The Lion's Share
Duncan set the book aside and closed his eyes. The warmth of the fire in the Jader compound's study was lulling him to sleep. It had been an exhausting day and his bones ached. Exhausting but pleasing, he admitted with a smile, remembering the long hours he had spent in bed with Leonie.
"There you are, old friend! I have a favor to ask," Riordan said, stepping into the room with a broad grin. The grin that always spelled trouble. The one that had gotten them chased out of several taverns and even a village or two. The one he wore when things rarely ended well.
Duncan groaned and straightened in the chair. "And what favor is that?" he found himself asking cautiously. He stroked his beard, waiting reluctantly for whatever hare-brained scheme or devious plan Riordan had concocted this time.
"I want to borrow Leo for the night," Riordan answered, his grin widening and his blue eyes alight with mischief.
Duncan carefully picked up the book that rested on the armchair and closed it before just as carefully setting it back down. He was convinced he had misheard Riordan. He couldn't possibly have heard his best friend and fellow Warden correctly.
They had shared many things over the course of their long friendship, they had even shared a woman on occasion. They had picked pockets, cut purses, run a tavern completely out of ale, spilled blood together, taken their joining together. But Riordan was now asking to share the woman that he loved, the one who had brought such joy into his life. It was difficult enough that he only got to see her for a week every few months if luck and duty allowed, and now he was being asked to share that precious time with his best friend? His brother? No, not share, give. He was asking Duncan to give that time away.
Duncan closed his eyes, still not sure he had heard his friend correctly. He would give him anything he owned, would be willing to steal for the man, do anything the man asked. Except this. This he could not do.
"Have you asked Leo about this borrowing thing?" he finally asked quietly, knowing he was stalling.
"She said since you weren't up to it, she'd love it if I would," Riordan responded with a rather proud smile.
Duncan's shoulders slumped. What had those two been doing while he was in Ferelden? Did he even want to know? He ran a finger along his brow, trying to restore his calm. He was, he reminded himself, a reasonable man. He was not a jealous monster. Was he?
"You're being awfully tight lipped, old friend. Surely you aren't jealous?" Riordan asked with a laugh, as if reading his mind. "You're usually more open minded than that."
Duncan found he was having trouble breathing. Or thinking. He stroked his beard again, trying to relax.
"You have to admit, she has some great moves," Riordan continued. Did he just thrust his hips when he said that? Duncan barely refrained from growling.
"I don't have to admit any such thing. And I can't believe Leo would agree to this," Duncan said, his voice low and just a bit angry. He took a deep breath and looked at the fire.
"Well I hate to brag, brother, but I have some great moves myself," Riordan continued on, preening, completely oblivious to his friend's discomfort. "At least Leonie thinks so," he added with a waggle of his brows.
Was he leering? Was he actually leering when he talked about borrowing Leo and great moves? Duncan found his fists were clenched and he concentrated on relaxing each finger individually. He wasn't about to punch a fellow brother, a fellow Warden, a long standing friend. Unless he continued trying to get his permission to take Leonie to bed. An event she evidently didn't seem to mind.
"And how is it, friend, that you know she has great moves?" Duncan asked finally and his voice was eerily still. His jaw clenched and his fingers drummed on the book that still rested on the arm of the chair. Tap. Tap, tap, tap. Tap.
"We've done it a time or two while you were away. I go up to Val Royeaux every other week to help her relieve some of her tension."
Duncan sagged back into his chair, stunned. Was he the most gullible and blind man in Thedas? He never suspected a thing. His fist clenched again.
"And you think Lion's tension is something you need to worry about, do you?" he finally asked, slowly uncurling his fingers again. Tap. Tap, tap, tap, tap. TAP.
Riordan gave him a faintly hurt look. "Didn't you tell me to take care of her while you're away?" he asked, his smile slipping slightly.
"And you took that to mean you should relieve her tension?" Duncan asked, surprised to hear how loud his voice had become.
"I didn't take it to mean anything, specifically, just that I was to take care of her," Riordan replied gruffly and then he frowned, his black brows pulling together.
"Leonie said you don't really enjoy it, that you just do it because she enjoys it, so I don't understand why you're getting all bent out of shape over it, brother. You know me, I love doing it," he finished and his grin was back in place.
Duncan groaned and put his head in his hands. This was not a conversation he had ever planned on having and knowing that Lion and Riordan had discussed all this without him made him angry and oddly embarrassed. He could feel the heat of his embarrassment riding along his cheekbones. And how could she imagine he didn't enjoy it? Was it not obvious? Was he not vocal enough?
"You know, I think you'd enjoy it more if you were better at it. Practice makes perfect."
"And you two have discussed this at length?" Duncan asked, appalled. Thump. Thump, thump, thump. THUMP. When had he stopped tapping with his fingers and started thumping with his fist?
"Nothing to be ashamed about, old friend. Maybe if you watched us you'd learn a thing or two," Riordan went on, ignoring the thumping noise.
Duncan was dumbfounded. "What has gotten into you?" he finally managed.
"Me? What's gotten into you? You're touchier than those twins of yours," Riordan complained. Duncan's embarrassment was now complete.
"Well if you've done it before, why are you bothering to ask my permission now?" Duncan demanded. Thump. Thump, thump, thump, thump. THUMP. The spine of the book split. Duncan picked the book up and turned it over in his hands several times. He'd broken a book but so far had restrained himself from breaking Riordan's leering face. That had to mean he still had some control over his emotions. Didn't it?
"Leonie didn't want to leave you out. She said maybe it would be better if we all did it together."
The book went sailing into the fireplace. "She said that we should all do it together?" he finally managed, stunned.
"What is the matter with you?" Riordan asked, staring at him as if he had lost his mind. Maybe he had.
"She said we should all do it together but she was afraid the audience would hurt your performance," Riordan explained. And that, as they say, was the straw that broke Duncan's back.
"She doesn't mind an audience? Or being borrowed by you? She doesn't mind talking about my performance to you? But she thinks I'll mind an audience, that it will affect my performance?" he growled, flinging himself out of his chair and grabbing Riordan by his shirt front.
"Why are you so upset?" Riordan asked, and his blue eyes were full of laughter. He loosened Duncan's hold on his shirt and stepped back. "She's right, you do have a temper," he added, chuckling.
It dawned on Duncan that he might have played right into his friend's hand. "Just what are we talking about?" he finally ground out, voice heavy with suspicion.
"Dancing. The Summer Festival Dance in Jader tonight. What did you think we were talking about?" Riordan asked, eyeing his friend with a wicked gleam in his eye.
Duncan made a noise somewhere between a groan and a sigh.
"Never mind," he responded quietly, wondering if it was too late to save the book he'd tossed into the fire. It was going to be a long night.
Riordan was laughing, loudly and boisterously. The trap had been laid and Duncan had sailed right into it.
"Sorry, my friend. I must be more tired than I thought," Duncan said with a sheepish grin. He clapped his friend on the back. But the more he thought about the three of them, the more enticing Duncan found it to be. He could picture his beautiful Lion, stretched out before them as the two men pleasured her. Could almost see the wicked gleam in her eyes as she pleasured both of them. And now that those images were burned into his brain, they wouldn't leave him alone.
"To make up for it, why don't you join us on our picnic tomorrow? We're heading up to the falls," Duncan asked with a wicked gleam in his eyes.
Leonie, listening quietly on the other side of the door, smiled softly. "And that my playful Peacock and beloved Pirate, is how you play the Grand Game," she murmured softly. She went up the stairs chuckling.
A/N: And now you know how the first "Of Peacocks and Pirates" came about.