“Ah, Celeborn, so good to see you.” Elrond bowed to his father-in-law as the elder elf dismounted from his horse. “I did not expect you to be part of the escort.”

The silver-haired ellon smiled warmly. “Any additional time I am able to spend with my grandsons, I am grateful for.” Here in the courtyard, the other reason for his visit was not discussed, but the look exchanged between them needed no words. Ever since the Celebrian had sailed, Celeborn spent time here and there in Imladris, comforting his son-in-law and old friend. It began first as late nights in discussion and counsel, later becoming more intimate in nature. Elrond had worried after the first night what Galadriel would think of such a thing, but was assured by Celeborn that it had been foreseen. There were still many things for Elrond to accomplish, and he had his children to think about. Whatever they could do to aid the peredhel would be done.

“Please. Join me in my study for a drink and conversation?” offered Elrond.

A simple nod and a smile. “Thank you. I would enjoy that.”

“As would I.”

---

Finally, finally home. After so long in Lothlorien, which they loved, they were back in the familiarity of the homely house. Everywhere they went were friendly faces and gleeful waves to the pair who walked down the well-worn halls, greeting all they saw. They made the first stop at their sister’s door, teasing Arwen playfully as they always did, and presenting her with gifts and trifles from their grandmother- ‘girlie’ things, of which they showed no interest or knowledge, but things which made their youngest sibling squee in delight.

Another walk down the hallway, to stop by the offices of the council members. Polite but brief conversation was held with each of them, including Glorfindel although he was readying for a turn on the borders and had little time to talk. They excused themselves, and once more trekked down the halls. Turning a corner into an empty corridor, Elladan slid his brother a sidelong glance, which was returned with a smirk just before Elrohir found himself pinned up against the wall.

“Mmm, Dan, be good. Stop now, not until we get to our room.”

Elladan pretended to have not heard as he sucked on his brother’s lower lip before sealing his mouth over Elrohir’s. They paused only when they were both panting for breath. “No, I had to be good these past three years. No more of that nonsense.” His fingers were already working on the fastenings of the younger ellon’s shirt, and he bent his head to nip at the sensitive flesh between shoulder and neck. Elrohir squirmed but did not object, a moan leaving his lips.

“We both need to be able to walk to breakfast tomorrow,” grinned Elrohir as Elladan pulled him into a dark alcove upon hearing voices down the hallway.

“Oh, but I want you,” sighed Elladan, reaching down to take hold of his twin’s rear. Pulling him closer, he leaned into Elrohir, rubbing his erection against the younger’s length, which was just beginning to harden.

Dragging his finger down his brother’s back, Elrohir leaned his head onto Elladan’s shoulder. “Dan, should we... take this somewhere else?”

“Bedroom?” questioned Elladan, continuing to grind against his twin.

“I was actually thinking of someone else’s bedroom,” admitted his mirror image.

---

Conversation had long ago turned to gentle whispers and breathless gasps after the wine had run dry. The more formal items of Elrond’s attire were piled upon Celeborn’s discarded riding cloak and a grey-green vest. Before breeches, shirts, and undergarments were removed, Celeborn leaned back in the chair away from Elrond’s deepening kisses.

“Something the matter?” questioned the lord of the valley from his perch upon his lover’s lap.

Giving the younger elf a thoughtful look, Celeborn asked, “How is your chief counselor these days?”

“Well, I believe.” A smile tugged at the corners of Elrond’s mouth. “Shall we pay him a visit this eve? I am positive he would appreciate making your reacquaintance.”

---

Elladan’s hand was poised to knock upon the wooden door when motion down at the other end of the hallway caught his eye. Instantly, he knew it was his father and grandfather, and he nudged Elrohir and nodded down at the pair. “They are going to see us here,” he hissed into his twin’s ear.

“Dan, I think this is where they are coming,” whispered Elrohir back.

Indeed, the destination of both pairs was the same. Celeborn noticed first, bumping his elbow against his son-in-law’s bicep. Elrond looked up from the floor, eyes widening as he looked to Celeborn.

It would be silly now to pretend they were simply strolling down the hallway, so they came to a stop at their intended goal. “Well, then,” said Celeborn as he was the first to speak, “need we pretend why we are here?”

“We were here first,” came Elladan’s reply, and he rose up to stand at his full height, which made him taller than his father, but still not quite eyelevel with his grandfather.

With a narrowed look at his eldest child, Elrond reminded him, “It is my valley.”

“Yes, but still, Ada,” complained Elrohir, “we were here before you!”

“Only just,” guessed Celeborn, to which Elrohir shrugged, but Elladan did not budge.

“I am sure travel has made you both weary,” said Elrond, attempting another tactic. “I can have one of the maids sent up with warm water for a bath and bakery from the kitchen.”

Elladan rolled his eyes. “We are not younglings, Adar. We will not be bribed.”

“Send up two maids and one of the pretty young ellyn from the stables, and we will think about it,” offered Elrohir. “Make that two ellyn from the stables, and one from the armory, with the maids,” amended Elrohir as Elladan pinched him and laughed.

“You are not about to turn my staff into whores,” warned Elrond.

“You seem to have no trouble doing it,” muttered Elladan. His words were met with a glare. “Besides, Adar, they are only whores if we pay them for it. If they do so on their own accord, they are merely sluts.”

---

The commotion in the hallway had brought Erestor to his door, where he had pressed his ear to the wood. Knowing they were not likely to silence themselves anytime soon, and not wishing to bring anyone else into the area for obvious reasons, he yanked the door open.

His sudden reaction left everyone on the other side speechless. Looking first to twin beauties standing to the right, and then to the pair of elven lords on the left, Erestor sighed lightly. “Are you not going to come in?” he prodded, and leaving it at that, turned and walked back to his bed, which had been turned down for purposes of sleeping. Now, he tucked the blankets back into place whilst listening to the four elves at the door maneuver their way into the room.

“This is rather awkward,” said Erestor calmly once the door had been closed. Celeborn had settled himself in one of the large plush chairs while his grandsons stood near the wall. Elrond had been the one to close the door, and now, realizing who all was standing about, cleared his throat.

“Perhaps we had best all go back to our rooms,” he suggested.

Elladan snorted and mumbled to his brother, “Because he wants Erestor to himself and will come back later.”

“Your father has no intention to do such a thing,” scolded their grandsire gently, but Erestor was already walking back to them, his hands up as he shook his head.

“I will not tolerate discord in my home,” he told him in an even tone. “We all know why we are here; now leave me a moment to sort things out.” Erestor closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. It was not the first time that such a thing had happened, but normally when more than one lonely or lustful elf showed up on his doorstep at the same time as another, there were no more than two at a time. This was new- and yet, somewhat exciting.

One was easy; two was even better. Four seemed practically impossible, no matter how he arranged it, unless he had a little help. “The only way I can see it,” spoke Erestor, “is that I can accommodate two of you, but not all of you at the same time. However, so conveniently, you have all a partner. So, the question is simply, who shall be placed where, and I do think things will work out.”

Elrohir touched Elladan gently on the shoulder, and Elladan nodded with a doting smile, drawing his fingers through his younger brother’s hair, and kissing the top of his head. Elladan was the dominate one; their positions were never a question. On the other side of the room, things were not so easy.

Elrond made a motion for Erestor to come with him to the window, and the pair stood in quiet council while the twins nuzzled against one another and their grandfather looked about for some wine. “Erestor, perhaps it best if we return later.”

“Later I will be sleeping,” said Erestor curtly. “I apologize,” he said quickly, “for my tone. It is only that I wish to arise early to see off Glorfindel before he leaves for his month’s tour on the borders. I cannot handle multiple encounters tonight.”

“That I understand,” nodded Elrond, not about to begrudge Erestor a chance to see his good friend. Council meetings were always terse without Glorfindel’s guidance, for it put Erestor and others in his party at a disadvantage against the other members of council. With Glorfindel, the votes would split, and on occasion, the golden warrior could win over those from the other side on some issues. “But Erestor, Celeborn is not submissive, and I will not have my sons see me taken before them by their grandfather.”

“And yet you have no trouble watching the two of them, like that,” Erestor whispered, nodded in the direction of the twins.

Looking over briefly, Elrond addressed Erestor once more. “They have been doing that since they passed their majority. It is something I simply have become accustomed to seeing.”

This was of course true; the easy explanation for it being the inbreeding of the royal elven families. The more difficult answer had to do with the two ellyn sharing a single soul, but either way, their family members had simply accepted that the twins shared a deep love for one another. Although they would never engage in such displays in public, and most certainly not in front of their grandmother, here they felt perfectly at ease.

“I doubt they will much care what you are going to be doing once we begin,” Erestor assured him, but again, Elrond shook his head. Taking a deep breath, and letting it slowly out, Erestor rubbed his chin. “Is Celeborn very large or not?”

“You know the answer to that,” started Elrond, but Erestor chuckled softly.

“I do not have a ready catalog in my brain of the width and length of every cock in Middle-earth,” he said. “Neither of you come here all that frequently, Elrond, you can not expect me to have such things memorized from a few chance visits.”

“Not very,” Elrond finally answered. “Though, elves in glass houses need not throw stones,” he added, more to himself than to Erestor.

Giving him a nod, Erestor said, “If you can be patient, and if he can as well, I think we may have another option.”

---

“How can you watch Grandfather and Ada like that,” asked Elrohir, unable to keep from giggling at the mere thought of it. He was sitting on Elladan’s lap, bare except his leggings, and nibbling on the nape of his twin’s neck.

Elladan, eyes half closed at the attention he was receiving, petted Elrohir’s head and spoke into his ear. “This is most enlightening; I would never have guessed that into such a small space could fit so much.”

On the bed, Celeborn had laid down with his head at the foot of it. Erestor was atop him, but it was the silver elf’s length that had penetrated the dark elf above after much careful preparation from Elrond. The peredhel was continuing to prepare Erestor, using two fingers as Celeborn entered and exited so slowly it seemed sometimes as if no one was moving.

Elrond was lubricating his fingers constantly, every few strokes. When he added a third to the already filled passage, Erestor reached behind and grabbed hold of his arm, then slowly moved at his own pace until he gave a nod and allowed the pair of elf lords to continue their task.

“Go on, then,” came Erestor’s voice suddenly. “I am ready for you. Slow.”

Elrond withdrew his fingers as Erestor lifted up, sliding almost completely off of Celeborn. Slicking his own erection, Elrond positioned the head at Erestor’s entrance. He was knelt behind his counselor, one hand positioning his member, while the other was on Erestor’s hip. With his lips parted slightly and teeth clenched in concentration, Elrond guided himself into Erestor while the dark elf slid back again, impaled once more onto Celeborn, but with Elrond penetrating him now as well.

“Ready, darling?” asked Elladan, patting Elrohir’s backside before prodding him to stand up.

With the intense sensation of being doubly filled by both Elrond and Celeborn bombarding his brain, Erestor hardly realized that the twins had joined them near the bed until something hard and musky pressed at his slightly parted lips. “Open wide,” said a voice, and after licking his lips, Erestor complied. The salty fluid lingered on his tongue as he relaxed his jaw and pressed his lips around the shaft that was entering his mouth.

A thrust from behind made him jerk forward, taking Elrohir down his throat abruptly. Erestor heard the younger twin groan, and he felt the peredhel’s hands on his head, sliding through his hair. Elrohir began to pick up on the rhythm being set on the other end by his father while behind him, Elladan picked up the discarded jar of greasy salve. Fingers were coated, and Elrohir’s passage was slicked in preparation of his brother’s entry.

Watching carefully, Elladan waited until he saw Elrohir moving back towards him. As his brother did this, he aligned himself, and brought Elrohir back, impaling him onto his hard erection. As Erestor bobbed forward, the brothers moved in tandem, and Elrohir entered Erestor again, this time with an extra push from behind. Erestor let out a muffled gasp, wedged now between the two pairs of lovers as they increased the intensity of their thrusting.

The slow speed at which Elrond needed to go to be sure that Erestor was not injured kept him on the edge of ecstasy much longer than usual. At the bottom of everything, tightly inserted into Erestor, Celeborn was enjoying his position, and began to suckle the perspiring skin of Erestor’s chest and neck, leaving marks of passion as he went. Erestor himself was unable to protest if he had wanted, for his mouth was otherwise occupied, and inconveniently full, his throat straining from the vigor with which he was being repeatedly entered.

Elrohir, having a dual onslaught of pleasure to deal with himself, tightened his hold on the dark elf’s head and began moving with abandon. Elladan increased his efforts, and soon Elrohir was releasing himself down Erestor’s throat. As he slid his limp member out from between the darkened lips with a sigh, his brother removed himself from his channel. The younger brother sat down on the edge of the bed, watching with great interest as Elladan placed two fingers beneath Erestor’s chin and tilted his head back up.

“My turn,” he purred, and pressed his solid shaft forward, down Erestor’s semen-coated throat. Unlike Elrohir, whose motion had been timed with everyone else, Elladan was close to the edge already. He spent little time within Erestor’s mouth before he, too, was spent. A mouthful of sticky iridescence followed as Elladan pulled away, and Erestor somehow managed to spit it away from Celeborn as the dual assault of his back passage continued.

Lost in his own world of thought, Elrond came forward again and again, with gentle thrusts. Despite being slow, the tight grip on him and the feeling of Celeborn’s own length within the same sheath drove him mad with desire to reach climax. Reaching past Erestor in order to take hold of one of Celeborn’s hands, Elrond squeezed the older ellon’s fingers, and began to move just a little rougher, creating more friction between their erections. As soon as Elrond felt the warmth of Celeborn’s release, he, too, was able to let go, one hand in Celeborn’s and the other firmly holding Erestor’s hip as the peredhel cried out, then relaxed.

It took another few minutes for the pair to withdraw themselves from Erestor and maneuver him onto his back so that Celeborn could stand. The twins were seated together in the big chair, nuzzling and cuddling one another. As Celeborn pulled down the blanket and tucked it around the worn-looking elf on the bed, Elrohir stood up and asked, “Would you like help cleaning up quick?”

“Ah... no... I...” Erestor panted, weary and feeling suddenly so alone and abandoned.

“Did you need something?” prodded Elrond, already looking about for his discarded clothing.

Erestor did not miss the fact that he was not even acknowledged as he was addressed. “No, nothing.”

“Thank you,” said Celeborn as he was handed his clothes. He bent down at the side of the bed, and taking one of Erestor’s hands, kissed the inside of the palm. The thanks of the twins was mumbled as they hastily left the room after getting dressed. Elrond offered his, and leaned in for a kiss, but quickly decided against this upon remembering where Erestor’s mouth had been, and awkwardly offered a hug before leaving the room.

Then he was alone. Candles had been blown out without regard as to whether or not he wished this to be done. There were small white puddles adorning the bottom of the blanket, which he knew might stain come the morning, but he left them. Erestor was so tired, he barely bothered to wipe the remainder from the corner of his mouth and cheek, and did nothing about the warmth that was seeping from his rear orifice.

Turning onto his side, he allowed his hand to wander down beneath the covers to grasp his erection, still hard, still untouched that evening. It was smooth, but not slick, and now he reached behind, sliding his fingers into his stretched entrance. His fingers came out slick, and he wiped them along his length before repeating the process until he was satisfied.

His fingers curled around the hard muscle, and as he closed his eyes, he began to stimulate himself. Wondering how all of the others could have forgotten about him, he finally became disgusted at some of the possibilities. Letting go of himself, Erestor flopped onto his back, staring up at the ceiling until reverie brought him peaceful oblivion.

---

It was early when Glorfindel arose, well before the sun was up. Stretching his limbs, he climbed sleepily from his bed and went to the open window, leaning on the sill. Yawning as the last remnants of slumber eased themselves away the golden warrior listened to the songs of the early morning birds and the faintest trickle heart from the nearest waterfall. There was a lovely peace about the valley at this time of day that he reveled in.

After his quiet time of introspection, he began to gather the few items he would need for his month away from the house that were not already in the satchel near the door. Two months of the year he was away, and though it was an enjoyable thing and always an adventure of some sort, there was also the hassle of it all that he hated.

Breakfast would be available from sun up until the ringing of the first council bells. Glorfindel had said his farewells to all but he best of friends, and knew that Erestor would not be up early enough for the very start of breakfast. Using this time to dress, close his windows, and generally tidy up, Glorfindel smiled wistfully to himself.

It was no secret that he showed affection towards the darker ellon, but what no one else knew was that he harbored deeper feelings for Erestor than he showed. Erestor, however, was not the sort of elf one took home to meet their parents. From the first day they had met when Glorfindel had been returned and entered the valley, he could plainly see that Erestor favored promiscuity to a monogamous relationship.

A number of times, Glorfindel had gently brought up the subject in an attempt to reason Erestor’s decision, or more hopefully, to convince him to try otherwise. Every time Glorfindel tried, Erestor had cleverly changed the subject. And so, they had simply grown to being good friends; very good and close friends, due to the fact, if anyone had asked Glorfindel, that they had never shared a bed with one another.

Breakfast came and went, and as the bells chimed, Glorfindel scanned the hall with a troubled look. Erestor’s days were long and taxing; he hardly if ever missed breakfast. In the case that the counselor had taken his meal in private, Glorfindel wandered down to the offices, but found them empty. Passing by the council chambers, he looked into the windows, but did not see Erestor anywhere within the room, where debates were already in progress.

Already late in leaving, Glorfindel reentered the residential area of the house, and strolled down the hallways until reaching the corridor where he would find Erestor’s door. He knocked politely, waiting for an answer.

On the other side of the door, Erestor awoke with a start. It was the second time that day- the first had been when one of the messengers brought a sealed note from Elrond suggesting that the rest of the day be taken off. After crawling back into bed, Erestor did not wish to get out again. He mumbled greetings in the direction of the door and bid the knocker to enter, hoping he had been heard.

Glorfindel found the door unlocked, and entered as he had been instructed. He immediately noticed Erestor, still in bed, and after closing the door, went to him. “Erestor, are you alright? Are you ill or injured?”

“No, nay, I simply had a long night,” came the strained answer.

Close enough now to take in the disarray of the bed and the elf within, Glorfindel shook his head. “I can see that,” he answered darkly, pulling back the blanket halfway.

“Give that back,” demanded Erestor harshly, tugging the covers back.

“What the hell happened to you?” questioned Glorfindel, touching one of the harsher looking marks on Erestor’s neck where Celeborn had left a bruise that was nearly black.

“I told you. Long night.” Erestor was sitting up now, wrapping the blankets around him. “Did you need something?”

“I just came to say I would see you in a month’s time,” replied Glorfindel. He considered for a moment, then added, “I also wanted to see how you were. I was worried when you missed breakfast.”

“I am not hungry this morning.” Pulling the blanket closer, he added, “I had more than enough to eat last night.”

Shaking his head at the poor joke that was made, Glorfindel said softly, “I wish you would just stop doing this.”

“Well,” spoke Erestor after an exasperated sigh, “this is just who I am and what I do. I cannot just stop, Glorfindel, I cannot just make it all go away.”

“Yes, you can,” insisted Glorfindel.

Erestor snorted. “You make it sound so easy. You just think you know everything,” he said, staring off at the wall.

Glorfindel grabbed hold of Erestor’s chin, forcing him to look up. “I know a hell of a lot, and one thing I know is you only do what you want to do; and you do have the power to stop if you really want. I do not think that your life is what you want it to be right now. No more of this. You deserve better than this life.” His hand moved behind Erestor’s head, pulling the dark hair back as he fisted his hand in it. “You need to stop being such a slut. Is that what you want others to think of you as?”

Frustrated and angry, Erestor’s eyes darkened and his mouth drew into a straight line. Glorfindel gave his hair another tug back.

“Everyone uses you because you let them. Is that what you want? Do they really care about what you need? I sincerely doubt it.” Still firmly keeping a hold on Erestor, Glorfindel lowered one knee onto the mattress and knelt down so his face was very close to Erestor’s. “If you were my lover, I wouldn’t let anyone else touch a single hair on your body. You would be mine, and you would have no want for anyone else.”

When Erestor began to look away, Glorfindel forced him to look back once again. “Did you hear me?”

“You would soon enough cast me aside,” answered Erestor. “I tried having a ‘relationship’ once,” he said, the word bitter in his mouth. “I was not ‘exciting’ enough for him. I was not ‘daring’ enough for him. And when I did not allow him to bring another to our bed, I was not ‘accepting’ enough for him.”

“So, now you whore yourself,” replied Glorfindel.

“No! Now I am just as he wanted, just as he would have liked. Only now, he can not have me. I would not let him.”

The grip Glorfindel had on Erestor’s hair loosened. “Just where is this charming ellon you speak of.”

“I... do not really know,” admitted the darker elf. “I think... he may have sailed some years before the war.”

“What?!” Glorfindel took hold of Erestor’s shoulders, restraining himself from shaking the slighter ellon. “He left that long ago, and still, you torment yourself with this life?”

“I do what I want,” spat Erestor back. “I shall do what I like.”

“I think,” growled Glorfindel, “your attempt to get back at him failed, and you cannot accept it. I think, you really do not wish to live this life.”

“Who cares what you think,” muttered Erestor, but his voice was not as certain as it had been.

Pulling Erestor closer and taking a grip on his chin again, Glorfindel said with force, “You may think this is what you want, you may truly even believe this is what you want, but this is not what you need.”

“And just what do I need, oh, wise one?” Erestor’s voice dripped with sarcasm as he focused his eyes on a spot across the room.

“You need-“ Glorfindel roughly extended his fingers so that they and his thumb dug into Erestor’s cheeks and gained his attention once again. “You need someone to tell you to stop this behavior. You need someone who will come to your bed because they love you, not because they want to pleasure themselves with your body and leave you a moment later until they next crave your flesh. You need to get it through your thick head that you are not some thing to be used and tossed aside until things get monotonous and you are sought out.”

“Right, and I suppose you nominate yourself for the position,” came the bored response.

“Do you know how much it hurts me to see you like this? Do you even know what it is that I see?” Glorfindel let go of Erestor, and pulled the mirror off of the wall and held before him, so that Erestor could see the reflection. “Look! Look at what I see when I come here!”

“Honestly, Glorfindel, give me that,” Erestor said, taking a swipe for the mirror. He missed grabbing it, and nearly fell off the bed as Glorfindel took a step away.

Continuing to extend the mirror for Erestor, Glorfindel said, “Look at the way you are. Covered in the passion marks of others- so many others, I am certain you have lost count by now. Those long dark robes do a magnificent job of covering them up, though,” he told him. “And then we have the evidence of your lover from last night; obviously an insatiable one,” he noted.

“There were four of them,” Erestor shot back. The mirror was successfully retrieved when Glorfindel, dumbfounded, lowered his arm to look upon Erestor with something akin to pity. “Just go, Glorfindel. Go out to the forest and the borders; I am sure you are late already.”

“I am not about to be chased away, dammit!” roared the balrog slayer, grabbing hold of the mirror and smashing it down across the side of the nightstand. Tossing the broken frame into the bits of reflective glass on the floor, he once more took possession of Erestor’s chin, so hard that the smaller elf thought his jaw would be crushed. “I am leaving, but on my own accord. When I return, I expect to find you have stopped sleeping with everything in this valley that moves on two legs.”

“You cannot make me,” sneered Erestor.

Now, Glorfindel ruefully smiled, only just slightly. “I will not have to. When I leave, you will think on what I have said. You are intelligent, and you will realize that everything I have said is true. You are a slut, you are being used, and neither is something you truly wish to be. I love you, and I have for a long time; you know deep down that this is true, or else I would not still be standing here. Now go and take a bath,” he added, removing his hand, “for I never again wish to smell anyone’s scent on your body, save my own.”

“You... fucking bastard,” Erestor cursed, “how dare you!”

Glorfindel took a long look at Erestor, before turning around and walking to the door. “I shall send a maid to fetch hot water for your bath,” called out Glorfindel as he left. “No doubt you have years of filth to scrub off before I have returned.” With those words, he left the room.

---

A month passed before Glorfindel next saw the homely house. As inviting as it was, the peredhel standing before it did not look quite so friendly.

“What did you say to him?”

Glorfindel dismounted, taking his time in removing his riding gloves. “And good day to you as well, m’lord. What did I say to whom?” he asked Elrond, though it was merely to buy time, for he knew damn well what he said and to whom.

“You know damn well what you said and to whom,” Elrond shot back. Glorfindel smirked. “You think it funny? I used to have a very relaxed counselor, easy to work with, both during and after office hours. Now, I have... a brooding, dark, sarcastic, celibate mess on my hands!”

“Really?” Glorfindel eased the grin from his face. “Well, I suppose he took my advice, then.”

Crossing his arms over his chest, Elrond gave Glorfindel a questioning look. “And? Just what would that have been?”

“That he’s on the payroll as your counselor, not your whore,” answered Glorfindel before entering the house.

Glorfindel’s first destination was not Erestor’s quarters, as one might think. Instead, he went to the kitchen to request a meal be prepared and brought to Erestor’s rooms later. Then, he located a maid, asked her to bring water to his rooms for a bath, and then went to find the twins. They were in the library, seated across from one another with their feet propped up on a table between them. A stack of books hid the fact that they wore no shoes and were caressing each other’s feet as they read. “Clever,” remarked Glorfindel as he strolled over and sat down in another nearby chair.

Elrohir grinned as Elladan snickered and then stood up, stepping over to Glorfindel to give his former tutor and ‘uncle’ a hug. “So good to see you, Uncle Fin,” he said as Elrohir stood and then did the same. “Any wargs or orcs to keep you busy?”

“Only my thoughts,” admitted the warrior. “Has either of you had dealings with Erestor as of late?”

“Not much since you left,” Elladan said as he sat back down. “He has been keeping to himself as of late; very gloomy if you ask my opinion.”

Glorfindel nodded and idly looked over a few books left on another low table by the last occupant of the chair. “I know the two of you are aware of much that goes on in the halls,” he finally said, and the twins smugly exchanged looks that seemed to confirm this. “Have you seen anyone going in and out of the dear counselor’s rooms in the evenings?”

“I think we were the last, actually,” Elladan eventually said after a few looks between the brothers. “The night before you went on patrol. Unless you count Ada and grandfather,” he added, but Elrohir shot him a look to say no more.

“Oh?” Glorfindel tried to act indifferent as his blood boiled. “When were they there last?”

“Maybe we should not say anything about that,” Elrohir said cautiously.

Glorfindel shrugged. “I am only curious. Who would I tell, anyway?”

The twins held conference silently while Glorfindel picked up one of the books and flipped through it. “It was the same night we were there,” spoke Elladan. Glorfindel snapped the book closed. “We were all there together.”

Closing his mouth before his jaw could hit the ground, Glorfindel nodded numbly. “I see. A family affair, then,” he added.

“I suppose,” answered Elladan with a chuckle, nudging Elrohir, who after a nervous moment’s pause, did the same. They stopped when they saw that Glorfindel was not amused. “Why do you ask? Why your sudden interest in the little slut?”

The book in Glorfindel’s hands came down an inch from their toes, and instantly the pair removed their feet from the table. All around, other patrons looked up from what they were doing. “If I ever hear that word used regarding Erestor again,” growled Glorfindel in a voice so low only the peredhil could hear, “it may very well be the last word spoken by whoever utters it.” Then, he smiled, the warm, golden smile they were so familiar with, and gave each of them a pat on the shoulder, which made them stiffen in their seats. “Have a good evening,” he said, and he stepped over the table to leave the library.

Taking a bath served the dual purpose of cleansing himself of the grime of his tour and giving him a chance to think in private. Once finished, he redressed in clothes meant for lounging and set off in the direction of Erestor’s quarters. As he walked down the hallway, Glorfindel passed by one of the kitchen maids, and knew from they way she walked unburdened that she had likely just brought the meal to Erestor’s room. Upon reaching the door, he knocked carefully and listened for sound from within.

“I left it open,” came the response, and Glorfindel let himself into the room.

Quietly closing the door behind him, Glorfindel noted that there was indeed a tray with food and wine sitting on a table between the two large overstuffed chairs that Erestor owned. Erestor was in one of these, with his back to the door, and had already opened and partaken of the wine. “Good evening, Erestor.”

“Right,” he answered with a sigh while Glorfindel neared the chairs.

The blond paused and placed his hands on the back of Erestor’s chair, looking to the bed. “Different sheets,” he remarked, seeing that the dark green and blue blankets had been exchanged for softer looking cream and raspberry hued ones.

“I had to burn the others. I could not get the smell out. Anyway,” he shrugged, “I hate the colors.”

“Of the new ones or the old ones?” wondered Glorfindel.

Erestor set the goblet down on the table. “Why are you here?”

“To have dinner with you; I thought that much was obvious,” answered Glorfindel, moving to take a seat in the other chair. He poured himself a glass of wine before setting the bottle aside and picking up a slice of buttered bread. “Are you not hungry?”

No verbal answer came from Erestor, who glared at the bed and sipped his wine. As Glorfindel moved on to spooning a bowl of stew for himself, Erestor’s curiosity got the better of him, and he glanced very briefly to his companion.

The look was not lost on Glorfindel. “Did you want some?” he asked, but already he was preparing a bowl for the darker elf. “Here,” he said, putting a spoon into it before passing it across the table. Slowly, Erestor did take the bowl from him.

Deciding not to force conversation, Glorfindel allowed them to eat in silence. He was nearly finished with his dessert when an impatient knock sounded at the door. Placing his plate of chocolate cake onto the table, he looked to Erestor, but the dark elf had been startled to hear the knock himself. Standing up, Glorfindel pointed a finger at Erestor- a signal that he should stay put. Disgruntled but cooperative, Erestor stayed where he was as Glorfindel moved to the door, where another knock came.

Just as he was about to reach for the handle, whoever was on the other side took hold of it. Glorfindel stepped back as the door was opened inward. “Erestor, thank the Valar- I was hoping your door would be un- locked- who are you?”

Glorfindel narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. “I live here,” Glorfindel said sternly. “More importantly, who are you?”

“Oh... oh, well, do you know which rooms Erestor is residing in these days?” asked the silvery haired blond, peeking around Glorfindel’s shoulder to see that Erestor was sitting in the room, peering around the chair. “Ah! I am at the right door!” The lean soldier tried to take a step inside, but Glorfindel stopped him with the palm of his hand on the intruder’s chest. “Oh, come now, surely we can share him,” said the guard with a wink.

“Rumil, you should leave.” Erestor’s voice was quiet, but firm.

“What?” Rumil chuckled. “No, come now, Erestor. Last time you told me to come back whenever I wanted. And now, I want to come back,” he drawled, rather predatorily.

Giving the shorter ellon a bit of a shove towards the hallway, Glorfindel said, “All previous offers are null and void. Now go, before I get angry.”

Rumil did take a step back now, giving Glorfindel a good look as if sizing up the larger warrior. “I see. So now we go through you to get to him?”

“No. Now you leave before my fist goes through your head.”

Blinking in shock, Rumil gave a snort. “A fine way to treat guests,” he huffed, and with one final glare at Erestor, the Lorien elf left down the corridor.

Glorfindel closed and locked the door. Erestor was already back to sitting in his chair, staring at the bed. Walking over to the darkling, Glorfindel leaned over the chair and kissed the top of Erestor’s head. “He will not bother you anymore,” he said reassuringly.

“I hate you.”

“Excuse me?” Glorfindel came around the side of the chair, not at all surprised by the reaction. He had expected this at some point. Actually, he was surprised, but only that it had not come earlier. “I did not quite catch that,” he lied.

“You ruined me life!” shouted Erestor, his fingers clawing into the arms of his chair. “Everything was fine before you came in here that day.”

“Yes, I suppose I did,” answered Glorfindel sarcastically. “I forgot how perfect it is to be fucked by total strangers night after night, left in sweat-soaked sheets reeking of sex. I neglected to think of the advantages of being used for the sexual desires of others without any thought to your well-being. Honestly, what was I thinking?” He finished by shaking his head and picking up his goblet of wine again.

Erestor kicked his heel into the base of his chair and growled in the back of his throat. “You stupid... arrhhh.” Another kick. “I could just slap you right now.”

Glorfindel took a large gulp of wine before replacing his goblet on the table. “Go ahead.” He stood with his hands entwined behind his back.

For a moment, it seemed as if Erestor was simply going to mumble into his wine glass again, but then he stood up. Waiting to see if Glorfindel was going to step away, he then raised his hand and slapped the warrior across the cheek. The blond’s head hardly budged. “Done?” he asked in an unamused voice.

Snarling in frustration, Erestor raised his hand again, slapping Glorfindel with more force. This was followed by a barrage of light punches against the warrior’s chest, none of which did much damage to his muscled physique. When at last Erestor slowed down, his chest heaving and sweat on his brow, Glorfindel prodded him again. “Now are you done?”

Once more Erestor’s fist connected with Glorfindel’s shoulder blade, exhausting his strength. “Now I am,” he panted.

“Are you sure?” asked Glorfindel, his hands falling to his sides from where they had stayed behind his back. Besides the fading mark on his cheek, there were no signs he had been assaulted. Erestor nodded. “Good.” Without warning, Glorfindel pulled Erestor to the side as he lifted his leg up. Placing his foot on the seat of the chair, he bent Erestor brusquely over his knee. “You will NOT attack me AGAIN,” he stated harshly as his hand fell across Erestor’s backside.

Erestor squirmed, so Glorfindel managed to wrestle his wrists behind his back and hold them out of the way until after his finished. Then he shoved Erestor down into the chair. “No more,” he added, waving a finger in Erestor’s face.

“You... “ Erestor reached beneath his posterior, rubbing the place where the most contact had been made. “You hit me!”

“You hit me first,” Glorfindel answered simply.

“But... but you gave me a spanking!”

Nodding as he picked up his goblet again, Glorfindel let out a sigh. “If you act like a child, I will treat you like a child. Adults talk things out; they do not hit one another to solve things.”

“You told me to!” screamed Erestor, pounding the arm of the chair with his fist.

“No. I told you that you could. I never made you do anything. Just like I never made you lock your door; I never made you stop sleeping with everyone in the house. I never made you do any of that. I told you what you should do; I never said you had to listen.”

“Yes, you did!” argued Erestor. His fist slammed down on the chair again. “You told me to clean myself up and stop what I was doing and to get rid of the smell, which, I should have just left just to spite you.”

“But you did not. Not because I told you; because you wanted to. You did all of that, not me. I never stood here forcing you to do any of it, did I?” Glorfindel waited for another outburst, but none came. “It is late, and I think we should get some rest.”

Kicking his heel back into the chair again, Erestor ground out, “I do not feel like going to bed yet.”

“Fine. Then do not. But if you insist on throwing a temper tantrum, like a child, I will spank you again.”

Erestor glared at Glorfindel’s back as the warrior walked to the bed and turned down the sheets. The pillows were fluffed and Glorfindel pulled the edge of one of the blankets up to his nose, inhaling the scent of paper and ink mingling with fresh air and the sea. In other words, Erestor. Glorfindel smiled, and with his eyes closed, he missed the small, fleeting smile on Erestor’s face.

But then Erestor remembered, he was supposed to be upset at the blond ellon. He turned his attention back to the food on the dinner tray, picking at the bowl of grapes that had gone mostly untouched before settling on another sip of wine.

“If you are done, I will clear it away. Otherwise, I am going to bed, and perhaps you might clean the table off before you turn in,” suggested Glorfindel as he pulled his tunic over his head and folded it up before neatly placing it on the chair he had been sitting on.

Looking over what was left, Erestor put his goblet onto the tray and shrugged, giving it a wave of his hand. Taking this to mean he was done, Glorfindel stacked everything back onto the tray, then took it to the hall and left it for the maid to collect later. He was mindful to close and lock the door again before returning to bed to find Erestor sitting on the edge of it. “Did you change your mind?”

“Am I allowed?”

“Of course.” Glorfindel turned away to take off his shirt, mostly so that his smirk would go unseen. “Should I leave my pants on before crawling in?”

“Ichh.” Erestor wrinkled his nose, and Glorfindel turned in time to catch his reaction.

There was a playful smile on the blond’s lips. “What?”

“Do you know where those clothes have been? And you are even thinking of putting them into the bed? That is just... disgusting.”

Speechless, Glorfindel lowered his breeches to the floor and kicked them off before flinging them over to join the rest of his clothing on the chair. Who knew that clothes would bother someone who would leave their sheets to be dirtied by the fluids of uncountable others? Glorfindel declined to voice this comment as he sat down on the bed and slid his legs beneath the covers, drawing them up to his waist.

Erestor stared at the bed for a few seconds before removing his own clothing and tossing it into a pile on the floor near the side of the bed. Walking over to the tables where candles were lit, he blew out all of the little flames before coming to the one by the side of the bed. Again he looked at Glorfindel, this time, their eyes meeting, before he let out a puff of air to extinguish the last flicker of light.

After comfortably draping his arm over Erestor, Glorfindel snuggled himself up so that his chest was against Erestor’s back. He could feel how tense the slighter ellon was, so he nuzzled his neck and asked, “How was your day?”

“How... was... my day?”

Glorfindel placed a chaste kiss on Erestor’s jaw, missing his cheek. “Yes. Was it good, was it bad, do I need to go into council tomorrow and punch someone for you?”

“Only if you are going to punch your fist through their head,” answered Erestor mischievously, thinking back to the words Glorfindel had said to Rumil. “Because that, I would like to see.”

“Really? Depending on who it is, it can be arranged.” A moment later, Glorfindel was laughing, and Erestor then joined him. “You know, I would never really punch my fist through someone’s head, right? I meant I would punch him; I have no idea how I came to say that- ye valar, I thought that little warden was going to piss himself!”

When Erestor let out a snort, it only served to make Glorfindel laugh harder. “Honestly, how was your day, my dear?”

The term of endearment made Erestor stifle his laughter into an uncomfortable silence. Finally he shrugged the shoulder that was pointed to the ceiling and mumbled, “It was alright. Just the usual- without you in the council, everyone was fighting with everyone else.”

“Really? I always wonder why the others become civil when I am around,” said Glorfindel, repositioning one of his legs over one of Erestor’s beneath the covers.

“Probably because you have that certain something that makes everyone submit to your will.” Erestor relaxed a little, expecting the inevitable.

“Maybe.” Nestling his head down onto his pillow, Glorfindel allowed a yawn to escape from his lips. “Well, tomorrow they shall be polite and congenial when I get there. Else, I shall have to threaten them with a fist through the head.” He chuckled softly, and stretched his neck to kiss the top of Erestor’s head. “Eru bless you, sweetheart. Good night.”

Erestor stared across the room in confusion for the next ten minutes, until he heard light snoring behind him. He managed to look over his shoulder to see that the blond’s head had lolled back so that his blank gaze was directed toward the ceiling.

His first thought was to wake Glorfindel, for surely he drifted into reverie unknowingly. But he had said good night, so perhaps his plan was for them to have sex in the morning instead. It certainly made more sense, for Glorfindel was likely tired from his travel that morning.

The even breathing against his back vibrated gently throughout his body, and Erestor decided to close his eyes and sleep without fear of someone suddenly entering his bedchamber in the middle of the night.

---

“Tomorrow I will be leaving for the borders,” Glorfindel informed Erestor over breakfast, a meal they now shared together in Erestor’s rooms, which had slowly become their rooms. Glorfindel slept there, eventually brought his possessions into the room over time, and over the past six months had moved everything that had once been in his rooms to mingle with the items in Erestor’s. The smell of fresh air and the sea was now joined by grass, earth, and occasionally the smoky scent of the Hall of Fire on nights when Glorfindel passed through the hall on his way home.

Erestor nodded. “You will return in a month,” he assumed, but Glorfindel shook his head.

“Two months.”

“Two months?!”

“Two months,” repeated Glorfindel as he peeled the rind from an orange.

Holding his mug of coffee between his hands, Erestor shook his head to clear it. “Why two months?”

“It is what Elrond decided upon,” Glorfindel said carefully. The truth of the matter was that he had requested some time off after his tour, to be spent away from Imladris. So, Elrond had decided that Glorfindel should take a month; however, his reason for this short holiday was something he wished to keep secret from Erestor.

Erestor slumped in his chair. “I will see you in two months then.” Suddenly realizing that with Glorfindel leaving that the blond might finally take the initiative to do something in bed other than sleep, Erestor straightened back up. “Is there anything I can do to help you get ready, then?”

“Impatient to be rid of me?” asked Glorfindel with a smile and a wink.

“No, I just thought-“ Erestor was interrupted by a sharp knock on the door. He looked to it with confusion as Glorfindel stood up and walked briskly over to open it. Although it had been months since anyone had come by looking for late night companionship, Glorfindel had still insisted upon opening the door whenever anyone called.

“Lord Glorfindel.” The page at the door bowed, looking out of breath. “Your horse has been readied and the rest of the party leaving for the borders has been assembled for more than an hour. I was sent to see if anything was the matter.”

“Oh, damn.” Glorfindel drummed his fingers on the side of the door. “Tell them I will be right there.” The page nodded emphatically and ran down the hallway as Glorfindel closed the door. “I miscalculated. I thought it was tomorrow that I left,” apologized Glorfindel as he began to gather what he needed as quickly as possible. “Can you find my other cloak, the heavy one?” he asked as he shoved this and that into a leather sack and slung it over his shoulder.

Pulling the requested garment from the closet, Erestor abandoned their breakfast to join Glorfindel as he hurried down the hall. “Two months and I will return. I am sure with the treaties the council is arguing over, you will not miss me for a moment.”

“You know that is not true,” said Erestor, rushing to keep up with Glorfindel’s pace. “Is there anything I should do while you are away?”

Pausing at the main door that led out to the courtyard, Glorfindel gave Erestor an adoring smile. “Nothing in particular that I can think of. Whatever you like- I trust you.” He pushed the door open, holding it for the dark elf before exiting himself.

“There you are. You had us worried.” Elrond, whose schedule had been free for the morning, had decided to see off the guards who would be swapping places with those finishing their tours of duty.

Elrohir, who had been standing alongside Asfaloth, handed the reigns to Glorfindel. “Stay safe, Uncle Fin,” he said, giving the older elf a quick hug before Elladan stepped over and did the same.

“Thank you. Take care of yourselves and your sister,” he answered back. Glorfindel waited until the twins wandered back to their father near the stairs and then glanced over at Erestor. All it took was a little frown to get the other ellon to come to his side. “Take care, Erestor. I am going to miss you while I am away.”

“I will miss you, too,” admitted Erestor. His bottom lip quivered as it hit him how long two months was going to be. “Eru bless you, Glorfindel, and keep you safe.”

“Thank you, sweetheart. And the same to you.” Ignoring everyone else in the courtyard, Glorfindel stepped closer and placed his hand on Erestor’s cheek, smiling as the touch was accepted and leaned into. “I love you.” Leaning in, his lips brushed Erestor’s, and he deepened the kiss when he was sure Erestor would not pull back. A second kiss graced Erestor’s forehead before Glorfindel broke their contact and mounted his horse.

As the party rode away, Erestor stood away from the other elves on the steps, watching the group of warriors disappear past the gate with a mix of emotions on his face. “Erestor? Are you alright?”

The counselor turned to find Elrond next to him, a look of concern on his face. “It was... just unexpected,” he said softly.

“What was? His departure?” asked Elrond in confusion.

“No, I knew he was leaving.” Erestor looked again in the direction of gate. “He just... never kissed me like that before.”

“I heard your tour was uneventful,” said Elrond as Glorfindel entered the Elven Lord’s study.

Glorfindel nodded, handing a bundle of letters from Mithlond to the peredhel. “It was quite peaceful, actually.”

“And you private holiday?” Elrond sorted through the stack quickly, leaving them to rest off on the side of his desk.

“I managed to get what I went there for,” Glorfindel confirmed, patting the bulged pocket of his vest. “Were you able to fulfill my indecent request?” he asked with some trepidation.

“Odd as it was, yes, I did,” answered Elrond grimly.

Curiosity got the better of him, and Glorfindel asked, “Which of them did you choose to send?”

“Neither.” Elrond stood up and pushed his chair back, making his way around the desk to where Glorfindel stood with narrowed eyes. “I nearly sent Elladan, but I decided since Celeborn is leaving in the morning-“

“Elrond, that is not what we agreed upon,” interrupted Glorfindel anxiously. “You said it would be one of the twins.”

“I said I would consider sending one of them. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense not to send them. He will have to see them on a regular basis, and so will you. If things become awkward, I will not have one of my sons at the center of it,” Elrond said firmly.

Reluctantly Glorfindel nodded, and then asked, “How long ago did he go to see him?”

“I sent him over as soon as I heard you had entered the courtyard.”

“Then I should go now, to see how he has faired this test,” said Glorfindel in a solemn voice, his hand dipping inadvertently into his pocket to finger the small box hidden there.

“Glorfindel.” Elrond placed a hand upon his friend’s shoulder, and gave him a reassuring smile. “Remember, this is a difficult task you set upon him, one he is not aware of. He has come far in the time you have been with him. If he falters, do not cast him aside for his failure. Continue to guide him; I have faith in you.”

Glorfindel bowed his head. “Thank you.”

---

Evenings found Erestor on the big chair that Glorfindel had favored during his time living in the rooms. His legs would be curled up on the seat with a blanket over his lap that upon further inspection it would be seen was actually the lighter of Glorfindel’s two cloaks. Most often, he read in the quiet solitude of the room, with a small fire flickering and candles glowing in the corners of the room. Sometimes, he painted. He had forgotten the enjoyment he had in the art, and now had time to dabble with his oils here and there.

When the knock came upon the door, Erestor threw the book onto the table and nearly tripped on the cloak as he raced across the room. Trying not to grin to widely, he took a moment to compose himself and then opened the door to let Glorfindel in.

Only it was not Glorfindel on the other side. “Good evening, counselor.”

“Uh... good... good evening, Lord Celeborn.” Erestor’s eyes darted about, checking the hallway for anyone else.

“I was just about to leave for Lothlorien,” said the silver-haired elf smoothly. “I thought I would come to say my farewells before I did.”

“I see. Safe journey to you,” Erestor responded quickly, and made to close the door, except that Celeborn’s foot was in the way.

“I am leaving in the morning.” He took a step forward, and Erestor let go of the door, taking a step back. “I thought we might spend a little time together before I go. You were such a charming host the last time.” Celeborn reached out and took hold of the retreating ellon’s hand, lifting it up to kiss his palm.

Nearly walking himself back into the chair, Erestor withdrew his hand and pointed at the door. “M’lord, you should go.”

“Do you not desire my company?” questioned the ellon in a soft, purring voice.

“I do not do that sort of thing anymore,” said Erestor. “Please leave.”

“What are you worried about? Your golden-haired watchdog?” Celeborn laughed in a friendly sort of manner. “Erestor, Erestor, Erestor, he is not due back until tomorrow afternoon. I will be long gone by then, and he shall never know. One last time, that is all I ask.”

“If you are leaving in the morrow, you should be with Elrond tonight,” reasoned Erestor, finding himself cornered. He stole around the side of the chair, and in his haste, the back of his knees knocked into the bed.

“But you are so eager, even though you play coy,” answered Celeborn as Erestor lost his balance and landed hard on the bed.

A sob caught in the back of his throat. “I said for you to leave! I will scream for help!”

“You will scream, but not for help, my dear,” Celeborn corrected as he descended upon Erestor, leaning in close. “Give me a kiss, sweetling, and then tell me you do not desire this.”

“No! No I will not, now go!”

“Mmm, I like playing this game, too,” Celeborn growled.

“Enough.” Glorfindel stepped in through the doorway, having listened to most of the conversation from right outside the door. Immediately, Celeborn stepped away, and looked around at Glorfindel, waiting for further instruction. “Thank you. That was all I needed to know. Please, enjoy your last night here,” he added as an afterthought.

Celeborn clasped Glorfindel’s arm on the way out and gave it a squeeze. “Good night.” Celeborn stopped at the doorway and looked across the room at Erestor, who was sitting on the edge of the bed in bewilderment, shaking slightly. “I am sorry. I was asked to come here. I hope you harbor no ill will toward me- I do enjoy your company, and not only on a sexual level, counselor. Good evening.” The Elven Lord closed the door on his way out, and Glorfindel stepped over to lock it.



When he turned around, he found the same glare from many months ago trained upon him. “You planned all of that,” spat Erestor, his fingers digging into the blankets as he fisted his hands.

Slowly, ambivalently, Glorfindel nodded. “I had to know what you would do.”

“So you do not trust me.”

“I do now. I had to be sure.” Walking forward, he said, “For me this is not some game. This is a very serious relationship we have begun, and knowing your past, it was all I could think to do. I am sorry if I hurt you, but I could not risk being hurt later if you were not as serious as I am. Put yourself in my place,” he tried.

Erestor looked off in another direction. “I may have done the same,” he admitted finally, “but I am still sore at you.”

“Understandable,” agreed Glorfindel. “If you want, you can slap me, I deserve it.”

“Oh, no,” Erestor declined, “we are not going to have that happen again.”

“I promise not to retaliate,” said Glorfindel, adding, “No spanking.”

Loosening his grip of the blankets, Erestor traced his finger over the pattern of the stitching on the thick, raspberry-colored quilt. “I have no desire to hurt you.”

Bending down, Glorfindel gave Erestor a kiss on the forehead before turning, planning to remove his travel clothing for something more comfortable. Suddenly, something smacked him on the top of the head. It was not very hard, and did not hit him very hard, but it was very noticeable. He made a grab for it, but Erestor was much quicker, and the pillow connected with his hip.

~WHAP!~

“Wait a minute! Not fair to attack one who is unarmed!” shouted Glorfindel as he made a grab for the other pillow but was unsuccessful as Erestor snagged that one, too, before scrambling over the bed onto the other side.

“You said you would not retaliate!” Erestor reminded him, grinning wickedly with a pillow in each hand.

Glorfindel narrowed his eyes. “There are no rules in war, my dear,” he answered, then gave chase.

After sustaining four more direct hits, Glorfindel managed to take hold of the edge of one of the pillows, which Erestor reluctantly let go of lest it be ripped apart from either end. The blond was no where near as forceful with his attacks, trying to match Erestor’s strength. Two well-timed smacks with the pillow sent Glorfindel flailing back onto one of the chairs, dropping his pillow upon impact. Erestor leaped over the table to retrieve it before Glorfindel could manage to catch his breath, then noticed a small box that was left forgotten on the floor. “What is this?” Glorfindel heard Erestor say, and he looked over to see the darkling picking up the box, discarding the pillows off to the side.

“It must have been jostled from my pocket when we were playing,” realized the warrior. “Bring it here and I will show you what it is.”

“And what does he have in his pockets, hmm?” Erestor sat down on the edge of the bed facing Glorfindel, and said, “I am perfectly capable of finding out what it is on my own.”

Looking crestfallen, Glorfindel nodded. “This is true.”

With a sigh, Erestor stood up and brought the box over, holding it out to Glorfindel.

The golden elf patted his knee. “Sit,” he offered to a slightly surprised Erestor, who sat down nonetheless. Glorfindel took hold of the box with one hand, winding his other arm around Erestor’s waist to obtain a good grip on him. “I lied to you,” he said with regret. “I was only on tour for one month.”

“I know.”

“You know? Did Elrond tell you?” asked Glorfindel.

Erestor shook his head. “I counted the number of soldiers leaving for the borders last month. It was the same number as always. I assumed you were, therefore, no longer on the border for the last four weeks.”

“I could have been there for a special reason,” suggested Glorfindel.

“The borders are quiet. I assumed you had something to do outside of Imladris that you did not want me knowing of,” Erestor said.

He was rewarded with a smooch on the cheek. “You brilliant little thing, ‘tis a wonder I can ever pull the wool over your eyes.”

“I am still angry about that,” Erestor reminded him.

Glorfindel nodded. “Yes, I guessed as much. Perhaps this will make up for it.” Fumbling to open the box with one hand, Glorfindel eventually handed it to Erestor. “I set you up earlier because I am seriously in love with you.” Glorfindel took a pause, and then continued, “I have every intention to be with you until the end of Arda, but only if I am the only one by your side.”

With his mouth open a little in disbelief, Erestor stared down at the box.

“Have you read the riddle, or shall we open it and see what is inside?” offered Glorfindel, suddenly shy.

“You want me?” Erestor opened the box, seeing there what he knew now he would find. “You do want me.”

“Yes, but, not just... in bed,” Glorfindel said in a rush, “I want you to have and to hold, and to keep as my own. To cherish and to love and to- Erestor, just, I love you and what I said about it hurting me to see you with others, it does, it has hurt, and for a long time now. I have wanted you, but unless you want me, and completely, and only me, well, I am rather selfish, and you are so very precious to me, more so than anything or anyone else in the whole of Arda. So, what do you think?” questioned Glorfindel uneasily.

“I think,” said Erestor, picking the larger of the two silver rings out of the box, “you should give me your hand.”

Doing as he was bid, Glorfindel smiled as the mithril band was slid onto his finger, and then he took the other from the box and placed it on Erestor. “It fits perfectly.”

“That it does,” confirmed Erestor, admiring the bit of silver that wound around his finger. “We should see how perfectly you and I fit together.”

“Are you ready for that?” asked Glorfindel, nuzzling Erestor’s neck and placing soft kisses upon him as he took away the empty box and set it aside. Erestor nodded and began to kiss back, savoring the excitement not just of being with someone, but of being with someone who loved him.

“How shall we do this?” Glorfindel gently nipped at Erestor’s ear with his teeth, tracing the curve with his tongue, kissing the pointed tip.

“I want you... inside...” came the mumbled answer as Erestor worked to free the shirt from Glorfindel’s body, having already succeeded at removing his vest.

Pulling Erestor’s tunic up and off, Glorfindel tossed it aside and smiled. “I know about that part; I meant in terms of position.”

“From behind; I like that best.”

“On your hands and knees?”

Erestor purred and arched up, rubbing himself against the hand that was untying his pants.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

They hastily made their way to the bed, each of them shedding their remaining clothing as they went. Erestor pulled open a drawer on the little end table, in which Glorfindel saw was an assortment of jars and vials containing various lubricants. “These are all new,” assured Erestor as he sat down upon the bed. “I threw out everything from before.”

Glorfindel picked up one of the vials and pulled the cork from it, taking a sniff. It was much too flowery for his taste, so he put it back. The next scent he recognized- sandalwood- and he recorked it and placed it aside on the top of the table.

“You do not need to treat me like glass,” reminded Erestor as Glorfindel settled onto the bed beside him. “It is not as if this is my first time,” he said carefully. “There is no need to go slowly. I am no virgin.”

“Yes, but I am,” Glorfindel confided. “So, please, forgive me if it takes me a little extra time.”

“Oh!” Erestor smiled, and flicked a straying blond curl out of Glorfindel’s eyes. “Your secret is safe with me, snuggles.”

Timidity was replaced by mild amusement. “Snuggles?”

“You like snuggling and cuddling,” shrugged Erestor. “Look, I have been trying to think of what else to call you, but ‘honey’ and ‘sugar’ just sound too plain and not quite right.”

“I like snuggles,” said Glorfindel quickly before Erestor could change his mind.

“I know you do,” grinned Erestor, “but I have an idea there is something you may like even more.” He quickly gave Glorfindel a kiss, and then positioned himself on his hands and knees, glancing wickedly over his shoulder.

Glorfindel breathed in sharply, shaking his head. “No, not yet, it just- here, just a moment,” he said, gently easing Erestor onto his back again. “There is something- would you mind if I- uhm...” Reaching out with trepidation, Glorfindel’s fingers touched the base of Erestor’s erection. “Before we make love... I... I wanted to taste you...”

For Erestor, it was a foreign request. His past had been filled with lovers, no, sexual partners, who had only really been interested in fulfilling their own needs. Few had ever expressed any concern over Erestor’s desires, and none of them had asked this of him before. He nodded with only a little hesitation, and sat up as Glorfindel lowered his head, darting his tongue out experimentally.




In the beginning, Glorfindel would run his tongue one way, then take a look up at Erestor for his reaction. Little grunts and quiet moans greeted his ears. As he took more time attending to the solid muscle standing at attention before him, Glorfindel found he could make Erestor moan louder and longer, and that now and then when he did something particularly enjoyable, Erestor would thrust his hips up for more. When Glorfindel enveloped the entire head in his mouth, the dark ellon fell back onto the bed, mewling and arching his pelvis up in such a reckless manner that Glorfindel found he would need to hold Erestor’s thighs down in order to do what he liked.

“Think I can manage it all?” he asked in a husky tone before running his tongue from the root to the tip, flicking the weeping slit at the top. Erestor merely groaned in reply, straining to get closer despite being held down. His hands were tightly dug around the edged of the mattress and when he felt his erection slide into the warm, moist passage Glorfindel offered, he cried out his lover’s name in pure bliss.

Bobbing his head up and down, Glorfindel slowly released the organ from his mouth, swirling his tongue around the head before letting it go completely. “Like that, do you?” He reached for the small vial he had selected earlier while Erestor whimpered at the loss of contact. “I really do want to taste you,” he whispered, making his request known. His head bowed again after he rubbed the oil onto his hands, and as he took Erestor into his mouth once more he also slid a finger right into Erestor’s clenching entrance.

Erestor yowled in delight at the instant invasion, as whatever bit of pain he felt from the suddenness of it soon ebbed away in exchange for sensations that were absolutely wonderful. The width was doubled quickly as soon as Glorfindel felt Erestor pushing back, and he curved his fingers just as every book he had ever read had said to. All it took was a few well-placed strokes deep inside his lover for Glorfindel to feel the eruption down the back of his throat. He backed off just slightly, making good on his promise to actually taste Erestor as he swallowed the rest of his seed. “How are you feeling?” he crooned while bathing Erestor’s softening length with his tongue to capture the rest of his essence.

The fingers that were preparing him were still plunged deep inside, and Erestor gasped when they moved apart to stretch him further. “My legs are weak and I can see stars,” he said, only-half joking. “Take me now, Glorfindel, do not tease me. I want you.”

Giving only the slightest of nods, Glorfindel removed his fingers slowly, giving the spot that made Erestor wild with desire one final time as he retreated. Despite being a little wobbly on his legs, Erestor balanced himself upon his hands and knees, splaying his fingers for support.

Inside of mounting him immediately, Glorfindel took the time to run his hands over the smooth flesh before him. He kneaded the tight, twin globes raised up for his inspection, and passed his thumb over the puckered flesh in between, which caused Erestor to shiver and moan. The golden elf slid his hands along Erestor’s sides until he reached his shoulders, which he massaged while placing kisses along his lover’s neck and down his back until he found his destination once again.

By now, Erestor was hard once again, which was just what Glorfindel had been hoping for. Placing the head of his erection at the entryway, Glorfindel bit his bottom lip and gave a little push forward. Realizing that this was not merely Glorfindel’s fingers, Erestor took a deep breath, pulling a very surprised ellon halfway in on his own. “Oh, sweet Eru!” called out Glorfindel, and Erestor clenched his internal muscles as he coaxed Glorfindel to enter him all the way.

“Erestor- ughh- I do not want to- mmnnhh- hurt you-“

There came a frustrated mewing. “I need to feel you deep inside of me.”

Not one to disappoint, Glorfindel pressed forward, swallowing hard when he was engulfed to the hilt. It was so tight, and they were so close. He knew he would have to move soon, but for the moment, he savored the connection between them.

His thrusts were at first unsteady as he awkwardly tried to find a rhythm that suited them both. Erestor wanted something a bit harder and rougher than Glorfindel was first attempting, but they soon found a pace that was exciting and pleasing. With his hands holding Erestor’s hips firmly in place, Glorfindel drove in deep and released himself much sooner than he had intended to. He stayed buried until the twitches of his calming member ceased, and then managed to grab a cloth he had left on the night table which he held between them as they parted to catch the excess so as not to ruin the blankets.

Glorfindel whispered for Erestor to stay where he was, and returned after a moment with another cloth and a towel. The cloth was damp, and he cleaned off what remained before patting Erestor’s posterior dry. “Still hard...” remarked Glorfindel of Erestor’s erection.

“Yesss,” he hissed as elegant fingers gently touched him.

“Let me take care of that for you.” With Erestor still on all fours, Glorfindel laid down and scooted beneath his lover. He guided his lower half down to meet him, and slid his hand up Erestor’s chest, pressing him back. With his legs bent at either side of Glorfindel’s head, Erestor was engulfed once again by the heated mouth that teased him earlier.

This time, he took charge a bit more, digging his fingers into the golden mane while easing himself up and down. His eyes were closed, head thrown back, and the only word uttered from his lips was the name of his beloved tormentor who used his hands to steady him as his passion came forth once again. Erestor looked down as he panted, sated and spent, and for once, smiling after such an event. Glorfindel looked pleasantly pleased with himself as he lapped up the last droplets of cream from his lover’s body.

---

Sleep came all too easy for Glorfindel, and now he was snoring at the ceiling as was the usual scene and for many nights to come. Erestor, tucked loosely beside him, stared at the vague outline of the door in the darkness, contemplating the past year.

The first peeking ray of dim light filtered into the room, and Erestor rolled over and blinked at the hazy dawning of the day. The kitchen maids would soon be around to take orders for breakfast, and it was an opportunity Erestor could not pass up. Sneaking out of bed was easier than he had envisioned, and he crept to the door. A stack of parchment was on his desk and he quietly picked up his quill, dipped it into the inkwell, and scratched a note onto the sheet. Folding it in half, he slid it halfway beneath the door before settling himself back into bed.

---

When Glorfindel awoke, it was to the sight of Erestor, hovering directly over him. “Mmm... I think we should sleep in this morning.”

“I think we should skip work today altogether,” suggested Erestor, who was lounged atop Glorfindel. The cream-colored sheets separated their bodies, and Glorfindel blushed slightly when he realized he was somewhat aroused already. “I wrote a note to Elrond and he said it would be alright, considering you were gone for so long. Also considering, he has the Lorien party to see off today, and will not be in a mood to hold council.”

“I see,” nodded Glorfindel, the color receding from his cheeks. “I suppose we should head to breakfast,” he said, noting how bright the sun coming through the windows was, and hence, how late in the morning he had slept.

“No need.” Erestor shifted away for a moment, and brought back a large bowl that had been sitting on the table. “I already took care of that.”

“Oh?”

“Close your eyes.”

“Kiss me first.”

“How impatient.” Erestor inclined his head forward, giving in to his lover’s wish. “I suppose you do not intend to wait a full year to exchange these rings for bands of gold, either.”

“Not a chance. Speaking of which, are you free tomorrow evening?” asked Glorfindel, and Erestor could not tell if he was jesting or not.

Instead, Erestor smiled, and repeated, “Close your eyes.”

Glorfindel did as he was told, and he felt something cool gently probe at his mouth. Opening obligingly, something was placed inside. He smirked once Erestor’s fingers had retreated, and ate the delicious cream-covered fruit. “May I open my eyes now?”

“I have wanted to do this for months,” admitted Erestor. “It was these stupid sheets. I suppose the colors are growing on me now that they have given me such naughty ideas.” He fed Glorfindel another raspberry and then sighed playfully. “I suppose I will allow it.”

“Mmm... do I get to reciprocate?” Glorfindel asked after accepting a half dozen more berries.

“If you like,” answered Erestor, licking the cream from his fingers.

Glorfindel motioned for Erestor to sit up, and the two moved their breakfasting to one of the big chairs. With Erestor on Glorfindel’s lap, they were free to offer the fruits to one another, and when those were gone, to lap cream off of each other’s fingers until the bowl was clean. “I think,” said Glorfindel as he pulled Erestor a little closer until the slighter elf was straddling the golden one on the chair, “that we should have raspberries and cream every morning.”

“Every morning?” Erestor pouted a little. “But I have a few other ideas that I have come up with. Including one that involves...” Erestor lowered his head, giving Glorfindel a sensual look, “chocolate...”

Glorfindel gulped, having a feeling that although they had just finished breakfast, that there would be more cream very soon. “Remind me never to change those sheets,” he said as he was brought back to the bed by the sly little elf with the cheeky grin.

-END-