Work Text:
Your hands were freezing. Your toes were numb. The cold was causing an ache to emanate bone-deep. Almost all feeling in your ass was lost as soon as you had sat on the ground, even with the fire directly in front of you, as though the earth itself was leaching your energy.
The others around the modest campfire didn’t really seem to be suffering like you were. The halflings were all cuddled up next to each other, whispering stories and reassurances and giggles. The ranger and the man were somewhat huddled in their outer layers but casually speaking about plans and strategy, matters that you could barely focus on as you were trying to keep your teeth from chattering. You’d already come to the understanding that the dwarf was a walking furnace so he was merrily sitting there, huffing on a pipe and staring at the stars without a care in the world. The elf was wandering around, surveying the land or whatever it is elves do. All you know is that he can’t sit still for the life of him, but no doubt the movement kept him warm.
You’d finished your meal less than an hour ago. You had hoped that the hot stew would give your metabolism something to work with for a bit. But it didn’t. And you were losing hope. And the others didn’t even seem to notice that you were slowly becoming a damn icicle.
It wasn’t for another half hour, until the hobbits had pretty much fallen asleep on top of each other, and the dwarf had already started his wood-sawing snore, that anyone paid you any mind.
“Y/N, you should lay down, get yourself rested for tomorrow.” Aragorn told you, kindly but absently, not even noticing your purple-toned lips twitching.
“Yeah, sure thing.” You replied weakly, staying exactly where you were huddled.
Boromir planted himself on a wood stump a few metres behind you, slightly away from camp, “I’ve got first watch, Aragorn, I shall wake you later on.”
That apparently was all the information that Aragorn needed for him to go to sleep. And that he did. Impossibly quick. He nodded in acknowledgement and swiftly lay down on his bed roll near the fire. Swaddling himself in his cloak, he was suddenly out to it.
Ridiculous. You let out a tiny whimper at your situation. Somehow, you were experiencing a very different climate to your travelling companions and that wasn’t fair. You needed to rest, you wanted to rest, but you couldn’t. You sat for another few minutes, cuddled in on yourself out of fear. Fear that if you even tried to move to lay down, the cold air that you would expose yourself to would instantly turn you to ice. You grew more and more frustrated. It wasn’t fair that they could rest so easy and yet you were about to freeze to death. You wanted sleep. You were getting so, so tired. It wasn’t fair.
You noticed the elf had stopped his pacing and was standing underneath a nearby tree a few metres in front of you, seemingly still observing the landscape.
“Y/N, Legolas, I think it best that you both at least attempt to sleep, for tomorrow we must continue at a steady pace,” Boromir called, “we can’t afford to waste sunlight hours.”
“Noted.” You gently called back, voice unsteady. Your eyes filled with tears at his words. You couldn’t even look at him. Now, you were cold, tired, frustrated and overwhelmed. You didn’t want to be the one to bring the fellowship to a standstill just because you were tired. You didn’t want to drag anyone down. But you couldn’t help that this damn environment was keeping you from sleep.
Out the corner of your eye, a figure moved towards you, slinking closer around the fire. You didn’t try move to defend yourself, trusting that Boromir would do something if you were in danger.
A warm hand on your shoulder barely stirred you. However, words softly whispered in your ear sent a welcome flush of warmth through your frigid bones.
“Y/N, are you alright? You look upset.”
You tried to tell yourself that it was Legolas’ scorching breath on your neck that had miraculous heat rushing there, not the gentle gravel of his tone.
“I’m just so tired, but so cold. I want to sleep but I can’t. At this rate I’ll freeze well before daybreak.” Came out with a sigh, frustrated tears threatening to fall. You stayed staring into the fire before you, shame gripping your stomach at the dramatic burst.
“Were you going to tell one of us or were you just going to wait for us to find your lifeless body in the morning and work it out for ourselves?” He said, letting out a breathy chuckle, the sarcasm weak in his tone.
Still, you didn’t find it nearly as funny as he did. You managed to swing your head around to glare at him. He was crouching next to you with a smirk and a tilted head. Suddenly he dropped to his knees, smirk dropping with him. He angled his body toward you with a look of confused concern.
“I’m sorry my friend, I did not intend to upset you further,” He held your face with his warm hands, thumbs wiping at tears you hadn’t realised were running down your face. He muttered something that sounded like a curse, then, “I want to help you.”
Surprised at the soothing gesture, and the warmth of his palms, your expression softened as you mulled his words over.
“Why aren’t you cold too?” you asked, staring at him with innocent wonder, the rest of the camp melting away.
“Elves don’t feel the wrath of the elements unless they are very extreme.” he answered. His hands were still cradling your face, although your tears had almost stopped. “But tell me, Y/N, what can I do to help?”
His quiet and deep tone, paired with the way he was looking at you with such tenderness, was already making you feel a bit warmer in your chest. The question made you feel a bit wordless. You had been fond of him ever since you met at Rivendell, never expecting he would be this close and this concerned for you. The happy chemicals in your brain were being released again, making you fall into a mushy pit of love for this confusing elf that you kept pushing to the back of your mind. You had a great policy of not acknowledging your problems. You always did excel at procrastination.
“What are you going to do? Change the weather?” You scoffed playfully at him.
A bit of relief washed over his face at the sarcasm, and he sat back on his heels. His hands left your face, one falling to rest on his lap, the other smoothly running to rest on your upper back.
“I could...try to warm you up?” He offered, after a slight pause, uncertainty lacing his words.
“And how do you propose you’ll achieve that? Nothing indecent I hope.” You teased.
Eyes widening, his ears immediately flushed a gorgeous red.
“No, of course not Y/N, I would never force you into any situation where you would feel threatened by… by that.” His hand flinched off of your back, hovering a few centimetres away.
“Oh?” You tilted your head to the side and stared into those brilliant blue eyes, “But if I wasn’t threatened? What would you do then.”
His blush deepened and creeped over his cheeks. Opening his mouth just to close it again, he looked like a fish out of water.
“I’m just teasing, I can barely feel my toes right now, let alone even think of what an indecent situation would look like.” You felt you needed to reassure him before he could start hyperventilating.
“Oh right,” he breathed out a nervous laugh, looking concerned again, “Well, I do have an idea, but I’m not sure if you would like it.”
“Legolas, sweetheart, I just need to be warm again, what is it?”
“I could hold you? Innocently. Well,” he started rambling, “we’d have to take our armor off so you could benefit from my body heat and I would wrap both of our cloaks around us and we would need to lay down and we would be very… close… together…” His gaze had fallen to the ground in front of you as he trailed off, his voice getting softer and less certain the more he talked.
‘Hey,” You stopped his babble, sacrificing a hand to the cold to place it on his shoulder, “that sounds like a great idea.”
“Really?” His face lit up. You nodded in confirmation and he immediately sprang into action. He hurriedly removed his many weapon belts and straps, laying them methodically out of the way, but still within reach. He floated over to his own pack, grabbing something.
Sitting back down beside you, he held up a pair of knitted socks, turning to you with an expectant look. You slowly unraveled yourself from your cloak, hissing at the sensation of being exposed to the air again. You let him help your numb fingers undo your own belts and straps, placing them beside his. His focus then turned to your boots. Unlacing them, and sliding them off, he placed those too by the weapons.
“Warm your toes as much as you can by the fire.”
You did as he said, wincing as you unfolded stiff limbs to stretch your feet out, pulling your thin socks up to cover your ankles again.
You sat there for a minute before he tapped your knee, pulling your attention to him before he manoeuvred your lower legs away from the fire and onto his lap. You swiveled at the motion, watching him intently as he gingerly pulled the extra woollen socks of his onto your now somewhat-toasty feet. Placing your legs back on the ground he scooted closer.
“Come now mellon, it is time to rest,” He leaned behind you to lay down, tilted slightly to the side to face you, arm outstretched upon the ground. It was such an inviting sight, you would be crazy to refuse.
You delicately lay down on your back, head in the crook of his elbow, trying to keep a distance between your bodies while tugging your cloak around yourself. You didn’t dare meet his eyes, instead, looking up at the stars, stiff as a log, but not seeing a damn thing.
Legolas couldn’t keep the amusement out of his fond gaze.
“That’s not going to keep you warm now is it, little one?” His breath fanned over you as you tried not to blush at the pet name.
Sliding his hand under your cloak and over your belly to grip your waist, he pulled you to him. He wiggled you, and you let him move you, until you were facing him, your face resting in the crook of his neck, your legs tangling together. The arm that you were resting on gripped your shoulders firmly, ensuring that you stayed in his embrace. His free arm pulled both of your cloaks around the two of you, before it tightly wrapped around your waist. A warm palm and fingers splayed in the middle of your back, pressing you against him. Your arms were somewhat trapped. Relaxing your hands, they came to rest between your two chests as your bodies melded together like a sigh of relief.
It felt like a heavenly oasis. You were finally warm. You were finally comfortable. You tried to refrain from breathing in his scent but failed. He smelled like a cliche; pine, smoke, and an underlying, unidentifiable, masculine scent that made you melt a little. It was infuriatingly soothing.
“Are you smelling me?” You could hear the smirk in his voice.
“No, why would I do that?” Mumbling lazily against his neck as you nuzzled in further. You swear you felt his breath hitch.
“I am irresistible, I don’t blame you.” His hand pressed a little firmer against your back.
“More irritating than irresistible. Shut up and go to sleep before I hit you.” you threatened, though it sounded more like adoration.
“So precious when you’re mad.” He mumbled as he snuggled into you, face nuzzling your hair.
You just huffed against his neck again. You felt him chuckle in return.
You lay there in bliss, so comfy, so warm. Breaths evening out, eyes drooping, you relaxed against him. Just as you started to drift into dreamland, his gentle voice floated to you, just as much as you felt the vibrations in his throat.
“Sweet dreams, meleth nin.” He sealed the wish with a gentle kiss to the crown of your head.
And with that, you were fast asleep.