Elladan groaned as he was dragged quiet forcefully from his dream and to awareness. He could feel cold little hands on him, shaking him awake. There was only one culprit he could think of: Estel.
Rather grumpily, Elladan turned on his side to face the child. Once the sleep cleared from his sight, he found that he was indeed looking at Estel, but his frustration melted away when he saw how distraught the child was.
"Stel? What's the matter?" Elladan's tongue was still heavy from sleep.
"Don' die, Dan, please don' die…" Estel sobbed. He shook Elladan's shoulder over and over again as he didn't see that his panic had already awoken the elf.
"What? No, I'm fine Estel. I was just sleeping," Elladan tried soothing the tiny human, scooping him up into his arms.
"Please don' die, I be good," Estel sniffled, latching himself to Elladan's night shirt.
"Estel, I'm not dying. I'm fine. See?"
"No, you was laying with your eyes open. Don' do sleep like Papa," Estel begged hysterically before pressing his face into Elladan's shoulder.
Elladan soothing rubbed his hand up and down Estel's back. He wondered why his sleeping habits had gotten his foster brother to upset.
Then it struck Elladan. Up to this point in his life, Estel had lived with humans who slept with their eyes closed. The only time the young human had ever seen another being lying still with their eyes open had been after the battle that had claimed his father's life. It had been particularly traumatizing for little Estel. Elrohir had found the youngest heir to the throne curled up next to his father's corpse. Thankfully the hideous wounds that had struck down Arathorn were on his back and hidden from the view of his young son.
"Estel, you do know that Elves sleep with their eyes open, right?" Elladan gently asked.
"Na-nuh, Ro duh'n't," Estel protested. He pulled back from Elladan's shoulder to look up into the elf's face. The small fists scrubbed at tear laden lashes, betraying the fact that Estel was exhausted.
"Hmm, you're right. Elves, except for Ro, sleep with their eyes open," Elladan conceded with a laugh. Of course his twin had to be the exception to the rules.
"Promise?" Estel implored with a sniff. He was much calmer now than he had been.
"I promise," Elladan couldn't keep the small smile of his face.
"Can I sleep with you?" Estel asked hesitantly, toying with one of Elladan's braids.
"Of course," Elladan said softly, settling them both under the covers, "Anytime, little one."