Disclaimer: Everything Lotr related belongs to the well known Mr Tolkien, not to me.

Wordcount: 1922/8380

Chapter 4

The loud snoring next to him didn't bother Erestor too much when he woke from a deep and dreamless sleep. There were hundreds of people in this tent and he had long grown used to the noises accompanying this. He himself did not breathe very quietly since the battle. Blinking sleepily he tried to shift into a more comfortable position. He'd spent days and weeks lying on his back by now and he craved nothing more than to sleep on his stomach.

Something light caught his attention and his eyes widened in surprise when he saw Glorfindel sitting next to him, slumped forward and clearly deeply asleep. The warrior was an amazing sight, tall and noble. Erestor had been sure that he'd never talk to him again after their encounter on the battlefield. Why should a hero like him associate with a common worker like himself? Every time the warrior left him he was sure he'd not come back, and yet he did, over and over again, to Erestor's utter surprise and bliss.

He'd never imagined something like this would happen, not in his brightest dreams, him talking to a famed hero, in such a casual, enjoyable way. The blond elf jerked in his sleep and the snoring briefly stopped, before it continued. Erestor couldn't help the shy smile that spread over his face. It surely was not a word usually coming to one's mind thinking of Glorfindel of Gondolin, but caught in his wild dreams the tall elf certainly looked terribly cute.

Watching his sleeping companion he patiently waited for the elf to wake. Glorfindel woke with a start as, once more, Erestor shifted slightly, looking about confused, not quite sure where he was and how he had gotten there. His gaze fell upon Erestor, who returned the gaze, a big grin on his face, as the warrior blinked at him, sleepily and confused. Shaking his head to clear his mind Glorfindel moved his hand over his face, brushing away the last remnants of sleep. "I'm sorry," he apologized, feeling deeply embarrassed at having fallen asleep in a place like this.

"There's no need to feel sorry," Erestor softly answered, his voice still weak, even if it already sounded much better than in the beginning. "Shouldn't you be in your tent and sleep if you're that tired?"

"That's where I was heading," Glorfindel admitted. "I just wanted to see how you were doing first. I need to have fallen asleep when sitting down for a moment…" He shook his head, not quite knowing himself how he had ended up asleep next to the young elf in the healing tent. "Actually I think I was just looking for a dry place to sleep because there's a leak in my tent and the whole thing is flooded." Smiling he looked at his young charge.

"And then you thought you could just throw me out of my bed and use it yourself, so that you didn't have to go through the trouble of looking for something." Erestor smiled back at him, feeling a little silly, bantering with the famed balrog slayer like this.

"Sure. It's far easier to just take from the sick and crippled." Sighing he moved a hand through his hair, slightly rumpled from sleep. "Do you have any idea how late it is?"

Erestor shook his head, his smile slowly fading away. "Why do you always come here?" he suddenly heard himself say. He hadn't quite intended to ask this, but the question had been troubling him for weeks now and now that he had spoken his mind it was just as well, he'd finally receive an answer to this riddle.

Glorfindel looked at him, surprised. "Why I come here?" The question clearly confused him, not quite knowing what exactly Erestor meant with this. "Am I… disturbing you? I won't come anymore if you don't want me to."

"No!" Erestor answered quickly, realizing the warrior had slightly misunderstood the question. "I don't mind at all. It's nice to have someone to talk to without having to tell everything a dozen times because your neighbours are already gone again. I just… don't understand it. You're…" Helplessly he looked for words. Finding none he finally settled for, "You're Glorfindel. And I… I am just Erestor. I don't understand why you always come to me, especially when you're this tired."

Silently Glorfindel sat there, looking at his young friend, searching for an answer. "I just like to come," he finally said. He shrugged uncertainly, smiling shyly.

Erestor looked at him, brow furrowed, not quite knowing what to do with this answer.

Glorfindel quickly rose, realizing the situation had become awkward beyond control. "I'm sorry. I should leave now before I fall asleep once more. I'll be back tomorrow."

Erestor nodded, watching the warrior turn to leave. "Sleep well," he managed to say, before he was gone.

Glorfindel nearly fled out of the tent. Erestor's question had disturbed him greatly, especially as it brushed a topic he had often thought about himself and hadn't found an answer to. Erestor was by far not the first injured elf he had seen or which he had saved, not even the youngest of them. So why was he that worried about this particular elf and hadn't been about the others?

He instantly crashed into Elrond when he left the main part of the tent. Elrond managed to catch his footing, but a bowl fell from his hands and to the floor.

"Glorfindel!" Elrond scolded, quickly putting everything else he held in his hands onto the table. "What on Arda has gotten into you?"

Glorfindel stood still for a moment, shocked about the collision, then he bent down to pick up the fallen bowl. "I'm sorry, Elrond. I didn't mean to."

"You really should be more careful," Elrond answered angrily. "Our supplies are few and I really can't spare any of them just because you didn't look where you were going."

"I'm sorry." Glorfindel stepped up to his friend, turning the bowl in his hands. "Here. There's a crack, but you should still be able to use it."

Elrond took the bowl, examining it himself with an annoyed expression. "It could have been broken." His gaze travelled to his friend, examining him. "What is the matter?"

"Nothing. I'm just tired."

"You're moving pretty fast for that," Elrond noted, raising his eyebrows.

Glorfindel shrugged. "It's nothing. I'm just… a little embarrassed." He smiled awkwardly, sitting down on one of the chairs, realizing he wouldn't get out of this that easily. "I just wanted to check on Erestor for a few minutes and somehow fell asleep on his bed."

"And you're telling me to sleep more?"

"You should. You've got dark circles under your eyes."

Elrond left his work for some moments to sit down next to his friend, using this opportunity to take a short break. "How could I sleep when lives depend on me?" he whispered.

Glorfindel didn't answer, knowing this kind of feeling quite well. For a short time they simply sat there, in silent agreement, needing no words to communicate their feelings.

"Thranduil's leaving," Glorfindel broke the silence after some moments.

Elrond looked at him, surprised. "Leaving? For Mirkwood?"

Glorfindel nodded. "Yes. He told me shortly before I came here. He said he just wants to take his people home and that they're nothing but a burden in a place like this, using the supplies."

Elrond snorted. "And what about those of his people that are still unable to travel? Or the fact that we still need every hand we can get?"

"I don't think he's thinking about this," Glorfindel admitted. "Actually I don't think he's thinking at all, though I can understand this to some degree. His father's dead, he's suddenly king, of a realm that has more than its fare share of problems on top of it, more than half of his warriors are dead or crippled… He's too young. I think it's too much for him. He just wants to get home, away from all of this."

"That still doesn't excuse the fact that he's leaving many of his people behind without a possibility of returning home for the time being."

Glorfindel sighed. "I know. But I can't keep him back. He's king now." His gaze involuntarily travelled towards the flap that led deeper into the tent. "Erestor's from Mirkwood as well."

Elrond followed his gaze, smiling gently. "You like him."

Glorfindel's head snapped around look at the half elf. "Why do have the impression you don't quite mean it the way you say it?"

"Oh Glorfindel!" Elrond urged. "You like him. You're here every day, even more than once, and when we still thought he'd die you were morbidly depressed. I'm not stupid. Do you really think I don't realize what you're up to?"

Glorfindel's eyes narrowed. "Elrond! How can you say this? I'm no paedophile!"

"Glorfindel, please. He's young, especially compared to you, but he's by far no child, especially after this battle. He's a grown elf."

"He's barely reached his majority," Glorfindel mumbled, not liking the direction this conversation was taking at all.

"But he already reached it. There's nothing wrong with liking him."

"I don't like him," Glorfindel mumbled, crossing his arms defiantly in front of him. "I mean… I like him, but I don't like him."

"If you don't why are you spending so much time with him? Why do you want to know every detail about his health and his injuries? There are more than enough other elves in a similar situation, but you're not asking me anything more than if they're still alive about them."

Glorfindel shrugged, sighing quietly. "I don't know. He asked me the same thing."

A smile spread on Elrond's face. "So that's what caused you to run. You don't like the answer, do you?"

"There is no answer. Do you really think I'd take advantage of an injured elf like this? Making him think I care for him just to get into his bed?"

Elrond gently shook his head. "I would never imply that you only want his body. I don't think you do, but I think you're lying to yourself if you accuse me of thinking it, because you don't like the other option, namely that it's not his body you want, but his heart. You have got no control about who you have feelings for. You shouldn't be so reluctant to this idea. There's nothing wrong with it." He rose to his feet, leaving his friend on the chair. "Well, I've got some work to do. And you should go to sleep; you look as if you're falling asleep on your feet. Yes," Elrond answered, as he saw Glorfindel open his mouth. "I'll go to sleep as well. Later."

Glorfindel stared at the half elf for some moments, a strange feeling in his chest due to his words. But Elrond was ignoring him, having turned back to his work. Grumbling Glorfindel rose to his feet, making his way towards his tent. He wasn't sure if he liked what Elrond was implying but somehow he got the sneaking feeling that the half elf wasn't entirely wrong about this matter. Erestor was important to him, though he had not the faintest idea why. He reached his tent and sat down hard on his makeshift bed. He didn't want to think about this now. He tightly closed his eyes, willing his body to fall asleep, to stop his mind from dwelling on these thoughts.