Chapter Text
4 weeks later
Kili once again found himself in the hospital, this time waiting with Bilbo and Fili in one of the patient rooms for Dr. Bard—the audiologist—and his tech assistant. Today was the big day. Today was the day that Dr. Bard was going to activate Fili’s cochlear implants, and Fili would finally be able to hear again.
The last four weeks had been a crazy blur for Kili. Fall glasses at Golden Gate University had started for Kili, and with a little maneuvering and a lot of luck he was able to get into the same classes as Tauri. Fili had re-enrolled for USF for the spring and was going to be attending on a full academic scholarship. He would not be needing support from his father to continue with his education. Thorin was to be released from his program, but he had opted to stay for another six weeks, which meant he would be missing the appointment. Kili could tell that Fili was relieved that he didn’t have to be with his father yet. Eventually they would have to, according to Bilbo they needed to mend their relationship, but Kili thought they both seemed better when they were apart. During the first few weeks of his absent, Thorin had sent letters, the majority of them ended up in the trash (presumably thrown by Fili), but then Bilbo had found them and helped Fili write back.
Kili was brought back to the present by Bilbo tapping his knee.Z
“We finally made it, Kili.” He said
Kili smiled, “It’ll be a relief I think, for Fili. No more secrets from his father. He can finally get back to his life.”
“Speaking of secrets, maybe after this we can find out where you have been mysteriously disappearing off to after your shifts end.” Bilbo said, raising his eyebrows.
Kili laughed, “You’ll find out soon enough, Bilbo.”
“You and your mysterious, I’ll never understand it.” Bilbo answered, shaking his head.
Kili just smiled. In fact, this was the first time he had ever kept a secret from Bilbo. But it was a good secret. A great secret. And Kili couldn’t wait to reveal what he had been up to for the past four weeks.
Kili’s phone buzzed, and Kili looked down at it and saw a text message:
Ori: Good luck today, you are going to rock it!
Kili smiled. He was slightly sad that Ori couldn’t be there with them because he was sick with whooping cough. It was highly contagious, and they couldn’t risk getting Fili sick after surgery so Ori had kept mainly an online presence. Ori had been highly involved in Kili’s secret activities though, and Kili could just feel his excitement oozing from the text message.
Both Kili and Bilbo jumped when the door opened and Dr. Bard walked inside. He smiled at the three of them.
“Hi, welcome!” He said, shaking each one of their hands.
“It’s good to see you all again. I’m excited to get this process started.” He continued, sitting down at the computer and logging himself in.
“So, this shouldn’t take more than a half an hour. I want to make sure the implants are working 100% before you go home though.”
Bilbo nodded his head, “Sounds fair to me.”
Dr. Bard then turned his attention to Fili, who looked up at him with a nervous expression on his face.
“Don’t worry, this isn’t going to hurt a bit. We’ll get started right after I explain how this is going to work.” Dr. Brad said, speaking calmly and slowly so Fili could understand.
Fili nodded his head.
“Alright. This is Christina, my audio tech. She is going to use these wires to connect the implant to the computer. We are going to start with the right ear, and then do the left. After the implant is connected, I am going to turn it on. You may hear some static at first, but then you should start to hear things more clearly. Don’t be alarmed if it is too loud, or if there is feedback. We will adjust it until you are comfortable. Then we’ll go on to the left ear.”
Fili nodded his head again. Kili noticed that Dr. Bard had excellent lips. Fili looked over to Kili, and then reached for his hand. Kili took it and smiled.
“You ready?” he asked
Fili nodded, looking back and forth from Kili to Dr. Bard.
Christina then stood up and connected the wires to the implant behind Fili’s ear. He smiled slightly as she moved his hair out of the way.
“You have great hair.” She said with a smile.
Fili blushed.
Once the wires were secure, Dr. Bard clicked open the program with his mouse.
“You ready?” he asked
Fili nodded his head.
Dr. Bard clicked, and Kili heard a faint beep. He looked at Fili, who’s mouth had opened in awe.
“It should be working now.” Dr. Bard said
Fili then smiled and nodded his head.
“It’s…..whoa. It’s working…..it’s loud.” He said shyly, face turning red, eyes looking from Kili to Bilbo to Dr. Bard.
Kili couldn’t stop smiling.
“That’s okay. We can adjust it. Is it my voice or your voice that is loud?” he asked
Fili paused for a moment, “My voice. It’s much louder than your voice.” He said. He was smiling now too.
Dr. Bard made some adjustments, “How about now?”
“Yes…yes that’s better.” Fili said, his voice cracking with emotion. Dr. Bard quickly handed him a tissue box and he took one.
“It’s okay. I know it’s a big adjustment.” Dr. Bard said kindly as Fili dapped his eyes.
Fili looked up at Kili, “I can hear again.”
Kili nodded and took his other, “Yes you can! I’m so excited for you.”
Dr. Bard was smiling, “Alright, ready for the other ear? I want to make sure they are balanced.”
Fili nodded his head.
Again, Christina walked over and connected the left implant with the wires. She was smiling too, and her eyes were glassy. They all knew Fili’s case, and they all knew how much this meant to him, how hard he worked to get here.
Fili sniffed again, and let go of Kili’s hand just for a moment so he could dab his eyes again and then he retook it.
“Alright, I am activating it in three….two…..one. How does that sound?”
Fili nodded his head, “I….whoa…..no…it’s too loud. Like the other one. My voice.”
Dr. Bard nodded, “Okay, I’ve adjust them so they are even. How does it sound now?”
“It’s….umm…now this one is too quiet.” Fili said, pointing to his right ear and laughing a little.
“Okay how about now?”
Fili nodded his head, and then blew his nose.
“It’s perfect.”
He wiped his eyes with his hand and grabbed another tissue.
Dr. Bard smiled, “Alright. That was easy. Christina is going to disconnect the wires. Now that they are activated they should stay on until you decide to turn them off with this remote here. It’s a life time battery, but should you have any problems you can give me a call.”
He showed Fili the remote as Christina disconnected the wires, when she was done she sat back down.
“So Fili…” Bilbo started, and Fili looked at Bilbo with a smile.
“I may look like a hobbit munchkin, but do I sound like one?”
Fili’s smile widened, “I never expected you to be British.”
Bilbo laughed, “I am British, yes. It’s good to finally hear your voice.”
“It’s good to hear it too…..it’s changed. I’m going to have to get used to it.”
“That’s normal, Fili. If it still sounds weird in a few weeks call me and I can adjust it for you.” Dr. Bard chimed in.
Bilbo scooted up in the rollie chair he was sitting in closer to Fili and then he took his hand.
“Fili, I just wanted you to know that I am so proud of you. You have become like a second son to me and I am so happy you have come into all our lives. That you have come into Kili’s life. You have made him so happy.”
Kili tried not to cringe, because Bilbo was stealing his lines!
Bilbo sighed happily and patted Fili’s hand, “ All your troubles have now drifted under the bridge and now you are ready to set a new course for a new adventure.”
Fili nodded and sniffed. He used his free hand to grab a third tissue and blow his nose.
Kili all of a sudden felt the pressure starting to build. He had something to say to Fili, something very special and he wanted to say it before the moment passed. Kili took a deep breath, and then he stood up.
Fili swiveled in his chair so he was looking at Kili.
Kili took both of his hands, and then started to talk before his nerves ran out and he started to cry too.
“Fili, I have loved you since the moment I saw you. I admire your spirit, and your passions. And even though things were rough for a while you pulled through, and I am so proud of you. I love you , Fili, . I don’t think I could go another minute without you, so…..”
Kili kneeled down on one knee and pulled a box from his jacket. He opened it up and revealed inside a gold wedding band. A band that he and Balin and Ori spend hours picking out ub the jewelry store, a band that he used his savings to purchase, a band that represented Kili’s love and dedication for Fili.
“Fili, will you marry me?”
Fili smiled, and then he laughed. He pulled Kili up to standing, now there were tears in both of their eyes.
“Yes. Yes. I will marry you.” He said, his breath hitching.
With trembling hands Kili put the ring on Fili’s finger. They smiled at each other, and then kissed. They kissed for a long time, only being brought back to the present when they heard sniffing.
Kili looked up and saw that Dr. Bard, Christina and Bilbo were all crying.
“I had no idea! I should have known! Kili, you trickster.” Bilbo said through his sobs
Christina started clapping, and then Dr. Bard joined in.
Kili looked at Fili, he touched his shoulders, his neck and then his face. This couldn’t have been a more perfect moment.
888
The wind whipped Kili’s short hair back and forth, and Kili fought to maintain the chaotic curls. He pulled on his sunglasses and then stared at the man he loved taking pictures of the bay. They were standing in the middle of the Golden Gate Bridge, Fili was photographing Alcatraz. The wind was pulling his hair from his bun, and the strands were falling across his face. He turned away from the back and looked at Kili, eyes bright and clear. Kili wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close. He tenderly tucked the blonde hair back behind his ears, his golden ring glinting in the sunlight. Here they were, the same place where they started, yet they had come so far. Now Fili wasn’t afraid of the bridge anymore, now they could walk hand in hand up and down the orange bridge. For the first time in a long time he couldn’t be happier than this.
“Hey, guess what?” Kili asked, beaming up at Fili.
“What?”
“I love you.
Fili smiled his charming smile
“I love you too.
888
THE END