Mjjgoddess' gift
This story is dedicated to Mjjgoddess, who's love for Merry and Pippin has brought this story to life. Merry Christmas, Yule and Happy Holidays.
Everything's fine.
His finger traced a pattern on the busy rug that he sat on in the Brandy Hall library. Only Frodo went there, and that was when he was there, and no one would think to look for the youngest Took here. Pippin sighed as he lost himself in the fire; the dancing flames allowed him to think of something else than his own self-wallowing.
The snow was falling in great heaps, dusting all that surrounded Hobbiton, including Brandy Hall. It was the year of the great snow, and though none of the hobbits had ever seen anything like it, that was not what Mery and Pippin remember about this day.
Merry was trying to enjoying watching the snowfall in tendrils from the open sky. The snowflakes were the largest he had ever seen, and all of the elder hobbits commented on how they had never seen so much snow come down so quickly, but by the time they went to the window ledge they had all had a few glasses of the Old Tooks finest, so their opinion didn’t matter much in Merry’s mind. But there was something on his mind. What was on the hobbits mind was the fact that after he had arrived Pippin had quickly disappeared, even missing tea, supper and dinner. So, placing his tea down on the table he was seated at, Merry left to look for him.
Due to the fact that his mind was on other things, Pippin didn’t notice that another hobbit had walked into the library, knowing exactly that he would be able to find Pippin here. He stoke the fire, and when he saw that it led to no change in expressing on the Took, he sat down next to him and placed a warm arm around his shoulder.
Pippin jumped considerably, looking at the eyes of this, this terrible person who interrupted his reverie, only to find himself being sucked into Merry’s concerned blue eyes.
“Is everything alright there, Pip?”
Pippins bright green eyes were fogged with the inner turmoil and heartbreak he had recently suffered, but he quickly covered that up with a false smile as he shook his head.
“Oh yes, Mer. Everything’s fine.”
Merry made no move to become angry at Pippins obvious lie, but he stayed calm and open, as if knowing Pippin would confess sooner or later. He gave Pippin’s shoulder a gentle squeeze as Pippin’s eyes wavered and looked longingly into the fire again. He sighed.
“No.” He gave a deep, frustrated groan, something most like Merry and not Pippin, but Merry said nothing. “Love blows.”
“Wha-, love, Pip?” This was not what he was expecting to come from Pippin’s lips. He expected something like the normal ‘Pearl’s picked on me again,’ but never something about love. “What do you know about love Pip?”
“Obviously not enough. ‘Stella-“
“Estella! No wonder, the thorn in your side reveals to be Estella Bulger!”
“Stop it.” Pippin gently hit Merry’s arm and he quickly stopped teasing the small hobbit. “If you know so much, then teach me. What is love teacher?”
“Love is something that’s sacred, it’s an mutual feeling between two hobbits before marriage. And you are too young to know about such an emotion. But do tell me what happened between you and Estella.”
“Well,” Pip started, hoping he wouldn’t start crying for he felt the tears prick the back of his eyes. “I thought ‘Stella and I would make it last, she had been with other hobbits and I hadn’t, but right when I thought we would get to kiss, she ran off to Frodo.”
“Ouch,” Merry whispered, sympathizing with his pain. Pippin sighed again and quickly allowed his head to drop onto Merry’s shoulder, his eyes covered in Merry’s thick, curly fringe but made comment on it. Right when Merry was about to tell a short story about his own inner turmoil and heartbreak he felt Pip put his arm around his other shoulder and his head bury deeper into his shoulder. Then, as quickly as this motion had happened, he felt his vest and shirt become wet, for Pippin was now weeping.
Pippin cried not only for his poor treatment by Estella, but for his utter confusion about love and his cousin Merry, who quickly swept his crying cousin into his lap and into a full embrace. His voice came quickly and in hushed sounds as he whispered to his cousin about better days and when the snow goes, so will his heartaches. But as Pippin lifted his head to say that his heartaches were just beginning, Merry leaned in to kiss his younger cousin.
Merry’s mouth met Pippin’s almost imperceptibly; a soft whisper of skin, the taste of Pippin’s hot breath from crying, Merry’s minty from the tea he’d had before he left to find Pippin was the only signs that contact had been achieved.
“Wow,” Pippin whispered, gently rubbing his cheek against his cousin’s neck.
“Wows right,” Merry said, leaning his head against Pippins.
“Maybe love doesn’t blow as much as I’d thought, Mer.”
“Maybe not.”
~
But that was not how this story ends, and unlike Merry’s lost and forgotten love tale, this one isn’t forgotten. As Merry sat with Legolas, the Fellowship now deep into Moria, he looked back at his cousin as he slept soundly with Frodo and Sam.
“Maybe not, Pip, maybe not.”
Everything's fine.
His finger traced a pattern on the busy rug that he sat on in the Brandy Hall library. Only Frodo went there, and that was when he was there, and no one would think to look for the youngest Took here. Pippin sighed as he lost himself in the fire; the dancing flames allowed him to think of something else than his own self-wallowing.
The snow was falling in great heaps, dusting all that surrounded Hobbiton, including Brandy Hall. It was the year of the great snow, and though none of the hobbits had ever seen anything like it, that was not what Mery and Pippin remember about this day.
Merry was trying to enjoying watching the snowfall in tendrils from the open sky. The snowflakes were the largest he had ever seen, and all of the elder hobbits commented on how they had never seen so much snow come down so quickly, but by the time they went to the window ledge they had all had a few glasses of the Old Tooks finest, so their opinion didn’t matter much in Merry’s mind. But there was something on his mind. What was on the hobbits mind was the fact that after he had arrived Pippin had quickly disappeared, even missing tea, supper and dinner. So, placing his tea down on the table he was seated at, Merry left to look for him.
Due to the fact that his mind was on other things, Pippin didn’t notice that another hobbit had walked into the library, knowing exactly that he would be able to find Pippin here. He stoke the fire, and when he saw that it led to no change in expressing on the Took, he sat down next to him and placed a warm arm around his shoulder.
Pippin jumped considerably, looking at the eyes of this, this terrible person who interrupted his reverie, only to find himself being sucked into Merry’s concerned blue eyes.
“Is everything alright there, Pip?”
Pippins bright green eyes were fogged with the inner turmoil and heartbreak he had recently suffered, but he quickly covered that up with a false smile as he shook his head.
“Oh yes, Mer. Everything’s fine.”
Merry made no move to become angry at Pippins obvious lie, but he stayed calm and open, as if knowing Pippin would confess sooner or later. He gave Pippin’s shoulder a gentle squeeze as Pippin’s eyes wavered and looked longingly into the fire again. He sighed.
“No.” He gave a deep, frustrated groan, something most like Merry and not Pippin, but Merry said nothing. “Love blows.”
“Wha-, love, Pip?” This was not what he was expecting to come from Pippin’s lips. He expected something like the normal ‘Pearl’s picked on me again,’ but never something about love. “What do you know about love Pip?”
“Obviously not enough. ‘Stella-“
“Estella! No wonder, the thorn in your side reveals to be Estella Bulger!”
“Stop it.” Pippin gently hit Merry’s arm and he quickly stopped teasing the small hobbit. “If you know so much, then teach me. What is love teacher?”
“Love is something that’s sacred, it’s an mutual feeling between two hobbits before marriage. And you are too young to know about such an emotion. But do tell me what happened between you and Estella.”
“Well,” Pip started, hoping he wouldn’t start crying for he felt the tears prick the back of his eyes. “I thought ‘Stella and I would make it last, she had been with other hobbits and I hadn’t, but right when I thought we would get to kiss, she ran off to Frodo.”
“Ouch,” Merry whispered, sympathizing with his pain. Pippin sighed again and quickly allowed his head to drop onto Merry’s shoulder, his eyes covered in Merry’s thick, curly fringe but made comment on it. Right when Merry was about to tell a short story about his own inner turmoil and heartbreak he felt Pip put his arm around his other shoulder and his head bury deeper into his shoulder. Then, as quickly as this motion had happened, he felt his vest and shirt become wet, for Pippin was now weeping.
Pippin cried not only for his poor treatment by Estella, but for his utter confusion about love and his cousin Merry, who quickly swept his crying cousin into his lap and into a full embrace. His voice came quickly and in hushed sounds as he whispered to his cousin about better days and when the snow goes, so will his heartaches. But as Pippin lifted his head to say that his heartaches were just beginning, Merry leaned in to kiss his younger cousin.
Merry’s mouth met Pippin’s almost imperceptibly; a soft whisper of skin, the taste of Pippin’s hot breath from crying, Merry’s minty from the tea he’d had before he left to find Pippin was the only signs that contact had been achieved.
“Wow,” Pippin whispered, gently rubbing his cheek against his cousin’s neck.
“Wows right,” Merry said, leaning his head against Pippins.
“Maybe love doesn’t blow as much as I’d thought, Mer.”
“Maybe not.”
~
But that was not how this story ends, and unlike Merry’s lost and forgotten love tale, this one isn’t forgotten. As Merry sat with Legolas, the Fellowship now deep into Moria, he looked back at his cousin as he slept soundly with Frodo and Sam.
“Maybe not, Pip, maybe not.”