#mikathemonster

You let out an anxious laugh, your grip slightly tightening on the menu in your hand. “Come on now, is this another joke of yours?”

You knew you shouldn’t have said it, but you didn’t know what to say to the dwarf in front of you. Threl’s eyes were earnest, with a softness within them that made you wonder how your rejection would affect them. 

He chuckled, wiping some more sweat from his brow. “Nah, not this time. I’ve been thinking about asking you for a little while now. Figured now was as good a time as any. No time like the present, right?”

And oh, what poor timing it was! Every steamy thought of Fíli ran through your mind like a recap of your own guilt, and you wondered how or even when you’d have to break the news to your friend. It certainly couldn’t be now! 

Sorry Threl, I can’t go on a date with you because I was just three minutes away from having sex with one of your closest friends in the penthouse suite of his family friend’s hotel! Whoops!

You tried to keep your composure, but surely he must have noticed your widened eyes and your awkward half-smile.

“Threl, I really had no idea,” you admitted, trying to find a way out of this situation. “Honestly, I didn’t even think you… swung that way.”

This time he looked surprised, but his reaction held more mirth compared to your anxious expression. “Y/N, I swing every way, as long as they’re down to party.”

In any other situation, you definitely would have laughed at this. But all you could think about was the idea of Fíli possibly coming down to check on you. Surely he had noticed it was taking a bit long? Or perhaps he was more patient than you gave the bassist credit for.

“Well, I certainly know that now,” you tried to joke, still searching for the right thing to say. The right way to turn him down. 

“Would you be interested, then?” His eyes held hope with a touch of nervousness. 

You really didn’t want to do this.

“I’m really sorry, Threl,” you started, trying to be polite by easing into it. There was no right way to rip this bandaid and possibly jeopardize your friendship with him forever. “I don’t feel that way towards you.”

He nodded, taking the information in as his gaze shifted to the floor for a moment. He was smart; he had realized what you were saying before you were even done speaking. Your stomach felt like it was going to cave in on itself from nerves. You felt awful as you watched the disappointment etch itself into his brows and his lips.

“Damn,” he chuckled, clearly trying to hide his true disappointment from you. He gave you his signature grin, but it wasn’t the same this time. “Well, can’t blame a dwarf for trying.”

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, boss.” He walked past you, his hand tapping your shoulder twice – an act of camaraderie, you assumed. “Have fun with blondie for me and get some rest, hm?”

He walked away, rather swiftly, to the elevators to retire back to his room, leaving you alone in the cold lobby.

“You too!” You called back to him. “Sleep well!”

And despite the awkwardness of what had just happened, you meant it. 

Now on the home stretch of the tour, with a handful of shows left, work was busier than ever. Every single concert had been sold out in Moria, prompting the band to up the intensity in both their rehearsals and performances. Truthfully, you hadn’t had much alone time with Fíli since the day you both had been free. Free to swim in the warm steamy waters. Free to touch each other…

But this wasn’t the time to fantasize. You were knee deep in organizing final interviews, delegating what final Moria shots of b-roll you wanted Threl to capture, as well as sending some last minute emails in the green room of their final Moria show before Thorin came in, rummaging in some corner while you edited.

Your eyes finally looked up from your screen to look over at your boss, and suddenly you realized that you were starting to develop a headache from the sheer amount of screentime.

“Everything alright, Thorin?” You asked with a raised brow.

“Yes, thank you,” he nodded, finally finding whatever it was he was looking for. “Balin needed his notes for the party tonight.”

“Ah, right,” you nodded back. You had completely forgotten about the send-off party Balin was hosting. Ori and Kíli especially had been excited for one last time to let loose before focusing on their last few shows in the Shire. 

“Is that immediately after, or do we have some leeway beforehand?” You asked, opening your schedule to see how much was left on your to-do list.

“Immediate, I believe.” He walked closer to the door now, stopping by the snacks table to grab himself a water. “Will you be there?”

Seeing the list in front of you, that certainly felt like a loaded question. “I can be, if you need me to.”

Truthfully, you’d love to cut loose with the band, especially with Fíli. But you weren’t exactly keen after the last paparazzi fiasco, nor with the sheer amount of work you still had to get done.

A frown lightly tugged at his lips; he came over and brought you your own water, as well as a bag of chips from the table. “I won’t blame you if you decide to take a break. We’ll be leaving early tomorrow.”

“I know,” you reassured, a small smile on your face. Though he wasn’t as boisterous with you as he was with his family and friends, you really did appreciate the care Thorin showed you. 

“Either way, you are more than welcome,” he spoke softly. “We would love to have you there.”

“We?” You raised a brow.

“Balin and myself, of course,” he clarified. “The boys too, I’m sure.”

“Is there a dress code this time?” 

“No, there isn’t. It’s a private event, only friends and family are invited this time.”

You couldn’t help the scoff that left your lips. Even with just friends and family, you were sure it would still be well over two hundred people. Thorin seemed amused at your reaction.

“At the very least, we’ll all be able to recognize each other this time.” He rested his hand on your shoulder, giving a squeeze before leaving. “Give it some thought, alright?”

A sigh escaped you as you sunk deeper into your chair, eyes reluctantly turning back to your laptop as you turned the brightness lower. Not that it did much good for your headache.

Threl came in shortly after, taking his SD card out and switching it for a new one as he handed you the now full one. “Everything okay in here?”

You groaned, another sigh drawn out of you as you hunched back over your laptop, taking the SD card and beginning to plug it into your computer. 

“These emails never stop,” you complained.

Threl laughed, sitting down on the couch nearby to catch his breath. “Yeah, I certainly don’t envy you. But we’ll be done in two weeks now, at least it’ll be over soon.”

“You’ll be done in two weeks,” you emphasised. “I’ll still be working until we’re back in Erebor.”

And hopefully after that, you thought to yourself. If Thorin was still willing to have that discussion with you. Though from his earlier tenderness, you were sure there wasn’t any doubt about it.

“Yikes,” he winced. “I did forget about that…”

Silence quickly fell between you, muffled of course by the screaming of thousands of fans, blaring music and raspy vocals of Fíli and Ori flooding the stage. 

Truly, it was astounding how almost-soundproof Moria’s concert greenroom was. 

Guilt seeped into the throbbing behind your eyelids, contributing to your headache even more. You still hadn’t told Threl about your feelings for Fíli, though truthfully, there hadn’t been any time for it to even come up. As it was, you barely had time to see Fíli outside of passing him to interviewers. 

Thankfully, in turn, Threl hadn’t used your rejection as an excuse to make things awkward. You had a feeling he suspected your reasonings, though. After all, you had been rather dodgy whenever he curiously asked how your “date” went with the band’s bassist. And you knew better than to assume he was too naïve to come to the conclusion that you and Fíli were… something other than friends.

Hell, you didn’t even know what you were anymore. More than friends, but less than lovers? It seemed an apt description, given that nothing between you had been clearly labeled. Everything was grey and blurry, but it still felt right somehow. It had to, at least, otherwise you wouldn’t find yourself texting him so late at night now.

Texting was all you two could manage right now, with the last leg of the tour keeping you both so separately busy. From quick-witted thoughts Fíli would sneak in between band practice to deeper conversations exchanged at night, when both of you were cozy in your separate hotel rooms, it helped keep you two connected despite the hustle and bustle of the day. But it didn’t feel as good as the real thing. Time was an expert at escaping you both when it came to anything non-work related.

“I’ve really enjoyed working with you, you know,” Threl spoke up, ripping you from your migraine-induced reverie. “I couldn’t have been stuck with a better boss.” 

You couldn’t help the soft smile that tugged at your lips. “I feel the same way, Threl.”

And despite the awkward knowledge that he may have feelings for you, you meant every word. Truly, he was an honorable colleague and a much appreciated friend.

“I just don’t want us to lose touch,” he sighed, his eyes earnest. “I’m a little worried I messed things up between us the other day.”

You sat up straighter, shutting your laptop slightly to give him more of your focus. “As in…”

“When I asked you out.” He shifted slightly, clearly a little uncomfortable. It seemed even he wasn’t confident in confrontation. “I feel like I misread what we have, and I apologize for that. Truth is, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you in this short time.”

“I’ve enjoyed our time together, too. It definitely caught me off guard, but there’s nothing to forgive. Really, you’re all good. I’m sorry if I ever did anything to lead you on–”

“Not at all!” He laughed, waving his hands in front of him for emphasis. The tension between you two was certainly lifting, little by little. 

And of course it was. Even if it had only been a mere handful of days, you two had always had this easygoing connection. This instant feeling of relief and relaxation around one another. Like you could tell him anything and it wouldn’t matter.

But could you, really?

“If anything, I was just getting full of myself,” he rolled his eyes. “I’m quick to assume when people are into me. A character flaw, I suppose.”

You chuckled, shaking your head. “Glad I could throw you for a loop, then.”

“For sure,” he grinned. “But the boss/employee thing would’ve been a little sexy.”

You scoffed, rolling your eyes and opening your laptop again. “Alright, that’s enough now. You’re not even my type.”

“I forgot, you’ve got a thing for blondes.” 

He stood up, proud of his cheeky comment that left you at a loss for words. Maybe if your head wasn’t killing you, you would’ve already prepared a witty retort. But for now, all he earned was a half chuckle and long groan from you.

“Sure, whatever. Don’t you have a job to do?”

“I push buttons all the time at my job; it’s what makes it fun,” he winked at you, before disappearing again into the throng of the band’s final Moria show. 

As the door opened, the sound of heavy drums and Kíli’s newest guitar solo flooded the room before the door shut again. Even now muffled by the door, the screams of thousands of adoring fans filled your eardrums. 

Your headache wasn’t getting any better, even if you loved the sound.

Two hours later, and you still hadn’t left your hotel room for the party. By now, Threl had already texted you three times asking when you were coming down; the first was his question, and the other two texts were photos of Gimli attempting and succeeding to do a keg stand. You hadn’t responded to his texts, too exhausted from work to even think about socializing any more.

But Threl wasn’t the only one missing your presence. You stared at your phone screen, seeing the few texts you and Fíli had shared tonight. He knew you weren’t keen on attending the party, mentioning that he’d try and find time to come over to your hotel room while it was going on. At least with everyone preoccupied, you two had a perfect chance to see each other outside of an interview.

You set your phone down on the bathroom counter, staring at yourself in the mirror and questioning just how long you’d gone without noticing the deeper-than-normal eyebags you were sporting. It was odd, considering you thought you were sleeping enough, but the tiredness and the foggy thoughts made it clear that you weren’t. The longer you looked, the closer that everything about you appeared mismanaged and disheveled. 

How was it that you could take care of an entire band’s social media presence and it looked like you were barely taking care of yourself?

A shower was in order, you thought immediately. You even nodded to yourself, as if you needed any reassurance while you fetched your pajamas and brought them into the bathroom so you could change later. To anyone else, you might’ve looked crazy as you muttered your to-do list out loud. 

The warm water hit your skin and you instantly felt like melting and taking a nap; this was hitting the spot perfectly right now. This was already a million times better than partying the night away, and the easing of your headache proved you were right. 

Now in clean clothes, you worked on your hair routine while donning a face mask, attempting to maximize your self care for the night. Was it because you needed it? Of course! Was it also perhaps that you wanted to look your best before a specific someone showed up at your door? 

You’d never admit to that… not out loud, at least. 

To avoid waiting for a dwarf whose arrival you weren’t even certain of, you found yourself tidying and repacking your things as much as possible. After tonight, it would be back on the tour bus for you. You would certainly miss your king size bed. And your own private bathroom. But soon all of this would be over, and you were grateful that you’d be rejoining the boys on the bus again, even if it meant sacrificing some of life’s riches.

Two weeks remained of the tour. One to get to the Shire and rehearse their unreleased set list, and another week stacked with four shows, all of which would get to hear an extra special new song. Your mind wandered to that night on the tour bus with Fíli; how he had shielded his phone away, claiming the song ‘wasn’t ready yet’. Would it be the one they revealed?

If only you hadn’t been so busy. Maybe then you’d know by now. Fíli hadn’t mentioned it yet, though he seemed much more private about his music than you’d expect from a rockstar. It was even more surprising that Kíli or Gimli hadn’t spilled the beans yet.

Lost in your thoughts, you didn’t realize how much you had gotten done until you heard three knocks at your door. Your head whipped around and your heart leaped into your throat, despite how much you tried to shove it back down and ignore it. But no amount of stress and wandering thoughts could hide the grin on your face as your hand touched the handle to open the door.

His hair was freshly washed and unbraided, though his mustache braids were freshly redone. His face was clean, save for the trace amount of black eyeliner that hadn’t fully washed from his waterline. He donned a white tank top and flannel pants that hung loosely from his waist. He smelled like sandalwood and oak, and you wondered if it was his body wash or some sort of cologne.

Even in pajamas, Fíli was beautiful.

“Well don’t get dressed up on my account,” you joked, and immediately realized you still had a now-dry face mask on your face. It pulled around your mouth, beginning to pry itself off your moving face.

He gave you an amused raise of his brow. "You're one to talk, love.”

You abandoned the open door to retreat to the bathroom, taking the mask off delicately and inspecting your skin afterwards. He followed you in wordlessly, just watching at first before his soft velvet voice broke the silence.

“I didn’t end up going,” he said. “To the party, I mean.”

“At all?” You questioned. “Won’t people notice?”

“Surely, but we also need to leave by seven in the morning. I’m sure it wouldn’t sound unusual for me to call it an early night.”

Given his previous reputation, it certainly would. Fíli never missed a party.

You couldn’t hide your frown, though you were happy to have his time now. “Right…”

“I’ll be fine, love,” he reassured, coming behind you to wrap his arms around your waist. You felt yourself flush from the contact, the night of the hot springs replaying itself in your mind. You supposed this intimacy made sense given your history, no matter how domestic it seemed.

“Besides, Kíli’s covering for me.”

“Oh? What’s the story this time?”

“I’ve become deathly ill,” he mused with a smirk. 

When he saw you weren’t having it, he elaborated. “I told him to say I’ve got a headache from a hangover. Usually doesn’t earn any questions.”

You sighed, still feeling unsure. He rested his head against your back, breathing you in with a soft hum.

“This is nice,” he spoke softly. “We should have done this before.”

“There was no time,” you sighed again. “There’s barely time now, as it is.”

You separated from him, now done with looking at yourself in the mirror. You couldn’t take the sight of you together for much longer; you were too worried. You walked to your bed, sitting down and checking the time. It would be midnight soon.

He followed you out, a concerned look in his brow. “We’re here now, Y/N. Is that okay?”

“Hm?” You looked up from your phone, frowning. “No, of course it’s okay. I’m sorry; I’m not purposefully trying to bring the mood down. I’m glad you’re here.”

He took his place by your side and you felt the mattress dip under his weight. “It’s alright. Do you want to talk about what’s bothering you?”

“I just don’t like hiding things,” you admitted, setting your phone down. “It feels weird, especially with how close everyone here is.”

“Do you want me to tell them–”

“What? No, I just,” you said quickly. In truth, you didn’t even know what to say. Or what you were. Or if you were even ready for that conversation. It was becoming very clear that you were catching feelings for this hotshot rockstar in your hotel room, and the thought scared you a little.

“If this keeps going on like it has, I feel like it would be unfair to both of us to keep it a secret.” You tried to keep your voice steady and even as you spoke, lest you give away your nerves.

He ingested your words with a nod, quiet at first.

“Unless that’s not what this is,” you tried to fall back, but he cut you off.

“No, I agree,” he assured. “I like you a lot, Y/N. I hope that’s clear. I just…”

“Yes?”

“This may be selfish of me to say,” he said. “But at least until the tour’s over, and we both actually have time to indulge in whatever this is, I think keeping it a secret for now will be easiest for both of us.”

Now it was your turn to ingest his words. And you did, even with a nod. After all, he wasn’t wrong. And most of your worrying was focused on the tour, anyways. You’d have much less stress after the tour was done. And hopefully more time than before to explore this with Fíli. Besides, the chances of paparazzi becoming involved would significantly decrease once you weren’t touring around Middle Earth. Hopefully.

“Okay,” you nodded. “Understood. I’m glad we talked about it.”

“Me too,” he gave a soft smile. “Because now I’d like to focus a little more on these pajamas of yours.”

You looked at your big sleep shirt and boxers, amused at his callout. You managed to push aside your worries for now, wanting to enjoy the moment while you still had it. “And what’s wrong with my pajamas? That they’re still on me?”

The look on his face was priceless; your words had caught him so off guard, he was blushing. But he quickly tried to regain control. “I mean, we can certainly fix that if you’d like.”

“Well, now I don’t want to,” you teased. “I want to know what’s wrong with them, coming from a guy wearing a wife beater.”

He scoffed, bemused at your words. “I didn’t name them that, I hope you know.”

“Mm, it still doesn’t help your case. Try again.”

“Your shirt’s inside out, love.”

Immediately, you pulled at your shirt to notice the seams were showing. He was right. 

“Alright, I’ll give you that one.” You rolled your eyes, playfully shoving him away. 

For the next hour, you two enjoyed the quiet peace while hanging out with each other. Once you calmed down enough, you even made some tea for the two of you. The party was still raging on; you both knew from the amount of photos and videos Kíli was sending Fíli as minutes turned to hours.

“It’s really late,” you mentioned. “You should probably get back to your room if you don’t want anyone to catch us.”

“You want me to go?” He raised a brow. Not insinuating, just clarifying.

You leaned into him more, swiping some hair from your face. “No, I don’t.”

Silence fell for a moment or two. Eventually you had the courage to softly whisper aloud.

“If we could, I’d invite you to stay the night. But we shouldn’t.”

You felt his grin before you saw it.

“My, my, you’re so forward now, Y/N,” he smiled with a slight teasing tone. “But as much as I’d love to stay, I agree that we shouldn’t risk it.”

You let out a disappointed sigh, even though you already knew his answer. He’d be risking too much if he stayed. 

“Besides,” his voice was softer now, mildly husky. “I’d be too tempted by so much alone time with you.”

You couldn’t help the flush in your cheeks, but you refused to appear bashful. You looked into his eyes, taking in the dark ocean blue that looked back at you. Your hand traced his jawline, then took his chin lightly, making him face you more directly. Your eyes flitted down to his lips briefly, but it was enough for him to notice. He shifted in his seated position against your headboard, sitting up straighter as your hand left his chin to tuck some hair behind his ear. 

“Then it’s truly a shame you can’t spend the night.” Your voice was soft; despite your best efforts to remain sultry and confident, your nerves still found their way through. 

But it mattered little to the bassist in your bed. 

His grin was smug as he leaned closer now, his lips a breath away from yours. Teasing. Taunting. 

“Is this your strategy? Trying to tempt me into breaking my own boundaries?”

“Is it working?” A cheeky grin spread across your face, anxiety turning into excitement. 

He broke the space between you, meeting your lips for a soft kiss. Much different than the time before. This was much more tender, more delicate. 

“Only a little,” he grinned back. 

You giggled, feeling that same drunken feeling from the last time you were this close to him. “Perhaps I should try harder.”

“A more aggressive approach would certainly be interesting to see from you. It sounds exciting.”

Your body felt warm and as a pulse of heat ran through your veins. You wanted to see where this led. You wanted more than last time. 

You wanted him. Badly. 

“Is that so?” You mused, summoning the courage to move your body until you were seated upon his lap, straddling him. 

His hands naturally came to your hips, his touch electric on your body, even through your clothing. And yet, it still remained tender. True, the fire from the last time hung in the air and both of your minds, but the actions were less like animals in heat and much more sentimental. Like somehow, this meant more. 

You placed a soft kiss to his forehead, then to his nose. “And what if I don’t want to be aggressive? Perhaps I’m too tired. It’s late, after all.”

“Mm, a valid point.” He chuckled before kissing you again. You wrapped your arms around his neck. “In that case, we can try that later. You’ve already piqued my interest.” 

You smiled, beaming as he kissed your jaw, and then your neck, and then your collarbone, handling you with the same care as if you were delicate enough to bruise with just his breath. 

This was right where you needed and wanted to be. All you could feel, could breathe, could touch, was him.

His kisses trailed back up, and you caught his lips with your own, sinking into him as if you both could melt together. 

“Surely it wouldn’t hurt if I stayed a little longer?” His voice was soft and laced with want. You desperately wanted him to stay. 

Your eyes felt hazy, both from exhaustion and slight arousal. “How can I say no to that?”

And against any better judgement, you never wanted him to leave. Here in this moment, you could care less if anyone saw or heard or gossiped about whatever this was. Right now, it was just you and him.

Fíli kissed you again, his hands on your hips pulling you closer and down onto him, lazily craving friction as your hands tangled themselves into his hair. 

A small moan left your lips as you deepened the kiss, craving more of him in the quiet hours of the night. 

His mouth traced your jawline, peppering it with kisses and small bites that traveled down your neck until they landed in a delicious tender spot. He bit down just a little harder, a smile on his face when he saw the color bloom on your skin. 

You’d definitely be upset about that later, but you were too lost in the moment to care right now. All you craved was him. But this wasn’t feral like before. This wasn’t a carnal desire overtaking you. You felt fully in control, even as you lost yourself to his hypnotic lips. 

This was something much more meaningful, and much more passionate. 

There weren’t any tangible words to describe it; you could hardly speak right now as he traveled lower on your body, strategically slouching his body lower on your bed so he was now eye level with your chest. His fingers left your hips, carefully lifting your shirt up by the hem. You moved your hands to follow, thinking he wanted the garment off, but he forced your hands away and dipped his head into your shirt, disappearing from you. 

You couldn’t see his face, but you could certainly feel his smile as he kissed between your breasts, the coarser hairs of his beard and moustache scratching you slightly. 

Bracing yourself against the headboard for stability, you pressed into him further with a gentle rock of your hips, eliciting a hummed groan from the dwarf beneath you. His hands roamed under your shirt until they both palmed your breasts, giving them a light squeeze before he emerged from your shirt again. 

His eyes felt darker than before as he came back up to kiss you, your hands finding purchase in his hair again as you grinded yourself onto him. It was a slow, sensual pace between you. 

“Please,” he whispered, a begging tone to his words. “Let me taste you—“

Suddenly, both of your ringtones filled the air, causing both of you to jump from the sudden sound. Catching your breath and trying to regain any composure you might have previously had, you reached for your phone to see Kíli had started a joint FaceTime call with the both of you. 

You rolled your eyes, immediately declining it while Fíli groaned, then declined the call before sending a quick text to his brother. You imagined it was something to do with the fact that he had certainly interrupted something.

Now with your phone in hand, you saw it was now well past midnight. You’d have to be up and at it in mere hours, and the thought alone seemed to be bringing your headache back.

All the previous heat was leaving your body as your anxiety slowly crept back in.

“It’s so late,” you frowned. “We should go to bed.”

“Together?” He tried to joke, but you shook your head in response.

“As much as I want to, we shouldn’t,” you explained. “I can’t risk it. We can’t risk it.”

He sighed, now frowning himself. “Perhaps another time, then.”

Just as you were about to respond, rapid knocks and the sound of two drunk voices came from your door. You quickly removed yourself from Fíli, not trying to look conspicuous at all. But your disheveled pajamas already felt too revealing.

Fíli looked more guilty than you as he sat up, his hair a mess from your earlier ministrations and his shirt riding higher on his stomach from your earlier seat. Even his pants seemed to hang lower, now showing a peek at his boxers underneath.

“Is it Kíli?” You whispered, wondering why on earth he’d appear when he knew exactly what might have been going on.

“It sounds like him,” Fíli nodded, a deep set frown now on his face. He certainly wasn’t ecstatic to be cockblocked by his brother. 

You couldn’t tell what the voices were saying, but they seemed to be very drunk and mildly annoyed at each other. Kíli’s was easy to pick out by now, but you weren’t entirely sure who else was out there. Was it Gimli? Or perhaps Bofur, from the last party?

“I’ll take care of it.” Fíli stood up, too focused on his souring mood to fix his appearance.

Before you could object, the knocking stopped, followed by a short yell and a loud thump! against the door.

“Oh my god,” you whisper-yelled. “Are they okay?”

Despite your concern, Fíli wasn’t having it. He quickly swung the door open, and none other than a very drunk Threl slumped to the ground at his feet in doing so. Kíli seemed to have been in the process of trying to pick him up, but was clearly failing miserably.

Your heart dropped into your stomach. The last thing you needed was for these two to meet each other at your hotel room. And you certainly hadn’t wanted Threl to know how intimate you and Fíli were.

But it was too late. The cat was certainly out of the bag.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Threl slurred, pitifully picking himself up from the carpeted floor. 

You couldn’t see Fíli’s face, but you weren’t naïve enough to imagine he was pleased. 

“I could ask you the same thing, Threl,” he replied. 

“I’m sorry, Fí,” Kíli tried to intervene. “We were going to my room, and he insisted on saying hi to Y/N—“

“I thought you said you had a headache,” Threl grunted, now sitting up and looking up scornfully at Fíli. 

“I tried to call you both to warn you—“ Kíli continued, his voice clearly anxious. 

“Warn me about what? That you two are sleeping together now?” Threl frowned. “As if nobody knows. We’re not that stupid, you know.”

You weren’t used to this harsh tone from your friend. It immediately awakened your defensive side as you came to the door, now in an attempt to put some space between Fíli and Threl. 

“Excuse me? Can we act like adults for five seconds?” You pulled Fíli away from the doorway, now stepping in front of him as you attempted to help Threl up. 

You could tell Fíli seemed hurt by this, but now wasn’t the time. You weren’t picking sides; you just wanted normalcy. And this was not going to plan at all. Not when your friend was speaking incredibly out of turn and with such bitterness you had never seen before.

Kíli, despite his own drunkenness, helped you lift Threl up, taking most of his weight for you. 

“Just get him to his room,” you ordered, a scowl settling on your face as you handed Threl off to Kíli. “I don’t have time for this. None of us do when we have to be up in six hours.”

“They’re right,” Fíli agreed. “You need to sober up.”

“I don’t care if this is what you’re doing,” Threl frowned, now trying to appease you after realizing your anger. “I just don’t like it when my friends are lying to me.”

“And that’s why your first words were ‘what the fuck are you doing here’?” Fíli scoffed.

“I didn’t think you guys were that close!” Threl whipped back. “Otherwise I wouldn’t have even asked them out–”

“He asked you out?” Fíli now turned to you, eyes fiery with anger and newfound hurt. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Guys, come on–” Kíli pleaded.

“Everyone, just shut up for five minutes!” You threw your hands out for emphasis, feeling angry and anxious and confused all at once as you tried to just make sense of things. 

The three men thankfully obeyed, their eyes fixated on you as you closed your own and tried to take a deep breath. This wasn’t how you wanted to break the news, but this also wasn’t going anywhere.

You opened your eyes to see Fíli fully focused on you with a hint of worry in his eyes. Threl looked positively guilty. Kíli just looked nervous. None of them had seen you this worked up before.

You took another breath, trying to clear your mind so you could think clearly, without judgment. 

“Threl,” you started. “I’m really sorry this is how things were confirmed for you. I wanted to tell you, I really did. But you had to have known already, come on. I mean, you kept making all those jokes–”

“Which you always brushed off,” he muttered in reply.

“Even still,” you gave him a stern look. “You said it yourself, you’re not stupid.”

Silence fell for a moment as you tried to be kind yet forward. From now on, you didn’t want there to be any room for misinterpretation. Not when all it seemed to cause was a drunk fight at your doorstep.

You turned to Fíli, whose gaze now felt distant, despite his open body language towards you. You frowned, reaching out for his hands. Despite his hurt, he let you take them.

“I should’ve told you, you’re right,” you nodded. “But I think you’re forgetting that we’ve barely seen each other since it’s happened, and your reactions haven’t always been the most reassuring. I didn’t know how to tell you because I can see that I’ve already driven some weird wedge into your friendship.”

Fíli said nothing, but you could tell in his eyes that he was at least listening, despite his personal feelings.

You looked at both of them, sighing with disappointment.

“I don’t know what’s going on between you two, I really don’t. But I very much enjoy the relationships I have with both of you, and if either of you care about me, you need to respect that.”

You turned back to Threl now, who was finding it easier to stand up without Kíli’s help.

“Fíli and I are seeing each other. You need to be fine with that if we’re going to work together. Or if there’s any chance at us being friends, Threl.” Your mouth fell into a hard line, clearly frustrated. “But you also need to keep your mouth shut about it for now, because we don’t want anyone else knowing until after the tour.” 

“I’m sorry if what I’m asking is selfish,” you said. “But I’m tired of feeling caught in the middle of this feud between you two. It’s exhausting. I can’t do it anymore.”

Fíli still said nothing, but now you felt his thumb draw slow circles into the back of your hand. You took it reassuringly as you looked at a very drunk, very guilty-looking Threl.

“You’re right,” he muttered. “I’m being an ass right now. I’m sorry.”

“Your apology can wait until you're sober.” You sighed. “But thank you.”

“Your secret’s safe with me,” he nodded. “My lips are sealed.”

“Good. Now please get to bed, all of you. We have to be up soon, and I already don’t need to be dealing with your hangovers.”

“Don’t worry Y/N,” Kíli grinned, though he was still visibly nervous. “I’ll chug a bunch of water before I go to bed. I’ll be right as rain tomorrow!”

He then left, leading Threl with him as they traveled further down the hall to their respective rooms. You felt Fíli’s hand pull away as he started following after them, but you pulled him back. 

“Wait,” you frowned. “Fíli, I’m really sorry.”

“For what?” He turned to face you, his eyes still brewing some foreign feeling you couldn’t quite identify. “There’s nothing for you to be sorry about.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m positive, love.” He tucked some of your hair behind your ear, placing a kiss on your cheek. “I just need to sleep on my feelings, is all. I’ll be back to normal in the morning.”

You closed your eyes and sighed, knowing that you would miss how close you were right now once you were back on the road. When you opened them again, you were looking right into Fíli’s. 

You wanted to tell him something. Something vulnerable, something meaningful. But it felt quite too early on to be thinking any of that. And so you didn’t. And instead, you said:

“I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Bright and early,” he gave a soft smile, squeezing your hand before letting go and walking away to his room. 

Leaving you to stand in your doorway alone, as you wondered if you did the right thing. And if everything would work out. 

And if you’d even hear your alarm in the morning. 

taglist. @loopyloo2610 @shiinata-library @arthursdodobird @burglarbilbo

Your alarm was ringing, loudly filling the room as you struggled to keep your eyes open long enough to locate your phone and turn it off. No matter how much you loved the song playing, the alarm had been a very rude awakening, jolting you awake and making you groan when you saw what time it was.

7 AM sharp. Only three hours until your call time for work. You don’t even know why you had it set this early, especially after last night.

You sat up in bed, forcing yourself to wake up rather than fall back asleep. Groggier than usual, a side effect from your swimming thoughts and late curfew last night, you reluctantly pulled the covers away from your body. Subjecting yourself to the cold air of your hotel room was the only thing that would keep you awake this early.

You wondered how long you had until Thorin would confront you, like Kíli and Fíli said. Surely sooner rather than later; you knew he was an early riser when you had shared a tour bus with him. But for now, as you sat up with puffy eyes and a dreadful reminder that you hadn’t gotten enough sleep, you were alone with your thoughts. 

You shifted in bed, letting your legs dangle off of the side as you let yourself lay back down in that position, staring up at the popcorn ceiling of your hotel room. Your head didn’t feel as overwhelmed as it had last night; its quietness was a lovely relief compared to how frantic it had felt previously. Perhaps the crying fit was just what you had needed. You couldn’t help but let your mind wander to thoughts of last night, or more specifically to Fíli. 

The conversation had finally happened between you two, and it had gone much better than you could have ever expected. You were finally friends. Uncertainty still hung in the air as you wondered what a friendship with him could look like, but you tried to ignore the doubtful feelings. Surely it wouldn’t be any different than it had been before, even if you both now knew that there were deeper feelings involved. Even if you knew now that he did like you. 

One firm knock came from your door, startling you from your thoughts as you sat up, worry and anxiety already reaching your frowning expression. Surely it must be Thorin. You looked down at your pajamas, now feeling extremely underdressed in your own bed.

“One second,” you called, your voice still tired from sleep. You stood up and changed out of your boxers and into some pants, hoping your current top was enough to present yourself.

Quickly, you came to the door, your heart leaping into your throat as anxiety gnawed at you. Even though you already knew what to tell him, the thought of any confrontation with your boss wasn’t exactly a welcome one.

You opened your room door to a surprisingly neutral Thorin, who was already dressed for the day, his hair cascading down his shoulders. There wasn’t a hint of a scowl on his face as his eyes met yours. For once, he looked simply neutral.

“Good morning, Y/N,” he gave a small bow. “Did I wake you?”

“No, I’ve been up for a few minutes,” you answered. “I was just about to get dressed.”

“Good. I apologize for disturbing you, but we need to talk.” He didn’t seem phased by your pajama shirt or mismatching pants. “May I come in?”

You tried your best to refrain from holding your breath, clearly nervous. “Right, of course. Sorry about the mess.”

Thorin silently gave a nod, walking only a few steps in before standing, his arms at his sides as he waited for you to close the door. You did just that, coming to sit on your bed.

“You’re welcome to take a seat,” you offered. But you had a feeling he wouldn’t bite.

“There’s no need,” he replied. “I come with unsettling news.”

“Is everything alright?” You couldn’t help but feign innocence. It made you feel less guilty to pretend you knew nothing, even if it meant lying to your boss. 

For a moment, he seemed surprised at your innocence. Perhaps he had assumed you already knew. But his expression soon faded into the typical stressed frown you knew so well. Thorin sighed, a hand running through his dark hair. Now the signature scowl was slowly making its appearance. You couldn’t hide your own frown.

“It’s nothing we haven’t dealt with before, but I’m afraid you’re now caught up in the mix,” he began. He pulled his phone out, quickly entering his passcode before showing you the same photo Kíli had warned you about last night.

You could feel the guilt twist your stomach into knots. Despite Kíli’s warning, it did little to help your anxiety in this conversation. You were tempted to spill your guts out if it meant feeling any bit better, but you held your tongue.

“This photo was taken of you and Fíli from the party, and it’s currently circulating with most major tabloids as we speak.” He took the phone back, putting it away.

“I’ve already spoken with my nephew about it; he has an unfortunate history of accumulating these sorts of things,” he said. “But I need to be thorough with this. I need to know what happened between you two.”

You opened your mouth to speak, worry creasing your brow. For a moment, you couldn’t find the words that you and Fíli had conjured up last night. It seemed Thorin could sense that.

“You’re not in any kind of trouble, if that’s your concern,” he said. “This isn’t Fíli’s first scandal.”  

He rolled his eyes, even raising a hand to rub his temple. You frowned, not liking the stressed and tired look of your employer.

“In truth, this one does little to bother me. I doubt I need to release a statement for something this trivial. But things such as this can easily get out of hand if I don’t have all the information I need. You understand that, don’t you?”

He seemed annoyed at the mention of Fíli’s past scandals; it made you wonder just how many there were. Surely, you had already known about the bassist’s reputation from when you first arrived on the job. And sharing a tour bus with someone who liked to bring hookups on board was more than enough scandal for you.

“I spilled water on him,” you started, speaking slowly. You hoped it seemed earnest enough. “He wouldn’t stop complaining about it, so I offered to dry him up. But he kept going on and on about how ‘there was no point’. Something about the brand he was wearing or something. Eventually I had to drag him there just to shut him up.”

You couldn’t help the slight smile that tugged at your lips as you spoke, imagining a whining Fíli acting like a child. It was an amusing thought. You hoped your planned lie was enough to sway your boss.

At first, he didn’t say anything, and you could see the gears turning in his mind. Had you gone too off course from what you had discussed last night? Had Fíli said something different? Was it clear you were lying?

“I see,” Thorin nodded, for he already knew the story. “Then it’s settled.”

He checked his phone, taking a moment to type something out as he looked deep in thought, before eventually his eyes met yours again.

“What’s settled?” You asked, curiosity getting the better of you. You finally let out a breath you had been holding, trying to breathe as normally as possible.

“As far as I’m concerned, there’s no scandal,” he said. “Though it was a poorly caught photo, there’s no need for any further intervention. But it doesn’t make this any easier.”

“What do you mean?” Your stomach twisted and flipped inside out, anxiety gnawing at you the longer this conversation went on.

“You’re now in the public eye just as much as the boys are,” Thorin explained with a gruff tone. “Even though you’re obscured in the photo, I’m sure it wouldn’t take long for someone to recognize you.”

“But it’s so blurry–” you tried to butt in.

“We’ve had blurrier,” he countered. “And the worst of their fans still figured it out.”

Your eyes widened in realization as you pieced together what he was trying to say. “Am I going to have to wear a disguise now? Am I being fire–”

“You’re not being fired, that I can assure you.” Thorin, despite his stature, stood tall as he reached a hand to place on your shoulder. “And my offer the other night still stands, so there’s no need to worry about your job security. But I do need to ensure that you can handle the extra publicity if someone were to figure you out.”

You held your breath, thoughts running through your mind. The overwhelming feeling was making its very unwelcome comeback. 

“Of course, that’s if we just let this go,” he explained. 

You furrowed your brow, meeting his gaze. “I’m sorry?”

“We could also release a statement explaining who exactly is in the photo.” His scowl had faded into a disapproving frown now. “As a means of denying the claims. But that could make things worse and possibly feed into the rumors. To put it bluntly, thousands of eyes would be on you.”

“Absolutely not!” The words left your lips before you had even conceived them as thoughts. You flushed from the minor embarrassment. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that to sound so rude. But I’ve become very comfortable in the background, and I’d like it to stay that way.”

“Of course,” he nodded, checking the time on his phone. 

He looked back at you, giving your shoulder a light reassuring squeeze before taking his hand away. He headed to your door and you stood up on instinct to see him off. “There shall be no statement. I apologize for the early disturbance, Y/N.”

“It’s fine,” you replied too casually. “Was that all?”

He opened the door, stepping out into the hallway before facing you. “It would seem so. I’m sorry to have you involved in something like this. I hope it doesn’t change your mind about my previous offer.”

“Not at all,” you tried to laugh him off, but the smile never fully reached your eyes. “I still look forward to discussing it, while hopefully still remaining anonymous to the public.”

Thorin let out a gruff breath through his nose; you assumed it was a small laugh. “If anything changes regarding this scandal, I’ll be sure that you’re the first to know.”

“I appreciate that, Thorin.”

“Good day, then.” He gave a small bow of respect before leaving you alone, heading down the hallway to god-knows-where.

The moment you felt yourself in the clear, you shut your door, slumping against it with a miserable groan. You rubbed your tired eyes, trying to force the nervousness and paranoia out of your body. Everything was fine, everything was under control! That’s what you told yourself, anyways. 

You trusted Thorin with his promise, you hadn’t had any reason not to. But your only hope was that some crazy fan didn’t force him to keep that promise. 

You really hadn’t gotten enough sleep. It was obvious from just how slow you were eating your breakfast. Not even getting dressed for the day helped to hide the dark circles growing under your eyes. You sighed into your eggs and bacon, sluggishly eating them in such a state that anyone could assume you hated the dish in front of you.

“Are you going to eat that?” Threl nudged, pointing at your two last pieces of bacon.

You looked up at him, your frown giving away your annoyance. “I was planning to.”

“Alright, my bad. Couldn’t tell,” he shrugged, finishing his cereal. “From the looks of it, I figured you weren’t hungry.”

“Just stressed,” you muttered, letting out another sigh.

“Why? You said it yourself, Thorin said everything should be fine.” His nonchalant demeanor wasn’t usually this annoying to you.

“Should be,” you emphasised. “But it doesn’t mean it will be.”

“You worry too much,” Threl frowned. “What are you afraid of here? Some crazed fan finding out you work for the band?”

“More like some crazed fan thinking I’m some rockstar’s groupie,” you scoffed, taking another bite of your food.

You had told Threl everything the moment he had knocked on your door this morning, inviting you to eat breakfast in the hotel lobby as usual. Well, mostly everything. For some reason, you couldn’t didn’t feel the need to mention that you and Fíli had a thing for each other. Whether it was embarrassment or guilt, you weren’t sure as to why you hadn’t told him. But he was just happy to hear that there wasn’t any bad blood, especially considering he was a mutual friend caught in the middle.

“Well you certainly could look like one,” he replied. When you clearly didn’t follow, he elaborated. “I’m saying you’re sexy. Especially with the dress that night.”

“Thanks,” you rolled your eyes. “I certainly feel like it.”

“Would you be less stressed if Thorin released your identity?” He raised a brow.

“What? No!” You spoke a little too loudly. “I mean… maybe? I don’t really know. This whole thing is just making me miserable. I hate having the feeling where all eyes are on me.”

You groaned, pushing your plate away and laying your head on the table. You certainly weren’t hungry anymore. You heard Threl sigh and set his spoon down. 

“I’m worried about you, Y/N,” he spoke plainly. “If this is going to keep stressing you out, then you’ve got to figure out how to deal with it. Before it affects your work. Our work.”

“It won’t affect my work.” You looked up at him with tired eyes. “But what do you suggest?”

“Either force yourself to be chill with the current situation, or tell Thorin to release a statement so that way your name’s at least cleared. Unless you can think of something else, I don’t know what will make you feel better right now.”

His frown matched yours, and you sat up straight, brow furrowed in thought. He was right; you were letting this get to you too easily. What good were you if you were perpetually worrying about dating rumors and band drama?

“You have a point,” you muttered. “I’ll think about it.”

“Good, you better.” He took another bite of his cereal, wincing from the taste. “Fuck, it’s gone soggy. That’s the thing about hotel cereal–”

“Am I interrupting anything?” Fíli waltzed into the hotel’s dining room, half dressed with freshly brushed hair. 

The other band members slowly filtered in behind him, all in different stages of being ready for the day. There was Kíli, who was still in pajamas and slippers as he sluggishly beelined for the coffee station. Then Gimli, who was dressed for the day but still very tired, as shown by his messy hair and sleepy frown. And then Ori, who was bright eyed and bushy tailed, his face glowing from a fresh skincare routine as he stacked pancakes on his plate.

“I’m surprised you’re awake this early, princess,” Threl scoffed, standing up to rid himself of his soggy cereal, bowl in hand. “We already finished eating.”

“Damn, and it’s only nine,” he nodded. “Well, at least I look better rested than you two. What truck hit you both?”

“Whichever one is owned by your Uncle,” you chimed in, also standing up with your plate. 

Fíli’s joking grin soon switched to an intrigued raised brow. “How did that go?”

“You two catch up, I’m going to get ready for the day,” Threl sighed, gesturing to the fact that he was still in his pajamas. He took your plate, leaning in to whisper in your ear as he did so.

“Take it easy, alright? Text me when you want to meet up later.” He gave you a playful nudge before walking away, leaving you and Fíli alone for now.

For some reason, you couldn’t help but feel guilty that you hadn’t told Threl about your new relationship with Fíli. 

You watched him put away your dishes and head back for the elevators, giving a small wave in his direction.

“It went well,” you sighed, bringing your attention back to Fíli, whose humorous demeanor had shifted now that Threl was gone. His eyes softened, wanting to listen to whatever you had to say. It was kind.

“He said he wasn’t going to release a statement or anything unless I wanted him to, which was nice,” you continued, now walking alongside Fíli to the buffet. He started fixing himself a plate while you grabbed one last glass of orange juice. It felt weird not to have anything while he was eating, even if you already had.

“How was he with you?”

“Certainly not as nice,” Fíli chuckled. “He wasn’t as pissed off as he can usually get, though. Probably because it had to do with you.”

“What does that mean?”

“He likes you, Y/N. More than me right now, that’s for sure.” He added some ham to his plate as he spoke. “He probably thinks that you’re not the type to go after your clients, or that you have a better sense of establishing those kinds of boundaries for yourself.”

“And I am,” you nodded confidently, until you saw the cheeky glint in Fíli’s eye. “Usually.”

“Sure, whatever you need to tell yourself,” he teased. You couldn’t help but roll your eyes.

It felt so much easier to interact with each other now that you two had talked things out. You felt lighter because of it, like a weight lifted off of your chest. Suddenly you were back on the tour bus that night, just talking honestly amidst cheeky banter. It was nice.

“I’ll have you know I was nothing but professional until the party,” you defended.

“Oh, so all it takes is some liquor? I’m sure that will hold up in court,” he quipped with a smirk, now adding some eggs to the plate.

You felt your cheeks warm from embarrassment, thinking of how delectable he had looked that night. “It wasn’t just that– Are we flirting right now?”

“Do you want to?” He asked, his tone less teasing now and more honest.

“I don’t know,” you answered. “It feels weird for some reason.”

“Maybe it’s too soon,” he shrugged. “Baby steps?”

“Baby steps,” you nodded. 

He finished his plate, now moving to sit down on one of the lobby’s couches. You sat across him, resting your phone and juice on the coffee table in front of you.

You couldn’t help but notice the rest of the boys laughing about something, sitting at a high-top nearby. Well, Ori was laughing and Kíli looked miserable. Gimli was just there, which was surprising to see compared to his usual loud-mouthed presence.

“Do any of them know?” You asked, now looking back at Fíli. He finished his bite of food before speaking.

“Well, yes and no.” He answered. “Kíli was asking me about it this morning, and I said we were friends now. That it was just a misunderstanding.”

“Wait, so you told him what happened–”

“No, I didn’t go into detail,” he cut you off, shaking his head. “But I gave him enough to stop bothering me with questions.”

“Such as?”

A guilty expression crawled onto his face as he put his plate down. “He knows we… had a moment, so to speak.”

Your eyes widened, your expression still. “And?”

“Listen, he’s my brother, he would know if I was lying,” he tried to explain, raising his hands in surrender. “I couldn’t tell him the same thing we told Thorin. Hell, I doubt even Thorin fully believes us. He knows me too well.”

You shook your head in disbelief. “Don’t even say that, he believed me.” You had to say it out loud or else you’d be worrying about yet another thing. 

“Well, again, he approves of you more,” he gestured to you. “He would do anything for me, but he also knows my reputation.”

“Okay, fine,” you sighed, giving up on the idea of Thorin for right now. “What exactly did you tell your brother?”

Fíli winced, like he knew you’d disapprove. “I said we almost hooked up until you cut things off.”

You literally felt your eye twitch. You took a long sip of your orange juice in an attempt to calm down your elevated heartbeat. It didn’t help.

“Well, so much for sparing the details.” You glared at him.

He was quickly pleading. “Come on, please don’t be mad. He would’ve seen right through me. At least I didn’t say you came on to me!”

You were taken aback at the thought, but quickly tried to regain your composure. 

“Fine,” you spoke through gritted teeth. “So the whole band knows, basically. Is that what you’re telling me?”

“No, just Kíli,” he answered. “I told him I’d kill him if he told anyone. He won’t tell a soul, I can assure you.”

“Somehow your words aren’t swaying me,” you frowned. On the bright side, being mad at Fíli was an easy distraction from your worries of crazed fans.

“Then let’s talk action,” he said, bringing his hands together. “Let me make it up to you. Anything you want.”

He was desperately pleading, or at least as desperately as he could with the rest of the band a mere five feet away. The desperation in his eyes was amusing enough to ease your frustration. You almost pitied him.

“Anything?” You repeated. It was a dangerous offer and you both knew it.

“As long as we’re all still on schedule, yes,” he affirmed. “I could take you shopping! Or cook you something? Wait, no. I’m a terrible cook. I don’t know what to offer, I don’t know what you like!”

You thought for a moment; there lied the crux of your misunderstandings. “How about one free hangout?”

Your reply had confused him, probably because it sounded too easy.

“Done,” he nodded. “Just name the time and place.”

“We have tomorrow off,” you explained. “It’s our last free day while we’re here. You guys don’t have anything scheduled; no interviews or anything. If I can get my work done for tomorrow by tonight, then let’s hang out tomorrow.”

He made a face, and you immediately started backtracking.

“Unless you’ve already made plans–”

“I was just going to sleep all day, really.” He admitted sheepishly. But the disappointed look on your face was enough to sway him.

“But I’ll sleep when I’m dead! Tomorrow. You. Me. What do you want to do?”

You couldn’t help the smile that crept on your face. “You can sleep in, it’s fine. Just at some point tomorrow, let’s hang out. I want to learn more about you.”

Now it was his time to smile. “Okay, you got it. I’ll text you?”

Your phone buzzed, allowing you to see that it was almost time to get back to work for the day. You stood up, grabbing your things. 

“I’ve got to get started for the day,” you sighed. “But yeah, text me later. We can figure out the details tomorrow.”

“So you have a date?” Threl mused, his tone unassuming as he worked to transfer some video footage off of his camera onto your laptop.

“It’s not a date,” you rolled your eyes, writing down some more deadlines in your planner so you wouldn’t lose track of your work. “We’re just hanging out.” 

The music blared on behind the closed door of the green room; the sound of Kíli’s guitar riff was enough to cancel out the screams and shouts of thousands of adoring fans. After tonight, there were only two more performances before you would all be closing on Moria and setting out for The Shire.

“Right, whatever you say,” he flashed you a shit-eating grin before handing you your laptop back. “So what are you doing on this not-date?”

“Would it be weird to just hang out in the hotel and play board games?” You weren’t entirely convinced by your suggestion, even after saying it out loud.

“It’s very… domestic.” 

You sighed, setting down your pen in defeat. “I just don’t want another paparazzi picture of me. But it feels weird to ask if we simply don’t leave the hotel.”

“Hey, he’s in this mess, too. I’m sure he’ll be down.” Threl tried to reassure you. “I’ve never seen him play a board game sober, though. Fair warning.”

You laughed, closing your planner for now. “And what about you? What does someone as fashionable and wonderful as you have planned on your only day off?”

“Careful now, those are flirting words,” he joked, casting you a sly grin. “And I’ll have you know that I have a very important appointment tomorrow.”

“Ooh, for what?” You leaned in, intrigued. “A facial? A massage? A conjugal visit?”

You cackled at his reaction to your last guess, a mixture of horror and humor splayed on his face.

“I resent that last remark, I’ll have you know,” he playfully warned you. “But I’m glad to see you laughing after how stressed out you were this morning.”

“I’ve been keeping busy,” you admitted. “It’s surprisingly easier to cater to crazy fans than to worry about them, as backwards as it sounds.”

“That is backwards,” he chuckled. “I’m just glad to see you normal again.”

“Me too,” you nodded. “As long as it lasts. Now tell me about this appointment of yours, the suspense is killing me.”

Suddenly, a loud hissing sound interrupted you both, as the pyrotechnic gerbs went off onstage. A wave of screams and excitement sounded soon after, and you both couldn’t help the smile on your faces. Ori’s muffled voice filled the air behind the door, leading the band into the next song. The sound would never get old to you.

“Well, before I was so rudely interrupted,” he joked. “It’s a shopping date for me, myself and I.”

“Shopping?” You repeated, shocked by his answer. You didn’t think he was the type to love retail therapy.

“Guys can like shopping,” he defended, handing back your laptop now that he was done with it. 

“Thanks,” you took the computer. “And of course they can. I mean it makes sense, with how well dressed you always are. Excluding right now, of course.”

He looked down at his clothes, which were all black but fashionably functional for his job. “You must hate monochrome.”

“I’m kidding,” you grinned. “What are you buying?”

“Well, I like to window shop, but my goal is to get a surprise gift for everyone that’s been on tour so far. You know, since we’re coming to the end.”

“That’s so sweet,” you cooed. “It’s sad to think we’re almost done, isn’t it?”

“It’ll be a grand ending, though,” he nodded. ”The crowds in The Shire are a lot smaller, so the shows are more intimate versus their usual intensity. They always save a new release for the folks in The Shire.”

Your eyes lit up at the mention of a new song. You instantly thought of the one Fíli had been hiding from you that night on the tour bus. “A new song? I wonder why Thorin hasn’t told me to post anything about it yet.”

“That’s how he did things last tour,” Threl shrugged. “He really enjoys the privateness of it. If he does the same thing as last time, he probably won’t ask you to promote it until after the tour ends.”

You couldn’t help but wonder what your life would look like after this tour. Other than possibly working permanently with the band, it would feel so strange to go back to your empty apartment in Dale.

“Are you coming back with us, Threl?” You asked, hoping he’d say yes just so you could have closer contact with your newest friend.

“I haven’t decided yet,” he sighed. “I’ve been thinking of moving to Erebor to stay closer to friends, but my family’s in the Blue Mountains. It would be tough to leave them.”

You bit the inside of your cheek. “I see.”

“But that just means I’ll keep blowing up your phone, as per usual,” he threw you a wink, clearly trying to lighten the mood. He stood up, stretching with a groan as he adorned all his camera equipment again. “I should probably get back out there. You said you wanted more shots of Ori, yeah?”

“Yeah, that’d be great,” you nodded, returning your gaze to your laptop. “We could send it to his last interview as some B-roll. They’d love to edit it in.”

“You got it, boss.”

You smiled at the nickname, waving to him as he left and wondering just how many people you would have to say goodbye to so soon.

You woke up, feeling well rested for the first night all week, and it was a welcome change. Your eyes felt less tired and your body felt clean from the previous night’s shower. You checked your phone, your good mood getting even better at your lack of notifications, save for one.

“Enjoy your day off. Let’s meet at 10 tomorrow to discuss campaign plans for The Shire.”

Thorin’s text was short and to-the-point, just like always. You sent back a simple thumbs up emoji, not even wanting to speak a single word about work today if you could help it. After all, today was all yours. So many ideas passed through your mind about what to do. Perhaps you could go shopping in Moria. You could always visit the aquarium. Or maybe it was better to finally let your body rest and stay in for the day after so much hustle and bustle.

Regardless of the fleeting thoughts, you sent a quick text to Fíli, whom you were certain was still very much asleep.

“Morning! Let me know whenever you wake up, you still owe me that hangout :P”

You set your phone down afterwards, taking in a deep breath. You felt like a princess in a movie; it was a miracle what a free day and plenty of sleep could do for someone!

For the first time in a while, you felt like you could slow down and enjoy your day. You actually thought out your outfit versus throwing on something comfortable. You even thought about putting on some makeup or doing something different to your hair, but decided against it so you’d have more time to just be and let be. 

You ate breakfast alone in the lobby of the hotel, opting to read a magazine lying around rather than stare at your phone for another second. Other than the occasional text from Threl, there was really no need to even check your phone. 

An hour or two later, you passed Ori on his way out of the hotel. He was beaming with excitement, telling you about his plans to go spend the entire day with his cousins now that he actually had time to see them. It was heartwarming to see the way his eyes lit up at the mention of Dori and Nori. With a brief goodbye, you asked him to send your regards. 

It was almost noon. You couldn’t help but watch the seconds tick by on the clock that hung on the wall, wondering why the hell Fíli wasn’t awake yet. You knew his brother could sleep like the dead, but Fíli had always been relatively well rested when you shared the bus with him. He wasn’t exactly an early riser, but he sure as hell should’ve been awake by now. 

Refusing to accept that he was either still asleep or awake but ignoring you, you typed out another text. 

“Let me know when you’re free today?”

You sighed, deleting it as quickly as you typed it. How desperate were you? He was probably just still sleeping, like any average dwarven male his age. 

And 83 was quite a big age. How many other differences did you have, besides life expectancy? You already knew he had a history of being a rockstar playboy metalhead; it was a reputation that was trying its hardest to catch up to you. But what else hid behind that gorgeous eyeliner-filled mask of his?

Maybe tonight would be something as simple as asking him. It’s what you wanted to do: get to know him, and in turn, let him get to know you. You both were very clearly into each other, but most of it felt very surface level. It was time to take a deep dive, or at least a splash into the waters. 

Suddenly, you remembered that Balin’s hotel had an entire spa somewhere on the tenth floor, offering facials, massages, and even sauna treatments. This was perfect; it was just what you needed after months of hard work and stress. And who were you to deny yourself a spa day?

Before you even thought about grabbing your things, you thought about texting Fíli one last time. You weren’t sure how long you’d stay at the spa, though you were sure to be a few hours at least. But the idea of texting him again made you feel too desperate, and so you simply turned your phone to silent mode. 

One mani-pedi, an almost-nap in the steam room and a deep tissue massage later, you felt like an entirely new person. You hadn’t felt this rejuvenated since you’d graduated from university. Your skin was practically glowing. And thanks to your job and ties with Balin, you had gotten everything at a practically illegal discount. Was this what normal people were supposed to feel like?

For the last three hours you were gone, nothing in the world seemed to bother you anymore, least of all a late-sleeping dwarf. 

You finally reached your hotel room, taking your phone off of do-not-disturb to reveal any missed texts or calls. Three texts from Threl, all asking what you thought of the gifts he planned on getting Kíli and Gimli. Save for the last, where he simply decided he’d buy them anyways since you weren’t responding fast enough.

You chuckled to yourself, sending a quick apology text explaining why you’d been away from your phone. He responded almost immediately.

“Wow. And without sending me any cute sauna pics?”

You rolled your eyes, texting him back.

“Nice try.”

You swiped out of the conversation to see you had two more missed texts, this time from Fíli. It seemed he had finally woken up. You read his apology text he had sent merely an hour ago, noting it was already three in the afternoon. Here he was, offering to make it up to you with dinner reservations at some high class place. If it weren’t for the tabloids, you probably would’ve jumped at the opportunity to try some fine dining. 

“Sorry, I was busy. I don’t want to give paparazzi any more fuel right now. Could we just stay in the hotel tonight?”

His response was even quicker than Threl’s.

“Absolutely. Of course. My room at 7? I’ll set up a whole thing. Just us two.”

You couldn’t help the flushed warmth you felt in your cheeks from reading his last sentence. It was clear he wanted to make it up to you, which made it hard to stay mad at him. Was it really so hard not to read everything as romantic with him? Maybe it was just because of your history together.

“Sounds great, I’ll be there.”

You set your phone down, a new problem now entering your recently-massaged mind.

What were you going to wear?

Hours later, after finally deciding there was nothing more casual than a simple tee and shorts, you were yet again standing in front of door 307. You knocked softly, and the door quickly opened to an equally casually-dressed Fíli. Instant relief hit you, now that you knew you weren’t underdressed.

“Fresh moscato, at your service,” you awkwardly bowed, offering him the bottle wrapped in its paper bag.

“Hey, come in,” he smiled, opening the door wider for you.

“I didn’t know if I should bring anything, but I figured some wine couldn’t hurt,” you said, watching him as he unwrapped the bottle. 

“This is great,” he smiled, but it didn’t fully reach his eyes. 

“I didn’t know what kind you would like… Do you like it?” You took off your shoes, setting your bag down on his couch.

“I’m not a big fan of wine,” he admitted sheepishly, reading the label again. “But I’ve never had moscato before. Maybe I’ll like it!”

You frowned, coming over to take it back. “It’s okay, we don’t have to drink it–”

“Too late, I’ve already decided,” he grinned, walking away and reaching for two glasses out of the hotel minifridge.

You took a seat on his couch in defeat; his room had the same layout as yours, though it was mirrored. 

You raised your hands playfully in defeat. “What’s your drink of choice then?”

“I’m a cider connoisseur,” he joked, pouring the wine now. “It tastes like juice to me.”

Cider. You’d seen him drink it before, of course. He handed you a glass.

“I’ll remember that next time,” you said, taking the wine. You sniffed the liquid, taking in the fruity notes before trying a sip. It was much more refreshing than you expected from a bargain bottle.

You watched him do the same, hoping that maybe despite his tastes, he would like it. The glass met his lips and he took his first sip, his expression hard to read until eventually it simmered into a lightly surprised smile.

“It’s not half bad,” he said, cheering his glass to you before taking another sip.

You sighed, finally feeling a little less tense than before. At least you wouldn’t have to worry about him returning your gift.

“So,” you started, taking his attention away from the wine. “What did you have in mind?”

His eyes lit up and a grin stretched across his face as he set down his glass of wine.

“I think you’ll really like it. Do you still have your swimsuit?”

A quick trip to your hotel room and another glass of wine later, Fíli was eager to keep his plans a surprise as he led you to the elevator.

“Is it a movie night?” You tried guessing for the upteenth time, but Fíli wasn’t going to let you in so easily.

“Not at all,” he shook his head, waiting for the elevator to close before he swiped his keycard and pressed the button to the highest floor – the penthouse suite. “That’s too easy.”

“It’s a private concert,” you joked, rolling your eyes in an attempt at nonchalance. What could he possibly have up for you in the penthouse suite?

“You don’t even like our music,” he laughed. “And still no.”

“I never said that,” you rebuked, adjusting your bag that hung off your shoulder. “Maybe I would like your music more if I wasn’t listening to it every single day.”

“That’s a fair point you make,” he agreed. The elevator finally opened, revealing a small lobby room with a grand set of oaken entry doors. The penthouse suite.

Fíli dug in his pockets, pulling out a thick metal key with ornate engravings on it. For a moment, you were confused, wondering why such a modern hotel that already used keycards would still use old fashioned keys for their most expensive room.

“Speaking of which,” you started, trying not to seem too curious of the key and its equally gorgeous doors. “Did you ever finish that song? The one you wouldn’t show me or Ori?”

Your questions must have startled him; you watched him drop the key and fumble to pick it back up. He played it off, of course, but you couldn’t hide the amused grin slowly creeping on your face.

“Almost,” he said, casting a look to you that you weren’t sure how to read. “I finally showed a part of it to Ori.”

“I see, so he gets to know the secret but I don’t.” You chuckled, trying to keep it light. “Wait, are you going to reveal it at the end of the tour?”

“Maybe, we planned on releasing a different song first,” he turned the key into the door, and you heard the grand doors creak as they unlocked. “Anyways, here we are.”

Just when you were about to chastise him for changing the subject so quickly, you found yourself wordless at the sight of such a room.

Before you, carved deep into the mountain, lie a gorgeous main hall of the suite. The exposed mountain wall had been carved into bookshelves, littered with knickknacks and tomes that made you wonder what could possibly be written inside them. Warm toned lamps and lanterns littered the space, hanging from the ceiling and resting on the shelves and even sitting on the floor, filling the room with a delicate glow. 

You stepped inside, habitually removing your shoes and letting yourself feel the soft fur rug on the floor. You approached the oaken couches and coffee table, setting your bag down before letting yourself sink into the couch’s soft cushions. You let your hand rest on the armrest, running alongside the length of it to admire the craftsmanship of the furniture.

“Fíli, this place is gorgeous,” you breathed out, looking to him with awe. “How much does a room like this even cost?”

He laughed, setting his stuff down on the coffee table. “This isn’t even the surprise. And for me? Free, so long as we don’t trash it.”

“Free?!” You asked incredulously, looking around the room. Balin must really adore Fíli if he was willing to let him use such a grand space. “How much does this cost normally?”

“At least a grand per night,” Fíli shrugged, standing in front of the coffee table as he took in the room with a satisfied smile. “Are you ready to see the actual surprise?”

You stood up, wandering around just a little more before giving in to your host.

To your right, the hall stretched into an open floor connecting room, walled in only by another bookshelf. You drew closer, seeing through the gaps in the stone shelf at what must be the master bedroom. It was equally grand and even more cozy than the living room, if that were at all possible.

Fíli approached you, taking your hand and leading you away from the grand living space and bedroom. “Here, let me show you why we’re really here.”

You couldn’t help the smile on your face, growing excited by the minute.

He took you through the living room and past the kitchenette, barely giving you time to register their design before you headed down a small hallway with two doors. You could tell that the first door was to the bathroom, but you had no clue what the second door – made of glass that was entirely fogged up – would lead to.

You felt the warmth emanating from the door before he even opened it; Fíli’s calloused hands wrapped around the knob and pushed.

Your jaw dropped at the sight of the naturally formed cave, which stretched only a little further from the door to reveal an entirely natural hot springs. Steam rose from the water, rising up into the tall ceiling of the cave, casting glimmering images as the droplets formed on the cool rock. 

Your eyes scanned the grand cave walls surrounding you, veins of lesser metals such as gold and silver seemed to stretch their glittering arms around the cave. Veins of shimmering quartz cut in towards the top of the springs’ cave, catching the lights of the lanterns that made them shine in and out like stars.

You had never seen anything like it.

“Fíli,” your voice was soft, almost a whisper. “This is gorgeous. It’s beyond gorgeous, it’s–”

He cut in, speaking in his own tongue a short phrase you didn’t quite catch, distracted from the velvet of his voice. “That’s what they’re called. In the common language, it roughly translates to Hidden Healer.”

“Hidden healer…” You couldn’t help but repeat it, feeling the name on your tongue.

“They’re hidden all over the mountain. Balin discovered this one on his own, and he’s kept it as a secret ever since. Only family members are allowed to rent this suite, all so he can keep his secret better. I’m just lucky he didn’t make me pay this time.” 

He ran his hand down the railing that led down into the springs, taking a few steps before turning around to you.

“Do you like it?”

You stepped forward, the stone floor warm under your feet. “Fíli, this is better than any fancy restaurant.”

The smile grew on his face until he couldn’t help but show how proud he was of himself. “Then we better get changed and enjoy it, hm?”

Between your afternoon of spa treatments and the warm waters of the springs, you felt like you were on cloud nine. It was almost unfair that you’d have to return to your normal routine after allowing yourself to be pampered so well. 

Fíli had been the first to get in, helping you ease and acclimate to the water with an encouraging smile. You leaned your head back, allowing the warmth to spread in your hair, but careful not to submerge your head lest you get overheated. 

“I’m surprised you didn’t ditch me for Threl,” he joked. “With how close you two have gotten.”

“Is that jealousy I hear?” You teased, lightly splashing him with water. 

“I’m not a jealous person,” he laughed, but you still weren’t convinced.

“Mm, so you’re nosy.” You teased.

“Guilty as charged.”

“Well, he wanted to take himself on a date, if you must know,” you smirked. “Shopping, that is.”

“I should have known,” he chuckled. 

“And what about you? Were you really sleeping the day away, or is that just your cover story whenever you’re busy with someone else?”

“You wound me with implications,” he feigned hurt. “I barely have any time to ‘get busy’, not with this stretch of the tour. My recklessness tends to be reserved for the beginning of our tours.”

You nodded, agreeing for the most part. You hadn’t seen him put on the playboy charm for any fans in a while, not since you had all been in Rohan. 

“Do you like him?”

His question caught you off guard. 

“Who, Threl?” You asked. 

“You’re the one calling me jealous,” he mused. “Is there anything I should be jealous of?”

“Not in the slightest,” you couldn’t help but scoff. Threl was a total catch, there was no denying that. Funny, beautiful, and very compassionate. But he had never been on your radar. “He’s not exactly my type.”

“Mm, and what is your type?” His voice was quiet, but the teasing velvety sound was very present.

You couldn’t help the flush in your cheeks. It was easy to play it off as the work of the hot springs.

“Are we seriously flirting right now?” You tried to deflect the question. “As if your ego couldn’t get any bigger.”

This time he laughed, and the sound helped ease the tension and embarrassment in the air.

“Alright, fine. What would you rather talk about?”

You thought for a moment, now wanting to seize the moment. This was the perfect in for you, all you needed was to ask the right questions. 

“Tell me a secret about yourself.” You suggested. 

“A secret?”

“One that even the boys don’t know.”

“And what will I get in return?”

You tried to stand firm against his very flirty tone, rolling your eyes playfully. “I suppose I could offer up a secret of my own.”

“A very tempting offer, Y/N. That’s dangerous.”

“Will you take it?” You couldn’t bear to address the obvious tension between you two, despite the steamy waters. Your only solace was that you both were at opposite ends of the pool.

“Hm…” This time he became lost in thought, and you could see the wheels turning in his mind as his eyes wandered up towards the ceiling of the cave. 

“Only my uncle knows this,” he started, and you immediately leaned in to listen. “But when I was younger, I planned to enlist in the army once I moved to Erebor.”

“The army?” You tried to imagine the bassist before you as some sort of warrior. 

“Thorin served before he retired, and I wanted to follow him.” Fíli nodded sheepishly. “But now we’re both doing music.”

“That’s…” You didn’t even know how to describe what you feeling, other than surprised. “I would’ve never pegged you for a soldier.”

“I’m actually sword-trained,” he chuckled. “And I did a little bit of knife throwing when I was younger.”

“Do you think you’d ever go down that route again? Or is music your calling now?”

“If I ever stop doing music and pick up a sword, I think Erebor would have to be claimed by a dragon,” he joked. “And what about you? What’s something I don’t know about you?”

You blushed, trying to remain nonchalant as you racked your brain for a secret of your own.

“It’s so hard to think of any when you’re put on the spot like this,” you explained, laughing to yourself.

“Now you know how I felt,” he agreed.

“Let’s see,” you thought for a moment. “Oh, okay. I had never listened to any metal music until I started working for you guys.”

Fíli’s entire jaw dropped, it seemed you had caught him completely off guard.

“Never? How did you even pass the interview?” His tone was incredulous but you could tell he meant no harm.

“I ask myself that every day,” you joked, and you couldn’t help the smile on your face. “But really, you guys were my first metal band. Of course I listen to other metal bands now, too. I figured it was better if I broadened my horizons.”

“That is a good secret, I must say,” Fíli was still astounded by this new information. “Much better than mine.”

Minutes turned to what felt like hours as you two enjoyed the hot springs, learning more about each other in the glittering cavern. You both took turns for swimming, as Fíli had been careful to warn you about overheating. Between lying on the rocks of the cave to enjoying the natural pool, time seemed to pass slowly. Like nothing else existed right now.

Fíli told you of his childhood; raised by a single mother who did her best to provide for her two sons, he shared his dream of being able to provide for his mother like she had in his youth. It made you admire him all the more for it, too.

In turn, you divulged your own secrets. How university had been hard for you, but ultimately very rewarding. You shared your passion for creating collages, which had originally sparked your career of social media marketing when your friends saw how unique your media posts always were. 

You both even shared little meaningless things, like zodiac signs and favorite colors and typical ice-breakers that strangers would talk about. But none of it felt meaningless between you two, all of it felt strangely sentimental. You were making mental notes of every little thing he was saying, drawn to the velvet of his voice like a moth to a flame.

He was a Scorpio sign. His favorite color was gold, specifically the color of wheat fields in the sun. He loved to cook but knew his brother was much better at it. He had to switch schools when he was younger because he and his brother played such an elaborate prank on the first school’s principal that they were expelled and forced to transfer.

Here in the warm waters, he wasn’t the hotshot playboy bass player that the world knew him as. He was this bright, mischievous dwarf with a penchant for creating art in whatever way he could.

And it was making it harder and harder for you to see him just as a friend.

“I think this is the first time we’ve ever been near water and haven’t started a fight,” he teased, snapping you away from your reverie. “That’s a new record.”

“We’ll have to add it to the scoreboard,” you bantered back. “What is it, 2 to 1?”

You both were finally back in the water after a break to rehydrate. He swam closer, taking a seat next to you on the warm stones. Your heart beat faster at the proximity, the steam making your thoughts a little fuzzy.

His hair was tied up in a bun, save for a few loose curls that had managed to escape. His chest was more chiseled than you would have ever given him credit for, slightly damp from a mix of sweat and steam. You couldn’t help yourself as your eyes traced down his figure, taking note of the khuzdul tattoos he had running down his side.

You had the urge to reach out and feel them.

“You’re staring, love,” he chuckled, leaning back on his arms in the water. 

You immediately looked away, embarrassed. “I didn’t know you had tattoos.”

“It’s my mother’s name,” he explained. 

“That’s lovely,” you said curtly, still looking away.

“You can stare if you want, you know,” he said smugly. “I definitely won’t mind.”

And now you were flirting again. But this time you didn’t have the same urge to deflect. It felt impossible to ignore the fact that you were very attracted to this compassionate, annoying, gorgeous dwarf. 

“Are there any tattoos I can’t see?” You asked, finally looking at him with hazy-minded confidence. The steam made you feel a little drunk, which probably meant it was time to get out, but you had no intentions of doing so just yet.

Mostly because you had, for the first time, caught Fíli quite off guard, his wide eyes giving away much more than he had wanted. He stumbled over his words for a moment before quickly recovering. You turned your body to face him better.

“Well, no,” he started. “But now I wish there were.”

“Me neither,” you grinned, satisfied with his reactions for now. You reached over, tucking a loose curl away from his face with unknown confidence. “I’ve always wondered if I should get one, though.”

He seemed to both shiver and melt into your touch, his face reddening at the contact. But you knew he’d probably say it was from the hot water. “Really? What would you get?”

“I have no idea,” you laughed. “Hence my hesitation. Did you know Threl has a tramp stamp?”

“He does not, he just says that for the shock value,” Fíli rolled his eyes. “He likes the attention it gives him.”

“I should’ve known he was lying,” you said. “Especially since he wouldn’t show it to me.”

“You wanted to see it?” He asked, shifting his position. Jealousy was lightly eating at him, but it was too soon for you to notice just yet.

“Well, yeah,” you shrugged. “That’s not something you can just say and not expect to show.”

“You seem very close with him,” he mentioned, his tone less playful than before.

“Well, we do work together,” you frowned, noticing his shift in behavior. “Plus, he’s the first person I’ve felt really comfortable with since the tour started.”

“More than us?” He asked, referencing the band. You were quick to appease him.

“Well, you guys too, but he can actually understand my job a little better. You know, since he’s behind the scenes like me.”

“So you like him, then?”

This felt like it was going south quickly. You stood up, giving your body fresh cool air. Having hazy thoughts wasn’t going to help you save this interaction.

“I’ll ask this lightly,” you warned. “Why are you so jealous when I’ve already said I like you?”

“I know him, Y/N,” he defended. “We’re more similar than you think.”

“Why, because you both sleep around?” You countered curtly. “I don’t even think he’s interested. I’m pretty sure I’m not even his type.”

Your face faltered for a moment, feeling bad for your harshness. You hadn’t meant for it to come out so quickly. In truth, you just hated these petty conversations.

A frown set on his lips, looking away from you now. “You are, that much I can assure you.” 

You bent down, gingerly resting your hands on his shoulders. It still felt foreign to touch him so casually, but you weren’t sure if you’d get through to him with just words.

“Well, even if that’s true,” you started, your tone now softer. “Like I said, he’s not exactly my type.”

His frown stayed firm, but his eyes finally met yours. “Not a fan of tall, dark and handsome?”

You couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped you. Tall was certainly something funny to hear attributed to a dwarf. 

“More like short, blonde and annoying,” you said softly, holding his gaze for a moment.

Suddenly, he pulled you onto his lap, wrapping his arms around you. You let out a small yelp in surprise, eyes wide and face flushed at the closeness. You were practically draped across him, nested sidesaddle in his lap.

“I’m sorry I said you slept around,” you whispered.

For a moment, he was silent, just holding you with an unreadable expression in his eyes. You could barely handle looking at them so closely, diverting your gaze elsewhere.

“This is more difficult than I thought it would be,” he spoke softly, the frown finally melting away bit by bit.

You turned to him, blushing again at how close he was. You could feel his breath this close, and the warm water wasn’t helping you feel normal whatsoever.

“What is?” You whispered, finally meeting his eyes.

“Being your friend,” he admitted, resting his chin on your shoulder. 

“I don’t remember friends doing this kind of thing,” you nervously laughed.

He pulled away, worry in his brow. “Is this alright?”

Oh, it felt more than alright. But you didn’t want to let him know that so easily.

“Maybe,” you teased.

“I’m serious,” he spoke. 

“Okay, then yes,” you affirmed. “This is alright.”

He sighed, putting his chin back on your shoulder. “I’m not exactly keen on the idea of him being interested in you.”

“I can tell,” you scoffed, wondering if his jealousy was causing him to be so clingy right now. “And I still don’t think he is.”

“You don’t know him like I do.”

“True,” you said. “But I don’t like these conversations. Isn’t there anything I can say to ease your mind off of this?”

“No, but this is nice enough at the moment.” He chuckled softly. “I’m sorry, love.”

You melted at the nickname, just like always. It provided your hazy mind a brief respite form the thought that it was probably high time for you to get out of the hot springs.

For a moment, you two were still, enjoying the silence, beauty of the cavern and the closeness of their bodies. The quiet steam seemed to mirror your own steamy thoughts that kept running through your mind.

“Friends don’t do this, do they?” He asked, pulling you closer as he met your eyes. Though his tone was earnest, you could tell he was testing his luck, watching your every move to see what would be allowed in such a compromising position.

“Mm, not that I’m aware of,” you shook your head, testing your own luck by wrapping your arms around his neck. You could’ve swore you felt him shudder at the contact. “But I don’t know if we’re exactly friends anymore, either.”

“Then what would you say we are?” His hands trailed down your back, resting on your hips.

You instinctually leaned closer, until you could feel his breath on your face.

“More than friends,” you whispered. “But less than lovers.”

“Mm, that would be a good song title–”

“Can I kiss you?”

The words left your lips before you even realized you had said such a thing out loud. But it did nothing to shock the rockstar in front of you, who was quick to close the empty space between you both.

His lips softly took yours, his kiss delicate at first, like he was afraid he would break you. You were quick to return it, one of your hands snaking up into his hair and pulling just ever so slightly.

But the effect it had on him was intoxicating. A small moan left his lips, and suddenly he was adjusting you in his lap, having you straddle him now as his fingers sank into your hips, their hold delicately firm.

You adjusted yourself in his lap, the heat of the hot springs and the dwarf beneath you making your mind turn to jello as you lost yourself in his kiss. You savored the taste of him in your mouth, your breathing becoming uneven as he pulled away to pepper kisses down your jaw, trailing lower to your neck.

Was this really happening? Or was it some sick wet dream? You felt like you were losing your mind, your whole body hot like fire. An almost carnal feeling filling your senses as you wanted nothing more than him.

“We should get out,” he whispered between kisses, coming back up to your lips. “Of the water, I mean.”

“Just a little longer.” You pleaded, both hands in his wavy hair. You pulled him closer to you, if that was even possible.

Truly, you didn’t know what was taking over you. There wasn’t a drop of liquor in you and yet here you were, acting like a damn animal in heat.

He pulled away again, staring into your eyes with such admiration and want that you couldn’t even fully appreciate with how lightheaded you were. He kissed your cheek, and then your lips, and then the corner of your mouth before diving lower and lower, peppering the shape of your jaw with his kisses.

“Is this alright?” He spoke in between each kiss, not daring to go any lower until you gave him permission. And it was all you wanted him to do.

“Yes, Fíli,” you whispered, begging. “Please.”

His grip on you tightened, gently pushing you down against him for some much needed friction. You lost your breath at the feeling; you could feel your whole body heating up, an almost carnal feeling filling your senses as you wanted nothing more than him.

His teeth grazed your neck, now leaving little bites in between his kisses. Not hard enough to leave a mark, but certainly enough to illicit another moan from your lips. He knew exactly what he was doing.

Your grip in his hair tightened, and it drove him crazy. Alone in the beautiful cave, you two were turning almost animalistic.

But it was quickly interrupted by you shifting your weight, causing you both to slip off of the rocky ledge you were planted on and deeper into the water. You let out a shout of surprise, your hands immediately catching yourself on his shoulders. But while you were unscathed, he caught the brunt force of the fall, his head completely underwater before he sat back up, gasping for air.

You immediately stood up, helping him up out of the water with a worried fervor.

“Oh my— Fíli! Are you okay?” You checked his head to see if he had injured himself any further than accidental drowning.

But his boisterous laughter that soon turned into a coughing fit was enough to let a sigh of relief leave your lips.

“I think that’s a sign, if anything,” he joked, coughing up here and there. “It’s time to get out.”

The steam had finally done you both in, making you both so lightheaded until you realized it was certainly time to get out. Almost drunk on having such a good time, you both couldn’t stop laughing at any little thing the other said. Suddenly, all sexual tension had simmered for now. Even having Fíli open the door for you was enough to make you giggle.

“Gods, I’m starving,” he laughed with a shiver as the cold air of the penthouse nipped at him. “Is it too late to order takeout?”

You shivered in turn, hugging your towel closer to your body. “I don’t know, what time is it? I know there was a takeout menu in the hotel lobby.”

He sat on the couch, checking his phone. “It’s only ten thirty, I’d say that’s plenty of time for some late night pizza.”

You checked your own phone, noting your missed call from Threl. You’d call him back later, when Fìli wouldn’t be around to get jealous again. “Then how about I go grab the menu downstairs?”

“Don’t bother, I’ll go get it,” Fíli said, but you were already pulling a sweatshirt over yourself.

“Too late!” You teased, heading for the oaken doors as you pulled your sweatpants over your swimsuit and slipped into your shoes. “I’ll be right back, I want to grab some clean clothes out of my room anyways.”

Fíli lifted both hands in the air, clearly accepting defeat. “Don’t run off on me, now.”

“I won’t, I get paid by the hour,” you laughed. “Unless Thorin doesn’t count today in my check.”

You could hear his laughter as you slipped through the doors, pressing the lobby button on the elevator with a smile on your face. 

Now, finally alone, your heart seemed to be doing backflips as you processed everything that had just happened. A small part of you still ached for his touch, wanting to continue what had been so rudely interrupted by your complete lack of balance, but you knew in your heart that it had certainly been enough excitement for one night.

You finally reached the lobby, the cold air-conditioned air hiting you in the face as you waltzed into the empty room. Save for the lone receptionist on her phone, there was nobody else around. Or so you thought.

Just as you turned the corner to go grab a menu from the front desk, you saw a very sweaty Threl walk towards the elevators, clearly coming from a fresh workout.

“Y/N!” He called, a smile on his face as he approached you. “What are you doing down here?”

“Grabbing some takeout,” you waved the menu for emphasis. “And what about you? How was shopping?”

“Oh, it was great,” he nodded. “Got everything I wanted except something for Thorin. He’s always the hardest to shop for. Did you see the stuff I texted you?”

“Only a little,” you admitted. “I’ve been off my phone for the most part of today.”

“Mm, I see,” he teased. “Too busy on your not-date, I take it?”

“Actually, I did a spa day for myself,” you beamed with pride. “Balin gave me a lethal discount.”

“We had discounts?” He looked devastated. “Damn, that would’ve been good to know. No wonder you look so good.”

You laughed, gesturing to your sweatpants. “Yeah, I’m the pinnacle of beauty right now.”

“I meant you don’t look exhausted,” he laughed, wiping some sweat from his forehead with his towel. “But what are you up to right now? Would you want to come over and watch a movie or something after you order in?”

“Oh, I can’t,” you tried to hide your slight nervousness. “Fíli and I are still… hanging out right now.”

Threl’s face showed he was surprised, but he tried to laugh it off. “Wow, getting busy this late at night?”

“I told you, it’s not like that,” you waved him off, despite the fact that he wasn’t entirely wrong. But you didn’t have the heart to tell him that just yet. “We’re just hanging out and eating takeout. I actually need to head back up right now, he’s probably wondering why I’m taking so long.”

“Mm, you’ll have to tell me all the frivolous details tomorrow,” he winked, but something about him felt off. Like he didn’t fully mean it.

“Seriously, nothing happened,” you lied again. Was Fíli right? Did Threl have some feelings towards you? Suddenly you couldn’t look at him fully the same, Fíli’s jealous argument playing in your mind.

You don’t know him as well as I do.

“Well, that’s good to hear,” he laughed. “That you’re still on the market, of course.”

“I don’t understand.” You nervously laughed, feigning confusion as best as possible. Surely he didn’t mean something serious.

“It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but I’d really love to take you out on a date, Y/N. Once this is all over.”

taglist. @loopyloo2610 @shiinata-library @jasmines-greentea

A tentative two knocks sounded at your door; it was likely Thorin or one of the boys coming to check in on you. Loading the tour bus was a hefty task, and one you didn’t feel like doing alone.

You abandoned your now-packed suitcase to open the door to a very disheveled, very hungover Threl. Immediately, your face fell flat. You forgot he was coming over, despite the fact that half of his camera gear was stored in your hotel room.

“Good morning,” you spoke civilly, still trying to gauge how you felt about him after his outburst last night. 

You had promised yourself that you would give Threl another chance to redeem himself. Maybe because you still wanted to be friends. Or perhaps it would be entirely less awkward if you two weren’t fighting for the rest of the tour. You weren’t exactly sure which it was, only that you were tired of these childish games.

“Hey, I’m so sorry for last night–”

“For what?” Your tone was entirely too short for someone trying to give him a chance, but the frustration slipped past your lips before you could catch yourself. “For showing up in the middle of the night at my door and making a complete ass of yourself?”

Threl shrunk at your words. “Well, that and–”

“Or maybe for this entire weird feud between you two?” You couldn’t be stopped now; you had already begun. “You don’t talk about it much, but Fíli seems to have it in his mind that I’m some prize to be won between you both. And seriously, I’m sick of it–”

“You’re absolutely right.” This time he interjected. “We’re both assholes, especially me. I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did last night, I just…”

“Just what?” Your tone was softer now, but your voice still held its firm disappointment.

“Who knew you could be so fired up at 8 AM,” he chuckled, but the joke fell on a silent audience. “Right…”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he leaned against your doorframe. Based on his wearing of sunglasses, you assumed he was still feeling his hangover heavily. Good. He deserved that much.

“I’m not going to lie to you, Y/N,” he started, his eyes focused on the ground. “Fíli and I aren’t exactly the kind of guys who easily get tied down.”

You scoffed, rolling your eyes. This is what he was leading with? You had half the mind to scold him again, but you bit your tongue, wanting to see where he was going.

“I’m serious.” He met your eyes now. “Not to call us fuckboys or whatever, but it’s just how it is. Or was, I guess. Ever since I met you, I feel like there was just this effortless comfort around you. It feels like I don’t have to be this fabulous character that I’ve created for myself. I can just be… well, me. And I know you’ve felt it too.”

You kept quiet, though you agreed. You didn’t feel eager to let him know that.

“And there’s been times where you weren’t around and our relationship would get mentioned… After all, the guys aren’t complete idiots; they see how well we work together and get along and such. And I guess it just made Fíli jealous. Almost like he didn’t believe that I was capable of finding interest in someone in a serious way, or capable of being truthful about it. Which is crazy, coming from him of all people.”

You frowned, unsure of where this was going. If this was all an effort to speak ill of Fíli, you weren’t having it. You opened your mouth to respond, but he cut you off, still rambling.

“I didn’t even realize why he was being a dick about any of it, at least not at first. But then you would mention him more, or be a little secretive about it, and it all started clicking. And really, I’m so sorry I was such an ass about it.”

“I was going to tell you,” you said with a sigh. “I just didn’t know how.”

He nodded, looking back at the ground again. “It’s both of our faults, really. Mine and Fíli’s, I mean. I guess it just took me too long to realize that he probably got so jealous because the same thing was happening to him. Love makes you do stupid shit.”

Your eyes widened at the word. Love? Now we were throwing around such an important word as that?

“Is that how you feel?” You treaded lightly. “That you’re in love with me?”

Threl’s head shot up, eyes immediately meeting yours. “Woah, hey now. I mean, I love a lot about you, but I promise this isn’t me confessing my feelings. That would be insane.”

You simmered your thoughts back down, looking away from him now. You heard your phone buzz twice on your bed; it was probably Thorin checking in on your progress.

“I know I just said a bunch of bullshit, and none of it probably matters,” he said, trying to regain your attention. “But I really am truly very sorry, Y/N. And I hope you can believe me when I say it will never happen again.”

You turned back to him, meeting his eyes again with a torn conscience. 

“I appreciate the apology,” you nodded. “And I think we can go back to normal, but I still need some time. And a little space. I’m really tired from all of this, Threl.”

And tired from the minimal sleep you were able to get last night, of course. 

He nodded, a small smile now growing on his face, even if you hadn’t fully forgiven him now. “Of course, I completely understand.”

You sighed, now turning to look at your packed suitcase on the bed. Threl’s stuff was partially packed on your couch, next to your own toiletry bag you had already finished packing. You adjusted the shirt you were wearing, thankful that the neckline was high enough to cover the traces of Fíli’s kiss on your skin. 

“I’ve got most of it all on the couch there,” you said, gesturing to his strewn about equipment. “Unless there was anything else I missed in here.”

Threl took your words as an invitation, walking in to start gathering his things. As he packed, you checked your phone on the bed, seeing two messages from your boss. It was time to head down and help pack up the tour bus.

But you couldn’t deny the pang of disappointment that hit you, knowing you still hadn’t heard from Fíli since last night.

“Looks like everything’s here,” Threl confirmed. “Just got to pack it all up.”

“How much longer do you need? Thorin’s asking,” you waved your phone for emphasis.

“Uh, ten minutes max? Shouldn’t be long.”

“Do you need any help?” You didn’t really want to help; it just seemed the right thing to do.

Threl turned to you with a soft smile, appreciating the olive branch.

“I’ve got it from here. If you want to meet with them downstairs, I can turn your room key in for you.”

You looked up from your phone with a sigh and nodded. “That would be great, thank you.” 

Perhaps you’d hear from Fíli later.

You handed Threl your key card and gathered your suitcase and two bags, leaving your hotel room behind as you made your way to the elevator. A quick text to Thorin was sent, confirming you were coming down. You pushed the hotel lobby button in the elevator, another sigh leaving your body as your time in Moria was coming to a close.

It was quite an adventure, to say the least.

To say the most?

You were confused, aroused and absolutely exhausted. Your relationship with Fíli felt like an exciting rollercoaster, but you couldn’t help but still feel anxious, especially after how things had ended last night. Gods, if only Threl hadn’t interrupted! 

But nevertheless, he had, and now he knew. And perhaps that was more helpful than keeping one more secret, but if it was meant to feel relieving, you weren’t feeling it just yet.

You rubbed the back of your neck and sighed, trying not to think about the fact that you hadn’t heard from Fíli all morning. He was probably busy packing, just as you had been, but you couldn’t help the gnawing feeling you felt in your gut. Something felt off.

Almost as if on cue, the elevator doors opened again, not yet on the floor you needed, to two dwarves with bedhead and pajamas still adorned.

Fíli and Kíli had clearly seen better days.

Upon seeing you, Kíli’s face immediately brightened. “Y/N! Good morning!”

You couldn’t help returning the smile, though yours was more tired; you were so glad to see them both. “I’m glad to see you’re not hungover.”

“Not as bad as I could’ve been, for sure,” he chuckled, clambering his suitcase into the small metal box. Fíli followed suit, though stayed silent.

“I’m sorry again about last night, by the way,” he sighed. “It wasn’t how I was hoping the night would go.”

You scoffed, shaking your head. “Definitely not for me either.”

You cast a look to Fíli, who gave you a lazy smirk in response. You were happy to see it.

“But perhaps it’s for the best,” you nodded. “Now that Threl’s in the loop, it’s one less person to lie to.”

“That’s good to see it that way,” Kíli agreed.

If only you could fully believe it.

The elevator opened again, this time to the lobby. Kíli exited first, wheeling his suitcase out to the awaiting tour bus outside. Wordlessly, Fíli picked up your two extra bags for you, walking out of the elevator with them.

“Thank you,” you spoke softly, following him out the large lobby to the front doors. “I missed you.”

Another lazy smile, though this one felt more earnest. He looked over at you, eyes clearly tired. You wondered if he had even bothered to get some sleep.

“I missed you too.”

The automatic doors opened, showing Thorin and Balin packing cases of equipment on a second bus. Two roadies accompanied them, helping as the band members boarded their own sleeper bus.

Catching your eyes, Thorin turned to you and approached, a slight sheen of sweat on his brow.

“Good morning, Y/N. We missed you last night.”

You gave a sheepish grin as last night flashed in your memory. “Sorry again, I really needed the extra rest.”

“It’s important to take care of yourself,” he nodded. He gave a glance towards Fíli, who stood beside you, bags in hand.

“We have a new equipment bus for the remainder of the trip, and it offers more beds,” he began, his attention now focused back on you. “I wanted to offer one of them to you, if you wanted more space or privacy.”

You tilted your head to the side, confused. “Is the regular bus still an option?”

“Of course, it’s your decision. But the road to the Shire is a rough ride, so I wanted to offer just in case. I myself am riding with the second bus this time. I get very little sleep when I ride with the boys. Threl will also be riding with us.”

You smiled, trying to disguise your disdain at the mention of Threl as you nodded. “Ah, I see. I’d rather stay with the boys, if that’s okay. Since I’m already used to it.”

Thorin nodded. “Understood. Then feel free to start loading in. You too, Fíli. Is this everything of yours?”

Fíli nodded, “Kíli’s got the rest.”

“Good. Now let’s get back on the road.”

It was a four day drive to the Shire, and calling it a rough ride was a dramatic understatement. The mountain roads were narrow and windy, with some of them only one lane wide. You knew your drivers were skilled, so you did your best to trust them while also pulling the curtains on as many windows as you could. The less you saw, the better.

Riding with the band felt nostalgic, as it had been a few weeks since the last time you’d all been crowded together. As per your contract, you kept the boys on their media schedule, filling time in the bus with a handful of livestreams and Q&A videos that were easy to film in small confined spaces.

And speaking of space, with Thorin sleeping in the other bus, he had left the master bed all to you, much to Kíli’s complaints, which you had laughed off.

“It’s like he likes you better than his own nephews,” he complained.

“Maybe because I’m better at keeping time than you two,” you rolled your eyes, lounging on your bed as you edited their latest tour bus mukbang Q&A on your laptop. 

Ori sat across from you, as you let them hang out with you in your bed versus the couch, donning a face mask as he scrolled his phone.

“Plus they smell better,” Ori added.

“I stink? That’s preposterous!”

“I don’t think he smells that bad,” you teased, looking up from your laptop.

“That’s because you don’t work out with him! Hmph!” Gimli interjected from the front of the bus.

You laughed as Kíli ran up to give him a piece of his mind, a warm feeling spreading through you. This, as stressful and exhausting it could be, was certainly your favorite job you had ever landed. You loved the atmosphere and you loved being surrounded by your new friends.

But despite the warmth, you couldn’t ignore the slight… offness of Fíli. 

It was the second night of the drive, and it seemed you were the only one still awake, keeping quiet in the back of the bus as you uploaded the now finished Q&A video. You started the upload process, scheduling it to release sometime tomorrow afternoon; that would give the boys a day off from your relentless recording.

They had been much better sports about the whole thing than when you had first started, and it brought a smile to your face to see how far you’d all come, and closer you’d all become. Without Threl constantly filming them on stage, it was now up to you to film small behind-the-scenes content in the interim, just like when you had first started.

It felt oddly relaxing to edit these more intimate videos versus the busy stage highlights. Maybe because they were what you had started with, or maybe because the silence at 2 AM was the perfect peaceful atmosphere for you to edit in. Much less chaotic than the noisy muffled green room in Moria.

Perhaps another added element to your relaxation was the solace of Threl not being here. He was probably drinking with the roadies or joking with Thorin, all from the privacy of the second bus. It was a good thing you had stayed on this bus; the space between you two was much needed. It gave you time to clear your mind from the recent busy nights, and you were confident that you’d be much more clear-headed the next time you two worked together.

There were no lights on, save for the soft glow from your laptop. The only sound that accompanied you was the soft hum of the road and gentle tapping of the rainstorm you were all being driven through. Your phone buzzed with an email from Thorin; a few months ago, you would’ve been surprised to see he was up so late.

He had sent the schedule for the next month, including the wrap-up itinerary once the tour was over. You’d have three days of preparation in the Shire followed by a busy four-show week, and then the tour was complete. At least in terms of concerts, that is. Truthfully, there was still plenty of work on your end to be done afterwards, including a meeting with Thorin to discuss your job’s future.

One that you couldn’t wait for.

A follow-up text was sent to you personally from your boss, discussing the option of being flown back to Erebor on your own or with the band a week later.

“Ordinarily, we would be home as soon as we can.” Thorin’s text read.

“However, as this has been our most exhaustive tour yet, I’m deciding on extending the band’s stay for another week as a personal vacation. I still intend to honor our future conversation, and I apologize if it’s inconvenient to delay.”

The message bubble appeared, showing that he was still typing. You waited patiently before responding, slightly anxious at what he could say.

“I would like to offer you the chance to enjoy our vacation with us; I can see how close you’ve become to all of us, and your work has been an incredible help on this tour. You’ve earned it. We can work out the post-tour details during this coming week, if you’re interested in joining. If not, I can have you flown out as scheduled in the email.”

You read the text twice to make sure you hadn’t imagined it, feeling giddy with the idea of a vacation with all of them. This was the highest honor Thorin could’ve handed to you; without saying it directly, he essentially implied you were a part of the family. You, with your tiny resume and lack of experience but considerable determination to do the job perfectly. You, who had orchestrated half of the social media strategies that had built their fanbase to the crazy numbers it was now. And in only four and a half months, at that!

You were so happy you could cry. The praise was everything you could ever hope for in a job as cool as this one. Who were you to deny this chance to extend your stay? It would be too bittersweet to say goodbye so soon, anyways. You couldn’t deny the pang of heartache every time you thought about it. After all, this had been your life for the last few months. What would you even do afterwards?

“That sounds incredible, I’d love to.” You responded.

“Thank you for the swift response. I’ll meet with you by the end of the week to discuss details. Please don’t tell the boys this news yet; I intend it as a surprise.”

You smiled and sent a thumbs up, setting your phone down and laptop aside now and sighing in contentment. You crawled out of the bed, imagining what a vacation in the Shire would look like in comparison to the busy tour life you knew now. You had never even been to the Shire before; how exciting!

You made your way to the front of the bus, heading for some water in the fridge as you tried to keep your balance in the shaky bus. A wave of déjà vu jogged your memory as you looked over to see the ever elusive insomniac Fíli, working on his phone just as you had seen him months ago, when you had first thrown that towel at him.

Oh, how things had changed.

You wondered if he was working on that song again. You wondered if it was the song they’d debut at their Shire concerts. And you couldn’t help but smile as you realized he hadn’t yet noticed you, too enamored in whatever was on his phone.

You tried to shake off the aching feeling in your gut as you approached him. You two had barely spoken while on the bus, save for the few cheeky winks he would send while you were all filming. But there was nary a text and barely any conversation.

And it worried you deeply.

You approached him, sitting right next to him as he finally noticed you, taking his earbuds out and swiping away from whatever had been on his phone screen. You knew better than to ask if it was his music; he was very private about it, always had been. So instead, you offered him the extra water bottle you had grabbed.

“It’s late,” you said, a soft smile on your lips as you tried to stop yourself from asking him what felt so wrong between you lately.

“I know,” he said, shifting his arm to envelop you with his body heat. “What brings you to my side of town, love?”

That damned pet name. The same one that made you melt inside every time he said it.

“I miss you,” you let out quietly, almost afraid to admit it. A whole two days had gone by and you both had barely talked, despite the forced proximity of the bus. You wouldn’t call yourself the clingy type, but the anxiety from that night of the hotel couldn’t help but take over your mind.

He shifted again, leaning forward to place a kiss atop your head. You melted into it like a cat, curling up into his side.

“I’m sorry, Y/N. I’ve had a lot on my mind.”

His voice was soft, with a touch of the distance you’d been feeling. It made your stomach turn.

Was it because you hadn’t told him about Threl’s attempts at courting? You knew better than to apologize for that again; there was no need to repeat it. Besides, you weren’t entirely the one to blame.

“If this is about Threl the other night–”

“It’s not about that,” he shook his head, taking your hand in his. He began drawing little circles into it, circles and squiggles and whatnot.

He sighed, and you stayed silent, waiting to see if he had anything to say. Perhaps on any other occasion, you’d be more upset at his silence. Perhaps even angry. But the shapes he traced eased some of the tension in your body, wearing down your fight or flight response.

Right now, you were just two people talking. Two people who cared about each other.

“I don’t blame you for not telling me,” he admitted. “I know I haven’t been the easiest to talk to about things like that.”

His voice was almost softer than your own, but you could still hear its deeper tone through the rain outside. You took his hand now, returning the drawn shapes as he spoke. It gave you something to distract yourself from your nerves.

“I’m sorry if all of this has ruined your relationship,” you said. “I never meant to get in between you two.”

He took his hand from yours, drawing your face in to face his, his fingers along your chin. 

“You did nothing of the sort, love. I mean it. Things have always been a little rocky between us when it comes to relationships.”

He placed a kiss on your forehead, and you wondered what else was going through his mind. His moustache scritched your forehead in a good way, and you wanted to curl into him like a cat asking for more pets.

You missed his touch.

“We’ve always gone to the same parties, liked the same girls, what have you. And it’s all fun and games to him. Usually it’s the same for me, but I can’t help but feel so jealous when it comes to you.”

He sighed, looking away from your gaze now, his hand dropping back to yours.

“It’s only been a few months, I know, but I can’t deny how strongly I feel about you. But I can see how my jealousy upsets you, and I want to work on it. Really, I do.”

You nodded with relief and rested your head back on his shoulder, hearing him admit something like that.

“You make it feel like I’m some sort of prize,” you confided. He seemed like he would be receptive to hearing it right now. “And I know you don’t think of it as a game between us, but that’s how it feels every time you hear him mentioned.”

Fíli stiffened at your words, but his hand continued drawing their circles. You could tell he was listening, taking in what you were saying.

“I told him I needed space between us,” you said. “But I think I still want to be his friend. I still really appreciate the connection both of us share, both as friends and as colleagues. I’m still fairly new at a job like this; it’s important to me to maintain the good relations I have within it. Networking really means a lot to me in this industry.”

The rain pittered and pattered on the windows of the bus, soft thuds to fill the silence of the occasionally rocky vehicle. Your water sat untouched next to you on the couch, but you didn’t care. You were just happy to get things off your chest, happy to feel his warm fingers on your skin, happy to be close to him.

“I understand if there’s boundaries you have because of his behavior. I’m here to listen and understand them, because I want to know you more, Fíli. But I can’t pretend it’s okay to not want me to have anything to do with him.”

He shifted again, and for a split second you were worried he would leave. But he only drew you in closer, lifting you into his lap as if you weighed nothing, keeping you close. You felt your cheeks flush, eyes looking up into his face that gave away nothing, like a shut door. You wanted desperately to open it right now. Or at the very least, leave it cracked.

He embraced you in his arms, his head disappearing into your shoulder, his breath soft against your neck. You placed a hand behind his head, keeping him close, encouraging the contact. It was clear there was much more on his mind than just this hiccup between you two, but you didn’t want to pry. 

Those three words came to mind again, just as they had before he had left your hotel room a few nights ago, but you didn’t dare to speak them. It was too soon to release them, to give them their full meaning. Hell, you didn’t know if it was just the heat of the moment.

He sighed into your shoulder, your chest growing warm from his air. Slowly, his head came back up, his face so close to yours that you had to fight the urge to kiss it. Now wasn’t the right moment, even with his blue eyes intensely staring at you, like deep pools of water that you wanted to dive into.

“Am I…” he began, unsure. “You are so much more than some game or prize. I’m so sorry I ever made you feel otherwise.”

Gently, you kissed him. “It’s okay, we’re here now.”

“Relationships have always been tricky for me. Real ones, that is. I want to be better for you. I want to be good enough to properly deserve you.”

You frowned, hurt to see this pained side of him. Is this what he thought of himself? Before, you had thought his jealousy was from possessiveness, a part of the hotshot persona he adorned. 

“Shhh,” you kissed him again, on his lips then his cheek. “The fact that we’re still here is proof enough. We just need to work through this together.”

“Is that it?”

Gods, you hadn’t seen this side of him before. Was this a glimpse of the tortured artist beneath the playboy facade? Or was this proof that you meant just as much to him as he meant to you? 

Again, those three words bubbled up inside of you, but you kept them held down. 

“Of course,” you nodded with another kiss. “We can figure it out. You with your control, me with my communication. And likewise, I’m sure.”

He let a weak chuckle at your words, his eyes looking away for just a moment before returning to you, a soft smile on his lips.

“From now on, the moment one of us has an issue, we tell each other. Even if it’s small or stupid. Nothing gets unsaid anymore. ‘Kay?”

He nodded, his deep blue eyes drawing you in as your arm wrapped around his neck, your other hand landing on the side of his face, rubbing small circles with your fingers.

“I’m sorr–”

You cut his apology off with another kiss. For now, you were tired of apologies between the both of you. It was time for action. And with Threl in the loop, the worst of it was behind you two. At least you hoped. Both of you still had to come clean to the rest of the band, especially Thorin, not to mention the fans (if you ever decided to go completely public). But in the silent quiet of the tour bus, there was just you and him. 

Together.

His lips met yours in a soft, tender kiss, moving slowly in a dance between the both of you. Your arms rested on his shoulders, pulling yourself to sit up against him. His hands found your hips, helping you up as if it was like breathing. You felt weightless in his arms, now knowing to always rely on a dwarf’s strength.

“Come to bed with me,” you breathed, eyes searching his as you said it. A hint of desperation laced your tone, almost begging to be close to him. Your skin craved his.

He let out a ragged breath, startled by your request. “Y/N, we shouldn–”

“Just sleeping,” you promised, holding him close. “They’re all asleep, nobody would notice. We can close our curtains so people think we’re both sleeping in. There’s nothing scheduled tomorrow, either; Ori’s the only one who might wake up early.”

You knew it was risky, you knew it was selfish. But you couldn’t take another night on this bus alone, knowing he was a mere five feet away. There was an incessant need to close the distance between you two, both emotionally and physically.

His jaw clenched as he made a decision while you held your breath for what felt like hours. You couldn’t be mad if he said no, especially when the privacy of your relationship was so important to him. You understood why; you both were so busy with work, and with it being over in a matter of weeks, you just needed to focus on this final stretch before you could properly enjoy each other.

But you couldn’t deny the feeling inside you that wanted him close to you, skin to skin, breath to breath, no matter the risk. The idea of being caught almost felt exciting in your slightly aroused mind.

He tapped your hips, bucking his head up in the direction of the hallway. “Lead the way, love.”

You couldn’t hide the smile that quickly crept onto your face; you felt giddy like a child. Quietly as possible, you removed yourself from the couch, grabbing your water bottle as you tiptoed through the bus, which was shaking less than before. Thank the gods.

Slowly, he followed behind you, making sure to close his personal bed’s curtain. To anyone else in the morning, it would look like he was still sleeping.

He met you in your bed at the back of the bus, drawing the heavy blackout curtain closed behind him. You were quick to pack away your phone and laptop, making room for him on the mattress. Considered the “master bedroom”, you were grateful to have the full-size all to yourself. And even more excited to share it.

He took off his sweatshirt and you fought the urge to stare at his shadowy figure in the dark. Turning away, you took off your own lounge sweater and pants, opting to sleep in just your tank top and underwear. You carefully removed your bra under the shirt, thankful for the cover of darkness preventing prying eyes.

By the time you turned around, Fíli was already tucked in, opening his arms for you to join him. You did so wordlessly, a grin on your face the whole time. Maybe it was the risk of getting caught, but it felt so exciting to finally spend a night together. 

It was hard to quiet the more dangerous thoughts in your mind as you snuck into the sheets, quick to close in on the dwarf and wrap your leg around him for comfort. His thigh felt so muscular against your own, his bare chest warm against your skin. You tried your best to ignore your running thoughts; you had only promised sleeping. Nothing more.

A small groan came from his throat at the contact, and he whispered a warning to you.

“I thought we were just sleeping?” You could hear the raised brow, even if it was hard to see.

“We are,” you rolled your eyes. “I’m just getting comfortable.”

It wasn’t a complete lie. You felt more than comfortable as you felt the heat roll off of him like your own personal heater. The bus’s air conditioning was quite strong in the back, and you were grateful to have a constant heat source at your disposal.

But you could feel how the heat rippled into your skin, setting your body aflame as you tried your best to close your eyes and sleep. This was no time for any tricks, you told yourself. 

Outside, the rain grew louder. It seems you were driving straight through the storm as the droplets felt bigger and fell harder. It seemed to aid in your request for privacy, lest any of the dwarves hear your whispers in the middle of the night.

“You smell nice,” he whispered, kissing the corner of your mouth.

A small giggle escaped you, and you returned the kiss. “So do you. This feels nice.”

“It’s been overdue,” he agreed, draping your arm across him. Then he pulled the sheets higher, so it was resting on both your shoulders. 

And for a while, you both lay like that, looking at each other in the dark bus bed and enjoying the warmth of each other’s company. His body was warm against yours, keeping you comfortable in the air conditioned space. 

“I needed this,” you admit softly, hoping he’s already asleep by now rather than listening to your secret. It would be the first time you’ve said anything close to how much he meant to you. 

You felt his throat vibrate as he hummed, nestling his forehead against yours. 

“Me too, love.”

Your eyes grew heavy as your whole body relaxed in his embrace. What time was it? Surely it was almost 4 or 5 AM by now. You likely wouldn’t get much rest until the morning, knowing Ori would be up in four hours at the earliest.

The warmth in your body had eased now, much less a fire stoked by desire and now the embers of utter relaxation. The bus hit a small bump, but even that couldn’t deter your sleepy state of consciousness. All you could hear was the rain and the constant hum of the bus’s engine, but all you could smell was him. 

Some sort of deep vanilla cologne, with natural musk and salt on his skin; it flooded your senses, wiring your brain to the point where all you could think about was him. You didn’t know where he ended and you began, all you knew was that like a switch, it had turned the fire up inside you again. You tried to ignore it, opting to pull away from his arms, but he kept you in place like a steady rock against the beach. It only worsened your condition, fueling a forest fire within you. The warmth and his smell was bringing out an almost animalistic side of you, one that craved friction desperately. 

You tried to fight the growing wetness in your underwear; the longer you ignored it, the more you could enjoy how perfect you felt in his arms, or how muscular his thighs felt under your leg, or how his shampoo smelled like spices. Your eyes were heavy, and it became harder and harder to keep them open. 

Craving his touch in your sleepy state of half-consciousness, you brought his lips to yours in a lazy, slow kiss. He returned it with equal laziness, sleep trying his own mind, as his hand came to your ass, rubbing those same little squiggles into your skin. His touch felt like static against your skin, a sort of low energy electric feeling that rippled across you. 

His lips were languid but firm against yours, lazily peppering your cheek with kisses as your hand loosely tangled itself in his hair. His eyes were barely open now, sleep almost taking him away.

A small whine left your lips as you pulled him closer with the back of your leg, weakly grinding against him as you tried to deepen the kiss. 

Like a light switch had gone off in your brain, you felt like an animal in heat against him. Just his smell alone was turning you on, and you couldn’t help but want more. Need more. Your body felt like it was on fire, and he was the only cure. 

He let out a groan, breaking away to whisper another warning. 

“Y/N, we need to sleep,” his voice was low, a dangerous warning, but it only turned you on more. “We can’t.”

“I know,” you breathed, kissing his neck now in an effort to calm yourself down from your insatiable appetite. “I’m sorry, you’re just so warm and you smell so good…”

You stilled your hips, slowly relaxing your leg’s vice grip on his as you steadied your breathing. Embarrassment flushed your cheeks as you came to your senses, realizing how much of a fool you had just made yourself. What were you thinking? Everyone was just a curtain away, for gods sakes!

Fíli’s face dipped into your shoulder, pressing a kiss to your collarbone before he breathed in your scent. His eyes were beginning to open now, though half-lidded, and temptation cut through him like a knife. Your boldness stoked a flame inside him, his boxers feeling tighter now as he grew hard just from the sound of your breathing. The idea that you were this mess all from his proximity, his scent, turned him on immensely.

There was just something about you that drove him insane.

He pressed himself deeper into you, too tempted by what you had started just moments before. You whined again at the pressure that felt so good, your voice breathy and quiet in the back of the tour bus; it barely mattered to you anymore that there were other people sleeping just beyond the curtain. And clearly it wasn’t bothering Fíli anymore, either.

Maybe you both could get away with it, right?

He felt too good to go back now, despite all the warning signs in his head going off. 

“Shhh, I need you to be quiet for me, love,” he whispered, finally caving in as he tucked some of your hair behind your ear, followed by a kiss. “Can you do that for me?”

You could feel your arousal staining your underwear, the fabric like a tight, thin barrier that helped add delicious friction every time you grinded against him. The cotton felt like it was barely there, your wetness soaking through onto his own boxers.

“Please,” you begged, a hand combing through his hair as you met his hips. His scalp was warm, and you felt his body heat rising against you. You could feel yourself twitching, desperately clenching around nothing; the only thing that could save you was the sick need to be filled. 

He buried his head in your neck, trying to stay strong against how warm you felt against him. Your whiny voice was breaking him little by little. It was surprising how much resolve he even had in the first place. He was painfully hard now, his boxers too constricting as he pressed them against your heat. 

It certainly wasn’t the first time he’d had sex on the tour bus, nor was it the first time he’d risk sex with other people in the room. But this occasion was by far his most adventurous attempt yet. Truthfully, if he wasn’t worried about the lack of privacy, he would’ve had his mouth on your cunt immediately, desperate to taste you.

But there was something about the sticky, sweaty mess you were creating under the sheets. His precum was soaking through his boxers, which were already damp from your own wetness, only adding to the mess you had become. A part of him wondered if you were getting off on the idea of being caught. Another wondered what you would taste like. He needed to know.

“Be quiet for me, please,” his voice was dark and so quiet as he kissed your neck again. “We don’t want the others to see how filthy you are for me, now do we?”

Gods, his voice was like velvet. If it was possible to ride his voice, you would. Like a damned bitch in heat, that was how needy you felt. You would do anything if it meant saving you from this absolute rutting mess you were feeling.

“Anything you want, Fìli,” you nodded eagerly, bringing a hand to your mouth in an effort to silence your moans. 

He in turn brought his teeth to your neck, gently biting down to hide his own sounds as the taste of your skin flooded him. His arm went down between your bodies as his hand traced the waistband of your underwear, his thumb swiping along the length of your slit through the drenched cotton. 

Fíli breathed against you, doing his best to hold back a moan at his discovery. He was usually much more composed when it came to these activities, but whatever warmth had started this for you had certainly been transferred to him. He felt like he was ablaze, thoughts hazy with sleep and desire as he played with you with an eye of curiosity, seeing just what made you twitch or breathe or shudder. 

His fingers pushed against your hole through the cloth, catching your clit as they slowly dragged up and then tortuously back down again. You were a new instrument in his hands that he was desperate to play, determined to master.

“Are you all worked up just for me?” He teased you with a tired grin you could feel against your cheek. “Is this what you wanted, ‘ibinê?”

Your breathing quickened, growing wetter just from his voice. There was something that absolutely ruined you when you heard him speaking in his native language, his tone harsher and accent sexier, if that was even possible. You were too lost to wonder what he was saying to you; your brain turned to mush every time his thumb swiped at your clit through the clinging fabric of your underwear. 

He kept his voice low, only daring to whisper such obscenities into your ear, lest anyone else could hear how miserable you sounded from your hushed panting. 

And how absolutely wrecked it was making him. 

The blond dwarf brought his free hand to remove yours at the sound of another whine, covering your mouth with his hand, his skin slightly salty from sweat and his fingers rougher against your lips. You breathed against them, needing him more than ever. 

“Shhh,” he reminded. “Let me play with you some more, since you toy with me so.”

His thumb soon stopped its trailing, his fingers pushing your underwear to the side as he teased your folds, coating his fingertips in your wetness as you tried your best to hold back your moans. 

You wanted to beg him to slip a finger inside, to fill you completely. Your half-lidded eyes opened and closed, both exhausted but desperately trying to fight it. Everything felt so overstimulating, from the sweat to the slick between your thighs to his hot hand over your mouth, but yet you needed more. 

You couldn’t even hear the sound of the rain anymore, too focused on how warm everything felt and how ragged your breathing was, breath hitching every time Fíli came within a breath of your clit. As much as you wanted to beg for more, tears pricking in your eyes from the stimulation, you bit back your words, trying your best to keep quiet as he kneaded you like putty in his hands. 

Trying to distract yourself from the sheer feeling of everything, you trailed your hand down between your desperate bodies, slipping into his boxers to palm his stiff cock. He shuddered at your touch, a moan leaving his lips that he had to silence against your shoulder as his hips bucked into your touch. You didn’t hesitate to wrap your fingers around his length, stroking up and down in tandem with his hips silently moving against you. 

Fíli was warm to the touch and heavy in your hand; clearly, he hadn’t been all talk in the past. He was certainly bigger than you had thought, and the idea alone was exhilarating. You worked your hand around him, pumping with the help of his thrusts, his precum making it easy to glide along his length; you couldn’t help but trace the feeling of a raised vein on its side. 

If only you could speak, if just to tell him how much you needed to feel him. All of him. 

He slipped two fingers into your wet cavern; you melted at the feeling of finally being filled. Your hips pushed even further onto his fingers, using him like your own personal toy.

His lips quickly found your neck, leaving more bites and hickeys along his route, and his grip tightened on the sides of your face. How you wished it was on your throat, but the squeeze and pressure turned you on all the same.

There was no getting through to you anymore, you were gone. All your thoughts were of him, and his heavy cock, and his talented fingers playing you, toying with you. Yet still, you needed more.

He pushed his fingers in accordance with your pace, soaking them up to his knuckles in your sticky wetness. If there weren’t anyone else around, he would have his tongue replacing his fingers in a heartbeat. He so desperately needed to taste you, like some ravenous starving wolf. It had been on his mind ever since the hot springs.

But it seemed you both would have to wait for that satisfaction. Now was certainly not the time or place.

Your hand kept up its strokes, while intermittently stopping at his tip to swirl your thumb upon the sensitive organ. His hips bucked into yours, and soon you were both reduced to humping, heavy breathing messes. Panting like dogs and doing your best to keep quiet the entire time. 

He silently prayed that the curtain and rain would disguise you enough. You could barely think of anything besides his fingers as they stretched your insides around them.

Fíli’s thumb searched for your clit, massaging your folds until he finally found his treasure, given away by your whine against his hand. You rolled your eyes back and breathed hard, feeling so tightly wound from all the attention on your clit. 

But you couldn’t cum just yet, you knew you couldn’t. Not when he was still humping your hand like a lazy animal, curling his fingers inside you all the while. 

He twitched in your hand every time your thumb met his tip, and you couldn’t help but commit that fact to memory as you worked to overstimulate his sensitive tip. He must have been close, as his hips stuttered and his breathing became more shallow. 

“Tighter, ‘ibinê,” he pleaded. “Just a little more.”

You let out a whine in his hand as his fingers scissored you open, stretching you as much as they could for what they were. Your throat was so dry but you couldn’t stop salivating, practically drooling at the thought of what his cock would feel like inside you. You needed, ached, to be filled to the brim. 

The familiar tightness of your release wound inside you, and your brain was a puddled mess, all thoughts drunk on him and his touch as he worked to have you come undone in his hand. But you refused to be so easy, working your hand quicker and tighter as requested to push him over the edge. 

Fíli’s fingers felt like fire inside you, your body feeling just as hot as it had in the hot springs, all blazing heat and carnal desire. His hand on your face shifted, moving to the back of your head just in time to crash your lips to his in a sloppy, lazy, wet kiss. It was all tongue and heavy breathing, and you thanked the gods for the thunderstorm outside that helped disguise it. 

“I’m so close, Y/N,” he broke away, his voice dangerously delicious in the quiet. His breath tickled your ear as he whispered sweet nothings, all in khuzdul that sounded so gravelly in his voice.

“Please Fíli,” you begged. “I need more, need you inside me so badly.”

If only you could see yourself now, reduced to a begging mess from nothing but cuddling. Perhaps you’d be embarrassed. Ashamed, even. 

He groaned into your shoulder, doing his best to muffle the sound as he twitched again in your palm. You were destroying him. It was taking everything in him to be responsible and keep this what it was, without any further escalation. You two had already risked this much; he couldn’t risk anyone in the band waking up and discovering you two, even if the thought made his cock twitch in excitement. 

He shook his head, kissing your chin, trying his best to hold firm with whatever resolve he had left. “Love, we can’t risk it tonight.”

You whined, pouting like a child as he swallowed it down in a kiss. His tongue consumed you, like he wanted to commit your taste to memory. His fingers continued their lazy but firm routine, his thumb now working overtime to send you over the edge. And despite your efforts, he could tell by the shift in your breathing and the clenching of your walls that you were so deliciously close. 

“Just let go,” he whispered. “Come undone for me, Y/N.”

The coil in your stomach wound even tighter as his attack on your clit worsened. His strategy was working, and you were too lost in your own drunken high to think about anything anymore. 

From the stimulation, your own hand was starting to stutter against his weeping cock, which you knew would soon be even wetter with his release. You tried your best to focus your ministrations on him, allowing his hips to help you in your mission, using his own juices as lubricant. 

With a pinch of his fingers on your bundle of nerves, you came undone, your leg spasming as the muscles contracted and came undone from the euphoria. You moaned into his mouth and he eagerly took it, consuming you as you came undone on his touch. He pressed his face into yours, continuing to pump his fingers inside you while trying his best to smother your noises. Your breathing was uneven; everything felt like a hot fog around you as you rode through your high, eventually breaking the kiss as you came down, eyes heavy with exhaustion. 

Fíli came soon after, his whole body shuddering into your hand, whose grip had loosened from the sheer feeling of your own orgasm. He whimpered into your mouth — something you weren’t expecting from the nonchalant bassist — and you took in every drop of it, kissing him again with less fervor as sleep was draping itself over both of you. 

He broke the kiss, hungrily biting at your neck and collarbone as his hips continued their pace into your hand, wearing through his whole high until his cock was done leaking into his boxers. 

Fuck, he would definitely need a shower in the morning. 

Your breathing was finally starting to even, your hand now drawing the familiar little circles into the side of his cock as he came into your palm. Your eyes met his as he removed his fingers from you, the feeling of emptiness taking over as you watched his fingers delve into his mouth.

Gods, he was tasting you.

You watched his eyes close as he licked his fingers clean, savoring the taste of you on his skin. He couldn’t wait for a day to come where he’d be able to dine on the entire dessert, rather than a taste. But for now, this was decadent. 

Slowly, you removed your own hand from his boxers, bringing it up to your waiting tongue as you lapped at his cum. A little salty with a clean aftertaste that told you he stayed hydrated on tour. 

Those deep ocean eyes drank in the sight before him, his cock already twitching again as he watched you taste him. He hummed in satisfaction, removing his fingers to bring you closer for another kiss, letting his tongue explore yours and allow you flavors to combine. It was absolutely erotic, a dance between you two as thunder sounded outside. 

You would have to find some time on vacation to explore this more, you thought in your delirious daze. Hopefully without others around next time, even if the risk excited you a little. 

You broke away from the kiss, eyes heavier than before with sleep as you stared into his, your breaths mingling under the sheets. 

“Now we can sleep,” you sighed, half joking and half exhausted from your earlier orgasm. “I promise.”

He chuckled, planting a kiss on your cheek. “Let me clean up first, love.”

He shifted away from you, much to your dismay as the cool air crept its way onto your skin, to grab a towel hanging on the other end of your bed. Discarded from your shower earlier, he took the towel and his water bottle, wetting it so as to have a clean rag for the both of you. 

Gently, he brought it to your hand and then your thighs before using it on himself to clean up. You shivered as the cold towel met your legs, though you were grateful to feel a little cleaner. 

He returned to you once he was done, peppering your face with more kisses, the smile felt through his moustache. 

“You’re so beautiful when you come,” he whispered, still giddy from the high of his own release. 

You blushed at his words, lazily draping yourself across him now, actually intending on cuddling before falling asleep. He wrapped you in his arms, holding you snug against him as his breaths matched your own lulling slow ones. 

“Mm, you sound so pretty,” you replied, placing a kiss on his chest. “I want to hear more next time.”

You were too tired to notice how his heartbeat stuttered at the mention of your future. Gods, you were becoming his undoing.

“Maybe next time won’t be on the bus, love,” he chuckled, bringing you closer as he finally closed his eyes. 

And at the early hours of the morning, you two finally fell asleep in each other's arms, while a storm brewed on the highway journey.

taglist. @loopyloo2610 @shiinata-library @arthursdodobird @burglarbilbo

A week had passed since that embarrassing night of the party and you were doing your absolute best to remain professional. You worked alongside Threl during each concert, him on stage while you worked in the green room. Thanks to you, the band members managed to make it to their media interviews on time; you went so far as to help organize the scheduling of them in between shows. You had even managed to help promote a giveaway for the fans at Thorin’s decree. 

All while avoiding Fíli as much as possible, of course.

Threl had been first to notice this shift in your behavior. He had picked up on it the very next morning following the party. 

There he was at your hotel room door, bright eyed despite the long night he had enjoyed and armed with a bag of pastries. It was only ten in the morning, but your miserable expression when you answered the door was all he needed to see to tip him off.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he laughed, walking past you to crash onto your couch. Just like Fíli had mere hours before. You tried to forget it even happened.

“I hope I didn’t interrupt your beauty sleep,” he grinned.

You groaned. “As if that would help how I look.”

You shut the door, now walking to your mirror to inspect the damage. Your pajamas were disheveled from a rough night’s sleep and your hair was a mess. It seemed you hadn’t removed all of last night’s makeup, either; smudged mascara marred your undereyes.

“Oh, don’t be too hard on yourself,” he chided. “Not all of us can recover as well as me.”

“I don’t know how you do it,” you said, crashing back down onto your bed. “I just don’t have the partying energy I used to have.”

“The trick is making sure you drink a bunch of water before you go to bed,” he said. “That, of course, and sleeping with a face mask on.”

“I’ll have to take your word for it.” Your voice was dry and a tad bit hoarse. “So, what’s in the bag?”

“Some treats from the lobby,” he opened the bag to show you, and the smell of fresh baked goods filled the room. “Balin ordered them fresh this morning. Here, have one.”

He handed you a danish, which you took with a sluggish speed.

“Thanks,” you said before biting into it. It was absolutely delicious.

Too bad you were too exhausted to show it.

“So? What did you think of your first dwarven party?” He asked before taking a bite of his own pastry. A strawberry bear claw, by the looks of it. “Unless this isn’t the first?”

“It was definitely the first,” you nodded, confirming. You set the pastry aside, reaching for some water to help your raspy throat. “Though I’m sure it won’t be the last, based on how hard you guys like to party.”

“Oh, absolutely not,” Threl laughed. “If Balin gets his way, I’m sure there will be at least three more. There’s definitely a going-away party in the works, from what I heard.”

“And what did you hear?”

“Not much, but when I saw Balin and Dwalin last night, they were already talking about how much another party would cost in the ballroom.”

“He must love to plan, that Balin.”

“It seems the older the gets, the wilder he becomes.”

You chuckled at that last part, imagining a younger, more mild-mannered Balin. For some reason, it made sense despite all your previous knowledge.

“Speaking of the party, where did you disappear to last night?” Threl raised a brow, a roguish smirk on his face. “I didn’t even realize you had left at first.”

Your expression faltered, caught off guard as last night’s memories flashed through your mind. Did he know? Had Fíli told him? You wondered if you should be truthful. But maybe lying was better for your reputation.

“I needed some fresh air, I drank too much,” you shrugged, biting back into your baked pastry. You hoped that answer was enough for now.

But for Threl, it seemed that it wasn’t.

“Is that why you were off when you came back?”

“What do you mean?” You feigned innocence.

It wasn’t an issue that he was asking; out of all your coworkers, you were glad it was Threl and not Thorin. But that didn’t make you any less anxious about it.

“You just seemed… off. I don’t know how else to describe it.” Threl shrugged, finishing his breakfast. “I thought it was something to do with work.”

“Something like that,” you muttered to yourself, but Threl caught it.

“What did you say?”

“Hm? Nothing,” you lied, feeling uncomfortable.

The truth was that you kind of wanted to tell him. Out of anyone you had met in this job, despite how short you had known him, Threl was the easiest to talk to by a long shot. Maybe it’s because he actually understood your job, or maybe it was simply his charm. But despite the fact that you had known him for only a day, something about him made you always feel so at ease around him. Relaxed in a way that you hadn’t fully reached with the other band members.

But that wasn’t true either. You felt that way with Fíli, at least sometimes.

You shook your head, finishing your food as you tried to forget yet again. Threl’s face had now turned into a frown, scanning you with worry and concern.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” he began reassuredly. “But if something’s going on or you need anything, I’m here for you.”

You frowned, running a hand down your face as embarrassment set in. “Promise not to tell anyone else?”

“I promise. Unless you killed someone, of course, and then it’s my legal duty as a concerned citizen to report something like that.”

You rolled your eyes at his joke, but the humor never fully reached your lips.

“I may or may not have come onto Fíli last night during the party.” You finally admitted it out loud. It felt… embarrassing, still. But your chest felt a little lighter from saying it.

“Hypothetically, of course,” Threl quipped. Finally, you smiled.

“And hypothetically,” you added with a hint of contempt. “He wasn’t interested.”

“Yikes,” he winced. “So that’s why you were upset last night?”

“More or less,” you nodded.

“I see. That would explain why he seemed a bit grizzly, too.”

“Like he has room to talk,” you scoffed, rolling your eyes.

“Oh?” Threl raised a brow, leaning in closer from his seat on the couch. “If you need to talk shit, then by all means, let it out.”

You frowned. “I couldn’t; he’s your friend, isn’t he?”

“True,” he nodded. “But I also know how he is with the ladies. Trust me, I’ve heard plenty of horror tales about him.”

You would’ve laughed at that if your mood wasn’t so sour.

“He just…” You trailed off, unsure of what to say. Where should you start? What could you admit?

“I guess I thought there was a moment happening between us, but obviously I must have been wrong.”

Even as the words left your lips, you didn’t fully believe them. You could still recall his lingering touches, his hands on your hips, his breath on your lips. You weren’t an expert on body language, but you had been around the block enough to know that he was going to kiss you. At least until he changed his mind.

“I’m sorry, Y/N.” Threl frowned.

“Yeah, maybe I just had too much to drink.” Again, you didn’t believe what you were saying. But it was better than sitting in silence.

“Do you want to keep talking about it?”

“Not really,” you scoffed.

“Yeah, that’s fair.” Threl stood up, throwing away the empty pastry bag. “Well if it’s any consolation, I think you’re gorgeous, smart and crazy talented. He’s missing out.”

You chuckled softly. “Thanks.”

“Of course,” he grinned. “Don’t let him get to you. Not when we got to clean you up and get ready for the day.”

“I look like a mess,” you groaned, laying back into the bed. 

“A hot mess! But yes, you really need to go fix your hair.” 

A few days later, after you had finally begun to simmer down from your initial wounded pride, you figured it was time to talk it out. Face to face. You couldn’t keep avoiding him for the rest of the tour. Besides, it was an impossible task to even try and avoid him; your jobs intersected too much. 

In your defense, avoiding the bassist hadn’t been your first idea. Surely, the right thing to do would have been to talk it out, or at least apologize for coming onto the dwarf. While drunk. Alone in your hotel room. 

You had tried working up the courage to talk to him, going so far as to linger outside his hotel room door a few days ago. But you didn’t have the heart to knock. It was partially because you felt like a creep for lingering outside. But the truth was that your pride wouldn’t let you apologize; it was still wounded from his rejection.

And that was another problem entirely. Why did it even bother you? Why did you care that he had rejected you all those nights ago? And why did you come onto him in the first place? You didn’t think you liked him in any way other than a friend and coworker. You tried your best to convince yourself that it was still your thought process now. But a part of you wondered if your previous drunk actions – no matter how embarassing – had any hint of truth in them.

He was very attractive; even you couldn’t deny it. You had thought so when you first met him, at least until he opened his mouth to speak. That’s when the boundary became clear that he wasn’t someone you would be interested in. He was too cocky for your tastes.

But now? It felt like too many cards were on the table for a game you didn’t know you were playing. Every time you saw him, you felt your heart jump into your throat. Your breathing would quicken and you couldn’t keep your eyes focused on him for too long. Naturally, you blamed it on embarrassment or anxiety. Turning his advances down had been easy. You were doing it for the sake of your job. So why were you so upset that he had done the same?

But even with all the swirling questions in your head, it was clear to you that you weren’t the only one playing the avoidance approach. Fíli rarely hung out in the group anymore if you were present. He tried to avoid the green room during concerts because he knew you were in there. Your conversations – if you had any – were short, to the point, and only about business. It wasn’t at all like old times.

Perhaps it was because of the workplace relationship you had clearly strived to maintain. With your past history, you didn’t know why else he would reject you. Though in truth, the real reason you suspected was too upsetting to think about.

Maybe all of his flirting was because you were just another pretty face. Maybe he just didn’t like you that much. Not in that way, at least.

You figured it was far more likely that this was the case. He was a known flirt who had a preference for pretty groupies. Of course he wouldn’t want his social media manager who was always an arm’s length away. There was no chase or thrill in that.

And in the span of the last week, while you had been trying to avoid him, it seemed he had been doing the exact same.

And, unbeknownst to both of you, it was driving the rest of the band insane.

So now you were here, standing in front of door 307, working up the courage to knock on Fíli’s door. Thankfully, Balin had provided all of you with your own private rooms this time, so you knew nobody else would answer the door. What’s the worst that could happen?

Your plan was to play it off as drunken stupor. There was no need to mention the fact that you found him increasingly attractive, or the fact that you couldn’t help yourself from remembering his touch every night since then. It was haunting you and it was haunting your conscience. 

So here you were, preparing to apologize for your behavior. Attraction or not, you cared too much about your job to let something like this get blown out of proportion. 

It felt like the pool incident all over again, except now you were on the other end. You didn’t care for it at all. 

You raised your hand to knock, taking a deep breath to mentally prepare yourself, when suddenly you could hear Gimli’s loud grunting from the next room over. Room 305. You faltered, now wondering if they would be able to overhear your conversation. You weren’t keen on the band knowing; you were lucky enough that you could trust Fíli not to tell your boss. But the band? They loved to talk. 

It’s what they were doing right now, as Gimli’s voice was too loud to be contained by drywall and heavy hotel doors. 

“I’m telling you, there is something going on,” he grumbled, and you could already imagine the frown on his face. 

“And I’m telling you, he’s told me nothing,” Kíli’s voice rang. You hadn’t realized that Gimli had company. 

“Not to me, either,” Ori chimed in. 

Was the entire band next door? What rotten luck you seemed to have. You’d have to wait for another night to talk to Fíli; there was no way you wanted to risk them all overhearing. The thought alone was humiliating enough.

And yet, you couldn’t bring yourself to walk away. You crept closer to door 306, hoping to hear more of their conversation. 

“Well it's getting on my nerves,” Gimli spoke. “Fíli can’t even look at Y/N without making some excuse to be somewhere else. As if we don’t have work to be done!”

“I was worried he was going to miss sound check,” Ori admitted. 

“Guys, come on. He’s not that irresponsible.” Kíli defended his brother. “He knows how important the tour is, just as much as we do. But I agree, something must have happened between them.”

“Maybe they hit him again.” Gimli scoffed. 

You frowned. You didn’t know that they knew about that. But then again, you weren’t supposed to know about their current conversation. It felt wrong. It was wrong; you knew you shouldn’t be eavesdropping. But despite all this, you couldn’t bring yourself to walk away. Not yet. 

“That’s rude, don’t say that,” Ori said. “Everything was perfectly fine before the party. But I barely saw Y/N or Fíli during then.”

“I saw Y/N plenty,” Kíli said. “Fíli, not so much. But there was that moment when Y/N was gone… maybe something happened during the party?”

“I saw them leave together when Y/N spilled water all over him.” Gimli said. “He left for a smoke only to have the fire put out for him.”

Your brow furrowed. You didn’t even realise Gimli had been there, much less seen that embarrassing moment. You had been entirely too focused on Fíli to have paid attention to any of your surroundings that night. 

“Do you think it was that, then?” Ori asked. 

“I doubt it,” Kíli answered. “A little splash at a party is hardly enough to call for his behavior.”

“Maybe something happened after.” Ori sighed. “Should we just ask him?” 

“I think you're right.” Kíli groaned. “I tried asking him the other day, and he was going say something before he brushed it off as nothing—”

“The hell it is,” Gimli grumbled. “If this keeps up, they’ll both have to answer to me.”

“Oh, don’t do that,” Ori pleaded. “Just give it time, maybe it’ll fizzle out?”

You stepped away from the door now, unwilling to hear any more. You had already heard too much. Most of which was nothing more than you already knew; Fíli, as suspected, was avoiding you. 

You had already noticed, surely. You weren’t stupid; it was easy to tell when he couldn’t return your gaze. Even your conversations weren’t the same anymore. He was curt and standoffish and sometimes it came off the least bit nervous. He was doing the same exact maneuvers that you were doing. 

Why? You weren’t sure. For you, it was out of embarrassment. For him, perhaps it was the same. Or perhaps it was worse. Maybe he was so repulsed by your actions that night that he couldn’t even fathom being around you anymore.

You rubbed your temples, annoyed and embarrassed. You were clearly overthinking again. It was just the guilt and embarrassment taking over your mind, nothing more.

You retreated back to your room two floors above, hoping to drown yourself in some more work. There were posts you needed to work on, now that more shows were selling out. The tour was almost over; after Moria, it was straight to the Shire for the last three shows of the tour. Ticket sales were through the roof since their shows in Gondor, according to Thorin. Normally, you’d be just as excited as he, thrilled to hear of the band’s success.

But in your current situation, it served only as a reminder of how quickly time was passing.

Now, with a week left in Moria, you were the busiest you had been since the entire tour. Back to back shows coupled with interviews ran you ragged, and on top of that you still had to find time to edit and update all the media accounts you were in charge of. Honestly, it was a miracle your head was still on your shoulders! The only thing that kept you driven was seeing the analytics after every post; the band’s following was growing like crazy. It was almost as if Moria had cast a spell on the entire operation. Ticket sales skyrocketed, merchandise was quickly selling out, and more and more people were spreading the word on just how fantastic a Durin’s Doom performance was.

The fans had become more wild in turn; with every sold out show, it seemed more and more people realized that Balin’s hotel was where everyone was staying. News spread like wildfire, and every night there would be a hoard of fans at the door, hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite metal band. Balin had hired a stronger security detail for the place, hoping to keep eager fans from coming in and disrupting the peace. 

Luckily, you hadn’t had to deal with any of the craziness from fans so far. Situations like this made you realize how grateful you were being in the backdrop compared to center stage like the boys. Durin’s Doom was certainly the most famous client you had worked for, and the craziness of their groupies was enough to remind you every day of that fact.

You had just gotten back to your room after another night of working through the concert. It was midnight by now and all you wanted was to take a nice bath and go to sleep. The three energy drinks you had taken in hopes of keeping you productive had now taken a toll on your body. Your eyes felt heavy, your body felt fatigued. 

You needed sleep desperately.

It was because of this that Threl didn’t join you in your room tonight. The two of you had been inseparable the last few nights, working until two or three in the morning on footage and keeping each other awake by gossipping and chatting. He was beginning to feel like a dear friend to you; dependable, kind and passionate. But tonight, you needed some alone time.

More so because you felt like a decrepit zombie.

You turned the faucet on in your bathroom, letting the tub fill with scorching hot water. A little bit of body wash helped the filling tub bubble up, the floral smell of your soap filling the air. You took in a deep breath, already starting to feel the tension slowly leave your shoulders and your mind. Maybe next time, you’d add rose petals to it as a treat for yourself.

The faucet squeaked as you turned it on to fill the bath with scorching water. You added a  splash of body wash and watched the tub begin to bubble up, the floral scent of your soap filled the air; you already knew it would leave your skin feeling heavenly. 

Three knocks at your door were enough to startle you out of your bathtime planning and have the tension return to your face. You were tired, it was late, and all you wanted was a bath. Who could possibly be interrupting at this time?

You turned the faucet off, not wanting to risk the tub overflowing as you left the bathroom and opened your front door. You hadn’t even looked through the peephole, too tired to bother.

Kíli stood there, a nervous expression on his face as he held his phone in his hands. Your attitude immediately shifted to concern upon the sight of him.

“Hey, is everything alright?” You asked, shifting the door open more to allow him entry into your room.

Kíli immediately walked in, opening his phone to show you a screenshot of some article about the band. Your eyes scanned the text, immediately stopping when you recognized the photo featured in the article. 

There you were, blurry and drunk, dragging a sopping wet Fíli by the hand in the hotel lobby. Based on the angle, the picture must have been taken by someone near the front desk. The headline above the photo seemed to taunt you as it read ‘Has Fíli found his next Iron Maiden?’.

Your eyes widened, all stress returning to your body as anxiety riddled through your veins. “Does Thorin know about this?”

“No,” Kíli shook his head. “He’s dead asleep, and I wouldn’t dare be the one to wake him up with this. I haven’t even told my brother, not that I can find him anyways. Ori and I found it while scrolling an hour ago.”

You walked over to your bed to take a seat, staring out at the floor. At least your face couldn’t be recognized; you weren’t exactly keen on the idea of fans trying to stalk you out of jealousy. Kíli joined you on the bed, offering a reassuring hand on your shoulder.

“It’s nothing crazy, we deal with this all the time,” he tried to calmly explain. But his nervous energy was infectious. “And Fíli has had more dating scandals than all of us, too. It’s nothing we don’t know how to handle.”

His words did little to sway you.

“What’s going to happen?” You asked him, staring into his deep brown eyes as you felt yourself overthinking again. 

You were trying your best to stay calm with this information, but the anxiety was already bubbling up inside you. What would Thorin say? What would Thorin think? What could you even say as an excuse? Sorry for the tabloids catching a suspicious photo of your nephew and me, I was just trying to put some moves on! 

“Once Uncle sees it, he’ll probably treat it like all the other rumors he’s handled,” he said, interrupting your spiral. “But it always starts with a discussion. Usually it’s just with my brother, but it’s likely he’ll talk to you about it, too.”

You sighed, rubbing your temples as you felt a migraine coming on. You were already so busy, and now you’d have to work through this? It felt like a cruel joke being played on you.

“And how do those go?” You asked in desperation.

“With you? I’m sure it’ll be fine. Uncle likes you very much.” Kíli gave a soft smile. “My brother on the other hand? He’ll probably get chewed out again, like he always does. Sometimes we release a statement about it, but lately Uncle lets them fizzle out on their own. I just thought you should be aware so it wouldn’t catch you off guard.”

You couldn’t help the small smile that crept on your face as you heard that. Surely, that sounded easy enough. And you were hard to identify in the photo, too. Unless someone recognized your outfit, there was no way for anyone to know it was you. But the smile quickly fell at the thought of Thorin bringing the article to your attention.

“I’m glad you showed me before Thorin or Fíli did,” you said, though you doubted Fíli ever would. Not at the rate things were going between you two, at least.

“I figured it was better to tell you before my Uncle did,” Kíli nodded, but you could tell there was more he wasn’t saying.

“Was that all?” You asked, giving him the opportunity. Though, truth be told, you were worried it would be more upsetting news.

He put his phone away, now sighing as he looked at you with apologetic eyes. “I truly don’t mean to pry… but what exactly happened between you and my brother?”

You stiffened, caught by a question you knew was coming all along. He saw your reaction, taking it in with a frown as he looked away at the floor.

“Fíli won’t tell me anything,” he admitted. “And normally, I don’t care all that much. But he’s never usually like this when hookups go awry–”

“We did not hook up,” you cut in rather harshly.

His frown disappeared, looking at you again. Now he seemed confused, and it was only beginning to annoy you. “You didn’t?”

“We had… we had a disagreement.” You sighed, hoping your vague answer was enough to satisfy the young guitarist.

It wasn’t. “So you won’t tell me either?”

You refused to answer, looking away for the sake of your pride. He stood up now, putting his phone in his pocket and running a hand through his hair. 

“It’s your business, anyway,” he said. “I’m going to bed. It’s late.”

He headed to the door, and you felt guilt stab in your chest as you watched him reach for the door.

“Thanks for the heads up, Kíli,” you called after him, feeling bad that you hadn’t told him the entire story. But he was right; it wasn’t his business. And you couldn’t risk him telling the others.

“Of course,” he answered. “Good luck with Thorin.”

And as quietly as he had shown up, he was gone and into the hotel hallway.

You leaned back onto your bed with a sigh, your mind muddled and body tense with the previous interaction. Begrudgingly, you checked your phone, seeing if there were any other tabloids running with the rumor. To your chagrin, there were.

Has Durin’s Foursome gained another? Bassist Fíli, son of Dís, was spotted running off from the band’s opening night rager with a crimson vixen!

Look out, Durin’s Army! More of these hotties seem to be taken now, including their very own bassist!

Has Fíli found his next Iron Maiden? Check out these exclusive photos we caught of Fíli and his newest conquest!

You wanted to throw up. Your headache only grew worse with the revelation, as you scanned each article’s supposed ‘exclusive’ photos they had captured of you two. Your only saving grace was that your face was obscured in each and every one, but it did nothing to quell your embarrassment or anxiety. 

You threw your phone onto the bed, hurriedly going into the bathroom, taking a pain pill and stripping as you forced yourself to sit in your warm bath. The water was still warm, and you knew in your heart that you needed to take care of yourself, especially after tonight.

You laid back in the tub, bubbles fizzing around your naked body as you leaned your head back and closed your eyes. Whether by the grace of the gods or sheer will alone, you were determined to have a relaxing bath if nothing else. You drew in a breath, focusing on releasing the tension you were holding in your body. Your shoulders and hips melted into the water, which did plenty in helping you feel less tense from your day.

You tried your best to let the rest of your body follow, hoping the medicine would soothe your headache, but only time would tell. You sighed, feeling the exhaustion in your eyes weighing heavier in the floral steam of your bubble bath. You still couldn’t keep your mind off of the tabloids, off of the incredibly suggestive titles and their even more crude passages.

A vixen? Was that what you were? Some story, some rumor for them to chase after? You knew you weren’t, but the doubt and insecurity still gnawed at you. It pissed you off to see yourself in that light. You wondered if the rumors had the same effect on Fíli. But then again, he seemed like the type to thrive with these kinds of publications.

Again, your mind drifted to thoughts of him. The anger slowly ebbed into a deep saddening guilt that you hadn’t yet overcome. It was time to come clean and admit to yourself that you liked him. At least enough to encourage your behavior at the party. He didn’t feel the same; it was clear. But now with these rumors, all you wanted to do was apologize and put it behind you; pride be damned. Anger was one hell of a motivator.

You sank deeper into the tub, the water now up to your neck as the bubbles brought a fresh smell to your nose. Lilac and cucumber, the scent of your body wash, filled your senses as you felt the warmth consume your body. Your eyes welled up with tears and your warm, wet hands reached up to rub your eyes.

Here, at the height of your career, where you were arguably the most successful you had ever been, you couldn’t help but feel so small. So insecure. So inadequate. And so angry. At yourself, at the tabloids, and even at Fíli.

Finally, you let the tears fall. You figured if you were this pent up, then your body needed the release. It was the least you could do to be kind to yourself. And so you let yourself cry. Eventually, crying turned to sobbing quietly in the warm lighting of your hotel bathroom. 

You were so overwhelmed. So tired and so stressed. And the last thing you needed was some stupid scandal to deal with. You would feel better in the morning, or you tried to think so. A good cry felt like what you needed. And a good night’s rest would hopefully be enough to clear your mind the next morning.

Two knocks sounded at your door now, startling you from your melancholic reverie as the sudden movement made the bubbly water stir. You wiped the tears from your eyes with a nearby towel, climbing out of the tub covered in warm bubbles.

“One second,” you called, trying to make yourself presentable as you wrapped yourself in the largest towel you could find. You hadn’t brought in any clothes, since your suitcase was just in the other room.

Tracking water everywhere, you hurriedly walked to the door, worried that Thorin had somehow awoken and discovered the spreading rumor like Kíli had said. You cracked open the door, hoping your puffy face didn’t give away that you had been crying. But your eyes widened upon seeing a dwarf that you never would have expected.

Fíli’s hardened, stony expression quickly melted away into concern as he looked at your face.

“Y/N, is everything alright?” He quickly asked. His eyes took you in, quickly taking notice of your apparel – or lack thereof – before swiftly averting his gaze, turning his body slightly away from you.

“Sorry, I didn’t realize–”

“I was in the bath–” You tried to explain.

“Is this a bad time?”

You looked down at the ground, biting your cheek. This was the chance you needed to talk to him. Would it be unfair to send him away after all the stress that had happened tonight?

“Give me a few minutes to get dressed,” you spoke quietly. “I still need to rinse off.”

“Right, of course,” he nodded, his tone matching your soft one.

You shut the door as another wave of exhaustion hit you. Between the stress and the crying, you felt utterly spent. Sluggishly, you returned to the bathroom, pulling the drain from the tub and grabbing a warm washcloth to help you wipe the remaining suds off of your body. You then crept back to your bed, grabbing the same pajamas from the previous nights and changing into them.

You walked back to the door, opening it again before wiping your face once more as you faced the dwarf with more suitable clothes and dryer skin.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to–” You began, but he cut you off.

“No, I’m sorry for intruding, I should’ve known. It’s late–”

“Would you like to come in?” You found yourself asking, much to both yours and his surprise.

He faced you again, and now you were able to see that he was wearing the same pajamas you had first seen him in all those nights ago. Back when he was just returning a towel. Those seemed to feel like simpler times compared to now.

He answered you silently with a nod, walking past you and standing awkwardly at the foot of your bed while you shut the door behind him. You walked into your room, facing him as you sat on your couch behind him; you worried that sitting on your bed would only cause you to fall asleep. 

He watched you carefully with a worried gaze as you sat down; you figured you must have noticed you had been crying. It wasn’t hard to tell, what with your puffy eyes and sniffling nose. You looked up at him from the couch, your hands perched awkwardly on your knees. 

“I take it you’ve seen the news?” You asked with a frown. 

His expression faltered as confusion took over. “I came to talk— wait, what news?”

“I thought Kíli would’ve told you,” you said. “Someone took photos of us during the party and now all of Middle Earth thinks that we hooked up.”

The angry feeling from earlier was starting to bubble up again, your brows furrowing as you wiped any remaining wetness from your eyes.

“How did they—“ He couldn’t believe the news. A scowl crossed his face, but he quickly fixed it as he took a step closer to you. “Is that why you’ve been crying?”

“Among other things,” you laughed, but the tears threatened to come back. “I’m just glad none of the photos are clear enough to tell it’s me.”

A frown tugged at his concerned expression, and he crouched closer to be eye level with you now. “Y/N, I’m so sorry about that. Is there anything I can do to help?”

You looked away from his gaze, shaking your head and sighing. “I’m just… I’m so overwhelmed right now, and this was the last thing I needed.”

You tucked some hair out of your face, now realizing how close you two were. If you weren’t so angry, so upset, you might’ve been flustered.

“So what did you come over for?” You tried to change the subject, appearing as nonchalant as you could muster. But you knew you weren’t fooling anyone, especially not Fíli.

You looked into his eyes, his gorgeous crystal eyes, tears forming as you tried your best not to let them fall. Not in front of him.

“I came here to talk about the other night,” he frowned. “I wasn’t trying to come off as–”

You immediately cut him off, the dam flooding as you rambled everything together.

“I’m so sorry, Fíli. It was so stupid and I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable at all. I was drunk–”

“Y/N, wait–” He tried to interject.

“No, I feel awful about it,” you frowned, a scowl on your face.“I was drunk and I thought there was something happening and I got carried away, but I never meant to misread the moment or make you uncomfortable. That’s the last thing I wanted to do. I mean, it finally felt like we were becoming friends–”

The anger and frustration was reducing you to a crying, whining mess. You hated yourself for it, for crying so hard in front of him as if you were the victim. You were still so mad at the situation. Mad at him for rejecting you. Mad at yourself for being so bothered by it. But somehow, it wasn’t enough to deter him.

“Y/N, we are friends,” he cut you off, now kneeling before you as he tucked a stray hair from your face, his hands resting on your arms.

“But are we?” You couldn’t stop the tears of frustration as they fell. “This keeps happening between us, and I feel like it’s just making things more confusing. You say we’re friends, but I barely know anything about you outside of work and the band. And I know it’s the same for you with me. Not that we even have time half the time, because we’re both so busy, but it’s just–”

“Just what?” He interrupted, his gaze piercing into you, his velvety voice soft in the quiet of your room.

“I just don’t know what we are anymore,” you spoke plainly, sniffling again. You looked away, taking a deep breath in the hopes it would still your mind.

A gentle touch to the side of your face guided you back to his. He let his fingers linger there, just looking at you for a moment as he found the words to say.

“What do you want us to be?” He asked gingerly, doing his best to hide whatever he was thinking.

“I don’t know,”  you answered with a dry laugh. “The whole internet thinks we’re hooking up, apparently.”

“The internet doesn’t know shit,” he said. “But we do.”

“Do we?” You scoffed, trying to look away again but his hand kept you still.

“Y/N,” he sighed, looking down for a moment before meeting your eyes again. “I didn’t mean to upset you the other night. I know you’re embarrassed about it, but I promise it isn’t like that.”

“Then what is it?”

“I know how much this job means to you. And the boys and I love having you here, working with us. I didn’t let you kiss me because you were drunk, and I didn’t want you to risk making a decision you didn’t actually want for yourself.”

You were silent, taking in his words with pursed lips and a furrowed brow. He was being sincere, you could tell. It was just like when he had apologized for hitting on you.

“I was just trying to be respectful of you,” he continued, his hand finally dropping to rest on yours. “But then when you were ignoring me and you stopped talking to me, I was frustrated. It pissed me off, I’ll be honest. I didn’t know what else to do but be petty, I guess.”

“I was going to come apologize,” you admitted sheepishly, your voice hushed.

“You were?” His eyes seemed to glint in the low lighting.

“I wanted to, I’ve been wanting to.” You nodded, the tears beginning to dry up. “But the other night, I heard everyone was next door in Gimli’s room and I didn’t want them to overhear. I was too embarrassed.”

“I see,” he nodded in acknowledgment, looking away for a moment. “Well, we’re talking about it now.”

“Indeed we are,” you said, biting the inside of your cheek. The bitterness was beginning to melt away, leaving you a tired and overwhelmed husk. “So much for acting like adults, huh?”

He chuckled, looking back at you. “Yeah, we’re both a bit shitty, aren’t we?”

You laughed through your nose, the frown on your face finally shifting into a soft, unsuspecting smile. “And they say that chivalry is dead.”

“What do you mean?”

“This whole time, I just thought you weren’t into me,” you shrugged. “I just figured I wasn’t your type.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he laughed. “You’re perfect, Y/N.”

You felt your cheeks warm at his words, the warmth in his hands making your skin tingle at the contact. The air held no tension like it had on previous nights with Fíli, it was still and quiet. It was a much nicer change.

“Then what do you want us to be?” You turned his question on him, wanting to see if he’d reveal his intentions.

He was silent for a moment, but you could see the gears turning in his mind. He rose from his crouched position, sitting next to you on the couch, his body turned facing you.

“Friends, for starters,” he nodded, his hand taking yours. “Though I wouldn’t be opposed to anything more.”

You chuckled; you couldn’t help the sly grin that spread on your face. “Let’s take it easy, first.”

“You set the pace,” he nodded. “I’ll follow your lead. As long as we actually talk to each other next time there’s an issue.”

You smiled. “Of course. I can’t stand this petty shit we have going on.”

“You said it so eloquently,” he joked, falling silent for a moment. “Has Thorin talked to you yet?”

A groan left your lips before you could even stop it. The thought of having to deal with this scandal in the morning was not a pleasant thought in the slightest.

“No, Kíli said he probably would in the morning,” you sighed. “I don’t know what I’ll tell him though.”

“What do you want me to say? I’ll make sure my story aligns with yours,” he leaned his head back against the couch, drawing circles into your hand with his. 

“I don’t really know, I don’t even know what I should say,” you answered him honestly. “It feels weird to tell my boss that I was trying to hit on his nephew.”

“Well, if it’s any consolation,” he smiled. “You’re more than welcome to hit on me any time.”

You let out a dry laugh. “I told Kíli we had a disagreement when he asked. Maybe we should go with that?”

“Uncle will want details, though,” he said. “He always does.”

“Makes sense,” you sighed, leaning your head back to stare up at the hotel’s popcorn ceiling. “He would want to stay on top of it.”

“I could take the fall,” he offered. “Maybe you spilled water all over me and I got upset. Then you called me a baby and offered to clean me up if I stopped complaining.”

You smiled to yourself at the thought. “Yeah, I think I remember that happening. You wouldn’t stop bitching.”

“Then it’s settled,” he said. “I’m a bitch and you just couldn’t deal with it.”

You laughed out loud, looking at him with a grin. “So we’re good now?” 

“Right as rain, love.” He returned your grin, and you felt your cheeks warm from the nickname again. 

“Good, because it’s too late in the night to keep arguing,” you joked, leaning back against the couch. You were sure your eyes would be insanely puffy in the morning. “What time is it, anyway?”

He sat up, checking his phone. “Two in the morning, it would appear.”

You groaned, finally standing up. “I need to go to bed.”

“You and me both,” Fíli chuckled, standing up and heading to the door. “Get some rest, Y/N.”

“You too,” you called after him. “I’m glad we talked.”

He smiled, opening the door. “It was way overdue.”

And with that, he left, shutting the door softly behind him, leaving you finally alone at two in the morning.

You let out a breath you didn’t know you’d been holding, turning off the bedroom lamp before climbing into bed. Your alarm was set for the morning, and you hoped you would be able to get enough sleep as it was. But one thing was for certain: you went to sleep with a much clearer conscience than you thought you would.

taglist. @loopyloo2610 @dumpster-fire3131 @shiinata-library

Afternoon sunlight trickled through the glass windows of your home as you journaled in the study. It was a long day of nothing for you, having done all of your chores and errands yesterday evening. Today was supposed to have been spent with your sister, but it seemed that her plans had changed suddenly, as she was far too busy chasing after blacksmiths in Dale. But you were used to her boy-crazy antics by now. After all, with how often your mother encouraged you and your sister to marry well-off, you couldn’t exactly blame her; she was just getting ahead of the game. At least, that’s how it looked to your mother on the surface.

In reality, Aerin loved the attention of any man willing to give it to her. 

“It’s fun, it’s thrilling,” she had told you once, describing her exciting hobby. “It’s an easy way to pass the time and enjoy yourself on an otherwise boring day.”

You didn’t share her passion for objectifying men, but you also trusted her not to get herself into any serious trouble. You were the only one who knew she rarely found any true connections from such behavior; she was smart and always kept her heart close to her. It was a quality of hers you much admired. 

While it was harder for her to find someone truly worthy of her talents, you always seemed to envy and admire the way she could easily see right through to a man’s true intentions. Perhaps her passion had helped her develop such a skill, but it was skills such as these that made her your most trusted confidant in the tight net of your small family. Many nights in your home led to quiet conversations under the linen sheets of your shared bed, gossiping about her latest societal adventures. 

Many of these adventures inspired your own passion for writing. Her tales of fancy and romance would make you roll your eyes, but even you couldn’t help yourself to dreaming up such situations in your own stories. Under the sheets, she’d inquire about which adventure of hers you had written about most recently. She was the only one in your family that spoke proudly and openly of your passion for writing.

Of course, that wasn’t to say that your other family members disapproved; in fact, they had their own little ways of appreciating you, but more privately. Oftentimes you had caught your cousin Bairn in you and your sister’s room, sneaking his nose in your completed journals full of tales of romance and mystery. 

“Get out of my room!” You’d huff, rushing over to shut the book before him.

“I wasn’t doing anything!” He’d defend himself, though you had just caught him red-handed. “Gods, you’re so paranoid!”

It was always annoying, of course, but you appreciated the underlying sentiment of it all. Just never in the moment.

And speaking of, Bairn soon walked in to interrupt your writing as he gave you a slightly foreboding look; it seems he had come with news as he shut the door behind him. 

“Your mother, my aunt, seems to be quite too happy this morning.” He said, his hands waving about.

You scoffed, setting your journal down as the newest entry would have to wait. “What is that supposed to mean? It’s a nice day out today, Bairn. She has plenty of things to be happy about, I’m sure.” 

“No, this is more than good weather, I think,” he shook his head. “She started grinning like nothing shortly after I delivered her the mail. It was scary, like whenever Aerin finds a man she wants to chase.”

“Do you think she received word of someone dying?” You joked, feigning shock. Bairn didn’t seem to find it funny.

“Who could have possibly died to make her smile like that?”

“Nevermind that,” you waved the thought away, realizing he wasn’t in a joking mood. “Why are you hiding away in here, then?”

“Hiding? I’m not hiding.” He was quick to defend himself, just like always, finally moving away from the door he had been leaning on.

“Bairn. You shut the door behind you. Rather quickly, might I add.” You pointed out with a chuckle. “You’re hiding.”

He sighed. “I… I wanted to spend time with you, dear cousin. Perhaps ask about your most recent writing?”

You scoffed, about to say something sarcastic when your mother’s footsteps started being heard throughout the house. Bairn’s face fell.

“She’s coming,” he whispered, his whole body stiffening. You stifled a laugh.

“Oh for gods’ sake, Bairn,” you stood up to open the door. “It’s not like she’s a witch!” 

“A witch, perhaps not. But certainly a madwoman when she’s grinning like a cat!” He said, taking your previous seat next to your journal. “What were you doing?”

“You amuse me, cousin.” You smiled. “And I was writing down my thoughts, until you came to interrupt me in such a rush.” 

Just as you said that, your mother waltzed in through the door with a fierce determination, armed with a letter in her hand.

“Oh my gods, there you two are! Where is your sister?” She asked, a wide excited grin on her face, just as Bairn had described. You stifled a grin yourself, finding this whole situation entertaining. It was hard to find a dull moment in your strange family, especially with your mother’s dramatics.

“Gods, she’s quick,” your cousin cursed under his breath. You held back your laughter, not wanting your mother to catch on.

“She’s out right now, at the smithy,” you answered. “What’s the matter?”

“Oh, of course she is. Well, it matters not.” It seemed she was even too excited to care that your sister was off flirting again. “Only the best news of the year; Lord Threl has just returned from the Blue Mountains!” 

She practically screamed with giddy delight, and you had to search your brain to figure out who she was talking about. You looked to your cousin for some sort of clarification, but he looked as clueless as you as he shrugged his shoulders. 

This was a common occurrence in your family, as your mother was a bit of a gossiper.

“Don’t tell me you two have forgotten?” Your mother huffed, unamused at your blank expression.

You rolled your eyes. “A little help would be nice, wouldn’t it?”

“He’s son to Lord Thral of the Blue Mountains,” your mother explained, but it wasn’t exactly working to enlighten your mind. “He’s returned from his home for a short time on a political trip to Erebor, where he’ll be staying for a few months!”

“Forgive me, aunt,” your cousin finally chimed in. “But who is that?”

“Don’t tell me you two have already forgotten?” She sighed, taking a seat. “His father was one of the first ones to offer help to those forced out of Dale by Smaug the Terrible all those years ago, and he was the first one to send aid when Bard began rebuilding our lovely city. Surely you remember Lord Thral?”

It seemed to click for your cousin, whose eyes lit up with recognition. “Do you mean Thral of Thunder? The dwarf lord who survived five encounters with lightning? They say he has blue marks on his skin from where the lightning struck!”

Your mother was not impressed. “How is that the only thing you recall about him?”

“Are you kidding?” Bairn continued. “They say he defeated an entire army of orcs single handedly!”

Your mother huffed, clearly annoyed at your cousin’s love for dangerous tales.

You chuckled, offering a soothing rub to your mum’s shoulders. “To be fair, it’s a harrowing story.”

“Well the truth is not just a story!” She huffed, but her stress would soon subside.

“And why has it gotten you so excited, Aunt?” Bairn asked, looking between you and your mother.

“Because we’ve received an official invitation to his opening banquet!” She beamed, waving the letter in the air in her giddy excitement. 

Your mouth hung agape for a moment, struggling to find words. No wonder she had been so offended you two couldn’t recognize his name. You even looked to Bairn for solidarity; it seemed he was just as surprised.

“An opening banquet?” You raised your brows, shocked. “When is it?”

“In three days time, based on this letter,” your mother said. “Just think of the opportunity this is for you and your sister! And don’t think I’m forgetting about you, young man.” 

She walked up to Bairn, straightening his clothes. “This is a fine chance to introduce yourselves into society and gain some reputation, or even meet someone!”

“Reputation of what, exactly?” Bairn raised a brow. 

“Meet someone?” You followed.

Your mother scoffed. “At this point, any reputation would do you two some good! Bairn, it’s high time you sought out some work aside from polishing blades. And Y/N dear, don’t you want to meet some new people instead of staying cooped up all day?”

“I enjoy my ‘cooping’, thank you,” you frowned, getting defensive. “And… I meet people!”

“The grocer doesn’t count, my dear.” Your mother walked towards you, tucking some hair out of your face as your cousin snickered at her remark. “Even if you don’t find the thought pleasing, we’re going to attend. I’ve made my decision. This is a great opportunity for all of you and especially your sister.”

“Aerin?” Bairn asked curiously.

“It’s high time she married, or at least stopped parading around with a new boy to chase every few weeks.” And just like that, your mother’s distaste for Aerin’s hobby was coming back. “I can handle her being the talk of the neighborhood, and I’m all for childish games but I won’t have her wasting her youth. It’s time she started looking for something more serious. She needs to start making a name for herself, she’s too bright not to.”

“And are you going to be the one to tell her this news, Mum?” You raised a brow, knowing Aerin would probably both love and loathe this idea of hers. 

“No, I think you two are capable enough of relaying the message,” she grinned. “I’ll be much too busy sharing the news at the market today!”

“Oh, but of course.” You spoke sarcastically, giving a bow. This was typical of your mother. “We’ll be your messengers.”

“As always,” Bairn rolled his eyes.

“And I adore you for it,” your mother walked over to Bairn, pinching his cheek. “I’ll leave the letter here with you, lest someone steal it at the market. I’ll try not to be long!” 

She was already waving goodbye as she exited from whence she came. Finally, your cousin and you could share some peace. A collective sigh filled the air from the two of you, with silence following it. For a moment, nobody spoke. 

“Nervous?” You asked, coming to sit by him.

“No… Well, yes. This seems a lot more… expensive than our family is accustomed to.” He said as you rubbed a small circle into his back.

You nodded with a hum of understanding. Sure, your family could trace its lineage to Dale’s nobility, but that was nothing compared to the royalty of dwarves.

“I agree, but surely it can’t be too above our paygrade if we’ve been invited?” You countered. Bairn nodded in agreement. “Mum’s right, you know. It could be a good opportunity for work. Don’t you want to do more than polishing knives?”

“It’s certainly a grand thing indeed,” he affirmed. “I’m just worried I won’t measure up.”

“Well there’s nothing to worry about until we’re there, Bairn,” you said. “Unless we’re deciding what to wear.”

“Aerin will take the longest for that,” he scoffed, relaxing a little. A comfortable silence hung in the air before he drew a breath. “What even is this banquet, anyways? Why are we invited out of all people?”

“Well, then. Read it yourself.” You handed Bairn the letter your mother had left next to him. You’d be lying if you said you weren’t also curious about the specificities of the invitation.

Your cousin carefully reopened the letter, his eyes scanning the text as he began to read aloud. 

“The Court of Erebor cordially invites the Free People of Dale to an assembly banquet in the name of Lord Threl to honor the allied bond between Erebor and Ered Luin. As to showcase the last seven years of camaraderie between the Men of Dale and Erebor’s Army, there will be a spectacular display of fireworks at the end of the night.”

“Well that makes it sound a little less expensive if everyone in town is invited,” you spoke, reading over his shoulder. “And Mum was worried about someone stealing our invitation.”

Bairn set the letter down. “Well, it seems very promising. Perhaps I could apprentice with the smithies in the Forges. That would do me some real good.”

“Or at the very least, you could meet them,” you added.

“What about you? What will you do?” Bairn asked.

Another moment of silence.

“Hm… I can’t imagine much, I’m not so sure there’s a whole lot of writers in Erebor. I might just follow Mum or Aerin around the whole time, to be quite honest. Though, it would be fun to wander off and explore the city.”

He chuckled. “Imagine that. With so many people invited, I doubt they’d let us wander everywhere.”

“You’re probably right,” a soft grin hung on your lips. “Still, it’s a nice dream.”

“I hear the halls are chiseled with gold,” he said rather dreamily.

“Well, we shall certainly see for ourselves.”

Almost as if on cue, the door slammed shut downstairs and a high-pitched squeal of delight rang throughout the home, followed by impending footsteps heading straight for your shared bedroom. You smiled to yourself, resting your hand over Bairn’s as you pulled him up with you to head for the door. “Duty calls,” you said.

“I hate being the messenger all the time,” Bairn groaned.

—

After you and your cousin showed her the invitation, a moment of silence fell upon your sister as her face charged up with the brightest grin you had seen in weeks. She let out a breath, speechless, as she turned to face Bairn, then immediately back to you. “Are you absolutely certain?!” 

“You can read it for yourself if you don’t believe me,” you laughed.

“Well, go on then,” Bairn groaned, splayed across your bed as you sat at your vanity, with Aerin holding a pillow in her lap. “Scream and shout away.”

She didn’t need permission; Aerin was already squealing in delight before Bairn could finish his sentence.

“A banquet! Oh, what am I going to wear? How are we going to arrive? Surely we will have to walk, so what shoes must I prepare? Wait-” Her hand flew to her chest. “What if we all matched?”

“I’d rather melt,” Bairn squeaked, not fond of the idea. 

You weren’t particularly crazy about it either, but you loved your sister dearly. “Just as long as you don’t put me in a dress. Those things are so difficult to maneuver in.”

“Oh, calm down,” she chided. “That’s only because Mum tied it too tight last time, and you know it.” You handed your sister the letter, who tore into it eagerly as she read every word.

You winced. “Speaking of Mum…”

Your sister stopped in her tracks, brows now furrowed in confusion. “Why? What’s wrong?”

You chewed this inside of your cheek, nervous to deliver the news. “Well…”

“She wants you to start looking for suitors at the banquet,” Bairn rumbled, face down in the sheets.

“Suitors? Oh, well that’s not too bad,” she began to wave the thought away before you interjected.

“No, she’s serious about this, Aerin,” You warned. “She was talking about marriage.” 

Your sister’s expression fell at your words. 

“Already?” Aerin whispered, a small frown tugging the corner of her lips. 

“Well, you are the eldest,” you shrugged. “I believe she may be worried that your reputation–”

“What reputation?”

“You know exactly what reputation,” Bairn rolled his eyes.

“She’s worried it may hold you back in life, is all.” You offered, hoping to come across as an ally.

Your sister sighed, sinking into her pillow as she held it close to her chest. “I suppose I thought we would have more time.”

“It seems that time has come,” you nodded. “We are already getting around that age, Aerin.”

“And what about Bairn?” She said.

“Aunt says she wants me to get a job,” he answered, sitting up now. “She wants both of you to go out and meet people. Especially Y/N.”

“Yes, thank you for bringing that detail to light once more, Bairn,” you grinned sarcastically before sighing. “It’s just at the banquet, I’m sure. You know how she doesn’t approve of any of the boys here.”

Aerin scoffed. “Oh, there’s no need to remind me. But still… I’d rather enjoy myself at a banquet rather than worry about things like money or marriage or reputation…”

“And you still can!” You spoke up, trying to reassure your sister. The whole idea of the banquet was exciting, especially for such a social butterfly as your sister. You didn’t want your mother’s wishes to affect your sister from having a good time.

“I doubt Mum will be following you around the whole night. We could even stick together the whole night to give Mum some solace, then after we dance and feast and drink we can simply say that we didn’t meet anyone worth marrying!” You suggested. “We don’t often get invited to something like this, so we shouldn’t spend the whole time worrying during it.”

Aerin was slowly coming back to her happy-go-lucky self, smiling brightly at you. “Do you promise?”

“I wouldn’t dare break it,” you smiled softly.

“Which leaves me stuck with Aunt Elina. Just wonderful,” Bairn sighed, and your sister and yourself couldn’t help the laughter that escaped.

“Oh, cheer up, Bairn,” Aerin threw her pillow at him. “At least we’ll all be matching!”

He groaned. “Don’t remind me!”

–

Night soon came, as it always did, and slowly things seemed to calm down from the afternoon’s excitement. The buzz in the air had been replaced with a quiet hum of contentment as your mother and Bairn sat reading by the fire while you continued your previous journaling upstairs in your bedroom. Candlelight danced by your hand as you wrote down your thoughts, the only sound filling the air being your sister’s humming as she stared out of the window. 

These were your favorite nights in your house, filled with nothing but comforting quiet around the people you cared about, especially on nights where your sister hummed or sang. You’d fallen asleep to her songs many times in your childhood. Your mother loved to tell the stories of how whenever you couldn’t sleep, you’d crawl into bed with Aerin and have her sing you to sleep.

Even now, in the dead of night, you found yourself drifting into a peaceful solitude as she hummed. So peaceful, in fact, that it had taken you several moments to even realize that she had stopped.

“Is everything alright?” You looked up from your writings only to find your sister still gazing out of the window.

“I’m just thinking,” she said in a hushed voice.

“About what?”

“Plenty of things,” she said.

“How incredibly vague,” you joked, earning a smile from your sister.

“Thank you, I’m very well known for my vagueness, you know,” she teased back.

You set your journal and pen down, walking away from your desk to join her on your bed. 

“Is it the banquet?” You asked.

“A little,” she admitted. “I care a lot more about Mum’s expectations, though.”

“Oh. I see.” You nodded. In truth, you weren’t sure what to say to Aerin in this moment as quiet hung in the air. 

“I’m still listening,” you offered.

“I’ve always wanted to marry, I think,” she said hesitantly. “But I imagined it happening more on my own terms. And certainly much later in life, like Mum did.”

“It still can,” you offered. “I doubt Mum would be displeased if you didn’t meet ‘the one’ in a single night.”

“I agree,” she smiled. “But for some reason the whole idea still bothers me in some way. It feels so different now that there’s this pressure to meet someone.” 

“I think Mum’s just worried,” you reassured. “Nowadays, it’s much more customary for people to be arranged in marriage. It’s not often that people get married as late in life as Mum and Dad did.”

“Perhaps you’re right,” she nodded. “I suppose I just didn’t expect her of all people to agree on that sentiment.”

A silence fell over you, unsure of what to say. The most you could be in this moment was a kindly pair of ears.

Aerin continued. “I don’t think I’ve ever had too much trouble meeting anyone, not any that I can think of…” 

“You’ve certainly met a lot.”

“All in good fun, of course,” she sighed. “You know, I think I have met almost every eligible bachelor in this town. All of them are quite agreeable. But none of them have truly felt…”

“Exciting?”

“No, that’s not it,” she said.

“Honorable?”

“Surely not,” she chuckled. “But that’s not it either.

She turned to you, finally drawing her gaze away from the window. “I feel rather rude for saying this, given my own reputation, but none of the men I’ve met here have seemed… worthy enough of my time?”

You scoffed. “Interesting, considering you chase them so.”

“Only for a few weeks at a time,” she waved her hand. “But I’ve never met a man that’s made me feel comfortable with giving him the rest of my life.”

“An ominous way to put it,” you said. “But surely there have been some?”

“Not in a romantic sense,” your sister shook her head. “I imagine I could be great friends with some of them, even the blacksmith I was with today would make a tolerable friend. But I’ve never met a man and thought, ‘Now he’s the one.’ Does that make sense?”

You nodded hesitantly, taking in the information. “And you’re worried that will happen at the banquet?”

She shook her head. “Truth be told, I’m worried none of my skills will prevail at the banquet.”

“What do you mean?”

“For some reason I’m worried about not meeting anyone more than I am worried about meeting ‘the one’. Is that odd?”

“Aerin,” you reached for your sister, rubbing her shoulders to soothe her. “That’s impossible, even for you.”

She frowned. “I’m serious.”

“And so am I. You’ve always been so enigmatic, you’re not just some girl from Dale.” You took her hands into yours.

“But it’s Dwarfish royalty!” She countered, standing up and running her hands through her hair. “This isn’t some festival or birthday party, this is a real royal political banquet!”

“It’s just one night.” You reminded her.

She drew a breath, exhaling with a nod and worried smile. “I’m thinking too much about it, aren’t I?”

You nodded, giving a slight chuckle. “It’s just one night, Aerin.”

“We probably won’t even meet that many people,” she scoffed.

“But we’ll at the very least look lovely while we do it,” you reassured, and that seemed to bring her spark back a little.

“With matching outfits?”

“Matching colors, that’s all you get. You know I hate your kinds of dresses,” you said and she rolled her eyes.

You sneezed from the sheer amount of dust in the library. Between the cobwebs, ash and grime that littered the shelves and texts before you, your trusty duster truly had its work cut out for it. Covering your face with your sleeve this time, you continued your job of cleaning the recently excavated room. It would take some time, but you were determined to have this place spotless by the end of the month.

“We found some more books we need organized,” a voice called, and your attention was snapped away from your cleaning.

“Hm?” You asked, seeing it was Balin and Ori, arms full of heavy scripts. “Oh, place them over there and I’ll see to it myself.”

The dwarves did as you instructed and made their way to the nearby table, albeit with a few hefty grunts from Ori. The moment they set the books down, dust scattered everywhere, ensuing a fit of sneezing and coughing from all three of you.

“It’s never ending!” Ori complained.

You covered your mouth as you let out a rather dusty cough. “Trust a dragon to leave such a mess!”

“Aye, and a dead one at that.” Balin sighed. “I’ll get some more help for this room by tomorrow.”

“That would certainly be much appreciated,” you said.

“If it meant there would be this much work, I would have never found this room.” Ori groaned, wiping down a chair before sitting in it.

“There’s always work to be done, Ori,” Balin chided. “And moping about won’t get it done.”

“Still, I’m grateful that you did find it,” you chimed in. “It’s a lot to do, but these are some of the oldest recorded texts of Erebor. We’re standing in a room of nothing but history!”

“Well it’s rather dusty history for now,” Ori frowned.

“Well, laddie, if you won’t help, why don’t you go find someone who will? Hm?” Balin raised a brow as he ushered Ori out, who begrudgingly left.

You watched the younger dwarf leave with a frown on his face, now standing alone with Balin in a certainly awkward silence.

“Is he alright?” You asked with a concerned tone. 

“He’s still just a boy,” Balin sighed, leaning on the table. “But I suppose it doesn’t help that he’s been Thorin’s scribe all week.”

“Is that not your job?”

“It usually is,” he nodded. “But it’s high time he began learning the more difficult parts of the trade. Following the King around is no easy task.”

“But why not you? I have my belief in Ori, sure, but to have him take on this role at such a time as this?” 

“I suggested it.” Balin smiled. “He’ll have to learn hands-on somehow, with the ascension coming up with the next moon. We’ve only thirty days from now.”

“But I worry about him,” you frowned. “It’s a much heavier workload than he’s used to. Surely he could’ve started learning after the Crown Prince takes his title?”

Balin sat down in Ori’s chair, motioning for you to join him. Abandoning your duster with a sigh, you reluctantly took a seat.

“I remember when you first arrived,” Balin said. “You were so young–”

“I recall being entirely grown,” you interrupted.

Balin waved you off. “When you’ve lived a life such as mine, everyone is young.”

You let out a soft chuckle, leaning back in your chair.

“As I was saying,” he began again. “You could barely manage on your own. Being under my wing certainly helped, of course, but you were a fickle thing. You’re no dwarf, either; you couldn’t even speak our language when we first met.”

Unaware of where he was going with this, you tried to defend yourself, feeling belittled. “I was well enough to lend a helping hand. This library wouldn’t even be complete if it hadn’t been for me. And my khuzdul is much better than it used to be!”

“Aye, and if it hadn’t been for those texts you found in the ruins of Dale, I doubt we would’ve ever met.” He drew in a breath. “What I’m trying to say is that we all start somewhere.” 

He put a hand on your shoulder, giving a warm smile. “For you, it was those books. For Ori, it was the journey that got us here. And now that we’re finally picking ourselves back up from the wreckage, it’s time that both of you fill into your roles.”

“And what have we been doing this entire time?” You said.

“Well, just a wee bit of practice, I suppose.” He teased. “Now it’s time for the real work. The royal work.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call dusting ‘royal’, but–”

“That’s not what I mean, dear.” He interrupted.

“I don’t understand–”

“I’m having you help prepare one of the princes for the ascension ceremony.”

You gave a double take, now at a loss for words. This was entirely out of your realm. You were just a scribe, a scholar. You were certainly no royal advisor, let alone for dwarven royalty.

“Balin, I’m not even a dwarf.” You started.

“I’m sure he won’t hold that against you,” Balin chuckled. “And, don’t worry, I’ve already gone through the proper channels to get you this job.”

“With the King? Thorin Oakenshield is aware of this?”

“Aye, even he,” Balin nodded. “It took some convincing, but there’s no other I would ask for such a thing. Other than his mother, but Dís has got her hands full already.”

“No other? Balin, we’ve only known each other for a few years now!”

“And in that time, you’ve proven yourself time and time again that you’re someone I can trust.”

You took a breath, settling yourself with this new information. You had only been working under Balin for a little under three years after helping restore some dwarven texts. Without Ori or Balin, you always felt out of your depth. Sure, you did your best to manage on your own, but growing up in Lake-Town, Erebor and its culture and customs had fallen to story and legend before you had become a scholar in their studies. 

“What exactly will I be doing?”

“Thorin’s nephews are finally ready to take their places in the royal court. But while Fíli is preparing to be announced as Crown Prince, there’s a certain amount of duties that get passed along to Kíli.” Balin explained. “It’ll be your job to assist me in discussing and preparing him for those duties.”

“And what would those duties be?”

“I’m getting there, aren’t I?” Balin frowned.

You bit your tongue, now giving him the floor instead of asking him more questions. 

Balin sighed, seeing the anxiety written all over you. “Are you afraid?”

“It’s just… I don’t know if I… That’s a lot of pressure, don’t you think? I just don’t believe I’m qualified.”

Balin rose from his seat, now standing in front of you with both hands on your shoulders. You looked at your mentor with worried eyes as he did his best to reassure you with his own warm gaze. The candle on the dusty table flickered, the light reflecting in his dark eyes, full of kindness.

“Y/N, you’ve proven yourself to be one of my fastest learners. I see the way you work to restore this library as if it were your own. You know our history, you’ve read it yourself.” 

“Only for the last few years-”

“And nobody will hold it against you. I will be there to help, of course. You won’t be entirely on your own, and I’ll teach you everything.” 

What Balin had chosen to omit was that Thorin Oakenshield wouldn’t have allowed you to be Kíli’s only advisor. You may have been a scholar, but you were no dwarf. But Balin knew better than to mention that.

“I have no doubt that you’re the perfect candidate for the job.”

You still didn’t know if you believed him, but you knew you believed in him. And for now, that would have to be enough. You gave him a small nod and smile as a sign that you were listening.

“Aye, there they are,” he smiled. “Come, I’ll show you everything you’ll need to do before you start tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” You rose out of your seat. “But what about the library?”

“There’s always someone we can put to work. Besides, it doesn’t take much to clean a dusty shelf.”

“Easy for you to say; I’ve been at it all morning!”

Balin began walking away, waving an arm as he expected you to follow him. Reluctantly, you finally gave in. It seemed today was going to be a long one.

Long was an incredible understatement. You hadn’t been a coffee-drinker before this, but suddenly you were three cups deep without any sleep as you stood next to Balin outside of the prince’s door. All you could think about were the copious amounts of notes you had taken overnight.

“It’s all been a bit bureaucratic lately, with the salvaging process,” Balin had said last night while handing you three enormously thick books. “But the old ways are all written down in here. For now, it’s best to study what you can before you meet the prince.”

You had been under the impression he would teach you all of this, but he had insisted you read some of it first. You had taken vigorous notes, doing your best to commit as much of it to memory as you could, but even now your brain felt like a soupy muddled mess as Balin knocked three times on the oaken door in front of you.

It was still early in the morning, a time Balin had insisted on, and the halls of Erebor were only just beginning to sound with their typical business and hustle.

You felt utterly spent and still completely unprepared. It was like cramming for a class you had never taken. You still weren’t even convinced you were the right person for the job. Even though Balin had explained you would be taking more of an assistant’s role to him, you felt wildly out of your league. 

A sigh escaped you as you watched Balin knock on the door again.

He gave you a once-over followed by a frown. “Y/N, I told you that you needed rest.”

“I wanted to be prepared, I’ll be fine.” You shook your head.

“Prepared is one thing, but it’s only your first day. You look miserable.” He knocked on the door again, casting a worried look to you. “Why don’t you go get yourself something to eat? I can take care of this for a little while before you join us.”

“This is important, I don’t want to miss anything,” you frowned.

“You’ll miss more if you don’t take care of yourself.”

“Balin, I promise I’ll be alright.” You insisted on staying, much to Balin’s dismay.

He let out a sigh, knowing you were just as stubborn as his brother. 

“Alright, I trust you. But I’m a little concerned.” He turned back to the door, now annoyed as he knocked for the third time. “Kíli, wake up before I go in there myself.”

A loud groan sounded through the wooden door followed by silence before it eventually opened, revealing a very tired dark-haired prince. His hair was mussed and tangled and some of it was stuck to his mouth. His eyes could barely stay open as he was still coming to life. And to top it all of, he was still in his sleepwear, which was oversized and hanging off of his shoulder as he leaned against the door.

“Balin, I thought we said we’d do this in the afternoon,” he groaned, still groggy with sleep.

Balin frowned, unamused. “I told you we would be here at sunrise. You said you’d be awake.”

“I lied,” he shot a lazy grin before looking over at you. “And who’s this?”

“This is Y/N, they’re helping me with preparing-”

“Oh, so you’re the librarian!” Kíli smiled, seemingly remembering who you were. Which was strange, because you two had never met. And you certainly wouldn’t call yourself a librarian.

“I’m sorry?” You raised a brow.

“Ori told me about you, he said you tend to that room he found?”

“Oh, right. Yes, I have been in charge of that…” You nodded. He wasn’t technically wrong, but you tended to align yourself more with the term of scholar rather than librarian. 

“Listen, Kíli,” Balin interjected. “Get yourself settled, we’re on a busy schedule for today.”

Kíli groaned again and you came to realize that he was not matching the image of him you had conjured up in your head. It was hard to believe that this lazy dwarf was the same Prince who had joined Balin on his journey to Erebor.

“Alright, alright. Give me a few minutes, I’ll get dressed.” He shut the door on both of you and you couldn’t hide the frown on your face.

“Is he usually like this?” You asked Balin, keeping as delicate a tone as possible.

“He sleeps like a mountain now that he has a soft bed every night,” Balin sighed. “But he’s never been a morning person. In any case, now we can get started.”

You nodded in response, choosing to withhold any opinions you currently had about the younger Prince of Erebor. First impressions could always change, after all. Surely it would serve you better to erase the idea of his lazy behavior from your mind. You didn’t know him personally; perhaps he simply just wasn’t a morning person.

Suddenly the door was open again, this time with a much more well-kept Prince behind it. You had to stop yourself from doing a double take; he looked like an entirely different person to you now.

His brown hair was now smoother and brushed and slightly swept out of his face, save for his bangs. Fine dwarven fabric hung from his shoulders as he stepped outside of his room and you had to stop yourself from staring. His brown eyes seemed much more full of life now that he was finally dressed and his face was clean. Altogether, he suddenly looked a lot more royal than before.

“Well, that took you long enough,” Balin commented.

“Beauty can do that, yes,” Kíli retorted with a rather cheeky smirk. You couldn’t help but roll your eyes.

“Well, time waits on no one, much less beauty,” Balin sighed, adjusting his belt as he began trailing away. “Come along now, there’s much to do.”

A few hours passed by and the day quickly became more and more draining, each minute feeling longer than the last. You felt like you were melting into a puddle of exhausted slop with each step you took, your feet sore after how much walking you three had done. Honestly, you were sure you had walked at least seven or eight miles by now. And while it may have been nothing to the likes of Balin or even Kíli, it was truly starting to wear you down. 

It was your own fault, really. You should have taken Balin’s earlier offer to run off and get yourself some food. Or perhaps have gotten a good night’s rest the previous night. You were all out of sorts and you’d be lying if you said you weren’t disappointed in yourself. You had been so focused on studying that you had forgotten to take care of yourself, and look where it had gotten you. Balin was right.

By now, Balin had taken the two of you on a tour of sorts, bringing Kíli to important halls and rooms of Erebor while explaining and delegating what new tasks would fall to him once his brother took his role as the Crown Prince. From the throne room to the forges, there was always something new for Kíli to learn or expound upon. Many of his new tasks weren’t all that unfamiliar to him, as his mother had been helping prepare him for this. But as much as you wanted to be present and fully soak up all of this knowledge as Balin’s assistant, you were utterly spent. Your feet felt stiff like bricks as you trudged along behind Kíli and Balin and the dark circles under your eyes were becoming more apparent with each passing hour. Neither of them had noticed your condition until you three were finally alone. 

There you were, in an empty hall of the library while Balin was explaining to Kíli what would be expected of him at the ascension ceremony itself, arms full of a script with pictures depicting a ceremony long past, when your stomach suddenly let out an embarrassingly loud grumble. Your eyes widened and you clutched your stomach in a panic, as if it would somehow muffle the noise. But itt didn’t. 

You were horrified. Speechless, even. Balin sighed, leaving Kíli confused as to why something as trivial as this would even warrant a reaction.

“Y/N…” Balin said. “If you need to eat, I’m sure I can handle him myself.”

Kíli scoffed, slightly offended at his words. “Well, you’re the one who’s been going nonstop without any break. I would be hungry too!”

“And are you?” Balin raised an unamused brow.

All eyes were on Kíli as he looked down, almost embarrassed to admit defeat.

“...Yes.”

Balin set the book down on the table beside him, running a hand to his temple. You frowned, not liking his annoyed demeanor, but in truth it was all directed at Kíli.

“Well then, I suppose we can take a short break. I’ll be up in the Archives for now. Return in an hour after you properly feed yourselves.”

“An hour? What’s the rush?” Kíli’s jaw dropped, appalled at the idea of a quick meal.

“I won’t give you any royal treatment, Kíli,” Balin countered. “We’re far past formalities.”

“Aw, come on, even a normal person would want more time. I might be technically royal but–”

“Aye, and a royal pain at that,” Balin sighed. “Two hours. And then I want you both back and ready to get to work.”

You nodded eagerly, grateful even for the first hour. “And we will, of course. Thank you.”

“We’ll be back before you know it!” Kíli chimed in.

Balin rolled his eyes, waving you two off as he began his own journey up to the Archives of the library. You watched him go before turning to exit, planning on going to your room to cook when suddenly a hand tapped your shoulder; you turned to see Kíli now throwing you a grin.

“Come on, let’s go,” He motioned to the exit with his head.

“I was going–” You tried to explain but were quickly cut off.

“To eat by yourself?”

“Well I have–”

“Come on; we’ve only got so much time and we haven’t had any to get to know each other.”

You pursed your lip, not feeling too keen to have your plans derailed. But it didn’t feel right to decline a royal, even one as childish as him.

“I wanted to cook at home.”

“Even better! Home-cooked meals are the best!”

You sighed. He would not give in.

“I don’t know if I have enough in my pantry to share…” You tried your best to give one last excuse, but he was quicker.

“How about I grab some of my own food and meet you at your house? We can combine the ingredients and make something delicious.”

For a silent moment, you could only look at his stupid grin while you weighed your options. But you weren’t averse to more food being offered and he clearly didn’t seem to take any negative answer.

“Fine.” You caved. “But please be quick about it. I don’t want to waste this time waiting on you and I mean that as politely as possible.”

He chuckled at your politely rude comment, leaving the library first to what you assumed was his own home.

One hurried walk later, you had finally gotten home and begun preparing your meal. All you had left were some vegetables from your weekly visit to the market and some rice. Rather good options to be stuck with, if you thought about it. It seemed a delicious stir fry would be your meal today.

Quickly, you got to work on cleaning your vegetables, a mixture of squash and greens, before chopping them up in your kitchen. A heavy knock sounded at your door and you set your cutting knife down to go answer it. 

You swung the door open and soon reality hit you. Kíli, one of Erebor’s Princes, was standing outside your front door holding a clothed bundle of something and you had no idea how he had gotten here. 

“I don’t recall telling you where I live,” you said aloud, but softly as though it was supposed to only be heard by your ears. 

“Ori told me,” Kíli explained. “And that’s not usually how you answer the door, if I remember.”

His wit snapped you out of your reverie and you quickly allowed him inside. But you weren’t exactly thrilled at his news. 

“And why did Ori tell you where I live, if I may ask?”

“You may.” He chuckled at that comment. You didn’t find it funny. He quickly realized that. 

“It came up when we were discussing Balin’s newest pupil. Ori mentioned how you had been living here for quite some time when I said how far the traveling was from here to Dale.” 

You sighed, nodding. “You thought I was from Dale.”

It made sense, after all. You weren’t a dwarf. 

“A stupid comment on my behalf, truly,” he tried to save the conversation, finally revealing what he had in his hands. “I hope these will add to whatever you’re already preparing.”

You looked down to see thick cut bacon and a sealed bottle of ale. The good stuff too, this was definitely higher quality than you were used to. You could already feel your mouth salivating at the idea of such a tasty meat in your stir fry. A small bit of ale would also enhance the flavor and even add some new ones. 

“These are actually very promising,” you said, once again aloud but more so to yourself. Still, he heard you. 

“That’s what I was hoping for.” He smiled up at you. “So what are we making?”

You walked past him, now making your way back to your kitchen. He followed suit, albeit after removing his shoes. That seemed to be one of his few redeeming qualities. 

“I have the rice cooking now, but I need to finish cutting the vegetables and get the bacon cooking so it’s ready to be added by the time the rice is done.”

“Sounds great! How can I help?”

You froze for a moment, now realizing there was another living being in your kitchen. This wasn’t exactly a common situation for you. In fact, you liked your cooking how you liked your work in the library: alone. 

But who would you be to tell a Prince that? And especially a Prince who had brought over such fine ingredients… You were caught between a rock and a hard place, and it was time to make a choice. 

Gingerly, you stepped farther from the chopping block and closer to your hearth. You only had two hours to eat; it only made sense to let him help. 

“You can cut everything and I will cook it.” You nodded as you spoke, as if you were still trying to get yourself on board with the idea. You honestly couldn’t recognize if it was working or not, but Kíli was happy to lend a helping hand. And quite ready to get started too, as his hunger was starting to get to him. 

“Great, then let’s get started.” He eagerly grabbed the knife, chopping your squash in such an indelicate way that you could do nothing other than watch with eyes wide open, mouth ajar. None of these pieces of squash were the same size. Or even the same shape, for that matter! It was like he was chopping them all willy-nilly without any air of culinary prowess. 

Something inside of you snapped and you knew you had to say something. You couldn’t help it! 

“What on earth do you think you’re doing?” You spoke slowly, still processing the horror in front of you. 

Kíli wasn’t exactly thrilled about your attitude, either, but he did his best to dismiss it. “I’m helping… I’m cutting this squash.”

“But you’re not even dicing it—“

“I didn’t know that’s what you wanted.”

“It’s going with rice, I feel as though you should want to cut it smaller.”

“Does it matter? It’s all going to end up being eaten, isn’t it?” His tone was sterner, now getting more upset.

“But it needs to be small enough to blend with the rice,” you countered. “Otherwise it’s rice with squash on the side.”

“These pieces aren’t that big—“

“They’re chunks! They’re chunky, look at them!”

“I’m the one cutting, I’m sure I can clearly see that’s they’re perfectly fine pieces—“

“Have you ever even used a kitchen knife?”

“Have you ever tried letting someone do so before you critique their cutting abilities?!”

And suddenly, a loud grumble rang out from your stomach, effectively shutting the both of you up. You let out a breath, rationalizing with yourself as you realized there was no reason to be this upset at such a tiny thing. You weren’t someone who typically enjoyed sharing your space with a stranger all that much. Being practically starving wasn’t doing you any favors, either. But it was certainly embarrassing. Demeaning, even. Truly, you were hangry. 

You looked away from the Prince in your kitchen, staring blankly at the boiling rice in front of you. A sigh left your lips before you turned back to face him. 

“I’m sorry,” you nodded. “Let’s just work on getting this cooked.”

Kíli nodded, having realized the same thing as you; both of you were hangry and yelling at each other for no reason. 

“I’ll cut them smaller,” he said quietly, referencing the squash. 

You let out a small nod, returning to your pot of boiling rice that you stirred. “Thank you.”

For a while, you two coexisted in the kitchen in silence; Kíli cut the vegetables and the bacon while you added it to a wok for cooking, the sizzle of the ingredients hitting the pan filling the quiet of the room. Without needing to be told, Kíli uncorked the ale, handing it over to you as you tossed a splash into the pan. Steam rose and the smell hit your nostrils with a cozy aroma as the meat and veggies cooked in the pan.

Finally, after adding in the rice and seasoning it to your liking, the dish was done. With a soft smile, you plated the food into two wooden bowls, offering one to Kíli.

“It looks amazing,” he commented. It seemed you had both calmed down some since your argument. “Do you have anything to drink?”

“I just fetched some water yesterday,” you answered. “The cups are in the cupboard.”

He picked up the bottle of ale, still quite full. “There’s also this, if we wanted. What do you say?”

You frowned. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. We have to be back in a little more than an hour.”

“Suit yourself,” he said. “But I doubt one glass will hurt anyone.”

You watched as he poured himself a cup before leaving to go sit at your dining table. A part of you would’ve been tempted to have some yourself, but Balin and your empty stomach would disapprove. You would be satisfied with just this; your body needed it.

Kíli joined you at the table with a smile, quite excited to eat. You watched him as he sat down, taking notice of his beauty as he tucked his hair behind his ears. He was very pretty, even by your standards. You wondered how you hadn’t seen it before. But then again, you had been distracted by his laziness and childish mannerisms, not to mention the previous argument.

You two began to eat in silence, sharing a meal in a comfortable quiet that was occasionally broken whenever Kíli would gulp down his ale. For his sake, you hoped he wasn’t a lightweight.

“How much longer do we have?” He asked in between bites.

“An hour, I think?” You shrugged. “It’s probably smart to leave once we’re done.”

“In a rush?”

“I don’t like to keep Balin waiting. I respect him too much for that.”

“I see. You’ve been working with him for a while now, haven’t you?”

You looked up at him, realizing he was actually making conversation. A part of you was surprised, but you didn’t know why.

“It’s been a few years now,” you answered. 

“Do you like it? Working with him, I mean.” Kíli smiled at you, his warm eyes catching the light of the candles on your table. 

It was alluring.

“I do,” you admitted, smiling at the thought. “He’s very kind. And funny, in his old way. He’s taken care of me for a while.”

“Has he?”

“He’s always looking out for me, but he also doesn’t let me shy away from chances where I could grow.” You sighed, looking at your food. “I look up to him a lot.”

“Well,” Kíli took another swig of his drink. “You certainly sound a lot more grateful than Ori does.”

“That can’t be true,” you chuckled. “What does Ori say?”

“It would be easier to list what he doesn’t say,” he joked. “He’s always going on about his workload being too much. He’s either cleaning the library or running around on Balin’s orders.”

You rolled your eyes with a smile. “He’s just ranting, I’m sure. He can get frustrated rather quickly but we all know he loves his work.”

“He does, it’s true.” Kíli laughed to himself. “He loves working with you, from what I hear.”

“Does he?” You raised a brow, your interest now piqued as you took another bite of food. 

He nodded, chewing his own mouthful before continuing. “Nowadays he’s always talking about how helpful you are to him; he thinks you know the library better than him now. I remember him mentioning you when you two first met, my brother and I could’ve swore he had a crush on you.”

“A crush?” You choked on your food, hitting your chest to clear up before trying to eat again. 

Kíli held back his laughter, bearing a smile so wide it captured the light around you. “Yes, he must have!”

“I highly doubt–”

“He would go on and on about how pretty you were, how you dressed, or you smelled. One time we couldn’t get him to stop talking about ‘the librarian’s hair’ as if he were some star-struck child!”

Your cheeks were feeling warm by now and you were sure it wasn’t due to the hot food in front of you. 

“I don’t know how to feel about that,” you admitted. “He’s sweet, but I’ve never realized–”

“Oh, I’m sure it’s passed by now,” he said quickly in an attempt to reassure you. “He really just doesn’t get out much. None of us do, really. We’re all so busy trying to keep this place running and back to its former glory.”

“I see,” you nodded, now feeling a little relieved. Things would feel so awkward if Ori actually did have a crush on you. You certainly were fond of him, but not in that way.

“He wasn’t wrong, though,” Kíli said softly, snapping you out of your thoughts as you met his gaze.

“I’m sorry?”

“I just…” He trailed off, looking back down at his food. It seemed like he wasn’t expecting you to hear him as his face started turning red.

You in turn looked down at your own food, confused by his behavior. You gave him one last look, seeing his eyes meet your own.

“He wasn’t wrong. You’re beautiful.”

You froze, the room completely silent save for the crackling of the candles. Here you were sharing a meal with a Prince who had just told you he found you beautiful. Admittedly, it was all a bit much.

You gave a nervous laugh, fixing your posture in your seat as you shoved another forkful of food into your mouth. You chewed and swallowed, nodding as you tried to horse down the rest of your meal.

“Balin should be expecting us soon. We should hurry up,” you said, refusing to make eye contact as you ate.

Kíli smiled, his gaze lingering on you for a moment before returning to his own food.

“Right, we wouldn’t want to keep him waiting.” 

You two managed to make it back in time, arriving to see Balin’s nose stuffed in one of the thickest books you had ever had the fortune of seeing. The rest of the day was long as the tour continued, but you had caught Kíli stealing a few choice glances your way whenever Balin wasn’t looking. You were caught off guard, sure, but you weren’t entirely averse to the attention. It was something new. Nice, even, and it made you think that perhaps this dwarf wasn’t entirely as ridiculous as you thought.

Of course, what you didn’t know was that he was almost certainly even more ridiculous than you took him for. But that certainly wouldn’t dissuade him from trying his best to capture your attention.

“You’re taking me so well,” he cooed as you slowly eased yourself along his length. The pleasure was more than enough to send you reeling as you grinded down on top of his lap.

“I always do,” you hummed, setting a slow pace as you savored the feeling of him filling you up. “Don’t I, Fíli?”

He looked at you with half-lidded eyes as he watched you take all of him, smiling when you wrapped one of your hands in his hair to anchor yourself. “Fuck, ghivashel…”

His eyes rolled back for a moment from the feeling of your cunt sucking him in, a mixture of your arousal and his pre-cum already making a mess where you two were connected. 

With a playful smirk, you positioned his head to face you dead on. “Come on, now. Don’t grow quiet now, love. Tell me how good I’m making you feel, hm?”

He pulled you close, chuckling as he planted kisses along your neck. “You always look so gorgeous when you’re like this.” His hands found purchase on your sides, massaging circles along your hips as he watched you take him so deliciously. 

Your pace quickened at the praise, deciding to reward him for his good behavior. “And?”

His breathing was becoming slightly uneven now and it was taking all of his willpower to not turn the tides and pound you into the mattress. Gods, the things you did to him were enough to drive him crazy. 

“A-and,” he paused, a moan ripping out of him as you slammed your hips against his. “That’s it, right there. Please, don’t stop now. You’re perfect.”

His kisses were becoming more sloppy against your skin as he teased one of your nipples with his tongue, eliciting a moan out of you as you leaned into his touch. You tightened your grip on his hair and smiled at the way he melted into the palm of your hand. Just the sight of him desperately trying to keep it together was enough to make you even wetter as you continued bouncing on his cock. 

“Ahh, please,” he whined, bucking his hips up into you, reaching deeper inside you as you buried your head in the crook of his neck, your moans and heavy breathing only warming his ears. “Y/N, it’s like you were made for me, for this… Nobody else can fuck me the way you do.”

A sharp cry came from you as a padded thumb found your clit, rubbing gently in tandem with his thrusts and your grinding. “Fuck, Fíli, you’re doing so good. Keep talking, please.” 

Between his whining voice and the sheer pleasure of you riding him, you could tell you were getting close. 

And between your dominating attitude and the way your pussy was drowning his cock, he was also very close to the brink. 

But that dominating attitude was quickly whittling away with every thrust of your lover as he bullied his cock deeper inside you, going faster and harder as he sent you bouncing on his cock. Your hands moved to steady themselves on his shoulders, digging your nails and leaving red marks on his war-scarred skin just to anchor yourself as best as possible.

“You’re driving me wild, Y/N–” He was barely keeping himself coherent now as his thrusts sent you bouncing on his cock with such intensity that you were starting to go dumb. “Fuck, I’m getting close now.”

“Fíli, don’t stop,” you pleaded, biting into his shoulder now to keep yourself from melting into his violent pacing. “Come on now, we can hang in there a little longer, hm?”

He let out a guttural moan at your words, knowing it would be more fun if he complied. 

“Anything for you, ghivashel,” he whined in between thrusts, trying his best to hold out. “Gods, you’re so warm, so tight. You’re so fucking perfect. I could fuck you like this forever–”

More babbling spewed from your lover’s lips as he lost himself in the overwhelming pleasure of your pussy pulsing around his length as you came. 

Your grip on his shoulders tightened as his name was all you could scream, his thrusts slowing down enough for you to ride your high before quickly speeding back up so he could chase his own. Tears brewed in your eyes as the overstimulation was starting to hit you, feeling so sensitive that pain and pleasure seemed one and the same now. You bit his shoulder harder this time, knowing it would certainly leave a mark in the morning, and the next few thrusts led to him painting your walls white. 

A mixture of him and you was beginning to leak out from where you were connected as the two of you could only swallow each other’s moans in the sloppiest kiss imaginable. His hands rubbing soothing circles into your back now as your own moved to massage his now tender shoulders.

“Shall we keep going?” You grinned, feeling him begin to grow hard again as you moved yourself against him.

Two weeks had passed since that wild rainy night, but with how busy you were, it felt like years. Finally finished in Gondor, you had just finished touring in Rohan and were scheduled to arrive in Moria by tomorrow night. Each performance left you all running ragged as this stretch of the tour allowed little time for freedom; the moment the band was offstage, it was time to move to the next city or town. But the hustle and bustle had begun to slowly wear you all down. Even the media content had slowed down; with how often you were moving, the band seemed to barely have free time for press interviews.

The only silver lining of your constant moving was that Fíli was much less interested in pushing your buttons. Lately, his only interests outside of performing had been sleeping and songwriting. Kíli and Gimli had been going out much less, too. Ori seemed less chipper than his usual self. You could even feel yourself becoming more easily irritated as the days dwindled by.

Needless to say, you were all feeling burnt out at the half-way point in the tour.

And that wasn’t all. The storm in Gondor had messed up your travel schedules so badly that you were now sleeping on the bus with the band and Thorin. It wasn’t the worst thing that could’ve happened, but five new roommates for the last five days was definitely giving you more insight on the things you didn’t already know about your friends, both good and bad. 

By the first night, you quickly learned that Gimli snored as if he wished to awaken a dragon. You were seriously considering buying headphones to wear at night just to deal with the noise. You also learned that Ori handled his nighttime skincare very seriously. On the other hand, Kíli did not treat his skin with the same regard. And frankly, it was appalling.

“You mean absolutely no moisturizer?” You had asked incredulously. It’s not as if you had expected him to have a crazy skincare routine, but moisturizer was integral! “Like, none at all?”

“Trust me, I’ve already tried to talk some sense into him about it,” Ori sighed. “There’s no use.”

“I don’t like how it feels!” Kíli groaned. “We’ve been over this.”

“Honestly, your skin must feel so dry without it,” you mused. “And all that sweating on stage…”

“I shower too, you know!” He sunk into his bunk bed, running a hand through his hair. Ever the drama queen. “Besides, my skin is as smooth as ever. It’s not dry and all I need to do is wash my face. Sometimes I even put sunscreen on.”

“Sunscreen at night does nothing for you,” Fíli chimed in.

“Thank you!” Ori exclaimed. “And here I’ve been getting treated like I’m crazy.”

“Crazy about things like moisturizer,” Kíli teased.

“And let him be!” You laughed, coming to Ori’s defense. “Besides, isn’t sunscreen bad for you at night?” 

“I heard it makes you break out,” Fíli added. Ori nodded in agreement.

“I can’t imagine being alright with sunscreen but refusing something as basic as moisturizer. And what’s crazier is that you don’t even use it.” You were still in shock from this revelation. “I mean, your skin looks good despite–”

“And what’s even crazier is how loud you lot are!” Gimli scolded, opening his bed’s curtain to glare at you all, a sleeping mask strapped to his forehead. “Can a dwarf get any sleep on this bus?” 

“Apologies, sleeping beauty,” Fíli joked, relaxing into his own bed. “Looks like the party’s over.”

“Sounds like he could use some moisturizer,” Kíli chimed in. 

Ori rolled his eyes. “Kíli, that doesn’t even make sense.”

Conversations like these were becoming much more common between you. It gave you a warm feeling in your chest to feel so included in the group. At this point, you even felt like family. Even your rather cold boss had grown a bit warmer towards you, albeit with much smaller gestures. You could’ve swore you’d seen him smile at one of your jokes once!

Another thing you had learned, aside from Kíli’s deplorable skincare routine, was that Fíli was quite the insomniac. You had woken up a handful of times in the middle of the night to find him sitting on the couch, watching a movie or scrolling on his phone while listening to music. Tonight was one of those such nights. 

The route to Moria was full of rough bumps, as the mountain roads were in a desperate need for repaving. You woke up from the turbulence, bleary-eyed as you looked at the time on your phone. It was nearly five in the morning; it would soon be day. You frowned, letting out a defeated groan as you fixed the curtains bordering your bed, hoping you would be able to go back to sleep before the sun rose. Your head returned to your beloved pillow, but the road ahead had other ideas. Minutes passed and each bump or hole in the road only seemed to wake you up more and more until you were quite grumpy and equally parched. 

Finally accepting defeat, you crawled out of bed to head for the kitchen. Maybe some water was just what your body needed. Some nice cold water would surely help you go back to sleep. Right?

You tried to keep yourself from tripping in the dimly lit bus, still not used to roaming around whenever the bus was moving. Your tired eyes seemed glued to the floor as you put your entire mental power into not falling on your ass. 

“Careful, there,” you heard a soft voice say. You looked up to find Fíli sprawled out on the couch, cushions around him with his phone in hand. 

“You should be sleeping, you’ve got a performance tomorrow night,” you said, finally managing to make it to the kitchen. 

You opened the fridge, holding on with a death grip as you grabbed yourself a bottle of crisp, cool water.

“You mean tonight? It’s already tomorrow.” He chuckled. “And I could say the same about you.”

“This whole bus is shaking too much,” you said in between sips. “I couldn’t go back to sleep.”

“Ah, I see.” He nodded. He sat up, clearing the couch that was covered in pillows and blankets before patting it down twice with his hand. “Well, feel free if you need company.”

There was tension in the air still lingering between you after his behavior at the hotel. A part of you thought to keep it there, not necessarily eager to bring it up again, even if it was counterproductive to your job. But for some reason, be it sleep deprivation or the desperate rocking of the bus, you found yourself joining him on the couch.

“Trying to take away my ammo?” You joked as you approached him, gesturing to all the pillows he was now hoarding away from you.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again,” he chuckled. “You’ve got one hell of a throw.”

You sat down, snatching one of the plush cushions from him anyways. You took another drink of your water, the cool temperature making you wish you were back in bed, covered in blankets.

“What are you up to this late?” You peered over to see what was on his phone, but he quickly turned its screen away from you. 

“Nosy, aren’t we?” He raised a brow.

“Secretive, aren’t we?” You threw back.

“Touché,” he smiled. “But still, it’s not for anyone else’s eyes yet.”

You sighed. “So I can’t know what you’re doing every night when you’re up so late?”

“Y/N, if you think of me late at night, there’s easier ways to admit that,” Fíli smirked, sitting up.

A beat passed between you after he spoke; you could tell he felt awkward after saying that, his wit beating his rational judgement.

“As if.” You scoffed, and you hoped it was enough to let him know that you weren’t going to take it against him. “Seriously, what is it?”

“A song I’m working on,” he answered, opening his phone back up but closing out the app he was hiding from you. “It’s just got a melody right now; I’ve been working on the lyrics. But it’s not ready yet.”

You took another sip of your water, now feeling sleep slowly come back to you as you yawned.

“I haven’t even shown the boys.” He admitted quietly.

“Not even Ori?” You asked.

Fíli nodded, setting his phone down after checking the time. “Not even him. It’s a bit… personal.”

You hummed in acknowledgement, not wanting to press any more. He didn’t seem ready to share and you knew better than to let your curiosity get the better of you.

“It’s something a lot different than what we normally do.” He added quietly.

“Don’t tell me that you’re suddenly writing ska music,” you joked, attempting to lighten the air.

“No, no, of course not,” he laughed. “Not that there’s anything wrong with ska.”

“Eh, I’m not the biggest fan,” you shrugged your shoulders.

Fíli raised an eyebrow. “Yeah? What’s wrong with ska?”

“It’s just not my thing,” you smiled and shrugged.

“Then what music do you like?” He turned to face you more directly, setting his phone down. “Other than ours, of course.”

“Bold of you to assume I like your music,” you teased, bringing the water to your lips once more.

He brought a hand to his chest, feigning hurt. “You wound me. I would hope you like it considering where you are right now.”

He gestured to the tour bus with a fake shocked expression and you had to stop yourself from laughing too loudly.

“I like it enough.” 

“Then what do you listen to when you’re not listening to us all day?”

You drew in a breath, thinking. “Honestly? I don’t have time to listen to much anymore, I guess. Between your concerts and my editing, I’m kind of only ever listening to you guys.”

You didn’t catch it, but a slight frown fell on Fíli’s features.

“But I love power ballads,” you answered, a smile on your face. “I grew up listening to them a lot as a kid.”

Fíli returned your smile. “That’s cute.”

A lull of silence brushed over you two, smiling to yourselves in the dark. You could feel yourself drifting to sleep, the bumps in the road becoming more hypnotizing than annoying now.

“What did you do before this?” Fíli asked. “You know, before my uncle hired you.”

“Hm?” You looked at him, waking up a little. “Oh, I was an intern for my professor’s company. He had me manage their website and Facebook while I was there.”

“Really? That seems wildly different than what you’re doing here,” he said.

“It was,” you agreed. “But it got me this job, so I can’t complain too much. It was nice to start out with something familiar after college.”

“This is familiar?”

“A little,” you nodded. “I’m still managing your band’s Facebook, you know. But now I do a lot more. A lot more.”

You emphasised the last part, looking away for a moment as you dwelled in your own reverie. It was hard to believe that you were here at all. Your portfolio spoke for itself, along with your work ethic, but you had never thought you’d actually be here today.

“Do you miss it?”

“You’re asking a lot of questions,” you said, coming back to reality as you looked over to the blond bassist. “Sounds like you’re the nosy one now.”

Fíli chuckled softly, shaking his head. “I just feel like I don’t know you as well as the others.”

“Maybe because you’re never around? It seems like you always run off whenever you have free time.” You raised a brow. “I thought I made that clear at the pool the other day.”

“You’re right,” he nodded, silent for a moment. 

You frowned, now worried that you shouldn’t have mentioned the pool again. The incident.

“I wanted to apologize for my behavior that day.”

“You don’t need to do that,” you shook your head. “It’s behind us, even you said so.”

But you felt a tinge of relief at hearing him say it out loud.

“I know,” he drew in a sigh, now turning his gaze to the window. “But I think about it here and there and I feel bad for misreading the situation. It doesn’t usually happen to me.”

You laughed to yourself. “So I wounded your ego; is that what you’re saying?”

“What? Not at all,” he said, shaking his head as he looked at you again. “I just feel like I crossed a line back then and I want to assure you that I don’t intend to do so again.”

You fell silent, taking in his words as the earnest gleam in his eyes seemed to sway you. He was being genuine; it wasn’t something you weren’t used to seeing from him. 

You turned away now, looking out the window to see the black sky just beginning to dye itself blue. The sun would be rising soon.

“Thank you,” you said, a yawn briefly interrupting you. “I really appreciate that.”

Fíli picked his phone back up, raising his eyebrows at the dimly lit screen. “It’s already past five. Where did the time go?”

“I think it’s time to pause your songwriting and get some sleep,” another yawn escaped you. “And that definitely includes me.”

Suddenly the couch felt lighter, Fíli’s weight leaving it as he stood up and wrapped a blanket around your shoulders. 

“Come on, then let’s get you back in there,” he said as he took your drink out of your hands and helped you up. “Can’t have our media manager on an empty battery, now can we?”

You groaned at the thought, letting him pull you off of the couch. “Thorin would kill me.”

Fíli couldn’t help his laugh. “My uncle? If anything, he’d kill me for keeping you up. My brother and I have been pushing his buttons since we were born.”

“You always push my buttons, you know,” you chuckled softly. 

“Yeah, that’s fair,” he frowned.

“Maybe that’s because my buttons are easy to push,” you offered.

He smiled, helping you back to your bed. “Maybe I like pushing your buttons.”

You clambered into your bed, eagerly welcomed back by your fluffy blanket and pillow. You closed your eyes, mumbling out one last “Good night, Fíli.”

And if your eyes hadn’t been closed, you would’ve seen the lingering smile Fíli had on his face as he had said good-night back. 

Finally rested and off of the bus, you were more than happy to have finally made it to Moria. Moria served as the beginning of the end of the tour. You were all staying for two weeks to put on eight shows, lodging provided by Thorin’s long time friend, Balin. After this, you would all be back on the road until you had reached Hobbiton for the final three performances.

You were more than grateful to be back in hotels with fresh linens, a comfort you had almost forgotten while on the tour bus. But the boys were arguably more excited than you, as a bunch of their friends lived in the city. You had overheard their plans to throw a huge party at one of the hotel’s many ballrooms. Ori had family here in the Mines of Moria who couldn’t seem to stop gushing over him whenever he brought them over to meet his band mates. Kíli and Fíli had already invited all of their local friends to come to tonight’s show and afterparty. Even Gimli had chimed in to help. Being in a familiar city seemed to be doing numbers for the group and you were more than happy to have a break from being their roommate.

“We can invite my cousins! Dori would love the wine,” Ori shouted.

“Yes! And we should get kegs so me and Nori can do our keg stand tricks!” Kíli added.

“Make that three, I think my father and uncle will be coming in, too,” Gimli chimed in.

“Easy, easy! We still have to get all the supplies before we start inviting everyone all willy-nilly,” Balin spoke, laughing at the youngsters. He was an older dwarf, even older than Thorin, with a cheeky glint in his eye that you appreciated.

You smiled at his comment, enjoying the mood around you as everyone’s spirits felt so much lighter in a familiar city. You had seen how beat the boys were after their last few performances, so the fact that they were up to planning and holding a huge party after their opening night here made you relieved to see they were having fun again.

“I’ll handle the invitations to our friends and family,” Thorin said. “Balin can help with the decorations here while you four get ready for your performance tonight.”

“Ooh, we should make it have a theme! I love themed parties!” Ori grinned.

“A theme?” Gimlí grunted. “I don’t want to bother with picking an outfit.”

“That’s true,” Kíli agreed. “We’re already going to be tired from the show…”

“Come on,” Fíli finally spoke up, getting off of his phone to pay attention. “A theme would be fun! What did you have in mind?”

Ori waved his hands about excitedly while practically jumping in his seat. “A metal masquerade!”

“A metal masquerade?” You raised a brow. “How does that work?”

“Just like a regular masquerade, but obviously metal. You know, lots of black of course. Our fans would love it too, I’m sure!” Ori explained.

You sat back, opening your phone to write down some notes. “We could make it a theme for the concert too, then. That way the fans could join in.”

“Aye, like we did in Gondor for Durin’s Day?” Gimli asked.

“Exactly!” Ori answered.

“That’s not half bad,” Kíli smirked. “I’m sure my fans would love to see how nice I clean up.”

“I might do some makeup,” Ori thought out loud. “Ooh! I could make my mask just made of makeup instead of a real one!”

“Now that sounds like a plan,” Fíli put his hand to Ori’s shoulder. “The ladies go crazy for the makeup, trust me.”

“Eyeliner is a lady killer!” Kíli chimed in, now on the other side of Ori. “I saw it on TikTok.”

“Y/N, do you think you could make that work in the next hour?” Thorin looked at you, gesturing to your phone. “I worry it’s too soon to tack on a theme for the concert…”

“Don’t worry!” Ori grinned. “Our fans are dedicated enough!”

You stood up, putting your phone away so you could make a beeline for your hotel room. “If I start right now, then I can get it up and posted in about an hour or two?”

“Then off you go!” Balin shooed you away with a laugh. “It’s going to be quite a busy night!”

“I can’t wait!” Ori cheered.

And busy the night was, indeed! And already quite the success. After retiring to your room to post about the dress code, Thorin had come over to introduce you to Threl, who would be your assistant until your final show in the Shire.

“He’s more than accomplished, and I trust he won’t disappoint.” Thorin had praised. “He’ll also be handling most of your videography while you’re here, so you can give more attention to everything else. I can’t have my band’s social media manager running out on me now that we’re at our most busy.”

Threl was around the same age as Kíli and Fíli, with deep almond skin and dark reddish-brown hair, which was tied up in a bun to keep out of his face. He held a hand towards you, a grin on his face.

“I’m here for whatever you may need,” he said, his voice like honey. “Thorin’s kept me up to speed.”

You smiled and shook his hand, excited to get to work with him. “Well, hopefully that list isn’t too long.”

Luckily, you had managed to get the outfit theme announcement out in time and thousands of fans arrived with masks on and gorgeous outfits put together. Honestly, you were a little jealous of some of their closets! It also made for great video content for Threl to capture, who was traveling across the stage whenever he needed a new angle.

He was just as capable as Thorin had advertised him as. Right from the start, Threl had no issue taking your directions as you showed him your past posts for inspiration. He had already seen half of them, too, making sure to study up on what you were expecting before even meeting you. He was skilled with his camera and even quicker than you were, managing to keep out of the way while snagging some of the best angles you’d seen yet! And with him out there doing half of the work, you now had a lot more time on your hands. Truly, you wished you had gotten an assistant sooner with how easy this was making your job!  

You were in awe at how put together everything was. The concert was arguably one of their best; they were performing to a sold out crowd, with energy and control you’d never seen from them at previous performances. A part of you wondered if the party helped to fuel as incentive, but in your heart, you knew the key was being in such a familiar city that they could also call home. They were at their best when surrounded by the people and places they loved; you had seen it in Mirkwood from Kíli and Gimli. But now, in the great dwarven mining town of Moria, all four of the band were truly alive. Even Thorin Oakenshield, a dwarf you had come to recognize as curt, to-the-point and a little grumpy for your tastes, was grinning ear to ear with his friends backstage. 

And for a moment, you could tell where Fíli got his smile from.

The music was pounding as you walked further backstage to the green room, wanting to catch up on some editing now that you finally had the chance. You could hear the crowd screaming and the pyrotechnics being triggered before you shut the door, taking a seat in an armchair as you readied your laptop. A smile spread on your face at the familiar sound of the adoring audience. 

This was definitely the highlight of your career so far.

Hearing the audience roar over Ori’s vocals was enough to make you beam with pride and excitement. You still couldn’t believe you were here sometimes. Fresh out of college and serving as the media manager for one of Middle Earth’s most famous metal bands? If you had been told this a year ago, you would have laughed. But it was becoming so surreal, so familiar now, that it was beginning to feel like home.

There was still about two hours left of the concert when Thorin walked in, coming to take a water bottle from the stash in the corner. He looked over at you, grabbing a second water bottle that he placed on the coffee table as he took a seat next to you.

“How is everything going?” He asked, prompting you to look up at him as he nodded towards your laptop. 

“Really well,” you acknowledged with a smile. “It really helps having Threl out there while I can work on this.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” he nodded. “I’m sorry we weren’t able to accommodate you with him earlier in the tour.”

“It’s fine, I managed,” you wave him off. “I’m just glad he’s here now.”

“You did much more than manage, I can assure you,” he shook his head. “The fans and outreach speak for themselves.”

“Honestly, they do half of my job for me,” you joked. “All I do is give them fan-cams.”

“You’ve been doing an impeccable job,” he said, his deep voice humming with approval. “You should know that.”

You fell silent, not used to such outward praise from your boss. You smiled at him, closing your laptop and taking a sip from the water he had fetched for you.

“Thank you, that really means a lot, Thorin.”

Thorin Oakenshield, a dwarf you had come to recognize as your no-nonsense boss, was never the typical employer or band manager you had expected. He had a slight temper, and sometimes he wasn’t great at explaining what he needed from people, but he cared deeply. About the band, about its members, and even about you. He knew when to reprimand his nephews or correct the band’s schedule, and he was always very thoughtful about it.

Which meant that if he was sitting here, telling you just how good you were doing at your job, then he meant every word of it.

“In the past, we haven’t had many in your position who were able to keep up with the workload.” He took a sip of his water. “But you’ve truly outshone them.”

You grinned, basking in the praise. “I do my best.”

And it was true. After all, the band’s social media was your biggest portfolio credit yet. With over five hundred thousand followers, to boot.

“And I can see that in your work,” Thorin agreed, his voice softening. “So when this is over, I want us to have a discussion about hiring you full time, regardless of tours.”

You immediately sat up straighter, almost dropping your laptop in shock. “Really?”

“You’ve already proven yourself more than enough,” he nodded. “And I see the way the boys are around you. Even from just doing your job, you help them work better in theirs. That’s the kind of people we need in this industry.”

He stood up, brushing off his pants. “Now isn’t the time or place, but I suggest you consider it as an option before the tour ends. I know that may not be enough time, with only a month left, but we can talk more once we’re back in Erebor.”

You nodded, trying your best to find the words while containing your excitement. “Yes! Yes, of course. I look forward to it, sir.”

And with another nod, Thorin took his water bottle and headed for the door. But before leaving, he turned back to you.

“Will you be at the afterparty?” He asked, his voice a bit louder now. It was probably harder to hear near the door.

You checked your phone, looking at the time. “I haven’t decided yet. There’s still a lot to post before tonight’s over. And I have no clue how much footage Threl has for me to go through.”

Thorin hummed in acknowledgement, looking down at the ground for a moment before returning your gaze. He held up his phone, checking something.

“I’ll send Threl back here with the footage he’s got, then. Use that for tonight’s show. After that, I encourage you to take the night off and join us at the ballroom.” Thorin cleared his throat. “Be sure to let Threl know too; he’s more than welcome.”

“Of course, sir.” You nodded, opening your laptop back up before pausing. “Wait, I don’t think I have anything to wear on theme…”

“I can send Balin to take care of that,” he reassured, now typing something on his phone before giving his attention back to you. “For now, just focus on your work.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you,” you smiled at him, trying your best to hold back your excitement until he left.