Dinner that evening was noisy, cheerful, chaotic and completely amazing to Gabriel. His idea of a family dinner was trying to remember the right fork, making polite conversation; listening to his mother drone on about how well connected she was and enduring lectures from his father about how he should start thinking about a proper career and settling down to have a family. With Freddie it had improved a little, since they had held parties and dinners for their friends, but this had become less and less frequent as Freddie's jealousy of any attention Gabriel attracted had become more pronounced. For the last eighteen months Gabriel had practically lived the life of a hermit in an attempt to assuage Freddie's temper, which had worked to a degree but had effectively cut him off from all his friends.
Gabriel had been completely unprepared for how overwhelming a normal dinner within a normal, noisy, happy, loving and secure family could be. He had sat in wide eyed silence as Connor and Finn had set the table, arguing over who would have what of the mismatched cutlery.
He'd laughed until he was afraid he'd split his stitches when Finn had disappeared from the kitchen and returned with a snowball which he promptly shoved down Connor's back in a fit of peak for not getting his own way: "over a bloody fork" Connor had screeched.
Angus and Lucy had joined them and Gabriel had hardly been able to contain his mirth when Lucy had discretely rearranged the cutlery after Connor had spent the better part of ten minutes telling Finn it didn't matter who ate with what fork. He had snorted behind his hand as Lucy had given him a mischievous wink and Angus had smirked as if he was including him in some sort of joke he didn't quite get. Although he did get it a little: this was what family life was like here and everyone loved it.
Throughout this all Auntie Morag had attempted to maintain order but had eventually given up and given a resigned shrug as she rolled her eyes: "See what I have tae put up with every day, Gabriel?" He'd chuckled at her frustration and at the bear hug that Connor swept her into: "Ah, ye love us all really." To which she had protested but with a broad smile on her face confirming everything Gabriel had realised: they did all love each other very dearly. It made him wonder where he might fit in, and then dismiss those thoughts immediately because he didn't really fit in, he was just accepted for the time being.
They eventually all sat, ate, talked, laughed and made silly remarks to each other. The teasing was relentless. Even Gabriel had not been immune when Finn had seen him squeeze Connor's knee under the table and had commented that he was messed up enough having to watch his mum playing footsie with Angus. He'd cited a new table rule about no touchy feely stuff while they were all eating which was, of course ignored at every opportunity.
Gabriel was mostly silent throughout the entire meal, partly because he was tired, but also because he was just blown away by this family that appeared to have adopted him and by Connor of course who just seemed to want to wrap him in a cocoon. Connor kept shooting him concerned looks that asked, "Are you okay?" and Gabriel would reply, daring to break Finn's new table rule and squeeze the taller man's hand beneath the table where it mostly rested on his leg: "I'm fine.". Everyone else at the table exchanged knowing glances but Gabriel and Connor were too busy gazing at each other to notice anything else around them.
After dinner everyone adjourned to the Den, which was a rare moment to be savoured since it was unusual indeed that there were no hotel guests and no evening meals to prepare and serve.
Connor pulled Gabriel, who did not protest, down onto one of the deep, comfy leather sofas in front of the roaring fire and they both lay the length of it with a blanket covering their legs. Any awkwardness Gabriel might have felt was quickly dispelled by the fact that no one seemed to find their intimate position in any way unusual. Gabriel rested his head on Connor's chest and listened to the sounds of murmured conversation and laughter from Finn and Angus as they played video games at the far end of the room and, of course the wonderful sound of Connor's heart beat. The sounds lulled him to sleep, that and the fact that Connor was playing absently with his hair and humming in a low, quiet tone as if he was singing him to sleep. Gabriel felt safe and warm and comfortable but was far too tired to begin to wonder why or how.
Connor didn't register his actions until he glanced over at Lucy who was sitting wrapped up in a woollen shawl and curled up beside their Aunt as she knitted. They were talking quietly but Lucy shot Connor a smirky grin which caused him to blush when he realised what he was doing. Not that he had any intention of stopping.
Connor hardly had time to wonder at how natural and normal this all felt before his own eyes began to grow steadily heavier. It wasn't long before both men were snoring lightly, in, if not a deep sleep, at least a comfortable one.
Connor woke suddenly, realising that he had dozed longer than he'd intended because only Angus and Lucy were left in the Den, watching some sappy late night movie; Auntie Morag and Finn had gone to bed. Gabriel hadn't moved from his position across his chest and he could feel the steady breathing of the younger man as he slept. Slowly, so as to try not to disturb him Connor began to extricate himself from beneath the sleeping man,
"I've got tae go and lock up." He muttered half to himself, half to the room in general, "I need to make sure the dogs are fed and that." Connor eventually and awkwardly got to his feet. Gabriel moaned softly, shuffling into a better position since he had lost his soft Connor pillow. Connor knelt beside him. He didn't want the man to think he'd been abandoned,
"Gabriel." He murmured. Gabriel opened one eye and smiled sleepily,
"Hey," he opened the other eye and lifted his head,
"Don't get up." Connor said quietly, laying a hand on the man's arm and pulling the blanket that someone had laid across their legs, up around his shoulders, "I've got some things to do before bedtime but I'll be back in a jiffy." Gabriel nodded, his eyes betraying only slight panic, "Lucy and Angus are still here." He added quietly so that Gabriel knew he wouldn't be alone. The younger man gave him a grateful smile before closing his eyes again. Connor patted his shoulder gently and then stood to leave, "I won't be long Lu, Angus." He told the others and left to do his evening chores.
Connor walked out into the snow to check on the dogs that worked the estate. They were kennelled in the old stable block which was where he had his office too. The hounds all barked excitedly as he entered and he fed them all and checked their water and bedding before making his way back across the dark courtyard. He usually checked on the horses as well but he knew they would have been settled by his land team before they'd all left for home. He walked into his office to check his emails. He'd sent some enquiries about finding a new chef the day before and realised he hadn't checked for replies.
There were a couple of promising responses that he would have to chase up the next day. Time was getting on to find someone for the weekend so everyone would just have to muck in but at least he might have someone by the following weekend.
Before he shut his laptop down he clicked onto a news site, partly to get the weather report, which didn't look promising, causing him to wonder if the weekend wedding party would cancel, but also because he felt out of touch with the rest of the world over the last two days.
A headline caught his attention immediately:
Gabriel Gadenski Still Missing.
Connor frowned and clicked on the link to the story. There was a picture of Gabriel, obviously a studio one. A filter had obviously been used to enhance the man's deep blue eyes, although Connor found himself thinking that no filter could really do them justice. The shot was still a nice one though. He read the report beneath the photo with trepidation:
The whereabouts of the actor Gabriel Gadenski remains a mystery today despite him having contacted his parents to assure them he was safe and well.
His partner of four years, movie producer and director Frederick Haven, made a heart felt plea at a press conference on Monday for Gabriel to get in touch. Freddie admitted to the press that he and Gabriel had been going through some tough times and this was simply Gabriel's way of dealing with it all. He said he was hopeful he would have word from the wayward actor soon but was willing to wait as long as it took for his partner to come to his senses and return home.
Connor snorted, a little upset by what he was reading but certain that the words were Freddie's and not the actual truth. Was Gabriel really just running away from an argument? He didn't think so, the evidence he'd seen so far was of a broken man coming out of a deep depression caused by years of abuse: emotional and physical at the hands of his partner. He only hoped he was able to help the man. He didn't want to think he might make things worse by confusing him.
He was aware that he was just seeing one side of the story, but he also had a deep feeling that the side he was seeing was the true one. He hoped that he wasn't simply willing to believe Gabriel more because of the attraction he felt for the man and the unavoidable chemistry that had sparked between them.
Connor closed down his laptop with a sigh and left his office. He was cold now, since he hadn't bothered with a coat, stupid really considering the freezing temperatures. The wind howled and the snow swirled around him as he walked the short distance back to the Castle. He'd heard of a man freezing to death in his back garden after slipping when he'd gone to lock his garden gate, "Jesus, what a morbid thought." He wondered if anyone would miss him quickly enough to get to him before that happened. He wondered if Gabriel would.
Luckily he reached the Boot room door without any such incident, albeit frozen to the bone. He locked the door behind him, not that he thought there would be anyone out and about with the intention of breaking in since the only person mad enough to be out at all was him; it was just habit. He walked into the kitchen brushing snow from his hair, stamping his feet and hugging his hands to warm them up,
"Evening." He looked up startled to see his Aunt and Gabriel sitting on the sofas beside the oil heated stove that kept the room warm. Auntie Morag had made a pot of tea which stood on a small table between them, "Animals all settled?" she asked, pouring the tea into two cups and passing one to Gabriel,
"Aye, Auntie Morag, they are." Connor said as he joined them at the table, "I thought you'd gone tae bed." He kissed the top of her head, standing behind her for a few moments and trying to ignore the fact that Gabriel was watching him with those big, deep blue eyes the entire time,
"Oh, you know me," Auntie Morag told him, "always got to have that last cup of tea." She smiled at his kiss and patted his chest, "Do you want one?" she asked, Connor nodded enthusiastically,
"Yes please, Auntie Mo." He gave a shiver, "I'm freezing." Morag stood to get her nephew a cup,
"Well that's yer own fault for not wearing yer coat." She chided,
"Even with a coat I would have frozen." He said stepping around the table and placing his cold hands on Gabriel's neck for effect,
"Ouch!" Gabriel yelped, "Asshole." He muttered with a scowl, but his eyes sparkled and the scowl quickly turned into a grin. Connor sat beside him accepting a steaming mug of tea from his Aunt. Gabriel pushed a warm leg against his cold one and he was suddenly very much warmer,
"I thought you were asleep." He pointed out to the dark haired man. Gabriel shrugged,
"I woke up." He lowered his gaze, looking a little embarrassed for some reason. Had he come looking for him?
"You should have just stayed in the Den, I wasn't gone that long." Connor told him gently but Gabriel shrugged again,
"Yeah well, maybe I got sick of waiting." He said, fiddling with the crutch that Angus had given him to help him get about on his sprained ankle. He looked up and exchanged amused glances with Auntie Morag. To his surprise Gabriel smirked, "Besides, I didn't much feel like playing gooseberry to Lucy and Angus." Connor choked on his mouthful of tea and Gabriel patted his back helpfully. He continued to smirk as did Auntie Morag, "They thought I was asleep." He explained, "But you can only stand so much of listening to two people makin' out before it gets a bit much." Connor chuckled,
"What did they do when you woke up?" he asked with a smirk of his own, remembering the times that Angus had interrupted them. Gabriel must also have been remembering those interruptions as he grinned wickedly,
"Let's just say revenge is very sweet."
"Aye, well, scintillating as this conversation is I'm off to bed." Auntie Morag announced with an indulgent smile. Connor stood to give her a hug, "Good God, Connor, you squeeze the life out of me every time you do that ye great yeti." Connor chuckled and released his hold on her,
"Good night, Auntie Mo." He said softly.
She stood on her tiptoes and kissed her nephew on the cheek then, to Gabriel's surprise she turned to him and kissed him too,
"You sleep well ma darlin'." She told him, "And dinnae worry about a thing. Stuff has a way of sortin' itself out you'll see." Gabriel nodded and thanked her, a little teary eyed. Connor wondered how long the two had been sitting talking quietly in the kitchen. Things did have a way of sorting themselves out when you talked and listened to Auntie Morag.
The two men watched her leave then turned to each other to speak,
"I was just….?"
"Would it be…?" They both spoke at the same time and then laughed and blushed,
"You first." Gabriel told the taller man. Connor smiled,
"I was just in my office before, checking my emails; I read a news article online about you." Gabriel groaned and curled his lip,
"How exciting for you." He said sarcastically, "I hope it wasn't anything bad,"
"Well, it wasn't anything I didn't already know." He assured, thinking the way Gabriel rolled his deep blue eyes was quite sexy really, "There was a bit about your ex saying you did this on a regular basis and it was your way of coping after an argument." Gabriel gasped,
"That's bullshit." He spat, then took a deep breath to calm himself, "I've never done this before." Connor nodded pleased that he had had his thoughts on the subject confirmed. He placed an arm around Gabriel's shoulders,
"It went on to say that you hadn't gone missing for this long before but that, although everyone was worried about you you had contacted your parents and the police weren't treating you as a missing person yet."
"Oh shit, the police are involved?" Gabriel asked in dismay, "I should do something about that really. I think I need to call some people tomorrow to let them know I'm okay."
"Will they want you to go back?" Connor asked quietly. Gabriel leaned against him, pulling the man's arm further around his shoulders and linking their fingers together,
"Possibly, most likely in fact, but I don't want to go back." Gabriel murmured. Connor sighed and held the man tightly, burying his face in Gabriel's dark hair and breathing deeply,
"You have to go back sometime." He said. Gabriel pulled away, narrowing his eyes,
"Do you want rid of me?" he asked and Connor shook his head vehemently,
"No, not at all, I want…." he faltered, was what he wanted not just going to confuse the man? He pulled Gabriel back into a hug, "You stay as long as you need to." He said, instead of saying what he had intended to say: he wanted Gabriel to stay, he wanted the man full stop, and with such intensity it scared him and thrilled him at the same time.
Gabriel melted into the embrace as always, Connor's feelings intensified by how well Gabriel fit against him and how good it felt to have him in his arms,
"What were you going to say?" Connor asked. Gabriel pulled away again with a bemused look on his face, "When we spoke at the same time before," Connor explained, "What were you going to say?"
"Oh, just that I was gonna ask you if it was okay if I went to bed." Gabriel muttered, pressing back into the embrace. Connor gasped,
"You don't have to ask my permission." He said incredulously. Gabriel raised his eyebrows,
"Well I wouldn't if I was going to my own room." He said, "But I'm not, I'm going to yours, that is unless you've changed your mind." He gasped as Connor pulled him into a kiss, pressing their lips together and eliciting a delightful moan from Gabriel as he did. An electric shock of attraction coursed through his body,
"I haven't changed my mind." Connor muttered softly then he stood, pulling Gabriel to his feet,
"Get your crutch, Hollywood, let's go to bed." He said. Gabriel chuckled and, leaning on Connor as he picked up the crutch and began to hobble towards the door, trying not to gasp as he jarred the stab wound when he leaned on the crutch. He shuffled a few painful steps before Connor grunted in frustration and sympathy,
"Aw, sod this, Gabriel, I'm carryin' you the rest of the way." And before Gabriel could protest Connor had swept him up into his arms once again and carried him through the kitchen door and along the hall to his bedroom.
Once there they stood in the centre of the room, or rather Connor stood with Gabriel in his arms. They regarded each other awkwardly, their breathing slightly quickened by exertion and such close contact,
"Er, Connor, I think you can put me down now." Gabriel told him, his eyes searching Connor's face,
"Aye." Connor murmured, distracted by the cobalt blue of Gabriel's eyes and the memories of all the times he'd held this man already in the few days since they had met. Gabriel chuckled and his hand moved to Connor's cheek,
"Connor, I know I'm smaller than you but I know I'm no light weight either," he pressed his lips to Connor's cheek, "Put me down, sweetheart." He whispered against Connor's skin and the taller man smiled bashfully, blushing an adorable pink.
He deposited Gabriel gently on the bed and stepped back to shut the bedroom door. He considered locking it but wondered if Gabriel might think he was being locked in, when really all Connor wanted to do was lock everyone else out.
He turned to see Gabriel watching his every move. He ran his fingers through his auburn hair, smiling awkwardly,
"Is there anything you need, Gabriel?" he asked and Gabriel shook his head, then grimaced,
"I might need some pyjamas." He said, then he smiled, "Unless we're sleeping naked, which is fine with me by the way." Connor felt himself smirking at the suggestive flicker of Gabriel's dark eyebrows, thinking he would also be very fine with sleeping naked, it was what sleeping naked next to the guy would lead to that was probably not so fine considering Gabriel's present state,
"Gabriel." Connor sighed as he slumped down on the bed next to the still smirking younger man, "I am bushed, and you have a six inch gash across your ribs with ten stitches. Are we really in any fit state to be thinking of anything other than sleeping right now?"
Gabriel propped himself up on his elbow and pushed up against Connor's left side, his free hand tracing lazy circles across the redhead's chest,
"I guess you're right." He sighed in disappointment, "So are you gonna lend me some pyjamas then? I didn't pack any of my own." Connor gave him a candid look,
"You didnae pack anything at all." He pointed out and Gabriel's expression clouded over,
"That's because at the time I didn't think I'd need anything." He said quietly and sadly and Connor could have kicked himself for spoiling the moment with such a dark subject, "Now I realise how wrong I was." Gabriel murmured leaning close, his breath hot on Connor's neck.
Connor felt another electric shock shoot through his body and found he loved the effect this man had on him. His hand curled around the back of Gabriel's neck pulling him down into a kiss that immediately dispelled the sad look in those amazing blue eyes.
Both men moaned softly as the kiss deepened, tongues brushing. Gabriel's hand wandered over Connor's chest, fingers brushing against a firm nipple beneath his t shirt. Connor gasped and his body bucked involuntarily as it reacted to the gentle caress. Whether or not they should be doing anything strenuous was beside the point since Connor was under no illusions as to what Gabriel's intentions were.
Mindful of his injuries, but with just the right amount of aggression to send Connor's senses whirling; Gabriel pulled the redhead's shoulders until their positions were reversed, with the taller man now lying on top of him. Their lips did not part, although Connor did allow a gasp of protest to escape as he was pulled on top of Gabriel.
He propped himself up on one elbow when their lips did eventually part and regarded the dark haired, younger man. He smiled softly and brushed his finger tips across the man's cheek. There was really no point in fighting the chemistry and attraction but there was one thing that might stop them,
"Gabriel this is a very tempting situation and I would very much like to continue but I don't want to hurt you." He said softly, brushing dark hair from Gabriel's forehead and then moving his hand down to brush lightly over the dressing across the younger man's ribs.
Gabriel hissed softly then caught Connor's hand, bringing it up to his lips. He kissed the finger tips before sucking two fingers into his mouth. Connor gasped and felt his insides turn to liquid at the sensual act. Gabriel let his fingers go with a satisfying pop, licking his lips as Connor watched entranced,
"I trust you not to hurt me." Gabriel told him softly, the words loaded with so much meaning they seemed heavy and solid between them. Connor felt a shock of attraction and wonder at the absolute trust he saw in those amazing blue eyes, framed with such thick dark lashes, how could anyone ever contemplate hurting this man?
"You have the loveliest eyes, d'ye know that?" he asked. Gabriel gave a small half smile,
"Been told that." He said, with a shrug, "Sounds better coming from you though."
"Why?" Connor asked, suddenly wanting to try and understand this whirlwind attraction that seemed so mutual, "Why does it sound better coming from me when you hardly know me?" Gabriel shrugged,
"I don't know, it just feels…." He seemed to struggle for a word, "It feels right, I guess."
"And it didn't feel right coming from anyone else you've known for longer?" Gabriel frowned, as if giving it some thought then shook his head,
"Nope, because I always got the feeling they were just saying it to butter me up." Connor gasped again as Gabriel's hands explored his body. He leaned close and whispered in Gabriel's ear,
"How do you know I'm not trying to butter you up?" he murmured, feeling Gabriel shiver as his breath ghosted across the skin of the man's exposed neck. Gabriel's fingers gripped handfuls of Connor's shirt and pulled him back into a kissing position,
"I don't know." He whispered, "But right now, I don't even care, because I want you too damn much." Connor moaned as their lips once more crushed together, tongues entwined.
Gabriel's knees came up either side of Connor's hips as he pulled the taller man deeper into the kiss. Their groins pushed together causing both men to moan and Gabriel to whimper as their cocks pushed against each other, already painfully hard, through the fabric of their pants. Gabriel threw back his head with a grunt and a gasp of pure pleasure. Connor clamped his lips onto Gabriel's exposed neck causing the man to gasp again and buck his hips.
Their groins rubbed together once more, creating delightful friction between them. Gabriel grabbed Connor's buttocks pulling him down and wrapping his legs around the taller man's hips. Connor gasped again, thrusting against Gabriel, their groins locked together. They weren't even undressed and he was close, so close. He gasped again, his tongue twining around Gabriel's, his fingers carding through the man's dark hair,
"Oh God, Gabriel." He murmured, as the man fumbled with the fastening of his jeans, "I don't think I'll even make it that far." Gabriel giggled as he unzipped the jeans and thrust his hand down inside them, palming Connor through his boxers,
"I'll be very disappointed if you come in your pants." Gabriel told him with a wicked twinkle in his eye, "It would be such a waste, although admittedly pretty darn hot since I can't remember the last time I had sex without even getting undressed." He closed his fingers around Connor's still clothed cock and the taller man moaned lustily, "Better hurry up and make your move if you don't want me to make that happen right now." Connor narrowed his eyes and regarded the giggling dark haired man beneath him,
"Oh you are definitely trouble, Gabriel Gadenski." He growled, smirking as he was no doubt getting a glimpse of Gabriel's true nature: sassy and sexy and irrepressible. He broke their embrace and knelt back on his heals causing Gabriel to protest at the loss the man's warmth.
Connor pushed his pants down and off then reached behind him and into a drawer, thanking his lucky stars he had thought to bring some of the condoms from Angus' flat, since he hadn't had any of his own: hadn't even expected to need any at all. He pulled at Gabriel's pants and the man lifted his hips to allow them and his boxers to be pulled off. When they were gone Gabriel once again wrapped his legs around Connor's waist,
"Oh God, Connor, please, I need you." He gasped, blushing, "Shit I hope no one can hear us." He grimaced, biting his lip. Connor chuckled,
"The walls here are pretty thick, Gabriel." He assured him, "Unless someone is actually listening at the door they won't hear you."
"I can be pretty loud." Gabriel confessed and Connor leaned close, his lips brushing Gabriel's ear as he replied in a low, sexy, gravelly voice,
"I already know that." Gabriel gasped and pulled him close,
"Jesus, Connor, you're so damn sexy." Connor chuckled again and knelt back once more.
Connor prepared himself, with help from Gabriel as he pushed his hips closer so the taller man could press at his entrance with his fingers, spreading lubricant and pushing slowly inside. Gabriel gasped and bucked at the sensation. He cried out as Connor's fingers turned inside him and pushed against that bundle of nerves that made all the pain just disappear, leaving only pleasure.
Connor withdrew his fingers slowly; eliciting another strangled gasp from Gabriel as he did then positioned himself, a condom in place, at Gabriel's entrance. The younger man closed his eyes against the stretching sensation as Connor began to press forward. Their lips crushed together again and both men moaned.
Connor could feel a sweat forming on his brow as he pushed slowly inside. He stopped and waited, gazing down at Gabriel who still had his eyes closed in concentration, a slight furrow to his brow,
"Shit, you're beautiful." Connor felt himself gasping and Gabriel's eyes opened. He smiled, "Are you okay?" he asked, his breath hitching slightly at the sight of those amazing eyes, his breathing heavy.
Wordlessly Gabriel took one of Connor's hands, forcing the man to balance on one elbow, and pulled it down to his groin. The taller man grinned as he took Gabriel's cock in hand and stroked it gently. Gabriel's hips bucked and his legs clamped further around Connor's waist as he gasped,
"Connor, please, holy shit, just go already." He whispered hoarsely. Connor chuckled and nodded, beginning to thrust slowly, not just to spare Gabriel any unnecessary pain from his stitches but also because slowly was so much better. His hand stroked Gabriel's shaft to the same rhythm.
They'd been close before they'd even undressed and Connor knew he wouldn't last long now, not with Gabriel pulling him down into a rough kiss, and definitely not with the delightful whines and moans coming from the younger man that turned his bones to mush.
Gabriel shuddered and gasped: the only warning he gave before shooting between them. Connor felt the warm slickness over his hand and stomach and felt Gabriel's muscles contract around him, making his thrusts less rhythmic and more desperate as he strained towards his own release,
"Oh my God." He breathed as Gabriel continued to shudder beneath him. He pulled Connor down into a breathless kiss and he came with a cry, unravelling and shuddering, tasting Gabriel's tongue against his and feeling every inch of the man's body now sweaty and slick against his.
He collapsed onto the bed, falling to one side, his chest heaving with the exertion. Gabriel's breathing was equally as laboured at his side. He turned his head to gaze at the man he had just had yet another round of mind blowing sex with and met wide, twinkling blue eyes regarding him,
"Shit, Connor." Gabriel chuckled, "What happened to just lending me some pyjamas?" Connor laughed out loud and propped himself up on one elbow,
"I was about to explain that I don't actually own any pyjamas, you brazen hussy, and then your body got in my way." Gabriel chuckled,
"I'll have to get in your way more often if that's the reaction I get." He said, stretching up and kissing Connor on a very warm cheek,
"You get in my way as much as you want, darlin'." Connor hummed, his low tones sending shivers up and down Gabriel's spine. He snuggled close and Connor wrapped warm arms around him,
"So I guess we're sleeping naked then?" Gabriel said with a wide yawn accepting a cloth to wipe himself down. Connor hummed an affirmative as helped clean up the mess he had had caused, his eyes already heavy, his body close to sleep.
With one last effort he threw the cloth into the corner of his room then managed to pull the blankets over both of them, nuzzling Gabriel's dark hair as they got comfortable beneath the covers,
"I'm too damn tired to move now anyway." He murmured, but all he got was a soft snore from Gabriel who was already asleep safe in the bubble that was Connor and Loch Leith Castle.
Tomorrow they would worry about the rest of the world; tonight they would simply enjoy their own little world, together in each other's arms.
A/N I'm sorry this took so long, hope it's not disappointing. There is another to follow because I had to split it as it was too long. Reviews are very welcome, I'm feeling a bit stuck with this and don't really know why because I have it all planned out. Reviews would really help thanks, DS