AN: For FuryNZ on tumblr, who requested Masks in the Halloween meme way back when. Better late than never right? :D Thank you to everyone who is still reading my stuff, more to come soon. I have not abandoned my hobbit stories! And to the anons asking about where my stories have gone to, I did not take them down. The admins removed many from the site due to a flamer. All of my stories are available on archiveofourown under the same username until I get things reuploaded!

Pairing: Fili/Kili

Rating: T

Charade

"You mean, you're not going to give out candy with me?" Kíli asked Fíli in a scandalized manner, his eyes narrowed in disbelief. For the past sixteen years Kíli had spent Halloween with his brother. They had trick or treated together every year, until their mother said they were too old for such things. And even then the two would often spend the evening running their own little haunted house out of the garage, and watching scary movies until the sun rose in the morning. It was a tradition Kíli had secretly hoped would last forever, but it seemed, now that Fíli was in his first year of college, he had other plans for the night of trickery.

"Well, no, but I'm sure you can manage fine without me," Fíli spoke, flicking through the channels absently as his brother frowned at him from the other side of the sofa.

"But…we always spend Halloween together," Kíli whispered under his breath. He tried not to sound too hurt, but the brunet had always struggled to keep his emotions hidden, and his facial expression betrayed him even more than his voice. Fíli winced at the sight and glanced back towards the television quickly.

"Sorry Kíli, but I already told my buddy I'd go, and I've bought my mask and outfit already too," Fíli explained, feeling a touch of guilt at the crestfallen look on his brother's face. He hated hurting Kíli. It tugged at his heart in a way he couldn't explain.

"Well, can't I go with you?" Kíli asked, with just a touch of hope. Fíli let out a heavy sigh and clicked the TV off, tossing the remote to the cushion between them.

"It wouldn't bother me, you know that, but there's no way mom would let you, you're too young. It's a college party, and you know her. She'd flip," he explained, finally looking his brother in the eye. Dís had a tendency to be more than a little overprotective of her youngest son, and both brothers knew it.

"It'll be mostly drinking, bad music, and terrible dancing anyway. You wouldn't like it," the blond insisted and Kíli narrowed his eyes.

"Then why are you going?" the younger spat out in an accusative manner. Fíli found himself looking away again and he shrugged awkwardly and lifted his hands slightly in the air. In truth Fíli wasn't overly excited, especially since he wouldn't have Kíli with him. But his college friends had been bothering him for weeks to go out and have some fun, and it was a good chance to do so.

"I dunno. I mean it might be cool, with the masks and all, you don't really know who anyone is," Fíli struggled to explain, his face forming a light-hearted smirk.

"Not 'til the morning after anyway," Fíli winked at his brother playfully but it didn't have the effect he was expecting. Kíli looked hurt again, and his brow creased up as he stared at the other teen in horror.

"You'd just…with anyone?" Kíli accused, looking a little affronted at the thought. Fíli couldn't help but roll his eyes. He had only been joking after all. Surely Kíli knew him better than that.

"It's just supposed to be for fun. See Kee, I said you wouldn't like it much anyway," Fíli muttered with a sigh, and he stood from the sofa and reached over to ruffle his brother's hair. Kíli inched away from the touch and didn't meet his eyes, and Fíli stared at him worriedly.

"Don't frown like that. Look, I'll try and get home in time for a movie or something, and we can even hang out all day Saturday if you want. Do the discount shopping thing," Fíli compromised. Kíli pouted and picked up the remote, flicking to a random channel.

"Yeah...sure," the brunet responded weakly, and Fíli shoved his hands in his pockets and looked over his brother's form once before leaving him alone.

Kíli sulked for a solid twenty minutes, and his shoulders slumped forward as he twirled the remote around in his hands. He watched some program on the TV half-heartedly, as his brain worked in overdrive, unsatisfied with the idea of spending Halloween entirely by himself while his brother was out having fun…or even…doing something else. Kíli shuddered at the thought. He didn't want Fíli to be with someone else like that. He wanted it to be him.

Kíli pulled his knees up to his chin as he played with the end of his socks. That thought brought even more troublesome thoughts to the forefront of his mind. The brunet knew he was being unrealistic, and it was probably time he simply face the facts and stop his worthless pining. Any day now Fíli might meet someone and Kíli would have to accept that his hopes and dreams were simply out of the question. But still, there was no way he was going to let his brother play around with some random person. Ever so slowly a smirk formed on his face as a plan formed in his mind.

It was easy for Kíli to find a costume. The party was themed like a traditional masquerade, so he did little more than adapt a simple vampire outfit and spruce it up with a navy blue sequined mask to match. Kíli kept up his act, pretending to be upset as his brother left for the evening, not even tossing so much as a wave over his shoulder. The brunet spent the next hour or so handing out candy, and only when the knocks at the door tapered off completely did he rush up to his room to get ready. He spent time adorning his hair, tying it back intricately and braiding in a few feathers into the strands in an attempt to further hide his identity. Then he coloured in the exposed area around his eyes with black kohl, before slipping on his makeshift outfit and mask. Upon glancing into his mirror Kíli smiled giddily. He looked pretty good; at least he was fairly sure he did. And no one would recognize him unless he removed the mask.

The hardest part of the night was getting out of the house undetected. Dís would know immediately what he intended if she even caught the slightest glimpse of his getup, so he had to somehow sneak out without catching her attention. Kíli tiptoed down the hallway, cringing as the hardwood creaked beneath his feet occasionally. He peered around the corner into the rec room, eyeing the flashing colours projected by the television. It seemed luck was on his side for once. His mother was fast asleep, a book splayed out in her lap as she snoozed on the couch. Kíli smiled softly and silently apologized for what he was about to do before inching past the room and towards the front door, slipping out and closing it quietly behind him.

He relaxed the moment he set foot outside, the tension in his shoulders finally leaving as he took a deep breath. Kíli glanced quickly at his watch and skittered off with wide eyes. The party had started nearly two hours prior. But it was Halloween after all, and likely to continue late into the night. Still Kíli hurried down the street, catching the first bus he saw and making his way to the large house that hosted it just a few neighbourhoods away.

His nerves returned as he stood at the end of the driveway, eyeing a group standing at the front door of the large colonial style home. They were talking loudly amongst each other, clearly already inebriated and Kíli watched worriedly as the door opened and someone greeted them and let them in. Kíli patted himself down and wondered if he should just give up and head back home. What happened if they asked for an invitation or something? He was terrible at lying, and even behind a mask someone would surely see through his charade. Kíli nibbled at his lip as a group of rowdy guys in masks approached on the sidewalk, and one of them turned towards him curiously.

"Here for the party?" the redhead asked, taking a swig from a beer as he walked backwards up the driveway.

"Oh, uh…yeah! Wasn't sure I was at the right place," Kíli muttered and he strolled up behind the group, feeling more than a little awkward as he stood behind them on the front step. The door opened not much later and the entire group was ushered in, Kíli easing in behind them with no problems. He was barely looked at, and somehow, not five minutes later he was steered into a large room full of dancing bodies and a bottle of beer was thrust into his hand. Kíli eyed it warily before setting it down on the nearest table and then he started to walk through the sea of people. The music pounded in his eardrums, already making him squint his eyes at the beginnings of a headache. He was jostled around by people on every side and slowly his chest began to tighten uncomfortably as he saw more and more masked faces he did not recognize.

Kíli hated strangers, he hated crowds, and suddenly his brilliant idea seemed completely idiotic. He couldn't understand how anyone could find a party like this even remotely entertaining. The brunet struggled to get through the people, to find a place he could just relax and breathe, when he was knocked in the chest by a stray elbow and thrust back into another person heavily. Kíli let out a yelp, and he turned quickly, holding his hands up in defense. His eyes widened as they fell onto the form of his older brother.

"Oh…s-sorry," Kíli mumbled with a shaky voice, and for a moment he forgot he was wearing a costume, and that the other would have no idea who he was. Kíli swallowed as he took in his brother's intricate gold mask, trimmed with red around the edges. Fíli's costume was elegant, from head to toe, and though Kíli had seen it out of the corner of his eyes earlier that night, it was entirely different up close and personal. Kíli clenched his mouth closed and winced slightly when he caught his tongue between his teeth.

"You alright?" Fíli asked, his hands instinctively moving forward to steady the man before him. Kíli stood shell-shocked and unable to answer until he was once again jostled from the side. He stumbled and gasped as Fíli's hands gripped his arms tightly and tugged him in the opposite direction.

"Bit rowdy…here, come with me," Fíli yelled over the music, and he ushered them away to the side of the room and towards a table covered in snacks and drinks in large bowls. Kíli worked to calm himself as he watched his brother pour some dark red liquid into a plastic cup. He startled as it was offered to him, and sniffed it hesitantly with suspicion. He'd already broken enough of his mom's rules for one night; there was no need to indulge in alcohol as well.

"It's just punch, don't think this one's been spiked yet," Fíli assured him with his signature smile as he opened a beer and gulped down a swig. Kíli sipped at it curiously, letting the liquid roll over his sore tongue. It tasted deliciously sweet, like strawberries doused in sugar. The brunette hid his mouth behind the cup as he glanced towards his brother nervously. Sneaking into the party had seemed like such a good idea before he got there. He would be able to spend the evening with Fíli, like they always had before, but now that he was there, and with his brother just a couple feet away, Kíli wasn't sure what to say. He couldn't very well just be himself; Fíli knew him better than anyone and would surely recognize him immediately, even with his face hidden beneath a mask. Kíli twirled the liquid around in his cup, watching it spiral out to the edges as he felt the other man's blue gaze lingering on him.

"Wanna dance?" The sultry voice surprised Kíli and he shivered as hot breath tickled at his ear and made some stray hairs flutter around. Fíli had leaned in close, his lips no more than an inch from the side of Kíli's face, and the brunet turned towards him as his heart thrummed in his chest. Kíli was thankful his face was covered, for he felt his cheeks fill with colour as he looked into his brother's blue eyes. It was probably fruitless, however, as his ears were more than likely a vivid red as well. The hairs on his arms stood on end and he quickly took another gulp of his punch before setting the remainder down.

"O-okay," Kíli stuttered, his heart skipping a beat as Fíli dragged him back towards the mass of dancing people. Somehow it didn't seem quite so chaotic anymore, not with his brother at his side, guiding his movements and keeping him close. The music was still loud, and his head still throbbed, but he found himself laughing and smiling as the two of them gyrated to the beat of the music along with the crowd. Even as the music changed into something slower and more melodic, the two remained together, and Fíli pulled Kíli even closer to his body. The brunet smiled and tucked his head beneath his brother's chin, enjoying the heat at his back where Fíli had rest his hand.

Kíli's eyes fluttered closed, and he was caught up in the gentle twirling of their bodies on the dance floor. It didn't take long for the brunet to forget who he was, where he was, and why he was there. It was as though he was dreaming. He felt airy and light, and Fíli's fingertips danced across his jawline and toyed with the edges of his mask playfully. It was exactly what he'd always wanted, and he began leaning into each touch as he released tiny gasps of air at the sensations they inflicted upon him. Fíli's heart thrummed beneath his ear and Kíli relaxed and let his head linger on his brother's solid shoulder.

"I love you, Fíli," the words escaped from Kíli's lips before he even registered them in his mind, and he only noticed something was wrong when his brother tensed slightly and pulled back to study him and search his eyes beyond his mask.

"Hey…you know who I am?" Fíli asked, his voice low and wild. The blond's lips twitched upwards in a slight smirk and Kíli stared at him for a moment blankly, his eyes blinking in surprise.

"You ought to tell me who you are, it's only fair," Fíli suggested with his signature wink, his fingers reaching up to fiddle with the ties of the brunet's mask, and in an instant the spell was completely broken. Kíli's eyebrows rose behind his mask as he registered his surroundings once more and realised what words he'd spoken aloud. The brunet pushed away from his brother's grip in a hurry and he backed up as far as he could in the mass of people around them, knocking into another dancing couple. They glared at him but Kíli took little notice of their reaction. Instead he gawked at the blond man anxiously, his eyes wide, and his mouth agape.

"What's wrong?" Fíli asked oddly, visibly confused at the actions of his dance partner. The song changed to something louder and much more up tempo, and the bodies around them began jumping and dancing madly to the beat. Kíli had allowed himself to get carried away. Fíli wasn't dancing with him because he loved him, or even because they were brothers. Fíli had no idea who he was at all. He could have been anyone at that party. To Fíli he was likely no more than a potential one night stand. And there Kíli was, confessing his most cherished secret to the only one he'd ever loved. The brunet swallowed as tears began forming in his eyes, and he looked around quickly for an escape route. He had to get out of there before he gave himself away.

"I'm an idiot," Kíli muttered under his breath with a slight shake of his head. Fíli reached out towards him worriedly, but Kíli jolted away and their eyes connected hastily.

"I…I have to go," Kíli stammered, wasting little time to wait for the blond's reaction before he pushed his way in the opposite direction.

"Wait, hey!" Fíli shouted over the throng of people, but even as the blond shoved drunken partygoers aside and strode after him, he was unable to find a trace of the mysterious masked man.

Moments later Kíli was flying out the ornate doors and running through the streets outside. The late night air was much colder than he remembered it being, and his ruffled shirt fluttered against his skin uncomfortably. Still he ran, not stopping until he set foot just a single block away from home. Kíli staggered to a halt on the sidewalk and gasped for air, several flyaway hairs flittering about his face and sticking to his lips. He felt like a mess, and probably looked like one too, his makeup running down his face with the trails of sticky tears beneath his mask. Kíli untied the mask and carelessly wiped an arm across his nose. He sniffled as he eyed the sequined item in his hands, and finally scoffed, allowing his arms to fall to his sides in defeat. He stomped towards his house, not caring that the lace ties from the mask were dragging along the ground.

"Did I really just do that, even ran away like fricken Cinderella. God I'm such a dumbass," Kíli muttered in disbelief. The neighbourhood was silent around him, and Kíli absently noticed the tiny puddles in the stone walkway. It must have rained while he was inside. His feet padded loudly against the ground and Kíli was thankful he at least had both his shoes. The walk home would have been even more unpleasant with one bare foot.

Kíli easily snuck back in the house, as he no longer had to find a way past his mother. She had more than likely gone to bed long ago. He treaded up the stairs half-heartedly and began to shed his clothing the moment he set foot inside his room. The costume was kicked across his floor and he tossed the mask onto his bedside table before falling into bed. It didn't take long for the tears to start forming again and Kíli gasped into his pillow as they dripped down his face, while his shoulders shook frantically with his sobs.

"This is way worse than Cinderella," Kíli lamented, the sound muffled by his pillowcase.

It was hours later when Fíli arrived home, stumbling through the front door in a drunken stupor. The elder brother tripped up the stairs a few times and finally managed to reach his brother's door. He rapped on it twice before inching it open and peering inside.

"Kíli? Still up fer tha' movie?" Fíli spoke up, his words slurring just a bit, and he winced as he noticed his brother tucked beneath the covers and sound asleep. Fíli's eyes blurred and he reached for his head as things swayed around him. It was probably for the best, he didn't feel much like watching some cheesy flick anyway. Fíli directed one last apologetic look at his brother's sleeping form, squinting at the mess around his room peculiarly, before he made his way down the hallway and towards the bathroom door.

Kíli woke with a groan, and rubbed at his aching temples. He felt awful, and would have blamed it on a hangover but he knew that wasn't it at all. After all, he hadn't even touched alcohol the night prior. He knew it was the unique feeling that came from crying oneself to sleep. He felt heavy, and exhausted, achy behind his eyes and nose. His face was probably puffy and unattractive too, but he didn't feel like moving to find out. Instead he sat atop his bed, slouched over as he rubbed at his brows with a groan. It wasn't until a knock came at the door that Kíli realised the state his room was in.

"Shit," he hissed, catching on his sheets as he nearly fell out of bed. He hurried to kick the evidence of his costume beneath his bed, spotting the mask on his bedside table at the last moment.

"Kíli, can I come in?" Fíli's voice echoed through the door and Kíli hurried to bury the mask in a nearby drawer. He noticed his face was still covered in a mass of makeup and winced as he rubbed what he could from his eyes before falling into a chair in his best attempt to look completely casual.

"Yeah!" Kíli shouted back, and he pulled his feet up onto the seat, and lowered his head to his knees. Maybe if he was lucky Fíli wouldn't notice anything was amiss. The door clicked open and Fíli stepped into the room, looking just as worn, if not more so than Kíli felt.

"Hey," his voice was scratchy as he took in the contents of Kíli's room, his eyes roaming curiously before landing on Kíli's form and studying his face.

"H-hey," Kíli answered, the single word catching in his throat. He picked at his toenails nervously and tried to slow his racing heart. Surely it was obvious Kíli had spent hours crying the night before. There were still faint black tracks running down the lengths of his cheeks, he felt swollen and flushed, and his lashes were clumped together with crusted tears. But Fíli didn't comment on it. The blond took a deep breath and leaned against the doorframe, pushing tangled hair away from his eyes.

"Uh…sorry I got back so late last night," he droned, and Kíli's eyes drifted up to meet his brother's briefly before falling away again. Kíli couldn't help but wonder why. Had Fíli stayed at the party? Or had he gone somewhere else, with someone else?

"S'okay," the brunet mumbled, and he had to blink his eyes a few times to clear them. The tension between the two was obvious, the only sound, Kíli's toenails cracking as he picked tiny pieces from them. It was a habit he'd never been able to break.

"Did you still want to go shopping?" Fíli suddenly asked, drawing Kíli's complete attention. He hadn't been expecting that. Fíli didn't look like he wanted to do much other than go back to bed, and yet, the offer was still there.

"Sure," Kíli said on a whim, almost immediately kicking himself. It was bound to be an afternoon of complete awkwardness.

And awkward it was.

Kíli was downtrodden and visibly upset, while Fíli was exhausted and on edge. The two struggled to come up with much of anything to say to one another. Kíli didn't ask about the party, since he pretty much knew all about it anyway, and Fíli didn't bring it up, as though he was worried he might lower Kíli's mood even further. The elder of the two seemed frustrated by something, and he kept glancing towards Kíli with an unusual expression, one that made the brunet want to crawl into a hole and hide forever.

Fíli drove them around town to the usual stops, and Kíli got out at each one automatically, following in his brother's lead mechanically. Neither of them tried anything on, and neither of them made a single purchase.

It was at the fourth stop that the tension between them seemed to reach a peak. The two walked down the aisles, barely noticing the different props that hung beside them, until they reached a lane filled with ornate masks of all kinds. It startled Kíli, and he nearly gasped at the sight. Kíli stiffened as the blond reached out a hand and lifted one of the masks from the wall. It was the exact same one the younger brother had worn the previous night, dark blue and very distinctive. Even in the drab store lighting the sequins and gems on it glittered beautifully, and Fíli held it up and studied it with a serious expression. Kíli's eyebrows scrunched together as Fíli glanced towards him and the brunet breathed in quickly when his brother suddenly held the mask in front of his face and looked at him directly.

"W-what are you...?" Kíli stuttered, his body frozen in surprise as he looked out through the eyeholes at his brother's thoughtful expression. Fíli was watching him intently, and he tilted his head slightly and parted his lips in disbelief.

"I've seen these lips and eyes before," Fíli drawled, and Kíli jolted, reaching up and pushing his brother's arm away in a hurry.

"Of course you have, you see me every day," Kíli insisted, and he tried to walk around his brother. Instead Fíli reached out and held him in place.

"That's not what I meant and you know it," Fíli hissed, his grip tight around Kíli's upper arm. The two brothers stared at one another and Kíli grew increasingly more restless. He shook his arm away and tried to skitter off to the side again, but Fíli cornered him and knocked him back into the shelving unit behind. Packages fell off hooks to the ground and Kíli gasped as heated lips pressed against his in a hurry. It was uncomfortable and rough, and Kíli couldn't breathe. He pushed his brother from his body, and Fíli fell away from him with a pained look in his eyes.

"What are you doing?!" Kíli gasped, looking quickly around to make sure no one was watching. He reached an arm up to cover his mouth and felt his face heat up as his gaze connected with his brother's. Kíli staggered a bit against the hooks sticking out from the wall and the two brothers stared at each other, Fíli's eyes narrowed with confusion. Kíli cowered under the scrutiny, turning away and busying himself with setting things back on the shelves. He didn't know what to think. His lips burned from where his brother's had pressed against them, even for such a short length of time, and his mind was a scattered mess of jumbled thoughts. Had Fíli really meant…to kiss him? Surely not. A few people walked past them, glancing at the two brothers oddly, but making no comment.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Fíli asked, once the aisle was clear, and Kíli's fingers faltered as he dropped a few cheap wigs.

"T-tell you what?" Kíli sputtered, bracing himself as he tried to act completely focused on fixing the display.

"That you love me," Fíli uttered, loud enough that it made Kíli flinch and nearly drop the packet in his hands. The brunet's eyes shifted quickly to the end of the aisle and he bit his lip and struggled to get the item back on its hook.

"I tell you that all the time, I don't know what you're talking about," Kíli mumbled, getting increasingly frustrated as the package refused to line up properly on the wall.

"You've always been a terrible liar," Fíli hissed under his breath. The brunet paused and inhaled quickly before growling and throwing the item to the lowest shelf in exasperation. Kíli stood up suddenly and began walking away, refusing to look in his brother's direction.

"I want to go home," Kíli spoke through clenched teeth, and he could hear his brother's hurried footfalls behind him.

"Kíli, please, don't shut me out," Fíli pleaded, but the brunet ignored him, and continued walking through the maze of costumes and wigs, pushing hanging skeleton decorations away from his body irritably. As the two rounded yet another corner, Fíli's face morphed into a mask of determination. The blond reached out and gripped the back of his brother's shirt tightly, shoving him off to the side and through a curtain covered changing booth. Kíli yelped as he flew through some cotton spider webs and then he was trapped in the compact cubby. Fíli held him in place as he roughly adjusted the curtain to cover as much of the entrance as possible.

"What is wrong with you?" Kíli growled, but he quickly quieted when Fíli shoved him roughly against the wall again and looked directly into his eyes.

"I saw the mask Kíli, last night. On your bedside table. I'm sure I did. I may have been drunk, but I'm sure I didn't make something like that up. I know it was you at the party, so stop feigning ignorance already," Fíli insisted. It suddenly seemed so clear to the blond, why his brother had been so distant the past couple weeks, why his dance partner had been so shy and quiet the night prior, and why he'd run off the moment Fíli tried to remove his mask. Fíli tightened his grip around his brother's wrist and searched his eyes desperately for the truth.

Kíli was momentarily shocked by the wild intensity of his brother's expression and he quickly became flustered. The brunet mentally cursed. He'd been careless, he'd left visible signs out overnight, too upset to even think straight enough to hide his mask. And now Fíli was confused, and angry, and it was his entire fault for being such an idiot in the first place. Kíli swallowed quickly, and his eyes raced around the tiny change room as his mind desperately tried to come up with an appropriate response.

"M-my door was closed!" Kíli spat out weakly in an accusative manner, and he struggled in the blond's grip. Fíli did little more than scoff and tighten his fingers around his brother's wrist.

"Since when has there ever been a boundary between us?" the blond questioned and Kíli felt his eyes tearing up as he became increasingly panicked in the confined space. This time the brunet successfully twisted his wrists from his brother's grip and pushed him off, the force of the attack knocking him back against the wall beside him.

"Since I fucked up and fell in love with my own brother!" Kíli shouted as his vision blurred slightly from unshed tears. The brunet paused for a moment, and lowered his voice, as a group of teenagers passed by their booth. He was afraid to look at his brother's face, to face the consequences of such a confession.

"Is that what you wanted to hear? That I'm…that I'm messed up?" Kíli cried, lifting an arm to wipe away some stray tears. His hands were shaking, and he couldn't seem to focus on anything other than the mask that still hung loosely from his brother's hand. He was sure he looked horrendous, the dark circles still very present beneath his eyes, and with fake webs laced through his matted hair. The two of them said nothing for several moments, and only Kíli's sniffles and distant conversations from within the store could be heard.

"Looks like we both are," Fíli finally whispered, and Kíli's chin shot up as he looked his brother head on. Fíli didn't seem angry at all, if anything, he seemed saddened. The blond examined Kíli's face and lifted a hand to grip the younger's chin loosely between two fingers.

"You were the best part of that stupid party. You're the best part of every single one of my days," Fíli said with a wry smile. Kíli might normally have laughed at the cheesiness of the statement, but Fíli's serious look kept him silent.

"I love you Kíli. I'm in love with you, always have been," Fíli confided, his voice steady and sure. Kíli gulped visibly, and his cheeks began to heat up again at his brother's declaration.

"Then…you didn't spend last night, with someone else?" Kíli asked quietly. He tugged at his shirt self-consciously and pressed his back firmly against the wall, his eyes flicking occasionally towards the shadows that passed by the change room. Fíli frowned for a moment and then his face morphed into one of complete disbelief.

"What? No, of course not! C'mon Kíli, I was joking when I said that. You know I wouldn't," the blond insisted.

"You were home so late…I thought maybe…," Kíli trailed off, suddenly realizing that it was an absurd notion. Fíli had never been the type to sleep around. He really was an idiot. The brunet closed his eyes and lowered his gaze only to raise it once more when Fíli's fingers brushed his hair softly back from his face.

"I spent two hours looking for you after you disappeared. And then I spent another hour wallowing in self-pity and nursing several drinks," Fíli admitted. He let out a decisive snort and shook his head slightly.

"I can't believe I didn't realise it was you. It seems…so obvious now. Why else would I have felt such a pull to you last night?" Fíli wondered aloud, and Kíli ducked his head and tugged some of the webbing from his hair. It stretched and tore, leaving long stringy strands entwined with his locks, and the two brothers laughed lightly at the sight.

"Are you going to run away again?" Fíli asked calmly, his head tilted pointedly to the side. Kíli nibbled at his lip a bit but shook his head from side to side, bracing himself as Fíli lifted the mask and began tying it over his face. The fabric settled against Kíli's cheekbones and he closed his eyes as the blond's fingers fell away from his hair and settled at the base of his ears. Kíli's eyelashes fluttered slightly at the press of Fíli's nose against his own, and then he felt a comforting warmth settle against his lips. The touch was light and featherlike, and it was nothing like the rushed kiss the two had shared just minutes prior. Fíli's mouth moved in gentle motions against his own, stealing breath after breath from his lungs, and as the blond fiddled with the edges of the mask Kíli felt a smile form on his lips. This time he wasn't afraid. Kíli took comfort in hiding behind the decorative covering, but even more in knowing Fíli loved who hid beneath it.