The Hobbit / LOTR -oneshots

Family life - Merry

Warnings: none, just domestic fluff
Word count: 1260
Other: I'm not sure if Tolkien!verse had colored pencils but this is *throws confetti* fanfiction!
Requested: by getrocknete_Olive

Your little family is waiting for Merry to return home from his errands.

You stirred the soup with your other hand as you held your three-month-old in the other. Luckily, her twin was still sleeping, so you had a free arm. Cooking would have been hard otherwise.
"When will papa be home?" Hugo, the younger of your first set of twins, tugged at your skirt, and you sighed.
"I don't know, darling. I'm sure he will be home soon. He and uncle Pippin had some matters to discuss." You let go of the ladle to run your hand through his hair.
"Why don't you and Otton draw him a couple of pictures? I'm sure he would be elated to see them after a rough day." Your suggestion was a hit, and the two hurried to fetch their pens from their rooms. They were a gift from Lady Eowyn, whom you had never had the honor of meeting, but Merry always spoke high words of her. The sun was setting outside, and you sighed, hoping that he would be home soon. Not only because putting four kids to bed alone was impossible. Having two sets of twins was not easy, but you loved your family and would do anything for them.

You knew why he was out today and you also knew that he would need time with his kids after what they were discussing. He always tried to hide it, but he had been doing it since he had returned from his journey. He never talked about it, only assuring you it was okay, and that everything was alright, but you could sense the melancholy that radiated off of him in waves. He, Pippin, and Sam would always gather in Bagend to remember their journey and the people they had lost.

You were brought out of your thoughts as two pairs of hands were tugging at your dress again, and you looked down, seeing the beaming faces of your boys.
"Mama, look what we drew!" You took it from them, making sure to keep it away from Peppa's little hands. A smile spread onto your face as you watched the family portrait drawn in color, all of your little family present in it, even their little sister.
"It's beautiful, my darlings, I'm sure he will love it!" You assured them, smiling as Peppa cooed, recognizing her brother's voice. The two had been a little unsure what to think of the babies when they had arrived, but they had come to the conclusion that being big brothers was fun, which you were thankful for. They were already pestering you about when Batjon would be able to play with them. You knew the three would cause chaos for sure, but luckily there was time until that would be relevant.

It was like he could hear you thinking of him and Batjon started crying. You sighed and set Peppa on her stomach onto the yellow quilt on the floor.
"Watch her for a moment, will you boys? Just make sure she doesn't roll off." You instructed them, and they nodded, sitting on either side of her. You smiled, knowing they would be very protective over their little sister even as they continued to grow. She pushed herself up on her hands, holding her head up to look at her brothers. Her position was slightly wobbly, but she was able to do it. It wouldn't be long until she started crawling.

You hurried to your bedroom to pick up Batjon, who was now hiccuping in his crib.
"What's wrong, my little man?" You cooed, lifting him into your arms, and petting his head gently.
"Papa's coming home any minute, and then I'll feed the two of you," You tickled his nose,
"Yes, I will." Your tone remained soft as you continued cooing over him, and he giggled, only the tear marks on his cheeks remaining from his sadness. He was such a happy baby, only crying when something was wrong, unlike his sister, who fussed over every little detail. They were a lot of work sometimes, but that didn't mean you loved them any less.

- -

Just as you walked back to the kitchen and smiled at your boys, the door opened, and Merry entered, a solemn look in his eyes. The toddlers jumped up from the floor and fetched their drawings and ran to him. A smile broke onto his face as he scooped one up under each arm, and swung them around, making them laugh loudly. You picked up Peppa and went to greet your husband, a baby on each arm.
"Look what we drew, papa!" The boys exclaimed in unison, and Merry set them down so he could see the artwork they were holding.
"These are great! We're going to run out of space on the walls." He ruffled their hair as they beamed, arms going around their father.
"Can you come and help us build a pillow fort? Pleaseeeee!" They begged, eyes big and pleading. Merry gave you a glance, and you nodded but gestured to the kitchen with your head.
"I think the food is ready soon, but how about the two of  you draw a few masterpieces more now, and after eating we'll build that fort?" The boys nodded and darted away, yelling as they went.
"I'm going to draw a dog!"
"I'm going to draw two!"
"I'm going to draw three!"

You shook your head as your boys disappeared into their rooms, and Merry stood up from the ground, groaning as his knees popped.
"You better be careful, old man, you won't get up from the floor one night if you don't watch yourself." Merry rolled his eyes at your teasing and leaned in to kiss your cheek, careful not to squish the babies you were holding.
"I'm happy to see you too."
"Are you?" You inquired, turning to Peppa.
"Do you think papa is happy to see me?" She giggled and stuffed her fists into her mouth as you felt tugging at your hair. Batjon had caught a tuft of it in his tiny fist and was now in the process of sticking it into his mouth. Merry noticed your predicament and hurried to free you from your son's hold.

"Come here you little rascal." Merry took Batjon from your arms and turned him to lay on his forearm so they were facing each other.
"It's not nice to tug on your mother's hair." He cooed, collapsing onto the couch. A splash and a sizzle from the kitchen caught your ear as you handed him Peppa to hold as well as you hurried to smother the flames under the potatoes.
"Double babies? I get double babies, oh how lucky am I?" He cooed at them, and you couldn't help but smile at the tone of his voice, so bright and filled with joy. All the signs of his bad mood had been chased away, and you knew that he was elated. You could see it in his eyes, he was truly happy.

This was so cute and fun to write, I had a blast!
The first request of the line is done! I have started all of them, and some of them require just finishing touches on them before I can publish them, but I don't know how long it will take me before I get there.

Part 187.