“Well, we should start to leave soon.” Lincoln walked up to his friend, and tapped his shoulder in request to shake his hand.
Graham shook Lincoln’s hand. “Aw, so early? You’ll just have to visit me even sooner next time.”
“Of course,” Lincoln grinned, giving Evelyn a polite farewell as well.
Jack smiled a little. "Well, goodbye to you two. The gingerbread was lovely." he fidgeted a little. "I don't know if I'll ever happen to see you again, but if I don't, it was lovely to meet you." he inclined his head to Evelyn, and then hesitated, unsure what to do now. Should he shake Graham's hand too, or just leave?
A smile spread across Graham’s face, holding out his hand to shake Jack’s hand as well. “It was wonderful meeting you too, sir. You are a pleasant man.”
Lincoln left, then returned wearing his coat and hat, and holding Jack’s coat draped over his arm.
Jack smiled, and shook Graham's hand. "Thank you." He replied with a smile. He took his coat from Lincoln, putting it on. He looked around the room again, then looked at Graham and Evelyn.
“You’re welcome,” Graham replied warmly. “And if you do get the chance, you’re welcome back here at any time.”
Lincoln pulled into his own coat and wrapped his scarf comfortably around his neck.
Jack nodded, buttoning up his coat. "Alright. Thanks again." he replied, and stepped over to Lincoln, giving him a smile.
Graham cheerfully waved in the direction of his voice, “You’re welcome, goodbye.”
Lincoln returned the smile to Jack, bid his final farewells to Graham and Evelyn, and turned to make his way towards the door. Preparing for the cold, and the light dusting of snow, he stuffed his hands in his pockets.
"Bye!" Jack called, and followed Lincoln outside. He took a deep breath of the cold air, a faint smile flickering over his face. "The air smells different." he commented with a laugh. "I mean, from my time." He knew that that was due to the coal that London often burned in this time period, but it still caught him a little bit by surprise.
Lincoln closed the door behind him and lifted his nose to the air, “Hm, yes,” he chuckled. “I haven’t really noticed the air here in years, but when I first got here, it had a very distinct scent from America. I bet it’s very different between time periods.” He walked down the porch.
Jack nodded. "Yeah." he agreed. "I mean…I don't know. I don't think I can describe the difference in a way that would make sense, thought." he followed Lincoln, adjusting his coat and brushing a finger against Tip again, just to make sure the little device was still there.
“I understand that,” he nodded contemplatively. “When I first got here, it smelled like a city, just like the city in America. But the city smells are weirdly different, but not so much you can make them distinct.” He peered down the road to see if there was a carriage coming or not.
"Yes, exactly." Jack agreed, nodding and looking about. "Where are we going now, by the way?" he asked, stepping forward to be beside Lincoln. His hand brushed lightly against the other male's, and his lips twitched in a faint smile.
Lincoln’s lips curled into a full smile. He subtly hooked one of his fingers with Jack’s, then let it simply brush past time make it seem like an accident to anyone else. “Well, we have two options. We can either go to the store to find tools for Tip, or we can go back to my house until it’s time to go to the club.”
Jack hummed for a moment. "Hmm…I'm good with either one, I think." He replied with a smile. He wanted to go to that club with Lincoln, he really did. It would be fun, to see what it was like.
Lincoln rubbed his face. “Well that doesn’t help,” he laughed, “because I wouldn’t mind either way. But 8f I had to choose, I would prefer going back to my house.” He pulled his coated tighter around his shoulders, breathing out a hot cloud of air into the falling snow.
Jack nodded. "Alright." he replied. "Are we taking a carriage, or walking?" he asked, looking over at Lincoln. He was excited. And…growing far too attached to Lincoln for his own good, if he was really, brutally honest. Because when the time came, he would need to go back home, to his own time, and leave Lincoln behind.
Lincoln tucked his rogue piece of hair behind his ear again, “A carriage, most likely,” he replied, “If we can catch one. We might have to at least walk to the town to find one. They’re less populated here in neighborhoods.” He looked sideways at Jack for his input. The snow began to fall more densely, and a thin layer of white began to gather on Lincoln’s head and shoulders like dandruff.
He was glad they were goin* home instead. As long as they didn’t fix Tip right away, the longer he would have with Jack, and he didn’t want him to leave.
Jack nodded. "Alright. Let's go, then." He said, and started walking. He smiled over at Lincoln. Secretly, some part of him was glad that they wouldn't be fixing Tip that day. It meant he got to stay longer with Lincoln. And he wanted that. Wanted to get to know the other man even better. He wanted to stay as long as possible.
Lincoln returned the smile, putting his hands in his coat pockets. He walked with him down the neighborhood street, through the flurry of snowflakes. The snow had gathered enough on the ground to cover the grass.
Jack walked beside Lincoln, smiling contentedly. He liked this. The silence, walking with a handsome man. Even if it was in a completely different time period than his own.
Lincoln inhaled through his nose before letting out another long, happy puff of warm breath into the frigid air. He walked with a light bounce in his gate, his chin pointed down slightly to keep his head barring his eyes from the snow. Although it was cold, his hearted was warmed with the peace at having a handsome companion walking beside him. He couldn’t think of anyone more perfect than Jack—a man, a time traveler, who didn’t judge him for liking males.
Jack glanced over at Lincoln for a moment, letting out a soft breath. The air turned cloudy with that breath, and he smiled a little as he returned his attention to the path in front of them. He hoped that when they got back to the house, he would have a chance to speak with Lincoln about…about what they were and what they could be. But he knew that eventually, he would have to leave. He would. That wasn't a maybe, it was a definite.
The walk back to town wasn’t dreadfully long. Graham and his wife thankfully didn’t live too far into the neighborhood. As they entered back into town, Lincoln scanned the streets for an empty passing carriage. He hoped he could talk to Jack when they got home too so they could sort things out before they went to the bar.
Jack took a deep breath. "So…your friends are very nice." He finally said after a moment. "They really are." He gave Lincoln a quick smile.
“Thank you,” Lincoln smiled, glancing over to Jack again, “I’ve been friends with Graham for a few years, just before his wife gave birth to their daughter. We go to the same college.”