#And the dude had the fucking GALL to go “he is on a leash. I just let go of it”

[floraleevee]

lol. lmao even.

[i-did-not-mean-to]

Okay I haven’t seen you write for this character so if you’re not comfortable with it let me know and I’ll try again! I just thought Dwalin would be perfect for “The Dork and the Jock” 😏

Alright, alright, alright...

Only for you, I've tried my hand at some light Dwori...

(And there might be more in it...who knows? Might be a bit cliff-hangery otherwise lol)

Words: 1,2 k

Characters : Dwalin x Ori

Modern!AU

Enjoy!

“Fundinson,” the teacher roared, “if you don’t get your grades up by the end of the semester, I’ll make damn sure that your academic career at this college is over.”

Dwalin frowned – the iron mask of disdain actually hiding despair – and threw a quick glance at Thorin, his best and oldest friend, who merely shrugged.

Unlike his brother Balin, Dwalin was a slow learner; he was far from dumb, but he just couldn’t sit down in a chair and stare at pages for hours on end.

Every single time, the letters and numbers started to blur and – frustrated by his own incompetence - he would throw the book into a corner and go out to run or to hack something to pieces for all the good that did him.

“Dude,” Thorin muttered after the class was dismissed, “’man sounded fucking serious about this. Do you have a plan?”

Dwalin knew that Thorin got the help of his little sister as well as of some of the best tutors there were, he was kept on a tight leash which prevented him from straying off the right path.

Dwalin was not that lucky.

“I’m just a dumb brute,” Dwalin shrugged, but his own words sounded bitter and poisonous in his mouth, leaving an aftertaste of gall and ashes as Thorin merely shook his head in regret.

Dwalin had thought that he would make it through college by being an accomplished athlete; he had been so motivated to make old Fundin and stern Balin proud of him, but his prospects were bleak.

“Why don’t you ask Ori for help?” Thorin gave him a cautious side-glance; as Dwalin’s best friend he knew that the bulky, boisterous, belligerent youth had a softer side that he painstakingly tried to hide from the world.

One of the biggest weaknesses of that secret facet of his oldest friend was – undeniably – sweet creatures, be they women or men.

“Ori?” Dwalin whirled around, piercing Thorin with a look so profoundly incredulous and senselessly angry that the other young man took a step back.

“He is the best student in the man’s class,” Thorin shrugged, “and he’d be glad to help you, I’m sure, he’s kind like that.”

Didn’t Dwalin know that?

Ori had let him copy his homework more than once and – equally as often – he had offered to tutor him, a shy but warm smile on those pale lips.

Every time, Dwalin had longed to say ‘yes’, but he knew that the presence of that tantalisingly ambiguous siren would only make studying all the harder; easily distracted and deeply physical by nature, Dwalin felt the irresistible pull of that white skin begging to be touched tenderly.

“’was just an idea, you know?” Thorin huffed and took off with a short nod when he saw his sister waiting for him at the crossroads. “See you tomorrow.”

Dwalin was not motivated to go home yet; he didn’t know how to face his family when that threat hung like a dark cloud over his head.

“Hey,” Ori stepped out of the shadow of the wall surrounding the parking lot where Dwalin was kicking an empty energy drink can from one corner to the next, “how are you feeling?”

As per usual, Ori did not pretend to side with anyone in a conflict; he merely expressed loyalty and solidarity by cutting right to the chase.

“Like a hare in a trap,” Dwalin admitted grumpily.

“It’s really not that big a deal,” Ori said softly, “if you want to, I’ll go over the stuff with you?”

“I have an important match coming up,” Dwalin deflected, humiliated by how obvious it was to everyone that he was unable to manage his academic shortcomings on his own.

“Alright,” Ori breathed quietly; he had never been anywhere competent enough in a sport to make the faculty team, let alone get a scholarship or make friends through it.

Dori was working himself to the bone and Nori was skating along the edges of legality to keep him enrolled, Ori knew, and he had to disappoint their hopes by bringing home good grades but no news of the dazzling social life they had thought he might have one day.

“I didn’t mean to dismiss you,” Dwalin grumbled; would he do anything right today? Was his grip on something as basic as courteous communication so poor that he couldn’t even talk to a co-student without being brash and offensive?

“I…” How to express the pain and the shame of being ‘unsatisfactory’?

“You’ve not grasped the stuff seen in class; there’s no shame in that, he’s a terrible teacher! Thorin and a bunch of others have tutors and I – for one – have spent at least 50 hours in the library trying to ferret out all the elements he’s forgotten to explain,” Ori smiled up at him, a strand of hair falling into his face in a charming display of almost bucolic innocence.

There he stood, between the court and the parking lot, between the afternoon sun and the evening pinkish violet velvet, between heaven and earth, looking like a fairy, like a mythological ruler, like a dream come true.

The weight crushing Dwalin’s heart got ever heavier but – as Ori’s smile bloomed into a grin – it slowly shifted and started rolling downhill into his feet to keep him from levitating with a dizzy kind of joy that never made its way onto his face.

“What are you still doing here?” he then asked for – while he had been aimlessly kicking things – Ori apparently had spent his time hunkering down in the sheltering shadows of the building.

“If I don’t go home immediately, I can make my family believe that I have found some friends,” Ori admitted, blushing a little upon having to confess that white lie.

“Listen…if you are willing to share your notes and your meticulous research with me – in hopes that it will make me understand something at least – I…no,” Dwalin stopped, his brow furrowed, "no, that is wrong.”

Shaking his head and clearing his throat, he started again: “I’ll be your friend. Do you want to come to the court with me? Instead of sitting here alone, you can sit in the shade over there and – if your offer still stands – you could tell me about the class?”

“I’d be delighted to,” Ori scrambled to retrieve his bookbag and followed Dwalin’s quick stride as well as he could, “you’re more of an active type anyway, huh?”

Dwalin turned around, surprised and curious, waiting for the other man to expand on his question.

“It might be easier for you to understand if I give you practical examples…and if you can move while listening to me?”

Oh Dwalin knew exactly how and where he would have liked to move while listening to that soft, mellow voice, but he pulled himself back into reality almost violently.

“You might have a point there, nerd,” he chuckled – a sound like a rockslide – and slung his arm casually around Ori’s shoulders, much to the blushing astonishment of the self-same man.

“I guess we’ll find out soon enough…jock,” Ori shot back, just a second too late and just a smidgen too gently for it to be considered a successful comeback.

Thankfully, Ori was not a competitive man; he believed in hard work, dedication, and persistence.

In time, he was sure, he would pierce the shell of deep-rooted shame and ferocious potential yet to be unbridled and find the man underneath.

Ori was almost certain that he’d like that very man and so, diligent as ever, he got to work.

This one was really hard for me, so if you liked this and/or wanted to see more of this story, do not hesitate to let me know!

If you hated it, just...tell me kindly to keep my paws away from M/M! :D

Love you!