"Ada, do you care if Aragorn stays over if we're really quiet?" Legolas says as he squats down so his face is close to his fathers ear. Thranduil cracked open his eyes slowly. The dark circles under his eyes looked worse than they did in the morning. Legolas wanted to help make his Ada feel better and he had this morning but now he couldn't. He had homework to do and he needed to study.
"Hm I suppose." Thranduil said in a raspy deep voice. The older man then let out a harsh harking cough. Aragorn could hear it from where he stood in the kitchen.
"Ada, do you want anything? Need anything? I'll get you anything you want. I could run to the shop or even to the pharmacy." Legolas said as he slipped down to sit on his knees and placed his hand on his father's shoulder. Legolas's heart ached for his father. Seeing the usually strong stoic caregiver turned into... a poor sick man made his heart hurt.
"Darling boy, you don't need to go anywhere. But you could do something for me." Thranduil said as he sat up and brought his hand to Legolas's shoulder. The taller man's sweatshirt was rucked up so it showed his lower stomach. Legolas lightly pulled the worn grey fabric back down he then looked up from where he still sat down on the floor.
"What is it Ada? What do you want?" The son said. He would try to make Ada as comfortable as possible.
"Could you get me a few ibuprofen and a bottle of water? If you're going to be studying in your room I'll stay here but if you and the boy are going to be studying at the table or here I'll move to my room." Thranduil said and stretched his arms up above his head. Legolas stood to grab the bottle of medicine and water. He could hear his father's back joints popping as he walked away. ' Poor old man' thought the youngest.
Aragorn had sat down at the counter and was working on something on his laptop, his backpack sitting on the counter.
"Hey babes, I've just gotta bring Ada some meds and a drink. I think he wants us to be in my room. You can go ahead and get settled there." Legolas said to his lover. Aragorn gave and understanding nod and took his backpack and computer and walked to his boyfriends bedroom.
Legolas quickly got a bottle of water from the fridge and three of the small brown pills and returned to his slumped over father.
"We're gonna study in my room. If you need anything you can text me or ring me, I don't want you to yell. Where's your phone?" The younger man asked as the older took the medicine and drank down half the bottle of water. He looked around for a moment and then reached under his pillow and got his cell phone.
"Thank you. It's pretty charged so it should be okay. Do you want more water? Have you been drinking enough?" The young man asked as he looked at his father. His hair was a mess, tangled and his braids where coming loose. Maybe he should brush it and braid it back later once Ada bathed.
"I would appreciate another water. I haven't gotten up much all day but I drank a cup of water when I brushed my teeth." Thranduil said.
Legolas fetched him a water bottle and some blueberries because every time he's ever been sick he's been practically force fed the things.
"Ah, old tricks. Thank you." The older man said and popped a few berries in his mouth. Legolas watched him for a moment as he ate and drank and stretched his legs out. Legolas was about to leave but then an idea came to his mind.
"Ada, why don't you go ahead and get a bath. We can study a while and then I can brush your hair. I can sit on the back of the couch so you can stay wrapped up in your blanket. Just tell me when you get out." Legolas said and smiled as he watched his father nodded and stretched as he stood. He slouched for a moment and then stood up to his full height, so many pops and cracks radiated from his body.
"Hey Aragorn, we should do our homework first. Ada is getting a bath so I can do his hair. We can study while I do that, it's an event. He's sick so it'll be like an hour." Legolas said as he sat on the bed and leaned onto his boyfriend. He got a grunt in response and they got to work. They chatted a bit about work and school and this and that. And it did take an hour (and hour and a half actually) until there was a small knock at the door and Thranduil 's usually intimidating statue took up the doorway. He was slumped and his hair was hanging wet and loose around him, like a sad curtain. He had pulled on some sweatpants that ended above his ankle and an old worn light blue t-shirt. He looked at Legolas for a moment.
He didn't say anything but went and sat back down on the couch and wrapped himself in the nice blanket.
Legolas got his brush, comb, leave in conditioner, and a container of hair ties. Aragorn got his laptop and pulled open their advanced zoology flash cards. He followed the blonde out to the living room where the elder man was sitting crisscross wrapped in his blanket.
The dark haired boy sat in the chair close to the couch and Legolas climbed over his father so his knees were beside each shoulder and he had access to the beautiful white hair.
"Ada do you care if we do our flash cards?" Legolas asked as he gather up all the hair.
"No, I don't mind. My head doesn't hurt too much anymore. What's the subject?" Thranduil asked as he opened his eye and looked at the dark haired boy.
"Um.. zoology. We have finals next month. We have like 200 cards. It goes over everything. Sir." Aragorn said and didn't lift his eyes form the keyboard. Even in a sickened state Thranduil was quite intimidating. Legolas ran his fingers through the long hair a few times.
"Zoology... yes go ahead." The father nods and closes his eyes attempting to find comfort in the hands running through his hair.
The boys went back and forth for a while, while Legolas ran the comb through his fathers hair.
"Ada did you know that a shrimps heart is in its head? That's one of our fun facts we learned." Legolas said as he gathered three up on the hair and separated it into three groups.
"I did know that. Yondo, I worked at a zoo and aquarium. I know a lot about a lot. Especially animals." Thranduil said and tilted his head to help Legolas gather the hair closer to his face.
"Oh yeah... sorry Ada. How about you tell us one of your facts! I bet you can come up with a good one!" Legolas said excitedly. He started to weave the hair around his fingers into a beautiful pattern.
Thranduil hummed and thought for a moment.
"A platypus has no stomach." The oldest man said. The fingers froze still in his hair and then his son laughed.
"Ada how would you know that? Aragorn did you know that?" Legolas said excitedly and he tied the end of the long white braid. Aragorn shook his head.
"Read it in a book. Anteaters have no teeth, platypuses have no stomachs, and meerkat mothers kill meerkat kits if they're not their own. I could fetch my "Odd Behavior and Actions in The Animal Kingdom" book." Thranduil said and leaned forward so his son could slide down to sit beside him.
"Oh that would be wonderful! I'll go get it if you tell me where it's at! Is it on your bookshelf or in your desk or what?" Legolas asked and stood up. Thranduil smiled.
"I'll get it. I think it's time for this sick old man to go to bed. I'm sure you are tired of caring for my icky self. Goodnight Mime yondo, Sinye... Seldo" Thranduil said as he unwrapped himself and stood. He patted his son on the shoulder before slumping to his bedroom. Legolas watched with sad eyes.
Aragorn picked up his laptop and walked back to the younger's bedroom. But he turned and Legolas was still on the couch.
"Lisse? Babe? Are you coming?" Aragorn says questioningly. Legolas sighed and stood up to collect his supplies.
"Yes I'm fine. I just worry about him sometimes. I'll put my stuff up and say goodnight to him and I'll be right back." The blonde said and walked passed his boyfriend planting a quick light kiss onto his lips.
As the the dark haired boy settled onto the rather soft bed with his laptop, Legolas put his things away. He finished and walked back to his fathers bedroom door.
He knocked lightly and heard his father call for him to come in.
Thranduil was tucked into his bed with his blanket pulled up to his chin. Legolas walked over and leaned down to kiss his fathers forehead.
"I said goodnight Son. What do you need?" Thranduil said and yawned. Legolas just stood.
"I love you Ada. Just wanted to tell you that. You're the most beautifulest Ada ever. Me and Aragorn are going to be up for a while. Sleep well." Legolas said and left.
Thranduil smiled. Legolas always said that when Thranduil was feel down or sick. It all started a long time ago when Legolas so so young.
Him and Legolas would sit together in an old rocking chair and Legolas would calm down from the day and fall asleep. It was Legolas's mother's chair but Thranduil rocked the baby to sleep in it each night for years.
One night when Legolas was more energetic than usual...
"Ada, do you think spiders are scary? Tauriel told me she saw one and that it was scary." Legolas asked and looked up at his Ada.
"I don't think they're scary. Frightening and threatening, yes. But not scary." Thranduil answers shortly. Legolas had just started his 'curious about everything' phase. Or the Million Question phase.
"What do you think is scary then? Do you even get scared anymore?" Legolas asked and shifted to get a better look at Thranduil 's face.
"Yes I still get scared sometimes. Like when you got sick or when you hurt your leg. Beasts usually don't scare me anymore." Thranduil said and snuggled his son a bit closer to himself. He heard Legolas gasp a bit.
"Am I scary!? Why are you scared of me? I love you! Don't be scared of me!" Legolas said hurriedly. He wiggled until he stood up with his feet on each side of thranduils thighs. He was just tall enough to be even with his fathers face.
Thranduil laughed a bit.
"I love you too. I'm not scared of you, silly boy! I'm just scared of anything ever happening to you." Thranduil said and watched his sons face come to realization.
"Good! I know I'm a big boy but you don't need to be scared. I don't think you're scary either. My ada is far to~ pretty to be scary!" Legolas said and squished up his fathers cheeks. Thranduil felt his heart explode. Which happens maybe a million times a day. Thranduil thought for a moment though. His face fell into a solemn way when his son let his face free.
"Legolas... would you ever be scared of me? Evan if I didn't look like this?" Thranduil looked into those pretty little blue eyes. He didn't know how this would end but he hoped he wasn't about to make a mistake.
"Oh course I would! I love you no matter what! Why wouldn't you look like you?" The child asked.
"Legolas, Ada has a booboo. Remember when you hurt your leg and now you have that little scar? Well I have a much... nastier one on me. And sometimes it makes me ugly." Thranduil explained.
"Well you can show me. You're pretty! You'll always be pretty! Cause you're pretty in your heart!" The child said and waited to see his Adars scar.
Soon Thranduil looked down hand then half of his face warped and turned into a nasty melted hollow and one of his eyes faded to white.
Legolas gasped and his bottom lip stuck out. Thranduil thought he might cry but his son reached up and kissed his forehead.
"My Ada is the most beautifulest Ada ever."
With that memory in mind Thranduil 's drifted into a deep sleep and the next morning he woke up feeling much better.