Title:  Cakes and Cobwebs  (1/2)
Author:  MJ  (bonarbridgemj@yahoo.com)
Series:  No, just two parts!
Pairing:  Merry/Pippin
Category:  Romance
Rating:  PG  (for intimations!)
Archive:  Yes, please!
Warning:  There is an m/m relationship-to-be implied here, so if this is not your cup of tea, run away!
Summary:  A birthday party, an accident, a revelation.
Feedback:  I would love it!
Disclaimer:  These characters are the original inventon of J.R.R. Tolkien, a genius whom I have admired for years.  I have merely borrowed them for a tender adventure and will never profit monetarily from this.

Note:  This is the first Tolkien slash I have ever written.  My slash writing up till now has been exclusively TPM  (Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan - wonderful couple!). But for perhaps 30 years I've wanted Merry and Pippin to be together. It took a long time, some slash writing experience, some marvelous stills from the new movie, and most of all, this wonderful list of Amy's with such wonderful stories, which I thank Linda for telling me about!  By the way, if you haven't checked the rating, this first part contains no sex, but as soon as Part 2 finishes writing itself, well, we'll see...  <G>

****

Brandy Hall was in an uproar.  There were aunts seething in the parlours, there were great-uncles complaining  in the hallways.  And in the kitchens! Amongst all of the harried cooks and assistant cooks, where there was really no room, there were near-cousins and far-cousins, with loud voices and even louder accusations.  The fuss was very far beyond trememdous.

But despite the ruckus, the racket, and what was surely the most excitement seen in who knew how long, there were four Brandybuck connexions who forebore to join the throng hounding the hallways andcorridors of the great dwelling.
Perhaps it was because they were made of sterner stuff.  Or perhaps it was because they were quite familiar with the sorts of things that happened when Master Peregrin Took came to visit.  However it was, here they were now, deep in a lesser used wing at the back of the Hall with one very subdued young hobbit in their midst.

"I swear, you could set the candles alight without a torch, you could!" Merry had hold of Pippin's arm, hauling him along at a great clip down the dim back corridor.  Cobwebs brushed their faces and left filmy trails through their hair and down the sleeves of their party clothes.  Huffing along behind them came Freddy, Camberic and Noddy, true to the last and going a great deal without because of it.  It was certainly a mess, in more ways than one.

Gripped tightly in Merry's clutches, Pippin could hardly catch his breath.  He was a great deal out of his depth, now, and
wondering what was going to happen next.  "Oh, Merry, I didn't mean for the whole thing to tumble down the stairs, really I didn't.  Ouch!"

Merry loosened his grip, just a bit, but substituted a shake and a snort for good measure.  Ah, here was the way out.  Pulling the large brass key out of his pocket, he quickly unlocked the heavy door and pushed Pippin through, letting the cousins follow before relocking. Down a short flight of steps they trundled, only the occasional muffled sneeze to mar the relative silence of their going.  If all went according to the best of  quickly arranged plans, they would be out of the house and into the surrounding
Park before anyone was the wiser.  Freddy and Camberic intended to run interference, should it be necessary, and Noddy simply went everywhere Camberic went.

Pippin was seriously out of breath by the time they reached another door, having been hustled along five corridors, up three flights of stairs and down two, and had more than a handful of thoughts regarding the great piece of folly he'd never meant to happen.  For goodness sakes, he'd only meant... Shuffling along in the dark and the dust, he tried to catch his breath. And blot the whole horrible event from his memory.

As the last door opened onto a vista of the rambling, overgrown Park, Merry stopped.  "Freddy, you see if anyone's about.  Camberic, you check round that corner.  If we're seen leaving, we'll never hear the end of it." He glanced at Pippin as the others hurried off.  "Be still.  This won't take long."  It took only a second to realize what he'd seen in that quick
glance and grab Pippin's other arm to face him.

Pippin was shaking like a leaf and the tears streaking his cheeks had nothing to do with dust and cobwebs.  "You know I didn't mean to do it, Merry."  Oh, why did his voice have to shake!  "I thought the whole thing would be such fun, to surprise Great Aunt Fresythia and give her something special on her seventy-fifth birthday.  You know I like her, she's so much more fun than she might be." He closed his eyes, trying to banish the image of horror on her face as she stood at the bottom of the stairs.  "Merry, please!"

Merry lifted one hand to brush away the tears and his voice was gentle.  "I know you meant well.  You always *mean* well."  He had to chuckle, he couldn't help it.  "I shouldn't say so, but it *was* rather funny, in an awful sort of way.  Buck up, cousin.  We'll just give everyone time to recover and then we'll go back.  Look, here comes Freddy."

Indeed, here did come Freddy, with a grin on his face, and around the corner of the Hall came Camberic and Noddy, with even bigger grins and a thumbs up.  All clear!

"Right. Freddy, you go make the rounds in the kitchen and then head for the parlours.  Camberic, you'd better handle all the strays. Tell everyone that Master Peregrin is nowhere to be found, but you suspect that he's upset enough so that he might have gone straight home."

"But Merry,"  Freddy's expression implied that even the end of the world would hardly be enough to provoke such an outlandish endeavor.  "They know he can't walk that far before nightfall, so why...?"

"Remember, you two, we're generating sympathy for what everyone will surely realize was an accident, albeit a terrible one."  Merry shook an imperitive finger and made sure that even Noddy was looking straight at him.  "Great Aunt Fresythia is about as smart as they come.  At some point, she's going to realize that maybe one of her favorite Tooks is in far more hot water
than he deserves.  But unless most everyone else has been softened up a little, this thing could last more than a fortnight and I won't have it." He glanced at Pippin and smiled.  "A connexion is a connexion and this silly Took is a cousin and he's always welcome here, no matter what." He looked hard at all of them.  Yes, they could handle this and more. "Right. Off you go."

With a heigh-ho from Freddy, the three intrepid comrades headed at a brisk trot toward their separate missions.  And very likely, a stint among the nearest dishes and platters, no doubt still very full of an excellent birthday feast.

Merry sighed and tugged at the arm still clutched tightly in his hand. "Come on, you.  Let's be off."  They set out at a jog round
the corner of the bank and headed for the nearest copse of trees, situated at the edge of the widest part of Brandy Park.  It wasn't far but still took a good eight or ten seconds to reach and for every one of those seconds, there was the possibility of being seen from the high windows behind them. Then, with a last burst of speed, they were under the cool, green shelter of the wood, out of breath and slowing to a walk.

Pippin kept his eyes on the ground.  He didn't really want to see Merry's face just yet.  Even if they were cousins and had known each other since Pippin was a baby and did practically everything together and stood up for each other and,...  Well, he'd never figured that there might come a time when even Merry's friendship could be tested beyond endurance.
The thought was terrifying and he must have made some sort of sound, for Merry pulled him to a stop.

"Oh, Pippin, what was in your head, to set that up."  Merry's eyes were stern, but around his mouth Pippin could see the beginnings of a real smile. It made him feel a little better.

Pippin shrugged.  "You know that table Uncle Merimac invented?  The one with adjustable legs, on wheels?"  Merry nodded.  "Well, I guess I wanted everyone to see how special I think Great Aunt Fresythia is, seeing as how almost everyone likes her, or at least is afraid of her..."  They shared a quick but knowing look.  "Anyway.  I borrowed, kind of, that table, because I'd figured if I set the back legs shorter than the front, I could roll it down the Grand Staircase, cake and all.  With the best sort of pomp and todo."  His pressed his lips shut for a moment, swallowing the lump that was still sitting in his throat.  His voice was barely a whisper. "I never expected the front legs to let go, I really never did, Merry, I promise, it was supposed to be so grand..."  Cheeks flushed, he tried to pull away.

"Oh, no, my dear cousin, you're not getting out of my sight!"  Merry shook his head, but his grin was the same one Pippin had known for years.  And it warmed his heavy heart.  "Pippin, my lad, you may just be the best out of all the Tooks and Brandybucks put together.  Where would I be without you?"  He let go of Pippin and draped his arm across his shoulders, squeezing hard.  "But we still have to hide you for a while."

They were a short distance from the river now, it's voice could be heard above the rustling of the early afternoon breeze in the trees above their heads.  In unspoken agreement, they headed for a favorite spot where the bank was high and the Parkland came right up to the edge.  A small bench had been set there ages ago, when someone had apparently reached the conclusion that this spot was not only secluded, but as beautiful as any other in the Park.  They were not without the right of it.

For a while they sat, watching the river flow by, listening to the calming sounds of rushing water and contented woodland.  But Pippin couldn't forget Great Aunt Fresythia's look of horror, couldn't forget the shocked silence that followed the top over bottom tumble of the lovely cake down the very fine stairs to her carefully brushed feet.  Pressing his hands between his knees, he leaned over and closed his eyes, trying very hard to relax.

"Merry..."  Pippin felt very small and very lost amongst thoughts that would have evaded him if he'd been the impetuous young hobbit he'd been once upon a time.  "Why do you stick by me?  It seems as if every time I'm in trouble, you just pull me out and go on like nothing's happened. Since we were little and since ever after."  He sat back and looked at Merry and thought what it would mean to never count on him again.  Ever. "I'm really too old to get in trouble like this anymore and yet, here you are, rescuing me once again, looking out for me, making things right. Why do you do it?"  To his relief, his voice remained steady.  "Why didn't you just let me get trounced by the whole lot?"

Merry was silent for what seemed like a very long time and when he spoke, his voice was almost too soft to hear.  "That could have been too great a disaster even for you, Pippin.  You know how wicked some people can be, without even trying.  Just by using the worst kinds of words, at the worst kinds of times.  And everyone is very fond of Great Aunt Fresythia, to one degree
or another, and for something to happen at her birthday party and have you be the one responsible, well...  You might have been in total disgrace and not allowed to come back, for years even."  On his face was an expression Pippin had never seen before, something strange.  Like something frightening had happened and Merry didn't know quite how to cope with it.

"Pippin, I saw your face when the cake went flying down the stairs. And I saw Great Aunt Fresythia's and the ones all around her.  And something told me I had to choose."  He glanced at Pippin.  "And then, right before I grabbed you, I knew that I'd been choosing all along."  He stood up and walked to the edge of the bank, hunched his shoulders for a moment, crossing his arms.  "All along, when there was something to do, some place to go. All these years, when there were parties to plan, tricks to play.  All the times I needed someone to talk to, someone to confide in, someone who would follow me or lead me, no matter what or where...  I chose."  He turned around and his eyes were bright with unshed tears.  "I chose you."

Pippin sat and looked at the new and amazing expression on Merry's face and felt a great mystery shift inside his head.  And his heart. Funny how words spoken in just the right order could make things so clear.

"Oh, Merry.  Does it occur to you that I chose, too?  Long ago." Pippin smiled at the look on Merry's face.  "If you wanted leading or following, it was going to be me.  If you wanted listening or talking to, I was going to be right there.  Oh, cousin, what good would it have done you to choose my companionship, if I hadn't chosen you at the same time?"

Merry stared a moment, then gave a funny little laugh and ran his hands through his hair, making it stand out like a soft brown halo all round his head.  He took a deep breath, looked at the trees, the ground, anywhere but Pippin.

So Pippin waited and watched, hardly breathing.  "Merry?"  Only now, he could see a tear trailing down one of Merry's cheeks.

"Well, Master Peregrin...You see, it seems I have something I want to say and perhaps I'm afraid there is no real reason to say it.  At least, you may not want to hear it."  He broke off and brushed lightly at the salty drops along his chin, across his cheeks.  "I'm sorry, Pippin.  Perhaps we should head back now, things ought to be quieter, I expect..."

Pippin popped straight up on his feet, eyes wide with indignation.  "Back? Now?  Meriadoc Brandybuck, you are no better than sour cream!  Here I am, in heaps of trouble, hiding out with you in order to escape certain mayhem, ready to listen while you edify my errant wits and you go all dumb on me? No, my dear friend.  I shall stand here until dawn of next Tuesday until
you come clean, just see if I don't!"  And Merry looked at him, right to the center of him. With eyes full of something so big and wonderful that Pippin found it hard to breathe for a moment.  But it seemed that Merry's voice had run away somewhere.  So, it was going to be up to him, was it? Well, that was just fine.  Never say a Took wasn't up to snuff, even if he'd no idea what was going to come out of his mouth.

"You know what, Merry my lad?  I suspect you've gone daft with age. But, seeing as how you're older than me and likely soon to enter your dotage, I'll take pity on you.  So here's what I think."  Pippin realized he'd started trembling and folded his arms across his chest.  It wouldn't do to back out now.  "All this talk about choosing and you not sure if I know what you mean, that's got you, hasn't it?  Well, I say that's no good, is it?  Tell me what you mean straight out.  Or I can guess."  He was shaking harder now and Merry had the makings of a smile in his eyes.  "Tell me if you think you love me, for I intend to tell you that it can't be any more than I love you.  And not just because we're best friends either. But because I want..."  Merry was smiling now and Pippin watched the wind off the river ruffle his hair.  And with a little sigh, he clutched his arms tighter and moved to stand in front of Merry.  "Because I want to touch you and I want you to touch me and more than that. Somewhere private, that's all our own, just us."  He couldn't help the note of desperation in his voice.  "Oh, Merry.  Are those a little like the words you might have chosen?"

Merry felt a profound happiness welling up from the tips of his toes to the top of his head.  It was just like in the best old tales, happy ending and all.  "My dear Pippin.  Those are the exact, the very most exact words I would have said."  Still smiling, he let his fingers gently brush a stray curl from Pippin's cheek, then linger a moment before pulling away.  As he dropped his hand, it was clasped in a firm, warm grip and he was pulled back to the bench.

"You really think it will blow over before nightfall, Merry?  I shouldn't like to miss my supper."  Merry's sudden laughter rolled
across Pippin like a blessing and he squeezed the hand in his as tight as he could.  And he didn't intend to let it go either.

"Pippin, you great turnip, I shan't ever, ever let you out of my sight.  And yes, I predict that by nightfall, you shall not
only be forgiven, but you shall be Great Aunt Fresythia's most favorite Great Nephew of all!"

And of course, that is what happened.  Before evening had truly set in, there was a great deal of laughter throughout the Hall about the flying cake and the unpredictable, but well-liked, young Took who had apparently tried to teach it to fly.  What a story it would be for years to come!  And eventually, after several days, Great Aunt Fresythia would have perfected several versions of her own, each one better than the last.  When all was said and done, she really quite liked that silly young Took.

But meanwhile, as peace and quiet settled down within Brandy Hall, as much due to the nature of the Brandybucks as to the excellent food and the very fine wine, Merry and Pippin sat on the comfortable bench, shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand.  With the sun hanging low in the deep blue sky, with a soft breeze putting a shimmer on the autumn splendor of the trees.  Talking and laughing as they always had, although now a glance would take on new meaning, a tone of voice would herald more than previously dreamed of. And the night to come, well...  Merry perhaps knew a little more of what might happen then, but, in the long run, it was Pippin who really discovered the how, and the when, of the first kiss.
 

The End.