I couldn't quite decide which way I wanted to approach this prompt, soooo you'll be getting two chapters inspired by the same one.

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin. Though if I did, could you imagine? Like, I'd do things so differently and just... It'd be awesome but horrible at the same time.

31 Days of Christmas

Day 14:
Family

Fic:

Technically speaking, Arthur had never formally introduced Merlin to his father and sister. They had been living together for years, had been dating for even longer, but since Uther and Morgana lived out of town, and none of them much enjoyed travel, they had just… never met.

Sure, there had been shared pictures and stories and the occasional phone conversation, but there had been no formal face-to-face meeting.

Until now.

Morgana had been itching to come visit Gwen, whom she'd been best friends with growing up, and Uther had decided to accompany her since she was bound to go visit Arthur while she was there and didn't Arthur have a serious live-in boyfriend that he had never met?

So it had been decided that Uther and Morgana would come in, meet Merlin, maybe have dinner, and then retire to their hotel that Uther had insisted they book because he couldn't very well be expected to sleep on their couch or anything while he was there. The day after, Uther would attend to some business in the city, Morgana would visit their friends and catch up with everyone, and then Christmas dinner would be at Arthur and Merlin's house just a couple of days afterwards.

But first, Merlin had to meet them.

Straightening the wrinkles out of his button-down, Merlin sat on the edge of their dark, worn out, faux leather couch and glanced between the front door and the clock on the wall, Arthur and the front door, the clock and Arthur. Morgana and Uther were due any moment now and Merlin could not have been more nervous.

He and Arthur were stable and secure enough in their relationship that a bad first impression wouldn't be the end of the world or anything, but they were Arthur's family and Merlin wanted, more than anything, for them to like him.

"Merlin, love, relax," Arthur clucked his tongue, slid over on the couch and rested his hands on Merlin's tense shoulders. "They're going to love you," he assured him, his strong hands falling into an easy rhythm on Merlin's tense and sore muscles, his fingers trailing away to brush at his collarbone in a way meant to distract and relax him.

"And what if they don't?" Merlin whined under his touch, relaxing against all logic. If Arthur's family didn't like him, could he really stay in a relationship with him? If Hunith didn't like Arthur, could Merlin have stayed in a relationship with him?

"I'll still love you, so it doesn't matter, now does it?"

"But they're your family!"

"And you are the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. If they don't love you as much as I do—no one else could ever love you that much, anyway—then they'll learn to. Trust me." Arthur assured him, leaning over to kiss his neck.

Merlin sighed, relaxed against his touch even more. Maybe Arthur was right. Maybe it didn't matter so much what—

Ding-dong.

Merlin's tension returned then, his muscles turning rigid under Arthur's hands.

Nope, okay, he was wrong. He was still very nervous and what Arthur's father and sister thought of him meant everything and nothing Arthur did or said would ever change that...

"They'll love you," Arthur repeated, yanking Merlin to his feet. "I love you. You're going to do great." And then he held him close, kissed him lightly to wash away his nerves and doubts, laced their fingers together and walked to the door hand-in-hand.

Giving Merlin another reassuring smile, Arthur opened the door then, beaming when Morgana threw herself at him and engulfed him in a tight hug. He smiled and squeezed her back, spun her around and planted her back next to their father, then went on to greet his father himself, leaving Merlin standing there awkwardly until Arthur turned back to him, smiling warmly as he put his arm around his shoulders and tugged him close.

"And this is Merlin. Merlin, this is my sister Morgana and my father Uther Pendragon."

Merlin smiled tentatively at them, stuck his hand out to shake Uther's and was met with his stern, stubborn, almost frightening gaze.

"Nice to meet you, sir."

"Yes, I would think so." Uther said in an almost too even tone.

Merlin pulled his hand back, eyes slightly wide.

Morgana smiled and rolled her eyes, threw her arms around Merlin in greeting. "Ignore him, Merlin; it's really great to finally meet you. He's just cranky from the long drive." She told him. He nodded back, told her it was great to finally meet her as well, and then Arthur properly invited them in for a cup of tea.

Settled in at the table with their tea, Uther and Morgana caught Arthur up on all he had missed and Arthur informed them of the same, with Merlin offering the odd detail that he left out or asking the stray question or two that popped up, but otherwise staying silent, observant, and nervous.

When the tea was all finished and Arthur was off in the kitchen ordering some dinner, since neither he nor Merlin felt much like cooking that night, Uther cleared his throat and turned his unnerving gaze back on Merlin.

"Merlin, was it? I hardly know anything about the boy my son's been living with for so many years now. Tell me about yourself. Where are you from, what are your parents like." And he didn't ask, Merlin noted, he just... stated what he wanted to know and expected to be informed of it. How the hell Arthur or Morgana had turned out half-way normal with a father such as Uther, Merlin hadn't a clue...

"Ahm," Merlin cleared his throat, forced himself to keep his eyes on Uther's. "Well, I'm from a small town a couple hours out called Ealdor. And I never knew my father, but my mother, Hunith, is the most amazing woman I've ever known. I have nothing but respect for her for managing on her own my whole life—and believe me when I say I did not make it easy sometimes." he chuckled, pulling a face as he glanced at a giggling Morgana.

Uther merely nodded, asking a few more miscellaneous questions before Arthur came back in to inform them that dinner would be no more than an hour at most. Uther excused himself to the bathroom then, and, once he was out of earshot, Morgana turned to Merlin with a wide grin.

"He loves you, Merlin!" she squealed, shoving his arm playfully. He looked to Arthur and his own smiling face, he was nodding enthusiastically, his arm coming up to squeeze Merlin in a sort of half-hug.

"Yeah? How can you tell?"

"Please, if he was this civil with any of my boyfriends, I'd be married by now." Morgana scoffed, eliciting light chuckles from both boys. "And, for what it's worth, I love you. You're perfect for Arthur. He seems to be really crazy about you." She assured him, looking between them with a knowing sort of look on her face.

"See? I told you they'd love you, you idiot, you didn't need to be so nervous." Arthur chuckled a moment later, leaning over and pressing a sweet kiss to Merlin's lips.

"I had every right to be, you dollophead," Merlin retorted indignantly, his goofy grin appearing without his permission and taking away from whatever effect he was going for.

"You did not. There isn't a soul in this world who doesn't love you, you clotpole." Arthur told him sternly.

Merlin rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he grabbed the back of Arthur's head and pulled him forward for another lingering kiss.

Another moment later, Uther rejoined them and smiled just so at Merlin and Arthur when they pulled apart. Merlin smiled back and then they fell into a conversation about something or another until dinner arrived, Merlin's nerves melting away with finality as they ate and talked and laughed over the meal.

When they were saying goodnight to Morgana and Uther at the front door later that night, Morgana pulled Merlin close for another hug and whispered in his ear, "Welcome to the family, Merlin." He smiled back and nodded his thanks, happy to have been accepted by the other two Pendragons.

Fin.