Title: Troll island

Author: Roz

Rating: PG-13

Paring: M/P implied M/F, F/S

Category: cuteness, humour (sort of), romance

Summery: Pippin believes in fairytales and takes Merry with him on a roundabout trail to find an elf princess, on the way the two find something allot more interesting.

Disclaimer: not mine, wish they where but the belong to each other that guy who wrote those books, you know, he was really famous, a professor in some university.

*********************************************************

"What you doing Pip?" Merry asked.

The little Took he was addressing had half disappeared inside a big wooden toy chest, he appeared moments later slapping a feathered cap on to his head and grinning broadly.

"I'm going on a quest" Pippin stated proudly.

"To where?"

"Troll Island"

Merry choked back laughter as he saw Pippin's serious face, he really believed in the legend.

It had been Merry's fault really, Pippin had asked for a story and Merry was all out of elves and battles: at least until his next trip to Frodo's and Pippin wouldn't sleep without a bedtime story.

So Merry had told him about an Island in the middle of the Brandywine upon which Trolls lived hiding a great treasure.

Pippin had then of course asked what the treasure was and Merry had rattled off something about an Elf princess captured against her own will and forced to marry the troll prince if her true love did not rescue her.

Pippin had listened to him in wide-eyed amazement and utter rapture till the wee hours of the morning when he had fallen asleep at Merry side and his elder cousin had kissed his brow and tucked him into bed.

"Pip, why?" Merry finally asked.

"I'm going to save the princess" Pippin nodded determinedly "and then she'll love me and we can go see the elves that Sam and Frodo like so much"

Merry felt his heart tighten at Pippin's words: maybe because he didn't want Pippin hurt from realising he was running of to rescue something unreal.

Or maybe because Merry didn't want him to love a story because Merry was selfish and would like to keep Pippin's love to himself because Merry was in love with.....

he quitted his mind and decided that the least he could do would be to help Pippin on his quest....mission...thing. (I couldn't help it!!!!)

"Then you'll need me" he told Pippin snatching the cap from Pippin's head and fitting it onto his own "only I know the way"

Pippin looked up at him in adoration and Merry felt that fluttering in his heart again.

"Will you really take me to Troll Island Merry? Oh thank you! You're my most favourite cousin ever" he hugged Merry tightly.

"You say that till Frodo comes round and then its all 'isn't Frodo wonderful Merry' or 'I do hope Frodo will come on our Picnic Merry'" Pippin looked up surprised by Merry's jealous tone, but Merry was smiling at him, the pheasants feather on the cap falling in his face.

Pippin reached up and pulled out the feather.

"Its only going to get in the way" he said logically, Merry laughed and took his hand.

"Better get going"

"But what about previsions? The princess could get hungry" Pippin protested, his stomach grumbling.

"The only way that princess will be hungry is if her name is Peregrin Took" Merry said cuffing Pippin gently on the side of the head "you only just had second breakfast"

"But what about Elevenses?" Pippin griped.

******************************

Merry cursed Pippin's name under his breath; he was scratched all over, had fallen in mud and had a tree branch hit him full in the face.

"Come on Merry I think I can see the Island" Pippin chirped from up ahead.

"You said that last time and that's when the tree branch hit me, remember?" Merry asked rhetorically, struggling to detangle himself from a bush.

"But it has a bridge and everything!" Pippin scampered off leaving Merry to free the provision's pack and lope along after him.

"If you've lead me on another wild goose chase Pippin so help me....." Merry's muttering trailed off as he looked around him in astonishment.

In the middle of the trail of the Brandywine they had been following there was indeed an Island, with a small black crumbling tower standing in the middle, all around the tower where what looked to be broken wall.

Pippin was standing on an old wooden bridge that swayed from side to side and waving at him.

"Look! Told you I'd found it"

Merry waved back and followed Pippin's trail to the start of the bridge.

It was only then he saw how rotten the wood was.

"Pip, careful" he warned taking a wary step on to the bridge, it lurched and Pippin gasped then giggled.

"Come on Merry" he beckoned, then turned and skipped over to the sure line of the island, Merry took a deep breath, closed his eyes and felt his way across the bridge, cursing an over active imagination for what he might find if he fell into the water.

As he was imagining a long, slime-dripping tentacle reaching out to grab him he caught Pippin's hand and jumped.

"Silly" Pippin chided him, "your here on the other side now, you can open your eyes"

Merry did slowly and a shy smile spread across his face as he looked around.

He decided he's never been more happy to be on solid ground.

"Shall we eat now or when we find the princess?" Pippin inquired, already spreading the picnic rung on the ground.

"Now, when we find the princess we'll have to move very fast so the trolls don't catch us" Merry shook his head, he was starting to sound like Pippin, actually believing in a fairy tale.

Pippin was grinning at him as he unpacked the food and laying it out on the blanket.

"Let me" Merry mumbled, taking the previsions pack from Pip and laying out the remaining food, Pippin grabbed a cream cake (slightly squashed) and bit into it, the cream squirted out and Pippin fumbled to finish his cake and clean up.

Merry laughed and lent over to whip away the cream at the corner of Pippin's mouth, then quite unintentionally he licked it away.

Pippin gaped at him open mouthed.

"What? We're cousins, cousins are affectionate" Merry said defensively, but not normally that affectionate he reminded himself but Pippin was already tucking into a piece of pie.

They ate the rest of the meal silently and with no more lapses of mind from Merry, who found he could not watch Pippin eat sausages.

Finally Pippin began to clean up the plates and blanket, putting them back inside the pack before shouldering it.

"We should get going" he said nervously.

Merry nodded half-heartedly and walked behind Pippin who fidgeted and checked over his shoulder every now and then.

Not wanting to frighten Pippin more than he already had Merry looked away taking in the scenery of the Island.

"A kissing seat!"

"What?" Pippin turned around pale and Merry realised kissing was probably the last thing Pippin would like to think of after the picnic.

"Its just this silly thing Frodo showed me, its not important"

"No, show me, I want to know" Pippin pressed coming closer to Merry in his curiosity, seeing this Merry took Pippin's hand and lead him over to the strange looking tree stumps.

"Look Pip, this is where someone plated two trees close together and then when they grow cut them down"

"I can see that" Pippin scoffed.

"No, no it magic see, if you bring a love to this spot its supposed to be romantic and you each sit on one of the stumps and kiss"

"You can sit on any old stump and kiss what makes this so special"

"Look" Merry pushed Pippin down on the nearest stump and then sat on the other one facing away from him.

"We can't kiss like this" Pippin giggled and Merry felt again that familiar flutter inside of him.

"Yes we can because then you lean back" they both lent back till they where face to face "and then you lean over and kiss........."

whatever else Merry was going to say was swallowed up as Pippin's soft lips captured his, Merry gripped on to his cousin shoulders wondering what Pippin thought he was doing, probably just caught up in the moment.

Merry returned the kiss deciding he could always blame it on the moment as well.

Pippin drove him crazy, his touch tentative and promising, the smell of him so desirable and the taste of him like their picnic and a sweetness that was purely Pippin.

They finally broke away gasping from breath, Pippin wide-eyed and smiling, Merry fumbling for words and grinning.

"Pip....I...um...you and..." Pippin looked at him expectantly and Merry found he could hardly breath let alone form a sentence.

Pippin leant in again, putting his hand behind Merry's head, soft warm breath caressing Merry's lips as he spoke.

"I've been waiting for you to kiss me since the picnic, I couldn't careless about some elf princess. She's not my true love Merry you are"

And then he kissed Merry again, but this time Merry was ready and he pulled Pippin across from his stump and into his lap, running his tongue along the seam of Pippin's lips seeking entrance which Pippin gladly gave, grinding their hips together.

Pippin's hands where running down between them and undoing the buttons on Merry's shirt before Merry regarded his self-control.

"No Pip! No" he whispered, taking in deep shuddering breath to control himself.

Pippin pouted and Merry wanted nothing more than to kiss that pout away but he clenched his fists and looked away.

"Merry? Please!" Pippin begged, kissing Merry's cheek and cupping his face between his hands and making Merry look at him.

"We cannot Pip.....I cannot"

Pippin's eyes began to fill with tears and he climbed of Merry and stood a little way away glaring at him through his tears.

"Its Frodo isn't it?" he asked softly.

"What?" Merry asked, of all the things he'd expected to hear that was not one.

"You said Frodo showed you that kissing seat thing, then Frodo must have kissed you and your with Frodo and I'm an fool" Pippin buried his head in his hands and wept.

"No! no love" Merry leapt up from his stump and ran to Pippin's side, embracing him and kissing away his tears "I'm not with Frodo, he didn't kiss me and I didn't kiss him, I only kissed you"

"Really? I was your first kiss?" Pippin brightened.

"First lad I ever kisses yes" Merry clarified, Pippin smiled tearfully and wrapped his arms around Merry's neck, kissing him chastely.

"Then why wouldn't you" Pippin blushed and then giggled "you know with me"

"Because you still call love making you know" Merry teased, tickling Pippin's sides.

"Alright, why won't you make love with me?" Pippin asked, Merry sighed and tousled his hair.

"You're still little"

"I'm always going to be little compared to you" Pippin argued.

"Not if you carry on eating the way you do"

"Oi!" Pippin pretended to be offended and Merry kissed him quickly.

"Pippin, my darling. I don't even know how to males are supposed to make love to each other and then your not even of age"

"Neither are you" Pippin pointed out practically.

"I'm old enough to date lasses, and bed them if I chose"

"I'm almost" Pippin realised he was losing the argument and cuddled into Merry "but I really, really want to bed you"

Merry smiled happily.

"And I want to bed you but I don't know how and I don't want to hurt you"

"So ask someone how you bed a lad" Pippin kissed his neck and chin, distracting Merry from rational thought.

"I could ask Frodo" Merry pondered and felt Pippin tense slightly "I heard he's taken up with Sam"

"And you're not jealous?"

"Not at all, I was much more jealous of you and your elf princess"

"Well she's not real, but Frodo is" Pippin sounded worried and his arms tightened around Merry's neck.

"And I love you, may I breath please"

"Oh Merry!" Pippin kissed him again, long and hard, hand's knocking the cap from Merry's head and twisting into his hair.

Merry broke the kiss gasping for air and Pippin smiled proudly.

"I love you too" he smirked.

"I should hope so" Merry said softly, running his finger tips over the face of his beloved cousin, tracing the contours of that familiar face suddenly made new to him.

"Now what?" Pippin asked.

"I ask Frodo about the way males make love to each other, and we wait till your old enough"

"I can live with that" Pippin agreed, and then squinted up at the tower "you know what Merry? I think want to go home now"

"Me too, maybe I'll tell you another story"

"Or maybe you could just give me a good night kiss, or two"

**************************

Up in her tower the elf princess swore and pulled a knot out of her long, matted blond hair.

This time she thought for sure that she was going to be saved, that little hobbit was so cute she'd have gladly taken him to the elf kingdoms....hell she'd gladly take a dwarf to the elf kingdoms if he gave her a hairbrush.

And why was it all the ones who came to save her always turned out to be gay!.