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Thorin sighed as he went towards the greenhouse.
“Where is my crown, Kili? Fili?” Thorin remembered questioning them earlier, arms crossed and not happy at all.
Kili shrugged with a playful grin on his face. His brother held the same face, only his eyes gave away his fears of what Thorin might do if they never tell.
Thorin pinched the bridge of his nose and clenched his eyes shut. “You two do realize you technically stole the crown of the King of Erebor. Do you realize how important that crown is?”
“It’s not all that important.” Kili said. “It’s just a hunk of gold, you’re still King under the mountain.”
“Kili.” Thorin practically growled.
“It’s in the greenhouse.” Fili blurted as Kili glared at him.
“Fili!” He complained.
“The greenhouse?” Thorin frowned.
Of all places.
“You have to talk about it sometime, uncle.” Fili said.
“Silent glares in the hallways are freaking people out.” Kili added.
“I swear to Mahal…” Thorin said, running is hand down his face.
“Sorry, uncle.” Fili said.
“If I’m still alive after this, you two will have paperwork duty for a week.”
“What! Aghhhh.” The two grumbled and moaned.
Thorin sighed and began to walk away.
“Don’t ever get mixed up in my personal affairs again!” Thorin shouted to them.
And there he was. Staring down the greenhouse’s door handle like it would move on its own.
Thorin and Bilbo have not got along much since the battle. Why the hobbit even stayed, Thorin did not know; for what he did was shameful and really, Bilbo should never ever want to see him again. However, Thorin still somewhat held his ground. I mean, how many more things will he have to do to show his regret to Bilbo?
Bilbo avoids him almost as if he is diseased. He spends most of his time in the greenhouse growing herbs for Oin’s various needs. Other times he is in the library, helping Ori with research or simply enjoying some of the books. The Westron books, Thorin might add, he’d gotten specifically so that Bilbo could actually read something. The greenhouse? Thorin had it built specifically for the fact that he knew Bilbo’s people were an earthly folk and that he had hoped it would put him in Bilbo’s favor. It only seems to separate them further now with how much time he spends there.
Thorin’s heart aches when Bilbo passes him in the hallway on that rare occasion. Glaring at him while Thorin attempts to give a nod as greeting. He still has nightmares of those days. The days that he saw Bilbo as a traitor instead of a friend, a wastrel instead of the love of his life. The madness that consumed him as he had always feared. He almost threw Bilbo from the ramparts for Mahal’s sake. All for the accursed stone that meant nothing to him now.
His mind racing with these thoughts, he actually thought little of himself for being worried about the crown. A thought he tried to shake as he finally opened the door. He was the king after all, he needed his crown.
As he swung the door open, it stopped midway with a loud thud and a crash.
“Augh!” A familiar voice cried out.
“Bilbo?” He questioned as the figure moved and he opened the door further and more slowly.
“Confounded dwarf! My sage!” The hobbit grumbled as he stooped down to scoop up a broken pot.
“Sorry!” The dwarf threw his hands up in apology before kneeling down to help pick up the pieces.
Bilbo sighed as they cleaned up what they could and he moved to the back to place the sage in a different pot.
“What are you doing here anyway?” Bilbo questioned. “You haven’t been in here since you gave it to me.”
“I-um-er.” As usual, Bilbo’s rare voice stalled his mind and he wasn’t able to think for quite some time. “I-um Kili and Fili were playing around and-and I think they hid my crown in here.”
Bilbo’s nose twitched in the way Thorin loved. “I haven’t seen your crown anywhere.”
The tone of Bilbo’s voice sent daggers to his heart.
“Well er- could I look around?” He asked gently.
Bilbo eyed him up and down suspiciously before waving his hand.
“Have a look.”
And so Thorin searched, behind pots, under tables, all the while keeping an eye on Bilbo. Bilbo’s golden curls shone from the light coming in from the countless windows as he worked diligently to fill a pot with soil. Thorin couldn’t help but notice Bilbo’s scrunched nose and the small spray of dirt across his cheeks he so desperately wanted to wipe away.
“I guess it’s not really here.” Thorin said after a few minutes of searching.
“Mhmm.” Bilbo hummed, not looking up from his pot.
“I suppose I’ll be going.”
“Mmm.”
Thorin sighed dejectedly and moved to leave the greenhouse. His nephews’ plan had failed, exactly as he’d suspected. He went to open the door, turning the knob and…
“It’s locked.” He murmured, eyes wide in surprise.
“What?” Bilbo said, his footsteps loud as he practically stomped to the door.
He twisted and turned the knob in every direction it could go, the tell-tale stopping force halting his hand.
“It only locks from the outside.” Bilbo muttered.
Kili and Fili. Oh the punishment they’ll get if he gets out of here alive.
“Isn’t there another exit?” Thorin asked.
“No.” Bilbo pressed his lips together.
“The windows?”
“They don’t open. Except for the skylight.” Bilbo answered pointing at a large open window high above them.
Thorin stared at the lower windows beside them and picked up a trowel left on a table.
“I’ll break them.”
“Wha-“ Bilbo turned his attention from the skylight fast enough to see Thorin raise the trowel and grab the dwarf’s arm before it swung. “Thorin Oakenshield! You will not destroy any more of my greenhouse!”
At Bilbo’s touch, Thorin almost dropped the trowel, but he held strong. He lowered his arm and again felt guilt over the broken sage pot.
“I can have a new pot made.” Thorin mumbled.
Bilbo’s gaze finally softened slightly. “No need. Balin has already placed an order in for more and I should be getting them in just a few days.”
Thorin nodded, defeated, walking further into the greenhouse.
“So? What do we do now?” Bilbo questioned.
The dwarf shrugged. “Wait I suppose. Surely someone will find us. I am king after all.”
Just like that, Bilbo’s scowl was back. His nose twitched and he quickly pushed past Thorin to busy himself with something other than that blasted dwarf. He decided on pruning his already perfect lemon balm plant.
After a few moments of silence Thorin spoke up. “I try to apologize as often as possible you know.”
Bilbo nearly cut the plant’s stalk in half.
“Define apology and often.” He said calmly.
“Well, I made this greenhouse… and specifically ordered only Westron books…”
“Again, define often and the true definition of apology.” Bilbo said, now turning around.
“Well-“
“I don’t mind if you don’t apologize often. Yavanna, I’d prefer to forget the whole thing. However you pig-headed dwarves just throw gifts onto people expecting everything to be okay afterwards. Do you understand I still have nightmares? Sometimes I can still feel your hands practically wringing my neck, the look in your eye when you told me you didn’t trust a single member of the company, even after all we’ve been through, and- and your absolute stupidity, going up that mountain with the small amount of people you did and attempting to fight Azog yourself you idiot!”
Before Thorin could even process anything, he had an armful of hobbit. The velocity Bilbo flung himself into Thorin caused them to fall back, landing in a large pile of bags of soil. Bilbo clung to the Durin-blue tunic Thorin wore in his free time. Tiny sobs sounded from the hobbit and Thorin - not knowing exactly what to do – simply held him for a while in silence.
“You honestly think gifts can fix that?” The hobbit practically whispered through his tears.
And that sentence broke Thorin.
Before even thinking anything through, he had his lips on the hobbit’s. Bilbo almost moved away but decided otherwise, which Thorin was thankful for. He then kissed all around the hobbit’s face at every open space. He didn’t care that Bilbo’s face was dirty with soil or wet from tears, he kept at it, mumbling almost to himself.
“Ghivashel. Khajimel. Amrâlimê. I would die a thousand times just to take back what I did to you. I would lie awake every night just so you could sleep soundly. I will repent for my mistakes every day of my life to earn your trust back.”
It was now that Bilbo was smiling, tears still falling from his cheeks but slowing almost to a stop. Thorin wiped the tears from his cheeks and smiled back at him.
Once Bilbo was calm, he leaned down and kissed Thorin on his own. It had been quite some time since Bilbo had initiated the kiss, or them both kissing in general. Knowing this caused Thorin to smile mid-kiss and bring Bilbo closer, trying to subdue the butterflies in his stomach. Bilbo chuckled, happier than he has been in a while. Thorin shifted, attempting to get a different angle-
“Agh!”
Thorin jumped, accidentally tossing Bilbo forward, taking himself with him.
“What in the-“ Thorin grumbled, rubbing his backside and turning to the pile.
In the crack of the indent that Thorin and Bilbo left in the pile, was something hard, smooth, and well- most definitely not dirt. Thorin lifted the object from the mound and found it to be the raven-shaped crown of the king, only now completely dirty and clouded. I’m going to kill those boys. Thorin thought. Bilbo scooted towards him and plucked the crown from his hands.
“Well what do you know, it was in here.” Bilbo chuckled.
Thorin stared at Bilbo’s smiling face and felt his heart lift past his head. He took the crown back and tossed it aside, catching Bilbo by surprise as he pulled their foreheads together.
“Bilbo, I-“
“Have you two finally made up?” Someone shouted as they burst through the door.
Thorin and Bilbo turned to see Kili smiling brightly and Fili behind him with his hand on his face.
“I tried to stop him, I really did.” Fili complained. “But he just wouldn’t stop eavesdropping.”
Bilbo smiled at them and pulled them both into a hug.
“You’re not getting any dessert after that stunt.” He muttered into Kili’s ear.
“Aw what!” Kili whined, backing away from Bilbo.
“You too.” Bilbo looked at Fili.
“Oh come on!” Fili shouted.
Thorin laughed and Bilbo grabbed him by the hand, leading them out of the greenhouse. All while Kili and Fili followed them with pouting faces. Thorin squeezed Bilbo’s hand, finally reassured.