Chapter Ten

Fili smiled as he woke up and was greeted by a mess of black hair. He pulled Kili closer to him, causing the younger man to sigh in his sleep and burrow deeper into his embrace, mumbling something that Fili couldn't quite understand.

If Fili had it his way, this was how he would wake up every day of his life.

He was all set to spend a lazy Sunday morning just holding Kili while he slept, but his phone ringing interrupted their serenity. He tried to reach it before it woke up Kili, but the brunet blinked up at him sleepily just as he hit answer.

"Hello?" he asked, giving Kili an apologetic look. Kili smiled at him and scooted over to lay his head down on the pillow instead of Fili's chest. Fili pouted internally at that.

"Fili, we've got a problem," Dwalin said urgently.

"What happened?" he barked, sitting up straight and frowning.

"Bofur and Nori both shifted last night."

"That's not possible!" Fili protested. "They weren't showing any signs!"

"That we know of," Dwalin pointed out. "But they've been living together away from their families for over a year. Just because we didn't know about their symptoms, doesn't mean they didn't have them."

Fili groaned. "Damn. They had no warning. They could be halfway to Canada by now." They could be in Canada if they'd be gone long enough. Hell, they could've made it all the way to Alaska, given how fast the wolves could run when motivated.

"They haven't left the reservation yet," Dwalin assured. "Gimli spotted them as he patrolling the woods last night. He's been keeping an eye on them since then, but they won't listen to him. He can't get through their panic, but they're just running around in circles right now."

Fili pinched the bridge of his nose. They had discovered shortly after Gimli had shifted that they could communicate telepathically while in wolf form. They had to focus to do it, though, and the other wolf had to be open to hearing. If Bofur and Nori were panicking, they probably weren't very receptive.

"You could probably get through to them," Dwalin pointed out.

He glanced at Kili before sighing. "I'll meet you in the woods behind the shop in five minutes," he said, hanging up and giving Kili another apologetic look. "I've got to go."

"Wolf emergency?" he asked with a regretful smile.

"Yeah, Bofur and Nori just shifted without warning. I'm hoping I can Alpha them out of their panic before they leave the state," he explained. "Stay here. It shouldn't take long. We'll go out for a late breakfast when I get back."

Kili sat up. "I'm gonna go home and take a shower and change. You can pick me up when you get back." Fili frowned, which just caused Kili to laugh and lean forward to place a peck of a kiss on his lips. "It's broad daylight and a five minute walk. I'll be fine."

"Okay," he said in resignation, standing up and smiling down at him. "I'll see you later then."

With a final kiss, he turned and made his way downstairs quickly and making for the woods. He shed his clothes quickly and shifted into a wolf, the transformation becoming easier every time he did it. He had only been shifted for a few moments before Dwalin's dark grey wolf came into sight.

They're near the beach on the north side of the reservation, Dwalin informed him. Let's go.

No, you stay here and make sure Kili gets home okay, he told him. Don't let him see you.

Dwalin huffed. He's not going to appreciate you lying to him.

It's not lying, Fili snapped. It's keeping him safe without making him feel guilty.

He snorted. And I guess he also doesn't know that you sleep in the woods outside his house in wolf form at night.

He glared at his cousin. You do the same with Ori.

Fili knew that his constant defensive statements that he wasn't a creepy stalker were making it seem even more like he was, but it really wasn't what it sounded like. He wasn't close enough to Kili's house at night to see or hear anything that happened inside, even with his enhanced senses. He was only close enough so that he'd be able to smell a vampire approaching or hear a cry for help. And while it wasn't the best sleep in the world, it was more sleep he would get tossing and turning in his bed, wondering if Kili were safe.

Maybe, Dwalin conceded. But Ori doesn't know anything about the wolves. Kili does.

Just go, he growled, taking off towards where he'd find the other wolves. They didn't have time to argue about keeping secrets.

Especially when Dwalin was probably right.

Gimli? he called out once he caught what seemed to be the fresh scent of the others.

Fili! Thank goodness! I can get them to calm down!

He put on a burst of speed and was suddenly running beside Gimli's deep red wolf, with a russet wolf and a black one running ahead of them. If he were to make a guess, he'd say Nori was the russet one, with Bofur as the black one.

Stop! he ordered, putting as much authority in his voice as possible. The two wolves stopped in their tracks, turning and looking at him and Gimli as if just noticing the other wolves' presence.

Fili…? Bofur's voice sounded in his head in wonder while Nori's eyes narrowed suspiciously. What the hell is happening?

You and Nori have to calm down, Fili told them. That's the only way you'll be able to change back.

How did we change in the first place?! Bofur asked in a panic, looking ready to bolt again. Nori stepped forward and slightly in front of the black wolf at that, trying to shield him from Fili and Gimli. He growled threateningly.

Nori, we're not going to hurt either of you, Fili said in what he hoped was a soothing tone. Inwardly, he cursed not being able to warn his two packmates about their impending change. They wouldn't be in this situation if he had.

I won't let you hurt him, Nori replied menacingly.

Nori, use your senses, Gimli snapped impatiently. Does Fili feel like a threat?

Nori stood up from his defensive crouch in surprise after considering Fili long and hard. No. He feels…

Sturdy, Bofur finished for him, giving Fili a wolfy grin.

Fili huffed, not entirely sure what that description was supposed to mean, but it seemed to make sense to the other two. Well, now that that's settled, let's get you changed back.

Then you can explain how we changed in the first place, Nori stated. Now, how?

Well, now that you've stopped the wolf from running in panic, all you have to do is bring your human side forward, Fili replied, aware that that was a terrible explanation. It wasn't something you could just explain though. It was more instinctual.

Nori gave him an unimpressed look but Bofur closed his eyes behind him in a look of deep concentration. Within a few moments, the wolf was gone and Bofur was standing there in all his naked glory.

He laughed in delight. "Come on, Nori! Change back! It's easy!"

The russet wolf had stepped in front of Bofur immediately, obviously trying to hide his naked body. Following his boyfriend's example, the other wolf soon shifted back to his human form.

Fili sighed in relief before he and Gimli shifted as well.

"Explain," Nori barked, still standing in front of Bofur protectively and ignoring his own nudeness.

"The old legends are real and we're werewolves that hunt vampires," Gimli said simply before Fili could answer. Considering that summed it up better than anything he would have said, Fili let it slide instead of reprimanding his irreverent attitude.

He really probably wasn't the best Alpha.

"Sorry we didn't warn you beforehand," he told them. "We didn't know you were displaying the signs."

"Signs?" Bofur asked curiously, peering over his boyfriend's shoulder. "What kinds of signs?"

"Fever, headaches, dizzy, kinda like the flu," Fili replied with a shrug.

"Guess we don't have to go to the doctor after all," he said, shooting Nori a smug look.

Nori rolled his eyes. "And will we always shift… naked?" he asked, raising his brow at Fili and Gimli's unclothed states.

"You get used to it," Fili said with another shrug. It was probably a bit odd that he already didn't notice it anymore, but it wasn't really something any of them could change. Bofur didn't look to fussed, but Nori looked unhappy.

Fili narrowed his eyes at Nori's protective stance and how Bofur had tucked himself close to the other man's back. "Did you two…?"

"What?" Nori asked suspiciously.

"Are you each other's Ones? Âzyungâls?"

Bofur blinked. "The wolf called Nori that as soon as he saw him."

"Mine too," Nori nodded. "What's it mean?"

Fili frowned. "It means we don't understand as much as we thought."

#

Kili was happy to note that his mother's car wasn't in the drive when he walked up to the house. He didn't want to guess at what horrible words she'd hurl at him for not coming home last night, no matter how hypocritical they may be.

He unlocked the door and went straight to his room, frowning at the mound of clean clothes on his bed that he didn't bother to fold yesterday morning. It was probably a good thing that he slept at Fili's, all things considered.

He smiled happily to himself as he remembered the feel of Fili's arms around him as he woke up, even if he was jarred completely awake a little more suddenly than he would have liked.

He grabbed a towel and a clean pair of boxers before heading to the bathroom. He flipped the light switch on and frowned when the light didn't come on. He flipped the switch a couple more times and then groaned. Light bulb was probably out. It had been a while since he had changed it.

He knew they didn't have any new light bulbs in the house so he just left the door open and let the faint sunlight drifting in from the window at the end of the hall shine through. He quickly brushed his teeth before stripping, reluctantly undoing the braids Fili had put in his hair. He hopped in the shower, hissing as the cold water hit him.

Thankfully, it warmed up rather quickly, though it never got as hot as it should have. He growled in frustration as he quickly shampooed his hair and soaped up quickly. The water heater must need resetting again. That was the third time this year! He was sure the thing wouldn't last much longer and had no idea what he was going to do once it quit working.

He quickly washed the shampoo and soap away and turned off the now cold water. He toweled off and slipped his boxers on, rubbing as much excess water out of his hair as possible as he walked back to his room. He rummaged around in the clothes on his bed before he came up with a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and slipped them off. He frowned and considered the slight chill that was starting to settle into the early October air and grabbed a flannel shirt from his closet and threw it on as well.

Checking the time on his phone, he figured he had at least half an hour before Fili was done with his wolf business so he grabbed his copy of To Kill A Mockingbird, the book they were reading for English Lit, and went into the living room to read on the couch.

He flopped down and twisted around to turn on the lamp on the table next to the couch. He frowned as it didn't come on.

That was too much of a coincidence.

With growing dread, he tried the television and it, too, would not turn on. Kili didn't try to turn anything else on. He knew there'd be no point. It was pretty obvious what had happened.

His mom hadn't paid the electricity bill.

He frowned in confusion. She had never not paid a bill before. She wasn't the most responsible person in the world, but she always remembered to pay the electricity bill, for her own comfort if nothing else.

He got up and ruffled through the stack of mail on the kitchen counter. Sure enough, there was a past due notice from the electric company. His heart sank as he looked at the amount. It wasn't a lot, but it was more than he had.

He let the bill fall back onto the pile of mail. Oh well, who really needed electricity? People survived without it for centuries. He could do the same, right?

He tried very hard to not think about how cold the nights were going to start getting. Or how much cold showers sucked. At least he'd still be able to shower, though. Water was provided for free on reservation.

He fell back on the couch with a groan. Why would his mother just not pay the bill? Had she just not been back at all to see it?

He hadn't seen her since Monday night, but that wasn't really unusual. There had been a stretch of about three weeks last March that she had disappeared. But she hadn't forgotten to pay any bills then…

He looked towards her room at the end of the hallway, suddenly feeling uneasy. She had said she was done the last time he saw her. Surely she hadn't…

Kili stood up slowly and crept towards her room. He hesitated, worrying his bottom lip as the irrational fear of getting caught gripped him. He wasn't allowed in her room. Had never been allowed in her room. Last time he was in there, he was probably about five and she had given him a spanking for waking her because he had had a bad dream.

He shook his head at his foolishness. His mother wasn't here, and even if by some miracle she came back while he was in her room, he'd hear her with more than enough time to get out.

Steeling his nerves, he opened her door and stepped in.

He glanced around, nothing really standing out to him as being amiss. Then again, it had been years since he had been in here. He peered into the half-open closet and frowned, stepping closer and throwing the door open.

It was empty. No clothes, no shoes, nothing.

Slightly panicked, Kili flew to the dresser and pulled open the first draw.

Empty.

A sick feeling settled in his gut. His mom wasn't just not here. She was gone.

Done, just like she had said.

He stumbled out of her room in shock. What was he supposed to do now? He had no job, no money. How was he supposed to survive until graduation? How could she just abandon him?

The rational part of his brain reminded him that he still had Fili, but he dismissed that right away. He couldn't unload his crap on Fili. He couldn't expect the werewolf to take care of him anymore than he already did.

He took a few deep breaths and forced himself to calm down. This wasn't the end of the world. So what if his mother left him? She was a shit mother anyway. He didn't need her.

And he didn't need electricity, he decided firmly, taking the late notice off the counter and throwing it in the trash. He'd be fine.

His phone ringing caused him to jump, not yet used to having it yet. He smiled as Fili's face flashed on the screen and he thumbed it to answer.

"Hello?"

"Hey, so I know I said I was going to take you out, but we have to have a pack meeting," Fili said apologetically.

His heart sank a bit, but he couldn't begrudge Fili this. "I understand. Let me know when you're done?"

"Oh no, I'm still coming to pick you up," he clarified. "I'm just throwing on some clothes right now and I'll be there soon. Just wanted to let you know we're all having breakfast here instead of going out."

"What about your meeting?" he asked in confusion.

"You're part of this too, Kili," Fili replied. "You deserve to know everything. I'll be there soon, okay?"

"Okay."

He couldn't help the smile that crept over his face as he hung , he'd be okay. It wouldn't be easy, but at the end of the day, he still had Fili. That was enough.

#

Kili grinned at him when he got into the truck, leaning over and giving him a chaste kiss. Fili was having none of that, though, and pulled the younger man closer, thrusting his tongue into his mouth and deepening the kiss. A flash of heat went through him at Kili's moan, and he quickly broke the kiss before he got carried away.

The brunet gave him a dazed smile. "I'm guessing you found the other wolves?" he asked absently as he buckled his seatbelt.

"It wasn't too hard," he said, backing the truck up and throwing it into drive. "They were too panicked to cover their tracks." Fili looked over Kili with a critical eye. Something seemed… off. "You okay?"

He started at the question before shooting him a reassuring smile. "Great. Are you sure it's okay if I know everything though?"

"Of course it is," he replied, trying to stop the guilt that rushed through him at the thought that Kili didn't know everything.

Dwalin and Gimli had already let themselves into his apartment by the time he got back. And considering the wonderful smell coming from his kitchen, Gimli had decided to take it upon himself to get breakfast in order. Gimli because Dwalin, bless him, couldn't boil water without burning it.

"Hi Kili!" his younger cousin called out cheerfully, scooping crispy strips of bacon out of a skillet and depositing them on a paper-toweled lined plate. He smiled his thanks at Gimli as Kili became less tense at the warm greeting. Gimli grinned before flipping a few pancakes off a griddle and onto an already towering stack. "Better get some food before Dwalin and Fili get started. Us wolves tend to eat a lot."

Fili directed Kili to get them both some milk or something and fixed both of them a plate, knowing if he left Kili to get his own food, he wouldn't get as much. Nori and Bofur entered just as he and Kili were settling on the couch, Gimli on the other side of Kili and Dwalin sprawled out on the floor.

"Help yourselves to the food," Fili called. Now that the weirdness of the wolf stuff had worn off, Nori and Bofur were just as comfortable around them all as they had always been. He and Bofur had been in the same grade in school, with Nori one grade ahead of them. They knew their way around Fili's apartment just as well as his cousins did.

"So why is us being Ones so worrisome?" Bofur asked as soon as they were settled on the floor with their food."It's not a bad thing, right? And it makes sense. We've only been dating forever!"

Fili sighed. "You're the third and fourth ones to imprint since we started shifting."

"Imprinting? Is that what we're calling it now?" Dwalin asked in distaste. "We're not baby birds figuring out who are mothers are!"

He rolled his eyes. "It fits better than any other word I can think of. The wolf is born for all intents and purposes and forms a connection as soon as he finds his soulmate."

"Except the legends say it's rare," Gimli pointed out with a frown. "It's not supposed to happen until it's okay for the wolf to retire, right?"

"Maybe it's because the Peredhels are the only vampires around," Fili suggested, poking at his pancakes. "Maybe there's no danger from them."

"Then why are we even shifting to begin with?" Dwalin asked with a shake of his head.

"I thought you had decided to hunt down the vampires that were killing people?" Kili asked, looking up at Fili.

"We are," he assured, knowing Kili was adamant about him protecting as many people as possible. "But I can't help feeling that the magic is trying to tell us something."

"Well there's no point in Bofur and I ever stopping shifting, is there?" Nori asked shrewdly. "Not unless we really wanted to. We have each other and eternity."

Fili stared at him open-mouthed at that. He hadn't considered that. Since both Nori and Bofur were both wolves, they could potentially stay wolves forever without aging. "Would you want to live forever, though?" he had to ask, unable to imagine it himself.

Nori shrugged. "It'd be sad to see our families age and eventually die, but we'd have each other."

Bofur smiled at him. "That doesn't sound so bad."

Fili could understand that. If he could spend eternity at Kili's side, he could pretty much face anything those long years brought him.

"Does this mean that Ori is going to shift?" Dwalin asked hopefully.

Nori shot him a narrowed-eyed look. "Please tell me you didn't fucking imprint on my baby brother," he hissed dangerously.

"It's not like I could help it!" he cried desperately.

Fili decided that this trajectory of the conversation needed to be cut off, especially with the slight tremble in Nori's hands. "That's enough," he said, giving them both a look. "You two being Ones might be understandable, and if Ori shifts, then that might be understandable, but what about Gimli and me? If the magic is giving us our soulmates because we're going to spend eternity with them, why hasn't Gimli found his?"

He didn't ask why Kili. For one, he didn't really care why Kili. For another, he figured that the magic understood what he himself knew all along. He was not meant to be a leader.

"Maybe Gimli's not looking hard enough?" Bofur commented with a wink.

"Who else do we know that are liable to shift?" Dwalin shook his head. "The only one in what seems to be the correct age range is Ori, if we assume only the direct bloodlines will shift and only the men."

"We must be missing something," Fili muttered.

"Or maybe I don't have a soulmate?" Gimli suggested. They all looked at him in horror, which he just waved off with a grin. "Oh, don't give me those looks. There are worse things than not having a boyfriend."

Fili frowned at that. "That's another thing. How strange is it that we're all gay?"

"Technically, you and I are bi," Dwalin remarked. "But I see your point. It seems like a weird coincidence."

"Not really," Kili said thoughtfully. "Maybe you guys are like vampires." The others looked at him scandalized and outraged that he would suggest such a thing, but Fili shot them a warning glance and they kept quiet.

"How do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, Tauriel told me that female vampires can't have children because their bodies don't change, and that, even with their mates, they feel as if something is missing because they can't have children," Kili explained. "Maybe if there were female wolves, they wouldn't be able to have kids until they stopped shifting either, and would feel like something's missing too. So to avoid that, the magic avoids making female wolves. And if the magic wants wolf couples to live forever, then you all have to be attracted to other men."

"So the magic made us gay?" Nori said sarcastically. "That should comfort my mother."

Fili rolled his eyes. "It didn't make us gay, anymore than it made us love who we love. But we were born who we were, when we were, for a reason. It makes sense."

Nori scowled. "Still not happy about that one," he pointed at Dwalin accusingly, "lusting after my baby brother."

"It's not just lust!"

"So you admit it's partially lust!"

The conversation devolved from there. Finally, Fili kicked them all out of his apartment, saying if they wanted to fight, they could fight somewhere else.

"Are you disappointed you were saddled with me instead of someone who can spend forever with you?" Kili asked in a small voice as soon as they were gone.

Fili sighed and wrapped his arms around the younger man, pulling him down onto the couch. "Of course not. I'd rather have you than anyone else in the world."

Kili was quiet for a moment. "Maybe…" he said softly in a hesitant voice. "Maybe I could live forever."

"If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, you will stop right there," Fili said with a scowl. "You're not becoming a leech, not ever, and especially not for me. You're not going to be a slave to blood-lust for the rest of eternity."

"You'd rather me die?"

"That's not fair, Kili," he said in a pained voice. Just the thought of anything ever happening to Kili cut him to the quick. "What's so bad about living a human life together?"

"You could have so much more, though," Kili pointed out sadly. He pulled away and looked at him seriously.

"Kee, there is no more in my life without you." He sighed and pushed back his hair. "Can I braid your hair?"

Kili frowned at the sudden change of topic but nodded anyway. Fili grabbed a comb and a couple of ties before settling back on the couch. He gathered a small bit of Kili's hair just behind his left ear and began to braid.

"This braid means beloved," he told him as he tied it off. "It's used when the wearer is the object of affection of a Khuzdul."

"Fili…" Kili breathed, but he wasn't done yet.

"And this one," he said, starting a similar sized braid behind the other ear, "is worn by the one who holds the heart of the Chief of the tribe. Or his heir, as the case might be."

Kili looked at him with watery brown eyes. He smiled at him and continued, grabbing a slightly larger section of hair that started at the middle of Kili's forehead and braided it down his hairline to the scalp. When the braid reached the smaller braid behind his ear, he stopped braiding to the scalp and let the braid fall down with the other.

"And this one is normally worn only by the âzyungâl of a wolf, though others have worn it before," he said solemnly. "It means its wearer is the one true soulmate of the person who put it there. It means our lives are bound as tightly as these strands. It means there is no me without you."

He just managed to tie off the braid before his arms were full of Kili.

"I love you," he whispered the words into Fili's next, causing the werewolf to smile.

"Do you see, then? I don't need anything that you can't give me," Fili murmured into Kili's hair, dropping a kiss onto his last braid. "You don't have to change anything about yourself for me to love you, and you definitely don't have to become a vampire."

Kili gave him a watery smile. "I just want you to be as happy as you make me," he said ruefully.

"Pretty sure you do," he replied confidently before capturing his lips in a kiss. "You make me impossibly happy," he whispered against his lips as he broke the kiss.

And though the thought of Kili dying someday in the far away future was like a dagger to the chest, he would definitely not change him for anything.

Not even for immorality.

tbc…