Work Text:
The arguing had gone on so long that Thorin had almost stopped listening.
The elves had gone, thank Mahal, but the men remained and the discussion of which parts of Erebor’s vast treasury would be given to them seemed never-ending.
Thankfully, both the men and dwarves saw Bilbo as being something of a neutral party, and he had sat in on all the negotiations.
But one of Bard’s newest advisers, an older lady who had been reluctant to leave her spear at the door with everyone else's weapons, seemed to have her doubts about him (something that made Thorin inwardly bristle).
“I just think that you might be a bit too close to the dwarves to negotiate fairly for us, dear,” she said, not unkindly. “You are in love with their king, after all.”
Thorin barely had time to gape at this revelation when Bilbo answered tightly, “that won't stop me from ensuring that you get a fair settlement from the treasure horde - but it will not be from items that have special cultural or historical value to the dwarves. There are more than enough coins and gemstones to go around, I can assure you.”
Bilbo lost steam a little when he noticed all the nudges and grins around the council table (and not just from the dwarven side, either). He clearly hadn't realised what he had said.
“Did I miss something?” Bilbo asked, sounding annoyed in that overly polite way that Thorin adored.
Although it was fair to say that Thorin adored everything about Bilbo. He’d been grateful for the fact that there was still friendship between them, he hadn't dared hope for more.
But perhaps he hadn't been the only one hiding his own longing.
“Please, carry on,” Thorin said, not able to stop his wide grin. It only got wider at Bilbo’s curious look.
He couldn't wait for the meeting to be over.