What Is Mistletoe, Again?

AN: This is simply a late Christmas fanfic I've had planned for a couple of years now but never got round to writing and uploading. It's set some time after series 2 or 3 of Merlin. It's slash, just to warn readers. Reviews are greatly appreciated! By the way, italics indicates either emphasis or thoughts.

As Merlin glanced at the mistletoe, a smile slid onto his face and an idea crept into his mind. It was insane, but then again, Merlin always had insane ideas. And they worked. Well, most of the time.

He glanced over at Arthur, stopping his work for a moment just to admire the view. Arthur's lean, muscled figure, his gleaming blond hair, the way the colour of his shirt brought out his eyes… He doubted many people knew it, but he'd noticed straight away how the colour green let a certain sparkle in Arthur's light blue eyes show through.

Merlin blinked to see Arthur staring at him, a curious frown on his face. Mortified at being caught staring, Merlin dropped his eyes to the mess of Yuletide decorations on the floor.

"Why do you even insist on helping me? I'm more than capable of putting a few decorations up." Arthur snorted at Merlin's words, though not unkindly. He considered Merlin's question, and when he eventually answered, his voice was soft and nostalgic.

"When I was a small child, I always thought the Yuletide celebrations and decorations were so…enchanting. I always wanted to see the decorations properly, but my father always forbade it. Never wanted me to have anything to do with the palace servants." Arthur abruptly stopped talking, shooting Merlin a guilty smile. Merlin nodded in understanding, and there was an awkward silence. After a few moments, Merlin looked up at the mistletoe he'd just hung, trying to look confused and wondering.

"What is this stuff, anyway?" He asked nonchalantly, not meeting Arthur's eyes for fear that Arthur would instantly see through his deception. For this plan to work, he had to appear dumb, witless and as ignorant as possible. Not very difficult, really. If he'd tricked Arthur a dozen times into thinking he was a normal servant, he could trick Arthur into thinking he had no clue what mistletoe was.

"You're kidding, right? Don't tell me you're that stupid, Merlin." Arthur replied scornfully. Merlin tried to ignore the thrill he always got when Arthur said his name, focusing instead on Arthur's question.

"Not kidding. I've never actually seen this stuff before." He lied, suddenly not sure how much longer he could keep this up. Really, most of the time his lies worked, it was only through sheer luck. How much luck could one person have? Merlin doubted he had much left after the past two years.

"It's mistletoe. Didn't anyone ever use it in Ealdor?" Arthur asked him, curious for a second. Merlin was secretly ecstatic that Arthur actually sounded interested in Merlin's childhood hometown. Arthur was rarely interested in anything to do with Merlin, so Merlin cherished the few moments he got.

"If they did, I never saw it. Honestly, what's it for? Some kind of bird perch or something?" Merlin was well aware of how ridiculous his question sounded, but thankfully Arthur didn't seem to realize it was a lie.

"No. It's- it's for kissing." Arthur flushed faint pink as he spoke, piquing Merlin's curiosity. He feigned confusion, scratching his head and looking up again.

"It's pretty high up. Do you have to jump to kiss it then, like a game?" For a moment, Arthur appeared to be genuinely considering whether or not to bang his- or Merlin's- head against a wall. His expression was one of utter bemusement, before his eyes brightened with understanding and he sighed, shaking his head in exasperation.

"No, Merlin. People kiss underneath it." He spoke slowly, as if Merlin was some kind of half-wit. Then again, with all the ridiculous questions, Merlin did come across as one.

"The women must become attached to you every Yuletide, then." Merlin laughed, successfully hiding the bitter tone to his voice. Forget all the good luck he had, it only meant it had to be balanced with bad luck. Bad luck that he as a servant to the Prince, who strictly liked women rather than men.

"You could say that." Arthur muttered, a tinge of regret to his voice that Merlin, lost in his bitterly angry thoughts, didn't even notice.

"Still, it seems like a really stupid thing to do." Merlin piped up suddenly, the air of innocence, before Arthur could change the subject. Arthur frowned, and Merlin knew he'd said just the right thing. He could almost hear Arthur's response before he even spoke.

"It is an important Yuletide tradition in Camelot, and my father would have you in the stocks- or worse- for saying such a thing." Wow. Spot on. Merlin had to admit, after putting up with such a prat for two years, he could even predict the things he'd say, down to the last syllable.

Merlin sucked in a deep breath. If he didn't say this now, he'd never get the chance again. The moment would pass, and then there'd be some new girl on Arthur's arm. It killed Merlin inside to see that endless stream of girls, all simpering and vying for Arthur's attention. Sure, Merlin had once been with a girl, too. It still hurt to think of Freya, and what she symbolized to him. He had liked Freya, respected her- she was beautiful, intelligent, and so much like him. But he'd only liked her so much because, after realizing how painful unrequited love was, he desperately wanted to love someone who'd love him back.

So he'd kissed Freya, simply because she wasn't Arthur, but she loved him in a way that Arthur never would. He'd mourned her terribly, because she really had been such a wonderful person, but also because that had been when he'd realized that Life didn't see him as worthy or deserving of love, and never would.

But now Freya was dead, and Merlin was back to square one. He was in love with Arthur; there was no denying that. Despite all the insults and objects thrown his way, Merlin had quickly fallen in love with Arthur after seeing his bravery, his passion for life, his overwhelming kindness, and the spark he'd noticed the first day they'd met. He was past denial, past trying to change his feelings, past the sick puppy love stage. But none of it meant a single thing to him, unless this idea worked.

"Well…maybe I need an example to show me why it's so important and not stupid." Merlin looked down as he finished speaking, his face growing hot as the sudden silence began to grow awkward, then painfully long. Merlin had never felt so stupid in his life, first acting like a total idiot and then implying that the Prince of Camelot kiss him! His luck had definitely run out now. He waited for Arthur to sneer at him, or shout at him, or even put him in the stocks for daring to suggest such a thing.

Instead, Merlin was shocked when suddenly Arthur was kissing him. Merlin was at a loss as to what to do, half too scared to move, half wondering what he should do, and a whole other half screaming in a blazing panic that Arthur, the man he was in love with, was still kissing him.

Well, Merlin thought giddily, thanks for the obvious. He let his body relax against Arthur's, a warm ache flooding his body as Arthur's hands tightened on Merlin's waist. Then, just as the kiss began to deepen, Arthur jerked his whole body back, eyes wide with shock. Merlin watched in a silent mix of amusement and desire as Arthur recovered. When Arthur finally seemed over his actions, Merlin felt a blush burn his face as Arthur grinned at him.

"Well," Arthur teased Merlin with a smirk, "if you're looking forward to Yuletide, just you wait for New Year's Eve. We people of Camelot have a tradition for that, too."

The End

AN: Thanks very much for reading! I know it's a little late for Christmas, but I was determined not to wait until Christmas 2012 to finally upload this! It's my first attempt at writing slash, so sorry if it seems a little awkward in places. Please review and tell me what you thought!