This Christmas
Title: This Christmas
Rating: PG
Pairing: Merlin/Arthur
Word Count: 1,025
Summary: Uther kicks Arthur out on Christmas Eve and Merlin comes to the rescue.
Notes: This is a very late stocking swap gift for denija based on her lovely prompt. I hope you like it, happy holidays! ♥
“I told my father I’m gay.”
Merlin almost dropped the phone.
“WHAT?”
Merlin knew that probably wasn’t the best reaction to this news but it was all his brain could come up with at the moment. Merlin was pretty sure he was one of the only people Arthur had told he was into guys. In fact, when Merlin found out a year earlier after walking in on Arthur in an extremely compromising position with another guy from his football team, Arthur had made him swear he wouldn’t tell another soul. And from what Arthur had told Merlin about his father, he sounded terrifying.
“Well he was going on and on about Vivian and how we would be perfect together and how maybe her father would finally agree to that merger that Uther has been after for years and it just kind of - came out.”
“And what did he say?”
“Well um - I’m currently sitting in my car outside the house…so it didn’t go well. He kicked me out before we even sat down for dinner.”
“Shit Arthur, I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, well maybe Christmas Eve dinner wasn’t the best time to bring it up, he’s even more high strung than usual around the holidays.”
Arthur laughed, but it was shaky and hollow, not his usual bright contagious laughter that Merlin was used to (and admittedly a little in love with). Merlin hated that Arthur was going through this, especially on Christmas, if he wasn’t afraid that Uther would actually kill him, Merlin would have driven over there himself and given him a piece of his mind. The least he could do was make sure Arthur didn’t spend Christmas Eve alone in his car.
“Alright, it’s settled then, you’re coming over here for Christmas eve.”
“What? No! I didn’t mean - I didn’t call to try and invite myself to yours. I don’t want to interrupt, I -”
“Arthur, Arthur stop. This is perfect, my mum was just saying she went a little overboard on the food, we’ve got enough to feed about fifty people and it’s just the two of us. So really you’d be doing us a favor.”
There was a pause and Arthur cleared his throat before his spoke.
“Um, alright. Thanks. If you’re really sure it won’t be an imposition.”
His voice wavered slightly and Merlin spoke quickly .
“Arthur, seriously, it’s fine. Get over here though, I’m starving.”
When Arthur showed up twenty minutes later his eyes were red rimmed and his coat sleeve a little damp, which Merlin noticed but made no mention of. Before Arthur could even get out a ‘hello’, Merlin pulled Arthur across the threshold and into a tight hug. Arthur made a little ‘oompf’ noise but didn’t pull back.
“Welcome to Christmas Eve dinner at the Emrys household,” Merlin said with a flourish of his arm after releasing Arthur.
Arthur grinned, but tugged at Merlin’s arm to stop him as he turned to lead Arthur into the kitchen.
“What?”
Arthur was blushing slightly and looking down at the floor.
“Thanks for, you know, inviting me over tonight. Really.”
Merlin just grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the kitchen.
“Of course I invited you over, I wasn’t going to leave you to freeze in your car, and besides” - now it was Merlin’s turn to blush - “I like having you here. Now come on, the food looks amazing and everyone is starving.”
“Everyone?”
And as Arthur walked into the kitchen he saw a lot more people than just Merlin’s mum sitting around the table.
Merlin twisted his hands nervously, looking cautiously up at Arthur through his eyelashes.
“Um…yeah. I may have invited a few more people over? I mean, Will usually comes over, but then Gwen and Lance didn’t really have any plans, and Gwaine, Percy, and Leon were going to try and cook something themselves which, let’s face it, is a horrible idea, so I just thought, the more the merrier right?”
Arthur laughed, not the fake laugh from earlier, but a big genuine laugh that Merlin couldn’t help smiling at. He gestured towards an empty chair for Arthur to sit in and plopped down in the one beside it.
“’Potatoes?” he asked, holding a dish out for Arthur to take.
“I’d love some,” Arthur said with a grin.
Later that evening, while everyone was grabbing their coats and getting ready to go, Arthur pulled Merlin aside into an empty room.
“Did you have a nice time? I hope it’s alright that I invited everyone, I didn’t tell them why you were having dinner here, although I think some of them may have guessed, but I just thought it might be nice to spend Christmas Eve with all your friends, because, you know, they all love you, and I -”
But before Merlin could finish, Arthur grabbed his wrist, pulled him in close, and kissed him. It was just a gentle brush of lips, but Merlin felt sparks where they touched. Merlin could feel the color rising in his cheeks as they separated. He had wanted to kiss Arthur since pretty much the first moment he’d seen him, but he had no idea Arthur had thought of them as anything other than friends.
“Wha- What was that for?” he stuttered, brain still recovering from the shock of Arthur’s lips on his.
“That was a thank you for giving me one of the best Christmas Eves I’ve ever had,” Arthur murmured. Merlin shivered feeling Arthur’s breath ghosting over his ear.
Arthur backed away and grabbed his coat from where he’d dropped in onto a chair. He turned to head back towards the door and the rest of their friends but Merlin reached out and pulled him back in.
“It doesn’t have to end yet,” Merlin said with a timid smile and a not so subtle nod towards his bedroom.
“Are you inviting me to spend the night with you Merlin?” Arthur gave Merlin a scandalized look.
Merlin giggled. “Well we can’t have you sleeping in your car, plus I haven’t given you your Christmas present yet.”
“Best Christmas ever,” Arthur murmured as he leaned in for another kiss.
Rating: PG
Pairing: Merlin/Arthur
Word Count: 1,025
Summary: Uther kicks Arthur out on Christmas Eve and Merlin comes to the rescue.
Notes: This is a very late stocking swap gift for denija based on her lovely prompt. I hope you like it, happy holidays! ♥
“I told my father I’m gay.”
Merlin almost dropped the phone.
“WHAT?”
Merlin knew that probably wasn’t the best reaction to this news but it was all his brain could come up with at the moment. Merlin was pretty sure he was one of the only people Arthur had told he was into guys. In fact, when Merlin found out a year earlier after walking in on Arthur in an extremely compromising position with another guy from his football team, Arthur had made him swear he wouldn’t tell another soul. And from what Arthur had told Merlin about his father, he sounded terrifying.
“Well he was going on and on about Vivian and how we would be perfect together and how maybe her father would finally agree to that merger that Uther has been after for years and it just kind of - came out.”
“And what did he say?”
“Well um - I’m currently sitting in my car outside the house…so it didn’t go well. He kicked me out before we even sat down for dinner.”
“Shit Arthur, I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, well maybe Christmas Eve dinner wasn’t the best time to bring it up, he’s even more high strung than usual around the holidays.”
Arthur laughed, but it was shaky and hollow, not his usual bright contagious laughter that Merlin was used to (and admittedly a little in love with). Merlin hated that Arthur was going through this, especially on Christmas, if he wasn’t afraid that Uther would actually kill him, Merlin would have driven over there himself and given him a piece of his mind. The least he could do was make sure Arthur didn’t spend Christmas Eve alone in his car.
“Alright, it’s settled then, you’re coming over here for Christmas eve.”
“What? No! I didn’t mean - I didn’t call to try and invite myself to yours. I don’t want to interrupt, I -”
“Arthur, Arthur stop. This is perfect, my mum was just saying she went a little overboard on the food, we’ve got enough to feed about fifty people and it’s just the two of us. So really you’d be doing us a favor.”
There was a pause and Arthur cleared his throat before his spoke.
“Um, alright. Thanks. If you’re really sure it won’t be an imposition.”
His voice wavered slightly and Merlin spoke quickly .
“Arthur, seriously, it’s fine. Get over here though, I’m starving.”
When Arthur showed up twenty minutes later his eyes were red rimmed and his coat sleeve a little damp, which Merlin noticed but made no mention of. Before Arthur could even get out a ‘hello’, Merlin pulled Arthur across the threshold and into a tight hug. Arthur made a little ‘oompf’ noise but didn’t pull back.
“Welcome to Christmas Eve dinner at the Emrys household,” Merlin said with a flourish of his arm after releasing Arthur.
Arthur grinned, but tugged at Merlin’s arm to stop him as he turned to lead Arthur into the kitchen.
“What?”
Arthur was blushing slightly and looking down at the floor.
“Thanks for, you know, inviting me over tonight. Really.”
Merlin just grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the kitchen.
“Of course I invited you over, I wasn’t going to leave you to freeze in your car, and besides” - now it was Merlin’s turn to blush - “I like having you here. Now come on, the food looks amazing and everyone is starving.”
“Everyone?”
And as Arthur walked into the kitchen he saw a lot more people than just Merlin’s mum sitting around the table.
Merlin twisted his hands nervously, looking cautiously up at Arthur through his eyelashes.
“Um…yeah. I may have invited a few more people over? I mean, Will usually comes over, but then Gwen and Lance didn’t really have any plans, and Gwaine, Percy, and Leon were going to try and cook something themselves which, let’s face it, is a horrible idea, so I just thought, the more the merrier right?”
Arthur laughed, not the fake laugh from earlier, but a big genuine laugh that Merlin couldn’t help smiling at. He gestured towards an empty chair for Arthur to sit in and plopped down in the one beside it.
“’Potatoes?” he asked, holding a dish out for Arthur to take.
“I’d love some,” Arthur said with a grin.
Later that evening, while everyone was grabbing their coats and getting ready to go, Arthur pulled Merlin aside into an empty room.
“Did you have a nice time? I hope it’s alright that I invited everyone, I didn’t tell them why you were having dinner here, although I think some of them may have guessed, but I just thought it might be nice to spend Christmas Eve with all your friends, because, you know, they all love you, and I -”
But before Merlin could finish, Arthur grabbed his wrist, pulled him in close, and kissed him. It was just a gentle brush of lips, but Merlin felt sparks where they touched. Merlin could feel the color rising in his cheeks as they separated. He had wanted to kiss Arthur since pretty much the first moment he’d seen him, but he had no idea Arthur had thought of them as anything other than friends.
“Wha- What was that for?” he stuttered, brain still recovering from the shock of Arthur’s lips on his.
“That was a thank you for giving me one of the best Christmas Eves I’ve ever had,” Arthur murmured. Merlin shivered feeling Arthur’s breath ghosting over his ear.
Arthur backed away and grabbed his coat from where he’d dropped in onto a chair. He turned to head back towards the door and the rest of their friends but Merlin reached out and pulled him back in.
“It doesn’t have to end yet,” Merlin said with a timid smile and a not so subtle nod towards his bedroom.
“Are you inviting me to spend the night with you Merlin?” Arthur gave Merlin a scandalized look.
Merlin giggled. “Well we can’t have you sleeping in your car, plus I haven’t given you your Christmas present yet.”
“Best Christmas ever,” Arthur murmured as he leaned in for another kiss.