A/N- This is the sappiest sap to ever sap from my brain and I'm so sorry except I'm not because I need more fluffy sap in my life. I own nothing of Tolkien's.
Thorin really was crying. He set Bilbo down but didn't let him go, burying his face in the producer's curls. And Bilbo, for his part, smiled softly, pulling the taller man closer against himself and gently rubbing his back. For the time, he said nothing. Just breathed out a soft "sshhhhh" until the taller man was calm enough to draw away. But Thorin was smiling.
"This is...real?" He croaked out and Bilbo grinned at him, disheveled curls a little damp from the other man's tears.
"Well, it could be a dream. But that would just be cruel." He shrugged easily, reaching up to wipe Thorin's cheeks. "Thorin Oakenshield, crying. I never thought I'd see the day." Bilbo added with a chuckle and Thorin barked out a laugh.
"Could be worse." The former King said at last and Bilbo smiled cheekily, grabbing his face gently between his hands and pulling the man down until their lips locked together. Thorin's shoulder sagged completely, and he practically slumped into the kiss, holding on to Bilbo for dear life. Somewhere behind them, Kili let out a whistle. After a moment, Bilbo broke away, giving Thorin's lips a second, smaller kiss before stepping back and shooting Fili and Kili a glare. But that was short lived.
"Good gracious! What happened to you lot?!" He gasped out. His own little wound was suddenly nothing in comparison. In the joy of his own remembrance, Bilbo hadn't noticed Thorin's bleeding hand, or Kili's black eye, or the finger print bruises on Fili's neck. There was a large gash across Dwalin's face and Gloin's knuckles were bleeding. "What on this good earth..?!" He finally saw Gandalf and shot the former wizard a quizzical look.
"Goblins, my dear Bilbo." The old man said gently and realization hit Bilbo quickly. He would save the joyous reunion with the wizard for later. Right now, there was work to do. Forcing the lot of them back to where they hid the cars, Bilbo recruited himself in helping Oin as the older man busied himself with mending everyone up.
Pressing an ice pack to Kili's eye, Bilbo grumbled gently under his nose. "Did I not say this was an awful idea? But no..." He sighed heavily and Kili beamed at him. He was still a bit shaky from fear and adrenaline but so large was his joy in having Bilbo remember and seeing him and their uncle reunite that Kili didn't feel so bad any more. The former hobbit gave the lad a small glare before it softened into a smile and he ruffled Kili's hair.
"What am I ever going to do with you lot? If it's not one problem, it's another." He grouched and Kili giggled.
"You love it, uncle Bilbo." The lad said knowingly and Thorin's gaze dashed over to his nephew. Uncle? Already? But Bilbo beamed before heaving a huge, theatrical sigh and letting his shoulders slump.
"I dunno why I bother really. Now hold this." He chuckled, pressing Kili's hand to hold the ice pack in place before making sure the lad was unhurt otherwise and moving on down the line. Oin had given him pointers on how to stitch wounds when they remained at Elrond's mansion and Bilbo had some first aid training before this so he put it to good use. But he let Oin do the really serious stuff. Thorin's hand definitely qualified for some intense attention and Bilbo sat nearby, dabbing peroxide on Dwalin's gash and making the man hiss slightly.
"Oh hush, it's not that bad." Bilbo reprimanded with a smile and the much larger man quirked an eyebrow at him. The producer's smile remained. Dwalin chuckled.
"We weren't sure when you'd catch up, burglar." He said gruffly and Bilbo tutted, flicking the man's nose.
"Consider it revenge for all the times I've had to wait for you lot only to have none of you remember. Or not be able to find you at all." Bilbo grumbled before pausing. "Except one that is." He added and managed an easier smile. Dwalin quirked an eyebrow at him.
"You said that before. Has it really been that many times?" He asked slowly and Bilbo snorted particularly loudly. Thorin peered at them.
"'That many times', Master Dwalin? Only practically EVERY time I've found most of you. Master Bombur has been the only one agreeable to his memories of me. That doesn't paint a good picture of the rest of you, does it?" Bilbo teased, finishing cleaning off Dwalin's wound and resisting the urge to stick pink, flowery band-aids all over it. Behind him, Bombur grinned in self satisfaction and he and Bilbo exchanged glances.
Gandalf let them carry on for a little longer before straightening. "We should go. Teenagers like to explore these bunkers. It wouldn't do you well if they found the corpse strewn room." He said matter-of-factly and Thorin relented as Oin finished stitching his palm and fingers. He'd never have the best use of that hand again and even weeks after the encounter, it still throbbed painfully. But it was a price worth paying.
Bilbo had just finished taking care of Fili's neck and let the lad go to go see to his brother and Ori. Ori still looked terrified, even if it had ebbed and Fili hugged the boy close, whispering softly to him and pressing little kisses to his cheeks. But Ori chuckled weakly and instead pulled Fili down and threw his arms around the older lad's neck. "I wasn't scared for me, you big goof!" He sobbed out and Fili had to laugh while wincing from the bruises on his neck. Ori seemed to realize he was causing the older lad pain and let him go quickly, squeaking out an apology and pressing a few kisses to the bruised skin. Fili quite appreciated the attention. Bilbo had to chuckle as the lad was practically glowing.
Meanwhile however, Gloin was last and not least on Bilbo's itinerary and as he went to take care of the older man's knuckles, Gloin beamed wide, yanking Bilbo into another tight hug before the producer set to work."Bless my beard, laddie. This was quite something, eh?" He chuckled and Bilbo beamed as he cleaned off the blood from the man's knuckles.
"It's quite a magnificent beard, Master Gloin. It would take me far too long to bless it all." He sniffed and Gloin boomed with laughter at that, letting Bilbo finish cleaning and wrapping his hands in gauze before smacking the producer's shoulder.
"Glad to have all of you back, master burglar. Wasn't quite the same without ye." Bilbo chuckled and patted the hand on his shoulder carefully.
"Glad to BE back. Been a while since the Council, hmmm?" He smiled and Gloin hefted himself to stand, nodding.
"My lad went off with yers." He said thoughtfully and Bilbo peered up at him, realization hitting.
"That's right... he did, didn't he? Gracious, I was so old when they got back." Bilbo smiled a bit pensively and rubbed at his chin. "Or, no... I wasn't so old. I suppose I just aged properly for the first time." The producer added and chuckled. Gloin gave him a bit of a sad smile and one armed hug before they dispersed into their proper vehicles.
Seeing as none of the people in his car were fit to drive, Bilbo volunteered. He had taken a brief moment to clean up his own little wound before sliding into the driver's seat. As soon as he was seated, he had to laugh as Fili gave him a big hug from the backseat.
"Gracious, this is going to be never ending, isn't it?" He chuckled gently, starting up the car and pulling onto the road while Thorin gave him a soft smile from the passenger seat.
"Does it surprise you?" The former King chuckled with a quirked eyebrow and Bilbo rolled his eyes.
"It's almost as bad as the thank yous." Bilbo sniffed grumpily and Thorin chuckled, leaning over and pressing a kiss to the former hobbit's temple. Bilbo made a face, trying to resist the urge to laugh and moved an arm up to try and shove Thorin away.
"No, get off, I'm mad at you." He grouched in a very non-convincing manner and Thorin's lips tugged into a smile and he persisted, pressing a few more kisses to the other man's temple and cheek until Bilbo was laughing.
"Alright, alright, you've made your point. Now let me drive before I kill us all." The producer chuckled at last while Fili and Kili laughed impishly behind them. For once, Thorin ignored them and sat back once more, looking actually at ease. Bilbo smiled despite himself and tossed a pen at the lads which they dodged easily, Kili sticking his face between the seats.
"So now that Uncle Bilbo ACTUALLY remembers, when is this 'uncle' thing gonna become official?" He asked in his best little kid voice before Thorin's hand gently landed on his face, pushing the lad back into the seat next to his brother. Fili laughed and pulled Kili close instead, digging out his tablet and sticking an ear bud into one ear.
They drove in silence for a bit, but it was a comfortable silence and for once, Bilbo felt calm. He could tell the others had questions but they decided to save them all for later. An eagle screeched far above their car and Kili peered out the window, wind tussling his messy hair.
"...Eagle huh? Somehow I thought they'd be... humans this time around." He muttered under his nose and Fili peered up from scanning his tablet.
"Well, maybe it's a sign? I've picked up some police chatter. Looks like Gandalf was right to make us leave. Some kids found the bodies." The older boy said with a grunt as Kili clambered over him to peer out the other window. Thorin shot his nephew a look over his shoulder.
"What are they saying?"
"Well, they've identified the bodies as some of the leaders of the IRA." Fili said rather matter of factly and Thorin growled under his nose.
"...IRA... " Of course it was the bloody IRA. Those damn bastards were practically everywhere. And OF COURSE the goblins had come back to become members of the IRA. Fili nodded gently, rubbing absently at his neck. Thorin frowned, smacking the lad's fingers away before slumping back into his own seat, frown now appearing permanent. Bilbo shot Thorin a look, before reaching over and, barely looking at what he was doing, managing to find the former King's hand and lace their fingers together, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"Now, now. Everything turned out RELATIVELY alright. And it could have been FAR worse." He tried soothingly, eyes still focused on the road even as Thorin looked up at him, one large hand cupping over Bilbo's gently. The older man was grateful to Bilbo and also grateful for the timing of the former hobbit's remembrance. Bilbo smiled and side glanced at the other. "Besides, we've had worse scrapes before. Just another joy of being part of the company, right?" He added brightly and Thorin finally let the frown fade, sighing.
"You're right, of course. It's more aggravating however, when you know what is going to happen and it still ends up happening. Perhaps we need a new approach." Thorin considered, thumb carefully running over Bilbo's knuckles. Kili leaned on the seatbacks between their seats and considered.
"We've avoided the wargs." He chimed in thoughtfully and Thorin grunted in response.
"True...but we need to think bigger. Considering how everything ended last time. It can't end that way again. I won't let it." He growled, mostly at himself and Bilbo shot the older man a look as his fingers tightened on the producer's hand. Kili's face popped back between their seats and he nudged his uncle with his nose.
"It'll be okay, uncle. We know a lot more now than we did." The lad said soothingly, Fili nodding next to his brother and gently patting their uncle's shoulder. Thorin managed as smile, free hand giving Fili's a gentle squeeze.
"I'm sure it will all turn out." Bilbo said gently before Fili instructed him where to turn off from the motorway. They were following Gandalf's instructions this time and the former wizard has said that nothing would be better for them now than camping. And Thorin relented. He didn't want to see the insides of any more abandoned bunkers. Or abandoned mines...or cabins. In that moment, in having his nephews and Bilbo with him, all Thorin really wanted now, was a home. He wanted a place he could call his own, without having to run away from it. He wanted his children to go to school and feel like they could socialize with kids their age. He wanted his friends to have proper jobs and homes. As Thorin slipped into his thoughtful reverie, Bilbo pulled off from the main road, taking some dirt roads until they reached the place Gandalf had told them about.
It looked altogether inoffensive and quite peaceful. But after all, it was the forest with the shelter of thick trees and since everything was dry from last night's rainstorm, it was perfect weather for camping out. Pulling the key from the ignition, Bilbo slipped it into Thorin's hand, successfully snapping the man back into reality. Succeeding in that, Bilbo hefted himself out of the car with a groan, stretching out sore limbs while Fili and Kili piled out of the car in excitement.
The campsite was soon alive with chatter and movement. For men who had just escaped near death, they were certainly quite jolly about everything. Bofur had set to cooking and Bilbo could see now, almost shot for shot, the events of the life that had brought them all together in the first place. He smiled and flopped down on a log next to Bombur.
"Bilbo." The large man said formally.
"Bombur." Bilbo retorted flatly before both men side glanced at each other and burst into laughter. Bombur's thick hand landed on Bilbo's shoulder in delight.
"Bless you, Master Baggins. It's only been 100 years." He laughed his jolly laugh and Bilbo beamed in reply as everyone else stared over at them. Bombur quirked an eyebrow at them.
"And here these numbskulls are. Would you just look at them?" He added with a theatrically snooty smirk.
"Quite so." Bilbo sniffed before both men side glanced at each other once again and once again, burst into laughter. This time it took them far longer to calm themselves down and Bilbo's sides hurt after a while. What made it even more hilarious was the fact that the rest of the company appeared to be incredibly confused about why the two were cackling at them in the first place. Their faces said it all. And Bilbo and Bombur laughed merrily on, Bombur now having to lean on Bilbo's shoulder in fear of falling off the log. Thorin quirked an eyebrow at them but the two only howled louder.
When they did finally calm down, Bombur straightened on their log and Bilbo adjusted his jacket with a small cough, bouts of chuckling still emanating from the two men.
"Gracious, it HAS been a while." Bilbo managed finally as he shot the larger man a bright smile. Bombur grinned in reply.
"I think the others might need a lesson or two, for their own benefit." He suggested with an easy shrug and Bilbo nodded eagerly.
"Quite right. They can't just walk around uneducated." He chuckled, gratefully accepting the plate of food that Bofur passed him. His stomach growled and Bilbo chuckled sheepishly before digging in. When DID they last eat? He barely remembered. So much has happened and for a while, the producer ran on pure adrenaline.
With everything that happened in the bunker, and all the memories that came flooding back after, Bilbo was surprised he was functioning at all. And being grabbed by a stranger only to figure out that said stranger was Gollum. He was Gollum, and he wanted Bilbo's head for stealing his ring and Bilbo...The producer chocked. That's right, he almost forgot! As they finished eating, the curly haired man dug around his pockets, finally producing the little thumb drive he had found while escaping.
"So..." Bilbo began a little timidly and all 13 men looked up at him from eating. Gandalf quirked an eyebrow, distracting himself from his pipe. "I don't know if this means anything, but I found this at the bunker." He said at last, raising the thumb drive for the rest to see. "I could be wrong, but the man who attacked me seemed to be the one who planted the bombs in my mother's building." He added with a frown.
Thorin, who had been sitting by Bilbo's feet, let out a strangled noise. That wretched fellow he saw escape as he ran after Bilbo! That must have been him! The former King peered at the thumb drive. "You think he dropped it?" He asked at last, voice a little strained. Bilbo nodded, nervously twirling the little thumb drive between his fingers before passing it down to Thorin. The older man studied it, as if expecting the answer to be right on its casing.
"I...don't think it'll be that obvious." Fili commented from where he sat next to the fire before disentangling himself from Kili and Ori and slinking over to carefully snatch the thumb drive from his uncle. Thorin grunted but released it without much protest and Fili flopped back into place between the younger lads and dug out his laptop.
It took some prep time before Fili was even willing to plug the thumb drive in, running all sorts of fail-safes and diagnostics to make sure that he was protected from hacking attempts or viruses. Bilbo watched the lad work, chin leaning on Thorin's head with his arms idly draped over the older man's shoulders while Bombur sipped on some tea next to them. When Fili did plug the drive in, his tongue permanently stuck between his lips as he set to work. After a little, the older lad nudged his brother who scampered off without a word to dig through their bags, coming back with some pens and a notebook, beginning to frantically scribble as Fili muttered to him. He managed to tear himself away from the laptop briefly to shoot a look at Thorin.
"This will take time, it's all encrypted." Fili smiled sheepishly before returning to his task, murmuring resuming and Kili's pen frantically keeping up. Thorin sighed and leaned back into Bilbo, whose chin remained nesting on the older man's head. Bilbo smiled, gently running his fingers through Thorin's hair. He could see the flecks of gray among the dark strands.
For a while, the two men sat in silence while talk resumed around them, simply content to be in each other's presence. Thorin had gently taken one of Bilbo's hands in both his own, calloused fingers tracing each line on the former hobbit's palm. It made Bilbo smile softly, nuzzling into the other man's hair.
"You'll have to tell me what you and Bombur found so comical." Thorin muttered after a while and Bilbo's smile widened a little.
"Hmmm, perhaps one day, master Oakenshield. And only with your good behavior." He added with a snicker and Thorin barked out a laugh.
"I make no such promises, master Baggins." The former King breathed gruffly and Bilbo shivered involuntarily, giving Thorin a flick in the ear and making him laugh once more. "Now, now. No need for violence." He added with a chortle as Bilbo grumbled above him, free hand still toying with Thorin's hair. The former King wasn't about to admit just how happy he was for the hobbit's presence. No...not hobbit anymore. For the MAN'S presence. And his soul was still the same as ever. Perhaps a little wiser and perhaps a little more world weary but he was still the same person Thorin had fallen for all those years and lives ago. And while Thorin wasn't always one to show outward displays of extreme emotion, he found exceptions in this case.
And after all, their group was so rife with misfortunes that discovering their long lost burglar and finally having him regain his memories was one of the best things that has happened to them in practically 11 years. But Thorin still had words that were unsaid and worries that were unmentioned. He coughed.
"Bilbo?" There was a soft intake of air above him as Bilbo stirred, peering down at Thorin.
"Hmmm?" Clearing his throat gently and still speaking in a soft whisper, Thorin tried to figure out how to phrase what he wanted to say.
"There's been...many things I've been wanting to say, especially since we've discovered that you were alive in this time." He said at last, refusing to admit the fact that he had somehow forgotten their hobbit until Kili mentioned him. Thorin cleared his throat. "I'm sorry." He said at last, hand gently squeezing Bilbo's own. He didn't let the producer ask before barreling onwards. "My reaction to the... incident with the Arkenstone was the biggest mistake of my life. I realize what you were trying to do, and in retrospect, it was far more noble than I ever deserved and I still..." He trailed off with a frown, calloused fingers gently stroking Bilbo's knuckles.
"Thorin..."
Thorin turned in his arms so they were face to face now, the former King still sitting on the ground before Bilbo. "No. I know I have apologized before but how much can it weigh when it's being choked through blood and ragged breaths. My dear Bilbo, you've done more for me than I ever deserve and there is no possible way I can ever repay you for it. All the gold in Erebor and all the worth of my company still does not seem sufficient enough." There was a long silence before Bilbo smiled, pressing a hand to Thorin's cheek and chuckling gently. Thorin quirked an eyebrow at him.
"Oh my dear, stubborn dwarf. When will you learn?" Bilbo smiled, "I don't need gold and I don't want money. It's all too much for a humble hobbit from the Shire or a producer from Brighton. And as much as I wish things hadn't escalated like they did, it's over. It's done with. And as important as your apology is to me now, it was just as important back then." He paused and studied Thorin's eyes intently. "Please don't tell me you've dwelt on it this whole time..." The producer breathed gently and Thorin averted his eyes for a moment, frowning.
"I could think of little else..." He muttered at last and Bilbo sighed heavily before letting out a gentle chuckle and pulling Thorin forward into a hug, the older man letting out a grunt of surprise as Bilbo held him close.
"Save me from the bullheadedness of dwarves." He chuckled a bit weakly before pulling back and offering the older man a smile. "I forgive you, Thorin Oakenshield. I've forgiven you lives ago." Bilbo carefully ran his thumb over a small scar on Thorin's cheek, studying all the intricacies in the man's face. It was so similar but so different. Those same features were a bit larger to fit a human rather than a dwarf and with less hair but it was still essentially the same man. With those same icy blue eyes. Bilbo's smile remained."Don't ever torture yourself like that, alright? You only succeed in a coronary." He added simply.
The older man studied Bilbo for a moment before his lips tugged into a smile. "You're far more than I deserve, Bilbo Baggins." He chuckled at last, slumping forward against Bilbo's chest. The producer, in his turn, laughed gently, wrapping his arms around Thorin's shoulders and nuzzling into his hair.
Bofur snickered from near the fire. "You two are giving me diabetes." He grinned and Bilbo shot him a playful glare, only succeeding in making the hat wearing man laugh more. Thorin still didn't move from his comfortable resting place against Bilbo and the curly haired man resigned to it. He wondered if this was the main reason he couldn't stay in a relationship with anyone else for long. No one had ever felt right and now it became abundantly clear as to why. He had been waiting. Even while not even being aware of it. Running his hand through Thorin's now short hair, the producer smiled gently. Gracious, they were being overly sappy, weren't they?
When Thorin finally dislodged himself from his resting place against Bilbo and turned to face the fire once more, the camp was once again abuzz with conversation while Fili and Kili remained remarkably quiet as they worked. Fili typed away frantically while Kili scribbled next to him, peering over his brother's shoulder.
It was about 2 hours into this that Fili finally threw up his hands, his laptop giving a few loud and cheerful dings. "Bugger all this for a lark!" The lad swore loudly, rubbing frantically at his eyes before his hands returned to the laptop's keyboard. Thorin ignored the curse but straightened a bit, Bilbo releasing the man so he could move closer to his nephews. The laptop dinged again, this time louder and Fili's exhausted expression finally drew into a grin.
"Bingo! We have liftoff." He muttered, nudging Kili gently so the lad would finish his notes. But the grin soon faded into a look of astonishment and Fili suddenly appeared unsure for a moment, as if he thought the computer and the information it was presenting was some kind of goof. Kili stared without much shame. They both appeared unsure for a few moments, Fili tapping the screen before exchanging looks with his brother.
"You might want to see this, uncle."