Chapter Two
Author's Note: This is both non-canon and AU. And slash. If you're not into that, the 'back' button is in the upper left hand of your screen. Use it. I don't like flames.
Also, I just want to apologize for not originally putting the above warning in my first chapter. I thought that it would be understood, based on my other stories, that the fiction i write is AU and non-canon. If i upset or offended anyone by neglecting to put this warning in, I sincerely apologize. And to Navaer Lalaith, I have taken your suggestions under consideration. While such canon items as that wouldnot fit within the confines of this fic, it is not out of the realm of possibility that, once i get the number of stories i am writing under control, that i will write something that adheres to canon in that sense. The warning, though, has been added to the first chapter to prevent any more confusion or upset.
He felt the hand sliding gently across his bare chest, barely touching the smooth skin at all. He grabbed the hand, Elrond's hand, raised it to his lips, and kissed it. "What are you thinking about, mellon? You seem…distracted." They were lying shirtless on Elrond's bed, the mid-morning sun shining down on both of them.
Glorfindel rolled onto his side and looked Elrond straight in the eye. It was difficult because Elrond was trying to avoid eye contact and was surprisingly good at it. Eventually, Glorfindel settled the matter by kissing Elrond firmly, cupping Elrond's face with his hands. Elrond knew that he couldn't win this and gave in. "Fine," he said, sighing. "I have…a dark…premonition in my mind."
"Regarding whom? Celebrian?" Glorfindel did not resent Celebrian's presence in Elrond's life; after all, Elrond did need heirs. Celebrian had known about this relationship before she even arrived in Imladris. She had made no move to stop it, mostly because Elrond had told her the day she arrived that if she forced him to pick one or the other, Glorfindel would win every time. Elrond had not flaunted his lover, but it was reasonably well known within Imladris.
"Yes. About Celebrian. I fear for her."
"There's no need to worry. She's just coming back from Lorien." Glorfindel settled comfortably on top of Elrond. "Let's see if I can get your mind off of it." His hands stroked Elrond's smooth, muscular chest, occasionally dipping his head down to bestow a gentle kiss on the tender flesh. Elrond's hands tightened across Glorfindel's back, trying to bring about greater contact, and Glorfindel gave in. He covered Elrond's body with his own and kissed Elrond passionately.
Elrond moaned at this sudden change and his hands dropped to Glorfindel's waist to attempt to remove Glorfindel's pants. He failed miserably in his attempts, as Glorfindel captured both his hands and held them tightly over Elrond's head. "What are you doing?" demanded Elrond.
Glorfindel grinned at Elrond's annoyed expression and kissed him on the forehead. "I want to hear you beg, mellon," he whispered seductively, his other hand traveling between their bodies to rest teasingly on Elrond's obvious erection. He kissed Elrond again and the younger elf squirmed beneath him, desperate for some kind of relief. Glorfindel was in a playful mood, though, and had no desire to grant Elrond's request just yet. He released Elrond's hands, but Elrond appeared to be willing to play along, at least for right now, and lay still. Glorfindel grinned and began a trail of gentle kisses down the side of his neck, biting hard unexpectedly to create a mark that Elrond would never be able to cover with clothes. At that, Elrond, swatted at Glorfindel's head in annoyance.
"What have I told you about keeping it below the collar?" demanded Elrond. He didn't care if his wife saw the results of his escapades with Glorfindel, but there was no need in giving the rest of Imladris any more gossip than necessary. They found plenty of it as it was. But he shut up when Glorfindel's hand darted briefly into Elrond's pants to see how close Elrond was to coming. Upon judgment that Elrond could wait a little longer, the hand retreated. "I am your lord, Glorfindel," said Elrond, wondering how long Glorfindel was going to draw it out.
Glorfindel smiled again at this remark and rolled over onto his back, pulling Elrond on top of him. "I am more than aware of that, Elrond. If you would prefer this position, I am more than willing to oblige." He knew, though, that Elrond liked to surrender his control in bed. It was good for Elrond to be able to let go from time to time. When Elrond made no more complaints, Glorfindel repositioned them once again, so that he was lying on top of Elrond. He relented at this point, ripping their pants off and pulling their bodies together. Both moaned at the increased contact. "Is that better?" Glorfindel managed to ask, though it had taken a lot of concentration to even be able to string those three words together. Elrond was just so beautiful that the mere sight of him destroyed Glorfindel's calm control.
"Shut…up," said Elrond, pulling Glorfindel's head down to kiss him and spreading his legs so that Glorfindel could rest more comfortably between them. As soon as Glorfindel had done this, Elrond wrapped his legs loosely around the other's hips and began to gently thrust against him, hoping that he could convince Glorfindel to end these games, enjoyable as they were.
Not breaking the kiss, Glorfindel disentangled himself from Elrond's legs and retreated to one side, pulling Elrond onto his side as well. "Not yet, mellon," he said, smirking at the blatant need on Elrond's face. "Not until you beg me for it." He pushed Elrond back over onto his back and focused his attentions on Elrond's chest and abdomen, running his tongue along the smoothly defined muscles, finding the exact places where Elrond was most sensitive. In reality, he knew that he couldn't wait much longer, either. There was only so far he could take this.
"By the Valar, mellon," murmured Elrond, "you certainly are stubborn, aren't you? Very well…if that is what you desire." He let his hands drift down until they rested firmly on Glorfindel's ass. He pulled their bodies as close together as they could possibly be, leaned in, and whispered in Glorfindel's ear, "I want you to take me…please, Glorfindel…I need you inside me." He didn't mind this, occasionally. He knew that it helped release his tension to be able to surrender control, even if he could only do that in the arms of a lover.
"I thought you'd never ask," said Glorfindel. Bestowing one last kiss to Elrond's bruised lips, he rolled the half-elf onto his stomach. Elrond immediately altered that position by rising up on his forearms and knees. He glanced back over his shoulder and saw Glorfindel admiring him. There was a leering kind of smirk on Glorfindel's face that made Elrond very glad that he didn't know what was going through Glorfindel's head.
Glorfindel grabbed the oil that sat on the small table beside Elrond's bed. Elrond didn't need much preparing for this, but Glorfindel refused to hurt Elrond intentionally. So he coated his erection in the oil and then moved into position behind Elrond. His hand reached under Elrond and began to gently stroke Elrond's throbbing erection. Glorfindel knew that Elrond wouldn't last much longer. So he buried himself completely in Elrond in one easy motion. Elrond arched his back in pleasure.
Glorfindel began to thrust shallowly, not wanting to come soon. Elrond tried in vain to get Glorfindel to thrust harder, but Glorfindel was completely in control, and intended to stay that way. He didn't begin to really thrust until Elrond came in his hand. As Elrond screamed Glorfindel's name, Glorfindel pushed Elrond down flat on the bed and began thrust harder and harder. It didn't take long for Glorfindel to come, making another small bite-mark behind Elrond's left ear. He rolled off Elrond and gathered the smaller elf in his arms. Elrond curled up happily, placing a few feather-light kisses wherever his lips could reach.
Feeling Elrond in his arms and knowing how good it was just to be alive, Glorfindel felt perfect. What was even better that this had never blossomed into love between them. Love would have made both of their lives more complicated. They were friends, best friends, but they would not consider themselves in love. That meant that Glorfindel could surrender Elrond to Celebrian whenever she happened to be in Imladris and Glorfindel could seek out his other partners during those times. They did not grow jealous of each other. It was perfect.
Someone knocked at the door and Elrond mumbled something into Glorfindel's shoulder. Glorfindel suspected it was something like, "Make them go away," and simply smiled. "You are the Lord of Imladris, mellon, there are people that bother at you at every turn." He pushed himself away from Elrond and began looking for their discarded clothes. In his haste, he had managed to rip both of their pants, and so wandered over to Elrond's closet, where a few items of his clothing lay. Selecting a new pair of pants and tossing another pair back to Elrond, the two quickly made themselves at least a little respectable again.
Elrond walked to the door and opened it, seeing Erestor. His friend's face was paler than Elrond had thought possible and there were tear stains on Erestor's cheeks. Immediately worried, Elrond drew Erestor into the room. "What is it, Erestor?" he asked, searching his friend's face for some clue as to what would bring on this rush of emotions. Erestor was always the cold one, impenetrable and solitary.
Erestor took a deep breath, trying desperately to regain at least some semblance of composure. He couldn't bring himself to look Elrond straight in the eye and said, "There has been some…terrible news, Elrond." He saw Glorfindel in the background and focused on him instead. "I thought that it was best that you heard it from me…rather than someone else."
Elrond frowned and put his hands on Erestor's shoulders. "What is wrong, mellon?" He couldn't imagine what tragic events had occurred that could bring Erestor to tears. A terrible dark fear surfaced in the back of his mind, but he refused to acknowledge it. As Glorfindel came up behind him and put his arm casually around Elrond's waist, Elrond grew more and more desperate the hear the news, if only to assuage the fears in his mind.
Erestor finally relented. "The Lady Celebrian has returned to Imladris…but…something terrible happened to her on her return trip." Erestor had to fight very hard for his composure. He and Celebrian had slowly become close over the centuries and they were friends as he and Elrond had once been friends. "Her party was set upon by orcs…they slaughtered most of her guard and…and they violated Lady Celebrian…"
"What?" asked Elrond, somewhere between rage and anguish. "Tell me this is some sick joke, Erestor." His eyes were beginning to cloud with tears. "Tell me that is not the truth, mellon." Involuntarily, his hands clenched and unclenched in anger and the hot tears began to make their journey down Elrond's face.
Erestor reached out and put his hand on Elrond's shoulder. "I am so sorry, Elrond." He bowed his head slightly. "She…has been asking to see you." Erestor had been the one to see her in the courtyard and so had had a small amount of time to speak with her. "Her physical injuries are considerable, Elrond. There was only so much I could do."
Elrond wiped the tears away with the back of his hand. In a shaky voice, he said, "I will go to see her now…thank you, Erestor." He squeezed Erestor's hand lightly, and walked out of the room.
"How are you, mellon?" asked Glorfindel's soft voice. One hand went under Erestor's chin, forcing him to look Glorfindel in the eye. "I know how close you and the Lady Celebrian were."
Erestor shook his head slightly. "I never imagined, in my darkest dreams, that something like this would happen…it is…unthinkable. I don't know how I feel right now, Glorfindel, because I don't want to think about that, either." He closed his eyes tightly, willing the tears back.
Glorfindel drew Erestor into his arms. "Shh, mellon." He held Erestor tightly in his arms, his eyes closed as well. This brought back so many memories of that one night, thousands of years ago. Ever since, he had never sought Erestor out again. He found other lovers, something he knew that Erestor disapproved of. Glorfindel knew that he would give just about anything for another night with Erestor. Erestor, though, had seemingly lost all interest in males, and had a steady relationship with a she-elf who worked in the kitchens. Elrond had predicted more than once that the two would be bonded soon, but Erestor showed no signs that it was going to happen anytime soon. For that, Glorfindel was grateful. He didn't know how he would react when that day finally came.
Erestor pulled out of the embrace. It brought back too many memories, memories he would rather forget. "Come, Glorfindel. We should probably start seeing to rearranging Elrond's work. I don't think that he's going to be in any condition to work for…probably a long time. You and I will have to shoulder that burden."
Glorfindel pulled a face. "Are you sure I have to? After all, I'm only a warrior…I'll probably just make things worse." He knew that this excuse would hold no weight in Erestor's mind, but it was worth trying.
"You might have been a warrior once, but now you are a decadent advisor here in Imladris. I am afraid that I am going to have to use you." Erestor grinned at Glorfindel's obvious annoyance. "Trust me, I shall not entrust you with anything of any great import. I will handle that myself."
"So now you don't trust me? Whyever not?"
"Because whatever you touch turns to chaos, Glorfindel, and you know it." He put his hand on Glorfindel's shoulder, much the same as he had to Elrond. "Now, come on, mellon."
With a resigned sigh, Glorfindel followed his friend out Elrond's room.
Months passed. Elrond did what he could to heal his wife. Her physical injuries were mending, even the worst of them. Elrond was not called the greatest healer on Arda for nothing. But there were some things even he could not fix. She was fading, and there was nothing that he could do about that.
As much as he had tried to put his mind to other things, for even a few hours a day, as Erestor had suggested, whenever he left his wife's side, he was afraid that (however unfounded and irrational it might be) his wife would die while he was away and so he always hurried back to her. Elrond knew that he was losing his grip on reality, but could find no reason to pay any attention to the truly living.
"Mellon," came the soft voice from the door. "It is time to eat." It was Erestor, as always, coming to make sure that he did the bare minimum to stay alive.
"I am not hungry, Erestor," Elrond replied carelessly. He cared not whether he lived or died now.
Erestor's voice became firmer and he walked closer. "Elrond, you will eat, if I have to force it down your throat."
"Leave me, Erestor."
"I'm not going anywhere until I see you eat."
Elrond sighed, turned from his wife, and looked at Erestor. Erestor looked exhausted, and Elrond knew that that was because Erestor was, effectively, running Imladris, and had been doing so ever since Celebrian had returned. He accepted the plate from Erestor and began to mechanically eat. When he had finished, he returned the plate to Erestor. "Thank you, Erestor," he said. "I don't deserve a friend like you." He reached for Erestor's hand and gripped it tightly.
Erestor smiled. "I have known you since we were young. What kind of a friend would I be if I abandoned you in your time of need? I will be here as long as you need me, and I will be your friend until the end of time."
A genuine smile appeared on Elrond's face, the first in weeks, if not months. He unsteadily rose to his feet, his legs asleep from his awkward position, and embraced Erestor. Erestor put the plate down and returned the embrace. "I am here for you, Elrond."
Elrond, for the first time, allowed himself to break down. All the pent-up emotions that had been raging within him for the past months came out and he cried on Erestor's shoulder for a good twenty minutes. Finally, he regained control of himself and turned away, ashamed at having allowed himself that. "I am sorry, Erestor," he began.
"Don't. You needed that. You should get some rest, Elrond. And go speak to Glorfindel. Your ignoring him won't help either of you."
Elrond had been avoiding Glorfindel ever since his wife returned. It was because he felt wholly guilty about carrying on his affair with Glorfindel when his wife lay dying. And he hadn't had the courage to tell Glorfindel that it was over, so he had been doing his best to avoid Glorfindel. It was surprisingly successful. He knew that part of it was that Glorfindel, after a while, had decided to start ignoring Elrond in the hopes that Elrond would then seek him out. But it hadn't worked.
Erestor was tired of seeing his two friends play these games. It was only making things worse, heightening the tension in Imladris. "Promise me that you will go and see him, Elrond."
"I will make no such promise," said Elrond steadfastly. "Now, I have eaten, so leave me."
Erestor nodded and sighed heavily. "As you wish, Elrond."
Eventually, Celebrian left for Valinor. Elrond had, by the end, pushed her into doing that. That way, someday, he would be reunited with her. Erestor and Glorfindel had both seen how much it had hurt Elrond to do that, but they had both thought that once it was done, Elrond would regain some of his old self again.
They couldn't have been more wrong. Elrond retreated into depression, and there was nothing either of them could do about it. Elrond still steadfastly refused to see Glorfindel and Glorfindel obliged by taking, for the first time in centuries, a steady lover whom he flaunted. Erestor hated these games the two were playing, but nothing he said would convince either of them to concede defeat. Erestor knew that neither was happy, especially not Glorfindel, no matter how good his façade was.
One night, when he was heading for his rooms, which by necessity forced him to pass by Glorfindel's, he heard a strange sound emanating from behind the door of Glorfindel's room. His curious nature getting the best of him, he knocked lightly on the door. There was no answer. He found the door unlocked and opened it. "Glorfindel?" he called softly. There was still no answer. He ventured in further, and saw Glorfindel lying on his back.
Glorfindel sat up when he saw Erestor and wiped the tears from his eyes. He didn't want Erestor to see him cry. "What do you want, Erestor?"
Erestor walked closer. "What's wrong?" He paused, then chuckled darkly. "What am I talking about? Of course I know what's wrong." He made his way to the bed and sat on it. "You are both stubborn, but one of you has to give in."
Glorfindel shook his head. "Let it be him, then."
"My beautiful Glorfindel, you should know better than to expect Elrond to give in. He will wait until the end of Arda before he admits that he was wrong. You know that as well as I do."
Glorfindel did not listen to anything beyond the first few words, his mind latching onto the endearment instead. "Do you mean it?"
Erestor was momentarily confused, but then realized what Glorfindel was talking about. "I have always meant it." He edged closer, a smile beginning to brighten Erestor's face. Hesitantly, he reached out and placed his palm on Glorfindel's chest, pushing him back lightly. In a (remarkably) steady voice, he said, "Let me take away your pain, as you took away mine."
Glorfindel let himself be pushed onto his back. Looking up into Erestor's dark, bottomless eyes, he said, "Do you mean that?"
Erestor nodded, then leaned down and kissed Glorfindel, all the years between them falling away, until it seemed like they were back on that pile of blankets in the dark tent, two elves trying to find some comfort in each other. Glorfindel's hands found their way into Erestor's robes after unbuttoning and untying the infinite number of clasps, ties, and buttons, and pushed them off Erestor's shoulders. Erestor returned the favor, and helped Glorfindel out of the simple tunic that he was wearing, which took considerably less time.
Glorfindel managed to regain a little of his mind, and said, "What about your girlfriend?"
Erestor grinned. "She need never know." He ran his hands down Glorfindel's chest, admiring the muscles and the tanned skin. "You have such a wonderful body, Glorfindel. I don't think that I ever have been able to tell you that, but I've always wanted to."
Glorfindel pulled Erestor's head down and kissed him fiercely, as his hands quickly and easily removed all their remaining clothes. This wasn't about love, just as it hadn't been last time, and Glorfindel didn't know how much he would be able to take if Erestor continued to bestow these compliments on him. Erestor kissed his way down the slender body, pausing only briefly to kiss each of Glorfindel's nipples, and to Glorfindel's straining erection. He wasted no time in taking Glorfindel in his mouth and it was only a few minutes before Glorfindel came. Erestor moved back up Glorfindel's body and kissed him on the cheek.
"You've done this before, haven't you?" Glorfindel asked.
"Done what before?"
"You've been with a male since me, haven't you?"
Erestor settled on top of Glorfindel. "Are you jealous?"
Glorfindel hated to admit it. "Insanely. Who was it?"
"I don't kiss and tell." Erestor kissed Glorfindel again, involuntarily thrusting against him, making his own need obvious. He broke the kiss to ask Glorfindel, "Do you happen to keep any oil here, or am I going to be forced to seek some out somewhere?"
"No, I have some here," said Glorfindel, pushing Erestor off of him and walking into the bathroom. He returned, tossing the small bottle at Erestor.
Erestor caught it and shook his head. "I don't want to know why that's in the bathroom and not in here. Now get over here."
Glorfindel settled back down on the bed. "Have you done this before? I mean…"
"Have I taken a male before? Yes, I have. Now come here. I'm not leaving until I get what I want. And what I want is you."
Glorfindel grinned and moved over so that Erestor could get back on top of him. He kissed Erestor passionately.
They both knew that the time for words was over. Erestor continued to kiss Glorfindel as he coated his fingers in oil and began to prepare Glorfindel. It didn't take very long, and soon Erestor was thrusting into Glorfindel, his eyes closed in bliss, their bodies pressed tight together. One of Erestor's arms was around Glorfindel's back, keeping them in close contact. His other hand was stroking Glorfindel's erection in time with his thrusts. Erestor came first. Glorfindel came a few moments later with Erestor's name running silently through his mind. He consciously (as much as he was able to) did not allow himself to scream Erestor's name, as much as he would have liked to.
Erestor remained in Glorfindel's bed for only a few more minutes before rolling off and searching for his robes. Glorfindel sat up and said, "Don't leave. Please stay with me tonight."
Erestor smiled sadly as he began to dress. "I cannot, mellon. I have a certain she-elf waiting in my room who will be very angry if I do not return at some point tonight."
"Stay a while longer, please? Until I fall asleep, at least?" Glorfindel knew that he was letting his emotions take far too much control of him, letting his true feelings regarding Erestor become too prominent, but he didn't care. Any time he got to spend with Erestor was precious to him.
"No, Glorfindel." Erestor finished dressing and sat down on the bed. He ran his hand across Glorfindel's chest, then rested his head briefly on it. After a few moments, he sat up again and ran his hand across Glorfindel's cheek, down his neck.
"You want to stay, don't you?" asked Glorfindel quietly.
Erestor made no answer to this. He stood up and left the room.
A few months after that night, Glorfindel came into his office one morning and found a single flower sitting on his desk, amidst all the usual clutter of papers. Frowning, he walked over, and lifted the single red rose. There was no indication of whoever had put it there, and that puzzled Glorfindel. More, though, he couldn't think of who would put it there. Studying the flower, he could think of only two people that would do this. The first was Erestor, and he wasn't enough of a romantic for this. The second was…
"Surprise," said a low voice from the doorway. Glorfindel looked up and saw Elrond standing there, dressed in a simple tunic, his hair flowing down around him, unbound, which was unusual for him. Glorfindel could not miss the fact that Elrond was playing with his hands nervously, as if he was actually afraid to be here.
"You did this?" asked Glorfindel incredulously. Over time, he had given up the hope that Elrond would come back to him. Up until right now, he had been sure that Elrond would not. "Why?"
"Think of it as a small way of me saying that…I want you back in my life…in whatever way you are willing to give me. I hurt you, I know that. If you do not wish to be my lover again, I would be honored to call myself your friend." Elrond dropped his gaze to the floor, walked in, closing the door behind him.
"That doesn't sound like you, mellon," observed Glorfindel, trying to control himself, trying to rid himself of the images of him throwing Elrond down right here right now and fucking him. "The Elrond I knew would not have given me a choice. As it is, I am not sure whether I want a lover in my life." Who am I kidding? I would do anything to be back with Elrond.
"I have changed, Glorfindel." Elrond swallowed hard. He had woken up this morning with the realization that if the two of them continued these games, sooner or later, Glorfindel would find some elf that he would be happy with and Elrond would lose Glorfindel forever. Elrond would much rather be that elf than watch Glorfindel be happy with another. A strange smile alighted on his face as he drew nearer. "Perhaps you are right, Glorfindel."
Now Glorfindel was confused. And slightly worried. That look on Elrond's face could only mean trouble. "What are you talking about?" As Elrond moved closer, Glorfindel instinctively reached to his waist for a sword that no longer hung there and found himself backed into a corner. When he felt his back hit the wall, Glorfindel knew that he was trapped. He cursed his time spent inside Imladris, instead of honing his skills out in the yard. The Glorfindel of old would have never allowed himself to be backed up against a wall.
Elrond caressed Glorfindel's cheek lightly, his breathing picking up almost imperceptibly. But Glorfindel noticed, and smiled, one hand slipping down Elrond's back, drawing their bodies closer. Glorfindel bent his head slightly and said, "I think that I do want you for my lover." The hand moved lower still, finally resting on Elrond's ass.
Elrond regained control of the situation quickly, by taking several steps back, before he said something that he would later regret. A smile danced across his face. This smile Glorfindel knew well; it was his triumphant victory smile. "I am glad to hear that, Glorfindel. As much as I would like to stay here…Erestor insists that there is work that cannot wait. So…I must go see Erestor and find out what he needs me to do…perhaps we could meet again for dinner…in my rooms?"
The only thing Glorfindel could do was nod. He did this, then felt like a fool for allowing his emotions to take such great control over him. So he turned his cocky smile on, walked closer until they were touching again, and said, "Who do you think you are to make demands of me?"
Elrond pulled the taller elf's head down for a passionate kiss, a kiss that made it seem like a million years since they had been together, instead of a mere months. Elrond did not allow the kiss to last very long, as he would not have been able to control himself had the kiss lasted much longer. "Now, I really have to go," he said, removing Glorfindel's hands, which were encircling his waist, preventing him from leaving. "But I have to know. Should I expect you in my bed tonight?"
Elrond was the only elf, Glorfindel knew, that would be cocky enough to neglect his lover for more than a year, and then assume that said lover would gladly jump back into bed with him. The worst part was that Glorfindel was more than willing to, and he knew that Elrond knew it as well. Glorfindel bowed his head. "Yes, Elrond. You may expect me in your bed tonight."
Elrond nodded and walked out of the door. Glorfindel stared at the closed door for many minutes, fingering the rose that seemed outwardly to be such an insignificant gesture, but which could mean so very much. A smile found a hold on Glorfindel's face and remained there for most of the day. It was dimmed only when Erestor came to see him about mid-afternoon, and they sat in his office and talked for nearly an hour.
After Erestor had left, only one thought really presented itself to him. He wished that it had not been Elrond that had made that offer. Deep down, he truly wished that it had been Erestor.
TBC…
Author's Note: I love reviews. I check my e-mail many times a day for them. Call me obsessed…fine, I am. But please review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!