Erebor, Lonely Mountain

43. Haldir | Protective

Tumblr : make-me-imagine

Scenario Game Requests: Nov 15 D: Haldir is protective of you because he harbors a secret crush + Nov 12 N: Haldir surprises you with a kiss because he is in love with you + Nov 21, S: Haldir hugs you so hard he almost knocks you off your feet to cheer you up.

Pairing: Haldir x Gen!Neutral Reader

Triggers: Brief non-graphic mentions of blood and death.

Genre: Teensy bit of angst, mostly fluff.

Words: 1.3k

***

You cursed to yourself and you hid in a small cavern, staying as quiet as you could, hoping you had managed to lose the band of orcs you had run across, and had run from.

Checking the wound on your leg you were relieved it was not too deep, though it did make it hard to walk. Sliding down and sitting, you remained silent and you listened to your surroundings. A few moments passed before you began to think about the events that had occurred throughout the day.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"I just don't understand why you don't trust me Haldir" you said with anger laced in your voice as you quickly walked down the steps of the palace.

"I do trust you Y/n" Haldir's gentle voice said from behind you as he followed you.

You spun around, causing him to stop abruptly "It doesn't seem like it. Any time there is danger, no matter how small, you get in my way as though I cannot handle it."

"I am simply protecting you."

"I do not need protecting! I can handle myself Haldir, you know that I am skilled enough, I just don't understand why you can't let me prove it." You spun back around and quickly left, Haldir watched as you did, not continuing to follow you.

After your argument, you agreed to go on a solo scouting mission to check the surroundings lands outside of Lothlórien. It was supposed to be simple. But, with your luck, you managed to run into a band of orcs. You were able to kill most of them, but being alone, you could not handle all of them, so you had to flee to save your own life.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Now as you sat in the damp dark cavern, you thought of how angry Haldir might be. Would you be proving his point? Or yours? Either way, you felt annoyed that you ended up getting stuck in this situation at all.

You wanted Haldir to see your potential, your strength. To see you. Your feelings for him almost made you desperate for his attention and approval. Yet he still felt like he had to protect you.

Having heard no sign of any orcs, you rose slowly as you began to leave the cavern. Making your way back towards Lothlórien, all the while wondering what you would say to Haldir when you saw him.

- - -

Haldir paced in front of the gates anxiously. When he found out you had gone on a scouting missing alone he felt his chest tighten. He always went with you. But his mind kept flashing back to your argument. You thought he was protective because he did not think you capable. In reality, it was because he had feelings for you, well beyond your friendship. He knew you were fully capable of taking care of yourself, but the fear that he might lose you was stronger. So he often took charge and stepped in, stopping you from having to fight, but you only saw it as an insult.

Haldir let out a defeated sigh as he looked up to the sky. You were late. You were supposed to return hours before. It was taking everything in his being not to chase after you, to go look for you. That urge was too strong, and as Haldir gave into it he began to walk towards the exiting path of the palace, but halted when a figure appeared out of the darkness.

You stopped when you saw Haldir approaching, and he stopped when his eyes landed on you. You saw his eyes rake over your figure, a small frown appeared as he spotted the dirt, blood and grime on your clothes.

You let out a breath before you began to approach him, as he moved to meet you you spoke before he could "There is a large band or orcs moving on the outskirts of Lothlórien, I've already alerted the guards at the outer gates."

Haldir, though having heard what you said, ignored it "Are you alright, you're injured."

"I'm fine Haldir. Just a small wound to my leg, nothing to worry about, I had it handled and I was smart enough to know I could not take on all of the orcs, so I made my escape."

Haldir could hear the defensiveness behind our voice, you were still upset, and probably more so now that you returned injured when you were surely trying to prove a point. A small sad smile spread across his face as his emotions rose, he suddenly reached out, pulling you into a hug.

You staggered as you were pulled forward so suddenly feeling as though you were about to fall over, but Haldir kept you steady. You also found yourself speechless as Haldir wrapped his arms around you tightly. You had known him long enough to know that he was not a hugger, not that you were complaining. You hoped he could not feel your heart hammering heavily in your chest.

As he pulled away, he saw the confusion and shock in your face from his actions. He smiled, amused before he spoke "I am glad you are alright. And before yo saw anything else, let me speak." As you remained silent, he continued "I never act protective over you because I think you cannot handle yourself. I know you can. I simply-" he hesitation for a moment, trying to gather himself "I am protective because of how much I care for you, I act out of my fear of losing you."

You stared into his eyes as he spoke, seeing the apprehension and fear behind them. He did care for you. But you failed to see that it was anything more than friendship.

You spoke quietly "I care about you too Haldir, but trust me that I can handle myself. I will not be so careless as to let myself killed. "

He sighed, realizing you were still not understanding him. It was almost painful. Figuring that there was only one way to make it obvious what he meant, he used his courage while he had it.

Haldir grabbed you again, and for a moment you thought he was pulling you in for another hug. But your mind went blank when, instead of his arms wrapping around you, his lips crashed against yours as he kissed you fervently.

His hands continued to grip lightly around your arms as he kissed you. He was not sure how long he had his lips against yours before he pulled away. He watched as your eyes fluttered open, your gaze wide as you were clearly surprised.

Haldirs voice was quiet as he spoke "I do not care for you simply as a friend anymore Y/n. My fear of losing you is not the same as losing a friend. It is the fear of losing someone I love, without them ever knowing I love them."

You opened your mouth to speak, but remained speechless. You had been wrong, so wrong. "Haldir I-" you were unsure of what to say.

"It is alright Y/n, I do not need you to humor me if you do not feel the same."

"No Haldir, I do." Haldir looks at you in surprise "I just....I never thought you had seen me the same way."

Haldir smiled lightly "And I thought the same. We were both blind to the others feelings it seems."

"So it does" you replied quietly.

Haldir could not stop himself from gazing at your lips again, having now kissed you once, he could not stop the desire to do it again. He saw your lips curl into a small smile before he moved to meet your eyes, seeing you watching him closely.

A small smile spread across his face as well before he reached up, lightly placing his hand against your cheek before you both met in a kiss. This one more gently, slow, and careful. Both of your thoughts erasing the days previous argument and fears, now solely focusing on each other.

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