Eleven: Sick

Prompt: First cold/flu. (second fill for this prompt)

OP: shinyadoll


Thorin should realized something is wrong the moment he opens the door and finds the house silent. His young nephews are always making some kind of noise- laughing at their private jokes, or singing the songs taught to them by their mother, or shouting at each other as they play fight in the yard. The boys are whirling balls of motion, who always greet him at the door with pent up energy after being stuck all day indoors.

The silence should worry him, but Thorin is too grateful for a respite after a long day at the forge. He makes his way to the kitchen, intent on having supper on the stove before his sister gets home from her trip into town. Before too long he has a hearty soup simmering and a loaf of bread on the table, ready to be sliced.

"Uncle Thorin?" Fíli shuffles into the kitchen, his golden hair sticking up in tousled waves.

Thorin's back is to his nephew, his attention directed at the dinner preparations. "Your mother should be home in just over an hour. Supper should be ready then."

There is no answer and after a moment Thorin turns to look at his nephew. Dark circles ring Fíli's eyes and his skin is ghastly pale.

"Fíli?" Thorin's eyebrows furrow together. "What's going on?"

"Kíli is sick." He hunches over, beads of sweat dotting his temples.

"Just Kíli?" Thorin looks at his oldest nephew in concern. "It appears you're ill as well."

Fíli shivers and wraps his arms around his stomach. "I have to take care of Kíli." His bare feet slide on the floor as he shuffles back into the bedroom, Thorin following close behind.

"Fe?" Kíli drags himself into a sitting position, his shoulders slumped tiredly. "I don't..." The younger dwarf hunches over the side of the bed, vomiting into a well-placed bucket.

Fíli promptly claps a hand over his mouth, his face taking on a slightly greenish hue.

Thorin frowns. "Alright. Get in bed, Fíli. Go on."

Fíli shakes his head and takes a deep, steadying breath. "Have to take care of Kíli."

"You're as sick as he is, lad, and twice as stubborn." Thorin sighs. "Bed. Now."

For a moment, Fíli thinks about objecting, but a sudden wave of nausea sloshing in his stomach changes his mind. Crawling into the bed next to his brother, he collapses in an exhausted heap.

Thorin regards his younger nephew anxiously. "How are you feeling?"

"Cold." Kíli blinks up at his uncle, eyes heavy.

Touching the back of his hand to Kíli's forehead, Thorin frowns. "You're burning up." He pulls the blankets away from the boy.

Pouting, Kíli tries to tug the blankets back. "No. Cold."

"You're feverish." Thorin grabs for the bucket, just in time for the young dwarf to lean off the edge of the bed and heave.

Kíli's dark hair is plastered to his forehead, his cheeks flushed unnaturally. "Urgh..." He moans, leaning back against the pillows with his arms crossed limply over his chest.

"You okay?" Fíli manages to roll onto his side, drawing his knees up to his chest, and regarding his brother.

Thorin brushes the hair back from Fíli's forehead, noting how pale his nephew's lips are.

"Sick, Fee." Kíli mewls. "Hate being sick."

Hunching over with one arm around his stomach, Fíli moans his agreement.

Thorin looks back and forth between his young nephews, unsure of what to do. "Should I bring anything? Something to drink? Some soup?"

At the mention of food, Kíli claps his hands over his mouth, entire body shaking. Fíli lunges for the bucket and vomits until he is gagging and dry heaving.

"Or not." Thorin rubs the heel of his palm over Fíli's lower back, trying to soothe the boy.

Fíli whimpers, his breath coming out in shuttering gasps. Pulling himself back onto the bed, he crumples next to his brother, tucking himself against the younger dwarf's back.

Thorin excuses himself from the room, taking a moment to empty out the bucket, and fetching a mug of water before returning. "You lads need to try and drink something."

Fíli opens and shuts his mouth like a fish, unable to motivate himself to move. Kíli shakily pushes himself up on his elbows, sipping at the proffered water.

"You too, Fíli." Thorin slides an arm behind his nephew, pulling him to a sitting position. Fíli makes a pinched face as his uncle presses the mug to his lips, urging him to drink. "There we are." Satisfied, Thorin tucks the elder boy back beside his brother, smoothing the blankets over his shoulders.

Kíli's eyes flutter closed, his breath evening out as he drifts to sleep.

"Is he going to be alright?" Fíli peers up at his uncle, eyes slightly out of focus.

"Yes, he's sleeping now." Thorin sighs. "You should be too, lad. Stop worrying about him."

"Can't." Snuggling closer to younger dwarf, Fíli yawns. "He's my brother."

"And you'll be no good to him unless you get better."

Murmuring his accord Fíli presses his forehead against the flushed skin at the back of his brother's neck and closes his eyes.

When Dís comes home, she finds the house much too quiet. Her two young sons are tucked into their bed, obviously ill. Fíli is still dreadfully pale, and Kíli's fever hasn't broken, but both boys are resting soundly. Thorin's smile is unusually soft as he watches his nephews, sitting beside their bed as they drift off into sleep.

...


Yup- I liked this prompt so much I wrote two fills. This might be one of my favorite chapters so far!

I know the updates have been a little slower the last week or so. There are two reasons... The first is that I'm running a little low on prompts and am trying to stretch them out. The second reason is that I've been working really hard on a new multi-chapter fic. I'm hoping to have enough flushed out that I can start posting it by the end of the month. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Huge thanks to everyone who reads/reviews/prompts this! You guys are amazingly awesome and I love you all!