The Ultimate Gigolas Fic Rec List

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So this summer I went through all the old archives (Axe and Bow, Axe & Bow, Of Elves and Men, The Library of Moria) and the not so old archives (AO3 and Henneth-Annun), combing through the tags and singling out the gigolas fics that picked my interest. I read a lot - and let me stress this, a LOT - of fics, and of all those fics I read, I've selected the best ones to share with y'all!

(I didn't go through fanfiction.net because that way lies madness, and I'm not that far gone yet. I might make another list if I go through that site in the future, but don't hold your breath.)

Anyway, thanks a lot to flamebyrd (thank you for your help with the posting!), meereseibe, surroundedbydorks, ichijoukenichiro, notanightlight, and everyone else at the gigolaschat for their encouragement, support, and valuable suggestions!

The list is divided in several categories: canon fic (subdivided into pre-slash, getting together fic, smut, pining, fluff, Valinor, h/c, telling the parents, and other), canon au, au, and gen. Yes, this is a long, long, long post. Be warned, but hopefully there will be something here that you will like. My personal favourites are marked with an asterisk (*). Let me know if you find any errors (broken links or so, but everything should work smoothly), and also if you're an author and think your fic should be in a different category, don't hesitate to contact me! :)

Also, here's the post on tumblr, if you'd like to reblog it or share it. :)

Without further ado, I present to you a list of 89 brilliant gigolas fics for your personal enjoyment.

Canon - Other

These are some rad fics and series that don't quite fit into my flimsy categories, but they're awesome and you should definitely check them out, so I'm putting them first.

Title: Untitled *
Author: airagorncharda
Words: 861
Rating: Unrated (though I'd say Teen for mentions of sex)
Summary: Legolas/Gimli (trans male Legolas)
Comment: This is a lovely fic in which Legolas is transmale and Gimli is just amazing. It's a short and beautiful piece.

Title: Contractual Obligations *
Author: Lumelle
Words: 33,568
Rating: General - Teen and Up
Comment: I decided to recommend the whole series instead of just one fic because… well, it's just amazing. One of my all time favourites, to be honest. You should check it out, it deals with many aspects of Legolas and Gimli's relationship, it has fluff and angst and some of my favourite headcanons ever. Plus, it has a happy ending, and some bagginshield and kiliel on the side.

Title: And the City shall be blessed * [This fic is currently down, as the author is editing it. Once the fic is reupped, I'll share the link again. :)]
Author: coraliance (wonderwomaneering)
Words: 18,141
Rating: Teen and Up
Summary: Rebuilding is going slow and five years into the new age, Minas Tirith is on the brink of civil unrest, almost caving under the number of its residents. When the people decide they know the culprits causing their plight, the king suspects sabotage and fears betrayal from councilmen he has come to trust. Yet he knows friends he can trust with anything, though they themselves may risk more than they bargain for when they try to get to the bottom of the intrigue that threatens their newfound peace.
Comment: This is a pretty rad fic with some bits of horror and gore. I really loved the universe, the whole premise of elves being blamed for the bad things that were happening (and thus harassed by the people of Gondor) was quite interesting, and the story is really well done - an exciting mystery, some social issues, and of course, gigolas love to spice it all up. It's great.

Title: Little Differences *
Author: Amuly
Words: 5,265
Rating: Explicit
Summary: Four Things Legolas and Gimli Found Differed Between Them... and One Thing That Was the Same.
Comment: This was the first gigolas fic I read, and the one that pretty much sold me the pairing entirely; it's bloody amazing. I just love everything about it - it's sweet, it's hot, it has lovely headcanons, and it deals with cultural differences and similarities and just… *sighs dreamily* read it, you won't regret it!

Title: Some Other Beginning's End
Author: determamfidd
Words: 4,955
Rating: Mature
Summary: There are first times that matter. And then there are those that never end.
Comment: This is a very beautiful fic that explores several moments in Legolas and Gimli's relationship. It's got both angst and fluff and, overall, it's just very beautiful and will give you lots of feels.

Title: Nine Observations
Author: Lisafer
Words: 3,260
Rating: General
Summary: The first time the members of the Fellowship recognized/acknowledged the potential in Legolas and Gimli as friends and/or more.This is written in honor of Gigolas Week. The first prompt was “First Times”.
Comment: This is quite a lovely fic, with the fellowship totally shipping gigolas.

Title: The Confession
Author: greenkangaroo
Words: 1,286
Rating: General
Summary: When all is said and done- the Ring destroyed, the orcs killed, the King of Men given back his rightful throne- there is still one more thing to admit to. Inspired by (currently) theoretical events to take place in The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug.
Comment: This fic is related to The Hobbit movie-verse. Legolas feels guilty about how he treated Glóin when he captured him, all those years ago. It's quite a funny one!

Title: Advice
Author: Theresa Green
Words: 7,729
Rating: Mature
Summary: Humorous vignette. Post ROTK. Aragorn turns to Legolas and Gimli for guidance on… ahem…a personal matter. Warnings: Adult theme. Lots of kinkiness. ‘Slightly-more-than-implied' slash, Legolas/Gimli
Comment: This is a very silly fic in which Aragorn asks Gimli and Legolas (his friends who are so obviously in love with one another) for tips on how to spice up his sex life with Arwen. They've got a lot of experience and a lot of ideas for him to try. Yeah, that's pretty much it.

Canon - Pre-Slash

In these fics, it is heavily implied that Legolas and Gimli have feelings for one another (or at least that one of them does), but they haven't acted upon them yet. Sometimes they're written from another character's POV.

Title: Night Watch
Author: Nezad JK
Word count: 369
Rated: General
Summary: A relationship's beginning seen through another's eyes.
Comment: This is a short drabble in which Boromir observes Legolas and Gimli, and figures out something about them. It's short and sweet.

Title: On the Precipice
Author: Angela
Words: 1,135
Rating: General
Summary: Falling in love. To Gimli it seemed an absurd concept, as though loving someone were to be compared to falling into a pond or from a cliff. As if there were any chance of righting yourself, of grasping a nearby tree or shrub and hauling yourself back to your feet and out of danger.
Comment: This is a lovely piece in which Gimli and Legolas argue about whether or not Aragorn did the right thing by asking Éowyn to stay behind and not get involved in battle, with some veiled implications about their own relationship. It's a subtle and beautiful piece.

Title: A warm night and a sudden realisation
Author: DiDaydreamer
Words: 1,034
Rating: Teen And Up
Summary: The night in Rohan is warm, Legolas gets an eyeful of a sleeping half-naked dwarf, and finds himself enjoying the sight far more than he thought he would.
Comment: This is one of those awesome fics in which Legolas stares at Gimli and finds him really, really hot.

Title: Untying Knots
Author: keelywolfe
Words: 934
Rating: General
Summary: Legolas combs Gimli's hair.
Comment: This is an adorable fic in which Legolas braids Gimli's hair, and it's got lots of pining.

Title: Beautiful
Author: celli
Words: 287
Rating: General
Summary: "You defined beauty as you had been taught."
Comment: Lovely drabble in which Legolas reflects upon Gimli's beauty.

Canon - Getting Together Fic

In these fics, the main plot is about Gimli and Legolas getting together. Of course, some of them also deal with other topics! But if you're looking for a fic about them confessing their love, this is the right place.

Title: They say of the elves
Author: brancher
Words: 1,700
Rating: Mature
Summary: You know what they say of the elves, that they'll tumble you as soon as look at you.
Comment: This is a cute fic, Gimli's POV, that deals with assumptions and cultural misunderstandings. It's one of the old fics, so it kind of disregards the canon facts about elves and marriage and sex, but it's still a nice read.

Title: A Conversation Upon Helm's Deep
Author: MJ
Words: 910
Rated: General
Summary: Two warriors engage in gentle flirtation between bouts of orc bashing.
Comment: A short, dialogue fic, with some innuendo and flirting, and some heartfelt confessions.

Title: Folk of Different Race
Author: Lemur
Word count: 9,798
Rated: General
Summary: "Fast friends" doesn't mean it was smooth.
Comment: This fic sees Legolas and Gimli wishing to fulfill Gandalf's request that they try to be friendly to one another. It deals with how their friendship (and something else too) developed when they stayed in Lothlórien with the rest of the Fellowship.

Title: The Last Victory *
Author: senatorcretak
Words: 945
Rating: Unrated (but I'd say General)
Summary: Based on the prompt “You can trust me.”
Comment: Gimli and Legolas have a heartfelt conversation after the war.

Title: The Wine and the Moon
Author: Mantida
Words: 1,630
Rating: General
Summary: A blatantly romantic 'first kiss' story.
Comment: Legolas and Gimli confess their feelings for one another in Minas Tirith, after having a few drinks.

Title: Promise
Author: cimorene
Words: 11,961
Rating: Mature
Summary: During the end of FOTR, book canon, with mild spoilers. Legolas comes to terms with what he wants.
Comment: Legolas and Gimli become friends and get together in Lothlórien. It has some pining and misunderstandings, it's quite a sweet one.

Title: Braids
Author: CaptainLeBubbles
Words: 3,222
Rating: Teen And Up
Summary: Different cultures place value on different things. Legolas learns what braiding means to Dwarves.

Comment: Adorable, fluffy fic about braiding, with some cultural misunderstandings and pining.

Title: Beneath the Crystal Canopy
Author: errandofmercy
Words: 9,556
Rating: Explicit
Summary: During their journey to the Glittering Caves, Legolas makes a painful discovery. Coming out to oneself, angst, and a not-so-surprising ending. Definitely not based on personal experience XD
Comment: This is a very beautiful story in which Legolas has to come to terms with his feelings about Gimli and all that it entails. It's a lovely read.

Title: Higher than the Stars
Author: clearbluewater
Words: 1,981
Rating: General
Summary: Legolas confessed his love to Gimli in the Glittering Caves. Or at least, he thought he did. Aragorn cheats on his strict diet of elvish nonsense to set Legolas straight. Legolas tries again in Fangorn Forest, with much better results.
Comment: Cute, fluffy fic where cultural differences lead to misunderstandings.

Title: Watermark
Author: Gloria Lancaster
Words: 1,189
Rating: Teen
Summary: Watermark
Comment: Written from Legolas' POV,  in this fic Legolas spies on Gimli while he bathes in a river.

Canon - Smut

Some are Plot What Plot, and some aren't, but the sex is still quite predominant in all of these fics.

Title: For the Love of Leaves
Author: Oakenshield
Words: 4,609
Rating: Adult
Summary: In Fangorn, Legolas helps Gimli enjoy the song of the trees and something magical happens.
Comment: Gimli and Legolas visit Fangorn and have sex. Somehow the forest gets involved in it.

Title: Chamber of the Dancing Rainbows
Author: Scooterkitty
Words: 7,136
Rating: Adult
Summary: While spelunking in the Glittering Caves, Legolas and Gimli are trapped by a cave-in. After several hours, a claustrophobic Legolas starts to freak. However will Gimli calm the frantic Elf down?
Comment: While visiting the Glittering Caves, Legolas and Gimli get trapped. Legolas gets very upset and claustrophobic, and Gimli attempts to to help him relax via sex. Warning for anxiety and claustrophobia.

Title: An Unspoken Attraction
Author: Marie Noire
Words: 3,831
Rating: Teen
Summary: Takes place in the book-universe after the retaking of Isengard, blatant PWP.
Comment: Legolas fusses over Gimli when he finds out he got hurt during the Battle of Helm's Deep. Sex ensues.

Title: We Must Hold Together
Author: Sam Littlefoot
Words: 4,983
Rated: Adult
Summary: While following the Uruks who have captured Merry and Pippin, Legolas and Gimli discover a common attraction.
Comment: Legolas and Gimli overcome their doubts and finally sleep together.

Title: The Challenge *
Author: Theresa Green
Words: 2,625
Rating: Explicit
Summary: Gimli and Legolas get competitive in the bedroom.
Comment: Gimli challenges Legolas to stay silent during sex. It's got some sub/dom themes.

Title: Chamber of Lovers
Author: Adina
Words: 4,035
Rating: Adult
Summary: Prequel to Back to the Beginning. Legolas visits the Glittering Caves for the first time with Gimli
Comment: It's a prequel, but it can be read independently. It's basically what the summary says - while visiting the Glittering Caves, Legolas and Gimli come across a suggestive formation.

Title: Lessons in Gardening
Author: Little My
Words: 3,874
Rating: Adult
Summary: Set after ROTK, in Ithilien. Legolas gardens, Gimli works as a stone mason. Gimli thinks gardens are boring. Conversation *ahem* ensues.
Comment: In Ithilien, Gimli is bored and seduces Legolas while he attempts to do some gardening.

Title: Hot Water
Author: Sarah K
Words: 1,493
Rating: Adult
Summary: Beard washing. This scene takes place in the Return to Mirkwood timeline, shortly after Legolas and Gimli arrive in Greenwood.
Comment: Legolas helps Gimli wash his beard, and sexytimes ensue.

Title: Homecoming
Author: oldflame
Words: 2,694
Rating: Explicit
Summary: Gimli and Legolas take turns visiting each other's colonies in Aglarond and Ithilien, respectively. It is not an insignificant distance.
Comment: This is a nice fic with some cool headcanons, post-ROTK.

Canon - Pining

I put all these fics on another category because they've got some awesome, massive pining. Some of them are get-together fics, and in some others Gimli and Legolas are in a relationship already.

Title: Total Eclipse *
Author: Marie Noire
Words: 10,010
Rating: Adult
Summary: After the War of the Ring, Legolas and Gimli go their separate ways, but cannot stop thinking of each other. Friendship is thicker than blood, to quote Rent.
Comment: Songfic. Legolas and Gimli miss each other terribly when they have to part for a visit to Eryn Lasgalen and Erebor. It's a really feels-y one!

Title: Sense and Sensuality
Author: Almas Muse
Words: 33,700
Rating: Adult
Summary: Aragorn is on a relief mission to help restore a town and establish relations. When random factors come together to cause strange behavior in Legolas, Aragorn begins to learn of the elf's hidden relationship and the strength of dwarven love.
Comment: Legolas and Gimli are bonded by the dwarven ritual, but it makes them react in ways they didn't quite expect. It's basically one of those bonding fics in which, if they don't have sex soon, they could die. The situation is tense because Legolas is away with Aragorn, helping him rebuild a small town (which has some interesting characters of its own). It's a bit of a slowburn (even if their relationship's established), but cute. A warning for mild violence (the bond makes Legolas have some disturbing dreams).

Title: On the Cold Hill Side
Author: marycrawford
Words: 24,938
Rating: General
Summary: In the end, Gimli thinks, Legolas will steal his heart and sail away with it, and even the wonders of the Glittering Caves are not enough consolation for that loss. But when Aragorn calls for Gimli's help in dismantling the hidden traps of Orthanc, everything changes.
Comment: Beautiful fic, with lots and lots of pining. Seriously it will tear your heart out and fill the void with feels and you will love every minute of it. Wonderful.

Title: Lost and Found
Author: rainbowdalek
Words: 12,476
Rating: Teen and Up
Summary: Galadriel sends Legolas and Gimli on a quest. She's asked them to find a missing amulet, but she's hoping they find each other along the way.
Comment: Matchmaker!Galadriel!!! This is a brilliant fic with lots of sweet pining and misunderstandings. Very enjoyable!

Title: Lords of Misrule
Author: FabulaRasa
Words: 11,509
Rating: Mature
Summary: After all battles are over and all victories declared, Gimli and Legolas take a journey to Fangorn together.
Comment: These is an incredibly heart-wrenching fic that involves a lot of pining and misunderstandings (cultural and of all types). It's a fandom favourite, and quite rightly so, so you should definitely check it out!

Title: The Secrets of the Lonely Mountain *
Author: Lisafer
Words: 14,220
Rating: General
Summary: Legolas is sent to Erebor after the War of the Ring, where he's given the chance to meet up with Gimli again. Predominantly book-verse. And I feel it should be subtitled "Adventures in Moodiness: Featuring an Elf and a Dwarf".
Comment: OMG this fic… *sobs* This is an amazingly beautiful fic full of cultural misunderstandings and pining and gaaaaah. I can't make a coherent comment about it, just give it a go. It's amazing and you won't regret it.

Title: Just Maybe
Author: telemachus
Words: 51,447
Rating: Explicit
Summary: so, how do you cope with all the history of different races, how do you cope with being the only one of a group who has a certain culture? and maybe, just maybe..........
Comment: This is a fandom favourite! It's a super long, painfully slow-burn fic in which the main obstacles for Gimli and Legolas' relationships are their misunderstandings and stubbornness. It's got some interesting headcanons about dwarves and sex.

Canon - Fluff

Sweet, lovely, fluffy fics that made me go “aaaaaaaawwwwww!” and scream in fangirl delight.

Title: Idyll *
Author: Adina
Words: 375
Rating: Teen and Up
Summary: none A/N: I'm including this snippet. It's more of a writing exercise than a story, trying to get Legolas's and Gimli's "voices" down. Opinions would be helpful, even flames.
Comment: Just a drabble with some sweet flirting between Legolas and Gimli. Cute as hell.

Title: Through Rohan *
Author: Jacquez H. Valentine
Words: 798
Rating: Teen
Summary: A quiet moment of companionship; a break in the action.
Comment: Legolas and Gimli sweet-talking one another.

Title: Snowbound *
Author: Little My
Words: 2,649
Rating: Teen and Up
Summary: Sometimes getting stranded by the weather is not a bad thing. A vignette from the Lessons in Gardening and Telling of Tales series.
Comment: Though related to Lessons in Gardening, and The Telling of Tales (also shared in this rec post),  it can be read on its own. This is an adorable, domestic fic. Legolas and Gimli are trapped by the snow, and since they can't return to Ithilien or the Glittering Caves at the moment, they attempt to make the most of it. Ridiculously cute.

Title: On the Subject of Titles *
Author: Azarad
Words: 288
Rating: Teen and Up
Summary: On the Subject of Titles. Message Fragments found in Southern Archives...
Comment: A very short and very sweet epistolary fic.

Title: Timeless Moment
Author: Legion
Words: 1,212
Rating: General
Summary: *G* Just what the title says.
Comment: Established relationship. Legolas and Gimli have a sweet, short conversation on their way to Isengard, after the Battle of Helm's Deep. I think the rating should be a bit higher, perhaps, if only for the innuendo.

Title: Jewels of Flowers - Hope for better days
Author: elletromil
Words: 1,326
Rating: General
Summary: Sometime, a flower is simply something beautiful to gaze at. Other times, it is much more.
Comment: This is a short fic that has some of my favourite tropes in recent fics - hair braiding, and flower meanings. It's lovely.

Title: Once Upon a Time There Was an Elf
Author: clearbluewater
Words: 2,539
Rating: General
Summary: Legolas tells a story to his and Gimli's son to help him go to sleep.
Comment: What the description says. It's a ridiculously adorable one that you'll love.

Canon - Valinor and Beyond

These fics are dated around time time Legolas and Gimli sail for the West, or when they're living in Valinor. Some of them are about sailing, some of them are about mortality and Gimli's eventual death.

Title: Undying *
Author: Adina
Words: 1,813
Rating: General
Summary: The Undying Lands can heal the hurts of mind and spirit but it cannot give immortality to a mortal body; it can only delay the inevitable. Bilbo's death drives home an unpleasant truth for Legolas.
Comment: Warning for character death. This is a very beautiful fic in which Legolas has to come to terms with the fact that Gimli will die, and goes to Mahal to beg for an alternative. It's a prequel to Back to the Beginning, but it can be read on its own without reading the next one.

Title: Back to the Beginning *
Author: Adina
Words: 7,687
Rating: Teen and Up
Summary: Dwarves have many strange tales and beliefs about themselves and their fate after death.
Comment: In this fic, Gimli reincarnates and Legolas, immortal elf, searches for him each life. It's sequel to Undying, but it can be read on its own. Warning for character death (it doesn't have a happy ending, I'm afraid, so if you liked the somewhat hopeful note of Undying, perhaps you should avoid this one.)

Title: Where You Will Go I Will Go
Author: LaDonnaErrante
Words: 1,238
Rating: Teen and Up
Summary: Legolas and Gimli prepare to depart Middle Earth but Legolas hesitates. It's not the gender of Legolas' lover that he's reluctant to tell his family about; it's the species.
Comment: Legolas' first person POV. This fic explores Legolas' concerns about elves' prejudices and judgment over his and Gimli's relationship, before travelling to Valinor.

Title: Strange and Uncomely
Author: Culumacilinte
Words: 1,131
Rating: General
Summary: ‘None other than Dwarves know our language, this is true, for Khuzdul was the Maker's gift to us. And so the names which we give to the world are not in that tongue; that name, our root-name, is kept a secret and not even carved on our tombs.'
Comment: A very sweet fic that deals with the topic of secret dwarf names.

Title: Things of Subtlety and Beauty *
Author: Culumacilinte
Words: 2,359
Rating: General
Summary: It is held among the Elves that when Dwarves die, they return to the rock from whence they were hewn in the beginning, but that is not the belief of the Dwarves. It is said in their lore that they are accorded a place in the Halls of Mandos which Aulë their maker has set aside for them, and this is indeed the truth.
Comment: This is the sequel to Strange and Uncomely, but I'm reccing it too because it's pretty awesome. Yavanna makes a visit to Gimli!

Title: Closer
Author: FlukeOfFate
Words: 13,465
Rating: Teen and Up
Summary: As Gimli reaches his final moments, Legolas reflects on their relationship, its trials and its triumphs. Is it possible for a Dwarf and Elf to truly become one? Or will they never be close enough?
Comment: Warning for character death. This is another fandom favourite that you should definitely check out! I particularly liked the way it portrayed Gimli and Legolas' relationship, with their good, fluffy parts, but also their fights. It's a very good one.

Title: Until the Second Song
Author: clearbluewater
Words: 3,508
Rating: General
Summary: Legolas didn't know how he knew. He didn't know how he could feel the life slowly flowing out of Gimli, like a flawed cup.
Comment: This is a very sad one, that deals with the fact that Gimli will die in Valinor and Legolas will be left alone. *sobs*

Title: The Undying *
Author: Angela
Words: 20,197
Rating: Teen And Up
Summary: “I was wondering,” Gimli had said at the beginning of it. “Isn't it about time you get started on that boat of yours?” It has been over one hundred years since the War of the Ring. Gimli and a dwarf girl named Mâglah help Legolas build his ship to sail into the west. While they are working, Legolas realizes that there are a lot of things that have been long unexpressed between him and his dearest friend, things that must be said and done before it is too late.
Comment: OMG, this fic, this bloody fic will rip your heart off. It's just incredibly poetic, beautiful, and very, very sad. Warning for character death. It's got an amazing original character too! It's really great, guys, but you're gonna suffer.

Title: Why Do The White Gulls Cry?
Author: jcrycolr3wradc
Words: 2,160
Rating: General
Summary: Legolas could only ever try to arrange the best for his beloved.
Comment: Warning for character death. This is a sad fic about how Legolas deals with Gimli's passing in Valinor.

Canon - Hurt/Comfort

These fics deal with a variety of topics, but all of them have some H/C in it (sometimes it being the main point of the fic, sometimes just a sort of background), so I put them all in the same category.

Title: The Hill of Erech
Author: Daisy Norbury
Words: 3,155
Rating: Teen
Summary: The Paths of the Dead are a serious trial for our favorite dwarf. Legolas pep-talks him afterward.
Comment: Emotional Hurt/Comfort. Gimil is upset and can't sleep around ghosts. Legolas attempts to help.

Title: All I Ever Ask
Author: Almas Muse
Words: 2,118
Rating: General
Summary: Uncharted love gives rise to uncertainties about the future. Legolas and Gimli explore the depth of their love in the midst of homecoming. Can be regarded as a continuation of In Fangorn.
Comment: Legolas is reluctant to go back to Mirkwood; he's a bit insecure about their relationship, and Gimli helps him overcome his fears.

Title: The Telling of Tales*
Author: Little My
Words: 6,518
Rating: Teen and Up
Summary: A continuation of Lessons in Gardening, although this can be read by itself. The new colonies have been established in Ithilien and Aglarond, and Gimli and Legolas rendezvous in their little house. This story contains much description of households and eatables, not much action, gratuitous use of sea-longing, reinterpreting of and poking fun at the Silmarillion, hair pulling and references to smelly elves.
Comment: Though related to Lessons in Gardening, it can be read on its own. In this fic, Legolas and Gimli have their own place between Ithilien and the Glittering Caves, where they meet often. Except when Gimli comes to meet Legolas this time, he's taken by an attack of sea longing. Gimli attempts to sooth him in many ways, including telling him stories about dwarves from long ago. It's bittersweet, domestic, funny, angsty, and cute. I quite liked it.

Title: The Sound Below Sound *
Author: Dorinda
Words: 35,449
Rating: Teen And Up
Summary: When the Grey Company escapes from the Paths of the Dead with an army of ghosts at their heels, Legolas believes that everyone who entered the Dark Door has emerged again unharmed. He's wrong. Some wounds cannot be seen.
Comment: This is an amazing fic which explores Gimli's fears while going through the Paths of the Dead and how it affected him afterwards. It's slow-burn, and it deals with anxiety and panic in a very marvellous way. I highly recommend it.

Title: The Elf and the Spear
Author: And_Dream_Of_Erebor
Words: 3,263
Rating: Teen And Up
Summary: After the defeat of the Dark Lord, Gimli and Legolas are helping the soldiers of Gondor fight a small group of stray Orcs. The task proves to be harder than they expected. An Orc throws a spear at Gimli, and Legolas throws himself in front of Gimli to protect him. Gimli has to deal with the fact that Legolas, who was supposed to live forever, is gravely injured and possibly dying because of him.
Comment: A warning for violence. This is a lovely hurt/comfort fic in which Legolas is harmed and Gimli freaks out.

Title: So Cloaked and So Crowned
Author: determamfidd
Words: 5,991
Rating: Mature
Summary: Legolas might not know what a Dwarf's beard and braids mean, but he does know Gimli. Gimli must trust in that when the rest is taken from him.
Comment: A warning for violence that's potentially triggering. Gimli is attacked by some dwarves who don't approve of his friendship with an elf. Legolas tries his best to give him comfort. It's quite a good one, with a special emphasis on dwarf culture and the importance of beards and braids.

Canon - Telling the Parents

All these fics involved either telling Thranduil or Glóin about the relationship, or their reactions after they find out.

Title: Living for the Love of You
Author: Almas Muse
Words: 2,548
Rating: General
Summary: Thranduil discovers the true nature of his son's relationship with Gimli and must come to terms with Legolas' decision in a new age after the war.
Comment: Legolas tries to keep his relationship with Gimli a secret (or at least, he doesn't openly tell Thranduil about it); when Thranduil finds out, he confronts Legolas. I like this one because I'm a sucker for Thranduil and Legolas' interactions (without the “I hate your dwarf and I'll disown you!” trope).

Title: From One Age to Another
Author: determamfidd
Words: 12,118
Rating: General
Summary: Upon their return to Eryn Lasgalen and Erebor respectively, Legolas and Gimli each have a new adornment. Their fathers would like an explanation. (They're not going to like it.) L/G, mostly bookverse, some movie elements.
Comment: A heart-wrenching telling the parents fic, with tattoos! It's quite nice, check it out.

Title: Suddenly In-Laws
Author: NichePastiche
Words: 1,251
Rating: General
Summary: A Legolas/Gimli fic, featuring Gloin and Thranduil. Gloin and Thranduil find out about their sons' relationship when they walk in on the two sleeping together.(FYI: that was not a euphemism)
Comment: In this fic, Glóin and Thranduil have a discussion in an attempt to deal with the fact that their sons are together.

Title: Requests
Author: khazadqueen (ama)
Words: 2,856
Rating: General
Summary: Thranduil is willing to give Legolas and Gimli his permission and his hospitality--but not his blessing.
Comment: This is a funny fic in which Thranduil asks a request of Gimli before granting his permission for Legolas to marry him. It deals, of course, with elf-dwarf cultural differences, and it's kind of very adorable.

Canon AU

In these fics, the setting is very close the the books/movies, but there might be a particular altered detail that affected the story significantly (for example - Fíli is king, Legolas and Gimli meet before the Council, or don't meet there, etc…).

Title: At Journey's End
Author: Kris
Words: 8,311
Rating: Teenage
Summary: Legolas makes the journey for his hearts
Comment: I list this one as AU because Legolas and Gimli don't seem to have become lord of Ithilien and the Glittering Caves. It's been twenty years since Legolas last saw Gimli when he feels the pull of the sea; as a result, Legolas decides to find Gimli and finally confess his feelings for him, before sailing.

Title: The Story Teller
Author: Qualli
Words: 1,509
Rating: Teen
Comment: In this AU, Legolas doesn't sail for the Undying Lands, but remains in Middle-Earth with the dwarves of Aglarond even after Gimli's passing. He sort of becomes their official story teller, with time. Warning: it is quite sad, and it has character death.

Title: The Myriad Adventures of Goblin Mutant and Graceless Cat
Author: chapstickaddict
Words: 23,031
Rating: Teen
Summary: After reclaiming Erebor, Legolas cannot say he's surprised to learn that his Guard Captain ran off with a dwarf. Planning to stalk the Crown Prince to find where the lovers ran off to, he ends up far from home with an unimpressed and overly armed older brother, a hobbit skilled in serving cookies with a healthy dose of guilt on the side, and a small red-headed tag-along that sends his head spinning in more ways than one.
Comment: This is ridiculously adorable. Legolas and Gimli's interactions are awesome and spot-on, Fíli is a freaking star, and the whole thing will just fill you with fluffiness and warmth. It's seriously cute.
Alternate Universe

In these fics, either Middle-Earth is significantly altered (it's still Middle-Earth but how it'd be in the future, or it's geographically and culturally different), or they don't take place in Middle-Earth at all (like modern AUs and that kind of thing).

Title: Title: Nothing Doth Fade (But Suffers a Sea-Change)
Author: notanightlight
Words: 16,516
Rating: Teen and Up
Summary: Gimli has always heard stories about the seals that lived near the cliffs of Castle Durin. “They aren't what they seem,” they'd tell him. Gimli never knew what to think of those stories, until the night he met a stranger on the shore, with the sea in his eyes and moonlight on his skin.
Comment: A beautiful, fairytale-like AU that will fill you with feels. The atmosphere is superb, and the story is really good.

Title: The Second-Breakfast Club *
Authors: Angela and Lisafer
Words: 62,733
Rating: Teen and Up
Summary: It was a shame that they ended up getting detention at all. Sometimes their school was too uptight to be believed. He thought his own detention was pretty sketchy, too, but Elrond himself had doled it out, and protesting would only keep Aragorn on his bad side even longer.
Comment: This fic is seriously amazing. It's one of my top favourites. Based on “The Breakfast Club”, you've got the fellowship as silly teenagers. The events from the books are more or less represented here greatly. It has amazing characterisation. It's funny and exciting and it will give you a lot of feels. It's truly a gem. Also, make sure to check out it's ongoing sequel, Closer, which is entirely centred in Legolas and Gimli's relationship.

Title: Radioactive (Welcome to the New Age) *
Author: CoaxionUnlimited
Words: 10,684
Rating: Teen and Up
Summary: In a world where Sauron's power had a much more visible effect, Legolas finds himself on a quest to save his world from the forces of evil. On the way, he learns about the world outside of his forest, finds out something about himself, and maybe even falls in love.
Comment: This is such an interesting universe! The world is quite polluted by Sauron's forces, and people have to go around wearing masks and whatnot. It's pretty rad. The atmosphere is quite nice too, it reminded me a bit of Hayao Miyazaki's film “Naausica”. And the gigolas is, of course, lovely.

Title: The Pirates of Erebor
Author: mckittericks
Words: 25,170
Rating: Explicit
Summary: The pirates of Erebor have long troubled the isle of Greenwood, but when they kidnap an elven lady for ransom, they don't get exactly what, or rather who, they bargained for.
Comment: This fic is so much fun! Legolas pretends to be one of his (female) cousins to spare her from being kidnapped by Erebor pirates (just let that sink in… this is a pirate AU, and it's pretty amazing), but he might get a little more involved that he expected. Gimli is just a freaking smooth gentleman whom you'll love completely, and the whole story is pretty sweet and exciting.

Title: Knowledge and Light *
Author: Flamebyrd
Words: 30,363
Rating: Teen And Up
Summary: He knew leaving his home and going to university would change him. He didn't realise what that meant.
Comment: Ugh, this bloody fic. This. Bloody. Fic. It's so good I don't know I can't focus on just a few things to comment, but I'll try. The universe is amazing - It's Middle-Earth, but like it'd be in the 1930s. The races are intact, then, so you've got cultural differences (even among the elves!), and frankly, a lot of interesting things going on everywhere you look. The characterisation is amazing, the plot involves more or less everything from the books. You'll fall in love with the characters again. And gosh, the gigolas is so good; a sort of slow-burn, with lots of pining. It's seriously great, you won't regret reading it! And I suppose it can be a good start if you'd like to read an AU but you're not willing to just drop Middle-Earth and everything about the mythology entirely. It's an AU, but you can still get the distinct feeling of Tolkien-verse here.

Title: Across the Pond *
Author: errandofmercy
Words: 15,274
Rating: Explicit
Summary: Legolas, only son of the last Earl of Mirkwood, finally convinces his father to grant him one year to explore the world outside of his father's estate. He travels across the pond to the American city of Edan, where fate and a lost bow bring him face-to-face with his first real friend and his own late-blooming sexuality. Fluff and humor with a cherry (yes, that kind) on top.
Comment: An adorable coming of age story about Legolas travelling to the US to find himself. And he finds himself and Gimli! It's just lovely, it really captures the feeling of being in a foreign culture, and that mixture of excitement and panic that being away from home and finally with yourself can bring.

Title: Captive
Author: Oh_Lumos
Words: 678
Rating: General
Summary: Legolas is taken away from his Dwarf.
Comment: This is a nice drabble that proposes a very interesting AU in which Gimli and Legolas are part of some kind of revolution against Sauron. It's pretty nice, I quite liked it, and I confess I ended up wanting a bit more about this ‘verse.

Title: Surf's up (and so am I)
Author: telemachus
Words: 2,274
Rating: Teen And Up
Summary: Elves are natural surfers, dwarves - are not. Don't make bets you aren't prepared to win.
Comment: This is a very rad fic in which Legolas and Tauriel are surfers, and Gimli and Kíli stare. Make sure to check out Lisafer's remix, And I Need It So Bad (Surf's Up).

Title: Tonight the headphones will deliver you the words that I can't say *
Author: Flamebyrd
Words: 1,982
Rating: Teen And Up
Summary: In which the Hobbits arrange a surprise birthday restaurant-crawl for Frodo, and Legolas is afflicted with an uncomfortable realisation.
Comment: This is such a cool universe! They're college roommates, and everything is beautiful and nothing hurts. The races are intact, so you've got wee hobbits, and the complications of a dwarf-elf relationship, and whatnot, check it out, it's seriously great.

Title: Of Coffee, Beards, and Braids
Author: allourheroes
Words: 667
Rating: General
Summary: Gimli was busy irrationally hating the tall man in front of him in the coffee shop.
Comment: This is a ridiculously adorable college AU drabble in which Legolas is a total flirt and Gimli is hangovered.

Title: SpiderBiters
Author: lotenots
Words: 2,506
Rating: Teen And Up
Summary: When Lord of the Rings falls into a Roller Derby AU. Tauriel is a no-nonsense cop being coerced into joining the local Roller Derby team by her coworker and friend Eowyn.
Comment: This has gigolas only briefly mentioned and on the side, but I wanted to rec it anyway because I really like the universe.

Gen

These fics don't really have slash (although some of them hint at it a bit), but they're focused on Legolas and Gimli and they're still pretty cool, so I wanted to share them.

Title: Fissures
Author: Thundera Tiger
Words: 3,587
Rating: General
Summary: Gimli's rather unorthodox plans for the Glittering Caves raise a few questions and more than a few concerns about his friendship with a certain elf...
Comment: This is a nice, short fic that acknowledges the opposition Gimli may have encountered when trying to adjust his and his people's ways in his new settling, for being judged to be ‘too elvish.'

Title: A Simple Wound
Author: CocoaB
Words: 38,597
Rating: Teen
Summary: Gimli is asked to keep a secret that could spell disaster for more than one member of the Fellowship.
Comment: This is an AU fic. Legolas and Gimli's friendship is developed as they travel from Moria to Lothlórien, while they have to keep secret the fact that Legolas is injured (that's why it's an AU). It's well-written and very interesting, dealing with their prejudices and mistrust and how their own actions either challenge or reinforce their assumptions about one another. Warning for violence.

Title: No Other Hands
Author: Adina
Words: 1,214
Rating: Teen
Summary: The care of blades after Helm's Deep
Comment: After Helm's Deep, Legolas asks Gimli to take a look at his weapons. It's got a bit of cultural misunderstandings and building bridges.

Title: Contemplating Old Sayings
Author: Sheela
Words: 4,497
Rating: General
Summary: After being trapped by heavy rainfalls inside the Golden Hall for days, Legolas reacts and Gimli contemplates an old saying of the dwarves.
Comment: Legolas and Gimli are bored as hell after being trapped in Edoras by a heavy storm. Just a cute, gen fic with Legolas being his “crazy elf” self, with a bit of insight to the interactions between dwarves and elves (or the prejudices they have about each other).

Title: Conversation between Wood and Stone
Author: A. Tye
Words: 1,246
Rating: General
Summary: A conversation in Lothlórien
Comment: Legolas and Gimli becoming friends in Lothlórien. I like this one in particular because they talk about the Balrog and how it affected both of them.

Title: Snowfall
Author: sheraiahWednesdayschild
Words: 7,316
Rating: General
Summary: Legolas and Gimli travel from the Elvenking's halls to the Lonely Mountain for Yule following the Ring War. Things, as usual, do not go as planned.
Comment: Gimli and Legolas are travelling to Erebor when Gimli falls into a frozen river. Legolas has to take him to the Mountain to nurse him back into health, where he meets Gimli's relatives and friends. It's a bit of an odd one, but I like it because it has a lot of dwarves in it, heh.

Title: Gimli: The Owner's Guide and Maintenance Manual
Author: Theresa Green
Rating: Adult
Words: 2,013
Summary: This text, recently discovered in the Chamber of Mazarbul, is the ultimate guide to Gimli, son of Gloin. This is the user guide that was described by “The Khazad-dum Times” as “Worth its weight in mithril”.
Comment: Just a crack fic that goes as the description says.

Title: Legolas: The Owner's Guide and Maintenance Manual
Author: Theresa Green
Words: 2,223
Rating: General
Summary: At last! The definitive User Guide to everyone's favourite wood-elf. Warning: relentless innuendo.
Comment: Crack fic, related to the previous one.

Title: A Nest for Birds to Sit and Sing
Author: plinys
Words: 1,945
Rating: General
Summary: Within hours of arriving that camp, a hierarchy had sorted itself out among the troops, one that put Gimli's troop near the bottom of the list and Troop 5126 at the top, though that was mostly because they had high-tech GPS's and went to some fancy prep school that celebrities sent their kids too.
Comment: This is ridiculously adorable kid fic. Camping AU! It's just the sweetest ever, you should check it out.

Title: The Water of Oblivion
Author: And_Dream_Of_Erebor
Words: 5,166
Rating: General
Summary: On their way home from their quest, Legolas and Gimli fall into the same stream Bombur had fallen into in The Hobbit. Losing all memory of the quest and of one another, they assume that they are enemies.
Comment: This one is quite a bit of fun!