Work Text:
The tiger was the last straw.
Really, it could have been anything and everything, with Morse at least, but it was the tiger probably because Peter really hadn’t expected to ever see the likes of it in Oxford.
If Superintendent Bright had not been fats enough –
That was what it came down to, and that was what he couldn’t forget, what he kept coming back to over and over and over again –
They could have lost Morse – they could have lost him forever – and that was saying quite a lot, considering every other week or so, he was shot at or suffered a concussion or someone tried to slash him.
But no, this time it had been a tiger and Peter went to his place because it was all he could do, because he wanted, no, needed to know if things could –
He should probably have stayed away. Most people would have told him that it was much better, much safer to do so, but he could not.
Morse opened at the first ring of the bell – he didn’t look the worse for wear, quite the contrary –
“Jakes?”
“Can I come in?”
He hesitated but stepped aside.
Really, a cold and dreary place, but he could change that –
“What do you want, Jakes?”
And he could have – but this was Morse. And Morse was clever – very clever –
“You know why I am here” he therefore said bluntly, because he had seen the glances –
And indeed, Morse blanched and looked away.
He wanted to reach for him, to see if –
But then, he recited a poem, which he probably should have seen coming –
“Farewell love and all thy laws forever;
Thy baited hooks shall tangle me no more.
Senec and Plato call me from thy lore
To perfect wealth, my wit for to endeavour.
In blind error when I did persever,
Thy sharp repulse, that pricketh aye so sore,
Hath taught me to set in trifles no store
And scape forth, since liberty is lever.
Therefore farewell; go trouble younger hearts
And in me claim no more authority.
With idle youth go use thy property
And thereon spend thy many brittle darts,
For hitherto though I have lost all my time,
Me lusteth no lenger rotten boughs to climb...”
He did his best not to let show just how much he liked it when Morse recited poetry – there was something about the way his voice almost caressed the words – then he realized what he was listening to –
And somehow, he had the perfect response. “You know, this isn’t going to work” he said. “And if you wanted it to, you should have chosen a poem where my favourite word doesn’t feature –“
“Your favourite word?” he asked, frowning, and Peter looked at him and simply pronounced it, clearly and distinctly.
“Endeavour.”
He swore to himself that he would do his outmost to see the blush that spread across his cheeks every day for the rest of his life.
“I – we can’t – this is –“
“Oh yes, I know” he told him. “This whole thing is much too complicated. And I don’t do complicated – you know why – you are the only one who knows why –“
“I never –“ he fell silent, and Peter realized that his first reaction had been to reassure him that he would never tell anyone else, and good God, if it didn’t make all the more –
“I know. Trust me, I know. People would look at me very differently…” he shook his head. “You know, if you actually had told – there might be an easier way out for you – I mean out of prison –“
“What would have been the point? They wanted me there. And I don’t think it would have changed much –“
They had better change the topic, and more than that… Peter didn’t want to think of the past: he wanted to think of the future, and preferably with Morse in it. “Good. Now that we have talked about that –“
“Peter –“
How he loved it when he called him that. It had only been Jakes for so long – and it had taken him a while to understand that it had been Morse shielding himself, too, trying to pretend that there was nothing between them when –
And so, he did the only thing he could do to show him what he meant to him, and that was kissing him.
Now, he resisted – for a moment – but then he melted against him, and when they separated, Peter said, “Can we talk about this now – because you have to admit that –“
“Yes” he said, and he was apparently trying to sound resigned, but there was a smile on his lips.
And Peter knew that everything would be fine, as long as they were together.