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When they are found, they are still together.
Always together.
Their faces are splattered with blood and dirt, and Kili's right leg looks as though it was almost taken off, but they are together.
Fili and Kili are curled against one another in a far corner of the battlefield. Kili lies propped against the wall, legs, both mauled and still uninjured, splayed out in front of him. Fili lies curled in his brother's lap, head cushioned on the younger dwarf's chest, and arms wrapped resolutely around his waist. Kili has, at some point, buried his fingers in Fili's long blonde locks, and his face is pressed against the top of his brothers head. They look, to the outside eye, almost peaceful in death.
Together. As always.
~•~
When Fili wakes up, he is alone. Immediately, he knows something to be wrong. His memories are fuzzy, and indistinct, and he sits slowly up, taking in his surroundings.
He is in a corridor, lit by a soft, white light, and framed with tall, elven archways. The dwarf stands slowly up, eyes flicking around himself as he grows accustomed to this new place. He is reminded of Rivendell, of the elf-home they so briefly stayed at, and he has to wonder where he can possibly have gone.
There is the sound of footsteps behind him, and Fili whirls around, his braids flying through the air as he turns. He tenses, not out of the anger or spite that Thorin holds, but out of instinct as a tall, blonde elf steps closer to him, and though he long ago decided that no woman could ever steal his heart away, he is taken by her beauty, as never before.
"Peace, child." The fair lady says smoothly, smiling warmly and Fili relaxes slowly, swallowing thickly before he can speak.
"Where am I?" He asks, eyebrows raised as he stares at the elf, whose smile slowly fades.
"You and your brother fell at Erbor, defending your home." She explains in a voice so soft it sounds almost melodic, and suddenly, Fili remembers.
He remembers the pain, and the blood. He remembers screaming, pushing wildly through man, dwarf and Orc as Kili fell. He remembers feeling the sharp stab of pain at his back, and falling to his knees at his brother's side. He remembers Kili's face as he reached for him, pulling him close as they began to fade away. He remembers the gentle fingers in his hair as his brother held him.
He looks up, eyes wide, and sets his jaw, his shoulders tensing slightly as they always have done when Kili is in danger.
"Where is he?" The stout dwarf growls, hands hands clenching into fists at his sides. The elf just smiles, and takes a small, steady step to the side, holding out one elegar, pale hand toward the corridor behind her, at the end of which is a white oaken door
Fili stares for a long moment, alternating between looking imperiously at this woman, and back toward the door. Slowly, ever-so-slowly, he begins to walk down the hall, steadily building up speed as he goes until he is at a full-tilt run, bounding toward the door as fast as he possibly can.
He throws it open, and his heart leaps in his chest. There is Kili, in a large, white bed, fast asleep under thick elven blankets. The dirt, the blood, the grime is all gone, and it is only now that Kili looks down, noting the well-fitting red pants and shirt the elves must have put him in.
He stays in the doorway for a long moment, taken aback by the sight of his brother so peacefully sleeping, until he feels a hand rest gently on his shoulder. He looks up, and the elf-woman is there, still smiling, her eyes trained on Kili.
"You are in Aúlín." She all but whispers, her hand lingering on Fili's shoulder. "The heaven of the elves, a right only given to those of the most heart." Fili listens intently, nodding slowly as she speaks.
"And...I can..." He motions one hand toward Kili's sleeping form, a wordless question he probably needn't ask.
"You will, if you choose, spend eternity here together." She replies, nodding her head once.
Fili stares in at Kili for another long while, and then slowly steps forward, knowing that his gratitude can never be put into words, and feeling, somehow, that the elf-woman just....knows. The door shuts behind him, and he paces slowly to the bed, taking his time as he approaches his brother.
The older dwarf crawls slowly into the bed, sliding in beneath the sheets, and curls his body around Kili's, cushioning his head on the brunette's chest as his arm hooks around his waist. Eventually, Kili's arms move, slipping up around Fili's shoulders to pull him closer as he wakes.
"You're here." He mumbles, pressing his nose into his brothers hair. Fili nods minutely, and tightens his hold on Kili's waist.
"I'm here."
They are quiet, then, for a long time, Kili's fingers stroking through Fili's braids, Fili's hands tightening periodically on Kili's body. One of Kili's hands comes up, and grips Fili's face, tilting his head up so that their lips can press chastely together.
"Love you." He murmurs against the older dwarfs lips, stroking his thumbs over his temples, and Fili kisses him, holding him ever-closer.
"Always."