Chapter Two
Molasses
"I need to get a job," Kili sighed, chewing on his bottom lip out of nervous habit. "I can't just live off of you and your brothers forever. I have to start making money, and I need to find my uncle."
Ori, Kili's best friend, nodded in understanding. The small, mousy-haired boy had been his closest friend since he had started grade school, and he always seemed to know what he was thinking. "I know you're itching to do something productive, Kili. But you don't have to rush into anything," he said in his small voice. "Dori doesn't mind having you around. You're like another brother to us."
Kili was currently staying in a room at the Bed and Breakfast that Ori's brother, Dori, owned. It had been in their family for some years, and now Dori, Nori and Ori, the three brothers, all lived and worked there, although from what Kili knew, Ori didn't like it much and was searching for a different place to work. He always complained about how work and home shouldn't be one and the same.
"I know, Ori," he replied, "but I just feel like it's what I need to do."
Just then Dori walked into the kitchen, where they were sitting, and gave the boys a curious glance. His grey hair was pulled back in a knot, and he was juggling grocery bags, which Ori quickly helped him settle on the counter, all while the older man eyed Kili curiously.
"What the matter, lad? You look a bit disgruntled," he said.
Kili sighed, for what felt like the hundredth time that day, and tried to perk up and appear more cheerful to ease the other's worries. "I'm fine," he replied. "I'm just ready to start searching for my Uncle. And I was just telling Ori about how I would like to find a job, also."
Dori looked thoughtful for a moment and then suddenly clapped his hands together in excitement. "Ooo, I know just the thing! There's a coffee shop nearby that is looking for a new barista. I'm friends with the owner and baristas there. You could trot on down there and let them know I sent you. I'm sure they would at least give you an interview."
Kili grinned, his smile wide and bright. "Do you really think so? What should I wear? When can I go?"
Dori and Ori both chuckled at Kili's obvious enthusiasm, and Dori checked the clock on the stove, which read 2:49 pm, scrunching his round nose. "It's still early. I'm sure you could head down there now."
Kili looked down at himself. He was wearing dark-wash skinny jeans, a long sleeved, olive-green thermal shirt, and brown Toms. It wasn't exactly the proper outfit to wear to a job interview, not to mention the silver hoop through his nose and his hairstyle, which was long and unruly. He swallowed. "Dori, I'm not suitable for a job. Look at me! This ridiculous hairdo, piercings, and I haven't anything to wear. I've never gone anywhere nice. I've never had the need for proper clothes."
Dori patted the youth on his shoulder, smiling softly. "Kili, there's no need to change. Just go as you are, and I promise it'll be fine. Bilbo will like you more if you look and act like yourself. That's the type of man he is."
"Are you sure?" Kili question, glancing down at himself one more time.
"Positive," the elder stated.
Kili hopped off of the stool he was sat on, whooping excitedly, and ran into the bathroom, just to make sure he looked as put together as possible. He dug through the bathroom drawers until he found a hair tie, and then proceeded to pull his long, dark hair into an attempted bun. It was kind of messy, since Kili wasn't used to such hairstyles, but he thought it looked better than leaving it down, particularly since he was going for a job in the food-industry. If he did get the job, he'd have to get used to wearing his hair up, which always looked a bit strange with his one shaved side, but he was willing to deal with strange updos, as long as he didn't have to part with his long locks completely.
When he exited the bathroom and went back into the kitchen, Dori held out a small piece of journal paper for him to take. A name and address was scribbled on the sheet in loopy handwriting, and luckily Kili recognized the street name, which would make his trek a bit easier. Then he thanked Dori again and gave Ori a quick hug before bounding out of the front door.
"Hi, I'm looking for a man named Bilbo Boggins. Do you know him?"
The barista behind the register gave him a crooked grin, and there was a sort of mischievous sparkle in his eyes that made Kili instantly warm up to the man. "You mean Mister Baggins? Aye, lad, 'course I know 'im. He's the manager and my boss," he replied, in a thick Irish accent.
Kili blushed, knowing it was stupid to have even asked. Obviously he was the manager. "Um… well," he cleared his throat, "a man named Dori sent me here to talk to him. He said you guys were hiring."
If at all possible, the man's smile grew wider. "He's not around at the momen', but I'll give 'im a ring and tell 'im you're here if you want to take a seat an' wait for 'im."
Kili nodded and took a seat at one of the small tables in the quaint little coffee shop. It was one of the cozier coffee shops that Kili had ever been in, but that wasn't saying much, considering he had only ever been to Starbucks, which was always too crowded to feel cozy. The lights of Erebor Coffee cast a warm glow, reflecting off the various art work hanging on the walls: paintings and drawings of everything ranging from mountains to starlit forests.
"Mister Bilbo is on his way," the barista said as he approached where he was sitting, drawing Kili's attention from his surroundings. "The name's Bofur, by the way. Can I get you anything to drink, or maybe a pastry of sorts?"
Kili looked shyly at the man. "Nice to meet you. My name is Kili, and uhhh… sorry, but I didn't bring any money."
Bofur laughed, seemingly finding endless mirth at the boys' embarrassment. "It's on the house, laddie. Don' worry about it."
Kili flushed and stared down at his arms resting on the table. "Oh, umm… I'll just take some black tea then."
"Jus' black tea?"
Kili nodded his head and the older man left him to his own thoughts again. When he returned he didn't stay long, just long enough to set the drink down and watch Kili take a sip of it.
"This isn't black tea!" he exclaimed, taking another sip of the creamy drink, attempting to keep in a content sigh, which he failed miserably at. It had a slight bitterness to it, but it was also milky and slightly foamy, warming Kili from head to toe. "What on earth is this? It's delicious!"
Bofur nearly doubled over, laughing at Kili's expression, his messy, brown braids flopping around. "That there 's nothin' bu' a plain ol' cappuccino. No' anythin' fancy."
Kili raised his eyebrows high before laughing at his own silliness and didn't bother telling the other man that he had never had anything so good in his life. He wasn't used to such comforts. The orphanage he'd grown up in definitely didn't have a milk steamer of any sort. "Thank you," he eventually breathed.
Bofur tipped his head, giving him one last grin before going back to work.
Kili sat alone for a while, but it wasn't long before the manager, Bilbo, showed up, taking a seat across from Kili, startling him.
"Bilbo Baggins," the man introduced, his unruly reddish-brown curls and easy smile making it easy for Kili to relax, "but you can just call me Bilbo."
Mr. Baggins – or Bilbo, he should say – had a sort of fussy air about him, between his perfectly-pressed clothing, to the clipboard clutched under one arm, but it was not at all unfriendly. Kili had a feeling that you wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of him, though, and how he got this feeling just moments after meeting the man, he had no idea.
"Kili Durin," he replied, reaching a hand out to shake the other mans'.
He didn't know what else to say, so he sat quietly while Bilbo worked on rearranging his papers and settled in, soon nursing his own warm beverage. Kili wondered what it was, since he had only said he wanted 'his usual,' but didn't feel like it was proper of him to ask.
"So, Kili," Bilbo began, smiling at him once more. "What brings you to Erebor Coffee?"
"Well," he began, sitting up as straight as he could, "my friend's brother told me that you might be looking for someone, and I've been really wanting a job for a while now, so I thought it was a good opportunity."
"Would this be your first job?"
"Yes," Kili replied shyly, shifting uncomfortably. The orphanage's strict rules had made it nearly impossible to have a job, so he hadn't bothered, deciding to wait until he could move out.
"That's perfectly fine," Bilbo nodded, writing on his clipboard. The scratching of the pen on paper didn't help the brunette's nerves. "I'm assuming you're seventeen or eighteen? Yes?"
"I just turned eighteen," he responded, perking up, always excited to talk about his age, able to remind himself time and time again that he was now an adult and was free to do what he wanted and live as he pleased.
"And who was it that told you about this job?" the older man questioned, nose twitching a bit as he looked up. The man was beginning to remind Kili of some sort of tiny, woodland creature.
"His name is Dori. I'm good friends with his younger brother-"
"Ori," Bilbo finished for him, beaming. "I know their family. My partner and I worked hard to help them get that bed and breakfast. I'm glad he sent you. We are quite picky about who we hire here."
Kili blushed again, wishing he had better control over his embarrassment, and felt suddenly self conscious. If they were picky about whom they hired, why would they ever hire him? He wasn't dressed nicely, he could hardly make eye contact with strangers, and he…
Kili's negative thoughts trailed off when Bilbo spoke again. "Calm down, child. I can practically see your worries radiating off of you."
"It's just… I don't really feel as though I'm making a very good first impression. I didn't have anything to wear, since this is pretty much what my entire wardrobe looks like, and I didn't have time to go get anything new."
"I don't care about that," Bilbo said, leaning back in his chair whilst jotting a few things down on his clipboard of papers. "We just like to keep our workers within friends and family. It gives the place more of a family-owned feel, which I find people rather like when it comes to coffee shops."
"Is it family owned?" Kili asked.
Bilbo looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "Technically, yes. Mr. Oakenshield, the man who owns it, is a multi-business owner, but it's his friends and family that run all of the business' he owns, so I would say it's family owned."
Once again, Kili was lost for words, so the two sat in a comfortable silence while Bilbo scribbled a few more things.
"Why don't you just tell me your story, Kili?"
The younger boy looked up at Bilbo, one eyebrow lifted in question. He didn't understand what the older man was asking. Tell his story? Kili didn't really have any stories to tell, and honestly, he didn't see how a story would be relevant to a job interview. "Sorry?"
"My apologies," Bilbo replied. "What I meant was why don't you tell me about your life? Your current living arrangements, your past, maybe any skills you have. Since you haven't filled out a job application, I don't have that to refer to, but I'd rather hear you tell me about yourself in person, anyway."
Kili swallowed and nodded slowly, attempting to buy himself a little bit of time. The only ones that really knew much about him and his past was Ori and his brothers. He had met this man a mere ten minutes ago, and didn't know where to begin, or if he even wanted to tell the other man about his life.
"Is something wrong?" Bilbo asked when Kili didn't reply.
"No," he said, shaking his head rapidly. A few strands of hair came loose from his bun, and he tucked them behind his ear. "I'm just not all that comfortable with my past."
A sympathetic look crossed Bilbo's face, and he reached over to pat the youth on his shoulder. "If it's difficult for you to talk about, you don't have to, but you should know that I'd always be willing to listen, and whatever is spoken between you and I right now is purely confidential."
Confidential? It sounded like a good offer. Kili was always pining for someone he could spill his feelings to. Sure, he had Ori, but there were just some things his young friend didn't understand. His life thus far had been easy. He didn't understand Kili's hardships.
"Okay," he began meekly, wrapping his hands around the warm cup in front of him, finding a small comfort in it. "Where should I start?"
Bilbo sat down his things, and leaned forward, elbows propped on the table. Kili had his undivided attention. "How about the beginning?"
Bilbo Baggins turned out to be a perfect listener, so much so that Kili almost liked telling the man about his entire life. He gasped at all the right parts, comforted Kili at the right moments, and never judged or scoffed. He made Kili feel cared for and appreciated.
The brunette started from the time when his parents had been in a tragic car accident. Kili hadn't even been born yet, but a team of doctors at the hospital had been able to save him from his dying mother's womb. Bilbo told him that he too knew of a couple that had been killed in an accident, the both of them reliving such horrible tragedies together. After that, Kili had gone on to explain that his mother didn't have anyone listed as her next of kin, and after a few difficulties and lot of confusion, Kili had ended up being adopted.
Bilbo had seemed very pleased when Kili told him he'd been adopted, only to be shot down moments later when the teenager explained that he had only been with that family for a short two years before he ended up in the orphanage that he had grown up in.
"How awful," Bilbo sighed, clasping one of Kili's hands in both of his own. "I have an adopted son, and I wouldn't give him up for anything in the entire world. I hate to see children grow up in orphanages."
Shrugging, Kili replied, "It wasn't that bad. I had a good time all through school, and made a couple of good friends, both inside the orphanage and out. It could've been a lot worse. And as soon as I turned 18 I moved into Dori's Bed and Breakfast, which is fine, but I feel like I should be pitching in somehow, which is why I want a job."
"That's the spirit," Bilbo smiled, releasing the younger's hands. "And the job is as good as yours, if you still want it."
Kili's chestnut eyes grew wide with excitement and pure joy, causing Bilbo to chuckle lightly. "Do you mean it?"
"Of course!" he smiled. "You'll fit right in. I just know everyone will love you. So come back tomorrow at 11:00, and we will get you all set up and begin your training."
"Are you going to be training me?"
Bilbo shook his head, gesturing towards the counter, where Bofur was still cheerfully helping customers. "Bofur will probably train you, but I'll pop in now and again to check how things are going. I manage a bookstore too, so I can't be here all the time."
"Thank you so much," Kili threw his arms around the man, suddenly realizing how small he actually was. Kili, who was about 6'1", towered over the small man, which only made him like Bilbo more, for some reason.
"There, there," Bilbo patted the boy on his back, hoping Kili wouldn't pick him up in his excitement. Bilbo had never come to terms with his height and often felt embarrassed about it. "It's really my pleasure."
Thankfully, the brunette backed off, grinning so widely that it appeared his face might crack, before he shook Bilbo's hand enthusiastically and bounded out the door, waving goodbye to Bofur as he did.
Bilbo just shook his head, smiling to himself, and went to finish Kili's paperwork and get him all set up and ready to work.
