Merlin fic, The Perfect Gift
Title: The Perfect Gift
Rating: PG
Pairing: Merlin/Arthur
Word Count: 1,460
Summary: In which Arthur is pretty crap at this whole Christmas thing. Except that he really isn't.
Notes: This is a Stocking Swap gift for the lovely lady_drose_sd, I hope this is what you were looking for ♥ (unbeta-ed so please forgive any errors/typos) Happy Holidays and Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it!
As Arthur sat at his desk counting the minutes until he would be released from work and could go home and collapse onto the couch and not move for the foreseeable future, his phone buzzed where it sat on his desk. He reached for it, eyes widening as he read the message on the screen.
(Merlin) So I caved and splurged on that watch for Arthur, the black and silver one he was admiring a couple weeks ago. Any luck shopping for Lance?
Arthur thought three things in rapid succession as he scanned the message:
1. It was so like Merlin to put off his holiday shopping until three days before Christmas
2. He was ninety-nine percent sure this message hadn’t been meant for him
3. The watch currently on his wrist (that he had bought in a fit of self-pity the previous day after a horrendous meeting with his father) was, in fact, the very one that Merlin was describing.
Shit.
He had no idea what to do. He had no experience with these sorts of things. Christmas at the Pendragon household was always very sparse where presents were concerned. He and Morgana always exchanged gifts of course, but Uther usually just wrote them each a check and stuck it inside a card that was most likely picked out by his secretary. And Arthur never had this problem with Morgana. After a teenage Arthur had mistakenly bought her a pink frilly top that one of his mates had suggested (“Have you ever seen me wear pink Arthur?” “I thought all girls liked pink!”), Morgana implemented a new rule: every year they made a short list of acceptable gifts and would each choose something to buy off the other’s list, thus ensuring no more frilly shirt incidents. This worked perfectly well for Arthur, and helped avoid issues like the one at hand.
Arthur was pretty sure that he wouldn’t be allowed to return the watch he had bought, because just that morning he had removed the tag that said in bold letters:
CAN NOT BE RETURNED ONCE TAG IS DETACHED
So he supposed he was stuck with it now.
Arthur sighed, slouching in his chair, head in his hands. He couldn’t tell Merlin about the text, it would break his heart. This was their first Christmas together and Merlin had been so nervous about finding the perfect gift for Arthur. Arthur knew that he was worried about the money thing. Merlin was still finishing his degree and therefore was basically living off of the little money he was able to pull in bartending a couple nights a week. Arthur had tried to assure him that it didn’t matter, that he didn’t need any fancy gifts, that whatever Merlin got him would be perfect, but Arthur could see in Merlin’s eyes how important this was to him, how much he wanted to get a gift that was worthy of a Pendragon. Arthur’s stories of his childhood Christmases had only strengthened Merlin’s resolve to find the perfect present.
So Arthur couldn’t tell him.
Arthur would just have to pretend, act surprised when he opened it, hope his acting was good enough to fool Merlin. He sighed again. He was a terrible liar, Morgana used to tease him relentlessly about it when they were growing up. This was never going to work. But Arthur didn’t know what else to do and the thought of Merlin’s disappointed expression when Arthur told him that his perfect gift was a little too perfect hurt too much to bear, so Arthur unclasped the watch and slipped it into his briefcase. It couldn’t hurt to have two watches right? It could be a backup watch, in case one broke or something. Arthur nodded, trying to convince himself that this was the best course of action, and then, when it finally reached 5 o’clock, grabbed his briefcase and headed home.
*
Merlin had decided that they would start a tradition of exchanging presents on Christmas Eve, before the required dinner at the Pendragon house (they were going to Merlin’s mum’s for Christmas dinner the following day).
Arthur shifted nervously while Merlin opened his gift. He had spent an hour last night practicing his surprised face in the mirror before he decided that he had officially lost it and joined Merlin in bed. He was however, quite proud of the present he had picked out for Merlin. It was a very rare live record of one of Merlin’s favorite bands. Arthur had scoured the city and the internet for it and ended up finding it at a small local record shop. The ecstatic look on Merlin’s face made Arthur forget his watch-related worries for a moment. He loved Merlin like this, it was one of the things that Arthur adored most about him, how excited he got over simple things, how he cherished every day and was somehow always able to see the positive in every situation.
And then Arthur realized he didn’t have to act. He didn’t have to pretend to be happy when he opened Merlin’s present because he genuinely was happy. He was happy that he was with someone who cared so much about him that he would agonize for weeks over the perfect gift, someone who would save up his wages for months to be able to afford it, someone who wanted to start Christmas traditions with him, someone who loved him. Arthur smiled at Merlin, who gave him a funny look before running off into the bedroom to retrieve his gift. When he placed it gently into Arthur’s hands, Arthur could see the excitement dancing in Merlin’s eyes, he was so proud, and Arthur’s confidence faltered slightly.
“Come on, what are you waiting for, open it!”
Arthur laughed and ripped open the paper, uncovering the small white box inside. He tipped off the lid and there it was, the watch. Merlin was beaming now and Arthur found himself smiling too, it was impossible to look at the enormous grin spreading across Merlin’s face and not smile yourself.
“Do you like it? I went back and bought it after you were admiring it a few weeks ago!” Merlin was practically bouncing in his seat across from Arthur.
Arthur’s words were completely genuine when he replied warmly, “I love it. It’s perfect.”
Merlin reached over and lifted the watch out of the box, clasping it around Arthur’s wrist and Arthur held his arm up, turning it and admiring the watch from all angles.
“I love you,” he murmured, leaning across to plant a soft kiss on Merlin’s lips.
*
After they had cleaned up the paper and bows from their gifts and were sprawled out on the couch tucked up into one another, arms and legs tangled together, Arthur heard his phone buzzing from inside his briefcase. He groaned, not wanting to leave the warmth of Merlin’s body and the comfort of the couch.
“Merlin can you reach my mobile? It’s just there in the pocket in my briefcase.”
Merlin stretched out and dragged the briefcase closer, rummaging around for the phone before pausing suddenly with a little confused noise. He slowly pulled his hand back out of the bag and Arthur inhaled sharply when he saw what was draped across Merlin’s fingers.
His watch. The first watch.
Merlin turned towards him, confusion plain on his face.
“Arthur?”
For a moment Arthur considered playing dumb and pretending he didn’t know how the watch ended up there, but he knew that Merlin would see right through that, so instead the whole story came pouring out, how Merlin had mistakenly sent him the text, how Arthur had already bought the watch, how he was crap at this whole Christmas thing, how he didn’t want Merlin to be disappointed.
Merlin listened, embarrassment flashing across his face. “You could have told me Arthur, I could’ve returned it and gotten you something else. I didn’t want to give you something you already had.”
Arthur paused, unsure how to say that it didn’t matter, that it was so much more special coming from Merlin than buying it for himself using his father’s money, that it wasn’t about the watch, it was about Merlin. He pulled Merlin towards him, wrapping his arms around him and bringing him in close. In his ear he whispered, “I love your gift. I said it was perfect and I meant it. Because every time I wear this watch I will think of you. And that’s the real present. You. You’re all I need.”
Merlin’s mouth twitched, fighting a smile, but when Arthur kissed the top of Merlin’s ear, Merlin shivered, relaxing against him, laughing.
“Happy Christmas,” Arthur murmured.
“I love you,” Merlin answered, dropping the rejected watch back into the briefcase and burrowing down into Arthur’s shoulder.
Arthur smiled, maybe new Christmas traditions weren’t so bad after all.
Rating: PG
Pairing: Merlin/Arthur
Word Count: 1,460
Summary: In which Arthur is pretty crap at this whole Christmas thing. Except that he really isn't.
Notes: This is a Stocking Swap gift for the lovely lady_drose_sd, I hope this is what you were looking for ♥ (unbeta-ed so please forgive any errors/typos) Happy Holidays and Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it!
As Arthur sat at his desk counting the minutes until he would be released from work and could go home and collapse onto the couch and not move for the foreseeable future, his phone buzzed where it sat on his desk. He reached for it, eyes widening as he read the message on the screen.
(Merlin) So I caved and splurged on that watch for Arthur, the black and silver one he was admiring a couple weeks ago. Any luck shopping for Lance?
Arthur thought three things in rapid succession as he scanned the message:
1. It was so like Merlin to put off his holiday shopping until three days before Christmas
2. He was ninety-nine percent sure this message hadn’t been meant for him
3. The watch currently on his wrist (that he had bought in a fit of self-pity the previous day after a horrendous meeting with his father) was, in fact, the very one that Merlin was describing.
Shit.
He had no idea what to do. He had no experience with these sorts of things. Christmas at the Pendragon household was always very sparse where presents were concerned. He and Morgana always exchanged gifts of course, but Uther usually just wrote them each a check and stuck it inside a card that was most likely picked out by his secretary. And Arthur never had this problem with Morgana. After a teenage Arthur had mistakenly bought her a pink frilly top that one of his mates had suggested (“Have you ever seen me wear pink Arthur?” “I thought all girls liked pink!”), Morgana implemented a new rule: every year they made a short list of acceptable gifts and would each choose something to buy off the other’s list, thus ensuring no more frilly shirt incidents. This worked perfectly well for Arthur, and helped avoid issues like the one at hand.
Arthur was pretty sure that he wouldn’t be allowed to return the watch he had bought, because just that morning he had removed the tag that said in bold letters:
CAN NOT BE RETURNED ONCE TAG IS DETACHED
So he supposed he was stuck with it now.
Arthur sighed, slouching in his chair, head in his hands. He couldn’t tell Merlin about the text, it would break his heart. This was their first Christmas together and Merlin had been so nervous about finding the perfect gift for Arthur. Arthur knew that he was worried about the money thing. Merlin was still finishing his degree and therefore was basically living off of the little money he was able to pull in bartending a couple nights a week. Arthur had tried to assure him that it didn’t matter, that he didn’t need any fancy gifts, that whatever Merlin got him would be perfect, but Arthur could see in Merlin’s eyes how important this was to him, how much he wanted to get a gift that was worthy of a Pendragon. Arthur’s stories of his childhood Christmases had only strengthened Merlin’s resolve to find the perfect present.
So Arthur couldn’t tell him.
Arthur would just have to pretend, act surprised when he opened it, hope his acting was good enough to fool Merlin. He sighed again. He was a terrible liar, Morgana used to tease him relentlessly about it when they were growing up. This was never going to work. But Arthur didn’t know what else to do and the thought of Merlin’s disappointed expression when Arthur told him that his perfect gift was a little too perfect hurt too much to bear, so Arthur unclasped the watch and slipped it into his briefcase. It couldn’t hurt to have two watches right? It could be a backup watch, in case one broke or something. Arthur nodded, trying to convince himself that this was the best course of action, and then, when it finally reached 5 o’clock, grabbed his briefcase and headed home.
*
Merlin had decided that they would start a tradition of exchanging presents on Christmas Eve, before the required dinner at the Pendragon house (they were going to Merlin’s mum’s for Christmas dinner the following day).
Arthur shifted nervously while Merlin opened his gift. He had spent an hour last night practicing his surprised face in the mirror before he decided that he had officially lost it and joined Merlin in bed. He was however, quite proud of the present he had picked out for Merlin. It was a very rare live record of one of Merlin’s favorite bands. Arthur had scoured the city and the internet for it and ended up finding it at a small local record shop. The ecstatic look on Merlin’s face made Arthur forget his watch-related worries for a moment. He loved Merlin like this, it was one of the things that Arthur adored most about him, how excited he got over simple things, how he cherished every day and was somehow always able to see the positive in every situation.
And then Arthur realized he didn’t have to act. He didn’t have to pretend to be happy when he opened Merlin’s present because he genuinely was happy. He was happy that he was with someone who cared so much about him that he would agonize for weeks over the perfect gift, someone who would save up his wages for months to be able to afford it, someone who wanted to start Christmas traditions with him, someone who loved him. Arthur smiled at Merlin, who gave him a funny look before running off into the bedroom to retrieve his gift. When he placed it gently into Arthur’s hands, Arthur could see the excitement dancing in Merlin’s eyes, he was so proud, and Arthur’s confidence faltered slightly.
“Come on, what are you waiting for, open it!”
Arthur laughed and ripped open the paper, uncovering the small white box inside. He tipped off the lid and there it was, the watch. Merlin was beaming now and Arthur found himself smiling too, it was impossible to look at the enormous grin spreading across Merlin’s face and not smile yourself.
“Do you like it? I went back and bought it after you were admiring it a few weeks ago!” Merlin was practically bouncing in his seat across from Arthur.
Arthur’s words were completely genuine when he replied warmly, “I love it. It’s perfect.”
Merlin reached over and lifted the watch out of the box, clasping it around Arthur’s wrist and Arthur held his arm up, turning it and admiring the watch from all angles.
“I love you,” he murmured, leaning across to plant a soft kiss on Merlin’s lips.
*
After they had cleaned up the paper and bows from their gifts and were sprawled out on the couch tucked up into one another, arms and legs tangled together, Arthur heard his phone buzzing from inside his briefcase. He groaned, not wanting to leave the warmth of Merlin’s body and the comfort of the couch.
“Merlin can you reach my mobile? It’s just there in the pocket in my briefcase.”
Merlin stretched out and dragged the briefcase closer, rummaging around for the phone before pausing suddenly with a little confused noise. He slowly pulled his hand back out of the bag and Arthur inhaled sharply when he saw what was draped across Merlin’s fingers.
His watch. The first watch.
Merlin turned towards him, confusion plain on his face.
“Arthur?”
For a moment Arthur considered playing dumb and pretending he didn’t know how the watch ended up there, but he knew that Merlin would see right through that, so instead the whole story came pouring out, how Merlin had mistakenly sent him the text, how Arthur had already bought the watch, how he was crap at this whole Christmas thing, how he didn’t want Merlin to be disappointed.
Merlin listened, embarrassment flashing across his face. “You could have told me Arthur, I could’ve returned it and gotten you something else. I didn’t want to give you something you already had.”
Arthur paused, unsure how to say that it didn’t matter, that it was so much more special coming from Merlin than buying it for himself using his father’s money, that it wasn’t about the watch, it was about Merlin. He pulled Merlin towards him, wrapping his arms around him and bringing him in close. In his ear he whispered, “I love your gift. I said it was perfect and I meant it. Because every time I wear this watch I will think of you. And that’s the real present. You. You’re all I need.”
Merlin’s mouth twitched, fighting a smile, but when Arthur kissed the top of Merlin’s ear, Merlin shivered, relaxing against him, laughing.
“Happy Christmas,” Arthur murmured.
“I love you,” Merlin answered, dropping the rejected watch back into the briefcase and burrowing down into Arthur’s shoulder.
Arthur smiled, maybe new Christmas traditions weren’t so bad after all.