Chapter Five

Welcome

Kili

Kili was bored out of his mind. It was nearing seven o'clock, and Erebor Coffee hadn't had a customer for almost half an hour. Normally it wasn't so dead, but he assumed the reason was because it was such a nice day – the sun was out, it was a warm, and he doubted anyone wanted to be sitting indoors, drinking a hot beverage. Kili couldn't blame them. He was itching to go outside and get some sun, but it was going down, and by the time he'd be off it would be dark.

Just then Bilbo walked in, the small bell on the door ringing and drawing the brunette's attention to him, assuming it was a customer.

"Bilbo! What are you doing back? I thought you were a customer for a moment."

The small man shook his head, glancing around the coffee shop. "No, that I am not. I can see we are quite busy, though," he noted sarcastically.

Kili nodded, letting out a bored groan. Bilbo looked back at him and walked to the counter, leaning on it casually.

"I actually came by to see if you wanted to join us for dinner – Fili, Thorin and myself, that is. Thorin would love to meet you, and I definitely think Fili wouldn't mind having a boy his age in the house for once."

Kili wrung his hands nervously and worried his lip with unforgiving teeth. The offer excited him, but at the same time made him nervous. Plus, he couldn't exactly leave work…

"But there's still over an hour before closing time," he replied. "And I'm sure you don't want to wait for me to finish before eating. It'll be late."

"Don' worry about it, laddie," Bofur says, clearly having overheard their conversation from the back room. He came out and moved to stand next to Kili, by the cash register. "I'm certain I can handle this place on my own. You go on."

"You see?" Bilbo gestured at Bofur with a pleased smile. "This place will be dead for the rest of the night. The shop can spare you for one evening."

"O-okay," Kili stuttered, scratching his head. "If you're sure."

"Of course I'm sure! Now, let's get going. I left those boys at home with the food, and if we don't get back soon who knows what'll happen."

The brunette gave Bilbo a weak grin and took his apron before going into the back room to put it in his locker. He didn't keep many things in there – just his work shirt and apron – but it was less that he had to carry to and from home each day, excluding the times when he had to take them home to wash them. After putting everything away he wandered back out to find Bilbo waiting for him by the front door.

"Wow, Mister Boggins, you really are in a hurry," Kili gave the older man a kind smile, following him outside.

"Once again, Kili, it's Baggins. And please, just call me Bilbo. It's like I said, those boys are trouble when left in the kitchen. We haven't a moment to spare. For all we know, there won't be a house to have dinner in."

Bilbo had led them over to bronzy-colored Fiat. "Sorry, Mister Baggins," he blushed. "I like your car! I didn't imagine you driving something so sporty."

His companion smirked and unlocked the car for them to climb in. The inside had a creamy upholstery and looked nearly brand-new, which was mostly due to Bilbo being such a tidy person. "Oh? And what did think I drove?"

Kili shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe a Subaru? I pictured something practical."

Bilbo started the car and winked at the boy before pulling out of the lot and heading towards home. "I'm a practical man, Kili, but I can also be a lot of fun. One might even say I can be a bit of a daredevil."

The brunette burst into laughter, trying to imagine Bilbo doing something daring. "I'm sure you are, Mister Boggins."

Bilbo smiled, ignoring Kili's sarcasm and the improper pronunciation of his name. It seemed unlikely that the boy would ever remember how to properly say it, let alone call him by his first name. It was a lost cause.

The two managed to make it to the house in one piece, much to Kili's relief. Bilbo had pushed past the speed limit more than enough times to scare him. He hadn't fully understood how scared the man had been for his precious dinner, and Kili was actually shocked to find the house still intact. The way Bilbo acted, he had expected to pull up to a sort of battlefield.

Instead, the two of them pulled up to a huge, old, Victorian-style house. The home was accompanied by a fairly large front yard and a long gravel drive that led back out to the main road. The exterior was a mix of grey stones and bricks, with white trim and tons of cute, rectangular windows. Some of the windows had sheer, lace curtains cover them on the inside, while others clearly had heavy drapes, which Kili assumed were bedrooms.

"Wow," he sighed, stepping out of the car. "This is really nice."

"It's been in Thorin's family, which I suppose is also your family, for decades. It was passed down to him when his father died a few years ago, but nobody lived in it for ages, so we had to spend a lot of time fixing it up," Bilbo replied, leading Kili up the sidewalk, towards the front door.

Kili admired the perfectly green grass and the ivy vines growing up the side of the house. "Why wouldn't anyone want to live here? I see nothing wrong with it."

"Thror, Thorin's grandfather, didn't really do any sort of maintenance on it whilst he was living here, so it was in pretty poor shape. Nothing I couldn't handle, though!"

Kili chuckled and suddenly realized they had reached the front steps. They ascended them up to the door, and Bilbo turned to give the brunette a reassuring smile.

Kili almost threw up.

"Don't worry, Kili," he said. "These two are nothing to be afraid of. And Thorin can be intimidating at first, but he's really just a big ol' softie.

Kili nodded slowly, unable to make his voice work. He wanted to stay rooted to the spot, content with the darkening sky and the front yard, but he was also ecstatic about passing through that door, into the next chapter of his life. So, in the end, he allowed Bilbo to grab his hand and pull him over the threshold.

The sight that met his eyes was just as beautiful as the exterior of the house. The foyer was large and open, and it had huge windows that led the brunette to believe that the room probably looked even better early in the day with streaks of golden sunshine pouring in.

The walls were a creamy color that almost appeared to be gold in the setting sunlight, and the weathered hard-wood flooring was a rich chocolate-mahogany. Next to the front door was a row of coat hooks on the wall and a well-used umbrella stand. Besides that, the only other piece of furniture in the room was a grandfather clock on the wall opposite them, next to an archway that looked like it lead into a living room.

Suddenly a familiar face appeared in the archway, blonde hair whisked back into a low ponytail and the brightest of smiles plastered on his face. "Bilbo! Bilbo!" he exclaimed happily. There was a flush across his fair cheeks that looked almost too good on him… not that Kili took any notice of it. "We didn't burn a thing! We did everything perfectly."

The older man lifted a single eyebrow and crossed his arms, a skeptical look upon his face. "Are you positive? I started slow cooking the roast earlier today, so at the temperature I had it at in the oven, it should be perfectly cooked by now. Did you take it out?"

Fili nodded enthusiastically and then looked at Kili. "Welcome to our home! Be prepared for the best meal ever!"

And with that, the blonde flounced back the way he had come, Bilbo and Kili hot on his heels.

Of course the living room and kitchen proved to be as nice as everything else. They were a nice balance between old and modern, and every single piece of furniture was perfectly placed and looked like it belonged. Kili, who had always enjoyed cooking, liked the kitchen the best. The countertops were a smooth, dark marble, and the floor was the same kind of wood that had been in the foyer, as were the cabinets. Glancing around, he saw almost every cooking utensil he could possibly dream of and more. It was like paradise.

The roast that was sitting atop one of the counters, on the other hand, was not.

"Well, it's not burnt," Bilbo sighed, scrunching his nose at the hunk of meat.

Without even touching or cutting into it, Kili could tell it wasn't fully cooked. It looked unappetizingly pink, and even had a rubbery appearance to it. It wasn't a lost cause, but it also wasn't fit to eat.

"Fili, darling, this isn't done," the short man finally said. "Did you leave it at the temperature I had it at?"

Fili's excitement deflated, and he cast a pitiful look at the floor. Kili would have almost done anything to put the happy smile back on the blonde's face, even if it meant eating the undercooked roast. "I might have changed it," he mumbled.

"Why?" Bilbo sighed, exasperated, but not exactly angry.

The blonde looked up, a pleading look in his blue eyes. "The green beans were done, so I went to turn off the burner, but instead I accidentally turned off the oven. And then I couldn't remember what temperature it had been at, so I just put it on a low temperature so it wouldn't burn! I'm sorry, Bilbo."

The older man chuckled quietly at Fili and shook his head. "It's quite alright. It can still be saved. At least you didn't char it. However, it will be a while before we can eat," he said, all the while inspecting the kitchen, as if he was looking for something. "Where is Thorin?" he finally asked.

"Setting the table."

Bilbo moved towards a swinging-door and out of the kitchen, the younger boys both following him. When they passed through the doorway they stepped into what Kili assumed was the dining room. It was fairly small and matched the kitchen. It also had a sleek, wooden table and a simple chandelier that hung from the ceiling to provide a warm light.

Setting the table was a tall man. His hair was even longer than Kili's, and it was slightly darker than his own but had silver streaks running through it, and he wasn't nearly as slender as Kili, instead having broad shoulders and a strong build. The youth recognized him. He was definitely the man that Kili had seen in pictures. There was no denying that.

"Thorin, we won't be eating for a while," Bilbo piped up. "Our roast isn't finished. So I suggest you go clean yourself up in the meantime, since it doesn't appear either you or Fili did so."

Thorin turned, jumping slightly at the unexpected voice, and smiled sheepishly. "I was just about to go change, I swear. I had to finish setting the table first."

Abruptly, Thorin's eyes grew wide. His eyes were blue, but they weren't like Fili's. Where Fili had a calm, cerulean blue color, Thorin had a deep cobalt. They bore into Kili's own brown ones, an unreadable expression gracing his face, making the younger one wish he could disappear.

"Thorin, this is Kili - your nephew, if I'm not mistaken," Bilbo introduced, gesturing towards Kili.

"You look so much like your mother," he finally grumbled. Kili could see the pain reflected in the older man's eyes and thought that maybe he wasn't so bad after all. It was obvious that he was still torn over his sister's death, and in that moment Kili was absolutely sure that his uncle had known nothing of him prior to this day. He hadn't been intentionally abandoned.

Kili moved forward shyly, praying to whatever god would listen that his uncle would accept him. When he approached Thorin, the man didn't move for a very long time, and it felt like everyone in the room was holding their breath.

Thorin eventually reached out to touch Kili, cupping one of the youth's cheeks in his large, warm hand. Kili didn't move and stared into the taller man's face, trying to read his expression - not wanting to make any wrong moves.

"You look so much like her," Thorin repeated, smiling warmly. Kili felt himself relax, and his rigid posture slumped. "Your mother," he continued, "Dis. You're a spitting image of her – except for your eyes. Those are your father's."

Face breaking into a wide grin, the young brunette threw himself at his uncle, wrapping his arms around him in a happy hug. Kili could be shy, but he was a normally-cheerful boy, and it never took him long to warm up to people. The elder stilled, momentarily thrown off, and then returned the gesture, laughing at the young boy's excitement.

"Group hug!" Fili cried, running to join in on the hug, but Bilbo stayed put, shaking his head at the joyful family.

Noticing that Bilbo hadn't joined in, Thorin reached over to grab the small man, saying a quick 'oh no, you don't' and pulled him in, the two younger boys moving to make room for him. Bilbo muttered a complaint about group hugs, and the other three laughed at his disgruntled form.

When they broke apart, clutching their sides in mirth, Bilbo finally broke into a grin, taking in the sight of the three happy men. "My boys…" he murmured.

Bilbo's words warmed a deep place in Kili's heart. He felt like a hole inside him had been filled. He'd never had a family before, and now he thought that he might actually have a place within one. He didn't know them very well yet, but they had been accepting thus far.

"I have to get back to the food," Bilbo sighed. "I refuse to let it burn on my watch."

"What are we supposed to do?" Fili asked, scratching at one of his arms, which were covered in a soft down of golden hair.

"Why don't you give Kili a tour of the house," he suggested, moving back towards the kitchen. "Lord knows, we don't need him getting lost."

"I can do that," the blonde replied, throwing and arm around Kili's shoulders. "Come on. I'll take you upstairs."

Kili nodded in agreement, and the two boys went back into the living room and took the stairs two at a time to the second level. It was a loft, so they could look down onto the living and dining rooms as they wandered down the long hallway. Kili still couldn't help gawking at every new thing that met his eyes. He had never seen such a gorgeous house, and he couldn't wait to go home and tell Ori all about it.

The first room Fili showed him was the bathroom, which was altogether normal, minus the gold faucet. And the gold soap dish. Oh, and also the gold shower head. One couldn't possibly forget about that.

"Wow," Kili stated, looking at Fili's reflection in the mirror as he spoke, "this is a pretty nice bathroom."

The blonde sighed, looking half amused and half exasperated. "Yeah… Thorin kind of has a thing for gold. Bilbo has this gold suite jacket-" he cut off, leaving Kili feeling curious.

"And?"

"Let's just say Thorin can be a little bit handsy," Fili answered, shuddering slightly. Then he grinned cheekily at the brunette. "Just consider that a warning; you see Bilbo in his gold suite jacket, you get out of there."

Kili nodded quickly, eyes round as saucers. What had he gotten himself into?

Fili clearly saw the shock in the younger man's expression, and he gave him a light, reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Those two can be embarrassing, but usually they keep the public displays of affection to a minimum."

The two giggled uncomfortably, and Fili brought a hand up to Kili's head. The brunette almost side stepped the hand, not used to people touching him so freely, but refrained himself. Then he felt the blonde tugging at his hair tie until his dark locks fell freely from their previous confines. He was slightly taken aback. He had forgotten to take his hair out after work, probably because he had been too nervous about meeting his uncle, but he didn't understand why Fili had wanted it down.

As if realizing what he had just done, the blonde backed away, blushing furiously. "Sorry, Kili. I'm sorry. It was a subconscious thing."

"Why?" Kili asked boldly.

Fili gave him a questioning look, the blood leaving his pale cheeks in his confusion.

"Why did you do it?" he clarified, a little bit softer this time.

"Um.. I-I just thought you might want it down. I thought you only wore it up at work… and… and it looks good down," he stuttered out, his blush returning. "Sorry." He repeated.

"Don't worry about it," Kili replied. "I was just curious." He'd previously been under the impression that Fili was a well-honed socialite, but he'd obviously been very wrong, seeing as the blonde was nearly as awkward as Kili.

Fili cleared his throat. "Why don't we head to a different room?"

Kili nodded in agreement, and the duo went back into the hallway and down to the next room. That one turned out to be a sort of library; a large room filled with books, comfortable looking furniture, a desk, and a ton of artwork on the walls. It was the first room that didn't seem like it had a perfectly planned-out design, and Kili sort of liked it because of that.

The third room they entered was Fili's bedroom. At first, the blonde had been hell-bent on passing by it, claiming that it was a mess, but Kili wasn't having it. If he was going to get a house tour, he was going to see the entire house. So, after enough poking and prodding, the two finally entered, and what Kili found was not at all expected.

'Messy' wasn't the first word Kili would've used to describe it. Sure, it wasn't sparkling clean, but it wasn't disastrous either. The bed was made, there weren't any dirty clothes on the floor, and it even looked like the desk and bookshelf were freshly dusted. The only mess Kili could spot was the scatter of art about the room. Drawings and sketches were spread all over the desk, one corner of the room had an easel with a half-finished painting of a dragon on it, and there were more stretched-canvas paintings leaned against the walls than he could count. It was amazing.

"I love it. It's so peaceful," he stated, turning in a full circle to take it all in. The walls were a soft olive-green, and the trim and ceiling was eggshell. The colors complimented his bed, which was wooden with cream-colored sheets and a brown comforter, giving it an earthy feel. Kili felt at ease in this room – like he could breathe deeply.

"You really think so?" Fili asked, taking a seat on his bed.

Kili nodded, smirking at one of the paintings leaning against the wall. It was a really colorful interpretation of the red headed girl, Tauriel, who had tattooed Kili. He could tell just by looking at the painting that Fili and her were close.

"Are you dating?" he asked, turning away from the picture to eye the other boy mischievously.

Fili glanced at the painting and then burst into laughter. "Tauriel? Hell no. She's, er… not exactly my type. We're just friends."

Kili turned back to the painting, disbelieving that the two of them could be only friends. The artwork seemed to hold so much admiration and joy. "Are you guys close?" he finally asked, still curious.

Fili nodded and crossed his arms over his chest thoughtfully before answering, "She's always been there for me. She can be annoying at times, but she helped me through some of the darker stages of my life. I don't mean for it to sound so ominous, but it's true."

"And Legolas? The receptionist? Are you friends with him too?"

The blonde nodded again and then leaned back on the bed to lie down and stare at the ceiling. "The three of us have been best friends for years."

"And has he been pining over Tauriel the whole time?" the brunette questioned.

Fili barked out a laugh and turned his head to eye Kili. "You noticed?"

"How could you not?" Kili responded, sitting down next to Fili. Normally he wouldn't be so open with someone so quickly, but something about Fili made him feel comfortable, like they'd known each other their entire lives.

"You have a point. She thinks he's gay."

Kili turned to look away from Fili, hoping the older boy didn't notice the pink flush gracing his cheeks. He normally wasn't embarrassed by his sexuality, but he felt the need to keep it secret from his new, blonde companion. "Poor dude."

"I know," Fili yawned in agreement.

The two sat quietly for a while, and once Kili was sure his skin was back to its normal color, he too laid back against the mattress, staring at the ceiling. He hadn't noticed before that there was a calming night sky painted there, a swirl of blacks and blues, with millions of tiny stars spread across the expanse. He imagined he could get lost in the painting and end up lying there for hours, just thinking, but Fili eventually interrupted.

"I'm hungry," he grumbled, sitting up and stretching. "Let's go see if dinner is almost finished. I'll give you the rest of the tour later."

Kili mumbled his agreement and followed the blonde out of his room and back downstairs to the kitchen. The scent of the roast was now wafting throughout the first level of the house, and Kili could already tell that Bilbo had worked some magic on the meat. Kili silently wondered if he could possibly ask the man to teach him a few things. He hadn't gotten a ton of cooking experience growing up, but the few times he had cooked, he had really enjoyed it.

Fili pushed the swinging kitchen door open, and much to Fili and Kili's horrific shock, what they found was Bilbo and Thorin lip-locked in a passionate embrace. Bilbo stood on tip toes, being so much shorter than Thorin, and had his fingers wound in long, dark locks.

"Whoa!" Fili huffed, letting the door swing shut once more. "Sorry you had to see that," he added, grabbing Kili by the shoulders and leading him to the living room.

"Oh, good lord, Fili," came Bilbo's voice from behind them. He obviously knew that the two had just witnessed the older men kissing and had left the kitchen to retrieve them. "You don't have to act so surprised. We raised you. You should be used to this!"

Fili let go of Kili and shook his head at Bilbo, eyebrows raised high in skepticism. "No way. Nobody wants to witness their parents… doing… that."

The small man rolled his eyes, placing his hands on his hips. "You're absolutely ridiculous. You act as though you just walked in on –"

"There's no need to finish that sentence!" Fili exclaimed.

Bilbo laughed, and Kili couldn't help but join in, much to the blonde's displeasure.

"Can we eat now?" Fili huffed.

Bilbo nodded, his face red from laughter, and led the two boys towards the dining room.