Fan Fiction: The Hobbit (G)
Title: Durinson's Coffee
Pairing/Characters: Ori, Bilbo, Samwise, Dwalin, Ruan (OMC); Ori/Dwalin
Rating: G
Fandom: The Hobbit
Word Count: 1,603
Spoilers: Not really.
Summary: Some of the fall-out of Ruan's arrival.
Notes/Warnings: Continuation of the coffee shop!au. Longer than usual chapter. Lots of talking. No beta.
Durinson's Coffee
Ori stood outside the office door for several minutes, chewing the inside of his cheek. Should he do this? Should he talk to him? Squashing the inner voice that said this was stupid, Ori knocked on the door. Moments later, Bilbo called, "Come in!"
He opened the door and poked his head into the professor's office. Bookcases took up most of the wall space, packed full with books. Bilbo sat at a desk, papers piled on either side of him. "Hi. Am I interrupting?"
"No, of course not, Ori." Bilbo smiled brightly at him, capping his pen and setting it down. He looked at the clock and stood up. "Actually, it's high time I had lunch. Would you like to join me? Provided you don't have any plans already?"
"I'd be glad to join you," Ori assured him, glad for the chance to talk with Bilbo in a less formal setting.
Bilbo gathered his things and ushered Ori out of the office ahead of him, pulling the door closed once they were both out. As they started down the hall, Bilbo asked, "So, what brings you here?"
"What makes you think I have any reason for coming besides the pleasure of your company?" Ori didn't want to admit outright that he'd had an ulterior motive for coming.
The look his friend gave him told him his attempt at dissembling had failed. "You only come here to see me if you have something you want to discuss that you don't want anyone from the shop to overhear."
"Fine, yes, there is something I'd like to discuss with you." Ori held up his hands in mock surrender. "Just not here."
Bilbo nodded, his expression sympathetic. "I understand. I know just the place."
The café Bilbo took him to reminded Ori of Dori's restaurant, with the addition of greenery. A lot of greenery. The host recognized Bilbo, a smile lighting his young face. "Mr. Bilbo! It's been awhile."
"Hello, Sam," Bilbo greeted him with a hug. "How are things with Frodo and Rosie?" A blush suffused the young man's face. "Ah, good, I'm glad you're happy with them."
Smiling shyly, he told Bilbo, "Thank you for your advice, Mr. Bilbo."
"Not at all, my boy. I'm glad to help my friends. When it helps my kin, too, it makes me even happier." Bilbo turned and gestured to Ori. "I'm in the process of helping another friend, so if you could show us to a private table?"
'Sam' nodded after a quick glance at Ori. "Yes, of course, Mr. Bilbo, right this way."
"Friend of yours?" Ori asked Bilbo in a quiet voice as they followed the host.
Bilbo smiled warmly. "Young Samwise grew up next door to me and my nephew, Frodo. I practically helped his parents raise him."
"Who is Rosie?" Ori couldn't help wondering, distracted from his own problems for the moment.
Bilbo shook his head slightly as they reached the table and he told Samwise their orders. Ori glanced at him in surprise once Samwise left. "Trust me, you'll like the food."
"You've never steered me wrong before." They took their seats.
Samwise returned with their drinks and Bilbo waited until he'd gone again before asking, "So, what's wrong?"
"It's about Dwalin," Ori told him quietly, tracing patterns in the condensation on his glass with his finger. "He's spending so much time with Ruan that I've hardly seen him except at work. I know that Dwalin's missed out on fourteen years of Ruan's life, but it feels like we've gone back to the way things were back in January."
Bilbo hummed thoughtfully. "Have you tried talking to Dwalin?"
"I've tried, but we're usually at work, so we're busy, and then he rushes off to get Ruan from school after his shift." Ori shrugged.
Samwise brought their food, and then left. Ori picked at the sandwich and fries Bilbo had ordered for him. "Sounds like you should go see him at his house. I agree that he needs to spend time with Ruan, but not at the expense of time with you."
"I don't want to seem clingy." Ori made a face at the thought.
"Telling Dwalin that he's basically been ignoring you is not clingy." Bilbo looked stern. "He may not even be aware that he's ignoring you."
He sipped his soda, still unsure, muttering, "I don't like confrontations."
"As long as you both stay calm, it shouldn't turn into one." The professor reached across the table and patted his hand comfortingly. "He'll respect you more for calling him on this sort of behavior. Thorin certainly did."
Ori nodded, remembering a few of the stories he'd heard of Thorin and Bilbo's relationship. "I'll think about it. Thank you, Bilbo."
"You're welcome, Ori."
* * *
"Dad?" Ruan asked when Dwalin picked him from school, as usual. Most of his attention on negotiating the after-school traffic, Dwalin acknowledged the question with a grunt. "When Mr. Girionson dropped me off at your house, you told him that had a lover."
He glanced at his son with a raised eyebrow. "I do have a lover."
"Why haven't I met him, then?" Ruan raised his eyebrow right back.
Dwalin opened his mouth to retort, and then closed it with a snap, feeling as if his heart had dropped into his stomach. Ruan had met most of the others from the shop already. He and Balin got along quite well. Fíli and Kíli liked to spend time with their young cousin, helping to entertain him on the days school let out early and Dwalin had to work. Thorin had gruffly told Dwalin he could have weekends off until Ruan had settled in more. Ori had yet to come by the house since Ruan had moved in. Gruffly, he finally replied, "Ori's just been busy lately. He told me he's planning to go back to school for a master's degree."
"What'll he study?" A quick glance out of the corner of his eye told him Ruan was staring out the window, but he had asked.
Dwalin navigated the drive home easily, "He didn't tell me, but I know he'd like to teach English, so I assume that's what he'll study."
"How long have you two been together?" Ruan's fingers tapped on the seat in a repeating rhythm.
He took a few moments to mentally tally the dates. "Six months last Saturday."
"I know for a fact you were home then. Why weren't you with Ori?" Ruan folded his arms across his chest now.
He fought the urge to squirm. He shouldn't have needed his son to point out that he hadn't spent much time with Ori lately. It was the sort of thing he should have noticed on his own and corrected without prompting. Clearing his throat, he replied, "I've been more than a little distracted of late."
"You know, we can't really make up for missing fourteen years." He pulled into the driveway and turned to look at his son. "I'm glad to have you in my life, but the point of having a boyfriend or girlfriend is to spend time with them."
Dwalin turned the ignition off. "I know."
"And, if you're worried I'll be hurt if you spend time with him instead of me, don't be." Ruan smiled reassuringly at him, and then slipped out of the truck.
Dwalin watched him disappear into the house, and then pulled out his cell phone. Balin picked up on the second ring, "Afternoon, Brother."
"Balin, when is Ori's next day off?" Dwalin didn't even bother with a greeting.
He heard a creak as Balin shifted to check the schedule. "Tomorrow. Why do you ask?"
"No reason. Have a good day at work." Dwalin hung up and got out of his truck.
As he walked to the front door, he punched in another number. "Long time, no speak."
"Just hear me out before you hang up on me, Ori." Dwalin rushed to get the words out, not sure how his young lover would react. "I've been distracted with Ruan moving in with me and trying to spend time with him that I forgot about spending time with you. I want to apologize for it and hope you'd like to spend tomorrow with me."
To his surprise, Ori sounded amused when he replied, "Why wait until tomorrow? Just come inside, you big idiot."
"What?" Dwalin opened the door and nearly dropped his phone when he found Ori waiting in the entryway with Ruan beside him. "How did you get in?"
Rolling his eyes, Ori held up the copy of the key Dwalin had given him. "I can't believe you forgot you gave me this."
"I forgot a lot of things about you, lad, and I'm sorry for that." Dwalin finally remembered to turn off his phone and tucked it into his pocket. "Is there anything I can do to make up for it?"
Ori looked at Ruan and gestured to him. Smiling, the teenager told him, "We decided that dinner tonight, just the three of us is a start."
"Three?" Dwalin repeated, looking back at Ori.
His lover rolled his eyes again. "Ruan's part of your life now, idiot. We can get to know each other tonight, and then the two of us can spend tomorrow together. How does that sound?"
"Wonderful." He smiled hopefully and opened his arms.
Smiling back, Ori stepped into them and hugged him tight. For Dwalin's ears alone, he murmured, "You have to do a lot of groveling to do."
"I'm looking forward to it," he murmured back, a shiver of anticipation running down his spine.
End
Pairing/Characters: Ori, Bilbo, Samwise, Dwalin, Ruan (OMC); Ori/Dwalin
Rating: G
Fandom: The Hobbit
Word Count: 1,603
Spoilers: Not really.
Summary: Some of the fall-out of Ruan's arrival.
Notes/Warnings: Continuation of the coffee shop!au. Longer than usual chapter. Lots of talking. No beta.
Durinson's Coffee
Ori stood outside the office door for several minutes, chewing the inside of his cheek. Should he do this? Should he talk to him? Squashing the inner voice that said this was stupid, Ori knocked on the door. Moments later, Bilbo called, "Come in!"
He opened the door and poked his head into the professor's office. Bookcases took up most of the wall space, packed full with books. Bilbo sat at a desk, papers piled on either side of him. "Hi. Am I interrupting?"
"No, of course not, Ori." Bilbo smiled brightly at him, capping his pen and setting it down. He looked at the clock and stood up. "Actually, it's high time I had lunch. Would you like to join me? Provided you don't have any plans already?"
"I'd be glad to join you," Ori assured him, glad for the chance to talk with Bilbo in a less formal setting.
Bilbo gathered his things and ushered Ori out of the office ahead of him, pulling the door closed once they were both out. As they started down the hall, Bilbo asked, "So, what brings you here?"
"What makes you think I have any reason for coming besides the pleasure of your company?" Ori didn't want to admit outright that he'd had an ulterior motive for coming.
The look his friend gave him told him his attempt at dissembling had failed. "You only come here to see me if you have something you want to discuss that you don't want anyone from the shop to overhear."
"Fine, yes, there is something I'd like to discuss with you." Ori held up his hands in mock surrender. "Just not here."
Bilbo nodded, his expression sympathetic. "I understand. I know just the place."
The café Bilbo took him to reminded Ori of Dori's restaurant, with the addition of greenery. A lot of greenery. The host recognized Bilbo, a smile lighting his young face. "Mr. Bilbo! It's been awhile."
"Hello, Sam," Bilbo greeted him with a hug. "How are things with Frodo and Rosie?" A blush suffused the young man's face. "Ah, good, I'm glad you're happy with them."
Smiling shyly, he told Bilbo, "Thank you for your advice, Mr. Bilbo."
"Not at all, my boy. I'm glad to help my friends. When it helps my kin, too, it makes me even happier." Bilbo turned and gestured to Ori. "I'm in the process of helping another friend, so if you could show us to a private table?"
'Sam' nodded after a quick glance at Ori. "Yes, of course, Mr. Bilbo, right this way."
"Friend of yours?" Ori asked Bilbo in a quiet voice as they followed the host.
Bilbo smiled warmly. "Young Samwise grew up next door to me and my nephew, Frodo. I practically helped his parents raise him."
"Who is Rosie?" Ori couldn't help wondering, distracted from his own problems for the moment.
Bilbo shook his head slightly as they reached the table and he told Samwise their orders. Ori glanced at him in surprise once Samwise left. "Trust me, you'll like the food."
"You've never steered me wrong before." They took their seats.
Samwise returned with their drinks and Bilbo waited until he'd gone again before asking, "So, what's wrong?"
"It's about Dwalin," Ori told him quietly, tracing patterns in the condensation on his glass with his finger. "He's spending so much time with Ruan that I've hardly seen him except at work. I know that Dwalin's missed out on fourteen years of Ruan's life, but it feels like we've gone back to the way things were back in January."
Bilbo hummed thoughtfully. "Have you tried talking to Dwalin?"
"I've tried, but we're usually at work, so we're busy, and then he rushes off to get Ruan from school after his shift." Ori shrugged.
Samwise brought their food, and then left. Ori picked at the sandwich and fries Bilbo had ordered for him. "Sounds like you should go see him at his house. I agree that he needs to spend time with Ruan, but not at the expense of time with you."
"I don't want to seem clingy." Ori made a face at the thought.
"Telling Dwalin that he's basically been ignoring you is not clingy." Bilbo looked stern. "He may not even be aware that he's ignoring you."
He sipped his soda, still unsure, muttering, "I don't like confrontations."
"As long as you both stay calm, it shouldn't turn into one." The professor reached across the table and patted his hand comfortingly. "He'll respect you more for calling him on this sort of behavior. Thorin certainly did."
Ori nodded, remembering a few of the stories he'd heard of Thorin and Bilbo's relationship. "I'll think about it. Thank you, Bilbo."
"You're welcome, Ori."
* * *
"Dad?" Ruan asked when Dwalin picked him from school, as usual. Most of his attention on negotiating the after-school traffic, Dwalin acknowledged the question with a grunt. "When Mr. Girionson dropped me off at your house, you told him that had a lover."
He glanced at his son with a raised eyebrow. "I do have a lover."
"Why haven't I met him, then?" Ruan raised his eyebrow right back.
Dwalin opened his mouth to retort, and then closed it with a snap, feeling as if his heart had dropped into his stomach. Ruan had met most of the others from the shop already. He and Balin got along quite well. Fíli and Kíli liked to spend time with their young cousin, helping to entertain him on the days school let out early and Dwalin had to work. Thorin had gruffly told Dwalin he could have weekends off until Ruan had settled in more. Ori had yet to come by the house since Ruan had moved in. Gruffly, he finally replied, "Ori's just been busy lately. He told me he's planning to go back to school for a master's degree."
"What'll he study?" A quick glance out of the corner of his eye told him Ruan was staring out the window, but he had asked.
Dwalin navigated the drive home easily, "He didn't tell me, but I know he'd like to teach English, so I assume that's what he'll study."
"How long have you two been together?" Ruan's fingers tapped on the seat in a repeating rhythm.
He took a few moments to mentally tally the dates. "Six months last Saturday."
"I know for a fact you were home then. Why weren't you with Ori?" Ruan folded his arms across his chest now.
He fought the urge to squirm. He shouldn't have needed his son to point out that he hadn't spent much time with Ori lately. It was the sort of thing he should have noticed on his own and corrected without prompting. Clearing his throat, he replied, "I've been more than a little distracted of late."
"You know, we can't really make up for missing fourteen years." He pulled into the driveway and turned to look at his son. "I'm glad to have you in my life, but the point of having a boyfriend or girlfriend is to spend time with them."
Dwalin turned the ignition off. "I know."
"And, if you're worried I'll be hurt if you spend time with him instead of me, don't be." Ruan smiled reassuringly at him, and then slipped out of the truck.
Dwalin watched him disappear into the house, and then pulled out his cell phone. Balin picked up on the second ring, "Afternoon, Brother."
"Balin, when is Ori's next day off?" Dwalin didn't even bother with a greeting.
He heard a creak as Balin shifted to check the schedule. "Tomorrow. Why do you ask?"
"No reason. Have a good day at work." Dwalin hung up and got out of his truck.
As he walked to the front door, he punched in another number. "Long time, no speak."
"Just hear me out before you hang up on me, Ori." Dwalin rushed to get the words out, not sure how his young lover would react. "I've been distracted with Ruan moving in with me and trying to spend time with him that I forgot about spending time with you. I want to apologize for it and hope you'd like to spend tomorrow with me."
To his surprise, Ori sounded amused when he replied, "Why wait until tomorrow? Just come inside, you big idiot."
"What?" Dwalin opened the door and nearly dropped his phone when he found Ori waiting in the entryway with Ruan beside him. "How did you get in?"
Rolling his eyes, Ori held up the copy of the key Dwalin had given him. "I can't believe you forgot you gave me this."
"I forgot a lot of things about you, lad, and I'm sorry for that." Dwalin finally remembered to turn off his phone and tucked it into his pocket. "Is there anything I can do to make up for it?"
Ori looked at Ruan and gestured to him. Smiling, the teenager told him, "We decided that dinner tonight, just the three of us is a start."
"Three?" Dwalin repeated, looking back at Ori.
His lover rolled his eyes again. "Ruan's part of your life now, idiot. We can get to know each other tonight, and then the two of us can spend tomorrow together. How does that sound?"
"Wonderful." He smiled hopefully and opened his arms.
Smiling back, Ori stepped into them and hugged him tight. For Dwalin's ears alone, he murmured, "You have to do a lot of groveling to do."
"I'm looking forward to it," he murmured back, a shiver of anticipation running down his spine.
End