Trust by Zhie
Summary: Elrohir makes a mistake.
Categories: Stories of Arda > Extras Characters: Arwen, Elladan, Elrohir, Lindir
Awards: None
Challenge: None
Genre: Dramatic, Romantic
Special Collection: None
Challenges:
Series: None
Chapters: 1 Completed: Yes Word count: 2264 Read: 2062 Published: August 17 2008 Updated: August 17 2008
Story Notes:
Notes: I think in the past I've done every taboo *except* twincest, so hopefully, I didn't botch it up! Merry Christmas, Suemichave, hope you enjoy this!
Beta: Nuinzilien
I... totally forgot I wrote this. Huh. Ah, well, happens I guess. Written for SeSa.

1. Complete by Zhie

Complete by Zhie
“I trusted you.”

“I know, but—“

Elladan stretched and stood as tall as he could, which raised him hardly more than his brother’s height. “I. Trusted. You.”

“But—“

One long, elegant finger rose up, level with Elrohir’s nose. “You swore to tell no one. You betrayed my trust. There is no ‘but’ for that. No excuse!” Turning without further discussion, Elladan left the courtyard and swiftly went back inside of the house.

The only witness to the event let out a low whistle and shook his head. “I have little desire to be in your position right now,” said Lindir. Elladan was usually quite serene, and tended to be the calmer of Elrond’s twin sons. However, once sparked, his wrath was known to leave Elves twice his age or more quivering in their boots.

“It was only Arwen, and all I told her was—“

Lindir raised his hands, palms facing his friend. “Elrohir, whatever it was, it was obviously not meant for the general public, if your sister was not to know.”

Elrohir growled slightly, but did not argue. “He is going to be in one of his moods this evening, I just know it. Then, of course, I will have to explain things to father, which will make matters worse. I may as well gather my gear and stake out a nice spot in the woods for the night.”

The minstrel rolled his eyes. “Before you put the time and effort into that, why not simply go to your brother and apologize?”

“Obviously you missed his reaction mere moments ago.”

“It was actually quite clear to me. What I also noticed was your lack of accountability. You tried twice to offer an excuse, instead of humbling yourself and taking responsibility for your actions.”

Elrohir gave Lindir an odd look. “Stop that. You are far too young to offer advice that sounds like it is coming from my father or Glorfindel.”

“And you are far too old to fall back on the ‘I shall just run away and hide’ solution.”

---

Deciding that Lindir indeed had a point, Elrohir swallowed his pride, wandered the gardens for a few hours to allow some of the steam to cool, and then went in search of his brother. In the halls on his way to their room, he passed his sister, who gave him a secretive little grin. He barely offered a smile as he passed.

“What happened to you?” she asked as he walked by.

“Our brother,” he answered curtly, still continuing down the corridor.

Arwen’s grin widened. “Why are you so sour, then?”

Elrohir doubled back, looking warily down to the end of the hall each way. “Arwen, you cannot talk about that out loud. Someone might hear you. In fact, that thing I told you? It is a really, really private sort of secret that you cannot tell anyone else.”

One of her delicate eyebrows arched up, in a most eerie imitation of their father. “Did Elladan tell you not to tell anyone?”

“Maybe.”

Arwen frowned. “Well... tell him I would have figured it out sooner or later anyhow. In fact, I was already suspecting before you told me.”

“I doubt telling him that will make him much happier. Please keep it to yourself, Arwen. I was just so excited that I had to tell someone!”

“Is that the excuse you used that made him so mad he stomped right past me earlier as if I was not there?” she pondered.

Elrohir cringed. “It would have been, but he never gave me the chance to finish.”

As she gave her brother a shove in the direction he had been going, Arwen said, “I heard him slam the door of your room, and have seen neither hide nor hair since. As for your little secret...” Arwen pantomimed locking her lips and handing her brother the key before she drifted around the corner.

---

Once he was standing outside of the door to the room he shared with his brother, Elrohir took a deep breath. He was trying to formulate in his head exactly what to say, for humility was not his strong suit. As he softly mumbled his way through his planned speech, he heard Elladan shout, “I know you are out there. If you are going to come in, do so. If not, then go away. Stop muttering to the door; it is annoying.”

Meekly, Elrohir turned the knob and peeked inside. Only a few candles were lit, and Elladan was sitting on his bed, brooding. Elrohir’s shoulders slumped as he took note of the fact that their beds had been shoved haphazardly apart, with enough space to fit an entire bed between both of theirs. A few days prior, they had giddily shoved the beds together and stuffed a blanket between the two mattresses to make one huge surface for them to sleep on. Elrohir smiled slightly at the memory.

“Are you going to stand their all night, or are you coming in?” demanded Elladan.

Elrohir shut the door behind him. “I am sorry.”

Elladan narrowed his eyes. “For what?”

“You know for what,” shot Elrohir back.

“Are you sorry you made me upset, or are you actually sorry you did what you did to make me upset?”

“Is that a trick question or something?”

“You tell me.”

Elrohir walked to his bed and plopped down, facing Elladan over the large gap now between them. “I never meant to hurt you. I was just so... excited. And before you interrupt me again,” he said quickly as Elladan started to open his mouth, “no, I know, that is not an excuse, but it is my reason, and you should at least hear me out. I was excited – ecstatic!”

“But did you have to tell our sister?”

“Who else was I supposed to tell?” wondered Elrohir. “I always expected I was going to share the details of my first romance with my best friend – you! Well, in a way, we did, but it seemed a little odd for me to seek you out and say, ‘Guess what? I kissed someone for the first time, and not like you kiss your family and friends, but a real kiss, the wonderful sort that makes you... oh, wait, you were there’.”

“That makes you what?” pressed Elladan.

Elrohir shrugged. “Why do you care? You are still sore with me.”

“And I will continue to be sore if you do not tell me what it makes you,” he promised.

Now Elrohir looked away. “I told her it was the sort that makes you... know how much you are meant to be together. The sort of kiss you want to know for all eternity; the sort of feeling you want to have forever.”

“I suppose she was bound to find out eventually anyway,” conceded Elladan.

Taking a chance, Elrohir piped up with, “She said as much herself. She was already suspecting.”

Elladan rubbed his forehead. “Hmm. Well, she is our sister. I guess I would be disappointed if she did not figure it out.”

“Does that mean you forgive me?” asked Elrohir.

A shrug. “I guess.”

Elrohir looked hopeful. “Does this mean we can push the beds back together again?”

“No.” Elladan sat up and swung his legs over the side of his bed. “We should get to the hall before we are late for dinner.

“Oh. Alright.” Elrohir stood up as well and followed Elladan out of the room.

---

Dinner was awkward for Elrohir, who was caught sitting between his brother and sister. It was not that the conversation was absent or even stilted. In fact, Arwen and Elladan were chatting and joking as if the one had not shunned the other mere hours before. That was what was so hard for Elrohir, who spent dinner pushing food around his plate and wondering if the best thing that had ever happened to him had suddenly come to an end.

Across the table, his father twice asked if he was feeling unwell, prompting two negative responses from Elrohir. When he realized that the only way that he was going to be able to get his father to stop scrutinizing him was to pretend nothing was wrong, Elrohir made an attempt to eat something. It was as he was lifting up a mouthful of carrots that something suddenly touched his thigh, making him jerk his knee up.

“Is something wrong, Elrohir?” questioned Celebrķan.

Elrohir shook his head vigorously. “Just a leg spasm from all of the riding I have been doing lately.”

“Perhaps your father can mix up something to take care of that,” suggested Celebrķan as Elrohir felt something on his thigh again, lowering much slower than it had the first time. Elrohir nodded, his eyes locked on the food on his plate as he felt Elladan slide his hand along his thigh under the tablecloth.

Elrond cleared his throat and shook his head. “I wish you would tell me about these things when they happen so that they can be taken care of immediately. That goes double for your brother.”

Elladan grinned, still eating with the hand not occupied beneath the table. “Oh, I am fine.”

Looking from one of his sons to the other, Elrond gave Elladan the same sort of look Elrohir received earlier from Arwen. “No doubt.”

“Actually, may I be excused?” It almost came out as a squeak from Elrohir as Elladan’s hand squeezed his knee. “I think I am going to try to sleep it off.”

“Alright,” said Celebrian. “If you have trouble sleeping, though, promise you will have your father make you a sedative or something.”

With a nod, Elrohir stood up as Elladan did the same. “Please excuse me as well,” said Elladan. “I want to be sure Elrohir makes it back to the room alright.”

Elrohir was torn between expressing his desire to be left alone and still wanting the companionship of his brother. His indecisiveness made him wait overlong, and he found himself being led away from the dining room and back to their private room a few doors down the hall. Once there, Elladan pushed the door open. It was closed after Elrohir entered.

Elrohir sat down on his bed with a sigh as Elladan started to light a few candles. “You do not have to light them all. I think I am going to go to bed soon,” said Elrohir.

“Sounds like a good plan to me.” Elladan blew out most of the candles, leaving one which he brought with him to the table beside his bed. He turned down the covers before disappearing behind the curtain of the small changing room.

With a sigh, Elrohir flopped backwards and closed his eyes. Somehow he had hoped that the touches under the table meant that they were going to put aside what had happened earlier and push the beds together again. Now he wondered why Elladan had thought to tease him in such a cruel way. He heard Elladan emerge, and the rustle of the blankets as his brother crawled beneath them.

“Well? What are you waiting for?”

Elrohir grumbled something to himself as he sat up and dragged down the quilt covering his bed. As he tugged on the laces of his shirt, he heard Elladan laugh. “What?”

“What are you doing? Get over here.”

Elrohir looked over his shoulder. “Why?”

“So that we can go to bed. Unless you really want to sleep by yourself.”

“I thought you did not want to push the beds together,” replied Elrohir.

“You are correct.” Lifting the blankets up a bit, Elladan used his other hand to pat the mattress beside him. “We do not need both of them to snuggle together.”

After stripping off his clothes, Elrohir slid into bed with his brother, who promptly let the covers drop so that he could wrap his arms around him. “Are you done being mad at me?” asked Elrohir as Elladan rubbed his hands over his back.

“Mmnnhmm...” Elladan nuzzled his nose against the crook of Elrohir’s neck. “For now. Until the next time you do or say something you should not. Of course, now that you know how crazy I am about you, I suppose you have that advantage.”

Elrohir groaned and ran his hands along Elladan’s arms. “Wait, I was the one who poured his heart out. How should I know how you feel?”

“What do you see when you look in the mirror?” asked Elladan as brought up one hand and spat in it. He lowered it back down again, and used it to stroke both of them at the same time.

Soft panting came from Elrohir, whose eyelids were drooping. “A... a reflection.”

“And when you look at me?”

“The... the same, I guess,” answered Elrohir.

Elladan moved his hand faster, making little grunting noises himself. “So, how do you think I feel about you?”

“The... the... ooohh... the same... as me?” Elrohir guessed.

“Yes, my love, the same as you. Forever and always.”

They forgot what it was they had disagreed about earlier; they forgot there had been any sort of argument at all. The flame of the single candle burned low as they shared the bed and their bodies, merging as one as they always knew they had been. As the wick burned out and the room went dark, the pair fell into slumber, limbs entangled, smiles on their lips, just as it always should have been; just as it always would be.

**end**
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