1Erke walked down the street of Lunden, making his way through the familiar winding streets, nodding to those that he knew and called out a greeting to him, it was taking him longer than he would like to make his way to the villa, more than a few times he was stopped by people and asked questions about the safety of the city, what would be happening now, would they be at risk again.
It frustrated him, but he knew that their people needed reassurance, and as one of the Reeves of Lunden who was hoping to lead the city, he had to take the time to speak calmly and reassuringly to them, taking the time to explain things to them as he edged his way closer and closer to home.
Finally, he was turning into the grounds of the Villa, nodding to their men he hurried up the steps and into the Villa that both felt familiar and alien to him, after the death of Tryggr in this place it wasn't the warm safe place that it had once been for him, and that made him even angrier at The Arrow and The Leach, those that they had known and trusted, who had betrayed that trust and defiled this place and taken someone important from him. But he wouldn't allow them to win, and he was determined that this place would become home again, that it would become a place of safety and comfort again, that it would be safer than ever before.
There was one thing especially that made this place home for him, and he hoped that it would become even more so. It had been two days since their fight against The Compass, two days of running around the city and sleeping where he could to grab some sleep as they get the damage fixed where it was desperately needed after the fire damage that had been caused to the city, and it had been two days where he had only been able to see Stowe in passing, grabbing a second here and there, a minute if they were lucky as they ran around doing everything that they could to secure the city, help those who had been affected by the attack, and cope with the consequences of the attack, ensuring their places here within the city.
After everything that they had gone through, after finally confessing their feelings to each other in the church he had wanted nothing more than to be with Stowe, to reassure himself of their relationship, that Stowe was ok and just to be with him. He was a little worried that Stowe would reconsider their relationship with time, they had not had time to discuss it or even act upon it, and Erke was well aware of Stowe's religion's view on their types of relationships and how much his religion, his god, meant to Stowe, with their relationship being so new and vulnerable he just wanted to see the other and reassure himself. Part of the worry was eased when he remembered Eivor coming across them in the church and clearly putting two and two together as to why Erke's arm had been around Stowe, while Erke had stammered out his terrible explanation, Stowe had not protested or even looked ashamed.
Erke stepped onto the upper level of the villa, and opened the door to make his way down the familiar hall to where the doors to his and Stowe's rooms were. He had always loved that they were so close together, and now he was hoping that this would help them keep their relationship quiet and allow them all the privacy that they could want when they were at home.
He paused in front of Stowe's door, his back to his own bedroom door, and he reached up to pat down his hair, tugging on his clothing as he hoped to make himself somewhat presentable despite knowing that he must look exhausted, and then after a deep breath of anticipation, he knocked on the door in front of him.
"Come in Erke," Stowe called through the door making Erke chuckle as he opened it and stepped inside.
"How did you know that it was me?" Erke smiled as he stepped into the room.
"Because only you would be knocking at this time…and I have kept awake hoping you would also be back tonight," Stowe smiled shyly at him from where he was sitting up on his bed, his back to the wall and a book in his hands, though he lowered it and placed it to the side, seemingly only having eyes for Erke as the Dane shut the door behind him, and then with a slightly pointed sound locked it.
"I could not wait to get back. How has it been out there?" Erke asked concerned stripping himself of his weapons and placing them by the door next to Stowe's.
"Long, tiring, but everyone seems to be settling, the repairs are going well, and hopefully over the next few weeks everything will be as back to normal as it can be given the circumstances," Stowe smiled a little sadly. "You?"
"Pretty much the same, though I do not have your patience for comforting people, it was wearying, especially when I just wanted to be back home," Erke sighed dropping his cloak over the back of a chair.
"And to me?" Stowe asked the question, but knowing him as well as he did Erke could hear the hopefulness in his voice as he looked up at him with those beautiful dark brown eyes. Relief washed through him at the fact that Stowe was clearly not regretting what they had started, or wanting to step back from it.
"Most of all to you, it was the only thing I could think of, the only thing that I wanted," Erke admitted, crossing the small space between them in the room and seating himself on the bed next to Stowe who shuffled forward as he seated himself so that they were closer. "I was worried that you may have changed your mind," the blond admitted softly.
"Because of my religion?"
"Or because of me,"
"My religion preaches love, it preaches that we were made in god's image, these feelings I have for you can not be sent from the devil, for they are too pure and too full, were one of us a woman these feelings would be welcomed by my religion, I can not think that this love is anything but a blessing from god, a gift for me, especially as you return them. I love you, Erke, I have for years now, and that is not going to change," Stowe smiled softly as he looked at the other, watching with a fluttering heart as adoration and joy swept across Erke's face.
"My Sparrowheart, you have always been so important to me since we met, but in the last few years I could no longer control my feelings for you, it has only been you in my heart," Erke admitted. "I love you,"
"Will you stay the night?" Stowe asked softly.
"I would be more than happy to, I was hoping that you would ask. It has been a long two days since we confessed to each other since I nearly lost you, I have just been aching to be with you," Erke sighed reaching out to stroke Stowe's cheek.
"Your Danish tongue is as sweet and silver as ever," Stowe said, but the blush dusting his cheeks let Erke know just how affected he was by his words.
"Only for you my sweet Sparrowheart," Erke smiled, "may I kiss you, my love?"
"I have…I have only kissed one or two women, and never anyone that I love, I do not…I wish to kiss you, but I worry that you will not find me satisfying," Stowe looked down at his hands.
"The touch of your lips to mine will be the only satisfaction that I need," Erke shook his head cupping Stowe's face in his rough hands, "I would be happy if we were never to kiss, as long as I can be in your life, as long as I can be by your side I will be happy if you are never comfortable doing anything physical that will be perfectly…" Erke made a shocked noise when Stowe leant forward and sealed their lips together.
It was a little awkward for a moment before Erke wrapped an arm around Stowe's waist and cupped the back of his head, tilting him gently until they were at the perfect angle, and then they groaned into each other's mouths as the kiss settled into something that Stowe had heard others speaking about, but had never experienced himself. He had never expected to experience it himself.
He had known that he felt for Erke as more than a brother, as more than a friend, he had also known how Erke's people allowed relationships between men and men, and women and women, but he had not believed that Erke felt that way for him, and so he had contented himself with his friendship.
"Stowe," The way that Erke was looking at him now however left him in no doubt of his feelings. "What are you thinking about?" his Dane asked, smiling in response to the smile Stowe could feel on his face.
"That I am glad Eivor crashed into our life," Stowe chuckled.
"Crashed is the right word, I could be jealous you know," Erke huffed, but his eyes were twinkling.
"I probably shouldn't tell you that he tried flirting with me when we first met then?" Stowe said mischievously, and he felt a shiver of desire going through him when those blue eyes darkened.
"He what?" Erke growled out.
"Winked at me and everything," Stowe snickered.
"He…winked…" Erke started laughing.
"Yup, I am sure that he thought he was being very suave, it was adorable with how bad it was," Stowe laughed.
"Were you tempted?" Erke asked with no judgement in his voice as he reached out to take Stowe's hand, threading their fingers together.
"A little, in the same way, that I was when others have propositioned me over the last few years, but…" Stowe cut himself off with a flush at what he had been about to say.
"But?" Erke tilted his head, and looking at him Stowe knew he would not think him foolish.
"But even though I thought you did not feel for me as I felt for you, I could not bring myself to lay with someone else, it felt as though I was betraying the love that I held for you," Stowe smiled.
"Stowe," The Anglo-Saxon man had never heard his name spoken with some much love, and he leant in at the same time as Erke did, falling into the kiss eagerly, closing his eyes as he sank into the man that he loved, and the kiss he had longed for.
"You do not think me a foolish romantic?" Stowe asked when they parted.
"I think you are amazing and loyal, and utterly unique, and I find myself lucky beyond all the gifts the gods could have given me to have been blessed with your love," Erke smiled.
"Erke," Stowe blushed darkly leaning forward again to kiss Erke, unable to stop now that he was allowed to do so.
"Come, we both need sleep," Erke said reluctantly who knew how long later where they had just sat there exchanging kisses and gentle touches. Standing he gently drew Stowe to his feet and the two of them stripped down to their underclothing before they turned and looked at Stowe's bed, suddenly faced with the reality that they were going to share it in a romantic sense for the first time.
"If we are going to make this a common thing, which I hope that we are, we are going to have to find a way to get a bigger bed for one of us, or both, without anyone asking questions," Stowe snorted.
"I can get the woof that we need and build us both a frame that is large enough for two, and then take apart some mattresses and rebuild them to fit both the beds," Erke said thoughtfully.
"It is good that one of us has a skill in things like that and we do not have to have them made, that would raise unwanted questions," Stowe smiled at him, kneeling on the bed and shuffling over so he was on the furthest side of the bed.
"You have many other skills, my love, your ability to talk around people and calm them down will no doubt come in handy, though hopefully, most people who suspect will look the other way and just allow us to live our lives," Erke climbed onto the bed himself.
They shuffled for a few moments and then Stowe turned onto his side and pressed his back against Erke's strong chest, the Dane slinging his arm over the Anglo-Saxon and holding him against him, more than happy with this position as he moulded his body along the length of his partner fitting them together practically from toe to chest, soaking in the warmth of the other and just being able to hold him like this as he buried his nose into the back of Stowe's neck and breathed in his scent.
"What are you thinking?" Erke asked softly.
"If I tell you it will break the moment," Stowe snorted, a bout of laughter that he could not hold back starting.
"Thinking about Eivor winking at you?" Erke asked, his own laughter forming in response to that of his partner.
"No!" Stowe burst into full laughter now. "I was thinking how grateful I am that Tryggr was horrified by my cleanliness and bullied me into bathing every day with soap as a Dane does instead of as my people do,"
"I would still love you and want to lie with you like this," Erke said through his laughter, "even if you did smell like the rest of your people,"
"It would ruin the moment slightly," Stowe laughed rolling over and curling a little into Erke's chest.
"Just slightly, but it still wouldn't matter," Erke smiled so lovingly at him that Stowe felt as though he were heating up from the inside out.
"I want to spend the rest of my life with you," Stowe admitted into the space between them.
"I want to spend the rest of my life with you as well," Erke smiled. "It will not be easy, and we will have to be as discreet as we can be, but getting to share my life with you will make everything worth it,"
"It will be my version of heaven,"
Erke leaned down and kissed Stowe cupping his face in his hand as he sweetly kissed the man that he loved with all of his heart. The man that he was going to get to spend the rest of his life with, in the city that they loved.
"Morning," Erke heard, and before he was even fully awake a smile lit up his face as he recognised that voice, and his memories of going to sleep with his Sparrowheart in his arms came back to him.
"Good morning," Erke opened his eyes and reached out to brush his thumb along Stowe's cheek. "Have you been awake long?"
"A little while, I couldn't believe that this was true and really happening. I was happy just laying here letting it soak in that this was happening,"
"Such a soft heart," Erke smiled, leaning forward to kiss Stowe's cheek, moving across his face, layering soft kisses over his face, up his nose, and gently kissing one of his eyes.
"Who is the soft heart?" Stowe chuckled before leaning up to catch Erke's lips in his own, thinking that he would never be able to get enough of this even if he lived a hundred lifetimes.
"I never denied it," Erke chuckled when they parted, "though only for you,"
"I would hope so. Come the city is coming alive and we need to be back out in it," Stowe kissed him once before laughingly moving from his bed and Erke's grip as he reached out for him. He moved around the room with Erke washing and dressing for the day, collecting and fitting their various weapons around themselves, ready to face another day in Lunden, settling the city after everything that it had been through.
"Have lunch with me Sparrowheart? Meet at Jane's?" Erke captured Stowe around the waist once they were done.
"That sounds perfect, I will see you there," Stowe reached up and cupped Erke's face for one more kiss before they straightened themselves out and left the room for their day.
"What are you up to, you have your mischievous look on your face?" Stowe asked as he sat down opposite Erke at one of the tables Jane had outside her house.
"I don't have a mischievous face," Erke argued without looking up from the letter he was writing.
"Yes, you do, and are you writing to Eivor?" Stowe squinted at the letter upside down. "Thank you, Jane," he smiled when she came over with a pie for them both.
"Erke stopped by and asked me to make your favourite for you this morning," Jane winked at him, chuckling at the blush that touched his cheeks. "You deserve spoiling, enjoy boys and let me know if you need anything else,"
"She is right, you do deserve spoiling," Erke smiled at him, tangling their legs together under the table.
"Thank you, you must have run here and then run to your area this morning," Stowe smiled cutting the pie in two for them and placing it down in front of them, both of them picking up a fork to dig in.
"It is funny we have done this a hundred times, but it feels so much different today," Erke said after a few moments when they had filled their hungry stomachs with a good portion of the pie.
"It does, it is so much better," Stowe smiled at him, his eyes crinkling as he looked across the table at him. "So, what were you writing to Eivor?" he smirked and Erke snorted into his tankard of ale as he started laughing.
"Oh, I completely forgot that I had a letter, Randvi mentioned it when I got back," Eivor said climbing to his feet and making his way across the room to the small chest Randvi put his letters in for him.
"I am glad to hear that I am more of a distraction than a letter," Tarben rumbled from the bed where he was still sprawled out naked under the furs.
"You are an incredible distraction love," Eivor smiled at his lover making his way back to the bed as he opened the letter, "oh it is from Erke," he said happily.
"From Lunden, yes?" Tarben asked.
"Yes, they are some of the actual friends that I have made along with making an alliance, I will have to take you to visit them I think you will really get o….WHAT!" Eivor shot up out of the more reclined position that he had just taken and read over the line again.
"Is everything ok?" Tarben asked concerned.
"No it isn't! Stowe told Erke that I flirted with him but that was before I had even met Erke and seen the two of them together and…that bastard," Eivor grumbled, finishing reading the letter and realising that Erke had been winding him up. "Fancy a trip to Lunden?" He growled.
"From what you have said of Erke the sight of you two bumping heads is enough to lure me away from my bread oven for a little while," Tarben chuckled.