Written from a prompt given by rainelinde- Maedhros eating a banana for the first time after Thangorodrim. Since bananas come from Africa, I thought it was conceivable through trade and Elvish skill/magic that they could make it to Beleriand. :)

"Findekáno, where did you- you shouldn't be giving this to me."

Maitimo watched his cousin shrug, strong shoulders rolling with ease that he could currently only wish to emulate.

"It was given to us in trade," replied Findekáno, swinging his legs as he sat on the windowsill. "The Sindar do a lot of that, I think, because it came from far away."

"I never thought I'd see one of these outside Valinor," he confessed, propping the delicacy between his knees so he could peel it one-handed.

"Yes, it seems that, for all of its virtues, Beleriand is bereft of bananas," said his cousin.

"Doesn't make me want to eat it more," he grumbled.

"You have been without a great many things recently," said Findekáno softly. "Bananas being the least of them."

"So have you," replied Maitimo, but he peeled it at least, taking longer than he would have liked because of trembling fingers.

He broke off a piece and pushed it into his mouth, reveling in the soft taste. It was nice to eat something new that didn't agitate his broken back teeth. He closed his eyes and smiled as he ate, oblivious to Findekáno for a few short moments.

When he opened them so he could break off another piece, he found his cousin staring at him. He reddened and said, "What?"

"Oh, nothing," said Findekáno, tapping his fingers against his muscled thigh. "Just think you looked really happy while you were eating that."

Maitimo rearranged himself on the pillows his cousin insisted he have. He tried not to look down while he did it, but accidentally glanced down his loose shirt, his nearly translucent skin showing all his veins, blue and red against milky white. His bruises had almost all faded, but his ribs were still visible though his skin. He broke off the next piece of the banana and ate it.

He held out the rest to Findekáno, his expression brooking no argument. His cousin grinned and hopped of the windowsill, grabbing the banana and taking a bite. So healthy, even after the Helcaraxë. So much more alive than Maitimo was.

"Don't look so gloomy," said Findekáno through a mouthful of fruit. "I'll get you more eventually."

Maitimo laughed, his vocal chords straining. His throat often hurt after extended periods of speaking or even the smallest amount of laughter, and his words were always rasped in a deeper, angrier voice than he used to have.

"Keep them for your people, if you do," he replied. "I'll be with my brothers by then."

Findekáno nodded. "I will."

He drank from a glass of water at his bedside table, washing the last taste of the delicacy from his mouth. "Thank you, cousin. This has been…well, better than anything in Angamando ever was."

Findekáno laughed at that, a laugh that was a little too high and happy to be natural. "I should hope so!"

Maitimo close his eyes. "I am tired now, I think. You can stay, if you'd like the adventure of watching me sleep."

"I'll leave you then," he replied, squeezing Maitimo's bony hand as he left. "Goodnight, my friend."