Kili opened up the doors to the restaurant—Bilbo had gone out with and Ori. He smiled shyly at Fili as he led him through the restaurant to the back dining room where Bilbo's prized possession sat—his grand piano. Kili let out a little laugh as he saw that someone—probably Ori—had left out wine glasses and a bottle of Merlot, he even uncorked it for them (Kili had an irrational fear of corks).

Kili walked over to the piano and bottle, and then pointed to the wine.

"Would you like some?" he asked, pointing with his hands.

Fili walked over, writing on the notepad. He passed it over and Kili read:

I've never had it before.

Kili looked up at him. He never had wine before? What? Fili must have noticed his confusion, for he wrote another sentence and showed it to Kili:

My father never let me have any, he was strict even before the accident. I wasn't even allowed to celebrate my 21st birthday.

Kili read it, and nodded his head, then he wrote

We'll have to celebrate then. Would you like to try?

Fili looked up at him shyly and nodded his head. Kili smiled, and then poured them both glasses of the merlot. He held up his glass for a toast;

"To a perfect night." He said and then he took a sip. He watched as Fili sipped his first glass of wine, and then nodded his approval.

"You like it?" Kili asked

Fili nodded again and smiled.

Kili then pointed to the piano bench. He stepped over to it and pulled it out, motioning for Fili to sit next to him. He put his wine glass aside and put his fingers on the keys. He played a few notes, and then paused as Fili sat down next to him.

Kili wrote, this is why I work here. Bilbo let's me play before we open and after we close.

Fili read the note, nodded his head and put his hand up on the piano, and Kili realized that he could feel the vibrations of the music.

"Watch." Kili said, and then he played the opening notes to one of his latest songs. He watched as Fili watched his hands move across the keyboard.

Fili lifted his hand, and then wrote on the pad:

I can feel the vibrations, it's beautiful.

Kili smiled at him, "I can show you how."

Fili shook his head, and pointed to his ears.

"I know, but watch." Kili said, and he played the chords again, this time emphasizing his left hand.

"Now you try." Kili said, and he took Fili's hand to put it on the keys, but he felt him flinch away from him.

"It's okay. Hey, it's okay." Kili said, and this time he showed Fili the notes to play, one by one on the keys. Fili watched their hands with an intense concentration.

"Now let's play." Kili said, and he went to play chords with his other hands. He made sure to tap his food against the piano, to Fili could feel the vibrations. They played the song together, and when it was over, they stared at each other.

Kili looked into Fili's eyes and for once did not see a broken brittle man, instead he saw something defrosting; a warmness that wasted there before. He realized then that he was the first person in months to look at Fili, to really notice him, and he was the one that had given Fili hope.

Fili smiled at him and scooted closer and closer in his seat until they were inches apart from each other. Kili realized that this was their moment; this was their time for their first kiss. Kili leaned forward and he brushed his lips lightly across Fili's.

Fili's head jerked back suddenly, and Kili winced as Fili flinched away from him and stood up.

"Fili?" Kili asked, and he winced as he saw his friend's hands shaking as he backed away from him. Kili instantly berated himself for acting so rashly; didn't Fili just tell him that he had been in an abusive relationship? Didn't he realize that something as simple as a kiss could trigger a reaction?

Fili was writing on the notepad, when he was done he passed it over to Kili and sat back down on the end of the bench.

I'm sorry, Kili. I'm sorry

Kili could feel Fili's whole body tremble. He quickly wrote back;

You have nothing to be sorry about. I'm sorry I acted without thinking. I'm not going to hurt you, Fili.

Fili read, and nodded his head.

I know. I trust you. I'm sorry.

We'll just take it slow. How does that sound?

Fili looked up at Kili and nodded his head, and then slowly his took his hand and placed it on top of Kili's.

Kili could still feel him shaking, so he took his other hand and put it on top of Fili's. They looked up and smiled at each other.

Suddenly, they saw lights flash through the restaurant. Kili checked his watch and saw that it was 10:29.

Fili pointed to the front of the restaurant and nodded his head.

Kili stood up first, and they made their way to the front. When they reached the doors, Fili stopped and wrote on the notepad:

Thank you for an amazing night. I hope we will see each other again soon.

Thank you for joining me. I really had fun.

They looked up and smiled at each other, and then Fili opened up his arms and gave Kili a tentative hug. Kili returned the hug and felt his heart fill with joy.

The black sudan outside honked harshly, making them both jump. Fili pulled out of the hug and put his hand on the door. He smiled and waved at Kili before opening it and walking towards the car.

Kili watched as he got inside and drove away, wishing that their date hadn't ended so soon

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