#elrond my versatile not-quite-king

[niennawept]

Would you ever.... Write a story with Elrond? 😘

Absolutely, I would! Elrond is currently in the plans for two longfics, a Sir Gawain-themed novelette with him in the role of the title character, and a take on the kidnap fam situation. Maybeeee a one-shot that accompanies my main series too. He's very much in my thoughts, just not featured on the page yet.

Thank you so much for the ask! ❤️

[shockcity]

Bagginshield #8 - falling in love

Rating: M Summary: for the 30 Day OTP Challenge - Some people ship Bilbo and Thorin. Two of them are actually Bilbo and Thorin. The world reacts. Modern Setting/Actors AU 

Note: i s2g I didn't set out to write a social commentary, but I just started writing and my brain went where it went, and honestly...I'm cool with that. But if you're not then I totally get it. So warning ⚠️ this features gay people being unashamedly gay. As in people are gay, the world finds out, and Bilbo and Thorin win all the prizes (grain of salt though, this plot would never happen in RL). So if that's not your jam and you'd rather read something that doesn't mirror real life issues, that's perfectly alright and I'll see you in the next story! :) To those who stay: I hope you enjoy it  

-------

It wasn't like they hadn't met before.

Despite what people thought, Hollywood wasn't all that big, and he and Thorin generally moved in the same circles anyway. Bilbo recalled that they'd exchanged polite hugs at the BAFTAs the previous year, and that they had once shared Graham Norton's couch, but besides being very casual acquaintances, they certainly weren't friends.

He and Thorin were not the Hollywood elite, but having a critically acclaimed franchise under each of their belts and a dedicated following had guaranteed that they weren't B actors either. Both had also gained a little more artistic autonomy; years of acting in the mainstream had given them the leeway to branch out into independent films and theater. Thorin, for example, had just finished his run of King Lear in the West End, and Bilbo was currently in the market for a similar change himself.

When Dori handed Bilbo the script for Unexpected, he knew right away that this would be his ticket out of blockbuster hell.

"The title needs work though," he mumbled distractedly, paging through the script. "Unexpected. Unexpected what?"

"Love, I suppose," Dori sighed. "Nori said it was a simple story about two people falling in love."

Bilbo looked up at Dori with his eyebrows raised. "No, I'm reading it right now and that's absolutely not what it's about," he replied. "My character is a lonely bachelor who adopts his orphaned nephew, befriends his troubled neighbor who happens to be a recovering drug addict, and in the end is hit by a car and dies."  

"What."

Bilbo couldn't help but smile. "Nori made it family-friendly so you'd actually hand it to me, Dori," he laughed.

"Well he was right, because if I'd known I wouldn't have let you read it at all. I hate the depressing ones."

Bilbo looked down at the pages again, tilting his head thoughtfully. "I don't know," he said. "It's sad, sure, but...you said Nori called it a love story?"

Dori nodded and crossed his arms, seeming peeved. "That's what he said, but they're not marketing it as a gay romance, so don't get too excited."

Bilbo sighed and dropped the script back into his lap. "Great," he muttered, feeling a little hollow.

"You don't have to do it, Bilbo," Dori reminded him. "There's other scripts."

"Yes, but I like this one," he insisted. "I can see the love here...and you know Elrond Imladris is directing...and he's always been open to script changes, so, do you think–?"

Dori ran a hand across his tired eyes and sat down beside him. "Bilbo," he began, kindly but firmly. "You're a big name. This movie, while not The Avengers, is still expected to make money."

Bilbo had figured it was a long shot. He gave Dori a tiny nod. "Who's playing Richard?" he asked.

"Thorin Oakenshield."

"Oh." Bilbo frowned. "That's...actually a really good choice."

Dori hummed, checking his phone as Bilbo thought it over. Despite his agent's obvious disinterest with the script – and his own, personal, disappointment – Bilbo was still quite attracted to the characters – and Thorin's role, especially. He wanted to see how well he could play off of a character like Richard, and whether or not he could portray a man like Martin, who couldn't help but fall in love with completely the wrong person. And fall in love they did, regardless of what the studio said.

It was a good script that could have been a fantastic opportunity for some realistic representation, had the studio had any decency. That's what made him consider it, truthfully. It just felt like one time too many. Besides, he'd been waiting for a problematic script like this for awhile. He looked down at it again. Yes, this was the one.

"I'll read for them," he told Dori, who looked unsurprised. "Tell Nori I'll see him tomorrow morning."

Dori's thumbs flashed as he texted Nori on Bilbo's behalf. "Done. Do you want to meet Oakenshield? He'll be there tomorrow."

Bilbo knew very little about Thorin Oakenshield personally (though he was familiar with his work, of course) but what he did know about him he liked. The man was a professional, and quite versatile (unlike Bilbo, who was typecast as the bookish boy-next-door most days), and the few times they had met were actually quite pleasant.

"Sure," he agreed. "Why not."

----------------

"Hi. Hello," Thorin stuttered, and then loudly cleared his throat. A voice in his head that sounded a lot like Dis told him to 'chill the fuck out' which...didn't help at all. Thorin had no chill.

Not around Bilbo Baggins anyway.

"Bilbo Baggins is going to read Martin for us," Nori had told him offhandedly. "You're okay working with him, right?"

"Ofcmffwhaffk," Thorin gibbered.

Nori stared. "Wow. Dwalin told me about your crush on him but I didn't believe it," he commented idly. "And all because he returned your house keys?"

Feeling defensive, as he usually did when this story was brought up, Thorin glared at his feet and mumbled, "I was locked out of my home."

"Yeah, for like five minutes."

Thorin did not look up. "He gave me his umbrella."

"That's cute, Thorin. Bet it was just love at first sight, wasn't it?" Nori teased.

It wasn't love at first sight. He was having probably the worst day of his life that day, and here came this person that had turned it around so effortlessly and...truthfully, it was more like awe at first sight. Or gratitude at first sight. Or genuine interest at first sight. And maybe it was a little like love after he'd binged all of Bilbo's movies, but he wasn't admitting to anything.

To put it simply, Thorin was a celebrity with a celebrity crush. And now that crush was standing in front of him wearing a yellow cardigan, a pair of oversized reading glasses, and a confused expression that was rapidly turning alarmed.

"Um," Thorin managed after a long, awkward silence. "It's nice to see you again."

Bilbo tactfully moved the conversation along. "You too, Thorin." He smiled. Thorin gulped. "I hear we're going to be working together."

"You sure are," Dori said, gliding over and handing Bilbo a Manila envelope. "Standard contract. Out-of-pocket expenses, time required, remuneration, and so forth. Read it carefully. Don't sign willy-nilly. Hello, Thorin, I'm Dori, are you two going for coffee? You'll want to get to know each other, I'm sure."

"Um-guh," said Thorin.

"Splendid," said Dori the whirlwind. "I'll call. Ciao!"

Bilbo sighed and slipped the envelope underneath his arm. "Shall we?" he asked, smiling up at him.

"Um-guh."

"I'll...take that as a yes."

----

----

"Sorry, are these your keys?" Bilbo called out, hurrying toward a man sitting slouched on the stoop. "I saw you drop them when you left your cab. Uh, did you know you're getting all wet?"

He moved closer so that the man was sharing his umbrella.

"That's better," Bilbo said with a smile. He passed the keys over. "Here you go. Wouldn't want to be locked out too long in this deluge."

The man was looking up at him now, his mouth half-open. His eyes were very, very blue, and Bilbo couldn't help but blush a bit. He was handsome.

"I...." Handsome blinked. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Bilbo said, but then he couldn't help but frown a little at the man's appearance. "Forgive me for asking, but, are you alright? Only, you don't seem like you are, and you completely missed your keys, even though they were only just over there."

"I–" the man stared at where Bilbo pointed. "I guess I wasn't really looking. But I'm fine. Thank you. Truly."

"If you're sure," Bilbo hummed, unconvinced. "Well, I'm going to be getting a cab, so, here...."

He handed Thorin his umbrella, laughing as the rain fell into his face. "For the next time you lose your keys in the rain."

Bilbo turned around and jogged back down the block, luckily seeing a cab coming toward him. He hailed it just as he heard the man shout, "who says there'll be a next time?"

He pulled the cab door open, laughing, and shouted back, "I do! And you know, there's nothing like looking, if you want to find something!"

----

-------

"The script is already getting a lot of publicity, you know," Bofur said casually, slurping up the last clumps of his smoothie. "Smaug Trāgu went to the press about how Mirkwood was handling it."

Bilbo, who was in the middle of taking a bite of his salad, dropped his fork back onto his plate. "And Mirkwood didn't drop the script?" he asked, shocked.

"No, you're not out of a job yet, thankfully," Bofur reassured him. "Dropping Smaug now would be a PR nightmare, and I heard that Mirkwood can't take another controversy. Thranduil's already pissed off like 80% of Hollywood, he really doesn't need the public baying for his blood too."

"So what are they saying?"

Bofur shrugged one shoulder. "Interview comes out tomorrow. We'll see then."

They fell into a sullen silence. Bofur was looking as though he needed to say something else, however much he didn't want to, and Bilbo was torn between applauding Smaug and feeling sick that, in this case, they were on the same side. Before Bilbo could descend into a proper sulk, Bofur finally found his courage.

"You and Thorin are going to catch a lot of heat for this, you know that right?"

Bilbo nodded, swallowing nervously. Around him, the crowded little bistro continued on with its business while Bilbo's world narrowed down to Bofur's expectant gaze, which was simply too intense to avoid.

"Bilbo, I have to say this," he finally began, and somewhat frostily. "I'm honestly surprised at you. I thought you'd be as far away as possible from a script like this. And I know you accepted the part after the love story was scrapped. And that's....Bilbo, I just don't get it."

Bilbo bit his lip, looking away from his friend. He took a couple of deep, calming breaths.

"Right," he began anxiously. "It's like this: you and I both know that coming out means the end of your career."

Bofur waited for Bilbo to elaborate and when there was nothing else he shook his head, shrugging. "Yeeeeaaah, ok, but what does that...oh my god."

Bilbo licked his lips, his eyes a little wide. He nodded.

"Oh my god." Bofur leaned forward with shit-eating grin. "You're not!"

He shrugged one shoulder, smiling a little. "I'm...I'm thinking about it."

"Oh my god."

"Uh huh." He then waved his hands quickly before Bofur could gush more. "But I'm not completely sure yet. I mean, I'd...feel a lot more wretched about ruining the film for the crew if it weren't Mirkwood and Smaug doing it...but that doesn't mean it isn't still a shitty thing to do. And I didn't just take the part to make a point. The story really is beautiful. I mean, the fact that Smaug wrote it is a bit hard to swallow but...I'm going into this with every intention of producing the best performance of my life, and... probably the last."

Bofur shook his head, his face alight and full of mischief. "Bilbo Baggins, you crusader.”

"I'm not, not really," he denied, but then a bit of fire sparked in his eyes. "But if I'm going to out, then I'm going out with a bang."

---

----

"Can I ask you a question?" Bilbo started hesitantly. They sat across from each other having dinner, the low light from the restaurant lamps thankfully hiding the nervous sweat on his brow.

Thorin looked up from his meal. "Of course," he said.

This was their second meeting, and Bilbo still wasn't sure if Thorin was a safe person to talk candidly to, so it was time to test the waters.

"Why did you take the part?" he asked.

If Thorin understood the underlying question then Bilbo could relax. If he answered with something like "it's the role of a lifetime" or "I really liked their friendship" then this would be their last outing alone.

Thorin wiped his mouth and took a sip of his wine. "I didn't have a choice," he revealed, jaw tight.

Bilbo blinked. "But you're not really desperate for work..." he speculated. "Or, um, are you?"

"No. I'm not desperate. I owed someone a favor. A big favor."

He wasn't sure who the favor was for or why Thorin looked so downtrodden about it, but at least he knew now that Thorin wasn't happy with the script either.

"And if you did have a choice?"

He met Bilbo's eyes, and his expression was both genuine and kind.

"I'd tell them to go fuck themselves."

Bilbo barked out a surprised laugh. "Yeah," he chuckled, shaking his head. "That's...kind of why I took the part too."

Thorin raised his eyebrows, a small, open smile on his face. But Bilbo, still cautious, quickly changed the subject before he could ask.

"Do you still have my umbrella?" he inquired cheekily.

Thorin gaped. "You...you remember me?!"

He looked so shocked (and oddly flattered?) that Bilbo threw his head back and laughed. "Of course I do! Though I didn't recognize you that day, I'm terribly sorry to say. It wasn't until I saw The Desolation that I realized who I'd run into."

"...you saw my movie," mumbled Thorin, blushing.

"Yeah." Bilbo fidgeted with his napkin. "And...I kind of went home after that and streamed all your films."

Thorin was bright red. "I..." he said.

Bilbo smiled at him shyly.

"I did the same thing," he finally confessed.

And a matching blush rose high on Bilbo's cheeks as they smiled at each other bashfully.

---

----

----

----

"Alright, I have to ask."

Bilbo turned to glare at him, shoving a handful of popcorn into his mouth pointedly.

"It's okay, you listen, and I'll talk."

Bofur seemed determined to interrogate him, and Bilbo rolled his eyes and put his feet up on the coffee table.

"So, I know it's only been a month or two, but I think I've only seen you maybe three times at best. I'm your BFF, Bilbo, so I need to know...have you left me for Thorin?"

Bilbo made a face.

"Judging by your expression I'd say my position as bestie is safe. Now I just have to ask if I've been thrown over for a boy." He shook his head at Bilbo. "Don't be that person that abandons their friends when they find true love, Bilbo. Don't be that way."

"Knock it off." He threw a handful of popcorn at Bofur's face. "Thorin and I aren't together. And I've just been busy."

"Gossip mags say otherwise," Bofur argued, making Bilbo groan. "And you know you have stalkers on instagram, right? Because there's pictures of you two going on dates all over social media."

Bilbo, who was not tech-savvy, had not known about this. "They're not dates," he grumbled.

"People are even writing stories about you two. They call your relationship Bagginshield."

"What."

"I'm serious." Bofur was entirely too thrilled about all of this. "They write about you two having hot sex in like...wardrobe. Or under the craft services table."

"Oh my god." Bilbo covered his face to hide his blush.

"It's brilliant."

"Would be if it were actually true," Bilbo mumbled, too low for Bofur to hear. He sighed and sat up. "Whatever, I don't care. Because again, we aren't together."

"But you want to be. All you ever talk about is him. You're obsessed."

"I'm not obsessed!"

Bofur pointed to the television confusedly. "Then why are we watching all of his movies again?"

Bilbo only groaned and threw another handful of popcorn Bofur's way.

----

----

He waited outside of Thorin's apartment nervously, feeling like an idiot for just showing up unannounced. But Thorin had had such a bad day on set today, and he and Elrond had got into it, and he'd seemed so tired and worn out, and....

In any case, Bilbo was lingering outside of his door like a creep when Thorin finally walked up the stairs.

"Hi," Bilbo rushed to greet him. "I made you a cake. Well, a coffee cake. I've never made it before. It might taste awful."

Thorin stared at him.

"You don't have to eat it, of course," Bilbo babbled. "It's just that today was pretty brutal, and I wanted to see if you were alright. Only, you don't seem like you are, and – mmph."

The coffee cake was delicious. They shared it, and they shared some other things as well. Kisses, mostly.

----

---

"Bilbo!" said Gandalf, kissing both of his cheeks. "It's been too long."

Bilbo took the bouquet Gandalf handed him and ushered him into the house. "Oh thank you, and yes it has. Where on earth have you been?"

"The theater calls," Gandalf told him, his eyes twinkling. "And I answer."

"Sure you do." Bilbo rolled his eyes. "Well, come in, come in, we're all in the dining room. Dinner will be in about twenty minutes. Have Dori pour you some wine."

Bilbo's annual dinner party consisted of the few cousins he actually liked, plus Bofur, Dori (and sometimes Nori) and of course, Gandalf. This small group of people were Bilbo's family, something that he'd needed dearly after the death of his mother. He'd spent two birthdays alone before this tradition had started, but now every September the 22nd, Bilbo's chosen family descended on his house to congratulate him on surviving yet another year.

He heard Primula greet Gandalf, and Frodo's happy squeal, and he grabbed up his phone to check the time. He took a deep, nervous breath.

"Can I help with anything?" asked Drogo, hovering a bit.

Bilbo smiled and waved him off. "No, that's alright! Sit down, socialize! We're just about ready to go."

He grabbed up the last platter, which held a lovely roast turkey, and took it out to the dining room. They all oohed and awwed obediently, and Bilbo was just going to have them start sitting around at the table when the doorbell rang.

They all fell silent.

"Ah," said Gandalf. "I'd wondered who the extra place setting was for."

He saw them all exchange baffled looks (though Gandalf seemed unsurprised) before he left for the entrance hall. He understood their shock, of course – Bilbo's dinner party was exclusive to the extreme. He only invited family, after all.

"Hi," he breathed out, opening the front door.

Thorin smiled nervously. "Hi," he said.

----

----

Nori pulled him into the main offices with a tight hand on his arm and a tense frown on his face. The expression was so unlike him that Bilbo panicked for a moment, wondering if someone had died. He was lead to a small conference room where Nori halted him in front of a closed door.

"Thranduil's in there," he said, in that offhand way of his.

"What?" Bilbo hissed. "Why?"

Helpfully, Nori shrugged. "I think it's about the articles."

Bilbo grimaced. "Oh. Too much?"

Nori held up his index finger and thumb, and pinched them together. Bilbo sighed and went for the door, but Nori held him back again.

"It...might be personal too. I mean about you and Thorin."

"That's none of their business," Bilbo snapped, his hands clenching into fists at his sides.

"They think it is," he said, and patted Bilbo on the back. "And that's all that matters."

Bilbo walked into the conference room anxiously (though he was still somewhat angry) and when he saw Smaug as well as Thranduil sitting there, his discomfort only grew.

At least there were no niceties.

"I'll make this quick," said Thranduil. "While Mirkwood Films applauds your work in our upcoming movie, we would appreciate if all public statements and interviews went through a screening process before publication."

His jaw had dropped a bit, and Bilbo closed it and bit his lower lip. From beside Thranduil, Smaug looked amused.

"As it is, Mirkwood Films kindly asks that you take care when making comments to the press, or ideally try not to interact with them at all. I hope that's alright with you, Mr. Baggins. Mirkwood truly appreciates all of your hard work."

Thranduil finished his little speech and stood. He gathered up his business folder and his Starbucks cup and without another word – left the room.

The look on Bilbo's face must have been hilarious, because Smaug laughed loudly at him. Bilbo scowled.

"I always love how polite his threats are," Smaug said airily, his face contorted in a sickening smile. "He's right about one thing though, Bilbo. Your work on Unexpected is phenomenal."

Bilbo didn't smile back. "Thanks."

"Had the script remained in its original form I would have loved to see you and Thorin intimate on the big screen."

Bilbo blinked. "Ok," he said, standing up. "I'm leaving."

"I'm surprised at the passion you both managed to depict. Thorin, especially, was a shock. He seemed so resentful of the part when Thranduil made him take it."

Smaug was not revealing to Bilbo anything that he didn't already know, though maybe he was trying to see how much Bilbo was privy to....

If Thorin trusted Bilbo enough to tell him about his father's unpaid debt at the time of his death, and about Thranduil conscripting him into what was essentially indentured servitude (which had all happened on the day they'd first met, to be precise), then it would be painfully obvious that Thorin and Bilbo were together. Which would be the perfect blackmail for Smaug, since Hollywood didn't like behind-the-scenes romances, and behind-the-scenes gay romances they liked even less.

"Well, isn't that fascinating," Bilbo answered noncommittally. "Right. Sorry, I've got a...thing. Good to see you, Smaug."

"And you," Smaug leered. "Bilbo."

He beat a hasty retreat and descended back down to post. Nori was there with the sound editors, whom Bilbo greeted briefly before drawing Nori away.

"How'd it go?" he asked.

"Smaug was there," Bilbo said. "He was a total creep."

"So...normal."

"And they basically told me to stop talking or else."

Nori shook his head sadly. "You'd better do as they say if you still want to work."

Displeased with this answer, he huffed and put his hands on his hips. "That's the thing, I don't want to do what they say. I shouldn't have to hide like this."

Faced with his sudden rebelliousness, Nori could only smile at Bilbo in amusement.

"I gave that movie my all– my very best gay!" Bilbo insisted.

Nori choked.

"...and I made sure that people were going to walk out of that theater and say 'that was the gayest movie I have ever seen'!"

He even stomped his foot a little.

"So no, Nori, I won't do what they want. It's too late for that now."

Nori looked down at his friend with a fond smile. It soon wilted a little, though. "And what about Thorin, Bilbo?" he asked quietly. "What about his career?"

Bilbo blinked. "I...."

"He owes Thranduil a lot of money, oh don't look so shocked that I know, nothing's secret around here." He sighed and looked away. "Don't get me wrong, I want you to tell them all to go to hell, but Thorin's my friend too, Bilbo, and I-"

"No," Bilbo cut him off. "No, you're right."

"I'm not saying back down," Nori amended, resting his hand on Bilbo's shoulder. "I'm just saying be careful. You've got someone you need to protect now."

Bilbo nodded solemnly. As he left the studios and drove toward home, he thought on Thranduil's threats and Nori's warning. Thorin would suffer, should Bilbo step over the line, and his plans for the premiere went above and beyond that.

"I'm not saying back down," Nori had said, but Bilbo was beginning to realize that that was exactly what he was going to have to do.

----

--

---

Thorin's fingertips ran idly down his back. Bilbo turned over to face him, sinking into his embrace and nosing at the delicate skin of his neck. He smiled slowly as Thorin rumbled with pleasure.

"I don't want to ask what time it is," Bilbo whispered.

"You say as you ask what time it is," replied Thorin. He leaned over a groaning Bilbo to reach Bilbo's phone. "It's nine. We have time."

He laid back down and gathered Bilbo against his chest.

"Are you nervous about tonight?" Thorin asked.

Bilbo inhaled noisily. "I'm..." he began, but then paused. "I'd decided not to do what I had initially planned, you know."

"Do I?"

"You've been curious. I'm sorry."

Thorin nodded and rubbed Bilbo's arm gently. "I have, but I didn't mind waiting for you to be ready to tell me."

Bilbo curled closer. "I wanted this to be my last movie before I came out. Publicly."

Thorin craned his neck to look at him. "After Mirkwood spent so much time denying they straight washed?" He blinked. "That's...devious."

Bilbo couldn't help but laugh. "I just...I knew that this film would always be a problem. And it is. But it also isn't. We do fall in love Thorin, me and you, and Martin and Richard. It's just not the kind of love people expect."

He ran his hand across Thorin's chest absently. "But it still deserves to be on screen. I wanted to come out, and not only reinforce that our characters loved each other, but to tell Mirkwood and all those stupid people who want us to shut up that we won't. Not anymore."

Thorin pulled Bilbo up and hugged him, kissing his curls, his neck, his cheeks. "Why did you decide not to?" he whispered.

Bilbo scoffed, wrapping his arms around Thorin's shoulders. "You know why not, Thranduil...."

"Screw him." He suddenly sat up. "He can rot. Let's do it, Bilbo. Together."

Frowning, Bilbo sat back on his heels and stared. "Are you serious?"

"I am." He nodded. He reached out and touched Bilbo's cheeks. "I want to."

"Thorin, we'll have undermined and humiliated Thranduil and the studio," Bilbo whispered. "Publicly. We'll have attacked the business. The business we work in. No one will hire actors they can't trust to keep their mouths shut. Our careers will be over."

Thorin touched his hair gently, pushing his curls back behind his ears. "I think it's worth it, don’t you?” he said, after a moment. "I'm tired, and I know you're tired of playing this stupid game too."

Bilbo shook his head. "You'll lose everything."

"You don't know that. This could be good, Bilbo. For us. For others. It's not going change on its own. And if we don't try, we're as bad as them."

He said nothing, glancing away from Thorin's eyes-- torn. Thorin moved closer and gently coaxed Bilbo’s head up.

"There's nothing like looking," he said. "If you want to find something."

Bilbo swallowed; his chest hurt and his eyes were a little wet. Thorin was not crying, or upset at all, instead he looked at Bilbo with so much love that he couldn't help but wonder if this were real or just a dream. He leaned in and kissed Thorin, feeling weightless.

Real.

---

"Are you ready?"

Bilbo turned to him with a nervous but determined expression on his face. In the safety of the tinted limo they could not be seen, and Thorin used this advantage to kiss Bilbo thoroughly.

"Well, I am now," Bilbo said, when his lover pulled back.

He grabbed Thorin's hand, prepared to hold onto it the entire night (in sight of everyone, everything, and with no fear) and took a long, deep breath. They were ready.

With Thorin's solid presence by his side, Bilbo opened the door.

---