#Siren Bilbo

[lucigoo]

What you find in the moonlight

#270 - Lights and Sirens @flashfictionfridayofficial

Pairing - Bilbo/Thorin

Warnings - n/a

Words - 920

Summary -

Thorin went for a walk, only to be captivted by the Siren song surronding him.

Well, not just any of the siren's songs, the golden haired male had captivated him unexpectedly.

Ao3 link here

Thorin Oakenshield walked along the shoreline, his heavy boots leaving imprints in the wet sand.

The sound of the waves crashing against the shore was soothing all the thoughts that were swirling in Thorin’s mind.

Or at least it was before another sound was heard over it. A captivating one.

A haunting melody drifted over the water, sweet and seductive to Thorin’s ears.

Thorin paused, his eyes narrowing as he searched for the source of the sound.

Suddenly, his breath caught in his chest.

Flickers of light were sparkling just beyond the surf, flashes of colour dancing across the water’s surface.

He stepped closer, his gaze transfixed to the light show before him.

Through the soft, silvery moonlight, the sea finally showed the figures behind the song.

Plump but graceful forms were sliding through the waves.

The lights were not magic, but the moonlight reflecting off their gleaming tails, casting a glow across the shore.

Thorin felt his eyes widen when he realised he was looking at a pod of sirens.

One siren emerged from the water, her brown scaled tail catching the moon’s light as it scattered beams of colour over the beach.

Her dark eyes gleamed predatory as she swam toward him, her voice carrying a lilting melody meant to ensnare his wandering soul.

“Oh, you're a pretty one. What’s your name, darling?” she purred, her lips curling into a smile as she emerged further out of the water, the water dripping from her silken hair over her exposed breasts. “Come closer. I have been waiting for someone like you.”

Thorin raised an eyebrow at her, his gaze resting on her without the awe she expected to see.

His lips thinned out into a scowl. He crossed his arms at her, unimpressed. “You look like you’ve spent far too much time at the bottom of a well, covered in slime.”

Lobelia’s mouth dropped open, her seductive sway faltering. “Excuse you?”

“I said you’re ugly. Absolutely not my type.” Thorin huffed, waving her away.

He had never been attracted to females in any form. A dripping wet siren trying to be seductive was no different.

He turned away from her dismissively, his attention caught by the very male looking figure perched atop a smooth rock some distance away.

As he stood there, a softer, more captivating song echoed around him.

Thorin’s heart thudded in his chest as he looked at the being, whose golden hair gleamed under the moonlight.

The merman’s tail was swaying idly out of the water. He had propped himself up on the rock he was resting on, one arm dangling into the water, the other tucked beneath him.

His eyes sparkled with mischief as he watched Thorin dismiss Lobelia, his lips curving into a teasing smile.

“Lobelia, dear, I think your efforts are wasted,” the merman’s voice purred out mockingly. “He’s not for you.”

His tail flicked playfully in the water as he spoke, creating a ripple of gold across the surface. “He’s here for me.”

Lobelia shot him a furious glare. “I saw him first!”

The merman waved her off dismissively. “Doesn’t matter, does it? He clearly prefers my company. Go on, back to the others.” His tone left her no room to argue.

Lobelia hissed under her breath, her expression turning into something much less enchanting as she slipped back beneath the waves, muttering to herself about stubborn dwarves and their terrible taste.

Thorin, though still a bit dazed by the enchanting lights, found himself mesmerised by the merman in a way he had never experienced before.

The gentle curve of the merman’s smile, the effortless grace with which he moved, the playful spark in his eyes, it was intoxicating to Thorin.

“You’re much too bold for your own good,” Thorin muttered, taking a step closer, though he couldn’t help but admire the sheer confidence radiating from the being before him. “But I suppose you knew that.”

The merman tilted his head, his smile widening. “What can I say? I know what I like. I’m Bilbo, by the way,” he said, his eyes shining as he flicked his tail again. “And I like you, Mr Dwarf.”

The dwarf felt his face grow warm, but he didn’t falter. “I’m Thorin and you’re a terrible flirt.”

“Oh, I’m only just beginning.” Bilbo’s voice lowered into something more intimate, the playful glint never leaving his gaze. “You should see me when I’m trying.”

Thorin chuckled, shaking his head. “Another time, perhaps.”

“Another time, indeed,” Bilbo agreed.. “The moonlight festival isn’t the place for such things. Too many distractions, too many other eyes,” he said as he shot a glance toward the water where the rest of the sirens continued their playful songs.

Thorin nodded. He understood. This night was filled with enchantment, but not all of it was as harmless as Bilbo’s teasing.

Bilbo leaned forward, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Meet me when the moon sets. Alone.”

Thorin held Bilbo’s gaze. The pull between them was now undeniable. “I’ll be there.”

Without another word and a final flick of his tail, Bilbo slid back into the water, disappearing beneath the waves

As Thorin watched the lights of the Siren’s festival continue to dance across the water, he was already anticipating the moon set.

They were going to meet, just the two of them, away from the sirens and their games and hungry thoughts.

The night itself held its own magic, but Thorin had found something far more captivating in the air.

Bilbo’s enchanting smile.

[lotrhobbitsilmincorrectquotes]

(sirens going off in the distance) Arwen, who has never done anything wrong in her life: they found me

Inspired by this post

[verkomy]

“as they sang the hobbit felt the love of beautiful things made by hands and by cunning and by magic moving through him, a fierce and jealous love, the desire of the hearts of dwarves” aka thorin seducing bilbo to go on a journey with him with a siren song

[linddzz]

Whooooo! I found ya! Down to business:

Are there any fic recommendations for baggin/shield or pitch/frost that you like(d)?

I am absolutely feral

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand…..

What are 3 of your most favorite fics that you’ve ever read?

Ya found me! Let me say that the notifications of someone going through old fics and commenting are ambrosia. You are a treasure and a saint of a person!

And oh man I had to dive into my old bookmarks for these! I'm good at remembering snippets or vibes of fics but not the fics themselves. I will warn that a lot of my fave pitch/jack stuff tended to be pretty dark. It's not like, a thing I regret or say is wrong, and I still enjoy/love a lot of it! I was in a dark place mentally and that reflected in the stuff I was reading and creating. Who actually has a good time in their early to mid 20s?

Mostly warning because most of my stuff since then skirts the edges or flirts with the darkness but doesn't feel that need to go deep diving.

Second warning is there may be less here than you'd think! The more I write for a ship the less I read, because my brain gets very dumb and the self doubt gets Real Bad. This is all non-exhaustive of course! I wouldn't even say this is my Best of The Best it's just what's coming to mind at the moment. There's way more in the AO3 bookmarks

Pitch/Jack fics

In the Dark - series by @charmed7293 romancing the monster under the bed is maybe not always the best idea

The Syntax of Programming Languages, and, Why Some Code Talks in Accents - by Midievil. I'm biased here bc this was a gift fic inspired by my The Device Has Been Modified, but it done showed me up bc it was written by someone who knows more about actual coding than me

Shadows and Light - this series by @not-poignant is The Classic of the ship. Since you liked Things That Were you'd most definitely like this one. And unlike me, Pia actually finishes things!

I swear to God there were a lot of fics by @insufferablearchanist that I loved but they nuked their old AO3 and I can't ever remember shit.

Thorin/Bilbo fics

Prayers to Broken Stone - @avelera the beauty and the beast flavored au you didn't know you wanted

Comfort in the Sound - by northerntrash. Ok. Yes. It's Bilbo/Thorin/Bofur but like. Trust me on this. Road trip throuple shenanigans

Patchwork Robe - @hallsofstone2941 I am not immune to stupidly adorable modern college au one-shots

Possession - aljira. You liked Sanzigil, you'll like this :)

Marriage in the Manner of Dwarves - series by diemarysues

Other Fandom Faves (that come to mind. I've been reading fanfic since like 2002 ok there's a lot that has made impressions over the years that I just lost track of dkdjdk)

Taking Everyone For A Ride - by Nonymos. Venom/Eddy+Anne/Dan. typical Eldritch shenanigans plus polyamory. Unhinged and weird, just how I like em

The Only Way Out Is Down - @avelera Newt/Hermann. The second PR movie was so bad I wanna erase it from my memory but my god did it spawn some AMAZING fics, including this one that rewired my brain

After Zero - by what_alchemy Newt/Hermann. A bunch of delightful smut

The Wine Dark Sea - @moorishflower Dream/Hob. Siren! Dream au. Jesus Christ. Holy fuck. Goddamn. Gorgeous, monstrous, surreal, Unhinged4Unhinged behavior. Listen. I work with octopuses. I know what their arms feel like and that has ruined almost all tentacle shenanigans for me ok?? This fic got past that hangup.

If I Please You - @moorishflower Dream/Hob. It feels like a modern retelling of an old medieval fairy romance goddamn

And finally. This series. The series.

So. I very recently refound this series and I'm almost hesitant to post it. Because as I was reading it again I kept having to put it down and sit in horror at the realization that I read this fic when I was in college and it actually rewired my brain. I realized everything I have written was trying to recapture what this fic did to my synapses. I was chasing after vibes that I did not realize originated in this fic for me. Me sharing this risks everyone who reads it and has read my stuff also going "ooohhhh you're just doing this again huh?"

It is the very specific combination of "Character A: openly unhinged, obsessive, violently romantic and unnerving/Character B: seems so chill and just happily rolls with CharacterA being insane, because they are also secretly insane." It's the combo of a codependent bonkers relationship with humorous banality of their day-to-day.

It's also a Johnlock fic.

Anyway, The Paradox Series rewired my brain so deeply that I didn't even realize it rewired my brain until over a decade later. I swear I have been unaware of how much my writing has been leaning on what this did to my brain.

[justsomerandomfanfic]

The Siren's Song - Fili X Female Reader

Title: The Siren's Song

Fili X Female Reader

Additional Characters: Bilbo (Mentioned), Thorin, Kili, Bofur, Bifur, Nori, Ori, Bombur, Azog (Mentioned), Other Hobbit peeps (Mentioned), Gandalf (Mentioned), Smaug (Mentioned), and the rest of the Company (Mentioned)

WC: 3,223

Warnings: The Hobbit canon violence, death of main characters mentioned, Reader is a Siren, murder mentioned, flesh-eating fish mentioned, yelling, fighting (verbal), flirting, sassy/sarcastic Reader, blood mentioned, weapons mentioned, crying, angst, threats, orc death (yay), vomit mentioned, Everybody Lives AU, and fluffy ending

The company had been walking for hours it seemed. And they probably had been walking for hours, but the point is that their feet were hurting and they were in dire need of some rest. Though, as stubborn as the King was, Thorin kept going. 

"No time for rest," He'd say as most of the company groaned, "We must make it to the next town before sundown." 

But it had been hours. Walking and walking. They didn't even have ponies to ride on, and their backs hurt as they carried their heavy bags, supplies, and weapons. They wanted a break, they needed a break. Yet, their King wasn’t as merciful.

As the hot afternoon sun shone down on the Dwarves and one Hobbit, the bright forest they were wandering through, turned into a misty dark wood. The aura and atmosphere of the forest changed drastically with the change in temperature. The air was cooler as well as the smell, and the leaves crunched underfoot with every step they took. 

Then, suddenly, the air turned freezing cold. It felt like an icy blast hit them all at once, making it feel as if they were standing on a high snowy mountain. They stayed quiet, wary of everything around them, even some pulling out their weapons, just in case. The company looked around, trying to find any sign of danger.

"Be still." Thorin commanded, his eyes narrowing as he looked around him, "Be at the ready for anything."

Then, suddenly, there was singing, coming from somewhere ahead of them. The song was enchanting and sweet, and it made the Company feel slightly more at ease. It was beautiful and melodious, almost like a lullaby; it sent shivers down the Company’s spines.

Fili felt his heartbeat quicken as his mind began to fog, and he couldn't seem to keep up with his thoughts. His head swam with emotions. Was it really a song? Was it just his imagination? He could see himself humming along to the melody, swaying back and forth�� It was hypnotic and entrancing. Fili felt as if he was walking on a cloud, as his eyes drooped in a heavy daze until he stopped; pausing mid-step. The fog in his head slowly dissipated, as Fili blinked rapidly; confused. He looked around in panic, watching as the rest of the Company, even his Uncle, slowly, sluggishly walked towards a large lake.

Hypnotized, the Company headed straight for the dark lake, which seemed to be the source of the voice they were all hearing. The water was dark, deep, and misty; however, they didn't care about the lake -- they were all too enthralled by the beautiful song that came from within its depths.

Fili, who had broken free from the hypnotizing song, noticed something as he stared at the lake. Near the middle of it, there was a face, peaking out of the murky waters with bright eyes.

Fili watched as the eyes widened when he realized that the Company was walking closer and closer to what he realized was a Siren. He ran over to the front of the lake, pushing Thorin away from it just in time. Thorin's glazed-over eyes blinked, as he snapped out of his hypnotized state. He quickly realized the severity of the situation and with the help of his eldest nephew, they shook awake the rest of the Company.

"Oh..." The Siren from the waters sighed, "You're no fun." 

Thorin turned and glared at you, "What did you do to us?" He demanded and you sighed, rolling your eyes.

"Hypnotized you with my song." You said simply. "A girl's gotta eat."

Kili furrowed his eyebrows, "You eat Dwarves?"

You let out a hauntingly beautiful laugh, "Oh no!" You giggled out, "I hypnotize people to become bait for me to eat. I sing, lure unsuspecting victims in, pull them into the lake, and then the flesh-eating fish will feast on you... While I feast on them."

There was a tense silence after you finished speaking. Then, Thorin spoke up, "Well, you are not going to turn us into a meal!" He exclaimed, making you roll your eyes in annoyance.

"Well, I can't now. For one of you Dwarves has broken out of my spell." Your gaze slid over to stare at Fili before you slipped into the waters below. Fili looked around the lake before you popped out of the water, right in front of Fili; surprising him. "How did you do it?" You tilted your head to the side, your wet hair matted to your head, and parts of your face. "You should have drowned. How do you escape my enchantments?" You questioned. Fili opened his mouth to respond, but he closed it again. His heart was racing, and the blood rushed to his cheeks. You were the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on. You smirked when you noticed and laughed softly. 

Thorin pushed Fili behind him, pointing his sword right in your face, making your eyes cross. "Stand back, Siren Temptress." He growled, "Or else we shall skewer you where you stand!"

Your eyebrow raised, amused. “Tempress?” You asked. Fili was shocked at how calm you sounded, despite being threatened, but also surprised at how little effect the threat had. “No one's ever called me that one before. I must say... I like it. But then again, no one's ever fallen out of my spells before." You smirked, tilting your head to the side to stare at Fili again; something about him fascinated you.

"I do not know." Fili answered, "I just felt this pull, and I could think again."

You hummed, "Well..." You ran your gaze across his figure, "You must be special." You mused. "So... Where are you all heading?" You asked and Thorin brought your attention back to him.

"Do not speak as if you had not tried to kill us all."

You glared up at Thorin, pushing the tip of the sword away from your face, "Do you not know that it's quite impolite to point a sword at a lady?"

Thorin scowled, "And yet you tried to harm us!"

"Now, now, Thorin. You play too rough," You chastised, placing a finger on your lips coyly, "That's hardly fair. I didn't mean to harm anyone. It's just my nature." Your brows lowered and you pout your lips.

His glare seemed to harden as he stared at you, "How do you know of me?"

"Oh, your reputation precedes you... Your Highness." Your words dripped with sarcasm and you chuckled, flicking your tail out of the water when Thorin flinched. That comment had hit a nerve. "I may be able to help you, you know." You hummed, eyes slyly dragging your gaze from Thorin to Fili. "I can hypnotize others. You might need me." You let out a dramatic sigh, “And, I’d just love to get out of this lake.”

Fili felt a slight chill run down his spine and he swallowed nervously; he couldn’t stop staring at you. "No! No, you will not come with us." Thorin yelled, as Kili nodded beside him.

"We can't have a Siren join the Company!" Bofur cried out as most of the other Dwarves nodded in agreement.

"I do not know..." Fili began, his eyes staring into yours, "She might be helpful."

The Company turned to look at the elder Prince, eyes wide in shock. "What!? Have you gone mad!?" Bifur exclaimed.

Nori nodded, "She'll eat us to bits, one by one!"

"He must be under her spell!" Ori shouted, backing away from you.

"Why would you want to help us!?" Bombur shouted.

"If we go with her, we all die!" Bofur yelled, trying to get through to Thorin.

Thorin ignored them as he stared at you, narrowing his eyes, "If you step one toe out of line, I will not hesitate to skewer you." He stated firmly.

Your eyes flashed gold, and you grinned devilishly, "Good thing you won't have to."

Your eyes flickered back to their original color, and you dipped the rest of your head back in the water. Fili furrowed his eyebrows as he stared at the water, confused and curious. He, and the rest of the Company, watched as the water bubbled as if it was boiling hot, and then, you rose out of the surface. Instead of your tail, it was replaced with legs, and thankfully whatever magic you used, had given you clothes. A simple billowy tunic, trousers, and boots. If anything, you were also ready for the adventure.

Thorin stared at you, skeptically before going ahead of the group, and leading the way. You saddled up beside Fili, incredibly intrigued by the Prince, and how he was able to break out of your spell. What was special about him? Was he truly immune to your charm? But, the longer you stared at him, the more you realized how handsome he was. His dirty blonde hair, striking blue eyes, and his little mustache braids… There was a sort of magnetism that drew you to him and made you feel like you wanted to be near him. It was strange.

"What should I call you, little Prince?" You asked, gaining his attention.

Fili turned to see you already looking at him, walking alongside him as you clasped your hands behind your back. "I am Fili." He introduced himself, face still flushed, "What is yours?" He asked, turning to face you.

"My name is Y/N." You replied, grinning.

Fili smiled at your response, "It suits you better than Siren."

"Hm. Or Temptress." You added, making him laugh lightly. Fili bit his lip, side-glancing at you with a playful smirk. You frowned slightly, "What are you grinning about?" You asked.

Fili shrugged, "Nothing really, just your company is nice."

"Is that so?" You raised an eyebrow teasingly, as Fili nodded.

"Yes."

You stopped and stared at him for a few moments before smiling, "Good. Because I think you are nice company too."

Kili couldn't help but overhear your conversation with his older brother, smiling slightly in amusement at the two of you. 

~~~

Over the past couple of weeks, you had grown closer to the Prince and grew to actually really like him. He was a good person, and he cared very deeply about the people he cared about. You admired that about him. You were starting to notice things about him that you hadn't noticed before. The way he twiddled with his thumbs or how his demeanor changed when near his brother…

You liked seeing Fili happy, you enjoyed spending time with him, and you found yourself falling deeper and deeper with every passing day. You knew that you were in deep, but you didn't care. All you cared about was Fili. You'd been keeping that thought to yourself though. For fear that he might think of you differently if he found out that you had feelings for him. You didn’t want to say it… But you would show him with your sweet gestures.

"What is it like, wandering and going on adventures?" You asked softly, not wanting to wake any of the sleeping Dwarves or gain the attention of Kili who was on night watch.

Fili hummed, staring up at the stars with you, side by side, "Well," He began, "Sometimes it is dangerous, but other times it is quite... Peaceful." He glanced over to you, seeing how your eyes gazed upon the sky. Your face was illuminated by the light coming from the fire which lit up the small area in which the Company had set up camp. You were beautiful, especially with the moonlight shining off your skin. Like a Goddess sent from Mahal himself.

You glanced over at him and looked away shyly. "I wish I could've seen the world more. All my life, I have been in that lake, doing as my parents had taught me." You paused, your fingers playing with the hem of your shirt. "I never thought I would get the chance to see the world." You continued. Fili turned to face you, frowning slightly in concern.

"I understand." He murmured. "For a long time, I wanted to go out on adventures when I was younger."

You bit your lip, before turning your head to the side, looking at Fili, "I'm sorry for almost killing you and your friends."

Fili shook his head, "There's nothing for you to apologize for. It was your nature." You smiled sadly, nodding slightly in understanding before looking back at the starry sky. "What is it like being a Siren?" Fili questioned, breaking the silence between the two of you, "Being able to change your form?"

You blinked, your thoughts suddenly taking a turn. "It is very tiring. To say the least. Swimming all day… It takes a lot of strength." You looked back over at him, "What is it like being a Prince?"

A sad sigh escaped Fili's lips and he glanced up at the sky, "It's difficult, I suppose." He paused, "But I wouldn't trade it for anything." He gave you a small grin. 

"Are you happy?" You asked him, and Filipused his lips, thinking before he nodded.

"Yes, I am happy." He looked back at you with his blue eyes, "Are you?"

You sighed, turning to look up at the stars as a shooting star flew by, "I am now." Your hand brushed against the soft grass, your hand bumping lightly into Fili's. His pinkie nudged yours, making your heart flutter. Slowly, his hand encased yours, and he squeezed gently, earning a small giggle from you.

"You're adorable." You said, giggling as he rolled his eyes playfully as his cheeks flushed once more.

"And you are enchanting, Y/N."

~~~

The Battle of the Five Armies was ongoing. There was so much blood and gore. You spent most, if not all of your time in your lake, so you never saw a battle like this before. You were doing your best to help Thorin and his Company, hypnotizing and mesmerizing orcs, forcing themselves to walk off cliffs or stab each other. The fighting was brutal, there was no mercy whatsoever. All dwarves, even though injured or wounded, refused to yield. It was overwhelming. But as you continued to sing, luring a bunch of orcs to kill one another, you took a glance around you, unable to find Fili; you went in search of him. 

You began to panic when you made your way to the castle ruins up high on the mountain, eyes widening as you watched Fili, being held by Azog on the broken balcony of the ruins. You froze, petrified as you watched Azog stab Fili in the back, before tossing him away. You screamed as tears streamed down your cheeks. Your blood-curdling scream echoed throughout the mountain, causing many to cover their ears as they began to ring; even some vomited from your piercing yell. You quickly rushed over, falling down on your knees, pulling Fili close to you, his head resting on your lap. Tears streamed from your eyes as you looked down at his pale form. A large pool of blood surrounded him, staining your pants and knees; but you didn’t care. As you looked down at him, you began to sing again, hoping that your song would somehow heal the wound on his back. But nothing happened. Your heart clenched painfully. You began to shake as you gazed at him helplessly, watching as your song slowly faded away, leaving a dead silence in its wake. 

Opening your eyes, you stared down at Fili's glazed-over eyes, your chest tightening, a painful lump forming in the pit of your stomach. Your breath hitched, choking back sobs as you placed your palm against the side of Fili's face. His cheek felt cold against your fingertips, making a whimper escape your lips. Biting your lip harshly, trying to stop yourself from crying, you pulled Fili close to you, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"Please... Don't leave me." You whispered in his ear, and you shut your eyes, letting out a shaky sigh.

Unbeknownst to you, the tears you had shed landed on Fili's cheeks, melting into his skin. And after a quick moment, he let out a faint groan, his eyes flickering open. Your eyes widened at his sudden sound, sitting upright as Fili let out a cough, wincing.

He opened his eyes, gazing up at you through half-closed eyelids. "Y/N?" He rasped. You looked at him, relief flooding over you as he sat up in front of you. You cupped his cheek, leaning forward, and placed a light kiss on his lips.

"You are awake." You breathed. He grinned softly.

"Am I dreaming? Is this real?" Fili asked, gazing intently at you.

"No, you're here. With me. You're alive." You responded, pressing your forehead against his own.

"I'm alive? How?" He asked softly, and you shook your head slightly.

"I do not know." You muttered, "But, I am oh-so glad you are alright." You let out a small laugh of relief.

"Me too, my Y/N." Fili told you, bringing his hands up to cup your face, and then pulling you towards him, kissing you tenderly. You returned the kiss, feeling relieved, and happy to finally have him back in your arms, safe and alive.

~~~

Thankfully, after the battle, Azog was killed by Thorin, and the battle for Erebor was won. Smaug was dead. And everyone, even the rest of the Company survived. You were currently lying beside Fili, who was snoring lightly while you traced circles onto his forearm, smiling slightly. Living in Erebor with your beloved was a dream come true. With help from Gandalf, you had found out about your merpeople. Along with that, you had found out the reason why Fili came back to life. Your tears. Your magic tears. Something you didn't even know about yourself. Which you were beyond grateful for.

You had fallen in love with Fili. He had fallen for you. You both loved each other so much that neither one of you ever felt like you could live without the other. You both were inseparable, never without each other; always be each other’s side. He was everything you needed and ever wanted. You loved him. You truly did. 

Fili stirred beside you, opening his eyes and staring sleepily down at you. You reached up, stroking his cheekbone with your thumb, a small smile gracing your features. "Hey, you're finally awake." You commented, brushing some strands of hair away from his face before fidgeting with his courtship braid.

Fili yawned, "How long has it been?"

You shrugged slightly. "Since we went to bed last night." You answered, flicking his mustache braids playfully. "How are you feeling?" You asked curiously.

Fili groaned lightly, reaching his hand up to cup your cheek. "Perfect." He replied, chuckling tiredly, his thumb running soothingly across your cheek. His eyes landed on yours, gazing dreamily.

"Good," You whispered softly. Fili chuckled lightly as he leaned forward, capturing your lips, kissing you passionately, and wrapping his arms around your waist. You smiled into the kiss, tilting your head slightly to deepen it. Pulling apart slightly, you rested your forehead against his. "I love you." You mumbled softly.

"And I, you, my Y/N." Fili smiled, pecking your lips softly.

[bizaar]

Cruel Summer - Part 3

First -Previous - Next

pairings: Eddie Munson x fem!reader

summary: After breaking up, you and Eddie do your best to soldier on with your lives, but you slowly begin to discover that there is a stronger line of connection keeping you together than just history…

word count: 8k

warnings: non-mutual pining, swearing, Dustin has a great big crush on the reader

A.N.: babysitter!reader part three! this time we get to hear from the baby who is being sat on ... anyway, Dustin is jealous and Steve is kind of a jerk

If Dustin had to pinpoint the moment he’d fallen in love with you, he would say it would probably be roughly an hour into the first time you’d ever babysat him, a hundred years, and a short lifetime ago. 

Five years to be exact. 

You began as a babysitter of convenience, the thirteen-year-old girl who lived across the street and could be coerced into being paid to sit and watch television with her eight-year-old neighbor for a few hours at a time. 

Dustin didn’t throw a tantrum or cry or do anything so dramatic as that when his mother left him in your care that first day, but he was set in thinking that he wouldn’t like you. What did he know about eighth-grade girls, beyond that they all had sticks up their butts and were very often singularly evil? He couldn’t believe the naïveté of his mother, opening the door and willingly letting the fox into the hen house. As far as he was concerned, you were a strange and devious creature, not to be trusted. 

He slunk out of the room and listened from the sanctity of the hallway as she walked you through the babysitting spiel, he would go on to be able to recite in his sleep: emergency numbers, house rules, what you should and should not offer for snacks. You nodded and agreed and sweetly bid her farewell, then immediately went to sit in his mother’s favorite chair and flipped on the television. Dustin remembered being outraged at the audacity of it because you ought to have known that you had no right to sit in that chair, but he wasn’t about to do anything about it. 

You were Smaug, a great and terrible dragon lurking among the stolen treasures of Erebor, and he was Bilbo Baggins, bravely slinking away, silent and invisible. Dustin would have retreated further to the sanctuary of his bedroom, to discuss the presence of the interloper with his toys, but you’d stopped him in his tracks by turning on the siren call of Speed Racer reruns, and he’d been quietly enraptured. 

He watched from the hallway for the better part of twenty minutes, quietly singing along to the theme song, before you finally called out to him. 

“I can hear you humming back there.” You said, “You know you can come out and watch, right? I’m not gonna bite you.” 

Dustin ran down the hall after that — Go Speed Racer, Go— if only to muster his courage and return five minutes later with backup in the form of a big tub of Legos and action figures.  

And just like that, a silent truce was agreed upon. 

“Who’s your favorite superhero?” He remembers asking, an hour or so after the cartoon marathon had ended, sitting cross-legged on the floor surrounded by the growing minefield of his toys. 

You’d since twisted to perch sideways in the chair in a way he’d been unwilling to admit was so totally cool, legs slung over the arm as you fiddled with one of his action figures. Cobra Commander. He remembered thinking it was technically okay that you’d chosen that one, in the vast lexicon of all of Dustin’s toys, Cobra Commander was a low man on the totem pole. 

You cast a sly glance in his direction and answered without hesitation. 

“Daredevil.” 

The surety of your answer nearly floored Dustin. 

“You know about Daredevil?” He gasped, very nearly losing his composure, “… I mean, he’s cool I guess.” 

There was an undeniable coquettish slyness to your tone, like you understood the effect of your presence, even back then. “Spider-Man is cool too.” You said, nodding to the action figure Dustin held clutched in his hands.

He shrugged and tried to feign nonchalance, working at twisting the friendly neighborhood web-slinger into a battle-ready pose. At the same time, his brain kicked itself into overdrive, trying to process what seemed like conflicting information at the time.

You were a tween girl, and you knew about superheroes. That math should not have added up to make a real person.

It was like the world was opening for the first time and he could feel cracks beginning to form in his impenetrable fortress of boyhood. 

“I like the X-men.” He said slowly like he was testing to see just how much you actually knew.

You pulled a face like you didn’t appreciate the vagueness of his answer. 

“You can’t just say you like the X-men,”

He wrinkled his nose, warily preparing to go on the defensive in case you finally decided to shed your skin and reveal the viper waiting beneath.

“Why not?” Dustin asked.

You shrugged.

“I mean, I guess you can but, come on, you’ve gotta have a favorite. There’s a whole bunch of those guys. You’ve got Cyclops, Storm, Wolverine, Professor X…?”

Dustin was fully aware of how he was gawping at you as you continued to list the various X-men on your fingers. 

The wealth of what actually equates to very basic knowledge was enough to tear down the walls he’d put up to the point of forgetting his leeriness of the strange girl who had been put in charge of him that day. Before that moment, he would not have been able to fathom the concept of a girl like you (ridiculous, of course, he can practically hear you berating him for thinking so little of women’s knowledge of pop culture. Women have interests, Dustin, don’t be a tool.) but suddenly and for the first time in his life, he was completely enamored.

You were like a unicorn he’d stumbled across in a clearing in a dark forest, and he literally could not stop staring at you. 

He’d never wanted someone to think he was cool so badly. 

You spent the duration of that evening pouring over his favorite comics, debating who among the heroes was strongest, who would win in a fight (you hadn’t been able to reach an agreement over whether Doc Ock or Dr. Doom would win, so you’d agreed to disagree with a cordial handshake), he’d even led you down the hall to show you his bedroom, nervously of course, in some bizarrely juvenile hope to impress you with his books and posters and all the toys who hadn’t made it out into the living room.

At the end of the night, Dustin shocked himself by sending you on your way with his prized Spider-Man action figure, watching him from the back pocket of your jeans as you skipped back home and disappeared into the house across the street. 

From then on, Dustin was head over heels, and it only got worse with every passing day.

Over the course of the next five years, you became a staple in the Henderson household. Dustin chased your shadow, entering Hawkins Middle and you made your way over to Hawkins High, and as you waged into the foray of adulthood, you never forgot to leave room for him, even when it wasn’t exactly convenient. 

You were always happy to stuff his bike in the trunk of your car and give him a ride home, never balking at the thought of being seen fraternizing with a middle schooler by your high school peers, and you always stopped for ice cream or a Slurpee or any kind of treat that would have curled his mother’s hair and turned it gray. You liked your music loud and heavy on guitars, and Dustin couldn't say he felt any different. He liked what you liked. On nights and weekends, you let him stay up well past bedtime, eating junk and watching scary movies, and you almost never enforced the “homework before Atari” rule, considering you were just as eager to sit down and play it as he was. You were simultaneously a guiding light and a very bad influence.   

You not only became acquainted with his friends but went out of your way to include them. If you and Dustin were headed to the movies for the day, you didn’t bat an eye at letting Lucas, Mike, and Will tag along, so long as they didn’t mind cramming into the back of your little Toyota, because according to you “the more the merrier, right?” 

You chaperoned trips to the arcade and always came prepared with extra quarters to supplement their meager scrounged bounty. You didn’t mind stepping in to play D&D if the occasion called for it, and most importantly, you never gave the impression that it was some big inconvenience. You dressed up, you did voices, you stayed in character, and you took the matter very seriously.

You treated the Party the same way you treated Dustin, without judgment or exclusion or favorites. You were their friend, but you were in charge, and they all listened with varying degrees of eagerness, despite the fact that you didn’t actually babysit any of the rest of them. Dustin had a tendency to get quite vocal about that. If any of the guys got too friendly with you, he was quick to remind them that you were his babysitter, he knew you first.

They all teased him mercilessly about his massive crush on you, and Dustin could only be bothered to care about it half the time. You were arguably the be-all-end-all of cool babysitters, and sometimes, Dustin was sure you were too good to be true. You weren’t like the other girls he knew, which is to say you weren’t like Nancy Wheeler or Erica Sinclair, or any of his friends' moms. You’d given him a forty-five-minute lecture about the absurdity of that statement when he’d told you as much. (You don’t even know any other girls, Dustin, don’t go putting us in boxes like that.) It had been a failed first attempt at trying to express his feelings for you, and it had ended with him agreeing to be a little more open-minded and a little less sexist, and you none the wiser about his affections.

Sure, maybe you were like plenty of other girls (girls Dustin wasn’t entirely convinced existed, at least until Max came into their lives) but that didn’t mean you weren’t amazing.   

And then one day after school, in your tenth-grade year, you arrived at the house, grinning stupidly about something, and acting uncharacteristically foolish and ditzy as you threw your backpack down. While you were normally light and cheerful, this was something else entirely. You were glowing, practically floating around the house. You spent the better part of the afternoon smiling to yourself and sighing, gazing off into the distance and not hearing a word Dustin had to say.

It took absolutely no prompting to discover the source of your good mood. You were more than happy to explain. 

You’d met someone.

Oh no. 

This really sweet, funny guy. 

Oh shit. 

You think you really like him. 

Son of a bitch! 

His name is – Dustin clapped his hands over his ears when you’d tried to tell him. He didn’t want to know the guy’s name; he didn’t want to know anything about him unless you were going to tell him he’d died or something. The next few weeks were an exercise in patience as Dustin waited for you to get bored of this guy, whoever he was.

This wasn’t like you. You had a good head on your shoulders, you liked superheroes and Atari and Lord of the Rings and didn’t get silly crushes. Surely you weren’t foolish enough to get caught up in something as fleeting as a summer fling… right?

Wrong.

By summer break, it was officially official. Boyfriend and girlfriend official. You were even wearing a big chunky chain bracelet of his and a beat-up guitar pick strung around a ball chain necklace. It was all Dustin could do to keep from blowing his lid. 

Suddenly he was all you could talk about, your boyfriend. How he was so fun and funny and sweet and thoughtful and yadda yadda yadda. It went on and on, an endless stream of saccharine word vomit that twisted at Dustin’s insides like a rusty fork making spaghetti out of his guts. He’d never been so jealous in his goddamn life. It made him feel like he was on fire.  

How was he supposed to compete with high school boys? Especially since whatever teen boy spell this guy had cast on you had apparently turned you into the girl you’d never been? A giggling, flirty mess of sunshine lollipops and rainbows.

You were in love with this guy much too quick, and Dustin hated every moment of it. More than the jealousy, he hated the guilt he felt over hating it because he could not deny that this guy made you incandescently happy. You were on the moon where Dustin could not reach you, and despite how bad it made him feel, he told himself that if you were happy then he was happy … to a point.

A lot of that sentiment went out the window when you started ditching him to hang out with this guy.   

Sure, you still chaperoned the Party around Hawkins, but you were just as likely to go skipping off to some dark corner of the arcade or the movie theatre to have some sort of secret rendezvous as you were to stay. You didn’t offer rides to and from school as liberally as you had before, due to the fact that you were riding to school with your boyfriend as often as you were driving yourself. Your evenings babysitting no longer consisted of superhero debates and D&D, but sitting and waiting by the phone, only to snatch it up and run to the other room when it would ring. You spent hours talking on the phone about absolutely nothing of value to this guy, acting like everything you had to say to each other was the most important thing in the world. (Dustin knew your conversations were nothing to write home about because he’d been caught twice listening on the other line before you’d snapped at him to get off the phone).

“Was that your little brother or something?” He’d heard your boyfriend ask, his voice lilting with an infuriating humor.

You’d sighed and rolled your eyes, “No, it’s just the kid I babysit.”

Just.

Dustin didn’t know what it felt like to have his heart broken, but he’d never been made to feel so small and insignificant by a single word. He’d never been just anything to you, not until your boyfriend had come around. Suddenly you were exactly like the other girls he knew, and it set Dustin’s teeth on edge. 

Dustin had never met this boyfriend of yours, partially because you never brought him around (thankfully the vice your relationship had on your mind didn’t turn you into one of those cliche babysitters sneaking her boyfriend into the house to make out) but also because Dustin had no interest in meeting his biggest competition for your attention.

He may have only been a middle schooler, but he was smart enough to know that all it would accomplish would be to hurt his feelings, more than it already hurt to think about you in the arms of someone else, laughing at his dumb jokes, playing games in the arcade, going to the movies with him.

He caught glimpses from time to time, of course, even in his denial he was wildly curious about him, your mysterious boyfriend. 

The best look he ever got was in spying out through the front window, watching you skip off across the street and climb up into the passenger’s side of a beat-up, shitty panel van blaring overloud rock music. There was a flash of denim on leather, long dark hair, and big chunky silver jewelry on a hand that came up to cup your cheek as you leaned over to kiss him before the door slammed shut.

Dustin had ripped the front curtains down over that, jealousy briefly turning him into the goddamn Hulk. Of course, he’d been subsequently grounded for it despite how it had been entirely by accident.   

He painted a picture of your boyfriend in his mind so that he would have something to hate, denim on leather, chunky silver jewelry, long dark hair, an amalgam of all the lame rock and roll guys he’d ever seen on MTV or in magazines. He imagined he was probably too concerned with his looks, fixated on his hair, didn’t let you touch his radio, and played guitar in a shitty rock band. Like Steve Harrington, if he was a metalhead, which is to say a total loser.

Of course, that opinion would go on to change drastically over the months. Steve Harrington, it turned out, was cool. Much cooler than your stupid boyfriend.

Dustin would complain bitterly to Steve about him exactly once before he learned better.

Steve scrunched his features as Dustin went on and on, slowly putting the pieces together. He didn't know you very well, beyond the fact that you went to school together, but come to find out he did know your boyfriend.

“Oh, wait,” He’d started to say, “Are you talking about E—”

Dustin clapped his hands over his ears once again and screeched out what could only be described as a primordial sound of denial. It had shocked Steve perhaps more than anything in his life to hear a sound like that erupt out of a human being.  

“Don’t say it!" Dustin cried, obviously being very cool and mature about this whole thing, "I don’t want to know his name!”

Steve threw up his hands defensively.  

“Alright, Jesus! I won’t say his name … Anyway, I know... That Guy, and he’s a total freak. Don’t worry Henderson, it won’t last long. She’ll come around eventually.”

It might have made Dustin feel better if it weren’t for the fact that – inexplicably – you liked the apparent freak so, so much. Too much.

You were in love with him.

Dustin was sick with how much he hated a person he didn’t even know. He railed against any and all information, any suggestion of That Guy’s existence, despite how you insisted he would love him, how he was into all the same fantasy and sci-fi stuff Dustin loved, and how he even played D&D. 

“He wants to meet you,” you’d said once, sitting cross-legged on the floor, helping him put together his outfit for the upcoming Snowball Dance.

Dustin was already sulking because you would be cutting out on chaperoning to go out with your boyfriend, even though you’d promised you were going to go.

The declaration that he wanted to meet Dustin felt more like a taunt than anything else like the bastard wanted to rub his face in it. It made him burn with petty anger.

Dustin couldn’t give a shit about what this guy wanted.  

“Well, maybe I don’t want to meet him.” He’d huffed, “Steve says he’s a freak anyway–”

“Don’t say that.” You’d snapped, your tone biting and harsh enough to cause Dustin to flinch. “He's not a freak. Steve is an asshole, he doesn’t know anything about him. And neither do you."

"Well, maybe you don't know anything about Steve," He mumbled defiantly.

"I know more about him than you do."

Dustin waffled between feeling a mean satisfaction and instant regret over the way your face crumpled in the wake of the fight, as short as it had been. You offered a meek apology for biting his head off and Dustin forgave you. At least you seemed to have the good sense to be remorseful about ditching him. 

After a long silence, you nudged him with a sock-covered toe and put on a pout.

“Don’t be mad at me Dusty, I’ll go to the dance with you next year.” 

Next year was a poor excuse for a band-aid, but considering everything that had recently happened, Dustin just had to resign himself to trust that you would eventually come to your senses and eventually your boyfriend would be out of both of your lives.         

Through growing up and all the otherworldly insanity that had come to Hawkins since, the Demogorgon, the Upsidedown, the Mindflayer and everything in between, his feelings for you were as strong as ever. Stronger, even, because suddenly he had a duty to protect you, to keep you safe from the unseen dangers lurking just beyond the veil. He couldn’t tell you about the battles they’d waged and fought, you were safer not knowing. 

Though, to be fair, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t tried to tell you about all that stuff. In November of 1983, before that stupid jerk was your boyfriend and you were still Dustin’s number one girl, you’d spent every afternoon at his house, from after school to dusk. With your parents busy with work like they always were and Dustin’s mother assisting in the search for Will, it was agreed that it was safer for the both of you to stay together. Dustin was over the moon and chomping at the bit to tell you about all the new developments within the Party.

You didn’t think his story about the girl with the superpowers living in Mike’s basement was very amusing.

“That’s not funny, Dustin,” you’d said, your mouth pulling down into a disapproving frown as you crossed your arms and leveled him with that steely look got when you were being serious, “You shouldn’t joke about stuff like that.” 

He couldn’t imagine what you were talking about, considering he was being very serious, and Mike really did have a girl with superpowers living in his basement. Dustin had just seen her only half an hour before, you could see her too if you just went over to the Wheeler’s house.

“Stuff like what?” Dustin asked, completely nonplussed.

You grit your teeth like you hated having to explain it to him.  

“Like keeping girls locked in basements and stuff! That’s not funny,”

Dustin rolled his eyes, his little body flooding with relief as the apparent source of your upset made itself clear.

“She’s not locked down there. She can go out anytime she wants, just not when Mike’s parents are home…” 

Somehow, that explanation didn’t manage to clear things up the way Dustin hoped it would. You stopped showing him scary movies for the better part of a year after that, and Dustin stopped trying to tell you about Eleven and everything that went with her. 

It’s been two weeks since the battle at Starcourt Mall, resulting in its unceremonious burning down, and Dustin hasn’t seen hide nor hair of you since the start of all that madness. He’s almost glad he’d been so preoccupied all summer, first with camp, then with trying to hail Suzy, and finally with decoding the Russian message with Steve and Robin. It hadn’t given him time to worry about you becoming one of the mindless throngs taken by the Mindflayer … or the mindless girl you’d become under the influence of your boyfriend.  

Dustin had seen you briefly on his way to rendezvous with Steve before everything went down. Technically, you’d seen him first and snuck up on him just as he was crossing the threshold into Scoops Ahoy. You’d seized him by his backpack and jostled him violently, roaring in a way that had drawn a squeaky cry of alarm out of him.

His voice cracked. It was embarrassing. People turned to stare.

You were laughing when he whipped around to find the source of the assault, that bright, musical sound that he knew so well, it almost knocked the breath out of him to see you standing there.

He’d shocked himself in realizing how he’d nearly forgotten you, blinded as he was by the rose-tinted haze that had been his summer fling with Suzy. She made him feel stupid and gooey, all warm and fuzzy inside, but it wasn’t anything like how stupid your boyfriend made you. Dustin told himself it was different, but then there you were to remind him of his one and only, looking like a sun-kissed angel dressed in a strappy little sundress and sandals, and he wondered just how different it could possibly be. He squeaked your name and let you hug him, swallowing hard and answering your questions in a daze.  “When did you get back?” You asked, playfully shoving him.

You had an ice cream cone gripped in one hand, and despite your teasing, you were careful not to let it drip on Dustin’s shirt, which he was thankful for.  

“Yesterday.”

“Did you have fun? Make lots of nerdy friends?”

“Sure.” He mumbled, eyes catching on that stupid guitar pick necklace and the chunky chain bracelet you still wore.

Then, like he’d been struck by the tingling of Spidey-senses, Dustin realized you were conspicuously alone, and he didn’t trust it.

“So, where’s your boyfriend?” 

He said it like it was a dirty word.

Strangely, instead of getting that dopey look on your face and waxing poetic about how wonderful he was, or berating Dustin for being unkind, you pulled a face and rolled your eyes. You made a show of heaving an exasperated groan like he had just asked you the most annoying, trivial question in the world.

“Who knows, I haven’t seen that jerk in like two weeks.”

You crossed your arms over your chest and cast your eyes down to your toes in a way that seemed almost halfway sad.

“You know he didn’t even come to my graduation?”

“Seriously?” Dustin spluttered, “What a jerk!” 

He stopped himself from saying something harsher because he knew you were just going to rail on him for cursing, and this wasn’t about him, this was about the heaping pile of bullshit you’d just dropped on him. He was genuinely incensed. What kind of asshole skips his girlfriend’s graduation ceremony? Your boyfriend, evidently, that's who. Dustin couldn’t hardly say he was surprised, he’d always known the guy was a jerk, despite not actually knowing him.

He couldn’t help but think back to what Steve had said the previous autumn, about your boyfriend being a freak. He’d often wondered exactly what that meant, but now he supposed it meant that he skipped out on major milestones in his girlfriend’s life.

Dustin hated how dumb That Guy made you, prancing around in a daze like a lovesick puppy. Maybe if he was lucky, he wouldn’t have to endure listening to you moon over him anymore, talking about how fun and funny and nice and cool and blah blah blah...

How could all of that be true if he couldn’t even be bothered to watch you graduate? 

“I know right?” you huffed, and suddenly there was a very real heaviness to your posture like you were trying very hard to make light of something that you didn’t think was funny in the slightest.

In fact, you were genuinely upset about it.

For half a moment, Dustin very seriously considered abandoning the mission to rendezvous with Steve if only to keep you company… or maybe you would’ve preferred to be invited along? He wasn’t entirely sure you liked Steve, but maybe you could learn to love him like Dustin had. And what’s not to love? Steve was cool and charming and funny and— Dustin stopped that line of thinking in its tracks as he began to imagine how much worse it would be to watch you gushing over Steve the way you did with your boyfriend. It might actually kill him if he inadvertently set the two of you up.

“Then again, you didn’t come either, you Butthead.” you huffed, prodding him in the shoulder with the sharp point of your finger.

A fiery indignance rose in Dustin’s chest at the notion of being looped in with your boyfriend’s crimes.  

“I was at camp!” he squawked, hoping beyond hope that you knew he would have moved heaven and earth to be at your ceremony if he hadn’t already had the prior summer engagement. 

You smirked at him.

“Uh huh, excuses excuses…” your tone was maddeningly condescending, but he didn’t get the sense that you were upset, not seriously, which was a relief. “So, where are you headed?”

Dustin jerked his thumb over his shoulder towards the ice cream parlour and you rolled your eyes.

“Right, of course, off to see your new best friend, Steve?” you stretched his name lyrically in a way that didn’t feel authentically You. 

Dustin wondered bitterly if maybe that was something you’d picked up from your jerk boyfriend. Still, he nodded and followed your gaze as it slinked up to the Scoops counter, where a girl roughly your age stood looking particularly miserable.

Your face split into a delighted Cheshire Cat grin, pulling your lower lip in past your teeth as the corners of your mouth quirked up.  

Dustin wasn’t sure he liked that look on you, his head bouncing back and forth between you and the Scoops counter. His stomach was strangely in knots as a sense of dread washed over him, you knew something he didn’t, and he didn’t like how coy you were being about it… and he really didn’t like that look on your face.    

“What?”

“Just wait until you see him.” You purred, giggling as you turned to leave, “Bye Dustin.”

He would have returned the farewell, but it wasn’t you bidding him goodbye. It was your stupid boyfriend again, working through you to taunt him, waggling your fingers and grinning at him from behind your eyes as you skipped away into the crowd.

That Guy, the Freak. Whatever his name was.

In the madness of the weeks that followed, Dustin had almost forgotten that interaction, and now you were coming over.                  

He’d waited all day for your impending arrival, knowing that you were coming over to babysit that evening, much to his chagrin.

It’s not that he didn’t want you coming over, he’d labored over what kind of things you could do together to pass the time that evening – movies, junk food … board games? – he told himself he wanted to do something you would enjoy, now that you had graduated, not just the same old baby shit you’d done for years. He racked his brain for the things he knew about teenagers, what did Steve and Robin like to do when they weren’t busy decoding secret Soviet messages? Sit around and judge people for their taste in movies? Trade high school gossip, talk about who said what, and who was worth pursuing for a date…? Somehow Dustin didn’t think you’d be interested in any of that, and it stressed him out immensely. Same as he had at eight years old, he still wanted so desperately for you to think he was cool, mature, worth taking seriously. Of course, he told himself it didn’t matter what you two did to pass the time, any amount of time in the glow of your presence was tantamount to Heaven, but he only just wished that you were coming over under different circumstances. 

He wished he was old enough to take you out on a date. He’d entertained that flight of fancy for a few days, even found the perfect line to use (courtesy of Steve), but then his mother had caught him talking to himself in the mirror, pretending to ask you out to dinner, and he’d nearly died of embarrassment. 

If he was ever going to marry you, he needed you to take him seriously as a man, not just some kid. Because he was going to marry you someday, after all, that was without a doubt. Sure, you’re a few years older than him, he’s only fresh out of eighth grade and you’d graduated that summer. Sure, there’s the problem of your stupid boyfriend, and sure he likes Suzy, like, really likes her. She is as amazing and perfect and phenomenal as he ever hoped his first real girlfriend to be, but you are you. 

If ever there was a litmus test for the ideal woman (Don’t be such a male chauvinist, Dustin) you have long since set the bar, and while Suzy is amazing and quite literally had a hand in helping to save the world, she’s not you. He realizes it’s an unfair comparison, and it makes him feel terrible (could it technically be considered cheating?) but there’s no arguing with true love. That shit is forever, baby.

The mood is wrong the moment you walk in the door, twenty-five minutes late, completely flustered and apologizing profusely. His mother assures you it’s no problem, what matters is that you’re here now and she’s out the door with a promise to be back no later than 11:30.

You stash your bag on the kitchen island, moving robotically.

“Crazy about the mall, huh?” You say, looking like a hollowed-out version of yourself as you stare vacantly out the front window.

“Yeah, crazy.” He mumbles, wondering with an uneasy start just how much you know about the incident, the truth of what happened at Starcourt. 

He watches you carefully and realizes very quickly that there’s something wrong with you. You’re swaying slightly on your feet and breathing raggedly, and suddenly Dustin can’t help but worry about the lingering effect of the Mindflayer. It was gone, they’d burned it out with the mall, but that didn’t mean it didn’t have some sort of residual hold in this world, like what had happened with Will the year before.   

“Are you okay?” He asks, sitting up on the couch, ready to jump up at a moment’s notice in case he has to catch you.

You turn and stare through him, and then after a moment much too long to be considered normal, you lie through your teeth. 

You’re a terrible liar.  

“I’m good.” You say, “I'm really, really good … in fact I’m great.” 

You try to smile, but your lower lip is trembling and Dustin notices for the first time how your eyes are bloodshot and puffy like you’d been crying. 

He wants to ask what’s wrong, but he can feel his courage quickly fading, so he decides that further inquiries regarding your emotional state can wait until after the declarations of his love have been made. 

The thought of it makes him blush. 

“So… listen,” He begins, gathering as much of his quickly fading gusto as he can muster, ‘There’s something I wanted to talk to you about...”

For a split second, Dustin sees what he can only equate to panic flash across your eyes, the corners of your mouth twitch as your plastered-on smile crumples into a grimace. His confidence wavers in the face of it. There is something seriously wrong with you, that’s for certain, but he doesn’t have time to sit and unpack that until after he’s said his piece. He is more than uncomfortably aware of the fact that he’d better do it quick if he wants to keep his nerve.

Dustin opens his mouth to continue, but you turn on your heel and bolt suddenly down the hall, which is perhaps the most shocking thing that has happened yet. 

“Hold that thought, Dusty.” You say in a rush, your voice suddenly tight and strained. “Just for a second!” 

He stands a little dazed as he listens to the quick sound of your receding footsteps, followed by the slamming of the bathroom door.

A heavy silence bleeds into the room.

After a few seconds of nothing, Dustin thinks he can hear what sounds like muffled screaming, and it throws him for a loop. He doesn’t know what to do with that, he still isn’t completely sure you aren’t being mind controlled by what’s left of the Mindflayer, but he can’t make himself move to investigate.

He stands, and he waits, and you don’t come out, so he waits a little longer. 

It’s nearer to fifteen minutes before you finally emerge again, and Dustin has slumped back into the couch cushions, fidgeting with his compass while he waits for you. You’re sniffling, frantically scrubbing your hands over your eyes as you trot back out into the living room, doing your best to put on a smile.

“Okay, kiddo, you wanna watch a movie or something?” you ask, sounding absolutely manic as you throw yourself down onto the couch beside him.

“Uh… sure,” He says, “Something scary?” 

It’s a blatant effort to try and please you. Dustin is no fan of scary movies, despite how hard he is trying to be because you love them. He’s still plagued with nightmares of Freddy Kreuger, despite how it’s been well over a year since you sat him down with A Nightmare on Elm Street and a promise to turn it off if it got too scary. It had, but he’d kept his mouth shut and had been forced to endure the whole thing. He is still afraid of sleeping with the lights off because of it.  

In a shocking turn of events, you shake your head.

“No, let’s watch something nice. Let’s watch The Neverending Story.”

The coincidence of you suggesting that movie is enough to give Dustin whiplash until he remembers that you were the one who took him to see it in the theatre in the first place –and then ditched him there to go meet up with your boyfriend.

Still, he can't help but be a little stunned considering the recent significance of that movie and how it had effectively saved the world.

“Yeah okay…” He mumbles. 

Dustin stands to go and sort through his VHS tapes. He flips absently through the hard plastic rectangles as he feels a lump forming in the pit of his stomach, biding his time to try and muster what meager scraps of his courage are left. He swore he’d tell you tonight.  

Don’t be a pussy, he tells himself, It’s now or never.

He stands and turns swiftly on his heels to address you, only to find that you have pulled one of the couch cushions into your lap for security.

Your pretty face is pinched in a mask of despair and there are tears in your eyes again, but they are gone in a moment as you come to realize Dustin is staring at you. You try to smile and barely manage to quirk the corners of your mouth.

“So, listen…” He begins again, slowly, fidgeting with his fingers, twisting the digits, “What I was trying to tell you before--”

Your face brightens in an odd, forced way. 

“Oh, right!” you chirp, a little too enthusiastically for how you’re failing to reflect whatever it is you’re trying to pretend to feel. “Yes. Okay, I’m listening.”

Your voice is bubbling and wet like you could break down crying at any moment. 

It’s highly disturbing. 

“…Are you on drugs?” Dustin suddenly blurts.

He is semi-horrified at the way the intrusive thought broke through the barriers of his mind, especially when your eyes go wide.

You pull a face like it’s the most ridiculous thing anyone has ever suggested, and make an incredulous sound that is closer to a sob than a scoff, especially with the way you gasp on the tail end of it.

“God, Dustin – you can’t just ask people if they’re on drugs.” you sniffle, pulling your eyebrows together to glare at him, “That’s totally rude.”

“Well.” He mumbles, throwing up his hands and hating how defensive he suddenly sounds, “Are you?” 

“No, I’m not on drugs! I’m having a bad day.” You cross your arms tighter around the pillow and he watches as you suppress a burst of something caught between outrage and devastation. “Just give your speech already.”

You sound angry, but then again, your expression still doesn’t match your tone, so he can’t exactly gauge what it is you’re feeling. It makes him more than a little nervous about how you will take what he has to say to you, but Dustin manages to soldier through it. 

“Okay. Sorry … actually, it’s not a speech, really, it’s more like – nevermind. Look, what I wanted to say is that I’m gonna be starting High School in a few weeks…” he says nervously, “And then I’ll be turning fourteen.”

Your face is still pulled into that annoyed look as you nod. The movement might have been somewhere on the way to sagely if your head hadn’t been bobbing so vigorously, like something trying very hard to look human after having only observed one for a very short time.  

Still, somehow you manage to say all the right things.

“Big changes.” You mumble, “You’re not a little kid anymore.” 

Dustin’s heart leaps into his throat as a bright light of hope wells in his chest, growing his courage along with it. He suddenly hopes beyond hope that you are picking up what he is putting down, even through the haze of whatever weirdness has currently gripped you. 

He’s still not entirely convinced it isn’t drugs.

“Exactly!” Dustin shouts, “I’m not a little kid anymore, and if you think about it, fourteen is actually way too old for a babysitter, right?”

Your face contorts suddenly into a mask of confusion and your voice grows very quiet. 

“Um… yeah I guess so…” 

“So, really, I guess what I’m trying to say is I don’t want you to babysit me anymore.” 

The silence that blooms between you is deafening as the words hang heavy in the air. Dustin doesn’t realize his mistake until you scrunch your face, and the tears finally – finally – begin to spill over your cheeks. 

Oh no.

Dustin’s heart drops into his ass, and he freezes as you try not to break down.

Oh shit.

He’s never seen you cry before. In all the years he's known you the closest he's seen you to tears has been through anger or laughter.

He doesn’t know what to do. 

In spite of yourself, you choke on a burst of harsh laughter, thick and wet, bubbling up from your throat as you wipe at your eyes. It is an effort made in vain, as the moment you brush away your tears they are replaced by new ones. 

“Dammit, Dusty.” you sniffle, “Are you breaking up with me too?”

He rushes to the couch, leaping to land on the cushions beside you. 

“No!” Dustin cries, “Oh no, I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry, that's not what I meant at all – please don’t cry – I only –” And then the words really hit him. “Wait… what do you mean?” 

You open your mouth to answer but the rush of emotion is too much, and you bury your face in your hands. You sob for a brief, heartbreaking moment, and Dustin feels something crumple inside of him.

He doesn’t know what to do, somehow it feels like this is his fault, and it has him frozen to the spot. 

Then he remembers your son of a bitch boyfriend, or perhaps more specifically how you hadn’t mentioned him once in all the time you’ve been here, and the gravity of the situation dawns on him. 

“You guys broke up.” He says softly.

It’s not so much a question as it is Dustin having to say it out loud to believe it.

You nod and break into another round of pitiful sobbing.  

Dustin has to take a moment to process the information and decide how he feels. He wants to be happy, ecstatic even. How long has he been waiting for this exact day? Counting the minutes until you’d get tired of that loser and move on to greener pastures. It should be a victory, but it turns to ash in his mouth because in his mind you should have shrugged it off with a flippant wave and an uttering of “good riddance”. But there you sit, choking and crying and crushing the heels of your palms into your eyes like you’re afraid they’re going to fall out of your head. You're not just sad, you're devastated.

This is not how he expected things to go at all, and seeing you so upset hurts Dustin’s heart.

You scrub at your face again, furiously trying to compose yourself, but the tears won’t stop coming. Dustin tries to muster all the anger and hatred and jealous outrage he’s felt towards the jerk over the two years he’s had to endure your relationship, but he suddenly can’t find it. All he feels is the sharp aching pull deep inside of his chest, watching you cry over the no-good bastard who’d broken your heart. It feels something similar to anger, only calmer, sadder. He’s never felt anything like that before.

He wants to hug you, but he dares not touch you, on the off chance that you really are as fragile as you look right now.

He’s half afraid he’ll break you if he tries.   

“I’ll kill him,” Dustin says without really thinking.

You’ve calmed down enough by then to heave an exhausted sigh and throw your hands down to the pillow sitting in your lap. Your face is pink and ruddy, streaked with tears as you gasp out the last moments of your breakdown.  

“No, you won’t.” you insist, twisting at the ring you wear on your middle finger with the dull black stone set into the band.

His ring.

Son of a bitch.

Dustin remembers the day you showed up wearing it. The suggestion of the promise that stood behind it had knocked the wind out of him.

A cursory glance shows you’ve still got on the chunky chain bracelet and the faintest hint of the guitar pick necklace sitting tucked beneath your shirt. It sets Dustin’s teeth on edge. He doesn’t want you to be sad – ever – but especially at the behest of some guy. He wants you to be angry, rip those gaudy pieces of jewelry off, and hurl them into the quarry, along with everything else that asshole has left in your life. He wants you to curse his name and flip the bird and forget you ever knew him.     

“Well, I’ll kick his ass if you want me to.” He presses, scooting closer to you on the couch and rising on his knees in a way he hopes might help to try and make himself seem taller, more mature.

I would never hurt you. He wants to say, I’d treat you so much better than he did if you’d let me.

It’s enough to make you snort with watery laughter and roll your eyes, and for a brief moment, Dustin has to remember that you’re laughing at his offer of kicking your stupid (ex)boyfriend’s ass, not the declaration of love that lives in his heart of hearts.  

“That’s sweet. Thanks, Dusty,” you say, patting his hand where he’d unintentionally reached out to take yours.

Dustin’s heart is in his throat. He hadn’t realized he’d been holding your hand until that moment. Despite the moment, his courage dissipates. Disappointingly, he deflates and sinks back into the couch beside you.

The conversation doesn’t carry on much further from there. For lack of anything better to do, Dustin puts on The Neverending Story, and you sit and watch it together in comfortable silence, with your head resting on his shoulder. He doesn’t pay much attention to the movie; he is too busy plotting how he will avenge you. He swears to himself that if and when he ever happens to find himself crossing paths with the sorry piece of shit who had been fortunate enough to be your boyfriend, he’d make sure he paid for what he’d done. Nobody gets to break your heart and just go on with their lives like nothing ever happened. It isn’t right.

By the time flashing headlights signify the return of his mother, and you make your way out the door and back across the street, Dustin is set in his mind that it is a matter of avenging you, defending your honor. He who draws first blood must make it right, lest they face banishment – and since he can’t expect your shithead (ex)boyfriend to do right by you, it’s up to him. He takes the burden on with his shoulders back and his head held high, though he is roiling with anxiety when he tucks in that night. He has no idea how he’s going to avenge you, and if Dustin can’t avenge you, how can he ever expect to be worthy of you? He’s only thirteen, what on earth can he be expected to do?

The theme of The Neverending Story is still buzzing around in his head, a pervasive earworm that any other day would have served only to annoy him, but now it fills him with confidence, reminding him of exactly what he is capable of. 

What can he do? Save the fucking world, that’s what.

[mithrilhearts]

AS THE TIDE TURNS !!!!! 🌊 ⚓ 🏴‍☠️

YEAH YOU WOULD ASK ABOUT THIS ONE!!!!

And I'm SO HAPPY to provide some insight to the next chapter!!!

One word: Mirkwood.

Nah, I won't stop there - I really love the concept of Mirkwood, and the "elves" of this fic. I imagine Mirkwood like some big grandiose Mangrove Forest. You know, with trees having roots in the water, etc.

Anyway, the next chapter starts off almost immediately after the last one - the dwarves (and Bilbo) getting to relax in a pub in Bree, since they're kind of locked on land for a bit while a sail is being repaired. We're gonna meet Bard! We're gonna see Gandalf! But after that, and they're ready to press on - it's time to turn toward Mirkwood, which they need to get through in order to continue on the quest for the lost treasure of Durin the Deathless.

NOW THE FUN PART.

Elves in this universe are, yes, Elves, but also the equivalent of Mer-folk. So there's the legend that follows them, especially the Mirkwood elves, akin to sirens. Cautioned not to disturb the waters, or threaten being pulled in by the elves, Kili does it anyway, and we learn the truth of THAT particular rumor/legend.

Can you imagine how Thranduil is going to be? 🤣 Gorgeous, I can tell you!! What color should his tailfin be?? I'm thinking silver...but nothing solid yet.

But yeah, that pretty much sums up the next chapter! Pub time, Mirkwood, and Merfolk.

Ask me about my AUs!

[blakbonnet]

Vampire, werewolf, siren, fury

Vampire & Siren: answered :)

Werewolf: If you had to spend your life with just one person, who would it be?

Real person, my current partner. Fictional, I'd be happy being anyone on the crew of the Revenge (ie stede I wanna be stede purely for the fine things well scene) or bilbo (in an au where thorin doesn't die) or aziraphale (spend eternity throwing heart eyes at crowley)

Fury: What is a word/phrase that you dread to hear?

I absolutely hate the phrase 'getting under someone's skin' it makes me extremely uncomfortable (like the mental imagery of it all) and I'm also quite repulsed by the word 'wifey' 🤢

[karimthewriter]

For me, fantasy and horror are intimately linked. Since the dawn of humanity, people have struggled with the problem of evil and, dare I say it, the apparent indifference of the cosmos. Dressed up as it may be in religious garb, symbols, and rituals, the problem of meaninglessness is a constant lurking threat, a white whale waiting on the edge of the known world, hidden in unfathomable dark depths. The human ape, aware of its mortality, toolmaker and storyteller, cannot sit still knowing that this whale exists, a threat brooding and growing ever larger, facing a self-aware mind granted by evolutionary forces billions of years old. It is only the select few who are satisfied to fully explain the world through selection, pressure, and adaptation. The rest of us seek stories, seek faces, seek names. Out of that desire grew the Djinn of the Arabian desert, invisible beings powerful and yet unseen, the Sirens calling homeward sailors to their wet deaths, Frankenstein, a hideous symbol of death and man's folly, as well as the ever-terrifying elder gods of Lovecraft. Is it any coincidence that Cthulhu hides in the dark ocean, like Melville’s Moby Dick? It is the vastness we fear, the emptiness that can and will swallow a mind capable of producing Shakespeare’s plays. We are small, and the vast unknown, the abyss of black nothing surrounding us, is infinite. Out of that grows horror. Out of that also grows fantasy. We might have small frail bodies, highly susceptible to disease and accident even before natural death, but our minds can shift the borders of a prison not of our choosing. It is an extraordinary ability, a small but magnificent gift granted to us by forces unknown. A tree might be a tree, but what if it could talk and walk? Mountains might stand still, moved only by geological forces and time, but we see in them caverns hiding gigantic spiders and trolls turned to stone by sunlight, as well as ferocious fire-breathing dragons hoarding vast amounts of glittering treasure. All these things are fantasy. All these things terrify us. They are symbols of the very forces we fear, the threat we hope to conquer, yet the stories we tell also provide us with the answers we seek. No matter how large the troll, how old and ferocious the dragon, it is the mind that attempts to win over the forces plotting our destruction in undiscovered caverns. Bilbo might be small, much smaller than average, but it is his wit, courage, and adaptability that can outwit even a dragon. Dracula might have unmatched powers over human minds and animals, but it is faith, loyalty, planning, and courage that outdo him every time. No matter how many monstrosities Odysseus faces on his voyage home to Ithaca, it is his singular desire to return to his wife that leaves Cyclops, Circe, and the Lotus Eaters behind in the dust. Fantasy doesn’t need to be horror, yet these two always skirt along close lines. At the heart of each is often a conquerable darkness, a story of mind over matter, a warning to the reckless, and a fable of human evil and corruptibility. We do well to heed them, our beloved stories of darkness, talking trees and monsters.

[corneliuswatkins]

Thank you @bisexual-byers - this is gonna be fun!!

Highlight which one you choose!

spell or curse / abandoned mansion or haunted cemetery (I’ve kinda already done ghost tours at both)/ vampire slayer or ghost hunter / phoenix or griffin / wrist bite or neck bite (but it does depend on who’s biting!) / fairy godmother or evil stepmother / herbs or potion / ghost or wraith / dragon scales or werewolf claws / druid or mage / elf or hobbit - elf if they look like Thranduil, hobbit if they look like the young Bilbo!/ divination or necromancy / wand magic or hand magic / centaur or unicorn / dark fairytale or disney-style fairytale / sword or bow & arrow / siren or water nymph / garlic or silver / talking animal or walking tree / demon trap or crossroads pact / enchanted fairy forest or mermaid lagoon / castle or cottage / pirate or prince / immortal or normal lifespan / wizard or witch

No tags but feel free to join in!!!

[quilloftheclouds]

29 + 35 for an oc of your choosing

[Let’s develop some characters–shoot me a number!]

I love how many of these have been sent in, but it will take me a while to get through them all! Thank you for the ask, nonetheless! ^u^

According to the dice, we have a Sindre! Which is very fun. I love Sindy and he hasn’t been involved in much lately~

29. If your oc was in a video game, what would their idle animation be? (When the player stays still for too long, the animation that plays.)

Heck I love this question. This was one of my favourite ones I put on there!

Okay so. Sindre is the type to stand stiffly at attention when the player stops, but after a long while of waiting, he’d eventually drop the posture to be at ease. He touches the front of his neck when he’s restless/nervous, and after a little bit longer, he’d unsling the musket from his back and start cleaning and polishing it! Because he is the goody-two-shoes that can’t stop being a workaholic.

35. How easily does your oc get attached to things? Does everything have a sentimental value to them, or do they see nothing as more valuable than its practical use? What about with people/animals?

Fun fact: throughout Sindre’s early years, he wasn’t treated very well by those around him. He never really had a family, and due to his unusual appearance, wasn’t given much respect. Because of this, if someone gives him the slightest bit of appreciation or kindness, he’s instantly your friend. And uh... secretly very clingy. I’m not sure how he feels about animals, I think he’s actually rather apathetic towards them, but if anyone gives him anything as a gift, well. He’s never getting rid of it. So, very sentimental there!

He’s an anxious kid, though, so although he’ll be very helpful and respectful and whatnot, it takes more than a simple act of kindness for him to trust you. He’s opened up partially to Rose, Captain Io, and Phoenix for how they’ve treated him, but there was only one person he truly felt he was ever close to.

But they’ve been gone for a very, very long time.

[luna-redamancy]

Can you do a Bilbo x wife reader? Where she's half human and half siren, plus 5'10", when Bilbo passes out at his house after bofur is well.. bofur, the reader comes home and is worried about her passed out husband and freaks out when she sees the dwarves and gandalf and the dwarves question how Bilbo ever managed to get such a beautiful wife, she explains that he's the only person to ever see her as herself and not just part siren and she actually the lucky one to have such an amazing husband?

Here you go!

Humming a soft tune underneath your breath, you pulled your grocery basket higher up on your hip. You had just got back from Bree’s annual market where creatures from all over Middle-Earth come to sell their rare goods. Being half Siren, this was a very important event. Getting foods you used to eat on a daily basis was now a rarity because of you living in the Shire, so you always made sure to make it to such markets.

A small smile formed on your face as your hobbit hole came into view. “Bilbo…” You muttered fondly, excited to be home with your hobbit. Sirens are naturally very loving creatures despite the lore and myth surrounding their being. So, to say you were head over heels in love with the hobbit would be quite the understatement.

Walking up to the green door you paused, looking at the symbol on the door. Being around for centuries and coming in contact with many creatures (such as wizards), you knew what the symbol meant. “Oh no…” You said out loud, pushing open the door.

“Bilbo?” You called worriedly, setting your grocery basket on the ground, only then seeing the marks of several others being in your home. “What in the name of the Sundering Seas did you do to my husband?!” You screeched, your eyes glowing pale blue like the moon coming out of the sea. 

(Not my pic, if someone knows the artist/owner pls comment it and I shall credit them)

Bilbo lay on the floor passed out while the dwarves chuckled at the hobbit for being easily frightened.

All of the previous noise in the dining room simmered to silence as all eyes turned to face the incoming person.

They weren’t silence out of respect, fear, or guilt. They were silent because of curiosity and awe.

Your hair was long and cascaded down your back in (h/c) waves, your nails slightly longer than most females, and your eyes were something that even Gandalf had never seen in his lifetime.

‘Beautiful’ They all thought (Even Gloin and he’s married for Durin’s sake).

“Well?” You crossed your arms over your chest, glaring at the dwarves who destroyed your home.

They looked at you confused, not hearing a word you just said. Huffing you shook your head and rolled up your sleeves. “One of you help me get my husband off the floor.”

Bofur gulped and stood up, nervously walking over to the halfling and picking up his legs while you picked up his arms carefully.

“A lucky man.” Dwalin broke the silence as you walked out of the room, but you heard it with your sharp Siren hearing.

Being half-Siren meant multiple things. You could sing, smell, hear, and see better than average humans. But it also meant you were dangerously beautiful, had supernatural eyes, and had talon like nails.

Once Bilbo awoke, he was shocked to have a cup of tea placed in his hands. “Here you go, love” You announced once giving him the tea. “(Y)-(Y/N)” He breathed out, not knowing you were going to be here so soon.

“How do you feel?” You questioned, holding his hand while taking a seat across from him. “Terribly stressed…” He muttered before giving you a small smile and kissing the back of your hand. “But I am much better now that my beautiful wife is home.”

A laugh left your throat as you shook your head. “Just woke up and already putting on the charm after all these years, some would say you’re part siren.” You joked as he laughed into his tea mug.

Your laughter died down as you heard his stomach growl. “Did you not eat dinner?” You questioned as Bilbo grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck, pointing at the doorway where all the dwarves were eavesdropping on you.

“They ate your food didn’t they.” You stated rather than asked and sighed before standing up. “I brought food back from Bree’s market, I’ll make you something to eat.”

Knowing better than to argue with his wife, Bilbo watched fondly as you made your way back to the front door to get your groceries.

“How in the name of Mahal did squirmy Boggins get such a beautiful lass as a wife?!” Fili questioned with furrowed brows, not noticing you walk by the group dwarves. “I don’t know, but I guess luck?” Kili responded while shrugging.

Clearing your throat, you began to walk into the kitchen. “Actually I am the lucky one.”

The dwarves turned to you confused, how would you be lucky in this situation? Living a simple life in the Shire with a hobbit for a husband instead of living like a queen with jewels and warriors to protect your beauty.

Seeing their confusion you shook your head. “I’m part Siren–” You paused when you saw the recoil in their body language. Now seeming uncomfortable in your presence.

“Sirens get judged so easily, no one cares to see past race or appearance. Bilbo was different.” You smiled at the memory before continuing “He didn’t get scared when I told him what I was, he never judged me or my actions based on my race… He… He accepted me without any question.” Looking over the dwarves shoulders to see Bilbo standing there with the empty tea mug in his hands you smiled again.

“That is the reason I am lucky to have my husband. Not the other way around.” You finished while walking up to take Bilbo’s empty tea cup, leaving the dwarves in silence once again in awe.

[kpop-graphics]

Chapters: 4/? Fandom: The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Thorin Oakenshield/Original Female Character(s) Characters: Óin (Tolkien), Ori (Tolkien), Nori (Tolkien), Dori (Tolkien), Bifur (Tolkien), Bombur (Tolkien), Bofur (Tolkien), Dwalin (Tolkien), Balin (Tolkien), Fíli (Tolkien), Kíli (Tolkien), Thorin Oakenshield, Glóin (Tolkien), Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf | Mithrandir, Viviane Lafey (OFC) Additional Tags: Adventure, Elves, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Fantasy, During The Hobbit, Viviane Is the lady of the lake, and a siren, Sirens are good and mermaids are bad, Thorin Is an Idiot, Thorin Feels, Kíli Is a Little Shit, Fíli is a Little Shit, Gandalf Meddles, Sassy Bilbo Baggins, Not Beta Read, Why Did I Write This?, Im late to the fandom, i watched the movies and this happned, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Sorry Not Sorry, Fluff and Angst, buckets of sass, I was watching the BBC's Merlin as well Summary:

Viviane was a royal guard for Liohron to serve and protect its people. She never saw the point of settling down if the chance of her disappearing was too great, she tried to bury her emotions while on the guard. After leaving to keep the kingdom safe she met Gandalf who gave her something to keep safe.

Only to call on her years later in a quest reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. She finds herself travelling with a hobbit, thirteen dwarves and a wizard as they plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon.

[tanoraqui]

Outline of a Guide to the Lord of the Rings Movies if you Can't Watch Them With a Books Fan (Chronological Order)

Before we start: quick primer on the existential difference between Men (gender-neutral) and Elves (also gender-neutral, I suppose); VERY simplified rundown of the difference between Valar, Maiar, and etc. races.

Leaving the Shire: this is actually pretty smoothly adapted BUT in the books it all happens over a much longer period of time and Sam, Merry, Pippin, and another hobbit named "Fatty" Bolger all put together Frodo's actual plan (leaving the Shire) and the gist of his mission (the danger of the Ring) and inform him that except for Fatty, they're coming too. The scene where they tell him this is hilarious.

Wizard Fight: this is not how wizards fight

Nobody minds that they left this out but FYI for worldbuilding: the Barrowdowns, Tom Bombadil (GALOSHES!; swords of Westernesse for the hobbits)

Arwen vs. Glorfindel (we actually do support Arwen)

Council of Elrond: actually Sam was noticed halfway through and they just let him stay because he refused to leave; stubborn icons only

Everyone Elrond Loves Not Just Dies but Actively Chooses To Leave Him: A Tragedy in Three Ages (but still this characterization is bad)

Corrollary: Aragorn Had No Hesitation Toward Kingship

Saruman's Storm: this also is far too explicit magic, but it fucks so I'll allow it

Moria: that's Balin from The Hobbit! Also several other dwarves from The Hobbit! If you didn't yet, this is where you're supposed to realize that this will not be an overall happy romp like Bilbo's book

[Optional: The Creation of Dwarves (And Ents BTW)]

The Origin of Balrogs (ft. reprise of What Are Maiar (and Istari))

Why Galadriel's Gift to Gimli Makes Me Shriek Softly: a frantic attempt to explain the entirety of The Silmarillion as fast as physically possible before I'm cut off by loving but tired friends

Aragorn Had No Hesitation Toward Kingship (Reprise: And Boromir's Death Scene Does ALL the Work In It) [delivered through tears] [can be delivered after the movie ends]

[break for snacks]

Geopolitics are More Complex: Saruman is properly his own faction, not subservient to Mordor, and also Gondor has fiefs and allied states.

Brief primer on the historical difference between Men of Rohan and Gondor, and why this matters thematically

Viggo Mortensen's Toe

[Reminder: Ents and Dwarves, Yavanna and Aulë]

Treebeard is based on CS Lewis, bc Tolkien liked trolling his friends

The flag just happened to blow off right then! Movie MAGIC!

Again, this wizard magic is far too dramatic

This orcs&wargs fight didn't happen in the books either but whatever

FARAMIR IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN THIS

Elrond Deserves Better (In Multiple Ways) (Reprise) and Geopolitics are More Complex (Dunedain, Not Galadhrim, in Helm's Deep Reprise) [can be delivered after the movie ends]

FARAMIR IS STILL MUCH BETTER THAN THIS (Osgiliath Remix)

[break for snacks, maybe a short walk]

Saruman didn't die here, nor did Wormtongue, but we'll get back to that later

Faramir is being alright now; I'm just still angry about how he is in the 2nd movie

Gollum didn't frame Sam to separate them like this in the books but whatever. Frodo's projection and deteriorating mental state and Sam's caring incomprehension are compelling

Pippin got shown around Minas Tirith by a ten-year-old, casually downplayed the fact that he is the closest thing the Shire has to real aristocracy, and it was great

Tired reminder that neither Elrond Nor Aragorn Should Need These Character Arcs

Gandalf Knocking Out Denethor: It's Funny Because He's Probably Not Supposed To Do That

The terrifying, despair-inducing screams of the Nazgul and their mounts maybe-not-deliberately evoke Luftwaffen shrieks and air raid sirens!

ARAGORN ARRIVES WITH THE LIVING, NOT THE DEAD. He only leads the dead to take the ships; he sails them and arrives at Minas Tirith with a small army gathered from the no-longer-corsair-besieged southern fiefs, as well as the Dunedain (his people! including Elrond's sons!) who've been with him since Helm's Deep [optional: reading aloud this passage in the book, bc it's Epic]

The books make it explicit over and over that Isildur's heir will be known not just by sword or countenance but by having "THE HANDS OF A HEALER", and this is where it culminates

[Optional: quick discussion of Eowyn and feminism, ft. the themes of the work, the general presence of women in the work, etc]

Tolkien specifically described Sam defending Frodo from Shelob as "No onslaught more fierce was ever seen in the savage world of beasts; where some desperate small creature armed with little teeth alone, will spring upon a tower of horn and hide that stands above its fallen mate"!

Sam took the Ring, Sting, and Galadriel's star-glass and accidentally convinced all the orcs that he was some great and terrible Elven warrior

Orcs WERE Whipped (And Haradrim Have Loved Ones): Tolkien was deliberately writing about he horrors of fighting a faceless enemy, a la his days in the trenches, but didn't say the average soldier had no face, merely that our heroes cannot see them

Only Pippin went to the Battle at the Black Gates; Merry was still recovering from hamstringing the Witch-King

The giant eagles are servants of Manwë, king of the Valar, and so basically the most official divine intervention one can get

Needless to say, Eowyn and Faramir's Recovery Romance was more than 1 scene in the books

The Scouring of the Shire

This Wasn't Actually The LAST Ship: Sam; Legolas&Gimli; other Fellowship deaths; other elven (and half-elven) characters

"Into The West" was inspired by a young filmmaker who died of cancer!

[rainydaydream-gal18]

My Hobbit/LotR Fanfic List

Greetings, and welcome to the section full of tales and journeys in Middle Earth. Dust off a book, take a seat, and go on an adventure. Just remember...The world isn't in books and maps: it's out there!

The Hobbit

Thorin x Reader:

Evermore

Coming to Your Rescue

Journey

A Sweet Confession

(Siren!Reader) Sink or Swim

Acting Strange

(Legolas x Reader x Thorin) Decision (Request)

Dragonsickness and the Heart

Fili x Reader:

Fili and Injuries (Sequel to Balin Giving You Love Advice) (Request)

Confession

Stranger

Autumn is in the Air

Flower Blooming in Falling Leaves

Bilbo Baggins x Reader: 

You are the One Who Made the Sketch of Bilbo

(Friendship) A Visit

Legolas x Reader: 

Meeting (Part 2 is set during LotrR, so see the LotR list below for part 2)

(Legolas x Reader x Thorin): Decision (Request)

Imagine:

The Elves at Rivendell Lend You a Gown

The Company is Surprised by Your Fierce Protectiveness

Balin Giving You Love Advice

A Peaceful Night on the Road with the Company

Unpleasant Reunion

Lord of the Rings

Legolas x Reader: 

Meeting (PART 2) (Request)

The Bliss of Spring

[incorrect-lotr-trash]

Sam: you were stabbed don’t you remember anything?

Frodo: only the ambulance to the hospital

Bilbo: that wasn’t an ambulance I drove you

Frodo: but I heard a siren

Merry: that was Pippin

Pippin: sorry, I get nervous