True Injustices

Life, Relationship change

Erikur, Fenneck and Alexei have sex for the first time and Fenneck's parents find out. Fenneck and Erikur decide to be together in secret and Erikur falls madly in love with Fenneck.

Erikur opened the door to Naertho's shop and saw Fenneck carefully draping out a tunic on one of the dress forms across the room. Half of his long white hair was pulled away from his face with fancy braids that had silver ribbon holding them in place. He was wearing one of his signature baby blue tunics and Erikur felt his heart soften seeing him working so intently in his element. "Hey!" Erikur called out to him.   Fenneck perked up and smiled happily, sending Erikur's heart tumbling around in his chest as his pretty green eyes met his. "Hey!" Fenneck greeted him as he ran over.   "Wanna hang out tonight?" Erikur asked him. "I figured we could ask Alexei to hang out, too," he suggested.   Fenneck looked over at the clock on the wall and realized it was time to head home for the day as Naertho waltzed out of the back room.   "Oh, hi Erikur. How are you today, darling?" Naertho greeted him.   "I'm wonderful, Naertho," Erikur greeted him. "How are you?"   Naertho smiled and placed his hands on Fenneck's shoulders. "Splendid. Your tunic looks fabulous, I might say," he said, squeezing Fenneck's shoulders proudly.   "Thanks, I love this new fabric!" Erikur told him showing off the soft dark green wool tunic Fenneck had made him.   "I assume your lessons with Lord Turgenev have been going well?" Naertho motioned to the flute case hanging off his shoulder.   "They have! It's going quite well, actually. He seems to think I have what it takes to join the palace orchestra soon!" he bragged.   "Wonderful!" Naertho said, giving Erikur a beaming smile. "I should let you both get home. It's been a long day already," he said, patting Fenneck's back and kissing him on the top of the head. "Tell my sister that I'd like her and your father to join me for dinner this week, Fenny," he told Fenneck as he and Erikur skipped to the door.   "Yeah, okay, Naertho! See you tomorrow!" Fenneck called out to his uncle before slipping out into the market place in the first level of the mountain with Erikur.   "Let's go save Alexei!" Erikur said, leading Fenneck to the staircase.   They got onto the second level and headed toward the tavern. The bar was empty as well as the rest of the tables in the other half of the room. They heard yelling from down the hall and Fenneck gave Erikur a sad look. They heard what sounded like a crash of broken glass and Erikur ran down the hallway. They got to Alexei's room and Erikur knocked on the door. Adrik opened the door with blood on his hand. Alexei was cowering on the bed behind him.   "The hell do you two want?!" Adrik asked them angrily, his breath reeking of vodka.   Erikur straightened himself out so that he towered a few inches over Alexei's dad. "Alexei is staying at Fenneck's house tonight," he told the drunk decisively.   Adrik grumbled and cast Alexei a dirty look, as if he had called for them.   "You wouldn't want me to get the guards involved, would you?" Erikur threatened him, hating to have to use the race card but too infuriated to not do everything he could to get Alexei out of this situation. "You know they'll side with a respectable high-elf over a drunk wood-elf any day." He raised his brow at the very angry wood-elf who reluctantly turned to Alexei and waved him to the door.   Alexei bolted and nimbly dodged past his father, out into the hall and hid behind Erikur and Fenneck.   "Clean yourself up, Adrik," Erikur told him disapprovingly before walking away and leading Fenneck and Alexei down the hall, back out into the tavern.   Alexei clung to Fenneck's arm, shaking, and Fenneck wrapped an arm around him comfortingly.   "Did he hit you?" Fenneck asked him quietly.   Alexei shook his head. "Not this time. He punched the wall again," he whispered quietly.   Fenneck squeezed him comfortingly and Erikur led them straight to Fenneck's house. They walked in and saw Faina in the kitchen, baking fresh knish. Leonid was leaning against the counter and it seemed as if they had been discussing something rather important and had quickly stopped when the boys entered the room. Fenneck closed the door behind them and Faina ran to Alexei who was still shaking.   "Oh darling," she said, pulling Alexei into a hug. "Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?" she asked him, gently caressing his jet-black locks.   Alexei squeezed her tightly and started crying.   Leonid sighed heavily and looked over at Erikur and Fenneck. "Are you both okay?" he asked them.   Fenneck nodded. "Yeah, can they stay the night tonight?" he asked his father.   Leonid nodded. "Of course," he assured them. "How are your parents?" he asked Erikur.   Erikur shrugged. "They're fine," he said plainly. "They've been pissed about my music lessons but that's nothing new. Lord Turgenev mentioned the palace orchestra again so hopefully that means I'll be able to get a job soon and move out."   Leonid nodded. "Well that's great about the orchestra and moving out. And at only twenty-two years old! Your parents should be proud of you," he said, shaking his head in shame."Why don't you both sit down? Dinner is almost ready," he told them as Faina led Alexei into their bedroom to talk privately.   Leonid took over in the kitchen as Fenneck and Erikur sat down at the table together. "How's Naertho?" Leonid asked Fenneck.   "Oh yeah, he wants you and Mama to have dinner with him this week," Fenneck remembered. "He's good. Everything in the shop is going well. Lady Orlov and her daughter came in today and I helped fit them for some new gowns," he said as he fiddled with the tablecloth.   "Wonderful," Leonid said as he took the fresh knish out of the oven.   "Wow, that smells amazing," Erikur said excitedly. "Were you able to get some meat?" he asked Leonid.   Leonid nodded. "We did, a little at least. It's in short supply these months," he said, shaking his head. "All the animals are starving or infected."   Erikur nodded solemnly. "I know, my parents haven't been able to get meat for two months now. They had almost ten goats die from starvation this month which doesn't help things."   Fenneck sighed. "Was Mama able to get any apples?" he asked hopefully.   Leonid shook his head. "They aren't in season anymore. We'll have to wait till the fall and even then, they disappear pretty quickly."   He set the fresh knish rolls down in front of them and Alexei and Faina came out of her room. Alexei had clearly been crying but he looked calmer now. He sat down on the other side of Fenneck.   "Thanks for getting me out of there," he told them.   "Of course, Lex," Erikur assured him.   Fenneck gave him a warm smile and they all settled in and fixed a plate. Faina said an elvish blessing over the meal and they started eating. They kept the conversation light and eventually Fenneck led his two friends into his room and closed the door behind him. Alexei laid down on Fenneck's bed mat and Erikur sat down across from him, leaning against the wall. Fenneck settled down in between them.   "Wanna play dragonchess?" Fenneck suggested.   "Ugh! We always do that!" Alexei complained.   "Oh!" Erikur exclaimed. "I almost forgot! Look at what I found today," he said, pulling out the small notebook from his pocket.   They all scooted close to see what was in it and Erikur opened it up to reveal the very sensual drawings of elves making love.   "Ew!" Alexei exclaimed. "Where did you get this?" he asked Erikur.   Erikur smiled mischieviously. "Catherine's nightstand!" he snickered.   Fenneck giggled and leaned over Erikur's shoulder to get a better look. Erikur felt himself growing hard as he smelled Fenneck from his closeness and he started to regret this decision. The pictures were mostly different positions male and female elves could make love in, but a couple of the images were men with other men and women with other women.   "I thought that was illegal?" Alexei said cautiously, realizing that Erikur shouldn't have this book.   Erikur shrugged cautiously. "Why? That law is stupid. Who cares if a man wants to be with a man?" he asked them, testing the waters.   Fenneck shrugged indifferently. "My mama and papa told me that it doesn't really matter because you don't really choose your thiramin anyway."   Erikur gave him a funny look. "Yeah, but like, even if your thiramin was a man, they'd still arrest you for it," Erikur pointed out. "I had a couple neighbors a few years ago who were supposedly thiramin, two males, high-elves even, and they got arrested for it. I haven't seen them since," he said solemnly. "My parents called their relationship an abomination," he said, uncomfortably.   Alexei pursed his lips in thought. "Have either of you had sex?" he asked them, seeing as they were older.   Fenneck and Erikur both shook their heads.   "I've masturbated though," Fenneck suggested. "I could see how it would be more fun with another person."   He cast a shy glance at Erikur who gave him a small smile and felt his ears start to burn as he wondered if Fenneck really did feel the same way about him.   "Yeah, I really want to try it," Erikur said, looking down at the pictures to avoid Fenneck's eyes. "I'm too nervous to ask anyone out, though."   Alexei scoffed at him. "Why? Everyone likes you!" he argued. "Nadia is always flirting with you at the bar! And Sasha!" he exclaimed as if it were obvious.   Erikur shrugged. "Yeah, but actually asking someone, 'hey, can I put my dingdong inside you' is a lot more nerve-wracking than you'd think!" he countered.   Fenneck giggled immaturely at the word dingdong. "I haven't even kissed anyone," Fenneck pointed out. "It seems nice though," he said thoughtfully.   Erikur shrugged nervously. "I kissed Sasha once," he told them. "It was weird," he said, remembering the odd sensation.   Fenneck and Alexei giggled at him and Erikur rolled his eyes.   "It really wasn't that big of a deal," he told them. "Kinda disappointing, honestly. Here, we can kiss each other and you'll see," he suggested before he could stop himself.   He looked up into Fenneck's bright green eyes that Erikur swore he saw sparkle at the idea.   Alexei was much more nervous. "I don't know," he said reluctantly. "It's like... bad. We could get in a lot of trouble if anyone found out," he warned them.   Erikur continued to look into Fenneck's eyes as he felt his heart start to pound. "It's just a kiss," Erikur told Fenneck, hoping and praying that Fenneck would recipricate his feelings.   Erikur saw Fenneck start to lean in to him and he felt his heart start to race as they nervously teased each other's breath until Fenneck quickly pecked Erikur on the mouth before jumping back in surprise and fear. Erikur smiled with relief and giggled at him.   Fenneck swallowed nervously. "Sorry, it's just... it is weird," Fenneck said in agreement. "It's wetter than I expected," he said, giving Erikur a bashful smile.   Erikur chuckled and nodded bashfully. "Try again," he suggested, slightly raising his brow playfully at Fenneck.   Fenneck leaned back in and gently kissed Erikur's lips. Erikur felt himself becoming extremely excited as he tasted and enjoyed Fenneck's mouth for the first time. He closed his eyes and leaned into it before cautiously slipping his tongue into Fenneck's mouth, prompting Fenneck to scoot into his arms. Erikur let his hands weave through Fenneck's long white locks of hair and caress the back of his head before Fenneck suddenly pulled away in fear. They were both breathing heavily and Erikur couldn't help but notice how excited Fenneck was as well. They stared into each other's eyes for what felt like eternity. Erikur was falling madly in love with him, as he had suspected he would if they ever allowed themselves to touch each other like this.   They finally looked over at Alexei, having forgotten he was there for a moment. Alexei looked at them curiously.   "Wanna try?" Fenneck asked him.   Alexei nervously glanced at the door as if the guards were about to burst in and arrest them already before turning to Fenneck and nodding softly. Fenneck scooted closer to him and Alexei leaned up and hesitantly kissed him. Erikur watched them start to kiss each other and moved forward, not wanting to be left out. He gently caressed Fenneck's back, enjoying the idea of watching Fenneck and Alexei being intimate with each other. Alexei turned to Erikur and Erikur leaned in and kissed Alexei for a moment until he saw Fenneck massaging himself over his pants.   "Wanna try some other stuff?" he asked Fenneck with a hopeful sparkle in his eye as he pulled his lips from Alexei's.   After a few hours of trying different things, they were laying together, naked and covered in sweat. Erikur was spooning Fenneck in his arms and Alexei was lying down in front of them, huffing from excitement. Erikur held Fenneck tightly, unable to process how wonderful it was to be with him. It was fun being with Alexei too but the feeling of finally admitting his desires after all these years and knowing that Fenneck felt the same way was overwelming.   "Fenneck!" he heard Faina call from the living room.   Fenneck shared a worried look with his friends and quickly threw his clothes on. He caught a glimpse of himself in his looking glass and realized his hair looked ridiculously unkept and he quickly brushed it out.   "Coming!" he nervously called out to his mother.   Alexei and Erikur also started getting dressed as the reality of what just happened caved in around them. Erikur felt shame well up inside of him as he realized how much trouble they could get in for this and felt tears well up in his eyes in fear.    Fenneck cautiously walked out of his room and closed the door behind him and Erikur leaned his ear up to the door.   "Look, it just sort of happened-" Fenneck started frantically, trying to explain himself.   "Oh stop, Fenneck. We're not mad," Faina told him. "Erik, Alexei!" she called to his room.   Erikur poked his head out and gave Fenneck a worried look.   "Come here, boys," Faina told them gently.   They slowly walked over and joined Fenneck who was facing his parents who were sitting together on the sofa.   Leonid took a deep breath. "Look. We understand what you were doing. We aren't mad at you, we just want to establish something," he explained bluntly. The boys nodded nervously. "Sex is a great thing. We're glad you're exploring it. You're old enough now and we trust you to be smart and safe about it. However," he gave Fenneck a morbid look. "Homosexuality is illegal in Lenisily. It is a crime and it is punishable by death." Leonid had tears in his eyes as he fought to stay in control of himself.   "We understand that you have desires and emotions, though, and as long as you are here, in the privacy of your room, you can do as you wish," he assured them. "However," he said, his tone growing very harsh and serious. "I do not want to see you kissing in public or talking about this or doing anything that could get any one of you killed or imprisoned. We love you all very much. Erik, Lex, you're both like sons to us and we just want to keep you all safe," he warned them compassionately. "As far as personal beliefs go on the subject, Faina and I wish the political scene here was different. We believe you should be able to love whomever you please. We have many friends who have gotten themselves into trouble over this and we understand how awful and oppressive this place is," he said as a couple tears slid down his cheek.   Erikur nodded guiltily. "I'm so sorry, Leonid," he said remorsefully.   Leonid shook his head in pain. "There's no need to be sorry." He gave Erikur a sad, comforting look. "I wish I could tell you that it doesn't matter. That you can be with each other proudly," he said woefully before taking a deep breath and squeezing Faina's hand.   "I... I had a relationship with a male half-elf when I was in Vladigrad for a few years, before I moved back here and married Faina," he revealed. "His name was Fenneck Zechka. He was found out and murdered at the gallows for our relationship. I narrowly avoided being caught and decided to move back here, where I could start fresh. This world is dangerous, boys. We wish it wasn't. Trust me."   Erikur felt his heart plummet as he realized he would never have a life with Fenneck. That he could never marry him or live with him or love him. Erikur started to cry as he felt himself growing isolated. He had tried to like women but it never worked. He had tried so hard but he knew he just didn't feel the same way as he did when he thought about Fenneck, or men in general.    Faina gave Fenneck a sad frown and beckoned him to her. He walked over and curled up next to her and started crying into her arms. Alexei looked pale with fear. Leonid stood and walked to Erikur and Alexei.   "I'm not trying to scare you," Leonid told them, fighting tears in his own eyes. "I just don't want you to get hurt," he said lovingly as he pulled them both into a comforting hug.   Faina caressed Fenneck's hair. "I'm so sorry, Fenny," she told him softly.   Erikur and Leonid shared an intense look for a moment and Leonid gave him a comforting smile, seeming to understand Erikur's pain. Erikur shook his head. "It's not right," he said decisively as he wiped the tears from his eyes.   Leonid nodded as he squeezed Erikur's hand. "No, it's not," Leonid agreed with him. Erikur saw a deep pain he'd never seen before, hidden behind Leonid's usual warm, gentle eyes. "You should all get some rest," Leonid decided. "Like I said, we're okay with you being with each other here, but don't risk it anywhere else, okay?" he begged them.   They nodded and Faina kissed Fenneck's forehead before letting him up. "Goodnight, boys," she told them.   They all muttered goodnight and made their way back into Fenneck's room.   They all looked at each other nervously as Erikur closed the door behind them. Erikur felt himself growing angry and frustrated. Alexei looked scared to death but Fenneck looked defeated as he collaped onto his bedmat and leaned against the wall, breaking Erikur's heart into a million pieces. Alexei nervously sat down about a foot away from him and thoughtfully started picking at the blanket he was sitting on.   Alexei finally broke the silence. "Maybe... maybe we shouldn't do that again. Look, it's really dangerous. I'm already a wood-elf, I have enough problems as it is. I don't want to risk anything," he decided.   Fenneck just nodded sadly and Erikur felt his heart lurch, begging him not to accept this defeat.   Erikur shook his head at them. "No!" he exclaimed angrily.   Alexei looked up and gave Erikur a sad look. "Erik, it's too dangerous," he pleaded with him.   "No, Lex!" Erikur argued. "Why shouldn't we be allowed to do this kind of thing? There's nothing wrong with it. I liked being with you both!" he told them desperately as he realized his only chance to really love anyone was dependent on them. "It's our stupid emperor's fault for outlawing it!" he exclaimed, gesturing toward Leniscow. "I mean, seriously. I like men. I don't want to hide that!" he said decisively. "It shouldn't be a controversial statement! It's ridiculous! The government shouldn't care who's sleeping with who!" he exclaimed.   Fenneck shrugged weakly. "They'll kill us for it, Erik," he said sorrowfully.   "They're only killing people over it so that it doesn't become a common practice," Erikur argued.   Alexei shrugged. "Sure, but is it really worth dying over?"   Erikur looked to Fenneck in desperation, knowing the longing in his heart was enough for him to risk the love he felt for Fenneck. Fenneck looked into Erikur's eyes for a long time, looking conflicted.   "Look, they said we can do stuff in the house," Fenneck decided. "As long as we aren't messing around in public we should be fine. Everyone knows we're friends and they won't assume anything different," he suggested. "I know it's not fair and that we have to be secretive about it but I liked it... A lot."   Fenneck looked at Erikur longingly prompting Erikur to finally come over and settled next to him.    "Look, Lex, we won't make you do anything you're not comfortable doing," Erikur assured him. "Fenneck and I can mess around when we're alone and that way you won't get in trouble for it," he suggested.   Alexei nodded. "I liked it, I did. It's just... it's riskier for me," he told them.   "It's such dragonshit!" Erikur said in annoyance. "Let's get some rest," he decided.   He settled next to Fenneck and nervously scooted next to him so that their arms rested against each other's. Alexei stayed in his own spot and closed his eyes. Erikur looked over at Fenneck and felt his heart flutter again as Fenneck's perfect eyes sparkled up at him. Erikur leaned in and kissed Fenneck again who excitedly kissed him back as they cuddled into each other's arms and bundled under the blanket they were sharing. They kissed for a little while before Erikur settled back to meditate as Fenneck leaned against him.   "Goodnight, Fen," he whispered to Fenneck, unable to keep the giddiness from his voice.   "Goodnight, Erik," Fenneck told him sweetly with one final kiss before they started meditating together.