(Author's Note: #sorrynotsorry)
Leaving from practice twenty minutes early isn't recommended. Especially, if you were already twenty minutes late to begin with. But bladders are lovely things, that gives Kili the perfect excuse to slip out from his brother and friend's sight, so he can go get ready.
"Kili, don't you have practice right now?" His mother asks from the kitchen as he runs up to his room to change into something more presentable. A dress shirt and jeans. That works, right? He runs a comb through his shaggy hair and bushes his teeth. He even changes his socks.
"I'm workin' on a project at a friend's, ma! I'll be home 'fore midnight!" He lies easily. He goes into the back of his closet and snags fifty bucks from his emergency piggy bank, shoving the cash into his pocket. With a swift smooch to his mom, he grabs his keys and drives back to the school.
"Wait. Y' get flowers for actors. Right? Uhh... Yeah." He makes a sharp turn into a corner store and buys the biggest bunch of flowers that he can find before going back on route. When he gets there, he pulls into an area that he's never been to before. The auditorium.
Walking in there was like directly walking into a land mine. Old ladies that smelled like linen and moth balls talked about their grandchildren that were in the musical, and how proud of them they were. Artsy hipster kids that were too indie to actually perform waited in anticipation to see their friends on stage. Parents that had cameras at the ready waited expectantly for the house to open up.
Kili felt like an outcast. He plays with his ticket and walks around, looking up at all the posters of the different productions that the school had done. At the middle of the hall is a large poster that says "The Phantom of the Opera". Kili stares up at it and squints.
"Ghost of the Musical. Really? Jesus Christ, I'm an idiot!" He hisses to himself. He sighs and looks around, seeing that the doors had opened, allowing him to go to his seat. The wrestler doesn't buy any snacks, and looks for his seat.
'Row J, seat 34. Row J, seat 34.'
He thinks to himself, going up and down the aisles until he finds his seat. He bumps past other patrons of the theater, awkwardly apologizing and then sits down with a plop in seat 34. Tauriel wasn't kidding; this seat's right smack dab in the middle of the theater.
"Don't drop that thun-thun-un, ayyy! Don't drop that thun-thun-un!"
People turn their heads to Kili in irritation as his phone sings from his pocket, and he scrambles to silence it, looking at the text message that he's received. Wait no, not one text message. Two. Three. Four, five, six. Kili looks down at his phone in confusion, but then it clicks.
"Shit. Uh..." He just sort of rips the battery out of his phone and lets it die in his hands, before shoving it back into his pocket. He is not dealing with a horde of angry wrestlers right now. As if on cue, the lights dim, and the familiar voice of Bard reminds guests to turn off all electronic devices, then introduces them to the musical.
She doesn't show up until five minutes in, and for those first five minutes, Kili is very irritated. 'What kinda show has a star but waits forever to get her on stage?' He complains to himself. But when she enters the light of the stage, the fidgety and reckless fighter stills immediately, gazing at her.
She's a goddess. Nothing less. And when she sings, god, it's like angels announcing the coming of the Lord. The way her body dances lightly across the stage, as if she's a feather and weighs nothing, but at the same time, the way her voice resonates through the theater with the dominant presence of a biting wind; letting one know how very present and influential that wind is as it cuts straight to the bone. Kili finds himself sitting on the edge of his seat, captivated by her. He follows the story perfectly, because every note she sings cuts clarity into him like a dagger, making him understand perfectly. As the intermission comes, he just sits there, waiting for the lights to dim yet again, his mind swimming with the plot.
'He doesn't love her. He's just using her for her voice. She can't end up with him! She's gotta end up with Raul! He cares about her. He's always loved her. God, she's perfect. When does this stupid break end? How long has it been? When can we go back to watching her? She has to be with Raul. The Phantom is just manipulating her...! Jesus, when does the sho-'
The lights dim again, and Kili smirks, scooting to the edge of his seat in anticipation for the production. His eyes lock on her as she comes back on stage. 'Why have I never gone to one of these before?' He wonders to himself. The whole thing is fantastic! The lights, the music, the special effects, costumes, her. The only thing he doesn't like is the Phantom. Maybe it's because that stupid Legolas prick is playing him, but Kili also is sure that he doesn't like the character in general.
As the climax builds and rises, Kili clutches the arm rests, his mind swirling. "No..." He whispers while the Phantom gives Christine a choice that makes the entire theater silent. Kili listens to every note, wincing at the Phantom's harsh voice, but at the same time, the wrestler melts at Tauriel's sweet as honey voice.
"God give me courage to show you, that you're not alone..." Tauriel's sweet voice resonates through the theater as she kisses the cruel and twisted Phantom, and Kili's jaw literally drops. He just stares in awe for the rest of the play, that image burning in his mind still.
He stands and cheers for Tauriel when she curtsies at the end of the show, clapping profusely and hollering. She smiles and goes backstage, while the lights rise and people start to filter through.
'I gotta talk to her...! That was amazing!'
He walks to the front of the auditorium and finds himself swimming in a sea of actors and guests. Tauriel can't seem to get a break, from what Kili observes. Person after person want to talk with her, or give her flowers, or take her picture. The wrestler stays in the background, giving her time to glow. God, she really is glowing. The way she smiles, and that dress that falls perfectly on top of her skin.
She sees him and her eyes widen, cracking a grin and giving a little wave. He excitedly waves back and after what seems like forever, the goddess walks over to Kili, smiling.
He shoves the flowers to her, unable to even think of something to say. Tauriel laughs and accepts them, admiring their beauty.
"Did you like it?" She asks.
"Like it?! It was fantastic, I loved it! Everything was so great, how do you even do it all?!" Kili gushes to her about every little scene and detail that he loved, grinning like a fiend.
Tauriel blushes and nods at him. "Thank you... I'm really glad you liked it." She replies to him calmly.
The two stand in silence for a few seconds, and Kili fidgets with his fingers. He's gotta ask now. It's his only chance. And the question has been tangling around his mind like a spider ensnaring him since the start of the play. The wrestler decides to go for it.
"Do you want to go to dinner?"
Tauriel's eyes widen and her face veers to confusion. 'Did he really...? Is he...?' She can't even think of a proper reply, but she manages to speak.
"What?"