The ever lasting cold, it settles and makes its presence known. Wrapping its invisible arms around you, embracing you, covering your fragile flesh with goose bumps and shivers, convincing you to wrap up warm or snuggle with your mate...but on a journey with thirteen other males the chances are, you'll have to deal with it and man up...poor old Bilbo, was shivering in the winter sun, huddled to his pony, evil (he named the pony such a name after he'd been thrown off of her at least four or more times.)
They stopped off at an old, worn looking barn, with absolutely no food whatsoever.
"Typical..." Bilbo muttered and dismounted Evil, his feet crunched onto the virgin snow as he walked towards the broken shelter; at least he'd be a little bit warmer.
Thorin watched their little burglar, eyes blazing bright grey as he did so; he sat in the hay that was still inside trying to regain some heat. Watching the hobbit made the dwarf king chuckle warmly and shake his head, he instructed Fili, Kili and Ori to fetch firewood and Bombur, Bofur, Nori, Dori, Oin and Gloin to try and find some food, Dwalin and Bwalin were told to be watch out for anything that were to creep up on the group, they'd be able to fight them with their great strength, Gandalf being ever so...mysterious in a way was no where to be seen.
All that was left was a half awake hobbit and Thorin Oakenshield all alone...no one else in sight, Thorin shook his head of vulgar images that were popping up in his head and walked over to a slumped over Bilbo.
"You look tired burglar...I keep telling you, you should sleep better."
"That's easy for you to say...you're used to sleeping where you can, I'm not made for adventures like you...I shouldn't be here" Bilbo mumbled tiredly and looked up to Thorin and not just in a physical way.
Bilbo admired him greatly, he viewed the king as a role model and a leader... some may say Bilbo had a slight hero worship towards him or even go as far as to say the little hobbit had a crush on Thorin...but they weren't wrong.
It had all started from the beginning, when the dwarves had invaded his hobbit hole, Bilbo had looked at the king in awe and amazement when they began singing their humble song, it started off as respect and gradually became more and more, from that point on, the Halfling believed in love at first sight.
Thorin sighed and stroked his beard in thought "you know what I thought, no,
you shouldn't be here, it's dangerous and no place for such a delicate creature as yourself."
The small hobbit looked wounded until Thorin continued,
"But Bilbo..." He started surprising the hobbit greatly by using his real name.
"You've proved to us that you're indeed brave and strong, more so than many dwarves and man a like...you're a warrior now and we're proud of you."
They shared a smile for a moment or two, just before Thorin was about to stand up, Bilbo grabbed hold of his timidly making the king under the mountain look at him.
"Uhh...c-can you stay, it's a tad nippy..." Bilbo blushed brightly at Thorin, he was fiddling with the buttons on his waistcoat slightly not looking up anymore, that would be too embarrassing. Thorin smiled kindly and embraced the smaller male into his arms, hugging him for all he was worth and gently kissed him causing Bilbo to blush and smile happily.
The two males soon fell asleep in each others arms, laying peacefully in some straw and hay. When the other came back, their eyes popped out of their sockets in shock but left them to sleep, smiling and happy for a while longer.
Thorin was just the right heat Bilbo was looking for, he was in heaven and I imagine Thorin was as well, wrapped around each other in brilliant warmth lying there together, with smiles on their faces...winter wasn't that atrocious after all.
~Fin.