Frey knitted his eyebrows at his own reflection in the copper basin. The water was kind enough to blur out his scar, and it comforted him. Despite his efforts -encouraged by Marius- to embrace it as a neutral part of him lately, it had turned out to still bother him whenever he caught a glimpse of it, so he appreciated the water's effort.

And it didn't show how flushed his face was either.

They were going to take a bath together. Marius and him. It only made sense, seeing how it would take an enormous amount of work to prepare two baths instead of just one, and if they'd do it separately whoever got in last would likely be left with cold water.

It was fine, he declared while washing most of himself off with a sponge. He'd been seen without clothes before by those disgusting lords without much discomfort, and he'd helped Marius dry off his upper body, not to mention they shared a bed. Wearing sleepwear, sure, but still.

He wouldn't deny himself the shameless thoughts going through his mind though. Were they so wrong? So presumptuous? If anything, Marius had referred to such things on multiple occasions and they'd been so close that time in the stables before Carrigan interrupted them, so was Frey to blame for thinking about it? Even hoping for it? Going as far as to prepare for it, just in case?

Putting his bath oils away, he got up to dry his hair with a towel just as Marius suddenly pushed the door open with his shoulder to carry buckets of water inside.

"How many buckets do we need? Because this is gonna be torture, especially now that it's rain—"

He stopped mid sentence, and Frey looked back over his shoulder with a frown.

"Ever heard of knocking?"

Marius did not reply. Wide eyed and too stunned to speak, he couldn't tear his eyes from Frey, who eventually grew flustered.

"... What?" he finally asked with a disapproving look. So much for Marius not being embarrassed by nudity.

Marius blinked, snapping out of his awestruck state to finally open his mouth.

"Oh, uh... Nothing. Or, I guess I'm a little... Disappointed."

Frey stared back now, lowering the towel to tie it around his waist.

"Dis... Appointed?" he asked, voice barely louder than a whisper, and Marius nodded.

"Yeah, with my imagination." Marius cocked his head with an impish grin. "It hasn't done you justice at all."

Heat still rose to Frey's cheeks, and he pouted.

"Don't scare me like that."

Marius scoffed, though still looking smug as he walked up to Frey.

"As if you ever doubted yourself."

"I would have blamed it on you having poor, commoner's taste." Frey folded his arms, but let Marius embrace him, only to shy away from the rain soaked shirt immediately after.

"I thought you were worried about catching colds," he reminded Marius, who nodded gravely before pulling the wet garment off over his head.

"Only fair, I guess, since you're not wearing clothes at all."

"Apparently your imagination requires as much."

"This part was pretty accurate though." Marius slowly slid his hand down over Frey's backside. "Your riding attire honestly leaves little up to imagination."

"It's very... Fitted," Frey agreed, trying to keep his composure despite the caressing. "I'm rather certain Everleigh is doing it on purpose."

"Well, I'm not complaining." Marius gave him a flirtatious smile. "It's a good use of your— well, Lord Hargreaves' money."

Frey nodded absentmindedly.

"Actually, speaking of Hargreaveses and money, I did some thinking earlier," he said, looking out the window. "I've been thinking, since the Gashcrow family owns the bank people are loaning money from, I should try to nip it all in the bud right there—"

"Frey..."

"And since Lucia seems to have some grudge against Mr. Gashcrow, while Luna is trapped in an unfortunate engagement with his son, perhaps I could ask them to dig up some dirt on them. I know for certain Luna would be happy to."

"Frey." Marius waved a hand in front of Frey's face. "We talked about this before we got here, remember? You were supposed to let go of that for now."

"I—" Frey hesitated, but couldn't leave the things on his mind unsaid either, as he went on. "I know that, but it keeps nagging me, and I thought if I just had some time to look through things... Maybe write some letters, I could—"

"Please..." Marius lowered his voice, taking Frey's previously flicking hands. "... Just relax. Just... Be with me."

Frey wanted to break free, hands wishing to continue their movements, but as his gaze met Marius', he let out a sigh instead.

"You're right." He shook his head. "I'll do that some other time. It can wait."

Marius smiled again, but he did not look convinced.

"Well, these are gonna take a while to heat up." He changed the subject, sighing as he picked up the water buckets to carry them to the fireplace further away. "Guess I should go look for more buckets if we want to get this done anytime soon."

"You could fill this up in the meantime." Frey held up the basin, grateful that Marius wasn't too upset about his momentary relapse. "That would almost free up one bucket."

"Well, it's something." Marius walked across the room to open a window. "I'll pour that water out then, if you're done with it."

Frey nodded, though once again recalling the book they'd been reading from.

"Just give a warning to the unearthly ones first." He smiled, expecting another inquiry from the ever so curious Marius, but the latter froze just as he'd placed the basin on the windowsill.

"... What?" Marius didn't look at him, and Frey tilted his head to the side.

"It's just another creature from that book." He held on to his smile, but a tension had grown around them. "The unearthly ones. They live underground and don't like to be disturbed, so according to folklore you're supposed to call out a warning before you throw water or such out, so they can move away from there. If you don't, they'll get back at you by causing bad things to happen to you, or your house, or something."

Marius remained still, staring out the window, and Frey grew uneasy.

"It's... Just a myth, of course." He tried another soft laugh, and Marius finally turned his head.

"Right," he uttered, voice empty and if Frey wasn't mistaken his face had paled. "But... Perhaps we should pour it out somewhere else, just in case."

"What?" Frey laughed for real at that, and he walked over to stand next to Marius. "They would live all throughout this supposed underground. You'd have to go all the way to the river or something."

"I don't mind."

"Don't be ridiculous." Frey grabbed the basin. "If you're that superstitious all of a sudden, just yell at them to move."

He leaned over the windowsill, feeling silly just to humour Marius for something nonsensical like that.

"Hey! Unearthly ones, move ou—"

"Stop it." Marius clapped a hand over his mouth. "I said I'll go to the river."

"Marius, you're being unreasonable." Frey removed his hand, irately proceeding to shove the basin forward. "If you're so scared, I'll do i—"

Before he could tip it over, Marius grabbed hold of it and yanked it back with enough force to send it crashing against the floor behind them.

Water pooled over the floor, almost reaching Frey's feet where he stood, staring down at the reflection of his shocked self before turning his eyes towards Marius.

"I'm—" Marius drew a deep, trembling breath before turning on his heels to head for the door. "I— I'll clean it up later."

"Marius?" Frey tried calling after him, but no reply came, and he was left in a room of silence and confusion.

What the Waste had just happened? Frey searched his brain for hints to why Marius had acted like that. He wasn't superstitious. Not like that. He'd found the stories fascinating so Frey had assumed he would appreciate hearing more of them, yet he'd go so far as to stop Frey from tossing the water out despite Frey even agreeing to play along with the whole warning call.

Quietly, he placed a towel over the water puddle and began drying the floor, having to wring out water into the basin multiple times before he was done.

To his frustration he hesitated as he placed the basin back on the windowsill. He would not be affected by Marius' irrational fear, he decided, but still ended up calling out a low 'look out down there' to the supposedly listening unearthly ones before pouring the water out.

He didn't want to take a bath anymore. Despite his lack of understanding regarding Marius' reaction, he worried about him, and as he didn't come back while Frey put his shirt and breeches on, the only option seemed to be having to look for him.

Frey tried the kitchen first, but there was no sign of Marius. Instead, his attention fell on the book they'd read the day before.

"The unearthly ones," he mumbled to himself, forehead creasing as he tried to remember what his mother had told him. The book's tale was only one interpretation, of course, and while details and appearances differed, what all stories had in common was that they rarely showed themselves to humans and were not to be angered by being disrespected, and of course that they lived underground.

Underground.

Frey's thoughts lingered, but he tried to shake it. Not that kind of underground. Perhaps the idea had triggered something in Marius' mind though, unrelated to the beings.

A sudden chill crept along his spine as his thoughts dove further, and he tried to force them away. Marius had already explained the marks on his arm. He'd explained about his scratch-loving cat.

His cat with thumbs.

Frey sucked in a breath. No. He would not entertain the idea. Marius had simply been reminded of his past, and he was upset. That much Frey knew, and that much he could attempt to deal with. So he would continue his search.

He was not in the servants quarter where they slept, nor was he in the dining room. After checking the library, Frey had to assume he'd gone to some part of the house where he hadn't been before.

And there are so many rooms, Frey had to complain about inside his head, even though it hadn't bothered him in the slightest before. Still, he would look through all of them if he had to.

To his relief his search didn't last for long, as his feet had moved towards familiar areas and soon brought him to his own room.

The inside was bathed in a warm, orange light from the setting sun as it shone through the large balcony windows, rain clouds having cleared up to add a beautiful blend of pink and purple to the sky.

Marius had sat down by the edge of Frey's bed, leaning against it while staring ahead at the view, seemingly not noticing Frey at first.

"Hi," Frey tried, voice weak enough to make him doubt Marius had heard him, but the latter still turned his head to acknowledge him.

"Hi."

"I was wondering where you went." Frey attempted a comforting smile as he walked up to him. "Didn't think you knew which room was mine."

"I know your taste, and your favourite colours." Marius gestured around the room with a small handwave. "It wasn't hard."

Frey nodded slowly, not having expected that level of attention to detail, but then again it was Marius.

"So, are you... Alright?" he had to ask, awkward as he felt about it because clearly that was not the case. "I... Cleaned up the water, so you don't have to worry about that."

"Sorry," Marius mumbled, trying to force a smile onto his lips but ultimately failing. "I was just... But I'm— I feel better now."

"You know, if you want—"

"No." Marius shook his head, and an irate wrinkle formed between his eyebrows. "I've told you already."

Frey didn't know what to do with himself. He wanted nothing but to comfort him, but how? What could he say that would make Marius feel better? How could he show Marius the support he wanted to show him? Marius always gave his all to help Frey through his problems, so of course Frey wanted to do the same.

A knot in his chest, and his face scrunched up.

He had never given Marius his all. He'd been held back all along, hesitating and persistently chasing his other part of life, just like he'd done less than an hour ago. As long as that fact remained, Frey could never offer what Marius had always offered him.

"Marius, I... Didn't mean anything by it." He sat down next to him. "I thought I'd share another story from that book, I— I didn't think it would make you feel like... This."

"I know," Marius' fragile voice uttered while he leaned his chin against his arms with a weak, sheepish smile. "It's nothing. I just... I don't know what came over me, and it's embarrassing."

Frey couldn't keep despair from building in his chest. He couldn't stand to see him like that. If this was what it was like to see Marius in pain, he never wanted to see him in pain ever again.

"Listen," he therefore said, moving from his spot to sit in front of Marius instead. "I... Know what it's like to relive things in my head. I keep seeing those visions as if I was there, but— But I know I'm not, and I want you to know that... Whatever you're experiencing now... It's not real. It's not now."

Marius didn't answer, only turning his eyes away, so Frey looked around, getting up from the floor to head for the balcony doors.

"You're not there anymore," he continued, throwing the balcony doors open to let in a strong gust of fresh, rain-scented wind into the room. "You're not underground. You're here. You can see the open sky."

Marius still wouldn't face him.

"Frey, I said I'm fine."

"But you're not." Frey wouldn't have it. "You're in pain, and it's the last thing I want for you, so— So sure, don't talk about it. I won't force you, but I'm still not going to stand here while you're hurting and do nothing."

He drew a breath through his nose, finally fed up with his own ambivalence.

"I've... Been unfair to you. You've always been there for me, even when I was awful to you. Even when I hurt you, but I haven't done the same. I've let the other part of my life hold me back and I'm— I'm sorry. I should have made a proper choice long ago, so... I'm making it now."

Finally, Marius looked up to meet Frey's gaze, flinching slightly as his eyes were stung by the breeze and scarlet light from the setting sun.

"I'll be here," Frey promised, embracing the point of no return, and he swallowed while brushing some wind-ruffled hair away from his face. "And I always will be, if you'll have me. It doesn't matter what happens to my reputation. If high society won't have me back I'll find some other way to help my family, because I'm not hurting you again, and I'm not hurting myself again."

He reached out a hand.

"I'm choosing you, no matter what happens. End things with me tomorrow and it will still have been worth it, because I'll know at least I gave you all of me without regrets. I'll know that... In the end, I chose love before them."

A trembling breath escaped him as their eyes met, but he was done overthinking things. He wouldn't analyse his feelings or wonder if he was acting irrationally anymore. Not when things were obvious.

"Because... I do." His heart was about to beat its way through his chest, but he smiled. The genuine kind of smile only the man in front of him could bring forth. "I love you, Marius."

A moment passed where Marius stared up at him, eyes wide in awe as though he was seeing Frey for the first time, then he gripped his hand, standing up to pull him in for a kiss.

"I love you, Frey," he whispered as soon as their lips had parted, words blending with Frey's shallow breaths as they looked at each other again. "I also can't believe you said it first, even though I was kind of waiting for it."

"You were... Waiting for me?"

"I could have shouted it from the rooftop long ago." Marius grinned. "But I reckoned you would combust if I put you on the spot like that, so I thought I'd wait for it."

"But you didn't actually think I would say it?" Frey was almost a little hurt, even though it was a very valid concern from Marius' side. "Did you think I didn't?"

"I just..." Marius shrugged, looking a little crestfallen as he averted his eyes. "... Worried. What with everything going on, and all."

Frey had suspected as much, but it still hurt.

"Well... Now you know." He ran a hand through Marius' hair. "So you don't need to worry anymore."

"Did you mean it?" Marius still looked uncertain, glancing at Frey from under his eyelashes. "All those things you said."

"All of it," Frey promised again. "So just be with me, for as long as you want. You don't need to think about all those horrible things when I'm here. Just... Focus on us."

Marius snorted at that, grabbed the back of Frey's head to pull it close while ruffling his hair.

"That's what I've been saying all along, you ninny."

"And stop calling me a ninny," Frey complained, trying to save his hair from the roughness. "You need to learn how to show some respect."

"I'm afraid as long as I can say words, I will be some amount of what you consider disrespectful."

"Well, fortunately for me, then..." Frey raised his chin in pretended offence. "... I've recently been taught how to shut someone up."

Then he leaned in to kiss him again. More passionately than before. More certain of his desires, and Marius responded to every touch with equal fervour until they both stumbled backwards to fall down onto the bed.