Chapter Text
Uncle Thorin had taken the day off, he had gone off on some errand and he had taken Bilbo with him, so there was no escaping the shop to go over the road and find any entertainment in his company. Kili leaned back on the stool behind the counter and sighed, bored didn't even begin to describe how he felt. He glanced towards the back room where some back stock was kept, Fili was in there rummaging about pretending to be busy.
Ever since their mother had made that last visit to their grandfather, Fili had been acting all grown up and responsible, it was annoying. Just because they were adults didn't mean they had to behave like them. Still, all this sitting around had made Kili restless, so he wandered into the back room to find his older brother crouched near the door tidying the shelves, Kili just watched him for a while, lamenting the loss of his fun brother and resigning himself to the fact he would have to put up with this boring version instead.
"Are you gonna help me or not?" Fili eventually asked. "'Cause if not, get out of my way."
"I'm bored." Kili stated, picking a piece of foam on a nearby shelf.
"Then give me hand with this."
"I'm not that bored."
Fili sighed and stood to face him, the stern look on his face making up for the fact he was a few inches shorter than his little brother. "What do you want to do?"
"I dunno." Kili said with a shrug, he had managed to gouge a small crater in the foam he was still fiddling with, as his gaze fell on the minute distruction he had caused, his eyes widened and he smiled. "Never mind." He grabbed the foam and went back into the shop wielding the block as if it was some grand prize.
On his way past the main flower display Kili grabbed handfuls of various flowers and placed them on the counter, then he got to work. He wasn't the best at arrangements, he had a tenancy to snap the stems as he pushed them into the foam, but this task kept his hands busy and his mouth shut. Something he was sure his grumpy brother would appreciate, Kili thought with a snort.
It was when a stem snapped for about the millionth time that Kili lost his patience, he pushed the half finished arrangement away with a frustrated snarl, he was so involved with the project he didn't notice that a customer had been waiting for him to serve her. When Kili looked up he was speechless, the woman was breathtakingly beautiful. Her hair was the colour of fire reflected on copper, her eyes were grass green, bright and alert, and her full lips were curved in a slight grin as she watched him struggle with the arrangement.
"Sorry!" Kili blurted, then mentally kicked himself as his voice came out much higher than intended, he took a breath and put on his best smile. "How can I help you?"
"Oh, um." She blinked and their eyes met, her smile faltered. "I just need a small bouquet, something simple, for a friend."
"Sure, sure, anything in particular?"
"I don't really know." She looked over the main display of flowers opposite the counter, then she spotted something and walked towards it. "These are nice, he'd like these." The woman said, and picked up a sprig of hypericum berries.
"Hm, I'll put something together for you." Kili promised and moved from behind the counter. "Anything to avoid?"
"I don't know." She admitted again, a slightly embarrassed look passed over her face. "They're for my boss' son."
"Right, so nothing too fancy?" He plucked the berries out of her hand and turned the stem over in his own, trying to think what would go well with them.
She laughed, and oh, Kili could have swooned, soft and melodic despite the hint of bitterness behind the sound. "If it was for my boss, the flowers could be guided in gold and crusted with gems and he wouldn't consider it ostentatious." Kili raised an eye brow and smirked as her face reddened slightly. "Oh, that was completely unprofessional."
Kili chuckled and picked up some baby's breath and a few fern leaves, he considered them for a moment and made his way back to the counter. He noticed Fili leaning against the doorway to the back room, a shit eating grin on his face. Kili rolled his eyes and silently told him to 'bugger off'. Fili waggled his eyebrows as he backed into the other room to make himself scarce.
"What is this supposed to be, anyway?" The woman gestured towards the arrangement he had given up on as she followed him to the counter.
"It's a hedgehog." Kili said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. His hands busy putting the bouquet together with barely a second thought.
"A hedgehog?" She repeated and took a closer look, then she smiled and glanced at him. "I see now." Her eyes dropped to his hands as they pulled the stems together in a sort of pattern, the flowers, berries and leaves coming together beautifully. "You're very good at this, is it your shop?"
"Oh, ha!" Kili shook his head. "No, just watching it for my Uncle while he's away." He wrapped the finished bouquet in plastic and tied it in place with a piece of string. "All done."
"Wow, that's wonderful." She took the small bouquet and inspected it very briefly, she looked back to the arrangement, then at Kili. "I know someone who would love that once it's finished."
"Oh?"
"Yes, he rescues hedgehogs, adores them." She explained. "He's a bit eccentric, but he's absolutely lovely, how long would it take to finish?"
"Um, not long."
"Great!" She handed over some money for the bouquet, even if Kili was more than willing to let her have it for free. "I know it says you close at five, but I won't be able to get back here before then."
"Don't worry about it," Kili said with a wave of his hand. "Just come by when you can."
"Thank you, honestly, thank you so much." The way she smiled then was so radiant it almost blinded him. "I'm Tauriel, by the way." And she held out a hand.
"Um, Kili." He shook her hand. "I'll see you a little bit after five." Then Tauriel left the shop with many backward glances and shy smiles, Kili tried not to stare, he failed miserably.
Fili appeared in the doorway again, he grinned at his younger brother who buried his face in his hands. "That was painful." Said Fili. "Actually, physically painful to witness."
TBC