Chapter Text
The fact that the Tooks have faerie blood must be the worst kept secret in the Shire whilst at the same time one of the best kept. Worst kept because every time a hobbit with Took blood does something no self respecting hobbit would do, the tongues start to wag and the rumor is bandied about once more. It also the best kept because only the Tooks and theirs know the truth of the matter. Only they know just how dominant faerie blood can become when a child of its line is in danger.
His father was gone. Dead and buried in the customs of the Shire leaving him and his mother alone. His bright, beautiful mother who dimmed with the weight of sadness as each day passed. Different as they might have been, no hobbit either in the Shire or out of it, could say that his parents had not been a true love match. Hobbits talk of love like it is a grand thing but never do they mention what happens when one leaves the other behind. If this is love, he thinks to himself, then he wants nothing to do with it.
He isn't bitter. Well he is, but he buries it because he knows how very much his mother is hurting and he wishes more than anything that he could take it away from her. Her beautiful dark brown hair that once had strands of white streaked through had seemingly gone white overnight and her once plump frame grew thinner as the weeks passed. She would live only long enough to see him to his majority before she left him alone to follow his father.
Twenty three years later he is sitting outside his home, on his bench with eyes closed and pipe in hand. He enjoys the feel of the warm sun on his face and the feel of the wind blowing through his curly hair. It took him quite some time to become accustomed to the quiet of his hobbit hole after his mother passed. Long hours spent outside just to get out of the silence had slowly turned to an appreciation for the outdoors. He loved the outdoors like nothing else for the comfort it had given when he was still reeling from the death of his mother. It is as he is sitting outdoors with his pipe listening to the sounds of the Shire that a wizard from his childhood appears and offers him something that he would have taken before the weight of his father’s death changed him. He goes back into his comfortable hobbit hole and sternly tells himself that the time for adventures is long over. He convinces himself that he will refuse every offer made to him by the wizard but the next morning as he wakes to find himself alone the silence presses down on him as he stares at the contract still lying on the end table. His bag is packed and he is out the door with the signed contract in hand before he can second-guess his choice. He feels alive in a way he hasn’t since his father died.
A month passed and he wasn't sure that he liked the outdoors anymore. Or maybe he just didn't like dwarves mixing with his outdoor experience because being outdoors before the dwarves had come into his life had never been so dangerous. Leaning against a tree trunk trying to swallow the urge to be sick from the stench of the mountain trolls' cave he watched Gandalf conversing amicably with the brown wizard. Closing his eyes with a tired whine escaping him he was startled to feel something furry rubbing itself against his foot.
Eyes snapping open he looked down with wide brown eyes to see one of the brown wizard's rabbits clicking its teeth in quiet contentment next to his foot. "Why hello there." He murmured as he knelt down to rub gently at the soft fur. "Shouldn't you be with the other rabbits?"
"Bilbo my uncle is coming this way so you'd best stand up and leave the rabbit to its own devices." Kíli hissed down at the still kneeling hobbit after several minutes of him doing nothing but petting and talking to the rabbit. "Plus I think the wizard would appreciate it if you didn't make off with one of his pets."
"Why would he be coming over here? Also I’m not planning on taking the rabbit. I was just petting him."
"Perhaps it's because you've been playing with a rabbit instead of standing ready to move." Fíli answered leaning down to help the hobbit to his feet. "Aulë knows that we still get into trouble for not properly occupying ourselves during our breaks."
"I think that your last reprimand had more to do with the fact that you and Kíli were fighting." Bilbo commented dryly as he brushed the dirt from his pant legs. "As I recall the both of you were near to rolling around on the ground like a pair of children when the lecture started. Although I still haven't the faintest idea as to how I ended up being lectured as well when it was the two of you fighting."
"That would be on account of it being your fault we were fighting." Fíli answered as he busied himself with checking the edge of the dagger hidden along his forearm. "You were the one to comment on how strange it was that Kíli is taller even though he’s younger."
"Oh no you're not blaming me for that. The pair of you were already in a foul mood . My comment did nothing more than provide a convenient excuse for the pair of you to fight."
Looking up from where he was trying to fix the strap of his water container Kíli grinned at the hobbit and his brother who both rolled their eyes at him. "Wasn't much of a fight especially with Uncle in the mood he was in." Checking the strap before slinging it back over his shoulder and under his coat he slung an arm across the hobbit's shoulders to give him a quick squeeze before stepping away as his uncle neared. "Although I think that you really got lectured because when Uncle started tearing into us you had to go and remind him of how young we are."
"Traitors." Bilbo hissed as Thorin came closer and Fíli gave him a quick smile before making himself scarce as well. "Don't just leave me here alone!"
"Bilbo I've a question for you if you've the time to answer it for me."
Head snapping up as Bofur called out to him Bilbo nearly sagged with relief at being given an excuse to avoid yet another lecture. "Yes?" He asked jogging over to where Bofur stood near the edge of the group. "What question did you have?"
"How badly do you want to avoid being told to stop playing with the rabbits?"
"It was a single rabbit and it came over to me." Bilbo retorted with a thankful grin. "Thank you for that by the way. Fíli and Kíli were going to just leave me there."
"We would have rescued you." Fíli said indignantly as they came over to stand with them.
"I wouldn't have needed rescuing if you hadn't abandoned me to the dubiously tender mercies of your uncle."
"C'mon Bilbo—," Kíli stopped as the sound of a warg's howl filled the woods his hands already moving to pull his bow from his back.
"Is that a wolf?"
"Wolf? No." Bofur answered his face grim, eyes already searching the woods while adjusting the weight of the mattock in his hands. "That is no wolf."
He had a moment of unease before the warg launched itself from the cover of the forest. He didn't have much time to think on it until later but he was certain that once the warg had seen him it had hesitated before being cut down. With how quickly everything had happened he knew that it was possible he was mistaken but he didn't believe that to be the case. The thought of a warg pausing caused something to niggle at him from the back of his mind but as much as he sat and thought about it he still couldn’t figure it out. Leaning against the trunk of the tree he settled his hands on his stomach and closed his eyes with a sigh of contentment. Rivendell was peaceful and definitely a small bit of serenity that he’d been in sore need of. Yawning as he reached up to scratch at his ear he felt the pleasant tug of sleep and with no one around to see he leaned his head back against the tree with a smile. A small nap sounded lovely, he decided as the urge to sleep won.
He woke to the feel of something tugging gently at his hair and the sounds of muffled giggles and hushed whispers. Opening his eyes he realized that he’d slept longer than he’d meant to as the sun was now close to the horizon. Yawning widely his eyes flew open as a bird chirped and he sat there mouth agape at the sight of the small brown bird perched on his arm tilting its head at him in curiosity before flying up to land in his hair. Hearing the giggles that had woken him Bilbo turned his head to the side to see Kíli rolling along the ground laughing while Fíli was bright red with suppressed laughter. Shooing the bird out of his hair took some time but eventually he was able to get back onto his feet so that he could stand over the still laughing brothers.
“Is there a reason that you’re laughing?” He asked primly his foot reaching out to nudge Kíli in the ribs. “Assuming of course that there is a reason.”
“You—you had a bird…” Kíli tried to speak but broke back down into helpless giggles at seeing the perplexed look on Bilbo’s face.
“What the simpleton is trying to say is that you had a bird in your hair trying to preen it like it would its own feathers.” Fíli finally managed to explain as he struggled to compose himself. “We were worried when you didn’t come for lunch so we came looking for you. You’ve had birds coming the entirety of the afternoon trying to make it look just right. There’s even been fights over which bird should be preening your hair.”
Glaring at Kíli as the dwarf clutched his middle and howled with laughter Bilbo huffed. “I don’t see what’s so funny.”
“You looked like a lass!” Kíli gasped out between giggles. “A lass from one of the tales our mama told us as children.”
“There are times when I honestly don’t know why I still speak to the pair of you.” Bilbo said before spinning on his heel and beginning the walk back to his room for the evening. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go get cleaned up before dinner.”