Disclaimer: The Hobbit, all characters, places, and related terms are the sole property of J. R. R. Tolkien's estate, and Warner Brothers, New Line Cinema, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and WingNut Films.

Author's Note: Minifill for a prompt on the hobbit-kink meme.

Coming Back Down to Earth

Only when Dori turned his attention to Nori was Ori able to slip off and sit on the edge of the Carrock away from the others. Between his oldest brother's coddling and lingering terror from all the dangers the company faced today (from being captured by goblins to fearing Thorin dead), the scribe had felt he was suffocating. Now he took several deep breaths. Alright… Everyone was alive. Thanks to Gandalf…the eagles…their burglar.

Bile rose in Ori's throat, a fresh wave of panic crashing over him. Twisting around, his eyes darted about frantically until they settled on the Halfling. She was nodding at something Thorin said, causing the dwarven king to smile.

The ginger-haired dwarf turned away with a sigh. Bilbo's safe. All is well. The thought washed away his fear; yet his relief was mixed with something he couldn't name as he gazed into the distance, breath still unsteady.

He was brought out of his tangled, gloomy musings an immeasurable time later when something bumped against his shoulder. Blinking, Ori looked to the side to discover Bilbo seated beside him. Up close, she appeared as exhausted and shaken as he felt.

"Are you well, Miss Baggins?" the question burst out of him.

Slowly the hobbit nodded. "Just some bumps and bruises," she reassured, adding, "nothing serious."

The scribe closed his eyes for a moment. "Praise, Mahal!" he whispered. "I am glad. When you jumped between Thorin and Azog like that…," his voice cracked.

Looking away, Bilbo confessed, "I was terrified."

"We are indebted to you. Thank you for coming back, Bilbo," he said.

"Oh, well," she murmured, "I did it for you."

The dwarf blinked. His expression went slack and his heartbeat quickened. Then he felt foolish. Silly, Ri! Of course she didn't mean—

Abruptly Bilbo stiffened and flushed a deep red. "I-I-I," the lass stammered. "I can't believe I said that," she chuckled nervously. Glancing at the stunned scribe, she started to shift away.

That snapped him out of his surprise. "I'm glad you did!" Ori admitted in a shaky voice.

Startled green eyes finally met and held his gaze. Carefully, bravely the scribe reached out to take her hand, lace their fingers together.

Tone shy, gentle, he repeated. "I'm glad you did."

Gradually the tension left the Halfling's shoulders, the fear dimming in her eyes, replaced by dawning hope. And when she didn't pull away, continued to hold his hand while they climbed down the Carrock, Ori felt he was grounded, finally able to breathe freely.

THE END