Chapter Text
“Why are you crying?”
Bilbo sniffed and looked up at the prince with the golden crown who loomed over him where he was sitting on the sidewalk.
“I’m not crying,” he protested. “Crying is for babies. I’m not a baby, I’m a dragon.” He tilted his head from side to side for emphasis as that made the dragon’s head move as well. When a blond curl bounced into his face Bilbo blew at it until it went away again.
The other boy looked sceptical, his dark eyebrows furrowing beneath his crown. “You could be a baby dragon, you’re not very big.”
Surreptitiously wiping his eyes and nose (he wasn’t crying) Bilbo scrambled to his feet.
“And you are very rude to be a prince.”
“I’m not a prince, I’m king,” the boy said and puffed out his chest. “I’m king under the mountain.” Then his haughty expression disappeared into a grin. “Because we live right next to a mountain and it would be so cool to be king there, but not on the mountain because it’s always windy. So I’m going to live inside it.”
“Yeah,” Bilbo agreed, impressed, then he frowned. “But would you have flowers if it’s inside a mountain?”
“Flowers are for girls,” the boy scoffed and Bilbo’s face clouded.
“I don’t like you anymore. I’m going to find my mama.”
He’d only taken a few steps when a hand pulled on one of his wings. “There could be flowers,” the dark-haired boy offered when Bilbo turned around to glare at him. “If you wanted.” He shuffled his feet. “Do you like me again?”
“I don’t know,” Bilbo said slowly. “Are you going to stop being rude and mean?”
“I’m not mean,” the boy protested and Bilbo crossed his arms; carefully, because he didn’t want to tear lose any of the scales his mama had sewn on his costume. They were very awesome, especially the red ones. “Fine,” the boy sighed. “I’ll stop being mean.”
“Good,” Bilbo said and grinned up at him. The boy grinned back. He looked much nicer when he did that and didn't frown. “I’m Bilbo,” Bilbo offered. “Bilbo Baggins.”
“Thorin Durin,” the boy, Thorin, said. “So why were you crying?”
Bilbo’s face darkened. “There was this stupid boy and he took all my candy. But I wasn’t crying,” Bilbo hastily added when he realised what he almost had admitted to.
“If you point at him I could hit him for you,” Thorin offered, but Bilbo shook his head.
“That’s mean.”
“But he took your candy!”
“It’s still mean.”
Thorin pouted, then his face brightened. “I'll let you have half of my candy.”
Bilbo’s eyes grew big. “Really? You’ll do that?” When Thorin nodded Bilbo threw himself forward and caught the other boy in a hug. He must have hugged a little too hard because Thorin ooomphed, but when Bilbo tried to let go thin arms came to wrap around his back; carefully avoiding his wings, and hugged him back just as tight.
"Want to come scare my little brother?" Thorin asked after the hug had ended. "He's afraid of Dragons."
"Thorin!" Bilbo protested. "That's also mean."
"He hates flowers," Thorin said in a sing-song voice.
"Maybe just a little then," Bilbo said after some consideration. "But I need to tell my mama where I'm going first." He held out his hand. "Want to come with?"
Thorin's hand was warm and a little sticky, he'd obviously gotten good candy.