Title: Mischief Part 21 – Epilogue
Summary: The Best Christmas ever
Arthur didn't like change very much. Numbers made sense. They didn't change or morph into something completely different and that's what he liked about his job. His cat had brought pandemonium to his life, giving it a richness that numbers lacked, but it was a balance that he loved.
At the time, he had felt complete, both sides of his life stable, sensible, steady. Yes, his demon kitten left a swath of destruction, but it was predictable, too. The expected cat chaos.
But since Merlin, mysterious, long-limbed, devastatingly handsome, a man of power and talent, crashed into his sheltered existence, Arthur felt breathless most of the time, as though there were layers and layers of things he didn't understand and wasn't sure he wanted to.
Much as he loved his past life, the steadiness of numbers and certainty, he had also never felt so alive. Each day brought new experiences and new ways of thinking about life and love and choices.
Like now.
It had taken a long time to come to this point. And now it was Christmas Eve in their new flat, both of them decorating the tree with old things and new. Together, sharing laughter and joy and worry.
It had been hard, though. The last year had brought revelations of Merlin being a hell of a lot older than Arthur would have ever expected and the real Merlin of Legend—and wasn't that a kick in the head—and there was shouting and Arthur stomping off, swearing to never see Merlin again because he just couldn't take any more confusion in his life. And reflecting upon such an awful life Merlin must have had, full of sorrow and loss, brought Arthur back.
Now, thinking it all through, sitting by the fire, watching the lights twinkling in the tree, drinking hot chocolate, surrounded by love and Merlin's arms, Arthur said, "I'm sorry I've been such a cabbagehead."
"Which time? There are so many to choose from," Merlin said, smiling, then kissing Arthur's hair before settling back.
Arthur turned around and stared at him. Merlin was taking it far too lightly. "I'm being serious here. I shouldn't have left when you told me about… well, you. It was a shit thing to do."
"It's water under the bridge." Merlin reached over and pulled him back into the comfort of his arms. "Look, Arthur, don't beat yourself up about it. I kind of expected it, to be honest."
"You wanted me to leave?" Arthur said, his voice small.
"Never." Merlin shook his head, giving Arthur a quick hug. "But I came into your life, a furball of energy, and turned out to be a thousand-year-old man with powers you had no idea of. No wonder you stomped out."
"I was an idiot," Arthur insisted. After all, he'd been such an arse about so many things and it took a while before he could even think that Merlin would forgive him for it, and yet he did.
"I won't disagree. But you're my idiot." Laughing a little, Merlin shoved Arthur away, pushing him down onto the sofa. When Merlin didn't follow him, didn't crawl on top and start wrestling, all arms and legs and searing kisses, as Arthur had hoped, Arthur popped back up again, straightening his jumper as he did.
There was such fondness in Merlin's eyes that it warmed Arthur more than the hot chocolate.
"Well, I guess we can agree on that, at least," Arthur grumbled. But it was true. He still hadn't forgiven himself even if Merlin had.
Yet Merlin had been the one to suggest that they move in together, into something smaller than his mansion. Something cosier, just for the two of them. And then turned over his huge place to be used for other things like magical conferences and training. Morgana loved the idea.
Bumping his shoulder against Arthur's, Merlin hummed a little as if agreeing to disagree. "Look, you came back. I wasn't happy it took so long, but you're here now and we have this lovely flat and a very large bed and… you make me happy, Arthur. So stop beating yourself up about it." Merlin leaned in, murmuring, "We all make mistakes. Some more than others. Some of my mistakes were hell-hole bad. Some I will never stop regretting. But you taught me to live again, in a way I hadn't in a very long time."
"And you taught me to think beyond myself." Arthur reached up, enjoying the feel of Merlin's hair under his fingers, the warmth of Merlin's skin against his palm, and began brushing his lips across Merlin's, punctuating what he was saying with feather-light kisses. "About magic, about living each day to the fullest, about love… and speaking of which…." At that, he pulled back, about to reach over and find that hidden box under the tree. The one he'd planned on giving Merlin for months now.
But before he could, there was a noise coming from the bedroom, almost as if something had fallen.
That was alarming. They were supposed to be alone. Arthur stood up, grabbing the fireplace poker, ready to defend them both if it came to that, but Merlin just shook his head, pulling Arthur back.
"That would be my cue. I've a gift for you that can't wait for Christmas day." Merlin gave Arthur a quick kiss, took the poker out of his hands and put it away, then pointed to the sofa. "Wait here."
Alarmed that Merlin might be walking into a situation that he'd need help, then realising Merlin's magic was a little bit more powerful than a poker, Arthur held back and waited.
When Merlin came out again, he was carrying a large box, wrapped in bright candy-cane-coloured paper and topped with a huge bow. It seemed to rustle and move, as though there were something alive inside. With Merlin, who knew? It could anything from a Roomba cleaning robot to a newly hatched dragon.
Biting his lips a little as if nervous, Merlin settled the box by Arthur's feet, then stepped back. "I hope you like… them."
Arthur had never seen Merlin so worried. Not knowing what to think, he sat back down, gingerly opened the gift and peered inside.
Two kittens, one black with a little white spot on his chest, the other ginger, scampered out, meowing and grumbling as only cats could do, then sniffed at Arthur's hand. While Arthur lifted the kittens up, cradling them in his arms, enjoying the warmth and the little bodies wiggling to get free, Merlin said, "They're brothers. I thought… we could name them something from your favourite book? Or maybe Arthurian legends?"
As Arthur let them go, they started to crawl over him, sniffing, sometimes batting at his fingers with little kitten claws, Arthur couldn't help grinning. "What should we call them?"
Merlin nudged him, pointing toward the kittens batting at the ornaments on the tree. One decoration had already fallen, and Arthur was sure most of them would be on the floor by the end of the night.
Snickering at the antics, Merlin said, "I don't know. Kay and Pellinore? Gwaine and Lancelot? Or maybe sometime less Arthurian? Mayhem and Merriment? The black one has a roguish streak a mile wide, and the ginger likes to cuddle. Like you."
"I do not cuddle," Arthur said, sounding offended. Of course, it was true, but he wasn't willing to admit it. Not at all.
Merlin knew better. "Whatever you say, Wart."
With that, they settled down to playing with the kittens, letting them crawl over the both of them, the little demons chewing on Arthur's thumb or Merlin's hair, then tumbling through the presents under the tree. Finally, one of them, the black one—Arthur already thought of him as Mayhem, started dragging out the box, the one Arthur had been about to give Merlin but now was too nervous to acknowledge.
But Merlin, damn him, was too clear-eyed not to notice. Pulling the box's ribbon out of Mayhem's claws, he looked at it, then must have noticed who it was from, and grinned up at him. "Too small for an invisible cloak. Maybe tickets to the Globe?" He shook it a little, teasing Arthur.
"I… I… it's just a little thing. Of no importance. Give it here and I'll save it for later," Arthur said, colouring as he held out his hand.
Of course, at that moment, both cats decided to claw their way up Arthur's leg, like he was some kind of kitten gymnasium. Arthur leaned down, pulling them off and dropping them onto the sofa where they started to tumble around each other, playing and spitting up a storm. The whole thing was adorable, a perfect gift, and Arthur's heart would have been filled with delight at seeing them be the little troublemaker fluffballs they were if not for the fact that his gift might pale by comparison.
Merlin, on the other hand, was staring at Arthur with speculation in his eyes. "Are you being a Grinch? Taking back my gift at Christmas time?" He held the box against his chest in protest.
"Of course not. It's just that you got me kittens. That I've wanted ever since you…, it's a perfect gift. Thank you so much." Arthur gave him a grin, then pulled him in for a long, heated kiss. Of course, the kittens were already crawling over to the fallen ornaments from the tree and pushing them around.
"Now, I'm really curious," Merlin said and began to open his present.
Arthur was half-tempted to stop him, but he'd been dithering about it for months and if nothing else, he'd know the answer soon enough. Worried beyond belief, biting at his lip, he watched Merlin as he took out the rings.
"I had them made special. Two dragons entwined and Morgana helped me with the spelling inside, and… do you like them?" Arthur tried not to sound like an idiot in love, but his voice kept cracking.
"Arthur, this says 'two sides of the same coin, now and always' in old English." Merlin seemed breathless from reading it, then he was blinking hard and looking like he might cry.
"I thought… I mean, I love you and I don't think I've ever said it to you before and—" Arthur couldn't get the rest out because Merlin was kissing him as if his life depended upon it.
Arthur's heart felt like it was going to crash through his chest, but when they broke apart again, Merlin was grinning so hard. "I love you, too, clotpole."
"Merlin, I… oh, for fuck's sake." Knowing it was now or never, Arthur took Merlin's hands in his own and said, "Marry me. I know I'm just a boring accountant who loves numbers and quiet evenings and cats but—"
Merlin's answer was another hard kiss, then looking almost incandescent, with warm fluffballs climbing up onto their laps, the kittens rough-housing and purring madly, spreading mayhem and merriment, Merlin said, "Yes, a thousand times yes."
It was the best Christmas ever.
The end
