winterknights | A Belated Homecoming [Arthur/Merlin - G

Title: A Belated Homecoming
Author/Artist:

clockfraught
Pairing(s): Arthur/Merlin
Prompt: 31
Word Count: ~560
Rating: G
Contains: fluff, kissing, reunions
Disclaimer: Merlin characters are the property of Shine and BBC. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: Thank you to my beta <3
Summary Fifteen years have passed since the last time Arthur kissed Merlin, and Arthur is certain that he had never wanted to kiss Merlin as badly then as he does now.

The holiday decorations are still up, though Christmas has already been over for one whole day and Boxing Day is nearly halfway through.

Of course they are, Arthur thinks, and forgoes getting annoyed with himself for smiling and sighing with relief. There's been a moment--just a moment--as he stepped off the train where irrational worry had seized his heart, and he was struck by the thought that perhaps he'd missed Christmas.

But, no, the tiny train station is decked with evergreen and tinsel, just as he remembered from years past, and the same familiar holiday carols hummed from the small cafe and bookshop just past the platform. There are enough people milling about to make the station feel festive instead of crowded, and Arthur lingers in the center of the activity until he hears his name.

"Arthur!"

And that's when he knows it's doesn't matter what day it is; it's Christmastime and he's home and Merlin is waiting for him.

"Sorry, sorry, am I late? Or is your train early? I tried to time it right," Merlin says, breathless, and reaches for Arthur's duffel bag. "I wanted--well, I'm not sure, but..."

"It's fine. Everything's fine," Arthur says. His fingers brush against Merlin's as he hands the bag over and that same sense of relief washes over him, the same warmth and reassurance, the same knowledge that the world is more than fine.

He touches Merlin's wrist, then his arm, and then reaches up to touch the line of his jaw and stroke the side of his face. Should he let them, a thousand different thoughts would crowd Arthur's mind. Memories of all the strange, rushed, half-drunk nights he and Merlin spent together during uni, of the warm, lazy morning afters and the mid-morning cups of coffee they drank in bed on Saturdays. Memories of Merlin's last year in uni; the one Christmas they spent together, the one New Year they saw start together; the one summer afternoon that turned out to be the last one they spent together before Merlin left to do his post-grad in Canada.

"You look the same," Arthur says before he can stop himself, because Merlin does. His eyes and his smile, the quirk of his lips when he tries to hide his smile, the way he ducks his head, turns aside, and tries not to smile.

"I don't, but thank you." Merlin leans into the touch of Arthur's fingertips, and when he turns his head, it's not to hide a smile, but to touch his lips to the inside of Arthur's wrist. "So do you, though, in all the ways that count."

Fifteen years have passed since the last time Arthur kissed Merlin, and Arthur is certain that he hadn't wanted to kiss Merlin as badly then as he does now. When he leans in, he savors that moment, too, and swears to himself he'll always remember the sound of faint, tinny holiday music and scent of the winter air, and faint catch in Merlin's breath as Arthur's leans in, smiles against Merlin's mouth, and kisses him in the middle of the train station.

Merlin slides an arm around Arthur to hold him quite close, then nudges him toward the exit. "Let's go home," Merlin says, turns to kiss Arthur quickly, and adds, "it's Christmas, and I want to go home with you."

"Me, too."