Thank you for leaving comments and everything! They push me to continue!
Originally I planned to put up a chapter every single day. That will still be a GOAL, but more realistically, each chapter should come out within two days of each other. Sound good? Great!
Bilbo woke to find he had spent the night on his couch. The sun shined through the blinds, hitting the ground. He tried to recall the night before. The men were taking showers…but he never swapped their clothes into the dryer!
He jumped to the washing room, where of course, he found the clothes becoming sour after sitting overnight. He started over. 'Wait….what are they wearing…?' He peeked into both rooms. It definitely seemed that they were able to find the linen closet, because those who showered wore nothing but towels around their waists.
He silently apologized to them all, leaving to prepare breakfast.
Thorin lay awake on the floor as he listened to Bilbo in the kitchen. 'I should talk to him…this morning…maybe he'll lighten up around me….he seems so tense whenever he looks at me…' He rose, stealthily moving past his nephews and Dwalin, pushing past the door, making his way to the kitchen.
Just as he was about to greet Bilbo with a good morning, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," Thorin said instinctively. Bilbo turned, not realizing he had even been up. "Thank you!" Thorin entered it to reveal Gandalf. "Why, good morning, Thorin! Where are the rest of your companions?"
Thorin looked to the ground muttering, "Asleep…" He was quite miffed that he was interrupted before he could even get a word in with Bilbo. He kept the urge to tell the man of his displeasure down, but he did give him a stern look.
Bilbo stepped in, noticing how tense Thorin looked. "Is something wrong?" Gandalf smiled at him, finally walking into the house, shutting the door behind him. "I've come for today's round of men." Bilbo looked surprised. "Can they not eat first? Besides, who are you taking?" The old man peered into the rooms before answering, "I guess…today I will be taking….Bofur, Fili, Kili, Dwalin, and…."
He suddenly noticed the look Thorin was giving him. "And Thorin, of course." The look grew fiercer, and Bilbo could feel the anger radiating from him. "Um…alright." He went back to making breakfast when the dryer signaled that the clothes were dry. "Could either of you give everyone their clothes? I feel so bad for not continuing the wash from last night. They must have gone to bed cold…"
Throin had already walked off, leaving Gandalf to follow. "Now what was that face you were giving me?" Thorin slammed the lid of the dryer angrily, making his rage apparent to him. "I was going to use today to get to know him better. He seems way too…welcoming of us all…I don't particularly like him, but since I have to deal with living here for the next week or two, I'd rather we be on better terms…"
"In which case, today will be good for you. Think about what you're going to say before you say it." Thorin's rage flared once more, harshly whispering, "I don't know him well enough to plan out what to say!" Gandalf hummed to himself. "Then it sounds like you should talk to him…" Thorin grabbed Fili, Kili, and Dwalin's clothes, tossing the rest into the left room. Many woke up and grumbled, but Thorin could care less, slamming the door shut before doing the same to the room on the right.
Gandalf chuckled at his displayed anger. Always one to let it take over….
Thorin came back to Bilbo, refusing to look at him as he set the table. Bilbo was about to turn from the counter to tell him to be gentler with his plates, but remembering how he looked ready to attack Gandalf, he kept quiet.
Twelve complaining, sleepy men finally found their way to the table as Bilbo and Throin set everything out. "Bofur, Fili, Kili, Dwalin, I'm taking you, along with Thorin today. So hurry up and eat! I will not wait for long!" Kili whispered to Fili, "What's he going to do? Leave without us?" The two giggled until they felt the old man's piercing stare on them, to which they slunk back in their seats.
"Are you not going to eat? I'm sure you'll be working hard today." Thorin, who was still upset with having to leave, looked up at Bilbo. He had an almost frightened look on his face. Thorin realized he had not ceased his glare toward Gandalf, choosing now to relax his face. "No, I'll be fine." A million thoughts ran through his mind consisting of, 'Crap! Does he think I hate him? Maybe he's going to try and avoid me now! Why is Gandalf doing this to me!?'
Bilbo thought nearly the same. 'Why is Gandalf putting me through this? I don't think Thorin is very fond of me. And that anger…I don't want to be on his bad side…Is he mad at me?'
Those who were to accompany Gandalf today quickly ate and left. Thorin was in such a huff. Bilbo wondered what went through the captivating man's mind. His face mainly remained expressionless, and his bright blue eyes held something quite bizarre. He could feel how troubled he was, and he wished to confront him about it, but something put him off. Mostly he kept his distance in fear of being tossed across a room, because he had forearms almost the size of his head and was sure he could easily hurl him at a wall.
The house was so quiet without the brothers and Bofur, but he also felt kind of sad at the lack of Thorin's calming presence. For some reason being near him gave Bilbo such chills…but they really calmed his nerves. The man's deep voice was forever playing in his memory. Eventually he dozed off once more, having yet another "uncomfortable" dream of him. He appeared in every dream he's had since they arrived, and Bilbo was starting to question it. No matter how uncomfortable he told himself these dreams were, he couldn't help but think about them in his consciousness.
Thorin yelled at his nephews as they almost dropped a large dresser and mirror. He couldn't take much more of them after that morning. He did try to think about what to say to Bilbo. Any way he looked at it, it was going to start off cruelly awkward. 'Sorry I've been distant, but thanks for letting us stay at your house? That's so blunt…that's also not a great way to start a conversation…Maybe I'll make dinner with him tonight…Yeah…I guess that would be the best…'
Gandalf eyed him suspiciously all day. As Thorin assumed, he was sitting in a lawn chair watching them all work. What was the point of him even being there but to piss him off once more? Gandalf stood, approaching him. 'You going for round two you fuc-'"What is it?" Thorin managed to growl out. The old man looked unimpressed. "Why are you so keen on getting to know him? Sure he's a strange man, but he truly is easy to figure out."
'Is he trying to make me sound like an idiot?' "Am I not allowed to know the man, who's house I've been staying in for the past couple days, personally? You're being very skeptical today, even for you…" Kili wailed. "Uncle! He dropped it on my foot!" "You're the one who let go!" Thorin shot one more look up at Gandalf before tending to his nephews. 'Well Thorin…normally you aren't the one to wish to get to know someone…and the amount of rage you built up toward me getting in the way of that has interested me very much…"
Bilbo awoke with a start as the front door slammed shut. It was a wonder his door was not broken by now. When he saw that it was Thorin, Bofur, Dwalin, and the brothers who returned he instantly jumped to his feet. Dinner wasn't going!
He rushed to get pots and pans out, digging through the fridge and pantry deciding on what they would eat that night. He almost had a heart attack when a hand was laid on his shoulder. His head shot up, hitting the cupboard above. He held his head, taking a step back into someone. He twirled around to come face to face with Thorin. "I'm sorry…I didn't think you would have an episode…" His mind yelled at him about what a poor job he had done of trying to introduce him once more.
"No, no don't worry, I tend to be a bit jumpy. I fell asleep and never started dinner." He slowly wondered if he should ask if the man wanted to help him cook, but he seemed quite eager as he turned on the stove tops placing meats and such in the pots and pans. 'Glad I didn't have to ask.'
The two cooked in silence all the while Thorin kept pushing himself to speak up. But dinner was ready, and everyone piled into the kitchen. 'Later then….'
He lay awake in bed contemplating why it was hard for any words to come out earlier. And why was Gandalf being such a prick? A faint light passed over his face, and he turned to see what it was. He heard a gasp from the doorway. "I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Thorin smoothly replied, "No, I've been awake."
Suddenly he entered the room, kneeling down next to him. "Is something wrong?" Thorin began to lose it. 'What is he doing…?' "No, nothing at all. Have a good night." With that, he stood and left the room. As the door clicked shut, Thorin let out a sigh. He heard a giggling from right next to him. He gave Kili a glare, and he played possum. 'Whatever…I'll pay it no mind…'
Then it occurred to him….
Does he stare at him every night….?
Thorin slept in the fetal position letting his mind wander to the man who housed them. He had many strange dreams of his own that night.