Summary: It's hatching day in the mines, a day that is supposed to be a happy introduction to their lives. Yet one dwarf already has a secret, one he can't keep on his own. The axe might never lie, but the egg can keep many secrets.
More Details: Rated teen for nakedness. Oneshot (though I do plan to write more about the dwarves.)
Other Characters: Bossy, while not tagged, is mentioned
Check the end of the work for more notes
He pushed at the edge of his world slowly, trying to test the boundaries. He had only recently become aware of just how dark and small his space was, though how he knew what dark and small was, was beyond him. His push was too gentle, not enough to break the edge, though the walls did feel brittle to his touch. So, he tried again, this time a bit harder. He heard a cracking sound, and he continued to push, letting light flow in. He blinked as he stepped out into the lighter, bigger world outside his confined space.
"Welcome to the world, dwarf," someone told him, though he wasn't quite sure who. He wasn't the only one emerging from his egg. Others were stepping out as well. There was a lot going on. Only a few of the dwarves were wearing full outfits, but most were like him, wearing completely white underclothes.
He inched near one of the others in the same state of dress as him, feeling a bit self-conscious about his outfit. It was baggy, and he was glad for that, for reasons he didn't fully understand. He had picked to draw near a dwarf even smaller then him, one who was squinting. For some reason, he felt safer around a dwarf who couldn't see that well.
"I could help show you were to go," he offered quietly.
The other dwarf squinted up at him, nodding. "I suppose it wouldn't do for me to trip over a rock on hatching day! Thanks for the help."
He nodded as an answer, before feeling heat rise to his face. The other dwarf couldn't see as well ... could he notice the nodding? "Sure thing," he answered quickly.
It wasn't long before the clothed dwarves were leading the way to where they could clean up. As he led the squinting dwarf, he still couldn't shake the feeling something was different about himself. His skin? Perhaps. It was darker than the others … but that wasn't it. There was something else. Something that he knew he had to keep a secret … but what?
He didn't have much time to ponder before they were ushered into the room. They were instantly lined up to be measured for clothing, and he somehow found himself at the front of the line, with his squinting friend right behind him. Or, as Bossy had said, brother. They weren't friends, they were brothers. He should try to remember that.
There was a moment of terror as a clothed dwarf pressed the measuring tape along his arms and then his leg. Especially his leg … something screamed inside him that this was dangerous. And yet, the measuring dwarf hardly noticed his skittish nature, and soon he was being told to take a bath. Luckily his squinting brother had to take one too, so they headed over together.
"Why … don't you go first?" he suggested, staring at the bathwater with a frown. Something wasn't right about this situation either. He couldn't let anyone see his body, he realized. But why?
It only clicked when his brother shrugged and pulled off the long johns he was in. His body was not like the squinting dwarf's, or any of them he realized. He didn't have the same parts. He had a bumpier chest, and nothing dangling between his legs. He did not have a male body … I'm trans, he realized, though he didn't know how he knew the name for having a female body but being a male.
"Just wanted to see me naked, didn't you?" the other dwarf teased, causing more heat to rise to his face. "Wanted to see if you can compete with this?" He made a muscle with his arm, chuckling before sliding into the bathwater.
"Erm, no, I …" he trailed off, deciding it was useless to argue. It was just teasing. Instead he quietly picked up a brush and some soap. "Do you want me to get your back?"
"Sure. Thanks. I'll have to return the favor," the squinting dwarf insisted, already scrubbing at his chest.
His eyes widened with horror, and he practically choked on nothing. "Oh no you don't … I mean um … can you see well enough for that?" Maybe if he got a good idea of how well his brother could see, he would know if he could trust him.
"Well enough to help you!" the dwarf squeaked. Apparently when he got worked up, he couldn't quite keep his voice from cracking. "I'm not blind you know. I can see you well enough. You're just blurry."
He tired to force down his disappointment and worry as he gently scrubbed at his brother's back. So, there was no getting around it. He'd have to let the squinting dwarf help … and once he saw how different the body was, what if he told someone? Like Bossy? Could a dwarf get in trouble for having the wrong body? Something was telling him yes, that he could get in grave trouble, but he wasn't sure what …
With the lull in the conversation between him and the squinting dwarf, he heard Bossy's voice carrying. "There are no female dwarves."
Terror washed over him. Female. That was how you would describe his body … what happened when his short brother saw his female body? What would he tell the others?
In his moments of panic, the squinting dwarf spoke up. He sounded a bit surprised and disbelieving. "But I could have sworn there are female dwarves. How else are we made?" So, he had overheard as well.
"Um, I think Bossy is wrong," he whispered, hoping his tone would encourage his small brother to keep his voice down.
There was a pause of all movement. He had finished scrubbing the squinting dwarf's back, and the bathing dwarf had paused in his own work, frowning. "But we're just hatched. How do we know more about this than Bossy? Shouldn't he know?"
That was an angle that he hadn't even thought about. Did Bossy know? And if he did, why lie to them? He glanced over at Bossy, before hearing a slight splash, and looking back to see his brother getting out of the tub and drying himself off.
The squinting dwarf spoke louder and with more cheer to his voice now, trying to pretend they hadn't just been talking about their boss potentially lying to them. "You're turn now. Come on, don't be shy!"
He looked around quickly, to make sure only his squinting brother was watching. "Um, okay but … I am shy. Can you … help me make sure no one else sees?"
"What don't think you have the muscles to match mine?" He raised his eyebrows, before giggling and holding up a towel to block the taller one from view of the others. "Don't worry brother. We'll build those up and one day you'll be stronger than all of us!"
"That's … not what I was worried about," he whispered, before dropping out of his clothes. Even with his brother's squint, it was easy to see his eyes widening with shock. Not giving him time to stare, the taller dwarf quickly slipped into the bathtub. He didn't want to be out in the open long anyway. It hadn't felt right. He wanted to put clothes back on, anything to cover it up and feel right. It wasn't just fear of others seeing; it was something else. He just felt wrong.
"You aren't shy after all," the squinting dwarf whispered, picking up a brush and starting to scrub his back. "So you're … a female dwarf." His voice was so quiet that even the intended audience had to strain to hear it.
"Well … no. I'm still a man. I'll still be your brother," he insisted. Female didn't feel right. No, he was a brother like the rest … "I just have a female body is all."
The squinting dwarf let out a quiet sigh, obviously possessing the information. The taller dwarf tried to ignore him, focusing on washing his body instead. He was scared of how his new brother reacted. His fate rested on his answer …
"Well I suppose that'll be easier to keep from Bossy. At least you won't feel weird being called he."
That answer was the best he could have imagined. He sunk deeper into the bath, letting out a sigh of relief. "Thank you for not telling anyone."
"Why would I?" the squinting dwarf asked back quickly, eyebrows raising again. "Obviously Bossy is keeping something from us … and we have to figure out what. Who knows what he'd do if he knew that we're on to him?"
He nodded, and then verbally agreed. His brother was right. It would be dangerous if Bossy found out. They didn't know a lot about the lead dwarf yet, but if he was already lying to them, surely Bossy couldn't be trusted.
The rest of the bath, he focused on moving quickly and trying to hide his body under soapy bubbles. He didn't need to hide it from his brothers, but from himself. He didn't want to see the curves and bumps Everything felt wrong looking at that. He wanted the flat chests of the others … but he wasn't lucky enough to have that.
He finished his bath quickly and was happy that his smaller brother was willing to help him put on his clothes in a discreet manner. No one else had to know the secret about his body this way. He would be safe. He also felt relief once he could hide his body's shape from his own eyes. It felt better when he could pretend he looked just like the others underneath, even if his body was so very different.
Once they were all clothed, they lined up to get their axes and names. The smaller dwarf was a few dwarves ahead of him. He watched as he got his name from the axe. Doc. Suddenly his suspicions that female dwarves might exist before he actually saw a female body made sense. He was a doctor. He would know …
When it was finally his turn, he gingerly lifted up his axe. Bashful, it said. So his name was Bashful …
He moved to stand near Doc. He had glasses now and could see much better. He was no longer squinting, but now Bashful had a name to call him. They were supposed to head straight off to work, yet Bashful longed for time to talk with Doc about all this. If female dwarves could exist, what else was Bossy hiding?
He didn't have time to wonder before they marched of into the mines, but he did get an encouraging look from Doc. No matter what was going to happen to them, at least Bashful had a brother to ride this out with.
Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoyed this look into the dwarves! It's inspired by ideas and conversations I've had with Wishful Dwarfing (they have fic here go check it out). The way I'm writing Doc belongs to her, as well as some of these bigger secrets about Bossy ... that aren't fully revealed for you guys yet! So yeah if you enjoyed this little look into the dwarves lives feel free to let me know!