Chapter Text
Dori had watch the first time it happened. Meanwhile, Nori was decidedly off with Dwalin, doing only Mahal knew what, Ori hoped.
The point was, he had no one to share warmth with, and it was sodding cold. No amount of nestling into his knitted garments or bed roll could stave off the chill that crept over him like moss covering a fallen tree.
Ori had shivered one too many times apparently, because soon he had garnered the attention of one of the Alphas of their lot; Fíli, of course. He realized this when he heard said Alpha behind him.
“Hey, Ori. If you're cold, you're welcome to share my bedroll,” Fíli whispered.
Ori tried his best to ignore Fíli. The last thing he needed was one of his brothers finding out that he had allowed himself to join an Alpha, but that Alpha in particular, even if only for a night and entirely justifiable reasons as well.
They would tell him it was too dangerous, especially given they only had so many blockers to spare between him and Nori. Truthfully, Ori wasn't scared of Fíli, even though he was who he was. The scribe simply didn't want to deal with Dori's and Nori’s fussing.
Still, the idea was tempting. He was freezing, and everyone else was asleep or off tending to more carnal pleasures to keep them from having issues further into the journey. Ori wasn't in heat, and Fíli seemed calm, too.
Perhaps, it would be fine, just the one time?
That was his idea, anyways, when he finally relented.
Ori turned towards the brightest blue eyes he had ever seen watching where his backside had been a few moments before he had shifted around quietly. His breathing hitched slightly, and he could only hope that Fíli wouldn't notice. The two were acquaintances and nothing more; though Ori could admit he was grateful it was Fíli offering, versus another.
Quietly, Ori crept over and nestled into the warmth that was to be had after finding himself pressed against Fíli's body; his back was against Fíli's chest. Ori was more than happy to accept the blazing heat that soon surrounded him, while strong arms did too. A face was making itself at home against the right side of his neck, and he felt the sigh expelled against it as much as he heard it. It was so lovely, Ori found himself wishing he had given in sooner.
Neither said anything, but Ori found he relished in the warmth as much as the safety that being near Fíli entailed. Ori was capable enough on his own; neither Nori nor Dori would have entertained the idea of him joining the quest if he wasn't. However, Fíli was not only an Alpha, but a strong warrior. If something were to happen while they slept, Ori knew he would be safe.
Comforted by that fact, Ori drifted off properly into sleep, content knowing he would no longer be shivering his balls off.
The first thing Fíli knew when he came to was that Ori was still firmly within his grasp. The smaller dwarf had turned at some point in the night, though, and buried his face into Fíli’s chest, clinging to him with both hands. That he didn't mind, at all.
The second thing Fíli knew though, was that there was a knife's hard edge pressing against his neck, which he did in fact mind.
There was no doubt as to who it was, though, given who Fíli was sharing a bed roll with. He had anticipated something of the sort happening, but had decided that in the face of letting Ori freeze or facing his siblings’ wrath, Fíli would rather take the latter.
“Nori,” Fíli hissed.
“You better have a good explanation for this, princeling.”
Fíli grimaced, trying to ignore the blade just hairs shy away from doing actual damage to him, when he spoke.
“He was cold. You and Dori were both elsewhere, and no one else was awake to hear him shivering. I couldn't just let him freeze,” Fíli whispered, hoping not to wake Ori until it was necessary.
“You could have taken the watch from Dori. Anything other than seducing my baby brother into your bedroll.”
“Nothing happened, Nori. I swear. He couldn't sleep for how cold he was, and it was keeping me awake. You can ask him when he wakes if you want.”
“Oh, don't worry. I plan to.”
Shortly after, the knife was removed from Fíli's neck. The relief was temporary though, because despite Fíli's best efforts to be mindful of the sleeping Omega in his arms, Nori jostled his younger brother awake roughly.
Ori's eyes met Fíli’s blearily, and the latter felt really bad for the other dwarf. No one deserved to be woken like that.
“I'm sorry,” Fíli whispered.
"S'okay. Not your fault," Ori murmured back, voice still thick with sleep.
Once Ori came to more, though, he turned in the hold Fíli still had around him, and shouted, “What in Mahal’s name do you think you're doing?”
Fíli figured the less he moved then the better, so he remained where he was, waiting to see how the impending argument would turn out. Over Ori's shoulder, he could see the hardened glare on Nori's face though, and that never meant anything good.
“It's funny, little brother, because I could ask you the same question.”
“In case it escaped your notice, Nori, I was sleeping. Quite well in fact, until you had to shove me awake.”
Fíli could feel Ori's body stiffening, denoting his hackles were further raised.
“You have no business -”
“Don't I?” Ori demanded.
“Can't leave you alone for one night without you finding yourself in his damn bed roll,” Nori snarled.
“Nothing happened, Nori. Leave Fíli alone.”
There was an undercurrent of a threat in the Omega's voice that sent a thrill straight up the length of Fíli's spine. He knew the scribe was more of a quiet sort, and not prone to confrontation. For whatever reason, though, Ori had deemed him worthy enough to protect from his wily and quite dangerous elder brother.
“I think you should take your own advice, nadadith.”
Nori looked so angry he could spit fire if he put his mind to it.
Belatedly, Fíli realized Ori was pressing back against him, bracing off of his larger frame. He remained plastered around Ori, letting whatever was occurring happen. Still, he found he didn’t mind the idea of Ori defending him, or doing as he was right then again, either.
“I think you and Dori both need to let me make my own decisions, given that I am a grown dwarf. If Fíli was a bad sort I wouldn't have shared a bed roll with him. Nevermind that unlike you or Dori last night, he kept me safe and warm.”
Fíli winced.
However, he felt curls of pleasure hearing how an Omega, the specific one in his arms in fact, explained that he had felt safe with him.
When Fíli met Nori’s eyes again, he saw the dangerous flash in them. That did not endear him to the situation any, but with how Ori had responded to him, he couldn't say he regretted it either.
Before Nori could say anything else, though, Dwalin walked up and put a hand on Nori’s shoulder.
“Nori, leave the lads alone. They're clearly fine, and old enough to sort themselves out.”
Nori glared at Dwalin, but soon he was stalking off, leaving only the burly Alpha warrior in their sights.
Dwalin sighed, then looked at both Ori and Fíli on the ground.
“If you both are finished causing such a ruckus, I think it best you disentangle for now. I can only keep him at bay for so long.”
Ori sighed. Meanwhile, Fíli could feel his body untensing again, as Dwalin walked off.
Rather than pulling away though, Ori turned to where he could face Fíli. There was an apologetic look on his face.
“I'm sorry for that. It's why I tried to ignore you at first last night. I knew he would be like this, and I just didn't want to deal with it.”
“It's okay. I knew what I was getting into when I offered.”
Fíli tried to appear as nonchalant as possible about it, but he couldn't help but feel like while he had gained the appreciation of one Omega, he had also earned the ire of another more terrifying one.
Ori shook his head resolutely.
“It's not okay, though. I may be the youngest, but I should be allowed to make my own choices. Furthermore, you were only trying to help. I knew I would be safe with you. He just needs to pull his head out of his arse.”
Ori sighed.
Despite the tension Fíli felt in his body, some of it decidedly unclenched, hearing again Ori's assertion that he was pleased with the way Fíli had offered him what help he had.
“I'm glad I could be of help, then. If you'd like, you're more than welcome to join me again, another night.”
Ori gazed up at him; it was a curious sort of expression, as if he were trying to read Fíli like one of his books. Fíli wasn't bothered by it, though he did wonder what Ori saw when the scribe looked at him.
Given Ori's Omega status, his brothers had made sure to keep him close in their pockets, for the majority of their lives thus far. The quest aside, Fíli had never really had much alone time with Ori. Though, he realized right in that moment he hoped to change that in the future. If Nori didn't murder him first.
“What was that all about?” Thorin asked, after Dwalin lumbered over to where he sat on a log nearby the river he was soon to make use of.
“Nori found his younger brother in Fíli's bedroll.”
Thorin's eyebrows rose, then he sighed heavily.
Thorin could admit he struggled with eyesight regarding things farther away from him. Furthermore, after a cursory glance over the camp when he had woken earlier that morning, he hadn't seen Ori amidst Fíli's bulk, since his sister-son's back had been facing him. However, by the point that most of the Company had been up for the day, already trying to wash off the grime on their bodies in the river, he had distinctly heard what sounded like Nori and Ori shouting at each other at one point.
“Did it look like anything happened?”
Dwalin crossed his arms, then shook his head.
“No. Which both of them readily admitted to Nori, but you know how he is about Ori.”
Oh, did Thorin ever.
Nori had threatened even him when he had learned that the youngest unbonded ‘Ri would be joining their quest. Nori need not have worried though. Thorin wasn't so much a predator that he would go after someone so young in comparison to him, nor was he inclined to glance casually in the direction of someone the same age group of his own sister-sons.
No, Thorin's tastes ran decidedly more Hobbit-ish, even, apparently.
Thorin groaned then said, “Good. The last thing I need is the ‘Ri siblings trying to castrate Fíli.”
Dwalin grimaced.
“What?” Thorin asked, seeing the unspoken nearly written across his oldest friend's face.
“We could try to keep them separate, but I fear the damage is already done; they're clearly curious about each other at the very least.”
Internally, Thorin groaned.
He had promised Dís that he would keep the boys safe from harm of all kinds; Fíli taking up with the youngest 'Ri was courting danger at least. Personally, Ori seemed like a fine sort, and probably would have made a decent partner for Fíli. However, Thorin had enough to worry about, without needing to mind a budding romance or the vicious ways Nori or Dori would retaliate if anything between his primary heir and their youngest sibling went wrong.
“Curious is fine, so long as that's all it is for now. After we reclaim our mountain home, then we shall see, I suppose.”
Dwalin snorted.
“You might be fine with your self-imposed chastity and remaining unbound, but that doesn't mean Fíli will be. He's a headstrong lad, and an Alpha still. From what I just heard, Ori is more than receptive to him. If you think there will be nothing more in the future, then you really must be less keen of sight these days.”
Thorin growled.
Soon they were playfully shoving each other, and it did Thorin’s heart good, to blow off some steam that way. Dwalin was right; he was one of few Alphas who chose to not bed anyone, even during a rut. He had no time to consider who might be a safe enough bed partner or to worry about what might happen after. He had too much resting on his shoulders to dally so casually. So, he found other ways to get physical affection that were not untoward and helped the ache inside of him.
Though, Thorin could admit the moment he met Bilbo Baggins, he would have gladly changed his position on the matter entirely. The Hobbit's scent was unmasked, and a good deal enticing. Most of the Alphas in their Company were bonded, and the rest simply indifferent to the Hobbit, thankfully.
Except, where Thorin was concerned. It was decidedly a new feeling, and one he had never been prepared for.
Still, he was their leader and so he had stood in the doorway, whilst doing his best not to act on the basal urges he was feeling in full force for the first time in his longer life. He had to not only lead, but set an example for Fíli.
It seemed he had more to worry about than just the way he wished to know the Hobbit better.