Hobbits Are Simply Lovely, Said the Wizard

https://archiveofourown.org/users/jossujb/pseuds/jossujb

Summary:

Thorin never though he would some day fall in love, as it is so rare to his kind anyway. Then again, if you take the time to scratch the surface he's quite a softie to his nephews and family so it should't be as much of a surprise - but is he brave enough to admit his feelings though?

Bilbo tugged his hands to dwarf's black beard while mumbling in his sleep. He never saw horrible nightmares, or not at least when he slept Thorin, but instead he had what ever ordinary hobbits have for dreams in their fuzzy little heads, and they never included any bloody horrors or blazing dragons.

Unless you counted one Lobelia Sackville-Baggins as a fire-breathing lizard.

Thorin had gathered from Bilbo's speak that there was little even a warrior could do if Lobelia decided to swung her umbrella and slice few particularly nasty words. Thorin considered how badly he had been whooped by his mother and sister back in the day, and without a doubt believed he could be verbally beaten by some very nasty auntie. Quite easily in fact, as ladies of certain age are like brutal forces of nature.

Sure Thorin was good at establishing a chain of command and encouraging his men to a battle, but he was absolute nil when it came to dealing with relatives. Bilbo seemed to be an expert of avoiding all sorts of family drama, which in it own right is an admirable skill. You could see Thorin's short-comings in the field well enough from Fili and Kili. They were reliable warriors, but they also regularly disrespected their uncle in all kinds of small childish ways, because they knew Thorin had a soft heart inside his hard shell. All theirs uncle saw in them was two snotty little boys, when he should have seen two responsible men. Even Kili was soon passing the age of late childhood and becoming a full adult. There were mere moons left before his brother would stop being responsible for his actions.

But it didn't matter really. Were they seventy, hundred and seventy or seven hundred years old, they would still be children to Thorin, in his mind, especially after he had practically raised those boys together with Dis. Thorin's sister's brave husband had died in battle, and it was a huge tragedy in the family, as dwarfs rarely have more than one child and Dis was left with two, both of which were still sucklings at time. Dwarf babies grow slowly and Dis would have been completely lost without his brother.

Thorin hadn't known his brother-in-law too well, but he was from a very respectable family. They had shared ale or two over the years, when boys were little, and there was no ill will between them, as there often is when two strange families combine in a marriage. What Thorin had gathered, Dis' husband had been kind to his wife and endlessly gentle to his children, so their union was considered as a happy one.

Fili had inherited his fair looks and softer temper from his father, where as Kili was much more like his mother and typical son of Durin, though him too had some droplets of his father in him, making them both quite frankly enjoyable to be around. Many find it good that Fili was next in line for the crown after Thorin, as pure Durins had held the power so long it was only good to have some fresh blood to ensure fortunate future.

If they ever gained their kingdom back, that is.

Might be that all is already lost due to that damned Durin gold lust. Madness of the mind indeed, Thorn quite believed that marrying cousins and second-cousins for such a long time had something to do with their fall, even if the dragon gave the final push. In a strange way maybe Smaug had done a favor for the future Erebor, as Dis had met her husband far away from home and he was nearly a stranger to them. His blood and bravery would aid Fili and Kili set a fair and sensible rule one day.

Well, Fili is technically the one who will be crowned, but Thorin was fairly sure brothers wouldn't wish to separate by any other means than by death, and that was the one thing Thorin didn't wish for either of them. Erebor would need both princes when the time comes for Oakenshield to join his ancestors where ever it was brave dwarves go after their death. Thorin was ashamed to tell that he couldn't remember the stories Balin had told him about gods and what comes after life on Middle-Earth. At the time he had been so young and foolishly thinking he's forever invincible to listen carefully. Today Thorin did felt like he should ask before they run to their destiny against Smaug, but somehow he couldn't force himself to go to master Balin once again, like a wee lad, admitting he hadn't done his homework when there had been it's time.

Nevertheless, he knew that someday his final day would come and there wouldn't be an heir of his own. Thorin hadn't actually believed he would even fall in love and start a new life with his love, as love itself was rarity among dwarves and he had been so bitter and focused on reclaiming Erebor one day that he hadn't fully even ventured the possibility of love in his mind.

But then comes a long a hobbit.... odd creatures, they are. Useless, he had thought for the longest time, not that Thorin had actually met or spoken to many halflings before Gandalf had introduced orderly mister Bilbo Baggins as their burglar. Then again, not a lot of people know much about hobbits anyway, other than that they're small, harmless and live in comfortable little holes somewhere in the mild countryside. Not many people outside the Shire had actually met them in person, as hobbits are suspicious towards big people and didn't often need much from the outside world.

Bilbo had been Thorin's first halfling he had befriended with (outside few very rare relations with some of the hobbits who lived in Bree or nearby) and to his first fears about him seemed to be all correct. Mr. Baggins was utterly inexperienced in adventuring and seemed so reluctant to even go on their journey, so Thorin had actually thought about leaving him behind several times, only to be scared about Gandalf revenge if he let his dear hobbit wander about far away from his home.

But sometimes the greatest bravery is to be openly afraid and still continue. Bilbo sure didn't hide his fear, he didn't even try to hide his doubts and loneliness like Thorin's kind had learned to do over the years of just existing as an unfitting burden among men and elves, doing what ever small tasks given but not really belonging anywhere. No-one really welcomed them when they came seeking for shelter and nobody ever said here's the place you could settle and built new homes. It's funny how much there's wilderness in the world, but all the places good to live seemed to be already full.

But Bilbo wasn't a dwarf, nor had he suffered trough similar unfortunates, but his vocalized fears about the journey were familiar to everybody and actually gave strength to others who felt the same. Ori, Fili and Kili were so young and naturally scared, but all the older ones, including Thorin, had bottled up their feelings and somehow Bilbo's mere existence gave them odd solace. It's definitely difficult to explain, but guess that's part of the mystery of hobbits. Gandalf often mused they're magnificence lies in simple loveliness, and Bilbo himself was the loveliest creature on all of Middle-Earth.

And somehow that just won Thorin's affections. Over a longish period time of course, but it was like mr. Baggins had some day started to dig a comfy hole into Thorin's heart and moved in like it was his own comfy little hobbithole and Thorin was left both thrilled and somewhat scared about it. He just quite suddenly realized he had found someone to care more than he cared about anything else - and that, my dear fellows, was certainly a big feeling. Thorin already cared so much about his people and his kingdom that his own life meant little in comparison, but he loved Bilbo even more. Enough in fact that he could actually betray everything he's ever held dear in his whole life if the hobbit dared to ask.

It certainly was fortunate that Bilbo wasn't aware of the impact he had on the king. Not that Thorin really though Bilbo would ever ask him to step down from the crown or leave Smaug to ruin his ancestors' legacy all together, but it was a risk he wasn't ready to take.

Sadly this meant that as Bilbo slept in his arms, dreaming his little hobbitdreams about second breakfasts and elevensies no doubt, Thorin could never say out loud how much he loved him and how much he meant to him. Love is a glorious thing, magical even and now that Thorin had felt it he wouldn't trade it away for any price. But it made him weak. Even the strongest of men or dwarves are only as strong their soft spots are, and seemingly harmless Bilbo Baggins made the great Thorin Oakenshield vulnerable. Sure he could be killed by any force of evil, but only one creature could rip his heart straight from his chest and ruin his very soul - and that creature was a hobbit.

And the worst part was that Thorin wasn't sure if Bilbo loved him quite as much back, because he sure didn't seem to be in misery for not ever declaring his love either. Though Thorin didn't really want to cause him such a pain, if he could bring him just happiness instead.

Then again, who knows, maybe love too was different for hobbits, as so many things were... maybe Thorin had made yet another mistake assuming love should always sting and hurt and create weak spots in the toughest of armors. Hadn't he been mistaken in the very beginning, when he had thought hobbits were just weaklings and could never be any use to his quest? Yet Bilbo had proven to be more valuable than all the professional burglars and adventurers combined, because in the end he wasn't in for the money or glory, but to genuinely help them to gain their lost home back. For such a little creature he had big enough heart to care about dwarves he hadn't even known before, and not because he was forced into it by a wizard, but just because he was what he was.

Maybe Bilbo loved too and maybe it just couldn't hurt him. Maybe Thorin could someday trust those same feelings so much he could squeeze him tight and say those three words, declare his love into Bilbo's cute little pointed ears and know it wasn't going to kill him in the end. But right now he had no courage for to that. This is Thorin Oakenshield, one who had been the bravest dwarf warrior in battlefield, but he's a coward when it came to saying he loves and would continue loving, as dwarves only choose their mate once.

In his sleep Bilbo kissed Thorin comforting way, even though he was hardly aware of the they place they were and couldn't possibly have known what the king had been thinking about. It didn't matter though, Thorin took the comfort and just like that let himself fell back to sleep. There were no more thoughts troubling his mind that night, and maybe that was a good start.