(no subject)

[durincest]

[Traveling alone was much harder than Kili had anticipated.

He'd packed everything he'd needed in the dead of night, so perhaps a lot of the trouble was there. Things with Fili weren't...going well, and he just needed to go. Maybe some time apart would help, and Kili was anxious to prove himself anyway.

It takes longer than he'd expected to find Thorin. He'd known at least where his uncle was headed, having maybe listened in on a conversation Thorin had with Dis. But the first village he found was devoid of any familiar dwarves, though he did find someone who pointed him in the right direction.

By the time he staggers into the right town, he's tired and hungry and footsore. Men make him nervous, and he eyes them uneasily, one hand tight around his sword hilt as he wandered through the village.

It's luck that takes him past the forge, and his eyes seek out a familiar face, searching, until finally he catches sight of Thorin, beating hot metal into place.]

Thorin! [Heedless now of his blistered feet and exhaustion, a smile splits the young dwarf's face and he dashes to greet him.]

Comments

[durincest]

[Kili stirs a little at all the tossing and turning his uncle is doing and lets out a soft sigh, eyes fluttering open as he yawns.]

Thorin?

[kinginexile]

[He'll sit up, pushing the pillow onto his lap as he looks over at Kili in the dark.]

Did I wake you? It's nothing... go back to sleep.

[Maybe he should take a walk or something. Go have a smoke just outside the inn to calm his nerves, not that it had helped him before bed in the first place.]

[durincest]

[Even in the dark, Kili frowns, reaching out for a handful of his uncle's shirt. He's sleepy but a little worried about Thorin.]

Something wrong, Uncle?

[kinginexile]

[If Thorin could give you a list of things wrong you would not sleep this night either, Kili. Immediately wrong? Nothing much, things wrong that he wanted to change, many. The tug of his shirt has him reaching semi-blind in the dark to feel for his nephew, petting a hand down his mused hair to reassure him.]

Tis nothing but sleep hiding from me.

[durincest]

[A second hand joins the first, entwining in Thorin's front. Kili scoots closer to his uncle, leaning against him and yawning softly. He smiles sleepily at the mussing of his hair.]

Is there maybe something I could do?

[kinginexile]

[Even as Kili gets older and tries to prove himself as an adult, he still behaves much like a child around Thorin at times. Like now. Leaning against him, clinging to his shirt like the little dwarrow he had been. It felt like the years had passed too quickly, one moment he was barely at his knees and now Kili stood almost as tall as him.]

Mm, go back to sleep.

[Thorin will say, ruffling Kili's hair now. He shouldn't have to be awake because his uncle was after all.]

You will need your rest after your journey, if you wish to work.

[durincest]

[Kili wants to be an adult, but in many ways he just isn't ready to give up being a child. He's grown used to being coddled and spoiled, even in the Blue Mountains. He nearly always gets his way, and when he doesn't, he pitches an enormous fit until he does.

So yes. He behaves like a child in some ways because he honestly doesn't know better.]

You need rest too, Thorin.

[kinginexile]

Aye, but there is nothing you can do about it, now...

[Thorin will take up his pillow and shove it against Kili's face. Not forcefully mind you, almost playfully, if Thorin could manage that.]

Go to sleep.

[He says this as he lays back down as well, stealing Kili's pillow, since he'd given the lad his in turn.]

[durincest]

[Keep up the games and Kili definitely won't be going back to sleep! He giggles, taking Thorin's pillow and giving his uncle a good swat with it.]

Not until you do!

[kinginexile]

[Kili are you five? He's played this game years ago. Usually with two young dwarrows coming at him with pillows as they fought valiantly to not be put to bed. They were lacking one dwarf, but still, Kili seemed ever the same no matter his size.

Thorin will roll over and give Kili a look, if he can see it that is.]

And how do you think I shall manage to sleep with your horsing around?

[durincest]

[Come on Thorin, you totally started it. Kili just took that as an invitation.

And yeah...yeah, he's pretty much five.]

...I don't know, but you started it.

[kinginexile]

[... so rolling his eyes at you. He'll roll back over again, back to Kili and he'll 'sleep'. Or, close his eyes and sigh heavily and wish he was sleeping.]

...

[Maybe part of him doesn't want to fall asleep, he doesn't want to deal with inevitable nightmares, but gods what he'd give for one night where he just slept through it all. Rolling onto his back now, Thorin will stare up at the ceiling, hands knit together on his chest.]

I am almost tempted to ask you to sing me a lullaby.

[durincest]

[Aww. Kili pouts a little when Thorin rolls over, but this once he doesn't throw a fit over it. He is tired, after all.

And then Thorin rolls onto his back, which Kili of course takes as an invitation to curl up against him and rest his head on his uncle's broad shoulder.]

I can do that, if you want. I won't be as good as you, though.

[It's a little backwards, but Kili doesn't mind! He's eager to please, particularly when it comes to impressing his uncle.]

[kinginexile]

[Kili is warm against him and it's comforting, perhaps it's what he needs. How many times had he roughed about with the boys when they'd been younger, worn them out till they crashed and found himself sleeping with them as well. Read them a bedtime story only to wake up a few hours later having dozed off too, two little dwarrows curled against his sides, or one in his lap, the other leaning against him.

So to him this wasn't as strange as others may view it.]

Do you remember any that I've sung to you?

[He'll smile just a little, fingers gently carding into Kili's hair, meaning to be soothing.]

[durincest]

[Thorin isn't home much anymore, and Kili's missed his uncle terribly. There had been many a night that he and Fili had fallen asleep by the fire, waiting for Thorin to come home. Curling up against his side, resting comfortably against him, it made Kili feel so safe.

Perhaps it was because he had barely known his own father. The flashes he did remember were mostly from nightmares, which had faded once he'd started to sleep in Fili's bed. Thorin was the father that Kili never had, and no one made him feel more protected.

The feel of fingers in his hair is achingly familiar, and Kili smiles as well, his eyes closing for a moment or two.]

I remember all of them, Uncle.

[Here, in a private setting, Kili felt comfortable just calling Thorin "Uncle". Outside, where others could hear them, he was just "Thorin". Thorin had insisted on it when the lads were young in order to protect them, and it had stuck pretty easily.]

[kinginexile]

[Kili sounds so proud saying he remembers them all and Thorin can't help but chuckle.]

One will suffice for tonight.

[durincest]

Alright.

[Kili smiles at his uncle, snuggling in a little closer and clearing his throat before he starts to sing.

His voice isn't nearly as low as Thorin's, and he stumbles a little over some of the more ancient Khuzdul words. It's his native language, yes, but some of the words in the song are from the days of the Seven Fathers. Still, he enjoys himself and he does his best.]

[kinginexile]

[No matter the imperfections of Kili's performance, part way through it does seem to start working. Thorin closes his eyes and lets himself focus on the song. Eventually fingers that had been gently kneading his nephew's hair slow and still, signaling that Thorin has actually dozed off.

Only the softness of his breathing can be heard when Klli finishes singing.]

[durincest]

[He doesn't really notice how Thorin has stilled until he stops singing. A quick glance up at his uncle confirms that yes, he has fallen asleep, which makes Kili smile.

He snuggles a little closer, letting out a soft sigh as he too drifts off.]

[kinginexile]

[The nightmares did come that night, but not bad enough to cause him to wake. Thankfully he sleeps till dawn, waking when light peeks through a window. Shifting, Thorin finds it difficult to move, like someone is on top of... oh. Well someone was on top of him. Sort of. Kili had decided to use him as a human body pillow during the night and was half laying on top of him.

Trying to shift him off without waking the lad was not going well and he might just have to wake him. Nudging the young dwarf in his side, Thorin will mutter for Kili to get off.]

[durincest]

[It's just a natural sort of projection of how Kili sleeps. Poor Fili usually has to deal with it, and after years and years of it, he's gotten used to it. But Thorin, Kili doesn't usually sleep next to him, if only because he's not often home.

Kili stirs sleepily when Thorin nudges him, mumbling into his shoulder.]

Nnh...Fili, I'm sleeping...

[kinginexile]

[... yes, yes he can see that, Kili. He'll try again to move the dwarf off him, a bit more forcefully. Fingers ghost over Kili's side a bit, accidentally sort of tickling the younger dwarf.]

Oi, Kili, up.

[You can go back to sleep once you're off him. Thorin has to go to work boy!]

[durincest]

[Kili starts to giggle at the accidental tickling, his eyes fluttering open.

And for a minute...he's disappointed to see Thorin instead of Fili.]

Mmm. Sorry Uncle.

[He rolls off, stretching out.]

[kinginexile]

[It's almost tempting to actually tickle Kili, it was always good to hear the lads happy. The tickle monster had visited both boys back when they were young and he remembered tickling them so bad they had the hiccups. Not that they didn't get him back for it later.

Having uncle Thorin be their pony and using his braids as reigns, yep.]

Sleep well did you?

[Thorin sits up, but ruffles Kili's sleepy bedhead fondly.]

[durincest]

[He gives Thorin a little smile, but he can't shake that heartsick longing he has for his brother. For one glorious moment, he'd forgotten everything. He'd thought he was safe, curled up against his brother, loved and wanted.

Kili is an open book and his pain reads in his eyes.]

...Yeah. Better than on the road.