Well, I decided not to wait and write the second half before putting this out, so here it is. Like I said, it's a very short story, hardly more than a drabble. But that's fine by me, and I hope you'll think so too. ;)

Warnin' ya now. As you can see from the tags, there's a bit of hanky and a smidgeon of panky in this story. However, it is not actual hanky panky, and is merely a contributing factor to, rather than the point of, the story. Nonetheless, I've rated it adult.

If, in the unlikely event you've read my story "In the Presence of a God", you'll recognize the name of Vanir, who's making his debut in this here story.

All characters and locations in this story belong to moi. I ask that you don't use then without my permission. Thank ye kindly. :)

And awaaay we go:

Many might consider the royal palace in Altair to be a very boring place, but Eli had no problems with boring. It let him avoid dealing with problems he'd rather not have to deal with, such as his increasingly suspicious refusal to take a wife and produce an heir. Boring was good. It allowed Eli to spend days following a strict schedule since coming to the palace as a tutor for the prince. Every day he was up at dawn for a run around the palace. Then an hour of meditation. Then breakfast. Another run and meditation until noon, when he walked the same path through the castle from the servants' quarters to the young prince's chambers, where the prince would take a break from his studies of statecraft and learn to use the sword under Eli's guidance. Two hours later Eli would report to the great hall and report to the queen on his progress. Then lunch. Then he would go to the barracks and train with the soldiers to keep his own skills sharp. Then dinner. Then sleep until dawn.

He enjoyed a life without surprises and Altair, a human country with a human queen, was good in this regard. Humans had many flaws, they were not the most dynamic people, actively striving against change whenever possible. It was ideal, or so he'd thought a year previous. Back then he would have said that if he would find himself - with increasing frequency - suddenly dragged into a dark hallway or an empty room and reduced to a spotted puddle by the expert ministrations of an incredibly hunky tiger, he would have laughed. Or at least smiled. Or perhaps just sniffed in contempt. That was before Vanir had come to the palace.

Unlike Eli, Vanir found pleasure in life's mysteries. He loved surprises, none more surprising than the idea that he would be attracted to a cheetah. For as long as anyone could remember, the Tigris and Jubatus Nojin clans had been at war. Their soldiers had standing orders to kill on sight. But when they were together their respective clans ceased to matter to Eli and Vanir. Despite his protests, Eli hardly minded the disruption of his schedule. Some small part of his mind still had thoughts for keeping to it, but that part was quickly overruled as Vanir's powerful jaws clamped around Eli's throat, his long sharp teeth keeping the cheetah in place gently but firmly. He growled lowly, just to drive home who was in charge as his hands found their way into Eli's pants.

A loud purr escaped Eli's throat as he tried in vain to keep a clear head, but as always his brain chose that moment to take a break. With characteristic impatience, Vanir got frustrated trying to free Eli from the cloth prison and finally just used his claws to tear them open. Eli made a note to be angry about that when the tiger wasn't clasping their members together and rubbing them vigorously.

It didn't take long for them to finish. Vanir's touch always ignited a fire in Eli that raged far out of control in a short time, and he had no doubt the same was true for Vanir. As he leaned against the wall, panting heavily and coming down from the dizzying heights of his orgasm, Eli's brain restarted. "You know, we really shouldn't keep doing this."

"Why?" Vanir asked, nuzzling the smaller cat.

Eli closed his eyes and relaxed slightly. "You know why."

"Tell me again."

Eli sniffed in exasperation. "We're consorting with the enemy; the Councils could easily consider this to be high treason. We could be recalled and executed."

"We could ask for sanctuary. Prince adores you. Polemarch likes me. Queen values us. We're good servants. Strong." Vanir's speech was always clipped and short. He didn't like wasting time with unnecessary words.

"Our clans have gone to war over less. Queen Adel won't risk going to war with two separate enemies over us two."

"The churches then. Reine. Matenryu. Shiinae."

"It won't work. We're honorbound to Tonneau's church. Our first duty is to Tonneau, and Tonneau's first law is that family and clan come before self. The needs of the many outweigh those of the few or the one."

"The Councils meddle. Don't have best interests at heart. We're happy. Tonneau happy. We leave. Tonneau understands."

"Leave? Just like that? What about your brother's debt?"

"Already paid off. Stay because I like it here. Stay because of you."

Eli's heart gave a slight flutter at this, but he ignored it.

"What about our duties?"

"Prince doesn't need you. Almost eighteen. Polemarch doesn't need me. Has others. Queen doesn't need us. Good servants, but still just servants. Can leave any time. Travel to lands where Bothar rises. Here she sets. Don't need the dark. Live in the light. No secrets. No hiding."

"I..." Eli tried to think of a reason to say no, even though he hated himself for it. He wasn't afraid to admit, at least to himself if not to anyone else, that he loved Vanir, but he wasn't prepared to just drop everything. He didn't like change, and he hated travelling. His distaste for these things warred heavily with his desire to be with Vanir. Not helping matters was the certainty that if he left without telling them why, his people would follow. They would never willingly accept losing him; he was the most talented warrior they'd seen in generations, the most celebrated soldier they'd ever produced, so much so that he'd been chosen to carry the Blood-Red Sword when he was younger. And they certainly wouldn't tolerate losing him to a Tigris. They'd rather see him dead.

"I need to go." Eli said finally. Pushing away Vanir, steadfastly ignoring the disappointed look on his face, he left the room, probably going back to his quarters to change into an undamaged pair of pants.

====

"That was pathetic." Vanir sighed heavily and returned his softening member to his pants as his younger brother materialized beside him. "I mean, I've seen you bomb out something fierce before, Brother, but that was just brutal." Felnir said with his typical lack of tact, making Vanir wonder - not for the first time - whether he'd raised the boy right. Though they were separated by a divide of over seventy years, Vanir and Felnir had always been close. Vanir had done most of the work in raising Felnir; their mother died in battle not long after Felnir was born and their father Kalnir had been too consumed by grief. Vanir had supported Felnir's ambition to study magic when no one else would. Where the Tigris were concerned it was not a particularly glamorous career path to begin with and the delinquency of a famous member of House Ak heavily contributed to House Ir's prejudice against mages. But Vanir had faith in Felnir and his encouragement paid off when Felnir not only became a full-fledged mage, but impressed the Nephrite, the head of the magical community, enough to offer him a job.

"Why are you here?" Vanir asked, scowling. Felnir spent most of his time travelling because of his work as a mediator, only rarely stopping by to visit his older brother. He'd only visited Vanir in Altair once before, three months previously.

"He wants you to return home." Felnir didn't have to elaborate on who 'he' was. Even from half way across the continent their father's words and actions carried weight with the brothers. He was an extremely rigid and inflexible person who saw his sons as disappointments for not living up to his ideals, an attitude that had not endeared him to either of them even as it drove them to greater and greater heights in an attempt to please him. "He wants to speak with you about the marriage you agreed to arrange."

Vanir stepped away from the wall he'd been leaning on and walked down the hall, following the convoluted path towards the Polemarch's offices. The prince's rooms were on entirely the other side of the castle, meaning he and Eli rarely interacted in the course of their normal duties. Good for keeping a secret. Trying for keeping a relationship, but they made it work. "Told him after my term. He agreed. Term's not done."

"He says that oaths made to humans hold no meaning and that you can walk away at any time." Felnir said falling into step behind him.

Vanir mulled this over for a bit, wondering if his devotion to his father could outweigh his love of Eli. "If I could convince Eli to leave, if I left with him. Went far away. To the lands where Bothar rises...what would you do?"

Felnir chuffed a laugh at the question. "You know as well as I do that I would support you, Brother. Personally I don't know what you see in that...cheetah," Felnir said the word with a grimace like he'd eaten something disgusting. One of his few faults was that he bought into the anti-Jubatus propoganda the Elder Council spread, only tolerating Eli's presence for Vanir's sake. "But clearly you love him. If running away makes you happy, it's what I would advise you to do." It didn't go unnoticed by Vanir that his brother had neglected to mention that even accounting for Vanir and Eli's unusual relationship, it was highly unusual for two Nojin to come so far so quickly. A very long lived people, it was common for a Nojin courtship to last years, even decades. The realization that he'd fallen so completely for Eli in less than a year amazed Vanir.

"Father wouldn't like it. Elders Council. House Ir. Carnak. Kamir."

Felnir shrugged. "Let them not like it. Remember what you told me when I left home to study magic with Queen Adel? You said to forge my own path in life, to carve out my own place in the world and in history. In fewer words. Have you ever thought about learning how to speak properly, Brother?"

Vanir ignored that last comment and focused on his own advice. "It will wait. Eli will leave with me. Just needs to think."

"What do you want me to tell Father?"

The two siblings came to a cross in their path and stopped. Vanir turned to his brother and said, "Won't return until term is over. If then. Might be gone by then. Gone with Eli. Don't tell him the last part."

"Just as you say, Brother." Felnir said, chuckling. Taking the left hallway towards the audience chambers, going to pay his respects to his former teacher, the queen, he called over his shoulder, "Goodbye, Brother. I will visit you again on better terms soon."

Vanir watched him leave until he turned the corner and sighed. He turned and took the right hall, towards the barracks and the Polemarch's offices.

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So there you have it. Comments, questions, reviews, critiques, insults. All are welcome, so hit me up in the comments!