Chapter 9:

Kili watched Oin and Tauriel bustle about Fili, making him comfortable and checking his temperature regularly. Once Oin had proclaimed him past the worst of his condition the others had begun to drift back to the main halls slowly, some searching for somewhere comfy to sleep whilst others searched the hoard for items of particular interest, shouting out to each other when such a treasure was located. Bilbo had stayed by Thorin's side for a while, but he soon seemed to realise that the dwarf was in no mood for talking and so, with a sigh, went back to the halls to continue his search for the Arkenstone.

Thorin sat on his own moodily glaring off into the dark yet craning his head to check on Fili regularly, worry creasing his brow and stiffening his limbs. He hadn't shifted even an inch, still holding the dragon claw and turning it over in his hands methodically, Thorin waited for his nephew to regain consciousness.

Sighing, Kili rubbed his face and turned, walking away from his slumbering brother and into the dark to be alone with his thoughts. It had been such a long day and his limbs felt like lead with the weight of his exhaustion. Wandering the caverns idly, Kili took out his promise stone and fiddled with it absentmindedly.

He often thought about his home where his mother would be anxiously waiting their return. He remembered leaving her, the way she held him for a second more than he had thought necessary, the tear in her eye she refused to let loose and the way her hands had lingered on his face and her smile had faded as quickly as it appeared. Squeezing the stone, Kili promised himself he would make it back to his mother, to hold her one more time and return the stone to her with a light heart. He could hear his words bouncing round his head like the energetic puppy he was so often likened to. 'We did it mother, we can go home. Everyone's alright and I'll take you home. Just like I promised. Just like we all did.'

Rolling his shoulders back in an attempt to rid them of their stiffness, Kili came to a large staircase and mounted it with ease, eager to see the view that the top would award him. Upon reaching the top, he accepted that he couldn't see much due to the gloom but he still sat down, his legs dangling over the edge of the path, and looked about himself. There was a stillness in the air and a quiet that Kili had not experienced for a long time, not since he was home at least.

Usually Kili did not appreciate silence and preferred to break it. There was safety in noise for the young dwarf. Not tonight though. Tonight, Kili sat quietly atop the staircase, calmly appreciating the silence and dark that allowed his thoughts to wander undisturbed. He fiddled with the stone as his mind casually rambled on.

The first clue of movement came from the bottom of the staircase, causing Kili to crane his neck towards the rustling in an attempt to spot the source of the noise. Pocketing the stone, Kili searched the gloom and felt a rush of relief when he recognised a shape that seemed to materialised out of thin air.

Smiling, Kili welcomed Tauriel with a nod of his head, grateful that she had made the noise to warn him of her approach. Leaping lightly up the stairs, Tauriel sat next to Kili and tried to smile reassuringly at him.

"He's doing much better. He should fully recover. Oin's with him now."

"Thank you for taking such good care of him." Kili said, grinning cheekily at her. He knew he should be behaving himself, considering his brothers position, but he couldn't help but feel light hearted. Fili would recover, he always did. Kili had no doubts whatsoever that now would be any different, especially now his brother had Tauriel to help take care of him.

Rolling her eyes at Kili's flirtatious smirk, Tauriel leant against him lightly, enjoying his body warmth and the smell of walnuts and earth that surrounded the young dwarf. She could not deny she liked the way he smelt as it reminded her of home and she found herself unconsciously leaning close to him.

Resting his head against her shoulder, Kili closed his eyes and tried to enjoy the moment. He knew it wouldn't last long, that sooner or later someone would come looking for the pair. But right then Kili didn't care, he was going to enjoy that moment of intimacy as long as possible, savouring it as you would do your favourite meal.

Feeling something warm against his head, Kili looked upwards and realised that Tauriel was now looking down at him. Smiling, Kili wondered why she was staring at him like she was. Tilting his head slightly, Kili wondered if she objected to him leaning against her like this. Worry gnawed at him that he was pushing his luck and he opened his mouth to reassure her that if she felt uncomfortable she need only say and he would back off.

However, Kili had, perhaps due to either his exhaustion or his innocence, completely misread the situation and as he opened his mouth to speak Tauriel leaned down and put her mouth against his. The movement of his mouth caused hers to open too and Kili's eyes widened in surprise as he found himself not only kissing Tauriel but with his mouth open. For a second confusion swirled round his head as his thoughts went into overdrive. 'Surely this isn't what you're supposed to do. Isn't your mouth supposed to be closed?'

Deciding to ignore the voice in his head, considering Tauriel seemed not to mind the fact their mouths were open. In fact, she made a strange moaning noise and pushed her mouth against his harder.

Making an effort to breathe through his nose, Kili decided that he should do something with his tongue as he felt awkward with it just staying where it was. Kili lightly licked Tauriel's bottom lip and was rewarded with her moaning again. Proud of his efforts so far, Kili decided to put his arms around Tauriel slowly, resting his hands on her waist. She moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulder and pressing herself against him as best she could from their awkward angle.

'Ahh see, I'm a natural. It's not that hard, I don't know what Bofur was talking about. Why am I thinking about Bofur when I'm kissing Tauriel? Oh… Oh Durin, I'm kissing Tauriel!'

Exultation seemed to flow through his very veins and Kili couldn't help but feel giddy. He was kissing Tauriel. Actually kissing her. And judging by the noises she was making and the way she was gripping his hair she seemed to be enjoying it.

Attempting to shut off his brain, Kili began to use his instincts and just respond to her instead of overthinking everything. He relaxed into her and began to get a rhythm to his movements. Tightening his grip around her, Kili touched his tongue to hers and smiled into the kiss, loving her reaction. He couldn't help but feel proud that he could do that, make Tauriel respond like that. He knew she was allowing him to take the lead now and tried not to push his luck, leaving his hands firmly where they were even though every instinct in his body was screaming at him to keep touching her. To explore her body and press every inch of him against her. He could feel her body trembling in his arms and he noticed his breathing was becoming more laboured. There was a heat in the pit of his stomach that Kili couldn't help but notice. It seemed to be driving him onwards, making him want more and more of her touch.

He was groaning himself now, biting down lightly on her lip to pull her face down so he didn't have to stretch his neck quite so much. Losing himself in the kiss, Kili almost didn't notice Tauriel's movement. Her hands had been entwined in his hair but now they moved down to his shoulders, then feeling and appreciating his arms, before smoothly gliding down his back.

With a small jump Kili realised that her hands were now squeezing his butt and for a second a rush of panic filled his head. This was obviously the most intimate he had ever been with anyone but even in his fantasies Kili had never ventured this far. He had always been so simple in his day dreams, imagining himself kissing a beautiful, beardless female but his mind had never wandered further.

Feeling slightly overwhelmed, Kili realised he liked the way Tauriel was taking control and caressing him. Relaxing into her, Kili moved one of his hands down slightly so it was rubbing circles at the small of the elf's back. Kili trusted Tauriel completely and allowed her to take one of his hands and put it on her leg without complaint. Feeling strange sensations up and down his body Kili pulled her body close to his, grinding them together as her tongue masterfully took control of his own. Groaning again, Kili's mind clouded and he lost track of time.

It could have been seconds or hours later, Kili had no way of knowing, but he heard a shout explode in the air.

"Kili! Tauriel! Where are you? He found it! Bilbo found the Arkenstone!"

Disentangling themselves from each other slowly, Kili managed to work up the strength to tear his mouth away from Tauriel's. Searching the dark cavern, Kili tried to control his heaving breaths.

A shape appeared at the bottom of the stairs and Kili recognised Bofur who seemed to be vibrating with excitement.

"Come on you two!" Bofur shouted with glee, turning and running back into the dark.

Looking back at Tauriel, who was looking at him with wide pupils as her chest heaved with the effort of forcing air into her lungs, Kili couldn't help but smile.

"You are so beautiful." He whispered with wonder, looking up into her eyes as if she was the whole world and the heavens beyond and he worshipped her completely.

Blushing, Tauriel was about to open her mouth to reply when Kili pressed his lips lightly against hers for a heartbeat, before standing and offering her a hand up.

They walked back to the others hand in hand for a while, only dropping each other's hand when they began to hear the shouts of the others. But every single cell of Kili's body seemed to be trying to commit every moment of their passion to memory and Tauriel could barely contain herself as she tried to control her aching body's desire to be close to him again.

They'd crossed the threshold now and they both seemed to know there was no going back. Whatever happened now, they would stay close and find a way to be together.