When Noel and Gaetan reached an understanding and returned to Gaetan’s office, the priestess seemed relieved to hear their agreement. Noel was surprised to find that his family also didn’t object to the union. Perhaps the priestess’s approval smoothed the way, or perhaps they felt they had no grounds to object after rushing him into one marriage themselves.
Out of curtesy to Gaetan, Noel returned to his family home that night, but over the next few days, Noel travelled to the St Germain estate first thing every morning and stayed until dark. Then, on the next full moon, he stayed over until the dawn of the next day. Following that, it was Gaetan who would get up early every morning and travel to spend the day with Noel.
Noel’s family watched as Gaetan installed himself in a drawing room and conducted business, arranging all the affairs that had been neglected while he was missing. Noel would pick a book and read beside him, and the two would periodically break from what they were doing and chat. Gaetan always seemed to have something to say, and Noel would put down his book and listen with rapt attention, answering questions when he could and shaking his head in embarrassment when he couldn’t.
In the afternoons, when it was warmer, Noel would drag Gaetan to the stables and the kennels. The horses and dogs had a natural aversion to the man, but Noel worked very hard to get them all to get along. After a week or two, they began moving them to the St Germain estate to get settled into their new home. This also provided a convenient excuse for Noel to resume his visits to the estate.
Meanwhile, Madelaine was tried and found guilty of attempting to murder both her husbands. The judge felt her actions were unusually sinister, and sentenced her to be hanged and gibbetted. The whole community was transfixed by the scandal, except perhaps for Noel and Gaetan, who had become engrossed in other concerns. They set their wedding date for the day after the execution, and sent out invitations.
As the days got shorter, Noel began to conveniently forget to go home. Instead, he stayed in the same room he had occupied when Madelaine had invited him, and got closer to Gaetan little by little. The man always had something to say, and he was always happy to listen. Gradually, he learned to speak naturally with him, and lean against him when he was reading, and let him play with his hair when he was bored of his work.
Noel was so comfortable that he didn’t know to be nervous until the wedding. Even though it was a cold day, with snow drifting down from the sky, most of the community had gathered at the church. The pews were full and the building was warm with bodies as everyone turned their full attention towards the unexpected couple.
Noel held his breath as he walked down the aisle to Gaetan. His chest was full of complicated emotions, but when he stood beside his husband, he felt that he could finally breathe easy. One soft kiss later, and he was ferried out of the building as quickly as Gaetan could manage. Unfortunately, they still had a wedding feast to host, but they held hands beneath the table where nobody would notice.
Noel had never liked being the centre of attention, but Gaetan was totally at ease managing the energy of a room full of people. Far from feeling alienated, Noel found instead that all he had to do was smile and nod politely, and Gaetan would rescue him from the conversation, making them seem as if they were a natural pair. Nevertheless, it was with great relief that they saw their final guests off, and the sun began to set.
As darkness began to set in, Noel walked into Gaetan’s bedroom for the first time since they had found his clothes. Since that day, the room had been purged of all feminine influences, and it now had an almost austere quality. Every item was finely crafted, however, and each subtle detail softened the impression, so the overall atmosphere was more tranquil.
Gaetan was standing by the window, looking out at the first snowfall carpeting the lawn, but when he heard the other enter, he drew the curtains and turned around. Noel started walking towards him, but then stopped, a little hesitant. Gaetan noticed his uncertainty and became uncertain himself.
There were still many things he couldn’t recall. When he tried to string all his memories together, he was left with a beginning and a conclusion, but he never knew how things progressed from one moment to the other. He opened his mouth and began, “I think I should apologize—”
“Don’t apologize,” Noel was quick to cut him off. Old grievances didn’t need to be revisited. Every emotion that he’d felt, good and bad, from start to end, could no longer be distinguished cleanly. Fortune and misfortune notwithstanding, he only had one concern left.
“I just want to know,” Noel said, searching the floor for the right words, “if you think I’m… contemptible.”
This was Noel’s remaining fear; it had been gnawing at him like a worm in an apple as he’d gotten to know the man Gaetan was. If anyone knew the full story, surely they’d think it was he, ostensibly clear-headed and noble, who behaved disgracefully in their encounters. Due to cowardice or some other motivation, he had failed in his hunt… and perhaps even used the monster to fulfill his own twisted purpose. It was possible that Gaetan had also come to this conclusion, from whatever fragments he remembered.
“Contemptible?” Gaetan whispered. He could only vaguely grasp at Noel’s messy thoughts. He almost laughed at the question, but swallowed it down and approached his new bride carefully. He leaned over and kissed Noel on the cheek.
“I think you’re beautiful,” he said. As if that wasn’t enough, he kissed Noel again on his jaw, and on his neck, “Or handsome, if you prefer,” he added casually, undoing the first few buttons on Noel’s shirt to continue placing kisses along his neck and collarbone. He seemed a little addicted to the sensation of skin beneath his lips.
Noel frown slightly. The question that seemed so important a moment ago had quickly become irrelevant as the other man’s messy mouth roved over his body. It was a startlingly familiar sensation. The difference was that this Gaetan could undo buttons quite nimbly, and squeeze his hands inside his shirt to stroke his side. Noel nearly doubled over at the shock of the sensation, leaning into Gaetan’s palms for balance. Gaetan’s hands were warm and uncalloused, surprisingly dry and soft, and their touch had an immediate effect on Noel. He was already hot and breathless, and when he looked up, he could see that Gaetan’s face had also flushed slightly.
Noel plucked his courage and pecked Gaetan on the lips. The soft sensation was sweet and fleeting, but when he tried to draw back again, Gaetan had put a hand behind his head. His tongue stretched out and licked at the seam between Noel’s lips, and when they parted, it dipped inside. With no way to retreat, Noel felt himself becoming more and more lightheaded. He ran his tongue along Gaetan’s teeth, and found that they were perhaps only a little less sharp than they’d been before.
When he was finally let go, Noel realized that he was much less dressed than he’d been before. All he had to do was lower his arms and his shirt fell to the floor. Gaetan pushed his pants off his hips and they followed suit. He couldn’t tell if he was hot or cold, only that the temperature seemed to change wherever Gaetan touched and wherever Gaetan looked.
sex scene begins
While Noel was in a daze, Gaetan admired him openly. Noel’s cheeks were red, and the flush had spread all the way down his neck. His nipples had stiffened, and they moved slightly with every breath. His ass was soft but athletic, with smooth, pale skin. His pretty cock was already half-stiff. Gaetan didn’t know what he wanted to touch most. He swallowed and had Noel sit on the edge of the bed. Then he knelt and removed the remaining shoes and socks.
Noel watched Gaetan with a half-lucid fascination. He looked at the blond hair on the top of his head, and couldn’t resist reaching out and touching it. It felt warm and soft and very familiar. Noel ran his fingers through it again and again while he waited for the other to finish.
Once Noel was fully undressed, Gaetan kissed the inside of his thigh. He laughed when he felt the hand in his hair tighten in surprise, and kissed the soft flesh several more times for good measure. Then, he stood up and quickly undressed himself.
Noel couldn’t bear to watch directly, but he listened to every sound. The soft rustling of fabric filled his ears. The rhythmic undoing of buttons, the slide of sleeves off of arms, the soft, heavy sound of fabric piling on the floor, and the comparatively sharp jolt of shoes being carelessly discarded. Next, the sound of feet hitting the floor, two steps, then three, then a surprised cry from Noel as he was picked up and repositioned on the bed. When he opened his eyes, Gaetan was looking at him from above with a devoted expression. A sense of familiarity washed over Noel once again, but this time, his back was to a feather-filled comforter.
Noel wrapped his arms around the other’s neck as kisses rained down on every inch of his face and neck. He returned the affection with little butterfly kisses of his own on whatever part was within reach. He reverently kissed every joint on one hand, delicate but strong, fierce but fragile, with neatly trimmed nails, while Gaetan leaned away to retrieve a bottle of oil from the nightstand.
“You’re so pretty,” Gaetan said, looking down at Noel’s body, loose and warm on his bed. “You’re so handsome,” he kissed Noel’s stomach, and the side of his hip, “’I want to touch every inch of you.”
Noel heard the soft pop of the bottle opening and it sent shivers down his spine. He could anticipate more readily than the man himself what his new husband would do next, and that by the end of the night he’d be wholly mapped out. He braced himself for some discomfort and slowly spread open his legs.
“You’re so good,” Gaetan kissed the inside of his thigh. “Tell me if it hurts,” he said, and pressed one oil-slicked finger to Noel’s puckered asshole.
“Mm,” Noel just hummed in response. He was warm and delirious, and didn’t care about pain anymore. He just wanted to feel Gaetan from the inside, to be debauched for him, and get pleasure from it.
Nevertheless, pain didn’t come, Noel felt the smooth finger enter with only a little sense of strangeness. He let out a heavy breath and adjusted his hips as he felt Gaetan wiggling inside him. A second finger soon followed, and Noel relaxed and expanded. Gaetan curled his fingers and pet Noel’s tight walls in a methodical fashion.
“Ah—” Noel let out a moan and arched his back as a jolt of pleasure hit him.
Gaetan smiled at his success. “Does it feel good?” he asked, kissing the other on the cheek.
“Good, good,” Noel’s mumbled breath grazed Gaetan’s ear as he shifted listlessly beneath him.
“Then I’m happy.” Gaetan kissed him again and added a third finger, slowly pumping and flexing them as Noel began to gyrate on his hand. Finally, he withdrew and poured more oil on his cock, which had been waiting impatiently for some time already. He held Noel’s legs and slowly sank into the hole he had prepared for himself. He slid all the way in, until he could feel Noel wrapped around his entire shaft, and their hips were pressed together in a tight connection.
Noel opened his mouth to pant and bucked his hips. He felt unbearably feverish, as if in a dream, and the meticulous pace of Gaetan’s actions was both comforting and infuriating. “Can’t you,” he moaned, “fuck me?”
Gaetan laughed in shock. Every muscled in his body was tense as he leaned down to peer into Noel’s eyes. “Do you want me to fuck you?”
Noel covered his mouth with the back of his hand, as if afraid to speak another word, but he bucked his hips in response. The action caused a wild feeling to surge through Gaetan, and he no longer wanted to restrain himself. He grabbed Noel by the back of the neck and arched his head back to bite his Adam’s apple. Noel screamed a little and he felt the vibration on his lips. “Good boy,” Gaetan praised him.
Gaetan reared up, pulled almost all the way out, and then slammed back into the tight, hot hole. Noel gasped and jerked as Gaetan grabbed his hips and hit his sweet spot, over and over, faster and faster, until Noel was panting and writhing beneath him. Every so often, he would lean down to kiss him and mutter sweet words against his skin.
Noel alternated between clutching the bedsheets and grasping at Gaetan, fingers sliding against his shoulders, arms, and back. He ran his hands through Gaetan’s hair, twining the strands around his fingers and gripping it in fists, pulling Gaetan in for hazy, delirious kisses, before being coaxed to let him go.
The frantic tension built and built in Gaetan until he couldn’t hold it in any longer. He took Noel’s precum-soaked cock in hand and pumped it with jerking motions as he came inside of him. Noel did not need much encouragement, letting out a final moan of ecstasy as he released onto Gaetan’s hand.
sex scene ends
When they were done, they lay side by side on the bed. Noel traced Gaetan’s features with a shaking hand. He drew out the shapes of his now husband’s eyes and nose, and pressed into his lips to feel the shape of his teeth beneath. Gaetan let Noel do what he pleased without complaint, but watched him quietly with soft brown eyes. Their colour was obscured by nocturnal darkness, revealed only in sparse glints of light.
Noel finally lowered his hand, placing it to rest over Gaetan’s heart. When he looked back into his eyes, he wondered if he would ever see the monster again, or if he was gazing at it that very moment. Noel smiled, and closed his hand around Gaetan’s heartbeat. A pair of strong arms wrapped around him, and the rest didn’t seem to matter much.
