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~
“Kiss me!”
Rúmil was aghast. “No, I’m not going to kiss you! First of all, you’re my brother! And second, why should I kiss you, when you smell of horses and pond water?”
Orophin was undeterred. “Kiss me!” he whined, holding a scraggly leaf over his head as only an elfling could.
Rúmil scowled at his little brother. “For the final time, no! I am not going to kiss you, Oro!”
“You have to kiss me! I’m holding mistletoe over my head. That means you have to kiss me. Haldir said so.”
Fed up, Rúmil snatched the pitiful excuse for mistletoe out of Orophin’s chubby little hand and held it under the elfling’s nose. “This is NOT mistletoe, Oro. It’s parsley from the side of your plate.” he growled.
“It’s not parsley, it’s mistletoe,” said Orophin softly, digging his toe into the ground in front of him.
Rúmil crouched down so his nose almost touched that of his petulant little brother. “Orophin, do you know what happens to elflings who lie?” he asked sweetly, though his eyes flashed with irritation.
Orophin held his breath and shook his head, his blue eyes wide with fear.
“They get nothing for Yule but a parcel of switches and a sack full of rocks.”
The resulting shriek was enough to rouse Ilsidur himself from the dead. Tears streamed down Orophin’s ruddy cheeks as he took off running to find Haldir.
“Serves him right,” griped Rúmil. He stood and folded his arms over his chest. Ever since Haldir had mentioned the Yule season a few weeks ago, his baby brother, Orophin, had been absolutely insufferable. No excuse was too small for him to dredge up some silly Yuletide traditions and trot them out like a dog and pony show. Rúmil hated this time of year, with all of the sappy songs and insincere wishes of, “Good Tidings.” Happy couples, fawning all over each other, cooing like lovebirds and kissing under the mistletoe made him physically ill. Bah. He’d just as soon stay home and curl up with a good book until the whole blasted season ended.
“Rúmil,” called Haldir as he approached, carrying the still sobbing Orophin. “Why in the name of Eru would you tell Orophin he will not be getting any gifts this year?”
“Someone needed to teach him that lying is wrong,” Rúmil said with an air of righteous indignation.
“He was only trying to have some fun. Can’t you at least let him do that?”
Rúmil’s shoulders sagged a bit. Haldir was right. “I’m sorry, Orophin. It’s just…. I don’t like Yuletide,” he muttered with downcast eyes.
Orophin sniffed and wiped his nose on his hand. “I want some real mistletoe. And you’re a meanie.”
“I’ll take you to get some real mistletoe,” interjected Haldir before Rúmil could utter a word. “We’ll leave Grumpy here to think about the present he’ll be receiving: a dirty pillowcase filled with unwashed socks.”
As they walked away, leaving a sad Rúmil behind, Haldir whispered into Orophin’s pointed ear, “I have an idea, but I need your help, Oro…”
~*~
“I’m sorry I lied to you,” said Orophin, tugging at Rúmil’s hand as they walked along the trail down to the stables.
Rúmil chuckled softly and squeezed his little brother’s hand. “No need to apologize. It’s my fault. I was wrong to make you cry,” he said, still feeling a bit guilty.
Orophin responded by tugging harder at Rúmil’s hand. “Hurry,” he said breathlessly. “I want to show you the new horse. Haldir said he’s handsome.”
As soon as they entered the stable, Rúmil’s heart sank. There, hoofing about proudly in the nearest stall, stood the magnificent stallion that belonged to none other than Elladan. He’d had a crush on Elladan for years, but had never admitted his feelings to anyone. Ever. There simply was no chance his affections would ever be returned, so he determined he would suffer in silence rather than face certain rejection. Seeing Elladan’s horse only made him feel worse.
The stallion turned toward Rúmil and snorted in greeting, nosing Rúmil’s hand in hopes of finding an apple slice. “My, but you’re a handsome fellow,” Rúmil said, reaching out to stroke the horse’s velvety nose.
“Why thank you, Rúmil. You’re quite handsome yourself.” Much to Rúmil’s abject horror, up popped Elladan from inside the stall, fresh from inspecting his horse’s rear hoof. He grinned cheekily, and leaned against the wooden frame of the stall.
Speechless, Rúmil blushed from the base of his neck to the tips of his pointed ears. Though his mouth dropped open, his mind lacked the ability for form any sort of response. So there he stood, staring in open-mouthed shock as the object of his affection smiled with amusement.
Orophin tugged hard at Rúmil’s hand. “We found it,” he said, and pointed up toward the rafters. “It’s not parsley this time.”
Oh no. Sweet Elbereth, no…
“What’s that?” asked Elladan, his eyes following Orophin’s toward the rafters. There, wedged between two beams, just above the horse’s stall, hung a small clump of very real mistletoe.
“Mistletoe,” cried Orophin, clapping his hands in delight and pointing a chubby finger at Elladan. “It’s real mistletoe! Rúmil’s standing under it so you have to kiss him!”
Elladan’s gray eyes fairly danced with amusement, which only added to Rúmil’s discomfort. “Oh, well, if tradition demands it, then I suppose I must kiss him,” chuckled Elladan. “I’m nothing if not traditional.”
It all seemed like a dream to Rúmil. As he stood rooted to his spot, Elladan suddenly materialized front of him, cupping his cheek and placing a tender kiss to his lips. Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, it ended, leaving Rúmil a tangled mass of confusion. Elladan’s eyes lingered on him momentarily, and just before he pulled away to leave, he whispered, “Good Tidings.”
~*~
Two Days Later
“Kiss me.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m holding mistletoe over my head. You have to kiss me if I’m under the mistletoe. Haldir said so.”
“That’s not real mistletoe. It’s broccoli that you hid in your napkin from lunch.”
“Is it?” Rúmil held it to his nose and sniffed at it. “Huh, what do you know? It is broccoli.”
Elladan chuckled fondly and leaned closer. “I hear in some cultures broccoli is an acceptable substitute for mistletoe.”
Rúmil smiled and tossed the broccoli spear over his shoulder. “Shut up and kiss me,” he whispered, sliding his hands around Elladan’s waist and pulling him close.