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rohansonParis has spent all morning talking to me about the trip I have planned for Mer and myself today. He needed reassurance that I would take care of Leelu, and I had to promise not to ride at reckless speeds as the police, the law keepers in this world, do not take kindly to riders who disobey their laws. He admitted that he had been "pulled over" last year, and had been locked up for this offence. I think there is more to it than that, but he brushed off further questions. He was also adamant that we needed to take food with us, as it is not accepted practice to trap, kill and skin rabbits for roasting over a fire on the beach. I gave in to that one with a sigh. There are so many rules and regulations in this world that also provides so many freedoms. It is quite a paradox.
The one thing he was most concerned about was that we did not drive too far up the coast. He showed me on the map he gave me where a couple of his good friends live and I can understand that it would be awkward for us to accidentally meet and for them to mistake me for him.
Finally, the bike is ready, with supplies and a sleeping bag, which is some sort of bedroll, and he shifts out, leaving me to enjoy a cup of coffee before Mer arrives. I smile to myself. He has no idea where we are going today, and I cannot wait to show him the ocean.
Paris suggested that I wear his leathers today, and they fit like a second skin, very supple, almost like my leather riding breeches back home. As I lock up the house, and take Leelu out of the yard so we can head straight off when Mer gets here, I wonder if next time we meet, we should take some of the money won playing darts, and buy him some clothes. He's bigger than Karl, and I think a pair of well fitting leathers would be ... practical.
My mind wanders as I sit on the bike in the sun, jacket thrown over the back until we leave, imagining his long thighs encased in soft black leather … the sound of a bike approaching brings me out of my thoughts, and I grin in welcome, sliding off the bike as he pulls up and striding forward to greet him.
Éomer: Théo must have plans for us this time. Karl does not let me shift in all the way, but instead wants to talk to me. Paris had called him and told him that I need to bring things with me when I go to Théo. Karl takes me to the loft in his barn where he stores things that he is not using and gets out some items that he calls “camping gear.” He has many things, but we have to pick and choose because it all must go on his bike.
It is odd to be in his head at the same time he is. Usually we cross on the way with nothing more between us than a few brief greetings. Sometimes I can come to him in his dreams, but usually he blocks me out. As he explains the uses for the equipment, I listen carefully, but a little part of me is very satisfied that he is letting me in like this.
After we had debate what exactly to take and get it strapped to the bike, he gives me a pack with some spare clothes and some food, and shifts away. And then I am on the road to the warehouse, enjoying the wind in my face. I am very curious to know what Théo intends, although according to Karl, it will involve sleeping out of doors. I am excited about this prospect, for although I have camped with him while I rode in his éored, those times were not without pain for me, watching him roll up in the blankets with his night’s partner, knowing it would never be me. I had thought that he was forever beyond my reach.
But now . . . in this world . . . to sleep under the stars wrapped up with him . . . .
I pull the bike into the yard and you are there already, as I can tell by the warmth in your eyes as you come to me. And all those other past painful times are forgotten and I am overwhelmingly thankful that you want me as your lover, as I crush you to me, pulling you off your feet in my happiness to see you, and my mouth greedily finds yours.
Théo: My arms snake around your neck, fingers tangling in your hair as your arms tighten around me. It feels so good to lose myself in your kiss, its urgency spurring me on to hold you closer as I almost squirm against you with pleasure. Only the need to be on our way makes me break the kiss. That and knowing once we reach the ocean, we will have the rest of the day and tonight to indulge ourselves in one another all we like.
Pulling back, I smile at you, and I know my eyes are dancing with the surprise I have in store. You take my hand and tug me towards the door but this time, I don't follow you, rather pull you back towards me with a shake of my head. The smile slips from your face, and my heart clenches at the look in your eyes. Pulling you closer, I run my hand down the side of your face with a soft smile. I do not want you to misunderstand why today, we do not have time for our usual
greeting.
"Not yet, Mer. I want to take you somewhere … show you something … and if we head off now, we will have more time when we get to … where we are going." I know I am being vague, and my excitement about taking you on this trip is close to bubbling over. "Trust me, you will understand when we get there." My voice lowers as I lean in and press myself against you, making sure you feel how hard I am for you. "And I will make it up to you later, I swear."
Éomer: You body is hard against mine, and I desperately want to get you naked and under my hands . . . but I look at you, see your eyes sparkling with joy and some sort of mischief, and now I really want to know where we are going. I restrain my curiosity with an effort and smile.
“Of course I trust you.” But I cannot resist pulling you closer and thrusting against you, while my tongue swipes your neck up to your ear. “It must be something truly extraordinary . . . “ I growl.
You grin at me and pull away and I let you go reluctantly. Paris’ bike is laden with the same things that Karl’s bike is and you give one last check of the bindings before mounting the bike and starting the engine. We get the gate closed and I follow you down the street, shifting occasionally to ease the pressure inside my leggings.
Théo: I took the time this morning to study the map Paris gave me, and it is an easy route straight up the coast once we leave the city behind us. Traveling out of Wellington, we head west, and it's not long until we are riding up through the hills. And sure enough, just as Paris told me, as we crest the rise, the ocean is laid out before us. The harbour of Porirua is clearly visible a little further on, looking like two arms reaching out into the water and keeping the small boats that bob around in its grasp safe. There is a place to pull over and you follow me in, parking up as I dismount, pulling my helmet off as I join you, eager to see your reactions. My arms slip round your waist from behind, and I rest my chin on your shoulder.
"Further up the coast there is a beach, a long empty strip of white sand where we will make camp. We can spend as long as you like in the ocean, and later," I kiss your neck, "Much later, we can fall asleep under the stars. Together"
Éomer: I stare, entranced, at what you have shown me. It is movement unceasing, and sound . . . a roaring. It is endless, going forever until the bent world turns it under. I have never seen water like this, for though I know that is what it is, it is too vast to understand.
I turn to look over my shoulder at you, my eyes stunned. “This is the ocean?” At your nod, I turn to look at it again. The winds whirl past us and my eyes seek the water hungrily. It is chaos restrained by the shore, a force unlike any I have encountered. Long lines of white appear and hurl towards the land.
“It is a living thing . . . a beast,” I murmur and I tremble, because I want it . . . to be part of that power, to surge against it, to test myself in its might, not caring if I win or lose, but glorying in the contest. I take a step forward, pulling you with me.
“We can go in the ocean? How can a man do such a thing and come away unscathed?” It is like an enchantment, that for good or ill, will change a person forever once the spell is cast.
Théo: I watch with smug delight as wonder lights your face as you take it all in, and feel you shiver with anticipation, just like Brego does before he hurls himself fearlessly toward danger, and laugh against your neck, happiness filling me at your astonishment at the sight before us.
"We can, and we will probably walk away unscathed, but it will capture part of your heart and you will be drawn back to it, to its untamable wildness." There is a wistful note in my voice as I talk about it and you glance at me curiously. "Dave took me there when I met with him at the cabin, and I could hardly wait this past week to return with you, to share what I found there, to throw ourselves into those white waves. It is hard to describe how it feels to be tossed around by such a force; you need to experience it for yourself." Your eyes widen and you turn back to stare at the expanse of water again, almost entranced.
"Come." My hand slips into yours and pulls you back to the waiting bikes. You follow me almost reluctantly, and now I cannot wait until we arrive at our destination. "We have a few hours ride ahead of us before you can dip your toes in the water."
Éomer: I let you pull me away, eager now to get to wherever you are taking me. The bike roars between my legs, a counterpoint to the roaring of the sea that I still hear in my head. My eyes see the road, but my mind is full of the restless pouring water.
Théo: The ride is pleasant one, the road swinging inland after a while, with tantalising glimpses of glittering blue every now and then until it swings west once more. I know we don't have far to go when we drive through Wanganui, following the road to Patea, but turning off onto a familiar track well before we get there. There are no other vehicles on the flat area Dave and I parked the car on last week, which means we have the beach to ourselves just as I hoped. Even before I pull my helmet off, the clean salt fills my lungs, and I can't seem to lose the grin that has been on my face for most of the day. As you pull your bedroll and pack off the bike, I do the same, then chain them together using the chain Paris keeps under the bike's seat.
You follow me down onto the beach, sand crunching beneath our boots, the sound and the sight of the waves crashing on the shore taking my breath away just as much as the first time I was here. I can almost feel your impatience at my back, and drop our gear by a group of rocks far enough back from the shore that the tide will not reach it. I hear yours hit the sand with a dull thud, and turn to you, smiling.
"Go, greet the ocean! I will follow you down."
Éomer: We walk across the sand and now that we are closer, this spell is stronger. The roar is louder, the wind is rougher, and the air . . . has a smell to it that I cannot identify. Further out the ocean heaves like the mighty breath of a great beast. The ceaseless movement of the waves traps my eyes with a hypnotic force. I think that you have judged correctly . . . my heart will always beat to the rhythm of this ocean after this.
Your words free me from my trance and I sit down on the sand and pull off my boots. I see no other people around, so my jacket, shirt and leggings follow quickly. The warm sun caresses my naked body as I walk towards the water, but soon the anticipation is too much and I am running.
The water is shallow and soft at first, but even so . . . it pulls me in and I follow willingly. It rises past my knees and then my thighs. It is cold but I adjust quickly and then I am to the part where the waves break white and lacy. But its beauty belies its strength and I brace my legs and spread my arms and wait for it to take me. It crashes over me and the force of it steals my breath. I withstand it until my head is submerged and then I kick towards the surface, flinging my hair back as I broach.
Treading water, I look toward shore to find you and voice my only complaint about this ocean. "It is salty!!"
Théo: I take my time getting undressed, watching you head towards the water as I dump my clothes beside yours, grinning as your pace quickens and you give in to the urge to run. I am almost at the water's edge when a wave crashes over you, pulling you under and seconds later, you break the surface and take my breath away.
Rivulets of water run down your tanned skin, droplets catching in the hairs on your body, glinting in the sunlight, and you throw your head back exposing the strong curve of your throat, a look of rapture on your face. It is a moment I will remember my whole life, the embodiment of that wild, unbreakable spirit you share with the ocean that surrounds you.
Your observation on how it tastes brings me back from my musings and makes me snort with laughter, and I wade out until the water is deep enough to dive into, and swim beneath the waves in a wide arc, taking hold of your hips and surfacing directly behind you. I lick at a spot on your shoulder in between the plastered down strands of hair, before pushing away from you on my back, spluttering and laughing as a wave hits me from behind. "Very salty!!"
Éomer: I laugh joyfully as you surface behind me, happy to be in this wonderful ocean with you. We play childish games, pulling each other under, letting the waves toss us where they will.
I pull you under with me, locking my lips over yours, and tangling our legs. I keep us down as long as I can, the waves roll us over and over each other, our bodies sliding together slickly. When we surface we are both gasping for air, but I feel like shouting a challenge to the swirling water.
Your hair is covering your face and I push it back and find your mouth again. "Théo, I never imagined something so magic could exist. Thank you."
Then I grin at you, push you under, and then plunge away under a breaking swell. I surface and float on my back, lazily staring at the endless blue sky, wondering how you will revenge yourself on me.
Théo: Breaking the surface, I shake the hair away from my eyes, and find you floating not far from me, so I dive back under the waves, swimming towards you. Grabbing your ankles from beneath, I pull you down, swimming, sliding up your body, pulling you close as we emerge from the water together. The salt tang of the water running down our faces flavours our kisses and my mouth slips down your neck.
Taking a deep breath, I grin, and grasp your hips, pulling myself down your body, mouth slipping over your hard flesh, tongue swirling around it until I think my lungs are ready to burst. Pushing down on your hips, I thrust out of the water laughing and kiss you again before throwing myself backwards into the next wave, letting it throw me around as it will. The breeze is warm today and the ocean is proving to be even more pleasurable than the last time as you are with me, and I cannot think of a single thing I would rather be doing.
Éomer: You drift away from me again, but your attentions have ensured that parts of me are now throbbing in the same rhythm as the waves. I consider trying to join with you here in the surf, but I do not think I am strong enough to keep my footing in the breakers and pound into you the way I want to. Perhaps it can be done, but it will take some study and I am not in the mood to delay.
The waves hurl you forward and you ride the edge of them, your body like a spear cutting through the water. I admire your lean hard form, licking my lips, tasting salt that reminds me of you, and as the wave settles you to rest, I dive over it and pounce on you.
I roll us over and then, getting to my feet, pull you with me. My hand travels down your flank to your knee and I pick your leg up and place it around my waist. I do the same with your other leg and hold you to me, letting you feel my stiffened erection prodding you. I nuzzle your neck while I debate whether to take you deeper into the water like this, or back to our pile of clothes.
Théo: My arms wrap around your neck and my legs hold tight round your waist as your strong arms support me. Your face against my neck makes me shiver and I let my head fall back, your insistent hardness making its presence felt, the tip of it grazing over my entrance. I lift my head up, mouth finding yours, the salt tang mixing with your taste. I squirm against you, and you hold me firm, and I know you are strong enough to do this.
"Take me here, Mer, with the ocean around us." Your eyes darken at the husky tone in my voice, and with a tilt of your hips, your erection slips over its goal again. "Help me prepare the way." Holding on with one hand, I slip three fingers of the other into your mouth, and you suckle on them greedily, your tongue working between them and my cock, which is trapped between us, twitches violently.
You hold me steady as I reach back with dripping fingers and push them past tight muscle, easing myself open for you, pushing deeper, my eyes locked on yours as I pleasure myself, arching and moaning in your arms.
Éomer: I have never seen anything in my life as arousing as you stretching yourself, opening yourself for me. My breath is rasping through my suddenly dry mouth. I spread my legs, bracing them against the surging water and my own desires that are on the verge of overwhelming me.
My hands are helpless to do anything but support you as you writhe against me. I watch your face, seeing the lust in your eyes, the beads of sweat on your lip, I feel your breath shudder against me.
"Théo . . . " I try to speak, but my voice is rough and uncertain, and I clear my throat. "Théo . . . you will have to do it, I cannot free my hand and still hold us up."
A ragged moan falls from your mouth and your chest pushes against mine as you respond to your own invading fingers. You brace one hand against my chest and the other finds my aching hardness. I whimper at the contact and try to stop the involuntary jerk of my cock at the feel of your callused hand. You position me to your satisfaction and then I feel your muscles give way before me as you slowly lower yourself onto me. I groan, trying to hold back, but the rhythm of the ocean is insistent and I cannot resist it.
Théo: I let out a long breath, forcing myself to relax as I impale myself on your hard flesh, feeling it sliding deep inside my body and I wrap my arms around your neck as you adjust your grip on me. Your hips thrust forward as you move me up and down, the muscles in your arms taut from the exertion, your strength proving to be more than even I had thought. I cannot take my eyes from yours, and with a moan, I tighten my legs even more, giving me a little leverage to aid your movements.
Again and again you drive into me, and with each thrust, my trapped cock moves between your belly, the hairs on it adding to the sensation, and my smoother one, and as your pace increases, shudders begin to wrack my body. I kiss you hard, tongue sliding over yours, your mouth capturing my cry as you slip even deeper, my cock jerking in response, and I give in to my craving for long denied release.
Throwing my head back as my seed pumps hot and sticky between us, my hips twitch uncontrollably, and I shout your name to the sky, out over the ocean, letting the breeze carry it where it will. And it doesn't end, pleasure still lances through me as my cock moves slickly now between us, and all I can do is cling to you and let it wash over me, totally at your mercy.
Éomer: Your muscles clench so tightly around me, and you are so beautiful here between the water and the sky as you collapse against me and I hold you through it. I breathe heavily, pushing my own orgasm away . . . I want you, my magnificent lover, and I want this magnificent ocean . . . connected together, I want to sink into you both.
I walk forward, my hips pumping into you, my arms still lifting you, but slowly now, skimming the edge of my orgasm, holding it back. The water is nearly to my balls now and I am trembling on the edge of the abyss, when a wave crashes into you, driving you further onto me, becoming a third party in our lovemaking. And the power and force of it overwhelms me and my body convulses, pumping my cock and I am drowning in you, your heat surrounding me. Waves of pleasure batter me in time with the waves of water and my legs will not support us any longer.
I back up a few paces and then go to my knees, still joined with you, as the water swirls around the bottom of my ribs. I tilt my head up, blindly seeking your lips and I let you have the moans and sighs from the reverberations of my orgasm.
Théo: Kissing you, coaxing the last of it from you, I feel the tension leave your arms, and know the water will catch us both if we fall. I hold you close as your grip lessens, hands running over your back, not for the first time thanking whichever power gave us this chance to be together in this world.
I let my legs relax, letting go of their hold around your waist, and with a small push, float off you with a gasp, and back towards deeper water. My hand grasps yours, pulling you with me through the white waves to a deeper, calmer spot where we float, happily spent, on out backs, rocked by the motions of the sea. Fingers, toes, feet and hands tangle and untangle as the water moves us together, bodies warmed by the sun, ruffled by the breeze.
My mind wanders as your leg slides against mine, thinking on how this ocean can be so wild, and yet so serene, that there is a deep and primal power here that knows neither right nor wrong, it just simply is, and perhaps part of the attraction, the lure it has is the chance to give yourself up to the unpredictability of it …
A splash on my face tells me we have started to float back towards the shore, and I smile at you as the ocean draws out another side of me. Pulling us together, I kiss you, hands running over your chest, but I squirm out of your grasp before you can get a hold. "I am hungry, and thirsty and there is some good red wine in my pack. Are you coming?" You nod innocently, but before you can turn to head off back to our things, an evil grin spreads over my face. "Race you!" Before you can react, I push you under the water, then launch myself towards the shallows. I hear you splutter behind me as you resurface, and know you are not far behind me. Letting out a whoop as I emerge from the water, I hit the sand running, laughter bursting from me.
Éomer: Our time of floating mindlessly in the water has restored my muscles from our exertions, so when I come back up to the surface and push my hair back, I give a yell and follow you. I stretch my stride out until I am gaining on you, but you have too much of a lead and you beat me back to our packs.
You quickly pull out the wine out and hold it up as you dance away from my mock wrath at your trick. Laughing, I agree to be mollified and plop down on the sand while you work the cork. I had not realized how hungry I was until you mentioned it and I think that this ocean has the power to take my strength away. The wine tastes delicious, soothing my throat that has been dried by the salt.
I open the pack that Karl sent and we take stock of the food that we have. I hold up an item of clothing that is there, puzzled. It appears to be breeches, but far too short for either me or Karl, but then I understand the practicality of such abbreviated clothing at the beach. I put them back, content to be naked.
Théo: I have to snicker at the brightly coloured breeches you hold up, and at the thought that Karl had put them in your pack for you to wear. Another gulp of wine, and I haul my pack over to where you are sitting, unrolling the sleeping bag and emptying the contents onto it one thing at a time. First, there are two boxes, one which has some sort of raw meat in it in a spicy smelling liquid, and one full of what turns out to be potatoes cut into small pieces and coated in a creamy sauce.
Picking one out with my fingers, I offer it to you, and you take it from me, your tongue licking the tips of my fingers clean before you nod your enthusiastic approval. I hand the box over to you and go back to my pack, pulling out a larger package, as tall as the pack, but much narrower, and when I get it out I grin widely. It is a small version of the barbecue Dave set up last week, for the meat, and I wonder if this was his idea. I pull out the rest - matches, fruit juice, water and the whisky I put in there myself before we left, and look over to see what you have found in yours.
As well as very light plates, knives and forks, there are bread and cheeses and cold sliced meat, some of those pastries we have had for breakfast before, some packets which you put to one side and a couple of large bags of the snacks I recognize from the taverns we have visited, one of which you open straight away, and we dig in while I work out what to do with the small barbecue.
Éomer: I look at the thing you say is a barbeque grill, but I have never seen one before and do not understand how to work it. “Karl never uses anything like this. He builds fires just like we would in the Mark, with rocks and wood.”
You frown and close your eyes in concentration and I smile at you affectionately. I have seen that selfsame expression on your face many times when you were confronted with a difficult problem. You mutter under your breath, but finally the thing lights with a small steady fire. I slap you on the back and hand you the wine bottle, from which you drink deeply.
I scoop up more potatoes with sauce but I nearly spit them out when my teeth crunch on something gritty. “Sand.” You look amused and I pick up one of the forks. We put the meat on the fire and the smell makes my stomach rumble.
“We still need a proper fire for the night.” I begin to stack what wood has washed up on the beach beside one of the rocks, which I will use for a windbreak. I will search for more after we have eaten.
Théo: "Yes, we will, this box is fine to cook the meat on, but it is nowhere near big enough to provide warmth and heat for tonight." I give you a knowing smile as I serve up the meat and hand you your plate, thinking of the other ways we can keep each other warm later.
The steak is tender, and goes well with the potatoes, and a hunk of bread to wipe up the mingled juices and sauce is a good way to end the meal. Afterwards, we sit quietly side by side for a while, shoulder to shoulder. We gaze out over the water, sharing the juice from the carton, until the sun begins to make it's descent from the sky. "It amazes me that somewhere so … wet can remind me so much of home."
Éomer: Our shoulders rub together easily and I am as peaceful as this deserted beach.
"It is big, as big as the plains, and always moving, like the wind over the long grass. Perhaps that is it." I smile at you and kiss your warm bare shoulder. "This has been a wonderful day. I am glad that I could be here in this place, with you."
I get up and arrange the wood amongst the stones. Then I pluck some dried grasses from the small hills of sand that guard this beach and crumple it under the wood. The matches are very useful, I have found and soon the fire is blazing.
I put our bedrolls beside the fire and get out the mix that Karl said will make travel bread. I add the water and work it in until it makes a stiff dough. I wrap the dough around two long pieces of bleached wood that litters this beach and hold the sticks over the fire. When the dough is a golden brown, I pull out the sticks. I put butter and sugar and the spice that Karl calls cinnamon in the hole that is left from the sticks and hand the treat to you.
Théo: While you set the fire, I tidy away the barbecue and rinse the plates and things in the ocean, sticking the whisky bottle in the sand by the bedrolls before sitting cross-legged on one and watching you work
I take the offered sweet treat from you with interest, and bite into it. "This is good!!" I try not to sound too surprised at how tasty the stick dough is and wait patiently as you make up another batch, and stick them over the fire. "I think your riders would be impressed by your skills if you served these up while out on patrol."
A few more rounds, and we both lick our fingers clean, which had become sticky with butter and sugar. The sun has slowly set over the horizon, leaving the sky glowing warmly, and the first few stars of this strange sky are already shining. As you join me, I pass you the bottle, smiling at you. "I did not think you and I would ever get to do this, sleep together under the stars, like this. You were always so close, yet so far away, and I think I blinded myself to the way you looked at me. It was easier to think that you did not return my feelings." My lips brush yours and my tongue licks away a little sugar left at the corner of your mouth, my voice suddenly husky. "I am glad I was wrong."
Éomer: All the desire, all the need, all the love I feel for you comes crashing over me at the brief touch of your mouth and the rough sound of your voice. My blood has pooled in my groin and I am aching for you. I open my mouth, seeking the heat of yours, wanting to drown in you. A deep tattered groan breaks through my throat.
“Valar! I have loved you as long as I can remember . . . “ I gasp as your mouth moves to my neck. “I do not even know when that changed into something else, something deeper.”
I am losing control, writhing in your arms. “But it did and I thought I would die of wanting you.”
And I cannot speak anymore, my head is spinning from the overwhelming sensations of your lips on my skin.
Théo: "And now you have me." I push you back to lie on the bedroll without breaking contact with your skin, my mouth moving along your collarbone, kissing and suckling, tasting the salt that has become a part of your flavour. You cannot be still, squirming against me, your hands stroking my back, with long, deliberate strokes. Sighing at your touch, I follow the bone round, licking, and nibbling, pausing to rub my face over your chest, inhaling your scent as I bury my nose in the thatch of hair, before continuing on my journey.
Your hands stroke lower, your fingers trailing over the small of my back until they chance upon the spot at the base of my spine that makes me arch, tearing my mouth away from you as shivers course up my back. You pause for a second as I look down at you, our mouths so close we share breath, my eyes dark, and as you find it again, my eyes flutter half shut as another shiver runs through me, groaning as I lower my mouth, hardly able to do more than move my lips across yours as your fingers move.
Éomer: Our eyes lock and I graze my fingers over the end of your backbone, your response bringing me out of my own haze. I am fascinated by your reactions and do it again. You are trembling and quivering on top of me and I roll you slowly to the side, keeping my hands on you. Now I am curious.
My mouth wanders from yours, across you jaw and down your neck. I taste the salt dried on you, and it adds a tang to your flavors. I work my way lower, mimicking your actions earlier, tracing you collarbone from your shoulder to the base of your neck. I suck lightly on the hollow there and follow the line of muscle dividing the sides of you chest. I lick slowly and carefully, getting the salt off of you, kissing and sucking, leaving light marks on you.
Your breath is leaving more rapidly through your lips and I keep my hand on your back, as my mouth traces the contour of your pectoral muscle, ignoring your nipples, concentrating on the dip and rise of the firm flesh covering your slim sturdy bones. I lip my way over each rib, pressing harder now to avoid tickling, following the ridges of bone, tasting you.
I come back to the center of your torso, the place where your muscles meet, the indented line leading down to your weeping cock. But I move to the side, my teeth nibbling the graceful jut of your hipbone, my fingers now digging into your sleekly muscled flank, keeping you in place as your hands clench. I move down your thigh, pulling lightly at the hair, cataloging the differences between the thicker hair on my own legs. I raise my head and open your legs slightly, my tongue delving into the crease behind your knee, another sensitive spot that I remember well. You shift restlessly beside me, but I hold you still, for I want to finish my explorations. I intend to cover every inch of you, to discover your secret places, to ravish your senses.
Théo: Every touch, every lick heightens the pleasure you give me. My skin is on fire, and your fingers and lips are like flames, branding me. At the touch of your tongue to the back of my knee I gasp, and it is my turn to squirm, to writhe, as you map my body and leave me craving for more as you move on.
I have had many lovers before, too many to count, but this is different, not simply the pursuit of pleasure, even though that is what you are driving me to distraction with, not the subservience of one trying to please the king's son, even though I know that with one word of command, you would follow my demands without question. It is different because it is you, and how I feel in my heart, how I
know you feel in yours, takes pleasure soaring to new heights.
Looking down at you, the firelight flickers over our skin, already glistening with sweat. I watch as your tongue winds its way down my calf, and when you bite gently at the back of my ankle, my body into spasms at the feel of your teeth, head thrown back, my hands clenching in the bedroll, a cry escaping into the night. "Mer … touch me … taste me … " I can't think straight anymore, all I know is want and desire, my cock throbbing against my belly, aching to be touched and the fierce desire to bury myself in your heat.
Éomer: I smile at the needy sound of your voice. How can I refuse you anything you ask? “Of course,” I murmur, but I am not above continuing to tease you, so I bend my head back to the elegant arch of your foot, licking the slender bones, before I travel back up your legs. I go slowly, still tasting you and testing you, watching your responses to see which touches make you squirm.
When I finally reach the place you want me to be, I stop for a moment, my breath moving softly over you, just looking at the beauty of your cock. It is thick and straight, hard ridges of flesh and a drop of pearly fluid at the tip. I capture that bead on my tongue, savoring the flavor, before I push your legs open wider and nuzzle your balls. I suck one into my mouth, working it gently with my tongue, exploring the texture. I treat the other one the same way, flattening a hand on your belly to keep you still.
At last I cease my teasing and sit up. I bring your legs back together, closing your thighs and kneeling with my legs on the outside of yours. I pull your balls up so that they rest below your cock. I bend down to sample you, my tongue running slowly up and down your length. The warm steel of your flesh tastes of salt here too. After I have cleaned all the salt from you, I open my mouth and take you in slowly, relaxing my throat until my lips are scraping the springy hair at your base. I swirl my tongue around you, breathing through my nose, and working my throat. I pull off to relax my jaw for a moment and then go back down. Your breathing is harsh and your balls are tightening, but I am not ready to end this yet, so I let you go reluctantly and work my way back up, pausing briefly to tug on your nipple ring, then covering your mouth with mine.
Théo: You take me right to the edge, my body tensing in anticipation of release … and you stop. As you work your way up to my mouth, your golden hair trailing over my belly, my chest, I get my breath back, digging my fingers into silky strands as you kiss me, your hair falling around my face as my tongue slides over yours.
"Want to taste you …" I murmur over your lips. Slipping between your arms, I slide underneath you, working my way down your body, until my tongue rasps over the tip of your erection as I stroke your back. Easing it between my lips, my fingers work lower, one hand roaming over the curve of your buttock, the other finding the tube I hid in the bedroll earlier.
Slicked fingers slide down your cleft, slipping over your entrance again and again, fingertips pressing, but moving on until you are pushing back against my fingers, now firmly tracing the ring of muscle. Fingertips ease just inside, teasing as your hips buck forward, further into my mouth. I slip one finger in deeper,
spiraling it inside your heat, and your hips rock, caught between my fingers and my mouth, a low growl building in the back of your throat.
And although having you pump your seed into my mouth is an enticing prospect, I want more. Your cock slips from my mouth as I push you back, moving under you so that my achingly hard flesh nudges your slicked hole, groaning as you push back onto me, my hands roaming your chest, flicking over the metal in your nipple as your head drops back.
Éomer: Your hardness slowly parts my muscles as I push back, concentrating on opening for you as I slowly lower myself onto you. I toss my head back when I am fully pierced by you and my balls are resting on your belly. I stop there, breathing raggedly, enjoying the sensation of you inside me, filling me completely. I stare at the alien stars until your hand scrapes my ring and I begin to move.
I brace my hands on my thighs, trying to keep my full weight off of you and rise up until you are barely inside and then slide down again. I rock my hips with each stroke, searching for the spot . . . there and your hand wraps around me, and I am moving faster, crying out to the stars, “Théo . . . I cannot hold back!” And I fling myself down as hard as I can, trying to take you in even deeper. My release roars out of me as my body tightens around yours, my hips still grinding against you.
Théo: Your hot, thick come spurts over my chest, covers my hand and my control unravels as I watch you let go, your body taut and sleek above me, tightening, pulling my own orgasm from me. My back arches as you force me so deep I don't know where I end and you begin, my head slamming back against the bedroll with a long ragged cry, and all I can see now are the stars filling the sky. You fall forward, panting, your hands on either side of my head, your eyes on mine as I breathe heavily through the last of it.
Your mouth captures mine as you ease off me, taking the gasp from my lips, and landing heavily at my side, and we roll together, sated and happy and wrapped up in each other. The fire slowly dies down, and the air turns cooler, so I reluctantly untangle myself from you, and fetch an armful of logs from the nearby pile, throwing them on as you pull the other opened out bag over the top of you.
When I have finished with the fire, I burrow in next to you, kissing you before squirming round to lie with my back pressed against your chest, your arm around my waist so we can lie and watch the fire. "I arranged that we do not have to be back until tomorrow evening, so there is no hurry to return. We can spend tomorrow morning here too." Your arm tightens around me, making me smile.
Éomer: I am pleasantly relaxed, comfortable and warm, and between you and the ocean, I think I have finally found an end to my endurance. You fill my arms, our bodies meshing together easily. I had never thought that I would lose my heart, but I have happily ceded it to you. And I pull you tighter, never getting enough of the feel of you.
The fire flickers and dances in the steady breeze coming from the sea. The endless roaring fills my ears, but I find myself oddly comforted by it, a strange lullaby that I have never heard before, but I seem to recognize it instantly when I hear it.
I tilt my head up and stare at the stars. They are so different from those of my home, I feel that I have wandered farther from the familiar than I have ever been. “Why are they so different? This world is but ours, only older . . . why would the stars change so?” That bothers me more than the other changes . . . the masses of people, the complex machines, everything else about Karl’s life that is sometimes beyond my comprehension.
Théo: I turn my head to follow your gaze, resting it against your shoulder. Something Faramir told me when I first met up with him here comes to mind.
"I think we are a long way from the place that was our home, practically on the other side of the world. Our stars still light the heavens, it is just we are too far away to see them." My fingers trace patterns on your arm. "Maybe one day we will."
You kiss my hair, and I settle back against you, watching the fire.
"Remember when you first came to Edoras? You found me sitting outside the golden hall one night not long after you and Wyn arrived, watching the stars. When I realised you were there, the serious boy with the sad eyes, I asked you if you knew the story of King Brego and you told me you were no child in need of a bedtime story, you were a warrior. I began telling the story of how he cleared the Wold of Orcs anyway, embellishing it as my father always did for me with bloodier battles, and vivid descriptions of Orcs being disemboweled by heroic riders. After a while you sat down beside me, and by the time I had finished, your eyes were dancing, and you were asking for more." I smile at the memory and at others, many evenings during your first years living in Edoras, where we would sit in the same spot under a starry sky, discussing your sword practice, or the merits of the latest horses brought in from the Mark, until I took up the duties of Second Marshall, and those duties took me away from Edoras … your arm tightens round me, bringing me out of my thoughts.
Éomer: I remember those days well and I remember how frightened Éowyn and I had been. How she was certain that she would be sent to the kitchens and I to the stables, despite our royal blood. We thought that we would go from being the coddled pets of the Riders and their women at Aldburg to being afterthoughts at Edoras.
My lips find the knob of bone at the top of your spine. “You saved us, you know. You and your father. The bonds of kinship required that you take us in and give us your protection, but no one would have thought badly of either of you if you had simply let your retainers care for us. He was the King and you were full grown already, with other worries than the welfare of two orphans.”
I tighten my arms around you. “But you did not do that, we never felt that we were less than something treasured by both of you.” My hand combs your hair back. “I would have stayed that serious boy forever, and the real Éomer would never have been seen again, but you gave us back ourselves.”
Théo: Rolling over to face you, my eyes meet yours, and I push your hair back. "There was never any question that you would become part of our household My father doted on your mother and it was more than duty that he felt towards you both before you even arrived. I had never had a brother or a sister, even though I did not lack for company growing up, and suddenly, I found I had both." I move closer, resting my head on your arm as I talk.
"I grew up surrounded by people who loved and cared for me, and I wanted the same for you. I missed my mother, even though I had never known her, and could understand how you felt. And Winarin was delighted to have two new charges in her care." My wet nurse, who went on to take care of me throughout my childhood and beyond, was indeed thrilled to have children to take care of again when you arrived.
Éomer: “I would like to see Wyn and your father here.” Especially Théoden, to see him whole again . . . . “I do not know if she can even shift, I have never seen her.” Surely they would not put me in a movie, a minor warrior, and not put her in it, for she spends more time with the King these days than either you or I do.
“Truthfully, it has been lonely shifting here. I could see Faramir at first, but Karl has been moving around so much that I could never get to know anyone for very long. He seems to be settled back here for a while.” A sudden fear clenches my heart and I bury my face in your neck. If Karl were to move, or make another movie far from here . . . I could overwhelm his will all the time and still be cut off from you.
Théo: "It would be good to see Wyn here. I think she would enjoy exploring this world. And my father, also." But although it would be good to spend time with my father away from our duties, which we get very little time to do now back at home, if he ever found out about us … I do not like to think of what his reaction would be. My arms tighten around you when you talk of being lonely, my brow creasing when you hide your face from me.
"Paris is also settled here, and Dave, so I do not think you will get the chance to be lonely again." Then I realise what must be concerning you. Kissing your hair, I run my fingers through it, holding you closer. "You think Karl may leave again?" That had never occurred to me. My fingers work in soothing circles on your neck as it sinks in what would happen if Karl left, taking you with him.
"We found each other in this world, and have been given this time together by those whose bodies we share. We have to hope that Karl's life will keep him here, and while it does, use every moment we have to the fullest." My lips slip down onto your forehead, nudging your face back up to look at me. "And if he does leave, we will find a way to see each other. I will not lose you again."
Éomer: I smile at the fierceness in your tone, you are certainty relieving my fears. "It is better that he and Paris talk to each other now. So perhaps even if it happens we will not be completely separated. But I think he will stay for now. He has a lover here, or I think he does. There is a man that he asked me to protect if it becomes necessary. This man must be special to him, or he would not ask that, I believe."
I meet your lips, settling you against me.
Théo: "It is good that he has someone, I think he was lonely too when I first met him." I have not thought of Karl for a while. Our last meeting did not go well to say the least, but maybe it is time I attempted to make my peace with him. Shifting has become much easier since Paris and I got to know each other better, and spending time with Dave was a good way to work out our differences, but Karl … his stubborn streak may mean he will not listen, but at least I can try.
"I think it is time I spoke to him. Make my apologies to him for our last meeting." You look at me with curiosity. "We fought … it came to blows." I shrug as best I can in your arms, looking sheepish. "If you shift when we get back to the warehouse tomorrow, it would give me a chance to talk to him."
Éomer: I cast my mind back, trying to remember the last time you and Karl would have seen each other. I know he has refused to see you since he and I came to our truce, but why was he mad?
Then I remember . . . the piercing. "You came to blows? He never told me. I knew he was angry about it, but I thought he blamed me for it. It was my choice and my act."
I sigh. He and I have been very careful with each other these past weeks, trying to hold on to our truce. And I can see your point, that things go more smoothly when Karl is placated, but I am not sure that you talking to him is a good idea.
"Théo, are you sure you should do that? He does have quite a temper, and if he gets angry again . . . none of us wants to go back to fighting him." And I do not want him to get hurt if you are forced to defend yourself from his rage.
Théo: "When it is time to shift, ask him if he will agree to see me. If he does not wish to, then shift back in and you can ride to his home. If he agrees to see me, he can always leave if he needs to, and I swear to you I will not fight him." Yes, I have seen his temper, but this will be an entirely different situation which I hope will be a peaceful one.
"I am glad he has found his own peace in coming to an agreement with you, and I would not put that in danger. I would not jeopardise what we now have here." There is still doubt in your eyes, and I wish it to be gone. "Ask him, tomorrow, and I will agree with his decision as to whether he will speak to me or not, whatever it is."
Éomer: I absently stroke my thumb over your shoulder, while I consider your words, placing them against what I know about Karl. I have tried to understand him after you made me see how I had ignored his wishes. He is stubborn and willful, and proud as well. But . . .
"I think that if he knows he has a choice about what happens, then he will not be so difficult. Your plan is a good one. I will tell him that you wish to apologize, perhaps it will appeal to him, to witness that."
And I think that perhaps it would be a good thing, to have you and Karl become, if not friends, then at least not enemies. If this world is not as safe as we had thought, then there may come a time when you have need of each other.
Théo: Although it is something I know I need to do, I think he will take more than a little pleasure in having me apologise. "Yes, I think it will appeal to him." I roll my shoulder under your touch and encourage your hand to slip onto my neck, purring as your fingers stroke over the sensitive spot behind my ear. "Enough of Karl until tomorrow."
I snuggle closer, inhaling your salt tinged scent with a contented sigh. "Want to fall asleep with you under these strange stars, wake to the sound of the ocean." Your arm slips round my back, and I press my lips to your chest, my mind free of all thought apart from you and me here and now.
Éomer: I rub my face against your hair, content to leave the subject of Karl. The fire is slowly ebbing, the crackle of the dried wood drowned by the steady drone of the ocean. I bury my nose in your neck, inhaling your familiar scent. Our legs twine together, my hand settling easily on your waist, my other arm providing you with a pillow.
This was what I have been wanting all these years. To sleep with you, in peace, without fear or uncertainty. I do not have to lay awake mourning yet another empty saddle, or worrying whether your gamble for the salvation of our people will succeed.
I take a deep breath of this salty air, feeling my muscles stretch and ease. The sand conforms to my body, and I have never known such happiness as I feel from the simple pleasure of having you in my arms under a sky spread with stars. I will never forget this day, no matter where else my fate may take me.
NC - 17
The one thing he was most concerned about was that we did not drive too far up the coast. He showed me on the map he gave me where a couple of his good friends live and I can understand that it would be awkward for us to accidentally meet and for them to mistake me for him.
Finally, the bike is ready, with supplies and a sleeping bag, which is some sort of bedroll, and he shifts out, leaving me to enjoy a cup of coffee before Mer arrives. I smile to myself. He has no idea where we are going today, and I cannot wait to show him the ocean.
Paris suggested that I wear his leathers today, and they fit like a second skin, very supple, almost like my leather riding breeches back home. As I lock up the house, and take Leelu out of the yard so we can head straight off when Mer gets here, I wonder if next time we meet, we should take some of the money won playing darts, and buy him some clothes. He's bigger than Karl, and I think a pair of well fitting leathers would be ... practical.
My mind wanders as I sit on the bike in the sun, jacket thrown over the back until we leave, imagining his long thighs encased in soft black leather … the sound of a bike approaching brings me out of my thoughts, and I grin in welcome, sliding off the bike as he pulls up and striding forward to greet him.
Éomer: Théo must have plans for us this time. Karl does not let me shift in all the way, but instead wants to talk to me. Paris had called him and told him that I need to bring things with me when I go to Théo. Karl takes me to the loft in his barn where he stores things that he is not using and gets out some items that he calls “camping gear.” He has many things, but we have to pick and choose because it all must go on his bike.
It is odd to be in his head at the same time he is. Usually we cross on the way with nothing more between us than a few brief greetings. Sometimes I can come to him in his dreams, but usually he blocks me out. As he explains the uses for the equipment, I listen carefully, but a little part of me is very satisfied that he is letting me in like this.
After we had debate what exactly to take and get it strapped to the bike, he gives me a pack with some spare clothes and some food, and shifts away. And then I am on the road to the warehouse, enjoying the wind in my face. I am very curious to know what Théo intends, although according to Karl, it will involve sleeping out of doors. I am excited about this prospect, for although I have camped with him while I rode in his éored, those times were not without pain for me, watching him roll up in the blankets with his night’s partner, knowing it would never be me. I had thought that he was forever beyond my reach.
But now . . . in this world . . . to sleep under the stars wrapped up with him . . . .
I pull the bike into the yard and you are there already, as I can tell by the warmth in your eyes as you come to me. And all those other past painful times are forgotten and I am overwhelmingly thankful that you want me as your lover, as I crush you to me, pulling you off your feet in my happiness to see you, and my mouth greedily finds yours.
Théo: My arms snake around your neck, fingers tangling in your hair as your arms tighten around me. It feels so good to lose myself in your kiss, its urgency spurring me on to hold you closer as I almost squirm against you with pleasure. Only the need to be on our way makes me break the kiss. That and knowing once we reach the ocean, we will have the rest of the day and tonight to indulge ourselves in one another all we like.
Pulling back, I smile at you, and I know my eyes are dancing with the surprise I have in store. You take my hand and tug me towards the door but this time, I don't follow you, rather pull you back towards me with a shake of my head. The smile slips from your face, and my heart clenches at the look in your eyes. Pulling you closer, I run my hand down the side of your face with a soft smile. I do not want you to misunderstand why today, we do not have time for our usual
greeting.
"Not yet, Mer. I want to take you somewhere … show you something … and if we head off now, we will have more time when we get to … where we are going." I know I am being vague, and my excitement about taking you on this trip is close to bubbling over. "Trust me, you will understand when we get there." My voice lowers as I lean in and press myself against you, making sure you feel how hard I am for you. "And I will make it up to you later, I swear."
Éomer: You body is hard against mine, and I desperately want to get you naked and under my hands . . . but I look at you, see your eyes sparkling with joy and some sort of mischief, and now I really want to know where we are going. I restrain my curiosity with an effort and smile.
“Of course I trust you.” But I cannot resist pulling you closer and thrusting against you, while my tongue swipes your neck up to your ear. “It must be something truly extraordinary . . . “ I growl.
You grin at me and pull away and I let you go reluctantly. Paris’ bike is laden with the same things that Karl’s bike is and you give one last check of the bindings before mounting the bike and starting the engine. We get the gate closed and I follow you down the street, shifting occasionally to ease the pressure inside my leggings.
Théo: I took the time this morning to study the map Paris gave me, and it is an easy route straight up the coast once we leave the city behind us. Traveling out of Wellington, we head west, and it's not long until we are riding up through the hills. And sure enough, just as Paris told me, as we crest the rise, the ocean is laid out before us. The harbour of Porirua is clearly visible a little further on, looking like two arms reaching out into the water and keeping the small boats that bob around in its grasp safe. There is a place to pull over and you follow me in, parking up as I dismount, pulling my helmet off as I join you, eager to see your reactions. My arms slip round your waist from behind, and I rest my chin on your shoulder.
"Further up the coast there is a beach, a long empty strip of white sand where we will make camp. We can spend as long as you like in the ocean, and later," I kiss your neck, "Much later, we can fall asleep under the stars. Together"
Éomer: I stare, entranced, at what you have shown me. It is movement unceasing, and sound . . . a roaring. It is endless, going forever until the bent world turns it under. I have never seen water like this, for though I know that is what it is, it is too vast to understand.
I turn to look over my shoulder at you, my eyes stunned. “This is the ocean?” At your nod, I turn to look at it again. The winds whirl past us and my eyes seek the water hungrily. It is chaos restrained by the shore, a force unlike any I have encountered. Long lines of white appear and hurl towards the land.
“It is a living thing . . . a beast,” I murmur and I tremble, because I want it . . . to be part of that power, to surge against it, to test myself in its might, not caring if I win or lose, but glorying in the contest. I take a step forward, pulling you with me.
“We can go in the ocean? How can a man do such a thing and come away unscathed?” It is like an enchantment, that for good or ill, will change a person forever once the spell is cast.
Théo: I watch with smug delight as wonder lights your face as you take it all in, and feel you shiver with anticipation, just like Brego does before he hurls himself fearlessly toward danger, and laugh against your neck, happiness filling me at your astonishment at the sight before us.
"We can, and we will probably walk away unscathed, but it will capture part of your heart and you will be drawn back to it, to its untamable wildness." There is a wistful note in my voice as I talk about it and you glance at me curiously. "Dave took me there when I met with him at the cabin, and I could hardly wait this past week to return with you, to share what I found there, to throw ourselves into those white waves. It is hard to describe how it feels to be tossed around by such a force; you need to experience it for yourself." Your eyes widen and you turn back to stare at the expanse of water again, almost entranced.
"Come." My hand slips into yours and pulls you back to the waiting bikes. You follow me almost reluctantly, and now I cannot wait until we arrive at our destination. "We have a few hours ride ahead of us before you can dip your toes in the water."
Éomer: I let you pull me away, eager now to get to wherever you are taking me. The bike roars between my legs, a counterpoint to the roaring of the sea that I still hear in my head. My eyes see the road, but my mind is full of the restless pouring water.
Théo: The ride is pleasant one, the road swinging inland after a while, with tantalising glimpses of glittering blue every now and then until it swings west once more. I know we don't have far to go when we drive through Wanganui, following the road to Patea, but turning off onto a familiar track well before we get there. There are no other vehicles on the flat area Dave and I parked the car on last week, which means we have the beach to ourselves just as I hoped. Even before I pull my helmet off, the clean salt fills my lungs, and I can't seem to lose the grin that has been on my face for most of the day. As you pull your bedroll and pack off the bike, I do the same, then chain them together using the chain Paris keeps under the bike's seat.
You follow me down onto the beach, sand crunching beneath our boots, the sound and the sight of the waves crashing on the shore taking my breath away just as much as the first time I was here. I can almost feel your impatience at my back, and drop our gear by a group of rocks far enough back from the shore that the tide will not reach it. I hear yours hit the sand with a dull thud, and turn to you, smiling.
"Go, greet the ocean! I will follow you down."
Éomer: We walk across the sand and now that we are closer, this spell is stronger. The roar is louder, the wind is rougher, and the air . . . has a smell to it that I cannot identify. Further out the ocean heaves like the mighty breath of a great beast. The ceaseless movement of the waves traps my eyes with a hypnotic force. I think that you have judged correctly . . . my heart will always beat to the rhythm of this ocean after this.
Your words free me from my trance and I sit down on the sand and pull off my boots. I see no other people around, so my jacket, shirt and leggings follow quickly. The warm sun caresses my naked body as I walk towards the water, but soon the anticipation is too much and I am running.
The water is shallow and soft at first, but even so . . . it pulls me in and I follow willingly. It rises past my knees and then my thighs. It is cold but I adjust quickly and then I am to the part where the waves break white and lacy. But its beauty belies its strength and I brace my legs and spread my arms and wait for it to take me. It crashes over me and the force of it steals my breath. I withstand it until my head is submerged and then I kick towards the surface, flinging my hair back as I broach.
Treading water, I look toward shore to find you and voice my only complaint about this ocean. "It is salty!!"
Théo: I take my time getting undressed, watching you head towards the water as I dump my clothes beside yours, grinning as your pace quickens and you give in to the urge to run. I am almost at the water's edge when a wave crashes over you, pulling you under and seconds later, you break the surface and take my breath away.
Rivulets of water run down your tanned skin, droplets catching in the hairs on your body, glinting in the sunlight, and you throw your head back exposing the strong curve of your throat, a look of rapture on your face. It is a moment I will remember my whole life, the embodiment of that wild, unbreakable spirit you share with the ocean that surrounds you.
Your observation on how it tastes brings me back from my musings and makes me snort with laughter, and I wade out until the water is deep enough to dive into, and swim beneath the waves in a wide arc, taking hold of your hips and surfacing directly behind you. I lick at a spot on your shoulder in between the plastered down strands of hair, before pushing away from you on my back, spluttering and laughing as a wave hits me from behind. "Very salty!!"
Éomer: I laugh joyfully as you surface behind me, happy to be in this wonderful ocean with you. We play childish games, pulling each other under, letting the waves toss us where they will.
I pull you under with me, locking my lips over yours, and tangling our legs. I keep us down as long as I can, the waves roll us over and over each other, our bodies sliding together slickly. When we surface we are both gasping for air, but I feel like shouting a challenge to the swirling water.
Your hair is covering your face and I push it back and find your mouth again. "Théo, I never imagined something so magic could exist. Thank you."
Then I grin at you, push you under, and then plunge away under a breaking swell. I surface and float on my back, lazily staring at the endless blue sky, wondering how you will revenge yourself on me.
Théo: Breaking the surface, I shake the hair away from my eyes, and find you floating not far from me, so I dive back under the waves, swimming towards you. Grabbing your ankles from beneath, I pull you down, swimming, sliding up your body, pulling you close as we emerge from the water together. The salt tang of the water running down our faces flavours our kisses and my mouth slips down your neck.
Taking a deep breath, I grin, and grasp your hips, pulling myself down your body, mouth slipping over your hard flesh, tongue swirling around it until I think my lungs are ready to burst. Pushing down on your hips, I thrust out of the water laughing and kiss you again before throwing myself backwards into the next wave, letting it throw me around as it will. The breeze is warm today and the ocean is proving to be even more pleasurable than the last time as you are with me, and I cannot think of a single thing I would rather be doing.
Éomer: You drift away from me again, but your attentions have ensured that parts of me are now throbbing in the same rhythm as the waves. I consider trying to join with you here in the surf, but I do not think I am strong enough to keep my footing in the breakers and pound into you the way I want to. Perhaps it can be done, but it will take some study and I am not in the mood to delay.
The waves hurl you forward and you ride the edge of them, your body like a spear cutting through the water. I admire your lean hard form, licking my lips, tasting salt that reminds me of you, and as the wave settles you to rest, I dive over it and pounce on you.
I roll us over and then, getting to my feet, pull you with me. My hand travels down your flank to your knee and I pick your leg up and place it around my waist. I do the same with your other leg and hold you to me, letting you feel my stiffened erection prodding you. I nuzzle your neck while I debate whether to take you deeper into the water like this, or back to our pile of clothes.
Théo: My arms wrap around your neck and my legs hold tight round your waist as your strong arms support me. Your face against my neck makes me shiver and I let my head fall back, your insistent hardness making its presence felt, the tip of it grazing over my entrance. I lift my head up, mouth finding yours, the salt tang mixing with your taste. I squirm against you, and you hold me firm, and I know you are strong enough to do this.
"Take me here, Mer, with the ocean around us." Your eyes darken at the husky tone in my voice, and with a tilt of your hips, your erection slips over its goal again. "Help me prepare the way." Holding on with one hand, I slip three fingers of the other into your mouth, and you suckle on them greedily, your tongue working between them and my cock, which is trapped between us, twitches violently.
You hold me steady as I reach back with dripping fingers and push them past tight muscle, easing myself open for you, pushing deeper, my eyes locked on yours as I pleasure myself, arching and moaning in your arms.
Éomer: I have never seen anything in my life as arousing as you stretching yourself, opening yourself for me. My breath is rasping through my suddenly dry mouth. I spread my legs, bracing them against the surging water and my own desires that are on the verge of overwhelming me.
My hands are helpless to do anything but support you as you writhe against me. I watch your face, seeing the lust in your eyes, the beads of sweat on your lip, I feel your breath shudder against me.
"Théo . . . " I try to speak, but my voice is rough and uncertain, and I clear my throat. "Théo . . . you will have to do it, I cannot free my hand and still hold us up."
A ragged moan falls from your mouth and your chest pushes against mine as you respond to your own invading fingers. You brace one hand against my chest and the other finds my aching hardness. I whimper at the contact and try to stop the involuntary jerk of my cock at the feel of your callused hand. You position me to your satisfaction and then I feel your muscles give way before me as you slowly lower yourself onto me. I groan, trying to hold back, but the rhythm of the ocean is insistent and I cannot resist it.
Théo: I let out a long breath, forcing myself to relax as I impale myself on your hard flesh, feeling it sliding deep inside my body and I wrap my arms around your neck as you adjust your grip on me. Your hips thrust forward as you move me up and down, the muscles in your arms taut from the exertion, your strength proving to be more than even I had thought. I cannot take my eyes from yours, and with a moan, I tighten my legs even more, giving me a little leverage to aid your movements.
Again and again you drive into me, and with each thrust, my trapped cock moves between your belly, the hairs on it adding to the sensation, and my smoother one, and as your pace increases, shudders begin to wrack my body. I kiss you hard, tongue sliding over yours, your mouth capturing my cry as you slip even deeper, my cock jerking in response, and I give in to my craving for long denied release.
Throwing my head back as my seed pumps hot and sticky between us, my hips twitch uncontrollably, and I shout your name to the sky, out over the ocean, letting the breeze carry it where it will. And it doesn't end, pleasure still lances through me as my cock moves slickly now between us, and all I can do is cling to you and let it wash over me, totally at your mercy.
Éomer: Your muscles clench so tightly around me, and you are so beautiful here between the water and the sky as you collapse against me and I hold you through it. I breathe heavily, pushing my own orgasm away . . . I want you, my magnificent lover, and I want this magnificent ocean . . . connected together, I want to sink into you both.
I walk forward, my hips pumping into you, my arms still lifting you, but slowly now, skimming the edge of my orgasm, holding it back. The water is nearly to my balls now and I am trembling on the edge of the abyss, when a wave crashes into you, driving you further onto me, becoming a third party in our lovemaking. And the power and force of it overwhelms me and my body convulses, pumping my cock and I am drowning in you, your heat surrounding me. Waves of pleasure batter me in time with the waves of water and my legs will not support us any longer.
I back up a few paces and then go to my knees, still joined with you, as the water swirls around the bottom of my ribs. I tilt my head up, blindly seeking your lips and I let you have the moans and sighs from the reverberations of my orgasm.
Théo: Kissing you, coaxing the last of it from you, I feel the tension leave your arms, and know the water will catch us both if we fall. I hold you close as your grip lessens, hands running over your back, not for the first time thanking whichever power gave us this chance to be together in this world.
I let my legs relax, letting go of their hold around your waist, and with a small push, float off you with a gasp, and back towards deeper water. My hand grasps yours, pulling you with me through the white waves to a deeper, calmer spot where we float, happily spent, on out backs, rocked by the motions of the sea. Fingers, toes, feet and hands tangle and untangle as the water moves us together, bodies warmed by the sun, ruffled by the breeze.
My mind wanders as your leg slides against mine, thinking on how this ocean can be so wild, and yet so serene, that there is a deep and primal power here that knows neither right nor wrong, it just simply is, and perhaps part of the attraction, the lure it has is the chance to give yourself up to the unpredictability of it …
A splash on my face tells me we have started to float back towards the shore, and I smile at you as the ocean draws out another side of me. Pulling us together, I kiss you, hands running over your chest, but I squirm out of your grasp before you can get a hold. "I am hungry, and thirsty and there is some good red wine in my pack. Are you coming?" You nod innocently, but before you can turn to head off back to our things, an evil grin spreads over my face. "Race you!" Before you can react, I push you under the water, then launch myself towards the shallows. I hear you splutter behind me as you resurface, and know you are not far behind me. Letting out a whoop as I emerge from the water, I hit the sand running, laughter bursting from me.
Éomer: Our time of floating mindlessly in the water has restored my muscles from our exertions, so when I come back up to the surface and push my hair back, I give a yell and follow you. I stretch my stride out until I am gaining on you, but you have too much of a lead and you beat me back to our packs.
You quickly pull out the wine out and hold it up as you dance away from my mock wrath at your trick. Laughing, I agree to be mollified and plop down on the sand while you work the cork. I had not realized how hungry I was until you mentioned it and I think that this ocean has the power to take my strength away. The wine tastes delicious, soothing my throat that has been dried by the salt.
I open the pack that Karl sent and we take stock of the food that we have. I hold up an item of clothing that is there, puzzled. It appears to be breeches, but far too short for either me or Karl, but then I understand the practicality of such abbreviated clothing at the beach. I put them back, content to be naked.
Théo: I have to snicker at the brightly coloured breeches you hold up, and at the thought that Karl had put them in your pack for you to wear. Another gulp of wine, and I haul my pack over to where you are sitting, unrolling the sleeping bag and emptying the contents onto it one thing at a time. First, there are two boxes, one which has some sort of raw meat in it in a spicy smelling liquid, and one full of what turns out to be potatoes cut into small pieces and coated in a creamy sauce.
Picking one out with my fingers, I offer it to you, and you take it from me, your tongue licking the tips of my fingers clean before you nod your enthusiastic approval. I hand the box over to you and go back to my pack, pulling out a larger package, as tall as the pack, but much narrower, and when I get it out I grin widely. It is a small version of the barbecue Dave set up last week, for the meat, and I wonder if this was his idea. I pull out the rest - matches, fruit juice, water and the whisky I put in there myself before we left, and look over to see what you have found in yours.
As well as very light plates, knives and forks, there are bread and cheeses and cold sliced meat, some of those pastries we have had for breakfast before, some packets which you put to one side and a couple of large bags of the snacks I recognize from the taverns we have visited, one of which you open straight away, and we dig in while I work out what to do with the small barbecue.
Éomer: I look at the thing you say is a barbeque grill, but I have never seen one before and do not understand how to work it. “Karl never uses anything like this. He builds fires just like we would in the Mark, with rocks and wood.”
You frown and close your eyes in concentration and I smile at you affectionately. I have seen that selfsame expression on your face many times when you were confronted with a difficult problem. You mutter under your breath, but finally the thing lights with a small steady fire. I slap you on the back and hand you the wine bottle, from which you drink deeply.
I scoop up more potatoes with sauce but I nearly spit them out when my teeth crunch on something gritty. “Sand.” You look amused and I pick up one of the forks. We put the meat on the fire and the smell makes my stomach rumble.
“We still need a proper fire for the night.” I begin to stack what wood has washed up on the beach beside one of the rocks, which I will use for a windbreak. I will search for more after we have eaten.
Théo: "Yes, we will, this box is fine to cook the meat on, but it is nowhere near big enough to provide warmth and heat for tonight." I give you a knowing smile as I serve up the meat and hand you your plate, thinking of the other ways we can keep each other warm later.
The steak is tender, and goes well with the potatoes, and a hunk of bread to wipe up the mingled juices and sauce is a good way to end the meal. Afterwards, we sit quietly side by side for a while, shoulder to shoulder. We gaze out over the water, sharing the juice from the carton, until the sun begins to make it's descent from the sky. "It amazes me that somewhere so … wet can remind me so much of home."
Éomer: Our shoulders rub together easily and I am as peaceful as this deserted beach.
"It is big, as big as the plains, and always moving, like the wind over the long grass. Perhaps that is it." I smile at you and kiss your warm bare shoulder. "This has been a wonderful day. I am glad that I could be here in this place, with you."
I get up and arrange the wood amongst the stones. Then I pluck some dried grasses from the small hills of sand that guard this beach and crumple it under the wood. The matches are very useful, I have found and soon the fire is blazing.
I put our bedrolls beside the fire and get out the mix that Karl said will make travel bread. I add the water and work it in until it makes a stiff dough. I wrap the dough around two long pieces of bleached wood that litters this beach and hold the sticks over the fire. When the dough is a golden brown, I pull out the sticks. I put butter and sugar and the spice that Karl calls cinnamon in the hole that is left from the sticks and hand the treat to you.
Théo: While you set the fire, I tidy away the barbecue and rinse the plates and things in the ocean, sticking the whisky bottle in the sand by the bedrolls before sitting cross-legged on one and watching you work
I take the offered sweet treat from you with interest, and bite into it. "This is good!!" I try not to sound too surprised at how tasty the stick dough is and wait patiently as you make up another batch, and stick them over the fire. "I think your riders would be impressed by your skills if you served these up while out on patrol."
A few more rounds, and we both lick our fingers clean, which had become sticky with butter and sugar. The sun has slowly set over the horizon, leaving the sky glowing warmly, and the first few stars of this strange sky are already shining. As you join me, I pass you the bottle, smiling at you. "I did not think you and I would ever get to do this, sleep together under the stars, like this. You were always so close, yet so far away, and I think I blinded myself to the way you looked at me. It was easier to think that you did not return my feelings." My lips brush yours and my tongue licks away a little sugar left at the corner of your mouth, my voice suddenly husky. "I am glad I was wrong."
Éomer: All the desire, all the need, all the love I feel for you comes crashing over me at the brief touch of your mouth and the rough sound of your voice. My blood has pooled in my groin and I am aching for you. I open my mouth, seeking the heat of yours, wanting to drown in you. A deep tattered groan breaks through my throat.
“Valar! I have loved you as long as I can remember . . . “ I gasp as your mouth moves to my neck. “I do not even know when that changed into something else, something deeper.”
I am losing control, writhing in your arms. “But it did and I thought I would die of wanting you.”
And I cannot speak anymore, my head is spinning from the overwhelming sensations of your lips on my skin.
Théo: "And now you have me." I push you back to lie on the bedroll without breaking contact with your skin, my mouth moving along your collarbone, kissing and suckling, tasting the salt that has become a part of your flavour. You cannot be still, squirming against me, your hands stroking my back, with long, deliberate strokes. Sighing at your touch, I follow the bone round, licking, and nibbling, pausing to rub my face over your chest, inhaling your scent as I bury my nose in the thatch of hair, before continuing on my journey.
Your hands stroke lower, your fingers trailing over the small of my back until they chance upon the spot at the base of my spine that makes me arch, tearing my mouth away from you as shivers course up my back. You pause for a second as I look down at you, our mouths so close we share breath, my eyes dark, and as you find it again, my eyes flutter half shut as another shiver runs through me, groaning as I lower my mouth, hardly able to do more than move my lips across yours as your fingers move.
Éomer: Our eyes lock and I graze my fingers over the end of your backbone, your response bringing me out of my own haze. I am fascinated by your reactions and do it again. You are trembling and quivering on top of me and I roll you slowly to the side, keeping my hands on you. Now I am curious.
My mouth wanders from yours, across you jaw and down your neck. I taste the salt dried on you, and it adds a tang to your flavors. I work my way lower, mimicking your actions earlier, tracing you collarbone from your shoulder to the base of your neck. I suck lightly on the hollow there and follow the line of muscle dividing the sides of you chest. I lick slowly and carefully, getting the salt off of you, kissing and sucking, leaving light marks on you.
Your breath is leaving more rapidly through your lips and I keep my hand on your back, as my mouth traces the contour of your pectoral muscle, ignoring your nipples, concentrating on the dip and rise of the firm flesh covering your slim sturdy bones. I lip my way over each rib, pressing harder now to avoid tickling, following the ridges of bone, tasting you.
I come back to the center of your torso, the place where your muscles meet, the indented line leading down to your weeping cock. But I move to the side, my teeth nibbling the graceful jut of your hipbone, my fingers now digging into your sleekly muscled flank, keeping you in place as your hands clench. I move down your thigh, pulling lightly at the hair, cataloging the differences between the thicker hair on my own legs. I raise my head and open your legs slightly, my tongue delving into the crease behind your knee, another sensitive spot that I remember well. You shift restlessly beside me, but I hold you still, for I want to finish my explorations. I intend to cover every inch of you, to discover your secret places, to ravish your senses.
Théo: Every touch, every lick heightens the pleasure you give me. My skin is on fire, and your fingers and lips are like flames, branding me. At the touch of your tongue to the back of my knee I gasp, and it is my turn to squirm, to writhe, as you map my body and leave me craving for more as you move on.
I have had many lovers before, too many to count, but this is different, not simply the pursuit of pleasure, even though that is what you are driving me to distraction with, not the subservience of one trying to please the king's son, even though I know that with one word of command, you would follow my demands without question. It is different because it is you, and how I feel in my heart, how I
know you feel in yours, takes pleasure soaring to new heights.
Looking down at you, the firelight flickers over our skin, already glistening with sweat. I watch as your tongue winds its way down my calf, and when you bite gently at the back of my ankle, my body into spasms at the feel of your teeth, head thrown back, my hands clenching in the bedroll, a cry escaping into the night. "Mer … touch me … taste me … " I can't think straight anymore, all I know is want and desire, my cock throbbing against my belly, aching to be touched and the fierce desire to bury myself in your heat.
Éomer: I smile at the needy sound of your voice. How can I refuse you anything you ask? “Of course,” I murmur, but I am not above continuing to tease you, so I bend my head back to the elegant arch of your foot, licking the slender bones, before I travel back up your legs. I go slowly, still tasting you and testing you, watching your responses to see which touches make you squirm.
When I finally reach the place you want me to be, I stop for a moment, my breath moving softly over you, just looking at the beauty of your cock. It is thick and straight, hard ridges of flesh and a drop of pearly fluid at the tip. I capture that bead on my tongue, savoring the flavor, before I push your legs open wider and nuzzle your balls. I suck one into my mouth, working it gently with my tongue, exploring the texture. I treat the other one the same way, flattening a hand on your belly to keep you still.
At last I cease my teasing and sit up. I bring your legs back together, closing your thighs and kneeling with my legs on the outside of yours. I pull your balls up so that they rest below your cock. I bend down to sample you, my tongue running slowly up and down your length. The warm steel of your flesh tastes of salt here too. After I have cleaned all the salt from you, I open my mouth and take you in slowly, relaxing my throat until my lips are scraping the springy hair at your base. I swirl my tongue around you, breathing through my nose, and working my throat. I pull off to relax my jaw for a moment and then go back down. Your breathing is harsh and your balls are tightening, but I am not ready to end this yet, so I let you go reluctantly and work my way back up, pausing briefly to tug on your nipple ring, then covering your mouth with mine.
Théo: You take me right to the edge, my body tensing in anticipation of release … and you stop. As you work your way up to my mouth, your golden hair trailing over my belly, my chest, I get my breath back, digging my fingers into silky strands as you kiss me, your hair falling around my face as my tongue slides over yours.
"Want to taste you …" I murmur over your lips. Slipping between your arms, I slide underneath you, working my way down your body, until my tongue rasps over the tip of your erection as I stroke your back. Easing it between my lips, my fingers work lower, one hand roaming over the curve of your buttock, the other finding the tube I hid in the bedroll earlier.
Slicked fingers slide down your cleft, slipping over your entrance again and again, fingertips pressing, but moving on until you are pushing back against my fingers, now firmly tracing the ring of muscle. Fingertips ease just inside, teasing as your hips buck forward, further into my mouth. I slip one finger in deeper,
spiraling it inside your heat, and your hips rock, caught between my fingers and my mouth, a low growl building in the back of your throat.
And although having you pump your seed into my mouth is an enticing prospect, I want more. Your cock slips from my mouth as I push you back, moving under you so that my achingly hard flesh nudges your slicked hole, groaning as you push back onto me, my hands roaming your chest, flicking over the metal in your nipple as your head drops back.
Éomer: Your hardness slowly parts my muscles as I push back, concentrating on opening for you as I slowly lower myself onto you. I toss my head back when I am fully pierced by you and my balls are resting on your belly. I stop there, breathing raggedly, enjoying the sensation of you inside me, filling me completely. I stare at the alien stars until your hand scrapes my ring and I begin to move.
I brace my hands on my thighs, trying to keep my full weight off of you and rise up until you are barely inside and then slide down again. I rock my hips with each stroke, searching for the spot . . . there and your hand wraps around me, and I am moving faster, crying out to the stars, “Théo . . . I cannot hold back!” And I fling myself down as hard as I can, trying to take you in even deeper. My release roars out of me as my body tightens around yours, my hips still grinding against you.
Théo: Your hot, thick come spurts over my chest, covers my hand and my control unravels as I watch you let go, your body taut and sleek above me, tightening, pulling my own orgasm from me. My back arches as you force me so deep I don't know where I end and you begin, my head slamming back against the bedroll with a long ragged cry, and all I can see now are the stars filling the sky. You fall forward, panting, your hands on either side of my head, your eyes on mine as I breathe heavily through the last of it.
Your mouth captures mine as you ease off me, taking the gasp from my lips, and landing heavily at my side, and we roll together, sated and happy and wrapped up in each other. The fire slowly dies down, and the air turns cooler, so I reluctantly untangle myself from you, and fetch an armful of logs from the nearby pile, throwing them on as you pull the other opened out bag over the top of you.
When I have finished with the fire, I burrow in next to you, kissing you before squirming round to lie with my back pressed against your chest, your arm around my waist so we can lie and watch the fire. "I arranged that we do not have to be back until tomorrow evening, so there is no hurry to return. We can spend tomorrow morning here too." Your arm tightens around me, making me smile.
Éomer: I am pleasantly relaxed, comfortable and warm, and between you and the ocean, I think I have finally found an end to my endurance. You fill my arms, our bodies meshing together easily. I had never thought that I would lose my heart, but I have happily ceded it to you. And I pull you tighter, never getting enough of the feel of you.
The fire flickers and dances in the steady breeze coming from the sea. The endless roaring fills my ears, but I find myself oddly comforted by it, a strange lullaby that I have never heard before, but I seem to recognize it instantly when I hear it.
I tilt my head up and stare at the stars. They are so different from those of my home, I feel that I have wandered farther from the familiar than I have ever been. “Why are they so different? This world is but ours, only older . . . why would the stars change so?” That bothers me more than the other changes . . . the masses of people, the complex machines, everything else about Karl’s life that is sometimes beyond my comprehension.
Théo: I turn my head to follow your gaze, resting it against your shoulder. Something Faramir told me when I first met up with him here comes to mind.
"I think we are a long way from the place that was our home, practically on the other side of the world. Our stars still light the heavens, it is just we are too far away to see them." My fingers trace patterns on your arm. "Maybe one day we will."
You kiss my hair, and I settle back against you, watching the fire.
"Remember when you first came to Edoras? You found me sitting outside the golden hall one night not long after you and Wyn arrived, watching the stars. When I realised you were there, the serious boy with the sad eyes, I asked you if you knew the story of King Brego and you told me you were no child in need of a bedtime story, you were a warrior. I began telling the story of how he cleared the Wold of Orcs anyway, embellishing it as my father always did for me with bloodier battles, and vivid descriptions of Orcs being disemboweled by heroic riders. After a while you sat down beside me, and by the time I had finished, your eyes were dancing, and you were asking for more." I smile at the memory and at others, many evenings during your first years living in Edoras, where we would sit in the same spot under a starry sky, discussing your sword practice, or the merits of the latest horses brought in from the Mark, until I took up the duties of Second Marshall, and those duties took me away from Edoras … your arm tightens round me, bringing me out of my thoughts.
Éomer: I remember those days well and I remember how frightened Éowyn and I had been. How she was certain that she would be sent to the kitchens and I to the stables, despite our royal blood. We thought that we would go from being the coddled pets of the Riders and their women at Aldburg to being afterthoughts at Edoras.
My lips find the knob of bone at the top of your spine. “You saved us, you know. You and your father. The bonds of kinship required that you take us in and give us your protection, but no one would have thought badly of either of you if you had simply let your retainers care for us. He was the King and you were full grown already, with other worries than the welfare of two orphans.”
I tighten my arms around you. “But you did not do that, we never felt that we were less than something treasured by both of you.” My hand combs your hair back. “I would have stayed that serious boy forever, and the real Éomer would never have been seen again, but you gave us back ourselves.”
Théo: Rolling over to face you, my eyes meet yours, and I push your hair back. "There was never any question that you would become part of our household My father doted on your mother and it was more than duty that he felt towards you both before you even arrived. I had never had a brother or a sister, even though I did not lack for company growing up, and suddenly, I found I had both." I move closer, resting my head on your arm as I talk.
"I grew up surrounded by people who loved and cared for me, and I wanted the same for you. I missed my mother, even though I had never known her, and could understand how you felt. And Winarin was delighted to have two new charges in her care." My wet nurse, who went on to take care of me throughout my childhood and beyond, was indeed thrilled to have children to take care of again when you arrived.
Éomer: “I would like to see Wyn and your father here.” Especially Théoden, to see him whole again . . . . “I do not know if she can even shift, I have never seen her.” Surely they would not put me in a movie, a minor warrior, and not put her in it, for she spends more time with the King these days than either you or I do.
“Truthfully, it has been lonely shifting here. I could see Faramir at first, but Karl has been moving around so much that I could never get to know anyone for very long. He seems to be settled back here for a while.” A sudden fear clenches my heart and I bury my face in your neck. If Karl were to move, or make another movie far from here . . . I could overwhelm his will all the time and still be cut off from you.
Théo: "It would be good to see Wyn here. I think she would enjoy exploring this world. And my father, also." But although it would be good to spend time with my father away from our duties, which we get very little time to do now back at home, if he ever found out about us … I do not like to think of what his reaction would be. My arms tighten around you when you talk of being lonely, my brow creasing when you hide your face from me.
"Paris is also settled here, and Dave, so I do not think you will get the chance to be lonely again." Then I realise what must be concerning you. Kissing your hair, I run my fingers through it, holding you closer. "You think Karl may leave again?" That had never occurred to me. My fingers work in soothing circles on your neck as it sinks in what would happen if Karl left, taking you with him.
"We found each other in this world, and have been given this time together by those whose bodies we share. We have to hope that Karl's life will keep him here, and while it does, use every moment we have to the fullest." My lips slip down onto your forehead, nudging your face back up to look at me. "And if he does leave, we will find a way to see each other. I will not lose you again."
Éomer: I smile at the fierceness in your tone, you are certainty relieving my fears. "It is better that he and Paris talk to each other now. So perhaps even if it happens we will not be completely separated. But I think he will stay for now. He has a lover here, or I think he does. There is a man that he asked me to protect if it becomes necessary. This man must be special to him, or he would not ask that, I believe."
I meet your lips, settling you against me.
Théo: "It is good that he has someone, I think he was lonely too when I first met him." I have not thought of Karl for a while. Our last meeting did not go well to say the least, but maybe it is time I attempted to make my peace with him. Shifting has become much easier since Paris and I got to know each other better, and spending time with Dave was a good way to work out our differences, but Karl … his stubborn streak may mean he will not listen, but at least I can try.
"I think it is time I spoke to him. Make my apologies to him for our last meeting." You look at me with curiosity. "We fought … it came to blows." I shrug as best I can in your arms, looking sheepish. "If you shift when we get back to the warehouse tomorrow, it would give me a chance to talk to him."
Éomer: I cast my mind back, trying to remember the last time you and Karl would have seen each other. I know he has refused to see you since he and I came to our truce, but why was he mad?
Then I remember . . . the piercing. "You came to blows? He never told me. I knew he was angry about it, but I thought he blamed me for it. It was my choice and my act."
I sigh. He and I have been very careful with each other these past weeks, trying to hold on to our truce. And I can see your point, that things go more smoothly when Karl is placated, but I am not sure that you talking to him is a good idea.
"Théo, are you sure you should do that? He does have quite a temper, and if he gets angry again . . . none of us wants to go back to fighting him." And I do not want him to get hurt if you are forced to defend yourself from his rage.
Théo: "When it is time to shift, ask him if he will agree to see me. If he does not wish to, then shift back in and you can ride to his home. If he agrees to see me, he can always leave if he needs to, and I swear to you I will not fight him." Yes, I have seen his temper, but this will be an entirely different situation which I hope will be a peaceful one.
"I am glad he has found his own peace in coming to an agreement with you, and I would not put that in danger. I would not jeopardise what we now have here." There is still doubt in your eyes, and I wish it to be gone. "Ask him, tomorrow, and I will agree with his decision as to whether he will speak to me or not, whatever it is."
Éomer: I absently stroke my thumb over your shoulder, while I consider your words, placing them against what I know about Karl. I have tried to understand him after you made me see how I had ignored his wishes. He is stubborn and willful, and proud as well. But . . .
"I think that if he knows he has a choice about what happens, then he will not be so difficult. Your plan is a good one. I will tell him that you wish to apologize, perhaps it will appeal to him, to witness that."
And I think that perhaps it would be a good thing, to have you and Karl become, if not friends, then at least not enemies. If this world is not as safe as we had thought, then there may come a time when you have need of each other.
Théo: Although it is something I know I need to do, I think he will take more than a little pleasure in having me apologise. "Yes, I think it will appeal to him." I roll my shoulder under your touch and encourage your hand to slip onto my neck, purring as your fingers stroke over the sensitive spot behind my ear. "Enough of Karl until tomorrow."
I snuggle closer, inhaling your salt tinged scent with a contented sigh. "Want to fall asleep with you under these strange stars, wake to the sound of the ocean." Your arm slips round my back, and I press my lips to your chest, my mind free of all thought apart from you and me here and now.
Éomer: I rub my face against your hair, content to leave the subject of Karl. The fire is slowly ebbing, the crackle of the dried wood drowned by the steady drone of the ocean. I bury my nose in your neck, inhaling your familiar scent. Our legs twine together, my hand settling easily on your waist, my other arm providing you with a pillow.
This was what I have been wanting all these years. To sleep with you, in peace, without fear or uncertainty. I do not have to lay awake mourning yet another empty saddle, or worrying whether your gamble for the salvation of our people will succeed.
I take a deep breath of this salty air, feeling my muscles stretch and ease. The sand conforms to my body, and I have never known such happiness as I feel from the simple pleasure of having you in my arms under a sky spread with stars. I will never forget this day, no matter where else my fate may take me.
NC - 17
