Round 1 Story Title: Peace and Play
Author: blackvelvetband
Fandom: Lord of the Rings
Rating: PG
Summary: After playing with the local children Legolas returns to his room at the Inn slightly worse for wear.
Bunny: #61/62
Notes: Beta'd by the Glorious Dani, who puts up with my neurosis like no other.

The elf returned more than an hour later, cheeks pink from the cold and dripping wet.

Gimli took one look at him and groaned. 'I thought you were going to stay dry'

Legolas laughed as he shrugged off his cloak, heavy with melted snow. 'One can hardly stay dry in the snow, Gimli; the children and I were playing'

Gimli sighed and moved to pick up the sodden garment as the elf moved into the room, discarding his boots as he went. 'Elf-' he started as Legolas snapped forward.

'Ehhhchussh!' Dragging a hand under his nose and sniffling, Legolas moved towards the fireplace and sat, shivered, and sneezed again. 'K'Chusuhh!'

Biting back a retort, Gimli grumbled as he walked towards their saddle bags and drew out a fresh handkerchief and placed it in the blonde's hands. 'Blow. You sound dreadful.'

Leaving the sniffling, shivery elf by the fire, he returned to their bags and rifled through their contents until he found what he was looking for. The much used blanket had travelled with them on countless journeys, and though the elf rarely used it for warmth, Gimli knew its presence was always a comfort. Moving back to the fire, he draped the blanket around the elf and joined him on the hearth rug.

'HehhhShusss!' Legolas snapped to the side.

'Apologies,' he murmured and turned to face Gimli, only to frown and wearily bring the handkerchief to his face again. 'K'Shoo! K'Shoo!' He shivered then and moved deeper into the nest of blankets, face never leaving the white cloth.

Gimli shook his head at the miserable elf and brushed a kiss against the top of his head. Despite the fire, the elf's hair continued to drip with melted snow and was rapidly losing its braiding. Snaking a hand free from the blankets, Legolas tucked the damp strands behind and a pointed ear and offered a sheepish smile. 'The children were playing with it.'

'Indeed,' grumbled Gimli as Legolas tensed again.
 
'HhhhhuhhShuhhh' he sneezed and the blankets slithered down his shoulders again. Sniffling, he abandoned the handkerchief and drew both hands from the blankets and nimbly began rebraiding the loose strands. He paused, blinked, and sneezed into his shoulder. 'K'Shoo! Apologies.' He sniffled. Blinking again, his hands stilled in his hair and a frown creased his ageless features. In a movement too fast for Gimli, to trace he hastily brought the handkerchief to his face and all thoughts of braiding abandoned, began to sneeze in earnest.

Shaking his head again, Gimli drew the blankets around the elf's shoulders and moved so that Legolas could rest against him. 'Bless,' he murmured when the elf's sneezing subsided into wet sniffles.

The elf's response, though muffled by the handkerchief, sounded suspiciously close to a Khuzdul word, usually not reserved for polite company.

Chuckling now, Gimli's hands moved towards the half braided blond hair. 'Let me, sweeting,' he said tenderly. Slowly he reached up and began braiding the soft strands, his calloused fingers deftly moving in the familiar patterns. He hummed softly as he worked, and gradually the elf relaxed against him. Carefully he braided the symbols of Legolas' warrior status into the elf's hair and with a smile largely to himself added the dwarvin braids for beloved.

As Gimli finished he too relaxed, and as the elf's congested sniffles slowly faded into soft snores he allowed his own eyes to close. All was well with the world...