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“Dad!” the children shouted as soon as the car door was shut.Elrond felt his keeping-the-children-alive senses turn up to high alert when he heard their shouts. He was quick, but not quick enough to remove his foot before the canoe was dropped on it. The sharp pain of the shock made him groan and close his eyes as he gathered what remained of his patience. It had been a long day and a long summer with the children.“No running around the cars!” He shouted after them, following them as quickly as he could with his foot still throbbing with pain.Where were the other camp counselors, Halbrand and Galadriel, when he needed them?Elrond grabbed Grugzûk before he could reach the car, but Glûg escaped him and threw himself in the arms of the man who just stepped out. “Dad!” he shouted as he was lifted up in the air.“Excuse me,” Elrond said in a clipped voice, annoyed by the setting sun in his eyes, the pain in his foot, and his long day of canoeing, “parents are not allowed to pick up their children in advance, directly from the camp, until the end of the week.”“Galadriel didn’t tell you?” A deep hoarse voice answered him as the man set Glûg on his hip, an impressive feat of strength as Glûg was a a slight kid but could not stop moving if his life depended on it. “I always come in to help for the last week of camp.”Elrond moved out of the sun and finally got a good look at the man now having to wrangle Glûg on his hip as well as several other kids holding on to his legs as puppies trying to get to treats.“I… I wasn’t told,” Elrond said, his throat suddenly very dry.“I have the confirmation email here, but you can phone the front office too, they’ll tell you,” the tall dark-haired man explained, a little frosty under Elrond’s gaze. He handed him his phone and Elrond took his, shielding his eyes from the sun so he could read the email exchange between the home office and the mysterious “Adar”, confirming his coming on Friday evening to volunteer for the last week of camp. The administrator sounded enthousiastic in his emails. It was, apparently, a long-standing tradition.Elrond looked up just in time to see Adar do barbell bicep curls with a kid to amuse his circle of admirers. He was pretending to find it difficult, groaning excessively, but Elrond could see he had the biceps to pull it off easily. He grabbed his own phone from the waterproof protector he had kept it in and called the office.“Hey, Celebrimbor, it’s Elrond…”“Oh, Elrond, hi, is everything alright?”“Yes, uhm… There’s a parent here, he says he’s volunteering for the last week?”“Oh, Adar, yes, he’s arrived already?”“Yes, just now, but I didn’t know…”“Oh, Galadriel should have told you, he’s always here for the last week. He either camps or gets a bed in one of the staff cabins. He can get a little grumpy with the counselors but all the children love him. Thank you for verifying.”“No problem, I thought, better safe than sorry.”“He’s all good. See you next week, Elrond!” Celebrimbor confirmed before hanging up.“So, what did the office say?” Adar taunted him, raising an eyebrow at him.“They said I should have been told in advance but they confirmed you can be there,” Elrond answered, bristling at him but handing him his phone back.Adar threw the kid he had been using as exercise equipment over his shoulder, making him giggle and all the kids jump up and down in excitment, asking for their turn. He then took his phone back from Elrond, revealing a blackout sleeve on his arm and slid it in his pocket.Then, Elrond’s newly developped sixth sense made him turn his head right on time to see two of the children try to push a canoe back into the water.“Hey!” Elrond called after them, “No, we don’t put the canoes back into the lake, and we certainly don’t go in the water by ourselves. You didn’t even put your life jackets back on! Come on, we spent all summer on the safety protocols!”**In the evening, Elrond’s foot was starting to really throb with pain, but there was still so much left to do. They had hosed down the canoes and the life jackets, Elrond recieving most of the water on him, and put away all the equipment. Now the sun was starting to set, colouring the sky in gorgeous hues of red and orange. Elrond wanted nothing more but to sip a cup of mint tea while watching the colours of the sky reflected in the calm surface of the lake, but he still had to wrangle the kids through dinner.Curse him to the Halls of Mandos for thinking he would spend a nice but fulfilling summer at camp and that it would feel like a vacation for himself too. He had never been more wrong. Still, he was greeted so sweetly by the children as soon as he walked to the cafereria that all his worries were instantly forgotten.Lurka and Bazur came up to him to discuss the very serious matter of dessert and tell on their comrades who didn’t line up properly to get their food. “But Dad told them to get in line so we could all get food much faster, and they obeyed, but we’re still waiting in line, I hope we still have enough dessert by the time we get there because I’m so hungry, and I washed the canoes, that took a long time, but I was good and I did it…”Thankfully, there were enough desserts for both Lurka and Bazur by the time they got to the front of the line, which was a relief. Elrond sat on the little dais reserved for the camp counselors, greeting Halbrand and Galadriel.“Here, I kept a pudding just for you,” Galadriel slid him a dessert. “I know you barely had time to eat at lunch.”“I feel like my arms are going to fall off after all the canoeing today. How did the archery go?” Elrond asked, relaxing his shoulders for the first time that day.“We all made it back in one piece so that’s a win,” Galadriel said, laughing a little.“You should have snatched crafts quicker,” Halbrand taunted them with his sitting down activity.“I don’t envy you,” Galadriel shot back, “I’m not going to chose the activity where they’re allowed scissors.”“Because arrows are much better,” he replied, falling in the easy banter Elrond had to witness all summer. Elrond disengaged from the conversation easily: he had been the third wheel all summer, this dinner wouldn’t turn out diffently. He looked back to the room where all the children were eating with the noise levels of Ragnarock but without fighting or threatening one another. Among them, he saw Adar, walking from table to table, making sure everything was going as smoothly as it could, cracking a few jokes with the children.Now that they were inside, Elrond could see him much better. He had put his dark hair in a low messy bun and was wearing a black t-shirt, scruffy blue jeans, and scruffier hiking boots. His arms were covered in tattoos and, although lean, he looked finely muscled, with nice shoulders…“Yeah, he has that effect on most of the camp counselors,” Galadriel interrupted his staring.“What effect?” Elrond turned his head back to her, trying to look confused and innocent.“The ‘dad’ effect,” Halbrand answered, looking strangely cold and displeased. “Kids love him so you love him too.”“His wife must be pleased with that,” Elrond joked.“No wife, no girlfriend,” Galadriel said, smiling at him knowingly, “he’s all yours if you want him.”“But we must warn you: he’s cold and distant with everyone here. He doesn’t really socialize with us,” Halbrand added.“Yeah, I’m alright,” Elrond shook his head, finishing his dinner. “I’m just trying to survive the last week.”Galadriel smiled at him again, her beautiful blue eyes shining with keen observation.**Dinner was done, Bungalow Three had been read two chapters of A Wizard of Earthsea, pleading for a third that Elrond had promised for naptime the next day. Now, Elrond had a few minutes of down time before fatigue took over and he dropped in his bunk.He decided to walk from the bungalow to the lake pier where he sat, looking up at the myriad of stars he had no chance of seeing in the city. The sight instantly relaxed him and he smiled to himself, finally enjoying the silence of the night and the fresh breeze on his face. He removed his shoes to put his feet in the water when he heard the pier creak behind him.He turned to see Adar walk towards him. He was barefoot and had let his hair down and was looking about as tired as Elrond felt. He should have felt way more displeased to have his alone time invaded than he actually was.“Hey,” Adar greeted him, handing him a juice pouch from the cafeteria. Elrond took it and watched as Adar sat next to him. “They only had guava left. The kids don’t fight over this one.”“Oh, they have long upgraded from fights to distribution,” Elrond laughed. “Banana mango can get you up to a chocolate ice cream these days.”To his surprise, Adar chuckled, shaking his head slightly: “This really is another world out there,” he said, almost wistfully.Elrond nodded into the night, enjoying his guava juice. After what felt like a few minutes, he was ready to head back to his cabin for the blessed relief of sleep, when Adar spoke again: “Let me see your foot.”“What?”“Your foot,” Adar repeated, completely serious. “I saw the kids drop the canoe on it earlier, that can’t have felt good. You’ve been walking like it hurt since.”“Have you been… observing me?” Elrond teased. Adar leaned back, his expression unreadable in the night.“Or don’t, let it get worse,” Adar evaded the question.Curious, Elrond lifted his foot out of the water and put it on the pier between them. Adar looked at Elrond, a little wary, before pressing his fingers right where it hurt most. Elrond groaned against the pain and Adar nodded. He took Elrond’s foot and set it in his lap. Elrond didn’t really know what to do or how to feel, but he could feel his cheeks get warm in the night.Adar probbed him a little more, not lingering but pressing very efficiently in several places: “Nothing’s broken. You’re probably going to get one hell of a bruise however.”“That’s a relief, can’t have to leave before the end and make a horrible impression on my first year,” Elrond answered. Adar still had his hand on Elrond’s ankle so Elrond didn’t move his leg, although he felt he probably should.“I thought you might be new.”“What gave me away? The call to the office? I’m sorry about that, by the way, it’s nothing against you, I didn’t know…”“It’s okay. I actually prefer to know my kids are with someone who wouldn’t let a stranger just… walk in.”Elrond was having trouble keeping his eyes open, lulled by his voice.“Plus, you still wear the uniform all good and proper,” Adar teased, his voice lower and more seductive.Elrond was not sleepy anymore. He swallowed, feeling Adar’s strong thigh under his leg and his hand on his ankle. It had been a long time since he hadn’t had a serious conversation with an adult, and a longer time since he hadn’t flirted with anyone. He barely knew how to answer.“Which ones are yours?” He deflected, “they all call you ‘dad’.”“Yeah, I think they hear Glûg and Grugzûk call me ‘dad’ so they just imitate them,” Adar answered. “Close enough, I guess.”“So, Glûg and Grugzûk, that makes sense, they are the cool kids.”“Really?” Adar stared at him, a tentative but more sincere smile on his lips.“Of course, they’re clever and resourceful. Lots of energy too.”Tiredness must have seeped through his voice because Adar laughed, almost throwing his head back. Elrond felt his hand move on his leg, rubbing it almost unconsciously.“Sorry about that. They save up their energy all year at school before coming to spend it all here. I swear I keep them busy with the football club but yeah, lots of energy.” He looked more relaxed, was more chatty when it came to his children. Elrond licked his lips in the dark and looked away. There was another silence. It felt just a little too comfortable.“ Will you be back next year?” Adar asked.“I haven’t made up my mind yet,” Elrond answered honestly. “Maybe. Probably.”“Oh, so you’re going to make me work for it,” Adar replied with a devious teasing smile.Elrond couldn’t help but smile back, although he doubted Adar would be able to see it in the night.“Well, I better get some sleep now. The drive wiped me out.” Adar patted Elrond’s leg who obeyed and lifted it so Adar could get up with a groan. The moment was already slipping through his fingers and he felt strangely bereft as he watched Adar walk away. As if he felt his hesitation, Adar stopped a few paces away, turning back to say: “Just so you know, I’m fine with working for it.”**The next day, at dawn, there were already half a dozen little hands knocking on his cabin door, waking him up, trying to get him to hurry.“Elrond! Elrond! It’s treasure hunt day! Elrond! Elrond! Quick!”Elrond groaned in his pillow, calling for the Valar to come and grant him a few more hours to sleep. Still, he couldn’t help but smile despite his tiredness: he had spent quite a while making the Bungalow Three Treasure Hunt and had slipped quite a few references to Earthsea in it. He was secretly thrilled to see the children work those out.Still in his pyjamas, a tank top and a boxer, anything else being too warm for the cabin, Elrond opened the door: “Alright, alright, a moment please, I’ll shower as quickly as po…”Behind the row of over-excited children stood Adar, arms crossed over another black t-shirt with the camp logo on it. He raised an eyebrow at Elrond’s sleep tousled appearance: “Yeah, come on Elrond, hop into that shower fast, we can’t wait to do your treasure hunt.”
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Elrond watched the light play on the grass through the rustling leaves of the high tree. The children were resting after the long treasure hunt that had kept them occupied all morning. Some of them slept in groups, others kept playing, their games far tamer now that they had exhausted their energy following clues, climbing trees, and running behind rocks.Elrond gently combed Lurka’s hair out his face as he slept fitfully in his lap. He looked down the rolling hill covered in pine trees and down to the wide expanse of the lake, the vista revealed by their though morning climb. A sense of complete serenity had settled upon him as soon as he had sat in the kind shade of the tree.“Nothing quite like a climb to remind me my knees aren’t what they used to be,” Adar declared before sitting down next to him. Elrond turned to look at him, his kind smile still firmly in place. Somehow, Adar fit into the picture of serenity.“You did have to run downhill to grab Vrath and Glûg before they could roll down too far,” he replied, whispering not to wake Lurka.Adar moved closer, his head bending towards him in order to hear him more clearly. He smelled like sandalwood, coffee, and pine trees. It was both soothing and entrancing.“I can’t wait to go swimming this afternoon. Summer’s been gentle but still runs hot.”Elrond nodded, humming as he did. There was a silence as more time passed. Elrond looked at the lake, as still as the hill was. He could feel Adar looking at him, but he didn’t know what to do with that, so he let it happen. There were many things about Adar he didn’t know what to do with. His presence was both troubling and calming.His quiet contemplation time was interrupted when Bazur fell after tripping on a rock trying to chase after Fury. Elrond groaned and was ready to wake Lurka so he could investigate when Adar shook his head, patting his knee: “No, don’t worry, I’ll check it out. Don’t wake him.”“We do need to start moving if we want to make it in time for lunch,” Elrond answered.“I’ll still check it,” Adar insisted, standing up, wiping his hands on his jeans.“Thanks, Adar.” Elrond replied, looking up at him, smiling in gratitude. Adar looked troubled for an instant, before shaking his head and walking towards Bazur bawling his eyes out.Thankfully, no one was actually hurt beyond scrapes, and the promise of lunch set everyone to rights. Adar and Elrond herded the children from Bungalow Three in a group and started leading them back towards camp.Adar couldn’t help but stare as Elrond gave the still-drowsy Lurka a piggyback ride down the hill, the kid clutching at him like a koala. It made his heart beat too quickly and too slowly at the same time, his mind and feelings scrambling at the vision. There was an easiness in the way Elrond wrangled the kids, even when he was tired and worried out of his mind. The sort of easiness that couldn’t be faked or disguised but sprung from genuine kindness.It was as magnetic as the way his curls shone into the sunlight.“Come on, Adar,” Elrond turned back to him, several paces away, “can’t let Bungalow Two beat us to lunch!”**Elrond was in so much trouble. He removed his t-shirt, throwing it on the bed. It was only his first year at camp and he was already having “thoughts” about the parents. Well, one parent in particular. Adar was a delightful curse on his last week at camp.He removed his boots, barely untying them before leaving them on the ground where they fell. He rolled his ankles, relieved at being free of the heavy and warm hiking shoes. Adar was handsome with his long dark hair, his pale blue eyes and his broad and agile hands that Elrond couldn’t stop staring at, even when he knew Adar was noticing.What was he going to do about it? He slid his boxers down his legs and looked around the cabin, entirely naked in the welcome shade. He finally found his swimming trunks and the towel he had set aside in the morning. He wondered what Adar looked like after a swim, all wet from the lake.Well, what he was not going to do is slack off in his camp counsellor duties. He nodded to himself, gathering strength.Outside, the temperature seemed to be rising still, and the children were starting to get impatient and agitated, the heat too heavy and the lake too tempting.“El, can we go swim now? El, it’s been forty-five minutes, can we go swim now? Can I jump from the pier? Can I swim to the other side of the lake? Are there any monsters in the lake?” The barrage of questions started as soon as he had gotten two feet out of the door. He laughed a little and did his best to answer each question as he led the children to the water: “Yes we can go swim now, yes you can jump from the pier, no you absolutely cannot swim to this other side of the lake…”Adar was already by the pier in his swimming trunks, revealing more interesting tattoos and some gruesome scars that didn’t appear to scare the children already running to get to him now that their questions had been answered. Elrond stopped in his steps, staring at Adar’s back, his strong shoulders working as he lifted Fury, pretending to be the monster of the lake before throwing him in the water to the delight of all the attending children. They all started laughing and screaming to be the next to be thrown in the water. Elrond watched as Adar’s biceps bulged under the effort of lifting kid after kid and throwing them after Fury. He was laughing, his expression unguarded, looking carefree and totally unaware how his figure was affecting Elrond.The young camp counsellor took several deep breaths to settle his nerves and walked to the pier, arms crossed on his chest: “Adar, are you tossing my kids in the lake so they can be eaten by the monster of the lake first?” Elrond asked, pretending to be dead serious. In the corner of his eye, he saw Vrath look all around him, worried, while Glûg was fighting an imaginary monster to make the others laugh.“Well, El,” Adar answered, turning to him with a smirk that quickly dropped when he saw that Elrond was wearing very little too. He was silent for a bit, making Elrond feel a little self-conscious: he had been running around all summer, and doing countless canoe expeditions, but he was still leaner than Adar.“Yes?” Elrond finally prompted him after the silence had dragged a little too long and Adar’s eyes were lingering on his chest a little too much, making him blush.Adar cleared his throat, looking away for a second before remembering where he was: “Well, El,” he started again, “I think the monster might be a little hungry still.”Adar’s eyes had darkened so much, his smirk back up, that it took Elrond a second to get what he meant. He didn’t have any time to back up before he found himself lifted up by the waist by Adar’s wide, and very warm, hands. He squeaked very unbecomingly, making the children laugh before they chanted for him to be offered to the lake monster.“Traitors!” Elrond called, squirming in Adar’s grip.As soon as he felt Adar start to throw him, he decided he wouldn’t go alone and wrapped his legs around Adar’s waist, hands tightening on Adar’s wrists, dragging him in his fall into the water. Elrond let go as soon as he hit the water, still receiving the full weight of Adar on his torso as he went under.They both emerged a few seconds later, rubbing water out of their eyes: “My, El, that was devious,” Adar complimented him.Elrond laughed and shook his head: “It’s only fair to let the monster have at least two good mouthfuls. Might sate him.”“Might not,” Adar answered before being cut short by Vrath trying to climb on his shoulders to escape the monster.Elrond looked away, trying to hide the blush rising on his cheeks. He turned and followed closely as both Bazur and Lurka swam to one of the buoys. They were the least confident swimmers in the groups, having learned after the others, and needed near constant supervision when it came to water.**After a good two-hour swim, the children were starting to get tired and Elrond herded them out of the water, wrapping them in towels as they all sat in a row on the pier in the more clement sun. Adar was keeping an eye on them while Elrond distributed hats. Finally, they all settled, letting the sun dry them, discussing what Ged should do when he met the Shadow again.“Come, El, take a little break,” Adar encouraged him, sitting on the pier with his feet in the water.Elrond sat next to Adar, having to repress a shiver when he felt just how sun-warmed Adar’s skin was. Adar leaned back, not hiding how he was staring at him anymore. Elrond wrapped his towel around his shoulders, pushing his wet curls away from his face. He didn’t know how to react to Adar, only that he wanted very badly to lean toward him, kiss him, and feel his hands on him again. He indulged in the image a moment, Adar running his hands up and down his sides as he kissed him, pressing closer until Elrond had to recline back, and…“Do you have a boyfriend, El?” Adar asked, surprising him with his directness.“No, he doesn’t!” Grugzûk replied for him.“We asked him and he said,” Glûg continued before sighing dramatically, imitating Elrond, “ ‘Sometimes life doesn’t go that way.’ ”Elrond buried his face in his hands, feeling himself turn a very unbecoming shade of red: “I see you remember what I told you once two weeks ago more than the water safety protocols I repeated all summer,” he protested weakly as the kids laughed.“Come on,” Lurka tried to come to his help, “if he had a boyfriend, he wouldn’t be here with us and we wouldn’t have read A Wizard of Earthsea, and that’d be sad!”That seemed to settle the kids, and they nodded before resuming their different conversations. Elrond thanked Lurka with a solemn nod before turning back to see Adar quietly laughing at him: “Yeah, that’s kids for you. Can’t keep secrets. I cursed in front of them once and the next day all the teachers knew.”“I know,” Elrond couldn’t help but chuckle in turn, “I’m a teacher.”“Oh, really? What do you teach?”“History and English.”“Makes sense. So, you didn’t get enough kids during the year, you had to come back for more during the summer?”“My kids are older: I teach in high school. I usually teach summer school but Galadriel convinced me to try summer camp instead.”“Well, I can’t say I’m sorry she did,” Adar replied, letting his eyes travel down Elrond’s neck where his hair was dripping drop after drop of cold lake water, making his skin raise in goosebumps.“You should be sorry you threw me into the lake,” Elrond redirected the conversation.“Why? I got to have you wrapped around me,” Adar whispered, dropping his voice low and deep, smooth enough to make Elrond shiver, which seemed to please Adar. “Plus, the monster didn’t even eat you.”He felt very close all of a sudden, his sun-warmed skin, the tip of his hair blown in the wind, tickling Elrond’s shoulder, his lips, close to his ear so no one else would hear. Elrond felt pulled in Adar’s world, letting the surroundings blur in the background while his lips were in hyperfocus.“Bungalow Three, do you have some room for Bungalows One and Two in your lake?” Galadriel shouted from across the lawn, guiding her kids, covered in dirt and leaves, to the lake.The children looked at each other, concerting and nodding solemnly before Glûg stood up: “Bungalows One and Two are welcome to the lake,” he declared very seriously.Glûg had been chosen to be the group’s spokesperson when it came to Galadriel because he was one of the rare kids who could look at her and then speak without stuttering. It was no wonder, Elrond thought as he watched her run towards the lake, racing with the children. She was incredibly beautiful and full of life, with her long blonde hair bouncing behind her as she ran to the water. Although rare during the year, her smile always made the summer brighter. She was as fierce as the noon sun in the middle of summer and just as enchanting. She shouted as she plunged in the cold water in her clothes, disappearing under the surface for a second before emerging, shaking her head.Behind her followed Halbrand, calmer, but still encouraging the children to get in the water after their long orienteering activity. Once most of them were swimming, he removed his t-shirt and his trousers before joining them.“El!” Galadriel called as she swam to the pier. Vrath and Fury were staring at her as if they had just seen a mermaid.“Gal, I take it the weather was still hot out there?”“Yep, hi Adar,” she greeted quickly before holding on to the pier to talk to her friend. “We’re meeting here for a little bonfire later tonight. We got some of the good stuff,” she hinted at fresh beer with a wink. “You should come after story time.”Those meetings had been infrequent and Elrond had always been the third wheel, but it felt nice to be able to talk about grown-up things with grown-ups from time to time. He nodded: “Sure, I’d love to.”“Good. You should bring Adar. It would help you with your project,” she added with a smirk, as if Adar had not been right there. Elrond found himself stunned, speechless, unable to even defend himself as she swam away to where Halbrand was observing her just like the rest of the lovelorn kids.“Oh, so there’s a project,” Adar jumped on the occasion, smiling, his eyes full of mirth.“There’s no project, she just likes to tease me,” Elrond explained but now that Adar was so close, he wasn’t so sure anymore. He didn’t know whether Adar was just teasing the new camp counsellor or was actually interested. He could see Adar putting up this act in order to get people flustered and remain the mysterious seductive figure. Elrond decided to test the theory with a direct question of his own: “Do you have a boyfriend?”“I don’t,” Adar answered, just as direct. “I’m afraid I’ve been single for quite some time. Dating with kids, you know, you have to get serious quickly.”“I see…” Elrond said, his throat a little tight. So, it was just flirting. Adar was letting the carefree atmosphere of summer camp get to him, flirting without consequences, playing a little with an easy prey he could fluster, just like Galadriel did. All in good non-serious fun.Thankfully, Fury started sneezing several times in a row, giving Elrond the perfect excuse: “Come on, kids, time to get in the shower before you catch your death.”Adar remained silent, looking at Elrond’s retreating back as he collected the children.**True to form, Adar didn’t sit with the other camp counsellors on the dais but walked from table to table, making sure to squash arguments and fights before they could arise. Elrond couldn’t say he wasn’t happy at not being responsible for the children for the first time today. He stretched his legs under the table, picking at his plate.“What’s the matter, El?” Galadriel asked, looking concerned.“Nothing. Not sure about bringing Adar to the bonfire, however.”“Why?” Galadriel asked at the exact same time Halbrand said: “Yeah, it’s better.”They stared at each other, having their own silent argument.“I don’t know, maybe it’s better if it’s just us. You did say he didn’t really mingle with the counsellors.”“You seemed to mingle pretty well this afternoon,” Galadriel teased him.“I don’t think he’s… Well, how old is he anyway? He’ll get bored with us,” Elrond tried to find an excuse.“He’s like 45,” Halbrand said in agreement.“He’s 42,” Galadriel corrected him before turning back to Elrond. “What’s wrong, El?”“Nothing, nothing, it’s just… I don’t think he likes me very much.”“Okay…” Galadriel answered, doubt clear on her face. “Listen, I already invited him, but you’re right, he’s older, he might not stay for long if he gets bored, alright? We shouldn’t let this ruin our night.”“Alright, let’s not make a big deal out of this, I just want to cool down a little after the day. The treasure hunt was a success, I’m happy about that!” Elrond redirected the conversation.**The Court of Terrenon was a huge success with the children of Bungalow Three. Elrond was sitting on the floor in the middle of the bunk beds, the book in his lap, and all the faces on him as he read about the luxuries of the strange court, the beauty of Serret, and the mystery of the founding stone. He asked the children questions about what they thought the founding stone was and what it could do, letting the suspense get to them as they discussed their theories before finally urging him to read on.Lurka, who kept trying to escape his bed to read from the book directly and get to the secret himself, gasped when the secret of the stone was revealed: “So he was right to refuse it! Why did she want him to accept?”“She was trapped herself,” Elrond explained. He did his best not to over-explain the text to the children, letting them come up with their own theories and debate with the others so they could really appropriate the text and engage with it on their own terms.Lurka looked deep in thought for a long time, eyes lost in the night before accepting the answer: “Now that she is free, where will she go?”“The text doesn’t say. Where would you like her to go?” Elrond asked, closing the book at the end of the chapter.“I don’t know… She could have a court of her own,” Lurka replied, taking the question very seriously.“She could go back home!” Bazur proposed.“She could. She has a lot of possibilities,” Elrond concluded before standing up. “And you have a lot to sleep to catch up on.”All the children groaned at his corny conclusion. They all settled in their beds and Elrond tried not to smile when he saw them hide their torchlights under their pillows. It seemed there’ll be discussions later in the night.“Goodnight, Bungalow Three,” Elrond said, switching off the main light.“Goonight, El,” they answered, making his heart melt as it did every night.**Elrond had no trouble finding the rest of the camp counsellors: they were huddled by the little fire pit burning low in the warm and quiet night. Embers flew from the fire like fireflies before getting lost in the myriad of pale stars. The moon crescent lit up a silver path on the calm waters of the lake, plunging the scene in a serene atmosphere. He could hear their voices, still a little hushed so as not to wake the children.He walked up to the group and smiled as Galadriel looked up, greeting him with a cold beer, the glass wet with condensation: “Hey, you need to catch up, we’re already halfway through the first one,” she told him, smiling, making him feel at ease.Around the fire were two logs, one was currently being occupied by Galadriel and Halbrand sitting side by side, as they had done all summer: there was something about them that made them naturally stick together, as if their proximity was a given. Elrond had to confess he craved this for himself, had been craving it all summer. Maybe that was why he had been coming on to Adar a little too strong, placing in him hopes that had nothing to do with his actual realtionship with the man.Adar was sitting on the other log, leaving some room for Elrond. He greeted him with a smile, patting the log to invite him. Elrond smiled back politely and sat down.“Do you have an opener, Gal?” Elrond asked as soon as he was sat. Adar smelled like fresh shampoo and fire.“Here, let me,” Adar offered before Galadriel could hand him the opener.Elrond handed him the bottle gingerly and watched as Adar got his lighter and opened it for him, his hands tightening on the neck of the bottle, his veins popping out in a way that made Elrond’s mouth feel dry.“Here you go,” Adar handed it back to him with a smile that felt both charming and a little uncertain at the same time.And here Elrond went again, feeling Adar’s fingers brush against his, looking at the way his other hand rested on his knee, and how comfortable he felt sitting next to him. Elrond sipped his beer, looking away but still feeling his eyes on him. He found himself having treacherous thoughts, of the both of them, alone by the fire, Adar whispering in his ear, letting his words wash over him, of resting his head on Adar’s shoulder, melting into him, resting in the comfort of those arms…“So, how was storytime, El?” Halbrand asked.“Good, we just finished chapter 6, I think it grew on the children and they really enjoy it.”“I remember when my brother read stories to us, I would always fall asleep halfway through and we’d have to go back a page or two so I could remember what happened,” Galadriel shared.“I never had that,” Adar shared, his hoarse voice calm and peaceful in the night, his eyes a little lost in the fire, “I wouldn’t know what to choose for the kids.”“Finrod would read whatever interested him and we’d get on board, sagas mostly. He had a long weird phase of polar exploration.”“That’s the cool older brother effect,” Halbrand smiled at her before sipping his beer, looking at her observing him with satisfaction. Halbrand was never as happy as when Galadriel couldn’t tear her eyes away from him.Now that they were gone in their own little world, Elrond knew it would take some time to emerge so he turned to Adar, glad to have someone to focus on while third wheeling: “Gal is right, whatever you are interested works: they will either sleep earlier or be engaged. You win either way,” he explained.Adar chuckled: “I wouldn’t be opposed to having the two little devils asleep faster. It wouldn’t be opposed to having a little more free time in the evenings.”There was something in his eyes that Elrond was afraid of seeing and of over-interpreting so he turned back to his beer, almost guulping it: he was a little behind after all. Adar had almost finished his own.He felt Adar sliding to him, not leaving any space between them, his thigh pressed against his, his shoulder touching his. Elrond had trouble swallowing, shivering as he felt Adar’s breath on the sensitive skin of his neck: “Are they always like this?” Adar whispered to him.Elrond looked back at Galadriel and Halbrand, their hands one millimetre apart, looking into each other’s eyes. Elrond smiled and looked down, only to see Adar’s leg pressed against him, sharing the heat of sitting close to the fire.“Pretty much, yes.”“So you’ve been third-wheeling all summer.”“Yes, not quite the escape from the not-having-a-boyfriend situation I’d hoped,” Elrond joked a little.“Well, that’s a shame, isn’t summer camp meant for fleeting romances?”There it was again, the teasing, the reference to short-lived affair… Elrond frowned. Adar was so close, so tempting. Should he just close his eyes and let it go? Get at least a taste of what he wanted? No, the last time, he let it happen, it broke his heart. He wasn’t made for quick and unserious. Still, the way Adar was looking at him with the flames casting a warm orange light and long shadows on his face, unwavering, as if Elrond was the most fascinating thing here, that was…“Adar,” he whispered, looking up into his darkening eyes, tilting his head closer, “what do you…”“Hey, El, we forgot to tell you,” Halbrand interrupted, making Adar lean back and away from him, leaving him reeling and bereft. Halbrand then proceeded to tell him all about how the children from Bungalow Two had found all the clues to the treasure hunt for Bungalow One and the subsequent fight they had to break up on top of the hill.He told the story so vividly, even when interrupted by Galadriel adding in or correcting details, that Elrond felt the tension between Adar and him dissipate. He let the story add much needed levity to his evening. He sipped the rest of his beer and leaned back a little to have more room to stretch his legs when Halbrand described how the children tried to settle their dispute. As he did so, his fingers touched Adar’s on the log. He looked down at their fingers and moved away, not quite whether he had seen Adar caressing his hand: “Sorry,” he murmured as he moved his hand away, just loud enough for them both to hear without interrupting Halbrand.“No worries,” Adar whispered back, not moving his hand away so that they didn’t touch but were close enough to… If they wanted.“Another one?” Galadriel asked, showing her empty bottle. Halbrand and Adar nodded. Elrond looked at his and finished it in one go. Some of it slipped past his lips and down his chin. Not exactly buzzed, but lighter, Elrond couldn’t help but chuckle as he wiped it with the palm of his hand.“Forgot how to drink,” he laughed and accepted the two bottles Galadriel handed him. He handed Adar one of them and, feeling more carefree, maybe braver, he was the one whose fingers lingered on Adar’s for a second longer than necessary.“El, you have the prime opportunity of telling that story about the canoe to someone who hasn’t heard it before,” Galadriel prompted him.“Oh, the canoe, Valar, I thought we wouldn’t get it unstuck…” Elrond started. As he was telling the story, Adar handed him his opened beer, not interrupting him, before taking the other and opening it in turn. El was looking at the three other camp counsellors, retelling the story of how one of their canoes got stuck down a little stream during the only rainy day they had all summer. “Thank the Valar Glûg hadn’t let go of his oar,” he added, letting his free hand fall to Adar’s thigh as he mentioned his son. He was starting to be a little buzzed. Not enough to slur his words or forget what he was doing, but just enough to feel lighter and braver. He didn’t move his hand from Adar’s thigh as he continued telling his story.**“Well, I think I’m good and ready for sleep now,” Galadriel declared after finishing her second beer. She stood up, Halbrand moving with her. They all got busy throwing away the bottles in the recycling bin behind the cafeteria, dousing the fire and making sure all the embers were extinguished.Once it was all done, Galadriel grabbed Halbrand’s hand and led him away to their shared cabin, silently waving Elrond and Adar goodnight.“Where are you sleeping?” Elrond asked, his eyes getting used to the darkness now that the fire had been doused.Adar turned to him, a little closer than he had thought he’d be: “I pitched my tent by the big oak tree further down.”“Okay,” Elrond put his hands in his pockets, ready to turn around.“But, I could walk you to your cabin… If you’d like.”Elrond looked at Adar, braver in the dark. Adar looked back at him, a little more hesitant than he had previously been: “It’s not far, it’s right there,” he indicated to Adar before walking back to his cabin. He felt more relaxed, languid, but he was far from tired. He could probably squeeze in a few pages of his novel before sleep. Or something else.“I meant to ask you if you’d be okay with me using your shower from time to time. There’s only the outdoor shower by the tent and I’d rather not take any chances on walking in Galadriel’s and Halbrand’s cabin,” Adar asked.Oh, that brought terrible images to Elrond’s mind. He could imagine Adar washing his hair, standing under the hot water, his arms up, muscles working under the skin as he scrubbed his skin after a long day. He could imagine Adar getting out of the shower, wearing only a towel around his waist, still dripping, and wandering around the cabin, looking for clothes, having a casual conversation with him. He could imagine Adar trapping him on the threshold, stealing a quick kiss before the children came to look for them…“Yes, sure, you’re welcome any time,” Elrond answered, trying to make his voice sound level while his heart beat too fast and his mouth felt dry.“Any time?” Adar teased and Elrond could guess at his smirk in the dark. He felt torn. On the one hand, this playful back and forth was incredibly seductive, just like anything Adar did; on the other hand, Elrond couldn’t shake the feeling that Adar was teasing him to have fun, just because he could, and it was easy to make him blush when he leaned in with those perfect eyes and his hair falling in his face.The silence had lasted a little too long and now they were standing at the door of Elrond’s cabin. The little light he had switched on so he could find his way back in the dark lit the front door, bathing them in a warmer light. Elrond turned back to Adar, his polite smile back in place: “Sure,” he said as if he hadn’t understood what Adar was getting at, “any time. Good ni…”“Elrond,” Adar interrupted, frowning slightly. “Have I… Well… Do you…” He stopped, and Elrond watched, fascinated as Adar shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Are two beers a lot for you?” He asked suddenly, taking Elrond by surprise.“It’s not, why…”He didn’t have time to finish his question before he found himself pushed against the wall of the cabin, Adar’s hands cradling his face, his body pining him there as he was being kissed quite passionately. Everything he had tried to ignore came flooding in. The long line of Adar’s body was warm, strong, covering him, holding him there, his hips pressed against his own. Adar’s lips had captured his and he was nipping and licking, trying to get access, his hands tight around his face. Everything felt urgent and drowned in desire. Elrond opened his mouth to Adar’s tongue, his head swimming with want as his entire world seemed to focus on the man pressed against him and how he felt. His hands grabbed Adar’s shoulders, trying to hold himself up when all he wanted was to melt into Adar.Adar tilted his head, changing the angle of the kiss, deepening it as he stroked Elrond’s tongue with his, the movement making Elrond moan. His hips shifted a little and he felt Adar starting to get interested. The very thought felt like a storm in his head, his entire skin catching fire with overwhelming need. He needed that. He needed Adar pressed against him, He needed Adar to move against him, to drive him mad with pleasure, to keep kissing him like a man parched in the desert. He loved the way Adar was holding him while his tongue explored his mouth, as if he couldn’t imagine letting him go. Adar pressed him a little harder against the wall, making Elrond moan again, louder. Adar chuckled against his lips, barely breathing in before kissing him again.But this time, Elrond froze, turning his head slightly, refusing the kiss. Adar stopped immediately and Elrond could feel him pant a little, struggling to catch his breath. He started talking but Elrond shook his head: “No. Slower.” Elrond demanded, his voice way more level and authoritative than he had expected.There was a silence, then: “Okay, slower,” Adar whispered, nodding a little and Elrond wondered whether he was meant to hear it, or Adar was repeating it to himself.Adar obeyed, his grip on Elrond’s face lessening a little as he bent his head again to kiss him. There was tenderness written in everything Adar did now. He kissed his upper lip, then his lower lip, his teeth barely grazing it, just enough to make Elrond shiver. Encouraged by his reaction, Adar licked into Elrond’s mouth, his own breath hitching as Elrond allowed him in. His thigh pressed lightly between Elrond’s, making him groan a little. His hands on Elrond’s face went softer, trembling a little under the effort, his fingertips caressing his cheekbones tenderly. Elrond sighed softly, letting his head thud slightly on the wall behind him. Everything felt warmer but less urgent. He could hear Adar purr as he kissed his way down to his neck, his hands coming down to hold on to his waist as he had done before throwing him in the river, but softer now, almost reverent. He was not chuckling now.Elrond raised his head again, making Adar look up from where he was kissing his neck, raising goosebumps on his fire-warmed skin. Elrond had to take a few deep breaths before being able to speak: “Good night, Adar,” he said with a slight smirk of his own.Then, he pushed against Adar’s chest a little, just enough to signal him to move, which he did, looking bereft and a little lost. Elrond brushed against him a little more than he needed to before walking to the front door. He opened it and looked back: “Don’t forget, we have set building tomorrow at 8 for the play.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Elrond was going to strangle someone with his bare hands soon.Everything seemed out to get him today: he had very little sleep but still woke up late, missed breakfast, had to watch Adar be carried away for an archery lesson with Galadriel, and was now trying really hard to build a hut using branches for the set. The guide’s author would be the first to fall to his rage, Elrond promised himself as he watched the frame fall once again.“What am I missing?” Elrond muttered to himself, trying to tune out the other children making a ruckus with deafening noise levels as they painted the rest of the set under Halbrand’s lax supervision.He sat on the stage, pouring over the book once again, repeating all the steps to himself. He was sure he hadn’t missed anything. He even used the exact same branches the illustrations showed! A cloud passed overhead, and Elrond had to close his eyes to contain himself. The sky had been looking pretty grey since this morning and this was the last thing he needed.He wouldn’t have had this problem if they had gone with Macbeth, Elrond thought.“Hey, everything alright here?” Halbrand asked, walking up to him, two confiscated pairs of scissors in his hand, his cheek covered in glitter and his jeans splattered with yellow paint.“Yes,” Elrond answered a little more forcefully than he had intended. “I just need some time to make sure it all holds.” He lifted the main beam again, doing his best to have all the branches follow. He held the beam with his shoulder, his face half-buried in the leaves while he was trying to set all the secondary beams to form the roof. After a long struggle, he felt he had gotten it all and took a step back. Only for the roof to collapse again.Elrond closed his eyes and pressed his face in the palms of his hands. What on Arda was he doing of his summer? He should be resting in bed with a book, waiting for Durin to get off work so they could go to the park with the children, have a drink, and cook dinner together.Halbrand shook his head and rested his hand on Elrond’s shoulder: “Let’s take a little break. It’s more of a two-person job anyhow. I’ll help you, don’t worry.”Elrond wanted to give him a scathing answer but reigned himself in: it wouldn’t help in anything. Instead, he nodded and looked at the other camp counsellor: “You’re right. What can I help you with?”“Table Two had their scissors taken away so if you could cut some stars, that’d be great,” Halbrand redirected him.Elrond went to sit at Table Two where Vrath was pouting: he had done archery as many times as he possibly could and now had to be on set-duty which displeased him intensely. Thankfully, he was bribed into a better mood with adding the glitter to the stars. Elrond sat next to him on a too small chair, cutting the stars before giving them to Vrath, receiving half the glitter on himself.The activity was incredibly soothing and soon Elrond found himself in a better mood, discussing with the children, laughing as he watched Fury try to wipe silver glitter from his cheek and spreading more on his face.“All good, table two?” Halbrand came in, his hand on Elrond’s shoulder.“Yes, we’re making the best night sky you’ve ever seen, aren’t we?” Elrond answered. The children nodded in acquiescence.“Good, Elrond, could you help me raise the day tapestry? The children need to paint the bottom, and it needs to dry exactly how it’s going to hang.”“Yes, of course. Gentlemen,” Elrond took his leave of table two, making all the children giggle.Elrond followed Halbrand to the half-done stage, watching curiously as Halbrand’s eyes kept darting around as if he was looking for something around. He seemed to find it because he was smiling, a strange smile, as he turned to Elrond: “Grab the top, I’ll raise you on my shoulders so you can suspend it.”“Are you sure? Shouldn’t we get a stepladder? Or a chair at least?”“Nah, no need, come on, I won’t drop you, I promise.”“Okay…” Elrond nodded, not feeling very certain, but letting it go.Once on Halbrand’s shoulders, he pinned the tapestry in place, hurrying with the carpet stapler while the children were shouting, asking for their turn up there. And it was quite high, Elrond had to say, trying not to look down. He was tense, praying to all the Valar he knew not to let him fall.“Hal! El!” Galadriel greeted them from down the stage as she walked in with the archery children… and Adar. Elrond spared him a glance, trying not to upset his balance. He was suddenly very aware of Halbrand’s hands on his thighs, holding him tight. He somehow felt caught in something he was not supposed to do, although he couldn’t quite pinpoint why.Maybe it was the way Adar kept quiet while still looking at him, half-ignoring the children trying to climb on his shoulders in turn. Elrond stapled the last corner of the tapestry, a grand name for a very long piece of cloth painted blue for the sky and green for the grass. Halbrand let him down gently, holding on to him, making sure he wouldn’t fall. He looked very satisfied at his work, spreading his arms wide: “It’s all coming along nicely, isn’t it, kids?” The kids held out their paint buckets, begging to finally paint the flowers, which the counsellors allowed.Halbrand turned to Galadriel and Adar: “So, what do you think? Don’t we look cute, matching paint and glitter?” He said, grabbing Elrond by the shoulders.Elrond suddenly understood what Halbrand was doing: he was trying to make someone jealous, either Galadriel or Adar. Elrond would bet on Adar, although Galadriel didn’t look too pleased. Adar turned back to keep an eye on table two with the scissors and Galadriel grabbed Halbrand by the wrist, leading him away. Elrond found himself alone again but decided not to be unsettled. Instead, he sat by the tapestry, helping Lurka and Bazur with painting different flowers.Soon the children became unruly, hungry and eagerly expecting lunch. Galadriel emerged from behind the canoe rack, Halbrand in tow, the tension between them clear on their faces. Elrond decided to hang back and let them deal with lunch duty.“I still need to put the hut together. I’ll do nap time as soon as you’re back from lunch,” he excused himself, pointing out the pitiful ruins of his little building project. Galadriel stared at him a few seconds too long not to be suspicious but nodded and herded the children to the cafeteria. She didn’t have to ask twice as they all rushed toward lunch.Elrond sighed and pushed his curls away from his face, turning back to the impossible hut.**“This is not going to happen,” Elrond concluded, speaking aloud to himself as he had done during the entire lunch period. He threw his head back in frustration, closing his eyes.“Trouble with the hut?” Adar’s voice surprised him.Elrond turned to find him standing alone, hands in his back pockets. Was he dreaming or was his t-shirt tighter than it had been the day before? It hugged his chest in a way that made Elrond forget everything. The sleeves seemed shorter too, revealing his biceps and more fascinating tattoos.“Elrond, have we lost you?” Adar brought him back to reality with a slight smile.“Sorry, just… Frustrated with this,” he covered quickly, gesturing to the desperately flat hut.“Here, let me help. Have you built a hut before?”“No, but I got the book, the book is very clear, has all the detailed instructions, and illustrations for each step, but those… branches are not cooperating,” Elrond complained.Adar laughed a little and knelt by the hut, examining the frame: “You’re probably not putting those at the correct angle,” he said.“I do it exactly how the book says,” Elrond protested, holding out the book. “I even got the same branches…”“It doesn’t matter what the book says if it’s not working,” Adar countered. He gently plucked the book from Elrond’s hands and set it aside. “Hold the main beam up and I’ll set the rest.”Elrond wanted to roll his eyes at him: he had tried that all morning and it had not worked, it was bound not to work now either. Still, he had nothing to lose, so he did. He lifted the beam, easier to hold now that he had both hands. Adar walked around, setting each branch at an odd angle.“It’s not going to work, it will slide right off,” Elrond criticized, but Adar continued to work, pretending not to have heard him. Now, Elrond rolled his eyes.After having arranged all the branches, Adar gestured for Elrond to lower the main beam. He obeyed, moving slowly and carefully in order not to receive the beam in his face as it inevitably fell again.Except it did not fall. It held, the hut finally hut-shaped. Elrond found himself in the hut he had spent all morning trying to assemble. He blinked, astonished.“So, how about this angle?” Adar asked and Elrond turned around to see him bend his head as he walked inside the hut. They didn’t have a lot of space, and Adar’s teasing smile felt mocking, goading. It felt too close for comfort and suddenly Elrond craved some fresh air. He took a step, about as much as he could take inside, toward the opening, but Adar intercepted him, hands on his hips, drawing him back into the hut. They both looked all around, through the opening, the branches, both knowing exactly what was bound to happen.“The book doesn’t need to have all the answers. You can lean on me too,” Adar whispered, so very close now.“You’re being very condescending now,” Elrond bristled, his pride hurt. He tried to turn again, to go out.“Wait,” Adar asked, not demanded, asked. He was still holding Elrond’s hips, his hands tightening. Elrond suddenly remembered the night before, how good it had felt to be held by Adar, to be pinned by his body. He hesitated and Adar repeated, softer: “Wait.”Elrond felt powerless, want burning his resistance away like fire melting wax. Adar smelled like fresh air, guava, and a light sweat. Elrond’s treacherous mind provided images of Adar sweating as he was fucking him in his bed, holding him down, pounding into him. He could already see him, his bare chest covered in a light sheen of sweat, his hair falling on Elrond’s face, Elrond’s hands grasping at his shoulders as Adar pressed into him… Elrond was already that far gone. That thought was worrying. He had been single and third wheeling for too long: Durin and Disa, Galadriel and Halbrand, Gil-Galad and his work…“Elrond,” Adar whispered again in the small space of the hut. “Do you regret last night? Do you want to forget it?”Dismay filled his chest, warring with the flood of want. Adar was so very close now, and they were completely alone. “No, I don’t,” he whispered back.Tension seemed to drain from Adar immediately, his shoulders dropping as he relaxed. He came closer, his lips almost touching his ear. Elrond felt his own chest rise and fall harder, his breaths heavier in the enclosed space.“Good,” Adar told him, his lips brushing against his ear as he spoke. “I couldn’t sleep at all last night,” he confessed, his voice deeper, hoarser. One of his hands went up, cradling the side of Elrond’s face, the tip of his fingers burying themselves in his curls, while his thumb caressed his cheek in an achingly soft gesture, grazing the corner of his mouth. “Couldn’t stop thinking about touching you.”Elrond tried to bite back his moan but couldn’t. It was merely muffled as he bit his lower lip. That seemed to inflame Adar and he raised his other hand to Elrond’s neck before running down his chest, his thumb rubbing his nipple. Elrond closed his eyes, everything felt too warm, too much, and he wanted so much more. He wanted more of Adar’s hands on him, more of feeling handled by him, helpless and oh so willing.“Couldn’t help but think about fucking you,” Adar pursued, his thumb rubbing at his other nipple before going down, grabbing at Elrond’s belt, bringing their hips together. “All nice and slow,” he added, rolling his hips slow but insistent, demonstrating for Elrond who couldn’t help but respond, his hips bucking, seeking more contact, more pressure, more. He was already filling up and he could feel Adar getting there as well.Oh no, no, no, Elrond thought, a slight panic rising at just how much he wanted to push this man down and straddle him, rubbing against him until they came in their clothes. How long could he maintain a grasp on himself? Adar’s hands were everywhere, and it felt like he was claiming him, branding him with his touch.Adar wrapped an arm around his waist, pressing Elrond to him, his fingers slipping just inside Elrond’s t-shirt, caressing his desire-warmed skin. He rubbed his half-hard cock against Elrond and groaned when he felt Elrond about as ready.“Adar,” Elrond called out in a breathless whisper.“Yes, say it again,” Adar asked, urgency clear in his voice. He rubbed himself harder against Elrond, the hand on his face slipping in his curls, fully grasping them. Adar pressed his face against Elrond’s temple, his lips caressing the tip of his ear. There was desperation there, and Elrond had never tasted anything sweeter.“Adar,” Elrond obeyed, giving in to his desires. He felt Adar twitch under him, hard and burning against his own need. There was nothing more he wanted than to touch him, take him in hand and make him say his name in turn. Adar bit at his lobe slightly.“You’re driving me mad, Elrond,” Adar confessed in his ear. “I want to take you from Halbrand and keep you for myself. I can make you feel good…”Those words had the effect of sudden cold shower. Elrond immediately tensed and stilled under Adar’s hands. He felt his heart drop in his chest with disappointment and his blood turn to ice. Sensing that something was wrong, Adar stopped and looked up at Elrond’s face.“Halbrand? What does he have to do with that?” Elrond asked, frowning.“Well, I saw you with him earlier, and you did spend all summer with him…” Adar answered.“Is that what you think of me?” Elrond asked, raising an eyebrow. Adar couldn’t help but think this was probably what Elrond’s teacher look felt like. “That I could get out there and mess with Galadriel’s boyfriend, and then kiss you in the dark while being with someone else?” Elrond shook his head and pushed Adar away, gently, in order not to collapse the hut they had just erected: “What a low opinion you have of me, Adar,” he spat over his shoulder as he walked out and left the stage.**“Okay, wow, you did mess up. Pretty spectacularly,” Galadriel blinked at Adar as they glued what seemed like ten thousand stars on the night sky tapestry.“I know, I just… saw them together, and I remembered the whole Celebrimbor fiasco, so I just assumed…”“Argh!” Galadriel groaned, throwing her head back in frustration. “Both of you, you always assume! That’s what your problem is. No clear communication, you just put thoughts and words in each other’s minds and mouths… Along with other things.”“I should just give up. It’s not going to happen and it hurts both of us,” Adar sighed, defeated.Galadriel looked at her friend, he had not even chuckled at her joke. Things were looking dire indeed. She sighed, looking at her hands covered in glue and glitter.“I think you played enough games. You need to give one last try, be as honest as you can, tell him all he needs to know, and then say sorry for assuming he’s with my man,” she ended with a funny Beleriand accent to make him laugh.This time he did smile. It softened his features and softened Galadriel’s heart in return.“El will kill me for telling you this, but I’ll give you some context. Hand me the red glitter, I’ll give this one a red hue,” she started, getting ready to reveal things her friend’s secrets.Adar obeyed and handed her more glitter. Clearly he was out of it. No one should hand Galadriel more glitter.“So,” she started, “Elrond’s confidence is in the gutter right now. When he lacks confidence, he’s very defensive. He’s unsure of everything so he assumes the worst. If he had assumed the worst before, he would have avoided being in that situation, you see?”“What situation? He’s beautiful, how self-conscious can he be?”“See, that’s a nice thing to say while making out, before accusing him of sleeping with his best friend’s boyfriend. Now, let me finish. Elrond has had an all-consuming crush on his boss, the headmaster at the high school where he teaches. I’m talking mind-consuming crush, can’t think straight crush. He did everything for him: taking more classes, accepting any student that needed to change classes, going to all PD meetings, writing the meeting minutes. The headmaster is a bit of a workaholic too, so they got along pretty well. And you know, more work means longer days, more communication, sometimes later in the evenings. Every time El would get his hopes up, would imagine that tonight’s the night he finally gets acknowledged and seen romantically. And every night, disappointment. He’d get a little, a touch here, a longer glance there, but nothing concrete. To be fair, there might have been something there because the kind of glances they shared were a little suspicious. You can’t build a relationship with glances, however. So I told El: “not a good idea, let that old man go.” ”“Old man?” Adar raised an eyebrow, helping her unstick her fingers from the star she had glued to her skin as well as to the tapestry.“He has daddy issues, can’t blame him with the life he had, that’s not the core of the problem here,” Galadriel eluded. That was a little too heavy to share without Elrond’s consent.“One night at the end of the school year, we have an Open House event so the parents can come in and see the school, the programs, the teachers etc. Elrond spent so many evenings preparing it. I’m talking writing Gil’s speech, organising the schedule, emails, all that stuff. He was living off triple-shot espressos and sheer will. He even convinced me to come, and you know how I hate those events. I see enough parents and their insane behaviour at practice, but still, I’m a good friend, I come to the Open House. Does this one need red glitter as well?”“One red star a sky, Gal,” Adar shook his head. “What happened at the Open House?”“The headmaster got a little too cozy with one of the parents. Nothing bad per se, but he did smile at their jokes, which happens rarely. And El… had not slept properly for a long time, end of the year with all the extra meetings, the grading… He did not take it well. I think he just understood for himself what I’d been telling him all year: the hint of a thing is not the thing. He just left, before his own speech too. He slept for two days straight and I had to get to his flat to get him to do something. That’s why he’s here and not at summer school right now. He feels like he’s a fool and he’s not used to being a fool.”There was a slight pause, Adar having given up glueing more stars.“I’m not trying to dissuade you, but I’d understand if it’s a little too much baggage,” Galadriel added, sneaking a bit of red glitter in another star. “Just thought you should know.”Adar laughed bitterly: “I’m a single dad of two kids, with a literal football team of children routinely at my house, not to mention covered in scars. He’s not going to win the baggage battle.”“Yeah, but you had more time to process it. He’s still a little raw. So I think: be as honest as possible with him and see if he wants to try again.”“You’re right,” Adar sighed, not looking forward to that conversation.“Oh, and can you pull on my fingers?”“I have two kids, I’m not falling for that.”“No, for real, I glued them to the tapestry again.”**“Elrond, in the middle of the day, in the summer, something must be up,” Durin greeted him as soon as he picked up.Elrond was lying on the bottom bunk of his bed, feet raised, resting on the wall. “Sorry, I didn’t think about the hour, are you free to talk a little?”“Yeah, just put the kids down for a nap, I do have a meeting at 3, however.”“I’ll be way quicker than that. It’s just… there’s someone at camp…”“Oh, Disa will be sorry she missed that. So, spill, whose daddy are you into this time?”“It was one time, I shouldn’t have told you. I’m just a little confused about the situation and I need an outside perspective on this.”“I’m listening.”So Elrond told Durin everything, from the first time he saw Adar, maybe lingering a little too much on descriptions of arms and tattoos, but trying to be as factual as possible. When he finished the tale, right after he had left the hut, he fell silent, waiting for Durin to step up with his wisdom:“You’re so dense it’s almost not funny, Elrond,” Durin sighed after a minute.“I don’t…” Elrond started defending himself.“No, no, you have been defensive enough. You have one bad, okay, devastating experience, and now you think everyone is out to get you. They’re not. The worst crime your Adar is guilty of is misinterpreting a situation and speaking foolishly while making out with you. Do I need to remind you how foolish you were when your headmaster just looked your way?”Elrond closed his eyes, covering them with the palm of his hand. Durin was right… and not finished apparently: “You never had crazy thoughts while kissing someone you like? I don’t think so. Adar doesn’t know you, he might just be out there trying to pick up the cute but foolish new camp counsellor and he used the wrong strategy. You’re free to refuse his advances if you don’t like it or if you’re not ready, but you need to tell him. You’re not going to get any answers if you don’t ask the questions, Elrond.”“You’re right,” Elrond sighed in defeat.“With you, I’m always right. Now, I need to get ready for the district meeting but remember: the only thing that cuts a game short is raw honesty. So go raw your daddy.”“How long have you been sitting on that one?”“I’d rather not say.”**Elrond knew the conversation was coming up and was inevitable. He was nervous but he knew deep down it would be a relief as well. He didn’t expect it to happen quite so soon, however.He had escorted the children out of the cafeteria after dinner, and to the sinks for them to brush their teeth and get ready for story time when Adar caught up with him. He smelled like nettle shampoo and his hair was still wet, combed away from his face, making him look tamer, which felt a little strange.“Hey,” Adar greeted him simply, watching the row of children from Bungalow Three talking indistinctly with mouthfuls of frothy toothpaste.“Hey,” Elrond answered, a little nervous, tucking some of his hair behind his ear.“Could we, uhm, talk?” Adar lowered his voice to a whisper before tilting his head toward the dark out.“Yes, let me just send the kids inside to get ready for story time first,” Elrond whispered back before checking his watch: “Thirty seconds left, come on, come on Bungalow Three, we can do it! Ged is waiting for us!”That seemed to motivate the troops who continued brushing, some of them stomping the ground in excitement and impatience. Elrond did the five-second countdown he always did, the routine so engrained that he couldn’t believe he wouldn’t do it next week: “Aaaaand zero! Toothbrushes down gentlemen!” Elrond declared. “Now, water, preferably in your mouths, not on my feet,” he added laughing, too late for Fury who had already spilled some over Elrond. The summer air would dry it in a minute anyway.“Now off you go, settle in, I’ll be there in a minute for chapter 7,” Elrond called after them as they all trailed inside, looking at each other as if they were having their own private conversation of conspiring looks.Elrond found himself alone with Adar in the now quiet of the night. Adar walked deeper into the dark, Elrond following him, feeling his heart beat in his chest. He was starting to regret all his choices. Could he just pretend nothing had happened? Could he just tell Adar to just step off and forget it? Could he just give in?Adar stopped by the oak tree and Elrond could see his tent, pitched just a few feet from them. This was where Adar had thought of touching and fucking him. Elrond couldn’t help but lick his lips, out of nervosity. Mostly.“I’m sorry about earlier,” Adar started, “I didn’t mean to imply that. I was getting ahead of myself, I saw you with Halbrand and I just assumed. It was wrong. Halbrand and I have a rather disastrous history with sharing.”Elrond found himself reeling a little. It was such a clear and concise apology, such straightforward communication, that he barely knew what to do. He had to remember Durin’s advice.“It’s alright, I… had my own assumptions. I was too defensive,” he answered, nodding to himself before stopping in his tracks. “Halbrand and you… have a history of sharing?”“We do. Does that shock your delicate senses?”Elrond opened his mouth to protest but closed it again: arguing was what brought them here in the first place: “This situation is a little more complicated than I had expected,” Elrond declared, as frankly as he could.Adar shook his head, taking a step forward, closer to Elrond. It was difficult to see his face properly in the dark, with the light of the bungalow further away, but Elrond could have sworn his eyes looked softer. Adar cradled Elrond’s face in his hands, the gentle touch soothing and almost familiar. Elrond had not realized how much he had craved it.“It doesn’t have to be. You can be mine only. Do you still want me to work for it?”“Yes,” Elrond answered a little too quickly. That made Adar smile and Elrond tried not to bristle. Once again, he had acted like an inexperienced youth.“Good,” Adar whispered in the night, his eyes going up to his eyes and then down to his lips. “You look so lovely, I can’t wait to make you fall.”His words felt like a brand on his skin and Elrond’s breath hitched. He started talking, then lost his voice, his throat too tight with desire. He swallowed and tried again: “We need to go back to Bungalow Three before half the kids come looking for us.”Adar nodded, removing his hands from Elrond’s face, pulling himself back together. He gestured for Elrond to lead the way and, if his hand wandered a little on Elrond’s lower back, well, no one complained.**Back in Bungalow Three, all the kids were eagerly waiting to know where Ged would go after the Court of Terrenon. They were all turned towards Elrond who sat in his usual spot, in the middle of the bunk beds, the novel in his lap.This time, he was accompanied by Adar who was a little distracted but very good with the different voices. Elrond read Ged’s lines and Adar read Ogion’s, Ged’s old master, imparting wise advice to him. Lurka, who always tried to get close to Elrond in order to read the next lines before the rest, was kept at a distance as Adar stuck by Elrond’s side, reading from the same page, his hair falling on Elrond’s shoulder as he did so.At the end of the chapter, all the children clamoured for another chapter, claiming that they hadn’t actually gotten any answers to their questions, they wanted to know more of where Ged would go and how he would deal with the Shadow this time. Elrond, however, stood firm and closed the book, welcomed by a chorus of groans: “If you behave really well tomorrow during rehearsal, we’ll read a few pages during nap time,” he promised them, and Elrond always kept his word. They all nodded reluctantly and let the adults leave without further protests. Plus, they had a midnight meeting to attend.Once outside, Elrond couldn’t help but laugh: “They are starting to become great negotiators,” he told Adar who was stretching the tiredness away like a cat waking from a nap.“They are. How did you know they’d enjoy the book so much?”“I didn’t. I just brought some that I enjoyed when I was younger and hoped for the best.”“What would you recommend I read them for the rest of the year? They enjoy being read to,” Adar asked, looking very serious. He cared so deeply and Elrond felt himself go a little weak in the knees.“I’ll write you a list with some ideas.”“Good… So, Elrond…” Adar started but Elrond shook his head no.“I’m exhausted and I just want to sleep tonight. Can we try again tomorrow?” he asked Adar.“Yeah, sure. Tomorrow.”“Thanks,” Elrond smiled at him before leaning forward, pressing a quick kiss on the corner of his mouth, right where the scar stopped. He leaned back, still smiling as Adar stood a little too still. “Good night, Adar.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
When Adar had said he was going to work for it, Elrond had imagined a seductive approach and not torture. He had severely underestimated Adar, he came to realize, as he watched the man remove his t-shirt drenched by the rain and shake his wet hair like a warg, making all the children in the cafeteria laugh.Elrond was not laughing, just admiring the way his skin looked, slightly wet from the rain, and his nipples, raised from the cold… before receiving a towel in the face. He caught it before it could fall and turned to see Galadriel laugh at him: “Go hand him the towel before you start drooling in front of the kids.”Elrond didn’t ask why she was playing matchmaker and walked to Adar, offering him the towel: “You’ll catch your death.”“Thanks, El,” Adar replied with a smile that revealed he knew exactly what he was doing as he dried his neck and torso, his eyes not leaving Elrond’s. Elrond had to struggle to keep holding his gaze and not let his eyes wander down.“Thanks for bringing in the sets, it would have been a shame had they been damaged by the rain.”“So, do I get anything for good behaviour?” Adar asked with a devious smile.Elrond raised an indignant eyebrow at him before gesturing to all the children around them in the cafeteria.“I was thinking about coffee, or hot chocolate, El, what were you thinking about?” Adar asked with a fake innocent look on his face as he raised his arms to dry his hair, displaying more of his torso.Elrond shook his head and turned away from the display, trying not to let his lustful thoughts show on his face. He nearly walked into Galadriel who was setting up the TV with the help of the children. Glûg was particularly helpful: he had a way with technology, especially the older models.Elrond walked to the kitchen, preparing some more hot water for the drinks. Today, the end of summer was catching up with them: they had all woken up to a heavy rain and had to rush out to save the sets and the crafts tables they had left under the trees. Adar, Galadriel, and Halbrand had done the heavy lifting with the frames and the tapestries while Elrond and the children had run back and forth for the rest. Now that everything was inside the cafeteria, the camp counsellors had to devise a plan for what looked like a heavy rain day.Elrond wanted nothing more than to curl up in his bed and catch up on his reading where he could hear the rain pattering on the corrugated iron roof, a cup of tea on the floor next to him. Maybe tonight, he promised himself, while he poured the hot water.“I found some extra clothes Cook keeps back there in case of spills and accidents,” Halbrand declared, smiling, victorious in his hunt. “It’s mostly t-shirts with the new camp logo. Tags still on. I think Cook won’t mind.”Cook, Waldreg, had made no mystery of his disdain for the new camp logo, which looked exactly like the old one but with more rounded corners. He would not miss the shirts.“You’re Valar-sent, Hal,” Elrond smiled at him. “I’m not as drenched as you are but I really don’t want to catch a cold for the last few days.”“They’re all the same size so we’ll have to make it fit, I guess,” Halbrand unfolded one of the t-shirt to show him and Elrond sighed:“Well, the kids are going to have a field trip with this one…”**“So, good news is: we found dry t-shirts,” Halbrand announced from behind the door to the kitchen.They heard Galadriel cheer, accompanied by some of the children, even though they all had their dry clothes from their bungalows.“The bad news is…” Halbrand continued, walking in, Elrond trailing behind him with a hot-drink laden platter. He walked to the center of the room, arms extended outwards, even making a little twirl to the endless amusement of the children. The t-shirt was slightly too small for him, revealing his flat stomach and his belly button. Halbrand posed, showing off his crop top. Galadriel almost dropped the remote before catching herself. Oh, Elrond would have to tease her about that later.Elrond followed, his t-shirt slightly too large, like something he usually wore at night back home. He handed Adar a cup of coffee he had made with the good stuff Waldreg kept hidden on the bottom shelf. Their fingers touched and it felt familiar now, like a ritual between the two of them. Adar leaned in: “You should have changed here, I would have appreciated the show too.”Elrond looked up at Adar’s pale blue eyes, trying not to blush as he dared a reply: “Wouldn’t you prefer the reverse show?” he asked, smiling just a little.“Any show you put on is good for me, El,” Adar teased him right back with a warm smile that felt comfortable. Elrond was starting to like this rainy day.“Well, they only have old stuff, like a science show that explains how things happen like volcanoes, and this old cooking show,” Grugzûk intervened to complain. Elrond had not even noticed he had approached them.They both looked down and Elrond couldn’t help but chuckle as Grugzûk showed him the DVD jacket of a cooking show he used to watch. Well, he supposed it was old for the children. “I’m sure just one episode won’t hurt, Grugzûk,” Elrond reassured him, “Plus, I hear the other activity is board games.”Grugzûk hated board games, so he immediately walked back to Galadriel to hand her the DVD which had miraculously been found.While the kids were having ear-wrenching discussions about what to watch, Halbrand handed her the dry t-shirt he had found.“Ah, thanks, I was starting to get cold,” she said, immediately moving to remove her wet pale blue t-shirt. Halbrand grabbed her by the waist, whisking her away from the children, behind one of the saved tapestries.“We do need another activity, to get them to behave all day,” Elrond declared.“What about a cooking competition?” Adar proposed. That was the last thing Elrond had expected. It must have shown because Adar pushed him gently with his shoulder. “What? I know about cooking with kids running around me. We make small groups, cook one thing and then we have an activity, and lunch sorted.”“What are the criteria for the jury? Who will be the jury?”“Those are such teacher questions,” Adar teased him without any heat. “I’ll let you handle that part. What do you think?”“Everyone can be the jury, we could have cards just like they do in sports competitions. We could have cute things like: chewability, has chocolate in it… Nothing too controversial.”“Look at us, already collaborating,” Adar said, his voice lower so the children couldn’t hear, but it also made his voice deeper, hoarser, just like it had sounded after kissing Elrond. The proximity, the comfortable exchange, the warmth they shared… it made Elrond crave something he had not fully anticipated: another kiss, something short and sweet, just enough to express the warm feeling in his chest. He looked down at Adar’s lips, struggling to resist the temptation.This didn’t escape Adar’s notice and he licked his lips, probably to give him another show: “Will you let me kiss you under the rain later?” He whispered to Elrond, now completely serious.“Trying to complete your romance bucket list?” Elrond taunted him.“Well, I can always fuck you in the rain if that makes it better,” Adar replied instantly, chuckling when it made Elrond blush.**The choux pastry was not looking great, Elrond thought, as he watched Bazur mix it as vigorously as he could. He had a lot of enthusiasm, but the choux looked like it had felt Elrond’s anxiety and looked clumpy.He had been a little too ambitious in his need to impress the judges and win the Annual Rainy Day Cooking Competition (First Edition). Still, he was determined to, at least, making fun for his team: “Looking great, Bazur, bring in the mixture from the sides to the middle so you can stir them as well. Lurka, do you have the eggs?”Elrond watched with rising anxiety as Lurka decided to bring in all the eggs in his arms instead of using the carton. Thankfully, he didn’t drop any. Elrond showed him how to crack an egg on a flat surface before adding it to the mixture. Lurka got most of it inside the bowl and Elrond only had to fish for two pieces of eggshell: “Good job, Lurka, those éclairs are going to be delicious, I can feel it!”The other side of the kitchen was having a completely different experience: “Vrath, do you think this is enough cheese?”“Chef, no, chef!”“Then add more cheese! Which one is your favourite?”“Cheddar, chef!”“More cheddar then!”Adar was making an insane amount of mac and cheese in what looked like the fires of Aulë. That clean-up was going to be tough.“El, all the eggs are in, it looks a little too liquid, don’t you think?” Bazur asked, worry clear in his voice.“I’ll add a pinch of flour, just a pinch,” Elrond said, about as stressed. “Lurka, prepare the pouches please, we’ll start forming the pastries.”Elrond added a little of flour, praying not have messed up the whole mixture. Baking was a delicate balance best done in a calm environment without the pressures of a jury of children. Still, a chef can work in even the most extreme of situations.“That looks good, Bazur, now let’s get the mixture into the pouches and form our éclairs.”Fifteen minutes later, Elrond heard the Salty Team (they had decided on the name themselves) put their mac and cheese in the oven as they were finishing mixing the filling for the éclairs cooling after the oven. They exchanged high fives and war cries. His heart beat faster as he started getting worked up on time. What on Arda had possessed him to choose a dessert that complex?“Need some help, Dessert?” Adar’s voice in his ear startled him. Elrond barely had time to think before answering, his voice mildly panicked: “We need to pipe the filling into the éclairs once they’re cool enough,” he said, trying not to think about time too much.Of course, Adar would jump on the occasion. His mouth very close, too close perhaps, to his ear, Adar chuckled: “Oh, I think I can help there, but should the kids be present for that?” He whispered in his ear, discretely pushing his hips to Elrond’s back.Elrond felt his face on fire as he blushed hard, just thinking about Adar bending him over the kitchen bench. Adar was so strong it would hardly be a challenge for him to keep Elrond down while he fucked him hard and fast before they could be caught. He wanted that, he wanted to feel him deep while being unable to move. He didn’t dare turn his face: if he saw Adar’s lips, he wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation.“Take a deep breath, Dessert,” Adar took a step back, letting him relax. “You’re halfway through, and you have a whole team of sous-chefs now. Show us how you want us to do it,” he couldn’t help but end on a teasing note.Elrond did take a deep breath and, seeing the four children eager to help, he took courage. Plus, he had a revenge to take against Adar and his destabilising words. He set the filling bowl in the middle of the kitchen island: “Okay, let’s get those éclairs: pick a spatula and fill your pouches with a sixth of the filling, I’ll tell you when you have enough, it should look like this,” he explained, demonstrating. “When your pouch is full, you need to press it all in one corner, keep pressing here for more tension. It will allow you to get it all out neatly.”Elrond tried not to look at Adar while explaining but he could see him raise an eyebrow at his explanation: “When it’s ready, you put the tip to the hole and press until you see some of the filling leak.”Adar pretended to cough and turned around to cover his laugh. Elrond tried not to roll his eyes and continued as well as he could, now that Adar had highlighted a whole new dimension to his words: “Then you put the top of the hole back and wait for the icing. Do you have any questions? Yes, Fury?”“What happens if you put too much?” he asked, looking at the éclairs as if they were dangerous.“Yeah, Elrond, what happens if there’s too much for a little éclair?” Adar asked, biting the corner of his bottom lip, trying not to laugh.“You just…” he knew what he was going to say would make Adar crack up, but there was really no other way of saying it, “you just wipe it and cover it all with icing. But don’t worry, I’ll tell you before it gets too much.”“Really?” Adar butted in, “is there a word or a phrase you could say to tell us when it’s too much?”“The phrase is ‘stop it, Adar’,” Elrond answered, shaking his head, trying really hard to look stern and not to smile like a teenager.All six of them got to work, filling the pouches as Elrond showed. Adar cut the tips while Elrond made holes in the pastries. It was all very efficient, Adar even holding his mouth while he focused on the work. They were going to make it, Elrond thought, exhilarated that his gamble might pay off in the end.“Oh no,” Lurka exclaimed, dismayed at the mess he made of his second éclair.Elrond rushed to his side to assess the damage. It looked pretty bleak: “It’s okay, Lurka, we all make mistakes sometimes, and this is your very first time doing this. Here, set it aside and try again. Press on your pouch less, keep your touch light. There you go, a little more. Yes, perfect! Much better, right?”“Yeah, thanks, El!” Lurka looked up at him, proud of his work.“Ah-ah, Fury, we don’t lick it until after we’re done!” Elrond redirected him from the other side of the table.“Oh, do we?” Adar asked with a devious smile.“When it’s for other people, we don’t,” Elrond corrected him, trying not to let the children catch on.“I’m done with mine,” Adar declared, raising his hands, palms open as if to prove he was innocent.“Good,” Elrond nodded at him before grabbing the last bowl: “Now for the last part: the icing. We need to melt some chocolate, could you do that while we finish up here?”“Sure, I can make some chocolate melt,” Adar answered with a wink that the children didn’t catch, so focused they were on their work.“Remember, clean as you go!”**“I think we’re done,” Elrond said, blinking as he retraced all the steps in his mind.“Let’s check: pastries, filling, and icing. All put away in the fridge so they hold until lunch,” Adar helped.“We made it, El!” the children exclaimed, excitedly.“I’m never baking ever again,” Vrath complained, looking exhausted but relieved.“Time’s up!” Galadriel shouted from the threshold.Elrond whooped, feeling the tension drain from his shoulders. He couldn’t believe they made it. He had all but lost hope when he had seen Bazur end up with more icing on his forehead than on his éclairs. They all exchanged high fives before trailing out of the kitchen to let the next team take over.Once in the main room of the cafeteria, the children went to catch up on the cooking show where tensions were high as the cooks attempted to make soufflés. Elrond raised his arms above his head to stretch his shoulders where he always held tension.“Good job on those éclairs. That was ambitious of you,” Adar said, trailing behind him.Elrond turned to look at him. He had some icing on his cheek, just below his eye. Time for a little vengeance, Elrond thought. He looked around them quickly, checking that no one was paying attention to them. When he looked back, Adar’s eyes were on his, looking very intently. Elrond wiped at the icing, Adar completely still and a little tense under his touch. Then, Elrond brought his thumb to his mouth and sucked it, maintaining eye contact, smiling a little when Adar’s eyes darted back to his mouth, unable to resist the temptation.Elrond tasted the sweet taste of chocolate and victory on his tongue with a satisfied smile. He popped his thumb out and licked his lips: “You know, it’s still raining outside…” he said playfully, tilting his head to the side.Adar looked out, heavy drops pounding on the window, the huge oak tree barely visible in the grey curtain of the rain. Inside, he could hear Halbrand trying to wrangle his kids as they all shouted for pizza with a lembas base. The other kids were fully focused on the TV, no scissors or dangerous objects within reach.“Now?” Adar whispered to him, and Elrond could hear the impatience barely restrained in his voice. It made the warmth in him dial up. He felt trepidation course through his veins.“We might have to make it quick before we’re needed,” Elrond answered, already feeling his breathing get heavier. He wanted so much he could barely focus on what he wanted exactly. Adar was so close he would only have to tilt his chin up to press a kiss to those damned lips.“Doesn’t matter. I need you more,” Adar growled, grabbing his hand before leading him to the door. He looked back to the small group of children drawing in the corner and said: “We’re going to get some dry clothes from the cabin, we’ll be back soon, don’t get into trouble.”The children nodded, barely looking up, so focused on their activity they didn’t even object to the plan of walking through the rain to get dry clothes. Elrond’s brain barely registered it either.He felt exhilarated, his heart beating fast, his mouth dry with anticipation. He remembered how good Adar’s kisses were, how perfect his hands felt on his skin. Finally, he was desired, desired so much that Adar was ready to drop all responsibilities just to get a piece of him. Adar opened the front door, pulling Elrond out hurriedly in order to close it behind them before the rain could get in.Once outside, they were almost immediately drenched. It was a warm summer rain, heavy but comforting. Adar pulled on his hand and Elrond followed him, feeling like a teenager sneaking off, except he had never done this as a tight-laced bookworm teen. He felt light and free, following Adar in the rain. They ran, almost slipping on the drenched grass, until they reached the bank of the river. Here, Adar pulled Elrond behind on the racks where they stashed the canoes. The rain pattering on the hulls created a loud but comforting melody. The half secrecy of it made it all the more exciting. He couldn’t believe he was here with Adar and that he was allowed to kiss and touch him. Here, surrounded by the heavy grey curtain of rain, it felt like they had crossed into an entirely different world. It was a world made for the two of them, and Adar’s hands on his waist were the only thing that mattered.Elrond grabbed Adar’s shoulders, drawing his drenched body to his, raising his face to kiss him. Adar immediately took over, overwhelming him. It was a passionate kiss, with too much teeth and tongue, and it was perfect. Elrond felt like he was back at the cabin, back to the hut, picking up where they left, his arousal right back to when he was pressed against Adar’s hips. Elrond opened his lips to him, his tongue meeting his as his hands clenched on his shoulders. Adar licked into his mouth, his tongue stroking his, caressing his palate, exploring his mouth, making it all his. It was so much, so perfect, Elrond needed more. He pressed his mouth harder against his, demanding more and Adar responded, pressing Elrond back to the racks, his hands tightening on his hips so that Elrond wasn’t sure he could escape his grasp, if he ever wanted to. Adar bit his lower lip as he broke the kiss to get some air.Elrond felt want like electricity coursing down his spine before resting low in his belly. He was having a hard time thinking, he only wanted more. He drew Adar to him and bent his head to lick his neck, tasting the rain over his warm skin. He felt wild, unhinged doing this but he couldn’t stop, he just wanted more of Adar and he felt so free in their bubble of rain. He felt Adar groan under his lips, the sound urging him on and he bit at the skin before he could stop himself. Adar raised a hand to Elrond’s hair, clutching a little too tight and Elrond closed his eyes for a second, his mouth opening as he felt the pain like a stab of white-hot desire.“You’re playing with fire, here,” Adar said as if his eyes were not nearly entirely black with desire.Without releasing his hold on Elrond’s wet curls, Adar dove in for another kiss, a bruising kiss, Adar sucking Elrond’s lower lip in his mouth hard before diving in for another kiss, then another, not letting Elrond catch his breath. Under the onslaught, Elrond could only moan, reassured by the noise of the rain on the canoes. He was starting to get hard again, his skin on fire, his hips seeking friction.“Adar,” he whined a little when Adar let go of his mouth for two seconds. That got his attention: his hand on Elrond’s hips tightened and Elrond could feel him growl a little against his lips.Adar had to take a deep breath in to steady his voice: “Getting carried away a little, sweetheart? You wanted to play so much and now you don’t know what to do with yourself, is that right?” He whispered, his voice so incredibly deep that Elrond could feel it against his skin like loud music.Elrond knew he should balk and protest at those words, but as soon as he opened his mouth, Adar slid a thigh between his legs, pressing up against his half-hard cock. Elrond moaned, screwing his eyes shut as he felt pleasure peak and he couldn’t help but rub himself on Adar’s hard thigh. It felt so good after so long without being touched. Adar’s hand came down to grip Elrond’s thigh, encouraging him: “You want this so much you can’t even pace yourself,” he whispered in his ear, his tone should have been mocking but it felt admirative, slightly reverent even. Adar’s eyes were roving over Elrond, from his blushing cheeks to the imprint of his cock against the fabric of his jeans, taking him in as if he couldn’t believe it.Elrond had a suspicion that Adar was in a very similar state but was hiding it much better than him. He tested his theory by letting one of his hands relax its grip on Adar’s shoulders and make its way down, over his torso, down his abs, feeling the muscles twitching in self-restraint under his fingertips. Adar was rubbing his thigh gently on Elrond’s cock, making his head feel light as his blood rushed south. Finally, Elrond’s hand reached between Adar’s legs, the angle a little awkward because of their position, his wrist having to bend to slide between their bodies. But Elrond didn’t let that deter him as he cupped Adar and pressed lightly, feeling his harden and twitch against the palm of his hand.Adar groaned, pressing his forehead against Elrond’s and Elrond had to bite back a laugh: “Seems like I’m not the only one with pacing problems,” Elrond replied, trying to keep his voice steady as he felt just how thick Adar was in his hand. He wanted that. He wanted so badly to open Adar’s trousers and fall on his knees and suck Adar off until he unravelled against his tongue. Elrond rolled his hips, seeking more friction, letting the sensations wash over him, warmth under the warm rain. Adar’s hand on his thigh tightened and Elrond knew he would have faint bruises there.An idea came to his mind: “Adar,” he whispered, making his voice a little more desperate, watching with inner delight as Adar immediately redirected his attention to Elrond’s lips, his chest rising as he took a deep breath. “How much time do we have left?” Elrond asked.Adar growled, not happy with the question and being interrupted as he was trying to kiss him again. He looked at his watch: “About five minutes,” he answered impatiently before kissing him again, pressing him against the racks, letting his hands rove over Elrond’s wet torso, making his gasp against his lips. Adar chuckled at that and let his hands go up again, playing with his nipples through his wet t-shirt. The sensation of hot and cold, the wetness against his skin shouldn’t feel so perfect but it made Elrond’s toes curl and goosebumps rise on his forearms. Before he could stop himself, Elrond was pressing his chest back to Adar’s hands, silently asking for more.“Valar, you’re beautiful,” Adar whispered against his lips, his eyes taking Elrond in, his red cheeks, his hair, wet and dishevelled, his lips, bruised and parted, his eyes darker now and heavy-lidded. “Do you want to come? I can make you come now,” he proposed, pressing their hips together, forcing Elrond to drop his hand so that their cocks aligned through their clothes. Elrond bit Adar’s shoulder not to moan too loud.“Are you close?” Elrond asked, breathless.“Yes,” Adar answered honestly. “It’s been a while. And someone’s been teasing me.”At that, Elrond smiled again, not the helpless smile of someone hard in his jeans, his nipples abused, peaking through his wet t-shirt, and his lips bruised by many kisses, but a more playful smile, surprisingly steady. That made Adar tilt his head in surprise but he didn’t have time to ask before Elrond declared: “You can mark me or you can come, you decide Adar, you should have about four minutes left.”Adar barely had time to react before Elrond pressed his face to his neck and bit him there, his teeth worrying a bruise right under his ear. At the same time, both of Elrond’s hands grabbed his belt and dragged their bodies closer until they were pressed against each other, from shoulder to hip. Adar could only moan in turn, his hips rolling, desperately seeking more friction as he felt want like electricity coursing down his spine.“How about I do both?” he asked, his voice rough.“You can… If you don’t want me to touch you for the rest of the week,” Elrond answered, his lips slowly stretching in a smile against Adar’s neck before biting again. Elrond looked with satisfaction as the skin reddened in the form of his mouth, the small indent of his teeth clear.Adar drew back with colossal effort, squinting his eyes at Elrond, genuinely curious: “Don’t you want to come? I can feel you shivering under me. I want to see you feel good. I want to be the one to do it,” he tempted him, his voice deep and almost breathless.Elrond did shiver, especially when Adar’s hands grabbed his ass and pressed their hips together in an agony of delight. Elrond closed his eyes and let himself moan as warm flooded him. He let the sensations course through him and then opened his eyes: “I can pace myself,” he said with a devious smile, referring to Adar’s earlier teasing.Adar groaned and shook his head: “You’re really making me work for it. It’s okay, it’s fine,” he replied before grabbing Elrond’s too big t-shirt and tugging it off, Elrond helping him, glad to be rid of the fabric sticking to his skin.He regretted how convenient he made it for Adar to torture him pretty soon. “I better make it count, then,” Adar whispered to his ear, his warm breath making Elrond shiver, before biting. Elrond suddenly felt himself overwhelmed as Adar went on a mission. He left a trail of small, biting kisses, like little teases, from his ear to the middle of his neck. As he reached the middle of Elrond’s necks, his kisses became more insistent, Adar’s teeth tugging at the skin, worrying it just as Elrond had done earlier. Then, he went lower and the bites lasted longer, Adar sucking the skin to make the blood rush to the surface before biting, making Elrond whine, torn between pleasure and pain as he threw his head back, offering more skin to Adar’s hungry mouth.“I can’t wait to make you unravel completely,” Adar groaned against the sensitive skin of his neck, his hands returning to Elrond’s nipples, the sensations magnified now that there was no t-shirt separating Adar’s rough hands from his skin. “I can’t wait till you let me suck you off. I bet you taste sweet… You sound so sweet already.” Adar took a deep steadying breath in, closing his eyes. He bit Elrond again, right on the clavicle, marking him until Elrond could feel himself twitch in his jeans. He was screwing his eyes shut so hard he was starting to see stars. “You make me lose my mind, Elrond. In that kitchen, you looked so anxious, it made me want to bend you over the island and make you forget all about it.”“Adar!” Elrond called out to him, one of his hands burying itself in Adar’s hair while he bit at the other to muffle his moans.Adar rewarded by licking his nipple, the wet hot sensation delightful after his rough hands: “You do like that, right?” he asked, redoubling his efforts, licking his nipple again before biting the skin right above it. “You’re playing with me but you do want that, don’t you?”There was something uncharacteristically uncertain underlying his voice that brought Elrond back to reality. He opened his eyes and looked at Adar whose desire-darkened eyes were already focused on his face. Elrond nodded, the movement a little frantic but fully sincere. He licked his lips as he imagined everything Adar had promised.“Good,” Adar answered, suddenly looking like the cat that got the canary. He licked at the deep red mark he had just left on Elrond’s torso before straightening. “I think that’s our time for now,” he turned the tables on Elrond as he took a step back, leaving him panting, breathless, and desperate for more. “We should get back before they come looking for us… But you should definitively get another t-shirt first.”
**Elrond came back right on time to see the children guzzle down pizza with a lembas base, shouting their remarks at one another through the cafeteria. The noise level even drowned out the rain. He nervously rearranged his hair, trying to cover the quite impressive marks Adar had just left there.Galadriel kicked out a chair at the jury table for him, smiling knowingly. Elrond sat and did his best to ignore her smile, and Adar’s possessive gaze. He tasted some of the pizza Halbrand’s team had made, the palate simple and rich, perfect for the children. He scribbled some notes on his pad, making Galadriel snort with his studiousness.Galadriel had made a valiant effort at baking a chocolate cake with heavy chocolate icing, but it had spent a little too much time in the oven and was dry, the bottom almost completely burnt, in true Galadriel fashion. The icing was good, so Elrond gave her half of the points. Fury was definitively partial, claiming that it was “the best cake on Arda”.Adar’s mac and cheese was drowning in cheese, decadent, but heart-warming on a rainy day. Elrond hummed when trying it and wrote on his notepad again. Adar observed him with a bemused smile. Finally, came time for the éclairs, Bazur and Lurka presenting it to the camp counsellor jury as if they were in an upscale restaurant and not in a noisy cafeteria. Elrond congratulated them on the presentation, making Lurka blush and Bazur glow with pride.“Good,” Galadriel said after her second éclair, chocolate icing on her chin.Elrond heard Adar moan exaggeratedly on the other side and when he turned his head, Elrond saw him staring at him with a slight smirk: “The filling is delicious, don’t you think, El?”Elrond felt the tip of his ears burn and he turned back to his éclair, cutting into it with his spoon. His hand trembling a little, he managed to put some cream on the side of his face. Adar immediately bent over him, letting his mostly dry hair cover them in an intimate bubble of petrichor and chocolate, before licking his face. Elrond couldn’t help but sigh as he felt his tongue against the corner of his lips, reminding him exactly where that tongue had been mere moments before.When Adar leaned away, Elrond looked all around him, nervously, but the children were all distracted by the sheer amount of food offered. Halbrand did roll his eyes but Elrond pretended not to notice it. Galadriel patted his thigh encouragingly under the table. Elrond felt this strange sensation in his chest, a gentle warmth, a soft certainty, like he finally belonged somewhere. He was wanted, invited, welcomed in this world where everything felt easy and light. He looked at his hands, caught between personalisation and depersonalisation as he looked at himself been seen after a long year of being invisible. Was that how people always felt?He looked back to Adar who had put his hand on the back of his chair to try and steal Galadriel’s last éclair, narrowly avoiding being stabbed in the hand by her fork. Elrond smiled at him, a secret smile that he wasn’t quite sure Adar would see, or even understand, but that felt good to give.By the popular vote, the final winners were the pizza and the éclairs.**All the children gathered in a circle, dragging couch cushions and hoodies for nap time. The rain was lighter, barely heard pattering on the roof, as Elrond sat in the middle of the circle, the book in his lap. On his right, Adar, ready to read Vetch’s lines, on his left, Galadriel cracking her knuckles to play the role of Vetch’s young sister, Yarrow. Halbrand was conspiring with Waldreg in the kitchen, probably begging for the good coffee or sharing a glass of the cook’s moonshine.A lot of the children fell asleep to the feeling of full bellies, the lullaby of the rain, and the soothing diction of Elrond’s reading. They were so close to the end and Elrond couldn’t help but feel sadness taint some of his words. Galadriel was the perfect counterbalance, bringing wonder and solar energy to the tale and the rainy grey atmosphere. All the children still awake laughed when she cursed Ged for stealing one of the cakes. Adar chuckled quietly on Elrond’s other side before reading Vetch affirm his everlasting support to Ged. By the end of the chapter, Vrath and Lurka tried begging for more but their eyes were heavy and they soon joined their comrades for a long nap.When Galadriel went off to join Halbrand in search of coffee, Elrond stretched, tiredness making his limbs heavier. He groaned a little as he raised his arms over his head, trying to relax his shoulders and his neck.“Someone else feeling like a nap?” Adar asked with a knowing smile. Elrond ignored the teasing underlying his words and nodded, yawning behind his hand. “Come, give me the book and lay down here, I’ll catch up with Earthsea,” Adar said, patting his lap.Elrond hesitated a second, not sure whether this was another trap, the next part of their game, but Adar looked serious, rearranging himself so it could be more comfortable for Elrond to lay his head on his thighs. The sweet call of Adar’s warm body and his weariness finally convinced Elrond and he laid down, getting as comfortable as he could, closing his eyes. Before he let sleep take over, Elrond felt Adar’s hand in his curls, and heard him read the first words of A Wizard of Earthsea: ““The island of Gont, a single mountain that lifts its peak a mile above the storm-racked Northeast Sea, is a land famous for wizards…”
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The rain finally cleared out at the end of the afternoon, just before the sky could start to darken. Galadriel went out to check whether the grass was too slippery for outside activities under the eager eyes of the children, all pressed against the bay windows of the cafeteria. She did several cartwheels before deeming the grass safe.There no containing the children now and Halbrand opened the bay windows dramatically as if releasing a bunch of unruly wargs. Galadriel picked a ball up and organized two teams of volunteers to play football.“Alright, we have the football activity, anyone else want to have a swim before it gets too dark?” Elrond asked the children.“Me! Me!” Several little hands were raised.They had to tire the children out in order to have a more peaceful diner and a peaceful night.“Get your swimsuits from the cabins, not the towels, they’ll just get wet,” Elrond told them before watching them run to their bungalows. “Hal, do you want to supervise the football or the swimming?”“I think they’ll need a referee for the match,” Halbrand excused himself before walking to the newly formed field where Galadriel was teaching the children tricks.“I’ll get changed,” Adar told Elrond, standing too close, now that they were alone. Mostly. “By the way, could I sleep in your cabin tonight? The rain might have done a number on my tent and I’m not young enough to sleep in my car.”Elrond turned his head towards him, feeling his cheeks blush as he thought about what exactly that proposition would entail. He decided to play the game and raised an eyebrow: “Discussing your old bones to seduce me, that’s a bold move.”Adar laughed: “I was talking about my knee, my hips are fine, thank you very much. I could always set up in the cafeteria if you’d prefer spending the night by yourself,” he said, dropping his voice as he took a step forward, making Elrond take a step back, pressed against the door. “Teasing yourself while I do the same.”“That’s a double-edged sword,” Elrond answered, pretending to think. He could feel Adar’s breath on his cheek and he wanted nothing more than to wrap his legs around the man’s waist.“I’ll let you think about it if you need more time to decide,” Adar whispered to him, tilting his head to the side, highlighting the graceful arch of his eyebrow, the sharp line of his jaw, the raised scar, making his hair cascade to the side. He was so handsome Elrond forgot where he was for a moment. He was brought back to reality as Adar’s hand came to his neck, his fingers pressing against the bruises he had left there earlier, reviving the delightful pain of them. Elrond gasped, just a little too loud, and closed his eyes.“No,” he said, trying to keep his voice under control, “come. You can have the top bunk.”“That’s what I like to hear,” Adar chuckled. Elrond frowned a little at that. Adar sounded way too satisfied with himself. He would have to see about that. They were, however, interrupted by Waldreg banging pots in the kitchen and coming with several colourful swears.Adar pressed one last time, hard and perfect, against Elrond’s bruises, a wicked promise, and walked away towards his tent. Elrond took several deep breaths, pressed against the door for support. He blinked slowly and shook his head before walking back to his cabin.**When he walked back to the pier, Elrond was greeted by Lurka, Grugzûk, Glûg, and Magrot, waiting to dive in under Adar’s vigilant eyes. The water looked grey, reflecting the cloudy skies, and the adults would need to be extra careful supervising the children.“El, what happened to you?” Magrot exclaimed, pointing his index finger to the many bruises on his neck and chest.Elrond glared at Adar for ten long seconds before answering: “I was bitten by some mosquitoes in the cabin. We’ll have to be extra careful tonight so we don’t get bit,” he redirected Magrot’s attention.“Can we go swim now?” Glûg interrupted, obviously impatient.“Yes, let’s go swim to the buoy,” Elrond answered, glad for the distraction. He slid in the water, tensing a little against the cold while Adar jumped in, apparently immune to the cold.They swam, Lurka holding on to Elrond’s shoulders when he got tired halfway through, the other children splashing each other and racing ahead as Adar swam after them, pretending to bite at their kicking feet. Elrond and Lurka were the last ones at the buoy, taunted by the other children as they finally touched the buoy. Glûg took over the role of the lake monster and dove in to pull at the other children’s feet underwater. They were all laughing so Elrond didn’t intervene and held on to the buoy, resting after having dragged Lurka’s dead weight through half the distance.Elrond looked at the children splashing in the lake and he took a deep breath in, taking in the scene, the beauty already marred by the bittersweetness of endings to come. Before he knew it, he had gotten used to that small world filled with activities, set times for meals, joy, terrible noise levels, the quiet of the lake, the silent beauty of pine trees, the serenity of the wind in their branches, quickly resolved fights, discoveries, new games, small habits, friendships…He had just met those kids and already he had grown to know them so much. They had trusted him with hurts, joys, and countless mischiefs. He wondered how they would fare at the end of the summer. Would Bazur make it to the choir? Would Glûg make it back to the AV club? Would Lurka try the painting class he wanted? Would they remember him?But no, he wouldn’t let nostalgia get in the way of enjoying what he had now. What would it matter if they remembered him or not? He would remember them. He would remember his summer, his first maybe, at the camp. More importantly, he would enjoy it while he still could.Magrot declared himself King of the Splashes, raising both arms in victory, paddling his feet to turn on himself, saluting an imaginary crowd. Elrond came up behind him and splashed him, making him scream in surprise to the delight of the defeated.“But wait!” Elrond exclaimed, “the spirit of the lake has been disturbed by the splashing! He seeks revenge on those who awoke him from his slumber!”Everyone screamed in fake terror as Elrond clutched Magrot and did his best to raise him up and launch him, not succeeding in going far, but making him laugh nonetheless.Suddenly, he was grabbed from behind, two strong arms circling his chest, blocking his arms as he was being pressed against Adar’s broad chest: “Not to worry, kids, I caught him!” Adar’s voice boomed, a little too close to his ear. Elrond pretended to fight it, mostly splashing around with his legs. “Back, you vile spirit of the water!”“Really?” Elrond asked in a lower voice so the children couldn’t hear. He could feel Adar’s chest shake as he tried to rein in his laughter.“What should we do with him, kids?” Adar asked the children, pretending to wrestle Elrond, mostly moving him around in the water.There were various suggestions, from sacrificing him to the God of Water, dragging him to the Depths and leaving him there, bringing him back to shore where Gal would know how to deal with him, and singing him a lullaby to appease the spirit and make him fall back asleep.“That sounds right,” Elrond voted in favour of the last one, Lurka’s suggestion.“Sleep! Sleep! Sleep!” the children chanted.“Stand back, kids,” Adar declared solemnly, “I will make him fall asleep and he will go back to the bottom of the lake. When we come back to the surface, the spirit of the water will have released El and he’ll be back among us!”Adar released Elrond before turning him so they could face one another, looking in each other’s eyes with as much gravity as they could muster. Elrond nodded to signal he was ready and took a deep breath in as he allowed Adar to pull him under the surface, helping him by kicking his legs gently under the water.Once fully submerged, Elrond opened his eyes, letting the water sting him. Adar was still closing his eyes, holding his hips loosely so that Elrond would only have to kick his legs to escape the grasp. He looked up, watching the heavy grey skies and the top of the pine trees breaking in the ripples of their splashes. In the gathering silence of the lake, Elrond felt calm wash over him, his body floating, fading in the water, Adar’s hands on him the only thing that tied him to the reality of his body.He held on to Adar’s wrists and kicked them both back to the surface. They were welcomed by the shouts of their group of children. Elrond rubbed the water out of his stinging eyes, pretending to wake up from his possession. When he could see things clearly again, his eyes were drawn to Adar immediately. He was looking back at him with a small smile that reached his pale blue eyes. Elrond felt something bloom in his chest like those flowers that open in warm water.“Let’s head back before it gets too dark,” Adar brought him back to reality.Lurka did an amazing job swimming all the way back, but Grugzûk got tired and Elrond scooped him up, pretending to be a mother otter and swimming him back to the pier in backstroke, to the envy of all the other kids who clung to Adar in order to try and get the same treatment.When they finally reached the pier, they were all exhausted. Elrond was pretty happy about it: it would mean that getting them to bed would be easy tonight. Adar got out first and Elrond helped him get all the children out of the lake and on the pier. They could hear the football match getting more intense as Halbrand announced 2-4. Elrond heard Galadriel encouraging defense with her usual coach voice. Some things never changed.“Your turn,” Adar told him, holding out his hand. Unsure, Elrond seized it. He tried to help Adar as much as possible but found himself halfway out of the water in the blink of an eye, using his knees to climb unto the pier.Oh. So, Adar was really strong. It was not just the children weighing nothing to him. Elrond seemed to barely pose a challenge to his strong arms. Elrond blinked again, dumbfounded, kneeling on the pier. He looked up at Adar who had obviously read his face and chuckled at his expression: “Why are you so surprised? I thought you had noticed I had muscles. Certainly stared long enough to,” he teased him. Elrond rolled his eyes and pushed his hair away from his face, not letting go of Adar’s hand.“You’re deceptively strong, it takes a lot to ferry children through the lake,” Adar whispered to him, using their hands to pull Elrond to him. Elrond went willingly, casting a few glances around him but no one was paying close attention. It was starting to rain again, just a fine shower, barely anything to write home about, but enough to remind Elrond what they had done earlier in the rain. He looked down at Adar’s lips, thinking about kissing him again, letting go and melting against his body. He wanted to be kissed hard again, shivering under Adar’s warm hands. Elrond looked up at Adar’s eyes, the question clear in his eyes.“Valar,” Adar swore under his breath. He looked around as well and tilted his head down to press a quick kiss to his lips. Elrond barely had the time to bite Adar’s bottom lip before he retracted and looked around again. Nobody appeared to have seen them. “I can’t say no to those eyes.”Flattered, happiness bubbling in his chest, Elrond smiled so wide his cheeks hurt. “Don’t abuse it,” Adar warned him, trying to look serious.“You shouldn’t have told me that,” Elrond shrugged, unable to stop smiling.More shouts ensued from the improvised football field, making them turn back just in time to see Halbrand call time, and the winning team run around, arms raised in victory. Elrond quickly walked towards the field to try and contain it before anyone decided to slip and break something.**During diner, the cafeteria was filled with the noise levels one would expect from a music festival. All the children were talking excitedly about the cooking competition, the football match, and the upcoming play. Elrond’s head was starting to pound from the noise but he couldn’t really feel irritated: he could tell that everyone would be knackered by bedtime. That filled Elrond with anticipation, his heart pounding in his chest as he watched Adar walk from table to table, engaging with the kids, listening to a dozen of tales about the events of the day.Gal was pouting at Hal, mad about some of his referee choices. Hal was trying to explain his choices, laying it all thick, flexing his arms as subtly as possible as he did so, and giving her his winning smile, the one that almost always worked. He even gave her his dessert which she stared at as if she could laser it off with her eyes, before taking it and telling Hal that he was on the right track. Elrond watched and didn’t intervene, these two had those small fights constantly at the beginning of the summer before learning to be a team. His intervention would just throw a wrench in a well-oiled mechanism. He finished his diner and excused himself saying something about preparing the cabin for Adar, which made Gal smile but she didn’t say anything, which could be counted as a victory.He had barely taken two steps outside before someone called after him: “Hey, El!” Glûg said, following him, his hands in the back pockets of his jeans, looking hesitant, which was very unusual for him.“Glûg, is everything alright?” Elrond asked, stopping in his tracks.“Yeah, I was uhm… just wondering… You and Dad are friends, right?”Ah, the conversation. Or the first conversation at least. Elrond felt stress coursing in his veins, shoulders tensing a little as he considered the question. He wished he had at least one conversation with Adar about it, about anything concerning their actions, their game. Maybe that was what Adar meant when he had mentioned getting serious really quickly.“Yes, I’d like to think your dad and I are friends,” Elrond answered with complete honesty. Glûg deserved it.“Will you stay friends even after camp?”“I have no idea, we have not discussed anything for after camp. I’ll always be your friend, however. Yours and Grugzûk’s. We have spent the entire summer together: our friendship predates my friendship with your dad.”Your dad. How strange to talk about the man he had made out with all over camp as someone’s dad. Although he had answered honestly and hoped both Glûg and Grugzûk would think of him fondly after the summer, Elrond wondered what a friendship with both children would look like should Adar not wish to pursue anything after summer.… And should Adar want to pursue things after summer.“I’m glad. Dad is a good dad but he is a bit daft with his ‘special friends’, ”Glûg explained, using air quotes.“Well, adults learn more slowly,” Elrond smiled at Glûg who nodded with no hesitation.“Yeah… I liked the last one but he was a bit clueless around us. Treated us like kids.”Elrond did his best not to smile, understand the meaning under Glûg’s words: do not treat us as if we were naïve and didn’t see anything. “Did you tell your dad how you felt about this?”“Not yet, he’s easier to read than you are so I guess I wanted to know how you felt first,” Glûg answered, and Elrond was struck, not for the first time, with how wise and thoughtful he was for his age. He wondered how it came to be, how his early childhood was, how Adar had taught him to be so clever.“Those are not easy conversations,” Elrond agreed. “Whatever the answers are, we are friends, Glûg, nothing will change that.”“I was hoping for that. Thanks, El.”**Bungalow Three was effervescent tonight. They had waived the usual story time, satisfied with the chapter they had been read to for nap time and not eager to come to the end of the novel. Now, they were all hunched over pieces of paper, preparing different stories for the next day’s ghost story competition.Elrond thought it was a catastrophic idea, but Galadriel had insisted that it was fine and a tradition. Adar did end up confessing that each of them had with at least one kid in their tents by sunrise the next day. Still, Elrond agreed to help in the effort, if only because all the children were very excited.Bazur and Lurka were making quite a lot of progress and asking a lot of questions to Elrond who tried to answer as simply but comprehensively as possible. Fury and Vrath were already bored and spent most of the time drawing ghosts in armours with terrible swords and scared people with their hair standing straight in fear. Adar was drawing with them and Elrond found himself quite taken as he watched him, all quiet and focused on his work. He was sitting, cross-legged, drawing with the blue and green crayons the children were not using. Elrond walked to his side discreetly, feeling very much like he did during the school year as he watched his students take an exam.He couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows as soon as he saw what Adar was so focused on drawing. It was him, he could recognize his own curly hair and the thin lips he had always been very self-conscious about. He looked like he was floating in the lake, surrounded by bubbles and a flowy garment with a cape adorned by a star. Two hands were crudely drawn seizing his ankles as if someone was dragging him deeper into the water. Elrond was struck by how soft he appeared here, how peaceful. He looked back at Adar who was still focused on his drawing and he moved on with a smile, not disturbing the man.How strange it felt, to have feel your heart so full of life and crushed at the same time.In the end, they ended up staying way past bedtime and Elrond had to tell them several times that their ghost story was really good and any changes could wait until they had time to sleep on new ideas. He sincerely hoped none of them got afraid and tried getting in the cabin tonight of all nights. That would be a real horror story. Adar folded his drawing and put it in the back pocket of his jeans before helping Elrond tuck in Bungalow Three. Once again, Elrond studiously ignored the torchlights and kissed Bazur’s forehead to chase away any remaining thoughts of ghosts and other monsters.Once the door was closed, Adar couldn’t help but laugh a little while Elrond was trying to shush him without laughing himself: “I do hope they’re not going to have nightmares tonight,” Adar whispered to him.“I was thinking the exact same thing earlier,” Elrond confessed in a whisper. Adar’s eyes seemed to gleam in the pale light of their torchlights.“Won’t you get nightmares? That tale about the water spirit might come back to haunt you,” Adar teased.“Except I’m not a child,” Elrond countered, raising an eyebrow.“We’ll see at 3am when the spirit of the water comes back,” Adar teased.Elrond shook his head and took Adar’s hand, intertwining their fingers, avoiding his gaze in order not to blush harder, before tugging him towards their cabin. The night seemed darker, quieter, after the rain. Hal and Gal were still trying to put down Bungalow Two in bed but it seemed so far away they might as well be in another world. Elrond felt light as he led Adar to the cabin, smelling the summery petrichor and the deep notes of the oak tree. By his side, Adar smelled like the lake and his citrus shampoo. Elrond felt his heart beat faster in his heart, anticipation seizing his throat, fighting with unmistakable nervousness.He opened the front door and immediately noticed Adar’s black gym back set at the foot of the bed, unopened. Behind him, Adar closed the door, and they were finally alone. Elrond suddenly felt young and unsure about everything. It was all too real and unreal, distant and close, a jumble of emotions, needs, cravings, and uncertainties.Thankfully, Adar seemed to notice it and cut through before it got too overwhelming. He grabbed Elrond by the waist and backed him against the closed front door. There, he kissed him, light but assured, then slow and deep. It required no effort from Elrond but to open his mouth and let Adar in, his tongue exploring him again, touching his palate, caressing his tongue, before retreating, biting his lower lip as he went. Elrond tilted his chin up to ask for more, opening his eyes, seeing Adar smile. Adar pressed a kiss, quick, just a peck really, to his lips: “Now, I think I was promised access to an indoors shower,” he said, smirking against Elrond’s lips.Elrond tried not to huff like a child, then got an idea and tried the eyes he had used on Adar to get the kiss on the pier earlier. Adar chuckled, his hands tightening a minute on Elrond’s waist before letting him go: “The kids are a terrible influence on you, El,” he teased him, kissing his forehead before going to the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Elrond stood there, still against the door, spluttering a little. He heard the shower start and had to swallow: he could almost see Adar entirely naked under the showerhead, his hands caressing his shoulders, covering himself in glistening soap, before going to his chest and going down, down. Elrond screwed his eyes shut, trying to get the images out of his head, then a thought came to his head. Maybe he could avoid being the only one feeling bereft right now…
Adar turned in the small shower cubicle as soon as he heard the door open: “Have you forgotten something, El?” he asked before stopping in his tracks.Elrond was standing here with his damned messy curls and his even more damned collarbones on full display, revealing the purpling bruises his mouth had left that very morning. He closed the door to the bathroom behind him and leaned back, showing off his lean torso. Adar followed the v of his hips down to his boxers. He looked up and tilted his head, frowning slightly: “What are you doing El?”“The children call me El,” Elrond corrected him, lifting a hand to push his hair back. He was lean but his summer of swimming, hiking and carrying canoes (when they were not dropped on his foot) had revealed some interesting muscles.“Alright, what are you doing sweetheart?”“Admiring the view. Am I making you shy?” Elrond answered, raising an eyebrow as a challenge.Adar smiled, recognizing the now familiar pattern of their games. It was probably the reference to the nightmares and the spirit of the water. Clearly, Elrond was determined to prove he wasn’t one of the children and make him pay for his words. Fair enough.“Shy? No. Enjoy what you’re seeing then?” Adar replied, letting one hand run from his torso to his lower belly, watching intently as Elrond’s eyes followed the movement, before avoiding his cock altogether and caressing his thigh. Frustrated, Elrond looked up at him where he greeted him with a shark smile.“You’re still soft,” Elrond countered, pretending not to be impressed even though Adar could see his throat bobbing as he swallowed.“Are you always this demanding?”“Only when I don’t get what I want,” Elrond answered with a slight smile.Adar couldn’t help but laugh, genuinely amused by Elrond’s repartee. Although frustrating, Elrond’s demands always made the reward feel sweeter. Being able to see the bruises on his skin made not being able to come earlier worth it. Plus, two could play the game.“So, tell me, sweetheart, what do you want? What can I offer you?” Adar all but purred at him, turning the water down until only a drizzle of water kept him from getting too cold in the shower.“I want to see you touch yourself,” Elrond answered immediately, his eyes going back down and he licked his lips. He was distracted enough that Adar believed it was a genuine reaction. He caressed himself once, feeling his cock twitch, the combination of the touch and Elrond’s hungry gaze enough to make him feel warm. He saw Elrond’s chest rise and fall as he followed the movement. Elrond’s naked want sparked a flame low in Adar’s very naked stomach.“I can do that for you, but…” he replied, already a little breathless. “I might need a little inspiration.” He took his cock, stroking it more firmly and sighed as pleasure flooded in. He wanted to close his eyes and throw his head back against the wall of the shower, but he didn’t want to miss the lovely vision of Elrond’s desire.“I want you to… know me… carnally,” Elrond said, dropping his voice so it would sound lower, more seductive. It was, but the words were… “I want you to take my meat in your hand and make me come like no one else before,” he continued, his hand going to the bulge in his boxers.“Okay, hum… do you have some… other words?” Adar asked, his hand still holding his cock but without moving, hesitating, thrown off by Elrond’s words. He was blushing but Adar couldn’t tell if it was because he was getting worked up or because he was inexperienced in dirty talk.“Yes, I want you to fill my cavi…”“Alright, let’s take a little break, Elrond,” Adar had to interrupt before he could permanently lose it. “Have you ever done dirty talk?”Elrond seemed surprised, as if he had not expected to be interrupted and was only now questioning himself. He shifted his weight and Adar hated seeing this gorgeous young man feeling self-conscious, but some things needed to be addressed as quickly as possible. He needed to find a way to tell him his dirty talk was having the very opposite effect than was expected.“I haven’t really… I mean, I heard it in porn but…” Elrond explained before looking down, trying to escape from Adar’s curious eyes.“You watch porn?”“I have been single for a while,” Elrond tried defending himself, even more embarrassed. “This was a mistake, I’m sorry, I…” he started stuttering and his very stance was changed, his shoulders tensed and turned inward, as if he was trying to hide himself. That wouldn’t do. At all.“No,” Adar countered, shaking his head, “don’t. Let me show you what I like. Undress for me,” Adar took over. He turned the water completely off and opened the door, smiling with satisfaction when he saw Elrond had thrown his clothes in a heap on the floor, a far cry from the carefully folded pyjamas he had seen laying on his pillow. He waited until Elrond had taken his boxers off before he executed his plan.First, his hand buried itself in Elrond’s curls, clutching just enough to hurt slightly, making Elrond groan as his head was forced to bend backwards. When he was in the right position, Adar’s grip relaxed slightly, but not enough for Elrond to think he could escape easily. His mouth was slightly open, cheeks still red from his earlier embarrassment, eyes almost black with desire. This is what he wanted to see. He let himself stare at the younger man, his eyes searching his as his breathing became increasingly erratic.“Now, you’re going to show me how you touch yourself, but you’re not going to come until I tell you to, is that understood?”Elrond nodded, frowning slightly when the movement pulled on his scalp. Adar smiled and tapped Elrond’s ankles with his, one after the other, to make him open his legs further, opening himself up to Adar’s gaze. And look he did. Elrond was very lean, lightly haled by the summer sun, and made for his mouth. He couldn’t wait to lay him out on a bed and touch him everywhere. But first, a lesson.Adar took Elrond’s wrist and guided his hand to his cock. It was not hard yet but getting there. Elrond started stroking himself lightly.“You’ve had your fun and games,” Adar started, his voice rough with desire as he watched Elrond’s eyes grow heavy-lidded. “Was it fun starting me up and then leaving? I bet it was. Maybe I should try that, what do you think, Elrond?” Adar asked, tilting his head with a small smile.Elrond tried to shake his head but Adar’s grip on his hair tightened.“Words,” Adar demanded.“No, please, don’t leave,” Elrond asked, his voice thinner. His hand was going faster, his cock half hard already. Adar rewarded him by bending over him, smelling his neck, watching the sensitive skin there rise in goosebumps and a shiver wrack his frame as his warm breath hit his skin. He smelled sweet like the lake and the slight sweat he was working up.“Now you don’t want me to leave, but you sure did back at the cabin the night of the bonfire, didn’t you? You didn’t want me to follow you inside and fuck you in your bed?”Elrond moaned, closing his eyes in desire. “Look at me,” Adar demanded again. Elrond obeyed instantly and Adar felt his chest fill with warmth, a fire starting to roar deep inside. “Here’s what I wanted that night: I wanted to follow you inside and strip you, see what was under this cute little counsellor uniform.” Adar paused, making a show of looking Elrond up and down. He was still stroking himself, fully hard now. He looked beautiful but there was still a long way to go: “Slower. Touch yourself slower,” Adar commanded, his voice harder, colder.Elrond closed his eyes, whining a little. He looked perfect, struggling between his desire and Adar’s order. He swallowed, frowning as he took a deep breath in to steady himself. Then, he slowed his movements. He stroked himself slower, but harder, letting Adar watch his pretty cock as he did so. Adar wanted to put his mouth on him so very badly, but held on.“Then I wanted to put you on your bed and taste you. You already looked delicious in the light of the bonfire, I couldn’t wait to find what spots would make you moan, tremble, and beg me for more. I wanted to hold you by your hips while I unravelled you with my mouth on your skin.”Adar felt the fire under his skin spread, warming him all over. He was hard now, just imagining the noises Elrond would make as he tortured him slowly in his own bed. The sight of Elrond standing in front of him, kept in place by the hand in his hair, breathing hard, lips opened slightly, red and wet, was not helping. Elrond was pliant under his hand and his words and that was a treat he would not forget easily. The blush going from his cheeks to the top of his chest made him look so warm and inviting.Adar bent his head back to Elrond’s neck and brushed his lips to one of the marks he had left earlier. Elrond closed his eyes, his entire body seizing under the teasing touch: “Do you like that? Does that make you want more? You can have more, just have to ask for it.”Elrond whined again, so sweetly Adar considered letting him have more of his mouth without him having obeyed. But then he started speaking: “Please, Adar, I…” Elrond pleaded, “please, I want more. More of you, of your mouth.”“There you go, sweetheart,” Adar praised him, pressing a quick kiss to the bruise. “Much better than those rehashed words. Tell me what you truly want.”Adar pressed a longer kiss to a lower bruise, then an open-mouthed kiss to one of the bruises on his collarbone. Finally, he licked one of the reddest bruises, still warm with blood. He watched, entranced, as Elrond rolled his hips, seeking more, more of his own hand, more friction. He was getting a little desperate and that was gorgeous.“Once you were all pretty, hard, and desperate, I would put my hand between your legs and start opening you up for me, would you like that?”Elrond nodded frantically, not even caring about how it hurt with Adar’s hand in his hair. “Words, sweetheart. If you don’t use your words, I’ll stop talking too and we don’t want that, do we?”“No, I don’t want that,” Elrond replied. His voice was lower, sending a shiver down Adar’s spine. He was so hard it was starting to get a little uncomfortable. “I want you to touch me. Please touch me, Adar, touch me.”“Only me, right, sweetheart? I’m the only one you want to touch you?” Adar set the trap for him, knowing he was too far gone, touching himself in a familiar way but too slowly to come, the frustration probably doing numbers to his mind.“Yes, no one else. Touch me, please, Adar,” Elrond fell right into it.“Good. That’s what I want to hear,” Adar answered, his voice deep and hoarse. He lifted his head just enough to bite the lobe of his ear. Elrond shivered against him, his hips rolling trying to get Adar’s attention.Then Adar retreated, taking a step back, hand releasing Elrond’s hair, mouth away from his neck. Elrond whined deliciously and Adar thought he heard him whisper a small “no” to himself. Elrond looked up at Adar, eyes searching for what he had missed. He looked so adorable and tempting, halfway ravished. Adar looked at him for a second too long, almost forgetting what he had meant to do.After that second, he turned to his toiletry bag, rummaging around, trying not to get frustrated, until he found it. He picked the lube he had stashed there and turned back to Elrond with a devious smile: “Now, hands off, Elrond,” he declared, closing in his trap.“What?” Elrond asked, confused, eyes dazed with desire.“You told me: only me. Only my hands. So, hands off, stop touching yourself,” Adar repeated.Elrond stopped stroking himself but left his hand on his cock. He looked so deflated and confused, it was so pretty and heart-melting. Still, he needed a bit of a lesson for playing so well with Adar. He decided to help him along: Adar took both of Elrond’s hands and pinned them above his head with one of his, forcing Elrond back against the wall.Elrond gasped silently at the manhandling, his blush deepening. His cock twitched, rock hard and red. Interesting. Elrond closed his eyes, clearly trying to steady himself as his hips rolled in the air, once, before he could stop himself.Taking a bit of pity on him, his own skin on fire, lava coursing through his veins, Adar used his other hand to take Elrond’s chin and lift his eyes up to his: “Don’t worry, sweetheart,” he whispered, as if they were having an aparte, “I’ll get you there, I promise you, I will. I’m just playing with you a little first. You’ll have to watch.”Elrond licked his lips, flashing a hint of tantalizing tongue. His curls were falling back on his forehead, a little sticky with sweat and the condensation of Adar’s warm shower. He looked lovely, but that was before he started talking: “Adar,” he called out, and by the Valar if that didn’t inflame him, “I want you on me, please touch me. I’m sorry I played with you before, I really want you. I want you so badly,” he half-sobbed. “I love it when I can feel your hands on me, makes me feel special, makes me feel good. Your mouth on me felt so good,” Elrond whined, tilting his chin up, “may I please have another kiss?”Fuck.He was not going to be able to wait now, was he?Adar gave in a little and kissed Elrond again, licking his lips for an access Elrond was too happy to grant. Adar licked into his mouth, their tongues meeting, erratic but oh so perfect. Elrond’s eagerness felt warm and comforting. The kiss had been meant to ward off some neediness before it got overwhelming, but it quickly turned softer and more tender. Adar felt it in his chest, like rain falling on a roof. When they separated, Adar’s free hand still on Elrond’s chin, they looked at each other and something passed between them.“Alright, tell me what you want. Words. Preferably not “meat” or “cavities”,” Adar gave in. Elrond’s bright genuine smile made up for it. Once again, the game was his.“I want you to touch us both. Please, I want both of us to feel good. I want to feel you against me. More of you,” Elrond asked, hooking one leg to Adar’s leg, bringing him closer, their cocks touching, making both of them groan. Then he rearranged his leg so it was resting on Adar’s hip. Adar couldn’t help staring at Elrond, how lovely he looked, open, slightly desperate, demanding, a beautiful contradiction.He poured lube over their cocks, using a little too much before closing it and throwing it in the sink by their side. Elrond tensed a little at the coldness of it but Adar’s hand grasping both of them at the same time in his big hand made up for it. The contact, the friction, finally, finally, made Elrond’s mind swim with desire. He blinked, struggling to keep his eyes open. He wanted to see Adar like this, see the muscles of his upper arm move as he grabbed them both and started stroking them. Wanted to see the veins in his forearm and the back of his hand raise and reveal themselves as he worked them both. He wanted to see Adar, his face softer from pleasure, the scar mysterious and enticing, his lips redder from their kisses. His chest, with the wolf head tattoo and the fainter scars underneath, so inviting that Elrond couldn’t help flexing his fingers within Adar’s grasp with the need to touch it.Adar tightened his hand around Elrond’s wrists, making him moan again.“Is this what you wanted, sweetheart? Does that feel good?” Adar asked, his voice softer, barely audible over the obscene noise of his hand.Elrond nodded silently, suddenly feeling his blush deepen. It felt like they were in their own bubble within the very room, just the two of them. Elrond looked at Adar’s eyes and he felt something bloom, deeper in his chest, a tenderness both familiar and strange. He raised his chin and captured Adar’s lips in a tender kiss for a moment before the need to breathe made him relinquish it. He had barely broken the kiss that Adar came back for more of that precious, tender kiss. Although Elrond was currently pinned to the wall by his wrists and being made to unravel, it felt like he was holding Adar to him by more than just his leg over his hip. He could feel his breath, deeper, more erratic across his lips.Adar’s hand tightened, increasing the pace, making Elrond’s hips buck and his breath hitch. He was so close, he could feel the bottom of his feet tingle and the heat pool in his stomach.“Is it good for you?” Elrond asked before he could let his mind run away with the question and torture him to the point of self-consciousness. Adar was hard, but surely, he had expected more of their first time together.Adar laughed a little to himself and shook his head as if he barely believed it: “Everything you have given me has been a delight,” he answered sincerely. “You are so warm and soft, it makes touching you such as treat,” he murmured to his ear, his lips touching the tip of it, making Elrond shiver. “So reactive to me, it makes me want to touch you so much. It’s a struggle not to give in and not touch you in front of other people. I wanted to touch you so badly in the kitchen. You looked so stressed out, I wanted to relax you a little, make you moan just for me, make you rub against me.”Elrond moaned, louder than he had intended. He closed his eyes as heat flooded him. He felt himself leak all over Adar’s fingers. He relaxed his grip a little to gather the precum and add it to the lube, speeding his movements.“I wanted you to fuck me there, in the kitchen,” Elrond panted. “Bend me over and fuck me hard.”“Valar, you’ll be the death of me,” Adar groaned, his cock twitching against Elrond’s.The slick slide of his cock against Adar was making Elrond breathless. Adar’s groan felt like the stab of a white-hot blade, making him writhe, silently asking for more. Elrond licked his lower lip, his mouth feeling dry all of a sudden. He rolled his hips, following Adar’s movements, chasing more. Adar’s hand tightened on his wrists.“Adar, I’m close, I’m so close, please, you said you would,” Elrond pleaded, hiking his leg higher up on Adar’s hip, opening himself up more, offering himself.
“Come on, sweetheart, let go, show me, show me how pretty you look when you come,” Adar encouraged him, breathless, his eyes dark with want. His voice felt like a hand caressing his face and Elrond struggled to keep his eyes open. He knew he must be painting quite the obscene picture but he just couldn’t stop rolling his hips into Adar’s hand, his moans getting louder as he felt himself getting closer to the precipice. Then he found it, the tipping point, pleasure crashing into him like a giant wave, overwhelming, but for Adar’s hands holding him. His heart beat louder and he could hear his blood in his ears. His toes curled, the muscles of his legs tensing as he felt himself come all over Adar’s fingers and stomach.His mind blanked for a second as pleasure overcame him, coursing through his veins, running down his spine, enrapturing him. He came to, panting, feeling boneless and almost a little dizzy. Adar groaned, still stroking them both with more urgency, tighter, and it almost hurt. Elrond knew he would have some bruises on his wrists. He tugged at Adar’s clenching hands: “Let me,” he said, breathless, “let me, I’ll make you feel good.”Adar let go of his hands and Elrond immediately fell on his knees. He heard Adar curse over him but he didn’t have time to think or catch up. He grabbed Adar’s hips with urgency and took him in his mouth. Adar moaned, a sweet moan, hoarse and desperate. Adar was substantial on his tongue, salty with precum and Elrond’s own cum. He didn’t have a lot of time but he was determined to honour his promise. He lavished Adar’s cock with his tongue, tightening his lips as he went up before taking it all in again. He barely had time to bob his head four times before Adar’s hand found its way in his hair again and Adar growl: “About to come, sweetheart. Is this alright?”Elrond nodded as much as he could, hoping Adar would get the message. His hand in Elrond’s hair tightened and he came on his tongue. Elrond slowed down, his throat working as he swallowed. He looked up at Adar, admiring the beauty of him, coming down from his orgasm, chest rising and falling deeply. When he seemed a little steadier, Elrond finally let go, still holding to his hips. He swallowed the rest, licking his bruised lips, catching his own breath.“Are you alright?” Adar asked, his voice so rough it made Elrond want to try sucking him off again.“Yes,” he breathed out, relaxing his grip, caressing Adar’s hip and thigh.“Fuck, that was good. Did you enjoy that? That was good for you, right?”Elrond nodded again and rose, grateful when Adar’s strong hands grabbed his arms, helping him up. He immediately went for a hug, wrapping his arms around Adar’s chest under his arms and pressing his face in his neck. Taken aback, Adar took a few seconds before returning the embrace, letting one hand rub his back in a comforting manner. He pressed a kiss to his temple, full of tenderness and longing. Elrond hummed in approval against his neck. A strange sense of calm came over him as he felt Adar holding him in the safe haven of his arms. With it came the whisper of a revelation: he was loved. He was loved. He was loved.“Let’s get you to bed, sweetheart, tomorrow is hiking and camping to the clearing day.”