Finding Lost Family by chrissystriped

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Chapter Seventeen

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Sharû walked off the boat and looked around. Ecthelion had promised him to meet him at the pier. The elf waved at him with a smile and Sharû waved back, a little stiffly. It was the first time they met after they’d had sex. Ecthelion’s lover... that’s what he was now. And Ecthelion didn’t seem to mind to show that fact to the world. Sharû tensed in surprise when he kissed him.

“Good to see you”, Ecthelion said. “I booked a table for lunch.”

“You spoil me.”

Ecthelion chuckled. “It’s our first real date. That needs to be celebrated properly.”

Sharû looked away embarrassed and was glad that his dark skin didn’t show his blush. “We often eat together.”

“But not as a couple.” Ecthelion became serious. “If I overwhelm you, you have to tell me. I, for my part, am very happy that you want to be with me and I intend to show you.”

Sharû nodded. He was a little overwhelmed by Ecthelion engulfing him in his love, but... he remembered how his parents had treated each other. At least at home they hadn’t hidden how much they loved each other. It had just been so long ago. Love hadn’t been possible for orcs. Orcs, who loved, hadn’t been desirable. He squeezed Ecthelion’s hand.

“Openly displayed affection makes me nervous. Not because I think we shouldn’t be together. I just fear someone could take you away from me if our love is too obvious.”

“No one will separate us”, Ecthelion stated, “but I know what you mean – why you say that. Tell me, if I push too much, I won’t sulk.”

Sharû nodded. He had always been able to be honest with Ecthelion, that shouldn’t change now. The inn, Ecthelion had chosen, hid on a little square at one of the walls that separated the hill into terraces. They’d been here before and Sharû felt his mouth water as he thought of the wonderful lamb they made here.

Their table stood right beside the sunwarm stones of the wall, it smelled of rosemary and thyme and the blooms of the orange tree that gave shade. Sharû smiled to himself when he realised that he could name the herbs – Ecthelion’s influence. Ecthelion ordered wine, Sharû trusted him to make a good choice. The waitress greeted Ecthelion by name and didn’t seem surprised to see Sharû, at least she didn’t let it show.

Sharû ordered the lamb, Ecthelion chose fried trout and started to tell him about the last meeting of the Angband-Elves. When he talked about music, Sharû always felt like he could almost hear it. Elves... they could make everything sound like music. Not that he knew much about music.

“You should come along again one of these days.”

Sharû shook his head. “You dragged me along once – and it was wonderful, I won’t deny it – but I know not all of your people are comfortable with an orc close by and I don’t want to discomfit them. And there’s also... us. What are they going to say to their leader having sex with an orc?”

Ecthelion shrugged. “It’s my private life, it’s none of their business – and they know you. Many of them call some of your men friends. I think they’ll be less baffled than the rest of Tirion.” Ecthelion smiled and his eyes twinkled. “Anyway, I don’t care. I won’t give you up.“

His eyes were so deep... Sharû thought he could drown in them, he was so happy. A wide smile stole itself on his lips.

“What?” Ecthelion tapped him with his toes.

“Nothing. I’m just happy.”

“Me, too.” Ecthelion gave him a quick kiss, ignoring the elves at the other tables. “My mother told me, if we could make it, she’d like to have tea with her ‘future son-in-law’, as she put it.”

Sharû gulped. “And you are sure that you want that?”

“Why not?” Ecthelion cocked his head. “You’ve met her before an you seemed to get along well.”

“I meant the ‘future son-in-law’. That’s a little fast for me.”

Ecthelion’s eyes became serious. “It was a joke. I don’t intend to force a ring on your finger tomorrow. Let’s just enjoy what we have together. Marriage was never my foremost goal in life.”

Sharû laughed. “Oh, really?” He’d heard a lot about Ecthelion. His friend had had a wild youth.

“What am I to say?” Ecthelion shrugged. “I just like to have sex.”

“I noticed.” Sharû grinned.

They had been hunting the day after their first night together, they even had caught a deer, but afterwards they had thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Ecthelion’s skin had tasted of forest – moss and blueberries and woodruff. Sharû licked his lips. Ecthelion took a sip from his wine and winked at him as if he knew what he was thinking.

“Let’s go home.”

It wasn’t far. They chose a shortcut up narrow steps, it was making him sweat but Sharû enjoyed the view of Ecthelion’s backside before him anyway. The elf threw a look over his shoulder that told him that he knew exactly what he was thinking.

“I don’t want to be disturbed”, Ecthelion told Indo. “If the city isn’t burning, I’m not available for anyone today.”

The other elf looked at Sharû in disbelief, but refrained from voicing his thoughts and only nodded. Ecthelion closed the bedroom door behind them and pushed Sharû against it.

“I longed for this”, he growled.

Sharû pulled him against himself wordlessly and gave him a passionate kiss, his hands closed around Ecthelion’s buttocks. The elf’s fingers found their way under his shirt, caressing his sides and pulling it over his head. Sharû moaned softly when Ecthelion’s knee slid between his legs, he was growing hard quickly.

“You drive me insane”, Ecthelion whispered into his ear and licked the rim. “I want you inside me.”

His voice broke a little when Sharû pushed his hand into his trousers and cupped his cock. Ecthelion’s nails dug into his shoulders, Sharû shuddered and growled softly. His arousal pulsed with his heartbeat. He wanted. And pulled himself together. He mustn’t hurt him. He mustn’t throw away what he had here.

Ecthelion’s eyes met his, the pupil of his good eye wide. Sharû kissed him again, hard. He tasted blood and didn’t know if it was his or Ecthelion’s, but Ecthelion didn’t seem to mind. The elf made short work of their remaining clothes, Sharû groaned and thrust against him when their hot, hard cocks slid along each other. ‘I want you inside me.’ And he wanted to be inside him, to thrust into him until he screamed with pleasure.

Sharû lifted Ecthelion up – the elf slung his legs around him with a giggle – and carried him to the bed, let him fall on the mattress. Ecthelion spread his legs invitingly with a wide grin, stroking his cock slowly. Sharû growled and knelt between his legs before looking around and found what he searched for on the night table. Lubrication. His hands trembled a little when he opened the tin and took a generous amount of cream on his fingers. He was nervous, this was so new.

“Yes”, Ecthelion sighed and moved toward him when he slid his slippery fingers into his passage. Sharû bowed over him to lick at a nipple. “More!”, Ecthelion groaned. “Sharû!” He moved his hips into Sharû’s touch. “I want you.”

“And you shall have me.” Sharû bit his nipple gently and grinned at the sound the elf made. He loved to see him like this, aroused and eager for him.

He put Ecthelion’s legs on his shoulders and entered him slowly, though he ached to move more quickly. He didn’t want to hurt him. Ecthelion’s hands tangled in his hair and pulled him up for another kiss, meeting his thrusts. Sharû closed his eyes, enjoyed the feeling of being completely inside him and the hands in his hair, Ecthelion moaning unabashedly. Sharû felt when he found the right angle and Ecthelion’s body tensed in pleasure.

“More!”, Ecthelion gasped. “Valar, Sharû! Harder!”

Sharû had always thought that elves liked tender sex, but Ecthelion... He couldn’t think now, not with his cock buried to the hilt in his elf.

“As you wish”, he growled and fucked him harder.

“Yes!”

Ecthelion’s fingers tugged on his hair, his eyes were closed in obvious bliss, his head thrown back. Sharû licked down his exposed throat. He felt his release rushing over him like a wave, a growl vibrated in his chest and he bit Ecthelion’s shoulder. He felt the elf tense and wetness splatter on his belly when he came too.

 

Ecthelion snuggled against Sharû’s broad chest, his legs tangled with the orc’s. He blinked languidly and admired the contrast between his light-skinned hand on Sharû’s dark chest.

“You are so beautiful”, he murmured and caressed the sweaty skin.

Sharû’s laugh rumbled  under his ear. “You are beautiful.” The orc traced the throbbing spot where he had bitten him.

“I’m not a mare, you know?”, Ecthelion said with a smile. Sharû made a questioning sound and Ecthelion chuckled. “Have you never seen horses mate?”

Sharû shook his head. “Horses don’t like me – or orcs in general. I think they know me as the predator I am.”

Ecthelion chuckled. “Well, the stallion bites the mare’s neck so she can’t get away.”

Sharû’s dark skin didn’t show a blush but Ecthelion was sure that he was blushing.

“That wasn’t...” He coughed embarrassed. “It can happen in the heat of the moment, if you go to bed with an orc.”

Ecthelion kissed him gently.

“I know. I like it a little rough”, he said, now a little embarrassed himself.

Before Angband he had usually been on top, except when he had sought someone out who was physically superior to him. Sharû was smaller, but much more muscular than him. He shivered pleasantly at the thought of Sharû gripping his wrists and pushing him into the mattress. He didn’t know why Angband hadn’t healed him of this fantasies. He’d had more than enough forced rough sex he hadn’t enjoyed at all.

“I don’t want to hurt you”, Sharû said and rubbed his nape. Ecthelion would have purred if he knew how.

“It doesn’t hurt”, he answered. “We both know what real pain feels like, I think.”

Sharû turned his eyes to the ceiling. “But that’s it. I... I don’t want to wake up bad memories and... I am an orc, I fear to lose control in the heat of the moment.”

Ecthelion pressed a kiss to his chest. “My memories... let’s say it like this: I don’t have nightmares - not about this at least - and nothing you could do would trigger something bad.” That he didn’t trust himself when he was such a good person...

“Are you so sure about that?”

Sharû’s hand gripped his hair painfully and Ecthelion’s heart started to beat quicker – but not with fear.

“I won’t be afraid of you, Sharû. I know you won’t do anything against my will.”

Sharû shook his head and let go of his hair. “Why do you trust me so much? I was one of your masters.” He made a desperate sound between laugh and sob. “I could have had you and would not remember.”

Ecthelion rose to his elbow and looked firmly into Sharû’s eyes. “I would remember. But you didn’t. We are together now. You are not my master and I’m not a slave. I do this because I want to and I hope it is the same with you.”

“Of course!” Sharû’s eyes grew wide as if he couldn’t believe that Ecthelion said that.

“Good.” Ecthelion crossed his arms on Sharû’s chest and rested his chin on them. “If you feel uncomfortable, we don’t have to discuss it. I just want you to know that you don’t have to treat me like I’m made of glass. Okay?”

Sharû nodded slowly. “Okay.”

Ecthelion shook his head at himself. It was normal for him to talk with his lovers about sex, but Sharû was different, he should have known that. Ecthelion kissed Sharû’s chin that he could reach easily from his position. He felt a light stubble under his lips.

“Are you shaving?”

Sharû snorted in amusement. “Daily. Or do you want me to grow a beard?”

Ecthelion eyed Sharû in feigned seriousness. He tried to imagine Sharû with a beard.

“Better not”, he said and rubbed his cheek against the orc’s. “It scratches on my tender elven skin.”

Sharû laughed softly and slid his fingertip down the inside of Ecthelion’s upper arm. Ecthelion twitched, he was ticklish there.

“How old are you, anyway?”, he asked.

Facial hair was a little unpredictable but usually only older elves could grow a beard. Was it the same with orcs? Sharû scratched his neck.

“I can’t tell exactly. We had a time reckoning, but it doesn’t fit to anything you have. I was born when Melkor was a captive of the Valar.”

Ecthelion nibbled on Sharû’s chin. “You know that it is quite a long time you are speaking of?”

Sharû shrugged. “I’d say it was roughly in the middle of it. I was long grown when he came back.”

“You’re probably quite a bit older than me.” Ecthelion shrugged. “Not that it matters to me.”

Sharû raked his hand through Ecthelion’s hair. “To be honest, I never thought about it. Age becomes inconsequential after a while, don’t you think?”

Ecthelion nodded and closed his eyes with relish as Sharû continued to massage his nape.

 

A long while later, Ecthelion said: “I hate to bring it up right now, but mother will be mad at me, if we don’t make it down for tea.”

Sharû groaned and moved lazily against him. “Can we wash first? I don’t want to have tea with your mother when I feel like I smell of you and sex.”

Ecthelion stifled his giggle on Sharû’s neck.

“Absolutely. We can shower.”

He sat up and held his hand out to Sharû. Sharû let him pull him to his feet. He hesitated for a moment when Ecthelion opened the door to the hallway and walked out in nothing but his skin.

“It’s not far”, Ecthelion said with a grin over his shoulder. “And the staff knows better than to disturb me when I have a guest. I have a certain reputation.”

Sharû’s laughter was deep and rumbling. He loved it, he had to make him laugh more often. “That’s persistent, isn’t it? Or did you work actively on it after your return?”

Ecthelion shrugged awkwardly. “I’ve had some people here, but not as much as before.”

He had soon realised that people didn’t want to be reminded that he had been a slave, but it was a part of who he was now. Maybe, no, surely, he would have thought otherwise if he hadn’t been in Angband.

Egalmoth and he had been of one mind in the past, but when he talked with him now he wondered how he could have ever been so shallow. Egalmoth had stopped to disparage the Angband-Elves when he could hear it, but Ecthelion knew that his attitude hadn’t changed, he was just keeping quiet for their friendship’s sake. Ecthelion shook his head. He didn’t want to think of Egalmoth now or of any of the problems his people had.

Sharû was here and he would enjoy it. And later they would meet his mother for tea. He smiled, glad that his mother seemed to be so unfazed about his love for an orc. Ecthelion embraced his lover and gave him a quick kiss, simply because he could. As his mother was not only open minded to his choice of lovers but also to new inventions, they had running hot water in their baths and Ecthelion was excited by this invention.

The Noldor who had stayed behind maybe didn’t know about chainmail or swords that started to glow when enemies were close, but they had invented this fantastic thing: water that came out of a shower head like warm rain... Ecthelion stood often much too long under the shower, but he had earned it after the years in the dirt, he thought. He dragged Sharû into the bath. There was a tub, too, but that was not what he wanted right now.

“Have you ever stood under artificial rain?”

Sharû shook his head and eyed the shower head distrustfully.

“Don’t look up or you’ll get water in the eyes.”

Ecthelion opened the tap and warm water poured down on them.

Sharû gasped in surprise. “That’s... unbelievable.”

“Isn’t it? I love it.”

Ecthelion closed his eyes and leaned his head back until his hair stuck wet to his back. He sighed happily when Sharû’s hands started to stroke his thighs.

 

Everything was wet and hot, his hands, Ecthelion’s skin, even their kisses. Sharû, who usually contented himself with a jump into the forest pond, wouldn’t have thought that anyone could get the idea to have hot water come from the wall. Elves and their fixation with cleanness... He shook his head, but he had to admit it felt good. Ecthelion moaned into their kiss when he ground their loins together. How much he desired this elf. He could have fucked him all day and would still want him.

For years he had tried to hide this feelings, fearing to chase Ecthelion away. But Ecthelion wanted him. Valar! Ecthelion wanted him! It was still so unbelievable. Sharû licked the bite on Ecthelion’s shoulder and closed his hand around both their arousals. Ecthelion moaned and clung to him. Sharû slid his thumb over the head of Ecthelion’s cock, slick with water and precum.

Sharû wondered how he would taste, how it would be to take him in his mouth. He had never allowed himself to think of this before either. He was an orc, he wasn’t a weakling who let himself be fucked. That was what he had been taught. But with Ecthelion... Ecthelion didn’t think it humiliating to be fucked. And Ecthelion was a lot but he wasn’t a weakling. Still, Sharû couldn’t bring himself to kneel before him. Maybe another time, when they were lying in bed.

Sharû continued to stroke them and watch Ecthelion. His lover leaned against the tiles, the water swirled around them both and made his skin shine. He opened his good eye.

“Sharû”, he groaned and Sharû stretched to kiss him.

His hand moved quicker, he felt his release come nearer and then Ecthelion’s tensing when he came over his hand. Sharû followed him shortly after and leaned against Ecthelion who embraced him.

“Melethron”, Ecthelion murmured into his ear. “Sharû, my dear, you mean so much to me.”

Sharû’s heart beat quicker and not only of the physical effort. They stayed under the shower until the water became cooler and it had washed away the evidence of their shared pleasure.

 

Nivwen’s smirk told Ecthelion that she knew exactly what they had been doing. Well, she knew him, it probably wasn’t that hard to figure out what he was doing with his new lover behind closed doors. Every time he thought of Sharû as his lover, a small rush of elation shot through his heart. It was still so new and he’d waited for so long, sure that it would be better to stay quiet.

“Welcome, Sharû”, she said, pouring them tea herself. “As I’ve told Ecthelion, I’m glad you finally found the courage to tell me of your affair.”

Ecthelion blushed. “Mother! I told you it’s new. You’ve been seeing things.”

“If you say so.” Nivwen eyed him over the rim of her cup.

“It’s true”, Sharû said, holding the fragile cup like he expected it to break in his hand. Ecthelion smiled to himself. He wasn’t scared for the fine porcelain, he knew how gentle these hands could be. “I did not think he’d ever want me.”

Nivwen smiled at him. “As you might gather from my words, I’m not surprised. And to be honest, you are not the strangest person, Ecthelion ever had a dalliance with.”

“Mother!”, Ecthelion cried appalled. “Sharû does not need to hear about my former lovers!”

“Oh, but maybe I’d like to hear”, Sharû smirked at him and

Nivwen laughed. “I like you Sharû. Did you have a pleasant journey from the isle?”, she asked. Sharû nodded.

“The sea is calm this time of the year. But I’ll never become a friend of boats.”

She smiled. “Do you get seasick?”

Sharû shook his head. “No, but... all that water. I’m not a very good swimmer, I just like to have earth under my feet. I grew up inside a mountain, water is for drinking.”

“So you don’t feel it? The yearning for the sea? To stand on its shore and feel the salty wind on your face.”

Sharû shook his head again. “Maybe I’m not elf enough for that. The sea always felt menacing to me. Now I live on an island and I get along with it. I like fish. But I’ll never be a sailor. I’m glad that the Solosimpi who want a maenas are happy to come to me. I wouldn’t want to make the journey to the mainland every day.”

“Maenas? Oh, I’ve seen them on older elves, it went quickly out of fashion, when we came here. Orcs do that, too?”, Nivwen asked interestedly and Sharû nodded.

“Though our marks are different from those of the elves. The Solosimpi are rediscovering that tradition from their relatives who stayed longer in the east but many of the inkers of the families are hesitant to do that for people outside the family. I’m in easy reach.” Sharû shrugged. “The more adventurous ones come to me.”

“So you are an artist”, Nivwen said with a smile and Sharû blushed.

“I’m not sure that’s the right word. I’m more of a farmer, really. Your son is too good for me.”

Nivwen cocked her head. “I think my son has a different opinion and because I know my son I won’t contradict him.” Ecthelion blushed when she stroked his head.

“Yes, I already noticed that Ecthelion can be a little... tenacious.” Sharû smiled with closed lips. Ecthelion was seeing him doing that around elves because an orc smiling could look right out terrifying. “He is sometimes a little hard to persuade.”

“And this from you?” Ecthelion turned to his mother and smiled. “Sharû has an orcish bullhead, himself. Not only the Noldor are known for their stubbornness.”

Sharû grumbled something unintelligible and sipped on his cup putting it down delicately afterwards. Ecthelion steered the conversation to other topics, knowing that Sharû didn’t like to be too much the centre of it. To be honest, he wanted to go back upstairs. Sharû tensed when Ecthelion stroked his calf with his foot and threw him a disbelieving glance, Ecthelion smiled innocently at him.