The second installment of the 12 Days of Christmas series!
Feedback has been great, thanks guys! And thanks to those who added the story to their watch list!
I still don't own the Merlin series, or any of the characters involved, they all belong to the BBC.
With thanks to my friend Xion for this fantastic prompt. I had fun writing it!
On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me, lots of unhappy children.
*****
Arthur scowled at his reflection, scowling in disgust. "It makes me look fat." He said simply.
"It's meant to." Lancelot flattened down Arthur's hat, before stepping back to admire his handiwork. "It suits you." Arthur ignored him.
"Do you have any idea how many hours I have spent at the gym to achieve my figure?"
"Clearly it's not working." Arthur turned to scowl at Merlin as he walked into Lancelot's hallway. "I told you that you eat too much junk food."
"Shut up." Lancelot cleared his throat, in an attempt to halt the bickering before it started. It didn't work. "You told me to do this in the first place," Arthur continued, lifting his arms out to the side. He quickly put them down again when he realized it made him look fatter. "You practically forced me to agree."
"You're a big boy now, Arthur, I think you know how to say no."
"Oh shut up, Merlin!" He shot him an angry glare in the reflection of the mirror, to which Merlin merely stuck out his tongue.
"Ahem!" Two heads snapped around to stare at Lancelot. "Don't look at me like that!" He huffed as they both raised an eyebrow in his direction. "If you keep bickering like an old married couple, you're going to be late. Come on, Arthur." Pushing a very reluctant Arthur out the door, Lancelot called back to Merlin, "Grab his beard, would you?"
"Beard?! You leave it where it is, Merlin!"
Grinning like an idiot, Merlin grabbed the fluffy, white beard off the table and ran after them both.
*****
"All of them? You made all of them cry?" Merlin stared at Arthur, trying desperately to hold back his laughter. "What did you do?"
"Nothing! I did exactly as Lancelot told me to. Besides, not all of them cried." Arthur stood in front of his mirror, and angrily wrenched the red hat off his head. "Santa Claus is over-rated. And," He continued, glaring meaningfully at Merlin's reflection. "Children are too sensitive."
"Maybe you're just mean."
"I am not mean!" Arthur scoffed, beginning to unbutton his jacket and pull out the two pillows Lancelot had wedged around his middle. He threw one at Merlin, who quickly ducked. It crashed into Arthur's bedside table, knocking the lamp clean off. "It was all Lancelot's fault."
"Laying the blame now, are we?"
"He didn't put enough presents in the damn bag, so when I got to the bottom, there was one child left. They started to cry, and the other's followed suit." He threw up his arms in exasperation.
"You should've made something up. Like… it was only missing because the elves were still working on it because it was so big. He shrugged, lay back on the bed, and linked his fingers together behind his head. He let out an involuntary squawk as Arthur dropped the entire costume on his face.
"Next year, when Lancelot asks," Arthur flopped down next to him. "You can do it."