Fic Rec Fridays 2018 - part 1

Finding a Voice (85597 words) by Roselightfairy
Chapters: 35/35
Fandom: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Gimli (Son of Glóin)/Legolas Greenleaf, Legolas Greenleaf & Original Female Character(s)
Characters: Legolas Greenleaf, Gimli (Son of Glóin), Gandalf | Mithrandir, Aragorn | Estel, Original Female Character(s), Glóin (Tolkien), Galadriel | Artanis, Arwen Undómiel, Thranduil (Tolkien), The Fellowship of the Ring
Additional Tags: Anxiety, anxious!Legolas, understanding!Gimli, eventually, Panic Attacks, POC Legolas, entirely bookverse, Slow Burn, Slow Build, Friendship/Love, Legolas centric, but so much Gimli worship, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, kind of, Handholding, so much handholding, Hurt/Comfort, Pining, Cuddling, Sea-longing, Love Confessions, Mild Sexual Content, Meet the Family

Summary:

Legolas can fight if provoked, negotiate if absolutely necessary, and open up to close friends. But ask him to interact on a friendly but distant level, and he turns into a nervous wreck. When Elrond asks him to join the Fellowship of the Ring, he is far less anxious about the enemies they will have to face than about the eight companions with whom he will be traveling.

Gimli is fully ready to reach out a hand in friendship to the elf in their group – until he perceives that Legolas is not ready to return the favor. He spends the early days of their Quest seething with resentment.

Their stay in Lothlorien opens the door to new understanding between them, leading to a friendship – or more – that will be sung of for ages.

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Dear friends and fellow gigolas shippers: this is the loveliest new story I've read for this pairing in a good while.

It has (eventual) emotional hurt/comfort, excellent characterizations, and a refreshing take on Legolas that's different that anything I've come across before, yet entirely believeable in the book!verse. And fluff. So much besotted fluff you would not believe. Eventually. It takes them a while to get there. But you know slow burn with eventual fluff is my jam, right? Also shameless Gimli worship. Can't go wrong with that.

Also, the last chapter just came in, so why aren't you all reading it already?