It was late afternoon when Fíli finally managed to sneak out from the council room. The most important subjects had been discussed and it really was no need anymore for him to stay.

With a smug smile he made his way to the hidden and secret cave he found a few days earlier and of which he spoke to no one about, not even to Kíli.

The place was amazing: a lake of naturally hot water, stretching from an inside waterfall towards a circle of rocks covered with gems and veins of gold. When he entered it, earlier in the week, he had his breath taken away for it looked like a window on a starlit sky thanks to the million of gems covering the walls and ground. The torch he was holding made them all glimmer lightly and he just gaped at the beauty displayed in front of his eyes and promised himself to come back to enjoy the peace of it and even, maybe, take a bath there.

Getting closer to his hidden paradise he looked briefly around him before entering it to be sure no one was following nor seeing him taking the secret way, and once far enough to his taste in the dark passage, he lit up the torch he was holding, the noise of the waterfall already reaching his ears. His smile widened and he hastened his pace, gasping once again when he stepped inside the cave.

He found a place between two rocks where he inserted the torch and once it was securely held he turned towards the steaming lake, his two fists resting on his hips, taking in the view for several minutes before starting to slowly undress himself, the smile never leaving his lips.

Once totally naked he walked carefully, but still with the same confidence that always was showing in his moves and didn't even pause before entering the lake.

Its ground was made of smooth rocks which didn't hurt his feet at all and he sighed in relief when, as he was getting deeper inside the water, the hot liquid eased the soreness of his muscles and caressed his skin. Once the surface reached the top of his torso he stopped and started rubbing his arms, one after another, letting out a low groan fo pleasure, before moving his hands softly over the rest of his body, massaging it. The quietness of the place was so appeasing that he forgot everything and everyone and just enjoyed the moment, the noise of the waterfall preventing him from hearing the second Dwarf coming at his back.

Thorin had known what Fíli believed to be his secret cave for ages, as he discovered it when he was not much than a Dwarfling and he never talked about it to anyone either… Not even to Dís nor to Frerín. Often, back in the days, he disappeared and no one would know or guess where he was when he actually was right where he was today: seating on the same flat rock, in the warm water, clearing his mind from all the responsibilities or worries that sometimes were getting overwhelming.

So he was quite surprised, at first, when he heard footsteps coming his way inside the cave and therefore remained hidden and quiet as the light of the torch couldn't reach the place where he was seated. He immediately recognised Fíli, of course, for his young blond nephew was nothing like any other Dwarf and he would have recognised his figure anywhere.

At first he remained quiet, a mischievous smile spreading on his lips, for he wanted, for once, to be the one to perform a prank and the occasion was just too perfect. But then Fíli started to take off his coat and Thorin simply couldn't take his eyes off from the golden haired Dwarf, his heart beating slightly faster. He swallowed hard, and blinked, not understanding why, but his eyes remained on Fíli, always.

The clothes were tossed on the cave ground, the strong and firm muscles of the younger male slowly revealed to the King's eyes, and a long and forgotten warmth started to spread in his body, from his stomach to his groin as his cheeks started to burn when Fíli was finally totally bare.

It wasn't the first time, of course, that Thorin was seeing Fíli naked, he had before, but it was a long time ago and not in these circumstances. At that precise moment, Thorin had spent too many nights alone already in his large bed and his body was hungry for touches and lust. But…but…His nephew?! He shook his head frantically, trying to shake off the strange desire that was growing in his heart but the more he tried to ignore it now that he thought about it once, the harder he was getting.

The situation that could have turned out funny, was turning rather embarrassing for him and he wanted to leave the cave as soon as possible, but Fíli, who now had his back turned to him, started to spread the water over his body and to massage his muscles (which probably were sore due to Dwalin's roughness during the morning training session, Thorin thought). He then gasped silently at the sound that escaped his nephew's lips: a low moan of contentment that reverberated all the way down to his length already painfully hurting him with need.

That was it, Thorin couldn't control his body any longer and it felt to him as if he was watching, as a spectator from afar, at his own shape rising silently from the rock he was seating on to join Fíli in the deeper water.

[…]