Chapter Four

Found

Kili wasn't as sad as he knew he appeared to everyone else, but he found comfort in the small man's hug, so he didn't bother telling Bilbo that he was okay as they watched Fili's retreating form for a moment. In fact, Kili wasn't sad at all. His tears were a mixture of confusion, joy, anger and utter surprise, which, put together, were a bit overwhelming.

"I sort of fear for Thorin's life," Bilbo spoke suddenly, giving the youth a pat on his back.

Kili chuckled and wiped the tears from his face, Bilbo taking that as his cue to release him. "He seems a bit fierce."

Bilbo waved off the comment and snorted. "Fili? No, he's a very gentle boy. I haven't seen him that upset in quite some time." A short, troubled look crossed Bilbo's face, but it was gone before Kili could even begin to figure it out.

Kili eyed the drink that Fili had left behind, wondering what it tasted like. He hadn't tried many of the drinks yet, usually playing it safe and sticking with that delightful cappuccino. "Do you think he would care if I finished his drink?"

Bilbo looked startled for a moment, clearly thrown off by the random question, but soon his round face broke into a grin. "I doubt it. Though, it's probably cold by now."

Kili shrugged and sipped the drink anyway, delighted by its sweet and spicy flavor. He tried to remember what the blonde had ordered, and he was fairly certain it had been a Chai Latte.

"But what about you?"

"What about me?" Kili replied, looking up at Bilbo.

"How are you doing?" the elder asked. "This whole thing can't be easy on you."

Sighing, Kili rested his head on top of the table with a 'thunk,' and replied, "I'm fine. I'll be good once I wrap my head around this whole thing. I thought it would take me months to find my only living relative, and instead, his family found me."

"The credit still goes to you," Bilbo tilted his head in thought. "You were the one that decided to go get a job, and you simply managed to knock out two birds with a single stone. "

"Do you think he'll like me?" Kili wondered out loud, suddenly worried that his uncle wouldn't want to welcome the poor, orphan-boy into his family. Kili hadn't had the best education in the world, he wasn't planning on going to college, and he didn't have a very good job. He was completely useless.

"Of course he will!" Bilbo exclaimed. He eyed the young boy up and down for a moment, his hazel eyes alight with excitement. "Oh, now that I really look at you, I can see the family resemblance. You look very much like Thorin and his sister."

Kili cracked a watery smile at that and heaved a great sigh. "I should get back to work. My break is nearly over."

"Don't work yourself too hard, now," Bilbo chuckled. "Just take it easy today."

"I'll be fine," the brunette said, standing up, the hard legs of his chair scraping across the wooden floor as he pushed it back. "Working helps keep my mind off of things."

Bilbo gave Kili a light pat on the cheek before sitting back down at the now-empty table to do some paper work. As he did so, he nearly missed the crumpled piece of paper on the floor. He reached to pick it up and then spread it over the table, trying to smooth out as many creases as he could.

It was obviously a drawing that Fili must have started, but not much of it was finished. The only thing on the paper was an unrecognizable figure with long hair pulled back into a loose bun. After a moment of gazing at it, Bilbo decided he knew who it was supposed to be and glanced up at the brunette barista, who'd gone back to work, a sly smile spreading across his face.

Fili

Fili, arriving home, slung off his backpack next to the front door and wiped at the sweat on his face before striding into Thorin's study, assuming that's where the older man would be. When he found that his father was, in fact, not in there, he headed to the kitchen, growing more and more frustrated with every step.

Eventually he found himself standing back in the foyer, having thoroughly searched the entire house. His honey-locks were now spilling over his shoulders, since he had taken out his ponytail to card his fingers through his hair. He had no idea where else Thorin would be, and eventually settled for going outside to wait, in need of the fresh air.

"Thorin?" he exclaimed, stumbling out the back door.

The tall, dark-haired man was dressed in what could only be described as yard work clothes. He had on a pair of holey and faded blue-jeans and a dirty, worn, grey tee shirt. He stared at his adopted son, who stood stock-still in the doorway, his mouth slightly agape.

"What on earth are you doing?" the blonde questioned.

"Uhh," Thorin began, setting down the tin watering can he'd been holding, "I was just watering the plants."

Fili eyed the now-damp flower bed that ran alongside the back of the house, attempting not to laugh. "You're gardening?"

"No!" Thorin protested, a light pink flushing his cheeks. "I'm just watering them. They… er… looked a little bit dry."

Fili gave him a skeptical look.

"Don't tell Bilbo."

The younger of the two laughed and crossed his arms. "If I didn't know any better, I would say that you were enjoying yourself."

Thorin sighed, scratching absentmindedly at his dark beard. "It is pretty relaxing."

In the midst of finding his father in such a strange place, Fili had nearly forgotten about all his anger. Almost – but not quite. "You and I," he gestured to Thorin and then at himself, "need to have a chat."

Thorin's brows creased in worry. "Did something happen? Is something wrong?"

Fili shook his head, finally stepping over the threshold of their back door, to sit on their wooden porch swing. The day was growing later, and there was a cool breeze that washed over his heated skin. "You just have some explaining to do."

Thorin's expression grew even more confused, and he took a seat next to the young man. "I wasn't aware I'd done anything. What am I to explain?"

Looking at his adoptive father's hurt expression, he felt a little bit bad for the way he had approached him so suddenly. Fili also didn't know exactly how to breach the topic of Thorin's long-lost nephew and in the end decided to just go straight for the point. "You have a nephew. Did you know that?"

Thorin looked absolutely bewildered. "No, I-"

"He grew up without a family! You have a nephew, and you didn't even bother to take him in – to raise him right – and chose to let him suffer for eighteen years; your own flesh and blood!"

Thorin held up a hand to silence the youth, a stern look on his face. The blonde quieted instantly, knowing the elder's temper wasn't something he wanted to mess with. "Fili, I honestly haven't a clue what you are talking about."

"Your sister had a son," Fili said, his voice calmer than before. "You have a nephew. How can you possibly not know this?"

Thorin's mouth hung open, his eyes darting around as if to search for some sort of sign that would let him know that this wasn't real – that it was a joke. "That's not possible," he whispered.

Fili was just about to reply when they heard the front door open and close, and a few moments later a distressed–looking Bilbo walked out the back door, which Fili had never bothered to close. "What are you two-" his eyes widened as he took in Thorin's appearance. "Thorin! Are those blue jeans?"

Thorin and Fili stared at the short man, hiss interruption in the middle of such a serious conversation leaving them a bit startled.

When they didn't reply, Bilbo eyed them carefully, taking in Fili's flustered expression and Thorin's shocked one, realization dawning on him.

"You told him?" he asked the blonde, as if Thorin wasn't standing right there.

Fili nodded, and Bilbo took a seat next to him on the swing, his legs barely long enough for his feet to brush the ground. He looked up at his partner with concern. "Thorin?"

"It can't be true," the brunette replied, shaking his head furiously. "I don't know what you two are playing at, but this is not a matter to joke about."

Bilbo's eyebrows knit together, and he threw himself off of the porch swing, striding towards Thorin. He barely stood as tall as the other man's chest, but still managed to look terrifying. "You," he poked Thorin in the chest, "know better than that. You're an ignorant fool if you think that I would do or say anything to hurt you!"

As Bilbo spoke, his voice climbed in pitch and volume."What is it going to take?" Bilbo continued shouting. "A DNA test? Do I need to write it out for you?" he paused for breath. "I've met the boy! He looks just like you and Dis, and he has his father's eyes. Don't get it into your thick skull that I'm playing you, Thorin, because I know the boy, and he's lovely and deserves a family. If you turn your back now, then so help me, I will leave you, Thorin Oakenshield. Mark my words."

"Bilbo," Thorin finally interrupted, placing his large hands on the other man's shoulders. At this point Bilbo looked more furious than Fili had seem him look in years, and he was breathing heavily, his finger still pressing into Thorin's strong chest.

"I'm in shock, that's all," Thorin continued, a small, rare smile gracing his lips. "Calm down. I would never turn my back on my own family. I just do not understand how this is possible without me ever having known."

"Strange things happen all the time," Bilbo replied in a soft voice, his shoulders slumping. He blushed and glanced around, anywhere he could look that wasn't at Thorin, obviously embarrassed by his outburst. "Sorry I yelled at you," he added, placing his own hand over one of Thorin's that still rested on his shoulder. "And thank you for watering the plants. I've been busy lately and haven't found the time."

"You weren't supposed to know about that," Thorin flushed.

Fili suddenly felt that maybe he should go inside, since clearly the other two had forgotten about him. He stayed where he was, though, hoping that he would soon be noticed and brought back into the conversation. After all, he was a part of this too.

Bilbo sighed, shaking his head at Thorin's irrational embarrassment, and said, "I suppose I should start supper. I'm sure you're ravenous after all that gardening."

Thorin chuckled as Bilbo stood on tip-toes to peck him on the cheek, before departing and heading back inside to the kitchen. Fili thought Thorin might follow him, but instead the older man walked towards Fili and sat next to him.

A long silence hung in the air before anyone spoke.

"What's he like?"

The blonde eyed Thorin, unsure of how to answer. "Kili?" he finally asked.

Thorin turned his head to give Fili sad eyes. It was obvious that the name conjured up painful memories of his sister. "Is that his name?"

Fili nodded and kicked off his shoes so that he could dig his aching toes into the soft grass. The sun was sinking steadily in the distance, barely beginning to cast a soft orange across the sky.

"Of course it is," Thorin stated awkwardly.

"He's great, father," Fili spoke, trying to ease the other's discomfort. "I don't know him very well, but from what I've seen so far, he turned out really well."

Thorin's head dropped into his hands, and he groaned in frustration. "I can't believe he had to grow up without a family," he sighed, his voice slightly muffled.

"You didn't know. You can't beat yourself up over it." The brunette only shook his head, so Fili continued, "Forget about what I said before. I was upset, and I know you would never abandon anybody. I, of all people, probably know that best."

The older man looked back up at his adopted son, a rare warmth seizing his heart. "Don't you dare ever think that you were a burden. We loved raising you, and you'll always be our son."

"I'm still thankful that you took me in," Fili said, smiling happily. "And I think you should do the same for him."

"Isn't he about eighteen?" Thorin asked, trying to remember exactly how long it had been since his sister's death.

"He is," Fili nodded. "But his lifestyle can't be that stable. He just works in the coffee shop, after all, and there's no way he's making enough money to survive off of."

"He's the new barista?" Thorin looked shocked, but then gave a short laugh. "Well, Bilbo did a great job of keeping the staff within the 'friends and family' zone."

Fili nodded and chuckled in agreement. "I'm not sure where he's living now, though. Bilbo undoubtedly knows."

"He's living in Dori's Bed and Breakfast," came a shout from inside. "Kili's friends with the youngest."

"Good to know he was eavesdropping," Thorin mumbled.

Fili shot the elder a crooked grin, and then Bilbo popped back outside, wiping his hands on a small towel.

"I put a roast in the oven and started cooking some green beans. Can I trust that you boys will keep an eye on them for me?" He looked legitimately worried about leaving his precious dinner in the hands of his husband and son. Fili figured he was probably right to worry, though. The two of them weren't notorious for their cooking skills.

"Where are you going?" Thorin questioned, glancing at the setting sun. "It's nearly dark."

"I'm going to go back to the coffee shop and see if Kili wants to join us for dinner."

"I thought he had to help close tonight," Fili said.

"I think Bofur can handle closing on his own," Bilbo replies thoughtfully. "And I swear, if I come home to a burnt roast, it'll be your heads in the oven next."

Fili and Thorin swallowed nervously, glancing at each other, before nodding vigorously.

Bilbo tossed his hand towel at Fili's head, shaking his head at the youth. "And when I get back I expect the table to be set and you two cleaned up and ready to be the best hosts possible. The poor boy is probably terrified enough as it is, and he won't need you two acting like dolts and scaring him away."

"I'm always a perfect host," Fili scoffed, "and Thorin is a dolt. He can't help it."

Growling, Thorin gave Fili a playful smack to the back of the head, and they both burst into cheerful laughter. Bilbo rolled his eyes, trying to hide his smile.

"Just attempt not to make a mess of things. I'll be back soon." And with that, Bilbo's head of red-brown curls disappeared once more.

"I suppose we should head back inside to clean up and watch over the food," Thorin sighed. "I don't think he was kidding about having our heads if we screw things up."

Fili shook his head, raking a hand through his long hair. "I don't either."