From Grey-wonderer's suggested Marigold's Challenge #28
every story had to have at least one nekkid hobbit
my elements were a candlestick and a painting

Certain Other Activities

It was dark outside Great Smials and it was mostly dark or dim within. Night time; time for rest, for sleep . . . and certain other activities.

Down a certain tunnel, situated so that most of its rooms were on an outside wall, were the private quarters of The Took and Thain of the Shire; being one Peregrin Took I. In those private quarters were a good many rooms; a formal sitting room, the family’s sitting room, a dinning room and even a small kitchen, a lovely large bathroom, a small study, several bedrooms, a large nursery . . . and a master suite.

The largest room of the master suite was the bedchamber, a fine, stately yet cozy room where the Thain and his Lady were currently involved in . . . certain other activities.

The dainty porcelain shaded oil lamp cast a soft glow upon the bodies of the couple, the bedclothes having been shoved aside to come to rest upon the floor. The small lamp always burned when they were thus involved, no hiding in the total dark for them, they still liked to look at the one they loved.

Pippin never tired of Diamond’s creamy skin. True, her tummy was rounder than it had been on their wedding night, but they had three dear children to show for the loss of her trimmer figure. True, her breasts now sagged, but there had been little ones to nurse, the youngest, an infant, nursing still and that will lead to breasts that droop. Yet Pippin really saw none of that. He saw the love of his life. To him, her naked body was still the most beautiful thing in his world.

Diamond never tired of Peregrin’s chest hair. True, he had more of a stomach on him than he had on their wedding night, but maturity did that to a hobbit. True, the hair on the front of him had been joined by hair on the back of him, but perhaps that was because of the hair slowly thinning upon his forehead. Diamond really saw none of that. She saw the love of her life. To her, his naked body was still the most handsome thing in her world.

They were well along with their . . . certain other activity, when they heard something that froze them like statues.

“Da, I’m scared.”

Their eyes went wide. They turned their heads toward the door of their bedchamber. There stood Beryl, their second born, their six year old daughter, hugging her pink satin pillow and her stuffed kitty. She had returned her fingers to her mouth after making her announcement.

“You go back to the nursery, sweetheart, and Daddy will be there in just a minute,” Pippin said, sounding amazingly calm.

The wee lass turned, without a word, to go back across the hall to the innermost room of the nursery, the outer room having just recently been given over to baby Palagrim.

It was only after a few moments, to give their child time to get back into her bed, that Peregrin and Diamond laughed. Truly, they felt, what else was there to do but laugh.

“We need to get a lock for our door,” he said as he flopped down onto the bed next to his wife.

“Indeed we do,” she chuckled as she reached for his hand, giving it a squeeze. “We hadn’t even thought about her being tall enough now to reach the latches.”

Pippin rose and pulled his nightshirt over his head, then tugged it down over himself. He picked up the candlestick that sat on the night stand, lighting it with a taper from the small fire in the hearth. “I’d best get over to her before she decides to come back. I don’t think I’ll be long if you think you might want to carry on from where we left off when we were so rudely interrupted?”

“That sounds wonderful! I’ll read till you come back.” Diamond batted her lashes. “Do make haste, Mister Took.”

“Oh I will, Mrs. Took. Be assured of that.” Pippin stopped at the doorway, turning to look back at his wife. “I dread what questions we’ll be asked at breakfast. I think, perhaps, we should dine in our quarters.”

“That might be prudent,” Diamond snickered.

Pippin blew his wife a kiss then left their room to tend to his frightened child. In the hallway, his eyes fell upon the portrait of his parents that hung there. Their likenesses, bathed in the warm glow from his candle, seemed to be on the verge of laughter.

“Yes,” he said to the painting, “you two would think this all very funny. And yes, you’re right, I deserve it. Though as far as I’m aware I never did the likes of this to you.” Pippin smiled as he entered the nursery. He liked to think wherever his parents were, in that far green country he hoped, that they knew the happenings in the lives of their children. He soon returned to the master suite. Shutting and latching the door firmly behind him before he and his wife carried on with . . . certain other activities.

There were no questions the next morning at breakfast, nor at any other time that day. Nor any the day after that. The Thain and his Lady often shared a chuckle when the event would come to mind, and they happily related the story to Beryl when she was old enough to be embarrassed, but not humiliated, by its telling.