fic: The Advent of Coffee (2/2)
Part One
4 days 'til Christmas
"This is ridiculous," Arthur says on the third night in a row waiting for Merlin, setting his book aside and pushing off of the table. "He's not showing up."
Lance shoots him a sympathetic look from behind the register, while Percival just looks sad. "Maybe he'll be in tonight."
The bad part is, the longer Arthur has to think of it, the more he wishes he could change things. He never thought he'd miss that nagging, insistent voice of Merlin's every morning, but the past three days have been so dull without him. No one has reminded him to refill the straws once. It should be a relief, but it's far from it. "Look, I'm staying with my father this week. It's not exactly right down the road. If he does show up, give me a ring. Or just get his number, I don't care."
Percival's face lights up, and that's all the warning Arthur gets before the bell rings and Merlin walks in.
"You look terrible," Arthur says, and Merlin gives him a dark look. It's the only acknowledgement he gets as Merlin strides up to the counter. Arthur exchanges a look with Percival before continuing, "Look, I'm glad you're here. I--"
Merlin holds up his hand to tell him to stop. "I can't do this with you right now."
He nods at Percival, who asks, "The usual?"
"Better make it a large," Merlin says with a sigh.
"There are other places that serve coffee, you know," Lance says, switching out for a large cup and shooting Merlin a look of sympathy.
Arthur looks between them, eyes shifting from Merlin's tired look to the large cup, and he suddenly gets it. He starts beaming and he tells Lance to stop, taking over to make the drink he knows so well.
Merlin leans closer to Percival, looking closely at the keys on the register. "Is there any way you can specify that I don't want any spit in that?"
"Merlin, Merlin, Merlin," Arthur intones, his marker moving swiftly over the cup. "You should have more faith in me."
He busies himself with the order as Merlin pays Percival, concentrating to make it just how he knows Merlin likes it. When he hands it over with a smile, Merlin looks a bit dubious. Still, he accepts the drink and Arthur is able to relish the content look on his face as he takes his first sip. He catches Arthur's eye and says a hesitant thank you before heading for the door.
Percival shoots him a look of disbelief as Arthur lets him go, but Arthur just smiles. As soon as the door is closed behind him, Lance speaks up. "I don't get it. Why are you smiling?"
"Wait for it," Arthur says. The wait winds up putting them pretty close to closing, probably the amount of time for Merlin to walk back to his place, but sure enough, Arthur's phone starts buzzing in his pocket. He grins cheekily at Lance and Percival before pulling on his coat and stepping outside as he answers, "Hullo, Castle Grounds Peppermint Mocha Extraordinaire speaking."
"You have terrible handwriting," Merlin says. "I called two people in Bristol before I got you."
"Did you?" Arthur says, smiling. "I wouldn't have thought I'd merit three tries."
There's a pause on the other end, but Arthur isn't disheartened in the least. "Your apology, while lacking in length, was at least more legible than the phone number."
Arthur had been careful to phrase his message. I'll apologize if it means you'll continue to get your coffee fix. Given his short window of time to come up with it, he was pretty happy with the outcome.
"Though on second thought, it does just look like you're drumming up business."
"What can I say? We treat our most valued customers right at Castle Grounds," Arthur says, ducking into a booth to wait for the next bus.
"I bet you say that to all the customers."
"Nope, just the really special ones."
"Ah, so me and Triple-Shot Tom."
Arthur's mouth goes dry. "You know about Triple-Shot Tom?"
"Gwaine told me."
"Okay, so only the customers with an affinity for quirky modern literature."
"Well, I don't know this Tom. Maybe he too has an affinity for quirky modern literature."
Arthur hums. "Alright, how about... only the ones who annoy the hell out of me but somehow I still want to take them out."
"Oh," Merlin says with a hint of surprise, and Arthur can just imagine him pressing his thumbnail against his bottom lip as he'd done so often at the restaurant. "Well, clearly that can only be me."
"Precisely."
He hears a short laugh from Merlin. "So, what made you so sure I would call?"
Arthur shrugs. "Nothing was certain. But you didn't just avoid our shop, you avoided coffee altogether. That either says something about our coffee or our people, and given that you're always trying to change our coffee, I took a chance."
"I've helped improve your coffee. Maybe I just didn't want to put in the work somewhere else."
"And yet here you are on the phone with me," Arthur quips.
"I'm questioning my sanity, to be sure."
Arthur sees his bus heading down the street and decides to postpone this conversation. "Tell you what, I'll free you from your burden. I've got to catch a bus, but why don't you stop by during shift change tomorrow?"
Merlin makes hesitant noises, but when Arthur offers a free cup of coffee for his trouble, he says, "I'm in."
Arthur laughs. "I suppose I know where your heart truly lies."
"In a caffeine buzz, yes," Merlin says with a laugh.
Arthur says goodbye as he steps onto the bus. "All I Want for Christmas" is playing on the radio, and he sits back and laughs to himself.
******
3 days 'til Christmas
"I can't believe your name is actually Merlin," Percival says, trying in vain to wrestle a cookie away from Gwaine.
Merlin laughs and pops the last crumb into his mouth. Not that Arthur is staring or anything. "I just assumed Lance didn't want you to think I worked here," he teases, grinning cheekily at Arthur.
"I'm fairly sure people already think you work here," Arthur mutters. "You worry more about lids being refilled than the rest of the staff combined."
Lance shoots Arthur a knowing look from where he's moving tables over Merlin's shoulder, but Arthur chooses to ignore it. Merlin doesn't have to know Arthur appreciates his help; it'll only encourage him to be even more annoying.
Gwaine makes an almost-painful screeching sound and Arthur glances over to see Percival tickling him for god-knows-what reason. He's a second away from telling them to knock it off when Merlin leans across the counter, twirls a coffee cup sleeve around his fingers and murmurs, "Now I know why you don't allow them to work together."
Arthur takes a moment to appreciate the proximity before pulling himself together. "You don't know the half of it," he says confidentially. "They haven't been doing," he waves his hand vaguely, "this for long, but it was far worse before, trust me."
Merlin beams, and Arthur finds himself smiling back unprompted. There's a small part of him that just always wants to make Merlin smile.
He only has to put up with about ten more minutes of teasing (on the guys' part) and flirting (on Merlin's part) before he's able to convince Merlin to let him walk him home. There's a bite in the air that feels like snow as they step outside, and Arthur wonders if they'll have another white Christmas. He shoves his hands in his pockets and says, "You know we're closed for three days over Christmas?"
"Yeah," Merlin says hesitantly. "What's your point?"
Arthur shrugs. "I've seen you after three days without coffee. It's not a pretty sight."
Merlin shakes his head. "I've gotten over my tendency to only shop at your place. If you can believe it, the gals down the road at Joe's? Actually get my name right!"
"Wow!" Arthur says, leaning back a bit and feigning awe before his expression turns serious. "No, I don't believe it."
Merlin laughs and his shoulder knocks against Arthur's as they walk.
They continue on in comfortable silence until Arthur smiles and says, "You should let me take you out."
The silence seems heavier this time as Merlin thinks through his response. "Should I, though? I've been thinking of cutting back on things that might be bad for me. Just the big things. You know. Like coffee."
Arthur thinks about this for a minute. They're coming up on campus, which means Merlin's apartment can't be far. Eventually he smiles and simply says, "No."
"No?"
Arthur shakes his head. "Not only are you not giving up coffee, you're not even giving up my coffee. You think you're keeping it well hidden, but you actually love my coffee. Especially at Christmas. This from the guy that asked every day in October when we would be getting in the peppermint flavor, even though the answer was always November 1."
Merlin ducks his head a bit, slowing down. They must be at his apartment. "You remember that?"
"How could I forget the annoyingly persistent customer who only left a tip when I wasn't the one to serve him?"
Merlin starts to shake his head. "That wasn't--"
"So obviously you're a Christmas nut. Which makes it all the more absurd that you're stuck here for the holidays instead of going home where you clearly want to be. And you have the same look on your face when you take your first sip of those peppermint mocha lattes as you do right now, so no, I don't believe you're giving up coffee. And more importantly, you're definitely not giving up my coffee because if they did it right anywhere else then you wouldn't be coming five blocks out of your way to get it twice a day."
Merlin just stares back for a moment, and Arthur starts to feel unnerved.
"What?"
"Nothing, just... I think those are the most sentences I've ever heard you string together."
"Shove off," Arthur says, laughing and pushing at Merlin's shoulders.
Merlin laughs and lets himself be shoved, only halfheartedly swatting Arthur's hands away after the fact. His eyes are still smiling when he says, "You can pick me up at 7 on Friday."
Arthur lets his surprise show on his face, and then the smile takes over. Merlin rolls his eyes and turns to head toward the door to his apartment. He stops for a moment after he pulls out his keys and turns to look back at Arthur.
Arthur isn't sure if he should be walking away already, but he barely has time to feel self-conscious before Merlin yells, "And I wasn't really talking about coffee, you prat."
Arthur considers for a moment, and then realizes the implication. Far too late, he shouts back an insulted, "Hey!"
"Bye Arthur!" Merlin says, waving without looking as the door shuts him in. Arthur rolls his eyes and smiles the whole walk back.
******
2 days 'til Christmas
Merlin doesn't know why he's so nervous. By all accounts, he should have been more nervous about the blind date last week, especially since he turned out to be right about Arthur's reluctance. But no, now it's the real thing and that means there are expectations. He shudders and calls Gwen again.
"Didn't we already have this conversation?" she says with a sigh after he's said his piece. "I thought we agreed that he adores you and you've nothing to worry about. Just be yourself!"
"You agreed," Merlin huffs, refusing to acknowledge that the statement makes no sense. "I'm fairly sure it's just an elaborate scheme to embarrass me."
He can practically hear Gwen rolling her eyes. "I'm going to hang up on you. My cousins are arriving and I'm becoming convinced this phone call is just because you want someone to tell you you're pretty."
Merlin laughs. "I am though, right?"
"You're the fairest princess of them all. Stop worrying. You had fun on the last one."
Merlin swallows. The last one hadn't been official. But he can hear Gwen being pounced on by young family members, so he lets it go. "Yeah, alright. Go play football or whatever it is you families do over hols."
"I expect a follow-up call tonight!" she demands before saying goodbye.
He changes clothes three times over the next hour, feeling progressively more ridiculous about it, until Arthur buzzes the door.
His nervousness goes out the door as soon as he opens up to Arthur wearing the most ridiculous Christmas sweater he's ever seen. The laughter escapes before he can think to stop it, but Arthur looks like he expected it.
"Yes, go on, get it over with now."
"No, it's fine," Merlin says, fighting to keep from laughing harder. When he fails, he adds, "I know you said fashion was dead, but this is outright defiant."
Arthur swats at him, a smile threatening to break out. "My sister got it for me. She wouldn't let me leave the house until I'd put it on."
"You know, we've got a campfire area around back," Merlin says, hooking his thumb over his shoulder. In a whisper, he goes on, "We could get rid of the evidence fairly quickly."
Without saying a word, Arthur removes his coat and hands it to Merlin. Before Merlin can comment further, he pulls the sweater over his head, revealing a form-fitting t-shirt and all his muscles underneath. Merlin swallows. On second thought, staring at the huge reindeer on the sweater would probably help him keep his head through the night.
"There, it can't hurt you anymore. Can we go to dinner now?"
Merlin hums in contemplation. "I don't know..." He holds up the sweater then pulls it down as if contemplating the options. "You know what, leave it on. It was an improvement."
Arthur snatches it out of Merlin's hands, muttering about verbal abuse. Merlin grins and fits his messenger bag around his shoulder. Maybe this won't be so bad.
*
Halfway through dinner, Arthur gets the mad idea to run around town and see all the houses decorated for Christmas. "We can get disposable cameras at the store. You seem the type to appreciate film."
"Isn't it a bit cold for that?" Merlin says, skeptical.
"You're dressed for the weather," Arthur says, but Merlin pulls a face and shakes his head. "What do you wear that scarf for then, if it doesn't keep you warm?"
"It's not a scarf, it's a neckerchief," Merlin mutters, pulling at it. He sticks his chin out defiantly. "And it looks good on me."
Arthur stares at him intently as he runs his fingers under the cloth to straighten it out, and at the sight of him licking his lips, Merlin's fingers suddenly feel hot against his neck. "Fair enough. But we're taking the pictures. I won't take no for an answer."
Merlin smiles wryly. "I'm glad to see your stubbornness isn't limited only to the workplace."
It turns out to be a great idea, though, Merlin must admit. Well, he would admit it if Arthur would shut up long enough about how brilliant his idea was. "You obviously love it. You've nearly used up the first camera."
"Well, no one warned me that we would be spending our time outdoors and that what appear to be hideous depictions of holiday cheer were actually a rigorous defense against the cold."
Arthur pretends to think about it. "Are you sure? I'm pretty sure I mentioned that. Maybe you didn't hear me over the ridiculous analogy of myself to coffee. You know, I'm starting to think you have a problem."
Arthur's flash goes off out of nowhere, temporarily blinding Merlin. He's certain Arthur hadn't meant to take a picture. He presses fingers against his eyelids and says, "Sure, I'm the one with the problem."
Once they finish walking through the first neighborhood, Arthur instantly knows a better one a couple of blocks away. Merlin snaps pictures of his favorite houses - usually the ones with a more subdued look - while Arthur seems to have no rhyme or reason to his pictures, even taking a few poorly framed shots of Merlin himself.
Merlin insists on a pint (or two) to help warm them up in between neighborhoods, which ultimately makes it more fun when they get to the next one. This one is smaller, but the residents are much more enthusiastic. Arthur favors the house with the light-up candy cane sidewalk, but Merlin thinks it's a bit much.
As they head down the sidewalk to leave the development, Merlin takes in Arthur's giddy expression and smiles to himself.
"What?" Arthur prompts.
"You can talk up your 'brilliant idea' all you like, but I can see this for what it is," he says, waving the camera about. "You're a Christmas nut, too."
"I am not!" Arthur says with a hint of laughter. "My father doesn't even like to put up a tree."
"Yeah, but I wasn't talking about your father, I was talking about you."
Arthur stays silent, and when Merlin looks over again, his face betrays the truth.
Merlin smirks to himself and moves quickly to snap a picture of Arthur's expression. "Knew it."
Arthur makes an unhappy face, stopping on the corner. "If you weren't enjoying yourself, you could have said."
Merlin's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "Who said I wasn't enjoying myself?" When Arthur looks dubious, he continues, "I was merely pointing out that your 'wonderful idea' wasn't just for my benefit, as you--"
And then Merlin's cut off because Arthur reaches for his neckerchief and pulls him in, their mouths barely a breath away from each other.
"--keep implying," Merlin finishes weakly, his eyes trained on Arthur's mouth.
Arthur's lips curve up into a smile as Merlin closes the distance between them, kissing him sweetly at first but then quickly escalating as Arthur makes an encouraging noise and angles his body closer. He's just edged his tongue into Arthur's mouth when a car turns in to the development and the lights flicker over them briefly. He pulls away quickly, his face hot. He would prefer not to get escorted home for indecent public behavior.
"Would you look at that?" Arthur says, unfazed by the interruption. His hand is still on Merlin's hip. "I've discovered a way to shut you up."
Merlin stares at him, incredulous, and then gives him a good shove before heading off in the direction they'd been going.
Arthur laughs and follows behind him. "Oh, come on."
Merlin shakes his head, feeling giddy with present events but doing his best to hide it. "Nope. You've ruined it now. The magic's gone." He goes to put his hands in his pockets, but Arthur grabs his wrist before he can get that far.
"Come on, I've saved the best for last."
The 'best' looks just like the other neighborhoods they've seen at first, but Arthur leads him straight back to what looks at first to be a simple gazebo, and then Merlin sees what all the fuss is about. The gazebo is built around a huge pine tree covered in lights, and when he steps inside the gazebo, he sees it's also covered in ornaments.
"Wow," Merlin says as he takes it all in. He moves forward to take a closer look and finds most of the ornaments are homemade. "Where did these all come from?"
"The neighborhood, mostly, but it's become something of an attraction for tourists to come add their own piece," Arthur explains, examining a snowflake that appears to be made out of chopsticks.
Merlin takes his time going around the tree, examining all the little bits that people have contributed. A great deal of them have an inscription of a couple or a child, even as simple as a piece of paper tied to a branch. Memories, each of them, and Merlin instantly knows he wants to be a part of it.
He reaches into his messenger bag and pulls out his copy of Holidays on Ice. He can feel Arthur's eyes on him as he flips to an in-between page and rips it from the binding.
"I would've thought a little piece of you would die if anyone did that to a book, let alone yourself."
"Hold this," Merlin says, pushing the page into his hand as he digs for a pen. He ignores Arthur's assumption and, upon finding a pen, scribbles the date and his name onto the page.
"Can I...?" Arthur says, holding his hand out for the pen. Merlin watches him spell out his name just below his own and, after a moment's hesitation, scribble a small plus sign in between. Merlin bites the inside of his mouth to keep from smiling. "There. Now, one of these is bound to have some extra string, or--"
"I think I've got a paperclip in here somewhere," Merlin says, already looking for it. Arthur chuckles and mutters, "Of course you do."
They find an empty place around the right side to hang it up, framing it with the lights so it can be read easily. Merlin smiles and frames the shot carefully before taking a picture.
Arthur leans in to him slightly as he straightens up. "What was that you said about the magic being gone?"
Merlin quirks his mouth upwards and turns a bit more toward Arthur. "It might be back. Marginally."
"Marginally?" Arthur repeats, incredulous.
Merlin considers for a second whether he'll look like a fool, but ultimately throws caution to the wind and takes a step forward right into Arthur's space, just as Arthur had done earlier. He nods. "Just a bit."
A smile breaks out on Arthur's face. "I swear, Merlin, just when I think I've got you figured out..."
Merlin smirks. "Can't have you knowing all my secrets."
This time Merlin has no reservations - he captures Arthur's mouth in a fast and thorough kiss that Arthur returns readily. If people are milling about this close to midnight, Merlin figures, let them watch. He can feel his own hesitance, matched by Arthur's own, but then he fits his fingers in Arthur's hair and just takes his mouth, knowing that Arthur wants it as much as he does. Arthur's answering groan proves as much, and Merlin shivers when Arthur's cold fingers find his skin under his shirt. Still, he shifts his body toward the touch and urges him to keep at it.
He pulls back momentarily for air, his body thrumming all over. Arthur rests his forehead against Merlin's and he looks about to say something just as there is a sound like a switch and the tree goes dark. After the moment of shock wears off, both of them burst out laughing simultaneously.
"Must be midnight," Merlin says, content to stand here, even in the dark.
"Yeah," Arthur agrees warmly, but then suddenly stiffens. "Hold on, midnight? Are you sure?"
"Yeah? Why, are you gonna turn into a pumpkin?"
"Christ, I've gotta get home. The bus stops running in like, fifteen minutes."
Merlin can hear the invitation in his mind, You could just stay over at my place and catch the first bus out in the morning, but he bites his tongue. It's not that it's too soon, though maybe it is. It's more that even though he might not have believed it before tonight, now he knows there will be another chance. "Come on, we can make it," Merlin says, leading the charge toward the nearest bus stop.
"I swear, if this had been any other night," Arthur says once they safely reach the stop. "I promised Morgan I'd help with the holiday cooking first thing tomorrow. If she wouldn't kill me for missing out, I'd stay."
Merlin shrugs it off. It's enough that he wants to stay. "There'll be other nights."
Arthur pulls him in for another kiss, and Merlin indulges him for a moment before pulling away. He doesn't exactly fancy a bus full of late-nighters watching him snog someone. He puts a hand on Arthur's awful yet somehow wonderful sweater and says, "Maybe you could stop by sometime over the next few days. That is, if you're free. I won't be able to get my usual coffee fix, after all."
The bus rounds the corner and lights up Arthur's smile. "Maybe I will."
******
4 hours 'til Christmas
Merlin doesn't expect to see or hear from Arthur for at least a day what with all the traditions, so when he gets a text that says Knock knock, he replies Who's there? and keeps on watching Elf on his tiny TV.
It's followed up by a knock on his actual door, though. He pauses the movie and hesitates at the door, telling himself it's probably just a neighbor.
He's happy to be proven wrong, especially when it's not only Arthur but actually Arthur with coffee which he honestly wouldn't have expected. "One of your neighbors let me in," Arthur says by way of hello.
"They'll let anyone in here," Merlin mutters before taking that first perfect sip. It's just as good as it is at the shop. He steps back to let Arthur in. "I hope you know I didn't actually mean coffee, last night."
"Shut up and drink it," Arthur says as he hangs his coat by the door.
Merlin doesn't really have any issues with that, and he's almost not surprised when Arthur moves into his space with what must be a kiss hello. It feels like hello, anyway, in the way that it implies more to come.
"What's this you're watching, then?" Arthur says, taking a spot on the couch.
"Elf." Arthur makes a face expressing dislike. "What, you don't like it?"
"Never seen it. Not much of a Will Ferrell fan myself."
"Well, excuse me, I wasn't exactly prepared for company," Merlin says, nudging Arthur over on the couch to take his usual seat. "I think you should give this one a try."
"Yeah, alright," Arthur says, stealing Merlin's coffee and taking a sip. He makes a face and hands it back immediately. "You've still not sold me on the caramel. It's too much."
"Nobody said you had to like it," Merlin says, pressing rewind and then going to dig through his cupboards. His offers of tea and hot chocolate go unappreciated, as Arthur ultimately asks for water. When he comes back to start the movie, he finds Arthur a bit closer to his side than he'd left him. He fits himself into the space nicely and settles in against Arthur just as the opening credits begin to play.
He lets Arthur recount his day during the slower parts and even chips in with his own stories from years past. Maybe it couldn't happen this year, but he's had his fair share of family Christmases in the past.
"Wasn't it great?" Merlin says as the end credits start to roll.
"It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," Arthur admits, his fingers playing with the hair at the nape of Merlin's neck. Merlin hopes he doesn't want to get up, because that's not going to happen. "Question for you... do you always have to be right about everything?"
Merlin pretends to think about it for a moment. "Only the important things."
"Like the amount of milk in a latte."
Merlin's stomach sinks, just a little, and he feels compelled to say, "Right. Okay, there's something I should probably tell you."
Arthur's fingers pause against his neck, but after a moment, he goes on like nothing's happened. "Alright."
Merlin shifts so he can look Arthur in the eye. "You know the woman who owned the shop just before your father bought it out?"
Arthur nods, an unpleasant look on his face. "Nimueh. She was a bitch."
"To say the least," Merlin agrees readily. "Well, just before her, a few years ago, my uncle owned the shop."
Arthur's eyebrows move upward, and his body language shifts a bit. He seems to be fighting a smile. "Well that certainly explains a lot. I take it you had peppermint flavor year-round."
Merlin's lips quirk into a smile. "I thought you might think it a bit odd."
Arthur shrugs. "You had something of a vested interest." His face scrunches up, an action Merlin wishes he didn't find endearing. "Can't say I blame you."
As Merlin leans in, Arthur's hand moves along his neck to guide him in, their lips fitting together easily.
"Does this admission mean I'll have you out of my hair when we open back up?"
Merlin grins and moves into Arthur's lap. "Never."
THE END
4 days 'til Christmas
"This is ridiculous," Arthur says on the third night in a row waiting for Merlin, setting his book aside and pushing off of the table. "He's not showing up."
Lance shoots him a sympathetic look from behind the register, while Percival just looks sad. "Maybe he'll be in tonight."
The bad part is, the longer Arthur has to think of it, the more he wishes he could change things. He never thought he'd miss that nagging, insistent voice of Merlin's every morning, but the past three days have been so dull without him. No one has reminded him to refill the straws once. It should be a relief, but it's far from it. "Look, I'm staying with my father this week. It's not exactly right down the road. If he does show up, give me a ring. Or just get his number, I don't care."
Percival's face lights up, and that's all the warning Arthur gets before the bell rings and Merlin walks in.
"You look terrible," Arthur says, and Merlin gives him a dark look. It's the only acknowledgement he gets as Merlin strides up to the counter. Arthur exchanges a look with Percival before continuing, "Look, I'm glad you're here. I--"
Merlin holds up his hand to tell him to stop. "I can't do this with you right now."
He nods at Percival, who asks, "The usual?"
"Better make it a large," Merlin says with a sigh.
"There are other places that serve coffee, you know," Lance says, switching out for a large cup and shooting Merlin a look of sympathy.
Arthur looks between them, eyes shifting from Merlin's tired look to the large cup, and he suddenly gets it. He starts beaming and he tells Lance to stop, taking over to make the drink he knows so well.
Merlin leans closer to Percival, looking closely at the keys on the register. "Is there any way you can specify that I don't want any spit in that?"
"Merlin, Merlin, Merlin," Arthur intones, his marker moving swiftly over the cup. "You should have more faith in me."
He busies himself with the order as Merlin pays Percival, concentrating to make it just how he knows Merlin likes it. When he hands it over with a smile, Merlin looks a bit dubious. Still, he accepts the drink and Arthur is able to relish the content look on his face as he takes his first sip. He catches Arthur's eye and says a hesitant thank you before heading for the door.
Percival shoots him a look of disbelief as Arthur lets him go, but Arthur just smiles. As soon as the door is closed behind him, Lance speaks up. "I don't get it. Why are you smiling?"
"Wait for it," Arthur says. The wait winds up putting them pretty close to closing, probably the amount of time for Merlin to walk back to his place, but sure enough, Arthur's phone starts buzzing in his pocket. He grins cheekily at Lance and Percival before pulling on his coat and stepping outside as he answers, "Hullo, Castle Grounds Peppermint Mocha Extraordinaire speaking."
"You have terrible handwriting," Merlin says. "I called two people in Bristol before I got you."
"Did you?" Arthur says, smiling. "I wouldn't have thought I'd merit three tries."
There's a pause on the other end, but Arthur isn't disheartened in the least. "Your apology, while lacking in length, was at least more legible than the phone number."
Arthur had been careful to phrase his message. I'll apologize if it means you'll continue to get your coffee fix. Given his short window of time to come up with it, he was pretty happy with the outcome.
"Though on second thought, it does just look like you're drumming up business."
"What can I say? We treat our most valued customers right at Castle Grounds," Arthur says, ducking into a booth to wait for the next bus.
"I bet you say that to all the customers."
"Nope, just the really special ones."
"Ah, so me and Triple-Shot Tom."
Arthur's mouth goes dry. "You know about Triple-Shot Tom?"
"Gwaine told me."
"Okay, so only the customers with an affinity for quirky modern literature."
"Well, I don't know this Tom. Maybe he too has an affinity for quirky modern literature."
Arthur hums. "Alright, how about... only the ones who annoy the hell out of me but somehow I still want to take them out."
"Oh," Merlin says with a hint of surprise, and Arthur can just imagine him pressing his thumbnail against his bottom lip as he'd done so often at the restaurant. "Well, clearly that can only be me."
"Precisely."
He hears a short laugh from Merlin. "So, what made you so sure I would call?"
Arthur shrugs. "Nothing was certain. But you didn't just avoid our shop, you avoided coffee altogether. That either says something about our coffee or our people, and given that you're always trying to change our coffee, I took a chance."
"I've helped improve your coffee. Maybe I just didn't want to put in the work somewhere else."
"And yet here you are on the phone with me," Arthur quips.
"I'm questioning my sanity, to be sure."
Arthur sees his bus heading down the street and decides to postpone this conversation. "Tell you what, I'll free you from your burden. I've got to catch a bus, but why don't you stop by during shift change tomorrow?"
Merlin makes hesitant noises, but when Arthur offers a free cup of coffee for his trouble, he says, "I'm in."
Arthur laughs. "I suppose I know where your heart truly lies."
"In a caffeine buzz, yes," Merlin says with a laugh.
Arthur says goodbye as he steps onto the bus. "All I Want for Christmas" is playing on the radio, and he sits back and laughs to himself.
******
3 days 'til Christmas
"I can't believe your name is actually Merlin," Percival says, trying in vain to wrestle a cookie away from Gwaine.
Merlin laughs and pops the last crumb into his mouth. Not that Arthur is staring or anything. "I just assumed Lance didn't want you to think I worked here," he teases, grinning cheekily at Arthur.
"I'm fairly sure people already think you work here," Arthur mutters. "You worry more about lids being refilled than the rest of the staff combined."
Lance shoots Arthur a knowing look from where he's moving tables over Merlin's shoulder, but Arthur chooses to ignore it. Merlin doesn't have to know Arthur appreciates his help; it'll only encourage him to be even more annoying.
Gwaine makes an almost-painful screeching sound and Arthur glances over to see Percival tickling him for god-knows-what reason. He's a second away from telling them to knock it off when Merlin leans across the counter, twirls a coffee cup sleeve around his fingers and murmurs, "Now I know why you don't allow them to work together."
Arthur takes a moment to appreciate the proximity before pulling himself together. "You don't know the half of it," he says confidentially. "They haven't been doing," he waves his hand vaguely, "this for long, but it was far worse before, trust me."
Merlin beams, and Arthur finds himself smiling back unprompted. There's a small part of him that just always wants to make Merlin smile.
He only has to put up with about ten more minutes of teasing (on the guys' part) and flirting (on Merlin's part) before he's able to convince Merlin to let him walk him home. There's a bite in the air that feels like snow as they step outside, and Arthur wonders if they'll have another white Christmas. He shoves his hands in his pockets and says, "You know we're closed for three days over Christmas?"
"Yeah," Merlin says hesitantly. "What's your point?"
Arthur shrugs. "I've seen you after three days without coffee. It's not a pretty sight."
Merlin shakes his head. "I've gotten over my tendency to only shop at your place. If you can believe it, the gals down the road at Joe's? Actually get my name right!"
"Wow!" Arthur says, leaning back a bit and feigning awe before his expression turns serious. "No, I don't believe it."
Merlin laughs and his shoulder knocks against Arthur's as they walk.
They continue on in comfortable silence until Arthur smiles and says, "You should let me take you out."
The silence seems heavier this time as Merlin thinks through his response. "Should I, though? I've been thinking of cutting back on things that might be bad for me. Just the big things. You know. Like coffee."
Arthur thinks about this for a minute. They're coming up on campus, which means Merlin's apartment can't be far. Eventually he smiles and simply says, "No."
"No?"
Arthur shakes his head. "Not only are you not giving up coffee, you're not even giving up my coffee. You think you're keeping it well hidden, but you actually love my coffee. Especially at Christmas. This from the guy that asked every day in October when we would be getting in the peppermint flavor, even though the answer was always November 1."
Merlin ducks his head a bit, slowing down. They must be at his apartment. "You remember that?"
"How could I forget the annoyingly persistent customer who only left a tip when I wasn't the one to serve him?"
Merlin starts to shake his head. "That wasn't--"
"So obviously you're a Christmas nut. Which makes it all the more absurd that you're stuck here for the holidays instead of going home where you clearly want to be. And you have the same look on your face when you take your first sip of those peppermint mocha lattes as you do right now, so no, I don't believe you're giving up coffee. And more importantly, you're definitely not giving up my coffee because if they did it right anywhere else then you wouldn't be coming five blocks out of your way to get it twice a day."
Merlin just stares back for a moment, and Arthur starts to feel unnerved.
"What?"
"Nothing, just... I think those are the most sentences I've ever heard you string together."
"Shove off," Arthur says, laughing and pushing at Merlin's shoulders.
Merlin laughs and lets himself be shoved, only halfheartedly swatting Arthur's hands away after the fact. His eyes are still smiling when he says, "You can pick me up at 7 on Friday."
Arthur lets his surprise show on his face, and then the smile takes over. Merlin rolls his eyes and turns to head toward the door to his apartment. He stops for a moment after he pulls out his keys and turns to look back at Arthur.
Arthur isn't sure if he should be walking away already, but he barely has time to feel self-conscious before Merlin yells, "And I wasn't really talking about coffee, you prat."
Arthur considers for a moment, and then realizes the implication. Far too late, he shouts back an insulted, "Hey!"
"Bye Arthur!" Merlin says, waving without looking as the door shuts him in. Arthur rolls his eyes and smiles the whole walk back.
******
2 days 'til Christmas
Merlin doesn't know why he's so nervous. By all accounts, he should have been more nervous about the blind date last week, especially since he turned out to be right about Arthur's reluctance. But no, now it's the real thing and that means there are expectations. He shudders and calls Gwen again.
"Didn't we already have this conversation?" she says with a sigh after he's said his piece. "I thought we agreed that he adores you and you've nothing to worry about. Just be yourself!"
"You agreed," Merlin huffs, refusing to acknowledge that the statement makes no sense. "I'm fairly sure it's just an elaborate scheme to embarrass me."
He can practically hear Gwen rolling her eyes. "I'm going to hang up on you. My cousins are arriving and I'm becoming convinced this phone call is just because you want someone to tell you you're pretty."
Merlin laughs. "I am though, right?"
"You're the fairest princess of them all. Stop worrying. You had fun on the last one."
Merlin swallows. The last one hadn't been official. But he can hear Gwen being pounced on by young family members, so he lets it go. "Yeah, alright. Go play football or whatever it is you families do over hols."
"I expect a follow-up call tonight!" she demands before saying goodbye.
He changes clothes three times over the next hour, feeling progressively more ridiculous about it, until Arthur buzzes the door.
His nervousness goes out the door as soon as he opens up to Arthur wearing the most ridiculous Christmas sweater he's ever seen. The laughter escapes before he can think to stop it, but Arthur looks like he expected it.
"Yes, go on, get it over with now."
"No, it's fine," Merlin says, fighting to keep from laughing harder. When he fails, he adds, "I know you said fashion was dead, but this is outright defiant."
Arthur swats at him, a smile threatening to break out. "My sister got it for me. She wouldn't let me leave the house until I'd put it on."
"You know, we've got a campfire area around back," Merlin says, hooking his thumb over his shoulder. In a whisper, he goes on, "We could get rid of the evidence fairly quickly."
Without saying a word, Arthur removes his coat and hands it to Merlin. Before Merlin can comment further, he pulls the sweater over his head, revealing a form-fitting t-shirt and all his muscles underneath. Merlin swallows. On second thought, staring at the huge reindeer on the sweater would probably help him keep his head through the night.
"There, it can't hurt you anymore. Can we go to dinner now?"
Merlin hums in contemplation. "I don't know..." He holds up the sweater then pulls it down as if contemplating the options. "You know what, leave it on. It was an improvement."
Arthur snatches it out of Merlin's hands, muttering about verbal abuse. Merlin grins and fits his messenger bag around his shoulder. Maybe this won't be so bad.
*
Halfway through dinner, Arthur gets the mad idea to run around town and see all the houses decorated for Christmas. "We can get disposable cameras at the store. You seem the type to appreciate film."
"Isn't it a bit cold for that?" Merlin says, skeptical.
"You're dressed for the weather," Arthur says, but Merlin pulls a face and shakes his head. "What do you wear that scarf for then, if it doesn't keep you warm?"
"It's not a scarf, it's a neckerchief," Merlin mutters, pulling at it. He sticks his chin out defiantly. "And it looks good on me."
Arthur stares at him intently as he runs his fingers under the cloth to straighten it out, and at the sight of him licking his lips, Merlin's fingers suddenly feel hot against his neck. "Fair enough. But we're taking the pictures. I won't take no for an answer."
Merlin smiles wryly. "I'm glad to see your stubbornness isn't limited only to the workplace."
It turns out to be a great idea, though, Merlin must admit. Well, he would admit it if Arthur would shut up long enough about how brilliant his idea was. "You obviously love it. You've nearly used up the first camera."
"Well, no one warned me that we would be spending our time outdoors and that what appear to be hideous depictions of holiday cheer were actually a rigorous defense against the cold."
Arthur pretends to think about it. "Are you sure? I'm pretty sure I mentioned that. Maybe you didn't hear me over the ridiculous analogy of myself to coffee. You know, I'm starting to think you have a problem."
Arthur's flash goes off out of nowhere, temporarily blinding Merlin. He's certain Arthur hadn't meant to take a picture. He presses fingers against his eyelids and says, "Sure, I'm the one with the problem."
Once they finish walking through the first neighborhood, Arthur instantly knows a better one a couple of blocks away. Merlin snaps pictures of his favorite houses - usually the ones with a more subdued look - while Arthur seems to have no rhyme or reason to his pictures, even taking a few poorly framed shots of Merlin himself.
Merlin insists on a pint (or two) to help warm them up in between neighborhoods, which ultimately makes it more fun when they get to the next one. This one is smaller, but the residents are much more enthusiastic. Arthur favors the house with the light-up candy cane sidewalk, but Merlin thinks it's a bit much.
As they head down the sidewalk to leave the development, Merlin takes in Arthur's giddy expression and smiles to himself.
"What?" Arthur prompts.
"You can talk up your 'brilliant idea' all you like, but I can see this for what it is," he says, waving the camera about. "You're a Christmas nut, too."
"I am not!" Arthur says with a hint of laughter. "My father doesn't even like to put up a tree."
"Yeah, but I wasn't talking about your father, I was talking about you."
Arthur stays silent, and when Merlin looks over again, his face betrays the truth.
Merlin smirks to himself and moves quickly to snap a picture of Arthur's expression. "Knew it."
Arthur makes an unhappy face, stopping on the corner. "If you weren't enjoying yourself, you could have said."
Merlin's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "Who said I wasn't enjoying myself?" When Arthur looks dubious, he continues, "I was merely pointing out that your 'wonderful idea' wasn't just for my benefit, as you--"
And then Merlin's cut off because Arthur reaches for his neckerchief and pulls him in, their mouths barely a breath away from each other.
"--keep implying," Merlin finishes weakly, his eyes trained on Arthur's mouth.
Arthur's lips curve up into a smile as Merlin closes the distance between them, kissing him sweetly at first but then quickly escalating as Arthur makes an encouraging noise and angles his body closer. He's just edged his tongue into Arthur's mouth when a car turns in to the development and the lights flicker over them briefly. He pulls away quickly, his face hot. He would prefer not to get escorted home for indecent public behavior.
"Would you look at that?" Arthur says, unfazed by the interruption. His hand is still on Merlin's hip. "I've discovered a way to shut you up."
Merlin stares at him, incredulous, and then gives him a good shove before heading off in the direction they'd been going.
Arthur laughs and follows behind him. "Oh, come on."
Merlin shakes his head, feeling giddy with present events but doing his best to hide it. "Nope. You've ruined it now. The magic's gone." He goes to put his hands in his pockets, but Arthur grabs his wrist before he can get that far.
"Come on, I've saved the best for last."
The 'best' looks just like the other neighborhoods they've seen at first, but Arthur leads him straight back to what looks at first to be a simple gazebo, and then Merlin sees what all the fuss is about. The gazebo is built around a huge pine tree covered in lights, and when he steps inside the gazebo, he sees it's also covered in ornaments.
"Wow," Merlin says as he takes it all in. He moves forward to take a closer look and finds most of the ornaments are homemade. "Where did these all come from?"
"The neighborhood, mostly, but it's become something of an attraction for tourists to come add their own piece," Arthur explains, examining a snowflake that appears to be made out of chopsticks.
Merlin takes his time going around the tree, examining all the little bits that people have contributed. A great deal of them have an inscription of a couple or a child, even as simple as a piece of paper tied to a branch. Memories, each of them, and Merlin instantly knows he wants to be a part of it.
He reaches into his messenger bag and pulls out his copy of Holidays on Ice. He can feel Arthur's eyes on him as he flips to an in-between page and rips it from the binding.
"I would've thought a little piece of you would die if anyone did that to a book, let alone yourself."
"Hold this," Merlin says, pushing the page into his hand as he digs for a pen. He ignores Arthur's assumption and, upon finding a pen, scribbles the date and his name onto the page.
"Can I...?" Arthur says, holding his hand out for the pen. Merlin watches him spell out his name just below his own and, after a moment's hesitation, scribble a small plus sign in between. Merlin bites the inside of his mouth to keep from smiling. "There. Now, one of these is bound to have some extra string, or--"
"I think I've got a paperclip in here somewhere," Merlin says, already looking for it. Arthur chuckles and mutters, "Of course you do."
They find an empty place around the right side to hang it up, framing it with the lights so it can be read easily. Merlin smiles and frames the shot carefully before taking a picture.
Arthur leans in to him slightly as he straightens up. "What was that you said about the magic being gone?"
Merlin quirks his mouth upwards and turns a bit more toward Arthur. "It might be back. Marginally."
"Marginally?" Arthur repeats, incredulous.
Merlin considers for a second whether he'll look like a fool, but ultimately throws caution to the wind and takes a step forward right into Arthur's space, just as Arthur had done earlier. He nods. "Just a bit."
A smile breaks out on Arthur's face. "I swear, Merlin, just when I think I've got you figured out..."
Merlin smirks. "Can't have you knowing all my secrets."
This time Merlin has no reservations - he captures Arthur's mouth in a fast and thorough kiss that Arthur returns readily. If people are milling about this close to midnight, Merlin figures, let them watch. He can feel his own hesitance, matched by Arthur's own, but then he fits his fingers in Arthur's hair and just takes his mouth, knowing that Arthur wants it as much as he does. Arthur's answering groan proves as much, and Merlin shivers when Arthur's cold fingers find his skin under his shirt. Still, he shifts his body toward the touch and urges him to keep at it.
He pulls back momentarily for air, his body thrumming all over. Arthur rests his forehead against Merlin's and he looks about to say something just as there is a sound like a switch and the tree goes dark. After the moment of shock wears off, both of them burst out laughing simultaneously.
"Must be midnight," Merlin says, content to stand here, even in the dark.
"Yeah," Arthur agrees warmly, but then suddenly stiffens. "Hold on, midnight? Are you sure?"
"Yeah? Why, are you gonna turn into a pumpkin?"
"Christ, I've gotta get home. The bus stops running in like, fifteen minutes."
Merlin can hear the invitation in his mind, You could just stay over at my place and catch the first bus out in the morning, but he bites his tongue. It's not that it's too soon, though maybe it is. It's more that even though he might not have believed it before tonight, now he knows there will be another chance. "Come on, we can make it," Merlin says, leading the charge toward the nearest bus stop.
"I swear, if this had been any other night," Arthur says once they safely reach the stop. "I promised Morgan I'd help with the holiday cooking first thing tomorrow. If she wouldn't kill me for missing out, I'd stay."
Merlin shrugs it off. It's enough that he wants to stay. "There'll be other nights."
Arthur pulls him in for another kiss, and Merlin indulges him for a moment before pulling away. He doesn't exactly fancy a bus full of late-nighters watching him snog someone. He puts a hand on Arthur's awful yet somehow wonderful sweater and says, "Maybe you could stop by sometime over the next few days. That is, if you're free. I won't be able to get my usual coffee fix, after all."
The bus rounds the corner and lights up Arthur's smile. "Maybe I will."
******
4 hours 'til Christmas
Merlin doesn't expect to see or hear from Arthur for at least a day what with all the traditions, so when he gets a text that says Knock knock, he replies Who's there? and keeps on watching Elf on his tiny TV.
It's followed up by a knock on his actual door, though. He pauses the movie and hesitates at the door, telling himself it's probably just a neighbor.
He's happy to be proven wrong, especially when it's not only Arthur but actually Arthur with coffee which he honestly wouldn't have expected. "One of your neighbors let me in," Arthur says by way of hello.
"They'll let anyone in here," Merlin mutters before taking that first perfect sip. It's just as good as it is at the shop. He steps back to let Arthur in. "I hope you know I didn't actually mean coffee, last night."
"Shut up and drink it," Arthur says as he hangs his coat by the door.
Merlin doesn't really have any issues with that, and he's almost not surprised when Arthur moves into his space with what must be a kiss hello. It feels like hello, anyway, in the way that it implies more to come.
"What's this you're watching, then?" Arthur says, taking a spot on the couch.
"Elf." Arthur makes a face expressing dislike. "What, you don't like it?"
"Never seen it. Not much of a Will Ferrell fan myself."
"Well, excuse me, I wasn't exactly prepared for company," Merlin says, nudging Arthur over on the couch to take his usual seat. "I think you should give this one a try."
"Yeah, alright," Arthur says, stealing Merlin's coffee and taking a sip. He makes a face and hands it back immediately. "You've still not sold me on the caramel. It's too much."
"Nobody said you had to like it," Merlin says, pressing rewind and then going to dig through his cupboards. His offers of tea and hot chocolate go unappreciated, as Arthur ultimately asks for water. When he comes back to start the movie, he finds Arthur a bit closer to his side than he'd left him. He fits himself into the space nicely and settles in against Arthur just as the opening credits begin to play.
He lets Arthur recount his day during the slower parts and even chips in with his own stories from years past. Maybe it couldn't happen this year, but he's had his fair share of family Christmases in the past.
"Wasn't it great?" Merlin says as the end credits start to roll.
"It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," Arthur admits, his fingers playing with the hair at the nape of Merlin's neck. Merlin hopes he doesn't want to get up, because that's not going to happen. "Question for you... do you always have to be right about everything?"
Merlin pretends to think about it for a moment. "Only the important things."
"Like the amount of milk in a latte."
Merlin's stomach sinks, just a little, and he feels compelled to say, "Right. Okay, there's something I should probably tell you."
Arthur's fingers pause against his neck, but after a moment, he goes on like nothing's happened. "Alright."
Merlin shifts so he can look Arthur in the eye. "You know the woman who owned the shop just before your father bought it out?"
Arthur nods, an unpleasant look on his face. "Nimueh. She was a bitch."
"To say the least," Merlin agrees readily. "Well, just before her, a few years ago, my uncle owned the shop."
Arthur's eyebrows move upward, and his body language shifts a bit. He seems to be fighting a smile. "Well that certainly explains a lot. I take it you had peppermint flavor year-round."
Merlin's lips quirk into a smile. "I thought you might think it a bit odd."
Arthur shrugs. "You had something of a vested interest." His face scrunches up, an action Merlin wishes he didn't find endearing. "Can't say I blame you."
As Merlin leans in, Arthur's hand moves along his neck to guide him in, their lips fitting together easily.
"Does this admission mean I'll have you out of my hair when we open back up?"
Merlin grins and moves into Arthur's lap. "Never."
THE END