Chapter three

Okay so I've bulked this chapter out a bit more than it was originally as I don't know when I'll next get to update over the weekend, hopefully I'll get another chapter up within the next few days but I'm working all weekend so can't promise it'll get up but I shall defiantly be working on it

After the first day of Bilbo having Fili and Kili in his home they got into a routine of every few days the boys would appear on his door step just as he was cooking breakfast. Bilbo would welcome the boys in and often keep them at Bag End until evening when Thorin would finish work and come to find the boys. More often than not by the time he would get there they would be asleep curled up together in one of Bilbo's spare beds, having begged not to be put in separate rooms.

Bilbo had started to teach the young dwarfs some hobbit customs, after a few weeks the boys had gotten used to daily baths and not talking with food in their mouths and other basic manners that hobbits followed. When Thorin would arrive to collect his nephews he would be greeted by Bilbo who had some food for them to eat. After eating he would then go to wake Fili and Kili and take them back to the forge where bedding had been set out in the back room. It wasn't the living conditions that the boys deserved but it was the best Thorin could do for the time being. Business had picked up at the forge since the other hobbits had seen Bilbo's new locks and Thorin was hoping to have enough money for the to spend the winter lodged in the local inn so the boys would be safe ad warm at night. Kili had barely survived the last winter in the Blue Mountains, and although winter in the shire wasn't looking to be as harsh Thorin didn't want to take any chances with his boys.


After a few weeks Thorin of this Thorin was greeted with shouting when he went to collect Fili and Kili. The door was shut with Bilbo stood on the outside; a female hobbit was the one who was shouting. Thorin quickened his pace to Bag End and could hear what words were being thrown at Bilbo.

"YOU'RE SHAMING THE GOOD NAME OF BAGGINS BOY! YOUR FATHER WOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOU; YOU DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE IN BAG END! IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN OURS! IT'S BAD ENOUGH-"

"How dare you come to my home and shout and accuse me of shaming this family? You are the one that should be ashamed, it was you that at my parents' funeral tried to have me removed from MY home. You have no right to Bag End; you lost all rights that you did have the moment my parents had me. And I am perfectly capable of deciding who to have in my home, and if you don't like it then don't come here anymore as you're not welcome!" By now Thorin had arrived at the garden gate and could see that Bilbo was shaking. Having seen enough Thorin stepped forward, Bilbo's eyes flickered towards Thorin, the she-hobbit noticed this and spun around to see Thorin stood behind her. With a final huff she walked away from Bag End.

Bilbo sagged against the front door in relief; Lobelia had only been there for a few minutes but had tried to make Fili and Kili leave Bag End. 'Thorin must think that I am unable to care for them after witnessing this' Bilbo thought dejectedly before raising his eyes to look at Thorin who looked like a mix between annoyed and amused.

"Are you alright Bilbo?" Thorin asked as he approached the young hobbit. Thorin couldn't help but feel anger at the she hobbit that had upset his Bilbo.

"Yes she didn't get passed the front step. The boys are still inside ad should still be asleep." Thorin nodded before moving closer still to the hobbit.

"And she did not harm you in any way?"

"No-No she didn't hurt me, shook me up a little as I wasn't expecting her." Bilbo turned to open the door and was greeting with hugs from both Fili and Kili who must have been woken up by the shouting. Thorin found himself wishing that he could wrap his arms around them; he wanted the four of them to be a family. But he still didn't have any knowledge on hobbits mating. He had noticed a strip of cloth around Bilbo's left wrist but didn't dare hope that it was a soul mark that had his name.

After extracting himself from the dwarflings Bilbo had gone to the kitchen and finished the dinner he had already began to make for himself and Thorin. Through his nephews Thorin had learned that Bilbo would cook for them before bathing them and putting them to bed, choosing to wait and eat with Thorin. Although normally it was just the two of them eating tonight they had two sleepy dwarfs sat with them. Thorin didn't know how he would be able to drag himself away from Bilbo tonight never mind Fili and Kili who sat either side of the hobbit.

Kili had fallen back asleep pressed against Bilbo as the hobbit had eaten his dinner. Thorin made sure to clear the table but was stopped from washing up by a pointed look from Bilbo, sighing Thorin looked form the half asleep Fili to the sleeping Kili, Bilbo noticed his gaze and smiled at him. "You're more than welcome to stop the night. Fili and Kili have already invaded one of my spare rooms as there's. I'm sure you'll be able to find a room suitable for you" Bilbo offered. "I'm sure you won't want to move them in this state but then again if you-"

"We would greatly appreciate stopping tonight." Thorin said with a smile, he bent down next to Kili and scooped the sleeping dwarf into his harms and began walking to the room that Fili and Kili usually slept in. Fili followed his uncle and climbed into bed for the night. When Thorin left the two brothers were hugging each other in their sleep.

Bilbo looked up at the dwarf as he pulled the door shut. "I believe you will be better suited in my room- that is to say that I have the biggest bed and you may be too tall for the other beds, I wasn't trying to-"

"I cannot take your room from you Bilbo; you have already done so much for us. I am sure that one of your guest rooms will suit me fine." Thorin said waiting to be shown to a guest room, Bilbo nodded before giving Thorin the bedroom between his own and the boys' room.

After knowing that all three dwarfs were settled in their rooms, Bilbo went into the kitchen to clean up before making his way to be, locking the doors on his way. Bilbo climbed into his bed his heart heavy as he wished to know if Thorin was his soul mart for he felt as if he was starting to fall in love with the older dwarf, Thorin wasn't making it difficult for him to do so with the way he treated Bilbo as if he mattered. But what if he presented his mark to Thorin only to learn that it wasn't Thorin's name that was on his wrist or worse still it was but was rejected by the dwarven blacksmith. Bilbo closed his eyes letting sleep overtake him.


Having raised his nephews for the last 60 years Thorin had come accustomed to being a light sleeper in the case the boys needed him during the night or if they had been under attack. So when in the dead of night he heard muffled screams and sobs coming from the bedroom next to him he shot out of bed ad was out of the room before he realised it wasn't his nephews screaming but Bilbo. Thorin made his way to the hobbits door before walking into the bedroom. Bilbo was in the centre of the room ad was tangled in the sheets. The noise he was making was nearly enough to break Thorin's heart, he moved to the bed quickly, once he was at the bed he gently laid his hands on Bilbo and shook him awake. "Bilbo, come on wake up. It's a dream, nothing but a dream." Bilbo calmed down before opening his eyes.

"Thorin?" Bilbo asked as tears broke free from his eyes. Thorin moved more onto the bed with a sigh.

"It's okay Bilbo, sleep I shall make sure that you do not enter such dreams again." Thorin pulled the slightly shaking hobbit into his arms. Bilbo slowly started to calm down wrapped up in the dwarfs arms. Thorin knew he was tempting fate by doing this, he already cared too much for the hobbit, and his thoughts were filled of courting Bilbo and making him his mate.


When Bilbo woke up he was surprisingly warm, he could hear giggles coming from the hall way outside of his room. Sighing Bilbo slowly started to wake up properly and opened his eyes. The first thing he identified as from where the heat was coming from, Thorin was pressed against him in only his breeches from the night before, his hair was undone from its braids. Thorin's hair was fanned out on the pillow under their heads and Bilbo couldn't suppress the giddy feeling of being in the same bed as the dwarf. The second emotion that filled Bilbo was shock; Thorin began to wake up as the giggles outside had gotten louder.

Thorin opened his eyes and looked at Bilbo, seeing the shock written on the hobbits face made Thorin regret staying, obviously Bilbo didn't remember last night. Sighing Thorin began to move away from Bilbo as the bedroom door banged open. "Bilbo! Uncle Thorin's not- oh there you are uncle!" Kili shouted as he and his older brother jumped on the bed.

"Why are you in Bilbo's room uncle?" Fili asked from where he was sat on his uncle's legs. Thorin saw all three of the curious eyes asked him the same question.

"Bilbo was having a bad dream last night, when I came in to wake him he was upset so I stayed to help calm him down" Bilbo blushed at Thorin's words as they triggered his memory of Thorin waking him up and soothing him while wrapping his arms around him.

"So you made Bilbo's bad dreams go away like you used to with us?" Kili asked his uncle from where he had curled up against Bilbo's other side. Thorin nodded to his youngest dwarf while Fili started to fiddle with his hair.

"Uncle! You don't have your braids in! But you always said how it's forbidden around those who aren't of our kin!" Fili shouted in his uncle's ear.

"Re-braiding my hair wasn't my first thought last night when I came in here to help Bilbo and was it not you and your brother that said you thought of Bilbo as family?" All three of the younger members of the bed blushed bright red at the elders words.

Bilbo couldn't just lie in bed while the three dwarfs talked about him as if he wasn't there. "Well since were all awake why don't I make some breakfast? You two can go clean up yourselves and whatever you were playing with earlier to cause those giggles while I cook." The boy's nodded smiling before running off out of the room. Bilbo couldn't help but think of how much this had felt like home when he had woken up with Thorin and the boys running in to join them. He felt warmth spread through him thinking of what Thorin had said about the boys thinking of him as family.

Thorin sat up in the bed after the boys had left to go clean up. "I must admit that I am shocked that you have such power over them, normally I had to wrestle them to bathe while you can get them bathed almost nightly whenever you have them." Thorin said chuckling, he noticed that Bilbo's eyes trained on his chest which had been more revealed from the cover pooling around his waist, the hobbits gaze moved down to his left wrist which was when noticed that he had removed his wrist band the night before revealing his soul mark to Bilbo. Thorin felt his heart stop, what if Bilbo could read it and rejected him, he hadn't had a chance to court the hobbit yet!

"I suppose they fear I won't feed them if they don't keep clean." Bilbo said pulled his eyes away from Thorin's wrist. "Those runes on your wrist are they your soul mark?" At Thorin's nod Bilbo felt his heart ache. "Well then as must as I appreciate you helping me last night I doubt that your soul mate would-"

"My soul mate isn't mine; that is they don't know that they are my other half. Forgive me, it is normally covered up, I don't even remember removing my cuff last night or that my mark was on show." Thorin had climbed out of the bed my now, "And I apologise for making you uncomfortable from my actions last night."

"You didn't make me uncomfortable. I am sorry that I woke you up last night."

"Think nothing of it Bilbo; you have done so much for us, I am just happy that I was able to help you in some way. Can I ask do you have nightmares often?" Bilbo looked down at the floor and nodded. "Then all I can offer is my help for you during the nights if you require it and if you would like to speak about them then I will listen. " With that said Thorin left to get dressed for the day. Bilbo quickly dressed and made a start on breakfast.