Title - Tea Is At Four
Disclaimer - Tolkien owns all.
Summary - Bilbo waits for his friends to come to tea.
Author's Note- My first attempt at this universe. Spoilers only if you don't know how The Hobbit ends (movie or book).
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He always made extra tea for friends to drop in on him, and had done ever since he returned to the Shire the first time, weary down to the bone. It was a rare occasion that one of his Dwarven friends ever came by. They rarely left their mountain home and even he had to admit they were a secretive lot. Over the years, however, the other villagers in the Shire knew of Bilbo's habit of brewing lots of tea. Bilbo rarely wanted for company.
Some of his happiest visits were the times Gandalf stopped in to see him and entertain him for hours, if not days, with all his adventures. It had been a while since he had seen his dear friend, and Bilbo missed him keenly.
There were no visitors today, nor for the past few days. It was these quiet times Bilbo disliked. This was when he thought about that first big adventure. He hadn't wanted to go, felt angry that he been coerced into it. Bilbo didn't like remembering that he had whined a lot on the journey, more than he should have. It had been hard and terrifying, and Bilbo liked to blame the hardship for his ill-humor.
Of course, at first the company hadn't helped much. Dwarves were gruff, xenophobic and completely different than Hobbits, from everything Bilbo had ever known. Gandalf having to take his leave of them had been another blow, but in the end, Bilbo made the best friends he had ever had on that trip.
They had been scary times, deep to the bone terror, like facing Gollum. Bilbo tried not to finger the ring in his pocket. Tried and failed. He tried never to think of Smaug. That journey was the first time he had seen death up close like that. There had been funerals in the Shire, of course, but those were more natural deaths, old age, sickness, once a child trampled by a horse. Bilbo had never seen anyone cut down before, the smell of blood and fear thick in the air. Bilbo would never forget the deaths of Kili and Fili, the horror and overwhelming sadness violent death brought. He never wanted to see it again, but yet he still went out, chasing adventure.
He poured a second cup of tea. It had simply been too quiet and his thoughts too loud. It was time to shutter the house and go out on another adventure. Bilbo didn't like the grass to grow under his feet. That made him different than other Hobbits, somewhat ill-suited for the Shrine. Bilbo felt sad about that, but on the other hand, he was all the richer for his travels, even if his Hobbit kith and kin didn't understand his need to wander. Bilbo would pack immediately.
Well, after he finished this cup of tea at any rate.