Chapter Text
Fili can just make out the silhouette of his brother, perched high among the branches of the tree he was insistent on climbing. He takes a moment to enjoy the sun on his face and the peaceful quiet of the wood. Reaching into his pack, he checks to see that their biscuits haven’t been crushes or already filched by Kili.
Fili looks back up and through the swaying branches he sees Kili drawing an arrow from his quiver. Cold fear grips him as he watches Kili balance in the branches, drawing his bow.
“Kili! No!”
The arrow releases and Fili’s entire world narrows to the sound of cracking branches as they break under his brother’s body.
Kili keeps his eyes on the tense line of Fili’s shoulder as he follows his brother through the trees toward home. He rubs his chest gingerly, wincing when he runs over the spot where he had caught himself on a lower branch. He’d laughingly bet Fili a week’s worth of chores he’d have a bruise the size of a cat there come sundown but his brother had only glared at him, wrenched his hands away from where they lay against Kili’s ribs, and stalked off once he’d determined Kili didn’t have any life threatening injuries.
“Fili,” he calls out. “Hey, Fee!”
Fili keeps walking.
Fili finally looks at him when Kili lets out a huff as he slumps down in the chair near the fireplace.
“I can’t believe you,” Fili spits out, eyes narrowed.
“What?” Kili sits up. “I’m fine. I just wanted to see if I could make the shot.”
“It was stupid! You could have died!” Fili yells. “And for what? So you could boast?”
“But I didn’t die! I’m not even really hurt. So you don’t have to shout at me!” Kili bristles.
“Obviously I do! Because you have less sense than a toddler!”
Kili stands, squaring off with his brother, “That’s hardly fair.”
“Do you think I want to carry your broken body back to Amad? Did you think about that?” Fili shouts. “Of course you didn’t! Because you don’t think!”
“Hey!”
“Well it’s true,” Fili continues. “You just do whatever you please! Consequences be damned!”
“Don’t yell at me!” Kili shouts back, and then tacks on a quieter “Please.”
Fili glares at Kili. Raising his hands, he rubs them over his face, inhaling deeply before letting them fall back down at his sides.
“I can’t, Kili. I can’t watch you die,” he says quietly. “Please don’t make me.”
Kili deflates at the unhappiness he sees in Fili’s eyes, hesitating a moment before stepping forward to wrap his arms around his brother. Fili stays tense in his arms.
“You don’t know what it was like, Kee. Watching you fall.”
“I’m sorry,” Kili murmurs, tightening his hold and Fili finally relaxes into the embrace, raising his own hands to clutch at the back of Kili’s tunic.
“I couldn’t do anything to stop it,” Fili says, burying his head in the crook of Kili’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” Kili repeats, reaching up to run his hand through Fili’s hair.
Fili pulls back to look at him. “I don’t like it when you yell at me,” Kili says with a small smile, pressing their foreheads together.
Fili chuckles, “Well you deserved it this time.”
“I suppose,” Kili grins.
“I’m too old for you to be scaring me like that,” Fili replies.
Kili starts tugging Fili down the hall towards their bedroom. Grinning he says, “What can I do to make it up to you?”
Fili laughs. “Start with my chores for the week!”