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“Not even!” Celegorm lowered the paper and managed to look hurt. “I was a perfect gentleman. It was someone else who broke her heart. I just gave her a place to sleep.”

“Big of you,” said Curufin, and stole the cup of coffee from beside Celegorm's elbow. He took a sip and made a face. “This is cold.”

“Yeah, you thieving bastard, that’s what you get. Also, I’m pretty sure that was Nelyo’s. From like, six hours ago.”

“I can’t believe you’re locked out of your own room,” said Curufin. “How pathetic can you get?”

“Yeah, well you take on Irissë when she’s in a mood.”

“It’s Irissë?” Curufin’s mien changed entirely. “Oh. Well, then. It’s best that you stay down here.”

Celegorm folded the paper and tossed it across the table. “I do need my phone and shit, though.” He sighed and scrubbed his hand through his wild blond hair, making it stand up like a mane around his head. “Okay, I’m going to try my luck. You coming?”

“Why on earth would I come with you?” said Curufin. “I don’t have a death wish.”

“I need backup. C’mon.” He stood and cuffed his brother lightly around the ear. “You know you can’t say no to me, Curvo.” He smiled winningly and Curufin let out a sigh.

“Fine.”

They trooped upstairs and Curufin stood well back as Celegorm knocked lightly on the door. “Hey. Irissë? You awake? Look, I just need to grab a couple things. I swear I won’t bother you. Unless you want to be bothered.” He waited. Silence. “Sorry, I know you hate when I try innuendo. I’m serious, though. I’ll just be in and out in a few seconds.”

“I thought you said you weren’t going to use anymore innuendo?” Curufin murmured, and Celegorm swatted at him without turning around.

“Ireth? C’mon, let me in.” He rattled at the doorknob. Still no answer. “Shit. Seriously?”

Curufin sighed and pushed himself up from the wall where he’d been watching with his arms folded. “Embarrassing. Hold on.”

“Where are you going?” Celegorm called as Curufin set off across the hall to his own room.

“Getting my lock picks, you worthless incompetent.”

Celegorm grinned. “Have I told you you’re my favorite brother?”

“Not nearly enough,” said Curufin, returning with several delicate tools wrapped in black velvet. “Move.”

Within minutes, the door gave a click and swung open. Curufin backed up hurriedly, and Celegorm poked his head around the frame. “Irissë? Don’t get mad, I just...” He trailed off, looking around. The room was clearly empty, and the window was open. “Son of a bitch.”

Curufin shook his head as he packed up his lock picks. “God, you are such an easy mark.”

“Fuck’s sake. Yo, Findekáno!” Celegorm bellowed down the hall.

After a moment, the door to Maedhros’ room opened a crack. Fingon looked out, shirtless and with tousled hair, looking put upon. “What?”

“Your sister’s gone.”

“What?”

“Evaporated, bro.”

“Are you – Ah, shit.” Fingon slipped into the hall, hastily doing up his jeans. “When did she leave?”

“Not a fucking clue.” Celegorm scowled at the empty room. “I swear, if I was locked out of my room all day, and she hasn’t even been here since the morning, I will – ”

“Oh, whatever, you spend most of your time half-naked anyway,” said Fingon dismissively, pushing past him. “Did she leave her phone?”

“Doesn’t look like she left anything,” said Celegorm, grabbing a pair of jeans from the back of the chair and pulling them on. “Shit, I should make sure she didn’t steal anything. She’d think that would be funny…”

Fingon wasn’t paying attention. He’d pulled out his own phone and was dialing Aredhel’s number. He listened a moment and cursed. “It’s shut off. Damnit, Ireth, what are you up to?”

-

Aredhel gazed up at the window to Elenwë’s apartment, hefting a pebble in one palm.

“I am such a damned stereotype,” she muttered to herself, and tossed the pebble lightly at the window. No answer. She tossed another one. “Well, if the stereotype is ‘boy meets girl, boy and girl start dating, boy’s queer sister falls for girl, girl frenches queer sister on the dance floor…’ ”

She stared upward. “Ah, c’mon, Elenwë.” She tossed one last desperate handful of gravel, and the window opened.

A golden head poked out, and Elenwë looked out, confused, before catching sight of her. “Irisse?”

“Hey.”

Elenwë’s lips parted as she gazed down at Aredhel. “What are you doing?”

“Being a stereotype,” said Aredhel, shoving her hands into her pockets. “Look, I need to talk to you. Can I come up? I’ll say my bit and get out, I promise.”

Elenwë was still gazing down at her, something unreadable in her brown eyes, and Aredhel shifted from foot to foot. “Please, Elenwë?”

“Of course,” said Elenwë quietly. “Hang on, let me buzz you in.”

The door was ajar when Aredhel reached the top of the stairs. She pushed it open and stepped into Elenwë’s small studio apartment. Elenwë was perched at the table, her feet drawn up beneath her, wearing shorts and an overlarge tee-shirt. Her golden curls, unbrushed and disheveled, were in a messy braid over her shoulder, and her expression, when she raised her head, was apprehensive.

“Hey,” said Aredhel, and pushed the door closed behind her.

“Hey.” Elenwë’s voice was very soft.

Aredhel swallowed, unable to take her eyes from the girl in front of her. Her plan suddenly felt much harder to execute with Elenwë before her, looking so beautiful.

“Um. I just want to say something.”

“Okay.” Elenwë looked up at her and wrapped her arms around her shins.

“Um.” Aredhel stayed standing. Fuck, she’d had everything planned out, and every single word had gone straight out of her head.

Elenwë put her head to the side, looking a little concerned. “Ireth, I…”

“No, okay, I can do this.” Aredhel raised a hand and took a deep breath. “El. I know you’re with my brother. I know you’re off limits in so many ways. And I’m going to respect that, even though I really, really don’t want to. But last night made me think that maybe you feel…some of what I feel, and that I’m not crazy for having been crushed out on you for months now.”

Elenwë opened her mouth to speak, but Aredhel plunged on.

“No, I need to just get this out. I’m crazy about you, Elenwë. I think about you all the time, I daydream about being with you, I haven’t been this far gone since I was thirteen and had my first big crush. And last night – ” she let out a shuddery breath, “even if it was just you being tipsy and silly, it felt…it felt real to me. And having you touching me, feeling you against me, thinking maybe, maybe you felt the same way…it was the happiest I’ve been in…ever, maybe. But I can’t keep it up. I can’t fool around with you if you’re just on some straight girl fantasy binge where you make out with a girl to see what it’s like. I definitely can’t fool around with you if you’re with my brother. But if you…if you do feel at all the same, and when you do get things worked out with Turno, if anything changes…” Aredhel squeezed her eyes shut. “I’d be there in heartbeat. I’m yours, Elenwë. Just tell me when.”

There was a long silence and Aredhel opened her eyes, embarrassed to feel a tear slide down her cheek. “So…that’s what I needed to say,” she finished quietly. “And if I wait here a moment longer, I’m gonna do something stupid, so…” She turned hastily and reached for the doorknob, fumbling as her vision blurred with tears.

But, “Wait!”

Elenwë had unfolded herself from the chair and was hurrying across the kitchen floor on her bare feet. She reached out and caught Aredhel’s arm, and Aredhel felt goosebumps erupt at the touch.

“Irissë...”

“Please don’t,” whispered Aredhel. “Please don’t be sweet. Please don’t say something comforting. Please don’t…”

“Listen to me, Ireth,” and Elenwë was smiling, though her eyes were bright too. “I broke up with Turukáno last night.”

“You – What?”

“We broke up.” Elenwë’s hand was still wrapped around Aredhel’s wrist, and Aredhel looked down at it, uncomprehending. “I told him…I told him I wasn’t being fair to him. That I fell for you the first day we met and I’ve been pining for you ever since. And last night I had a bit to drink and acted like an idiot and was horrible to both of you, but I have to…I have to cut it out, and be honest. I shouldn’t be with him, because all I want is to be with you.”

Aredhel raised her eyes then, meeting Elenwë’s earnest brown gaze, and she did cry then, tears spilling down her cheeks. “Are you serious?”

“Yes.” Elenwë wrapped her arms tentatively around Aredhel’s waist. “I’m serious.”

Aredhel buried her face in Elenwë’s neck, smelling the sweet scent of her shampoo and her lotion, and something else that was pure Elenwë. “Oh.”

She clung to her a while in silence, overwhelmed and suddenly, a little unsure, and Elenwë clung right back, her thumbs rubbing light circles on Aredhel’s spine.

“I should talk to Turukano,” Aredhel said at last, raising her head. “Findekáno was right; he is my brother, and I should make sure this is okay before I…But honestly, Elenwë, even if he says no, I can’t imagine being able to stay away from you.”

“We can take it slow,” said Elenwë, and she kissed Aredhel’s cheek lightly. “You should talk to him. Clear the air.”

“Yes,” said Aredhel, and she meant to pull away, she really did, but instead she found herself cupping Elenwë’s face between her hands and kissing her long and slow and deep.

Elenwë gave a murmur and raised herself up on her toes, pulling Aredhel close, and Aredhel swayed as she felt Elenwë’s breasts press against her – she wore nothing but her skin beneath that tee-shirt. Aredhel felt the desire build in her as she wound her arms around Elenwë’s waist, hands sliding to the curve of her ass, and Elenwë gave a little whimper of need as Aredhel’s hands skimmed her buttocks and pulled her in so that their hips aligned, Aredhel’s thigh sliding between Elenwë’s legs.

“Oh fuck,” said Aredhel, and laughed, pulling away to rest her forehead against Elenwë’s. “I’m not going to be able to resist you, am I?”

“I wish I could tell you to try,” whispered Elenwë, pulling her down into another kiss. “But honestly? I don’t give a shit.”

“To the couch then?” murmured Aredhel against her lips. “The bed? The floor?”

“Anywhere,” said Elenwë, and ground hard against her. “Please, Irissë.”

Just then, Elenwë’s cell phone buzzed on the countertop. Aredhel looked up, and Elenwë made a noise of complaint. “Ignore it.”

But Aredhel was craning to read the number on the display, and she groaned. “Ah, fuck. It’s Findekáno. They must have noticed I was gone. And he must have guessed where I’d go.”

Elenwë sighed and pulled back, her arms still looped around Aredhel’s neck. “I guess that’s our sign to wait.”

“I hate signs,” said Aredhel, but she rummaged in her pocket for her phone to turn it back on. “I’ll text him. And then I should find Turukáno. And then,” she kissed Elenwë once more, “then I’m coming back, and we’re not going to get out of bed for a damn week, because there are so many things I want to do to you.”

“Can’t wait,” said Elenwë, breathlessly, seemingly unwilling to let her go, and Aredhel laughed, a true laugh, that rang out clear and joyful in the dusk-lit studio.

“There’s no rush,” she said and she pulled Elenwë into a fierce embrace that almost lifted her off her feet. “Elenwë, if things go as planned, we’ll have all the time in the world.”

So they roll through the door

Chapter Summary

Just another day.

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Maglor drifted through the kitchen, talking animatedly on his cell phone. “Yes, but Daeron, don’t you understand? Catharsis is exactly what we’re going for. No, come on, listen… It’s not sentiment to want to explore our origins, it’s only sentiment if we allow what we want to be true to matter more than truth itself. And yes, I know that truth is of itself subjective, but…”

Caranthir cast a helpless look across the table at Maedhros, who had put down his crossword puzzle and was resting his chin on his hand, listening to their brother with resigned fascination.

“Okay, but if you invert the cliché, and instead assume that rather than void, before the beginning there was everything…”

Caranthir made a noise of disbelief and reached over to snag Maedhros’ reading glasses from where his brother had laid them down on the table. He settled them over his nose and affected a supercilious air that made him look rather alarmingly like Turgon. Maedhros suppressed a laugh.

“…taking the death of stars as a given, shouldn’t the next movement include…”

“…taking the modality of the universe as implied, my dear Daeron,” said Caranthir, in a low voice, steepling his fingers. “The next movement should imply the creation of life as originating with the massive gravitational orbit of your mother’s tremendous ass.”

Maedhros couldn’t suppress a snort at that, and Maglor frowned at both of them, placing a hand over the receiver. “Do you mind?”

Caranthir blinked back innocently and Maedhros said, “Oh, just take it into the living room, won’t you, Káno?”

With a last annoyed glance over his shoulder, Maglor wandered off.

“Jesus,” said Caranthir. “I know he’s talented and all, but what a bag of hot air.”

Maedhros struggled with diplomacy for a second before relenting and giving a groan. “He can be such a pompous ass, sometimes.”

“Who’s an ass?” Curufin came in and dropped his books and laptop onto the table.

“Makalaurë,” said Caranthir, leaning over to peer at the pile of books. “Metallurgy and the Elements. Looks fascinating, Curvo.”

“I wouldn’t expect a third-rate mind like yours to be able to appreciate it,” said Curufin, bored. “Why is Makalaurë an ass?”

“A pompous ass,” corrected Caranthir. “And who are you calling third-rate?”

“Can we save the banter?” asked Maedhros, snagging his glasses back from Caranthir. “I was just going to do the crossword and have some coffee – ”

Loud voices from the hallway interrupted him.

“Way to put on an extra burst of speed at the end when you’d been lagging the whole run, cheater.”

“Don’t hate me ‘cuz I’ve got more left at the end than you.”

“Funny, I haven’t historically noticed that endurance was your strong suit, Tyelko.”

“Oho, we gonna get personal, are we…?”

Celegorm and Aredhel burst into the kitchen, both flushed and sweaty in their running clothes. Celegorm was bare-chested and Aredhel had stripped to her sports bra. They each had something dark and round clutched in their hands.

“What are those?” asked Maedhros, curiously.

“What are what? Oh.” Celegorm looked down at his fists. “Avocados.”

“Is that some sort of new training regimen, or…?”

“Nah,” said Aredhel, wiping her forehead on her arm. “Honeychild here got a craving for guac three miles in and then whined until we stopped for supplies.”

Celegorm held the avocados triumphantly over his head. “Guacamole! Food of the gods. To be consumed alongside copious amounts of tequila.”