Chilled
"You know, a fire would be welcome right now," Eyliron muttered quietly, but still loud enough for the other two to hear.
Rolan paid him little heed, used to his complaints of the lacking comforts of the forest as he was now. It wasn't the first time the man had asked to come on one of these hunting expeditions after all, and even though he was more a nuisance than a help, Rolan suspected Eyliron would insist on coming with them again.
Well, not too soon, but maybe after the snow melted and the weather got a bit warmer. A cold winter's day was most certainly not Eyliron's favorite sort of day to sit in hiding in a stand of naked bushes, waiting for prey to come their way. And still he insisted on coming with.
Rolan glanced at Eyliron's huddled, miserable posture; the fur lined cloak wrapped tightly around his body, and his forehead and much of his eyebrows hidden under the edge of the fur lined cap Fael had made for him. He'd stuffed as much of his silk black hair into the cap as he could, but it was still spilling down the font of his cloak. The only concession he'd made was to tie it into a tail with a ribbon, a purple one – Rolan rolled his eyes fondly, such vanity – as not to get it tangled in the brush. He really seemed miserable though, his lips a thin line, not as sultry red as they used to be, but pale, and his cheeks blotchy with the chill. His eyes narrowed as he sensed Rolan's scrutiny, but he didn't meet his gaze.
"You know we cannot light a fire yet," Rolan murmured.
"Yes, yes." Eyliron scowled, not happy at having this pointed out to him. Again. "But I'm cold, so you should be kind to me."
Fael's mouth twitched and he turned to look at Eyliron. "If you hate it so, why do you insist on coming along? You know you always get this ways before the end."
Eyliron afforded him with a sweet, serene smile, and didn't answer, but Rolan could see the sneer behind it. He shook his head as Eyliron, if possible, huddled deeper down in his cloak.
Their vigilante paid off though, and Rolan and Fael felled a deer each as the animals came out of the forest to graze off the hidden stalks and winter dormant buds of the field and bushes.
The sparseness of game in these parts, so relatively close to their winter camp, yielded little else and they decided to move a bit further in-forest before making camp for the night. They would spend two more days out here before heading back home. Rolan wondered again why Eyliron insisted on coming as he muttered at the additional trek before camp. He was a creature of summer warmth, after all.
~*~
Even though Eyliron knew what must be done by now to make the night comfortable and safe for them all, he still grumbled over his chores of gathering fire wood and snow for the pot.
Fael smiled a little where he was preparing their bounty, slitting the animals' throats with neat moves of his knife. Rolan could see Fael's lips twitching in humor when Eyliron grimaced at the cold snow clinging to his gloves, and giving him a fond look when he thought no one was watching.
Rolan looked away when Fael glanced his way, as not to embarrass the younger man. Affection was usually something to be displayed only between the bed furs, in private, and even though their relationship was not new anymore it still felt too intimate and awkward to acknowledge such gestures in public. Well, as public as it could be at the moment with only the three of them present.
Rolan knew the other two considered him a stickler for tradition and etiquette, and he tried to tell himself he was being silly. Yet it was difficult to change ingrained habit so easily.
Fael took the bodies of the deers over to an old fir and, slinging a rope around their hind legs, he carefully started climbing higher to hang them in the higher branches of the tree, out of reach of hungry predators
Rolan set about cutting branches for the lean to and the spear hedge to go around it, sharpening the ends to points with his knife and digging the opposite ends into the snow. Not very many but enough to give them a chance to defend themselves should a predator attack. The fire would help keep them away as well.
Turning around he was surprised and pleased to see Eyliron tying winter green branches to the sides and roof of their lean to. He seemed very focused on what he was doing, even ignoring the chill to his now naked fingers, as he tied off another piece of leather string.
Rolan glanced at the fir, Fael was still busy. He padded over to the lean to, taking off his own gloves and tucking them in his belt, before reaching out to take Eyliron's cold hands between his own warm ones. Eyliron looked up at him, his lips parted as if he was about to say something. But he only let out a small sigh, his expression content.
Roland kept his eyes on their hands, contemplating the differences in size and smoothness. Not that Eyliron had small hands, or weak ones, it was just that one could tell Rolan used his daily for much harder labor than Eyliron did.
Eyliron took a step closer and Rolan looked at his face. "You treat me as your gentle wife," Eyliron murmured with a tilt to his lips.
Rolan snorted. "Hardly 'gentle'. But you are my meyly and I should honor you as such."
Eyliron seemed pleased at his statement and his smile grew to a grin.
Fael was climbing back down and he was discreet about it, Rolan noticed. As if he didn't want to intrude. Rolan let go of Eyliron just the same; some habits were hard to shed indeed.
They made a fire and settled in for supper, which was a quiet affair, though good, with precious spices and herbs from Rolan's pouch. Rolan glanced at Fael from time to time, curious to see any reaction from the younger man as to whether or not he had overstepped any boundaries in their relationship. Even though Rolan was older it was Fael who had claimed Eyliron first, and thus had first meyly rights. Yet Fael still deferred sometimes to Rolan and his age, something he'd never thought Fael would do considering their competitive situation as leaders of the two largest clans of the Dalmati.
It didn't make sense to him anymore. He couldn't see any pattern to when Fael would ask his opinion or simply charge on in disregard of Rolan, age or no age. His life had gotten so much more complicated since Eyliron came into it, Rolan mused.
Eyliron made it clear – even though the falling night was not as chilly as it could be – that he was cold and ready to go to bed. Rolan had made sure their shelter was large enough to fit them all, even the one sitting watch. Fael gave Rolan a brief look, something in his eyes, and then followed Eyliron in under the furs and blankets. Rolan didn't begrudge him this; it was his right as first meyly. Besides, Rolan would have warm blankets to crawl in between when they changed watch, and a good morning snuggle, he suspected.
~*~
As it turned out, he was right. He had taken off his thick outer garments before going to sleep, snuggled up against Eyliron's back. Now, in pre-dawn, he was gently awoken by a hand ghosting down his face and neck, then slipping under the furs. He kept his eyes closed, amusing himself with guessing which of his lovers the hand belonged to. But it was too easy; Fael and Rolan both had calluses, Eyliron did not.
So their dark haired lover had decided he wouldn't go one more day without intimacy. Rolan couldn't help but smile, and gave the game away; Eyliron murmured something under his breath and leaned in to kiss him. Rolan answered happily, his eyes still closed, just a little annoyed at the clothes still on his body and most certainly in the way of a bout of proper sex.
But Eyliron wasn't to be deterred. His hand slowly worked down Rolan's body, firm enough to be stimulating, gentle enough to be teasing. Rolan brought his own hand around Eyliron's shoulders and tugged him closer. As always, the feel of him was enough to start the slow, powerful burn of lust in Rolan's belly.
He groaned quietly at the hand that finally found its way under his shirt, the finger that slowly circled his bellybutton, teasing the small hairs there. Eyliron murmured encouragement and kept going, now tugging at the lacings of his trousers.
Rolan wasn't late to copy him, slipping his hand under Eyliron's clothes and dragging him tight against him, front to his hip. He was deeply pleased to feel the evidence of Eyliron's desire, hard against his thigh.
Then he gasped again, but now at the chill air that found his skin, as Fael lifted the blankets and furs and slipped in on his other side. Rolan opened his eyes and turned his face to him, surprised to find his mouth seized in a passionate kiss, pleased at the heated look he received when it ended.
Eyliron murmured a greeting to Fael and then continued with his task as if he had never been interrupted. Rolan groaned and arched as his cock was seized in an experienced hand, and Fael grinned where his face loomed close to Rolan's.
"Insistent, wouldn't you say?" he murmured. Rolan grinned back, as well as he was able to when Eyliron did something particularly inventive.
Rolan had to concentrate on breathing for a few minutes, two sets of hands caressing his skin and setting him afire. When he looked up again he saw Fael was watching Eyliron, his eyes deep pools of blue heat, his hands moving on their own down Rolan's body. Rolan was snapped out of lust for a moment, his mind seizing on the thought that he was just a second-hand receptacle for Fael's desire for Eyliron, a body in the middle, when all the younger man truly wanted was the black haired man with the silken voice. It hurt, and he tensed.
Fael noticed and looked down. And his eyes were still as heated, his hands still as possessive, and his erection still as hard against Rolan's hip. Fael didn't ask, he just swooped in and took possession of Rolan's mouth as if it was his right. His hand joined Eyliron's under the blankets and Rolan moaned into his mouth at the explosion of passion in his chest. He was wanted and it warmed him through where a chill had slowly crept forward.
It didn't take long before he came, a hoarse cry on his lips. Eyliron moaned in sympathy and ground his erection even harder against him, his hand still gently fondling Rolan's softening erection.
But Fael looked up at Rolan, waiting until he was coherent before he asked, "May I?"
Rolan couldn't quite work out what he meant, but nodded anyways, gratitude for his release making him generous and willing to share. Fael reached out and grabbed Eyliron's hair in a firm hand, dragging their most eager lover across Rolan's body without a second thought. Fael did lots of things without a second thought, but Rolan couldn't hold it against him now when he suddenly was very much in the middle of a frenzied, loud-voiced bout of mutual jerking off. Eyliron shuddered and screamed – probably scaring away all their potential game for the day – when he came, his essence spilling over Fael's fingers like the finest milk. Rolan groaned and managed to get some on his own fingers to taste.
Fael was growling, his hips working towards his own completion. Rolan cradled a trembling Eyliron with one arm, and reached out the other to hold Fael as he strained in his own fist. It seemed he was having difficulty, something holding him back.
Making him vulnerable?
Rolan held him closer, and as Eyliron watched with still glazed eyes, he whispered in Fael's ear, "You are safe. You may come, meyly."
Fael's eyes snapped open and he gasped as he came, his hips jerking and the tendons in his neck going taut. Rolan held him close, held them both close, and continued to whisper to him.
~*~
Eyliron was watching them both as Rolan woke. He hadn't realized he'd dozed off again. Fael lay on his other shoulder, his face snuggled into Rolan's shirt and a hand clasped in the hem of his trousers, still asleep.
Rolan suddenly realized how uncomfortable he was, his clothes twisted around his limbs, a blanket wedged under him. But the furs still covered them all so he supposed he was more comfortable than he had a right to be when abandoning all reasonable safety and caution for sex. He supposed he was to be grateful they hadn't been eaten by something large and viciously hungry.
Eyliron smiled as if he knew Rolan's thoughts. Apparently he did. "I've set wards," he murmured. "I did last night. I always do, you should know that by now."
Rolan was a bit miffed that his lover apparently felt obliged to use arcane methods to keep them safe, as if he didn't trust Rolan to be able to with his admittedly inferior, but much more dependable methods.
Eyliron just kept smiling and stroked the frown from his face with warm, soothing fingers. "You're not cold any longer?" he felt compelled to ask.
Eyliron smiled that smile that spoke of mischief and then laughed at Rolan's disgusted look. That woke Fael too and Rolan found himself receiving a wary look from his younger companion. How to reassure him? Rolan leaned over and gave Fael a kiss, tongue and all, and was pleased to note Fael was panting when they broke apart. On his other side, Eyliron was practically purring.
Rolan eyed him speculatively. "I think we need some extra help with the butchering and skinning of those deers, don't you, Fael?" he asked innocently. Two could play that game.
Fael seemed confused by the sudden question, Rolan knew, but Eyliron looked properly horrified anyway. Fael murmured something akin to a yes and Eyliron paled and wriggled to get away. Rolan hung on to him, his physical strength and weight too much for Eyliron to manage. Fael was not late to join this new game of wrestling, and soon Eyliron was squirming and giggling like a girl under them both.
Rolan suspected this would lead to more fumbling and moaning in not too short a time, but he supposed Eyliron needed to be taught his place. After all, their bed furs were the place for such intimacy, and what better way to keep away the chill?
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