The Clash

Boromir Denethorsen sat slumped in the back of his foster mother's car, his battered rucksack beside him as he watched the buildings and people go by outside. His foster mother, Galadriel, was talking to him about something or other, but he was just shutting her voice out for the most part.

It was just the same speech, albeit with different words; that he had gotten ever since he had started junior high. He had heard it so often, he sometimes swore that he could very possibly recite it in his sleep.

"Try to make this year work, Boromir. Please try to be mainstream and friendly with all the preppy bastards that would rather kick you teeth in. Please make sure you don't put anyone in the hospital this year." It all boiled down to this: "Please try to abandon you ideals and make sure that you come out of it relatively unscathed because the school districts are running out of places to put problems like you. And the next option is Juvenile Hall."

He bit his lip. Most of the times he got into shit, it hadn't been because he had started the mess. He had tried to blend into the school fabric, being himself and keeping to the others just like him while steering clear of the precious high school gods. It had worked, for the most part.

He sighed and turned to look at his little brother, Faramir, who was sitting beside him, half-asleep and leaning heavily against his shoulder. Seeing him like that made him feel a slight twinge of guilt at having to start at yet *another* school again.

It was because they had been kicked out of the three closest schools in their area that they had to have Galadriel drive them to school. It wouldn't have been so bad, but the fact was that their new school, St. Ignatius Loyola Academy was in the richest, most suburban area of the city and that meant a half-hour ride for them. Which meant that poor Faramir had to get up twice as early for Galadriel to drive them to school and to get to work on time.

"Sorry mate." He murmured to the younger boy and stroked his hair affectionately. He didn't give a fuck about himself at all. He knew he was shit ever since he was twelve, when things started to really suck for him and Faramir. His only concern was whether Faramir was okay. This overwhelming concern was what usually led him to get into at least a dozen fights in a school-term.

He sighed. He couldn't help being so over-protective of the little shrimp. He was all the family he ever remembered having, and he was damned if he was going to let anyone pick on him or beat him up for stuff that he simply couldn't help. Like being epileptic and poor.

Hence the reason why he was always sitting in the principal's office. Or in the court-room if things had gotten out of hand. It sure sucked being a punk sometimes.

Shaking his head, he looked out the window once again and swallowed hard. Looming before them stood St. Ignatius Loyola Academy, his and Faramir's prison.

"Be still my beating heart." Boromir muttered softly as he took in the weathered brick and plaster, the trees and the large sign on the front lawn that read: "St. Ignatius Loyola Academy. Est. 1915." in such a preppy script that made Boromir's hackles rise.

The place screamed out wealth and preppiness. He would have to count himself lucky to survive at least a whole day in this place. Yay.

Galadriel stopped the car and turned to look at the two boys in the back-seat. She smiled slightly at the sight of Faramir sleeping on his brother's arm before she looked at Boromir's closed and hostile face. The sight of his sullen expression made her smile slip.

Boromir, as always, looked like he had just rolled out of the dumpster, in her opinion. Even though she and Celeborn weren't fairly wealthy, they could still afford to buy the boys decent clothes. But Boromir had refused her efforts to have him dress somewhat presentably and wore patched, tattered jeans with T-shirts and sweaters that were falling apart, duct-taped combat boots and a leather jacket that could have very likely seen the first punk wave. He also had numerous piercings in both ears, one in his nose and several in each eyebrow.

Faramir was a little better, but he also looked fairly sloppy, since he wore baggy skater jeans and T-shirts along with a ragged jean jacket that had been a hand-me-down from his older brother. He too had several piercings, but he relegated them to three earrings in each ear. Both boys also had long hair that went past their shoulders and sported red and blue streaks that shone vividly in the gold hair that they shared. Although she didn't approve of the hair and the piercings, she let it pass, since she knew which battles to pick and which to drop. The hair and earrings one she was prepared to drop. The clothes one was still pending.

Although she loved both of the boys, she couldn't help but to be exasperated with Boromir. Ever since the boy had arrived in her care, Boromir had constantly been in some sort of trouble or other. It was very exasperating for her to have to deal with the countless phone calls and meetings that she had to attend due to Boromir's behaviour. Hopefully, she told herself with some enthusiasm, this year and this school would be different.

St. Ignatious was a very good school, she knew. They only let the top 20% of all students in the city and it was a surprise that both Boromir and Faramir had been literally scouted to the school. Maybe there, she had told her husband Celeborn, Boromir would be able to find a niche for himself and Faramir.

"Let me guess. You want us to have fun and be careful?" Boromir asked, his green eyes narrowing in cool amusement as he shook his brother awake.

Galadriel shook her head, making her long, blonde hair flutter softly about her shoulders.

"Boromir." Galadriel pursed her lips. The boy was incorrigible. She honestly didn't know whether she wanted to shake him or to smile in amusement at the things he would say.

"Just try to have a good day, okay? I'll see you and Faramir at four."

"Yeah. See you later, Galadriel." Boromir replied as he opened the car-door and stepped outside, gracelessly dragging Faramir behind him and waved half-heartedly as she drove off.

"She out of sight?" Faramir asked as he began to dig through his own battered backpack.

Boromir stretched out his neck and looked. Yep. Galadriel's car was definitely out of sight.

"Light one up." Boromir told his little brother, who promptly fished out a badly squashed pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Lighting one of the cancer- sticks up, Faramir took a deep drag of it and looked around at their new school.

"We're pretty much fucked, aren't we, Bor?" Faramir asked before giving his brother the smoke.

Boromir took a drag and looked around. Although he didn't want to admit it, he knew that Faramir's fear was well-founded. All the kids that were walking towards the school or milling around the entrances looked like they had just stepped out of the Gap or American Eagle Outfitters. Boromir was willing to bet that his and Faramir's clothes put together had cost less than the belts that some of the kids wore.

"Yep. I hate to say it, but we are." Boromir admitted quietly. Faramir sighed.

"You're lucky Bor. You only have a year left." Faramir muttered as he received the smoke again.

Boromir grimaced. "That's if I make it here, 'Mir. It looks like I may not."

Faramir shook his head. "Bor, you have to make it this year. You heard what Saruman said the last time you got suspended. He's gonna send you to Juvie Hall till you turn eighteen!"

Boromir winced when he saw his brother's face. He had forgotten about the old man's threats. One more fuck-up and he was going to Juvie Hall under Sauron, who had been appropriately nicknamed "The Bastard" for obvious reasons.

He probably would make his life even more miserable than it already was, since he would be separated from his brother and branded with a Juvie Hall record that would make sure the University wouldn't even touch him with a ten-foot pole. He sighed.

"We'd better go see the principal." Boromir said to his brother, effectively cutting the conversation off. He'd think about that another time. Right now, his only concern was surviving at least most of the day without getting into trouble.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Guess what?!" Aragorn Strider looked up from the book he was reading, an irritated expression on his face as he did so. Above him, Frodo Baggins looked like he was ready to piss his pants from excitement.

Aragorn sincerely hoped the hobbit wouldn't do it in the middle of the hallway. If he recalled correctly, the next bathroom was quite a ways off and he knew that he had no clean pants to lend to the hobbit.

"What?" Aragorn asked listlessly as he tried to finish the second chapter of his recently purchased novel. The book was really odd, to say the least and he hadn't had a chance to even make a significant dent in it since he had bought it, with Arwen and the others hanging around.

"Guess who just transferred to St.Ig's?" Frodo asked him. Aragorn's lips pursed in annoyance.

He would have dearly loved to tell Frodo to kindly fuck off and chase Eowyn. Or even better Sam Gamgee, but basic politeness made him keep his thoughts to himself.

"Who?" he asked in a neutral tone as he flipped another page.

"Boromir and Faramir Denethorson!" Frodo exclaimed in such a girly, air-headed manner that Aragorn had a hard time keeping his composure and hurting the hobbit's feelings. Even though Frodo tried to keep a facade of being an all-around player too busy to settle down with any girl, Aragorn was sure Frodo was walking on the left side of the street, so to speak.

"And the names mean what to me?" Aragorn asked, putting his book down when he saw Eowyn and Eomer Rohan, along with his erst-while on and off girlfriend Arwen Rivendell come running up, clearly bursting with bits of gossip that they had picked up.

"Did you tell him?" Arwen gasped as she plunked herself down beside Aragorn, who was shoving the novel into his army rucksack lest it got crumpled.

"Yeah. And as you can see, he's truly intrigued by the news." Frodo replied tartly.

Arwen flicked her long dark-hair over her shoulder as she studied Aragorn, who was now scowling at her impatiently.

"I just don't see what's so special about those guys anyways." Aragorn muttered testily.

Eowyn laughed. " Aragorn, Boromir is *THE* toughest guy in the north. No one messes with him. He's also the best soccer player AND rumour has it he and his brother Faramir were practically begged to come to St. Ig's because they're soo freaking smart. You know Rosie Cotton? She was in St. Kilda's with them and she was telling me that Boromir and Faramir were always acing any tests they were given. It was unreal."

"Look!" Eomer pointed to two figures emerging from Mr. Gandalf's office and warily walking down the hall-way towards the small group.

"They sure don't look like much, do they?" Arwen muttered as two raggedly looking boys came closer.

Aragorn didn't reply. He was, despite himself, highly fascinated as he watched the two unusually dressed figures come closer.

They all remained quiet as they watched them walk by. The taller one had a piece of paper in his hand and was busy scanning the lockers, while the younger looked around timidly, as if he expected to be attacked at a moment's notice.

Both were dressed in threadbare clothes and had earrings and blue and red streaks in their hair, making them look wild and unrestrained in the extremely preppy environment of St. Ig's. It was fairly apparent that they didn't belong there. Watching them made Aragorn wonder whether they would succumb to the brand-mania of the school like many others had done before them.

"Like you had." A small voice in the back of his head whispered before he forcibly shut it up.

Aragorn drew a breath in sharply when he felt the taller boy's eyes sweep over him. He had never seen eyes like those before. A bright, emerald green full of angry fire that seemed as if it was being restrained with considerable effort. It was a fire that was so bright and scorching that it made Aragorn wonder if the fire would get hotter in the middle of...

"Can't they afford anything better?" Eowyn added her two cents worth, making Aragorn roll his eyes in mixed exasperation and relief. He hated her shallowness most of the time, but at that moment, he was utterly relieved at her timely intervention.

Although the boys had moved on by then, they hadn't gone far enough to be out of earshot of Eowyn's snide little comment.

Aragorn saw the taller boy's shoulders stiffen before he turned those fiery green eyes onto him and Eowyn.

"No. We can't afford anything better. We don't have rich parents like you do." He spat out contemptuously.

Eomer's face turned red as he stepped in front of a shocked Aragorn and Eowyn.

"That's my sister you're talking to, pal!" Eomer hissed at the new-comer angrily.

"Yeah? So?" the green-eyes boy drawled, his eyes narrowing as his body swiftly moved into a fighting position.

"Boromir!" Aragorn's head suddenly jerked to the smaller boy who had called out.

"This is Boromir?" Aragorn thought as he watched the small skater walk up to the taller boy.

"Boromir, let it go. Come on, Boromir. We just got here." The younger boy pleaded.

Eowyn's eyes got big at the name and she quickly reached for her brother's arm.

"Eomer, don't be stupid! That's Boromir Denethorson! Let it go, idiot!"

Boromir looked amused at the exchange, but he visibly relaxed when he felt the boy tugging on his arm. He looked at the younger boy and grinned.

"You're right Faramir. Let's go." Boromir replied, turning around and going over to his locker with his brother Faramir beside him.

Eomer watched them go, and Aragorn could tell that despite the dissolution of a potential fight; Eomer was still angry.

"Fuck you!" He yelled at the two boys.

Boromir stiffened, but did nothing. Faramir, on the other hand, flipped him the bird.

Aragorn looked away, not wanting to burst into laughter in front of Eomer, who was notoriously touchy and didn't take being teased very well.

"You little shit!" Aragorn's head jerked back in time to see Eomer run at Faramir, jump on him and punch him in one motion.

"You fucken asshole!" Boromir roared, lunging at Eomer. "Fuck off!"

He yelled, easily pulling Eomer off of a dazed Faramir and proceeding to punch the living daylights out of the other boy.

"Leave him alone!!!" Eowyn screeched, while Arwen screamed incoherently. Frodo had remained quiet and was watching the action incredously while Aragorn did the same.

"BOROMIR!" Faramir shouted at his brother. "BOROMIR!" He yelled again before moaning loudly and stiffening up. Aragorn's mouth went dry when he saw the boy go stiff and collapse on the floor before his body started jerking uncontrollably.

"Shit!" He exclaimed as he ran over to the boy. Placing him on his side, he tried to stroke the boy's clammy forehead in an effort to calm him down as the seizure took its toll.

"YOU STUPID FUCKER!!!!" Aragorn heard Boromir shout behind him. "ASSHOLE!"

Aragorn shivered when he heard the low voice shout out those things behind him and resisted the urge to look behind him. Boromir sounded extremely pissed and he certainly didn't want that wrath to come upon his head at that time. Besides, Faramir, it seemed, had passed out and looked like he wasn't in any shape to be left alone no matter what.

He was chewing his lip, wondering what else to do when a loud voice behind him broke the chaos.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!"

Part 2 Saved from Suspension..But not from Lust.

Mr. Gandalf didn't know whether to burst out laughing or to tear his hair out when he ran out into the hallway. Although he had been warned about the Denethorson brothers and their lousy luck at keeping themselves out of trouble, he had never expected to have to stop a fight involving Boromir in the morning of the first day of school. Principal Isildur would be impressed when he heard the news

But first, he had to clean up the mess in his hallway before classes started before he could call Isildur to tell him he had won the bet.

"What happened?" He asked as his eyes swept over the tableau before him. Aragorn Strider was kneeling by Faramir Dentherson, who looked like he had just had a seizure and had a dark red mark on his face which would probably turn into a bruise soon. Arwen and Eowyn were sniffing and clutching at each other while Frodo was still standing there in shock, his eyes fixed on Boromir and Eomer. One of Boromir's hands were clutching Eomer's collar and the other was raised in mid-air and bloody. Eomer himself was covered in blood and was lying limp in the other boy's grip, just taking the beating as it came.

"It was his fault!" Eowyn called out, pointing a perfectly manicured nail at Boromir. "He just jumped my brother for no reason at all!"

Boromir's mouth fell open at the statement. "That's bullshit!" He yelled out, dropping Eomer like a sack of potatoes and swiftly walking over to Eowyn.

"Your fucken ass of a brother hit my little brother, you lying bitch!" Boromir snarled, his fist clenching as he glared at Eowyn, his green eyes blazing with an unholy light that made Eowyn shudder and move closer to Arwen.

Mr. Gandalf rolled his eyes. Okay. So he wasn't going to get a straight answer that didn't involve hearing people yelling at each other with at least seventy profanities and other creative uses of the word "Fuck".

"Your little brother swore at mine!" Eowyn countered back, but the fire in her voice was lacking as her courage faded.

Boromir was about to reply to this when Mr. Gandalf grabbed his arm.

"Denethorson and Rohan, I want you in my office. Strider, take Faramir Denethorson to the Nurse's office. The rest of you go to class unless you want to serve detention with Mr. Haldir."

With that, Mr. Gandalf dragged an unhappy Boromir into his office while an embarrassed Eomer followed.

"What a bastard." Eowyn muttered the minute that Gandalf's door closed. Arwen snorted as she pushed the other girl away.

"Yeah. Fuck. That little shit deserved it." She said as she tugged at the straps of her pale-blue tank top and tossed her hair. Quickly smoothing it in place, she turned and looked at Aragorn, who was gently picking up Faramir from the floor.

"I feel sorry for you, Estel. Hope you don't get dirty carrying that little fleabag! " She called out as she watched Aragorn carry the unconscious boy over to Nurse Diamond's office.

Aragorn shook his head, but didn't rise to the bait she was dangling in front of his nose.

"Don't call me that, Arwen." He replied crisply before disappearing round a corner, making Arwen's fine black brows draw together in annoyance.

"What the fuck is his problem?!" She hissed angrily as she turned back to Eowyn and Frodo, who were watching her with carefully neutral expressions.

Frodo shrugged. "Maybe he's having a bad month. The summer wasn't easy for him, you know. His mom died in June, you know."

Arwen's nose wrinkled. "I know that! But he's been acting weird for a long time, you know? Ever since he started, like, talking to that freaky Legolas and his friends, he's been really fucken weird."

Eowyn shrugged. "Ah, who cares, Arwen. Aragorn isn't the only guy around you know. Gloryfindel is pretty hot, you know? And he's been giving you the eye for quite a while too."

Frodo chose that time to pout. "Hey, hello? I'm here too, you know?"

Arwen looked at Eowyn and they laughed. "Oops! We didn't mean to forget about you, Frodo baby!"

Frodo shook his head and pretended to pout. "Oh you wound me ladies!" he cried in mock despair as he clutched at his chest, wrinkling his Tommy shirt.

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm sure we do." Eowyn returned sarcastically as she flipped her honey coloured hair behind her shoulders. "Now come on. We gotta get to class. You know how Mr. Elrond blows a gasket when we're late."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Boromir sighed when he entered Gandalf's office. Gandalf had let go of his arm and had ushered him into a smaller office where a desk and three chairs sat. He had told him and Eomer to make themselves comfortable before he stepped out of his office. No doubt to call Galadriel and Saruman up, Boromir though glumly. He sighed and rubbed his knuckles. This day sucked already and it was only eight-thirty in the morning. Oh great.

He already knew how this was going to go and he wasn't really looking forward to the experience. He would be expelled yet again and this time, he wasn't going to end up in another school with Faramir. This time, he was going to be in Juvie under Sauron's evil eye until he was eighteen and possibly on his way to being a petty criminal. Oh the joys!, he thought as he looked around the office and tried to avoid looking at that pussy Eomer.

"You're gonna get kicked out of here." Eomer taunted him thickly. Boromir cast a look at the brown haired boy and shrugged, not deigning to even give him an answer. Eomer frowned and decided to try a new tactic.

"You know, you should really teach your brother some manners. Or else next time, I won't go easy on him." Eomer warned Boromir, a sickly sweet inflection in his voice as he spoke.

Boromir's hackles rose for the second time that morning and he had to close his eyes, count to ten and breathe deeply before he could actually frame a reply to Eomer's arrogant remarks.

"If you ever touch him again, I'll tear you a new asshole. Principal or no principal, so don't even think on picking on Faramir." Boromir replied calmly before turning his attention to the door.

"You wouldn't!"Eomer shot back angrily. Boromir shrugged.

"Whatever." Eomer was about to say something else when the door opened, letting Gandalf and a jumpy Aragorn into the small room.

Gandalf sat down at his desk and looked at the three boys standing in front of him before speaking.

"I'm impressed." Gandalf stated, making Boromir blink and look around the room in shock. Eomer's mouth fell open and Aragorn let out a choked giggle of nervousness at the statement. He had never been in the principal's office, but from the stories he had heard from his friend Legolas, the principal certainly *wasn't* supposed to say anything like that.

He probably would have burst out into a fit of uncontrollable laughter if it hadn't been for Boromir's pale green eyes suddenly meeting his on their journey across the room. Having those startling eyes on him made him automatically stop his laughing. The laughter died in his throat and his mouth went dry when those eyes, so angry just a few minutes ago; had now softened into a gentle leaf-green that made Aragorn feel..funny. Funny as in a rush of hormones down south.

Aragorn groaned to himself when he felt that. Oh great. His day was just going peachy It was the first day of grade twelve, he had just witnessed Eomer getting his ass kicked, a kid have seizure and now he was getting happier over a GUY than he had ever been those two years he had been running around with Arwen and Eowyn. Oh yeah. His day was just GREAT! And it was only eight-forty in the MORNING! He just wanted to weep now.

"As I said. I am impressed." Gandalf's voice made everyone turn their attention upon him once again, something over which Aragorn was terribly happy about. For one thing, it made Boromir's eyes focus on someone else. And for the second thing, it made him forget the circus in his pants by letting him focus on Mr. Gandalf as well as to imagine the least erotic imagine he could ever call up in his head. Like Mr. Gandalf and Mr. Elrond pole-dancing. Naked. Together.

Arargorn frowned to himself. He really didn't want to make himself throw up now.

"So what exactly caused this fight to break out so early in the school-term?" Gandalf asked.

Boromir didn't say anything. He knew from experience that kids like him always had the odds stacked against them and more often than not, telling their side of the story only made them look even more guilty in the eyes of the whatever authority was out there.

Eomer, seeing Boromir wasn't going to speak, took the initiative.

"It was his and his brother's fault, Mr. Gandalf. He and his brother mouthed my sister off and when I went to defend her, he started punching me."

Aragorn's lips tightened at the statement. He knew Eomer could be a greasy little bastard, but he couldn't believe how low he was stooping to get out of trouble. At that moment, Aragorn lost all respect that he ever had for Eomer. Legolas was right. Eomer was full of shit.

Gandalf nodded, his face impassive. He cast a look at Boromir, but didn't ask him anything. Instead, he turned to Aragorn. "Aragorn, can you tell me what you saw happened?"

Boromir's head turned to Aragorn. So that was the guy's name, he mused as he thoughtfully stared at the guy standing beside him. He had cast a few looks at him before when he was passing by and when the fight was going on, but he really hadn't had time to truly check him out till now. Aragorn was about the same height and build as he was. His hair too, was like Boromir's in that it was long and tousled, but was dark instead of the shining gold of Boromir's. But that was where the similarities ended. Whereas Boromir's clothes were old and ragged, Aragorn's rugby shirt, loose jeans and Vans sneakers fairly reeked with newness. He would have fitted the stereotype of fashionable alternative if it hadn't been for the hair and the army rucksack with the communist star patched on the side.

"He's got potential." Boromir found himself thinking as he met the other boy's eyes, which were a deep, startling blue that just exactly fitted the chiselled planes of Aragorn's face. Boromir laughed when the thought hit him. Sure, Aragorn was gorgeous, but he was a mainstreamer. A Chachi, a sworn enemy of what Boromir and Faramir stood for. It would only cause problems if he got involved with a guy like that. Especially if the guy was straight. And problems were things that he didn't need in his fucked up life.

Shaking his head slightly, he reluctantly dragged his eyes from Aragorn and fixed them on Gandalf. Well, might as well hear how the Chachi was going to nail his ass.

Aragorn swallowed thickly and began to speak after Boromir was done his inventory.

"Boromir and Faramir were walking by, looking for their lockers when Eowyn made a comment about their clothes. Something about being able to afford new ones. Boromir told her he and his brother couldn't and Eomer stepped in. He and Boromir were going to fight, but Eowyn and Faramir stopped it. But when they were walking off, Eomer swore at them, Faramir flipped him the bird and Eomer punched him. Boromir jumped in and Faramir had a seizure and that's it."

Boromir's mouth fell open at the same time that Eomer's did. Gandalf nearly burst a vein as he tried to hold his laughter in at the expression on the two boy's faces. From what he had heard in the hallway, and from what he knew about Eomer and Boromir, Aragorn's version seemed to be the right one. And it was a version that both Boromir and Eomer didn't expect to hear in Gandalf's presence.

"Thank-you Aragorn."Gandalf said before looking at Eomer and Boromir.

"Normally, I would be tempted to throw you both out. But it seems to me that it would be too harsh, especially since it is the first day of school. Boromir, Aragorn, you may go. Eomer, you are suspended for three days."

Eomer stood up and looked at Gandalf angrily. "What? Are you kidding? He's the one that beat me up?!" He yelled, pointing at the departing Boromir, who was right beside Aragorn.

Gandalf glared at Eomer. "And you hit his brother, who has epilepsy and had a serious seizure. If that boy had been seriously injured because of your stupidity, the police would be here to charge you, Eomer Rohan. Now do yourself a favour and go home."

Eomer's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing. All he did was turn around and head for the door.

"Oh and Eomer?" Eomer stopped. "If I catch you harassing the Denethorsons, you will be immediately thrown out of St. Ignatius. Is that understood, Mr. Rohan?"

Eomer swallowed at the threat before he answered. "Yes."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Boromir breathed a sigh of relief the minute that he was out of the office, making Aragorn look at him.

"Why did you sigh?" Boromir nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard Aragorn's question.

"Jesus on a fucken moped!" Boromir exclaimed, giving Aragorn a not so friendly look.

"Sorry." Aragorn apologized nervously. "I didn't mean to scare you. I was just surprised to see you look so relieved to be out of Gandalf's sight, that's all and I was just wondering if you were allright."

As soon as he had spoken, Aragorn felt himself go red from mortification when he realized how much like a foolish, air-headed flake he must sound to Boromir with all the comments that he had just made.

Boromir raised an eyebrow at Aragorn's words. Contrary to Aragorn's thoughts, Boromir was both amused and touched at the clumsy attempt to make sure that he was okay. It was kind of nice to have someone both stand up for him and make sure that he was okay afterwards. In all his school years, not too many people had bothered to even look at him, much less inquire about his welfare. Having such kindness shown to him by a person he considered an enemy also puzzled him, since he really didn't know what to do next.

"Ehm. Thanks for saving my ass." Aragorn looked at him for several seconds before smiling sheepishly.

"Yeah. Well. You would have done the same, I think." Aragorn answered, rubbing his neck in embarrassment. Boromir shrugged.

"Besides. Eomer's a wanker and he shouldn't have hit your brother." Boromir looked like he was about to smile, but at the mention of Faramir, his expression grew serious.

"Where's my brother?" He asked Aragorn, his voice laden with concern as he spoke.

"Uh. I took him to the nurse's office. She said he's going to be all right, But he's going to need to rest." Aragorn replied quietly. Boromir nodded before running his hand through his messy hair, making the gold, blue and red mingle together. He turned to Aragorn and smiled at him, a genuine smile that made his breath catch in his throat as he realized how gorgeous Boromir looked when he wasn't pissed off at the world in general.

"Hey. I don't know if I should really trust you, but thanks for taking the time to take care of my brother. Most people wouldn't have bothered." Boromir stretched out his hand. "So thanks. That was decent of you. Name's Boromir Denethorson." He introduced himself.

"Aragorn Strider." Aragorn replied as he took the large, long-fingered hand and shook it, his face going warm as his hand came in contact with the warm flesh.

"Cool. Gotta go though. I've got English to attend. So I guess I'll see you around, eh?" Boromir asked as he let go of Aragorn's hand, but not before he ran his fingertips over Aragorn's palm. Letting go of the other's hand he turned around to leave and was nearly out of sight before Aragorn finally reacted after going blank from Boromir's touch.

"Uh. Wait!" Aragorn called out, making Boromir turn around, his face a neutral mask.

"You've got English with Elrond?" Boromir nodded, much to Aragorn's ashamed delight.

"I..I've got his class too. I'll take you there. If you want." Boromir nodded, giving a small smile as assent.

"Lead the way then." Boromir replied. Aragorn nodded and began walking ahead of Boromir to the room. As he walked, Boromir was torn between checking Aragorn's ass, worrying about Faramir and wondering if he should give in to the sudden and deep desire that Aragorn had awakened in him.

"Great. Just great." Boromir groaned as he walked to class. "Not only do I have to keep my academic record spotless, I have to worry about my hormones doing the wacky over a guy who may betray me. Yeah. I hate my life. I really hate my life."

Part 3 English, History and I think I love you. Shit.

As soon as Eomer Rohan had left, Gandalf sat down and picked up the phone and dialled the number for St. Joseph's High School.

"Hello?" Gandalf cracked a wide smile when he heard Isildur answer the phone.

"Isildur?" Gandalf asked, making the other man groan.

"Gandalf, if it's about transferring the Denethorson brothers out of St. Ig's, my answer is no. You asked for them and you got them. They're your problem now."

Gandalf sniggered to himself at Isildur's comments. It was a relief to hear Isildur was still the same as always.

"Actually, Izzy, I was calling to tell you that you owe me fifty bucks. Boromir Denethorson got into a fight at around eight-twenty five this morning, beating the record he had at St. Kilda's when you were the principal there."

Isildur was torn between laughing and groaning. Gandalf was the only one that could get away with treating him with such irreverance. "Did you throw him out?"

Gandalf laughed. "I was tempted for about two seconds, until I gathered that he had only got into the fight to save his brother from getting pounded into pulp and maybe even going into a coma." The last words were spoken lightly, but Isildur could detect a bitter undertone to them.

"It was a good thing that I ran into Strider in the hallway and managed to get him to tell me the whole story, since Boromir would have just remained quiet and sentenced himself with his silence even though he and I both knew he was innocent."

Isildur sighed softly. "Yeah. I know what you mean. He was like that ever since he started getting into fights. I don't blame him for thinking that way when so many other principal's have done that to him."

Both men were silent for several moments before Gandalf broke the silence.

"Anyways, He's safe and out of trouble right now. And hopefully he'll stay out of trouble. The kid's got so much potential it would be a shame to let it go to waste."

Gandalf said before looking at the clock above the door.

"Look Isildur, I have to go now. Time's short and all that bull-shit. So see you later. And hopefully you'll have my fifty bucks next time we meet, right?"

Isildur laughed humourlessly. "Drop dead, Gandalf."

~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~

Aragorn and Boromir entered the room quietly and grabbed the nearest seats to the door and sat down as quickly and quietly as they could, not wanting to irritate Mr. Elrond. As they had walked to the class, Aragorn had given Boromir a fair warning that pissing off Elrond was like juggling knives blind-folded. Stupid and not to mention utterly dangerous to your health.

To their relief, Mr. Elrond only glared at them as they sat down and ignored them as he continued to talk about the curriculum and the books and stories that they would be covering over the next semester. As he continued on expounding on the virtues of Shakespeare and George Orwell, Aragorn sprawled in his desk and settled down to some heavy-duty Boromir watching. He was so caught up in contemplating the scarlet in Boromir's hair and feeling like a right-idiot for it when a sharp poke in the back put a forceful stop to his confused drooling.

Annoyed, Aragorn turned around, ready to glare at the idiot responsible for breaking his concentration when a pair of brown eyes lined thickly with black eyeliner met his. Only one person in the whole school would dare to wear such extravagant make-up. Legolas Mirkwood.

After casting a look around to make sure that neither Elrond or anyone else was paying attention to them, Aragorn took the chance and spoke.

"Lee. What's up?" Legolas raised an eyebrow at this question.

"I should be asking you the same thing, Strider. What the hell are you doing with Satan Denethorson?" Legolas whispered as he smoothed back his gold and black hair away from his face and tucking it behind his elf-ears, which jingled with numerous gold and silver hoops.

Aragorn frowned at this. "You mean Boromir Denethorson?"

Legolas laughed softly. "He wasn't known as Boromir when I knew him. Anyways, what the hell where you doing with him? Where you involved in the fight?"

"Mr. Strider, Mr. Mirkwood, would you care to share your conversation with the rest of the class?" Aragorn turned in his seat and slumped down under Mr. Elrond's steely glare.

It was sheer irony, really, the fact that he had just been warning Boromir about getting into trouble with Elrond when he had just gone and done that exact thing. Risking getting into more trouble, he risked casting a look at Boromir, who was sitting to his left. To his mortification and utter horniness, Boromir was giving him a coolly amused look that turned his bones into water.

"Well? I am waiting. Do you have anything to tell the class?" Mr. Elrond's sharp voice was like a bucket of ice water over his libido. Instantly, any thoughts of Boromir had been washed away from his mind as he scrunched himself into his desk in a futile effort to disappear from sight.

Mr. Elrond frowned at Aragorn, but let it go when he heard sniggering from the far corner of the room. If there was anything that Elrond hated was having kids snickering when he was taking a student up to task. Ignoring Aragorn, he quickly turned to the source of the noise and proceeded to give the other students that had disrupted the class holy hell until the bell rang, signalling the end of the shortened block.

Aragorn shot out of the classroom like a bat out of hell, not bothering to see whether Boromir or Legolas was following him. He was fairly sure that it had been either Eowyn or Arwen who had been snickering at his getting into trouble and he was pretty humiliated about the incident, since he just knew that Arwen, Eowyn and Frodo would tease him incessantly once they caught him in some corner. Which meant he would have to be literally looking over his shoulder lest they get the chance to actually do that.

"Strider! Hey Strider!" Tossing a furtive look over his shoulder to see whether he needed to make a run for it, he stopped when he saw the familiar gold and black of Legolas' hair, quickly followed by the bright gold, red and blue of Boromir's, making his heart give a little lurch.

"Fuck man! What was your hurry?! I'm sure history with Haldir can wait." Legolas told Aragorn once he and Boromir had caught up with him. Aragorn rolled his eyes at the elf.

"Lee, after being in St. Ig's for two years you still have to ask!?" Aragorn exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air in sheer exasperation.

Legolas' raised a perfect eyebrow before crossing his arms, which Aragorn could see were wrapped in black fishnet fingerless gloves.

"Elrond's not gonna chase you around, Strider. I'm sure he probably considers Shakespeare a higher priority than chasing you down and bawling you out. As for the snot squad, they just got in shit with Mr. Gimli for flashing Elrohir and Glorfindel"

Aragorn's mouth fell open and Boromir burst out into an uncontrollable fit of laughter.

"Oh God!" He choked out between bursts of laughter as he then leaned against Legolas. "You should have seen Mr. Gimli's face! It was utterly priceless!"

Aragorn tried to picture the stout dwarf and his reaction to having two girls flashing the boys in his class, but he really couldn't picture it. For one thing, he was trying to get over the shock of picturing Arwen and Eowyn, who always seemed like the prim and proper types actually doing such a trashy thing. For the other, he was trying to tamp down the little curl of jealousy that had suddenly sprouted up at the sight of Boromir hanging over Legolas.

The jealousy intensified when Boromir turned to the Elf and gave him a look before they both burst out laughing. The strange, shared intimacy between the elf and the human made Aragorn want to strangle the elf despite the friend-ship that had sprung up between them after Legolas' had moved into Aragorn's home. Boromir was his! He wanted to scream out at Legolas. He is mine!

The intensity of the raw emotions he felt towards Boromir completely floored him, making him mentally stumble as he tried to untangle his thoughts and find the reasons as to why he was acting like a bitch in heat over the other guy. The intense emotions were new to him and he was confused over the emergence of them at this time in his life. All his life, he had assumed himself straight. He had had numerous girlfriends and had never really thought of being with another guy in a romantic sense.

And now a devil with green eyes had literally waltzed into his life and was making him explore those deep caverns of his mind that he hadn't really bothered to probe before unless Legolas forced him too with his devious little ways. What the hell was going on here? He asked himself as he watched Boromir pull himself together. Since when has my heart over-ruled my mind?

"Earth to Strider. Earth to Strider. Come in please." Aragorn's thoughts screeched to a messy halt when he heard Legolas' teasing voice.

"Ja? I was thinking, you know." He asked, trying to hide his pesky self-introspection from his very receptive foster-brother.

Legolas' black-lipsticked mouth curved into a smirk when he heard this.

"No. I don't think you were. I couldn't see the flames shooting out of your skull." Legolas replied sweetly. Boromir groaned and shook his head at the comment.

"Legolas, please." Boromir said before turning to Aragorn, a look of mock suffering on his face when he did, making Aragorn extremely curious as to what would follow next.

"I've known Lee here for four years and he's still telling the same jokes! Haven't you told him any new ones?" Boromir asked, his voice holding an earnestness his glittering eyes betrayed.

Aragorn laughed. " I've never noticed. I've only known him for two years." He replied before turning to Legolas, who was checking his nails for any chips in his black polish.

"How do you guys know each other?" He asked innocently.

Boromir and Legolas looked at each other and snickered again. "St. Kilda's. From grade five to grade nine. We made the teacher's lives a living hell." Legolas smacked Boromir in the back.

"We? I don't think so! Who was the one that got the nickname "Satan"?" The elf shot back.

Boromir shrugged. "Yeah. It's true. But they didn't call you "Lucifer" For nothing, Lee."

Aragorn listened to the exchange with little interest. On one hand, he was relieved to hear that Boromir and Legolas had been nothing more than old friend's and classmates. On the other hand, the knowledge made him realize the truth he had been kind of half-running away from ever since Gandalf had dragged him into his office and afforded him the chance to save the sullen stranger that had appeared in his school.

"Holy Shit! We gotta get to history before Haldir rips us a new one!!!" Legolas cried in dismay before he took off at a full run down the hall, leaving Boromir and Aragorn watching him and his long black cape flutter as he legged it to class.

"Oookay." Aragorn found himself muttering as he turned to Boromir, who only smiled before shaking his head. The warm smile again made Aragorn's heart lurch with a strong emotion that nearly left him breathless. The intensity of the emotion was what prompted him to take a step so drastic and so far removed from his character that he actually managed to surprise himself in doing it despite the possible consequences that would follow after.

"I guess that's our clue to fuck off then." Boromir noted as he hefted his ruck-sack into place and began to walk in the same direction that Legolas had sprinted off in.

He had only taken a couple of steps though when he felt Aragorn's hand grab his arm. Puzzled, he looked at the other boy and saw, to his surprise, that his eyes were wide and so impossibly blue that he nearly lost himself in their inky depths.

"Yeah?" He asked, not really putting two and two together as to why Aragorn would suddenly clutch his arm like that when they both were going to be late for class again.

Aragorn didn't reply. All he did was look at Boromir with a deep longing in his sharply chiselled face before grabbing the back of Boromir's head and kissing him for all he was worth.

Part 4- Going to the Chapel..gonna get married??!!

"What the hell am I doing here

I don't belong here.

Cause I'm a creep.

I'm a weirdo."-Radiohead.

The kiss was savage and drawn out, almost feral in its intensity. Tongues and mouths fought each other for dominance, bodies followed suit. Aragorn pushed himself up against Boromir unconsciously, his body trying to meld into the other boys' as the harsh and welcome emotions scorched their path through his veins. The lust he felt for Boromir was so strong that he had forgotten everything around him. All that he cared about was the wintergreen taste of Boromir's mouth and the feel of his arms around his over-heated body.

He wanted Boromir. Wanted him like there was no fucken tomorrow. Wanted him so bad that his hand was already making its way to the loose waist-band of Boromir's jeans. All rational thought had fled from Aragorn's mind as soon as his lips had touched the other boys' Not even with Arwen or Eowyn had he felt this intense desire. This need. It was more than lust.

Boromir didn't resist Aragorn's assault. He was too consumed with the softness of Aragorn's lips on his that he wouldn't have noticed if a car-bomb had exploded behind him. It had been so long since he had actually been desired by someone, never mind kissed that his mind was in an utter roil. On one hand, he was ready to lay down and let Aragorn have his way with him and damn all the consequences later. On the other hand, Haldir's history class was waiting and it wouldn't do for him to skip out of it. The last complicated factor was the suddenly painful memory of Casey when he heard the low growl emerge from Aragorn's throat.

Growling deep in his throat, Aragorn pushed Boromir backwards until he had pinned him against the wall, trapped between the unyielding cement and his own body; ready to tear his clothes off when a loud hooting made both boys freeze like deer caught in headlights.

"Go Strider! Go!" Aragorn suppressed a groan before he reluctantly stopped kissing a half-dazed Boromir and turned to look at the noisy peanut-gallery composed of the misfits of the school standing behind him.

"Danny. Sam. Glor." The names were spoken with a harshness that was at odds with the usual aloofness that Aragorn usually was possessed of, showing how utterly peeved he was.

"Don't you guys have something else to do? Like go to class?" Elladan, or Danny, as he was usually called, laughed softly at the pointed comment.

"Oh? Like you shouldn't be in class either, Mr. Local God of the school?" Danny teased him good-naturedly. Aragorn cast him a withering look for about three seconds before shaking his head ruefully. He looked at a blushing Boromir with a sympathetic look on his face before turning around and doing his best to shield him from the two elves and the Hobbit. Although they weren't assholes like Arwen and the others, they still could drive him to homicidal tendencies with their teasing. And he really wasn't in the mood to endure being teased about kissing someone. Or having Boromir subjected to the caliber of their teasing.

"If I am the Local God, Danny, then it is news to me." Aragorn returned coolly before giving Danny and the others the Evil Eye, and telling them to piss off at the same time. Danny only grinned before flopping his waist-length braid over his shoulder and looking at Glorfindel with a sidelong glance. The golden-haired elf, who had deep blue and forest-green streaks in his hair to match the army fatigues he was so fond of wearing only raised an eyebrow. Sam, the scruffy skater and the most openly gay student at St. Ig's only smirked at Aragorn.

This was a thing that Aragorn was utterly grateful for since it meant that Sam hadn't ingested the usual amount of Pixie sticks and Mountain Dew that made him act like a rabid weasel in heat. Make that a very *GRABBY* rabid weasel in heat. Aragorn still recalled the look on Frodo's face when Sam had launched himself into his lap and had sung his rendition of "Like a Virgin" while practically molesting the terrified hobbit. It had been absolutely priceless, Aragorn recalled. He still brought it up occasionally whenever Frodo got a little snotty and decided to speculate on why Aragorn hadn't remained with either Eowyn or Arwen after going out with them for four months each. It was a slightly mean manoeuver, but it kept Frodo from poking into areas that he definitely shouldn't explore. Especially since Frodo couldn't keep his mouth shut to save his life.

Danny smirked slightly and looked back at Aragorn. Although he was having fun making Aragorn squirm, he didn't want to piss him off too badly. He was a fairly decent guy who was nice to everyone that he came across and was well liked by almost everyone in the school. Everyone except Arwen and Eowyn, who despite trying to bed him at every opportunity, didn't really like him that much. Danny suspected it had to do with the fact that Aragorn didn't give a damn for social status and did nothing to encourage the popularity that had somehow fallen on him.

Danny winked at Aragorn. "Yeah. You are kiddo. And you'd better get to class unless you want to spend your afternoon with Haldir. Take it easy and don't try to molest Boromir in the halls anymore. I know the boy's hot, but at least wait until you get him into the Drama Room."

Glor laughed at Danny's lewd, yet amusing comments and at the red faces of Aragorn and the boy Lee had told him, Danny and Sam was called Boromir Denethorson.

"You're lucky you got him harassing you" Glor addressed the silent Boromir, who looked like he was caught in the throes of mortification and thwarted lust. Although his face was slightly flushed and his expression was blank, the dangerous emerald fire in his eyes told Glor the whole story. Which in turn made him continue his story in an effort to ease the awkwardness of the entire situation.

"Oh?" Boromir asked, taking the line that the elf was offering him. Glor nodded, making the small blue braid by his earlobe swish back and forth.

"Yeah. You weren't victim of a random flashing this morning!" Boromir's face lost its neutral mask at the words and was replaced by a wobbly grin.

"Funny. From what Lee told me, you and Elrohir really got into the show." Boromir shot back quietly, making the others snort with laughter. The oddness of the moment had been broken between them and they were now at ease with each other, choosing to focus on Glor's and Elrohir's humiliation.

Glor shook his head fervently. "Sha. Right. I like girls. They're okay. But to have boobs waggled in your face.." He scrunched up his face at the distasteful memory. " I don't know about you, but I really don't fancy nearly getting my hand ripped off when I'm testing the timing chain on my car." Glor replied tartly.

Danny rolled his eyes before slapping Glor on the back. Hard. "Sure, Glory baby. Sure."

Glor scowled darkly at Danny. "Fuck you, Danny." He hissed angrily. Danny smirked.

"Wait till we have drama, yon pervert." The dark-haired elf replied before Glor punched him so hard that even Boromir winced in sympathy.

"See ya then. Glor's getting impatient." Danny said, departing and getting yet another whack from Glor, which made him howl in pain again, much to the amusement of Sam and to a lesser, extent Aragorn and Boromir.

Aragorn waited until they were out of sight before he turned to look at Boromir, who was now leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and a pensive look on his face as he stared down at the floor as if it held the secrets of the universe in its dark and worn patterns. Rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment and uncertainty, he bit his lip as he tried to voice the feelings that were swirling about in his heart. He knew, from the way that Boromir was holding himself that he was fairly close to shutting himself off from him. He had seen Legolas do the same when he had just arrived at Aragorn's home and he was determined not to make the same mistake with Boromir. One wrong word, one mis-step and he knew that Boromir would be lost to him.

"Boromir?" He asked, his voice soft. Boromir raised his head and looked at Aragorn, his expression one of such weary resignation that made him suddenly look older and sadder than any seventeen-year old should be. The change in Boromir's expression made Aragorn's hear clench painfully. Oh bloody hell! Did Boromir think he had just kissed him for a lark? Or worse, that he just wanted him for a quick screw and nothing more?

Aragorn opened his mouth to speak, but Boromir beat him to it.

"So what did that mean, Aragorn?" He asked, his voice hardly above a whisper. "Do you want me just a quick fuck or do you want *ME*?"

The last question was spoken harshly, with a very powerful venom colouring the words. The tone was so bitter, so pained that it made Aragorn step closer to the golden haired boy and put his hands on his shoulders to offer some sort of comfort. Although he knew that Boromir wasn't really comfortable with his touch, he couldn't bear not to touch him. The pain he had heard in his voice made him want to take him and protect him from any future hurt. The thought of Boromir having endured such pain was intolerable.

It also made him more determined to have Boromir with him by his side. He needed him. Wanted him. He also, despite the short time that he had spent with him, knew without any doubts that he had fallen in love with him.

"I know that it was sudden, to kiss you in such a manner." Aragorn spoke slowly, all too aware that Boromir was showing him a very fragile side of himself and risking humiliation and rejection by doing so. He had to tread lightly and carefully in order to elicit the love and trust that he so desperately needed, craved and wanted from the man before him.

"I know that I may have surprised you. Maybe even shocked you. But I can assure you that I want you. Not anything that I can get from you. Just you." His hands then moved from Boromir's shoulders to cradle his face tenderly, thumbs then lightly stroking the still soft flesh of his cheeks.

Boromir's face crumpled at the gentle touch. Turning his face away, he closed his eyes and pressed his mouth to Aragorn's warm palm before he gave his answer.

"Are you sure?" He asked, his voice now hoarse as he spoke. "That you want me when you can have so many others?"

Aragorn laughed softly at Boromir's words. "The many others aren't you, Boromir. None of them have looked at me like I was a real person. None of them have ever thanked me sincerely you did. And that is part of the reason why I want you." He replied, his words low and almost seductive.

Boromir opened his eyes slightly and gave Aragorn a piercing look before speaking.

"What's the other part?" He asked quietly. Aragorn smiled slightly in return.

"I may be too forward in saying it so soon, but it is love for you." Aragorn replied before giving him yet another kiss, this time a gentle and chaste brushing over Boromir's lips.

Boromir eyes widened at the touch, but he didn't react strongly or unfavourably against the kiss. In fact, he was shocked at Aragorn's declaration. The idea of anyone apart form Faramir loving him was an idea that was totally foreign to him. Ever since he had come to terms with his sexuality, he had become resigned to being alone. Or being used to assuage a passing lust or a passing need for comfort and then discarded once he had become superfluous.

He smiled slightly before he pulled away from the other boy. "I don't know what to say to that. I really don't." The words made Aragorn stiffen slightly. Was Boromir rejecting him? Was he telling him that it wasn't enough? He waited impatiently to see what the other boy would do or say next.

Boromir rubbed the back of his neck before he stretched out his hand to the other boy.

"But I know it won't be no."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Celeborn looked down at the two young hobbits that were standing in front of him. They were scared and shivering as they looked up to him, their round faces marred with purple bruises. The sight of them looking so vulnerable made his heart ache and did a whole lot to dispel the annoyance he felt at having being saddled with two kids at the most inopportune time.

Sighing he picked up the phone and called up his wife to see if she could somehow help.

"Hello?" Galadriel picked it up at the first ring. "This better be good, Celeborn."

Celeborn laughed softly. "I guarantee that it is, Gilly." He said as he looked at the kids yet again.

"What is it?" Galadriel asked as she shuffled around some papers on her desk.

"We've got two more children from Social Services. And they were kind enough to leave them in the middle of my office when I got back from lunch."

"Nu. Uh-hu. I can't leave the office today. You're going to have to take care of them."

Celeborn pinched the bridge of his nose. "I can take them home, Gilly. But I can't watch them for the rest of the day and believe me, they desperately need someone to be with them."

Galadriel sighed into the phone. "Are they worse than Boromir and Faramir?"

Celeborn looked at the boys once again. The older one looked tired and worn. New bruises were layered upon old ones and there were small cuts on the hands that clutched at the ragged back-pack that very possibly held all of his worldly possessions. The smaller one just looked lost and in the need of someone to hold him for a long time.

"About the same." Celeborn replied as he recalled when Boromir and Faramir had been unceremoniously dumped in the same fashion about six years before. He could still see Boromir's dirty, swollen and bandaged face and Faramir's bruised hands and tear-stained face as his brother comforted him. He could also recall the way Boromir had tried to keep him and Galadriel from getting too close to either of them. Recalling the hard six months that they had with Boromir and Faramir, he sincerely hoped that it wouldn't be as hard to win the trust of the two standing in front of him.

Galadriel swore softly. "I really hate to say this, but the best thing to do right now would be to take Boromir and Faramir out of school and have them spend some time with them until we get home."

Celeborn smiled slightly. " I'm sure the boys will be thrilled about the prospect. Gilly."

"I know they will be. But I'm sure their school won't be." She replied wryly.

Celeborn laughed. "I'm sure they will survive their disappointment." He turned and looked at the boys, who were now watching him with hopeful looks on their faces.

"Anyways, Gilly. I'll let you go now and get our guests settled. All right? I love you."

After Galadriel had retuned the greeting, he hung up the phone and smiled at the boys.

"Are we going somewhere?" The younger boy asked, his eyes shining a deep, clear blue.

"Yes." The older one looked up, his eyes suspicious.

"Where?" He asked as he moved closer to his younger sibling.

"First to St. Ignatius to pick up Boromir and Faramir and then to your new home. Is that allright?"

The older hobbit looked thoughtful for several minutes before nodding his consent.

"They won't hit us, will they?" The younger one suddenly spoke up. Celeborn was taken aback.

"No. No one is going to hit you." Celeborn assured him. The boy smiled shyly.

"Good. Me 'n Merry don't like getting hit." He told Celeborn perkily. The older one, Merry glared at his brother. "Shut up Pippin!"

Celeborn shook his head. "It's okay, Pippin. Merry. Really. You don't have to worry about stuff right now, okay? Now why don't we get going? I'm sure that Boromir and Faramir will be happy to see you."

Pippin smiled and Merry looked slightly dubious at the prospect, but finally nodded for the sake of his brother. Even though he didn't really trust the tall elf in front of him, he decided he would make the effort for Pippin. The kid needed to smile more and he was damned if he wasn't going to make his little brother happy.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

Mr. Haldir paused in his lecture as Boromir and Aragorn scurried late into his history class. He watched the two boys find seats before he resumed his lecture.

"Why are you late?" He asked calmly as he walked over to his desk.

"He's new and I had to show him where the bathroom was and we got sidetracked. Sorry Mr. Haldir." Aragorn said hurriedly, trying his best to sound contrite and apologetic at the same time.

Mr. Haldir raised a golden eyebrow before he looked at Aragorn and the new blond student.

"Your name, then?" He asked as he looked at his class list.

"Uh. Boromir Denethorson sir." Boromir answered softly. Mr. Haldir nodded and wrote something down and nodded before he returned to his lecture, making all the other students look at Aragorn and Boromir in ill-concealed envy. They all had, at one point or another, come in late and suffered the wrath of Haldir in the form of essays and detentions, not to mention tirades. To have the new scruffy looking kid and the school's Golden Boy come in late and not get into trouble at all was really galling. Especially to Arwen and Eowyn, who were sitting in the corner fuming at the apparent easiness that Aragorn and Boromir had eased through the entire morning's events.

"Anyways, as I was saying about World War and Canada's involvement..." He was cut off by the phone on his desk ringing, giving Boromir ample opportunity to wink at Aragorn as Haldir swore softly in Elvish before he answered the phone.

"Yes? Oh hello, Gandalf? Yes? He's here. What? Oh. Okay. I'll send him to the office. His brother's there. Fine. Bye."

Haldir hung up the phone and looked straight at Boromir, making the blonde teen squirm nervously in his seat under that cool grey gaze.

"Mr. Denethorson. Please go to the office. Your presence is required immediately."

Part 5- Past and Present Collide

Aragorn cast a worried look at Boromir as he stood up from his chair. Although he didn't want to show it, he was uneasy about Boromir's being called to the office. Even though he knew that he wasn't in trouble, Aragorn couldn't help but to feel over-protective of his lover. Aragorn's mind gave a jolt at the word that had slipped so easily into his mind.

Lover. Not friend, mate or boyfriend. But lover. It made him utterly amazed at the ease that the word had become intertwined with the blonde punk. It also surprised him that he was feeling so strongly about someone that he had known for no more than several hours at the most. He knew that his emotions were true in regards to Boromir. Despite the brevity of their acquaintance, he knew that he was deeply in love with the other man.

He also knew that he would, at that moment, do everything in his power to keep him safe from any harm. The vulnerability that Boromir had shown him in the hallway was the main reason that he felt that way. He never wanted to hear Boromir speak with such bitterness. Nor did he want for Boromir to live through such pain again. Boromir was his lover and he would be damned if he let that love whither away without a fight.

Thinking this, Aragorn watched mutely as Boromir walked past him on his way to the door. As he watched the other boy leave, Aragorn frowned as he realized he had no way of contacting his lover. Despite all that had happened, they hadn't really had time to give each other their numbers. It normally wouldn't have bothered Aragorn if it hadn't been for the fact that this year school had started on Friday, which would then be followed by Labour day weekend. So it would be four and a half days before he could actually talk to Boromir and make things official between them.

Once he had realized this, Aragorn had to fight hard to suppress his groan of disappointment. Great. Just great. He had just hooked up with an awesome guy and the fates looked to be conspiring against him already. This was just freaking lovely. Someone up there didn't like him very much.

So sunk was he in his misery that he nearly missed the small, folded up slip of paper that landed in his lap before Boromir got to the door. Puzzled, Aragorn looked down at the paper before looking up at Boromir, who only gave him a small wink before he exited the door and pulled the door closed behind him. Curious now, Aragorn opened the paper and nearly jumped out of his seat with glee when he saw what was written on it: "A. Sucks that I had to leave. Call me. B." Below the hastily scribbled message was Boromir's number

Folding it up carefully, Aragorn quickly slipped the small paper in his pocket. He knew what Mr. Haldir would do if he saw him ogling the note in the middle of his class. Not only would he get a detention, he would also lose Boromir's number and that was something that he couldn't let happen at any cost. No sense in letting that happen, despite the temptation that the slip of paper presented.

Sighing happily, Aragorn then slumped back in his chair and proceeded to pay attention to whatever lecture it was that Haldir was droning on about.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Thank-god it was a short day today." Legolas commented as he and Aragorn walked to their house, all the while smoking a cigarette between them.

Aragorn nodded. "No kidding, eh? I thought I was going to die having to listen to Mr. Tsukiyono in Bio." He shook his head and took a drag from the cigarette Legolas had just passed him.

"It's just that Bio is sooo boring and Tsukiyono is soo hyper. I swear, he's worse than Sam sometimes."

Legolas snorted. "It's better than having Mr. Intensity Yuy for Maths. He's so fucken freaky, it's not even funny! I think he could make people cry by just staring at them long enough."

Aragorn sort of snickered before he passed the half-smoked cigarette over to Lee.

"I know he's freaky, but Mr. Fujiyama is ten times worse. I think he'd be more likely to do that than Mr. Yuy. You know, I don't think he's actually human at all."

Legolas shook his head and passed the cigarette back. "Yeah. But whatever, man! It's Friday! Who cares about them right now? We gotta think about more important things. Like partying!"

Aragorn looked at Lee thoughtfully. "What do you have in mind?" He asked the elf before chucking the cigarette into the gutter.

Legolas smirked. "I don't know. Maybe something small. Just to celebrate going back to school and the fact that you're finally gonna get some."

Aragorn glared at Legolas and whacked him one that probably would have knocked him into the middle of next week if his aim hadn't been messed up by Lee's dodging his blow and getting only half of the impact that Aragorn had put in the blow.

"Aww. Aragorn is embarrassed?" Legolas teased his brother. With a growl, Aragorn began to chase the elf to their home. Laughing lightly, Legolas ran, all the while teasing Aragorn about his lover and the cosy domestic setting that he would build with Boromir and the possible off-spring that could emerge from the union.

"You are so dead, elf!" Aragorn had yelled as they made their way up the large lawn in front of the modestly sized house that Arathorn Strider had bought for his family long before Aragorn was even thought. He had bought such a large house since he believed that he would fill it with lots of children when he had married Gilraen Dunedin. But his dreams had been torn to pieces when she had nearly died after giving birth to his only son. She had survived, but Aragorn was the only child in the large house.

Legolas laughed. "You gotta catch me, Estel!" He called out as he made his way up to the porch and jumped onto the cement steps. He would have been scot-free and into the house if it hadn't been for the large swath of leaves that he technically should have thrown into the compost heap before rushing off to school that morning.

"Yaaah!" Legolas yelped as he skidded on the slippery leaves and landed in a crumpled heap at the base of the wooden steps leading up to the porch. Which gave Aragorn ample time to tackle the elf and tickle him mercilessly as payback for the comments he had been making earlier.

"Hey! Estel! No! Don't! Stop it! Please! Come on!" Legolas pleaded as he tried to roll away from his brother's hands. Although he was trying to get away from Aragorn, his cape and loose shirt hampered his movements so much that he had no choice but to lay still and squirm out of Aragorn's grasp. But that didn't work too well, since all it did was to make him a horribly easy target, not to mention utterly cramped up from laughing and gasping as he was tickled to near-death.

"Had enough?" Aragorn asked after he collapsed on the ground beside Legolas, a satisfied smirk on his face as he watched the elf pant heavily, his full black lips parted as he gulped in air.

The elf didn't reply right away, since his body was still seized up fairly badly and he was trying to relax as much as possible before it became more painful than it already had been. After several minutes though, he had relaxed enough to be able to give Aragorn an answer.

"I submit to your superiority, Strider." Legolas said as he rolled onto his side and propped his head on the palm of his hand in order to watch the other boy, who was lying on his back with his arms folded underneath his head and his bright blue eyes closed to mere slits.

"That's right." Aragorn replied, opening his eyes and smiling up into Lee's face. "And don't you forget it." He reminded the elf as he reached up and pushed a heavy hank of black hair behind a delicate, bejewelled ear.

Lee laughed. "I don't think I will." He admitted before flopped down beside the human and looked up at the flawless autumn sky above him.

"But I'm still glad that you have Boromir as your lover rather than either of two witches."

Although he knew he was probably going to get a strong reaction from Aragorn over the flippant comment, he still had to snicker when he heard the strangled gasp coming form his left.

"How..how..did you know?" Aragorn asked in a choked voice as he lay on his side and faced Legolas, his face a mask of shocked curiosity as he looked at the elf lying beside him.

Lee smiled at Aragorn before he spoke. Although the smile was warm, there was something in it that made the human feel slightly sad and curious. Almost as if Legolas had knowledge of something more than what he himself had.

"He's easy to love, Aragorn." Legolas replied, his voice full of a wistful remembrance as he spoke.

Aragorn sat up and looked at Legolas closely, his brow furrowed as he put two and two together.

"Did you and Boromir..have something? Before?" Aragorn asked softly, feeling curious and worried about the answer that he would get from the elf.

Lee laughed. "I think you could say that." He stretched out before he elaborated on his statement.

"It started after we went to St. Victorie in grade ten. We had always been friends, but during the summer, it sort of changed. He was really depressed and stressed out because Faramir was sick. I was messed up because of what happened in my family."

He broke off and looked away in order to give himself a moment to compose himself. Even though his father had been dead for years, and his brothers out of his life for many years; the humiliation and pain was still present and could spill over. The danger of his emotions spilling over was the reason why he seldom spoke of his past to anyone. He hated losing control and letting people see the scars that his up-bringing had given him, since he didn't believe in letting just anyone see what he was like deep inside.

Although Aragorn was impatient to know what had happened between them, he also knew that Lee needed time to pull himself away from the darkness of his past. He had learned the hard way that Legolas resented any intrusion whenever he was feeling emotional. He didn't like having information pried out of him which he would gladly give it to you later, when he was calmer and felt the time was suitable for it. If you pushed him, he would simply close himself off and refuse to even acknowledge your presence. Sometimes, he would resent the person so much that he would cut them out of his life permanently.

"During that time, I guess that I fell in love with him. But I didn't want to complicate our friendship, so I said nothing. I thought that we could have a chance together, but a guy called Casey Markannen decided he wanted Boromir for himself."

Aragorn's eyes narrowed at the name. "He did something to Boromir, didn't he?"

Legolas' looked away before he spoke again. "I suspect he did. I don't know for sure. But I know that Boromir changed because of Casey. I tried to comfort him after what happened with him, maybe make him forget it altogether, but it was a futile effort on my part, since Boromir was shipped off to St. Joseph's soon after thanks to Casey's efforts and I ended up with you in St. Ig's."

Aragorn snorted angrily. " What exactly did this Casey do?"

Legolas smiled bitterly. "He picked a fight with him in order to save his reputation. He could fool around with Boromir after-school and be out when none of his buddies were around, but when they were around, it was utterly different. Boromir was just a nuisance. Not cool enough."

Aragorn shook his head angrily. "I hope Boromir beat the fuck out of him."

Legolas grinned mirthlessly at his brother's uncharacteristic use of swear words.

"Suffice to say that Casey isn't as pretty as he was before and we'll leave it at that. I don't want to waste anymore time talking about that waste of skin."

Aragorn flopped back down again beside his brother and sighed angrily.

"I really hate Casey about now, Lee. I really hate him."Lee nodded.

"I know. I hate him too. Not just because he destroyed the chance for me to have a possible relationship with Boromir, but also because he hurt him so badly that he will never be the same again."

After that statement, they both fell silent and just lay watching the clouds as they contemplated Boromir.

"Do you still have feelings for him, Lee?" Aragorn asked, breaking the silence that lay between them.

Legolas thought about the question. He did care for Boromir. He would always care for him. Hell, they had been through so much together that there was no way they could ever sever the bond that had been forged between them. But the bond that they shared was one of friendship and brotherly love. He wasn't the one for Boromir. As much as he had wanted it so, he knew that Aragorn was the one destined to take that role.

"Romantically. No. I am not the one for him. But I will always care for him. And I will always try to keep him from harm in any way that I can." He then looked at Aragorn. "Even if the harm comes from you."

Aragorn laughed softly. "You don't have to worry about that ever happening. I love him, Lee. I will make sure that no harm will ever come to him. You have my word on it, Lee. I swear."

Legolas looked at him sharply before finally nodding his assent.

"I believe you, Estel. And I hope you are happy with him. He deserves it. More than anyone else I know."

Aragorn swallowed the lump in his throat with great difficulty. "I hope I can make it so, Lee. He is the other half of me. I will not have him unhappy or hurt if I can help it."

Part 6- Tender

"I was on the outside when you said

You said you needed me

I was looking at myself

I was blind, I could not see"- U2

"So you're on for tonight? You and Max?" Lee asked as he scribbled something down on the pad by the phone. "Uh-hu. What? Glor's coming? Yeah. No sex though. We got in shit last time Dad came home and found someone screwing on the couch! AAAH! That's fucken sick man!"

Legolas' yell brought forth an apron-clad and flour-covered Aragorn from the kitchen.

"What is it?!" He asked, wondering what prompted the outburst from his brother.

Legolas shook his head and waved him away, mouthing the words "I'll tell you later" before turning his attention back to the phone and the conversation he was holding with Danny.

"You're one sick fuck, Elladan Rivendell! Sick!" Legolas yelled into the phone, making Aragorn shake his head before going back into the kitchen.

The yelling continued for a few more minutes until Legolas calmed down enough to continue the conversation with the other elf.

"Fine. So see you at seven? Okay. Cool." Lee hung up and wandered into the kitchen, where Aragorn was busy making his "Special" brownies for later on. Bags of chips and dip littered the lightwood dining table as well as several baggies of what Lee preferred to call "Mara Jade" and "Weezer" After the band whose eponymous song had introduced everyone to the wonders of it.

"Shit man!" Lee exclaimed when he saw the large amounts of Mara Jade that his brother was putting into the brownie batter. "You're going to make them autistic if you put that much in."

Aragorn snorted and proceeded to stir the pot into the batter in order to distribute it evenly.

Legolas shook his head. "I mean it bro. You're gonna make them stupid."

Aragorn looked up from his work. "Who's all coming?" He asked evenly as he grabbed a square pan he had greased earlier and poured the batter in.

"Danny, Max, Sam, Glor, Ken, Tro, Cat, Duo, Milliardo, Marie, Sally, Yohji, Ken, Sonny, Karen, Sora and Kamui. I think that's it." Lee replied after ticking off all the names. Aragorn frowned.

"That's the official list, I'm guessing." He said, frowning slightly as he scraped the last of the batter off the bowl and quickly put the brownies in the oven to bake. Lee nodded.

"So who can we expect to crash?" Aragorn asked as he rummaged around the cupboards for another box of brownie mix for yet another batch of brownies.

"Probably your lovely ex-girlfriends. Both of them. Maybe Eomer if he's gotten over his hissy fit, Theoden, Frodo, cause we all know that he's really after Sam even if he doesn't want to admit it Rose Cotton, who still hasn't gotten a clue that Sam is as gay as the day is long, Harry Pot-head, but we won't have to worry about him cause he's got his own stash and won't cause problems, The Weasleys and maybe some of the other Rohan boys. I don't know."

Aragorn shrugged. "Fine. You told the others to get here as soon as possible and to BYOV if they could?" He asked his brother, who nodded.

"Good then. I just gotta make this last batch and we'll be all set. Lee, clear all the valuables from the living room and put out the burnt C.D's. I still haven't found my Daft Punk from the last party and I don't intend for it to happen again."

Lee grimaced. "I know. My bloody Garbage disappeared too and I'm sure that bastard Eomer stole it." He shook his head.

"That guy is such a fucker. I'm totally glad that Boromir managed to kick his head in. He sure needed it." He said before turning to leave the kitchen and clean up the living room. On his way there, he paused and looked back at Aragorn, who was busy mixing up the batter.

"Speaking of Boromir, is he coming?" He asked, all the while hoping his voice didn't sound to eager or too wistful when he mentioned the blonde human. He had such a brief meeting with him that day, and it still didn't seem like enough for them to be able to catch up on the missing time between St. Kilda's and now. He had missed Boromir and Faramir all the time he had spent in St. Victorie and the Youth Centre waiting for those morons to verify the agreement between his mother and Arathorn Strider. It would be nice to see Boromir outside the confines that school no doubt had placed on him and his brother. And even himself, despite how much he had stepped off the path.

For several moments, there was only silence in the kitchen that stretched out for what seemed an eternity. Even though he was a terribly patient elf, Lee had to admit that it looked like Aragorn wasn't going to answer anytime soon.

Giving a soft sigh, he was about to leave when his brother finally spoke.

"I haven't called him yet." Aragorn finally admitted as he mixed the batter harder than it actually needed to be mixed. Lee raised an eyebrow when he noticed that Aragorn's face had gone a light pink. "I see." The elf thought to himself when he finally realized that Aragorn was nervous.

"Why don't you call him right now then?" Lee coaxed. "You do have his number right?"

A small nod confirmed his suspicions. Lee grinned.

"Call him then. I'm sure he'd come." He said before grabbing the bowl out of Aragorn's hands and shoving him towards the extension that sat on the counter in one fluid move.

"Hey! You're gonna screw those up, Legolas!" He yelped in a last ditch-attempt to gain more time to actually get some courage to call Boromir and invite him to the party, where he hoped that he could have more time to get to know the stoic blond a little better than he had in those short intervals between classes. As well as getting an actual agreement of commitment from him.

"Sha. If I recall correctly, brother, *I* taught you how to make them. So don't give me such a lame excuse for chickening out on calling Boromir." Legolas retorted before he shoved Aragorn towards the phone yet again.

"All right. All right." Aragorn grumbled as he walked over to the phone. Digging into his pocket, he then fished out the crumpled note that held Boromir's number and quickly picked up the receiver and dialed as fast as he could before he lost his nerve.

The phone rang once. Twice. Three times. He was about to hang up when someone picked up.

"Hello?"

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Where are your parents?" Pippin asked Boromir as he watched the older human put a clean, if somewhat faded sheet printed with pictures of soccer players on the small bed in Faramir's room. It had been decided by harried Celeborn that Pippin and Merry would share a room, while Boromir and Faramir would go back to sharing Boromir's basement room as they had done when they had first arrived in the Lothloriens' care.

Unfortunately, Celeborn had to leave and ordered Boromir and Faramir to give the little monsters a bath and set up the bedrooms for them. So that was how Boromir found himself putting soccer sheets on the beds while being watched by a clean, if somewhat chatty Pippin. Merry and Faramir, in the meantime, were busy in the bath, one yelling bloody murder, while the other was getting thoroughly soaked. Although Boromir knew that Merry, who had somewhat thawed on the way home, had told them brusquely that he was nine and Pippin was seven; he sincerely hoped that the older hobbit wouldn't decide to run out of the bathroom naked in order to escape being clean.

"They died when my brother and I were very young." Boromir replied quietly as he smoothed the sheet down onto the bed before he reached over to the pile of bedding that sat on Mir's bed for another sheet. Strangled screams came from the bathroom, followed by a loud splash which made Pippin jump slightly and Boromir cast a pleading look at the heavens.

"Oh." Pippin replied in a quiet voice. He watched Boromir tuck the other sheet in place in silence before he spoke again. He couldn't, for the life of him, remain quiet. He always had to know things, talk about things, wonder about things. It wasn't his fault, it was just the way he was. Too bad that his parents never could grow accustomed to his innocent queries. That and his hyperactivity earned him too many blows that even Merry couldn't easily protect him from.

"Do you remember anything about them?" He asked. Boromir placed the yellow fuzzed blanket that had belonged to Faramir on the bed and sat down on the floor beside the young hobbit.

"Not really. I know my mum had green eyes like my brother's and mine." He answered truthfully.

He really didn't recall Fiundilas Denethorson. Just fragments of her. Her scent, which was sweet and tangy like warm peach pie, her long brown hair which he would play with when she held him and Faramir. Her green eyes as they shone with laughter and happiness. The way her arms made him feel safe from the world outside.

"How about your dad?" Pippin persisted, moving ever so slightly closer to Boromir, having decided in the past twenty minutes that he was a very safe person to be with. Although he knew that Merry didn't feel too comfortable being around him or the elf-lady and her husband and had somewhat warned him about lowering his guard against them; he felt strangely comfortable with Boromir. Namely because he was talking to him and hadn't made any move to prove that he would be violent any time soon.

Boromir smiled faintly before he turned to look at the little nosy hobbit. Although he was getting exasperated with the little bugger, Boromir humoured him mainly because he knew that the poor kid was just trying to get a sense of security. He knew what it was like to be yanked out of a miserable, yet familiar place and thrust into another where there was no link to the pat. No lifelines that could be grasped in case things turned out worse than they had been before. Even though he had someone beside him to share the burdens, he knew that the kid must be scared as hell. Even though it wasn't fairly obvious, the way that Pippin had been gravitating towards him was proof enough the kid was looking for someone to ease his fears.

"Ah..Faramir and I don't know our dad." Boromir answered, tasting a bit of the old bitterness in his mouth as he spoke. Even though he had long become reconciled with the fact that his dad had been some fly-by-night artist that didn't give a damn about him and his brother, it still hurt to remember being called a bastard and seeing other kids with their dads at the park playing catch and what not.

"Oh." He replied again, picking at the frayed hem of his loose, hand-me down sweat-shirt. He sat silent for a few minutes, making Boromir wonder if his thoughts had strayed off somewhere when a light touch on his arm made him look down at the impish face.

"Don't worry. Dads aren't that great anyways." Boromir raised an eyebrow at this comment.

Pippin nodded, mistaking his silence for disbelief. "Uh-hu. All they do is yell at you and hit you."

He said as he rolled up his sleeve and showed Boromir a column of circular welts that started from the boy's thin wrist and moved up to disappear under his sweater.

Boromir's eyes widened as his hand moved gently over the welts, which looked pretty nasty despite being half-healed. Although it may have hurt Pippin to have those raw spots touched, he didn't show any discomfort as Boromir's hand moved over them.

"He did this to you?" Boromir asked as he pulled his hand away and gently lowered Pippin's sleeve.

Pippin only nodded, his head lowered so that Boromir wouldn't be able to see his face.

"You wanna talk about it?" Pippin shook his head violently.

"You want to be alone then?" Boromir asked, hoping that he hadn't broken anything inside the little kid. Even though he knew that Pippin was the one that had wanted to talk and was the one that showed him the scars and the like, he should have been much more careful in dealing with him.

He grimaced in frustration and looked out the window as he silently berated himself on being so insensitive to Pippin's needs. He should have been more careful, he chided himself. Even though the kids were utterly mellow after they had left the school and come home, he shouldn't have been fooled by the easy-going nature of the kid.

After getting no answer and agonizing over the possible damage that he may have inflicted on the kid, Boromir decided to take off before anything else could go wrong between them.

The decision was further reinforced when he heard the phone ringing in the living room.

He got up quickly and was about to sprint out to get the phone when Pippin screamed.

"NO! Don't leave!" He cried, his eyes shimmering with tears as he clumsily got to his feet and ran towards Boromir and proceeded to attach himself like a leech to his leg.

For several seconds, Boromir was seriously stunned as to what course of action to take next. For one thing, he had what was going to become a hysterical hobbit clinging onto his leg. For another, he had a phone to answer, since it probably was Celeborn or Galadriel calling to see if anyone had succeeded in killing themselves yet. What the hell was he going to do? Comfort the critter and ignore the phone and get in shit, or abandon the poor brat and have him cry his head off and feel abandoned yet again.

Another ring from the phone snapped him out of his indecision. Quickly grabbing the bawling hobbit and perching him on his hip, he ran towards the living room, narrowly missing the cat, Lemba and scrambled for the phone, which rang again before he picked it up.

"Hello?" He asked, holding the little hobbit tightly against his shoulder. Pippin took the opportunity and buried his head into Boromir's shirt, making the human hope that he wouldn't get *too*much snot onto his Rancid T-shirt.

"Boromir?" His mouth suddenly went dry when he heard the voice at the other end.

"Aragorn..Uh, how's it going?" Boromir asked, mentally cursing himself the moment the words were out of his mouth. "Smooth move" He thought to himself. "He'll definitely be impressed."

Aragorn chuckled softly. "I was going to ask you the same thing. Are you okay?"

It was Boromir's turn to laugh and Aragorn's turn to feel like a moron.

"We're great conversationalists, aren't we?" He asked softly. Aragorn laughed.

"No kidding." There was silence for awhile as both men pondered as to what else to say to fill the space that was quickly becoming oppressive.

"Listen. I called you because Lee and I are having a party. Just something to start the school year and we were wondering if you and Faramir would want to come." Aragorn got out in a rush.

"So what do you say? Aragorn asked, silently begging Boromir to say yes as well as being acutely aware that Legolas was listening in, clearly hoping that the answer would be yes, by the way that he was sloppily pouring the batter into the pan.

Boromir bit his lip. It was utterly tempting to go and hang out with Aragorn and Lee again, but there was also the fact that he had a crying hobbit and his sulky, yet scared brother to deal with.

"Hello?" Galadriel's called out as she moved into the living room. Boromir gulped.

"Well?" Aragorn asked.

Part 7- Between Love And Duty

"You can't resist her

She's in your bones

She is your marrow

And your ride home"-Weezer

Boromir groaned. Although Pippin had stopped his crying and was now lying limply in Boromir's arms, Galadriel's face clearly showed her concern at the scene she had just walked into.

"Boromir?" Aragorn spoke again, making Boromir jump slightly.

"What's going on?" Galadriel asked at the same time as she walked up to her foster sons.

"Uh, listen. Aragorn, can you call me back in ten minutes?"

"Why?" Aragorn asked, bewildered at the request. After all, things had seemed to be going well, or so he thought. Why was Boromir giving him the brush-off?

He looked at Legolas, hoping that maybe his brother could shed light on the situation, but the elf shook his head. He too, was clearly mystified by Boromir's behaviour and could do nothing more but watch as the events unfolded in front of him.

Boromir sighed deeply into the phone."It's not you. Mate. It's..It's just that it's sort of a bad time right now. I have some things to straighten out, that's all."

Aragorn bit his lip at the answer. "So when should I call you back?" He asked, his voice low.

"Can you give me..Um..Twenty minutes?" Boromir asked softly.

"Sure. No problem." Aragorn replied, his voice steady as to not betray the turmoil he was in.

"Thanks. I really appreciate it, Aragorn. Talk to you in a bit, mate."

Aragorn smiled slightly, even though he knew that his love wouldn't see it. "Sure babe."

Boromir laughed gently, making Aragorn's disappointment fade somewhat. "Bye then, Meleth nin."

Aragorn blinked at the word. He was so stunned by what Boromir had rang off with that he didn't notice that he had hung up until Lee pried the receiver from his hand and gently placed it on its base.

"Hello!! Estel! Helloo! Anyone home there?!" Lee asked, waving his hand in front of Aragorn's face. Aragorn blinked once or twice before turning to his brother.

"Stop that!" He told the elf irritably before he ran his hands through his hair in order to sort his thoughts, which were running around like speed-crazed rabbits in his skull.

Lee raised an eyebrow at the gesture and sort of snickered to himself. Even though he had been living with humans for quite some time, it still surprised him to note how susceptible they could be to the Elvish language. Especially when it came to teenage humans.

And even though he loved Estel with all his heart, it still amused him severely as to how his hormones could occasionally take over his mental abilities. Even though he was better than most humans, Lee could still see faint traces of the glazed eyes and the slack-jawed look of a lovesick fool who has just been told something sickeningly romantic and is slowly melting into a gooey puddle. The only comfort in this was the fact that he wouldn't have to wait too long for Estel to regain use of his faculties. If he was right, it would only take five..four..three..two..

"I can't believe he said that!" Aragorn finally choked out to a very amused Legolas, who, by this time was leaning against the fridge with an amused look on his elfin features.

"Angry, are you?" Legolas asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he waited for the rest of Aragorn's blood supply to make it up to his brain.

"NO!" He paused. "Well, kind of!" Legolas' tried really hard not to smirk. Tried is the operative word here. But an elf has only so much self-control in one day...

"Stop laughing at me!" Aragorn cried, trying to frantically gain his composure after getting two shocks from separate corners of the emotional spectrum in less than twenty minutes.

Legolas waved his hands in front of him in what he hoped was a signal of contrition.

"I'm not!" He tried to defend himself. But Aragorn gave him a pointed look that told him his act had fallen flatter than three day old coke.

Lee grinned and gave his brother the "Look, I'm a cute elf!" act in case Aragorn decided he wanted to do something painful to him for laughing at his sudden romantic crisis.

Aragorn's glare held out for just several more seconds before it cracked into a rueful smile.

"I give up!" He growled before giving Lee a half-hearted punch on the shoulder. Lee's grin grew wider at this admission and he put even more effort into the act by fluttering his impossibly long eyelashes. Aragorn, in turn, rolled his eyes and hit him again.

"Okay! The cute elf act is getting old, Lee!" He told his brother in a serious tone that was belied by the small smile hovering at the corner of his lips.

"So Boromir isn't coming?" He asked, his face serious once again. Aragorn sighed.

"Don't know yet." He replied, his voice flat. "You heard, he asked me to call him back."

"I know." He frowned. "As much as I hate to say it, chances are he won't show up."

Aragorn scowled before he looked up at the ceiling. "You know, I'm convinced someone up there doesn't want me to even get into a relationship, never mind get laid."

Lee was glad that Aragorn wasn't looking at him at that particular moment, cause if he had been, chances are he would have gotten hit. Although he knew he shouldn't laugh, what Estel was saying was true. He was pretty sure that he and his brother were the only people in the school with the worst luck when it came to their romantic lives. Aragorn had the ill-luck to have Arwen and Eowyn trying to molest him at practically every turn and he hadn't had a boy-friend since he and Ken Hidaka had called it quits during the summer. He still winced when he thought about that particular relationship. It wasn't that Ken wasn't nice or anything. Rather, it was the opposite. Ken was..perfect. They probably would have stayed together if it hadn't been for Ken's soccer-scholarship to St. Aiden's University, which put a major strain on them being able to meet and spend time together. So they had agreed to part ways.

Lee shook his head. No sense in dwelling on the past when there more pressing demands on him at this particular time. Like Aragorn muttering dire threats against the deities for his current luck.

"It sure seems that way, doesn't it? The fates not wanting us to have fun at all." Legolas commented as he turned back to the neglected pan of brownies. Giving them a poke, he then chucked them in the oven and turned back to Aragorn.

"Tell me about it." Aragon muttered as he tore off the frilly-apron and threw it on the floury counter before he hoisted himself up on it.

"This party was supposed to be a fun! Now chances are I'm going to have to fight the wicked witches of the East and West in order to preserve my virginity the whole night!" Aragorn complained bitterly. Lee winced. He totally sympathised with Aragorn there, since he knew that what he was predicting was probably going to happen whether he liked it or not.

"I know man." Legolas said as he joined Aragorn on the counter. "But I'm sure that if Boromir doesn't come, it will be because of a very important reason." Aragorn raised an eyebrow at this.

Lee sat back, his back against the wall before he spoke again.

"A couple of things I know about Boromir. One, he never goes back on his word. Even if it kills him. Two, Family is one of the most important things to him. He'll push everything away if his family is facing a crisis of some sort. No questions asked."

He turned to look at Aragorn, who was nodding slowly at this information and feeling slightly ashamed at his childish outburst. Even though he was feeling terribly let down at the possibility of not having Boromir come to the party, he realized that it was petty to have reacted that way at the news. Especially when they had just met and were on somewhat undefined ground as to whether they were "together" in the official sense of the word.

"Yeah. I kind of gathered that when he beat the crap out of Eomer after he hit Faramir." Aragorn admitted as he pushed his messy brown hair back.

Legolas snorted. "Eomer's lucky he didn't kill him. Fucken idiot." He muttered something else, but it was too low for Aragorn to hear exactly what it was.

Aragorn laughed. "I take it you still haven't forgiven him for the hair incident last year?"

Lee gave him a withering look, which made Aragorn laugh even harder.

"Ha ha ha. Estel." Legolas replied sourly. "I'm sure you wouldn't be laughing if the little bastard had poured blue tempera paint onto your hair."

Aragorn was laughing so hard that he was coughing, prompting Legolas to whack him one on the back and making him nearly fall of the counter.

"It.. Was..funny" Aragorn managed to gasp out as he regained his balance. "You have to admit it."

Legolas frown deepened at this comment. "Not for me. It took me months to get that crap out of my hair! And it was all weird for ages afterwards! It wasn't funny!"

Aragorn grinned and nimbly jumped off the counter when he saw the little red gleam in Lee's eyes.

He was about to open his mouth, and maybe get himself into a deeper hole when the timer from the oven buzzed loudly, making both elf and man look at the clock on the oven.

Lee grinned when he realized exactly how much time had passed since Aragorn had set the timer at the same time that his brother did.

"Didn't you have to call someone back about now?" Lee asked sweetly, effectively cutting off any other comments Aragorn would have made.

Aragorn's eyes narrowed at this comment, but he said nothing as he grabbed the phone while Lee only watched him, an amused look on his elfin face as he did so.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Galadriel poured the hot tea into a large ceramic mug that had crudely painted cats and pumpkins on its surface before setting it down before Boromir, who was sitting in his customary place with Pippin now curled up against his chest. Although he wasn't crying anymore, he refused to relinquish his tenacious hold on Boromir. So now he just sat with his head against Boromir's chest, his eyes closed from exhaustion and his cheeks stained with tears as he sucked on his thumb.

Boromir muttered something that could have been "thanks" and gingerly sipped at the hot liquid. Galadriel only nodded before she poured herself a cup and sat down across from her son. Sipping at it, she then looked at the small hobbit before she spoke, adroitly ignoring Lembas as she lay curled up on the table-top purring contentedly beside the teapot.

"Did something here touch a nerve?" She asked him, her voice quiet, almost emotionless when she spoke. Boromir looked down at the sleeping hobbit before he gave his mother an answer.

"He asked me about my father. Then he told me about his." Boromir replied, his voice harsh as he spoke, since he was trying to keep his emotions in check.

"He then showed me this." He carefully took Pippin's arm and gently rolled the sleeved back to show Galadriel the circular welts that Pippin had shown him earlier.

"After that, the phone rang and he began to freak out when I was going to go answer it, since Faramir is still busy with the water-proof boy upstairs. And I think that was about the time that you came home" Boromir replied as he rolled the hobbit's sleeve down with a tenderness that didn't escape Galadriel's eye.

"I feel bad about it. I had forgotten that he was so vulnerable." Boromir whispered as he stroked Pippin's light brown hair. "I should have been more careful with him."

Galadriel sipped her tea thoughtfully as she listened to Boromir.

"You didn't know. But now that you do, you won't make the same mistake again."

Boromir shrugged. "I kind of realize that, but I still feel bad about this whole thing."

Galadriel nodded. "I know. But the thing you have to remember, Boromir, is that you didn't know. You didn't live with Pippin or Merry before they came here. You just met them. You can't be expected to have known what would trigger memories and what wouldn't from the first meeting."

Boromir sighed and Galadriel reached over and patted his hand in understanding.

"Although it may not be much, I can assure you that it gets easier with time." She assured him.

Boromir didn't reply right away to this. He knew that Galadriel was right. Hell, as much as he hated to admit it, he knew that her advice was right. But his conscience wouldn't give it a rest, since he still felt horrible for having made the little hobbit cry.

"Believe me. I felt the same way when you first came to us. A less than perfect past is not the easiest thing to deal with. Believe me, I know."

They sat in relative silence, since Faramir was still upstairs with Merry and occasional yelps and smothered exclamations could be heard coming from down the hall, until Galadriel asked the very thing Boromir hoped she wouldn't ask about.

"So who was calling?" Galadriel asked softly. "Was it for me or Celeborn?"

Boromir shook his head and just looked down at the sleeping hobbit, knowing full well that his face was turning a nice shade of pink at his mother's question.

"Um..It was actually for me." He replied softly. Galadriel put her cup down and looked at him as she waited for him to elaborate on the answer. Unlike other mothers, she wouldn't ask pointed questions that would exasperate or annoy the living fuck out of their children. She would just wait until the person gave her the answer out of their own volition.

"It was a guy I met at school, his name's Aragorn Strider and I think he lives with Legolas Mirkwood and they were just wondering if Faramir and I wanted to go to a party at their place."

Although Galadriel kept her face pretty neutral, she couldn't help but to give a little prayer of thanks at this piece of news, since it showed that today actually went better than she had expected.

"Did you give him an answer?" she asked as she took another sip of her tea. Boromir shook his head. Galadriel nodded.

"So do you want to go?" She asked him, making him nearly fall out of his chair in surprise.

Boromir's mouth opened and closed, but he couldn't, for the life of him say anything. He was just utterly stunned that she would ask him, since he had pretty much been under lock and key ever since he, Faramir and Thom Yorke had stolen the principal's car at St. Kilda's and gone joy-riding in it.

"Are..are you for real?" He asked when he had finally gathered enough of his wits to speak.

Galadriel nodded. "Call it a gift for good behaviour, if you will. Your day actually went better than what I expected, so I'm willing to bend the rules for you and Faramir a bit. So do you want to go?"

Boromir gulped. Shit. This was hard. On one hand, he could go and hang out with Lee once again, ass well as finish what he had started with Aragorn in more ways than one. But on the other hand, Pippin needed him. Even though the small hobbit hadn't said so in so many words, the way he was practically super-glued to him was a fair indication that he didn't intend for him to leave anytime soon. And he also could guess that Merry had somehow developed a bond of sorts with Faramir. Leaving right now, no matter how tempting the reward, would be a betrayal of sorts. And if it was one thing that Boromir didn't do, was betrayal. Even though he may have wanted to fight it at first, he knew where his loyalties lay.

"As much as I'd love to go, I can't." Boromir whispered softly as he looked down at Pippin. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I just took off while he needed me."

Galadriel nodded in quiet understanding. She was about to comment on his decision when the phone rang again, making Lembas jump in surprise.

"I'm guessing that's for you?" Galadriel asked, making Boromir nod. She smiled before she got up and carefully took Pippin from him.

Nodding his thanks, Boromir then made a mad dash into the living room.

"Hello?" He asked a bit breathlessly, since he had tripped over the coffee-table on his way there.

"Boromir?" Aragorn asked, his voice a bit stilted as he spoke. Boromir gulped in a breath.

"Yeah, it's me, Aragorn."

"So can you guys make it?" Boromir frowned to himself. Even though he had made his choice, it was still going to be awfully hard to resist the temptation of not having the opportunity to have Aragorn kiss him like he did in the hallway. Well, life was never, if ever, easy. Nope.

"I'm sorry, Aragorn. I can't leave the house tonight." He apologized. Aragorn sighed.

"I would have liked to come, but a family emergency came up and I really can't leave."

"That's okay. I understand." There was a silence between them as Aragorn fought with his disappointment and Boromir fought with himself to take the words back.

"Uhm. Maybe we can go do something tomorrow?" Boromir suggested hopefully. "It's the least I could do to make it up to you for not coming out tonight."

"Aa...Really?" Aragorn immediately perked up at the suggestion. Hell, that would probably be better than the party if he was going to get together with Boromir. At the party, he would have to worry about drunken come-ons from both Arwen and Eowyn as well as people walking in on opportune moments. Even though Boromir himself may not have known it, the suggestion was an utterly perfect one.

"Yeah. I'm serious. I know you want me to be there and believe me, I *DO* want to be there, but it's just that..well..family.."

"I understand." Aragorn cut him off firmly. "You don't have to explain anything more to me. I'll just be glad to meet you tomorrow. Where do you want to go?"

"Would Whyte Ave. be okay? We could meet at the Sugar-bowl café on 109st."

Aragorn laughed softly at the suggestion. "Sounds perfect. What time do you want to meet?"

"How about noon? That'll give you plenty of time to sleep the party off."

Aragorn laughed softly. "Good thinking. So I'll see you there, love. Bye"

"Yep. See you there." Boromir whispered before they both hung up.

Why the hell did being moral have to be so hard?

~*~*~**~*~*~

"So he's coming then?" Lee asked as he walked back into the kitchen, having vacated it in order to give Aragorn some privacy. Even though he was mad at the little twerp, he still figured that he needed some privacy to charm Boromir into coming tonight.

"Nope." Aragorn replied, a sweet smile on his face as he took the brownies out of the oven and put them on top of the stove to cool. That statement made Lee's eyebrows shoot up almost into his hair.

"Why are you so happy then?" He asked as he opened the fridge and pulled out a can of Cherry Coke that had been a part of a belated birthday present from their father.

Aragorn turned around and grinned at Lee in a combination of love-struck fool and sheer bliss.

"He just asked me out, that's why!" Aragorn replied, his eyes glowing a bright blue as he spoke.

Lee smiled. "Hey! Cool! So where are you going?"

"We're meeting at the Sugar bowl, but we're going to Whyte after." Aragorn replied, a silly smile on his face as he went to the fridge and pulled out a can of Pepsi twist.

"Lucky bastard! He never took me to Whyte ave! If you weren't my brother, I'd be tempted to hurt you, you know!" Legolas exclaimed, giving his brother a soft punch in the shoulder.

"Hey! Watch the drink!" Aragorn yelped, raising his can out of his brother's reach.

"You're so fucken lucky! You've got him all to yourself!" Lee told Aragorn as he took a sip from his pop.

"I know!" Aragorn grinned. "It's almost perfect, isn't it!"

Lee laughed. He was about to reply when the door-bell rang, rudely reminding them of the time.

"Shit!" They both yelled as they put their drinks down and rushed to the door.

"Hey! Strider! Lee!" Duo Maxwell grinned up at them when they opened the door. Behind him, silent as always, stood Trowa Barton, he of the impossibly bizarre hair, Cat Winner, Marie Krushenada, Sally Po and Milliardo Merquise. Who was, as always, was making out with Sally Po.

"Duo! Good to see you man!" Lee greeted the smaller boy, pulling him into a tight embrace before letting him into the house.

"Hey Aragorn!" Trowa greeted Aragorn quietly, making the other boy wonder again, exactly how Trowa could make his way through life with most of his hair hanging in front of his face like that.

"Yo, Strider!" Quatre, or Cat as he preferred to be called broke his musings with his cheerful voice.

"Cat! Good to see you man!" Aragorn greeted the small, blonde boy who looked like he was having a hard time calming down. In ways, Cat reminded Aragorn of Sam. Both were skaters with lots of energy, who were friendly with everyone they came across. The only difference was that Sam was a hobbit and Cat was a human. And straight, as was evidenced by the possessive way that Marie, yet another petite skater, hung off of Cat.

"Hey Stri!" Marie chirped in as she pushed her bright red hair back. Aragorn smiled at her as she entered the house before he waved at Sally and Merquise, who stumbled inside.

"Hey, Lee! You mind if we put some Strokes in?"Duo yelled as he bounded into the living room, his long braid bouncing merrily behind him. Trowa only shook his head as he followed his hyperactive boyfriend into the room, his gravity-defying hair staying in place as he did so.

"Yeah! Put it on 'Hard to Explain', okay?" Lee yelled as he headed into the kitchen.

"Okay!" Duo yelled back. In seconds the grooving riffs filled the house, making even the stoic Aragorn bop his head to the beat.

"Hey! Estel! Wanna help me here!?" Lee shouted from the kitchen.

"Sure!" Aragorn yelled, still bobbing his head to the undecipherable lyrics of the song.

"Get some chips and beer out there! Coke too!" Lee added as he frantically got the refreshments ready for the hungry people out in the living room.

"Yep." Aragorn agreed, for once not giving Lee a hard time as he got the stuff together and quickly got it to the living room, where everyone swooped on it, leaving Aragorn free to enjoy the song.

//I missed the last bus, I'll take the next train

I try but you see, it's hard to explain

I say the right things, but act the wrongway

I like it right here, but I cannot stay..//

"The Strokes rock man!" Duo exclaimed, bouncing up from his seat and dancing around the living room while singing the catchy chorus of the song.

Trowa watched his boyfriend with an amused smile on his stoic face, while Marie and Quatre joined in cheerfully.

"He always like this?" Aragorn asked Trowa, sitting down next to the tall boy. Trowa's visible green eye glinted before he spoke.

"This is nothing. Trust me. He gets wilder as the party progresses." He assured Aragorn, who only nodded.

"Hey, is it true Satan Denethorson transferred to St. Ig's this year?" Merquise asked after having pried himself off of Sally long enough to grab a Coke and talk to Aragorn.

"Is it true?" Trowa asked, turning to Aragorn in barely disguised curiosity.

"Hell yeah!" Lee shouted as he came into the living room. He put the stuff he was carrying down on the coffee table before he hurled himself at Aragorn and wrapped his arms around him.

"And he's going out with my little brother here!!" Lee told everyone too cheerfully, making Aragorn wish that he could get swallowed up by the floor and wonder if his brother had gotten into the brownies already. He was in the kitchen for a fairly long time..

"Is it true?" Trowa asked Aragorn, turning to him with a very curious look on his face.

"Really?" Cat and Marie chorused together while Merquise and Sally stared at him with looks of open shock and surprise.

"Shit! How did you manage that?" Duo asked as he flopped onto Trowa's lap. He gave Aragorn a long, speculative look, as if he was would be able to find the answers he was seeking just by looking at him closely enough. Even though it wasn't rude by any stretch of the imagination, Aragorn still felt uncomfortable at having those bright violet eyes scanning what felt like every inch of him.

"What do you mean by that?" Aragorn asked, genuinely puzzled over the question.

"Exactly that." Duo replied, his heart-shaped face suddenly serious. "Satan was like ice when we knew him. No one could touch him. Only this one." Here he broke off and pointed at Legolas, who was still draped over Aragorn, but without the smile that had graced his features earlier.

"Was the only one that broke through the ice. So it just makes me wonder about you. What was is it that you have that managed to break through his shell? It's just puzzling, really."

Aragorn swallowed. What the hell was he supposed to say to that? He had only known the guy for a day, give or take. And he had only small pieces of his past. Not enough to actually build a complete portrait, only enough to get a basic idea of who Boromir was. And if he was right, it was at complete odds with the person that Duo was describing.

"Cool it, Duo." Lee ordered quietly, his eyes closed. "He's different now."

Duo opened his mouth to reply to that, but Trowa silenced him by giving his braid a hard yank and shaking his head in a quiet reproach. Duo obeyed the gesture, but the tension in the room was still fairly high for everyone to just simply sit and stare at each other uncomfortably until the bell rang, letting Aragorn make his escape from a situation that he wasn't really sure that he truly understood.

"Strider!" Danny hooted as he jumped into Aragorn's arms and gave him a sloppy kiss. "Good to see you pal! I've missed you!" Aragorn rolled his eyes at this, since it only meant one thing. Danny was utterly baked already.

"Danny! Get off him! He's got a boyfriend!" Glor yelled before whomping him a hard one.

"Jeez! Danny! Get offa him you slut!" Elrohir, or 'Max' joined in, a smile on his face, which was a mirror image of Danny's. Behind him, Sam snickered as he watched Aragorn try and peel Danny off as he half-dragged, half-carried the manic elf into the living room while the others quickly followed behind in a motley and loud trail.

The others were still sitting in a silence that ended up being broken only by the sight of a resigned Aragorn walking around with an elf super-glued to him followed by two other elves and a hobbit who where laughing themselves sick.

"Whoo-kay..." Trowa muttered. Despite being Duo's boyfriend and having had endured numerous weird sights engineered by his other half, that particular sight was enough to make him feel odd.

"Good to see you here. Where are the wicked witches of the east and west?" Legolas greeted the new guests as he casually walked over to his brother and peeled the smug Danny off of him and set him down beside Duo and Trowa.

"Went out with Eomer and Brad Crawford." Max replied as he sat down on the couch next to Cat and Marie. Sam giggled as he plunked himself onto the floor and Glor calmly sauntered over to Danny and curled up in his lap like a contented cat.

"Sweet." Legolas said. "At least we don't.." Whatever he was going to say was interrupted by someone pounding loudly on the front door.

"I'll be right back." He disappeared and the two groups only looked at each other, not quite sure as to what to make of each other, since they went to separate schools and moved in different circles from each other. The only thing they had in common was Legolas and not much else.

"Hey look who the cat dragged in!" Legolas joked as he entered the room with a cute brown-haired Japanese boy that was followed by taller, blonde haired boy, a silent, violet eyed red-head that was almost girly in appearance, and a tall brown haired man. Duo grinned at the sight.

"Hey! Kenken! Yo-tan! Kenshin! Sanosuke! What's up?!" Max greeted them. Ken smiled and Yohji grinned at them. Kenshin waved while Sanosuke called a greeting to Merquise and Cat.

Duo's eyes widened. "Lee! You never told me you knew these guys!" He exclaimed.

Lee laughed. "Duo, come on!" The elf chided the violet-eyed boy.

"How many schools have I gone to? Of course I'm going to know a whole lot of people!"

"Kamui and the St. Al's crowd here yet?" Yohji asked as Ken and Aragorn greeted each other and the other guests began mingling with each other while the stereo was turned up to play Weezer's blue album.

"Nah. Not yet. Neither are the Weasleys or Pott-head." Lee replied as he gave Yohji a Heineken.

Yohji nodded and opened his beer. "They'll show. I think. Whatever"

He took a sip and looked at Lee. "So tell me, what the hell have you been doing with yourself? It's been awhile since we were in Youth Centre together."

Lee nodded. "Nothing much you know. Staying out of trouble, working towards university. You?"

Yohji shrugged. "Heading over to the tech school. Gonna be a mechanic. You heard from Thom York lately?" He asked as he took another drink.

"No. You?" Yohji shook his head.

"Sanosuke says he's back in Juvie again." Lee shook his head at the news. Thom York had been a good child-hood friend of his and the Denethorsen brothers. But as things usually went, he got mixed up with a bad crowd and had nearly succeeded in dragging him and Boromir down. Luckily Legolas had Arathorn Strider to take him out of it, while Boromir had relied on his brother and the Lothloriens to help him get out of that lifestyle.

"Shit man. That sucks. What's he in for this time?" Yohji shook his head.

"Dunno." Yohji said. "Sanosuke doesn't know either. He got the news from Thom's sister Kylie."

"Yea." They remained quiet for several minutes before Duo pulled them into party, which had somewhat gotten underway after Duo's suggestion of playing strip twister.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Boromir felt kinda weird. It had been awhile since he had shared a bed with anyone at all, but Pippin, then Merry, had refused to go to sleep without him and Faramir. That problem would have been easily solved if it hadn't been for the fact that Pippin was afraid of basements and Merry refused to be separated from his brother. After seeing him worn-out and tear-stained, Merry refused to leave his little brother alone.

So after a ten minutes of arguing, they found themselves, along with Faramir and the reluctant Boromir, lying in Celeborn's and Galadriel's huge bed. Although he felt horrible about it, his parents laughed it off before they settled into the sofa-bed in the living room. Which left him lying in a semi-uncomfortable position and somewhat unable to sleep. On one side, he had Pippin curled up against him, on the other was Faramir, with Merry wrapped around his middle. To top things off, Lembas was lying on his hair, chewing on it.

And he couldn't really do anything about it since they had just finally gotten the hobbits to sleep and he knew if he moved the slightest bit that he would end up waking all of them and getting hell for it. And even though he was mourning his poor hair, he knew better than to piss off two hobbits and his little brother when they needed sleep. He had done that once and had ended up getting stitches in the emergency room after Faramir had nailed him with a hockey stick right in the forehead. Seventeen stitches later, he'd learned his lesson well.

So he settled for watching the moon rise while he thought about meeting Aragorn the next day and picturing the way Aragorn looked after they had kissed in the hallway. Even though he could somewhat still feel the touch of Aragorn's lips on his own, he couldn't seem to convince his brain that it had really happened. Things like that didn't happen to someone like him.

He had to smile in the dark as he recalled the intense emotion in Aragorn's blue eyes when he had held out his hand. That was proof enough for him that it had happened. Proof enough that Casey was wrong. Had always been wrong about him.

NEXT

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