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“What kind of drinking games to hobbits play?” Kíli asked, settling down on Bilbo’s left at the table.
“Surely hobbits have drinking games.” Fíli added as he took the seat to his right.
“Well…” he began a bit uncertainly, “I suppose we do have a few, but I haven’t played those since I was a tween.”
From across Beorn’s rather expansive table, Bofur laughed, “So, does that mean they are too bawdy for respectable hobbits?”
Bilbo felt his cheeks warm as the miner waggled his eyebrows suggestively, “It simply means that we learned the importance of keeping some things private.”
“Oh come on Mister Boggins!” Kíli whined.
“Now you have to tell us!” Fíli nudged the hobbit with his elbow.
“If not for us, than for Ori! He loves hearing about hobbity culture!” Kíli pressed, pointing at the lad with the tankard in his hand. Ori grinned; nodding his head so hard Bilbo was afraid it might come off.
There was no way he was going to win this one. Bilbo sighed, “I am not nearly drunk enough for this.”
“Oh that can easily be arranged!” Bofur hopped up and moved off to fetch another tankard.
“I’m sure it can.” Bilbo huffed, though a resounding cheer from the young dwarves drowned it out.
Beorn made his own ale mixed with honey from his bees, and it was surprisingly good. A few drinks and a quick raid through the skinchanger’s cupboards and Bilbo finally felt relaxed enough to explain. He had settled in the floor by the hearth with Fíli, Kíli, the brothers Ri, the Ur brothers, and Dwalin. Glóin and Bifur both sat in chairs nearby to observe the proceedings before choosing to get involved, and the other three were off in a corner talking in hushed tones.
“Ok,” Bilbo started, placing the empty bottle in the center of the circle, “the game is called Truth or Dare. When your turn comes, you spin the bottle and the person it points to has to answer one question truthfully or do whatever you dare them to do. Make sense?”
“Think so.” Dori stated, “Though perhaps you should start, just so we know for sure.”
“Sounds good.” He replied, giving the bottle a quick spin. As it slowed, the dwarves looked at it with various degrees of trepidation until it finally stopped, pointing to Kíli. The dark haired dwarf looked up as Bilbo asked, “Alright, Kíli, truth or dare?”
“Both, just so we have examples.” He responded. There was an agreeable murmur that passed through the group.
The hobbit merely shrugged, “If that’s what you want.” Kíli nodded, “Truth first then: have you ever kissed someone outside of your family?”
The dwarf blushed, “I have, yes.”
There were some approving looks and sniggers from the others and the hobbit nodded, “And for your dare, I am going to blindfold you and one of the other dwarves is going to take off their boot. You have to identify said dwarf by smell alone in three guesses or face a penalty question of that dwarf’s choosing.”
Kíli puffed up at the challenge, “I’ve got this!”
Bilbo pulled off his neckerchief and tied it securely over the dwarf’s eyes, checking the front, “Can you see anything?”
He turned back to the other dwarves who were having a silent discussion to decide who Kíli would have to identify. Eventually, Bofur pulled off one of his shoes while the other’s made various noises to cover up the sound. When he was ready, Bilbo pulled Kíli to his feet and to the center of the circle, “I am going to spin you around a few times to disorient you a little.”
Four clumsy spins lager the brunet was on his knees sniffing at Bofur’s feet, Bilbo’s small hand on his shoulder to gauge how far to lean. After a few good whiffs, Kíli asked, “Nori?”
“No, try again.” Bilbo responded, thankful that the dwarves all kept quiet.
“It is a player, right?” Kíli asked, taking another sniff.
“Yes. Otherwise that would be cheating.” Bilbo smiled, “It isn’t my feet, either. In case you were wondering.”
“Hmm… Bombur?”
“Nope. Last guess.”
The young dwarf hummed in contemplation before giving his final guess, “Bofur.”
Bilbo pulled him back a touch and removed the blindfold. Kíli blinked at the miner a few times before whooping in triumph. The others were laughing now and they both returned to their seats, “Alright. Now you spin the bottle and ask the next person truth or dare.”
In response to the inquiry about his last mark, Nori tossed a pocketknife over to the youngest prince with a cheeky grin, “Nicked that off you while you were sniffin’ Bofur’s feet.”
The dumbfounded look on Kíli’s face was priceless and had everyone laughing. And so the game went. Nori dared Bombur to teach them his best pick-up move, which turned out to be a smoldering sideways glance. Bombur made Bilbo give up his recipe for the rabbit stew he whipped up back before they had reached Rivendell, which wasn’t the most secret of recipes so the hobbit was happy.
Round and round they went through at least four more rounds of ale and copious amounts of stupidity and laughter. Bofur was now perched on Nori’s lap, Bombur was naked, and Fíli and Kíli had one leg and one arm tied together, joining them together down one side. Dori had been dared to ask the king if cows snorted milk out of their noses when they laughed, to which the stoic dwarf responded by explaining that he hadn’t had the opportunity to make a cow laugh before.
Ori was shaking a bit, having just been dared to kiss someone by Glóin, who had decided to join the fun. The scribe stood, hesitating only a moment before striding over and planting one firmly on Dwalin’s lips. The warrior growled and pulled the younger lad down into his lap. A cheer rose up, completely drowning Dori’s indignant squawk and Bilbo’s muttered, “Finally.”
Bilbo’s insides were pleasantly warm and a light tingle spread across his skin from the alcohol. He was having a blast watching the others perform stupid dares and learned a lot about some of their romantic lives. He had managed to stay out of the true chaos, which was good. All in all, he would count this a successful evening.
The next time it landed on him, he decided to take a dare. Bofur grinned at him, and the hobbit immediately regretted that decision, “Oh, good. I dare you to go kiss Thorin.”
The reaction was immediate, embarrassment and desire slamming into him and a blush painting his cheeks a dark red. And this is why he had stopped playing this game. He really wasn’t drunk enough for this, but he had to go through with it. At least he could play it off as a dare if the king pushed him away.
Rising to his feet, he searched for the dwarf in question. He was no longer in the corner where Balin still sat and Òin slept in the only occupied bunk at the other end of the hall. Sighing, the hobbit marched over to Balin, the older dwarf lifting his head as Bilbo neared.
“What can I do for you laddie?” He asked warmly.
Bilbo fidgeted for a moment before finding his voice, “Wh-where is Thorin?”
Balin arched a knowing white eyebrow at him, “Out on the veranda for one last smoke before nightfall.”
“Oh, well then. Um, thank you.” He stammered, blush returning full force as he turned and walked away. Several catcalls followed him as he moved down the hall towards the veranda.
He paused in the doorway as he caught sight of the dwarf king seated on one of the benches beyond. The strong lines of his back clearly visible beneath his light tunic and his dark hair spilled across his broad shoulders, taking Bilbo’s breath away. A warm palm on his shoulder startled him and he barely managed to stifle a gasp as he turned a glare on Bofur. The miner simply gestured to the king with his head with a wink.
Taking a deep, steadying breath, Bilbo stepped out onto the veranda and moved towards the dwarf. Thorin glanced over at him before turning his crystal gaze back to the gardens. The hobbit took that as acceptance of his presence and perched himself on the other end of the bench. They sat in silence for a few moments before the dwarf broke the silence, “Is your game over, or do you also have a foolish question for me?”
“No. No questions.” Bilbo fidgeted, his fingers twisting together in his lap. He had no idea how he was supposed to do this. Could he be as brave as Ori? He really didn’t have a choice did he?
Oh, for pities sake! He faced down trolls and that slinking creature in the dark of the Misty Mountains and the Pale Orc all by himself. A simple kiss should not be this terrifying or debilitating. He may be a Baggins by name, but he was a Took through and through, he could do this!
“You are thinking awfully loudly, Master Hobbit.” Bilbo’s head shot up at the teasing lilt to Thorin’s voice. The king’s smirk turned into a full grin at the hobbit’s bewildered look and a startled laugh escaped him at the sight.
“Yes, well, there is a good deal to think about.” Bilbo replied vaguely with a shrug. That wasn’t exactly what he meant to say, but he couldn’t take it back now. It sounded terribly suggestive to his ears, and judging by the way Thorin’s eyebrow arched he thought the same.
“Oh?” the king asked, turning a bit to face him as he set his pipe aside, “Care to elaborate?”
“Not much to tell, really.” He said as he shuffled a little closer, heart hammering in his chest, “Just this.”
Before his mind could protest, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Thorin’s. The dwarf tensed briefly and Bilbo felt his heart sink at the thought that he had made a huge mistake. Then large palms bracketed his face and he was being kissed with a passion that he had never felt before.
He had never kissed someone with a beard before so the rough sensation was new to him, but Bilbo found he quite enjoyed it. It sent tingles down his spine and warmth down into his belly and he couldn’t keep his hands still. They slid up the hard planes of Thorin’s chest and twined in his hair.
Grabby hands pulled at his hips, helping to reposition his knees straddling the dwarf’s lap. The new angle was nice, but not nearly as nice as the scrape of sharp teeth on his bottom lip. Bilbo’s gasp ended in a moan as Thorin’s tongue delved inside his mouth, twisting and coaxing his own into action. He felt more than heard the king answer in kind, a rumbling groan that reverberated down through his bones.
They pulled apart as a loud cheer rose up from the doorway, both turning to see most of the company with Fíli and Kíli at the head grinning like lunatics. Bofur raised his tankard in salute before turning to the rest, “Alright lads, leave them be. Back inside, all of you!”
Bilbo buried his face into Thorin’s neck as his face flared with heat. Oh, he was going to kill Bofur for that. Beneath him, the king shook with suppressed chuckles and he pulled away to look at him, confused.
“They were going to find out eventually.” Thorin smiled, reaching up to tuck an errant curl behind one ear, “Now that I have you, I don’t intend to let you go.”
“Wha- you mean…” The hobbit stuttered, hope blooming brightly in his chest, “You mean you want this? Me?”
“More than I have ever desired anyone else in my life.” Thorin replied with a soft smile. There would be words later, certainly; they would sit down tomorrow and work out the details, but for now Bilbo was content to enjoy the dwarf’s presence. And if that led to more kisses, then it was nobody’s business but their own.