Chapter Text
Thorin couldn't recall the last time she had done this sort of thing. Her heart raced, sweat beaded at her brow, and her hands couldn't stop twisting around the telephone cord. What would she open up with? Using Bilbo's first name almost sounded too casual, her last name too formal. Then again, Bilbo had been calling her Ms. Oakley for a while. Yet this was supposed to be a date, right? There might as well be no formalities.
Meanwhile, Dis was sitting at the kitchen table, chin in her hands as she stared at her sister.
"You can do it," she said encouragingly and Thorin nodded, letting out a deep breath. "Remember that texting is always a great backup plan. So is having me impersonate you. I bet if I deepened my voice a bit and tried that gravelly type-"
"I can call her myself, Dis," Thorin said snappishly, feeling her temper rise. Her forefinger went to the keypad when she heard the sound of running footsteps and faint screaming. She and Dis exchanged looks when Fili and Kili burst into the kitchen, the younger yelling incoherently as Fili chased him around the table.
"Mum, Mum, he's gonna kill me!" shouted Kili and Dis gave a long suffering sigh before scooping him up in her arms as best as she could.
"Okay, okay, that's enough. Both of you," she warned, sending them glares and pointing. "Fili, sit on the other end of the table."
"But, Mum, he-"
"Ah! Don't want to hear it," she said then made a face as she realized what she said. Fili didn't seem to notice though he pouted childishly, slumping into the seat. Kili stuck his tongue out at his brother before being scolded and seated at the other end. Dis pulled out the chair an equal distance between them. "Boys, you're going to be quiet. Your aunt is making a very important phone call."
Thorin grounded her teeth together. "Dis-"
"What phone call? Is it for a client?" asked Kili and Fili reluctantly turned on his hearing aids since his brother had stopped shrieking bloody murder.
"Ah, yes. Sort of," she replied and was too far away to strangle her sister as she expanded for her.
"Auntie Thorin's going to ask Miss Baggins on a date."
"Dis!"
She stared at her. "What? They're fond of Bilbo and will be glad to hear you're finally getting the ball- courage to ask her out. I think it's sweet, don't you?"
"Bilbo?" echoed Fili and Dis nodded. He paused, looking thoughtful for a moment. "Nice lady."
"Auntie, do you like Bilbo?" asked Kili, standing on the chair to be heard. "Like, like-like?"
Thorin blinked before answering flatly, "That's far too many likes for my taste, Kili. I just want to get to know her better. She's a nice lady, like Fili said. Dinner is the best option, or that's what your mother says."
"Really? Then how come Fili asked his friend out to the movies instead?"
Even without his little brother signing, Fili's cheeks pinked and he sunk in his seat to avoid his family's inquisitive looks. "Just call her, won't you?" he grumbled, burrowing back into his purple scarf.
Thorin nodded, though Dis kept giving Fili knowing grins, and began dialing Bilbo's number. She had one last digit to go when she stopped as Dis asked her something.
"What?"
"You memorized her number?"
Her nephew's heads swivelled to her. "Er, yes. And?"
Dis put her hands up in surrender and let her finish up. All eyes were on her, and Thorin faced the wall to block out her embarrassment as she listened to the ringing. She was sure Bilbo wasn't going to pick up and that she would have to try again another time when the phone clicked and a hesitant voice asked, "Hullo?"
Kili banged his fists against the table, saying a little too loudly, "Fili! She answered!"
"I could tell by the way the blood drained from Thorin's face," he said wryly.
* * *
"Am I speaking to Bilbo?" the voice on the other end asked. Bilbo frowned in confusion, but there was no denying that the voice sounded familiar. She shut the cash register a little too hard upon realizing that it was none other than Thorin Oakley, and jammed her finger, suppressing a yelp of pain.
She sucked on her finger, voice slightly muffled."Uh, yeah. You alright, Ms. Oakley?"
There was a faint banging on the other end along with a suspicious shushing sound before Thorin cleared her throat. "Yes, I'm- well. And you?"
"Fine, fine," Bilbo answered as nonchalantly as she could. The bell to the flowershop chimed and she blanched as she saw Otho Sackville enter the shop, surely to complain about their prices and yet leave with the same bouquet of roses he always bought. Not wanting to deal with him, she kicked the back door until her mother emerged.
"What is it? I'm busy," Belladonna said, eyebrows pinched together. Her daughter covered her phone with her hand, nodding her head to Otho. Belladonna grimaced before painting on a smile and going to greet her family member.
Bilbo waited for her mother to be out of earshot before shutting herself in the backroom of the shop. "So, er, as much as I love hearing your voice, Thorin-" wait, did that sound creepy? She did have a rather nice voice. Surely she knew that... "- was there a reason for your call? Not that there has to be one. It's always good to chat with you."
"Yes, actually, there is a reason." Her heart skipped briefly and she sat down on the floor, leaning against the shelves. Goodness, she hadn't hidden in the backroom since she was eleven and was being told her friend's secret crush over the phone... "I was hoping to ask you to dinner."
"Dinner?" she squeaked and winced as her elbow collided with the shelf, knocking down the nearby mop with a clatter.
* * *
There was a loud noise on the other end.
"If you eat that sort of thing," blurted out Thorin and fought against the urge to slam her head against the wall. With her luck she'd end up creating a hole in the plaster. She sent Dis a panicking look before focusing on not embarrassing herself. She wanted to get to know Bilbo, right? Dinner was a good first step.
Or should she have suggested coffee?
There was silence on the other end, besides the obvious clatter of something being dropped on the ground yet again.
"Would you accompany me then? Your silence is slightly off putting," Thorin said nervously and glared at Dis when she muttered that she talked as if she were a royal. "If you don't want to go, that's fine. I understand-"
"I'd love to go!"
She froze and hardly realized by now her whole hand had twisted the wire around itself. "Really?"
"Wait, she said yes?" whispered Kili.
Dis muffled her laughter and walked over. She had that goofy grin Kili had inherited plastered across her face, her big brown eyes shining and shoulders raised as she tried to cover her mouth.
"Thorin, this is great!" she whispered and then slapped her hands over her mouth after realizing she was supposed to be quiet.
"Of course I would!" Bilbo said on the other end, knocking her back to reality. A rather dream-like reality, but a reality all the same. She could hear her laughter on the other end. Bilbo had a very nice laugh, one almost unsure in its humor but always cheerful. "So, where will we go?"
Thorin felt the momentary heat in her cheeks fade. She hadn't been this excited (and scared) in a while. "Sorry?"
"What place are we eating at?" asked Bilbo, and she exchanged a look with Dis. Her sister looked thoughtful before loudly whispering a suggestion.
"We are going to..." Thorin trailed off, frowning at Dis. "What?" she mouthed to her.
"Gamgee's, go to Gamgee's!"
"Gamgee's!" Thorin repeated a little too loudly after glaring at her sister, holding the phone defensively close to her body.
* * *
"Gamgee's?" asked a voice suddenly and Bilbo jumped upon seeing her mother hovering by the cracked open door. "Are we going to the Gamgee's tonight?"
"No!" shouted Bilbo, glaring at her mother half-heartedly and making shooing motions.
* * *
"No?" repeated Thorin, feeling her stomach drop with uncertainty.
"No! I didn't- ah, I didn't mean no to Gamgee's. I meant that as an answer for a- a- customer!" There was grumbling on the other end that was definitely not Bilbo and whispered arguing in what sounded suspiciously like Spanish. Thorin looked to Dis, shrugging, before there was a grabbing sound and Bilbo spoke once more. "Gamgee's sounds great, Thorin-"
"Oh, so it's that mecánica? The cute one?" asked another voice and the mechanic had a feeling it was Bilbo's mother. More whispered arguing followed and Thorin waited for them to finish, hearing the door shut and Bilbo sigh with relief.
"Sorry about that," she finally said, then her voice cheered up. "So, what time would you like to meet me there? I could always drive my car to your place. I've been meaning to get in a drive with that thing since it was fixed."
"Sounds good," Thorin said, fighting off a smile, and gave her Dis' address. "How about around six tomorrow? I have to watch Fili and Kili before then. Their mother will be back by then and we'll head over to Gamgee's."
"Excellent! See you soon, Thorin Oakley!"
Her lips twitched upwards at the mention of her whole name and she said goodbye before hanging up. That's when the cheering began, including whistling from Kili who had just learned from Nori, and Thorin came close to leaving the apartment once being smothered by congratulatory hugs.
* * *
Bilbo couldn't recall being this excited in a very long while. She had had dates before, of course, but most of them had been blind dates or the relationships were short lived. Some had even lasted only one date, like Smaug, but she wouldn't mention him in front of Thorin since she didn't seem to like him very much.
Bilbo kept running her words over in her head, smiling every time at the almost shy words and wincing at her own stupid ones. Like calling her by her full name. Who did that anyway?
Thorin was eloquent and sturdy, and she couldn't help but feel that the mechanic was out of her league. Someone like her should have been on plenty of dates, especially with a face and physique like hers. Even if she was just solely attracted to women, there would be plenty knocking down her door to reach her. Bilbo hoped that they weren't all taller than her, otherwise she would have to wear heels...
What would she wear, anyway? She tried thinking of something from her wardrobe as she walked down the street. She didn't want to wear anything too fancy since Gamgee's was more of a homestyle restaurant, but what if Thorin showed up looking gorgeous in a dress? Shouldn't she try wearing something just as nice?
Bilbo was jolted from her thoughts when she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see the towering figure of Beorn, his figure looking dark in the bleak light of the cloudy morning. His short, forked beard was neatly trimmed as always, though his hair was longer than usual and the dark locks shot up in every direction.
"Good morning, Beorn," she said politely and he made a disagreeing sound.
"Hmph, this heavy rain isn't good for my garden," he said and she arched an eyebrow.
"But it's not even raining yet. Surely your bees will be fine," she assured and he shrugged his broad shoulders. His bright yellow raincoat, thoroughly unsuiting his figure, was stretched a little too tightly around his barrel chest. "Is there anything you need, Beorn? I'm heading to the bookshop, but if you need to contact my mother I can give her a call."
"No, no, I've come to contact you." He continued walking alongside her, keeping his eyes on the gray sky and making sure no one knocked Bilbo down. Most passing civilians not on their phones took one look at him and stepped aside, except for a redheaded teen girl who stared at him challengingly. "Your mother told me you had a date."
She sighed. "I'm sure she did. She was eavesdropping."
"If you ever need flowers for your date, I've just got a new shipment." Bilbo snorted once he said this, sending him a curious glance. There was a flash of a white smile under his beard, his dark brown skin crinkling at the edges of his eyes.
"Are you telling me to consort with the competition?" she asked teasingly and he laughed, patting her tied up hair with his large hand.
"Just that I've gotten a lovely shipment of delphiniums," he said airily, chuckling. "Good luck with your date, little bunny."
"Thanks," she said, watching him beginning to walk away. He was a few feet down from her when a thought popped into her head and she yelled to him, jogging a bit to catch up with his long strides. "Beorn, do I refer to people by their full names a lot?"
He looked thoughtful, scratching his black beard. "Yes, I believe so. Why?"
She wrinkled her nose in annoyance. "Just curious. Now that I think of it, it's a bit odd, isn't it?"
"It's a bit cute, actually, so don't you worry," he said comfortingly and waved before departing.
Bilbo walked to work with a smile on her face.
* * *
Thorin paced down the hallway of the flat, eyes going to her watch every few seconds as she waited for Bilbo to come up. A bouquet of flowers were in her hands, a combination of what that burly flower shop keeper had said were Perry's Blues, delphiniums, and thick clusters of butterfly bush. Their stems were beginning to weaken as her clammy palms twisted them, and she could feel Dis sending her a look.
"You know, it's normal to be nervous," her sister said comfortingly and Thorin straightened, sighing through her nose.
"Not nervous," she mumbled stubbornly. "Just mentally preparing myself."
"With all the possibly bad situations that could happen?"
She was quiet for a short while. "Maybe." Pinching the bridge of her nose, she resumed her pacing and checked the time. 5:55. Bilbo had time, right? And people were sometimes a few minutes late to plans, even if Bilbo had always been punctual whenever going to the auto shop. And the dealership...
"Stop overthinking!" snapped Dis and Thorin glared at her, though she was too tired to say anything biting. "Thori, you're going to be fine. Bilbo's a wonderful-"
"Please don't call me that stupid child nickname again," she begged. Dis just smirked at prickling at her nerves and managing to distract her at the same time. "It was embarrassing in middle school, and it's embarrassing now. It sounds like I'm one of the Reeses."
"That wouldn't be so bad, right?"
Thorin looked thoughtful. "Bad enough I have to deal with your scoldings. I don't think I'd be able to take Dori's." She chuckled, finally stopping her seemingly endless pacing. "He does that finger wagging thing. You just threaten to hit me with the nearest object. Like Kili's GameBoy, or something."
Dis nodded, biting her lips to stop a smile from cracking her face. "I need to be both feared and loved in my household." Thorin's phone suddenly buzzed and she unlocked the screen, feeling a surge of excitement and anxiety as she saw Bilbo's name pop up.
Just entered building. What floor are you on? xox
Dis looked over at the screen. "That from Bilbo?"
"Yeah." She soon found her sister's finger pointing to the screen, her nose scrunched up as she smiled.
"Aw, she puts 'hugs and kisses' at the end of her texts. That's so cute! Text her back," she ordered, elbowing her roughly in her shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll make sure that I'm long gone by the time she gets up here. So reply back, and don't text like a teenager like you always do."
"I- I don't text like a teenager!" grumbled Thorin defensively and typed out an answer.
* * *
11th floor. Room 131. C u soon.
Bilbo smiled down at the text, continuing walking with a skip in her step as she boarded the lift. Pressing the floor number and tapping her foot excitedly, she watched as the elevator closed, moving up the floors. Her phone then began buzzing in the pocket of her flared skirt (her short bouquet of flowers were in the other pocket) and she dug it out to see her mother's face on the screen. Suppressing a groan, she answered.
"Hullo?"
"Bilbo!" her mother screeched on the other end and she winced, holding the blaring phone away from her sensitive ears. "¿Cómo va tu cita?"
"I'm not even at her flat, Ma!" whispered Bilbo. "Can you lower your voice a bit? You nearly gave me a heart attack."
"Sorry, pequeña. I'm just excited for you! Mi pequeña niña on a date! Isn't this wonderful?" Belladonna gushed and began babbling before Bilbo cut her off, a smile inching its way onto her face.
"Yes, Mama, it is." She jumped as the elevator dinged on floor 5 and the doors opened, an old man in a gray tweed suit and sharp fedora stepping in. This elevator was sure slow... She gave the man a once over before deciding he was harmless. "Mama, I'm almost at her floor. I'll check in with you, just don't call, okay?"
"Okay," she agreed. "Have fun tonight and remember that even if the date is fancy, you don't have to repay with sex-"
"Oh my God," swore Bilbo, feeling her face burn in embarrassment. "I'm not having this discussion! Goodbye, Ma. And make sure Sauron and Melkor don't tear down the house while I'm gone."
"I'm just trying to help, querido. Enviar mi amor!"
Bilbo sighed, hanging up and ignoring the text from Nori asking if she was there yet. She noticed the old man looking at her inquisitively and bristled, staring at him until he chuckled softly and shifted his wrinkled hands on his intricately carved cane.
"First date?" he asked.
"Yeah," she replied, letting her shoulders drop from their defensive position. "That easy to tell?"
"A bit. You seem both excited and nervous. The flowers gave it away," he said wisely. "Lavender? Very nice choice. I am sure that your date is a very lucky person."
She laughed slightly. "Maybe. They'd be a bit luckier if I actually had a clue what to do after the dinner. I'm not as romantic as I like to think I am."
"Hm, I find that long drives through the park are very romantic indeed," he said, the corners of his scruffy beard twitching with amusement. "Particularly in Old Man Willow's Park. The hills are bathed in the moonlight and everything has a beautifully dark tint to it. I think it's very romantic, actually. It would be quite good for you."
Before Bilbo could reply, he sent her a small smile and exited from the elevator. She felt her heartbeat increase as the elevator reached the eleventh floor, the doors opening with a slightly rickety sound. She let out a deep breath, stepping out and heading towards Thorin's door. She soon found the mechanic walking back and forth down the hall, head bowed down and her hands behind her back.
"Hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long," Bilbo said suddenly, making Thorin jolt. She momentarily felt guilty for sneaking up on her but the soft smile Thorin sent her made up for it. "I had a phonecall to take in the lift. That thing is really slow."
"Mr. Grayson has been trying to get it repaired for a while, yes," Thorin said and her eyes drifted to her outfit. Bilbo could feel her cheeks pinken and ducked her head. Nori and Bofur had said her outfit was "pleasantly adventurous" (they had always been her go-to when deciding on outfits).
Or had they been wrong? Her stomach wasn't flat, so perhaps a cutoff top had been a bad idea... And she didn't shave her legs, so was a skirt the best choice?
"You look pretty," Thorin finally said and she resisted breathing a sigh of relief. Instead, she sent her the brightest smile she could muster.
The mechanic was looking very nice herself, wearing a halter top and black jeans that looked painfully warm. Bilbo realized she may have been staring a little too much at her shirt (to be fair, she was only up to her chest) and decided now was the time to bring out the flowers.
"I got you something," she said, pulling the lavender bunches from skirt and handing it over to her. Her mother had picked the best stalks in the shop, then used the leftovers to make a flower crown for her daughter. Bilbo had felt a little ridiculous in it, but felt like she was young again with her undone, flyaway curls and purple flowers in her hair.
Thorin's lips parted in surprise, her arms dropping to her sides to reveal an over-the-top bouquet in her left hand. "I, um, got you flowers too."
"Oh. That's nice of you, Thorin." She took the bouquet and rang a finger over the soft blue petals. "Delphiniums? You didn't get these at Beorn's by any chance?"
"Well, it's the closest shop. Nori said your mother owns a flower shop, but I didn't want you to know." Thorin hesitated. "I just bought you flowers from the competition, didn't I?"
"They're fine," she laughed, smelling them lightly. "Perfect, in fact. The only one who believes in any of that competition stuff is my mother." She extended her arm to her date. "So, shall we get going?" Oh my God, I'm so stupid. "Er, I mean- yeah, let's just go," she muttered and felt Thorin chuckle, goosebumps prickling on her skin as their arms brushed.
The door of 131 then creaked open noisily, two pairs of brown eyes (one pair significantly higher than the other) along with a familiar pair of light blues. Thorin kept walking, sending one look towards the eyes and quickening her step. Bilbo stopped as the door opened fully, Fili and Kili along with a short, stocky woman with a squarish jaw and deep brown eyes stepped into the hall.
"Forgot your house keys, sis," said the lady, tossing Thorin the keys. Thorin sent her a glare, muttering about incessant relatives under her breath. Bilbo smiled as they walked to the elevator, sending a wave to the boys and their mother until the doors closed.
Bilbo's phone buzzed once she slid into the driver's seat, and she made a mental reminder to text her mother when she went to the bathroom at Gamgee's. It seemed that Belladonna was going to hold her to her promise of keeping her posted.
It took them a short while to reach Gamgee's, which was a blessing since the car had an uncomfortably quiet atmosphere after the usual small talk of how each of them were doing. Bilbo bit her lip, hands tightening on the steering wheel as she pulled up. She snuck a glance at Thorin, feeling a warm sensation in her stomach as she saw how the fairy lights outside of the restaurant reflected in her eyes.
"I've only been here once or twice with the boys," explained Thorin as she exited from the car, Bilbo having to jog in her heels to keep up with her long strides. She seemed to notice her inability to keep up and smirked slightly, hesitantly holding out her hand.
Bilbo took it, shivering despite the hot evening as her fingers touched her calloused skin. "It's one of my family's favorite restaurants since it's homestyle, though I hear they've been trying to class it up for the evenings."
They passed the outside tables and stepped onto the porch, pushing the doors open. The restaurant was bustling, as it always was on a Friday night, and there was a wait to get in. Thorin's fingers tapped nervously against the front desk once she was told so, and Bilbo smiled comfortingly.
"We can wait, right?" she asked and Thorin nodded, seeming to be relieved that her date hadn't reacted badly.
* * *
Thorin never noticed people's looks much. They didn't matter in terms of how she got along with said person. Sometimes it was a good thing. Other times it was difficult to tell if she was interested in someone or not when she barely registered their physical appearance. That was how everything seemed to work nowadays, everything about boobs or an ass or facial features. It got tiring, at times, to see everything about romance or sex when she just wanted to be friends.
She didn't feel like she needed to worry about that on this date. Even when moments earlier she had been panicking if Bilbo would have wanted to take her home afterwards. That's what Dis had said. Sometimes couples who were attracted to each other slept together on the first date. Thorin didn't think she was ready for that. Admittedly, Dis had instantly felt guilty and comforted her that lots of people don't do that, but she was still thinking about it.
Yet Bilbo was politely inquiring about her hobbies, her life, her family. She would smile at her and her gaze wouldn't linger on anything else but her face. Once they were seated, she just kept grinning that little smile of hers. She wrinkled her nose when she was nervous. She squinted her eyes at the menu before muttering that she couldn't see shit without her glasses, so Thorin read the orders for her. She kept tugging her crop top down, as if she was feeling self conscious about her stomach when it was perfectly fine and, Thorin dared say it, endearingly pudgy.
She was kind, her personality what anyone would consider adorable and her smile bright.
Thorin Oakley didn't have to be attracted to her to know that Bilbo was beautiful.
* * *
"A surprise?" asked Thorin as Bilbo led her back to the car, the latter trying to keep from skipping merrily.
It had been a good date, definitely one of the best Bilbo had in a while. Sure, there had been some awkward silences and slight misunderstandings, but she was overall happy with the outcome. Bilbo got to find out that Thorin had trouble with reading (she looked a little embarrassed at explaining it and was curious when Bilbo had explained she could be dyslexic), that she was Jewish, had a brother who traveled the world writing about brochures, and had been bouncing between jobs before becoming a mechanic. She liked spicy food (Belladonna would like that), thought it was 'cute' that Belladonna kept texting Bilbo, and her favorite color was blue. She also knew nothing about flowers.
"That's okay. Maybe I can teach you," Bilbo had brushed off and her stomach did flips at the smile on Thorin's face.
The food had been good, the tab had been split even though Thorin kept trying to sneak the waitress the full amount paid by only her, and the talk had been pleasant.
Now, Bilbo started up the car and looked at the map on her phone. "Yes, a surprise. You know, the type of thing where you do something for someone that they don't know about. But, like, nice things. Not murder-y things." She laughed at her bad joke and coughed once she saw Thorin's raised eyebrow, though a smile was twitching at her own lips. "I'm weird, ignore me. Now sit tight. We'll be there soon."
"Can you give me a hint as to where we're going?" asked Thorin.
She frowned thoughtfully. "Guess so. Er, let me think." She turned on the radio, keeping it low as her brain worked. "Aha! Got it. Let's see if you can guess."
"I'm sure I can guess."
"Totally sure?"
Thorin grinned, puffing up in a confident manner. "Absolutely."
"I had an errand there: gathering water-lilies, green leaves and lilies white to please my pretty lady, the last ere the year's end to keep them from the winter, to flower by her pretty feet till the snows are melted," she recited, a poem she had once heard spoken from her father about Old Man Willow's Park. After all, it was a well known park. She was almost embarrassed that a seemingly loony old man had thought of it before her, but no one needed to know about that.
Thorin looked at her for a long time, blinking slowly. "I'm pretty?"
"That wasn't the point of the poem, but, er, yes. You're very pretty," Bilbo coughed awkwardly, focusing on the road. Her eyes darted back to the mechanic, who was still looking at her intently. "Stop that."
"Stop what?"
This time she couldn't keep the laughter from her voice. "You know what you're doing."
"What am I doing?"
"You're-" she stopped, risking a glance and feeling her stomach flip again. Laughter bubbled inside of her. "You're looking at me with a pretty face and it's making me look foolish."
Thorin snorted, instead looking out the window. "Better?"
"Yes. You have nice eyes, but it feels like I'm being x-rayed."
"So, now I have nice eyes?"
She groaned, not helping but feel that the sudden confidence was rather nice if not making herself appear like a bumbling, lovestruck fool.
* * *
"The park," Thorin said as Bilbo pulled up, passing the entrance completely and taking a back road. "That would explain the water lilies. Hey, shouldn't we be parking and going through the entrance?"
"We're not going into the park," explained Bilbo and expanded on that once she saw Thorin's tilted head. "There are meadows around the park's walls where cars are allowed. They're pretty big, and not many people go to the spot I know. Especially at this time. It's part of Tom Bombadil's property, but I texted his wife while in the bathroom. She's making sure he doesn't shoot us off of his property."
"Oh. That's... comforting. At least you don't do the illegal stuff on the first date."
"I save that for the second," Bilbo teased as the volvo began slowly making its way up a large hill leading to the pastures of Bombadil's place.
"Would you mind a second?" asked Thorin, keeping her eyes ahead of her. Her knuckles were white since they gripped the car handle as they ascended the hill. "A second date, that is."
"If you're up for it," she replied and Thorin's smile was radiant in the dark light.
The car was almost at the top of the hill, and Bilbo pressed harder on the gas. It sputtered briefly, her and Thorin exchanging confused looks. The noise only continued until they reached the top and soon the pedal snapped under her foot. The car stopped, the sputtering stopping with a loud bang as short streams of smoke hissed from the hood.
"Not again!" moaned Bilbo and felt herself be lifted out of her seat by Thorin. She was deposited onto the grassy hill, her date moving to the front of the car. She was scowling, the easy smile from earlier gone as she banged her fist against the hood of the car.
"Dwalin wasn't kidding. You have the worst luck with cars I've ever seen," remarked Thorin and stopped once she saw Bilbo sitting on the grass, chin in her hands. "It's- it's not that bad. Just a little bad." She sighed, sitting next to her and beginning to pluck pieces of grass from the ground. "At least we're by someone who could help."
Bilbo smoothed out her skirt, hardly noticing she was a little too close to the edge. "Yeah. I should probably call Goldberry and ask if she could tow us."
"Or we can wait a little bit," suggested Thorin and a hint of a smile graced Bilbo's face.
* * *
Thorin wasn't exactly sure how much time passed, but she didn't mind. The meadow was beautiful, though the grass was a little too wet. Rolling hills spread throughout, occasionally dusted with clusters of flowers that were a midnight blue in the night light. The dark sky was dotted with clouds that soon faded to reveal the occasional star. Due to the nearest city's fumes, you could never see the constellations quite clearly, but this was close enough.
Bilbo was looking up at the sky, sprawled out on her back- no doubt getting grass stains on her lovely white outfit- and pointing at the constellations they could make out through the fog. She babbled about the stories, reminding Thorin of the times her mother had taught her stories about Greek heroes and myths after she and Frerin took an interest to them. She nudged Thorin's ribs, directing her attention towards the sky again.
"See that really bright star right there? I'm pretty sure that's Altair. It's apart of Aquila, the Eagle. So when you connect those, it's a bunch of lines that are supposed to form an eagle. A really big eagle."
"Pretty sure, huh?" repeated Thorin, watching as a moth drifted lazily above them. "I don't know about you, but if there was a giant eagle in the sky, I'd want to be more than pretty sure."
"If there was a giant eagle in the sky, there is a hundred percent chance that I'd know," said Bilbo in a mock serious voice. "Trust me, I'm an eagle expert."
"Even though you could barely read the menu without your glasses."
Bilbo sat up, looking at her challengingly. "Don't doubt my skills, Thorin Oakley."
She couldn't keep serious for long and started laughing. Thorin smiled along with her, sitting up. She felt her eyebrows knit together as Bilbo's body became more angled towards her, her brown eyes sneaking glances every so often. It wasn't until her hand slowly went on top of hers that Thorin became nervous.
It seemed to pass in a blur. Bilbo moving closer to her, looking at her for the longest while before beginning to lean in.
So Thorin panicked like anyone else would. Okay, maybe not like anyone else, but how she normally would.
She leaned too far back and felt the damp grass underneath her slip under her legs. She let out a strangled yelp as she tumbled down the hill, faintly hearing Bilbo shout as the world swirled around her. The grass burned her bare skin as she slid down, her neck sore and back aching as she finally landed at the bottom. She spat out grass from her mouth, wiping and smudging the dirt on her face. There were little red lines on her palms from trying to grab the grass, and wrinkled flowers were in her askew hair.
"Thorin! Are you- shit!" Bilbo voice suddenly cried, and she soon landed right next to Thorin, her skirt stained green from sliding on her bum down the hill. Her eyes were wide with concern, her hands lifting Thorin up and holding her shoulder steadily.
Thorin might have laughed at Bilbo's stained clothes, dirty fingernails, and crushed flower crown if she hadn't been so breathless. She just snorted and Bilbo smacked her shoulder chidingly, her small hand bouncing right off.
"Jesus Christ, Thorin! The next time you don't want to kiss me, tell me! I don't want to make you so uncomfortable that you start rolling away in the hopes of escaping."
Bilbo huffed, crossing her arms across her chest and glaring at her. It didn't work much since she highly resembled an angry bunny named Rhosgobel Dis had as a child that was prone to biting.
"I panicked," Thorin said after a pause.
"I can see that," Bilbo said shortly, then sighed. "Sorry. I should've asked you beforehand. When I want to be romantic and spontaneous, it doesn't usually end well."
She let out a sigh of relief. "I think it ended well enough." She hesitated, picking out tufts of grass embedded in Bilbo's bushy curls. "It can keep going, if you want."
Thorin wanted it to keep going, she really did. She couldn't recall a date where she didn't want it to end. Yet here Bilbo was, put out at herself because she had attempted a romantic move without asking first. It made her smile and forget all of the pushy teenage boys who tried kissing her, or get her to kiss another girl at a party.
Taking a deep breath, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Bilbo. Her date froze, not moving a muscle. "This is honestly my highest physical capacity on a date for the moment so I suggest you hug me back."
She laughed as Bilbo practically launched herself at her, over-excited at being able to embrace her. She was tiny, so tiny that Thorin could fit her in her lap if she wished to. But she kept her on the ground, her face buried in her dirty hair until she heard laughter.
"You don't smell like motor oil this time," Bilbo mumbled and pulled apart, an almost dreamy smile on her face.
"Not everyone can smell like flowers," Thorin defended, purposely putting a small amount of scorn on the word. Bilbo just rolled her eyes and adjusted her broken crown of lavender.