Hobbit 1. Isolated

**Loneliness**

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**Chapter One  
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**Isolated  
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**Bilbo's Point of View  
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Summary : Bilbo had never felt loneliness before travelling with Thorin and the other dwarves. Perhaps one dwarf can comfort him after it all gets a bit to much for him.

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He has never felt such a strong feeling of loneliness before.

Hobbit's were not creatures, as far as he was aware, that suffered loneliness. They were incredibly sociable beings and spent a lot of their time in the company of friends and family. He had friends within the Shire but they were not people he would ever feel incredibly close to, he felt like they didn't understand him. He had liked his life in the Shire, he had liked nothing better than letting his 'Baggins side' take over and sitting with a book in front of his warm, cosy fire. However the 'Took side' of him longed for adventure, longed to see Elves and visit far off lands and this was something that his fellow hobbit's could never understand, because hobbit's liked the comforts of their home and some would spend their whole lives in the peace of the Shire.

He tried to avoid the Baggins side of his family, except that of his second cousin Drogo and his wife Primula, he saw them once every so often but they were the only members of his Baggins family side that did not dislike him, as they had no desire to live in Bag End and did not envy him for inheriting the property. He always had people he could rely on but since he had left his home, he had found it incredibly difficult to adjust to the harsh conditions that came with travelling great distances. There was mostly silence during their journey, everyone focused on their destination but as night came, the dwarves would talk among themselves. They would talk about their families, Erebor and old memories.. He hadn't realised until the first week had passed what he had gotten himself involved in, the harshness of the journey and the isolation he would feel.

His feet and back ached from the hours they spent walking and even sleep was no comfort as the floor was always freezing cold and incredibly uncomfortable. Some of the Dwarves found his lack of ability in swordsmanship and fighting irritating, Thorin had made no effort in hiding his dislike of his presence and he was mostly ignored by some of the company. Only Balin, Bofur, Fili and Kili had made him feel welcome and even they often overlooked him by accident. He would often sleep several feet away from the Dwarves and lay , sometimes Gandalf would lay with him but he was mostly away so he spent much of his nights alone. His favourite times were when Gandalf remained with them, he had seemed to make it his personal mission to keep him company and the hobbit had often seen him glare at Thorin's back in anger when he made comments about his lack of worth.

There was no words to explain how it made him feel when the company laughed at him, told him he did not belong, made him feel like an outsider. Most of the time he kept his feelings behind a cool mask but sometimes he felt his throat tighten and felt himself blinking back tears that threatened to spill down his cheeks and reveal his true feelings.

He had hoped after saving Thorin from the Pale Orc he had proved his worth but although Thorin had joined the group of people who valued him, he still felt like they thought he was a burden. He would do the slightest thing wrong and most of the dwarves would laugh and joke among themselves about his mistake, making him feel foolish. He knew that in most cases they did not wish to upset him and would probably be apologetic if they knew how much their remarks bothered him but he never said anything. Sometimes he would feel Thorin's gaze on him but he made sure to not make eye contact, he didn't want the Prince knowing how he felt.

He had always considered himself a strong person but even the strongest of beings can break eventually. In fairness it had been his fault, the glove had slipped as he had lifted the pot from their fire and the side had burned his hand pretty badly. He had been unable to stop the light yelp coming from his lips as he felt the sharp pain ignite in his hand and sting as though his skin had been set alight. The noise had made several of the Dwarves laugh, most not realising that he had hurt himself and thinking he had made the noise out of fear. He felt his heart sink slightly as he saw the Kili and Fili join in with the laughter and cursed himself mentally as he felt that horridly familiar tightness stir in his throat. He hid this injury from them, forcing a smile that came out rather forced and dished the company their food, not once letting his mask slip. Afterwards he poured himself his own bowl of food and walked away from them. Glancing back quickly and seeing that nobody was looking his way, he walked for a few minutes before stopping and leaning his back against one of the trees, the rough bark digging into his back. Sliding down it, he cradled his hand, glancing down and winced as he assessed the damage, it was an angry red and the skin was beginning to peel. Leaning his head back, he looked into the thick woodland and for the first time letting his emotions win the fight. He felt the first tear slide down his face and for a moment he felt relief, it felt good to let his emotions out as he had grown tired for holding them back for so long. His breathing was even but the tears would not stop and a part of him wondered whether they would, whether he could lift himself from this mood.

He didn't know how long he been away from the others, to be completely honest he didn't care because he knew that he needed this alone time. He knew he should head back soon before he was missed but he couldn't find the strength to compose himself. His placed his face in his hands and tried to take calming breaths but if anything it just made him feel worse.

His back stiffened as he heard twigs snapping behind him but he didn't look up, from the direction it was coming from it must have been one of the dwarves. He considered for a moment running but he knew that would cause more trouble than it would solve, he didn't want to run off without any form of protection or supplies. He did the only thing he could think of and fell onto his side and curling up in a ball, cradling his hand and praying whoever was looking for him to leave him alone.

Suddenly a pair of large hands were resting on him, one on top of his curly hair and the other resting on his shoulder. He felt the hands rubbing his shoulders slightly but he didn't look up, he didn't think he could.

Why did it have to be him?

Of all of them he was the last person who he wanted to see when he was feeling like this. He had only just earned his respect and now he looked even more foolish than before.

"Bilbo, what's wrong?" Thorin whispered, his tone laced with concern.

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	2. Finding Bilbo

**Loneliness**

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**Chapter Two  
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**Isolated  
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**Thorin's Point of View  
**

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Summary : Bilbo had never felt loneliness before travelling with Thorin and the other dwarves. Perhaps one dwarf can comfort him after it all gets a bit to much for him.

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Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who favourited, followed or reviewed this story. I opened my emails this morning and had over 70 emails, it was crazy!

If anyone has Tumblr | LadyInRedConverse - won't let me post the proper link | Follow me! I'll follow you back.

If anyone wants a certain story, I take prompts so please PM me or review and i'll have a go at it!

Thank you!

Enjoy!

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He frowned as he watched the Hobbit from across the company's small camp, he was sitting staring into the woods and from the look in his eyes he appeared to be deep in thought. When he had first come to the Shire and Gandalf told him of their new burglar, he had been irritated by Bilbo's presence. From the moment he set eyes on him he knew that the man had never done any type of long journey, held a blade, he even doubted that the man was a burglar as Gandalf had said. He had noticed a split in the group since they had left Bilbo's home, most of the Dwarf's did not speak with the Hobbit but Bofur, Balin and his nephews had formed friendships with him.

Thinking back on his previous treatment of the Hobbit he felt a pang of guilt, he could still remember the look of hurt that had passed over his face on the cliff top. He hadn't meant to be so harsh in his words and with hindsight he could tell that he had spoken them out of shock because he had truly never expected the Hobbit to do something so stupidly courageous. Especially after the way he had treated him beforehand, the constant mockery and harsh comments, not once appreciating that he was risking everything, his life, his peaceful living in the Shire for a group of Dwarf's who came into his home uninvited and expected him to assist them.

He almost smiled as he remembered the look on Bilbo's face when he had read the terms of the contract, it was obvious that whilst the Hobbit perhaps dreamed of adventure, he had no true knowledge of the dangerous world outside of his cosy home under the hill.

"I think something is bothering our young friend Thorin" Balin murmured beside him.

Thorin jumped at his voice, so deep in thought that he had not noticed his fellow Dwarf sit beside him on the long tree branch he resided on near the fire.

"He's hasn't said much for days now, maybe you should talk to him and ask-" Balin halted his words as he took in the wary look on the Prince's face and lightly chuckled, he knew better than anyone that Thorin Oakenshield was a man of few words and discussing feelings was not his territory. Standing he placed his hand on Thorin's shoulder and look down at him.

"If it gets any worse, I fear he will only listen to you" Balin smiled at the Prince before leaving him by the fire, Thorin glared at the Dwarf's back for a moment before shaking his head, why did it always fall to him to sort everything out?

As the days passed the Hobbit became more and more withdrawn from the rest of the group and Thorin found himself several times sharing looks with Balin, the latter silently nodding to the Hobbit and trying to get the Prince to approach him. This tactic often ended in the pair having a silent gesture argument from different sides of the camp and resulted in Thorin turning his back on his fellow dwarf altogether with a huff of frustration. Several times Balin would irritate him to the point other members of their company noticed his foul mood and more than once Thorin's temper snapped and sent Ori fleeing away from him in terror. Once he had calmed down he would feel the pang of guilt at frightening the anxiety prone younger dwarf and squeeze his shoulder as he walked by, putting him at ease and sometimes Ori give him a timid smile in response letting him know that he was forgiven.

He had noticed the Hobbit struggling in the harsh conditions they had faced on their way to the Lonely Mountain and Thorin's worry grew deeper as the days went by. For the past four days they had all been drenched by a never ending downpour of rain that chilled them all to the bone. He had noticed the Hobbit shivering and at night he noticed that he never joined in the conversation, always laid away from the rest of the group and generally kept to himself. It was as though he didn't feel like he belonged but that didn't make sense to him, hadn't his words after the Hobbit's courageous actions against the Pale Orc made him feel more welcome and accepted.

From day one he had shown he was a good cook and he had taken over the responsibility of feeding the rest of the company from Bofur. It had been a little over a week since he and Balin had spoken and the Hobbit was had become, if possible, more withdrawn. He had become resigned that this matter would not resolve itself and had been trying for the past two days to get the Hobbit away from the others to speak with him but Bilbo always managed to avoid speaking with him, in fact he avoided interacting with him all together.

The sound of laughter from his company made the Dwarf Prince look up and he frowned slightly as he took in Bilbo's blushed cheeks and small smile. Realising that the Hobbit must have done something, he shook his head as he watched his nephews ruffle the Hobbit's hair before looking back to the part of the forest he which had originally captured his attention. As he considered the scene which had faced him moments before he frowned as he thought of the things he had seen in more detail, considered the tightness around his eyes and the way he had been blinking rather fast. The false smile on the Bilbo's face as he had served the others their food been forced, almost as though he was in pain. He would recognise that look anywhere, he had used the look many times himself to make others unaware or feel better. Whatever the Hobbit was hiding was probably serious and for a moment it made him stop.

Would he think he was bothering them by announcing some injury?

A burden to the company?

He cursed himself silently as he turned back towards the fire now finding the Hobbit to have vanished from sight. Closing his eyes for a moment he took a deep breath before standing and heading over to his companions. Placing his hand on Ori's shoulder, he smiled slightly as the younger dwarf jumped before leaning down to whisper in his ear, he did not wish to attract the attention of the others.

"Did you see where the Hobbit went off too?" he whispered, he knew that Ori tended to be the quietest of all of his company and as a result spent much of his time listening and absorbing the conservations and actions of those around him. The young dwarf nodded his head before pointing in the direction of the woods opposite to where he had been sitting before.

"He went that way. I don't think he wanted anyone to follow because he looked back to see if anyone was watching him" he whispered back.

Thorin smiled at him before nodding his thanks and heading in the direction of his young friend. It appeared that Bilbo did not want to be found and that thought worried him even more. He tried to make as little noise as possible as he walked through the woods, and after a dew minutes he froze as he heard deep breaths and the occasional hitch of breathing as though the Hobbit was choking on the air in his lungs. He began walking again, more swiftly this time, cursing the smaller male for coming this far away from camp, it was dangerous to be so far away from the others and it would be incredibly easy for him to be injured by some creature and the company be completely unaware. A twig snapped under his boot as the Hobbit came into view and he watched the Hobbit's back stiffen in fear before he fell and curled into himself on the floor. At this action Thorin found himself running towards the halfling and quickly made him way to Bilbo's side, frowning as he saw the wetness on his cheeks and the way he cradled his hand to his chest, from the way he held him limb Thorin knew then that his suspicions had been confirmed, he had injured himself. Placing one hand on the unruly curls upon Bilbo's head and the other upon his shoulder, his frown deepened as he felt the shudders coming from his small frame. Moving his thumb around in circles upon the Hobbit's shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting gesture, he leaned forwards towards Bilbo's head.

"Bilbo, what's wrong?" He whispered, his tone laced with concern, he needed to sort this out now, he cursed himself once more for not listening to Balin sooner and letting the situation get so out of hand.


	3. Foolish Hobbit

**Loneliness - ****Chapter Three**

**_Foolish Hobbit_**

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AN : _**I am so sorry!**_

_I've been meaning to update this for ages, I went on a family trip to Berlin a few days after I posted chapter 2 and only got back yesterday. I swear that this and another story I will be posting soon will be updated on a more regular basis._

_**Thank you for all the follows, reviews and favourites to this story.**_

_**It was lovely coming home to over seventy emails and made me more determined to get a chapter out as soon as possible. **_

_In regards to people commenting on how the Fic is listed as a 'friendship'. I read it both ways, I like a lot of stories where Bilbo and Thorin are romantically involved however I thought that I would stick to the film and keep them just friends._

_Plus I think that this fic would work better as a friendship rather than a romance._

_**Tumblr - LadyInRedConverse**_

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**_Bilbo's Point of View_**

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As he felt the Dwarf's gentle hand rest on his shoulder his whole body tensed and he groaned lightly as the movement made the stinging sensation in his hand increase. He felt Thorin's right hand move from his curls to his neck, resting between the soft skin of his throat and the cold soil of the ground he lay on. He jumped slightly as Thorin applied pressure to his neck with his right hand whilst his left slid down from his shoulder and pulled on his coat, dragging him up into a sitting position.

He refused to look up at the dwarf, instead keeping his face resting on his arms which were curled around his knees, his injured limb burning under his tightened grip. Thorin had still not moved his hand from his neck, the warmth seeping from Thorin's skin was strangely comforting to him and he felt himself leaning in subconsciously .

"If you do not tell me what is wrong I cannot help you, Little One" Thorin murmured, his voice way closer to him than he had expected. He had stiffened slightly at the term 'little one', a white hot anger searing through him at the term most commonly used for a child, Thorin having unknowingly making the situation worse, did not pick up on his mistake so looked incredibly surprised when his head shot up and gave him the coldest glare he could muster.

"Is that how you still see me? A child, someone who needs constant attention and care, a burden?" His voice broken on the final words, his eyes once again filled with tears and he quickly lowered his head in shame, not wanting the dwarf to see him at his weakest.

"Why do you think these things, Burglar? Did I not make myself clear when I said I was wrong" Thorin's voice sounded sad, ashamed even, making him forget his tears once again and look up into the dwarfs face. The king's eyes looked down into his own with a fierce determination and he felt the dwarf's hand on his shoulder tighten.

"You have proven time and time again that you have a right to be a part of this company. You escaped the Goblins on your own, you saved my life when it would have been easier for you to let me die and you have shown incredible courage, not just in these instances but others, notably the trolls. You should not doubt yourself" Thorin's voice and eyes showed sincerity and he felt his heart lighten ever so slightly. There was no questioning Thorin's words and he felt himself relax slightly under the dwarf's grip, his fingers one by one began to loosen from the death grip in which he was holding his legs and the action made him wince and look down as a dark, fiery pain shot through his hand, reminding him of his long forgotten burn.

"What's wrong?"The concern in the dwarf's voice made the Hobbit look upwards and he was shocked at what he saw, Thorin was looking him over, his face was controlled but his eyes were full of worry.

"I just caught my hand on the pots earlier, it's nothing"He murmured, turning his gaze away from the Dwarf's questioning eyes and attempting to hide his hand from view.

Thorin however would not be so easily brushed off and grabbed him by the wrist, bringing his hand closer to his face to inspect the wound in the moonlight. He gasped slightly as the wind irritated the sore skin.

"This is a very serious burn, Little One" Thorin murmured, his fingers turning Bilbo's hand in the dim light, assessing the extent of the injury.

"You've gone completely through two layers of skin. We need to bandage this or it will become infected."His eyes however widened at Thorin's conclusion, he didn't want to make a fuss and having it seen to would mean that the rest of the company would be aware of his injury.

Seeing the look on his face, one of the Thorin's hands moved from Bilbo's injured limb to his shoulder where he gave it a reassuring squeeze. He lowered his face away from the Dwarf, he hated feelings so weak and pathetic.

"Even the strongest of people get injured you foolish Hobbit. I have known the men in my company for many years and I promise you that they would never judge you." Thorin's hand moved from his shoulder to his chin and pulled his face upwards so that their eyes met. They stared at each other for a few moments before Thorin's mouth twisted up into a lopsided affectionate smile and he pulled him into a standing position.

It seemed they had been away from the camp for a long while as by the time they reached the others, all but Balin who sat on watch, were laid out on their bedrolls fast asleep. He smiled in their direction when the pair headed towards him, Thorin leaning down to look in his pack for his medical supplies.

"The others were wondering where our burglar was and wanted a search party" Balin's eyes drifted over him, looking for injuries the hobbit presumed, he let out a soft sign as Balin's eyes focused in on the way he was holding his hand.

"Did you do that before Laddie? On the stove?" He said, rising from his seat and taking a step closer to him. When he nodded Balin gave him a disproving look and shook his head.

"Well why didn't you say anything? Better get it wrapped up or you'll get a nasty infection" he warned as he sat down up the log he had resided on before their arrival, knowing the hobbit would be in safe hands with the King.

Thorin rose from his pack and in his hand he carried bandages and a pot of some strange orange paste that Bilbo had never seen before. Leading him away from Balin, Thorin made him sit before he knelt in front of him.

"I warn you my friend, this paste works wonders on burns but it will sting and irritate for you days to come. If we were not travelling I wouldn't use it but the wound cannot become infected" Thorin's eyes shot up to his questioningly when he didn't reply and he just nodded in response, offering his burned hand for the Dwarf to take. The second the paste was rubbed into the burn he hissed and cursed, tears sprang to his eyes and he whimpered as Thorin murmured in apology and quickly wrapped it, sealing the wound off from the cold night air.

He kept his eyes closed for several minutes, he felt exhausted and he felt almost giddy and he shook his head in an attempt to stay awake, knowing that if he didn't sleep soon he;d probably collapse on the march tomorrow. He let out a deep breath before opening his eyes, Thorin was looking towards the left of the rock he sat upon, his eyes most likely sweeping the forest for danger but at the Hobbit's exhale he turned his face back to him.

"You should sleep halfling, you look exhausted" Thorin's eyes swept over his face as he spoke and he blushed slightly, he must look a real mess, far from the well kept Hobbit who had left Bag End in what felt like a lifetime ago. The Dwarf rose and sat on the stone next to him, looking up at the glittering stars that shined brightly. partially lighting up the forest surrounding where they sat.

"They are beautiful aren't they?"he murmured, his eyes following the dwarf's and looking towards the sparkling sky above them. He heard Thorin hum in agreement and smiled, looking down and closing his eyes, his brain felt so sluggish and before he knew it he had fallen sideways into something that felt incredibly warm.

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