Title: "In Another Middle Earth"
Fandom: The Hobbit (film)
Pairing: Thorin/Bilbo
Type: A.U.
Warning: Fluff. Non-betaed. English is obviously not my native language.
Disclaimer: All characters and places created by J. R. R. Tolkien.
Chapter 01
He can't get the hobbit out of his mind, and at first is hard for him to understand why. Is it the guilt that still bites at him, for all the times he mistreated Bilbo? But his poor, dear burglar have told him a hundred times that he was forgiven, and the relationship between them had healed, while his wounds did the same.
No, is not just because of his guilty conscience; there are thoughts in his mind of a much different, and enjoyable, nature. Sometimes he sits in his throne and dreams, not of the Arkenstone, but, surprisingly, of the hobbit's gracious turned-up nose, or in those deep blue eyes that pass so easily from innocence to mischief, or how those soft cinnamon curls must feel between his fingers. These thoughts leave him sometimes anxious, sometimes with a pleasant warmth in the chest.
Something similar he once felt for a girl, many, many years ago, so many that he almost have forgotten.
The dwarfs that have been lucky enough to met the burglar where always telling him how much they miss Bilbo, but Thorin is pretty sure none of them feels that sharp and persistent need to hear his voice or see his smiling round face.
And one day the King Under The Mountain has a revelation: Bilbo is something soft and sweet, something noble and good and unusual, and for that, precious. Something he must have in his life. It takes him some time, and a couple of talks with Balin, to admit these feelings are no other thing than love, and of the most romantic kind.
…
Love between men is not uncommon for their race. It's convenient, when women are so few, and in some cases, as all kinds of love, inevitable. Thorin would not be the first king to have a male consort, of that he is sure, although he would be the first one to have a hobbit beside him. But that is no reason to reject a possible relationship with Bilbo, and although he is stubborn, Thorin does not waste time doubting or fearing rejection, and decides to declare to Bilbo his love, but first he must send for him.
…
The trip from Erebor to The Shire is long, but is even longer for Thorin, that awaits in his mountain, incapable of knowing on which part of the road are Fili and Kili already, and if Bilbo comes with them or he has declined the offer. But the tortuous wait eventually comes to an end: this morning Bilbo's cheerful voice starts to resonate through the stone halls, and Thorin gets ready to greet him.
…
They hug, and the hug is long and tight, and none of them wants it to end. Bilbo is glad to see him, but there's curiosity in his eyes for the reason of this meeting. Thorin just smiles, and hopes his love is reciprocated.
All through the day Thorin makes some room in his busy schedule to spend time with Bilbo, and chat with him about this and that, about what happened in The Shire and what happened in The Mountain, small and lighthearted things, but valuable in a way. At night, while dining with some of the dwarves of the Company, those who stayed with Thorin to help him rule a mountain that is slowly filling up with life again, Thorin squirms in his seat, his grim eyes fixed on his plate: he just wants to stay alone with his hobbit, but the dinner seems to last forever.
To be continued…