Work Text:
The sounds of the firehouse had Bilbo staring apprehensively in. It sounded quite loud and out of her depth. She’d only remembered Thorin and Bofur from the fire a few days ago. She knew there were a few others on Thorin’s team, but the woman hadn’t told her much about her fellow teammates. What were they like? Thorin seemed nice enough, she could trust Bofur, but she’d been anxious about being around other people for years.
After a deep breath, she tightened her fingers on the covered plate and stepped inside the firehouse.
It was not as chaotic as she’d thought it was.
Her eyes worked around the room quickly. There were a couple of women sitting or standing, talking to each other. Bilbo didn’t see Thorin anywhere, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t there.
The first person in front of her was a much taller, muscular woman with what looked like an astounding amount of tattoos. She had her sleeves rolled up and Bilbo could see tattoos peeking out from under them. Not the friendliest looking sort, but she was the nearest.
Bilbo cleared her throat, steeling her nerves, and put on her brightest smile.
“Hello!”
The woman stared at her, then looked at the covered plate.
“What’s that?”
“Oh, um,” Bilbo smiled and took the cloth off, showing her the cookies. “I wanted to thank you all.”
Something changed instantly in the demeanor of the woman at the sight of the sweets. “Are those cookies?”
“Yes, you can- ah.”
She smiled awkwardly as the firefighter grabbed a couple cookies. She eyed Bilbo for a moment. “Why’re you thankin’ us?”
Before Bilbo could answer, Bofur came around the corner and she let out a breath of relief at the sight of the only other firefighter she knew at all. Bofur’s face brightened at the sight of Bilbo and immediately Bilbo found the other’s arm around her shoulders.
“Look at you! Like you didn’t get caught in a fire a couple a days ago!”
She noticed the pronouns button a second later and smiled. Bofur’s arm tightened slightly as she grabbed a cookie off the plate.
“This is sweet of you. Oh, and this is Dwalin. She likes cookies more than anyone I’ve ever met,” chuckled Bofur before shoving the cookie into her mouth. Bilbo grimaced slightly.
“Where’s Thorin? I was hoping to thank her…”
“Oh, mm, she’s off,” Bofur said around the cookie. “These are really good.”
Bilbo sighed, looking down at the cookies in disappointment. She’d really hoped to see Thorin today. Without the café, she had no way of seeing the woman and her only contact was texts. Bofur patted her arm reassuringly.
“I can’t promise we’ll save her any cookies. The rest of the girls will probably also eat them.”
“No, no, don’t worry about that,” she said quickly and then the plate disappeared out of her hands. Bilbo watched in surprise as Dwalin strode off with it.
“Save some for the others, you barbarian!” Bofur yelled before turning her smile on Bilbo. “I’ll tell Thorin you stopped by when she comes in tomorrow morning.”
“Thanks,” she replied and then shrugged Bofur’s arm off her shoulders. The other woman smiled in apology. “I think I should probably go. I’m sorting out everything with my cousins right now.”
Bilbo glanced away and startled at the soft pat on her arm.
“I’m really sorry we couldn’t save the place. But at least you have a home to go back to, right?”
She sighed and then nodded, waving goodbye before walking as quickly as she could out of the firehouse. Everyone reacted with pity and she found it frustrating.
If you asked Bilbo how it happened, she honestly wouldn’t know how this had happened. Don’t get her wrong, Bilbo Baggins was absolutely ecstatic.
She was going on a date with Thorin. She had a lunch date with Thorin.
Behind her, Primula lazed on the bed. Bilbo had been staying with her the last few weeks until everything with her house and other properties were sorted out. It was a hassle, especially since Primula no longer had a job.
Bilbo repeatedly promised she would find a new space for lease and start up the café as soon as possible but her young cousin waved her off.
The summer heat had the younger girl fanning herself while she watched Bilbo pace back and forth in front of the mirror.
“I think you look really nice! Thorin is lucky. She probably won’t be able to stop staring at you.”
“Prim,” grumbled Bilbo, looking in the mirror again. She thought she didn’t look right, in the summery dress. It was too short, surely it made certain parts of her figure too obvious. But Primula jumped up and stood next to her.
“I’m not saying it to make you feel better, Bilbo. I am telling you what I always think about you! Drogo would agree. C’mon, you wait any longer and you’re going to be late.”
“It’s not until noon…”
“Mhmm, and you’ll be staring at the mirror until then if I don’t get you out of this room now.”
Primula hooked her arm through Bilbo’s and dragged her older cousin downstairs. Drogo glanced up from where he sat at the table. He stared at Bilbo, his eyes widening in surprise. Bilbo tried to turn up the stairs but her cousin manhandled her the rest of the way down.
“Wow,” Drogo said. “Bilbo, you look amazing.”
“You don’t need to-”
“Oh, stop,” Primula said sharply. “Bilbo Baggins, honestly. You have a date, stop acting like your date isn’t going to find you just as pretty as always.”
Bilbo opened her mouth in protest.
“I mean, her opinion isn’t going to magically change,” pointed out Drogo, “she was always staring you down in the café.”
“Fine, fine,” huffed Bilbo in embarrassment. “I’m going!”
Her cousins shared a grin that she caught as she left.
Thorin looked at her phone again. She kept trying to tell herself that maybe it was fast or that not everyone showed up exactly on time.
But she also worried that Bilbo had forgotten or decided she didn’t want a date with Thorin after all. She shuffled anxiously outside the small diner. Personally, she’d thought it would have been a good first date. Bombur’s wife ran the place and Thorin desperately wanted Bilbo impressed.
Her eyes moved back to her phone only for them to snap up at the sound of feet quickly moving across the cement towards her. Bilbo looked out of breath as she came to a stop in front of Thorin. Once she caught her breath, she offered Thorin a nervous smile.
“I am so sorry I’m late.”
“Is everything alright?” Thorin pocketed her phone, sliding her hands into her pockets as she looked the other woman over.
Bilbo looked gorgeous, dressed in a simple summer dress. She hadn’t been sure how to dress and had opted for capris and a cut-off shirt. Where Thorin’s hair had been pulled back into a ponytail, Bilbo’s bounced freely at her shoulders. This was the first time she had seen the woman with bared shoulders and they were splashed with freckles.
“It’s.. it’s fine,” she said, forcing her smile. “Just some trouble with the house and all that.”
“Trouble?” Thorin furrowed her brows.
“Ah, well, yes, I’m not quite moved into Bag End…”
“I thought you were! Where have you been staying?”
“My cousins, you know, the ones that worked for me. Look, it was a spot of legal trouble but it’s pretty much sorted now. I just had a call that the movers are coming today, when they’re supposed to be coming tomorrow.”
“What?” Thorin frowned. “When?”
“Well, ah, soon? But we have a date! I didn’t want to miss it.”
Thorin shook her head quickly.
“Don’t you have to be there when the movers come?”
“I am,” said Bilbo, quietly, “or my cousins, the nasty ones I’ve been telling you about, they could claim all of that furniture.”
“Then what are we doing here?”
“But our date-”
“Bilbo,” Thorin said calmly, “what kind of date would I be if I made you have lunch with me when there’s the possibility you might lose your belongings?”
After a moment, Bilbo smiled shyly. A soft blush had graced her cheeks and Thorin found herself studying one of the signs to their left for a moment. Goodness, she couldn’t handle herself around Bilbo. She startled when the other woman took her hand but then they were walking in the direction of Bilbo’s home. They made it a few minutes before the movers.
Thorin quickly discovered that relief on Bilbo’s face was one of her favorite things.
“I feel so silly,” Bilbo gushed as she watched Thorin set down the last chair. They both waved the movers goodbye. “I mean, I didn’t really think our first date would be you helping me move into my house.”
“I don’t mind,” Thorin said, looking at her hands. “I just want to spend time with you.”
“Oh,” Bilbo said softly and when Thorin glanced up, her face was dusted red. “Well. I think I can whip us up something for a late lunch, early dinner? What do you say?”
“I’d like that.”
Dinner, Thorin thought, would probably be a quiet affair. She quickly learned, though, that Bilbo liked talking and eating. Maybe only in combination.
The woman across from her grinned at Thorin, leaning against her hand.
“So, I want to know something.”
“Hm?” She glanced up, swallowing a mouthful of pasta.
“When I was in the firehouse the other day, I heard the girls refer to you as Oakenshield. What’s that about?”
“Oh,” Thorin groaned and set down her fork, feeling her face heat up. “It’s, it’s just a nickname.”
“There’s a story, then.”
Bilbo looked far too expectant and also far too cute. Thorin bit her lip and then gave in instantly.
“Look, Bofur started it. I saved a kitten from a tree. Once, I did that once! And they started calling me that. It just caught on. It’s dumb.” She found the pattern on Bilbo’s tablecloth extremely interesting.
“You saved a kitten? I’m pretty sure that’s the most cliché firefighter thing in the world.” Bilbo giggled. “Well, I like it.”
Thorin flushed, playing with her fork. “I guess it’s not too bad.”
“Oh, dear, what time is it?” Bilbo stood up, disappearing into the kitchen before coming back with an apologetic look. “I had a nice time today, Thorin, but I have to get up early tomorrow and look around for a space to lease.”
“Oh, of course,” she said and stood up, walking to the door. Bilbo followed her with a soft smile. “I will see you again.”
“Absolutely,” Bilbo beamed as Thorin opened the door.
The smile on her face made Thorin’s stomach flutter. She stepped down the first step and found herself almost at perfect height with Bilbo. The butterflies in her stomach picked up as Bilbo smiled back at her. She cursed herself the moment she leaned in and Bilbo shied away.
“I’m sorry,” Thorin stuttered immediately, feeling shame bubble in her stomach. Idiot.
“Oh no,” said Bilbo, touching Thorin’s arm gently. “I promise you, it’s not you, it really is me. I mean that. I like you, Thorin. I really like you.”
Thorin looked at her, searching Bilbo’s eyes. There was nothing there but the truth.
“Too soon?”
“Maybe,” Bilbo smiled apologetically. “There is… there’s something I need to talk about with you but it’s.. it’s pretty big. Next time, when we have more time.”
“Right, yes,” Thorin managed, swallowing around the lump in her throat. “Um… I’ll text you?”
“Okay,” Bilbo said, squeezing Thorin’s arm. Her smile was genuine and then she closed the door with a soft hush.
The entire walk back to her place had Thorin kicking herself mentally and wondering if she could fix her mistake.