pe·riph·ra·sis
noun
1) the use of unnecessarily long or roundabout form of expression; circumlocution
2) an expression phrased in such a fashion

"She's your One, isn't she?"

The sudden stiffness of his brother's shoulders was the only confirmation Kíli needed. Whatever pity he held for himself in the past now grew tenfold for his sibling. At least with Tauriel, he knew where he stood with her. She would always be nearby in some way or another; sometimes they even met in dreams when they would be too far a distance for even letter writing. He shared his worries with her—this topic in particular had him walking on eggshells whenever he even thought to bring it up in the company of his family.

"The Maker have mercy," Kíli sighed and lightly elbowed his brother out of his way. "That's not even a proper courting bead."

Fíli snorted and continued his quiet, meticulous carving. So far, all he had managed were the runs for the Line of Durin, but was struggling to personalize it in a way that his One would appreciate. Luna was one of the most difficult puzzles he had ever been given, and he was starting to think that she was never meant to be solved.

"I know, but it's not as if we haven't already taken the steps." The fact that they skipped most of the steps went unsaid.

"At least let me add something to it. You're utterly useless when it comes to girly things."

The silver bead indeed looked woefully plain even with the runes and Kíli had the perfect idea of what would look best. He had previously spoken to Uncle Bilbo about Luna's time in the shire regarding the things she appreciated and what she did there.

Grumbling under his breath, Fíli handed over the tools to Kíli and took a step back. Maybe he did need an outside suggestion; he had never put much thought into what we would do if he ever found his One. Neither did he ever believe his One could be from another race as well.

"You think Uncle knows?"

Kíli's bark-like laugh turned into a harsh cough at his brother's question.

"Oh, aye. I imagine he and the entire mountain knows. Brother," he paused to look over his shoulder, "you would think the rest of the world didn't exist if you saw the way the two of you are together."

Instead of shoving his brother in good-nature, as he was prone to doing, Fíli felt a stupid grin curl his lips as he began to think of the last time he saw her. She had just tossed a guard recruit over her shoulder and turned to blow a kiss at him from the training arena.

"See? That look right there!" Kíli chuckled and rolled his eyes before lightly blowing silver dust off the bead. While it was good to see his brother in such a sappy mood, there was one nagging question that just had to be asked.

"Do you think Uncle Thorin would approve?"

His brother's lovesick smile morphed into a frown for just a moment. Then, in Fíli's usual way, he scratched at his beard and shrugged.

"Probably not, but refusing Luna as my one would be like asking the stars to stop shining at night."

A/N: I almost find this chapter as sweet as it is sad, but it does serve its purpose. Thank you for reading and drop me a review on what you think ;)