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There's fire everywhere, heat licking at his face and smoke burning his lungs. The sword in his hands is a familiar weight and the pale monster stalking towards him is perhaps his greatest foe. The beast lifts it's heavy mace as he charges towards it and with one blow sends him sprawling in the dirt. He scrambled to his feet only to be knocked down again, a sea of mangled bodies - friend and foe alike strewn around the base of a solitary mountain.
He couldn't breathe around the coppery tang of blood in his mouth and his torso was a riot of aches and pains. He felt his body being lifted in the maw of some giant beast that then placed him onto a soft pallet. The hands against his face now were incredibly soft, gentle in a way only a lover's touch could be. His hazy vision only showed him bits, deep grey eyes and dirty honey colored curls. A voice, soft as cotton and warm like summer sun bathed across his senses just before he knew no more, "Promise that you will wait for me."
*****
"You really do look like hell, are you sure you're all right?" Bifur asked for what had to be the seventh time since their shift started. The dark-haired man drummed his fingers against the steering wheel of the ambulance as he waited for the light to change.
Thorin scrubbed his hand through his short hair, sweeping the longer locks back away from his face, and sighed heavily, "Honestly, for the last time, I'm fine. I didn't sleep very well last night, that's all."
He was used to dreaming of a past life, of fire burning across the sky and running from a burning mountain home. Pushing Frerin onwards without jostling his grip on their baby sister, trying to put distance between themselves and the horror that threatened to destroy them. He was accustomed to fighting with a long blade, rending enemies in two and being thrown about like a rag doll by that milky-skinned monstrosity. Those were the dreams he was used to, but last night had been different.
Warm laughter and ghostly touches still tingled across his skin even now. The comfort and peace of a lover's presence had permeated his sleep, leaving him cold and confused in waking. He could still hear his voice, the soft assurance that they would meet again soon. Thorin knew that whoever this person was, he was the key to piecing together the stilted images that flitted through his unconscious mind. He was the key to unlocking Thorin's past.
Many people believed these dreams to be just fantasy, a fictional world created to explain some kind of trauma. That didn’t make sense, though, because there was no childhood trauma to explain away. The more salient point was that others shared these memories, perfect strangers brought together by some shared history that none of them could remember fully that somehow revolved around this missing man with honeyed curls and steely eyes.
Bifur was one of the Company, the twelve other people he had met that shared these memories, along with his cousins Bofur and Bombur. His own nephews, Fíli and Kíli, had memories of their fourteenth member, as did his distant cousins Balin, Dwalin, Òin, and Glóin. He’d met the Ri brothers through Dwalin, who may have fancied the youngest named Ori. They all seemed to remember different aspects of their missing companion’s personality, but the physical description was always the same.
The crackle of the radio startled Thorin from his revelry, and he listened as a call rang out, “Priority One fire at 1005 University, Howell math and science building. Any units in the area please respond.”
Before he realized what he was doing, Thorin was already responding, “Unit 195 responding, estimated arrival…” He looked over to Bifur who held up three fingers, “Three minutes.”
“You sure about this? You don’t normally like to work fires.” Bifur asked over the sound of the siren.
To be honest, he wasn’t sure. Something told him that he was meant to be there, that there was someone whose life he needed to save. He hoped to whatever gods existed that it wasn’t either of his nephews. They had classes in that building, but for the life of him Thorin could not remember when. He felt his heart plummet as the radio crackled to life again, “Priority One fire at 1005 University has now been updated to a Priority Zero emergency. All available units please respond.”
Bifur spat a litany of colorful curses under his breath as they slowed before crossing an intersection. They could see the pall of smoke rising into the sky and he felt a sharp stab of fear, but pushed it down. There were people who needed his help and he would be damned if he let anything stop him from saving lives.
As the building finally came into sight, Thorin could understand why the priority had been upgraded. The entire front was engulfed in flames, and the fire department had three trucks there, all with hoses going, but they didn’t seem to be having much luck.
They were the first paramedics on the scene, and as soon as they hopped out, the fire chief was directing them towards a pair of prone bodies laid off to one side, “I’ve got a team searching the building for anyone else trapped inside, they pulled these two out not too long ago.”
Thorin and Bifur set to work, pulling on disposable gloves and assessing what needed to be done. He found himself falling back on his training, allowing his body to work with practiced efficiency while his mind focused. Firefighters kept bringing people over, mostly with severe burns. Thorin was just finishing up with a young girl’s arm when he heard his name being called.
He looked up to see his best friend and firefighter, Dwalin, moving swiftly towards him. In his arms was a small man, although most people looked small next to Dwalin. He was covered in soot, but that could not hide the unmistakable mop of honey-colored curls, and Thorin felt his heart sink.
Bilbo! His mind screamed as memories slotted into place. Bilbo Baggins had been his lover in a past life, had save him countless times before his body betrayed him. Now he lay in a precarious position in Dwalin’s arms and it was time to repay his debt. Thorin’s body moved of it’s own accord, pulling gloves off his hands as he rushed over to where Dwalin was laying Bilbo in the grass.
“He was talkin’ a bit when I first found him, but he lost consciousness as I started to move him.” His friend stated gruffly. Thorin checked for a pulse as he leaned over the smaller man’s head to feel any signs of breathing. He couldn’t feel either, and he stomped down on the panic that rose inside him. This is what he does and he will save Bilbo’s life no matter the cost. He had a promise to keep, after all.
Thorin placed his hands in the center of the man’s chest before leaning over him and pressing hard. He counted the compressions in his head, one to thirty, before checking his airway in preparation for rescue breathing. Once he determined that the Bilbo was not breathing on his own, Thorin pressed his mouth over the others and exhaled a full breath. He watched the smaller chest rise and fall and gave the second breath before moving to compressions again.
It took two more cycles for the Bilbo to start breathing normally on his own, and Thorin couldn’t help the sigh of relief. He called for Bifur and they positioned the smaller man onto his side and checked his pulse. As he counted the steady rhythm he glanced around, taking stock of the situation. The fire was mostly out now and there was only one other team of paramedics left who were loading several burn victims into the back of their vehicle.
Thorin watched as Bifur stood and left to grab their stretcher before turning his attention back to his love. He had several minor-looking burns, but they would still need to be treated and his lack of consciousness signaled that there still wasn’t enough oxygen in his blood. Bifur came back in short order and they settled Bilbo on his side still, to keep his airways open and prevent him from drowning on any bodily fluids.
As they lifted him into the back of the ambulance, the younger man let out a pained groan. Grey eyes fluttered open as Bifur climbed in the driver’s seat and Thorin brushed a few errant curls away from his forehead as they drove off. Bilbo blinked a few times before his eyes found their focus and landed on him, confusion melting away beneath relief and excitement. A brilliant smile split his round face that Thorin couldn’t help but reciprocate.
“Thorin,” Bilbo’s soft voice was a little gravely from the smoke, but just as warm as he remembered it. Thorin felt his smile widen and he leaned into the hand that came up to caress his cheek. Bilbo’s own smile turned a bit cheeky as he stated, “See, I told you I would find you.”
He snorted at that as he cupped his soot-streaked cheek, “I believe it was I who found you.”
Bilbo rolled his eyes, “You never could follow directions.”
“All you said was wait, and I waited. You never said not to come find you.” Thorin replied, raising an eyebrow. That earned him a brief tug on the longer hair on top of his head in retaliation and he couldn’t help the smirk that crossed his features.
“Details.” Bilbo responded dismissively, curling his fingers around the back of Thorin’s neck and pulling a bit, “So, are you going to kiss me or not?”
“Anything for you, âzyungâluh.” He smiled, leaning in and pressing his lips to Bilbo’s. They both sighed at the contact, and Thorin felt the final missing pieces fall into place. Everything was right in the world now that he had Bilbo back in his arms.
“Oi! Keep it clean back there!” Bifur called from the front, startling them apart. Thorin glared up at where the dark-haired man was watching them in the rearview mirror, sighing as Bifur rolled his eyes and muttered, “Mahal zai abrâl.”
A snort caught his attention and he turned back to find Bilbo stifling a fit of giggles. His blue-grey eyes shone with mirth and his cheeks had flushed a lovely and familiar shade of pink. Thorin glanced back up towards Bifur before capturing Bilbo’s lips in a beautifully searing kiss that devolved into breathless laughter as Bifur called back to them again, “Seriously guys? Could you at least wait until I’m not here anymore?”
Thorin’s cheeks hurt from smiling so widely, but he honestly couldn’t have stopped for anything. He had his love back and everything was right with the world. They had so much catching up to do, and so much lost time to make up for. He was far to eager to get started, and as Bilbo pulled him into another blinding kiss, Thorin supposed he couldn’t either.