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Fíli's used to this by now, or at least he thought he was.
He'd helped Kíli get through the initial shock of it all when it first happened. He'd put up with sharing his bed when the nightmares became too much, then later the six paragraph texts on different theories as to why their dad had left and never came back and he was pretty good at answering his phone at three in the morning to a distressed Kíli even when he had class that day.
However, answering the voicemail of a frantic Legolas explaining that the younger Durinson was currently in hysterics on his drive back home from Oxford was something that was still fairly new to him
He's never had a problem with their dad leaving, at least he doesn't think so. There was that one time when he was thirteen, when the wounds were still fresh he had said his dad died so he wouldn't have to deal with the questions at parent's day at his school, but that doesn't count. He's never held an actual grudge against the man, who wasn't that great to begin with. Fíli barely remembers him anymore as it is, he's pretty surprised Kíli remembers him as vividly as he does, but he knows if he was worth the emotion Kíli puts into missing him he probably wouldn't have left. He can't understand his brother's feelings, but he's never made him feel bad for having them. He's just ridden through them with him.
He pulls into the familiar cul-de-sac, glancing at the Oropherion's before parking in the driveway, grabbing the plastic grocery bag from the passenger seat and exiting the car. Jogging up to the front door of the house next to his own he rings the doorbell before knocking on the door immediately after.
He's greeted by Legolas, looking even more distressed than he sounded in his message.
xx
"Thank Valar you're here! Tauriel's with him. He hasn't stopped crying yet, I don't think so at least. They're in my room." Legolas explains, closing the door behind him, pausing before asking, "What's that?"
He doesn't get an answer before Fíli's headed up the stairs, murmuring something about spoons that Legolas is pretty sure means they'll need some. He walks into the kitchen, pulling open a drawer and grabbing four pieces of silverware before closing it again. He turns, then pauses, hesitating in his rush to join his friends.
He's never been good at comforting people, in fact the thought itself makes him uncomfortable. He's never had to deal with Thranduil's outbursts on his own, Elrond's usually visiting when something bad enough to cause the emotional distress of the elder Oropherion appears, and he's never been that good at cheering himself up either, if he were being truthful about it. Even with his cousin and boyfriend there to pick up the slack he feels bad. He hangs out with Kíli the most between the three of them, shouldn't he know the most about him? How to help him?
He decides he probably knows the least.
He remembers when he tried to talk to Kíli about the dilemma last time it had just been the two of them. It hadn't gone that well on his part. He'd been too young to grieve his mother's passing properly and didn't exactly know all the details about the situation up to this day anyway. Thranduil never talked much about it and he didn't actually remember his mom the way he thinks you should remember someone like that anyway. He imagines you should remember something more than white-yellow hair and soft lullabies to properly miss someone. He also guesses that having a parent that had no choice in the matter was completely different than being abandoned. But still, he sort of knows what Kíli's going through whenever it gets to be too much, though, right? Okay, maybe not.
Legolas pulls some napkins off the stack on the kitchen counter before heading upstairs, maybe at just a slightly slower pace than he usually goes.
xx
Tauriel's been holding a crying Kíli for the past hour, not that she minds, really. She doesn't want to see him like this, but she knows he can't help it and that's fine with her.
She still can't help but feel a little relieved when the older Durinson walks through the door.
"Hey," she gently calls out as she wipes Kíli's face with a tissue, both in greeting and to grab her boyfriend's attention. She nearly jumps as Fíli dumps out the contents of the bag on the bed, watching him fish through pint-sized containers to find the one he's looking for.
She pulls her legs up under herself as they wait for Legolas, sitting on her knees next to Kíli. She takes in the boy hiding behind his hair who is all watery eyes and knitted brows, feeling very guilty she can't do anything about what he's feeling even though she knows she can't help it. They've all gone through this with him, as a group and individually, many times since the formation of their little group but it never seems to get any easier. All she knows is that chocolate ice cream and a little movie marathon work best in this situation and she's willing to give it all the time in the world until it passes.
She frowns a little as she thinks that maybe it'll never, really 'pass' and silently curses Kíli's father in her mind.
She barely notices when Legolas climbs onto the bed and settles in front of Kíli with a serious look on his face until he shoves a spoon in both her face and his.
"Thanks Legs"
xx
Kíli quickly snatches the spoon from the blonde's hand, opening the carton of ice cream and cradling it before taking a heaping spoonful and shoving it in his mouth. He couldn't care less about much of anything right now, especially manners. Although he guesses he'd feel a little bad if he got any on Legolas' bedsheets. But only a little.
He ignores he start of conversation around him, eating his treat and sharing it with Tauriel while momentarily forgetting everything but himself. It's ridiculous and he knows it. It's been years and he's not a little kid anymore. Fíli doesn't break down in tears whenever he thinks about their father, and he's pretty sure Legolas doesn't, or maybe hasn't, cried about his mother, ever. He blinks himself back into reality and stares down, noticing socked feet next to his thigh and for the first time that Legolas has taken the liberty of lying in bed backwards, holding onto a small container of sweets himself.
"I thought you were lactose-intolerant." He doesn't realize he's intterupted in the middle of someone's sentence and gives a quizzical look when his brother starts laughing at him over the other side of Legolas' knees.
"Dairy-free, mate! Some gross coconut milk shit. Poor bloke doesn't realize what he's missing." Fíli replies through bites of sorbet as the other blonde shakes the container back and forth in his hand.
"Taste's good!"
Kíli makes a face at the exclamation and leans back against the headboard.
He misses his dad, he supposes he always will. But at least he has Fíli, Tauriel and Legolas. They're more important than someone who couldn't even visit every other weekend back when he was eight. He spoons another helping of ice cream into his mouth and hums contentedly, listening to his best friends talk.
