An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield
Characters: Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield, Thorin Oakenshield's Company Members
Additional Tags: Food Poisoning
Summary:
When on the road with new people one does have to learn who likes what. And if traveling with beings of different species one does have to know what they can and cannot eat.
Small fic ment to battle writers block. Can be read as bagginshield.
I'm on holiday in the Alps right now, but every time I look at the mountains all i can think about i a certain fictional dwarf king who died hundreds of years ago and his not so casual relationship with his burglar
story description: Bilbo tells Kíli a little about flowers. What he didn't expect was how seriously the young dwarf would take their conversation. Soon three young dwarves are up to something Bilbo can't quite figure out. And then there is a certain blue-eyed dwarf who seems to misunderstand him at every turn.
pairing: Bilbo Baggins × Thorin Oakenshield (background Fíli×Ori)
chapter word count: ~2.2k words
Wanna read the chapter on AO3? Find the "Of Flowers and Stones" Masterlist here.
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When Bilbo woke the next morning, he was not sure how he had gotten into bed after leaving Thorin behind. Everything seemed blurry.
With a low groan, the hobbit sat up and looked around. The shared bedroom seemed almost empty; only Bifur was still sleeping at the far end of the room. The bed next to Bilbo seemed untouched, and his eyes lingered for a moment, wondering whether Thorin had slept in it last night. With a sigh, the hobbit turned his head away and stood. He should not let that unbelievably rude dwarf crowd his mind.
Bilbo slipped through the door as quietly as possible so as not to wake Bifur. The hallway was empty, but from far away Bilbo heard muffled voices. With slow steps, he followed them and only when he stepped through the next door did he realise that the voices had brought him to the kitchen.
Ori looked up from his steaming cup, and a small smile tugged at his lips just as Calenion nodded a greeting.
"Good morning, Bilbo," the elf said with a gentle smile. "I saw you dance last night. I'm full of sorrow that I didn't get the chance to participate." Despite the outcome of last night, Bilbo began to smile at the thought of the dance he had shared with his newfound friends.
"Maybe we will be able to share a dance in the near future,” the hobbit answered as he tilted his head.
“It would be a pleasure.” On Calenion's lips spread a wide grin. “Would you like some honey nut cake?” Eager, Bilbo nodded and softly patted his tummy.
“I would never deny the possibility of eating a honey nut cake.”
As Calenion left to search for the honey nut cake, Bilbo turned towards Ori again.
“It's good to see you, Bilbo,” the young dwarf said as his thumbs carried the cup absent-mindedly. “We were quite concerned when you didn't return after your conversation with Thorin.”
Bilbo couldn't hold back a whine, and for a moment he looked away.
“A conversation with an ignorant dwarf that is so full of himself is rather hard to swallow," the hobbit hissed as a strange pull tightened his chest. The young dwarf watched Bilbo for a long moment before he opened his mouth once more.
"When Thorin came back, searching for Balin, he was quiet and didn't even look in our direction. He seemed out of sorts."
A huff escaped Bilbo's lips, and he shook his head. Thorin had no right to feel blue.
"Most likely because he thought your gifts of friendship were courting gifts, and accused me of being greedy and selfish when I accepted your beautiful gifts."
"Oh..." Ori breathed with wide eyes. "I'm sorry our gifts have caused you hurt, Bilbo." A quiet, joyless laugh escaped Bilbo's lips as he shrugged.
"It's not your fault, Ori. But believing so sheepishly that flowers only have one meaning is his fault. Let him be out of sorts; he deserves it. Stupid dwarf!"
For a heartbeat, neither of them said a word as Ori drew circles against the wooden table.
"Maybe assuming things, not asking and getting jealous runs in the family," Ori whispered, avoiding meeting Bilbo's eyes. With furrowed brows, the hobbit leaned in slightly.
"Did something happen after I left?" Bilbo asked, willing his voice to soften. "Has Fíli hurt you in any kind of way?"
"Well... it..." Ori turned his head abruptly "How do you know I'm talking about Fíli?" A small smile tugged at Bilbo's lips, and he patted Ori's arm softly.
"We have been travelling together for quite some time now, haven't we? Even if I have not had the chance to love someone and to be loved in the past, I have seen it enough times to recognise it," he confessed. "You are not as careful as you think you are when you look at Fíli. After the third night I noticed that you are always making your bed next to Fíli's even when your brothers are on the other side of camp." A soft pinkish colour spread on Ori's cheeks as Bilbo continued. "You let him have the fuller bowl of dinner and, if I'm not mistaken, knitted him a scarf he is wearing every day, even though it's way too hot for that now. I have also seen how he looked at you when we danced yesterday."
"I have not noticed him doing that," Ori whispered, brows furrowed, and all Bilbo could do was to hum softly.
"Will you tell me what happened last night?"
Instead of answering immediately, Ori took a long sip from his cup.
"After Thorin left with Balin, an elf asked me to dance with him?" Ori said, making it sound more like a question than an answer. A small laugh escaped him. "I was surprised but agreed to it, and it was so different to the dance we danced. The elf danced with me through the hall, and even though I was a lot smaller, I didn't feel like a dwarrowling. It felt..." A quiet sigh escaped Ori, and he skittered in his seat. "...like I was recognised as a grown-up. Not that I have any interest in that elf."
"You felt seen," Bilbo mumbled with a gentle smile. "Nothing wrong with that." When Ori met Bilbo's eyes, the hobbit could make out a soft shimmer in Ori's eyes.
"Thank you."
Bilbo waited until Ori had set his cup back onto the saucer.
"Will you tell me what happened after the dance?"
Slowly, Ori nodded, one hand finding its way towards one of his braids.
"Fíli had vanished when I returned to the others, and Kíli told me Fíli had been quite upset. I searched for him, but I couldn't find him." Ori sighed, and he shook his head as a smile that didn't reach his eyes spread on his lips. It pained Bilbo to see the young dwarf this way, and without thinking, he pulled him into a hug.
"It seems all Durins are idiots," Bilbo grumbled as Ori leaned into the hug.
The sound of a door made Bilbo flinch slightly, and he turned his head to find Fíli standing a few feet away from them. His shoulders were pulled up, his gaze fixed at a point just past Ori and the hobbit. His bottom lip was bitten bloody, and Fíli had hidden his hands behind his back. The dwarf princess cleared his throat.
"I would like to talk to Ori in private," Fíli finally said, his voice uneven.
"I will not go anywhere, Fíli," Bilbo answered firmly. For a moment, Fíli's eyes drifted to Ori before he swallowed hard.
"Ori, I'm sorry," Fíli breathed, and Bilbo felt how Ori froze next to him. "I... I don't know why..." Fíli stopped for a moment, pressing his lips together. "You are my best friend, Ori, and I have always cared for you with all my heart." Bilbo's heart stopped for a moment; had he read Fíli wrong? Was he, in fact, not in love with Ori?
"You are my best friend as well, Fíli," Ori whispered back. A tiny sigh escaped Fíli's lips, and he took a step forward.
"But seeing you dance with this elf..." The young dwarf breathed in deeply. "...a tight pull in my chest took away my breath, and the hot bubbling in my stomach made me want to stop your dancing... I needed to get away before I did something that would have hurt you." Fíli's chest was rising and falling fast. "I have still hurt you, it seems. Please forgive me, Ori."
With a slow movement, Fíli pulled his arms from behind his back, revealing a wildly mixed bouquet. A smile spread on Bilbo's lips as he looked at the glorious hyacinths, the soft-looking blue irises, the tiny daisies and at...
"Light purple lilac," he whispered, mouth slightly falling open. Ori turned his head from the flowers to look at Bilbo.
"I can't remember this one; what does it mean?" Ori said, voice merely a whisper. A wide smile spread on Bilbo's lips, and his fingertips began to tingle. He looked towards Fíli, whose ears had turned a bright shade of red.
"Gifting light purple lilac means—"
"—I want to tell you that I realised I'm falling for you, Ori," Fíli interrupted, the bouquet slightly shaking in his hands. "I have been falling for you..." The young dwarf took a few deliberate steps towards Ori. "And I only realised I have been falling for you for so long when I watched you dance with that elf." Fíli had stopped in front of the other dwarf.
Bilbo held his breath as he watched them, waiting for a reaction from Ori. The youngest member of the company slowly cupped Fíli's hands, still holding the flowers.
"They are beautiful," he mumbled as a tiny smile tugged at his lips. Fíli's shoulders seemed to relax as soon as Ori's hands met his.
"I'm glad you like them," he whispered back.
"I really do." With one hand, Ori reached out and took the flowers from the other dwarf. "Thank you." When Ori leaned in, opening his arms wide, Bilbo had to hold back an excited laugh. Instead, he watched with a wide grin as the young dwarf embraced the other. It only took a second before Fíli relaxed into Ori's arms, tightly hugging him back.
"You two are making me feel so lonely," Bilbo huffed with a wide grin when the two dwarves didn't seem to loosen their grip from each other. With an amused chuckle, Fíli stepped back but didn't let go of Ori.
"You should not be such a pessimist, friend. Maybe you are closer to it than you think." Ori looked up to Fíli just as Bilbo raised one eyebrow.
"I'm getting too old to believe in a happy ending for me."
For a moment, Fíli only looked at him.
"And I believe you should not stop believing."
"It sounds like you know more than I do," Bilbo said with a huff as a grin spread on Fíli's lips.
"I think you should find something to read in the library."
Bilbo blinked a few times before the frown deepened.
"I do not understand, Fíli."
"Let them have a bit of time alone, Bilbo," said Calenion, who had just stepped out of the pantry, holding a plate with a few pieces of honey nut cake and a bowl of freshly cut fruit. Bilbo turned his face towards the elf, his nose twitching slightly.
"I... yes... of course. Private time." Slowly, he slid from the chair, a grin tugging at his lips. "But don't go overboard." A surprised sound escaped Ori's lips, and the brightest red spread on his cheeks.
"I would never, not without courting first. Thorin would see me dead," Fíli explained, his eyes never leaving Ori's face. "As well as Nori and Dori." A light chuckle escaped Bilbo's lips at the mention of Ori's brothers. They were indeed very protective of their youngest brother.
"Well..." Bilbo mumbled after a heartbeat. "I will leave you two alone." With a grin, he stole the plate out of Calenion's grip. He gave the two dwarves and the elf a last nod before he slipped out.
For a moment, Bilbo stopped outside. His smile faltered and an aching pull made itself known inside his chest. He was happy for Ori and Fíli but he would give an awful lot to have it himself.
A huff escaped him and he followed Fíli's suggestion, walking slowly towards the library.
The library was quiet when the hobbit stepped through the door. Then from between two bookshelves Bilbo heard an audible sigh followed by the sound of paper turning.
"By Mahal." A very familiar voice hissed quietly. The hobbit turned abruptly, his hand already on the door handle when he heard footsteps coming closer. "Master Baggins?"
Bilbo looked back, finding Thorin next to the bookshelves, who hid a book behind his back.
"I didn't know you were here. I will not be up in your business and will leave," Bilbo answered, his words tumbling over each other. He pulled at the door.
"Don't!"
The hobbit only flinched slightly and the door fell shut again. "Please," Thorin breathed, never quite meeting Bilbo's eyes. "You have every right to be here just as I do. Don't leave just because of me." Bilbo blinked a few times, fighting away the lump in his throat. After another second, he nodded.
His first step was uncertain and he felt Thorin's eyes on him. Without really looking, Bilbo grabbed a book as he walked towards the armchair he had sat in yesterday as well. A breath trembled out of the hobbit and he set down the honey nut cake on the side table.
From his seat, Thorin was still in view and for a split second their eyes met. The dwarf swallowed thickly before he narrowed his eyes. He had placed the book, he had held behind his back, on the table. It was too far for Bilbo to read the title but even from the distance it looked oddly familiar. His eyes stayed on the dark-haired dwarf for a moment longer before a sigh left his lips and he leveled his eyes towards the book in his lap. He opened the book and began to read.
Ever read a fic you like and went "Man, I wish I could listen to this"?
Bc that's me with NGCS right now. 😫
And listen. I'm a podficcer too. I know how this works. I could just do it! (With permission, of course.)
But with this one...a fully (or almost fully) produced podfic would be so cool (which I know how to do and have done before), but also...a full voice cast would be amazing. Maybe have some people read more tgan one character.
I've seen it done before, and if done well it turns out fantastic, but I wouldn't even know where to start, to be quite honest with you.
(Also bc I've realised that my voice doesn't lend itself for the deeper registers. I can barely do a Lan Wangji; imagine me trying to read Thorin Oakenshield?!)
I see a lot of headcanons about hobbit babies being grown from gardens and dwarven babies being carved from stone. But I haven't seen many ( if any) headcanons about what is done to the baby after its carved from stone. my new hc is that they have to be essentially baked. they're kept in super super hot places like in small caverns near a pit of lava or in what is basically a pizza oven. when they're fully grown newborns their stone begins to crack and they're taken to a cold room to encourage their tiny fists and feet to kick and hit at the stone to break free so they can reach the warmth of their parents bodies
