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“May I... kiss you?”
When Lindir’s sweet brown eyes widened in shock Kíli blushed and looked away.
He probably shouldn’t have asked. No, he definitely shouldn't have asked. Now Lindir would leave and not talk to him anymore and why had he asked. It was such a stupid thing to ask and-
He started a bit when long slim fingers curled around his, tugging slightly to catch his attention. Not that it was needed.
From the moment he’d first seen Lindir, Kíli’s attention had not strayed far.
”This would be considered very forward,” Lindir said and glanced down at their intertwined fingers before meeting Kíli’s eyes again, and now Kíli wasn’t the only one blushing. “We’ve only known each other for a day. Barely a day.”
”Oh.” Kíli rubbed his thumb along the back of Lindir’s hand. “I’m not- is this all right then? I don’t want to make you do something you don’t want.”
“It’s-“ Lindir hesitated and his fingers twitched a little. “Fine.”
That didn't inspire much confidence. ”I can stop.”
”I... don’t want you to.”
”Oh.” Kíli looked up at Lindir and smiled. “I’m glad.”
He wondered to himself if he maybe would be allowed to kiss Lindir’s hand?
But it seemed pushy to ask. And rude to just do it without asking. But he’d like to. He could press his lips to the inside of that slim, pale wrist and-
Right. Best stop that line of thought right there.
“I’m glad we came here,” Kíli said and squeezed Lindir’s hand gently. It wasn’t a small hand, or a weak hand, but it felt... he wanted… it was a bit like the bird.
That was what it reminded Kíli of. Like the bird he’d found when he was younger, or well, the bird that had found him.
It hadn’t been hurt, only hungry. And it’d taken to stalking him when he was out hunting, probably because he always left bits of innards for it to eat.
Eventually it’d gotten pretty friendly.
And yes, Lindir did remind him of that bird. Strong and graceful and beautiful.
A bird that he needed to be careful with because even though it was strong enough to spend hours in the air and could probably hack out his eyes without too much effort it had thin fragile bones and for some reason it trusted him to touch it.
One day the bird just hadn’t been around anymore, Kíli never knew what happened to it. If something had happened, or if it’d just gotten bored with him.
They would be leaving Rivendell soon. He didn’t know when, but he doubted that Thorin would want to stay for very long.
And once he left it was possible that he’d never meet Lindir again.
Kíli was fairly sure that the thought of never again meeting someone he’d, in all honesty, just met should not feel like someone was driving sharp spikes into his chest. But he could still feel them.
It was unfair, to think that all he had to hope for was that Lindir might remember him after he was gone. And maybe fondly at that. He’d remember him as the dark-haired Dwarf who hadn’t actually bathed in the fountain. Instead choosing to quickly splash himself off so he’d could come and strike up a conversation instead.
Unfair. Yes.
But even so…
“I’m glad I’ve met you, Lindir,” Kíli said, bringing up his other hand to cup over their joined ones. He licked his lips, nervous, even though he wasn't sure he was nervous about. “I- I like you. Of course I do, I’d not have asked for a kiss otherwise. Even though you’re very pretty. Truly. Beautiful. I expect that I need to leave soon. But I just wanted you to know-“
When Lindir dropped to his knees it was quite possible that Kíli’s mouth dropped as well. And that made it very easy for Lindir to kiss him.
The touch of Lindir’s mouth against his was feather light, but at the same time one of the most monumental things ever to happen in Kíli’s life.
“I do not enjoy the thought of being parted from you.”
Kíli blinked rapidly. “I wasn’t going to ask again. To kiss you. You didn’t have to do that.”
“I know.” Lindir’s smile was small, but it warmed Kíli all the way down to his toes. “But I wanted to.” When the smile disappeared Kíli made a small noise of protest. “Can you forgive me for being so forward?”
“Yes,” Kíli said immediately, because it seemed like Lindir was honestly concerned. “I’m good at forgiving. Just- if you wanted to… try it for a second time?” He squeezed Lindir’s hand again. “Or we can do this? This is good.”
Thorin was going to kill him and Fíli was going to think he’d lost his mind, but when Lindir’s lips quirked up again before he leaned in to gently brush their noses together Kíli couldn’t care less.
“That is another sort of kiss.”
It was on the tip of Kíli’s tongue to offer to demonstrate a third kind, if only Lindir’s robes were a little less in the way, but he managed to swallow the words.
Instead he did what he wanted to do before, leaning down to press a kiss to Lindir’s hand.
Keeping his eyes on Lindir's as his lips touched soft skin over strong flesh and delicate bones.
When Lindir made a small moan before flushing a deeper shade of red, though not pulling away, or looking away, from him, Kíli's chest filled with a strange sensation.
It felt... it felt like he expected flying would.