Title: Making Sunsets Last
Author:
txorakeriakFandom: The Lord of the Rings
Pairing: Elladan/Elrohir
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Elladan and Elrohir have to meet in secret.
Warning: Implied twincest.
Word Count: 926
Author's Note: Written for
daughtermestizo, who took part in my
friends survey (
My Big Damn Fic/Art Table) and prompted "They, er....um....they're meeting in secret because somebody knows about them and they've been forbidden to see each other?"
A million thanks go to
alex_andras for the quick and most helpful beta! *glomp*
*****
"I've been looking everywhere for you!" Elrohir complained as he spied his twin brother's face in the middle of the leaves and branches of a thick hedge in the garden.
Elladan jumped out with a hearty laugh and grabbed his brother's hand. "Come on, I've found a great place! I must show you!"
Together, the two youths ran out of the garden, over steps and stones, over meadows and hills, until suddenly, Elladan stopped in front of a tall tree and pointed to the top with his finger, guiding Elrohir's gaze towards it.
"Do you see it?"
Elrohir had passed this tree very often during his strolls through the land, eager to find something new when he thought he knew everything already, but it appeared now that he had missed something. Between the leaves, there was the hint of a tree house, and he was certain he wouldn't have seen it if Elladan hadn't pointed it out to him.
This was definitely new. While Elrohir was still looking at it, Elladan had already started climbing up the tree. Only an instant later, he was waving down at his brother from between the dark green leaves. Even though Elrohir knew where to look, he was barely visible. Ignorant passers-by would certainly not have seen him.
Intrigued, Elrohir followed his twin up to the treehouse, wondering what he would find.
He had barely reached the entrance when Elladan, impatient and tired of waiting for him, grabbed his arms and pulled him into the little wooden hut.
The view was extraordinary. They could see their father's house from here, most of the gardens, even the secret place where all the important people from Rivendell and the other countries had met before they had started their journey to defeat Sauron and destroy the mysterious ring. Elrohir and Elladan hadn't been permitted to attend the meeting. If they had only found this treehouse earlier!
"What do you say?" Elladan asked, and Elrohir could almost hear the cocky grin by which his question was surely accompanied.
He turned around and smiled. "It's wonderful! How did you find it?"
"Oh, I suppose I was just lucky." Elladan shrugged. "Or it was by some greater power," he added in a quite thoughtful tone and looked at his twin with eyes that said so much more than his lips.
Elrohir moved a bit closer to him, suddenly looking sad. Of course. He hadn't forgotten what Elrond had told them just a few hours ago; hadn't forgotten what he had felt, what he was still feeling. He hadn't forgotten the look on his twin's face before he had run out of the room and disappeared for hours.
Elrond had been both angry and disappointed as he had found them together in Elrohir's bed, exchanging secret vows and kisses and clinging to each other as if they wanted to be one person, not just one soul.
"This will never happen again," Elrond had said, as if it were in their power - or his - to simply stop it.
Elrohir gave his brother a questioning look. "You... you mean..." He didn't even know how to ask it.
"Yes," Elladan said, smiling. "He won't find us here. This is our place. Our secret place." Even though his face still showed the sadness he felt inside because of their father's disapproval, his eyes were glowing with happiness as he moved closer to his twin and softly caressed his arm through the thin tunic. "We belong together, you know. We're meant to be. I'm sure of it."
Elrohir felt great joy crawling up inside of him as he looked into his twin's eyes, eyes that were so much like his own and not like them at all. He could drown in them, and he had done so in the past, when he hadn't paid attention. It was a feeling that no words could describe.
Without wasting any more time by thinking too much, he pulled Elladan close, about to hug him, but Elladan apparently had other plans. With a quick move, he nudged his brother so that he sprawled on the floor and almost as quickly covered him with his own body. He laughed, the mischievous but charming laugh that he always used when he got into trouble but didn't want his brother to be angry with him; Elrohir couldn't be when Elladan looked like that, so contagiously happy. He had to smile. And then, he had to laugh. He couldn't help it. He couldn't stop it.
Elladan always could, and he did so this time, quite suddenly. "Look," he said, pointing out of the window. "The sun!" He pulled his twin up from the floor and carefully pushed some leaves aside.
Outside, the sun was setting, red against the blue evening sky, like a fire in the water. It would take a while until it disappeared behind the mountains and hills, and Elrohir was certain he had never seen the sun like that and he had never had so much time to watch it.
Fascinated, the two sat there and watched the setting sun until it almost touched the hills, and Elrohir said sadly, "We have to get back. Ada will be looking for us."
Elladan smiled. "Yes, I suppose he will be." He moved his hand to caress his twin's soft brown hair before he leaned in to quickly steal a kiss. "But I don't care." His smile transformed into a mischievous grin. "Let him look for us. This moment is ours, and we will decide when it ends."