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“And you're sure that even this small of a gem is worthy of being a gift?” Bilbo asked as he dithered at the single gem counter at the extremely run down market in Laketown. Dwalin sighed from behind them, his arms laden with food as Fili smiled at Bilbo.
“Better an actual gem than the rest of these colored glass pebbles.” Fili murmured under his breath, knowing now what he did of Hobbit hearing that Bilbo would hear him but the shifty-looking Man wouldn’t, especially seeing as they weren’t out to start any fights. Bilbo’s nose twitched before he bent once more to more closely look at the three small stones that Fili had separated from the rest when the merchant glanced away.
“Why are you looking for gems anyway, Mister Boggins, when we’ll all soon have more and better quality to pick from?” Fili asked as he too bent to look at the small poor quality gems. Heaving a sigh the hobbit glanced at the young dwarf before returning to the stones.
“Do any of these have a meaning to dwarves like flowers do for hobbits?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well if I were to gift a certain hobbit with orange lilies they would know I was telling them that I hated them. All without speaking. So?” Bilbo explained, causing Fili to give a small noise of understanding and then explain in broad terms what each of the three gems represented to dwarrow. With that knowledge, Bilbo looked up at the seller and requested the gem he wanted.
~
The dwarves were all resting in various spots between the kitchen, dining room, and the parlor when Bilbo nervously cleared his throat and called out softly.
“I'm glad you all enjoyed the Dinner I was able to provide…um Thorin could I speak to you for a moment, in relative privacy?” He spoke clearly, only faltering at the end when half of the company turned to look at him before they turned their gazes to Thorin, who was resting near the hearth, his nephews on either side of him. With a grunt the dwarven king worked to free himself from his sleeping nephews only to stop as the rest of the company grumbled, getting to their feet and all moving to the kitchen. Bombur even stated that they were all going to help with the dishes that such an excellent meal caused. Raising a brow Thorin lightly pinched each of his sister-sons on their arms and when they didn’t so much as stir gave a long-suffering sigh. A chuckle brought his attention back to the hobbit who was much closer than before a small cloth covered item held in his hands.
“Are they actually asleep? Or are they trying to eavesdrop from the center of it and going to get banned from ever getting any of my biscuits again?” Bilbo asked as he watched the two young dwarves. Neither Fili nor Kili moved at his softly spoken threat or when Thorin jostled them enough to free his hands.
“What's that?” Thorin asked once it was clear that his sister-sons weren't awake and nodded to the item in Bilbo’s hand, watching with hidden interest as the hobbit blushed faintly.
“It's a gift. Uh. For you. Do you want it?” Bilbo stammered as he hesitatingly held out the cloth bundle.
“For me?” Thorin asked as he reached out to the hobbit, taking the bundle from his slightly shaking hand, and began undoing the knot. Catching Bilbo’s nod he finally got the bundle open and stared at the item within long enough to make Bilbo begin to babble in nervousness.
“Is that a hair clip with a ruby inlaid to it?” Kili asked as he yawned against Thorin’s shoulder. Bilbo fell silent for a long moment as they stared at the slowly waking dwarf before shaking himself and doing his best to explain.
“It’s a hair comb that can double as a hairpin if you have longer hair than I do currently. I-I’ve been able to hold onto that since I left Bag End, trust me to remember Mother’s comb but not a handkerchief, and well I know that the elves took nearly everything when they locked you lot up. So, uh, I thought you might like it. And then when we were out shopping for supper there was a gem booth and Fili showed me how to tell the gems from the colored glass, and this one looks nice with the color of the wood and-” Bilbo rambled as Thorin stared at the hair comb once more, pausing only when Thorin looked up at him with a small but heartfelt smile on his face. “-why are you lo-” he started to say when Thorin cut him off.
“I accept, Bilbo Baggins of the Shire, son of Bungo Baggins and Belladonna Took.” Thorin said in his deep voice, a frown appearing when he paused, “Though I have naught but a hair braid and bead to respond with.” He looked away almost as if in shame.
“What? Thorin that would be nice, yet you don’t have t-” Bilbo began to question only for Kili to spring up and lift him off the rug, turning in an excited circle as he crowed about his new hobbit uncle, further confusing said hobbit. He didn’t get a chance to say anything else as Fili had woken up at some point and stole him from Kili, then it was Bofur giving him a hug and slap with a “congrats!” before the entire rest of the company was there and he got turned around multiple times.
A large hand snagged his wrist and tugged him gently out of the throng of bodies. Stumbling, he landed next to Thorin where he was still sitting on the couch, warm wooden comb in his other hand which he lifted towards Bilbo’s head a question in his eyes as they stared at one another. Glancing between the comb and Thorin’s eyes Bilbo gave a small nod.
Smile blooming on his face Thorin gestured for Bilbo to turn his face towards the fire, once the hobbit had done so he reverently let the comb touch the honey brown tresses, using it as it was intended to be able to braid his intended’s hair. A hush fell over the group as the company took witness to Thorin Oakensheild, Heir of Durin’s Line, King of the Longbeard clan, ritually comb and weave a braid of courtship into his intended’s hair, using his own hair bead to clasp the braid when it was finished. They watched as the hobbit blinked up at him before he glanced at the comb again. He raised a hand and waited.
As one the Dwarrow inhaled.
Bilbo waited patiently as Thorin seemed to fight an internal battle, his face falling the longer he held his hand up until he nearly slapped the comb into his hand, turning away quickly only to freeze in place as the comb raked through his hair harshly from his movement. Tutting Bilbo made sure to be extra gentle when he brought the comb up again, thinking that Thorin had frozen because the comb had caught in his hair. Working from one side of the mass of hair to the other he made sure that the King’s hair was as tangle free as possible before he started on a braid that he was fairly certain Thorin had just put into his own hair. Twisting the end of the braid he brought it to the back of Thorin’s mane and using the comb he pinned the braid into place.
Leaning back, Bilbo gave a satisfied sigh before he looked up and shrank back somewhat nervously at the sight of the entire company, minus Thorin who was still facing away from him, staring at him seemingly in shock. “What?” he asked.
“I did not think that you would reply so quickly Bilbo. It’s not normally done so fast, yet I can now see the wisdom of such a speedy response seeing as we go to face Smaug tomorrow.” Thorin rumbled as he finally turned back to face him, a very pleased look having replaced the sorrowful one he had had when he had turned away initially.
~
“It’s only right that Uzbadyasthûn Bilbo sees to this while King Thorin is still in his healing sleep!” Balin snapped as he stood in front of Dain’s lead advisor, stained parchment crumpling in his uninjured hand. Bilbo looked up from where he was reading a similarly stained parchment, a tentative truce with Mirkwood, to see the red haired dwarf begin to puff up further. As he did the braid, which Thorin had stupidly insisted on re-weaving as Bilbo was trying to hold his insides inside his body and screaming for help, swung forward the silver bead resting lightly against his jaw. The dwarf saw the braid which, since Bilbo had yet to find time for a proper bath, was still coated in Thorin’s blood albeit now dried. They sputtered before giving a stiff bow to them and storming back outside. Balin sighed as he half turned to Bilbo and held out the parchment in his grip, already giving a look toward the tent flap where Dwalin poked his head in, scowled, and retreated.
Taking the parchment he smoothed it out, reading the top he also sighed and got to work on marking the third sheet so that there would hopefully be a working written truce by nightfall. His mind, though, continued to mull over the word Balin had used before his name, as he had heard some of the others use it as well. It was approaching tea time when he straightened up from working on the document.
“Balin, would you give this a final check over while I check on the boys?” Bilbo asked as he stretched out the kinks in his back.
“Aye, Uzbadyasthûn Bilbo, I can do that. Shall I take it to the other two if it's good?” Balin asked as he picked up the sheet in preparation to read it. Shaking his head, Bilbo responded.
“No, well, yes but I’d like to go with that way if they want more changes I can get right on it so it’ll hopefully be done by dinner time.” With that, he went and checked on Fili, broken ribs and legs, and Kili, broken arm and a stab wound that nearly mirrored his uncles. Both boys were sleeping when he checked on them so he returned to the tent where Thorin lay in a healing sleep, the Arkenstone glimmering very faintly from where it was resting above the deep stab wound. Bilbo would swear up and down that the stone was taking on a bloody tinge the longer it lay there but no one else seemed to see it.
~
“And when was anyone going to tell me to stop Pining over the King??!” Bilbo shouted as he stormed back into the Royal quarters, Fili following as fast as his crutches would allow his brother holding the door open for him as they watched the hobbit pace in circles muttering to himself. He didn’t seem to notice that Thorin’s study door was ajar.
“We thought you knew! You never protested anything we called you!” Kili shouted right back as he gestured with his right arm, the left still braced against his chest after he had over taxed the recently healed bone. Fili winced even as he lowered himself onto the couch at the furious look on Bilbo’s face.
“Half of what you call me I can’t understand! The other half I don’t mind as I do think of you boys as my own! But really! To let me go around thinking that I could never measure up and all along,” Bilbo paused, taking a deep breath, “WE’VE BEEN MARRIED FOR MONTHS!” his voice came out so shrilly that it caused their ears to ring for half a minute afterward. Only Bilbo heard the creak of the study door as it drifted open. Bilbo turned towards the study slowly anticipating who was standing in the doorway, expression falling at the hurt and confused expression on his dwarf’s face. “Thorin…have we really been, been Married, for months now?”
“Yes. You gave me a customized heirloom courting gift,” he gestured to his ever present hair comb, “and then followed it with a braid of Marriage when you placed the comb into my hair despite having only my own courtship braid and Heir of Durin bead placed into your hair.” Thorin explained as he walked to his husband. Reaching out he carefully pulled the emotional hobbit into a hug.
“Best birthday gift I have ever given away, that comb, if you’re telling me the truth, love of mine,” Bilbo replied as he looked up at the dark haired king. Thorin frowned as he leaned back.
“Birthday gift?”
“Well yes? Hobbits give away presents on the day of their birth, unlike you dwarrow and the men do.”
“So you did not mean it as a courting gift…” Thorin trailed off looking pained as he stepped backward away from Bilbo, who wasn’t having it, stepped right back into his space, no matter the crick he’d get looking upward this close to make sure that Thorin was looking at him as he spoke.
“I may not have intended for it to be a courting gift at first, but as happy as it made you, I would not retract it for all the mushrooms in the world. Besides, did you not hear what I was saying earlier to our boys? I have been going around thinking that I could never measure up to this standard that they have set for the consort that all the advisors have been speaking about when in reality I’ve been the one setting that standard. I’ve loved you since you sang in Bag End, granted it took until Azog nearly killed you after you stupidly charged him alone for me to figure it out but I got there eventually, my love.” He paused, taking in the growing smile on the much beloved face above him, dark beard bristling with happiness.
“I do expect for there to be some flowers at the actual Ceremony I’m sure is expected of a marriage for someone of your status, and I’d like to invite Lord Elrond and Beron if you don’t mind.” Thorin laughed as he wrapped his husband up in his arms once more.
“Aye, I think we could handle them.”
“We should extend an invitation to Mirkwood’s elves too. Though I do doubt that Thrandial would actually show up. Oh and King Bard, of course.”
“Of course.” Thorin mock groaned as he buried his face into his husband's hair even knowing that there would soon be elves, men, a shapeshifter, and likely a grey wizard in his halls couldn’t lessen his happy smile as he nosed along the marriage braid he had weaved just that morning into his hobbit’s honey brown curls.
~Fin~