zhie | IDOS #6: Reassurance and Understanding; R

Title: Reassurance and Understanding
Author: Zhie
Pairings: Glorfindel/Erestor; Boromir/Erestor
Rating: R
Notes: Written for IDOS; for Nienna - Thal stole my pairing! ;) Okiday, How about Erestor/Boromir? Yeah. Worked for me! And I'd love to see what you do with them! Words: engulf, impale, weep (as in tears... none of that 'weepeing c**k stuff.) – Well, since the ‘stolen’ pairing was G/E, I tossed it in, too. And I managed all the words! More or less...

“Why are you weeping?” Glorfindel hastily set the tray he had brought up on the desk, ignoring the paperwork and the ink he spilled in doing so, and joined Erestor on the settee, gathering him into his arms. “What is wrong? What happened?” he asked, gently stroking Erestor’s hair.

A few sniffles came before Erestor offered an answer. “Every time I get attached to one of them, they go off and die! Mother was right; I should have sailed and left this pain behind!”

Glorfindel frowned sympathetically and pulled Erestor closer in hopes of soothing him. Somehow, the counselor had developed a soft spot for Men, in that he felt as one of the firstborn it was charged to him to aid them however he could. Sometimes Elrond wondered in council if Erestor represented Imladris or Gondor. For other reasons, it was helpful: Erestor had made Estel feel at home like no other had managed. Now, with the doom so close at hand, Erestor sat awake at night worrying about the fate of those he dearly loved as close as his own kin.

While Erestor cared for the second born, Glorfindel cared for Erestor. It was upon Erestor’s forty-seventh begetting day that his parents announced their intentions to go West. It was for the best, they decided, but Erestor refused to go. It was a battle finally won by Glorfindel establishing guardianship over a nearly grown ellon. The blond wondered at times just what Erestor’s parents would think when he and Erestor did eventually sail. Explaining how Glorfindel had married his ward just days after Erestor’s majority was ever a flittering thought in his mind. “Is this a general anxiety, or someone specific that you grieve for?” asked Glorfindel. It could go either way, knowing Erestor.

“Boromir.”

“Boromir is dead?” questioned Glorfindel, quite shocked.

“Nay... Elrond... Elrond told me...” Erestor was hiccupping between his words, so he stopped speaking and nestled against Glorfindel, exhausted.

‘Damn him,’ thought Glorfindel while he comforted Erestor. More than once, Elrond’s offhanded comments about some bit of foresight had caused Erestor more misery than Elrond would ever know. Discretely, Glorfindel had mentioned it to the Elf-lord, but whether Elrond forgot or just did not care, Glorfindel never knew. “Sweetheart, if that is the case, there is little to be done. I wish I could change that, but you know I cannot. Then again, Elrond might be wrong.”

Erestor nodded forlornly. “You brought up dinner.”

“Yes.”

“I am sorry you went through the trouble. I do not think I am hungry, and I doubt I am good company right now.”

“You are the best company no matter what, and you know that.” Glorfindel kissed the top of his head. “Let me do this. You seem tired; with all of the preparations being done to ready the Fellowship, you must be exhausted. I will tuck you into bed, eat quickly, and then join you.”

“I would rather stay here with you, then.”

Glorfindel petted Erestor for a little longer before coaxing him up. The tray was too bulky to bring into the bedroom, and the stew and vegetables too messy to manage eating in bed. Glorfindel grabbed an apple, a slice of cheese (which he ate immediately), and a hunk of bread before leading Erestor into their bedchamber. He settled his husband into the bed, and then sat on the edge to eat his meager dinner before crawling in with Erestor. “The Fellowship leaves the day after tomorrow. Perhaps tomorrow night, you could invite Boromir here for dinner. Then you would have a chance to... you know, say good-bye without really saying that to him, but... you know what I mean.”

Erestor swallowed hard and nodded. “Thank you, I think I will. I would certainly regret it if I did not.”

- - -

Perhaps it was the wine that shattered all inhibitions – at least it was something other than themselves they could blame it on. It was obvious when things turned from friendly to familiar. Dinner was relaxed, informally eaten on the balcony overlooking the valley. They came inside when the wind picked up and lit a fire. Boromir was thirsty; they opened a bottle of red. Three bottles later he stood and offered his regrets about the time, and needing to wake early the next day. In something of a controlled panic, Erestor followed him to the door. Again they exchanged farewells while Glorfindel sat in his chair, watching them with one eye and the fire with the other.

An awkward pause followed while Erestor fumbled with the lock on the door. Boromir took the opportunity to thank him for his hospitality once again. As Erestor straightened and was about to open the door, Boromir leaned forward and kissed his cheek. It was almost chaste, except for the look in the man’s eyes. Erestor, caught off guard, looked to Glorfindel for guidance.

Glorfindel merely pretended not to notice and reached for the wine bottle to refill his glass, knowing already that it was empty. While Erestor hesitated, Boromir stepped closer and placed his hand upon Erestor’s cheek. The elf opened his mouth, but no words emerged, and Boromir took the initiative once again, this time letting there be no mistake of his intentions.

It was in this that a discovery was made on Glorfindel’s part. He had always suspected, but now he knew for sure. There were days when he would return, grimy and sweaty, and Erestor would practically tear his clothes off. ‘Should I not take a shower?’ the warrior would laugh, and Erestor would say, ‘No, no, I not yet, I missed you too much.’ He recalled a conversation they had after Erestor had met Cirdan. ‘I suppose I might grow a beard, much later in life, perhaps. Why do you ask?’, was greeted with the reply, ‘Oh, no reason, never mind.’

Now, Glorfindel saw the shiver that went through Erestor, the way he reacted without fighting back. The little moan that meant that Erestor was quite excited by the bulge pressing against him. A timid touch of the coarse hair on Boromir’s face.

Suddenly, Erestor remembered himself, and stepped back. He looked ashamedly in Glorfindel’s direction, his eyes begging forgiveness to his weakness. Glorfindel considered the situation. Many had looked upon Erestor with lust, and never before had Erestor betrayed him. This was an interesting dilemma, for it could not be undone come the morning, and yet it was practically impossible that either would ever see Boromir again.

But what did it mean? That Glorfindel was too weak to defend what was his, or that he felt sorry for this man and his unbeknownst fate. Not the first, perhaps a little of the second, for Glorfindel knew death only too well, and the taste lingered bitterly in his mouth. Maybe it was something else entirely, for as he thought of what giving his approval meant, images came to his mind.

As much as it had aroused Erestor to be embraced by Boromir, the scene had admittedly excited Glorfindel. To have this chance to watch his lover without being engaged in the act himself intrigued him, and there was no doubt that such a thing would never be allowed with another elf. Glorfindel wondered if Erestor would allow himself to be impaled by the man, or if he would merely kneel before him and engulf his length to bring him to completion. There was only one way to find out, Glorfindel realized, and the curiosity got the better of him.

“You would be more comfortable doing that on the settee, I should think,” he told them, offering Erestor a smile of reassurance and understanding as the pair came back from the door to join Glorfindel once more before the fire.

-fin-