AN: I don't own any of the hobbit characters I am just taking them out of Tolkien's toy box and playing with them. Just a short chapter as I have some Red Leicester, Mature Cheddar and Mozarella bread in the oven.
FanFiction Queen: Fair enough, I've brought her a new dagger to appease her. You lost me there although I recognise the names Kirk and Spock so I'm assuming they were Star Trek references. Cuddlehappy is a good word. Nope from what I can remember of Spock and Kirk not corrupting me further sorry. Now if you had mention Lucian, Raze or Michael Corven then possibly :D Just not together sorry they are all alpha's in their own right. Yeah Khudzul Bilbo, he did read and write it so it is not an illogical jump that he can speak some of it, although he might struggle with the grammar on longer sentences.
Chapter Thirty Six – Innocence.
Nori groaned and rubbed his head where it had connected with the wall. He supposed he now knew better than to wake Bilbo up angrily, although he was confused as to why the hobbit had been shirtless. He glanced slowly around the room, his wary eyes landing on the shocked and horrified expressions of the Durin heirs. He pushed off the wooden wall behind him and stalked over to them, ignoring Balin's slightly pale face in favour of the dwarves more likely to give him information. "Fili! Kili!" he barked, "What the hell was that?"
Dark eyes turned to him as Kili gave up on his staring and fixed his gaze on Nori, "that was Bilbo and Dwalin having some sort of falling out."
Nori flinched at the monotone tone of voice the normally hyper young dwarf was using. He'd seen that look on the lad's face once before and it was when he'd seen the state Ori had been in when they'd finally made it to the Blue Mountains many years ago. Nori swallowed making a conscious effort to lower his voice, "That I understood Kili, what I was asking was the reaction of you two to Master Baggins' retreat."
Fili now turned to him and he flinched at the look in those blue eyes. He didn't realise they'd gathered a crowed until Bifur's hand landed comfortingly on his shoulder. When Fili spoke his voice was low and unsure, "Did you see Bilbo's back?" Nori shook his head slightly opening his mouth as if to answer, but Fili seemed drawn into himself and carried on, "Well you know how he told us at that old crumbly human place that he had lost his parents to an orc attack? I don't think he told us everything. He…" Nori flinched as the young dwarf broke off on a sob and watched in amazement as a sleepy looking Bofur drew the blonde dwarf into his arms and allowed the lad to cry on his shoulder.
Nori glanced around the encircled dwarves, his green eyes finally landing on Balin's guilt lined face. The white haired dwarf had wrapped his arms around his stomach as if holding back his own emotions. Nori kept his steady gaze on Balin's face, and slowly others' gazes joined his own.
Balin looked up and sighed, "It wasn't my place to say. The lad has three Mahal awful scars running from his left shoulder to his right hip. They still look freshly healed, but from the ease he's wore his pack I suspect they are old and just haven't healed properly due to infection setting in."
He swallowed hard, "I have only seen the likes of them on the skin of dwarves who have gotten on the wrong side of an orcish slayer. Humans cannot survive the pain and damage to their bodies."
Nori watched as the older dwarf seemed to tremble under the onslaught of memories and guilt ate at him for making the older dwarf relive this. He almost sighed in relief as he saw his older brother stand by the white haired dwarf's side in support. Balin seemed to draw strength from the silent support.
"I am not speaking lightly when I tell you these things and it is still not my place to say. You all need to know this though and I hope you won't judge our burglar, he is entitled to his own secrets as we all are. Other than Master Oin I am the only dwarf here who has seen these slayers in action. They don't rely on blades the same way as the rest of their kin, they instead support a weapon capable of much greater damage. I have seen them only once from a distance, but I have seen the devastation they can wreak on flesh. Three thongs of leather, bound together at one end to form a handle, at the other end, the three loose ends are three hooked blades. You all know how men use lashes as punishment, how with enough force they can cut through the skin."
Nori flinched remembering the state they had found Ori in and raised horrified eyes to Blain's "They are worse than the things humans use aren't they!" His voice was hoarse and he failed to see Ori standing tall and proud at Kili's side, Kili's arm around his waist. "Those things humans use take much force and even then tend to only bruise our hides."
Balin nodded his grey eyes cloudy, "Aye," his voice sounded broken, "The whips the slayers use can rip through a dwarf's skin to the bone with one lash. No more no less. I didn't think it was possible for another race to survive that sort of injury. Even elves have died from it. The sheer shock of the pain can kill, let alone the blood loss or internal injury. That Master Baggins survived…"Balin's voice trailed off for a moment as he shook himself, "perhaps I should explain that if you survive all that, you then have to deal with the infection that sets in due to the orcish blades. If you survive the infection you have months of gruelling, agonising healing to face."
Nori stumbled back against Bifur's chest, "you've felt it haven't you?" his voice was barely more than a whisper as he stared at Balin in horrified awe. "The only way you can speak so is because you've felt it and Oin knows because he treated you!"
"Aye Nori," Balin suddenly sounded old, "I barely survived it myself and that was when we had the healing wings of Erebore at our disposal."
Oin stepped forward standing at Balin's other side, "That Master Baggins has survived what has destroyed elves, men and dwarves before him has me in awe of him. I know what is needed to treat those wounds and with how slight he is he is lucky they didn't damage his spine. Balin survived merely because we are used to treating war injuries, can any of you imagine hobbits knowing how to deal with such wounds?"
"Mahal!" Thorin's exclamation was so quiet that Nori at first thought he was hearing things and turned with a curious expression towards his crown prince. Thorin looked troubled. "He may have survived it, but can you imagine hobbits being kind over the scars he must surely bare off such a weapon?"
The silence that fell over the dwarves at that statement was absolute, and as Nori stared at the royal dwarf he realised that the bombshell of Bilbo's research on dragons would have to wait.
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Bilbo drew back and smiled self-consciously across at a dazed looking Dwalin. "Ohr lhiam," he breathed in Khudzul before reverting back into the common tongue, "I should never have doubted you."
Dwalin felt the words ghost over his lips and shuddered slightly as the slight hobbit rumbled the words of his native tongue. His own breathing was irregular as he answered, "There is nothing to be sorry for Bilbo."
"Good," Dwalin blinked and looked across at the slightly smiling hobbit. The expression triggered something in his mind and he remembered the many half smiles Bilbo had hitched onto his face around the other hobbits and Dwalin unconsciously soothed his hands over the slightly raised scars on Bilbo's back.
"You," Dwalin swallowed as he stumbled over the words, still unable to get used to being pressed against Bilbo's naked chest. "You asked a couple of days ago if you could kiss me." Green-hazel eyes met his and Dwalin felt himself blush slightly, "well, I mean if you still want to, would you?"
Bilbo stilled and locked gazes with Dwalin. His heart was pounding in his chest at those innocent words. He doubted Dwalin knew just what his hands ghosting over his bare skin was doing to him, but the dwarf had asked and if Dwalin was able to see his scars as beautiful and show him as such Bilbo really had no problems in giving the dwarf what he was asking for. He smiled and without answering, shifted slightly and closed the gap between them again. Smirking at the groan rumbling in the dwarf's chest as he straddled the wide thighs. He ran teasing fingers over the dwarf's bare chest, keeping the touches ghosting as he slowly increased the pressure of the kiss. Running one hand into the thick braided hair he twisted his fingers in the woven strands and tugged lightly.
Dwalin was relishing the feeling of the kiss when Bilbo changed the tempo slightly. He gasped as clever fingers tugged at his hair, and then stopped thinking as Bilbo used it as an opportunity to deepen the kiss. In the back of his mind he realised it all seemed familiar but he could do little but grip at Bilbo's back and hips as the breath was forced from his lungs as Bilbo deepened the kiss yet again. The ghosting fingers on his skin didn't let up, and a shift of Bilbo's hips had him groaning, the sound shocking him from his haze and making him aware he needed to take a breath.
As if sensing his need Bilbo drew back slightly, leaving a small space between their lips and Dwalin gulped down air, his breathing ragged and chest heaving. He opened his eyes and his heart rate doubled at the flush across Bilbo's high cheek bones and the sparkle in the green-hazel eyes. "Wow." Dwalin flushed at the inane comment he'd just come out with.
"Wow indeed," Bilbo breathed and Dwalin felt himself shiver again at the husky tone of the hobbit's voice. Bilbo scrapped his nails along his scalp and goose-bumps broke out over his skin, there was hot breath at his throat and Dwalin could do little other than tip his head back allowing Bilbo access to the tender skin there. "You know as much as I would like to continue this," Dwalin was struggling to focus on Bilbo's words. The fingers in his hair driving him mad, and the hot breath against his skin left him itching for more, flashes of his dream weren't helping his control either. Bilbo's questing fingers brushed over a still sensitive scar and Dwalin groaned deep and low, Bilbo's next words taking a while to filter into his hazy brain, "We should probably re-join the others." Dwalin didn't realise he was shaking his head until Bilbo cupped his cheeks and dropped a gentle kiss on his swollen lips. "Yes we should, we should also probably talk so we don't get into any other misunderstandings like this again."
Dwalin found he couldn't argue with that logic, as much as he wanted to, "Fine," he grumbled, unconsciously tracing his fingers over Bilbo's scars.
He was surprised when Bilbo pressed against his chest again with a shudder and slight breathy groan, "Yvanna," breathed the hobbit against his lips, "Maybe later."
Bilbo had stooped with good intentions, but Dwalin's fingers running down the length of one of his scars had him throwing said intentions to the seven winds. He had never realised that his scars were erogenous zones and had actually groaned out loud, something he hadn't done in years. He returned to kissing Dwalin, the still dazed dwarf putting up little resistance. Bilbo felt a shiver run down his spine as Dwalin became more adventurous in returning his kisses and unconsciously scraped his nails against Dwalin's ribs. The groan it got him in response had heat pooling in Bilbo's stomach, and an idea growing in his mind. He paused in the kiss, dipping down to nip along Dwalin's bearded jaw relishing in the dwarf's shuddering breath. He soon had the dwarf sitting, leaning back against a stone pillar rather than kneeling and dropped his mouth to kiss down the wide column of Dwalin's neck. He removed his fingers from the dwarf's hair, and was soon using both hands to trace the patterns of silvery scars and black tattoos decorating the pale skin. He glanced up at the dwarf from under his eyelashes and was surprised to see Dwalin's head flung back and his eyes closed as the wide chest struggled for breath.
He guiltily realised Dwalin wasn't used to the sort of emotions he was probably feeling and so lightened his touches, returning his mouth to Dwalin's and kissing the dwarf deeply again, drawing the dwarf down to sensations he could handle. He knew he had succeeded when wide hands settled on his hips, the fingers digging into his flesh hard enough to leave bruises. Bilbo didn't pull back though merely smirked and allowed his own exploration of Dwalin's chest to continue. He used the pressure of fingers on his hips as an indicator of when Dwalin was struggling with the sensations, the dwarf loosening his grip when he was over whelmed. Pausing in his administrations Bilbo bit back his own groan at the sight of just how wanton Dwalin looked at that moment. He closed his eyes fighting back the urge to simply make Dwalin his, if the dwarf had never experienced this before then he wasn't going to rush it and he certainly wasn't going to force the issue where anyone could walk in on them.
Dwalin was beginning to think Bilbo was actually trying to kill him with the sensations flooding his body and yet hadn't been able to bring himself to protest, when the hobbit had returned to kissing him. He'd gotten himself somewhat under control when Bilbo had returned to exploring his scaring and tattoos, promptly driving all thoughts from his head again. When Bilbo had drawn back and Dwalin had caught his breath he realised it was probably mid-afternoon. He loosened his grip on the hobbit's hips, wincing in guilt as he realised Bilbo would likely have bone deep bruises off his grip. Instead of the scolding he was expecting he got a cocky smile and a gentle peck on his lips.
Bilbo waited until Dwalin focused in on him properly before pushing himself to a standing position, wincing as his knees popped. He held a hand out to the rumpled looking dwarf and watched in appreciation as Dwalin hauled himself up. He realised he was staring at the play of Dwalin's muscles when the dwarf touched his cheek gently. "Sorry," he sighed passing Dwalin his shirt with a pout.
Dwalin watched those full lips pout, and remembered back in Bag End when Bilbo had sulked when he had put his shirt on after Thorin's arrival. He couldn't help himself and dropping his shirt backed Bilbo against the pillar he'd just been leaning against, capturing the full mouth with his own. He grinned wickedly at the gasp it got him, dropping his hands to rest on the narrow hips again he slowly deepened the kiss, realising Bilbo was letting him lead. Remembering how much he enjoyed the hobbit kissing his neck he lowered his head to do the same to Bilbo, the breathy moan it got him was unexpected but not unappreciated. He scraped his teeth lightly over the soft tanned skin, and groaned himself as hands tightened reflexively on his own hips. Drawing back he looked down at Bilbo and smiled as the hobbit shook his head carefully, wondering how he was able to get Bilbo looking as dazed as he himself had felt only moments before.
"You have no idea how glad I am that you have no practice at that," groaned Bilbo, slipping his hands around to lock at the base of Dwalin's back. "And in answer to your question you can manage to get me dazed because you are far too seductive Dwalin."
"Really?" Dwalin ignored the fact he'd obviously spoken out loud in favour of the fact he could actually make Bilbo feel the same way he did when the hobbit started with the wandering hands and lips.
"Oh yes Dwalin," breathed Bilbo making no move to shift from their positions pressed shoulder to groin, "Far too good." His voice was husky, and he knew if they didn't move soon they wouldn't return to the company for another few hours if he had his way.
"Bilbo," if his voice had been husky, then Dwalin's voice was growl and he felt it reverberate in his own chest.
"Yvanna Dwalin," he gasped, "If you don't let go I can't promise we will re-join the company today."
"Right," Dwalin cleared his throat but made no move to loosen his grip, "We will be doing that again at some point though, won't we?"
He sounded so unsure that Bilbo couldn't help himself, "Oh yes," he growled, bringing his lips within millimetres of Dwalin's, "That and so much more." He allowed his hands to slip lower, swallowing Dwalin's groan-squeak as he kissed him deeply. Taking advantage of Dwalin's shocked stated he turned them so Dwalin was leaning against the pillar and ground their groins together momentarily. He felt and heard Dwalin's response thrum through his body and drank it in for moments before he stepped back leaving the dwarf panting against the pillar. "I hope you don't think I am ever letting you go Dwalin," he smirked and scooped up the discarded shirt, "and since you don't want this I'll be borrowing it so I don't get asked to many stupid questions by the company." He paused at the exit to the garden room they were in, "don't get too lost on your way back Dwalin." He smirked before slipping down the tree lined walk way, wondering if he could find a cold bath anywhere before he had to face the dwarf again.
Dwalin stared after Bilbo's retreating form in shock, he didn't care that he'd just lost his shirt, if it made Bilbo react like that he would quite happily walk around shirtless for their entire time at Rivendell. Might get his a few funny looks from the company, but it would definitely be worth it. He smirked as he touched his lips softly, before wincing as he put his full weight on the cut soles of his feet. Well walking around shirtless would need to wait until he had washed his feet and put his boots back on. He walked gingerly back to the wing the company had been granted, muttering unflattering things about elves under his breath.
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Bilbo had entered the wing at the same pace as he had left, flinging apologies at Nori as he disappeared into his room for a moment, before reappearing and doing the same to a bathing room. As the resounding thunk of a lock sliding home sounded in the air Nori turned to his youngest brother who was curled up, half on the seat half across a blushing Kili's lap, "I don't understand him." he wailed.
Ori paused in his reading to look up, and taking advantage of the pause shifted causing Kili to yelp. He looked at him in worry, taking in the brunette's brilliant blush, before patting his cheek gently before turning back to Nori, "It's Master Baggins what's not to get?"
AN: Leave me a review and let me know what you think. Please, I would beg you more but I have to go get my bread the oven is booping.
Ohr lhiam = I'm sorry.