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Gavotte
By Arctapus
(LOTR, G/E and others, rated: R. Humor/Friends)
Disclaimer: Tolkien, yes. HB, not likely. Even in dreams. :)
Summary: A request. <G>
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Late at night, a gallery chamber, Imladris ...

He sat on an overstuffed chair, feet propped on the low table
before him, a glass of wine in his hand. He stared at the wall 
tapestry, the silence enveloping him with a comforting cocoon
of anonymity and relaxation. It was a good thing for he was
feeling slightly out of sorts.

The day had been fine, nothing out of the ordinary interrupting
the general prevailing mood of tranquility and homeliness. He
had undertaken his chores, those self-claimed tasks that filled
him with contentment and even though this was all true, he was
still out of sorts. Ill settled.

Moody.

Few would have felt him capable of such a thing, the usual
disposition of the tall blond upbeat and bemused. But sometimes,
for reasons he didn't understand, a darkness would grip him and
little was there for him to do but wait it out. He shifted,
settling more comfortably in the confines of the chair, his
sigh the only sound in the room.

Standing in the doorway, leaning against the door jamb, his arms
folded before him, Erestor watched Glorfindel muse on his own 
frailties. They were friends over many generations of men and
even though they were polar opposites, they were very much
content in the company of the other.

Glorfindel was light to his dark, galloping amusement to his own
tawny sardonic elasticity and they were humorous together, each
knowing the other very well. He liked Glorfindel even as he
loved him, the ancient practice of intense good friendship
between Elvish men living on in the closeness of the two.

Glorfindel's lanky frame filled the chair, his long legs crossed
at the ankles. He held the glass of red wine in his hands, his
fingers tracing the curve of the glass' lip with slow circular 
movements. Thick blond hair obscured Glorfindel's face, making
his mood hard to gauge.

Shifting in his position, Erestor cleared his throat. Blue-gray
eyes peered his direction, taking him in and Erestor waited,
expecting invitation.

"You're uncannily quiet," Glorfindel murmured, watching as
Erestor entered and took a seat across from him. Settling in,
dark eyes considered him, measuring Glorfindel's mood as he
would household wares. "And?"

"And ... it would seem you are in one of your moods, my friend," 
Erestor replied, crossing his arms comfortably even as he put
his own feet on the table. "Am I to presume you will sulk for
a day or two and then become your usual abominable self once
more?"

Glorfindel smirked, nodding. "I suppose that is the pattern
thus far."

Erestor sniffed, eyeing him with that piercing and knowing
gaze that put younger, less seasoned elves into fits of fear
and loathing. It was arch and aristocratic and used to full 
effect. "You are becoming predictable, my friend. I find that
hard to bear. Your one real charm is your uncanny ability to
be ten different people at the same time."

Glorfindel snorted and smiled. "You have a way with words
that does you honor."

"I do, don't I," Erestor replied, a smirk on his own handsome 
face. "Tell me, Glorfindel, what might it take to ... perk
you up?"

"I don't know," Glorfindel demurred, already rising from his
funk. "A little wine. A little conversation ... a little
company between the sheets perhaps."

Erestor smiled in spite of himself. "Ah, sexual healing."

"Is there any better kind?"

"And who would you nominate to help you through your torturous 
convalescence?" Erestor asked, fixing Glorfindel with a
jaundiced eye.

"I was thinking of someone tall and slender. Someone with nice
bones but not too much meat on them. Someone dark haired with 
smoldering eyes." Glorfindel smiled a roguish smile. "Know
anyone who fits the bill?"

Erestor held Glorfindel's gaze and then smirked. "Don't know
a soul."

Glorfindel sighed sadly, glancing sadly away. "Pity. I'm said
to be a real catch."

"By who?" Erestor asked, warming to the banter between them.

"Whom. By whom," Glorfindel interjected.

Erestor sniffed glacially and glanced away. "If you are going
to correct my grammar, then you will have to have someone
else pimp for you and not me."

Glorfindel snorted and chuckled aloud. "Pimp? For me? Since
when do I need help to find a bed partner?"

"You mentioned that you have specific tastes and it appears
that you are hardly in the position by your own acknowledgement
to do anything but make a fool of yourself should you pursue
a bed partner without assistance. So it would seem that you
have brought your case to me, as everyone in this place does
sooner or later, and placed it before me to resolve."

"You would find me a bed partner to my specific conditions?"
Glorfindel asked, fascinated by the figure before him. "Why,
Erestor, I am touched."

Erestor grinned in spite of himself. "You will be more than
touched. You must promise me something in future of my own
choosing should I avail you of my considerable skills at
persuasion to get someone to lie down with you."

Glorfindel laughed, setting his glass down on the table before
them. He leaned back, settling as he focused himself on the
debate forming between them. Erestor watched him, noting his
handsome face and long silken curtain of golden hair. He was
relieved that Glorfindel was rallying and wondered where the 
conversation would go. He didn't care, really. He was prepared
to follow it wherever it went. Such was the way the evening
was unfolding.

"I have very exacting standards, Erestor, my friend. I would
not just take any long legged, dark-eyed beauty."

"Of course," Erestor nodded, his face mock serious. "Give me
your specifics and I will consider my inventory and chose
the appropriate individual to match your tastes."

"You would?" Glorfindel asked.

"I would," Erestor replied.

Glorfindel smiled and considered his adversary for a moment.
Handsome was a word that didn't apply to Erestor. He was that
and more, a strange blend of conventional and unconventional
beauty. Exotic was a word that suited him, this tall and
enigmatic figure before him. Black was his hair and dark his
eyes, eyes that missed nothing and saw more than what
appeared to most others.

"I prefer something very tall, slender, yet strong. Someone
with refinement, yet sturdy enough to be adventurous in bed.
I like dark hair and dark eyes, wise eyes, Erestor, eyes
that have seen much but still hold to the light."

Erestor nodded, hiding his growing amusement. "Go on."

"I prefer an equal, someone strong enough to make me work
for their body. Someone who will expect to get as much as
they give and be willing to take it without hesitation."

"You have a gender preference?" he asked, knowing good and
well that at their age and unmarried station in life,
gender was not a consideration. It didn't matter a whit.

"I prefer a man, Erestor. I want a man to challenge me, to
make me rise to the occasion." Glorfindel rose and took his
glass, walking behind Erestor to fill it. "Do you wish wine?"
he asked, smiling slightly at Erestor's negative nod. "I
would like someone to make me work for their submission."

"Interesting. A dominating submissive. I'm not sure I have
one of those in stock. I would have to check with Lothlorien.
However, you might have to settle for a blond."

Glorfindel chuckled and walked to his chair, sitting down
once more. "Haldir, perhaps?"

"The northern border guard?" Erestor asked. "He-with-two-
brothers-Haldir?"

"Yes. That one."

Erestor grinned and smirked at his friend. "I suppose you
are going to tell me that you slept with him."

Glorfindel grinned and nodded. "Yes, actually. There isn't
much to do at night on a flet in the middle of a forest. I
am surprised that you are surprised."

"I am not surprised. If you told me you had sex on the
back of a donkey on the road to perdition I would nod and
say, `Yes. That sounds like him, the magnificent bastard.'"

Glorfindel snorted and laughed, setting down his glass. He
folded his hands before him, meeting Erestor's cool gaze
with his own amused one. "You didn't ask me how Haldir was."

"You plan to tell me? What sort of lover are you?" Erestor
asked, mock disapprovingly.

"The best kind I am told," Glorfindel said, preening
slightly. "Haldir has no complaints. I will say that he's
rather beautiful, that one. I enjoyed myself immensely and
hope to reprise our relationship next time I pass through
there. His brothers remind me of you with blond hair. I
was considering how much trouble it would be to have all
three of them."

"At the same time?" Erestor asked, smirking.

"I never thought of that. Sounds like fun," Glorfindel
replied. "Have you ever had more than one lover at a time
or does the idea of group sex bother you, Erestor, Seneschal
to the Great Lord of Imladris?"

"It bothers me less, I must say, than the idea of you having
your way with a Lothlorien border guard in a treetop on the
edge of the civilized world. You impress me with your
versatility, my dear friend."

"I do?" Glorfindel asked. "You have no idea how versatile
I can be."

It was silent a moment and then Erestor smiled. "The
brothers. They look like me?"

"Yes," Glorfindel replied, smiling. "Tall, willowy but not
feminine, muscular. They look like they could handle a lot.
If you know what I mean."

"You must tell me what its like next time you go there. I,
myself, being less the exhibitionist would be less
inclined to grope with a group, if you get my meaning."

Glorfindel snorted and smiled. "You have no idea what fun
lies on the fringes of your rock-bound ethics, my dear
friend. Titillations galore await the Elf that can let down
their corset and relax for a short while, wrapped in the
arms of someone who wants them."

"Are you speaking rhetorically or do you have a specific
proposal in mind?" Erestor said, smirking at the languid
figure lounging before him.

"Both. Neither. Why? Do you want to find out what Haldir
knows?"

Erestor snickered and leaned forward, meeting Glorfindel's
eye with a measure look. "Are you propositioning me?"

"Yes," Glorfindel said, holding Erestor's fabled gaze.

They sat still a moment and then both leaned back, sighing
in unison.

"I would hate to disturb a good friendship with complications
of sexual frolicking and much mutual whisperings of endearments
that in the light of day and in a much more sober mood will
bring a change in our dealings with each other."

Glorfindel nodded. "Then you want to sleep with me?"

"In the worst way," Erestor replied, sighing.

Glorfindel rose and held out his hand, pulling Erestor to his 
feet. "Come with me, my prince, and let me make mad,
passionate love to you."

"We will regret this greatly, I fear," Erestor said, picking
up a bottle of wine and another glass. "Bring your glass. I
feel this may take more than the usual lubrication to render
done."

Glorfindel snorted and followed his friend, winding through
the darkened house and up the winding stairs to pause before
the seneschal's door. Erestor turned and looked at Glorfindel, 
measuring him with a stern gaze. "No one must know upon pain
of a second death."

Glorfindel smiled and nodded. "May Mandos keep me next time
if I breathe a word."

Erestor smiled and opened the door, the two entering. The
door closed and would not open until the first light of
dawn streaked the sky.

******************Later that next day, in the stables ...

Glorfindel brushed the mare, noting the improved condition of
her coat. He yawned, noting the weariness that enfeebled him
from the night before. He considered the moment of truth
between them ...

"Surely you don't mean it?" Glorfindel asked, grinning
broadly as he stared at the tense figure before him.

"Of course I do. Turn around and wait," Erestor said, frowning
at his partner and soon-to-be-lover. "I have not passed the
flames of death nor have I flaunted myself in the tree tops.
If you wish to fondle my private parts, you will turn around
and humor me."

Glorfindel grinned and turned around, listening to the sound
of clothing hitting the floor. It was silent a moment, then
the sound of hair clips hitting the dresser made him aware
that Erestor was going all out. The rustle of covers indicated
that all was well and he turned, noting Erestor sitting up in
bed, swathed with sheets from the waist down.

"Ah, at last," Glorfindel said, tugging his tunic off over
his head. Tossing it away, he reached down and tugged off
one boot and then another, dropping them and their sock
partners into a corner. He turned and stared at Erestor,
grinning broadly. "I have waited for this moment a long
time, Erestor. I cannot wait to taste your body. I intend
to lick you from the top of your head to the tips of your
toes."

"You are disgusting," Erestor said, shifting in bed. "If
you want to sleep with me, keep the description to a
minimum."

"Sorry," Glorfindel said, tugging off his trousers and
undergarments. He stood naked, idly stroking himself as
he considered the festivities to come. Erestor stared at
Glorfindel's hand, stroking the long hard shaft there in
and then slid down, drawing the sheets to his neck.
Glorfindel grinned. "You aren't getting second thoughts
are you?"

"Yes," Erestor said, watching as the tall pale blond
crawled over him and climbed into the bed as well.
"Maybe."

"Too late," Glorfindel said, pulling Erestor toward him.
He kissed him, pressing his tongue into Erestor's mouth,
sucking and licking him as he melted under the influence
of his own lust. Erestor lay beside him, as tense as a
virgin bride on her wedding night. Glorfindel broke the
kiss and looked up and down the tense body of his lover.
"You are not a virgin, are you, Erestor?" he asked,
doubt creeping into his voice.

"Of course not," Erestor barked, shifting uneasily.

"You've never been with a man?" Glorfindel asked, frown
lines growing on his forehead.

"No," Erestor replied, sighing. "Forgive me my sheltered
life," he hissed with embarrassment.

"Sheltered? I wouldn't say that but this changes
everything."

"How so?" Erestor asked, swallowing nervously.

"I won't be able to ride you."

Erestor's nose curled. "I hate even the idea of that 
visual."

"You do not know what you are missing," Glorfindel said,
pressing his mouth against Erestor's. He moved to lay on
the tense body next to him, parting Erestor's legs with
his own knee. Settling, he threaded his fingers through
dark silken hair as his lips had their way with the
slowly thawing virgin beneath him. He paused, panting with
the effort to control the power of his own lust. "How does
that feel?"

"Good," Erestor said, his hands sliding up and down the
back of his lover. "You tongue is prehensile."

"Haldir thinks so too," Glorfindel said, grimacing good
naturedly at the tug of his hair in the fist of his lover.
"Are you relaxing yet? I would like to know before I
commence to show you the technique for which I am quite
famous."

"Technique?" Erestor asked, concern in his voice. "You
won't ... you know ..."

"What?" Glorfindel said, sucking on Erestor's neck, red
marks trailing in the wake.

For a moment it was silent and then Glorfindel looked at
him, noting real unease in the dark eyes, eyes that
normally could crack paint off the wall with a simple
stony glance.

"What?" Glorfindel asked, his voice soft even as his need
loomed between them, pressing against Erestor's less
enthusiastic erection like an invading army. "Tell me."

"You won't ... do that thing." Erestor closed his eyes,
self disgust evident. "I am old. Why can not I just say
it?"

"Then do," Glorfindel said, kissing Erestor's full red
lips gently.

"You will not take me like a woman tonight. I don't know
that I can handle that just yet," he whispered, his
expression more serious than Glorfindel could remember
seeing outside of catastrophe and war.

He sighed, kissing Erestor once more. "No. I would not
do that. Tonight."

Erestor relaxed, smiling ruefully. "You must think me an
awful rube."

"No," Glorfindel replied, kissing Erestor, his tongue
drawing a line across his full lips. "This is your first
time with a man and your first time with me. I am
grateful, Erestor. Now may I take you?"

"Yes," the Elf replied, smiling.

For the next several minutes there were no more words as
Glorfindel surged against the body of his lover. Grunts
and exhalations of surprise and rising lust slipped from
Erestor's lips when they weren't being devoured by his
lover. For the longest time he could remember Glorfindel
surged against him and then he was too preoccupied with
the fireworks in the back of his head to be aware of
more.

When it was all over, they lay together, a tangle of arms
and legs and hair. Erestor didn't say much, lying in the
arms of his lover and Glorfindel held him, his mood
considerably lightened. By the time dawn came, Erestor
was gone, off to make the house move through the rhythms
of the day.

****************************** ...

He stood in the stall, rubbing down the mare when he
became aware of another nearby. Looking up, he met the
dark eyes of his friend and companion and he paused,
smiling at the slightly reticent gaze of Erestor.

"How do you feel today?" Glorfindel asked.

"I was going to ask you that myself," Erestor remarked,
leaning his arms on the gate of the stall.

"Good," Glorfindel replied, patting the mare. "I feel
good. Thank you, Erestor."

Erestor nodded and as he entered the stall, they heard
restive hooves and the sound of movement. Turning, they
peered over the bars into the stall next door. A
stallion had moved on the mare in the stall with him,
rising up and covering her with his great body. Clasping
her with his legs, he grunted as he took her, moving
against her in the age old rhythm of procreative need.
Glorfindel smirked and peered at his partner. Erestor's
face was coloring with embarrassment as they stood
watching. With a hiss of breath, the horse slipped off,
sniffing and nudging the mare with his nose. Erestor
turned, shaking his head even as he gathered his wits.
Glorfindel stared at him, a big grin on his face.

"Are you okay?" he asked, watching as the Elf tugged
at his sleeves.

Cool eyes greeted him as the usual glacial expression
of nonchalance took over once more. "And why should I
be otherwise? Its not as if I have never seen that
before."

"Good," Glorfindel said, picking up his brush. "Then
you won't mind if we do a little gallop of our own
tonight."

Erestor snorted and glanced at him as he walked back
out of the stall. "You would like that wouldn't you."

Glorfindel turned and closed the distance between them,
his eyes narrowing in lust as he brushed his lips
against Erestor's. "You have no idea," he said quietly.

Erestor stepped back and stared at him a moment, smirking
slightly as he did. "I'm not your filly," he said, turning
and walking toward the door.

Glorfindel smiled and watched him go, turning to his mare
when the other rounded the corner and disappeared from
view. He began to brush the rounded side of the horse,
strong strokes smoothing away dirt and grime. As he did,
he considered the coming nights festivities.

"We'll see," Glorfindel whispered, his smile growing
broader. "We'll see."

******************In the house, near the kitchen ...

"What brings a smile to your lips, Erestor?"

He turned and looked into the dark eyes of his lord and
great friend, Elrond of Imladris. Shaking his head with
a sigh, he turned and joined him as he walked up the
stairs to the library.

"Nothing, my lord," he said, noncommittally. "I was just
thinking of taking up riding."

"Good," Elrond said, his smile genuine. "You need to get
out more. A little posting around is good for the body
and soul."

Erestor chuckled softly, nodding in agreement with his
friend. "I'm glad you see it my way."

They continued upward until they disappeared from view
and the house settled into silence behind them.

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c2003  1/4
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