Chapter 4

12 June 2010

As the registrar moves back into the office and the guests crowd together to follow him, Thorin tries to push through them to reach his fiancé and very-soon-to-be husband. Belladonna, pulling Bilbo along like a small child, is already marching towards him, calling for her husband as she goes.

"Bungo, get the flowers!" she yells as she pushes her son to stand next to Thorin. Their gazes meet and they share a nervous smile.

Bungo carefully rummages through his wife's purse, finally producing two white roses wrapped in tissue paper that he hands over to his wife. Belladonna makes quick work of the boutonnières and attaches them to the grooms' buttonholes. "From your own garden," she explains and pats Thorin's cheek. "So romantic."

Then she pulls him down to press a kiss to his forehead, does the same to her son and then pulls Bungo into the registrar's office where the other guests are already waiting.

And then it is just the two of them still out in the hall. Bilbo Baggins and Thorin Durin. About to be married.

Just for a second they stare at each other. And then another. And another.

Then someone coughs awkwardly and they turn to face the doorway and their friends and family waiting beyond. It is time. Thorin swallows, the lump in his throat still present.

Just as he takes a step forward and attempts to link arms with his fiancé, Bilbo lets out a high-pitched whine and starts flapping his hands around.

Thorin turns to fully face the man next to him and sees Bilbo taking short, shallow breaths, his hands moving frantically but not actually signing anything.

Oh shit, not now. They were both doing so well until now, not letting the panic take over. Well, not really.

"What's wrong?" Thorin finally manages to sign. But the other man ignores him. Eyes blown wide, unseeing, Bilbo seems to be far away and completely unaware of where he is or what he is supposed to be doing.

Thorin has no idea how to bring him back so he just grabs his fiancé's shoulders and shakes him gently. That actually seems to help a little since the far away gaze in Bilbo's eyes seems to lift. But Thorin still has to repeat his question three more times before the other man seems to finally realise that someone is trying to communicate with him. For a second the curly-haired man just stares at Thorin. Then his hands finally still and become capable of signing an answer.

"I forgot my handkerchief."

What? What the actual fuck?

Thorin takes a deep breath. A bloody handkerchief. A bloody stupid little handkerchief is the reason for this world-ending panic. He cannot believe that he is about to get married to a man who panics about handkerchiefs seconds before the ceremony. And he thought he was the panicky one.

"There's a handkerchief in your breast pocket," Thorin signs slowly, already knowing Bilbo's response to that.

"That's just decorative," his fiancé replies, tears now building up in his eyes. "I need a real one. I can't do this without one. I need to go back home." Thorin quickly grabs Bilbo's hand to keep him from running. Because he knows that Bilbo is fully capable of abandoning his own wedding for a bloody handkerchief.

Thorin turns his head to see every single one of their guests watching them with increasingly worried expressions. Every single one. Except-

Belladonna is already rushing towards them, waiving something around in her hand. She comes to a stop before her son, muttering "Silly boy, always wanting to be proper and then forgetting his silly handkerchief, just like his father" under her breath as she stuffs two freshly washed and ironed handkerchiefs into Bilbo's trouser pocket.

The curly-haired man sniffs absently as his mother pats his cheek and then watches as she quickly moves back to her seat in the front row. Then he turns to face Thorin.

"Sorry," he signs, grinning sheepishly. "Short panic attack." Thorin chuckles. Compared to his own panic attack, which has been ongoing for a couple of days now, this one really was short.

"I love you," he signs back and, risking the wrath of his almost-mother-in-law, quickly presses a kiss to Bilbo's smiling lips. Together they turn to face their waiting guests and their future as a married couple.