I do not own The Hobbit.
I am human, so I happen to make mistakes from time to time, please forgive me that weakness.
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I promise not to flood you with author's notes – I personally hate reading them ;)
He had been observing her for years. The first glance of her rich crimson hair forever staying in his mind. That day she was smiling at someone, while running around the track in her fitness outfit. Her hair was floating in a huge crimson wave behind her. He stood there for what seemed ages and took in the sight.
He would come to the track from time to time to observe her run, she was a keen runner and her schedule was filled with classes and sporting activities. They actually went to two classes together, not that she ever noticed. He always made sure he sat along the wall at the back, it was his favourite invisible spot. He would come in early, take his seat, turn his mp3 to low volume and draw. During those years he drew numerous portraits of her, some simply her but others just a floating mass of crimson hair. His favourite was her wide brown-green eyes surrounded by a mass of red hair. Ever since he posted that one on the wall of his bedroom his brother Fili had been teasing him about the love to a stuck up bitch like her.
She was the Queen of the school, and he was the nothing. She was admired, loathed by many, and he was invisible to all. When he would be alone his heart sometimes ached thinking about his unrequited love. He would dream of her lips, her hair and her smile. He just wished she would smile to him. With time he got used to it. To the longing, to the dissatisfaction and jealousy.
She would walk hand in hand with the most handsome boy in the school. Legolas was a stunning tall blond in the last year, and they were practically inseparable. They came to school in his posh sports car, they would go to lunch together and to most trainings. They were rumoured to be the hottest couple in school, in perfect harmony and love. Both beautiful well dressed, tall, slim and perfect.
He was all she wasn't. He was bad at school, never really paying any attention in class, getting low marks, just enough to pass. He wore practically the same clothes everyday dark jeans and a blue or black t-shirt. His hair was long dark, wavy and always tangled. He didn't drive to school, he usually walked. And he was always alone.
He never made any real friends in school. School was a must. Something his uncle insisted on. The only class he liked was art. He was rather good at sports but he never showed off at school not to get pushed into any team or section. He ignored everyone, but not everyone ignored him. From time to time some dope would tease him, only to get his ass kicked. The teachers didn't really pay attention to him, classifying him long ago as a "lost cause".
His art was something his family teased him about for as long as he could remember. His uncle a prosperous business with an obsession of privacy didn't care much about art. Sure he did hire artists to design new jewellery or catalogues for Erebor Diamonds, but he expected both of his nephews to go into MBA later and not art. For both Fili and Kili, it was insane that such a rich man would pretend to just be an employee in his own company. Erebor Diamonds was making a fortune, but their uncle drove an old Nissan, and they lived in a standard suburban house and wore standard clothes. Thorin Durin was officially the manager of the company he himself owned, and even pretended to send monthly reports to the owner. He only once addressed the problem with a short answer, "It's because of the money that your parents died." And he never elaborated on the topic again.
For Kili it was all the same, he didn't care about money, and observing the one who caught his eye he learned to condemn those who showed off with cash. It was all worthless if there are no feelings in it. It's all pointless if you do it just for show. He sometimes wondered if she was as cold as she seemed to be. If she was really that aloof as everyone thought her to be. He would come to watch her track events, but she never smiled while running anymore. She would look away in the distance. He briefly wondered if she stopped feeling the pleasure of running.
That year his art teacher had provoked him to try playing with photography a bit. So next to a huge collection of portraits hanging in his room, there were numerous photos. His artistic portfolio was growing in size, he had painted many, but some were only sketches. His teacher Mrs. Baggins insisted on doing a huge display on the corridors of the school of a mixture of his paintings, drawings and photos. After days of fighting Belladonna Baggins won the battle, and at the beginning of the second term the whole school was covered with re-prints of his best works. Anonymously of course, while he did not mind them seeing the works, he did mind becoming recognised at the school.
The collection of works chosen by Mrs. Baggins showed the school from his point of view. Many students were portrayed, some doing things they shouldn't be doing at school. Some in cute, funny scenes of everyday school life, like Sam Gamgee asking Rosie for a date for the first time. Or headmaster Denethor yelling and spitting on some poor boy who got into trouble. The display was the talk of the school of weeks, and all students were betting on who is the author or authors. Some even claimed to be the authors of the works, but Mrs. Baggins dismissed them easily.
Every day she would stand in front of her own portrait. It was a photo of her running on the track early in the morning. Her hair was slightly wet because of the morning dew. The sun was illuminating her hair even more than normal, and there was small smile on her lips. The picture was magical, and later she even asked Mrs. Baggins the art teacher if she could take it home after the display was over. She kept wondering who had a chance to take that shot, and when exactly was it taken. If she remembered correctly it must have been taken last spring, just before the warm summer season. Who had been there to watch her run? Especially before school? Most students barely made it on time to school, and few were dedicated like her to get up early to train before lessons.
Legolas saw that picture the first day of the display and his brows crossed. He felt a slight attack of jealousy. The moment captured by the author was too private for his taste, and he felt angry that it was on display for everyone to see. Out of all the people in the world he would protect her no matter what, and what seemed to be an innocent photo in his mind grew into a feeling she was actually being stalked.