Title: Choose (Part 5/6)  
Author: Elentari (elentari_elf@hotmail.com)  
Pairings: Frodo/Merry, Aragorn/Boromir
Rating: R
Summary: Merry, Pippin and Sam all have feelings for Frodo. Frodo devises a 
competition to choose one. Gimli, Boromir and Aragorn bet on the results. 
Disclaimer: I am not making any money from this. I did not invent these 
characters or their surroundings. And worst of all, I don’t own any of the 
hobbits! 
Authors Note: Feedback always welcome!


Part 5

The three hobbits were up early and assembled outside when 
Frodo emerged for breakfast. They all looked so anxious and 
eager, standing in a line. 

“Oh...you’re all here already,” Frodo said.

“Did you think we could really wait?” Sam asked 
incredulously. “Come on, Mr Frodo, please, don’t keep us in 
suspense any longer!”

“Of course,” he said compliantly. “It was a hard 
choice...Pippin, for God’s sake, if you’re going to snigger 
every time I use a double entendre...it was a difficult 
choice. All the nights had their merits. Obviously, I don’t 
know who I was...um, with on any of the nights...”

Sam rubbed the fading bruise on his neck crossly.

“Well, yes, so I know that Sam came on the second night. 
But still. I can’t say it’s influenced my decision so very 
much. Whoever came on the third night...him, I choose him!”

There was the tiniest of silences, then Merry gasped in 
realisation and stepped forwards and pulled Frodo towards 
him. Frodo wrapped his arms around the hobbit and smiled 
contentedly. He glanced at the other hobbits and was 
surprised at what he saw. Sam, though clearly downcast, 
looked as though he had expected as much. Pippin, however, 
looked absolutely wrecked. Jealousy gleamed in his eyes 
like poison spreading through a glass of water. He glared 
moodily into the distance and – was that a tear gliding 
down his pale cheek? Quickly, the young hobbit brushed it 
away and smiled uncertainly at the couple. 

Frodo was puzzled as Merry drew apart from him. He hadn’t 
realised that Pippin had been at all serious about him. 
However, all negative thoughts rushed from his mind as he 
saw the ecstasy beaming from Merry’s face. He was certain 
that he had made the right decision.

“Oh crap,” Gimli grunted, watching the hobbits from his 
window. 

He turned to a smug Aragorn.

“Alright, well done,” he snapped. 

“It was nothing,” the man said modestly. 

“I can come to your room tonight, I suppose,” Gimli said 
thoughtfully, “although I’d rather have some time to 
prepare. How are you for Wednesday?”

“WHAT?” Aragorn shrieked. Then he composed himself. “Um, 
Gimli, I’m...flattered, but – although the choice was 
obviously very, very hard – I was sort of thinking I might 
have Boromir as my prize.”

Boromir smiled.

“Oh...” said Gimli. “Well. That’s fine. Really. I...well, 
have fun.”

“We will,” Aragorn promised. “Boromir? Want to go...discuss 
things?”

“Sure!” Boromir said swiftly. “Sorry, Gimli.”

“S’alright,” Gimli mumbled as the pair left the room. 

He waited a few seconds then screamed, “But he fucking 
loves Sam! He doesn’t love you, I fucking love you!”

Then he flung himself onto his bed and wept. 

*	*	*

Frodo and Merry sat under a tree which was a little way 
away from prying eyes. Merry smiled shyly.

“I’m so glad you choose me, Frodo. I wasn’t sure if you’d 
appreciate what I did...I thought you might be angry...” he 
explained.

“Angry? Oh no, no, no! It was really the best thing you 
could have possibly done!” Frodo said firmly.

“Really?” Merry asked hopefully.

“Well, I chose you, didn’t I?” Frodo pointed out. 

“Oh...” Merry moaned and leant forwards, capturing Frodo in 
a soft kiss. 

Frodo pulled Merry closer, heightening the intensity of the 
kiss, and ran his fingers through the hobbit’s soft curls. 
Slowly, without breaking away from him, Merry carefully 
eased Frodo backwards so that they were both lying down in 
the leaves with Frodo underneath.

“Oh, Merry!” Frodo moaned when they finally parted for a 
few seconds.

“You know,” Merry said seductively, “we’re quite far from 
everyone else, and it’s a while until luncheon. Nobody will 
be missing us for a few hours yet, if you know what I 
mean...”

“You took the words right out of my mouth,” Frodo said, and 
pulled Merry back down into another long, lingering kiss.

Both of them were beginning to stiffen. Excited, Merry 
started to unbutton Frodo’s shirt, revealing his perfect 
body and dark, hard nipples. Frodo immediately shook the 
restrictive material off and helped Merry get his shirt 
off. Soon they were both naked from the waist up, except 
for the Ring around Frodo’s neck which he carefully placed 
in a pocket in his trousers. 

“I can’t believe this is finally happening,” Merry 
whispered.

“Mmm?” Frodo said, a little confused. “Last night doesn’t 
count?”

“Well...” Merry said puzzled. “Now it’s actually going to 
happen. Like I said, remember? With both of us consenting 
and wanting it to happen.”

“Oh, yes,” Frodo said absent-mindedly. He had been wanting 
it to happen last night as well, but if Merry wanted it to 
be like this, that was fine too...

Merry drew away and sat just below the buttons on Frodo’s 
trousers so their erections were only separated by a few 
thin layers of cloth. Merry was entirely mesmerised by the 
swelling at Frodo’s crotch and gently stroked it. Frodo bit 
his lip and shuddered. 

Very carefully, Merry started to undo the buttons in front 
of him. At first Frodo was nervously excited, but after a 
while he started to wish that Merry would hurry up.

“Do you need any help down there?” he asked gently.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Merry said nervously. “I’m just 
so...excited and nervous and desperate all at once!”

“It’s not like it’s the first time you’ll have seen me 
naked,” Frodo said shortly.

Merry blushed.

“I didn’t realise you knew about that,” he said quietly.

“What?” Frodo asked, absolutely mystified.

“Oh, you know...” Merry said. “In Rivendell. Just after you 
got better, I went to call you to dinner, and the door was 
slightly ajar and I looked in before I knocked and you were 
in the process of changing. You looked amazing, really you 
did. I was already in love with you then, and I was 
captivated. After you had finished, I waited a few seconds 
before knocking...I never guessed that you had known I was 
there!”

There was a delicate pause. Frodo sat up.

“Ah, well, actually I didn’t,” he said carefully. “Amazing, 
you say?”

“Um, yes, but...then, if you didn’t know about that, then 
when did you think I’d seen you naked?” Merry asked.

“Last night, of course!” Frodo said, exasperated.

“But you had all your clothes on last night!” Merry 
insisted. “I came in, you were fully clothed, I kissed you, 
then realised I couldn’t go through with it and left!”

“And THEN you came back in and gave me the best shag I’ve 
ever had!” Frodo continued.

“WHAT?” Merry cried. “No, I never did that, Frodo, never! I 
left, even though it killed me, and just hoped that you’d 
be interested enough to choose me anyway!”

“You mean, you never came back into the room?” Frodo asked 
quietly.

“N-no,” Merry stammered.

“Then who the fuck was it?” Frodo demanded.

“I don’t know! I don’t know!” Merry said desperately.

Frodo held his head in his hands.

“I’m sorry, Merry, I must have made a mistake,” he said 
softly.

“You mean...?” Merry asked, horrific realisation dawning.

“I can’t go through with this now,” Frodo said firmly.

“But...but...” Merry started.

“I’m sorry,” Frodo said.

He got up and grabbed his shirt. He looked at Merry, 
sitting on the ground, looking desperately miserable. He 
brushed his fingers against the hobbit’s cheek. Merry 
didn’t look up. Frodo bit his lip in regret and guilt and 
slowly walked away from him.

*	*	*

“WHAT?”

Aragorn looked up.

“Why...are you stopping...don’t stop...” Boromir gasped.

“Some sort of...confrontation...between the hobbits,” 
Aragorn said, much more in control of himself than Boromir.

“Nnh,” Boromir groaned. “Harder.”

Aragorn turned back to the job in hand. He pushed deeper 
into Boromir, making both of them gasp.

“Oh, yes, that’s right!” Boromir cried.

Aragorn brought his hand round and softly stroked Boromir’s 
erection. Boromir gasped and grabbed Aragorn’s hand, 
guiding it over the hardness so it pleasured him most 
effectively. Aragorn continued to thrust himself into 
Boromir.

“Oh...oh S-Strider...” Boromir moaned.

For a second, Aragorn stopped his movements, but then just 
smiled and continued. Boromir was too delirious to notice.

*	*	*

“Pipeweed?” Aragorn offered.

“No thanks, I don’t,” Boromir said. He was still getting 
his breath back, and was radiant with post-sex 
satisfaction.

“Suit yourself,” Aragorn said, and lit his pipe.

There was a slightly uncomfortable pause.

“You never call me Strider,” Aragorn said suddenly.

“What?” Boromir said.

“You. Never. Call. Me. Strider,” Aragorn said slowly. “The 
hobbits do sometimes, as it was the first name they got 
from me, and Gimli did once,” - here he shuddered at the 
memory – “but you? Never.”

“What’s your point? Would you rather be called Strider?” 
Boromir asked.

“No, no, it’s not that, call me whichever of my names you’d 
rather, Eru knows I’ve got enough. It’s just, you have 
never called me by the name of Strider, right?” Aragorn 
said.

“Ri-ight,” Boromir agreed uncertainly.

“And yet, just now, when we were...you know...”

“Yes, yes,” Boromir said quickly.

“Suddenly, you called my Strider,” Aragorn finished.

“Well, there’s nothing wrong with that? Probably just a 
deep down longing of mine that’s lain unhidden for all 
these weeks,” Boromir said curtly.

“I think there’s a reason why you used that name,” Aragorn 
persisted. “I think you were going to say somebody else’s 
name but you suddenly realised that it wasn’t really 
advisable in the situation, so you covered it up by using a 
name that began with the same letter of the one you had 
started.”

Boromir stayed silent.

“You couldn’t possibly have a thing for darling Samwise, 
could you?” Aragorn asked.

“Damn you!” Boromir hissed. “Nobody was supposed to know! 
Son of the Steward of Gondor...fancying a hobbit! And not 
just any hobbit – a piddling, low-down gardener of a hobbit 
who wants to get into the Ringbearer’s pants!”

“Calm down!” Aragorn laughed. “I won’t tell him, or anybody 
else! We certainly do have a lot of sexual frustration 
going on in this fellowship, don’t we? You fancy Sam, he 
fancies Frodo, as do Merry and Pippin, Frodo apparently 
fancies Merry...”

“Gimli fancies you,” Boromir cut in.

“What?” Aragorn asked, amazed.

“Oh, yes,” Boromir said carelessly. “Hadn’t you realised?”

“Well, I had noticed an uncomfortable attraction. But no. 
You’re mistaken. He just wants to have sex with me – and 
after experiencing that, I’m sure you’d agree that anybody 
would!” Aragorn said smugly.

“Conceited git,” Boromir said playfully. “Well, you’re 
probably right. I’ve never met a dwarf who actually loved 
anyone else.”

*	*	*

In his room, Gimli was still crying.

*	*	*

“Merry?” 

“Go ‘way,” a muffled voice said from behind the closed 
door.

Pippin ignored this command and entered Merry’s room, 
shutting the door behind him.

Merry didn’t look up.

“I told you to go away,” he mumbled angrily.

“I know you did. But you can’t just sit here forever,” 
Pippin said, sitting next to Merry.

“Yes, I can. It’s not fair! I would have done anything for 
him,” Merry said in despair.

They sat in silence for a while.

“Something else. There’s always something else between me 
and the person I love,” Merry sighed.

Pippin nodded, understanding more than Merry guessed.

“Do you know what happened, Pip? I’ll tell you what 
happened,” Merry said heatedly. “When I went to his room 
last night, I didn’t do anything with him. Nothing. I 
didn’t feel right. I said I wanted a real relationship. 
Once I left, I was so sure I’d done the wrong thing, that 
he’d never choose me, but he did. Do you know why? Because 
after I left, somebody else went into the room and had sex 
with him. That’s why he chose me – because somebody else 
was good in bed.”

“You didn’t do anything with him?”

Merry glared at the floor.

“Sorry. But he doesn’t know who?” Pippin asked.

“No, I don’t think so. So now he’s alone, and I’m alone,” 
Merry sighed.

“But you don’t have to be,” Pippin said quietly.

Merry looked up for the first time since Pippin had entered 
the room.

“I must have loved you forever, Meriadoc. I just hid it 
inside me, so even I eventually managed to keep it out of 
my mind, stop myself blurting it out. Then we came out here 
and you fell in love with Frodo. So did I – or I thought I 
did. Now I think I was just trying to copy you. Then, that 
night – the night Sam was with Frodo – you came to my door, 
lonely, and suddenly years of pent-up love came to the 
surface. I didn’t tell you I loved you then, but I’m 
telling you now. I know it’s a bad time, that there 
probably couldn’t be a worse time, but I needed to tell 
you. I hated Frodo when he chose you, hated him worse than 
anything. I...I’m sorry,” Pippin explained miserably.

“Sorry?” Merry asked.

“Yes,” Pippin said, getting up and going to the door, 
opening it. “Sorry for not being able to carry that burden 
any more, and leaving you to carry it when you need it 
least.”

“Shut that door, Peregrin Took,” Merry said, standing up 
and going over to Pippin.

Pippin froze, his hand still on the door handle. Merry 
gently closed the door and led Pippin back to the bed.

“Sorry? Oh, Pippin, if you’d known how often I’d wished 
that you would say that you loved me. Has there been a time 
when I haven’t loved you? I doubt it. But we were cousins, 
and you were so perfect and happy with all the lasses 
around you – I didn’t stand a chance. Then when we came on 
this quest, I saw Frodo, and for the first time I was split 
– I loved you more than anything, but I knew I couldn’t 
have you. I needed somebody else to love, somebody who I 
could actually have. I’d never really looked at Frodo 
before, and he was beautiful – not as beautiful as you, but 
still enough to satisfy my desperate thirst. I meant to 
tell him alone, to try and see if anything could come of 
it, but Sam told me of his love for Frodo, and of course we 
all ended up telling him at once. That wasn’t supposed to 
happen. It was too quick, so unromantic – and then that 
competition. At first, I was just happy that something 
would happen. Then I became depressed – horribly depressed, 
knowing that I’d be betraying you and hardly having a 
relationship with Frodo at all. That night I came to you, I 
had finally broken. I wasn’t going to show you that I loved 
you, but I was going to have you. I didn’t care if I hurt 
you, but you were welcoming enough. I just thought you were 
lonely...you would have taken anyone...” Merry said.

Pippin shook his head, not believing what was happening.

“Then when Frodo chose me,” Merry continued, “I was so 
surprised, and I knew I had to forget about you. The night 
had just been a bit of fun for you – I was sure you were 
embarrassed about it. So I just put my whole soul into 
loving Frodo and trying to forget you. And then he rejected 
me. He rejected my whole soul. Anybody would have been 
depressed. I was devastated. Now I had ruined my chances 
with both the hobbits I had ever loved. And now you come 
here...tell me you love me...it can’t be true. Nothing good 
has happened to me so far in my life. Why should something 
so perfect happen now?”

“But it has happened!” Pippin said excitedly. “If all you 
just said is true, then everything in my life has become 
wonderful! Oh Merry, say you’re not lying, you’re not just 
trying to comfort me! I’ll die if you leave me now!”

“Of course I’m not lying! My dear Pippin...” Merry said, 
suddenly overwhelmed.

“I love you, Merry,” Pippin said quietly.

“I love you too! Oh, Pip, I love you more than anything!” 
Merry promised.

They fell into each other’s arms, both more happy than 
they’d ever been. 
 

~ ~ ~ ELENTARI ~ ~ ~