The house was cold and dark, lit only by the yellow light of the chandelier above the entryway. And already Kili was starting to regret this decision. With his savings, he could have gotten a flat in the city, but.. It was too late to leave now. His brother nor his uncle would hear any of it. With a deep sigh under his breath, Kili set his bag down on the bench near the door, waiting for someone to greet him. It had been nearly ten years since he'd last set foot in this house, and all he could remember of the trip had been this ever-present desire to leave.
"Hello? Uncle?" He called, crossing his arms over his chest and moving towards the doorway to his right. It was a parlour, featuring plush chairs, a fireplace, and a hutch full of glasses and alcohol. Well, that might make his stay a little more interesting…
"Who's there?" comes a voice from the top of the stairs leading to the second landing, and the corridor overlooking the entryway. Startled, Kili spins around to find what must be his uncle watching him with that disapproving gaze the young man had always remembered most clearly.
"Uncle, it's me…" Kili says, frowning. Had he not been expecting him?
"Ah, yes. Kili, of course." Thorin says, although his terse tone doesn't falter.
There is a moment of awkward silence between the two.
"I suppose I should show you around. You were just a kid last time you visited…" His demeanor falters for half a moment into something indiscernible. Kili hears it as muted sadness. The young man finally nods, watching his uncle. "Your room is on the second floor." Thorin mutters, gruffly, gesturing for Kili to follow him. Which he does after a moment. The second storey looks equally dark. How has his uncle's eyesight survived this long?
The steps creak under Kili's weight as he follows Thorin up the stairs and to the right. The hallway seems to go on forever before ending in the vague blur of a painting. Kili hadn't remembered how huge his uncle's estate actually was. Thorin opens the first door on the right and Kili is greeted by an austere room, featuring a four-poster bed and an antique dresser. "I figured you were bringing some of your things with you, so I wanted to make space." Thorin attempts to explain, an undertone of embarrassment about the sparse furnishings.
"Yeah. Just a couple things." Kili says, stepping into the room. It's rather large, with what looks like an en suite bathroom. The window, clouded with dirt and grime, looks over the hedge maze and the circular drive.
"Feel free to move into another room if you don't appreciate the view." Thorin explains without a bit of sympathy.
"It's fine." Kili says, mostly wanting to get this over with. It'll be like having a surly roommate, he tries to reassure himself, knowing that his uncle prefers to keep to his own business.
After a few hours of moving and arranging and unpacking, Kili's room is starting to look like it belongs to him now. The books are situated nicely, his bow and its case are nestled under the bed, and his clothes put away in the closet. The young man still can't get over how large this room is; probably the size of all the bedrooms in his mother's house. The memory makes his chest hurt. It's only been a month after all.
Kili frowns when there is a knock at his door. So much for the reclusive roommate theory, he thinks to himself before opening it. Of course, it's his uncle. And Kili, for the first time since his arrival, gets a good look at the aging man. His dark hair has grown much longer since they last met, and threads of grey are woven in the black. His face has aged nicely, though, like one of those older movie actors. And his blue eyes are as violent as ever.
"I figured you would be hungry, so I made us some dinner." He says, almost hesitantly. It's true that Thorin has never really interacted with teenagers before, but this first attempt at parenting seems almost pathetic.
"Yeah, sure…" Kili trails off, nearly feeling bad for him. Kili is still dressed in his jeans and white button-down shirt, but based on what he remembers of his uncle, a t-shirt would not be welcome. Even tired as he looks, Thorin still manages to wear slacks and a cardigan.
"Then, I'll see you down in the dining room in a few minutes." And with that, he closes the door, a little harder than he probably intended. Kili can only sigh again and fall onto the full, down covers on the bed. Fili was going to love to hear about this.
The meal Thorin prepared seems to be a thrown together sort of dish, chicken over rice with overcooked mixed vegetables. Is this how he eats normally, Kili can't help but wonder, and then quickly doubt it. The last time Kili had eaten at the long dining table, there had been waiters, cooks, but they all seemed long gone now. Probably the maids too, since the table was covered in a sheet of sneeze-inducing dust.
They ate mostly in silence, which seemed to suit both of them just fine. Kili was not used to having a father-figure around, and Thorin was ignorant of the customs and interests of young people. The once beautiful dining room looked run-down and appeared to be sagging. The fireplace looked like it hadn't been lit in several years; the piles of ash in the hearth even had a layer of dust over them.
As Kili was pondering the degradation and decay of this once beautiful room, and house, Thorin finally broke the silence. "I keep the kitchen well-stocked and you can eat whatever." His eyes fall on Kili, who's just finishing forking the rest of the rice into his mouth. He only nods, knowing that he must seem… unapproachable to a man that once terrified him.
"Just do your dishes when you're finished." He adds, finishing his own meal and leaning back in the high-backed, wooden chair.
"Yeah. I know." Kili resists the urge to groan. What the hell does he think he is, eight again?
Thorin catches the tone, based on his glare, but only continues. "You can go wherever you like about the house, although you must avoid the study. At all times."
Kili nods, moving to stand up, when a gesture from Thorin stops him.
"I'm not good at this whole… parenting shit." He mutters, sounding no less gruff than usual. The language surprises Kili though, who's still at that stage where adults swearing around him is still kind of cool. "You're old enough to take care of yourself, but I doubt my sister would've wanted you to be on your own in the city." The mention of Dis softens his tone slightly. "So, we're both going to have to make this work."
"Alright." Kili says, standing up. "I get it, Thorin. So, let's just stay out of each other's way."
Thorin hesitates for a moment, acting like he's going to object, but finally, he can only nod his agreement. They both take their plates into the kitchen and wash up in silence.
That night Kili is flipping through a book, laid on his bed, freshly showered and pyjama'd. He can't help but think to himself when he closes the book for the evening that, unlike his first assumptions, this place wasn't going to be his hell. Rather, it is his purgatory, and frankly, that almost seems worse.