Anniversary? (Eros/Mano)

Eros chuckled into the kiss, something he'd rarely done with anyone else, and certainly not so often. His Society masque, so much a part of him, thinned and faded so often and, in times like these, when they were pressed against one another, he let it go entirely. There was no place for such things when hands sought buttons and lips sought eager, responsive flesh.

Mano sighed and closed his eyes, content with the turn of events, and rested his head back. He always enjoyed his time with Eros and thought it didn't happen nearly often enough, but he was especially thankful for it now, when it took away his ability to think and eclipsed any dangerous thoughts he may have been having.

Mallory had been invited to drop by any time, and now had seemed very nice. Her shop was closed and maybe she'd bought a little something special to wear beneath her cloak, something for the man who she reduced to clichés with little effort. She'd very much enjoyed their last meeting. What better way to show her appreciation?

She slipped in, only pushing back her white-trimmed red cloak when the door closed behind her.

Eros hadn't been in any kind of position like this in quite a while, but his reaction was as much a reflex as his social masque. A Disillusionment Charm vanished him and what clothing he still wore, a silencing spell covered the sound of his movements, and he slipped out of the room with hardly a glance at the woman.

He knew that Mano wasn't monogamous, and he reminded himself of that as he went to find his room without looking back.

Mano had barely even noticed the entrance of someone new, and even when Eros was suddenly gone it took him a moment to realize what had happened. He took in a deep, almost gasping breath and sat up straight, jerking clothes into their proper places, before he ever turned his head to see who had interrupted. For a moment, he was confused, disappointed, and...well...disappointed. "Mallory, I wasn't expecting you," he said, more breathlessly than he would have liked. Eros' gift and glass were both still visible, but there was little he could do about that now.

Mallory arched a brow. "I see," she said. As far as she could see, Mano had been alone. There were two glasses, but most of her attention was on a man who appeared to have been interrupted during some alone time. "I could leave you alone with yourself," she said, "but I got all dressed up..." She dropped her cloak, exposing a velvet dress that left little to the imagination, Christmas red with white fur trim and fluffy matching leggings. And cleavage. She knew how Mano enjoyed a good view of her natural gifts.

"I..." Mano didn't know what to do. His intentions had been to spend the evening or longer with Eros, but he didn't feel he could simply turn Mallory away. "You look wonderful." A man couldn't be blamed for thinking with his own natural gifts. Still, after a moment's appreciation, he closed his eyes and turned his head. "I wasn't quite alone, though, actually."

Mallory's brow arched further. "I suppose that explains the extra glass," she said. He'd told her that he was in a secret, open relationship at that last ball. A secret, open relationship with a man. "I'll leave if you'd rather return to things, come back another night." She pushed her hair back and settled the cloak on her shoulders, though she didn't pull it closed. She wasn't offended in the least.

Mano sighed and shifted in his seat before pulling his wand to summon another glass. He filled it and offered it to her. "Choosing is so very hard," he said. "Take the choice out of my hands, just for a minute." Seeking out Eros sounded amazing, but was it so bad to entertain the thought of having both of his vices for the evening?

Mallory crossed to the couch and sat beside Mano, accepting the glass. She crossed her ankles demurely, as though she wasn't wearing something designed to seduce the man. "I didn't think choosing was required," she said. "I knew about him before we slept together." She took a sip of fine brandy, wondering briefly at the change from his usual vodka. Perhaps it was for his male lover, and perhaps she'd interrupted more than a tryst.

"Does he know about me?" Mallory asked. Was that the problem?

"He knows I have another partner," Mano said. Well, as far as Eros knew, he had multiple other partners, but he hadn't quite gotten around to mentioning he was a two-person man right now. He reached over to brush lightly at her hair. "I've half a mind to call him down and have a nice little, ah, introduction." The thoughts he had about his relationship with Eros and the growing one with Mallory were ones he barely let himself think.

Thinking of sharing those thoughts with others was enough to make him shiver unpleasantly, but perhaps it needed to be done. Why did it feel such a chore to juggle Eros and Mallory when he'd had no issues in the past having other partners alongside Eros?

Mallory's red-painted lips curved. "That could be fun," she said. If she was right and it was his dear friend Eros, she might be interested in getting to know the man. Oh, it was Mano she wanted, Mano who'd taken everything she'd given, everything she'd showed him with hardly a blink, but she enjoyed his company enough to want to keep it.

"You know I'm capable of discretion," Mallory said. "If you want to talk to him first, I'll wait."

Mano let his breath out in a heavy sigh through his nose before he reached for his glass, topped it off, and drained it in a gulp. Then he leaned over and took a kiss. For luck, or bravery, or something. "You really are a wonder, you know?" he said when he pulled away with a half smile. At least now his body was back under control, though he had traded control over his thoughts and words for it.

Well, it was too late to back away. He stood and refilled his and Eros' glasses, then headed upstairs to find the man, entirely unsure what he intended to say. It was some small comfort that the last time he had felt anything similar to this it had worked out well, with a trip to Singapore.

Eros had taken the time in his room to freshen up and dress properly, to straighten his hair and get himself under control. Whatever the woman in the living room thought, and by the glimpse he'd gotten he knew it was Mallory, she had no proof that he had been there with Mano. He'd disapparate without his cloak if he had to, but he was safe.

It was far easier thinking about his precious reputation than about what had been interrupted. He'd tried not to acknowledge that the silver wand had been an anniversary gift of sorts, unsure what, exactly, that would mean for his and Mano's relationship. That made things quite a bit more serious, and as much as Eros enjoyed things exactly as they were, as much as he enjoyed that closeness he refused to put a certain name to, it was still a game this way. They still hadn't crossed the line into the territory which had swallowed Michael Hardt.

He was somewhat relaxed on the divan by the window just now, attempting to clear his mind with a bit of reading, but it wasn't working. Something niggled at his mind which he could neither see clearly nor put away entirely. He hoped that the woman left quickly, whether satisfied or not.

"Oh, good to see you're still here," Mano said as he entered the room that posed as an innocent guest room. "For a moment I was certain a portkey had appeared to whisk you away." He offered the spare glass and sipped at his own, though he knew continuing to do so wasn't doing him any favors. Instead of sitting, he stood by the divan and peered out the window, pulling aside a bit of concealing curtain for a clear look.