Hello! I managed to bang this one out pretty quickly. Please, please review if you read!

Underlined text is in Elvish.

Dedicated to my brother, who says "fight me" an awful lot for a 5'7" 15-year-old.

"It ain't natural." Sam muttered as he stared out of the window at the automated carriages speeding past. "Not none of it."

"Oh, come on, Sam, it's not that bad." Merry said cheerfully as he ate the club sandwich Michael had bought for him. Their host had bought them all whatever they wanted, despite his coworker's glances, an offer Merry and Pippin gladly took him up on. "The food is good, the drinks are better, and all in all, I think it's a quite welcome respite after that dreadful mountain."

Sam grumbled to himself, but was quiet. Frodo smiled slightly at his friend's concern before looking around him. They were in a... tavern of sorts, with large windows and small tables scattered across the room. The menu above the glass counter was written in colorful chalk, though he couldn't recognize most of the words. Inside the counter itself was an assortment of sandwiches and sweets, and behind it was a wide variety of machines. They'd watched Michael grapple with one for a good fifteen minutes, cursing angrily as his friend had laughed and teased him. They seemed to know each other quite well...

There was a steady stream of customers coming in from the busy street - and my, what a busy street it was! The automated carriages that Michael had called 'cars' zipped past either way and were parked up and down the street, and the pathways were teeming with people. There were some curious glances tossed their way, but for the most part people went about their business. It was as if they were all caught up in their own world, and could not be bothered to even say hello to the people they passed (though he supposed that if one did that, you would never stop saying hello.)

"How are you doing?"

Frodo looked up as Aragorn leaned over to ask him in a low voice. Frodo absently went to grasp at the Ring around his neck. Ever since they'd landed in this place, the Ring had felt lighter, almost like he'd left its influence back in Middle-Earth. It concerned him a bit, but he wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth, so he nodded and smiled to Aragorn. Aragorn hesitated, then nodded as well, patting his shoulder before turning back to his conversation with Boromir, Legolas, Gimli and Gandalf.

"The boy is hiding something." Boromir was saying with a glance at Michael. "I do not trust him."

"You are being paranoid, Boromir." Gandalf assured him. "Master Michael will not let us come to any hard, this I may promise you."

"Why? Because you know his holy man? He knows what our quests holds, but he tells us nothing! Is that not deserving of mistrust?"

"I agree wi' him." Gimli added, shifting in his seat. "The boy's leavin' us in th' dark."

"Perhaps he simply does not know what to do." Legolas said. "He is young, even to your people, yet he has a brother that he raises, and two jobs to support them. And if I am correct, he is taking classes as well. Now, to have nine more to take care of? It is a wonder he helps us to begin with!"

"Helps us, indeed. What has he done besides make us breakfast and leave us with his brother?" Boromir leaned forward and lowered his voice. "It's all very queer to me. I do not trust-."

"Boromir, enough." Aragorn sighed. "Master Michael holds no ill will towards us. Why else would he give us free room and board? Why else would he take us to his place of work when he knows we have been stuck indoors for days? And I do not remember you holding this animosity towards his brother. Be done with your fear-mongering! We might see queerer sights here."

Legolas shook his head and stood from the table as the men argued quietly. He looked around the tavern - Michael had called it a 'bistro' - and walked up to the counter, looking at the food they had on display. They were arranged almost artistically, with every last detail knowing its place. He admired their maker's dedication.

"Can I help you with something?" Legolas looked up to see the girl leaning on the counter with a smile fixed on her face. What had her name been? Luce? Lucy?

He smiled politely. "No thank you. I was simply looking at what you had for sale." He gestured to the food.

"Well, let me know if there's anything you want. Mike says that you guys can eat all you want and it's on him." Her eyes narrowed slightly, as if she was suspicious. "So, where do you and your friends come from? And how do you know Mike?"

"I - ah..." He cleared his throat. "My name is Lawrence. Michael and I met quite by accident, actually... it is a long and boring tale, I am quite sure you wouldn't want to hear it."

"Oh, I really would." There was no hiding the thinly veiled venom in her voice. "You know, Lawrence, Michael's been my friend for years, and I've almost never seen him so stressed. And as his friend, it's my job to protect him when he thinks he can protect himself, but can't. That includes from strange people who I've never seen before, or heard him mention before, who turn up and follow him around." She smiled again. "Do we understand each other?"

He gave her an equally icy smile. "Quite well."

Michael came from the back room, blowing out a breath and wiping the sweat from his brow when he saw Lucy and Legolas smiling at each other like they were about to kill each other. Oh, fuck. Is this some kind of sick mating ritual? God damn it, Lucy... He briskly walked over to where they were and took Lucy by her elbow, laughing loudly. "Hey, good to see you're making friends! Uh, Lucy, can you go and check the peppermint syrup stocks? I'm not sure I counted them right, and you know how I get when I'm tired." He forced a smile at her until she nodded and left, casting a look at Legolas over her shoulder. When the door shut behind her, Michael's shoulders slumped in relief. "Oh, thank God." He breathed. "I thought she was about to spring at you over the counter."

Legolas opened his mouth to reply, then saw Lucy straining to listen through the door. "She is suspicious." He said quietly. "She was asking how long we had known you, where we came from, and how we met."

Michael groaned, rubbing his forehead. "She is a good friend." He replied. Legolas silently marveled at his fluency in the language. "But she worries. She has seen Gabriel and I through terrible things, and does not wish for us to go through it again. Let me handle her." Legolas nodded, and Michael turned to go into the back room. He opened the door and looked around, cautiously stepping in. "Lucy? Hey Kane, where are you-?"

Lucy slammed the door shut, leaning against it with her hand and forcing Michael to make eye contact with her. "Mike, what the hell is going on?" She demanded.

"I don't know what you're talking about-."

"I've never seen you this jumpy." She raised her eyebrows. "And you've never been late before for as long as I've known you, but that's two days in a row. And now you have these crazy-looking people looking like they dropped out of a fantasy novel, and you're speaking that weird-ass language - you can see why a girl would be suspicious!" She narrowed her eyes. "I'm not stupid. So you can either tell me what's going on or I'll call your Rabbi and get him to tell me."

Michael sighed and ran a hand over his face, his mind racing. He knew that Lucy meant well, but this was really not what he needed. It was the exact opposite of what he needed. "I... Look, Luce, thanks for being concerned, but really, I-."

"Do you really not trust me?" Her voice was quiet, and he winced like he'd been slapped.

"No, Lucy, that's not-."

"That's what it sounds like." She crossed her arms. "Look, I'm just... I worry about you. Ever since the things with your parents and sister happened-." Michael winced again, and she bit her lip. "Ever since then, I've just... I've been really worried about you, alright?"

"Being worried for five years must be hell on your stress levels." He joked lamely.

She stood there for a long moment, staring at him with the most heartbreaking expression on her face, before she pulled him into a tight hug. "Tell me if you need anything, okay?" She murmured. "I love you lots."

He forced a smile and patted her back. "Yeah... I love you too, Luce." He said quietly. "Just don't harass my friends, please?"

"You mean the ones who refuse to break character and keep calling me 'my lady'?" She joked with a smile before punching his shoulder. "Careful with them, your boyfriend might get jealous, especially of that blond guy."

Michael groaned as she opened the door and went back out into the bistro. "Scott is not my boyfriend, Lucy!" He protested, following her. "We're just friends, and I told you, I'm straight!"

"Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that, honey." She winked, and he scowled. "Well you'll have a chance to tell him yourself, because here he comes."

Michael's head snapped up as the door opened and Scott cautiously stepped in. "Hey." He waved with a half-smile, and Michael smiled and did the same. "Just, uh... stopping by for some coffee."

"Same as usual?" Michael asked, trying to keep his expression nonchalant as he felt Lucy's eyes boring into him.

"You know me." Scott laughed and sat in the corner, pulling out his laptop and plugging it in. Michael set to making his coffee when Lucy sidled up to him.

"You have his ridiculously complicated coffee order memorized." She whispered, and he groaned again and hit his head on the cappuccino machine. "You could barely keep yourself from grinning when you saw him - face it, Mike, you're about as straight as a curly fry and as bi as a bicycle."

He glared at her out of the corner of his eye. "Lucy Georgia Kane, I am going to shove a croissant so far up your ass you'll be speaking French the rest of your life." He growled, and she laughed and lifted her hands before walking away. " 'Straight as a curly fry'..." He grumbled as he put the frappe in the blender. It's not weird I have his order memorized. We're best friends, of course I know it. And yeah, I smiled, because I'm glad to see him! That's what friends do, right...?

When Scott's drink was done, Michael snagged a marble brownie from the display case and set it on a plate, carrying it to Scott. "What's up, man?" He greeted him, setting down the plate and drink. Scott grabbed the drink and practically inhaled it. Michael crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows in amusement. By the time Scott was done, the frappe was halfway gone.

"I'm working on some new music." Scott said. "C'mere, listen to what I have so far." He took off one of his headphones and held it out to Michael. He hesitated, then took it and leaned over to see the computer screen.

" 'Stupid-Ass Ballad, part 1'?" He glanced at Scott, who was... blushing? Nah, it had to be his imagination...

"It's a work in progress, okay? Just listen." He hit play, and they fell quiet. It was still sketchy - the vocals were missing, of course, and the computer simulator could only do so much, but Michael found himself swaying to the music and humming along. It was absolutely an emotional piece, and if he knew Scott, it was probably going to drive people to tears when it was finished.

"Dude, that was great." He grinned and clapped his shoulder when it was done. "You're a fuckin genius, man."

"Eh, well..." Scott laughed. "I've got the best bandmate in the world, so, y'know..."

"Alright, man, let me know if you need anything else, okay?" Michael straightened out and was about to go back behind the counter when Scott grabbed his wrist.

"Hey man, look, I..." Scott rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Uh... I'm sorry about last night. That probably made things really weird, and I don't want you to be uncomfortable, okay?"

Michael felt a flush creeping up his neck and fervently wished it would go away. "It's no problem. We're cool."

"Alright." Scott grinned and let him go, clearing his throat before he put his headphones back on and went back to work. Michael went behind the counter and shoved Lucy's shoulder as he passed her by.

"What! I didn't say anything!" She cried.

"You were thinking it." They laughed together.

"Come on, come on, where the hell is it..." Gabriel growled to himself as he dug through Michael's old school stuff. He'd spent about three hours trying to read through Paradise Lost before giving up and deciding that he was going to do what it took to survive and copy Michael's old essay. He just had no idea where it was. Or what it looked like. Or really if it was even worth looking at, knowing Michael...

His phone buzzed from beside him, and he grabbed it and looked at the text.

Maryanne B. (English class)
hey :)
Maryanne B. (English class)
u want to come over and work on the essay?

Gabriel looked from the phone to the hopeless heap of garbage that was Michael's school stuff and gave it a half-hearted kick before sighing in resignation and texting a reply.

Gabriel
Sure, I'll be there in 5 minutes
Maryanne B. (English class)
yay! ;* ;* cant wait~

He groaned and put on his coat, praying that this time the girl would manage to keep her raging hormones to herself and actually help him get this God-forsaken essay done.

Gabriel made polite conversation with Maryanne's parents before going up the stairs to her room. She lived down the street from his apartment complex in a two-story house that Michael never stopped grumbling about how he wanted it. He opened the door, then coughed as the smell of perfume hit him straight on. He opened his eyes to see candles everywhere and rose petals hastily thrown around, and... fuck's sake.

"Hello, Gabriel." Maryanne was trying and failing to be sexy, draping herself over her bed. He was 90% sure that she was copying a pose from Playboy or something. "I'm so glad you could come..."

Gabriel groaned in irritation, dropped his bag, and stormed over to her. He grabbed her by her shoulders and dragged her upright so he could look her in the eyes. "Maryanne." He said in a level voice. "You're a nice girl, okay? So nothing against you. But I'm gay as fuck and really not interested."

She gaped at him like he'd slapped her, then stammered, turning bright red. "O-oh. Okay, I-I'm sorry. I-I'll just..." She cleared her throat and started blowing out the covers. Gabriel sighed and rubbed his forehead and wondered why this always happened to him. Why can't it be their brothers inviting me to a 'study session'? He thought mournfully. "Sorry about that." She smiled sheepishly. "Uh... do you want to work on the essay?"

"I think I'd better go." He muttered. "I'll see you on Monday."

"Wait, Gabe!" She called after him. "Look, I - here, you can copy my notes." She grabbed her folder and shoved it into his hands. "Just... let me make it up to you."

He raised his eyebrows, but smiled. "Thanks, Mary. See you 5th period." He started down the stairs.

"Bye!"

He passed by her confused parents. "I don't know which one of you has the porn mags, but keep them away from her. She's getting really bad ideas." He said before he showed himself out the door, shaking his head the entire way.

This is really a filler chapter and I'm not sorry at all. Love y'all!