Author's Note: To be read directly after the previous chapter. It is an immediate continuation, as will be the next chapter.
-------------------------------------------------------
"So what now?" Toby whispered, leaning close to Jareth's side to make himself heard.
"We dance," Jareth murmured back, spinning his lover into his arms and guiding him in a slow circle around the space left by the watchful dancers. "At any other time, I would have had to ask the Queen of the Fairies to accompany me. But since my consort is here, I dance with him."
Toby looked up in a panic. "But not everyone knows who I am! The Queen doesn't! She'll think you're snubbing her."
"She may think as she likes. I have not yet put a tax on that," Jareth teased, pulling the slight body closer. "Now why would I dance with her when I have this enchanting creature in my arms?"
Toby snorted, blue eyes glittering behind his black mask. "I know you detest Queen Amarild, but she is gorgeous. I can't think why she isn't married."
"Perhaps beauty is not always about a great pair of tits," Jareth remarked, raising an eyebrow as Toby giggled. "Is there something wrong with what I have just said?"
"You didn't even know what gay meant when I first met you, and now you're walking around spouting off about tits? That's just freaky; didn't know I had that kind of an effect on you."
Jareth didn't reply immediately, distracted as he was by a woman who insisted on hugging him tight as she wished him health and happiness in the year ahead, but the moment she left them alone, he turned back to look at his partner with an amused glance. "Luv, did you imagine I picked up this accent while conversing with goblins? I have spent some years in the Aboveground."
Toby missed a step in shock. "You've lived in the Aboveground? When?"
"Oh, around twenty years ago, I believe." Jareth smiled to see his husband look winded. Unless it was the corset that was taking his breath away- it certainly looked tight enough. "I have an interest in the mortal world. I went to explore. Stayed there from the mid-'fifties, I think, to the end of the 'seventies. I had forgotten much of their terms for things until you reminded me."
"Wow!"
Jareth shrugged, nodding graciously to another well-wisher but studiously avoiding him for the privacy of a conversation with his mate. "It is not unheard of," he excused, "Many chose to live there for a few years and some never return. Amarild herself has been; she returned from there just ten years ago."
"And does she talk about tits and gays?" Toby teased.
Jareth chuckled and shook his head. "I believe she spent her time amongst the blue-blooded rich families of Boston. It was an education for her, but less than the one I had."
"Mid-fifties in England, huh? What was it like?"
"Very hard," Jareth said soberly, "War had decimated the country; there were scarcely enough jobs and the Government could not afford very much help. Food was rationed and spirits were low. I took myself off to America after two years there."
"America? Don't tell me you had an American accent."
"No, I never did," Jareth soothed, "But then I was high on something or drunk for most of my time there, so I never bothered to think of accents. You Americans were so deliciously wild in the sixties, with your denim and flowers and wonderful music."
"So how come you don't sound like me?" Toby pouted, neatly avoiding backing onto the hem of someone's dress. He turned to offer an apologetic smile to the woman. "Did you go back to England?"
"Yes. Drugs become boring very fast and the constant diet of 'peace, man' was getting on my nerves. I met a woman who talked of London being the next big scene and took off with her. She was right." Something about the way the Goblin King spoke made his consort very suspicious.
"She did, did she? Who was this chick and why do I get the feeling I should be jealous?"
Jareth smiled ever more enigmatically, silently handing his husband over to someone who cut in. Toby was just opening his mouth to protest the arrangement when he saw whom it was that Jareth was heading for. Glaring for a good two minutes at Amarild's coldly beautiful face over his partner's shoulder, Toby promised himself that he would get revenge.
The entire gathering was treated to the sight of two of the strangest men they had ever met take over a half of the room each and wage war against each other. No other two people were more charming, or flirtatious. Where the Goblin King had every woman sighing for a simple smile or glance from his mismatched eyes, the Goblin King's mystery guest had every remotely bisexual man in the near vicinity hanging on his every word.
In a way, Jareth considered it the most amusing irony he had seen in a long time. From his lover's presence in his mind, he could sense absolutely no attraction to any of the people Toby was flirting with. Until a woman whispered softly in the golden shell of an ear and then there was a definite buzz of interest, in which case, Jareth sent him a very stern warning. Only to receive a mocking toast from across the room in return. A toast echoed by the woman draped over Toby's shoulder.
That did it!
Jareth turned blandly to the Fairy Queen and asked for the second dance. She agreed, looking more than a little amused at the game she was becoming a pawn in. She showed no illusions of respect or admiration for her goblin counterpart, but she certainly enjoyed laughing down at him. And to see him bested by a slip of a boy made her enforced visit to this most hated of places worthwhile.
Jareth whisked her away to the sound of the music from nowhere, going out of his way to charm her. As with all women, she relaxed soon enough to talk with civility, laughing at a few of his whispered inanities and allowing herself to forget for a moment that the male holding her was the Goblin King whom she despised.
Toby glowered sourly at the sight from over a glass of some kind of juice, completely ignoring what the girl beside him was saying as he wished he could get drunk on the blasted wine he wasn't allowed to drink any more.
'Stop it,' he hissed viciously between minds, 'Any closer and she'll be looking out the back of your head.'
Jareth's only response was to pull her slightly closer still, leaning down to say something in her ear. She nodded, shrugged and then the two made for a discreet door tucked behind a tapestry. Jareth pulled it aside, opened it, and followed her into its dark recesses.
Archer looked from Toby's stricken face to the doorway his cousin had disappeared down and excused himself from his conversation. The peacock was looking more and more like a woebegone child as the seconds passed and no one reappeared. "May I be of service?" Blue eyes snapped up to his, bright with emotion as they blinked into focus. "I believe you have a little game that requires a partner."
Toby smiled a little. "Indeed, Sir, I do not know what you mean," he murmured lightly, twirling his glass in his fingers with a demure smile.
Archer grinned slightly, pushing him back against a wall and speedily divesting him of his glass. "Someone should spank you," he growled, "Playing such games!"
Toby let his tongue out to play, running the barest tip of it over his lip in a quick cat-like gesture. He raised a hand to tweak absently at the pointed collar of Archer's ice-blue tunic, noting to himself that it matched the shade of colour that streaked the dark hair. "Games can be very pleasurable," he smirked, "When one plays them right."
"Brat," Archer chuckled, "What am I to call you tonight?"
"Cloud," Toby reminded him, "An insubstantial and insignificant name; prettiness of the most ephemeral kind." Archer seemed all kinds of interesting at the moment, with his full mouth smiling the same indulgently amused smile that Jareth used, his soft brown eyes darkened ever so slightly. Long legs, Toby noticed, more muscular than his husband's, but long and beautiful nevertheless. He said so quite gravely, quite openly.
Archer started slightly but nodded, accepting the compliment with a grave little bow. "Thank you. I aim to please." Toby was aware that his lover was on his way back with the Fairy Queen, and still he didn't want to leave this surreal little moment
Archer didn't seem to have noticed their surroundings either, for his eyes had darkened a little more as he leaned closer, a hand reaching out to touch. "You look very heated," he commented, laying a cool hand on a reddened cheek.
Toby was already slipping away on a haze of dizzying eroticism and vengeful jealousy. The simple touch of those rough-skinned fingers made him half-close his eyes and purr contentedly. Let Jareth see, then! Let him feel this brief attraction, even if it was Jareth himself that Toby could picture through his half-closed eyes. Toby could feel Jareth approach, could feel Jareth's curiosity at his languid passivity. Toby never showed this to anyone else and even to Jareth only in private. The mortal licked his lips again.
Archer smiled as he allowed his fingers to trickle down and brush against the choker. Crowding the mortal back into the wall, he hooked a finger beneath the black band and pulled gently upwards. Toby arched pliantly towards him, red mouth welcoming, blue eyes dreamy.
The people around them were beginning to whisper and nod towards the two, agitating over the Fairy Lord's man-handling of the Goblin King's companion. That the two had often passed a discarded lover on to the other was no well-kept secret. But to share him between them at the same time was new. And the pretty child in Archer's grasp was not helping to make the matter less controversial.
Toby felt the full force of the rage as his husband saw what he was doing. And almost instantly he was sorry, scared, sliding out from between the wall and Archer to look stricken and uncertain. Poised for flight in case of emergencies. Because Jareth looked angry enough to lash out.
The music halted. Everyone stopped talking to gaze from the wide-eyed mystery companion to the furious Goblin King. Archer and Amarild melted away, the latter with no great reluctance to be away from her host. Archer philosophically shrugged it away. Jareth wasn't upset with him. The Goblin King had assessed the situation in a quick glance and had discarded his cousin as blameless. At least it would serve to show Jareth where the real problem lay. It was only to be expected that Jareth couldn't possibly know how uncertain his young lover was of him. Well, now he did and Archer watched to see what would happen.
A nod of the moon-blond head and Toby went to his husband, a plea for mercy in his eyes. Jareth said nothing, showed nothing on his face as he grasped a thin arm harshly in his hand and jerked him towards the door he had just exited. "Out," he said shortly.
Toby quickly obeyed, startled to find himself on a balcony beneath the night sky. The star-less sky was clear and inky, the moon hanging low and full over the gleaming walls of the Labyrinth. The rush of cool air on his face was like a bath of cold water, waking him instantly from whatever dream-like state he had fallen into. He gasped quietly as he rubbed his eyes, shaking his head to clear the lightness.
"What were you doing?"
Toby turned and shook his head again. "We were talking," he protested, "Archer was playing along with me. It was just a joke."
"A joke? He all but branded his name on you in public with your consent. That is your idea of a joke?"
"Jareth, we were just fooling around!"
The Goblin King hissed his displeasure, grabbing his bond mate and dragging him close. "Jokes are amusing," he ground out, "You just made a fool of me in front of everyone, my child. I am not amused by that."
It wasn't fair! The apology disappeared in a blaze of righteous indignation. "Really? And what about you?" Toby spat back, "You went off with the bloody Fairy Queen, you jerk. You brought her out here to a balcony to do what? Settle trade agreements beneath the silvery light of the moon? I don't care if you flirt with someone else, Jareth, but for God's sake at least let me know if you're interested in another woman. Especially when I'm carrying your child!"
"Interested?" Jareth suddenly saw what Archer had seen. "You were jealous of a private discussion I had a woman I hate?"
"Yes. If you can go into private corners with some bitch with great tits then I can enjoy a private joke with your cousin."
Toby pulled himself out of Jareth's hold and flung himself in a raging temper to the railing of the balcony. He kicked the wall a few times, cursed when it hurt him and the wall remained stoically unresponsive, and then stared down at the peaceful garden below.
Jareth felt the petulance and the rage, which were both emotions he could handle. He himself had regained his good nature the moment he realized that Archer had simply let Toby seek revenge with someone whom the Goblin King had no need to worry about. No, what worried him now was the added bonus of clear depression and shame that his bond mate seemed to be feeling.
"Come here, my elf," he called quietly.
Toby moved his head but did not seem to want to listen to him.
"Toby." Jareth deliberately hardened his voice. "You gave yourself to me for tonight. The night has not yet passed."
Toby turned and walked defiantly to his lover, head high and curled blond hair flung back. But the blue eyes were dull behind the black velvet mask and the extravagant costume seemed listless and tasteless without the mortal's spirit to lend it the decadent innocence.
Jareth reached out to stroke the choker about Toby's throat. Smirking slightly, he imitated Archer and hooked his finger into it, forcing the mortal to arch up as he pulled gently. The slender throat was laid bare, exposed to his every whim and fancy. And he shamelessly rejoiced in that, licking over the salty skin and biting softly over the vein that thrummed beneath with blood. Allowing his quiet enjoyment to be fully exposed.
Toby made no sound and made no move, letting Jareth do what he wanted with no encouragement from himself.
"Why would you imagine I desired that scheming witch?" Jareth murmured, pausing for a moment to speak, "I brought her out here to talk business where we could not be heard. She called me a few names; I told her that I had no pointed desire to deal with her either; we agreed reluctantly to act for the good of our countries and came back inside. To see you and Archer behaving like lovers."
"I've never..."
"Do not lie to me, Toby. I felt the desire."
Toby shivered as pointed canines pressed once more against his flesh. "It was you," he whispered, melting into his husband's caresses, "He reminded me of you and I ached for you. Need you; not Archer."
"I'm right here," Jareth consoled, lifting his head to present his mouth. But he held it a hair's breath from Toby's mouth, tantalizing him with the closeness and teasing him by withholding it.
His lover whimpered, craning forward to capture his lips, but he held back, moving until the hand on Toby's throat was pushing the mortal away more than pulling him forward. Ah yes, Jareth smirked, revenge was sweetness itself.
"Jareth, please!"
"Come, my elf. We have guests to attend to," Jareth smiled, knowing his lover was hard and needing him.
Toby whined, low in his throat, still arching upwards, pressing himself against his husband and reaching to tangle his fingers in soft blond hair with silver tints. He brought a lock to his mouth, curling his tongue around it before sliding away. Jareth smiled and held out his hand.
Toby sighed, and looked pointedly down to the bulge in his loose black trousers. "I can't go anywhere like this," he reminded his husband pointedly.
"I believe you can," Jareth negated, smiling a feral little smile that made him look like a demon, "You gave yourself to my will."
"You're making me walk in there with a raging hard-on? Everyone will see!"
"Let them," Jareth suggested, running a soft hand over a thin hip, "Consider this my brand on you."
Toby shivered, the warm rush of relief flooding through him again. It made him feel unbelievably free to know that Jareth could make the decision without his consideration. He didn't have to think, he didn't have to plan; he simply had to exist for his master's pleasure. And he exactly what his 'master' considered pleasure.
He sighed quietly as they made their way out through the door behind the tapestry again, Jareth smiling innocently at all the dropped jaws as Toby blushed slightly behind his mask and half-hid a little at his husband's side. Archer smirked at the two of them from his seat beside two tall blond males from the Ivory Tower.