Home is the sailor, home from sea: Her far-borne canvas furled.
Laurie swiped a hand across the cloth on the table and laid the plate of sandwiches covered with wax paper in the middle. He pulled the bottle of champagne from the back of a shelf and dusted it with a reminiscent smile.
There had been a time when he'd thought this would be wrong -- had been sure that if he wanted something, then there had to be something wrong with having it, had thought that even the night that he and Ralph first shared a bottle of Champagne. And the next day, he'd thought they'd never again... He shook his head. It amazed him sometimes that Ralph had forgiven him. He picked up the champagne glasses and walked into the lounge.
Ralph lay stretched out on the sofa where he'd fallen asleep, disheveled, his shirt sleeves rolled and neck open. His eyes opened, cloudy with sleep. He turned his head and blinked as vision returned. He smiled up at Laurie. "Why did you let me sleep?"
"Because you needed it."
Ralph gave Laurie a long, look tender look from under his eyelashes. "That's not what I came home for." He stretched and folded an arm behind his head. "Come talk to me."
Laurie held up the bottle, laughing. "No, I've made a celebration, such as it is."
"Champagne? Where did you find Champagne?" Ralph sat up and smoothed his ruffled hair.
"In a shop, silly." He began to push at the cork with his thumbs, frowning down at it. "I spotted it months ago and -- I had to have it."
Ralph took the bottle out of his hands. "Here. Like this." He tilted the bottle and with a firm push of his thumbs, the cork popped out followed by a little stream of bubbles.
"Show off." Laurie went to lift the lid of the radiogram and shuffled through his records. What was the right thing for the end of the war and Ralph coming home? He felt the heat of Ralph's body behind him.
Ralph slipped the glass into his hand and put an arm around his waist. "What is it?"
Laurie leaned back into him as he sipped the Champagne. "I can't think of anything good enough to play." But then he knew that only the recording of Myra Hess playing the Appassionata would do. The majestic notes began but Ralph was nuzzling his neck and unbuttoning his shirt. Laurie's pulse hammered too loudly to hear the music.
Ralph put down his glass and ran a hand up Laurie's bare chest, brushing a palm over his nipples. "Did you mention a celebration?"
Laurie shed his shirt and turned to unbutton Ralph's. "Are you sure you're up to it?" He touched the bandage on Ralph's side.
Ralph pinned Laurie against the wall, kissed him hard and unfastened the button on his trousers. "I'm sure of it."
Laurie couldn't help the laugh as Ralph shoved his trousers and pants down to his ankles. “You’re such a romantic.” But it had been forever, and Laurie was already hard and ready for him.
Ralph's head jerked up when there was a bang high above the rooftops. A series of pops followed. He smiled. "Fireworks."
"Appropriate." Laurie cut off a reply with a kiss, exploring Ralph's mouth with his tongue.
As Ralph’s hand smoothed down Laurie’s bare arse, “Ralph,” was all Laurie managed. Ralph's fingers massaging his hard length until Laurie moaned. “Dresser drawer,” he whispered, nodding toward the bedroom.
Ralph shucked his trousers, followed by his pants. Then he tugged Laurie into the bedroom, opened the drawer, and rummaged through the handkerchiefs and socks Laurie kept there, but he couldn’t find… “I don’t see anything.”
Laurie groaned in frustration.
Ralph pulled the drawer out farther. "Why is everything jumbled together?" he grumbled.
The look Ralph shot him was so long-suffering, Laurie laughed. He came up behind Ralph, put his arms around him, and rested his chin on his shoulder. He stroked Ralph's cock with one hand as he reached around and retrieved a bottle of massage oil from under some handkerchiefs. He said, “What's this?” in triumph. Laurie tried to unscrew the lid with his teeth, unwilling to let go of Ralph long enough to open the bottle. “Ralph…”
“Give it me,” Ralph said, but just then the lid came off, the oil splashed all over their hands, their arms, their chests, their cocks, the heady scent of jasmine thick in the air between them. “Bloody hell. That's scented!”
Laurie worked the oil up and down Ralph’s chest, stroked it onto his cock, his balls. “It smells nice,” he said, backing up to pull Ralph to the bed. He lay down. His slick hands stroked his own erection, spreading the oil between his legs while Ralph watched, eyes hazy with lust. “Ralph, now,” he gasped, as Ralph’s hand pushed his away. Ralph's finger entered him easily and stroked in and out.
Ralph knelt to guide his erection into him and moaned out a long, "Yessss..."
“Ralph,” Laurie sighed as his lover filled him. His breath caught in his throat and his voice rose in pitch, ripped from him. “Ralph...”
Laurie rocked his hips to meet Ralph, picking a fast rhythm that would satisfy them both. Laurie bit and sucked on Ralph's neck, not caring if he marked him... wanting to. His hands gripped Ralph’s arse to pull him in closer, deeper. Each thrust sent waves washing through him, drowning him in the moment. Ralph was his--and nothing mattered but this.
Ralph moaned his name, kissed his neck and ears and shoulder. He trailed jasmine scented oil through Laurie’s hair with one hand while the other stroked his erection, squeezing with each thrust.
Laurie whimpered, desire and lust and love crashing through him as his cock jerked between them. Gripping Ralph, "Mine," he gasped as he came, his warm semen coating Ralph’s hand and trailing over their bellies.
Ralph pushed harder, faster, until he came as well. “God,” he whispered, nuzzling Laurie’s neck, sweat dripping down his face. Laurie waited, expecting words of love, but instead, Ralph murmured, “Yours am I?”
Laurie tipped his head back and looked at looked at Ralph through narrowed eyes, feeling a spurt of anger that was totally unexpected. “Yes. And...” He felt his face colour. "...I don't want to know what you did while you were gone. But, not with anyone else. Ever again."
The corners of Ralph's mouth curved up, and there was no mistaking the smug look. "Spud, I didn't think you had it in you to be jealous."
"Don't smile like that." He leaned his forehead against Ralph's temple. "It's not funny. I hate thinking about you being with... someone else."
Ralph stroked Laurie's back in a soothing rhythm. "I have what I want at home. You know that. And that's all I want." Ralph held him close as he leaned into Ralph's side with a satisfied nod. Their heartbeats returned to normal. When his stomach made a grumbling sound, Ralph said, "However, I think you may have decided to starve me to death."
Laurie laughed and laid a kiss on Ralph's mouth. “No, that's not my plan. Let's clean up and go eat. And finish the Champagne. Then we'll do it again,” he said, his cock already hardening against Ralph's thigh.