#bag-end

It worked out quite well. Thorin got to experience having children around again – which was something the dwarf quite enjoyed, and missed from Fíli and Kíli’s time as young pebbles – whilst Bilbo even got to have a potential heir for Bag-end. Lobelia Sackville-Baggins might finally get off his case and stop trying to steal the smial for herself…

Well, both Bilbo and Thorin doubted that would happen even with an appointed heir. She was quite the character.

It had been the day after the funeral that Frodo Baggins returned with them to Bag-end. The young lad had gotten his belongings packed in several suitcases, which Thorin was happily carrying for him whilst Bilbo held onto the toddler’s tiny hand as he wobbled along with them. Everything was going okay so far… except that he hadn’t spoken a single word, apparently, since the accident.

The new parents had quite a task ahead of them to try and make this little one feel comfortable.

But they were up for it.

They’d arrived back late in the evening, so unfortunately, they’d have to almost immediately put the lad to bed. It left for little time to try and make him comfortable or feel at home… and it didn’t sit well with either of them. But there was not much to do about it.

They unpacked some of Frodo’s belongings, under strict supervision of the little lad as he sat on his new bed, holding a comforting blanket to his chest as tightly as possible, and watched with wide, blue eyes what these people were doing to his stuff. When they turned to ask him where he wanted something, a shirt, a pair of trousers, a toy, he’d only point. No words were spoken by the lad.

Left with only half of the suitcases to unpack still, Bilbo and Thorin decided they would do the rest the next day, and focus on getting Frodo to bed for now.

“You’ve had a long day. I’m sure you’re tired,” said Bilbo awkwardly, taking out a pair of pyjamas for the boy and holding them up in a silent message that it was time for bed.

Frodo got the hint. He wriggled to the edge of the bed and jumped down, never once letting go of his strong grip on the little blanket. He stood still, staring up at Bilbo and Thorin. Bilbo and Thorin only stared back.

“Uh…” Thorin gestured for Bilbo to help the lad. He was the one holding the pyjamas after all. “Well…” He offered the clothes to Thorin, who raised an eyebrow. “You’ve helped Fíli and Kíli.”

“Dís raised them. I played with them.”

Bilbo had a feeling that wasn’t fully true. Those lads looked up to Thorin like a father figure. However, he didn’t doubt, suddenly, from the panicked look on Thorin’s face, that Thorin had had little to do with them as toddlers – or with changing clothes, or bath time… (oh Bilbo suddenly dreaded bath time).

“Does he… Does he use a diaper?” asked Thorin.

“I hope not…” muttered Bilbo in sudden fear.

Frodo blinked up at them in confusion.

Clearing his throat, Bilbo crouched down by his little cousin and offered a smile. “This is… uh… This is our first time taking care of a little one, like you, Frodo, so we’re going to have to… You’re going to have to help us a bit.”

Frodo nodded his head, much to Bilbo’s surprise… Maybe two-year-olds understood more than he had assumed. The little toddler took his blanket in one hand, and raised his now free hand up in the air.

Bilbo watched, confused, until Thorin stepped in. He crouched down by Frodo’s side and unbuttoned the child’s shirt, tugging the sleeve off as Frodo had requested. The toddler grabbed the blanket in his other hand and lifted his now free hand in the air for Bilbo to help tug the sleeve off.

And so it went. Frodo would lift a limb, the new parents would tug the clothes off and replace it with the pyjamas. Once he was fully dressed again, Frodo moved to the bed and placed his hands on the edge, jumping but failing to get up. Thorin helped before both new parents watched the child crawl over the bed and wriggle down under the covers.

“Right…” Bilbo cleared his throat. “Do you… Do you need anything? A glass of water?”

Frodo shook his head. The bed was ten times too big for him, but Bilbo didn’t own a child’s bed. For extra comfort, Bilbo instead placed an extra blanket over the child’s feet, tucking him in slightly, but hesitantly, unsure of whether Frodo was okay with this.

But the child said nothing. Then again, he hadn’t said anything this entire time. It didn’t mean much.

“Well…” Bilbo and Thorin shared a look, hopelessly unsure of what to do. “We will be just down the hall if you need us…” said Bilbo. “Shout… uh, or come to us, if you need anything.”

Frodo blinked once, twice, then nodded his head hesitantly. They hadn’t shown him around the house yet… he wouldn’t know where this bedroom was.

None of this was going very good. It was all a bit of a mess. Maybe, Bilbo thought, they shouldn’t have agreed to this…

With a sigh, Bilbo bid Frodo goodnight, blew out the candles in the room, and left with Thorin behind him.

“I don’t feel right about this, Thorin.” Bilbo kept his voice low as they walked down the hall. “The kid’s clearly not okay, and we’re just leaving him all alone for an entire night after he’s only just gotten here…”

Thorin nodded his head with an agreeing hum. “It’s not ideal, but children are more resilient than you think.”

It was obvious Bilbo wasn’t too sure about Thorin’s words. And it became even more obvious when Thorin woke up later during the night to the mattress shifting, and Bilbo sneaking out of the room. The dwarf had taken a few seconds to wake up, rubbing his eyes free of sleep, before standing up and following Bilbo.

He found the hobbit where he thought he would. Sitting outside Frodo’s room, tucking a blanket around himself as if preparing to go to sleep right there.

“Bilbo,” whispered Thorin, startling the hobbit. “You can’t sleep out here.”

“What if something happens? We’re protecting a child now, Thorin. A child that hasn’t said a single word since he arrived… I’m staying.”

Thorin smiled, nodding his head. “Then I’ll join you.”

“Oh, now, you do not have to do that-“

But Bilbo’s words were cut off by a sound from Frodo’s bedroom. A little whimper which slowly turned into little sobs.

Within seconds, Bilbo was on his feet and following Thorin, who had rushed inside immediately. There they found the little toddler upside down, dangling from the edge of the bed, arm shaking as he tried to keep himself from falling head first onto the floor. Thorin was there in seconds, lifting the toddler back up onto the bed.

He was crying, sniffling and almost immediately went back to flinging himself off the bed.

“What’s gotten into him!?” asked Bilbo worriedly. “Does he wish to hurt himself!?”

Thorin held the toddler back, which only made Frodo start to sob louder. “Check under the bed,” said Thorin with a calm tone to his voice that Bilbo most certainly was not feeling.

Though, the hobbit did as Thorin asked. There under the bed, Frodo’s comfort blanket lay picking up dust. He must have dropped it during the night whilst sleeping, noticed, and pushed it down under the bed in his attempts to get it up. Of course, Frodo had learned earlier that he couldn’t get back up onto the bed on his own… so he had tried to improvise getting his blanket back.

Silly lad.

Bilbo picked the blanket up, awkwardly dusted it off and made a mental note to clean this room a little better, before offering it back to Frodo who was making grabby hands and whining. The second his fingers clutched the blanket again, he stopped sobbing and calmed completely.

Thorin let out a breath of relief. “We figured it out.”

“You figured it out,” praised Bilbo with a relieved sigh.

“I do have some experience after all,” Thorin said, staying next to the little lad.

“And a good thing it was too that I was out there.”

“Indeed.” Thorin glanced back to the child, then back to the door. “Maybe we should just stay in here?”

There was not a second’s hesitance from Bilbo. “I’ll get some pillows.”

As Bilbo left, Thorin was left alone with Frodo in the dark. He stood to light a single candle on the nightstand, offering them just a little bit of light, but not too much so as to not be able to fall asleep again. “Get back under the covers, little one. You should get some more rest.”

Frodo sniffled, blinking up at Thorin. There was a silent question in those eyes, and Thorin couldn’t quite make out what it was. But he knew what children might need after having gone through something rather emotional, and so he sat down on the edge of the bed next to Frodo.

The little toddler didn’t hesitate in crawling over and reaching out to hug onto Thorin’s side. Gently, Thorin placed his hand on the small child’s back, offering some comfort to calm him down properly again. “It’s a pretty blanket,” said Thorin. “Where did you get it?”

“Mama…” whispered Frodo.

Thorin’s eyes widened both at the realization of what this blanket might mean to the child, and at hearing him finally say a word.

“I understand.” Thorin didn’t say or do anything else. He just let the child gently hug him.

Bilbo returned with blankets and pillows, preparing the floor for them to sleep on. “Everything alright?" he asked.

Thorin nodded his head. “Everything will be just fine.” But the words had not been directed fully at Bilbo, and Frodo snuggled a little closer to Thorin.

Once Bilbo and Thorin had a… somewhat decent makeshift bed on the floor, Frodo returned to lying under the covers, comfort blanket held tightly against his chest, whilst Thorin and Bilbo reassured him that they were right there on the floor should Frodo need them.

It took only a few seconds for Frodo to shift again and glance over the edge of the bed down at them. Both had not yet fallen asleep yet, and glanced up at the little lad through the darkness. He reached out a little hand, remaining silent, and the new parents watched in confusion at what he might want.

Then, Thorin nudged Bilbo’s side. It took only that for Bilbo to do what his heart was telling him, reaching out to brush his fingers over the tiny outstretched hand of Frodo. The child watched and then slowly settled down, hand still drooped over the side of the bed and Bilbo still gently brushing his thumb over his knuckles.

Frodo smiled before closing his eyes.

Lying there right on the floor, staring up at the ceiling, both Thorin and Bilbo smiled slightly too. They reached out to grab onto each other’s hands, exchanging a look. “We might not know exactly what we’re doing,” whispered Thorin, “but I think we’ll manage just fine. The three of us will figure this out.”