When Fili finally awoke from his grave sadness, weeks had passed since his mom's funeral. Slowly his life was changing, and what uncle told him was true, the pain of her death was going away. School, final exams and training kept him busy most of the time, the rest of the time was taken by Bilbo's charity project, so slowly there was no time to think about the past. Her words were still haunting him, but he was scared to talk with anyone about it. The words his uncle told him just after they met were still true. He could still hear his uncle whisper "I pray that you never find out. And if you do find out, I pray you'll be strong enough to deal with it, because I'm not." He could still hear the pain in his uncles voice from that day, and he wondered how much Thorin really knew. He must have known how Frerin died, because he mourned him for years. The question was did he know what his mother and Frerin did, did he know that Frerin was his father, did he knew their secrets.
The past was one problem, the now was another. Kili was clinging to him more than ever, at night wrapping him tightly with his arms. During the day holding hands at any chance and spending all the time possible together. If Fili had training, Kili would be sitting there watching and reading a book. During all breaks they were inseparable, so much so that the twins were starting to ask questions.
He tried to keep it at a normal level, to make it seem as if it was all normal. But deep down he knew there was nothing normal in the way his heart jumped when seeing Kili. There was nothing normal feeling the shivers as Kili held his hand. There was nothing normal in what he wanted to do with Kili, as Kili innocently wrapped his arms and legs around him at night. There was nothing normal in the way Kili made him feel when he callously kept walking into the bathroom as Fili was taking a shower. Kili was everything to him.
So when Bilbo began talking about doing something special for Kili's birthday Fili had no idea what to get for him. Kili was dumb folded when on the day of his birthday instead of a typical present he got an envelope from Thorin and Bilbo. They were organising a small party for friends from school later in the evening, and truly Kili wasn't expecting anything special. But when he opened and saw four tickets to Disneyland his heart stopped.
"You mean the four of us are going to Florida?" Kili asked with a huge smile.
"Our first family trip." Bilbo told him with a huge smile. "And truth be told I always wanted to go there but if would feel strange to go alone."
"In the summer I managed to set up nearly two weeks holiday, I will have to do some business but not much, so I was thinking of showing you our old castle in Scotland, and later our house in Greece." Thorin told them with a smile.
"That would be fantastic!" Kili yelled, but later he seemed worried about something. "What about our friends? It would feel strange to not see them for such a long time."
"I was thinking, you could invite the Mirkwoods and Rivendells to come to Greece for a week." Bilbo told them with a smile. "I think that's a fair compromise."
"You're the best Bilbo!" Kili laughed himself and hugged Bilbo tightly.
Fili just blinked, he was hoping for them to go on holiday just the four or them and to finally be rid of Tauriel, but it seemed his brother had different plans. The girl was even worse now that their mother was gone, she tried to cheer Kili up using any means possible, dragging him to the cinema and spending as much time with him as possible. At first Fili felt he was put aside, but Kili being in his clingy faze never let him out of his sight, if Tauriel proposed the cinema it was all of them going, and Kili sitting next to Fili holding his hand when no one was watching them. If she wanted to spend time with him, she had to get used to the idea of Fili always being around, and Fili could see the angry glares the girl sometimes sent his way. He didn't care not even one bit.
"After those two weeks, I have a business trip to China for nearly a week." Thorin told them bringing Fili back to reality. "And although I won't have much time for you, I think the three of you can manage sightseeing in China without me."
"China?" Fili gasped. "That's great!" He loved the idea of a smaller group of people and going only with Kili and Bilbo was a dream come true.
"So what did you get me?" Kili jumped on the bed when they returned to their room to get ready for the party.
"You can't wait till after the party?" Fili hissed. "Maybe I didn't get you anything?" He could see the smile on Kili's face immediately die and he got hit by a pillow.
"Why you little shit!" He grabbed the pillow and hit Kili with it. Soon they were struggling in bed and Kili landed on top with another pillow in his hands and a huge grin.
"You're the little shit for not remembering my birthday!" My threatened his brother.
"I'm just messing with you!" Fili mumbled and grabbed the pillow from Kili forcing him to shift a bit further away from his not so calm unsubordinated body part.
"I know." Kili leaned forward and rested his head in Fili's neck. "So what did you get me?"
Fili could barely focus feeling his hot breath on his skin and feeling Kili's body in such a inappropriate position. "Top drawer bedside cabinet." He finally mumbled.
Kili swiftly shifted and pulled the drawer open and pulled out a small box. Like a kid with a huge grin he undid the ribbon holding the box together. His smile suddenly became serious when he saw what was in the small box.
"Fili, it's..." Kili pulled out the simple ring. He analyzed it in his fingers in silence. He grinned when he saw the sign on the inside of the ring. "A brother's love exceeds all the love ..." He thought for a moment. "I think, am sure, a brother's love exceeds all the world's loves in its unworldliness. Robert Browning."
"It was a bit too long, so I had to cut it short..." Fili explained not sure what to think of Kili's reaction. "It's white gold, but it looks like silver." He explained still unsure.
"It's the most beautiful present I've ever got!" Kili finally gasped slipping the ring onto his index finger. He glanced at his hand up to the light, he grinned looking at his hand. He glanced at Fili with a shy smile, but Fili saw another emotion on his face he couldn't quite read. Then Kili did the one thing Fili never expected him to do. With the huge grin, with something strange in his eyes, Kili did a quick movement Fili never predicted. For a split second he pressed his lips into the soft lips of his older brother. It was just a peck but Fili's heart nearly stopped, but he could only smile seeing Kili's huge grin.
"I want you to have a ring just like this." Kili told him with a huge grin.
"You think?' Fili asked.
"Two brothers so we need two rings." Kili told him stubbornly.
Fili smiled at him warmly. "I anticipated that. Keep digging in the drawer." Kili immediately reached back into the drawer and after a moment of searching pulled out another box, but without the ribbon. He pulled out the second identical ring Fili ordered and was surprised to see a different sign inside. "The universe conspired to help me find you." Kili read it out loud. "Isn't that Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist?" He asked.
"I always liked that one." He noticed. "Somehow it just sounded right." Fili didn't elaborate.
"If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger." Kili told him using a different book.
"Bronte?" Fili replied.
"Correct." Kili noticed seriously. "If you remember me, then I don't care if everyone else forgets."
"Murakami." Fili replied. "A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you."
"Hubbard?" Kili didn't sound sure. "We loved with a love that was more than love."
"Poe." Fili replied not really believing the quote Kili chose.
"Can I put it on you?" Kili asked gently looking at him with a shine in his eyes, and Fili just nodded as Kili gently slid the ring onto his index finger. "It's almost like wedding rings..." He joked with a grin.
"Almost. But wrong fingers." Fili added slowly. "We better get ready for the party." Fili told him with regret, but time was flying by fast and the guests were already invited.
"I'm taking a shower first!" Kili yelled at him, grabbed a towel and ran to the bathroom.
"Fine, I'll just use the other bathroom." Fili noticed with a grin.
"Or you can come and wash my back. Saving water is ecological and trendy!" Kili yelled from the bathroom.
Fili froze hearing that bold comment, but he knew the risk of actually doing that was huge. "Nah I don't give a shit about being ecological!" He yelled back and went to the other bathroom.
Kili felt a bit disappointed by Fili rejecting such a blunt invitation, but he knew he overstepped a bit. But he just so trilled, it was finally his birthday, and he got the best present ever from his brother. He kept glancing at the ring with a smile. He was thrilled Fili didn't push him away when he kissed him out of the blue, but he just couldn't control himself. He was relived Fili didn't elaborate or seem offended. Slowly in his mind the idea to try again came. For sure he would try again, the touch of those soft lips was divine, even though it was just a short peck on the lips. Maybe he could make it into another habit if Fili didn't protest.
Fili stood under the shower in the second bathroom looking down on this throbbing demanding erection. That short kiss nearly drove him nuts, he knew Kili acted on emotion and wasn't thinking when he did it. Just like many times in his life he acted before thinking, but today it was magical. The way Kili loved his present and the way he thanked Fili for it with that kiss made the blond weak. He closed his eyes and in his head he could still feel the kiss linger on his lips, keeping his eyes shut he grabbed his penis and gently stroked himself. He was disgusting, despicable, depraved and he knew it. But nothing could change the fact that with the kiss still lingering on his lips, he had the strongest orgasm ever.
Later as the guests began arriving Fili watched Kili talk with Tauriel and Legolas. He was wearing a greenish t-shirt with some kind of forest pattern, and tight fitting black jeans. Ever since they got credit cards from uncle, Kili loved shopping, and the choices he made were sometimes extravagant but they always looked great on him.
Fili was slowly becoming self-conscious about himself, but he knew the things he had on him were handpicked by Kili, and he didn't look bad. He wasn't aware that many people invited especially girls were glancing at him. Because in the eyes of most of them, Fili in a blue t-shirt matching his eyes, and sexy slim light blue jeans, looked like a god, especially with those muscles on his arms clearly visible.
The party began in the living room, but soon after the cake and snacks everyone moved to the cinema room. Fili didn't want to be a bother, but Kili kept a seat right next to him empty and as soon as he noticed his brother he pointed to the chair next to him. Instead of watching a film, Thorin got a recording of the newest concert of Kili's favourite rock band "Rising Dragons", and so for like an hour and a half they watched it. As soon as the room became dark, Kili's hand snuck into Fili's lap and grabbed his hand firmly entwining their fingers together. Fili just glanced at him with a smirk and looked back to the concert. Soon their friends began singing with the band and audience at the stadium, and some were clearly very disappointed when it was over. For Fili the disappointment was not connected to the concert but to the fact that he had to let Kili's hand go.
Kili was having a fantastic time, his friends were great, the food was great, the concert uncle got him was great. He got lots of nice presents, but the best one was already on his finger. No one questioned about it, but there came a moment Tauriel glanced at it with a question in her eyes, so he slid it off and showed her the sign inside.
"You got it from your brother?" She asked in a strained voice. "It's really nice." She gave it back to him.
He smiled at her. He knew she never liked Fili as much as she liked him, but this was the first time she openly showed it. "He's the best brother ever." Kili told her. "And you're my best friend."
She smiled at him and grabbed his hand and pulled him into the garden where most of the guests were having fun near the barbecue.
"Did you have a good time?" Fili asked him gently taking him into his arms when after all the excitement and the last guests left and finally they made it to bed.
"Best birthday ever." Kili mumbled. "For the next half a year I'm only two years younger than you. And for the other half I'm three years younger."
"Doesn't that simply mean you're two and a half year younger?" Fili added.
"No, it makes a difference." Kili mumbled again.
"If you say so." Fili laughed gently.
"Best present ever..." Kili noticed grabbing Fili's hand and extending them entwined to look at both rings.
"We'll always be together." Fili murmured into Kili's ear.
"Yeah, that's the best part of my best present ever..." Kili added with a shy smile, and snuggled into Fili's neck still holding their hands together. Before Fili could reply Kili was fast asleep from all the excitement.