bakerstreet | body heat meme

Legolas could hear the change in her breathing, and noticed the way she was wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to keep warm. An attempt that did not seem to be working. He frowned slightly, worrying about his companion and friend. She looked so cold, and he wanted to help.

Coming to a decision, he stopped abruptly, then stepped back to her side. Without giving her a chance to protest, he positioned himself between the direction of that biting wind and her shivering body, and drew her close against him, so she could share his winter cloak. It was not a simply a gallant gesture, nor was it a romantic one (or so he would tell himself!), but practical. They needed to stay warm, and they would benefit from each other's body heat. It was a simple as that.

"We are almost there." He said quietly, guiding her forward with his arm around her. He hoped she would not push him away and stubbornly insist on soldiering on. After all, this benefited both of them. She was not the only one who was cold.

They shouldn’t be this close, and if it were any other circumstances, Tauriel would have pushed him away. But she knew that he must feel the cold as well. It wouldn’t be right to deny him when they both are suffering. Her pace does quicken when he said they weren’t too far away, knowing it should only be a few more minute of this unnatural story. She could see the edge of the stonework and decided to following it along, looking for the opening.

“Thank you, Legolas,” she said quietly, treading lightly on the subject, but acknowledging her gratefulness for his help.

"You are welcome." He replied, with just a hint of a smile. And she was welcome. Though he would not admit it, he rather enjoyed having an excuse to have her this close. But now was certainly not the time for such things, and so he buried those thoughts, and focused on finding the caves.

It did not take them much longer, and soon they came across a rocky outcropping that seemed familiar. Tucked among the stone was a small little cave. It was not very large, but it would be enough to shelter them from the wind, and keep them dry while they waited for more favorable weather to travel.

Once they were inside, and out of the wind, he reluctantly released her so that they could both survey their surroundings.

"Should we build a fire?"

There were some dry sticks and leaves that had collected over the years, and it would not be hard to whittle down some branches to supply them with dry wood if necessary. However, he was not sure they wanted the smoke to announce their location, and so he posed the question to her to consider. He valued her opinion, and was not one to ignore good advice when he heard it. Well, most of the time at least!

Now was not the time to cross that unspeakable topic. It was better to muddle through this and deal with the cold than to breach that subject. Instead she focused on the fact that he did seem to protect her from the biting winds until they got to the open cave. Tauriel only hesitated long enough to look around, as much as she could in this white out.

Next was taking in their new hideout. When he asked about starting a fire, the she elf gazed from the opening back to him. It could cause some unwelcome attention, but not much could be seen at all out there.

“If we move it deeper into the cave. Just as a precaution,” she instructed.

"A wise decision." He agreed, smiling a little. He then reached into his gear and produced a blanket, which was remarkably dry after their trek through the snow.

He handed it to Tauriel, indicating that she should sit while he worked on the fire. "You ought to get out of your wet things. It will help you warm up faster."

He was doing all of this for her, and she knew it. Legolas could say it was for both of them, but she could tell it was for her safety and security. Quietly she took in the situation and as he handed her the very fine blanket, she just looked back at him. “What about you?” Tauriel asked him, concerned about him now.

As much as they would try and keep this from not being personal, Tauriel had a feeling it would be. Nudity was not a problem, but she was not sure what it would be like being so close to him with so little. She knew once the fire started, their clothes would need to dry by the fire. This was for survival at this point.

Oh, he knew this was a very intimate situation, as much as he was trying to keep it strictly about keeping warm. He was trying his best to stay neutral, and not let his feelings get the better of him, but he had to admit it was not easy.

For now, he focused on getting a fire started, glancing back at her a moment. "I would prefer to share the blanket, with your permission, it would be much warmer."

He paused a moment, turning his attention back to the kindling. "But if you are uncomfortable, I will keep my distance."

“—No,” she tried to cut him off. It wasn’t about being unconfortable. There were just unspoken things that she wasn’t certain herself about. “You are right. We will need to conserve heat. And I am not uncomfortable with you.”

She simply hadn’t expected to become so intimate with him. Exhaling after a moment she began to take off her cloak and clothes beneath. Stripping off her undershirt and breastplate, she started to pile the rest of her clothes. It was hard not to occasionally glance at him, once catching his eye. Tauriel was by no means shy, but she felt a nervousness building. Once she was fully bare, she used the blanket to wrap herself. The fabric itself kept in heat so the moment she put it around herself, she already started to feel warm.

Wordlessly she started to set her clothes out before moving closer to him to share the blanket he had provided.

Legolas did his best to busy himself with the fire, and tried to be the gentleman, keeping his eyes averted, though he could not help but sneak a glance or two. She was, after all lovely, even cold, wet, and shivering. For years, he had tried to push aside whatever feelings he had for the Captain, though now in such an intimate setting, he was finding it even more difficult than usual to do so. She was his friend, and he would not jeopardize that, but goodness, it was hard to ignore how the fire played off her coppery hair so well!

Swallowing hard, he took his time busying himself with the fire, before he quickly removed his own wet clothing and joined her under the blanket. For a moment, he stayed silent, trying to think of what to say in such a situation. For a moment, he could only think of what his father would say if he could see them here, and that thought made him smile just a little. He could not imagine Thranduil would approve of this!

"This is certainly not how I imagined this patrol would go." He commented casually, shifting a little so that they were close enough to share the blanket and warmth, but not too close.

She waited until he approached, also trying not to stare. Instead she kept the warm blanket around herself until he was ready. Once he was, she offered the blanket, and then inched a little closer to the fire. Already she seemed to be heating up, though now there was a heavy awkwardness between the two of them.

When he spoke, she gave a small smile. “I had not either,” she replied. Being naked with the Prince under his blanket was not at all something she had ever expected.

The absurdity of the situation suddenly struck him, as he pictured his father's expression if he could see them now. He could picture the King perfectly. An arched critical eyebrow, and exasperated look, while reaching for a glass of wine!

The mental image made him chuckle, and he glanced sideways at Tauriel. "I think perhaps we ought to leave this part of the day out of our report to my father."

He then gave her an amused look, deciding to lighten the mood. "I have not been so cold since when we were children and you pushed me in the river in the dead of winter. Do you remember? You were angry with me for some silly reason."

((OOC: Because in my head canon they grew up together as cute and trouble-making little elflings. Hope it's ok!))

She stiffened at the mention of his father, knowing exactly what he would have to say. “No. He is likely to make it that we be separated for sure,” she replied back. They had known each other too long to be separated, and she was sure it would not go over well with Legolas.

His memory only made her smile softly, remembering it all too well. “I remember. And the reason was you had challenged me to a race and you got a head start,” she said as she gave him a look. Perhaps he would admit to it now.

What? A Prince of the Greenwood admit he cheated at a race? Never!

"As I recall, I said 'ready, set, go' as one always does when running a race. It is not my fault it took you a moment to start." He teasingly defended himself, giving her hair a light tug, as he had when they were children and were arguing about some trivial matter.

Oh, he remembered those races, and he remembered how frustrated she would become when he would start after 'ready, set,' and then would yell 'go' over his shoulder as he ran.

"And if I did give myself a head start, I was only showing initiative."

She leveled him a look, dipping her chin and raising her eyebrows. “That is not what happened, and you know it,” she told him. “If that is what you wish to call cheating.”

When he pulled on her hair, it brings him a little closer. She had managed to forget they were sitting next to the fire, naked beneath the blanket until now. They had a long history together, she couldn’t deny that. There were a lot of good memories from when they were young. She had never treated him any different than her friend even if he was her Prince. It was simpler then.

And that had been his goal, to make her forget that they found themselves in a rather awkward situation. He tried not to grin when she gave him that look. How many times had that look led to a competition between them? As children, she had always called him out when he did something she did not like, and truthfully, he had rather liked the way she challenged him.

"Oh, and you never did the same?" He tilted his head to look at her, giving her an amused look. "I think you just did not like to lose."

And neither did he. Their childhood games had made them fierce competitors, but he also felt a deep sense of loyalty towards his friend.

"Besides, you had your revenge. You should have seen me trying to explain why I was soaked, shivering, and dripping on the rug when I got home."

Without implicating Tauriel, of course. He never told on her. Even when her actions got him into trouble.

“Perhaps,” she said, knowing she had always been competitive. He did seem to draw that out of her more than most though. Then again he knew her better than anyone else. She gave him a small smile, letting him have this one.

“I am sure your Father was not pleased that day either.” She gave him an apologetic smile. Tauriel was sure she was likely the cause of many disappointed talks that Thranduil had had with his son. Probably more lately, though she dared not ask if he had said anything to Legolas. She was not sure how to have that conversation.

"No, he was not." Legolas recollected, also smiling a little at the memory. Those had been such simpler times. Their competitive games were his fondest childhood memories, even if they had often gotten him into trouble! "Especially after I told him I fell in, and would say nothing else on the matter. I suspect he knew what happened, but I would never admit it was you."

The fire needed tending, and so he leaned forward to do so, shifting the kindling, and adding more to the fire. He then moved to her side once again, feeling a bit less awkward, he sat just a tad closer this time.

"Though honestly, I do not think he would have been to angry with you. My father always was rather fond of you, you know."

She smiled at that first admittance, knowing he had always been loyal to her. For as young as they were in terms of elf years, they had spent many years together still. His second statement only made her sigh, staring into the water. It wasn’t true now, though she couldn’t say anything. The last thing she wanted to do was come between the king and the prince. Thranduil knew her place. Legolas never seemed to care about it.

“I would never doubt your judgment of him,” she responded with a small smile. She would also never speak ill of her king. He might be an isolationist, but he ruled their people.

"Is that so?" He raised an eyebrow. "I have never known you to lack an opinion of your own."

He knew that Tauriel and the King did not always see eye-to-eye. Thranduil may not be interested in her opinions, but Legolas always was. Was that not what friends did? Listen to one another? Lately though, there seemed to be a growing distance between them, and he did not entirely understand why.

"I have the distinct feeling you have been keeping your thoughts to yourself for some time."

Edited 2017-12-08 05:14 (UTC)

There was a long slow exhale. Of course this would be the time he would bring this up. Tauriel was always sure of herself, her abilities, but in this she felt like she was in over her head. She was walking a fine line, and she knew it. “He has strong opinions of me, and I would not want to risk losing what we have.” She told him.

Tauriel knew he was capable of making his own decisions, but she also didn’t want to come between the two of them. Plus if Thranduil had plans for what he wanted for Legolas, and she was not going to stand in the way of that if she was not sure how to feel about any of it.

“I cannot speak freely, because I do not know what to say,” she told him. For once it was a strange thing to feel.

He was quiet for a moment, watching the fire while he thought about her words. He then reached over under the blanket to touch her hand. It was a light, exploratory sort of gesture, that could either be interpreted as tender, or as a simple brush of hands.

"I do not believe there is anything you could say or do that would change how I feel." He said softly, glancing over at her before turning his eyes back to the fire.

The touch was unexpected, soft but not what she was ready for. Tauriel didn't withdraw her hand. Part of her uncertainty was that she had not had the chance to speak about this, but then speaking of it would change everything. They had always been close, and she had never been willing to lose that with him. But it seems they were at least breaching the subject now.

Slowly she looked up at him, fitting the words together in her mind. "I know. And I know how you feel, but I have not let myself think of it. If it isn't something your father wishes, how possible is it?" she asked him. If he was meant for another, how could she let her heart go there?

The fact that she did not withdrawal her hand gave him some hope, though he was careful not to show it.

"My father may rule the Woodland realm, but he does not command my heart." He told her. Oh, he knew of his father's disapproval. They had never spoken of it openly, but Thranduil had hinted at it before, and Legolas had been careful not to say anything. It was not that he was afraid to quarrel with is father, but what would be the point if Tauriel's heart spoke differently?

"His approval matters to me, as it matters to any son, but it is not everything. He is not all knowing, and if I must act against his wishes... then so be it."

Her hand squeezed back for just a moment. Somehow she knew he would say that. She wasn’t sure if that made things better or worse. After all Thranduil was still king. And it was hard to think of any of this being an actuality.

“He is king, Legolas. And your father. If he does not want this, if he forbids me—“ She stopped speaking for a moment, emotions getting the better of her. What would they do? What would Legolas do? It was a heavy burden to put on her shoulders. Was she truly worth all of that?

"It is not his choice." Legolas said firmly. He rather resented his father interfering in this matter, nor did he entirely understand his reasoning. If he trusted Tauriel with the defense of their realm, why not with his son's heart? "It is ours, and ours alone."

He frowned a little. What if she did not feel the same? And the King's disapproval was but a graceful excuse to refuse him?

"But... I would never wish to cause you harm. Perhaps you do not feel the same, and do not wish to risk his... displeasure."

He felt it was worth it, but perhaps she did not.

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