Work Text:
Bilbo sniffed loudly and wiped his nose on one of his treasured monogrammed handkerchiefs, this one a birthday present from his husband. His head was still pounding but after days of coughing and not being able to breathe properly, suffering from a stuffed up head and a sinus headache was a big improvement. He threw back the thick, oversized comforter, and slipped his feet into his fluffy pink bunny slippers before he attempted to stand up. For a second, he felt dizzy and had to hold onto the headboard, but the dizziness passed almost instantly. He pulled his fluffy pink robe, a match to his slippers, on and weakly made his way out to the bedroom door. He cracked it open and immediately the sounds of life that he recognized so well flooded in.
He smiled and waited several seconds to listen to the various sounds. Fili and Kili were playing in the playroom, and it sounded like they were playing dragons and knights. He could hear soft music coming from the nursery door down the hall, meaning Frodo was down for a nap. And best of all, he could hear Thorin’s deep, rumbling voice coming from somewhere in the house. Taking the opportunity to escape the bedroom after four days of strictly enforced bedrest, courtesy of Thorin, he slipped into the hall and shut the door quietly behind him. He crept down the hall to the nursery, already knowing that the door would be cracked. He peeked through the crack and smiled at the sight of Frodo napping, curled up like a turtle with his butt in the air, cuddling the rugged teddy bear his parents had given him tight. Bilbo was tempted to go in and cover his nephew up with a blanket, but he knew the nursery door squeaked and he didn’t want to risk waking Frodo, or alerting Thorin that he was out of bed.
Bilbo watched Frodo for a moment, then turned and continued down the hall to the staircase. He paused at the top of the stairs, trying to identify where Thorin was. It sounded like he was in the living room and so Bilbo carefully moved down the stairs. He stopped on the last step and made certain Thorin’s voice was coming from the living room before he moved as quickly as he could to the kitchen. He smiled, pleased with himself and eager to finally be able to fix himself a cup of tea. He felt like jumping in place and clapping, maybe even squealing, but he restrained himself and settled for rubbing his hands together. He quietly moved the stool, originally bought for Bilbo and not the children, to the stove. He needed the stool to reach the cabinets above the stove, where his kettle and favorite tea bags were kept.
He filled up the kettle and turned on the stove. After setting the kettle on the eye, he pulled out his favorite mug, a white ceramic mug from the dollar store Fili and Kili had painted rainbows on for him. He set the tea bags in the mug to wait and then moved the stool again, this time so he could reach the cookie jar on top of the fridge. The jar was always full, normally because Bilbo baked two or three batches of cookies every day, but he could see these cookies were store bought. Bilbo smiled, knowing that buying cookies was much safer for everyone than Thorin baking any. He grabbed three and sat down at the breakfast table to wait for the water to boil.
He got to have a few minutes of silence and eat one cookie before Kili sprinted into the kitchen. He ran right past Bilbo, his attention focused solely on the fridge, but Bilbo couldn’t stop himself from clearing his throat when Kili tried to open the freezer side door. His nephew spun around with a shout, and Bilbo smothered a laugh. Kili’s face turned red and he opened his mouth, probably to defend himself, but then his eyes widened and he glanced towards the living room. He stepped close to Bilbo and whispered, “Uncle Bilbo, you’re not supposed to be out of bed. Uncle Thorin said we have to tell him if we see you.”
Bilbo pursed his lips and beckoned Kili close. His nephew moved closer and Bilbo pulled him in for a hug. Kili wrapped his arms around Bilbo’s neck and squeezed him tight. After the hug, Bilbo leaned towards Kili and said conspiratorially, “If you can keep this a secret, you can have a cookie.”
Kili scrunched up his face, thought for a few seconds, then said, “Three cookies.”
Bilbo gaped, pretending to be scandalized, and then responded with, “Two.”
Kili thought for another moment before he nodded enthusiastically. Bilbo handed over his last two cookies and Kili gave him a kiss on the cheek before he ran off, hiding the cookies in his shirt. Bilbo shook his head and leaned back in his chair. He closed his eyes and massaged his temples. A second later, a rough, calloused hand was massaging the back of his neck. And then someone whispered in his ear, “I thought I told you to stay in bed.”
Bilbo blushed, leaned his head back to look up at his husband, and grinned sheepishly. “Did you? You know, I don’t recall. I’m sick, you know. Can’t remember a thing beyond where my handkerchiefs are.”
Thorin snorted, amused, and bent over to kiss Bilbo’s forehead before he pulled another kitchen chair next to Bilbo’s. He sat down with a sigh, his hand still on Bilbo’s neck. “That’s why you’re supposed to be in bed.”
Bilbo sighed. “It’s been four days, Thorin. I’m going stir crazy.”
Thorin nodded. “I know, love,” he murmured soothingly. He lifted a hand and felt Bilbo’s forehead and cheeks. “Your fever’s gone, how’s your nose? Your throat?”
Bilbo pushed Thorin’s hand away with a scowl. “I can breathe again, which is a big improvement. Still have jackhammers in my head, which is why I’m trying to fix a cup of tea, but otherwise I’m fine. I snuck in here, didn’t I?”
Thorin chuckled and kissed Bilbo’s forehead. “Alright, make your tea.”
“Does this mean my imprisonment is lifted?”
Thorin shook his head and ruffled Bilbo’s curly hair. “Yes, you’ve served your sentence,” he said seriously, before cracking a smile. Bilbo returned his smile and then leaned forward and kissed Thorin’s chin.
“Thank you for taking care of me, darling. Even if it was annoying, I know you meant well.”
“Well, I know how much trouble I give you when I’m sick, and you’re much more stubborn than I am so it wasn’t unexpected.”
Bilbo lightly slapped Thorin’s arm, but he was chuckling along with Thorin. “You are the much worse patient, I’ll have you know,” he said and stood up.
Thorin waited for Bilbo to take two steps and then he grabbed him around the waist. Bilbo let out a surprised yell and then Thorin was sitting him on his lap sideways. Bilbo shifted until he was comfortable and then he leaned against Thorin’s chest. Thorin wrapped his arms around Bilbo and pressed his face into Bilbo’s robe. Bilbo hugged Thorin’s arm to his chest and leaned his cheek on top of Thorin’s head. They sat in silence, cuddling, for a few minutes. Their peace was broken when the kettle started whistling and Bilbo climbed up from Thorin’s lap with a regretful sigh.
Thorin patted Bilbo’s butt, earning himself a fond reprimanding look, and watched as Bilbo fixed his tea with milk and sugar. He smiled when Bilbo lifted the mug to his nose and breathed deep, inhaling the comforting scent of his favorite tea, before he took a cautious sip. After determining that it was cool enough to drink safely, he took a bigger sip and sighed blissfully after swallowing it down. Both Thorin and Bilbo looked towards the living room when they suddenly heard Fili and Kili yelling. Thorin stood up before Bilbo could move. He kissed Bilbo’s cheek sweetly and said, “I’ve got it,” before leaving the kitchen.
Bilbo leaned back against the kitchen counter and sipped his tea. He could hear Thorin talking to the boys and them talking back, though he couldn’t make out the exact words. A couple minutes later and Thorin returned to the kitchen. Bilbo smiled at him and asked, “Is it another world war in there?”
Thorin shrugged and stood beside Bilbo, slipping his arm around Bilbo’s waist. “Apparently, Fili thought Kili should have given him the bigger cookie.” Bilbo blushed and hid his face in Thorin’s shoulder. “Although I don’t remember giving Kili any cookies,” he pointed out.
Bilbo cleared his throat and said, unconvincingly, “I haven’t the faintest idea how he got to the top of the fridge.”
“Right,” Thorin muttered, squeezing Bilbo’s waist. “Well, it was nice of him to share with his brother, anyway.”
“Yes, it was,” Bilbo agreed and took another sip of tea. “I haven’t heard much out of them since I’ve been on bed rest. Not even from Frodo.”
Thorin looked down at the top of Bilbo’s head. “Did you doubt my abilities, Bilbo Baggins?” He asked, playfully.
Bilbo tilted his head to look up at him, his eyebrows raised. “When you’re outnumbered three to one, actually four to one because I often count Frodo has two instead of one, then yes, I doubt your abilities, love.”
Thorin conceded that point with a chuckle. “Yeah, well, I think Fili and Kili have been trying because they know you’ve been sick. And I think I’ve just been lucky with Frodo.”
Bilbo narrowed his eyes at Thorin. “You haven’t been spoiling him so he doesn’t pitch a fit, have you?”
Thorin cleared his throat and awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. “Not . . . exactly,” he hedged. Bilbo sighed and butted Thorin’s shoulder with his forehead.
“It’s alright, I do it, too. I’m just glad you didn’t get called into work.”
“Yeah, it’s a good thing I hadn’t used up any vacation days before now. I had a backup plan in place though, in case I did get called in.”
Bilbo frowned, thinking for a moment. Then he realized what Thorin meant and groaned. “No. You wouldn’t have called him.” He pleadingly looked up at Thorin. “Would you?”
Thorin stifled a laugh. “What’s wrong with Dori?”
“Nothing really, except he spoils the boys the worst out of everyone we know.”
“True, but the boys listen to him when they don’t listen to anyone else. And with you sick, he’s the only one I know wouldn’t need backup dealing with them.”
Bilbo nodded and took the last sip of his tea. “You’re right.”
“I’m always right, you just don’t like to admit it,” Thorin said smugly.
Bilbo pinched his ribs in retaliation and Thorin jerked away from him, laughing. Bilbo set his mug in the sink and filled it with water, then moved to the fridge. “Now, I think after another dose of medicine, I can handle cooking supper today. What would you like?”
Thorin shrugged and stood behind Bilbo as he opened the fridge. “I don’t really care, and the boys have been begging for your cooking since you got sick, so they won’t care either. So you get to choose today.”
Bilbo nodded, opened the freezer, and started mentally planning supper. His thoughts were interrupted when Frodo yelled out for Thorin from upstairs. Bilbo looked over his shoulder and met Thorin’s gaze. Thorin smiled, pecked Bilbo on the lips, and walked away. Bilbo started pulling things out of the freezer and fridge, laying everything out on the counter. A few minutes later, when he was setting the pack of ribs up to defrost, Thorin returned with Frodo in his arms. When Frodo saw Bilbo, he squealed happily and reached for Bilbo. Bilbo quickly rinsed his hands in the sink, then took Frodo from Thorin. He gave Frodo a big hug and a kiss, and Frodo returned it with a slobbery kiss of his own. Bilbo laughed and wiped the drool off his cheek before he turned and carried Frodo to his high chair.
“I’ll get started on supper as soon as the meat’s thawed. In the meantime, how about some fresh cookies?” Bilbo asked, cooing at Frodo. Frodo grinned and clapped his hands. Bilbo looked at Thorin and asked, “Would you go let Fili and Kili know I’m making cookies now, and supper later tonight?” Thorin nodded and kissed Frodo’s sleep mussed hair, then he kissed Bilbo’s lips before he left the kitchen. Bilbo smoothed Frodo’s hair, gave him a cereal snack to munch on, and then turned to start the cookies.