The Miracle of Love
Chapter 13
"E arriverà il sapore del bacio più dolce e un abbraccio che ti scalderà…"
"And it will come, the taste of the sweetest kiss and an embrace that will warm you…"
Kíli stood there for a moment, unsure what to think. Thorin just lied to them, that much was obvious, but then why was Bilbo lying on top of him? Something must have happened and Kíli was determined to find out. He left Fíli and Thorin in the living room, and decided to find Bilbo. It wasn't very hard to find him, because, as expected, Bilbo was it the kitchen, going through the fridge pretending that nothing happened.
"Bilbo," greeted Kíli as he entered the kitchen.
"Oh, Kíli. I didn't see you enter." Bilbo did his best to sound surprised to find out that Kíli followed him, but he knew he failed miserably. "Would you like something to eat?"
"No I'm fine," answered Kíli. "Listen, I wanted to ask you something-"
"I'm so sorry Kíli, but I'm very busy today," interrupted Bilbo.
"Sure you are," snorted Kíli. He watched Bilbo avoid him for another few minutes by going through the kitchen cabinets, pretending that he was searching for something, before he spoke again: "What happened in the living room with my brother?" Bilbo turned around and eyed him, but when he opened his mouth to say something Kíli added: "Don't even try to say 'nothing'. I know what I saw."
Bilbo slowly leaned back on the counter before he answered. "I was feeling dizzy and Thorin caught me before I would faint." He knew there was little chance that Kíli would buy his lie.
"Mr. Gandalf was right," started Kíli. "You are a terrible liar. Why is it so difficult for you to tell me what happened?"
"Because he wants me to admit I like him!" Bilbo said louder than he would want to. Anger and frustration could be heard in his tone, but it was just a cover to conceal how he truly felt.
"And do you?"
"Do I what?" asked Bilbo.
"Like him," clarified Kíli.
"Of course not," scoffed Bilbo.
Kíli's smiled grew even wider. "You, Master Baggins, are a terrible liar." Kíli smiled and exited the kitchen.
"No… that's… it's not…" Bilbo lost his words. "I'm telling you the truth," he shouted after him, "I swear." He sighed. "I don't like him," he repeated quietly. I really don't.
In the meantime, Fíli was having almost the same conversation with Thorin.
"So," started Fíli, "What were you two doing when we walked in?"
"I already told you," sighed Thorin, "Nothing." He was very annoyed that he had to repeat everything.
"He was lying on top of you," pointed out Fíli.
"Why can't you leave me alone?" asked Thorin, annoyed by this interrogation.
"Because there is obviously something between the two of you," explained Fíli. "I know what I witnessed Saturday morning and I can tell you that this wasn't much different."
"Leave me alone," growled Thorin.
"Tell me what happened," insisted Fíli.
"Leave me alone!" repeated Thorin, stood up, threw the remote back on the couch and left the room. As Thorin left Kíli walked into the room.
"What got him so upset?"
"I asked too many questions," explained Fíli.
"And? Did he tell you anything?"
Fíli just shook his head. "You? Did you talk to Bilbo?"
"Yes," said Kíli and sat down next to his brother. "He tried to sell me a story that no one would believe. Something about him feeling dizzy and almost fainting and Thorin being a gentleman. Like I said, no one would believe him."
"You know, this is not the first time I caught them like this," said Fíli.
"Really?" Kíli was generally surprised. "What else do you know?"
"On Saturday morning I saw them together in the center of the living room. I'm sure that they would have kissed if I wouldn't interrupt them."
"Are you serious?" asked Kíli who couldn't believe what Fíli was telling him. "They would probably kiss today if we wouldn't interrupt them."
"Probably," agreed Fíli.
"A few minutes ago I asked Bilbo if he likes Thorin."
"And?" Fíli wanted to know more.
"He doesn't know how to lie."
"I cannot believe this. Someone actually likes Thorin. No, this is not happening," laughed Fíli. "The end is coming." The both started laughing. "So what are we going to do?"
"Absolutely nothing," answered Kíli. Fíli couldn't believe what he was hearing. His brother always wanted to intervene, but now he didn't want to. Something was seriously wrong in the world. "The best thing to do now is nothing. If we do something they will know and they will ignore each other even more. At this point they are both in denial and because of that they will do their best to irritate each other. When the time is right we will intervene, but for now we have to let them release their frustration and anger that came with these new feelings they are experiencing."
Fíli started at Kíli with disbelief. "When did you get so smart?"
"Please," scoffed Kíli. "Don't forget who you are talking too. I'm the smart one around here."
Fíli couldn't help but laugh. "Just because Bilbo helped you get a good grade at history that doesn't mean you are the smartest one in the house."
"You didn't get a good grade," Kíli pointed out.
"That's because I didn't have Bilbo to help me. But you will see, next time it's my turn and you will see who is really smart around here." Kíli just shook his head and they both started laughing.
:::
Later in the day Bilbo was having difficulty concentrating on anything. He spent twice as much time doing his homework because he kept thinking about Thorin. Frodo was right, he was daydreaming about Thorin. To be precise, he was dreaming about kissing Thorin. It was so difficult to focus on anything else when he craved for Thorin's touch. He will deny it, but he rather enjoyed Thorin's hands on him even if they were on some inappropriate places. And there was Saturday and their dance, and their kiss.
Well, almost kiss. We didn't kiss and I would never kiss him. Nope, never. Denial! I'm arguing with myself, great. I just reached a new level of crazy. You would totally go for it. No! I wouldn't. Yes you would. Stop telling me what I would do. I had the chance and I didn't kiss him. More like: I had a chance and I didn't take it. Don't be such a smart-ass. I am you. We are both very smart. True. And we both like Thorin. True… No! That's not true. Denial. Arghhh, just stop talking.
Bilbo put down the book he was trying to read. It was pointless anyway. The only thing that would make him feel better was Thorin. But sadly, Bilbo was too proud to go talk to Thorin, even like a friend. He had only one choice left. He needed to get Thorin out of his head as soon as possible. He got up and headed downstairs because he needed to clear his head and a short walk should do the trick.
He needed to use the bathroom first, but he was too lazy to go back upstairs. He wasn't planning on doing anything until Nola gave him a wonderful idea.
He entered the bathroom as Nola exited, holding an empty laundry basket. "Don't touch the washing machine. It's already prepared and I just need to get another shirt from Thorin before I will turn it on."
"Another shirt?" questioned Bilbo.
"Yes today I'm washing his favorite white shirts and I forgot one. They need to be washed with delicacy otherwise a get a speech from him."
Bilbo nodded. "I won't do anything." He closed the door and for some strange reason he found himself staring at the washing machine. He felt an urgent need to do something really stupid and it was so hard to resist. Thorin got him suspended from his favorite place in the school so he had to pay him back somehow. He quickly checked if Nola was around before he pulled one of his red socks off and threw it in the washing machine. He was deciding to throw the other one in, but that would make it too obvious. He closed the washing machine the last second before Nola walked in.
"Everything alright?" she asked him.
"Yap," smiled Bilbo before he fled the bathroom, his walk to clear his mind completely forgotten. Revenge is a dish best served cold, or better said: revenge is best served in a form of colored laundry. He ran up to his room and buried himself in the books. He would need to wait at least two hours before the results would be seen.
Two and a half hours later Nola went to check the laundry. By now it should be washed and dried so the only thing that she would need to do was fold it and take it up to Thorin.
She couldn't believe her eyes when she pulled the clothes out. Thorin's white shirts, pants and underwear were colored in light-red. No, this couldn't be happening, she thought. She checked everything before she put it in and she was sure that she would have notice a red sock that was now between the clothes. She folded everything neatly, put it in a basket, swallowed hard and went to Thorin's room.
"Thorin," she knocked on the door.
"Come in."
"I'm sorry to disturb you, but I need to tell you something."
Thorin's eyes widened when he saw his favorite shirts colored in light red. "What happened," he cried.
"I put your clothes into a washing machine like always and I swear that I checked everything, but I missed this sock." Nola showed the sock to Thorin and he immediately knew who was behind all of this. "I'm so sorry Thorin. I really am. I know this are you favorite shirts and I will-"
"You don't need to apologize," interrupted Thorin and took the basket from her. "Accidents happen." He looked at his clothes and he could feel anger building up in him. "Besides, it's just clothes. Nothing that can't be replaced." Nola apologized again and left the room. Thorin stared at the sock for a moment before he decided that he wanted to speak with a certain someone who was very fond of wearing red socks.
He entered Bilbo's bedroom without knocking. "Hey, don't you know how to…" he trailed off when Thorin threw him the sock.
"I believe this is yours." It took Bilbo almost a minute before he collected himself after the initial shock. He didn't expect that Thorin would be so calm about it. Bilbo shook his head and stared at Thorin. "So you are saying this is not yours?"
"It's mine," confirmed Bilbo.
"Nice," said Thorin nonchalantly. "Thank you."
He was about to leave but Bilbo stopped him. "That's it? You have nothing else to say to me?"
Thorin eyed him for a second. "It must have been an accident," he said as calmly as he could. "That's the only reason why you are wearing only one sock isn't it?" Bilbo's eyes widened. He completely forgot about that detail. "You won't say anything?" Bilbo remained silent and Thorin dropped his calm mask. "Since you enjoyed so much ruining my clothes let me tell you this: this means war, no rules, just you and me."
"This is all your fault!" accused Bilbo.
Thorin stepped closer and Bilbo took a cautionary step back. "Let me remind you that it was you who started this."
Bilbo groaned. "You and your build up frustration. Can't you find someone else to torture?"
"I chose you, darling." Thorin smirked and headed for the doors. "I would be worried if I were you," warned Thorin before he left.
Bilbo had to admit that he was a little worried about Thorin's words, but if it is a war that Thorin wants it's a war he will get.
:::
The next morning Bilbo woke up a little later than he normally would. He got dressed as quickly as possible and hurried downstairs to the kitchen where he was planning to have breakfast with Fíli and Kíli. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Thorin sitting with them.
"Morning," greeted Thorin and Bilbo shivered at the smile Thorin sent him. He didn't say anything he just sat down and started eating his breakfast. He didn't dare to look up from his plate because he knew that Thorin was watching his every move. Fíli and Kíli found their behaviour strange, but they didn't say anything, it was more fun to watch them anyway. After a couple of minutes Thorin took a glass and filled it. "Juice," he offered to Bilbo, who finally looked up.
Bilbo nodded and accepted the glass. He was about to take a sip, but stopped at the last second. "No, thank you," he said, stood up and emptied his glass in the sink. Fíli and Kíli were looking at him like he lost his mind. "I'm not stupid you know." He opened the fridge and poured some juice in his glass. Thorin was watching his every move with a small smile on his lips. Bilbo took a sip, but the very next second spit everything out over himself. The boys started laughing. "What's wrong with this juice?"
"I would say that someone made a mistake and added salt instead of sugar," explained Thorin while he watched Bilbo try to clean his shirt. "It tastes a little different," continued to tease Thorin. Just to prove Bilbo that he won this round he poured some juice for himself from the same jug that he previously filled Bilbo's glass. "This, on the other hand, is perfect." Fíli and Kíli couldn't stop laughing. "Let's go," ordered Thorin and left the kitchen with a smile on his lips.
"What happened?" asked Nola when she came into the kitchen a couple of minutes after the boys left.
"I accidentally spilled the juice all over me," explained Bilbo.
"Don't worry about it. Go change quickly, or you'll be late for school. I'll clean this up."
Bilbo nodded and hurried upstairs to change. He had to admit that Thorin played him rather nicely. This was a war and that bastard seemed to be enjoying the game a little too much. Thorin was winning, but not for long because Bilbo had a few good ideas how to annoy him.
:::
It was in the middle of the night when Bilbo woke up with a mission. He knew he had to be quiet when he entered Thorin's bedroom. It was dark so he didn't see much, but you didn't have to be a genius to find Thorin's phone on his desk. He couldn't stop grinning while he changed a few things on Thorin's phone. That bastard will be so embarrassed when he'll notice the changes that were made on his phone. Bilbo put the phone back where he found it and quietly returned to his bedroom.
But he wasn't the only one who was up that night. Thorin woke up approximately an hour later and decided to visit Bilbo. He crept into Bilbo's bedroom with one goal in his mind. He wanted to sabotage Bilbo's alarm clock. This shouldn't be too hard since the only thing he needed to do was turn it off. But the problem was that Thorin wasn't able to walk so quietly and he almost woke Bilbo up when he accidentally hit the chair and cursed loudly. Luckily for him, Bilbo didn't wake up and he managed to turn the alarm off before he went back to sleep.
:::
Bilbo was extremely confused when he woke up the next morning. It was much brighter outside than it should be and strangely his alarm clock didn't wake him up. He rolled on his bed to check the time. "It's ten! No, no, no, no… This is not happening." Bilbo got out of the bed and got dressed as quickly as possible. He couldn't believe he overslept. He remembered turning on the alarm, but he didn't remember turning it off. Bilbo checked the alarm clock to see if it was working. Everything appeared to be in order. This only had one explanation: Thorin.
When he got to the school, the first thing he noticed was Thorin smiling at him. Bilbo hated that smile, because that smile meant that Thorin won, again. He ignored him and hurried inside.
"So Bilbo finally came to school. Can we go back inside now?" asked Dwalin.
"Did you see the look on his face?" smiled Thorin. "Totally worth all the trouble."
"Congratulations," said Dwalin, not really meaning it. "You have successfully become an idiot." Thorin sent him a look and Dwalin just shook his head before he continued. "Thorin, you woke up in the middle of the night so that you could turn his alarm off. Seriously, how old are you?"
Thorin rolled his eyes. "It's not important what I did, the only thing important here is the result. And the look on his face is the best result possible."
Dwalin wanted to say something, but stopped when he heard a strange ringtone. "Do you hear this?" Dwalin laughed. "What kind of loser has this for his ringtone?" The both looked around to find that looser, but there was nobody there. "Thorin," started Dwalin carefully, "This is your phone ringing isn't it?" He was barely containing his laughter.
"No, this is not my… phone," finished Thorin when he pulled his phone out of his pocket. "What? How? This… Oh, I'm going to kill him!"
Dwalin couldn't stop laughing. "And your phone is password protected. He definitely won this round."
"He didn't win," hissed Thorin and quickly changed his ringtone back to normal. "This is just the beginning. He didn't win."
"Just accept it. He beat you fair and square." Dwalin continued to laugh. "I'm your best friend and I don't know your password. He is living with you for a few short weeks and he was able to figure it out. Brilliant, simply brilliant."
"Oh, shut up," said Thorin before he headed back inside, Dwalin followed close behind.
:::
Bilbo forgot what happened in the morning the minute he saw Fíli, Kíli and Bofur waiting for him after school.
"How are you?" asked Kíli.
"I'm okay. Why?"
"Because you didn't come down for breakfast this morning. We waited for you but when you didn't show up we started eating," explained Kíli.
"I didn't come down because someone, read Thorin, turned off my alarm. I was late for school!"
"How horrible," laughed Fíli.
"Why can't you just ignore him?" asked Bofur, irritated.
"Why would he do that?" asked Kíli. "He likes Thorin."
Bilbo blushed. "N-no I don't like him," he corrected. "And I never will. He annoys me too much."
"I agree, stay away from him," said Bofur.
"Hey, that's my brother you are talking about." Kíli pointed out. "What did he do to you that you hate him so much?"
"Nothing, but he is mean to-"
"Leave him out of this," interrupted Fíli.
"Can you please stop," requested Bilbo. "I will deal with Thorin, don't worry over him Bofur, you are a good friend."
Fíli and Kíli couldn't believe their eyes when Bilbo squeezed Bofur's hand reassuringly. This was just wrong. "You like Thorin, don't you?" asked Kíli so that Bilbo would release Bofur's hand.
"He doesn't like him," answered Bofur instead of him.
"Excuse me, they asked me," cut Bilbo. He turned to Kíli. "For a millionth time, I don't like Thorin."
"So then why were you lying on top of him?" asked Kíli. He knew that Bofur won't be able to let this go.
"Why were you lying on top of him?!" Bofur asked with disbelief.
"He practically pulled me onto him," explained Bilbo.
"I thought you were feeling dizzy," commented Fíli. Bilbo suddenly lost his ability to speak.
"What are you and Thorin doing when you are together?" asked Bofur.
"Nothing," answered Bilbo. "We don't do anything together."
"Except dance, lay on each other and play stupid games," summarized Fíli.
"I thought you learned your lessons with Thorin," commented Bofur who was visibly upset.
"I'm doing his best to avoid him," tried to explain Bilbo but Bofur just shook his head. He knew that Bilbo had a crush on Thorin but he was still hoping that his friend wouldn't spend so much time with him.
:::
They came home very quickly and Bilbo was a little surprised that Thorin wasn't already there. He had some things to do for school since he missed the first few classes, but he finished quickly and then helped Fíli with his history homework. He enjoyed spending time with twins because they were always nice to him and they both made him laugh.
"Dinner's ready," called Kíli. "Warning: dad's home."
Bilbo knew what that meant. It meant a very awkward dinner with the whole family. He was right, of course. The tension in the room between Thorin and Thráin was so thick one could almost cut it with a knife. They ate in silence, up to the moment when Nola brought something to Bilbo. "This was just delivered for you," she whispered. Bilbo thanked her and accepted the box that was wrapped in a little too much duct tape.
"What did you get?" asked Kíli and leaned over to take a better look.
Bilbo shrugged. "I have no idea. I didn't order anything." He gently shook the box. He didn't hear anything and the box was surprisingly light.
"Aren't you going to open it?" asked Thorin.
Bilbo looked at him and noticed that everyone was looking at him, even Thráin. "Hmm, yes I will." Bilbo tried to open the box but he was having some trouble. "Help me," he said to Kíli. Together they pulled the cardboard box open, only to have its content fly all over the dinner table. Thorin couldn't help but to burst out laughing, while everyone else remained quiet, unsure how to react.
"Thorin, a word," gritted Thráin, through his teeth and stood up. Thorin stopped laughing and followed his father out of the dining room.
Fíli and Kíli bowed their heads low so that they wouldn't start laughing, while Bilbo and Valla stared at each other.
"Condoms," said Valla and picked one up from her soup. Fíli and Kíli couldn't contain their laughter anymore and started laughing.
"Best timing, ever," laughed Kíli. His mother shot him a look but he didn't stop laughing.
"I'm so sorry," apologized Bilbo. "I didn't know-"
"Don't worry dear," interrupted Valla. "Let's forget that this ever happened. I think we should call Nola and tell her to bring the rest of the food."
Fíli picked a few wrappers from the salad and another one from his plate. "Such a waste," he sighed and his mother sent him a look. "Of the food, I mean."
Kíli, on the other hand, collected as much as he could (but not from the food). "This should do for a while, since I don't know where Thorin hides them anymore."
"Kíli!" exclaimed Valla.
"What? I don't want to be a parent at fifteen," defended Kíli. His mother visibly calmed down. Kíli's answer actually made a lot of sense to her and it was still easier to accept the fact that her fifteen-year-old son was sexually active than the fact that she will be a grandmother.
Bilbo wanted to do nothing else but to run to his bedroom and hide in there for the rest of his life. He was so embarrassed he wasn't sure he would be able to look anyone in the eyes again. At least the boys seemed to have a lot of fun.
They helped to clean the table and Nola brought them something else to eat. They ate alone because Thráin and Thorin didn't return.
In fact, he didn't see either of them for two days and Bilbo started to worry that something was wrong. Thorin didn't come to school and he wasn't at home, and the worst thing was that no one knew where he was.
Two days later Thorin finally came back. It was already dark outside and Bilbo and the twins were in the living room, watching TV, when they heard the garage door opening. Bilbo let out a breath he didn't know he was holding when he heard familiar footsteps go up the stairs. He and the boys went to check if this was really Thorin that came back.
And it really was, more or less. Bilbo gasped when he saw him. His face was covered in blood, his clothes were ruined and he generally looked like he was in the fight. He had a nasty cut on his forehead and some bruises, but he was still in one piece.
"What happened," cried Bilbo in worry when he saw him. Thorin ignored him and hurried upstairs to the bathroom. Bilbo wanted to follow him, but the boys pulled him back.
"Don't go," said Fíli. "He is not in the mood for a company, trust me. It's better to leave him alone at this point."
"What happened to him? He is covered in blood."
"He was probably in the fight," explained Fíli. "Now let's get back to the living room."
"No!" protested Bilbo and pulled from Fíli's grasp on him.
"Bilbo don't! He is very hostile when he is in pain." Bilbo ignored Fíli's warning and ran after Thorin. He needed to make sure he was alright.
He knocked on the door and entered the room. "Get out!" roared Thorin and Bilbo took a step backwards, but didn't leave. "Get. Out." Repeated Thorin. Bilbo took in the sight. Thorin was covered in blood, he managed to pull the medical kit out, he washed his hands, but he was shaking. Bilbo knew this was the pain talking so he took a step closer to Thorin to get a better look at the cut on his forehead.
"I need to clean this up, otherwise it won't heal properly and it will leave a scar," he said as calmly as he could. Thorin didn't say anything he just stared in Bilbo's eyes. Bilbo quickly scanned Thorin with his eyes and discovered there was some blood leaking through his shirt. "May I?" he asked and slowly reached for Thorin's shirt. Thorin allowed him to lift his shirt and pull it off completely. Bilbo lost himself on Thorin's muscular chest for a moment, but he quickly remembered the reason why Thorin wasn't wearing his shirt anymore. There was a cut on his torso, it wasn't deep, but Bilbo still needed to clean it.
He dipped a towel in warm water and gently cleaned the blood off Thorin. He heard him hiss several times, especially when he went over one of his bruises, but Thorin didn't stop him. "This will hurt," said Bilbo and cleaned the cut with some alcohol. Thorin cursed loudly. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay. Just do it quickly," said Thorin and closed his eyes for a moment.
Bilbo worked as fast as he could and quickly cleaned the wound and put a bandage over it. Thorin was taller than him so he had trouble cleaning the cut on Thorin's forehead. "This isn't working," complained Bilbo. He looked around the bathroom to see what he could use. "Sit here," he ordered and pushed Thorin back so that he was sitting on the edge of the bathtub. Bilbo stepped between his legs and was now given better access to the cut on Thorin's forehead.
Thorin hissed in pain and Bilbo apologized several times, but Thorin still couldn't relax. He needed to find something to hold on to. With Bilbo standing so close to him, his hand quickly found their way on Bilbo's hips and pulled him closer. Bilbo didn't mind because he knew that Thorin was in pain, but Thorin could not stay relaxed for long, and every time Bilbo applied some pressure on the cut Thorin tighten his grip on Bilbo, to the point when the younger boy stopped him.
"It hurts, Thorin." Thorin released Bilbo as soon as he spoke those words. His hands were now between him and Bilbo's belly. Thorin knew that Bilbo had a small belly, he still remembered how it felt under his palm, but now he didn't dare to reach for it. Bilbo, on the other hand, noticed Thorin looking at his belly and decided to help him. He took Thorin's hands and pressed them on his belly.
For the next few minutes Thorin was so focused on Bilbo's belly that he completely forgot about the pain. His hands wandered all over the belly like they were trying to remember every curve of it.
"Here, almost like new," announced Bilbo and offered a smile to Thorin who was now finally able to tear his eyes from Bilbo's abdomen. "You should watch it for the next couple of days so that it doesn't become infected, but other than that you should be fine."
"Thank you," said Thorin and stood up. He reached for his ruined shirt and started putting the medical kit back together.
"You don't need to do that," said Bilbo. "You should get some sleep. I'll clean this up."
Thorin nodded and headed for the door but stopped in the last second. He turned toward Bilbo, closed the distance between them and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "Thank you," was the last thing he said before he fled the room.
Bilbo stood there for a moment, processing what just happened. Slowly he felt his cheeks warm up and he knew he was blushing. He was screaming inside with excitement. Thorin kissed him. Thorin actually kissed him. He couldn't help but smile at the thought of Thorin's warm, moist and soft lips on his. He wanted more because it just wasn't fair that Thorin got to steal a kiss from him. He wanted to steal one too. Not just one, but a million kisses from Thorin.
He smiled at the thought of Thorin kissing him and he couldn't stop thinking about Thorin while he cleaned everything. He would give anything if he could feel Thorin's lips on his again.
- TBC -
Author's notes:
All mistakes are mine.
It happened, but you can guess what will happen in the next one. I'm still not very happy about this chapter, but I'm out of ideas. I just needed something to create the atmosphere for the next one. I know you probably have a lot of questions what happened to Thorin and I promise that you will understand everything in the next few chapters.
I want to thank everyone for the amazing response. All your comments, messages and questions on Tumblr. Seriously, they are my drug :D
Let me know what you think and I'll see you soon :-)