Think of England

When the joke had worn off, they sat for a while longer, sharing whiskey in silence.Daniel took a swig from the bottle and handed it to him. "Shouldn't you be resting?"

"Go to sleep, I'll keep watch."

"I've been sleeping all day. I'll wake you up if something happens. Are we in danger now?"

"I don't think there's anything to worry about. Sir Morris said reinforcements will arrive tomorrow morning, so I'll be ready. I'll go back to the villa and pretend everything is normal, so as not to startle the enemy."

"Very good. The key is to prevent them from destroying the evidence after they know the news has leaked out. Wiese needs those documents to prove who is behind the scenes and explain the ins and outs of the matter."

"About this..." Curtis reluctantly mentioned.

"Yeah—apparently I haven't been able to steal our pictures yet. We've got to get them as soon as possible, but I think going back tonight—"

"Not negotiable."

"Then we can only leave it until tomorrow. If you want, please leave this matter to me." Daniel hesitated, "Listen, the worst case scenario is that the Armstrong family gave those photos to Weize Underlings, or directly hand it over to Wei Ze. But no matter what opinion Wei Ze has, he will not let this matter get out, and he will not leak a word. He is an expert in keeping secrets."

"I don't want him to see the pictures." To say that would be an understatement.Sir Morris was ruthless and forceful, and when Curtis was fifty, he might still stutter like a little boy in front of him.What's more, he and Sir Henry were Curtis's family, almost equal to his patriarch for many years.Never let them know about it.He didn't believe there was anything wrong with snuggling up here with Daniel, after all it felt so innocent and comfortable, but he wasn't going to try to make his uncle and uncle understand that, much less disappoint them.

"Of course," Daniel said, "I will try my best to avoid this from happening, but if things really turn out to be like this, let me face him. I will tell him that you were forced to—"

"That won't work either." Curtis resolutely rejected the proposal.

"Then I'll just say we're just putting on a show or something, and let me handle it anyway, okay?"

"I won't let you shoulder the burden."

"I don't want to take responsibility, but I just want to transfer the responsibility to the Armstrong family. After all, this situation was originally caused by them. I admire your experience in facing physical conflicts, my dear Vikings. give it to me."

"Your what?" Curtis didn't hear clearly.

Daniel turned sideways, he stretched out his hand across Curtis' chest, one finger got into the gap between the buttons of his jacket, and penetrated into the rough hair there. "My Viking," he said, "tall, strong, wild—"

"My God, don't do that again."

Daniel's eyes are like stars in the dark night, and his misty eyes look up from under the eyelashes, "A man who is powerful and beast-like, who takes burning, killing and looting as his duty—"

"My God!" Curtis cried, laughing incredulously, "who would believe you're a poet." He hesitated for a moment. "You really are, aren't you? I mean, those poems are really What you wrote was not part of the disguise, was it?"

"Of course I wrote it," said Daniel, seemingly offended, as he answered with a distinctly Cockney accent in the vowels of his articulation, "otherwise who do you think the author was, Gladstone?"

Curtis was fascinated by the tiny cracks in the armor. He smiled and looked down, "I don't think anyone else can write those poems. They are just like you." Daniel raised an eyebrow defensively. doubt. "It's complicated," Curtis said to him, "it's too smart, it hides so much information, and it's so beautiful."

Daniel gaped.He was silent for a second, then sat up straight and turned to face Curtis, cupped his chin with both hands, pulled him closer to him, and kissed him.

His mouth was soft to the touch, opened gently, and the tip of his tongue teased Curtis' lips, making Curtis unable to help himself.Curtis tentatively catered to him with his own tongue, and then became more and more daring. He was fascinated by the taste of the other party and the freedom that allowed him to explore to his heart's content.Their movements were gentle at first, until he felt Daniel whispering on his lips, who started it, and they deepened the kiss together.Curtis noticed that Daniel put his hands around his shoulders, so he also put his hands on the other's slender back, and a sudden desire made him tighten his embrace.Now Daniel was in his arms, close to him, and he was kissing the man so violently that his lips were scratched by his own teeth.Daniel's mouth was active and hot, he grabbed Curtis's hair with both hands, and his slender body was stacked on Curtis's body, as if he wanted to penetrate under Curtis's skin.Curtis gave up thinking about everything, and could only focus on the beard brushing his cheeks and the fiercely demanding lips.

When the kiss turned from crazy to calm, the desire in both of them had accumulated to the critical point.Curtis stroked Daniel's hair and face, carefully avoiding the scar on his hand so as not to scratch the soft skin, and then put his hand into the other's coat.Daniel reached out to unbutton his jacket, and Curtis felt the icy air when the placket was undone.Daniel cursed under Curtis' lips for a cuff that couldn't be ripped off, but somehow they were able to shed the layers without breaking a kiss, until their chests were finally as tight as their lips.

Curtis pulled back to get a better view of Daniel.Daniel's jaw was gray from his new beard, his hair was matted, and that irresistible nipple ring gleamed in the dark room.And he looked at Curtis with surprise.

"Look at you," Daniel's fingertips snaked down from Curtis' strong chest, through his solid abdominal muscles, to his uninjured arm, and finally back to his broad shoulders. "You're a Viking."

"Then what are you?"

"The man who was born on the wrong side of Europe."

Daniel's fingertips brushed over Curtis' nipples.Curtis froze, not sure if he liked this feeling, but Daniel understood as usual and quickly moved his finger away.They explored downward instead, and at the same time that Curtis felt his trousers being undone, he also reached for Daniel's belt and loosened it with one hand. At this time, Daniel leaned forward and occupied Curtis' mouth again. .They kissed violently again, thrusting on each other, Curtis took his strong hands around their cocks and stroked them, Daniel moaned and lay back, pulling Curtis onto him, and they lay The half-untied clothes in the pile of blankets are intertwined, and they are more and more eager to relieve their desires on each other.The part of Daniel in Curtis' hands was hard and hot, and his groans went straight into Curtis's mouth, and now Curtis could only feel the other party's twitching posture, the soft body lying under him, And those warm and delicate lips pressed against his own mouth.He was still kissing Daniel when he came.

He shook his head a few more times in the tremor of the end of his orgasm, his hands clutching his and Daniel's cocks were already slippery.Before Daniel ejaculated, Curtis kept pleasing him, and when he calmed down, he began to take other offensives.When he put his mouth on Daniel's nipple, the sound could only be described as a scream.He liked Daniel's reaction, but he wanted more, needed more.He wanted to sink Daniel completely, he wanted to do what he should have done a few days ago, so he mustered up the courage to go all the way down.

He tentatively licked Daniel's cock, causing Daniel to gasp and yell, "Curtis!" His cock was slippery and tasted male - well, that must be semen.It was slippery, more astringent than he'd imagined, but not unpleasant.He put his mouth on the head of the cock, not sure if it was right to do so, but Daniel's trembling and tense reaction gave him a lot of confidence.

"God, are you sure you want to—don't—"

Curtis mumbled, "I want to do that," and tried to move his head up and down as Daniel had done to him earlier.

"Fuck you god," Daniel's hips jerked, "fuck, Curtis—"

Curtis moved his mouth and said, "Call me Archie."

"Archie." Daniel's voice was almost reverent.

Curtis continued to focus on the sensations of Daniel; the taste of him, the shape of him in his mouth, the sound of pleasure making him sound.While sucking and licking, there was another commotion in the depths of Curtis's body.He had always thought that the act itself was intolerable, that it was purely a matter of duty, of service.Before, he didn't understand how anyone could want to make such a sacrifice, didn't understand how amazing it was to actually feel the other person's twitching and trembling, hear the other person's moaning, and know that it was all made by oneself.He didn't understand before that making love to Daniel like this is incomparable to bringing any man to orgasm with his mouth.

At this moment, Daniel grabbed his hair tightly and said eagerly, "Get out of the way."

Curtis listened to the other party's warning this time - not next time, he thought - spat out Daniel's penis, and boldly traced the slippery tip with the tip of his tongue, sucking away the fluid secreted there.

"Archie." Daniel moaned and struggled under his palm.

"Daniel, come on, please, come now." Curtis begged urgently, as if he was experiencing an orgasm himself.He gasps and stares at Daniel's white splatter on his skin, he can almost taste it in his mouth.

Daniel lay back, his chest heaving heavily.Curtis licked his lips and reached for the whiskey.

"You should have a drink...have you ever done this before?"

"No." Curtis felt unreasonably ashamed of his inexperience, but he didn't have to.Because if there are people in the world who are used to pleasing others, there are people who are just enjoying what they get, and Curtis has always been in the latter category.No one expected him to reciprocate, at least he never served others with his mouth; he never wanted to, because he was not that kind of person.

This thought flashed through his mind sharply, but the way Daniel looked at him at this moment can only be described as flattered. He was dragged down, and another round of deep kisses took place that he had no time to look at, as if the only thing that mattered was the entanglement of the tip of his tongue and The rubbing of lips.Daniel didn't seem to object to having a taste of himself in Curtis's mouth.

Daniel let him go when they finally had a gap to catch their breath, "Just wanted to say how honored I am, dear."

"What? Oh, where did it come from." Curtis took out the handkerchief that was now beyond recognition, and tried hard to clean the two of them.

Daniel waved his hand, "I'm already dirty enough, don't bother."

They struggled to make themselves comfortable before covering themselves with old scratchy blankets and lying down on the hardwood floor.Curtis lightly stroked Daniel's protruding chin, and then leaned over to kiss him, just because he could do so.

"I have never experienced such an unforgettable villa banquet."

Daniel chuckled, and buried himself in Curtis' chest. "There are some merits."

Curtis looked down at Daniel's black hair, those dexterous and curious fingers were running on his muscles, making him blurt out, "May I visit you?"

Daniel's fingers stopped. "What did you say?"

"When I get back to London and everything is settled, can I visit you?"

"Meet me?"

His unbelievable tone made Curtis blush. "I don't know how to say it, but that's what it means anyway."

"Ah," Daniel visibly relaxed, "if you're asking if you can come and fuck me, honey—"

"No," Curtis firmly denied at first, and then quickly added, "Uh, if you want to do this, of course, but that's not my intention."

"Then what do you mean?" Daniel frowned, as if he couldn't understand such a common saying at all.

"I don't know how else I can put it. I don't know how men deal with this. If I liked a lady and respected her, I'd ask her to let me—"

"I'm not a lady. Even if I were a woman, I wouldn't be a lady."

Curtis sighed. "Lord, I am helpless."

"I don't know what you want."

Why on earth could they not reach a consensus on such a simple understanding? "I thought I was blunt enough."

"Unfortunately, my dear, you are sometimes so blunt that I can't understand a word."

Daniel's tone was so calm that Curtis almost thought "Forget it, pretend I didn't say it" before retreating.But he decides to face things squarely, a hopeless fool as he may be.He didn't think it through before speaking, but he knew that there was only sincerity in his words. "I mean, I want to see you again. I want to spend time with you. Of course it's nice to do these things—" He waved a hand at their entangled bodies, "but...I also want to More. Damn, Daniel, I want to be with you. You're so brave and smart, and so amazing, I even like your poems, and—"

"Shut up!" Daniel literally yelled, "Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

Curtis looked down, and Daniel looked at him anxiously, his shoulders shrugged.

"What are you doing—"

"Don't say such things."

"why?"

Daniel closed his eyes. "Because only a gentleman would say something like that, and I—I'm not a gentleman. I believe that sex with you can be better than an angel's song, and I look forward to it. But other than that OK, okay?"

"I don't know."

Daniel opened his eyes and stared at him disapprovingly. "My father was a locksmith in the old Spitalfields market, and my mother was a shopkeeper in low-cut dresses in my uncle's pool room. I grew up with them." I grew up in a shop in a small shop. I had an uncle who read Shakespeare in a slightly upscale Quyi hall[1], and I learned all the manners and manners of the upper class from him. I dress well not because I can afford fine clothes, but because I also have an uncle who is a tailor and can make fake expensive clothes. My big family is full of dragons and snakes, and I'm the only one who went to college. I'm in a different class from you, and you know it all too well .”

"What does it matter?"

"It's a big relationship."

Curtis didn't know how to respond. "I just want to say, I don't want to treat you as a... I don't know if there is a masculine alternative for the word mistress." Curtis reached out to touch him tentatively.Daniel didn't push him away, but there was no response either. "Listen, if you just want to see me after you don't want to go back to London, just say, for God's sake, I'm not going to hang on to you."

"That's not the reason." Daniel sighed. "I'm really—listen to me, Curtis."

"I wish you could call me Archie."

"The events of this week have taken you by surprise, and your decision has been taken too hastily. I suspect that when you get back to London, you will find that it was quite, if not a nightmare or an act of insanity. Bad idea."

"Daniel—"

"I'm not finished yet."

"Of course you haven't finished."

Daniel twitched the corner of his mouth lightly for a smile. "The thing is, you're a gentleman for what you're called. I don't want you to get caught up in what you said, or resent me for making promises you shouldn't have made. I don't want you to hold yourself back Retire, and I don't want to be angered by you."

Curtis insisted on retorting, "I'm not your duke."

"He's only the duke's son."

"It's better to say that person is a bitch—" Curtis suddenly remembered that the other party had passed away, and stopped immediately, "What I mean is, don't presume that I am a hypocrite."

"I don't want you to act like a gentleman if that means you have to keep promises you shouldn't have made. You're not very used to taking things back, are you?"

"Yes, and I don't change my mind very often."

"Your tastes have changed quite a bit lately," Daniel said bluntly. "Maybe you'll want to go back."

This is my business alone.Curtis wanted to answer this way, but of course, if Daniel cared about his feelings and was afraid that he would be pushed away one day if he approached him, it was not just his fault.

"You're not the first guy I've been with," he said abruptly. "I've done a lot of this before, but I've never met a woman who got me interested. Damn, I never Never kissed a woman of my birth."

Daniel blinked, "You're not serious, are you?"

He's not kidding.He had had a couple of romantic encounters with call girls, but he never flirted with anyone, nor did he have the desire to lead to commitment.He was waiting for his right girl, he always put off his uncles and uncles like this, but he was willing to wait, because the concept of marriage was as empty and boring to him as the rest of his life. "I haven't changed my mind. I just—didn't think about it. In the military I never had to think about it." He paused, and the next words were harder to come by than he could have imagined. Alone. My ensign."

"Is he your lover?"

"Oh—rather..." It never occurred to him to apply the word to George Fisher.The red-haired, tanned man was his comrade-in-arms and his best friend. "We sleep together, so we often...you know, do this kind of thing."

"Can I suggest that you use more verbs and nouns? Saying it will not change the facts, and it may make you more accustomed to these things." Although Daniel's tone was not cold, there was not much emotion. "I won't ask you to share anything personal about yourself, but if you really want to tell me, be specific."

Curtis gritted his teeth, "Well, if you insist. We sometimes help each other out with our hands, but we never discussed it. We were too busy dealing with the Boers to talk about it, and I didn't think about it seriously. This behavior. He is not my lover, we are not in that relationship." Curtis never had the urge to kiss Fisher, and he wondered if the other party wanted him to do so. "But he was my friend, my comrade in arms, and the Lafayette gun I gave him exploded and killed him. I watched him die from bleeding." He choked, his throat swollen I can't swallow it.

Daniel put his fingers on Curtis's scarred right joint, and he only said, "I'm sorry," but let Curtis's breathing slowly stabilize in his tense chest.

"After what happened in South Africa anyway, the previous troubles didn't matter. For the next year I..." He wanted to say that he was like a walking dead, but it was not fair to Daniel. "It's exhausting. It's been a long time since I've had desire for anything from anyone. But looking back, it's always been men. Always. You must think I'm stupid."

"I didn't think so." Daniel kneaded the bridge of his nose. "Oh Lord, I don't know anything. Well, you promise me a few things."

Anything goes.Curtis almost blurted out. "What's up?"

"Promise me that after you return to London, let's say, don't contact me within two weeks. Promise me that you will think about it, not your lower body, but what you really want. Promise me not to let this Your words and deeds will get in your way for a few days. If you end up proposing to Miss Morton--even if it's not her, but some other lovely young lady--and decide to pretend it never happened, or even that you'd rather fuck a Good and honest British man of your class, promise me you'll go ahead and don't hesitate because of what I think."

"Daniel—"

Daniel turned sideways, staring at Curtis with big black eyes. "Promise me. If you still want me to do-anything in the future, we'll discuss it after you think it through. If you don't think it's necessary, we'll just get together. Do you understand?"

"You mean that I should act according to my own wishes, without considering your thoughts at all."

"If you take my mind into account, you will give me what I ask for," Daniel replied. "I can live with responsibilities, but I can't bear to be seen as an obligation by you."

"And caves."

"You're right, I can't stand caves either. I'm serious now."

Curtis thought about the other party's request in his heart.Daniel's tense emotions stood between them like a barrier.

He doesn't know what he wants to pursue in Daniel, but he should have a place in his future.He always thought that life outside the army was hopeless and fruitless, but now, although the road ahead was still full of unknowns, it was no longer empty.This week, he's been fighting people, making love, taking and saving lives, all thanks to the man next to him.

Daniel sees the gap in their social circle quite clearly.But Curtis had spent the past year and a half wandering between clubs, sports fields and villa banquets, proving that these activities meant nothing to him.Socializing may be fun, but what Curtis wants is a companion.More importantly, he wanted Daniel, he wanted that smooth skin and a more dexterous tongue; he wanted to walk into the sinister fortress built by the other party to protect the fragile soul inside; he wanted the growing love between the two. Fetters, this desire has made him worry about gains and losses.

Curtis had no idea how their relationship would last, in London or anywhere, but that was no reason to give up.Making plans is the general's method, and he always goes forward.No matter what you do, it is right to move forward step by step.

He looked down and saw Daniel staring at the hair on his chest, as if lost in thought. "Well, I get it, you have your doubts," and fears.But he wouldn't make it clear that no one would provoke a cobra with a stick. "I promise you—I'll think about it for two weeks and not take you as a responsibility, as you asked—but you have to answer me one thing first."

"What's the matter?" Daniel asked warily.

"If I abide by your rules..." Curtis leaned forward and gave the other party a gentle kiss, "Can I go to you?"

"Fuck you, Curtis!" Curtis couldn't help laughing when he heard this swearing that revealed the habits of the Eastern District.Daniel narrowed his eyes and regained his usual tone. "If you're going to send me a corsage with a 'Please wear it for me[2]' card, I'm going to give you a real kick."

This is not an answer, but under the arrogance of counterattack, it seems to have given the answer.Curtis kissed again, this time more forcefully, "We've already discussed my needs, and I need to know yours too. Can I find you?"

"As you please, if you must."

Curtis put his hand into Daniel's black hair and made him look up, "Does that mean you want me to come to you too?"

Daniel glared at him. "You can go to hell, self righteous big man."

Curtis lay back contentedly, and pulled the other person closer to him.A sigh-like kiss landed on his chest.

"Go to sleep." Daniel yawned in response. "It's too late. What time are you going back in the morning?"

"I'm not going back." He should have to go back, and he originally planned to do so, but Daniel needs his care. It's hard to have both. "Reinforcements will arrive soon, and I will stay here with you."

Daniel's lips curled up.He buried his head in Curtis's chest and rubbed like a cat. "Okay honey, you really should take a break."

Curtis estimated that it was past three o'clock in the morning, and he accepted the proposal as he was exhausted from the whole day.He wrapped his arms around Daniel's shoulders and fell asleep peacefully.

[1] Quyi performances were popular in the Victorian era. The programs in it were not only singing and dancing, but also various acrobatics, cross talk sketches, and cross-dressing comedies, etc., to appeal to the working people.

[2] From Shakespeare's play Cymbeline.