seemed unfamiliar to Bradley now; he didn't know how to move along with Colin, how to respond to Colin pushing into him again and again. It seemed relentless even though Bradley also knew Colin was pacing himself and trying to go slow for Bradley's sake, but it still felt far too fast. There were noises coming out of his throat, twisted, choked sounds that didn't sound like him, mingling with the harsh breaths pushing out of Colin's mouth and rolling over Bradley's neck.
Bradley twisted his fingers into the sheet and tried to hold on as best as he could.
~***~
Shudders wrecked their way through Colin when he came, his heart tripping over itself. Oxygen was in too short a supply, and he was still catching his breath when Bradley's hand pushed back against his hip, pushing him away. Not very forcefully, but pointedly enough. Colin made quick work of the condom, tying a haphazard knot and flinging it into the direction of the bin, more concerned about Bradley's state of mind than the hotel staff's assumptions.
Bradley was still on his side. Colin curled a hand around his shoulder and urged him onto his back. Bradley's eyes darted here and there, careful to avoid Colin's face. He looked lost. Colin remembered what this felt like; handing yourself over and not being entirely prepared for surrendering control. If he'd known how to tell Bradley what to expect, he would have. But there weren't really any words for this strange rendering apart. He knew Bradley was trying to put those scattered parts of himself back together again. It would take a few times until he'd discover the pleasure in allowing yourself to fall apart like this, until he'd learn how you could come to crave it with the right person.
Colin pushed Bradley's fringe away from his face. "Still there?"
"Yeah." The distance in Bradley's voice belied that affirmation.
"Feels strange, doesn't it?" Colin lowered his voice, almost whispering.
A choked laugh preceded Bradley's cautious, "Fucking weird."
"Any regrets?" Colin was almost afraid to ask.
Bradley met Colin's eyes for the first time that afternoon. "No."
"I promise it'll stop feeling weird."
"It better. This isn't the bloody fantastic sex I'm allegedly missing out on." Bradley's hand trailed up and down Colin's back.
Bradley saying more than two words at a time was reassuring. "Not yet, it isn't." Colin kissed the side of his neck. "But it will."
Bradley's breath quickened. "Very bloody sure of yourself, aren't you?"
"Yes."
~***~
Bradley had always been a big believer in getting back onto the proverbial horse right after falling off. He was also rather impatient. When it came to sex with Colin, those two impulses were on a rather unpredictable collision course. Colin didn't seem to mind being cornered at all hours, on and off the set, but he didn't handle Bradley's increasing frustration all that well. He was rather more patient than Bradley would have been had their roles been reversed, but there was a limit, even for Colin.
Apparently that point had been reached after another afternoon tumble that left them somewhat sated, but not entirely satisfied.
"You can't rush this," Colin pointed out tiredly.
"I know." Bradley was aware of how petulant he sounded.
"Then why-never mind." Colin got out of bed and started to get dressed.
Bradley sat up. "Because it's never been this difficult before! It's driving me fucking mad."
Colin tensed for a moment, and Bradley thought he could see a flare of anger in his eyes. "I'm not going to fight with you over this." Colin rounded the bed and kissed Bradley's cheek. "I'll be down by the pool."
"No going in the sun, now." The words slipped past Bradley's lips out of habit but lacked their usual playfulness.
Nevertheless, Colin smiled. "Katie's borrowed"--he made air quotes around that word-"one of the big umbrellas from the set, so we'll remain properly pasty." Colin's fingers skimmed over Bradley's jaw before he stood up.
Bradley flopped back onto the bed after the door shut behind Colin, thoughts going round in circles once again. A quarter of an hour later, he gave himself a kick in the arse for being such a girl and took a shower. Meandering down the stairs towards the lobby without a clear goal in mind, he ran into Tony, who seemed similarly listless. They decided dinner with indecent amounts of red wine were the solution to their late summer ennui, which turned out to be the best decision Bradley had made in days.
~***~
August announced itself with a round of thunderstorms. The wind drove rain against the balcony doors and thunder rumbled in the distance. Colin was absorbed in On Chesil Beach, but not too absorbed to sneak the occasional glance at Bradley, who was reading through the script of the final episode of the series. Bradley caught Colin's gaze one of those times, and held it. Colin let his book slip out of his hand. Bradley carefully placed the script on the floor. He crawled across the bed and slowly pushed Colin onto his back.
Everything after that was a blur of discarded clothes and of scrabbling hands, a rush of "come on" and "hurry up" and "like that." Bradley kept Colin's wrists pinned to the bed, moving above him, thighs a tight frame around Colin's hips.
Colin knew exactly when everything shifted for Bradley: his breath stuttered and he stilled, a choked "oh god" slipping past his lips. His fingernails dug painfully into Colin's skin, but he urged Bradley on nevertheless. Bradley kissed him with abandon, the rise and fall of his hips pressing Colin down into the mattress. When Bradley's fingers went lax around his wrists, Colin slipped his hands out of their lose grasp. Wrapping his arms around Bradley's back, he pushed up experimentally.
Bradley's breath hitched and his forehead dropped onto Colin's shoulder. "Again," he urged.
They found point and counterpoint, a fast rhythm that forged discords into harmony. Colin stopped thinking and let himself go, finally certain he could pull Bradley along with him.
~***~
Afterwards, they remained silent for a long time. Neither of them moved very much, either. In fact, Bradley would have been content to stay there for as long as possible, lying half on top of Colin with one arm flung around his middle, their sides pressing comfortably against one another.
Eventually, Bradley did move a little farther away, but only because he wanted to see Colin's face. The unguarded adoration Bradley saw in his eyes scared the shit out of him, even if he was certain he smiled back at Colin in an equally dopey way.
Colin burst out laughing, which was a convenient excuse to slap him across the thigh. The retaliation came in the form of a sharp kick to Bradley's shin, and with that, they were back on much more familiar territory.
And yet, something had slotted into place that had been up in the air before.
~***~
"Uh-oh." Bradley's fork hovered half-way to his mouth as he looked at something over Colin's shoulder.
"What?" Colin turned around, and saw Katie coming towards them. Her smirk did not bode well.
She set down her plate of spaghetti next to Colin's bowl of soup and pulled out a chair to sit down. "Colin. Bradley. How are you this fine, fine Monday?"
Colin and Bradley exchanged a look.
"Good," Bradley replied cautiously. "And you?"
"Fantastic." She expertly twirled a few spaghetti around her fork. "Say, Colin, have you looked at Bradley's Facebook recently?"
Colin noticed how Bradley's eyes widened a fraction. Turning towards Katie, he replied, "No, why?"
"Well, I just happened to notice that he's changed his relationship status."
"Having fun cyber-stalking your co-stars, McGrath?" Bradley interjected.
With an air of innocence, Katie countered, "I merely like to keep informed."
"So, what's it say now?" Colin interrupted. "Bradley's Facebook?"
"It says-" Katie paused dramatically. "That he's in a relationship."
A deep flush stole up Bradley's neck and he studiously looked down on his plate of chicken and peas.
"For serious?" Colin asked.
"Saw it with my own eyes." Katie's grin turned into a genuine smile.
Colin kicked Bradley under the table. "Anything to add?"
Bradley glanced up. "No."
"Arse."
Bradley unsuccessfully tried to hide his smile by gulping down half a bottle of water.
"Oh, there's Angel. I should go and ask her about this scene we're doing later." Katie gathered up her plate and cutlery. "Have fun." She winked at Colin and pushed her way through the crowded tables to reach the other side of the room, where Angel was sitting down.
Colin stirred his soup. "You knew she'd find out."
"Maybe." Bradley finally allowed that smile to emerge in full.
Colin shook his head. "Subtle, James, very subtle."
Bradley shrugged, but that smile stayed on his face all the way through lunch.
~***~
As Bradley was finished with his scenes earlier than anyone else-by which he meant Colin, really-he decided to film a bit more for the video diaries. He managed to catch Katie frowning and gesturing while mouthing along to her iPod, looking very serious and distraught. Bradley knew she was filming Morgana's confrontation with Uther that afternoon, but her efforts to get into the right mood were unintentionally hilarious, and consequently had to be captured on video.
Bradley finally found Colin outside the castle walls later in the evening. He had no qualms interrupting whatever conversation Colin was having, and Colin didn't seem to mind too much, either. Bradley asked a series of questions-about catering, and about the scenes Colin was doing for episode nine-that hopefully sounded coherent. He didn't really know what was coming out of his mouth because Colin kept sneaking those glances at him over the top of the camera and kept smiling at him in a way that Bradley had only seen in very different, and much more private, circumstances.
Colin had just explained that the Black Knight was going to BURN, laughing at himself and the world at large when Bradley shut off the camera.
"What, you didn't think that was funny?" Colin asked.
"You always think your jokes are funnier than they actually are," Bradley replied dryly.
Colin took a step closer to him. "Is that right, now?"
"Yes." Bradley looked past Colin's shoulder. "You need to stop looking at me like that."
Colin shifted into Bradley's line of sight. He still had that look on his face. "Like what?"
"Like..." Bradley gestured unsuccessfully. "Like you're about half a second away from snogging me in front of everyone."
Colin took another step closer. "Maybe I am."
Bradley's throat felt very, very dry. "You wouldn't."
There was mischief in Colin's eyes as he leaned in.
And snagged the camera away from Bradley, running off towards the castle.
"You absolute fucker, Morgan!" Bradley set off after Colin at a much slower place, once again cursing Arthur's fifteen-layer outfits.
~***~
Colin stumbled up dark stairs in one of Pierrefonds' turrets, falling over his feet but laughing nevertheless, allowing himself to be pulled farther along by Bradley, who appeared to be on much surer footing on the winding steps. Just when Colin thought his lungs might explode, Bradley pushed them through a door and out onto a narrow ledge high up above the castle. Colin barely had time to catch his breath when Bradley pressed him back against the sloping roof, kissing him until they were both lightheaded.
They fell back against the tiles, one next to the other, looking up into the starlit sky. Voices and music from the party below seemed far away, a cacophony dispersed by wind and silence.
"If you just wanted a snog, there are about half a dozen rooms on the first floor alone." Colin pointedly looked at Bradley.
"I like it up here. Best place to get away. Seems like no one else has found it yet."
"Well, no one else is daft enough to brave those stairs." Colin sidled closer until he could rest his head against Bradley's shoulder. "Know any constellations?"
Bradley turned a bit, fitting himself more comfortably against Colin's side. "Not a clue, sorry."
"Well, that's not very romantic." Colin threw in a pout for good measure, even if Bradley probably couldn't see it in the darkness.
"Oh, sorry, Colin, I didn't know you were the roses-and-chocolate type."
"I'm allergic to chocolate, actually."
Bradley snorted. "Of course you are."
They fell silent; Bradley wiggled his arm out from between them and wrapped it around Colin's shoulders. It was remarkably comfortable, all in all, considering they were half-leaning against sheets of slate.
"You've any plans for after?" Bradley asked.
They had three weeks left in France, something they hadn't really talked about. "'m going to visit my family first," Colin replied. "Then back to London, I suppose. My agent has a few auditions lined up."
"Yeah?" Bradley asked.
"Hmm. What about you? Don’t you live up around Old Street somewhere?"
Bradley's fingers wandered underneath the collar of Colin's shirt, tracing along his neck. "With two of my mates, yeah. But I've been thinking of looking for something of my own. Round Bankside, maybe. Be nice to be on the river."
"Bankside's not bad." Colin knew they were dancing around that vague thing called 'the future,' or maybe 'their future,' and it did funny things to his stomach, as if they were going down in a lift too quickly.
Bradley didn't respond, but his fingers continued their idle patterns.
"So I'll see you then, back in London?" Colin aimed for casual, but the hitch in his voice rather betrayed that.
Bradley stilled. "Of course you will. I mean-you didn't think this was-this was just-"
"No. It's..." Colin was loathe to put it-them-into words.
"Like this?" Bradley whispered right before he kissed Colin, fast and possessive and without room for doubt.
"Yeah," Colin murmured against Bradley's lips, "Just like that."
the end.
Read the sequel: A Jump and a Climb.
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