Âzyungâlh

A/N: Óin/Bifur goodness, with a worried Glóin on the side. :) Any Khuzdûl that appears shall be highlighted in italics.

Disclaimer: I do not own "The Hobbit", which belongs to JRR Tolkien and his estate.

Up until the meeting at Bag End, Glóin never suspected Óin of being intimate with anyone.

Whilst the fiery-haired Dwarf was happily married to a most beautiful Dwarf woman (with a very fine beard, to boot!), and the proud father of a young son, his brother seemed only married to his craft, that being medicine. The older Dwarf lived in contented existence as a bachelor, blissfully practising his craft with dedication that a devoted husband would show to his wife.

Glóin loved and respected Óin, even if the partially deaf Dwarf sometimes grated on his nerves. He regarded the healer simply as his brother; yes, Óin was a cousin to many others and the uncle of his lad, Gimli, but above all, he was his brother. For so long the older Dwarf had never engaged in any kind of romantic relationship, and Glóin accepted that as if it were his brother's personal decision. The fiery-haired Dwarf never dreamed of Óin being referred to as "the husband of so-and-so" or "the paramour of what's-their-face" or, perish the thought, "somebody's One".

No. Óin was Glóin's brother, and he never thought of having to share him with anyone else.

Until that fateful night, when the two brothers were on their way to Bag End, and they encountered the brothers Bofur and Bombur, and their cousin Bifur.

They all greeted each other affably, as friends do after meeting each other after a long time. As he conversed with Bofur and Bombur, Glóin glanced out of the corner of his eye and noticed Bifur and Óin signing together in Iglishmêk. Óin often took to signing when he didn't feel like using his ear-trumpet, and it suited the Khuzdûl-speaking Dwarf fine, the axe-embedded dwarf being a frequent user of Iglishmêk. Using signage when they talked, Glóin didn't think much of what they were saying.

But when he saw Bifur leaning in towards his brother, muttering something in his left ear that caused Óin to blush a vivid shade of pink, Glóin was taken aback at the sight. His brother, blushing madly, whilst Bifur stood beside him with a rather cheeky grin on his face … what was that about?

Before the fiery-haired Dwarf could say anything, he found himself in-between a chatty Bofur and a munching Bombur as they continued towards their rendezvous. Glóin quickly glanced behind him: Bifur and Óin followed, again signing in Iglishmêk. Gone was the blush and that infernal grin. The warning bells in Glóin's head silenced … for now.

Arriving at Bag End and meeting the brothers Dori, Nori and Ori, and Gandalf a little later, was normal enough. Glóin found himself beside Bifur and Óin, and they were acting decently enough. Landing in a heap at the feet of Gandalf's burglar was uncomfortable, what with Bifur half on top of Glóin.

Gandalf helped the wild-haired Dwarf up, relieving the pressure on Glóin's back, but when the fiery-haired Dwarf turned his head and saw Bifur wrap his arms around Óin's waist and lift him up, his arms lingering around there a tad too long whilst the healer thanked him with a beaming smile – even patting those arms whilst he did so! – Glóin felt his stomach churn. The warning bells were going off in his head again.

But before he could call the two out on it, Bifur dropped his arms, and Óin dropped the smile. The healer hoisted his younger brother up to his feet, ignoring Glóin's questioning stare, whilst Bifur rushed to Bombur's side. Together they all helped up the rest of the Dwarves, and after they offered their services they immediately went to raid Bilbo Baggins's pantry.

Glóin decided to keep an eye on his brother and that Bifur for the rest of the evening.

When Thorin Oakenshield arrived, and they had all taken their places back at the table, Glóin found himself sitting between Nori and Balin. Sitting opposite were Bifur and Óin. As the leader of their Company spoke, Bifur's eyes were glazed over, as if he was in a world of his own. Óin held his ear-trumpet to his right ear, more concerned with listening to the words buzzing around him.

That didn't bother Glóin in the slightest.

But when the Dwarves erupted into an argument – a few of them, Bifur included, standing up and bellowing – and Thorin silenced them in Khuzdûl, Glóin saw Óin reach out and pull the wild-haired Dwarf down back into his his seat beside him …

… and his gloved hand rested atop the other's, lightly, affectionately, stroking his knuckles.

Glóin couldn't believe what he was seeing. Granted, Óin withdrew his hand, and Bifur again had a dazed look on his face, but the image was branded in the fiery-haired Dwarf's mind, where the warning bells were ringing louder than ever.

What is goin' on between my brother and Bifur? Why is Bifur making these advances on Óin? And why does my brother act strangely around him?

As he watched the two Dwarves sitting before him, sharing secret smiles, looks of affection and signing to each other when they thought no one was looking, the answer rang clear as day in Glóin's mind, but his stubborn heart refused to accept it.

When the Dwarves retired from the table to the fireplace, Glóin followed his brother closely, with Bifur on his heels. Óin settled back by the window on his right, whilst Bifur sat on his left, stealing glances in the healer's direction. When Glóin's hard eyes met with Bifur's, the wild-haired Dwarf looked away, shamefaced. The fiery-haired Dwarf turned to look at his older brother, who was looking out the window, a saddened expression on his face.

The power of the song, of their unified voices rumbling in harmony as the Dwarves sang and hummed by the roar of the fire, brought back the memories of loss and longing, of hope and hopelessness, and of a home they had once lost but were ready to take back. Glóin could feel the others' passion and their own inner desires which they sought to fulfil on this quest: to take back their gold; to defeat the dreaded dragon Smaug; to avenge their fallen kinsman; to find a place to call home … it went on.

But as he stood up with his fellow companions, seeing out of the corner of his eye Bifur moving behind him, walking to his brother's side by the window and pressing his lips against the healer's cheek, Glóin understood their own desires all too clearly.

As the night wore on, the Company silently dispersed, ready to settle in and around the Hobbit's home to sleep. As Óin passed him to leave the room, Glóin gently pulled his brother back. Bifur hesitated before moving out of the room into the hallway.

When he left, Glóin turned to his brother and said softly, "I hope you know what you're gettin' yourself into."

Óin nodded. "Aye, nadadith. Bifur … he has a good heart, and I care a great deal about him. He's my One, and I am his. We're determined to see this quest through together, and in the end …"

He let the sentence hang.

Glóin sighed. Whether they'll live to see the end together was an outcome they were not yet ready to discuss – his brother knew this. Who knew what would happen to any of them? And in the end, would Óin's and Bifur's feelings for each other change for the better or for worse? Would it change his brother for better or worse, too?

It was a thought that Glóin did not want to think about at all.

"Please be careful, brother," was all he could say, clasping the other's shoulder tightly. "I don't want to lose you."

Óin smiled in understanding, as older brothers do when dealing with their younger sibling's worries. "No matter what, Glóin, I'm still your brother. You won't lose me at all – I'll be right here."

With that, Óin tapped his forehead affectionately against Glóin's, and he walked out the room. Glóin saw Bifur appearing at his brother's side, looking distressed. The healer whispered something, and the wild-haired Dwarf's eyes lit up. He said something rapidly in Khuzdûl, kissed the healer's cheek and took him by the hand, leading them to their makeshift beds.

Glóin smoked by the fireplace, pondering over his brother's words.

When Glóin found them later, lying near Bofur and Bombur, Bifur and his brother seemed to be fast asleep. Óin slept with his back to the axe-embedded Dwarf - his brother's One - whose arm was slung tightly around the healer's waist. Next to Óin, an empty makeshift bed was set up.

Glóin slipped into the bed gratefully, feeling his tiredness weighing down on him. As he began to drift off to sleep, he felt something stir beside him, and a hand grasped his own, squeezing it tightly. The voice of his brother, reassuring, whispered softly beside him and echoed in his dreams:

"I'll be right here, nadadith."

A/N: Nadadith – little brother.

Ah, brotherly feels all the way. :) In the movie, Óin does indeed pull Bifur down during the argument before Thorin shuts it down, and if you look closely he rests his hand on Bifur's hand in a placating manner during Thorin's big speech, without the stroking, unfortunately. Óin and Bifur did stand next to each other when they entered Bag End (in a heap), and Glóin was between them during the song, 'til he moved away and Bifur stood up. I swear, Bifur and Óin are always near each other. XD

Hoped you liked this!

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