Yay another prompt fill~ This is for one on the kink!meme, which basically went like this: "So I've seen a few fills for Bilbo struggling with lack of food on the quest because as a hobbit he needs more than the dwarves have rationed, or otherwise not coping well with the physical demands of the quest.
While I appreciate the angst and h/c opportunities of those scenarios, it doesn't really fit canon considering Tolkien says hobbits "were, perhaps, so unwearyingly fond of good things not least because they could, when put to it, do without them, and could survive rough handling by grief, foe, or weather in a way that astonished those who did not know them well and looked no further than their bellies and their well fed faces."
So give me some astonished dwarves please, whether it is because against all their expectations Bilbo can do better on short rations than the rest of them, or for some reason unrelated to food. (To clarify, I am looking for Bilbo surprising them with physical toughness; not courage, since that was already quite well established in the film, or other character traits like cleverness and luck.)
Gen or shipping of Bilbo up to the writer's preference, but no Durincest please."
Yeah, long one. Sorry guys!
Anyway, so I decided to go with no ships just because I couldn't really find anywhere to fit it in...
Bilbo was well aware of the misconceptions about Hobbits, knew them all too well from the tales he'd been told since birth. Men and Elves and Dwarves alike were quick to stereotype Hobbits, just as, admittedly, Hobbits did in return. Some of the stereotypes, like their love of a warm hearth and good food, were more truth than lie, while others, like how they were too lazy to do anything but sit around all day, were definitely more lie than truth.
So when the Company treated him like this delicate, creature that couldn't handle anything beyond what he was used to, he wasn't very surprised. Annoyed? Yes. But surprised? Nah.
He wasn't one to make a fuss about that sort of thing, however, so he just puttered along on the same food rations and sleeping schedule and pack load as the rest of them, uncomfortable but not unable to hold his own.
The Dwarves continued to assume he was a poor, weak little thing, anyway, much to Bilbo's dismay. There was no doubting the fact that they had all grown fonder of him after the incident with Azog, so they meant well, but still. Bilbo was a hobbit and Hobbits were surprisingly adaptable once they got over the brief period of self-pity, which he'd done. His friends just didn't seem to understand that!
And obviously, the only thing to do in that situation was to just keep on going, perhaps even subtly set them straight if he could.
So he offered to help gather firewood more often, moving through the dark, cold forest with one of the Dwarves or even alone to scrounge up what he could. Before anyone else could, he bundled up anything and everything that was to be washed in his little arms and marched down to a nearby stream or pond, whatever he could find, to do the laundry, no matter how dirty or how big the loads were. He made sure he was the one to serve meals, whether he'd assisted in cooking or not, so he could give extra who anyone who looked like they needed it, always out of his own portion.
Still getting used to sleeping outside, he awoke at nearly regular intervals throughout the night. Eventually, he started taking a moment to check on whoever was keeping watch, waking him if he was dozing, offering to sit with him if he looked cold or lonely, even going so far as to take over the shift so that Dwarf (and whoever was up next) could sleep (sometimes he took two or three shifts a night, but that was kind of pushing it).
No one seemed to really notice anything until Bilbo took Ori's pack and slung it over his shoulders, right in front of them all, after the poor dear seemed to be having a little trouble one day. The burglar, of course, thought nothing of it, simply viewing it for what it was; a friend helping a friend. The Company cast him strange looks for the gesture, but otherwise stayed quiet.
That night, when he was scooping a rather measly helping of stew into his bowl after giving extra to the heirs and Ori, he felt a few pairs of eyes on him. And when he pushed himself up off of his bedroll so he could sit with Dwalin for an hour, reluctant as he was to lose even more sleep, he was almost positive he heard some murmuring from the supposedly-sleeping Dwarves. If their suspicion continued on this way, he decided, it wouldn't be long before they confronted him about it.
Which he ended up being right about.
Not five days after the whole thing with Ori's pack, Kíli and Fíli shared a look before smiling over the fire at Bilbo, the younger of the two beginning, "So, dear burglar, we couldn't help but notice-"
"-We as in the whole company, of course-" His brother cut in and then cut himself off so Kíli could speak again, the rest of the group quieting down to listen.
"-That you seem to be doing more lately, like taking extra shifts-"
"-Carrying packs for some of us-"
"-Doing all the laundry-"
"-Giving out your food-"
"-And we were just wondering," Kíli glanced over at Fíli, who joined in at the next part, "How do you do it, halfling?" What they really meant was basically; how do you handle not eating and sleeping as much as you did back in that hole? You're just a hobbit!
When Bilbo wrinkled his nose up in slight offense, Balin glared at the brothers and shook his head, "What they mean, laddie, is… Well… You've long since proved yourself to us, all of us, if that's what you're fishing for here. You have no need to help out anymore than you already are. In fact, you were doing more than enough already." And what he really meant by that was; yes, you're a hobbit, even carrying that pack of yours was probably too much for you to handle.
While the words behind their words had been rude, he was still a good-natured, respectable Baggins, and it wasn't that difficult to let the unintended insults roll off his back. They meant well, really they did.
"You know almost as much about Hobbits as Hobbits do about Dwarves," Bilbo accused softly, shifting his gaze from face to face with a small smile on his face to keep anyone from thinking he meant it in an impolite way, "Which is really saying something, since we happen to be the most reclusive race."
Bofur frowned from his spot just beside Bilbo, tilting his head to the side and slipping the hat down further on his head, "Now what d'ye mean by that?"
"You only see me for the round belly and the well-fed face, for the comfy home and the admittedly dull, sheltered life I led before you came about. You expect so little out of me, even though I've proved you wrong once before, with Azog," His eyes found Thorin's for a brief moment and he was surprised to see a little bit of pride and shock twinkling in them, where the rest of his face was completely impassive, "And, I suppose, with my bravery. Now you don't think of me as a coward, which is wonderful, but you're still certain I'm sluggish lazy or weak or even both, I'm sure."
"Excuse me, I don't think that's true," Ori piped up from his spot beside Dori, a half-knitted sweater in his lap.
A chorus of 'nor do I's and 'not me's rang from the rest of the Dwarves then, but Bilbo just raised a hand to silence them and continued rather nervously, not really one to speak his mind like this that often, "What you don't know about Hobbits is that we're surprisingly rather tough. Sure, we might feel a bit sorry for ourselves without our second breakfast and big, warm beds, but we can handle almost anything you throw at us once we get used to it. I may not be as strong as some of you, but I'm certainly no fragile little doily, either."
After a moment's hesitation, he looked around the group again and nodded once, "So I'd appreciate it if I wasn't treated as such."
It took a few minutes, but eventually the Dwarves got over their surprise and each apologized, promising to stop treating him like he was a 'fragile little doily' from that point on. He thanked them with a relieved smile before the conversations picked up and easily started flowing again, the emotional moment forgotten.
And if Bilbo caught the newfound respect in their eyes whenever they looked at him, well, he certainly didn't mention it.
And there we have it! A little more Bilbo respect for y'all. A little OOC, yeah, but that kind of explains itself in the prompt, so you know. Whatever.
Peace~