Some Burglar- Bagginshield

Grunts and Murmurs

The dwarves grunted, their breath forming clouds in the air. Bilbo yawned as his feet dragged along the ground. He was moving at a sluggish, slow pace and stumbled every few steps.
Thorin turned to him, setting his neutral gaze upon Bilbo's tired, blinking eyes.
"Bilbo."
The hobbit, stupid from fatigue, gave a weak mumble that didn't sound like any particular word.
"You alright?" Thorin managed to keep any emotions from reaching his eyes, for the sake of the company. Bilbo may have been too tired to notice, but the dwarves were very much awake and Thorin couldn't let them see his feelings for Bilbo.
Thorin turned to address the group. "We will find the nearest cave and make camp." He shifted his eyes back to Bilbo.
"Thorin. We must continue on. At this rate we will never reach the mountain in time."
Thorin resisted. "It'll be a short stop, we should--"
"How long do you really intend on staying there, Thorin?"
Quiet fell over the group for a moment. It was silent besides the soft murmurs of a few members.
"We don't have time to dawdle." Dwain's voice was gentle but persistent. If we stop every time someone gets tired, do you think we'll ever make it to the mountain? Thorin. You make the decisions. But I ask you to remember what we came here for."
The dwarf king gave a sigh of frustration and marched to the back of the group. He wove through a few dwarves, who muttered and shuffled, towards Bilbo. The poor hobbit looked like he was sincerely about to fall over his own feet, lay flat on his face and not move for three days.
Thorin stood by the hobbit's side, shoving an arm around Bilbo's waist. He nodded at the other dwarves-- Balin gave him a knowing smile, and Kili and Fili exchanged suggestive looks-- and announced, "We will continue on."
Bilbo's head drooped to rest on Thorin's shoulder. The dwarf king stiffened as the hobbit's soft hair tickled his cheek.
Thorin cleared his throat and resumed a powerful position. "Let us keep moving. We have not much time."
The dwarves shifted, grunted, and resumed their march onwards.
As the pair trudged on, Bilbo's arm trailed slowly up Thorin's back and ended up around his neck; the latter shivered involuntarily at the contact.
Thorin attempted to ignore the way Bilbo was leaning on him for support, his body touching him in places which tingled in response.
The dwarf kept a stolid expression on his face, but inside, he was anxious and jumping and unsure of how to react.
After a while, Thorin began to relax and lean into the hobbit's warm, small body. He tilted his head, placing it gently on top of Bilbo's, and they continued to shuffle along in this close, comfortable embrace for a very long time.