Summary: Poor Maedhros is tired of everyday life in the Fëanorian household, so he seeks refuge in the one place he knows he's always welcome, no matter what time it is. Mostly fluff, no slash intended. Please enjoy!
Disclaimer: No, they still aren't mine, although I wish they were.
Author's Note: Hey, everyone! As you can see, I'm back with my second random oneshot inspiration. I'm glad you liked the first one so much, and I'd especially like to thank my friends feenekks, Gaslight, and Sushi for their encouraging reviews. You guys are the best! So here's another one for your literary pleasure, and I hope you're in the mood for more wonderful Elvish fluff. Enjoy!
Little Disturbances
Rattle. Rattle. Rattle.
A young Elf, only a few years past his majority, woke to the noise and pretended desperately not to hear. Surely it was not his Amil, come already to wake him up – he had only just closed his eyes! Or at least, so it seemed.
Rattle. Rattle.
Uttering a low, pitiful groan, Findekàno rolled over in bed and pried his stubborn grey eyes open. He scanned the long shadows of his room, seeking out the root of the disturbance, but found nothing. The young prince frowned and wearily buried his face in his pillow. Was it possible he had just been dreaming?
Rattle.
There it was again! This time, the Elf's dark head whirled around to follow the source of the sound, and there he saw it – his bedroom window. Someone was actually throwing rocks at his bedroom window!
Rattle.
Realizing with no small amount of frustration that this interruption of his night's rest was not about to vanish as he might hope, Findekàno rose, muttered a few low curses that would have earned him a stern cuff from his father, and threw the shutters open. He leaned forward to peer out into the darkness but scarcely had the chance, for as soon as the window was flung open, a familiar copper head popped through.
"I wondered how much longer you were going to be," the newcomer chastised impatiently.
Findekàno could only stare a moment, his mouth agape. "Maitimo?" he managed at last while the older Elf dropped down onto the bed and began to remove his shoes. "What in Varda's name are you doing here?"
"I had to get away," Nelyafinwë replied numbly, shaking his head so that long auburn braids fell down from behind his shoulders. "I can't take it anymore, I just had to get out of that house."
"You ran away?" Findekàno fought back an incredulous chuckle. "Aren't you getting a bit old for that, Cousin?"
Maitimo's silver eyes flashed. "Perhaps. But I am certainly too young to already be losing my mind, and I fear that would happen if I stayed one moment longer. Kàno, I'm telling you all the treasures of Aulë couldn't buy a moment's peace back there!"
"I thought your father wanted you all to stay at Formenos indefinitely?"
"He does – which is exactly why I so desperately needed to get away." Fëanor's firstborn finally tossed aside his unwanted shoes and stripped off his outer tunic, still musky with the scent of horse.
"But he'll know you are here," Findekàno reasoned. "Won't this be the first place he looks tomorrow morning when he realizes you're not there?"
"If he realizes I'm not there." The taller Elf snorted softly. "Kàno, do you have any idea what it's like? Being in that house with six younger brothers and a mother and father who are always busy with their art? I scarcely have a spare moment even to hear myself think."
His cousin leaned back casually against a desk and tilted his head upward for a moment, looking thoughtful. "No, I can't say that I do. My little brother never was terribly troublesome."
"Of course not. You were always the troublemaker in this house, Findekàno, and you still are, as far as I can judge. Your poor parents have had their hands full enough with you over the years, so it's probably a good thing Turukàno is such a sensible, obedient child."
Findekàno shifted uneasily at the blunt assessment of his family. "Well, what's wrong with your brothers then? Can't you get them to help out with some of those burdensome tasks your parents thrust on you?"
Maitimo regarded his younger cousin as though he'd sprouted purple wings and a tail. "My brothers?" he repeated. "My brothers? Kàno, you know them, and how impossible they all can be. Makalaurë is always too deeply engrossed in his music to be of any real help, while Tyelkormo is only cooperative as long as Mother or I are there watching over his shoulder. Carnistir, as you might imagine, is still in such a perpetually foul mood that none of us wish even to speak to him; and Kurufinwë, though still young, already knows how to talk his way out of virtually anything. I need not mention Ambarussa. More often than not they are the responsibility no one but me cares to take charge of. Now do you understand why I had to get away, Findekàno?"
The dark-haired Elf laughed lightly at his friend's misfortune and moved to join him on the bed. "Yes, yes, I understand. But what do you propose we do now that you're here?"
Nelyafinwë blew out a long sigh, appearing far wearier now that he'd sufficiently vented his frustrations. "Now…now I think I should simply like to sleep, without fear of being woken up by any little disturbances looking for a brother to sleep with after some senseless nightmare."
Findekàno laughed again and lay down, stretching out his long limbs. "I think we can arrange that, Cousin."
"Good. Now move over."
His companion obliged, and Maitimo gladly joined him, taking only a brief moment to get himself situated. "Thank you, Cousin," he mentioned, almost as an afterthought.
"Oh absolutely," the younger drawled. "Please, do feel free to wake me up in the middle of the night and push me out of my own bed anytime you like, Russandol."
He waited for the scathing retort, but it never came, for Maitimo was already lost in the world of blissful sleep. Perhaps he had truly needed this brief respite after all. Smiling, Findekàno rested his own head against the pillows and softly whispered, "You're welcome, Cousin."
They had not lain there long, however, when there came the quiet yet distinct creak of the bedroom door opening. The eyes of both slumbering Elves flew open at the sound, and Maitimo looked vaguely as though he had been thrust back into some hellish nightmare long thought past.
"Findekàno?" The voice was young, female, and decidedly fearful.
"Irissë," the younger of the male Elves mouthed silently to his cousin. An unspoken understanding passed between them, and they both lay still, hoping to feign sleep and deter the "little disturbance" from further interruption. Sadly, their plan was doomed to failure, for a child in seek of comfort pays no heed to the boundaries of appropriate behavior.
"Findekàno?" Her call was stronger this time, more demanding.
The object of her pursuit squeezed his eyes shut in silent protest one last time before finally raising his dark head. As expected, he beheld his younger sister standing timidly in the doorway of his bedroom, her ebon hair disheveled and her small white hands clutching a favorite stuffed toy to her chest.
"What is it, Irissë?"
"I heard noises," she said, whispering again now that she had his attention. "I – I think it might be monsters, and…I'm scared."
Her sibling sighed, wearied by yet another interruption of his rest. "Irissë, they are no monsters. Our cousin Nelyafinwë is here, and I'm sure that is all you heard. You're perfectly safe, I promise. Now can you please go back to sleep?" Findekàno grimaced at the tone of his own voice – it bordered on shameless begging.
"But I don't want to go back by myself," Irissë protested, taking a few panicked steps forward. "Can't I stay here with you, Findekàno? Please?"
The dark-haired prince opened his mouth, then closed it again like a fish out of water. What in Aman was he to do? Maitimo came to his rescue, though, suddenly sitting up himself and turning to face his little cousin.
"Come here, Irissë. You can stay."
A joyful smile of relief lit up the young girl's face, and she scampered over to the bed where Maitimo easily swept her up into his strong arms, laying her small form between himself and his cousin.
Meanwhile, Findekàno stared silent and disbelieving at his friend, who returned the perplexed gaze with a simple shrug and a sheepish smile.
"I suppose I've been doing this for so long it's hard to say no," whispered Fëanor's eldest.
Irissë was already nestled down under the plush covers between her brother and cousin, smiling most contentedly and looking as though nothing had upset her only moments before.
Findekàno shook his head and smirked. "So much for an undisturbed night's rest. Does this mean I should expect you back again some night soon, Russandol?"
Maitimo grinned back at his cousin, a playful twinkle in his silver eyes as he laid his head back down to sleep. "Perhaps."