New longer story for you all here. This one is kind of AU (movie verse) because it's set after the fight with Azog, and sometime before Desolation of Smaug starts by my reckoning, but Gandalf has left them already (mainly because I can't write Gandalf, so I had to get rid of him, sorry) So Thorin and Bilbo's relationship is more settled... or so Bilbo thinks.
Warnings: Violence, torture, not heavy gore, at least not yet, but I'll warn you if something changes. Lots of angst. Thorin is a jerk in the first few chapters until you find out what's eating him. Bilbo is sassy.
Also, this is NOT Bagginshield. I don't write it and I don't read it or any slash for that matter. This is just a strong Bilbo/Thorin friendship story with a brotherly platonic bond.
And no I don't own the characters, they belong to Pro. Tolkien
And now that that's out of the way, please enjoy and review if you are inclined :)
Chapter One
Bilbo sighed as he bent to pick up firewood. He was so tired, and just wanted a real bed to lay down in, if that wouldn't be too much to ask. He was tired of bedrolls and though the stews Bomber made for them were good, he wished for Shire food; pies, cakes, a good cheese, and a nice large tankard of the Green Dragon's best and darkest ale. He nearly whimpered at the thought as he bent to pick up another log and winced as his back protested the movement.
It had only been days since they had fought off the orcs on the cliff's edge, and he had been battered a bit in the fight when he had run to defend Thorin from that Pale Orc, Azog. It had been completely reckless, and would have surprised him if he had been thinking at the time. Perhaps that surprised him more. He hadn't been doing nearly enough thinking lately—well, maybe that was a good thing.
And then there had been Thorin's gratitude, which he had certainly not been expecting. Yes, he had saved the dwarf's life, but he had never thought Thorin would go so far as to thank him for it. And on top of it all he had embraced him like a real friend! Bilbo supposed that was what Thorin was now. They had certainly grown closer, and he began to feel, hope, that Thorin had finally accepted him as one of his own. In any case, Bilbo had started to feel as if he fit in with the company, and now that he had a bit of action under his belt, he felt more confident in the fact that he could fight alongside the dwarves as a brother in arms and not just the one everyone had to protect. He was rather proud of that.
He was about to head back to camp when he caught a slight movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to see a figure between the trees. Instantly on the alert, he shifted the wood in his arms so he could put his hand on the hilt of his sword and lift the blade slightly. But it was not glowing blue, so it couldn't be an enemy. Curious, he stepped forward on light feet to see who was there.
What he found was Thorin Oakenshield, standing in a clearing alone, his head bowed and his hands clasped behind him. Bilbo frowned and stepped forward, stepping on a stick and causing Thorin to turn around with a jerk that made him wince. He was still recovering from the injuries he had sustained fighting Azog.
"What are you doing here?" the dwarf asked, not as hostilely as he might once have, but not very friendly either.
Bilbo motioned to the wood in his arms. "Collecting firewood. Then I saw you out here alone. Is everything alright?"
Thorin looked at the hobbit. "Just trying to seek some solitude, Master Baggins."
"Oh," Bilbo said, unsure what else to say. "I'm sorry to interrupt you."
"It's quite all right, Master Baggins," Thorin said tiredly with an air of annoyance in his voice. "I should know better than to try and seek solitude with so many around."
He began to walk off, when Bilbo started forward, calling after him. "Thorin, if…if you ever need to talk, I'll listen."
He turned around, a wry chuckle escaping past his lips. "Talk? I have nothing to talk about, Master Hobbit, and if I did, what makes you think it would be you I would go to?"
Bilbo felt indignant anger flow through his veins. He had the sudden urge to throw his armload of wood at the arrogant dwarf king, and only barely stopped himself from doing just that. "Oh, sorry, I just thought that since we're friends now, you might like to share some things with me. Problems and things like that. That's what friends do, you know, or at least that's what hobbits do. Or maybe we aren't friends, is that it? Even after I saved your life, and you practically told me I was one of your company. But I don't know much about dwarfish customs; perhaps those things don't mean anything to you."
Thorin had the grace to look rebuffed, though his fists clenched at his sides. "Friends also know when to let the other alone, Master Baggins. Something you may attempt to learn."
Bilbo stared at him with an open mouth, trying to think of something scathing. He threw the wood down and strode after the retreating dwarf king.
"You think I need to learn manners? Well, let me tell you something, Master Oakenshield, you are one of the rudest people I have ever met! Not only do you continually push your comrades past their limits by driving everyone day in day out to unspeakable distances, but you never listen to anyone's judgment—it's no wonder Gandalf continues to leave us—and you are infernally rude to everyone, even your friends and family! I may not be either in your perspective, but I did save your life and I think I should get some sort of credit for it!"
"You mean to tell me you only did it for the fame?" Thorin snarled over his shoulder.
"No!" Bilbo shouted, stamping a foot on the ground. "I did it because I care about you, you bloody fool! Because I count you as a friend, even if those feelings are not returned!"
Thorin suddenly spun around and clamped a hand over Bilbo's mouth. The hobbit grunted in indignation, reaching up to pry the large hand from his face, but Thorin shoved him hard against a tree and pressed a finger to his lips with a glare that instantly made Bilbo quiet down and stop struggling. Once Thorin was certain Bilbo wasn't going to talk, he let the hobbit go and turned around, drawing his sword as quietly as possible. Bilbo stood behind him, his hand on the hilt of his own sword and tried to listen and see what Thorin had heard. The dwarf remained still, only his eyes moving as they traveled over the trees, darting here and there. Bilbo jumped as he thought he saw a movement to his left and yanked the sword from its sheath. Thorin turned to glare at him from the grating noise, but he suddenly jerked with a slight frown.
"Thorin?" Bilbo asked tentatively.
The dwarf staggered slightly and then his eyes rolled up in his head.
"Thorin!" Bilbo cried before he felt something sting his neck. He clapped a hand to the spot and found a little dart there, pulling it out with a wince. He cast it aside, but was already feeling the effects of the drug, and he fell to his knees and collapsed next to Thorin, everything going fuzzy. The last thing he saw was an ugly face staring at him as someone grabbed his arms and then he was completely out.
Yes, evil cliff hanger. And yeah, Thorin's a jerk in this chapter. Hope it wasn't too terrible.
I've already got about a third of the story written, but I really only get time to write and edit on the weekends, so I will try to post the next chapter saturday or sunday. If I get time during the week, I might post more.
