~ I've never written a Bombur imagine, so I hope you'll like it, because I'm not sure yet... This story is based on an imagine from imaginexhobbit: Imagine Bombur comforting you over something you got upset about by giving you a large bear hug and offering you a snack afterwards. ~

Bofur had started a fire, Fili and Kili were looking after the ponies, and the rest of the Company was sitting around the campfire eating their meal. You, on the other hand, had isolated yourself from the others and had found a spot between the trees. Sighing heavily you put your bowl on the ground, the food inside untouched. You looked down and regretted this immediately. How could no one else but you notice this? Everyone told you it wasn't so bad... but you knew it was.

Ever since the Company had visited Rivendell you had noticed that you were different from the elves. Of course you were shorter then them, but there was something else that was wrong with you... You hadn't shared your thoughts with anyone because you were sure they would agree with you. Those elves were so skinny, you didn't understand how they did it. During dinner you had noticed how skinny they actually were and you couldn't help but to look at your own body in disgust.

And to make matters even worse you noticed that Kili was flirting with them. For the past few weeks had you tried to catch his eye, but to no avail. Now you knew why he didn't look at you in the way he looked at them. A tear rolled down your cheek and you tried to hold the others back. You didn't want the rest of the company to know about this. You didn't want to hear them say what you already knew. You pledged to yourself that you wouldn't eat anything anymore. You had to become skinny like them.

'Aren't going to eat that lass?' a gentle voice asked. You turned around to see Bombur standing directly behind you. Quickly you wiped the tears from your eyes and turned away from him. 'Leave her bowl alone Bombur! You've already had plenty!' Bofur shouted at him and laughter erupted from the other dwarfs. Bombur ignored them and sat down beside you. 'Are you alright lass?' he asked, genuinely concerned about you. You shook your head and tried to keep your voice steady. 'I'm fine, thanks' you muttered, not looking him in the eyes.

Bombur nodded and looked around, trying to figure out a way to get you to open up. 'I know the food can be a bit tasteless, but if you chew it long enough, it actually isn't that bad' he offered. You couldn't help but chuckle at the serious look on his face. He placed a comforting hand on your shoulder and smiled at you. 'We are lucky that we have such a strong lass amongst our Company, you know that? And a beautiful lass to say the least!' he stated. And immediately you felt the tears returning to your eyes.

This time you couldn't stop them and you started sobbing. Bombur didn't know what he had done wrong and he wasn't sure how to comfort you. On impulse he swung his arms around you and pulled you close to him. 'There, there...' he said, trying to sound soothing. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, but he knew that he should try to cheer you up somehow. 'What's wrong lass?' he tried again. You had laid your head against his shoulder, creating a big, wet spot there as your tears continued to fall down.

'I-it's just... they... th-they... are all so... soooo' but you couldn't finish your sentence. More tears fell down and Bombur pulled you even closer. He looked down at the ground and back to you, and suddenly he realized something. He had noticed the look on your face when you were back at Rivendell, and back then he had already thought that there was something wrong with you. Now was his change to be a comforting shoulder to you. 'Does it have something to do with the elves?' he asked quietly.

You nodded, still sobbing on his shoulder. He closed his eyes and nodded, stroking his hand up and down on your back. 'You know, they are not half as pretty as you. Did I say pretty? I meant beautiful. We dwarfs don't fancy ourselves a stick, we like something that we can grab on to. I mean, the wind would only need to blow a little to hard and they will fly away. Who fancies that? Not me, that's for sure' he joked. The tears in your eyes became less and you snickered against his shoulder.

'You know what my mother always told me?' he asked. You pulled back and shook your head. 'Well, she told me that the more I had, the more she could love. And to be honest with you, I don't see any reason why you should have to worry about that stuff' he said while pulling a hair from your face. A small smile crept his way up to your lips. 'Do you mean that?' you asked softly, your voice still a little shaky. He nodded and you swung your arms around his neck. 'Thank you Bombur' you said.

'But what do you say about your bowl, lass? Can I trade it for a cheese stick?' he asked hopefully. You both chuckled when you heard someone coughing behind you. You turned around and noticed Kili standing a few feet away, his arms crossed and a frown on his face. 'Why are you hugging my lady, Bombur?' he asked annoyed. Bombur shrugged and picked your bowl up from the ground. Kili walked closer and grabbed your hand. He shot a warning look to Bombur before dragging you along behind him.

'Kili what are you doing?' you asked, not sure what the young prince was doing. However, he didn't respond until you reached a log, on which he sat down. He gestured for you to sit down in front of him and you obeyed. His legs were on both sides of you, and you were facing the rest of the Company. Gently he pulled a bit closer before he started combing your hair with his fingers. 'Apparently we need to make things official because some dwarfs don't seem to understand that you belong to someone else' he said irritated.

You weren't sure what he was talking about, but his fingers massaging your skull definitely felt great. 'Hmhmm...' you mumbled in response. After a while he started braiding your hair and your eyes shot open. 'Kili, what are you doing?' you asked softly. Kili concentrated on braiding your hair and didn't hear the confusion in your voice. 'I'm braiding your hair, like I should have done a long time ago.' You frowned while trying to sit still so you wouldn't mess the braids up. 'Isn't that a part of dwarf courting?' you dared to ask.

Suddenly he stopped braiding your hair and there fell an awkward silence between the two of you. 'You mean... you didn't know what I was doing the last couple of days?' he asked silently, hurt evident in his voice. Your heart skipped a beat and you couldn't hide the huge smile on your face. He was in love with you, not with an elf! 'Of course I knew' you lied, 'I just wanted to know if I wasn't imaging things.' Kili sighed relieved and continued braiding your hair. 'Alright then. Now, sit still, or this will take until the next morning' he grumbled.