It wasn’t that he didn’t feel the pain from the Quest.

Back in the Shire, there were people and duty that came ahead of his feelings. Frodo, no doubt had a hard time forgetting, so Sam had to be there for him first. It was his duty. Besides, he had to be the cheerful, easy-going Sam that had made Rose Cotton fall in love with him in the first place. The Shire needed to be cleaned up and replanted, and it was his job to make the Shire as it once was. He hadn’t the time to dwell on the Quest. Even though it had hurt him too.Yes, he retained hope even in the dark, painful days of Mordor but could never forget the many internal debates he had all throughout the last leg of the journey, nor forget the despair and hopelessness that he had felt when he had thought that Frodo had died in the dark cave. No one had seen how the treacherous horrifying spider had looked like but him, and he still shuddered at the thought of that monstrous creature. Nor would he ever share to anyone, not even Frodo, the painful secret about his momentary desire to keep the Ring for himself.

No… he would never… indulge his feelings with anyone…

Because Sam felt like he was the support, that he was their comforting, reliable Sam. He could not afford to be the burden for anyone else.

Not now.

Not ever.

A/N-Double Drabble and a half