On the first day of Christmas…

Gwaine threw bauble after bauble at the back of merlin's to get him to play. Merlin rolled his eyes. He turned away from the present he was wrapping to glance at Gwaine.

"No Gwaine I will not tell you what I'm wrapping up!" merlin said.

"But it's so pretty! I wanna tear it all open!" Gwaine said.

Merlin rolled his eyes. He threw a bauble back at Gwaine and told him to continue decorating the tree. Then Gwaine saw that the snowdrift wasn't going to slow up, and he couldn't wait anymore.

"Nah, I'm building a snowman!" Gwaine said.

Gwaine bundled up and scampered into the garden to start making the snowman. Merlin finished wrapping and picked up the decorating where Gwaine left off.

Merlin hung the finals decoration on the bristles of the tree and stepped back to admire his work. The Christmas lights twinkled against the shiny multi-coloured baubles. The tinsel was hung around the edges of the ceiling with care and some was draped around the frosted tree that stood proudly dressed up in the comer of the room. Sparkles and twinkles hung from its bristles and every so often a striped candy cane could be seen on the branches. A star balanced on the very top. Holly writhes were hung on the walls around picture frames and there were three glowing candles placed carefully on the table.

Merlin pinned the final detail up. Mistletoe under the arched doorway. Then he filled the house with a peppermint smell as he baked and decorated cookies. He took a cheeky bite from one and accidently smeared icing across his mouth.

The door opened and Arthur made loud shivering noises.

"Shut your eyes shut them now!" Merlin yelled. Arthur shut his eyes and froze.

Merlin ran out and shut the front door. He helped Arthur peel the snow-covered clothes from him and hung them up. Arthur peeked at merlin and giggled.

"Hey! Youre not allowed to open them!" merlin scolded.

"I'm sorry merlin but you have icing all over your mouth!" Arthur said.

"I do?"

Merlin's tongue escaped from his mouth and crept out searching for the icing.

"Here, let me!" Arthur said.

Arthur leaned forwards and kissed Merlin's lip where the icing was. He pressed in deeper to get the last of the icing. Then merlin shoved him off.

"Close your eyes!" merlin repeated firmly.

"Alright, alright!" Arthur said.

Arthur closed his eyes and merlin ran to the kitchen to get the plate of cookies he had baked. He heard Arthur gasp from the other room. As he came back in, Arthur was looking around wide eyed in wonder.

"I didn't say open them!" merlin scolded.

"It's amazing merlin! It must have taken you ages!" Arthur said.

"What's the point in having magic if you can't use it?"

"Mer-lin! It is gorgeous!"

"Merry Christmas Arthur!"

Arthur couldn't take his eyes off of the decorations. Arthur wandered around to look in more detail. Merlin stood watching under the mistletoe. Arthur tilted his head in confusion at the plant dangling from the arch.

"What's that?" he asked.

"What's what?" Merlin asked.

Arthur walked over and brushed the mistletoe with his fingers, "This!"

Merlin looked up and smiled.

"That's mistletoe. The tradition is to stand beneath it with someone. If Youre standing beneath it with someone, you have to kiss them!" merlin said. He shrugged innocently, "we're beneath it!"

Arthur laughed. He wondered how long merlin had been planning this. So Arthur French dipped merlin. Arthur leaned in as merlin closed his eyes. Arthur closed his too as their lips touched. Arthur kept one arm behind merlin's back, pushing his against Arthur's lips, and one on merlin's cheek. He stroked Merlin's face softly as he opened his eyes again.

Arthur grinned as he swept merlin to his feet. Merlin staggered a little. Merlin clung to Arthur to regain his balance. They both looked rather sheepish when they realised a snow-covered Gwaine was watching the whole thing. As was the snowman that Gwaine had built, right next to the window.

"A very merry Christmas merlin!" Gwaine said.

Merlin started to turn pink. Gwaine grinned. Then he got an idea that made him curious. Gwaine shoved merlin aside and stood beneath the mistletoe with Arthur. He grinned smugly and pursed his lips.

"You're a Clotpole!" Arthur said.

"But I'm a Clotpole under mistletoe! Hey that rhymes! I'm a poet and I didn't know it!" Gwaine said.

Arthur rolled his eyes. Gwaine wouldn't let him go until he kissed him so Arthur kissed Gwaine lightly and ran to the kitchen to get the cookies.

"These had better be worth it!" Arthur said.

"They are!" merlin called.

Gwaine grabbed merlin's arm and swung him into a French dip. Gwaine kissed him before merlin could talk. A firm but delicate and passionate embarrass. The way Gwaine had been dying to see merlin try to recover from for years. When Gwaine lifted merlin back onto his feet, he smiled. Merlin felt a little giddy.

"A very very merry Christmas!" he said.

The doorbell jingled so Gwaine ran off to get it, leaving merlin to stand in wonder of what just happened. Arthur came back in with a plate full of Christmas cookies and noticed Merlin's pink nose.

"Hello Rudolph! Cold are we?" he said. Merlin nodded, still in shock. Arthur kissed Merlins nose. "I'll put the fire on!" Arthur said.