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"Frodo, at least try to stand still please, darling," Bilbo said with a soft laugh as he held his young son's hand and said son all but bounced in place.
"But … But daddy, Adad is coming home. He's coming home," Frodo shouted, his voice going from a shout to a squeal that all but pierced Bilbo's eardrums.
Any other day and Bilbo would tell the boy to quiet down, to be calm, to soothe himself or allow himself to be soothed. But not today. Because Frodo was right. After almost 2 years Thorin was finally coming home, finally returning to them. Mostly whole and fully alive, and Bilbo was just as excited as Frodo, even if he couldn't show it the same way the young boy was.
"Uncle Dwalin," Frodo screeched as he turned, still holding Bilbo's hand, when he saw his favourite uncle and Thorin's best friend walking through the airport towards them.
"You alright, squirt?" Dwalin asked as he jogged up to them quickly and ruffled Frodo's hair before giving Bilbo a quick side hug.
It wasn't that Bilbo was scared or worried to see his husband, but he couldn't stop that thread of relief that flowed through him as he saw Dwalin standing beside them, also waiting for Thorin to come home.
Dwalin was going to drive as Bilbo helped Frodo get used to seeing Thorin for the first time in much too long and with only half an arm. Bilbo knew that Thorin was terrified of Frodo taking one look at him and screaming his little head off because of the differences he would see in his father after so long. But unlike Thorin, Bilbo had been the one up with Frodo on the nights when he screamed for his adad. Bilbo had been the one that cradled Frodo close as he cried for his adad. Bilbo had been the one who was awoken at 4 AM this morning because Frodo's adad was finally coming home.
Bilbo wasn't a fool; he was more than aware that there would be numerous changes in their lives and that his grumpy, cantankerous husband would get even more grumpy and cantankerous whilst he figured out not only civilian life but how to live as an amputee. Bilbo had been on the other side of the phone as Thorin had sobbed and asked why it couldn't have been his leg or both legs, why it had to be one of his hands that had been destroyed. The hands that held Bilbo close to him, the hand that cradled Frodo close to his chest, the hands that Thorin used to make some of the most beautiful pieces of jewellery that Bilbo had ever seen. All Bilbo could do was whisper how sorry he was for Thorin and how much he loved him.
Bilbo shook his head to get rid of his more melancholy thoughts because none of that mattered. Because today was the day that Thorin came home, that he returned to them and that Bilbo would once again, after much too long, be stood beside his husband.
"Do you think adad will like the banner?" Frodo suddenly pulled Bilbo out of his reverie.
"Of course he will, darling. You made it for him after all," Bilbo replied soothingly as he gently stroked the top of Frodo's little black curls, which matched Thorin's almost perfectly.
Bilbo had to bite his lip to keep himself both from smiling and sobbing as Frodo looked up at him with his bright blue eyes. If one didn't know better, one would think he had inherited from the other man. In fact, for those who hadn't known that both Thorin and Bilbo had adopted Frodo, it was often believed that Thorin was Frodo's biological father. Not that Bilbo cared after all, not only did he already love Frodo for himself, but how could he not love the little boy more and more as he grew to look more like Thorin with every passing day. It had been both a bane and a salvation for his poor and lonely heart as time passed more and more between when he had last seen Thorin and when he would see him once again. But none of that mattered now because here they were waiting at the airport. Waiting for Thorin's plane to pull in so that they could be reunited once more.
"How looooonnnnnggggg?" Frodo finally started whining as they waited for the plane.
"Any minute now, squirt," Dwalin answered before pointing up at the arrivals board. "932, that's the plane your adad's on,” He explained. Bilbo watched as Frodo took in a deep breath before letting out the loudest shriek Bilbo had ever heard come from the boy. All those around them looked at them with irritated expressions on their faces, and yet Bilbo did not care. Let Frodo be excited, let him show the world how much he wanted as adad home. Let Thorin see that no matter what state he returned home in, he was loved and wanted and needed more than he would ever understand.
Bilbo, Dwalin and Frodo waited once more as the passengers finally came through the landing gate. If Bilbo hadn't felt his own heart race as soon as he spotted Thorin walking through, Frodo's shriek of excitement would have been enough to let him know that his husband was almost finally home. Without waiting a moment, Frodo dropped his banner and rushed over to Thorin, screaming for his adad as he ran.
Thorin’s head lifted as he looked around, a smile suddenly covering his face as he saw his little one running towards him. As soon as Frodo got close enough, Thorin let his backpack slip off his shoulder and fell to his knees, his good arm already reaching out for his little boy.
"Adad, adad, adad, you're home, you're home," Frodo shouted as he pouted forward until he was suddenly crashing into Thorin, causing them to almost tip over in the middle of the airport.
"Frodo, Iben, you got so big," Thorin managed to choke out, ignoring the tears that were already streaming down his face. "I missed you so, little one," he whispered as he cradled Frodo against him, pressing little kisses to the boy's head as he held him as tightly as possible.
Bilbo bent to pick up Frodo's banner before he and Dwalin slowly made their way over to Frodo and Thorin. This allowed a dad and son to have a moment just for themselves, a moment that had been a long time in coming.
Just as they got closer, they could suddenly hear Frodo as he gasped and turned to look at what was left of Thorin's arm. "Adad?" Frodo asked worriedly.
"It's okay. It's all right, little one," Thorin said gently as he let the boy go, using his only hand to put his backpack back on his back. "I'm here, Frodo, I made it home," Thorin told the boy gently as he pulled him into his side so they could walk towards Bilbo and Dwalin.
"You did, didn't you? You made it home," Bilbo repeated as soon as Thorin was close enough to hear him.
Thorin gently pushed Frodo towards Dwalin for a moment, and as soon as the boy was out of the way, Bilbo all but launched himself at Thorin, feeling as his husband wrapped his remaining hand around his waist.
Bilbo had known that Thorin was coming home as an amputee, but seeing the reality in front of him had him almost wanting to sob there and then about the unfairness of it all, but he knew he could not. He knew that if he showed the slightest sign of aversion or worry over Thorin, then his foolish husband would retreat into himself even further than Bilbo knew he was already going to. "You made it home just like you promised," Bilbo said once more before grabbing Thorin by his now much longer hair and pulling his husband down for a kiss that had been a long time coming. A kiss that reaffirmed how much Bilbo loved Thorin and how much he needed him. One that showed Thorin that no matter how he came home, it didn't matter to Bilbo; all that mattered was that he HAD made it back to them.
"Of course I did, I had you and Frodo to return to," Thorin whispered into Bilbo's ear as he gently kissed the side of his husband's cheek, just breathing in the scent that was all Bilbo's. A scent he had missed with every fibre of his entire being since he had last left Bilbo's arms.
Frodo had clearly tired of being dismissed for his daddy as he had grabbed the banner from Dwalin’s lax hand and rushed back over towards Thorin, all but smothering his Adad with it.
"Look, I made this," Frodo shouted almost directly into Thorin's ear. Bilbo went to scold the boy, but Thorin stopped him. "It's all right, Amralime, he's just excited, aren't you, Iben? Just as I am to be back here with you," Thorin said gently as he used his hand to pull the banner away from his face so he could actually see it properly. "Is this us? You've done a marvellous job, Frodo," Thorin said as he smiled down at his boy.
"Thank you, adad," Frodo said almost shyly before he took a deep breath and explained repeatedly who he had drawn. "And now we're all going home," he finally finished, beaming up at his fathers.
"We are. Shall we go?" Bilbo asked as he went to take Frodo's hand in his own.
Frodo ignored his daddy and walked to the other side of Thorin and grabbed his dad's hand instead. "I'm walking with adad. We don't want him to get lost going to the car," Frodo said with a proud tilt of his head, ignoring the adults as they chuckled at the boy.
"Frodo, we all know I don't have the best sense of direction, and we don't want me to get lost, do we?" Thorin said as he played along with the boy, even he couldn't get lost walking from the airport to the car park.
"Uh-huh, and you're not allowed to let go of my hand, so you couldn't call anybody if we did get lost adad because you've only got one hand now," Frodo said with all the finesse that small children possessed.
Bilbo and Dwalin instantly looked at Thorin, wondering how he was going to take what the child had said, knowing how hard losing a part of himself had been for the other man. He also knew how difficult he had found the adjustment even in a place full of professionals who were there to help him do just that.
And whilst Bilbo and Dwalin stood there in shock, Thorin let out a mighty laugh, using his hand that Frodo was still holding to ruffle the boy's hair.
"That is a very good point, Iben. We'd best stick with Daddy, and Uncle Dwalin then hadn't we, because I do not want to let go of your hand for a very long time," he reassured his son, chuckling as they continued to walk towards the car.
Bilbo looked towards Dwalin, who just shrugged his shoulders. They were both very more than aware they wouldn't be this easy most of the time, but right now Thorin was full of joy and happiness. If he wanted to crack jokes with his son about only having the use of one hand and having lost half of an arm, they would support him in that. After all, they all knew that Thorin wouldn't be this easy going forever. Right now, the joy of finally being home, of being reunited with those he loved beyond measure, was enough to push the pain and self-doubt far away from him. It would be back, but for right now, for this moment alone, Thorin allowed himself to bask in the reunion between himself, his Bilbo, and their Frodo. He allowed himself to think that regardless of what was to come, they would be okay after all; they were together once more, and nothing, not even physically losing a part of himself, could take that away from Thorin.