Day 8: Callous
Fandom: The Hobbit
Relationship: fem!Bilbo Baggins/fem!Thorin Oakenshield
Word Count: too long already i'm tired
written for @fluffyfebruary
This AU draws heavily from the EXTREMELY inspiring work of @rutobuka2 (specifically, lumberjack!Thorin and Thorin's design in the Barricade AU (link to NSFW comic))
*i am publishing this in its current and incomplete form because i'm not going to finish it!*
Dis had said, This one is a Kindergarten teacher because I'm running out of friends.
Thorin had said, I wish you would run out faster, but she'd gone on the date anyway. Her sister had gotten married two summers before, and was now bound and determined to find someone for Thorin. Usually, they were people Dis barely knew, from her jewelry work or Vili's gym. On one truly unspeakable occasion, Thorin had gone out with someone Dis described to her as "unfortunately tall," and who turned out to be a wood elf. But they were not all bad. The last time Dis set her up, Dori had become a trusted friend (if not anything more). At the end of the day, she was willing to give some Kindergarten teacher at least one date, if only so Dis would back off for a few more weeks.
But her sister was right: Kindergarten was not her type. As she readied herself for the evening, she was imagining her date as a paint-spattered, bubbly blonde. In her imagination, she could see her talk to the waiter like they were best friends and eventually tell Thorin her entire life story. She'd have no boundaries and no real difficulty in her life.
Thorin sighed. She was being unfair, but she already didn't think they'd have anything in common. Thorin's own job was grueling, demanding, and isolating. She wasn't the kind of person who could sit down with someone and get cozy over appetizers-- the idea made her frown in discomfort. She needed something steady and lasting, rooted in the earth like the trees in her woods.
She pulled on her flannel and snapped the buttons all the way to her neck. At least she wouldn't have to talk about herself, if the teacher did decide to share her life story.
When she arrived at the restaurant at 6:30, Thorin parked her truck and headed straight to her preferred booth. The spotty teenager at the host stand had been working the last couple times she'd been here and gave her a smile. She kept her face to the ground, scowling.
Her seat was in the back, close to the kitchen and a little noisy. She had a great view of the front windows, where she could see anybody pulling up. When Dis had made the mistake of setting her up with the elf, Thorin had been able to slip away when she saw the creature crawl out of her car in the parking lot. Even having narrowly escaped what would have been the worst date of her life, she'd spent the rest of the evening thinking up insults for her sister.
Now, Thorin watched the parking lot idly and turned the table knife over in her hands. It was sturdy quality, if not very sharp. The wood of the handle was a little rotten from being soaked, but the metal was good. She heard a woman's voice from a table in front of her.
"Sorry, but could I get a refill? I'm afraid I'm still waiting." The waitress scurried off and Thorin saw the Hobbit woman sigh and shift in her seat. She felt a stab of sympathy and sipped at her own water. It seemed they were both stuck in date-limbo.
The Hobbit was cute, with mops of auburn curls on the top of her head and just below her ankles. She wore a deep burgundy dress and looked to be doing a crossword puzzle at the table. Thorin watched her in profile, forgetting about the cars in the parking lot.
[Bilbo, Kindy teacher, goes on a first and second date with Thorin, park ranger. She's half in love already and Thorin is on the exact same page. Actually, Thorin is fully in love by the second date and wants to start looking for rings so she never has to give her up. But that's not really something she's about to say.
Thorin takes her home in the car she borrowed from Dis and before Bilbo gets out, Thorin grabs her hand and pulls her so they're facing each other. She slowly brings their faces together, a hand on either side of Bilbo's bare neck. After a perfect first kiss, Thorin dives in for another and another, stopping when she hears Bilbo suddenly gasp. She keeps stroking her thumbs under her jaw as she leans back a little.
Bilbo is near speechless at the feeling of Thorin's calloused fingers dragging over the soft skin of her neck and jaw. She takes Thorin's mouth again a little roughly and bites at her lip, before recalling herself and pulling away. It's almost 11 on a weeknight (WHY did she agree to go out on a Monday again???) so, it's time for sensible teachers to go to sleep. Thorin asks what time school gets out and if she can pick her up for dinner. Again. The next day. She teaches half days so she gets out at 1:30. Thorin says they can have lunch, too.]
