I won't give in to anyone. I'll be
No. 1, No. 1, No. 1, No. 1 in the world to you!
I'm - in - love - with - you!
----
A knock echoed through the halls of Bag End, and Frodo stood from his air chair happily, racing to the door. Merry cheered from the kitchen, already aware of who it was. They came upon the rounded, well painted, green hobbit hole entrance, and as Frodo unlatch it, the smiling faces of Peregrin Took and Samwise Gamgee filled the room.
"Hullo!" Frodo greeted them jubilantly.
"Frodo!" Pippin cheered, wrapping his arms about his friend. "How is everything? Where's Merry?"
"In the kitchen," Frodo recalled. "He's boiling up some potatoes and bacon. He tells me he's a good cook..."
Pippin shook his head, "Don't believe him," he said surely, turning to the kitchen to find his cousin.
Frodo laughed, his face turning red and merry as it always did when they were together. Remembering another shunned hobbit, he turned to his dear Samwise and said in almost a song, "Samwise, dear friend, how are things?"
"Most well, Mr. Frodo." Sam said, his face growing warm. "Had a nice morning?"
"Yes, a morning call from Merry was just what I needed."
Samwise laughed, "We all need that."
Frodo chuckled along as well, "How was your sleep-in? Hopefully you did remember to sleep...Oh, I'd really feel horrible if I was still asleep when you came about for gardening."
"No, no," Samwise smiled. "I slept in, Mr. Frodo. As you told me to. I'm not use to sleeping in and not waking for work. So was my Gaffer."
"Merry was also. It seems that's your reputation," Frodo grinned. "But anyway, I'm glad you stayed there. I hate watching you work so hard without rest. Most definitely all four of us will be doing something together this week. But for now, let's talk together and eat. I'm tired of tea."
"As am I," Samwise chuckled.
Merry turned around, in almost a shriek as Pippin came up behind him and poked him lightly. "Pip, you fool! I almost burnt myself!"
Pippin smiled, eyes shut, "Hello, Merry! How goes your morning with Frodo?"
Merry, wiping his hands on the apron about his waist, sighed and said, "It's been very strange. Frodo is strange."
"What do you mean?" Pippin quarried.
"He's been a tad bit...obsessed, if that's the right word for him. Believe me, I almost could feel his feelings, the way his eyes looked then."
Pippin poked Merry on his shoulder, curious as to what he was talking about. Merry looked back up at Pippin, for he had been staring off bleakly into nothing, talking to himself. He laughed at himself, placing his hand on the back of his neck. "Well, without telling much of what happened, I think you should know: I found out that Frodo loves Samwise."
The words ran into Pippin's ear, singing a song of glory and triumph. He jerked up, almost wanting to jump into Merry's arms. "That's wonderful news!"
"How could that be? Frodo was very sorrowful about it when he talked to me. He showed me these beautiful songs and poems he had written..."
Pippin's eyes grew with much more joy, "That's even better! Merry, after hearing from Samwise this joyous morning, I learned..."
"Hello, you two!" Samwise shouted, walking in the room by Frodo's side.
"Merry, is lunch, well, a late lunch, ready?" Frodo beamed, taking a seat across from Samwise, resting himself nicely like a bird.
"Of course, of course!" Merry cheerfully sang, grabbing a bowl and filling it with the richly cooked potatos, and a plate for the bacon. "Is nice and hot, and if you've taken any word from Pippin, don't believe him. My cooking is fine! I mean, it is only potatos and bacon. Anyone can cook that simple a meal!"
Frodo's red face turned, and looked down, grabbing a fork.
"Well...almost," Merry laughed.
And so, the four hobbits each took a seat, Merry facing opposite of Pippin and Frodo facing opposite of Sam. They thanked Merry, and graciously began to eat and compliment. They stirred up a conversation, sometimes mixing up each others words. As the whole time went along, both Merry and Pippin could notice Frodo eyeing Samwise from his plate with a sweet smile. Samwise would barely look up, as he knew what lay in his way. Whenever he did look up, he'd blush madly and look back down, trying to forget by filling his mouth with potatos.
"Samwise," Frodo asked, sipping from his cup. "How are things over at Bagshot Row?"
"As fine as ever, Mr. Frodo. My Gaffer's been putting much effort into growing things, lately. I'm sure he'll be asking me soon to help him, and I might not be able to come around another few mornings." Samwise sighed, but smiled as Frodo beamed back. "That's alright, you help me enough as it is, I should take up my own gardening." They both laughed.
As the two talked, Pippin called to Merry under his breath, and without much reluctance, took a small piece of bacon and threw it at his feet from under the table.
Merry looked up, shockingly. Before he could speak, Pippin put his finger to his lips, and gave a soundless shh! Then he began to mouth, "See what I mean?" "See what?" Merry silently yelled back.
"Frodo and Sam."
Merry gave a nod of understanding, and then gave a small wink.
Not that look...Pippin moaned to himself.
As Merry stared at Frodo and Sam talk, he saw Sam's face glow red as Frodo laughed.
"So cute!" Merry screamed at Sam and Frodo, putting his head on his hands, eyes almost in the shape of hearts.
Everyone became silent, and Pippin dropped his head to the stable with a loud noise. As the table shook, Pippin kindly said, "Could you hold on a second?"
Sam and Frodo nodded cluelessly as Pippin quickly stood up and walked out of the room, dragging Merry with him.
"Merry, you old ass! That was hysterical."
Merry laughed, "Well, that's my merry charm."
Pippin twitched in agony, "Listen to me! Don't use your charm, not for a while. Did you see them talk? They're dying for each other, and this whole ordeal will become fairly, no, extremely boring if we don't add some spice to the mix!"
Merry rubbed his hands together and cackled evily, "But we must do it without being noticed."
"That'll be quite hard with you around," Pippin sneered.
"Oh come now, be nice to me! I screwed up once..."
"Yet to be twice."
"...But anyway, three's a charm! I won't go that far. At least, with almighty Pippin around, I shouldn't."
"Now you talk sense again!" Pippin laughed. "But let's promise now, we won't ruin Sam and Frodo's friendship, and we won't tell either of them about the other. This is such a true romance story...we wouldn't want to ruin it. With Frodo wanting to do something this week, I say we take an adventure around the Shire! You know, take our belongings and survival needs, and camp around! Maybe take boat rides, and fish...find rare things, explore the fields and sky."
"Sounds beautiful," Merry said, patting his cousin on the shoulder. "And I promise. I wouldn't want to hurt Frodo. He's such a gentle lad."
Merry and Pippin shook hands, and headed back towards the kitchen, to find Frodo and Sam still talking away, yet still red as the sun. The potatos were close to gone, and after Merry and Pippin took their seats, they went faster. But the four sat there and talked, and Sam and Frodo were paid close attention to.
"Frodo," said Merry happily, "Pippin and I have a wonderful idea. Seeing as we all agree we wanted to spend the week together, doing something, I think it'd be a perfect idea for us to explore the Shire and a bit around. Possibly bring stuff we'd use to cook and sleep with, then camp around all week. Sound like a good idea?"
Frodo's pending expression turned into a painted smile, and he almost immediately replied. "I love the idea! I had that sort of thing in mind!" His excitement filled the room, and Pippin had a huge grin as well.
"We could find places that could be a new homely area, and we can find beautiful fields and ponds. Oh, I love it! What do you think Samwise?"
Samwise, who was leaning back on his chair, came forward reluctantly. "Well, I don't know. I'll gladly go, if you go Mr. Frodo. I'd love to spend the week with you...and Merry and Pippin."
Frodo tilted his head, almost as if he were asking a question unheard. Samwise notcied Frodo's thoughtful pause, and quickly found a way to cheer up. "I'd dearly love to look at the flowers, if you know what I mean," he gave an embarrassed smile. "I've dreamt of fields full of gold for a while now...sometimes I wish it was always like that."
A silence filled the room, as if trying to heed Samwise's words that gave clues of his own depression. Sam wasn't the wallowing type. He wasn't the kind who walked around with his head facing the ground, arms solemnly at side, and no song to sing. He was the kind who had his head up high with an awareness for the flowers about him, his arms raised high in praise, and a song that he adored to dance in the air.
But at this time, his heart was trapped in a cage, and he had to feign his way through. Had he stayed in the cage, he could forever see Frodo smile from afar, but when he escapes, he could save himself from aching...for what seemed would forever be his life.
Frodo stared at his plate, with a bleak sense of wanting to cry. His eyes already felt the overwhelming pierce fall and crash and want to escape through his eyes, but he had to withdraw. He knew why he wanted to cry, and he wanted to cry, but he knew no one else did. But so, he conjured up enough happiness to ask in a normal tone, "Does anyone want to walk around outside? I'm in the need of air, and birdsong."
Everyone nodded in agreement, and they stood up, forgetting the dirty dishes.
Walking outside in the summer time weather, they took deep breaths, and had already lost memory of the kitchen and Sam's sudden loss of bliss. Pippin began to hop around, wanting to fall back and spread against the grass. Merry ran with him, and together they fell against the soft, green grass that was nurtured so much by the gardener, Samwise.
"The sky is so beautiful," Pippin sighed in wonderment, as the sky reflected in his eyes. "The clouds are such a warm blanket." He held his hand up, almost wanting to grab the twisted cotton placed in the sky.
Merry drew a deep breath, "Ah, I know! Frodo, Sam...join us over here!"
Frodo ran over happily, and landed gracefully next to Merry. He nodded, trying to signal at Sam to join, and Sam shyly walked over. He knelt down next to Frodo, looking up at the sky with him.
"You don't want to lay down on the grass?" Frodo asked, disappointed.
"Ah, well...if you know what I mean, Mr. Frodo, I'd have to say that..."
Sam's heart fell to the ground quicker than his own body, for Frodo had wrapped his arms around Sam's neck, dragging him to the grass. Sam deeply smiled, and as the three hobbits talked happily, pointing at clouds, Sam's heart pointed at his Mr. Frodo. The way his hair sat with the grass, and his eyes looked like a thousand Blue Fairies. They sparkled and swooned as the Sun's rays beamed down, and he smiled; that made Sam swoon.
It seemed to Sam, actually, that something was happening inside of him, something more beautiful than the first flower he had ever grown successfully.
Yes, indeed, a new flower had been planted.
And unknown to Samwise, it was up to Merry and Pippin to water it, and help it grow.
...How unfortunate...