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When Dwalin was still a young lad, his parents had told him how to properly court a young maiden. He had unfortunately fallen in love with a male, but thought to himself that things were not much different in the end, except when it came to what his lover was hiding inter his or her clothes. He just hopped there was no specific courtship to be applied when courting a prince, heir to the throne or to someone considerably younger than yourself.
Maybe he should have waited until the end of their journey, too. But his love for Fili was often aching in his chest, particularly when he wished to hold him close, to be the only one called to tend his wounds, and to be able to sleep by his side. He had to do something about it, and the first step would be courting him.
#
As much as he loved Dwalin, Fili did not bear being treated like a baby. Because he was certain it was the older dwarf’s way to treat him like a friend. And it was hurting him when deep inside he wished for the other to court him. Like an adult and a warrior. His magnificent moustache was not here for nothing. It was screaming “I am a very mature adult” on his face. So the least Dwalin could have done was to think of him as a fellow tough warrior, and court him as such.
He did not need more food than the others.
He did not need an extra blanket at night, especially if he was shivering. Besides offering his body as a source of warmth would have been more interesting. A bit bold as far as courting was concerned, but Fili could not have imagined the older dwarf being something else than bold and tough with him. He violently shivered at the thought, and Kili arched a brow.
“Fili, it’s the middle of the afternoon and the sun is shining, don’t tell me you’re cold.”
“Mind your own business,” the heir mumbled. Kili sighed.
“I already told you to stop thinking about Dwalin when we’re riding side by side, it makes me feel uncomfortable!”
He was pretty sure he was about to blush. “Oh right, just say it out loud, I just need him and the whole company to know about it!”
Kili stared at him for a moment, seemed overwhelmingly tired of his brother’s love issues. So he turned around on his pony and yelled out loud.
“HEY DWALIN FILI’S COLD MAYBE YOU SHOULD TEACH HIM AXE FIGHTING LATER OR SOMETHING SO HE GETS TO DO SOME EXERCISE.”
Fili chocked on air while the whole company had lost their words, gazing at their young prince who just kept looking back until Dwalin answered awkwardly that sure, that would be a pleasure. On this he settled back on his pony, and to Fili’s angered and embarrassed look, he merely answered: “You’re the one who suggested I said it out loud, now shut up or I’ll shout about you dreaming of Dwalin in a naked way.”
That shut the prince up until they stopped for the night.
#
Practicing axe fighting was rather nice in the end. And it did warm Fili up, but having Dwalin touch his wrists, hands or arms to show him how to hold the weapon, and move his legs to show him how to keep balance would have been more than enough to bring heat to his cheeks already. And he had to admit that seeing Dwalin blush too when he took off his shirt made him feel proud. Maybe he was finally realising he wasn’t such a baby in the end. Maybe he was starting to realise what kind of warrior he had become over the years.
But Dwalin finally shook his head and offered to finish the training on properly fighting one against another. Fili accepted gladly. Being directly confronted to the other’s strength was thrilling. He tried to imagine how this strength could be used in another context, and bit his lower lip imagining Dwalin pinning him to a wall. Dwalin laying both soft and rough kisses on his lips. Dwalin grabbing him by the hips as he kissed him with passion, and…
He was brought back to reality by feeling metal biting his flesh, and he gritted his teeth.
He heard Dwalin’s axe being tossed to the ground, and when he opened his eyes again, the older one had lifted him up in the air and was running towards the river that was not so far away. There was no one left there, for the others had all bathed while they were doing exercises.
“Oy, oy, Dwalin, Dwalin, put me down!”
The warrior stopped in front of the river and let Fili back on his feet again. Noticing how worried he was only made the prince angrier.
“But you’re wound-“
“Yes,” Fili began, “I’ve been bruised. It’s barely bleeding at all, and will heal in a day or two, because you were able to prevent yourself from cutting my arm, and thank you for that, but Mahal, stop acting as if I were a baby. You’re giving me the impression I could break into pieces at any moment, and it’s really irritating. Especially when you’re not even acting the same around Kili and Ori!”
Dwalin seemed more and more hurt, and he may have felt a bit guilty at the idea.
“But I don’t see the point in acting this way around Kili and Ori, you know.”
“Then what’s so different about me?” Eh, there it was, uncle Thorin’s cold tone. The thought almost made him sick, he should not have been that harsh with the one he loved, he…
“I’m trying to court you, that’s what’s different. But you never answered to it.” Dwalin only seemed hurt, not worried or shy. He was just… stating what he had noticed.
Fili stupidly blinked at him.
“I’m sorry, what?”
A small smile grew at the corners of Dwalin’s mouth.
“I’m in love with you, young prince.”
That was just too much. Fili began again, even louder.
“Excuse me, were you just treating me like a young babe again? Because I’ve got big new for you Dwalin, I’m an adult, I’m mature, I’m a warrior, just fuckin’look at my body, don’t you want it? I can offer it to you anytime, you’d just need to ask and…”
He stopped right in the middle of his ranting, blinking.
“Hold on. Hold the fuck down. Did you just tell me that…”
But the rest of his sentence died in a muffled sound against Dwalin’s lips and beard. Oh. Oh. That was it, he was certainly blushing. But that did not prevent him from grabbing the other’s sideburns and deepen the kiss, which earned him a groan from the older dwarf.
It was. Just. Amazing. Amazing. He moaned when Dwalin broke the powerful kiss they were having, and immediately cleared his throat when he noticed how un-cool this had been from him.
Dwalin chuckled and winked at him. “I hope you don’t mind my boldness, but what else could I have done when you offered me you perfectly-shaped body like that?”
Fili arched a brow, a bemused smile on his lips. “Is that you asking me for my body, master Dwalin?”
“I’m afraid this is, master Fili. And I’d like to tend that wound too while we’re at it, for it is all my fault after all.”
The prince looked at his arm and winced. Okay, this was looking rather ugly after all. “Mh, I’d have nothing against a bath right now, how ‘bout you?”
He may or may not have blushed when he saw Dwalin taking off his clothes when he laid his eyes back on him.
And they may or may not have shared many kisses in the river rather than actually washing themselves.
At least that’s how he presented things to Kili later, who may or may not have put his fingers in his ears and yelled that what was going on with Fili and Dwalin being naked did not interest him in the least.
One thing was sure: the whole company now knew about it, even if Thorin and Balin made their best to pretend they had not heard a single word of what Kili had yelled.