A/N: This was requested by @DwarfMaiden:Can you write a Bofur's oneshot? Bofurxfem!Reader. This is the idea. It is night and it's raining. The reader, a warrior, is walking through the forest to arrived her village. She is injured from a confrontation she has had with some orcs, but that does not matter to her, at least not at the moment. Suddenly, in the middle of the darkness, a male cry is heard coming from the interior of the forest and she at first remains expectant, but when she hears the cry again, she goes directly to help the one who asks for help, which is Bofur. She finds him facing a skin changer. Bofur then began to run and is chased by the beast and then the reader helps Bofur, defending him from the skin changer. They both escape and reach her house. And everything else I leave it to you.
I apologize for anyone who has requested in the past, I'm just very slow and haven't had any motivation to write for the past, however many months I've been gone, but I'm starting to get back into it and slowly get my motivation back. So I hope that you all forgive me for taking so long. I know I've said it before, I don't want this to be abandoned so I'm trying to finish all the requests that people have asked for months ago. It's just going to take some time, which is why my requests are closed for now so I can catch up, hopefully.
To the person who requested this, you didn't specify what kind of creature the skin changer was, so in hopes to leave the imagination open to whoever reads this, they can choose what giant beast is chasing Bofur. And I gave Reader a bit of background story, so hopefully that's okay. But I really hope you enjoy this, I've been lacking motivation and I feel bad for not writing so I want to apologize for taking so long.
And as always, feel free to correct and misspells or improper grammar. English is my first and only language, I just suck at writing and speaking it.
Enjoy :)
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The harsh winds and rain from the storm clouded your vision as you made your way through the forest. You limped through the trees, you were pretty sure your ankle was broken or at least sprained as you held onto your right upper arm with a bruised hand as it practically gushed out blood, but it wasn't anything that you weren't used to by now.
You were barely the age of 5 when you escaped your old village from an orc attack, they raided homes for whatever they had, forcing the families outside, killing the men and kept the women alive long enough to do what they wanted while their children watched in horror, then being killed before the homes were burned to the ground, leaving behind a once happy village to nothing but a pile of smoke and ash.
As far as you knew, you were the only one that survived that horrific night, still reliving that nightmare for nearly 20 years. The first 3 years, you had to teach yourself to survive the wilderness, hunting for food and how to properly use a weapon. Until you came across a large village, Eriador, North-West of Middle Earth, at age 8. To which you were surprised by how diverse it was, many elves, dwarves, hobbits and humans lived and travelled through here. Around age 10, you were able a get a job at the local tavern to clean and run some errands for the owner in exchange for a room to sleep in.
At age 15, you made 3 times the amount as the village mercenary, mostly taking jobs that involved orcs. Spending the last 10 years training and gaining strength in hopes that one day, you cross paths with the one handed orc, Azog, and avenge your village and family. Which explains why your arm was leaving a trail of red behind you, from you defending the village outskirts from a small orc group patrolling around, most likely to cause trouble.
Your foot hit something with a light thud, looking down you saw a funny shaped hat in the mud. Picking it up, curious as to how it got there, a scream came from the trees, you weren't sure if the scream was real or if you were just hearing things from the thunder. You waited a moment before limping your way back toward the village. You heard the scream come from the forest again. You momentarily forgot your pain as you ran in the direction of the yell.
Stopping at the edge of a hill, you could barely make out the silhouette of a small man running away from some large beast. You couldn't quite make out what it was exactly that was chasing him but that didn't matter as you unsheathed your sword and dropped your pack and hat on the ground, sliding down the muddy hill.
You ran, sword brandished and ready to strike as you came in between the beast and the small man. The large creature skidded on its feet, mud burying its paws as it stopped. You stared into the eyes of the large creature, it staring back at you, watching you. You stepped slowly to the right, the beast mimicking you, both of you circling each other until you had its back facing the small man. Lightning flashed through the sky, giving you a chance to momentarily getting a full view of the creature and a glimpse of movement from behind it, letting you know that the man was not dead.
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After what felt like forever, the beast had been killed but not before adding onto your collection of wounds you already had. You huffed as you stared the dead corpse that laid at your feet as it slowly shifted into a man. Feeling guilt build up inside you, once you realized who you've just killed. You've heard about skin changers, but never seen one in person seeing as how they were thought to be extinct beings. You felt bile come up in throat but managed to push down the feeling. He was dead, there was nothing you could do about it now. You could only hope that you helped him rather than think you killed an innocent man.
You looked to the sky, noticing that the storm had calmed considerably before you turned to face the man who the skin changer was chasing, only he wasn't there when you turned around. Leaves rustled making your head snap up at the sound, seeing not a man, but a dwarf, in the tree with a relieved expression on his face. "Is it dead?" he questioned. Looking over your shoulder to set your gaze on the dead shifter, you looked back to the dwarf, nodding.
He hopped out of the tree effortlessly, making you wonder just how fast can dwarves climb. You've seen dwarves around the Eriador when you grew up, not too much shorter than the average human but very stumpy bodies, not too sure if they were meant only for fighting since they had very tough skin. But this one dwarf just made you question just how much you actually knew about dwarves.
"Thank you so much, lad. I don't wanna think of what woulda' happened had you not shown up to slay that beast." the dwarf thanked. "It was no problem, just doing my job." though the skin changer wasn't part of it but its fine. He's okay, that's what matters, you thought to yourself. "Oh," he hesitated, "you're a lass." "Surprised?" You began walking back to the hill where you left your things. You were almost at the top of the hill before you looked over your shoulder to see the dwarf still standing in the same spot. "You coming or do you wanna stay in the forest all night?" You hollered over your shoulder, trudging forward.
You picked up your pack and the strange hat before turning to face the dwarf who was now only a few steps behind you. He looked as though he was about to ask something before looking down at your hands, his eyes lighting up. "My hat!" he exclaimed. The dwarf quickly took it from your hands before plopping it on his head with a gleaming smile. A smile of your own slowly formed on your face as you watch his theatrical expressions.
"What's your name, lass?" the dwarf wondered. "(Y/n)." "Bofur." He stuck out his hand for you to shake. You were taken aback slightly given how you've only seen dwarves stick with their own kind and weren't exactly polite to anyone who wasn't a dwarf, making you question your knowledge again. You snapped yourself out of your daze, taking his hand and giving a firm shake.
The walk back to the village was silent, but a comfortable silence though. By the time you reached your home, you were about to bid farewell before the world around began to spin. You gripped the wall in hopes to regain your balance but black spots began to cloud your vision. A pair of hands gripped your shoulder, looking up you saw the Bofur' mouth moving but his words sounded far away, unable to make out what he was saying before the entire world went dark.
A bright light woke you up, squinting your eyes as they adjusted to the sudden brightness, you raised a hand to help block some of the light. You turned your head the opposite direction of the light source taking in your surroundings, instantly realizing that you were not in your home. Jolting up and immediately regretting that decision as you felt pain shoot from your abdomen. Your arm quickly wrapping around your stomach in hopes to soothe the pain.
"Easy now, lass. You don't want to reopen those stitches." a gray haired dwarf coaxed. You looked around, noticing the potions, herbs, and bandages around. A healer, you concluded. Slowly laying back down with the assistance of the dwarfs hand on your shoulder, gently pushing you down. The sound of a rushed footsteps along with a bang of a door opening violently, "I heard talking. Is the lass alright?" You recognized Bofur' voice. "Bofur?" your voice strained. "Oh, lass. Thank Mahal you're alive." "Barely. Feels like I've had my insides rearranged and my head is pounding like it might burst."
The gray haired dwarf walked over with a cup in hand, "Here, lass. Ginger tea, should help reduce the pain." "Thank you," you hesitated "Oin." he introduced with a smile. "Thank you, Oin." You sipped your tea with a small smile gracing your lips.
It wasn't until two weeks of healing were you able to finally leave and go back home. "How much do I owe you?" you asked, reaching for your coin purse. "You owe me nothing, lass. You saved Bofur' life, it's the least I can do." You stood frozen in shock, you weren't used to such kindness, not just from dwarves but from anyone. Your mouth opened and closed unsure what to say before thanking him profusely. Oin chuckled, "It's no trouble, lass. Just take it easy with those wounds, don' want none of them reopening, ya hear?" You nodded before thanking him again.
Bofur held the door open for you as you walked back home, the late afternoon sky painted in hues of purple and red. You had a hand propped on the dwarfs shoulder as he helped you carefully walk back while he carried your sword and pack. You finally made to your front door once again, this time not bleeding out and on the verge of fainting. Unlocking your door, Bofur helped you inside, being extra careful to make sure you don't walk into or trip on anything.
Bofur sat you down in the chair closest to your fireplace before setting down your stuff next to you on the floor. "Thank you, Bofur. You didn't have to stay with me the whole time, though." "Nonsense, lass. You saved my life, what kind of dwarf would I be if I didn't help bring my savior back to full health?" he waved his hand dismissively. Bofur looked around your house, "You sure you won't need help?" his eyes roamed before settling back on your form, "I wouldn't want you to do too much work with those injuries, lass." You shook your head, "Nothing I'm not used to." Meeting his worried eyes, you continued, "Don't worry. I won't overexert myself. I may be reckless but I'm not stupid." A smile on both of your faces.
Bofur looked out your window, "Well, I should be headin' home, lass. But if you ever need anything, you let me know. And you're never buying food or drink from that tavern again, I'll pay from now on." You clutched the arm of the chair, moving to stand, "I couldn't ask you to do that." "You're not asking, I'm offering." With that, he opened your front door and started walking away. You stood with the door cracked, leaning against the frame before you called out, "Hey, Bofur!" He turned at the sound of his name, "I like your hat." Bofur gave a hearty laugh as he continued to walk away into the night.
You closed the door and locked it before slowly dragging your feet up the stairs and into your bedroom. Carefully sitting on the bed, taking off your boots, changed into your night clothes, then got into bed. You slowly drifted off into a deep sleep, a certain funny hat dwarf crossed your mind before you fell asleep.
( I almost published this and thought about making a part two but decided to just add it onto this before publishing, so here.)
It was weeks before you saw Bofur again and by complete accident too. It wasn't as though you were avoiding him, work was busy at the tavern and the contracts people were bringing to you, pretty much keeping out of town constantly. You finally got a chance to relax and catch your breath, sitting at the back table of the tavern, you sat with a mug of ale in one hand and wrote your latest adventure in your journal with the other, just watching over the patrons.
A roar of laughter disrupted your peace, setting down your mug with an exhausted sigh. You were about to call it a early night before you heard a familiar voice, "You lot don' believe me, but I'm tellin' ya. It was a lass that slayed those orcs and that beast!" "Bofur," you softly muttered. Another collective group of laughter came from the other side of the tavern, you could see them from your table, barely making out Bofur.
A large, rounded, orange haired dwarf had a mouth full of food as he chortled, you assumed was Bombur. A blonde headed dwarf with a braided mustache, Fili, and sitting next to him a dark brunette dwarf, maybe Kili? you questioned, his back was turned so you couldn't see him all to well but you could see his shoulders moving as he laughed along with everyone else. A light brunette dwarf, Ori, timidly held his mug in his hands, lightly chuckling. There was a black haired dwarf with gray mixed in and what surprised you was the ax imbedded in the side of his head, Bifur. And finally a light brunette dwarf, styled with three triangular points, Nori, had his head thrown back as he laughed along.
"Bofur, an experienced dwarf has difficulty fighting off a patrol of orcs on their own, a human would surely die, if not during then surely after. And a woman, no less. I haven't seen any women warriors except for the few elves that pass through and a small number of the dwarrowdams that live amongst us." Fili spoke, taking a large gulp from his mug before continuing, "I want to believe you, my friend, but it's not true." You were used to people doubting you, no matter how much word spread about you among your fellow humans and on occasion, elves, people always seemed surprised when you were the one who'd show up.
What upset you the most was that mostly, if not everyone, in here knew about you and what you were capable of and yet no one corrected them or confirmed Bofur' claims. Maybe it was the ale giving your boost of confidence or pent up anger from constant doubt and belittling, but you slammed your journal closed and shoved it into your bag before getting up and making your way over to their table. None of them seemed to notice you as they calmed their laughter, "And what if it is true?" your voice was firm as you stood in between Fili and Kili. Bofur' head shot up at the sound of your voice, his face changing from frustration to immense joy as he looked up at you.
"(Y/n)! I've been looking for you, lass, but I can never seem to find ya." "Works been busy lately. I apologize about that, I swear I'm not trying to avoid you." you said with a chuckle. Bofur pulled a chair from an unused table, motioning for me to sit, "Come sit, lass. Lemme get you some food and a drink." You managed to stop before he ran off to the bar and get you something, "Bofur, it's fine. I've already eaten tonight, I was just about to head to bed before I heard you and your friends." You looked them each in the eye as you finished your sentence. Bombur and Ori had their eyes facing the table while the others looked between each other and you in shock.
"How are you wounds? Nothing reopened, yeah?" You lifted your tunic slightly to show the scarred claw marks the decorated your lower stomach. "They've pretty much scarred by now, but everything is healed up. No new injuries from my latest contracts, thank the Gods." fixing your tunic as you smoothed it out, tucking it back into your trousers, you took a seat in the chair Bofur offered you. "Lemme at least get some ale, lass." he disappeared into the crowd before you had a chance to stop him again.
You sat in awkward silence with Bofur' friends as you waited for him to return, "Are those scars from the beast?" Ori asked timidly. Looking in his direction, you could see the curiosity in his eyes, everyone was looking at you with the same look. "Yeah. To be honest, I don't remember the entirety of my fight with him, my fighting instinct sort of took over. It got me a twice, I got lucky with the one on my stomach, had I been any closer and my insides would be outside." I tried to joke. It seemed to get a collective chuckle. "The one on my leg though is the one that's been giving me trouble, I've only recently been able to walk on it without limping or having to sit down after walking for a long time."
A mug dropped on the table with a thud, some ale splashing out and dripping down the sides. You startled at the action, looking up and meeting Bofur' gaze. "I told ya. I told ya I wasn't lyin'." he said with a smug look on his face, you giggled as you took a gulp of ale.
You chatted for half the night before everyone agreed it was time to go home. Bofur gave you a shoulder to lean on as he walked you home. "This feels familiar." you slurred happily. "Yeah?" Bofur glanced up at you before looking ahead again. "You know," you hiccupped, "you're very handsome." The dwarf almost tripped at your words before regaining his balance and helped you along. "Most men around here treat like some meat to be passed around. Saying how I need a man to help with the heavy work or that I should settle soon and start a family before I'm too old. And to that I say, 'Fuck them!'" you exclaimed proudly, lifting your arm off of Bofur and lifting your fist in the air, almost falling over in the process.
Bofur caught you before you could fall, "I wish more men were like you." you looked up at him admiringly, he laughed nervously as your drunken banter. He only talked you for those two weeks you were healing and the little time you had when he walked you back home, but in those two weeks he felt something. His heart would flutter every time you called his name when you needed something to eat or drink. His stomach did flips when you would laugh at his jokes, where most would simply roll their eyes. And he felt helpless in the time when you hurt trying to do basic tasks, wanting nothing more than to be able to take away your pain.
"Why'd we stop?" you asked, confused as to why he was just standing there, "This isn't my house." you slurred. Bofur didn't even realize he stopped moving until your voice snapped him out of his daze. "Right, sorry about that, lass. Guess I had more to drink than I thought." Bofur continued on, finally realizing what he had been feeling all this past month. He found you, his One. His Amrâlimê. With those thoughts in his mind, he seemed to instantly sober up.
Bofur decided that the next time he saw you, he would ask to court you properly. Not in your drunken state. He wasn't sure how to go about it though, you were human and he was a dwarf. Were the courting customs the same? Was he allowed to court a human? Humans were looked down by almost every race in Middle Earth, even some humans looked down on their own kind.
The two of you finally made back to your house, Bofur helped you through the door and up the stairs. He helped take off your boots before laying you in your bed. "I love you, Bofur." the back of your hand gently caressed his cheek before falling onto your pillow beside your head. He quietly made his way down the stairs, shutting and locking your front door before making the journey back to his home. Bofur decided he would do whatever it took to be with you.
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A/N: OKAY! First off I would like to say, it's not my fault this took so long to publish. My motivation decided to take a extended vacation without telling me. But in all seriousness, I do feel bad that I haven't written in so long. And especially to the people who've requested stuff and I haven't even started, it's just sitting in my drafts. Usually when I write, I struggle to just start it, but once it gets started I can write a good 4 - 5 paragraphs with no trouble.
But I really hope you guys enjoyed it. Once I'm done with all the requests I have, I'm moving my writing over to my Tumblr ( id-rather-be-in-middle-earth ), where I'll eventually move all my fics from here to there but for now. I'm just going to try and write the best I can. And hopefully my motivation will stay and let me know ahead of time when they decide they're going to just walk out the door for who knows how long, leaving me to just sit and stare at a blank screen on my laptop, not knowing what to write. It's almost midnight by the time I've published this. So, goodnight and hopefully I'll get to writing again soon.
I've also left this kind of open ended so that you guys can just leave what ever happens after up to your imagination.