Chapter Text
After the quest life was quiet in the shire. Bilbo was the talk of the town for a few weeks, the other hobbits would call him ‘queer’ and ‘bizzare’. He didn’t mind though. The last year of his life had been just those things, it was quite fitting. At the start the names had bothered him, but Thorin was always there to reassure him. Thorin was the best thing that had happened in Bilbo’s life, the moment his life really started was when the dwarf had appeared from behind his smials door. Though no one would have been able to tell Bilbo’s true feelings from how he hid them behind extreme annoyance to the company. Now the true feelings were on display for everyone to see, the strawberries that had newly appeared in the Hobbits garden were a clear sign of this. To anyone that was not a Hobbit (or a very knowledgeable wizard like Gandalf), a patch of spring strawberries in a planter box by the door would not mean anything. But to those who knew it, it was a sign of true love blossoming in one's house. The small white flowers of the plant were not yet bearing full fruits. But as soon as the sun ripened the green berries to plump red ones then an age old tradition would fall into place.
Ever since the Hobbits were Harfoots, strawberries have been used to signify love. The bright red color symbolizing passion, the white flowers peace, and the taste sweetness towards a beloved. The tradition goes like this: a Hobbit in love will plant strawberries at the beginning of spring and then by the end of the season there will be a happy courtship underneath the roof of the house the plant is grown at. The courtship is made official when the strawberries are baked into a tart and presented to the partner of the Hobbit.
When Bilbo was a young boy he fantasized about how he was going to honor this tradition with a beautiful Hobbit girl. Oh how wrong he was. But he was still determined to uphold his childhood dreams, even if it was with a dwarf, and a male dwarf at that.
Thorin had come along at the perfect moment and reawakened the spark of hope that Bilbo had lost to years of being an outcast in the Shire. This is why after the Battle of the Five Armies, he had asked Thorin to stay with him in the shire. To his surprise, Thorin agreed. The dwarf and the hobbit had grown closer on the journey back to the Shire, both physically and emotionally. Fleeting glances quickly turned to bed rolls right next to each other. Not talking turned to long deep conversations while looking at the stars. And from there hands brushing against each other while walking on thin trails turned to kissing under the most gorgeous ruby and amber sunset.
Now the two were living together in Bilbo’s smile. It was a cozy life. But lonely without the company. Which is why they had decided to invite them all to the Shire for a celebration party. At this party Bilbo planned to present his strawberry tart to Thorin. Unbeknownst to him, Thorin had a similar idea of upholding a cultural tradition to do with courting. Thorin would braid a precious bead into his Hobbits hair to show their love. But not just any bead, he had chosen a special crystal bead that belonged to his mother. It was a rose quartz, the crystal of love.
It was going to be perfect.
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Word of this celebration got out around Erebor during the restoration. This word eventually reached Thorin’s sister Dis. (Kili is the culprit of spilling this information, the young dwarf cannot handle secrets). Of course after hearing this from her son she wanted to go to the celebration party. You would have to be out of your mind to not go to a party in the Shire. Even the dwarves knew about the infamous ale and pipeweed of Hobbiton.
Dis was suspicious of this celebration. Of course she would be, it was being co-hosted by Thorin. Thorin Oakenshield, the mighty warrior who was tough and formidable and did not associate with hobbits. There was no question that the quest had changed her older brother, whether it was for the worse or the better she did not know. But she had to find out. Natural curiosity and sisterly love were making their way into her constant thoughts. What was thorin thinking, being so close with a hobbit? And why had the rest of the company been talking suspiciously about the bond between the two? There was more to this story than she was being told. And she was going to find out.
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A week later, the company and Dis set out on the long journey to the shire. The road was rough, and the weather was tempestuous. While rain battered them from all directions they were all comforted by the thought of arriving in the shire and the wonderful things that come with that. Dis was comforted by the thought of seeing her beloved older brother, Kili and Fili with seeing their uncle. Balin and Dwalin were looking forward to seeing their two closest friends. The thought of a good big hobbit feast was all that was on Bombur’s mind. Bifur was working on his speaking to be able to tell Bilbo all about his trade. Bofur was the same, wanting to share all his stories and new jokes with Bilbo, and wanting to have the opportunity to use those jokes and pranks on Thorin. The brother ri and pin and cloud were all very excited to be reunited as the full company again. The rain could not break their high spirits no matter what.
When the party of dwarves appeared on Bilbo's doorstep they were hurried in by the small man and immediately set to sit in front of the fire. When they had arrived in Hobbiton it was so terribly rainy and foggy that they couldn't possibly have spent another minute in the rain. They almost did have to, it was very difficult to find Bilbo's house even though they had been there before. Once again, Gandalf's sigil guided them to where they were meant to be. The wizard was not yet due to arrive for another three days, just in time for the celebration. Of course, he was expected to be fashionably late and bring surprises with him. Bilbo was hoping these would be his infamous fireworks.
The company was finally reunited in Bilbo’s smial. The fire was crackling and all 13 dwarves were slowly drying off in a manner of clothing that wasn't theirs. It was quite a sight to behold, and if the other hobbits saw it they would surely think it strange. They were a huddle of bedraggled dwarves in one small room, all laughing and drinking Bilbo’s now replenished ale supply. Thorin had thought well to stock up on the best mead dragon treasures could buy before his friends and family arrived. And he was sure that they would need yet even more for the celebration. The food in Bilbo’s pantry was dwindling by now, it had been since the dwarves had gotten settled in. Five seed cakes had been placed in front of Bombur and had mysteriously disappeared when Bilbo had looked away to stop Kili wiping mud on the new rug Thorin had bought from the local market.
Dis still hadn't said a word to Bilbo. He seemed to be avoiding her, just popping around and giving drinks and food to everyone. The most interaction the two of them had had was a greeting when she had walked in the door. Her hand may have been gripping his a bit too hard in the handshake, the hobbit had flinched away and grimaced. She suspected there was something going on between her older brother and the hobbit. They were standing awfully close together. And a sibling's intuition is always right, she would know; her boys seemed telepathic at times. The voice in the back of Dis’ mind was telling her that her brother was in love. The expression he wore when looking at the hobbit was also an indicator towards this. Loving another dwarrow was not uncommon for dwarven men. There were far fewer dwarrowdam than dwarrow around their settlements and cities. It just always had been that way. So because of this, the majority of dwarves swung their hammers in the direction of the same gendered dwarves, if you know what I mean.
The thing that troubled Dis was that Bilbo was a hobbit. Just a small measly hobbit from the Shire. There was not even any use for him on the quest. The stories she had heard clearly did not do him justice. She would never believe them anyways, especially not now that she has seen what he looks like. He was just so…. Bunny-like. Definitely not a formidable opponent. With one movement of her hand she could have him lying flat on his back. Thorin would not be allowed to have feelings for such a weakling as long as she lived. There needed to be someone there to protect her brother, she could not risk losing him like she did Frerin. This urge to protect her family stemmed from their tragic history. The loss of their father, grandfather, and brother had been hard for them all. But especially difficult for Dis being so young. This hobbit could not do for Thorin what a good dwarrow could. And he didn't even have a beard! How terrible her brother's taste must be if he had fallen for someone with such little hair! A courting braid would just look silly in his auburn curls. Oh how wrong she would be.