Author's note
A real short one, just a little something that I came up with right now, but I hope you like it all the same.
Basically a cute drabble...
Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin or any of the characters in the series, I'm just borrowing them from their respective owners to play with a little and I promise to give them back when I'm done. No copyright infringement is intended and I don't make any money from writing fanfiction.
Ugly as homemade sin
Arthur receives a Christmas present and it's not exactly what he'd imagined getting…
"Wow, Merlin, it's… it's very, um, unique" Arthur managed at last, turning the small object over in his hands. "Just, uh, what is it?" he asked and Merlin smiled excitedly.
"It's a NoseBuddy. A travel size one, since you're away a lot." Arthur still looked at him blankly and Merlin continued. "You put water in it, and salt, and then you rinse your nose with it. It's really good when you have a runny nose or to prevent colds, and you always get sick when you travel a lot." Merlin beamed at him and Arthur was at loss of what to do. Clearly Merlin had put a lot of thought behind his gift and it was nice of him to give Arthur something to help with the colds he always picked up at the airports and train stations that he visited. Still, Merlin was into yoga and herbal remedies and as for Arthur, well, he was a bit more traditional and tended to stick to Aspirin when he was ill.
"So it's like a watering can for the nose?" he asked at last and Merlin laughed at this.
"I guess, but you're not to pour it into your nose, the water's supposed to flush out again. But don't worry, there's an instruction as well, so you'll know what to do."
"Good good, that's good" Arthur murmured and continued to turn the plastic can in his hands.
"Do you like it?" Merlin asked hesitantly and Arthur could clearly see the insecurity in his eyes. They hadn't dated for so long and this was their first Christmas together. He looked Merlin deeply in the eyes and smiled.
"I love it." He placed a light kiss on Merlin's lips. "Thank you so much."
It didn't matter that Arthur would rather run naked through the canteen at work at lunchtime than use the stupid pot or that the thing itself was ugly as homemade sin. What mattered was that Merlin had gotten it for him.