Sending the hobbit was the natural thing to do. He was the burglar, the smallest, the quietest, and most of all, he'd volunteered to scope out the dragon's lair. Thorin Oakenshield, future King Under the Mountain, paced anxiously just outside the stone door that lead into the mountain. Bilbo had saved his life on several occasions now, and he'd grown very fond of him.
"We should have never sent him in on his own," Thorin growled to Balin. "Not now that Smaug has woken."
Balin gestured to Kili, who was admiring the gold cup that Bilbo had pilfered. "Have faith in him, Thorin. He did manage to steal from under Smaug's nose, and he has that magnificent magic ring. He'll be just fine, laddie."
The mention of the ring did bring some comfort to the prince. Even a dragon would be unable to see the hobbit with the ring on. Bilbo would be fine.
A terrible scream echoed up from the passageway, and Thorin's blood ran cold.
"Bilbo," he murmured, and would have charged down after him if Fili and Kili hadn't held him back.
"There's nothing we can do," Balin said quietly, and deep in his heart, Thorin knew he was right. Even if he did manage to get to the hobbit in time, Smaug would simply kill two rather than one.
He sunk to his knees in front of the tunnel, listening to Bilbo's screams and hating himself.
X
If Thorin had thought the screaming was bad, it was even worse when it stopped. It had only lasted a few minutes, which was, in all honesty, much shorter than he'd anticipated. If Smaug the Terrible was to catch a thief, he would drag his death out much longer.
Fili, apparently, was thinking the same.
"Maybe he's not dead," the younger dwarf suggested, uneasy.
Thorin nodded slowly. There could be a chance. And even if Bilbo was dead, Thorin was determined to at least give him a proper burial. They could at least try to retrieve his body.
There was a cry from the watchmen below of "dragon!" and the dwarves sprang into action. Thorin shepherded them into the mountain, waiting until everyone else was inside before joining them and sliding the stone door shut. It was dark and the air was thin, but it was far better than outside. They could hear the terrified whinnies of their poor ponies.
A haphazard plan was forming in Thorin's mind. "Fili, Kili, with me," he said sharply. "The rest of you, stay here."
X
Bilbo had only just fallen into an uneasy sleep when he woke again. Smaug was gone, and there were voices calling his name, very familiar voices. He wondered if he'd gone mad from the pain and closed his eyes.
But there it was again!
"Bilbo Baggins! Burglar! Hobbit!"
He frowned, opening his eyes and peering through the darkness.
"…Thorin?" he tried hesitantly. His voice was hoarse from screaming. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Thorin Oakenshield, is that you?"
Three loud voices cursed in Khuzdul, their voices thick with relief. Fili and Kili too, Bilbo thought dazedly.
"Bilbo, it's us! Fili and Kili and Uncle, too!"
A flood of relief washed over Bilbo. He was saved! "Where are you?" he called back. "I…I can't see you…"
The sound of shifting rock was his only reply for a moment, followed by a grunt and another low curse. "The dragon's caved in the passageway." Thorin this time, his voice low and rough with stress. Despite himself, Bilbo shivered at the sound. "…We can't get you out right now, Master Hobbit."
The words sank in slowly. He was trapped.
"Are you much hurt?" Thorin asked, his voice concerned and anxious.
"M-mostly my dignity," the hobbit managed to say, on the verge of crying again. How long is he going to be stuck here as Smaug's new favorite plaything? "I don't think he wants to kill me. Not for some time."
Thorin let out yet another curse. Bilbo had never heard him speak so much in Khuzdul. Perhaps it was a good thing he couldn't understand the language of the dwarves.
A rush of violent wind made Bilbo's heart stop in his chest, and he knew with a start of horror that Smaug was coming.
"He's coming back," he hissed to the dwarves. "Go, get out. He'll smell you."
"Bilbo!" Thorin's voice sounded strange, almost…desperate. "I will come back for you."
The little hobbit bit back a whimper. He wanted so badly to be out of here, to be safe with Thorin and all the rest of the dwarves.
"Hurry," he whispered.
X
Smaug was a clever beast. While perhaps his senses had dulled somewhat from his long sleep, he knew the smell of dwarf. Striding towards the shivering, naked hobbit, he inhaled. Yes, the scent was fresh. Dwarves had been here recently. Likely they were trying to rescue the fourteenth member of their party. Another sniff. No, even better. They were still here, hiding behind the mass of rocks that blocked the passage from the treasure room. He gave the sniffling thing at his feet a disdainful look.
He almost left the little creature be. Almost.
Long, scaled fingers wrapped around the hobbit's throat and lifted him into the air, razor sharp talons pressing against the soft skin of his neck. Bilbo choked, struggling wildly as Smaug slammed him roughly against a wall. His body still ached from the assault earlier, and this was only making it worse.
"You spoke with your dwarf friends, did you not?" the dragon hissed, a strand of black hair falling into his eyes.
Bilbo couldn't breathe, let alone speak. He whimpered, nodding.
"You cannot escape, little thief. The only way in or out of this place is the Front Gate. You will live out the rest of your miserable existence here, with me. Do you understand?"
His vision was beginning to go dark at the edges. He gasped and choked and nodded furiously, desperate for air. Smaug waited until he was on the verge of unconsciousness before loosening his grip, allowing the hobbit to breathe again.
Poor Bilbo had barely a chance to catch his breath before Smaug spun him around and slammed him face first into the wall again. His feet weren't touching the ground, his body lifted up by the dragon pressed worryingly close to him. He was still struggling to breathe when he felt Smaug's cock impale him. Any air left in his lungs whooshed out in a terrible scream.
The dragon was ruthless, his sharp teeth and claws biting into Bilbo's soft body as he thrust deep inside him. The hobbit cried and screamed just as before, struggling against him, but he was pinned between the wall and Smaug's arousal throbbing deep inside him.
He was too senseless with the pain and the lack of oxygen to even notice when the dragon released, filling his tiny body with his seed. Smaug dropped him unceremoniously to the ground and there he lay, crying and gasping.
Thorin sat on the other side of the pile of rubble, his nails digging into his palms hard enough to draw blood as he listened to the sounds of the hobbit's misery.
