Chapter Text
*THREE YEARS LATER*
It’s a warm spring day that has cleared out any traces of the rain that had fallen the day before, sunshine now filtering down between a few puffy white clouds. A few flowers have started popping up here and there, leaves outstretched toward the golden rays of sun.
An old black and red car makes its way down the street, passing by the small grocery store on the corner and the garage it had called home for most of it’s life. The driver hums to the classic rock song that plays from the radio and slips out the open window.
A few more streets pass and he turns onto the one that’s now becoming more familiar. Inviting looking houses sit in neat rows on either side, their owners either outside mowing or doing a bit of gardening as they enjoy the sunshine.
Slowing down Fíli pulls the car into the driveway of the house three spots from the end of the street. It’s small but charming, in need of some yard work but most importantly is the sign in the front lawn.
Sold
Killing the engine Fíli grabs the plastic bag from the passenger seat and slides out of the car. He waves to the neighbour that pauses mowing his lawn for the greeting and heads up the little pathway that leads to the front door.
Pulling the brand new keys out of his pocket Fíli unlocks the door and steps into the house. It's still mostly empty but there is already a feeling of home when the blond mechanic sees Kíli's jacket hanging by the door.
“Honey, I'm home!”
Kíli’s laugh comes from the living room. “Honey, I’m in here. Did you get t-the paint rollers?”
“Yep.” Closing the door behind himself Fíli makes his way over to the living room and its still white walls. “And a few brushes, for good measure.”
“You’re the best.” Kíli smiles at Fíli from where he’s leaning against the white wall. The room is spacious but will be smaller once they have furniture in it, but it’s the perfect size for the two of them.
The brunet wears a pair of jeans with ripped knees and an old shirt of Fíli’s that has stains on it from work in the garage. His feet are bare but a pair of worn Converse sit in the hallway Fíli had passed.
“Your mum just left, she brought cookies and helped me finish taping off the windows.” Gesturing over toward the breakfast bar connected to the room Kíli gets to his feet.
A bright smile lights up Fíli's face. He drops his bag next to the can of paint that sits in the middle of the room and makes his way toward the plate on the breakfast bar.
Taking one of the cookies he quickly stuffs it into his mouth before grabbing another one, humming at the rich chocolate taste.
Kíli takes the bag and peeks inside. Looping the handles around his wrist he takes a step closer and reaches up to push the bridge of his glasses back. “How was work?”
“Not too bad,” Fíli says around his mouthful of cookies. “Bard and I got that car done finally and I let him leave early while I was finishing up.”
“That was very nice of you.” Smiling at the blond Kíli reaches up to brush a few crumbs from the corner of Fíli’s mouth. “How’s Margaret? She’s due n-next month, isn’t she? Is Bard ready?”
“He's totally not ready.” Chuckling Fíli swallows his bite and turns his head to brush a kiss onto Kíli's fingertips. “He's jumpy as hell every time his phone rings but he's totally in love with the new baby already.”
With a smile Kíli drops his hand and steps back to pull one of the paint rollers out. “He’s a great dad and they’re such a cute family.” Walking over to the trays on the floor Kíli crouches down to pry the lid of the paint can open, grinning at Fíli over his shoulder. “Did you take bets on if it’s a boy or a girl?”
“Of course.” Fíli almost sounds offended. He gathers his long hair up in a bun to get it out of the way for their painting. “Margaret and I say it's a boy, Bard and Dwalin bet on it being another girl.”
“And Sigrid’s just glad she’s going to have a little brother or sister.” Pouring the paint into the tray Kíli chuckles. “Do I even want t-to know what you placed as your bet?”
“Something very valuable.” A warm smile spreads on Fíli's lips and he quickly looks away. “But I can't tell you now. So let's start painting our new home instead.”
Kíli smiles and shakes his head fondly. “As long as you didn’t bet our house or your car.” Grabbing one of the rollers Kíli dips it into the paint and rolls it across the incline a bit so the colour is distributed evenly.
He stands up and hands it to Fíli. “You can go first.”
“Don't worry, I would never bet my baby. Or our house. Or you, for that matter. You're safe too.”
Instead of taking the roller out of Kíli's hand Fíli steps up behind him and wraps an arm around his middle. He pulls the younger man up against his chest and places his hand over Kíli's on the roller. “How about we do the first one together?”
Something warm settles in Kíli’s chest and he nods. “Y-yeah, good idea.” Glancing over his shoulder he kisses Fíli softly before turning to the wall in front of them. “I hope you like this colour.”
“I don't care much for the colours on my wall as long as you're living here with me,” Fíli murmurs as they set the roller onto the wall and start to paint. “It makes you happy so I like it.”
“You make me happy,” Kíli says with a smile, his cheeks flushing a light pink. They paint a small section of the wall before the paint runs low and they pull apart so Kíli can get more. “I’m very glad you found me that night outside t-the library.”
“Me too.” Grabbing another roller Fíli dips it into the paint when Kíli turns back to continue painting the wall. “Although I still don't get why that asshole thought it would be fun to hit you. He totally had a crush on you.”
“No way.” Lifting up onto his toes Kíli gets close to the edge of the ceiling. “He was just a bully.”
“Maybe.” Going over to the wall Fíli starts to paint a few steps down. A bit of paint drips down onto the covered floor at his feet. “But then again everyone has a crush on you. Pumpkin has a crush on you. Sigrid has a crush on you. Even my Mum has a crush on you.”
“Oh shut up,” Kíli laughs, reaching over to dab the end of his roller against Fíli’s scruffy cheek. “Everyone knows Uncle Fíli is Sigrid’s favourite.”
Fíli's eyes narrow and a wicked grin spreads on his face. “Oh just you wait, Raven. You're going to regret that.” Letting his paint roller fall down onto the floor Fíli grabs Kíli around the waist and pulls him close, rubbing his painted cheek over the brunet's. “How's that?”
“Fíli!” Kíli’s shout gets lost in his laughter as he squirms. He can feel the wet paint on his skin and he knows at least a little of it has gotten into his curls. Before dropping his own roller to the ground he manages to get a bit on Fíli’s arm. “We’re going to have more paint on us t-than on the wall!”
“True.” Turning Kíli so his back is to the wall Fíli grabs a brush and dips it into the paint. “Let me fix that a little.” Wrapping one arm back around Kíli Fíli reaches around him with the other and paints onto the wall, kissing the younger man when he tries to turn his head to get a glimpse. “Ah, no! You're not allowed to see my masterpiece yet.”
Kíli slides his hands up and down Fíli’s back a few times before looping them loosely around the blond’s hips, looking at all the white they have to paint over. “It better not be anything inappropriate,” he says in warning.
“I hope it's not.” Finishing up his painting Fíli takes one last look at it before dropping the brush down next to the paint can. He lets go of Kíli and takes a step back, his fingers brushing the brunet's along the way. There is a glint of nervousness in his blue eyes and in the smile on his lips. “But you can look at it now and tell me if it is.”
Taking Fíli’s hand in his own with a smile Kíli turns around to look at the so-called masterpiece. Dark eyes widen as he reads and then rereads the words that have been painted on the wall. “Fíli,” he whispers, squeezing the blond’s hand. “W-what…”
“I know we haven't really talked about it. I mean we have talked about the future and all but not exactly about getting married.” Dragging his free hand through his hair Fíli gets a bit of paint in it but he doesn't notice.
“You don't have to answer now, or ever. I just...I … well.” Taking a deep breath Fíli looks into Kíli's eyes, squeezing his hand just a bit tighter as he tries to find the right words. “I know I want to stay with you for the rest of my life. I've known it for years now. I've known it since that morning on Christmas Eve when you were still sleeping curled up all over me, so exhausted from being with your parents, that this is it. This is what I want. You. By my side. For the rest of my life. And I'm really glad you put up with me for almost four years now and I hope there are many more to come, I really do. So... do you have an answer for me?” Biting his lip Fíli looks at Kíli nervously. “Will you marry me, Raven?”
The corners of Kíli’s eyes started welling with tears before Fíli began talking. He nods after just a few seconds of letting it sink in, then rocks toward Fíli and throws his free arm around the older man’s neck. “Yes, of course I’ll marry y-you! I’ve loved you for so long and you’re all I’ve ever wanted and s-so much more. I was h-happy with you from the moment you asked for my help with your m-math homework and I—” He breaks off with a choked laugh, a tear slipping down from his eye.
Pulling back a bit he leans in for a kiss, pouring all of his love and emotions into it. His free hand slides into Fíli’s hair and when they break for air his smile rivals the sun. Resting his forehead against Fíli’s Kili whispers against his lips. “Yes, Fíli. I love you so much.”
“I love you too,” Fíli whispers back. The arm around Kíli's middle draws him impossible close, hand buried in the fabric of Kíli's shirt. The smile on his lips is so wide it almost hurts. “More than anything.”
Kíli can’t help but kiss Fíli again, smiling into it. “I don’t feel like painting anymore,” he mumbles against Fíli’s lips, leaning back and lifting a hand to wipe at his eyes.
“Good, me neither.” Chuckling Fíli tries to blink away the tears that come up in his eyes, the happy smile never leaving his lips. Unwrapping his arm from around Kíli Fíli reaches into the pocket of his jeans and pulls out a ring. It's nothing too fancy, a simple design that makes it possible for Kíli to wear it while teaching at university, but the raven engraved in the silver metal gives away who made it.
As soon as he sees the ring more tears come that Kíli can’t possibly stop. “Y-you made the ring?” The question is barely a whisper and Kíli can’t take his eyes off the beautiful piece. His hand is shaking a bit as Fíli slides the warm metal band onto his finger. “It’s beautiful, Fíli.”
“I'm glad you like it.” Squeezing Kíli's hand once more Fíli lets go in favour to brush the brunet's tears away and then kisses him again.
It’s a slow and simple kiss, Kíli’s hand coming up to curl his fingers in the soft hair at the back of Fíli’s neck. He feels light, happy, and extremely excited. “I want to take a picture of the wall,” he murmurs.
Chuckling Fíli pulls back. He bends down and picks the brush up again, dipping it into the paint and holding it out for Kíli to take. “Want to add your answer first?”
“Thank you.” Kíli uses the brush to add his own looping ‘yes’ beneath Fíli’s slightly less messy scrawl, accenting it with an exclamation point. The paintbrush gets dropped back into the tray and Kíli slides his phone out of his pocket to take a few pictures.
“Come here,” he says while tugging Fíli close and reaching his arm out so he can get the two of them and at least part of the message into the background.
Smiling Fíli leans in and captures Kíli's lips in a soft kiss.
Kili snaps a few pictures and brings the phone down so they can look through them, both laughing at the first one that only shows the top of their heads. “Oops, at least I got better,” Kíli grins, kissing Fíli one last time before pulling away.
“I distracted you a little,” Fíli grins and wraps his arms loosely around Kíli's neck. “You know my Mum will want to have all of those pictures, right?”
“She can have them.” Slipping the phone into his pocket Kíli turns his attention to Fíli with a smile. “Except maybe t-the one of just the top of our heads.”
Fíli laughs and presses a kiss to Kíli's forehead. “I think that one would actually be her favourite. It shows the wall very nicely.”
“It has character,” Kíli smiles. “But we can let her pick.”
Lifting a hand he wipes at the dried smudge of paint on Fíli’s cheek. “You need a shower.”
“You could probably use one as well.” Grinning Fíli lifts a hand and brushes his fingertips along the matching paint on Kíli's cheek. “Do you want to shower together, fiancé?”
A matching grin appears on Kíli’s face as he nods. “I think I do. Do we have towels here?”
“Yep, I brought some last week when I sanded down the stairs.”
Humming softly Kíli kisses Fíli once more and then takes a step back. “Maybe we should paint a bit more. I did pour out t-the paint.”
“We just got engaged and you’re seriously still thinking about painting?” Backing Kíli up against one of the white walls Fíli pins his hands above his head and leans in so his next words brush over Kíli's lips. “Seems I'm not doing a good enough job at making you want to celebrate.”
“I do w-want to celebrate,” Kíli murmurs, flexing his hands and smiling when Fíli laces their fingers together above his head. “You make a very good argument.”
“I've learned a lot from being with a very smart boyfriend.” Brushing his lips over Kíli's Fíli smiles.
Tipping his head a bit Kíli deepens the kiss, squeezing Fíli’s hands. He gets a bit too into it and Fíli’s nose bumps his glasses, making the brunet laugh as he leans his head back against the wall. “Shower?”
“Sounds like a very good idea.” Taking a step back Fíli lowers their hands but doesn't let go of Kíli's as he pulls the brunet along to the bathroom.
Kíli’s laugh echoes along the empty hallway and he glances over his shoulder and smiles once more at the message on the wall. The ring on his finger is warm and solid but what he feels in his heart for Fíli blooms even brighter, growing more and more with each smile and every passing day.