Merry Christmas to you all!

I wanted to get this chapter up on Christmas day. I just got done with it five minutes today and Christmas Day is actually already over where I live. I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, especially the ending. If I get time and ideas over the next couple of days, I might actually rewrite it. I haven't proof read it yet either. But I wanted to get it out there for you guys to enjoy as a Christmas treat.

Warning: SMUT

Chapter 6

24 December 2007

In the end, Bilbo does not find the perfect Christmas gift for Thorin. Till the last minute he waits for the flash of inspiration to hit. Instead he is overcome by a huge wave of disappointment. This is supposed to be the perfect Christmas and he failed before it even begins. Over the last four weeks he raided every shop in the city, browsed hundreds of websites online and asked every person available for ideas. And he came up with nothing. In the end he walked into a random shop and purchased a tie, socks and a package of boxer shorts so that Thorin would at least have something to unwrap Christmas morning. But Bilbo is in no way pleased.

It is Christmas Eve and he is sitting at the kitchen table, absently drawing patterns into the flour he used for his baking earlier. The entire table is covered in the white powder, cookie cutters in all shapes and sizes are scattered around him. He is supposed to be cleaning.

Instead Bilbo just sits and stares at the Christmas tree he and Thorin set up in the living room a couple of weeks ago. He had insisted on the tree even though he knew that they would spend the holiday with his parents and Thorin's family. After dragging it inside, with Bilbo fussing about the needles getting everywhere and chasing Thorin and the tree with the vacuum cleaner, they had spent the afternoon decorating it together. Looking at the tree, one can tell that Thorin does not have much experience with decorating one. While the decorations on the bottom half of the tree were all equally distributed, the upper branches that Bilbo couldn't reach, were bare in some places while overflowing with decorations in others. In the end, Thorin had lifted the shorter man up to place the red star on the top. Bilbo had never seen a more beautiful Christmas tree.

But now, having stared at it for the last thirty minutes from his perch in the kitchen, it makes him unreasonably sad. Sitting under the tree are all the presents he wrapped over the last couple of weeks. The toy for Fili, his mother's new shopping basket, the gardening tools for his father. The biscuits for the Durin family were all put in little paper bags and are now sitting on the dining room table, all ready for tomorrow.

When Bilbo had wriggled under the tree to retrieve Bofur's socks before meeting the man for lunch yesterday, he had found some neatly wrapped presents with his name on them. In Thorin's handwriting. Bilbo almost started crying right then and there. He is officially the worst boyfriend ever.

He groans and drops his head onto the table top, not caring that he is getting flour and leftover dough stuck in his hair.

Thorin enters the kitchen, freshly showered, finely dressed and ready to go. The tall man frowns when he discovers that the kitchen is still a mess and Bilbo has not made a move to clean it up like he said he would and is instead slumped in one of the chairs, his forehead resting on the dirty table. He slowly approaches his lover, tapping the table top with his finger to get Bilbo's attention.

The curly-haired man lifts his head, which seems to cause great effort, and blinks up at him, his eyes slightly red, the rest of his face puffy and with smudges of flour here and there.

Thorin scrutinises him for a second before lifting a hand to rest against Bilbo's forehead as he kneels in front of him. The shorter man closes his eyes to avoid his lover's intense gaze. He feels Thorin's large hand wander from his forehead to his left cheek and then down to his throat. When the other man taps his shoulder, Bilbo reluctantly opens his eyes and meets Thorin's concerned expression.

"Are you feeling ill?" The taller man asks and presses his hand against Bilbo's face once more. He only gets a head shake in response. It takes a bit of coaxing to get the curly-haired man to acknowledge him properly. Bilbo looks up at him with such a crestfallen expression that Thorin fears the worst. Not that he really knows what that would be. He gives his partner an encouraging peck on the lips. But that does not really improve their situation because suddenly big tears are rolling down Bilbo's cheeks.

"I'm sorry," he signs shakily. "I'm terrible. Don't hate me." He chokes out a sob. Thorin stars at him, disbelieve written across his entire face. He wraps his arms around the short man as Bilbo starts to sob harder.

"Bilbo," Thorin murmurs into his lover's soft curls. He has absolutely no idea what has gotten Bilbo so upset. He was fine an hour ago. Well, maybe not exactly fine now that Thorin thinks about it. His partner has been suspiciously non-talkative all day. But he put that down to stress and fatigue. Bilbo had been baking and preparing food for the dinner tonight and tomorrow for the last two days. But now the shorter man seems to be having a minor breakdown. His sobs are loud in the otherwise silent house and Thorin's heart is breaking a million times over every second the sobbing continues.

He rocks back and forth as he holds Bilbo in his arms and keeps murmuring his love's name into the dark blonde curls.

After what feels like a heart-wrenching eternity to Thorin, Bilbo's sobs become quieter and turn into hiccoughs. The shorter man rests his head against Thorin's shoulder as his breathing calms down. Now and then a shuttering breath still escapes him but the tears have stopped falling and he is starting to feel embarrassed about his emotional display. He lets his hand slide into his pocket to retrieve his handkerchief. There is no need to get snot all over Thorin's shirt. Although he will have to change no matter what. The button-down has become stained with tears and crinkled where Bilbo buried his fingers in the light-blue fabric.

The curly-haired man sits up and blows his nose, making sure to avoid his lover's questioning gaze. Thorin will just laugh at him for being so utterly ridiculous. And he'll be disappointed when he finds out that his boyfriend failed to come up with a proper gift idea.

Once his nostrils are free of mucus, Bilbo attempts to get up. But before he can completely detangle his legs, Thorin pulls him up and wraps him in another embrace. The shorter man splutters as his face is pressed into the broad chest of his lover. He can feel Thorin whispering something against his ear but refrains himself from reminding the man that he can't actually hear him.

It is not the first time that he has caught Thorin talking to him out loud. The other man seems more comfortable expressing his feelings by saying them out loud rather than signing. Too bad that Bilbo is deaf. He would really like to know what is being whispered in his ear every time they make love.

They stay embraced in each other's arms until Bilbo catches a glimpse of the time on Thorin's radio that is sitting on his kitchen shelf. He groans and reluctantly pushes Thorin away. They are supposed to leave in ten minutes to get to his parents' house in time for dinner.

Thorin notices his distress and presses a kiss to Bilbo's forehead. "It's fine," he signs. "I'll call your parents." Bilbo nods but before he can sneak away to avoid Thorin's unvoiced questions, the taller man gently grabs his chin and makes him meet his gaze.

"What's wrong?"

Bilbo shrugs. "Nothing. I'm stupid."

Thorin bends down to him and presses his lips to Bilbo's. "You are not stupid. Tell me what's wrong!"

The curly-haired man shakes his head and sets his gaze on the mess on the kitchen table. He really wants Thorin to let it go. But that is obviously not going to happen. Thorin cups his tear-stained face between his large warm hands and kisses him again. "Please tell me!"

Bilbo gives up. Thorin is going to find out sooner or later anyway. Might as well get it over with.

"I didn't know what to get you for Christmas. I'm crap. I'm sorry."

His lover stares at him for an entire minute. The curly-haired man gulps nervously. Then Thorin starts laughing. He throws his head back to release all the laughter that has built up inside him. Bilbo folds his arms across his chest and glares at him. This reaction is really unnecessary. He already feels bad enough but now Thorin makes him look like a complete fool.

When the dark-haired man finally calms down, he captures Bilbo's lips with a crushing kiss. "Sorry for laughing," he signs, his face apologetic.

Bilbo huffs. "It's not funny. I feel like complete shit."

Thorin shakes his head. "I wasn't laughing at you. I was laughing at the situation. Because I had no idea what to get you either."

Oh.

That changes things. They share a giggle.

"Let's agree that we are both shit and leave it at that," Thorin suggests. "Go take a shower. I'll clean up."

Bilbo pouts and looks up at him with big blue eyes. "Shower together?"

Well, they are already late. Fifteen minutes won't hurt anyone.

"Thorin, dear, are you sure you don't want any more potatoes?" Belladonna asks and offers the man next to her the bowl. Thorin is almost afraid he will explode if he shakes his head. "No thank you, I am quite full." Across from him Bilbo motions for his mother to pass the bowl over before dumping five potatoes onto his plate. Belladonna turns back to Thorin.

"So, has Bilbo told you about our family Christmas tradition?"

The tall man shakes his head and hopes that this particular family tradition does not involve more food. But most activities the Baggins Family call a tradition involve eating. He startles when Belladonna claps her hands together in delight.

"Oh, you are in for a treat." She pats his shoulder. "It's always my favourite part of Christmas Eve."

After dessert, which Thorin had to skip because he was too stuffed to eat even one more bite, they all move into the sitting room. Bilbo, scowling a little, is pulled onto the couch by his mother and Thorin sits down next to him, still unsure of what will happen next. He grabs his lover's hand and squeezes it. Bilbo glares at him as if Thorin is to blame for this. Whatever this is.

Bungo scoots down in front of the television and inserts a video cassette into the recorder. Then he settles down next to his wife and presses a button on the remote.

For a couple of seconds the screen stays black but then Bungo's voice fills the room.

"Bell, what does the red light mean? Is it filming yet?" In the bottom right corner the date is set as the twenty-fifth of December 1982. A scratching noise can be heard and then a room comes into view. It is the sitting room of Bag-End.

A large Christmas tree is sitting in the corner, presents stacked in neat piles around it. Soft Christmas music is playing in the background. A young Belladonna enters the screen from the left, carrying a bundle of blankets. "The red light means you are recording," she says and pats the bundle in her arms. "Oh, okay," Bungo mumbles and clears his throat. "Here we are then," he announces in a louder voice. "Bilbo's first Christmas. Show him to the camera, Bell!" Bungo approaches his wife and the camera focuses in on the bundle in her arms. A tiny face is nestled in the patchwork blanket. Rosy cheeks, slightly pursed lips and a button nose. The baby is sleeping peacefully, unaware of the excitement around him. "Isn't he beautiful?" Bungo asks. "Three months old now." He lovingly strokes his son's cheek. "Let's open some presents, Bell."

Belladonna chuckles. "Shouldn't we wait till he's awake, love?" The camera shifts and is set down on the table. Bungo steps into view. "Give him here, dear. I want to hold him." His wife transfers their son into his waiting arms and he starts to unwrap the child from the blanket hiding him from view. "Let's get you out of there", he mumbles. Belladonna picks up the camera. "There he is," Bungo says and lifts the child up. Bilbo is dressed in a red and green striped onesie, the blonde curls on his head already present, even at three months old. "Our son. Our little miracle." He presses a kiss to the infant's brow. Bilbo releases a yawn and slowly blinks his eyes open. His father coos at him. "Hello, love," he whispers. "Are you awake? Do you want to open some presents?" His son keeps blinking at him.

Bungo approaches the Christmas tree, Belladonna and the camera following him. He grabs a small package from the top of the pile of presents and settles down on the couch, Bilbo resting in the crook of his elbow. "Look, Bilbo!" He presents the wrapped gift to his son. "I made this for you." He unwraps the present and the camera zooms in on the object he extracts from inside. It is a cylindrical rattle with a bell surrounded by colourfully painted wood.

Bungo shakes the rattle and the bell rings out. Little Bilbo seems unimpressed and doesn't acknowledge the gift rattling away in his father's hand. Instead he releases another yawn. His father tries to get him interested in the new toy by waving it in front of his face. The infant glances at it for a second before his gaze wanders to the illuminated Christmas tree. Bungo pouts and his wife bursts out laughing.

"Oh love, don't take it too hard," she says. "Give him a couple of weeks and he'll love it so much, we'll be covering our ears to block out the noise."

Bilbo is getting restless in his father's arms. His face scrunches up in irritation and he lets out a little squawk of distress. Bungo tries to sooth him. "Shhhh, Bilbo. Don't tell me you are hungry again already."

"That's our son you are talking to. Of course he's hungry," Belladonna sighs with mocked exasperation. "Okay, say goodbye to the camera, Bilbo." The camera zooms in on the baby's face before Belladonna turns it off.

The screen goes black for a second. Then the sitting room of Bag End appears again. The date is now the twenty-fifth of December 1983. A curly-haired toddler is taking wobbly steps around the room. "Bilbo's second Christmas," Belladonna's voice sounds from off-screen. "Such a big boy he is. Oh no, honey, don't eat the ornaments." Bilbo has wandered over to the Christmas tree and is now gnawing on a wooden star. "BUNGO!" Belladonna yells. "Get over here. Your son is eating the decorations." Bilbo, undisturbed by her yelling, wobbles on his feet as he reaches for another ornament.

Bungo enters the scene and scoops his son into his arms, wrestling the star out of his pudgy little hand. "Yucky ornaments," he signs to the boy. "Let's get some chocolate." Bilbo claps his hands in delight as his father carries him over to the fireplace where three large stockings are hanging from the mantle.

As he hands Bilbo a piece of chocolate from the stocking, Bungo spots the camera in Belladonna's hands. "Oh, you already started." He walks over and presents the child in his arms to the camera. Bilbo's left fist is stuffed in his mouth, chocolate-coloured drool running down his chin. He kicks his legs in excitement when he sees the camera and waves with his free hand.

Bungo wipes his son's face with his handkerchief and Bilbo tries to wriggle out of his grasp with a grunt. "Come on, son," Bungo grumbles. "We need to get you presentable for the camera." He finally succeeds in removing all traces of chocolate from the child's face and sets Bilbo on his feet. The boy toddles back to the tree and pulls on the ornaments again.

"Maybe we should open some presents," Belladonna suggests."Or he'll eat his way through the entire tree." She sets the camera down on the table and steps into view. Bilbo squeaks when his mother lifts him up and away from his beloved ornaments and into her lap. Bungo hands her a present from the pile. Their son huffs as he tries to escape from his mother's arms, his eyes still trained on the tree decorations.

Bungo attempts to divert his attention by stepping in his line of sight. "Help your mama open the present, Bilbo." The toddler's gaze falls on the wrapped box in front of him. He doesn't seem to know what to make of it. Belladonna guides his tiny hands and helps him unwrap the present.

Thorin turns his head to look at his lover. Bilbo is still frowning but when he meets Thorin's gaze, his features soften somewhat. The taller man wraps his arm around him and pulls him close. He buries his nose in his lover's curls and watches a two-year old Bilbo remove his trousers and pants before sitting down to get working on his presents, starkers from the waist down but still wearing his red reindeer Christmas jumper.

The Bilbo next to him hides his face in Thorin's shoulder in embarrassment. The dark-haired man chuckles and receives a jab in the ribs for it.

They spend the next two hours watching Bilbo turn from a tiny red-cheeked toddler into a handsome young man. Thorin especially enjoys seventeen-year old Bilbo with unkempt long locks, scowling into the camera the entire time, an expression so similar to the one Bilbo is wearing now.

The curly-haired man is clearly unhappy that, now that the video is done, his mother is getting out the entire family photo album collection. He detangles himself from Thorin's arms and stomps off to the kitchen to have some leftover dessert.

"I love you," Thorin mumbles into the crook of Bilbo's neck. He is hovering above the shorter man, his arms placed on both sides of the curly head, their groins grinding against each other. Bilbo is working on unbuttoning Thorin's shirt. With every button he loosens, his breaths become more erratic.

Thorin shifts his weight and Bilbo's old bed squeaks beneath them. Technically the bed is too small to hold two grown men but when Belladonna offered to get a sleeping bag and the lilo from the basement, they readily declined. Although Bilbo is a very lively sleeper and moves around a lot, they have no problem spending the night pressed close to each other.

Bilbo has succeeded in loosening Thorin's shirt buttons and pushes the fabric off the man's muscled shoulders. He lets his hands explore his lover's torso as he feels the pressure in his lower regions intensify. The other man runs his tongue along Bilbo's throat and savours the taste of the soft skin. He shifts his weight to his left arm and his right hand sneaks down into Bilbo's trousers and captures his cock in a tight grip. His lover's eyes roll to the back of his head in pleasure. Just as Thorin leans down to devour Bilbo's beautiful pink lips, he starts to hear an odd sound. He stills and listens.

He can only make out sighs and moaning. Neither of which are coming from him and Bilbo. There is also some kind of squeaking as if someone is jumping on a bed in the next room. It takes a second for Thorin to realise what exactly he is hearing.

The man beneath him grunts in annoyance and pulls on Thorin' hair. When he doesn't react, Bilbo pushes him back and sits up.

"What?"

Thorin focuses his gaze on the curly-haired man and shifts back to be able to raise his hands and sign a response.

"Your parents...are having sex."

Bilbo squeaks in horror and slaps his hands over his eyes, rolling back and forth on the bed as if in serious pain. Thorin lowers himself on top of him to keep him from moving and the curly-haired man grunts at the extra weight. "Thanks for traumatising me," he manages to sign after shifting around to free his arms and hands.

His lover chuckles and captures Bilbo's lips in a passionate kiss. The shorter man growls in protest and pulls away. Thorin pouts.

"I can't have sex when my parents are doing the same next door," Bilbo explains and readjust his pants and trousers.

The other man scoffs. "You can't even hear them. We need to make some noise so I don't have to listen to them."

"I'm not having a sex competition with my parents," Bilbo tells him and folds his arms across his chest. All the passion has left his body at the thought of his parents shagging. Sometimes he is really glad he is deaf.

"At least get me off," Thorin pleads, widening his eyes in a comic attempt at puppy eyes. "I need a distraction." He grabs Bilbo's hand and guides it down to his still half-hard cock. The curly-haired man rolls his eyes in mock annoyance but complies. His hand slides into Thorin's pants and gives his member a hard tug. His lover sighs blissfully and closes his eyes, letting his forehead lean against Bilbo's shoulder.

The moans from the other room are increasing in volume and he tries to concentrate on Bilbo's thumb stroking his glans. He lifts his head and captures the short man's lips in a passionate kiss, running his tongue along the inside of his lover's sweet mouth.

Bilbo's breathing speeds up and Thorin can feel him get hard again. He sucks on his lover's bottom lip and Bilbo whimpers, lowering himself back on the bed with Thorin sitting on top of him.

The taller man grins and lets his hands wander under Bilbo's dark green Christmas jumper, sighing contently when his fingers reach the soft skin of his lover's stomach. Slowly he pushes the woollen garment up and, after parting with Bilbo's lips for a second, over the short man's head.

Just as he flings the jumper across the room, Thorin hears a scream from the other room. He freezes in shock. That was definitely Belladonna. Climaxing.

Thankfully Bilbo senses his discomfort and strengthens his grip on Thorin's cock. With his other hand he gets to work on his own trousers.

Thorin follows his lead and quickly gets rid off his jeans and pants, Bilbo's hand not once losing contact with his member.

Soon they are both naked, panting hard and staring into each other's eyes. Thorin shifts his weight to let their cocks rub against each other without crushing his lover's pelvis. He growls when Bilbo removes his hand from his member to sign, "I want to top tonight." Thorin nods his consent and leans over to retrieve the lube and condom from the bedside table. He watches as Bilbo lubricates his fingers and rolls his hips in excitement.

The shorter man nods when he is satisfied with the amount of gel on his digits and motions for his lover to turn around.

When the first finger enters him, Thorin moans lustfully. Bilbo's finger are short and chubby but he still manages to reach Thorin's sweet spot, making the man see stars and almost lose control right then and there. A second and third digit are added soon after and both men are panting and moaning in anticipation.

Bilbo makes quick work of covering his condom-covered cock with lube while Thorin turns back around to face his lover before lowering himself onto Bilbo's throbbing member.

They both hold their breaths until Bilbo is completely surrounded by Thorin's heat. Their gazes meet. They can only read passion and love in each other's eyes.

Thorin bends down for a lustful kiss before straightening up and lifting himself up only to slam back down, driving Bilbo's cock deep inside of him. The shorter man places his hands on his lovers hips as he thrusts up to reach Thorin's prostate.

The bed squeaks beneath them and the taller man smirks.

"Thorin," Bilbo sighs and his eyes almost roll to the back of his head. "I love you, Bilbo," Thorin replies, breathing heavily. With one last thrust the shorter man releases his built-up pleasure, his lover following right behind him.

Thorin collapses on top of Bilbo, their breathing pattern soon matching and slowly calming down. "Merry Christmas," the taller man mumbles into his lover's curly hair. Bilbo grunts and removes the sticky condom, dropping it off the side of the bed, not caring about getting cleaned up. He slings his arms around Thorin and puts his head on his hairy chest, his eyes and body already heavy with oncoming sleep.

They are both deeply asleep when the moans in the other room start up again.

25 December 2007

The next morning Bilbo and Thorin are woken by an insistent knocking on the door.

Well, Thorin is woken by an insistent knocking on the door, Bilbo is awakened by the taller man's sudden movements as he is startled into wakefulness.

"Thorin, dear?" Belladonna's voice sounds through the door. "Are you two awake? When should we start breakfast?"

The tall man takes a couple of seconds to get his bearings and glances at his naked lover. The knocking starts up again. "Thorin?" Not very patient, is she?

"Yeah," he manages to bring out before clearing his throat. "We'll be down in half an hour."

"Okay, love. Breakfast will be ready by then," Belladonna replies cheerily before stomping away. Thorin lies back down and presses a kiss to Bilbo's forehead. The shorter man is still blinking the residue of sleep out of his eyes.

"Breakfast in thirty minutes," Thorin tells him and Bilbo groans. At least his mother had the good sense to knock and keep the door shut instead of waltzing into his room like a mini-bulldozer and yanking the duvet of his body like she usually does.

After a quick shared shower, to save time of course, Thorin and Bilbo make their way downstairs, the house already filled with the smells of bacon, eggs and waffles. Belladonna all but runs over when she spots them entering the kitchen and engulfs the two of them in a warm hug.

"Merry Christmas," she cheers in Thorin's ear before letting them go to sign the same greeting to her son. The short woman pulls them into the dining room. The table is laden with food. Eggs, both fried and scrambled, bacon, sausages, waffles, toast, a giant bowl of fruit, at least three different kinds of orange juice. Just a normal Baggins family breakfast then.

When Thorin's gaze falls on the Christmas tree in the sitting room, he blanches at the huge amount of presents that seem to have appeared over night. The four stockings hanging from the mantle, one with his name on it, are overflowing with goodies. Food is apparently not the only area where Belladonna and Bungo tend to overreact a little.

He is pushed into a chair and told to just go ahead and start eating. Being the polite guest that he is, Thorin waits until everyone else is seated as well, before loading some scrambled eggs onto his plate.

"So, Thorin, did you sleep well?" Belladonna asks from beside him and when he turns to look at her, he can see a large amount of mirth dancing in her eyes. He clears his throat awkwardly and glances at his boyfriend, who is too busy stuffing his face with waffles to participate in any kind of conversation.

"Um, yeah," he mumbles as he stabs a piece of bacon with his fork.

"All quiet then?"

Thorin tries to suppress a cough. "Yeah, well, I might have heard Father Christmas at some point," he replies and winks at her. Belladonna bursts out laughing, her husband chuckling along with her. Bilbo looks up from where he is organising his eggs on his plate, his eyes narrowing. But nobody offers him an explanation and he shrugs, turning his attention back to his food.

Once all the waffles, bacon and eggs are consumed, mostly by Bilbo and his father, Belladonna announces "Present time!" and she pushes her son, who is in the process of loading the dishwasher, out of the kitchen and into the sitting room. As soon as Thorin is seated on the couch, being helped along by Belladonna, as if he is ninety years old, the first wrapped present appears in his lap.

He blinks at it for a second before looking up and finding three sets of eyes on him, watching him with great interest. Bilbo is kneeling in front of the tree, his father perched next to him while Belladonna , to his great horror, is pointing a camera at him. "We have to keep up the tradition," she tells him plainly and then proceeds to tell the camera and an imaginary audience what is happening. "It's the twenty-fifth of December again. 2007. Bilbo's, oh my, twenty-sixth Christmas. Can you believe it?" She swings the camera over to her son who glares back with such hatred, that Thorin's fears the camera lens will break. "Still handsome," Belladonna goes on, Bungo translating her words for Bilbo to understand. "And he's got himself a boyfriend." She focuses the camera on the tall man sitting on the couch. "This is Thorin. Thorin, would you like to say anything?"

Thorin blinks at her. He suddenly feels five years old again, as he often does when in the presence of Bilbo's parents. "Um, hello?"

"He's a little shy," Belladonna explains to no one in particular. "Bilbo did a good job finding him. They are so sweet together. Bilbo, go sit next to Thorin."

Bungo manhandles his protesting son onto the sofa and dumps a present on his lap. "Oh, they are precious," Belladonna coos. "Just imagine their babies."

Thorin looks up sharply.

"Open your present, dear," she tells him innocently.

The tall man gets to work on the bright coloured wrapping paper, soon extracting what seems like a year-long supply of coffee. He grins. His addiction to coffee is widely known he always appreciates it when someone indulges him, especially since Bilbo does not seem to appreciate his love for coffee at all.

Speaking of which, Bilbo has unwrapped his present as well and is now staring at a giant container of tea leaves. Their gazes meet and they burst into laughter.

Soon after Belladonna turns the camera off, which does not stop her from gushing over the cuteness that are Bilbo and Thorin, and she and Bungo join them on the couch.

Bilbo assigns himself the role of present distributer and crawls under the tree to retrieve the gifts.

He hands Thorin one of his own presents, swallowing nervously and feeling like a loser again for not coming up with any grand gift ideas. His parents seem to have had no problems finding appropriate items to hand over.

Thorin scrutinises the slim long package in his hands. He can feel his lover watching him carefully as he removes the wrapping paper and then the lid of the box. The tall man bursts out laughing once he sees what is inside.

He lifts the item out of the box for everyone to see. It is a dark green tie with little red Santa Clauses and pink reindeer. It is the ugliest tie he has ever seen. He loves it.

"I have no idea why the reindeer are pink. But apparently it plays music," Bilbo tells him and reaches over to press a tiny button at the bottom of the tie. An annoying tune of "Jingle Bells" fills the room. Thorin does not waste any time and fastens the tie around his neck before he pulls Bilbo closer for a kiss.

Thorin cannot believe his luck when he also receives the most garish Christmas themed boxer shorts and matching socks.

He feels that the presents he picked out for Bilbo are quite boring in comparison. After unwrapping two packs of boxer shorts (navy blue and dark red) and warm woollen socks (not knitted by Thorin mind you) and as Bilbo is starting to sense a pattern, the curly haired man extracts a lovely cravat from the last box (because Bilbo doesn't wear ties). "Did you ask people for help by any chance?" he cannot help asking.

Thorin actually blushes and nods. "Dwalin. And my sister. And your friend Bofur."

Bilbo leans forward and captures his lover's lips in a kiss. "They are shit when it comes to gift ideas," he tells Thorin. The taller man can very much agree.

Neither of the two notices the camera in Bungo's hand as they share another kiss.

Just then the doorbell rings.

"Finally" Belladonna cheers in delight and scrambles off into the hallway. Bilbo groans and lets himself fall into the lap of his lover. Thorin has no time to ask what is going on when a tall man enters the room, Belladonna following closely behind.

The man is not just tall, he is a giant. He is dressed completely in grey, even the pointy hat in his hand is grey, so are his hair and long beard for that matter.

"You are late, Gandalf," Belladonna chides him as she offers him a seat in the armchair near the fireplace.

The old man huffs. "I'm never late, my dear Belladonna, I arrive precisely when I want to arrive." His grey eyes, god in heaven, it is staring to get ridiculous, fall onto Thorin, who is unsuccessfully trying to hide behind his small boyfriend. The man hums.

Belladonna marches over to her son, pulling him off Thorin's lap by his ear. "Go greet your godfather," she orders him. "He came all this way to see you. Show him some gratitude."

Bilbo stumbles over to the old man, who gets to his feet faster than Thorin thought possible for a person his age, and engulfs his godson in a warm embrace. The short man seems to get swallowed whole by the grey robes Gandalf is wearing.

They exchange quick greetings and then Gandalf gets right down to business. "Who's your friend, Bilbo?"

Bilbo rolls his eyes. "You know exactly who he is. That's Thorin, my boyfriend."

"Ah, the famous Thorin," Gandalf exclaims in a booming voice, turning to the man in question.

Thorin swallows. He feels highly intimidated by the man's sheer size. Thorin himself is not a small man but compared to Gandalf he probably looks like a dwarf.

Not that the old man is large in every way. He seems to be quite skinny underneath those massive pieces of clothing but he is over a head taller than Thorin's six feet and one inch.

"Good morning," he mumbles, not knowing what else to say.

"What do you mean?" Gandalf asks him. "Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?"

"Um, all of them at once I guess?" Thorin's response sounds more like a question than anything else.

Belladonna saves him from more awkwardness as she forces Gandalf to come and have breakfast as he must be starved from his long journey.

Thorin and Bilbo are left in the living room as the shorter man's parents and Gandalf disappear in the kitchen.

"Well, now you have pretty much met my entire family," Bilbo tells his lover, pulling on the man's ugly tie to make him lean down for a kiss.

"I'm surprised you managed to stay sane with these people around you," Thorin replies, kissing him again.

But he secretly to admits that Belladonna, Bungo and Gandalf are nothing compared to his own family.

Durin family parties tend to be loud and messy. This one promises to be no different.

When Thorin and Bilbo arrive at Di and Vili's house, none of the other guests have arrived yet, mostly due to Bilbo's avid punctuality and the habitual lateness of everyone else.

Fili is very excited to see his uncles, pulling them into the living room before they even managed to take off their coats. He shows off his new toys and then squeals in delight when Bilbo hands him another present. Wrapping paper is flying through the air three seconds later.

"Moo," the toddler announces proudly as he pulls a wooden cow from the box. Thorin watches with fascination as Bilbo proceeds to teach Fili the sign of every animal included in the set.

"Nice tie," his sister drawls from behind him and the tall man turns to look at her. She is pointedly staring at the tie wrapped around his neck. Thorin lifts it up and inspects it himself as if seeing it for the first time.

"It's the tie I always wanted," he tells her. "Bilbo is brilliant. It even plays music." He pushes the button and "Jingle Bells" starts playing. Fili looks up from his animals to find the source of the catchy tune.

"Unca To pway music," he states delightedly, crawling closer to inspect the tie.

Then the doorbell rings and soon the room is filled with people.

Bilbo is a little overwhelmed as Thorin introduces him to his relatives. There is Gloin and his wife and children, his brother Oin, and Bilbo cannot remember if there is also a wife involved or not, Dain and his family, and many more and he won't even bother to remember their names or attempt to understand how all these people are related. He just smiles politely as he is introduced and then watches as the others awkwardly shift around because they feel obligated to make small talk but have no idea how to do so with a deaf man.

That is something Bilbo is very used to. He doesn't blame the other people for feeling awkward around him or seeking out the company of someone other than him. But sometimes he cannot help but feel left-out. But usually he prefers solitude to social gatherings anyway.

His spirits lift considerably when he spots his friend Ori and Dwalin entering the room. As Fili is busy being coddled by his relatives and Thorin is occupied with catching up with his cousins or whatever they are, Ori and Dwalin are the only people he really knows and can actually communicate with.

After supplying themselves with beer and Dwalin is pulled into the crowd by his relatives, Bilbo and Ori sit down on one of the sofas, playing the role of outcasts perfectly.

"So, did Dwalin manage to get you some decent presents?" the curly-haired man asks, turning to his friend.

Ori nods eagerly and takes a sip from his drink before setting it down on the little end table next to the sofa. "He got me some great books. I can't wait to read them." His expression changes from delight to confusion. "But there were also some really odd presents."

Bilbo raises his eyebrows and tries to suppress the grin that is threatening to take over his face.

"I have no idea why he thought I would want pink oven-gloves," Ori explains, clearly flustered. "The ones I have are totally fine. And pink doesn't go well with the rest of my kitchen." His friend nods in understanding, mentally picturing Dwalin searching the shops for the recommended gift.

"And he got me a matching apron to go with them."

Bilbo fails to hide his snort, almost toppling off the couch as he loses his balance. Ori can grab his arm and pull him back before his curly-haired head gets smashed into the hardwood floor.

"But the sex was amazing," Ori goes on once Bilbo has re-established his proper position on the sofa, still chuckling. "And the apron and oven-gloves might have been involved."

His friend is now howling with laughter, making several people in the room turn their heads to watch him curiously.

Bilbo's amusement dies down when dinner is served. The Durin family is obviously unaware of any table manners. Do they even know what silverware is meant for?

There is food throwing, drink spitting, and burping. Oin, at least Bilbo thinks it is Oin, climbs onto the table at some point to pass a round of drinks around. All Bilbo can do is protecting his meal from getting stepped on, while wondering how Fili and the other children, all of them at least seven years older than the toddler, are ever going to learn how to function in society with these rambunctious and wild adults as parents and extended family.

He is glad, when he looks at Ori, who is sitting next to him, that the other man appears to be just as traumatised as himself.

Dis looks around the living room. Fili was supposed to be in bed over an hour ago but the constant interaction with their guests made her lose track of time. She excuses herself and leaves her husband and cousins to fend for themselves for half an hour. She spots her son tugged away in a corner, hovering over some complex Lego Duplo structure. He is not alone. As Dis comes closer, she finds Bilbo sitting next to him, both of them so immerged in their construction planning that they don't notice her approaching. The curly-haired man looks up and acknowledges her presence with a smile when she kneels down next to him.

"Ma," Fili greets her. "Unca Biwbo build house. Big house." He gestures to the colourful brick construction in front of him. "House for anmals," he explains and picks up a wooden cow that came with the set Bilbo gave him, to make it walk through the door of the brick buidling. "Yay!" Fili claps enthusiastically.

Dis gives Bilbo an apologetic smile before addressing her son. "It's time to say goodnight to the animals, Fili."

"Night-night?" The boy asks and looks at her. "No night-night. No sweepy." Bilbo watches their exchange silently until he notices Thorin walking up behind his sister. "What's going on here? Private party?" The tall man asks and peeks over Dis's shoulder.

"A certain someone needs to go to bed," she explains as she tries to coax her son into complying with her. Fili only shakes his head and goes back to his animals.

"Bedtime?" Bilbo asks and Thorin nods. "I'll do it," the curly-haired man declares immediately and gets up from the floor. Thorin turns to his sister. "Bilbo wants to put him to bed."

Dis looks first at him and then at the short man next to her. "Um, he doesn't have to. He did enough babysitting today," she argues but she can see the eagerness in Bilbo's eyes.

"Let him," Thorin tells her quietly. "I think he needs some time away from people."

"Oh." Dis is a little flustered. "Is he okay?" She scrutinises the curly-haired man as he helps Fili put the animals to bed in their newly built house.

Thorin follows her gaze. "Yeah. I think it's just a little hard for him. You know, being at a party with a bunch of people and only two of them are able to properly communicate with him. He's probably bored."

Dis nods thoughtfully. She hadn't thought about that. "Okay." She should do something about the communication barrier. Maybe she could get Bilbo to babysit while she attends a sign-language course.

Fili squeals with delight when his mother tells him that his Uncle Bilbo will tuck him in tonight. He climbs onto the curly-haired man's back and after wishing every single party guest a good night, the two of them disappear upstairs.

It is an hour later that Thorin realises that Bilbo never came back down. He lets his gaze roam around the room but the short man is nowhere to be seen. He excuses himself from the kitchen where he has been helping his brother-in-law clean up and ascends the stairs to investigate. Maybe his lover was a little more unhappy than Thorin had originally thought and decided to stay upstairs and escape the curious glances of the other guests.

Not very sure where Bilbo would be hiding, Thorin chooses to start with his nephew's bedroom. He opens the door a crack and peeks inside. His heart melts at the sight. The room lies in semi-darkness, the tiny bedside lamp on Fili's nightstand is still glowing but all other lights are turned off. Thorin approaches the bed. His nephew moved from a crib into a toddler bed just a couple of weeks ago. Fili is fast asleep, his chest slowly moving up and down with every breath. Bilbo is lying next to him, just as asleep as the little boy, a picture book lies abandoned on his stomach. Fili is snuggled into his side and one of Bilbo's arms is wrapped around him. The other one is hanging off the side of the bed.

The space on the bed is very limited even though Fili clearly moved his stuffed animals to the corner of the room to create space for his uncle. Thorin frowns. Whenever he has to tug his nephew in, every animal is assigned a certain spot on the bed, not leaving any room for Thorin to even sit down.

Bilbo snuffles in his sleep and turns his head in his lover's direction as if sensing his presence in the room. Thorin kneels down in front of him and strokes the short man's cheek. But he knows that it will take a little more than that to get Bilbo to wake up, preferably without disturbing the toddler next to him.

Thorin presses his lips to the other man's forehead and then pokes his button nose. Bilbo releases a sigh and purses his lips. His eyes stay closed. Another poke brings the same reaction.

Waking Bilbo is one of Thorin's least favourite tasks. The man can sleep through anything and everything. His special alarm clock, that sends out a visual alarm instead of sounds, is completely useless in Bilbo's case. He recently got a wristband that uses vibration but he usually forgets to put it on before going to sleep. And, he admitted to Thorin, the vibrations seem to travel directly from his arm to his cock and give him a hard-on that won't go away without sex or a proper wank. But maybe that was just an excuse to get Thorin to have sex with him before work.

Bilbo keeps telling him to just slap him awake but Thorin is very reluctant to inflict pain on his lover. And hitting him when a child is present is definitely not the smartest strategy, at least in this situation.

Thorin keeps kissing his lover, occasionally poking him in random places. Nose, chest, arms, and, as a last resort, groin. That last one causes a reaction and Bilbo opens his eyes, blinking at the tall man hovering above him.

"Time to get up," Thorin explains and gives him a gentle kiss on the forehead. The curly-haired man looks around and he finally seems to realise where he is. He lets his lover pull him up into a sitting position, making sure that Fili is not disturbed, and then he stands up, rubbing his eyes to remove the last remnants of sleep.

They quietly leave Fili's room after turning off the light. "Want to go home?" Thorin asks as they are standing in the hallway. The other man looks completely knackered, his curls tangled, dark shadows under his eyes, eyes that are starting to fall shut again. Bilbo only nods and follows Thorin down the stairs.

He has no idea why he feels so tired suddenly, especially after his involuntary nap. Maybe he shouldn't have drunk as much wine as he had. But alcohol seemed the only way to survive the chaos that was dinner.

When Bilbo enters the living room, he realises that most of the guests have already left in his absence. He hides his yawn behind his hand and follows Thorin to wish everyone a good night and a merry Christmas again.

He can barely keep his eyes open as he puts on his shoes, not bothering with the laces and just stuffing them into his shoes. As soon as he sits down in the passenger seat of the car, he is fast asleep.

Thorin looks at his slumbering partner. Bilbo's head is leaning against the frosted glass of the window, his breaths visible in the cold air. He had hoped for some more Christmas Sex tonight but that is obviously not going to happen. They will have to postpone it to tomorrow. Boxing Day Sex then.

The tall man presses a warm kiss to his lover's temple.

"Merry Christmas, my love."

The End