13.) Cohabitation - written by Kel

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Merry warns Pippin about the "cohabitation" rule.

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THIS STORY CONTAINS BOY-BOY KISSING/MAKING OUT AND MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE FOR ALL READERS!

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The music swelled, as the brass and woodwinds crescendoed into a majestic fanfare. The members of the orchestra seemed to breathe together as one, their pulses synching with the driving cadence of the tympani. Pippin tucked his violin beneath his chin and raised the bow, giving a slight nod to the conductor before launching into his solo. Behind him, the violins and celli harmonized in counterpoint, following his frantic pace with ease.

Pippin blinked at the drops of sweat running into his eyes, and licked his lips in concentration. He remembered the day he first started learning this piece - how he couldn't make his fingers move deftly enough or stretch far enough to play the rapid, jumping melody. More than once, he had nearly thrown his violin down in frustration. Now, the muscles and tendons in his hands moved automatically to the correct positions, as if by their own will. He smiled to himself, feeling the usual swell of pride and wonder that this music was coming from HIM. He had been just as surprised as everyone else to discover that clumsy, foolish Peregrin Took had something beautiful to share with the world.

He almost forgot to breathe when the full orchestra came back in with a flourish, bringing the concerto's first movement to a powerful finish. After a moment of thick, tense silence, the conductor raised his baton to begin the second movement. Pippin allowed himself a quick glance into the audience as the orchestra played the sweet, lyrical introductory measures. He easily spotted his parents, sisters, and extended family, occupying the entire front row of the crowded auditorium. Pippin's mother, ever the sentimentalist, clutched her husband's hand, unshed tears welling in her smiling eyes. Behind them sat Frodo, who briefly scribbled something in his journal, and Sam, who sat open-mouthed, seemingly mesmerized by the beauty of the music. Next to Sam sat Merry, smiling proudly. Pippin took a deep breath and raised his bow, shooting another quick glance to his loved ones before drawing it across the strings...

"Pippin! Hoy, Pippin!"

The music grew distant, and the ambient sounds of East Farthing Hall filled his ears.

Pippin's eyes snapped open. Merry sat cross-legged on his desk, holding Pippin's headphones in his hand, his grey eyes twinkling with mirth.

"You were doing it again, Pip."

Pippin felt his face grow hot as he blushed crimson. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Merry laughed. "Don't play dumb. I saw you. You were even pantomiming the finger positions this time!"

"How long have you been sitting there?"

"Not too long," Merry said dismissively. He held one of the headphone pads to his ear. "Which piece is this?"

"Hornblower's Violin Concerto in G," he admitted bashfully.

"Huh," he listened for a moment, before handing the headphones back to Pippin. "It's pretty. You gonna play it for real, or are performances exclusive to our dorm room?" he teased.

Pippin stowed his CD player in his desk drawer and sighed wistfully. "I WISH I could play it."

"What's stopping you? You certainly looked like you knew what you were doing." Merry picked up a stack of music paper from the desk and paged through the sheets curiously.

"I'm not good enough," Pippin groaned in frustration, gesturing to the pages of music in Merry's hands. "I've been practicing this piece for weeks, and I'm not making any progress at all!"

"You'll learn it," Merry offered cheerfully. "You've played lots of tough pieces before."

"Not like this," Pippin whined. "The Hornblower concerto is IMPOSSIBLE. I need extra fingers to play it!"

"Pip, you're talented." Merry set the music back on the desk. "You just need to give it more time and practice. You'll learn it. I know you will. Someday you'll play that concerto for real..." he paused for a moment, gazing at Pippin admiringly, "...because you're brilliant."

"Brilliant?" Pippin grinned broadly at the compliment. No one ever used the word 'brilliant' to describe Pippin, unless they were marveling at his seemingly supernatural propensity for getting into trouble. "Really?"

Merry nodded. "You have an extraordinary gift, Pippin. Whenever I hear you play, I wonder if it's true, what people say," he smiled dreamily, "I think, maybe the Tooks really do have fairy blood. Nothing that beautiful can come from an ordinary hobbit."

Pippin chuckled. No matter how vehemently Merry denied it, he truly was a hopeless romantic at heart. Pippin placed his hands on the desk on either side of Merry, and leaned in close, his face inches away from Merry's.

"Flattery will get you everywhere," he smiled.

"Is that so?" Merry asked, his mouth twisting in a predatory smirk. "I'd like to test that theory."

"Uh oh," Pippin laughed.

"In addition to being an amazingly talented violin player, you also have the most incredibly sexy voice I have ever heard. It was all I could do to keep myself from throwing you down and ravaging you on the spot when you said 'hello' to me in the cafeteria earlier today." He set his hands lightly on Pippin's hips.

Pippin blinked and leaned back a bit. "Hello?"

"Mmm, yes. Like that," Merry purred, leaning into Pippin until their noses touched. "Now say 'breakfast'."

Pippin raised a quizzical eyebrow.

"Go on," Merry encouraged. His hands found their way beneath the hem of Pippin's shirt, fingers drifting over where warm skin met denim waistline.

"Uh...breakfast?" Pippin said, unsure of whether Merry was serious or just teasing him. Not that he minded, when Merry started kissing his neck like that! Pippin closed his eyes and focused on the way Merry's body felt pressed against his, Merry's hands sliding around his waist, Merry's mouth hot against the skin of his neck. He sighed contentedly.

Pippin immediately opened his eyes when Merry pulled away, laughing mischievously. "Am I there yet? Or do I need to flatter you some more?" His hands roamed across Pippin's back, tracing light patterns across his skin, under his shirt.

Pippin grinned wickedly and narrowed his eyes in challenge. "You're going to have to do a LOT better than that, Merry."

"Oh ho!" Merry chuckled. "A challenge! I guess it's time to bring out the heavy hitters! Shall I ply you with pretty words? Do you want me to say that your eyes are like verdant pools? Your mouth, a perfect Elven bow-"

"Stop, stop!" Pippin laughed, sliding his arms around Merry's shoulders. He dipped his head and kissed the hollow at the base of Merry's throat, feeling the pulse speed up ever so slightly under his lips. Pippin felt his own breathing quicken as Merry slid his hands down Pippin's back to rest just beneath the waistband of his jeans.

"Although," Pippin teased, as he pulled away, "it sounds like you've given this a lot of thought. Will I hear a tribute to my nose next? Ooh, are you going to start submitting poetry to The Ring?"

"Maybe. I'll call it 'The Lay of Pippin'." Merry waggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Speaking of 'lay'..." He twined one leg around Pippin, his heel pressing into the back of Pippin's knee, and pulled him close, so close their eyelashes nearly brushed. "Pippin, please," he whispered, "Please tell me you don't have class this afternoon."

Pippin leaned his forehead against Merry's and smiled. "I'm done for the day." He brought a hand up to wind his fingers in Merry's hair.

"Good." Merry tilted his chin up to kiss him, slowly and gently, the lightest brush of his tongue against Pippin's lips. Pippin opened his mouth, and Merry's tongue slid against his own, slipping deep into his mouth and then easing back out to run lightly over Pippin's lower lip. Merry broke off the kiss slowly, sucking at Pippin's lower lip as he pulled back.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Merry said suddenly. "I was talking to Estella today-"

"Merry," Pippin interrupted, frowning in annoyance, "How on middle-earth does kissing me remind you of Estella? Do I even WANT to know?"

Merry sighed. "Pip, it's nothing to do with you, or us." He thought for a moment. "Well, actually, it does have something to do with us."

"Yes, I talked to her today as well. She already knows about us, Merry."

"I know that. Oh, and by the way, good job there, folding under interrogation!" Merry pointed an accusatory finger at Pippin.

"Interrogation?" Pippin snorted. "Stop being so melodramatic, Merry. Stel's a friend. She asked me, and she OBVIOUSLY already knew, so I went ahead and admitted it. I didn't think that would bother you, since you guys are so close." Already bored with the conversation, he turned his attention to the buttons on Merry's shirt.

Merry shook his head. "No, that's not what really bothers me. What I want to know is how she found out," Merry mused. "Neither of us have seen her all summer, and the first thing she said to me when I saw her today was about me and you."

"Oh," Pippin offered, "She had lunch with Vinca today. She probably heard it from her."

"What?" Merry exclaimed. "So your sister's just blabbing to anyone she happens to see?"

Pippin exhaled an impatient sigh. "Relax, Merry. Vinca is friends with Stel, too, remember? It's not like she's standing in the student union, handing out pamphlets. 'Hi, I'm Pervinca Took, nice to meet you, did you know my brother is shagging Merry Brandybuck?' I'm sure it just came up randomly in conversation." He rubbed at the tension in Merry's shoulders and kissed him on the cheek. "Relax."

Merry chuckled uneasily. "I know, Pip. It's just that I worry sometimes. About what other people will think...about what they'll do."

"Who cares what other people think, Merry? If someone has a problem with us, that's their problem, not ours. What's the use in hiding and worrying about it? Our friends will be okay."

"I wish I had your confidence," Merry sighed. "I'm so worried that someone I really care about will completely freak out."

"We'll burn that bridge when we come to it," Pippin said cheerfully.

Merry grinned. Pippin had a seemingly magical way of breaking tension with only a sunny smile and a silly non sequitur.

"Now," Pippin said in a low whisper, "if I say 'hello' to you, will you ravage me on the spot?"

Merry laughed. "Try it and find out."

Pippin cleared his throat deliberately. "Well, HELLO there, Meriadoc! Nice day we're ha-" He squealed as Merry grabbed him unceremoniously and covered Pippin's mouth with his own.

Merry pulled away after an instant. "There's something else, Pippin."

Pippin screeched in frustration. "Can't it WAIT? You're killing me, Merry!"

"This is important."

Pippin's frown softened when he saw how Merry's brows were drawn together in concern. "What is it?"

Merry took a deep breath. "Stel told me that the university has a policy against cohabitation in the dorms."

Pippin stared at him blankly.

Merry continued, "You remember Posie and Ivy from last year? Turns out they're TOGETHER, and now they've been suspended from school. They might be expelled."

Pippin shrugged. "What are you saying?"

"What I am saying is that the university is dictating the sexual mores and values of its students! It's completely ridiculous!"

"I don't understand," Pippin shook his head. "What does it have to do with US, Merry?"

"Pippin, we're together, and we live together. WE'RE cohabitating."

Pippin stared at him blankly. "It's like you're speaking Elvish."

Merry sighed in fond exasperation and ran his hand through Pippin's hair. "We cohabitated twice last night. We were fixin' to cohabitate a few minutes ago."

Pippin's eyes widened as realization dawned. "Oh. OH."

"Right. You can get kicked out of school if you're caught."

"Well, that's no problem, Merry," Pippin laughed, "we just won't get caught."

"It's not that simple, Pip. Stel said that it depends on the RA. We already know that Grishnakh hates us, so we'll have to be careful around him." He chuckled softly. "And we're not exactly good at keeping things quiet, you know?"

Pippin smiled lasciviously. "We'll just have to learn, won't we?" He worked loose the last buttons on Merry's shirt. "Care for a little practice?"

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