"Are you sure they like me?"
"Yes, love, I am sure."
Elrond watched his twins run around the room with an expression of almost unbearable uncertainty.
"How can you know?"
Celebrían laughed softly and shook her head. "If I weren't in love with you, I would think you an idiot."
"Objectively, I would be an idiot whether or not you were in love with me."
"Fine then," she said, playfully shoving him in the shoulder. "Have it your way. You're an idiot."
Elladan and Elrohir stopped running around when they saw their parents standing in the doorway. They nearly tripped over each other in the efforts to run to their parents.
"Ada!" chirped Elladan cheerfully, holding up something that could have been either one of the twin's toys or a dead bird. It was hard to tell. "For you!"
Elrond graciously accepted the gift and swept the toddler into his arms.
"Do you really need to ask if they like you?" asked Celebrían, swinging Elrohir around in circles under he collapsed with giggles.
"I see your point," said Elrond, smiling. "But..."
"Here it is," said Celebrían, now pulling her skirts up so she could get on her knees and tickle Elrohir. Elladan laughed at his twin from the safety of Elrond's arms.
"Here what is?"
"The but! You're never satisfied with being normally unhappy. You have to take it another level."
"It makes you all the more wonderful for dealing with me," said Elrond as Elladan started tugging on Elrond's braids with pudgy fingers.
"I know," said Celebrían, pausing in the tickling only to begin blow raspberries on Elrohir's stomach.
"I worry...what if they don't like me when they get older? I mean, I'm not really that likable."
"Excuse me?" said Celebrían, eyebrows raised. "Are you saying I have bad taste?"
Elrond blushed. "No, just...from a child's perspective, what is there to like? I spend all day in my study or the library, and the rest of my time in meetings and running Imladris. Of all Elves to be born to, they got the most boring father imaginable."
Elladan pulled rather hard on one of Elrond's braids, causing Elrond to wince.
"You are not boring," said Celebrían sharply. "You are a wonderful person, husband, only you don't know it. There is nothing wrong with loving books, and I know you also love gardening and waterfalls and are an expect swordsman, so don't undervalue yourself. Would I marry someone I thought was boring? And you left me out of that equation; you spend quite some time doting on me, more than I expected."
"More than you expected?"
"Don't be silly," said Celebrían, pulling faces at Elrohir. "You know what I mean. I knew of your feelings for me, I only worried they would pale in comparison to your feelings for the High King."
"Now you're being silly," Elrond protested. "I cannot compare you two! It is like comparing the sun and the moon!"
"Then believe me when I say you're not boring," said Celebrían sweetly. "Maybe I'll tell the boys of your sordid past; they never think you dry and prudish then."
"You are wicked, woman," huffed Elrond, sitting on the floor next to his wife, Elladan now perched on his shoulders.
"I know," said Celebrían. "It is what you love about me."
They would have kissed if the Elladan had not decided now was the moment to seize Elrond's circlet as his own and use it for chewing purposes. Elrond loved his children, but even he had his limits.
"Twins," said Celebrían fondly. "You never see them coming."
"That's not true at all," objected Elrond. "I've had twins in my family line for several generations. Sweet Elbereth, I was one a twin! Combine that with how hugely pregnant you were, and we had a fair idea-"
Celebrían pushed him over, where he was quickly enveloped by giggling toddlers.
"You may not be boring," said Celebrían. "But you are stupid."
"Agreed," said Elrond around a mouthful of Elrohir's hair.