Into Action
Thorin couldn't believe his eyes. His son was perfect and he couldn't be happier about it. Bilbo chose a good name. It wasn't dwarwish, but even now Frodo looked more like a hobbit than a dwarf. Bilbo looked at Thorin who was staring at their son before placing a kiss on baby's head.
"Here," said Bilbo and offered the baby to Thorin. "You can hold him for a moment."
Thorin smiled before carefully accepting the baby. He knew how much trouble Bilbo had with giving him the baby. He wasn't sure if this was a hobbit thing or it was just his husband, but Bilbo was at the beginning always reluctant before allowing someone else to take his baby. Even Thorin, who was the father, was always under Bilbo's watchful eye after Bilbo gave birth. But in a few weeks time, when Bilbo will be exhausted after taking care of the baby he will allow everyone to hold it as long as he could get a few minutes of well deserved rest.
"Watch the head," warned Bilbo.
"I've got him, don't worry. This is not my first time holding a newborn," said Thorin.
"I know…"
"You chose a beautiful name."
Bilbo smiled and brushed his finger along Frodo's cheek. "Thank you. I'm glad that you like it."
"He looks like you," observed Thorin.
Bilbo chuckled. "He looks like both of us." Frodo was so calm in Thorin's arms that Bilbo felt bad asking for his son back so he decided to leave him with Thorin for a couple more minutes. "Next time we are trying for a girl."
Thorin smirked. "I thought you said that you are not doing this again."
"Don't get me wrong, giving birth hurts. But you were right. At the end it's all worth it. I mean, just look at him. He is just so beautiful and he is ours. For that, I would go through labor and giving birth a million times."
"Not a million times," said Thorin, "But I think we could try for a few more."
"But let's get Frodo out of nappies first, okay."
Thorin smiled and nodded. "How are you feeling?" he asked after a moment of silence.
"Good," answered Bilbo unsure where Thorin was aiming with his question.
"Good enough to allow two troublemakers to meet their new brother?"
"I guess I'm ready for that," smiled Bilbo and accepted the baby back from Thorin. "But just Frerin and Thráin," warned Bilbo, "Everyone else will have to wait a little longer."
Thorin nodded, placed a kiss on his husband's head and left the room to get his children. The second he stepped into the common room all eyes were on him, but Thorin didn't say a word, he simply smiled.
"And?" asked Dwalin who was the most impatient one.
Thorin shook his head and smiled wider. "I just came for Thráin and Frerin," Thorin explained and lifted Frerin from the armchair and adjusted him on his hip.
"Come on, Thorin," complained Dwalin. "At least tell us something."
"They are both healthy, beautiful and I love them," diplomatically answered Thorin.
"Dís could have told me that," complained Dwalin, but Thorin just shook his head and led his children to the bedroom.
Thráin wished he could just run to his Papa like he did when Frerin was born, but now he was older and he understood that he shouldn't do that. Instead he walked next to his dad who had Frerin in his arms. Thorin was really secretive about the baby and Thráin couldn't wait to see him. He couldn't help but wonder what name he got.
They arrived to the bedroom and Thorin opened the door, inviting everyone in. His Papa was lying in the bed the same way he was when Frerin was born and he was holding a small bundle in his arms.
"Hello," smiled his Papa. "Come here."
Frerin was about to explode with all the excitement so he tried to wriggle out of Thorin's grip, but Thorin held him strong and placed him on the bed. While Frerin immediately crawled to his Papa, Thráin was more reserved when he slowly approached the bed. Bilbo didn't take eyes off his oldest son until Thráin climbed into bed next to him.
"No," said Bilbo and pulled Frerin's hand away. "This is a baby, Frerin. We talked about this. You have to be gentle around him and you are not allowed to put your fingers in his mouth." Frerin was a little disappointed that Papa prevented him doing something like this, but he resigned to touching the baby's cheek. "See, you can do this. We have to be extra careful with the baby now. We can't allow anything to happen to him."
Thráin moved closer to his Papa and finally looked at the baby. He was a mixture of both of his parents, but he still more resembled Papa than dad in a way. "What's his name?"
"Frodo," answered Bilbo.
"A hobbit name," commented Thráin. "It's nice." He touched Frodo's nose. "He is so soft and beautiful. And he is cute. Frerin's reign of cuteness has finally ended," Thráin announced happily and Thorin and Bilbo both laughed.
"Come here," said Bilbo and patted on the other side of him. Thráin complied and climbed over his Papa and sat down where he was told to. Bilbo had no problem holding Frodo with one hand while he positioned Thráin's hands. "Hold them like this," he ordered and passed Frodo in Thráin's arms. He made a few adjustments so that the baby's head was supported before letting go completely. "Don't drop him," smiled Bilbo and leaned back into the pillows.
"He is so small," observed Thráin, "and so light. And you were so big. Well, you still are."
"Perks of being pregnant. I get to keep all the weight," sighed Bilbo.
"You are still beautiful, my hobbit," said Thorin and gave Bilbo a quick kiss.
"When can I play with him," asked Frerin and everyone chuckled.
"When he is a little bigger," explained Thorin and pulled him in his lap.
Frerin looked up. "When is he going to be a little bigger?"
"Too soon," sighed Bilbo.
"Can I hold him," asked Frerin.
Bilbo looked at Thorin who nodded before saying yes to Frerin. "Daddy will help you hold him."
Thráin gave Frodo to Thorin who held him in front of Frerin so that he could look at him and help his daddy support his little brother.
"Be careful," warned Bilbo again and Thorin sent him a look.
Frerin removed the blanket a little and touched Frodo's hand until Frodo held one of his fingers. "Look Papa, he is holding my hand!" Frerin exclaimed a little too loudly and Frodo let out a whimper.
"You have to be a little quieter. He has just been born and he doesn't like it when you speak loudly."
"Oh," said Frerin. "I'm sorry Frodo." He placed a kiss on Frodo's head and it warmed Bilbo's heart to see his family like this.
Thorin noticed Bilbo's look. "Why don't we give Frodo back to Papa," he suggested. Frerin shook his head. "Papa wants to hold him too." Frerin looked at Bilbo, who smiled, before he nodded. Thorin handed the baby back to Bilbo who immediately cradled him closer to his chest. Frodo calmed down immediately and let out a hum.
"When can we call Fíli and Kíli," asked Frerin.
Bilbo knew that he wouldn't be allowed some rest until everyone who was waiting would see Frodo. "Thráin, could you go to the common room please and call everyone in," requested Bilbo and Thráin nodded. He jumped off the bed and ran to the common room where everyone was waiting.
"Papa said you can come," he explained before running back to his parents' bedroom.
"Where is everyone," asked Thorin.
"They are coming," answered Thráin and climbed into bed next to his Papa.
A few seconds later Fíli and Kíli came in, excited to see their new cousin.
"Can I hold him?" asked Kíli the moment he saw the small bundle in Bilbo's arms.
"I should go first," argued Fíli. "I'm older than you."
While Fíli and Kíli were arguing Dís, Balin, Dwalin and Ori came into the room. Bilbo offered a smile to Dís who immediately understood what the hobbit was trying to say. She approached the bed and accepted the baby from him. Bilbo trusted her to hold his baby because she was around them a lot and she knew how to hold them properly and how to take care of them.
"Hey that's not fair," protested Kíli. "I wanted to hold him." It was Dwalin who smacked him over the head to make him stop talking.
Dís cradled the baby in her arms and slowly showed the baby to everyone in the room.
"Aren't you the cutest thing," cooed Kíli. "What's his name?"
Everyone, even Dís, turned to Bilbo and waited for the answer, but Bilbo just smiled in return.
"Frodo," explained Thráin and Kíli frowned.
"Pay up, brother," smiled Fíli.
"You took a bet over my son?" asked Bilbo visibly angry and annoyed that the twins would dare to do something like this.
"Not over your son," explained Fíli and waited for Kíli to pay him. "Over his name."
"And…" Bilbo wanted to know more.
"Well, we took a bet what name you would give him. Fíli bet that you would choose a hobbit name and I bet that you would chose another name from the line of Durin. Why didn't you?" whined Kíli. "There are so many names that would fit him perfectly."
"Why would I do that?" asked Bilbo.
"Because you were trying to resurrect the line. You started with Thráin, then Frerin, it made sense that Thror or something would be next."
Bilbo couldn't help but laugh at Kíli's logic. "I never saw it that way," he said between laughs.
"He does make a point," commented Thorin. "But still, Frodo is a beautiful name and he will keep it. There will be other opportunities to give our children dwarvish names," smiled Thorin and gave his husband a quick kiss.
"You are planning to have more?" questioned Dwalin with disbelief.
"I want a girl," announced Bilbo and returned the smile Dís sent him.
"You already have three and you want more?" questioned Dwalin who still didn't believe what he heard.
"I don't see the problem," said Bilbo. "I'm not that old."
"Never said you were-"
"Then where is the problem," interrupted Bilbo. "I want to have more children and Thorin here is more than willing to help me make my wish come true."
"Papa!" exclaimed Thráin.
"Oh, hush you," smiled Bilbo, "You are just like your father so I can only imagine how many grandchildren I will get."
Thráin's eyes widened. "I cannot believe you just said that. I'm twelve!"
"Few months ago you were announcing that you are practically an adult and that we should show you some respect and now you are twelve again," teased Thorin. "Which is it now?"
"I don't want to have children… now," Thráin added.
"But in the future?" asked Bilbo.
"I guess. Maybe. I don't know."
"With Tora?" asked Kíli and Thráin turned red, but he didn't answer his question.
"You have a beautiful child," said Balin when Dís showed him Frodo.
"Thank you," smiled Bilbo.
"When can we make the announcement?"
Bilbo sighed. He knew this was coming. He knew that Thorin would want to announce it immediately, but he for some reason wasn't ready. So many rules came with presenting a new heir to the people and Bilbo didn't like them. This was his baby and he didn't feel comfortable sharing Frodo with anyone for now, except his family.
"You can make the announcement," answered Thorin instead of his and Bilbo sent him a look. "Announce the birth of the new heir to the throne, Prince Frodo, son of Thorin, King Under the Mountain." Bilbo wanted to protest but Thorin continued. "He will be presented to everyone on Durin's day," Thorin decided and Balin nodded in understanding.
Bilbo let out a breath. This would give him almost three months with his baby and without anyone nagging him that he should show the baby to his people.
Thorin leaned closer to him. "Will that be enough time for you?" he whispered in his ear. Bilbo nodded.
"I think we should leave," suggested Ori. "They need some time alone."
Dís returned to Bilbo his baby before ushering everyone out. "I want to hold him tomorrow," called Kíli before Fíli managed to get him out of the room.
"Come on, little one," said Dís to Frerin. "You need to get some sleep."
"No," protested Frerin. "I want to stay here with Papa and daddy and Frodo."
"You can see them tomorrow," argued Dís. "It's late and it's time for you to go to bed."
"Noooo," whined Frerin. "Just a few more minutes."
"Papa is tired," explained Thorin. "He needs to get some sleep. Tomorrow we can spend some time together." Frerin pouted before allowing Thorin to put him off the bed. "Thráin, you too," ordered Thorin. "You can barely keep your eyes open," he said after Thráin yawned.
"I'll see you tomorrow," said Thráin before placing a kiss on Bilbo's cheek. He jumped off the bed and dragged Frerin out of the room with him.
"Bye, bye, Papa!" Frerin called and Bilbo couldn't help but smile.
"You need to rest," ordered Dís after the boys left. "Three days of bed rest." She turned to Thorin. "I trust you brother to keep an eye on him. Both of them," said Dís before she left the room, leaving Thorin and Bilbo alone with their baby.
"He is smaller than Frerin when he was born," noted Thorin.
"Really? Because he didn't feel any smaller to me when I gave birth to him," snorted Bilbo.
"How are you feeling? Are you in a lot of pain?"
"No. It's not that bad."
"Was everything okay?"
"Yes, everything went as it should go. Dís checked me after and said that he didn't tear me that bad so it should heal faster than the last time."
"That's good. I'm happy that both of you are safe." Frodo stirred again and opened his eyes. They were crystal blue, just like Thorin's. "He has my eyes."
"He got almost everything from you," said Bilbo. "Except for ears. Those came from me." Frodo let out a cry before and Bilbo spoke again. "Help me a little. I will try to feed him." Thorin did as he was told and a few minutes later Frodo was getting his first meal while Bilbo hummed an old lullaby.
"He certainly has a hobbit appetite," commented Thorin.
"He can eat as much as he wants," said Bilbo and adjusted Frodo a little. "I only get to nurse him for a few months and because of that I want him to take his time and enjoy his meals."
"I will ask you in a few weeks if you feel the same."
"I will," assured him Bilbo, but Thorin knew better. In a few weeks when Bilbo will be tired and cranky he will do everything possible to get the feeding done as fast as he could. He will allow even Fíli and Kíli watch over Frodo just so that he will be able to get a few minutes of sleep. Bilbo will start counting the days when Frodo will be old enough to eat other foods, not only his milk. "Can you get me one blanket from the drawer?"
Thorin nodded and went to the nursery to get what Bilbo told him to. "Which one do you want?" Thorin called.
"Bring the white one."
Thorin returned a few seconds later with a blanket, nappy and a blue onesie. Bilbo rolled his eyes when he saw what his husband brought. "What? He will look so cute wearing this," Thorin defended.
"As long as it's blue he will look cute to you."
"I like blue."
Bilbo didn't want to argue that Frodo would also look cute in yellow or red so he accepted what his husband brought him. He waited for Frodo to finish nursing to carefully put his nappy on and dress him in the blue onesie that Thorin brought him. His husband was there all the time and helped him take care of their newborn.
They decided that Frodo will sleep with them for the next three days because Bilbo was not allowed to leave the bed and this was the easiest way to tend their child. They fell asleep with Frodo between them.
:::
It wasn't much of a surprise that Frodo slept through the entire night. He was full and comfortable and he was tired from the previous day so there was no reason to disturb his parents. Bilbo woke up relatively early in the morning because he needed to use the toilet. The difference to the previous night was that this morning he felt a little discomfort while he tried to move so the only thing he could do was wake up Thorin.
Thorin wake up after a few calls from his husband. "What is it?" Thorin mumbled into the pillow.
"I need to use the toilet and it hurts too much," Bilbo explained. Thorin grumbled something and got out of the bed. "No," started Bilbo, "We can't leave him alone," he said and looked at Frodo who was still sleeping peacefully. "Put him in the crib." Thorin did what his husband told him and put Frodo in the crib in the nursery before helping Bilbo.
Before they returned to the bedroom they heard crying from the nursery. Here we go again, thought Thorin. Bilbo insisted to sit in the rocking chair in the nursery while he fed Frodo and Thorin didn't want to argue with him, but he was worried what Dís would say if she would see him.
He needed to leave them alone for a moment because he urgently needed to talk to Fíli who will be taking on his duties for two weeks. He trusted his nephew and he knew they would know how to handle annoying council members.
"Balin, "greeted Thorin as he entered the common room.
"Good morning. How did you sleep?" Balin asked.
"Very good, thank you," answered Thorin who was still in his sleeping clothes and will probably remain in them for the rest of the day.
"How is the little one?"
"So far he is doing great. Bilbo is feeding him at the moment and it may take a while. He has the appetite of a hobbit."
Balin chuckled. "As long as he is healthy." His face became serious again. "Have you told him?" Balin asked quietly.
"No, not yet. I don't want to upset him right now."
"You must tell him, Thorin. You've been avoiding this conversation for weeks now."
"It's been a busy few weeks," pointed out Thorin.
"Aye, but Dain is still expecting an answer. And he is expecting it soon."
Thorin shook his head and sighed. "Fine, I'll talk with my husband about this as soon as possible, but I'm not making any promises."
Balin nodded.
A few seconds passed and Fíli and Kíli appeared in the common room, both dressed and ready to go to the meeting with Balin. "Uncle," they greeted.
"Nephews," said Thorin.
"So what boring stuff are we doing today?" Kíli asked and Thorin groaned. A few minutes ago he was sure that this was the right thing to do, but he suddenly changed his mind. "Don't worry uncle, we have everything under control," smiled Kíli. "Have we ever let you down?"
"Do you want me to answer this question?"
Kíli frowned. "Not really, no. But don't worry, we will do our best," Kíli reassured his uncle.
"I trust you," said Thorin, not having much of a choice.
"Don't worry, Laddie. I'll keep an eye on them," said Balin.
"Thank you."
"You better go," said Fíli. "Frodo has a dirty nappy and your loving husband is waiting for you to change it."
Thorin rolled his eyes before he ushered them to the meeting. He then went back to the nursery where Bilbo was waiting for him in the rocking chair.
Bilbo smiled when he saw him enter. "I promised you that you can change his first nappy, so here he is," Bilbo said and offered Frodo to his husband.
"How gracious of you to allow me the honors," said Thorin before accepting his son and changing his nappy while Bilbo was smiling and watching him from the rocking chair.
:::
Three days passed very quickly while taking care of Frodo and Bilbo was happy when he was finally allowed to leave the bed. He wasn't in pain anymore, but he still had his belly, which he knew it will take some time before it will go down. Frerin apparently enjoyed seeing his Papa still having a belly. He was constantly asking if he will get another brother and Bilbo thought it sweet that his son was so excited about his new brother.
But Thorin was right. Frodo had a hobbit appetite and if wasn't fed every few hours he started crying and even though he was only a few days old it wasn't a pleasant sound. Thorin helped where he could and Bilbo was happy that his husband stayed with them only if for a short period of time. Fíli and Kíli did very good at the meetings and with everything that Balin told them to do and Thorin was very proud of his nephews.
Bilbo was just about to take a bath after he cleaned the bedroom when Frodo started crying once again. Bilbo sighed, put his robe on and went to check on his son. "What is it, sweetheart?" Bilbo cooed as he lifted Frodo from the crib. Everything appeared to be in order. Frodo was clean, warm enough and he was fed not two hours ago so he should hold for at least another hour. Frodo continued to cry and Bilbo didn't know what to do. "Don't tell me you are hungry again?" he asked as he sat down in the rocking chair. The moment Frodo was given access to Bilbo's milk he stopped crying. "So we went from four, to three and now we are on two hours time when you demand food," Bilbo said and watched Frodo's chin move while he nursed.
"You are feeding him again?" asked Thorin as he entered the nursery. "You fed him not two hours ago."
"Apparently he has a hobbit appetite," sighed Bilbo. "But I'm sure he will stop very soon. He can't be that hungry."
To Bilbo's surprise, Frodo took his time and Bilbo spend almost twenty minutes feeding him. He couldn't understand how Frodo was able to drink so much, but he didn't say anything.
"Give him to me," said Thorin. "I'll clean him and put him down. In the meantime you can take a bath." Bilbo smiled and passed Frodo to his husband. "Hello sweetheart," cooed Thorin. "You are one handsome prince you know that. And you eat so much, no wonder you are heavier every day." Thorin gently rocked Frodo back to sleep before putting him back to the crib.
Bilbo was enjoying his bath, when Thorin came in. "Hi, love. Do you want to join me?" Bilbo asked.
Thorin shook his head. "No, I wanted to talk with you about something."
Bilbo immediately panicked that something was wrong. "Is something wrong?"
"No, I just need to ask you something." Bilbo looked at Thorin indicating that he should continue. "Last time when Dain was here-"
"Oh no," groaned Bilbo. He had a feeling where this conversation was going.
Thorin took a breath before he continued where Bilbo interrupted him. "Last time he was here we talked about some things and he suggested that we would spend the celebrations around Durin's day together. Since he knows you are with child and I assume Balin already informed him that you gave birth, he offered that his delegation would come to Erebor."
"How thoughtful of him," mocked Bilbo, while he was still sitting in a bath.
"I have been avoiding this for weeks-"
"I can see that."
"-And I want to know what your opinion on this matter."
Bilbo sighed. "It wouldn't sound very nice if you say 'my Consort doesn't want you here'. You and I both know that you have to say yes, they can come. But let me tell you this Thorin Oakenshield, I am not happy about this so don't expect me to jump with excitement. Also," continued Bilbo. "I don't want him staying in our quarters. There are enough rooms in this mountain, he can sleep somewhere else."
"You still didn't forget?"
"Nope," said Bilbo, "And if you want to sleep in our bed you will do as I tell you. He clearly has no limits," muttered Bilbo.
"It was a joke."
"A joke? I'm sorry Thorin but I will never take his comments about our sex life as a joke. And at our dinner table where our children sat and listened. I will not allow this," continued Bilbo. "I understand that you are the King and that I have to present my children like they are some sort of a exhibit but that doesn't mean that everyone has to know what we do in our bedroom. The inappropriate questions he asked… Just thinking about it makes my blood going."
"He is from the Iron Hills. They are more open about things like this," tried Thorin.
"I don't care. If he opens his mouth again I will be the one who will sign his banishment."
"I will tell him to watch what he says," promised Thorin.
"Tell him not to open his mouth," ordered Bilbo and stood up, revealing his naked body to his husband. Thorin had to swallow hard before he was able to tear his eyes away and help his husband out. "Thank you," said Bilbo when Thorin offered him his robe.
"I love you," whispered Thorin in Bilbo's ear and gave him a kiss.
"Love you, too." Bilbo hugged Thorin for a second. "I need to prepare lunch. I have a feeling that Thráin will bring Tora today."
"And you will allow her to see Frodo?"
"Of course," answered Bilbo plainly and went to the bedroom to find something to wear.
:::
Bilbo was right; he was in the middle of preparing lunch when Thráin came into the kitchen, Tora following close behind.
"What's for lunch?" Thráin asked and opened everything that was on the stove. "We haven't eaten this in ages," smiled Thráin. "When can we eat?"
"In about half an hour," answered Bilbo and added some ingredients while Tora eyed him suspiciously. "Is something wrong?" Bilbo asked when he noticed Tora staring at him.
"You look different," Tora observed and Bilbo smiled, but he didn't say anything. He had a feeling Thráin didn't tell her about Frodo and for some strange reason Balin still didn't make the announcement.
"Come, I have to show you something," said Thráin and pulled Tora out of the kitchen.
"Go wash your hands first," reminded him Bilbo.
"Yes, Papa," Thráin called before they disappeared.
"We can't go in here," said Tora when Thráin led her into his parents' bedroom after they washed their hands. "This is your parents' bedroom."
"We can go," assured her Thráin and pushed the door open. Tora didn't expect that Thráin will take her to the nursery and her eyes widened when she saw Thorin sitting on a rocking chair and Frerin standing next to the crib. "Hi dad," said Thráin quietly and approached the crib where Frodo was sleeping.
"Just try not to wake him up," said Thorin quietly as he watched all of them look at Frodo.
"When can we wake him up?"
"When it's time for feeding," answered Thorin.
"I didn't know he was born and you didn't tell me," accused Tora. "How old is he?"
"Almost four days," explained Thorin. "Frerin," he warned, "Don't do that."
Frerin pulled his finger out of Frodo's mouth. "He likes that."
"No he doesn't. You wouldn't like if I would put fingers in your mouth, would you."
"No," admitted Frerin.
"Just don't do that anymore, okay?"
Frerin nodded. "But Papa can put things in his mouth."
"Yes, because Papa needs to feed him," explained Thorin. "When he is a little bigger he won't need Papa to feed him and he will eat with us."
"Wake up, Frodo," said Frerin and shook him up a little. Thorin knew that Frerin just wanted to get some attention, but he warned him several times not to wake him and Frerin was doing just that.
"Okay, that's enough," said Thorin and scooped Frerin up. "That was the third warning. You get two minutes out."
"No," protested Frerin and tried to wriggle out of Thorin's hold.
"Two minutes," repeated Thorin and sat him down in his room. "Sit here or two minutes will be added." Frerin pouted but Thorin didn't fall for his trick. He came back exactly two minutes later.
"I won't do that again, I promise. I'm sorry," Frerin whined.
"You are forgiven. Come, let's go check what Papa is doing."
Frerin immediately ran to the kitchen. "Papa!"
"Where's the fire, Frerin?" Bilbo laughed and scooped him up.
"I had some time out."
"You did?" asked Bilbo. "Why?"
Frerin rolled his eyes first. "Because Frodo is sleeping." He sighed. "He is seeping all the time."
"He is little and he needs his sleep. Do you want to hear him cry?" Bilbo asked and smiled when his husband entered the kitchen.
Frerin shook his head. "I want to play with him."
"I tell you what, when he wakes up and he is full you can play with him."
Frerin smiled with excitement and allowed Bilbo to put him down before he ran out of the kitchen.
"Time out, huh?"
"I warned him three times," defended Thorin. "He was testing my patience."
"You did the right thing," said Bilbo and closed the distance between them. "You are very handsome when you pretend to be a stern father."
Thorin smiled and pulled him closer so that he could feel Bilbo's breathing on his lips. "The things I want to do to you right now," groaned Thorin and pressed their lips together in a passionate kiss that left them both panting for air. "We haven't done this in ages."
"Soon, I promise," said Bilbo and gave his husband another kiss. "Frodo?"
"Thráin and Tora are with him, don't worry."
"I don't."
"Yes you do. Nothing will happen to him," said Thorin.
"I know. I just need to know he is okay." Bilbo gave Thorin another kiss. "Lunch will be ready any minute."
"I will send Thráin to help you and I will put Frodo in the bassinet so you will have him close," said Thorin before Bilbo could say anything else.
"That's why I married you," smiled Bilbo and returned to the cooking.
:::
Fíli and Kíli joined them for lunch, but they had to leave shortly after because they had another meeting. Thorin didn't envy them in the slightest. He enjoyed spending some free time with his family. After lunch he helped to clean the kitchen while Bilbo fed Frodo and Frerin was there to 'supervise' everything.
Bilbo found a comfortable position on the bed and allowed Frodo to start feeding. Frerin was sitting next to him watching Frodo closely while he nursed.
"What is he eating?"
"He is drinking my milk," explained Bilbo.
"Does it hurt?"
"No," smiled Bilbo. "He is very gentle."
"Can I do that too?" asked Frerin.
"No. You are too big. This is only for Frodo," explained Bilbo. Frerin pouted a little, but Bilbo didn't care. Frerin was five years old, he was eating solid food and he was breastfed for a good half a year. It was more than enough.
"When is he going to finish?"
"When he is full. He needs to eat to grow so that he can play with you." Frerin beamed with excitement and waited patiently for Frodo to finish. After that Bilbo gently laid Frodo on the bed so that Frerin could play with him while he was still awake. "Watch him," ordered Bilbo and buttoned up his shirt before he disappeared for a second in the nursery.
He brought back a clean nappy and a yellow onesie. For the last few days Thorin kept changing Frodo into a blue one and Bilbo had enough. "We need to change him," Bilbo explained and sat on the bed. He put a blanket under Frodo before he removed his clothes and his dirty nappy.
"It smells," protested Frerin and moved away.
Bilbo chuckled. "You still wear a nappy," he pointed out.
"I don't want to."
"Yesterday when daddy changed your nappy it was wet."
"It won't happen again, I promise."
"We'll see," said Bilbo and continued to change Frodo. He cleaned him, put a clean nappy on him and dressed him. He allowed Frerin to play with him. Well basically Frerin just made silly faces and cooed over his little brother, but he was so happy that he was allowed to do this that Bilbo didn't have the heart to tell him to be more careful or to stop.
A few minutes later Thráin and Tora joined them in the room. Thráin was immediately on the bed, while Tora was a little more reserved and didn't want to sit on the bed even after Bilbo invited her to do so.
Thorin joined them a minute later and he lifted Tora up when he entered the bedroom. Tora didn't suspect something like this and jumped with surprise when Thorin lifted her up. He apologized and put her down on the bed. Bilbo couldn't help but chuckle at Tora's embarrassment.
"I forgot that you are twelve," groaned Thorin and sat behind his husband.
"This would work better on Frerin," smiled Bilbo and gave his husband a kiss. "I apologize again for having a husband who sometimes acts like a child."
"It's alright," said Tora and finally relaxed. She did feel a little uncomfortable due to the fact that she was sitting on the King's bed, with his Consort and their children, but Bilbo and Thorin behaved like normal parents so there was no reason she should feel uncomfortable.
Bilbo relaxed into his husband and watched their children interact with a smile on his lips.
"We will need a bigger bed," whispered Thorin in his ear.
"Why?"
"It's getting crowded in here. If we add another child we won't be able to sit on this bed."
"But I like this bed," almost whined Bilbo. "Besides, when they are older they won't even dare to sit on our bed," he whispered in Thorin's ear. "If they knew what we do in this bed…" Bilbo trailed off when he felt Thorin move a little behind him.
"Is it wrong that I have a boner while our children are here?" teased Thorin.
"Yes," smiled Bilbo.
"Then you will just have to stay like this until it goes away. I must warn you, it could take hours," said Thorin and pulled Bilbo even closer between his legs. Bilbo could feel Thorin's eagerness pressing into his backside and he couldn't help but to tease a little. He rolled his hips enough to get a stifled moan from his husband.
"What are you two doing?" asked Thráin and eyed his parents.
"Absolutely nothing," quickly answered Bilbo, a little embarrassed that they were caught. Well, that's what you get when you are teasing your husband in a room full of children.
"Just don't, okay?" ordered Thráin. "Not while we are here. When we leave you two can do whatever you want."
"We are not doing anything," repeated Bilbo.
"Mhmmm," said Thráin plainly and turned his attention back to Frodo.
Thorin was in a mood for a little more teasing and he pulled his husband closer, if that was even possible. Bilbo's eyes widened. "Thorin!"
Thráin looked at his parents again.
"What?" asked Thorin and smiled. "We are just sitting here."
Thráin raised an eyebrow before looking back at Frodo.
"You have to stop doing this," playfully warned Bilbo. He took a deep breath to calm down. His body wasn't ready for this no matter how much he wanted to pull clothes off his husband and have his way. "A few more weeks, I promise."
"I can't wait," said Thorin and placed a kiss on Bilbo's lips.
"Do you know if Balin has already sent the invite to Dain?"
"I think he didn't. Why?"
"No reason," answered Bilbo before relaxing into his husband. These next few weeks will be a pure torture.
:::
It was in the middle of the night when Frodo woke them up, again, with a cry. "I'll get him," said Thorin before Bilbo managed to open his eyes. Thorin walked to the nursery and rubbed his sleepy eyes. "What is it, sweetheart?" Of course Frodo couldn't answer him and he continued to cry. Thorin lifted him up and took him to the bedroom where Bilbo was already waiting for them. He opened his shirt because he had a pretty good idea why Frodo woke them up again.
"Come here, love," said Bilbo and accepted still crying baby from his husband. Frodo let out a few whimpers but calmed down enough so that Bilbo could start feeding him. "Why are you doing this to us? You were fed two and a half hours ago," sighed Bilbo and checked if Frodo was getting the milk.
"Frerin and Thráin both lasted at least four hours between feedings," pointed out Thorin and sat on the bed.
"He is just hungry," answered Bilbo and closed his eyes for a second. He was tired and waking up every two hours wasn't what he was looking forward to.
"He is hungry all the time."
"It will stop," said Bilbo. "I know that this won't last long," he tried to convince himself more than assure Thorin. Bilbo looked down at his son who was nursing happily. "He is greedy today. He is drinking so fast like I don't feed him at all."
"He knows the good stuff," smiled Thorin and Bilbo sent him a look.
"I won't be able to do this for long. He wakes up approximately every two hours. He spends almost half an hour nursing, during which I can't fall asleep. Once he is done he needs another ten minutes to fall back to sleep and then he needs changing and before we are done we have been awake for almost an hour. Then I need some time to fall back asleep and before I know it he is up again demanding to be fed," complained Bilbo.
"Like you said, he won't be doing this for long."
"I certainly hope so," sighed Bilbo and relaxed into the pillows. As expected it took Frodo almost half an hour to stop nursing. Bilbo had a feeling he was full after twenty minutes, but Frodo continued to drink so Bilbo allowed him to stop when he wanted. When Bilbo removed him to button up his shirt, Frodo was already half asleep.
"I'll take him," said Thorin. "You can go back to sleep."
"Are you sure?" asked Bilbo and yawned.
"I'm sure. Now go back to sleep. You are tired." Bilbo didn't say anything else. He just climbed back under the covers and fell back asleep.
Thorin took Frodo to the nursery where he changed him while he slept and then wrapped him into a warm blanket. He put him into the crib for a moment so that he could find his boots and his coat. He got dressed as quickly as possible, picked up Frodo form the crib and left the quarters.
He did surprise the guards that were waiting outside when he opened the doors. Few of them were sleeping but woke up immediately when they heard the doors open and close. All eight guards stared at their King and the small bundle in his arms, but Thorin didn't say anything, he just continued walking like nothing happened. Balin apparently made the announcement, because six guards decided to follow him. Everyone was always so eager to find out how the new heir to the throne looked like and that's why Thorin took appropriate precautions and wrapped Frodo tightly in a blanket and held him close to his chest so that no one could see him. It was Bilbo's wish to do so and who was Thorin to argue with an overprotective hobbit.
The guards followed their king through the mountain at the safe distance so that they could pretend it was a coincidence that they were there. Thorin just shook his head at their attempts and continued walking. He would never be able to do that during the day. Too many people would be interested in Frodo so it was much easier to take him for a walk during the night. Bilbo would kill him if he knew that he took Frodo out, but this meant so much to Thorin because he was able to spend some time alone with his son.
"Thorin," called Dwalin. He wasn't loud but he still managed to startle his friend. "What are you doing here?" Thorin turned around and showed Dwalin the small bundle in his arms. "You started early with this one."
"What can I say? Bilbo fell asleep and I took the opportunity to show him around," explained Thorin quietly.
Dwalin turned around only to see six guards pretending to just stand in the middle of the corridor. "There are six guards following you."
"I know."
"I didn't order them to do this," explained Dwalin.
"I know. Neither did I."
"Do you want me to send them away?"
"No," said Thorin and adjusted Frodo a little. "They can stay. After all, what I'm holding in my arms is worth more than all the gold in Erebor."
Dwalin smiled. "I assume Bilbo doesn't know you took him."
"Nope, he would skin me alive if he knew I took him out without his permission. But he can't stay in the chambers for the next few months, he needs to see his kingdom."
"Thráin will be king," reminded him Dwalin.
"True, but this will always be his home and his people. He is a prince after all."
"Can I see him?" asked Dwalin. Thorin nodded and removed the blanket a little so that his friend could see his son. "He looks bigger. It's been only four days."
"He eats every two hours. He is not that much bigger than the last time you saw him, but he doesn't look like he has just been born. He looks like a healthy boy," concluded Thorin.
"Aye, that he does." Dwalin stared at the baby for a few more minutes before he spoke again. "Two hours, you say?"
"Yes," sighed Thorin. "He needs to be fed every two hours or he starts crying. What can I say? He is more like Bilbo than Thráin and Frerin will ever be."
"I fear the day when he will start talking," chucked Dwalin. "I already feel bad for everyone who will be sent to do negotiations with us. Now you have one hobbit, if there were two… just imagine what they could do."
Thorin smiled. "They will take very good care of my kingdom."
Dwalin just shook his head. "Come, let's talk a little while everyone is still asleep." Thorin nodded and followed his friend. "So, Dain is coming to visit?"
"I think so. I told Balin to send the invite but I'm not sure if he will come."
"You don't sound happy about it," pointed out Dwalin.
"Bilbo doesn't want him here."
"Because of what happened the last time he was here?" Thorin just nodded. "He would come for a few weeks, nothing more."
"I'm worried that he will say something and you know how Bilbo reacts when he is angry."
"He wouldn't take the children away from you."
"He wouldn't," agreed Thorin. "But he knows a lot of other ways to make my life a living hell."
Dwalin smirked. "Do you even hear yourself?" he laughed. "A hobbit dictates your life. You have fallen low, my King."
"He and our children are my life. So what if he controls me a little," defended Thorin.
"A little?" Dwalin laughed. "You cave to his every whim. If he would tell you to empty the treasury and give everything to the tree shaggers you would do it. You know you would."
"He would never tell me to do something like this," argued Thorin and Dwalin raised an eyebrow. "But you are right," admitted Thorin, "I would do it. I would argue with him, but at the end I would do it."
"The things we do for love," smiled Dwalin and patted his friend on the back. "Let's head back. I want you in one piece tomorrow."
"You just want to get rid of me," pointed out Thorin. "You know, they are your guards so you can do whatever you want with them."
"I have no idea what are you talking about," lied Dwalin even if he knew that Thorin saw right through him.
"Right," teased Thorin. "So you weren't checking on them? I know you and I know how you like to scare them during the night."
"They were sleeping on their duty," explained Dwalin. "I will not tolerate that!"
"Yes, we have so many enemies," joked Thorin.
"Don't joke about things like that. They are not allowed to sleep while they are on duty!"
"Alright, calm down. You are allowed to do whatever you want. You were right. It would be best if I return. I don't want Bilbo to find out I took Frodo."
"I'll see you later."
Thorin nodded before he returned back to the quarters. He left his boots in the common room so that he wouldn't wake Bilbo up. The first thing he did was put Frodo back into his crib. Bilbo was still sleeping so Thorin decided to check on Frerin and Thráin. Thráin was sleeping peacefully so Thorin didn't have to do anything. Frerin on the other hand made a mess out of his covers so it took Thorin a few minutes to untangle them and tuck Frerin in before he left the room.
He returned back to the bedroom and joined his husband under the covers. Bilbo immediately snuggled into him and Thorin pulled him closer. He inhaled Bilbo's curls which before he relaxed.
"You took him out," mumble Bilbo in his sleep and Thorin froze. "I'm not angry now, I'll be angry in the morning." Thorin rolled his eyes before he pressed a kiss on Bilbo's head and fell asleep.
:::
In the morning Thorin pretended like nothing happened during the night, but he knew that Bilbo was just waiting for the opportunity to be alone with him. From the moment they woke up they weren't alone not even for a minute. First they needed to take care of Frodo, then Frerin demanded their attention. He didn't want them to play with him, but he wanted to be around Frodo all the time and they needed to keep an eye on him. After breakfast Fíli wanted to talk about a few things with Thorin and even if Thorin said that he is taking two weeks off he couldn't say no to his nephew. Fíli was new at this and he needed some help.
Once Fíli and Kíli left, Thráin refused to go to the lessons. Thorin had a feeling that after Thráin leaves they will have to talk so he insisted to escort Thráin to the lessons. Both Bilbo and Thráin protested, but Thorin insisted and at the end Thráin was forced to agree on the embarrassing walk with his dad to the lessons. He wasn't little anymore.
"You don't have to go with me." Thráin did his best to get rid of his father as quickly as possible.
"I want to."
Thráin eyes him suspiciously. "No you don't! You are just avoiding Papa."
"I'm not."
"Yes you are! What did you do?" asked Thráin.
"Nothing," lied Thorin and avoided eye contact.
"I'm telling," threatened Thráin.
"Listen, you little traitor," playfully said Thorin, "You can go with me down to the markets and skip history if you don't say anything."
"That bad, huh?" teased Thráin.
"Take it or leave it."
"I want to go to Dale with Fíli and Kíli tomorrow." Thorin wanted to protest. "Take it or leave it," said Thráin quickly.
"Fine you little brat, you have a deal," smiled Thorin. "But you better make sure that Papa believes you that I had to stay with you for so long."
"He can't resist these eyes," said Thráin and made perfect puppy eyes.
"Mhmmm. Let's go down to the markets," said Thorin and gently pushed Thráin so that he started walking.
"Dad?"
"Yes son?"
"You are afraid of Papa," teased Thráin. "The mightiest of the dwarf lords is afraid of a hobbit."
Thorin looked down at his son while they walked. "Will you ever stop teasing?"
"Never!" Thorin rolled his eyes. "Someone has to. Everyone else if afraid of you because you are the King."
"And you are not afraid?"
"Of course not. Papa is always pulling all the strings."
"You still want to go to Dale tomorrow?" asked Thorin.
"You still want me to tell Papa you were busy?" returned Thráin. Thorin just shook his head. He couldn't believe that his own son was playing him.
"You should show me some respect, after all, I'm your father," said Thorin calmly.
"Exactly, you are my dad. And now I'm walking with my dad to the markets. Papa said that for two weeks you are not the King. I like it that way."
"Because you don't have to behave," added Thorin.
"Exactly," smiled Thráin.
"You are worse than Fíli and Kíli sometimes."
"You raised me," pointed out Thráin.
"It looks like I didn't raise you. I have spoiled you. My father would have dropped dead on the spot if he would hear you talk like this."
Thráin took Thorin's hand. "But you are not my grandfather, you are my dad and I love you. You and Papa are the best and there are no better parents than you two in Middle-Earth."
Thorin smiled with pride. "And there is no better son."
:::
After Thorin escorted Thráin to his lessons and apologized to the teacher, he had nothing else to do but to return to the quarters. He knew that Bilbo will want to talk, but he couldn't avoid his husband anymore. Bilbo was sitting with Frerin on the floor in the middle of the common room. Frerin once again dragged all his toys out and Bilbo was the one who had to play with him. Frodo was in a bassinet close to him, sleeping peacefully.
"Daddy!"
"Hi, sweetheart," said Thorin and sat down next to him.
Bilbo ignored him for a minute before he spoke. "I need to talk to you," he said calmly. Thorin nodded and stood up. Bilbo cradled Frodo close to his chest. "I'll be right back," he said to Frerin.
Thorin followed Bilbo to their bedroom and closed the door. Even if Frodo was with them he knew that Bilbo couldn't be very angry at him. "I need to inform you of something."
"Okay," said Thorin carefully.
"I spoke to Balin this morning. He still hasn't sent the invite yet so I decided to invite a few people."
Thorin had no idea what Bilbo was talking about. "Who did you invite?" Bilbo looked at his husband and Thorin immediately understood. "You have got to be joking!"
"Shhhhh…"
"Oh that's why you brought him," accused Thorin.
"Don't yell at me!"
Thorin took a deep breath. "I just cannot believe you would do something like that," he continued more calmly.
"You didn't want to say anything so I took the matter in my hands."
"What are you trying to prove by inviting her here?" Thorin thought about this for a second. "Who told you about her?"
"Not important," answered Bilbo.
"It was Ori, wasn't it?" Bilbo remained silent. "I'm going to skin Dwalin for telling him."
"Don't blame him. You should have told me!"
"I told you to drop the subject."
"I can't. You are my husband. I have the right to know."
"We talked about this and I told you to drop the subject."
"No!" protested Bilbo.
"So what are planning to do? Interrogate her about our sex life?"
"No."
"Then why? Is this some kind of test I need to pass?" asked Thorin.
"No. I just want to get to know her." Thorin just shook his head and stormed out of the room. "Thorin!" called Bilbo. "Thorin, come back! We are not done!" Once Bilbo realized that his husband won't return he hurried after him. He caught him right in the moment before Thorin would storm out of the quarters. "Thorin!"
Thorin closed the doors and turned around to meet his husband's eyes. "I need a moment alone. Can you understand that or would you feel better if one of the guards comes with me so that you can have me supervised?"
"Can we talk about this?" asked Bilbo calmly.
"If we would talk it would require for you to listen, but you can't do that, can you? You just inform me of your decisions!"
"Thorin!" Bilbo raised his voice.
"Stop!" cried Frerin and both Bilbo and Thorin calmed down immediately.
"It's okay, sweetheart. We are just talking about some things."
"Oh, don't lie to him. We are yelling at each other because you pissed me off!" explained Thorin.
Bilbo was doing his best not to slap Thorin in the moment he spoke those words, but he held back. "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't expect for you to take it like this."
"You knew I wouldn't like this," said Thorin calmly, but Bilbo knew he was still angry.
"I'm sorry. I just… I'm angry because you don't want to talk about these things," explained Bilbo. "You are always avoiding this subject like you are hiding something. I told you everything."
"I'm not hiding anything. I wanted to prevent exactly this situation we are now in."
"How would that-"
"You were fine with my past to the moment I told you something," interrupted Thorin. "Now you can't let it go. I'm not angry that you invited her. As far as I care you can invite whoever you want. I'm angry because you don't trust me. For Mahal's sake, we have been married for fifteen years, we have three children together and then you accuse me I'm hiding something from you."
"I just couldn't let it go. I wanted to know," cried Bilbo.
"You won't get any more information from her than you got from me because there is nothing to tell and it happened ages ago. I married you because I love you. You are my world and no one will change that."
"I'm sorry," whispered Bilbo.
"I know."
"Do you forgive me?"
Thorin only nodded in response.
"Now kiss," demanded Frerin. Thorin and Bilbo looked at their son. "You must kiss because I don't believe you."
Thorin just smirked and complied with Frerin's demand. He pressed a lingering kiss to his husband's lips. After a minute Frerin's 'awww' turned into 'ewww' and they pulled apart, smiling.
"I'm really sorry."
"It's fine. We'll deal with it, don't worry. We can make the excuse that Dís wanted to invite her."
Bilbo smiled. "That's actually a really good idea." He hugged Thorin carefully because he was still carrying Frodo. "You thought I wanted to talk about you taking my children out in the middle of the night."
"Yeah," admitted Thorin. "Wait. Children?"
"You thought I didn't know that my children often disappeared with you in the middle of the night?"
"So you knew?" asked Thorin.
"Are you surprised?"
"Not really, no," said Thorin. "Then why did you say that you will be angry at me in the morning?"
"I said that?" Bilbo was surprised by information Thorin just gave him. "I remember no such thing. All I remember is you coming back to the room with Frodo."
"Apparently you can see in the future," said Thorin.
"Why?"
"Because last night you said you will be angry."
"Well I'm not angry anymore," answered Bilbo. "And to answer your question, yes, I always knew when you took one of our children out. The first night when Thráin disappeared from his crib I almost had a panic attack, but then I saw you come back with him and I knew he was safe."
"And I thought you didn't know." Thorin was a little disappointed that this wasn't his secret and that his husband knew about this from the beginning.
"Can you kiss again?" asked Frerin.
Thorin smiled and scooped him up. "I'll be kissing Papa for the rest of my life."
"Really?"
"Really," assured him Thorin and pressed another kiss to Bilbo's lips.
Sometimes it's hard. People fight. We always did and we always will, but that doesn't mean we don't care for each other. It's not important how many times we fight, the important thing is how many times we can say we are sorry. At the end we are all driven by the most important thing in our life: love.
Author's notes:
New chapter! I just had to write this because Frodo is so cute. In the next chapter we will skip a few weeks to get to the good stuff.
Some of you found me on Tumblr and sent me a lot of interesting questions. I tried to answer them the best I could. You can send them more, I'll be more than happy to answer them. For those who don't know I post Sneak Peeks on Tumblr for the chapter that I'm writing. I usually post at least two for The Crown of Sonnets, but rarely for The Miracle of Love (I do it if someone requests otherwise I keep the chapter a secret until it's finished). I almost forgot. I'm b_blueberry on Tumblr (no surprises, really).
I hope you liked this chapter and I hope to see you soon.