Chapter Text
His brothers eventually find him, as Nori knew they would. He’s sitting in one of the many parlors, this one facing the backyard, and he stares out at the lush greenery outside. He longs to sit with the wind through his hair and the sun on his face, but it doesn’t feel safe here in London.
The sooner they move, the better.
Ori is silent as he tucks himself into the loveseat that Nori currently occupies half of. Nori offers him a wane smile but his attention quickly goes back to the outdoors, and how much he longs to be out there. The house is stifling, even if it is safe. He will never be safe in London again for the rest of his life, and while he had always known that to be true, knowing that they are to leave it and he will never return unsettles him.
“I wish you didn’t have to make everything so difficult,” Dori says as he lowers himself down into the arm chair. “I’m a little nervous, because I still remember Ori changing. However, I’m excited for the future, and I wish you could be as well.”
Nori’s mouth twists as he shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t know what to tell you,” he says, because he wishes Dori understood him better.
Dori has only been a part of the supernatural world since Ori was turned. Oh, he might have been aware of it before because Dori is a lot of things but he isn’t an idiot. He knew all these years that Nori was tangled up in something dangerous, but there’s a difference between suspecting something, and immersing yourself completely.
He hasn’t seen the horrors that Nori has.
“You love Dwalin,” Dori says, crossing a leg over the other. “That is clear to see, and you don’t love easily. You would think now that you have found someone, you would grant him anything in your power to make him happy.”
Nori snorts out a laugh. “That’s not how our relationship works,” he says, because that will never be him and Dwalin. Oh, it might be Dwalin all right, but Nori is not nearly that self-sacrificing.
“You promised you’d look after me for all of my days,” Ori says quietly, finally joining the conversation. “How can you do that if you die before me?”
“I made that promise when you were young and needed my protection,” Nori says frankly. “There is not much now that would not cow before you.”
“I still need you,” Ori says stubbornly, leaning his head against Nori’s shoulder. “I’m always going to need you, Nori, no matter how strong I get.”
“And you will have me until I breathe my last,” Nori says firmly, and then squirms away to a standing position. “I know you don’t understand my decision, and that’s all right. I just ask that you respect it.”
“Nori – ”
“Leave it, Ori,” Dori interrupts him, shaking his head. “Nori is as stubborn as a mule, and I won’t have you wasting your breath on him.”
Hurt flares in his chest but Nori tamps it down. He knows that Dori is trying to get him to lash out, because that has been their predictable pattern for years. However, Nori is determined to break it now, and so he simply says, “Have you decided whether you will be turned in Brazil or not?”
Dori narrows his gaze. “Gimli said it didn’t matter much to him where it happened, but I am not as young and strong as Gimli. I know I have more risks associated with it, and so I have asked to have it done here in London. Should it… not go well, then I would like to be buried with Mother.”
“Don’t say that,” Ori says fiercely, leaning forward with glittering eyes. “It will go perfectly well and you will be all right!”
Nori tries to think of a world without Dori, but it eludes him. All his life he has had Dori there watching out for him, even if he hated it at times. He doesn’t want Dori to become a vampire, but the decision has been made, and the alternative isn’t acceptable.
Dori cannot die.
“I am not as young as Gimli, so I am not as confident, but I have spoken with Balin. He was around my age when he was turned, and he survived just fine, clearly. He is confident that he will be able to guide me safely,” Dori smiles and shrugs his shoulders. “And if I should die, then I die with the knowledge that Ori is safe with the clan, and they will protect him for the rest of his life.”
Nori rolls his eyes and jams his hands into the pockets of his trousers. “I will protect him as well,” he says mulishly.
“For the rest of your days, not his,” Dori points out and then smiles at Nori. “Unless you come around before then.”
“I’m going to go find some food,” Nori says and makes a hasty escape before he can get roped into another argument with Dori.
He doesn’t head for the kitchen, but instead he goes upstairs to the bedroom at the back of the house that Legolas and Gimli have claimed. He knocks firmly on the door and waits patiently, because he is not going to barge in and see something that he would really rather avoid.
However, the door swings open and it’s just Gimli in the room, brushing out his wet hair and he smiles at Nori. “Hey,” he says, backing up so Nori can enter the bedroom. “What can I do for you?”
“Are you really comfortable becoming a vampire?” Nori asks, because he doesn’t like to make small talk when he can just get to the root of the issue.
Gimli blinks at him and then rolls his eyes. “If we’re going to get into this discussion, then I think I should at least have a drink in my hand.”
“Gimli, you were raised the same way I was,” Nori argues, kicking the door shut behind himself. “You were taught the same beliefs, and while I know they didn’t hold for you, surely you feel some doubt over it?”
“Absolutely none,” Gimli says, sitting down on the edge of the bed and he drags the bristles through his damp hair slowly. “I was raised with the same beliefs as you, but you need to remember there is not one time in my life that I ever believed them. I told you when I arrived here that I have always wanted to be a part of the supernatural world.”
“I didn’t think you were serious,” Nori admits.
“Deadly serious,” Gimli says, shrugging his shoulders. “I’m not sure what to tell you, Nori. My mother raised me on stories of the supernatural world, and she painted it to be a beautiful world. I have always longed to be a part of something bigger than myself, and now that I have met Legolas… he calls to me in a way that nothing else ever has before.”
Nori’s lips thin out in irritation, because he knows what it’s like to have that tug towards someone else. However, Nori had done the respectable thing and fought his bond for as long as he could. He didn’t go rushing in head first. “I just don’t like how everything is changing,” he says, because pretty soon he and Dis will be the only humans left.
“You could change as well, you know,” Gimli says softly, and when Nori glares at him, he offers him a tentative smile. “I know you’re a difficult creature at the best of times, Nori, but I’ve seen you with Dwalin. I can tell that you care about him, and he is clearly mad for you.”
“Dwalin is an idiot,” Nori says, his face feeling hot.
“Why are you so uncomfortable with love?” Gimli asks, sectioning his damp hair off into three parts, and he begins to braid it slowly.
Nori shifts his weight from one foot to the other. “I’m not uncomfortable with love,” he denies. “I love Ori and Dori, don’t I?”
“You do, but you shield yourself from Dwalin’s love. He’s not going to hurt you, he’s going to protect you. I don’t know what kind of relationships you have had in the past – ”
“Poor ones,” Nori interrupts, because he has never been lucky in love.
“Well, I can assure you that this is different. Legolas has told me many things about the soulmate bond, and it’s not something they take lightly. I’m not sure what scares you about Dwalin, but he will love you to the end of time. I’m not saying you won’t argue and fight, because that’s natural for every couple,” Gimli’s lips twitch in humor. “However, he’s never going to betray you. He has the potential to be your best friend, Nori, and I really think you could use a friend like him.”
Nori shrugs his shoulders. Gimli’s words are still reverberating around in his skull, and he feels itchy and restless. He’s not sure why he’s uncomfortable with love. He was denied it growing up, he supposes. Dori loved him when he was a child, but Nori had been forged in an act of violence, and he thinks that his mother always remembered that a little bit whenever she held him.
She was gentle and kind to him, but she was so involved with the Church, and it had fallen on to Dori’s shoulders to raise Nori the best he could. He’s had the love of his brothers, but he’s never allowed another person to get close to him before. He doesn’t even know how to let someone in because everyone just wants to betray him.
“I wish I had your faith,” he finally says, shaking his head. He wishes he could be as innocent as Gimli and believe the best of people.
“I think you could have it, in time,” Gimli says seriously, and he gently lays a hand on Nori’s shoulder, ignoring the flinch. “You have a lot of trust issues, Nori. I don’t fault you for them because I know you haven’t had an easy life. You’re older than I am, and it’s hardened you in a way that I escaped from.”
“I don’t like being alive,” Nori admits and ducks away from Gimli’s touch. “Life has its bright moments, but overall I think I’d be better off buried in the ground.”
“If you don’t like being alive, then I can see how a life of being immortal frightens you. It’s no wonder you have so many doubts.”
Nori shifts his weight back and forth from his feet, tired of the conversation. He doesn’t want to dwell on these thoughts because they only sadden him. “I just wanted to make sure that you were sure with your decision,” he finally says. “There’s no shame in changing your mind.”
“I haven’t changed my mind,” Gimli says, and a blush steals over his features. “I am… very excited for the future.”
Nori imagines once more what that must be like, and feels carved hollow and jagged. Nodding his head, he leaves the room, because he has nothing else he can possibly say. Gimli and Dori have made their decisions, and they are both so open and confident with it. They don’t fear the future, but instead are prepared to embrace it.
Nori wishes he could be the same.
***
Balin decides that Dori and Gimli will be changed the following day. Balin is responsible for turning Dori, and Legolas insisted that no one save himself will taste Gimli’s blood. Nori knows that it is irresponsible and reckless of himself to leave the house while it is happening, but he needs to get out of the prison. He has no desire to stay under the roof while Dori and Gimli are stripped of their humanity.
Balin says they will change them at night, for the supernatural is always stronger in the dark, and so Nori uses the cover of twilight to steal away. He’s not a complete idiot, he avoids all of his previous haunts that ever associated him as a hunter. Instead, he uses the time to steal to the cemetery where his mother is buried. Her grave sits underneath an oak tree, her small, modest headstone bare, for it has been years since they have brought her flowers.
He sits down beside the headstone and reads her name silently to himself, and then reaches out to trace her name with his fingertips. She had believed in something greater than human life, she had believed in the Church and their teachings. It appears everyone in his family is capable of holding on to a faith stronger than their humanity, and Nori wishes he could be the same.
It would be so much easier to just allow Dwalin to turn him. Dis has remained a human, but Nori doesn’t know how long that will last – what mother would give up the chance to be with her son forever? Surely eventually even Dis will request to be turned so she can always be a part of Kili’s world, and then it will only be Nori left alone to die.
“What would you have me do, Mum?” He asks softly, tracing her name again slowly, smudging the dirt away from her headstone.
There’s no answer, but he didn’t expect one. He sits there in the quiet of the evening, and thinks that if his mother was alive today, she would adore Dwalin. She would have admired his courage and probably teased Nori about the strength of his arms. She would have been so happy that Nori found someone to spend the rest of his life with, because although love had always been denied to her, she had always been so eager for her sons to have it.
Love is the ultimate form of religion, he supposes. To put your complete trust into someone, to give them your heart and full access to your body… sex is the highest form of worship, and if Nori can place his heart in Dwalin’s hands, then surely he has already made his choice, no matter how hard he’s fought it. If his mum knew that he had the chance to be with Dwalin for the rest of eternity, to spend his years with someone who would never betray him, she’d slap him upside the head for refusing it.
“You’d love him, Mum,” he says, his voice cracking on her name, for the pain of her loss still rings hollow to this day. “He’s brave and kind, he takes good care of his family. Everything I lack he has, and he makes me feel safe. I have not felt safe for… an awfully long time. I love him so much.”
There’s a crunching sound of footsteps and Nori releases his breath slowly. He’s not even fully armed, and he should have known that it didn’t matter where he went in the city – the Company was sure to find him and all of his debates will be for naught.
He rises up from the grass, dusting the dirt off the seat of his pants and turns around to face his future. However, there’s only a lone person walking towards him, and he would recognize those broad shoulders anywhere. He relaxes, huffing out an annoyed grunt and rolls his eyes.
“Now you’re stalking me?”
Dwalin shrugs his shoulders. “Is it really stalking if you’re glad to see me?”
Nori arches an eyebrow. “Touché,” he says, moving forward to slide his arms around Dwalin’s waist and he leans up to give him a quick kiss. “Everything okay at home?”
“Both are resting now,” Dwalin says, sliding their fingers together and he tugs Nori closer towards him. “It was a complete success for both of them.”
Nori lets out a breath he didn’t even realize he had been holding and melts against Dwalin’s side. “That’s good,” he says, glancing down at his mother’s headstone. It looks like Dori will not be joining her anytime soon, and Nori would be an absolute idiot to be the only one in his family rushing towards death, rather than being with his brothers.
His mother would be disappointed.
“I don’t want to rush you, since I know you probably haven’t been able to visit your mother’s grave for a while, but I really don’t like the idea of sitting out here unprotected,” Dwalin says.
“How am I unprotected when you’re here?” Nori teases and then sobers. “I’m good. I just had to have a chat with Mum before we left, and I found the answer that I needed.”
There’s a question in Dwalin’s eyes, but he doesn’t push the subject, which only makes Nori love him even more. He knows that sometimes he’s hard to read, and he holds his cards close to his chest, but Dwalin is unfailingly patient with him. He is truly the other half of Nori’s soul, the balance he didn’t know he needed until now.
How could he ever think to leave Dwalin alone in the world, for if Nori needs Dwalin to balance him, then surely Dwalin must need him as well. It’s why he’s always been pushing for Nori to turn, because he needs Nori just as much as Nori needs him, he just hides it better.
He squeezes Dwalin’s hand and offers him a bright smile. “Let’s go home.”
***
The next couple of days are quiet, Dori and Gimli are both resting but doing exceedingly well. There are no rumbles of the Company threatening them, but the house remains locked up like a tomb. It makes Dwalin feel more secure, as he walks the lengths of the hallways at night, ensuring that every door is locked, and that everyone inside the house is safe.
Balin disappears one night for a meeting and then comes home when the sun is just beginning to light the sky. His face is worn and creased, stroking his beard in thought as he heads into the study for a warm cup of blood. Dwalin sets it down for him on the end table and sits down in the chair opposite of Balin’s, the fire crackling merrily in the fire place.
“How did it go?” He asks, keeping his voice lowered since he doesn’t want the whole house overhearing if it didn’t go well.
Balin huffs out a breath, his gaze focused on the flickering flames. “As well as you can imagine it went.”
Dwalin winces. He had known that Thranduil would be displeased at the loss of Legolas, but surely he had to know that it was always an option. Legolas might have been content to be Thranduil’s heir for hundreds of years, but he was always likely to eventually find someone that would call to him, and it was always the possibility that he would go.
Of course, it is more expected for Gimli to join Thranduil’s clan, since Legolas is the heir, but Dwalin isn’t going to force the issue. Legolas has expressed the desire to leave Thranduil, and Dwalin can only imagine the sort of hardships he has endured under that thumb. He’s thankful for the first time that Kili was human, that there was no option but to accept Kili into their clan, and Fili was never going to leave them for another.
“Did he refuse?”
Balin strokes his beard slowly and lifts the tea cup to take a small tiny sip after he blows on it. “No, he finally conceded that Legolas would join us. He was quite unhappy about it, but Tauriel spoke in favor of Legolas, which surprised me. I know she was angry with his decision, but perhaps she figures she is next in line if Legolas leaves.”
“Perhaps,” Dwalin says. “I am glad that it went as well as it could, and that Legolas will be a part of our clan. He will be an asset, as well as Gimli. Fili will be happy to keep his friend near him, and Nori will be pleased to have Gimli stay.”
“Anything for Nori’s happiness,” Balin says ruefully.
Dwalin shrugs his shoulders. “What can I say?”
“Absolutely nothing, brother,” Balin says, and he leans forward to clap Dwalin on the shoulder. “I am pleased that he has reconciled himself to your union and I hope that you have nothing but blissful days in the future.”
“I think we will get there,” Dwalin says, because there has been such a shift in their relationship over the past couple of months. Nori no longer feels like a feral cat, spitting angrily at the world. Instead, he has cautiously learned to trust Dwalin, seeking out affectionate nuzzles.
“Do you think he will ever submit to the bite?”
Dwalin sighs heavily, his gaze drifting towards the fire. He has hopes that eventually Nori will join him one day, but he has learned to put those dreams on a shelf and ignore them. Nori has asked for Dwalin to respect his word, and if Dwalin loves Nori like he claims he does, then surely he must do that.
“He says he will not, and so I am learning to let it go,” Dwalin says, shrugging. “It would mean so much to me for him to make that commitment, but it’s not needed. Nori has shown his love for me in other ways, and I will be content with that.”
“You’re a good man, Dwalin,” Balin says, taking a sip of his blood drink. “I had some real concerns about your bond, but I think it will work out.”
“As long as he is content to stay with me I will be happy,” Dwalin says, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “There is nothing I wouldn’t do for him, and so if that means letting him remain human, then I will be happy to do it.”
***
It takes a little time, but they pack up the London house and set it into quiet mode, knowing that they won’t return for years. It will be a while before Dwalin will feel comfortable bringing Nori back to England, and by the time that happens, Nori might be aged and frail, not wanting to travel.
They fly down to Brazil in a private jet, parking the plane in their private hanger where a couple of SUV’s sit waiting for them. The drive to the villa in Salvador takes a couple hours and then they’re pulling into the gated community of their private ten-bedroom villa.
The rooms are divided out evenly, with Dis being given the most secure room since she is the lone human, save Nori, in the group. Dwalin knows that no harm would ever befall her, but it will never hurt to be cautious. He leaves everyone else contemplating their rooms and snags a back bedroom suite that has a balcony overlooking the ocean that lies on the edge of their property.
The bedroom door closes and he turns to offer Nori a smile as he slides the last of his clothing away in the drawers. “How are you liking Brazil so far, my love?”
Nori has been quiet for the entire trip, and Dwalin is unsure if he is regretting his choice about following Dwalin into seclusion and safety. He is a difficult creature to read, but Dwalin had sworn he would not press him for information that Nori did not feel like sharing, and so he has remained silent.
Nori’s clutching something in his hand, and there’s a bandage wrapped around his hand. Dwalin’s eyes immediately narrow. “What happened?” He asks, forcing himself to remain calm. He is confident that no one else in the house would have purposefully hurt Nori, so whatever injury has befallen him must surely be accidental.
“We need to talk,” Nori says, walking past Dwalin and he opens the large French doors and steps outside on to the balcony that is fitted with lounge chairs and a table. He sits down on a chair, keeping a careful hold of whatever is in his fist.
Dwalin sits down on the chair opposite of him, his heart beginning to pound. He hates those ominous four words. He has never been fortunate enough in love to develop lengthy relationships, but he has not spent hundreds of years under a rock either. He’s read enough books and watched enough movies to know those words always mean something bad is about to happen. He takes a fortifying breath. “What’s wrong?”
A smirk curls at the edge of Nori’s lip. “What makes you think something is wrong?”
“People normally say let’s talk when they want to break some bad news,” Dwalin says, shifting in his seat.
Nori studies him quietly for a moment, and Dwalin is content to let the silence stretch between them. They’ve been together for enough weeks now that Dwalin knows the quiet isn’t always bad. Sometimes Nori has to stop to process his feelings, it takes him a bit longer to form the words he wants to say because he doesn’t want to get them wrong.
Dwalin can respect that.
“It’s not bad news,” Nori assures him, tipping his head back against the cushion of the chair. The sun glows against his skin, his hair like fire, spilling over his shoulder. Dwalin wants to dig his fingers into the flames and pull him close for a kiss, just so he can feel the scorch.
“Well, that’s good,” Dwalin croaks out.
Nori smirks at him, like he knows what he’s thinking, and knowing the little demon he probably does. He uncurls his fingers to lay his palm flat, and he’s holding a little vial that has a chain threaded through the stopper. It’s filled with dark blood, almost purple to the naked eye, and Dwalin swallows hard.
“What is this?”
“This is my blood,” Nori says softly, and he holds it out towards Dwalin, offering it to him. His other hand that has the bandage suddenly makes more sense, but Dwalin frowns.
“Why are you giving it to me?”
“Human blood is different than a vampire’s, isn’t it?” Nori asks, and when Dwalin slowly nods his head, he huffs out in satisfaction. “I knew it. I wanted you to have something to remember me by… to remember how I truly was when we first met and got together.”
Ice shards pierce Dwalin’s innards. “Are you going somewhere?”
Nori’s face softens, and he moves from his chair so he’s able to crawl into Dwalin’s lap, straddling him as he clutches the vial in his hand once more. His other hand, the bandaged one, raises so he can brush his fingers down the wiry bristles of Dwalin’s beard. “Just to the other side.”
Dwalin stares at him, even as his arms unconsciously wrap around Nori to hold him securely. Understanding suddenly slams over him and he feels his gasp rob his lungs of all breath. “Do you mean…”
“I’ve done a lot of thinking,” Nori says, his lips pursing in thought. “I wasn’t sold on the idea. In fact, I was pretty convinced I would never become a supernatural creature. I was set in my convictions and I told myself that if you truly loved me, you’d respect that.”
“I tried to,” Dwalin says.
“I know you did. I overheard your conversation with Balin in the study before we left London,” Nori says. “He pressed you to force me to submit, and you refused. I knew then that you love me as truly as you claim to, and if I love you like I know I do in my heart, I have to make a gesture as well.”
“I never expected that from you,” Dwalin says, his heart pounding inside his chest.
“I know, and that’s what made it so easy to give it to you,” Nori says, leaning down and he kisses Dwalin hungrily.
Dwalin holds Nori close, even as he surges to his feet and stumbles back through the French doors so he can throw Nori down on to the crisp white bed. He follows him down, already divesting himself of his clothing while Nori does the same. It feels good to christen this new room together, in the best way Dwalin knows how to, and it feels even better to know that this time, they truly do have forever together.
***
It’s painful at first, like everyone warned him it would be, but eventually the pain drifts away as Dwalin’s venom chases out the last of his humanity. Everything is brighter and clearer, his thoughts are no longer at war with each other, and for the first time in Nori’s life, he feels at peace.
It’s a strange and unsettling feeling, but it quickly becomes the norm as he falls further into life and love. He’s reunited with his brothers and this time, there is nothing separating them. There aren’t anymore secrets and lies, Dori knows exactly what Nori has become and for the first time in his life, Dori approves of him. Ori is allowed to openly admire Nori and be like him, without Dori panicking and attempting to whisk him away.
Nori doesn’t think he’s ever been so happy. It takes him ages to admit that he deserves this, but when time loses all concept, it’s easy to let his past fall away from him until those experiences feel like they have happened to somebody else.
They spend fifty years in Brazil, although there is still plenty of traveling down throughout the world. There are rumors about Nori the fox until they become faint whispers, and then die out all together until he’s nothing more than a legendary myth.
He binds with Dwalin in a formal ceremony in front of all their friends, and while he thought he would hate the attention on him, it’s worth it seeing the smile on Dwalin’s face. Nori had been so sure all his life that he was born to be alone, for nobody could ever understand his life.
Instead, he has found someone that mirrors his own soul, someone that balances all of his flaws and brings strength to his weaknesses. They’re a formidable pair, they’re unstoppable, and every time that it feels like it’s too good to be true, Nori presses himself up against Dwalin, clutching the small vial that Dwalin wears faithfully around his neck every day.
Nori’s human blood is a daily reminder of how far they’ve come, but Nori knows that they both realize it’s not about the past, it’s about the future, and how they get to spend it together. They are soulmates, twin flames, and Nori knows that there is no one else he’d rather burn with for the rest of time than Dwalin.