Title: Sunrise
Author: fazy
Email: chopstickssg@yahoo.com
Pairing: Haldir/ Elrond
Rating: G
Archive:
Summary: Set in the now (ie: the 21st century), Haldir and Elrond take a vacation to the North Pole. Male pregnancy fic.

A/N: based on the Bagenders (www.bagenders.stormpages.com) idea that Elrond in the 21st century is a filthy rich guy who owns half of Scotland, and that Haldir is currently staying with him. Soulshadow Diamond and I have taken it upon ourselves to assume that they have some sort of relationship going. In our version of the story, Haldir was initially sent by BADGER to infiltrate Elrond's mansion (and bank account) and send quarterly reports back to headquarters.

Sunrise is part of a series of vignettes that Soulshadow and I are in the midst of compiling. A complete version of the series should be up in late july.

Disclaimer: Erm... do we even NEED disclaimers? Isn't it a given that fan fiction is written by poor college/ high school students who don't own a damn thing and don't make any money out of their writing? Isn't that what fan fiction is all *about*?!? c",)


*****

The first rays of dawn rimmed the icy mountaintops that lined the horizon as the sun rose, leisurely piercing the grey darkness of the northern night. Serenity. Everything was slow here, away from the stifling clutches of urban life. Everything was placid in this ice-covered wonderland. Here, Nature herself was free.

The sun yawned and stretched, sending more of his soft rays across the icy plains. The day dawned in a burst of song as the playful, questing rays danced off the frozen elements, and for a moment, the ice fields themselves were illuminated in a glowing splendour of white light. The sun shone, the ice glittered and the very air seemed to sing it's ode to the quiet beauty of the place. And then the universe let out it's breath and smiled at it's creation, and anyone who was there would have marvelled at the sight.

And someone did.

Here in the barren winterland, a single ocean liner, the icebreaker Sovietskiy Soyuz carved it's way across the ice sheets of the Atlantic. A lone figure sat on the helm, his cheeks flushed pink as the cold, biting wind lashed at his face and whipped at his hair. And yet amidst such uncaring conditions, he was calm and at peace in just a dressing gown of the lightest silk. He was perched delicately on the rails, his long shapely legs dangling off the sides of the ship as he leaned dangerously forward, rapt in study of the beauty unfolding before his very eyes. Only when a particularly malicious gust of wind threatened to knock his off balance did he realise the precariousness of his position.

Pushing the hair out of his eyes, he looked around at the empty deck and shifted slightly. The wind whipping at the hems of his plum coloured garment, framing the broad masculine strength of his shoulders and exposing the sleek curves of his legs, highlighting the breathtaking androgyny of his features. He carried himself with quiet grace, and yet beneath all those layers of breeding, a predator still lurked, all the more lethal for being concealed within one so distinctively feminine in elegance and poise.

A soft noise reached his ears above the sound of rushing wind-- the familiar sound of his lover's breathing. Haldir could recognise that sound anywhere. His long years as the marchwarden of Lorien had honed his senses to perfection, and without even thinking about it, the elf could sense the subtle distinctions is his lover's breathing pace and patterns that set him apart form the multitudes of other beings in the world.

He bit his lip as a warm rush of adoration filled his body, and turned to face the other, a touch of hero-worship evident in his eyes. Why he regarded Elrond with such adulation, even he did not know. There was something in his lover's doe-like eyes that captured his heart and bound Haldir to him.

Doe-like?

Yes... yes, doe-like, for he could always detect that spark of warmth and humanity in his lover's otherwise emotionless eyes. After all the long years of bitterness he had been forced to endure, Elrond often come across as a jaded, unfeeling bastard, but Haldir knew better. He was not always sure of his partner's love for him, but he knew with heartbreaking clarity the depth of emotion hidden behind that cool façade.

And now as the former lord of Imladris approached him, Haldir saw in his lover, a face momentarily softened by warmth and tenderness. Elrond looked happy. He looked content as he gazed dotingly at Haldir, and the very knowledge of it gave his heart great joy.

Haldir smiled softly. He held out an arm in welcome, and sighed, gratified, when Elrond stepped up to met his embrace. Pressed up against the one person he loved more than life itself, Haldir felt his eyelids flutter close. He snaked his arms around his lover and held him tightly, urgently, desperately and above all, fearfully. He did not know what the future held for the both of them, but at the moment, Elrond was his whole world. He was his very reason for being, and Haldir was terrified of loosing him.

A soft whimper escaped his lips, and despite his best attempts, he could feel the tears gathering beneath his eyelids. Already he could imagine life without his love. Already the helplessness and dread threatened to overcome him. Haldir swallowed hard.

Sensing Haldir's distress, Elrond held him tight and ran his fingers through the blond elf's hair. Having his hair stroked was Haldir's weak spot, and Elrond knew it. It was the quickest and most effective way to break through to Haldir and reassure him. To be caressed like a baby, to be stroked like a cat-- that was the one of the few ways Haldir knew how to receive love from another.

True enough, the shuddering sobs died down, and after a time, Haldir looked up at him and smiled a watery smile. What a sight. What a smile, and Elrond could feel his lips twitch upwards in response.

And Haldir relaxed. It seemed that seeing Elrond's reaction calmed him down somewhat, and that was another queer thing about Elrond's wayward Lorien lover. Haldir craved attention. He wanted to know that his lover reacted to him. Exactly how Elrond reacted was secondary, it was the fact that he did that was important, and it puzzled Elrond. Why would the guardian prefer him to scowl and sulk when Elrond was perfectly capable of distancing himself and hiding his hurt?

A soft chuckle from the warm blond bundle in his arms brought Elrond's thoughts back to the present, and he raised an eyebrow questioningly. Haldir grinned in reply and ran his fingers across the patterned woollen vest that Elrond wore over his regular long-sleeved shirt, a humbling reminder of his mixed parentage, for although the peredhil could weather even the harshest conditions almost as well as any full-blooded elf, his environment affected him and could bring both pleasure and discomfort from prolonged exposure. Soon he would be testing his endurance to the limit by swimming in the deadly sub-zero waters of the Northern Atlantic, but even so, he was determined not to show any weakness or susceptibility to such extreme cold. Besides, it would not do to make Haldir worry unnecessarily.

Frowning a little at what he perceived as an unwitting display of his own weakness, Elrond caught the teasing fingers and swept them off the tickly material. Then cupping Haldir's hands warmly in his, he shook his head in mock remonstrance but the only effect it had on the younger elf was to make him laugh harder. Playfully, Haldir sank his teeth into the synthetic wool and pulled before releasing it with a snap. Elrond winced. Haldir grinned.

Brazenly, the blond elf draped his arms around his lover's neck and pulled him in for a cushy kiss before returning to snuggle into Elrond's willing-- though rather stiff-- embrace. Haldir chuckled. "You really have to lighten up a bit, meleth," he said softly, adoringly, and Elrond shook his head in mute agreement.

"Perhaps you're right," he whispered in thought speak. "But enough of this. Are you hungry?" he said aloud and motioned for a hovering crewman to fetch their breakfast. Haldir nodded and grinned, but his smile quickly faded when Elrond made to lift him off his perch.

"I want to see the view!" he wailed in thought speak. Unlike Elrond, Haldir was no telepath, but they has spent to much time in each others company that his thoughts could easily manifest themselves as a soft voice in Elrond's subconscious. And although he knew that Elrond had 'heard' him, he glared at Elrond and pouted his lips slightly for good measure, but when Elrond sighed and shrugged his shoulders, Haldir felt bad. How often had Elrond given in to his pettiness? Elrond always let him have his way even if he showed the slightest displeasure. Elrond always did things for him, and gave way to his wants, but how often did he even think about Elrond's wants and needs?

Feeling more than a little guilty, Haldir reached up and kissed Elrond full on the mouth. After all, his lover had only been acting out of concern for him. He pulled away slightly, saw a flicker of disappointment in the elder's eyes as he broke the contact and quickly planted soothing kisses along the curve of Elrond's cheekbones. "Breakfast would be lovely," he whispered indulgently into a delicately pointed ear, and grinned when the breath from his softly spoken words sent a thrill down the other. "I love you, meleth," he said again, this time through thought speak, and kissed the other's broad hands. "I really do."

A creaking of wheels and soft tinkle of plates as the cutlery was laid out on a hastily erected picnic table told them that their breakfast had arrived, and this time Haldir made himself pliant. He let Elrond help him off the rails, lead him to their breakfast spot and sit him down on the wooden bench, but when Elrond settled down beside him, he drew his lover close in a protective gesture.

Anyone watching would have been surprised at the dynamic between them, that neither adopted a purely masculine or feminine role. They were each of them both the masculine and the feminine half of the relationship, and though Haldir longed to abandon all need for dominance and loose himself completely in his lover, he had a feeling that as yet Elrond was not quite ready to accept a thoroughly submissive Haldir. The suddenness of the change would unnerve Elrond, and throw him off balance. No, Haldir had been in that position so completely and for so long that he knew Elrond needed time to adjust to the gradually changing dynamic.

He probably would in time, and Elrond was definitely starting to show progress—he had even indicated once that he did enjoy taking the lead in bed... And yet, the Imladris elf lacked the confidence and bravado that Haldir possessed, that strong self-assuredness that naturally put him in a position of control even without having to even think about it.

Which was queer in itself, for there was nobody in Haldir's mind that could ever compare to Elrond. Galadrial never even came close. The Imladris elf was lordly in every sense of the word; he was noble, he was knowledgeable, he was a scholar. As a former lord of Imladris, he had wielded more power than Haldir ever had, and what influence he had he held with wisdom and integrity.

Haldir would never have thought that someone so honoured and respected throughout the ages would turn out to be so docile and giving in a relationship. Sometimes he felt like Elrond worshipped him... and yet out of concern and protectiveness, the elder elf tried his best to play God at the same time. He held himself responsible for Haldir's well being, and the blonde could still remember the conversation they had some weeks back. "Don't blame yourself," he had told Elrond. "Shit happens."

"But not to you," Elrond had replied. "Not if I can help it. I promised myself that a long time ago."

Hearing those worlds replayed in his mind, Haldir felt a wave of numbness wash over him. His heart ached. Elrond had felt pain then because of him. Elrond had hurt, and it was all his fault. He looked down at the dark-haired elf resting his head against his own heavier, more muscular shoulder, looking so frail and vulnerable that Haldir felt a sudden surge of protectiveness rise within him. Elrond was his, and his alone, and Haldir would willingly fight a balrog bare-handed if it meant it would keep his lover safe.

Sensing the former guardian's gaze on him, Elrond looked up and motioned for him to start his breakfast, and for the first time that morning, Haldir realised just how hungry he was. He grabbed a mini croissant sandwich and wolfed it down, then reached for another and gently nudged it to Elrond's lips, urging him to take a bite. And although Elrond blushed and straightened himself at such an intimate display of affection, Haldir sensed that he was well pleased. The older elf's embarrassment diminished as the meal progressed though, and it looked to Haldir that after awhile he even started to enjoy nibbling treats from Haldir's fingers. There were no words to describe the feelings that surged through him as he held his lover protectively close and adoringly fed him his breakfast. No worlds at all.

They lingered at the table long after the meal had been cleared, till at length, Haldir shrugged off Elrond's arm and rose to wash his hands in a basin of warm water. As he ran his fingers through the basin, he could not help but survey their surroundings. The Sovietskiy Soyuz had broken past the ice fields, had ploughed it's way through the sheets of solid ice that coated the surface of the ocean and was now bobbing along on liquid water. Perhaps it was because had now reached a region of higher salt consistency?

Just as he was about to turn back to Elrond, something on the horizon caught his eye. Haldir gasped.

"What is it, meleth-nin?" Elrond's voice sounded telepathically in his head.

"That," he breathed in awe. "Come. Come quickly. Come and see!" He barely noticed Elrond come up and wrap his arms around him from behind. "Look," he whispered reverently.

"What is it, Haldir-nin?" Elrond asked again. He could not for the life of him imagine what had captured his lover's attention.

"There," he insisted, pointing. "Right there," he said, but still Elrond could not see anything. "An ice castle. Right there. Cant you see it?" he said, slightly irritated. He took Elrond's hand in his and guided the arm into alignment. "There!"

Chuckling softly to himself, Elrond brought their arms back to rest around his lover's waist. "You forget that not everybody has such perfect eyesight, marchwarden," he teased.

"Pah," he cried dismissively. "If you would just use the gift the Valar gave you instead of locking yourself away in study all day perhaps your senses would be keener. It isn't like our senses get dulled with age or ill use, Elrond. You just lack practice."

"And so I do," he grinned and kissed Haldir playfully on the cheek. "It isn't like the old days where we had boarders to guard and wars to fight and prey to kill. Right now, it seems my quarry comes willingly to me."

"And how do you know it isn't you who is the hunted?"

"Hmmm? You don't hunt me, meleth-nin. Isn't that what made it special? I was the only lover you did *not* hunt."

"True, true," he chuckled. "When Glorfindel sent me on that errand for BADGER all those years ago, I had no idea this would happen. It was supposed to be a simple mission, he said. All I had to do was to gain your trust, he said. All I had to do was to send reports of the politics you play, he said. 'And why me?' I asked. I mean, it was *his* mission after all. It wasn't *supposed* to be me. And did you know what his response was?"

"What?" Elrond asked, humouring the Lorien elf even though he had heard this account hundreds of times before.

"He said he'd rather do ten thousand rounds with a tag team of balrogs in a no-disqualification cage match, and that I was the only sleazy elf-whore who even stood a chance of charming the pants of that lying, slandering, good-for-nothing bitch-hound of a mud-blooded peredhil, may-the-heavens-strike-him-down-and-mutilate-his-body-preferably-in-an-agonizingly-painful-way, that evil, blasphemous son-of-a-bitch. And can I please excuse him, he needs to wash out his mouth, preferably with concentrated Dettol to sanitize himself after saying that accursed name."

Haldir rolled his eyes. "Elf-whore indeed," he scoffed in indignation. "I prefer the term 'social escort.' Or 'gigolo'. Sound more professional. 'Sleazy elf-whore' just doesn't have the same ring to it, don't you think?" he grinned, then sighed heavily. "Why do you hate each other so much, meleth?" Haldir said quietly. "Why is there so much anger?"

Elrond pursed his lips and looked away, his eyes suddenly cold and hard. "Another day, Haldir-nin. Not now. Not yet. Saes, lirimaer. You will not understand."

Haldir bit his lip. It hurt him to think that Elrond did not trust him enough, even after all they had been through. In fact, it bothered him more than he would show. Their relationship was unusual in that neither of them could actually confidently pinpoint when it actually started. Time had turned their polite indifference into casual companionship, and even though they had shared a bed for years now, neither of them considered themselves bound to the obligations of a proper relationship. The intimacy they shared was physical. It was casual, and love was certainly not in the picture.

Except that it was. Somewhere along the line Haldir had fallen hopelessly in love. Somewhere along the line, Elrond had become the whole world to him. But when? When did that happen? He did not know. All he knew was that one morning he had woken up feeling completely and thoroughly bonded to his current lay, as if the peredhil were his spouse rather than a lover.

And it had changed everything.

Overnight, what Elrond thought of him became important, and Haldir would ceaselessly seek his approval on even the simplest of matters. He had given up his glitzy social lifestyle as a Professional, something had been his life blood through the Ages, something that was so ingrained in him that it defined him as a person, and turned his attention solely to pleasing the elf he now served. There was no Haldir now. The Guardian had surrendered his heart completely, and there was nothing left in him that was not Elrond's.

And so it hurt him that Elrond didn't seem to feel the same way.