Fic: A Pleasant Surprise

[ingenious_spark]

Title: A Pleasant Surprise
Fandom: The Silmarillion
Rating: T/PG-13
Warnings: Assumed potential child abuse
Relationships: Maedhros/Fingon
Characters: Maedhros, Fingon
Word Count: 705
Summary: Maitimo's soulmate, whoever they are, gets a lot of scrapes and bruises.

Somewhat ironically, it's Maitimo's injury that brings them together.

Whoever Maitimo’s soulmate is, they’re born long after he reaches adulthood, and have a very clumsy or very adventurous childhood. Maitimo is always finding new scrapes and bruises he knows he didn’t get himself. Tyelcormo and Macalaurë laugh when he shows them, tell him it looks like he’s going to be keeping his soulmate out of a lot of trouble once he finally figures out who it is.

Maitimo quietly echoes the sentiment, even as he remembers those very rare cases that always go straight to Írimë’s desk. Írimë’s in charge of the entire judicial system of Tirion, and Maitimo is her secretary. It’s been difficult to keep his job a secret from his family, but his father would be furious about his eldest son working for one of his father’s half-sibling.

But those quietly handled cases that always get sent first to Írimë’s desk are ones of child abuse. It’s extremely rare, because elves must both agree to have a child before one is conceived, but unfortunately it does happen. The quietly pessimistic part of Maitimo’s mind whispers to him every time he finds a new scrape or bruise- is this one of those cases?

He tries to put it out of his mind, though he keeps his ears open for any comments of children with injuries that can’t be explained through youthful vigor or adolescent clumsiness.

As his soulmate progresses through adolescence and probably passes their majority, not counting the years spent as a babe, and those injuries keep happening, though on a less frequent basis, Maitimo’s heart eases.

He also meets his half-cousin, Findecáno. Findecáno is bouncy and exuberant, just past his majority at a hundred and seven, and he makes Maitimo simultaneously feel energized and terribly boring. Maitimo recognizes that his hobbies- sewing, gardening, and cooking- and his job- he’s perfectly happy to be a secretary, and doesn’t really aspire to be anything else- are all terribly sedentary things. Findecáno is always chattering about his exploits, his adventures.

They meet, actually, in Írissë’s offices, when an exasperated Ñolofinwë had dragged his erstwhile eldest son in to learn about the judicial system. It had been very awkward to look up with his professional smile and come face to face with the half-brother his father hates the most at a job Maitimo probably shouldn’t have. Ñolofinwë had looked extremely confused though. It had been pretty funny.

Findecáno hangs around after that, popping in occasionally, apparently specifically to visit Maitimo. It leaves Maitimo quietly baffled, but he’s pleasant company, if a little self-centered.

It isn’t until Findecáno is about a hundred and twenty, and firmly into their friendship that they discover it, and it isn’t even Findecáno who hurts himself. Maitimo has made the mistake of not sleeping at all for a solid two and a half weeks, because Írimë’s office is suddenly very busy with both an expansion of the city, and the revision of a particular, somewhat outdated law. His eyes have been having trouble focusing, but he’s soldiered on quietly. He’s in the middle of fetching water for the kettle when Findecáno pops out of nowhere with a bright, cheery greeting, and Maitimo drops his very full water bucket directly on his foot and swears loudly. He’d worn soft slippers today, so his feet had no protection, and he thinks his foot-bones might be cracked. But Findecáno also cries out in pain, and Maitimo looks over, worried. Findecáno has one foot off the ground- the same one Maitimo is currently favoring, and is looking absolutely shocked.

“What happened? Are you all right?” Maitimo asks, pushing his pain away firmly. Findecáno nods dumbly, then realizes his mistake and shakes his head violently.

“I’m not okay! This is amazing!” He cries, oddly joyful for someone who’s just been injured with no visible method.

“Why, praytell?” Maitimo asks, completely out to sea.

“Because this means we are soulmates!” Findecáno says, face verging on rapturous. Maitimo sits down hard. Unfortunately in the puddle he’s just created.

“So I take it you can’t take me to the healer’s.” He says weakly. Findecáno laughs, a touch ruefully, and calls out for help.

“Still, this is exciting!” Findecáno says blithely. Maitimo smiles faintly.

“It is.” He agrees softly.