Faramir Fiction Archive

Darkness and Light (NC-17)

Written by Sairalinde and Anorienbean

11 August 2009 | 145537 words

Chapter 22

Once they left Saruman’s slave farm as it burned to rubble, neither Dorvane nor Haldir knew exactly where they were going. They just traveled for days, stopping in villages here and there as they ran low on provisions and used the extra horses to get them to the next place.

In one of the villages, Haldir heard talk that the brother of the Steward of Gondor was marrying. Those words stopped him in his tracks, but he didn’t let Dorvane see, or even know what he’d heard until later that night. His instincts had been right – Faramir had moved on as well.

The knowledge was a relief to Haldir, who’d been torn between needing to find his former lover before he and Dorvane settled anywhere and bringing the whole Faramir conversation up again. It made the decision to put off the long trip to Gondor a bit easier, especially since, in the next village, he heard the same rumor.

He’d been completely honest when he told Dorvane that he was happy for Faramir, though he could have sworn he saw just a bit of worry behind his lover’s dark eyes. He truly had moved on, though Dorvane didn’t seem to believe that just yet, which was all the more reason to put off the trip for a few weeks anyway, especially since word was that Faramir was quite happy. Still, the idea that Faramir would feel discarded or hurt nagged at him, and the notion that he needed to at least say a proper goodbye never truly went away, though he did his best to hide that from Dorvane. He really was happy, despite that one final door he needed to close in his past.

Since it was spring and warm weather traveling as they were was fine but once winter came in a few more months they would need a more permanent shelter. One day they happened across a large farm and the man was working a field near the road. He seemed to be having trouble with his plow and both Dorvane and Haldir agreed they should stop to help.

The man was grateful to them both and asked where they lived. Both of them looked back at the wagon for a moment and the man nodded knowingly. He went on to say the war had caused many to lose their homes and neither of them corrected him. Besides in one sense it was true after all.

The man owned almost all of the land in the small valley they were in and offered a deal. For three of the horses and their wagon he would let them have a small cabin at the edge of his property. The tenants who had lived there before had moved and he had never offered it out since. The building was in disrepair but nothing that couldn’t be fixed with a bit of work and he even offered a small amount of land for them to work for food for themselves and to sell to make a living. It sounded like a perfect idea to Dorvane and they asked the man to let them think about it. That night in their wagon they discussed the man’s offer and decided that it was perfect. It was far away from anyone who could possibly recognize Dorvane and it was peaceful there. They could start over with their new lives in a place like this, and so the next morning they went to the farmer and gave him their decision.

The farmer went with them to the cabin that morning, helping them unload their wagon and even left tools for them to use to make their repairs before he left with his payment.

For many months they worked hard every day, fixing up the cabin and planting late crops. It was hard work, harder work than Dorvane had done in years really but he was determined to make this work for them both. Haldir seemed happy there in this place and that was all that mattered to him.

Today Dorvane was going through the rows of almost waist high corn, they’d gotten it planted just in time for a late crop and now it was thriving. When Badin had sold them the land he had told them both it was very fertile but Haldir and he were both surprised at how quickly their small field had began to grow and thrive. He leaned down and pulled a few weeds from between the stalks and continued down the row, unaware he had an audience as he enjoyed the warm sunlight.

He had stopped wearing the black he had worn for so many years, no longer needing it to hide blood stains and his linen shirt was clinging to him a bit from sweat but he had never felt more alive than he did here in this place they’d found together. The only reminders of the past were the scars on Dorvane’s wrists, which he kept covered with soft leather cuffs that went up his forearm against his skin, the only thing showing where his sleeves were rolled up. Stopping in the middle of the row, Dorvane leaned down again to pull another scraggly weed.

Haldir, who had gone inside to get them both something to drink had returned and stopped short when he saw his lover. Gods, he was beautiful. Long black hair hung down around his shoulders, and with the sweat making his shirt damp, it was easy to see every muscle and bulge in his upper body. He didn’t think about how those arms had gotten so hard and large, but he liked the way they looked now, not to mention the rest of him. His shirt hung over the top of his breeches, which also framed a perfectly proportioned lower body, a tapered waist and long lean legs, with thickly muscled thighs and calves that Haldir had found drove Dorvane crazy to be licked and nibbled on.

With Dorvane leaning over as he was, Haldir couldn’t resist. He sat the water jug down on the ground and silently stalked his lover, managing to be practically on top of him before Dorvane even had a clue he was there. The Elf draped himself over his lover’s body, ran his hands beneath the clinging shirt and gently pinched Dorvane’s nipples as he pulled him upright. “You look good enough to eat,” he murmured, sucking on an earlobe and letting his tongue lick just beneath it. “Much, much better than this old corn.”

Once he pulled one weed, Dorvane noticed another and yet another, frowning a bit he continued to pick at them until he was satisfied but he failed to notice his silent lover approaching. He startled only a little when Haldir’s body pressed against his own and strong Elven arms wrapped around him. A soft gasp escaped as long fingers pinched his nipples lightly and he stood slowly, pressing his body back against Haldir’s as Dorvane’s head tipped back to rest on his lover’s shoulder. “I always said you were a sneaky, Elf,” he teased as he felt warmth in the center of his body from the tongue teasing him so. His fingers flexed and dropped the weeds to the ground as his hands reached back to grasp his lover’s hips and pull him closer against him.

“Yes, and you love it that way,” Haldir grinned, running his hands beneath Dorvane’s shirt, loving the way warm, damp skin felt beneath his fingertips. “I’m quite a strong Elf as well, you know. What is there to stop me from throwing you over my shoulder, carrying you back to bed and spending the rest of the day showing you a few more Elven tricks that I just remembered?” He looked around them and frowned, though his hands kept caressing and stroking lightly. “Well… except those weeds? And the fact that we have a lot of work to do today both here and on the house?”

Dorvane arched against his lover as gentle work roughened hands moved over his skin, a warm breeze touched against the opening of his shirt and he shivered against his lover. “The house and field aren’t going anywhere I know of… so the work will be waiting for us later,” he teased in return. “I have to admit I am curious about the tricks you speak of… are there things you have been hiding from me, love?” Dorvane enjoyed the teasing that they were able to do with one another now, now there was no fear for Haldir. The Elf could do or say anything and everything he wanted, even argue with Dorvane openly. The man loved that… well not always loved their arguments but loved the fact that Haldir no longer feared him in any way. He could feel his breeches growing tighter as his arousal began to grow and his hand caressed up and down Haldir’s side. “Though… do you really want to wait to drag me all the way back to the cabin?”

Haldir’s eyes darkened at Dorvane’s words and he turned his lover around in his embrace, marking his neck with gentle nips against the artery on the side that pulsed beneath his tongue. “You are a bad influence,” he murmured, pulling away only long enough to pull Dorvane’s shirt over his head and throw it so that it hung over a stalk of corn, only to be followed by his own. “I was never an impatient Elf until I fell in love with you.” Thankful they were isolated, he sealed his lips over Dorvane’s and unfastened his breeches with deft fingers, pushing the fabric to the ground. “And actually, there is at least one trick I haven’t showed you yet. You don’t even have to take your boots off.”

Dorvane’s arms wound around Haldir, holding him close, his hands moving over every inch of his back as his lover marked his neck, claiming him in a way that the man loved. He loved seeing those marks on his skin, loved knowing how they got there. He laughed when Haldir called him a bad influence. “Only now you realize this?” he teased even as he was being divested of his shirt. The light summer fabric barely made the stalk of corn bend and he laughed again as Haldir said he was never impatient before they fell in love. When Haldir removed his own tunic, Dorvane’s hands greedily began to map over smooth perfect flesh. “Now you have me curious,” he whispered as he leaned in and captured Haldir’s nipple with his mouth as his hand moved to tease and lightly pinch the other. The sun was warm against his bare skin but Gods, it felt so good.

Long fingers cupped Dorvane’s head as soft lips and gentle fingertips teased Haldir’s nipples into hard little nubs. “Making love in the gardens has never taken on such a literal meaning,” he murmured, tilting his head and nuzzling against the curve of his lover’s shoulder. His free hand slipped between them, unlacing his own breeches and he finally pulled away, breathing a bit heavier then normal. He looked down between them, smiling as he saw the rigid flesh that stood out proudly from between Dorvane’s legs, matching his own arousal. “Get down on all fours for me, while I get something, and your curiosity shall soon be satisfied… along with a few other things as well.”

Dorvane’s pulse was hammering as Haldir nuzzled against him and then he found himself almost trembling as his lover stepped away from him. He licked his lips suggestively when Haldir told him to get down on the ground and nodded. Though he didn’t take the most direct of routes as he ran his tongue all the way down the front of his lover’s body to his navel, where he placed a soft kiss and had to fight the urge to taste his lover this way. He’d discovered in the last months that he very much enjoyed taking Haldir that way, it was something he hadn’t done since he was a very young man but realized only now how much he loved giving Haldir that pleasure instead of taking it from him as he had in the past. He was on his knees looking up at Haldir and smiled. “I’ll be waiting,” he said softly, his dark eyes even darker now.

Haldir shuddered as Dorvane’s lips moved over him. That, combined with the way already dark eyes looked at him with so much love and lust made the Elf even more aroused. He watched his lover for a moment, then backed away, his arousal nudging its way beyond the lacings of his breeches and his balls already feeling full and heavy as he wondered how Dorvane would react to his little ‘trick.’ “Face away from me, guren,” he called out, retracing his steps from a moment before and going back to the jug of water he’d brought with him. He’d left early that morning, as he could travel much faster alone, and gotten fresh water from the stream high in the mountains above their home. It was quite a distance away, but he was working beside his lover a little over an hour later, having gotten the water and an added bonus… ice. The head of the stream was situated high on the side of a mountain and he often gathered thick icicles as a treat for them both, especially on the warmer days. Normally, they used them to cool their water or tea, but today, he had other plans.

Dorvane raised an eyebrow in curiosity, but turned awkwardly to face away from Haldir. His fingers curled into the soft dirt and he was grateful now for how carefully he had worked to make sure there were few rocks in their garden. The soil was cool and a little moist under him but it felt wonderful to be so close to nature again. He shut out the ideas and thoughts of his past but they were always there. Haunting him. Everything had been so cold and dark there. Nothing like this place that was just so full of life and color, light and warmth. He waited silently for Haldir to return, curious but not peeking even though Haldir had not said he couldn’t, it seemed implied in his mischievous grin, so Dorvane honored that.

Haldir’s already hard arousal twitched as he saw his lover presented to him so beautifully. Dorvane’s breeches were around his ankles and the toes of his boots dug into the ground. They truly were equal in all ways now, even in their lovemaking, and the Elf knew what a leap of trust it was for Dorvane to offer himself this way, yet he did so without reservation or hesitation. He still wondered often about Faramir, but somehow knew in his heart that the handsome young Ranger he would always love had moved on without him. As soon as the current crop had been gathered and sold, he planned on talking with Dorvane about visiting Faramir… just to be sure. As he knelt behind Dorvane, Haldir set the jug down and let one hand stroke his aching cock as the other moved lovingly over his lover’s backside. He sometimes remembered the indignity of being presented in such a manner, the breathless anticipation of knowing his vulnerable skin would be beaten at any moment, and felt all the more love for Dorvane’s trust in him now that their situation had changed. “You look so beautiful,” he said softly, using both hands to gently part the globes of Dorvane’s backside and running his thumbs along the puckered entrance before him.

Dorvane’s back arched like a cat’s when Haldir touched him and he widened his stance as he felt his lover settle behind him. Rocking forward just a little and then rocking back, he let Haldir know without words just how much he wanted this. He had not been taken by another in many years, Saruman had shown dominance by taking him at times, though not often, only when he wanted to ‘drive a point home’ with Dorvane any time he argued with the wizard. Other than those few times it wasn’t until he and Haldir made love after arriving at the cabin that he had offered himself freely to another. It had been a frightening thing for him, giving up that control even to one he trusted but now, he found he craved it. He had not thought of himself as beautiful until Haldir would say the words. He knew he was a handsome man, after all he’d seen his reflection in mirrors and knew he wasn’t unpleasant but he’d been so haunted for so long. How Haldir had ever seen beauty in him before Saruman’s spell was completely broken, Dorvane would never know. He shivered as gentle fingers pressed into his opening and he tipped his head back, biting his lip.

Haldir smiled as his lover moved against him and leaned forward, running his tongue over the skin now pulled tight by his thumbs. Dorvane had taken him the past few times they’d made love, so the ring of muscles beneath his tongue were once again tight and closed. He pulled away to place a kiss on each of his lover’s buttocks then continued with his task, slowly and carefully pushing his tongue forward, back, then forward again. He kept it moist as he worked the organ in bit by bit and gently let his thumbs coax the unprepared entrance open as well, working slowly and lovingly to ready Dorvane for more. He still didn’t understand the concept of pain enhancing sex in any way, not after all he’d been through, and he had no intention of causing his lover any pain at all, so, contrary to his earlier words, he was at times a patient Elf, when it came to the important things – and person – in his life.

Dorvane jolted slightly when he felt the wet warmth of Haldir’s tongue against his entrance. He gasped and his body automatically pushed back, wanting more. A low moan was coaxed from him as his lovers tongue slipped into him, stretching him gently and making his sex twitch with need as it dripped a drop of precome against the ground under him. He shivered as he felt himself being opened even more and closed his eyes for a moment to try and ground himself to keep from coming undone just from that stimulation alone.

When Haldir’s tongue moved easily in and out of the still tight opening, he let one, then two thumbs slowly push inside as well, making certain to keep the skin well lubricated with his saliva. When they too moved easily, he slipped two fingers inside the heated passage, twisting and turning them slowly, and moved his free hand to slide between Dorvane’s legs, pulling his weeping flesh back and stroking it firmly, letting his thumb gathering the fluid dripping from the tip to smooth over the shaft. His mouth moved lower, licking at the full sac that was stretched tight as well, pressed back as Dorvane’s cock was pulled in an unnatural, but certainly not unpleasant position. “This isn’t even the trick,” he murmured just before he closed his mouth over one of his lover’s balls and began sucking gently.

Dorvane was almost panting as Haldir continued to prepare him. His hands balled into fists in the soft dirt and he concentrated on keeping control of himself as Haldir’s mouth moved from his entrance. He gasped as his cock was pulled back that way, feeling different but not painful and then he yelped just a little as Haldir whispered to him and his mouth sucked on his most sensitive of flesh. In all the times they had made love in the past year and a half Haldir had never done such things to him and he wondered what else his lover had been holding out on him. He almost laughed at the thought and decided he looked forward to finding out. “You have me curious, love… very, oh… Gods that feels good… uh curious,” he murmured.

Laughing softly despite the fact that his arousal was aching, Haldir continued his ministrations for several minutes driving both their need higher. Finally, he pulled away and reached into the bucket of water, smiling as his fingers found part of an icicle. Much of it had melted already, but it was still as thick as three of his fingers in certain parts, and thankfully had no pointed ends. He licked over Dorvane’s entrance again, making sure the skin around it was nice and warm, then, without warning pressed the thinnest end of the ice against the small pucker, pressing it forward before his lover could pull away. His fingers kept pushing as his other hand rested on Dorvane’s hip, steadying him. “Relax, guren” he whispered. “Just relax.”

When Haldir moved away a little, Dorvane was curious but could not see past the dark curtain of his own hair to see what the Elf was up to. When something exceedingly cold and hard pressed against him and then inside him, he yelped and tried to pull forward but couldn’t. Soon whatever it was, was inside him and after only a moment he felt it starting to melt inside him from the heat of his body. Ice. It was ice. He knew Haldir had gone to the stream in the mountains that morning and figured he would return with ice but he had no idea he would use it in this way. After the initial shock of it though, he found himself pushing back and moaning as the cold hard surface of it began to push even deeper inside him. “By the Gods,” he murmured under his breath.

Heat and warmth, like the darkness of Dorvane’s hair and the golden strands of Haldir’s, like the cruelty in Dorvane’s heart when Saruman had controlled him and the love that replaced it, contrasted perfectly, Haldir knew, causing Dorvane’s body to react in unexpected ways. The melting ice would stimulate Dorvane’s passage in ways he’d never felt before, and Haldir’s hand kept stroking his lover’s cock, making the heated friction all the more distinctive and distracting. Haldir leaned forward, licking at the cold entrance, warming it again with his tongue, and spoke softly. “More, love?”

Dorvane’s body seemed to want to reject the cold hard object and at the same time keep it inside him as long as he could possibly stand it. He shivered and nodded when Haldir questioned him. “Please,” he whispered, rarely having even thought of using that word himself during lovemaking until the last several months. His arousal was still hard and a new ache began to set up inside him from the cold but also from the need it was making him feel. “Gods, I never even thought of… of using ice this way… feels so strange but so… good,” he murmured softly, the Elf truly surprising him this time.

“One can learn many tricks in two thousand years,” Haldir teased as he reached for another piece of ice and pressed it against his lover. This one was slightly thicker, and rather than push it completely in, he simply worked in and out of the clenching passage, pulling it away every so often to warm chilled skin with his tongue. After long minutes of this, he used it one last time, pushing it in deeply, followed by his still cold fingers. His tongue warmed the skin around Dorvane’s entrance once more, working around his fingers as they found Dorvane’s sweet spot, pushing past the cold, still melting ice and worrying the small bundle of nerves relentlessly.

Dorvane laughed softly as Haldir teased him. “Indeed,” he murmured, “imagine you have others you’ll need to teach me over the years.” His voice trailed off in a gasp when another piece of ice, thicker this time, was pushed inside him and this time he found himself rocking his hips with it as Haldir plunged it in and out of his passage. He would just start to become numb from it and then suddenly a warm tongue would lick him and almost send him scrambling face first into the dirt if it hadn’t been for Haldir’s steadying hand on him. When cold fingers pressed inside him, stretching him even more and began to work against his prostate, Dorvane cried out, his back arching as he rocked back against his lover. He was already so very close to losing control but he wanted Haldir inside him so badly he almost allowed himself to beg, but just managed not to.

“Enough,” Haldir murmured, pulling his hands away, seeing that Dorvane was as close as he himself was, and he had barely even touched his arousal. Still, since they had become lovers, watching Dorvane react to him always aroused the Elf, always made him want to take or be taken, always made him want to show Dorvane just how much he loved him. Without even removing his breeches, he simply pushed them down on his hips, lined his cock up and slowly pressed past now warm muscles and into the cool, still clenching passage before him. Dorvane was still slick with Haldir’s own saliva, and well prepared, and it took almost no time at all for Haldir to find himself buried deep inside his lover. One hand held Dorvane steady as the other still toyed with his arousal, teasing and stroking firmly, and Haldir waited for gripping muscles to relax and allow him to move. “So perfect, guren,” he whispered, removing his hand from Dorvane’s hips and rubbing his back as he concentrated on holding still for the moment. “So tight.”

Dorvane felt seriously close to whimpering when Haldir pulled his fingers away and knew he looked wanton the way he was pressing back toward his lover, begging with his body to be taken. When he felt Haldir shift behind him, he clenched his hands tighter in the dirt below him and in moments he was filled completely in one long slow thrust. He cried out, his head tipping back as Haldir waited for his body to adjust to the feeling of the heat from his lover’s arousal pulsing through his rapidly re-warming passage. “Gods, love…” he murmured as his body began to relax and accept the intrusion. “Move… Gods love, please move, I need you,” he found himself whispering.

Needing no further coaxing, Haldir began to thrust, his hips moving slowly, his eyes watching in fascination as Dorvane’s body accepted him time and time again, each inch of his cock disappearing, then reappearing through the impossibly small-looking opening. He was breathing heavily, and it was taking all his concentration to both continue stroking the flesh in his hand and not come completely undone himself. Finally, he reached down and pulled his lover up and back against him, still stroking the stiff flesh that was now leaking over his fingers each time he aimed a thrust just right. “Melin chen, Maethoren vorn (I love you, my dark warrior),” he murmured against his lover’s neck, slipping into Elvish as he sometimes did when they made love. He paused, shuddered, and realized he couldn’t wait much longer. “Close…” The word was whispered against soft lips as he urged Dorvane to turn his head and kiss him even as his thrusts grew deeper and more erratic.

It all seemed to be too much, Dorvane was completely overwhelmed with sensation as Haldir began to move inside him, plunging deeper and deeper with each thrust. Dorvane hardly realized he was moaning and whispering his lover’s name over the over again. The sunlight warmed their skin, each of them practically glowing as sweat coated their bodies. When Haldir pulled him up against him and the angle changed and his lover thrust impossibly deep inside him, Dorvane cried out. He shook against his lover, trembling with desire. As soft Elven words were whispered against his neck, Dorvane reached back, his hand gripping Haldir’s hip as he turned and their lips met in a deep kiss even as their bodies moved together. He was so close to losing control. His other hand moved down to grip himself, stroking in time with each thrust.

Their fingers laced together on Dorvane’s length and rather than caress him with his other hand, Haldir could only hold his lover steady, since his thrusts were almost lifting Dorvane’s knees up from the soft dirt. He bent one of his legs, needing more traction, and planted his foot beside his lover. “Come for me, meleth.” With that, he squeezed Dorvane’s length and aimed his last thrust squarely for the sweet spot he’d been brushing against, this time pushing against it hard and fast. He cried out loudly, thankful as always that there were no close neighbors, but burying his face against Dorvane’s neck simply because he loved the smell and taste of him, especially at moments like this. His cock swelled even further, then began to pulse, his release coating his lover’s inner walls thoroughly. As he was coming, he reached down and slipped his finger in alongside his still pulsing cock, knowing the added stretch, when timed just right, would add to Dorvane’s pleasure.

Dorvane was completely at his lover’s mercy it seemed. His body was being lifted with each powerful thrust and suddenly the angle changed again and he almost screamed. His head fell back onto Haldir’s shoulder as his eyes closed to protect them from the bright sunlight. Thrusting his hips as his own hand and his lover’s coupled to stroke his aching length, Dorvane did scream in pleasure when he felt his lover’s cock pulse inside him and a finger slid inside, stretching him even wider. His own release slammed into him and he spilled hot and slick over their interlocked hands. Dorvane rode out his orgasm, rocking his hips and shuddering in Haldir’s arms. “I love you,” he whispered weakly.

Haldir carefully removed his finger and let Dorvane’s hand dictate the speed of their hands on his arousal. He wrapped his arm around his lover, holding him close, and rained dozens of kisses over his neck and shoulders. “I love you too,” he murmured between kisses, finally slowly moving his hips away and pulling his softening sex from inside his lover’s passage. He sat down on the dirt; mindless of the mess he was making on his breeches and pulled Dorvane into his lap, cradling him close. Kissing him deeply, he explored the mouth he knew so well. “That was incredible, but a bit harder to kiss you that way,” he murmured, licking at Dorvane’s now swollen lower lip. “And I can’t seem to go long without a kiss or three from the man I love you know.”

Breathing heavily and feeling as if his heart might rabbit right out of his chest, Dorvane relaxed back against Haldir for a view moments, loving the sweet kisses even as he stroke the last of his release from himself. He found himself pulled back into Haldir’s lap moments later and lost in a deep, passionate kiss. He was smiling and breathless when they finally drew apart again. “It was incredible… but like you, I enjoy our kisses too,” he said smiling happily. It was true, the first time Haldir kissed him to make their deal so long ago had hooked him. “We,” he said looking down at the dirt on his knees that was now smeared on Haldir’s thigh and laughed, “are an absolute mess.”

Eyes sparkling with happiness, Haldir brought his now dripping fingers to his lips and licked each of them clean, trying to look innocent as he did so, and knowing full well what kind of affect it would have on his lover. “We deserve at least the rest of the day off, do we not?” he murmured, bringing Dorvane’s hands to his lips as well and licking them clean too. “We have worked hard every day since we’ve been here… so I am officially calling for a holiday. Maybe… a nice little celebration of how well our crops are doing and…” His fingers dipped back onto Dorvane’s stomach, gathering more of his seed. “… all the things in our lives we are grateful for.” He knew just what he was doing, and seriously doubted there would be any rest for the rest of the day if he continued.

Dorvane’s eyes darkened as Haldir licked his fingers and he felt his so recently spent arousal twitch. “I think we could rest today, we’ve been working hard the last few weeks on the garden… and I doubt the weeds will take over in just one day,” Dorvane answered after a few moments. When Haldir took his hand to clean it he laughed softly. “You are going to kill me one of these days…” he teased and gave a thought to getting up but decided not to just yet. Instead he reached for the jug of water and one of the cups Haldir had brought. Pouring a cup he offered it to Haldir.

Taking the cup gratefully, Haldir drank, thinking the water had tasted much better on Dorvane’s skin, but wasn’t bad at all, especially since the sun was now beating down directly on them. “All you ever have to worry about, guren, is that I might love you to death,” he teased.

Shaking his head, Dorvane leaned over to take the other cup and pour another cup of water for himself. He overreached though and quickly jerked the jug toward him to keep it from falling over. Instead he managed to splash almost the entire jug of water all over both of them. For a moment he couldn’t even speak from the shock of what he’d done and how cold the water was. Water dripped from his chin and he looked up at Haldir apologetically to see water dripping from his face as well and not a trace of a smile on the Elf’s face either. “Oh Gods,” Dorvane started to apologize but then started to laugh, unable to help himself.

Haldir almost jumped out of his skin, as he was suddenly drenched with water. COLD water. He liked baths, swimming, and waterfalls. He did not, however, like to be unexpectedly and thoroughly drenched with cold water at unexpected moments. It was on his face, his hair, his clothes, and the man in his arms who was so helplessly giggling at him was not helping matters. Though they now laughed often, to see Dorvane laughing so hard was a rare sight indeed. He might not like the water, but he loved the way Dorvane was now beginning to snort, he was laughing so hard. “Funny how most of it ended up on me, isn’t it?” he scowled, narrowing his eyes into tiny slits. Biting the insides of his cheek to keep from smiling, Haldir wrapped one arm around his lover, easily holding him still, and poured the rest of his cup over Dorvane’s head. “Oh… sorry, guren. Much like you, I seem to have spilled my water… accidentally of course…”

It had been an accident. A very funny accident, seeing how most of the water had struck Haldir almost fully in the face. The look he got from his lover though was less than pleasant and almost as cold as the water, Dorvane thought. But he couldn’t stop laughing and even began to snort from lack of breath. Though his laughter ended suddenly as cold water was unceremoniously dumped over his head, plastering his dark hair against the sides of his face and for a moment Dorvane sputtered and simply looked at Haldir. “Now that was not an accident,” he said wiping water from his eyes but starting to giggle again. They were really and truly a mess now, the water only made the dirt beneath them turn to mud, and the dirt on their skin turn to mud as well.

Haldir was laughing now as well, unable to hold back as Dorvane sputtered and gave him a look that only a few years ago would have terrified him. They simply sat in the middle of their little garden holding each other and laughing until their sides hurt as the sun quickly began to warm them both. By the time they’d stopped laughing, Haldir had drug himself up from the ground, and was gently setting Dorvane on his feet. He laced up his breeches while Dorvane did the same, slipped on his tunic, and in the blink of an eye managed to disappear among the tall stalks of corn. Before Dorvane could even call out for him, the now-filthy Elf was stalking his lover, throwing balls of dirt and even an ear of corn or two in his direction. “That was an accident!” he called after each item hit its target – usually a toe or a shoulder. “That one was as well!”

Laughter and actually ‘playing’ hadn’t been something Dorvane had done in years but now in this moment it felt wonderful. When Haldir first disappeared into the taller rows of corn he assumed his lover was going to go quickly wash off the mud in the small well they had. But just as he picked up his shirt that had survived the deluge since it had been safely up off the ground, Dorvane yelped as a clump of dirt hit his foot. “Accident my arse,” he laughed as he picked up a handful of the weeds he had pulled earlier and tried to sneak into the corn. He had no delusions that he could sneak up on an Elf but an Elf who was laughing might be easier prey. Just as Haldir popped up to throw something at where he had been standing, Dorvane lunged and stuffed the weeds down he back of Haldir’s tunic, laughing at the way the Elf squirmed.

“That itches!!” Haldir protested, dancing around like a fool as he tried to get the weeds to fall out of his tunic… which would have been much easier had he not tucked it inside his breeches. “Oh, you are going to pay for that… there are all kinds of interesting places I can put an ear of corn you know!” With that, he hid again, muttering happily, knowing Dorvane would stalk … and find… him quite easily. It was a near-perfect day, he thought, loving the way his lover’s eyes sparkled happily each time he would get a glimpse of them, and the way soft snickers could be heard all over the garden when Dorvane thought he was lying in wait.

Dorvane was practically crying with laughter as Haldir danced around and then threatened him with an ear of corn. He started to move closer to his lover though, almost willing to help him remove what he’d put in his shirt in the first place only to find Haldir disappearing again. After a few moments though, Dorvane managed to find his lover and held his hands up in surrender. “Peace?” he asked showing he had nothing in his hands.

Haldir dropped the handful of dirt he had in his hand and grinned at his lover. “Very well,” he sighed, then reached down and emptied his pockets of dirt as well. He wiped his hands on his thighs and locked both arms around Dorvane’s waist. “You have no idea how much I love hearing you laugh, do you? No idea at all.”

Dorvane laughed even harder as Haldir emptied his pockets. “You were saving ammunition… just like my sneaky, Elf,” he teased as he wrapped his arms around Haldir as well. “I love seeing you smile and hearing your laugh too… neither of us had much to laugh about for a long time… I am glad we have found that now,” Dorvane said softly as he leaned forward and brushed his lips against Haldir’s in a sweetly passionate kiss, exploring his lover’s mouth and inviting Haldir to do the same to him. When he finally drew away several moments later he was breathless. They were both covered with dirt, sweat, mud and still damp from their ‘dousings’ and he tucked a muddied lock of hair behind an elegant ear. “We could use a bath.”

“Aye,” Haldir agreed, a bit breathless himself. “That we could.” Dorvane’s hair was muddy as well, and he laughed at how it hung over his face. He wrapped the length of it around one hand, just as he had on the first night he’d turned from slave to lover, remembering how Dorvane had once confessed he’d been worried about that little gesture. As always, though, his touch was gentle and loving, and he let the strands fall from his fingers in a dark, though dirty, wave. “Let’s go home. It is our day off after all,” he smiled, resting his arm over his lover’s shoulder, pressing a kiss to his temple, and heading in the direction of their little cabin.

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