Archive of Our Own ^beta

The sun shone brightly. Its rays made the spring flowers bloom, all kinds of pink, blue, purple, yellow, and greenery. Animals came out of their nests and crooks, enjoying the warm weather and the plethora of food to eat. 

It seems everything wakes up when Spring arrives. From birds, to trees, to people. All ready to go outside and shed their drowsiness from last winter. 

One of these people was Cabot Forbes, a member of the Boston Brahmin. And on this particular day of April 1860, he was planning to go somewhere special. He and his lover, Robert Shaw, had been thinking of it all winter. 

The last time they went there it was autumn, and hopefully it’s just as beautiful, if not more beautiful, in Spring. 

Cabot wasted no time. He had gotten up early in the morning and dressed nicely. Then he went to the stable to get his horse. 

The stable was off the side from a shack. His father worked there, making furniture and the like.

His father was quiet and reclusive. Ever since his wife died he'd been that way, but before he was social and humorous. He could keep a conversation going for hours. 

Cabot frowned when he laid eyes on the shack, a sense of melancholy washed over him. He quickly shook his head and snapped himself out of it, today was going to be a good day. 

It was time. Finally! It felt like winter lasted much longer this year. The days were cold and drowsy. But now Spring had come to the rescue. And everyone was excited. Happy to get outdoors and socialize. 

But then there was Robert, anxiously fiddling with the buttons on his vest. He still had a case of bedhead, and he only noticed it when he was about to exit his room. 

"Shit!" He muttered, frantically grabbing the brush and looking in the mirror. He had to look his best for his lover.

He hadn't seen him at all ever since the beginning of December. The snow had fallen a lot, way more than usual, and it was at least a few feet tall. But finally the Heavens were revealed and the sun casted down, melting the cold whiteness away. Replacing it with pretty flowers. 

Once Robert deemed himself presentable, he rushed down the steps. He was about to rush out the door until he heard his mother call for him. 

"Robert! Where are you off to in a hurry?" She asked. 

He turned his head and realized his family were all eating breakfast at the table. His sisters, father, and mother looked intently at him. This had been the first time in a longtime he seemed excited. But Sarah, his mother, wondered why he was so excited, too excited he would even skip breakfast. 

"I'm going to see Cabot, is that okay?" He asked. 

"You're not going to have any breakfast first?" 

"We're getting breakfast together." 

His mother gave him a worried glare. Though she was strict and Robert kind of feared her, she still was his mother. 

"Alright. But be careful." She said, and as soon as she said that Josephine slammed her hands on the table. 

Josephine was his sister, and she had been seeing this man. Last she’d seen him it was October. Sarah and Francis, mostly Sarah, forbade her to see him, only because they stood a little too close to each other and kissed from time to time. 

"This is ridiculous! Why does he get to go out and I don't!?" 

"Because you'll see Charles again, and Charles is ill-minded." Her mother said, picking up her fork and taking a bite of the pancakes on her plate. 

Josephine at first frowned and groaned. But a glorious idea entered her mind. 

"Robert, Cabot, and I will go. They'll make sure I won't see Charles. Plus I am dying to go into town and see unfamiliar faces." She said, then looked over at Robert. 

Their mother nodded. "Robert, don't let her out of your sight." 

Now it was Robert's turn to frown and groan. Josephine smiled smugly. 

"Well let's not dally! Come on." He sighed, walking out the front door. He heard Josephine follow after him. 

"As soon as we get to Beakin Street I'm dropping you off." Robert said quietly. 

"But Charles lives on Fifth!" Josephine complained, she jabbed her finger into Robert's arm. Just to annoy him. 

Though she was getting under his skin, the atmosphere felt great. He looked around, the sky a bright blue with no clouds, and the sun a brilliant yellow. There was a slight breeze, causing the spring flowers to wiggle back and forth, showing off their colors. Birds chirped, flying over head. 

It was beautiful, and a smile shown on his face. 

"Drop me off on Fifth." Josephine demanded, and Robert suddenly felt annoyed again. 

"If you want to see Charles so badly, you'll walk, I can't leave Cabot waiting." Robert said, his voice had a sternness to it. 

"Fine." She scoffed. "Must not leave your beau waiting-" 

"He's not my beau! Come on!" 

The town was lively. People were walking down the sidewalks, chatting and walking their dogs. Mothers held their children close, making sure they wouldn’t get lost in the now bustling town. 

Robert did give in to Josephine’s wishes. She gave Robert a tight hug as a “thank you” and walked to the brick house. Charles and Robert were friends, and if Cabot weren’t waiting he’d like to say hello to him. 

“C’mon boy.” He gently squeezed his calves on the sides of his horse.

Copper, his horse, was a birthday gift he had received when he was around nineteen. Copper was nearing his eighth birthday, and Robert figured he wouldn’t be so sassy. He thought horses lost their orneriness around six, but not Copper. 

Copper trotted along the brick road, receiving a gentle scratch on the head from Robert every now and then. He had a dark brown main and tail, which always managed to collect dirt and straw. 

Finally, they had reached Beakin Street. And there was Cabot, leaning against the wall of a local hotel, a cigar between his lips. 

“Forbes!” Robert shouted, seeing the blonde noticing him. A smile spread across his face and he put the cigar out. 

“I thought you wouldn’t show up. What took you so long?” Cabot asked, walking over to Robert. 

Damnit, the blonde looked so handsome. Perhaps even more handsome then the last time Robert seen him. He wanted to dismount his horse and give him a tight hug and a kiss. But they had to be strictly platonic out in the open, especially with all of the people out. 

“Effie insisted I drop her off on Fifth.” Robert scoffed, rolling his eyes. “And like the caring brother I am, I did just that.” 

Cabot grinned. “The same caring brother that pushed her in that pond two summers ago?” 

“Well she pulled me down with her so we’re even.” 

The blonde chuckled, he went over and unhitched his horse and mounted up. “Shall we?” 

“Yes, let’s go.” 

They rode away from the buzzing town, then passed the local train station, to an open field. 

Far in the distance was a tree line, that’s where they would start their journey. 

As they crossed the field, neither one of them spoke, they were too busy admiring the sights. Birds flew overhead, singing delightful songs. Deer leaped and bounded across the field, making their way over to a patch of raspberry bushes. It was truly picturesque. 

They neared the tree line, and spotted two good looking trees to hitched their horses. The forest floor had too many roots and bumps for a horse to walk on. 

They dismounted and hitched their horses. They began their journey through the forest, they held each other’s hands. Taking occasional glances at one another. 

“I’ve been thinking about this all winter.” Cabot said. 

“Me too. I think I even had some dreams about it.” Robert said, looking over at his lover. He stopped and had him turn to face each other. 

Cabot leaned down a little and Robert got on his toes so they could share a passionate kiss. Robert was embarrassed about his height, but Cabot found it cute. 

They both hummed in pleasure. Cabot’s hands wandered down Robert’s back to grab his ass, earning a small moan from the brunette. 

But then he pulled away, much to Cabot’s dismay. Needy much? 

“C’mon, there we’ll be plenty of time for that later.” Robert grinned, then continued walking. Humming in a cheery tone.

Cabot stood there, staring at Robert. He couldn’t believe he was teasing him. Robert knew what he was doing to Cabot, giving him just enough then pulling away with some innocent excuse. Though Robert himself was needy, he still wanted to be a tease. 

With a sigh, Cabot followed Robert. 

The forest was beautiful, it looked enchanted. Birds chirped in nearby trees, feeding their chicks. A woodpecker pecking away at a pine tree, which must’ve been close by. Squirrels went from branch to branch, fighting over a tree that had odd looking fruit on it. 

With the wildlife scurrying around, the smell of flowers, and the overall livelihood, Robert felt as if his problems had melted away. He whistled a tune as they walked through the forest. 

They made it to their spot. It was a clearing in the middle of the forest, pretty flowers dancing in the small breeze. The sun shone directly on the nice, flat ground. Making the clearing look celestial with its golden rays, and it was all too enticing. 

Cabot let out a loud, drawn out sigh as he laid down. This is what he wanted all winter; to lay down on this beautiful clearing with Robert and talk. 

Robert laid beside him, resting his head on Cabot’s chest. The sound of his heartbeat, it was like a lullaby. He wrapped his arms around him, his brown eyes peaked up to see the blonde. He was grinning in delight, finally being able to spend time with his lover in a place that was beautiful. 

“It’s been dead without you.” Cabot said. “So boring, I’ve been practically dying to see you like this. I feel better when you’re in my arms.” 

Robert smiled softly, humming in appreciation. “I missed you too. It’s wonderful to be close to you again.” 

The brunette heard his stomach rumble, and he blushed in embarrassment. 

“You didn’t eat breakfast?” The blonde asked, a bit perplexed. “Doesn’t your mother force you to eat breakfast?” 

“Pfft! She doesn’t force me, she nags me. And no I didn’t eat breakfast, I was just in a hurry to see you.” 

“Well… I had a delightful breakfast.” Cabot chuckled. 

The brunette scoffed. “You rode past Mister Deeter’s apple orchard, didn’t you?” 

Cabot barked out a laugh, which gave Robert his answer. 

“Remember that summer when we were about, uh… thirteen or fourteen. You were visiting for the summer from what was it? Germany?” 

Robert let out a chuckle. “Yeah. Hanover, Germany. I came back to Massachusetts for the summer and we snuck into Mister Deeter’s orchard almost every day.” 

“Yes! Do you remember whenever we got caught!?” 

“I still get nightmares! His dog chased us for probably a mile or so, huh?” 

“At least a mile. Then he got you by the leg and Old Deeter got our parents and threatened to turn us into the law. Like it was some huge crime we committed.” Cabot sighed, he heard Robert let out a cackle. 

“Trespassing and theft is a pretty big crime, Cabot.” 

“Well, he had plenty of apples to share. Thomas couldn’t believe what we did, remember? We told him over and over but he just couldn’t believe that we did it. Man, I miss him.” 

Robert thought about Thomas. He was still in Massachusetts, just not in Boston. He was living with his father and stepmother, he told Robert and Cabot last spring that he’ll be moving back to Boston this summer. Hoping to work for Robert’s father. 

Robert also thought of Cabot’s father. The last time they went into Mister Deeter's orchard, Cabot's father was there to protect them from Deeter's dog and harsh words and threats.

He remembered seeing Cabot happy to have his father defend him, but on the way back he got an hour long lecture and a possible whooping. 

Last time Robert seen Cabot's father, it's like he was in the presence of a ghost. He didn't speak at all to Robert nor his parents. Well, maybe to his parents, but it must've been so little that Robert didn't remember it. 

“How’s your father?” He asked. “Is he still… recluse?” 

Cabot sighed, his smile suddenly turned into a frown. “He never really talks to me, although we live under the same roof. It’s like living with a total stranger.” 

The brunette let out a silent “Oh.” 

He raised his head from the blonde’s chest, looking into his eyes. It was evident that he’d like to change the subject. 

“I apologize, Cabot. Let’s change the subject.” Robert said. He felt a sense of relief when he saw Cabot’s smile return. 

They talked for an hour or two. Their conversation drifted from topic to topic. 

“What should we do when Thomas gets back? How can we celebrate?” Or “I wish we could marry each other,” and “Wouldn’t it be grand just to move out west? Nobody would bother us on the frontier and we could actually live with each other.” 

Conversations like these are what Robert longed for all winter. He loved talking to Cabot, his voice was handsome and the way his lips moved was transfixing. 

Upon watching his lips move, Robert couldn’t help but cut him off mid sentence to kiss him. But just as the kiss was getting more serious, Robert’s stomach let out a loud growl. He blushed, frustrated because of how loud it was. It also didn’t help when Cabot barked out a laugh. 

“You’re really hungry for me, hm?” Cabot teased, a sly grin on his face. 

“I’m hungry for food, and last I checked you aren’t food.” Robert said, poking at his chest. 

Cabot, with a smirk on his face, wasn’t done teasing. “I’ve got food.” 

“You do? You put an extra apple in your pocket or something?” 

The blonde bucked his hips, hoping Robert would get the hint. It took him a while to get it, but once he did he gave Cabot’s chest a playful punch. 

“Oh, c’mon now! Don’t be so vulgar!” The brunette said, but he couldn’t help but blush. 

Cabot chortled. “Robby I’m not a fool, I know you’ve been thinking about me in a certain way all winter.” 

The blonde was right. Robert had been longing to feel his body. Skin to skin, moaning and panting. Just re-thinking about it made him get all hot and bothered. He felt the front of his pants suddenly get snug.

“I have been thinking about it, but wouldn’t you rather do it in a room? Not in the middle of the forest.” 

“This place is safe and beautiful, how could we not? If you’d like to go back we can, but I think this might be a fun experience.” Cabot explained, and Robert was sold. Mostly because he didn’t think he could walk and ride all the way back, not with an erection. 

Robert got completely on top of Cabot, leaning down to kiss him. The kiss was sloppy, both suddenly becoming overwhelmed with arousal. Hands roamed, squeezed, and groped. A fair share of gasps and whimpers could be heard. 

Instinctively, Robert thrusted his hips forward, feeling their shafts rub together. They broke the kiss to let out a moan. Robert kept doing it, over and over again, until finally he couldn’t wait any longer. 

He scooted down and began to undo Cabot’s pants. The blonde tried to help him, but his hands were slapped away. 

“Let me do this, okay?” Robert asked. 

Cabot gave a small nod.

With that, the brunette continued. He unbuttoned his trousers, pulling them down a little. Then, he got to his drawers. He made sure to take his time, pulling them down very slowly. Salivating with every inch of creamy, white skin that was revealed. 

Finally Cabot’s erection was free. He couldn’t help but blush in embarrassment when it sprang, eager for attention. 

Robert’s brown eyes were fixed on it, he gently took it in hand and rubbed it. Smirking whenever Cabot wriggled at the touch, letting out soft moans. 

He had been longing for a hand that wasn’t his own to be wrapped around his manhood. Robert’s hand to be exact. And finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he was finally getting it. 

All Cabot could do was rest, feel Robert’s hand, and think about all the pretty things.