Dwarven affections, or; How to avoid to get caught from one for the rest of your live.
Thanks a ton to my Lovely Beta Elu!
(When they set their minds to it to catch you, they can be surprisingly sneaky! And what is worse, they have helping cousins, meddling friends under royals and a possessive streak that makes all plans on escape pointless!)
Unsuspecting toys, or; the snare is set.
The first time Bilbo finds a toy on his bedroll he thinks it comes from Bofur.
It is a wooden Yo Yo and he wonders what to do with it besides playing with it. That is until he looks at it closer and identifies it as the very toy that Bifur has made the last night at the fire. He is confused, yes, but not affronted or angry. He chalks it off as Bifur being his odd self and even finds a smile and thanks for the Dwarf with the axe in the head.
The second time he finds toy on his bedroll he is confused and wonders if it could be that the Dwarf thinks him to be a fauntling still.
It wouldn't surprise Bilbo much if Bifur truly did so, not really. The other is not always completely in this reality. Even Bilbo had gotten that much already. He gives polite thanks again and tries to tell Bifur that he is no Hobbitling… although, he isn't sure later that he did fully succeeded with his endeavor.
Given that his efforts only got him a kindly pat on his head and few words in Khuzdul.
Bilbo can barely contain himself from fiddling around with the tiny wooden horse that reminds him so much on his lost Myrtle. Hobbits love presents and even as adults, they sometimes still love to play with their Hobbitling's toys, secretly, of course. Now, Bilbo is no child and neither is he a father but even he feels the pull and so he resolutely puts the toy away so he can't accidentally do it anyways. Vala forbid that Thorin or his nephews see him! He would never live that one down.
The third time he receives a toy on his bedroll, Bilbo rolls his eyes skywards and thinks that he needs to talk with Bombur and Bofur to sort his newest problem out.
This time it was an outlandish Board game.
Complete with the stones to play it together with someone else. Gathering his strange presents close, he walks over to Bofur and his brother and settles next to the two at the fire. Showing them the gifts and explaining his worries to them, he had not expected them both to break out in uncomfortable laughs. Neither would Bilbo have anticipated it that Bofur would blush ever so slightly when seeing the flustered Hobbit and his presents.
"Ye see (Bofur tells him) it is like this, Bilbo. My cousin is a bit addled since the battle. I think ye know that too and that's why ye didn't say something until now. Since the battle he has begun to bring home strays, ye know? Like cats, dogs and birdies or whatever else he run across. Always nursed them back to health and kept them as long as he could."
Bilbo looked with wide round eyes at the brothers.
"You mean to tell me that your cousin sees me as his pet Hobbit?!"
Another nervous laugh escapes first Bofur and then Bombur, both reddening rapidly at Bilbo's words.
"Uhm… kind of? Please don't get mad? I mean, he kinda does just not as a pet but more like an distraction, ye know. He seems to need something or someone he can fret over. It distracts Bifur from getting into his 'moods' and keeps him more grounded, you see. Actually, since he focused on you, my cousin has been better off now than the last few years altogether and that says something, trust me! So, could ye please let him play fuzz a while longer and not get angry at him?" At Bofur's and Bombur's twin puppy dog eyes, even Bilbo found it hard to stay mad at them or Bifur.
Rubbing his face the Hobbit tried to make sense out of the weird situation he got himself into, whilst trying not to laugh at the insanity of it all and his new function as a hobby in Bifur's life.
"So basically you two knew about this all the time and now you want me to let him do as he wishes so he feels content. Am I right?"
Both Dwarves nodded enthusiastically back at him. All that Bilbo could do in the face of such hopeful looks was to cave in and he found himself reluctantly nodding his consent before he realized what he was doing.
"All right, all right, if it makes him happy and feel better he may keep up with this.
Although I feel a slightly bit put out about this all, I will continue to put up with it for his sake.
I would never begrudge someone's happiness, especially someone like Bifur who has had a bad life more than most. Although I feel like I am taking advantage of him, in a way, if you understand what I mean to say. I will not keep the lovely things he put on my bedroll, that would be taking advantage of him, Bofur. So you two will have to think about a way to take them back without to upset him, to put them to better use for him, do we have an agreement?"
Bofur nodded at Bilbo with a wide and honest smile on his face. "Don't ye worry about that lad. Bilbo, we understand fully and would never let that happen to Bifur. Actually that is awfully kind from ye to look out for our cousin! We will think of something, rest assured." His eyes crinkled at the corners when Bofur gave Bilbo a gentle smile.
In the end, Bilbo only kept the little toy pony with him and left the other two toy's with Bombur for safekeeping.
Shaking his head in his bewilderment on his way back to his bedroll, Bilbo missed the surprised looks from the various members of Thorin's group who sat near the brothers.
They had listened in while Bifur whittled away on something new, sitting next to Gandalf and both seated a good deal away from the rest of the group. Seemingly not even realizing or caring about it that Bilbo had spoken with his cousins on his behalf. The others however, they had heard Bilbo's little speech and it earned him appraising looks in his wake.
Bilbo, clueless as only he could sometimes be it when deep in thought, missed the suddenly much kinder looks he was now given and settled down to sleep.
He also missed the contemplative glances of Bofur that the Dwarf sends his way.