~Past~

That first night spent curled around each other had been meant to be a one-off. Bilbo had convinced himself in the morning that it hadn't been the best sleep of his life, that really he had just been very tired and any sleep would have been amazing. The snoring had been keeping him awake, he'll just go to sleep before the other dwarves and therefore wouldn't hear it.

He was convinced right up until he tried falling asleep again that night. The others had been dawdling around dinner and Bilbo had crept off to try and be asleep before the mountain-moving snores descended.

For a few moment, Bilbo turned until he found himself comfortable enough. The bedroll was certainly warm enough, with the fire still at full blaze. He felt relief that the warmth was settling over him because, as he deduced, that had been what had made him fall asleep so fast when he had been with Thorin.

As he relaxed, Bilbo congratulated himself on figuring it all out. He didn't feel any hesitation to shut his eyes and wait for sleep to claim him.

Hours later, Bilbo opened his eyes and finally declared surrender. Sleep was no closer to claiming him than Thandruil to apologizing personally to Thorin. Dwalin, Gloin, and Balin had already fallen asleep and were snoring on, peacefully. Bilbo couldn't even pretend he knew what was keeping him awake.

By the time the fire had truly died down, signally it was, once again, much later than Bilbo needed to be awake, Bilbo had sat up and was staring at it's low flames as if, in hopes, it might mesmerize him enough to fall asleep.

Giving up, Bilbo clamored to his feet and let them carry him out into the hall. He wasn't sure what he was thinking about doing. There would be no way to reach Thorin at this hour. The King would be most certainly sleeping, and not at all-

Bilbo found himself running face-first into someone. Warm hands caught him and helped keep him up right. He looked up at the smiling face of the King.

"Again, Master Baggins?" Thorin's chest vibrated with the throaty laugh he let out. Bilbo smiled, and shook his head.

"Not lost this time," Bilbo said, at least he didn't think so. At night it was incredibly difficult to know when all he could see was Thorin. Maybe he had found what his feet had set him out in search for.

"But still awake after the peak of the moon," Thorin says.

"I find myself unable to sleep in my current quarters," Bilbo says and then flushes. He hadn't meant it quite the way it sounded. "Not that my quarters aren't pleasant. It's more that I cannot find sleep."

"Relax. I understand. Perhaps you forget that Dwalin and I have shared sleeping space before. His snores have ended whole battles before they could even begin," Thorin laughs and Bilbo can't help but laugh as well.

"If you wish, I still have space in my room that we can share another night," Thorin offers it so easily. Bilbo accepts with a quick nod.

When they are settling in under the fur throw, Fili and Kili snoring away again, Bilbo wonders if now is the time to tell Thorin about the Arkenstone in his pack. They had been sent in a furious search for it, and Bilbo didn't know why he had kept it hidden.

The thoughts plagued his mind until Thorin's hand fell to his hip and tug him close again. This time Bilbo didn't even hesitate to curl his arm around the King's middle, propriety damned.

It didn't take the entire length of a minute before Bilbo happily drifted unconscious. He missed Thorin's blissful sigh of relief as he too found enough peace to put his mind at ease and pass finally into sleep.

~ Present ~

The next morning, Thorin found himself waking in the manner that he was quite accustomed, with Bilbo Baggins curled around his side, arm around his waist and head full of curls atop his chest.

Conversation from the dinner the night previous was almost forefront in his mind when his eyes opened. Balin and Fili had talked of his marriage to Bilbo with almost certainty that it truly bothered him they were so misguided. They had assumed that he and Bilbo were intimate, perhaps? That was Thorin's only assumption to explain why they would think the next logic step was marriage.

He wondered if they were always this delusional or if maybe there was some latent affect the Arkenstone had passed onto the others. Thranduil had said the stone would be kept somewhere safe and far away from Erebor. Still, it may not hurt to send a letter to see if the damn thing was far enough away.

Grumblings from Bilbo pulled Thorin out of his thoughts. The Hobbit groaned loudly before burying his face in Thorin's chest.

"I can 'ear you thinking," Bilbo mumbled. Smiling, Thorin ran a hand affectionately down his friend's back.

"I doubt that my thoughts pulled you from your slumber, dear Hobbit," Thorin said, chuckling when Bilbo groaned again.

"You're smirking, I can hear it. It's too early for smug," Bilbo protested.

"Would you prefer I vacate the bed and allow you more time to rest?" Thorin asks.

It comes as no surprise when Bilbo clenches his hand in Thorin's bed shirt and squeezes him tight and possessive. A warmth flares in Thorin's stomach that he tries to ignore as Bilbo grumbles loudly about there being no decent pillows in Erebor and how would he get any sleep if Thorin, the only good pillow available, left.

Chuckling, Thorin rubbed Bilbo's back in apology as the Hobbit settled again. His hand finds his friend's neck and he rubs his thumb on the soft skin there.

Shifting his head on the pillow, Thorin closes his eyes. Marriage. He mentally snorts. His friends are insane.