Chapter Text
Wednesday 11th February
Thorin wasn't a romantic. Not in the traditional sense. Dramatic declarations of love, public displays of affection, showers of gifts, they were all beyond him. He preferred a small, heartfelt token, something meaningful, an exchange of mutual understanding between two lovers. The rest of the world didn't have to know, as long as the people involved knew the extent of how much they were adored.
There were only a few special occasions for which Thorin would decorate his shop. Valentine's Day was not one of them. Sure, he'd stock up on more roses for the so-called holiday, but his shop had been there for a long time, people knew his opinion of the day. It could be taken as cynical or refreshing, either way, he didn't care. It was his damned shop and he could do what he liked with it.
This year, however, might be a little bit different. Thorin had been stood staring at the window of Bilbo's tattoo parlour for a good 15 minutes or so. He never realised that such an establishment could benefit from this particular celebration. The carefully painted mural on the glass begged to differ. It didn't take up the whole window, just a couple of vines bordering the glass, flowers, roses mostly, sprouted between the leaves. Clearly a joint effort from Bilbo and Ori, the two very different styles of art were apparent, and while they should have been at odds, they worked very well together.
Thorin wasn't the only one to have stopped and stared. Other people, obviously in a rush to be elsewhere, faltered as they passed the shop, some even took pictures. Looking through the glass, he could see BIlbo sat at the desk sketching away, his golden hair pulled away from his face by one of those silly head bands he wore when he was working, his brow creased in concentration.
Bilbo glanced up from his sketch book, his eyes immediately found Thorin's, he smiled. A soft smile, not one of those cheeky little smirks he like to throw Thorin's way. Then, as if he had suddenly remembered something, Bilbo scrambled away from the table and into the back room, leaving Thorin grinning like an idiot at an empty shop front.
Thursday 12th February
The man was... infuriating to say the least. He was feisty and adorable, a soft soul with a skin of iron. Thorin knew Bilbo had to work extremely hard to get to where he was, and that he wouldn't give it up for anything. The quick thinking and ruthlessness from climbing the ladder in the industry had seeped into other areas of his life, but he we was still endlessly thoughtful and caring.
Yes, there were many words Thorin could use to describe his beloved Bilbo, but the one he would use at the moment was 'goof'. Thorin watched him from inside his own shop, his hands busy weaving flower stems together, something he could do in his sleep.
Bilbo was crouched in the window of the tattoo parlour, his fringe kept out of his face by yet another obnoxiously coloured hair grip, tongue stuck out in concentration as he added something small to the mural. It didn't take long, once Bilbo was satisfied with his work he stood back and yelled over his shoulder. Thorin saw Ori come over and look at the new addition, he said something, they both laughed then looked up at Thorin. Ori laughed again and went back to whatever he was doing. Bilbo just smiled ever so sweetly before he too disappeared.
-
Later that day, Thorin closed his shop and wandered over the road to inspect the latest addition to the mural. An acorn sat alone in the centre at the bottom of the window, although beautifully painted, it seemed a strange thing to add. With a shrug, Thorin straightened and entered the parlour. Ori was sat at the desk staring intently at the computer screen.
"Sorry, no walk in appointments today." Ori stated without looking up.
"I wasn't after one." Said Thorin.
"Oh, Thorin, it's only you!" Ori laughed and pushed himself away from the desk.
"Only me?" Thorin asked with a grin.
"Sorry!"Ori laughed again and held his hands up in mock surrender. "I take it you're looking for Bilbo?"
Thorin nodded.
"Popped out for lunch, I'm afraid."
"And popped right back!" Bilbo announced from the door way, he looked flustered and out of breath and held a couple of heavy looking bags in each hand. "Give us a hand, would you?"
Ori made to get up from his chair, but Thorin waved him away and went to take the bags from Bilbo. He grunted slightly when he bore their full weight, but suffered it willingly when Bilbo smiled gratefully. Thorin raised his eyebrows, a silent question as to where the bags were to go.
"In the back room."
Thorin couldn't understand how groceries could be so heavy, of course, he never really bought in bulk and the amount of provisions Bilbo had bought would feed a family of four for over a weeks. Maybe he had company. Throin shrugged and went back into the main room of the shop.
Ori and Bilbo were in the middle of an intense looking conversation, but they stopped talking and looked at Thorin as soon as he entered the room. It made him wary and he halted halfway through the doorway.
"What is it?" He asked cautiously.
Bilbo opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before he started."Nothi-" He hissed when Ori elbowed him the ribs and gave him a look. Bilbo licked his lips nervously and stared at a point somewhere over Thorin's left shoulder. "I was wondering if you had any plans on Saturday."
Friday 13th February
Thorin had closed the shop for the morning so he could work through the list of orders people had placed for Valentine's day. Bouquets of roses and lillies, heart shaped arrangements of baby's breath and carnations. It shouldn't have taken him too long, but Bilbo had taken also taken the morning off and decided to spend it keeping him company.
"So," Bilbo started, fingers drumming on the counter in the flower shop, "I was wondering why you, a florist, haven't done anything for Valentine's Day, surely a nice display would be good for business?"
Thorin glanced up and grunted around the rose he held between his teeth while his hands were busy arranging the bouquet in front of him. Bilbo tilted his head and plucked the stem out of his mouth and tapped him on the head. He smirked when Thorin frowned.
"I just... don't believe in it, I guess." Thorin explained with a shrug.
"You don't believe in Valentine's Day?" Bilbo's eyebrows arched.
"No, I don't believe in the whole grand gesture on a set day thing."
"Huh." Bilbo brought the flower closer to his face and tapped the soft petals against his lips while he thought.
The faraway look coupled with the petals dancing across those damned lips was too much for Thorin, he snatched the rose out of Bilbo's grasp and stuck it rather unceremoniously in the centre of the bouquet. Bilbo just looked at him and let out a single huff of laughter.
With a roll of his eyes, Thorin immediately pulled the obviously out of place rose out of the bouquet. The stem had snapped, far too short for him to have any use for. He glanced at Bilbo, then back at the flower. Barely even thinking about it, Thorin clipped the broken part of the stem off and handed the rose back to Bilbo.
Thorin steadily worked through his orders, bouquets and arrangements lined up on the counter, he soon ran out of space and had to put some in the window display. Bilbo chattered away about this and that and time passed. They shared a small lunch before Thorin had to open up the shop.
On his way out Bilbo turned in the doorway and asked "How would you do it, then?"
"How would I do what?"
"Love."
Thorin thought about the question before he answered, it was difficult for him to share these sorts of feelings. "Small reminders." He said with a smile. "Little and often."
-
It was a busy afternoon, but in-between customers Thorin glanced out of his window to look at that of the tattoo parlour. Bilbo had spent more time on it. A young oak sapling had grown out of the acorn he painted yesterday and more flowers were dotted along the lengths of the vines. It was very good, Thorin couldn't help but admire the skill of the artists.
A few of his customers had commented on it, even more still had complimented his own impromptu display. Thorin had given up trying to explain he was just using the window space as storage, partly because he was so bored of hearing himself say it, but also because he planned on making an actual Valentine display.
Business was up, the till was full and, Thorin couldn't lie to himself, the gushing compliments boosted his ego to no end. So when the time came to close up for the day, he sat behind the counter well into the evening to make more decorations for the window. He jumped when there was a loud knock at the door.
"Closed!" Thorin called out.
The door opened anyway. "Aye, but not for me." Dwalin said as he strode into the shop accompanied by the smell of chips.
"What're you doing here?" Thorin set the arrangement he was currently working on down on the counter.
Dwalin shrugged and plonked a folded paper package of chips in front of him. "Could ask you the same thing." He looked around at the various arrangements and bouquets. "What the hell are all these? Orders?"
"They're for my display." Thorin admitted quietly.
"Display?" Dwalin spluttered, almost choking on the food in his mouth. "As in 'Valentine' display?"
Thorin nodded, knowing exactly what would follow. Laughter. He rolled his eyes and muttered 'shut up', but that just caused Dwalin to laugh even harder.
Saturday 14th February
Midday. Thorin just had to last until midday, when he could close the shop for the rest of the weekend and relax. Most of the pre-ordered stuff had been collected, but the window display had attracted hopeful, last minute customers wanting a spectacular array of flowers to impress their beau.
The second the clock ticked over the 12 o'clock, he leaped off the stool behind the counter and flipped the sign on the door. Thorin let out a loud sigh and went about clearing up, he topped up the water in all of the flowerpots, brought his external displays into the shop and he was done. Thorin locked the door and was about to go over to the tattoo parlour and wait for Bilbo, but he stopped and found himself staring at the window of the parlour once again.
How he didn't notice it before was beyond him. Words were currently beyond him. Everything was beyond him. So he settled for staring. It seemed the best thing to do. There, in the window, what had started off as a small acorn, had been transformed into a sapling yesterday, was now a great oak tree. Perfectly painted, with thick branches spanning the length of the window.
Thorin looked closer, at the trunk of the tree, carved into the wood were two sets of initials, 'B.B. + T.D.', surrounded with a heart pierced by an arrow, and the words 'Be Mine' underneath. All he was really aware of at the moment was the buzzing sound that filled his head.
And then Bilbo was in front of him, leaning against the desk, the rose from yesterday tucked behind his ear. Thorin didn't remember crossing the road or going into the shop. He did remember Bilbo's gentle laughter, his declaration of 'I don't really do small'. Thorin most definitely remembered running his fingers through Bilbo's soft curls, cupping his cheek as he drew Bilbo in for a long overdue kiss.