The Royal Series 0 - A Royal Archive

Chapter 8

† Finnegan †

Anthony's house was small and cramped. There were boxes and numerous items of furniture scattered around the three rooms that made up his upstairs apartment. The room that served as the living quarters and a kitchen was full of items, but not one of the utensils or utilities looked as though it had been used. The bathroom was the smallest room in the house, with a tiny bath.

Finnegan was shocked to see that his own room at the Promise of Pleasure had been larger than Anthony's entire living quarters. All he had needed in his room was a bed, a bath in the corner and a wardrobe of clothes, but even that room had been spacious, where Anthony's home felt squashed.

Yet, there was a sense of home that surprised him. The furniture and items strewn across the rooms were not placed haphazardly, nor were they in terrible condition. Each item was pristine and well tended, while the bedroom showed the only signs of habitation in the entire apartment.

"How long have you lived here?" Finnegan asked, as he carefully stepped over a few items on his way towards the bed. He held the towel to his waist and eventually fell onto the mattress, while trying to avoid an overturned chair.

The look of shame and embarrassment on Anthony's face was heartbreaking, as he too walked into the room with only a towel on and attempted to relocate items, so that there could be a path to the door. "I am sorry. I have been here nearly four years, yet I cannot find a method of organisation that works," he apologised, stumbling to the bed and flopping down beside him on the mattress. "I would promise to have it cleared soon, but my uncle left me his home and I thought, perhaps, you may wish to move there?" he asked.

"Where did he live?" Finnegan asked, turning onto his side, to see his guard better. With the panic of the night over and a real bath, with his lover, in that tiny little bathtub, he felt free enough to spend the entire night learning more about Anthony.

"In Warre," he replied, with a faint smile. "His lawyer claims that his house is quite large; three bedrooms and two bathrooms, plus a separate kitchen and living room. It would make a very comfortable family home," he hinted.

He smiled and leaned in to place a kiss upon Anthony's shoulder. "It sounds wonderful. And I would not wish you to remove these items if they have meaning to you," he promised, reaching down to take Anthony's hand in his own. "I can see the care and love you have put into maintaining them. Is it a hobby or something you wish to expand upon?" he wondered.

Anthony sighed and shifted just enough so that he may wrap both arms around Finnegan's shoulders. He snuggled in and listened to a strong heartbeat, as Antony's chest rumbled with his words. "I have always enjoyed mending things. The items here are not my own, but belong to others in the building or neighbourhood. If they have a breakage or a fault they wish fixed, I do my best to accommodate them. Many of these items are completed works, but I have not been able to return them."

There was something about that explanation that Finnegan loved. He wondered how Anthony managed it; he worked as a city guard nearly sixteen hours a night, yet still managed to sleep, do these wonderful deeds for his neighbours and visit Finnegan at the Promise of Pleasure. It must have been exhausting.

Snuggling closer, he tilted his head and placed a soft kiss in the crook of Anthony's neck. He was so comfortable and warm, here in his arms, that Finnegan wished he would never have to leave. Not this bed, not these arms, not this night. He wished he could freeze time and bask in this moment forever.

But then a smile spread across his lips, as he recalled their bath together. Anthony had sunk into the water, appearing almost shocked when Finnegan slipped in to sit before him. It did not take long to convince the guard that it was a practical use of water; he leaned back on his body and began washing his lover, who quickly picked up the pace of the 'bath'. When Anthony responded in kind, Finnegan had almost lost track of his careful plans.