The Great Grey

And there was music wafting throughout the night, though it was not as typical and not as English as Xiao had grown to expect, A welcome variation, along with all others brought forth at this sort of gathering, but one that Xiao would not fully grasp until it were to become noticeably absent. His shoulder chafed under its bandages, considered more as an annoying reminder and less as the injury that it was, and as per usual, Xiao’s mind was wandering off in spite of itself. Xiao dutifully chased after it, pulling his thoughts from any dark corners they sought to dwell in. He found he was rather keen on ignoring the more immediate conflicts in his life, the sort of process that probably led him to a… Party, he supposed, instead of a night in at Alistair’s manor, or another interacting with the hauntingly charming surgeon. For the best, Xiao decided, though the best was becoming more vaguely defined the more time he spent here in London.

So he found himself wandering the apartment, shifting from one place to another if he felt someone’s gaze on him for too long. His feet moved, mostly of their own accord, and Xiao found that the casual smalltalk required of him was hardly engaging enough to really serve as sufficient diversion from whatever was going on inside his mind, so he slipped through the halls, avoiding anything too curious until he discovered someone he recognized, presumably in the midst of doing something much more rewarding than serving as his latest divertissement.

“Mister Kinkade,” Xiao said as he adjusted the sleeves of his shirt, approaching the blond with what could only be described as a smile meant to charm and disarm. He had not seen him for weeks, letting any lessons fall to the wayside after his… Incident, and Xiao had not thought too much of that, at least until he was standing in front of his teacher. Xiao would not admit it was shame that had kept him away from the acquaintances made in London before reckless decisions followed suit, but that could perhaps be a term used to describe the incessant nagging that had sprung into the back of his skull. “Lovely to see you again, it has been a while.” And most likely, entirely his fault, “Apologies, I had been…” He rolled his shoulder experimentally, then winced, “Busy.”

Unfortunate, but there was no time like the present.

There was a certain muscle memory in attending parties. Dictated by the promise of oblivion, pleasure, or the simple fact of his own reputation, Gust tended to find himself amongst intimate festivities without much recollection of how, although it bore notice that the character of such soirees had shifted of late. Had a natural inclination bloomed within him and attracted him to such particular amusements, or had his broadening proclivities become obvious? Perhaps he ought to worry over the answer, but Gust was not in the habit of worrying much about his reputation in general, and it was easy enough to subsume those concerns in the warm haze afforded by a well-tended gathering.

Or, that had been the plan, until one of the foundational architects of his expanded tastes appeared before him, lean and lovely as ever. Gust's smile was instinctive, if accompanied by an astonished blink. That Walker would be there was not so surprising when considering the context, but in Gust's mind, the other man existed entirely within the realm of the boxing house.

"What happened to you?" he asked, smile shifting into a moue of concern. "Have you been out fighting without me?"

Xiao had the decency to seem at least slightly sheepish, it seeping into the corners of his smile, and he made himself comfortable across from the other man, “I wouldn’t dare,” Xiao promised, though with enough mirth in his tone for it to be written off as a joke. It was, all things considered, an outright lie, but Xiao had not entered into a boxing ring since their last encounter, choosing much more risky locations to use his newfound skills.

The success of those decisions, Xiao knew, was quite obvious given the injuries sported, as even if he had emerged somewhat victorious, the consequences of his actions were enough to instill a sense of regret difficult to shake. “It is good to discover a familiar face, amongst all of this,” Xiao admitted, tipping his head to eye the crowd, “Though I suppose you must be more familiar with this sort of affair than I am.” He was, from what Xiao had garnered, a rather successful man, at least financially. His body and its language spoke of privilege, one that Xiao had taken note of but not pushed very much.

Mister Kinkade had not opposed the way Xiao had treated him, so he found there was no grand reason to change his compartment. “Has the night treated you satisfactorily, Mister Kinkade?” Xiao rolled the name over his tongue, the consonants were nice and firm in his throat. Eyes looked over the blond, the sort of man Xiao assumed would be popular during these sorts of functions, or any type of venture, and his gaze wandered over to look for evidence. He hummed under his breath, tongue swiping at his lips. Mister Kinkade was not the first face he would have expected to see, but certainly not the last, and that was perfectly fine. He looked over his left shoulder, managing to hide a rather fortunately-timed wince. “I hope I am not keeping you from anyone, I’m afraid I feel out of my depth,” A trend around the blond, apparently, but one that was difficult to trace and disguised by the smile splayed across Xiao’s lips.

Just as when they'd first met, the sheer fact of Walker's presence was enough to draw forth from Gust the sort of easy, auspicious fascination that had previously been reserved only for very specific and very bewitching older women. The two of them had barely even touched — And then, strictly under the auspices of boxing instruction — but a pleasant anticipation curled tight in the lowest part of Gust's abdomen as if he were meeting a lover and their dalliance a foregone conclusion. These interactions with Walker were flirtation at its headiest.

"Should I take that as a compliment or an insult?" he asked now, with a glance out at the soft rhythm of the party. Whether Walker meant the opulence or building sensuality, Gust could not tell. In either case, perhaps the assessment was accurate enough.

"The night has, actually, bored me," he admitted, and let his pale gaze drop to the sheen left by Walker's tongue across his bottom lip. He tracked Walker's glance away, and then let his smile quirk up into a guileless cant when he looked back. "You're the most interesting thing I've seen here so far."

“I did of course, mean it as a compliment, but you may take it however you like.” Xiao said easily, letting his eyes rest on the collar of the blond’s shirt. He was not fond of them, for all their buttons and the little give properly cared for garments had to offer, but he had to admit he was more than fond of the way this particular one sat on the other man’s shoulders. A thought that was slightly surprising in nature, but welcomed, for as far as Xiao could see this was not quite the place he would encounter the Vice Suppression Society or anyone equally as prudish.

“Really?” Xiao prodded, interest piqued as he adjusted his cravat, “I would have expected there was more than enough to hold your interest, no?” He, honestly, knew quite little about Mister Kinkade, save for his name and the way he appeared after a boxing lesson. Xiao had not even seen the man outside the fighthouse. In spite of himself, he was beginning to doubt that the man had actually existed outside of those doors. In their limited company, Xiao found that Mister Kinkade seemed the sort to enjoy these sorts of parties, gatherings practically made of dark corners to lurk in, whether that was an offensive assumption, Xiao did not wish to know.

So he kept that detail to himself.

Eyes quirked up into crescent moons, echoing the sort of genuine air that accompanied his companion’s grin, the type of shine that was probably too easily believable to be real.

But perhaps he was misreading the easy charm the other man exuded, nothing more than a friendly face.

“The sentiment is echoed,” Xiao hummed, hand slipping into the pocket of his trousers, “I do not think I am supposed to feel out of place here,” Among people who seemed quite lovely and friendly enough, “but I do, not exactly a pleasant feeling.” And he shrugged, a small frown falling upon his lips before he managed to regain himself and his loose smile.

Perfectly unattached and suggestable, Xiao thought he managed that look just fine.

“But now you are here, and I find I am grateful for you,” It, your presence, Xiao meant, but he was not in the habit of recanting his words.

Despite the throbbing headache that had accompanied it at the time, Gust could not help but recall the wisdom shared by De la Cruz — Or, at least, the confirmation that all of Gust's concerns were pointless, and that determining if a man was interested was not much different to wooing a debutante. Not that Gust was much for wooing debutantes in the general sense, but the point stood: He had all the knowledge he needed already.

He wondered, briefly, at Walker's injury and deft side-stepping of an explanation; and then wondered, too, at the intimate confession of feeling apart in a room filled with people — Contrary impressions that might have to do with a similar source. Whatever the reason, Walker remained stunning and Gust remained enamored, his smile curling slow and easy at Walker's last remark.

"It's loud in here," he said, holding Walker's gaze as he sank into his own cool confidence. He was made for this, wasn't he? It only made sense that his expertise should extend to men, as well. "Do you suppose we ought to find someplace quieter to talk?"

“I hadn’t noticed,” Xiao said, quiet enough that the noise in the room could drown out his words with ease. A smile played at his lips, an ember spurred on by the other man’s promising tone. “But it is rather distracting,” not as if much could distract him from the conversation at hand, but that was knowledge that only Xiao would be privy to. Eyes flitted around the room, teeth on his lower lip as he considered the offer with distant eyes. Of course, there was not much to consider, especially with the way his companion’s eyes caught the light.

“We ought to, certainly, I’d like to get to know you better, Mister Kinkade.” Xiao straightened out the cuffs of his sleeves, seeking out somewhere they could go. He was not very familiar with the different nooks and crannies of the party’s location, not more than he could be with the limited exploring he had done before he stumbled onto his boxing instructor, but he sought something out anyways, casting a glance over his shoulder that could only be described as mischievous, though he would never admit to it. Xiao's arm connected with a foreign shoulder and he managed to keep his reaction down to a subtle hiss, right hand tentatively resting over his bandages before he moved on, intent on exchanging the pain for much more rewarding sensations.

Eventually, he found an unoccupied room, with the door open and enough space for comfort. There was probably a name for it, but Xiao had not found the time (nor the need) to memorise the specifics of English architecture. Outside of an architect in need of seducing, Xiao did not really need a reason for the extra reading. He found an armchair and settled himself in it, providing the blond with a lazy grin. “Quiet enough, I do pray it is what you had in mind.” Perhaps he had read the signs wrong, taken the charming smile to mean something it wasn’t, but Xiao was not in the habit of making faulty estimations.

The particular quality of Walker's slouch across the armchair spoke volumes more than anything the two of them had ever said out loud to one another, and Gust made a point to flick the lock on the door. After, he did linger there, watching Walker with his brow faintly pinched and bottom lip caught between his teeth.

"Quiet enough, but possibly a different challenge with you in that chair," he allowed at length, and canted his head. A shock of dark blonde hair swept across his brow and he carded it back with his fingers.

They were in some sort of study, he belatedly noticed, the gas lamps turned well down so that they two were more shadows and shapes than men. Not that the setting mattered all that much, apart from the natural frisson of anxiety the came with this being a man in the first place. Gust had fucked a mother of four once in an alcove ten feet from her eldest's debut ball and no one had been the wiser.

"Why don't you come here?" he suggested, and leaned back against the door so that his hips were angled forward.

Mister Kinkade locked the door behind them, and Xiao felt a bit of tension unravel from his shoulders, the sort that bound and constricted his chest without him realising. In its absence, Xiao let out a breathy laugh, tipping his head back to garner a glimpse of the ceiling before he brought his gaze back to where he could trace the curve of the blond’s arm in the dim lighting. Something danced across dark eyes. “I do love a challenge, I’m certain you’ve come to realise as much.”

But he stood up anyways, fidgeting with his collar.

It was easy to close the distance between them, easy to meet bright blue with almost-black, letting one of his legs rest between Mister Kinkade’s own. Though, if their encounter was heading in the direction Xiao suspected it was, it would probably be more suitable to refer to the other man as… What has he said, Gus? Gust? At least mentally, though Xiao was not one without strange compunctions surrounding English formalities. It was quiet, at least Xiao had managed that much, quiet enough that the thrum of the party had become something dull, muted behind closed doors and faraway from the moment he was in. “Here, as ordered.”

Xiao cocked his head, the blond was taller than him, but only by a little bit, so it did not take much to meet his eyes before dragging his gaze down to the blond’s lips. “I do want to get to know you better,” Xiao hummed, "Though I suspect a conversation is far from what you had in mind.” He paused, “Far from what I would prefer as well, if that matters at all.”

The corner of Gust's mouth quirked. If there was anything to be mistaken in the intent of their exit, it was erased entirely by the wedge of Walker's leg between his own thighs. "It matters," Gust murmured, and lifted a hand so that he might brush the pad of his thumb across the soft pillow of Walker's bottom lip.

He was in the moment now, and that had always been where he operated best: Instinct that lifted him like a wave and drowned any misgivings that might have dared to enter his head. It had always been this way, and the weeks spent agonizing over an attraction to men felt now both distant and senseless.

Still canted back against the door, he reached for Walker's lapel and pulled him in, hips lifting instinctively against that notched leg, mouth warm as their lips met. A soft, relieved sound escaped into Walker's mouth, and he reached with both hands to hitch him forward by the arse.