Chapter Text
Dori looked at the message on his phone in more than a little consternation. There was a part of him that wanted to be angry at Ori for taking the car without asking, but after catching hell from Thorin and hearing from him, Dwalin, and Nori what had happened Dori didn't have it in himself to be mad. He was afraid for his baby brother, the boy he had raised as his own son. He was ashamed of his own actions, and of brushing off poor Ori's feelings. He was worried about Nori, who flat out refused to speak to Dwalin at the moment for the way he'd hurt his baby brother.
If he was angry at anybody, he was angry at Dwalin.
The man was up in Thorin's study at the moment, having been taken up there by him after Thorin, Balin, and Dori had heard his confession. No doubt Thorin was laying into him. Nori had gone outside to smoke and help Dis clean up. Balin and Dori had long since finished straightening out the mess in the kitchen and had settled down together on the couch in the den. Dori had his head in his lap, trying to relax and calm down as he felt Balin's fingers sliding gently through his hair. He took deep breaths, tried to reason through his emotions, and had almost reached a state that might have been approaching Nirvana when his text alert went off.
Both he and Balin were startled, and Dori huffed at his phone beforehand checking it. It was from Ori. He glanced up at Balin and unlocked his phone. It was such a normal sounding text.
We're out of milk.
Dori frowned at the screen. I'll pick some up later. Are you okay?, he sent.
"I wonder if I ought to just go home and check on him," Dori pondered aloud.
"We talked about this, love, give him his space," Balin advised. "He's an adult, Dori, you have to let him learn to handle himself at some point."
That didn't mean he had to like it. Dori sighed and sat up, leaning against Balin instead. The strong arm that wrapped around him and pulled him close was comforting. Dori rested his head against Balin's chest and draped an arm over his waist. "He could be packing to run away right now," he protested, though he mostly doubted Ori ever would.
Balin kissed the top of his head and rested his other arm over Dori's. "I think we both know he wouldn't, do it, but all right. Suppose he did run away and get a job. He's an adult, Dori. He needs space to learn and grow and become his own person. You have to trust in yourself that you did a decent enough job in raising him. Ori's come out a fine, sharp young man, perhaps a little too selfless, but if he's going to have a flaw I think that's a fine one to have, don't you?"
Dori craned his head and pouted up at him, and Balin kissed his nose. "He'd quite a bit like you in that department, I think. Always giving, and giving, and giving, and never quite knowing when it's time to stop and accept something in return. You did a very good job raising him, and he's never given you a reason to distrust you has he?"
"Not since he was seven and he lied about cutting Nori's hair off in his sleep," Dori recalled with a fond smile.
Balin chuckled, and the sound warmed Dori's heart and cheered his spirits. "I had quite forgotten about that. I do think he learned his lesson when you let Nori cut his in turn."
"Maybe," Dori said. He frowned and cuddled a bit closer. "Am I being selfish in not wanting him to leave? I'm not ready to live on my own again. The house will be too quiet, and Nori will never come visit if Ori is gone."
There was comfortable silence between them as Balin thought that over. "If it's company you desire all alone in that big, empty house, I would be perfect happy to make sure you're very pleasantly occupied." His tone was suggestive enough that Dori blushed slightly. "We certainly wouldn't have to hide our activities for fear of keeping him up." The arm wrapped around him slid down to his buttocks to touch and squeeze for a moment before innocent moving to rest on his hip that they both knew was bruised from Balin's fingers on them the previous night.
"You do raise a good point," Dori agreed.
"I'll happily raise it each night if I must. You don't have to be alone, my dear, but you do need to give him whatever space he requires and be completely supportive of it." Balin kissed the top of his head again as his phone went off. "I am here for you."
I'm ready to talk. Do you need me to come get you?
Dori showed the text to Balin. "Do you want a ride?" he asked.
"Would you mind staying?" Dori asked. "Please?"
"Not at all, my dear. Not at all."
---
Nori had never been as furious with anybody in his entire life as he was with Dwalin in this very moment. After he had restrained him from going after Ori Nori had turned around and clobbered him one. Thorin and Bofur had to drag him screaming out of the room and it had taken him an entire pack of smokes to calm down outside. Bofur put him to work helping Dis, certain the work would distract Nori, and his best friend had been right. Nori caught him up to speed on what he knew and had nearly punched Bofur despite the shame in his voice when he'd admitted his own part in the problem.
Bofur had given him an empty smile and a shrug. "I'm sure I'll catch hell from Thorin later for it too. If it was you and Bombur I'd be having a hard time not throwing punches so feel free to hit if you need to."
It hadn't been, but at least he understood. Bofur and Dis let him rant himself into calmness and when he was feeling better and out of cigarettes Bofur had gone and gotten the money for it from his husband and slipped out to the corner store to buy him more. Nori had gone through half of that pack before he felt calm again, though he found himself balling his hands into fists and taking deep breaths at the sight of Dori's face. He'd known Dori was a little... controlling... but some of the shit he'd been pulling? Made Nori see red.
Balin took control, putting himself between him and Dori and informed him that they were going to check on Ori, and did he want to come? Nori shook his head and said he'd be by later, but he had a feeling he needed to talk to Dwalin about this first. They left, and Nori pillowed his head on Bofur's shoulder and refused to let himself actually cry about it.
"Can I stay with you guys tonight?" he muttered into Bofur's shirt.
"I'll have to check with Thorin, but I don't see why not," he said. "Do you still want to stay if he's given Dwalin permission?"
Nori shook his head. "Probably not. I don't think this is the sort of thing I can forgive in one night."
Bofur patted his back. "Can't say I blame you there. If Thorin did something like this he'd be sleeping in his car."
"Which one?" Nori muttered under his breath. What with Bofur heading Bifur's toy company after his accident and Thorin's jewelry companies, they had between them quite a few cars that Thorin greatly enjoyed tinkering with on the weekends.
"The Firebird's doors are off at the moment, and the upholstery in the middle of being replaced, so probably that one," Bofur decided.
"Make Dwalin sleep in it then."
Bofur chuckled and patted his head. Movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention and he turned to see Thorin gesturing to him. He ruffled Nori's hair and stood. "Be right back," he said, and stepped into the kitchen.
Thorin looked more grumpy than he'd been the time he'd had to go bail Kili and Fili out of jail for some stupid fraternity prank or another at three in the morning and he'd missed his flight to Canada to check out some of the mining arm of his company's newest diamond mines. Bofur didn't think he'd ever seen Thorin so upset in his life, excepting that time Smaug had nearly managed to usurp him. It was not a look he liked on him. Thorin was intimidating to most on the best of days, but when he was truly angry about something he was utterly frightening.
Reminding himself that Thorin was only human and wasn't - he hoped - about to take his head off already over this, Bofur lifted up a hand to his cheek, hoping to calm him down. That Thorin leaned into the touch was a good sign, and he let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "How are you holding up?" he asked.
Those strong hands he was so fond of rested on his hips and Thorin pressed their foreheads together. It was clear he was trying to take a moment to collect himself, and Bofur could give him that. He rested his hands on Thorin's biceps, thumbs caressing him through the fabric of his favorite blue button down. The gods themselves had to have made that shirt, Bofur was convinced of it. The color was perfection on his husband's skin, brought out his eyes just right, and the cut of it...
Oh, the cut of it.
Thorin pulled away slightly after a short moment. "How is Nori?" he asked Bofur, glancing to the window. Nori was smoking again.
"I think he'll have lung cancer by tonight. He already smokes more than either of us and this situation isn't helping. Nori's asked to spend the night."
His husband tugged him closer and sighed. "So has Dwalin."
Bofur was silent for awhile, content to rest his head against Thorin's shoulder, feel his arms around him, and breathe in the smell of him. It was relaxing, and Bofur felt some of the emotional stress drain away. "You don't have to sort this for them," he said when he felt he ought to get back to Nori.
"I know," Thorin said. A small smile tugged at his lips. "I don't intend to, unless they're all too stupid to handle themselves still. Think you can coax Nori into coming to talk to Dwalin?"
They exchanged a quick kiss, and Bofur pulled away. "I can try."
---
The house was completely silent when Dori and Balin entered, which was unnerving on its own. Ori typically listened to music constantly, and not hearing anything was worse than even the tackiest music he played to annoy his brother. Balin pressed a hand to the small of his back, and Dori was pleased when he followed him up the stairs and down the hall after they had paused to hang up their jackets.
"Ori?" Dori called, heading toward his bedroom.
Ori's head popped out of his room right as they reached it, startling them all and causing them all to laugh about it. Dori took that as a good sign, and the three of them went into Ori's room to sit and talk. Ori ok the bed, Dori his desk chair, and Balin his armchair.
"Not that I'm complaining, but why is Balin here?" Ori asked. Dori could see from the light coming through the window that Ori had been crying, but he seemed a lot more calm now.
"To keep me from making any irrational decisions and to make sure that I listen to what you have to say." Balin nodded, and gave Ori a kind, apologetic smile.
Ori rolled his eyes. "Look, I can see the hickeys all over Dori's neck, you don't have to be shy about anything. If you're here because you're fucking and he finds you comforting, that's fine too."
Dori and Balin's jaws dropped. Ori shrugged and looked away. "I told you not to leave visible marks!" Dori hissed at Balin.
"Don't start on me right now over an innocent mistake. I'm sure Ori doesn't want to hear the details." Ori nodded fervently in agreement with Balin, and Dori conceded temporary defeat and sighed.
"Later, then," he promised darkly (to which Balin chuckled), then turned to look at his baby brother. Ori wouldn't meet his gaze. He thought that it would be better if he spoke up first, so he took a deep breath, and began.
"I wanted to apologize for the way I've been acting," he said. Smoothing things over with Dori was probably for the better, especially if he'd accidentally broken up Nori and Dwalin because then Dori would be sick with worry for Nori again and he preferred Dori being sort of happy, if on his back all the time over every little thing.
Even if it made his stomach twist and his chest ache in a way he wasn't used to. Apologizing made him feel sick, but it was the only thing he could do. Thorin had told him he hadn't done anything wrong, but it wasn't like he'd seen or knew all of it. Thorin could be wrong too. "I've been selfish and rude, and thinking only of my own feelings," he continued. "I'll apologize to everyone else later after ai apologize to Nori and Dwalin, but I'm sorry this got blown so out of proportion and everyone got yelled at. I will try to control my emotions better in the-"
Dori cut him off by moving to the bed and tugging Ori into a tight hug. "Don't you dare apologize," he whispered, voice tight and quiet with emotion. "You have done nothing wrong."
"But I-"
"No. I have been much too hard on you lately, and I'm sorry for that. I didn't realize what I was doing, but I'm going to try and give you the space you need. If you still want to move into the dorms next semester, we'll make it work somehow. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you about your feelings. I didn't realize Dwalin had stood you up the night Nori first brought him home." Dori pressed a kiss to his forehead and held him a little tighter for a moment.
Ori let Dori hold him for a few minutes, then he pulled back, looking thoughtful. "Does this mean I can get a job too?" he asked, voice hopeful.
Dori shook his head. "I want you focusing on your grades, Ori."
"But I'll need work history to get a good job when I graduate," he pointed out. "What it I just worked part time somewhere, and then if my grades slip, I'll cut back my hours or quit?"
Balin's eyes were on him, and Dori looked up to meet them. The look he got clearly told him to give in to Ori's probably very reasonable request, but Dori wasn't certain he ought to. Another moment was spent in hesitation and Balin politely cleared his throat.
Dori sighed. "Fine."
Ori cheered and hugged him, and seeing Ori finally smile was worth it. Arms wrapped around his baby brother, he glanced up at Balin to see his reaction, and was satisfied when he saw a look of approval on his face.
Seemingly feeling more cheered, Ori opted to change topics. "So... you two. What's going on there?"
The change in conversation also got a small smile out of Dori. "We've been casually sleeping together for awhile," he explained, "but last night we officially got together."
"I'm happy for you," Ori said, still smiling a little. His smile wasn't empty like it was when he looked at Nori and Dwalin, and that pleased Dori, because he knew Ori meant it.
"Thank you," they said together. Dori tugged Ori into another hug and Ori came willingly, seeming much happier now. Maybe, he thought, everything would be okay after all.
---
Dwalin wasn't looking forward to having to talk to Nori about this. Being chewed out by Thorin had been bad enough, especially after having already been yelled at by his own boyfriend. He knew he deserved it - deserved worse in all honesty - and he needed to do some serious groveling to apologize.
There was a soft rap at the door to his best friend's study before it opened to reveal Thorin and Bofur with Nori trapped between the two of them. The acrid smell of too much cigarette smoke stung his nose. It was definitely Nori's brand, and Dwalin could easily deduce that his lover had been smoking way too much over this.
"Hey," he said softly. Dwalin knew his eyes and voice were ragged with unshed tears of guilt, so he tried to keep them both lowered so Nori wouldn't see the shame in them. "I'm sorry."
Bofur and Thorin steered Nori over to the couch and sat him down on the opposite end from Dwalin. The two of them plopped onto the love seat directly across from the couch (and conveniently in the way of the door), obviously intending to supervise this exercise in Dwalin's humiliation. Dwalin turned to look at Nori, and when he glanced up and their eyes met, Nori froze for a moment at what he saw and then stubbornly looked away.
"I'm pretty furious with you, Fundinson. You'll have to do better than that," Nori told him, looking out one of the windows that was over the backyard instead of at him.
Dwalin sighed softly, and reached out to rest his hand on Nori's shoulder. It was shrugged off, and he drew back, stung. "Aside from apologizing to your brother - which I will - what would you have me do? Haven't we been happy together so far? I made a very serious mistake, I acknowledge that and I feel terrible, but I don't know what to do to fix it."
Nori was quiet for a very long time, and just when Dwalin thought everything between them was over, his boyfriend sighed and flopped backward, head landing squarely in Dwalin's lap as he glared up at him. "You made my baby brother cry," he pointed out. "That's a pretty big deal."
Instead of pointing out how hypocritical Nori was being (how many times had he made Ori cry with his bad behavior?), Dwalin nodded seriously and carded his fingers through Nori's hair. "It is," he agreed, "and I'll grovel and apologize as soon as he's ready to talk to me."
"What about me?" Nori huffed.
"I'll spend every day making it up to you if you want, but I don't think you're really the victim here," he politely pointed out. Nori swatted his stomach for it, but he smiled just slightly and Dwalin felt the relief flood him.
"Okay, fine," he said. Nori rolled to his feet in one graceful motion that Dwalin was always envious of because he knew he'd never manage it. Nori turned around to offer Dwalin a hand up, and Thorin and Bofur raised an eyebrow at him.
They did look pleased though, even if Thorin barely showed it. "And where are you two headed?" Bofur asked.
Nori gave him a small smile. "Home to change," he answered, "then probably over to Dori's if he's got the kid calmed down. I need to have words with him."
"Good luck," Bofur wished with a cheerful smile and wave. "Let us know how it goes."
"We will," he promised, and turned to drag Dwalin from the room.
---
The car ride home was awkward and silent, Nori seemingly content to let Dwalin suffer in silence, but the make up sex Nori ad initiated as soon as the front door was closed had been fantastic and everything had felt almost back to normal until Dori had texted and given Nori the okay for him and Dwalin to come over. His lover seemed to take great satisfaction in seeing Dwalin get nervous.
Nori, being family, didn't even bother knocking, which meant Dwalin didn't even have time to brace himself and father his wits before they entered. Balin was there, which was of small comfort to him, and that he greeted Dwalin the same as always was encouraging. The look he got from Dori pretty much stole all of that away.
"Ori's in his room," he near-snapped, and Dwalin nodded and headed up. He heard Nori cheerfully engage Dori and knew that there would be a yelling contest out there soon enough.
By the time he raised a hand to knock on the closed door the yelling had started in earnest. Ori opened the door a crack and sighed up at him. "Who's yelling at who?" he asked, and opened it enough after a second for Dwalin to come.
"I think Nori's yelling at Dori. He heard about some of Dori's weird conditions for you and he's pretty furious at how he's been treating you," Dwalin answered as the door closed behind him. Now that they were alone, he had to figure out how to say what needed saying. Ori flopped down on his bed, Dwalin leaned back against the door.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, "about everything. I never would have been good enough for you, if that's how I was going to treat you. You can do far better than me - and you should. Maybe someone closer to your age who will treat you right and be able to match your wits. Whatever I can do to make this up to you, I will do."
Ori studied him silently, taking in his words, before he leaned back on his elbows on the bed. It was a pose Dwalin had always found appealing, but he stayed his eyes and didn't let them roam. "What if I asked you to leave Nori? What if you're the only person in world that I could ever want?" he asked.
Dwalin gave him an apologetic look. "Then I'd have to be sorry forever. Nori's the one that I want, Ori. He's a perfect fit."
A pout appeared on Ori's face. "Why?" he asked.
That he didn't even need to think about it surprised Dwalin. It wasn't like he had spent a ton of time analyzing his feelings for the middle brother of this completely insane family. "Because I love him," he answered quietly as Balin interrupted the yelling going on downstairs. "I love him, and I can't imagine my life without him. I'd marry him if I didn't think he'd kill me for asking."
If Dwalin wasn't expecting the scrutinizing look he got, he definitely wasn't expecting the small smile he got as Ori sat up. "I suppose he can keep you then," he decided as he sat up. "Fili spent a good deal of the last hour texting me and it helped. I won't make Nori miserable for my own happiness, not after the life he's had, and Dori sleeps so much better now. But if I have a hard time around you for awhile... try to understand?"
It was a beyond reasonable request. Dwalin nodded. "I can do that. And if you ever need anything, you let me know."
Ori nodded in agreement, then stood. "Well, shall we go try to pry them away from each other to cool down?" he suggested as the fighting started again.
Dwalin opened the door, and gestured for Ori to lead the way. "After you," he said.
---
Epilogue
When Dori and Balin finally tied the knot in Thorin's backyard ten months later, life was looking up for everyone. Dwalin and Nori had yet to split up, Bombur's wife was pregnant with child number eight, and everybody was happy and healthy. Ori felt much better about Nori-and-Dwalin now, and happily stood with beside him for their brother. As they said their "I-do"s, he glanced over at the chair Fili sat in and shared a smile with him.
Maybe one day, if all continued to go well, they would exchange wedding vows too.