Happy Birthday
Dear friend, for your birthday challenge, I have the honour to submit this little idiocy :D
All my best wishes, @guardianofrivendell, I hope you'll be having a marvellous day ❤️
Words: 1.9k
Warnings: None
Pairing : Fíli x Tulls (implied), Ori & Fíli
What if Ori helped Fíli organise a date...
“Dude,” Fíli leaned heavily against the bookshelf behind him, “is there no book on cute dates that aren’t technically dates but are still very sweet?”
It was a mere joke but – as he should have expected – Ori looked up with a serious expression on his face as if he was truly mulling over this idiotic question before shaking his head in earnest regret.
“Why?” he asked softly, cocking his head to the side in an expression of benevolent patience that was so representative of his kind soul that Fí had to smile despite being so annoyed.
“Well, there’s a lady I’d like to invite to a very casual meeting,” Fíli started, “but I’ve run out of ideas on what to do. Kí suggested illegally abducting and riding some wild animals, but I’d rather not end up in the infirmary…if you get my meaning.”
Ori nodded slowly; he was a good friend and a reliable companion, but he would have been one of the last people Fíli would honestly go to for advice as it was common knowledge that the quiet scribe was ridiculously oblivious when it came to dams, their guiles, and their secret wishes. Or so he had thought.
“I cannot recall ever having come across pertinent literature,” Ori declared after another few seconds of contemplation, “but if you’d let me, I can organise something for you?”
His eyes lit up and a broad smile broke like a sunrise on that usually so solemn face, and Fíli couldn’t help but mirror the sunny expression of unadulterated joy; Ori was a good dwarf – honest, diligent, and fiercely loyal – and they did him wrong by dismissing him so easily.
“Alright,” Fíli clapped a heavy hand on the slender shoulder of his old friend, “I put my fate into your ink-stained hands.”
He spoke those words lightly, but – upon seeing the genuine enthusiasm animate every muscle in Ori’s face – he decided that his beloved and he would make the best out of the situation.
“Ah, you trust Ori but not me?” Kíli pouted in mock indignation, but when his brother’s face twitched nervously, he gave him an encouraging grin.
“I hope he doesn’t plan something like a visit of the library? Or book restoration? Or…” Fíli groaned; as much as he wanted to make his friend happy, he felt as if he was on thin ice all the time with the dam of his heart and he couldn’t risk inviting her to a terribly boring date. Especially because he would sit through it – come what may – and he would do his best to enjoy it.
He would not break his friend’s heart out of selfish reasons; no matter how much he yearned for her, he’d never sacrifice another loved one on the altar of his needs.
Kíli cocked one eyebrow at him. “Don’t underestimate the old boy,” Kíli warned him, “do you know how people always say that they failed but not ‘for a lack of trying’? Well, in Ori’s case, it’s definitely a lack of trying though.”
“What are you saying?” Fíli asked, confused by the confidence Kíli was displaying.
“Trust the process; also, if you are going to invite who I hope you’re going to invite, she’ll be fine with whatever you plan to do. She knows both of you and she’ll think that it’s very sweet either way…you know she will!”
That was a comforting thought Fíli had been holding on to as well; he knew that – even if it turned out to be the worst semi-but-not-really-date anyone had ever had – she would laugh it off and do her best to find something enjoyable in it.
“Break a leg, brother dear,” Kíli laughed, “I’m sure it will be fine. And if not, you can always fall back on my idea and break your leg for real?”
Ever helpful, Fíli thought, a sour taste of apprehension and nervousness rising at the back of his throat; it was not as if he had come up with anything better, but it made him nervous that he would have an informal-slightly-romantic-but-not-too-much get-together without knowing what was planned exactly.
“Ori…” Dori stood – thunderstruck – on the threshold to the kitchen, “What are you doing?”
Covered in flour and bits of dough, Ori whirled around with a bright smile on his face.
“I was granted the great honour to organise an outing for the prince,” Ori declared which made his brother chuckle under his breath; Ori was a scribe and not a courtier and the prince was his friend more than his liege, so the pompous description was a testament to his mastery of language more than an accurate depiction of the situation.
“Indeed,” he said nonetheless, staring at the overflowing basket wedged into a corner; not only had his little brother baked, but he had also prepared lemonade, picked out a few tomes of charming poetry, and decorated a pair of fine napkins with floral stitches.
“He asked me,” Ori mumbled – his lower lip tucked nervously between his teeth – as he pulled his cookies out of the oven, looking around on high alert to keep an eye out for Nori who would – without so much as hesitating for a single second – steal some of the delicacies if given half a chance, “I really want to get this right.”
One day, Dori thought, the boy would make some dam really happy; he was eager to please and did not do things half-heartedly. There was a deep yearning and a heart-breaking loneliness shining through the radiant joy on his face now; as his brother, Dori knew how desperately Ori longed to put the same fervour and dedication into the wooing of a dam of his own choosing.
Good at dreaming and planning, and bad at following through, Ori had never found the courage to approach any of the ladies of the court this far, and with every passing day, the probability that he ever would was dwindling.
They all knew and liked him, but he had melted into the background, becoming some kind of moving piece of furniture they leaned on for support without ever giving it a second thought.
“I’m sure the prince will appreciate your effort,” Dori praised him softly, touched by the pride in the younger dwarf’s attitude as he set the baked goods on the windowsill to cool off.
“I sure hope he will,” Ori sighed and busied himself with unpacking and repacking his basket to keep his mind from wandering or dwelling on the gnawing acid of envy that churned in his stomach.
“Wear your new tunic and meet me under the big oak tree.” The note was penned in perfectly executed runes that put his own penmanship to shame.
Fíli shrugged; he had decided that he’d trust Ori and so, he would abide by his cryptic message and wear exactly what he was told to wear.
As he took in his reflection in the polished silver mirror – a gift from his mother – though, he had to admit that the beautiful garment made the rest of him look rather shabby.
Not thinking that Ori would have him climb trees for his date, he decided that this might also be the moment to wear his new trousers for the first time and – while he was at it – he undid his braids, brushed his hair, and redid them carefully.
“Mahal have mercy,” Kíli whistled through his teeth as he strode in and gave his brother a long, curious look, “you sure clean up nicely. Ah, and there is a frown that would give Thorin a run for his money!”
He laughed and ducked at the last moment as the hairbrush was hurled rather forcefully in his direction.
“Do you want to disfigure me, so I won’t be competition?” he jeered; he had ever been light-footed and graceful, and they both knew that there had not been any real danger to that cute face of his.
“Go and annoy someone else,” Fíli grumbled, smoothing his hands down the thick, smooth fabric of a tunic that had never been ripped, mended, burned, or torn before; he felt elated and terrified at the same time, just like he had as a pebble when his mother had given him something new that he was supposed to cherish.
More often than not – thanks to Kí and his hare-brained ideas – the garment or toy was destroyed faster than Lady Dís could imagine and Fíli felt the weight of shame make him crumble in his boots. Not today though, he admonished himself, he would not take any shortcuts or slide down any railings he was not supposed to.
No, he’d walk with a measured, ponderous step as was appropriate and proper for a prince to the blasted tree and wait for the man he already saw as a wise councillor and trusted confidant, long before his own accession to the throne was even in sight.
“Oh Ori,” Fíli cried out when he saw the blanket – dappled by sunlight falling through the branches of the tree – spread out at its base, “you’ve outdone yourself.”
Their friendship as well as the deep love between them was written unabashedly and boldly across the picturesque picnic scene that presented itself to the prince now; the blanket – often mended and lovingly restored – had, for example, been their ship, their horse, and their castle during their childhood adventures, often they had collapsed onto it after playing outside for hours on end, and Fíli knew the story behind most of the carefully stitched lines that crisscrossed it like scars or wrinkles.
“Thank you,” he whispered earnestly; it was too easy to dismiss and forget how attentive Ori was and he felt bad for not always verbalising what seemed so evident to him; he was suddenly ashamed of taking the unconditional support of his friends and family for granted sometimes.
“Ah, it’s nothing,” Ori chuckled, blushing, “it was my pleasure. Truly!”
He had made the lemonade from scratch, just like she loved it, and those were Fíli’s favourite cookies. Ori’s love for the small touches and the meaningful details never ceased to amaze him and when he saw the guest of honour appear at the other end of the meadow, holding a beautiful envelope, Fíli was overwhelmed with a deep sense of pure joy and gratitude.
“I owe you one,” he whispered, “I’ll introduce you to whatever dam you’d like. I swear…she’ll love this. I love this.”
With another awkward chuckle, Ori simply pulled up his shoulders to his jug ears – embarrassed and lost for words – before trotting away silently; he had done well, Fíli was pleased, and he really hoped that they’d have a wonderful afternoon.
“Ah, I’ve seen you had help,” the newcomer – beautiful in the soft sun speckling her upturned face with flickering gold – commented, tapping the toe of her boot carefully against a small book laid out on the old blanket, “this is Ori’s favourite.”
Looking around and taking in the discreet handwriting of their friend’s heart spelling out deep-felt and unpretentious love, she smiled to herself; she knew not what to expect of this, but the fact that two excellent dwarves had gone to such lengths for her filled her with mortified happiness.
“Ah yes,” Fíli admitted, “Kíli’s pitch was wild boar riding, so you’re lucky I gave Ori a shot.”
“This is marvellous,” she grinned, shaking the bottle of lemonade before opening it and taking a whiff, “just how I love it.”
Maybe, Fíli thought, he would have to pay closer attention as well and learn something from this.
She had recognised the true affection translated by home-baked cookies and an old blanket almost instantly; so, there might be a way to let her know how he felt without having to actually speak the words he was so terrified of.
Again, please allow me to wish you the very best for your birthday :)
Taglist :
@laurfilijames, @linasofia, @lathalea, @middleearthpixie, @fizzyxcustard, @blairsanne, @myselfandfantasy, @legolasbadass, @midearthwritings, @clumsy-wonderland, @mismaeve
I remembered to tag people 🌟
