"You watch me, gwador," Haldir noted, turning a coy gaze to Orophin over one shoulder as he sluiced the grimy blood from his arm with a handful of sandy water. "What is it that captures your interest so greatly?"

"I. . . eh. . ." Orophin fiddled with the leather cord of his necklace, worrying the Lorien amulet between his fingers, a gesture he most often engaged in when unnerved by something.

Or someone. . .

"I am not watching you, Haldir. Your vanity has gotten the best of you once again," Orophin said rather irritably, but he was far more annoyed with himself than his brother.

One golden eyebrow arched upward. "You may watch me, if you wish. . ." Haldir taunted, providing Orophin with a fine view of his backside as he waded into the shallows.

Orophin grunted but said nothing. But he did watch. . .

His gaze followed the pale sleekness of his brother's body as it sank below the crystalline water once more, his long hair like stands of mithril woven through a mirrored tapestry of refracted light.

The young archer swallowed hard.

"Do not be shamed by your lust. . . 'tis only natural. You are coming of age, my brother. . ."

Orophin's eyes flew open. Haldir stood before him, water streaming from the naked hardness of his lean frame, hair slickened to the carved muscles of his broad shoulders.

"Orophin. . ." the March Warden purred, "come. . . bathe with me beneath the waterfall. . ."

"I am not dirty," Orophin replied, wincing at the absurdity of that statement. The deep flaxen of his hair was positively encrusted with muck and filth from the Orc raid.

"No, you are not. . " Haldir agreed, grasping his brother's arm and coaxing him to his feet with a gentle pull. "You are absolutely filthy."

A combination of Haldir's insistent grip and the slickly pebbled surface of the riverbed proved to most treacherous for his already precarious footing and the young archer faltered, one arm flailing for balance as he strove to avoid an unwanted drench in the cool waters. Before he could tumble into the river's playfully churning waves, he was snatched into the protective embrace of his brother's arms.

"Easy, Orophin. . .I cannot have one of my siblings and best archers foolishly breaking his neck, now can I?" Haldir said, smiling as the younger Galadhrim leaned against him momentarily, his hand upon Haldir's damp chest, lingering for only a moment before suddenly realization overtook him.

Grumbling a curse, Orophin stumbled away from the strong arms that held him, brushing at his skin as if tainted somehow by Haldir's touch.

"You should have let me fall," he grumbled irritably, swaying unsteadily once more at the insistent swish of the river's current.

The corner of Haldir's lip lifted in a mocking sneer. "Perhaps I should have," he concurred, turning his back to his frustrated sibling and strolling through the lapping waves with infuriating ease towards the rushing whisper of the waterfall.

The firm globes of Haldir's rounded buttocks shifted enticingly with each step, the toned hardness of the muscles rippling beneath the supple skin. It was easy for Orophin to understand the wide variety of suitors that sought the attention of the March Warden, for his body was magnificent, his demeanor cool and unassuming. Haldir did not attach himself to a lover for extended periods of time and it was because of this that so many hoped to be the one to settle the proud Galadhrim into domestic complacency, a fate that Orophin knew his brother would never submit to willingly.

An attempt to run his fingers through the foul matter caking his thick hair proved futile. Orophin sighed with annoyance. As much as he loathed to admit it, Haldir was right. . .he was atrociously unclean. With great reluctance, he resigned himself to the fact that simply dunking his head beneath the surface of the water would not suffice.

Mindful of the slippery rocks beneath his feet, he followed carefully in his brother's wake, seeking desperately to ignore the sudden rush of anticipation that coursed through his body, sending a prickling chill of nervous curiosity to chill his damp skin.