FIC: Let it snow (Merlin/Arthur - 1001 - G)

[winter-mod.livejournal.com]

Title: Let it snow
Author/Artist: ???
Pairing(s): Merlin/Arthur
Prompt: the weather outside :)
Word Count/Art Medium: 1001
Rating: G
Contains: nothing out of the ordinary. 
Disclaimer: Merlin characters are the property of Shine and BBC. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: Thank you for still letting me play, even though I'm late. Thanks for this fest, I love it! Happy Holidays everyone!
Summary Arthur doesn't like that he has to pick up his sister's Christmas present. The weather makes him even unhappier. 



Arthur frowned and pulled his baseball hat further over his face. He wasn’t in a Christmas mood and winter wasn’t his favourite time of year anyways. That it had started snowing real hard as he was on his way to the bookshop, didn’t lift his spirits at all. Glaring up at the grey December sky, Arthur quickened his steps.

There were less and less people on the streets as the little book store finally came into sight, everybody was in a hurry to get to a safe place before the winter storm would finally reach the city. Of course, Morgana had wished for a book that the big chains couldn’t even order for him and his online search had been fruitless, so he had turned to the odd little bookstore on the corner. The old man with the longish white hair, who Arthur imagined was the owner, had no trouble ordering the book for him, so now he was on his way to pick it up.

Cursing himself for not taking the weather forecast more seriously, Arthur ducked deeper into his scarf as he buried his cold hands in the pockets of his leather jacket, which wasn’t appropriate for the weather either. He was glad that this was the last present he had to get as he hated Christmas shopping. As a kid, he had loved Christmas and everything that came with it. Now, it was only a time of loneliness with friends holing up with their loved ones. His family weren’t very close and since his mother was gone, Christmas dinner was more of a formal thing you just had to do than something they all really wanted to be at. So he was alone for the most part of the holidays. Not that he minded being on his own, but, you know, it was cold and someone to snuggle up to wouldn’t have been too bad.

Arthur sighed as he was seeking cover under the canopy of the shop when someone had the same idea and dove in from the other side, so they bumped together.

“Hey, watch were you’re going!”

A pair of blue eyes from underneath the rim of a beanie and a wide smile was all he could see. “Sorry, man. Didn’t mean to do that.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Arthur tried to stomp the wet snow off his runners – another bad fashion choice for the weather.

The bloke just laughed. “Why so grumpy? It’s just a bit of snow.”

“Just a bit, uh huh.”

“Yes, it’s supposed to get even better when the storm moves in!”

“Better?” This guy had great eyes and a smile that would have been contagious, if he weren’t a total nutcase.

“Snow is fantastic, don’t you think? It covers the world in a blanket of white and everything is forced to slow down and it gets quiet and when the sun comes out again, it sparkles.”

“Sparkles.” Arthur echoed. This man couldn’t be real. They weren’t children anymore, no adult in their right mind would get excited at the prospect of a snow storm. There was something to him, though, that made Arthur just look at him.

“Yes, sparkles. I love this time of year.” Opening the door to the shop, he held it open for Arthur. “Are you coming?”

Confused, Arthur followed him in.

“Are you getting Christmas presents? Or something for yourself? Books are great gifts but sometimes you just have to treat yourself to a good book.”

The man pulled the beanie off his head and revealed dark unruly hair and ears that stuck out so wide that Arthur wondered for a moment if he could have gotten into the door if he hadn’t been restraining them with the beanie.

“Christmas present,” Arthur mumbled. He shouldn’t be so fascinated by Mr. I-like-snow-storms.

The other’s face fell. “For your girlfriend?”

Arthur couldn’t help but chuckling. “No.”

“Your boyfriend?” When he pulled his thick gloves off, Arthur noticed that he had long, slender fingers on big hands.

“Sadly, no boyfriend either.”

“Good.”

“Good? I don’t think it’s good. It’s the time of year that makes you realize what you’re missing.” Arthur hadn’t meant to say this. The guy was a total stranger, it was none of his business.

“I just mean…good, because then I can get us hot chocolates while you’re buying your present. They make the best hot chocolates in town.”

Only when the man pointed to a corner, Arthur noticed that this wasn’t only a small book shop, they also had a few tables and an array of mismatched armchairs and small couches. He had no idea why he didn’t object. Maybe it was the man’s enthusiasm about the nasty weather, the way he laughed and his fascinatingly blue eyes or simply the fact that Arthur wanted to feel a little bit less lonely for the time it took to drink a hot chocolate, he didn’t care. He just nodded.

After he’d gotten Morgana’s book, he found the man in an armchair at a little table by the window and sat down in the armchair across from him. There was a wreath with a big red bow on the window and a little tea candle in a glass on the table. It felt cosy and as if he would never be able to get up again.

“I’m Arthur,” he introduced himself.

“Merlin.” The bloke chuckled and leaned forward. “This is good. Legend in the making.”

Arthur grinned. “Don’t laugh, but as a child, I was convinced that I was King Arthur. Had a Lego castle and knights, a plastic sword and all that. Even a red cloak that I took everywhere.”

“Did you have a warlock, too?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Then you do now.” Merlin laughed and sipped his hot chocolate, holding the mug between two hands, his eyes never leaving Arthur’s face.

Arthur didn’t notice that the storm finally hit and brought more snow than the city had seen in decades as they talked for hours.