The prompt for today: "I didn't mean that."

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"UNCLE!" someone shouted from the hall. 

Thorin groaned, letting his head fall against the pillow behind his head. Someone really needed to remind him why he moved in with his sister and his young nephews. Because sometimes he forgot.

Especially during these 'fun' times when Kili woke him up early in the morning.

It wasn't the dwarflings fault. Dis gave him too much sugar during the day. He would have to talk to her about that.

Thorin groaned as something heavy landed on his stomache. He opened one eye and saw what he already feared; an active brunette nephew.

"Good morning Kili" he said with a groggy voice.

"GOOD MORNING UNCLE!" the dwarfling yells. He throws his hands in the air and falls forward to hug his uncle. He ignores the puff of pain that leaves his uncle's lips. "How did you sleep?" he asks.

"I was still sleeping before you woke me up." Thorin rubs a hand over his face. You love your nephews, you love your nephews, you love your nephews... It has become a popular chant that he needs to play inside his head a few times a day.

"But uncle" Kili says, facing him with a pout on his face, "it always takes you sooooo long to wake up. And I am ready to play." 

"Play with your brother."

"He has left for training already."

Thorin regrets that decision now. "Go and see if your mother is awake."

Kili pushes himself up so he can sit on Thorin's stomache. "She is still sleeping."

"I was too."

"You're not anymore." Kili giggles.

"Annoy uncle Dwalin then" Thorin says, laying his head back down on his pillow. 

There comes no reply after that. For a moment Thorin thinks that he dealt with this pretty smoothly but he couldn't be more wrong. Soon, he starts to hear sniffles.

He opens his eyes and sees Kili crying. "What is wrong little one?" he asks. That wasn't supposed to happen at all... He is fully awake now, hugging his nephew tightly. "It is alright, I am here."

Kili stops crying when he feel his uncle's warmth. "Do you really think I am annoying uncle?"

Thorin closes his eyes in agony. "I love you Kili. You are not annoying to me" he says, trying to reassure his nephew that everything is alright.

"I don't believe you" Kili mutters.

Thorin puts a finger under Kili's chin, forcing him to look him in the eyes. "I love you, Kili. I mean it. There are times when I want to sleep in and you wake me up early. But I do and will always love you."

The dwarfling stares at him for a long time before, finally, a smile breaks out on his face. "I LOVE YOU TOO UNCLE!"

"This is one of those moments where you could talk in a normal fashion instead of yelling in my ear" Thorin says, getting a little annoyed. Something tickles his left ear.

Kili's hair is softly brushing against it. "Then I will talk very softly now" he whispers into his ear. "Because, you know, uncle?" He pulls back with, looking at the older dwarf with expectant eyes.

"What is it Kili?"

He leans in again, brushing against his uncle's ear again. "Because you are a very nice dwarf and I love you."

"And you know what Kili?" Thorin returns the gesture. Kili softly giggles as he feels the scratch of his uncles' beard against the sensitive skin of his ear. It made his heart light knowing that he made his nephew smile again. "There is something I need to tell you too."

"What is it uncle?" the dwarfling whispered back. 

"Today, we are going to spend all day together in my special chair so that I can tell you every story you want to hear."

Kili rushed off the bed to hold the door open for his uncle. "Come uncle! I will grab the cookies!" he shouted. 

Thorin chuckled. "That sounds like a good plan lad."