The windows of the SUV weren't tinted as darkly as those of the Mercedes had been, and Kili grinned even brighter when he could make out the mess of golden hair in the passenger seat. He almost ran to the car before it had even come to a stop, but remembered the young nurse standing next to him and tried to keep himself as composed as possible. He was failing, of course.
But the young man arriving home was equally eager and had the door open before the car had to be pulled to a sudden stop. "Don't do that!" Kili heard a laughing voice from the driver's seat that he easily recognized –so it had been Ori who'd been talked into driving Fili from the airport; it probably hadn't taken much persuasion. By the time Ori could be seen getting out, Fili was halfway to the steps, arms open for an overdue hug.
Kili grinned and met his brother in front of the steps, swinging his arms around him and squeezing tight, elated to be squeezed in return. He buried his face into the exposed shoulder and the olive tank top and took in the familiar sight of the painted skin, adorned with familiar designs and ones he'd never seen before. He patted his back –once to welcome him back, twice because he'd missed him— and was reluctant to let go when Fili was the first to pull back.
The two had never been at a loss for words with each other before; even if they had nothing of substance to say they'd just talk about dumb things for hours. For four months they'd sufficed with only texts between Fili's classes and homework and Fili's friends and work hours, and nightly video chats when they could be left alone long enough for it. For exams had left those very sparse for the last few weeks and still they felt they had so much catching up to do they didn't know where to begin.
Finally Fili broke the silence –"Did you get taller? You look taller."
Kili laughed and shook his head but fixed his posture anyway. "I think you've gotten shorter, actually. And more inked." He took a moment to admire the new artwork painted on his brother's skin. "Done at the shop?"
"Yeah, here's the most recent." He showed off his forearm, decorated with a dragon wrapping around his arm near his wrist in three coils. Kili winced and noted that that must've hurt. "Not as much as you might think."
"Prove it," the younger challenged, eyeing him in a familiar way that asked his brother to give him one, too.
"As soon as we come up with a design and Ma won't kill you for it." He laughed and glanced over the teen's shoulder to the pretty young woman standing in the front door. He nodded a greeting to her with a friendly smile that she almost managed to return. "You must be Tauriel. Ma told me you were coming." He stepped around Kili and reached out a hand to shake; she took it in a way that he might kiss her fingers like she'd known men to do. But he didn't –he awkwardly shook the hand she offered and returned it behind his back. "Did you two get acquainted yet?"
Kili didn't meet his brother's gaze, staring down and ahead of him. So Fili knew who she was as well as he did. "I gave a rather rude introduction," he reluctantly admitted. "I was too busy waiting for you." He sighed and turned to Tauriel. "I owe you an apology."
She smirked a little, ignoring the blush dusting his cheeks. "If you owe me an apology, go ahead and offer one."
He was taken aback by her response. Usually the admission of being at fault should be apology enough, but this young woman didn't seem to accept it. He was going to actually say it. "I'm… sorry."
She nodded and didn't grant him a grateful smile for his efforts. It shouldn't have been such a shock to him that he might need to say he was sorry for the awkwardness of their greeting. "Apology accepted."
The three of them –four when Ori had parked the car in a proper place— stood in a sort of circle in front of the house for a long moment. Fili moved closer to Kili and whispered a reminder to be nice, that this woman would be there in case there were any more emergencies and he should appreciate her attentiveness. Kili narrowed his eyes –she hadn't even signed on for it yet.
"Shouldn't we get inside?" Tauriel suggested, keeping a steady gaze on Kili. "Everyone must be eagerly awaiting your brother's return."
Fili laughed about being right there but Kili agreed and headed up the stairs.
When he opened the door and everyone jumped out from hiding and yelled their greeting in unison, he was hit first with the wave and was just as surprised by the surprise as Fili was. While everyone crowded the small group coming inside, trying to welcome Fili home, Kili had to take a minute aside to settle himself.
This didn't escape the eye Tauriel had fixed on him, and she was as polite as possible in elbowing her way through the crowd to get to the teen sitting in the corner. Seating had been moved from the grand entrance but it was as far as Kili could allow himself to go, even if it meant sitting on the floor while he recovered from the shock.
Tauriel smoothed out her long plaid skirt and sat down beside him. She didn't say anything, letting him take the time he needed to catch his breath, making detailed mental notes on how he handled himself. At length she did speak to him, very gently. "Do you need a glass of water?"
He shook his head a little, trying to make off like he was fine but not feeling alright to give a verbal response yet. He looked at her; why a classy and headstrong young woman had left the party to sit with him on the floor in the corner was something he couldn't quite understand. She seemed to catch that in his stare.
"I'm a nurse first, Kili; socialite second." She smiled a little but it couldn't reach her eyes that watched him so carefully. Hands hidden in her lap, she was counting how long it was taking him to calm down from the surprise. When she'd counted to sixty she grew concerned, because little improvement had been made. She knew little of the specifics of his condition and could do very little for him without more information, information she wouldn't ask of him in such a state. "Do you want me to go get your mother?"
"No, I'm fine." His chest was on fire but he was managing to get air in around it now. The pendant around his neck went untouched, hidden and secure against his scars. Even with her assurance of commitment to her work, it was strange that she'd ruin such a pretty outfit down on the floor. He wished for a moment she hadn't joined him, but he did appreciate her attentiveness. Maybe his mother was right as ever –maybe she'd be a good match for him.
It was a relief to hear him answer, and in a stronger voice than she'd expected, though it was also a very obvious lie. But she smiled at him again. "Are you ready to rejoin in the fun?"
He nodded and watched her as she stood up. The chandelier shined above her head and illuminated his auburn hair in a halo, and from his spot on the floor Kili thought he really might be encountering an angel, before the sensible part of him chased the thought away as silly and brought on my low oxygen in his blood, pumped by a failing heart. When she reached out a hand to help him up he took it, silent and grateful, and got to his feet. Her touch was soft and he almost didn't want to let go as she led him back to the chattering crowd of partygoers. He kept his eyes on the back of her head, no longer wrapped in gold, but radiating the same beauty. He decided then, yes, I want her to stay, and not just for tonight. He could only hope she'd reach the same conclusion.
