Hobbit Pile Headcanons
The Hobbit
Hobbits naturally sleep in piles, especially when young and sleeping with siblings or cousins
Bilbo used to sleep in his parents bed when he was younger, but eventually they passed and he was sleeping alone
It's not terrible for hobbits to sleep alone but it's not pleasant, as they're naturally social creatures
So when Bilbo was suddenly camping with the dwarves for the first time, he felt an instinctive urge to sleep close to them, but they weren't very acquainted at the time so he settled on just sleeping close enough that he could hear their snoring and feel like they were sleeping socially
It took him roughly two months to finally feel comfortable setting up his bed roll in the middle of the camp to feel surrounded
Of course, though, Fíli and Kíli noticed he was doing this and asked him why he always slept in the center of the group
"Do you feel unsafe sleeping 'round the outside?"
"Is it because you're small, Master Boggins?"
Finally Bilbo had to come clean and explain that Hobbits were social sleepers and often slept in piles, and that he was just following instinct to sleep closer to everyone
With this information now out in the open, some of the dwarves were suddenly pulling him closer to them so he could sleep with them
It started with Fíli and Kíli dragging him to sleep between them, then it was Bofur setting up his bed roll next to Bilbo's
But another month would pass as he started bonding with them, and somehow he ended up co-sleeping with Thorin, and this became their normal
Bilbo eventually stopped laying out his bed roll altogether, sleeping on top of Thorin instead, as his instincts suggested
LotR
I think it goes without saying that the hobbits all sleep together in a pile
The Fellowship didn't know Hobbits slept like this and for a while there was a misunderstanding that the four of them were in a polyamorous relationship, which only became even more confusing when they learned that Frodo, Merry, and Pippin were all cousins
It only got cleared up when Gimli hesitantly asked if 'that sort of thing' was normal for Hobbits, and horrified, all four of them rushed to explain that it was normal for hobbits to sleep in groups and that it wasn't a romantic thing
"Hobbits are social sleepers, Mr. Gimli, everyone does it," Sam had told him, "We're not..... no."
Frodo and Sam have learned to let Merry and Pippin fall asleep first because they'll just flop down on each other, and if you happen to be the one laying down first, you'll get their full combined body weights slamming down on you
One time Boromir was laying down to sleep and Merry and Pippin decided they'd pile on him, which in turn caused Sam and Frodo to also join the pile. It was the best Boromir had slept in ages.
"I get why you little ones do this now, I don't think I've slept that well since childhood."
Boromir becomes a regular pile sleeper
After they all get separated and it's just Sam and Frodo, the pile is much smaller, of course
Frodo will lay on Sam because he's smaller and Sam would squish him
When Gollum becomes part of the journey, there's a small part of Sméagol in there that vaguely remembers what it's like to pile sleep with his cousin Déagol, and upon old hobbit instinct, he wants to join them
The closest he gets is curling up like two feet away, but for him, it's enough
Sam doesn't want him any closer, but Frodo had draped his cloak over Gollum when he noticed him sleeping so close
Back in the Fangorn Forest, Merry and Pippin had started their pile on Treebeard, who just sort of lets it happen
And by 'on Treebeard,' I mean they're sleeping in his branches or on his shoulders because it's technically a pile, he's just so big that he can still walk around while carrying them
He doesn't understand it, but he's so used to animals making homes in his branches that he doesn't even really question it when the two hobbits climb onto his shoulders to sleep for the night
When even Merry and Pippin get separated and can't pile anymore, they're devastated
Merry can still sleep near the others, but Pippin's completely alone with Denethor, unable to pile with anyone, so he just sort of curls up by himself, feeling incredibly lonely
Once they're all reunited though, it's pile time
They're not even all fully asleep, they just missed each other
Sam is asleep, on the bottom and supporting everyone else, Frodo is sort of on the side, his hand all bandaged up and healing, and Merry and Pippin are laying on top, chatting
Sam scolds them a little, telling them to quiet down, which turns into Merry having to comb through Pippin's hair to make him calm down, the way they did as kids, since Pippin's the one the most hyper and excited to see everyone again
Combing through Pippin's hair as a means to settle him down was something started by his mom and was eventually picked up by his sisters, all of his cousins, and somehow Boromir who learned it from Merry
It's like an off switch, he just immediately quiets down and sits still
-
Don't tag any of these as ship unless it's Bagginshield, thank you
