Disclaimer: The Lord of the Rings, all characters, places, and related terms are the sole property of J. R. R. Tolkien's estate.

Dedicated: For Tommyginger.

A Valentine's Day Courtship

Boromir had no curiosity about Valentine's Day – it was too pink, too sparkly, and too girly for his taste. Besides, he did not have any interest in girls, other than viewing them as disgusting. Both were two of his least favorite things in the world.

Until he was in 4th grade, and on Valentine's Day he got into a disagreement with Eowyn, Faramir's best friend, on the playground and she socked him. She had been sent to the principal's office while he went to the nurse. The blond-haired boy walked around the rest of the day with a wide goofy smile on his face.

It took two years for Boromir to get up the courage to give Eowyn a valentine in acknowledgement of his secret crush. He slipped into her locker a small card (featuring Spider-Man, one of her favorite characters). The whole morning he was on pins and needles, swaying between nervousness and hopefulness. Headed to lunch with Eomer and Theodred, the boys ran into Eowyn who swiftly hugged her brother, beaming and wishing him Happy Valentine's Day, waving her Spider-Man valentine in the air. Boromir chuckled over it all.

In 7th grade the boy snuck his handmade Valentine's Day card into Eowyn's folder before History. He caught her discovering it during class. From the corner of his eye he observed surprise flit across her face, and then her expression softened. Heart beating loudly, he slowly gathered his things at the bell, prepared to walk out hand in hand with Eowyn. Only she darted past him to Legolas, blushing and stammering, while the tall boy smiled widely. Boromir left the room with a huff. He had signed the card simply as "Your Secret Admirer" after all.

The following year there was a stuffed animal, a white horse, on Eowyn's desk. The girl smiled happily as she lifted up her gift, looking around and asking who knew she'd wanted one. Grima bumped his shoulder against hers, said something too low for Boromir to catch. Eowyn's smile froze, her eyes narrowed. Then she shoved the horse at Grima and slapped him. Later Eomer warned the dark-haired teen to keep away from his sister. That did not prevent Boromir from having a quiet word with him either, annoyed at his attempt to take the credit for his gift.

9th grade: and Eowyn received a large bag of Sweethearts candy, accompanied with a tiny card bearing the simple message Happy Valentine's Day. After tapping her finger against her chin, she went over to Gimli seated at his desk. Boromir could only shake his head.

This time for Valentine's Day Boromir's gift was a poem he'd written. The teenager had puffed up a bit at Eowyn's shining eyes as she quietly read through it. Then his eyebrows rose when she shyly approached Aragorn. And Boromir resisted the temptation to bash his head against something. Aragorn was a bit of a poet himself, it was natural Eowyn believed it was from him. Still, the boy was less than pleased over the two dating for the next four months.

Valentine's Day came once more. And like his first valentine, Boromir slipped into Eowyn's locker a letter, confessing how he'd like her for years. Yet he went about with a heavy heart, aware of Faramir's plans and— Of course Eowyn was going to say yes. Twice he glimpsed the girl throughout the day. After school, Faramir shared with him Eowyn had approached him, worried and determined, thanked him for his letter, then admitted she only saw him as a dear friend. Once alone Boromir buried his face in his hands.

Next year he was thoroughly frustrated. While he and Eowyn weren't close friends, they no longer butted heads as frequently as in the past, got along well. Yet she had never suspected him of being her secret admirer. So this morning when he spotted her, Boromir roughly handed the red rose to the surprised girl, mumbled, "Happy Valentine's Day," then stormed off.

"Thank you," Eowyn said, catching him outside the cafeteria later. "Was it you?"

"What?"

"My secret admirer."

Blushing deeply, he nodded. The light kiss on his stubbled cheek startled him.

"I'm glad."

Boromir stared at her. "Really?"

"Yes."

"This weekend...would you like to go see The Hobbit?" he asked hopefully.

Her smile was bright. "I'd love to, Boromir."

And the boy's smile was just as brilliant, reaching out to – finally – lace his fingers through hers.

THE END