Fili took Kili home in his car, he knew Bilbo and Thorin would probably follow them, so he rushed a bit to get some alone time with Kili. He was still passive and emotionless. He didn't talk or look at his beloved brother, his eyes were closed and he was trembling. At least he wasn't crying anymore.
Fili forced him out of the car and dragged him into his room. Without warning he ripped the clothes off him and pushed him into the shower. Under the hot water Kili showed the first reaction, he looked up to Fili as if asking to stop. Then he felt his brother's lips press into him, and soon all the emotions of the day were pushed aside using kisses and touch.
Twenty minutes later Bilbo and Thorin arrived and waited for the boys in the living room. Thorin sent a text message to Fili asking him to come down when ready. When Fili arrived both men looked at him seriously.
"He's asleep." Fili told them slowly. "He took it a long time to calm him down. How did the conversation with the girl and her father go?"
"We settled it; they are coming by for dinner on Friday." Thorin informed him, Fili looked at them surprised.
"It might be difficult, but the girl just wanted to make some friends here, and well she thought if she approached you the school would respect her." Bilbo told Fili. "We need to make a step towards her, to settle the deal; I hope you will prepare Kili for this meeting."
"I'm not very enthusiastic about this..." Fili grumbled.
"It was the best solution." Thorin told him firmly.
"After talking some time to the girl I really do believe she's a nice person, she's just very lonely and desperate." Bilbo told him. "Show her some kindness, that's all I'm asking."
"I'll talk to Kili, but I can't promise anything." Fili replied. "I'd better go back to him." He looked up the stairs and waved goodbye to both men.
Fili took Kili and Frodo for the first trial of food testing the next day after school. They had a list of five restaurants to test before the wedding, three prime leagues restaurants very expensive, one a famous popular restaurant and a fifth suggested shyly by Bilbo as one of his favourites.
Kili made the decision to try Bilbo's restaurant first, and then the next day try the famous one, and on Friday to get sample dishes from the last three for the dinner with the Linde family. He was very quiet and reserved; the idea of having dinner with the Linde's was setting him a bit off. Fili assured he would be right next to him the whole evening and if anything would happen he would defend Kili at all cost.
At first Fili thought they arrived at the wrong address but the GPS kept saying it was correct. The restaurant was nothing Fili would ever eat in. However Kili didn't have his reservations and snobbism. He just glanced at the sign and looked into the empty restaurant. Frodo followed him without a word and soon Fili decided to enter as well.
Kili chose a table near the window, and took in the surroundings. The place was old fashioned and could use a good renovation. But it was clean, and the smell from the kitchen was mouth-watering. Frodo sat next to him, but Fili stood there longer looking around and hesitating.
"Please be seated Dear Sir." A waiter with black hair and a funny hat appeared. He swiftly handed them the menu. "I hope the choice of dishes will be to your pleasing, I'll return in a few minutes to take your order." He bowed gently and headed back towards the kitchen.
"I don't like this place..." Fili murmured.
"Don't be a snob." Kili smiled at him and took his hand. "Let's just try the food, and later we'll go home."
Meanwhile in the kitchen, three people were talking in hushed voices.
"Bombur do your best." Bofur the black haired waiter told his fat red haired brother. "We simply have to get this contract."
"Weddings are horrible, the bride always complains and later they try not to pay." Bifur the third brother spoke in a hushed voice.
"It's either we get this contract or we lose the restaurant, and you know how badly our mother worked to start up this dump." Bofur was strict and firm. "Cook your ass off!" He instructed the youngest brother. "And you pray we get the contract!" He pointed his finger at Bifur who had a sour face.
"So are we cooking for the bride and the mother in law like at most testing sessions?" Bombur asked unusually quiet and shy.
"Nope, we're cooking for three boys, from what I understand the sons of the newly married couple." Bofur told him and rushed back into the banquet hall to get the order.
"May I take your order." Bofur did his best waiter smile and waited impatiently for a reaction. The blond was clearly bored and uninterested, the smallest boy was meek and shy, while the third had a wide grin and a huge smile.
"I want everything on the menu!" He told the dumb folded waiter.
"Everything?" The blond asked in hesitation, looking at the boy as if he was insane.
"Everything?" The smallest boy yelped.
"Everything?" The waiter raised his eyebrows.
"The menu is so fascinating I can't make up my mind what I want to try. So I would like everything." Kili told the waiter.
"If you need some advice making your choice I will gladly help." The waiter offered still shocked with the very idea.
"You see I've never had lamb with strawberry sauce, or beef in lemons, or fish ragout and so many fascinating ideas in the menu. So I want to taste it all. Fili I hope you will forgive me for straining your credit card so much." He made a cute apologizing smile towards his brother.
"Will we be able to take out anything we won't have the stomach to force down?" Fili looked at the waiter.
"Why of course!" The waiter explained trying to grasp the scale of the order. "We also deliver food, so it won't be a problem."
"So that means, we want one of everything, a pile of clean plates and some cutlery." Fili's voice was a bit hollow but he couldn't refuse his brother especially when he was so enthusiastic.
"In what order sir?" The waiter's voice was thin.
"Any." Fili replied curtly.
"Starters first please, then soups and finally main courses." Kili told the waiter with a smile. "We won't mind waiting a bit if needed."
"So what's the order?" Bombur asked curiously looking at his suddenly pale brother.
"Everything." Bofur murmured. "They want one portion of everything on the menu!" He told his startled brother. Suddenly Bombur's face light up, he had always dreamt of an order like that, to be able to cook to his best ability, to have someone just come in and without hesitation trying everything he could produce. He grabbed the closest frying pan and with a huge smile he began cooking his masterpiece menu.
"I'm wondering if that scene with Svanhilda spoiled my perfect brother to do something as crazy as this!" Fili looked at Kili trying not to sound firm with him.
"You can say this is my therapy session!" Kili's smile was wide, and it became even winder then the waiter marched in with a large pile of plates, he placed them on a nearby table, and one in front of each boy. Within a minute the first starter was placed in the middle of the table, and Fili's face was finally showing a bit interest and less contempt.
Each boy took a piece of the fish and ate it quickly. Kili marked something in his notebook. Soon the plates were coming in a steady pace, and to Kili's delight Fili's face was finally a bit less firm, and with everything passing dish his eyes were brighter and wider. Frodo wasn't hesitating to express his amazement with the dishes and he kept talking about how delightful every next dish was. In the middle of the main courses all three boys were full, but they decided to try at least a bit of each dish and asked the waiter to pack what was left. Kili was clearly very happy, so Fili stopped regretting the trip to this shabby looking restaurant and he finally smiled and held his hand gently.
"We'd like the bill, please." He told the waiter as the last desserts were arriving onto the table. He didn't even blink seeing the sum, he just handed his credit card.
"So tell me, is there a point in visiting all the other restaurants?" He asked Kili with a gently smile.
"Nope, there isn't. We've eaten food from there, and it's nothing I can't cook at home. But this food is something I really can't cook at home." Kili explained with a huge smile.
When the waiter came back, Fili asked him to call the manager and was surprised to hear the waiter was the manager.
"Please sit down with us." Fili motioned the last chair at the table. "We would like to discuss the contract for catering our uncle's wedding."
"Why of course, we would be delighted to cook for your family, especially on such a grand event." Bofur told them with a huge smile. "We can prepare any dishes to your preference."
"Can you cook these dishes from your menu?" Kili handed the waiter a list with dishes he liked best.
"Why of course." The waiter said with a smile. "However we can also prepare more traditional dishes to please the elders and parent's in law." He smiled again and saw three smiles as a response.
"We don't give a shit what the elders will say." Fili's eyes were glistening. "Bilbo recommended you, and we're going according to your surprising innovative menu."
"Dear old Bilbo sent you here?" Bofur clearly remembered his favourite, polite regular customer.
"He's the one getting married." Frodo explained with a huge smile.
"Really?" Bofur's eyes were shining with enthusiasm. "That means we will triple our efforts to make this the perfect venue! Usually the brides make such decisions, but we'll do anything to please our favourite customer."
"Bilbo is the bride!" Kili added with a huge smile. The waiter just blinked and blushed a bit and mumbled something like "Why, of course he is!"
"Would you please prepare the menu on the list, and calculate the cost for one hundred fifty people. Include transport and all additional things." Fili was the one dictating the conditions. "We'll stop by on Friday and take away the dishes on the list for uncle and Bilbo to try. So please prepare at least ten portions of each dish to be picked up around five pm."
"We have our own delivery car; we can deliver the dishes at your address without additional cost. That way the dishes will be fresh on arrival and ready to serve." Bofur explained.
"Fine so we'll drop by after school to sign the contract and discus the financial details for the wedding." Fili shook the waiter's hand and motioned the boys to leave the restaurant.
"We got the contract!" Bofur ran into the kitchen. "Just from today's dinner we will be able to pay the dept on electricity and gas! They are coming by on Friday to sign the contract for the wedding and they also ordered ten portions of every dish from the wedding menu for Friday night."
"That's fantastic!" Bombur was overjoyed. "What kind of dishes do they want for the wedding?" Bombur was so used to the dull old boring wedding dishes all people ordered, that he cringe at the very idea of cooking for a wedding.
"They chose ten things from your menu, and I clearly heard one of them say they don't give a shit what the old folks will think!" Bofur smiled to his brother.
"A dream came true!" Bombur smiled dreamingly. "I can't wait!"
"Wait till you hear whose wedding it is!" Bofur told him. "Do you remember the small guy with blonde hair named Bilbo?"
"He's really polite, and he's our only regular customer." Bombur immediately remembered.
"He's the bride!" Bofur accounted.
"I'm so happy for him!" Bombur smiled warmly. "I also felt sorry for him being here all alone and single."
"Let's make it the best wedding dinner ever!" Bifur told them with a huge smile and a spark in his eyes.