It takes one month (one too-short month of dates and movie nights, horrifying Gimli with their displays and Ori tittering about "Rock stars still need tea you know") before the first glossy cover with a bright red headline shows up.
"Rocker KILI a homosexual?"
Laughably the letters hover over a picture some overzealous pap shot of Kili and Ori standing together at the movies. Inside there is no mention, nor photograph, of Fili who happened to be in the concessions line at the time.
By the end of the day however the blogsphere has exploded, his fans are wildly speculating and as his very disgruntled P.R finds out, creating.
Kili's cringe is comical to Gimli as his new friend reads the email from Nori. He pops a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth and watches the brunette's eyebrows sink lower, the cringe becoming full blown bewilderment and general grumpiness.
Fili hums as he turns from the stove with a plate of chicken sandwich in hand that he sets smoothly before Kili. Tapping the younger between his sunken eyebrows he waits until brown eyes focus on him and tilts his head in question.
Seemingly unable to vocalize Kili simply flips the laptop around, showing Gimli and Fili what had him in such a tiff.
Gimli chokes on his ice cream, both from the screen and the expression on Fili's face as he takes in a very detailed drawing of naked Kili with his hands all over Ori.
Eventually Fili manages, "What the fuck?"
This sets Gimli off all over again, despite his friends glare and Kili's forlorn puppy eyes.
"It's…well it's fanart, since that stupid magazine showed up with the picture of Ori and I waiting for you apparently a lot of my fans ship it…or whatever.."
There is a long moment in which Gimli quiets, realizing that something meaningful is passing between the couple he dips his head and flees to the living room.
Fili opens a new tab under Kili's concerned gaze and quickly googles anything he can think of that would return something of him and Kili together, the only result is some blurry footage of Kili pulling him up on stage that first night. Swallowing he searches "Kili relationship" and is instantly assaulted by a wall of images and text about Ori (not by name, not yet).
The blonde takes a slow breath in and lets it out, surprised at how much it bothers him that everyone believes Kili is dating his roommate. Warm hands on his shoulders pull him back to the singer.
"Fee? Are you okay?"
Fili doesn't know so he just shrugs helplessly and is relieved when Kili follows up with:
"Because I'm not. It pisses me off. One, I'm not gay I'm Bi and it's different, Two Ori is my friend and I don't like the thought of people fantasizing about us together…"
Fili nods but can't help the trickle of hurt that Kili doesn't seem upset about this for the same reason he is until Kili cups his face and says the last part much softer.
"Three, you are my boyfriend and I'll be damned if the world doesn't know what a lucky bastard I am."
Kili kisses him lightly and releases him, annoyance still writ on his brow as he leans back and rubs his cheek, light stubble catching his palm as he does.
Fili smiles slightly at him, "Well I guess we'll just have to set the record straight won't we?"
Kili gives him a searching look and then they both grin, Fili's laughter carrying to Gimli and a mortified Ori in the living room.
Both redheads know that laugh and share a concerned if conspiratory glance. Kili pulls Fili into the room, pushes him onto the couch and takes what Ori has dubbed his battle stance; feet wide and hands on hips with his head thrown back so the wild mane of his hair falls behind him.
"Alright, so as we all know the idiots outside think I'm doing Ori who, no offense, is not my type. You're too damned cute Ori, I could never do more than cuddle you man." Kili takes a deep breath as Ori blushes and coughs a small laugh.
"So, our new goal is to use your individual accounts to post photos of Fili and I and spread the word without alerting my press team until it's too late. They're having a field day since Ori's face isn't as well known as yours Fee. Something about college playbills being a give away."
The other three nod and Fili stands from the couch with a large smile, he pulls Kili close to him and snaps a picture of them together, Kili's frowning eyebrows and all.
"There's a start" Gimli laughs as Fili taps away on his phone.
Kili feels a rush of warmth, he forgets sometimes that they are really his friends, that they won't question him when he wants to do something reckless. Hell, he's pretty sure they are the reason he's been more reckless lately.
"Another one!" Ori crows and Fili laughs, happy to oblige as he steps close and kisses Kili's cheek, arms winding around the brunette who laughs and hugs him back to the for-once welcome click of Gimli and Ori's cameras.
Gimli nods to himself as he gives the shots a once over, "These'll do nicely. Between Ori's blog and my nosy friends you'll be plastered on the next magazine cover Fili. You two have fun."
He winks at them and drags Ori out of the house with promises of library books and coffee.
Fili laughs as the door clicks shut behind them and looks to Kili, his blue eyes bright with joy, "How did I get you?" He asks.
Kili shrugs, "I stole you. The better question is how did we end up with such good friends?"
They both pause at that and then laugh, answering at the same time, "Voodoo probably." It is Legolas, Kili's bassists, favorite reason for everything and Fili will be surprised if the tall blonde isn't in tow when Gimli and Ori return.
…
Thorin is blankly scrolling through the Kili tag on twitter, chuckling over the sheer number of arguments and art that Ori and his adopted son have generated. He rarely involves himself in this area, leaving it in the more than capable hands of Balin and Nori, but tonight he felt a little disconnected.
Kili spends most of his time with Fili, who Thorin has yet to meet on Kili's insistence and while Thorin is greatful his son has found someone he can't help but miss him. He knows his husband does too, Bilbo's made cookies at least three times in the last week, as though he is preparing for a visitor who never comes.
Thorin shakes his head as he focuses, a different picture catching his eye and he chuckles, Balin is going to have kittens. Kili looks so happy though he really can't say he cares that they announced themselves.
"Bilbo! Come see what Fili looks like!" He calls to his husband who bustles into the study and peers over his shoulder.
"Oh, he's quite handsome, practically has the Durin profile doesn't he?" The short curly-haired man observes as he takes in Fili's long hair, regal nose, and brilliant blue eyes.
Thorin hums, "Yes I suppose, but his colorings all wrong and besides, there's only one Durin Kili's age and he lives half-way across the country. We are safe."
They look their fill at the now growing tag for "Kili and blondie" leaving only when they stumble across the first piece of fanart that's a little too much of the couple for either father.
Legolas follows Gimli and Ori into Fili's small home, his smile slipping into a bit of a pout when Gimli shushes them. It doesn't last though when he sees why.
Fili and Kili are curled around each other like kittens on the couch, the credits of some film playing on T.V as they snore softly in harmony. Legolas catches sight of Ori's expression and has to cover his mouth as he too starts giggling softly.
"They're drooling on my couch." Ori sounds scandalized and Gimli just rolls his eyes.
"We got you home, that was the deal, not waking Fili the dragon." Gimli reminds him, signaling to Legolas they aren't staying.
Back in Gimli's car Legolas hums to himself in quiet thought until Gimli's huff makes him laugh and share. "Kili's so…relaxed since he met Fili, his music is growing too. I've been writing with him this week and he's got some great stuff going on. They're happy and it is good, I just…I wonder how they're going to do it once Kili's next tour starts, we'd already recorded part of the next album and with his new stuff…it's not going to be long now before we leave again."
Gimli raises an eyebrow, "They'll fare just fine, but I don't think that's what you're getting at, is it blondie?"
Legolas shifts, shaking his hair out of his face, "No, I suppose it's not."
Gimli laughs at that, turning toward his own home, "Stay the night tonight and we'll see what your answer is in the mornin'. After all, can't be too hasty."
Legolas snorts and gives him a withering look that only makes Gimli laugh again, yes he loves a challenge.