bind my cracks with bleeding hands (and say you're only mine)
Written for someone on Ao3 who wanted a dark!Kíli and while I doubt it's what they expected, this is not a happy story.
Title: bind my cracks with bleeding hands (and say you're only mine)
Pairings: Kíli/Bilbo
Rating/Warnings: Hard R; possessiveness, insecurity, controlling/abusive relationship, violence, somewhat dubious consentWord Count: 6161
Disclaimer: If I owned the Hobbit, it would be fucked up
Summary: Kíli does not want Bilbo to leave him; Kíli will not allow Bilbo to leave him, no matter what it takes.
Kíli had always been second best for as long as he could remember.
It was simply a fact of life: the sky was blue, elves were snooty and the young dwarf would forever be a step behind. No matter how much his family claimed to love him, the truth was that Kíli was the spare and no one had ever let him forget it. For it was Fíli who received all the attention, Fíli who was praised and admired and Fíli who was first in all other eyes.
When he was younger, the prince had tried to fix it, trying to become the kind of heir his uncle wanted instead of the failure that he was. But regardless of what Kíli did, no one was ever really proud of him and no one ever wanted him, and eventually he just gave up. He would stand in his brother's shadow as required and pretend that such rejection did not sting.
But while the dwarf hid his insecurities behind a mask of eager foolishness, there was always a thread of resentment that never went away and Kíli often wondered if he would ever find someone who loved him for himself. Someone who was his alone and didn't see him as a consolation prize or a stepping stone to better things.
Thus when the hobbit expressed his interest shortly after they left Rivendell, Kíli first thought he must be joking or trying to gain favor with his uncle as so many had before. He had learned the hard way that no one was ever truly interested in a skinny dwarf like him and yet, what did he have to lose?
Bilbo was attractive in a cuddly kind of way and seemed to actually like him, at least as much as anyone ever did. So Kíli wondered if this might be the chance he had been waiting for and decided that he might as well accept for now. The dwarf would approach things cautiously, guarding his heart until the other proved his worth and if the worst did come, he would be prepared. But he was also hopeful that this time it would work out, if only because the rest of the company despised the hobbit far too much to steal his prize.
So they began courting and over time their relationship started to matter more to Kíli than he had planned, for Bilbo was smart and funny and actually preferred the person beneath his public mask. The dwarf was falling for the hobbit, falling hard and his only consolation was that the other seemed to feel the same.
Those were sweet days, full of stolen kisses and whispered endearments as they came together in secret away from the other's prying eyes. While privacy was limited along the trail, Kíli had always been strangely forgettable once he was out of view and he made good use of this talent to spend time with his new lover as often as he could. Perhaps the pair was moving quickly but both of them knew what they wanted and were no virgins to be scared of encounters in the dark.
So they kissed and stroked and teased each other until Kíli could no longer resist the urge to taste the hobbit's skin. He went to his knees before Bilbo and showed him all the skill that he had gathered over the years and the other had to bite his fist to keep from crying out.
The pleasure on Bilbo's face stoked the flames of the dwarf's desire and when he finally sank deep inside his lover it was like nothing he had ever felt. He wanted to stay there forever, bound into one entity by heat and skin and moans, and he thrust into the hobbit until they both collapsed with bliss.
Even when they couldn't sneak away, the pair would talk for hours as they traveled, laughing and flirting beneath Thorin's disapproving eye. While other dwarves might have quailed beneath that thunderous gaze, Kíli was used to disappointment and the hobbit made him happier than he had ever been. So happy that despite his initial reservations, the dwarf knew that he would not give Bilbo up, not for the pride of his family or all the gold in Erebor.
---
But then the hobbit went and saved his uncle's life and everything began to change. It began with that damn hug, when Thorin pulled Bilbo into a tight embrace to thank him for his actions and it was all Kíli could do to keep from snarling right there.
Mine! He thought jealously, glaring at the pair of them and he was only slightly mollified when his hobbit shot him an apologetic glance.
That night he took Bilbo roughly, marking his possession into his lover's skin and for awhile the sight kept his insecurity at bay. However, as the bruises faded so Kíli's doubts increased, and he was sure that it was only a matter of time. Now that the rest of the company also liked the hobbit, surely Bilbo would want to replace the prince with a proper dwarf instead.
So Kíli tried to distance himself emotionally from his lover in preparation for the coming heartbreak even as he grew more desperate to spend time alone together. He wanted to savor every moment that he could before the end and the prince resented every second they were apart.
Yet these private moments became harder to find because suddenly Bilbo was Mr. Popular and every member of the company wanted a minute of his time. Thorin was the worst, for his uncle seemed to be trying to make up for his earlier doubts by showering the hobbit with affection and with every hug or friendly pat, the knot in the Kíli's chest grew tighter.
How could he hope to complete with Thorin the ridiculously majestic and even if Bilbo wanted someone younger, Fíli was a far better choice than he. So Kíli grew quiet and depressed as the days continued on and he was torn between giving up and staking his claim where everyone could see.
Finally the hobbit pulled him away from the camp and asked him what was wrong, why he wasn't happy anymore. “I thought you would be pleased that I saved Thorin and he doesn't hate me anymore.”
“Fuck my uncle!” Kíli burst out, not wanting to hear his name on Bilbo's lips. Maybe you should have just let him die instead, then I wouldn't have to watch you falling for his charms.
His lover jerked back at the dwarf's shout, looking up at him with worry in his eyes. Kíli didn't want to say anything else because he was sure that his doubts would only drive the hobbit away faster, but Bilbo was persistent and he eventually gave beneath the other's pleas.
“You're going to leave me,” he replied, refusing to look at the hobbit while he spoke. “Everyone always leaves me.”
“What, no! Why would I do that?” Bilbo asked, voice laced with confusion.
“Because you can. The others like you now and so you don't have to stay with me anymore. You can find yourself someone better.” Maybe if I beg he'll stay with me anyway, or at least come see me sometimes when he's not on uncle's arm.
“Oh Kíli...” The hobbit whispered, placing a hand on the prince's arm. “I don't know why you think that, but they're not better than you. Not in my eyes.”
“Well maybe not the rest of the company but my uncle and brother are, surely you must see that? They're all majestic and dwarfly and I'm just not.”
“Well I've never liked blondes, Thorin is too old for me and I think you're perfect just the way you are.” Bilbo retorted with a huff. “And I'll have you know that I am head over heels in love with you and I don't care who knows it. If you want, we can tell the entire company so they realize that I'm taken.”
No one had ever offered to stand by Kíli's side before and his doubts were overtaken by surprise. He was the one that people used for practice and the one they lay with secretly, not the one to be proud of beneath the light of day. So there was hope in his heart again as he clasped the hobbit's hand and stared down at him with pleading eyes.
“Do you mean it? Swear that you mean it, because if you change your mind later it would utterly destroy me.” And his lover did. I won't let you go now. I am never letting you go.
When they returned to the camp that night, the dwarf waited until all eyes were upon them and then leaned down to kiss Bilbo firmly on the lips. The hobbit made a startled noise against his mouth, perhaps he had been expecting a more verbal announcement, but he relaxed into the prince's embrace soon enough. It was a long moment before they parted and Kíli turned to see his companions' startled faces, grinning at the envy in some eyes.
While the dwarf still planned to watch them carefully in case any thought to infringe on his claim, now everyone knew whom the hobbit belonged to and he intended to make them remember.
After that night things were better and Kíli regained his smiles once again. The rest of the company backed off somewhat with the knowledge that he and Bilbo were together and it became much easier to find moments to themselves when they desired.
Although the dwarf still grew jealous when the others would sit too close to his hobbit, now he had the right to step between them if he got uncomfortable and it eased the monster within his chest when Bilbo would lean into his arm. His lover never seemed to mind his possessiveness and bore his marks proudly, eyes darkening with desire at the hand-prints on his skin.
Indeed now that their relationship was not a secret any longer, Kíli made a habit of branding his hobbit where everyone could see. The dwarf prince sucked bruises into his lover's neck and left bites along his collar, delighting in kissing Bilbo deeply out of the blue.
When they arrived at the house of Gandalf's strange friend, the couple made good use of the rooms Beorn offered and good use of those locked doors. Kíli took the chance to lay out his lover on the bed and claim him properly, to savor their encounters as they could not along the road. He wanted to learn every inch of Bilbo's body, how to make him moan and scream so that the hobbit realized that no one could ever love him better.
It was not all sex either, though that was a large part of it, and they learned a great deal about each other over those short days. The couple talked for hours, discussing their early lives and those more private subjects that they did not wish to bring up when the others were around. So too did Kíli discover that Bilbo would answer anything when in the throes of passion and the dwarf made it his mission to unearth every secret that he held, and the hidden pains that he preferred to talk around.
If the prince was going to keep his hobbit happy then he needed to know what made him tick; the dwarf wanted to know his thoughts, and fears and hidden dreams. Surely if the other truly loved him then he would have nothing left to hide?
So when the Kíli was buried deep within his lover, he would whisper questions in his ear and soon he learned how desperately lonely Bilbo had been within the Shire, how much he'd always wanted to go on an adventure and most importantly, that while the hobbit did find Thorin rather awe-inspiring, his feelings were far more terror than lust.
Perhaps he should have felt guilty about the questioning, but Bilbo never complained and Kíli was far too busy being relieved that his uncle was not a threat to worry over much. Thus the days passed in love and sex and laughter and the dwarf was rather sad when the company left Beorn's house behind.
---
Kíli hated the Mirkwood with a passion, a burning fiery passion that he aimed at every gnarled tree limb and dark shadow in the mist. This hate was not due to the fact that the forest seemed determined to kill them, monsters stalked them through the night and the company was starving more each day.
No the dwarf hated the Mirkwood because the woods kept him from his hobbit and he could not stand the separation that it caused. It was bad enough that privacy was limited while they could not leave the road and though he was perfectly happy to kiss Bilbo in front of the others, he hardly wanted to show them what they were missing. However, the longer they traveled the more it seemed that the Valar themselves were trying to keep him and his lover apart.
First the dwarves were captured by spiders, which admittedly was their own fault for wandering off, but even after they escaped that the company was imprisoned by elves. Both of these times Bilbo managed to sneak by unnoticed due to his magic ring and while Kíli was happy that his hobbit was free, he did not like not knowing where he was. Even with his spelled invisibility, anything could happen without the dwarves there to protect him and he remembered jealously how his lover had looked at the elves in Rivendell.
So every time Bilbo visited him within the elf king's dungeons, the dwarf examined him carefully for signs that his lover had gone astray and the continual lack of evidence did not silence the voices in his mind.
All Kíli could do was watch helplessly as the marks of his claim faded and eventually he couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't bear to have his lover running around without some sign of his possession and he called the hobbit closer to his cell.
“Take this with you,” Kíli told him, removing the pendant that his mother gave him and holding it out through the bars. “I want you to have something of mine to keep you company while you're off risking your life.” Something to remind the others of the one whom you belong to, and warn off any of those damn elves as well.
Bilbo accepted the gift with a soft smile of thanks and when he put it on, something within the dwarf eased to see it resting against his chest. The pendant was carved with his symbol and so was a sign that Kíli owned his lover just as the hobbit owned his heart.
It was a token of his claim that all dwarves would recognize and if anyone defied it, he would be within his rights to cut them down.
However, the company managed to escape without a need to enact such vengeance and Kíli was overjoyed to once again hold the hobbit in his arms. He no longer felt complete without Bilbo at his side, and indeed he did not release his lover until they had crossed over the bridge to Laketown's halls.
The dwarf sat through the Master's welcome impatiently and as soon as it was remotely polite, he dragged his hobbit off to a bedroom, threw him down and locked the door. He had weeks of separation to make up for and he wanted to see the truth of Bilbo's fidelity upon his skin. His lover was just as eager so two sets of hands had them both stripped quickly and it was with a sigh of contentment that his hobbit pulled Kíli down.
Their reunion was everything that the dwarf could have wished for and his good mood lasted through their entire stay in Laketown, despite the odd feeling in the air. Kíli knew that his uncle did not trust the Master of these men but as the spare, the prince had little interest in politics when it did not involve life or death for those in front of him in line.
Thus while he kept a wary eye out for danger of all kinds, he found the whole town rather pleasant as he aided in the preparations for the task to come. The dwarf spent most of his time in the marketplace trying to find replacements for the gear which the company had lost, and particularly a war bow in his size. Bilbo was happy to join him in his search, looking around with interest but not the kind of wide-eyed wonder that would wake envy in Kíli's chest.
Eventually the company was as prepared as it could be and they traveled onward to reclaim their mountain and take the dragon's life. Although it pained the dwarf to allow Bilbo out of his sight long enough to face Smaug without him, he could not defy his uncle in this matter, not when it was the linchpin of their quest. So the prince tried to trust his lover to look after his own safety and though he ground his teeth with worry, it all worked out in the end.
Indeed his burglar was the hero of the hour after the scourge left Erebor and it took Kíli some time before he could steal Bilbo away from the company's celebration for a private one of their own.
It was everything the prince had ever dreamed to lay his lover upon a bed of treasure and the sight of his symbol around the other's neck made him groan with possessive lust. Maybe I can convince him to tattoo it somewhere? Kíli wondered before becoming distracted by the vision that the hobbit made.
For as he looked upon his lover, skin gleaming golden in the light and damp hair curled around his face, the dwarf wanted to keep him there forever. His love was a greedy, selfish creature living within his heart and Kíli wanted everything. He wanted Bilbo to adore him just as deeply, wanted to possess his hobbit body and soul, and in his darkest fantasies he wanted to bind him so they could never be apart.
You are mine love. You promised and I am never going to let you go. I am never going to let you out of my sight.
And indeed he didn't in their days within the mountain. Bilbo was with him when they explored the mountain's halls and searched his family's treasure. He was with him when Kíli found the Arkenstone, and the dwarf wrapped an arm around his hobbit tightly as they stood next to Thorin on the battlements and turned the King of Mirkwood down.
---
When the Battle of Five Armies was finally over, Kíli could not believe that the entire company had survived to see their home restored. Their ancient enemy had been defeated and while uncle might be some months recovering from his wounds, there would be a King Under the Mountain once again.
So the dwarf kept waiting for the other axe to fall, knowing that such joy must be balanced out somehow. At first Kíli thought there might be another war due to the way the elvish and dwarven soldiers kept glaring at each other, but somehow Thorin managed to dodge that arrow and Thranduil left with promises of peace. With uncle alive, Dáin had no claim on Erebor and while he and his subjects sometimes looked oddly at the hobbit on the prince's arm, they kept any whispers to themselves.
Everything was too perfect, Kíli's life was too perfect, and thus the night Bilbo told him that he wanted to travel to the Shire, the dwarf was sure this was his ruin come at last.
“You promised you wouldn't leave me. You promised!” Kíli growled as he held tight to the hobbit's arms, torn between rage and desperation. I knew this would happen. I knew he would change his mind because I'm just not good enough. Maybe he's already found someone else? Maybe there's another dwarf or a hobbit in the Shire?
“There is, isn't there? There's someone else and now you're leaving me for them. You said you loved me and I actually believed you!” The dwarf spit these words out viciously as he shoved his lover away. “But I see your true colors now so if you leave now don't bother coming back. You won't be welcome here anymore and I won't be alive to see you.”
I'm not letting you abandon me and if you only stay to save my life it's better than not having you at all.
“Kíli, no, I do love you more than anything, and I never want to hurt you.” Bilbo pleaded and at the tears in his eyes, the dwarf knew that he still had him. “There's no one else I promise and there's never going to be another because my heart belongs to you.”
“Then why are you trying to leave me. I told you that would destroy me and I meant it.” He replied, turning his back on his lover as though in rejection of his claims. Show me, Bilbo. Show me how far you'll go to keep my love.
“I'm not, I swear, I only wanted to visit. Maybe get some things to make Erebor seem more homey and let everyone know that I'm not dead. I would have asked you to come with me but you're so busy with rebuilding that I didn't think you had the time.” The hobbit said and indeed his words sounded reasonable, but how could Kíli be sure that he spoke the truth? How could he be sure of anything unless Bilbo proved it beyond a doubt?
“So you think I can't provide for you, is that it? You don't trust me to take care of you like one of the others would! But I can't blame you, it's not like I have any proper skills.” The prince crossed his arms and plastered a hurt expression on his face as he waited to see if his lover would pass the test.
“Of course I trust you, Kíli, and if it means that much to you, I don't have to go. You're more important to me than any old heirlooms.” Bilbo said, cupping the dwarf's cheek with one hand. “You're more important to me than anything.”
At these words Kíli leaned down and kissed him fiercely, comforted by this proof that his hobbit truly loved him after all. The other moaned against his mouth and the dwarf pulled him closer, needing to ease the fear that lingered on the edges of his heart. That night their coupling was frantic as they lost themselves in the familiarity of each other's bodies and the slide of sweat and skin. Despite their fight, Bilbo still welcomed the dwarf attentions, opening easily beneath Kíli's mouth and hands just like he always had before.
They came quickly in this first frenzy, riding the high of their emotions to physical release and the dwarf growled his ownership against his hobbit's mouth as he spilled deep inside him. However, instead of pulling out to take a break as usual, Kíli started thrusting again, ignoring his lover's pain-tinged moans.
“Too much,” Bilbo gasped beneath him, strung out from the over-stimulation but the dwarf was not ready to let him go yet, not after the scare he'd had. He needed the other to feel him tomorrow, needed to brand himself beneath his lover's skin so that the hobbit would always ache for him no matter how he might try to fill that void.
Bilbo was his and he would not let him leave, would never let him leave the dwarf behind. Kíli brought him to the edge again and again until his lover could do nothing but gasp and shudder helplessly beneath him and only then did he finally let his hobbit fall.
After Bilbo quickly succumbed to exhaustion, the dwarf cleaned them up and threw an arm around the other's waist as he considered his next move. I suppose I should send a messenger to the Shire to tell his people what's become of him and pick up anything that he truly wants. Kíli thought, willing to grant the hobbit this concession now that he had won the larger war. I don't want him to be unhappy.
---
Indeed the dwarf prince was careful to take good care of Bilbo just as he promised, ordering the tailors to sew him a new wardrobe and whatever else he asked. If the designs and adornments were more suited to dwarven tastes than those of Shirefolk then that only made sense considering their home, and he would allow no one to think his hobbit was ill-dressed. And if the tailors had worked Kíli's symbol into every piece of clothing, that did not seem an unreasonable request.
The dwarf spent nearly every waking moment with his lover, introducing him to the wonders of Erebor and including him in the duties he was granted. While they could not marry, Kíli made sure that everyone knew whom his hobbit belonged to so that they would treat him with the respect and reverence he deserved.
Yet the more that Bilbo was loved by all their people, the more the dwarf's insecurities reared their ugly heads once more. Just because his hobbit loved him now did not mean that his feelings would last forever and with so many dwarves around it would be far too easy for one catch his eye.
While the couple was usually together there were moments when Kíli was called away alone, and he always agonized over his hobbit's actions until the prince could see his face again. Bilbo could do anything when he wasn't there and the dwarf would never know it, never know if he was fucking someone else behind his back.
With every friendly smile that his lover sent another and every time he returned to their rooms to find that the hobbit was not there, the fear in his heart grew stronger. Kíli knew that Bilbo was simply a kind and open person and their coupling had lost none of its ardor, but none of this was proof enough. He needed to know where the hobbit went when the dwarf was not at his side; he needed this with a driving obsession that began to keep him up at night.
The prince didn't tell Bilbo about his fears because he did not want to worry him, so instead he just asked for some of Nori's contacts and paid them to watch his lover while he was gone. He told them it was for the hobbit's protection and this was not entirely a lie for Kíli knew that without this knowledge, he might do something he'd regret.
However, he was comforted when the dwarves reported back that there was still no other, and all of his lover's trips could be accounted for. At least he was comforted until he remembered Bilbo's ring.
With that magic the hobbit could go anywhere with no one else the wiser and he was strangely defensive when Kíli brought it up. Normally Bilbo would bend easily to his desires, with only a few soft words or kisses required to make him see the light, but when the dwarf asked to see his ring, his lover refused the request outright.
Their fight that night was bitter and more vicious than the first.
“Why would you want to keep this from me? Why would you need to keep such secrets? Haven't I given you all that you could want, all that I am?” Kíli asked the hobbit, voice caught between hurt and accusation.
But it was rage that won out when Bilbo laughed bitterly, something strange and foreign in his eyes. “Oh sure, everything that you think I need and in return you desire to own me, body and soul. But haven't you taken enough from me already to claim this one last thing?”
“Taken?! I have taken nothing that you did not give me freely. You swore your love to me in return for mine and I have asked no more than such vows deserve.” The dwarf retorted furiously, incensed by these unfounded charges. How can you deny what we have together? How can you dare? All I want is what is mine!
“Love? What love is this but the desire to possess? Perhaps I should have seduced your uncle instead for surely he would have known how to treat me right? Perhaps I should go seduce him now?”
Something in those words cut through the dwarf's anger, because he knew that his uncle still made the hobbit nervous and Bilbo had sworn that he had no competition there. So while these accusations might have roots in his lover's deepest fears, something else must be at work here, something dark and dangerous. It tried to separate them, tried to make the dwarf relent and it had only triggered when he threatened it's control.
“It's the ring isn't it? It's making you act this way, making you defy me!” Kíli growled, tackling the hobbit to the ground by the fire and pinning him there. “Where it is? Where is that foul piece of magic?”
But the hobbit refused to say, glaring up at him with shadows in his eyes. He fought viciously as the dwarf searched him and the shriek he gave when Kíli pulled the ring out of his pocket was the cry of a tormented soul.
The moment that he touched it, the gold circle began to whisper in the prince's mind, dark thoughts of how he could use its power to bind Bilbo to him, to control his beloved's very thoughts so he would never leave. But the ring itself was a threat that Kíli could not allow for it's very presence gave the hobbit a way to escape his watchful eye and the dwarf flung it away as though it burned. He would deal with its evil later, but first he needed to break its hold on Bilbo's mind.
Even after the ring had left his possession, the hobbit was still snarling up at Kíli while he fought desperately to escape the other's grip. His madness gave him strength and it was all the dwarf could do to hold his lover down without injuring him severely so he knew he needed to find a solution fast.
He loves me, I know he does, no matter what that dark magic made him say. He loves me and he's mine, I just have to make him remember that. But how?
As Bilbo struggled, Kíli's pendant slid out from his collar and at the sight of it, the prince knew what he should do. He thrust his dagger into the flames and pinned the hobbit down more firmly, ripping off his tunic to bare the other's chest.
Then Kíli took his knife by the blade and pressed the red-hot handle against his lover's heart. Bilbo screamed as the symbol carved into the dagger's hilt was branded on his skin and the prince leaned down to hiss against his ear.
“Say it! Say that you're mine, now and forever or I will end both our lives right here.” He demanded, pressing the hilt of his blade harder into the hobbit's scorching flesh. There were tears in his eyes as he listened to Bilbo's pain-filled shriek and he was practically begging, pleading for his love to return to his right mind. Please just submit to me, I don't want to hurt you anymore.
Finally, something in his lover seemed to snap and the hobbit's struggles ceased as he bared his throat beneath Kíli's tortured gaze. “I am yours,” Bilbo whispered, staring at the wall. “I love you and I just want you to be happy, even if this is what it takes. So I am yours to do with as you will.”
The dwarf lifted his dagger instantly, throwing it the side as his took his love back into his arms. He muttered apologies into the hobbit's hair, trying to ignore the way the other flinched beneath his touch. Nothing would hurt Bilbo anymore, he would make sure of it; Kíli had been lax in his duties for he had wanted to give his lover freedom, but he had learned his lesson now and he would protect the other in the manner he deserved.
As for the ring, he would seal that cursed object in lead and iron and send it far from dwarven halls to be thrown in the deepest pit that one could find. Kíli wanted it as far from his love as possible for he never wished to see such hate in Bilbo's gaze again.
“You're fine. Everything will be fine now. We'll be happy and in love and no one shall ever come between us.” He swore, holding the hobbit to him and eventually the other relaxed in his embrace. The dwarf kissed him then to seal the vow, a gentle promise that his lover would never have to worry again for Kíli would take care of him.
He would take care of everything.
---
After that terrible night, Bilbo never argued with Kíli again. The hobbit was content to follow his lover's lead when they went out and waited patiently in their rooms when the dwarf was summoned on his own. While Kíli kept his watchers for a few more weeks, Bilbo never once left their chambers when the prince was not there, and eventually he decided that he did not need them anymore.
There was only one small worry left that kept their lives from being perfect and Kíli spent hours working on this final piece, the item that would bind their hearts forever.
The night he finally finished it, the prince escorted Bilbo out into the kingdom to dine on the finest dishes to be found in Erebor. He ordered the rarest delicacies for his lover to try and plied him with wine and laughter until his hobbit smiled warmly the way he used to do. This evening needed to be perfect because it was the first moment of their happy ending and he wanted to make it right.
When they finished eating, Kíli brought his lover back to their chambers and undressed him slowly, piece by piece. It was slow going for Bilbo was a flirtatious drunk and the dwarf couldn't help but be distracted by the sweetness of his mouth. However, once the hobbit was stripped completely, the prince pulled himself away reluctantly to retrieve his lover's gift.
“I have something for you. Something to protect you when I'm away.” He said curling around Bilbo as he looked curiously at the package in his hands.
“I worry about you when I'm away, worry that someone could break in here to steal you. I know you wouldn't leave me willingly but even if you fought you might not win and I couldn't bear to find you gone. I couldn't bear the thought.” Kíli continued while the hobbit unwrapped his present and when he finished a mithril chain spilled out across his lap.
“You will do this for me, won't you?” The prince murmured against his lover's skin as the other tensed with surprise and realization. “You will let me keep you safe?”
Kíli waited for a breathless moment until Bilbo finally nodded his assent, holding out his wrist to be bound by the dwarf's hands. He whispered endearments to his hobbit as he carefully locked one shackle around his lover's wrist, thanking him for the trust that he now showed. The manacle fit perfectly as the prince had known it would, snug and unbreakable except with the key around his neck, and the moment it clicked shut, Bilbo gave one violent shudder before going limp again.
Working quickly the dwarf sealed the other end of the chain around a metal ring embedded in the rock, its length carefully measured to allow his hobbit free movement without stepping out the door. When he finished, Kíli returned to his beloved and took him back into his arms, kissing him with all the joy of long-held fears now put to rest.
Their love-making that night was slow and gentle for the dwarf no longer had need for doubt or desperation and he wanted to remember this moment for the remainder of his life. Kíli wanted to remember the moment when he finally knew that Bilbo would never leave.
My precious. My lover. Mine.
Finis
Title: bind my cracks with bleeding hands (and say you're only mine)
Pairings: Kíli/Bilbo
Rating/Warnings: Hard R; possessiveness, insecurity, controlling/abusive relationship, violence, somewhat dubious consentWord Count: 6161
Disclaimer: If I owned the Hobbit, it would be fucked up
Summary: Kíli does not want Bilbo to leave him; Kíli will not allow Bilbo to leave him, no matter what it takes.
Kíli had always been second best for as long as he could remember.
It was simply a fact of life: the sky was blue, elves were snooty and the young dwarf would forever be a step behind. No matter how much his family claimed to love him, the truth was that Kíli was the spare and no one had ever let him forget it. For it was Fíli who received all the attention, Fíli who was praised and admired and Fíli who was first in all other eyes.
When he was younger, the prince had tried to fix it, trying to become the kind of heir his uncle wanted instead of the failure that he was. But regardless of what Kíli did, no one was ever really proud of him and no one ever wanted him, and eventually he just gave up. He would stand in his brother's shadow as required and pretend that such rejection did not sting.
But while the dwarf hid his insecurities behind a mask of eager foolishness, there was always a thread of resentment that never went away and Kíli often wondered if he would ever find someone who loved him for himself. Someone who was his alone and didn't see him as a consolation prize or a stepping stone to better things.
Thus when the hobbit expressed his interest shortly after they left Rivendell, Kíli first thought he must be joking or trying to gain favor with his uncle as so many had before. He had learned the hard way that no one was ever truly interested in a skinny dwarf like him and yet, what did he have to lose?
Bilbo was attractive in a cuddly kind of way and seemed to actually like him, at least as much as anyone ever did. So Kíli wondered if this might be the chance he had been waiting for and decided that he might as well accept for now. The dwarf would approach things cautiously, guarding his heart until the other proved his worth and if the worst did come, he would be prepared. But he was also hopeful that this time it would work out, if only because the rest of the company despised the hobbit far too much to steal his prize.
So they began courting and over time their relationship started to matter more to Kíli than he had planned, for Bilbo was smart and funny and actually preferred the person beneath his public mask. The dwarf was falling for the hobbit, falling hard and his only consolation was that the other seemed to feel the same.
Those were sweet days, full of stolen kisses and whispered endearments as they came together in secret away from the other's prying eyes. While privacy was limited along the trail, Kíli had always been strangely forgettable once he was out of view and he made good use of this talent to spend time with his new lover as often as he could. Perhaps the pair was moving quickly but both of them knew what they wanted and were no virgins to be scared of encounters in the dark.
So they kissed and stroked and teased each other until Kíli could no longer resist the urge to taste the hobbit's skin. He went to his knees before Bilbo and showed him all the skill that he had gathered over the years and the other had to bite his fist to keep from crying out.
The pleasure on Bilbo's face stoked the flames of the dwarf's desire and when he finally sank deep inside his lover it was like nothing he had ever felt. He wanted to stay there forever, bound into one entity by heat and skin and moans, and he thrust into the hobbit until they both collapsed with bliss.
Even when they couldn't sneak away, the pair would talk for hours as they traveled, laughing and flirting beneath Thorin's disapproving eye. While other dwarves might have quailed beneath that thunderous gaze, Kíli was used to disappointment and the hobbit made him happier than he had ever been. So happy that despite his initial reservations, the dwarf knew that he would not give Bilbo up, not for the pride of his family or all the gold in Erebor.
---
But then the hobbit went and saved his uncle's life and everything began to change. It began with that damn hug, when Thorin pulled Bilbo into a tight embrace to thank him for his actions and it was all Kíli could do to keep from snarling right there.
Mine! He thought jealously, glaring at the pair of them and he was only slightly mollified when his hobbit shot him an apologetic glance.
That night he took Bilbo roughly, marking his possession into his lover's skin and for awhile the sight kept his insecurity at bay. However, as the bruises faded so Kíli's doubts increased, and he was sure that it was only a matter of time. Now that the rest of the company also liked the hobbit, surely Bilbo would want to replace the prince with a proper dwarf instead.
So Kíli tried to distance himself emotionally from his lover in preparation for the coming heartbreak even as he grew more desperate to spend time alone together. He wanted to savor every moment that he could before the end and the prince resented every second they were apart.
Yet these private moments became harder to find because suddenly Bilbo was Mr. Popular and every member of the company wanted a minute of his time. Thorin was the worst, for his uncle seemed to be trying to make up for his earlier doubts by showering the hobbit with affection and with every hug or friendly pat, the knot in the Kíli's chest grew tighter.
How could he hope to complete with Thorin the ridiculously majestic and even if Bilbo wanted someone younger, Fíli was a far better choice than he. So Kíli grew quiet and depressed as the days continued on and he was torn between giving up and staking his claim where everyone could see.
Finally the hobbit pulled him away from the camp and asked him what was wrong, why he wasn't happy anymore. “I thought you would be pleased that I saved Thorin and he doesn't hate me anymore.”
“Fuck my uncle!” Kíli burst out, not wanting to hear his name on Bilbo's lips. Maybe you should have just let him die instead, then I wouldn't have to watch you falling for his charms.
His lover jerked back at the dwarf's shout, looking up at him with worry in his eyes. Kíli didn't want to say anything else because he was sure that his doubts would only drive the hobbit away faster, but Bilbo was persistent and he eventually gave beneath the other's pleas.
“You're going to leave me,” he replied, refusing to look at the hobbit while he spoke. “Everyone always leaves me.”
“What, no! Why would I do that?” Bilbo asked, voice laced with confusion.
“Because you can. The others like you now and so you don't have to stay with me anymore. You can find yourself someone better.” Maybe if I beg he'll stay with me anyway, or at least come see me sometimes when he's not on uncle's arm.
“Oh Kíli...” The hobbit whispered, placing a hand on the prince's arm. “I don't know why you think that, but they're not better than you. Not in my eyes.”
“Well maybe not the rest of the company but my uncle and brother are, surely you must see that? They're all majestic and dwarfly and I'm just not.”
“Well I've never liked blondes, Thorin is too old for me and I think you're perfect just the way you are.” Bilbo retorted with a huff. “And I'll have you know that I am head over heels in love with you and I don't care who knows it. If you want, we can tell the entire company so they realize that I'm taken.”
No one had ever offered to stand by Kíli's side before and his doubts were overtaken by surprise. He was the one that people used for practice and the one they lay with secretly, not the one to be proud of beneath the light of day. So there was hope in his heart again as he clasped the hobbit's hand and stared down at him with pleading eyes.
“Do you mean it? Swear that you mean it, because if you change your mind later it would utterly destroy me.” And his lover did. I won't let you go now. I am never letting you go.
When they returned to the camp that night, the dwarf waited until all eyes were upon them and then leaned down to kiss Bilbo firmly on the lips. The hobbit made a startled noise against his mouth, perhaps he had been expecting a more verbal announcement, but he relaxed into the prince's embrace soon enough. It was a long moment before they parted and Kíli turned to see his companions' startled faces, grinning at the envy in some eyes.
While the dwarf still planned to watch them carefully in case any thought to infringe on his claim, now everyone knew whom the hobbit belonged to and he intended to make them remember.
After that night things were better and Kíli regained his smiles once again. The rest of the company backed off somewhat with the knowledge that he and Bilbo were together and it became much easier to find moments to themselves when they desired.
Although the dwarf still grew jealous when the others would sit too close to his hobbit, now he had the right to step between them if he got uncomfortable and it eased the monster within his chest when Bilbo would lean into his arm. His lover never seemed to mind his possessiveness and bore his marks proudly, eyes darkening with desire at the hand-prints on his skin.
Indeed now that their relationship was not a secret any longer, Kíli made a habit of branding his hobbit where everyone could see. The dwarf prince sucked bruises into his lover's neck and left bites along his collar, delighting in kissing Bilbo deeply out of the blue.
When they arrived at the house of Gandalf's strange friend, the couple made good use of the rooms Beorn offered and good use of those locked doors. Kíli took the chance to lay out his lover on the bed and claim him properly, to savor their encounters as they could not along the road. He wanted to learn every inch of Bilbo's body, how to make him moan and scream so that the hobbit realized that no one could ever love him better.
It was not all sex either, though that was a large part of it, and they learned a great deal about each other over those short days. The couple talked for hours, discussing their early lives and those more private subjects that they did not wish to bring up when the others were around. So too did Kíli discover that Bilbo would answer anything when in the throes of passion and the dwarf made it his mission to unearth every secret that he held, and the hidden pains that he preferred to talk around.
If the prince was going to keep his hobbit happy then he needed to know what made him tick; the dwarf wanted to know his thoughts, and fears and hidden dreams. Surely if the other truly loved him then he would have nothing left to hide?
So when the Kíli was buried deep within his lover, he would whisper questions in his ear and soon he learned how desperately lonely Bilbo had been within the Shire, how much he'd always wanted to go on an adventure and most importantly, that while the hobbit did find Thorin rather awe-inspiring, his feelings were far more terror than lust.
Perhaps he should have felt guilty about the questioning, but Bilbo never complained and Kíli was far too busy being relieved that his uncle was not a threat to worry over much. Thus the days passed in love and sex and laughter and the dwarf was rather sad when the company left Beorn's house behind.
---
Kíli hated the Mirkwood with a passion, a burning fiery passion that he aimed at every gnarled tree limb and dark shadow in the mist. This hate was not due to the fact that the forest seemed determined to kill them, monsters stalked them through the night and the company was starving more each day.
No the dwarf hated the Mirkwood because the woods kept him from his hobbit and he could not stand the separation that it caused. It was bad enough that privacy was limited while they could not leave the road and though he was perfectly happy to kiss Bilbo in front of the others, he hardly wanted to show them what they were missing. However, the longer they traveled the more it seemed that the Valar themselves were trying to keep him and his lover apart.
First the dwarves were captured by spiders, which admittedly was their own fault for wandering off, but even after they escaped that the company was imprisoned by elves. Both of these times Bilbo managed to sneak by unnoticed due to his magic ring and while Kíli was happy that his hobbit was free, he did not like not knowing where he was. Even with his spelled invisibility, anything could happen without the dwarves there to protect him and he remembered jealously how his lover had looked at the elves in Rivendell.
So every time Bilbo visited him within the elf king's dungeons, the dwarf examined him carefully for signs that his lover had gone astray and the continual lack of evidence did not silence the voices in his mind.
All Kíli could do was watch helplessly as the marks of his claim faded and eventually he couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't bear to have his lover running around without some sign of his possession and he called the hobbit closer to his cell.
“Take this with you,” Kíli told him, removing the pendant that his mother gave him and holding it out through the bars. “I want you to have something of mine to keep you company while you're off risking your life.” Something to remind the others of the one whom you belong to, and warn off any of those damn elves as well.
Bilbo accepted the gift with a soft smile of thanks and when he put it on, something within the dwarf eased to see it resting against his chest. The pendant was carved with his symbol and so was a sign that Kíli owned his lover just as the hobbit owned his heart.
It was a token of his claim that all dwarves would recognize and if anyone defied it, he would be within his rights to cut them down.
However, the company managed to escape without a need to enact such vengeance and Kíli was overjoyed to once again hold the hobbit in his arms. He no longer felt complete without Bilbo at his side, and indeed he did not release his lover until they had crossed over the bridge to Laketown's halls.
The dwarf sat through the Master's welcome impatiently and as soon as it was remotely polite, he dragged his hobbit off to a bedroom, threw him down and locked the door. He had weeks of separation to make up for and he wanted to see the truth of Bilbo's fidelity upon his skin. His lover was just as eager so two sets of hands had them both stripped quickly and it was with a sigh of contentment that his hobbit pulled Kíli down.
Their reunion was everything that the dwarf could have wished for and his good mood lasted through their entire stay in Laketown, despite the odd feeling in the air. Kíli knew that his uncle did not trust the Master of these men but as the spare, the prince had little interest in politics when it did not involve life or death for those in front of him in line.
Thus while he kept a wary eye out for danger of all kinds, he found the whole town rather pleasant as he aided in the preparations for the task to come. The dwarf spent most of his time in the marketplace trying to find replacements for the gear which the company had lost, and particularly a war bow in his size. Bilbo was happy to join him in his search, looking around with interest but not the kind of wide-eyed wonder that would wake envy in Kíli's chest.
Eventually the company was as prepared as it could be and they traveled onward to reclaim their mountain and take the dragon's life. Although it pained the dwarf to allow Bilbo out of his sight long enough to face Smaug without him, he could not defy his uncle in this matter, not when it was the linchpin of their quest. So the prince tried to trust his lover to look after his own safety and though he ground his teeth with worry, it all worked out in the end.
Indeed his burglar was the hero of the hour after the scourge left Erebor and it took Kíli some time before he could steal Bilbo away from the company's celebration for a private one of their own.
It was everything the prince had ever dreamed to lay his lover upon a bed of treasure and the sight of his symbol around the other's neck made him groan with possessive lust. Maybe I can convince him to tattoo it somewhere? Kíli wondered before becoming distracted by the vision that the hobbit made.
For as he looked upon his lover, skin gleaming golden in the light and damp hair curled around his face, the dwarf wanted to keep him there forever. His love was a greedy, selfish creature living within his heart and Kíli wanted everything. He wanted Bilbo to adore him just as deeply, wanted to possess his hobbit body and soul, and in his darkest fantasies he wanted to bind him so they could never be apart.
You are mine love. You promised and I am never going to let you go. I am never going to let you out of my sight.
And indeed he didn't in their days within the mountain. Bilbo was with him when they explored the mountain's halls and searched his family's treasure. He was with him when Kíli found the Arkenstone, and the dwarf wrapped an arm around his hobbit tightly as they stood next to Thorin on the battlements and turned the King of Mirkwood down.
---
When the Battle of Five Armies was finally over, Kíli could not believe that the entire company had survived to see their home restored. Their ancient enemy had been defeated and while uncle might be some months recovering from his wounds, there would be a King Under the Mountain once again.
So the dwarf kept waiting for the other axe to fall, knowing that such joy must be balanced out somehow. At first Kíli thought there might be another war due to the way the elvish and dwarven soldiers kept glaring at each other, but somehow Thorin managed to dodge that arrow and Thranduil left with promises of peace. With uncle alive, Dáin had no claim on Erebor and while he and his subjects sometimes looked oddly at the hobbit on the prince's arm, they kept any whispers to themselves.
Everything was too perfect, Kíli's life was too perfect, and thus the night Bilbo told him that he wanted to travel to the Shire, the dwarf was sure this was his ruin come at last.
“You promised you wouldn't leave me. You promised!” Kíli growled as he held tight to the hobbit's arms, torn between rage and desperation. I knew this would happen. I knew he would change his mind because I'm just not good enough. Maybe he's already found someone else? Maybe there's another dwarf or a hobbit in the Shire?
“There is, isn't there? There's someone else and now you're leaving me for them. You said you loved me and I actually believed you!” The dwarf spit these words out viciously as he shoved his lover away. “But I see your true colors now so if you leave now don't bother coming back. You won't be welcome here anymore and I won't be alive to see you.”
I'm not letting you abandon me and if you only stay to save my life it's better than not having you at all.
“Kíli, no, I do love you more than anything, and I never want to hurt you.” Bilbo pleaded and at the tears in his eyes, the dwarf knew that he still had him. “There's no one else I promise and there's never going to be another because my heart belongs to you.”
“Then why are you trying to leave me. I told you that would destroy me and I meant it.” He replied, turning his back on his lover as though in rejection of his claims. Show me, Bilbo. Show me how far you'll go to keep my love.
“I'm not, I swear, I only wanted to visit. Maybe get some things to make Erebor seem more homey and let everyone know that I'm not dead. I would have asked you to come with me but you're so busy with rebuilding that I didn't think you had the time.” The hobbit said and indeed his words sounded reasonable, but how could Kíli be sure that he spoke the truth? How could he be sure of anything unless Bilbo proved it beyond a doubt?
“So you think I can't provide for you, is that it? You don't trust me to take care of you like one of the others would! But I can't blame you, it's not like I have any proper skills.” The prince crossed his arms and plastered a hurt expression on his face as he waited to see if his lover would pass the test.
“Of course I trust you, Kíli, and if it means that much to you, I don't have to go. You're more important to me than any old heirlooms.” Bilbo said, cupping the dwarf's cheek with one hand. “You're more important to me than anything.”
At these words Kíli leaned down and kissed him fiercely, comforted by this proof that his hobbit truly loved him after all. The other moaned against his mouth and the dwarf pulled him closer, needing to ease the fear that lingered on the edges of his heart. That night their coupling was frantic as they lost themselves in the familiarity of each other's bodies and the slide of sweat and skin. Despite their fight, Bilbo still welcomed the dwarf attentions, opening easily beneath Kíli's mouth and hands just like he always had before.
They came quickly in this first frenzy, riding the high of their emotions to physical release and the dwarf growled his ownership against his hobbit's mouth as he spilled deep inside him. However, instead of pulling out to take a break as usual, Kíli started thrusting again, ignoring his lover's pain-tinged moans.
“Too much,” Bilbo gasped beneath him, strung out from the over-stimulation but the dwarf was not ready to let him go yet, not after the scare he'd had. He needed the other to feel him tomorrow, needed to brand himself beneath his lover's skin so that the hobbit would always ache for him no matter how he might try to fill that void.
Bilbo was his and he would not let him leave, would never let him leave the dwarf behind. Kíli brought him to the edge again and again until his lover could do nothing but gasp and shudder helplessly beneath him and only then did he finally let his hobbit fall.
After Bilbo quickly succumbed to exhaustion, the dwarf cleaned them up and threw an arm around the other's waist as he considered his next move. I suppose I should send a messenger to the Shire to tell his people what's become of him and pick up anything that he truly wants. Kíli thought, willing to grant the hobbit this concession now that he had won the larger war. I don't want him to be unhappy.
---
Indeed the dwarf prince was careful to take good care of Bilbo just as he promised, ordering the tailors to sew him a new wardrobe and whatever else he asked. If the designs and adornments were more suited to dwarven tastes than those of Shirefolk then that only made sense considering their home, and he would allow no one to think his hobbit was ill-dressed. And if the tailors had worked Kíli's symbol into every piece of clothing, that did not seem an unreasonable request.
The dwarf spent nearly every waking moment with his lover, introducing him to the wonders of Erebor and including him in the duties he was granted. While they could not marry, Kíli made sure that everyone knew whom his hobbit belonged to so that they would treat him with the respect and reverence he deserved.
Yet the more that Bilbo was loved by all their people, the more the dwarf's insecurities reared their ugly heads once more. Just because his hobbit loved him now did not mean that his feelings would last forever and with so many dwarves around it would be far too easy for one catch his eye.
While the couple was usually together there were moments when Kíli was called away alone, and he always agonized over his hobbit's actions until the prince could see his face again. Bilbo could do anything when he wasn't there and the dwarf would never know it, never know if he was fucking someone else behind his back.
With every friendly smile that his lover sent another and every time he returned to their rooms to find that the hobbit was not there, the fear in his heart grew stronger. Kíli knew that Bilbo was simply a kind and open person and their coupling had lost none of its ardor, but none of this was proof enough. He needed to know where the hobbit went when the dwarf was not at his side; he needed this with a driving obsession that began to keep him up at night.
The prince didn't tell Bilbo about his fears because he did not want to worry him, so instead he just asked for some of Nori's contacts and paid them to watch his lover while he was gone. He told them it was for the hobbit's protection and this was not entirely a lie for Kíli knew that without this knowledge, he might do something he'd regret.
However, he was comforted when the dwarves reported back that there was still no other, and all of his lover's trips could be accounted for. At least he was comforted until he remembered Bilbo's ring.
With that magic the hobbit could go anywhere with no one else the wiser and he was strangely defensive when Kíli brought it up. Normally Bilbo would bend easily to his desires, with only a few soft words or kisses required to make him see the light, but when the dwarf asked to see his ring, his lover refused the request outright.
Their fight that night was bitter and more vicious than the first.
“Why would you want to keep this from me? Why would you need to keep such secrets? Haven't I given you all that you could want, all that I am?” Kíli asked the hobbit, voice caught between hurt and accusation.
But it was rage that won out when Bilbo laughed bitterly, something strange and foreign in his eyes. “Oh sure, everything that you think I need and in return you desire to own me, body and soul. But haven't you taken enough from me already to claim this one last thing?”
“Taken?! I have taken nothing that you did not give me freely. You swore your love to me in return for mine and I have asked no more than such vows deserve.” The dwarf retorted furiously, incensed by these unfounded charges. How can you deny what we have together? How can you dare? All I want is what is mine!
“Love? What love is this but the desire to possess? Perhaps I should have seduced your uncle instead for surely he would have known how to treat me right? Perhaps I should go seduce him now?”
Something in those words cut through the dwarf's anger, because he knew that his uncle still made the hobbit nervous and Bilbo had sworn that he had no competition there. So while these accusations might have roots in his lover's deepest fears, something else must be at work here, something dark and dangerous. It tried to separate them, tried to make the dwarf relent and it had only triggered when he threatened it's control.
“It's the ring isn't it? It's making you act this way, making you defy me!” Kíli growled, tackling the hobbit to the ground by the fire and pinning him there. “Where it is? Where is that foul piece of magic?”
But the hobbit refused to say, glaring up at him with shadows in his eyes. He fought viciously as the dwarf searched him and the shriek he gave when Kíli pulled the ring out of his pocket was the cry of a tormented soul.
The moment that he touched it, the gold circle began to whisper in the prince's mind, dark thoughts of how he could use its power to bind Bilbo to him, to control his beloved's very thoughts so he would never leave. But the ring itself was a threat that Kíli could not allow for it's very presence gave the hobbit a way to escape his watchful eye and the dwarf flung it away as though it burned. He would deal with its evil later, but first he needed to break its hold on Bilbo's mind.
Even after the ring had left his possession, the hobbit was still snarling up at Kíli while he fought desperately to escape the other's grip. His madness gave him strength and it was all the dwarf could do to hold his lover down without injuring him severely so he knew he needed to find a solution fast.
He loves me, I know he does, no matter what that dark magic made him say. He loves me and he's mine, I just have to make him remember that. But how?
As Bilbo struggled, Kíli's pendant slid out from his collar and at the sight of it, the prince knew what he should do. He thrust his dagger into the flames and pinned the hobbit down more firmly, ripping off his tunic to bare the other's chest.
Then Kíli took his knife by the blade and pressed the red-hot handle against his lover's heart. Bilbo screamed as the symbol carved into the dagger's hilt was branded on his skin and the prince leaned down to hiss against his ear.
“Say it! Say that you're mine, now and forever or I will end both our lives right here.” He demanded, pressing the hilt of his blade harder into the hobbit's scorching flesh. There were tears in his eyes as he listened to Bilbo's pain-filled shriek and he was practically begging, pleading for his love to return to his right mind. Please just submit to me, I don't want to hurt you anymore.
Finally, something in his lover seemed to snap and the hobbit's struggles ceased as he bared his throat beneath Kíli's tortured gaze. “I am yours,” Bilbo whispered, staring at the wall. “I love you and I just want you to be happy, even if this is what it takes. So I am yours to do with as you will.”
The dwarf lifted his dagger instantly, throwing it the side as his took his love back into his arms. He muttered apologies into the hobbit's hair, trying to ignore the way the other flinched beneath his touch. Nothing would hurt Bilbo anymore, he would make sure of it; Kíli had been lax in his duties for he had wanted to give his lover freedom, but he had learned his lesson now and he would protect the other in the manner he deserved.
As for the ring, he would seal that cursed object in lead and iron and send it far from dwarven halls to be thrown in the deepest pit that one could find. Kíli wanted it as far from his love as possible for he never wished to see such hate in Bilbo's gaze again.
“You're fine. Everything will be fine now. We'll be happy and in love and no one shall ever come between us.” He swore, holding the hobbit to him and eventually the other relaxed in his embrace. The dwarf kissed him then to seal the vow, a gentle promise that his lover would never have to worry again for Kíli would take care of him.
He would take care of everything.
---
After that terrible night, Bilbo never argued with Kíli again. The hobbit was content to follow his lover's lead when they went out and waited patiently in their rooms when the dwarf was summoned on his own. While Kíli kept his watchers for a few more weeks, Bilbo never once left their chambers when the prince was not there, and eventually he decided that he did not need them anymore.
There was only one small worry left that kept their lives from being perfect and Kíli spent hours working on this final piece, the item that would bind their hearts forever.
The night he finally finished it, the prince escorted Bilbo out into the kingdom to dine on the finest dishes to be found in Erebor. He ordered the rarest delicacies for his lover to try and plied him with wine and laughter until his hobbit smiled warmly the way he used to do. This evening needed to be perfect because it was the first moment of their happy ending and he wanted to make it right.
When they finished eating, Kíli brought his lover back to their chambers and undressed him slowly, piece by piece. It was slow going for Bilbo was a flirtatious drunk and the dwarf couldn't help but be distracted by the sweetness of his mouth. However, once the hobbit was stripped completely, the prince pulled himself away reluctantly to retrieve his lover's gift.
“I have something for you. Something to protect you when I'm away.” He said curling around Bilbo as he looked curiously at the package in his hands.
“I worry about you when I'm away, worry that someone could break in here to steal you. I know you wouldn't leave me willingly but even if you fought you might not win and I couldn't bear to find you gone. I couldn't bear the thought.” Kíli continued while the hobbit unwrapped his present and when he finished a mithril chain spilled out across his lap.
“You will do this for me, won't you?” The prince murmured against his lover's skin as the other tensed with surprise and realization. “You will let me keep you safe?”
Kíli waited for a breathless moment until Bilbo finally nodded his assent, holding out his wrist to be bound by the dwarf's hands. He whispered endearments to his hobbit as he carefully locked one shackle around his lover's wrist, thanking him for the trust that he now showed. The manacle fit perfectly as the prince had known it would, snug and unbreakable except with the key around his neck, and the moment it clicked shut, Bilbo gave one violent shudder before going limp again.
Working quickly the dwarf sealed the other end of the chain around a metal ring embedded in the rock, its length carefully measured to allow his hobbit free movement without stepping out the door. When he finished, Kíli returned to his beloved and took him back into his arms, kissing him with all the joy of long-held fears now put to rest.
Their love-making that night was slow and gentle for the dwarf no longer had need for doubt or desperation and he wanted to remember this moment for the remainder of his life. Kíli wanted to remember the moment when he finally knew that Bilbo would never leave.
My precious. My lover. Mine.
Finis