Work Text:
He never needed to learn how to craft or build or make. His brothers did plenty of that for all of them. Dori with his sewing and mending and crafting alongside Ori’s ability with writing and drawing and poetry—what did he have a need for any of that? His skill was his wit, his speed, his sharp tongue and sharper blades.
His skill was finding what he wanted and procuring it. Why would he need to make anything?
This, as it turns out, would bite him squarely in his perfect ass…mostly because the dwarrow he wanted so desperately to court was so good at making things himself…and courting gifts were very rarely bought, and NEVER stolen.
So Nori was at a loss.
And it was how he’d found himself sneaking around to try and talk his fellow companymen into helping him out. turns out they were more than willing to help, and no haggling, deals, or swindling had to happen. This, in of itself, was something new to the sneak thief.
He’d already been given his courting gift, and he was desperate to reciprocate so he knew he was interested…I mean how could he NOT be?! Bofur was amazing. He was kind where Nori was harsh, soft where he was sharp…His smile was all teeth and shining eyes and Nori longed to see it as often as possible.
He was almost apt to believe Bofur was too good for him, and had for some time…that was until the miner had dropped off a small bundle while Nori had been sharpening his blades, and with a bright smile and blush, had simply walked off to rejoin his brother and cousin; both of which were giving him unsure glances as they talked to the pigtailed dwarf.
That was that then. Nori knew in that instant, he wanted to make something for him because he deserved it more than anyone he’d ever met. Bofur deserved the world and everything in it, but he also deserved a well thought out gift that meant something more than just “Hey I thought of you so I stole this thing.”
So here he was, shaking like it was his first time pick-pocketing, hands holding the small bundle he’d wrapped Bofur’s gift in, and waiting for the other to meet him. It was dark, but the moon was bright and gave plenty of light. The lantern he’d taken from Gloin helped too…he hoped the other dwarf wasn’t too irate that it went missing, but he’d deal with that later.
He’d asked Bofur to meet him after the dinner cleanup by the river, and now he sat, holding the bundle (the same leathers Bofur had wrapped his gift in) and chucking stones into the slow moving water as though IT were the reason for the butterflies in his stomach.
He was so zero’ed in on the little plinks and plonks of his stones, he’d missed Bofur’s heavy foot falls. He noticeably jumped when the other sat down next to him with a fwump, and Nori was almost giddy with how close he was. Bofur was always chummy and always one to be in your personal space, but the dwarf had been invading Nori’s in the best and sweetest ways possible and it made the thief reel.
He turned to the other and they shared a small smile before Nori handed the bundle to Bofur. For a moment, Bofur looked confused, then his face fell as he looked down at the gift.
“Ah…didn’t like it?” He asked quietly, fingers picking at one of the stitched edges of the leathers, eyes not meeting Nori’s…and it took Nori way too long to realize that Bofur thought he was returning his gift and refusing the courtship.
“Wha? Fu–...no way! I just used yer leathers cause it was a good bag!” Nori was flushed, angry with himself for not thinking how using the same leathers could be taken. “I loved it…I Love it.” He said quickly when Bofur’s face lifted, a tentative smile on his lips. Mahal, he couldn’t bear to see that smile disappear again. Aule give him strength, he’d tear the world asunder if it ever made this dwarf sad.
“Oh…good!” Bofur laughed, smile widening. Nori took out the gift he’d been given, showing that he kept it on the inside of his tunic. It had taken his breath away when he first saw it, and still found himself completely taken by its simple beauty.
It was a comb. A simple, hand carved, bone comb. Beautiful tooled wire wrapped in between each tooth, winding and braiding and twisting together to create a beautiful and practical piece. It was the perfect size for his hand and while many would see such a gift and not think much of it, Nori saw it as a gift that Bofur made specifically for him. They always teased Nori for his overdone hair and beard, but only just in jest. Honestly, he and Dori’s hair were quite coveted within the community, so Nori never took their ribbing to heart.
He wondered, too, where Bofur had gotten the bone. It just was so perfect and carved so beautifully, and now that he was looking at it again he wanted to snatch the bundle back from Bofur and hurl it into the river.
But it was too late…Bofur had unwrapped his gift and Nori felt his cheeks heat up.
Bofur was staring down at the leather in his lap, his fingers gently touching and tracing over the beads that lay there. They were not the gold he deserved or the silver that he looked so good in, but wood. Each one the size of a grape, carved with runes and small leaf designs and oiled and polished until they shone in the moon like glass.
Nori sucked in a breath, hating how his stomach churned and dipped, wishing Bofur would say something…and not being able to take the silence, Nori finally began to babble.
“They’re wood on account that there’s no forges out ‘ere in the wilds…yeah? And…and yer braids always curl up so nice…I didn’t wanna weigh’em down, so wood just seemed like the perf–mmmmph!”
Nori suddenly found himself cut off mid sentence and in possession of a very happy Bofur in his arms and against his lips. It took him a solid five seconds to register that the other was kissing him before he melted against him, tugging him closer by the front of his tunic until the miner was in his lap.
Bofur was kissing him like his life depended on it and Nori was more than accommodating, not to mention eager to let him. He kissed back, his hands sliding from the front of his tunic to wrap around his middle and settle his hands on his hips.
When Bofur pulled back, finally breaking the kiss, Nori was almost breathless. He sucked in air, eyes wide and trained on Bofur’s, occasionally flitting back to his lips and then back up to th ose mossy amber eyes. He almost lost control and pulled him back in when Bofur’s tongue darted out to lick across his bottom lip, as if he were chasing the taste of Nori that still lingered.
“S-so…you like them?”
Bofur gave him a look that almost made him laugh. “Course I do ya daft bugger. Did…did ya really carve’em?” Bofur didn’t want to sound skeptical, obviously, and Nori did not hold it against him at all.
“Been workin’ on them for more than a week. Got splinters and bandaged fingers to prove it.” He held up his hand to show the little bandages wrapped around a few of his fingers, all easily hidden by his gloves and tunic sleeves. Bofur smiled so brightly, Nori felt himself melting again.
Nori pulled Bofur in close, pressing his face into the other’s throat, his hands dipping back to slide up under his layers of tunic and shirts and let his fingers splay over the skin he found hidden there. He pressed his palms flat to Bofur’s back, pulling him in as he kissed a line up his throat, along his jaw, and then capturing his lips in another kiss.
This one was slow and languid…it was a searching kiss and each of them simply enjoyed the slowness of learning each other. Bofur’s hands moved to slide under Nori’s braided beard, scratching softly under his ears before tangling in the thick plait he braided his hair into. They sat like this for what felt like too long…and gods did Nori want more.
He could tell Bofur did too…but they were too close to camp, and too easily missed. The last thing they needed was everyone thinking they were missing and having them come looking for them only to find them in a fairly compromising position. And Nori was nothing if not a jealous and possessive dwarf…and he did NOT want to share his first time with anyone other than Bofur.
They finally parted again, breathing heavily, and Nori removed his hands from Bofur’s back and cupped his face. He smiled and kissed his nose before bringing their foreheads together with a small thwack. “Want me to help put the beads in?” He asked, voice raspy.
“Only if I get to brush your hair.” Bofur laughed, kissing Nori’s nose this time before sliding off his lap and standing, reaching down to help the former thief-now-company-rogue to his feet. He scooped up the beads, admiring them and Nori felt his heart swell at how happy Bofur looked.
Oh he was going to want to make him smile like that all the time. He’d learn to knit and cook if it meant getting those smiles everyday.
He was still staring dreamily at Bofur as the miner took his hand, guiding him back to camp and making sure their bedrolls were next to each other’s before they joined the rest of the company around the fire, neither listening to the story that Balin was telling, their attention solely on how their fingers laced together and how close they were sitting.