Category: Tolkien-Universe
Rating: M
Couples: Egalmoth/Rog, Maeglin/Salgant
Warnings: AU, canon-levels of Everything
Chapter: 57
Copyright: Characters & places © By Tolkien Estate and/or mynameisjessejk, Plot & OC´s © by me
Authors note: Set in the Otter(less) Mayhem Universe of abovementioned mynameisjessejk on AO3. Unofficial sequel to 'The House of the Mole'
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Rog accepted that his fiancé would be busy the rest of the day. But when he was late for the lunch he had agreed upon and a quick check showed that he had not yet returned to work... well, he became just a touch worried. So he abused the fact that Tinnuion could surely watch his job for another day to head over to the mansion of the House of the Heavenly Arch, where his worry increased even more.
Egalmoth had not formally summoned back his house-staff, only the gardener working on the grounds.
"Egal?" The house was silent and he took the stairs three steps at a time to find the other Lord. He found him in his bedroom, on the bed with a mess of hair even Glaur only rarely managed. From the looks of it, his lover had showered and then just dropped in bed without any care to keep the obsidian mass from tangling into a black cloud. "Love...?" He crept over, only returning to walking when noticing the other looking at him. "It went that poorly?"
He sank down on the bed beside the other, gently starting to untangle the worst of the mess. The only answer to his query was a sigh, drowning in sadness and so he didn't ask again, merely focusing on the feel of silken hair on his fingers.
"They are returning to Valimar... Perhaps already have done so." The other elf adjusted his head so he could look at the headboard, using one hand to rest his chin on and the other to follow the intricately carved arches. "I had... I had hoped..."
"That they'd accept you?" Rog offered, pressing a gentle kiss on the bare shoulder his hair-shenanigans had freed.
"That they'd accept themselves." Egalmoth choked, returning his face to his pillow. "They had come here... I thought..." If not for elvish hearing, the smith probably would not have been able to catch the muffled words. "They only came to congratulate me in person..."
He merely hummed questioningly at that, combing through the recently de-knotted bit of hair. They remained in silence until he had finished detangling and had started braiding - though poorly since he never bothered with Noldorin hairstyles. At least it would keep it from getting a mess again... he hoped.
"Want to talk about it?" Using his superior strength - and a lack of resistance - the Lord of the Hammer of Wrath pulled his fiancé into his lap and settled against the headboard once he had finished.
"They..." The Lord of the Heavenly Arch sighed softly, burying his face in the strong neck before it rather than a pillow and dug both hands in the tunic of his lover. "Would you leave me?"
"Never." Remembering exactly how they had both come to Aman, Rog quickly amended himself. "Never willingly."
"Even if you think it'd be the best for me...?"
"Egalmoth..." There was no way to answer that question in a good way. "What happened?" Using the hand not holding the black-haired Lord in his lap, he gently forced the face up to meet tear-filled brown eyes with his own. "Where are these questions coming from?"
"That's why they left me..." Egalmoth whispered. "Because they think they'd drag me down..." He laughed brokenly, several tears escaping his selfcontrol. "After all... who has heard of a Lord that is the son of the cleaningstaff of a minor noble... or even just a rich trader, I have not checked lately if she got the title she wanted by now." He hid behind his hands briefly to regain his selfcontrol. "It's just... when they came here..." He swallowed a few times. "I thought they'd had realized how... stupid it was... Only to remember it isn't. There is no vertical movement in Noldor-society, except if you happen to catch the eye of a noble or have a skill of great renown... And what do I have? The dubious luck that my King asked me to oversee road-maintenance and I gathered followers from that."
"Oh, my love..." He pulled him close, tucking the other securely in his arms. "That is why you never talked with them after your rebirth?"
"Yes..." The shivering form whispered. "They... they didn't want me to get connected back to them. Didn't want the father of Turgon's already dubious heir to get connected back to something as low as cleaners." He sobbed softly, turning his face back into the cradle of Rog's shoulder.
"Sssh..." He didn't have much skill with Song, but he had some. Singing softly, he coaxed the smaller form into a gentle, dreamless sleep, rocking him carefully.
