Bofur was thoroughly enjoyed with the surprise that Bilbo was. He was a very down to earth man and didn't really pry too much into his life. But, because Bofur was just an open kind of person, he basically told the older man most of his life.
Of course, Bilbo was in shock when he heard that he had been homeless for almost five years and Bofur swore he could see a glint of pride in his eyes when he said that Fili and Kili had been the ones to offer him a second chance in life.
From just the small amount of time they spent together that first night, Bofur could tell the rest of the time they would be together wouldn't be bad at all.
So a week passed before either Fili or Kili passed by, and when they did, they had Ori in tow.
Bofur had been watering the plants in Bilbo's garden when he'd heard sounds of scuffling, so he'd walked towards the front of the house and opened the door, only to find Kili and Ori arguing in front of him, Fili and Bilbo trying to get them to shut up.
"What's going on, lads?" Bofur asked, grabbing the attention of both boys for a split second.
Only to have them jump at him, screaming about something or another because poor Bofur really could not make out a word they were saying.
"Brother! Stop this silly nonsense!" Fili scolded, eyes wide as he looked down at the pile on the floor that were the men.
"Ori! I would never have thought I would see you acting in such a childish manner!" Bilbo gasped, all the while leaning down to try and pry the men off of Bofur.
"No! Mister Bofur has to be the one to resolve this issue!" Kili grouched, slapping away Bilbo's hand, eliciting a sharp gasp from the older man.
"That's true!" Ori agreed, nodding wildly while Fili rolled his eyes at them.
"He doesn't know a thing about what you were guys are talking! He'd be more confused than helpful, if you ask me."
Bofur quirked an eyebrow at Fili's attitude, actually surprised by the younger seeming so apathetic towards whatever was going on at the moment, but didn't say anything about it because Kili spoke up.
"Exactly! The fact that he knows nothing means he can make a decision without prejudice!"
Ori was nodding with the slightly older male, clearly agreeing on the matter. "Mr. Bofur will be perfect for this, Fili! He'll be able to solve this debate without making either of us question his choice!"
Fili glared at both of them now. "You are really making yourselves believe you will not be angered when Bofur solves this problem completely randomly, oblivious to all the pros and cons of each choice?"
"Now you're getting it, brother!" Kili smiled broadly and Fili only rolled his eyes, turning to Bilbo with a shake of his head.
"They've finally lost it. I knew having Nori around would finish breaking the poor boy's mind."
Bilbo smiled softly at Fili's words, fond of all of the boys around him, then looked at Bofur as he looked at him with a curious gaze. The other man most probably wanted some kind of explanation for the the younger males' behavior.
But before Bilbo could do anything to help appease his newest friend, Kili and Ori jumped in front of him with broad smiles on their faces.
"Okay Mister Funny-Guy! We need you to settle this great debate we've been having for the past week because of Nori!" Kili began, then Ori continued.
"It's been eating away at us and our fights have been escalating! Now, we need your utmost honesty without any kind of prejudice! Got it, Mister Bofur?" Kili asked, eyes wide and reminding Bofur a lot of a puppy.
The hatted man had no idea what they could be going on about, but whatever it could have been, it was clearly important for both men. So Bofur just nodded silently, unsure of what this great debate could have been about.
Kili breathed in, while Ori stared at him with a set gaze. Then the question left the black haired man's mouth and made Bofur start doubting his decision to allow himself to be dragged into the debate.
"Who would win: Hulk or Superman?"
Fili groaned as both men looked at Bofur, clearly wanting him to answer, while Bilbo could only eye them with an annoyed warmness. Only these two...
Bofur blinked as the two looked at him, fully expecting him to answer. But, to tell the truth, Bofur was feeling a bit insulted. He may have been homeless, but that did not mean he had no idea who these two heroes were. He had been around to read a few of their older comics.
So the mustached man crossed his arms and looked at the men with a small frown. But, an idea came to his mind and the frown quickly turned into a mischievous smile.
Ori and Kili were too interested in his answer to notice his mood changes for they really wanted someone to end the argument they had been involved in.
"Well, lads, the answer to that question is actually very simple," Bofur told them, smiling even more broadly when they seemed to lean in towards him. "The hero that would win that brawl would be none other than-" He left himself hanging, giving them more suspense.
"Just tell us!" Ori gasped, Kili now glaring at the older man.
Bofur rolled his eyes at their impatience but still answered, "Batman. Batman would beat them both."
There was a moment of silence in which Ori and Kili thought on the man's answer, which Bofur used to enter the Bilbo's house and get a headstart from the younger males, then they finally processed what the man had said.
"Hey! That doesn't count!" Ori yelled.
So both men took off running after a giggling Bofur while Fili shook his head and Bilbo smiled fondly at all of them.
"Have you not heard anything yet, Nori?"
The semi-thief looked up to find none other than Thorin Durin standing in front of him, casting a large shadow over him. Nori blinked up at him, wondering just how the larger man had been so quiet, then leaned to the left to find Dwalin closing the apartment door behind him.
Nori sighed as he crossed his arms, moving to place his throwing knives behind his back. He had been in the middle of sharpening them in the apartment's living room, just waiting for Fili and Kili to come back from Bilbo's place.
"I actually have, Thorin." Nori flashed both the men a sly smile, "But it'll cost you."
Dwalin's body immediately tensed as his frown became fiercer while Thorin glared at the younger man. Nori smiled broadly at the angered men, then shook his head softly and waved his hand in a noncommittal manner.
"I was kidding you." Nori told them simply before standing up, sly smile still in place. "The boys headed to Bilbo's place this morning. I started a small argument between Kili and Ori and may have sent them on their way to give you guys a reason to visit them over there."
Dwalin quirked an eyebrow at the shorter man, silently asking him to elaborate, so Nori did.
"Fili and Kili had just come from Bilbo's house the day I got here but wouldn't give me an extremely specific reason. So I gave them a reason to go there again and now we're going to have a reason to go there and visit."
Both of the larger men stood quiet for a second, processing his plan, but when they finally understood it, Dwalin had to admit that Nori was maybe not as stupid as initially thought. Now if he could only get Ori to permanently kick him out of their house.
"That is actually a pretty good plan, Nori." Thorin acknowledged as Nori stood up and gave them a mock bow.
"I know, right?" Nori smirked at both of them, then looked at the clock on the television. "We should get going though. I'm sure that their argument must have at least ended by now... And if not, I feel sorry for Bilbo."
Thorin and Dwalin nodded then followed the odd man out the apartment door.
Now Kili and Ori were still glaring at Bofur, but it was with less anger and just plain old annoyance. Bilbo had managed to calm down the lads while Fili hid Bofur behind his back, all the while the mustached man made funny faces at Kili and Ori to further taunt them.
All five men were in Bilbo's living room and the shortest man there was doing his best to keep from smiling at the angered and frustrated faces that the youngest there made, all the while Fili had no qualms about laughing at them.
"You look so funny, brother! Like a child that's just had his candy taken away!"
Kili humphed and crossed his arms with a pout, turning his head away from his brother to not have to look at him straight in the eyes. Bofur smiled softly at them and stood up to make his way towards them both. Once he was in front of the couch Kili and Ori were sitting in he sat himself down in between them and threw his arms over their shoulders.
"Come on, lads! It was just a joke!"
Ori grumbled and shifted away from Bofur and Kili stuck his tongue out at him. Bofur rolled his eyes at their childish actions but pestered on.
"You asked me a question with a rather ignorant disposition, don't you think?" He asked them and Kili's annoyance shifted into curiosity. "I may have been homeless, but that does not mean I was completely shut off from the rest of the world."
At hearing those words, both men looked at each other and noticed just how mean they had been in inferring that Bofur didn't know what superheroes were. They looked up at Bofur who then smiled broadly at both of them.
"I forgive you, lads. Just don't let it happen again."
Kili's smile was almost as broad as Bofur's own when he lunged to hug the hatted man and Ori's seemed to reach his ears as he too hugged Bofur from his other side.
"We promise, Mr. Bofur!" They promised together and Bilbo couldn't help but feel some warmth as he saw how kind these boys had become.
Fili rolled his eyes at his brother's theatrics once more but turned to the door when he heard a knock. "I'll get it." He told them while Kili and Ori continued hugging Bofur tightly, even though the older was trying to pry them off.
The blonde made his way to the door and opened it, only for his good mood to drop once more when he found Nori smiling at him.
"What are you three doing here?" He asked, frowning softly.
Thorin quirked an eyebrow at his nephew's sour attitude but attributed it to Nori's annoyance and shrugged it off. "We're here to visit Bilbo, of course."
Nori made his way into the house and Dwalin followed suit, leaving Fili and Thorin outside, the blonde frowning at his uncle's slightly weak story. Thorin never visited Bilbo anymore. Well, not ever since they broke up. And with Nori's sudden appearance in their apartment, Fili couldn't help but think they were all planning something.
"Come on, Fili. It's been too long since I last had a calm conversation with our favorite teacher." Thorin threw an arm over Fili and pulled him into the house.
But once they got to the living room, Thorin froze, confusing his nephew. Fili looked up at his uncle's still form and followed his line of sight, only to groan loudly once he knew what had made his uncle stop in his tracks.
And the deer caught in headlights look Bofur gave the the older male wasn't helping at all.
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