“So, I was thinking—“

“You really ought to stop that.”

Glorfindel followed after a smirking Erestor as the latter retrieved a document from one of the junior advisors. The advisor hid a grin behind his hand, while Glorfindel shrugged and stated, “Pay his comments no heed. He knows which of us is the wiser.”

“Have no doubts about that,” agreed Erestor as he tapped a finger at his own breast and then continued on to the next work station. Glorfindel scurried behind him, crossed his arms, and waited for the counselor to turn around. He did so, and gave the warrior a scowl immediately afterwards. “Did you have business here, Lord Glorfindel, or was your only goal to disrupt my staff?”

“I came to offer an invitation to you. It looks as if the Eastern pond is going to freeze over in the next day or two, and I was going to take a walk down there after supper to view the swans before they fly south for the winter, if they have not already. Are you free?”

Erestor shuffled his papers, signed a few, and handed the back to one of his employees, who hesitated in delivering them to Lord Elrond in order to hear the rest of the exchange. “I am free,” said Erestor before shooing the messenger toward the door.

“Splendid. Shall we meet there, or walk together?” Glorfindel’s look was hopeful; it was evident which option he preferred.

“I have business to attend to here that may keep me from dining with the household this evening. It is possible I may even be late or not come at all. I will meet you there.”

It was the final word on the matter, from the way that Erestor ended the conversation. Glorfindel nodded in earnest, and slipped back into the hallway just before Estel remembered his task, and headed to Lord Elrond’s office with the documents.

He knocked on the door when he arrived, and was beckoned to enter not by the voice of his surrogate father, but that of one of his brothers, though distance cousins was more accurate a description for how they were related. Nonetheless, Elrond had been like his father, and Elladan and Elrohir had taken on the role of older brothers when Estel arrived in the valley. They were both in the office when he entered – Elladan behind the desk and Elrohir in the corner reading a book.

“Why are you sitting in Ada’s chair?” asked Estel as he closed the door behind him.

“It is not for the ears of the other residents, but our father has neglected to take care of himself in the same manner he cares for the rest of the household. Consequently, the ancient one has come down with a cold.” Elladan dipped the quill he was using into the jar of ink once again. “I threatened to tie him down in his bed if he so much as thought about coming down to work. As much as he hates to admit it, I can run things perfectly well without him.”

“And even if Dan does mess up, father’s much too kind to let him know.”

“I can do without your commentary, little brother,” said Elladan, sliding his gaze toward Elrohir. “Everything will be fine. What do you have there, Estel? More work for me?”

Estel handed the documents across the desk. “These are from Erestor. I think they are approvals from the last council meeting, so they only require Ada’s signature.”

Elladan nodded as he took them, setting them on a stack after a quick examination. “Erestor usually sends them over before his signature is dry. Looks like he is falling behind,” teased Elladan.

“Actually, that was my fault. Lord Glorfindel was causing a distraction.”

“I wish the two of them would stop pretending that nothing is going on between them,” muttered Elrohir from behind his book.

Estel gave a questioning look to Elrohir. “What do you mean?”

“The two of them have this game where they keep pretending that Glorfindel is infatuated but Erestor is hardly interested. According to Lindir, he caught them kissing in the Hall of Fire one night after everyone else had gone to bed.”

Elladan set the quill down and regarded Elrohir sternly. “Lindir accounts for half the ale and wine that is consumed in Imladris. You should listen to the rest of the tales he tells. I would wager more than half of them are fabrications.”

“What if Glorfindel and Erestor fit into the other half?” pondered Elrohir.

Before Elladan could counter Elrohir’s question, Estel said, “They are meeting tonight, after dinner. Glorfindel requested that Erestor come with him to look at the swans in the East pond.”

“An invitation to look at swans... you would think they might have come up with a slightly better lie than that.” Elrohir shelved the book he had been reading and came around to perch on the corner of the desk. “I have an idea. We should go and see for ourselves what they are up to this evening.”

“That would be rude,” answered Elladan.

“Perhaps, but it is not as if we are knocking on the door to one of their bedrooms after the other goes in. The pond is communal property. We can all go down there after dinner and see what is really going on.”

“All? Who else are you planning to bring along?” asked Elladan cautiously.

“Just you and I, and Estel, of course. We cannot leave our informant behind,” said Elrohir as he winked at Estel.

Elladan contemplated this. “With father ill, I am responsible for Estel’s well-being. We cannot be out too late. I will not have him catching a cold as well.”

“Yes, Adar,” mocked Elrohir, ruffling his twin’s hair when Elladan sulked. “Do not worry. It will not take long at all to find out what those two have really been up to.”


----


“I thought we were meeting after dinner.”

Glorfindel looked over his shoulder, only slightly surprised to see Erestor standing behind him nearby. “I thought you were going to be late.”

An elegant shrug was given, and Erestor walked down the slope to join his friend on the bench that overlooked the pond. “I finished my work early so that I could join you for dinner. When I went to the hall, you were not there, and the maid kindly advised me that you had taken an early supper in your room instead. Then I went to your room, and you were not there, so here I am.”

“Here you are.” Glorfindel was grinning madly.

Erestor searched the eyes of the other. “What?”

“Nothing.” Glorfindel looked back at the pond, still grinning.

“What?” Erestor sighed. “Fine. I am going back to the house.”

A firm hand took hold of Erestor’s wrist as he tried to leave. “Oh, come now. I am just happy to see you.”

“Is that all?”

“I am happy about what you said.”

“What did I say?” Erestor narrowed his eyes and twisted his wrist away.

“You said you were coming to join ME for dinner.”

Erestor blinked. “I meant, the house.”

“You meant me.”

Erestor sighed. “I meant you.”

“How long is this going to continue, hmm?” Glorfindel put an arm around Erestor and pulled him just a little closer. “I am patient, but how long are you going to put off the inevitable.”

“I just think we should wait to take the next step,” said Erestor, his eyes focused on the waterfall that cascaded down into the pond they were sitting beside.

“That is not what I am talking about. Erestor, I want to sit next to you at breakfast, and not because of a coincidence, but because the staff anticipated our sitting together. I want to call you sweet little names instead of biting my tongue. I want to come home from patrol and pull you into my arms and kiss you breathless.”

“What about what I want?” asked Erestor, though his voice was thin, for he hated to deny Glorfindel the simple things he did.

“What do you want? Name it, Erestor, and I shall do all in my power to make it happen.”

As Erestor opened his mouth to answer the question, both heard voices from not so far away approaching. “That sounds like Elrohir,” he whispered.

“And Elladan.” Glorfindel looked around in panic. “Quick, behind the waterfall!” he hissed. His arm went around Erestor’s waist and forced him up from the bench.

“But we will get wet!” Erestor tugged on the front of Glorfindel’s shirt to stop him. “Maybe we should hide in the trees.”

Close laughter startled Glorfindel, who easily picked Erestor up in his arms. “Shh, this is for your own good!” promised Glorfindel as he carried his secret lover into the water and behind the rushing falls. When they were on the other side, he set a soaked, sputtering counselor back on his feet.

“You ass!” Erestor shoved Glorfindel’s chest in frustration, and slipped on the slimy rocks they were standing on. Glorfindel caught him by the elbows to keep him standing.

Glorfindel chuckled softly. “If you did not insist on keeping this a secret, I would not need to resort to such drastic measures.” He let go of one of Erestor’s elbows and tapped him on the lips with one finger. “Hush, now, they may only be passing by, or they may be hoping to spy on us.”


Elrohir reached the pond first, on the account of sprinting ahead of the other two. “There is no one here.” He frowned with obvious disappointment.

Elladan joined him at the bench that Erestor and Glorfindel had been using earlier. “Were you honestly hoping to see them?”

Still frowning, Elrohir nodded his head. Something on the ground caught his eye, and he looked down to see one of Erestor’s hair combs lying in the grass. His ability to track came in handy as he pointed to the hasty retreat made in the direction of the pond. “I still do hope to see them,” he answered back quietly, waggling his brows at Elladan. Estel joined them, noted the item that Elrohir was tapping his toe at, and smirked.

“I think we should go for a swim,” announced Elrohir as he started to unbuckle his belt.

Estel looked warily at the water. “The swans might not like that much.”

“As long as we stay on this side, and they stay on that side, we will be fine.” Elrohir pulled his pants down to his boots and started to unfasten his tunic. “Hurry up! The water is going to get cold.”

Elladan looked at Estel and rolled his eyes. “Must we?”

“Last one in is a cave troll!” Elrohir rushed to get his boots off and then ran into the water, splashing it in all directions as he went. The swans at the other end of the pond looked about with some suspicion, but kept on swimming around in their little area.

Estel sat down on the bench and began to untie the laces on his boots as Elladan finally gave in and pulled his shirt over his head. “The water had better not be ice cold!”

The three swam around and splashed about for the better part of an hour, expecting Glorfindel and Erestor to come back at any moment, while the pair behind the waterfall did their best to keep quiet. The swans began to settle in for the night, and the debate on going back to the house was mulled over by the twins and their younger foster brother. “A few more minutes,” insisted Elrohir. “I just have this feeling if we go now we will miss them.”

“Five minutes,” agreed Elladan. “Then we go back. There is no need for us to catch a chill and end up in the state father is in as well.”

Five minutes lingered to six, then to seven, and ten, then to fifteen, and twenty. Nearly another hour was spent lazily relaxing in the pond, mostly on account of the fact every time they made an attempt to leave the water they determined it was too cold and ducked back in. “Can I ask a question?” It was Estel who spoke, just after Elrohir voiced his hope at being able to catch their mentors in a compromising position.

“Sure,” said Elrohir.

“I do not want you to laugh at me, though,” added Estel.

“I cannot promise you that, but, I promise to give you an honest answer.”

Estel sighed. “Never mind, then.”

Elladan swam up beside him. “Ask me, Estel, and ignore him. I promise not to laugh.”

“Oh, alright,” huffed Elrohir. “I promise not to laugh, either.”

Estel seemed uncertain about Elrohir’s promise as he turned to Elladan and asked, “How would they... um... well, they hardly have the right parts for it, do they?”

“What?” Elladan shook his head. “What are you talking about?”

Elrohir chortled, and swallowed his laughter as both Estel and Elladan shot him glares of dissatisfaction. “Sorry. Elladan, he wants to know how Glorfindel and Erestor take care of business.” He waggled his brows again, and realization crossed his brother’s face.

“Everything is very much the same as it would be if one of them was an elleth, with one major difference. The... penis goes somewhere else,” managed Elladan, unable to look directly at Estel. “Everything else, mostly the same.”

“Less foreplay, from what I understand,” said Elrohir, who had joined them. He was standing behind Elladan, very close behind Elladan. “Of course, I only know what I know.” He slid one arm around Elladan’s waist and the other around his chest, pulling himself close against Elladan’s back, with only a thin layer of water between them. “I think we engage in quite a lot of foreplay, actually.”

Elladan sucked in his breath and closed his eyes, then spoke something to Elrohir in Quenya so low that Estel could not hear it, and could only guess by Elrohir’s laughter what it was. Estel found himself blushing at the closeness of the two he had known as his brothers, and the way that Elladan slid his hand up Elrohir’s arm instead of pushing him away. “So... the two of you have tried it?” he heard himself squeak.

“Now and then.” Elrohir grinned as he rested his chin on Elladan’s shoulder as he continued to study Estel. “He likes to keep it secret. He thinks it would cause a scandal.”

“It WILL cause a scandal. I am trying to save father his dignity in this matter.”

“So... Ada does not know, then,” assumed Estel.

“No, he knows.” It was said by both of them at the same time, but only Elladan continued. “He asked us to be discrete. It seems this sort of thing runs in the family.”

“What do you mean?” asked Estel as he watched Elrohir place tiny kisses along Elladan’s neck, unable to take his eyes from the scene.

“He and Uncle Elros were...” Elladan would have finished, but one of Elrohir’s hands dipped below the surface. With a low, needy groan, he spoke again in Quenya, and once again, Elrohir laughed.

“What did he say?” Estel dared to ask, though he had a fairly good idea from what he could understand.

Elrohir smiled. “He said, he thinks we are scaring you, and that we should probably go somewhere private.” Elrohir nipped Elladan’s ear and whispered into it, “Actually, darling, I think he wants to watch.”

Immediately, Estel looked down at the water. His eyes adjusted, and he made out the shapes of Elrohir’s hand wrapped around rigid flesh and muscle, stroking, squeezing at the head, while Elladan breathed faster and faster. “I should go,” he said, still staring into the water.

“Do you like what you see, Estel?” Elrohir’s voice had dropped an octave, sounding more like Elladan. “Do you want to keep watching?”

“I... I should go,” said Estel a little louder, but he kept on staring into the water.

“Do you want to join us, Estel?” The deepening, melodic tone of Elrohir’s voice was mesmerizing, and the motions under the clear water were hypnotic. “We would let you, if you wanted to. We never said anything before because you are so handsome and we have agreed in these last few years we had to wait until you came of age. Now that you are... I am impatient...”

“Do not frighten him, Elrohir,” warned Elladan, still breathless as his brother teased his body.

Elrohir bit Elladan on the tip of his ear again, and then asked Estel, “Am I frightening you?”

“I should go,” was all Estel said. His gaze was still at the movement underwater.

With a smile, Elrohir moved his hand back up around Elladan’s waist. “They say that actions speak louder than words. Shall we put this to the test, hmmm?” He nuzzled his cheek against Elladan’s neck, focusing on his brother now. “I want to take him, but I really want to have you more.”

“Then you should finish what you started, and if he wants to join us...” The rest was in Quenya, too fast and too quiet for Estel. When he looked up, he saw them quickly making their way out of the water. Elladan’s erection was still present as the pair made their way to the bench they had been at earlier. Elrohir kicked aside the piles of clothing while Elladan took up a stance behind the bench with his legs spread. He bent at the waist so he could grasp the top of the bench’s back with both hands.

Elrohir circled behind and dropped down on one knee. He used his hands to part the soft, inviting flesh and used his tongue to caress the velvety opening presented to him.

Unable to see exactly what was going on, and much too curious now to really go back to the house or to stay in the water, Estel climbed ashore, shivering as he trudged through the grass to the bench. He came around as Elrohir was finishing his preparation. “Tastes so good,” he told Estel, and Elladan shuddered. “Maybe next time, you can try it, but he is simply aching for this so I hate to make him wait any longer.” Elrohir entered his brother in one swift stroke, and Elladan tightened his hold on the bench as Elrohir grasped his hips. “Do you just want to watch, or did you plan to join us?”

“I should...” Estel had no idea why he was insisting he leave, when it was evident that they would have told him to go if they had not wanted him there. Instead, he nodded and asked, “How?” It seemed like a dream, but the sights and feelings were much too real for that.

“Kneel on the bench, in front of Elladan.” Elrohir waited until Estel did as he was instructed to, and then said, “Move closer to him. Yes, a little closer.”

When Estel was aligned where Elrohir wanted him, the younger twin whispered something to the elder, and Elladan opened his eyes slightly, licked his lips, and stretched forward to take Estel into his mouth. The young man cried out to Elbereth and took a firm hold on Elladan’s shoulders.

Unknown to the trio on the bench, they were being spied upon. Through some breaks in the rushing water, Glorfindel and Erestor witnessed the entire scene, their Elven eyes catching every detail. “I certainly wish we were engaged in that,” mumbled Glorfindel from where he stood just behind Erestor.

“You want us to be out there, doing that with the three of them?” asked Erestor, mortified at the suggestion.

Glorfindel chuckled. “I wish we were partaking in that same sort of pleasure, not that we were with them. In fact, since it seems we are to be stuck back here for quite some time, we should really make the best of it,” he said as he reached around and started to untie the sash at Erestor’s waist.

“What, here?”

“We can go use one of the other benches if you prefer, but then I fear we might be seen.” Glorfindel continued to undress his lover, and as he nuzzled Erestor’s neck, he added, “Promise you shall never tell Elrond how aroused I became watching his sons like this.”

“I think your secret will be safe,” said Erestor as he took hold of Glorfindel’s hand and placed it over the bulge of his erection. “I never would have guessed...”

“Obviously, we are not the only ones keeping secrets.” Glorfindel made sure to deposit the clothing he was divesting from Erestor onto a ledge behind the falls so that nothing was lost. Waterlogged boots and drenched trousers were removed as they spent half the time removing clothing and the other half groping and caressing.

With the last of the clothing gone, Glorfindel pulled Erestor close and kissed him full on the mouth. There was no stop now to the movement of their hands, touching slippery flesh. They pressed together as close as they could, barely remembering that they were not quite alone.

Glorfindel paused a moment to lift Erestor onto a rocky shelf behind the falls. The warrior’s blond tresses were still damp and appeared darker than normal. The moisture caused them to curl up, leaving it looking shorter and it brushed against Erestor’s bare shoulders as he leaned in to kiss him again. Erestor’s dark mane appeared black and was thick and clung to his back and hips. He pushed Glorfindel away, receiving a pout. “What?”

“This ledge is not very comfortable.”

“Sorry. Caught in the moment, I am afraid.” Glorfindel lifted Erestor back down as easily as he had been picked up, and they continued to kiss and caress, pant and groan, as they wandered precariously close to the pouring water of the falls.


---


It had not taken Estel long to find his release, and he whimpered as Elladan continued to suck until there was no doubt that every last drop was swallowed. The man took residence on the grass and watched his foster brothers movements as they sought their own pleasure. Elrohir was rough, squeezing Elladan’s rear, pulling his head back by his hair, and biting into the soft flesh of Elladan’s neck and shoulders. Though Estel worried that Elrohir was causing harm, Elladan begged between breaths, unconsciously varying between Sindarin and Quenya and at times, even Noldorin and Westron. A very intense plea came as Elladan’s knees started shaking, and Elrohir said, “Yes, I think you should come now, darling,” as he reached one hand down and began to stroke the firm length between Elladan’s legs.

“You can make him wait like that?” asked Estel as only a few seconds later he watched a stream of silver hit the wooden bench.

“Mmm... he likes that, too,” said Elrohir, and Elladan nodded weakly in case there was any doubt. Elrohir thrust hard thrice more, and gritted his teeth as he released as well. “I think,” he said as he eased back from his barely older brother, “we should take another quick swim before we head back.”

“Very quick,” said Elladan, voicing his concern over the temperature of the water. After he took a minute for the wobble in his legs to subside, Elladan led the way back to the edge of the water. He paused and placed one hand on a shoulder of each of the other two. “Look, Elrohir, you got your wish,” he called out, loud enough for the pair in the water to hear them even with the rushing of the falls.

Erestor jumped right where he stood, and with wide eyes tried to leap back into the hidden alcove. With Glorfindel’s arms still wrapped around him, the task was impossible and cause Glorfindel to lose his footing. They both slipped and fell towards the pond, landing with a splash in water up to their chests, which did very little for sake of modesty when they took note of the trio on the shore.

“Were you spying on us?” asked Elrohir with a grin.

“It was no more than you planned to do to us!” shouted Glorfindel as Erestor buried his face against the warrior’s shoulder. “Will the three of you kindly turn around, you are embarrassing him.”

Before Estel or the peredhel could decide what to do, Erestor looked up at Glorfindel, not mortified, not shy, not even angry. Instead, he was laughing. “I guess this is what we get for sneaking around for five thousand years.”

“What? Five... five thousand?” repeated Elladan, unsure he had heard correctly. “Five thousand years? That is practically forever! And here I thought we were bad hiding things the last hundred,” he said, giving Elrohir a light slap on the back.

“Now what?” asked Glorfindel. “Obviously, I would not dream of revealing your secret to anyone, but this,” he said, motioning between himself and Erestor, “is far too good for any of you to pass up.”

Erestor, still smirking, touched Glorfindel gently on the arm. “We have to stop this. I just realized how insanely frustrating it must be for you.”

Glorfindel blinked in surprise. “Really? I can start calling you sweetheart at breakfast and smooching you in your office and nuzzling you in the Hall of Fire and—“

“Maybe we should ease into it slowly,” suggested Erestor. Glorfindel nodded in agreement, but Elrohir huffed in annoyance. “What? Oh, right, you would rather see us groping and cuddling in public, is that it?”

“No, but now you have such a thing to hold over us,” answered Elrohir. “At least if you kept your secret a secret, then we would all be even.”

“What if we all get it out in the open at the same time?” suggested Glorfindel. “If we do that, everyone is more likely to concentrate on Erestor and I than they are on any of you. Mostly me. Everyone loves a good scandal involving me.”

“Cynasure,” teased Elladan, but he nodded at the idea. “So much revealed at once, so that none of us is weighted down with all of it at a single time. I like the idea.”

Estel raised his hand shakily. “I hate to ask, but would you mind leaving me out of it? I do not really think I want to be part of any scandals.”

There was a mutual agreement from all of them. “You are far too young to be involved in this sort of nonsense,” agreed Erestor. “Besides, if we announce such a thing, Elrond will have all our heads.”

"And both at that,” muttered Elrorhir.

“Now, considering the late hour, and the chill of the air, I believe it is time that we say our farewells so that the three of you can head back to the house,” said Glorfindel sagely.

“What about you and Erestor?” asked Estel as he shivered and hurried to gather up his clothes. “We could wait for you.”

“Erestor and I have business to attend to,” said Glorfindel sternly as he made a shooing motion with his hand. The twins and Estel reluctantly dressed and headed back in the direction of the house, disappearing into the woods.

The pair spent another ten minutes doing nothing, and Erestor finally said, “So... this business we are going to attend to...”

“As soon as they get out of the tree they just climbed and go home,” said Glorfindel, staring at some point in the distance.

Erestor laughed. “Poor Elrohir. He really has his heart set on seeing something.”

“We should go back behind the waterfall,” insisted Glorfindel.

“Most likely, we will accidentally step where they can see us anyhow.” Erestor put his hand on Glorfindel’s cheek to turn his head so that they were looking at each other. “I think we should stay right here so you can prove Elladan right.”

“Then we should really be more visible to them than we will be here.” Glorfindel chuckled as Erestor grabbed his hand and began to lead him to the shore. “Who are you and what have you done with my shy little counselor?”

“Little? Oh, you are in trouble now,” promised Erestor. “Let us hope you have no plans for leading patrols anytime in the near future, for I do not foresee you walking or riding right for at least a week.”

“Oh, you think so, do you?”

“Make it a month!” vowed Erestor as they stumbled on shore and began again in the open where they had left off, much to the delight of Elrohir and the surprise of Estel and Elladan.