Honestly, Bilbo is extremely thankful that they've found time to rest. Lake-town has been surprisingly accommodating to let them stay for as long as they need (although Bilbo is sure that has something to do with promises of riches from the mountain). Running from spiders, Elves, Orcs, with very little time to stop, has left him more exhausted than he thought it ever would.

There had been a bit of a predicament, though. There were only enough rooms and beds for about half of them, so they had to double up. This is how it came to be that he and Thorin were sharing a space, and even though Thorin had tried to say he was fine sleeping on the floor, Bilbo insisted that they share the bed. It was big enough for the two of them, and he was rather small, anyways.

Still...

Still, poor Bilbo had been evaluating just exactly what his feelings for Thorin Oakenshield were, and had come to the surprising conclusion that he had affection for him. And sharing a bed did little to quell that. Especially when, somehow, in the middle of the night, Bilbo woke up to Thorin's arm draped over him, holding him close.

so honestly i like to think that hobbits are v nonchalant about gender, sexuality, etc, so hobbits can marry who they want. marriage isnt limited to the opposite sex in the slightest bc marriage for hobbits is about happiness. if youre not going to be happy, then whats the point?

to this end, interspecies marriage, while rare, still happens (bilbo & thorin cough cough). its just that not very many hobbits travel very far outside of the shire for this to happen

its also not entirely uncommon to see hyphenated last names rather than one hobbit taking the others last name.

courting can start as young as late teens to as late as 50s/60s. theres no real set timeline because hobbits tend to mate for life. some hobbits want to experience multiple people first (like bilbo...mister eligible bachelor...) so this is why some dont settle down until later

since hobbits tend to mate for life, arranged marriages are extremely rare and uncommon and actually mostly frowned upon. they are creatures that focus on happiness, and marriage is a major part of that.

i think courting rituals involve a lot of flowers and a lot of food. once the two intended agree on courting each other, theyll weave several flowers into each others hair, usually a mix of each others favorite flowers.

once this happens, the two families will come together and throw a large party to signal the official start of the courtship.

the two intended will also bake for each other, usually more and more elaborate things as time goes on. this usually ends with two giant cakes at the wedding itself lmao

public affection is also highly encouraged between couples (courting or already married).

Deathless || Accepting

"And I think you're being rather dramatic."

Bilbo sniffs, a small frown appearing on his face. Thank all the gods that Thorin is alive, wounded, but alive. Gandalf had warned Bilbo to prepare himself, should he not wake up. Thankfully, Bilbo didn't have to grieve, didn't have to mourn the loss of him when he barely even had him to begin with.

They have so much to talk about, to apologize for. He knows he shouldn't have gone behind Thorin's back with the Arkenstone, but what else was he supposed to do? Give it to Thorin and let it drive him to the point of no return? So he sighs, gingerly taking Thorin's hand in his own. He feels like he hasn't slept in days, instead just sitting next to Thorin and hoping for the best.

Wait...what?

Bilbo blinks, feeling his face heat up as he stares at Thorin, unsure of what to say. He likes to think that he's usually eloquent, and really it's hard for him to stop talking sometimes, but this has left him well and truly speechless. When Thorin had pulled him aside, he didn't know why. The gift of Mithril had been so thoughtful that Bilbo didn't think it could mean anything else.

So he swallows, blinks a few times, tries to find the words he wants to say before the silence between them stretches into awkwardness. "I..um..you..you don't mean that, do you? Or--wait--no that's--" He's quickly making a fool of himself, and he shakes his head, laughing at the ridiculousness of it all.

Bilbo hadn't been expecting any visitors...then again, these days that doesn't really mean anything. It always ends up pointless for any of the dwarves to send a letter ahead of time because by the time Bilbo gets it, they've already arrived! He's not sure who to expect when he opens the door, but it's definitely not anyone he recognizes.