irons in the fire

Riley Shepherd. Gay. 31. Photographer. Brit-merican. Disgustingly in love with Anthony Marshall.[OC 1x1 RP]

[anthonyjmarshall]

Take Me Back to the Start || Antley

[shuttershepherd]

anthonyjmarshall:

 “We did…” Anthony replied softly. Sighing to himself, he looked out at the view, for a moment before turning his gaze back to Riley. He was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen, and he was so lucky, and so grateful to have him back in his life. Even though the regret played in his mind at times, Anthony was overwhelmingly grateful for having Riley in his life, and rather than focusing on the negativity, he wanted to focus on the positive part of their relationship- the fact that they were able to reconnect.

Anthony squeezed Riley’s hand back in his and laced their fingers together. “I fell in love with you that day too. We both couldn’t identify it yet.” He murmured. He listened to Riley’s explanation of bringing  the breakup back up again, and nodded along with him. He was willing to listen, it was something he hadn’t done in the beginning, and it was a mistake. With his guilty complex, Anthony had the tendency to hold onto negative things he’d done. However, he was working on not doing that, and just listening. “And I will follow you anywhere…” Anthony murmured. “I’m in love with you, Riley. I can’t say it enough, but I’m sorry… I should have given you the chance. So… Please follow me. Please.” He whispered, as his hand moved to cup Riley’s cheek, immediately running his thumb over the tears that fell to wipe them away. “Honestly, I can’t live without you…”

His own tears began to fall and he sniffled. “No. I love you. I love you and your tears.” Anthony said with a chuckle as he wiped away his own tears. With that he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Riley’s lips. “Perfection may in fact be overrated. I used to be obsessed with it, and still am when it comes to my profession, but you and I? We may not be perfect individuals, but you’re perfect for me. And… I’d like to think that I’m perfect for you…”

Riley nodded, listening to everything Anthony had to say in response, tears flowing freely down his cheeks as he admired just how beautiful Anthony was. He wanted to tell him not to apologize again, but he knew why it was happening. Anthony's capacity for guilt was greater than most people, and Riley wondered how long it would take for him to stop feeling so ashamed of what he'd done. It was past, preamble to where they were now, and Riley didn't care anymore that they'd been apart. What mattered now was that they were together.

As Anthony continued, Riley's thoughts turned to something he'd considered once or twice, but certainly never planned for. Being together like this was perfect. His life was Anthony's now, and Anthony's life was his. Riley wanted that and more, wanted everything they had to offer each other, and as Anthony said that Riley was perfect for him, he realized that despite any lack of planning, this was what he wanted to do.

"Marry me," he blurted, wiping a tear away from his cheek as he said it. "I don't have rings. I didn't plan this, but... I know I won't regret it." Bringing a hand up to cradle Anthony's cheek, he said it again. "Marry me. I'm in love with you. I'll follow you anywhere, and you are perfect for me. We're perfectly flawed in all the most lovely ways, and I never want to spend another moment without you... Will you marry me?"

[shuttershepherd]

INSTAGRAM: @shutterbugshep uploaded a new photo:

The Man I Love, June 2018.

[anthonyjmarshall]

Take Me Back to the Start || Antley

[shuttershepherd]

anthonyjmarshall:

With the wind in his hair, the smell of the lake water, and his boyfriend right beside him, Anthony felt at home. It was almost if this was where he was supposed to be. Maybe it was. Maybe this was what Anthony had been missing all along. As blue eyes met green eyes for a brief moment, everything began making sense. Thoughts of regret flooded Anthony’s mind, but he stopped himself. They were here, weren’t they? Anthony and Riley had allowed themselves their time to grieve over the pain they both felt without each other. It was time to start living, and it was time to stop being cautious together. Anthony was still in love with Riley after all of the time that had passed. Mostly, Anthony felt as if he was falling in love with Riley all over again.

As the boat slowed to a stop, Anthony turned to Riley once more, and smiled shyly at him, allowing a soft sigh out. When Riley explained how he felt about being with Anthony at the lake, his heart began to flutter. They were always so in sync. “I feel that way too…” He murmured, getting up from his seat so he could be closer to Riley. “It’s like coming home, or coming back to a familiar place you know you belong in. I firmly believe it… I firmly believe that we were always meant to return to this place together. Geographically, and well… Relationally.” Anthony mused.

Anthony squeezed Riley’s hand in his as he took in another breath. Breathing in the fresh sea air felt relieving. “What I mean is… Back to the way things used to be for you and I… Our relationship. No relationship is perfect, but I believe what you and I had was the closest thing to it…” He murmured.

"We fell in love out here, didn't we?" Riley continued to look toward the water for a moment before turning his attention to Anthony, thinking his boyfriend the most beautiful thing he could be looking at in that moment, even with the view. As he thought about their first time on the water together, he realized that he'd fallen in love with Anthony then. Some part of him had anyway, and the rest of him might've needed to catch up, but the seed of that love had been there all that time. Perhaps that had been why his melancholy over the whole situation had been so hard to kill, why their break-up hadn't been something he could easily get over. How do you kill something buried so deep within you?

"The first time," he sighed, smiling again as he squeezed Anthony's hand, "That very first time, I was in love with you already and I didn't even know it." With a deep breath, he continued, "I know why you didn't ask me to go with you, to leave this place and follow you to New York, but I would have. And I'm not saying this to re-open wounds. It's just to say that I'd follow you anywhere." His eyes watered a little, and he rolled them, annoyed at himself for his tendency to cry over the slightest things. "You need to know that I'll follow you anywhere, everywhere. Ask me to be there and I'll be there every time. It's what I wanted then, and it will always be what I want."

And he meant it. If Riley had ever had a proper home, a place that he was meant to return to again and again, a place of love and acceptance, of safety and true happiness, that place was wherever Anthony happened to be in that moment. In Anthony's arms, that was Riley's home, and though their relationship might never be perfect, he couldn't imagine anything more wonderful. "Perfection's overrated. The flaws are the good stuff... The stuff that makes it real." Sniffling a little, he took a step back to wipe at his cheek. “This is going to get annoying, you know... The tears, my silly silly tears.”

[anthonyjmarshall]

Take Me Back to the Start || Antley

[shuttershepherd]

anthonyjmarshall:

Anthony chuckled lightly to himself as he gazed out at the water through the window, and shook his head at himself. Riley was right about one thing. Anthony was no fisherman by any means, but he had been able to catch a few fish in his lifetime. “Okay, you’re probably right… Perhaps I do have a bit more faith in my fishing abilities, but still, it could be fun to try.” He said with a shrug. 

As he continued looking out the window, Anthony decided to get up, holding his hand out to Riley to join him. “Tell you what… If we don’t catch anything before sundown, we’ll grab a bite to eat in town, my treat.” He said with a shrug. “How does that sound?” Anthony asked curiously, peering into Riley’s green eyes. 

“Are you ready?” Anthony asked curiously before pressing a soft kiss to Riley’s lips. He reached for the other man’s hand and lead him out of the house and onto the deck out toward the lake to his boat. It had been a while since Anthony had taken his boat out for a ride. Luckily, he was close with a few of his neighbors, so they handled any day to day maintenance that needed to be taken care of while he was in New York. Still, Anthony was grateful to get onto his boat, it was his safe place, and as he took off toward the lake, he sighed in content as the faint breeze began to blow through his hair. 

As he sped up, Anthony couldn’t help but think to the first time he’d brought Riley out onto his boat. It was one of his favorite moments of his life. He showed off slightly with the speed, but their conversations and bonding were the most important parts of that day. It was the day he realized that he was in love with Riley. Now they were in a different place. After Anthony abruptly ended their relationship, he figured that their love could never be as pure as it was then. It hurt Anthony to think about that. It was a past they had, and they were supposed to go into a future together, that future was supposed to be better than it was now. But maybe they could rewrite their happy ending together? Anthony thought it was possible. “It feels good to be back out here… Doesn’t it?” He commented, breaking their comfortable silence. 

Whether they managed to catch some fish themselves or ended up in town buying dinner, anything sounded good to Riley. There was something about the island, and the home they'd spent countless hours enjoying together, that made Riley feel good about damned near everything, and he allowed himself to lean in to that feeling. As they kissed, as Anthony led him to the boat, as they sped out toward the center of the lake - any weight that might have remained from everything that had gone wrong between them melted away.

The cliche of it all was almost enough to make Riley laugh, but he focused on the horizon instead, sighing softly as the breeze caught his hair. He stood close to Anthony, hand on his boyfriend's back as he watched him pilot their boat. When they'd been there before, Riley had eventually learned how to drive the thing too, but Anthony had always been better at it. He liked watching Anthony drive - he could see how relaxing that was for him. And Riley found it relaxing enough to just be there, along for the ride.

When the boat finally slowed, Riley's hand found Anthony's, and he laced their fingers together while staring out toward some part of the beach that surrounded them. The view here had always been so beautiful, the sort of thing that Riley would usually want to photograph, but he hadn't ever spent much time with his camera during their lazy island weekends. He was usually too focused on Anthony, and this trip would be no different. "It does feel good," he murmured, glancing at his boyfriend with a soft smile on his lips. "It feels... right. Like we never left. Like we were always meant to come back to this place. Together."

[anthonyjmarshall]

Take Me Back to the Start || Antley

[shuttershepherd]

anthonyjmarshall:

Anthony was thrilled to be back in Savannah. His school was there, and from time to time he had obligations with it. While New York was definitely more his speed in general, he always appreciated being back in that smaller town. Especially at Tybee. It was where he felt most at home. Being on the lake and spending his time in the sand at the beach was what he enjoyed the most. 

Having a week off from Broadway was exactly what Anthony needed, and he was happy to have Riley with him back in Savannah. Returning together felt surreal, also eerie. This was the very town Anthony broke up with Riley in, and while the two of them moved past the heartache, they still weren’t completely themselves. Part of Anthony wondered if returning to Savannah was a bad idea. That perhaps going back there would dig up parts of their past. However, the other part of him was calm. Maybe they could pick up where they should have left off here? Maybe they would fall in deeper love again. 

After being settled back in his home, Anthony sighed in content. He was happy to be back, and wanted to take advantage of his time back near the lake, especially on his boat. He began to daydream about the times he and Riley had been on his boat together. It was one of the most relaxing feelings he’d ever felt. The boat and the water were Anthony’s safe places. Riley had become the perfect extension of that safe place. He longed for Riley to feel safe with him there as well. As he looked out the window toward the lake, Anthony stretched his legs before turning to Riley who was seated beside him. “Babe… We should go out to the boat…” He began. “I think it’ll be a great way to kick off our weekend here. What do you say?” Anthony asked curiously. “Maybe we could try catching some fish while we’re out there. I can grill them for us tonight..” 

As he and Anthony has settled into the comfortable beach house he sometimes still hesitated to think of as his too, Riley found himself fixating on objects he remembered from before - a piece of furniture he'd leaned against as he kissed his boyfriend, a pot they'd cooked something especially delicious in, a piece of art they'd picked up on some shopping trip or another. These were the remnants of their old life together, the relationship they'd had before the break-up. It had never been so obvious to Riley that the relationship they were building now wasn't the same.

It wasn't that Riley wasn't happy, or even that he wanted what they'd had before. The relationship they were building now was something new, something just as good. It had the potential to be something better. But he found himself remembering their old life, before Anthony had gone back to New York. Things had felt simpler then, and he wondered where they'd be now if everything hadn't changed. Married, maybe. Still in Savannah - Anthony at his school, Riley with his photography business. Spending weekends at Tybee. It was a lovely thought, and while Riley knew it wasn't far off from what they might one day have again, it was never going to be quite as it could have been, was it?

Still, Riley felt content. He might have been nostalgic for a future that hadn't quite happened, but that didn't mean he wasn't happy with Anthony. It just meant... Riley didn't know what it meant. Perhaps he was thinking too hard, and as he laced his fingers through Anthony's, hands intertwining, he looked out toward the lake too, smiling at the suggestion that they go out on the boat. "You seem very confident about our fishing abilities. Making plans for fish we haven't caught yet..." Riley wasn't terrible at fishing, but he'd had to get used to enjoying it without actually catching anything. "Who do you think'll catch something first... me or you?"

[shuttershepherd]

Fear || Antley

[shuttershepherd]

anthonyjmarshall:

“Getting a new email might be a good idea, but you’re right it’s such a pain in the ass with all your clients and such.” Anthony sighed. “Hopefully blocking him will relieve the issue.” He mused. At least, that was what Anthony hoped for. He didn’t like the idea of Riley’s ex waltzing back into his life, and while Anthony was around, he wasn’t going to allow him to get anywhere near Riley. 

Closing his eyes was easier with Anthony’s arms around him, and Riley allowed himself to relax, eyes slipping closed as he nodded his agreement. “He’ll leave me alone now. I’m certain of it. You’ve dealt with the email, and...” He won’t come for me, Riley thought. He won’t come looking for us. It’s over and done with. But he wasn’t sure he believed it.

[shuttershepherd]

Texts || Antley

Anthony: I love you too, jerk.

Anthony: Good. I cactus you, but I also proper love you too.

Riley: Of course you do. I'm amazing.

Riley: That's how Nessa would tell me to respond to this.

[shuttershepherd]

Texts || Antley

Anthony: I know that now.

Riley: I love you, jerk.

Riley: Not just the cactus kind, but proper love.

[shuttershepherd]

Texts || Antley

Anthony: In my bed. Bring your key.

Riley: Bringing it.

Riley: I miss you too, you know.

[shuttershepherd]

Texts || Antley

Anthony: I am always up for sex with you. If not sex, I'm up for anything. I want to see you.

Riley: Closing my laptop as we speak. Where are you?

[shuttershepherd]

Texts || Antley

Anthony: I have no idea. I've had a chill the entire day for no apparent reason. Of course you're blushing at the cacti. Here's another for good measure: 🌵

Anthony: Sounds boring. Want to do something less boring than photo-editing?

Riley: What would you like to do? If it's sex, that's a definite yes. Sounds like you need warming up anyway.

[shuttershepherd]

Texts || Antley

Anthony: 🌵

Anthony: 🌵

Anthony: 🌵

Anthony: In case you couldn't tel, I'm bored. Also cold. Very cold. What are you doing right now?

Riley: Why are you cold? Right now, I'm blushing about all those cacti, but before that... photo-editing. Boring.

[shuttershepherd]

Fear || Antley

[anthonyjmarshall]

“I kind of figured you would.” Anthony murmured. With that, he got up and walked over to Riley’s computer to pull up his email. It didn’t take long for him to find the address. Anthony cringed at the thought of Riley’s ex reaching out to him, scowling as he read the email. His fist clenched at his side as his other hand operated the mouse as he deleted the email and went into Riley’s settings to block the email address from sending anything else. Anthony was relieved that the email was gone and hoped that Riley felt a little more secure. “There… It’s gone.” He mumbled as he joined Riley back on his bed. His arms wrapped around Riley’s body as he pulled him closer.

[shuttershepherd]

Riley settled against him, comforted by his presence more than the fact that the email was deleted. But he was grateful for both, and he smiled slightly as he said, "Gone. Good." He felt an impulse to apologize for calling him, but he shoved that down, ignoring it in favor of allowing himself to be comforted. It was getting easier to trust that, to trust that he and Anthony were solid again. No apologizing, he told himself. "I might... I was thinking... I should get a new email address. But with the business, it's such a pain in the ass."

[shuttershepherd]

Fear || Antley

[anthonyjmarshall]

“Of course…” Anthony murmured, as he held Riley against his chest and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead. “After finding about that asshole trying to come back into your life, I had to get over here as soon as possible. I may be tired, but you come first. Plus, it doesn’t take that much energy to delete an email and block a sender. After that we can snuggle, sound like a plan?” He asked gently. 

[shuttershepherd]

"I very much approve of your plan, love." Riley nodded his head, pulling away from Anthony to lay back down. He knew Anthony would always come when he called, but the pressure of his job was tremendous too. Some part of him worried about being a burden. If Riley became a burden, this might end again. But it wasn't ending again. Riley and Anthony weren't breaking up again.

[shuttershepherd]

Reunited? || Antley

[shuttershepherd]

Riley smiled as he saw sleep taking Anthony over. Of course he was tired. His job left very little time for him to rest, and things had only gotten worse since the nomination. Kissing him softly, he murmured, “I love you too.” And he slipped an arm around his waist, closing his eyes and settling close by.

[anthonyjmarshall]

As the two of them laid together, Anthony curled closer into Riley as he wrapped his arm around him. The day’s events were catching up to him, and he found himself becoming more and more sleepy. “Sweet dreams, my love.” Anthony murmured, his eyes closed as he drifted off into a peaceful slumber. 

[shuttershepherd]

Fear || Antley

[anthonyjmarshall]

When Anthony learned about Riley’s ex boyfriend sending him an email, he nearly flipped out. He hated the idea of anyone thinking that they can mess with Riley whenever they wanted, let alone his abusive ex. Anthony refused to let that guy waltz back into his boyfriend’s life. So, even though he was exhausted from a double performance day, he still wanted to see Riley and most importantly, to block the sender and delete the dreadful message. It didn’t take long for Anthony to arrive to Nessa’s apartment. He spoke with her for a moment or two before going to Riley’s room. He knocked and said “it’s me…” Before opening the door and joining his boyfriend on his bed. “Hi baby…” He murmured.

[shuttershepherd]

Riley uncurled slowly, pushing himself up to wrap his arms around Anthony tightly, face buried in his shoulder as he tried to relax. Anthony's presence made it easier to settle, easier to feel safe, and as he took a few deep breaths, he felt like he might be able to hold back the impending panic after all. "Thank you," he managed, lifting his head to look at Anthony through the dim light from outside. "I didn't... want to ask you to come. I know you're tired. But I did want you here."

[shuttershepherd]

Reunited? || Antley

[anthonyjmarshall]

"You’re right. So, so right..” Anthony murmured. He did believe in that as well, that they would make it because they love each other. As they nestled in closer, Anthony stroked Riley’s cheek, something he always did whenever the faced each other. “I love you so much…” He whispered as his eyes were becoming heavy.

Originally posted by irishcinnamonroll

[shuttershepherd]

Riley smiled as he saw sleep taking Anthony over. Of course he was tired. His job left very little time for him to rest, and things had only gotten worse since the nomination. Kissing him softly, he murmured, "I love you too." And he slipped an arm around his waist, closing his eyes and settling close by.