What if... (A Hobbit Fanfiction) (DISCONTINUED)

Good 'Ole Fun

Today was one of those days were the company stopped to relax, restock, and bathe. Kili and Fili had found a river that was, quote, 'perfect for bathing'. They all grabbed what was needed and headed for the water, stripping along the way. Brandy rolled her eyes at the Dwarves' antics and grabbed her own bathing things. She had found a little bend in the river where she could bathe at least somewhat away from the males.

There was also a large cliff by the deeper end of the bend, where it turned into a small alcove. Making her way to her spot, it was then the Dwarves realised she wasn't there.

"Oi! Bilbo!" Kili called, waving at the Hobbit, "Aren't you gonna get in?" Brandy chuckled.

"You all might be used to bathing together, but I am not. Therefor, I am going to be right around the bend, holler if you need anything." she said, waltzing off.

She undressed herself, and jumped into the water. It was cool, but not freezing, so that was nice. The bend was covered enough so that no one could see her clearly, but it was still in speaking range.

"What, are we not good enough for ya?" That voice belonged to Kili.

Brandy chuckled as she used the soap to start scrubbing at the dirt and mud that was caked on her skin.

"Bilbo?" she was pulled out of her thoughts as he spoke up again, "You didn't answer my question!" Based on the sounds of water splashing and cursing, that started the rough housing. Brandy laughed as she heard Kili start sputtering and coughing as he probably emerged from the water. Shaking her head, she stared at her reflection.

It had only been a few days since leaving the Shire, but her hair was already too long for her liking. So, she grabbed a pair a scissors and got a haircut. Then she washed it with soap, and was clean.

"Leave the poor lad alone, Fili!" she teased, loving the moment of silence before the eruption of laughter. One laugh stood out from the rest.

"My god! Is Thorin laughing?! Has the sky fallen? The world ended?!" The laughter intensified as she heard Thorin grumble about how he could laugh. Brandy enjoyed the joking banter, how everyone seemed in better spirits now that they were getting a calm moment of peace, well, maybe calm wasn't the right word for it, but it was still nice. The bath seemed to wash away all the grouchy moods and sore muscles and replaced them with a bit of lightheartedness that was much needed in the group. After so many days of endless riding, everyone needed to let loose a little bit. Brandy stood, and pulled on a pair of extra trousers, making sure they were tied good and tight.

This was gonna be fun.

~Third Person Company POV~

The laughter wore down after a few seconds, leaving everyone feeling a little lighter. Most of them had already washed off and were just messing around now.

"Hey Bilbo?" There was no answer. The twins turned to each other.

"Do you think he's setting up a prank?" Fili asked his brother. Kili shrugged.

"Mr. Boggins? You alright over there?" Kili asked, wondering if saying his name wrong would work. Nothing. Thorin seemed to pause for a moment.

"Fili, Kili, go make sure our burglar hasn't drowned." The two nodded, and got out of the water, throwing their trousers on and grabbed their weapons. Thorin watched his nephews walk over to the other side.

"Mr. Bilbo?" Kili asked, "You alright?" There was no answer.

At this point, everyone else was slightly concerned, and started putting at least their trousers.

"By Malhal!" Fili gasped, drawing the rest of the company's attention to them.

"Mr. Boggins! Don't do it!" That was Kili. At this point everyone had rushed over to the other side of the river, finding the two princes staring up at something.

Thorin followed their gaze just in time to see Bilbo jumping off the cliff above the river with a, 'woohoo'. He landed with a splash in the water, and everyone was holding their breath, until the Hobbit resurfaced, a wide smile on his face.

"What?" he asked, realising everyone was staring at him.

"You didn't answer us, we thought something happened," Fili explained, sharing a look with Kili. Bilbo shook his head.

"Nothing bad happened. Just had a little fun, that's all." he said, trudging out of the water. If everyone hadn't been staring before, they were now. Staring at the Halfling's chest, they found four large scars racing across his chest, an down to his hip. He was also quite well toned, though no one cared to admit it. He shook the water of his hair, and they noticed it had been cut.

"You cut your hair, why?" Bofur asked, pointing to his head. Bilbo's eyes looked up at his hair, and smiled.

"Hmm? Oh yeah! Got a bit long for my liking." The Dwarves shared a look, for in their culture, short hair was insane. Smiling, Bilbo nudged Fili and Kili.

"Last one to the top is an Elf!" he shouted before taking off for the cliff again. This caused a commotion, and all the Dwarves that didn't have grey hair took off after him. Balin chuckled. It had been far too long since he had seen Dwalin and Thorin act like children. It was heartwarming. 

He heard a squeal and looked up. Bilbo was in the lead, followed closely by Fili, Kili, Thorin, Dwalin, and Bofur, all on his tail. He jumped, and everyone else did as well. Bilbo stayed under longer than the others, waiting for the water to settle down before emerging. The next few hours where full of grown men rough housing in the water like children.

It was times like these that the company could do better with more of.