Early Morning Visit

Note: Birthday mathom for and , who requested a post-quest moment of sweetness. I hope you’ll forgive me for lumping you together, but I was thinking of you both when writing this… <3

Farry had developped the annoying habit of bouncing into their bedroom unannounced very early in his life. And, despite a number of unfortunate incidents, when he had stumbled on them in the middle of some early morning activities not quite suited for the eyes of children, he had never grown out of it.

Pippin loved his son dearly, but he much preferred to be woken by Merry’s hands (or mouth) in interesting places when there was not the danger of being interrupted by a high-pitched giggle. Faramir definitely got the voice from his mother…

But this morning they were still fast asleep, curled up around each other in the early morning sun streaming in through the window, when Farry came bursting into the room.

“Dad, uncle Merry – they’re here, they’re here!” His voice seemed to have forgotten that it had broken a year ago, and although Farry was seventeen now, Pippin, prying his sandy eyes open, suspected that his son was very close to jumping on the bed in excitement.

“What is it? Who is here, Farry?” Merry asked, his voice rough with sleep, a sound Pippin always enjoyed. Smiling he rubbed his cheek against Merry’s chest, inhaling his love’s sleep-heavy smell deeply for a moment. Merry’s arm tightened around him and Pippin could feel him drop a kiss on his head.

But unfortunately they both knew that this was not the time for things of this sort right now, and Pippin raised himself on his elbows to look at the young hobbit in their bedroom, who was practically bouncing up and down, impatience with his lazy elders written on his face.

“So, tell us – who are these wonderful people that have you all excited so early in the day?” Pippin inquired, still completely in the dark what important visit he had been missing. Farry laughed as if he had just said the silliest thing in the history of the Shire and ran around their bed, throwing the window wide open before flopping down on the mattress.

“Look, they’re out there, in the apple tree, four of them. Just listen…”

With a wide smile, Pippin scooted to the side, making room for Faramir between himself and Merry -- and the three of them lay there and listened, they way they had done every year since Faramir was born, to the sound of the first birds home from the warm South, calling out a triumphant welcome to spring…

~~~