Chapter Text
Dwalin rolled her shoulders, fighting off the kinks in her neck as her children finally, finally decided to go to sleep. They lay in their crib, side by side, and Dwalin couldn’t help but grin at the fact that Bundin had immediately curled around the form of his sister.
It had been a few months since their birth, and yet they seemed much older. They were getting bigger, more curious, and they were moving about far more than any dwarf babe she ever saw at such an age. She blamed their father for the fact that Belladonna was already starting to crawl, and that Bundin seemed to managed to get the most random things from out of nowhere and into his mouth.
They were growing, blossoming right before her very eyes, and each day she felt her heart warm and glow at the sight. Yes, there were many sleepless nights, dirtied shirts, and Bilbo had finally started to be able to change diapers without having to immediately rush to a trash bin afterwards. But there was so much joy in hearing Bundin babble wordlessly at his father, and hearing Belladonna’s high pitched squeals and giggles when Dwalin would tickle her belly.
She never thought she could be happier.
But a test was coming. An event that could very well shun her from her peers.
They were going to Erebor in the morning, all four of them, to stay for a short period of time surrounding the marriage between Thorin Oakenshield, King Under the Mountain, and Bofur, toymaker, miner, and future Consort.
She knew that, with time, her people’s beliefs had changed. They were more open to the idea that two dwarrows of the same gender could be together and have it not be a crime. That one could be with someone outside their race, no matter how private the dwarrow race was. And children were a blessing, dwarrow children even moreso. But half-breeds? That, she did not know. Sure, her former company accepted her children and adored them, the most important being her brother. But what of the others? Outsiders? Would her children be shunned? Considered wrong? Defective? Dirty? She did not know. But what she did know was that she would kill anyone who dared to threaten her husband and children. She had done so before, at least for her husband. It wouldn’t be too much of a challenge.
Her dark thoughts were broken when she heard her husband heave a great sigh as he entered the children’s room.
“Well, everything’s packed.” He informed her. “And I’ve already prepared the sign for the fence. ‘Not Dead. Out visiting the In-Laws. Don’t Sell Anything’.”
Dwalin grinned at her husband. “Will that work?”
Bilbo frowned. “Hopefully?” He replied, causing Dwalin to snort. “If anything, I’ve asked Hamfast to keep an eye on the place.”
“Let’s just hope Lobelia doesn’t try anything too rash…” Dwalin groused, recalling how the woman had once dared to try to slip through the window when Dwalin refused to answer the door when she was still heavily pregnant. She didn’t think she could run in that state, nor did she think that Lobelia could scream so loudly.
She blinked then, a little surprised as Bilbo wrapped an arm around her waist. He was not shy in expressing affection physically, but it would usually be more secretive. Like fingers twirling some of the hairs in her beard, or taking her hand. This was rather bold for her hobbit, and she found that she delighted in it.
“Well, I think she has calmed down a little with her claims, and the like.” He explained. “Now that she sees that I’ve got a family.”
Dwalin hummed, leaning into her husband’s hold slightly. His warm, soft form was a welcome presence. She nuzzled her nose into his curls, humming curiously as he gently tugged at her beard so he could look at her.
“Not to mention that I have a lovely, fierce woman as my wife.” He continued. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her flee Bag End so quickly.”
She would’ve scoffed, because it should be a given that Dwalin would be so protective of her husband and her children. That she was anything but lovely, even though Bilbo insisted that she was on top of also being beautiful, sweet, and kind. But she found it rather difficult to do so when he pulled her into a kiss. And oh, what a kiss.
While Dwalin knew she could be a little rough with her kisses, Bilbo was all sweet, syrupy motions. All gentle, yet insistent pressures and long, teasing sweeps of tongue and little nips with teeth. It made her knees weak and her gut burn fiercely. That’s when the fact that they hadn’t truly been intimate in almost half a year came crashing into her, and she moaned, hoping that she knew where this was going. For they were able to, now. No dwarves, no swollen body parts, and their children were now sleeping throughout the night.
“Quick on the uptake tonight, love.” Bilbo breathed, and he giggled when Dwalin growled, nipping at her throat. “Well?”
Like she would deny him, especially when she wanted to as well. However, “We do have an early start…”
Bilbo’s grin turned rather mischievous. “Oh, my sweet Dwalin.” He purred, and Dwalin’s nostrils flared. “You don’t know how pleased I am to have your confidence.”
Whatever control she had over her needs was lost, and she scooped up her husband, fisting his plump little bum as he quickly wrapped his legs around her waist.
“Don’t make me eat my words.” She purred, relishing in Bilbo’s laugh as she rushed to their room, shutting the door behind them.
Despite everything, they had a late start, anyway. But Dwalin couldn’t find it in her to mind too terribly. She felt more relaxed than she ever felt in days, and she felt rather gleeful when Bilbo wouldn’t stop whistling.
She turned her grin to Bundin, who was strapped to her back, looking wide-eyed and happy awed, for this was his first time on a pony, and the first time he was ever really this high off the ground. She heard Belladonna squeal and giggle from her position with Bilbo as he came up alongside her.
This journey would be difficult, but hopefully not too difficult. They would have help when they would meet with an envoy in Bree (Thorin had insisted in his letter that they would have one, or so help him…). Dwalin just hoped that their welcome would be warm, and that her friend would be happy.
Bilbo grinned at her, and Dwalin’s worried faded to the back of her mind. “Are you ready, my love?”
“As ready as I will ever be.”