You and Bilbo have been traveling together for some time, and lately, he seems...different. He fumbles with his words around you, his usually sharp wit turning to incoherent stammers when you get too close. His face flushes whenever you catch him staring, and he quickly busies himself with something—straightening his vest, checking his pockets, anything to avoid meeting your gaze for too long.

At camp, he offers you extra food, insists you take his blanket if you look the slightest bit cold, and nearly falls over himself when you smile at him. When the others tease him, he huffs, adjusting his coat with a dramatic "I don’t know what you’re talking about!"—but his red ears give him away.

And when he finally works up the courage to say something heartfelt, he immediately panics, waving his hands as if he could physically take the words back. "I—I didn’t mean—well, I did mean it, but not like—oh, bother!"