Otter
Day 17: Proximity
That Saturday had started like all the others. The clear late-morning light poured through the large windows of Greenwood’s living room, illuminating the table where the two boys had spread out their notebooks, pens, and homework sheets.
[[MORE]]Bain was slouched in his chair, grumbling over a biology exercise, while Legolas was carefully writing something in his notebook, his brow slightly furrowed in concentration.
In the kitchen, Bard was preparing two reusable bags while mentally checking what was missing from the cupboards and noting his list on his phone. He glanced toward the living room and called out:
“I’m going grocery shopping. I assume no one wants to come with me?”
It was a rhetorical question: teenagers always had an excuse not to come with him, or even to help put the groceries away when he got back. Thranduil stuck his head through the kitchen opening.
“Take my card.”
Bard sighed.
“Okay.”
He pretended to search through his wallet but took nothing out. Legolas finished writing something in his notebook and jumped from his chair as if it had caught fire.
“Wait! I’m coming with you!!”
Bard raised a skeptical eyebrow.
“Really? You sure?”
“Yes, yes, I’m coming!”
He grabbed a jacket and hurried after him. Bard found his behavior strange — the haste, the nervousness — but said nothing and opened the passenger door for him.
A few minutes later they were sitting in the car, their seatbelts fastened.
“Which store are we going to?” Legolas asked.
“Which one do you prefer? The Granary or the Market Halls?” Bard suggested.
“The Market Halls. It’s a longer drive,” he said with a smile.
Bard nodded and started the car.
The car slowly left Greenwood’s driveway, passed through the trees of the park, and joined the main road. For several kilometers, the steady hum of the engine was the only sound accompanying their drive.
Very quickly, Bard sensed that something was bothering Legolas. Out of the corner of his eye he saw him shifting in his seat, crossing and uncrossing his arms, opening his mouth… then closing it again.
After a few kilometers they stopped at a red light. Bard turned toward him.
“Everything alright? You look like… you want to tell me something…”
To his surprise, he saw Legolas’s cheeks flush red. Instantly, a wave of panic hit him.
“Oh for heaven’s sake, Legolas, what did you do??”
Legolas panicked too.
“Nothing!! I swear, nothing!!”
“You’re red like you’re ashamed of something! What did you do?!”
“But nothing!!! I just… wanted to ask you something, but yeah I’m embarrassed…”
Bard stared at him for a long moment.
“There’s no such thing as a stupid question, Legolas. You’re seriously scaring me here, ask whatever you want.”
Legolas closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as if pushing away sudden nausea. The words came out too quickly, too quietly.
“M… what’sthefirsttimelike?”
Bard shook his head, one eyebrow raised.
“Uh… sorry, boyo, I didn’t catch a word of that…”
Legolas let out a long sigh, and Bard could have sworn he sounded exactly like his father. He cleared his throat.
“The first time. What is it… like?”
“Oh…” Bard looked at the road ahead. “Oooooh… uh… well… it depends on who you’re with…”
He felt Legolas’s insistent gaze on him.
“With another boy, Bard. What do you think?”
“I know, I just—” he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
Legolas sighed and leaned his head back against his seat.
“I can’t talk about it with my father. He… he wouldn’t understand…”
“You underestimate him…”
Legolas shook his head.
“I’m not just talking about being gay. Elves… elves usually wait dozens, hundreds of years before… well… anyway… I don’t want to wait. I feel ready, but I’m also a little… scared.”
Bard nodded. Once again, elven customs complicated everything.
“And what does Haldir say about it?”
Legolas blushed again.
“I’m the one dragging my feet. Haldir is more than ready.”
Bard shifted slightly in his seat, a little uncomfortable.
“Well… what exactly are you afraid of?”
“A lot of things. Being bad at it. Haldir laughing at me. Haldir not loving me anymore afterward. Not being able to… get excited. Hurting him, or getting hurt myself.”
He ended the sentence with a long tired sigh.
“Why is it so complicated?”
“It’s normal to feel all that. The key is patience. With…” Bard began, hesitated, then continued, “With your father, I was very patient.”
Legolas made a disgusted face.
“Please, TMI.”
“Well I don’t really know how to reassure you then, boyo,” Bard admitted.
“Just… don’t talk about my father. Be more… neutral…”
Bard nodded and searched for his words.
“Have you already done anything or…?”
“Like… foreplay?”
He nodded. Legolas blushed again and nodded quickly. Bard tried to reassure him.
“There’s nothing to be ashamed of, that’s completely normal.”
“Yeah but it’s weird talking about it with… an old guy like you…”
Bard nearly choked and muttered a very offended “nice.”
“I can talk and you can just listen. If that makes you less uncomfortable.”
He held back the little brat that was dying to escape his lips.
“Alright. But to answer your question we’ve done… touching, that’s all.”
“Good. Then lots of foreplay would be my advice. But nothing that makes you uncomfortable, nothing he forces you to do — or that you force him to do. Forget everything you’ve seen in porn. The key is patience, communication, tenderness, consent. Remember you have the right to say no, to say yes, then no, to change your mind. As for the pain… unfortunately… even with a lot of gentleness it still hurts a little the first time. You need to take all the time you need. Even if it’s very long, even if you do it in several steps… it doesn’t matter. You have all the time in the world.”
He turned the wheel, entering the supermarket parking lot, and looked at Legolas who had not answered.
“Shall we?”
Legolas grabbed the bags from the back seat.
“Yeah.”
Bard got out of the car, took a cart, and pushed it inside, with Legolas close behind him.
The Market Halls were lively as always on Saturdays. Families passed by with full carts, checkout scanners beeped regularly, and the smell of warm bread drifted from the bakery.
Bard opened the list on his phone and scanned it quickly.
They started in the fresh products aisle. Bard grabbed two bottles of milk and placed them in the cart. Then a carton of eggs. In the dairy section he picked several packs of yogurt — everyone had their favorites.
They passed the fruit and vegetable section without stopping: Greenwood’s garden provided more than enough. At the butcher’s counter Bard chose two beautiful cuts of beef, some duck, and several chicken cutlets. At the fish counter he asked for two salmon fillets, trout, and a piece of sea bass. Then they added butter, cheese, flour, rice, and a few cans.
They reached the hygiene aisle. Bard let Legolas choose a shower gel, smelling the different scents, then grabbed the toothpaste that he and Thranduil both used. His gaze drifted toward the condoms and lubricants, neatly lined up. He turned toward Legolas.
“You…?”
He pointed quickly at them. Legolas raised an eyebrow.
“I’m a virgin. Haldir too.”
“For a first time it’s more comfortable… this too.” He nodded toward the lubricants.
Legolas looked at the shelf for a moment, then back at him.
“Did you use them with my father?”
“No. But we’re old.”
The jab had no effect.
“Do you recommend them?”
Bard nodded. While Legolas read the labels, Bard stepped away to give him some privacy. When he came back, two small boxes had discreetly appeared at the bottom of the cart. They checked out and left with their bags.
In the parking lot Bard opened the trunk and began putting the groceries away. Taking advantage of the moment when his back was turned, Legolas discreetly retrieved the condoms and lubricant and slipped them into the inside pocket of his jacket.
When they returned to Greenwood, Bard carried the bags inside without noticing anything. Legolas quickly checked that Thranduil was not in the entrance hall, closed his jacket, and walked into the house as if nothing had happened.
The rest of the day passed without incident. The groceries were put away, lunch was quickly prepared from what they had bought, and then everyone returned to their own activities. Bain disappeared into his room with his computer. Legolas spent some time outside in the park before coming back in with a strangely calm demeanor, as if he had been thinking a lot.
Bard spent most of the afternoon in the garden. But from time to time, despite himself, he thought back to the conversation in the car. Legolas’s flushed face. His hesitation. His questions. He had found it… touching. A little worrying too. And frankly strange to find himself in the position of giving that kind of advice.
Evening arrived sooner than he expected.
Dinner was simple: fish bought that morning, sautéed potatoes, and salad. The kitchen still smelled of garlic and butter when they sat down. The conversation stayed light for a while. Bain talked about a new video game he desperately wanted. Bard commented on the upcoming elections. Thranduil mentioned a meeting scheduled for the following week.
Then, near the end of the meal, Legolas — who had been quiet until then — looked up. He seemed… slightly tense.
“Can I go to Haldir’s tonight?”
Bard lifted his eyes from his plate. The timing was… interesting. Thranduil replied without suspicion.
“Tonight?”
“Yes.”
Legolas tried to sound casual.
“He’s alone at home. I finished my homework and it’s Saturday.”
A small pause. Then he added quickly:
“Could you drive me there? His parents will bring me back tomorrow.”
Bard lowered his eyes toward his glass to hide the smile threatening to appear. Thranduil nodded.
“Very well.”
Legolas relaxed instantly. Bard, meanwhile, stayed silent. He now knew the context. And the idea forming in his mind was… fairly obvious.
After dinner Legolas quickly went upstairs to grab a jacket. Thranduil picked up his keys. Bard quietly cleared the table while they left. A few minutes later Thranduil’s car left Greenwood’s driveway.
The house fell into an unusual silence.
Bain disappeared upstairs with his headphones on. Bard finished the dishes, turned off the living room lights, and went up to bed.
When Thranduil returned about forty minutes later, the house was in darkness. The front door closed softly.
Upstairs, Bard was already lying in bed beneath the covers, staring at the ceiling in the soft light of the bedside lamp.
The bedroom door opened. Thranduil entered, closed it behind him, and began to undress calmly. He placed his jacket on a chair, removed his shirt with his usual fluid gesture, then ran a hand through his hair as he walked toward the bed. Bard watched him dreaming. But his mind was elsewhere. He was imagining something else. Or rather remembering. Their own first time, in that luxurious hotel. The bath. The nervousness. The sudden urge he’d had to run away. The way Thranduil’s body had resisted him at first… then welcomed him. The memory made him laugh softly. A quiet, fond laugh.
He thought of Legolas, who might be living one of the most important nights of his life. Thranduil immediately looked up.
“What is so amusing?”
Bard shook his head slightly.
“Nothing.”
Thranduil removed his trousers, folded them carefully, and placed them on the chair.
“That was not a laugh about nothing.”
Bard smiled vaguely.
“I was just thinking about something.”
Thranduil approached the bed.
“What sort of thing?”
Bard turned his head toward him, still smiling faintly.
“Nothing important.”
Thranduil narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Bard.”
The tone was calm. But curious. Bard shrugged.
“A silly thought.”
Thranduil stood still for a moment, as if trying to guess. Then he sat down on the bed.
“And that silly thought makes you laugh alone in the dark?”
Bard’s smile widened.
“Apparently.”
Thranduil watched him for another moment. He knew that expression very well. The one Bard made when he knew something… but had absolutely no intention of saying it.
“You’re hiding something from me.”
Bard shook his head.
“No.”
“Yes.”
Bard stifled another laugh and ran a hand over his face.
“I promise it’s nothing.”
Thranduil remained silent. He studied Bard for several more seconds. Then slowly he turned off the bedside lamp. The room fell into darkness. He lay down beside him. But before closing his eyes, he murmured:
“I will find out eventually.”
Bard smiled in the dark. But he did not answer. He intended to keep Legolas’s secret.
Challenge by @monthlywritingchallenges
