Work Text:
It had been a week since Kíli had arrived home from the forest with his brother, a small cough itching at his throat. The next morning the dwarf had woken up with a stuffed nose and then it quickly progressed into a sore throat. Their mother had fussed over him and demanded to know if he had taken off his fur coat while he had been out having fun but Fíli swore that he never saw Kíli doing so. Kíli shrugged off their concern and refused to treat his throat properly. That was until his uncle came home for dinner.
Thorin took one look at the small dwarf after his sister told him about his cold and ordered Kíli to rest. Kíli all but raced to the bedroom he shared with his brother and rarely left while his mother took care of him.
Fíli had been told to stay away for a few days, at the very least, so that he wouldn’t contract Kíli’s cold. However, like with many of the rules set out for the brothers, this was ignored. Fíli had dashed in many times to check in on his brother while his mother was busy around the house and their uncle was at the forge. Sometimes he would dare to sneak in at night to lay beside his sick brother and to give him a bit of comfort. On those nights, Kíli would often beg for a story, turning his wide puppy-dog eyes towards his brother. And Fíli always failed to resist.
Kíli now lay on his back, having just regained his conscience after passing out from his high fever earlier on in the day.
Kíli groaned when he heard the creaking of the door as it was pushed open. Whoever had opened it had tried to be silent but it was a failed attempt. He could make out light footsteps making their way across the room.
“I’m sorry I’m so late,” a voice whispered in dimming light.
Fíli.
Kíli smiled and tried to sit up. The copious amount of blankets wrapped around his small frame prevented him from doing so and he was left to flop back down.
“It’s okay,” Kíli tried to say but he felt as though the words were almost clawing their way up his throat. Fíli was quick to silence him.
“No, no! Mother said that you’re not supposed to talk, it’ll hurt more.” The blond dwarf stepped closer to the bed to get a better look at his brother. Kíli looked far larger than he actually was, all bundled up, and Fíli had a bit of trouble keeping his laughter to himself.
Kíli simply moaned and buried his head in the blankets. Fíli smiled and reached out to pat him on the head. Before his hand touched the dark hair, Kíli peeked out his head and Fíli’s hand brushed against his forehead. And what he felt alarmed him.
“Oh, Aulë, you’re burning up! You should have cooled down a bit by now, you’ve got so many blankets over you!” Fíli leaned over Kíli as he tried to scramble up onto the bed. He almost fell back onto the heels of his feet but dragged his body up, clutching at the covers underneath Kíli and his mass of blankets.
Kíli cast his eyes down, chin tucked against his chest. There was no need for any blushing - it would have been hard to tell through the constant flush on the dwarf’s face anyway - in order for Fíli to notice that his brother was embarrassed. He squinted his eyes before sighing and settling down next to Kíli, drawing his hands onto his lap.
“You took them off, didn’t you?” Fíli murmured morosely. Kíli glanced up, his fringe falling in the way.
“It was really stuffy,” he mumbled, his voice so soft that he didn’t end up in a coughing fit with some relief. “And I had a nightmare about that dragon again. The one Uncle told us about.” He wiggled his little hand out from the blankets and pawed at his face, stopping for a few seconds to itch his nose.
Fíli huffed and brought his hand up to move back the hair plastered to Kíli’s forehead by sweat. He smiled sadly and decided to take some pity on his brother.
“Bear it for a little longer, brother dearest. When the fever is gone, then these lurid nightmares will go as well.” His whisper carried through the room, soft as the wind.
“I don’t think I want to anymore. It’s not really that bad. Having a cold, I mean,” Kíli continued on in a hushed tone. “And it always feels like someone is holding me - trapping me - while I stay wrapped up. I can’t move my arms too much. And when I wake up, you’re almost never there.”
Fíli’s heart skipped a beat at the look on his brother’s face. The combination of his pouty lips, puffy cheeks and big brown eyes had Fíli forgetting what was last on his mind. He cleared his throat and pulled Kíli’s head into the crook of his neck.
“I’m here now, brother. As long as you need me.” Fíli ran his chubby hand through Kíli’s hair as the younger dwarf snuggled into his side. It was often that they fell asleep in such a fashion, Fíli always making sure that Kíli was well and comfortable and soundly asleep before letting his eyelids fall and giving way to peaceful rest.
“Can you tell me another story, Fíli?” His voice was so small that Fíli felt like crushing the young dwarf to his chest and never letting go.
Fíli chuckled as he continued to stroke Kíli's head. “What story is left to tell after you’ve begged me to tell you so many?”
“There must be some left. Tell me a nice one. With two brothers and a good ending. Make them slay some elves!” Kíli added giddily, burying his hands into Fíli’s tunic and tugging impatiently.
“Two brothers, eh? And do these brothers have names?”
“Yes, they are…uh… Dili and Tili… And they are very brave.”
“Hmm, fine names for two brave dwarves. I shall tell you the tale of how they had to journey across the whole of Middle-Earth because they were given the mission of bringing down a corrupt elf.” Fíli scratched his head and wondered where to go from there. He wasn’t the greatest of story tellers. He didn’t have any good stories to share over camp fires - his uncle was trusted to share all the great tales he knew.
However, by the way that Kíli’s eyes twinkled as he stared at Fíli while the elder went along with anything that entered his young mind, it was as though Fíli was weaving a great story all by himself.
Kíli interjected random comments and giggles while Fíli continued and before long his eyes drooped and his breathing became more even. Fíli kept speaking in hushed tones and soon his words started to slur together as he started to drift into the world of sleep as well.
Light snores filled the bedroom as the brothers curled around each other. There came a soft chuckle from behind the partially open door. Thorin stared at his two nephews, his blue eyes sweeping over the two small figures in amazement of how they could almost look angelic sometimes.
“Sleep tight, my dear warriors.”