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specialagentsnark · 5 years ago

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Marriage of Convenience - Chapter 3

Happy Fili Friday everyone! Here’s chapter 3! Leave me a comment with your thoughts!

Summary:

Fili's sick of courtship challenges and takes a chance to get to Dale, only to give Sigrid a bit of a helping hand and then a gift.

Midsummer Festival is here, including a swordsmanship competition.

A little flirting ensues.

Notes:

Mention of attempted assault (nothing graphic). Please read accordingly.

Chapter 3

Another dwarrowdam fell to Dwalin’s superior skill. How many was this now? Six? Seven? Fili didn’t feel like keeping count. It didn’t help that Kili thought the entire situation was hilarious and took every moment he had reminding Fili of that. So, when Thorin asked for one of them to go to Dale to check on the progress for the midsummer festival the Men were holding, Fili volunteered with enthusiasm.

Anything to get him away from courtship trials and the doe eyes his brother kept casting at the ever-present she-elf. He had nothing against her, but the lovey-dovey gooey romantic nonsense was driving him insane.

Knowing Sigrid was involved in the planning, Fili entered Dale with the intention of going straight to her home. After stabling his pony and asking directions, he set off toward the center of town. As he walked, he heard snippets of gossip. He’d been around Nori too much, he thought even as he eavesdropped on the two women walking in front of him as unobtrusively as possible. Any information had potential, the spymaster always said, so Fili listened.

“I’ve seen them together almost every day since he arrived a fortnight ago,” the younger said. “Her Ladyship is smitten with him.”

“And who can blame the girl?” the older woman demanded with a huff. “The man is rather something to look at.”

The first sighed. “Lady Sigrid is lucky to have caught his regard.”

“She’s rather pretty herself. It’s surprising she hasn’t married already.”

“She is rather picky.”

“Doesn’t seem to matter this time though. I expect they’ll announce a betrothal within the month.”

The first sighed. “Wouldn’t that be something? Our own Lady married and to such a handsome gentleman. Their children would be sure to be beautiful.”

Sigrid was seeing a suitor? Often enough her people were expecting a betrothal? Why hadn’t he heard about this in the mountain? Nori was slipping if it really was that serious. If Sigrid married her suitor, it could impact Erebor, or at least his people that sold wares in the market in Dale. She was the only member of her family that took the time to talk to the dwarrow, or so he’d heard. His people liked her and were more than willing to work with her. If she left, who would they go to? Who would he talk to when he came to the city? He’d be without his friend.

A scuffle pulled him from his thoughts a few blocks from where he was told Sigrid’s house was. Curious, and admittedly wondering if he could join in a fight to work off some of his inexplicable but completely justified annoyance, he turned down the street toward the noise.

“Get away from me.”

Fili paused. That sounded like Sigrid.

“I think you misunderstood me My Lady.” The voice was male. Fili frowned harder at the placating tone to it.

“I misunderstood nothing. Get. Away.”

Something hit a wall and there was a grunt.

“You really shouldn’t have done that,” the male voice said.

Fili rounded the bend at the end of the street quickly. His earlier irritation roared into a hot storm in his chest. Sigrid strained against the man holding her wrists down by her waist and standing so close she couldn’t land a kick of any force.

“What’s going on here?” Fili barked.

“Get lost dwarf,” the man said, glancing at him. “This doesn’t concern you.”

“Not from where I’m-”

Sigrid leaned back as far as she could against the wall and lunged forward, smashing her forehead into her captor’s nose, a crunch interrupting Fili. He lurched away from her, his hands going to his broken nose.

“-standing.” Fili finished. “I suggest you leave immediately,” he added and extended a hand to Sigrid even as she started moving toward him.

“I told you to get lost,” the man said, still holding his nose with one hand, ignoring the blood dripping down his chin. He reached out to grab Sigrid’s arm and drag her back.

Fili darted forward. He lashed out with his cane, bringing it down hard on the man’s arm with a solid thwack. The man yelped and Sigrid darted to stand near Fili. Still brandishing his cane as he would one of his swords, Fili stepped so he stood in front of the girl. He reached inside his coat and pulled out one of his many daggers, feeling more secure with an actual blade in hand, even if it was short. “And I told you to leave,” Fili said coolly, ignoring the pain darting up his bad leg. He waited, watching the Man until he finally turned and stalked up the alley, blood still dripping from his nose.

“Next time you break someone’s nose to get away,” Fili said as he sheathed his knife and leaned on his cane again, “try actually running.”

Sigrid glared at him, one hand clutching at her lower ribcage. “You try running while wearing a corset and a dress this heavy,” she snapped. “I can barely breathe while I walk, let alone fight or run. Besides, you were here so I didn’t need to.”

Fili turned to face her fully. The tremor in her voice didn’t reassure him even though she acted fine otherwise. It reminded him too much of when Bilbo got upset.

“Are you all right Lady Sigrid?” he asked.

“No, I’m not,” she said and her voice cracked a bit. She rubbed at her eyes with the heels of her hands. “Thank you for coming when you did.”

“You know me,” he said and reached up to place a hand on her shoulder. “I’m the master of heroic rescues.”

Sigrid laughed wetly and sniffed, wiping more tears from her eyes. “I seem to remember you tackling an orc for me once.”

“Exactly what I mean,” Fili said, smiling at her. When the tears didn’t stop, he lifted his other arm out to his side, leaving himself open for a hug if she wanted it. Sigrid bent and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face into his shoulder. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Fili asked.

“No,” Sigrid said, voice muffled by the fur on his jacket. “I don't know as he would have. I think he just wanted to steal some kisses.”

“I'm glad you're not hurt,” Fili said. He stood with her until she calmed down, rubbing her back gently until her shoulders stopped shaking and she finally pulled away, retrieving a handkerchief from a pocket and wiping at her eyes and nose.

“I’m so sorry,” she said.

“You don’t need to apologize,” Fili said and offered his arm. “Why don’t I escort you home?”

Sigrid nodded, wrapping her hand around his bicep and let him lead her away. “I think I’ll get a dog,” she murmured.

“As I understand it, you’ve been learning to use a sword for over a year now. Why don’t you just carry one? They tend to make a bit less mess around the home than a furry, slobbery menace.”

Sigrid made a very irritated face. “I would but ever since one of my suitors went running at the very sight of a blade on my person my father’s council has forbidden me to carry one on outings such as this one.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Fili said. “Why in Mahal’s name would you carrying a sword scare anyone off?”

“I don’t know how it is for dwarves, but among my people, males are often afraid of or offended by women wielding swords. Heaven forbid we should be able to defend ourselves. I think the people of Rohan are more sensible but I haven’t heard of any others.”

“Ridiculous,” Fili repeated. They walked along in silence for a time and Fili watched the people around them out of habit. He watched as the eyes of a few people followed them, a few whispered conversations cropping up behind them. He wished for Bilbo’s hearing, wanting to know the nature of those conversations and the furtive pointing and head nodding. To distract himself from the sight, he asked, “So, why a dog?”

“I trust a dog’s judgment better than my own. If I train one well enough it can be my guard dog for when my chaperone gets drawn away by feeble excuses as happened today.”

“The council wouldn’t mind you having a large hound at your side on outings?”

Sigrid waved to someone, a fake smile plastered on her face. Fili scowled a little at the sight. Could he get her to laugh or at least smile for real instead of that mockery on her face? “Not if it was well-behaved. There wouldn’t be a reason for me not to have it along with me.”

They fell silent again as they walked the rest of the way to Sigrid’s home. Once there, Sigrid turned to make her farewells only for Fili to tell her of his original errand for being in Dale.

“Oh! Well, then. Come inside. I’ll gather my information on decisions made and we can go over it.”

Fili took a seat in a sitting room where she indicated and sat back to wait for her return. A dog. She wanted a dog. He knew of a few hunters in the mountain that had hounds. Perhaps one of them would know where he could get a pup. It’d been a while since he’d been around dogs but perhaps he could help Sigrid in finding a way to defend herself and perhaps have an excuse to spend time with her. Sigrid’s return pulled him from his musings and together they went over the current plans for the midsummer festival.

~*~*~

Someone knocked on the door first thing the morning of the midsummer festival.

Bard looked up from his breakfast. He rarely ate with his family in the mornings, usually gone to help with repairs and meetings and the minutia of running a city before any of his children woke, except maybe Tilda who had a tendency to wake early as well. “Whatever problem they’re bringing, I don’t want to know about it,” he grumbled. “I’m taking today for my family.”

Sigrid rolled her eyes as she rose from the table and went to the door. “Oh Da, it’s probably just a quick question.” She opened the door and looked down slightly at the dwarf standing on their doorstep.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“I’ve been sent to deliver a package to you My Lady,” the dwarf said, bowing to her. He then bent and picked up a crate sitting at his feet. He held it out to her.

“Ah, thank you,” she said.

“You’re welcome My Lady,” the dwarf said and bowed again. With a cheery whistle, he trotted down the path back to the road and headed towards the market.

“Well that was interesting,” Sigrid said and turned back inside. There was an envelope attached to the top of the crate with her name on it. After closing the door behind her, she balanced the admittedly somewhat heavy crate in one arm and reached for the envelope. Something inside the crate scrabbled sideways, overbalancing it. She dropped it with a scream.

“Sigrid?” Bard asked, leaning back in his chair to get a better look at his daughter.

“Something moved in the crate,” she said. She reached out and snatched up the envelope. She flipped it over and blinked in surprise. “Uh, Da? I think this should probably go to you.”

“Why’s that my girl?” he asked. He stood from the table and walked into the room.

“What’s in the crate Sig?” Bain asked coming into the room with Tilda right behind him.

Sigrid handed the envelope to Bard. “It has the Durin’s royal seal on it,” she said. Bard examined the envelope for a moment before handing it back.

“Has your name on it,” he said. “It’s definitely for you.”

Something scratched at the walls of the crate and Sigrid jumped back from it with a shout.

“Huh,” Bain said and bent to look closer. “I’ll open it, shall I?” He asked and went to find the right tools.

While he left, Sigrid opened the letter, carefully breaking the blue wax seal and pulling the parchment out to read.

To Sigrid, Lady of Dale, Daughter of Bard the Dragonslayer

We spoke of this the other day. I hope this will help put your mind at ease and soon offer the safety you require. I would be happy to help you in your endeavors with proper instruction and care. I’ll meet you on the path to our meeting spot this morning.

-F

PS He’s house trained.

“House trained?” Sigrid mouthed the last two words, wondering what on earth that meant.

“A puppy!”

Sigrid jumped at Tilda’s joyous cry and looked at the now open crate. Inside, a fluffy greyish brown ball scrabbled its way around the cloth-lined box.

“The Dwarf King sent you a dog?” Bard asked. “Why?”

“Not the king,” Sigrid said, a smile slowly spreading across her face as a black muzzle turned its way toward her and two brown eyes blinked up at her from the depths of the masses of fur. “His nephew.”

“Which one?” Bard asked and reached a hand into the crate. The puppy reared up on its hind legs to reach for Bard’s hand, pulling it closer and started nibbling on his fingers. He pulled his hand away sharply. “No biting,” he ordered, giving its nose a little flick. The puppy sneezed and then grinned up at Bard, panting.

“The crown prince,” Sigrid said. She reached down and patted the masses of fluff.

“Fili?” Bard asked. “Why would he send you a dog?”

“Remember when he escorted me home a couple weeks ago after that pox-ridden skamelar attacked me?”

“Aye,” Bard said, his ire rising again at the mention of the suitor that had seemed so nice but had hurt his little girl.

“I’d mentioned thinking about getting a dog to deter such things from happening again to Prince Fili. Apparently, he decided it was a good idea. Oh yes, yes. You’re adorable.” She laughed as the puppy licked at her arms. She lifted it out to examine it. “Little man,” she said after a moment. “What should we call you?”

“He’s yours, Sig,” Bain said. “You name him.” He reached over and patted the dog on the top of the head. It gave out a whiny growl and barked at him. “Hmm… Doesn’t seem to like men,” he muttered.

Sigrid and Tilda laughed, the younger girl petting the ball of fluff as Sigrid looked him over. “Look at the size of his paws. He’s going to be massive,” she said.

Bard sighed. “And he’s a gift from the Crown Prince of Erabor so we can’t get rid of him. Well, good luck my girl,” he said and stood. He went back to the table to finish his breakfast. “We’d better hurry if we’re to make it to the beginning of the festivities.”

“Yes Da,” the three children chorused.

Sigrid offered the puppy some ham from their breakfast before finding a long, sturdy scarf in her closet that she used to fashion a sling out of. Once she was otherwise ready to go, she slipped the puppy into the sling. It popped its head above the cloth and licked her chin before facing forward to watch their surroundings.

Once outside, Sigrid split away from her family and headed straight out of the city, heading towards the path she took up the mountainside. She didn’t get far before someone whistled. She turned to find the source of the noise.

“Your Highness!” she called, waving to Fili as he approached her, leaning slightly on his cane.

“I see you got my gift,” he said with a smile.

Sigrid laughed. “The look on my da’s face was a sight to behold when he saw what was in the crate,” she said.

Fili’s smile stretched wider. “Do you like him then?” he asked, nodding at the dog that watched him from its position in the sling.

“Yes, very much,” Sigrid said. “Although I’m a little worried about how large he will be.”

“I thought you would appreciate a dog that would be easily large enough to make any man hesitate at the sight of him.”

“Just how big will he get?” Sigrid asked, finally coming to a stop as they reached each other. Fili held up a hand that reached the bottom of his ribcage.

“His sire stands this tall at the shoulder on all fours,” he said and Sigrid’s eyes widened.

“Absolutely massive then,” she said.

“I hope I haven’t caused you an inconvenience,” Fili said, concern flashing across his face.

“Oh, no, no you haven’t at all,” Sigrid said. “I just wasn’t expecting such a large size. He’s wonderful.” She laughed as the puppy turned its head and licked her chin again.

“Have you named him then?” Fili asked.

Pulling the puppy from the sling and setting him on the ground where he could run around them, she said, “I think I’ll call him Magnus.”

Fili grinned. “A fierce and noble name for what I’m sure will be a fierce and noble companion.” They watched as the puppy tripped over its front paws while it pursued a butterfly and rolled tail over snout before popping back up and looking back at them as if to say he’d meant to do that all along. “Someday,” Fili added.

Sigrid laughed aloud and chased after the puppy. “Come here, Magnus.”

“I’ll show you how to train him if you’d like,” Fili said once they’d caught the fur ball.

Sigrid buried her nose in Magnus’ fur to hide her shy smile. “I’d like that.”

“I’ll show you the basics for today,” he said. “Can we meet at our spot once a week?”

“Sounds perfect,” she said. “It’ll be something to look forward to when I’m being bored to tears by suitors.”

Fili returned her smile. “Great, let’s get started.” He pulled out a bag full of small chunks of dried meat. “You’ll want to carry something like this everywhere you go with Magnus.”

Sigrid took the pouch and together, they started training the dog, teaching him to pay attention and sit that first day using both vocal commands and hand signals. Fili taught her some khuzdul so others wouldn’t easily be able to give commands.

Sigrid frowned when Fili taught her the phrase for 'watch.' “I thought your language was secret. Won’t people get angry?”

“Your pronunciation is so bad, dwarrow won’t be able to understand you anyway. Don’t worry about it.”

“If you say so.”

After an hour or so of instruction and when Magnus started just laying down at every opportunity, they called it a day for training and Sigrid picked the puppy up and loaded him back into the sling. He didn’t even bother to lift his head out, instead just snuggled in and fell asleep.

“Good boy,” Sigrid said, scratching his fuzzy ears. She looked up at Fili. “It’s early. Would you like to come down to the midsummer festival?”

“I wouldn’t want to impose on your people’s celebration,” he hedged.

Sigrid shook her head. “You wouldn’t be imposing. Please come? It’s been so long since there was a proper festival for my people. It’s sure to be wonderful and I’m sure the vendors from Erebor would feel more secure in their acceptance there if one of their princes were to attend.”

“I’m sure Uncle will appreciate my efforts in solidifying the alliance between our people,” he admitted with a smirk. “All right, I’ll come.”

“Thank you,” Sigrid said.

“Shall we?” Fili asked, indicating the way she’d originally come with his cane and offering his arm on his good side to her. She smiled and took it and together they returned to the main road and reentered Dale.

The festival was in full swing by the time they managed to make their way into the town center. Much of the repair efforts had started at the town center and radiated outward. Most of the buildings here were repaired or completely rebuilt and shone. Banners hung across the streets and fiery reds and bright, sunny yellows, pendants fluttered in the breezes atop buildings and walls, celebrating the summer and the city. Children raced through the crowds laughing and playing games. A few homemade kites flew from the walls, their strings held be eager children. Vendors made a rousing trade both from their stalls and from workers that wandered the crowds with their wares on trays. Fili noted several dwarrow among them and among those present to enjoy the festivities. Entertainers of both races weaved their ways through the crowds as well, juggling, breathing fire, telling stories, even a few Men on stilts wandered by, their faces painted comically.

“Oh look,” Fili said, nodding toward a vendor. “Have you had these before?”

“No,” Sigrid said, eyeing the pastries. “What are they?”

Fili fished a couple of coins out and paid the vendor for two. She curtsied to him, murmuring, “Your Highness honors me.” He nodded his thanks.

“Struvor. Here, try one.” He handed her one of the ones he’d bought.

“They’re very pretty,” Sigrid said looking over the geometric patterning to it carefully. “how are they made?”

“They’re fried. Bakers either make special irons for the shapes or have them commissioned. Try it,” he urged again.

Sigrid bit into the crispy, fried dough. Her eyebrows shot up and she smiled before covering her mouth with one hand while she chewed. When she finally swallowed, she grinned at Fili. “That’s delicious,” she said.

“As I said.” Fili grinned at her and then popped the rest of his into his mouth before wiping his fingers on his trousers. Sigrid wiped hers on a handkerchief she kept tucked into a pocket of her dress.

“I’ll have to bring some home to my family,” she said with a grin. “Tilda and Da will love these.”

“Not Bain?”

“He doesn’t care for sweets,” she said. “Pity for him but lucky for me. I always manage to get more of his share.”

Fili chuckled. “Perhaps I’ll bring some back to Kili and Mother,” he said. “They love these just as much as I do.”

“How is Princess Dis and Prince Kili?” Sigrid asked. “I haven’t seen them in a while.”

They continued on through the festival, both remembering where the vendor with the struvor pastries was so they could return later to buy more for their families. They sampled more of the food, examined the wares, and watched the entertainers as they spoke of their families and the goings on of their respective cities as they walked. A few games and competitions were scheduled throughout the day and they watched a few as they went. Magnus woke up at times and poked his head out of the sling, accepting offerings of food from the two as they strolled. Whispers followed them, but the two didn’t notice them.

A swordsmanship competition caught Fili’s eye in the later afternoon. He signed up and was surprised when Sigrid did as well.

“You’ll hold Magnus for me while I compete, won’t you?” she asked him without looking up from signing her name. Smytheson grinned at her when she set the pen back in the ink bottle.

“Of course,” Fili said.

“Sigrid, you’re going to compete?”

She turned and saw Tilda and Bain walking towards them, her little sister beaming up at her.

“Yes,” Sigrid said. “Are you going to watch?”

“Bain wants to,” Tilda said. “I don’t see the point.” She made a face.

“It’s good to learn new techniques by watching others,” Bain said, sounding as if he’d said this a few times already. His eye caught Fili and he bowed, greeting the prince and nudging Tilda to do the same.

“None of that now,” Fili said, stepping forward to clasp Bain’s hand. “I’m just here as any other dwarf today, enjoying the festival.”

Bain nodded, returning the grip with a small smile.

“Prince Fili, why did you give Sigrid a puppy?”

“She mentioned she wanted one a few days ago. I know a dwarf that breeds dogs for the King’s Guard. A litter was born a little bit ago and he said I could have the runt.”

“This is the runt?” Bain asked, looking at Magnus. The dog woofed quietly at him and then went back to licking Sigrid’s chin.

“Yes,” Fili said.

“I’m afraid of how large the others are,” Tilda said, wide-eyed.

Fili laughed and the group moved aside for others to sign up for the competition. They spent the next few hours wandering the market together until the designated time for the sword fights rolled around. Fili’s first match came before Sigrid’s and she joined her siblings in the stands as they watched Fili enter the ring.

A roar of approval sounded from every dwarf watching as well as from Sigrid and her siblings. The young prince swaggered into the arena, throwing his hands in the air and motioning for the cheers to get louder, a wide grin on his face. His opponent was a member of Dale’s guard and well-liked in the city.

The crowds settled long enough for the judges to begin the fight. The guardsman advanced quickly, coming at Fili with the intent of using his superior height to his advantage.

“Well that was dumb,” Sigrid thought as Fili ducked under the man’s guard and came up with his own blunted weapon to slash across the man’s ribs, scoring the first hit of five. The match didn’t get any better with Fili dancing around the taller, burlier man. He won the match, evading any strike the other man attempted.

When Sigrid’s first match arrived, she handed Magnus over to Fili. Sound deafened her momentarily when the people of Dale saw their Lady enter the ring. She waved one hand to the cheering and jeering crowds before turning to face off against her opponent. “I’m going to enjoy this,” the man said. “Not much more satisfying than teaching a girl her proper place.”

Sigrid let one eyebrow rise but didn’t reply. She knew her silence bothered her chattier opponents. She saluted him and the judge started the match. Sigrid darted in without hesitation. She lunged left in a feint before spinning right in a risky move, bringing the blunted weapon around to strike against the Chatterbox’s ribs. She danced out of reach again before he could retaliate.

“Beginners luck,” Blabbermouth grumbled. “You’ll not make a strike like-”

Sigrid lunged straight at him, her arms extending in opposite directions. Her sword tip struck shoulder and she recoiled back into a defensive stance.

Windbag growled. “Enough!” he snarled and charged her with a roar, his sword raised high. Sigrid dove to the side at the last moment of the man’s chopping swing. On her knees, she swung up and to the side with both hands on the hilt, hitting him across his rear with the flat of her blade. Sher lurched to her feet and away again.

Laughter erupted from the stands, drawing her attention briefly from Loudmouth. Immediately, her eyes found Tilda, Bain, and Fili where she’d left them in the stands. Her eyes met those of the grinning prince and she felt an answering smile tug at her lips before his expression shifted suddenly to one of alarm.

Sigrid sidestepped just in time to keep from being whacked on the collarbone, getting her sword between her and Talkative. She caught his blade on hers high enough to slow the blow but the sheer momentum knocked her block down and the sword smacked painfully into her shoulder. She kept moving back, getting out of range.

She circled, rotating her arm to shake off the pain and ignored the sneer on Chatty’s face.

The traded blows for a while until Sigrid saw an opening. Quickly, she snaked her blade along his, tangled their hilts together, and yanked with all her might. Bigmouth’s sword sailed across the ring, clattering onto the dirt floor as Sigrid swung her sword around, leveling it at his neck.

“Yield,” she ordered with her sword tip just beneath his chin. He scowled but lifted his hands anyway.

The judge declared her the winner of the match.

“Yay Sigrid! You won!” Tilda cheered when the oldest sibling joined the others. She took Magnus back from Fili.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” she said, chest still heaving slightly with the exertion of the match.

“Don’t mention it,” he said. “That was quite the rookie mistake. What happened?” He indicated her shoulder where she’d been struck for Chatty McChit-chat’s only point.

“I was distracted,” she murmured, not meeting his eyes. He grinned and excused himself to prepare for his next fight.

The matches continued. Fili plowed through his opponents, Man and Dwarf alike. Sigrid fought through her next three, winning them all, some with more difficulty than others. She felt she’d been fairly lucky with her opponents. All had either been more inexperienced than she was or overconfident in their ability to beat her.

“How goes the sword competition?” Bard asked, coming up behind his children as they watched Fili put a member of Erebor’s King’s Guard to shame, laughing all the while (“Master Dwalin is going to have a field day with getting you fit for battle! My mum could beat you with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back!”).

“I think His Highness will win the entire thing, the way he’s competing,” Sigrid said. She worried about his leg but also wondered if she should exploit it should they fight in the next round -a very likely scenario considering this was his last match before it and he only had to score one more hit to advance where his opponent hadn’t so much as touched him.

“If he can beat you in the quarterfinals,” Tilda said, holding the utmost faith in her sister’s abilities.

Sigrid ruffled Tilda’s hair, smiling at her optimism and cheered as Fili scored his final point, taking the match. He and the other dwarf left the ring so the first match of the quarterfinals could start. She knew her skill level and had gotten a good look at Prince Fili’s. She’d been training -admittedly in almost every spare moment but still- for almost two years. Whereas the dwarf prince had probably trained for most of his much longer life.

“Can you hold Magnus Da?” Sigrid asked. “I better go get ready.” She took off the sling after pulling the puppy out. She handed both over to her father before heading back over to prepare for her match against Fili.

After he finished his match, the dwarf prince joined her as she pulled on a padded jerkin to help protect her from the worst blows.

“I’ll not go easy on you, Highness,” she said, pulling her head free of the garment and reaching for the gloves set aside for her.

“Funny, I was going to say the same to you. I’ll not hold back if you get distracted.”

“I’ll try not to hurt that pretty face of yours but I make no guarantees.” She headed toward the ring as the other match wound down.

Fili gaped after her for a moment before jogging to catch up. “You think I’m pretty?” he asked, grinning.

Sigrid just smiled at him and entered the ring, taking up position on her side. When Fili faced her and saluted, she returned the salute and winked.

“Mind games is it?” he thought. “Let the games begin.”

The judge signaled the start of the match.

Fili and Sigrid started circling each other, darting in for attacks, testing each other. Sigrid finally lunged, and Fili knocked her blade aside and followed her when she recoiled, swiping at her across her waist. She met his attack, bringing her arm in close. Fili forced her sword down, still advancing. He leaned into her, stepping into the guard, making eye contact, and smiling charmingly. Sigrid’s eyes widened and her steps faltered. Fili whipped his blade up and struck her across the ribs before she could free her sword and get out of range.

Fili crowed with laughter. “What was that you said about my pretty face?”

Sigrid didn’t answer, just advanced again, using her height to her advantage. Fili twisted aside and they traded blows, swords clashing loudly among the din made by the crowds. The dwarves cheered loudly as Fili hit Sigrid two more times. Sigrid fought back, pushing Fili to keep circling.

His hip, already hurting from the morning walking and the afternoon fighting, started to ache with a fierce, stabbing pain. He started limping harder. Sigrid pushed and pushed until he stumbled. She caught him across his shoulder when he faltered, throwing his arm out to catch his balance. The People of Dale roared their approval as the judge lifted the green flag, signaling her point.

Fili didn’t step back but darted in when Sigrid stepped back. He caught her across her hip and stepped back.

They both darted in at the same time, swords coming around to clash together, retreat, and come in again. Fili came in high, Sigrid came in low. She struck his ribs but stopped moving then. Fili pressed his blunted blade into her throat. “Yield,” Fili ordered, a grin on his face.

Sigrid huffed a sigh and dropped her sword, raising her hands in surrender.

Dwarves cheered in the stands as Fili moved his sword to his left hand. “Well fought, My Lady.”

She took his hand in a firm grip. “Should have known better than to taunt Erebor’s crown prince before the match started.” She grinned and they left the ring.

Once they were clear of the ring and the next combatants had entered, Fili turned to her but suddenly fell forward as a dark blur landed on top of him, shouting, “Fili!”

“Prince Kili!” Tilda raced over to them, grinning at the younger dwarf sitting on the elder’s back.

“Lady Tilda! Did you see my brother almost lose to your amazing sister?”

“I did not almost lose,” Fili groused, twisting out from under Kili and pinning him easily.

“Keep telling yourself that Brother,” Kili said and wriggled his way free. He gave Tilda a hug when she reached for him. “How are you, littlest Bardling?”

Tilda giggled at the name. “I’m fine. How are you? Is Tauriel with you? There she is. Hi Tauriel! Did you know Prince Fili gave Sig a puppy?”

“A puppy?” Kili asked, glancing at his brother. “Where?”

“Da has him. Come on, I’ll show you.” She grabbed Kili’s hand and led him off. Fili watched as Tauriel followed, smiling at the antics of the child and her dwarf.

“Will you be staying to watch the rest of the matches now you’re out of them?” Fili asked as they followed the trio at a more sedate pace. Fili would soon enough have to return to the ring for the semi-finals but he felt he should keep an eye on Kili for a moment longer if he could.

Sigrid took the good-natured slap on the back from a nearby dwarf with a smile before answering. “Of course I will. I need to make sure that the one who beat me is indeed the best sword fighter here so I know what to work toward.”

“I’ll try not to disappoint,” Fili said. They reached the others and Fili watched as Tilda took the sleeping puppy from Bard and showed it to Kili.

“Fee, you gave her a Mountain Hound?” he asked with a laugh.

“It’s the runt of the litter,” Fili said as if that made a difference.

Kili laughed. “I want a ride on it when it’s full grown!”

“What?” Bard looked over at Kili.

“Joking, only joking,” he said but sent a wink Tilda’s way. The little girl giggled and continued to show off the puppy.

“I better head back,” Fili said, nodding toward the ring but keeping an eye on Bard who was glaring at him and glancing at the dog in turn.

“Good luck, Your Highness,” Sigrid said.

Fili did end up winning the competition, trouncing his remaining two opponents thoroughly. He accepted the gold offered him with a grin, waiving to the cheering crowds.

“And now Your Highness, who will you show your favor to this day?”

Fili grinned widely. “Why, to my brother Kili of course!”

A murmur broke out through the audience. People whispered and glanced at each other, eyes turning from the crown prince to his younger brother.

Fili continued after a moment. “For him to give to his One as I have not yet found mine and will show none other my favor.” He motioned for Kili and Tauriel to approach as applause and cheering erupted again. Fili handed over the rest of the prize- a voucher for dinner at the finest inn as well as one for a young jeweler from Erebor. “Enjoy yourselves on me,” he said, handing them to Kili.

“Many thanks, Brother,” Kili said, his cheerful grin widening as he leaned up to kiss Tauriel. She leaned down to receive it and he shifted his stance, bending her back into an exaggerated, prolonged player’s kiss. Hoots and hollers sounded from the dwarrows in the audience as well as good-natured jeering.

Fili returned to where Sigrid was with her family. She’d taken the sling back from her father and reloaded Magnus into it, petting his head absently as he licked at her face. Fili turned to Bard. “With your permission, My Lord Bard the Dragonslayer,” he said and grinned at the glower he received for using the man’s official title, “I’d be honored if you’d allow me to continue to escort Lady Sigrid for the remainder of the festival, if I may?”

Bard glanced at Sigrid who nodded.

“Very well, Prince Fili of Erebor, you may.” He turned to his daughter. “Don’t be out too late.”

“I won’t, Da,” she said. “I’ll come by the house after dinner to at least bring Magnus home and check in before I join in the dancing.”

“That’s my girl,” Bard smiled at her.

She accepted Fili’s arm when he offered it and they wove back into the crowds to enjoy the rest of the festival.

Notes:

For those that are curious, Magnus is a Caucasian Shepherd (also called Caucasian Mountain hound or Caucasian Ovcharka or Baskhan (Karachay) pariy). Large males can weigh around 200 pounds, as Magnus will when he's full grown. Google them. They're giant fluff balls of protectiveness.

As always, please comment with questions, concerns, or, well comments. I always love hearing from my readers.

#My writing #hobbit #the hobbit #Sigrid #Fili #Fili Friday #Caucasian Shepherd #Marriage of convenience #Multichapter #Finished work #weekly updates #Figrid #Puppy!

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aduialel · 4 years ago

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hiiiiii do u have an fanfic recommendations?

Hello nonnie

Here are some multichapter fanfics which I've enjoyed. Please be mindful of the content ratings if you are a minor.

@guardianofrivendell Perfect secrets, Legolas, and Dwarves always knock thrice, Fili and Kili, both stories ongoing

@tolkienprincess Beyond imagination, Thranduil

@bonjour-rainycity Double heart (ongoing), Haldir

@lathalea How to kiss a fairy, Thorin, complete and All is fair in love and trade (ongoing, not for minors), Thorin

@themerriweathermage Beauty in brokenness, Glorfindel, ongoing

@entishramblings The Last Light of the Star, Legolas (teen and up)

@floranocturna The Secret of the Forest, Thranduil

I hope you enjoy these as much as I did. 😊Happy reading 🧚‍♀️

#anon #ask #fanfic recommendations

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mrsmarymorstan · 3 years ago

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fic writer interview! thanks for the tag @whatsaboomlakalaka ;)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

123! A nice round number ^__^

Although only 119 of those are complete >__>

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 699558

Nice B) 3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

47 Fandoms Officially, but realistically it's more like 17 since there's a lot of crossover with individual stuff. For example, Hobbit and Lord of the Rings count as two separate fandoms on AO3 but realistically they're the same. Anyway, my 17 fandoms are:

- BatFam, Young Justice (Cartoon), Middle Earth, Star Trek, BBC Sherlock, Cabin Pressure, MCU, The Great Gatsby, Talking Heads (Alan Bennett), Quantum Leap, Critical Role, H*rry P*tter, BBC Merlin, Brooklyn 99, Fruits Basket, Snow White With The Red Hair and My Hero Academia

Talking Heads and Great Gatsby were actually ALevel Coursework I thought would be funny to upload! After I had all my results in and so on, of course. So if you wanna know what A* Coursework looked like in 2012 you know where to go xD

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Hells Kitchen 99 - A Brooklyn 99/Netflix MCU Crossover

Show Me Yours - All 5 Robins bonding over scars

Eating Out With Your Wife And Other Spousal Pleasures - Kyoru Smut

Puppy Love - Braduil Fluff & Angst inspired by 101 Dalmatians. My First multichapter long fic!

Electric Bolt - Denki Kaminari is Epileptic and I have FEELINGS about that

5. Do you respond to comments, why or why not? I always try to! But sometimes I run out of spoons, or a comment is so lovely I don't know what to say to it! However I always try to reply because I am very grateful for any and all comments I get and sometimes that's how you make friendships ^__^

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending? Hmmmm... okay so most people would probably say it's "Trinket's Memoriam" because Trinket dies at the end, but also Trinket is a VERY OLD BEAR at that point so it's not THAT angsty! And he gets to go see is Mamma and Step-Papa and Uncle Vax again, so really it's a HAPPY ending!

I would probably put angstiest as "Waiting" because Sigrid and Fili are still separated in death by Mahal's xenophobia and then their child is discriminated against in the next fic too.

"Good Days, Bad Days" is pretty angsty too, since that's a fic about Sigrid having Dementia and there's no recovering from that one.

See, I don't think these are THAT angsty but I am also told by some that everything I touch eventually turns to angst so who is to say what is what lol

7. Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I mean, I wouldn't say it's crazy but I wrote a Quantum Leap - BBC Sherlock Greaserlock AU. That's probably pretty niche. Sam leaps into Molly and in order to leap he needs to help Sherlock with the whole Reichenbach thing and then also kiss Lestrade.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

LOL YUP! There are a lot of Biphobic TimSteph fans out there. And yes, I count hating on Harper Row as being biphobic given that she is one of the only openly queer members of the BatFam! AND ALSO guess what? Tim Drake is ALSO canonically queer! So all those "Tim isn't Bisexual! That's just FANON!" commenters can go suck a rotten egg because WHO WON IN THE END AYE?!

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Yes, I write smut. Yes I am asexual, we exist.

I have almost exclusively written Cis M/F fic but I have some ideas for some ObiZen Smut so I guess I might be reaching out for Cis M/M in the future!

I do sometimes have ideas for Smut with Trans Headcanons? But then I worry that I'm going to be in a world of fetishcisation so I don't bother lest I accidentally offend.....

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not to my knowledge! Though I suppose it could have happened? 11. Have you ever had a fic translated? Someone asked to translate my Barduil into Chinese and I did give permission for one of them, but I don't know if it ever happened...

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Yes! I co-wrote a Star Trek DS9/Sherlock Holmes Trill AU with an old sherlock fandom friend, a Sam/Clint MCU fanfic series with @sarah-the-artiste and like on day 2 of meeting my cousin as an adult we sat and wrote a Kiliel Fic together xD

13. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

OH GOODDDDDDD... Ummmm... So I probably have had the most fun writing for Figrid because it was absolutely the ship of dreams and there were so few of us in the rowboat but boy howdy did we make the most of it! I don't think I could ever go back to writing them for a plethora of reasons, but I certainly had a great time doing it!

In contrast, I have been shipping Kyo and Tohru for over a decade and I think I always will! But I don't have as much fun writing for them as I do other ships because there's just not much left to explore.

Merthur is always a good one to come home to as well... I mean. They left it so open ended that there's a billion different fix-its to choose from! You really can't go wrong. Also we all agree that Gwen deserves happiness so she always GETS happiness in those fics and I love that about the Merthur Fandom.

She really was better off with Lancelot....

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

The Rules of The Game... I was really close to finishing before I started at the Hell Job and then Hell Job gave me depression (or rather made my depression 20x worse) and so I just can't go back to that stage of my life again..... also I can't play hockey anymore due to my disabilities so it's a little rough on that one too. Ah well. Who knows what the future may hold, aye? 15. What are your writing strengths?

I am informed that I am very good at writing things in character, especially dialogue. I can also write jokes that actually make people laugh!

16. What are your writing weaknesses? I verb my verbs too much, and am not very good at coming up with varied sentence openings. Also I cannot spell for shit.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for? H*rry P*tter

19. What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

Gift of the Valar my Hobbit Fix-It in which Tilda has Epilepsy that gives her prophetic visions which she uses to save Fili and Kili's lives. I don't think I will every write anything as good as this, and I am okay with that =)

Also you know, "Love in the time of Spiders" won a Hugo Award so that should be mentioned here too. Yes. I am the reason "Shelob (Tolkein)/Battle Goat #1" is a wrangled tag. You are welcome internet.

#morstan writes fic #morstan meta #long text post

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freyasigtryggrsdottir · 6 years ago

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I see Fire chapter 6 (Thorin x Reader)

Summary: Reader is the Princess of Goldar. She almost killed by Vlad, the biggest orc, but Dis saved and raised her in safe. But what if the revenge is the most important thing? The reader wants her throne and she will fight until her last breath. Thorin is a single dwarf without Queen and he knows this is not good. He always grumpy and the gossips speak about, he is a weak dwarf, who don’t have enough power. Fili fell in love in the reader.He knows, one day, he will be a king. And he hopes the reader will be his queen. But Dis have an another goal. An arranged marriage between the reader and Thorin, which changed everything. Broken hearts. Hopes. Dreams. Pain. Everything will burn. Pairing: Fili x Reader (one sided), Thorin x Reader Notes: This is the first short part. I cut the whole story to a shorter version with short chapters. And my last multichapter story in the Hobbit/LOTR fandom. Dad Thranduil and proud Thorin. Taglist: @disneymarina @ivarslittlebadgirl

We walked to the throne room, where Legolas and Thranduil waited. My blood boiled. He was a traitor, because of him, I lost my family, my kingdom, everything that really mattered. Thorin quietly growled. My King hated this person just like me. I squzied his hand, he smiled at me. The air was full with tension. "What are you doing here?'' Thorin asked Thranduil crustily. The Mirkwood King stepped closer. " I'm here, because I heard you will marry an elf" he answered coldly and began to look my face with curiously. I don't liked this, I don't liked him. Everytime when I saw him, I saw the past. I saw him and his men turning back, while they looked how Vlad destroy Goldar and kill my elves. " I will marry her" Thorin hugged me and kissed my hair. I took my hand to his chest. His body was uptight. He felt the same as me, because of Smaug. Thranduil was just a coward. "And you" the Elf King leaned to me "Do you want him?" his eyes were pierce like a knife. He searched the weak point in me. I felt more tension. Thorin caressed my hand. "I'm in love with him'' I said. Thorin smiled, his face became softer and pulled me closer to his body. It was the first time when I talked about my feelings. It was the first time when I said I love him. I wanted to know Thranduil and every person in Middle Earth. "I love her too. She is my One" Thorin's moves became more pridely. Thranduil hissed. I didn't understood what he wanted. He hated dwarves, dwarves hated him. A marriage changed nothing. I was an elf without kingdom. The only thing I had from my past life is my pride and strength. "Your mother would be sad" I stepped closer to him and looked into his eyes. I was angry. "My mother is still alive, if you have would helped to her. You are a traitor, nothing more" I hissed when I felt the pain in my stomach again. Thorin hugged me. I leaned to his chest. This was defnitelly not the best official meeting. "If you don't have a reason to be here, I need to ask you to leave" said Thorin to Thranduil with diplomatic face. " I have a very good reason. Your fiancée is my daughter" Thorin wanted to say something, but the elf continued " Y.N. knew her dad died, but the truth is, her mother and I had an affair" The room began to shook. With shaking legs I sat down to the throne. Dad. Voices, memories. Ran up and down in my mind. It's impossible. My dad was Thrun. Thrun, King of Goldar, the always bright star. He loved me, he teached me to a lot of things. My mother loved him. They were the perfect, cutest, most lovable couple. I was their treasure. I took a deep breath. Keep calm Y.N. Thorin was with me. But I felt I'm a child again. A child who wanted to cry so badly. "If you are my real dad " my voice shaken " You'd help when those monsters destroyed my home. You saw I almost died" I walked before him " and you did nothing " I hissed "I will never forget that. You are worse than Vlad" and with that I ran out to my room. I closed the door and jumped to my bed. I heard my dad's voice. Thrun.... And I remembered to that little moments when my mother thought nobody watched her and she looked to Thranduil with love. She never watched like for Thrun. When I was child I didn't understood, but now... I saw almost the whole thing. But I still don't understand a lot of things. If Thranduil was my real father, then Legolas was my half brother and Tauriel was my stepsister and her child with Kili will be my nephew. I was Mirkwood's Princess, Goldar's true queen and soon will Erebor's too. This change everything. I walked to the window and watched Dale. Not so far away from here, somewhere, there was Goldar, my home with those elves who became slaves. My heart brooke because of the thought. I needed practice more. I sighed and went to the abandoned nether floors. It was unfriendly, dark and cold, but I felt something and I needed a little lonely time. In my whole life I knew my father was Thrun, who died, with my mother. I thought my whole family is destroyed and from nothen here comes Thranduil and he said he was my real father. I was his heir. What if Legolas don't will want me to be his little sister? What if Thranduil wants to separate me from Thorin? It's impossible. Thorin and me is a thing.

#thorin #thorin x reader #Thorin Oakenshield #thorin fanfic #hobbit fanfic #I see fire

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raining-v-coffee · 7 years ago

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Harry Potter Crossover fic recs

*Multichapter ~my notes

Sherlock

Whispers in Corners

Everything started with a stumble - his new life in a new world as well as his surprisingly successful career as a medium.

Business

The Dursleys didn't raise Harry Potter to be a very good boy.

Mildest of fusions with Sherlock Holmes

Patience Rewards Itself WIP

Sebastian Moran's job was simple this time; 'fix' Vernon Dursley. He was prepped to do it. He had no problem doing it. That is, until he sees an unidentified boy with no record of existence at the residence thrown out of the home. Thus, Harry Potter gains an (admittedly unconventional) family, Jim gets a protégé and Seb just hopes that Harry won't wind up quite as...off as his Dad.

Symphony WIP

Despite all the magic in the world, Harry had never encountered magic like that of a genius mind. A whole family of them was bit overwhelming really.

Naruto

Loyalty

Magic, wonderful, strange and unpredictable magic took note of him and instead of doing the logical thing, acknowledging what he is, carving out a place between all the other wondrous creatures in this world – magic lifted him up instead.And left him somewhere else.

~ I had this story under a different classification. Whoops! Many thanks to mori-esque for letting me know!

Growing Strong

A young Jasmine Potter escapes a terrible home situation by teleporting herself to the Elemental Nations. Against all odds, she will turn her life around, gain family and friends, and finally… Grow Strong. Warning: Abuse in first chapter, mentions of abuse in following ones.

And it’s sequel, Chasing Shadows WIP

~ I adore this series.

Gringotts Partnership Mature

Hermione never imagined the doors opened to her when she accepted a job as a Gringotts ward-creator. When she receives an opportunity to study she cannot pass up on it and is introduced to a young jounin Minato Namikaze. This changes everything.

Harry Potter and the Secrets of Konoha WIP

Instead of sending Harry back to Privet Drive to sit on his thumbs after Voldemort's rebirth, Dumbledore sends him, Ron, and Hermione to a village called Konohagakure to learn how to defend themselves.

Harry & Co are 14 (end of fourth year). Naruto & Co are 12-13 (beginning of canon). Pairings (if any) are undecided, but will not be central.

Beautiful Star (Or: Why Studying Equals Ramen) WIP

After an unfortunate incident with a compromised Portkey and some revenge-obsessed Death Munchers, a barely eighteen years old GWL must learn quickly to navigate the Elemental Countries, as well as to raise her baby godson, the only one who tagged along on her next great adventure. Heavily injured, starving herself to feed the little six-month-old and deathly afraid of the very real threat of death, Harry is ready to give up when an unexpected hand helped her out. Jiraiya - who only a few years prior suffered the loss of his most prized student - can't help himself when he finds the tiny girl trying to survive without a real understanding of the world around her. For her child. Somehow the Hokage thinks she's a perfect care-taker for her new neighbor, a five-year-old boy hated by nearly the whole village. Now what the hell did she get herself into this time?

Of Authors, Books and Fuinjutsu WIP Mature

After the war a bitter and disillusioned Hermione decides to move to the pocket dimension called Elemental countries. Watch how certain Konoha shinobi change the course of her life.

Deer tracks WIP Mature

Harriet Potter has to flee from England better yet, she has to vanish from this World. An acquaintance has a solution for the problem but is she really ready for what this entails? Fem Harry Potter

Doctor Who

Not Not-Human

Cold-case disappearances, gruesome murders, and unexplainable disasters, and a spate of terrorist attacks rocked the UK only to end with an explosion in a tiny village. The Doctor and Rose Tyler followed the trail of the invisible war for years, but never thought their search would lead to a baby with a lightning bolt scar.

The Littlest Time Lord

The Doctor answers a distress call and finds that he is not as alone in the universe as he suspected he was.

Just a Wrong Turn

All libraries are one, which is how one late night in the Hogwarts library, Harry Potter finds himself lost in the library on board the TARDIS...

The Rising Storm *

Harry Potter opens a fob watch, and his life and destiny is changed forever.

The Originals

Die Hoffnung stirbt zuletzt WIP Mature

After Voldemort returned in book 4, Prof. McGonagall decides to ask an old friend for help. 15 years have passed since Dahlia died, so when a owl reaches New Orleans, Elijah gladly comes to the rescue. And while Hermione tries to figure out the secrets of their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Voldemort is looking for an ally to make the fight even again.

Avatar The Last Airbender

Harry Potter and the Avatar's Return

After finding a torn comic in the trash when told to clean Dudley’s room, four year old Harry Potter puts it together with some odd things that have happened around him, and concludes that he’s the Avatar.

- Not a crossover so much as a fic in which Harry Potter is convinced that Avatar: The Last Airbender is a historical documentary.

Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit

The Dragon of Moria

After the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry Potter helped with the rebuilding and then went back to school, sitting his NEWTS and graduating with the rest of what The Daily Prophet called ‘The Disrupted Class.’ Following that, everyone expected him to become an auror. Harry himself expected it, right up until the moment came to apply to the academy.

He takes up a hobby instead, and it leads him to a whole new world.

This Dream's On Me * WIP

Fili has heard the whispers, between his uncle and his men. There's going to be a quest, a quest to reclaim Erebor and he wants in. The warrior witch he meets in his dreams doesn't seem to think it's a good idea for him to go though. At least, not alone. Eventual FilixFemHarry

The Avengers

Spellist

The new reality had no wizards or magical nations – but it had a whole boatload of powerful and occasionally inept sorcerers. Who were usually semi-public and sometimes very popular in social media. How it worked, Harry had no idea.

~ Harry/Coulson

Valiant *

When Loki's Staff spat out a girl with a lightning bolt scar, HYDRA were not expecting things to go downhill so fast.

They certainly weren't expecting their new unknown to run off with the Winter Soldier.

Real Enough

Harry Potter, JARVIS and whole lot of artificial existentialism.

where there are no keepsakes

She stalks into his office and throws the letter onto his desk. “Returned unopened, Headmaster,” she says.

There isn’t even an address, just the name Harry Potter. “Oh, dear,” Albus murmurs. Then, with barely a glance at her, “Thank you, Minerva. I’ll handle it from here.”

[AU where Harry Potter did not grow up with the Dursleys -- he was raised by Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes]

Son Of The Champion WIP

Fury needs Coulson to do one quick side trip while passing through England, just a check in on a person of interest to S.H.I.E.L.D.

Daredevil

Wizarding 101: Murderous Megalomaniacs and Their Lasting Effects on Children WIP

Before Voldemort set foot inside Godric Hollow, Vernon Dursley died in a car crash. The shock of it sent Petunia into a catatonic state and, thus, into an institution--but once upon a time, Lily and Petunia Evans' mother was a Nelson, and so when Albus Dumbledore lays Harry Potter at the doorstep of Number Four, Privet Drive, it isn't Petunia Dursley that finds him.

It's Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson.

Ten years later, Harry Jonathan Nelson, of Hell's Kitchen, New York, finds himself a part of a world neither he nor his guardians suspected he was ever a part of, having instead thought of himself as a metahuman with vaguely nebulous powers being trained by the Scarlet Witch, and along with discovery comes danger. It'd be a lot more terrifying, though, if his hometown didn't regularly have supervillains holding up banks and traffic, and if superheroes didn't swing past their apartment every day. And, of course, if one of his parents wasn't Daredevil.

(or: Matt and Foggy raise Harry Potter, with assistance from Karen and Kirsten and some others. things go from there.)

Full Metal Alchemist

The Path of Flame *

Roy Mustang is pretty sure Dumbledore is crazy. Who in their right mind would ask him to raise a newly-orphaned baby?

(Harry Potter's first year at Hogwarts, with changes courtesy of his being raised by the Flame Alchemist. I apologize for nothing.)

~ This whole series is golden. ❤

The Adams Family

Harveste Addams * WIP

Harveste began like this - another inconspicuous day in a slew of boring days, starting off with a perfunctory visit to the market, messing about with what could possibly be a very silly idea, and ending in a sense of accomplishment and the first installment. The day after that, buoyed into hitherto unfamiliar levels of ecstasy by readers’ comments (seriously, thank you so much to my first readers), the second installment. And then it just snowballed from there: the researching, the planning, watching and searching out all the little macabre details in a feverish giddy rush.

~ This is such a delightful concept. From the first time I read it many years ago, to every re-read I fall in love with this story over and over again.

Star Trek

Reaching for the Stars *

Hermione Granger is an Unspeakable on a solo mission tracking down escaped Death Eaters. Unfortunately she has to travel across dimensions in pursuit of her targets. After Gotham she ends up on a one way trip to the future and the stars.

Twilight

Aurora Explicit

Alice Lily Potter survived the war, but not unchanged. Pursued by those who regard her new prophetic ability as a valuable resource, and aren’t willing to take ‘no’ for an answer, Alice makes a difficult choice which sends her tumbling into the unknown. There, she finds a whole new world to explore… and love just waiting to be found.

X-Men

Harry Potter and the March of the Sentinels WIP

Harry has never been what you'd call normal, and he generally expects the unexpected to happen all the time when he's concerned. But what's a guy to think when, barely an hour after he saves his cousin from Dementors, the two of them are attacked by Sentinels? Luckily, the X-Men arrive in time to pull them to safety. But what will the Order of the Phoenix say?

Bleach

Lost Boys

After the Triwizard fiasco, Harry leaves Britain behind for a new life. Uryuu befriends Ichigo at a much younger age. Sirius escapes. Points converge and lost boys find a family. Isshin fails. So does Ryuuken. Kisuke finds a friend. Ukitake covers and cleans up. Fate changes.

Multi

Tumbling HP Crossovers WIP Mature

Crossover snippets done to prompts from Tumblr. Harry Potter centric. Slash, crack, au, etc.

Stargate

D.S.S. Requirement *

The Dumbledore's Army use the Room of the Requirement to get themselves a spaceship.

(Knowledge about Stargate is not necessary to read this story)

Yu-Gi-Oh

King's Jackal WIP

Wrecking all of Dumbledore's plans, the Power Dark Lord Knows Not walks up to Harry in the summer before his fifth year, and asks for directions.

To my Masterpost of Harry Potter Recs <3

I also have rec lists for Naruto and Doctor who.

#Harry Potter #fic recs #crossovers #none of these wonderful stories belong to me

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decadentenemyturtle · 7 years ago

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Masterlist

Here’s the Masterlist of my fic’s. Will be updating this whenever I’m making new fic.

The Hobbit

The company;

Put that back! (Warnings: Hint’s of making baby, sexual content and bad humor of mine)

The Great Unknown (multichapter, unfinished, this goes also to ThorinxReader category)

Thorin

Calm down Thorin!

The Sea

How to train your dragon

From wood and stone

Kili

Home in his heart

Showing off

Fili

Making pie's

Yer a great uncle, Thorin!

A little royal surprise

Troubled little lad

Put her love down

The dance only your heart knows

Bofur

Amulet of bad luck

Bofur's lullaby

Kiss promt - Only yours

Kiss promt - Gentle kisses

Dwalin

His little princess

It was an accident!

Dain Ironfoot

Some other nights (multi-chaptered, warnings; violence, blood and death)

Thranduil:

Let my mind reset

!Sibling! Fili/Kili/Reader

Sister ours

Multiplay pairings

Thorin x Hobbit OC and Kili x OC human:

Snow Angel

Thorin x Original character, Kíli x Original character

How to train your dragon

Detroit: Become a Human:

Can’t go back from this

Hank's writing challenge Masterlist - Starting in May 1st

Avenger's universe:

Loki:

Follow the flame

One Piece:

Child of Two Worlds

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guardianofrivendell · 3 years ago

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Guarding Your Heart - chapter 2

Modern!Fíli AU written by @laurfilijames and @guardianofrivendell

Summary: Bodyguard AU: Lucy gets dragged into her father’s past against her will and is possibly in danger. Fíli gets assigned to her as her bodyguard. He doesn’t want to be there, she doesn’t want him to be there either. But then things get serious and in turns out Lucy is indeed in danger.

Warnings: mention of drinking and abduction, practically naked Fíli (twice... we don’t know how that happened... Really!), one suggestive moment and the expected amount of sass and smirks.

A/N: Are you ready for chapter 2? Buckle up, because it’s a long one (7k+ words... we’re so sorry - and no, we couldn’t split it up into two chapters because of... reasons). We had a lot of fun writing this chapter, a little too much because we had to cut a few scenes to make it shorter :) Have fun reading and let us know what you think, we love reading the comments and speculations!

GUARDING YOUR HEART MASTERLIST

Laurfilijames masterlist Guardianofrivendell masterlist

The morning sun came peeking through the blinds and slowly made its way over to Lucy’s bed, sliding closer and closer with every passing minute until it finally reached her face.

Now most people consider waking up with the sun shining and the birds singing their morning songs as a perfect start of the day. Who wouldn’t want to live their life like a Disney princess right? But not Lucy…

No, Lucy wasn’t exactly what you would call a morning person.

The only reason she would be awake around sunrise was because she didn’t go to bed at all and was still up partying. There was no way anyone would get her out of bed a minute earlier than she absolutely had to.

Lucy groaned when she felt the warmth on her face and hid underneath her duvet. It should be considered illegal to wake up before your alarm.

Wait a minute… The sun was shining, her alarm was set at 7 am. This shouldn’t be possible. What time was it?

Her arm appeared from underneath the duvet and patted the night table a few times in search of her phone. When she couldn’t find it, she threw back the duvet and looked around the room in a light panic. Now where could she… oh.

Everything from the day before finally caught up to her.

How her new babysitter took away her phone, and then had the nerve to come and ask for her laptop and tablet too. He even scolded her for slamming her bedroom door, like she was still a child. In her own home!

She stared at her open door. Him and his stupid rules...

She thought back to their argument about it yesterday. How he threatened to unhinge all her doors if she wouldn’t listen, and she in turn might have accused him of being a pervert. Fíli had pulled his hair in frustration before he thundered down the stairs again, mumbling something about impossible rich brats.

Speaking of… It was awfully quiet. He was still here, wasn’t he?

Lucy crawled out of bed and tiptoed to the open door of her bedroom, sticking her head out into the hallway. Nothing.

Without getting her hopes up too much, she made her way to the edge of the landing and peeked over the railing into the living room.

“I can hear you, you know,” a voice sounded from the couch. “You’re not exactly trying to be subtle.”

Lucy sighed and rolled her eyes. Nope, not gone yet.

Her bare feet dragged her down the stairs and to the living room before she realised she was still in her night clothes: a black tank top and her grey shorts.

Lucy paused, should she go back upstairs and change? Wasn’t this weird?

There was a stranger in her house and she was barely dressed. Chad would have a fit if he knew. It might even make Fíli uncomfortable.

But hey, she was in her own house! If she wanted to walk around like this, she could. If he couldn’t handle it, he knew where the door was.

Fíli was lying stretched out on his back on the couch, his head resting on his arms, feet on the arm rest.

“Comfortable, are we?” Lucy asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

She noticed he had rolled up his sleeping bag already and stowed it away with his pillow. It didn’t come as a surprise that he had his bed made as soon as he was out of it. Even if technically his bed was her couch. He shifted so he was sitting upright, and looked at his watch.

“Do you always sleep this late?” he wondered.

“Why, what time is it?”

“It’s well past 10.”

Lucy raised her arms and let them drop at her sides again. “Well I wouldn’t know now, would I? You took away my phone! And that’s my alarm clock.” She mumbled the last bit.

“You have heard of an actual alarm clock before, haven’t you?” he said sarcastically.

“Yes,” she hissed, her annoyance increasing by the second. “I just don’t have one because I happen to live in the 21st century and I use my phone like every other person!”

She walked into the kitchen and flicked on the kettle, desperate for coffee, and took a clean bowl out of the dishwasher for her breakfast. When she turned around Fíli was standing on the other side of the island, looking very smug as he plopped a travel-sized alarm clock down onto the counter.

“There. Now you’ll be able to tell the time and wake up before the day is half over.”

“It’s not like I have anything to get up for…” she mumbled as she worked on brewing her coffee.

Of course he had something like that on hand. What else did he have stashed away in his bags? Likely everything one would need to survive out in the wilderness for days on end.

She opened the fridge to get the milk for her cereal and almost dropped her bowl in surprise. Yesterday her fridge was practically empty. Not even enough food in it to keep that bloody mouse alive. Which is why she panicked when she heard she wasn’t allowed to leave the house again.

But now she was looking at a fully stocked fridge. Everything she could ever need was there: fruits, vegetables, yoghurt, milk, drinks, stuff to make sandwiches, …

“Told you I’d take care of it.”

Lucy turned around to face him. “How did you...?”

Fíli was now leaning against the counter, arms and legs crossed. He shrugged in response to her question. She didn’t need to know everything.

“Did you leave the house?” she asked him, taking the milk out and closing the fridge with her hip.

“No.”

“You got it delivered?” Lucy didn’t hear the bell, but then again, she was asleep or he could’ve got to the door before the delivery guy had the chance to press the button.

“No.”

She looked up at him again and tilted her head. “You’re not going to tell me, are you?”

Fíli just smiled at her and went back to the living room without saying another word.

Lucy took a few deep breaths to calm herself. Easy now, don’t let him get under your skin!

She placed the milk back in the fridge and opened a cupboard to get her cereal, and almost gasped aloud. Not believing what she saw, she started opening the other cupboards and was met with the same view. Just like her fridge was now fully stocked, every cupboard was filled to the brim with canned and dry foods.

“You’re welcome by the way!” Fíli shouted from his place on the couch.

She might have closed the cupboard door a little harsher than necessary after that remark.

After breakfast Lucy went upstairs and changed into her running clothes again.

Yes, yes, Fíli had said she couldn’t leave the house, but she really needed to get some fresh air. It had only been a day, and she already felt like the walls were closing in on her. Her plan was simple: if she wasn’t allowed to go out by herself, he would have to join her. He could protect her just as well outside.

In the hopes he could keep up with her pace, but that shouldn’t be a problem. Not that she had let her eyes linger on his physique, no really, she didn’t, she was just assuming every bodyguard was in perfect shape. Nothing wrong with that.

When she entered the living room, said bodyguard was working on his laptop. His eyes met hers and he smirked when he saw her outfit.

“You’re kidding, right?”

“No, Fíli. I do not kid,” she repeated his words from the day before. “I really want to go for a run.”

He turned his upper body towards her and rested his arm on top of the chair.

“Tell me. What part of not leaving the house don’t you understand?”

“That’s why you’re coming with me.”

Fíli raised his eyebrows at her and then pretended to consider it. “Let me think… No.”

He turned back towards his laptop.

“Come on, Fíli, please? I really need to get some fresh air.” He had to understand she was practically going crazy here, she needed to clear her head to wrap her mind around all this.

“No.” He didn’t even look up at her.

“I need the workout,” she tried again.

“You can do that inside.”

“But if you would just-”

“Lucy, I said no!” he interrupted, raising his voice.

She was so caught off guard that she took a step back at his outburst.

“You’re awfully rude for someone who’s meant to be keeping me safe,” Lucy said, trying to keep her voice even.

“I’m here to keep you alive, not to be your friend.”

He watched as she bit her trembling lip and he almost regretted lashing out at her.

Every muscle in his body was ready to jump into action if necessary and sure enough, he saw her eyes flicker to the hallway. She was going to make a run for it.

“Luce,” he warned her, letting her know he was onto her.

But she was fast. Faster than he had anticipated, and she was already in the hallway before he got to his feet.

Fíli cursed heavily. “Lucy, no!”

It had only been two days since he arrived and he found himself using these two words more than he liked.

When he ran into the hallway, he could see her running up the stairs towards her room, and not out the door as he thought she would.

Fíli ran his hand through his hair, and exhaled loudly.

“She’s going to be the death of me someday, I swear...”

Lucy slammed the door and pressed her back against it, fighting the upcoming tears. How was she ever going to live through this?

She ignored Fíli’s demand of keeping the door open, needing a moment to collect herself before she lost it in front of him.

Lucy gripped her hands together tightly to stop them from shaking and took a series of deep breaths to try and prevent more tears from falling.

She didn’t want to admit that he scared her. It was just a question, there was no need for him to shout at her.

Could she really be in that much danger?

And even if she was, he could still try and be nice to her. Or at least try to understand her side of things and see it from her point of view.

Once she was changed into a legging and oversized sweater and felt strong enough to be in the same room as him again, she threw the door open and walked to the kitchen, ignoring Fíli’s stare.

She needed a drink.

Jars clinked together in the refrigerator door as she whipped it open, reaching for a perfectly chilled bottle of champagne.

Lucy stood on her tiptoes to reach a flute, and slammed the glass down on the counter a little harder than she intended, but it thankfully didn’t break.

With a ‘pop’ the cork was freed from the bottle, leaving whispers of fizzy smoke trailing in the air. Her hands trembled again as she poured it carefully into the glass, not wanting to give away her nerves to Fíli who was now leaning on the doorframe and watching her like a hawk.

“I don’t know if this is an appropriate time for bubbles,” he said, his voice full of judgement. “It’s not even noon yet.”

Lucy spun to face him and placed the rim of the glass to her lips, staring him down fiercely as she emptied its contents in one go, not stopping despite the burning sensation it created down her throat. All she could think about was how much she wanted him gone.

“Maybe I’m mourning the death of what used to be my life!”

“You’re unbelievable, you know that?” Fíli smirked, biting the side of his bottom lip. “People are simply trying to keep you alive and the only thing you can worry about is your running schedule.”

Lucy slammed her glass on the counter again and braced both arms against the edge to fake some courage.

“It’s not just my running schedule! It’s everything! My studies, my future career, my boyfriend! All turned upside down and tossed to the side because of my father, who I haven’t seen or heard of for the past seven years by the way. So forgive me for being a little bitter.”

She refilled her glass, the first one was not enough to take the edge off the terrible way she was feeling. Lucy could see Fíli shaking his head from side to side in her periphery and she nearly lost it when she heard him chuckle.

“You’re getting a kick out of this aren’t you? You’re watching my life crumble apart before me and I bet you find it incredibly entertaining!”

“Oh don’t flatter yourself, sweetheart. I’m equally as offended and inconvenienced by this whole thing as you are.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked at the ceiling, not liking where this conversation was headed.

“You can leave at any time!” she snapped, pointing her finger at him. “I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself!”

“Would you like to try?” he challenged her, raising his eyebrow in question.

“Try what?”

“Looking after yourself. Should we see what happens?”

“This entire thing is being blown out of proportion! Nothing is going to happen! Nothing ever happens!”

He took a few steps towards Lucy until his face was only inches away from hers. If he wanted her to cooperate, he needed to be brutally honest with her. She’d probably hate him after this, but she could use the wake up call.

He took the champagne glass out of her hand and placed it back on the counter, not breaking eye contact.

“Really? So the chances of someone breaking into your house in the middle of the night is, what? One in a million?” he started. “Someone gagging you and tying you up, then tossing you in the back of a vehicle and driving you somewhere, anywhere, where no one is able to find you, not even me? Them doing unspeakable things to your mind, your body, ... You really think that could never happen in your privileged little life? Think again, sweetheart. Your dad messed around with some nasty people and they will not hesitate to use you to get what they want.”

He watched as fear spread across her features, and he knew he’d done his job in scaring her. The furrow of her brows relaxed slightly with every description he made of what would most likely happen to her if he wasn’t there to protect her.

“God, you’re a prick!” her voice shook slightly and she bumped his shoulder harshly when she stormed out of the kitchen and up the stairs to her bedroom.

He heard the door slam and he exhaled deeply, his patience stretched incredibly thin. She seriously had the brazenness to shut the door, again?

Lucy spent the rest of the day ignoring Fíli, which he honestly didn’t mind at all.

She was watching some kind of reality show on the tv that night, with Fíli keeping an eye on her from his seat at the table. She was still ignoring him, sitting with her arms crossed and legs pressed together, and he could tell she wasn’t really paying attention to what was happening on the screen.

His phone buzzed, breaking the torturous silence and he was happy for the distraction. He picked it up to read a text from Kíli saying he had sent over the background check on Chad that he requested the day before.

Fili placed the book he was reading down on the table and opened the document on his laptop to check what had been found out about the guy.

Chad Van der Beek, 32 years old, works for his father’s insurance company, living in downtown Auckland… Fíli skimmed through everything and didn’t seem to find anything particularly interesting about him.

Fíli: Thanks for the report.

Kíli: No problem. Nothing out of the ordinary. Seems like your regular trust-fund douche.

Fíli couldn’t help but chuckle as he read through the gathered info on Chad and quickly agreed with his brother.

Fíli: You're not wrong there. Where did you get all of this from anyway? I didn’t really need to know where he ate the other night.

Kíli: His Facebook account.

Fíli: Are you serious Kíli?

Kíli: Hey! You’d be surprised what you can find out on social media. He has no previous infractions other than the odd parking ticket, so I dug a little deeper.

Kíli: You’re welcome.

Kíli: I still think she’s hot, btw. I looked at her profile too.

Fíli put his phone down beside him and continued going through everything that was discovered about her boyfriend, choosing not to glorify his brother’s comments on Lucy with a response.

Kíli had even managed to send over some older posts of Chad and his buddies partying on a yacht in Ibiza, completely surrounded by half-naked women, none of which were Lucy. This guy was the definition of a loser. She could do better.

His phone buzzed with another message from Kíli and he sighed as he picked it up again, bracing himself for another one of Kíli’s pervy comments about Lucy.

Kíli: How are things going anyway?

Okay, something normal.

Fíli looked over at Lucy who was sitting in exactly the same position as before with a full pout on, obviously still upset.

Fíli: Fantastic.

Kíli: I can sense your sarcasm through the phone. I’ve tried convincing Thorin to let me take over, but he keeps denying me.

Fíli shook his head, thankful for Thorin saying no for Lucy’s sake.

Kíli: You should make a move on her… save the poor girl from that idiot. You can’t deny she’s a total babe, Fee. At least make your time there worthwhile…

Fíli: Trust me, Lucy can handle a guy like Chad. And for the last time, I’m not going to sleep with her! This is exactly why Thorin didn’t put you on this assignment, you’re always thinking with your cock.

Fíli: Thanks for the info, dickhead.

Lucy woke up in the early hours of the morning, bathed in sweat and panting as if she had been running like crazy. Which she had, but only in her dream.

Her eyes darted around her room needing to assure herself she was in her own house, in her own bed. Not in the back of a trunk or tied to a chair in some dusty old warehouse.

She cursed Fíli for putting those images in her head.

Her bare feet touched the cold floor when she swung her legs out of bed, and she sat like that for a while trying to calm down. A glass of water would be nice, but she didn’t want to wake up Fíli. The travel clock he gave her told her it was a little past 4 am, and he would probably be a very light sleeper.

But her head perked up when she heard a grunt coming from downstairs. And then another one. And another.

Lucy was curious, that was definitely Fíli she was hearing and it sounded like he was either in pain or he was having a really good time.

She couldn’t go and check right? She shouldn’t… No, she definitely should not.

And yet her feet carried her to the open landing all on their own, her curiosity getting the better of her. What she saw wasn’t entirely what she expected, but somehow she wasn’t surprised.

This should be the moment where she should have turned around and gone back to sleep, leaving him to it, but she found herself unable to tear her eyes away from the show Fíli was unknowingly giving her.

Fíli was lying on his back in her living room, half naked, sweaty and panting.

She watched him work his way through his fitness routine. Crunches, sit ups, squats, lunges, planks… he just kept going. And Lucy kept staring.

The drops of sweat tracing the outlines of his muscles, his dog tags softly chiming every time they touched the floor during his push ups, the sounds he was making, it was all so mesmerizing to her. She swallowed thickly and finally seemed to regain her common sense. She had to stop, this was wrong!

Lucy hurried back to her room and crawled underneath her sheets, ready to fall back asleep and hopefully have more pleasant dreams this time.

But sleep wouldn’t come.

After a few minutes she heard Fíli come up and turn on the shower. It only lasted about 3 minutes, and when he was done she caught herself listening to every sound, trying to follow his movements through her house.

It kept her mind busy and away from her nightmare amongst other images, but it also prevented her from falling asleep again.

After another hour of tossing and turning, she finally had enough and got out of bed. It was around 6, and past Lucy would be horrified to know she was willingly getting up at this hour.

A shower would wake her up, and if that didn’t work she could always try to take a nap during the day. It was not like she could do anything else around here.

Heck, why not make it into a well-deserved spa treatment while she was at it? Face mask, exfoliate, hair mask, … God knows she deserved some pampering after all the crap she had to deal with the past two days.

She collected fresh clothes to change into afterwards, and made her way to the bathroom.

When he heard movement upstairs, Fíli got up from his seat at the table.

It was still very early, there was no way Lucy would be up already. He slowly climbed the stairs, his eyes fixed on the doorway of her bedroom, and he reached the landing at the same time Lucy stepped out of her room.

She froze as soon as she saw him standing there, wearing a black, fitted tee.

Images of him working out in her living room earlier flashed in front of her eyes and she felt her cheeks flush. Her eyes kept lingering on his chest and upper arms, the way they were flexing earlier and the memory of the engorged veins all over his skin made her heartbeat quicken. She clutched her clothes a little tighter against her chest.

“Good morning,” she stammered, trying to hide her flustered state.

She made a move to go towards the bathroom, but Fíli blocked her way.

“You’re up early.”

“Couldn’t sleep,” she muttered. There was no way she was telling him about her nightmare.

Fíli watched her closely. She was keeping something from him, but he decided not to push it. At least not yet. She’s probably just missing her boyfriend and he didn’t think he could handle lovesick rambling this early in the morning.

“Oh, so does this mean we’re talking again?” Fíli smirked.

“If you promise not to be a jerk today.”

He laughed at that. “Only today? I think I can manage that. No promises though.”

And there they went again, easily falling back into their bickering.

“Could you move? I’d like to shower.”

He stepped aside and Lucy disappeared in the bathroom.

She placed her clothes on the chair next to the vanity and when she was about to take off her top, she noticed Fíli standing in the doorway.

“Can I help you?” she asked bluntly.

“I need to make sure the window is still secure.”

“I really don’t think anyone climbed in through that window and is hiding behind the shower curtain.”

“I’m just doing my job here, Luce,” he said, pulling back the curtain after checking the lock on the bathroom window, twice.

That was the second time he used that nickname for her and she hated it. “It’s Lucy!”

Fíli stepped out into the hallway again once he was satisfied there were no threats and positioned himself against the wall beside the door.

Then Lucy had the nerve to try and close the damn thing, which Fíli prevented by placing his hand on the door to hold it open.

“You’re not serious!” Lucy said in disbelief.

“Doors open, you should know that by now.”

“But I’m having a shower!” She placed her hand on her hip and waved towards him with the other one. “What are you going to do, stand there and watch me change?”

No matter how good looking he might be, this was crossing a line.

“Of course I’m not going to watch, but you need to keep the damn door open. I’ll be right here on the landing.”

Fíli heard her huff and swear under her breath as he leaned back against the wall. She didn’t know how lucky she was that it was him who was here and not Kíli, who probably would’ve insisted they needed to shower together for “safety reasons”.

Fíli checked his watch for the third time, Lucy had been showering for over 20 minutes already. What the hell was she doing in there?

He peeked his head around the corner, but kept his eyes directed on the ground just in case she would choose to step out at that exact moment. “Are you almost done?”

“Nope!” she called back, popping the ‘p’ and with a sassy ring in her voice. She was taking her sweet time on purpose. Perhaps he needed to give her a hint to hurry it up.

Fíli stepped in the bathroom and turned on the taps of the sink, hoping it would have the intended result of turning her water ice cold.

Lucy screamed and flung the curtain open enough for her to poke her head out, but he had already turned the tap back off and disappeared into the hallway, doing his best not to let her hear his laughter.

“Did you just turn on the tap?” she cried at him.

“Nope!” he yelled back, popping the ‘p’ like she’d done moments before.

“Like hell you didn’t!”

“If you knew, why bother asking?”

Lucy kept quiet after that and Fíli let his head rest against the wall.

Kíli was right, this was a low-level assignment.

He was used to long stake-outs and week-long missions, even in the worst of circumstances, but this was entirely different and she was really testing his patience.

Maybe he could convince Thorin to let him switch with Kíli every other week after all.

Fifteen minutes later, Lucy finally finished her shower and Fíli sighed in relief. He had actually been thinking about going to the kitchen and shutting off the water completely… Maybe next time.

After a full week of paying attention to Fili’s habits, Lucy had come up with a plan.

The alarm clock read 3 am. Officially the earliest she had ever woken up. Except for that flight to Bali. Oh and that trip to Italy, how could she forget that one!

Correction; this was the earliest Lucy had woken up to don her running gear and pretend she was still sleeping in order to go for a run.

She was more than desperate to leave the condo after being cooped up with the Winter Soldier for more than a week now. She wanted to feel fresh air on her face and to allow her legs to carry out her frustrations by finally going for that mind-clearing run, but she needed to wait until Fíli was in the shower to make her escape.

He was going to be furious with her and it would probably make the next couple of days a living hell. Maybe he would actually lock her in her room this time, but she was willing to risk that for an hour of freedom.

She knew his morning routine by now and Lucy intended to use it to her advantage.

She had set the alarm on the travel clock to go off at 3, and stuffed it under her pillow so as not to alert Fíli. If he would wake up too, her plan was useless.

Thank God Fíli was very regimented, because at 4 o’clock sharp he was up and starting his daily workout. Lucy listened to him grunt as he carried out the ridiculous series of push-ups and sit-ups, and tried not to imagine what he looked like doing them. She knew of course, she witnessed it with her own eyes last week. But that didn’t mean she didn't wonder why on earth anyone could be bothered with such effort.

After an hour of rolling her eyes to herself in her bed, she heard his footsteps on the stairs and him approaching her room.

With the covers tucked up close to her chin so Fíli wouldn’t see her running clothes, she closed her eyes, ready for her best acting. She tried to breathe as slow and even as she could and even managed to make her fingers twitch a little like she was dreaming. An Oscar-worthy performance, truly.

A minute had passed and she listened to him step away from her doorway and head to the bathroom.

At least that was something positive about these open doors, she thought, he could hear everything she was doing, but that applied to her as well.

As soon as the shower flicked on, Lucy used the noise to her benefit and bolted out of her room, bounding down the stairs at an impressive rate, knowing by now his showers only lasted about 3 minutes. The door was ahead of her, and the last two steps met her feet in no time at all, her freedom so close she could almost taste it.

But then the ground suddenly fell out from under her and she landed hard at the bottom of the staircase.

A dull pain started spreading through her left ankle and she cursed under her breath. Perfect timing Lucy. She groaned and sat up to check on it, but she didn’t have much time left, any second now Fíli would be done with his shower.

She reached a shaking hand to it, prodding it to check its condition. It was tender to touch and Lucy thought she could see a swelling come up, but she was still hellbent on getting out of here. If she could reach the nearby park, there were enough benches to let her ankle rest for a bit if needed.

She moved to stand, immediately crying out from the jolt of pain that shot through her ankle as soon as she put weight on her foot and she collapsed on her knees. She clasped her hand over her mouth, knowing Fíli would have heard her with his razor-sharp hearing. She slammed her fist on the floor out of frustration. She could forget her escape-plan now…

Just as she predicted, a very naked Fíli appeared at the top of the staircase mere seconds later. He did have a towel wrapped around his waist thank God, his hair still dripping wet and drops of water running over his chest. She was certain he jumped straight out of the shower as soon as he heard her scream. The worried but calculated expression on his face turned into a grin the second he saw her lying on the floor.

It took Lucy a moment to notice the gun he was holding in his hand, the shock of having it pointed at her taking away from that of her fall.

“Were you seriously pointing a gun at me just now?”

“Were you seriously trying to leave the house?” he countered.

Fíli put the safety back on his gun and trotted down the stairs, easily stepping over the tripwire he had secured on the second to last step the previous night.

Lucy’s mouth dropped open in disbelief at his trap, reaching for it and plucking it with her finger.

“You set this up?” she gawked.

“Mhm,” he replied, crouching down and reaching for her ankle.

“Were you trying to kill me?”

Fíli took her foot in his hands to remove her running shoe and Lucy was surprised with how gentle he was.

“The exact opposite, actually,” he muttered.

“You’re insane.”

“And you don’t listen,” he said, his voice strained. “That tripwire has been there from the first day I got here. Every night I put it up as an extra safety measure in general, not to try and trip you if you decide to make a run for it. But you just proved its effectiveness. Don’t go anywhere, I’m going to put some clothes on first.”

Lucy grabbed the shoe he had removed from her now busted ankle and hauled it at him as he ascended the stairs two at a time, unfortunately missing him.

Despite the pain in her ankle and feeling like she was being kept prisoner in her own home, she kept her threatening tears at bay, refusing to cry in front of that bastard.

Within a minute Fíli was making his way back down the stairs, this time wearing a pair of grey track pants, his upper body still bare aside from his dog tags.

He scooped Lucy up into his arms like she weighed nothing and turned to carry her up to her room.

“Put me down! I can walk just fine,” she protested, completely flustered because she was pressed up so close against his bare chest.

He chuckled, “Okay then, suit yourself,” and he released her legs from the crook of his arm but kept his other arm around her waist just in case.

She stood tall, trying to fake her strength, and placed all of her weight on her right foot before very gingerly touching the toes of her left to the ground. That slight pressure alone made her face curl up in a wince. She instinctively grabbed Fíli's shoulder for support when her ankle gave out again, and Fíli in turn tightened his grip around her waist to keep her from falling.

He refrained from making any smart-ass remarks and instead he sighed, collecting her in his arms once again, making his way back up the steps.

“At least now I know you won’t try to run away again,” he commented.

Lucy made a gruff, displeased at the entire situation including being pressed up against his hairy chest again. She couldn’t help but notice how remarkably firm he was though. Guess those early morning workouts were useful after all.

It felt like it took an eternity to reach her bedroom, and when Fíli finally placed her on her bed she was surprised by the gentleness with which he treated her. Little did she know Fíli had genuinely considered tossing her onto it instead.

He instructed her to lay back and lift her leg up for him to check her ankle once more.

She did as she was told, and he swiftly placed one of her spare pillows under it for support. It took all of her willpower not to kick him with her other foot when he pressed against the sore and swollen part.

“You’re in luck, it’s not broken. Just severely sprained, you’ll need to stay off of it for a couple of days,” he instructed her and Lucy nodded, too stumped to say anything. “I’ll get you some ice. The bruising won’t start for another few days. In the meantime you have to keep it elevated.” He carefully placed another pillow beneath her foot before he went downstairs.

Lucy stared at her ceiling, cursing the fact that she was now completely dependent on the guy who she refused to believe she needed here in the first place. To be fair, he had been incredibly gentle when it came to tending to her foot - which she hadn’t expected at all - but the whole thing still made her feel helpless.

A tear slipped down her cheek and she furiously wiped it away, wishing more than anything to be wrapped up in Chad’s arms right now.

Three days had gone by since her fall and Lucy finally managed to hobble over on one foot to the large window in her bedroom without Fíli’s help. The state of her ankle was preventing her from moving around at any sort of a decent pace, so it took her far longer than she would’ve liked. She was already dreading the way back, but for now she was more than content to admire the view.

She leaned against the window frame and watched the sun setting over the city. After days of staring at nothing but her bedroom walls while being confined to her bed, it was a more than welcomed change of scenery.

She was lost in her thoughts, wondering what she was missing in her classes, what Chad was doing and if that mouse was still in her house somewhere, when Fíli’s stern voice startled her.

“Get away from the window!”

She whipped her head over her shoulder to glare at him, thinking how he could possibly forbid her from looking out her own bloody window. Yet another addition to one of his many rules. At this rate it wouldn’t be long before the only thing she was permitted to do was breathe and go to the bathroom.

“I was just getting a little tired of staring at the wall, that’s all,” she sighed, while she turned back to watch the shadows of the night slowly but surely take over the city.

“Someone could see you! You really need to stop being so careless,” he warned her as he quickly drew the curtains.

He watched her begin to make her way over to the bed on one leg for a few seconds before he lifted her into his arms to get her to her destination faster.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

“It’s fine, just... keep away from the windows, alright?”

“Alright.”

Fíli grabbed his laptop from his bag and settled himself at her makeup table.

This was their new arrangement ever since she hurt her ankle. Lucy was dependent on Fíli now, and was very quickly getting bored to death, so Fíli worked in her room to keep her company.

He made her breakfast and cooked dinner, and she hated to admit that he was a very decent cook, which surprised her at first. She half expected to eat nothing but toast with beans for a few weeks if he was on cooking duty.

He really tried to make it as comfortable as possible for her, but she suspected he was glad she was immobile now. It made his job a lot easier.

Lucy watched him type away on his laptop, his phone next to him. You know what…? This wasn’t fair at all!

“Why can you have a laptop and a phone and I can’t? I have work to do too,” she said, a little put off.

Fíli sighed heavily before answering, he needed to choose his words carefully if he didn’t want to sound too much like an asshole.

“Because mine are on a secure connection with headquarters and I’m only using them to send in my reports and keep up to date with other cases.”

“Can I use your laptop?”

Fíli gave her a sideways glance, “Absolutely not.”

She grumbled and he had to bite his cheek to stop him from laughing. Saying ‘no’ to Lucy was just as bad as denying a child something they really wanted.

“What are you writing in your reports? How you tried to kill me with your boobytraps?”

“The same thing I write everyday,” he answered before smirking at her, “how annoying you are.”

Lucy ignored his insult. She really wanted to know more about his job. Since he knew everything about her, it was only fair he would share some information as well.

“So... how did you get into all of this?”

Fíli continued typing and gave her the most vague answer he possibly could.

“I was in the military before this and it just seemed like the appropriate next step.”

“I figured as much, those aren’t just an accessory.”

She nodded at his chest when he gave her a questioning look, causing him to glance down at his dog tags that were resting between his pecs.

“Hmm,” he hummed, tucking them inside his t-shirt and attempting to focus on his task.

“No offense, but why did you end up here? I mean… This doesn’t exactly seem like the kind of thing that would be assigned to you,” she stated, hoping to throw him off slightly and get him to talk.

“No, it isn’t,” he admitted, “my brother messed up and our uncle didn’t want anything else to go awry. So they sent me instead.”

His fingers stopped moving across the keyboard, and Lucy knew he had revealed more than he wanted to.

“Oh! You have a brother?”

She sat up a little straighter, interested to hear more. “What’s he like?”

Fíli exhaled deeply and continued typing, setting his jaw tightly, mad at himself for letting that information slip.

“You wouldn’t like him.” But Fíli knew that was a lie, of course she would like Kíli, everyone adored the cheeky bastard.

“I bet he’s a lot nicer than you.”

“I’m plenty nice.”

“Ha! That’s rich,” she snorted. “Do you at least get along with him?”

“Yeah, I do. Luce, I’m trying to work here...”

“It’s Lucy. What’s the age difference?” Lucy continued, ignoring his plea to let him work. “Are you older or younger? I bet you’re older. You’ve got that way about you that older siblings seem to have—“

“Shh!” Fíli suddenly interrupted her and held up his hand.

“I wasn’t finished talking, but don’t mind me!”

“Shhh!” Fíli said again with more concern this time, his brows furrowed, eyes fixed on something in the hallway outside of her room. He slowly stood up and walked towards Lucy, ready to take action if he needed to.

Lucy however was completely oblivious to what was happening.

“Would you stop shushing me! You’re so ru—.” Fíli cut her off by placing his hand over her mouth to force her to stop.

“Luce, be quiet for a moment, okay?”

He gave her a warning look as he removed his hand, and Lucy's eyes widened when she saw him pulling his handgun out of the back of his waistband.

Fíli carefully made his way to the hallway and peeked over the railing on the landing, only to see his suspicions confirmed. He cursed under his breath, hating to admit that Thorin was right after all.

He made his way back to Lucy, but kept his eyes fixed on the doorway and quietly gave her instructions. “Get on the floor and hide behind the bed.”

Lucy gave him a questioning look, “Why? What is it?”

“Someone’s here.”

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#Fili x OC #Fili x reader #Fili #The Hobbit #The Hobbit x OC #The Hobbit x reader #Modern!Fili #The Hobbit AU #The Hobbit Modern AU #Bodyguard AU #Lucy Turner #The Hobbit fanfiction #The Hobbit Multichapter #Fili Multichapter #Guarding Your Heart #dean o'gorman

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guardianofrivendell · 3 years ago

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Someone Like You - Chapter 2

Fíli x OC Fenna - fake dating AU written by @laurfilijames and @guardianofrivendell

Summary: When Fíli finds himself in the servant’s quarters after fleeing from a very persistent Dwarrowdam, he meets Fenna, a kind and gentle laundry maid. An unexpected friendship blooms and Fíli quickly learns that they’re running from similar things. He brings up the ‘perfect’ solution for their problems: faking a courtship. That way Fíli gets to escape the attention of the Dwarrowdams and Fenna gets to see parts of the mountain she’s never been to or allowed to go. But then the friendship starts to grow into something more and the line between fake and real courtship is getting very thin… Oh yes, and have we mentioned Fenna doesn’t know Fíli is the Crown Prince?

Warnings: Fíli’s imagination running wild (a little smutty but nothing explicit) and a looong chapter (8.5k!) so grab a cup of tea or coffee and make yourself comfortable!

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A/N: It’s finally here! This chapter was a hard one to write (no pun intended) simply because there was so much to tell and explore and once @laurfilijames and I are on a roll, there’s no stopping us! Enjoy and let us know what you think! Comments and reblogs are much appreciated :)

Fíli did his best to focus on the meeting. He really did. But it was impossible, ever since he met her, Fenna was the only thing he could think about.

Everything about her consumed his thoughts, everything around him seemed to remind him of her and even if it didn’t, he’d find himself dreaming up something that allowed him to think of her again. The thought that she could possibly be his One had popped up in his mind on occasion and he couldn’t shake the hopeful feeling it gave him.

He needed to see her again. Tomorrow, today. Preferably in the next hour.

Either way, this meeting needed to end.

Fíli sat slouched back in his chair, staring blankly in front of him while Balin and Thorin bickered about something he was completely uninterested in. He knew one day he would be leading a meeting exactly like this and that he would need to know everything that Thorin was spewing on about, but that would be ages from now.

He eventually tuned them out completely and began to imagine he was with her instead.

Her light brown curls bounced around her head as she hovered over him, straddling his lap, her body exposed to him, wearing nothing but the bright smile that adorned her freckled cheeks. She leaned forward and kissed him slowly, her tongue tangling with his, the taste of her perfectly sweet. Fíli’s hands roamed everywhere on her body, the feel of her soft skin exquisite against his calloused hands.

“Fíli…” his name fell softly from her lips as she sank onto him, connecting their bodies completely. She looked heavenly rolling against him, his name used as her mantra as she lost herself in pleasure…

“Fíli!” Thorin’s voice barked at him, startling him so much he smacked his arm hard on the table. Rubbing his elbow, he looked up to see everyone in the room staring at him quizzically, had someone asked him a question?

Apparently Thorin had called his name multiple times to get his attention, meanwhile all he heard was Fenna’s melodic voice while he was lost in his daydream.

Dwalin looked the most concerned for his well-being, and when Thorin went back to whatever it was he was talking about, he leaned closer to Fíli and nudged his arm.

“Thinkin’ ‘bout a lass, aren’t ya, lad?” he whispered with a sly grin.

It couldn’t have been that obvious, could it? No one was able to see through the wood table to know what was going on between his legs. They couldn’t have any clue.

Fíli straightened himself in his chair and palmed the bulge in his trousers, vowing to pay attention to what was left in the meeting and then go on a mission to find Fenna as soon as it was done.

So, that’s where he found himself now. Practically bolting out of the meeting room as soon as Thorin gave his final word for the day, Fíli set out in search of the beautiful Dwarrowdam he couldn’t get out of his head.

He weaved his way deeper into the mountain, wracking his foggy brain to remember exactly where it was he had found her only days before. The only thing he remembered were the servant’s wings and that he’d been near the laundry rooms at some point... if only he could remember how to get there. Normally he’d ask his brother, but Fíli thought it would be better not to involve Kíli this time. Somehow he wasn’t ready to share her yet.

He’d never felt so captivated by anyone in his life, but there was something about Fenna that begged him to learn more about her. All her favorites, what made her happy, what scared her, the things that took her breath away, her hopes and dreams... he wanted to know everything about her.

Fíli started retracing his steps from the kitchens, attempting to recall the path he’d set while running away from Frieda. After leading himself down the wrong course and starting over again three times, he let out a frustrated growl and placed his hands on his hips, looking around for something that might seem familiar, anything that might send him in the right direction.

What if Fenna was a figment of his imagination? What if he dreamt the whole thing?

No. She was more than real. He had the headache the day after as proof. But what if Mahal was determined to prevent him from ever finding her again, a way of telling him she wasn’t his One?

He cursed out loud at the thought and kicked a stone with his boot before setting off down a corridor, officially giving up for the day.

Fíli didn’t know where he was headed, allowing himself to be lost in thought as he wandered aimlessly through the mountain, letting his feet take him wherever they tread with no real destination in mind.

Dread filled him as he imagined what it would be like to be forced into a marriage with someone he didn’t love, someone like Frieda, sentenced to a lifetime of misery and melancholy. There was no way he could let that happen. He refused.

Just as he stepped around the next corner, a wall of humid, warm air hit him hard, bringing him out of his stupor as if he’d walked straight into a pillar, or hit over the head with a sack of laundry…

The faint smell of lemons lingered in the moist atmosphere, the same scent he knew he couldn’t forget, and hope coursed through his veins.

Fíli picked up his pace, smiling politely as he passed by a few dwarrow going about their work, trying his best not to break out into a run. He passed a tapestry that looked vaguely familiar, and then a statue carved into the mountain stone that he knew for certain he had noticed before, and then finally... there she was.

Fenna sat on a bench, her arms hidden in steamy water as she scrubbed away at a garment, her curls moving in time with her action, brows furrowed slightly as she concentrated on getting the garment clean.

Fíli stood frozen in place, admiring her effortless beauty as she completed what she would certainly consider to be a mundane task, yet to him she looked so perfect. Fenna smiled at a passing dwarrow, exchanging a pleasant “Good day to you!” and Fíli felt his heart sing. Seeing her flash her warm smile was enough to get him walking again to approach her, everything about her so inviting.

Feeling overly confident, Fíli suddenly forgot he didn’t know what he would say to her, but it was too late to worry about that as he was now three strides away from her, now two… one…

He was about to stammer out an awkward greeting when Fenna thankfully beat him to it.

“Oh? Hello!” Fenna greeted him with a questioning look. “I didn’t expect to see you down here again.”

There we go, that was nice while it lasted, Fíli thought. She must have figured out who he was, knowing that no member of the royal family would ever be in this part of the mountain on purpose.

“And why is that?” he asked, wanting to be sure.

“Just that no one ever comes to visit me at work.” She held up a dirty pair of undergarments before sloshing them back down into the soapy water, giving him a telling look. “It’s not that nice a place to visit, is it?”

Fíli chuckled at her amazing sense of humour, and felt relieved she still didn’t seem to have figured out he was a prince.

“No, I suppose it isn’t, but I think you’re worth visiting.” He winked at her as he picked up the opposite end of a large sheet she was stuffing into the water to wash next and began scrubbing it against the rough sides of the tub. “At least let me help you if I’m going to be down here bothering you.”

“Oh, no I couldn’t expect you to help!” she gasped, trying to pull the sheet out of his hands. “I’m sure you’re tired from working hard all day yourself.”

“I’m happy to. I used to help my amad all the time with laundry back in Ered Luin.”

“Well in that case… I really do appreciate how helpful you’ve been to me. I could use someone like you around more often.”

She gave him a shy smile as she looked down at her hands and started washing her end of the material. Was it possible that she was even more beautiful than Fíli remembered?

“Yes, you should appreciate it,” he joked. “Especially considering I’m still willing to help even after you tossed a sack of clothes at my head.”

Fenna laughed, loud and true and it had to be the most wonderful sound he’d ever heard. She shook her head as her grin turned into a genuinely happy smile and Fíli wanted to commit how she looked to memory.

They carried on a general conversation as they both scrubbed away at what seemed to Fíli was an endless amount of bed sheets, and he thought to himself how comfortable he felt being in her presence. Nothing seemed forced, everything felt natural.

Then Fenna went quiet for a moment, and the crease between her brows suggested she was attempting to figure something out, to solve a mystery.

“What is it?” he asked with a trace of concern.

“It’s just funny that both of our names, your name and my nickname, are the same.” Her head was cocked to the side as she continued to mull over her thoughts. “It doesn’t happen that often does it?”

Fíli chuckled, one side of his mouth pulling upward.

“Well, to be honest, it’s not my full name either,” he began. He took a deep breath, starting to get worried that as soon as he said his name, his days of being a common dwarf to Fenna were over. “My name is Fíli.”

As soon as it left his lips he winced in anticipation of her reaction. But the reaction he expected never came. He watched her taking it in, anxiously rubbing his thighs and his heart pounded against his chest.

“Fíli?” she repeated, trying out his name and Fíli could’ve sworn he died at that exact moment. Fenna shrugged her shoulders slightly. “An unusual name don’t you think? What does it even mean?”

He laughed again, this time out of disbelief and slight offence. He started thinking of something to say that would satisfy her question while still keeping his pride, but he came up short realizing he didn’t even know what his name meant. His mouth fell open, and then closed again, before finally scratching his head.

“I actually have no idea what it means…”

Much to his relief, Fenna giggled and continued on with her task, the mention of his name still not sparking any recognition in her.

Fíli happily helped her finish washing the sheets, and even though her duties were done for the day, he didn’t quite feel ready to leave her yet. He lingered as long as he could, until Fenna announced she had to leave to go pick up Finn.

“Say hello to him for me,” he said.

“I will! He’ll be glad to know his new friend was thinking of him.” Fenna glanced around the room to ensure everything was tidied and put away. “Will you be coming back tomorrow? I'm on sheet duty again.” Her eyebrows wiggled in a way to entice him into helping again, little did she know he didn’t need any convincing to return.

“I can’t wait,” Fíli answered, meaning every word.

They repeated the same process multiple times during the following weeks. After a rushed day of royal obligations or spending time in the forges, Fíli made his way to the laundry rooms where he would help Fenna finish up her work. He simply couldn’t get enough of her. She was enchanting in every way imaginable, and she still had no clue who he really was. Fíli had never felt so at home with someone, so at ease just to be himself.

Already he was learning so much about her, how she moved to Erebor from the Iron Hills only a few months ago, how she somehow managed to juggle full days of work all while being the primary caregiver for her little brother Finn while her parents worked days longer than she did, and of course all the little things that made her smile when she talked about them. He told her what he could about himself without revealing too much, still enjoying his anonymity with her. He shared that he works in the forges as a blacksmith, moved here when Erebor was reclaimed, and how close he was to his family, especially his uncle. Just enough about his life to not feel like he was omitting all of the truth.

Fíli found himself rushing to get to her again now, his day long and exhausting, the only thing keeping him going was knowing he would get to see her.

Trying his best not to break into a run down the path to the laundry rooms he now could never forget, Fíli weaved and scooted around all sorts of Dwarrow coming and going throughout the mountain. He didn’t notice one of them was his dear younger brother, their shoulders colliding as they passed.

“Ah, sorry!” Fíli called over his shoulder before he noticed the scowl of the dark-haired Dwarf whose face he knew better than his own.

With a hard shove on his chest, Kíli scolded his older brother, “Oi, Fee! Watch where you’re going! You’re lucky that was me and not someone else.”

“I said I was sorry!” Fíli shrugged and began walking backwards, not daring to pause in his mission to get to Fenna.

“Where are you going in such a hurry anyway?” Kíli’s eyebrows furrowed and he started following his brother, needing answers for why Fíli was never around lately.

“Don’t worry about it, it doesn’t concern you! I have to go, I'm already late!”

“Late for what?” Kíli threw up his hands and jogged a few strides to keep up.

He’s not going to let this go, Fíli thought to himself, wondering how much he should divulge to the always nosy Kíli. Fíli came to a stop and sighed heavily. “Look, I’m seeing a girl…”

“YOU’RE COURTING SOMEONE?!” Kíli shouted excitedly, everyone around them turning to look. Fíli gripped his brother hard on the arm and pulled him over to the side, his frustrations quickly growing.

“Not so loud! We’re not courting. I only met her a few weeks ago, I just-”

Before he could even finish Kíli was spewing out questions, and all Fíli could do was run his hand over his face and wait for him to stop to take a breath.

“Who is she? Do I know her? Is she noble? What colour is her hair? Have you kissed? Have you made her a courting gift yet?”

Finally Kíli paused long enough for Fíli to get a word in, putting his hands on his shoulders and looking his overly excited brother dead in the eyes. But Kíli wasn’t finished yet, his eyes suddenly went wide and dread settled on his face. “It’s not Frieda is it?”

Fíli was so surprised by his brother’s question that he choked on his own spit, a violent coughing fit racking through his body as a result.

“No! Mahal no! Kíli, why would you even say that?!” he gasped as soon as he could speak again.

Kíli relaxed visibly, letting out a sigh of relief. “Good, I don’t think I could’ve handled her becoming my sister.”

Fíli sighed. “Kíli, listen to me. I will tell you everything later, I promise, but right now I’m really late, and if I’m any later there might not be anything left to tell you about, okay?”

Fíli broke away from his brother before another delay could happen, rolling his eyes as he heard Kíli yell after him as he turned the corner, “Make sure you tell her about me!”

“I didn’t think you were going to come today,” Fenna said as she worked at folding a pile of pillowcases.

“I’m sorry, I got held up by my brother. I would’ve been here much sooner if it wasn’t for him,” Fíli explained.

Fenna smiled at him and shook her head, “There’s nothing to apologize for! I know what it’s like to have to pause everything to look after the little ones.” She carefully folded another pillowcase, neatly smoothing out the linen so no wrinkles were present. “Speaking of which, don’t you think it would be nice for them to play together? Your brother and Finn?”

Fenna moved onto her next task of washing what to Fíli seemed like the never-ending pile of sheets, not pausing in her idea of their brothers having a playdate. “Finn could certainly do with some new friends, he’s always hanging out with a couple of reckless pebbles, and I think they could become a poor influence on him,” she continued.

Fíli stood there dumbfounded. Did she really think Kíli and Finn were the same age? When had he given off that impression, he wondered. But then again, Kíli at times does have the maturity of a pebble. They would probably hit it off right away.

Just as Fíli was about to correct her, he got distracted by watching Fenna doing the most peculiar thing. She carefully plucked the tops off of a bouquet of fresh flowers and tossed them into the wash water along with fresh lemons where a set of sheets were soaking.

“How come you’re doing that?” he asked, curiously.

Her blue eyes met his and she smiled as she explained.

“It’s my own special touch. I only do it for the royals, of course. My way of thanking them and letting them know how much I appreciate all they’ve done to make Erebor such a lovely place to live.”

Fíli folded his arms across his chest and nodded as he took that information in, only then noticing the royal crest on the sheets. For all he knew those were his...

But Mahal, was she ever thoughtful. He gave her a warm smile, “I’m sure they appreciate it very much, Fenna,” he said, wanting her to know that what she was doing really made a difference. It also gave him the opportunity to ask her a question he had been dreading to know the answer to. “Have you ever met them? The royal family?”

She shook her head, not looking up from her work. “No, I haven’t. I don’t leave these parts of the mountain much. Did you? Meet them, I mean.”

“Yes, I’ve met them on occasion. They’re kind enough,” he answered, “but are you serious? You’ve never been out of the servants' wings?”

Fenna sighed, releasing the sheets out of her grip but keeping her hands in the warm water. “It’s not that I don’t want to, Fíli. I would give anything to see the mountain in all its glory, to see the beauty everyone’s talking about. I want to know what it would be like to dress up and dance at one of the grand feasts they throw in the Great Hall. But you don’t see any laundry maids or servants walking around upstairs, do you? I know my place and I’m grateful that we found a home here. I really shouldn’t complain, I have my family and my health.” She met his eyes for a few seconds before she smiled, “and you.”

Fíli watched her for a moment, taking in her soft features as she returned to her task, his heart swelling at how wonderful and genuine she was. Would she ever know that any flower in all of Middle Earth could never rival her beauty? She looked up at him and suddenly he was dying to know what she would look like when he gifted her a bunch of her favourite ones.

“What’s your favorite flower?”

“Cornflowers. I love how blue they are.” She paused her scrubbing and rested her hands on the edge of the tub, her expression like she just realized something. “They’re almost as blue as your eyes,” she pointed out. “Now that’s all I’ll think of every time I see them.” She gave him another bright smile before carrying on and Fíli sighed with contentment.

He wondered for a moment if he was on her mind as much as she was stuck on his before coming to the realization that he didn’t actually know if she was already committed to another Dwarf.

“You better not let your partner know you’re thinking of me every time you see cornflowers,” he joked, testing the waters.

Fenna shook her head and a small smile appeared, but she didn’t look up at him.

“Oh, no, I’m not betrothed to anyone. I’ve never wanted to be married,” she said as naturally as if she was talking about the weather.

Fíli could scarcely believe his ears, how could a beautiful Dwarrowdam like her not want to share her life with someone? He knew of Dwarves who were married to their craft, but somehow Fenna didn’t seem like the type.

“Why is that?”

Fenna finally glanced up at him and gave a small shrug with her shoulders, “It’s not like I have the time. I have work, and Finn,” she explained. “Trust me, the last thing I need is a husband on top of that.”

Fíli hummed, mulling over her answer in his mind. Shame, he thought.

“What about you? Do you want to marry?” Fenna asked in return.

“One day I hope to be. But only because I’ve found my One, I’d rather not have an arranged marriage. My family is determined to have me married off sooner rather than later, and because of that I’m constantly being bombarded by Dwarrowdams who don’t know the first thing about me.” Fíli could feel his heart sink slightly as he told her his situation, but he couldn’t help but smile when he looked back at her, her face tender and understanding. “Funny enough, that’s how I ended up down here that first day.”

“Really?” Fenna asked with piqued curiosity.

Fíli nodded and chuckled before continuing his story.

“Yes. There’s this insufferable one in particular, Frieda. She was literally chasing me. I had no choice but to make a run for it, and eventually my fleeing led me right here to you.”

Fenna covered her mouth with her hand to try to stifle her amusement and before they knew it, both of them were bursting with laughter.

“I’m sorry! It’s really not funny,” she apologized as she tried to get a hold of herself. “You don’t deserve to be in that situation, Fíli. I’m confident you’ll find your One sooner than you think.”

I think I already have, Fíli thought.

“One can only hope.”

A few days later, Fíli made his way through the crowd at the marketplace, apologizing every few seconds because he kept bumping into people. The flower stand he was trying to get to was on the far side of the marketplace and he had the greatest difficulty getting there. The hall was packed with dwarrow trying to get their groceries and shopping before closing time. All this trouble for a few cornflowers, he thought, but immediately regretted it. She was worth it. Fenna was worth it.

In normal circumstances, he would never even come here at this time of day, and certainly not by himself. In normal circumstances, people would make way for him as soon as they realized who he was, whispering how unusual it was to see a member of the Royal Family in the marketplace.

But these weren’t normal circumstances.

For one, he wasn’t dressed as a member of the Royal Family. He never was when he was on his way to see Fenna, but it was the first time he went out in public like this. He easily blended into the crowd with his plain tunic and breeches, not a single merchant or Erebor citizen giving him a second glance. Fíli was both delighted and offended by this. Sure, it opened a new perspective, meaning that he could walk around the mountain freely whenever he wanted or needed an escape but this meant that the people of Erebor didn’t know him. Despite all his efforts and the hard work he put in during meetings and negotiations, at the end of the day he was nothing more than a title and a Dwarf dressed in royal clothes. And for the life of him, Fíli didn’t know what he could do to change this.

Thorin was making a difference to these people, therefore they remembered him. He had no doubt that if Thorin would walk around in the clothes of a servant, people would still recognize their King. So why wasn’t it the same for him?

Before he could let his political insecurities get the best of him, someone stepped in front of him, effectively blocking his path.

“Prince Fíli?”

The relief he felt that someone finally recognized him was very short-lived when his brain caught up and remembered why he was trying to avoid the person belonging to that voice.

“Miss Frieda,” he nodded, his annoyance painfully obvious as he tried to look over her head to locate the flower stand. It wasn’t that far now, just a few steps. He only needed to get out of Frieda’s claws, and he knew from experience that wasn’t as easy as it sounded. Far from easy actually. Frieda on the other hand was blissfully unaware of Fíli’s state of annoyance with her, and started rambling so fast he couldn’t get a single word in if he wanted to.

“It’s highly uncommon for you to be here, your Highness. May I ask what you are doing here? And why are you dressed like this?”

Fíli stared at her, his mouth opened and closed a few times while he was trying to come up with another reason besides ‘I came here to buy the favorite flowers of a laundry maid I met and can’t get out of my head, just to be the reason she smiles today’. He had a feeling Frieda wouldn’t take it so well. Maybe he should tell her then, he suddenly thought and the corner of his lips twitched in amusement.

“Oh, how silly of me, oh my! You are here to look for a courting gift, of course! That’s why you’re in disguise, how clever!” she suddenly bursted out, her voice impossibly high. They gained the attention of a few bypassers and Fíli nodded politely at them. “How could I forget, I’ve hinted so many times I loved that deep pink dress master Frunik has in his shop. To be honest, I thought I wasn’t forward enough, I am truly sorry I didn’t give you enough credit, my prince.”

Fíli finally had enough. After weeks of trying to let her down gently, she still couldn’t take a hint and Fíli was losing the last bit of patience he had left. She was the last person in the whole mountain he would want to court willingly, and it was about time he made that very clear.

“Frieda, no, you’re reading too much into this. I am not here to look for a courting gift, and if I was, I’m afraid it wouldn’t be a gift for you. I am sorry, but this,” he gestured between the both of them, “will never happen.”

A number of emotions flashed across the Dwarrowdam’s face, and just when Fíli thought she was about to burst in tears, her features twisted into a scowl and her eyes darkened as she leaned closer to him..

“I believe you forgot who’s standing before you, Your Highness,” she spoke, her voice surprisingly low and even. “You see, I am not the kind of Dwarf who gives up easily. I want to be your wife, Prince Fíli. And I always, always, get what I want.”

Fíli stared at her, surprised at the sudden change in behavior. She stood up straight again, went with her hands through her carefully braided hair and beard to see if everything was still in place and then, just like that, her whole demeanor switched back to the sickeningly sweet Dwarrowdam with the screechy high voice. “I hope you enjoy gift shopping, my prince. Remember, I love pink!”

A bad taste lingered in his mouth as he watched Frieda disappear between the market stalls. What would it take for him to finally get rid of her?

He stepped aside to let a couple pass through, the Dwarrowdam’s hands holding onto her fiancée’s arm and Fíli couldn’t help the smile forming on his lips. It was so obvious how in love they were, their attention only on each other, the world around them not important. That lucky Dwarf wouldn’t have to worry about ambitious Dwarrowdams with stubbornness issues chasing him down every day, Fíli sighed to himself.

Wait a minute… If he was in a courtship, if he was already betrothed to someone else, Frieda would have no choice but to leave him alone! Even someone as determined as her wouldn't have the guts to try and come in between a royal engagement. Besides, if he was correct about her true motives, she would immediately try to find another high ranked Dwarf to persuade into marriage.

There was just that tiny little problem about him not really wanting to be betrothed. It felt like he had to choose between the lesser of two evils, and no matter what choice he made, he was going to be forced into a courtship.

Unless… unless he pretended to court someone else.

Of course, that was it! If Frieda thought he was taken, she would eventually have to move on. Once she was married - and Fíli was quite certain it wouldn’t take very long - he could ‘end’ the courtship and let out a sigh of relief. Plus the council would stop pushing him into marriage for a while as well, so he would be dealing with two problems at once.

It wasn’t in his nature to deceive people but honestly, Frieda left him no other choice.

But who was he going to fake court? It had to be someone he was comfortable with, someone who wasn’t really interested in marrying him. Who wouldn’t fall in love with his title. The last thing he wanted was another suitor added to the pile.

There wasn’t really anyone who was close to being a suitable candidate. Well, that wasn’t entirely true, Fíli thought when his eyes fell on the cornflowers. They stood out so vividly amongst all the others in the stand, Fíli taking notice of them as soon as he approached the stall. His thoughts continued as he let the flower petals glide through his fingers, Fenna would be perfect for the ‘role’.

She literally said that she wasn’t interested in marriage. She definitely wasn’t after his title, she didn’t even know there was one. To her he was Fíli, a blacksmith of the Blue Mountains.

He felt comfortable around her. More than comfortable.

And that might become a problem, he realized. He had enough trouble keeping himself and his thoughts under control around her when the only thing they really did was talk, and now he was planning to take it to a whole different level. Faking a courtship would mean he had to keep her close at his side, his arm around her, pretending to be madly in love.

Which is exactly where the problem lay. Fíli wouldn’t have to work too hard to pretend. There was no doubt he would court her for real if she’d let him. He already couldn’t stop thinking about how soft her rosy skin would feel against his, how sweet her lips would taste, how much pleasure he could give her if they were actually courting…

But she made it clear she wasn’t looking for a partner and Fíli respected her choice, so he wouldn’t ask her, settling to try his luck with a fake courtship instead.

She just had to say yes first.

Once he was satisfied with his selection of flowers, he thanked the vendor when he handed them back over.

“You’re going to make someone really happy with these,” the florist commented as Fíli paid him a few coins. “You know, cornflowers symbolize a positive hope for the future.”

“I’m counting on it,” Fíli said to himself, and started his walk to the laundry rooms.

“Are you done for the day?” Fíli asked her, leaning against the doorframe in an attempt to appear confident and relaxed, while in reality it couldn’t be further from the truth. He’d joined Fenna in one of the laundry rooms while she was finishing up for the day, just like he always did. The cornflowers were hidden behind his back, waiting for the right moment to be presented. He had absolutely no idea how she would react to his question, and that made him more anxious than he’d like to admit.

He watched her clean out one of the giant tubs they used to wash the bed sheets. Fíli wouldn’t be Fíli if he hadn’t offered to help her, but Fenna had declined, giving him that look he knew all too well by now. The one that told him she could handle it just fine.

“A few more minutes,” she answered, blowing a stray curl out of her face with a huff. “Why?”

Fíli shrugged his shoulders in response, which earned him a smile.

“Then stop being so impatient,” she laughed and she flipped the tub over to get rid of the soapy water. He watched it run over the floor, straight into a tiny hole in the ground that served as a drain. The now empty tub went to the corner of the laundry room, ready to be used again tomorrow.

For such a tiny Dwarrowdam, she sure had a lot of strength, Fíli marveled. He subconsciously rubbed his head, where she had smacked him a few weeks ago. He knew first-hand how strong she could be, so why was he still surprised? Or should he say, impressed?

“There, all set,” Fenna announced when she grabbed her bag. Her soft hands smoothed her skirt down before her eyes met Fíli’s. She cocked her head when she noticed he seemed to be lost in thought. “Is everything okay?”

Fíli blinked a few times and pushed himself off of the doorframe, hands still clutching the flowers.

“Of course,” he smiled at her, before he added, “I’m with you.” And he could swear he saw a small falter in her step when she passed him. Maybe he didn’t need to worry about her answer after all.

“Fenna, wait,” he called after her, a sudden burst of confidence rushing through him. He revealed the flowers when she turned back to him. “These are for you.”

“Cornflowers?” she asked softly, before she looked at him with those wide blue eyes. “You remembered!”

“They’re your favorite. How could I forget?”

She smiled at him, a genuine smile, one that lit up her whole face. Fíli wanted to stay in this moment forever. This, making Fenna happy, was his purpose.

They walked through the corridors of the laundry wing, Fíli falling a few steps behind while he was lost in thought. He still hadn’t decided what would be the best way to bring up his proposition, should he tell her about his previous encounter with Frieda or present it more as a step-by-step plan? But were there even multiple steps? They wouldn’t exactly work towards a specific goal, it was just pretending to court each other to get Frieda off his back. And the council, but Fenna didn’t need to know that part.

And that was another thing to worry about: how much longer was he able to hide his heritage?

He had been lucky enough to avoid most people when he was visiting Fenna, but when he would court her - no, fake court her, he reminded himself - he had no choice but to be seen with her in public. Frieda wouldn’t believe him otherwise.

Doubt started to creep up on him. Today could've been pure luck or just a coincidence that he went unnoticed while at the marketplace, and he wasn’t prepared to push his luck a second time. It would only take one person, just the one, who would address him by his title and his cover was blown, and to be honest he didn’t really feel like-

“Okay, out with it!” Fenna ordered, pulling him out of his thoughts. He didn’t miss the slight hint of amusement in her voice.

“What?”

“You’re not saying anything, but I can see your brain working overtime.” She placed a small hand on his wrist to stop him and it felt like a flare of heat shooting up his arm. Don’t let go, he prayed. She didn’t.

When he didn’t answer immediately, she gently squeezed his arm to encourage him. “Talk to me, Fíli. What’s wrong?” Her voice was soft and he couldn’t deny her plea.

Well… here goes nothing.

“I bumped into Frieda on my way here,” he started.

Fenna pulled a face when she heard Frieda’s name and he chuckled. “Yes, it went exactly like you think. There is just no escaping her.”

“Some people obviously can’t take no for an answer. I’m sorry you had to deal with her again, Fíli,” she sympathized, squeezing his arm a second time but in a more comforting manner. “I wish there was something I could do to help.”

She let go of his arm after that and Fíli shoved his hands in his pockets to stop himself from reaching out to her, already missing her touch.

“Actually, there is something you could do that might help.”

“Of course!”

Fíli smiled at her eagerness to help him, giving him a perfect opportunity to bring up his plan. “The only way Frieda would leave me alone is if I was courting someone else…” he hinted, hoping she would fill in the blanks herself.

Fenna looked at him expectantly so he continued. “I said before that I only want to marry or court if I found my One and that is still the truth. But I was thinking… What if I pretended to court someone? What if I found someone who’s willing to accompany me on certain events and act as my betrothed? That way Frieda has no other choice but to move on, and my family will get off my back for a while as well.”

Fíli watched her take in his words. She didn’t immediately burst out in laughter so that was a good start. He was sure that if he could explain it thoroughly, she would be willing to go through with it. But when she started frowning and raised one of her small fingers to poke at his chest, he became a lot less sure.

“Even if you were to find someone who wants to do this for you Fíli, and I’m sure that won’t be easy, how long are you planning to keep up the ruse? If Frieda is as persistent as you told me, she won’t give up that easily.”

“You underestimate her, Fenna. The minute she realizes she can’t have me, she’ll move on to the next high ranked Dwarf. She’ll be married before you know it and then I can end the fake courtship. No harm done.”

“High ranked Dwarf? I thought you said you worked in the forges?”

Fíli realized his slip-up too late and hurried to explain himself. “I-I do! I do work in the forges. But I come from a noble family, and most of the time people only see me as a way to get higher up. They’re not interested in me as a person, only what I can do for them or their reputation.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? I am not the type of person to judge someone by his title or appearance... You do know that right?”

Of course she wouldn’t, he thought. Fenna was too kind, too good to be like that. “I know that now, yes. But after we first met, I didn’t want to take any risks. It was nice to be treated like a person for a change and not a stepping stone.”

He was getting good at this, being honest without telling the whole truth. There would come a time he had to be honest with her, he realized that, but right now he wanted to stay like this. Just Fíli.

“Fíli,” Fenna soothed, cradling one of his hands in hers, “it would never matter to me, not even if you were of royal blood.”

She laughed at the silliness of her words, and he chuckled nervously. “Yeah, imagine that!”

They resumed their walking, leaving the humid air behind them and their previous conversation topic abandoned until Fíli brought it up again.

“So what do you think? Of the whole pretending to court idea?”

“I think people will end up hurt no matter what. Whoever you’re thinking of asking, they might end up with real feelings. Even you, Fíli! And don’t get me wrong I don’t sympathize with Frieda at all, but how do you think she would feel if she finds out you deceived her?”

He didn’t know how to respond to that. Of course Fenna would put the feelings of others first.

“But if you feel like you have no other option, and provided that you agreed on a good set of rules and guidelines upfront, then it might just work,” she added. “Do you have someone in mind? Maybe I can ask one of the maids here?” she offered.

“We’re going to spend a lot of time together, so it has to be someone I’m comfortable with. Someone I can be myself around.”

“Of course, that is a given. You cannot pretend to be in love if you can’t stand each other.”

“Someone who is kind and has a good heart,” he continued, easily describing her.

Fenna agreed with a hum, adjusting the flowers to lay on her arm. “That makes sense.”

“Someone who is not interested in courting me for real,” he added, “and won’t use this whole thing against me afterwards.”

“I cannot think of anyone who-”

“Someone like you…” Fíli said, holding his breath in anticipation.

She turned to him with a gasp. “Me? Fíli, you can’t be serious?”

“Why not? Everything I just said applies to you.”

“I-I can’t!”

“Of course you can! Think about it, Fenna, you’ll finally be able to see the mountain! I can take you to the Great Hall, the forges, and the view! Mahal, the view from the upper levels is breathtaking. I can’t wait to show you!”

His enthusiasm was endearing, but Fenna was too nervous to agree to his plan. Fíli was part of the nobility, she simply didn’t belong there. Not even if it was only pretend. Even though he was nothing like the noble Dwarves and Dwarrowdams her friends told her about and she really enjoyed his company, she was using every excuse she could think of not to agree.

“I can’t abandon my work. They-they need me here,” she quickly answered, carefully tucking the flowers in her bag.

“You won’t have to stop working, I have my own duties to fulfill as well. I will only make sure you can be missed from time to time.” He smiled at her, but she didn’t return it yet. He watched her fingers fidget, picking at the stems of the cornflowers and he placed his hand over them to stop her. “You’re the only one I want to do this with.”

Fíli watched as she suddenly froze, the color slowly draining from her face.

“Fenna? What’s wrong?” His eyes searched hers, worried that he somehow overstepped. The last thing he wanted was to make her uncomfortable. He was about to apologize, trying to make her feel at ease again, even willing to throw the whole plan out the door, but she braced herself on his forearms and brought her face closer before he could say anything.

“Please catch me,” she whispered, her eyes pleading with him to do as she asked.

There was no way Fíli was going to deny her anything she wanted, especially when she was looking at him like that. If only he understood what she wanted exactly.

“Catch you? Why? What’s wrong?”

Fenna glanced at something behind him and went even paler if that was possible, her grip on his arms tightening.

Fíli frowned at her reaction and looked over his shoulder, only to see another Dwarf at the end of the corridor making his way over to them, eyeing them curiously.

“I’m going to fake a faint. There’s no time to explain further, just promise me you’ll catch me!”

She didn’t wait for an answer, giving him almost no time to react as she closed her eyes and collapsed with a flourish.

Fíli lunged forward and was just in time to wrap his arms around her, before he gently lowered Fenna’s limp body to the ground.

“Very convincing, Fee,” he whispered, her nickname easily falling from his mouth. “Did you practice this?”

Her lips twitched, a hint of a smile appearing but her face went stoic when the Dwarf called out to her. “Fenna?!”

Fíli quickly put two and two together, realizing she was trying to avoid interacting with the male Dwarf in question. He chuckled softly, who would’ve thought Fenna had her own ‘Frieda’ to worry about?

“Don’t worry, I got this,” he whispered to her. He carefully placed an arm under her knees and the other went around her back, lifting her up with ease.

“Is she alright?” the dwarf asked when he had reached them, the panic clear in his voice.

“Just a small faint,” Fíli answered, “She’s exhausted. I’ll make sure she gets home so she can have a much needed rest.”

“Maybe I should-” he protested, already reaching out in an attempt to take Fenna over.

Fíli instinctively took a step back, adjusting his hold on her so her head rested on his chest. “Thank you, but I will take care of her. You may go.”

The dwarf tilted his head and narrowed his eyes at Fíli for a few seconds before he suddenly asked, “Do I know you from somewhere? You look oddly familiar.”

“No, I don’t believe we’ve met. Now if you will excuse me, I have to take Fenna home.”

Fíli swiftly turned around and started walking in the opposite direction, rushing to get away before the dwarf would recognize him. Staring at Fenna’s face, he noticed how peaceful she looked, her features relaxed and her breathing even. He almost believed she was actually sleeping, and Fíli suddenly had to fight the overwhelming need to kiss her. He couldn’t quite explain it, but it felt right to have her in his arms, close to him. Close to his heart.

When they turned the corner, he jostled her a bit before he whispered into her hair, “You can open your eyes now, he’s gone.”

Fenna opened one eye and checked her surroundings, visibly relaxing when there was no one around.

“Did you have a nice nap?” Fíli chuckled.

She didn't answer but pushed his chest in a playful manner instead, which had no effect at all since he was still holding her in his arms.

“You can put me down now.”

“Are you sure? You’re not feeling lightheaded? Dizzy?” he teased.

Fenna crossed her arms. “You’re enjoying this a little too much, if you ask me.”

“Can you blame me?” He gently put her feet back on the ground, but kept his hands on her waist a little longer than was strictly necessary. As a precaution of course… One can never be too careful.

“Thank you,” Fenna said, “for catching me, and for sending him away.”

“Care to tell me what that was all about? Who was that?”

Fenna sighed and rubbed her face with both hands. Now she genuinely looked exhausted, Fíli thought.

“That was Jothem, my father’s apprentice,” she explained. “I guess you can say he’s kind of my Frieda in a way.”

A wide smile appeared on Fíli’s face. “That’s not funny!” Fenna scolded him.

“No! I’m not laughing because of it, it’s just… I thought the exact same thing when I realized you didn’t want to talk to him.”

“Jothem isn’t all that bad, he’s a nice Dwarf and doesn’t mean any harm. My parents would love to see us united, so there is someone who will look after me and Finn once they’re gone. But you know me Fíli, I can take care of myself. And Finn. But just like with you and Frieda, he can’t take no for an answer. Not even multiple ones. So I’ve been trying to avoid him, leading him on instead.” She sighed dramatically, “I’m a horrible Dwarf.”

Fíli took both of her hands in his, squeezing them lightly. “Hey, none of that, alright? You’re the sweetest, kindest and loveliest Dwarf in the whole mountain.” Not to mention the most beautiful one, he thought to himself. “But you do know there is a perfect solution for this right?”

Fenna eyed him sceptically, a look that didn’t suit her, Fíli decided.

“I hate to admit it, but you’re right. It would solve both of our problems, wouldn’t it?” She bit her bottom lip as she thought it over one more time.

“We will both get rid of our Frieda's this way, that’s true,” he said, sensing that she was about to give in to his plan. “And you’ll be able to see the mountain. The only thing you need to do is stay by my side.”

“I can’t believe I’m doing this but...”

“You’re saying yes?”

She looked at him, her clear blue eyes wide, and Fíli could tell she was putting all of her trust in him.

“Yes.”

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guardianofrivendell · 3 years ago

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Someone Like You - Chapter 1

Fíli x OC - fake dating AU written by @laurfilijames and @guardianofrivendell

Summary: When Fíli finds himself in the servant’s quarters after fleeing from a very persistent Dwarrowdam, he meets Fenna, a kind and gentle laundry maid. An unexpected friendship blooms and Fíli quickly learns that they’re running from similar things. He brings up the ‘perfect’ solution for their problems: faking a courtship. That way Fíli gets to escape the attention of the Dwarrowdams and Fenna gets to see parts of the mountain she’s never been to or allowed to go. But then the friendship starts to grow into something more and the line between fake and real courtship is getting very thin... Oh yes, and have we mentioned Fenna doesn’t know Fíli is the Crown Prince?

Warnings: nothing special, Fíli getting smacked on the head but that’s about it . For now 😏

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A/N: The first chapter of our new series! I hope you enjoy it as much as we loved writing it. You’ll probably have some questions after this, but we promise everything will be explained in future chapters. Let us know what you think, it’ll only fuel our enthusiasm!

Fíli couldn’t believe his luck. Bad luck, to be specific.

After weeks of endless negotiations and hours-long meetings, he finally had a day off. Free from all the duties and obligations that came with being the Crown Prince of Erebor. For twenty-four blissful hours there wasn’t a single document to sign or dispute to be solved and he had been looking forward to it for days.

Even though he’d rather spend the entire day in bed and do nothing, he agreed to meet Kíli near the kitchens before they would take their ponies out for an afternoon away from the mountain. Fíli longed to feel the sun and wind on his face again after being cooped up in the dark depths of the mountain for days on end, stuck between meetings with Thorin and working in the forges. He needed to feel free and careless again, if only for a moment.

Fíli slowly made his way down to the kitchens, dressed in his favorite tunic, breeches and boots, a conversation he had with his Uncle a few weeks back lingering in his mind. Thorin had been slightly nervous when he mentioned after a council meeting that he wanted to talk to him about something and in hindsight, Fíli should’ve fled at that exact moment. But he was curious, Thorin never got nervous around him.

It turned out people were wondering when Fíli would marry. And by people, Thorin had of course meant the council.

He had carefully explained that there were certain things that were expected of the heir of Erebor, some of which could not be avoided or disputed. Now that the Kingdom was reclaimed and rebuilt and the Dwarves were thriving again, it was time for Fíli to start thinking of courtship and marriage. Maybe even producing an heir of his own if he was lucky.

Fíli refrained from asking why Thorin didn’t marry if it was so important to ‘the people of Erebor’, he knew it was a sensitive subject between him and Bilbo. They were two people madly in love with each other, living together, and Bilbo had even started helping with Thorin’s royal duties. Fíli saw no reason for them not to marry.

It was the kind of union he wanted for himself. Based on love, not politics. The last thing he wanted was an arranged marriage, and he feared that was exactly what he was heading for if he didn’t find someone soon. Thorin had assured him he still had plenty of time, but his message had been clear: start looking, or the council would do so on his behalf.

It was as if half the mountain had been listening to their conversation because everywhere Fíli went, there seemed to be one or two Dwarrowdams trying to catch his eye.

At first Fíli really didn’t mind, they were being polite and he gave them a nod and a smile, a friendly ‘Good morning!’ or a kind ‘How are you today?’. The ladies giggled and swooned, asked him about his day and that was typically it. Although he wasn’t too shy to admit he took some of them to his chambers on occasion to show them the quality of his sheets, he was a Dwarf with needs after all, but in the end it was just that. Satisfying a need.

Over time they became more determined however, desperate even, and they practically ambushed him wherever he went.

If it wasn’t the Dwarrowdams themselves he was dealing with, it was their parents who tried to get his attention. They all said the same thing: how their daughter was exceptionally beautiful and without a doubt a good match for a prince like Fíli.

And that was exactly what he didn’t want to hear. He didn’t need to know which family they were from or that their grandfather had a seat in the High Council. He wasn’t interested in their inheritance or how many suitors they had. Not a single one of those women wanted to marry him for love. They didn’t even want to know the real Fíli, only interested in marrying the title and becoming part of the royal family.

It was the main reason he was currently using the servants’ corridors on his way to the kitchens. His first day off from royal duties and here he was wasting precious free time by taking a detour, attempting to hide from Dwarrowdams who would do anything to get him to court them. Kíli of course thought it was all hilarious. The council didn’t breathe down his neck and he was more than eager to benefit from the attention his brother received.

And this was the exact moment his bad luck had begun.

The minute Fíli rounded the corner to the main kitchen, his heart leapt into his throat. His younger brother was casually leaning against the wall, surrounded by various chirping Dwarrowdams, no doubt keeping them entertained with one of his many - obviously exaggerated - stories.

How was it possible that they knew where they had agreed to meet? The kitchens were only frequented by the kitchen staff and the members of the Company when they were visiting Bombur - and that was more for his food than for the man himself.

Fíli flattened himself against the stone wall, praying to Mahal that no one had noticed him as he started to think of an escape plan. Kíli was on his own. He could fend for himself, not that he would be minding the attention anyway.

He moved, turning his body away from the nearby crowd, and just when he thought he managed to get away unseen, a shrill voice rang out.

“There he is! Prince Fíli!”

“Ladies, ladies, you know I don’t like to share,” he heard his brother say, trying to get their attention back to him as a distraction but it was no use.

It always seemed to happen this way. A gaggle of Dwarrowdams would somehow sniff him out and ambush him, forcing themselves on him or his brother with all but a fight to the death as to who would conquer the hand of one of the Princes.

There was one particular Dwarrowdam named Frieda - her father had a seat in the High Council which he proudly mentioned in nearly every conversation - and she was more set than the others on clutching Fíli in her claws and never letting go. Fíli didn’t know how she managed it, but every time there was a group of women waiting for him, she was sure to be one of them. He could pick out her annoying voice in any crowd, his skin crawling and shivers erupting down his spine as soon as he heard her call his name, and every time it happened he did everything he possibly could to avoid an interaction. So that’s what he did. Fíli, the Crown Prince of Erebor, heir to the throne, ran.

The echoes of his name chased him down the hallway as he began sprinting as quickly as he could, thinking he’d rather be chased by Beorn again than this insufferable woman.

As soon as he reached the more crowded corridors on the upper levels he kept his head low and his pace just below a gentle jog, so those he passed knew he was in a hurry and would think better than to stop him for a small conversation.

Fíli took two left turns and started to make his way deeper into the mountain, but the onslaught of footsteps still followed no matter how far he seemed to get.

How she did it, he could only guess, but it sounded like she was gaining on him.

His bad luck got even worse when Fíli found himself in a blind alley after one too many random turns. A curse escaped his lips and he wiped his face with his hand, his fingers tracing his jawline. Now what? Be a gentleman and endure the company of Frieda for a few minutes before he’d try and get away with some lame excuse? He groaned at the thought. No, he couldn’t do that. He wouldn’t survive.

His mother raised him well and taught him to respect every Dwarf - especially Dwarrowdams, while Thorin had taught him to deal with difficult situations and people but even someone as conscientious as Fíli had his limits. And when it came to Frieda, those limits were already stretched as thin as they could be. Very, very thin.

The only thing Frieda talked about were the dresses she was wearing, some piece of jewelry she wanted - and was hoping Fíli would make it for her as a courting gift no doubt - or how one of her ‘friends’ had found such a perfect courting match and she was still left on her own. All small hints towards Fíli to ask her hand in courtship.

He had a gnawing feeling that if the council would come to choose his future wife, their choice would inevitably fall on someone like Frieda, if not the Shrieking Balrog herself. And even though Fíli was a gentleman and would do what he was told, he had to avoid such a horrible fate at all costs.

Frieda’s footsteps came closer, the clacking of her heels echoed in his head and Fíli winced. She would come around the corner any minute now and he had nowhere to go.

His eyes fell on the tapestry hanging on the wall in front of him. At first sight there wasn’t anything special about it, which came as no surprise, since it was hanging in a dead-end corridor after all. But something felt off…

A small dark blue square in the corner of the tapestry caught his attention. The symbol of the Line of Durin… That’s odd, Fíli thought, since the scene depicted on the carpet had nothing to do with the royal family. He let his fingers glide over it and noticed that the tapestry wasn’t firmly attached to the wall as it should have been, making it act more like a curtain than a wall decoration.

The secret passageways!

Fíli recalled how when they were little - and a few decades later again on the quest - Thorin told them about the secret passageways hidden all across the mountain, free to use for every member of the royal family and their consorts. He kind of forgot about them but now that he remembered, he could hear his Uncle’s deep voice warning them that they only served as a way to get through the mountain safely and unseen in case of imminent danger. He couldn’t stress enough how they were not to be used as a mere shortcut, although Thorin had said it more for Kíli’s sake than his.

Fíli hesitated, the edge of the carpet clutched in his hand. He shouldn't.

Technically, he was in danger right now. It all depended on one’s definition of danger really.

He rolled his eyes. Mahal, he sounded just like his brother…

The shrill sound of his name being called made the decision for him and Fíli disappeared behind the tapestry before Frieda could spot him.

The hidden passageway led him deeper and deeper into the mountain, and as Fíli neared the end of it, he wondered where he would end up. Outside the mountain maybe? Or in the forges? A secret room?

When he finally reached a small wooden door, he could barely contain his excitement, feeling as if he was thirty years younger again, Frieda and his plans with his brother long forgotten. Was he ever going to unravel all of the secrets the mountain held?

The door needed more than a little push from his shoulders to open, but when it finally did, Fíli held his breath in anticipation.

“Well, this is… not what I expected,” he muttered, standing in the middle of an ordinary looking corridor.

It was the change in temperature that told him he was deep into the mountains right now, but besides that he had absolutely no idea where he was. It was too cold to be anywhere near the forges, so maybe he was closer to the mines? But then there would be a lot more noise…

Only one way to find out, he thought and he started walking.

He took a few left turns, squeezed himself through a very narrow corridor and then Fíli decided to shake things up and he took a right instead. He still didn’t quite recognize where he was, but he continued anyway, determined to find out where the passageway had led him to.

Thankfully, it was getting busier and he encountered more and more dwarrow who were bustling about in a larger common-area. Fíli took a brief glance around and quickly came to realize, judging by the state of the clothing and appearance of everyone that he had stumbled upon the servants quarters. Strange looks flashed in his direction as people walked carefully past him, obviously concerned as to why one of the heirs to the throne was down in this part of the kingdom.

Fíli drew a deep breath from within his heaving chest, relieved in knowing that none of those pretentious Dwarrowdams would have the nerve to come to where ‘lesser’ ranked dwarrow dwelled. He was safe here.

He walked along slowly, giving warm smiles to those who dared to look directly at him. Fíli knew what it was like to work hard all day and struggling to make ends meet, his younger days in the Blue Mountains still fresh in mind, so he was the last person to look down upon the servants, realizing all too well how lucky he was to have left those days behind him. He made sure to treat any servant as if they were his equal, often refusing their assistance and taking care of his own things.

“Fee!”

An excited voice came from behind him, causing Fíli to freeze, afraid Frieda found him again, but then he remembered she would never use his nickname. He turned on his heel, only to see a young pebble running directly at him.

“Fee!” The child cried out again, unmistakably saying his nickname and on top of that he seemed incredibly happy to see him. Fíli stood dumbfounded. Who was this pebble and how did he know his name?

The boy had exceptionally curly hair that flopped about on his head as he ran. It was blond in colour and his eyes were blue…

Fíli’s eyes widened. No... There was no way! He couldn’t have a son he didn’t know about! It was impossible, he thought as he quickly made a mental list of the Dwarrowdams he had been intimate with since reclaiming Erebor. No, it couldn’t have happened.

His thoughts ceased when the child ran right into his legs, and Fíli instinctively scooped the boy up in his arms.

He wriggled about before finally relaxing, plucking one of Fíli’s moustache braids in his tiny fingers and twirling the bead around.

“Well now, little warrior, and who might you be?” Fíli asked, shifting the boy’s weight so he rested on one arm.

“I’m Finn!”

“Nice to meet you, Finn. I normally don’t come down here, so I think you must recognize me fr—”

Before he could even finish his sentence, Fíli was smacked on the head with something heavy, making him nearly drop Finn as he stumbled forward.

“Would you let him go!” A stern, but melodious voice sounded behind him.

Fíli did as he was told and put him gently back on the ground - not that he felt like he had another choice after that blow to his head, plus the boy was squirming to leave his arms. His little feet took off as soon as they could move and Fíli turned to see him run straight into the arms of a young Dwarrowdam, who could not be much older than Fíli was.

“Do you always go about picking up random pebbles who don’t belong to you?” The girl hissed at him, her eyes piercing his as she held Finn close to her.

“He yelled ‘Fee!’,” he said forcefully, before he pointed at his chest, “I’m Fee!”

“He meant me, you creep!”

Fíli watched with wide eyes as the boy wrapped his little arms around the legs of this so-called other ‘Fee’, making him more confused than ever. Was that blow to his head hard enough to give him a concussion?

“I am not a creep!” he exclaimed, taken aback by the insult. “Do you always go around smacking Pr—”, Fíli was about to question her decision in attacking someone from the royal family, but swallowed his words when he suddenly realized that she didn’t seem to know who he was. There was no way she would speak to royalty like this, let alone hit them on the head.

“I do when they try to steal pebbles!”

“I wasn’t trying to steal him!” he cried out in defence, “He ran right to me!”

He noticed the Dwarrowdam’s weapon of choice on the ground next to her, a full sack of laundry that looked like it weighed a ton. He admired her strength for a moment before she spoke.

“Whatever your reason, who might you be? I haven’t seen you down here before,” she gave him a questioning look, her eyebrows high on her forehead as she waited for his answer.

This was an absolute rarity, so Fíli intended to take advantage of his anonymity, brief as it may be. It was only a matter of time before she’d realize who was standing in front of her.

“I told you, I’m also Fee,” he repeated, not wanting to give his full name yet.

Even though his head throbbed painfully, he couldn’t help but smile at her, his cheeks breaking out with dimples as he took a few seconds to take her in.

Her hair and sideburns were slightly darker than the boy’s, more of a deep auburn that bordered on brown, but equally as curly. The tight ringlets bounced about her head and shoulders each time she moved, some small pieces falling in front of her pale blue eyes. Fíli allowed himself to imagine for a moment how much they would bounce around if…

“Are you lost? You’re a little overdressed to be a servant.”

Her question instantly worked to bring him back to reality, and he felt his face heat up. Get a grip, he mentally kicked himself for letting his thoughts wander like that. He’d only met her a few minutes ago, for Durin’s sake.

She squinted suspiciously as if she had read his mind just now, but then her attention went back down to the boy tugging at her dress, and Fíli gathered she was likely his mother.

Just his luck. A beautiful woman who didn’t have any preconceived notions of his royal status, someone he could possibly get away with just being “Fíli” to, and she was already taken.

“Just a minute, Finn, let me finish talking,” she explained, patting his curls. “Well?” she asked Fíli, waiting for him to explain his presence in the laundry wing.

“Uhh,” he hesitated, unsure how much he could fib without feeling bad for lying.

“It’s not a hard question, Fee.”

“You’re right, I’m not supposed to be here, I’m just... visiting.”

“Well then maybe you should go back to where you belong,” she chided at him.

Fíli shrugged his shoulders, not knowing how else to react to her fiery attitude toward him. He almost laughed, thinking how he, a prince, was being scolded by a common dwarrow. She really had no idea…

Other Fee heaved the sack of laundry onto her hip with a sigh and held her hand out for the boy to take, turning away from Fíli without another word to carry on with her day.

Fíli stood frozen to his spot before shaking his head and taking a step in their direction, not knowing why he wasn’t ready for their conversation to end yet.

“Allow me to help you,” he offered, his hands already reaching for the sack.

“That’s really nice of you, but no thank you,” she declined politely.

“Then at least let me escort you and your… son back to your chambers.”

She gave him a smile that didn’t reach her eyes and shook her head, her curls following suit. “Finn is my little brother, and thank you, but we always manage just fine. Now if you don’t mind, I have lots of work to get back to,” she said shortly.

He watched as she attempted to disguise her struggle, the heavy load unbalanced on her waist and just about to spill open to dump the contents on the ground. She was clearly too proud to allow anyone to help her, Fíli thought to himself. Which was refreshing really, most dwarrowdams would’ve jumped at the chance of him coming to their aid and here she was refusing him, even though he could tell she could really use his help now one of her hands was occupied, holding the hand of her little brother.

She huffed and attempted to blow a stray curl that hung in her face out of the way so she could see properly, but it was glued to her face by a thin layer of sweat.

“Please Fee, let me take it,” Fíli insisted, staring into her eyes that had softened since they first met and only finding it slightly weird to be calling someone else the same nickname used for him.

She sighed when she realized he wasn’t going to let this go. “Fine. It really is very kind of you. I’m not used to anyone offering their help.” She allowed him to take the sack and smoothed out her dress that Fíli could tell had seen many washes itself. “You can call me Fenna, by the way. Only Finn calls me Fee, and that might be a little less strange if your name is also Fee,” she smiled and Fíli felt something stir inside him. She was gorgeous...

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Fenna.” His face split into a grin again, unable to help himself. “Even if you did hit me on the head,” he teased.

Fenna laughed, making her even more beautiful, which Fíli didn’t think could be possible. “I’m sorry I’ve acted so rude to you. I swear I’m usually a lot kinder to strangers.”

Fíli noticed how there wasn’t the slightest hint of recognition when she looked at him. He was truly a stranger to her.

“I’m just a little protective of him,” she continued, ruffling lovingly through Finn’s curls.

Finn started skipping ahead of them, singing a song that Fíli remembered Kíli singing when he was that age. He knew exactly how she felt and he welcomed the sudden warmth that settled in his heart.

“No, no, I completely understand. Please, I hope you can forgive me for what happened. I have a younger brother as well that I’m very protective over so I know what it’s like to feel that way.”

Fenna didn’t respond to his apology, she gave a curt nod and stopped before a doorway, her beautiful pale blue eyes regarding him peculiarly for a few seconds before she said goodbye.

“Well, this is where I need to be. Finn! Come on, nudnadûn,” she called to her brother who was jumping over cracks in the stones on the floor a little further down the corridor.

“Thank you again, for your help. You’ve been very kind to me,” she said, and somehow her words felt final to Fíli, like he would never get to see her again. It didn’t sit well with him.

“It’s my pleasure, really,” he said, truly meaning it. It was nice talking to someone without them fawning over him and seeing only the Prince of Erebor instead of Fíli. He took a step toward her after placing the bag of laundry on the ground and reached for her delicate hand, bringing it to his lips and leaving a featherlight kiss on the soft skin.

“It was lovely to have met you, Fenna,” he said in a low tone, his eyes searching hers. “I truly hope it’s not for the last time.”

He watched her lips part slightly, her chest rising with a sharp inhale and her throat moved when she swallowed hard.

Fìli blinked when she quickly slipped her hand from his and stooped to retrieve the bundle from the ground. She spun around and unlatched the door with her free hand just as Finn whizzed past Fíli and in through the opening.

“Until we meet again …” she said, her eyes bright and Fíli couldn’t contain another smile, winking at her just as the door closed.

He turned around and started looking for his way back to the royal wings, taking his time to rethink every word shared with her. He sighed happily when the image of Fenna kept dancing in front of his eyes when he closed them.

It seemed like his bad luck hadn’t been so bad after all.

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guardianofrivendell · 3 years ago

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Someone Like You - Masterlist

Fíli x OC - Fake Dating AU written by @laurfilijames and @guardianofrivendell

Summary: When Fíli finds himself in the servant’s quarters after fleeing from a very persistent Dwarrowdam, he meets Fenna, a kind and gentle laundry maid. An unexpected friendship blooms and Fíli quickly learns that they’re running from similar things. He brings up the ‘perfect’ solution for their problems: faking a courtship. That way Fíli gets to escape the attention of the Dwarrowdams and Fenna gets to see parts of the mountain she’s never been to or allowed to go. But then the friendship starts to grow into something more and the line between fake and real courtship is getting very thin... Oh yes, and have we mentioned Fenna doesn’t know Fíli is the Crown Prince?

Chapter 1 - 🌸

Chapter 2 - 🌸

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#Fili x OC #Fili #Fili x reader #The Hobbit #The Hobbit x OC #The Hobbit x reader #The Hobbit fanfiction #The Hobbit multichapter #Someone Like You #Masterlist #Fili x Fenna #Fake Dating AU #Guardianofrivendell #Laurfilijames

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guardianofrivendell · 3 years ago

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Guarding Your Heart - Chapter 8

Modern!Fíli AU written by @laurfilijames and @guardianofrivendell

Warnings: besides the fact this chapter is still wet with our tears because we didn’t want this to end? Prepare for broken hearts, stupidity (take a good guess to which character this warning belongs), but there’s also NSFW content again (welcome back to half naked... No, entirely naked Fíli!) so keep an eye out for the 💦 lines if you want to skip that part, and there’s one heavy make out session near the end.

A/N: Thank you SO, SO MUCH for all the support during these series. When we first started this, we could have never imagined the response we got. We had tons of fun writing this, laughing about our inside jokes, getting posting jitters on Friday, freaking out because we ran out of time only to write an entire chapter in two days the next week, anxiously waiting for your comments and reactions. We can’t believe this is the last chapter and our writing adventure is over... You’re more than welcome to come and have a good cry with us :)

A/N 2: This chapter is 9.2k words, our longest one... Is it obvious we didn’t want this story to be over? :)

GUARDING YOUR HEART MASTERLIST

Laurfilijames masterlist Guardianofrivendell masterlist

Kíli kept on rambling about whatever random topic popped up in his head, but Fíli wasn’t listening. His eyes were fixed on the road in front of them, lost in his own thoughts, not even bothering to react to whatever it was his brother was telling him about.

Kíli was driving him to the cabin, just like Thorin had promised. Well, ordered might be a better word. Fíli hated being dependent on others, but there really wasn’t another option. His arm was in a sling, the pain in his shoulder too much to use it, his ribs still sore. Even letting his arm rest next to his body hurt like hell.

The doctors had told him that the only thing he needed in order to fully heal was lots of patience and time. Two things Fíli didn’t have a lot of.

“You alright?”

Fíli finally tore his eyes away from the passing landscape and watched his brother’s profile for a few seconds. “Yeah, just tired,” he sighed.

Kíli knew that was only half the truth, but decided not to push his older brother. Fíli wasn’t like him, he was more closed off while Kíli wore his heart on his sleeve.

He had seen the heartache reflected in Fíli’s eyes, the blue less bright, as if someone had placed a very dark filter over them. Kíli wanted nothing more than to help his brother get better, and he was not talking about his injuries. He looked startlingly similar to their Uncle when he was brooding like this, and they definitely didn’t need a copy of Thorin walking around. Maybe he could pay Lucy a visit when he was back in Auckland the next day, see how she’s doing. Probably a lot better than his mess of a brother.

“Oh, I haven’t told you the news yet!” Kíli suddenly burst out in excitement, remembering what Thorin had told him that morning.

“What? You’ve finally decided to grow up?” Fíli said, not looking away from the window, trying to sound uninterested but the corners of his mouth twitched. Despite his miserable mood, he couldn’t help but tease his younger brother.

“You’re lucky you got shot in your right shoulder, because that comment would have definitely earned you a punch otherwise.”

“Pull the car over so I can show you that I can still beat you, even with this busted shoulder.”

“Oh, so you can blame me for making your injuries worse, I don't think so! I’m not stupid,” Kíli chided.

Fíli laughed, but immediately clutched his side when his ribs acted up.

“Okay fine,” he groaned. “You would probably kick my ass. I can’t even laugh without risking my lungs getting pierced.”

They drove in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, until Fíli remembered what Kíli said.

“So what’s the news?”

“Oh no, I’m not telling you anymore.”

“Very mature Kíli.”

“You’re the mature one after all, not me.”

“Fine, don’t tell me then, I don’t care,” Fíli sighed, barely keeping the grin off his face. He missed this bantering between them. He turned his attention to the window again, knowing it wouldn’t take long for Kíli to break and tell him after all.

And sure enough, it didn’t even take five minutes before Kíli gave in.

“Okay! I’ll tell you, stop pestering me about it,” he said, rolling his eyes, not being able to contain his excitement about the news he was about to share, earning a chuckle from Fíli. To give him credit, his brother had taken longer than usual. Maybe he was finally growing up.

“Well, you know how you’ve basically rolled up an entire cartel on your own, with help from me of course,” Kíli added, tearing his eyes off the road for a few seconds so he could look at Fíli with a very self-satisfied look. “Apparently they had been eyeing this one for quite some time, so we did the feds a huge favor.”

Fíli finally turned his head to watch his brother. Kíli was relaxed, one hand on the steering wheel, his other resting on his thigh. He always looked like he didn’t have a care in the world.

“It’s not that much of a surprise, if you ask me. When do the feds get something right you know? It’s like that time when they thought I was the criminal and took me in instead of the actual culprit. I mean… have you seen me?” Kíli pointed at his own face. “Do I look like a thug to you? With this adorable face?”

He looked at Fíli, waiting for a reply. Or at least a confirmation.

“Your point?” Fíli asked, one eyebrow raised.

“Point? Oh! Yes!” Kíli laughed, getting excited again, slapping the steering wheel a couple of times. “Thorin received the message this morning, we’re expected at an award ceremony in a few weeks where we’re both getting a medal. About bloody time we got some recognition.”

Fíli started pulling at the loose strands of fabric of his sling. He couldn’t care less about a reward. It’s not what he wanted. “I’m not going.”

“What do you mean, you’re not going? You have to!”

“I don’t care, I’m not going, Kee,” Fíli said, a little harsher than he had meant to. “I didn’t do it to help the feds. I don’t need a medal.”

“Then what do you need? Let me help, I know you’re unhappy!”

“There’s only one thing that I need, and I can’t have it!”

“Why not?” Fíli didn’t need to say it out loud for Kíli to figure out he was talking about Lucy. He couldn’t understand why his brother was doing this to himself. “Fee, why not?” he repeated.

Fíli inhaled deeply and Kíli heard the hitch in his breath.

“I don’t want to make the same mistakes as dad,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

Kíli gripped the steering wheel a little tighter, the mention of their father making his chest tighten. He understood his brother’s reasoning. It was stupid, but he understood.

“What dad did was different, Fee. He ignored direct orders because he wanted to save those kids. It was the right thing to do. ”

“He let his emotions take over and paid with his life. I let my emotions take over with Lucy, but was lucky enough to come out alive. I still went too far.”

“That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. So you kissed each other and it got a little hot and heavy. What’s the big deal? Again, you’re supposed to be the mature one?”

Kíli did everything he could to keep his mouth shut, knowing his opinion on his brother’s love life was the last thing he wanted to hear, but he couldn’t hold it in any longer. Fíli and Lucy were meant to be together and he just couldn’t sit back and watch the stubborn ass throw it away.

“Fíli, this is love! Even I can see that. You didn’t see how she reacted when you were on the stretcher. It took both Dwalin and myself to keep her from running to you at first. She loves you too, brother. You just need to let her.”

As soon as the words left his mouth he regretted it, seeing Fíli’s neck flare red and his dimples flinch in his cheeks from clenching his teeth together. He was mad.

“I know you don’t want to hear it, I just—“ but he was quickly cut off.

“Kíli, that's enough!” he snapped. Kíli didn’t take it personally though, he knew how badly his brother was hurting. It killed him to see him this way, Fíli was always so strong and resilient and he hoped one of them would see sense and make this whole thing right.

The rest of the car ride was spent in silence, Kíli keeping his eyes on the road the entire time in order to let his brother sort out his thoughts.

Kíli stayed at the cabin that night, it was too late to drive back to Auckland and he really didn’t want to leave Fíli alone, even if that meant sleeping on the couch. He left early the next morning, with a promise to return soon with more supplies.

It had been days since Lucy arrived home and was on her own, she lost track of exactly how many, but regardless, she was still no closer to healing the wounds in her heart. Everything in her condo was a reminder of Fíli. She couldn’t climb the stairs without feeling Fíli’s arms around her when he carried her. Whenever she took a shower and stepped into the hallway, she expected to see Fíli standing there, scolding her for taking too long. Everywhere she looked brought vivid images of him in her mind, and all she wanted was to forget.

So she used every excuse imaginable to be away, choosing to stay after class to study in the university libraries as opposed to the comforts of her home office. She went to sit in a busy cafe for hours during the weekend so she could escape the deafening silence of her condo. Grateful for having endless amounts of work to catch up on after being forced to neglect her studies for months, she buried herself in her books. But no matter how hard Lucy tried to avoid it, all of her thoughts were stolen by Fíli.

It was something Dwalin said to her when he had brought her home that kept repeating itself in her head, almost taunting her. According to him there was no doubt Fíli was in love with her. He claimed he had seen it in his eyes and behavior when he visited them in the cabin. “Clear as day lass,” he’d said to her, with a knowing smile on his lips.

And as much as she wanted to believe him, how much she wanted it to be true, she couldn’t forget Fíli’s words. ‘We can’t do this’, ‘This was a mistake’...

But what if he said those things to her because he felt he couldn’t cross a line? It was something she had thought about before, so maybe… Maybe Dwalin could be right? Was there hope for them after all? Could he feel the same?

Not knowing exactly what it was that possessed her, she found herself driving to EPIC headquarters one day. She parked in front of the huge building that overlooked Auckland and tried to sum up the courage to step out and make her legs walk to the front door. She knew in her heart she wanted to, she needed to see Fíli. Would he even be there?

Then once again, before she even had the chance to open the car door, her doubt started to consume her. If he really wanted to see her, he would’ve made contact by now. Maybe Dwalin was wrong.

Lucy cursed herself for being so foolish and letting herself get carried away so easily before shifting her car out of park and driving away from there as quickly as she could.

She did the same thing two more days in a row: driving to EPIC, nervously drumming her fingers on the steering wheel while she looked at the intimidating glass windows that covered the entire front of the building, only to change her mind and drive back home and feel like crap all over again. She willed courage to find her, she knew she needed to talk to Fíli again, if only to get closure on the situation.

On the fourth time Lucy found herself parked out front, she finally stepped out of her car and strode through the front doors with as much confidence as she could muster.

She was greeted by a friendly young man with dark brown hair who introduced himself as Frodo, Bilbo’s nephew, who was temporarily filling in at reception until they found a more permanent solution. He informed her that Fíli wasn’t at the office, and Lucy’s heart sank. She didn’t know if she was brave enough to return another day.

Frodo excused himself when the phone rang, giving Lucy the opportunity to turn on her heel and walk away. There was no point in being here now.

She could hear Frodo panic slightly when he wasn’t able to figure out how to take the call off speaker, allowing Lucy to hear the deep voice on the other end that was unmistakably Thorin’s. She slowed her stride when she heard him ask Frodo to bring the young woman in the lobby up to his office to speak with him. How did he know she was here?

“Miss?” Frodo called to her, stopping her in her tracks. She spun around to face him again, his beaming smile almost causing one to form on her own face. “Thorin would like to speak with you,” Frodo explained, standing to lead her toward the elevators.

Frodo chatted easily on their ascent to the first floor, but Lucy remained silent, her nerves still getting the best of her.

The door opened with a chime and Frodo guided her through the hallway to Thorin’s office. He knocked three times before opening the door, signaling she could go inside. Lucy hesitated before stepping into the huge office that Thorin occupied. She could see him sitting at his desk, looking over some papers with an expression on his face that she’d seen so many times drawn on Fíli’s. Lucy didn’t want to impose, so she stood for a moment at the entrance, picking her fingernails until his deep voice roused her from her thoughts, making her jump slightly.

“Please, come sit down, Lucy,” he stood and waved his hand toward a chair on the opposite side of his desk.

Lucy’s heels clicked across the tile floor, the echo making her more self-conscious than she already was. She smoothed her skirt and thanked Thorin as she perched herself on the edge of the chair.

Thorin smiled warmly, noticing her nervousness instantly even though she had been a guest in his home already. “It’s nice to see you again, you look well. Would you like something to drink?” he offered, “Tea, coffee, water?”

“Tea, please,” she requested, her voice barely above a whisper.

“I was wondering when you would be ready to come in,” Thorin smiled, placing the steaming cup in front of her. Lucy’s eyes widened at his words and she nervously rubbed her thighs.

“You- you knew I was there?”

Thorin chuckled. “I wouldn’t be good at my job if I didn’t. This is a security company after all.”

Lucy was mortified. She sighed heavily and shut her eyes, trying to come up with a way to explain this so she didn’t seem like a crazy stalker, but Thorin thankfully did the talking for her. “I can only begin to imagine how you’re feeling, Lucy, and it’s no surprise you want to talk to Fíli, as you should.” He gave her a sympathetic look when he saw tears pool in her eyes, and she blinked quickly to try to make them disappear, looking down at her hands and picking at the skin around her nails. “I’ll have you know that Fíli hasn’t been doing very well with this either. I sent him back to the cabin to take a break from all of this.” Lucy’s head had whipped up at the mention of him being back at the cabin and she wondered if being there had him thinking at all of her. If he was at the cabin, that would explain why he didn’t contact her.

“I can’t tell you what to do, Lucy, but I think you and I both know you should go there, go talk to him. You’re the only one he needs right now, not me, not even his brother. You.”

“Thank you for the tea,” Lucy said without acknowledging his advice, ending the conversation abruptly. Wiping a tear off her cheek she stood to make her exit, not bringing herself to meet Thorin’s eyes.

She left EPIC in a daze, trying to decide what she should do. Was Fíli really in as bad a shape as Thorin said he was? Or was he simply trying to push them together? Either way, she was torn. Why should she be the one to throw herself at him again, when he couldn’t be bothered to even attempt to make up for all the hurt he caused?

She drove the streets back to her apartment in silence, not even noticing the radio was turned completely down. She didn’t know what to do, if she should follow Thorin’s advice or wait for Fíli to come back and for him to take the first step. What she did know was that she definitely couldn’t drive that distance in her six-inch stilettos.

He couldn’t do anything.

He couldn’t shower properly, he couldn’t make dinner like he was used to and was constantly reminded of his injuries with every sudden move. Fíli was running up the walls out of frustration.

He couldn’t work out, which is what he would normally do to help alleviate his irritations, and he knew it would be a very long time before he could return to any sort of exercise routine.

So instead he sat on the couch to let his thoughts run freely and torture him. The memories he made here with Lucy, how she had felt underneath him on the bed, how he ruined everything with only a few words, all of which were lies.

Kíli’s remarks didn’t leave his mind for one second either. ‘She loves you too, brother. You just need to let her.’ Perhaps he was right, and the only thing standing between them was himself. Maybe he should go and talk to her when he returns. But what if she’s trying to move on? What if she’s trying to forget all about him? It would serve him right.

On some days he would try to read, but even picking up a book he knew Lucy had her hands on before drove him mad. He stood in front of the bookshelf, thinking how she had gone through nearly every book that sat on it. His hands ran over the spine of Little Women, and the memory of Lucy reading it took over his emotions completely. The way she sat curled up on the bed, a smile adorning her face, just happy to be in that moment reading a story she loved. That’s the moment he really knew. He loved her. He slammed the book closed and tossed it carelessly on the shelf, walking away before he came crashing down on himself.

It was a few days later and late in the evening, but Fíli felt far away from being able to sleep. It never seemed to come easily to him ever since he left the hospital and even then he was only sleeping well because of the drugs they had been pumping through his veins.

He had removed the sling from his arm and done some very slow and very painful rotations of his shoulder, trying to break the stiffness out of it. He couldn’t stand being inactive for this long, but at the same time he had no motivation to do anything at all anymore.

Fíli wondered if he would ever feel happy again. This constant and all-consuming dread that filled him, his mind reminding him repeatedly that he had made the biggest mistake of his life. He hadn’t felt anything close to this since their dad died, but somehow this felt worse.

He couldn’t seem to erase the image of Lucy’s hurt face after he left her in bed that one day. Every time he looked at the bed, let alone laid in it, his mind made a point to provoke him with reminders of her. Her scent lingered on the pillows and in the blankets, and it seemed like every time he closed his eyes he could feel her touch on his skin.

He rubbed his face with his hands as though the more aggressive he was with the action, the higher chance he had of eliminating these feelings.

He needed to see her. When Kíli came back with supplies, he would have him drive straight to her apartment. He had to make this right, he needed to make amends from the damage he caused, and if she still wanted him after that, he would never let her go again.

Fíli slowly stood from the couch and crossed over to the kitchen, the pain in his leg reminding him to slow his pace, and reached for the bottle of single-malt whisky that had become a bit of a crutch to him since he arrived back at the cabin. Pouring the amber liquid into a glass, he stopped when he heard a car pull into the driveway.

He thought what day it was, Kíli was meant to come back to bring him home two days from now, but then again Kíli has never been known to stick to plans.

The sound of a car door closing echoed in the otherwise quiet of the cabin’s surroundings as he put the glass to his lips and drained its contents. Light footsteps padded across the wood porch, and he knew immediately it couldn’t be his brother who’s gait typically matched that of an elephant.

Fíli carefully placed the glass down on the counter and kept still, listening intently for the next noise, but everything remained quiet. Whoever this was definitely wasn’t Kíli or any member of the Durin clan, who all would simply walk right in with no hesitation. Another minute passed and Fíli began to question the intentions of this unknown guest. He didn’t have the energy or strength to put up a fight, hoping this person was merely lost and in need of directions.

A knock so quiet he almost missed it sounded on the door, the indecision of the caller evident in the faint contact as if they regretted tapping their knuckles on the wood.

Fìli limped over to the door, leaning to peer out the window to try and see who stood on the porch, but it was too dark and whoever was there was out of view.

He sighed as he turned the handle, bracing himself for whatever nuisance waited on the other side. But the person who stood before him was not at all who he expected.

“Luce?”

Her face looked pained and tinted with regret, her eyes welling up with tears and she began sputtering words and shaking her head.

“I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have come, I don’t even know why I drove here—”

Her eyes refused to meet his and she turned quickly on her heel to walk away, but was stopped when Fíli reached for her wrist and spun her back around.

As soon as his fingers contacted her skin he felt something surge through him, a spark that ignited the flame he had for her, the one that he’d been trying to suffocate.

He refused to let go of her, fearing she would vanish in front of him if he did, so his hand remained clasped on her wrist and he found himself gently rubbing his thumb across it, the sensation of his rough skin on her softness confirming she wasn’t a figment of his imagination.

“What are you doing here?” He searched her eyes for some sort of answer as she still refused to speak, her head continuing to shake like she still regretted her decision to come here.

Finally, her eyes met his and the tears she had been fighting spilled down her cheeks.

“I can’t stop thinking about you. I miss you…”

Fíli could see her heart breaking all over again as she confessed to him, the pain he caused her still fresh and raw. Being here and saying it out loud reopened what she had tried so hard to deny.

“I need you, Fíli…”

The look on her face was like a knife to his heart, like she hated herself for feeling this way, like she wanted more than anything to not miss or need him.

The truth was that he needed her. He needed her more than anything, and it was finally time he admitted that.

His hands flew up to her face, her tears cold and wet against his heated palms, and he pulled her toward him, his eyes silently asking for her consent before he pressed his lips against hers.

He could feel her all but melt into him, relief flooding her as she finally allowed herself to succumb to what they both wanted. She met his kiss with equal haste, crashing against him with a passion he refused to deny them ever again.

He swallowed the soft moan that rushed out of her when his tongue slipped past her lips, her mouth parting to grant him access to more.

Fíli took a step back so they were fully inside the cabin, removing one of his hands from her face to push the door shut behind them before moving to guide her back to rest against it. He couldn’t help but lean his weight into her, needing so badly to feel himself against all of her at once. Her hands travelled over his back, squeezing and gripping his shirt to keep him close to her.

He broke their entanglement and took a panting breath as he traced his thumb over her chin to make her open her eyes to look at him.

Lucy reached up to cup his cheek, rubbing her palm over the soft stubble that coated his face, giving him a small but genuine smile, happy to be looking at his face in real life and not just in her mind.

“I love you, Luce,” he declared, the words falling freely from his tongue with more surety than anything else he’d ever said in his life.

Fíli pressed his forehead against hers, his lips brushing hers again ever so slightly.

“I love you too, Fíli,” she answered truthfully, allowing him to exhale the breath he had been holding before colliding his lips with hers again.

Lucy could scarcely believe this was happening, tasting Fíli on her lips, feeling his warm body on hers, relishing in everything she had missed and longed for since they parted what felt like an eternity ago. She clung to him tightly, using him as a grounding force. He was her strength, her rock. Her hands roamed his torso freely, exploring the form she missed so much, but the rough scabs and gouges in his skin quickly reminded her how broken he was too. But he didn’t seem to be bothered, not flinching at all to her touch. She suddenly felt the need to see his wounds, the injuries that scarred him and would leave a reminder of everything he did for her, the blemishes that had a wave of guilt overcome her. She slowly worked at the buttons on his plaid shirt, thinking how he would in no way be able to lift his arm over his head to pull a shirt over his head. His good arm braced against the door beside her head, his injured one hanging low to hold her waist. One by one, the buttons fell open and exposed his thick, dark blond curls to her. She carefully carded her hands over his chest, feeling his warmth radiating onto her hands, his heart beating strong against her touch.

There was gauze covering the gunshot wound and his chest and stomach were littered with cuts, some healed more than others, but the sight made her feel sick. This was all her fault.

As if reading her mind, Fíli pressed a kiss to her nose, then her cheek and finally her lips, bringing his hands to rest on either side of her face once more. “Hey, it’s okay,” he assured her, “I’m fine, Luce. I’m here.”

She couldn’t help but cry again, her finger gently tracing the borders of a deeper cut on his side. “I’d do it all again and again if it always meant you were safe,” he whispered beside her ear, moving to gently kiss her neck. She moaned at his touch, goosebumps erupting all over her body as he continued.

💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦

Fíli paused and took her hand in his, walking over to the bed. He sat on the edge and guided her between his legs, looking at her lovingly as she tangled her fingers through his hair. His mouth landed on her stomach, his hands lifting her shirt further up to reveal more of her skin to him. Excitement and anticipation fluttered in her stomach, the sensation of wet impressions from his lips decorating her belly.

Knowing he wouldn’t be able to lift his arm up to remove her shirt, she took the hem from where it lay bunched up beneath her breasts and pulled it off, happy to give him access to more of her to kiss.

His hands roamed all over her, from her back to her waist, down across her hips and over her bum, giving gentle squeezes wherever they fell, his lips still adorning her stomach and now moving up to her cleavage.

Her head fell back as his mouth found her nipple through the thin material of her bra, his tongue flicking it playfully before sucking it taught. He lingered there, but his hands moved to the fastenings on her pants, unbuttoning them and sliding down the zipper. Her hips shimmied slightly to help guide the material past her thighs, stepping out of them and standing before Fíli in her panties that he could see were already soaked through with arousal for him. He pulled her back against him, hooking his fingers in the band of her thong, bending his head down to kiss across her hip bone.

She felt lost in ecstasy, enjoying every touch they shared together, everything feeling so familiar and known. But that changed when she realized this was familiar, and couldn’t help but pause when the memories of them in a moment like this, before he abandoned her and called her a mistake flashed through her mind.

“Fíli?” she questioned, breathlessly.

He looked up at her with concern, sensing her reluctance. “Am I still a mistake to you?”

Fíli stood from the bed, gripping her shoulders slightly and staring at her intently. “Luce, you were never a mistake. I’m so sorry I said that to you. It’s my biggest regret, and pushing you away like that was the only mistake out of all of this.” His eyes were full of certainty, she knew every word he said to her was true. “I promise to make it up to you.”

He kissed her again and she eagerly reciprocated, pushing her tongue into his mouth desperately. She reached for his jeans, undoing them hastily and pushed them to the floor. He was straining against the thin material of his boxers, and he hissed when Lucy reached in and freed him, biting her lower lip in response.

Fíli sat back down on the bed, looking at her with a hunger she had never seen before. He wrapped his hands around her thighs and pulled her toward him, pressing his mouth against the area just below her belly button and she knew she could never get enough of him. His fingers hooked in the band of her panties and he glanced up at her with flaming eyes, searching for her approval to remove them. Lucy leaned forward, cupping his cheeks and kissing him fervently, giving him the answer he needed. She shuddered as she felt the thin material pull down her legs in the slowest movement, excited anticipation blooming in her stomach. Fíli reluctantly broke their kiss, returning his lips to her midsection, his hands running behind her back to unclasp her bra.

Now fully exposed, Lucy stood before him, bared and uncovered, nothing remaining between them. He took all of her in, careful to memorize exactly how beautiful she looked, how perfect she was. His nose grazed against her lower belly, dipping his head lower to land close to her core, her scent overwhelming him. Her hands fisted in his hair as his mouth contacted her folds, her soft cries mixing with his deep moans while he indulged in her taste. His hands roamed freely over her hips and the curve of her bum, pulling her slightly more into him to add more pressure to his actions.

He knew she was close to coming apart, her cries growing in pitch and her thighs quivering, so he slowed his pace, wanting to be inside her when she did fall over the edge.

Her breathing was ragged, her hips meeting his growing beard in a fluid motion as she gripped onto his shoulders for support, the way he made her feel left her unsure that her legs could keep her standing much longer. As soon as he completely removed his mouth from her, all Lucy could think of was touching him, finally able to feel all of him in her hands. She reached down between his legs, gripping his throbbing girth, smiling when she heard her name fall from his mouth in validation of her touch. Feeling the thick vein on the underside of his cock pulsing, she pumped him rhythmically, straddling one of his legs to get closer to him. His lips attached to her neck, sucking and nipping at her skin, noises replicating growls sounding from deep within his chest each time she rolled her thumb over his oozing head.

Lucy couldn’t take it anymore, she needed to feel him push inside her to fill her completely, making them one. She moved her leg in order to straddle his lap, now hovering over his cock, ready to sink herself down onto him.

She sighed suddenly out of frustration, realizing that she didn’t have any protection with her. Of course not. This trip to the cabin wasn’t exactly planned and as much as she wanted this, she never thought it was going to happen.

Fíli took instant notice of her delay, and a worried look flashed over his features.

“I don’t have a condom,” she shrugged, unable to disguise her disappointment.

Fíli simply grinned, remembering the generous gift Kíli had sent with supplies.

“Oh, don’t worry,” he chuckled slightly, “We’re fully stocked.”

Lucy returned his smile with a questioning look, moving off his lap as he stood and walked over to the kitchen. She took the time to admire his backside, but the sight only made her more eager for him to return to her.

Fíli shuffled a few things around in the cupboard where he had tossed the bag containing the value-pack of condoms, finally locating them and internally thanking his brother for doing something useful for once.

“You didn’t buy those, did you?” Lucy asked from the bed, a slight alarm present in her voice.

Fíli shook his head, hoping this wouldn’t ruin the moment. “No, Kíli sent them with supplies back when we first got here.”

Lucy couldn’t help but giggle, feeling slightly embarrassed but also grateful for his gesture.

She continued to watch Fíli, standing in all his glory, erection sticking out in a full show for her, but he didn’t return to the bed. Instead, he quickly gathered whatever blankets and pillows were nearby and placed them on the floor in front of the fireplace.

He looked at her once satisfied with his work, nodding his head to beckon her over, and she nearly combusted. He was irresistible to her and found herself by his side before her mind even made the decision to do so. They kissed for a moment before Fíli carefully lowered himself to the floor, his movements slow due to his still-healing injuries, his face curling up in pain.

“Are you okay?” Lucy asked as she moved to sit on her knees, her hand running over his cheek to try to smooth out his wince.

“I’m fine, Luce, it’s okay,” he opened his eyes and nodded to her, turning his face into her palm to give it a reassuring kiss.

A gasp of surprise left her when he gripped her legs to pull her body onto his lap with a strength she didn’t know he could have with his afflictions. He locked his mouth on hers, having long forgotten his pain and eager to return to where they had left off on the bed. Lucy glided along his length, her slick coating him and sending them both into a distracted state, forgetting the reason they had parted in the first place.

Fíli blindly reached for the condom he had taken out, his fingers finally landing on the packet that had disappeared somewhere between the pillows. He was seconds away from abandoning the whole idea of it, the sensation of her bare against him tempting him beyond reason.

“Give me that! You’re taking too long!” Lucy scolded him playfully, ripping it from his hand and tearing the package open with her teeth. He couldn’t help but laugh at her impatience, glad to see she was as desperate for him as he was for her.

But the humour he found in it was soon forgotten, replaced by feral need when she began rolling it down over his shaft, her hands moving to pump at the base of him once it was secured. He watched her chest rise and fall in deep breaths, trying to slow her pace.

“Do you promise not to stop this time?” she asked, knowing she was far past the point of ending what they started.

Fíli gave her a sly grin, reaching up to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear, “Nothing could stop me, Luce.”

Her eyes locked on his as she carefully sank onto him, his breadth stretching her walls, allowing no time to adjust to his size and not stopping until he was bottomed out. His hands tangled in her hair and he kissed her purposefully as he waited for her to make the first movement, not wanting to cause her any discomfort. But Lucy quickly took control, slowly rocking her hips against his body, creating a tempo that had his mind reeling and every nerve in his body firing.

He couldn’t recall ever feeling the way he did right now, every sensation heightened, every touch full of meaning and passion. The way she felt around him was exquisite, encasing him deep within her, her arms wrapped safely around him, the soft noises that fell from her perfect lips that he swore to commit to memory.

He was almost glad for his injuries, being forced to go slow, which allowed him to savour every bit of Lucy and have nothing rushed. The heat from the fire had their bodies coated with a thin layer of sweat, their limbs tangled together, sharing heavy breaths that were labored from holding back a slightly more aggressive pace.

Fíli didn’t know how long they had been entwined, but he was nearing his end and unable to hold on much longer. His lips broke away from hers, reaching up to run his thumbs over her flushed cheeks, giving her a telling look that he was ready to fall with her.

Lucy nodded, confirming she was at the edge too, and together they increased their motions, her hips rolling down and him rutting up into her forcefully. They came apart simultaneously, Lucy letting out a strangled cry as she clawed at Fíli’s back, her walls clenching even tighter around him to coax out his spend. He came with one hard, final thrust, his hands wrapped around her body like a vice, his head buried in her neck to muffle his own guttural sounds.

They remained as they were for a while, kissing and repeating how much they loved each other as often as they could, like they were trying to make up for lost opportunities.

Fíli eventually moved to pull out of her, and Lucy lay back in their makeshift bed, watching him pull the condom off his semi-hard cock, tying off the end and placing it to the side, far too exhausted to get up to dispose of it properly. He fell beside her and collected her in his arms once again, kissing her head that rested on his panting chest.

💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦

“That was even better than I imagined,” Fíli hummed in a low voice, his fingers drawing a pattern on her upper arm.

She smiled against his body, “And just how many times have you imagined it?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” he laughed, and Lucy thought how much she loved hearing it rumble through him. “I’ve been wondering how you knew to come here, though?” He asked, his tone turning serious.

“I may have driven to EPIC a few times before finally going in,” she admitted, a bit ashamed. “I talked to Thorin once I found out you weren’t there and he pointed me in this direction.”

Fíli nodded, not wanting to interrupt her because he could sense she wanted to say more. Her fingers played with his chest hair while she seemed to gather her thoughts. “I was going crazy without you. I couldn’t be in my house alone anymore, it was just too much. Everything reminded me of you.”

He squeezed her a little tighter against him, knowing exactly the pain she had felt.

“I was going insane without you, too.”

Lucy propped herself up to look at him, clearly surprised to hear him say that. “As soon as I woke up in the hospital I felt different... empty,” he explained. “I was so stupid, Luce. I tried to deny it this whole time, all the while knowing I was completely in love with you.” He could start to feel the same guilt he’d felt before come flooding back, the pain he caused her ripping him up all over again. “I’m sorry I ever hurt you. You never deserved any of that.”

Lucy could see the pain and remorse in his eyes, the bright blue reflecting so much emotion.

“Hey,” she squeezed his side to make him look at her, “none of that matters now, Fíli. We could feel responsible for each other’s pain until the end of time, meanwhile we were really both just too stubborn to fix what was wrong in the first place.”

He gave her a weak smile, still not convinced, so Lucy leaned closer to him to give him a long, rapturous kiss. “I love you, Fíli.”

“I love you too, Luce,” he professed again, this time his smile reaching his eyes.

They lay comfortably together until they were almost asleep, finally letting their bodies give in to the reprieve they both had been so desperate for. Lucy felt Fíli stir slightly, “Luce?” he whispered, his voice husky.

“Hmm?”

“How’s Gus?”

Even in her dozing state, she couldn’t help but grin, the smile stretching ear to ear.

“Well… Bilbo hired cleaners to tidy up my condo before I went back, and along with those cleaners he also had an exterminator come in…”

Fíli lifted his head to look at her better, clearly appalled by what she was telling him. “But Gus was too sly for any of them! I saw him scurry under one of the cupboards the other day!”

“That’s a relief!” he admitted, laying back down and pulling her closer to him. “I can sleep better now knowing he’s still around.”

Lucy turned her head to kiss his chest, contentment washing over her and encouraging sleep to take her.

The morning sun crept in through the window, the soft light dancing over Lucy’s still-tingling skin. She smiled as Fíli curled up behind her, resting his body against her back as they both wound down from their early morning activities.

“I could get used to waking up like this,” Lucy said, her voice still thick with sleep and ecstasy. As the words left her mouth, she heard the sound of tires crunching down the driveway.

Fíli groaned and rubbed his eyes out of annoyance, his brother always had impeccable timing.

“Who could that possibly be?” Lucy turned her head to look back at Fíli, a little annoyed as well that someone was disturbing their time together.

“That would be Kíli,” he grumbled.

Lucy moved to get up from the bed, wanting to dress before he came in the cabin, but was stopped by Fíli’s hand wrapping around her waist.

“Fíli-”

“There’s no time, Luce. Just pull the covers up. He’ll be making his entrance in three, two, one…”

And just as predicted, a loud rap sounded on the door.

“Fíli? Are you awake?” he yelled through the door, before he added, “Are you decent?”

“Yes!” Fíli shouted from the bed, pulling Lucy into him, kissing her hair when she nuzzled his chest.

When Kíli still didn’t open the door, Fíli reached down to the floor and hauled his boot at it, signalling him to come in. Lucy couldn’t help but laugh when Kíli’s mop of curls peeked around the corner, an offended look on his face.

“That could’ve hit me!”

“I wish it had,” Fíli mumbled, making Lucy laugh harder.

“Well, well, take a look at you two!” Kíli grinned, his expression changing as soon as he saw the two of them snuggled up together in the bed. “When I said I hoped to see you in better circumstances, Lucy, this wasn’t what I meant… Wait. No, what am I saying, this is EXACTLY what I meant!”

Kíli strode over to the bed and sat casually on the end of it before quickly changing his mind and standing, running his hand through his hair nervously.

“Sorry!”

“Kíli, could you maybe give us a minute?” Fíli requested, his patience starting to run thin toward his brother.

“I brought some food, it’s still in the car, I’ll just go out and grab it…” He looked at them with another signature Kíli grin, “and I’ll make you some breakfast. I bet you two worked up an appetite!”

He made his way back through towards the door, stopping to notice the box of condoms on the counter. “And I see you’re putting my gift to use!”

“KÍLI!” Fíli’s voice boomed through the cabin.

“Sorry! I’m just so happy for you guys!” Kíli explained as he scurried out the door.

“Don’t get mad at him!” Lucy scolded, pushing her finger against Fíli’s chest. “You know he’s right. We should be thanking him...”

Fíli shook his head before diving his face in Lucy’s neck, causing her to squeal and attempt to fight him off.

A few weeks later, Kíli and Fíli were honored for their services by the police department, much to the annoyance of the latter. Lucy couldn’t help but laugh when she saw both brothers stand on the stage after they received their medal. Kíli couldn’t look prouder, a large grin on his face and his chest puffed out, while Fíli looked as if he was about to get a root canal. He couldn’t get off the stage fast enough, leaving the acceptance speech to his brother. When Fíli returned to Lucy’s side, she grabbed his hand and squeezed it when she leaned towards him, “I’m proud of you.”

The whole family had come together to celebrate that night.

The table was packed with food and drinks and the room filled with chatter and rambunctious laughter. Bilbo and Thorin spared no expense when it came to this feast, and Bilbo was in his element as host. Fíli made it a point to go by every guest and family member to thank them for coming and to introduce Lucy. They all welcomed her with open arms, quite literally.

She already knew Kíli, Dwalin, Bilbo and Thorin of course, all four of them engulfing her in a warm and comforting hug.

When they stopped before Fíli and Kíli’s mother, Lucy was somewhat intimidated. The woman looked remarkably like Thorin, like she could stop a bus with her bare hands and not even flinch, but she had this softness about her that made Lucy feel as if she’d known her all her life. She introduced herself as Dís and took Lucy in her arms.

“Thank you,” she said, cupping Lucy’s face between her large hands.

Lucy was stunned, why would Dís thank her? It was her son who rescued her, if anything, Lucy would have to thank her.

“I-I feel like it should be me who has to thank you.”

“Nonsense,” Dís waved her words away before she leaned in closer. “You’re the one who made my son realise he deserves to be happy too. No one succeeded before you, not even me.”

“Mom,” Lucy heard Fíli groan next to her, catching the last of an eye roll when she turned her head to look at him.

“Oh hush, Fíli. I haven’t seen you smile as much as you have in the last few weeks. Don’t let her get away,” Dís warned him and Lucy brought her hand to her face to hide her grin.

Fíli was eager to guide her away to meet the rest of the people present before his mother could embarrass him further.

Lucy met one family friend after the other, all of them quick to embrace her and include her in the animated conversations.

It was all a little overwhelming to Lucy, who wasn’t used to a family being so warm toward each other, and it had been so long since she’d been to any social event, but Fíli stayed at her side the entire time.

An arm around her shoulders, a hand on the small of her back or entwined in hers, playing with her fingers. He made sure she knew he was always within reach.

Lucy never questioned if they were simple romantic gestures or more like a force of habit, to reassure himself she was fine. She knew it was a healthy mix of both, since his eyes searched hers whenever they were apart.

Dinner was exquisite, Bilbo truly had outdone himself. Lucy made sure she told him multiple times when she helped bring the dishes to the kitchen to clean everything. It wasn’t easy to cook for so many people and he made it seem like it was nothing.

“Thank you dear, you are too kind,” Bilbo smiled gratefully, appreciating her help. “I hope Fíli knows how lucky he is.”

“Oh, he knows,” a voice sounded behind her, making her jump. Fíli wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. Bilbo chuckled and stepped away, knowing when he wasn’t needed anymore.

“Everything okay?” Lucy asked, before she turned around and threw her arms around his neck.

“Hmm,” he hummed, planting his lips on hers. “Just missed you.”

“I was away for just a few moments, Fíli!”

“That’s all it takes for me to want you even more,” he said in a husky voice, his eyes darkening ever so slightly. Right when Lucy was about to protest having a steamy moment in his uncle’s kitchen, he turned his head to access her neck, his tongue slipping out of his mouth to lick and suck at her skin.

“Fíli! Someone could walk in,” but her words fell flat, his attention taking away any care if they did get caught.

“I don’t care,” he admitted, continuing to litter her neck and jaw with kisses, his hands trailing down her hips and slowly tugging at her dress to ruck it up.

“Ahem!” a voice cleared in the doorway and Fíli removed himself from Lucy to see Bilbo standing there.

“No, no! Don’t mind me,” he said, placing another stack of plates beside the sink. “As you were…” he winked at Lucy as exited the room again, leaving her feeling flustered. She looked at Fíli who ran his hand through his hair and adjusted himself in his pants.

“Sorry,” he said with a cheeky grin, and she knew he wasn’t at all. Lucy smoothed her dress down when she heard the playful tone in Fíli’s voice change to more serious. “Hey… I’ve been meaning to ask. Have you heard from your father yet?”

Lucy shook her head. She had expected him to contact her when she returned home, if only to apologize for everything he put her through, but she didn’t hear a word.

“Why don’t you call him instead?”

She let go of Fíli but he was quick to grab her hands to keep her close. “Luce, if I had the chance to talk to my father again, I wouldn’t have to think twice.”

“That’s different. We talked about this Fíli,” she said, her eyes begging him to let it go.

He nodded in response and they made their way back to the living room. Fíli knew the only thing Lucy needed was more time.

When they entered the room, they were welcomed with cheers, everyone raising their glass at the happy couple.

“There they are!”

Lucy gave Fíli a questioning look, silently asking him if he knew what was going on, but he shrugged his shoulders. They were ushered towards their seats, and Thorin stood up from his chair, his glass of wine in hand.

“After such an exceptionally good meal,” Thorin started, looking fondly at Bilbo, “I’d like to say a few words. Today we are celebrating. Not only because our last mission was a great success and two of our own were honored today…” He paused when the room erupted into cheers, Fíli and Kíli receiving praises and pats on the shoulders. “But also because our family has grown. When Fíli first learned he was going to be responsible for Lucy’s safety, he didn’t exactly thank me for the opportunity. And from what I’ve heard, the feeling was entirely mutual on her side.”

Lucy hid her face in her hands, thinking back to all those moments in the first few weeks they ‘lived’ together. How many times had she been disrespectful, sassy and often rude to him? And look at them now, they couldn’t keep their hands to themselves.

“But they’ve both come a long way together, and we couldn’t be more grateful. I think we can all agree Fíli is a lot more enjoyable lately, now he’s found someone who makes him happy. And Lucy, if rolling up an entire cartel by himself doesn’t tell you he loves you, then what does?” Thorin laughed, looking at Lucy.

“Welcome to the family, Lucy,” Dís said, raising her glass.

Fíli threw his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a one-armed hug, kissing the side of her head.

“Welcome to the family!” they all repeated.

Kíli raised his glass in confirmation and drank it all in one go.

“I still have one question, my dear brother,” he said, placing his glass on the table a little harder than Bilbo would’ve wanted, and effectively silenced the entire room, everyone eager to hear what Kíli wanted to know. A sly grin appeared on his face and Thorin bowed his head, knowing that whatever his youngest nephew was about to say, was either going to embarrass someone or start a fight.

“When will I get to be an uncle?”

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#Fili x OC #Fili x reader #Fili #The Hobbit #The Hobbit x OC #The Hobbit x reader #Modern!Fili #The Hobbit multichapter #The Hobbit fanfiction #The Hobbit Modern AU #Bodyguard AU #Lucy Turner #Fili x Lucy Turner #Fili Friday #Dean O'gorman #Guarding Your Heart

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guardianofrivendell · 3 years ago

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Guarding Your Heart - Chapter 7

Modern!Fíli AU written by @laurfilijames and @guardianofrivendell

Warnings: oh boy, are you ready? Because this is one hell of a chapter with lots of warnings! Don’t read if one of these things can trigger you in any way: swearing, gun violence, knife violence, mentions of blood, mentions of gun and stab wounds, mentions/implications of r*pe (hinting at), and ANGST ANGST ANGST - Nothing is graphically described but better safe than sorry!

A/N: Our second to last chapter :( This one is very intens, lots of things happening, we’re finally getting some answers. For those of you who read the teaser, sorry to put you through it :D You have a box of tissues ready?

GUARDING YOUR HEART MASTERLIST

Laurfilijames masterlist Guardianofrivendell masterlist

Lucy ran as fast as she could, pushing her body to its limit.

She ran past trees, through shrubs and bushes, climbing the steep forest hillside, trying to get as much distance between her and the cabin as fast as possible. Branches scratched her bare arms, leaves and twigs caught in her hair but she kept running, trying not to think about Fíli.

After a few minutes she had to stop, out of breath and her legs burning, not used to running uphill and the heavy boots she was wearing weren’t exactly ideal running shoes either. She leaned forward and rested her hands on her knees to try and catch her breath. Her side hurt, her stamina deteriorating quickly after not being able to maintain her running schedule.

There was no time to lose, Fíli told her to go deep into the forest and she didn’t get very far yet, the steepness of the forest hill slowing her down immensely.

She leaned her back against a tree and closed her eyes, trying to keep a clear head. Her mind was reeling, she needed to focus but she was terrified. She felt so helpless.

After opening her eyes, Lucy looked around the tree to make sure she wasn’t followed.

As soon as she did, she wished she hadn’t.

From where she stood, she had a clear view of the cabin all the way down. Men dressed in black were closing in, taking posts at the windows, their weapons drawn. There was no way out for Fíli, she realised to her own horror. He was completely surrounded.

He told her to go, to run for safety. If she’d known what was coming for them, she would have never left.

And then it suddenly hit her, Fíli had known…

He warned her that they were coming, he knew how many there were and that they didn’t stand a chance. And still he chose to stay behind, putting her safety first.

She had to go back.

They were here for her, she was not going to let Fíli sacrifice himself for her sake, bodyguard or not. They needed her as leverage for her father, so they wouldn’t kill her. Not right away at least. It might buy Fíli enough time, or save his life altogether.

She was going to surrender herself.

It was her turn to save him.

Lucy took a few deep breaths before she rounded the tree and started to make her way back down. Fíli was going to be furious, she had no doubt about that, but there was no way she was going to let him do this alone. If he was allowed to risk his life for her, then she could do the same for him.

In her haste to get to Fíli, she was more sliding and stumbling her way down than actually running and she felt her ankle throbbing painfully in her boot. Her determination to get to him however was stronger and she bit through the pain, the thought of Fíli taking on those men by himself spurring her on.

When she finally reached the foot of the hill, the cabin only a couple of hundred yards away, she pushed herself even more until she felt someone grab her arm. The force of which the other person had grabbed her made her stumble, but before she could fall to the ground, two arms wrapped around her to keep her up.

Fíli was still in the cabin - she could hear the fighting - so she knew whoever this person was had no good intentions towards her and didn’t grab her to prevent her from falling.

Lucy acted on instinct, using the techniques Fíli taught her to fight herself free. She brought her arms up and hit them in the neck with her elbow, before she dropped all her weight. Her attacker had no choice but to let her go.

She got back to her feet and wanted to run, but they were too fast, grabbing her wrist and turning her around with her back against their chest. Lucy wasted no time and started kicking and screaming, trying to fight this person off of her.

“Stop fighting me!” a male voice grunted.

“No!” Lucy yelled, kicking the guy in the shin for good measure. Fíli needed her, she had to keep fighting.

“Lucy, stop it! It’s me!”

The arms around her fell away and she took a few steps before turning around to stare straight into the eyes of the last person she expected to see here.

“Chad?!”

The relief she felt at seeing a familiar face quickly faded when she realised it didn’t make sense for him to be here. Chad noticed her hesitation and took a step towards her, which prompted Lucy to take one back.

“W-what are you doing here? How did you even know I was here?”

“Does it matter? I’m here now. Come, I’ll bring you to safety. Hurry!”

He held a hand out for her to take, but the noises coming from the cabin reminded her of her initial plan. The fact that she could hear them fighting meant that Fíli was still on his feet and keeping his own against all those men. It eased her mind a bit until she heard one of the windows break.

“No, I need to get back to the cabin! Fíli, my bodyguard, he needs me.”

Chad laughed at her and he took something out of his pocket, hiding it behind his hand and wrist in one swift move.

“He needs you?” he scoffed, his eyes darkening. “He’s not much of a bodyguard if he needs your help fighting his battles, Luce.” He almost spat Fíli’s nickname for her.

There it was again. That same edge Chad had when he broke into her condo. He looked different. Rougher. And not the good kind of rough, like Fíli’s growing stubble she’d grown to love over time. He had dark circles under his eyes and a slight crook in his nose, a souvenir from his fight with Fíli. His hair was out of sorts, which was highly unusual for him.

It was then that she finally noticed Chad’s clothing. All black, far different from his usual designer clothes. And just like what the men circling the cabin had been wearing, she realized.

The alarm had to be clear on her face because Chad smiled a wicked grin, which made the hairs at the back of her neck stand up.

“Who are you?” Lucy asked, suddenly questioning his entire character.

Chad’s hand turned, revealing the switchblade he had been hiding. “That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it?”

A gun went off inside the cabin and Lucy swirled around, fearing for Fíli’s life.

Chad lunged forward, using her distraction to his advantage, and grabbed her arm, bending it behind her back and holding the knife against her throat to keep her up.

“You my love, are my get out of jail free card,” he whispered in her ear.

“I don’t understand,” she asked, confused. He brought his face right next to hers and she tried to lean away as far as possible, the muscles in her neck straining painfully.

“Allow me to explain,” Chad grinned and let the blade glide against her jawline. Lucy felt the sharp edge dent her skin, but not enough to nick it. Her eyes followed his every move and he seemed to enjoy her fear.

“Chad, please,” she whispered, voice trembling. “This isn’t you.”

“Ha!” he barked and Lucy jumped, startled by his sudden outburst. “This is exactly who I am, Lucy.”

Her heartbeat quickened when he let the tip of the switchblade rest at her pulsepoint. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the pain but nothing happened. He found pleasure in taunting her and Lucy felt sick to her stomach.

“Everything went smoothly for years, our cover stayed in place. Until that son of a bitch John Turner got cold feet,” he growled, tightening the grip on her arm and Lucy couldn’t hold back a whimper. The pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place right in front of her. Why he was dressed the same as the others, why he was at her condo that night and why he was here in the first place… How could she have missed this?

“You’re the leader of the cartel?”

He shook his head, laughing at her realization. “No. But my father is…”

Another gunshot sounded and Chad chuckled.

“I hope you said goodbye to that lovely bodyguard of yours when you left.”

Lucy could no longer hear any commotion coming from the cabin. It was too quiet. That was her undoing and she couldn’t control herself any longer, letting her tears run freely, praying that Chad was wrong about Fíli.

“There’s something you should know about cartels Lucy, and that is you can never leave once you’re in. Ever. Something we had to remind dear mister Turner, especially when we found out he went to the cops.”

He let the tip of the knife dip into her shirt and with a flick of his wrist the top button fell to the dirt at her feet. Chad brought his face close to hers again and licked his lips. “We couldn’t let that happen now, could we?”

He straightened his back and pressed his body against her back, her twisted arm between them. Her hand was starting to feel numb, Chad’s vice-like grip cutting off her blood flow.

“Now imagine my surprise when I learned that the girl I had my eye on turned out to be the daughter of our very own John Turner. The only thing I needed to do was win your trust and wait for the right moment. It was almost cute with how quick you fell for me...”

Lucy found her second wind and started struggling against his grip.

“And if your father hadn’t betrayed us, all of this wouldn’t be necessary, so you can blame this on him,” he snarled and with one quick move of his blade he made a deep cut on Lucy’s cheek to silence her.

She bit her lip to keep her from crying out, not willing to give him the satisfaction. Her cheek burned and Chad caught the first drop of blood with the tip of his knife, studying it as if it was the most precious thing on earth.

Lucy didn’t miss the glint of excitement in his eyes at the sight of her blood, and she knew she had to get away before he did something much worse.

Come on Lucy, just keep him talking…

“And if my father withdraws himself from the trial, you’re going to let us go? Just like that?” She challenged him. That got his attention alright.

“See Lucy... That’s why I like you so much,” he laughed, balancing the knife in his hand before he waved it at her, “you’ve always been too smart for your own good.”

“You’ve got that right!” she yelled out, stomping the heel of her boot as hard as she could on one of his feet. Just as she expected, the knife fell out of his hand and dropped to the ground. Lucy quickly moved her free arm backwards and collided her elbow with his shoulder as hard as she could. Chad stumbled a little, releasing some of the pressure on her wrist and that gave her the chance to pull herself free. She grabbed the knife off the ground and started running, the undergrowth rustling as she passed through it.

The cocking of a gun made her freeze immediately and Chad started tutting at her, “Now was that really necessary?”

Lucy heard him come closer and her hand kept a firm grip around the knife, ready to slice the first body part that came into her view, until she felt the barrel of the gun pressed against the back of her head.

“Drop the knife,” he hissed through his teeth, fuming with rage. She closed her eyes in defeat and opened her hand, the sound of the knife dropping to the forest ground resonating in her head.

Chad grabbed her by the back of her shirt and pushed her farther into the forest, in the opposite direction from the cabin. “And now we’re going for a nice, little walk.”

Fíli leaned against the exterior wall of the cabin, panting and exhausted after taking out the last of the seven men that had tried to take him down. Some of them were still alive, but injured enough that he knew they wouldn’t be able to get to their feet any time soon. He let his head rest against the wood and looked up at the darkening sky. He made it…

Despite the pounding in his head and the excruciating pain in his side that he assumed had to be broken ribs, he didn’t allow himself to rest. He needed to move on and find Lucy.

There had been eight men in total, he was sure of it, meaning one of them most likely saw her leave and went after her. He didn’t have much ammo left, he realized as his shaking hand changed out the empty magazine for a loaded one. It didn’t matter, he could beat the eighth guy to a pulp with his bare hands if he needed to.

He lifted the torn hem of his shirt up to wipe the blood out of his eye, but it was no use, whatever cut was there continued seeping and impairing his vision. There was blood all over him and it was impossible to tell if it was his own or somebody else’s.

It didn’t matter though. Lucy was the only thing that mattered.

He took a few more faltering steps before taking notice of a deep laceration in his thigh, but still he continued as quickly as his broken body could manage.

He’d been through similar conditions before, having to hobble his way to safety after being injured on the front lines, and if he had a choice, he’d much rather have him be the one who was hurt instead of Lucy. He didn’t think he could handle the latter.

It didn’t take long before he could hear voices in the distance, so he slowed his pace and leaned against a tree to catch his breath, needing to be as quiet and collected as possible before making his approach. His breathing was so laboured he was sure he would be heard anyway, but the thought quickly vanished when something caught his attention underneath a fern in front of him. He toed the item with his boot, revealing a familiar switchblade with the same emblem engraved on it that Chad had on him back in the condo. This was Chad’s knife. He’d known then there was something suspicious about him and should’ve acted on his instincts.

Fíli clenched his teeth hard and sighed out, tipping his head up to the sky, readying himself to take out that piece of shit once and for all. He found himself actually looking forward to it.

His head snapped to the left when he heard a whimper that was unmistakably Lucy. Fíli kept low, crouching as he crossed from tree to tree for cover as he got closer to where she and most likely Chad were.

“He’s not coming to save you, Lucy,” he heard Chad’s slimy voice say to her. “He didn’t stand a chance alone down there while you selfishly left him and ran away.”

Fíli knew that would get to her, and within a minute he heard her struggling against him and yelling out that it wasn’t true, her feisty demeanor revealing itself to combat the dread of Chad possibly being right.

“He’s long dead by now,” Chad sneered. “Not that he would come for you if he wasn’t.”

“Let her go.” Fíli’s voice was stern and rough, his gun pointed at the back of Chad’s head as he rounded around a thick tree, trying not to show how much he was hurting.

“Ahh, good. Right on time,” Chad mocked, looking over his shoulder at Fíli before placing his gun under Lucy’s chin and spinning her around to use her as a human shield.

“Look, Lucy, your bodyguard is here to save you!” he grinned beside her face. “Although it appears he barely made it out alive. Well that’ll just make it easier for me to finish what the other guys couldn’t.”

She didn’t know how Fìli managed to make his way to them. He looked exhausted, injured, and barely able to stand on his feet, yet here he was. For her.

His face was cut and bruised, blood trailing down his left eye and onto his cheek. But that seemed to be the least of his problems. He had a large gash on his right thigh, causing a limp in his gait when he took a few more steps toward them. His shirt was ripped, revealing multiple wounds that appeared to be from either glass or a knife. His chest rose and fell in heavy bursts, and Lucy knew it was only adrenaline that was keeping his pain at bay.

Fíli gave Lucy a reassuring look, trying to let her know that she would be fine, that he wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

“You don’t mind if I borrow her, do you?” Chad asked maliciously, turning his face so his lips grazed against Lucy’s jawline. His eyes remained trained on Fíli, watching his reaction as he sucked a trail of marks along her delicate skin.

Lucy’s eyes squeezed shut and she visibly shuddered, cringing at the feel of her former lover’s lips on her.

Fíli felt rage overcome him, knowing exactly what Chad was implying. His chest heaved as he tried to calm himself, he needed to keep a clear head, but when Chad gripped Lucy’s breast with the hand that was wrapped around her torso, Fíli saw red.

He took a step toward them, but stopped when Chad dug the tip of his gun harder into her skin.

“Ah, ah!” he tutted, warning Fíli to remain where he was.

“Aww, isn’t this so nice?” he derided, “You two just warm my fucking heart. He might actually love you, Lucy! Which I never thought was possible, you made for a terrible girlfriend, although there were a few things you were good at…” he snickered.

He tightened his grip on Lucy, forcing her head back against his shoulder as he pressed the barrel of the gun further into her jugular.

“Chad, don’t do this,” Fíli tried to plead with him.

But that only egged him on more, and he pressed the safety on the trigger, the sound making Lucy jump and whimper out loud.

Chad laughed at her response, “Don’t do what? This?” He clicked the safety again and now Lucy was crying and clawing at his arm with her nails.

“You know in movies how the good guy always gives that speech to try to get the bad guy to let the victim go?” he explained almost humorously, his eyes locked on Fíli to ensure he didn’t make any attempt to help Lucy. “Well, in reality, this is what happens,”

Chad removed the gun from her flesh, firing it at Fíli, the bullet landing in the area between his chest and shoulder.

Fíli’s body stumbled back from the force of it, his gun dropping from his hold to fall away from him as he crumbled to his knees.

“FÍLI!” Lucy wailed, kicking and punching at whatever part of Chad she could reach. She could barely see Fíli through the amount of tears that were blurring her vision, but she did see him collapse and lay on the ground, gasping for air. It took her a while before she realised that the screams she heard were coming from her, her throat already feeling raw.

Knowing he would now be unable to follow them, let alone reach his gun, Chad pushed Lucy’s body away from Fíli, her cries filling the otherwise silent air.

The grip he had on her was excruciating. He had her hair wrapped around his fist and that was what he was using to drag her deeper into the woods, giving her the odd kick on her calf to motivate her to keep stumbling along with him.

“Chad, please!” she cried, unable to hold her tears back from the stinging pain on her scalp and the thought of Fíli left shot and bleeding behind them. But he didn’t let off.

Finally, he seemed satisfied with their location, having moved to a more dense area where Lucy thought the closeness of the trees would surely drown out any of her cries for help.

He shoved her hard against a tree, the force taking the breath right out of her lungs, holding her up with enough pressure on her throat to have her gasping for air.

Something caught his attention, looking over his shoulder to where they had come from, but he didn’t loosen his grip on her.

“I can hear him struggling, Lucy...”

He smiled through his words and she felt sick. “Right now he’s probably starting to choke on his own blood, the life slowly and painfully draining from him.”

Lucy shut her eyes to try and erase the images of Fíli dying, but Chad shook her hard to force her to open them again.

“Hey, look at me,” he demanded, his gun pressing against her throbbing pulse on her neck. “I can’t kill you, but that doesn’t mean I can’t hurt you.”

She needed to do something, needed to get away from him, but couldn’t think of anything to help herself due to the sheer terror she felt. She took a deep, but trembling breath, and suddenly Fíli’s voice sounded in her head.

If you’re being held up by their arm against your neck…

The cold steel of the gun against her skin was preventing her from focusing. What did he say to do? Think Lucy!

Grab here, and here… no more like this…

She tried her best to visualize exactly what Fíli had demonstrated, but Chad’s vile breath against her sweaty forehead kept bringing her out of her focus.

Why couldn’t she just remember…

Suddenly, it all came flooding back to her. She could feel Fíli’s arm against her neck, a light pressure that wasn’t unpleasant, and she could see his blue eyes looking at her with encouragement as he waited for her to make her move…

Lucy grabbed the arm that was holding the gun to her head and pushed it down to the ground, at the same time kneeing him hard in the groin and reaching her other hand up to wedge between his and her throat, deflecting it away with a force she didn’t know she had. He doubled over in response and Lucy wasted no time in taking advantage of the opportunity to grip onto his shoulders and drive her knee with as much power as she could directly into his nose. He collapsed to the ground and Lucy took off, thanking Fíli, her Fíli, for teaching her how to defend herself.

She heard him yell out in frustration, but she didn’t dare to look back.

A deafening blow sounded behind her, and Lucy felt a blast of air skim just beside her shoulder. Chad was trying to shoot her.

Kíli hadn’t seen anything like this since he was in the military. Bodies were scattered about around the cabin, some men sputtering and groaning, most of them still and lifeless. He counted five in total.

Those that were alive weren’t a threat though, it was clear his brother had the upper hand in each mini-battle that had ensued.

He stepped onto the porch and leaned against the wall, nudging the already-open door and leaning his head around the frame to look inside. Two more bodies lay lifeless on the floor near the fireplace, the table and chairs knocked over, blood in various places, a window blown out from gunshots. Lucy and Fíli had moved on, and he hoped it was somewhere safe. He walked away from the cabin in the direction of the woods. They could be anywhere…

A gunshot sounded from about 100 yards away and he began sprinting in that direction.

Kíli continued moving as fast as he could through the thick brush and uphill, doing his best to track the location from the echo of the firearm.

Panic sped him up when he caught sight of what was unmistakably his brother.

“Fíli!” he called out quietly, watching Fíli doing his best to crawl further into the trees. He was on his side, one arm propping him up to drag himself through the dirt, his chest, shoulder and other arm stained crimson and useless in his pursuit.

Pain clouded his eyes when they met Kíli’s, but less so than the urgency that plagued him. Blood combined with sweat and dirt covered his face, embedded in the lines around his eyes and caught in the rough stubble on his cheeks.

“Kíli?” he asked quizzically, wondering how his brother ended up here. “How did you…?”

“Let’s just say Jasmine was getting cozy with the inner workings of the cartel,” he briefly explained. But Fíli didn’t have time to concern himself with that.

“Lucy… I think she’s shot,” he winced in pain as he further attempted to lift his broken body from the ground. He grunted in frustration when it failed him, collapsing in a heap. He needed to get to her. As soon as he heard the gun sound off he started doing everything he could to move across the ground, motivated by the terror of her being hunted by Chad. Images of her wounded or worse filled his mind. He was supposed to be protecting her…

Kíli knelt beside him and instantly began applying pressure to the oozing wound on his shoulder.

“You’ve been shot, you idiot!” He shrugged off his jacket and pressed it on Fíli’s wound, his hands already stained red with his brother’s blood.

“Thorin and Dwalin are on their way, and knowing Uncle he brought half of the country’s police force,” Kíli tried to joke, but the worry was evident in his tone. When he saw the large cut on Fíli’s leg, he cringed. “That’ll need stitches, mate.”

Fíli didn’t react, he couldn’t care less about his own wounds. “You have to find Lucy!” he urged Kíli, trying to push him away.

“I’m not leaving you, Fee, forget it.” Kíli checked his watch, the last time he made contact with Thorin and Dwalin they were only half an hour behind him. They should be here any minute.

“I’m fine,” Fíli said through gritted teeth as he clasped onto his brother’s hand. “Go after her, please!” he begged.

Although Kíli wasn’t entirely convinced he was going to be fine, he couldn’t ignore the desperate plea of his older brother and took off to find Lucy with a prayer that Thorin would be there soon.

Chad wouldn’t give up, no matter how much Lucy prayed he would. They were going deeper and deeper into the forest, the density of the trees making it more difficult for her to move quietly. She could hear Chad’s threats very clearly. He was too close.

“Oh, come on, Lucy! You can’t hide from me anymore. You know I’ll find you. I always get what I want,” his words hissed out of his mouth and her name sounded like poison off his tongue. She could hear him spitting blood out of his mouth that she didn’t doubt was still flowing from his nose. Even her knee hurt from that contact.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are!” he called in a sing-song voice and she shuddered.

She willed for an animal or something to make a noise somewhere close by in the bushes to draw his attention elsewhere, as he was getting dangerously close to where she knelt hidden behind a fallen tree covered in thick moss. All she wanted was to run back to where Fíli lay wounded and bleeding out on the forest floor.

“Oh, I think I hear him moving! He’s probably trying to crawl away with what life he has left in him, leaving you out here to fend for yourself.”

Lucy placed her hand over her mouth and bit down on the skin of her palm to help keep her alert. She couldn’t let her mind be convinced of what Chad was saying. Fíli was going to be fine.

She couldn’t see Chad, and his voice seemed to be moving further away from her, but she remained where she was, not daring to step out of her hiding place yet.

“You keep hiding, Lucy, you stupid bitch,” he sighed before letting out a haunting chuckle, “I’m going to go see if I need to finish him off, but don’t worry, I’ll come back for you.”

Lucy remained where she was, not daring to move. Chad was probably tricking her into thinking he had gone back to where Fíli was, only to wait for her to reveal where she was hiding. She was eager to go, to run back as fast as she could to get to Fíli, but chose to wait for another couple of minutes just to be sure. She counted in her head, taking a steadying breath as she slowly stood. Her ankle was throbbing from crouching for so long, but she didn’t care.

Just as Lucy was about to make a run for it, the sound of a single gunshot stopped her in her tracks.

No! Did Chad really go back and shoot Fíli again? She thought he was making loose threats to try and lure her out of her hiding place!

Without thinking she took off in that direction, only to stumble upon Chad’s wounded form lying motionless on the ground. She couldn’t tell if he was just unconscious or dead.

Lucy was surprised she didn’t feel anything, even though the guy she thought she once loved was bleeding out in front of her. No regret, no sadness… Nothing.

“Lucy!”

She heard her name called through the trees nearby, but the voice was unfamiliar. And definitely not Fíli’s. She ran a few feet back in the direction she had come from, bracing herself against a tree. Who was calling her now? Was it another member of the cartel? Who shot Chad? Her head was pounding, everything that was happening felt surreal.

Footsteps drummed against the soft forest floor not ten feet away from where she was and then paused.

“Lucy?” The man whispered her name, a sense of desperation attached to it.

She carefully glanced around the trunk of the tree and saw the man who was looking for her; tall, dark curly hair that was slicked back with sweat, holding a gun that he had pointed toward the ground. He was looking in all directions, searching for a sign of her. Then she saw it, his eyes... They were kind and familiar, brown in color but had a striking resemblance to…

Something in her told her to trust him, so she stepped out from behind the tree and a small sense of relief bloomed in her when she saw it equally matched in his face.

“Lucy! Oh, you’re okay, thank god!” he exclaimed, bending over to catch his breath.

She stood there unmoving, and saw him recognize her remaining hesitation when he looked back up at her.

“It’s okay,” he said, tucking his gun away before he held up his hands, “I’m Kíli, Fíli’s brother,” he gave her a reassuring look, but she didn’t take a step toward him. “Lucy, it’s me, I swear. Fíli’s going to be okay, the medics are probably taking care of him right now. You don’t have to worry about Chad anymore, I took him out. No one else is going to try to hurt you. You can trust me, I promise.” He held out his hand for her to take and she took one step forward, but was clearly still debating her instincts.

Seeing her skepticism lingering, Kíli continued to try to prove to her he was who he said he was, finally coming up with something no one else could possibly know.

“You watched The Bodyguard with him in your apartment! He was texting me when you were watching it! Nice move by the way, a little too obvious for my taste but we are talking about my oblivious brother here,” he added the last part more to himself than to Lucy but she heard it.

It seemed to do the trick and Lucy finally dropped her guard. She ran to Kíli, falling against his chest and wrapping her arms tight around him. His arms folded around her back and he rubbed it gently, and although it wasn’t Fíli, it felt oddly similar and comforting.

The walk back to the cabin was agonizing.

Lucy could feel her body going into shock, each step she took felt like she wasn’t moving at all and time no longer existed. Her whole body was trembling, not knowing if it was from the cold night air or the traumatic events she somehow survived. She must have asked Kíli a hundred times on their walk back if he thought Fíli was going to make it, and Kíli did his best to ease her mind without giving her false hope.

After what felt like forever, they finally emerged from the trees, medics racing toward them and asking questions Lucy simply didn’t know the answer to. The blue and red lights of the emergency services gave everything a surreal look, and the whole world seemed to move in slow motion. She blinked a few times to confirm what was happening just before her.

Through the crowd of medics and police she could make out Fíli’s body lying on a stretcher, three people tending to him frantically. Lucy immediately screamed his name, her voice already hoarse from earlier, causing everyone to look her way.

Kíli locked his arm around her waist to prevent her from running over to the stretcher, even though he wanted nothing more than to go over there himself, but she kicked and screamed with all her might to try and get to Fíli.

Dwalin ran over to them, giving Kíli a sympathetic look before trying to calm Lucy down.

His words sounded miles away, slow and distant, like she was under water.

Then suddenly everything came into focus when she saw Fíli’s hand drop from his stomach, holding it out in the air for her.

Kíli released her, and she stumbled slightly before regaining her balance and closed the space between them.

“Fíli!” she cried over him, her tears falling onto his bloody, dirty skin and she gripped his hand as hard as she could. She refused to ever let go.

His body was a mess, most of him already wrapped up in bandages that were no longer white, and the sight of him like that only caused her to cry harder.

His other hand came up to her face, his fingers tracing the cut on her cheek.

“You’re okay,” he croaked, barely audible because of the oxygen mask he was wearing.

Lucy smiled through her tears. Of course she was okay, all thanks to him.

One of the medics tried to make her leave so they could tend to his wounds, and she panicked again.

“It’s okay, Luce,” Fíli tried to reassure her, his voice weak and Lucy thought how he likely wouldn’t stay conscious much longer. “You need to go with them, okay? You’re safe now, you can go home again. It’s all over.”

His eyes closed tight as a wave of pain washed over him, and she watched as a medic injected more pain killers into one of the enlarged veins on his arm.

“No, I can’t leave… I-I need you!” she pleaded, not able to imagine even a moment without him. But Fíli had already succumbed to the effects of the drugs and was no longer there to help her. She almost fell to her knees as they wheeled Fíli away, his hand falling from her grip, her body now supported fully by Dwalin who guided her to an ambulance to receive her own care.

They pulled up in front of her condo, parking on the street directly across from it.

Lucy wasn’t ready for this.

She wasn’t ready to return to a past life that didn’t include Fíli, where she feared everywhere she looked would remind her of him. She stared out the window of Dwalin’s truck at the familiar building that didn’t seem so familiar anymore. It looked vast and cold and empty.

“Here we are, lass. Home.”

Home. Her heart sank knowing it wouldn’t feel that way anymore.

Lucy took a deep breath as she placed her key in the lock, bracing herself for the rush of feelings that she knew would come flooding in as soon as the door opened.

As if Dwalin could sense her delay, he placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her a warm smile.

“It’s okay, Lucy, I know you can do this.”

She nodded her head and opened the door. She expected a wave of stench to assault her senses, food surely rotting away in the fridge and fruits and vegetables left to decay on the counter for weeks, but nothing. It smelled clean.

She gave Dwalin a questioning look, and he returned it with a small chuckle.

“Bilbo hired a cleaner to tidy up before you came home.”

The gesture made her feel very emotional for some reason. Bilbo and Thorin had been so kind to let her stay with them for a few days, until the aftermath of what happened had passed. Thorin had helped her through the statements and endless questioning, and Bilbo did everything he could to keep her mind busy. Fíli wasn’t in the picture anymore, yet his family was still pulling out all the stops to make sure she was looked after.

“No, don’t cry, lass,” Dwalin pleaded, pulling her into a hug as she finally allowed the sobs she was choking on to escape.

“I’m sorry-” she cried into his shoulder.

“You’ve got nothin’ to be sorry for, you’ve been through hell and back.”

She thought of everything that had happened since the day she opened her door to see Fíli standing there. How ridiculous she thought him and the whole ordeal was, how frustrated they made each other, how she slowly grew to trust and rely on him.

And now how much she couldn’t deny that she loved him.

Just like the stories she always read, they didn’t have a happy ending. She had been through hell and back like Dwalin said, yet she had nothing good to show for it. Her heart was broken, her body empty aside from the pain of him eliminating any possible reciprocation toward her.

The events of the last week had completely drained her. From everything that had gone on at the cabin before and after the cartel showed up, only to have to relive it all when giving the authorities her statement. Now all she wanted to do was shut herself off from the world.

Lucy couldn’t bring herself to look around her apartment so she simply climbed the stairs to her room, announcing to Dwalin that she was going to lie down for a while, hoping sleep would temporarily take her away from the turmoil she felt.

He was still incredibly sore, but Fíli refused to lay in that uncomfortable hospital bed any longer. As soon as his doctors cleared him well enough to be discharged, he was out.

His brother visited him every day, but he never mentioned Lucy and Fíli didn’t ask. He overheard a conversation between Bilbo and his Uncle while they thought he was asleep that she stayed a few days with them before Dwalin brought her home.

He didn’t ask how she was doing, if she was coping, if she was moving on.

He made a promise to himself that he wasn’t going to end up like his father, he wasn’t going to make the same mistakes and here he was. He was exactly like his father, letting his emotions interfere with work. The only difference was that he had survived.

Laying in the hospital bed, even if only for a couple of days, had him constantly thinking about Lucy and everything that had happened and he couldn’t deal with it anymore. He didn’t know that letting her go would be so hard.

He was desperate to go back to work, he needed the distraction. He needed to forget.

Fíli moved to sit on the edge of the bed, catching his breath before making any effort to stand. He had to move slowly, very slowly in order not to provoke the pain in his shoulder and ribs that just didn’t seem to go away. It radiated through his entire upper body with any movement he made, but Fíli wasn’t one to complain.

He took a taxi to headquarters, since he wouldn’t be able to ride his bike properly with one arm in a sling.

He couldn’t help but roll his eyes when he noticed Thorin watching him through his office window. He pulled his lip between his teeth when he thought back to how he had arrived to the exact same view all those weeks ago, only to be assigned to Lucy’s case and how much his life has changed since that moment.

Thorin didn’t seem very pleased that he came into work and would without a doubt refuse him to go out in the field, but he needed to divert his attention from her.

“You shouldn’t be here,” his Uncle pointed out as soon as Fíli entered his office. “You know I’m not going to let you do anything besides desk work, so you might as well go home and finish healing.” He looked at Fíli with a raised brow as he tossed a folder of paperwork on his desk.

Fíli sighed and ran the hand on his good arm over his face, “I know, but I just need to do something. Anything. I can’t sit around any longer, it’s making me-”

“-think of her,” Thorin finished his sentence.

Fíli glared at him, refusing to give up his secret. When Thorin kept staring at him with a knowing look, he averted his eyes, aware his Uncle would be able to see right through whatever bullshit excuse he tried to come up with.

“You need to heal. Go home, Fíli.”

“I’m fine!”

“You’re fine? You can barely walk because your ribs are still bruised, not to mention the hole in your chest,” Thorin said as he paced in front of the large window that overlooked the city. “And don’t get me started on what’s going on in your head,” he said over his shoulder to him.

Fill sighed, he hated to admit it, but his Uncle was right.

“I just can’t go sit at home. I haven’t been there in so long, it doesn’t—” How could he begin to explain it?

It doesn’t feel like home.

“Go back to the cabin,” Thorin suggested. “I’ll let Kíli drive you.”

The window had been fixed and broken furniture replaced, Bilbo wasting no time at all with the reparations. It was like he had known Fíli was going to need a safe haven. Thorin smiled fondly at the thought. Of course Bilbo would’ve known, he had a sixth sense for these things.

Mention of the cabin alone made Fíli’s chest tighten, but he knew he was right. Being at the cabin probably felt more like home than his flat had in years. Especially with her.

No! He shook his head, trying to get rid of the thoughts about Lucy.

Even though he knew he made the right decision, it didn’t make it hurt any less.

Fíli stood carefully from the chair and left the office without saying another word. Thorin knew exactly what was going on in his nephew’s head and heart, he’d seen it before with his sister - the dread and heartbreak that consumed her when she lost the only thing that truly mattered to her, now mimicked in her eldest son.

It was the first night on her own.

Dwalin had thankfully stayed longer than he had intended to, much to Lucy’s relief because she dreaded being by herself. But now she was on her own again. For good this time.

The silence was deafening.

She assured herself over and over again that she was safe, that nothing was going to happen, until she started to believe her own words.

The trial had ended and everyone who had posed a threat to her was either dead or in jail, but it didn’t stop her mind from wandering. She paced the living room, building up courage to shut the lights off and go upstairs to bed. She hated everything about this, she felt so alone and had no one to call. No one who would come and comfort her, no bodyguard to keep her safe, even if only from her imagination.

As she rounded her couch in one last lap before convincing herself she needed to stop acting like a child, her eyes landed on a dark lump under the couch. She crouched down and reached for it, her fingers gripping soft cotton material. It fell from her hands as if it had burned her skin, and she clasped her hand over her mouth when she came to the realization.

It was one of Fíli’s t-shirts...

The navy blue garment seemed to gawk at her from the floor, ridiculing her with silent reminders of what she no longer had. She exhaled a shaky breath and retrieved it from the floor again, the fabric now feeling familiar to her touch.

The smell of him overwhelmed her when she brought it close to her chest, gripping it tight in a hug and wishing it was him instead.

Tears furiously streaked down her face, her emotions overcoming her.

Get a hold of yourself Lucy, she scolded herself.

He was gone.

No, he’d let her go. She was a mistake.

He made it clear that her feelings weren’t returned. His silence was the perfect proof. If he wanted to contact her, he would’ve by now. He had the means to, he knew everything about her and where she was. But here she was, still alone.

Lucy switched off all the lights and climbed the stairs at an agonizingly slow pace, Fíli’s shirt still clutched in her hands. It almost felt like she would lose him all over again if she were to let go of the piece of clothing.

Time heals all wounds, Lucy thought when she crawled into her bed, wearing Fíli’s shirt.

She really hoped it would. Because at this point she felt like her heart could never be mended again.

She had to forget him.

She had to.

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#Fili x OC #Fili x reader #Fili #The Hobbit #The Hobbit x OC #The Hobbit x reader #Modern!Fili #The Hobbit fanfiction #The Hobbit multichapter #The Hobbit modern AU #Bodyguard AU #Dean O'gorman #Fili Friday #Lucy Turner #Fili x Lucy Turner #Guarding Your Heart

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guardianofrivendell · 3 years ago

Text

Guarding Your Heart - Chapter 6

Modern!Fíli AU written by @laurfilijames and @guardianofrivendell

Warnings: the fluff, the tension, the FRUSTRATION! Also another NSFW warning for this chapter! We used the drops emoji again, so if you see this 💦, and you don’t want to read the NSFW part (yes it’s smut) you can skip to the second row of 💦 and continue reading. Jasmine is being a traitor bitch (what’s new). And our Fíli needs his own warning here, you’ll see why.

A/N: The sixth chapter! You know what that means... this story is almost over! Two more chapters and then we say goodbye to Fíli and Lucy (yes, we already cried about it). We wanted to thank everyone who reacted on chapter 5 (we love you!) and on the teaser for this chapter... Hope you guys are satisfied after this one :) And very curious if you can spot all the Easter Eggs (hint: there’s 3!)

GUARDING YOUR HEART MASTERLIST

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“How are you not getting bit?!” Lucy whined as she swatted another mosquito away from her.

“I don’t taste as good as you,” Fíli smirked from the couch, watching her flail around as she tried to escape the onslaught of bugs.

Half an hour ago she insisted he opened a window to let some fresh air in after complaining about how cooped up she was feeling in the cramped and stuffy cabin. He tried to warn her about the bugs coming in at night - they were near water after all, but as soon as Lucy pouted her lip he found himself giving in.

It took less than ten minutes for her to beg him to close the window again. He killed most of the mosquitoes, but it seemed like every time he killed one, two more showed up.

Fíli couldn’t help but find it amusing, considering she kind of brought it upon herself. He did feel bad though, he could see some of the bites on her neck swelling up into itchy sores.

“I think I saw some anti-itch cream in the bathroom,” he said as he stood from the couch and made his way through to the room, dodging one of Lucy’s arms in the process. “Kili was always being attacked by them too.”

“That’s not going to help while they’re still eating me!”

He could hear the panic in her voice increase. He knew being stuck inside for this long was starting to get to her, and he worried the addition of the bugs was going to do her in.

By the time he found the cream and walked back over to her she was near tears.

He could see a mosquito hovering above her head and she had her ears covered with her hands, the sound of it buzzing adding to her frenzy. With a quick move of his hand, he snatched it up to kill it, saving her from one more bite.

“Hey, it’s okay, they’re gone now,” he assured her, pulling her hands off of her ears.

“I bloody hate bugs so much. If anyone wanted to torture me, locking me in a room with a swarm of those would do it,” she cried, trying not to think of the sound of the mosquitoes tormenting her.

“I know, but I’m pretty sure it was the last one, there’s no more to bother you,” he soothed her, gently rubbing his hands up and down on her arms. “It looks like they got your neck the worst from what I can see.”

Lucy exhaled and nodded her head, her neck was starting to get painfully itchy. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun on the top of her head, giving the bugs full access to her neck. She ripped the hair tie out in a rush that was fueled by regret of her hairstyle choice.

“Come sit on the couch so I can put this on.”

His voice was soft and buttery and she decided to focus on that rather than the persistent irritation that plagued her.

She turned and walked the few steps over to where Fíli was sitting and waiting for her, a sympathetic look drawn across his face. A faint smile tugged at her lips as she sat beside him, angling her body so he could easily reach her neck.

She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing, finally feeling calm after the lunacy she felt moments ago.

Fíli gathered her hair in his hand and swept it over her one shoulder to expose her neck and about a dozen red bites. He winced at the sight, no wonder she felt the way she had a few minutes ago.

The sensation of him moving her hair sent a shiver down her spine, her body responding with a slight shudder and goosebumps. Fíli took notice, but didn’t hesitate to begin carefully dabbing the ointment on each spot. Her skin was flushed and hot when his fingers touched it, and another shiver rattled through her from the contrasting coolness of the cream.

The way Fíli was softly tending to her had her remember a time when she had been out at a garden party with Chad and the bugs all but flew away with her, and any time she made mention of how uncomfortable she was he simply scoffed at her and told her she was being dramatic. She couldn’t be more grateful for having Fíli with her right now.

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly behind her.

“Mhm,” she hummed, “It feels good.”

Fíli continued on, covering every spot that decorated her neck and upper back with the soothing cream before spreading it with his fingers. The smell of it was medicinal and strong, but not enough to cover the sweet scent of Lucy. He’d thought before how good she smelled, especially when she was tucked up against him in bed. He couldn’t help himself, purposefully taking deep breaths to try and capture hers over the smell of the ointment.

Finally, all of the bites were dressed and he dropped his hand from her skin. To help the cream dry faster, he slowly blew over the area, his breath causing her flesh to erupt in goosebumps again. The act elicited a soft moan from her so he continued, she deserved a moment of reprieve after everything she’d been through, even if it was just relief from the sting of mosquito bites.

Lucy glanced over her shoulder at him, her eyelids heavy from the attention he gave her.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“It’s nothing, I just wanted to make you feel good,” he answered, and she couldn’t help but wonder if there was something hidden in his words.

She could still feel the soft touch of his fingers lingering on her neck and shoulders as she held his gaze, his eyes appearing to have darkened ever so slightly. Fíli moved backwards so he was now leaning against the couch, his arm resting up on the back and one leg tucked up to open his legs apart, his eyes still locked on hers.

His stare made her feel vulnerable, but not threatened, uncovered but seen, and his eyes practically glowed in the dim light from the fireplace. She stood from the couch and made her way to the bed, giving him one last telling look as she went. No words were needed to say what she felt. The air between them felt so tense and charged. He surely must know by now.

Fìli remained where he was for a moment. He knew he was going to follow her, and she clearly knew it too. It was impossible not to think of the previous night together, the way she was wrapped up with him, sharing the same air and warmth.

The dream she weaved in his head that made him want to abandon everything he’d promised himself he wouldn’t do...

Even though he knew it wasn’t a good idea, he felt himself standing from the couch and striding over to the bed, a moth to a flame. A small smile tugged at his lips as he slid in beside her and grabbed the blankets up to cover them both. Her hand rested against his forearm that fit perfectly on her waist, as if her body was made to match his, and he smiled against her hair as she drew patterns on his skin.

Every time he slept beside her she managed to bring this astonishing sense of calm to him that was unlike anything else he’d experienced before, and he fell asleep to the hopes of them having to stay in the cabin for a little longer.

Lucy stood in the kitchen, leaning against the counter, a cup of tea in hand. She was watching how Fíli was cleaning out the fireplace. The whole scene had a certain coziness to it, like they belonged here and she felt a warmth in her stomach that didn’t come from the hot tea. They were practically acting like a married couple now. Okay, maybe she was letting herself get carried away a bit there but Lucy couldn’t deny that she wasn’t entirely opposed to the idea. Even though she met him only a matter of weeks ago, being with Fíli felt right.

She almost couldn’t believe it, but at that moment she felt genuinely happy. Sure, her life was in shambles, everything she knew and was familiar with had been ripped away from her in an instant, but she was getting used to this new way of life, this new life with Fíli.

He seemed happy too, which only added to her content mood, and it made her feel good to know that they had grown past the point of annoyance and irritation with each other.

She had to remind herself that this was only temporary, there was going to be a time where she had to say goodbye and pick up her old life again. Pushing that thought all the way to the back of her mind, she decided to simply enjoy the time she had left with Fíli, ignoring the gut feeling she had that it would be all over a lot sooner than she realised.

These last days especially made her feel content and giddy, maybe because of the abundant supply of food they now had.

Lucy decided to cook lunch for him for once, usually being the one to always enjoy the meals he put so much effort in. Fíli continued to be so sweet and attentive toward her, making sure she was comfortable at all times and had everything she needed. It was time to return the favour, feeling extra generous toward him.

“Are you sure you don’t need any help?” he asked once he was done with the fireplace and had everything cleaned up. He didn’t particularly enjoy standing idle while she worked away in the kitchen prepping their meal.

“I told you, I’m sure!” she smiled at him, stirring the simmering pasta sauce. He had questioned her choice of making pasta for lunch, but she easily convinced him it was a great idea after barely being able to scrape together anything decent before supplies arrived. It felt almost like a celebration, although she was disappointed there was no wine to go with it.

“You know, there’s plenty of food, you don’t have to save anything for later,” Fíli teased her, leaning on the counter next to her.

She looked up at him in question, not getting what he was hinting at.

“You got something on your cheek,” he explained, pointing at the spot of red sauce that had splattered onto her skin.

“Where, here?”

“No, the other side-”

She continued to rub at her face, only to miss it every time which caused him to chuckle and finally step toward her to do it himself.

“Let me,” he said, gently running his thumb over the spot.

“I would’ve got it eventually,” she smiled again at him, “thank you, though.”

He didn’t say anything else, keeping his hand on her cheek instead, and slightly moved his thumb to caress the soft skin.

She leaned into his touch and closed her eyes, basking in their proximity and the feel of his calloused fingers on her skin. Her eyes reopened when she felt his other hand reach up to hold her vacant cheek, only to see his blue eyes staring at her longingly.

Lucy willed him to make a move, to close the short space that existed between their lips, eager to know what it would feel like, how he would taste.

As if he had heard her silent plea, Fíli leaned slightly closer and tipped his head just enough so that his nose brushed against her cheek and she held her breath in anticipation.

He suddenly backed away from her and dropped his hands from her face, his attention and hands now moving to the pot of water that was boiling over on the stove.

Lucy sighed and cursed internally before she pushed her hair behind her ears and turned around to help Fíli save the pasta.

She wondered if they were ever going to cross the line he had drawn between them and stop dancing around it instead. It certainly seemed like he wanted to.

He had been sleeping in the bed with her ever since the thunderstorm, and continued to do so many little things that might hint at him growing reciprocating feelings towards her. Not to mention he almost kissed her just now.

Even though she knew this might not progress into anything because of their situation, she couldn’t stop herself from wanting him anyway.

Fíli refilled his plate with spaghetti and Lucy’s homemade sauce.

“I gotta say Luce, I didn’t think you had it in you,” he said while scraping the last bit of sauce out of the pot, “but this is delicious.”

Lucy dropped her fork on her plate in mock offence. “How did you think I survived before all this? Take-out every day?”

He smiled at her knowingly, and didn’t hesitate to stuff his mouth full with pasta, humming in appreciation of her cooking skills.

They continued eating in a comfortable silence, neither of them mentioning their almost kiss from earlier. Lucy wanted to know where they stood, but at the same time she was afraid of the answer so she kept silent, even though the question was burning on her tongue.

The corner of her lips twitched when she recalled how gentle he had been, the tips of his thumbs ghosting over her skin.

“You seem happy,” Fíli observed from his spot at the table, interrupting her thoughts. He noticed the amount of times Lucy had smiled to herself during their meal. It was in sharp contrast with her mood the last couple of days, having to deal with the thunderstorm and the mosquitoes.

She shrugged her shoulders as she twirled spaghetti around her fork.

“That’s because I am,” she paused before continuing, trying to decide if she should tell him how she was really feeling. “It’s weird, you know? I feel like I’ve completely lost my identity, lost who I am, but somehow I’ve never felt more like me.”

She looked up at Fíli who was regarding her curiously, “It’s stupid, I know,” she said, turning her attention back to her plate.

“I don’t think so,” he assured her.

“No, it is. How can I be this happy when everything I used to be has been taken away from me?”

Fíli watched her cheery demeanor fall quickly to doubt, and he reached out for her hand to give it a reassuring squeeze, causing her to look up at him with a slight sadness in her eyes.

“I know who you are,” he said with surety, but Lucy simply shook her head and dropped her gaze from his, not believing his words. “Hey,” he called to her, squeezing her hand again to get her to look back at him, “Luce, you’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met. You manage to have strength and positivity despite everything you’re going through, and having those qualities means so much more than climbing the social ladder and bragging about how expensive your meal was at some overpriced restaurant.” She gave him a meek smile so he continued. “I know it doesn’t mean much coming from me, but again, I know who you are, Luce, and I like that person.”

“It does mean a lot, Fíli, thank you,” she said quietly with gleaming eyes and she gave his hand a gentle squeeze in return.

Lucy barely stopped talking through the rest of the meal which made Fìli more than happy to see her open up so much. She even went as far as to make fun of some of the things she used to do and the people she used to spend her time with even though she never really liked them, it was simply out of obligation because of her social circle. She told him that even though she wished the circumstances were different, she was happy to be out of that, free from Chad, and intended to live a much simpler lifestyle when things went back to normal.

After they finished eating, Fíli insisted she go relax with a book while he cleaned up since she did all the work. She was rereading her favorite, Little Women, for the second time in the last week, and her quiet giggling forced him to look up from drying the pot he just finished washing. God, was she ever captivating. He slung the towel over his shoulder and couldn’t help but observe her for a moment. She was completely enthralled by the story, and it had him admiring how much joy it brought her even though she had to know the words by heart. It made Fíli hope that one day he could look at something in front of him that he’d seen a hundred times and still find it irresistible…

She tucked her hair behind her ear and flipped the page, her green eyes bright and focused on the words before her. Her simplicity enraptured him. She was beautiful. Stunning.

Lucy must have felt him staring because she looked up from the book and locked eyes with him, a wide smile instantly spreading across her face. He easily returned it, pulling the towel off his shoulder and returning his attention to the pile of clean dishes waiting to be dried.

“Hey, sleepy head,” Lucy heard from above her, his voice waking her from the nap she hadn’t intended on. She must have fallen asleep midway through whatever paragraph she had read over and over before her body gave in to sleep.

She opened her eyes to see Fíli leaning slightly over her, his arms braced on the mattress and his dog tags swaying like a pendulum.

“I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” she muttered, moving to prop herself up on her elbows. The action brought her closer to Fíli, making them both freeze at the proximity of their bodies but he remained where he was, their faces now only inches apart.

“That’s okay, you’re allowed to take a nap,” he said in a low voice. “I was just waking you up to see if you were hungry for dinner.”

His eyes traveled over her face as he spoke, his words slow out of his mouth as though he was distracted by her.

Lucy was unable to find her own words, his sudden closeness stealing away any thought other than how inviting his lips were. She simply nodded her head yes, although she wasn’t sure that the yes she was giving him was directed towards wanting dinner.

Not knowing what came over her, Lucy reached up to clutch his dog tags in her hand, running the cool metal together between her fingers. She moved her gaze from his name embossed in the tags up to his eyes that were still fixed on her, and when he didn’t move away she decided not to let this moment pass them by without giving in to what she knew they both wanted.

💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦

Lucy gave a slight tug on the chain around his neck to pull him even closer to her, giving him a not-so-subtle cue and consent to grant her wish of finally feeling his lips on hers. She felt the dog tags become slack in her hand as he slowly leaned into her, before he suddenly moved forward and crashed his lips against hers, one of his hands cradling her face.

She couldn’t help but feel slightly surprised, wondering what it was that finally allowed him to toss away all of his reservations, but there was no time to think about that now. Her eyes squeezed together as their tongues met, wanting to savor every moment of this and hoping more than anything that this was real and not a cruel trick her mind was playing on her.

She moved her hands up to his head, raking her fingers through his hair to try to bring confirmation that he was in fact real.

The bed dipped slightly as Fíli knelt down onto it, his body covering hers to further intensify their kiss.

Lucy laid back against the pillow, happy that Fíli followed eagerly to prevent their lips from parting. One of his legs wedged between hers and he lowered himself completely against her body, letting the hand that wasn’t touching her cheek trail up her side.

Hips rolled against each other while tongues and lips continued to tangle and press, each contact fueling their passion that was now unleashed and impossible to deny.

Lucy moaned into his mouth when the hard bulge in his pants ground against her, making her feel like she wasn’t able to touch enough of him. Her hand gripped the hem of his t-shirt and lifted it up his back, his skin searing as her other hand carded over it. They reluctantly separated to allow his shirt to pull over his head, the look on his face nearly stealing Lucy’s breath away when he reappeared, staring at her with a look loaded with want and adoration.

Fíli leaned toward her again, this time brushing his lips against hers every so slightly, relishing in the softness of her lips on his. As if not able to hold back anymore, he hurriedly collided with her again, taking her mouth with fervor. Her nails scraped against his back and he groaned roughly, his pace beginning to border on the lines of becoming feral. Lucy eagerly matched his intensity, grinding against him in powerful waves. This couldn’t end, she thought as she allowed her body to act on its own accord, groping everything she could on him and drowning in his taste.

She shifted to move on top of him and Fíli wrapped his arm around her waist to assist her action. A smile crossed her face in the brief moment they detached before she splayed her hands across his bare chest, running her fingers through the abundant curls like she imagined doing since the first time she saw him shirtless during one of his workout sessions.

Now straddling his middle, she started to lean forward to touch her lips on his again, but didn’t need to for he was already reaching up to meet her, his hand wrapping in her hair and pulling her toward him.

Her core pressed against his, the dampness of her panties cool against her scorching folds and swollen bundle of nerves, igniting the animalistic side of her.

Lucy sat up and swiftly removed her tank top, revealing her chest to him. Fíli instantly gripped her bare waist, gliding his hands over the supple skin on her stomach and up to her breasts, plucking one of her nipples between his thumb and finger at the same time he sat up and attached his mouth to her neck. Her head fell back in ecstasy, his wet lips marking her while his hands kneaded her flesh.

Lucy felt unable to get her fill of him, finding herself desperate to have his hardened length freed from the confines of his jeans, to taste more of him and feel his throbbing cock run through her slick.

These thoughts prompted her to frantically pull at the button on his jeans, her other hand cupping his manhood and extracting a hiss from his mouth that had just sucked hard on her collarbone.

His teeth scraped against her skin before clenching them together tightly, his jaw flinching as she reached into his trousers to make contact with his coarse hair.

He returned to pressing his lips on her skin, creating a path from her shoulder to her neck, his goal to kiss every inch of her.

“Fíli…” she moaned, consumed by his attention, making her pause in her efforts to free him.

The sound of his name pulled him briefly out of his trance, bringing him back to reality for a moment. But the sight of her before him and her taste and smell seduced him once more, and he allowed himself to give in, locking his mouth with hers in a fresh wave of need. Her hips gyrated against him, bringing them both closer and closer to a point of no return.

Fíli’s head was swimming, lost in everything good that was Lucy, in the way she felt against him, the way she made him feel. He reached between them to graze his fingers over her mound, her arousal soaking through the thin material of her panties and sending him into overdrive.

His name escaped her lips again in a breathy moan, making him stop with his fingers lingering on the edge of her underwear where he was about to plunge inside.

💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦💦

He wanted this. More than anything he had in as long as he could remember, but in true Fíli fashion doubt flooded his mind, replacing his excited feelings and heated passion with hesitation and indecision.

They shouldn’t be doing this.

Lucy’s lips tracked against the rough stubble on his neck, nearly pulling him back to a point where he wouldn’t be able to recover, but he regretfully turned his face in her direction and reached up to grab her cheek.

He couldn’t believe he was doing this, but his conscience was getting the best of him.

Eventually she managed to stop kissing him and met her eyes with his, his thumb rubbing her cheek as he held it, the look of regret plastered on his face not going unnoticed by her.

“Luce, we can’t do this,” he said quietly, as if it was said any louder he would convince himself it was true.

Her head tipped to the side in disbelief, a small smile forming on her reddened lips.

“I- I don’t understand…”

“I’m sorry,” he said shortly, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose as if he needed to convince himself he was doing the right thing.

“Fíli, I—“

“This was a mistake,” he cut her off, gripping her thigh to guide her leg over his lap before doing up his jeans and moving to sit on the edge of the bed. “I got carried away.”

“I don’t see it that way,” Lucy said quietly, hurt and embarrassment washing over her quickly. She felt sick and unwanted, covering her chest with her arm while trying to process everything that just happened. What changed? Moments ago he had been as desperate and yearning as her and now…

Fíli wouldn’t even look at her as he reached for her top from the floor and passed it over to her. He stood from the bed and adjusted himself in his pants, sighing heavily and running his hand furiously through his hair and over his face before walking over to the kitchen.

A tear fell down her cheek, and then another. She wiped them away quickly, trying to replace her devastation with anger. How could he do this to her? This was something Chad would have done to her, but not Fíli. Not her Fíli.

The lump in her throat continued to grow the more she thought about it, watching Fíli move about the kitchen as if nothing had happened, as if he hadn’t just tossed her to the side, discarded and rejected.

She stayed where she was on the bed, frozen in place and racking her brain as to where everything went wrong. She understood his feelings of not wanting to cross a line between being her bodyguard and becoming something more, she watched him battle with it multiple times since being in the cabin, but she thought they were finally getting past that and that maybe, maybe she was worth abandoning all of those limitations.

Clearly she couldn’t have been more wrong.

As unsure as she was of everything else in her life, she had never been more certain about Fíli and had hoped more than anything that he felt the same. Lucy couldn’t deny it any longer, she had fallen for him.

After putting her tank top back on, she sat debating where to go from here.

Finding her courage she finally spoke, although her voice broke slightly. “Are we going to talk about this?”

His back was turned to her and he stopped prepping dinner and leaned against the counter, his head down and every muscle in his back flexing with tension.

“There’s nothing to say, Lucy.”

Lucy. There it was again. Her hand clasped over her mouth to prevent her sobs from being audible to him and laid down in the bed, rolling over to face the wall. She hoped she would fall asleep again, only this time when she woke up, none of this would have happened.

It was nearing eleven in the morning, not even close to lunchtime but Kíli was hungry. No, scratch that. He was starving.

He had orders to stay at headquarters until his Uncle got back, like he was still a little kid and couldn’t be trusted in the field without supervision. So what if he screwed up one time. One time.

When were they all going to learn he wasn’t a child anymore and he had learned from his mistakes. He was itching to go out there and do something.

Thorin was in a meeting with the local police department, trying to come to an agreement about some kind of future collaboration Kíli knew nothing about but wasn’t really looking forward to regardless. It probably meant they were going to take on a lot more cases like the Turner case Fíli was doing and Kíli just knew he was going to be the one to work on all of those.

Don’t be fooled, he’d be glad to do them, anything was better than sitting behind a desk and running errands for his brother who was out in the field, but what were the odds that there was going to be another case with someone like Lucy as a protégé? Fíli really didn’t know how lucky he was.

“He better appreciate the things I do for him,” Kíli muttered while he spun around on his chair, thinking about Dwalin’s surprised face when he spotted the pack of condoms hidden beneath the apples. Kíli had guaranteed him it was a matter of life and death and therefore a necessary addition.

Thinking about the apples made his stomach rumble again and after another glance at the clock he decided he wasn’t going to wait for Thorin to take his lunch. Elevenses were a thing after all, and orders were meant to be ignored. Time for coffee with something sweet!

He exited the office he shared with Fíli the rare times his brother wasn’t away on some kind of mission, and chose the stairs over the elevator to get to the main floor.

He was planning on asking Jasmine if she wanted something from the coffee shop around the corner, hoping she was the kind of girl who appreciated small gestures like that and would earn him some brownie points.

Kíli still couldn’t believe the hot, blonde receptionist kept rejecting his advances. There wasn’t a trick in the book he hadn’t tried and still she wasn’t interested in him. Other guys would back off at this point but not Kíli, no, it only added fuel to his determination of winning her over.

He heard Jasmine talking on the phone when he got to the ground floor, but since his head was filled with possible pastry choices to go with his coffee, he didn’t pay any mind to the conversation at first. But when he heard the word ‘cabin’ and the name of his brother, he paused in the middle of the hallway and decided to eavesdrop for a few seconds.

“... no, you need the exact coordinates I gave you,” he heard Jasmine say, “The cabin is unregistered, you won’t find it on any map. It doesn’t even exist officially.”

Kíli’s blood ran cold. What on earth did Jasmine get herself into?

“Well I’m sorry! I wasn’t the one who lost track of their supply guy!” she suddenly raised her voice and Kíli was impressed. Jasmine always had this bubbly personality and sickeningly sweet high-pitched voice, he never thought she was capable of sounding so angry, almost threatening even, which kind of turned him on to be honest. No! Focus Kíli, now was not the time to think about your unfulfilled fantasies!

“I know it took me a few days. I want to see you try to find a cabin that is not on record anywhere! You shouldn’t have any problems with Fíli. His brother mentioned that they don’t have any means of communication there and he’s by himself… No… He’s here, he won’t give you any trouble, trust me. I’ll deal with him. Oh and Bolg? Don’t forget, the boss wants her alive.”

Kíli’s skin began to prick with fear when he realized this was far more serious than they had initially thought. Lucy and his brother were in danger and they needed help. His help.

Okay, first things first. He needed to alert Fíli.

But Jasmine had been right, there was no way he could contact him since the cabin was too remote to get any reception. There wasn’t anyone closeby he could call that would get to them sooner.

So Kíli had no other choice than to go over there himself. If he left now, he could be there by nightfall. His hand went to the holster strapped to his chest to check if he had his gun on him - which he had, so he only needed to get to his car without raising any suspicion. ‘Come on, Kíli, you got this,’ he tried to hype himself up.

He inhaled deeply, ran a hand through his curls and forced his trademark grin on his face before he made his way into the lobby of their office building. Jasmine looked up when she saw him nearing her desk and quickly dropped her phone into her purse. When he leaned over the front desk, she fluttered her eyelashes at him and curled her red painted lips into a smile.

It would normally be enough for Kíli to start flirting right away, but that was the last thing he wanted to do right now.

“I’m going out for coffee, do you want anything?” he asked her.

“No, thank you,” Jasmine said sweetly and Kíli had trouble keeping a smile on his face.

“You sure?”

Jasmine nodded and hummed in response.

Kíli couldn’t help staring at her. How could she betray them like this? It made him wonder how she got involved in the first place, she didn’t exactly look like she would dwell in the circles of a cartel. Maybe they were blackmailing her, forcing her to do this?

“Is everything alright?” he heard her ask him.

Kíli blinked a few times before he came back to his senses. “Yeah, sorry, I couldn’t get the image of the two of us getting cozy during your coffee break out of my head,” he flirted, almost on autopilot. He patted the desk a few times, before he made his way to the entrance. “If Thorin asks where I am-”

“-I haven’t seen you,” Jasmine finished his sentence.

Once he sat in his car, Kíli stepped on the accelerator and raced the streets on his way to the cabin, trying to get there as fast as he could.

His phone went off and one look at the caller ID made him accept the call immediately.

“Uncle?”

“Kíli! What part of staying at the office didn’t you understand?”

Kíli quickly told him what happened, and Thorin ordered him to come back so they could make a decent plan and gather enough men before they made their way to the cabin. No rash decisions were to be made.

“No,” Kíli refused. “It could be too late by then!”

“Kíli, don’t be a fool!”

“You deal with Jasmine. I belong with my brother.”

Fíli had never felt worse about anything in his life.

Right after he tore himself away from Lucy he did his best to distract himself by making dinner but quickly abandoned the idea, his actions taking away any sort of appetite that he couldn’t imagine ever having again. He didn’t know what else to do with himself after that, so he took a page out of her book and laid on the couch to try and sleep away the dread that consumed him.

Now he stared across the room at her laying in the bed, completely covered up in the blankets and tucked in on herself as closely as she could. He hadn’t slept at all. How could he with her hurt look flashing through his mind repeatedly? He knew he would never forget it.

As quiet as she had tried to be, Fíli heard her crying multiple times through the night, each sniffle and sob a knife in his heart.

He would never forgive himself for what he did and if he had the opportunity to, he would go back in an instant and undo everything.

She didn’t deserve any of this, he knew he had feelings for her and instead of admitting them he successfully ripped her heart in two and was left drowning in self-loathing.

It took everything in him not to go over to the bed and crawl in beside her, collecting her in his arms and leaving his cowardice behind. This internal battle had gone on all night, and he was happy that dawn was on the rise. He promised himself he would talk to her today and explain his reasoning, doing everything in his power to make it up to her. There was no way he would lose her now.

But the day continued on much worse than he had anticipated, and who could blame her. She wouldn’t even look at him, storming by him like he didn’t exist, blatantly ignoring him when he called her name to attempt to make things right. At one point he watched her come on the verge of crying, her eyes welling up and her lip trembling. Instead she took a deep breath, inhaling sharply as she looked up at the ceiling, swallowing her sadness and replacing it with anger. How many times had he held her while she cried and allowed herself to be vulnerable in his arms? And now she couldn’t even bear to reveal something so personal to him.

It was almost evening when Lucy heard Fíli curse under his breath, but she kept her eyes focused on the yellow paper of the worn out novel she was reading. It was the one she kept for last because the spine was damaged and the whole thing threatened to fall apart every time she turned a page. A few of the pages had translucent spots where her tears had fallen a few hours before when she had been staring at the same pages for too long, unable to read the words. Because the paper was so fragile, it didn’t dry well. Lucy tried to even the pages out, wiping them with her sleeve but it was no use. The story however was captivating enough that not even Fíli’s frustrated groans could make her put it down. A romance, but one without a happy ending. Lucy knew because she checked the last pages, a bad habit she developed after reading too many stories with surprising or depressing endings.

“We’re out of wood for the fire,” he said, another attempt to try and get any sort of reaction out of her. “There’s some chopped wood stacked next to the carport. I won’t be long.” Fíli grabbed the large basket they kept the wood in and his jacket and waited a few seconds, doorknob in hand, but Lucy didn’t look up or even acknowledge his presence. He sighed and opened the door, stepping out into the crisp evening air.

The sun was hanging low on the horizon and it would only take another hour before it would slowly disappear behind the trees and cover everything in darkness, letting the cabin become one with the nature surrounding it.

Fíli worked quickly, placing the small logs of wood in the basket in such a way he could take as many as possible in one go. He was making good progress until movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention.

Years of training and experience in the field had taught him to always trust his instinct and reflexes. It could’ve been a harmless animal, which was most likely the case, but he wasn’t taking any chances. Right now his gut told him he needed to investigate.

Fíli disappeared between the trees, keeping his head low to remain hidden by the bushes while he ran in the direction of the main road. He knew it was a risk leaving the cabin, for both him and Lucy, but he needed to be sure.

As soon as he saw what had caught his attention a few moments earlier, his heart stopped. He would've given anything for it to be an animal or even a lost hiker, anything but what he was currently looking at.

In the distance he could see what he counted were eight men making their way to the cabin. Their clothing and general behavior, not to mention the weapons they were carrying left him with nothing to question. They were here for them.

Greatly outnumbered, Fíli knew there was a good chance he wouldn’t be able to stop them all. He quickly calculated if he could take at least a few of them out before they closed in, but he couldn’t risk any stray bullets hitting the cabin, or worse… Lucy.

“Get up,” he hissed at her when he reentered the cabin and Lucy shut her book with more force than needed, feeling anger rise again until she saw the alarm in his eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“They’re here,” he said, not wasting time explaining things. Lucy didn’t need more words, she immediately caught on, the color draining from her face. They were literally in the middle of nowhere, how did they even find them?

Fíli grabbed her arm and guided her towards the small kitchen window, his mind reeling, trying to come up with a plan. She needed to leave now and get as far away from here as possible. They had five minutes if they were lucky, maybe less.

The front door was no longer an option, they would see her leaving, and the lake was a dead end. The forest was her only chance of making it out alive.

He ran a hand over his face before he turned towards her and helped her climb out the window. Once she stood outside, he grabbed her shoulders through the open window and lowered his face so he could meet her eyes.

“You have to run, go deep into the forest. Run and don’t look back, no matter what you see or hear,” he told her, silently willing her to listen to him for once. “I’ll come look for you later.”

Lucy’s eyes widened. “You’re not coming?”

He shook his head and she felt the tears coming, her hands clutching his forearms to prevent him from letting go. How was it possible that someone who hurt her so badly was also the same person who she was terrified of being without? Images of them in bed flashed through her mind, lips and bodies colliding, but were quickly replaced by ones of him walking away from her. She pushed those painful memories down and took in the worry on his face. He looked scared for her, like he was concerned about her, but that couldn’t be the case. Now he was just trying to finish his job, and that simply meant her not getting hurt. He didn’t care about her.

“Luce,” he urged, calling her back to the present with a squeeze to her shoulder. Then he pulled her closer, surprising her by slowly leaning in and Lucy thought he was going to kiss her.

Fíli kissed her forehead instead, eyes closed, letting his lips linger on her skin for a few seconds before he reluctantly let go and gently pushed her away. “I’ll come for you. I promise. Now go!”

She hesitated for a moment, wanting so much to crawl back through the window to be safe in his arms again.

“Go!”

Please stay safe, he prayed when he saw her bolt into the forest, disappearing between the bushes and undergrowth. He closed the window again, and prepared himself for what was coming.

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#Fili x OC #Fili x reader #Fili #The Hobbit #The Hobbit x OC #The Hobbit x reader #The Hobbit fanfiction #modern!Fili #The Hobbit multichapter #The Hobbit modern AU #Bodyguard AU #Dean O'gorman #Fili Friday #Guarding Your Heart #Lucy Turner #Fili x Lucy Turner

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