I Will Be There

Summary: Bilbo Baggins knew the braiding of hair and beards between dwarves was a loving gesture, whether family or lovers. Bilbo wants to try it out to see if a certain dwarf king returns his feelings. Thorin/Bilbo.

A/N: Okay, this is my first ever Hobbit fan fiction. Never written for this category before. I had it in my head that Thorin seems a little OOC here, but I hope not by much. Please be nice. :)

-x-

The long road to Erebor was a long and exhausting journey. Today had been a hard travelling day, just like the rest and the presence of the rain and wind earlier in the day had made it almost unbearable. They were soaked and wind-beaten, skin sore from the hardness of the cold. But from the wee hours of the morning to the afternoon, the sun had appearing in the sky, warming their damp skin and making their soaked clothes stink. Bilbo Baggins sometimes wondered what on Middle-Earth had possessed him to even think about joining Thorin Oakenshield and his band of dwarves on the quest to reclaim Erebor. He'd never been this far out of the Shire before, making him question what had made him do something so stupid. But he was with them now and there was no going back. Each day they got closer to the dwarf kingdom, closer to the dragon Smaug, and that terrified Bilbo ever so slightly.

"We'll camp here for the night," Thorin's voice boomed from the front of the company as the night began to fall over them once more. "Gloin, prepare a fire. Everyone dry off completely, eat and get some sleep. We are getting closer." A almost warm smile slid onto his features before disappeared into the trees. Bilbo watched him go for a moment before he shrugged off his pack and set to work helping set up camp, which had almost become a routine for him now. He helped Bofur gather some firewood so that Gloin could start the fire before Bofur began cooking for the company. After a good long while, Bilbo could smell the most wonderful smell coming from the pot on the fire, the smell going around his heart and tickling his taste buds.

"That damn rain and wind has matted my braid," Bilbo suddenly heard from behind him, turning to see Fili and Kili standing together, Fili holding the little bands and beads in his hand that held his braid, all his long golden hair hanging free. Kili sighed and he took the bands from his older brother, sitting down on a log and making Fili sit down between his legs as he got to work, grooming his brother and putting in new braids.

"It's a sort of affectionate gesture between them. They are very close," Bofur's voice said from behind Bilbo, making the hobbit realise he had been staring.

"How close?" Bilbo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing like what I think you mean, Master Baggins. But they have never been separated, never treated any differently by Thorin. I heard when they were younger, if one got a spanking, so did the other, even if the other hadn't done a thing wrong." Bilbo smiled, trying to imagine the two brothers as little dwarves.

"Is the braiding of hair and beards family orientated or do all dwarves do it?" Bilbo asked, sitting down on another log, watching Bofur cook supper. Bofur sat down next to him, stirring the contents of the pot over the flames.

"The braiding of hair and beards is mostly reserved for close family, such as Fili and Kili, or between lovers. Occasionally, laddie, in a company such as this, we make do with who we have. Most of us have a member of our family here so we make do, but we are not as close as Fili and Kili are. They are inseparable," Balin said from the other side of the fire. Bilbo took another look over at the brother's, who were all smiles and loving glances at one another that Bilbo was certain wasn't only brotherly affection. Kili finished with the braid on Fili's left side, making it match up with the one on his right before turning his brother to face him, admiring his handiwork. Fili smiled affectionately at Kili before he got up and joined him on the log, their shoulders down to their bent knees touching. It was kind of adorable. Bilbo could only smile as he fished his pipe out of his pack, lit it and took a deep breath in.

"Here, master burglar," Bofur suddenly said, next to him, the smoke escaping from Bilbo's nostrils. "Take this to Thorin." He handed him a wooden bowl full of stew with a spoon.

"Where is he?" Bilbo asked, a little muffled with the pipe in his mouth.

"He went that-a-way, laddie," Balin said, pointing to the trees behind him. "He might be sitting by the lake. There is a small one in the middle of the cluster of trees." Bilbo nodded his thanks and took another puff of his pipe as he moved through the trees towards the lake Balin had mentioned. As he got closer he could hear the water as it trickled downstream. As Bilbo entered the clearing, bowl in one hand and pipe in the other, Thorin was nowhere to be seen. Well, a pile of his clothes and armour were, but no dwarf king. But that now meant that wherever Thorin was, he was most likely naked. Bilbo blushed. Suddenly, he was startled half to death when said dwarf king emerged from beneath the water of the lake with a splash, water dripping from his hair, nose and chin, down onto his chest. Bilbo's eyes widened as he watched him for a moment, sure Thorin had not seen him. Or so he thought.

"What can I do for you, Halfling?" he said. Ever since Thorin had apologised to Bilbo on the cliff top, their relationship had changed drastically. Thorin was no longer annoyed by the hobbit's presence, even though he still proceeded to call him 'hobbit' or 'halfling'. Bilbo had realised his own feelings for the dwarf king, and they were definitely more than just friendship. "Bilbo?" At the use of his name, Bilbo's heart fluttered.

"Bofur made dinner. I-I was to come and make sure you ate, but I'll just leave this here since you are, eh, busy ..." Bilbo stammered, leaving the wooden bowl next Thorin's pile of clothes. He tried his hardest not to look at Thorin; the sight of the soaking wet dwarf king had him stomach doing the most horrendous somersaults. "I'll head back to the others ..."

"Do I make you uncomfortable, Halfling?" Thorin asked, amusement in his voice. Bilbo shook his head quickly.

"No, no, no, not at all," Bilbo said and he knew he was babbling. Without looking up from the ground, Bilbo knew that Thorin was walking out of the lake, water splashing with every step he took. Bilbo knew that when – or if – he looked up, Thorin would be standing there, as naked as the day he was born. Bilbo wasn't ready for that sight; he knew it would be too much for his heart to handle, too much majesty radiating from one dwarf.

"Bilbo," Thorin said and Bilbo felt himself melt at the use of his name once more. That sneaky dwarf, he had to know what he did to him. There was a rustle of fabric and Bilbo prayed that Thorin was putting his clothes back on. They were silent for a few minutes when two boot clad feet came into his view and a long finger curled under his chin, bringing his face up to look at him. He had his trousers back on, luckily, but his bare chest was still on show and had water trickling down it from his wet hair, making Bilbo swallow hard. "You seem flushed, Hobbit." There was the amused voice once more, the bastard knowing exactly what he was doing.

"You – you should eat," Bilbo managed. "I'll head back. I haven't eaten yet." He back away from Thorin, his heart trying to burst free from his chest. He noted Thorin's disappointment but he could not control his feelings. What if Thorin did not feel the same way? He turned to the trees, ready to head back to camp when a thought came to him, a thought that would determine whether or not Thorin had romantic feelings for him. He turned back to Thorin, who had moved over to the pile of clothes where his bowl sat and moved to pick it up.

"Thorin ..."

"Bilbo?" the dwarf king replied, turning to face him, long wet hair hanging by his face.

"Can ..." he took a deep breath. "Can I braid your hair?" It sounded ridiculous coming from his mouth but he had said it now and there was no going back. Thorin looked taken aback at first, wondering if the hobbit was joking or not. Bilbo's expression was not one of amusement, but one of embarrassment.

"You want to braid my hair?" Thorin asked, for clarification. Bilbo looked almost ashamed.

"It's alright. I shouldn't have asked. Ignore me ..." Bilbo said turning to stalk back through the trees when Thorin suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him back towards him. Bilbo was suddenly against Thorin's bare chest, Thorin's strong hands gripping his shoulders.

"I would be honoured, Bilbo Baggins," Thorin said in a quiet voice. Bilbo's eyes widened as he looked up at Thorin. The dwarf let him go and he moved over to a large tree root that was sticking up out of the ground. He sat in front of it and motioned for Bilbo to sit behind him. Bilbo stared for a moment before moved to sit behind Thorin, taking off his jacket and waistcoat to get comfortable, parting his legs to allow the king to sit between them. Bilbo swallowed hard once more when Thorin sat back, his back resting over the hobbit's crotch. Bilbo took a deep breath before he began to smooth out Thorin's soft hair, brushing it through with his fingers so that it was even before he took the strands of hair between his fingers and began braiding, his fingers shaking slightly. Thorin moved gently, the muscles in his back flexing as he reached for the bowl of stew at his side. He picked it up and began eating; content with both the hobbit for company and with the delicious food Bofur had managed to cook up. None of them seemed to have noticed Fili, Kili, Balin and Bofur all watching from the trees.

"You did well Balin, telling him about the hair braiding," Kili said, with a giggle, Fili nodding in agreement. "I've never seen uncle so content and relaxed."

"You wait, if it carries on like this, our burglar will be walking funny tomorrow," Bofur giggled back, Balin hitting him on the shoulder.

"That's none of your business, laddie," Balin said. They were all silent for a moment.

"I bet ten gold coins," Bofur said.

"Done," the other three said in unison before they headed back to camp. Back in the clearing, Bilbo was transfixed on Thorin's hair, watching his fingers move expertly, creating the braid. He noticed a few times that Thorin leaned into his touch, but he tried to think nothing of it. He finished one braid and matched it with another one on the other side. He tried to resist the urge but he couldn't and he ran his fingers through Thorin's hair, feeling the silky soft, still wet, tresses sliding through his fingers. The sound that suddenly came from Thorin Oakenshield's throat was almost animalistic and Bilbo had to stop himself from making the same noise. Thorin put down his bowl and moved from Bilbo's legs, making the hobbit mourn the loss of his warmth before the dwarf king turned to him, hands on the hobbit's knees and kneeling in front of him.

"Thank you, Bilbo Baggins," he whispered, his eyes fixed on Bilbo's lips. The hobbit swallowed hard before he suddenly felt Thorin's lips cover his own. It was a chaste kiss to start with, the softest kiss Bilbo could ever imagine, before Thorin licked at the seam of his lips, trying to coax his mouth open. Bilbo complied, welcoming the deeper kiss, kissing back hard until they had to part for breath. Bilbo fisted his hands in Thorin's hair, trying to keep himself upright.

"I have wanted to do that for a long time," Thorin admitted, almost sheepishly. Bilbo managed a small smile through his nervousness.

"I have too," he replied. Thorin took hold of Bilbo in his arms and lowered the hobbit down onto his furred cloak on the grass, their eyes never leaving the others.

"Would you like me to continue, master burglar?" Thorin asked, nipping gently at Bilbo's jaw. Bilbo tried to suppress a moan but failed.

"By all means, my king," Bilbo replied and welcomed another kiss from Thorin, as well as the feel of the king's hands pulling down his braces off his shoulders and prying open his trousers. Oh yes, this was what he wanted.

-x-

The next morning, Bilbo had to hobble along with the group, the pain in his backside not going anywhere soon, and put up with giggles from Fili, Kili and Bofur, gold coins being thrown in Bofur's direction by every other dwarf and Gandalf. Bilbo shook his head but smiled gently when Thorin walked up beside him, smiling down at him. Bilbo gave the king's hand a small squeeze between their bodies, a gesture only seen by Balin who was walking behind them.

"I'm sorry you're sore," Thorin whispered. Bilbo felt himself blush.

"I think I can forgive you." Thorin could only chuckle.

Hope you like. Don't hurt me if you don't. 3