Someone Like You

A little trip back in time to when Solitiaire and Landise first met. Kind of bittersweet, knowing what happens to them later. But I decided they need some happy happy time before I start inflicting hell on them.



Set in Stormwind, before the fall of Quel'Thalas and destruction of the Sunwell.

 

---

 

.someone like you.

 

Landise Noir stood off to the edge of the yard, watching the recruits train at swordplay. As a high ranked paladin whom had ridden beside Uther the Lightbringer himself, the training of  Stormwind guard recruits was none of Landise's concern and usually beneath his notice. But there was one among them who, over the last few months, had piqued his interest. There was the usual majority of human trainees, and a good smattering of dwarves as well. There were even a couple of gnomes, and one exotic looking night elf. But it was the high elf that Landise had come to see.

 

The high elves were part of the Alliance, but tended to keep to themselves. They rarely left their homeland of Quel'Thalas and on the odd occasion that they did, they didn't linger long in foreign lands. But almost a year had passed since the small delegation of Thalassian ambassadors had come to Stormwind in the hopes of bettering the friendship between humans and high elves.

Remarkable as that was, Landise still hadn't paid much heed to the visitors until one in particular was bluntly drawn to his attention. The majority of the ambassadors were happy sitting around in stuffy offices, talking politics from sunrise to sunset. But not this one. It had taken a month or two, but the elf had managed to detach himself from the delegation and join the latest batch of guard recruits.

In the spring Landise had come to hear of this through an old friend, an ex paladin who was now in charge of training the recruits. He and his companions had laughed when they heard the tale of the elf who wanted to be a warrior. In Landise's experience, the prissy Thalassians rarely did anything that would get their hands dirty. Still, he'd been interested enough to go down to the training yard a few days later, and had been pleasantly surprised by what he saw there. So much so, that he'd kept an eye on the elf over the coming months, taking note of his progress.

 

He hadn't been disappointed. It was now late autumn and the elf had become quite the proficient swordsman. He wielded a sword as if it was an extension of his own arm, and moved with a grace his human counterparts could not hope to emulate. If he could fight as well in the field as he did in the practise yard ...

Landise folded his arms, his expression thoughtful. The paladins of The Silver Hand were a very select unit. Applicants had to undergo rigorous tests, both physical and spiritual before being accepted into the order. But they were always on the lookout for promising talents, and this high elf struck Landise as a potential candidate.

 

Late afternoon sunlight beamed down into the yard, reflecting off blunted training swords and the buckles of leather armour. Sweat sheened brows and dampened hair, and the air was filled with the clang and thud of steel and shield. Landise watched for a few minutes longer, then nodded to himself and strode away. He would wait until the elf was alone before approaching him.

 

---

 

Later that night, Landise walked the chilly streets of Oldtown. His destination was the Pig and Whistle tavern, a place favoured by Stormwind's military. He knew for a fact that the elf frequented the tavern, and was certain he would find him there.

Distant thunder rumbled overhead as he pushed open the tavern doors and stepped inside. Heat and noise assaulted him like living beings. A fire blazed in the great hearth, and everyone spoke at the tops of their voices so they might be heard over everyone else. Landise made his way through the crowd, thinking how it was almost like being on the battlefield - step here, turn the body there, pause, slip through an opening. Well, maybe not quite, he grinned to himself. There were decidedly fewer people trying to kill him here.

 

He saw a few familiar faces amidst the throng and shouted greetings to them, but didn't allow himself to be caught up. He was here for one person, and one person alone. It took some time - the tavern was packed to the brim - but eventually he spotted the elf sitting at a table by the far wall. Landise made his way to the bar, ordered two tankards of ale, then shouldered his way back through the crowd.

 

"Evening."

 

The elf looked up in surprise as Landise slammed the tankard down in front of him and pulled up a chair.

 

"Ah, hello." He arched an elegant brow.

 

"You looked lonely." Landise explained and held out a hand. "Landise Noir."

 

The elf hesitated a moment, then took the offered hand in a surprisingly firm grip.

 

"Solitiaire Sundance."

 

"Good to meet you." He leaned back in his chair, lifting the ale to his lips and taking a long swallow. "How're you liking Stormwind?"

 

"It ... different." Solitiaire looked around, a somewhat bemused expression on his face. "Noisy!" He shouted over a sudden burst of robust laughter from somewhere across the room.

 

Landise chuckled in agreement and gestured to the ale he'd set down in front of the elf.

 

"Drink, it's on me." He scratched his short cropped beard then took another swig from his own drink.

 

"Thank you."

 

They sat a while in silence, Landise watching the crowd, Solitiaire gazing into his tankard. Suddenly the elf looked up and spoke;

 

"I do see you today, at practise." He frowned irritably. "Sorry, my Common is bad." Another pause, a shake of the head. "Other days also. Now you are here. Why?"

 

Landise was surprised to learn he'd been spotted. He'd always thought his presence at the yard had gone unnoticed - the elf had never looked at him or acknowledged him in any way. But apparently, the man was more perceptive than he appeared. That was good.

He was also pleased at how Solitiaire had cut straight to the point of what he wanted to say. None of that dancing around the subject that most Thalassians seemed so fond of. Landise had little patience for diplomacy.

 

"Have you thought about what you want to do once you finish your training?" He responded to the elf's question with one of his own. "Any plans?"

 

"Plans? No. Right now I enjoy to do something I am good at."

 

"Would you consider specialising your training to become a paladin?"

 

At that, Solitiaire laughed out loud;

 

"Paladin? No, no." He chuckled again. "No paladin. Too much sin." He grinned, white teeth flashing.

 

Landise had to laugh with him. He could well imagine what kind of sin the elf was talking about. In fact there were a few rumours floating around Stormwind of several ladies who had participated in said sin.

 

"Well, if you change your mind and decide to come into the Light, look me up."

 

"Oh I will." His very blue eyes gleamed.

 

They spent the next few hours together, drinking, talking, laughing, and drinking some more. Landise was more than a little drunk when the tavern closed its doors for the night, leaving him and Solitiaire out on the street. The elf was far from sober himself, standing in the middle of the road with his face turned up to the sky. It had begun to rain while they were inside, and now it was pouring down.

 

"What are you doing?" He had to shout to be heard over the rain.

 

Solitiaire turned to him with a grin, looking like a drowned rat.

 

"This rain!"

 

"Yeah, rain." Landise pulled a face. "Doesn't it rain in Quel'Thalas?"

 

"No like this."

 

"Great. You stay here then and catch your death. I'm going to find somewhere warm and dry." He began to walk away, pausing when Solitiaire grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "It's freezing out here!"

 

"Come." The elf was still smiling. Apparently he was a happy drunk. "My room it is close. We go. I am thirsty ..."

 

The building where he was staying was indeed close, but it took much longer than it should have to arrive there. Solitiaire walked with the slow, exaggerated care of the inebriated, carefully placing each foot as though his life depended on it. When Landise tried to hurry him along he got scolded and called a 'rushing human', then received an impromptu performance of a dwarven drinking song the elf had learned on a visit to Ironforge.

When they finally reached their destination, Landise gazed up at the building with an arched eyebrow. A nondescript Oldtown dive, it definitely wasn't the sort of place he would have expected a Thalassian ambassador to be staying at.

 

"This is it?"

 

Solitiaire shrugged.

 

"If I do want luxury, I go home to Silvermoon. They do give me rooms at the castle. But too many eyes, watching, watching. I do like it here." He ducked into the cover of the doorway and shook his head like a dog after a bath. "Come paladin. We will get dry."

 

 

The room was on the dingy end of the spectrum, with shabby furniture and a slight musty smell in the air. Solitiaire moved about in the darkness, dripping water all over the floor as he turned on a handful of lamps. They filled the room with warm yellow light and created something of an intimate atmosphere. Landise hovered in the doorway, not wanting to track water onto the carpet.

 

"Uh,"

 

Solitiaire was bent at the waist, rummaging in an open chest. He straightened up at the sound of the human's voice, a bottle of dark green glass clutched triumphantly in his hand.

 

"Hm? Oh." He used his free hand to gesture to a doorway across the room. "Bathroom. You do get dry." He studied the paladin critically. "I do not think my clothes fit you. There is a robe inside." Solitiaire pulled the cork out of the bottle with his teeth and began to drink.

 

Landise made his way into the bathroom to dry off, closing the door behind him. He was soaked through, even to his smallclothes, so he stripped everything off and hung them over various objects to dry. Sure enough, there was a red silk robe hanging from the back of the door. Landise dried himself off and towelled his hair as best he could, then slipped into the robe. It was a little tight across the shoulders, but it fell past his knees and covered everything that needed covering.

 

When he emerged from the bathroom, he found Solitiaire curled up in a corner of the couch, happily drinking from his wine bottle. The elf had changed out of his wet clothes and was now dressed in loose cotton pants and a white shirt that looked several sizes too large for him. Only half the buttons were done up and the shirt hung off his slim frame, baring one shoulder.

He looked up and grinned when he saw Landise, and waved around a bottle that matched his own.

"Drink!"

 

"I like the way you think." Landise accepted the bottle with a grin of his own. A small cloud of dust rose from the couch cushions as he dropped onto them with a sigh.

 

Outside the rain pelted against the windows and thunder rumbled across the sky. Solitiaire closed his eyes and leaned back, listening, a soft smile curving his lips.

 

"It is a good night to be curled up in someone's arms, no?" His voice sounded wistful. "Do you have a someone?" He opened one very blue eye and gazed over at Landise.

 

Landise shook his head.

 

"No. Long time bachelor, that's me." He scratched his beard. "What about you? Is there someone special back home?"

 

Solitiaire chuckled, opening both eyes.

 

"Many someone."

 

Landise laughed with him and they clinked their bottles together in toast.

 

"To the ladies of Quel'Thalas."

 

"And to the men." Solitiaire added with a wicked little smile.

 

That made Landise blink. Of course he'd heard the tales that high elf men were intimate with other men, but he'd figured that was more of a racial slur based on their looks than actual fact.

 

"You sleep with other men?" He asked carefully, not wanting to offend the elf.

 

"Of course." That smile was still there - he seemed to be enjoying making Landise uncomfortable. "Man, woman, no difference. Beauty is beauty. Attraction, lust, love, in Quel'Thalas all is accepted."

 

"I see." It was a nice way to think about things. No prejudices or stigmas, just acceptance. "I've never thought about other men like that before. Never even considered it an option."

 

Solitiaire was gazing at him thoughtfully. Landise could almost see the wheels turning in his head. Even so, he was surprised when the elf spoke.

 

"Would you like to?"

 

"Like to what?" He was stalling. He knew exactly what the elf was talking about. He fidgeted uncomfortably, trying to hide the movement behind a swallow of wine.

 

"Think of a man." Solitiaire brushed a lock of wet red hair back behind a pointed ear. "Kiss a man ..."

 

The words brought an unexpected twinge to his groin and he inhaled sharply, holding the breath. He was drunk, he told himself. Drunk as a dwarf at Brewfest. That was why his body was reacting. That was why he wasn't rejecting the idea as outrageous.

Rain drummed against the windows and he found himself slowly leaning forward. Hesitation, doubt. The elf was attractive, yes. With his long hair, youthful features and slender body he was even slightly feminine. But he was still a man. Still --

His mind went blank as Solitiaire closed the distance between them and kissed him. Gentle, undemanding. Confident and sweet with unspoken promise.

 

Solitiaire was the first to pull away, and the expression on his face reminded Landise of a well satisfied cat. He was practically purring.

 

"I have never had a paladin before." He murmured, eyes glowing softly in the dim light.

 

Landise felt light headed. He chuckled nervously, trying to make light of the situation.

 

"Sinning like this, I may not be a paladin for much longer."

 

"This no sin." Solitiaire kissed him again, more firmly this time. He lifted a hand to cradle the side of his face, fingertips playing with the course hairs of his beard. "Not yet."

 

The implications of those few words didn't need to be explained to Landise. He understood well enough and his stomach fluttered with butterflies.

 

"I don't think I could .. I mean, I don't think I could let you --"

 

He fell silent as Solitiaire pressed a finger to his lips. The elf nodded in understanding.

 

"Normally I do top." He said softly. "But I will let you take me."

 

Landise felt his cock twitch in response and his cheeks reddened beneath the tan of his skin. He was embarrassed by how much he realised he wanted this.

 

Solitiaire smiled knowingly and slid off the couch. Shuffling on his knees, he moved so that he was pressed against Landise's leg and reached out a hand for the belt of the silk robe. Landise caught his wrist before he could pull the robe open. The elf didn't move, just looked up at him with those amazing blue eyes.

 

"You do want me to stop?"

 

Landise hesitated. This was his chance to back out. One word and it would all stop. He could write all this off as drunken foolishness and never think of it again. Or ...

Slowly he released his hold on the elf's wrist and let his hands fall away to his sides. Solitiaire smiled and silk whispered softly as it slid over naked skin. Warm hands came to rest on his knees, gently but firmly pushing his legs apart. Solitiaire knelt between them and trailed his fingertips up the inside of Landise's thigh.

 

The paladin shivered and closed his eyes, unable to watch. But not being able to see seemed to intensify his other senses, turning the smallest of touches into something amazing. He felt strong hands kneading the muscles in his legs, slender fingers sliding up the crease of his groin to toy with the patch of dark hair. He felt warm breath wash over his hardness, then the wet heat of lips and tongue. That made Landise open his eyes, and the sight of Solitiaire kneeling there between his legs with his cock in his mouth made him groan out loud.

 

Solitiaire made a pleased sound in his throat that vibrated down the length of him. He wrapped long fingers around the base of him and began to move his head, up and down, excruciatingly slow. Landise found he couldn't just sit there, he had to touch the elf. His hands threaded through long red hair, still wet from the rain. Solitiaire took that for the encouragement it was and moved a little faster, tongue lapping and swirling, leaving no inch untouched. He even used his teeth, gently scraping up the length of Landise's erection.

 

Landise shuddered and his hips jerked forward. One of his roaming hands closed a handful of hair into a fist while the other found one of the elf's long ears. Tentatively he ran his fingers up to the point of the ear, finding the cold metal of several piercings along the way.

 

"Mmm ..." Solitiaire sighed as he came up for air, rubbing his cheek against Landise like a cat marking its scent. His other ear twitched as though seeking a touch of its own.

 

"Do you like that?"

 

"Mmm ..." He sighed again, lifting his head to place a kiss on the tip of Landise's length. "Ear sensitive." When he glanced up, the look on his face was enough to make Landise blush again. He smiled and squeezed his hand. "Tell me what you want."

 

"You." Landise's voice came out husky, almost a croak.

 

"Pardon?"

 

"You. I want you."

 

One last, loving lick, then Solitiaire untangled Landise's hands from his hair and rose from the floor. Landise watched in silence as the elf unbuttoned his shirt and let it slip from his shoulders. His torso was smooth and unmarked, all lean muscle and creamy skin. One of his dusky nipples was pierced with a silver hoop and a thin line of red hair ran from his navel and disappeared inside his pants.

Solitiaire ran his hands down his own body and arched his back, letting Landise get a good look at him. He was, without a doubt, the most beautiful thing Landise had ever seen. With that thought came a moment of doubt. Why would someone like Solitiaire be interested in someone like him? He was getting old - his hair greying, his face lined, his body, though still strong, not what it had once been. And yet, here he was, and there was no denying that Solitiaire was enjoying himself, if the tented cloth at the front of his pants was anything to go by.

 

Keeping his eyes on Landise's face, Solitiaire hooked his thumbs into the waistband of his pants and slowly drew them down over his hips. The garment fell to the floor in a rumpled heap and the elf stepped free, naked body painted gold by the lamp light. Ever graceful, he plucked a small vial from the nearby table then climbed onto Landise's lap, straddling him.

 

"Your hand."

 

Landise brought a hand up between them, not trusting his voice to work properly as Solitiaire kissed his fingers, then smeared them with oil from the vial. The fact that the oil had been so conveniently close to hand was proof enough that this encounter was no accident and that the elf had planned this little seduction from the start, but Landise couldn't bring himself to care. How could he, when it felt so good?

 

"Has been long time." Solitiaire moved closer, so close that he was pressed against Landise's stomach, and guided the paladin's hand behind him, helping him position a finger at his entrance. "Will be tight ... Need," he hesitated over the word and muttered something in Thalassian, apparently struggling to find the right Common term. "Prepare."

 

"Preparation?"

 

"Yes." He squeezed Landise's hand in encouragement then let go and draped his arms over the paladin's broad shoulders. "Yes, now ..."

 

Feeling unsure of himself and totally out of his depth, Landise obeyed the murmured order. Very slowly, he pushed the tip of his finger inside, breath catching in his throat as he reminded himself that soon it would be another part of himself easing past all that tight muscle. Solitiaire held his gaze as he pushed in further, further, taking it slow, letting the elf's body adjust. That vivid blue gaze was overwhelmingly intimate, and Landise's body ached for him.

 

He could feel the hardness of Solitiaire's body rubbing against his own and his free hand came to rest on the elf's thigh, not brave enough to go any further. As though he could read his mind, Solitiaire smiled and planted a kiss on his forehead.

 

"It is okay to touch."

 

"You don't mind?"

 

At that, the elf chuckled.

 

"I want you to." Another laugh. "Silly human, so -- ngh ..." The words died in his mouth as Landise gripped him with a sword callused hand. His fingers dug into the paladin's back and he thrust into that hand, moving the finger inside him. "Mmm, more ..."

 

Completely turned on by the knowledge that he could make the other man moan with a single touch, Landise inserted another finger. He was careful to keep it slow, not wanting to hurt him, though the look on Solitiaire's face was anything but pain. His own body ached to be touched, so he adjusted his grip, taking both their cocks in his hand and grinding them together. His fingers curled and stretched inside Solitiaire, and he must have brushed that special spot deep inside for the elf hissed and threw his head back, baring his slender throat.

Landise couldn't help it, he leaned forward and bit down on that vulnerable pale flesh, teeth closing hard enough to leave a mark. Solitiaire moaned for him, his hands coming up to fist tightly in his hair. His breath was coming fast and ragged, but he managed to speak;

 

"Need you. Now."

 

Landise growled and licked the spot he'd bitten, then looked around for the oil. The elf made a sound of disappointment when he withdrew his fingers, but it changed to one of pleased anticipation when Landise touched his hips and encouraged him to rise up. Solitiaire wiggled into position, letting out a muffled groan as he sank down onto Landise.

 

Slow, agonisingly slow. The tightness of Solitiaire's body closed around him, more sweetly than a hand ever could. When he was as deeply inside Solitiaire as he could go, the elf became still. His eyes were closed, his head tilted back, showing off the graceful curve of his throat. Deep red hair tumbled down his back and the lamp light glinted off his nipple ring.

For a long moment Landise could only sit there and stare at him, completely amazed that this beautiful creature was here with him. Then Solitiaire's eyes opened, and their gazes met.

 

"Are you alright?"

 

"Oh yes." The corners of Solitiaire's eyes crinkled when he smiled. He murmured something in Thalassian and leaned forward so his lips brushed Landise's ear. "You are very big. It feel wonderful ..."

 

The words made Landise bold. He gripped the elf's hips tightly, fingers digging into flesh as his teeth sank into the soft spot where shoulder meets neck. Solitiaire groaned and threw his head back, baring his throat again in a completely submissive gesture that made Landise feel dominant and masculine in a way he'd never felt before. He ducked his head, lips brushing over collar bone and smooth pectoral, seeking the small silver nipple ring. He found the nipple hard and waiting and lapped at it with his tongue, savouring the differences in texture from skin to cold metal.

 

Solitiaire arched his back, his breathing coming harsher than before. Landise could feel the muscles in his thighs flexing and knew the elf wanted to move, but strong hands held him in place. His teeth closed around the silver hoop and tugged on it, earning him a sharp intake of breath. The tight muscles of Solitiaire's body contracted around him, drawing a groan from his throat.

 

He bit down on the smooth flesh around the nipple, taking as much of it between his teeth as he could. Bit him perhaps a little harder than he'd meant to, but long fingers threaded through his hair and pulled, and Solitiaire moaned for him.

 

"Oh yes ... Harder. Mark me, make me yours."

 

Landise obeyed with fervour and when he finally drew back he saw that his teeth had left deep indentations in the other man's flesh. He was about to apologise, for there would be some nasty bruising come morning, but Solitiaire chose that moment to kiss him fiercely, chasing every coherent thought out of his head.

 

The elf began to ride him then. Hands braced on broad shoulders he rose up and down, settling into a smooth rhythm. Landise's hands slid around to cup Solitiaire's arse, squeezing the taut muscles. Eventually he began to move as well, thrusting his hips in time with Solitiaire's movements, driving himself deep inside him. He could feel the pressure building low in his belly and knew that if he kept on like this he wasn't going to last long.

 

Solitiaire seemed able to read his face and body like the pages of a book. He reached between their bodies and grasped his own erection, pumping in time with Landise's thrusts. His eyes closed and his shoulders hunched, head falling forward to rest against the paladin's shoulder. Landise could feel his breath hot on his skin.

 

"Make me yours, paladin ..."

 

The building pressure was too much. It welled inside him until he felt like he was going to explode. One more thrust, another, then he could hold on no longer. He shoved himself deep inside the other man and shouted his release, head thrown back, stars flashing behind closed eyes. He felt his seed filling Solitiaire up, felt the man above him go still, his breathing ragged.

 

"By the Sunwell - nghh!" The fingers of Solitiaire's free hand dug into Landise's shoulder and his whole torso curved back in an arch. His orgasm shot hot onto Landise's abdomen and his inner muscles clenched, making Landise shudder and cling to him tightly, riding the aftershocks.

 

They sat in silence for a time, listening to the rain and the sound of each other's breathing. Solitiaire raised himself up and let Landise ease out of his body, then curled himself more comfortably on his lap, head rested against his heart. Landise's arms wrapped around him as though he'd been made to fit there, and it didn't feel awkward or wrong. It felt good.

 

"Now that," Solitiaire said without raising his head, "is sin."

 

"Really?" Landise lifted a hand to toy with the tip of the elf's long pointed ear. "I was so distracted I didn't notice."

 

The redhead made a sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a purr. His hand idly played with Landise's chest hair, and he could feel the smile against his skin.

 

"Perhaps we try again. This time you do pay attention."

 

Landise chuckled and kissed the top of the elf's head.

 

"I think I've been waiting a very long time to meet someone like you."

 

"Now you find me, what do you do?"

 

A good question. Landise thought about it and realised there was only one answer.

 

"Keep you."