Lord of the Rings, Merry/Pippin, no one else can understand
Peregrin Took swung off the draft pony and began unloading the sandbags from the cart behind it. The Brandywine was flooding, worse than Pippin had ever seen. Merry's message had mentioned the flood that took Primula and Drogo, and that had been enough to put a burr under Pippin's saddle.
There was old Samwise. Of course he was already there; it was a shorter trip for him. Something about the Mayor leaning over, his back drenched with rain and his feet running with rivulets of mud, reminded Pippin of when they were all a lot more innocent. Pip trudged up and added two bags to the levy that would keep the rising floodwaters out of the burrows behind the bank, if they were lucky.
Sam unconsciously adjusted the sandbags to fit more tightly, then noticed the hands that had placed them there. "Oh, Pip, I mean Mr. Thain, sir," and he winked at the younger hobbit, "It's good to see you here, although I wish it were in better circumstances."
"So do I. I've brought a load of sand in the cart back there, and there's two more coming that got stuck in the mud a mile back and had to be pushed out." Pippin paused to give Sam a hug in greeting.
"Once this is all over, I'll have to have a word with the Master about replanting," Sam added, shaking his head. "The bank wouldn't have eroded so very badly if the willows hadn't been cut back. Speaking of the Master, Pip, he's supervising at the next barrier - and I'm sure he'll be glad to see you."
"I really should -" Pip started, but Sam shook his head. "We have enough hands here. He needs you up there."
When Pippin got there, he saw what Sam meant - this was a smaller spot, but there were only half as many hands working on it, and half of them were tweens and children. He picked up a shovel and began filling bags from the wagonload of sand and gravel, handing them off as he finished to a mature-looking hobbit in a mud-stained cloak.
Under his breath, he murmured "I'm surprised that horse-blanket of a cloak has held up this far."
"I don't see you wearing your shiny jerkin in this weather," Merry replied, smirking. "It's good to see you, Pip."
"And you, although not like this." Pip jerked his chin at the rising waters.
It was well after nightfall when they stumbled into Brandy Hall. The barriers were holding, and the water was, while not yet falling, no longer rising, either. Their arms were sore, their backs aching, and every last one of the hobbits was covered with mud.
Estella, Rosie, and Sam exchanged a glance. "We're off to the well-pump to wash up a bit," Estella said, smiling through her weariness. "Shall we see you two there in a minute?"
Pip and Merry exchanged an embarrassed glance. "In a minute," repeated Merry, his cheeks pinking in the lamplight.
They waited a decorous count of thirty after the footsteps padded down the hallway and faded, then Merry all but threw Pip against the wall, pressing him hard and kissing him deeply. "You've been away too long," he whispered into Pip's mouth as the younger hobbit dug his fingers into Merry's wasitband.
"Aye, that I have." It wasn't as if everyone didn't know. Sam had known for forever. Estelle knew and didn't mind a bit, as long as Merry saved something for her. Pip suspected his father had known, even though he'd never said anything.
Muddy clothes and wet underthings fell to the floor in untidy piles. Pip clutched at Merry's shoulders and peppered his chest with kisses. Merry pushed him lower, groaning and tangling his hands in Pippin's hair. Pippin slid to his knees, facing Merry's hardness with anticipation and that last niggle of shame that would make him feel bad if it didn't lend such an edge to the proceedings.
He took Merry into his mouth as far as he could and let the smell of cold rain and his best friend fill his lungs. Everyone might know, but no one who hadn't been there, hadn't been in the Houses of Healing and coaxed Merry back into the world by any means possible, could ever understand. Sam came closer than anyone, but even he couldn't quite feel what this meant for Pippin.
He felt Merry's pulse under his tongue and knew that this that they shared, this was life itself against darkness and death. Merry moaned his pleasure, and Pippin laughed at the flood.