The night was cold and so very dark. The flames that devoured the house felt like tiny needles on his skin, pierced through his very soul.
He would never know why the fire had started, nor would he know if his parents would ever be proud of what became of him as he grew up.
Some nights he lay awake, feeling the burning of the flames. It was as if he could taste the ash and hear the cracking of the old wood again. Most nights though, he tried to sleep through his pain and loss. He was alone in a world that was too big for someone as small as him.
How can a child manage in a world that is so cruel without a mother’s love or a father’s protection?
The day William “Bilbo” Baggins’ parents died, was the day that his childhood ended. He was 8 years old and utterly alone on the world. His next of kin wasn’t interested in him and he hardly knew them anyway. Without parents, a family or any money, his only chance to live was learning to survive on his own as fast as possible.
The night his parents died he was so scared and confused that he bolted as soon as he heard the sirens of the fire brigade in the distance. His face was caked with grime and most of his clothes were torn, but in his haste he hardly noticed anything.
Some nights, Bilbo wondered what would have happened with him, had he stayed and waited. Foster care or something, probably.
During the years that followed he lived on the streets of London, since it was easier as a stray to survive in a big city, where nobody cares and sees.
After so much time alone and forgotten it had been a bittersweet moment when he met the man he only had ever known as Smaug.
Bilbo had been hungry but hadn’t been bold enough to steal from any of the shops. So he had tried to pickpocket someone, without much bravado. That day he had learned what a ludicrous idea it was to steal from a thief.
The tall and dark man took him in and gave him a place where he could belong, not quite a home, but a start.
Smaug taught him, how important education was, especially for a thief. So Bilbo went to school and attended university after that, because only a solid persona could build a double life. During the day he sat through lectures, met friends and worked in a little café where he learned how to cook and brew a decent cup of tea. But as soon as it grew dark, he was in Smaug’s world and learned how to climb walls without climbing gear, faking IDs and how to plan a cue.
While he worked on his degrees in English Literature and Business Studies, Interpol worked on his profile. Neither Smaug nor he ever got caught, but since most of their cues had involved prestigious objects the authorities couldn’t ignore their actions.
On one occasion Bilbo had left some muddy boot prints behind and with the following day the media had started to nickname him The Hobbit. (Having a solid size 14 had made him feel a tad awkward as a teen, but even big feet had their perks.)
Not all of his thefts could be related to one another, which made it even harder to catch them. But after a while Bilbo started to leave a demonstrative boot print behind as some sort of trademark, as evidence of his capability.
Smaug would just call it mocking but never stopped him.
With Smaug he was a very successful thief, together they mastered stealing several art works up to jewels or on some rare occasion even valuable information and data. Bilbo never knew what happened with the things they took; he just accepted the payment Smaug wired on his account after each cue.
But in the end Bilbo had to run again. Staying with the man would lead not only to an early death but also to heartache. So he made a decision and told the other man about it after their latest job.
With Smaug he had spent most of his years away from England, they had travelled the world due to their ‘trade’. Not only had Bilbo learned how to pickpocket someone successfully but everything that came with being a master thief.
Part of him was proud to be skilled. He loved the thrill that came with his job and enjoyed the power he felt each time he climbed up the face of a building instead of using a door. But his other half wished for a cosy home and regular meals.
He wished for a normal life, for security. And he knew that Smaug would never provide those things. So Bilbo had left. He had bid the other man farewell, no hard feelings involved, and he was convinced that he could leave it all behind, that he owed nothing to anyone.
Catgroove
Music:
White Rabbit / Temporary
Barcelona / Slipping away
Said the Whale / I love you
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Since Thorin Oakenshield had returned to London to take up the CEO post of Durin Finances after his father had died, there had always been a vacant job position.
The position wasn’t necessarily in accounting or purchasing, considering that it was policy to recruit only the best of the best and they tended to stay with them.
No, the position that was vacant most of the time was the post as personal assistant of Thorin Oakenshield himself. It wasn’t the odd hours one would have to work and it certainly was not the payment, but working for the CEO had its ups and downs. Just as Thorin’s moods had its ups and downs.
He wasn’t a groping barbarian or a nasty alcoholic, but he was – nicely put- a very demanding person. It could happen that a cup became airborne if the coffee had milk or god forbid sugar in it. He wouldn’t even aim directly at the person who dared to commit such a felony, just their general direction.
Besides Thorin didn’t always throw things at people, sometimes he’d just made them cry with his blunt rather roughish manners.
Be that as it may, Thorin had always believed that the job of a personal assistant was an easy one. Every dim-witted person should be able to take care of secretary duties or fix a stiff drink, but apparently all the good personnel in London was unavailable or had already left the country for good.
Seriously, it couldn’t be too hard to comply with his orders. It was quite easy, wasn’t it?
If he wanted his clothes pressed, one would better rush off to the dry-cleaner and deliver them 30-something seconds later. Or in the rare case that Thorin actually wanted to eat something – mainly around 3 in the morning- one would better get him that club sandwich from the deli half across town within the hour.
So all in all, it was a vast riddle why the job was mainly unoccupied.
......ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……
Knowing all this already, Ori felt bad for suggesting the job to Bilbo. They used to be really good friends at university as they sat through most of their economic lectures together. Both Ori and Bilbo had taken advantage of the fact, that English was spoken almost everywhere and had met during their first semester abroad.
Having found the only other Englishman in all of Boston had forged a strong bond right from the beginning, and their friendship seemed to be made for eternity as they declared their mutual love for tea.
However he hadn’t seen much of Bilbo lately. After their graduation, Ori had moved back to England to start a job and Bilbo, well, Bilbo had vanished somehow.
Right now he was just glad, that he could sit in one of London’s many coffee shops to enjoy a nice cuppa with his old friend.
Bilbo had contacted him two weeks prior and asked for a meeting, claiming that he had missed Ori dearly during the last few years. And since he was coming back to London for good he felt like he needed his friend by his side again.
Ori found that he was more than happy to meet Bilbo again and it seemed that their friendship had taken no damage due to the separation. Quite the opposite, actually.
Bilbo had entertained him for the last 20 minutes with descriptions of India where he had spent a couple of weeks in the past year.
As he described the Holi festival he had taken part in, Ori sighed and wished – not for the first time- that he could travel a bit more. After he had finished university he hadn’t been out of the country again.
He toyed with his scarf and listened to Bilbo’s stories, a small smile on his lips.
“What about you, Ori?” Bilbo asked quietly as he leaned forward to grab his cup once more. “I’ve been talking for the last half hour…you must be utterly bored by now” The ginger man smiled.
“Haven’t had time after graduation- the job is pushing it. B-but I don’t want…I mean, I don’t want nag about it. It’s a great place to work and most people are really nice.” Ori really liked his job and the payment that came with it. But sometimes it was really challenging, not because of the work per se. The main reason was probably his boss. Originally he was supposed to be Dwalin Fundinson’s protégé, but after time went by, he was not only his apprentice, but his secretary, personal assistant, ghost-writer and coffee-boy as well.
He wasn’t complaining, though. Dwalin was a feast for the eyes, freely with his sexual advances and fantastic company if one could overlook some subtle flaws.
One of Dwalin’s less subtle flaws was the fact that he was a philanderer and a very successful one at that. Ori couldn’t remember how many times he had seen with different partners. Male or female wasn’t of importance, as long as they could hold Dwalin’s attention for a few moments.
Every time he was thinking about Dwalin he felt a little bang in his chest. He was head over heels for that man since the day they had met. Which had been 3 years ago and his dry-spell was beginning to look really sad.
Anyway, Ori really wanted to work with Bilbo, or at least at the same firm. Having someone really nice around to go and have lunch with, or a beer after work, would be fantastic.
Bilbo ordered some scones for them to share and another cup of tea.
“Oh well, I’m really looking forward to work with you again. Thanks again, for suggesting it. It’ll be nice starting and already knowing someone!”
And on they went, telling each other bits and bobs from their past years and sharing funny graduation moments.
“So, Ori” Bilbo started, fishing for a sinister look. “How’s the love life?” Ori only groaned in replay.
“Yeah, I know, I hate that question too…but come on! You used to be so shy at university and look at you now! The must line up to get you!” Bilbo exclaimed dramatically.
Ori huffed. “Sure. You used to be funny, Bilbo!”
“Come on, come on, come on!”
“Well, there is this one guy-“
“Knew it!”
“Oh shut up, will you?” Ori felt red heat creeping up his cheeks. “As I was saying…that guy…yeah, well, he-he’s kind of my boss.” The blond man finished with a lame stutter.
Bilbo started to smile wickedly. “Fantastic, so I’ll meet him on Monday! It’s getting better by the minute!”
“Oh God, no! No, no, no! Bilbo! I’m not sure if he knows that I exist…I mean…at l-least in a sexual manner…”
“Ah, we’ll see about that! Really, can’t wait!”
……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……
On Monday Bilbo rushed in the tube only to be squeezing into one of the cars. While he leant against the door he let his eyes stroll around, only to find a guy from the other side looking back at him.
He was…tall to say the least. Bilbo guessed that the bloke must be around 6 feet something. He had thick black hair, with a hint of silver in it, the most gorgeous stubbles Bilbo had ever seen and had stunning blue eyes.
The car juddered slightly and a gangly teen was pressed against the handsome guy. The teen looked up at him in annoyance. “What are you going for, mate? Tall, dark and handsome?” He asked insolently.
Before Thorin could grace that little shit with an answer, Bilbo snickered and answered. “Well, it definitely works for me!” He shot the tall guy a winning look and smiled.
After that his cheeks got a rosy colour and he had to duck out of sight. So much for boldness
Luckily he had to get off at the next stop anyway.
……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo…...
As soon as the nice lady from reception had shown him the way to his future boss-to-be Bilbo wanted nothing more than to turn around and run.
Not only would he be working for the handsome guy he awkwardly had flirted with on his way to work, but his boss seemed to remember him as well. Well, aren’t the gods a cruel folk
Bilbo entered the office and was greeted by another handsome bloke who sat opposite of Thorin Oakenshield and seemed to feel quite at home. As he turned his head slightly he saw Ori standing there, smiling at Bilbo.
Bilbo glanced back at the bald guy who was sitting in front of the desk. It took him only a few seconds to make the connection. Oh!
……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……
It was by sheer serendipity that Ori was present when Bilbo had his first day in the job.
Ori was standing in the far corner of the room and shuffled nervously with his feet. Thorin was in a mood again and so far it wasn’t looking good.
They had made it through introductions without any incident, but Dwalin was looking at Bilbo like he was a piece of meat and Thorin glared daggers at everything that was breathing.
“Alright then, Boggins-“
“It’s Baggins, sir.” Bilbo interrupted softly.
Thorin glared at him for a moment before he continued. “Anyway, I want you to work through those files on your desk. Mark the ones that are important for today and file the others away. You also need to reschedule today’s board-meeting, since I’ll have lunch with an acquaintance during that time. Reschedule the meeting with the Lonely Mountain Group – “
“What would you like me to tell them as a reason?” Bilbo interrupted again.
This time Thorin glared for longer and snarled at the small man. “Try not to interrupt while I’m talking, will you now? As I was saying reschedule the meeting…”
And so he went on for quite a while, giving Bilbo an incredible amount of tasks.
During Thorin’s rant took some notes and tried his best not to speak again. He had woken with a very bad feeling this morning, which he couldn’t get rid of – even not through his secret second breakfast.
The tube incident had made it only worse.
His boss-to-be seemed to be done with dealing orders and tasks. “Will that be all, Mr. Oakenshield?” Instead of an answer, Thorin waved dismissively at him and resumed his conversation with Dwalin.
Bilbo straightened his back, smiled and left the room, winking at Ori as he went. Let’s get this over with!
......ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……
“…piece of ass!”
“Pardon?” Thorin asked as he pried his eyes away from his leaving assistant.
“Your new PA has a fine piece of ass, don’t you think?” Dwalin asked again with a broad grin.
“Really wanna know how long this one is gonna last!” He exclaimed.
Thorin only grunted as a reply. “It’s not my fault if HR(*) only sends rubbish. Those dyed, dim-witted doe-eyed dolls are simply not fit for the job.”
Dwalin laughed at that, Ori felt weak at the sound. “Well, before you toss him back again, at least bend him over your desk, will ya?”
The black haired man shot him a dirty look and sighed in defeat. “Just…get out! Really!”
Dwalin got up, and waved lazily at Ori to follow him out, still grinning like a Cheshire Cat.
Poor Bilbo Ori thought and wondered if he should invite said man over for a drink tonight.
……ooooooOOOOOOoooooo……
A few hours later, as Thorin got himself ready for his business lunch, he heard a soft knock on his door. Growling low in his throat he straightened his tie. He wasn’t expecting someone must be that new guy.
“Come!”
The door opened and Bilbo slipped in a soft smile on his lips.
“Sorry, Sir, but I came to let you know, that I have finished the tasks.”
That took Thorin by surprise and he glanced at his watch. “Already?”
Bilbo took that as a clue to list his accomplishments of the day.
“…The VIP names of the gala for next week?”
“I’ve summarised the details for you – it’s already on your desk.” He continued before Thorin could interrupt. “I also memorized their faces, names and whatever else there was to know.”
Oh come ON! You can’t be THAT good….I’m sure you’ve missed something!
“The meeting with Lonley Mou-“
“Rescheduled to next week, I told them one of the handling accountants was on a leave of absence this week.”
Looking around in his office he noticed something. Or rather the absence of something.
“Ha! The dry-cleaning!” Thorin exclaimed winningly. Bilbo offered another smile. “Your dry-cleaning would be in your flat, Sir. I thought it would make more sense to deliver it for you, than to have you bring it back home yourself.”
Stunned into silence for a moment Thorin tried to recover. That boy’s good!
“How did you get in?”
“Well, I told the concierge who I was and whom I was working for, so he helped me quite willingly, Sir” Bilbo answered mildly.
The small man walked over to his coatrack and grabbed his coat. Whilst helping Thorin putting it on, he asked. “Would there be anything else, Sir, or should I just start reviewing this week’s schedule and list your appointments for tomorrow?”
Bilbo had walked with him to the elevators and Thorin grumbled with dismay. “Yeah, you do that.” He finally answered absent-minded.
The PA smiled at him again. “Then I’ll see you later. Enjoy your lunch, Sir”
With that the elevator doors closed and Thorin had to lean against the wall.
