Work Text:
It was finally time—three years to the day since when Dean had been abducted on the night before my twentieth birthday. Tonight I was going to get him back, no matter what it took—I’d put too much into finding out where he’d been taken and how to rescue him to let myself fail.
I walked widdershins around the fairy circle nine times, which would allow me to see and hear the denizens within, before spreading the cloth painted with the sigils for the gate spell inside and stepping into its center. The barrier between the worlds was already thin enough tonight to pass through without aid, but the spell would allow me to control where in the fae realm I’d appear and give me a way to return after I’d accomplished my mission. I clutched my brother’s amulet in one hand and concentrated on him as I chanted in Gaelic.
Everything around me disappeared in a blinding swirl of colors, and when my vision cleared I was standing near the edge of a large grove of rowan, ash, and other trees I didn’t recognize, with two full moons overhead and the sounds of a crowd coming from beyond the tree line. I quickly checked that the croonie stone was still around my neck, Ziploc bags of rice still in my pockets, and iron daggers still thrust through my belt before pulling up the hood of my wool cloak and hurrying toward the noise.
Before me was a large gathering of the Fair Folk—pixies, brownies, satyrs, nymphs, leprechauns, gnomes, goblins, undines, selkies, trolls, and of course elves, the aes sidhe themselves—standing in an open meadow with a small city of stone and wood buildings built between, around, and even in the immense trees of the forest behind them. Most were dressed in fantastical costumes of silk, brocade, and velvet and adorned with jewels set in gold or silver, except for a group near the front clad in finely-made hunting garb, all mounted on various types of steeds and many with coursing hounds ranging around them or birds of prey hooded and jessed on their arms. Facing this throng was a tall elven man clad in exquisite finery and an intricate crown on his brow, surrounded by guards, attendants, and a kneeling figure draped in a shimmering silken veil at his feet.
“Greetings, my beloved subjects!” the man proclaimed with widespread arms. “I, King Oberon of the Seelie Court, have assembled you today for a rare hunt indeed. Three months ago, one of my knights brought me a prize captured from the mortal realm—a creature so entrancing that I simply had to make him ours. Thus I present to my court the one I have named Aoibh.”
The kneeling person stood, the veil sliding to the ground, and I gasped along with many of the onlookers. It took me a moment to realize that this Aoibh was in fact my brother because he’d been changed so much. His hair now fell in a sheet of polished bronze past his shoulders, his eyes shone with a verdant gleam in the torchlight, his features displayed an fey, almost angular cast, his ears curled up to delicate points, and a pair of large wings with gold-tipped green feathers sprouted from his back—and he didn’t look any older than the last time I’d seen him. He was wearing only a knee-length embroidered loincloth and gilded sandals, but gold and emeralds shone from his ears, neck, wrists, and ankles and shimmered across his eyelids and lips. The gaze he turned upon Oberon was vacant and adoring.
“Much time and effort has been spent in taming his wild human ways and training him to be the perfect consort,” the fairy king continued. “Tonight I offer Aoibh up to whoever is swift and cunning enough to catch him and strong enough to fend off their rivals. The one who claims him will—”
I walked out of the woods and shouted, “Halt! I challenge your attempt to give this man away, because he belongs to me!”
Oberon frowned as his guards drew their weapons and the croonie-stone grew warm around my neck. “Who is this intruder that interrupts our ceremony?”
I stepped forward and threw back my hood. “I’m Dean’s brother, his flesh and blood kin, and no one is closer to him than I. Our father entrusted me into his care when I was a baby, and Dean has devoted his life to mine. He’s not only my brother but also my parent, best friend, teacher, protector, and much more. My claim on him is true and supersedes yours, which is based solely on trickery and force!”
“Ah, you must be the one called Samuel. Your prior relationship with Aoibh is of no import, because he is no longer the man you called brother.” Oberon placed a hand along the side of Dean’s face and smirked as he leaned into it, but I noticed how my brother’s eyes focused on me, the haze having cleared while I spoke, before his thick lashes swept down to veil them. “In addition, you were more than amply compensated for his acquisition.”
“Do you mean these, that your minion left on my windowsill the night he kidnapped my brother?” I tossed two flawless emeralds the size of bluebird eggs down at his feet. “I never accepted your ‘offer’ because there’s no price anyone can put on what Dean means to me. What you did is still theft regardless of your failed attempt to buy me off, and I want what’s mine back!”
Oberon shrugged indifferently. “As I said, your quibbles mean nothing now. Aoibh has been altered and molded to be the ideal concubine, one who lives solely to please his master or mistress. More pertinently, the ritual has already begun, and if it is not completed and he is not claimed tonight, he will die, and you cannot change that. Thus if you wish your brother to live, this hunt will continue.
“And as I was saying before your impertinent disruption, the one who wins Aoibh will need to mount him under the light of our moons and then place their mark of ownership around his neck to seal their claim, after which he will be bound to them for all eternity. You are welcome to join these fine lords and ladies in vying to capture him and make him yours, though you may only use that which you brought with you—and your mundane technology will not work here.” He gestured at the mounted hunters, his smirk widening.
“Since it seems I don’t have another choice, I accept,” I responded calmly before moving up to join the other so-called suitors.
Oberon turned his attention back to the assembled seekers. “At my signal, Taliesin will play his latest ballad, and Aoibh will have the length of the song to gain a lead. As soon as the last note has been played, you may give pursuit. Good luck, my Wild Hunt!”
He nodded toward another finely dressed elf, who began strumming his harp. Dean immediately dashed into the woods, while we waited through the several verses of a song that under other circumstances I would’ve found hauntingly beautiful. As soon as the bard finished, the others took off at a gallop, accompanied by a chorus of blowing horns, baying hounds, and shouts of encouragement from the onlookers.
I jogged after the pack until I was deep enough into the tree line to not be seen, then veered off to circle around toward the city. Oberon and his cronies assumed that I’d fail because I was on foot and had no hounds, hawks, or hunting gear, but I had an even greater advantage over those faerie nobles—I knew my brother better than anyone else in any realm. Dean was far too canny to do what his captors expected, so I made my way into the city as stealthily as I could and proceeded toward the palace at its center.
Once again, at any other time I would’ve been enthralled by the stunning architecture around me that put Peter Jackson’s versions of Rivendell and Lothlórien to shame, but my sole focus remained on finding my brother. Fortunately the palace was lightly guarded since nearly the entire court was out either watching or participating in the chase, so I slipped inside without notice and headed to the uppermost level, where I presumed the royal personal quarters would be.
A bit of searching soon led me to what appeared to be Oberon’s own suite, and I hurried through the elegantly appointed chambers toward the bedroom. As I suspected, Dean was in there, busy stuffing jewels and other valuables into a large sack. I made a beeline for him and threw my arms around him, hugging him tight and burying my face in his shoulder.
“Sa—Sammy? I can’t believe you’re really here!” he exclaimed once I loosened my grip. “Wait, how the hell are you here? No, forget that for right now—there ain’t time for explanations. We gotta get outta here before those assholes wise up and find us. You do have a way to get back to our world, right?”
I took a moment to study him before responding. He was even more stunning up close—I could see the faint pearlescent sheen to his fair and now scar-free skin and how it made his freckles stand out like copper constellations, the cat-like pupils and enlarged irises in his long-lashed eyes, and the details of the shading and patterning to his emerald wings, as well as detect an alluring scent wafting from him that stirred my blood. My brother had always been ridiculously good-looking, but now he possessed a preternatural beauty that was difficult to look away from.
“Yeah, I’ve got that covered,” I finally replied. “But we can’t just rush off, man! What about what Oberon said, that you’ll die if you’re not . . . well, you know . . . tonight? Is that true?”
“As far as I know, it is—I’m not the first poor sonofabitch he’s done this shit to. If we’re lucky though, that part of the enchantment won’t kick in right away, so maybe Dad or Bobby or Pastor Jim can figure out how to stop it or at least slow it down long enough to find a fix. Even if it does, I’d rather fucking die than let one of those bastards own me,” he stated firmly as he stepped back. “Besides, it ain’t like we’ve got any other options at the moment, since obviously I can’t ask you to do . . . that.”
I caught hold of his hands. “Actually, you can. I meant what I said out there—you’ve always been the most important person in my life, and I’ll do anything to save you, laws or morals be damned.”
“Yeah, but this ain’t just anything, dude! We’re talking ‘bout forcing you to fuck your own brother and then being stuck with me for the rest of your life if we can’t get rid of the damn thing,” he argued.
“If it’s a choice between that or losing you forever, then there’s no contest,” I retorted. “It’s not like this will hurt anyone as long as we both consent, since we’re adults and can’t get each other pregnant. Having you in my life is what I’ve always wanted anyway—I did ask you to come with me to Stanford, remember? And I have to admit . . . I—I’ve wanted you in a . . . um, more than brotherly way for a long time, so the physical part of this claiming business wouldn’t be an issue on my end.”
“Wait, what?” He gaped at me, wide-eyed in shock.
“Dee, I . . . I’ve been in love with you for as long as I can remember, and I’ve wanted to be with you in every way possible for almost as long. This isn’t how I planned to tell you, even assuming I ever wanted you to know, but desperate times and all that,” I admitted, my shoulders hunched. “If how I feel disgusts you, I get it, and we can find a way to break the bond after we get back so you’ll never have to see me again. But we still need to go through with this to save your life long enough to do so.”
Dean stared at me for another moment or two and then laughed. “Goddamn, we’re a pair of dumbasses! Here I’ve been spending the past few years beating myself up for having uh, ‘inappropriate feelings’ for my little brother, not knowing that you’ve been fucked up in the exact same way! Hell, the main reason I didn’t take you up on your offer ‘bout Stanford was I thought you deserved a chance at a normal life without me secretly perving on you—and instead we coulda been together this whole time!’
“So does that mean . . .” I trailed off, feeling equally stupefied.
His response was to grab the sides of my head and yank it down to crush my mouth against his. My lips parted almost involuntarily, allowing him to slip his tongue inside and proceed to do his best to turn my brain into mush. I managed to rally after a bit and gave back as good as I got, and the next minute or so was spent kissing each other hungrily, almost frantically.
“Does that answer your question, college boy?” he shot back with a grin when we finally came up for air.
“Are we actually doing this then? Are you going to let me . . . claim you?” I asked intently.
His gaze turned tender, though no less passionate. “I’ve always been yours, Sammy. This ceremony or whatever ain’t more than icing on the cake.”
He then led me over to the massive bed, where he unselfconsciously dropped his loincloth and kicked off his sandals, climbed up onto the plush mattress, and lay back against the soft pillows clad only in emerald-studded gold. He watched me expectantly until I hastily undressed as well and stretched out beside him. We resumed kissing, slowly and sensuously this time, and let our hands roam ardently over each other’s torso and limbs—including his brightly-hued wings, which were supple to the touch and delightfully sensitive.
I eventually pulled back and propped myself up on an elbow. “Are we really going to um, consummate our relationship in Oberon’s bed?”
Dean smirked. “Can you think of better way to say FU to that smug, controlling douchebag? And ‘consummate,’ really? How many trashy romance novels have you read, bitch?”
“Shuddup, jerk!” I grinned back before rolling on top of him and slotting my stiff cock alongside his.
We began rubbing against each other, gradually at first but soon quickening in pace, both of us leaking enough pre-cum to allow our members to slide together freely. He slipped his fingers between our chests to tug and tweak my nipples while we frotted, and I dropped a hand down not long after to wrap around our shafts and jack them while our hips rolled in sync. It didn’t take long before we shot our loads almost simultaneously with a pair of loud groans.
“I don’t think that’s gonna be enough to satisfy the stupid spell,” he panted while wiping the seed off of our bellies with a corner of the finely woven silk sheets.
“I wasn’t expecting it to, but it took enough of the edge off. I want to enjoy the main act and not rush through it,” I replied as I sat back on my heels between his legs.
I gave him a deep kiss and then ran my fingers down his perineum and around his puckered entrance, smiling at his hum of gratification and noticing that his arousing scent was even stronger. I started to push a finger inside and looked up in surprise. “Did they make you prep yourself before sending you out there?”
He blushed. “No, that’s one of the things that got . . . uh, modified when they changed me into this, so now I get wet down there like a chick when I’m horny. I know, pretty freaky, huh?”
“Well, at the moment it’s convenient—we don’t have to waste time searching for lube. And you have nothing to be ashamed of, by the way, since you had no say in what those bastards did to you.” I kissed him again in reassurance.
Dean returned the kiss and relaxed against the pillows, so I continued inserting my finger into his smooth passage and then pressing it against his prostate. He gasped and arched his back at the sensation, and I added a second finger and began massaging the sensitive gland. He was soon mewling and writhing in pleasure, his channel practically dripping around my fingers, at which point I removed them, lifted his legs up, and slid my thick cock into his eager hole.
“Holy shit, your dick is fucking awesome!” he moaned as I fully sheathed myself inside him. “When did you get so goddamn huge?”
“Do I feel better than that cocksucker Oberon, Dee? I’m going to make you forget he ever laid a hand on you!” I growled possessively while starting to drive into his slick channel with long, firm strokes.
“Ah! No need to worry, ah, ‘bout that, Sammy. Ah, fuck! His goons used uh, toys on me as part, ah ah, of the fucking training, and he, ah, he would watch, but none of ‘em ever, ah, actually had me,” he explained hurriedly between passionate gasps, his inner walls squeezing around my shaft. “They, ah, they wanted me to be ‘untouched’ or something for tonight. Damn, yeah, right there!”
“Good. No one else is ever going to have the chance, because you belong to me!” I responded before snapping my hips forward sharply, not interested in further conversation.
Dean in turn lunged up and flipped us over so that I was now on my back and he was seated over my groin, declaring, “Just ‘cause those asshats changed me don’t make me anyone’s bitch, including yours!”
He then braced his hands over my pectoral muscles and began raising himself up and slamming down on my member, angling his pelvis so that his sweet spot was hit each time he dropped. I reached up to grip his hips and thrust into his taut channel in time with his movements as he proceeded to ride me hard. The room soon echoed with our cries of pleasure and the slapping of flesh against flesh, while moonlight bathed the bed, highlighting the sweaty sheen of his creamy skin and setting his wide eyes aglow with an eldritch radiance.
It felt like we were in our own little world where no one else could intrude and time had no meaning, so I wasn’t sure how long we made love. Eventually though I felt my climax rushing toward me, so I took one hand from my brother’s pelvis to grasp his bobbing cock. He shouted after just a few jerks, his cum spurting onto my chest and his hole clamping around my shaft, and I followed him into orgasm moments later, ejaculating into his heated depths with an equally enthusiastic groan. He fell back to lie against my legs, his wings draped over the sides of the bed, and we both panted heavily as we tried to catch our breaths.
“That . . . that was amazing! There’s still one thing left to do though to complete this ritual,” I said after a couple of minutes, while using the sheets to clean our skins of sweat and seed (and feeling a bit of petty satisfaction at imagining Oberon’s reaction when he found his soiled bedding).
Dean’s full lips twisted bitterly. “You mean putting a fucking collar on me so those shitheads out there know that you own me?”
“Dude, give me more credit than that! Wait right here.” I got up, went over to where I’d dropped my clothes, and pulled his bronze amulet out of my jacket pocket, then turned back to the bed and held it up on its leather cord. “Will this do? The dickwad who took you left this behind with those emeralds on my windowsill that morning.”
“I—I thought they got rid of that with the rest of the stuff I had on me,” he breathed, his eyes filling and lips trembling. “Of course you can put it back on me, Sammy!”
I carefully slipped the cord over his head and settled the amulet against his chest, then gave him a long, deep kiss as the bond between us flared to life. “Now let’s go home, Dee.”