Partridge In A Pear Tree
Arthur parked the car and angrily slammed the door as he got out; he was fuming. He muttered various obscenities under his breath as he opened the door to the flat and shrugged off his jacket. Dumping his bag in the hallway, he stepped out of his shoes and sighed. Today had been a nightmare, but he felt calmer now he was home. His mood disappeared when he walked into the front room.
Merlin was wrestling with a huge Christmas tree, trying to get it to stand straight in its pot. He was muttering "Come on, stay upright!" at it, and every time it sagged to one side. The sight was so funny Arthur couldn't help but snort. Merlin looked up and smiled. "Oh, Hey." He climbed down off of the chair he was standing on and embraced Arthur in a warm hug. "Bad day at work?"
"Mmm, but its okay now, I'm home, and I have you to cheer me up." Arthur leaned down and kissed Merlin on the cheek. "I missed you today."
"Was it bad?"
"I've had worst days." Arthur flopped down onto the old, battered looking sofa and ran a hand through his hair. "It's just, it's so close to Christmas, and Dad has got us all working flat out. It's so stressful." He looked at the tree. "Tree looks nice, did you get it today?"
"Yeah, from the market. It was only a tenner."
"Nice. Shall we decorate it? It's a bit naked."
"It's wonky too!"
"Doesn't matter." Arthur smiled and went outside to the shed in the small patch of grass that counted as a garden. He found the cardboard boxes marked CHRISTMAS, and brought them all inside. A wave of nostalgia washed over Arthur; he hadn't touched these boxes since he moved in three years ago. He smiled, and was glad he had an excuse to get them out; he had someone to be with this year, someone he loved and couldn't imagine life without. He'd only been with Merlin for nearly a year now; they'd met properly at a Christmas party at Gwen's, and the rest was history.
"Arthur, you never said you liked Christmas!" Merlin sat amongst the boxes, opening them and pulling out various decorations and a string of fairy lights.
"I didn't have a reason to, not for a long time. You changed that."
Merlin looked up; that comment hit him hard. "Really?"
Arthur nodded. "I love you, Merlin. I never thought I'd find the right person, I have, and he's sitting right there."
Merlin looked behind him. "Where? I don't see him!" He smiled at Arthur. "I'm kidding, I love you too, Arthur, more than you could possibly imagine."
Arthur smiled and sat next to Merlin. He leaned and kissed him again, this time on the lips.
Merlin smiled inside and a warm glow settled in his stomach. Arthur's kiss was warm and soft and tender, and it ended all too quickly. The two of them smiled at eachother, looking into eachother's eyes, deep blue on sky blue, and Merlin saw more in that look than Arthur could ever say. Arthur broke the silence between them by rattling the decoration he held in his hand. "Come on, this tree is feeling over exposed!" Merlin smiled and began untangling the string of lights, and within an hour the tree was decorated. It stood by the window, wrapped in twinkling lights and tinsel, baubles in an array of colours hung off its many branches, and a wire star was perched on the top. Merlin and Arthur sat on the sofa, admiring their handiwork.
"It's still wonky!" Merlin exclaimed.
"It doesn't matter, I think it looks great!"
Merlin smiled and looked at a small box in the corner. "Hey, we didn't look in that box!"
"Oh yeah, shall we open it?" Arthur got up and brought the box back to the sofa. Carefully, he pulled off the parcel tape holding the top down, and opened the lid. Inside was more tinsel, and nestled in the middle was a small wooden carved bird. Arthur's breath caught when he saw it, and gently, he lifted it out. The bird was a small wooden partridge, perfectly carved, including detail on the beak, and every feather was captured perfectly.
"That's beautiful." Merlin gently picked it from Arthur's hands. "It's made from pear wood."
"It was my mother's" Arthur's voice broke, and Merlin noticed tears in his eyes.
"Oh, Arthur, I'm sorry." Merlin extended an arm and pulled his lover into a warm, comforting hug.
"It's okay. It's just, it's been so long. I forgot how much she loved Christmas." Arthur wiped his eyes and sniffed. Merlin went to give Arthur the partridge, but he stopped him. "Merlin, I want you to have it."
Merlin looked at the carving, and felt a wave of emotion. It meant a lot to Arthur, and by giving it to Merlin, it showed him that he meant a lot to Arthur. "Oh, Arthur, I couldn't"
"No, I know Mum would want you to have it, would want us to be together."
Merlin looked at the carving, and back to Arthur. "Thank you." Merlin looked at the carved partridge again, and saw that on the breast of the bird a heart had been daintily carved into the feather pattern. "It really is beautiful." He leaned over and kissed Arthur. "I should put it somewhere we can always see it."
"How about on the mantle piece?"
Merlin got up, gently placed it on the mantelpiece and stood back. "There we go." He came and sat back next to Arthur, and rested his head against his chest
"It looks perfect." Arthur turned the telly on and put his arms around Merlin. As his lover snuggled close, Arthur smiled, and cuddled him back. He looked at the tree, wonky in its pot and haphazardly decorated and excitement started to bubble in his stomach. He had a feeling Christmas this year was going to be the best Christmas of all.
