Work Text:
“Ori, I have a very important appointment today, so I need you to do something for me,” Dori said.
His voice had just barely managed to pierce Ori’s intense focus on his charcoal drawings in front of him. The aforementioned dwarfling took a minute to finish up just one last bit of his efforts, then finally glanced up to see his eldest brother’s frown, as he allowed his charcoal to fall to the page below.
“What is it, Dori?” Ori asked, his mind filled with a touch of consternation at the way Dori appeared also worried.
“There will be two younger dwarrow around your age visiting us with a client of mine. They’re his kin, but he watches after them as much as Nori and I do with you.”
Ori sighed.
“You want me to keep them company, then.”
Dori nodded, then said, “Yes, please. This could be a life-altering commission for me, and for our family. I don’t expect you to become best friends with either Fíli or Kíli, but please just maintain the peace while their Irak’adad and I talk, hm?”
Ori nodded.
He would never want Dori not to be able to have work, especially because of him, if he could help it. Plus, having other dwarflings around his age could be fun; he hardly ever had that, really. Perhaps, they would like to hear about his stories. He loved talking about his stories, after all.
“Okay, Dori.”
Dori breathed a clear sigh of relief.
“Thank you, nadadith. I promise I’ll make your favorite meal if this turns out well, okay?”
Ori smiled.
“Alright. I suppose for that I can suffer the company of others my age for a little while.”
In truth, Ori was a bit lonely. However, he often preferred the company of his brothers, to that of loud, ignorant dwarrow around his age. Constantly, he was made fun of for being different, and he hated it. He’d just rather be alone than subjected to those who couldn’t conceive him being different was not bad.
Dori laughed.
“Who knows, Ori, you might actually like one of them? I hear they come as a set though, so if one doesn’t care for you, the other won't either.”
Ori nodded.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Hours later, Ori was sitting on a bench outside of Dori’s workspace in their home, swinging his legs underneath it.
The longer he had thought about it, the more excited he was. Maybe for the first time in his life, he could have friends!
While he waited, Ori had taken to saying the siblings’ names out loud on occasion. He liked the way they sounded together, just as much as he enjoyed repeating his, Nori’s and Dori’s names together. They sounded pleasing to his ears.
Anticipation was high, until finally the moment was there.
Ori’s eyes first met a very tall dwarf, with long dark hair, and a drawn expression that looked quite intimidating. On instinct, Ori shrunk a little in on himself, down into the grey knit cowl he wore.
A few moments later, the other dwarf smiled down at him.
“Hello. You must be Ori.”
Ori nodded, slowly.
“I am.”
“My name is Thorin. I brought my Irak’dashats with me today. Would you like to meet them?”
Thorin’s voice rumbled like a rock tumble, but his smile was kind.
Ori began to parrot their names, until his words were cut off by the sounds of shouting and grappling about.
“Fíli and -”
Ori watched Thorin sigh, as he turned to two tangled dwarflings behind him.
“Fíli, Kíli!” Thorin said sharply, which made Ori shrink a bit again.
“Sorry, Irak’adad,” a brunet said.
Around Thorin, Ori could also see flaxen hair on the other, who didn’t speak at all. Though both of the younger dwarrow stood up, and came to stand in front of Thorin after, then looking at Ori.
“Hello,” the brunet said, an easy smile on their face.
Their brown eyes were kind, too, which made Ori calm down a little.
Then, Ori’s eyes met bright blue ones. The face they were attached to had a more drawn expression, like their Irak’adad’s was before. Their arms were crossed, as they surveyed Ori.
“I am Kíli, son of Víli,” the brunet said, and did a little bow.
Ori lifted his head up more, and smiled hesitantly, despite the unnerving way the dwarfling who undoubtedly was Fíli then, still looked at him.
Ori slid off the bench slowly, careful not to snag his knitted gloves, then bowed, and said, “Ori, son of Rori, at your service.”
“Hi Ori! It’s nice to meet you,” Kíli said exuberantly, then glanced at his sibling.
There was an elbow to the ribs, before a slightly higher, but more stiff voice than Kíli’s said, “Fíli, son of Víli.”
Fíli did a bow, then stood up again, and crossed his arms.
Ori wasn’t sure what to make of Fíli, but Kíli seemed like a fun sort, and perhaps once they all warmed up to each other, Fíli might like Ori, too. That’s what he hoped, at least. He really wanted friends, and it wasn’t as if he was always so thrilled to meet new people either.
A door opened, and Dori stepped out.
“Ah, hello, Your Highness.”
“Your Highness?” Ori squeaked.
“Dori, not here,” Thorin sighed.
Ori wondered just who had entered their home, but did not speak up further about the matter then. Instead, he continued to watch the exchange, hoping to glean something more from it.
“Understood. Would you like to follow me?” Dori asked, after glancing over at Ori, to the former’s right.
Thorin nodded, after looking down at his nephews, probably to give them a similar look, too. Guardians always did that, as if dwarflings couldn’t be trusted to be left behind without that, after all. Ori hardly ever earned such looks though. He imagined given how the brothers had entered, that might not be the case for them, however.
“Yes. The younger ones are acquainted now, so I believe it’s safe to step away.”
“Good,” Dori said primly.
Dori met Ori’s eyes for a moment again, then disappeared with Thorin in tow.
Once the door had shut properly, Ori turned back to the brothers before him.
“What kind of games do you like to play? Fee and I make up all kinds of games together,” Kíli said.
Ori glanced away for a moment and said, “I like to make up stories. It’s something I can do when I’m by myself, or when my elder brothers are busy.”
“We’re never alone,” Fíli said.
His voice was still stiff, and slightly monotone. It briefly reminded Ori of himself sometimes, actually.
“Never?” Ori asked, incredulous that was possible. Well, he supposed, they were siblings of a similar age, which meant they always had each other. Perhaps it wasn’t so out of the realm of possibility, really.
“Never,” Kíli parroted back, then said in a whisper, “Thorin and our Amad worry about what trouble we could get into if we’re left to our own devices.”
Ori laughed, and lifted his eyes again to meet Fíli and Kíli’s own. He had been right about that, at least.
Even more than that; Kíli was nice, and Fíli at least had finally talked. Though the blond still looked impassive, if mildly inconvenienced. Ori would take the fact he wasn’t pretending to be made of stone anymore though, as a good thing.
“Would you like to hear one of my stories? I also like to draw, too,” Ori asked, exuberantly.
Already, he knew just the one he would show them. It was what he had been working on earlier, in fact.
“Sure!” Kíli said.
“I left my sketchbook in the receiving room before, if you want to follow me.”
“Okay!” Kíli cried.
Ori led the brothers there.
Soon, Kíli was listening to him with rapt attention, narrating a story he was just finishing up. It was about a single dwarf, going on an adventure to find out what lay beyond their home in Ered Luin.
Ori was about to launch into the people his main character would meet, when Fíli said, “This is boring.”
Fíli sighed, while Ori’s shoulders slumped.
“You’re welcome to do something else, if you like,” Ori said quietly.
“Fee, don’t be such a donkey’s behind. I liked hearing what he had to say!” Kíli said.
Ori wanted to smile at that, but something bothered him about the way Fíli had so easily dismissed his own interest. It shouldn’t matter; Fíli was a stranger, and even if they were close to the same age, he didn’t have to like what Ori did. Still, Ori had been excited to share his stories with someone else, and to have them called boring hurt.
Ori shut the sketchbook, then tossed it aside lightly.
Afterwards, Ori rose to his feet and looked at Fíli.
Fíli, to his credit, did appear a bit hesitant then.
“I’m sorry. I don’t like to sit still for long. Neither Kíli or I do, really.”
Ori nodded.
“What would you like to do, then?” Ori offered.
He wanted to try one more time at least, to make it work. He felt he owed Dori that much, really.
Fíli, for the first time, smiled.
For a moment, Ori could feel his heart pick up the pace. It was such an odd response. He never cared before when others smiled at him. Still, the sparkling blue eyes before him and the upticked grin seemed to have done the trick.
Ori found himself smiling then, in response, without fully realizing what he was doing. Ori watched as Fíli’s eyes looked bewildered after that, while he placed a hand against his chest.
Ori didn’t know what to make of it, but was about to ask, when Kíli said, “Fee thinks of the best games, Ori.”
The moment was broken then, Fíli looking at his younger brother.
“We should play warriors,” Fíli said.
“I don’t know how to play that.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll teach you,” Kíli said.
Fíli, however, appeared confused. If Ori had to guess, a bit wary, too, as the former looked at him again.
“Okay. I don’t like fighting much, though.”
Fíli groaned at that.
“I don’t think you’ll be very good at it then.”
Ori huffed.
“I can try.”
Fíli rolled his eyes, but then motioned for Ori to follow him and Kíli.
Ori did, and soon was subjected to detailed instructions on what to do from Fíli in particular, with Kíli chiming in every so often to the annoyance of the blond.
They began playing in earnest after that, but already Ori had forgotten some of the rules, and soon, Fíli was huffing in irritation.
"I’m sorry! I’ve never played this before,” Ori said.
“Clearly,” Fíli muttered.
“Fee, stop. Ori’s trying,” Kíli said, glaring at his brother.
Fíli grimaced.
“It’s not that difficult. I told him what to do in detail.”
Ori scoffed. “You’re not the boss of me!”
Ori was nearly through trying by then. Kíli was nice enough, but Fíli was something else entirely. Annoying, and bossy, first came to Ori’s mind as he glared at the blond with his arms crossed.
“You don’t have to play if you don’t want to. Go draw then, if you don’t want to play the game right.”
Ori huffed.
“I don’t like you.”
“Good. The feeling is mutual then,” Fíli said, as he turned away from Ori, as if the latter was beneath his time and attention, even.
“Fíli, that was rude!” Kíli cried.
“I don’t care. He said it first. At least he was honest about it.”
Ori’s back was turned, too, by that point, so no one else could see his face properly.
As tears pricked to his eyes, Ori hoped he would never see Fíli, son of Víli, ever again.