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raindrops-on-concrete · 6 months

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Wei WuXian and Lan WangJi work so well as a team and it's a big part of why their dynamic is so enjoyable.

They have very different skill sets, but they both know their own strengths and limits. And, at least later on after WWX is reincarnated, they also understand each others strengths and limitations.

WWX let's LWJ fight a lot of his physical battles for him, because he knows that he himself wouldn't be able to handle them but LWJ is more than capable to. A beautiful example of this is in Yi City when LWJ swoops in to fight Xue Yang, and tells WWX that he has the fight handled. WWX then analyses the situation and realizes he's of more help by bringing the Juniors to safety and investigating some more. Lan JingYi even brings this up, asking why they don't lose any words over WWX leaving LWJ behind in battle. And WWX tells him that he trusts LWJ has the situation handled so there would be no use in losing any more words over it.

On the other hand, WWX always does the talking for the two of them. When performing Inquiry, LWJ relays WWXs questions without hesitation.

When they are conducting research in the secret library in the Cloud Recesses and WWX decides to take a break, LWJ takes over his stack of books without hesitation or asking him to continue his work. WWX recognized that he needed a break and LWJ respects that and does his work for him since he still has the energy to keep researching.

They also respect each other a lot, even if they don't agree with each other. After WWXs reincarnation, LWJ never questions him about his demonic cultivation, even though he probably still doesn't quite approve of it. As for WWX I can't think of a specific example after his reincarnation rn, but I really love the scene where he drinks LWJs liquor for him at Jin GuangYao's private banquet, because the Lan Sect are not allowed to drink alcohol.

There's not a leader and a follower between them. They always listen when the other is talking, and depending on the situation one or the other takes the lead. In that way, they are equals and see each other as equals. They are not equal in any particular skill or even cultivation level, but through their different skill sets they can add onto each other skill sets.

TL;DR WWX and LWJ work so well as a team bc they know their own and each other's strengths and limitations very well, and know how to use them accordingly. They have a lot of trust and respect for each other even if they disagree. They see each other as equals and their skill sets add onto each other very well.

#just some thoughts I had while reading #throughout this whole novel I also thought that I didn't really care much that they were in love bc this teamwork is the essence of their #relationship for me and it doesn't matter whether they're platonic or romantic #however I also think it's a wonderful basis to build a healthy romantic relationship on #wei wuxian #wei ying #lan wangji #lan zhan #wangxian #mo dao zu shi #mdzs #the grandmaster of demonic cultivation #mxtx mdzs

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accio-victuuri · 2 months

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#my favorite unofficial bts pic #cause the way xz is looking at wyb is so wwx & how wyb is staring at xz is very lwj coded #does that make sense?#these two played their roles so well cause they adored each other #whether you believe it’s romantic or not doesn’t really matter #okay im done i just have so many feels i should take a nap now #yizhan #bjyx #wangxian #untamed bts #cql bts

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g3othermal3scapism · 24 days

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hot take i dont think trobed has to be canon in the movie, i dont think it rlly matters and i think acting like them not being canon romantically takes away from their writing and relationship is odd

#yes im a trobed warrior #but idk i dont think their relationship hinges on whether theyre romantic or not like some others #like it wouldnt matter and doesnt really change their friendship at al #and even if they arent canon #its one of the best friendships/relationsips written on tv #and its weird to act like it isnt just because they arent married with 7 kids making out sloppy style!!#trobed #community nbc #community movie #six seasons and a movie #abed nad #troy barnes

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tiredpacdad · 5 months

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most exhausting hospital trip ever

#dethklok #metalocalypse #mtl #fanart #nathan explosion #pickles the drummer #skwisgaar skwigelf #william murderface #you can interpret platonically or romantically it doesnt matter to me #also whether murderface is praying in the back is up for interpretation too #skwickles #skwistok #kinda implied #pacdadart #i dont love how this came out but im experimenting with things rn #trying to decide how i like to render cause its the thing i struggle the most with #if anyone has advice i am open to it

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finnitesimal · 8 months

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Brother if he agrees to the wedding those aren't his boundaries at all

#listen it does not matter to me whether or not qphil reciprocates the romantic part ok im still making my interpretations.#i do not care if he goes yeah i appreciate it m8 but i don't feelt hat way about you but i still care about you in my own way #i get that ive been expecting this outcome since april.#but IF phil decides to go yes my cubito is in bi denial and in love with his husband. then that is HIS decision #what are you gonna do?? are you gonna go philll that's against your boundarieeesss SHUT UP HE CAN DO WHAT HE WANTS.#He knows what the community's gonna do!!! he's a grown man on the internet he knows full well what people are Already Doing!!!#what do you think Im Not Missing Missa It's Fine was about HE FUCKING KNOWS. HE'S IN ON THE BIT

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indisputablypercy · 5 months

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vbs but nobody can tell which combination of them are dating.

an and kohane hug constantly. an pinches her cheeks and compliments her on loop. kohane blushes and giggles every time.

an and akito play fight. a lot. the mess eachothers hair. an sits in his lap.

an and toya walk around holding hands. linking arms. toya falls asleep with his head on her shoulder whenever they take the train.

akito likes carrying kohane on his shoulders. he picks her up at every opportunity. she can’t reach something? she’s in the air. they win a competition? he spins her around. he calls her hane more than her name.

kohane and toya go on library dates where they read and cuddle. they sit with their legs all tangled in ways you cannot imagine are comfortable. kohane does his makeup.

toya and akito are. toya and akito. they tell eachother they love eachother constantly. they hug a lot. akito always has his arm over toya. they ruffle eachothers hair. they’re always attached somehow.

who’s dating who? are any of them dating? are they all dating eachother? who knows! does it matter??

#project sekai #sekai #akito shinonome #an shiraishi #toya aoyagi #kohane azusawa #i know which pairs of them i ship #poly vbs is fun ofc but yknow #but for the sake of this post it does not matter #every combination of them is beautiful #because they are all in love whether platonically or romantically #vivid bad squad #my loves <3 #percy speaks

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ilovebeingaturtle · 9 months

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I don’t really ship 87 Ramona (although I do love the idea of them in a QPR) but. If they did feel romantically for each other it would take forever for them to actually get together, if they even do, in sharp contrast to the 2012 “we’ve known each other two hours now we’re committed for life” speedrun. Raphael would have fallen in love years ago but would not recognise this fact once. Mona Lisa is also part of the problem. She has a layer of superficiality she always uses as protection over her true feelings, so how does she even know her flirting is sincere? How would Raphael be supposed to know? She’d overthink it. Also she’s a lesbian so falling in love with your best friend is like mandated and agonising. She’d have accepted her fate and already resigned herself that it’s never going to happen. She’s just happy they’re close to each other. Meanwhile Raphael thinks “huh, I want to marry her” then goes about his day. This realisation occurs multiple times but he never reads into it.

#tumblr user bulbabutt got me brainrotting about the blorbos again sigh #87!Raphael being aroace means so much to me but he can find his best friend pretty. as a treat #like I think no matter what Mona Lisa is someone who makes him happy in a way no one else does #he sincerely cares about her and thinks highly of her #whether that’s romantically or platonically is second to just have a sincere connection #they’re on the same wavelength!#Raphael has the autistic instinct to view the perfect someone you could do an improv comedy tour with as his forever life partner #also he thinks she’s cute 💖#I can ramble forever about my thoughts on Mona’s perspective on this too but I should probably just save it for a proper post one day #or the fic I’m working on #whichever comes first AHA

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transmascutena · 2 months

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thinking about how akio sees his younger self in utena and wondering if there's any fondness there. doesn't change the horror of what he does to her obviously but i do wonder

#akio and utena #m #long ramble in the tags sorry:#the thing about akio is that he's so evil bit he's also so human #he has feelings. i just don't know what they are (if anything) toward his victims #he loves anthy at the very least i'm sure of that. even if he hates her too. just like she loves and hates him. the lines are blurry.#and i just. i have to wonder whether any of that extends to utena at all. we know anthy at times feels similarly about utena and dios #(and akio by extension.) the simultanious love and resentment. so it's not too unlikely i think.#like. even though he never had anything but bad intentions in getting close to her #i'm not sure it's possible to do everything he did and feel nothing #not that he has any meaningful amount of guilt or remorse for it. i don't think that.#and i obviously don't think he “loved” her in any of the ways she might have thought he did #but did he not care at all? did he not feel any kind of fondness or sympathy or just. idk. pity? for her?#whatever the case it wasn't enough to reconsider having her killed so you know. how much does that actually matter anyway #idk. i think about it a lot. how abusers are rarely entirely indifferent toward their victims #the role he's playing in her life is so fucked up but it IS a role he's playing and i wonder how much he you know... internalizes it?#how much does he believe the illusion of family that he invites her into? because akio DOES often buy into his own illusions.#(similarly i think it's possible that akio is fond of touga too. their mentor-protégé relationship is horrible and abusive #but that doesn't make it less real. you know? maybe real is the wrong word.)#when he talks in episode 25 about wanting utena and anthy closer that's obviously so he can continue to groom her #but is there something genuine there too? i don't know.#again. it obviously does not make anything he does better or even different. but it is interesting to think about to me.#on the other side of that coin does seeing his own past youth and naivete and desire to do good that he (maybe) once had #reflected back at him through her mean anything?#is there resentment there? that she is what he couldn't be? or more likely he just thinks that idealism is stupid.#either way it's something he wants to take from her. anyway ramble over.#i talk a lot about utena's feelings toward akio (familial vs romantic love and the way the two are intertwined in fucked up ways)#but not much the other way around. probably because utena is actually a sympathetic character whose feelings the show very clearly #wants you to analyze and think about.#which is... less true for akio i think. though he's still a complex character with complex motives. he's just harder to get a grasp on.

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freshydip · 9 months

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something about the dichotomy of boyd raised with a criminal family versus raylan raised by a criminal loner. boyd always surrounding himself with others. needing others. needing love and attention. ineffable verbosity a mechanism to command that love and attention. something about raylan often only seeking such things from one or two entities at most. raylan with his straightforward language and cadence. actively shrinking away from attention, though usually that's because those whose attention he's grabbed want to kill him. something about the two of them finding comradery in one another in some indiscernible way, that even they aren't sure where it comes from or how it works, that scratches their itches just right, but just being so fundamentally different in tandem with their fundamental similarities that they can just never, never bridge the gap. even if they wanted to. and neither of them are quite sure just how much they want to.

#do you feel me??? are you feeling me?????#i love their relationship. whether you want to read it as romantic or platonic or whatever #it's juicy and tragic and beautiful no matter how you approach it #justified #justified fx #raylan givens #boyd crowder #mp

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lovecatsys · 17 days

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They're my responsibility! You are my responsibility!

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akaashism · 1 year

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i can excuse kagehina not being lovers but i draw the line at kagehina not being best friends

#like it just feels so wrong #of course they're best friends #OF COURSE #of course their lives are forever intertwined and of course they're extremely important to each other whether it's platonic or romantic #and you're a loser if you make it seem like they don't matter to each other beyond volleyball 😊#kagehina #hinata shouyou #kageyama tobio #haikyuu!!

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veliseraptor · 1 year

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just thinking about the "xue yang never cared about xiao xingchen he doesn't have real feelings and just thinks of him as a toy" take again and @ameliarating pointed something out to me namely:

Xue Yang broke into peals of laughter. "Wei-qianbei, you're merciless!"

"Fine, laugh. Even if you laugh yourself to death, Xiao Xingchen's soul will still be too broken to put back together. He found you repulsive, yet you still insist on dragging him back so that you can play games with him."

Abruptly, Xue Yang swung from laughter into rage. "Who wants to play games?!"

"Then why did you kneel in front of me and beg me to fix his soul for you?"

Of course, someone as clever as Xue Yang must have been aware that Wei Wuxian was trying to bait him. First, distracting him with anger, and second, provoking him into shouting, Wei Wuxian made it possible for Lan Wangji to deduce his location and strike. But still, Xue Yang couldn't help replying. "Why? Hah! As if you don't know. I want to turn him into a fierce corpse - under my control! Didn't he want to be a pure, virtuous cultivator? Then I'll make him endlessly slaughter people, so he'll never find peace!"

"Ah? You hate him that much? Then why did you kill Chang Ping?"

Xue Yang sneered. "Why did I kill Chang Ping? Do you need to ask, Yiling Patriarch? Didn't I already tell you? I said I was going to kill the entire Yueyang Chang Clan - I wasn't even going to spare one dog!"

[...] Wei Wuxian said, "You sure came up with a good explanation. Too bad the timing doesn't match up. Someone like you, who can't even let a dirty look go without avenging yourself a thousand times over, someone who strikes so swiftly and ruthlessly - if someone like you really wanted to kill off an entire family, why would they wait so many years to finish? You know perfectly well why you killed Chang Ping."

"Then tell me, what do I know? What do I know perfectly well?!"

He shouted this last sentence.

"You killed them, yes. But why lingchi? Killing someone that way signifies that it was punishment. If you were only getting revenge for yourself, why did you use Shuanghua and not your own Jiangzai? Why did you have to dig out Chang Ping's eyes and make him like Xiao Xingchen?"

Xue Yang shouted himself hoarse. "Bullshit! It's all bullshit! It was revenge - was I supposed to let him die comfortably?"

"Indeed, it was revenge. But whose revenge were you seeking? How ridiculous. If you genuinely wanted revenge, you should have sliced yourself into pieces!" (MDZS, Chapter 42)

so if we're meant to buy that interpretation, then...what is the point of this passage? what is it trying to say? is it just to give Wei Wuxian a means of distracting Xue Yang and making him show himself? then why this means? and why are we taking the line that Xue Yang himself, a famously reliable narrator (?) gives (re: wanting to turn Xiao Xingchen into a fierce corpse and control him) as the truth of the situation, as opposed to Wei Wuxian's own interpretation (where Xue Yang is taking revenge on Xiao Xingchen's behalf, albeit expressed onto a different target)? and what is the point of Xue Yang's reaction after this, where he suddenly goes silent and stops responding, meant to indicate? the fact that Xue Yang gets angrier and angrier at Wei Wuxian for pressing the point?

these are all cues present for a narrative purpose, not "just because," and they're pointing in a direction that indicates that Xue Yang in this scene is lying through his teeth, whether or not he admits that to himself.

furthermore, since inevitably "but adaptation" comes up in these conversations, CQL actually retains this scene in a remarkably intact form:

coming to the conclusion based on this scene alone (not even touching the narrative surrounding the events in the past) that people who claim that "xue yang had no genuine feelings about xiao xingchen whatsoever" is to be taken as truth are not just taking the most boring possible read of this text but also at least a little actively reading against it.

#but what else is new #like okay. entitled to your opinion but whatever #proposing 'fanon xue yang' tag for this stuff :)#anyway.#lise does meta #loosely.#the sad queer cultivators show #xuexiao #xue yang #whether or not you ship xuexiao as a romantic pairing though...point stands.#and i will defend this reading if pressed #and i'm not interested in ~moral judgment~ or whatever that's not the point #the point here is what is the emotional story the narrative is telling #and - from my perspective - the sophisticated answer there is 'i'm right you're wrong nyeh'#lise's aggressively bitchy opinions about irrelevant and unimportant matters #might regret posting this but uhhhhhh whatever!!! it's been a week and it's only tuesday

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dreadeves · 27 days

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hm. yknow, if riz was to be in a relationship it’d have to be a poly one, because a monogamous one would be doing the pairing-off-esque thing that he deeply doesn’t want to happen. if you presume he has a ‘favorite friend’ you’re falling into the same trap he is by presuming that some friends mean more (and he presumes there is always the least favorite friend). it feels like this kind of relationship hierarchy is what he doesn’t like, because he feels like he’s always going to be the odd one out and the one that everyone’s leaving

#like idk i don’t think riz coming out would kill baron. bc it doesn’t solve the underlying issue. and tbh. you can’t. so idk what’ll happen #a poly relationship wouldn’t like work out necessarily bc he’d still have the everyone leaving me fear bc it’s an internal fear #but at least in a poly relationship u don’t necessarily have the same ‘this is my *special friend*’ relationship hierarchy kinda narrative #that most monogamous relationships (whether romantic or qpr or whatever) do #riz gukgak #riz fantasy high #fantasy high #like… why are some of their friendships seen as ‘more important’ despite evidence that they all care deeply for each other #it feels odd to rank them and also antithetical to what it feels the point of this narrative is #they became friends like at the same time. they’ve been friends since. sure some may hang out more but why do u think some *matter* more?#*a poly relationship would instantly have its own problems. but riz in a poly qpr makes so much more sense than riz in a monogamous qpr.

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tathrin · 10 months

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An Elvish Lure

Somebody said “using yourself as bait” and my brain spat this disconnected snippet out, so: enjoy a scene in which the Three Hunters try an alternate plan by which to catch-up with the orcs and free Merry and Pippin.

"No," Gimli said.

"Gimli—"

"No," he said again, shaking his head hard enough to make the braids of his beard slap against his shoulders. "No, absolutely not."

"Gimli," Aragorn tried again, "this plan is our best chance to—"

"I said no!" Gimli roared. "I will not have it! Aragorn, I will not!"

It was not Aragorn who answered him. "Gimli, be calm."

Gimli squeezed his eyes shut at that voice, as though he could shut-out the words as easily as he did the sight of the narrow, beardless lips from which they had issues; that golden head; those mithril-bright eyes. Fingers as long and spindly as bare twigs closed on his shoulder, their grip tight enough that he could feel it even through his shirt of mail.

"This is our best chance to save Merry and Pippin," Legolas said. "Perhaps our only chance. Gimli, I am not afraid—"

"Can I not be afraid for you, then?" Gimli asked wildly, grabbing those long fingers and holding them tight. He looked up at Legolas, then very quickly closed his eyes again. He pressed the archer's captured hand to his cheek and held it there, as though he might hold the elf back from this reckless plan as easily. "Orcs hate elves so much, Legolas…"

"That is why it has a chance of working," Legolas said. He sounded so unbearably calm, his woodland accent giving his speech the lilting cant of birdsong. He had sounded so strange to Gimli's ears, once. When had that fair voice stopped sounding strange?

"And if it does?" Gimli retorted. His grip on Legolas's hand tightened. "When it does? What then, Legolas?"

Legolas's narrow shoulders lifted in a shrug. "Then we will fight them."

"Then you will fight them, all alone, until we can come to your aid," Gimli corrected him. "Legolas…" His voice failed him and he had to clear his throat twice before he could force the words out. "Legolas, what if we come too late?"

"It is a risk I am prepared to face," Legolas said simply. "And at any rate, Gimli, I do not believe you will. I have more faith in you and Aragorn both than to let myself fear that I will have to face all the orcs alone. And besides!" he continued with a sudden, fey laugh. "Should it not be the orcs who should fear to face my blade and bow? I slew many of their fellows at Amon Hen, and I will slay many more in these sweet green fields if they will but do me the favor of coming within range of my arrows!"

Gimli looked up at the laughing elf in sad, silent horror.

"We will not have to hide ourselves so far away from Legolas that he will be alone for long," Aragorn said, stepping forward to lay his hand on Gimli's other shoulder, the one that did not burn yet with the memory of Legolas's touch upon his mail. "Orcs are keen of smell, but their eyes are not so sharp in daylight, and their ears will have a hard time hearing anything over the thunder of their own feet upon these plains. Besides, Gimli, we have the cloaks given us by the Lady of Lórien; was it not said that they would help to hide us from unfriendly eyes?"

"It was," Gimli agreed heavily. "But these orcs are fast. And what if they have archers among them?"

"What of it?" Legolas shrugged again, scoffing. "I do not fear crude orcish arrows."

"A crude arrow can kill as readily as a finely-wrought one," Gimli reminded him.

Legolas tossed his head, his golden braids rippling in the dawn. "Only if they strike their target."

Gimli gaped at him in exasperation. "Legolas—"

"No, Gimli, I do not ask you to like this plan, but please. Are we not friends now?" Legolas dropped abruptly to his knees in the soft grass, a position which put his eyes nearly on the same level as the dwarf's. It was Legolas who looked up at him now, his pale eyes glittering as sharply as a sword. "Then please, my friend, cast aside your doubts. Trust me to do this."

"I do trust you, Legolas," Gimli responded automatically. "I do not doubt you. But—"

"Then it is settled." Legolas made to stand, to turn away, but Gimli caught him by the arm and held him still.

"But," Gimli said, his voice a stony growl, "I do not like the idea of you making yourself bait for orcs."

Legolas swiveled on his heels, elvish grace keeping him upright despite the sharp tug of a strong dwarven arm yanking him off balance, and stared up at Gimli. The smile he gave the dwarf was small and fleeting, and there was a heavy sadness in the curve of it that reminded Gimli, suddenly and painfully, of the grey woods of Lothlórien.

"I do not say that I like it either, Gimli," Legolas said softly. "But we cannot outrun the orcs. If they cannot be made to pause their march, they will vanish into Isengard with Merry and Pippin and all chance of saving our friends will be lost." He pressed his free hand to Gimli's cheek and gently stroked the downy hairs there. "I would risk a thousand such dangers for the chance to stop that foul fate from befalling those dear young Hobbits—and I know you would, too, Gimli."

Gimli swallowed, but the aching lump in his throat did not dissipate. "Legolas…"

"The fact that the orcs left the field of battle while the three of us yet lived worries my heart greatly," Aragorn said. His voice, too, was quiet, but a dark tension thrummed through his words like the warning rumble of stone on the brink of a cave-in. "That they put their need to carry away their captives over their desire for slaughter and torment…that worries me, Gimli. Worries me greatly."

Aragorn did not have the keen eyes of the elves, but his sharp grey gaze rose over the plains nonetheless and he stared off into the distance as though staring at the shadows of that terrible band of orcs nonetheless. "I do not know if even this will cause them to turn aside from their path…but if anything will entice them to delay their task, it will be the chance to make sport of a lone and injured elf."

"And so I shall play the bait," Legolas said, before he sprang to his feet, the movement too fast this time for Gimli to stop. He looked down and offered Gimli a fleeting, knifblade smile and declared, "And we Three Hunters will see if we can draw the hunt to us!"

Gimli should have cheered; the words were spoken in the sort of tone that rallied hearts and lifted spirits blazing into battle. But all Gimli could see in his mind was the terrible sight of Legolas left standing all alone, waiting for the orcs to come and find him while his friends hid and watched from safety.

"Legolas…"

"Peace." Elvish fingers pressed against Gimli's lips, stopping his words but not his fears. "Give me this chance, Gimli, and I will turn your doubts aside."

"I do not doubt you—" Gimli started to say again, his voice thick and strangled with the heavy feelings of his heart, but Legolas was already springing away, up the short and stony hillock. Gimli watched him go, his steps as light and swift as the flutter of butterfly wings.

"I do not doubt you, Legolas," he said, the words spoken now in a whisper so low that even elvish ears might struggle to hear them now. "But I fear for you."

Aragorn's hand closed on his shoulder again, warm and steady and lacking the silver-fire touch of Legolas's smooth brown skin. "Come," he said softly. "Let us get under cover, Gimli."

Gimli allowed himself to be drawn away, but his feet scuffed heavily on the uneven grass as he turned to stare behind him at the silhouette of Legolas standing tall and thin against the dawn, pale cloak and golden hair streaming out behind him. He made a fine target for arches up there, Gimli thought sourly; a fine target indeed.

Legolas drew his white knife, and Gimli turned away. He knew that the scent of elvish blood would be needed to draw the orcs' attention; knew further that only with the wind blowing strong and swift towards their quarry did this mad plan have any chance of success, and so he cursed the breeze. Had it only died or shifted, Aragorn and Legolas would have been forced to give up this chance; would have had no choice but to simply run instead, run until they dropped perhaps and even yet fail—but run together, rather than risking Legolas's life alone.

Gimli could not bear to watch Legolas take his blade to his own arm, spill his own blood, to lend verisimilitude to his role as bait; yet he fancied he could hear the sharp glide of knife over skin nonetheless, and he squeezed his eyes shut tight and let Aragorn lead him, stumbling, to the hollow in which they would hide together while Legolas stood out there, tempting danger, alone.

They huddled in their grey cloaks, hands on weapons and breath in their throats, and waited.

And then—and then Legolas screamed.

Gimli started upright, his own breath drawing in for an answering cry of rage and vengeance, but Aragorn grabbed his arms and held him fast. "No, Gimli!" he hissed, hauling the dwarf down bodily back into the small depression in the earth. "No, he is not hurt. This is the lure, Gimli! This is the plan. Be still!"

Gimli let himself be drawn back despite the thundering of his heart against his ribs. He pressed one bare palm against the earth, trying to draw strength from the touch of stone against his skin; trying to find the endurance for which the dwarves were so renowned. But he could not stop trembling; could not stop hearing the echoes of that terrible shrill scream inside his ears.

"I have never heard such a cry, Aragorn," he whispered.

Aragorn's grip on his arm tightened. "I have," he said. His voice was low, almost haunted in the shadows of their hiding-hole. "I am sure Legolas has as well, for his people have long fought the Shadow in Mirkwood—and," Aragorn added, swallowing hard as though against some terrible memory, "he could not have sounded so convincing, if he did not know the sound of an elf in torment."

Gimli's gut twisted and he bit his lip hard enough that he tasted a coppery spill of blood across his tongue. "I would that he did not know it," Gimli said hoarsely. He glared up at Aragorn and added in a sharp voice, "I would even more that he should never experience it himself."

"We are not far," Aragorn insisted. "If the orcs take the bait, we will know it; we are near enough to help. He will not stand alone."

"Not for long," Gimli muttered, "but perhaps for long enough." He held his axe very tightly and wished for a whole host of doughty dwarven warriors at his side—or better, at Legolas's side.

Another cry rose, more warbling than the first piercing shriek; more plaintive, like the screamer was weakening.

Gimli's grip on the haft of his axe tightened until his hand ached. "Aragorn…"

"He is not hurt, Gimli."

"Not yet."

Aragorn had no answer for that.

They sat in silence, straining their ears for the pounding thunder of orcish feet upon the earth; waiting to discover if the enemy would take the bait.

Waiting to learn if the three of them would live through it, if they did.

{read more gimleaf stories here}

#gimli #legolas #aragorn #three hunters #lotr #lotr fanfiction #gigolas #gimleaf #well unrealized gimleaf at the moment i suppose #could certainly be read platonically #but that's one of the joys of their relationship anyway: no matter the particular flavor the love never falters #they're every bit as devoted and delighted by one another whether there's a whiff of romance there or not #and i love that about them because there aren't many relationships you can say absolutely do not CHANGE based on whether it's romantic or no #even the ones that start as friendships and stay as friendships still tend to change somewhat if there's romance (or if there isn't)#but not legolas and gimli #you don't even need to decide which it is when you start writing a story with them because you're writing the same story either way #''you comfort me'' indeed #this ship sails itself all the way to valinor #my writing #my stuff

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