P.S. Since all four hobbits are roughly the same age in this fic, so it's AU.
Disclaimer: Don't own LotR, blah blah blah, but someday! plots
"MERRY!" The high pitched wail of a distressed hobbit abruptly shattered the peaceful quiet surrounding the Shire, causing a young hobbit to loose his perch in a tree and topple onto the ground, landing in a heap on top of his cousin.
"MERRY!"
"WHAT IS IT, FRODO?" Merry yelled back as he rolled off of Pippin. Upon hearing his cousin's voice, a tiny dark haired hobbit came racing through the trees, only to crash into Merry, sending them both back on top of Pippin.
"Ow, stop doing that!" Pippin wailed from under the heap of hobbit younglings.
"Sorry, Pip," Frodo apologized, helping Merry off of his now squished youngest cousin.
"What's all the fuss?" Merry inquired, dusting himself off. Suddenly remembering why he had been seeking Merry out, Frodo's face twisted into a panicked expression as he reached into his pocket.
"I think…I think I'm falling apart!"
Merry and Pippin blinked in unison. "What?"
As if revealing the most horrific thing ever known to Hobbit kind, Frodo reached into his pocket and slowly opened his hand, palm up to reveal…..a tooth.
Pippin gasped and ran forward to better examine the tooth. "Frodo, is that yours?" he asked, wide eyed.
Frodo nodded solemnly and opened his mouth to reveal a hole where one of his top front teeth should have been. Merry gave an 'ooh' of wonder and promptly stuck his finger in the hole.
"Ah!" Frodo jerked his head back, nearly tumbling over again. "What was that for?"
"I just wanted to make sure it was really there," Merry explained, sheepish. "It could have been a prank."
"Would I pull a prank about me falling apart!" Frodo screeched, back in full panic mode now. "What am I going to do? One minute, I was munching on a caramel apple and then the next, I was choking on my tooth!" As if a dark epiphany had struck him, he said, "What if I loose all of my teeth! Then I won't be able to eat anything but apple mush and pumpkin soup! I hate pumpkin soup! And what if my arms fall off, or my legs?" Frodo gasped. "What if my eyes fall out? None of my aunts will think I have adorable blue eyes anymore! What if-"
"FRODO!"
Frodo paused his tirade to look at his cousin. "Yes?"
"Why don't we just ask Uncle Bilbo why your tooth fell out?" Merry asked sensibly. This was why Frodo wanted to talk to Merry in the first place; he was quite clever for his age. Frodo was about to agree to the plan when he remembered,
"Oh no! Uncle Bilbo's on his way to Brandy Hall, remember? He won't be back till this evening."
Merry looked crestfallen at this statement. Pippin took the moment of silence to reach out and poke the tooth, earning a glare from Frodo. Suddenly, as if the Valar had decided to grant him some intelligence after all (or they were in dire need of some amusement), Pippin had an idea.
"Why don't we just stick it back in?"
Merry and Frodo opened their mouths to protest at the stupidity at this plan, but then both hobbits thought about it.
"Why not?" Merry said, "After all, maybe you aren't falling apart Frodo; maybe it's just a faulty tooth. Good idea, Pip." He paused a moment to reflect on what he had just said and may never say again. Pippin beamed, knowing he had said something right. Gazing at his tooth with new resolve, Frodo closed his small palm.
"Let's do it!" With that, the trio of hobbits turned and hurried back up the worn path towards Bag End.