Wanderer x Reader ft. Durin (1.2k words)
In which Durin learns about playfighting.
It started with a stupid comment.
You said something offhandedly, he gave you a sarcastic remark to gently poke fun at you. Nothing harsh, nothing cutting, like so many of his other words.
No, he’d never direct any actual bitterness at you. Though, others might not be able to tell the slight difference in tone when he talks to you. And the way his choice of words becomes a lot more forgiving. Not that they matter anyways.
You don’t miss the teasing glint in his eyes, the slight raise of the corner of his mouth. He knows what he’s doing, always having found amusement in poking and prodding at people to provoke a reaction.
So you do the obvious and swiftly swipe the pillow on his lap – that his book he is currently reading was laying on, oh, how handsome he looks when he’s completely absorbed in it– away from him, to smack him in the face with it. Lovingly, of course.
The plush hits his face with a soft thump, muffling the startled noise he made. The way it lands right back on his lap is almost comical. There’s a short pause, and you can practically hear his mind debating whether he should let out an exaggerated exhale and drop it or whether he should strike back.
After having stared into the wall with a deadpan for a few seconds, he seems to have decided.
“Really? That’s your move?”, he asks flatly, but you don’t miss the way his hand gently puts the book away. Minimising collateral damage of what’s to come.
You so saw this coming, and yet, the pillow being thrown your way startles you. You duck, barely dodging the ferocious attack that none other than your precious lover launched.
There’s no option other than retaliation.
Next thing you know, you find yourself pinned on the ground beneath the wanderer. He had given you a false sense of security right before he bested you, having pretended to be oh so weak with his wrists under your grasp. Of course you know that your boyfriend is much stronger than you, and still you gawked in disbelief when he easily freed himself from your grip and turned the situation right back at you.
“My, my, are you struggling?”, he muses condescendingly, looking far too satisfied with himself. And still, the look on his face is too endearing, the proud glint in his eyes, the smug grin, the way he inches closer and closer. “I’d almost call it cute, if you didn’t heinously ambush me”, he adds, letting out a dramatic sigh.
“Oh, please. I went easy on you”, you retort, making a show of threateningly leaning closer too, the playful grin on your face contradicting your actions.
“Ha, easy?”, he snorts, clearly in disbelief of your words. “Last chance to surrender”, he says in a singsongy voice. No outsider would ever believe you if you ever told them about this.
Right as you were about to shoot back a witty reply again, you hear a sudden gasp. Both of you turn your heads to its source, which is a very confused and mildly concerned looking Durin at the door.
Wanderer immediately backs off, looking like a startled cat. You instantly shift your attention to Durin, “Hey, you okay there?”
He looks even more puzzled, tilting his head to the side. “Wasn’t Hat Guy about to…”, he trails off.
You blink, thinking for a second before it clicks in your head. “Ohhh, that’s what you– You misunderstood! He’d never actually threaten me, Durin. We were just… playfighting?”, you correct his assumption, unsure of how to explain what he just witnessed.
Apparently it didn’t clear up anything, as Durin’s eyes widened in curiosity. “What’s playfighting?”, he asks innocently.
Wanderer looks like he wants to die on the spot, pinching the bridge of his nose and letting out a loud sigh.
Sensing the very slight, totally almost unnoticeable embarrassment on his end, you take it upon yourself to explain the concept of playfighting to Durin, letting your boyfriend give a tiny nod of approval at the end of your explanation.
Durin listens intently and concludes that it’s another weird human custom he hasn’t learned about yet.
To further ease your lovers headache that this must’ve caused him, you take Durin’s hand and try to change the topic. “How about we go and draw something nice? Come on, Hat Guy, join us. You have skilled hands, righhhht?” You can’t help the slight teasing.
A few days have passed since that incident and you didn't think much more of it. Right now, you're in the kitchen, preparing lunch for the three of you. The pan sizzles, the chicken looking mouthwatering, if you say so yourself, prepared just how Durin likes it.
You hum a soft tune, taking a sip from your coffee. You're not really a morning person. Or a noon person either.
A soft patting on the floor distracts you, Durin sure is an energetic dragon. The kitchen door slams open with a slight creak and he looks at you with a determined and serious look, his wings slightly raised in preparation. Just what is he up to?
You don't have any time to ponder or dwell on it as he charges right at you, letting out a loud gruff when he tackles you to the ground with a heavy thud. You drop the wooden spoon you were holding, he almost tipped the pan with the burning hot oil over.
You rub your hip and groan quietly. Before even get to turn to Durin and ask what this is all about, he gets swooped right off of you.
Wanderer is holding him by the collar– careful to not be too rough– and reprimanding him. "What do you think you're doing? Surely you know that attempted murder is a crime", he scolds the dragon, who looks pitifully guilty and confused.
Durin tries to open his mouth to reply, but your boyfriend is faster, now crouching down besides you and checking your head for tender spots. "You okay? You didn't hit your head, right?", he asks hastily, concern taking over.
"I'm... fine", you reassure gently. Looking at his unconvinced expression, you add, "I landed on my hip. Just glad he didn't knock over the pan."
This seems to calm him down a bit, which allows you to worry about your very confused assailant.
"I assume I didn't do this playfighting thing right?", he mutters, eyes downcast. At least that memo landed. You can't help but snort a little though, this is amusing.
Patting his head gently, you confirm, "Not... exactly. You're meant to hold back."
"Yeah, it's called playfighting, not playkilling", Wanderer adds unceremoniously. Still, his tone sounds more relieved than upset.
Durin's guilty look is too pitiful to look at. You pull him into a hug, softly telling him it's okay and that he didn't mean to be so rough. He keeps mumbling apologies and promises to be more careful in the future.
Your boyfriend, in the meantime, took it upon himself to plate your carefully prepared lunch onto three plates, setting them onto the kitchen table.
“It’s fine,” he sighs, pushing a plate toward Durin, who just sat down together with you. “Just… try not to knock anyone unconscious before lunch.”
