Disclaimer: I still don't own anything.

A while after Rivendell, as the Misty Mountains grew closer, Thorin called the pair forward before the whole company. Kili instinctively kept close to Fili, their hands touching. Fili's skin prickled, because of the touch and the occasion. Their uncle gazed at them for a moment before nodding.

"You wish to proceed?"

"Yes."

"Together."

Thorin gave a sharp little nod. "Then the blessing is given."

There were no objections from the elders among the company. Instead, Bofur whooped and several others called teasing remarks as Kili pressed a sudden gleeful kiss to his brother's mouth. Thorin's eyes strayed to the watching hobbit, but his next words were directed at his nephews.

"You have this night."

And every other one. Kili and Fili took the first watch of the evening, because otherwise they'd be dragged from their blankets early the next day. Once they were relieved, they found a private place to lie down and in the quiet darkness, they undressed each other, skin sliding against flushed skin and eyes full of what was laid out before them. They touched gently, reverently, the only sound their own breathing. The world around them seemed full of awed silence.

"How did you bear it?" Kili whispered at the corner of Fili's mouth. "All those years…"

Fili gazed at him, at the beautiful dwarf atop him who filled his heart, and kissed him, tenderness pouring abundantly. It was a clear answer.

The kisses between them stayed slow and sweet for a while, until neediness cracked them both and their mouths and hands became hungry and demanding and Kili fought to grasp a flask of something slippery from his discarded breeches. Fili laughed into his brother's cheek because for once Kili thought to be organised, and of course it was now.

He slid into his younger brother with one hand knotted in his hair and a groan on both their lips. Kili sat astride him, sweating and gasping with a fierce love in his eyes that Fili had seen many times before in his own reflection, caged for too long during the years he'd had to keep it mute. Now it was as free as it'd ever been.

He thrust upwards, the heat that had always nestled in his veins firing even hotter. He could never be close enough to Kili, even this didn't feel like enough. He thrust harder and clenched at his brother's waist, giving Kili bruises to match the ones that Fili himself wore, and pushed at places that made Kili's shouts break beautifully. Cresting a wave, Kili leaned down and lapped, eager and adoring, at Fili's mouth. Fili followed him over.

When they weren't on watch, and were ordered not to sneak away together, Kili braided Fili's hair. The nature of the quest meant that by the evening, everybody was looking wild and Kili had always loved the task of braiding. So he sat beside his brother and spent much time combing out the golden strands and twisting them into intricate meaningful braids.

The beads and metal pieces he used were carefully chosen too – this one was the same colour as the Blue Mountains, this one Fili was wearing the first time they'd kissed, this one their mother gave to Fili several years ago, this one matched the colour of Fili's eyes when he was deep in Kili. Kili whispered these things in Fili's ear as he worked, Fili stroking a hand down Kili's leg, gripping tightly whenever his brother's words became too much.

One night, Kili was walking with their uncle, checking for orc tracks as the others concocted supper and gathered firewood. Fili waited by the fire for Kili's return, sewing a very tarnished button back onto his brother's shirt. If it was lost on the ground for orcs, elves or men to find, it would only cause trouble for the company. Sensing a keen and familiar gaze on him, Fili glanced up, catching Bilbo looking in his direction. The hobbit had been doing that a lot lately, and always with that confused expression. Uncle Thorin had been doing a lot of looking too – at Bilbo. There hadn't been enough talking though. Well, Uncle Thorin wasn't currently within earshot to command against it...

"I feel I know how Kili's archery targets feel, you've been gazing at us so often," Fili voiced loud enough for Bilbo to hear.

The hobbit started and looked much abashed. "Oh...I didn't mean to..."

"You'll never get answers unless you ask questions, Mr Baggins."

Taking the invite for what it was, Bilbo brought himself nearer, sitting at Fili's side. He darted looks at Fili for a little while, seeming to gather his courage before speaking. Fili fought to stop himself from plunging right into talk of dwarfish courtships. Bilbo had proved to be very brave, but he still stumbled over his words and went red when some subjects were discussed.

Finally Bilbo spoke, quiet and unsure. "How long have you...courted, you and Kili?"

Fili smiled, finishing the last stitch and admiring his handiwork. "Well over two years, and we've only just reached the final courting stage. At least now we're finally free from needing our uncle's approval for everything."

"There's stages? To dwarfish courting?"

Fili grinned at the hobbit's badly-hidden surprise. "Hobbits aren't the only ones with rules and expectations, you know. We do things properly too."

"Sorry, of course. I'm sure." Bilbo was clearly trying not to say something in his surprise. "I'm sure things are different when you're not on a dangerous quest."

"Not very." Fili tucked the mended shirt into Kili's bedroll. "You're surrounded by dwarf rules, you just haven't noticed."

"Then please enlighten me."

Bilbo sounded frustrated. Well, if he'd asked his questions sooner, maybe he wouldn't be bursting with them now. The dwarves could hardly tell him what he didn't know if he didn't reveal what knowledge he was missing. Maybe, Fili realised, Bilbo had no clue at all about any dwarfish customs. Did Uncle Thorin know that? Fili smiled and heard a whistle not far off; Kili would be by his side again soon.

"Like the way Balin always sits at our uncle's left when we eat, it shows his status, you see. Other dwarves'll know that Balin, or Dwalin because he's next to Balin, are the ones to talk to if they want to approach the King Under The Mountain with any requests."

At Bilbo's thoughtful nod, Fili continued. "Every youngling learns the rules, especially if you're of Durin's line. I lived those lessons 'til I was considered old enough to start learning at uncle's side instead. Uncle was the one who oversaw me and Kili's courting."

Bilbo was fiddling with something in his pocket and his eyes were kept firmly low when he asked his next question. "There's no rules about who can court who?"

Fili chuckled to himself; Gandalf had said something about how different things were in the Shire. He clearly hadn't been joking. "No rules, no. We haven't got an abundance of maids, Mr Baggins, we never have, among dwarves we love who we love. Most everybody's related anyway, our parents are cousins."

"Our mother let our father know of her intentions after beating him at arm-wrestling," piped up Kili as he appeared out of the surrounding darkness.

He ran a chilled hand down Fili's face, causing Fili to knock Kili sideways and drag him close. Kili shoved a cold hand under Fili's shirt in retaliation but his mouth was warm when he kissed Fili's neck, cheek, and mouth in welcome and without apology. Bilbo looked a little embarrassed but he didn't move away. He was getting brave.

"So there are stages, to courting?" he asked, seeming determined to finish this line of questioning.

Kili and Fili sharing mischievous expressions; maybe Bilbo had noticed their uncle's frequent looks at him after all. Maybe he wanted to know how to properly approach Thorin. Kili settled himself down almost behind Fili and began combing his fingers through his brother's hair. Fili made a pleased noise in his throat before addressing Bilbo's question.

"It's simple enough. Once you're at courting age, you start trying to find who might be your One."

"Your One?"

Hobbit courting really was different. Fili's expression twisted with horror and fascination. "Do hobbits not have a One? Someone who lifts and fills your heart? Someone you know you must court because you feel consumed by them and want more anyway?"

Kili's fingernails scratched against Fili's scalp, a thank-you for what Fili was plainly saying about him. Fili kissed the fingers that cradled his jaw.

Bilbo's eyes were a little wider and he looked a bit flushed. "Yes, yes, although I have never…that is to say…"

Kili pinched at Fili's side excitedly – if Bilbo had not found his One in the Shire, then maybe that was what he was feeling for Uncle Thorin. Good news indeed. Of course, the way hobbits went about courting was likely very different. And now that Fili thought about it, there was something Dis had reminded him of, about dwarves' natures, that he had to pass on to Bilbo very soon. But first, the courting.

"I realised Kili was my One when I was not far out of my younger years, but he was still too young for courting. So I couldn't tell him – if Kili had found out, Thorin might have demanded we be separated until Kili came of age, to make sure that we didn't break courting rules before then. So as long as Kili was ignorant of what I'd discovered, we could continue being brothers."

Fili quietened for a moment, remembering all-too-clearly how painful those years had been, living each day beside Kili but being unable to touch and talk as he'd so deeply wished to. Kili pressed a kiss to his temple and wrapped an arm around him. Kili still felt guilty about those years, though there was nothing he could have done to change them.

Fili cleared his throat. "Those years weren't fun but eventually, he reached the right age and I presented him with a courting gift."

Kili drew attention to the clasp in his hair, making sure that Bilbo got a good look at it. "Made it himself, of course. Traditionally the gifts are handmade, personal-like, and practical. You're showing that you know enough about your intended to make them a well-suited gift, and that you can provide what they need."

Bilbo looked like he was taking it all in, but still looked a trifle unsure. "You said 'gifts.'"

"Ah, well the gifts don't stop there," Kili explained, sounding like he was really getting into the conversation now. "Once one of you has presented a gift and it's accepted by the other, then the receiver makes and presents a gift too. Then you decide who'll oversee the courting and arrange it, so they can begin marking your first year. Throughout the year, you make and give gifts to each other."

Fili tapped a finger against the boot on Kili's right foot. "I learned to boil and work leather so I could make Kili these."

"And I sat with Ori and knitted until Fili had gloves to warm his hands."

"The first time he tried, one glove had six fingers," File confided, mock-gravely.

Kili pulled the braid he was working on tighter than necessary, but grinned down at his brother and held up the bead he was about to secure in Fili's hair. "All handmade."

"Gloin wears the metal pieces his wife made for him in his beard. Uncle doesn't wear any courting gifts, of course, seeing as he's never completed a courting," Fili dropped in casually. "His heart's always been set on Erebor, until you joined the company."

Bilbo made a choking noise and Fili reached over to whack him on the back until the hobbit quietened and drank down some water quite hastily. Kili was definitely hiding a smile amongst Fili's hair, Fili could sense it. Bilbo looked at them with narrowed hurt eyes.

"If this is one of your jokes, then I don't think…"

"Courting isn't a joke, Mr Baggins," Kili interrupted, his touch gentle on Fili's neck and his eyes sweet and heartfelt.

Bilbo looked flummoxed and all out of sorts. Fili wasn't sure why, it was plain to anyone with eyes how their uncle felt about the hobbit. Bilbo had nothing to worry about.

"I can't work metal," was all Bilbo managed to croak out.

"You don't have to," Fili replied. "As long as it's something you've made and it suits who you're wanting to court, then a dwarf will accept it."

Bilbo tried to clear his throat, but it sounded more like he was strangling something. He might be about to faint again. Fili watched him carefully.

"You said courting takes years," Bilbo said, his voice only a little bit twisted up.

"Oh, well, on a dangerous quest like this, I'm sure things work differently." Fili wasn't sure of that at all, but he sounded like he was, which was the important thing. "Balin'll know. He'll oversee the courting too."

"Does your courting work differently out here?" Bilbo wanted to know.

"No," answered Kili shortly, finishing the last of Fili's braids and scooting forward to sit beside his brother. "But our courting began years ago and yours will start out here. The rules are probably different."

It would also be different because it was Uncle Thorin, who, according to Dis, hadn't ever seriously thought about courting anyone. He'd always sunk his love into regaining Durin's homeland. If Bilbo really was Thorin's One, then Fili was pretty certain the company could make sure that the courting was done relatively properly and rather quickly. The King couldn't be occupied with the distractions of a courting when he was also trying to face down a dragon; such a circumstance would do terrible things to a dwarf.

Bilbo looked like he might be considering fainting but he stayed upright and stared into the fire for a bit instead. Kili snuggled down to rest his head on Fili's shoulder, soaking up the warmth as Fili combed fingers through his hair. It was very pleasant. The beads in Fili's hair clicked peacefully as he nuzzled Kili.

"All right, I'll ask," Bilbo muttered quietly, probably to himself. He looked up at the dwarves with a lot of determination. "These courting rules, what are they?"

Ah, now he was asking the right sort of questions, the sort that said he wanted to know the particulars so that he could see where a hobbit would fit amongst it all. Fili grinned and kissed his brother's forehead.

"I didn't kiss him properly until a year into courting, didn't bed him 'til a few moons ago."

"It's all about layers," Kili added helpfully, sounding a mite drowsier now that he was pressed close to his brother in the firelight. "We build a courting up like we forge a sword or fletch an arrow. We make it strong that way."

Bilbo had turned several shades of red at their words. Hobbits were so strangely buttoned-up about so many things, how did they ever do anything with the ones they loved if they couldn't even talk about it?

"There's more to tell if you'll hear it, but that's the basics," Fili reassured Bilbo. "See? Simple."

Bilbo made another noise and said something that sounded like thank you, very kind of you, I must be going, goodnight before scuttling away into the darkness. Kili and Fili looked at each other and laughed helplessly. Poor Mr Baggins, they'd probably broken several hobbit rules by talking openly about such things with him. It was only right though, they were Thorin's nephews and they owed their uncle a lot – he'd seen their courting through beautifully. It was only fair that they help him with his.

The next day, the company was woken by a very delicious smell. Something was cooking over the fire – a battered pot was being stirred by a very determined hobbit. Kili nudged Fili, Fili tugged at his ear in return, then nipped it with his teeth because Kili looked very alluring, all sleep-eyed and laid out like an offering.

But incredibly, there were even more distracting things to look at - Uncle Thorin was silent, his eyes wider than usual and fixed on Bilbo. Bilbo was determinedly not looking at Thorin, but instead was carefully dropping various plants and berries into the pot. Bombur ambled over, curious about anything that smelled that good. Thorin hadn't moved a muscle.

Kili went to nudge Fili again but Fili knocked him away, causing Bifur to exclaim loudly what he thought of them spilling over onto his bedroll. Fili quickly found an unclaimed spot to watch everything from as Kili dragged himself out of the blankets.

Bilbo tasted his breakfast mixture and nodded to himself. Fili was impressed; the hobbit was only a little flushed around the neck and ears. And he had to know that doing something like this, something so bold, would make him the centre of attention. When Bilbo's gaze chanced on Fili, the dwarf smiled and winked, letting Bilbo know that he wasn't doing anything wrong at all. Bilbo's lips hesitantly curled upwards, just as Kili dropped himself down in front of Fili, leaning his weight back heavily. Fili snorted and started untangling the latest knots in Kili's hair with more force than necessary.

Bilbo carefully filled a bowl with his mouth-watering concoction and, with every eye of the company on him, walked around the circle until he reached Thorin. The silence was total as Bilbo held out the bowl in offering. Fili held his breath and held on to Kili tightly.

Thorin seemed carved out of stone for a moment, but his eyes searched Bilbo endlessly and his mouth opened. "You are sure? You know what this...?"

Bilbo nodded quickly. "I'm sure."

Another pause and then Thorin reached out, gently taking the bowl out of Bilbo's hands. Bilbo let out a glad shaky breath. Thorin didn't take his eyes off the hobbit as he spoke.

"Balin."

"I'll do it, laddie."

Bilbo bit his lip and sat down next to Thorin. Fili squeezed his brother and kissed his temple. He was wearing the hair clasp that Kili had made for him; while beside Kili lay the arrow sling in which Fili's arrowheads gleamed. Their hands met reflexively, and interlaced tightly. Erebor would always be their goal, but they already had their greatest treasure, and it looked like Thorin was starting to realise that, even before reclaiming his homeland, he might have his too.

-the end