#ff289

Bilbo was running for his life. There was a very pissed off dragon after him, after all. He spotted the entrance he had come down and headed towards it, ignoring the huffing and puffing and general unpleasantness of a dragon trying to eat him or burn him alive as he did so.

He was there; he thought with relief, grateful that the dragon was so busy shouting and that hobbits were so nimble on their feet that Smaug hadn’t known where he was heading and was looking in the wrong direction.

Bilbo ran through the entrance of the corridor he had used and spared a moment to lean against the wall, out of sight of the dragon to catch his breath before he scampered back up to the dwarves.

He turned to carry in when he stopped, seeing Thorin highlighted by the flames shining off the gold that was coming through the doorway Bilbo had just scurried through.

He watched, bemused, as Thorin cocked his head and stared into the cavernous room behind Bilbo, his gaze hard and penetrating, as though he could see through the walls.

“Thorin …” Bilbo hissed at the dwarf, trying to catch his attention.

Thorin didn’t seem to hear him.

“Thorin, love, there’s a dragon,” Bilbo hissed again as he edged closer to his lover, confused why he wasn’t even looking at him.

“Thorin!” Bilbo said louder than he meant to, his voice echoing off the walls.

That caught Thorin’s attention as he turned to Bilbo, but his eyes, his usually mesmerising eyes, looked dark and cloudy, as though something was blinding him from seeing what was before him, from seeing Bilbo.

“Where is it?” Thorin suddenly asked, his eyes not actually leaving the shine of the treasure beyond the two of them.

“Thorin, dragon!” Bilbo reiterated as he edged closer to his dwarf and away from the place he could hear Smaug’s grumbles and groans coming from.

Without warning, Thorin turned, his sword now out and pointing straight at Bilbo’s chest.

Bilbo blinked down at it, confused, as he looked up and frowned at Thorin. “What are you doing?” he demanded to know, trying to keep his voice down because of the very angry dragon searching for him.

“Where is it, Bilbo?” Thorin demanded again, putting the smallest amount of pressure on the sword now pressing against Bilbo’s chest.

“If it’s the Arkenstone you’re on about, I didn’t see it. You know what I DID see, Thorin? A great big dragon who wants to burn me alive. So we need to go,” Bib said quickly, panicking as he could hear Smaug following his scent to where he had run off to.

“We have to go,” he tried again as he reached out to grab Thorin’s arm.

Thorin immediately had Bilbo up against the wall by the lapels of his coat as he pressed that little bit harder in warning. “Where is it burglar?” he demanded, using a name he had started using as a tease as though Bilbo was scum between his teeth.

“Thorin, knock it off. Smaug is coming,” Bilbo said in disbelief. This was the dwarf who had slept with Bilbo in his arms the night before, who had almost changed his mind about sending the Company’s lone hobbit in to face a dragon alone.

This was the dwarf who said he loved Bilbo and now he was what … threatening him? Bilbo couldn’t understand, he didn’t understand. All he knew was that Thorin was being foolish, and they had to go, leave now.

“Thorin, DRAGON!” Bilbo hissed loudly into his ear.

Bilbo wasn’t sure what it was, what snapped Thorin out of whatever had been going on, but the dwarf blinked and looked at Bilbo, confused, as he scowled down at his sword before shaking his head and putting it back in its scabbard. “He is awake,” Thorin said suddenly, as though Bilbo hadn’t been telling him that for who knew how long.

“Yes, and any minute now …” Bilbo stopped as he heard Smaug find the little corridor they had come in and was ranting and raving about dwarves.

“Run,” Thorin said as he grabbed Bilbo, and they ran as fast as possible, trying to outrun Smaug and his flames.

The rest of the Company followed and what came next was the most terrifying game of cat-and-mouse Bilbo had ever been a part of.

In the end Smaug flew off, wounded and covered in gold, but still very deadly, still ready to cause death and destruction.

“What have we done?” Bilbo asked in despair as he watched Lake Town burn. He felt his heart fall even more when he turned and saw Thorin, that same distant, blinded look in his eyes as he moved away from Lake Town and towards the treasure.

“It is only what was done to us,” Thorin said in what sounded like a far off voice.

Bilbo looked at the back of the dwarf he loved as he walked away from the death they were responsible for and felt his heart freeze.