Frodo and Merry One-Shots

An Afternoon Picnic

"Thank you for taking me out on this wonderful picnic, Merry." I said, graciously to Merry. "It was awfully kind of you to take me out here to the Eastfarthing Woods."

"You're welcome, my lovely Brianna." Replied Merry. The tall, young, and handsome hobbit reached into his picnic basket and took out a smaller basket, which contained strawberries and blueberries that he had picked a few days ago, some savoury biscuits, jars filled with honey and jelly, a few carrots, mushrooms (which were Merry's favourite food; I found them detestable), a loaf of bread, two kinds of cheeses, and tomatoes from Sam's garden (I wasn't a fan of tomatoes, either).

"Help yourself, my love!" Merry insisted. "There is plenty of food here for the both of us to enjoy."

I gazed at all of the delicious food that was laid out in front of me. I decided to help myself to a couple of biscuits with honey and apple jelly, while Merry was already munching on his mushrooms. He didn't just eat them, he savoured them. I never understand why hobbits loved mushrooms so much. They did not look appetizing. Mushrooms had somewhat of an earthy smell to them. I remember trying one before. It wasn't a pleasant experience. The taste made me sick to my stomach. Ugh. Mushrooms.

As I finished eating my first biscuit, Merry had asked me if I was enjoying myself. I smiled and nodded at him. "Yes, I am. Thank you for asking. Did you bake these biscuits yourself, Merry?" I asked, politely. I really wanted to know if he had made them himself because then I could ask him for the recipe and I could bake more of these tasty treats with Frodo.

"Pippin made them." Merry chuckled. "I didn't know the lad could cook."

I was in shock. I looked down at my second biscuit, which I was holding in my hand, then I looked back at Merry. "Neither did I." I mumbled under my breath. I had to admit, these biscuits were delicious! They were nothing like the ones Frodo made. They were actually better than the ones Frodo made. I wouldn't tell Frodo that because that would hurt his feelings.
Maybe the next time I see Pippin, I'll have to ask him about how he learned to make the biscuits.

"Pippin told me that he used a secret ingredient in those biscuits." said Merry, while helping himself to a couple of large, juicy strawberries.

"What was the secret ingredient, Merry?" I asked, nervously.

"Mushrooms." Merry chuckled, while tossing one of his strawberries into the air and into his mouth.

I raised my eyebrows, in surprise. My face was painted with disgust. I placed the biscuit back into Merry's picnic basket and grimaced. I could feel my stomach rumbling.

"What's the matter, my love? Don't like mushrooms?" He laughed, heartily. Some strawberry juice was dripping from his lips and down his chin.

I swallowed hard. "I can't believe there were mushrooms in those biscuits! Ugh! I'm never eating them again!" To be honest, Frodo's biscuits were actually much better than Pippin's. At least there weren't any mushrooms in them. Eww!

My head collapsed in my hands and I let out a loud sigh, in frustration. I felt sick to my stomach. "I don't think I can eat anymore, Merry." I whimpered.

Merry wiped his strawberry stained chin with the edge of his jacket sleeve and shuffled closer to me. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, leaned close, and whispered softly in my ear.

"I'm sorry, Bri. I should've let you know about the mushrooms in the biscuits. I honestly thought you wouldn't have minded them."

"No, it was my fault for me not telling you about how I don't like mushrooms." I felt ashamed. I should've been honest with Merry about what foods I liked and disliked. I was almost on the verge of tears. I...I felt so guilty.

Merry rested his curly head on my shoulder and snuggled me. "Aww, it's alright, Bri. It's alright. It's not your fault. It's not your fault. Next time, I'll make sure not to pack anything with mushrooms in it. Just for you, darling."

"Really, Merry?" I asked, quietly. "You really mean that?"

"I do, Brianna." Merry whispered, softly. "I do." He gave me a quick, but affectionate kiss on the cheek and stroked my hair back over my ear.

"Thank you, Merry."

"You're welcome, my angel."