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“He’s touching me again!” Fili yelled from the back seat of the SUV. Thorin exhaled slowly, biting back a curse. He glanced up at the rearview mirror and caught Kili reaching over Frodo’s rear facing car seat. He could just barely touch Fili’s shoulder and Fili was leaning as far against the car door as he could to get away from Kili’s hand. In between them, Frodo was sitting quietly, just watching the brothers. Thorin could see his face reflected in the mirror strapped to the head rest and when Frodo looked up and his eyes seemed to meet Thorin’s, he smiled slightly. Frodo hesitantly returned the smile and Thorin’s smile grew into a grin in response, then the grin was replaced by a frown and he called Kili’s name. His middle nephew immediately pulled his hand away from Fili and clasped it in his lap. He looked at Thorin in the mirror and smiled innocently.
In the passenger seat, Thorin’s cousin Dwalin chuckled and turned around to say, “Knock it off, Kili, or you’ll be sitting on the bench while your brother and cousin play.” Kili’s smile vanished and he looked out the window, pouting. Dwalin turned back around and looked at Thorin. “You know you’re gonna have to bite the bullet and get a minivan now, right?”
Thorin groaned. “Don’t remind me. Bilbo is already shopping for one.”
“There go your dreams of getting that Porsche for your birthday, huh?” Dwalin said jokingly. Thorin halfheartedly glared at him and Dwalin snickered before growing serious. “This is a good thing you’re doing, Thorin. You know that, right?”
Thorin nodded, pursing his lips. “I know,” he muttered, glancing up at the mirror to look at the boys again. Frodo was still sitting quietly, sucking on his thumb. Fili was leaning against the window and watching the road pass by. Kili was entertaining himself by making up a song and dance. Thorin smiled and repeated, “I know.”
Dwalin reached over and patted his shoulder. “You’re gonna be great with him, don’t worry. You’ve been great with Fili and Kili.”
“It not the same, they’ve known me and Bilbo all their lives. They practically lived at our house as much as their parent’s house. Frodo has only really seen us at holiday and birthday visits. Now he’s suddenly living with us.” Thorin sighed sadly and shook his head.
Dwalin glanced back at the boys and asked quietly, “What did the counselor say?”
“The same thing we were told when Dis and Vili died. Give it time, reassure them that they’re safe and have a home with us, keep around anything they need to feel comfortable with us, talk to them openly and honestly about what happened to their parents and what’s going to happen now.” Thorin looked at the boys’ reflections in the mirror again. “We were hoping the counselor could get Frodo to talk, but she didn’t have any luck either.”
“He’s talking already?” Dwalin asked, surprised. “He’s only two.”
“Yeah, but he’s done everything early. He was walking by eight months and talking in short sentences by eighteen months. I remember the last time we visited Prim and Drogo’s house, he was talking non-stop and we actually had a short conversation about food.” The memory made Thorin smile for a short moment, before the smile slipped away. “But ever since the accident, he hasn’t said a word to anyone.”
“I’m sure he’ll start talking again soon. It sounds like you and Bilbo are doing everything right.”
Snorting, Thorin shook his head. “Bilbo’s handling it better than I am,” he admitted, affection evident in his voice.
“Yeah, well Bilbo handles everything better than you. If he hadn’t put his foot down, y’all wouldn’t have ever gone on a date to begin with.” Dwalin laughed at Thorin’s groan.
“Don’t remind me,” Thorin muttered. Dwalin laughed again and Thorin had to chuckle a little. “It’s his idea to take the boys to the park. Something about seeing Fili and Kili can get Frodo to open up and me spending some alone time with him, try to bond with him.” Dwalin nodded his understanding and after checking on the boys one last time, he settled back in his seat. The rest of the ride passed by quietly, save for Kili’s made-up song in the back seat. They made it to the park fifteen minutes later and both Fili and Kili cheered from the back seat. Thorin looked in to the mirror just in time to see Frodo crack a little smile and hope surged in his chest. It was a start.
Dwalin helped Kili out and Thorin helped Fili out, and Dwalin and the boys grabbed their backpacks, the diaper bag, and the umbrella stroller from the very back while Thorin unbuckled Frodo from his car seat. The boy didn’t protest as Thorin picked him up and to Thorin’s delight and shock, Frodo instead held his arms out for Thorin to take him. Thorin slowly lifted him out of the SUV, being extra careful not to bump his head as he did so. He remembered the first time he had bumped Kili’s head getting him out of the car and Frodo was smaller than Kili had been at that age. Not only would he feel guilty about it, but he knew Bilbo would skin him alive if he didn’t bring Frodo back home in perfect condition. Of course, Bilbo had also had his own share of mishaps with Fili and Kili, so he didn’t have much room to talk, in Thorin’s opinion. He would never say that to his husband though. He was many things, but he wasn’t stupid.
He settled Frodo on his hip and the toddler grabbed onto his shirt with both hands, wrapping his legs tight around his waist. Thorin took a couple seconds to squeeze Frodo gently and in response Frodo loosened his hold on him slightly. Thorin shut the SUV door, locked the doors, and tucked the keys into his pocket before turning to Dwalin and the boys, who were waiting on the sidewalk in front of the SUV. Kili was literally hopping in place, only Dwalin’s hand on his shoulder keeping from hopping around. Fili was trying to appear grown up, but he was also fidgeting where he stood. Smiling, Thorin joined them on the sidewalk and took the diaper bag from Dwalin, asking if he had texted Bilbo to let him know they were at the park. His cousin nodded and Thorin looked at the boys.
“You know the rules, stay close by, if we call you, answer us and come back to us right then, and don’t wander off with anyone. Password is ‘dwarf’, right?” Both boys nodded up at Thorin. He smiled and ruffled their hair before saying, “Go ahead. We’ll be at our usual place, the benches by the swing sets.” Both boys dropped their backpacks and took off running into the park, shouting cheerfully. Dwalin sighed and shook his head, but he was smiling as he picked the backpacks. He set one on his shoulder and the other in the seat of the stroller, then he and Thorin walked into the park.
They went to the benches they always sat at. The benches were in the corner of the park behind the swings and gave them a good view of the park, making it easy to keep an eye on the boys as they ran around. Thorin set the diaper bag down on one bench and turned to face the park. After checking where the boys were, he looked at Frodo and quietly asked, “Do you want to go do something? Swing, or slide?”
Frodo didn’t respond for a moment, but he lifted his hand and pointed towards the swings. Thorin brushed his cheek across Frodo’s head and walked to the toddler swings. But when he tried to put Frodo in one, the boy latched onto him again. Thorin frowned, confused, until he realized Frodo was looking at the big chair swing. “Do you want me to swing with you?” Thorin asked. Frodo nodded his head and Thorin murmured, “Okay, baby.” He shifted Frodo off his hip and sat down in the chair. Frodo immediately curled up in his lap, leaning against his chest with his thumb in his mouth. Thorin wrapped his arms around the boy and gently began swinging with his feet.
Dwalin stepped in front of them with his phone raised and asked, “Can I take a picture of you and Uncle Thorin, Frodo?”
Thorin and Dwalin both waited nervously for almost a minute and then exhaled in relief when Frodo nodded slowly. Dwalin stepped closer to them and Frodo surprised them again when he turned his face towards the phone. Thorin dipped his head slightly and leaned his cheek against Frodo’s dark curls. They both held still for the few seconds it took for Dwalin to snap three pictures and then Dwalin walked off to keep an eye on Fili and Kili, tucking his phone into his pocket. Frodo pressed his face into Thorin’s shirt again and Thorin resumed swinging. They swung in silence for several minutes undisturbed, as miraculously neither Fili nor Kili, nor any of the other kids running around the park, came near the swings. After ten minutes, Thorin’s body was cramping from sitting in place for so long.
“I’m sorry, Frodo, lad, but I’ve got to get up now or we may be stuck here forever,” he said. He apologetically kissed the boy’s head and stood up. Frodo clung to him again, not as tight as before, and Thorin walked towards where he heard Fili and Kili yelling. He was passing a patch of grass between the park sand and fence surrounding the park when Frodo’s head suddenly shot up. He raised his hand and pointed towards the grass, leaning away from Thorin to stretch out his arm.
Thorin stared at the grass, not understanding, and then he heard a tiny voice softly say, “Mama liked flowers.”
Thorin’s head whipped around and he looked at Frodo with astonishment. The boy was still looking at the grass so when Thorin got over his shock at hearing the boy speak, he looked back at it and he noticed the small clusters of wildflowers and dandelions dotting the patch. It then dawned on him that Frodo’s parents had owned and run a shop where they sold flowers, fruits, and vegetables they grew at their home greenhouse. Thorin and Bilbo had a small garden in the front yard, but hadn’t thought to let Frodo see it, instead letting the toddler roam in the back fenced-in yard where the jungle gym and outside toys were. Thorin murmured reassuringly to Frodo and the boy settled against him again, then Thorin pulled his phone out and quickly texted Bilbo that they needed to let Frodo see the garden. Once the message sent, Thorin put his phone away and carried Frodo to the grass patch. He knelt and carefully set Frodo on his feet on the edge of the patch.
Frodo slowly bent over with his hands out, his fingers spread, and gently touched the grass. He played with the grass for a moment before he sat down on his knees. He reached for the nearest dandelion to him, but he didn’t pick it like Thorin thought he would. Instead, he carefully touched all around the dandelion before he leaned over. Thorin saw his lips moving before Frodo blew on the dandelion. The white seeds flew into the air and Frodo watched them until they disappeared. Thorin heard the boy sniffle quietly, then his nephew stood up. He brushed off his knees, in a move very reminiscent of Bilbo, and turned to face Thorin. His eyes were wet, but he sniffed back the tears and held his arms out to Thorin. Thorin picked him up and hugged him tight for several seconds.
When he loosened his arms, Frodo looked up at him and asked, “Can we go slide, Uncle Thorin?”
Thorin instantly choked up and his eyes flooded with tears. He swallowed twice and blinked several times before kissing Frodo’s forehead. “Yeah, baby, we can go slide.”