21

season 2 : chapter 9

"I'm fine, it's just….that was the second drink we drank today. That wasn't supposed to happen. Not this soon. It shouldn't happen this quickly." He muttered. His tone was a bit bitter as well as sad, making him feel incredibly uncomfortable about the situation. He couldn't believe how irresponsible things have become lately. The last time he saw it like this, it was when he was drunk and his uncle had made fun of him for it (and he still had a slight headache for it.) But it was different now because he didn't get drunk often these days. Now, however, he had a drinking problem.

Miriya's expression softened as she listened to his words. She didn't speak immediately, instead choosing to place a comforting hand on top of his own. It didn't help his feeling better, though.

After a short moment of silence passed, she spoke up again.

"Do you want to go lie down? Maybe try to get a bit more rest. There's no point you staying awake. We can talk about this tomorrow." She suggested, not bothering to wait for his response and instead starting to lead him upstairs. Fíli followed her without protest. She helped him lay down, adjusting the pillows against his headboard before she moved towards the door and shut it softly. After a short hesitation, she moved towards her bed and crawled under the covers, laying beside him so that she was lying face to face with him.

He sighed softly, looking away before glancing back at her. His green orbs met hers. They stared deeply into each other's eyes before Fíli averted his gaze yet again, closing his eyes tightly for a brief second. He breathed deeply a few times before turning his gaze back toward her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you earlier, okay? I'm just really stressed." He apologized in a soft voice as he shifted on the bed to face her properly, shifting until he was propped up on his elbows.

"I know. I understand. I didn't blame you, either." She assured him. Fíli closed his eyes again as he let out a quiet breath before taking her hand in his. Miriya squeezed his hand encouragingly. He opened his eyes again to glance back at her and offer her a small smile.

"Thank you, for understanding." He said softly. She smiled warmly back at him.

"Of course. I love you." She reminded him gently. Fíli's eyes widened slightly, a hint of surprise and wonder appearing in his emerald eyes before he slowly nodded his head slightly.

"I love you, too." He replied.

"I know that we need to figure everything out. It's just going to take some time. And we both know that it might take a lot of time. But I'm willing to wait with you, because I care for you and I don't want you to be upset. I want us to be happy together, and I don't want you getting hurt." Miriya said in a reassuring tone.

"I know. I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier." Fíli stated. Miriya shook her head lightly, smiling faintly before she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his forehead softly.

"Don't be. I understand. Just promise you'll talk to me if it gets too much for you. Alright? We need to stick together. No matter what happens. Okay?" She requested. Fíli smiled softly before leaning forward and kissing her forehead tenderly. She smiled back happily at him and closed her eyes. She knew that they wouldn't fall asleep right away. The two were far too tired to go to sleep immediately anyways.

So instead of falling asleep, they talked and talked and talked. About anything and everything; their parents, school, siblings, the future, family, their friends. Their thoughts never wandered to the topic of what is happening in the world or how life is progressing. They never wanted to think about what was waiting for them beyond this room and their home. Neither of them really wanted to imagine what life might be like when they eventually leave the Shire. They simply wanted to stay here forever, with one another, with their mother and father.

And neither of them ever planned on moving out.

They stayed awake for awhile longer after that, talking to each other every now and then. Eventually, exhaustion overcame the two of them and they both drifted off to sleep while holding one another's hands.

When Fíli awoke in the middle of the night he wasn't sure of why he woke up in the first place. The only thing he remembered was that he had woken up.

"Oh…Good morning..." Miriya mumbled, rubbing her eye before sitting up.

"Morning, baby. How long have you been awake?" Fíli questioned, yawning softly.

"Not too long. Why did you wake up?" She inquired sleepily.

"I don't know. I guess I just needed to stretch my legs." He responded as he stretched his arms in front of himself, arching his back slightly before standing up. He walked over towards the window and grabbed onto the curtains, lifting them enough to see outside.

It was dark outside. A few stars were shining brightly in the sky, and there were a few puffy white clouds drifting lazily across the clear blue sky. There weren't many birds chirping in the distance and Fíli could hear some cars driving past the street in the distance, which he assumed meant that it was almost ten pm.

"I thought you might be hungry. I tried cooking something up but it ended up being burnt. You want some breakfast?" Miriya questioned, walking over to stand beside him. Fíli turned around, grinning brightly as he realized that she hadn't left. He turned back towards the window and leaned his body weight against it slightly as he began to look out at the streets below.

"Sure! Sounds delicious. What are we having?" He responded cheerfully.

He watched as Miriya went off to make breakfast before he turned around, pulling out his phone.