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"Uncle Thorin. Uncle Thorin. Uncle Thorin!" The last "Uncle Thorin" was whisper-shouted in his ear, immediately followed by someone tugging on his shirt. Thorin groaned and rolled over, reaching for his husband on the other side of the bed. But his husband wasn't there. Thorin said a curse and rolled onto his back. The voice that had been in his ear was now giggling loudly and the bed dipped as a tiny body climbed onto it. A few seconds later and that body plopped down onto Thorin's stomach. He let out an "oof" and opened his eyes, not surprised to see it was his youngest nephew sitting on him. Frodo grinned down at him with a gap in his teeth where his first loose tooth had finally fallen out the night before. Thorin smiled up at him and brushed Frodo's curly black hair out of his face. "Good morning, Uncle Thorin! Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas, Frodo," Thorin said. He grabbed Frodo's waist and lifted him up so he could sit up and lean against the headboard. Frodo fell forward against his chest and curled up, his small hands gripping Thorin's shirt. Thorin kissed the top of Frodo's head, wrapped his arms around the boy, and squeezed him. "Where's your other uncle, and Fili and Kili?"
Frodo snuggled against his chest before he answered. "Uncle Bilbo is in the kitchen cooking Christmas pancakes and Fili and Kili are still asleep in front of the Christmas tree."
Thorin smiled, remembering how Fili and Kili had camped out in the living room, determined to stay up all night and catch Santa. Kili had fallen asleep before ten and Fili only held out till midnight. Thorin grabbed Frodo securely and climbed out of the bed. He shifted Frodo to his hip and left the bedroom, Frodo leaning his head on Thorin's shoulder. He had stuck his thumb in his mouth while Thorin stood up and Thorin had to bite his tongue. The last time he had, politely and patiently, told Frodo not to suck on his thumb, Bilbo had chewed him out, in that polite way of his that made you feel like the worst person in the world. Thorin turned his thoughts away from the thumb sucking debate that was not really a debate and focused on the delicious smell of pancakes growing stronger as he descended the stairs. He looked into the living room and found his older nephews sprawled in front of the tree, Kili laying upside down on his sleeping bag in typical Kili fashion and Fili spread eagle on his. Thorin continued on to the kitchen, where he stopped and leaned against the doorway so he could watch his husband.
Bilbo was wearing his favorite fluffy robe and slippers. He was humming quietly to himself as he puttered around the kitchen, making his famed Christmas pancakes, a strange gingerbread recipe he had created. Each pancake was thin, but dinner plate sized. Thorin could see a stack of them waiting by the stove and watched as Bilbo flipped one in the pan three times before he set it on top of the stack. There were several ingredients and treats to decorate the pancakes with sitting on the counter and Thorin could see a saucepan of chocolate simmering on the stove, waiting to be turned into hot chocolate. Bilbo expertly stirred the chocolate with one hand and poured the last of the pancake batter into the pan with the other without missing a beat. Thorin's mouth curled into a small smile and he rubbed his cheek against Frodo's hair. He loved watching Bilbo cook, especially when his husband didn't know he was being watched. Bilbo had once told him it was a little creepy, but Thorin couldn't help himself. He loved the sound of Bilbo's voice as he sang and hummed to himself, loved watching his curls bounce with every move of his head, and he especially loved watching Bilbo's hands move gracefully. And if Thorin imagined those hands moving over his own skin, well, that was his business.
Thorin's musing was interrupted when Frodo suddenly sneezed, right against his neck. Thorin cringed and groaned, both because of the spit on his neck and because Bilbo had turned around after Frodo's sneeze. Bilbo raised an eyebrow at him and Thorin could feel the reprimand through his gaze. He cleared his throat and straightened up, offering his husband an apologetic smile. Bilbo sighed but returned Thorin's smile before he turned back to the stove. Thorin moved up behind him and touched his back with his hand. Bilbo slightly leaned back against his hand, humming louder. Thorin leaned down to kiss Bilbo's hair and nuzzle his ear, making Bilbo squeak and swat at him. Chuckling, Thorin backed away, turned around, and gently set Frodo down in his booster seat at the breakfast table. Frodo whined for a moment but when Bilbo set a bowl of various fruit pieces in front of him his whine turned into a cheer. Thorin turned towards Bilbo but he was already back at the stove, flipping the pancake before he moved the chocolate off the heat. He added in cinnamon without measuring, but Thorin knew it would be the perfect amount anyway. As soon as Bilbo had put the last pancake on top of the stack and poured the melted chocolate into two mugs and three small cups, Thorin grabbed Bilbo's waist and turned him around to face him. Bilbo smiled up at him and Thorin moaned quietly before he dipped his head. Bilbo raised up on his toes to meet him halfway and they both hummed into the kiss. Bilbo's arms came up around Thorin's neck, leaning against Thorin's larger frame. Thorin moved his hands from Bilbo's waist around to his butt, making Bilbo pull away and smack his shoulder with a laugh, then he said, "Go wake the boys before the pancakes or hot chocolate get cold."
Thorin let him go, chuckling, and after ruffling Frodo's hair he went to the living room where his older nephews were stirring. Fili was sitting up and rubbing his eyes and Kili had curled up and pulled the blanket over his head. Thorin cleared his throat and both boys immediately looked up at him, Kili popping his head from under the blanket. Thorin smiled down at them and said, "Christmas pancakes and hot chocolate are hot and ready in the kitchen. Come on and eat before it gets cold." Both boys shot to their feet, but poor Kili forgot he was under the blanket and tripped over it in his haste. Fili sprinted past Thorin without waiting for his brother. Sighing, Thorin stepped forward and squatted down beside Kili. He pulled the blanket away so Kili could get up and then put his hand on Kili's shoulder. "Are you alright?" Kili nodded quickly and then ran past Thorin, running after his brother with a yell. Thorin rose to his feet and followed the boys back to the kitchen, where Bilbo had set the table. Fili and Kili were bouncing excitedly in their chairs but they knew from experience not to reach for anything on the table until it was time.
"Thorin, could you wipe Frodo's face please?" Bilbo asked as he poured just the right amount of milk into the boys' cups of hot chocolate, followed by a swirl of whipped cream and two marshmallows each.
Thorin obediently grabbed a baby wipe from the baby wipe container that always sat on the counter and then gently wiped Frodo's face clean of fruit juice and bits. Frodo made an unhappy noise but sat still for Thorin. When Frodo's face was clean, Thorin kissed his forehead and threw the wipe away. Taking his seat between Kili and Fili, he said, "I don't know what the point of that was when he's about to get messy again with the pancake."
Bilbo made an affronted noise in his throat and set the cups in front of the boys. "You should always start every meal with a clean face, right boys?" All three boys nodded their heads, but their eyes were stuck on the cups of chocolate. Chuckling, Bilbo reached out to ruffle each boys' hair before he nodded. Frodo carefully picked his cup up, with Bilbo watching closely to prevent a spill, while Fili and Kili snatched their cups up and began guzzling the chocolate, until Thorin loudly cleared his throat. The reminder made the boys slow down and then put the cups down completely. Thorin nodded approvingly and patted them on their backs.
Bilbo turned back to the counter and after finishing his and Thorin's hot chocolate and setting the mugs down, he began making everyone's plates. He set plates with just one pancake in front of the boys and then set plates with two pancakes down for himself and Thorin, then quickly moved the decorating stuff from the counter to the middle of the table. Thorin resisted the urge to get up and help, but he knew Bilbo preferred doing this himself and then letting Thorin do the cleanup afterward. Finally, when everything was just right, Bilbo sat down between Kili and Frodo, across from Thorin. They shared a fond smile and reached over the table to hold hands for a short moment before Frodo loudly said, "I'm hungry!" Laughing aloud, Thorin and Bilbo pulled their hands back.
"Alright, boys, Merry Christmas, Blessed Yule, Happy Holidays, the whole shebang. Dig in!" Bilbo said, waving his hands grandly, making the boys laugh before they started reaching for things to decorate their pancakes. Thorin and Bilbo shared another look over the table, and then mouthed "I love you," to each other before they followed the boys' example.