Bilbo stirred slowly from what had felt more like a daze than sleep. As he opened his eyes to the familiar mildness of morning light in Erebor, he could not tell if he had dreamed it all or if it had been real. Had he truly laid down his fears at Thorin's door and entered his bedroom carrying only his desire? Had he finally allowed himself to know the sweetness of his touch? Had they truly been as happy as he clearly remembered? It would not have been the first time he'd recalled a dream as if it had been reality. He had seen the wonders and faced the darkness of the world in the night voyages of his mind long before he had touched them with his waking hand.

There was one way to be sure, but not before indulging in the delicious stretching of his whole body, from the tips of his fingers to the tips of his toes. He turned his head to check if he was not in fact alone in his own bed given to him by the Dwarves here in the old kingdom that he had helped regain. Instead, his eyes met Thorin's wide, muscular back and his splendid mane of curled hair resting on his pillow. The cover of grey luxurious fur that they shared was lowered to his waist, leaving the upper part of his body naked and glowing softly under the morning light. There was still a bandage on his visible arm. A long fresh scar streaked like a flash of fire across the back of his left shoulder. Resisting the urge to touch it, Bilbo's hand journeyed instead to Thorin's hair and buried itself in that thick cloud of dark pleasure.

It was true after all. Thorin was there with him, sleeping at his side. He had not merely dreamed their fathomless embrace, their happiness beyond words and time. It had all happened just as Bilbo remembered, and it was difficult to think of anything past this quiet moment, of what he would say to Thorin upon his waking, or what he would say to himself when he would have to rise from the bed and face the new day that was beginning. He didn't have to think about any of that, not as long as Thorin kept lying still and blissfully asleep.

Bilbo could not say how long this wonderful silence lasted, permeated solely by the rise and fall of Thorin's breath. Had it been another hour or another minute, it mattered little now that Thorin began to stir as well. Bilbo could hear him breathe in deeply and exhale a low-vibrating sound of contentment. Bilbo withdrew his wandering hand as Thorin rolled over on his back. A few seconds elapsed before he opened his eyes, but as soon as he did, he turned his gaze to Bilbo, apparently very much expecting to see him lying in his bed beside him. He greeted Bilbo with a warm smile that spoke as much of fatigue as did the mist that lingered in his eyes.

"I was… playing with your hair," said Bilbo, smiling back. "I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," replied Thorin, his tone thick and heavy from heavier yet sleep. "After all we have been through, you and I, I believe you have earned the right to play with my hair without asking me."

"I certainly appreciate that."

Thorin's smile turned into a bit of a pleased grin. He stretched out his right hand and brushed it gently against Bilbo's face. "Are you well?" he asked.

"Very well," said Bilbo, sensing his cheeks suddenly catching fire.

Thorin gave a soft laugh. "Good," he said. "I worried that it would be too soon… for you."

"I came to you, remember?"

"Indeed. Why did you do that?" asked Thorin, his dark eyebrows coming closer together in what looked like genuine confusion.

"What do you mean?" asked Bilbo.

"What made you come to me?"

"Well, I… I suppose it was a matter of time. I think I was just finally tired of waiting. And I couldn't get to sleep… at all, so… here we are."

"I am glad we are here," said Thorin with another beautiful smile.

"I'm sorry I have kept you waiting for so long," said Bilbo reaching out to Thorin's hand, which now lay at his side.

Thorin took Bilbo's hand and brought it to his tender lips. "Do not concern yourself with that."

"Still," said Bilbo, his cheeks burning a bit again from Thorin's kiss, "I must seem like a child to you."

"You have proven yourself to me many times over, Bilbo. I would never think of you as a child. That is why I asked you to be my companion in this new life that I have been granted."

Bilbo felt his throat suddenly tighten in a painful knot. There was that between them, indeed. There was a very serious proposal from Thorin to Bilbo to remain in Erebor, not as a permanent guest, or a friend, or the new curator of Erebor's Library, which had become his main responsibility in the last few months. No, Thorin had asked him to stay as his Consort. Bilbo had not really given him an answer, until the previous night.

"Last night you said that you chose to live your life with me. Shall I hold you to that?"

"I know what I said. And I meant it. You shall have my hand in marriage."

Thorin looked a bit like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. He swallowed a painful knot in his own throat, then his mouth widened into a great smile. His eyes seemed to clear of the sleepy haze that had shaded them since waking up. He shifted closer to Bilbo and gave him a sweltering kiss.

"You do not know the joy you have given me," he said looking down at Bilbo, whose head lay heavy on his pillow, his face a bit flushed.

"I think I can guess some of it," replied Bilbo, resting his hand on Thorin's warm chest. "I'm not exactly unhappy about this myself. I just need a bit of time to get used to it. Do you think we could not tell everyone right away?"

"Of course," said Thorin lying back on his side of the bed. "There are preparations to be made at any rate. I shall not tell anyone until we are ready. My sister should be present as well, so we need to wait for her arrival."

"Right, of course," said Bilbo, a bit puzzled. "Preparations for the ceremony, you mean?"

"Yes," said Thorin, turning on his left side again to face Bilbo. "The hair bead I gave you. It needs to be presented to you in a ceremony for the engagement to stand. It is only for the family, so it will not be a big thing."

"I see," replied Bilbo, not necessarily appeased by Thorin's assurance that it will not be a mountain-shattering event. "The final thing, though, that will be a big thing, right?"

"I expect so," said Thorin, yawning. "But all will come in due time. We do not have to concern ourselves with that at the moment. Either way, I expect Dis will want to handle that part herself."

"Your sister?" asked Bilbo, now altogether surprised.

"Indeed," replied Thorin, barely holding another yawn.

"Do you think she will approve then?"

"She will do more than approve, Bilbo," said Thorin, taking Bilbo's hand.

Bilbo did his best to smile. "So… she knows about… well, you?"

"She knows."

"Think she'll be able to talk Dwalin into being less hostile about it?"

"I certainly hope so. But that is something else you do not need to worry about," said Thorin and his eyes seemed to close on their own. He did not fight it.

"Right…" said Bilbo, more to himself. Then he watched Thorin drift back to peaceful sleep.

Bilbo lay there for a while longer, staring at the ceiling and looking through it seemingly, as if through a mirror that he barely recognised himself in. He knew that Thorin would not overlook his words about choosing to live his life with him. They had simply poured out of him as if he had not been there. And perhaps he had not. At least, the part of him that was clouded by fear had certainly not been present the previous night. It was back now, but he did not welcome it, and he meant not to listen to what it whispered already in his ear.

He chose instead to sit up and listen to his belly protesting the late morning without breakfast. He didn't actually know what time of the day it was, but if he was that hungry, it was probably late enough. He moved slowly to the edge of the bed, careful not to wake Thorin, and rubbed his eyes before looking around for his robe. He found it lying in an unceremonious pile on the floor, which did not surprise him. He got up, plucked the garment from the floor and wrapped it around his body once more. It felt strange against his skin, rough almost, and jarring, as if the soft fabric it was made from had turned to bristles overnight. He knew of course that the fabric of the robe was the same. It was he who had changed and this was only the first clue.

Sparing one last glance and a smile to the sleeping Thorin, Bilbo made for the door and stepped out carefully, really hoping that no one would see him walk out of Thorin's bed chamber wearing only a robe.

His hopes were swiftly dashed by a booming "Bilbo!" shot from down the hall in the combined voice of Fili and Kili. It almost caused him to slam the door shut. Fortunately, he caught himself in time, but he still dropped his chin into his chest, feeling entirely defeated.

"Shhh," he whispered as the two young dwarves approached and planted strong hands on both of his shoulders, shaking him violently. "Thorin's sleeping!" he almost shouted, looking up at them in the hopes that eye contact might have driven the message home.

No such luck. The information that they needed to be quiet did not seem to get through to either of them. They snickered at each other, then Kili said in his usual hearty tone, "You managed to exhaust him, 'ey?"

Bilbo would have rolled his eyes to the Shire and back if he had not been as angry as he was. "Yes, I'm going to exhaust an enormous dwarf!" he fired back, but quickly realised that he would come to regret his sarcasm.

"Enormous, huh!" retorted the cheeky Kili through wild giggles. He slapped Bilbo hard on his back, almost causing him to topple forward and hit his head on the great door to Thorin's bedroom.

Knowing that he was entirely doomed by now, Bilbo looked up at Kili with the most loving but at the same time most deadly stare that he could muster. "Would you please keep your voice down?"

"Don't worry, Bilbo," intervened Fili as a voice possessed by a bit more reason, "Dwarves can sleep through anything, especially after all that uncle has been through."

Bilbo looked at Fili with a little less vitriol and let out a deep sigh. Both brothers were now simply smiling down at him, their own faces showing signs of fatigue that had not been there at the start of their adventure, when they had been equally impudent as they had just demonstrated themselves to be. He smiled back, regretting his annoyance a little bit.

"Look, Bilbo," said Kili, sounding a great deal more restrained, "I didn't mean anything by it. I was just trying to make a joke. What goes on in there isn't any of our business, but if it's all the same to you, we're happy that you and Thorin are, well, close."

Bilbo accepted Kili's apology with a nod of his head. "I would appreciate it if you kept this to yourselves?"

"Of course," said Fili, giving a reassuring squeeze to Bilbo's shoulder.

"Would you join us for breakfast, Bilbo?" asked Kili.

"Uh, sure," said Bilbo, a little bit surprised. "I think I should put some real clothes on first, though."

"That would probably be a good idea," approved Fili with another bit of a cheeky tone in his voice and in his raised eyebrow. "Meet us in the Banquet Hall?"

"Sure," said Bilbo, resigning himself to the very real prospect of having to put up with teasing from the royal duo for a very long time to come.

He didn't hold it against them, however. He knew that they were simply trying to find their way back to a normal life, and amusement was certainly part of normal life for them. As for what normal life meant for Bilbo, he knew what it had meant a year before. Now he was quite unsure about it, and he very much preferred to put those thoughts aside if he could.

Bilbo returned to his room, washed and changed into fresh clothes for the day. Then he walked back out and made for the Banquet Hall to meet Fili and Kili for what would have certainly qualified as second breakfast in the Shire. He had to admit he felt a bit uncomfortable at the thought that they had seen him come out of Thorin's bedroom, thus becoming aware that he had spent the night with Thorin. On the other hand, having breakfast with them was better than being alone at that particular time.

The Banquet Hall of Erebor had not been meant for everyday meals, but that was its given purpose in the current state of affairs. Normally, Dwarves took their meals with their families in their quarters, but most Dwarves that were now in Erebor did not have their families with them, nor did they actually plan to live there. Thorin and the Company were, of course, there to stay, but the Dwarves from the Iron Hills had remained behind only to help clean the place up a bit. So everyone got to eat in what had once been one of the most splendid banquet halls in Middle Earth for the time being. The atmosphere of it was that to which Bilbo had already become accustomed. Noisy, unrestrained laughter and the clang of metal pints echoed through the great hall, punctuated by content groans over tasty food for good measure. It was much like a party every time the dwarves had a meal, and Bilbo often found comfort in these moments.

And he certainly found comfort in having breakfast with the dwarves that day. Balin and Bofur were there as well in addition to Fili and Kili. Thorin did not make an appearance, but for Bilbo it was for the best. No one at the table acted as if there was anything different about that morning. The two princes were utterly well-behaved and displayed no indication of their private conversation with Bilbo, for which Bilbo was beyond grateful. He took his leave as soon as he had finished eating and returned to the library, where he had plenty of work to occupy his thoughts at least for a few months ahead.

Bilbo did not see Thorin for the rest of the day, not even at supper. He knew, of course, that Thorin had much to do himself, and he would only become busier and busier as he kept recovering his strength. As he walked back to his room, having decided to call it a day, Bilbo felt a little sad if also a bit relieved that he had not crossed paths with Thorin that day. He could have stopped by Thorin's quarters to see if he was there, but he chose to walk past the point where he could have done that. What he needed most was a warm bath and a good night's sleep.

It was late and quiet in the night when Thorin finally shuffled his weary feet to his quarters. He did not remember being so exhausted by his kingly duties in the years that he had built a new home in the Blue Mountains. He had been younger then, but he had also not almost died from his wounds in battle. There was good reason for him to feel tired at the end of a day. He admitted it; however, he did not like it one bit. If only he had been able to see Bilbo some time during the day. He suspected that would have helped. Unfortunately, he had not been able to spare even a moment to go and find him. But perhaps he could do so now.

Thorin walked past his own door and continued on the rest of the way to Bilbo's chamber. He opened the door quietly and let himself in. As he had expected, Bilbo was in bed, tucked under a thick blanket, looking sound asleep. There was still a night lantern burning dimly at his side. It cast its warm light over Bilbo's face, as it did its soft shadows. Thorin knelt beside the bed and watched Bilbo sleep for a while. That was not enough, however. He leaned over him and gave a long kiss to the side of his face that was turned to him.

Bilbo stirred and looked up at him through slow blinks. "Thorin," he said, his voice low.

"I have come to say good night," said Thorin. "I am sorry I did not get to see you all day."

"You're here now," said Bilbo, with a little smile.

"Indeed, I am."

They studied each other's faces for a while but the silence between them was no silence at all.

"Are you certain you're alright?" asked Thorin. "After last night, I mean."

"Of course, Thorin, why would I not be?"

"I am simply making sure."

After another pause that was anything but awkward, Bilbo said, "if you want to-"

"You need your sleep, Bilbo," replied Thorin, and Bilbo could swear that he could see Thorin's cheeks acquire a bit of colour, "and so do I. However, I could pay you a visit at the library tomorrow."

"The library? Wouldn't that be inappropriate?"

"Not if we lock the door."

Bilbo couldn't hold back a burst of laughter. "Oh, Thorin," he said, covering his mouth with his hand. "Is that why there is a sofa bed in the reading hall?"

"Not necessarily. Some like to read lying down. I fell asleep on it more times than I can remember."

"I look forward to tomorrow then," said Bilbo, allowing his hand to travel to Thorin's face, where it traced the contour of his furry jawline.

"Tomorrow," said Thorin, taking Bilbo's hand and laying a promising kiss in its palm.

Thorin stood up and gathered his arms over his belly. "Good night, Bilbo," he said, inclining his head in courteous fashion.

"Good night to you, dear sir," replied Bilbo, trying to make his voice as respectful as possible.

Thorin smiled widely in response and left the room, but sleep did not come easily for either of them that night. Fortunately, and exceptionally even, it was because they expected the following day to bring wonders that had been long lost for Thorin and that were brand new for Bilbo.