Chapter Text
Nori didn’t like it, but he had no other options. He had already tried everything else, and nothing had worked. Nothing was good enough. Nothing looked good enough or felt good enough.
Putting on his most determined face, the dwarfing marched up to the door and gave a soft knock—it wouldn’t do to forget his manners and be lectured for the next three hours.
“Come in.” With a sort of grim determination that was better suited to someone heading to the executioner’s block, Nori opened the door and walked in. This was his last hope.
*****Earlier******
Fluffy, golden, cheesy perfection was delicately resting atop the stall’s counter where they steamed softy in the cold mountain air. The delicious scent of fresh bread and melted cheese cloyed together, creating culinary perfection.
Two bright eyes were gazing at the cheese buns with hunger, tiny body hidden behind one of the numerous barrels that filled the market square of Ered Luin. The pebble’s hair was a knotted, tangled mess—filled with leaves, dust and other unmentionable things. He absolutely hated letting his brother Dori anywhere near his head, afraid that his older brother’s fussiness would rub off on him and then he would never be able to have fun again.
Grruummbbble. Putting a hand to his empty belly, he licked his lips. Surely just a nibble wouldn’t be too dis-rep-you-table. Dori was rather fond of that word dis-rep-you-table. He said it about everything, from their clothes, to their neighbors, to Nori’s sticky fingers...
A quick glance around ensured that the dwarfling’s fusspot brother wasn’t anywhere nearby—rather remarkable really since Dori seemed to have a preternatural ability in knowing when Nori was about to do something that would turn his hair prematurely grey!
And Dori said that Nori was overly dramatic.
Hesitating for just a single moment, eyes searching for those distinctive brown braids or for the distinct girth of the stall owner, the tiny pebble darted out from his hiding place and quicker than a blink had swiped a bun off the counter and was racing down the back alleys of The Blue Mountains, cackling madly at another successful heist.
So gleeful at his master thieving skills and the thought of how delicious the warm bun would be, Nori didn’t even notice the other dwarfling in the alley until he crashed into them.
“Och no! Are ye okay?!” A worried brogue asked, tiny hands reaching to help pull Nori upright from where he had fallen down, cheese bun still tightly clenched in one of his hands.
Still reeling from the collision, Nori looked at the boy who helped him up and had to hold in a gasp.
Standing before him was the most handsome dwarfling he had ever seen! Twinkling brown eyes as pretty as the buttons Nori often nicked from the dressmaker’s stall stared back at him. Those pretty copper eyes drew attention to the brightest grin to have ever faced a stone-born in the history for Arda, soft whiskers beginning to peek out from the otherwise naked face. His thick brown hair was tied off into two miner’s pigtails, the ends curling out rather endearingly from a monstrous furry cap set atop the other dwarfling’s head. His shoulders were broad, his frame thick and stout despite his obvious age and Nori felt his heart flutter at the sight—though he had no idea why.
“Oy! Can ye hear me? Maybe ta fall was harder than I t’aught...” And that voice. It was high pitched like most dwarflings but had the echo of caverns deep and the whisper of rumbling stone, not to mention the most adorable brogue that was often found amongst the Blacklock Clan.
It sounded even prettier than the bells i the market square and Nori found himself suddenly and inexplicably in love.
Those brown eyes looked down at Nori’s face, no doubt taking in the large eyes and tangled bird’s nest that Nori called hair and suddenly dropped to the cheese bun that Nori was still clutching in his hand.
A loud grumble startled both boys, and the handsome dwarrow grinned sheepishly. “Ach, sorry! It’s just that ta chees’ buns from ta market are me favorite! But me adad don’ have ta coin to buy t’em very often, so it’s a rare treat!” He explained, smile turning even more endearing because of the squinted eyes and embarrassed tilt of his head.
Without a single thought, Nori pressed the bun into the other’s hand. “Wha?” The boy stared at him in confusion.
“But t’is is yer bun.” And he tried to hand it back.
But Nori simply shook his head, before running away, ignoring the other’s confused shouts and instead kept going until he finally reached his family’s dingy little apartment.
As soon as Nori had shut the door behind him, a great big grin broke out across the ginger’s face and he squealed happily into his hands. He was in love!