The music was loud and boisterous. The room was hot and smoky. The girls were pretty, happy, and light on their feet. Colors swirled, beer flowed, and Justin was a part of it all. He floated through the room, laughing with the children, drinking with the men, playing piano with the band, and dancing with the women. And he danced. And danced. And danced. Justin had never danced as much as he did that night. The passengers in Third Class had decided to have a party, and luckily for Justin, it was on this night. The night he went below decks with JC. He looked over at JC, where the other man was sitting with an assortment of people that Justin had been introduced to, but had completely forgotten once he’d been dragged onto the dance floor. There was one man, an Irishman, who had looked at Justin with apprising eyes, like he knew something, but wouldn’t discuss it. There were others in JC’s group, people from Russia and France and Italy, the kind of people that worked in Justin’s mills. He was surprised by how accepted he was by these people; then, all thought left his head as he danced again. JC watched Justin dance, his eyes bright as they followed the younger man around the floor. He’d bet his sketchbook that this was the best time Justin had ever had at a party. Sipping his beer, he nodded as others talked around him, not really paying any attention to the conversation, instead watching Justin as he danced. A hand waved in front of his face, turning his attention away from Justin to Chris. “What?” “Don’t be so obvious, boyo,” the Irishman said. “You’re practically droolin’ over the lad.” “I am not,” JC said, unconsciously wiping his mouth, causing Chris to laugh. “Oh, you’ve got it bad, haven’t ya?” Chris cackled with glee. “What’s you plan for gettin’ him where ya want?” “I’ll ask him,” JC replied. Chris blinked. “Ask? No seduction? No tricks? And you think he’ll say yes to a shipboard fling?” “That’s not what I’m going to ask him for.” Chris blinked again, all humor leaving his elfish face. “Oh, no. You’re daft, boyo." “Am I?” “If you think the pretty boy will leave his high class life for you, yes,” Chris said. “You’re aiming right high there, thinkin’ that.” “You don’t understand,” JC said. “Don’t I?” Chris arched a brow. “It’s a story as old as dirt, boyo. Never mind you’re two blokes, this story always ends the same. In tragedy.” “It’s fate,” JC said. “It’s a fairy tale, pardon the pun.” Chris grabbed at JC as he tried to leave. “Don’t do it, boyo. Don’t let yourself get your heart broken. Don’t make him break it.” JC shook off Chris’s hand. “It’s fate,” he repeated. Justin twirled with his partner—Bridget? Ingrid?—until he slammed into something hard and solid behind him. Panting for breath, he turned toward the blockage, smiling as he saw it was JC that he’d run into. “Hello,” he said, his voice breathy and light. JC smiled, noting Justin’s flushed face and bright eyes. “Having a good time?” “The best!” Justin exclaimed, taking JC’s beer from him and taking a huge swallow. “Your friends have been so nice to me.” “You’ve danced a lot,” JC noted. Justin nodded. “It’s amazing! I’ve never danced so much in my life!” he said, drinking the rest of the beer. “ “But you haven’t danced with me yet.” Justin choked a bit on the beer, lowering the glass and locking eyes with JC. “Do you think that’s a good idea?” he asked, nodding his head toward the crowded room. JC took the empty glass from Justin’s hand, then clasped the hand hard. “Come with me,” he said, leading Justin through the room. Stopping at the small band that had been playing the music for the impromptu party, JC bent down and whispered in the fiddler’s ear. The other man smiled, and once again, JC was leading Justin by the hand, this time out a side door that lead to the outside deck area reserved for Third Class. He pulled Justin close as a slow song began from the common room. “Better?” Justin nodded, moving stiffly against JC as the older man moved them in time to the music. “Relax,” JC said against Justin’s ear. “No one can see us.” Justin felt JC’s hand move slowly along his back, rubbing and pulling Justin even closer. The contrast of JC’s warm body on his chest and the cold night air on his back was startling, but not as much as the feel of JC’s hardness against his hip. “Relax,” JC said again, kissing Justin’s ear and neck softly. This was new, this was different, this was…wonderful. Justin relaxed, letting JC guide him, reveling in the other man’s warm body, the hot lips on his ear, the hard cock against his own growing erection. Justin was sure JC could hear his heart beating over the soft music as JC’s lips moved closer and closer to his own. His breathing shallow, he waited, anticipating when JC would take his mouth. He moaned as JC shifted his own mouth to Justin’s over ear, nipping and sucking and biting just a bit hard before licking the wound better. His hands roamed over JC’s back, pulling the other man closer, wanting more of JC’s heat, more of his hardness, more of everything. JC shifted his hand through Justin’s curls, pulling his head back a bit. Justin was panting a bit as the excitement ran though him; his eyes were black as the night, filled with expectation and eagerness, his mouth was open and ripe and JC couldn’t wait any longer. He pulled Justin even closer and sealed their lips together. It was everything Justin remembered. It was fire and ice and passion and love and he wanted the kiss to go on forever and ever. His lips parted as JC’s tongue surged inside, claiming Justin’s mouth as his own; if there had ever been a question of that, it was over now. Justin sighed and moaned and moved his own tongue, chasing into JC’s mouth and exploring and tasting for himself. Justin felt JC smile against his lips at his forays, and became emboldened, moving his tongue in and out with the same rhythm he now moved his hips. After long moments their lips parted, their eyes locking with unanswered questions. JC didn’t wait; he seized the moment, running his mouth down Justin’s throat, stopping only when he reached his collar. Hands lifted to quickly unbutton Justin’s stiffly starched shirt, his mouth moving fast down the exposed skin. JC could feel Justin’s rapid heartbeat as he skimmed his teeth along smooth skin, finally finding a hard nipple and sucking hard on the raised flesh. Justin’s breath hissed at the contact, pulling away from JC and jumping out of his arms. “Oh, god, stop,” he said, turning toward the railing and grasping the cold metal for support. He gulped in air, trying to calm his nerves and chill his desire. Justin flinched just a bit as JC came up behind him, placing his arms around Justin and trapping him against the rail. “You want me,” JC said, breath hot against Justin’s skin. Justin shook his head, though his answer contradicted his actions. “Yes, I do,” he said. “But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you can’t have everything you want in life.” JC backed up a bit, noting the sadness in Justin’s voice. “What do you want that you can’t have, Justin?” His hand rose to pet Justin’s curly head, his words soft and gentle. Justine slid JC a glance, then turned back to the stare at the sea. “So many things,” he sighed. “I want to fly. I want to visit the Grand Canyon. I want to sail the South Pacific. But mostly…” His voice trailed off. “Mostly?” JC urged, wrapping his arms a bit tighter around Justin. “Mostly, I want to be free.” He felt a tear slide down his cheek. “Free of obligations, free of debts, free of humiliations. Free to do what I want, when I want.” A pause. “With whoever I want.” JC lifted a hand and wiped the tear away. “You can be free, Justin.” Justin shook his head, moving out of JC’s arms. “No, I can’t. Please,” he asked, holding up a hand as JC tried to take him into his grasp again. “Please, don’t make this harder than it is. I can’t…I have to…you don’t understand.” JC reached for the extended hand, holding it tight. “Then tell me, help me understand, and we can work it out.” He pulled Justin a bit closer, and pressed Justin’s hand onto his chest. “Do you feel that?” JC asked. “That’s my heart. Or, at least it used to be. Now it’s yours. Your heart. It beats for you, Justin.” JC felt his own eyes burn. “I love you.” Justin shook his head again. “Oh, no. Oh, please, don’t say that,” he begged. “I can’t…you don’t know me. You can’t love me.” “Too late,” JC said, his voice wry. “I can’t explain it, but I do. I fell in love with you the moment I saw you, standing on the deck. So alone, so sad. But I knew, then, you were special. And that I loved you.” He slid Justin’s hand down his body, cupping the boy’s hand over his still hard erection. “And that I wanted you. Still want you.” Justin’s hand burned where it touched JC. He knew he should pull away, knew he should run away, but he couldn’t. He could only stand there, reveling in the fact that JC loved him and wanted him and yes, he felt the same way. He moved his hand, just a bit, smiling slightly as JC’s eyes fluttered closed, as a moan escaped JC’s lips. His hand was just moving to slip inside when a commotion from the common room door sounded, and a half dozen people spilled out onto the deck. That effectively broke the hold over Justin and he pulled away from JC, walking toward the stairs leading to the other decks. He was just climbing the first step when JC stopped him, pulling him back down to the deck. “Justin. You can’t go.” “I have to,” Justin said simply. “No, no you don’t.” JC tipped Justin’s face up, forcing their eyes to meet. “Leave the ship with me. Don’t marry that girl. Be with me. Be free.” Justin leaned in, placing a salty-sweet kiss on JC’s lips. “Thank you for tonight.” He quickly climbed the stairs, disappearing into the night.