This is a story that I wrote together with GreyHoneyCat, she wrote the first part and I wrote the second part of it. At some point you will come across this; '>>' , below that is my part of the story. 

So please enjoy a story that was written by two writers ^^

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Walking, walking and more walking. You and the company had been trudging along in a cold rain, the bitter rain not helping your already teary mood. Even with your (f/c) cloak wrapped tightly around you your body still shivered; your teeth chattering every now and then. 

This didn't pass by the attentiveness of the dwarf who fancied you. Thorin shouted to take shelter under a large oak tree whose branches were knotted enough to keep the sleet out and the dirt below still dry. You almost jumped for joy from your pony at the chance to get out of the storm. 

As the others tied down the horses and unrolled bedrolls while you and Bombur vigorously tried to start a fire. Once it started to rise in flames you sat down not but a few feet away from it, your body still riddled with shivers. 

"You better not be catchin' a cold lass." Came the all too familiar gruffy voice of Dwalin. You chuckled as he sat next to you, staring at the embers that would casually float by. 

You ran your hand through your (h/c) (h/l) as you couldn't help but stare at him. Somewhere along the journey you had fallen for the fierce warrior, his dry humor, the way he appreciated the small things when he thought no one was looking.

Perhaps it was when he tried to help you up to only have you accidentally fall into his chest, or when he tried to pick a flower you saw but ended up crushing it.

Sure he wasn't the best at romance, but it was cute to see him try. "Liking what you see?" You blinked a few times as you realized you'd been staring at him during your trip to memory lane; your cheeks adopting a light shade of pink. 

"I uh- I was thinking about some stuff. " You said, turning your head to hopefully hide your blush. You couldn't help that your heart sped up as you realized Dwalin was now looking at you amused. 

Great (y/n) he caught you staring him down! That wasn't creepy at all. 

True brain, but what woman could resist him? Those huge muscles, that deep voice of his is gonna--

You were shaken back to reality as something heavy flopped on your shoulders, weighing you down. You looked up, surprised to see Dwalin's fur coat on you, Dwalin himself sitting back down next to you. 

"I noticed you were shivering" he mumbled, shifting to lean closer to the fire. Was it the fire's glow or was he blushing? You couldn't tell, but you truly hoped it wasn't the fire. 

You wrapped the heavy coat around your frame, your hand feeling the soft fur that lined it. You couldn't help but smile as you saw what looked like a beer stain that he never got out, wrapping the warmth entirely around you. 

If only you had noticed how Dwalin puffed out his chest as you inspected his coat, smiled and even cuddled into it. He had to hold himself back from scooping you up and peppering you with kisses and whispering how cute you were. He sighed as he leaned back, watching you as you grazed your delicate hands over his coat.

>>

He imagined how it would feel if those soft hands would caress his beard instead. You would probably let the beard oil drip on the palm of your right hand. Slowly rub your hands together to spread the liquid, spreading the oil.

Then, with a cute smile, you would bring your hands to his face. With gentle strokes you would start massaging the oil into his beard. Your eyes would only focus on one another and -

"Right, Dwalin?"

He woke up from his thoughts. "Eh, what?" The small frown above your eyebrows let him know that he missed something. He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry lass, my mind was elsewhere."

You shook your head, smiling. "I don't think I really want to know what you were thinking of." Before he can protest you turn around to open your bag. "There was something I wanted to show you" you said, looking down at the little notebook on the bottom.

Your hand trembled as you reached for it. 

Behind you Dwalin went silent, trying to wait patiently for what you were going to show him. Many posibilities rolled around in his mind.

Out of the bag emerged a small notebook. 

Shyly you held it close against your chest, both of your hands protecting it like a shield. "There is something you should know" you said, your voice barely more than a whisper.

He held his breath. His chest tightened, bracing himself for what was to come. 

Though you had been traveling together for months, he had never had the courage to ask you if there was a man waiting for you back in your village. A part of him didn't want to know if there was. 

And right now there might be a chance that you were going to tell him that exact thing. Could he handle looking at the face of your beloved man? Did he love you as much as Dwalin did?

His hands instinctively went to the handles of his axes. If you did have a lover back home, and he didn't love you the right way, Dwalin would show him. What kind of man allowed his lass to go on a quest like this without coming along anyway?

That fictional man was wrong for you.

You looked down at your notebook.

Took a deep breath.

Without uttering a single word, you laid the notebook down on your lap. You opened it with a trembling hand. Dwalin' eyes darted down, seeing that there were words scribbled down on the loose pages. 

"All our adventures have caused some of the pages to come loose. It will still tell you how I feel -"

The wind suddenly picked up, claiming some of the pages for his own.

Your hands reached up just as quickly but you were a few seconds too late. Some of the pages were already drifting away with the wind.

Dwalin rushed up from his place near the fireplace and started chasing them.

Everyone stopped their activities and looked on feeling quite unsure of what was going on as they saw the fierce warrior chasing five floating pages around. He chased them with such ferocity that no one dared to laugh at the sight.

If anything they made sure to stay out of his way.

One of the pages was about to land in a river but Dwalin was quick to launch himself onto the branch of a tree. It nearly gave in under his weight but he managed to grab the paper and get off dry.

He nearly toppled over a fallen log chasing another one of the pieces of paper. Luckily for his honour he was able to keep himself standing.

Maybe you should have helped him collecting the pages but it looked like he was on some sort of personal quest. Something that you shouldn't intervene with.

Now you had the chance to see what he willing to do for you. Willing to do for something that meant a lot to you.

You blushed. Could it be that he felt the same way?

You walked over to him when he caught the final piece of paper. His warrior stamina hadn't let him down, he didn't need a moment to catch his breath. When you were close, he handed you the papers. "I believe these are yours."

"Thank you," you said, "but I believe these are for you." Your cheeks turned a dark color red. 

He frowned but didn't utter a word. For a moment he kept his eyes on you before inspecting the words that were written down on the papers.

You didn't dare look at him. You had poured your heart out over those papers. Telling a forever silent listener exactly how you felt about the dwarf now standing in front of you. It was time he knew.

Turning you down would give you the opportunity to move on. The now knowing was the worst of having a crush. Writing the poems about your feelings was the good part.

Dwalin couldn't believe what he was reading. How beautiful the poems were that you wrote. And all of that for your lover back home...

He swallowed thickly before returning the papers to you. "These - These are beautiful lass... Your man should know that he is a very lucky man to have you." He did his best to keep the tears from falling down. "He will be happy receiving them from you. He'd better be."

Now it was your turn to frown. "What are you talking about?" you asked confused.

"A lass as lovely as you must have a man waiting for her. A man that can offer you more than I can, right now" his voice turned thick.

"Dwalin -"

"I... I don't have much to offer you." He closed his eyes. "I don't have a home for you, neither do I have the money to give you everything you deserve. All the dresses that I would fill our closets with, the books that I know your heart desires... I can't give them to you. But I love you" he finished, whispering.

This was the first time you saw the big, at first glance terrifying dwarf getting emotional.

You reached out, softly stroking his cheek. It was an unexpected gesture for the both of you. He opened his eyes to face you. A warm smile brightened your face. Tears started to form in your eyes.

"You silly dwarf. I don't need any of that. Not when I know that even without a home, I will always have you to keep me warm during the nights. What do I need cold stone walls and a roof for when I know that you will provide me with more warmth and safety than a house could ever do.

And those dresses..." You laughed weakly. " I know that I will always be beautiful in your eyes no matter what I wear. You complimented me even after I was covered in troll snot." 

"That is because you are breathtaking lass, in every way imaginable."

You smiled at him through your tears. "Further, the books that I want can tell me all about fictional characters who go on amazing adventures but... you are the only one with whom I can experience those adventures myself.

That is something money can't buy and a home won't be able to give me. And most importantly, another man can't give that to me. I need you for that."

The company tried their best not to burst out in a combined 'Aaaawh' as those words of love were finally given a voice.

"Maybe you should kiss her" Kili offered, putting his hands up quickly when his uncle shot him a warning glare.

"I might just do that" Dwalin said, his eyes sparkling. He put a hand on the small of your back, the other on your shoulder and leaned in. His kiss was surprisingly gentle, his whiskers tickling against your skin.

And you lived happily ever after.

The end.