The Hobbit ~ Tumblr Challenges

Beorn ~ Patience

This was it.

This was the end of the road and you found yourself sitting alone atop one of the walls in Erebor, lost in thought, your brow creased slightly, inwardly dreading the decision that you were going to have to make.

It wasn't supposed to be like this, you were just hired help, brought in to boost the numbers for the dwarves, a voice of reason in darker moments and another strong arm to fight when things got bad.

And you had now successfully done all those things, you'd been paid, generously, but you found yourself not wanting any of that.

You found yourself wanting to stay.

Cursing, you buried your hands in your hair, closing your eyes as you fought to get your thoughts in order. There were other jobs to do, you had to return home, you had to let your friends and family know you were alright.

But your heart belonged here.

Damn the dwarf that stole your heart and was now intent on keeping it for himself. Damn him and his merry nature that had you smiling on even the darkest days. Damn him for his kind, heartfelt words as he realised that you were due to leave him and the company.

Damn him. Damn him. Damn him.

You loved him.

How he enjoyed your company, you would never know, and yet he'd been there, almost every step of the way, he'd saved your life and you his. A part of you knew you owed it to him to stay.

"Y/N?"

Your eyes snapped open and for a moment, you stared at the stone wall, not game enough to move, hoping that you'd simply imagined the voice, but the footsteps approaching soon told you otherwise.

Straightening out, you cleared your throat, glancing at Bofur, but not long enough to judge his expression. "Hey Bofur, sorry, I guess I was just lost in my own thoughts, lost track of where I was."

He smiled at you, as he always did. "That's alright, but what are you doing up here on your own? I thought you were meant to be getting ready to leave in the morning?"

Your mouth opened and then closed and then opened again, almost frozen on what you wanted to say. "I guess...I just wanted to enjoy it here while I could."

Bofur's eyes don't leave you and you feel heat begin to creep into your cheeks. "That's understandable, this must feel all very strange for you, after everything that's happened, it must seem like it's gone in the blink of an eye."

"In a way," You said quietly, staring down at your hands, feeling your heart starting to race a little. "I certainly made more friends than I thought I would."

"That's a good thing, right?"

"Yeah..." You nod slowly but don't elaborate further.

The silence drags out for a moment before Bofur makes your jump, his hand resting over yours, finally letting your gaze meet his.

He gives a small smile. "You know you don't have to be afraid to talk to me?"

You give a surprisingly bitter laugh, shaking your head. "How do you do it Bofur? How do you always have so much patience for everything? For me?"

Surprisingly, he continued to smile. "Should I not? You've never given me any reason not to be."

"I don't know," You grumbled. "Others usually call me a small dose person, one they can't handle being around for too long, even my family, it's just...weird."

Bofur shakes his head and pats your hand. "Not at all Y/N, I enjoy our company, truly. I...I'm actually glad I found you out here, I would've hated the thought that I couldn't have seen you before you left."

Again, your mouth opened but no words would come out, your heart rate picked up just a little more as you stared at his hand still resting on yours, wondering what you were going to say now.

"If you asked," Bofur said, as lightly as he could, but there was no missing the small amount of pain in his voice. "I'm sure that they'd let you stay."

"Do you want me to stay Bofur?" The words were out of your mouth before you could process them and you found yourself staring at him, waiting for a response.

Bofur was smiling softly as he looked at you, but there was still that hint of sadness to it. "I do, yes, but only if you want to of course."

You swallowed and licked your lips, drawing your gaze back outward. "I...I would be lying if I said I didn't want to but...my old life is so ingrained into me. I'm not sure if I know how to move on from it."

He gives a light chuckle. "You've been doing it pretty well for the last thirteen months Y/N, you can't tell me you haven't felt a lot better with us than before?"

A smile tugged at your lips at this, giving him a sidelong glance. "You're still doing it."

Bofur winks at you. "I'm that dark little voice that won't go away, the one that's going to just whisper quietly in your ear. Stay. Please."

After a brief laugh, there was silence between the two of you again and you found yourself looking back at his hand on yours, feeling the warmth seep into you and craving more.

You move your hand on top of his, giving a gentle smile. "Just...give me a little more time, if that's okay? This is a decision I need to make on my own."

He nods, smiling, taking your hand and kissing your knuckles. "Of course Y/N, take all the time in the world, I'll still be here waiting."

With that, he leaves you alone on the wall again, your heart racing, and while you didn't feel any better, you at least knew that truth of what would happen if you stayed.

Now you just had to make the call.