Merry-and-Pippin
 

            Merryandpippin.
 

            The way everybody said it, it was like they were one person, or something.  "Merryandpippin!"  "Merryandpippin, thank you."  "Merryandpippin, stop!"    "Merryandpippin, will you go find some sticks for this fire?"  "Merryandpippin, will you go fetch some berries?"  What was wrong with them?  No one back at home treated them like this.  Everyone here, from Gandalf to Gimli, acted like they were a unit, a one.
 

            Merry was tired of it.  When they were grouped together as "the Hobbits" or "the little ones," that was understandable.  But this Merryandpippin nonsense, he couldn't stand.  He and Pippin were different Hobbits.  Pippin was young and foolish and his closest friend, but not him, or not the other half of him.
 

            At least they put Merry first, when they said it.
 

            Pippin didn't seem to mind, but Pippin probably hadn't noticed.  Pippin never noticed anything.
 

            Merry decided to bring it to his attention.
 

            After Aragorn had scouted the area and deemed it safe, and with Legolas perched up in a tree keeping an eye on everything, Aragorn said, "Merryandpippin, there were some mushrooms just down past those-"
 

            "Mushrooms!" Pippin said, popping up onto his feet with new energy.  "That will be just the thing, won't it, Merry?"
 

            Mushrooms did sound quite excellent, to Merry's stomach.  But that "Merryandpippin" had grated against Merry's ears.
 

            When they found the mushrooms, at first Pippin was busy picking them to notice anything.  Pippin never noticed anything, whether there was food around or not, so Merry didn't know why he'd expected-
 

            "Merry," Pippin said, sitting back on his ankles and looking up, "what's wrong?"
 

            "Nothing, Pippin," Merry said.  "Doesn't it bother you?"
 

            "Doesn't what bother me?" Pippin asked, going back to picking.
 

            "The way they say our names."
 

            "The way who says our names?"
 

            "Everybody around here!  The whole Fellowship!  Gandalf and Aragorn and-"
 

            "I know who's in the Fellowship, Merry," Pippin said, laughing.  "What's wrong with how they say our names?"
 

            "They say it like 'Merryandpippin.'"
 

            Pippin didn't get it.  "What's wrong with that?  Would you rather be Meriadoc on this important journey?"
 

            "They put it all together.  Run it all together.  Merryandpippin.  Like we do everything together."
 

            "We do do everything together," Pippin said reasonably, getting to his feet.
 

            Well, true, but, "That's not the point."
 

            "What is your point, Meriadoc?" Pippin asked.
 

            "Pippin, don't start that.  Call me Merry."
 

            "I thought you didn't want to be called Merry," Pippin said, starting to sound confused.
 

            "I do want to be called Merry.  I don't want to be called Merryandpippin!"
 

            Pippin went a little shock-eyed and a little white.  "Oh."
 

            "Why do they say it like that?  No one at home says it like that!"
 

            "Maybe everyone here sees us differently," Pippin said, like he was trying to be grown-up and trying not to sound hurt.
 

            "There's nothing to see!" Merry said.
 

            Pippin swallowed.  "All right, Merry.  You're right."
 

            "I knew you'd never notice the way they said it," Merry said, not sure why he was angry with Pippin, just knowing that he was.  It was unreasonable, but it felt good, in a very wrong way, to yell at Pippin just then.
 

            "I did notice," Pippin said.  "I just didn't mind."
 

            "We're not one person!  We're different Hobbits!  We don't have to do everything together!  We-"
 

            "We do do everything together," Pippin said again.
 

            "We don't have to!"
 

            "No, but we choose to," Pippin said, still doing that same not-wanting-to-sound-hurt voice.  "I thought...  I thought maybe it was because they saw us in a way everyone in the Shire didn't see us.  I thought maybe it was because they saw us the way we are, when-"
 

            "The way we are?" Merry asked.  "We're not one Hobbit!  We're not interchangeable!  No one thinks that Boromir and Aragorn are one Man!"
 

            "Merry, no one's going to try to say 'Boromirandaragorn' all run together," Pippin said.  "That's too difficult, and you're being silly now.  Besides, I don't think it's because we're Hobbits.  It's because we do everything together.  It's because wherever you are, I'm there, and wherever I am, you're there.  It's because I always know what you're going to say, and you always know what I'm thinking.  It's because if they did ask only one of us to get mushrooms, the other one would go, too, anyway, just because that's what we do."
 

            "Pippin, we did all of those things in the Shire, and-"
 

            "It's because-" and Pippin kissed him, lips right on his mouth, one soft minute of confusion.  Then Pippin stepped back and knelt down over the mushrooms.
 

            Merry sat there on the ground.
 

            Pippin peeked at him over one shoulder, to check, to make sure he wasn't angry.
 

            "I'm not mad at you, Pippin," Merry said.
 

            "Merry," Pippin said quickly, turning to face him, all pretense of renewed mushroom-picking dropped.  "Merry, Hobbits are Hobbits and the Shire is the Shire, and everything's always the same there, and Hobbits don't see what Hobbits don't want to see.  But the Fellowship, they're older and they've seen more and they know different things.  They see us differently, but we're exactly the same as we were, and it's because they're seeing us in a new light, a different light, an outside-the-Shire light.  The light's different and the eyes looking at us are different, and they're seeing more.  They're seeing more of what's already in us, and they're understanding it."
 

            "They're understanding what?" Merry asked, a little confused.
 

            "Don't you see, Merry?  When they see us, they don't see Merry and Pippin, they see Merryandpippin.  They know we're different Hobbits, they know that, but they think of us as one because we are one.  Didn't you ever notice it?  How close we are?  How different that is?"
 

            "Different?" Merry asked.  "Different from what?"  Maybe Pippin did notice things, after all?  Things he hadn't?
 

            "Different like this," Pippin said, and kissed him again.  Pippin's tongue was trying to lick into his mouth, so he parted his lips and let it in.  Pippin pushed at him, and he found himself on his back on the ground.  Pippin tugged at his shirt, and soon mushroom-dirty hands were on his naked ribcage, running up his chest, and Pippin was kissing him all wet and deep.
 

            Pippin had never kissed him before today, and Pippin had never rubbed at his nipples before now, and well, yes, he had felt Pippin's hard-on brush against him before, but never in this insistent, grinding way.  Merry, however, was used to Pippin causing him new experiences.
 

            Somehow, it felt right, so right it might have hurt if it didn't feel this good.  Pippin in his arms, Pippin's body against his, Pippin's kiss.  He ran his hands down Pippin's back, sliding one hand down over Pippin's ass, and Pippin moaned, hips rocking against his a little faster.
 

            "Merry," Pippin said, raising his head until they were looking at each other.  "If you don't want to be Merryandpippin anymore, you'd better say something now."
 

            "No, I want to be Merryandpippin," Merry said.  "I like being Merryandpippin.  Do you know why?"
 

            "Why?" Pippin asked, curious.
 

            Merry grinned.  "Because Merry comes first."
 

            "Merry!"  There was a shriek as they rolled over in the dirt; and when they finished rolling, Merry was on top and Pippin wasn't wearing much of anything anymore.
 

            Which was, to Merry's mind, quite possibly the way things always should be.
 

            When they finally got back to the camp, dirtier than they'd last been seen, Frodo gave them a very pleased look and Gimli harrumphed in an approving way.
 

            "Why do you think they're looking at us like that?" Pippin asked Merry nervously, after handing over the mushrooms to Sam, who'd blushed and not met their eyes.
 

            "Why didn't they come looking for us?" Merry asked.  "We were gone a long time."
 

            "We wouldn't have been gone so long if you hadn't-"
 

            "That's only because you-"
 

            "I liked it so much the first time, I wanted to do it again," Pippin said.  "I didn't hear you complaining."
 

            Merry snickered.
 

            Pippin giggled.
 

            Merry gave a quick look around to see if anyone was watching them.  Frodo gave them another of those pleased smiles.  Boromir coughed and pretended he hadn't been watching, then smiled and...was Boromir chuckling?  What was going on?  No one could know.  Nobody could have seen them.  Unless someone had come to check on them, and had found them?  Or...
 

            Merry looked up.  Into the trees.
 

            Legolas smiled.
 

            "Pippin," Merry said, "when you were talking about how the other members of the Fellowship are older and have seen more than we have, were you including Legolas?"
 

            "Oh, yes," Pippin said, trying to pick the dirt from under his nails.  He'd been clawing and scratching at the ground, digging his heels in, moaning with pleasure, when Merry had been-
 

            Merry blushed hot with embarrassment.  "I think he's seen quite a bit today."
 

            "What do you mean?" Pippin asked.
 

            "I think he saw us.  I think that's why everybody's looking at us like that.  They all know, Pippin."
 

            "Oh, good," Pippin said.  "Then I can kiss you in front of them, without worrying about it."
 

            "What?  You - - Pippin - - I-"  Merry gave in, closing his eyes, wrapping his arms around Pippin's waist.
 

            A polite cough.  "Merryandpippin," Aragorn said, "if you'd like to eat-"
 

            "Food?" Pippin asked, turning from Merry quickly.  "I'm starving!"
 

            "I can't imagine why," Gandalf murmured, amused.
 

            "Come on, Merry," Pippin said.
 

            "No," Merry said, catching Pippin's hand, pulling him back.  "Make them call us one more time."  He smiled.  "I want to hear it again."

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