Beauty in Simplicity Emsiecat

Summary:

From alkjira's prompt:

Okay, so what I want now is a first time fic with a first time kiss that happens just in the middle of something really mundane.Like paperwork. Thorin is doing kingly paperwork and Bilbo is just being a good friend and keeping him company (probably reading a book or something) making tea for them both, and as he trots over to set Thorin's cup by his elbow he has a moment of divine inspiration or something like it.He knew Thorin was handsome, he knew he loved Thorin, but he had no idea he was in love with Thorin. But he is.And then Thorin looks up at Bilbo and smiles warmly, opens his mouth to thank him for the tea, and Bilbo leans down and kisses him.The tea goes cold.

Enjoy, dear!

Chapter Text

It was not something that Bilbo would readily admit to, but underneath his pragmatic and sensible Baggins exterior, beat a heart as romantic and fanciful as any young Took or Brandybuck tween in the Shire.

He kept this side of him a closely guarded secret. A part of him afraid that should his wistful thoughts and deepest desires become common knowledge, that he would invite upon him ridicule and bewildered derision.

So it was, that whilst he had been Master Baggins of Bag End; Bilbo had outwardly scoffed at such notions of deepest love found in a moment, while all the while penning his secret hopes of finding such contentment himself in the form of poetry, song, and stories.

It was but a capricious wondering, and Bilbo did not ever let it consume him, but still, he thought of it fairly regularly... until a certain wizard came knocking on his door, and any long held fancies he'd held of finding love were rather rightly replaced with the simple wish to survive a perilous quest.

So buried, Bilbo's secret romantic heart lay dormant in an impromptu hibernation of sorts. Until the day dawned that Erebor was reclaimed, Thorin, and his nephews were healed, and once again, all seemed right in the world.

Peace reigned not only outside the thick, safe walls of the mountain, but within as well. Especially, it seemed within the very bower of a certain dwarf king.

At this moment in time, Bilbo Baggins, late of the Shire and now dwarf-friend of Erebor, could think of nowhere else he would rather be.

A good two years had passed since the battle, and Erebor and Dale were both well on the way to being fully restored. Such was the marvellous and tireless work of all those present. Aid came but a little grudgingly from Mirkwood (now the Greenwood once more), any resistance soothed by the combined efforts of Tauriel, Kíli, and surprisingly, the elvish prince, Legolas. The former residents of Laketown had taken up the reconstruction of Dale with gusto, and the dwarves had become more than willing to help in both rebuilding the fallen city, and restoring Erebor to its former glory... They received new caravans of dwarves regularly now, after all.

Bilbo had of course had his affairs settled in the Shire with help from a certain meddling wizard, and many of the belongings he could not bear to be permanently parted from had arrived in a caravan along with Thorin's sister, Dís and many others from Ered Luin.

It had been this moment whereupon Bilbo stated his intention to stay in Erebor for good, and to his surprise, the king had been so happy he had actually picked Bilbo up, swinging him around before enveloping him in a tight hug.

Bilbo had not quite known what to make of this and so had simply hugged back in gratitude... However, a small spark of something had taken hold then, and the catch of flame in his heart warmed him enough to leave him wondering.

He found though, that there was little time to dwell on such feelings, as Thorin seemed to wish to include Bilbo in as many court functions as he could possibly talk the hobbit into.

Bilbo personally felt that Dís would be a better candidate for this, but she had simply laughed, and told the hobbit in no uncertain terms that she had enough work to get along with herself, and that it would do Bilbo good to be as involved as the other members of the Company... Bilbo was not quite sure what to make of that either.

Therefore, Bilbo had set aside such distracting thoughts, and instead concentrated on the tasks Thorin asked of him, more than happy to help his friend in the unfamiliar forays of ruling a kingdom.

Thorin's rooms, Bilbo thought, were probably the loveliest in the mountain. They were not grand, not at all. Following the dragon sickness, Thorin had denied himself any tawdry trappings or unneeded luxuries. His rooms, for lack of a better word, were decidedly hobbitish to Bilbo's eye.

Although the rooms had been hewn into the very mountain, they were not cold in the slightest. This was due in part to the vast forges and ingenious piping system the dwarves devised to keep their cool habitat comfortably warm year round, but more than that, it was the furnishings Thorin had chosen for himself.

Plush armchairs and couches and a large four poster bed, all had coverings and cushions that were soft to the touch and rich, warm, or earthy in colour. Where Bilbo had expected expensive, polished stone to be used for tables, formal chairs, and other furniture; Thorin had commissioned that they be made of wood (oak, Bilbo thought with a small smile). Rugs were set upon the floor to soften it underfoot, drapes hung at the walls to cover the starkness of the stone, light was well implemented, and fires crackled in hearths to cast every room in a cheery glow.

The small kitchen off from the main living area was always well stocked and homey, the ingredients he had seen Thorin using were plain but good, and so put less strain on the folk working down in the kitchens since they need not wait on the king. Bilbo could easily tell that although everything within Thorin's rooms were well made and looked lovely; the cost to decorate his own little corner of the mountain thusly had been far cheaper than anywhere else.

All it needed was a proper garden, Bilbo thought with fond good humour, and it would be like a hobbit hole in the sky.

Bilbo hummed a tune Fíli had been teaching him recently as he let the tea-leaves steep in the pot. It was early evening and the King Under the Mountain had invited Bilbo up to his rooms in order to have some company while he worked on the paperwork detailing the finer points of the share of treasure the various guilds required this year.

Bilbo was only too happy to keep his friend company. However, he could not help but suspect that Thorin's true purpose for calling him hence was probably to try to wheedle Bilbo into doing some of the paperwork for him, crafty thing that he was.

"You're not at all subtle, you know," Bilbo called out from the kitchen as he placed mugs, teapot, and a plate of biscuits on a tray. "I can see right through your subterfuge, Thorin."

"Hm, and what subterfuge might that be?" Thorin's voice was endearingly distracted as he pored over various treaties and stacks of accounts.

"You calling me here is all a ruse to get me to do work for you," Bilbo teased as he stepped out of the kitchen and approached the dwarf at his desk.

"Do you think so little of my overtures of friendship that you would accuse me of something so crass?" Thorin affected a look of deep hurt on his face as he looked up from his paperwork to meet Bilbo's gaze, causing the hobbit to laugh.

"Not at all, Thorin. However, I know two young lads who have tried every trick in the book to get out of helping Balin this past week, and I do not believe their uncle is above such trickery should he feel so inclined."

"And what terrible dwarves they must be, certainly no relation of mine." Thorin sniffed imperiously, pretending not to know of whom Bilbo spoke.

"I'm speaking of your own nephews, you dolt," Bilbo laughed again, setting the tray beside Thorin's elbow and swatting his shoulder.

"Ah, well, with a mother like Dís, 'tis only to be expected of them."

"I'm telling her you said that."

"Please don't, I'd hate to be banished to the mines and have her usurp the throne." Thorin paused, blinked, and then amended his plea. "Actually, yes, do tell her. She can take the crown, finish this for me, and I will be free."

Bilbo was still chortling as he took a seat beside his friend (and who back in the Shire would ever believe that? A hobbit, friendly with a king and able to joke with him just as close friends and family might). Grimacing as he noticed the papers stacked high enough to reach his chin; Bilbo dutifully picked up a quill of his own with a small stack of paperwork and began to work without complaint.

They worked in companionable silence for a good deal of time, the tea beginning to cool, before Bilbo chanced a look at the dwarf beside him.

So many trials they had been through, and he was so very glad they had remained good friends. For a while after the battle, things had been a little tentative between them; both parties fearing that the other might not have forgiven them for their past transgressions. The guilt and the wariness eased over the course of a couple of months however, and soon Bilbo had found that Thorin could be as dear a friend as any in the Company. As quick as any of them to laugh and joke when the weight of a dragon and a kingdom to reclaim was not weighing upon his shoulders, and loyal and true to a fault as all dwarves seemed wont to be.

Thorin was gilded in the firelight; the glow of it catching his dark hair and making the silver strands threaded throughout shine like mithril. His face was a picture of serene concentration; brows slightly furrowed as he pulled at his lower lip in thought, expressive blue eyes darting from this line of text to that as he carefully studied the reports. Colour high in his cheeks from the warmth of the fire, strong nose, angular jaw, even the thin scar now bisecting his eyebrow all seemed to complement him perfectly and transform his features into something noble and entirely too handsome.

And that was when it chose to wake; the sleeping thing in Bilbo's heart stirring at the sight of Thorin like this and the warm banter that had passed between them... and oh, Bilbo was in a great deal of trouble now.

"More tea I think," Bilbo mumbled, ducking his head to hide his expression lest Thorin see and somehow divine his thoughts.

The hobbit gathered up their tea things and returned to the kitchen to refill the pot, heart thudding in his chest. What had that been? Why had he looked at Thorin and suddenly-

No, no it was nothing. Just him being silly and jumping to foolish conclusions that was all. He loved Thorin as a friend, and in a moment of confusion he had muddled friendship with romantic love, there was nothing else to it.

Busying himself with making the tea, Bilbo pushed all such thoughts from his mind, and almost felt entirely normal by the time he returned to Thorin's side.

At least that is what he had told himself.

Bilbo smiled as he set the gently steaming cup at Thorin's elbow once more, and Thorin tore his eyes away from his work in order to look up at Bilbo standing there and thank him. Eyes gentle and lips parted in a soft smile, Bilbo was lost.

This was not friendship, Bilbo thought with a surety that was both encouraging and terrifying all at once.

And when Thorin opened his mouth to thank Bilbo for the tea, or possibly to enquire why Bilbo was staring so; Bilbo threw caution to the wind and leant down, catching Thorin's lips in a kiss.

For one heart stopping moment Bilbo feared he might be pushed away; that Thorin might take offence, reject him, and ask him to leave.

He need not have worried about such an outcome.

Thorin gasped into Bilbo's mouth, surprise writ on his features for but a moment, before he was cupping Bilbo's cheek and kissing back tenderly.

Bilbo's eyes fluttered closed and he uttered a soft, happy sigh. Lips melded together perfectly and hands gently trailed through hair and along skin.

After long moments, Bilbo pulled away; leaning over in such a fashion was beginning to cause a twinge in his lower back. He pecked a quick kiss to Thorin's cheek and smiled at him, eyes alight with happiness as he confessed what they both now knew. "I- I am sorry that was so sudden but- well... I think I may have just come to the conclusion that I'm in love with you."

Thorin laughed at the words, tugging at Bilbo until he was seated on his lap. "That's good to know, because I think I may have come to that conclusion as well."

"When?" Bilbo was startled. "Just now as well or-"

"Some time ago actually, but I did not wish to press you."

"So... is that why your rooms look as if you spirited Bag End halfway across the world?" Bilbo accused, though humour was present in his tone.

"Hm, something like that... though I did like the way your house was decorated regardless." Thorin had slipped his arms about Bilbo's waist and was now affectionately nosing at Bilbo's curls.

Nothing else really needed to be said after that. Bilbo had often read that finding love was like fireworks or a grand epiphany; it was as all consuming as a forest fire and as bright as a star.

Bilbo found that it was none of those things. It had been a simple matter, falling in love with Thorin. As natural and as easy as drawing breath. Love between them did not need to be as bright as starlight or as passionate as fire; it was instead a gentle embrace, as warm and comforting as reading a favourite book again or as familiar as curling up in bed after a long day of hard work. It was unhurried and simple, and Bilbo found that he preferred this, this beauty in simplicity, to anything written in stories.

Murmured endearments and many more kisses were shared that night, and the tea and paperwork lay happily forgotten as two hearts found their home in each other.