Thorin had never really seen a hobbit up close before, and thus, was a little taken back by the small creature in front of him. The hobbit, or Bilbo Baggins, as Gandalf had introduced him, was quite a sight to behold. Soft, coppery locks framed a small round face, the features of which were currently distorted into an exasperated grimace. Bilbo was shorter than Thorin by at least a foot, and was looking up at the dwarf king with his hands on his hips, his legs slightly splayed. However, it was none of these features that invoked the ire of Thorin, nor was it Bilbo's large, hairy feet (although they did warrant a second, and even a third, glance from the stunned dwarf). Rather, it was Bilbo's pointed ears, the tips of which were currently turning bright red, that made Thorin's back snap straight and his features contort into a dark frown. It was bad enough that he had to have a hobbit on his journey in the first place, but to be reminded of – ugh, elves, every time he looked at the small creature was unacceptable.

He thought back to the fateful day Smaug came to Erebor, and recalled the Elvenking Thranduil looking down from a nearby cliff on the devastated dwarfs. Thorin had yelled for help, and the golden haired hussy had ignored him, simply turning his head away and riding off on his blasted elk – seriously, who rides an elk? – with his army following closely behind.

Thorin cursed under his breath at the thought, before realizing that he was still staring intently at the poor hobbit, whose face had also turned a bright shade of red. Regaining his composure, he glared down at Bilbo, before circling behind him and asking, mockingly, if the hobbit knew how to fight. He knew the answer, of course, but he wanted to watch the Halfling sweat, wanted to show his companions just how wrong this gentle little creature was for the dangerous journey ahead. Bilbo had started to stutter out an answer, but before he could even form a single word, Thorin snapped at him, "axe or sword, what's your weapon of choice?" The hobbit looked down at his feet, and was still stuttering, trying to form words, when Thorin dealt the final blow: "Thought as much," Thorin said. "He looks more like a grocer than a burglar." With that, Bilbo stopped stuttering, and stared up at the dwarf in front of him, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly agape, his shoulders slumping. Thorin felt a pang of guilt, but he quickly buried it as Dwalin slapped him on the back, leading him towards the dining room, the rest of the company following behind. He had barely taken three steps when he heard the shout.

"HEY!"

Whipping around, Thorin was shocked at what he saw. Instead of slumped and defeated where Thorin had left him, the hobbit was marching towards him, not stopping until he stood right in front of the dwarf king, his face merely inches away. His eyes were full of anger, his mouth pressed into a deep frown.

"Now you wait just a second!" Bilbo shouted. "I don't know where you learned your manners, but if you think you're going to just walk into my home and insult me, you are deeply mistaken!"

Thorin opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off.

"The nerve! Strutting in here like you own the place!" Bilbo huffed, storming off.

"I….I.." Thorin stuttered, his mouth hanging open. "I DO NOT STRUT!"

Gandalf glared at him sullenly before following after Bilbo, while the rest of the company slowly made their way into the dining room.

Sitting at the table, it was Kili who broke first, unable to control the laughter bubbling up inside him. He was followed quickly by Fili, and then by Bofur, the rest joining in until even Dwalin couldn't hold back. Thorin glared at them all, eating the soup laid out in front of him quietly.

Gandalf had returned a few minutes later without Bilbo, scolding Thorin about his poor treatment of said hobbit. Thorin had argued back that they didn't need a hobbit, especially not one as soft and delicate as the Halfling in the other room, but Gandalf was adamant.

"Please," Thorin nearly shouted, "that hobbit is no more a burglar than I am an elf!"

Little did Thorin know that in the other room, Bilbo was listening, and he did not like what he heard. Not one bit.

The company stayed the night in Bilbo's home, though the hobbit did not show his face again. Fili and Kili slept next to each other on the couch, but Thorin quickly realized how bad an idea that was when the two spent half the night laughing and joking. It was Dwalin, however, who eventually got sick of the two and separated them, throwing Kili, who screamed like a little dwarfling, over his shoulder and carrying him to the kitchen, where he deposited him on the table, handed him a blanket, and dared him to speak. He did not.

In the morning, the company set off, Thorin leading the way. The hobbit had still not shown his face, and while Gandalf had urged Thorin to go and apologize, he refused. Giving up and muttering about the stubbornness of dwarfs, Gandalf fell to the back of the line, wanting to put as much distance between him and the insufferable dwarf king as possible. They had been riding for about 15 minutes when they heard shouting from behind them. Pulling on his reigns, Thorin turned, only to see the Halfling running towards them. Letting out a sigh, he leaned forward, bracing himself on his pony's warm neck. Bilbo caught up to them, gasping for air, and sputtered about coming on the adventure. Thorin opened his mouth to tell the hobbit to go home, but before he could get the words out, Bilbo stopped him.

"You need a burglar," he said, "and I can help you with that."

"Yes, hobbit, I need a burglar," Thorin said, "but that, you are not."

"You might want to look at your neck before you say that," Bilbo replied.

Confused, Thorin looked down. It took him a good minute to register that the key he wore around his neck, the key passed down to him from his father, the key he needed to reclaim Erebor, was gone.

Looking back up, the hobbit stood in front of him, the key in his outstretched hand, and a cheeky smile on his face. Thorin stared at him, his eyes unblinking, for a good five minutes.

"Kili, Fili," Thorin finally called.

"Give the hobbit a pony."