MWAH-MWAH-MWAH! If you've come back for chapter 3, then now I obviously have you in my grasps now! There is no escape!!!

Well, actually there is... it's that little X button at the top right hand corner of your screen... but I'm not going to tell you that...

Oops.

Well, Pippin is remembering the day that he realized he loved Merry... so, here ya go.

Suggested song for this chapter- Yesterday by The Beatles

It had been 2 years earlier. It had been an overcast day, but neither he nor Merry had really expected it to rain (well, if da clouds are really big and really gray, that's usually a sign that water is gonna come from da friggin sky. Just a little advice from personal experience). They had been in the marketplace of Hobbiton, chasing pretty girls and having a few laughs when they had run into Frodo (oomph!) by accident. After spending the day with Merry and Frodo, his two most favorite people in all the world, it had finally started to rain (wow! I told you!). Frodo had to hurry home (he had left the windows open at Bag End. Idiot.) and Pippin had to be home before nightfall. Since Tuckborough was some ways from Hobbiton, Merry and Pippin had decided to start towards his house as soon as Frodo had said goodbye.

They had ran (woah, pardon the hideous grammer. It's kinda hard to write in this kind of past tense...) from tree to tree for a while, trying not to get wet, but finally they had given up and simply walked in the rain. When they had reached the door of Pippin's house, they might as well have jumped in a lake. By then night had fallen (waaaaaaah crash), but Pippin wasn't worried about getting into trouble- Paladin was somewhat lenient about curfews.

Pippin remembered exactly how Merry had looked (get a drop cloth for the drool, it's a nice mind picture)- dripping wet, his golden-brown curls were plastered to his forehead and his chocolate eyes had sparkled with the smile that was spread across his face. They stood there for a moment, just looking at each other.

My, he's grown taller, thought Merry.

God, he's beautiful, thought Pippin.

That night, after Merry had left, Pippin had tossed and turned in his bed (hmm... wonder if I could make him do that...). He had always been taught (just like every other hobbit child) that same-sex love was wrong. After all, hobbit lads were supposed to chase the hobbit lasses and eventually grow up and get married, right? Male with male- it was simply unheard of. Unnatural. Disgusting. Disgraceful.

Beautiful.

Pippin had blinked at the word that had presented itself unbidden in his head. The image of Merry standing in the rain replayed over and over in his head. What is wrong with me? he had thought, this is wrong! But something in his head told him different. He thought of Merry again. How could it be so wrong when it feels so right? the small voice told him. (ya know, they make medication for those symptoms...) Pippin stopped and thought for a moment. Had he really mistaken their close intimacy as just a simple friendship?

Pippin had shaken his head, trying to clear his mind. He sat up, not knowing what to think as he realized what he had been trying to deny for the past hour and a half.

He loved Merry.