Work Text:
Your smile was sunshine—bright, beaming, golden. Just basking in it made Ari feel like there was still something in Middle-earth worth living for. He’d first heard your laughter, the sweet, tinkling sound calling to him as he stood on the docks of Grey Havens ready to depart for Valinor. His eyes were drawn to you, the world spinning around him when he caught sight of your smile. His ancient heart thudded in his chest and he suddenly knew he wasn’t ready for Valinor, not anymore, not after seeing you.
Ari wasn’t particularly close to any of the other elves waiting for the ship that would take them to the Undying Lands and so, when he stepped away from the others and began making his way toward you, none of them said a word. Not that any of them could’ve stopped him, even if they’d wanted to. Ari felt the calling of a mission for the first time in many years, and it drew him closer to you. He stepped soundlessly as he approached you, unsure yet if he wanted to make his presence known, catching sight of you amidst the crowd on the docks.
You were talking to a fisherman, your expression rapt with attention as you listened to the man’s story about his adventures while he wrapped some of his catch in paper for you to take home. There wasn’t anything more than a polite fondness in your face, but Ari noted the way the man looked at you with interest, though you didn’t seem to recognize it.
As Ari drew closer, he saw more of you and the hunger he felt for you grew within him. The gentle curves of your body reminded him of the sloping hills beyond Rivendell, where he’d spent much of his immortal life. You were petite compared to his elven height and Ari couldn’t stop himself from imagining how it would feel to take you into his arms, to lay with you in bed, your soft body pressed against the hard lines of his own. His fingers ached to touch you, while other parts of his body throbbed in need.
Ari’s feet carried him closer to you, but he had no plan for how to introduce himself you. He didn’t want to scare you away, and he knew how humans could be wary of elves. It didn’t matter yet, though, because you didn’t seem to notice him as you turned from the fisherman and began making your way through the crowd, heading back into the city of Mithlond. Without deciding to do it, Ari’s steps followed yours, his eyes trained on the back of your head, making sure he always kept you within his view amidst the crowded streets.
You made your way to a market with fresh fruits and vegetables from all across Middle-earth, stopping at certain vendors to buy more food. Ari surmised you were gathering what you needed to cook yourself dinner, and he briefly wondered if you had someone waiting for you at home. But the fisherman had looked at you with too much interest, so Ari surmised you weren’t already taken.
The longer Ari watched you as you moved through the market, the more he was enchanted by you—your easy laughter and pretty smile, your curving waist and even the graceful way you stepped around people in the crowd. Ari had never met anyone, let alone a human, who had so easily put him under their sway and he was defenseless when it came to your beauty.
Ari decided right then and there, while you haggled with a farmer over the price of his carrots, that he had to know you. He felt the need deep in his heart and his soul. Even though Ari had lived a very long life, the strength of his need to be near you still took him by surprise. He hadn’t felt that way about anyone else he’d ever met, but he wouldn’t deny it. He’d already abandoned the ship to Valinor, he knew he needed to follow his instincts and see if you were inclined to be receptive to him. He’d court you per the elvish custom so you knew he was serious about his intentions with you.
So wrapped up in his plans for his future with you, Ari didn’t realize his feet were carrying him even closer to you, like you were the sun and he was the fool drawn in by its light and warmth. He didn’t realize how close he’d gotten to you, much closer than was polite by elvish standards, and you turned your eyes up to him.
Ari was lost all over again as he stared into your eyes for the first time, drowning in their color and wishing to stay in the warmth of your gaze for the rest of his immortal life. He felt his world realigning so that you were the center of it. You would be his sun and he would be your fool.
-~-~-
You’d always been fascinated by the elvish custom of setting sail from Grey Havens to travel to the Undying Lands, and had often, throughout your life, made one excuse or another to go to the docks on the days the ships were to set sail so you could get a glimpse of the elves preparing to depart. There was something so tragically beautiful about knowing you’d be one of the last humans to ever see those elves before they departed Middle-earth for the final time.
That day, you’d known a ship was meant to depart for Valinor, so you decided it was a good day to cook fish for dinner and made your way to the docks. As you always did, you stood at the edge of the stone platform that led down to the docks and gave yourself a few moments to look at the elves waiting for their ship.
Your eyes caught on one elf, who stood taller than all the others, which was impressive since all elves were taller than humans to begin with. His smooth brown hair was cut to his jaw, and he had a beard, both of which were also oddities for an elf. But his face was achingly handsome, with bright blue eyes that reflected the color of the sea in the harbor.
You couldn’t tell, because he wore a grim expression, but you suspected the elf would be even more stunning if he ever smiled. The way the light hit his face, highlighting gold strands in his hair, he looked like the sun personified—so handsome it left you feeling like a flustered fool. You wouldn’t know how to speak to him if you ever got the chance.
Your heart thumped at the idea and you shoved the thought aside. You didn’t know the elf, and you never would, you’d never get a chance to speak to him or make a fool in front of him. He was setting sail for Valinor and would never return to Middle-earth. Shaking yourself free from your silly fascination with the elves—and that particular elf especially—you set your mind to the task that had brought you to the docks in the first place.
The fisherman distracted you with his stories from the sea, making you laugh loudly. He was a pleasant man, and your best friend had told you more than once that he was interested in courting you with the intention of marrying you, but you’d always waved her off. You couldn’t imagine yourself married to a fisherman. Not that there was anything wrong with the trade, but they were gone more than they were home and you’d always wanted a husband who would be just as devoted to you as you were to him.
So you paid for your fish—refusing the discount he offered if you’d only have some coffee with him—and began the walk back through Mithlond to the market where you’d get everything else you’d need for your dinner that night. The sun was shining and there was a pleasant breeze meandering through the city, filling your heart with a fondness for your home. An awareness settled over you, making you feel safe and courageous all at the same time. It was odd, but you chalked it up to the magic of the beautiful day, and you enjoyed your walk.
You moved through the market with practiced ease, getting everything you needed for dinner that night while chatting with the farmers and merchants, though you were slowed down when you were trying to buy some carrots. The farmer wanted to haggle and you were so engrossed in the argument, that at first you didn’t notice the loss of the sun’s light on your shoulders. But once you’d settled on a price and the farmer began wrapping up your produce, a chill skated down your back.
Looking up, you were startled to find the elf from the docks—the one with the beard—standing over you, his tall form and broad shoulders blocking out the sun. His blue eyes were even more piercing up close, the same color as the cloudless sky, and they were focused entirely on you.
Something in his expression softened as he took in your face, which you were sure looked a little ridiculous in your surprise, but the attention he was giving you made something warm in your chest. With the edges of him lit by the glow of the light at his back, he truly looked like the sun personified, and you were, as you’d predicted, a tongue-tied fool, any words you could’ve thought to speak dying in your throat.
The elf didn’t seem to mind your silence, though, as his eyes roamed over your face like he couldn’t get enough of looking at you. “What’s your name?” he asked after a moment in a low, rumbling voice like the sound of the earth shifting beneath your feet.
The earth might as well have been moving because you felt unsteady with the elf’s attention fixed solely on you. But his question seemed to get your mind and body working and you smiled bemusedly, giving him your name. He hummed in acknowledgement, nodding his head and you were struck again by just how much taller than you he was—so much that you need to crane your neck to meet his gaze with how close he was standing.
“I’m Ari,” the elf said after a moment in which he’d seemed to be turning your name over in his mind, learning the shape of it like he planned to use it many times. He reached for you, his fingertips brushing softly over the bare skin of your arm, like he couldn’t bear to touch you more, but couldn’t stop himself either. “It would make me incredibly happy if you’d allow me to cook dinner for you.”
You were so distracted by the tingling sensation flitting through your body from Ari’s touch, that you nearly missed what he said. Blinking dazedly up at the large elf, you took a moment to process his words and form a response. “Tonight?” you asked bluntly, surprise curtailing your manners.
Ari smiled softly and the expression of amusement on his face prompted a visceral response in your body, making you feel hot and flustered as you looked up at his overwhelmingly handsome face. His beard framed his lips as they curved and his eyes sparkled in amused delight. He was so devastatingly attractive it was almost difficult to keep looking at him, but you couldn’t tear your eyes away.
“If you’d allow me the honor,” he said, bowing his head slightly with all the overt formality for which the elves were known.
As you stared at him, you couldn’t help but notice the way the edges of Ari’s hair curled at the nape of his neck. The desire to run your fingers through his hair and curl in the ends reared up suddenly, stealing your breath and not letting you think of anything else. It took you a long moment to get your thoughts under control enough to respond to Ari’s request. “O-okay,” you said, then winced at how breathless your voice was, feeling as though you’d given away just how stunned you were by the elf’s handsomeness.
But Ari was too fixed on your answer and, as you watched, a full-blown grin spread across his face, punching the air from your lungs with the beauty of it. It was more glorious than you’d even imagined, turning his face into the most magnificent visage you’d ever seen. Your heart thumped excitedly in your chest and you could feel your mouth hanging open, though there was nothing you could do for it.
Ari chuckled a little at your reaction, brushing the backs of his fingers lightly over your cheek as he stared down at you fondly. That snapped you out of your daze enough for you to close your mouth, your teeth clacking quietly in your mouth. Ari gently stroked his hand down your arm until he grasped your fingers and turned as he placed them in the crook of his elbow, steering you slowly back into the throng of the market.
“Do you need anything else or shall you lead us back to your home?” Ari asked, his eyes never leaving your face yet somehow deftly maneuvering you both through the crowds of people shopping for their own food without bumping into anyone.
Your mind stuttered over his words. The elf wanted you to take him back to your home? You puzzled over that request until you remembered he’d been with the other elves readying to sail to the Undying Lands. Of course he didn’t have anywhere to take you to, he hadn’t planned on staying. That realization prompted the question of why exactly he had stayed. You gave Ari a curious look, wondering what had made him decide to abandon the trip to Valinor and ask if he could cook dinner for you.
Knowing it was too soon to ask such a prying question, you decided to follow his lead and pretend as though there were nothing strange about the situation. You glanced down at your basket of food, though your thoughts were so scattered, you had no hope of remembering if you needed anything else. “I think I’m done,” you said, looking back up at Ari, hoping he couldn’t tell how flustered he was making you.
He smiled again, his warm hand covering yours where it rested against his arm. Just that gentle touch had heat flowing through your body. Impulsively, you wondered how it would feel to have his large, warm hand touching other parts of you—parts of you that were hidden beneath your dress. Your body warmed even more, heat rising in your face, and you couldn’t blame the sun that was shining on you and Ari.
Shaking yourself free from the direction your thoughts had taken, you barely had time to refocus on the elf at your side to catch what he said.
“Then lead us home, sunshine.”