Hey guys, I'm just going to leave this here, sorry if it was a little late. School is making me cry a bit. Anyway, you may find this chapter ends a little abruptly, mostly because I couldn't find a way to not make it short humongous. Well, whatever, enjoy!

A few days passed without incident. Bilbo discovered a laundromat in the basement, and had managed to wrestle with the large machines long enough to get some loads in. Thorin was either shut in his room or 'out' with friends, most of which were members of the Rugby team. Bilbo was also invited along, but was always far too busy with stocking the refrigerator and admiring the cleanliness of his little cavern. Without the interruptions of the outside world or the pestering of an overbearing flat-mate, Bilbo slipped into a lazy routine. He would wake up, make grape jam on toast with tea, read the newspaper and then send various e-mails to his family and friends back home.

Bilbo was quiet but fussy, and even a bit haughty at times, so he never found himself capable of acquiring good friends. He valued more the knowledge and gossip around town, having an inner competitive side driving him to know everyone's name and business. This nosy characteristic was normal for The Shire, and immediately had put him at odds with Lobelia, the social butterfly of the small suburbs. She was obviously jealous of Bilbo's abundant social life and good grades, and couldn't bring herself to forgive him for it before he left. Bilbo absently thought of her poking at a small voodoo doll with curly blonde hair, making it endure loud company and play sports. He smiled fondly as he thought of home.

It was nine o'clock when Thorin stumbled into the kitchen, pulling on a sweatshirt. Bilbo merely raised his eyebrows and peered over at him from the safety of his laptop, "You're up early." he stated quietly.

Thorin glanced at him briefly as he pulled open the cupboards, wrenching a package of pop-tarts from their box before gathering his books, "I'm late." he grumbled in a groggy voice.

"Late for what?" Bilbo asked, standing and pushing his chair in neatly.

"English."

Something grabbed Bilbo in the pit of his stomach and twisted. Class. He had class today.

More importantly, he had english class today.

His mouth went dry and he struggled to speak, he wrung his hands and scuttled about, stuffing things into his bag and pulling a pair of socks on. If a Baggins was anything, a Baggins was never late!

"Are you in the old building?" Bilbo panicked, finally stuffing his laptop into his backpack and shoving a pair of shoes on his feet.

Thorin merely grunted a reply as he opened his he door. Bilbo could now roughly translate it into a 'yes.'

The two jogged across the street and almost got run over twice, Thorin slowed to a walk multiple times in order to let Bilbo catch up. They both entered the building at a brisk walk, and had to climb a few flights of stairs before sprinting to their classroom. The run had left Bilbo a sputtering mess once again, and the two had time to catch their breath outside the doors. Thorin and Bilbo both shared amused looks as other students filed into the lecture hall, and Bilbo caught a wry grin from his friend as he went through the door. Bilbo was still trying to catch his breath as he followed Thorin up the stairs and down an empty row of chairs.

The auditorium was almost full, and the professor was still organizing his notes and setting up for the class. He was tall and thin, with fine features but a solemn face. He looked no older than fifty, but his eyes held coldness only age could bring. The professor frowned deeply when the chatter and talking in the room grew louder, and Bilbo decided to boot up his laptop. Thorin impatiently drummed his fingers on the table to his left. The light thumping only stopped when a tall, handsome man stopped to look down at Bilbo.

"Is this seat taken?" his smile was bright as he indicated the seat next to Bilbo. All Bilbo could do was shake his head and check Facebook as the taller man sat.

"Just in time," Bilbo smiled as the professor dimmed the lights to begin the lecture.

"Yeah, I thought I was done for there. Dr. Elrond doesn't take prisoners." the student chuckled as he nodded towards their professor. Bilbo could hear Thorin shift in his seat and tap his fingers on the desk. Bilbo quietly began to type away at his keyboard as Elrond spoke.

"So, what's your program?" His new friend asked, holding his hand out politely, "I'm Bard, by the way."

"Bilbo Baggins," he smiled, taking Bard's rough yet gentle hand, "I'm in english. Maybe I'll write a book one day."

Bard smiled again and faced back towards the prof, "I'm sure you'd be great."

Bilbo blushed a little at this and felt Thorin tapping his feet near to the bottom of his chair. Bilbo quickly stole a glance to the left and found that the flyhalf was nearly bristling, his pen pushed hard to his notebook and his fingers still stabbing at the table. Bilbo focused back on the lecture and made small conversation with Bard until the end of class, all the while listening to Thorin's apparent inner torment. Bard gave Bilbo his number as the three of them walked out, but said he couldn't stay due to a geology class. He scampered off after a gruff introduction with Thorin, who seemed a little more than unimpressed with the second-year. The two then made the trek back to Bag End in silence.

"When did you meet him?" Thorin grumbled and absently kicked a pebble.

"Oh, just today, he's really nice though, he likes rugby and school. I think you'd like him." Bilbo chuckled lightly and looked to the taller man.

"I don't know about that." Thorin scoffed and crossed his arms, almost sulking as they continued down the sidewalk. Bilbo frowned and was about to call Thorin out on his bad mood, but his phone buzzed in his pocket. He fumbled quietly for a moment and found that Kili had messaged him.

R u coming 2 practice 2nite?

Bilbo felt Thorin reading the text over his shoulder and turned away. Thorin made a slightly disgruntled noise and attempted to take the phone from Bilbo, who only protested a little bit.

"Thorin! It's just- hey, wait! What are you-" Bilbo was neither fast nor strong enough to escape Thorin's grip, and soon Thorin had managed to wrap his arms around the smaller scrumhalf, his chest pushing against Bilbo's narrow shoulders and back. He slapped Bilbo's hands away clumsily as he replied to Kili's message. After he sent a quick 'yes' with no punctuation or proper capitalization, he released his captive and stepped back. Bilbo turned away from Thorin, beginning to feel his face and ears heat up. He didn't dare look at the taller man, but couldn't bring himself to walk away.

Thorin didn't move. He held his arms stiffly at his sides and stared at Bilbo for a long time. After both of their harsh breathing had calmed he chuckled softly, ruffled Bilbo's hair and stalked off.

Bilbo couldn't move either foot. Both were planted in the ground like the roots of some great tree. He blinked at the Thorin's strong figure as he climbed the steps of Bag End and disappeared inside. He had to actively close his mouth before fixing his hair and crossing the road. He took his time in going inside, not wanting to accidentally bump into Thorin at the door and trigger another awkward conversation.

Once he had gotten inside, he found Thorin entertaining Balin, Dwalin and Bofur, who all seemed to have found Bilbo's pop-tarts, and if they noticed that Bilbo had made it into the flat alive, they didn't let on. Thorin was seated in his chair at the end of the table across from Balin. Dwalin was standing behind him and Bofur was perched comfortably on the countertop, munching away at the last of Bilbo's breakfast food. Bilbo tried to sneak past the kitchen without being noticed, but this time he was sadly unable.

"Bilbo!" Dwalin roared through a mouthful of sugary pastry, "I saw you on the field the other day, quick as a rabbit, you were."

"Yeah," Bofur agreed with a smile and a wink, "thought we'd break you into bits in five seconds flat! Turns out we'll have to catch you first." he hopped off of the counter and clapped a hand on Bilbo's back, looking to Thorin proudly.

"I think you were right to keep the little thing." Balin smiled at Bilbo, who fidgeted nervously. Thorin merely grinned dismissively and returned his gaze to Bilbo.

"You're ready for practice?" icy blue eyes met his and Bilbo struggled to find words. For a while he sputtered nonsense, but the just pointed to his room and scuttled out, desperate to escape the obvious stares from all four teammates.

Once he was safely shut into his small cavern, he slowly gathered all of his equipment and folded it neatly into his bag. He couldn't get the creases exactly right, mostly because his hands were shaking too much. He shouldered his bag and examined himself in the mirror, fixing his mop of curls the best he could. Thorin had managed to muss his hair pretty badly, but Bilbo found a way to make it lie somewhat flat. He sighed and stared into his reflection, shoulders sagging a bit. Bilbo had never really considered himself all that attractive. He was small and barely had any muscle on him, with a wiry frame and narrow shoulders. His face, although good-natured, couldn't grow any form of facial hair, he barely shaved once a week. Bilbo ran a hand over his face and came to the conclusion that he was incredibly mediocre.

He opened his door slowly, hoping to not disturb any conversation that may be somewhat private. He slowly crept over to the kitchen, where hushed voices could be heard. The group hadn't noticed Bilbo at all, and Biblo decided to keep himself hidden for the time being. The quietest notable voice was Thorin, a deep, rolling accent and serious tone.

"He clearly needs more time, Thorin. Let him get to know you better." Balin murmured, and Bilbo could hear familiar drumming on the table.

"It's not like I can just talk to him." Thorin mumbled, sounding almost embarrassed. Bilbo narrowed his eyes at this. Who were they talking about? Someone Thorin wanted to get to know better, but surely nobody that he fancied. Thorin was straighter than a. . . Well, straighter than something very straight.

"Why not?" Bofur inquired excitedly, "it doesn't take much, he's quite the sociable fellow."

There was a long silence, and an easily recognized sigh from Thorin, long and melodramatic.

"Don't be intimidated, cap'n." Balin almost cooed, "he doesn't seem that scary. After all, he's about the size of-"

"Who isn't that scary?" Bilbo suddenly asked, and stepped into the kitchen, rocking on his heels innocently. The room quickly fell into an eerie silence. Tension slowly built, and for a moment, Thorin would not meet Bilbo's eyes. His arms were crossed over his chest and he was slumped down in his seat, much like a small child playing shy.

"His english professor!" Balin suddenly chuckled, "Professor Elrond is quite intimidating, apparently." as he said it, the three other men in the room seemed to lean closer to Bilbo, eyeing him expectantly. Bilbo fidgeted under their scrutiny, and pulled at the hem of his shirt.

"Well, I guess he's pretty strict, but he seems alright to me." the tension building in the room lifted like fog in the early morning, and Balin exhaled audibly. "I'll be dammed of if somebody's be able to scare Thorin off, they'd have to answer to me!" Bilbo held up his fists and threw a mock jab at Bofur, who laughed a little too loudly and jumped backwards.

"Let's get going." Thorin commanded quietly and stood. His chair scraped against the floor as he pushed it back under the table, and the rest of the players filed out of the flat, Bilbo following behind Thorin. His body seemed rigid and mechanical as he walked, as if he were waiting for someone to jump out and eat him. Eventually Balin stated that he needed to pick his stuff up from his flat, and pulled a sputtering Dwalin along with him. Bofur then murmured something about forgetting his phone and awkwardly left also, leaving Bilbo stranded with their captain.

Bilbo twitched nervously, the silence only broken by Thorin's heavy footsteps on the sidewalk. He seemed unusually quiet as the day developed, and Bilbo began to wonder if he had done something to upset the flyhalf. Of course he wasn't ever really the most pleasant of creatures to begin with, but today he made Bilbo almost worried.

When they finally arrived in the changerooms Thorin stalked off towards the back, and Bilbo decided not to follow him. He merely sat down and pulled off his shoes next to Kili, who talked his ear off about God knows what. He took care not to wrinkle his socks when he folded them and stuffed them into his bag.

The beginning of practice was routine, four laps and then a number of intensive physical activities, including many hand-eye and reflex drills. Most of these left Bilbo feeling exhausted and extremely embarrassed. About halfway through practice two new players strode onto the field, one of them a familiar face. Gandalf made his way over to the two and stopped the players from running.

"Thorin and company, I would like to introduce the final members to our team. This is Beorn," he indicated a humongous man with thick, hardly limbs. He stood at least a head taller than everyone else, and had great paws for hands, "And this is Bard." Bilbo smiled as Bard waved to the crowd almost sheepishly. He looked to be wearing old shorts and a well worn striped rugby shirt, but he looked able. He was leaner than Beorn, with long limbs and smaller hands, a body that was used for speed, rather than power. Most of the team greeted the newcomers with a nod and a smile, but Thorin only sniffed and scowled.

"Five laps. The rest of you, back to your drills."

Bard and Beorn shrugged at each other and jogged off, whilst the rest of the team finished off their routine exorcises. Thorin was unusually strict, scolding for dropping or fumbling the ball when he would normally let it slide. The two on the track barely had enough time to stretch before Thorin began to run a bout of unopposed.

"Beorn! Bombur, Kili, Nori and Dori, I want all of you over there." Thorin vaguely pointed to the opposite end of the field, "I want a scrum on the 22 going in." He handed Bilbo the ball as the rest of the players readied themselves.

"I'm keeping Bard on the left side." he murmured, "I want to see if he's any good. The ball goes to him."

Gandalf acted as the referee once more and initiated the scrum. Ori easily won the draw, and it took mere seconds for the ball to make it back to Dwalin. Bilbo was on it immediately and sent the ball to the left. Bard easily caught it, taking off down the field like a startled deer. The only teammate who could honestly keep up with him was Thorin, and the two dominated in dodging tackles and passing back and forth. Biblo could only watch as Thorin's muscles relaxed and his body move more freely. Even his grin met his eyes as Bard touched the ball down in their endzone. Thorin exchanged an rough handshake and friendly words with Bard in the moments it took to walk back to where the rest of the group had reconvened. There they practiced even more, and Thorin loosened up, actively goofing off with the rest of the team, and especially with his new-found centre. Bard was very good, and Bilbo noticed him and Thorin competing for the ball each and every time they played. Something about it annoyed Bilbo, though he didn't know what.

After another hour of vigorous training, Thorin gathered his players around himself. The group took a knee and fell silent, the only noise from them was the sound of harsh breathing. Even Bard looked a little out of breath.

"Now, in about a week we're taking on the team from the Misty Mountains: The Goblins," a few members whooped and cheered, "So I'd like to take a day to go over plays and tactics. We still need to drill everything into your thick skulls, I may make a good team out of you yet. We've also been able to get a new prop and inside centre, so we won't be worried about subs for long. I'm just glad I've found someone I can actually compete with."

The team laughed as Thorin smirked at Bard, and the captain dismissed the group for the day. The team scattered and began to chat amongst themselves as they all made their way towards the changerooms. Thorin followed closely behind Bilbo, but didn't start a conversation. His presence making the hair on the back of Bilbo's neck stand up. Bard soon caught up and smiled down a Bilbo.

"I didn't know you played," Bard grinned, ruffling Bilbo's damp hair, "and a scrumhalf, no less!"

Bilbo shrugged and laughed along with him, and he tried not to look at Thorin pass the two of them. Again his gait and posture was stiff, but this time more weary. His shoulders and neck rigid as he stalked over to the changerooms.

Bilbo chatted with Bard as they both changed, the two were happy to know more about each other and where they came from. Apparently Bard lived in the city just outside of Erebor, called Laketown. He only moved into residence to get away from his parents. Bard enjoyed listening to Bilbo rant and rave about the Shire, and Bilbo's quaint childhood adventures. It was about noon by the time they emerged from the building, bags in hand.

"So." Bard scratched his ear as they both wandered down the sidewalk, "You wanna go out for lunch? There's a subway just down the road." He looked at Bilbo, who nodded happily. Bard smiled back at Bilbo and patted his shoulder. Bilbo glanced back for a moment and caught sight of Thorin walking back to the flat, alone. Something close to shame whirled in Bilbo's stomach, though he didn't know why. He was only pulled from his guilt by Bard's charismatic laugh.

"The captain's pretty good, isn't he?" the second year asked, walking fast.

Bilbo rushed a little to catch up, and nodded, "Of course! Thorin's the best on our team! It's one of the reasons why he's captain, obviously. Probably because he likes to give orders, too. Not that he's bossy or anything, he's just good at making people listen to him and do what he wants. It's not like I think he's-" Bilbo halted his speech when he saw the overwhelmed and amused expression on Bard's face. He huffed and looked away, crossing his arms over his chest tightly.

Bard chuckled at Bilbo and sighed, "When are you going to ask him out?"

Yay. Bard and Bilbo bonding. Hope you enjoyed, sorry about the lack of chapters so far, I'm still trying to get the hang of the characters heheheh. On a sidenote, I hope Bard's from Laketown, because I honestly couldn't remember if he was or not...