第 71 页

“I know you think you can survive on junk because you’re built like a minnow, but just because you weigh as much as a toaster doesn’t mean you can’t have the cholesterol of a fifty year old man or a heart attack before you graduate. ”

Curufin chewed his lip. “Your argument is that having a woman around to cook will literally keep me alive with the succor of her home-cooked meals. How very fifties of you.” But it was a half-hearted rebuttal at best, and he could hear the lack of real scorn in his voice.

Celegorm sighed. “Fine, forget the cooking part. But look, you’ve seen how she doesn’t take shit from me. She bosses me around like crazy and is scary enough to make me do chores without bitching about it. ”

Curufin blinked. The second bathroom hadn’t been properly cleaned in weeks, because it was Celegorm’s responsibility and he had been unable to bully him into doing it properly. A clean bathroom, diversity of meals, and watching Celegorm get pushed around might be incentive enough… His fingers twitched, annoyed at starting to feel persuaded despite his best intentions.

His brother wasn’t slowing down. “And it’s only for the summer. Just ‘til Elenwë gets back and she’s in slightly less dire straits and can figure out a better living situation.” Celegorm had gotten closer at some point, and he sat down next to Curufin and touched his arm lightly. Curufin didn’t pull away. “Please, Curvo. If you say yes to this, I promise I won’t give you shit about Findaráto. I won’t try to throw him out of windows when he comes over. I won’t even comment when he comes over.”

Curufin raised his eyebrows. This was not insignificant; so far, Finrod had steered well clear of any of Curufin’s family, rightfully wary of their reactions to him, and Curufin, who preferred being on his own turf, was tired of meeting him at Bëor’s apartment at random hours.

Curufin glanced at his brother, his resolution wavering, and saw him looking more serious than ever. At last he sighed, and let his shoulders slump. “Fine.”

“Yes!” Celegorm punched the air and then grabbed Curufin into a tight hug. He let him go quickly, but not before he’d ruffled up his hair in delight and given him a kiss on the cheek.

Curufin scrubbed at his cheek, scowling, but with no real animus. “Tell her she can start bringing stuff over this weekend. If she must.”

“Thanks, peanut.” Celegorm leapt up, and Huan, who’d fallen asleep on the floor, looked up alertly. “I’m gonna go call her and tell her to put her bras in a bag and the cat in a carrier and get her ass over here.” He bounded from the room, and Curufin frowned, his brows drawing together again.

“Wait, put the what in a carrier?”

* * *

Haleth dropped her bag to the ground, exhausted, kicking off her shoes before she’d even raised her head.

“Victory!”

Haleth looked up to see Lalwen, her arms raised above her head like she’d just won a marathon, and an exhausted smile broke over her face.

“Yep, I’m done,” she said, sending one of her shoes into the corner and sloughing off her jacket. “Every single final completed, every paper handed in, junior year’s ass kicked – well, survived, anyway – Boom.”

Lalwen gathered her into her arms and spun her around exuberantly. “Congrats, beautiful.”

“Thanks.” Haleth tucked her face into the crook of Lalwen’s neck and hung on tight. “Oooogh, I am so tired.”

Lalwen set her down gently. “What shall we do to celebrate? Can I take you out to dinner? Open that bottle of champagne I have lying around? Go take a walk by the lake, go for a bike ride, go get cupcakes at that new yuppie place I resent liking so much? Or I could just go down on you for an hour or two, this is an option as well. Choose your celebration.”

Haleth grinned, but couldn’t stifle a tremendous yawn. “I – Okay, would you think I was a total lame-ass if I said literally the only thing I wanted to do right now was sleep?” She looked apologetically up at Lalwen. “I know that’s boring. But I don’t think I’ve gotten more than four consecutive hours of sleep in like two weeks, and I gotta detox from all this Red Bull I’ve been chugging…”

“Oh my gosh, of course you can sleep.” Lalwen took Haleth’s face in her hands and kissed her forehead. “Stupid me, of course that’s the first thing you want to do. I’ve got a queen bed and fresh sheets in a room that is 100% not a dorm, and I’ve been keeping the windows open because the lilac is blooming and everything smells nice now. Let me put you to bed in there.”

Haleth gave a moan of pure longing. “Oh my god, I love you.”

Lalwen rearranged her face to hide her surprise at this unexpected declaration, and instead chuckled and kissed Haleth again. “Let’s get you human again.”

“I’m sorry I’m so lame,” Haleth mumbled as she pulled off her clothes and stumbled over to collapse into bed. “We can do…fun things…later…”

“No worries, I knew what I was getting into dating a college kid.” Mostly, Lalwen added, but only to herself. I still get taken by surprise here and there… “Pass out, baby.”

“Nap with me?” Haleth held out an arm, her eyes already closing, and Lalwen obligingly stretched out next to her.

Haleth fell asleep almost immediately, curled against Lalwen’s side, and Lalwen lay beside her, smiling a little. After a while, though, she extricated herself gently and slipped from the room, shutting the door as quietly as she could behind her.

-

Hey sweet niece o niece of mine

Hi Aunt Lalwen. What’s up?

School’s end! The completion of secondary education! Your tremendous success!

When’s commencement again?

Next weekend. Saturday, 10am, at the ellipse.

Beautiful. I shall be there with bells on.

Literally, I hope.

Of course. You’re familiar with my Morris troupe.

I am.

We’re very proud of you, golden girl. Can’t wait to hear your speech.

Oh, don’t remind me.

I’ve been practicing it on Teleporno but I’m still a little nervous…

Nervous? Our Artanis?

It is a thing that happens, on occasion.

Say it ain’t so. No, you’ll be great, even if you just stammer on about rutabagas or something.

Me and your brothers will whoop it up for you and embarrass you tremendously.

Really? You’ll convince Ingo to whoop?

I won’t have to. He is proud to bursting of you, girl.

If you say so.

Yup.

Anyway.

As long as Aiko doesn’t rip his shirt off and swing it around like a Chippendales dancer at any point…

He might. He was very affected by Tyelko doing that last year.

Yes, I’ve never seen someone do that while walking to receive their diploma.

How do you think he got it off over his mortarboard?

Special Tyelko nudity magic.

But anyway, I wanted to make sure I had all the info down so I could be there to cry over my youngest niece graduating and being valedictorian.

You know you don’t have to come see ALL of us graduate, Auntie.

Yes I do :-) See you Saturday.

Lalwen plugged in her phone to let it charge, sighed, and moved on to the stack of paperwork she’d been avoiding for the past week. She was flipping through gym finances when someone came into the kitchen, and she cocked her head when she saw it wasn’t Haleth.

“Moryo!” Lalwen scrutinized her nephew as he headed over to the counter, poured himself a coffee, and narrowed his eyes back at her. “You look…clean.”

“Yeah, basic hygiene and shit. What a world.”

“That coffee’s from this morning, fyi.” Lalwen tossed down her pencil on the stack of documents at her side. “No, I mean…you look nice.”

Caranthir took a sip of cold coffee and made a face. “Be less surprised.”

Lalwen tapped her lips thoughtfully, and then her eyes lit up in sudden revelation. “You have a DATE.”

“What? No, fuck off.” Caranthir dropped his cup into the sink and tried to escape, but Lalwen lunged up from the table, paperwork quite forgotten, and pursued him down the hallway.

“YOU DO, I CAN TELL. Who is it　”

“Will you give it a rest? Shit, you’re worse than my brothers.”

“Tell meeeeeee.”

“You are old enough to be my mother, stop acting like you’re Tyelko.”

Lalwen looked outraged and hit him upside the head. “Child, I am barely older than Maitimo, and never compare me to your third oldest brother again. How dare you.”

“Leave me alone, you crazy old – young, young, so young,” Caranthir amended hastily as Lalwen advanced threateningly on him. “Oh god, don’t make that face, you look just like dad.”

“You are on a roll for compliments today, aren’t you?” Lalwen had effectively chased Caranthir in a circle at this point, and they were back in the kitchen, Caranthir bumping into several chairs as he backed up. “Okay, fine, I’ll leave off.” She dropped down in a chair, propped her chin in one hand and scrubbed up her short spiky hair with the other. She sighed, and looked a little sad. “I suppose I thought we’d get closer, living together, you know? That maybe you’d open up a bit…Share with me…” She smiled ruefully. “I suppose it was too much to hope for.”

“You guilt tripping me?”

“Maybe. Is it working?”

“Look, Auntie, even Makalaurë doesn’t get the full dish from me, okay? I don’t like to talk about personal stuff, except maybe to Hal-” He broke off, looking horrified.

Lalwen raised her head from her hand, a truly wicked grin on her face.

“No…” said Caranthir slowly. “No, this is totally not cool…”

Lalwen let him squirm for a moment, then reached out and patted his arm. “Don’t worry, honeybun. We don’t talk about you together; we try and keep some boundaries, you know? Haleth wouldn’t violate your privacy. Your secrets are still safe with her.”

“Oh. Okay, cool.” Caranthir held still and then nodded. “Right, I gotta go. Not for a date,” he added, as Lalwen reached up to smooth down his rumpled hair. He scowled. “Knock it off. I’m...They asked me to swing by the brewery this evening to get oriented.”

“Oh.” Lalwen blinked. “Oh! You start with Telchar today!”

“Yeah. And Azaghâl. Over at Blue Hills. I’m trying to look…nice.” Caranthir glowered more deeply to cover his blush. “So give me a fucking break.”

“I’m sorry.” Lalwen looked repentant, and Caranthir shrugged. “Good luck at your first day.”

“Thanks.” Caranthir grabbed his jacket. “But for the record,” he said over his shoulder. “I did have a date last night.” He smirked at Lalwen’s shocked delight, and dodged out the door.

“I want details!” Lalwen yelled after him.

“You won’t get ‘em!”

Haleth emerged from the bedroom, yawning. “What’s all the noise?”

“Nothing.” Lalwen beamed at Haleth’s messy hair and sleepy eyes and kissed her.

Haleth turned her face up and let herself be kissed. “Are you harassing Moryo? I shouldn’t allow that.”

“I’m allowed to harass him, I changed his diapers.”

“Recently? Gross.”

“When he was an infant, you literalist.”

“Leave him alone, girl.”

“Fine.” Lalwen kissed Haleth again and Haleth tilted agreeably into her arms. “But listen, forget everything I said about respecting his privacy, I’m going to need you to do some reconnaissance on this ‘date’…”

* * *

Familiar hands were tight on his hips, and there was a long body above him, pressing him into the mattress. Finrod gasped and reached back to brace himself against the headboard, locking his legs around a lean waist. The figure above him bent down to bite at his throat, and Finrod tipped his head back, moaning.

“Please…”

“Oh yeah? What do you want? Tell me.”

“More.” He tried to elaborate, but the words dissolved into whimpers as a hand closed around him and lips sought his ear. “Oh, yes, that – please.” He gasped and wound his arms around the bent neck, digging his fingers into dark hair. He raised his head, just once, to brush the hair from the other’s eyes, and then he was being kissed breathless with a familiar rough tenderness that never failed to send electricity crackling through his body as he cried out, arching his hips.

“Oh god, Carnistir, oh – ”

His orgasm swept over him and he dropped back to the sheets, dizzied with pleasure. And some sense of…wrongnesss…

Finrod sat bolt upright. Sweat coated his bare skin, making him shiver in the cool night air, but it wasn’t the chill that was making his hands tremble. Heart pounding, he reached over to the other side of the bed.

He let out a shaky sigh of relief. Of course it was empty, just as he had thought. Empty, as it had been every night he had spent in Turgon and Bëor’s spare room, on what was quickly becoming known as “Finrod’s Futon™”. Bëor had even made a sign.

It was just a dream.

But god, it had felt so real…

His relief ebbing fast, Finrod rose and slipped into the hall bathroom to clean himself up, and then padded down the hall to Turgon’s room. He pushed open the door quietly, and sat himself on the foot of Turgon’s bed, next to Turgon’s enormous old cat, Ulmo Junior. The cat was making wheezy little snoring noises as she sprawled over Turgon’s feet. Through the open window came the brief whooshing sounds of cars passing on the street below; it was a still, peaceful scene, and Finrod felt he had to break it or go crazy.

“Turukáno,” he said softly.

Turgon mumbled something and turned over.

“Turno.”

“Wfzl?”

“I need to talk to you.”

Turgon finally seemed to register his presence at last, and he sat up so fast that Ulmo Junior gave a growl of protest. Turgon pressed his hand to his heart. “Ingo? What – What are you doing here? Oh my god you scared me. Why are you in my room, what’s – ”

“I had a sex dream about Carnistir,” said Finrod urgently, and Turgon looked simultaneously appalled and incredulous.

“Seriously? This you wake me up for? Ingo, you know how hard it is for me to fall asleep!”

“I’m sorry, but I needed– ”

“You needed to wake me up to tell me you had a, a – dream, about my cousin? Our cousin? Ugh, I don’t want to know these things, why are you telling me?”

Finrod leaned forward, desperate, just missing planting his hand on Ulmo Junior’s fat belly, a move that would likely have proved fatal. “Because why did I dream it? What does it mean? What if – What if it means that – What if I – ”

But Turgon was dropping back into bed, arm over his eyes. “Ingoooo.”

Finrod stopped himself, and looked down. “I’m sorry.”

“Look, I might be better at this if I wasn’t so tired and stressed, but right now – I don’t think I have it in me. Can you go try Bëor? He’s good at being reassuring.”

“Bëor.” Finrod’s breath eased. “I forgot.”

“Yeah. He lives here too, I hear.”

“He is good at being reassuring.” How many times, that first semester of college, had Bëor talked Finrod out of a school-related worry spiral?

“Yeah. And he has no sleep problems so he won’t murder you for waking him up, and will drop immediately back to sleep when you leave, unlike me, AUGH.”

“I’m sorry,” said Finrod again, contritely. “Try to get back to sleep, I’ll make it up to you with pastries in the morning. I’ll get them fresh for you from Cuivienen.”