Heaven won't be the same
Brimsley/Reynolds
"We could run off together..." Reynolds said one evening. And Brimsley stopped washing Reynolds' back.
"What?" he asked and Reynolds looked over his shoulder to him. His face was traced with the lines of exhaustion.
"We could leave. Leave England. Escape. Go somewhere where no one knows us." Brimsley laid down the sponge, letting it fall into the soapy water.
"Rey-"
"No listen." the Blonde turned around to face him, which proved difficult in the small copper bath with his long limbs.
"We could buy a small cottage somewhere in a country where we don't speak the language, we could live there together be free!", Reynolds, laid a hand on brimsleys cheek and he moved into the warm touch, "We could be together. For real." Reynolds had a spark in his eye.
Brimsley smiled.
"That life sounds nice my love. But we can't." the brunet reminded him and took his lovers hand to kiss the inside of his palm.
"Why not?" Reynolds asked his face contorted in hurt and sadness, because deep down he understood, he must.
"We have our duties here. What would the king and queen do without us?" Brimsley explained and Reynolds shook his head.
"No, they would replace us immediately. They don't care about us. Not the way we have to care for them. Not the way I care for you!"
"Reynolds. I want to. I want to live a life with you, a life where I'm not scared to be who I am. But we can't."
"Why not. Give me one reason other than our duties to the crown..."
Brimsley tried to find one, he racked his brain but he couldn't think of anything. Reynolds scooted closer.
"I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You are irreplaceable to me. But you are not irreplaceable to them. They would turn on you like that don't you realize?" Reynolds pleaded and he was right. It hurt Brimsley to admit it but his queen would have him hanged if she were to ever learn of his tendencies.
He nodded.
"Where would we go?" he asked leaning closer and resting his forehead on Reynolds'.
"Spain, or France. Somewhere where it's warm and sunny and we could have a garden and we would never need to leave our Home!" Reynolds promised and kissed his lips and they tasted so sweet.
"Alright."
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Six months later
__________________
The sun was high up in the sky everyday in the south of Italy. And the sweat dripped off Brimsley's back as he shoved a handfull of dirt down the hole he had made for a new tomato plant.
He saw the shadow loom over his work before he felt two arms wrap around his torso.
He smiled as he raised his hands to hold on.
Reynolds kissed his neck and nothing felt sweeter than the ability to do that outside away from the judging and prying eyes. Brimsley let his head fall backwards onto Reynolds' shoulder.
"How are the chickens?" he asked as Reynolds had just come back from the coop with their three hens.
"Good. We have five eggs!" he told him and Brimsley looked into the little wicker basket.
"We'll have a feast tonight." he told Reynolds, and he chuckled deeply.
Now that they were so far away from the crown and it's claws Reynolds never stopped smiling and it warmed Brimsley's heart to see his lover so happy all the time.
"You must bathe. You smell horrid!" Reynolds told him, ruining the moment.
"I'll bathe if you join me." brimsley told him and relished the cheeky grin Reynolds gave him in return.
"Are you finished outside?" the blond asked him and he nodded, once more looking to the plant before getting up and holding out his hand for Reynolds to take.
They walked down the short brick path towards their front door holding hands because they could and nobody was around to tell them not too.
At night they would sleep in the same bed wrapped up in each other's arms and in the mornings the would wake eachother up with soft kisses sprinkled onto their skin like the sunlight that would filter in through their window.
And Brimsley wasn't necessarily a man of god but he was sure that this little cottage in the south of Italy with Reynolds by his side, was heaven.
