Big thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter!

I want to especially thank ScribeOfRED, who gave me some truly awesome advice. Much appreciated!

And to Arlothia, who asked for some concerned!Kili, I hope this is what you're looking for! :)

I know Fili was quite out of character in the last chapter, but I think I've managed to restrain myself from pushing him too far in this one. :P

I hope you all like it!

X

Thorin sits there with him for several moments, unmoving, and Fili gradually quiets. It is so comfortable here. His uncle is warm and solid, smelling familiarly of smoke and pine, and Fili actually starts to drifts off.

Thorin obviously senses this and immediately pulls back, waiting until Fili looks up at him before speaking.

"Fili, I know you are tired, but we need to get you warm and dry, and Oin must look at your wounds. Are you ready to move?"

Fili blinks quickly, feeling as Thorin had been holding him for much longer than a few minutes. He's suddenly even more exhausted than before and moving is the last thing he wants to do right now, but Thorin is moving away from him and Dwalin is moving forward to pick him up again.

"I c-can walk," Fili says quickly. He is suddenly a little embarrassed. Everything looks different from this side of the river. Yes, he is still cold, and yes he is still in agony, but being out of the water and knowing he is safe again puts quite a different perspective on things. The horror and fear of being left to die has faded, and he now wonders if he panicked too quickly.

After all his hard work to prove to Thorin he is old enough and strong enough to go on this journey, what just happened must have not made a very good impression. He avoids everyone's eyes, wishing that so many of them had not been around to witness his moment of weakness.

"I don't know about that," Dwalin says after a moment, meeting Thorin's eyes over Fili's head.

"I can." Fili grits his teeth and gets one elbow under him.

"Let him try. We will assist him if he needs it." Thorin seems to know exactly what Fili is feeling at the moment, and he stands up and moves a little ways back, his sharp blue eyes landing on Gloin and Bofur. "Gloin, Bofur, will you go ahead and let the others know we are on our way? Dwalin and I will stay with my nephew."

The two dwarves vanish without comment, and Fili is grateful for their absence. He tries to sit up, but the strain is far too great on his ribcage, and he is forced to lay back down, gritting his teeth against the agony.

"Thorin..." Dwalin begins, and then he is silent.

Fili slowly rolls himself onto his right side, trying to use his shoulders and arms to push himself more than any muscles in his torso. There is considerably less pain this way, and once he is on his stomach – elbows on the ground and that hurts – he manages to get his knees under him and starts to stand, forgetting about his ankle.

Thorin grabs him just as he yelps in surprise at the forgotten injury. "That's good enough, Fili. There is no shame in letting us help you back to camp."

Fili doesn't argue – he can't. Putting so much strain on the injuries all over his body has left him breathless, and he is actually glad for Thorin and Dwalin's steadiness to lean on. He can only limp pathetically between them, but at least he is walking.

The walk back to camp seems to take forever, and every step is a struggle not make a sound, to do something weak that will make Dwalin scoop him up and carry him the rest of the way, but he is managing.

"Kili will be glad to see you," Thorin says suddenly, Fili can hear the smile in his uncle's voice. "He has been quite beside himself with worry."

The thought of seeing his younger brother lifts his spirits, and he finds new strength to keep going. In all the madness and pain that just happened Fili had almost forgotten that his brother had also fallen into the river. Granted, he had been pulled out quite soon after, but still.

Fili wants to ask if his brother is okay, but finds he has no breath left over to speak with. All his energy is being put into simply taking the next step forward. His broken ribs are protesting every single movement, and the pain is getting steadily worse. His sudden burst of energy is fading, and he longs to just lay down somewhere and be still. Against his will a tiny whimper finds it way out.

Don't Fili!

"Almost there," Dwalin growls, and Thorin's arm around him tightens a little, taking a little more of his weight.

From ahead of them there is suddenly a shout, and this is the voice Fili knows better than any other. He manages to lift his head, and in the torch light he can see Kili running toward them through the trees, his dark eyes wide.

"Fili! Brother!"

Kili reaches them in a moment, panting but grinning widely, his dark hair wild. "You had me so worried, brother! Did you take a little detour?"

Although he is overjoyed to see his brother, Fili manages only a weak smile back, holding his breath against the pain.

His younger brother's smile rapidly fades, his expression becoming concerned. "What happened? Fili, are you hurt? Uncle?"

"Yes, your brother is hurt. We'll talk about it when we get back to camp," Thorin replies. "You should not be out from under your blanket yet, Kili."

"I'm not cold anymore," Kili replies obstinately, a familiar tone. "I can help Fili, Uncle." He starts to reach for Fili's arm.

"Kili, go and sit down by the fire," Thorin orders, a warning growl in his voice. "We do not yet know the full extent of Fili's injuries. Dwalin and I have him for the moment."

Kili does not argue, and he takes a few steps back, but Fili knows he is sulking in the silence, and he does not go and sit beside the fire, instead trailing behind them.

The last few steps before they reach camp are the hardest, and when Fili is finally set down on a blanket near the fire, he cannot hold back his whimpers of pain, and he squeezes his eyes closed and prays for it to fade away.

"Fili, what's wrong? Tell me, brother." Kili is kneeling beside him, one of Fili's scraped hands held gently in his own. "Where are you hurt? Is it your head?"

Fili gratefully clings to Kili's hand, glad for the comfort and familiarity of his brother's nearness.

"Kili, you need to move back," Dwalin growls. "Oin must take a look at your brother. Move back now, laddie."

"No," Fili gasps, tightening his grip on Kili's hand. "P-please. Let him to stay."

There are a few moments of silence - in which Fili would bet Dwalin and his uncle are exchanging glances - and then Dwalin sighs, "Fine. But stay out of Oin's way."

Despite having his eyes closed, Fili can sense Kili's triumph, and his brother edges a little closer, a warm, confident presence at Fili's side.

Oin moves in then, greeting Fili quietly, and Fili opens his eyes to see what the older dwarf is doing.

"I'm going to take a look at your ribs, laddie. We'll have to take off your tunic. It'll be painful, but you will need to get out of those wet clothes eventually anyway. Don't worry about helping us. We'll do all the work."

Thorin comes back to his other side then, rough hand smoothing back Fili's hair for a brief moment, and then the two dwarves help him sit up again and begin removing his jacket and tunic. The pain of having to move his arms around is extraordinary. His arm muscles of course manage to pull at his chest muscles, which in turn put strain on his ribs, and there are tears of pain in his eyes when they are finally done. He blinks hard, trying to get back his breath.

Don't cry Fili.

"It's okay Fili." Kili's voice is very calm. "Oin will have you fixed up in no time. It's alright brother."

His brother sounding so sure comforts him - despite it being rather odd to be in the position of the comforted rather than the comforter - and Thorin's hand moves to the back of his neck, steadying him. He tries to take tiny breaths so as to move his ribs as little as possible, but it's so hard when his body is screaming for oxygen. He barely notices Oin's gentle hands on his side.

"Prodding too much is only going to cause him unnecessary pain," Oin says gruffly. "He has two broken ribs, any fool could tell. I will bind them, that is the only thing I can do. You won't be able to move very fast for a while, laddie."

As Oin begins wrapping the bandage around his ribs, the pressure against the two broken bones is awful, and he grips Kili's hand as tight as he dares.

Kili does not complain if he is in any discomfort, he only squeezes back. "It's okay Fili."

After what seems like eternity, the pain seems to lessen somewhat. He takes a deeper breath tentatively, thinking it must be his imagination, and although it still hurts, it has definitely lessened.

"The bandages are keeping your ribs from expanding too much," Oin explains when Fili looks up at him in surprised gratitude. "Do not put too much stress on them still."

The relief is overwhelming, but he is too exhausted to speak besides a whispered "Thank you" and can only lean against Kili and take steadying breaths as deep as he dares.

Kili wraps an arm around him, tucking him closer. "Uncle, he is so cold!"

A moment later a heavy fur blanket settles around his shoulders, and Thorin crouches next to him again. "It looks like you took quite a knock to the head as well, Fili. Oin -"

Fili doesn't answer, and he tries to stop listening. Now that the worst of the pain is gone – for now – he is beyond exhausted. He tucks his head under Kili's chin and closes his eyes.

I just want to sleep.

Kili's arms tighten around him protectively, and Fili is such a rare thing for their places to be switched like this, yet Fili is surprised to find he is entirely comfortable with it. Sometimes he forgets just how capable Kili has become – he is not a dwarfling any longer. Of course Fili will never stop protecting his brother, but now he can also depend on protection from Kili in return, and that is a comforting thing to know.

He barely registers Oin cleaning the cut on his temple, and winces only slightly when his boot is removed and his ankle gently inspected. Indeed he seems to be lingering on the border between waking and sleeping, the only certain things in the world at the moment Kili's arms firm and unmoving around him and the deep, reassuring rumble of Thorin's voice in the background of his drifting consciousness.

"Fili, are you awake?" Kili's voice is quiet, but Fili blinks and lifts his head slightly.

"Hmm?" He's too tired to form words. It feels like it's been hours since they returned to camp. Why is Kili waking him now?

"We're going to move you to a more comfortable spot, okay?" Kili pats his arm gently, preparing to stand up. "Oin's done cleaning you up so no reason to keep sitting on the hard ground. Can you move or do you need help?"

Fili is too tired and confused to answer.

Oin just finished? But he started hours ago.

A moment later he is picked up off the ground, and white hot pain shoots down his side, dragging him back from the wonderful haze of warmth and comfort as though it was never there. He yelps in agony and hears a muttered apology from Dwalin before being set down again on a much more comfortable surface.

He presses a palm to his side and grits his teeth until the wave of pain passes, then opens his eyes to see Thorin leaning against the rock nearby. "How do you feel Fili?"

"I feel much better," he replies immediately, trying for a smile.

It's only half a lie, after all. He feels about a thousand times better than he did in that river, even though he is still cold and he'd really rather not move again any time within the next couple of days if it's at all possible.

"Uncle, I should not have..."

He doesn't really know where he's going with that thought, but Thorin stops him anyway with a single glance, lowering his chin and raising his eyebrows slightly.

"Holding onto that rock in that fierce river for so long was no small feat. I am glad to have you back with us in one piece, Fili."

He smiles slightly, his blue eyes kind, and then his gaze shifts. "Kili, I trust you will be spending the rest of the night staying warm as well, instead of gallivanting off in the woods? We cannot have either of you becoming ill."

Kili appears next to him then – he must have been standing just out of sight - smiling sheepishly at his uncle, his dark eyes shining in the firelight. "Yes, Thorin."

"Good." Thorin smiles briefly again at both of his nephews, and heads off toward the fireside to join the rest of the Company.

Kili sits down next to Fili immediately, his dark eyes wide. "How are you feeling brother?"

Fili smiles again, this time for real, and shifts slightly towards his brother, wincing a little. "A lot better." He studies his brother for a moment. "Are you okay Kili?"

Kili rolls his eyes. "Fili. Only you would ask me that when it was you whose life was in danger. I was out of that river in no time."

He lays down next to Fili, pulling a heavy fur blanket over the two of them. "Don't tell Thorin, but I'm still kind of cold though." He grins carelessly.

Fili huffs out a slightly pained laugh. "Isn't this Dwalin's fur?"

Kili winks conspiratorially. "Dwalin lent it to me earlier when he pulled me out of the river and I haven't given it back yet. Isn't it a million times better than our own?"

Fili tries not to laugh, but he can't help it. "Ouch. Stop making me laugh Kili."

Laying on his back hurts, and he rolls slowly onto his right side and curls up a little. His ribs really do feel a million times better bound like this.

"Sorry, Fili."

Fili can hear him smiling. His younger brother moves over so his back is against Fili's, and they lay in silence for a long few moments.

"You scared me, Fili. I didn't know if you were alive or dead."

The quiet whisper sounds a lot more like the young Kili he is used to, and he turns his head back a little. "I'm sorry Kili." He remembers imagining Kili and Thorin and the Company going on to Erebor without him and shivers.

Kili immediately shifts behind him, lifting his head. "Are you cold still?"

Its only then Fili realizes he actually is. Not like he was before, but there is a chill in his bones that has not left him yet.

"A little."

Kili rolls over and wraps an arm around his brother, pulling him in close against his chest, his chin resting on top of Fili's head. "Am I hurting you?"

"No," Fili replies honestly. He leans back against his brother and sighs, relaxing into the warmth.

Kili is always warm, even when he says he's cold. Fili has many, many memories of the two of them as dwarflings curling up together on cold nights – Fili had always got cold easily, but Kili was always warm no matter what.

Now, so many years later, nothing has changed.

It's all so familiar and comfortable, and he feels safe and secure under Kili's arm. He drifts pleasantly on the edge of sleep, soothed by the closeness of his brother and the quiet rumble of Thorin and Dwalin's voices nearby.

Kili pulls him a little closer still, sighing softly. "I got you Fili."

And Fili believes him.

X

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