Disclaimer: Characters as well as places do not belong to me but to J.R. . I make no money out of this story. I just made this wicked plot :P

Enjoy, fellas.

Different. That was the only word Meriadoc Brandybuck could use to describe that lass standing besides the door.

"Who are you?" He even dared to say. Those were the only words he could pronounce, then he was totally speechless.

The time had really flown. After all the moments the two of them had been through, he thought he knew his best pal from the bottom of his furry feet to the top of those honey curls. But issues became more important to Merry, since his father's death and other problems that needed to be resolved far away from The Shire. He had been out of Buckland for more than a year, and he had not visited the Smials since the Battle of Bywater.

He had not seen Peregrin Took in a while.

Oh, he missed his voice and his green eyes so much.

But what could have changed since they last meet?, was the phrase Merry told to himself while walking over the front yard minutes ago. That was supposed to be a grateful but quick visit to the now Took and Thain, just to keep the communication with his best friend and cousin.

Keeping in touch was something he wanted to do but never had the time to make it happen. He wanted to speak privately with his cousin every day, just to shut down that voice inside his head that made him think of Pippin on his free time.

Neither a letter nor a message was led to him on those years, and that worried his thoughts. And this was the moment he was waiting for: to see his pal as always, happy but responsible.

He knocked three times, before hearing a cheerful voice from inside. And the door opened, showing a hobbit completely different to his memories.

Peregrin Took was fully dressed with bright clothes from outside the Shire. The cloth was the one used to make King Elessar's shirts and trousers. He did not use breeches anymore- he prefered long pants with a shining gold belt. He saw on his left hand a ring, made with pure gold and with a big gem on the top.

But his face was the same, no worries could be seen below his curly hair.

"What do you mean?" Pippin asked, now erasing his smile to replace it with a clearly confused face.

"Who are you and what have you done to Peregrin Took?!". He gazed his cousin from the top to the bottom, stepping two steps behind.

"Hey, cousin! Long time's passed since we've seen each other. Things have change here. C'mon, come in!". A bright and innocent smile invited him to entered the Smial. Inside, everything was quite different.

" What happened to the furniture?"

" We've changed it. It was old and untrendy. This furniture comes from Hobbiton."

The house was in silence. Pippin placed a hand on Merry's shoulder, but the touch felt distant, not as the cheerful and friendly feeling he always got. He was led to the kitchen. He took a seat, while Peregrin called some maids to make the tea.

"So, how you doing?" The Thain asked.

Merry's mouth was open, in fact. But no words came out of it. How could he tell Pippin that the changes were too big-not to mention, too expensive- and unnecessary? And how would he explain that his friend was not the same person he used to be?

"Good." His throat was going dry. "You?"

"Excellent, I couldn't ask for more. Since you left, my father died, so I became the Thain, and I come to age. I got married with Diamond of Long Cleeve. And guess what? We're looking for a kid... every night!" He punched his cousin on the arm.

He sounded so excited. But for Meriadoc, this was too much. His heart skipped a beat when he heard married and kid. On his inner mind, he always expected Pippin to stay by his side until the end of days, always sharing a smile or a compliment, or just something stupid to do.

But now, he was losing him. If he had not already lost him.

Suddenly, a wealthy-dressed woman came to the room and greeted Merry, then she placed a warm kiss in Pippin's red and wet lips. That mouth-sharing lasted too long for Merry, who could not move his gaze from that romantic scene, feeling something really disgusting growing on his stomach. Then, she parted the kiss and left the room, being followed by Peregrin's hypnotized eyes.

"She's so lovely, isn't she? She told me to clean the old furniture from here."

"If I say my opinion aloud, you will get angry", Merry said. Pippin soon gazed his friend, without understanding what that phrase supposed to mean.

"What's wrong today, Merry? You haven't said a word yet!"

He needed the hobbit who used to love simple things, who cared for the things he did instead of the things he had. Everything was different. And he could not stand it anymore. He wanted the same old Pippin!

"What's wrong with you, lad?" Merry murmured, trying not to shout of anger.

"What do you mean? I'm the same old Pippin you've always known!"

"The 'same old Pip' would never change the entire house to make it look modern and charmy!"

"The furniture was pretty old and-" but Merry did not let him finish. He faced him, fisting his hands.

"And what's up with those clothes you're wearing? You're not the King Elessar!"

"But I'm the Took and Thain and I should wear the proper clothes! I may have changed exteriorly, but I'm the same Peregrin you knew!"

Maybe that was right. Maybe he was making a fool out of himself for no reason. Things can change, Meriadoc told to himself, but in the inner mind, people are the same as always, aren't they?

But then, he remembered. No letter was sent for him, neither to his house nor to Rohan. He even did not send a guy to tell him a message. Has he forgotten me?

"No, you are not" he stammered.

"Yes, I am"

"No"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Stop that, you fool! This is not funny anymore. It seems like you forgot my existence. Why didn't you send me a letter like I did?"

Pippin waited some seconds to answer, glancing everywhere, as he was looking for something to say. "I have other responsibilities, have no time to-"

Merry shut Pippin's mouth with a shout of "For Eru's sake!". There was a mix of feelings inside him, feelings that would make him explode soon. He needed to cry, to scream, to punch that fool of a Took on the face, to hug him until his bones break into tiny pieces.

"I DO have responsibilities, too. But I always find time to send you a note." His voice changed. It was no anger anymore. He was depressed, and could not face him without losing his self- respect- grown hobbits do not cry. Meriadoc walked to the window, feeling the tears starting to blur his gaze. "You even didn't remember me at all..."

Peregrin reached his friend and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Things change all the time. I couldn't follow you for the rest of my life. Hobbits like us need to find a woman and have a child, an heir to whom you give your stuff when you die. This is more important than anything else. I have grown up, Merry. We cannot fool around anymore."

Silence. The wind crossed their heads, a single tear dropped from Merry's dark eyes. He let the wind dry it away.

"We'll still be friends?" He murmured.

"I..." the younger hobbit sighed."... no, Merry. I'm sorry. Just business partners."

Silence, again. Merry was breathing hard and biting his lower lip, doing his best not to cry in that moment. His heart broke into pieces.

What else could I lose? He thought to himself.

Quickly, he shook his own shoulder, rejecting Pippin's cold hand. Then, he turned around, facing closely his emerald eyes. He took his chin into his hands fiercely. And Merry placed a kiss on Pippin's lips.

A thousand of fireworks brighted on his closed eyes. His other senses concentrated in the lass in front of him: his nose smelled his scent of fresh morning and toasted bread; his ears heard those little gasps he gave, and his heart beating fast; his fingers felt the soft skin of the hobbit chilling; his lips savoured the taste of berries and warm chocolate. Everything was so warm, so tasty.

So... different from his imagination.

Merry left his mouth slowly, as he opened his own eyes and sliced his hands away from his chin. He found a shocked Pippin, with his eyes open widely. His mouth was slightly opened, and cheeks completely red.

"Oh my..." Pippin sighted.

Reality punched him in the face.

He walked away quietly, without saying a word, as Peregrin cleaned the saliva left on his lower lip with his thumb, locking gazes with him.

"What... have I..." he muttered clumsily.

He pushed Pippin aside, making him fell to the ground, with the surprise drew on his face, and ran through the room and out the front door.

He heard Pippin screaming his name, but the wind took those words away.

Meriadoc ran fast, still shivering, with tears blurring his eyes and his heart aching to death.

"That was quite different..." the Took murmured to himself, while watching his heart and soul ran away, until his eyes could not see him.

He never knew if he would see him again...