JC had been too nervous talking to Justin in Molly Brown’s cabin to have noticed his surroundings, but upon entering Justin’s suite of rooms, the enormity of the situation struck home. The rooms were luxuriously appointed; gold leafing on the ceiling and doors, rich mahogany paneling on the walls, silk on the furniture and fine wool carpets on the floors. JC caught his reflection in the mirror over the fireplace, noting his worn clothes and torn cap, a feeling of dread filling his heart. He smiled tightly as Justin closed the door that connected his suite to the Promenade Porch. “Justin, are you sure about this?” he asked. “Absolutely,” Justin said, coming to stand next to JC. “Why do you ask?” “This room,” JC said, holding out his arms to indicate the space. “It’s…beyond anything I can give you, and if you’re use to this, and if you expect this.” JC paused. “I mean, we’ll never starve, but Justin…” Justin smiled, the sight of the usually calm and oh-so-sure of himself JC flustered filling Justin’s heart with warmth. He clasped JC’s hand in his, pulling it to his lips. “I won’t miss it,” Justin said simply. “I always felt suffocated by all these things…felt trapped by the glitz of it. All it says to me is the life that I’m leaving, the life I didn’t want.” He nibbled a bit on JC’s fingers, eyes sparkling. “You’re the life I want now. Whatever we have together will be enough for me.” JC leaned in and kissed Justin softly. “I’ll take good care of you,” JC vowed. “How about we take care of each other?” Justin whispered against JC’s mouth. “Deal,” JC agreed. His hand moved to Justin’s hip, pulling the younger man closer as his mouth continued to play against Justin’s. “So, how long do we have?” JC asked, his fingers clenching on Justin’s ass. “How…uh…long?” Justin asked, moving his hips into JC’s, reveling in the feel of their hard erections hitting together. JC swiped a hot tongue along Justin’s neck, then bit down. “How long.” Swipe, bite. “Do we have.” Swipe, bite. “Here.” Swipe, bite. “Alone.” Justin shivered in JC’s arms. “Oh, here. Uh, hours. Told Catherine, oh, yes,” he moaned as JC worked on the buttons of his pants. “I was feeling…uh, god,” he groaned as JC’s hand slipped inside.” “You were feeling…” “Not well,” Justin breathed, leaning his head against JC’s shoulder as the older man’s hand continued petting Justin’s cock. “Hmm,” JC said, smiling against Justin’s ear. “You feel fine to me.” “God, yes,” Justin breathed, pushing on JC chest, moving them both toward the bed. The back of JC’s knees hit the mattress, making him fall backward. Justin scrambled right on top of JC, straddling him and taking his mouth in a wet and open kiss. Just as before, the kiss was hot and sweet and more than just a kiss, it was love and want and need. Tongues dueled and shared, teeth nipped and scraped, breath and hearts were exchanged. JC held Justin still, hands spread around the boy’s head, anchoring it as he explored Justin’s mouth. With a nudge, he flipped their positions, slipping Justin beneath him on the bed. He lifted up a bit, looking at Justin’s flushed face and kissed red lips. A pink blush stained Justin’s cheeks as JC just keep looking. “What?” Justin finally asked. JC shook his head. “I’m just amazed, that’s all,” he said. “Amazed?” “That you chose me. That you’re here, with me.” JC ran the back of this hand across Justin’s blushing skin. “That you want me.” Something flashed in Justin’s eyes, a look of uncertainty. “You do…?” “Yes!” Justin said, his blush deepening. “It just that, well. I mean I have, just not. I do, but…” JC laid a finger over Justin’s mouth. “Wait. I think I understand. You want me.” Justin nodded. “And you’ve done some things before.” Another nod. “With a man?” A pause, then more nodding. “But not sex.” His blush deepened even more as he nodded again. “Do you want to wait?” Justin shook his head. “No!” he exclaimed. “No, I don’t want to wait. I want this, I want you. I just…thought you ought to know.” JC leaned down, lips ghosting over Justin’s before moving to his ear. “Thank you,” he said, emotions overwhelmed by Justin’s gift. “You’re…more than I ever expected, ever dreamed.” “You are, too,” Justin said, snaking a hand around JC’s neck and pulling him down. “Now, can we get back to this?” he asked. Their lips met again, re-igniting the passion between them. JC’s hands left Justin’s face, moving down to unbutton his shirt, slipping the silk material off the boy’s shoulders. His hand traveled over Justin’s hot skin, skimming over the hard nipples to once again reach for Justin’s erect and straining cock. Soon he was naked, lying before JC open and exposed and heartbreakingly beautiful. “Am I…okay?” Justin asked, looking up at JC thought his lashes. JC smiled. His finger traced a line down Justin’s chest, eyes lighting as his nipple puckered even more before moving farther down. He dipped into Justin’s navel before trailing down the light dusting of hair leading to Justin’s hard and straining cock. “Oh, yes,” JC said, shifting on the bed, mouth hovering over Justin’s groin. “More than okay,” he affirmed before swallowing Justin whole. *** Their bodies were damp and shaking, sticky and sated. Breathing was slowly returning to normal for both boys as JC pulled out of Justin, laying off to the side but holding Justin close as he came down from his emotional high. He smoothed back Justin’s damp curls, pressing his lips against Justin’s temple, reveling in Justin’s salty sweet taste. “Oh, god,” Justin breathed, grasping JC tightly. “I had…no idea. None. Nothing I ever…I mean oh god.” He sat up a bit, smiling at JC. “You were in me and it was wonderful and scary and oh, god. I want to do it again!” JC laughed, sitting up as well and pulling Justin across his lap. He kissed Justin deeply, sweeping inside and enjoying Justin’s enthusiastic response. “We will,” JC said, holding Justin close. “We have a lifetime, remember?” Justin looked up at JC, dazzling JC with his broad smile. “What?” Justin asked at JC’s puzzled face. “Your smile,” JC said, fingers playing on Justin’s lips. “I’ve never seen you smile that big.” “You should draw me this way,” Justin teased. “And we’ll give it to Catherine.” “Yes, she did say you didn’t smile enough, didn’t she?” Justin nodded, snuggling closer to JC. “Never found anything to really smile about before, I guess.” “I do want to draw you,” JC said simply. Justin looked up. “Really?” JC nodded. “Now?” JC nodded again. “Now,” he confirmed, pulling Justin out of bed and tossing his clothes to him. “Let’s go.” “Where?” Justin asked, pulling on his pants. “My cabin,” JC explained. “My pad and pencils are down there.” “JC, do we really have to do this right now?” Justin pouted a bit. “I mean, can’t it wait until, oh, I don’t know, after we have sex again?” he teased JC, cupping the other man’s crotch. “You’re insatiable!” JC laughed, batting Justin’s hand away. “And no, it can’t wait. You’re in love with an artist now, Justin. We’re mercurial and demanding and when the muse strikes, we must obey.” He kissed Justin hard. “Get used to it.” *** JC pulled the cabin door shut, holding his sketchpad close as he and Justin walked down the hallway. “I’m sorry Chris embarrassed you.” Justin laughed. “No, it was fine,” he said. JC and Justin had met up with Chris in the small Third Class cabin. Chris had taken one look at them and had known things were now different. The Irishman had looked at them both, clucking his tongue at them and lecturing Justin on keeping JC safe. “Really. He’s just being a good friend. How long have you known him?” “Just since we’ve been on the ship,” JC said, turning a corner of the small hallway. “He helped me get some food on the first night out.” “Helped you get food,” Justin mused. “Why, were you sick?” JC shook his head. He leaned into Justin to whisper in his ear. “I’m a stowaway.” Justin pulled back, looking at JC in shock. “What?” he exclaimed. JC nodded. “Slipped on board at Cherbourg,” JC explained. “Spent the first hours right here,” he said, indicating his old broom closet, “but Chris was nice enough to let me know about the empty bunk in his cabin.” “You took a big chance eating with us the other night,” Justin observed. JC nodded, taking another corner, turning to look back at Justin. “Molly recognized me,” he said. Justin’s eyes widened. “JC, look out!” Too late, JC had collided with a steward, his arms filled with plates destined for the Third Class dining room. “You bloody fool!” the steward screamed as the plates crashed to the ground. “I’m sorry, so sorry,” JC said, kneeling down and stacking the unbroken plates. Justin did the same. “I wasn’t watching where I was going, and I’m really sorry,” JC said, handing a stack of plates to the steward. His heart leapt as he recognized that it was the same steward from the dining hall that he’s spoken in French to that first night. “Wait a minute,” the steward said. “I thought you didn’t speak English!” The steward climbed to his feet as JC and Justin did the same. “Let me see your tickets,” he said, his eyes narrowing on Justin as well as JC. JC’s right hand slipped inside his coat as his left hand grasped Justin’s. He gave Justin’s hand a squeeze, seeing out of the corner of his eye Justin’s slight nod. “Here,” JC said, pulling out a piece of paper from his jacket and handing it to the steward. JC watched as he opened it, then holding Justin’s hand tighter, they ran. “Hey!” the steward called after them. JC and Justin sprinted past shocked ship employees and Third Class passengers, rushing into the crowded dining hall. JC looked back, noting the dining steward had followed and was not gathering reinforcements. Pulling Justin along, they climbed over tables, ignoring the outrages protests of diners and exploded out onto the Third Class deck. Breathing heavy, Justin looked at JC. “What now?” JC scanned the area, spying a door off to the side. “This way!” he said, opening the door and finding only a ladder going down. He pushed Justin inside, getting the door closed after climbing on just as the stewards entered the deck. They scrambled down the ladder, not know or caring where it led. Justin finally it solid deck, skirting away as JC climbed down after. They looked around, shocked to find themselves in the boiler room of the big ship. Large men with large shovels were looking at them oddly, and in fact, it must have seemed completely bizarre to have two people just show up in the middle of the boiler room. “Hey!” one man called out. “What the hell are you two doing here?” He approached them, moving his shovel from hand to hand menacingly. JC once again grasped Justin’s hand as they started to run. “Just passing through,” he said with a jaunty wave. Justin merely smiled and ran to keep pace with JC. Through the boiler room, they found the luggage hold, then, luckily, another ladder, this one leading up. Justin climbed up, followed by JC, and after opening another door, finding themselves on a deck at the front of the ship. “That was close!” JC said, wiping his brow. “And exciting!” Justin said, his eyes sparkling. “I’ve never run from the law before.” JC laughed. “They weren’t exactly the law, Justin,” he scoffed. “Close enough,” Justin said, moving JC closer to the railing and trapping the older man between his thighs. “What do you say to going back to my room, and you can get you sketching done, and then I can have my way with you again?” His teeth clamped down onto JC’s lower lip, pulling a bit before swiping his tongue over JC’s mouth. JC pulled Justin close. “I think that sounds like a great…Justin? What’s wrong?” Justin’s face had paled, his eyes widening in fright. JC turned, spying what Justin was seeing, pulling them both away from the railing just as the ship struck the massive iceberg.