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Samwise Gamgee stood right outside of Frodo Baggins’ door. It was pouring outside and luckily Sam had finished his gardening. Sam was rather nervous for a reason he didn’t quite understand. He had talked to Frodo and Bilbo multiple times, (he does work for them after all) but it felt like he was just meeting them for the first time. Perhaps it was because he wasn’t used to asking for things, especially not asking to stay inside until the rain slows down. Sam was able to gather up some courage to knock on the door. Frodo opened the door surprisingly fast.
“Hello there, Sam,” Frodo greeted. Frodo held a cup, most likely tea. Sam knew that Frodo loved tea. Sam remembers lots of things that Frodo tells him, but he never says anything about it. He thinks that Frodo would find it weird.
“Good evening, Mr. Frodo,” Sam said. “I was wondering if I could stay over for a little while, I don’t think I could walk all the way back in this weather.” Frodo smiled and moved towards the side, indicating that Sam could come in.
“I haven’t seen you in a while, Sam. It’s my fault though, I can never find time to talk to you in the garden,” Frodo said.
“Well, now we have some time to catch up. I bet you have some amazing stories to tell,” Sam then went inside and Frodo closed the door. Sam spotted Pippin and Merry sitting by the fireplace. Sam knew that they were going to cause some trouble tonight.
“It’s Sam!” Pippin exclaimed. Merry and Pippin don’t know Sam that much, but Frodo talks about him endlessly to them. Merry and Pippin have seen Sam a few times when he was working, but that’s about it. Then, they went to greet Sam. Once everyone said hello, they sat down near the fireplace and chatted. They talked about multiple things. Pippin talked about an awesome prank he pulled with Merry, Frodo talked about the books he’s read, and Sam talked about gardening and how nice it was that they finally got to chat.
As nighttime approached, it got colder. Frodo had finished his tea a while ago, so he decided to make another one. He got up from the floor near the fireplace and headed towards the kitchen. He then went into the pantry to get some lavender tea. Bilbo had made it from the lavenders that Sam had grown. Frodo didn’t know why it meant so much to him that he used the tea that Sam had helped make. Once he was done, he headed back to where everyone was, but his plans got interrupted.
“I’m so sorry Mr. Frodo!” Sam apologized while accidentally bumping into Frodo, making some of his tea spill. Good thing that Frodo didn’t make the tea too hot, or that would've burned. Sam quickly grabbed a cloth that was nearby to clean up the mess.
“It’s ok Sam,” Frodo reassured. “I can do it myself.” Sam reluctantly handed Frodo the cloth. When Frodo grabbed the cloth, their fingers brushed. It made Frodo blush. Frodo cleaned up all of the spilt tea. Sam stood there the entire time, occasionally asking if Frodo was sure that he didn’t need any help.
“Again, I’m really sorry,” Sam said. “Maybe I could make you another one?”
“We,” Frodo insisted.
“What?”
“We should make it together. It would be fun! And we can make one for you too. Merry and Pippin won’t care if we take long.” Sam’s face turned slightly pink. He then nodded, but also tried to hide his face. Why would Sam be so embarrassed by that? Frodo though. Oh no, what if I made him uncomfortable? They enter the pantry and Frodo grabs the lavender tea again. Sam then grabs two mugs for both of them.
“So, how do we make this?” Sam asked. Frodo told Sam all there is to know about making tea. He wasn’t sure if Sam already knew the basics, but he told them anyway. He also told Sam about the tricks that Bilbo told him when he was young. While they were side-by-side making the tea, Frodo stole a few glances at Sam. He admired how hardworking he was, even if he was doing the simplest things. Frodo loves how he always has this look when he is determined. Frodo loved-
“M-Mr. Frodo? Are you ok? You’re staring,” Sam said. Frodo turned a deep red. He looked away, he couldn’t get himself to look Sam in the eyes.
“Yeah I’m, um…I’m fine. Let’s just…let’s just get back to making the tea. And like I said, I’m fine. You don’t have to…to uhh, worry about me,” Frodo rambled.
“Alright then,” Sam said. They had finished making their tea and it was time to go back to Merry and Pippin. Sam couldn’t wait to get cozy by the fireplace.
The living room was warm. It felt comfortable and it was the perfect place to fall asleep, but he couldn’t possibly do that. He had to find a way to get home after the rain passed. It would be so nice to fall asleep next to Frodo, or maybe even cuddled up with- oh what am I saying! That would never happen. Don’t get your hopes up, Samwise Gamgee! Sam thought. Just after Sam had thought that, Merry spoke up.
“So, did you have fun with Sam, Frodo?”
“Why yes I did.”
“I bet that they were being oblivious idiots,” Pippin chimed in.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Frodo asked. He couldn’t think of why they would say that. They weren’t being obvious, what could they possibly be oblivious to?
“What he’s saying is that you two definitely have something going on between you two, and he doesn’t mean problems.” Merry explained. “I wish you guys would realize how obvious you’re being. It’s like you’re not trying to hide it.”
“Hide what?” Frodo questioned. Neither Merry nor Pippin responded to Frodo’s question, making Frodo slightly worried. Sam had listened to the entire thing. He was also confused about what they had meant. That is what Sam thought about for a whole hour.
Once it was nighttime, Sam realized that the rain was still pouring. There was no way that he was able to go home.
“Mr. Frodo, is it ok if I stay the night?” he asked, fidgeting with his hands.
“That would be great!” Frodo responded. “I’ll go grab some blankets for all of us.” Sam nodded as Frodo left the room. His attention then turned to Merry and Pippin. They looked like they were waiting for a perfect moment for something, which is apparently now.
“Hey Sam. Say, what do you think about Frodo?” Merry asked.
“Well, Mr. Frodo is very kind and I love being his gardener.”
“What do you love about being his gardener?”
“Um, I love how we care about each other and have a good friendship, and I get to chat with him sometimes while I’m working.”
“Do you…like him?”
“Why wouldn’t I? Like I said he’s very nice and-”
“No no, do you like him?”
“I-I, um.” Sam couldn’t say it. Yes, yes he did like Frodo, but couldn't say it out loud. Silence filled the room, and Sam felt like everyone could hear his thoughts. Frodo thankfully came back with the blankets. He looked confused as to why nobody was talking. Sam was glad that Frodo didn’t question it. Frodo handed everyone a blanket, except for himself. Sam, being the generous hobbit he is, asked Frodo if he wanted to share.
“Mr. Frodo, do you need a blanket?”
“No, I’m alright Sam.”
“Are you sure? You’re shivering.” The fire was almost out, causing the room to be a lot colder. Frodo scootched over towards Sam. Sam knew that Frodo did want to share, so he wrapped the blanket over Frodo and himself. Everyone was bundled up in their blankets, casually chatting about random things. Sam wasn’t at all “casual” because he was internally freaking out. They have never been this close to one another. Frodo started to get a bit tired, so he decided to rest on Sam. Pippin noticed this and tried not to laugh. He thought it was sweet, but he couldn’t not think “JUST KISS ALREADY”. Sam was blushing furiously, and he was very aware of it. A few minutes pass by and Merry and Pippin are talking while Frodo and Sam are basically cuddling. Sam looked down at Frodo. Sam knew that Frodo was dozing off, but he wasn’t expecting him to fall asleep on him. Sam blushed and Merry and Pippin were amused at the sight of this.
“How long do you think it’ll take for Frodo to wake up tomorrow?” Merry asked.
“I bet he won’t be awake until Elevenses.” Pippin replied.
“Poor Sam” They both began to laugh.
“Can you two keep it down, Mr. Frodo is trying to sleep,” Sam said. They stopped laughing.
“Alright, but we’ll leave you two alone,” Merry said, then walked out of the living room. Pippin followed him and Sam was left all by himself with Frodo. Sam sat there for a few minutes with Frodo asleep and resting against him. Sam wanted Frodo to be more comfortable, so he grabbed the nearest pillow and put it on his lap. Then, he moved Frodo and put Frodo’s head on the pillow. Sam couldn’t stop thinking about how pretty Frodo looked with the golden glow from the fireplace. He was staring for a long time, just taking it all in. Sam was grateful that Merry and Pippin left, because now he can spend some time with Frodo. To Sam, it doesn’t matter if he is asleep. He decided to be brave and pressed a kiss to Frodo’s forehead. Though, Sam felt guilty about that. He felt like he was taking advantage.
After a couple of minutes, Frodo stirred in his sleep. Sam was startled and didn’t realize how long he was lovingly staring at Frodo. Sam’s eyes went wide. Was Mr. Frodo awake this whole time? Frodo opened his eyes, he had an unreadable expression until he realized that he was in Sam’s arms. Sam didn’t want to let go. Frodo smiled and sat up, still being cuddled by Sam. Sam’s eyes softened as he realized that Frodo didn’t feel the kiss, or that Frodo liked it. Sam would never think that the second option was true. Frodo then spoke with a croaky voice.
“Hello Sam.”
“Hello Mr. Frodo.”
“You don’t have to call me that, you know.”
“Call you what?”
“Mr. Frodo”
“Oh…well, hello Frodo” They both burst out with laughter. It was a wholesome moment.
“So, I could tell that you were admiring me, do I look good?” Frodo teased. Sam was caught off guard. His face flushed and he could feel the heat.
“Well…yeah. You uhh, you always do. B-but everyone thinks that,” Sam stammered. Frodo smiled, and so did Sam, though his smile was more awkward. They goofed around for a while, it was nice for the both of them to finally have a meaningful time together. Frodo stopped laughing and looked sincerely into Sam’s eyes. Sam was mesmerized by Frodo’s big, blue eyes.
“Sam, there’s…there’s something that I would like to say,” Frodo said. His palms were getting sweaty and he scooted back, away from Sam.
“What is it?” Sam asked. He sounded genuine. Frodo took a deep breath and-
“MR.FRODOILOVEYOUANDPLEASEDONTGETMADIMSORRYIFYOUDONTFEELCOMFORTABLEBEINGAROUNDMEIJUSTHADTOSAYIT,” Sam blurted out. He was mortified and ran out of the room. Frodo couldn’t get a word out in time. Frodo got up and chased down Sam. He knew where Sam would hide: the pantry. Frodo ran as fast as his little hobbit legs could go just to tell Sam that he loved him back. Frodo eventually got to the pantry and he spotted Sam sitting on the floor, crying.
“Oh Sam,” Frodo whispered. “Sam, no, please don’t cry.” He sat down next to Sam and cupped Sam’s face with his hand. He turned his face so that Sam was looking at him. Sam’s face was wet from his tears. Their faces were a couple of inches apart. The next thing Sam remembered was the feeling of Frodo’s soft lips against his and Sam kissed back. Frodo puts his hand around Sam’s waist and pulls him closer. They break apart so that they can breathe, Sam and Frodo are astonished.
“Frodo…”
“I love you, Sam. I’ve always loved you.” Sam smiles lovingly at this. He can’t believe that he actually kissed Frodo Baggins, the hobbit that he has loved ever since he started working as his gardener. Sam feels like he could do anything, the kiss felt so ethereal.
“I…I never imagined that this would happen,” Sam said between sniffles. There was a loud bang from outside of the pantry. Sam and Frodo jumped from the sound. Frodo carefully opened the pantry door to the kitchen and saw Merry and Pippin playing with some of Bilbo’s stuff. There was a whole pile of spoons on the floor.
“Well, would you look at that? Looks like Bilbo had some spoons after all.” Pippin said, it was very clear that he was trying to distract Frodo.
“We heard everything,” Merry blurted out. Sam thought that it was honestly kind of scary, the way he had said it.
“We just wanted to say…we knew it! We could tell that there was some romance shit that has been going on between you two for like…years,” Pippin stated.
“I won 20 bucks!” Merry exclaimed. Frodo sighed, and walked past them, Sam followed. They went into the living room and walked towards the door. Frodo had noticed that Sam looked like he had something to say.
“Is there anything on your mind, Sam?”
“Well, there is one thing I suppose. It’s a bit silly though.”
“I don’t care if it’s silly, what is it?” Sam blushed and rubbed the back of his neck.
“Do you think I could spend the night? It’s still raining and I don’t think I could walk all the way back to my home.”
“Yes, yes you can,” Frodo responded. They exchanged smiles and walked back towards the fireplace. They both fell asleep in each other’s arms while the drops of rain clattered on the windows.