"HALFLING!" Thorin's voice bounced off the walls and echoed around Bilbo's head as he scurried away from the fuming dwarf.

He had no idea where he was going, mind.

To say Erabor was expansive, was to say that Lake Town was damp.

His sense of direction was better than Thorin's, miles better, even, but Bilbo was still running blind. The long corridors all looked the same, and seemed to stretch on for an eternity. You could easily get lost down here, and never be found again.

Although, right at this moment, that didn't sound too bad.

Bilbo paused his running and glanced over his shoulder, only to see the king still hot on his heels. Invisible he may be, but Thorin could still hear his footsteps on the stone floor. The hobbit didn't stop for long, he took a right and the cat and mouse game continued.

"This is foolishness!" Thorin yelled from behind him. "I was born and bread in these halls, do you really think you can shake me?" the dwarf was prone to rages, sometimes the smallest thing could ignite his temper.

But it had gotten worse since the company had returned to the mountain... something about this place, something in the air made Thorin tense, and short with everyone. Even Fili and Kili who loved their uncle like a father avoided him like the plague during his moods.

That's what Bilbo should have done... but no, he had to go and try and pull Thorin away from his precious gold pile. Naturally, the dwarf had tried to shoo him away like some bothersome fly, but Bilbo was having none of it, they got to arguing, and in the heat of the moment Bilbo said that the king was behaving just like a dragon with its hoard.

And that, apparently, was exactly the wrong thing to say.

Granted, it was perhaps a little intensive.

Now Bilbo was maybe fleeing for his life with a rapid dwarf inches from catching him.

This was not turning out to be a good day.

The hobbit then caught a glimpse of a room tucked away at the end of a corridor, and his heart lifts. An escape! he'd managed to get ahead of Thorin for now, but he would catch up soon.

He bolted over to the door, and gave the knob a turn preying that it not be locked. It opened, thankfully, and Bilbo was inside as quickly as he could and turned the key. Sealing himself inside and keeping Thorin out.

He took off the ring, as there was no one inside the room but him, and the world turned from the muted grey of the ring's realm back to how it should be.

The sound of heavy boots made Bilbo jump two feet in the air, and he squeaked, just a little. Thorin was right outside the door, he pounded on the wood, but it did not give way.

The hobbit could hear muffled Khuzdal curses, and eventually the sound of the dwarf stalking away. Bilbo sat in silence for a little while and breathed heavily, out of puff from running.

The room he was in had a bed, a wardrobe, and a chest of draws. There was also assorted pieces of junk around, nothing of great value. It appeared to be some sort of disused bedroom come store cupboard. A thick layer of dust had settled over everything, and Bilbo's nose twitched with the need to sneeze. He'd always been sensitive to dust.

He sighed, and hoped that Thorin had gone away to calm down. The dwarf could not be reasoned with when he lost control, and Bilbo would flatly refuse to talk to him until he came to his senses.

Time dragged on, and Bilbo sat in that room, quietly humming to himself. He wasn't tapped, he could go out any time he wanted... but he was content to just linger.

Suddenly, the footsteps returned, two sets this time. Thorin and another dwarf, probably Dwalin, as he was head of the guard and had the keys to every door.

Bilbo panicked as he heard voices, and slipped the ring on his finger again, then scooted with haste under the bed. He sent dust particle flying into the air.

The door was opened, and it creaked, there was a gruff "Thank you, Dwalin." before it was shut once more.

Bilbo held his breath, he could see Thorin's metal tipped boots, and he pressed himself against the wall; as far out of reach as possible.

"Alright, hobbit." Thorin sighed. "Enough, there is no need to hide."

Bilbo didn't move.

"You may as well come out, there is no where else you can run to." Thorin walked slowly about the room. "I'm not... angry with you, and I see now that I may have... overacted earlier."

That's putting lightly thought Bilbo.

"And I want you to know that I did not intend to frighten you into hiding." His voice was level and calm on the surface, but the hobbit was suspicious. "So, come out."

Bilbo chose to stay where he was. Thorin let out an irritated growl. "Very well, Halfling, have it your way." There was some frustrated shuffling and the sound of furniture being moved about.

Thorin was searching for him. Bilbo knew not what to do, if he ran, then Thorin might catch him... and he'd rather not tell the dwarf about his ring.

His pretty, golden, ring.

It was for the best.

The dwarf continued his search, growing more and more irate as he failed to find Bilbo, and began to care less and less about whether he was destroying the room in his wake.

The hobbit kept quiet, he knew Thorin would check under the bed eventually.

"I know your here, little burglar, I can hear your breath."

Bilbo barely managed to suppress a gasp as Thorin knelt down and looked under the bed, he was sweaty and red faced, and he looked right through Bilbo.

The dwarf let out a snarl and thumbed his fist on the bed, making it shake. "I know you are here halfling! this is tiresome! I order you to come out!"

The hobbit curled into a ball, and covered his ears to block out the sound of Thorin crashing around just a few feet away.

After some time, the dwarf seemed to run out of steam, and sank to the floor and crossed his legs under him. "It doesn't make any sense..." he murmured. "Where else could you be?... you didn't leave, the door was locked, so where are you?"

There was something in his tone that tugged at Bilbo's hobbit-y heartstrings, he sounded forlorn, confused and strangely... small.

"If you are here, Bilbo." Thorin said to the room. "I am sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you." then added, quietly. "I do not like it when you hide from me."

Bilbo felt guilt start to eat at him, and he was no longer happy to just hide away, and leave his dwarf to worry and look. It was time to reappear.

The ring was slipped off and put in back in his pocket, and he tentatively poked his head out from under the bed. "Thorin?" he asked shyly.

The king startled, and whipped his head around with wide eyes. "Bilbo!" he declared. "How...? I checked under there! you- you devious halfing!"

The hobbit shifted. "It doesn't matter...ummm?" he held out his hand, and was swiftly pulled out and found himself in Thorin's lap with the dwarf curling around him.

"Do not do that." Thorin rumbled into Bilbo's hair.

The hobbit scratched a hand through the dwarf's thick beard. "Well, can you promise you won't ever lose your temper again?"

Thorin winced, and not from any pain.

Bilbo huffed. "Didn't think so..." he kissed the king lightly on the nose. "Hmmph, why don't we both agree to try and not have silly fallings out in future?"

Thorin's mouth turned upward with a hint of a smile. "That is a good plan."

"ACHOO!"

"... excuse you?"

"Sorry, its the dust."