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Despite what the students say, Professor Thorin Durinson, Chair of the History Department, does not consider Bilbo Baggins his rival. That’s what Thranduil is for.
It’s just that he has doubts about Mister Baggins’s ability to teach. Why would the famous author of There and Back Again start teaching at a university during the height of his career?
He probably believes that teaching is an easy hobby. He might even believe this is slumming it. It’s an insult to professors like Thorin, who worked for years to get their degrees, for someone to become Chair of the English Department just because he’s published a fiction novel.
Thorin sees right through his overly polite smiles and button-up vests. Thorin doesn’t care how handsome his author photo is, it doesn’t make him a good educator.
But all of the students love him, his sister’s sons included.
Thorin slips into the back of the lecture hall five minutes before the class is supposed to start. It’s not that he allowed his nephew’s incessant chattering about how amazing Mister Baggins is to get to him, he’s immune to their meddling.
Mostly.
The only reason Thorin is here 5 minutes before 6am on a Friday is to prove that some famous writer is not as good of a teacher as his students claim. Even if he has to be awake at an ungodly hour to do so.
To Thorin’s shock, he sees that all of the students are all clustered towards the front of the class. He looks around and sees that no student decided to sit towards the back. He’s never seen anything like it before.
Maybe they’re all early risers.
No less than a second later, he sees his nephews Fíli and Kíli run in with an improbable amount of coffee. The boys set them down at the center most desk and the rest of the students flock to them. The collective amount of sighs of relief echo around the room.
Thorin rubs his beard. If none of them are morning people, why are they all here?
Legolas, Thranduil’s son, peeks his head out the door on the main level and then runs back to his seat.
“He’s coming!”
The students each grab their laptops out of their bags. Thorin’s eyesight isn’t the best but he knows he’s not hallucinating when he sees that each laptop opens to the same google doc.
He gets a text from Fíli.
| It was Mr. Boggins’s idea ;)
Thorin throws a glare at Fíli, who thankfully seems to be the only one who noticed his presence. Fíli smirks before turning back around to face the front of the room. He’s far too much like his mother.
The door gently creaks open.
Mr. Baggin’s hair is curlier than normal and he has a sour look on his face. If not for the button up vest, he’s not really recognizable.
He looks at the students in the front three rows and, because some force is looking out for Thorin, no higher. The short man sighs.
“Why are you all still here?”
Kíli leans forward and smiles, “Mr. Boggins, you don’t mean that!”
The class giggles. Mr. Baggins rubs his eyes but the dark circles remain.
“Baggins, Kíli, my last name is Baggins-” Fíli lifts an extra large to-go cup and pastry bag. The tired man side-eyes the blond brother before accepting the bribe. His eyes return to the younger Durinson brother.
“You’re lucky your brother figured out my favorite tea.”
Thorin doesn’t need to see Kíli’s face to know his nephew is giving Mr. Baggins a cheeky grin. He’s been in the writer’s position more often than he likes to admit.
Mr. Baggins takes a sip from his drink before speaking.
“What do I have to do to get you all to leave?”
The fact that Thorin isn’t supposed to be here is the only thing stopping him from yelling. How could anyone call themselves an educator after saying a sentence like that?
“We can’t do that, Mr. Boggins.” Tauriel replies while twirling a strand of hair. “You’d miss us too much.”
Oh. So that’s why Kíli likes her.
Mr. Baggins rubs at his temples, “B a ggins. With an ‘A’. And no, what I’m missing is time to work on my new book–”
“Is it going to be a romance?” Gimli asks. Legolas chuckles and elbows the red headed lad. Thorin has no idea when they became friends.
“No, it’s not a romance.”
“So it’s not like Romeo and Juliet ?” Pippin pipes up.
“No.” Thorin peers at the paper Fíli is reading. It’s the syllabus.
“Not even a modern interpretation?” Merry adds.
Thorin could guess what this week’s topic is.
“No,” Mr. Baggins clarifies, “it will not be a modern interpretation of Romeo and Juliet .”
The class exchanges a series of glances to each other that Thorin can’t hope to interpret before Arwen speaks.
“That’s a shame. Romeo and Juliet is my favorite romance play.”
The classroom is eerily quiet after that, so quiet it feels like breathing will break the tension that has entered the space.
Mr. Baggins looks up to the ceiling with a fury that could only be compared to an inferno. Thorin feels his jaw drop before he can stop himself. In his defense, Mr. Baggins has never looked angry before.
“I–it’s not. How dare–”
He turns to face the whiteboard behind him and starts furiously scribbling as he rants.
“ Romeo and Juliet is not a romance. It’s a TRAGEDY! Romance as a genre wasn’t classified as such until the 18th century while Shakespeare wrote this play during the 16th century–”
More noise erupted as students drum their fingers across their keyboards in an attempt to keep up with the rant. Not that Thorin can pay attention to that.
Thorin can’t tear his eyes away from Mr. Baggins when he lectures.
The writer gestures with his arms and his voice inflects whenever he’s trying to make a point. Whenever he’s not marking up the board, he’s making eye contact with the students. He lectures on how the play has been interpreted over the years and the class thoroughly discusses how the historical context of each era affected the interpretation.
Thorin has never seen a class more excited to answer when the teacher calls on them.
“Arwen, how do we classify works into genres?”
“We look at their conflicts and themes.”
“Perfect! And what is the main conflict of the play, Merry?”
“Uh… that they can’t get married?”
“Why is that the case, Pippin?”
“Because they’re families are feuding.”
“Exactly. What were they feuding about, Tauriel?”
The woman looks alarmed as she racks her brain. “Oh, um. I can’t remember.”
Bilbo smiles, “Good, neither can the characters!”
The response startles a laugh out of her.
“So then Kíli,” Bilbo asks, turning to Thorin’s youngest nephew. “How would you summarize the conflict of the play?”
Kíli pauses and actually considers his answer instead of jumping to a joke. “Well, Romeo and Juliet are young and idealistic and the Montagues and Capulets are stuck in the past, even though it doesn’t make sense because no one remembers why the families are feuding. They’re both stubborn in their own way but the conflict is about the stubbornness of the current and previous generations as they hold onto their ideals.”
Kíli scratches the back of his head and looks away when he realizes the class is looking at him. “Um, maybe?”
Bilbo grins.
“I couldn’t have said it better myself. That’s why I asked you.”
The students snicker and Kíli puffs up with pride. Thorin feels proud of his nephew as well, he’s never been so well behaved in Thorin’s classes.
He also sees Tauriel and Kíli trade a loaded glance. Right, of course Kíli connected with the themes of the play. Thorin adds this to the ever growing list of things he’s been wrong about.
Bilbo looks at his watch. “Well, there’s only 5 minutes of class left, so you all can pack up your things and leave. At least let me have this time to write.”
Thorin blinks and looks at his phone. How on Middle Earth did 3 hours pass without him realizing it?
Aragorn calls out, “What about homework?”
Bilbo looks up from his desk with disgust.
“You all want homework? What is wrong with you?! Faramir, tell your classmates they don’t want to do homework.”
“Mr. Baggins, we do want homework.” Faramir replies with well restrained glee. The class chitters with hushed laughs and smiles.
Bilbo dramatically sighs and leans back in his chair. “ Fine. For next week, write a paper on other Shakespearean plays that are misinterpreted when viewed through a modern lens. No more than 5 pages! We all have better things to do.”
The students pack their bags quickly. Each takes a turn at thanking Bilbo for the class but he shoos them all away when they approach him.
It only takes a moment for the classroom to empty. Bilbo sinks back in his chair and lets out a breath that reveals his satisfaction. It’s rather charming.
“That was a good class.”
Bilbo jumps as Thorin's voice echoes louder than the history professor intended. Thorin chuckles as Bilbo stands up and brushes down the front of his vest.
As Thorin walks closer, he can see an embarrassed blush on Bilbo’s cheeks.
“Ah, well, yes. Professor Durinson, I hadn’t realized you were there.”
“Thorin.”
Bilbo meets Thorin’s eyes.
“Pardon?”
Thorin can feel himself flush.
“We’re colleagues. You can call me Thorin.”
Bilbo sees the inch and takes a mile as he smirks.
“Colleagues are we?”
Thorin might regret all of the insults he said about Bilbo. Maybe. He catches a hint of insecurity in Bilbo’s eyes and decides that he might be the asshole his sister says he is.
“... Yes. We are.”
Thorin means it. Bilbo picks up on Thorin’s sincerity and matches it. The corners of his mouth lift into the softest smile Thorin has ever seen.
Thorin feels his heart thud harder in his chest.
“In that case, you can call me Bilbo.”
Welp, now his heart is thudding and racing. Perfect.
“Very well. Bilbo .”
Bilbo shudders and Thorin looks down to see Bilbo’s tea is no longer steaming.
“You never got to drink your tea.”
Bilbo points his nose up and sniffs, “I don’t know how they keep doing this.”
Thorin isn’t great at reading people, but Bilbo isn’t even trying to lie.
“I can buy you another.”
The words are out of Thorin’s mouth before his brain catches up but finds himself unable to take them back when he sees Bilbo’s eyes crinkle as he smiles.
“That would be nice.”
Thorin might even apologize without hurting his own pride if Bilbo keeps looking at him like that.
“Well, I have some words to make up for.”
“Do you, now?”
“Yes… and I’m not too stubborn to admit I’d like some advice.”
Thorin fixes his most serious expression on his face before asking.
“How did you get Kíli to behave so well?”
Bilbo chuckles in a way that the noise bounces against every wall in the room. Somehow, Thorin wishes it could be louder.
Bilbo gets a mischievous glint in his eye.
“I’m happy to teach you over tea.”
For the first time in weeks, Thorin laughs.