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He stood there watching his sweet, sweet Pippin. His Pip. He was tossing his head back an' forth, small cries passing his lips every so often. He climbed into the bed and the copper haired hobbit bolted, a scream caught in his throat. Merry wrapped his arms around the squirming Pippin.
"Pip, Pippin, shh, it's me," he breathed and the smaller of the two stilled. Neither of them spoke and Pippin just lay in Merry's arms. Merry knew of the night terrors that haunted his dear one, he knew them all too well.
"Merry?" Pippin's voice was small, meek and not at all that of his Pip.
"Yes, luv?"
"I still feel it. The hands, the claws, I-" he faltered and Merry felt the shudder that ran through the smaller one's frame.
"I know, Pip, I know." Merry felt the tears pricking at his eyes. He knew the feeling of the phantom touches late at night. The ones that kept him up at night.
"I want it to be like before, Merry, before everything..." he trailed off the tears thick in his voice.
"Shh, Pip, we're alive and safe, that is all that matters right now, okay?" The whimper that left Pippins throat cut through the bigger hobbit. "Don't cry, Pip, please don't," Merry begged wrapping his arms around him as Pippin buried his face in his chest. "We have each other, that is all that matters." Merry rocked Pippin, humming quietly until the smaller of the two fell asleep. Merry sat there, Pippin asleep in his arms, tears silently running down his cheeks.
"I love you, Pip, that is all that will ever matter."