Title: Feeding a Cousin
Rating: G
Summary: Merimac involuntarily shares Frodo's meal.

Special thanks to shirebound for her swift beta.

~*~*~

"Hundy?" the child held out a piece of rather slobbery bread, its softened crumbs already sticking to the fingers drenched in salvia.

"No, thank you," Merimac stammered gently pushing the small hand back. He watched in revulsion as Frodo's toothless mouth scrunched the crust of bread. The toddler was drooling mightily and he wondered whether the bread still tasted of anything but Frodo's spit.

"Tis dood!" The child told him, nodding vigorously.

Mac agreed half-heartedly, his face a mask of disgust. Next time Aunt Primie asked him to look after Frodo he would make sure the tot would not be eating before he agreed.

"Eat!" Merimac was astounded at the sudden command. Frodo stretched out one of his sticky hands again, his eyes huge and pleading.

Mac shuddered. Pouting lips and begging eyes or no, he could not do this.

"Pease?" The lips were trembling now and were that tears he saw glittering in the corner of Frodo's eyes?

"No, Frodo…" A loud sob stopped him mid-sentence and Mac, not wanting to struggle with a screaming boy, yielded. "All right, give me that bread."

Frodo's eyes lit up the moment the cold, drenched piece of sludge disappeared in Mac's mouth. Merimac could not believe he was actually swallowing what his cousin fed him. He was going to be sick.

"Tis dood?" Frodo asked and Mac, eyes squeezed shut and lips a tight line on his mouth to keep from heaving, nodded. Frodo laughed gleefully even while reaching for another piece.