“You won’t believe what was hiding in the glen by the stream that runs past the stables,” remarked Glorfindel as he entered the gazebo. Erestor was lounging on the window seat with his legs on the bench and his back propped up against a stack of pillows.
Without looking up from the book he was browsing, Erestor asked, “What did you find?”
“A tree.”
Chuckling, the dark elf shook his head. “Good for you,” he teased. “I’ll add it to the inventory when we return inside.”
“Not just a tree,” Glorfindel corrected himself with a smile. A moment later he was dangling a dark red fruit in front of Erestor by the stem. “You have to try these.”
“What are those, plums?” questioned Erestor, though his mind told him that though the fruit was large enough and dark enough to be, dangling on a stem, it certainly could not be.
“These are the sweetest cherries I’ve ever tasted,” remarked Glorfindel.
“I’ll try them in a minute,” promised the dark elf, but Glorfindel remained persistent and moved the fruit to brush against Erestor’s lips. Wanting to appease Glorfindel and be left alone to finish the chapter he was on, Erestor bit into the cherry without realizing the consequences. “Why didn’t you warn me?” he complained as he used his thumb to blot at the stain that spread across the page he had been reading.
Apologetically, Glorfindel bowed his head and took a step back as Erestor took a handkerchief from his pocket and tried to remedy the situation. “Ai, it’s ruined. I’ll have to rewrite those pages and rebind it,” he sighed, setting the book aside.
“I’m sorry. I’ll write them for you,” offered Glorfindel. “It’s my fault. I wasn’t thinking.”
“Oh, Glorfindel, I should have been paying more attention to you than to some book.”
“I rank above the books?” he said, looking up and smiling.
“Every last one of them,” assured Erestor, sitting up more so that Glorfindel had space on the end of the bench. “Now, was that the only one you brought back?”
Shaking his head, Glorfindel reached into a sack and pulled out another plump fruit, nearly black in color. He gently pressed it to Erestor’s lips, seemingly mesmerized by the other elf.
Erestor’s hands found their way along Glorfindel’s arms as he opened his mouth. His burgundy shirt was half-open and exposed his smooth, pale chest. As he bit the next cherry offered, drops of dark red juice dripped from his mouth onto his skin, and Glorfindel hungrily bent down to-
- - -
“Alright, so that’s why this one has a series of rewritten pages in it,” Elladan said suddenly, closing the book he wished he hadn’t picked up and opened. Erestor, Glorfindel, and Elrohir all looked up from the unpacking they were doing and looked at Elladan, and each other, quite oddly. “Right, well. El, do you want to get some air? I need a bit of a break.”
“A walk would be a splendid idea,” agreed Glorfindel as he brushed the dust from his pants, but Elladan held up a hand to stop him.
“I had a few things I wanted to tell Elrohir about. Just a brisk stroll, we’ll be right back.”
As soon as they were outside, Elladan let out a long sigh and found a tree to lean against. Elrohir, puzzled that his brother had closed off his mind from him, waited for an explanation. “Remember how you envied me, that I seemed to have more of Grandmother’s gift of reading past events while you share some of father’s gift of foresight?” asked Elladan. Elrohir nodded. “I don’t suppose you’d want to trade, would you?”
- - -
After their brief walk, the pair returned, with Elrohir a bit confused and Elladan looking calm once more. They assisted their former tutors in unpacking various odds and ends until the hour became late and the twins excused themselves for dinner. The ride back to the First Homely House was filled with questions from Elrohir, few of which were answered by Elladan to the satisfaction of the younger brother.
It was after supper that Elrohir continued to beg answers. Elladan tried the best he could, but found himself unable to speak the words that would be most clear. The conversation continued to puzzle Elrohir.
“I swear to you, brother,” Elladan said again, “they are not just living in the same house together because they are good friends.”
“No, of course not,” agreed Elrohir. “They are very good friends.”
“They are very, VERY good friends,” corrected Elladan.
Elrohir furled his brow. “Brother, you speak in riddles.”
“You answer in them!” Elladan stomped his foot in frustration. “I cannot speak to you the words! I swear, you are playing this as a game, surely you must know of what I speak.”
Elrohir’s blank look was either displayed truly, or masterfully conjured.
“Come,” commanded Elladan, pulling Elrohir in the direction of the cottage hidden in the cliffs. “I will show you.”
“This is ridiculous!” grumbled Elrohir as he trudged alongside his brother. “Why can you not tell me?”
“Either you are a wonderful actor or you really are oblivious,” huffed Elladan. As they came in view of the cottage, Elladan motioned that Elrohir should stay silent. They came to the windows at the back, open to let the breeze in. There was no sign of the inhabitants of the small residence anywhere on the first floor from the outside views, nor did it appear either was out on the porch or in the gardens. As Elladan was attempting to find a way to climb up the building, a sharp gasp came from down a short path that led to the well. Elrohir was once again dragged by his brother until they came to a boulder that was at the side of the walk just before the well, at which were two elves familiar to them.
After staring for a few seconds, Elrohir was yanked behind the cover of the boulder by his brother. “Keep hidden,” hissed Elladan to his younger brother.
“What the... what are they doing?” panicked Elrohir, his eyes wide.
“It’s like that thing Ada said with the birds and the bees, only this is just the birds and the birds.” Expecting to be punched for the jest, Elladan dodged slightly and softly chuckled. He paused when Elorhir said nothing and added, “Well, you know... like what Haldir and Legolas do.”
“No, I don’t know!” Elrohir turned and lifted his head to peek again before hiding once more. “That is to say that I was aware of Haldir and Legolas having a strange bit of relationship, obviously, but not that they were engaging in – that!”
“Well, I doubt they do that exactly,” Elladan said. “Neither of them wears formal robes, and with our water well being out in the open –“
“El!” whined Elrohir. “Stop that, now!”
“Fine, that’ll do,” Elladan chuckled softly. “But now do you believe me?”
“How can I not?” he questioned. “And to have seen it with my own eyes!”
“Right. Back to the house then, lest we have nightmares,” advised Elladan. A long, needful moan pierced the air and bother brothers stopped in their tracks, peering over the boulder again.
Glorfindel had been sitting on the edge of the well, arms draped over the bar across the top. Erestor had been knelt before him on the ground, and the two were passionately kissing as Glorifindel pushed the robes over his lover’s shoulders to rid him of the garment. Now, things were less innocent – both elves were undressed, with Glorfindel kneeling, but not on the ground. His knees were firmly positioned on the wall, and his hands grasped either end of the crank. He was facing the well, with Erestor behind him – one hand kneading the tension from the blonde’s shoulders while the other was slowly preparing Glorfindel.
“Deeper, Ress,” panted Glorfindel, pushing backwards.
Erestor laughed. “You’re so impatient,” he replied as he steadied his free hand on Glorfindel’s back to keep him at bay. “All in good time, Fin,” he whispered, but the twins still heard, and they also saw as Erestor removed the single finger he had been using to tease the blonde and reinserted two.
“Come on, El.” Elladan tugged on Elrohir’s sleeve. “Let’s get back to the house.” When Elrohir did not move, Elladan crouched down again lest they be caught.
“What’s wrong with them?”
“Wrong?” asked Elladan, trying not to laugh.
“Well, yes.” Elrohir waved a hand in the general direction of the well. “Why are they doing that? They’re supposed to be glaring at one another and insulting each other at every available opportunity! Oh, by the valar,” he said suddenly, grasping Elladan’s shoulder. “El, he just... he just... what did he just do?”
“Ahhm...” Elladan patted his little brother’s hand and then removed it from his arm. “Well, he – they, they’re... you can see clearly, it’s much the same as the sort of activities an elf and elleth would engage in-“
“The hell it is!”
“-only backwards,” Elladan finished.
“But they don’t even like each other!” exclaimed Elorhir, still in hushed tones.
“Love knows no boundaries,” Elladan argued back. During the entire conversation, Elorhir had not looked away from the scene, and Elladan’s eyes wandered to the well once again.
Elrohir frowned and whispered as Erestor’s hands curled around Glorfindel’s hips and gently guided him back until Glorfindel cried out. Movement below came to a halt as inaudible words of love were exchanged and Erestor began to rain kisses along Glorfindel’s back. “You’re sure he’s not hurting him.”
“Positive.”
“Because it sounds like he’s hurting him.”
“Neither one is hurting the other.”
“I just worry because of that sound he made. It sounded like he was in pain.”
“No, not pain. Pleasure.”
“No one is that loud during proper intercourse. If you make noise like that, then obviously, something is being done inaccurately. Or inappropriately.”
Elladan began to speak, but then decided he really didn’t want to know what noises his brother thought appropriate during sexual experiences.
“Haldir and Legolas... is that really what they do?” Elrohir’s eyes were unblinking, unable to avert his eyes as Glorfindel forced himself back, causing Erestor to moan and grip his lover tighter with his hands.
“Probably not quite exactly that, but, yes, that’s what they do,” confirmed Elladan.
Elrohir furrowed his brow, lingered one last time on the pair at the well, and then turned to his brother. “I want to go home now,” he managed before starting down the path that would take them back to the First Homely House. Elladan immediately followed after him, keeping quiet as they went.
- - -
“If you ever... do that again...” grunted Glorfindel as Erestor’s thrusts became more forceful.
“Wansn’t... going to... stop... embarrassing... situation,” came the reply, between nips and kisses. Pounding into his husband with more force, Erestor bit down on Glorfindel’s neck as he heard the sharp cry. Glorfindel tightened his grip on the well and let his body slump back against Erestor’s as the echo of splashes in the well below resounded off the bricks.
“Oh, bloody hell!” As soon as he had carefully pulled out completely from Glorfindel, Erestor gripped the side of the well and peered down. “We’ve just contaminated the well.”
“Well, that’s a fine thing to call it,” laughed Glorfindel as he climbed down from his perch and cheekily began to draw up the rope. “Remember, I am a trained warrior. I have excellent aim.” Holding the bucket out for inspection, Glorfindel grinned as Erestor breathed a sigh of relief to see that the only ‘contaminated’ water appeared to be in the bucket. “All’s well that ends well,” he said with a wink.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Elladan and Elrohir help their old teachers unpack; they both learn something they did not anticipate. (this chapter by Zhie)