Giggling was the first sound Boromir was aware of when he woke up. But he didn't know who was giggling or at what. He hazarded a guess that it was the hobbits giggling, it sounded like Merry and Pippin and possibly Frodo, but he didn't know what they were giggling at. He couldn't think of anything that could be funny, especially not in Moria; Boromir was hating the place. He opened his eyes and Pippin caught his gaze. "Oh, you're awake," Pippin said to him.
"Yeah…" Boromir answered slowly, still trying to work out what was funny. He was also still half asleep, he knew he couldn't of slept for more than three hours. Aragorn turned to look at Denethor's oldest son and Boromir, who was still lying down could see a faint smirk on his face from the light that Gandalf's staff cast. Aragorn, too, it seemed was trying hard not to laugh. "Ok!" Boromir finally growled out. "What is so funny?!"
Merry and Pippin exploded into giggles again and Aragorn and Frodo looked amused. "Will you guys please grow-up!" Legolas asked, from where he still lay on the floor, having just woke up himself.
"Why don't you and Boromir?" Merry asked, confusing both Legolas and Boromir even more.
"How did I get dragged into this?" Boromir questioned aloud. "And where does growing-up come into it?"
"Well, if you can't be grown-up enough to tell us," Aragorn said suggestively, drawing a very confused glance from Boromir.
"Estel! Will you please just tell us what on middle earth you are talking about?!" Legolas ordered, using the future king of Gondor's elvish name.
"You know full well what I'm talking about Legolas, so don't pretend that you don't," Aragorn told the elf. Boromir was looking back and forth between the two of them, still trying to work out what everyone was going on about. Boromir sat up and gently took his hand out of Legolas' where it had remained when they were sleeping. Aragorn noticed the movement and sent Boromir a wicked smirk. Boromir, having now guessed what was going on sent him a glare in return, which caused Aragorn to chuckle.
"Just brilliant!" Boromir muttered under his breath. "Of all the ideas my future King could put in to the hobbits heads, this just about has to be the worst." Boromir knew that Aragorn had put ideas into the hobbits heads about him and Legolas since they had been holding hands, and Boromir still knew that the elf was clueless as to what the man was going on about. Boromir knew better than to protest innocence though, knowing that it would only make things worse.
He knew that Aragorn had meant it as a joke, but he couldn't help slipping back into his own thoughts. Legolas was a good friend and understood what Boromir was going through in the mines. Boromir wasn't scared of the dark though, he and Faramir had learnt to be scared of more real things, things that could hurt them. Boromir had an uneasy feeling though that the darkness of Moria could hurt him, or that something lurking in the darkness could. The fellowship was getting ready to move on and Boromir skipped breakfast completely, not even having a drink of water. The darkness felt like it was pressing in on him, making it hard to breathe. He knew he wasn't alone and that thought comforted him, but he wished that he could hold Legolas' hand as much to give strength as to receive it and not have to put up with giggling hobbits who thought that something more was going on than friendship!
Many times Denethor had accused Boromir and Faramir sharing a relationship more than friendship and brothership, but that wasn't true. However, each time stood out vividly in Boromir's mind as Faramir got upset at the accusations, he got mad at them and Denethor got mad at them both and things got out of control. The fellowship was moving again, will Gandalf leading the way, but Boromir stuck to himself, lost in his own thoughts, only watching where his feet where going. The first time Denethor had accused the brothers of more than friendship, he had been fifteen and Faramir thirteen. The beating that had followed had been one of the worst that Boromir could remember and it had been worse for Faramir, who he had had to carry up to their rooms. Neither was allowed to see a healer, for they would not be able to explain the injuries and if word got out that Denethor had done this to his two sons there would have been outcry in Minas Tirith. The night following the beating was one of the worst in Boromir's memory and the brothers had sat long into the night, with Faramir's head in Boromir's lap for comfort, discussing what had happened and why it had. They had come to the conclusion that there father based his accusations on the fact that they shared hugs and would often walk around holding hands. They decided that as long as they knew the truth that it didn't matter and that they could stand the pain of a beating. It didn't help the pain in their hearts though, knowing that their own father would accuse them of this. Just thinking about it now as the fellowship of the ring walked through the darkness of Moria, Boromir felt two tears slip. That had been the night when both Boromir and Faramir had known in their hearts what they had feared all along. That their father didn't love them and that they only had each other in the world.
Legolas, who was walking near Boromir, had seen Boromir discreetly raise his hand to wipe away the tears that had fallen and he guessed that Boromir was crying, although he didn't know why. Legolas reached out and took Boromir's hand in his own, still not knowing what the hobbits and Aragorn had been going on about when they had woken up. All he thought of was offering a small bit of comfort to Boromir. Boromir appreciated the comfort and gave Legolas' hand a gentle squeeze and didn't release it, but held it cradled gently in his own. He did however lean his head in towards the elf's and whispered in his ear, "This isn't going to help matters since my future king has already put ideas into Merry, Pippin and Frodo's minds about us since we were holding hands when sleeping!"
Legolas stifled a sigh and then giggled quietly and luckily only Boromir heard him. "Well if they already think that then we may as well take what comfort we can from holding each other's hands in this darkness. If they can't understand friendship, that's their problem!"
Boromir had to grin at Legolas' words, but he couldn't help think that he didn't understand friendship very well, since he had had few friends in his life.