“Eleriel is just, so beautiful.”
“Oh, but have you seen her sister?”
“I wish I could see more of her sister!”
“What do you think, Elrohir?” Elladan nudged his brother. “You’re really quiet.”
Elrohir shrugged his shoulders and continued to eat his lunch. He, his brother, and some of their friends were spending the break between classes in the courtyard, watching the officers spar. Across the lawn on the other side of the mock battles, the recruits sat on the grass. They ate their lunches and shouted encouragements to their leaders.
“Elrohir, do you think Eleriel or Mirian is prettier?” The question came from an elf a year younger than the twins. Legolas was forty-four, and had spent the last six years in Rivendell’s school per his father’s request. He now chucked an acorn in Elrohir’s direction, purposely missing him. “What’s wrong with you?” demanded the young prince.
“I just- I don’t know. I really don’t like them,” mumbled Elrohir.
“Well, which girl do you like?” insisted young Lindir.
Elrohir shoved a slice of apple into his mouth as he replied.
“W can’t hear you,” complained Legolas.
“I said... I don’t like girls.”
Lindir chuckled. “Well, eventually you will.”
Uncomfortable silence followed until Elrohir finally corrected the silver-haired lad. “I don’t- I think- I think I like boys.”
“Oh.” Lindir, being the eldest, didn’t have the questioning looks of the others.
“Of course we like boys. They aren’t confusing and fussy like girls. But which girls do you think are pretty?” insisted Legolas.
“I... I think boys are pretty.” Elrohir was staring at the ground now while Legolas continued to question him.
“Boys can’t be pretty. We’re boys. Boys are tough; girls are pretty.” Legolas rolled his eyes when Elrohir refused to look at him on anything.
“Legolas.” Lindir leaned closer to whisper into the prince’s ear. As he did so, Legolas’ eyes got wider and wider.
Elladan gave his twin a questioning look, and found Elrohir staring at the ground, his face flushed red. “Elrohir? What’s wrong?” Elladan thought perhaps he was beginning to understand what his brother meant. Legolas’ outburst confirmed it.
“You’re one of THOSE.” The blond elfling scrambled to sit on the opposite bench, watching Elrohir the whole time. “My Adar says if you get touched by one it passes along. He says it’s UNnatural.”
“You take that back, Legolas Thranduilion! Your father knows nothing!” Elladan pointed a finger accusingly at Legolas’ nose. “He’s my brother, and there’s not one unnatural thing about him!”
“MY father is a KING,” stressed Legolas. “He knows EVERYTHING. Your father is just stupid to have raised an unnatural child.”
The brawl attracted the attention of all of their other classmates, as well as the soldiers in the courtyard. It also caught the attention of an elf who appeared misplaced among the soldiers who were eating. Despite his long robes, Master Erestor made it to the fray in half the time of the other adults.
“Enough!” Erestor yanked the young adults apart, holding Legolas’ shoulder with one hand and Elladan’s with the other. “What is the meaning of this?”
“Legolas called Elrohir unnatural!” growled Elladan.
“My father told me that queer elves are!” defended the prince.
“Your father is an imbecile!” shouted Elladan. The fighting would have begun anew except that Erestor had a firm grasp on each of them.
“Elladan, you were wrong to attack Legolas. Legolas, although that may be your opinion, it is not the opinion of those in this realm.” Erestor loosened his hold. “Now, you will apologize and shake hands.”
“I’m sorry, Legolas,” managed Elladan, casting his eyes down. He really had no desire to hurt his friend.
Legolas sighed. “Sorry,” he ground out. “But I’m not shaking your hand.”
It was Erestor’s turn to roll his eyes. Pivoting on his heel, he called out to those who had been sparring. “Lord Glorfindel! May I have your aid?”
The captain jogged over, handing his sword to one of the recruits before reaching the opposite part of the courtyard. “How may I be of assistance, Headmaster Erestor?”
The schoolteacher smirked at the formality. “It appears that the rumor that if one is touched by one who is sexually – (and here, all of the youths within earshot blushed)- attracted to those of the same gender, the one who was touched will be... afflicted with the same... malady.”
“Really?” Glorfindel shook his head. “Not true,” he said, addressing the young prince. “I have touched all of my recruits many, many times and still they cannot concentrate if a pretty elleth crosses the field.”
“Huh?” Legolas glanced over to Elladan, but the peredhel was just as baffled.
“Headmaster Erestor, your aid?” Glorfindel did not wait for a reply. Instead, he yanked the headmaster closer by the waist, and made a show of publicly kissing him.
-~-~-~-
“Elrohir?” Elladan had been unable to sleep that entire night. “Are you awake?”
“No. Maybe.” Elrohir sighed. “What do you want?”
Scooting to the edge of his bunk, Elladan looked down over the side. Even at forty-five, the pair had still preferred to live in the same rooms, in the same beds they had used since childhood. Elladan had the top and Elrohir had the bottom, so Elladan’s hair was now hanging down, swaying back and forth as he tried to keep his balance. “When did you decide you liked boys?”
“Go to sleep,” whispered Elrohir as he rolled over. He had spent his afternoon in conversation with his parents, and did not like the idea of having the discussion over again with his brother.
Pouting, which didn’t have the same effect upside down, Elladan then disregarded the ladder and leaped down to the ground. He perched himself on the end of the bed. “Come on, Elrohir. We always tell each other everything.”
“But I’m unnatural,” muttered the younger twin.
“No, Legolas is just stupid,” countered Elladan. “Elrohir, you’re my brother. You’re not unnatural.”
“What if I wasn’t your brother. Would I be unnatural then?” questioned Elrohir.
“No.” Elladan shrugged. “I don’t understand it, but if you like it, then... well, I still don’t know why you like boys, but if you do-“
“Elladan, I appreciate your concern, but I just spent my afternoon with Nana and Ada.” Sitting up, Elrohir crossed his arms. “Do you know, I had to listen to Nana say ‘this is just a phase’ about a hundred times?”
“No,” answered Elladan dumbly. “I did not know that.”
Elrohir snorted. “The entire time, Ada just sat there. Just… sat there. If you think it is bad when he yells, you should see him when he has nothing to say.”
“Sorry I just...” Elladan sighed. “I just wanted to understand you. You know? Sorry.”
“You cannot understand me,” ground out Elrohir.
Elladan snorted much in the same way his brother had. “Well, no. If you keep not telling me, I cannot.”
“Fine,” said Elrohir with a huff. “I’ll show you.” Elrohir flung the covers off and motioned for the elder to follow.
-~-~-~-
“We are... being watched,” mumbled Erestor as his outer robe was pushed past his knees. Glorfindel’s hands continued to travel up along his lover’s thighs.
“Mmmhmm,” responded the blond warrior. It was not unusual, now and then, for young Elrohir to sneak into the library to watch them. Since the night six months ago that the youth had been caught in the library after hours browsing the restricted section, there was an unspoken agreement between the three of them.
Neither ellon said anything about Elrohir’s reading habits, and he would say nothing of the pair’s sexual exploits in the sacred archive. A few times now, Elrohir’s curiosity brought him here, behind a tapestry near the door- one with a tear in it that would allow one to watch the goings on in the room without being seen.
Erestor chuckled before letting out a low moan. “He brought a friend,” added the headmaster softly.
“Mmmhmm.” Glorfindel knew immediately that when Elrohir had snuck in, he had brought his brother with him. “I wanted to give you a good, hard fucking on this desk,” growled Glorfindel into Erestor’s ear, causing him to shiver, “but I fear we shall try for something a bit more conventional.”
“The couch, then?” asked the darker elf.
“Mmmhmm.” Glorfindel threaded his fingers into Erestor’s dark locks, pulling him into a ravenous kiss. “There is wine on your lips,” he teased, making the darker elf blush. “You are so beautiful,” he crooned seductively. “So deliciously beautiful.”
“Mmm... make love to me,” begged Erestor, their voices loud enough now to be overheard.
Smiling, the blond nuzzled his prey as he backed Erestor up to where the couch was. Glorfindel picked Erestor up in his arms, only to lay him down upon the soft cushions. “As you command,” answered the golden elf.
Erestor was still as Glorfindel finished undressing him, unbuttoning the long robe he wore beneath his heavy embroidered one. His hands were slow and careful to keep the delicate fabric from being damaged. Each time a bit more flesh was exposed, Glorfindel would bend down and kiss Erestor’s dark skin, beginning with his throat and ending only when his lover’s body was unclothed. Placing a final kiss on Erestor’s thigh, Glorfindel reached his hand behind his lover’s neck and brought him to sit up on the couch. As they kissed deeply, they worked Erestor’s arms out of his sleeves, snickering and shoving playfully at one point when Erestor’s hand got stuck.
Glorfindel stood as soon as Erestor was bared to him and hastily pulled his own shirt over his head. “You beautiful, bewitching creature. You cannot know how many times thoughts of you clouded my head while I sat in council.”
“You are magnificent,” breathed Erestor as Glorfindel’s leggings fell to pool at his feet. Sitting up a little, Erestor tentatively touched the smooth shaft that was hardened with desire. Erestor bring himself up a little further, his tongue slipping out between his lips to tease the tip of his lover’s erection.
Elladan looked on with curiosity. “You’re disgusted, aren’t you?” whispered his brother.
“No,” replied the elder, “I am just very... puzzled.” Elladan had seen more than enough erotic drawings in his young life – they had a number of friends whose fathers had interesting collections of art, hidden but not so well hidden that their sons did not find the occasional painting or sketch. All of the art Elladan had seen had been of one ellon and one (or sometimes more) elleth. ‘So this is what two ellyn looks like’, thought the peredhel.
A high pitched gasping focused Elladan’s attention back to the couch. Erestor was in a position seemingly unfit for one of his stature – the headmaster was bent over the arm of the sofa with his head resting on the cushion. His ass was raised in the air, more so as his back was arched and he stood on his toes. Glorfindel was to the side, giving the twins a marvelous view as he prepared his dark lover, generously dipping his fingers into a glass jar before proceeding with two fingers.
Erestor began to move, setting a slow rhythm of impaling himself back onto Glorfindel’s fingers before easing forward with a low moan.
“Would you like some assistance or do you want me to leave you to your own devices,” Glorfindel slyly answered.
“Oh, in me, Findel,” groaned Erestor wantonly, leaning far forward and stretching like a cat. “Pleeeeease.”
“When you say it like that, how can I refuse?” murmured Glorfindel, managing to kiss the cheek Erestor presented before the dark elf crawled completely onto the couch and rolled upon his back. Leaning forward, Glorfindel planted a kiss on his lover’s other cheeks, continuing to kiss a trail to his ear. “Love you, darling, sweetheart, baby...” The endearments continued in between kisses as Glorfindel blindly grabbed the jar so he could coat his erection.
Behind the tapestry, Elladan clamped his hand over his mouth. “Now you’re disgusted,” muttered Elrohir, his shoulders slumping.
“No...” Elladan watched with wide eyes as Erestor’s legs were lifted, and left in a most vulnerable way, was suddenly impaled by Glorfindel. A squeak was muffled behind Elladan’s hand, and on the couch, a sensuous joining of bodies and souls began. “Elrohir?”
“Now you are disgusted. Disgusted and ashamed, just like Nana and Adar.”
“A Elbereth Gilthoniel,” growled Elladan, a favorite ‘curse’ of their mother, “quit speaking like that.” Elladan tilted his head, watching the pair across the room. “They must love each other more than Nana and Adar do.”
“What? Why do you say that?” scolded Elrohir.
Elladan shrugged. “Nana and Adar can hug and kiss in public all the time. They flirt and dance and everything. But Glorfindel and Erestor- they must hide from everyone, just so others do not feel uncomfortable. Now I know what Erestor meant at dinner the night he and Glorfindel returned from Greenwood. He said they ‘endured the trip, despite separate rooms’. They must really love each other a lot to go through all they must.”
At the couch, unseen by the twins at the moment, the pair paused their lovemaking and Glorfindel was brushing Erestor’s tears away with his thumb. “If he only knew,” whispered the dark elf, “how few understand after so many years what he has discovered in so few minutes. I want to go over and give him a hug right now.”
“Not until we have finished,” smiled Glorfindel. “Unless, you wish to stop now?”
A wicked grin and a thrust of his hips, and Erestor was once more moaning in delight.
“So which do you wish to be?” asked Elladan as once more they spied upon their tutors in the throes of passion.
Bowing his head to avoid Elladan’s gaze as it turned upon him, Elrohir answered, “I envy Erestor. I wish I had someone to love me as Glorfindel loves him. Someone who takes care of me; my lessons have made me more a scholar than a warrior. Besides that, I would want to be... in his... position...”
“I thought as much; you and he are greatly alike.” Elladan was again watching the pair that made love as Elrohir looked up again. “They are beautiful to watch,” he admitted.
“Yes,” agreed Elrohir with less unease than earlier.
“I still like girls,” Elladan informed him without any doubts, “but I see nothing wrong with you liking boys,” he assured his brother.
As Elladan was embraced with such force he and Elrohir tumbled out from behind the tapestry briefly, Glorfindel suppressed a snicker.
“Do not turn around to look, Findel,” warned Erestor through clenched teeth as the twins became more tangled in each other’s limbs as they attempted to stand.
“With such a glorious beauty before me, how could I ever do that?” Glorfindel bent his head, nuzzling Erestor’s neck. Ever so cunningly, he tilted his head slightly to catch a glimpse of the twins scurrying back behind their cover.
“Findel!” scolded Erestor.
“Shh!” Glorfindel nipped at Erestor’s jaw, teasing his lips with kisses. “Hush now; here comes the good part.”
Wrapping his hand around his lover’s shaft, he matched the rhythm of his thrusts. With a loud moan of satisfaction, Erestor felt the warmth that dribbled down Glorfindel’s fingers and dripped onto his stomach and groin. Stroking more gently, Glorfindel leaned back a bit to gain a better position, thrusting deeper and deeper until his muscles tightened and his teeth ground together as his shaft pulsed within his lover’s body.
“You are beautiful,” spoke Glorfindel, beginning the same conversation they always had.
“You are magnificent,” Erestor smiled. “That was the best ever.”
“Better than last time?” asked Glorfindel as he withdrew, knowing the answer already.
“Mmmhmm.” The click of the door closing as the twins quickly escaped caught Erestor’s attention. Their post-orgasm conversation was delayed as Erestor furrowed his brow. “Elrond and Celebrian spoke to him today. I thought Celebrian would have been a bit... more accepting,” Erestor finally decided on as Glorfindel crossed the room to the desk, where a pitcher of water and a cloth on a tray with three glasses had been left.
Glorfindel carried the tray over and set it on the ground, pouring a glass half full before taking the cloth and dipping an end into it. He began the task of cleaning the essence of their coupling from their skin, looking thoughtful as he did so. “Did Elrond talk to you afterwards?”
“Nay; they were speaking in his office.” Erestor fixed his gaze on the flickering candles of the chandelier and said, “I may have forgotten to close the door between our offices, and I may also have given the impression as if I was going to leave my office for the duration of the afternoon.”
“Well, then, my clever little minx, did you plan to share the information you gathered?” grinned Glorfindel.
“Oh, it was horrible, Findel,” declared Erestor. “Elrond would not reassure him even once that everything was alright.”
“What did he say?” questioned Glorfindel.
Erestor snorted. “That was the problem! He said nothing!” Shaking his head, the teacher took hold of the pitcher and poured water into the two remaining glasses, handing one to Glorfindel as he sat down on the sofa before taking the other for himself. “Celebrian did all of the talking. She told him not to worry, it was only a phase, and if things became permanent it would be dealt with later.”
“Dealt with?” Glorfindel sighed. “Dealt with, like a... pimple on the end of one’s nose.”
“Did you have to come up with such a disgusting comparison?”
Glorfindel had opened his mouth to offer a different parallel instead, but the sound of a knock on the door startled them both. The door opened slightly, though no one entered.
“I hate to be the one to break up your party,” called the voice of the head librarian, “but I was hoping to get a little work done after the two of you finished, and you are running later than usual.”
“We, uh, we’re not in here,” answered Glorfindel as Erestor, blushing furiously, began to gather their clothing. Glorfindel stayed on the sofa, calmly drinking his water.
Melpomaen sighed. “Right, well, let us say you were in the library – let us all say that in ten minutes you will not be in the library.”
“Twenty,” shouted Glorfindel, just now standing while Erestor shot him a glare.
There was another sigh before Melpomaen called in, “Fifteen, not a minute more. And there had better not be anything messy on my desk.”
Fifteen minutes later, Glorfindel and Erestor, carrying a tray with the pitcher and glasses, emerged from the library. Standing across the hall with his back to the wall and his arms crossed over his chest, Melpomaen smirked. “Did you enjoy NOT being in the library this evening.”
“Oh, yes, it was delightful NOT being in the library tonight,” confirmed Glorfindel, patting Erestor’s backside gently.
“Mmhh!” Erestor blushed, and looked away from either of them, concentrating on the water pitcher.
Laughing gentled, Melpomaen took a few steps forward. “I really with the two of you could just go and make love in the baths like everyone else around here,” he said, referring to the public baths used by adults less for cleanliness and more for quick couplings in a hidden public setting.
“So do we,” Glorfindel said wistfully, remembering an incident when they had tried and a few elves from Lindon who had been guests in the valley left in disgust after witnessing it. After that, Elrond had asked them to find some other place to be intimate. An offhand comment made by Glorfindel’s good friend, Melpomaen, led to something the librarian had not actually expected to happen.
“Is my desk safe?” asked the librarian.
Glorfindel shrugged. “Safer than most nights.” This made the red in Erestor’s cheeks deepen.
“More information than I needed,” Melpomaen informed his friend. Looking to Erestor and hoping to turn the conversation to something that would not embarrass the school master, he said, “Elrond was in a mood tonight at dinner.”
“Was he?” Erestor nodded. “I suppose he was. He found out about Elrohir.”
“With the rest of the valley,” confirmed Melpomaen. “Someone needs to talk to him. Elrond, that is, although I have a feeling Elrohir could use someone as well. Actually, the reason I am back here is because of just that. Do you think he would be offended- Elrond, that is- if I were pull a few books and leave them in the basket outside his office to find tomorrow?”
With a frown, Erestor said, “I would think he would receive that better if someone brought him the books. Just dumping them is almost like saying ‘You have no idea how to be a parent, here are some books that know better’.”
Melpomaen considered this. “But if I take them to him, it is the same thing.”
“Well, what if I take them?” asked Glorfindel. “I can relate to what Elrohir is going through. My parents were nearly the same way. Both times,” he chuckled.
“My parents were actually nothing like how Elrond is- actually, when I came to them to tell them, they both just nodded until my mother said, ‘yes, we have known for twenty five years now’, which was actually longer than I knew myself!” Erestor laughed as he recalled the memory. “I could go with you, though. We could offer advice if Elrond likes, and to speak to Elrohir about whatever he might want to discuss.”
“That is a brilliant idea; except that tomorrow is a school day,” Glorfindel reminded his lover.
“Damn.” Erestor shrugged. “Well, when you go tomorrow, you can let Elrohir know I am available as well.”
Glorfindel tried to come up with a solution, but eventually nodded. “I still wish you could come with me, though.”
“I can solve that,” offered Melpomaen.
-~-~-~-
“What are you doing here?”
“Where is Master Erestor?”
“Do we get to leave early today?”
“Alright, then, everyone in your seats. And do not try to switch places; I already know who all of you are,” warned Melpomaen. “Now, I am here because your teacher has some other business to attend to. As for leaving early, if I find out who dared even suggest such a thing, they will spend an extra hour after classes with me putting away books in the library.”
“He’s even stricter than Master Erestor,” whispered Legolas to Lindir, who only shrugged at the prince’s comment.
The lessons began, and after only twenty minutes, there was a knock upon the door and Glorfindel opened it, peering in. “Excuse me, I really do not mean to intrude, but there is a dignitary here from Rohan, and Lord Elrond wanted to have one of the advanced studies students come to his office to display what they have learned. Is there anyone in particular whom you would suggest?”
Melpomaen blinked and gave an excellent bewildered performance. “I am merely the substitute teacher for the day. Ahm... I am sorry, I have no idea who would be best suited,” he apologized.
“Perhaps a volunteer?” No one responded. “Well... Elladan, what about you?” questioned Glorfindel, who already knew from Erestor what the response would be.
“Me?” The elder twin shook his head. “No, not me. Elrohir could go, though. He knows everything.”
“He doesn’t know about girls,” muttered Legolas under his breath.
“Splendid,” replied Glorfindel, ignoring the comment from the prince. “Elrohir, you may want to gather your things- I do believe that after the demonstration you shall have the rest of the day free.”
There were several groans and murmurs of ‘not fair’ and ‘I would have volunteered for the day free’ as Elrohir reluctantly gathered his books and the sack with his lunch. Glorfindel smiled politely after Elrohir left the room and closed the door.
“Is my father going to be there?” asked Elrohir nervously as they headed down the hallway to the administrative offices. Glorfindel nodded and Elrohir groaned, looking over his shoulder at the doorway to the classroom with great envy.
Upon entering the office, Elrohir was confused. “Is the dignitary from Rohan not here yet?” asked Elrohir, spying his father behind his desk, and in another chair, the headmaster.
Elrond looked up from the book he was browsing, entitled ‘When Your Child is Different’, and looked at Glorfindel quizzically. “Rohan?”
“I will explain later,” said Glorfindel once the door to the chamber was closed and locked. “Elrohir, there is no one from Rohan. Your father wished to speak with you.”
“Oh.” Elrohir wished he could crawl under the bookshelf in the corner and be left alone. “What?”
Elrond placed the book down on the desk but did not close it. “Sit,” he instructed, the first thing he had said to his son in the last day. Elrohir took the chair beside Erestor, while Glorfindel perched on the arm of Erestor’s chair. “Elrohir, are you aware of the fact that Erestor and Glorfindel are lovers?”
“Mates,” corrected Erestor politely. “He and I are bound to one another.” As he said this, Glorfindel twined his hands around Erestor’s nearest. “We have been for about eight hundred years.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Normally, Elrond would have corrected his son and made him voice a proper response, but he just nodded. “This morning, they were both kind enough to stop by and bring a few items to... aid my understanding of your decision.”
“You mean, my ‘phase’.”
Clearing his throat, Elrond leaned forward, his elbows resting on the desk. “Ion-nin, forgive your old father for not having words to express himself yesterday. I was at a loss; but I was not- I am not disappointed with you or with the news that was delivered. If you are happy with another ellon, when the times comes for it, I will more than happily accept whomever that happens to be as part of this family.”
Elrohir stared blankly at his father. Then, he looked over at his tutors, who were both smiling to him with encouragement.
“Elrohir?” Elrond fingers fidgeted nervously. “Are you alright?”
“Uh. Yeah. Yes, I think so.” The youth glanced at the pile of books on the desk. ‘Treating Your Child Like an Adult Before His Majority’ was stacked on top of ‘When an Ellon Loves an Ellon’ and ‘Love is Never Wrong’. “Are you really going to read those?”
“Do you not want me to?” asked Elrond, looking down at the one that was still open.
“Well... can you make sure Nana reads that one on the bottom?” he asked, pointing to it.
Elrond slid it up to the top and flipped through, smiling when he read the title page. “Is it a good one?”
Elrohir nodded. “A really good one. I read that one first, I-“ Looking to his left, he gave the authors a smile. “It was really helpful. Really, really helpful.”
“Thank you,” said Erestor. “We are glad it was able to help someone,” he added as Glorfindel squeezed his hand.
-~-~-~-
After finishing the ‘meeting’ with his father, Elrohir followed Glorfindel and Erestor into Erestor’s office, where the three of them had lunch and spent the afternoon discussing various things, but mostly, the pair spent the time answering Elrohir’s questions and assuring the youth that he was perfectly fine. The support had eased the peredhel’s mind and lifted his spirits, so that when he left the office in the early evening and went outside to find something to do before dinner, it did not bother him when Legolas made a face when he passed by.
Legolas had been sitting on a bench with Lindir and a group of others, but Elrohir had been happy to see that his brother was not with them. Instead, he spied Elladan in another part of the courtyard, engaged in conversation with a lovely looking lady. Smiling happily to himself, Elrohir wandered into the gardens, ignorant of the fact that he was being followed.
He stopped when he reached the bridge, standing on the highest part and looking down into the water. There were rocks and pebbles littering the wooden slats, and Elrohir kicked one after another off the bridge, watching the ripples in the water.
“Elrohir?”
The peredhel turned in worry up hearing the voice. “What do you want?”
“Do you have a minute?”
Elrohir shrugged, and went back to looking into the water as he tapped the rocks down with the toe of his boot. One moment, he saw only his own reflection, and then, there were two ellyn in the images on the surface. “Yeah?”
The other ellon was quiet for a little while. “I wanted to say I was sorry about yesterday.”
Giving a shrug, Elrohir kicked another pebble off the bridge. “You did nothing, Lindir.”
“I should have stopped him or said something.” Lindir leaned on the railing. “I did not know he was going to react like that.”
“Yeah. Well, thanks.” Elrohir kicked a twig into the water, but it simply floated instead of making a splash. Disappointed, he started aiming for the stick with the other rocks.
Lindir took a deep breath before placing his hand on Elrohir’s shoulder. “I understand how you feel.”
“No, you do not,” answered Elrohir dryly. “Him teasing me about... that... is different from him teasing you about your singing.”
“No, Elrohir, you misunderstand.” Lindir took a step closer and put his arm around Elrohir’s shoulder. “I... understand.”
“No, Lindir, you cannot under-“ Before Elrohir could properly shrug Lindir off or even finish his sentence, a hand had turned his head and he felt something press upon his lips. It was Lindir, kissing him quickly before pulling away with a fearful yet empathizing look in his eyes. “You... you do understand,” Elrohir realized.
Lindir nodded, looking down at his feet. “I am not as brave as you are, though,” he said in a quiet voice.
“Me? Brave?” Elrohir laughed. “I was hiding, too. I was all alone, so I thought I had no other choice.”
“I know. Me, too.” Lindir bit his lip and took hold of Elrohir’s hand tightly. “Maybe,” he said looking up, “Maybe we can both... not hide together?”
“There is no need for us to hide,” answered Elrohir, tightening his own grip on Lindir’s hand. “Love is never wrong,” he added.
To this, Lindir grinned. “I love that story.”
The End
