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When Tauriel signed up as an instructor for the upcoming summer camp Kíli did too; just for a laugh, he told her, but really it was the fact that he had nothing planned for the summer and didn’t want to spend it alone.
Kids weren’t exactly his forte; he’d grown up as an only child and as his only cousin was two years younger than him it meant he had zero experience, something he made quite clear in his application, and so he had expected to be assigned simple tasks; like watching the kids but not actually having to interact with the mini people that made too much noise and were unbelievably messy.
What he didn’t expect was to not only be made a cabin captain, but to be assigned with the funniest and kindest bunch of kids one could hope for in their first voyage into this sort of thing.
He also didn’t expect his life to forever be changed by him.
The first day was the standard meet and greet of campers and instructors, and the person in charge of the camp, an elderly man by the name of Gandalf Stormcrow had all but dragged Kíli over to his group of campers when he’d found the brunet hanging back, watching the mass of children before him and seriously reconsidering his decision.
“Here they are,” Gandalf said cheerily as he stopped in front of a group of children.
“Ten kids?! Are you crazy?!” he choked out, looking in horror at the group huddled together with their blue and brown armbands, talking to each other a mile a minute in their excitement.
“Elrond believes so,” Gandalf chortled. “Don’t you worry young master Kíli, there will be another support person with you who will show you the ropes, but he doesn’t arrive until later as his shift at the station finishes in a few hours. However when he’s done he’s ours for the next two weeks.”
The news that he wouldn’t be alone in this made him feel a bit better, but not by much. He glanced over to where he could see Tauriel standing with a friend of theirs, Legolas, in front of another bunch of babbling kids.
As though sensing eyes on her Tauriel looked up with a slight frown, giving him a thumbs up when she saw him looking.
Poking his tongue at her he turned to look at Gandalf again. “Look, Mr Stormcrow-”
“Please, call me Gandalf,” the old man interrupted with a snicker, “Mr Stormcrow was my father.”
“Er, right. Sorry. Look Gandalf, I think maybe I’ve been assigned wrong? I have no idea how to interact with one kid, let alone ten. In fact I’ll probably make the experience worse for them and they’ve paid all this money…”
Gandalf clapped him on the shoulder, peering down at him with a kind and understanding smile which immediately put him at ease. “Kíli, there is something you need to understand about these camps. It’s not just for the kids you see, oh don’t get me wrong when we first opened it most definitely was, but we came to realise that it wasn’t just the kids who got to learn something new. Everyone has different life experiences; and where… say Philip, the other cabin captain in your troop has siblings and knows how to look after kids, you are an only child and so have no experience. Just as you play guitar, but Philip couldn’t play one to save his life.”
“Um...”
“On this camp,” Gandalf explained patiently, “you will help these children grow, all their activities will teach them new skills and forge friendships for years to come. But as you teach these children, they too shall teach you. They will help you grow as a person and better prepare you for the world.”
Kíli bit his lip and looked back at Tauriel, thinking about the changes that had occurred in his friend after the first time she attended the camp three years ago. Before her first camp she had been in a bad place; with parent’s who were more focused on their work and close to falling into a bad crowd.
In fact her saving grace had come in the form of a police officer who had arrested the group when they had been found drinking in a park with an alcohol ban. Thankfully, the officer hadn’t seen Tauriel as a common criminal like many of the youth in the group, but had seen her for what she was; a troubled teen in need of help and compassion. Instead of pressing charges he signed her up to the camp as her punishment, something Tauriel had been furious about, but by the end of the camp Kíli had witnessed an entirely different person come back home.
Maybe there was some truth to what Gandalf was saying after all.
“Alright,” he said in resignation, “I’ll do my best.”
“Excellent!” Gandalf said cheerily, clapping his hands together as he turned to the group, “let me introduce you. Listen up kids!” He waited until the unit had quietened and turned to face him before pulling Kíli forward by the arm, “this here is Kíli!”
The evening passed quickly, something Kíli was grateful for, but he couldn’t think of the last time he’d laughed this hard or for this long.
The kids had turned out to be a lively lot; friendly and welcoming and they had no issue pulling him around the cabin to show him all the nooks and crannies and introduce him to everyone in their group. Out of the ten kids the oldest was fifteen, a sweet faced brunet by the name of Sigrid and the youngest was ten, who so happened to be Sigrid’s brother Bain.
“So let me get this straight,” Kíli said as he looked at the kids gathered around the table in front of him, “Going in order of age you’re Sigrid, Rosie, Frodo, Eomer, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Faramir, Eowyn and Bain.”
Ten grins were directed at him and he wiped his forehead theatrically. “Well, I’m glad I got that cleared up then! Is there anything important I should know about you guys? Wait,” he slapped himself on the forehead, “sorry that was rude. Let me rephrase that, if there’s something you think I should know, but aren’t comfortable with saying it with others around feel free to pull me to the side and tell me, ok?”
“That’s okay,” Eomer said with a grin, “We all know each other.”
Kíli shook his head. “Don’t assume buddy. Just because you know each other doesn’t mean that everyone is ready to spill their secrets in public. It could be embarrassing for them.”
The blond ducked his head. “Sorry,” he apologised quietly, “Fee keeps telling me that but I kinda forget that not everyone is as comfortable with their personal problems as I am.”
“Who’s Fee?”
“Fíli, or Philip, he’s the other cabin captain, and he’s also mine and Eowyn’s older brother,” the fourteen year old told him, “he’s with us because I’m dyslexic-”
“And I’m diabetic!” Eowyn piped up from where she was braiding Rosie’s hair.
“-And he knows how to help us better than the other cabin captain’s do.”
Kíli blinked. “Oh. Um, okay then. Well if you need me to help with anything you let me know alright?”
The rest of the afternoon had been filled with Kíli copying his printout of their activity plan for the next three days onto the whiteboard as well as sorting out their beds, food and playing games so that he could get to know them all better.
And that led them to know, sitting in front of their campfire with full bellies and bags of marshmellows beside them while he played his guitar, taking requests from each of the kids.
“Hey Kíli,” Sigrid asked him with her head propped up in her hands and a dreamy look on her face, “can you play Californication?”
He chuckled. “It was the first song I learned to play -”
“FÍLI!”
The quiet atmosphere was shattered by Pippin’s excited screech, and all the kids sat up suddenly and looked in the direction he was pointing. Kíli also looked over and it took all of his self-control to not let his jaw hit the ground.
The man was shrouded in darkness, and each step closer allowed the light of the fire to touch him; the black and orange revealing strong arms, a tight fitting tank top that revealed a tattoo on his right shoulder and jeans that clung in a way that should have been illegal. And when Kíli got a look at his face he choked slightly, finding long blond hair caught up in a high ponytail and a goatee that was framed by… a braided moustache, something he found both weird and unbelievably attractive in equal parts.
He was, for lack of a better description, every person’s walking wet dream.
And Kíli? Well. He was irrevocably screwed.
Sigrid was about to jump up and greet her godfather, having not seen him for about four months, when something caught her eye.
She looked to Kíli and felt a grin spread as she nudged Rosie lightly.
The younger girl looked at her with a frown, but she nodded in Kíli’s direction in way of explanation.
The look of confusion that quickly changed to understanding, then to glee, told Sigrid there was no doubt that Rosie understood.
Both girls smirked conspiratorially at each other, and putting their heads together they started planning.
“Uh oh,” Fíli laughed as he got closer to the campfire, “who let you lot out of the cabin?”
The kids all scrambled up and hurried over, and he let out a yelp as they tackled him to the ground. After ruffling their hair and giving them a pat on the back he finally managed to sit up, the kids scrambling backwards until they were sitting around him.
“Fee how are you?!”
“We’ve missed you Fee!”
“Have you got any cool stories?”
“Have you got any new scars?”
“Or tattoos!”
“Have you met Kíli yet?”
That was from Sigrid, and he focused on his goddaughter. “Hey Sig,” he greeted, pulling her into a warm hug. “ Long time no see. And who’s Kíli?”
“Um, that would be me.”
Fíli looked over in the direction of the fire to where a man with a guitar was sitting, and felt his heart stutter at the sight.
The orange and amber flames danced over his skin, the light catching on long dark hair that Fíli immediately wanted to run his fingers through, just to see if it looked as silky as it appeared. The dark eyes and defined face looked at him with open curiosity, and as the man rose Fíli watched in barely concealed awe as long but defined limbs unfolded themselves, and all he wanted was to run his hands over the soft fur that was covering his arms.
“I - um…” He stood and cleared his throat, shooting a glare at Sigrid and Rosie who giggled at his stuttering. “I’m Fíli, well Philip actually, but you can call me Fíli.”
“Well Fíli-actually-called-Philip, I’m Kíli-actually-called-Kílian, it’s nice to meet you. Gandalf said that this isn’t your first time here?”
Fíli stared at the other man before feeling a grin burst forth. It seemed Kíli had a good sense of humour, and not only that but his voice…
Wow.
He was so screwed.
“Not my first time here no,” he said in order to to keep the conversation flowing and not look like a gaping idiot. “I’ve been here on and off for the last ten years. First as one of these rascals, and then as a helper.” He looked at the kids surrounding him. “Right you lot, let’s get back in front of the fire, I want warmth, marshmellows and stories in that order.” As the kids scrambled up he made his way over to the fire, planning on putting a bit of distance between him and Kíli so he could get himself under control, and yet he somehow found himself sitting right next to the brunet with no idea how he got there.
“Uh… hi?” he said, coughing slightly to mask his embarrassment.
“Hi,” Kíli chuckled, grabbing the bag of fluffy goodness and offering it to him. “You got your warmth, so, want one?”
He nudged the brunet with his shoulder playfully as he plunged his hand into the bag. “Don’t mind if i do.”
Across the fire Sigrid finished whispering to Frodo and Eowyn as Rosie did the same with Eomer and Sam, and all six of them looked to where Fíli and Kíli were talking quietly and eating marshmellows.
“Really?” Eomer asked dubiously, “you’re sure?”
Sigrid nodded firmly. “I’m positive. When Fíli arrived I thought Kíli’s eyes were going to fall out of his head, and Fíli looked like he’d choked on something when he saw Kíli.”
“Isn’t choking a bad thing?” Eowyn asked innocently and whined when Rosie ruffled her hair.
“Normally it is Wyn,” the other girl explained patiently, “but not this time.”
“And you’re absolutely positive that they like each other?” Frodo still looked unsure and Sigrid sighed, the boy’s hesitance expected but frustrating.
“Of course I’m not,” she huffed. “But those two are definitely interested in each other, and so it’s up to us to give them a little nudge in the right direction!”
“By trying to lock them in a cupboard together?”
“Exactly!”
Kíli knew that when he finished the camp he would, hopefully, be an expert in two things.
The first was that he’d be more confident in dealing with kids of various ages, as well as knowing when to offer his help and when to wait until he was asked for assistance.
The second was knowing how to read the cheeky shits so he didn’t end up getting blindsided by unexpected but secretly welcomed events such as the predicament he found himself currently in.
The first week of the camp had gone smoothly thanks to Fíli’s constant presence and guiding words; the blond teaching the newer kids as well as Kíli what to expect on and of the camp and how things worked there. In no time at all they were operating like a well-oiled machine; turning up to their activities and food breaks on time, helping each other out to complete tasks and waging a friendly war on the other groups to try and win the camp cup at the end.
And throughout the week Kíli had been keenly aware of Fíli’s presence by his side.
He’d often found himself distracted by the man’s laugh, or his bright smile, or his kind blue eyes.
Sometimes it was his rippling muscles or even that damn moustache of his. Every little thing about Fíli screamed distraction, and what made it worse was that every time he was near he had this overwhelming urge to jump the blond and find out whether his lips tasted like the peaches he seemed so fond of eating throughout the day.
That should have been his first clue.
The second one should have been that he was almost, or rather, always beside Fíli.
Even when he didn’t intend to be.
At dinner he’d plan to sit on the opposite side of the table, just a few seats away so he and Fíli could still talk and yet somehow when he’d return with his food to discover the only two spots left were beside each other.
Same with his spot by the fire.
Or at their activities.
Every effort he made to distance himself so he wasn’t tempted to do something inappropriate in front of a bunch of kids was thwarted, and he had no idea why.
If he’d actually thought to look into the situation further he would have discovered the subtle nudges the children gave each other whenever he and Fíli talked, followed by frantic whispering between a select few who would pass message around so that, by the time the two leaders needed to sit down the kids had shuffled around and rearranged themselves to make sure the pair sat together.
Every. Time.
It all came to a head at the end of the first week.
They had been allocated an activity indoors, and as they were setting up Kíli spotted Fíli frowning at the materials on the ground.
“Everything alright?” he asked as he moved to the blond’s side, removing the list from his hand and peering at it as well. “What are we missing?”
“By the looks of things paint, which is weird because the group before us should have left it out.”
“Sorry boys!” The pair looked up to see Tauriel marching back through the hall with a crate of food in her hands. “We had a bit of a spillage and used the last of the paint, and clean up took longer than expected so I didn’t get a chance to get more out for you!”
“Ah right,” Fíli said in understanding, “thanks Tauriel!” As he and Kíli had turned to look at each other both men missed the grin and wink she gave Sigrid just before she walked out the door. “Well I guess I’ll just have to go and get more.”
“Alright, I’ll get this lot started then.”
Fíli nodded and headed off to the built-in cupboard in the back room, humming under his breath as he pulled the cupboard open.
The paint was nowhere to be seen.
He frowned and looked on the shelf that it was normally kept on but there was no sight of it, and so he started searching the others, eventually spotting what appeared to be a paint can on the top shelf.
“What the hell?” he murmured, flicking the light switch to get a better look.
The light didn’t work.
“Oh for crying out loud,” he huffed in frustration, planting his hands on his hips as he glared at the out of reach shelf. “Kíli! Can you bring me my phone?”
A few moments later the brunet appeared beside him with said phone in hand. “I don’t think it’s had a chance to charge at all,” Kíli told him as he handed the phone over, “and seeing as you ran it down last night it probably won’t stay on for very long. What did you need it for?”
“The torch cause the light in here doesn’t work, and someone’s put the bloody cans on the top shelf.”
“Need a chair?” Kíli asked cheekily, laughing when the blond elbowed him lightly.
“Shut it you. Now-”
Whatever he was going to say was lost beneath Kíli’s yelp of surprise as he went tumbling into the cupboard and into Fíli’s back just as the door slammed behind him.
“What the hell?!” Fíli groped around for the handle, turning to look where he thought Kíli was standing. “You okay?”
Kíli nodded, only to realise Fíli couldn’t see him. “Yeah, I’m good. Just a bit surprised, that’s all.”
“Well that makes two of us. Now where is that - gotcha!” Fíli found the handle and tried turning it, only to find it wouldn’t budge. “Oh for fuck sake!” He hammered on the door and yelled. “Sigrid! Bain! Eomer!” but there was no response.
“What the hell is going on?” Kíli wondered when the banging stopped. “The door was only on hinges, it shouldn’t have shut on us like that.”
“Oh Kíli, when will you learn?”
Both boys stared at the door, frowning hard when they realised it was Tauriel’s voice on the other side.
Kíli shuffled forwards until he could touch the door and hammered on it. “Tauri? What the hell are you doing?”
“Giving two very thick headed dolts who have been fawning over each other a push in the right direction.”
“Hey!”
“We haven’t been fawning -”
“Yes you have Kíli! I’m not blind you know, and neither are the kids. So, your seven minutes of heaven starts now. I suggest you make the most of it!”
They could hear her walk away, cackling as she did so.
“We have not been fawning…” Fíli grumbled, Kíli grinning at the petulance in his voice.
“Well,” he said after a moment, summoning his courage before it realised what he was going to say and fled in fear, “I won’t lie, you are pretty hot.”
There was a soft exhale, and before he had the chance to decipher what it could mean there was a hand smacking his nose.
“Ow!”
There was a curse, followed by a mumbled “sorry Kíli” before the hand that had slapped him found the back of his head and pulled him forward. The lips that met his were soft and warm, and once the initial surprise wore off he responded, moving gently and tentatively for several moments until Fíli drew back, just enough so their noses were brushing.
“Well thank god for that,” Fíli said with a low chuckle, “and here i thought I’d be left drooling over you from afar.”
“You? Drooling over me?” Kíli asked in an equally low voice, “not bloody likely.”
Fíli chuckled again. “How about we agree to disagree and leave it at that?” He pulled Kíli forward again, gently rubbing the tip of his nose along the side of Kíli’s before tilting his head to kiss him properly.
Something that Kíli was all too eager to reciprocate.
The camp was quickly drawing to a close.
After the plan to lock them in the cupboard had been successfully completed, something they later discovered had been concocted by Sigrid with Tauriel’s and the kids full co-operation, their relationship had changed significantly, much to the children’s delight.
They had done their best to keep the affectionate touches and fond smiles to a minimum while the kids were around, but quite often one of them would find an expression or a laugh or a smile too cute to go unchecked.
Of course, being on a camp meant the budding romance wasn’t kept secret for very long, and Fíli had even caught Gandalf high fiving Tauriel and Sigrid the first time he saw them cuddling and talking quietly when the children were in bed.
The pair hadn’t stopped blushing for hours.
As the last night of the camp always ended in a big celebration, Fíli decided to do something special for Kíli the night before the big farewell. He had roped a very willing Tauriel into watching over the kids for the night, the rascals all too happy to go with another captain seeing as they had succeeded in their plan of getting them together, and made a dash to the shops while Kíli was helping with packing up some of the bases.
Evening rolled around quickly, and Fíli was putting the finishing touches to his surprise when he heard the sand crunching underfoot of the person approaching. He grinned to himself as he lit the final lantern, relieved Kíli hadn’t missed the note he’d left on his pillow before straightening up and turning to wait for the brunet to arrive.
“Fíli?” Kíli whispered loudly, “Are you – what’s this?”
He stepped forward, extending a hand to the stunned man. “Surprise,” he said quietly, smiling fondly as Kíli looked around in awe.
They were on the edge of the lake; the moon was shining high up in the sky and reflecting off the calm water, and there, in front of it was a picnic basket and rug surrounded by pillows, blankets and a dozen lanterns.
“Oh Fee,” Kíli breathed in awe, “it’s gorgeous!”
“Just like you,” he replied with a grin. “Well come on then, we don’t want our food getting cold.”
He led the brunet down to the blanket and sat down, Kíli quickly following suit, and in no time at all they had food piled onto their plates and a glass of wine each, feeding bits to each other and filling the clearing with laughter.
“What was all this for?” Kíli asked as he lay back on one of the pillows, patting the spot next to him which Fíli happily shuffled into. “As amazing as it is I feel like I was missing something.”
Fíli curled into Kíli, resting his head on the brunets chest and humming contently when fingers began carding through his hair. “Well tomorrow’s the big send off with the kids, and it’s a lot of fun so I didn’t want us to miss out on it. And after that I don’t know when I’ll see you ag-”
Kíli tilted his head up and cut him off with a hard kiss. “Oh don’t think you’re getting away from me that easily blondie,” he growled, licking Fíli’s mouth open and mapping the inside with his tongue, “we will be seeing each other plenty for a long time to come.”
Shifting slightly Kíli knocked Fíli to the ground, chuckling at the soft ‘oof’ he let out at the unexpected change of position. “Now,” he said, leaning forwards until his hands were planted on either side of Fíli’s head and their noses were an inch away from each other, “shut up and kiss me.”
“Aye, captain,” Fíli laughed, pulling the brunet down so he could do just that.
Neither knew what was in store for their relationship further down the track. Would it be happiness or sadness? Tears or laughter? Marriage or a break up?
Neither of them knew.
But they looked forward to finding out.