Work Text:
Bilbo was working at his desk, putting the final touches on the first draft he had to send to his editor the next day, when he heard the front door violently thrown open and then slammed shut, followed by the familiar sound of one of his nephews sprinting through the house to his bedroom, where the bedroom door was slammed shut, too. Concerned, Bilbo saved his progress and got out of his chair. He hurried to the front door and reached it right as Thorin opened it, letting in a solemn Kili and an oblivious Frodo who immediately ran up to Bilbo with his arms open. Bilbo automatically picked the boy up and half-heartedly listened to his fast chatter while Thorin closed the door and Kili stood staring at his feet. Thorin leaned against the door and sighed, worriedly looking at Bilbo.
Bilbo kindly shushed Frodo and asked, “What’s wrong with Fili?” Kili flinched at his brother’s name and Thorin ran a hand through his hair to comfort him. “Thorin?”
Thorin leaned down to Kili’s level and quietly said something to him. Kili didn’t look at his uncle and nodded his head in response before he ran past Bilbo. Bilbo watched him run away and Thorin moved to Bilbo’s side. He gently took Frodo from Bilbo and set him on the ground. He said something to Frodo the same way he had Kili and Frodo, now confused, nodded and hurried to follow his cousin. Thorin straightened and rubbed his face with his hands before he pulled Bilbo against him and hugged him tight. Bilbo’s patience was at its end, but he hugged Thorin back and waited. A long moment went by before Thorin kissed his head and released him.
“Thorin?” Bilbo prompted, rubbing Thorin’s arms.
Thorin sighed before he explained, “One of the other kids at school said something to Fili about Dis and Vili.”
Bilbo gasped. “Oh no, is he okay?”
Thorin shrugged. “To his credit, he didn’t jump the kid. But judging by the door slamming and the fact that he hasn’t said a word to me at all this afternoon, I’d say he’s not.”
“Right. Well, did you say anything on the ride home?”
Thorin shrugged. “I didn’t think he was in the mood to listen so I left him alone.”
“Okay. Well, lets go see if he’ll talk to us now.” Bilbo took Thorin’s hand and they went to Fili’s bedroom, passing the living room to check on Kili and Frodo. Outside the bedroom door, Bilbo squeezed Thorin’s hand reassuringly and Thorin smiled at him before he knocked on the door. They waited a minute and when they got no response, he knocked again. After the second knock, they heard someone moving around in the room and then the door opened, revealing a sniffling Fili. Bilbo instantly held his arms out to the boy and after a short moment of hesitation, Fili fell into Bilbo’s arms. Bilbo squeezed him tight, whispering assurances in his ear. Thorin put his hand on Fili’s head, offering his silent support.
Fili let Bilbo hug him for a few minutes before he pulled away, wiping his eyes. “I’m okay, Uncle Bilbo,” Fili said unconvincingly.
Bilbo smiled sadly and wiped Fili’s tear stained cheeks. “Do you want to talk about?”
The boy shrugged. “Billy’s an idiot.”
Bilbo gently flicked Fili’s nose. “We don’t call people names, darling.” Fili mumbled an apology and Bilbo ran a hand through his hair. “It’s alright. Come on, let’s go sit on the bed.” He took Fili’s hand and led him to the bed, Thorin following. Bilbo sat down on the edge of the bed, made himself comfortable, and then patted the spot next to him. Fili sat down next to him and Thorin decided to kneel in front of Fili instead of sitting on the bed.
Bilbo smiled at Thorin and put his arm around Fili. “Okay, Fili, whenever you want to talk, we’re here for you.” Thorin nodded supportively, giving his nephew a small smile.
They sat there in silence for several minutes. After the first few minutes, Thorin had to sit cross-legged because his legs were cramping. Finally, Fili took a deep breath, wrapped his arms around himself, and muttered something too low for either of them to hear. Thorin put his hand on Fili’s knee and said, “Speak up, Fili, we didn’t hear you.”
Fili cleared his throat before he repeated himself. “Billy said my parents are in hell, said they're burning and screaming all the time.” Thorin let out a curse and Bilbo, too busy gasping in shock, didn’t bother lecturing him about it. Fili wiggled self-consciously before he said, “It’s okay. I know it’s not true. Billy’s just a big id- a meanie.”
“Oh honey,” Bilbo whispered and pulled Fili against him. He kissed Fili’s hair, squeezing him tight with one arm. “I’m so sorry, baby. No one should ever say anything like that to anyone. It’s very wrong.” Thorin voiced his agreement and Bilbo held out his free hand to him. Thorin immediately grasped it with his free hand and kissed his knuckles.
Fili shrugged again, but neither Thorin nor Bilbo missed the way he pressed his face into Bilbo’s shirt. Thorin got onto his knees and moved closer to the bed so he could also hug Fili. They all hugged each other for a long moment and then Fili asked, “Where are mama and papa?”
Stunned, Thorin and Bilbo pulled away from their nephew, both staring at him wide-eyed. Fili looked back and forth between them, waiting for an answer. After almost a minute without an answer, Fili’s lip wobbled and more tears filled his eyes. “Uncle Bilbo? Uncle Thorin?”
Bilbo and Thorin shared a panicked look before Thorin licked his lips and uncertainly said, “That’s not an easy question to answer, Fili.”
Growing frightened, a few tears fell down Fili’s cheeks and he hugged himself tighter. “But why?”
Thorin opened his mouth but nothing came out and he looked to Bilbo, who pressed his lips together, taking a moment to think before he said, truthfully, “Well, dear, no one really knows where you go after you die.” Fili sniffed and looked up at Bilbo through his bangs. Bilbo tried to give him a reassuring smile and brushed his long hair out of his face. “But there are a lot of different theories and beliefs about what happens after death. That’s why there are so many different religions all around the world.”
Fili thought about that explanation and then asked, “So we don’t know if mama and papa are really in hell or not?”
Thorin shook his head. “We don’t know anything, but your mama and papa were good people, they wouldn’t be punished if there is something after death. I am sure of that,” he said confidently. To his horror, Fili wasn’t reassured by that. Instead, it seemed to upset him more.
“But we don’t know!” he yelled, jumping off the bed.
Bilbo got up from the bed and grabbed Fili by the shoulders before he could run off. He turned the boy to face him and bent down to be eye level with him. “Fili, listen to me. You’re parents aren’t in hell. Do you understand?” Fili shook his head vigorously and Bilbo raised his voice and had to repeat himself several times. “Your parents aren’t in Hell, Fili. Fili!” At Bilbo’s sharp tone, Fili finally froze, looking at him through his tears. Thorin came up beside Bilbo and wrapped an arm around his waist, fighting back his own tears.
Bilbo gave Fili a sympathetic smile and cupped his face in his hands. “Do you trust me, Fili? Do you trust your Uncle Thorin?” The boy nodded slowly. “Then, please, trust us now. Your parents aren’t in hell. I don’t know where they are, but I believe they’re in a good place, waiting for us to join them when it’s time.”
“But you don’t know,” Fili whispered sadly.
In response, Thorin dropped to one knee and grabbed Fili’s hands. “That’s why we have beliefs, Fili. To bring us comfort and help us understand things that can’t be explained.”
“But I don’t know what to believe.”
Bilbo shrugged. “Believe whatever you feel is right. Whatever you brings you comfort. It may not be true, but that doesn’t mean you can’t believe in it.”
Fili sniffed and looked down at the floor. “I want to believe there is no hell, and that we’ll all go somewhere nice and we’ll see Mama and Papa again and we’ll all be together again someday.”
Thorin and Bilbo shared a smile and Thorin squeezed Fili’s hands. “Then you believe that, Fili. There’s nothing wrong with believing that.” No one spoke again for two minutes as Fili looked at the floor and thought. Then, he looked up at his uncles and smiled slightly. Bilbo and Thorin smiled back and then Fili threw himself at Thorin, wrapping his arms around his neck. Thorin put his arms around his nephew and hugged him back, careful not to squeeze too hard. He pressed his face into Fili’s unruly hair to hide his own tears and whispered reassurances to him.
Bilbo straightened up and rubbed Fili’s back. When the moment was over and their hug ended, Fili turned to Bilbo and hugged his legs. Bilbo brushed his hands through his hair and murmured, “We love you very much,” to him. Fili’s response was to hug his legs tighter before he backed away.
“Thank you, Uncle Thorin, Uncle Bilbo. I think I want to be alone now.” Bilbo and Thorin nodded, understanding, and after they each kissed his head one last time, they left the bedroom, gently shutting the door behind them.
In the hallway, Bilbo grabbed Thorin’s shirt in both fists and pressed his face against Thorin’s chest. Thorin pressed kisses to Bilbo’s head and ran his hands up and down Bilbo’s back. Bilbo was shaking and Thorin said inane things into his hair for several minutes until Bilbo wasn’t shaking anymore. He stepped away from Thorin and straightened his clothes, then said, “Well, that was unexpected.”
Thorin chuckled and pressed a quick kiss to Bilbo’s lips. “I think we handled it well, didn’t we?”
“I think so, yes. I guess we should have had this talk with him sooner.”
Thorin shrugged. “We’ve been waiting for the boys to ask questions before we have any talks with them. Fili hasn’t asked before.”
Bilbo bit his lip, considering what Thorin said. “Maybe we shouldn’t wait with Frodo and Kili? Maybe we should bring it up first?”
Sighing, Thorin took Bilbo’s hands and entwined their fingers. “That’s another discussion for another day. It’s supper time, isn’t it?”
“It is,” Bilbo confirmed with a smile. “We can check on Fili in a little while. Let’s go see what the other two have been up to, then I’ll start cooking.” He took a step, but Thorin refused to let him go and instead pulled him back against him so he could kiss him. Bilbo hummed against his lips and squeezed Thorin’s fingers before he turned and walked away, Thorin following close behind him with a smile.