Christmas time was coming around quickly; sales already starting in stores and plane tickets being bought for holiday vacation. This year was Morgana's turn to host Christmas at her house. Lately they had been alternating between houses, only having each other now it was only logical to spend the holiday together. Arthur had even gone as far as to ask for extra time off work, feeling a bit lonely as being apart from his family for so long, family being one other person. His work was aware of the predicament and was fairly easy going about letting Arthur leave sooner than most others.
He and Morgana spent most of their days being lazy and lounging around the house, slowly putting decorations up. Neither of them were too worried about getting things up quick as they still had two weeks until Christmas. Eventually though they did get everything up, a tree that was much too big for the room, and big boxes of ornaments. Morgana pawed through the box, brows furrowing at the sights of them.
"Arthur, I'm not putting these on the tree." She stated with a sigh of exasperation. Arthur just sent her a questioning glare.
"Why not? They're perfectly fine." And in his opinion, yes they were. They weren't anything special, just baubles that they had taken from their fathers attic after his passing. None of them held any significant value emotionally or financially. They were just placeholders that filled the tree.
"No, Arthur, this year were getting real ornaments. Gwen recommended this one glass-blower who, according to her, makes the best in the country. I figured we go and have a look and maybe get some?" Arthur gave Morgana an exaggerated sigh, a little foot stomp just to make his point. The whole visual of grumpy Arthur was enough to make her laugh. "Come on, Mr. Grinch, let's go."
The shop that Morgana pulled up to was small and somewhat hidden, it was obvious that if someone wasn't a local they probably wouldn't have found this place. It wasn't anything special from the outside. On the inside it was dimly lit, not exactly a Martha Stewart designed room either. The walls were lined with shelves though that contained many different shapes of colorful glass. Many were glass spheres for the Christmas season but there were other things. In the middle of the room was a counter that separated the two halves and on the other side were machines and other work items. A man standing in front of a furnace turned around to greet them.
"Hello, please be careful of the glass." He gave them a smile before turning back around. The first thing Arthur noticed about this man was his dorky little Santa hat he was wearing. The end of it flipped around when he moved, getting in his eyes or messing up his hair. The next thing he noticed was the rather large ears.
The man rolled a long metal rod against the edge of the furnace, the glass on the end glowing red from the heat. He pulled the whole thing from the furnace, his lips wrapping around the glass-free end and blowing air into the glass, rolling it against a table to shape it. Arthur watched the whole process before the man set his project down and came over to the two of them, wiping his hands off on a towel.
"Can I do anything for you?" He asked, looking between the two. Arthur didn't say anything, instead just staring at the mans face, at his eyes that were mesmerizing. He was handsome in an odd sort of way. Even his ears seemed to be attractive when on him. It was actually all very frustrating for Arthur.
Morgana was the one to speak. "Yeah, actually, we're looking for some Christmas ornaments. My friend recommended me here saying she liked your work." The man nodded, his eyes looking over the shelves quickly.
"I'm out of small sets right now but if you place a custom order I could put them on rush, just for him." He added, tossing a playful look to Arthur. A blush rose to Arthur's cheek which seemed to go unnoticed by Morgana, thankfully. Of course the man was only joking but Arthur didn't seem to notice that.
"Sounds great." Morgana said.
"I'll give you a call once they're finished." He said, smiling at both of them before handing over a piece of paper and heading back to his furnace. Arthur watched the man work while Morgana filled out the information.
As the two of them walked out to the car, Morgana chattered away but Arthur was lost in his thoughts, still stuck on that impossibly cute, yet still annoying, face. Arthur didn't know that that night he'd fall asleep daydreaming about that same man, wrapped in his arms.
A week later Morgana received a phone call that her ornaments were ready and Arthur was quick to jump to action.
"You take a day to relax, I'll get them." Morgana gave him a strange look, helpful Arthur only being a rare personality trait.
"What's gotten into you?" She asked, obviously wary of his motives.
"Nothing, nothing. Just being considerate." If Arthur had told her the truth it was only because he wanted to be able to talk to that man without the sister getting in the way. She was still dubious but she didn't say anything about it as he grabbed the keys and left the house.
When Arthur entered the small shop it looked exactly the same, possibly some new additions for sale added to the shelves. Even the man was in the same place at the back of the shop, his Santa hat this time slightly lopsided. Arthur waited until the man turned and saw him, a smile and a greeting directed towards him. Before going to Arthur he grabbed a cardboard box, bringing it to the counter.
"I've wrapped each of them in paper towels so they don't knick each other, if there's any problems bring them back and I'll replace it." He was pawing through the box, counting possibly or just inspecting his work. Arthur gathered up his courage quickly.
"Name?" He asked.
"Uh, Merlin?" Arthur chuckled at the questioning tone.
"Number?"
Merlin grabbed a scrap piece of paper and scribbled his number on it, sliding it towards Arthur when he was done.
"Date night later?" Arthur asked, his heart racing with his nerves.
Merlin looked a bit shocked, his face and ears going red quickly. He averted his eyes, looking everywhere in the room except Arthur. The action only heightened Arthur's nerves.
Merlin took a minute to respond, his voice coming out in a near whisper. "Yes."
Arthur smiled and grabbed the box and scrap paper, turning and leaving the shop. "See ya tonight, then." He called over his shoulder before letting the door close. The last he saw of Merlin before driving off was him still at the counter, face just as red but now there was a giddy smile there.
"Where are you going?" Morgana asked, her interest peaked at the sight of Arthur fussing over his outfit for the night.
"A date." An unladylike snort sounded from Morgana.
"Like any respectable female would go out with you." Arthur smirked at her assumption it was female.
"Sorry, wrong gender. Maybe he isn't respectable though, we'll find out." Arthur walked over and kissed the top of his sisters head before leaving the somewhat shocked Morgana behind him.
Arthur wasn't particularly worried about just now coming out to his sister. He had never thought it was a big deal if he chose to date males or females and he didn't see why anyone else should either. It was his life, wasn't it? Besides, it wasn't that big of a deal. There shouldn't be any theatrics involved with it. So what? Arthur let it slip, cool as can be, and he regretted nothing.
Arthur pulled up to the restaurant, already seeing Merlin standing outside the door, waiting for him. Merlin's face broke into a smile when he saw Arthur. It was annoyingly cute still. The two went inside and stood in line to order. It wasn't anything super fancy. Just a small diner that served burgers. Arthur wasn't one for huge fancy dates. He'd much rather sit down at a small restaurant like this.
"Why did you ask me to come with you tonight? It seemed to me you had a girlfriend or..." His sentence dropped off midway. Arthur took a moment to understand what he meant.
"Oh, Morgana? No, never. She's my sister. We've only got each other now so we spend the Christmas holidays together." At that Merlin seemed to relax visibly. "What," Arthur continued. "You think I'd be a cheater?"
Merlin's eyes widened and he tried to stutter out a response but never formed a coherent word.
"Don't worry about it. We don't exactly look related." Arthur said, laughing at Merlin's inability to function for a moment.
The two of them ate dinner together, enjoying themselves up until they were kicked out of the restaurant for closing. If Arthur was honest he really didn't want the night to end. He was having much too good of a time to even think to leave Merlin now. It had been a long time since his last date and it felt nice. Merlin felt nice. He had an easy demeanor to him that made it easy for Arthur to just talk and feel comfortable.
"What do you say we get some ice cream?" Arthur suggested, Merlin's face lighting up with an eager nod.
It was a short walk to the ice cream shop but it seemed like forever. Merlin and Arthur talked non-stop, joking around with each other and just enjoying themselves.
"Can I get a scoop of chocolate?" Merlin asked, his finger pointing against the glass. The man nodded and started scooping out his ice cream.
"Chocolate? Don't you think that's a bit overrated?" Arthur asked, ridiculing Merlin's choice in flavors.
Merlin sent him a glare. "Don't be a prat." He said simply. Arthur couldn't help but laugh.
On the way back to their cars Arthur made sure to walk slower. The later they got to their cars the better. He really just wanted this night to continue on for a couple more hours, to hang around with Merlin as long as he could. Eventually though they did make it to their cars. It was time to say goodbye but neither of them made a move to, a slightly awkward silence filling the space between them. Without warning Merlin threw his arms around Arthur's neck, his body warm against Arthur's.
"Thank you for tonight," Merlin whispered in Arthur's ear. "I had an amazing time." Arthur's hands instinctively went to Merlin's waist, the two standing in the embrace for a long moment.
"I did too, thank you for coming." Arthur replied.
The two broke their hug and went to their separate cars, heading to their own houses.
Sure enough, when Arthur got home Morgana was perched on the couch, waiting for him.
"How was it? Who was it? Do I know him? Is he cute? Do I get to meet him?" Her questions came so fast that Arthur barely had any time to think about what exactly she was asking.
"Uh, it was fine. Remember the guy from the glass shop? It was him." Morgana squealed to herself, hands coming up to cover her mouth.
"It was him? God, he was a cutie, wasn't he?" Morgana didn't seen to be too off put by the whole gay situation thankfully. "Are you going to spend Christmas with him?" She asked suddenly.
"If it's alright with you. He mentioned not having family in town anymore and I offered dinner here." Arthur confessed.
"Of course, of course he can. Jeez, isn't that the cutest thing ever? My brother with that cutie? I can't believe it." She spent the rest of the night going on about things, mostly between 'how cute is that?' to 'what are we gonna do for Christmas?'
A couple of days later and Christmas rolled around. Morgana and Arthur spent the whole day cooking food and cleaning the house. The only person worried was Morgana. She was wanting to make it prefect for their guest. Arthur didn't complain because inside he was freaking out. It was the first time he had spent a holiday with someone besides family. Although him and Merlin weren't necessarily dating quite yet but there was still a mutual connection.
Merlin showed up around 5 at night, his eyes giving away how nervous he was but he was still his talkative self. Him and Morgana got along well, her spending most of the time gushing over how cute they both were. Squeals could be heard through the house when Arthur took Merlin's hand to guide him to the dining room. Dinner was entertaining, the three of them all enjoying themselves. Afterward Arthur helped to clean up, letting Morgana and Merlin talk in the living room. As Arthur entered the room he could hear Morgana praising Merlin on the ornaments.
"I love them so much, they're just beautiful." Merlin smiled at her, nodding his thanks.
Arthur passed a few gifts towards Morgana, the two of them exchanging them like usual. At the end there was still one left, Morgana eyeing it curiously. Arthur grabbed it and passed it to Merlin.
"I know it's nothing much and it's kind of dorky but I thought I should at least get you something since it is Christmas." Merlin looked up at him, his mouth hanging open and his eyes so full of joy. He tore the paper off to reveal a photo that had been framed. Like Arthur said, it wasn't much. The frame was bought from the dollar store, a last minute thought on Arthur's part and the picture was taken on the sunny day that the two of them hung out. Merlin stared for awhile at it, his smile only growing wider. When he was done gaping he looked up at Arthur, his expression suddenly turning sad.
"I-I didn't think to get you anything." He stated sadly. Arthur didn't mind, instead he leaned over and pressed his lips to Merlin's, a soft kiss that made his stomach flip. He pulled away and smiled at Merlin.
"Call that my present." Merlin was completely red, from ear to ear, and it was that annoying cuteness again that Arthur hated yet loved.
The rest of the night was quiet, Morgana retiring to bed early leaving Merlin and Arthur on the couch. At some point Merlin had wormed his way against Arthur's side, his head rested against Arthur's shoulder. It was comfortable for the both of them, to just sit there, not even needing to talk but to just be together. Arthur had admitted to himself then and there that he wished he could stay longer, maybe then he could be something more with Merlin. Sadly he had work back home.
"I need to go." Merlin said sadly, breaking away from Arthur's warm body to stand and head towards the door. Arthur followed him, standing in the doorway to see Merlin off. Merlin hesitated on the porch, not wanting to leave. "Will I be able to see you again before you leave?"
Arthur felt bad, Merlin not even able to meet his eyes this time. "Probably not." He said honestly. Merlin visibly deflated at that. It wasn't until then that Arthur noticed the tear rolling down Merlin's cheek. He moved in and cupped Merlin's face in his hands, lifting his head to look Arthur in the eye. "Hey, come on. I promise to stay in touch. Besides, I'll be back next year and we can even spend Christmas together again." Merlin didn't look too convinced so Arthur topped it off with another kiss, lingering a little longer this time, loving the feeling of Merlin under his lips. He pulled away, a smile on his face as he looked at Merlin. "I, uh, I'll probably need a vase or something next year, right? I'll have to come back and see you."
Merlin laughed at the ridiculous statement, knowing Arthur would come back just because, vase or not. At that Merlin parted from Arthur, waving before getting in his car and leaving reluctantly. Both of them had to admit that it was one of the best Christmas's they'd had in a long time.
It had been a year and Arthur convinced Morgana to host Christmas again. She was more than happy to do it, knowing the underlying reason as to why he wanted to come so bad. That same reason was why Arthur was parked outside a small shop. He walked in and noticed a few changes, a new paint job, some new equipment in back, and a small frame on the counter. It was the frame he had given to Merlin a year before, still in Merlin's possession and displayed where he could see it everyday. Merlin turned to look at who the customer was, almost dropping his project when he saw Arthur.
"I was looking to buy a vase?" Arthur asked, a smirk on his face at the overjoyed sight of Merlin.
(A/N: Sorry about this. I'm new to this site so forgive me. Trying to figure out how to post things without them getting funky. It worked on some and then others it didn't I don't know.)