Title: The Way It Was
Author: AndreaLyn
Author's Email: AndreaLyn333@yahoo.com
Pairings: Merry/Pippin
Rating: R
Summary: Pippin wants to go back to the way it was.

Night had crept around again when Pippin snuck into
Merry’s room – his feet quick and light as the
feathers of an eagle – with an ornate jar held tightly
to his chest. It pressed hard against the white tree
of Gondor on the tunic he had yet to remove. His
breath caught in his throat when Merry gave a snort of
snoring accompanied by content murmurs in his sleep.

Pippin exhaled when he was not caught. 

This was one of the first days in which Merry hadn’t
complained about the inability to use his arm, and
there had been actual shining hope as Pippin had
grasped his hand and they had shared their stories
about what they would do when arriving back at the
Shire. Pippin had looked away when Merry brought up
the time behind the Green Dragon when the fireflies
were out at night, and Pippin had stolen a kiss. Just
one. 

Pippin had kissed Merry’s palm, and had urged him to
sleep. When Merry had protested (using the sun as an
excuse, being it midday it was a foolish protest in
Pippin’s opinion), Pippin had merely whispered about
hobbits needing their rest to be alert for more active
activities during the night. Merry’s eyes had
flickered with a mixture of soft knowing and mischief.

“Rest,” Pippin had ordered with a gentle note seeping
into his voice. He closed the door on his way out, and
went about searching for exactly what he needed. It
might have been in poor taste to make mention of it to
poor Faramir. Other matters were clogging his mind
though. He had crawled onto the Captain’s bed, and
made a few broaching questions to the approach,
sounding sympathy here and there.

If Lady Eowyn’s presence at his bedside were any
indication though, Faramir had all the sympathy he
needed. Finally, Pippin knew where to look, and then
it was only a matter of time. 

“Mer-ry,” Pippin whispered in a singsong voice when he
had positioned himself nicely atop the bed so that his
chest was pressing to Merry’s warm back. Merry gave a
tiny whimper and shifts backwards so that there is no
space between their bodies. Pippin feels his skin
jump, and other parts of him come to life. “Mer-ry,
wake up!”

Merry murmured something that sounded vaguely akin to:
“Five minutes, Pip, I swear.”

Pippin gave his good shoulder a shake, and pressed a
quick kiss to Merry’s ear. There was more mumbling and
shifting about until Merry was facing Pippin, and his
eyes were fluttering open. Merry’s face was touched
with a smile when he fully opened his eyes.

“What time is it, Pip?” Merry asked groggily.

“Time to make things like they were,” Pippin
whispered, and it sounded near-desperate circling
about in the air. “We have to go back, Merry,” Pippin
went on, his voice rising with every word. He attached
his nails to the cuff of Merry’s sleeping shirt, and
pleaded with passionate eyes. He gave a smile that was
both eager and needing at the same time. “If only
this.”

“Pippin,” Merry reciprocated with a soft word as he
brushed away a curl from Pippin’s forehead. Pippin
closed his eyes at the touch, and exhaled slowly.

“Please.” The word came with Pippin’s breath, and it
was broken in two (just like Boromir’s horn; Pippin
had told Merry all about seeing Denethor clasp the
broken horn in his hands and how it had felt like
Boromir dying all over again). Merry held him tightly
as he pressed a kiss to Pippin’s temple, and moved
lower and placed a kiss just above the ‘V’ of Pippin’s
sleeping shirt. 

“We can try,” Merry whispered to Pippin, as his hands
snuck under Pippin’s shirt and ran flatly up his
chest. He looked Pippin in the eyes and they were both
frozen in the heavy implications that ran deep within
that look. “But we can’t make promises.”

“Okay,” Pippin quickly agreed. “Yes, of course, but
just…this Merry, please,” Pippin begged in a quiet and
urgent tone. His hands reached out to grasp the vase
he had brought in with him. “I even…I have the…”

“What is that?” Merry gently asked, coaxing it out
with kindness.

“It’s oil,” Pippin responded with the shadow of a
mischievous smirk as his cheeks went a bit flushed.
“It’s for…” His voice trailed off, because both of
them knew exactly what it was for. Merry gave a wide
grin and kissed the sheepish expression on Pippin’s
face right off.

“You always had a way of thinking about the important
things,” Merry commented; one finger trailing down the
side of Pippin’s face. Pippin gave a wide smile at
this comment and leaned into Merry’s touch. Merry
carefully pulled down Pippin’s breeches, and
maneuvered him to a proper position with his hands
gently on Pippin’s hips. 

“No,” Pippin murmured in protest, turning around. “I
want to see you. We’ve gone too long without seeing
each other.”

Merry looked at Pippin with something akin to wonder
growing on his face, and he caressed the side of his
face one more time while a smile slowly grew on his
face. He kissed Pippin’s forehead, and then pressed a
kiss against Pippin’s lips slowly and softly. 

“Pippin.” He exhaled slowly. “I won’t leave you.”

“I want to see you,” Pippin reiterated, almost
petulantly, a pleading wheedle to his voice. Merry
caressed his face once more and gave the hint of a
smile. “Merry, please?”

“Gently, Pip,” Merry agreed quietly. Pippin’s eyes lit
up with delight and hope flickered over his face like
a dwindling candle. “Of course you’ll see me. We’ve
not come this far just so we can grow further apart.” 

“Of course,” Pippin agreed, parroting Merry’s words as
his hands slipped beneath the dressing robe, and
lightly let his fingers taper over Merry’s skin –
cooler than it should be at the touch. “Yes, of
course.” He shook his head vehemently. “We must see
the Shire, Merry. You promised me that. We must see it
again. Together,” he exhaled the word. 

“But until then, we have this,” Merry whispered into
Pippin’s ear as he took the vase from Pippin’s tight
clutches. “We have tonight.”

“And you have me,” Pippin interrupted with whispered
enthusiasm. 

“And I have you,” Merry added calmly

He gently pushed down Pippin’s breeches and kissed him
softly on the lips, coaxing a tiny moan from the
depths of Pippin’s throat. Merry closed his eyes and
imagined the pink of Pippin’s lips pushing back
against him as he tried to draw some of the warmth
from Pippin’s kiss deep into him, to combat the cold
darkness that had taken over so recently. 

He kissed Pippin more insistently, fingers quickly
tugging the breeches past their knees. Merry placed
his hands slowly around Pippin’s hips, resting there
comfortably while he placed the kisses down Pippin’s
neck, tongue flicking out slowly and lightly to dab
over his neck. The faintest taste of berries lingered
there for Merry to find. 

He brushed his thumbs against Pippin’s warm skin,
pressing quick and light kisses down Pippin’s neck,
listening to the cries of near joy that Pippin was
giving out. Loud enough to show how much Merry was
affecting him, but not too loud to be caught. Merry
laved his fingers in the cool oil, pushing gently
inside of Pippin, and going by the sharp and tiny
gasps Pippin was giving. 

“Does that hurt, Pip?” Merry whispered, easing away.
Pippin shook his head vehemently, swallowing as he
did.

“Keep going,” he urged, and thrust his hips up in
encouragement. “Please don’t stop, Merry. Don’t,” he
commanded, pleading want hidden deep in his words.

Merry shivered at the sound of Pippin’s voice in his
ear, and pushed his fingers in a little deeper, as
gentle as ever. Pippin gasped right in Merry’s ear
before giving a low, keening moan, mixed with Merry’s
name and the short, sharp sounds of, “oh, oh, Merry!”
from his lips. Pippin’s hands were soft and slowly
glided under Merry’s dressing robe, tugging it off
with drooping eyelids, and heavy exhalations. 

Carefully, Merry shifted between Pippin’s legs,
coaxing them up. Pippin did so with a shadow of a grin
on his face, curling his toes as he wrapped his legs
around Merry’s back, flattening his back against the
bed. Merry rested his hands lightly on Pippin’s hips,
splaying his fingers as he closed his eyes and pushed
inside of Pippin, welcomed with a surge of heat. 

Pippin gasped and bucked a little, his hips surging
forward as Merry pushed in deeper, the both of them in
deep silence, interrupted only by their quickened
breathing. Pippin’s exhalations began to shake as
Merry pushed in deeper, just as slow as before and his
cries escaped into the air – some high, some broken,
and others continuous and steady – when Merry
increased the pace a little. 

“Merry, never leave me,” Pippin gasped out
desperately, grasping the linen of the bed in clutched
fists. “Please,” he begged brokenly into Merry’s ear,
his whisper coming out hoarse and deceivingly loud. 

“I won’t,” Merry swore, closing his eyes tightly as he
pushed deeper into Pippin. “I swear, Pip.”

Merry cried out Pippin’s name, and as he did, Pippin
came. He arched his back, and inhaled sharply, calling
out Merry’s name and clinging to it desperately,
whispering it over and over as he slowly flattened his
back out on the bed again, hips finally reaching a
still state. Merry came soon after, more silent than
Pippin could ever be and relaxed beside him, lightly
touching at Pippin’s sticky belly and giving a wide
smile. 

“Things will never be the same,” Merry murmured
quietly, finding his robe and slipping into it slowly,
one arm lightly dangled over Pippin’s body. 

“This will do,” Pippin whispered back, kissing Merry’s
temple. 

THE END