Merciless chills of wind slipped through every chink and hole in the small shack. Its current occupant shivered, moving closer to the cooking fire that was the dwelling's primary defense against the cold. Every few minutes he turned his head to anxiously watch the door, thick and tangled locks of black hair swinging in front of his face. A small dog lay near his feet, his head also raised to the door, ears perpetually perked, alert for any significant noise.
Their patience was rewarded as the door was flung open and an icy gust invaded their already freezing shelter. Maglor cursed, bending low over the fire to shield it from the wind, while Faron leapt to his four feet in a storm of outraged barking. The newcomer struggled to close the door against the gale, pushing a chest in front of it when he finally succeeded to ensure it stayed that way. He pushed the hood of his cloak back and shook out his long hair.
"I'm back!" Daeron announced, ever the one for stating the obvious.
Faron let out a yelp of delight, rushing forward to dance and leap around Daeron's feet, wagging his tail for all he was worth. Aside from his being naturally enthusiastic, this was perhaps the most exciting thing that had happened in the last few weeks to any of the three of them.
"Even the dog has sense enough not to go out in this weather, yet you stay in it for close to an hour, Grey-Elf." Malgor had not moved from his pleasant spot by the fire and did not seem as pleased by Daeron's return as Faron was. Yet to the minstrel's practiced eyes, the Noldo's face showed hints of relief.
"Well, come and get warm, idiot," he continued. "Or do you enjoy frostbite?"
Daeron grinned, quickly plopping himself in front of the fire by Maglor, snuggling as close as he knew the other would tolerate, unabashedly sharing in his body heat. His face was flushed red from the cold outside, and Maglor squeaked in protest when he tried to nuzzle it against his.
"You're like ice – don't touch me," he complained, pushing him back only slightly. "Why ever did you go out into that frigid hell, anyway?"
Daeron snorted and poked at Maglor's nose with his index finger. "For you, Oh Ungrateful One. I braved that cold, cruel outside world to retrieve your Yule present."
Maglor did a double take. It had been awhile since Daeron had said something that made him think twice. "My what?"
The Sinda's ever-present grin widened and the hand that was not engaged in prodding Maglor's face emerged from the warmth of his cloak, carefully clutching a small, wrapped bundle. "I've been carrying it with me in my pocket for days to keep it safe. But, well..." He stuck his other hand into a lower pocket of his tunic and wiggled his fingers through the hole in the bottom of it. Faron, who had curled next to him, sniffed and licked at them curiously. "I didn't realize it until just earlier, so I had to retrace my steps from yesterday."
He giggled when he noticed that the Noldo was doing nothing more than staring at him in bemusement. "I bet you thought I wouldn't get you anything. Well, it's not much, of course, but I didn't want to let the holiday pass and have nothing for you. After all, I can't make much of an excuse when I only have one person to give to. But I'm babbling," he concluded, gently pushing the bundle into Maglor's hands. He was all too excited by the whole thing, trembling and grinning like a nervous Elfling. "Go on and open it. All up and down that shoreline in the freezing cold – I certainly hope you appreciate it!"
It certainly wasn't much. Whatever he had been given was small enough to be wrapped in a piece of ragged cloth that looked as if it had been torn off Daeron's winter cloak. Maglor fingered the cloth delicately, lost in his thoughts. Some form of displeasure or melancholy must have begun to show in his face because Daeron nudged him lightly and when he looked up, the minstrel's grin had drooped somewhat.
"What's wrong?" he asked, reaching out to prod the bundle as he previously had Maglor's nose. "Your present is inside the rag, you know, not the rag itself."
Maglor's lips twitched briefly and he shook his head to dispel the other's worries. Looking sheepish and perhaps a little sad, he asked, "It's Yule?"
"Well, of course!" Daeron laughed then quickly sobered as he realized the problem. "Oh."
Maglor turned his gaze back to his present. He didn't want to look at Daeron just now or to have the other Elf look at him. It really wasn't surprising that he would have lost track of the days after so many years. What was more upsetting was trying to remember when he'd stopped caring enough to remember a day he had once loved so much.
A hand squeezed his shoulder, and Daeron's now much warmer face nuzzled his cheek. "None of that," he admonished softly, stroking his finger over Maglor's wrist before touching the cloth again. "Open it."
Leaning just slightly into Daeron's warmth, the elder Elf carefully unwrapped the small bundle. Nestled inside the cloth was a spiral shell, the kind used by large snails and hermit crabs, pale blue and silver-white in color. What looked to be an old hair ribbon was strung through one end of it. Maglor followed the spiral with his finger, smiling faintly. At the center of the whorl, the blue darkened and fanned out in tiny, thin rays.
"I thought it looked like a star." Daeron's finger joined Maglor's at the center. "And the colors are nice... It just seemed special to me. Here." He lifted the shell by both ends of the ribbon, reaching both arms around the Noldo to tie it in place around his neck.
"There," he said, pulling back enough to survey his work, smiling. "It suits you."
Maglor gently fingered the shell where it rested against his breastbone. He raised his head as if to speak, but swallowed whatever he had meant to say, instead reaching out and rather awkwardly gathering Daeron into his arms. He nudged his face against the Sinda's just as clumsily, brushing his lips over his jaw and the side of his nose before managing to reach his intended destination of Daeron's mouth.
He pulled back after a moment or two, playing with a loose thread on the other's cloak. "Thank you."
"Oh," Daeron replied a bit distractedly. Perhaps he was cold again, for the flush had returned to his face. "Not at all."
Maglor smiled just a little before ducking his head guiltily and wetting his lips. "I don't have anything for you."
Daeron laughed again, shaking his head fondly. "Idiot. Of course you do." He tucked a stray lock of messy hair behind the other's ear affectionately, but did not bother to explain what he meant.
Another blast of wind rattled the door of their home threateningly, but the chest kept it firmly in place, protecting them from most of the chill. The two Elves moved even closer to together, Daeron wrapping his tattered cloak around them both. Faron had long ago dozed off as puppies would, curled loyally at their feet.
"I hope there's nothing else you've dropped outside," Maglor began, his arms still loosely wrapped about the other Elf, "because it doesn't look like we'll be going there any time soon. I think it might be snowing."
"Let it," Daeron sighed, laying his head on the Noldo's shoulder. "We've absolutely nowhere to go." He smiled as he finished his thought to himself.
And there's absolutely nothing I need that isn't right here.
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Let It Snow by Rei hime
Story notes: Beta: Patricia aka slayer9649
A warm and cozy treat for the Yuletide. Inspired in part by the lyrics of "Let It Snow."
