"You what?" Thorin looked up from his plate in the restaurant. Kili looked at him with big brown eyes as Ori and Dwalin looked to him as well. Ever since that first day of meet Dwalin and Ori seemed to be inseparable, mostly because Ori kept on getting lost every time he ventured out of the hotel and always had to be deposited at the front doors of the Westminster Building. Kili had to pick up Ori more than seven times in three days and he was positive that Ori was doing it on purpose just to see the officer. Seeing as they only had two more days left in London Dwalin was invited to have dinner with them, much to the little redhead's excitement which in turn made Kili and Thorin very happy. Now that they were at a decent table with relative privacy Kili had felt comfortable enough to ask something he had been curious about since he met Thorin and Bilbo.

Kili cleared his throat, his cheeks reddening, "I... would like to know how or when you and Bilbo met."

"Kili," Ori nearly hissed. "That's not polite to ask at the dinner table."

"But I just-"

Thorin smiled. "It's alright. You're curious, I understand." He put his fork and knife down and leaned back in his seat, running a hand over his well trimmed beard. "It's... a tad complicated."

Dwalin snorted. He had known Thorin for a couple of years and when he found out this bit of information he would label it more than just a tad complicated. He winced when he was kicked under the table by the redhead across from him. He didn't smile but the twinkle in his eye said he quite enjoyed the bit of fire in the younger man.

"As I was saying," Thorin brushed Dwalin's reaction to the side. "Believe it or not we had met online."

"I thought you weren't supposed to have online relationships." Kili said as he poked some overly beautified vegetable on his plate.

"People are people no matter their way of communication. If they deceive you online, rest assured they would do the exact same if you met them face to face. Regardless we had met via a sort of escape."

Dwalin leaned over to Kili, "Meaning he was blowing off steam by being a geek in a fandom."

Thorin pointed at his friend, "Do not start or I will bring football and professional wrestling into this."

That clamped the officer's mouth shut, an unspoken history between the two created an understanding that sent Kili and Ori into a few silent giggles.

"Continuing, I was already having difficulty with your mother. She was..." He searched for a word that would be appropriate in public. "...vexing. She had already had multiple affairs that I was well aware of, we parroted each other greetings for the sheer formality of it all. I had told Bilbo of my plight, of the anger she gave me towards her, myself, and others. He tried to help me with my marriage, encourage me to salvage what was left and patch it up."

"Bilbo... loves you more than life itself, Bilbo, was helping you out with your relationship with someone else." Kili wrinkled his nose as he frowned. "Don't like the sound of that."

Thorin chuckled. "To be honest I didn't either. See... while he selfishly tried to aid me we both had started to fall for each other. It became increasingly difficult to stay with her. Shamefully I had pressed my desired to have a relationship with Bilbo onto him. He refused me several times until he finally gave and said he would only be with me if he was not a...well a... um..."

"Side girl," Dwalin provided. "You see, by now Bilbo was head over heels for Thorin too but he didn't want to suffer while Thorin treated him like a mistress."

"Which I never did."

"Yes you did." Dwalin snapped. "Don't sugar coat it. Tell the full story. I swear, politics have addled your brain laddy."

Thorin rubbed at his tired and hurting eyes. "Very well. I did. I couldn't let go of him. I went out of my way to meet him. He had waited for hours since I got lost and couldn't find the place he wanted to meet at. But when I first met him I... I couldn't let go. So I was going to divorce your mother only to have her announce she was pregnant. I knew..." He swallowed hard, this part of the story was hard to tell. It always had been. "I knew you were not mine, but all the same you were. I kept Bilbo close as she slowly drove me insane, but there were times I couldn't help but be happy. I would hear you inside her, feel you kicking, and I wanted nothing more than to greet you to this world. I was selfish and needed you and Bilbo."

Kili was leaning over the table, engrossed in the story. "What happened? How did you guys end up together?"

Such immense sadness filled blue eyes, "I woke one night to feed you and you were gone. She was gone. In honesty, I panicked. I had been the only one caring for you for several months, you wouldn't remember this but Fili used to come over and lean over the crib and look at you. I don't believe he remembers it either."

"Fili... I've met Fili before?"

Thorin gave a wry smile. "Yes. Before he became my ward he was just my nephew, five years old and fascinated with the fuzz on your head. He talked me and his mother's ear off about all the games he couldn't wait to teach you. But... all that childish hope was lost when... when you were taken." Thorin took a deep breath through his nose, he ran a hand down his front, composing himself. "In the end I confided in Bilbo. He helped me look for you and stayed with me despite every panicked and hurtful thing I did or said. We had all efforts focused on you, then... my sister passed away. Fili came into my care and..."

"Thank you."

Thorin's eyes widened in shock from the sudden words from his son. Kili was smiling. It was such a grateful, sweet, beautiful smile. He was content. He was happy.

"You tried hard. That's all I ever could ask of anyone. Besides, if you found me too soon I wouldn't have the best brother in the world." Kili grabbed Ori's hand and squeezed. "Thank you...dad."

Thorin smiled and nodded.

After dinner Ori and Dwalin separated from them to go to the cinema, parting with jokes from Kili about how they were a cute couple and for Dwalin to behave on the date. They were in a very good mood when they got back to the hotel room where Thorin pulled out a large wrapped package from underneath his bed.

"What's this?" Kili asked when it was shoved into his hands.

"I don't know. But I was asked by Fili to give it to you when the time was right."

"That sounds cryptic."

"True, but he was in a rather understandable position when he chose his words."

Kili sat on the edge of his bed, untying the twine and picking apart the brown paper. He pulled in a long gasp, his face splitting in a grin brighter than the sun.

A bow.

His very own bow.

He looked up to Thorin who had his phone out, his own smile on his face.

"You recording this?!"

"Yes."

"No. Put it away." Kili blushed but couldn't stop smiling. He tried hiding his face behind one hand the other waving in a shooing motion.

"I blame you, son. You started to call me dad so it gave me certain rights." Thorin turned off the record option and flicked through his phone, sending the video to Bilbo with a caption that read "Don't show Fili. Will surprise him tonight." "Do you feel up to a drive?"

Kili nodded frantically, hugging the box that held his bow.

"Get your things then." Thorin dialed up Dwalin's number. It rung a few times. "Dwalin."

"Yeah? Two please. Ori, what else do you want?" Dwalin asked, carrying on two different conversations obviously in the lobby of the cinema.

"When you bring Ori back I have a favor to ask you. Could you have him gather his things and stay with you tonight? Kili and I are going home early and I can bring Ori home after work tomorrow."

"Aye, but I believe that something to ask him. Here." The phone was passed and Ori's voice came across.

"Hello?"

"Would you be adverse to staying at Dwalin's tonight?"

"No, but why?"

"Kili is excited to see Fili and Bilbo again."

"Oh. Oh! Well, yes, yes of course. Have a safe drive."

"Thank you."

Fili shoved another cookie in his face, most of it broke off and left crumbs on counter with very little actually making it into his mouth. He was too depressed to even eat right. The cookies were good, the frosting was amazing, but all he could do was think of Kili. Think of his lips that smiled that god forbidden lovely smile. Think of that hair that was always so damn messy even when it was brushed and tied up. He missed seeing Kili in the kitchen squishing Bilbo's cheeks making the two of them so adorable it hurt.

"Fili... really?" Bilbo sighed leaning over and wiping at Fili's face with a damp cloth as if he was a small child. He gave a grunt trying to squirm away, failing because he was too depressed to do even that properly.

"I fear for you when he has to go back to America." Bilbo looked worried.

"I don't think I'll be able to live through it."

"You will, because you love him as much as I love Thorin."

"You say that easily."

"I don't." Bilbo ran his fingers through Fili's hair trying to tidy him up a bit. "I just know what rare love, true love, looks like. It's not a garden of roses my lovely, it's a thicket of thorns in a scary forest where a flower made of stone and metal grows to last the ages. You have to find that love and the journey on the way is a painful one."

"You've been writing again I see. When are you going to try to get anything published?" Fili tried to switch the topic.

"Probably never, I'm more of a housewife than a writer."

"I'll tell Thorin you said that."

"Cheeky."

Fili sighed, fun pushed aside for his inner sadness. He thunked his head onto the counter getting more cookie on his face.

"Fili," Bilbo exasperated. "I just cleaned that face of yours." He lifted up Fili's face and started to clean him again. "What's wrong?"

"I keep thinking I should try to call them but when I finally get the nerve to do it it's way past the time they would be asleep."

Bilbo opened his mouth to say something encouraging when the front door was slammed open. His eyes narrowed until Kili's voice rang out. "Fili?!"

Fili stood up quickly, surprised. "Kili?"

"Fi-" He came into the kitchen holding his bow outside of the box. The beautiful dark wood of the recurve bow matching to him perfectly. And that smile. That beautiful, beautiful smile he feared he would never see again was ever present.

Kili ran forward only moving the bow from his chest in time to collide with Fili hugging him close. He moved up and kissed him. Fili cupped Kili's cheeks, keeping the kiss only lips as his heart hammered with relief. Suddenly he was swatted on the back with a dish cloth. He broke the kiss and looked at Bilbo who had a knowing smile.

"All I ask the two of you is to keep it decent in public and use protection."

"Oh god, you did not just say that!" Fili could have died from embarrassment and by the way Kili was curling in on his chest he was certain that the brunette was well on his way. Despite it all he smiled when Thorin came into the kitchen dropping some bags on the empty kitchen table.

"I'm afraid I did my dear. Now get out of my kitchen, I'm certain Kili and Thorin would like a little snack after come all this way."

They didn't waste any time scuttling out into the front room. Kili went and rested his bow against the wall before grabbing Fili's shirt in fistfuls and pulled him into a proper kiss with tongue and teeth. They kissed all the way to the sofa where they flopped down, nearly tumbling to the floor. The blond laughed pulling Kili's half hanging off form up fully and draped him mostly over his lap. Kili pressed his hand over Fili's heart and pressed their foreheads together.

"I'm glad you're back." Fili closed his eyes finally feeling at peace.

"I'm sorry... for being an emotional whack bag."

Fili chuckled, that was a new term. "I don't mind. It's part of who you are and I..." he brushed his nose against Kili's, his voice a delicate whisper. "I love you."

"E-even after... after knowing what has happened? That I can't even say I'm a virgin, that I'm a cutter..."

Fili kissed him. "I don't care about that." He kissed him again. "I don't care." Then his lips were brushing against Kili's as he whispered again. "I love you."

"I love you too."

When Bilbo came in to give them some snacks he smiled softly at their tangled form. Both were asleep woven together like an intricate braid. It was no wonder they would fall asleep so soon, emotions were draining things, especially with the roller coaster they had been on.

He turned around and wrapped the plates with plastic wrap and put it in them in the fridge before sinking down in a chair at the kitchen table across from Thorin.

"Asleep?" He asked after finishing off a fish cake.

"Yes. It's good to see them finally together." Bilbo took one of Thorin's hands into his, pulling the knuckles up to his mouth, kissing them. "You did well my love."

Thorin smiled bashfully. Only Bilbo got to see him like that and any time Bilbo praised him with pride it made him feel like a teenager. "Thank you... How bad was he while we were gone?"

"Worse than an abandoned puppy in a storm. He started having trouble eating, not able to aim for his mouth mostly."

"Definitely shows we share blood between us." Thorin chuckled remembering how he did the same thing when he couldn't be with Bilbo.

"But..." Bilbo's voice turned grave. "We have a problem."