Chapter Text
"She's old and it's about time she died," Nori growled lowly as he gently dabbed at the blackened eye of his elder brother.
Dori sighed, trying not to wince at the sting of the disinfectant. "You say that everytime you come home," he sighed tiredly.
"And I mean it every time, too," Nori snorted. "We can't let her get away with treating you like this, Dori. She has no right---"
"She was drunk at the time, Nori," Dori interrupted pleadingly. "She didn't mean to---"
"Dammit, Dori! That doesn't make it all right!" The younger brother threw the cleaning cloth to the ground, practically trembling with his rage.
Dori lowered his head and stared at his bloodied hands, unable to meet Nori's eyes. He knew that Nori was right; if Dori had found Nori in a similiar situation, he wouldn't have just stood by and bandaged his little brother time and time again. And yet... "She's our mother," he whispered softly.
Nori sighed and stood before the silver haired dwarf for a silent moment before crouching in front of his brother to catch Dori's eyes. "You deserve better, Dori," he stated with rare, soft sincerity, gently resting his fingers over his brother's.
Dori's eyes welled up and his bottom lip trembled as he found himself completely mute in face of his younger brother's genuine concern. However, a loud wail cut through the unusually tender moment between the siblings, shattering it completely.
With a groan, Dori got to his feet slowly, pulling away from his brother. He gave Nori a kind pat on the shoulder and a weak smile. "Ori needs changing," he stated before heading back into the darkened home.