Title: A Merry Life: Burrow
Author: Anso the Hobbit
Beta: Marigold

Characters: Merry, Pippin, Frodo

Timeline: Bag End, SR 1403 so Merry is 21, Pippin is 13 and Frodo is 35

"Merry! Come on! Merry!" Pippin was close to wailing your name, and you felt small hands groping around the large feather bed for you. Silently you burrowed deeper in under the blankets. You loved to sleep, to feel the softness and warmth of the pillows and blankets and bed around you. Since you had grown out of that overly energetic part of childhood, you felt the bed was a place of freedom, where you could think and dream. Your energy still came by the bucketful, and once you were awake and up, it was no less abundant than before, it just didn´t start quite as early in the morning as it once did. When Pippin was very little and slept beside you, you would silently climb into the bed and enfold him in your arms, burrowing the two of you down in the bed together. As Pippin grew he didn`t let you do that anymore, and started kicking and flailing in his sleep, to come free of your loving but restricting arms. Once, his kicks were so strong that you awoke abruptly, hitting your head against the floorboards. You hadn´t let Pip sleep with you for a while after that.

"Merry!" Pippin was angry now. "Get up!" Of all your numerous relations and friends, Pippin, and maybe Sam Gamgee were the only two people you knew that voluntarily rose before dawn.

The bedroom door opened again, and you heard sounds muffled by the blanket over your head and you knew that it was Frodo coming closer. Pippin had gone for reinforcements. Blankets were yanked off, and a moment later a little body was plastered to yours tickling mercilessly. "Merry! Merry get up." And you finally did.

But when the chance came, and you could snuggle down in a soft feather bed beneath blankets and pillows or a bedroll on a soft and grassy spot, you burrowed down and disappeared, supremely content.

******

"Where´s Merry?" Gimli´s deep and grumbling voice rumbled, obviously counting hobbits in the dusk.

"Oh, he`s here," Pippin piped, yanking the blanket off you, and nudging you with his foot. "Get up Merry. Time to move on.”