Fili found himself smiling as he fell into sleep, smirking at the dragon that had been stripped of everything that made it a dragon. Fili didn't see the matching smirk Kili wore beneath the ventilator mask.

The next morning dawned early, Fili woke with a crooked neck, his eyes immediately settling on Kili who lay on his back, his heard turned and his eyes wide watching his older brother.

'Morning' Fili whispered, Kili blinked in response, a small smile forming on his lips. Fili sat up straight, stretched his arms above his head and started to work out the crick in his neck before it occurred to him that he shouldn't be able to do that, where was his mother? No sooner had he though it that his mother appeared in the doorway, tailed by Thorin and the doctor, who Fili thought he really ought to learn the name of. Thorin pulled in a grey and green, medium sized, metal tank behind him on wheels. Fili glanced at it, a look of confusion crossing his face, but he didn't speak. The doctor approached Kili and started to carefully disconnect the various tubes and wires that connected him to the rumbling machinery beside him. Fili watched silently, sitting on his hands to restrain himself from attacking the doctor every time Kili flinched or whimpered-which was often. He restrained himself knowing the doctor meant well. As soon as all the tubes were removed from Kili's small body, his breathing became uneven once more, Kili continued to gasp and struggle for breath until the doctor gently hooked a plastic tubing around Kili's face, the tubing connected to the wheeled tank and Kili's breathing became slightly more even, however unlike when he was attached to the rumbling machine, this time his breaths were his own.

'What did you do to him?' Fili asked, a slight edge in his voice as he addressed the doctor. The doctor simply smiled kindly at Fili and started to explain.

'This tube here is called a cannula' he said gesturing to the clear tube that hooked into Kili's nose and wound around his face before tucking behind his ears. 'It connects to this tank here, which is an oxygen tank' he added tapping the metal tank. 'The tank can be wheeled around and all it does is makes it a little bit easier for young Kili here to get the oxygen he needs, having the tank will allow him to be able to get up and back on his feet sooner'

'So it will help him get better?' Fili asked, knowing he sounded childish but not really caring.

'Yes' the doctor smiled kindly. 'Eventually he will have to be weaned off it'

'Okay, and what was the ventilator thing he was attached to last night?' Fili asked, stumbling over the unfamiliar word.

'At night, it will take control of Kili's breathing, essentially it will breath for him, this will help save his energy so he can heal during the night' Fili nodded, he had a feeling the doctor was sugar coating everything a little bit, he knew the machine forced air into Kili's lungs and he doubted the only reason was to save Kili's energy.

'Fee' Kili whispered, the moment the doctor flipped the switch on the rumbling machinery shutting it off and causing a silence to fall upon the room that sounded odd to Fili's ears after adjusting to the noise of the machinery that had battled with his sleep addled mind during the night.

'Kili' Fili whispered back, grabbing his brother's hand once more.

'Kili' Thorin chimed in. 'how do you feel?'

'Achy' Kili rasped, pausing before adding 'want to go outside'. Another pause and then 'with Fee'. Fili watched as his brother got used to having to manually breath again. Thorin turned to the doctor, asking if it was okay for Kili to go outside. The doctor nodded.

'I have to head back into town now, I will be back to check on young Kili later on tonight, his oxygen tank will need changing in about 6 hours, the gauge on the tank will tell you when it is low. If he goes back to bed or has trouble breathing then you should put him back on the BiPAP ventilation system like I showed you' He told Dis and Thorin. He turned and left the room, pausing at the doorway to add 'Take it easy, don't do too much'. When the doctor had let himself out Thorin turned and lifted Kili into his arms, Kili protested but Thorin only smiled and told Fili to pull the tank behind him. Fili did as his uncle asked and slowly they made it out the door into the small field to the side of the house. Thorin sat Kili on the flaking wooden bench under the open kitchen window.

'Are you two going to be okay sat out here while I go and help your mother with some breakfast?'

'Yes uncle' Fili answered and Kili nodded.

'Okay then, just call if you need anything and don't do anything stupid' he said before turning away from the two brothers and walking into the house.

Fili sat beside his brother on the wooden bench, he didn't say anything, just watched his brother, he noted the way Kili breathed in and the sounds he made to ensure he would notice any changes immediately. He did all this without even thinking, it was second nature to him to make sure his brother was okay.

'I'm sorry Kili'

'Will you stop saying that Fee' Kili paused to gasp in another breath, still adjusting to the change in oxygen levels. 'It's not your fault'

'But I should have been there, I should have stopped you, I should have..'

'Shh' pause 'I was stupid' another pause ' couldn't have stopped me'

'Even so, please forgive me Kee'

'Nothing to forgive.' Fili decided to drop the subject; he would never forgive himself even if Kili did. Kili may not have blamed him but he blamed himself. Forcing a smile onto his face, he turned to face Kili, crossing his legs on the bench, he took Kili's hand.

'How are you feeling now?'

'Tired'

'You want to go back in?'

'No' A silence fell between the brothers, broken only by Kili's heavy breaths, they were steadier now, Fili noted. The two brothers stayed that way for what felt like a lifetime, just sitting. Birds could be heard around them and the day had a slight chill, winter was coming to an end but it was doing so reluctantly. The cold winds like a small child at bedtime, hiding away for a while, growing ever quieter until just when you think they have fallen asleep, deciding to come back out and play again.

'What's it like? Fili asked 'The ventilator I mean'

't'was scary at first. Felt weird. I wanted to try to fight it, but couldn't. But s'not so bad once I relaxed' Kili shrugged, pausing to even his breathing.

'Did it hurt?'

'At first' Kili repeated. Another pause, this one shorter than the one before it. This time it was Kili's voice not Fili's that broke the silence. His brown eyes gazing up to meet his brothers blue ones. He leaned in closer, the way the two often did when telling each other secrets. Kili opening his mouth to say something but seemed to think better of it and shut it again. Fili looked at him in confusion and Kili muttered, 'You'll think I'm silly' before breaking his gaze as a soft blush rose up in his cheeks.

'I would never' Fili smiled. 'Tell me' he urged, pushing Kili's arm gently with his free hand. Kili looked up once more, a small grin spreading across his face. Fili knew Kili wanted to tell him really.

'It was like mother's dragon'

'What was?' Fili asked, confused again.

'The roaring'

'Of the machine?'

'Yes. I told you it was silly' Kili's smile faltered, and he started to turn away, but Fili stopped him, by tugging gently on the hand he still held.

'It's not silly, I want to hear more. Tell me about this dragon machine' Fili requested, making his voice thick with emphasized excitement on the words dragon machine, as if he were talking about some great mysterious beast that was going to fly over their home and breathe jewels upon them all. Kili laughed lightly at his brother, but started to explain anyway.

'Well it's like the noise was the breathing'

'It certainly sounded like a dragon' Fili chipped in, encouraging his brother.

'The rumbling sounded like he was breathing in and the whirly sound was him breathing out'

'Him? Does this dragon of yours have a name?' Fili asked smiling, playing along with his younger brother's creation.

'Ummm' Kili paused, struggling to think up a name, Fili stayed quiet allowing him time to think. Within moments Kili blurted out 'Thawry!'

'Thawry?' Fili questioned

'Yes, like Rawry, with a W R, like a dragon see! Because dragons go rawr!' Kili giggled, smiling as though it was completely obvious, the hand that Fili wasn't holding coming up to form a claw shape as he swiped at the air.

'But why THawry? Fili smiled, emphasizing the Th part.

'Because it sounds like Uncle Thorin snoring!' Kili laughed and Fili couldn't help but join in, despite the laugh being completely un-Kili like due to the oxygen tank and tubes, it felt good to see him smiling again. But that was just like Kili, Fili thought, always finding the good in everything. It was in that moment Fili knew everything would be ok, someone as good hearted as Kili deserved to live and not even Mahal the maker couldn't bear to take him away, for surely if he could, Kili would never have been able to have been brought back.

The night may have been dark and full of terrors but despite his dark, rugged appearance, Kili truly was the light in the darkness. The moon in the sky. Fili understood then what people said of them both, the names the elder townsfolk would whisper to or about them as they handed them sweets or ruffled their hair affectionately. Light and Dark, the moon and the sun. He knew now what they meant. No more would he be annoyed or insulted at the comparison, he had always felt it unfair that Kili should be called dark when Fili knew him as a source of happiness to him, but now… well, now he understood. For the moon may be dark compared to the sun but it is not as dark as coal, simply dimmer than the brightest light. Yes, Fili thought, they truly were Sun and Moon, the lost Princes or Erebore where their Uncle would be King, Elder and Younger. Reliant on one another. For without the moon, the sun would be harsh and unyielding as it rose. Without the moon, the sun would be the only saviour from the true darkness. Maybe there could have once been a sun without a moon, but that time had long passed, unthinkable. Yet perhaps the moon without the sun? No, that wouldn't be either. The moon without the sun would offer little comfort in the darkness, for the moon, well the moon gives comfort to the people where the sun cannot; it fills hearts with warmth until the sun can once more beam upon the land. Without the sun, the moon would have no purpose, for the people would not know what a life of light is like and would not appreciate the soft moon glow that illuminates the shadows at night. No, a moon and a sun must exist together, never as one but never quite as two. Two corner pieces of the same puzzle, they won't fit together, yet without them both, the whole puzzle would not be a complete.

Finally, Fili understood, he glanced once more at his younger brother who was still giggling. He prayed then that whatever happened, Kili would retain his humour and never be burden with worries and troubles and in return he vowed to protect him always because that was his job, not as the sun, not as a prince and future king but as a brother, as Kili's brother.

THANK YOU FOR READING! This has been my longest chapter yet. I wrote this while i was ill so if it's a little bit different or odd blame my sleepy, drugged up brain :D

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