Title: Merry hobbits

Author: Anso the Hobbit

Pairing: Merry/Estella

Rating: PG

Timeline: Brandy Hall SR 1433

Note. Not betaed.

Estella was deep in thought and bread dough when two cold, wet hands closed over her eyes and a chin landed snugly on her shoulder. She shrieked and turned around, angry at the cheek and embarrassed at her own lack of control. She ought to have known better.

“Oof!” Merry said arching his back out and sucking his belly in, trying to avoid Estella`s sharp elbow as she turned to face him, her hands full of dough, the flour flying.

“Merry?” Estella smiled, mischief gleaming in her eyes and Merry ought to have been warned but she straightened with him so that they stood cleft chin to top of dark curls. Estella reached up on her toes and leaned in as if to kiss him, her hands raised as if to clasp them at his neck or stroke through his hair. Instead she latched onto his face with both hands and covered him quickly in flour and dough and kissed his nose. “There!”

Merry blanched for a moment. He hadn`t expected that. A tickle yes, or a pinch to soft belly for the interruption. He shook his head, trying to remove some of the flour blurring his sight. She`d bested him this time.

“I wonder,” Esmeralda Brandybuck said the head Cook “if Merry ever will grow up.”

“I doubt it.” Cook said, laughing with the Mistress as Merry tickled Estella and got as good as he gave, the both of them laughing hard. She looked pointedly at Estella`s protruding belly. “And it looks like the Brandybucks will be blessed with another generation of merry little ones if these two are anything to judge by.”