AN: Hello lovelies! I'm back with a new fic that features a new pairing. It's Fili/Kili so it's deviating from my norm, but for those who are still willing to give this a try, many many thanks you you in advance. :)

Beta-ed by the lovely kailthia, who can be found on AO3, ffnet and tumblr under the same username.

Chapter 1

The only thing stopping Fíli from leaving the party in a miserable huff was the rare sight of his uncle being dragged to the dance floor by a slightly tipsy Bilbo Baggins. The blond winced into his mug of honeyed mead as Thorin awkwardly jerked his limbs in a sad imitation to the Hobbit's nimble-footed dance, his steps completely out of sync from the beat of the merry song playing in the background. His usual majestic grace had long since disappeared (thanks to at least ten tankards of the truly excellent mead), but from his low rumbling laughter and the rosy flush on his cheeks, he did not seem bothered by the loss of composure. If anything, Bilbo's utterly besotted look only made Thorin try harder.

It was all...unbearably sweet and profoundly uncomfortable to witness.

Fíli snorted quietly, and shifted his gaze to the tables beside the dancing couple. Even seated, with their heads bowed in private conversation, the cluster of Elves was noticeably taller than the rest of the partygoers. The ethereal glow of their pale, beardless faces shone in the flickering golden light from the gilded candles lining the halls, and Fíli could spot more than a few curious glances aimed at the group.

Fíli, however, was more interested by the sight of his little brother laughing raucously beside a grinning elf-maiden, the same one who had rescued him those many months ago at Lake-town. Kíli had spent the majority of the evening chatting with Tauriel, all bright-eyed, easy smiles, and with enough charisma to charm even the most aloof Elf. It was hard to believe that Kíli was anything but the joyful spirit that he currently was.

The blond's gaze softened at his little brother's bright laughter. It was good to see him finally coming out of the deep melancholy that had plagued him since the Battle. Goodness knows that Fíli had tried his damndest to be there for Kíli, but when Kíli (who had sat there on his cot, his back bowed and his eyes shuttered) had asked Fíli to leave (I'm sorry, Fíli, I just need some time by myself to think), Fíli was left with no choice but to swallow the sharp pang of rejection and ever rising worry so that he could –

Watch someone else do a better job than I did, Fíli finished his thought, the sharp taste of defeat bitter on his tongue. He'd have to be blind to miss the way that Kíli's face lit up when he had spotted the Elf captain, the way Kíli more than happily peeled himself away from Fíli to be with Tauriel, the way Kíli's posture loosened around her as if he was finally releasing all his pent up tension...

For the umpteenth time that evening, Fíli grimaced and swallowed the lonely feeling of abandonment that was eating at his chest . He was acting utterly ridiculous and was probably blowing this whole situation out of proportion, but the wedge between him and his brother had never been more apparent as of late, and Fíli didn't know how to fix this, Mahal curse the state of affairs that had brought them to this.

"Well, you must be the most miserable-looking Dwarf I've seen."

Fíli jumped back, startled, sloshing his drink all over his hand in the process. The stranger in front of him was tall (for a Dwarf) and olive skinned; His dark hair and well-groomed beard were beautifully braided in a style that gave away his youth and noble birth. Fíli's eyes trailed to the sigils etched into the fine silver beads of his hair to those that adorned the gleaming pin on the stranger's rich green tunic. Iron Hills Dwarf, Fíli concluded, possibly related to Dain, a little older than Kíli but younger than me .

Meanwhile, the other Dwarf raised an inquisitive brow and drawled, "And here I was expecting King Thorin to be the most austere–looking Dwarf in this establishment, but I believe I stand corrected. How can anyone not be happy standing beside a buffet table as grand as this one?" He pointed to the food-laden table beside Fíli. The miserable piece of furniture looked seconds away from collapsing under its own weight.

"I – uh – apologies, Master Dwarf. You startled me," Fíli shook himself out of his stupor and gave a stiff little bow before squinting up at the Dwarf. "Have we met?"

The stranger cocked his head and gave Fíli a look-over. "Nope," he drawled again, pausing to take another slow sip of his mead, "but I have heard about you, Crown Prince Fíli of Erebor, although I was expecting more...majestic golden lion and less...this." He gave a vague wave in the direction of Fíli's body.

Fíli gaped at him for a few seconds before snapping his jaw shut with an audible click. "And pray tell, Master Dwarf, do you have a problem with my appearance?" he snapped back, insulted and a tiny bit flattered because 'majestic golden lion'? Really? Was that how the others saw him?

He did glance down quickly to see if something was amiss with his velvet Durin blue tunic. Nothing looked out of the ordinary.

"It's not the clothing, your Highness. It's just that I wasn't expecting to see the crown prince sulking by the buffet table, throwing wistful doe-eyed looks at the Elves," the bastard of a Dwarf pointed out with a quirk of his lips. "Can't say I understand the appeal, not when you have such a fine selection of Dwarves to choose from. For example, Lady Rindr here," he gestured to a brunette Dwarrowdam at the end of the room, "has been desperately trying to catch your attention for the past three hours. Lady Groa, the one in the hideous blue skirt, that's the one – now she's been plotting a strategy to catch you alone so that she can talk to you. Ohoh! Don't even get me started on Lady Helga, Lady Sigrun, Lady Kara, Lord Farin– "

"Lord Farin?" Fíli choked out.

"Yes, Lord Farin," the stranger nodded, sounding entirely too amused for Fíli's liking. "There's also Lord Floi, Lord Nar, Lord Thrim, the list goes on and on, really. As you can see, you are quite spoiled for choices."

Fíli threw quick glances around himself, suddenly feeling very, very exposed by the buffet table. The Dwarrodam in the hideous blue dress waved a little too enthusiastically at him.

Fíli flinched.

Wild-eyed and more than a little afraid, the blond spun back around and hissed urgently at the stranger, "And what are you doing here? What is your purpose in all of this?"

"I just wanted you to know about the many options available to you, your Highness!" the Dwarf grinned in smug delight, and Fíli had to remind himself that it was not good at all to punch the git in the face. "Also, I figured that your royal highness could at least use a warning if you choose to make yourself an easy target by the buffet table. Your admirers are slowly circling closer, after all!"

He gave one last small bow to the prince, spun on his heel and marched steadfastly away from Fíli. "A last word of advice, Highness," he called out without turning around, "do try to dance with at least some of them. Otherwise, they would never leave you alone! Good day!"

Fíli had just enough time to blink dumbly at the stranger's back before he was swarmed on all sides by Dwarves asking him for a dance.

He never saw his brother's inquisitive eyes observing the whole exchange with suspicion.

"It was horrible, Kíli! I spent the evening trying to extract myself from Lord Thrim," Fíli groaned miserably into his open palms, his elbows resting on the breakfast table in a way that would have made Bilbo sniff in disapproval. "He has this weird fascination with locks and he wouldn't stop talking about them. How on Middle-Earth can anyone be this passionate towards locks, of all things?"

"Only you would complain about being popular with the Dwarves," Kíli said teasingly. He reached for a bread roll from the silver platter in front of him and slathered on a liberal amount of butter. "What about that other Dwarf?" he asked with his mouth full, crumbs dropping all over the front of his green tunic. Bilbo would have definitely disapproved of that. "I saw you talking to him before you were swarmed. What did he want?"

Fíli looked up from his hands and scowled at the memory. "No idea. Come to think of it, he never even introduced himself. He just strolled up to warn me about the Dwarves who were trying to get my attention. "

He reached for his own buttered roll and shrugged at Kíli's answering, "Huh, strange." There was no way that Fíli would admit to being caught gazing at Kíli and his Elven companions for the majority of the party by the strange Dwarf, not if he wanted to ruin the rare sense of normalcy that had settled over them this morning.

Breakfast in the royal family's sitting room had fast become an event that was only shared between the two brothers. Thorin tended to take his meals at his desk or with Bilbo, and the last time Fíli had accidentally interrupted his uncle's private time with the company burglar, Thorin had spent the rest of the day in a right cantankerous mood. Fíli was sure that after the events of that day, everyone in the Kingdom of Erebor (and possibly Mirkwood as well) knew better than to deprive his uncle of his morning Bilbo time.

(And if there was a small, tiny, selfish part of Fíli who was glad that he could jealously guard his time with Kíli, he wasn't going to openly admit to that either.)

"Keep an eye out on that strange Dwarf, Fee. I think there's more to him than meets the eye." Fíli shook himself out of his stupor in time to catch the last of his brother's mumbled words, "I didn't like the way he looked at you."

"You mean with mild disdain?" He barked out a laugh, surprised, "Or whatever expression one sports when they are utterly unimpressed by someone? Either way, he didn't seem like he wanted to stay in my presence for too long so I wouldn't be too worried." Especially with that comment about looking less than expected, coupled with that dismissive hand gesture. Fíli's ego was still stinging from that.

"As if anyone can be unimpressed by you, Fee," Kíli scoffed, wiping his buttery hands all over the white table cloth and leaving behind large finger-shaped, greasy trails. It was a really good thing that Bilbo was not present or else he would have had a coronary, then murdered Kíli with a spoon. "And if he was, then more the reason for me not to like him."

"Let's put that horrible Dwarf out of our heads and talk about something more pleasant," Fíli said. He deliberately kept his tone light to soothe away his brother's growing frown. "Have you packed for our hunting trip? I've spoken with the kitchens and they've made us enough food to last us through the afternoon."

Kíli's face fell, and a look of guilt settled heavily on his features. "Ah – I'm so sorry, Fíli. I completely forgot about our hunting trip! I promised Tauriel that I would show her around Erebor after lunch. She was looking forward to visit the underground markets. Maybe…you can come along with us? I'm sure she wouldn't mind," he added hesitantly.

"Oh, um, no – no it's fine, Kíli. We can go hunting another day." Fíli patted Kíli's shoulder and smiled despite the heavy feeling of disappointment in his stomach. "Have fun today, alright? Try not to antagonize Miss Tauriel too much."

It wasn't as if Kíli had meant to forget about their trip, Fíli rationalized to himself later as he strolled out of the suite after breakfast. Uncle would have approved of Kíli's duty to play host to their esteemed guest and really, Fíli of all people should understand the importance of duty. His position as heir and crown prince demanded it of him.

Still – Shafted again by Tauriel, a small voice in his head whispered. The familiar feeling of bitterness and hurt from the previous evening came creeping back into his heart, and the blond slumped dejectedly against the doors. He wondered if there were some signs that he missed...or if Kíli was trying to tell him something...

Or maybe Kíli was just not as interested in spending time with him anymore, not when there are a million other people who are infinitely more exciting than his boring older brother.

Like the Elves, Fíli thought, clenching his fists so tightly to his side until his knuckles are bone white.

Like Tauriel.

Tauriel, fair like the silver shining starlight that she and her kind so coveted and brave like the heroes whose great deeds are passed through the lips of one Dwarven generation to another. How could Fíli, dutiful, loyal, but utterly plain Fíli possibly compare to her?

"Why is it that every time I see you, you are in a perpetual state of melancholy?" Fíli's head snapped up at the sound of a very familiar, very irritating voice. "I thought the lovely time you had last night would have at least extended your good mood."

The strange Dwarf peered down at Fíli's bowed form and gave a small wave to add insult to injury. "Good day, Crown Prince Fíli!" he chirped brightly. "Fancy running into you this beautiful morn!"

"You again!" Fíli straightened himself and stumbled upright, his motion clumsy and his cheeks heated from embarrassment. "How did you – what do you want?"

"Why, I'm doing well, thank you for asking!" the Dwarf answered blithely. "As always, your charming disposition makes you a delight to be around. And such courtesy! Your Highness is truly a shining example of grace."

"I – just," Fíli gave up what he wanted to say in retaliation and sighed deeply, opting instead to pinch the bridge of his nose as he forced away his frustration. He had a duty as crown prince to represent the best of Erebor and he was, admittedly, doing a piss-poor job of it. As aggravating as this Dwarf was, he deserved much better treatment than what Fíli was providing for him. "My apologies, Master Dwarf," Fíli said, his voice contrite. "That was rude of me. How are you doing, and what brings you near the royal wing?"

If the dark-haired Dwarf was surprised by the change in his demeanor, he did not show it. "Well, enough. Thank you for asking, your Majesty," he inclined his head forward and repeated graciously. His tone was much softer this time around although the mischievous smile had not fully left his face to Fíli's mounting dread. "As for the reason why I am here, I have actually come to seek you out."

"Oh," Fíli blinked in surprise. That wasn't what he was expecting at all. "Well, here I am. What is it that you need of me?"

"I – ah, perhaps it is best if we speak of this matter somewhere more private," the Dwarf suggested and before Fíli could question him further, he leaned close to the blond, so close that Fíli could feel the warmth of the stranger's breath brushing delicately against the side of his jaw. "I believe that you will be very interested to hear what I have to say," the dark-haired Dwarf said softly, Fíli struggling not to react even when he could feel the beginning of a furious blush blooming across his cheeks. Damn his tendency to flush at the drop of a pin. "I promise," the stranger continued and oh, Mahal, he was purring into his ear, and damn it all, Fíli was not going to shiver, "I promise to make it worth your while, my Prince."

What in Durin's name? Fíli swallowed hard and jerked his head away. He kept his questioning eyes fastened on the strange Dwarf despite the heat of his face, but his mind was turning over the meaning behind the message. Was this some sort of a prank at Fíli's expense? More importantly, why should he trust anything that the Dwarf may have to say?

"Fíli, you forgot to take your – " Kíli burst through the doors and trailed off at the sight of the stranger so close to Fíli. His gaze flickered over to his golden brother, stilled at the rosy red of his flushed cheeks before looking back at the stranger with hardened, cold, brown eyes. "What is going on?" Kíli asked slowly, dangerously.

With the grace that Fíli have only seen his brother exhibit when hunting, Kíli closed the doors behind him and strolled towards Fíli, his motions fluid and predatory. Fíli felt his mouth go dry from the palpable, mounting tension in the air. The strange Dwarf only quirked a brow, as if completely unfazed by the awkward silent that had fallen over the three Dwarves.

"And you must be Prince Kíli of Erebor," the stranger finally greeted a few seconds later. He pulled away and Fíli let go of the breath that he didn't know he was holding. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance at last. Now if you don't mind, I need to borrow his Highness for a short while –"

"He is busy," Kíli interjected, his eyes locked firmly on the stranger's. The archer placed a protective hand on Fíli's shoulder and pulled him backwards until the blond's back was pressed against the solid weight of Kíli's chest. "In fact, we were just getting ready to go hunting, aren't we, Brother?"

Fíli twisted around to face Kíli and frowned in confusion, "I thought you were –"

"Change of plans." Kíli smiled at Fíli as if nothing was amiss, "It's been a while and I rather miss hunting. Let's go on that trip."

"What about Miss Tauriel? Kíli, you can't just – "

"I can take her to the night market after dinner and I can show her the day market some other time. She's staying for a while, anyway, and I'm sure she'll understand the change of plans," Kíli said lightly. And because he can be a manipulative little shit, he turned his eyes, bright and huge on Fíli and positively whined in a sad, quivering tone, "Let's go hunting. Please, Fee? Please?"

And Fíli, very predictably, caved like a house of cards.

"Alright, Kee," he said, his lips curling up in a soft smile. He placed a hand over the one that Kíli has over his shoulder, "Let's go hunting."

"I see that you are busy, your Highnesses," the Dwarf coughed delicately. "My apology for interrupting your plans. Perhaps I shall have that discussion at a later time?" Without waiting for an answer, he bowed, spun around and began to walk away, but not before throwing over his shoulder, "Best of luck with your hunt today. Good day!"

Fíli and Kíli stood still until the merry tune of the stranger's whistling could no longer be heard echoing down the length of the hallway.

It was much later that Fíli – covered in grime and sweat, the exhilaration of the hunt coursing through his veins – had a sudden realization that he had quite forgotten to ask the strange Dwarf for his name. Again.

Damn.