FiKi Week: Inspired by Nature
This is a sequel to Kiss Seventeen on Ao3, a reincarnation fic :)
Kili grew up in city. For him, snow was something that fluttered in the air on fairy's wings only to hit the ground and turn into an odiferous slush that existed only to make him slip and bang his knees against the sidewalk.
But Fili - his Fili, his brother, his lifetime of memories slotting into place beside his own - his Fili grew up on the mountains well above the city. There, the snow was thick and white, carefully maintained as the backbone of his family's fortunes. Their ski lodge wasn't priced for the most elite, but designed more for middle to upper middle class families ready for an adventure.
The first time Kili saw Fili ski, he was amazed. Fili seemed to fly over the snow, twisting among trees and soaring over little snow dunes. He made it look effortless, even though Kili was plenty bright enough to know that it wasn't.
He curved to a stop in a spray of snow that slapped against Kili's new snow pants and sturdy boots. The grin Fili gave him from under his goggles made Kili's heart skip a beat - he knew that smile, locked deep in his heart during the long years before they saw each other on that train.
"Show off," he says, his breath coming out in warm puffs. He was dressed in what felt like five layers of clothes, and his gloved hands were wrapped around a mug of hot chocolate.
"Absolutely," Fili agreed, pushing up his goggles to reveal blue eyes sparkling in the winter sun. "But because of my great foresight and kindness, you didn't even feel the ice, did you?" His smile curves into a knowing smirk, just as familiar.
He'd complained more than a little when Fili had insisted they go shopping in the city before coming to meet Fili's family - surely, Kili had complained, his winter jacket would be enough.
"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?" Kili asked.
"Maybe," Fili replied, "when we're old and gray. But not anytime soon, no." He reached out and plucked the mug from Kili's fingers, stealing a sip.
Kili scowled playfully, but didn't try to fight for the mug.Honestly, he was pretty sure he'd end up on his ass in the snow. Walking in this mess was not easy.
"You ready to try?" Fili asked. "I can take you up the training hill."
Kili narrowed his eyes and followed the line of Fili's pointing finger. "The one with all the five year olds on it?" he asked, incredulous.
Fili laughed, warm and familiar. "No, that's the baby hill. One over is where we take our older beginners." His voice turned sly. "Mostly because the children do so much better, the adults slow them down."
Kili, grown man, adult, professional, stuck out his tongue and immediately regretted it. Why was it so cold? How did people live like this, surrounded on all sides by the insidious ice of nature?
He spared a moment to miss the smog, noise, and nonstop noise of the city.
"If I learn to ski," he said cautiously, "what do I get as a prize?"
Fili smiled at him, slow and warm and promising. "In public?" he asked, "Or alone?"
Kili was glad he didn't blush easily. "I think learning a whole new skill earns both."
Fili handed back his mug. "Well, I'll give you a prize tonight for starting to learn, and when you're good enough, I can take you to the most gorgeous spot on the mountain. One I don't share with our guests, out on the cross country trail. And as a bonus...” He caught Kili’s scarf and pulled him in for a kiss, lips like ice, the flicker of his tongue warm and tasting of chocolate. “Deal?"
Kili grinned. "Deal."
"Come on, let's get you some skis." Fili slipped his gloved hand in Kili's. "And...don't get too excited. I'm offering you a full body massage. Trust me." He grinned. "It's all you're going to want after the mountain and I are done with you."
Kili stumbled. "Wait, I changed my mi-"
"Too late!" the love of his life responded, and dragged him off in search of skis.