Fíli struggles, feet kicking and hands scratching, against Azog as the Pale Orc drags him along the ground toward the edge. The fear of being trapped as dozens of orcs piled into the tunnels refuses to leave him. Pain blooms in his neck from where Azog holds him, but he refuses to give in, despite how glaringly obvious this will end.

Azog holds him off the ground and he knows there is no escape this time; but as long as Kíli is safe, as long as his family is safe, then it matters not what happens to him. Thorin, Dwalin, and – surprisingly – Bilbo, watch, frozen, as Azog hoists Fíli higher, taunting them. He screams at them to run, go, save themselves, but Thorin doesn't move.

Death is coming and Fíli knows it, but he shouts one last time. He hopes Kíli is safe below where he can't see what's about to happen. Pain rushes through him for a brief moment, but there's a flash of auburn and Fíli sees white.

Kili rushes up the steps when he hears Azog growl in frustration. He prays to Mahal that his brother is all right as he kills the orcs that try to keep him back. They're no match for an angry dwarf. Kili reaches the top to find Tauriel standing between Azog and Fíli. Another elf deals with any Orc that comes close to her.

Kili heads straight to Fíli and notices immediately the blood forming a twisted mockery of a cape beneath him. His brother stares at the sky but Kili almost cries with relief when he sees his chest moving.

"Fíli!"

But Fíli simply stares up, oblivious to the tears that start to fall from Kíli's face. Kíli shouts this time, hoping his brother will respond. He tries again and again, ignoring Tauriel's calls, begging his brother to come back and live and laugh once more as if it were all in jest, that this was all a big joke.

Kili, exhausted, gives up shouting and simply sits next to Fíli, blood soaking his boots and pants – when Fíli blinks and turns his head.

"Kíli?"

"Fíli," Kili sobs out his brother's name, so relieved he is that Fíli has spoken.

"It's all right, Kíli. I'm all right," Fíli reassures his brother.

"You're bleeding. There's blood," Kíli points out.

"It's just a scratch," he says, despite the obvious pain he fails to hide. "We have to fight, alright, Kíli?"

Kili nods as he wipes his eyes. He helps his brother up.

They fight.

And they live.

But not without the consequences.

The tunnels of Erebor remind Fíli too much of the tunnels under Ravenhill and too often the fear of being trapped returns.

As for Kíli, he watches his brother die every night, and every night he wakes, calling - screaming - for Fíli to come back. And live.


A/N: This was written for Maggie who chose the prompt.
Yay I finally wrote an AU where they live! All is good for once. Thank you Sophie for editing. But this is probably the last you'll see for a while since school has started. In news, I am on AO3 now, with an underscore instead of a dash.