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Dwarves, Bilbo had learned, were very skilled when it came to stone and metal. They were born as craftsmen and craftswomen, in a whole, and were able to create some of the most whimsical things out of difficult material. When Erebor was reclaimed, their creativity as a whole seemed to flourish. In fact, it was in Erebor that a particular… thing… was invented. It was a wondrous thing, a powerful thing. It was also one of the loudest, most nerve-grating things Bilbo had ever encountered.
The basics were simple enough. It was a wagon, or cart, with peculiar metal workings that made it able to be moved without someone, or something, pulling it. Bilbo could never grasp the full mechanics of it, but they basically powered it with coal and steam, and they could steer it with a separate wheel inside of the actual wagon. It was surprisingly fast, but also surprisingly loud and dirty. The metal contraption that powered it popped and roared, almost as loudly as Smaug once did. The smoke that billowed from a pipe that lead out of it was gray and smelled awful. But they claimed that it was the start of a new future, almost as bright as the future that was created when the company took the mountain and the dragon that slept in it was shot out of the sky.
Bilbo admired it, that was for sure. Especially since the dwarf who had worked on it, invented it, was Bifur. It wasn’t too surprising, for despite his inability to speak Westron and some handicaps, he was quite the craftsman. Yes, he marveled at the machine that was able to transport dwarves to and fro. Was excited at the thought that they were working on something larger, made with more wagons, that could transport more people all over Middle Earth. But that was the extent of it, because Bilbo had no interest in learning to drive such an intimidating machine.
“Come on, Bilbo!” Bofur, however, had other ideas.
“Yeah, come on!” So did Kíli.
He merely fidgeted as he stood next to the contraption. They had started developing metal wagons, now, with intriguing designs along the sides and covering the wheels. There were proper seats, cushioned and upholstered with leather. They even had a lantern on top of the shield that covered the actual engine, another added design in order to help see in the dark. There were even doors, secure ones, that helped keep the passengers inside. Truly, it was a wonderful mobile. One of the first to be officially built.
And they wanted Bilbo to drive it.
“I… I don’t think it’s a good idea…” He muttered, staring up at Kíli who was already inside. “I mean, I could wreck it. I could drive off the road. I was never good with a horse-drawn cart, so what makes you think I’ll be any better with this?”
“Because we’ll be here to help you.” Bofur answered, taking his friend’s hand and dragging him over to the driver’s side. “We’ll make sure none of that happens. Right, Kee?”
“Absolutely!” Kíli chirped, practically bouncing in his seat. “Come on! It’ll be fun!”
Bilbo swallowed, hard, for this was one of the princes of Erebor, and though he wasn’t heir to the throne, Thorin loved him like he was his own son along with Fíli. If anything were to happen, well… Bilbo no longer had to worry about banishment. What Thorin would do if something happened because of Bilbo, there were plenty of worse things that could happen.
“I don’t know…”
“If anything happens, we’ll swoop in and save you.” Bofur stated with a wink. “Just like you have many times before.”
Bilbo scoffed, even though the tips of his ears went pink. “Well…” He muttered, staring back up at the mobile. “I don’t know… I mean, aren’t the wheels and things too… far for me to reach…?”
Kíli answered this question by pushing the door open, revealing a raised seat and pedals, along with a lowered wheel. A driver’s seat fit for a hobbit more than a dwarf.
“Oh…” He breathed. “Oh my…”
“Happy birthday, Bilbo.” Kíli spoke softly. “Now get in.”
It took some awkward fumbling, some half-hearted protests. But Bilbo finally sat in his seat with an iron grip on the wheel as Bofur started the engine and hopped in. “Ready!”
“Okay, Bilbo, here’s what you do…”
At first, he fumbled, obviously. He drove too fast, put on the brakes too abruptly, and turned so sharply that he almost drove them into a field of tall grass. It took time, and some encouraging words, before Bilbo finally relaxed his hands on the wheel and started gently tilting his feet on the pedals instead of stomping on them. His turns smoothed out, and he even braved taking a hand of the wheel to go across Kíli’s seat as they stopped giving him direct instructions and just enjoyed themselves. The loud roar of the contraption no longer hurt his ears, and the smoke didn’t make him sneeze. The breeze was refreshing, and he enjoyed the scenery, even as it whizzed past him.
He was taken out of his musings when he felt a whiskery kiss being placed on his cheek. From the corner of his eye, he flushed at Bofur’s smiling face.
“Happy Birthday, Bilbo.”
Kíli hummed in agreement, and Bilbo flushed even hotter when he rested his head on his shoulder. “Happy Birthday.”
Bilbo only laughed, even as they began to turn around to head back towards the mountain. He would worry about forgetting their presents later. Right now, he would just enjoy this moment.