Legolas' nimble fingers twined together small, silky strands of his golden hair, forming a neat plait behind his pointed elf ears. He carefully combed through the rest of his locks with a wooden brush and then began plaiting the other side.
Pippin shugged off his dark coat and slipped his braces from his shoulders in preparation for sleep that night. As he began to pull his shirt out from his trousers, he caught a glimpse of Legolas. He left his duties of setting up his sleeping roll to Merry, and ventured over with curiosity.
He sat besides Legolas, crossed legs and watched him for a moment. "Can I have a go?" He inquired after a brief observation.
Legolas slowly arched a thin eyebrow. "Brushing my hair?" He in turn asked, halting the strokes.
"No-" Pippin tucked his own curls behind his ears and beamed at Legolas. "Brushing my hair."
Legolas took the brush from his hair and slowly extended his hand to Pippin. "I don't see why not." He stated, skeptical and unsure of the Hobbit's motif. Hobbits aren't very sly, and didn't conjure sinister little plans. He stared at the youthful Hobbit questioningly.
"I like brushing my hair." Pippin hadn't picked up on the confusion and curiosity he had roused in Legolas. He thought he was being perfectly normal. "It makes it so soft..."
"It does." Legolas agreed as Pippin dragged the brush through his hair. "You're supposed to start from the bottom and work your way up." He suggested.
"Why?" Pippin questioned, not paying attention to the elf. He was far more interested in how his curls pulled taunt and then bounced back up. He watched with a dim smile.
Legolas thought for a moment. "It's just how it's done." He settled with that, taking to Pippin as if he were a child. He acted like it.
"Show me how to do those things." Pippin had moved on now.
"What things?" Legolas asked, although he knew what things.
"Your braid things." Pippin explained, still obsessing over his bouncing curls. "They're pretty."
"I'm pretty." Legolas proclaimed rather quickly. He felt a little threatening.
Pippin didn't think much of it. "So am I." He calmly countered.
"Who told you that?"
"Lots of people."
"That's cute."
"I'm cute."
Legolas couldn't really argue there. Perks of being the youngest in the fellowship, he guessed. "The more you bicker with me, the less cute you become." He warned the Hobbit.
"To you, maybe." Pippin shrugged, handing back the brush to Legolas. "Everybody else still things I'm adorable."
"You're a manipulative little imp." Legolas uttered, feeling fairly jealous. He was the prettiest. He was the pretty one.
"No, I'm not." Pippin was infuriatingly calm. "Don't give me that much credit."
"You're doing it now." Legolas firmly declared. "At least trying to."
"Doing what?"
Legolas exhaled heavily. He was done quarrelling. He was far more mature than Pippin. And far prettier. He picked out the loose hairs of the brush that came from Pippin and sprinkled them onto the floor.
"Why don't you like me?" Pippin broke the silence, although he didn't seem much affected by it. Probably because he knew Legolas did actually like him. He knew he was feeling a little jealous.
"I do like you-"
"But you're just jealous."
"What the F...!" Legolas almost exclaimed a bad word. A really bad word. "Fornication in Fangorn Forest!" He finished. Pippin snickered. "I am not jealous!" Legolas argued.
"A little bit."
"I know I'm prettier than you." Legolas stated, feeling a pang of worry as he finally admitted it. And guilt, too. He didn't want to crush Pippin's feelings...
Pippin only giggled a little. "Is that so!" He challenged with a smirk.
"Well, exactly how pretty are you, then?" Legolas countered with an inquisitive head tilt.
"Pretty enough to..." Pippin pondered for a moment but only for a brief moment, before his eyes lit up. "Pretty enough to make any member of this fellowship, in fact, any male we come across, to want to kiss me!" He announced very proudly.
Legolas was almost surprised. It was indeed a mighty claim. "I've already made every me never of this fellowship want to kiss me." He didn't know for sure... But he had an incline.
Pippin chewed his bottom lip a little. He knew he'd have to prove himself. "I bet I can get one of them to kiss me."
"I bet I can get all of them to kiss me." Legolas retorted.
"You're on."
"Hm?"
"A contest. Elf VS Hobbit." Pippin declared matter of factly, sweeping his curled fringe from his face in some strange attempt to look somewhat noble. "We shall start by each earning one kiss, from any one of our choice."
Legolas smiled broadly. Anybody of his choice would be easy. Especially with the heavily masculine presence in the Fellowship and own his beautiful appearance.
"And then, the real contest begins." Pippin finished with a nod.
"How can we prove that we've kissed somebody?" Legolas asked, after thinking the matter over. There were some holes in the plan.
"Easy. Either signal to me when it looks like it will happen and I'll come see, or we can sense the tension and blushes on our friends, here." Pippin smirked a little.
Legolas nodded in agreement. "Fair enough." He knew when somebody had just been kissed. He knew he could easily spot it. "You're on, Pippin."
Pippin beamed and extended his hand. Legolas leaned in and extended his own arm for a handshake.
As they bridged and became much closer, Pippin tugged on Legolas' arm, dragging him closer to his face and pressing a firm kiss to his soft elvish lips.
Legolas staggered back and narrowed his dark eyebrows at Pippin. "That doesn't count! I didn't want to kiss you!"
"I know." Pippin smiled happily as he slipped off back to camp.
Legolas pouted a little. He liked his men with much more facial hair... And height.
