Ah, so you came back for more? Yay!

Let's roll along, shall we?

Merry slowly opened his eyes as the sun crept through his open window. Welcoming the cool breeze that caressed his back, he laid (is it lay or laid? Dunno. Am having severe brain damage today...) on his stomach, reluctant to get out of bed. He quickly went over his "plans" for the day in his head-

Breakfast, find Pip, second breakfast with Pip, swim with Pip, luncheon with Pip, get into trouble with Pip, afternoon tea with Pip and Frodo, get into more trouble with Pip, go back to Brandy Hall, supper (with Pip) and go to bed (without Pip). Merry smiled. A perfectly Pip-filled day.

He finally got out of bed and slowly dressed, savoring the sweet-smell of a new spring day- the mingled smell of soil and flowers that was coming through his window and making the blue curtains sway gracefully. Blue... Pippin's favorite color. Merry smiled again at the thought of his best friend.

He knew the rumors going around that he and Pip were... more than friends, but he paid no attention to them. A wonderful friendship, nothing more; besides, being... like that was wrong. Every hobbit knew that. Him? Gay? It wasn't possible. He thought it unnatural and quite disgusting for anyone to think of them that way...

Merry stepped forward, coming so close to Pippin that he could feel their breath mingling in the air. Pippin's heart began to race as their lips brushed past each other's. After a few moments of this teasing, Pippin couldn't take it anymore and pressed his lips harder to Merry's. He felt Merry smile through the kiss as his hands ran through Pippin's hair. Pippin sighed and Merry took advantage of the open mouth, running his tongue past Pippin's lips and into his eager and awai-

Pippin opened his eyes, half ashamed of the pleasant dream. Though it was anything but the first (and he knew it wouldn't be the last) dream of its sort, he still knew what everyone would say were they to find out. He sighed, slightly depressed as he pulled the quilt over his head. He knew the world thought it was wrong for him to love Merry, but the world just didn't understand. Who understood Pippin? Merry. Who knew more about him than anyone else in the world? Merry. Who was there for him, no matter what? Merry, Merry, Merry. And what was so wrong with the fact that they were both male? He had walked in on Frodo and Sam a few times before on accident. Yes, but they have to keep it a secret, Pippin reminded himself.

He rolled over uneasily under the blankets. It was a warm spring morning, absolutely beautiful, but Pippin didn't want to face the world.

Damn the world, he thought. I'll tell him. Today.

But he knew he wouldn't.

Now, he would see Merry and feel guilty because he would fall in love all over again while he watched his own heart break in front of him- but he would pretend that he was fine, that everything was just fine, while he hated himself for the thoughts and secret fantasies running through his head...

Pippin felt something wet on his cheek. He wiped it away- it was a tear that had escaped unnoticed. He smiled as another one tried to roll from his eye, but he refused to let it drop. Pippin sighed and sat up with the quilt still over his head- no one would come to rouse him from his bed for another hour.

Getting up out of bed, he crossed over to the window and opened it. Feeling the cool breeze against his face, he slipped into a sea of memories, but only one stuck out...

The day he realized he loved Merry.