Thassarian took a deep breath of the fire-scented air and looked out again at the twilight-lit expanse of Andorhal. How long had it been since he had come here? How long had it been since he started trying to reclaim the town for the Alliance? How long had it been since he'd seen his best friend?

"It was yesterday." Came the soft tenor voice out of the darkness.

Thassarian turned slightly to regard the shape melting out of the shadows. Slightly smaller than Thassarian himself, the body was lithe and slim, belying the strength hidden in that small frame. The same black plate armor covered the other as it did Thassarian, remnants of their not so distant past and their claim to the world of what they were, if one didn't notice the rune blades hanging from back sheaths. The only distinguishing feature that set them apart - besides Thassarian's bulkier frame - were the other's long tapering ears. Those marked the other as an elf.

Koltira looked at Thassarian with dispassionate eyes. "You see me every day. Why do you get so depressed?"

Thassarian smiled. "Because I miss you."

Koltira rolled his glowing eyes. "You're such an idiot."

"Ah, but that's one of my best features."

Koltira raised a brow. "Your stupidity?"

Thassarian scowled at Koltira for a moment. It was just like the other death knight to turn their conversation from something that could be decent into a game of insults. Then he saw Koltira's lips twitch into a smile and Thassarian sighed. "Why do you constantly have to insult my intelligence?"

"Because you make it easy." Koltira replied, approaching Thassarian slowly. They stood side by side for a while, staring out at the darkening city and the fires that were now glowing bright like fallen stars.

Thassarian looked at Koltira out of the corner of his eye, studying the elf as he often did when they were alone like this. It had been too long since they had stood here like this, easy in each other's company. They hadn't been together, or alone, since returning from Northrend and going their separate ways. Koltira looked up at Thassarian, his eyes searching the human's face. Thassarian smiled, then leaned down and pressed a kiss to Koltira's lips.

Koltira stiffened as he always did, but is eyes closed slightly and he returned the kiss. He kept it short, though, pulling back from Thassarian and glaring at him. "What if someone sees?"

"What if someone sees?" Thassarian shrugged. "What can any of them do to us?"

"They can't do anything, but I'm pretty sure I'm under surveillance."

"By who? Sylvanas?"

"That's the Dark Lady to you." Koltira spat. Then he sighed. "She isn't pleased that I haven't been able to kick you out of Andorhal. I've been doing what I can to assure here I've got you running scared, but she's not stupid."

Thassarian snorted and folded his arms over his chest. "She's a right bitch, isn't she?"

Koltira scowled again. "That's the last time you get to call my Lady a bitch without blood being shed."

Thassarian held up his hands in surrender. "You know I'm right though."

Koltira's scowl increased in severity as he regarded the human death knight. Then those glowing eyes slid to the side and that pretty face relaxed. "You're not allowed to say it."

Thassarian grinned. "At least to her face."

Koltira looked back at Thassarian and glowed at him. He raised his hand to poke Thassarian in his chest and he said, "If you push me, I will kick your ass. I've done it before, and I can do it again."

"Oh, really?" Thassarian grasped Koltira's hand and pulled him close, their faces dangerously close together. "Because I remember defeating you each time we met, and then someone got himself captured during a certain invasion."

Koltira's cheeks flushed a little bit, but he kept looking in Thassarian's eyes. "I wasn't thinking of those times."

"Oh, you mean when we were in Ebon Hold. That training session."

Koltira didn't answer, but he found Thassarian's chest plate extremely interesting. Thassarian chuckled, a deep laugh that rattled Koltira's bones and made parts of him warm in ways he couldn't describe. Finally, Koltira looked at the human and frowned. "Why do you have to ruin everything I work so hard for?"

Thassarian smiled and gently cupped Koltira's chin between his fingers. He leaned down and pressed their lips together. The kiss was soft and gentle, the two just enjoying the feel of the other. And then Thassarian deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue between Koltira's lips and into his mouth. When he pulled back, he made sure Koltira didn't get too far away. "Because," said Thassarian, "I love making it up to you."

Koltira scoffed. "Which means what, exactly? Do we continue this charade until someone begins to wonder why Andorhal remains contested? Because you know someone will, eventually."

"What, you don't like meeting in secret and pretending to be naughty children just waiting to be caught?"

Koltira snorted softly and shook his head. "Meeting in secret isn't what bothers me. And we aren't naughty children needing a scolding. We're adults. And I'm older than you, remember?"

"Then what is it?" Thassarian asked.

Koltira ran his fingers over Thassarian's jaw, following the strong line until his fingers rested against the human's bloodless lips. "We have this relationship," the elf started, quiet and almost subdued, "but how long do you think it'll really last? We're on two different sides of a war, and even if we steal these moments to be together, someone is going to find out."

"You're afraid of being found out?"

Koltira shook his head. He bowed his head so his forehead touched Thassarian's chest plate. Thassarian watched him, quiet. He held onto Koltira, waiting for the smaller death knight to continue. Koltira had never been good at expressing himself after his death, but Thassarian was patient. Eventually, the elf would find the words he needed. Finally, Koltira looked up at Thassarian and whispered, "I'm afraid of losing you."

Thassarian blinked. There was a tickle in his throat, and the look in Koltira's eyes said that if he so much as giggled, Koltira would gut him where he stood. So Thassarian swallowed the tickle and smiled gently. "You won't lose me. Even if we were separated, I'd look for you until my body rotted away."

Koltira rolled his eyes. "You don't have to be such a sappy romantic."

Thassarian laughed. He pulled Koltira closer, or as close as he could since they were both wearing plate armor. "It's true. If anything happened to you, Koltira, I would do whatever it took to get you back or avenge you. You'd do the same for me, wouldn't you?"

Koltira's lips twitched. "You think I wouldn't?"

"Who knows what goes on in that elf head of yours?"

"If I really wanted to destroy you, I wouldn't be wasting my time with this stupid town. I'm only here because I have to be. Your being here is a perk."

Thassarian smiled. "A perk, huh?"

"A good-looking perk at that."

Before Thassarian could laugh again, Koltira moved to kiss him and he kissed Thassarian hard. Thassarian pulled the smaller death knight as close as he could and returned the kiss. Koltira shivered as he felt warmth rush through his body and he pulled back to pant softly. He tilted his head toward the copse of trees that stood nearby, and as great smile bloomed on the human's face. He followed after Koltira as the elf moved beneath the trees, moving away from Andorhal and the fires lighting the night. They walked in silence together until they reached a clearing that was lit only by the light of the moon and far enough away from Andorhal that no one would come looking for them for a while.

Koltira paused in a puddle of moonlight, staring up at the night sky through the branches. Thassarian leaned against a tree trunk and smiled, watching Koltira's eyes close as the night breeze wafted over both of them. When the elf looked over at him, Thassarian let a lazy, confident smile spread over his face. "I guess you can take the elf out of Quel'Thalas, but you can't take Quel'Thalas out of the elf." Said the human, smirking.

Koltira scowled at him. "Shut up."

Thassarian held out his hand. "Come here."

Slowly, Koltira obeyed, moving closer until he was out of the light and in shadow. Thassarian grasped Koltira's wrist and pulled him close, kissing his ear, then jaw, then his lips. Koltira let out a soft breath at the ghostly touch of Thassarian's lips on his skin and moved his hands to locate the buckles of the human death knight's armor. The heavy black plate slipped off Thassarian's chest, then his shoulders and arms. Thassarian returned the favor, working on removing Koltira's armor until both were still only clad in their black plate pants and boots.

Thassarian ran his fingers over Koltira's neckline, then over his shoulders. Without a word, Koltira did the same, then pulled Thassarian's cloth shirt off to get at the skin beneath. Koltira ran his lips over Thassarian's collar bone, while his hands sought out the buckles to the plate armor on the human's legs. When he found them, the elf pulled back just slightly and then knelt, feeling Thassarian's fingers tangle in his hair. Koltira busied himself with removing Thassarian's armor until he could reach the human's cloth breeches, then took his sweet time untying those laces, letting his fingers brush over Thassarian's clothed need just to tease the human. And it was working, if Thassarian's heavy breathing and sudden tugging on Koltira's hair was any indication.

"Get on with it." Thassarian growled.

Koltira looked up at him and smiled. "Patience is a virtue."

"When it comes to you, I don't have any patience."

"Shame. You should learn to have some." Koltira whispered as he finished the last knot in the lacing and opened those cloth breeches. "They say good things come to those who wait."

Before Thassarian could reply, probably with some smart-ass response, his words changed to a groan as Koltira fished him out of the confines of his clothing and licked just the very tip of his cock. Thassarian gripped Koltira's hair tighter, tugging on the soft strands. Koltira made a sharp noise at that, and glared up at the human. "Would you stop that?!" Koltira growled, tightening his hold briefly on Thassarian's length.

"I would if you'd hurry up," Thassarian panted harshly, "I wouldn't be doing it."

Koltira muttered something pithy under his breath, then took Thassarian into his mouth, pushing down until his nose touched coarse curls. Thassarian let out a groan and moved his hips slightly, pushing himself deeper into Koltira's throat. The elf braces his hands against the human's hips and pulled back, scraping his teeth along Thassarian's length. Koltira teased the tip with his tongue before moving to repeat his actions. Thassarian hissed and sucked in a deep breath through his teeth. His fingers moved to Koltira's ears, lightly stroking the tips abd making the elf groan around his hard flesh, making Thassarian hiss again as the vibrations did terrible things to his self-control.

Koltira pulled back, panting harshly as he stared up at Thassarian. "If you want me to be nice to you, you can't do things like that."

Thassarian grinned down at the smaller death knight. "Maybe I don't want you to be nice to me."

Koltira rolled his eyes, but before he could do anything else, Thassarian was moving to push Koltira down to the ground and pinning him there. Koltira glowered at him, but those glaring eyes soon closed as Thassarian's hands pulled at the buckles and belts to remove Koltira's leg armor. Once that barrier was gone, Thassarian's hand managed to wrap around Koltira's own hardened flesh and gave it a healthy squeeze. Koltira bit his lower lip to keep his whimper from escaping.

"It's been a little while, hasn't it?" Thassarian asked, pressing kisses to Koltira's neck as he stroked the elf.

Koltira muttered something in Thalassian and wrapped his arms around Thassarian's neck. His fingers tangled in the human's hair and tugged as he pulled the man down to kiss him. "Just get on with it. We're going to be missed."

Thassarian chuckled. "What, you don't like spending time with me anymore?"

"Of course I like spending time with you, moron. You're my..." Koltira paused, sucked in a harsh breath as his body tightened slightly, then let it out in a soft hiss. "You're my lover."

"Hah, you said it." Thassarian nibbled on Koltira's ear as he moved his hand between the elf's legs, probing at the pucker of muscle he found there.

"Don't you even start." Koltira's body shivered as he felt Thassarian push his fingers inside him and spread apart to stretch his muscles.

"But it's so cu-Mmmph!" Thassarian found himself quickly muffled by Koltira's mouth on his, the elf forcing his tongue into the human's mouth. Thassarian groaned into Koltira's mouth as he pushed his fingers deeper into the slim body beneath his, scissoring his fingers as he thrust the digits deeper.

Koltira finally pulled back, letting out a low cry as his body suddenly tightened. Thassarian silenced him with a kiss, then removed his fingers and pulled Koltira up so he could position the elf the way he wanted him. Thassarian positioned himself outside that loosened hole and looked into Koltira's eyes as he sheathed himself inside the elf. Koltira's eyes fluttered shut as he was filled, his mouth opening just a little to let out a hiss.

"You're beautiful." Thassarian said quietly, holding tight to Koltira's hips.

"What have I told you about saying inane things?" Koltira panted.

"What makes you think I actually listen to your orders?" Thassarian replied, moving his hips up into Koltira's and starting the rhythm.

Koltira didn't say anything then, pressing his forehead against Thassarian's shoulder as he moved back against the human death knight. Thassarian held tightly to him, moving a little harder each time until the clearing filled with the sounds of flesh slapping against flesh and the sounds of two voices groaning, moaning, and panting.

Koltira sank his teeth into Thassarian's shoulder as his body began to tighten, squeezing the hardness inside him a little more with each thrust. Thassarian tilted his head to nibble at Koltira's ear, making the smaller body shiver and shake and tighten even more. Koltira finally let out a muffled cry that sounded suspiciously like Thassarian's name and he came, his spine arching backwards a little bit just to get his ear away from the human's mouth. Thassarian let out a deep groan as he thrust into Koltira one last time, as deep as he could, and came hard inside his lover.

They stayed locked together for some time, panting harshly against each other's skin. Finally, Thassarian leaned back and let Koltira move off him. Koltira stood on shaky legs for a minute, steadying himself a minute later. He looked at Thassarian as the human death knight got to his feet and stood naked in the clearing, stretching tight muscles.

Koltira rolled his eyes. "Put some clothes on before someone sees."

Thassarian grinned. "Why? Don't like what you see?"

"I don't want to share."

Thassarian laughed and retrieved his underclothes and armor. He stood still as Koltira helped him buckle and strap the pieces of black armor down, then returned the favor to the elf. Thassarian gave Koltira a long, slow kiss, then stepped back. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

Koltira huffed. "Of course you will. We only live on opposite sides of a line in the same war-torn town."

Thassarian chuckled lowly. "Shall we?"

Koltira responded by stepping past him and heading back toward Andorhal. Thassarian smirked and followed after him, going his own way when the town came into view. He paused to watch Koltira vanish into the darkness of the Horde-controlled part of town, and fought down the sudden urge to go after him and keep him from going anywhere. Thassarian shook his head and turned away. They would see each other tomorrow.