Title: A Handful of Beads
Fandom: The Hobbit
Rating: G
Length: 538
Summary: Bilbo has brought the slowly recovering Thorin a present

“I’ve brought you these.”  Bilbo held out a small cloth bag which chinked as Thorin took it.

Thorin opened the bag and peered inside, before reaching in and taking out one of the beads.  He turned it over and over in his fingers.

“Where did you get this from?” Thorin asked.

“I was going through the weekly market which some of Bard’s people are holding,” Bilbo replied.  “And saw a stall selling these, so I thought I’d choose a few.”

Thorin took another bead out of the bag and inspected it.  “Are they all different?”

“Almost all of them.”

Thorin started to tip the bag up in order to empty the contents out.

“Wait a minute,” Bilbo said hurriedly.  “You’ll get them all over the bed if you do that.  Here, let me get the tray.  You can pour them on there.”

Thorin sat up carefully, whilst Bilbo fetched the tray Thorin used for his meals.  His wounds were slowly healing, far too slowly in Thorin’s opinion, and he was still forced to spend most of his time in bed.  Any sudden movement still hurt, and although he could take a short walk, providing he was accompanied, even that would quickly leave him tired and in pain.

With the tray in place, Thorin tipped the beads onto it.  “They’re slightly bigger than our beads,” he said, “and I presume they’re made of glass.”

“Yes, they are,” Bilbo replied.  “I hope you like them.”

Thorin was absorbed in looking at the different patterns and to Bilbo’s consternation didn’t answer immediately.  Then he said, “I do like them.  Very much.”

He held up two of the beads, which both had red and gold flecks in them.  “These two are very similar,” he said.  “And this one is completely white.”  He continued to examine the beads, before saying “This one is bigger than the others.”

Bilbo watched as Thorin inspected each of the beads, before counting them twice.

“There’s only twelve,” Thorin said.  He looked slightly sad.

“Is that a problem?”

“There should be two more.”

Bilbo smiled.  “Would you like it if there were?”

He reached in his pocket and took out two further glass beads, one green and brown, the other blue and gold.

He held them out for Thorin to take, but instead Thorin put his hand round Bilbo’s, trapping the two beads in Bilbo’s palm.

“You and me,” Thorin said.

“I hope you like your beads,” Bilbo said quietly.

“I do.  It must have taken you some time to select them all.”

“It did.”  Bilbo chuckled.  “What will you do with them?”

“I shall string them together and hang them up somewhere where I can see them and remember all we’ve been through.  And this one,” Thorin opened Bilbo’s hand, and took out the green and brown bead, “I shall wear against my heart.”

“And what about the other one?”  Bilbo held up the blue and gold one.

“Would you,” Thorin hesitated, before saying shyly, “would you do the same with it?”

“Of course I would.”  Bilbo leant down and kissed Thorin.  “Next time you see me I will be wearing it.”

Thorin smiled at him, the blue of his eyes matching the blue of the bead.