Chapter 1

On occasion, Thorin and Bilbo's friends would drop by unexpectedly in the little apartment they shared, and there were many of them. Rarely had there been a time when the lot of them would come by unannounced. The space they lived in was quite small, comfortable enough for two people to live together in, but they managed to host a raucous group of twelve almost every weekend. It was quite the surprise to the both of them.

Today was a bit different, though. Bilbo and Thorin were hosting a dinner party, but this time around, they sent out invitations. The post script reminded the company to wear their best ugly holiday jumpers. There would be a contest after dinner!

While they were waiting for their guests to arrive, Bilbo was putting up the last of the decorations in the little apartment. Thorin was helping to put out the food they had prepared for the party, making sure it was Kosher, for their Jewish friends. A plentiful amount of food was made for dinner. There had to be if they were to host twelve more people. But it was no bother for them. They practically did that every weekend, in case some unannounced guests arrived.

Suddenly, there was a ring at the door.

"Could you get the door, dear?" Bilbo asked Thorin, but before he could, a swarm of rambunctious, ugly jumper-clad guys trampled on in. They didn't even bother knocking. At least they wiped their feet on the rug, well most of them did. Nonetheless, they were all welcomed inside. Our home is your home, Bilbo always said.

"Ah, I see you read the note on the invitation! You are all wearing your jumpers!" Bilbo exclaimed. "They are very nice."

"They certainly are, but we looked in several stores before we could all find jumpers in the same style," said Kíli. "But we all decorated them individually."

"I think mine is mighty fine. See that right there, it's a lion, because I'm fierce and brave. Plus, his hair matches mine," Fíli responded.

"Well, mine has a puppy on it, because puppies are cute, and so am I," retorted Kíli.

"Mine's got a little dragon on it, made of gold," Bofur added. He was also wearing a Santa hat, to which he attached little dragon wings.

"My, they all do look fantastic," Thorin said. He wore a black jumper with an elf on it (at the suggestion of Bilbo). There was so much gold glitter, it began to scratch off at the slightest touch.

"Well, we can continue this a little later, shall we? Dinner will be ready in just a bit," said Bilbo, becoming a little impatient. "We will soon get to know who's jumper was the best when we hold the contest after dinner!" He still hadn't finished decorating, so he returned to putting the last of them up. Secretly, Thorin had put mistletoe in their room.

While he hung up garlands around the windows, Thorin took care of the remainin food. Dwalin approached Bilbo, who looked to be having a bit of trouble reaching the top. With a tap on his shoulder, Dwalin asked, "Need help, laddie?"

"Um, sure, if you don't mind. Also, could you not call me 'laddie?' I am a full grown man, you know," Bilbo huffed. It didn't really bother him that Dwalin called him 'laddie.' He understood it was merely a term of endearment, so he would just let it pass.

"Alright, then. No need for attacking me with your words," Dwalin said playfully. It seemed almost customary for them to butt heads over even the simplest of things, but it was all done in good fun.

After having known each other for quite some time, more than a year, to be exact, Thorin's friends grew familiar with the peculiar ways of Bilbo Baggins. Such included the way he just loved to decorate his apartment every holiday, and how he always seemed to have food prepared, even for the most unexpected of guests. It was something they held in high regard of him, though admittingly, most of the company found it quite odd when they first met him. Being Thorin's closest friends, they wanted nothing but the best for him. They were a band of brothers. Ultimately, they could see why Thorin had loved him as much as he did. He was an overall astounding person, full of life, and always thinking of others. Despite his eccentric nature, they had accepted him as one of their own.

About an hour had passed since the company arrived, and dinner was about to be served. Bilbo knew better than to lay his good dinnerware out when any of the company came by. In their stead, he brought out disposable plates and silverware, as this was more a casual gathering than formal. Plus, his dishes would not be destroyed being thrown about.

"Everyone, get to the table! The food is ready!" Bilbo shouted, since it had grown quite loud. There was roast beef, potatoes, several sides, and of course, plenty of drinks. With that, they hurried on over to the dining area, grabbed several plates, and served themselves mountains of food. Despite the hoards of food they served themselves, they were not as messy eaters as they typically were. No, this time, they were more neater, which came to a surprise to Bilbo. There were no throwing of plates or food. A puzzled look grew on Bilbo's face, so he asked them, "You guys seem to be a bit more neater with your eating. Is something wrong?"

Bombur responded, "We just wanted to be a bit neater for you this time, you know?"

"But mostly because we worked hard on the jumpers. We don't want them to get ruined, now do we," added Glóin. He proudly showed his off, candy canes decorating the entire surface.

"I-I suppose not," Bilbo stammered. "L-lets just eat then, shall we?" Bilbo said that more to himself than aloud. He was a bit baffled. This was not not like them, he thought, but quickly dismissed it. With all this good food on the tables, it would be a disgrace not to ignore it over such trivial matters.

On they ate, and drank, and sang aloud, the small apartment being filled with good cheer. They had several gatherings, much like this, except this one being a little different. There was a strange sense of comfort that Bilbo had not felt before. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he belonged. Being surrounded by all these quirky folk, he felt such a warm feeling grow inside him. He had been alone for so long, he did not think he would be in the company of so many amazing people, no less ones who appreciated, respected, and deeply cared for him.

Once dinner was finished, it was time for the contest to begin. In the way the boys presented themselves, it was more of a runway competition than a 'Best Dressed,' or rather 'Worst Dressed, contest. Every one of them proudly displayed their 'works of art,' as Óin had put it. His 'work of art' was quite literal, having painted swirls of varying colors on his. The Ri brothers teamed up and created Hanukkah-themed jumpers, since it was the last day of the celebration. Balin's simply had a Santa figure on it. Both Bifur's and Bombur's had Christmas trees with stars and ornaments that really lit up!

They seemed to have gone through everyone's jumpers, except for Bilbo's, who took the role of 'runway announcer.'

"Bilbo, what about yours? Aren't you going to compete with us?" Bofur asked him with a sneer.

"Well, I could, but as you can see, I am the announcer. I can't just outright abandon my position, can I," Bilbo retorted, but no hard feelings were met.

The rest of the company all shouted in agreement at Bofur's question. With an amused look on his face, Bilbo gestured his up hands in a sign of defeat, and decided to join them on the stand. It was a rare moment when the boys could unanimously get Bilbo to do something he wasn't quite used to, and this was one of those times. Perhaps the alcohol was already getting to him.

"And our last contestant of the night, Bilbo Baggins, is displaying an incredibly unique jumper," Glóin said with blatant sarcasm. "It has candy canes, just like mine. Though of the two, we know who's is better!"

"Oh, but at least mine's has real candy canes on it!" Bilbo couldn't help but laugh.

The contest had drawn to a close, and the winner was to be chosen by vote. So, Bilbo tallied up all the little sheets of paper with their names on them. With a surprised look on his face, he exclaimed, "And the winner is... me?" Well, that can't be right, he thought to himself.

"Yeah, we all just wanted you to feel good! Not that you needing any cheering up or nothing. But you did put real candy canes on your jumper. I think that's worth a win," Nori said with genuine enthusiam. "Although, I think me and my brothers' come in not too far behind!"

"Well, thanks, guys. I do feel quite good about myself! Maybe it's the alcohol speaking, but I really do appreciate and respect you guys a great deal. Again, thank you! But what do I win?"

"It's our pleasure, laddie. You get to officially be a part of our group! You're one of us now." Dwalin hadn't been much for speaking about feelings and such, but he, as one of Thorin's closest friends, was the one to verbally acknowledge Bilbo as a member of their group. With a pat on his shoulder, he said, "It was a great dinner party, Bilbo, one of your best, but we must be heading out now. It's getting late."

"And don't worry, we'll call cabs to pick us up," Ori added.

"You could stay the night, if you'd like." It almost came out as a whisper, a faint sound out of Bilbo's mouth.

"S'all right! We really should be heading out. Besides, you and Uncle need your alone time," Fíli wiggled his eyebrows in a suggestive manner, giving his brother a slight nudge.

"Alright, enough of that! Go on, go now!" Thorin's cheeks blushed a bit at Fíli's remarks.

With that, they grabbed their things, and hurried on out the door. Bombur almost knocked the guys in front of him when his shoes got stuck on the rug. That will have to be fixed, Thorin thought to himself.

"C'mon, dear, let's go to sleep. We'll clean this up in the morning." Bilbo nodded his head in agreement. They locked the door, and Bilbo noticed something dangling from the ceiling. "Did you do that, on purpose?"

"Who else would it be, if not me?" Thorin teased. He leaned into Bilbo's smaller frame, and they gave each a very long and passionate kiss. But they grew tired, so they turned the lights off, and plopped onto their bed. They must have drunken quite a bit, since they fell asleep quickly and peacefully.