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Chapter Text

Dís Durin was lonely. She hated it. She ran an Arda 500 publishing company and had hundreds of people in her personal rolodex. But her only child had gone off to college and she just felt alone. So she walked around her neighborhood window shopping after a long day in the office, hoping to feel better. Four blocks from her apartment building, she saw a shop called PUBlications and took it as a sign.

As soon as she stepped inside, she felt at home. The shop turned out to be an Eighteenth Century pub that had been updated to include bookshelves along the front and left walls. On the right side of the establishment, many patrons sat happily at sturdy tables with pints of beer, reading. She browsed the stacks and noticed many of the books were published by her own company, including a special section of Bilbo Baggins’ novels. He was one of her most prolific and highest income-generating authors. She pulled out a copy of the latest edition and headed for the register.

A young blond man smiled at her and scanned the book. He was barely older than her son, Kili. “Would you like to pay here or put it on a tab and have a seat?”

“I’m sorry?” She wasn’t quite sure what he meant.

A tall brunet yelled at him from behind the bar, “Fili! There’s a table by the back window open if she wants a seat.”

Fili. She smiled at how it was so similar to her own child’s name. And thanks to the bartender, she understood what he meant. “I’ll take the table. Thank you.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He poked a few buttons on the tablet. “What name can I put down for you?”

“Dís…”

“Perfect, Miss Dís. Thank you.” He waved his arm toward the available table. “I’m afraid I’m only allowed to work in the book section, but my uncle will show you to a good seat and take your order. We’re happy you joined us today.”

A shorter man with sandy blond curls waved to her from the end of the bar. “Right this way, Miss…” He paused and looked at a smaller tablet in his hand, “Dís!” Welcome.” He pulled out her chair and smoothly slid it back in under her. “What can I get for you?”

The table was spotless and clearly antique. She was impressed. “What do you have on tap?”

He reeled off the selection like he said it five hundred times a day, but still smiled as he did, “Bracegirdle Bock, Longbeard Lager, Proudfoot Stout, Angry Apple Hard Cider, or a Shandy if you prefer.”

The bartender yelled over, “We’ve got some Gamgee Mead left in the growlers, too, Bilbo.”

“Bilbo?” she asked, waving her book.

He blushed. “Yes, well, my husband and nephews thought it was good business to make sure we put them out front.”

Dís laughed merrily. “I suppose I should confess that I’m your publisher then.”

“Mrs. Durin? Why didn’t you say anything? We could have made you something special?”

Dís waved to indicate the whole place. “I’d say you’ve made something very special.”

The bartender came out and offered his hand. “Hello. I’m Thorin Oakenshield.” He pointed at the flustered Bilbo, “His husband. And that,” he indicated the blond she had already met, “is our nephew Fíli. We have one more nephew, Frodo, but he is visiting his grandfather today. Thank you for all your company has done for our family.”

“It was my pleasure. Mr. Baggins has made me a great deal of money, too.” She replied, sincerely. “Won’t you join me?”

Thorin and Bilbo sat and visited for several minutes until another patron gently knocked his empty mug on the table. Thorin got up to pour him another and dropped off a shandy for Dís along the way.

Dís felt so welcome that she dropped in several times a week. Before long, she and Bilbo were cooking up plot bunnies over shandies. They invited her for dinner at least once a month.

She wasn’t lonely anymore. And in gratitude, she offered Fili a summer internship at Lonely Mountain Media. She was fully aware of his plan to go back and take over the bookshop, but working at the publishing company would give him fuller experience with the industry. After much coaxing from his uncles to go and live a little before burying himself in books, Fíli finally accepted.

Kíli came home from school during Fíli’s third week on the job. The scion bounded into his mother’s office carrying a picnic lunch and a full load of gossip. Ignoring whoever was inside his mother's office like he usually did, he plopped the basket in the middle of her desk, blocking the blond’s view of his boss and cutting into the very short window of time Dís had to explain the emergency project she needed him to handle.

“Food´s getting cold,” Kíli said. He padded over to her and bent at the waist to plant a loud kiss to her cheek. His point was to establish dominance, but the off white graphic tee he wore rode up and flashed Fíli a peek at the lacey border of a soft lavender colored thong over the waistband of his jeans.

Fíli’s scowl quickly changed to slack-jawed shock. His eyes were blown wide and a red hot blush took over his face. He tried to hide from his boss’ view behind the basket.

“In a minute honey,” Dís answered her son. She got up, hands pressed firmly against her desk, before Fili could remember what his interrupted question was. “I don’t think I’ve introduced you two! This is my son, Kili.” She motioned toward the brunet, giving Fili time to really take in the undeniable, striking attractiveness of Kili Durin, the shiny, crooked smile, the long hair past his shoulders tied back in a half ponytail, the messy bangs covering his forehead and cascading over mischievous hazel eyes, the long lashes. The blond stood up almost without noticing, the brunet´s warm presence pulling him in. “And this is Fili, the new summer intern I’ve been telling you about, Kee.” She covered up the actual project they had been discussing, hiding it from her son, “We were just going over some particulars about his uncle's business, the one near…”

The spell broke. Kíli's half smile flattened into a thin line across his face and he rolled his eyes, completely ignoring Fíli´s outstretched hand. “Ah, yes,” he paused to eye Fili up and down, “The book boy…” He abandoned the picnic basket, smoothly guiding his mother out the door and cooing in her ear, “You work too much. Let's go to lunch at the Rivendell.”

They left Fíli standing there in the middle of the room, looking flabbergasted and feeling stupid.

However enticing those eyes had been, the memory was tainted by the bratty behavior. It made the blond’s blood boil. How could someone act like such a child in that setting? He exited the room with a frown, strode all the way to his cubicle, still huffing in annoyance, and flopped into his chair.

Nori leaned against the opening in the soft walls, having seen Fíli storm out of Dís’ office. “You alright, Fee?”

Fíli sneered and grumbled, “The kid… he didn’t let me finish my question.”

“Ah!” Nori chuckled. “So you’ve met Kíli?” He walked forward and got comfortable in Fili’s guest chair. “He's taken over his late father’s tradition of taking Mrs. Durin for lunch, at least when he’s home.”

Fíli’s anger dissipated on hearing that. He didn’t understand why Kili needed to be rude, but understood the importance of lunch now.

“He does it at least once a week,” Nori added.

Fíli made a mental note to avoid Dís’ office near lunchtime. “Let’s go see what my uncles are serving for lunch today,” he suggested to Nori, who happily accepted. He was anxious to see this pub and bookshop that he would lose his new work bestie to one day. There was no doubt that Fíli would get a full-time offer after graduation, but he was honest about his future plans belonging there.

An hour later, Nori burped and immediately slapped a hand over his mouth, embarrassed. Bilbo laughed and put dessert in front of him. “Glad you’re enjoying it,” he said, moving on.

The pub didn’t offer an a la carte menu. Instead, If someone came in at the nine o’clock opening, they had their choice of breakfast or second breakfast offerings, depending on what was left. Elevensies came out at eleven o’clock and were available until lunch or the supply ran out. Luncheon appeared at one p.m. sharp and was the most popular meal of the day. Bilbo made sure there was always plenty of it. Nori had just consumed roast mutton, two scotch eggs, broiled mushrooms, sauteed broccoli, and two pints of Longbeard Lager. He eyed the slice of chocolate pie for dessert and decided it was time for coffee. They were definitely taking a cab back to work.

When Fíli hugged his uncles, he was reminded not to be late for dinner or someone might eat his roast beef, potatoes, and carrots. Bilbo promised to save him some cookies from Tea. He was making Fíli’s favorite, snickerdoodles. The blond agreed to leave work promptly. Nori asked to be adopted. They all laughed and Bilbo handed them a slice of pie that he wrapped to go for Dís. Fíli frowned, but Nori grabbed it, hoping for some brownie points from the big boss when he delivered it.

Although it was unusual for a pub to close so early, their doors shut promptly at seven o’clock so closing tasks and cleanup could be completed in time for everyone to have supper together. Most often, it was just a salad and charcuterie board with wine or juice, but coming together to share the day’s significant moments was important family time.

Afterward, Fíli often worked on the shop’s website while the family watched a few hours of television or a movie. He printed out a list of sales that Frodo would package after school and the mailman would pick up the next day. If someone paid extra for priority or overnight shipping, Fíli would wrap it before he left for work at Lonely Mountain Media and Thorin would slip out during Elevensies to take it to the post office.

Nori began to arrive at the private door early enough to walk to work with Fíli. He almost always left with a container of breakfast to eat at his desk. Bilbo eventually told him to show up at seven o’clock and eat properly.

By the end of his first month, Fíli’s colleagues started following him to lunch at least once a week. There was rarely an empty table. People would share tables and make new friends over lunchtime conversations. They passed the word to their families and soon there were several book clubs that met regularly for Tea. Thorin and Bilbo felt incredibly proud of their nephew and the progress he brought to their business.

The only person who never visited was Kíli Durin. His mother redirected his attention anytime he expressed interest in seeing what the big deal was. PUBlications was her spot. And the family that shared it with her were her friends. She didn’t want her son to co-opt this essential pleasure and take it from her. He had Legolas and Tauriel and archery and school. She needed this for herself to get through the times when he left her alone.

Kíli got jealous hearing Fíli stories all the time. And because his mother kept it separate from him, he didn’t understand how hard Fíli worked or how important that little shop was to many people. He was young, immature, and insecure. It never occurred to him, when he visited mom for lunch once a week, that Fili worked both places or that he was tired and that was why he didn’t give Kíli the kind of attention he expected. Mostly, he was jealous of the attention his mom gave Fíli. And it bothered him that Fíli was the company golden boy.

For the rest of that Summer break, Fíli worked with authors and distributors, learning invaluable lessons. And while Kíli breezed in for lunch, Fíli managed the online part of the bookshop, sometimes missing lunch entirely when he had to run packages to the post office. Kíli knew nothing about that, or who his uncle was, or how much money that uncle made for the company that paid for his life of leisure and pleasure. To him, Fíli was just the intern who got so good at what he did that his mom planned to offer him a full time job after graduation the following year.

At the end of the summer, there was a big party for Fíli. Kíli had already left early to get settled into his new and larger room at his fraternity, so he missed that too.

Fíli was happy to go back to just studying and working part time. He missed the flow and security of their shop.

Nori continued to come for breakfast and walked Fíli to school, keeping him abreast of company gossip.

A few months later, when Kíli called to say he wanted to spend Thanksgiving with Legolas’ family, Dís was bundled into Thorin’s vintage red VW bus and taken along to The Old Took’s Farm for a holiday house party.

Between senior activities and projects, Fíli barely thought of Kíli. Dís would update them on his accomplishments, but Fíli was often lost in a project and not really paying attention. There was always another paper to write or another report to run. All his dedicated work resulted in a Magna Cum Laude degree in Literature. Bilbo, Thorin, and Frodo gifted him with an antique leather attaché case to keep him organized better than the messenger bag and backpack combo he’d used for the last four years. Dís surprised him with the loan of their family cabin for a week-long vacation before he had to come into the office full time. She included the use of Kíli’s dad’s Range Rover, because Bofur’s van would never get them safely up the mountain to the cabin and back. She even gave Nori the week off. He would have taken it anyway.

Two days before they were scheduled to leave, Fíli was busy automating reports so Frodo could handle online sales while he was gone. Nori showed up for lunch and dragged him straight to the bar, begging Thorin for two of whatever he could pour fast. Thorin handed him two ciders and watched his nephew get shoved to the furthest corner table. Nori didn’t even ask about the food. Something had to be wrong.

“Fee! You gotta watch out for Durin junior! When you get back he’ll be mad for sure.”

“What did the little shit do now?”

“We were talking and I mentioned how grateful we were about using the cabin. Turns out he wanted the cabin for the same week that you, me, Ori, Faramir, and Bofur will be there. He gave me a look like I was dead and ran to mama’s office. The whole floor heard him yelling in there. She took him out to lunch and looked so mad that we all found excuses to be anywhere else.”

Bilbo put a plate of salisbury steaks, mashed potatoes with gravy, and zucchini parmesan in front of each of them. “Thank you, Bilbo,” they said together.

“Just great,” Fili said, “I have to pick up the keys today.”

Nori went back on time, but Fíli waited a few hours to be sure Kíli had gone. He was wrong. As he stood chatting with Dis’ secretary and making an appointment to see her when they got back, Kíli’s voice boomed from the inner office. They both stared at the closed door, shocked.

“You loaned him Dad’s Range Rover too! Tell Book Boy he can drive a bike! And die!”

“Maybe you should go,” the secretary whispered.

Fíli nodded and moved purposefully toward the elevators.

He didn’t see Kíli again for two years. He rarely came home his junior year and then did a summer internship at Mirkwood Media that summer. There were rumors that he was dating the Mirkwood son, Legolas. Nori’s brother Ori went to the same school and provided the intel.

Sometime around Spring break, there was an incident. Ori didn’t know what happened. But Kili and Legolas weren’t together any more. Kíli was uncharacteristically quiet and withdrawn. Ori felt so bad that he reached out to him, introducing himself as the brother of someone who worked for his mother. Fíli encouraged him. The last thing they needed was the kid on the warpath when he came to work full time.

As Kili’s return approached, Fili moved into a new office. He was the de facto head of a new electronic and interactive book division, but there was no title change or announcement because he and Dís were creating the position for Kíli. All the cutting edge technology Fíli had been researching and applying accumulated there. Everyone, except Kíli, knew that Fíli was approaching the end of his five year plan and ready to go back to his family’s business. Nori had even made it plain that he would leave LMM if Fíli ever needed him. A few others offered the same. Fíli started a new file for setting up a print division of PUBlications. Bilbo’s readers would keep reading no matter who the publishing company was. Ori was due to graduate with his PhD and was looking for a good job. The company wouldn’t even need real estate. The pub shop was long paid for and everyone could mostly work remotely. The actual printing could be contracted to another firm. Fíli had made all the contacts. It was something to think about seriously.

Fíli got lucky. On Kíli’s first day working full time at LMM, he was out of town at a Paper and Cloth suppliers conference in Mithlond, on the Gulf of Lune. It was pretty much a vacation with a few meetings. He came home with the names of four printers who would do his print business at a good rate if he decided to expand PUBlications, three new contracts for Lonely Mountain Media, two nice water bottles for his uncles, and a tan.

Nori was dancing in his doorway just before lunch on his first day back. After commenting on the nice tan, he launched into the gossip that Fíli had missed. All the way to the pub, he babbled about the string of editors Kíli had dated once and discarded in the short span of time. “No lie, Fee! I overheard one guy say he must be able to suck a watermelon through a garden hose! I blew coffee out of my nose!” He stopped to observe the horror on Fíli’s face. “I’m not sure what hurt more, the coffee or the fact that I didn’t think of that line.”

After they got back, full of pork pie, asparagus, and a full pot of tea with milk and sugar, Kíli made an appearance at Fíli’s door. He seemed morose, not at all the playboy that Nori had described. “Mom says I’m working with you.”

Fíli jumped up and ushered him in, drawing a second chair behind his desk so they could sit together and look at the computer screen. Alone in the office, enthralled by the new ideas and technology, Kíli began to open up. He was like a different person once he felt safe and heard. Over the course of several months sequestered in that office, huddled together over keyboards, and throwing ideas back and forth, Kíli talked about his dreams for Lonely Mountain Media and his desire to write. The younger man became positive, excited, and happy. Fíli helped him correct his crazy, attention seeking habits and the boyfriends disappeared. That Kíli is who Fíli fell in love with.

But Kíli still had a naughty, teasing streak. And he loved tormenting his dear friend and coworker. He unintentionally made Fíli completely lose his train of thought during a meeting with the company’s lawyer one afternoon. When Kíli leaned over to get something from his briefcase, he showed a bit of lace thong over the top of his slacks. Fíli coughed to cover his gasp and blush. But Kíli threw a hand back to cover it.

The lawyer looked concerned for Fíli and pushed a bottle of water at him. “Do we need to take a break, son?”

Fíli demurred and they continued, but Kíli knew. And the thong peek became a regular thing.

Eventually, their project got to a place where they needed to demonstrate it to others. The first book was ready to go with backgrounds that changed as the story did. There were also sound effects, but those were harder to schedule. They had a reading speed estimator working. They hadn’t been able to make it recognize the difference between slow and distracted reading however. Its saving grace was that it called distracted readers back to the story more than it annoyed them.

The first demonstration was scheduled for October. Kíli wrote a special short story specifically for the season. There was a lot of overtime for their team to compose new music and program the sound effects. Every in-house test demo was a big success. A few people even made suggestions that improved the overall experience.

At the final rehearsal, Dís pulled Fíli aside and told him how proud she was of his work and the changes he had inspired in Kíli. “I trust no one more than you to keep Kee straight on this trip,” she told him.

Fíli assured her that they were getting along great. “Kíli has really come into his own, professionally, on the project,” he replied, “Nothing bad will happen!”

Legolas happened.

On their first night at the publishers and distributors convention, in a seaside resort at the southern end of Ered Luin, Fíli and Kíli enjoyed dinner al fresco with a cool fall wind blowing off the gulf. Both had plates of local seafood specialties and wine from Ered Lasgalen. The view from the rooftop restaurant was stunning. Many attendees brought their families to conventions like this as a mini vacation. Rosie’s on the Roof was generally free of children, who mostly preferred the Poolside Grille, and the atmosphere was quiet and romantic.

A tall redhead walked by. Kíli put down his fork and stopped eating. “I have a headache, Fíli. I’m going back to my room.”

Fíli rose as Kíli got up to leave. “Do you need me to call a doctor? Have your food packed to go?”

The look of worry on the blond’s face made Kíli’s heart warm. But he declined, “I’ll be okay. Thank you. Make sure I’m up in plenty of time for our presentation?”

“Absolutely. I’ll be down shortly. Let me know if you need anything.” He watched as the brunet walked away. He waved at their waitress and waited patiently for her to take Kíli’s plate. He asked her for a dessert to be packed to go and the check. By the time he sadly picked the best bits out of his own dinner, she was back. He charged everything to their account and walked slowly to the elevator.

He did not notice the tall blond that cheerfully joined the redhead.

Back in their suite, Kíli sat on the couch with a laptop, rehearsing. Fíli placed the dessert on the coffee table. It was Kíli’s favorite, key lime cheesecake. But Kíli just thanked him and ignored it. Fíli could smell alcohol on his breath and worried. Something was wrong. He just hoped it wouldn’t hurt their demonstration in the morning. So he just excused himself to shower and go to bed early.

Kíli nodded and said, “Good night.”

Breakfast was waiting for Fíli when he got up. Kíli didn’t look like he’d slept much, but his job was to smile and run the program. No one would see the dark circles under his eyes. Fíli poured him another cup of coffee, just in case. “Are you, okay? Anything we need to talk about?”

“My ex is here with my former best friend.”

“Oh. I’m sorry. We could leave after the presentation,” Fíli offered.

Kíli declined. “No. That would be letting them win.”

“Ok, then. Let’s do this!” Fíli high fived his still sluggish partner, but he got a small smile.

Their interactive book presentation was a huge success. While it would work on any ebook platform, it worked best on Lonely Mountain Media’s Free Responsive Open Digital Omnibook app. They just called it FRODO.

Nori thought it was genius in naming. Frodo was embarrassed and yelled at Fíli throughout an entire lunch when he found out. Bilbo and Thorin looked stern but laughed in private. Frodo’s friend Sam tried to convince him it was nice.

Each step of their demonstration of the new technology project went perfectly. The more applause they got, the more Kíli’s outlook and appearance improved. By the end, his smile beamed genuine pride and happiness. They hugged onstage and held up clasped hands in victory.

Legolas sneered and snapped a few pictures of them hugging. He thought up nasty comments to add as descriptions on his insta. Or someone’s insta. He didn’t want to be linked to Kíli. He sent one to Kíli’s number asking how Book Boy liked his sloppy seconds. He grinned when he saw Kíli look at his phone and shove it angrily into his pocket. Then he found the brunet alone in the shell-themed bar on the first floor. He had a bottle of champagne on ice and a plate of sushi at a table for two.

Legolas swept in and snatched a piece of tuna nigiri from the plate. He carried his own drink. “So, you’re riding book boy’s coattails for glory now?”

“Get lost,” Kili huffed.

“Don’t worry. I’m not here to win you back or anything. I just wanted to tell you that Tauriel is busily negotiating with your… partner?” Legolas opened the champagne and filled Kili’s glass. “Drink up. He may be a while.” Then he laughed and walked away.

Fíli arrived to an empty bottle and a drunken Kíli sharing sushi bites with a blond salesman wearing a bad suit at the bar. He was pretty sure the guy dropped something into Kíli’s highball. So he hustled over and tried to stop Kíli from… too late.

Kíli tossed the whole thing back in one swallow. Then he saw Fíli. “Feeeee!” He shouted and swung into his blond friend’s arms with a hiccup. “Oops.” And he wrapped himself around Fíli like an octopus attacking a crab.

Fíli staggered against the weight. He wrestled him away from bad suit guy and danced him to the bathroom in hopes of bringing up the drugs, and some of the alcohol. He grabbed a salt shaker off a table as they went.

When Kíli swung him into the wall just short of the bathroom door and leaned in, Legolas watched from the top of a nearby staircase, took another picture, and muttered, “Slut.”

Frustrated, Fíli gave up and shoved his shoulder into Kili’s armpit to lift and drag him back to their suite. They were in too public a place and people knew Kíli, and his mother. He needed to get Kíli out of sight, fast. Avoiding kisses at the elevator, he promised, “I’ll let whatever you want happen but only if it happens upstairs in our rooms, ok?”

Droopy hazel eyes blinked, “Ok.”

To Fíli’s immense relief, no one joined them in the elevator and they made it all the way to their door. He fumbled with the key a bit and Kíli fell in when it opened. He sighed and rubbed his face with the palm of one hand while the brunet crawled to the minibar.

“Let’s have a drink, Feeeee.”

The blond closed, and locked, the door behind him. Then he chased his drunk and drug-addled colleague, grabbing at his shoes to get them off.

Kili took off his own shirt, but the movement was too violent and made him dizzy. He puked. Fíli caught it in the shirt. Frodo had been prone to vomiting as a child. He never expected the experience to come in handy. He threw the shirt in the trash and guided Kíli to the bathroom.

“But Feeee, our drinks…”

“I got you. Sit here. I’ll be right back.” He made a lot of noise rattling glasses, ice, and bottles while calling security. He reported the incident in the bar and asked for a copy of the video to be emailed to him and their company lawyer. He later learned that they caught bad suit guy trying to drug someone else and he was quietly arrested.

“Feeeeee…”

“Here I come!” And he hurried over, with a glass of salted water.

As expected, Kili chugged it. Thirty seconds later, the water came up, followed by the dark colored highball, then some sushi, more sushi, and finally the champagne. Once he started, he didn’t stop until his stomach was empty.

Sweaty brown hair covered his shoulder and the head it was attached to lolled across Fíli’s chest. “Fee,” the fetid breath nearly made Fíli puke, “I don’t feel good.”

The only sober person in the room wished he wasn’t. “I know. I’m sorry. Let’s get you into the shower and you’ll feel better.” Despite his reservations, he got them both naked and into the shower where he washed Kíli’s hair and body as quickly as he could. He toweled his hair, wrapped him in a hotel robe, and tucked him into his own bed. There was no way he would chance letting him sleep alone after all that. He tidied the bathroom so it wouldn’t smell of sick in the morning, put on his own bathrobe, and crawled into bed next to Kíli.

“You promised you would let anything I wanted happen,” the very sleepy brunet mumbled.

Fíli almost laughed. “After all you’ve had tonight, do you really think you could get it up?”

“No.” He managed a pout.

Fíli looked down at that trusting, clueless face and realized the he was in love with this goober in his bed. “Look,” the blond sighed, “You're really cool and I want this to happen so bad it physically hurts, but it can't be like this.”

Kíli snored.

He woke up alone, in Fíli’s bed, naked in just a bathrobe. He cried. That made his head hurt. He’d really messed up. They finally became friends. He hoped one day they could be more. He’d all but given up hope that anyone would want him after Legolas. But this would ruin everything. He was sitting in the middle of the bed with his head in his hands when he heard the door.

Fíli came in, wearing the gray pinstripe suit that accentuated his butt so well. He was smiling.

“Good morning, Sunshine,” the blond whispered.

Kíli asked softly, “Did I spoil everything?”

“What!” Fíli was so shocked that he forgot about Kíli’s hangover and shouted. He corrected his volume and continued, sitting on the bed, “Why would you think that?” He passed him two ibuprofen and a mug of chicken noodle soup. “Just sip the broth, don’t try to eat anything yet.”

Big watery hazel eyes looked up at him over the cup. “But I… we…”

“We didn’t do anything last night, at least not together. You got roofied. You puked. I had to wash us both in the shower. I cleaned up. And I got five distributors to sign options on FRODO this morning.”

Kíli relaxed.

“You snored in my ear. And you dropped your phone in the toilet.” Fíli laughed. “It was all very sexy.” He took off his suit coat and slacks, changed to his favorite light blue college hoodie and shorts, and flopped onto the bed. “We’re watching movies today. Then we’ll go to the banquet tonight if you feel well enough. And tomorrow, we head home. There’s nothing to worry about.”

In Belegost, there was plenty to worry about. Nori was frantically flagging and scrubbing the picture of Fíli and Kíli by the bar bathroom from social media sites. The company attorney helped him by filing injunctions all day and failed to check his email. Most of it blew over when Legolas was identified as a pathetic, jealous ex-boyfriend. Rather than have the boss’ son labeled like that, Thranduil’s lawyers got involved and had everything deleted.

Completely ignorant of all that drama, Fíli found a classic movie channel and they watched vampire and werewolf movies all day. Fíli ordered club sandwiches from room service for lunch and stole Kíli’s bacon when the younger man only ate the toast. In the end, they did go to the banquet, but with the agreement that they would leave immediately if Kíli felt ill.

The speaker turned out to be the father of Frodo’s friend Gimli. Glóin rambled on about statistics and profitability for over an hour. Halfway through, they started texting Frodo, on Fíli’s toilet-free phone, and sending pictures of Gimli’s dad on stage. Desperately trying to be cool and nonchalant, they giggled in a three way facetime so Frodo and Gimli could watch. Gimli ended up texting his dad that he was lame and embarrassing. Gimli’s mom overheard, took his phone, and ended the call for all of them. No one in the audience noticed any of it. There was an open bar and only Fíli and Kíli were sober. Kíli thought he might never drink again.

Thirsty, Fíli went to the bar to get sodas for himself and Kíli. Glóin had finished and awards were being given out. They were very near the end of the evening. He laughed with a presenter telling a joke about two elves walking into a bar.

Legolas approached him, annoyed because his father had yelled at him and had the pictures removed. “Enjoy it while he lasts..”

Fíli turned away with the two cokes and quipped, “I would tell you to go fuck yourself but I’m pretty sure you’d be disappointed.” He walked away while Legolas turned red and sputtered. He also texted Nori to ask his brother Dori if he had someone available to escort them home. He hated using security, but this Legolas guy creeped him out.

Dori sent Haldir overnight and he met them, along with their car, for the trip from the hotel to the train the next morning.

Kili slept on the train, with a warm feeling in his stomach and a bit of a blush. He didn’t have anything comfortable for traveling unwell, so Fíli lent him his hoodie and a pair of loose jeans. Now he was curled up on the soft bed, dozing. Fili’s hoodie smelled like his cologne. It comforted him from the sting of seeing the two people he once trusted most with each other. It still rattled Kili, and he was almost glad his phone fell into the toilet. The last thing he wanted was more texts from them.

Lounging in the overstuffed chair nearby, Fíli wore a dress shirt and comfortable slacks. They were sharing a compartment, as he had given his to Haldir to do whatever he did. Haldir had already cautioned Fíli that he knew Legolas from school, had seen the pictures, and suggested that they should be careful because he was as mean as his old man.

Somewhere high in the mountains, Kíli woke, used the toilet, and crawled back into the bed. He shyly asked Fíli to cuddle. He said that, despite remembering little of the night before, his overwhelming feeling was safety. The regular sway of the train and rhythmic clacking of the rails had Fíli dosing over his papers anyway, so he agreed. “Just make sure you keep those hands, and other appendages, to yourself,” he joked. Kíli agreed and they tucked one another in under a light blanket.

A horn blast woke Fíli as they passed another train on a byline. He looked down at Kíli’s relaxed, guileless, still sleeping face and wondered why Kíli felt safe. Not warm, not comfortable, not peaceful, he felt safe. What could this pampered young man possibly have gone through that made him feel safe in the embrace of a coworker whom he had hated only a few months before.

Several days later, back in the office, Kili dared to tease Fili with a peek of jeweled thong. He did not expect a client to walk into the room unannounced. Fíli slapped a file folder over Kili’s backside to hide it. He was so red and sweaty that he couldn’t even focus.

Dís, who walked in with the customer, didn’t know what to think. She’d grown so fond of Fíli. It was hard to believe he would go against her wishes and cultivate a relationship like that with her son. She trusted him!

Later in the day, Dís met with her attorney to discuss her options. They agreed that Kíli was not mature enough to take on the job she had used Fíli to create for him. Because she was mad, they did not include Fíli who could have given them context. She also asked the attorney to review their options if she decided to end Fíli’s contract early.

Fili was so close to the end of his Five year plan! All he had left was to renegotiate Bilbo’s contract, get Kíli’s title announced, go back to PUBlications, and live happily ever after. He figured he could ride May on vacation pay and be out. He had a small calendar app counting down the days to May first, only 162 days to go!

But Fíli had a problem he could never have planned for - Bilbo. Legolas was not jealous. He was just like Thranduil, as Haldir had warned. The big gossip throughout the industry concerned Bilbo’s contract being up for renegotiation. No one had ever been able to challenge Dis on that before, because Bilbo was happy with his books and his pub shop and his family. There was simply nothing to offer him. However, Legolas had now exposed the flaw in the foundation of that assumption. If there was a threat to his family, in this case Fíli, Bilbo would go feral.

So even though Fili had begun to see the Kili that he could share a life with, the one who wanted to do new and interesting things, and Kíli felt the same, Dis wasn’t ready. She wasn’t ready for her son, who just came back to her from college, to start having a life that didn’t include her. To be honest, Kili had to have learned that selfish behavior from someone. Her only child was about to learn who Book Boy and his mother really were.

So Thranduil plotted to take Bilbo, and the millions that he could make for Mirkwood Media, in a coup because Legolas saw Dis’ son and Bilbo’s heir in a compromising position. He plotted to get Fili fired and blame it on Kili so Bilbo was angry enough to leave Lonely Mountain Media. He found his opportunity to tell Dís “Legolas’ side” of the convention incident when he ran into her at a charity Halloween Masquerade. He spun her a carefully worded tale about what Legolas saw. Most of his intent was for leverage to sign Bilbo, but there was also an element of revenge for making his son look bad.

Now she had confirmation of her worst fears. Part of her wanted to believe that Thranduil was lying, but she had seen Fíli’s response to her son’s indiscreet choice of underwear. There was only one rule here and Fíli broke it, so she had to fire him. She couldn’t fire Kili, but she wished she could, he was not innocent.

The next Monday morning she intended to get it over with. She consulted her lawyer. They could fire him, but they would have to pay out his contract. And he reminded her that it could cost them Bilbo’s contract. She would not be swayed. She sent Kíli on a made up emergency trip to Erebor, leaving Sunday afternoon.

Monday morning, she called Fíli into her office and told him her decision. She had a check ready for his compensation. “The worst part of it all is I tried to defend you when those pictures came out,” she cried, “I wanted to give you a second chance and this is how you respond?! You are just a book boy after all…”

Fíli stood completely still. His face was an image of controlled fury. He took the check. “Bitch… you have no idea what happened.” And he walked out without ever looking back.

When Kíli returned, neither Dís nor Fíli would listen to him. “I’m just the book boy, remember?” was Fíli’s one and only text response. So Kili sat in Fili’s empty office, alone, refusing to speak to his mother.

Dís felt Fíli broke her trust.

Fíli felt Kíli broke his heart.

Kíli felt he failed them both.

Knowing both sides and how much Kíli had grown and matured, Nori quietly slid a note with the address of PUBlications under the door.

Chapter Text

Kíli showed up at PUBlications two weeks after Fìli’s firing with a box of personal items that Fíli left behind when he walked out. Kíli had carefully packaged it all up before his mother gave the office to Alfrid along with management of the division. He was the only one who would take the position. Everyone who had actually worked on the project had remained loyal to Fíli. He thrust the box at Bilbo. “I don’t want to make any trouble, I just wanted him to have his stuff. I’m leaving and I don’t know when or if I’ll come back here.”

Bilbo considered throwing the young man out, but the broken, morose, defeated look he saw activated his ingrained manners. He sighed. “Please have some dinner before you go. Sit over there with Frodo and I’ll get you a plate.”

Kíli shuffled over to the table indicated and sat quietly.

Frodo, on the other hand, wanted details. His cousin was depressed and wouldn’t talk about what happened. This man could fill in the blanks. He boldly challenged Kíli, “What the fuck did you do to Fíli? Start at the beginning and don’t leave anything out.”

Kili sighed deeply and started talking, “I guess I could say I misjudged Fili, or got tricked into it. I thought he wanted to take my place and I hated that he was managing to do it, so I planned to hurt him but got caught up in the process and fell in love.”

The younger of the two rolled his eyes, unamused as characteristic for his young age and the situation that he found Kíli in. He got up and started to walk away, but Kíli continued, “It all started before I ever met Fíli.”

Frodo sighed and plopped down on the seat next to the older brunet, “Go on.”

“‘Nice shot.’ Those were the first words Legolas ever said to me. Two, simple and absentminded words like good morning or excuse me, yet they managed to entice me in a way I can’t really explain. Of course, I could pin it all on the fact that Legolas was the captain of the team I was trying out for, but the cocky smile and this absurd elegance he had could not be denied. About a week later I rushed to the main office on campus. I already knew my name would be on the roster, but I wasn’t expecting it to be at the top. ‘Kíli Durin’ was written there like it announced the start of a wonderful college experience. Though by now you should know it wasn’t. Erebor had become a dream of mine because at least five guys who graduated from there got onto the Olympic team. And the coach, Dwalin, is the only three time defending champion of Castle Challenge. I should be completely honest. I kind of wanted to see Legolas again. So, a few hours later, I was running out of my economy class and rushing to the field. The area expanded for acres and acres, soft bright green grass, shielded with mesh netting to keep any straggler arrows from getting to either the football field next to it or the open area where people sat lazily reading and chatting.”

He chuckled, unamused, sipping from the bottle Bilbo had angrily provided. He knew he shouldn’t be here but what else could he do at this point.

“My next interaction was with Tauriel; she snuck up on me while I started eagerly stretching. We were wearing the same running shorts, although mine were probably more uncomfortable than hers. ‘I see the new blood is excited to get started,’ she said. She was tall, redheaded, and she had the most beautiful smile. She said my shorts were cute which I guess meant hers were too. Anyway, I was uncomfortable and had just started wearing shorter… you know… ‘grownup’ clothes so I was embarrassed too, but she seemed so nice and… kind I guess. She laughed at my stupid balls joke.”

Frodo had to pause Kili for a second. Still unhappy with his behavior and the unbearable slowness of his story but wanting to know every detail, nevermind that fact he was thirteen and just wanted to hear it, “What ball joke?”

“I bet the mesh underwear woven into them isn't riding up your balls,” Kili answered. “She replied with a laugh and a red hot blush, then waved her hands back and forth like trying to shoo away the feeling of awkwardness. ‘You and I definitely need to go shopping together!’ Then she introduced herself.” He took another drink before continuing. “We became very fast friends, me and Tauriel. She got my humor better than anyone else and she had a similar twisted sense of her own. We bonded over iced coffee and gossip and when I knew we had classes together, I was over the moon. The truth is, I was having a very hard time making friends so when I realized we had classes with each other I made sure I was always around her. Even if it was unusual for a junior to be in freshman classes, I didn’t question it. Tauriel taught me a lot, she taught me how to increase stamina for practice and how to take the mesh underwear out of the shorts. She even encouraged me to walk into this underwear shop I had eyed at the mall since my junior year of high school.”

Frodo avoided pausing Kili again so as to not cut the flow of his story but he was unsure why Kíli would be afraid to walk into an underwear shop, or the idea that there should be an entire store dedicated to that.

Regardless, the older brunet continued sheepishly. “She taught me about sizing, cuts, and fabrics in underwear as well as which ones looked better on me and felt more comfortable. Then she introduced me to Legolas, a childhood friend of hers, and obviously captain of our team. They both adopted me into their very sheltered group and made me feel better about how lonely I felt without Mom. Legolas lost his mom in a car accident and his dad didn’t talk about it much, which is why he understood me and my emotions about Dad. Mom never brings him up. On the other hand, Tauriel´s parents are in Norway, estranged from her. ‘A very cold set of people,’ she mumbled, then referred to the three of us as the ‘dead parent society.’ Legolas hated it but I thought it was funny. Time went on and the three of us got gradually closer. By February, when the sectionals came, Tauriel was there again to offer me a helping hand at the first competition I qualified for, which was also her last with the team. She was graduating the year after and decided to quit for her senior year so she could concentrate on preparing for her internship at Thranduil’s company.”

“That’s Legolas’ father,” Kili broke his story to explain. He was conscious that Frodo wouldn’t know all the details of his story but didn’t want to dwell too much into it. He continued, “I was so nervous that my hands were cold but my cheeks were burning and red. Legolas commented that I looked adorable, which didn’t help with the blush, let alone the nerves. Still, we managed to win a first place trophy. He hugged me tight and lifted me up in the air when we celebrated. I should’ve known then. He smiled up at me with a look that was both dangerous and all too attractive for it to be good. He introduced me to his dad who had watched the competition since it was supposed to be Legolas’ last year as well. After the competition, Thranduil invited the whole team to their house. They held a celebration in the backyard. And again, I should’ve known. Mr. Mirkwood was very curious about me, about mom, and even about the company. I was quite embarrassed to admit I didn't know much about it back then. It was that same night… around eleven p.m., after the rest of the team went back to their houses or fraternities, when Legolas kissed me for the first time.”

This time the pause was longer. Kili took a first bite out of his chicken pie. The taste was so comforting and the topic so hard to talk about that he couldn’t help but let tears roll down his cheeks. They burned hot on his skin. Only when Frodo sighed and offered a handkerchief did he finally continue, “I was sitting quietly after the end of the night, staring up at the stars, waiting for him to come back from an impromptu chat he just had to have with his father before he could drive me back home. The air of the chilly night made me regret not bringing a jacket, but I wasn’t cold for long before he came running down the steps of his house, huffing for air. ‘Sorry for keeping you, my dad was just…’ He stopped in his tracks when he saw me sitting at the little fountain on the edge of the garden. He noticed my hands rubbing up and down my arms. ‘Are you cold?’ When I said I was a little, he took off his own jacket and wrapped me in it. He sat to my left on the fountain. That made my nerves spike up my stomach and I knew I was blushing. He always made me feel so weird. It was a kind of crush I had never had before.”

Again, there was a pause. Kili chuckled, embarrassed by Frodo's face. The teen was just as uncomfortable hearing it as Kili was telling him.

Kili persevered and went on, “Look, I know I’m conventionally attractive, and believe me I usually have no problem getting boys to like me, but Legolas was very different. He complimented me one day, then put me down the next. We were friends but not super close. He confided in Tauriel for everything, but hung out with me more. So there we were, alone in the garden, and he said, ‘My dad built this fountain after mom died…she loved the garden, it was kind of her place and uh… well I come out here and sit to think sometimes.’ His attitude was so confusing and I felt pathetic. My palms were sweating just sitting next to him. I couldn’t even pay attention to what he was saying. ‘I’m sorry…” I think that’s what I said. I really wasn’t sure what else to say. He was usually very closed off when it came to things from his past. Unlike me, he was not so ready to talk, but he chuckled and leaned on my side, resting his head atop mine. The smell of his cologne and the red wine he had been sipping all night wrapped around me like a blanket and his hushed words drowned me in a trance. ‘Don’t be,’ his hand came up to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, leaning dangerously close to me with half lidded eyes. ‘It’s nice to talk to someone who understands.’ The kiss came shortly after. It was slow and tender and it felt like my first kiss altogether with all the nerves. I had a hard time keeping up with the flow, but it was everything I had wanted for a while, so, of course, I ignored the signs and the feeling of awkwardness in the back of my brain. Legolas drove me home and asked me on a date the following evening. He leaned against the doorway to my room, pushing back the hair out of my eyes. ‘You should put your hair in a ponytail.’”

Kíli stopped to have another bite. The food was so good. When was the last time he ate? He kept talking, “Around four months later, we had gone on quite a few dates, it was still unofficial, but I stopped accepting offers from anybody else. I preferred to spend as much time as possible with Legolas who made it a point to not kiss or touch me again, at least until ‘we were officially a thing’ in his words. But, he was very actively trying to pursue me. I remember thinking that If I didn't know any better I would even say he was waiting for orders from outside. I should’ve known, but I didn’t mind. It was about everything I had wanted for a long time.”

“Gross,” Frodo mumbled.

Kili let out a snort, the beer going up his nose as he did. It was gross now that he thought back on it, but back then it was a dream. “Anyway,” he continued “We got so close that I told him all about the new intern at LMM, your brother. I confided in him that I was a little weirded out by my mom's relationship with him. ‘I just don't like him. He has this golden boy act…’ Legolas cut me off and took over the conversation. ‘You sure do talk an awful lot about him. Are you positive you hate him?’ Legolas interrupted my rant and chuckled at his own jokes. I felt offended. Maybe I was overreacting, but it was a genuine concern of mine and he didn’t even care. From that moment, I knew Legolas was not the person to tell about Fíli or what I thought of him. But of course, we forgot about the incident, and Tauriel made it a point to throw an improvised party for my twentieth birthday in June, just before the summer break. She and Legolas sang a horribly off key rendition of happy birthday to me, then served cake, and gave me twenty shots to ‘celebrate appropriately’ according to the both of them. I felt like death warmed over the next morning. I hazily remember a kiss but I’m not very sure. I went home but I made it a point to go back to college early, saying I wanted to move into a better room in my frat house. It definitely had nothing to do with the fact my mom threw a party for Fíli at the company. It didn’t feel at all like he was taking my place, no sir.”

Frodo felt like interrupting again. ‘That’s pathetic. My brother would never do that,’ bubbled low in his gut, but he held it back.

Kili took another swig of his beer before continuing. “Legolas and I started dating officially, but in secret, after that summer break, at the start of my sophomore year. He had postponed his impending start of work at his father’s company to pursue an advanced business degree and accompany Tauriel on her summer internship. Again, I should have known. We finally told her that we were dating, and that we had one last year to be together, just the three of us. She forgave us for not telling her just because, ‘I could smell you guys being hot for each other ALL semester. I'm glad you finally noticed,’ she said.”

Suddenly, Kili found himself being handed another beer, colder and already opened. “Thanks,” he mumbled and Frodo smiled, openly urging him to continue along.

“He used to shower me with little presents, notes, and candy from the places he visited. He even pushed for me to be captain of the archery team since he was too busy with grad school. Whenever I asked, he helped me with homework and insisted on introducing me to his father officially as his boyfriend at Thanksgiving. That's when things went badly for the first time. It was barely enough of a shift for me to notice, yet it was there. We had a small Thanksgiving and Christmas celebration over Thanksgiving break since Legolas’ father wouldn’t be around during the month of December. When I told Mom I wouldn't make it home and she wasn't as torn up as I had initially thought she would be, it was good, weird, but good, I just knew it had something to do with Fíli.

Frodo remembered that Thanksgiving. He remembered Dís crying at the table and being comforted by both Bilbo and Thorin. Her tears had streamed down along with her mascara, but she couldn’t stop crying. He decided that mentioning that to Kili might not be the best idea, so he nodded along.

“The celebration was classy and private and Thranduil was just as delighted with me as he was the previous time, though it had to be cut short since he had a business meeting to attend. He urged us both to stay at the winter cabin for the rest of the weekend even though he had to go and said his goodbyes after that. I appreciated the offer and the trust. I knew back then, probably still, that my mom would think at least ten times before letting me do something like that. I told Legolas his dad was very cool and…”

“Aaand?” Frodo asked, eager, sensing something strange in Kili´s wavering tone.

“Well, actually, I think that might be too far for you to know and for me to tell. The truth is, sometimes I wondered if he got tired of my innocence or if he was just plain not interested in doing anything with me. After all, by that point, it had been months since the first time we kissed and he never tried… Anyway, later, when we were back at school, huddled together in my bed in a tangle of legs and covers, I broke the news to Legolas that I was going home to spend Christmas with Mom since I hadn't gone home for Thanksgiving. He made a face I had never seen before. He let go of me and started to get out of bed. ‘What's wrong, babe?’ I asked, very taken aback by his sudden change of attitude. ‘Nothing, I gotta go.’ He threw off the covers and began to put his shoes on. ‘Is everything ok?’ I felt my anxiety flare up. I had never seen Legolas act quite that annoyed. Of course, we had fights before, but nothing like that. ‘Baby I…’ but Legolas was up and close to the door in a single second. I tried to go close to him and talk, but I got shoved pretty hard back onto the bed. ‘It's fucking fine, Kíli. I'm going home,’ he said and yanked his jacket out of the rack. I’d never been so scared before so I stayed put in the bed while he yelled, ‘It just sucks that you don't take this as seriously as I do!’ ‘I don’t understand,’ I cried. I tried to get him to talk to me. ‘Yes you do! You knew how important this relationship was to me! You knew I wanted to meet your family and you don’t fucking care!’ I stuttered something about not being ready, but he just kept shouting, ‘Whatever Kili! I´m going home, alone! Enjoy your Christmas break.’”

He took three really big swigs from the bottle after telling that part of the story. It surprised Kili how much he still was scared of Legolas, even telling the story felt horrid. Frodo flagged his uncle one more time. He took the plate and brought another beer. Thorin had begun to hover at the side of the bar nearest them.

“Needless to say, I didn’t really get to enjoy Christmas break. I was confused and scared and I texted him constantly but got no answer from him until the end of December, when finally, he picked up his phone and apologized to me for freaking out and confessed that he was just feeling insecure about me going back home without him. He brought up Fíli again and the fact that even he got more one on one time with Mom than I did. It hurt and it didn't feel very much like an apology, but what could I do? I was just glad we were talking again.”

“After that, our relationship was rocky at best until the end of February. It was hard to fall back into our routine and Legolas still looked annoyed at me every now and then. That hurt and it made me want to die, but I decided to fix it on my own, suck it up, and finally formalize our relationship with something, anything really. So, I asked my mother to lend me the summer cabin. She said yes, but she seemed uneasy. I went to Legolas with the proposal on a Friday night at the end of our date. ‘I think I'm ready,’ I said. It was barely a whisper but it made Legolas’ eyebrows fly up and he asked, ‘For what?’ with a glint of hope in his voice. I quickly said I wanted us to have sex, just blurted it out as fast as I could before I lost my nerve. And then I sank back into my seat. A bright blush colored my face. After a few seconds of silence, I couldn't take it anymore and looked up at dumbfounded Legolas. ‘Huh?’ He finally reacted, smiling, confused. I could see he wanted to hide the slight flash of disappointment but I could see it… hear it too. I kept going, ‘Well I… uh… wanna make this relationship more serious and…’ He cut me off, as usual, ‘That’s awesome!’ The volume of his reaction got a few confused stares from the people at nearby tables. On the way home, I explained my plan about the cabin and Legolas kissed the top of my head. ‘I’d love that,’ he chattered, and I swear for a second we were finally back to normal. And it stayed mostly normal until the beginning of May. Mom made it extremely clear that I was not allowed to have boys or girls up there alone. Was I supposed to go by myself? I tried to fight her on it or at least get a reason, a good reason. Then she dropped the bomb that she gave it to Fíli instead.”

Frodo's head perked up at the mention of Fíli, and not only his, but Thorin´s too as he wiped down a nearby table. The older man made sure to hand Kíli another bottle before quietly taking a seat next to Frodo.

“That was just bullshit. I knew damn well that was not the real reason. My mother not being able to tell me the truth hurt almost as much as her not trusting me. I am grateful in retrospect. I didn’t want to give all my firsts to him. But I admit it. I lashed out and cursed Fili and I called him the book boy like Legolas did. And then, after mom confessed that she gave him my dad’s car to use, the only personal possession he left me, to take his stupid friends up there. I really got angry. ‘I’m so tired of you using that stupid book boy to hurt me!’ I shouted. I think that's what I said. I said some other ugly things too. I left her office after that.” Kili hiccuped. “But the worst part came when Legolas found out. I dreaded telling him that not only did I not have permission to use the cabin, I hadn’t had the guts to tell my mom who I was dating, and the awful reason why I didn’t have permission.”

Kili had to stop and gather his composure before telling Legolas’ response, “‘She… I’m sorry, I'm just making sure I got this correct. She said you couldn’t use the cabin because the book boy Is using it?’ Legolas spoke slowly and calmly but I felt a hole forming in my stomach as I answered him, ‘Well… Yeah. She said it was a graduation present. I…’ He shouted me down. ‘Oh for fucks sake, Kíli!’ He banged his fists on the table. ‘This is just so pathetic! You can’t even get your own mother to give you what you want! I’m not sure how you’re gonna make it in life.’ That hurt and it took me a while to even be able to see him through my tears. I promise, I wanted to end it with Legolas right then and there, but he crowded me against the wall when I stood to leave. He claimed to be sorry and blamed it on being disappointed. He cradled my face in between his hands and smiled at me like he used to when we first met. That made me melt back into the wall. How could I break up with Legolas if he cared so much about me? He said he was protecting my interests. ‘Your mom gives things that are yours to Fíli. That can´t feel right,’ he said. I shook my head no, my tears felt hot rolling down my cheeks. I cried the most when Legolas talked me into things, but the truth was it didn’t feel good at all. It felt like she was replacing me with Fíli and Legolas was the only person who cared about me. And for a while he really made me believe that. Nothing was wrong with me, with our relationship, or with him. It was all Fíli’s fault. Ever since Fíli started working for my mother, all Legolas and I did was fight. I didn't want to fight anymore. Seeing the resignation on my face, he changed his tone, ‘It’s okay. We’ll do something else during that week,’ he offered. ‘It’s okay Kili. Please don’t cry anymore.’”

Thorin was the first to react. In wide eyed horror, he offered a comforting squeeze on Kíli’s arm. Alarms sounded inside his head. He signaled a very annoyed Bilbo to get another beer. Not loving Frodo´s clear plan to get Kili drunk but understanding that this might be the only chance they might have at getting the full information about the situation. He caught himself mumbling some soothing nonsense like, “It will all be okay now,” which made Kili let out a broken sob and lean into Thorin’s shoulder for a few minutes.

“Legolas had returned to graduate school to get his MBA so he could ‘be near me’ and things started to change pretty fast after that. He used to pick me up everyday from my frat house. I should add as well that he made it extremely clear he disapproved of my choice and wished I had pledged his fraternity, but he would forgive me if I paid with kisses.”

The younger Baggins held back another “gross,” threatening to leave his lips just because it might cut the flow of the conversation.

“Anyway,” Kíli continued, ignoring them both, “He was always around, he'd pick me up from my frat house and we walked to class. On the days neither of us had early classes, he would bring me breakfast or took me to get it somewhere near campus. Other times it was just a cup of coffee and a kiss before class. We used to go on date nights every Friday and had movie night and cuddles inside my room on Wednesdays. There was nothing more yet, because I wasn't ready. He bought me hair clips and bands for my hair. And constantly went out of his way to buy me more, grownup, clothes in bright colors made of nylon fabric and a high waist cut. I always avoided saying how those were very uncomfortable just because I liked the gesture and also partly because I don't think he would like it if I said something about that. He didn't like most things about me and he made sure I knew. He even convinced me about Fili being out to take my place” He was starting to repeat himself a little.

Rage bubbled up Thorin´s spine when the traces of tears reappeared on the brunet´s face and Frodo, young as he was but perceptive as he was raised to be, turned to look at him in what he could only describe as grossed out horror, both of them ignored that last Fili line. “I don't think he would like it if I said something about that, he didn't like most things about me and he made sure i knew” bounced inside the walls of his skull and he fought the to urge to stand up from his chair and go looking for Legolas himself, because that just wouldn't do. There needed to be zero evidence of his involvement if something where to mysteriously happen to that fucker.

Eventually, Kili calmed down enough to continue talking in between sips. “I tried my best to bring my mother back to my side after that book boy incident. I pushed with lunches and I changed my image. I quit the archery team, even though I had an invitation to participate in Castle Challenge, because it was a distraction. I doubled down on business and literature classes and skipped out on my 21st birthday party, all on Legolas’ advice. He said it was my only chance at becoming useful to my company. And, in a way, I think he was right. Before we started dating, I really had no idea about LMM or running a company and that didn't give off a good image. So, of course, when he offered to convince his dad to let me do my internship at Mirkwood Media, I accepted. I thought I could show my mom that I was responsible and that I was worth keeping around. So I, again following Legolas´advice, did not visit at all that summer to show I was ‘busy.’”

“Worth keeping around” sounded like a phrase Kili had been told so much that he internalized it, Bilbo thought, suddenly very aware that he'd stopped mopping and was just standing there in the middle of the floor, clutching the mop for dear life. He moved and sat on the chair next to Thorin, bringing a six pack of beers along with him. He handed one to Thorin and another one to Kili along with a plate of fresh berry cobbler that he hoped would cheer him up, if even just a tad, after telling all of that. Bilbo wondered how Kili got so lost and no one noticed.

“It got lonely, for sure. It was like being the outsider to everything, both companies, school, my best friend, my family, Legolas´ family…” He paused for another drink, “The only good thing about MM was actually Legolas.”

He chuckled sadly when he saw the reactions from Frodo and Thorin, both wincing in a mix of disgust and disbelief.

“It's true!” He raised his voice sluggishly. The amount of alcohol he'd had in the past few hours finally started to catch up with him. “Legolas got better during that summer. I have no idea what made him change.” He stopped mid-sentence, shaking his head no. “Actually no, the truth is that the whole relationship,” he sobbed, “Was probably his father´s idea from the beginning. Thranduil always wanted to know about me, about how our relationship was going, about mom and about LMM. He got offended whenever he saw me eating alone or whenever Legolas was with Tauriel instead of me. He always urged us to take projects together and as long as we were supervised by him, Legolas was the best boyfriend anyone could ask for. Of course, this was only when we were at the office. How silly of me to not see the obvious.”

Bilbo's eyes opened wide, his mouth hung open, then shut, teeth clenching together. This fucker Thranduil had contacted Bilbo once already, when his books first became popular. Even back then, when he was inexperienced and young, he knew something was wrong with Thranduil. But this took the fucking cake. Because now, a whole fucking ten or fifteen years later, he didn’t even care to count, there he was, popping up to bother Bilbo again. The oldest Baggins tried to re-focus his attention on Kili and the undeniable heartbreak in his voice, as he continued on with mindless details.

“Legolas pushed me so hard during that summer. We rarely even had dates anymore. It was like we could only see each other at work, with his father around. Other than that, I just worked really hard. I even forgot it was my twenty-second birthday until a few days before, when Mom called me up, wishing me an early happy birthday and hoping her present arrived before the actual day. I think it was a Monday. It was too late to organize a party and since Tauriel started her job full time at Mirkwood Media, she was too busy to help me with anything. Come to think of it, we hadn’t talked in so long by that point… I should 've known.”

It killed Thorin every time he heard Kili say, “I should've known.” He was just a kid. How could he know? And what exactly was he supposed to know anyway? He was furious with Dís for being so selfish. If Fíli or Frodo ever… But that stopped him in his tracks. Fíli was missing, on his watch. He had people on it, but he felt he should be out doing something. They couldn’t tell Kíli now, but maybe something he was telling them would help. This Legolas kid seemed pretty suspicious.

Kíli took one last swig of maybe his sixth beer of the night? He’d lost count. His words slurred as he continued. “It was too late, so I opted for calling Legolas and asking him out, like our usual plan on Fridays from before. Sadly he was at a conference with his father and wouldn’t make it back until the actual day of my birthday. But I didn’t get to mention that before he hung up, claiming he was very busy and couldn’t talk at the moment. It took two more days until he finally called me back. He said he’d be back at Mirkwood Media around four o’clock the next day and if I wanted to go out so bad, he could pick up both me and Tauriel from there to head out. I never mentioned that it was my birthday after that. It was kind of difficult to do so when my own boyfriend seemed so annoyed at having to go out with me. I was late and they left without me, so I guess it would all have been better had I not asked to go out with them.”

Thorin had to get up and walk around the room to cool off. He wiped tables as a cover. The only patron still there was Nori. He was stabbing his dinner with vengeance and texting furiously. They locked eyes. Nori held up his phone and mouthed, “Dori.” Thorin nodded, teeth clenched. He went back to the table before it became suspicious. Kili´s story hadn’t ended after all and if he meant to get information on where or what Fili was doing, he needed to pay attention.

“What a horrible way to start your senior year” Frodo mumbled, horrified, finally daring to touch the older boy's arm. Thorin always saw so much of Bilbo in him, not just the curly hair and the chubby cheeks, but the way he was compassionate and sensitive and admittedly a little too extreme when it came to family. He glanced toward his husband, practically grinding his teeth off while listening to Kili continue his story

“No… It wasn't. I think it was around that time that he and Tauriel started fuu… uh… having their affair, though even before, again I should've known, I should've….”

“Hey kid, you have to stop saying that. You can't blame yourself for what other people choose to do.” Bilbo interrupted Kili, eyes trained on him.

Kíli hiccupped, looking a little green. “I don’t remember much after that. I finished my internship and went back to school. This guy named Ori and I became friends. He was a literature grad student and we talked about books and writing. He never once asked me about either business.” He smiled drunkenly. “I always wanted to be a writer. Did you know that? I’ve got a whole book finished on a secret drive. And…” he motioned then to come closer so he could whisper, “I wrote fan fiction.”

Everyone smiled. It was a nice break from the horrible story. Thorin looked over at Nori who was suddenly trying very hard to look innocent.

Kili sighed. “All my work was acceptable. I got really high marks on a paper I wrote about the future of publishing. I theorized that books could be published in response to reader content desires instead of publisher profit motives. My mother and Legolas both laughed at me.” He lost the small smile he’d had.

“Speaking of Legolas, it was shortly after that, on a weekend at his father’s house, that I walked into his room and caught him and Tauriel doing some freaky…” He stopped, looking at Frodo’s eager face, finally thinking he might hear some grownup gossip. Behind him, Bilbo waved frantically for him to stop any more details. Kíli understood. “Anyway, I knew what was going on after that. I left right away. Legolas never even had the decency to call me afterward. His dad sent a few emails, asking if I was okay. I never answered him. I didn’t even bother to tell Mom. And I went on our planned Spring Break vacation alone. I slept most of the time. And, weirdly, these two guys, who introduced themselves as friends of Legolas, followed me around when I was out in public. I told them Legolas wasn’t coming, but they continued hovering in the background. Weird.”

“Do you remember their names?” Thorin asked.

“Bolg and Azog, I remember because I thought they would make good villains if I ever wrote again,” Kíli said.

Thorin looked over at Nori, who texted rapidly.

“After that,” Kili sighed again. “I went back to school, finished my classes, graduated, and went home to work at LMM. You pretty much know the story from there.”

Bilbo had heard enough. He didn’t even ask Kíli if he wanted to spend the night, just hustled him upstairs and put him to bed in Fíli’s room with a sports drink and two ibuprofen. He sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed the young man’s back until he fell asleep.

When he went back downstairs, Nori was gone and Frodo and Thorin had tidied up. “We’re keeping him.” Bilbo stated. “Even if he and Fíli don’t work things out, that boy deserves better. We’ve been giving his mother all our support while she let him flounder…” He seemed on the verge of tears.

“Of course,” Thorin murmured, hugging him, “Never too much family.”

Frodo smushed into the hug on his other side. “He’ll be okay now, Uncle Bilbo. And Fíli will be home soon too.” He giggled. “Imagine when he finds out you’ve adopted ‘the kid,’” he perfectly imitated Fíli’s scornful way of saying it.

They all shared a relieved chuckle and went upstairs to bed.

Chapter Text

“Bilbo slid a bowl of his famous hangover helper on the table in front of the sleepy, and slightly green, brunet who finally emerged from Fíli’s bedroom.

“Fíli made me throw up.”

Bilbo and Thorin exchanged surprised looks. Frodo would have loved this revelation, but he was at school.

“Excuse me? Bilbo asked.

The last time I got drunk was the night at the convention. Fíli gave me water that made me throw up. I’ve never felt this bad before.”

Thorin mouthed, “Salt,” at Bilbo and they nodded in agreement.

Kíli looked at the bowl and pushed it away.

Bilbo pushed it back. “Who do you think taught Fíli?” He reached up and caught a bucket Thorin tossed from behind the bar. “You won’t need this,” he said, placing it at Kíli’s feet, “but just to make you feel safer, there it is. Eat the soup.”

The unsteady spoon caused a slurp that made his head hurt, but the broth actually made him feel a little better. “Chicken and ginger?”

“Plus some noodles and other herbs…” Bilbo continued, “Nothing you really need to chew, but enough to fill and settle your stomach.” He gently ruffled the boy’s wild bed head. “We set up the sick day cot under the bar so you can be close and nap.”

Thorin smiled, “We haven’t had a son under the bar for several years. But I’m sure we can remember how it works.” He winked at Bilbo.

“I need to set up luncheon. Make yourself comfortable. We’ll all talk at supper.”

Kili finished the soup and crawled onto the camp cot tucked under the bar, just like Bilbo said. There was a warm, comfy quilt, and knowing Thorin was right there made him feel safer than he had since his father died.

Some longtime customers recognized the dodge in Thorin’s movements and asked if one of the boys was sick. Thorin just replied, “Hangover,” and they nodded in understanding with no further questions.

Kíli woke up to Frodo standing next to Thorin. “Did we look that pathetic?”

“Every single time,” Thorin laughed softly and shooed Frodo to the bookstore section to finish his homework.

Sometime between Tea and Dinner, Kili went upstairs for a shower. He looked better when he came back down and was tucked into a corner table to roll silverware into napkins. Nori got sent to help him when he arrived for dinner. He mentioned quietly to Thorin that he had news, but Kili wasn’t up to speed on all recent events so he was invited to Supper.

Kili did not take the news well when they did tell him that Fili was missing. He immediately worried that Fili left because of him. He was sure that he ruined the only good thing in his life.

Bilbo assured him that Fili would have told them he was leaving to get away from Kili. What worried them was that Legolas had been in town meeting with authors when Fili disappeared. Even when he was away for work or on vacation, Fili checked in every day. Something was wrong. And until they sorted it out Kili was staying with them where they knew he was safe.

Nori cleared his throat and added some new information to the discussion, “He’s still here. I may have told him that if we don’t find Fíli, I’d put him in my trunk and help people look for him.”

Kili burst out in his first laugh since Gloin’s appearance at the conference. Everyone joined him.

And as if that had been some magic cue, Nori’s and Thorin’s phones sounded text alerts. They looked at each other, nodded, and Thorin spoke, “Dori found him.” Then he excused himself to make a phone call.

Nori thanked Bilbo for the wonderful dinner of roast chicken and asparagus and left quickly, patting Kili on the shoulder as he passed. “It’s gonna be okay, Kid.”

Bilbo busied himself cleaning up. No one had an appetite anymore. He sent Frodo to take a shower and get ready for bed, promising to let him know any updates. Then he made a new pot of tea and sat next to Kili while they waited for news from Thorin.

A full half hour passed before Thorin emerged from the privacy of the closed tavern area.

Bilbo and Kili held their breath.

“Dori has him. The people who were holding him are in custody. He wants a friendly face to come for the ride home.”

Breaths were released. Bilbo asked, “Where?”

“Gundabad.”

Twin gasps. “When?”

“ASAP.”

Bilbo pulled out his phone and started looking for flights. Frodo came down in his pajamas and Thorin gave him the good news.

Kili put a hand on Bilbo’s arm. “Would a private plane help?”

“Will your mother let you use it?”

“Well, technically, she can’t stop me.” He looked between Thorin and Bilbo for reassurance and approval, “Dad left the company to me. She’s been running it because I was a minor. But after she fired Fili and refused to listen to me, I figured that I didn’t mean any more to her than I did to Legolas, just a business asset and show piece.”

Bilbo threw his arms around the young man and hugged him tight. “You are so much more than that.” He let go and sat back, “But, yes, we’ll take the plane.”

Kili smiled. He had been useful.

Bilbo ran upstairs to pack a small bag. Thorin got back on the phone with Dori. Kili called the flight crew and had them start prepping the plane.

Three hours later, Dori walked onto the plane and recognized Kíli from Fíli’s description. He told him that Fili was completely in love with him and how that was used against him. He was glad to see him because they really didn’t want to go on another search and rescue mission right away. He had promised Fili that he would get Kili back for him, but the doc still had to sedate him.

Watching Bilbo fuss over Fíli on the flight home, Kíli recognized how Fíli helped him the night he got roofied. He was overcome with love for this family that had taken him in. He became more upset because Fili kept telling Bilbo over and over that Kili was in danger. It was heartbreaking. Kili held his hand and reassured him, but the blond was too woozy and confused from the sedative to understand.

Fíli woke up to Thorin on the floor next to him. He recognized the cot under the bar. Bilbo was making breakfast. Frodo was setting the table. Kili was upstairs in his bed, but he didn’t know that.

The movement of his nephew stirring woke Thorin. He pulled the young man into his arms and hugged him tight, so happy to have him home and safe that he couldn’t speak. Bilbo and Frodo heard the shuffling and came to join the hug, all four of them in a heap on the floor. They just sat there for a while.

Finally, Fili pulled back a little and asked, “Did they find Kili yet?”

Bilbo smiled. “He’s upstairs in your bed.”

Thorin stood and helped him up.

Fili tried to run, but it was more of a fast stagger, leaning on walls and furniture for balance. Thorin wanted to help, but Bilbo held him back. The boys, they would always be his boys, needed to do this on their own.

Kili woke when he felt the bed dip. He was happy to see Fili but felt that the bruises were his fault and worried that Fili hated him for them. He touched one cheek gently but jerked back when Fili flinched.

Fili grabbed his hand and held it. He was still plenty mad about what happened at LMM, but knew it wasn’t all Kili’s fault. He wasn’t ready to talk yet. He just wanted to touch and know they were safe. Finally, he said, “I dreamt about you.”

“I was there,” Kili whispered. “I came with Bilbo to pick you up. You were so loopy from the sedative that you didn’t seem to know me.”

“Sedative?”

“Dori said you were so worried about something those jerks threatened that they couldn’t calm you down any other way.”

“They said they would hurt you if I didn’t cooperate.” Fili blushed deep red. “I remember that.”

Kili hugged him tight and repeated, “I’m sorry,” until Fili kissed him to shut him up.

“I’m still mad about what happened,” he said to the still fearful brunet in his arms, “And we’ll have to work hard to sort this mess out, but we went from enemies to lovers, just like a fan fic. I’m not ready to throw all that away. I’ve been pining, not for the ungrateful brat who got me fired, but for the hopeful young man with writing dreams and a thong. I love that guy who worked so hard to make FRODO with me. I want a chance to see where we can go together.”

Kili nodded and suggested Fili take a quick shower and get comfortable. Now that he knew Kíli was safe, Fili was sleepy again, finally relaxing. They took a nap, Fili in his bathrobe curled against his more-than-friend, held and made to feel safe. And Kili looked down at that trusting, relaxed face and realized that this was his person and no matter what happened, he got the concept of love properly. Even if Fili left him in the future, he would have this and never need or want another.

Fili snored.

He woke up alone, in his own bed, naked in just a bathrobe. He cried. Had finding Kili just been a dream? He was sitting in the middle of the bed with his head in his hands when he heard the door.

Kili came in, wearing one of Fili’s tee shirts and a pair of Thorin’s sweatpants. He was smiling. “Feeling better?” he whispered to the blond.

Fili blinked, unsure he could believe what he saw. He asked softly, “Are you really here? Are we safe?”

He received two ibuprofen and a mug of hangover helper. “Just sip the broth. We’re home and safe.” Kili tucked himself under the covers behind Fili and let him lean back into his arms. “Do you want to talk some more or go downstairs?”

“Bilbo said you might need to talk,” Fili suggested.

Kili didn’t. He was talked out. But all that had been said to Fili’s family. He needed to tell him some of it in private. “Once I actually spent time with you and realized that you weren’t trying to take my place, everything changed. You listened to me like no one ever had before, at least not since my dad died. You encouraged me to do what made ME happy. You even made me feel safe. Then Legolas breezed back in and took everything away and no one would listen to me. Some day I might tell you about Legolas, but if you can just accept that he was the villain in my story, we can let that rest.”

“I don’t give a crap about him. I’d be happy if we never think about him again.”

Kili sighed and snuggled close. “I’d love that.”

They wandered downstairs ten minutes later in the lull before lunch. Nori was eating their breakfast. He had burst in as soon as he heard Fili was home. He was full of hot gossip about Legolas’ arrest. So much for never thinking about him again. Bilbo brought them elevenses with scrambled eggs.

Allegedly, according to Nori’s source, Legolas hired the guy who drugged Kili, paid the “friends” who followed Kili on Spring Break, and arranged for Fili’s abduction as part of a witness intimidation conspiracy. The best part was that they suspected his father was really behind it all and letting his son take the fall. The end goal was to control LMM through Kili and poach Bilbo for Mirkwood Media.

“Ha!” Thorin exclaimed, “Over my dead rotting corpse. Does he not remember who Bilbo is married to?”

Bilbo rolled his eyes. He knew.

Kili asked the hard question. “So he really never loved me. He just wanted to control my company?”

Fili briefly considered the meaning of “my company” but his head hurt, so he let it go.

Bilbo frowned. “I’m afraid that’s how it sounds, dear boy.” He watched Kili lean into Fili for support and vowed silently, that they would never let anything bad happen to him again. He looked at Thorin and saw him smile and nod. One of the perks of a good marriage was sometimes knowing what the other was thinking. Maybe Fili and Kili would find that out one day.

“Does that mean Thranduil gets arrested, too?” Frodo asked.

“You go on and do your homework now, sweetheart,” Thorin told him. “Don’t let that man cross your mind again. We’ll take care of him.”

“Great another, ‘we’ll tell you when you’re older’ story,” Frodo whined. But he kissed both his uncles and hugged Fili, paused, and hugged Kili, too. Then he strolled into his room and closed the door so they wouldn’t whisper.

Thorin asked Bilbo for another pot of tea, then continued, “I’ve had dealings with Thranduil before. You are better off far from him, Kili.” He frowned, uncertain how much he could tell them. It wasn’t all his story to tell. “Any man who would use his own child as a shield and fall guy isn’t a decent man. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a mole inside your company as well.”

Fili, Kili, and Nori looked at each other. “Alfrid!” They shouted in unison.

Thorin raised an eyebrow and Nori sent another text. Thorin continued while helping Bilbo pass cups. “We’ll cooperate in the investigation, of course. Fili, you and Kili will probably have to be deposed and testify. But we have good lawyers and better resources. Still, Thranduil has the kind of money that might keep his son out of jail altogether. At most, he’ll get a year or two max before he gets paroled.”

“But he tried…” Fili started.

Thorin held up a hand. “There are other ways to get justice.”

Fili accepted that. He trusted his uncle. He’d help Kili understand too.

“None of that will happen before the holidays. We should just stick together and enjoy ourselves.”

While that conversation was happening, Dis’ lawyer had his head between his knees trying to not faint or throw up. In all the chaos of the past month, his email had been neglected and he just found the footage from the conference and security information that not only cleared Fili but showed him clearly protecting the younger executive. How was he going to tell Dis. He was so fired.

First thing the next morning, he went to her office to get it over with. He figured it would be better, like ripping off a bandage. Alfrid was ahead of him, screeching and whining about a lawsuit filed that morning by Fili and his family over FRODO. Everything he had taken credit for was coming back to bite him.

The lawyer got dizzy again. He hadn’t even seen that yet. Dis saw him in the door and waved him in, then gestured to Alfrid regarding his announcement.

“Actually…”. He tugged at his collar and started sweating. “I have worse news.”

Dis paled. She dismissed Alfrid and offered the lawyer a seat. “What?”

He rolled his chair around by her and played the videos from his tablet.

She opened a drawer and took a pill, washing it down with hot coffee. There was no wiggle room. She fucked up.

Nori stood in the doorway. He had come to tell her where Kili was and that he was safe. She hadn’t contacted him once since he’d been there. When he heard the videos and saw her reaction, he realized he didn’t care to tell her. He looked at her with disgust. “We tried to tell you,” was all he said. Then he turned around and walked away.

She wasn’t sure if he was ever coming back. She looked at the lawyer and said, “Settle. I can’t come back from this. I don’t even know where my son is. My staff has lost faith in me. It’s over. Just pray that Kili will come back and can save the company.”

Someone gave a leaked interview about what had happened between Kili, Legolas, and Tauriel and and it repeated as breaking news on the local channel. The correspondent made it clear that Thranduil was believed to be behind the plan. Before the CEO of Mirkwood Media could respond, their stock dropped precipitously and the board fired him. After someone commented, “At least Denethor raised good sons,” he bought a big house in the west and retired.

Lonely Mountain Media was a privately-owned family company. That saved Dis from most of Thranduil’s consequences. But she faced difficulties of her own. Kili would only contact her through their lawyers. They gave her the full story about the abusive relationship he had to endure for four years under her watch which then turned into Legolas pissing all over every single happy moment of Kili’s life. Fili walked into her office and took over, at Kili’s request, putting the entire staff on paid leave until they worked out the new management. If she thought she was lonely and unhappy when she walked into PUBlications, she was wrong. It was so much worse now.

A few days later, the Baggins-Oakenshield Christmas party changed everyone’s outlook. It marked the halfway point between Fili’s birthday and Christmas and was the highlight of their public celebrations. The invitations had already been made up and mailed when Fili got fired so they weren’t sure who would show up. But they shouldn’t have worried. Everyone from LMM came, and, of course, all their friends came. The crowd burst out onto improvised sidewalk seating on a beautiful, crisp evening. Bilbo gave up on the buffet after an hour and just alternated with Frodo and Kili bringing out breads, cheeses, and sausages. Fili and Thorin manned the bar, bringing up two more kegs than they planned. There was live music from Fili’s college friend Bofur and his band. Windows were opened and dancing took over the street. For a while the family forgot what they had been through that year.

The crowd went silent when Dis showed up. Thorin held Bilbo back when he saw the face he was making. He still blamed her for the pain she caused their boys. Fili looked at Kili for a decision.

“I’ve got this,” Kili said, “Get the party going again.”

He walked over to Dis and offered her a seat at a quickly vacated table. He remained standing, however. “What do you want, Mother?”

Her voice shook when she spoke. “I thought the invitation might have been an opportunity to explain and apologize.”

Kili frowned. “Does this look like an appropriate place to have a serious conversation?”

She shook her head.

“I’ll find someone to drive you home. I do still love you. And I’m thankful that you brought Fili into our lives. But you need to understand that I have learned a much deeper and supportive kind of love here. This is my home. I hope you can accept that.”

He sent a quick text and stood with her until Haldir pulled up. Fili came over and held his hand while he watched the car drive away.

“You okay?” Fili asked.

Kili turned and hugged him tight. “I will be.”

Fili smiled and spun him into a dance to whatever Bofur was singing. Something about do they know it’s Christmas? The band followed that up with a strange sing-a-long version of the twelve days of Christmas. Fili led Kili inside and dragged him behind the bar. The buffet was empty and all the tables and chairs were stacked in a corner turning the whole place into a dance floor.

“Kili looked around, shocked. “How are we ever going to get all this set up for breakfast?”

Thorin laughed. “I forgot this was your first time!” He ruffled Kili’s hair and handed him a cider. “Don’t worry,” Thorin continued, “We all sleep in tomorrow and a crew of volunteers will show up for tea and help us set everything right. Happens every year. I think one of the regulars organizes it.”

Kili smiled and sipped his cider. He hadn’t had a beer since the night he showed up. He might never again. “Hangover helper for breakfast?”

Thorin slapped him on the shoulder, laughing harder, “Maybe elevenses.”

Kili was still sipping the soup from a mug when the first volunteer showed up the next day.

Gloin took one look at him and laughed. “Sit still, laddie, we’ve got this.”

Fili was still in bed. Thorin was in the shower hoping to hydrate through osmosis. Bilbo sat in the kitchen hugging a cup of tea. That left Frodo nominally in charge. And it looked to Kili like it wasn’t the first time. He loved that boy.

“Think you can roll silverware?” Frodo dropped a tray in front of him. It was slow going, but he got it done.

Fili staggered in with his own mug and helped him finish the last four sets. “Just wait until he comes of age,” he said, glaring at too-chipper Frodo. “His first after-party experience will give us justice.”

Kili wanted to laugh but the jiggling hurt his head.

Frodo directed the restocking of the bar while he adjusted tables to where Bilbo liked them. By the time Thorin shambled in bearing the first tray of luncheon, the volunteers were uncovering the bookshelves and almost completely finished.

Revived by a second mug of soup, Kili stood, patted Fili’s shoulder, and helped Thorin bring in the pastries and finger sandwiches that Bilbo made. Truth be told, the pastries were made and frozen a week earlier. All he had to do was bake them while he made the sandwiches.

Kili had never had a cucumber sandwich before and fell in love. He’d have to learn Bilbo’s secret or be home for tea regularly. Fili told him that his favorite was the tomato sandwiches, but they wouldn’t get them until summer.

They got cucumber sandwiches one more time before Christmas. Bilbo made them especially for him on Christmas Eve. He expected Kili might be a little overwhelmed by all the people at the Old Took’s Farm so he packed their cooler and picnic basket with favorites before they bundled into Thorin’s vintage red VW bus.

Kili was indeed overwhelmed by all the new family. The niblings, which Fili told him was the generic term for all the siblings, cousins, nieces, and nephews underfoot, were sure to be all over him because he was new and therefore interesting. He was further instructed that the signal for rescue was the Chicken Dance. The children were always ready to do it and it made for easier adult entry and exit. He made it fifteen minutes before he pulled up the music on his phone.

Thorin’s brother Frerin, home on leave, handed him a mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows as he waded into the fray. “Go quick. I don’t make it every year, it’s going to get even busier,” he warned.

Bilbo sent the two out to gather firewood when he noticed Kili starting to sweat. It wasn’t that they needed a bunch of sticks from the ground. His grandfather had a fully stocked log pile. It was more that he thought Fili and Kili needed some alone time, and that was the only way they were going to get it.

As they wandered, talking about anything but business, they ran across a group of teenagers building the bonfire for the evening. They were happy to have the extra wood and invited them to bring more next time they needed a break. It had only been a few years since Fili had been part of that group. He wasn’t quite sure where to go next. Then he remembered the older folks with their pipes telling stories in the back parlor. They usually only had the too old to nap but too young to make it all day group for an audience, but he thought Kili might enjoy the stories. They would all be new to him. And Fili could lean on him and nap.

After the bonfire, they were so tired that they fell asleep in their bunks without even noticing the teens talking well into the morning. Someone was trying to watch for Santa, so they ended up asleep in a pile by the window.

Years later, when Kili tried to talk about that first Christmas, mostly all he could remember was being full and feeling surrounded by an overwhelming sense of love and safety. But hid did have one clear and precious memory. Early in the morning, when all the children had run to open presents but before breakfast, he and Fili found themselves alone in the bunkhouse. He knew this was his probably his only chance and took it.

“Fili? Can we talk for a few minutes?”

Concerned that something had gone wrong, Fili abandoned feeding the fireplace and came right over. Kili stopped him before he could say anything and gestured for him to have a seat on the floor next to him.

“I know we haven’t been together for long, and that we probably should take it slow to work things out, but I want you to know something. The day we picked you up from Dori and you were worried more about me than yourself was a revelation for me. And later, when you slept in my arms, I realized that were my person, no matter what happened, even if you left me some day, I would never need or want another.” He blushed and his voice cracked, but he held up a hand for Fili to please let him finish. He pulled a box from his pocket and opened it to display a ring of braided gold and silver. “I know it’s too early to discuss marriage, but I hope you’ll accept this as a reminder that I love you.”

Fili smiled and collected himself. Then he pulled out a box too. It contained a similar ring, recommended by Bilbo. He tried not to laugh and scare Kili away. “That night at the convention, when you’d been drugged and sick, I was so scared. You were in my arms and pouting because you had whiskey dick. I was afraid that we were moving too fast and we’d mess it all up. But I looked at your trusting, clueless face and realized the I was in love with you. And then we did get messed up, even if it wasn’t our fault. I was hurt and mad and didn’t think I would see you again. But those guys came and said they would hurt you and I realized that I would do whatever it took to see you again. I don’t care if we get married or shack up or whatever, but I want to see you every day for the rest of my life.”

Kili laughed, “Clueless?”

Fili grinned. “You were pretty out of it.”

“So?” Kili asked.

“Well, if we drag this out much longer, we’re going to have an audience. Can we wear the rings and work the rest out later?” Fili suggested. And they did. There was so much new stuff being shown off that almost no one noticed a pair of new rings kept nonchalantly incognito.

Bilbo noticed. He quietly pointed it out to Thorin. Both look ridiculously happy.

Frodo didn’t notice until the ride home.

Nothing was going to be easy. They had to deal with a trial and rebuilding a company. But they had each other. And they had family and friends that loved and supported them. They would be okay.