The next couple of days proved to be surprisingly uneventful. Aaravos left Viren alone and Runaan seemed to be back to his usual self around Viren. Well, not quite the same. Now that he had confessed his feelings for Viren, the elf was more obvious about them, openly flirting with him.
Though Viren kept spurning his advances, Runaan never seemed to get discouraged. In fact, the rejection only seemed to encourage him. "One drink," Runaan pressed, cutting Viren off. The human growled up at him and stepped to the side, but the elf blocked his path again. "I think you owe me after last time."
Viren rolled his eyes, clutching onto his paperwork tightly. "One drink can do a lot of damage, Runaan. Last time being the prime example."
The elf shoved Viren against the hallway wall and put his arms on either side of the human's head, pinning him. "Come on, Viren. It will be fun. I promise you."
His grey eyes narrowed then he let out a sigh of defeat. "Okay. Fine. But no elven ales and only one drink. Nothing more."
Runaan grinned and moved away. He straightened Viren's tie for him and patted the human's shoulder. "Excellent. It's a date then."
Before Viren could counter, the elf headed in the opposite direction, back to his desk. Viren watched him for a moment, annoyance bubbling within him. The elf was relentless, but at least he would have peace for the rest of the day. He knocked on the cubicle wall to Gren's desk and the human resources rep smiled up at him. Taking the paperwork from Viren's hands, he said, "Thank you, Viren. It's nice to see you back on track."
It felt nice to have his life slowly fall back into order, too. Aaravos had been affecting him more than he had realized and now that he knew the startouch elf would leave him be, it was easier to move on. Granted, Viren kept checking Aaravos' Photogram feed, half expecting to be blocked or to see a private message, containing an inappropriate video, but there was nothing. Not even a new public post, which seemed to be an unusual occurrence. There were lots of worried comments on the last photo Aaravos had posted of him in Del Bar, three days ago. Even Viren was beginning to worry, but it would be unseemly for him to reach out after what he had said.
The atmosphere in the office was overall more positive. Or, at least, that was how Viren felt. Sales numbers were up, no one stared at him in concern or disgust anymore. Everything was going so well, so, naturally, Viren began to wonder what was going to go wrong.
His worry stayed with him all day and throughout his drink date with Runaan. He could tell that the elf was annoyed that he seemed to be worlds away, but Viren had a feeling that something terrible was about to happen. "Why are you so tense?" Runaan complained as he slid out of his seat. His hands went to Viren's shoulders and he began to massage them, applying just the right amount of pressure.
Viren let out a groan. His fingers felt so nice against the knots in his muscles. The stiffness was beginning to dull and he let his eyes close, feeling completely relaxed under Runaan's touch. The elf's fingers slide from his shoulders to his upper back and Viren leaned into him. "Your whole body is tense, Viren. Perhaps we should go somewhere that you can lay down and I can give you the proper attention you need?" Viren opened his eyes and moved forward, breaking free of Runaan's grasp. He should have known that was what the elf had been after with the massage. "Runaan, please. Let's just sit down and have drinks like we agreed."
The elf frowned, but sat back in his seat with a grumble. They drank in silence for a moment then Runaan asked, "What did you see in him, anyways?"
There was no need for him to speak Aaravos' name. They both knew that was who Runaan had been referring to.
Viren was quiet for some time. He rotated his glass in his hands, staring at the alcohol that he was struggling to get through. There was no real way to answer that question because Viren never really saw anything in Aaravos besides good looks and a sexy voice. He had been lonely. Aaravos was attractive and became the object of Viren's horniness. He had never expected that Aaravos would notice him or his desires, but he had been desperate for some sort of intimacy and the elf had been willing to give it to him.
Still…
He had enjoyed the time when he had just been talking to Aaravos. The elf was intelligent and fascinating. He probably had many stories that he could tell Viren about all the places he had been and the experiences he has had in his longer life. Viren took a drink of his cider. They would never have those conversations now.
"Fine. Don't tell me," Runaan muttered. "I need to get some air. I'll be right back," he said, leaving Viren alone at the table.
He rubbed his face with his eyes, frustrated by how guilty he felt for rejecting Aaravos. There was no reason for him to be bothered by ending things, though. There was nothing official to end, after all. Before he could stop himself, Viren pulled out his phone and brought up Aaravos' account again. To his surprise, there was a new public post. He tapped the image and felt his heart stop.
Viren's eyes widened as he stared at the familiar faces, smiling up at him. Aaravos had his fingers under the chin of the man Viren had thought he had known so well. There was an intimacy to the pose that made Viren want to vomit and his eyes drifted down to the caption of the photo: Here in Evenere with my favourite branch manager.
"Harrow," he gasped. His heart was thundering in his chest. Aaravos was with Harrow. Harrow and Aaravos. His head was spinning and he looked at the door, where Runaan was standing. Fuck. It hurt. The thought that Harrow was with Aaravos was like a vice on his heart. He was gasping, unable to breathe. Viren gripped the table tightly, tried to stand, but immediately fell onto his hands and knees.
"Viren!" Runaan was suddenly by his side, hands on his back. He picked up Viren's discarded phone, helped the human onto his feet and led him to the door to get some fresh air. He was still struggling to breathe as Runaan sat him down on the curb and gently rubbed his back. "Deep breath," he tried, showing Viren how to do it. "That's it," he encouraged, watching him with concern. After a few more deep breaths, he asked, "Are you okay?"
Viren trembled. "I just want to go home," he whispered, burying his face in his hands. After years of not knowing where Harrow had gone or how he was even doing, Viren finally knew, but he was desperate to forget. He could only imagine what Aaravos was doing to him— with him.
"Fuck," he muttered. "Fuck, fuck fuck!" He screamed into his hands. It was a joke. It had to be. A cruel practical joke that the two of them were playing on him. Well, he refused to be the victim of their games. He would show them that he was better off without either one of them.
Runaan knelt in front of him and pulled the hands away from Viren's face. "What's wrong?" he asked.
It was impossible for Viren to answer. How could he explain the hurt— the betrayal— that he was feeling? Instead of answering him, Viren looked him directly in the eyes, asking, "Does the offer of that massage still stand?"
Runaan's jaw flexed and he pulled his hand off Viren's back. "You're upset, Viren. I can't help but feel like I would be taking advantage of you. Are you sure you want to do this?"
Viren gritted his teeth together, his brain swirling with images of Aaravos touching Harrow. "I need you to make me feel good, Runaan."
The elf licked his bottom lip and nodded. "Okay." He helped the human back onto his feet and led him to his car. Runaan placed Viren's phone into the cupholder next to the steering wheel and stared at the black screen with a burning curiosity. Viren fell into the passenger seat and rest his forehead on the cool glass window. They started driving in silence, which meant Viren's mind could think, uninterrupted, about all the ways Aaravos was pleasing Harrow in a way that Viren would never be able to. His hands clenched together on his lap. The man he had loved with all his heart was being fucked by the elf that his body had become addicted to.
The car stopped and Viren noticed that they were in front of his apartment building. "What? Why are we here?" he demanded, narrowing his eyes.
Runaan held out his phone, the photo of Aaravos and Harrow was still on his screen. "I told you, Viren. I like you. I don't want to simply be a revenge fuck for you. I want you to be thinking about me when we are together, not about Harrow. And especially not about Aaravos," Runaan explained, setting the phone into the human's hand.
"You coward!" Viren shouted, grabbing Runaan's shirt with his free hand. He was shaking. "You wanted me. Why should my reasons matter if I want you back?"
Runaan gently pried Viren's hand from his shirt. "That's the problem, Viren. You don't actually want me back." He took in a deep breath. "You should go home and try to get some sleep."
Viren growled, unbuckled his seatbelt and went to open the door. His fingers stopped inches from the handle then he turned, eyes hungrily drifting down to Runaan's groin. He moved forward, awkwardly climbing onto the elf's lap. "Viren, stop," Runaan sighed. "You didn't mind the other night," Viren protested.
Runaan's hands gripped Viren's arms tightly and he tried to push the human away. "That's because we were both drunk and neither one of us were thinking straight."
Viren leaned down, nibbling the base of Runaan's long ear. He heard the elf inhale sharply and the grip around Viren's arms loosened. Taking that as a good sign, Viren dragged his tongue down the elf's neck and bit his neck.
"N- no, stop," Runaan ordered, weakly, but he made no effort to push the human away. Viren's hand went down to Runaan's pants and he fondled the elf, making him shiver. He was getting hard from the touch and Viren smiled, knowing he had won. His fingers moved to the zipper of Runaan's pants and he pulled it down.
"Viren, enough," the elf shouted and grabbed the human's hand roughly. "I'm not Aaravos."
Viren backed away, livid that Runaan had rejected him. It had been the elf that wanted to go out for drinks in the first place. "No. You're not," Viren replied. "At least I know what Aaravos wants from me and has the spine to take it." He pushed open the passenger door and stepped out into the cool evening air. His eyes met Runaan's and he sneered, "I will never want you in the way you want me to, Runaan, and you just blew your one shot to have me."
He slammed the door shut and walked up to his apartment building without looking back.
Though Viren kept spurning his advances, Runaan never seemed to get discouraged. In fact, the rejection only seemed to encourage him. "One drink," Runaan pressed, cutting Viren off. The human growled up at him and stepped to the side, but the elf blocked his path again. "I think you owe me after last time."
Viren rolled his eyes, clutching onto his paperwork tightly. "One drink can do a lot of damage, Runaan. Last time being the prime example."
The elf shoved Viren against the hallway wall and put his arms on either side of the human's head, pinning him. "Come on, Viren. It will be fun. I promise you."
His grey eyes narrowed then he let out a sigh of defeat. "Okay. Fine. But no elven ales and only one drink. Nothing more."
Runaan grinned and moved away. He straightened Viren's tie for him and patted the human's shoulder. "Excellent. It's a date then."
Before Viren could counter, the elf headed in the opposite direction, back to his desk. Viren watched him for a moment, annoyance bubbling within him. The elf was relentless, but at least he would have peace for the rest of the day. He knocked on the cubicle wall to Gren's desk and the human resources rep smiled up at him. Taking the paperwork from Viren's hands, he said, "Thank you, Viren. It's nice to see you back on track."
It felt nice to have his life slowly fall back into order, too. Aaravos had been affecting him more than he had realized and now that he knew the startouch elf would leave him be, it was easier to move on. Granted, Viren kept checking Aaravos' Photogram feed, half expecting to be blocked or to see a private message, containing an inappropriate video, but there was nothing. Not even a new public post, which seemed to be an unusual occurrence. There were lots of worried comments on the last photo Aaravos had posted of him in Del Bar, three days ago. Even Viren was beginning to worry, but it would be unseemly for him to reach out after what he had said.
The atmosphere in the office was overall more positive. Or, at least, that was how Viren felt. Sales numbers were up, no one stared at him in concern or disgust anymore. Everything was going so well, so, naturally, Viren began to wonder what was going to go wrong.
His worry stayed with him all day and throughout his drink date with Runaan. He could tell that the elf was annoyed that he seemed to be worlds away, but Viren had a feeling that something terrible was about to happen. "Why are you so tense?" Runaan complained as he slid out of his seat. His hands went to Viren's shoulders and he began to massage them, applying just the right amount of pressure.
Viren let out a groan. His fingers felt so nice against the knots in his muscles. The stiffness was beginning to dull and he let his eyes close, feeling completely relaxed under Runaan's touch. The elf's fingers slide from his shoulders to his upper back and Viren leaned into him. "Your whole body is tense, Viren. Perhaps we should go somewhere that you can lay down and I can give you the proper attention you need?" Viren opened his eyes and moved forward, breaking free of Runaan's grasp. He should have known that was what the elf had been after with the massage. "Runaan, please. Let's just sit down and have drinks like we agreed."
The elf frowned, but sat back in his seat with a grumble. They drank in silence for a moment then Runaan asked, "What did you see in him, anyways?"
There was no need for him to speak Aaravos' name. They both knew that was who Runaan had been referring to.
Viren was quiet for some time. He rotated his glass in his hands, staring at the alcohol that he was struggling to get through. There was no real way to answer that question because Viren never really saw anything in Aaravos besides good looks and a sexy voice. He had been lonely. Aaravos was attractive and became the object of Viren's horniness. He had never expected that Aaravos would notice him or his desires, but he had been desperate for some sort of intimacy and the elf had been willing to give it to him.
Still…
He had enjoyed the time when he had just been talking to Aaravos. The elf was intelligent and fascinating. He probably had many stories that he could tell Viren about all the places he had been and the experiences he has had in his longer life. Viren took a drink of his cider. They would never have those conversations now.
"Fine. Don't tell me," Runaan muttered. "I need to get some air. I'll be right back," he said, leaving Viren alone at the table.
He rubbed his face with his eyes, frustrated by how guilty he felt for rejecting Aaravos. There was no reason for him to be bothered by ending things, though. There was nothing official to end, after all. Before he could stop himself, Viren pulled out his phone and brought up Aaravos' account again. To his surprise, there was a new public post. He tapped the image and felt his heart stop.
Viren's eyes widened as he stared at the familiar faces, smiling up at him. Aaravos had his fingers under the chin of the man Viren had thought he had known so well. There was an intimacy to the pose that made Viren want to vomit and his eyes drifted down to the caption of the photo: Here in Evenere with my favourite branch manager.
"Harrow," he gasped. His heart was thundering in his chest. Aaravos was with Harrow. Harrow and Aaravos. His head was spinning and he looked at the door, where Runaan was standing. Fuck. It hurt. The thought that Harrow was with Aaravos was like a vice on his heart. He was gasping, unable to breathe. Viren gripped the table tightly, tried to stand, but immediately fell onto his hands and knees.
"Viren!" Runaan was suddenly by his side, hands on his back. He picked up Viren's discarded phone, helped the human onto his feet and led him to the door to get some fresh air. He was still struggling to breathe as Runaan sat him down on the curb and gently rubbed his back. "Deep breath," he tried, showing Viren how to do it. "That's it," he encouraged, watching him with concern. After a few more deep breaths, he asked, "Are you okay?"
Viren trembled. "I just want to go home," he whispered, burying his face in his hands. After years of not knowing where Harrow had gone or how he was even doing, Viren finally knew, but he was desperate to forget. He could only imagine what Aaravos was doing to him— with him.
"Fuck," he muttered. "Fuck, fuck fuck!" He screamed into his hands. It was a joke. It had to be. A cruel practical joke that the two of them were playing on him. Well, he refused to be the victim of their games. He would show them that he was better off without either one of them.
Runaan knelt in front of him and pulled the hands away from Viren's face. "What's wrong?" he asked.
It was impossible for Viren to answer. How could he explain the hurt— the betrayal— that he was feeling? Instead of answering him, Viren looked him directly in the eyes, asking, "Does the offer of that massage still stand?"
Runaan's jaw flexed and he pulled his hand off Viren's back. "You're upset, Viren. I can't help but feel like I would be taking advantage of you. Are you sure you want to do this?"
Viren gritted his teeth together, his brain swirling with images of Aaravos touching Harrow. "I need you to make me feel good, Runaan."
The elf licked his bottom lip and nodded. "Okay." He helped the human back onto his feet and led him to his car. Runaan placed Viren's phone into the cupholder next to the steering wheel and stared at the black screen with a burning curiosity. Viren fell into the passenger seat and rest his forehead on the cool glass window. They started driving in silence, which meant Viren's mind could think, uninterrupted, about all the ways Aaravos was pleasing Harrow in a way that Viren would never be able to. His hands clenched together on his lap. The man he had loved with all his heart was being fucked by the elf that his body had become addicted to.
The car stopped and Viren noticed that they were in front of his apartment building. "What? Why are we here?" he demanded, narrowing his eyes.
Runaan held out his phone, the photo of Aaravos and Harrow was still on his screen. "I told you, Viren. I like you. I don't want to simply be a revenge fuck for you. I want you to be thinking about me when we are together, not about Harrow. And especially not about Aaravos," Runaan explained, setting the phone into the human's hand.
"You coward!" Viren shouted, grabbing Runaan's shirt with his free hand. He was shaking. "You wanted me. Why should my reasons matter if I want you back?"
Runaan gently pried Viren's hand from his shirt. "That's the problem, Viren. You don't actually want me back." He took in a deep breath. "You should go home and try to get some sleep."
Viren growled, unbuckled his seatbelt and went to open the door. His fingers stopped inches from the handle then he turned, eyes hungrily drifting down to Runaan's groin. He moved forward, awkwardly climbing onto the elf's lap. "Viren, stop," Runaan sighed. "You didn't mind the other night," Viren protested.
Runaan's hands gripped Viren's arms tightly and he tried to push the human away. "That's because we were both drunk and neither one of us were thinking straight."
Viren leaned down, nibbling the base of Runaan's long ear. He heard the elf inhale sharply and the grip around Viren's arms loosened. Taking that as a good sign, Viren dragged his tongue down the elf's neck and bit his neck.
"N- no, stop," Runaan ordered, weakly, but he made no effort to push the human away. Viren's hand went down to Runaan's pants and he fondled the elf, making him shiver. He was getting hard from the touch and Viren smiled, knowing he had won. His fingers moved to the zipper of Runaan's pants and he pulled it down.
"Viren, enough," the elf shouted and grabbed the human's hand roughly. "I'm not Aaravos."
Viren backed away, livid that Runaan had rejected him. It had been the elf that wanted to go out for drinks in the first place. "No. You're not," Viren replied. "At least I know what Aaravos wants from me and has the spine to take it." He pushed open the passenger door and stepped out into the cool evening air. His eyes met Runaan's and he sneered, "I will never want you in the way you want me to, Runaan, and you just blew your one shot to have me."
He slammed the door shut and walked up to his apartment building without looking back.