First Date by ohboromir

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First Date

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“Lord Telperinquar, are you certain letting him stay is wise? The Valar have shown us no favour before, why would they send help now?”

“Sendiel,” Tyelpë smiled at his advisor, touched by her concern. It was not Eregion she was truly worried about, but him, and his growing desire to spend more and more time with their eccentric guest. He appreciated that. “It will be fine. He will move on soon enough, I am sure. I wish to take advantage of his knowledge while I still can.”

She pursed her lips, unconvinced. But he knew she would not bring this up again - not like this. She would change tactics, but for now, he did not need to worry about it. Sendiel sighed and bowed, backing out of the room.

Tyelpë could finally turn his attention to a far more pressing task: deciding how to dress for his meeting with Annatar this afternoon. A scholarly meeting, of course. Annatar had suggested they discuss some of Tyelpë’s interests over a light lunch, and while he had not said it was a date, there had been a flash of something in those golden eyes that made Tyelpë’s insides feel like molten glass.

But that was the issue: it was not an official date. If he showed up in his finery, would it make him look vain? Pretentious? Or would Annatar be impressed? But perhaps their conversation would lead them to the workshop, and then he would need to be wearing something appropriate for working in, or he would seem unprofessional. But he didn’t want to be too casual. But… But…

This was hard. Tyelpë hadn't had this much difficulty dressing himself since he was four. What would Atar do?

Scold me. Atar wouldn't be in this tangle in the first place.

Ah. No. His father was probably not the best example. Logic was a far better guide. Without knowing Annatar's true intentions, he would try and cover all his bases; it would be a little warm, but he could wear and work shirt and leggings under one of his nicer robes, and tuck a spare hair tie into his pockets, so if they ended up in the forge, he wouldn't look like a novice.

Eru. Sometimes he surprised himself with his ingenuity.

He dressed himself, taking extra care with selecting a robe. Annatar had once mentioned he looked kingly in red, so he picked an elegant, tight fitting red robe, with silver, tree like motifs on the breast and down the sleeves, like the long lost image of Telperion. His dark he left mostly lose, a rare thing these days, just a few of the front strands clasped with a silver clip behind his head. Tyelpë stared at himself in the mirror. The pit of butterflies in his stomach had become wriggling snakes. Annatar is my friend. I am the Lord of Eregion and Scion of the House of Fëanor. I need not be afraid of one scholarly maia.

He took a deep, calming breath, counted to ten, and left to meet the maia.

***

Annatar paced back and forth in the parlor, hands behind his back, as he craned his neck to watch the clock on the far wall. Where was Telperinquar? He should have been here ten minutes ago, and while this might not have been too late to the busy Lord of Eregion, to Annatar, it felt like hours. It had been hard enough to plan this. It had been centuries since he had put this much effort into meeting with someone he did not already know, and unlike in the past, it was not as simple as merely flashing his bare skin and battering his eyelashes. Telperinquar was stubborn; and besides, he needed him to be more than a fling. He needed the Lord of Eregion in his pockets. And his pants, if necessary.

“Annatar, I apologise for the wait.” Telperinquar entered the room and Annatar instantly stood still, struck by his appearance. Telperinquar looked… simply lovely. Red was a beautiful colour on him, blood-crimson, setting off his dark hair and proud gaze. Annatar’s lips curled in a smile.

“It is no trouble, Lord Telperinquar. Please, sit down with me.”

Annatar had ordered a simple lunch for them, salad and cheese and warm bread. He assumed this was what elves ate, though he had not asked. Hm. He needed new informants if he was to stay in Eregion long. He sat down as Telperinquar did, suddenly at a loss for what to say. He picked at his food, searching for a topic that Telperinquar would like. Maybe this was a bad idea. He must be really out of practice if this was making him nervous.

“How was your council meeting this morning, Lord Telperinquar?”

Telperinquar’s face fell. Ah. Bad choice - so he did not want to talk about work. “Painfully dull. There is only so much talk of grain taxes and levies that I can stand.”

“Ah, yes, that is hardly a thrilling topic. My sympathies.”

The awkward silence resumed as they both ate - or rather, Telperinquar did, while Annatar only managed a few bites before discarding the pretense. What now? He did not know what Telperinquar liked.

“Have you been in your forge often, lately?” he ventured, over the top of his glass of water.

“Oh, yes, you see, Narvi and I are working on a secret project,” Annatar’s jealousy instantly flared and he had to put down his glass before he broke it. “It will be magnificent when it is done. It is quite an experiment, but it is promising

“I am eager to see it. I am something of an experimental worker myself.”

“You are?” Telperinquar’s ears perked up, and he leaned across the table, to listen closer. “What do you work on?”

Annatar paused. It wouldn’t hurt…

“I could show you?” he suggested, half joking. He did not think Telperinquar would approve of his work. But the elf’s face lit up brighter than the moon and Annatar knew he could not deny him anything.

“I would love that. Could we go now, before my councillors steal me away again?”

How could Annatar refuse? He rose from the table, smoothing the dark fabric of his robe, and smiled, sweet as honey. “Of course. I am afraid my workshop is quite warm. You may feel a little too hot in those robes.

Telperinquar laughed, causing Annatar to raise a pale eyebrow. The Lord of Eregion was stripping in his parlour. Oh. The Lord of Eregion was stripping in his parlour! Annatar ran over their conversation in his mind. Was there an innuendo that he had missed?

No. Telperinquar’s robe was quite divested, the red fabric tossed over the back of a chair in a way that made Annatar itch to fold it neatly. But he was soon distracted by a much nicer view; Telperinquar had planned for this, and beneath the robe he was wearing a sleeveless brown tunic, putting his muscled arms on display. Annatar made no secret of how he was admiring him, pale eyes roaming over every inch of exposed skin. Hm. Yes, seducing Teleperinquar to the true cause would be worth it. It might even be fun.

“Better?”

“Much. Please, my lord, follow me.”

Annatar led Telperinquar down the hall, down past the main forges, to the small workshop that Telperinquar had graciously given him on his arrival. He hesitated as he touched the handle.

“Ah, Telperinquar, there is something I should warn you about. My experiment is quite… personal. I shall understand if you find it disturbing.”

And before Telperinquar could reply, he opened the door and led him inside.

A perfect elven body lay on the table, the torso opened to reveal a collection of gears and cogs. A replica, though if it had been closed, it would have been hard to tell. Every proportion was exact, the skin clear as glass, the dark halo of hair crowning the head was so lifelike that it took several moments for Telperinquar to speak.

Annatar sighed. He should have known this was a bad idea. Now he had put off Telperinquar forever, he would have to start from square one, if Telperinquar did not cast him out entirely.

“Oh, Annatar, this is remarkable!” Telperinquar rushed up to the table, picking up the metal hand and turning it over in his hands. “So lifelike! How do you do it?” A stream of questions followed, so many that Telperinquar seemed almost breathless, and Annatar had no chance to answer any of them until he had worn himself out.

“It is based on long hours of observation. Some willing participants, a little wading on battlefields and healer’s halls.” A lie. None of the elves he had taken apart and then put back together again had been willing and few of them had left his old workshop alive. “It is a labour of love. My magnum opus, I think you could call it.” And when it was complete, it would be a vessel for greater power. If he could only understand how to make it breathe.

“It is beautiful, Annatar. All your work is. Imagine the marvels we could create together!” Telperinquar turned to him, and Annatar was struck by the look in his eyes, the burning light of knowledge, the hunger for more, the fire of creation, wavering on the familial line between genius and madness. Desire flooded him, true desire, that he had not felt for many years. Annatar smiled.

“Thank you, Telperinquar, I - ”

“Tyelpë, please. We are friends, are we not?”

“Tyelpë.” he agreed, closing a wall around his heart. He could not afford love, but he could indulge himself in a little affection and companionship. “I would be honoured to share my work with you.”

Tyelpë’s smile broadened to a grin.

“This is the start of a beautiful partnership, my friend. Now, come on, we have lunch to finish, and plans to discuss.”