Author's Note: I really, really meant to type up the second chapter of the renn faire story, but instead I got an idea for a scene and couldn't leave well enough alone. I also couldn't just jump forward and write that scene, since it was sort of in the beginning middleish part of this whole arcishthing, so here's the start of a Disney World trip for the modern au I've created for hobbit. So just to clarify: this is in my modern au and this is going to be a several chaptered thing. Also I've been to Disney World like 8 times and I've always wanted to write something like there, so here I go. (Why yes, I am a dork, hush.)
Disclaimer: I'm using my personal experiences as a Disney World go-er to do this, but I don't actually own anything in here. Enjoy!
"I hate traveling," Frodo announced, his little voice distorting around a yawn. Kil shot the kid an open-mouthed glare, narrowing his eyes at his little brother.
"You hate travel," Kili snapped. "Next time try carrying your own bag, squirt, it's a real walk in the park then."
"Kili," Bilbo said softly, voice a little strained. "Shut up."
Kili shut up, biting his lip and hunching in on himself sullenly. Beside him Tauriel was rubbing her eyes, blinding putting one foot in front of the other as they stumbled along together down the hallway. She'd forgone an actual suitcase and instead had a giant hiking backpack hitched over one of her shoulders, which knocked into his hip with every step due to how close they were walking.
"Please tell me we don't have to climb any more stairs," she whispered, quiet enough that Bilbo wouldn't hear her. She'd always had a thing against complaining where Thorin and Bilbo could hear, especially in times like this. Kili knew it drove his uncles crazy, because it in the mess of people usually running through their home it was hard to notice when someone was wrong with someone until they said something. Tauriel had once been sick with the flu for three days before Bilbo realized what was happening and bullied her into letting him fuss over her.
"If we have to climb any more stairs, I'll scream," Kili announced, loudly enough that everyone could hear him. Tauriel gave him a quick smile and like a cup of tea and a cozy spot on the couch after a long day it made him relax just a little bit at the sight. He bumped his shoulder purposefully against hers, the corner of his mouth curling up to return the gesture.
"I'd suggest you take a deep breath then," Thorin called back, coming to a halt. Just behind him Fili let out a pitiful groan, his head dropping back to stare at the ceiling. Kili took a deep breath, as if he really was going to scream, only for Bilbo to hustle past him and knock him in the stomach, making him squeak instead. Tauriel snorted quietly, too tired to laugh properly, and Fili shot him back a smirk from over his shoulder.
"Hush," Bilbo instructed primly, walking briskly past his frozen husband to hop up the stairs. Bilbo was carrying his own overly large suitcase and a backpack like they weighed nothing, proving once again that he was actually a superhero to his overdramatic children. "No complaining at Disney World," he added, once he was at the top of the stairs. He wasn't even out of breath and his shirt only had the barest bit of wrinkling from the plane trip.
"But I'm tired," Frodo said, pouting up at his blood uncle. If Frodo complained about being tired once more, Kili was going to throttle him; Frodo hadn't carried a single bag or walked for more than five minutes at a time the entire trip to Florida. Bilbo had fussed so much about losing him in the crowds that Thorin hadn't put him down for more than a second, which was ridiculous since the kid was eight and entirely too big to be carried for that amount of time. Kili hadn't been toted around like that when he was eight, he recalled, a little more mulishly than he would have if he had been able to find their hotel room.
"I know you are," Bilbo said. "Just a few more minutes and we'll be in our rooms, I promise." Bilbo wandered away from the top of the stairs for a second, out of sight of the others at the bottom of the steps. With a great heaving sigh Fili stepped forward and took the stairs two at a time, huffing and puffing as he carted up his own suitcase and backpack. Thorin followed him silently, pausing only for a second to adjust his one handed grip on his own rolling suitcase. Kili and Tauriel stood at the bottom of the stairs on the second floor for a second longer, staring at them with expressions of dread.
"What's the room number again, dear," they heard Bilbo call. As they were standing there one of the hotel doors opened up beside them, startling them a little bit. A little boy rushed out the open door, still missing one shoe, his shirt inside out, grinning madly from ear to ear. There was a shout form inside the room before another child rushed out after him, her little face contorted into sharp annoyance. The little boy shrieked when he realized he was being chased and spun around to try and lose his sister, only to bump directly into Tauriel's legs and send her staggering back into the railing behind her.
"Michael," a woman from inside the room said. Kili winced a little bit at that tone of voice, familiar to him in the form of a deep baritone. Thorin had been forever snapping at him like that when he was a kid. The woman stepped out into the hallway, eyes scanning for her children, and the little girl who had been trying to chase him down froze.
"He knocked into that lady," she said quickly. "I couldn't stop him, mama!"
"You were supposed to be helping him get ready," the mother groaned. She shot Tauriel an apologetic smile, reaching out to take her son by the arm. "I'm so sorry about that, he's just so excited to be here."
"No, no it's fine," Tauriel said. She was smiling faintly, eyes seemingly stuck on the little boy who had crashed into her legs. She grinned at him and got a grin in return, one bright enough to rival the stars. "Kili's little brother has been bouncing since he was told we were coming here two months ago, so I completely understand."
The mother shot a look over to Kili and he gave her a smile. The woman opened her mouth to say something, probably to ask where they were from, a question that was cropping up again and again, but another little head poked itself out of the hotel room, this one bigger than the other two but still younger than Frodo by her looks.
"Mom," the little girl called, biting her lower lip and shifting anxiously in the doorway, "you said you would braid my hair."
"Right," the woman muttered. She tugged her son back toward the hotel room, motioning the little girl who had chased him back inside. "Duty calls, I'm afraid," she said, rolling her eyes fondly. Bilbo did that a lot too and Kili caught himself grinning widely at the apparently universal parent trait. "I hope you two have a lovely stay here and I'm sorry again about my kids!"
"No problem," Kili called, shrugging his shoulders. "We don't mind. I was worse than he was as a kid, trust me."
"Ten times worse," Tauriel promised, shooting him a sly little grin. "He would have run out the door in just his pants if he'd been brought here as a kid."
"Kee," Fili called, from somewhere on the floor above them. "We found the room!"
"Oh thank god," he groaned, twisting around. Fili wasn't at the top of the stairs, so Kili leaned out on the railing of the outdoor hallway, craning his neck to see if he could spot his brother on the floor above. He dropped both suitcases, his own and Frodo's, at his feet, planting his hands on the railing so he could hoist himself up a few inches to lean further out. "Is it far?"
"The stairs are the hardest part," Thorin called back. He sounded farther away than Fili did, which didn't really bode well for the room having easy access to the stairs. "Hurry up, you two," he added, "we need to figure out what we're doing today."
"Sleeping, hopefully," Kili grumbled, but the same excitement that had pulled at his gut for the past few weeks was back. He twisted back around to say goodbye to the woman only to find the door closed, the family back inside. Tauriel knocked their shoulders together and she shoved past him, practically bouncing up the stairs.
"Slow down, Taur," he griped, fumbling both suitcases back into his hands and racing up after her. "This isn't a damn race you know."
"Or is it," she asked, batting her eyelashes at him coyly. Before Kili could groan or grab her to keep her from dashing off she was gone, sprinting down the hallway in front of them, just like the little boy from the floor below. "Tauriel," he whined before hoisting both suitcases into his hands by their side handles and rushing after her. The sound of her laughter echoed in the hallway along with their thunderous footsteps on the concrete floor. He'd almost caught up with her when they turned the corner and almost crashed into Fili, who twisted to chase after them as they rushed past.
"Left," the blond called suddenly and Tauriel ducked into the left hallway without pause. "Right," Fili barely got out in time and Tauriel skidded around the corner before bursting back into the outer hallway, sunlight ghosting across her like a tide. Kili had a second to soak up the sight of her, red hair braided down her back, skin pale in the golden sunlight, her face bright with glee before but crashed into Thorin like a live action performance of the Three Stooges. He didn't scold or growl at them for running around and shouting in public like he usually would have; he simply threw his head back and laughed, face wrinkling with happiness.
"Come here, you troublesome blighters," he grumbled. He snagged Kili and Fili by the shoulders, pulling them in for a hug so that Tauriel was wedged between them. He dropped a kiss on all of their heads, still somehow managing to tower over them despite their respective growth spurts during puberty. There was a soft chuckling sound from behind them before Bilbo clapped his hands, drawing their attention to him. Behind him was their hotel room, door wedged open by the sleepy eyed eight year old standing in the doorway, frowning at them all like they were walking on their heads or wearing their shoes backward.
"If you're all quite done bothering the entire building with your racing about," he said dryly, mouth curled into a broad grin, "we should probably discuss what we should do with the rest of our day."
It was 11:35am and they were at the Port Orleans Riverside hotel at Disney World. Kili felt his breath catch with possibilities, his heart pounding in his chest. Still pressed against his side Tauriel wiggled slightly in excited, her arm winding around his and shaking him slightly.