chapter update: Under The Table

[dragonlady7]

Iorveth/Roche, Faengil, meet death sitting

via https://ift.tt/3qvOlwM

I couldn’t think of any warnings for this chapter. it’s Iorveth being tired and feeling old. With a side of Reappearing Trashy (With Love) Romance novels, and Faengil continues to be Baby.

Feel like I’ve posted this snippet before but now it’s part of a whole chapter that’s on AO3. https://archiveofourown.org/works/35008744/chapters/87386494

“What if we say the wrong thing,” Faengil answered, half under his breath. “What if someone says something so offensive we have to respond and then it’s our fault. Why did I insist on coming here? I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing here.”

“Language, darling,” Iorveth said, feigning sharpness, though of course they were speaking Hen Llinge and no one would know the difference. “It’s all right.”

“Don’t call me that,” Faengil grumbled; Iorveth had used a standard endearment and it was precisely the sort of thing a boy Faengil’s age would object to.

Well, vernín. He’d called him vernín, and Vernon Roche, standing a few paces away, had turned his head and was frowning at him. Now that Iorveth considered it, it was just barely plausible that Roche’s personal name was somebody’s misspelling of an overheard Hen Llinge endearment, and he frowned back at Roche as he tried to decide how he could possibly ask him about it. He’d noticed how close the phonemes were before, of course, in bed, and had called Roche by the endearment to be funny, but in the cold light of day it was slightly more jarring.

Roche crossed the intervening several paces. “Did you call me?” he asked.

“No,” Ioveth said. Faengil had relaxed very slightly, and Iorveth realized the boy now considered Roche a comforting presence. What a world this was.

“Oh,” Roche said, and scowled. Iorveth let the awkward moment stretch out, suddenly rather enjoying it. There was just something so delightful about Vernon Roche’s expression of discomfort, when you had him on the back foot. It made any social setting much more entertaining to navigate. (Your picture was not posted)