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Arthur watches Merlin slide the candy cane back and forth between his lips, tongue coming out to swirl around it, lips red and slick.
“He’s trying to kill me,” Arthur mutters under his breath.
“What’s that?’ Leon asks, sticking a bow on a present and sliding it over with a smile to a gentleman waiting nearby. The man thanks Leon and puts a ten dollar bill into the tin marked for charity.
“Nothing,” Arthur grumbles. He tries to concentrate on the gift he’s wrapping, but only manages to get his fingers caught in the ribbon. “Fuck. Leon…”
Leon chuckles and helps Arthur out of the mess, deftly tying the green ribbon into a fancy bow.
“Arthur, this paper is inside out,” Leon says, dubiously looking over the gift.
“No, it isn’t…” Arthur glances down at the box. “Okay. Maybe it is.” Of course, that's when the teenage girl he wrapped it for returns to the counter.
“Here you go,” he tells her, flashing his brightest smile as he hands her the gift.
She simpers and takes it, barely looking it over as she stutters her thanks.
“Good thing you’re so attractive,” Leon says, turning back to his own gift wrapping.
Arthur again looks across the aisle, this time to find Merlin’s eyes upon him, candy cane resting against his outstretched tongue. Merlin slaps his tongue with it, just exactly the way he likes to slap it with Arthur’s cock, and Arthur breathes swiftly and deeply through his nose, dropping the scissors he’s holding onto his foot.
“Holy shit! Christ!”
“Are you all right?” Leon asks solicitously, as Arthur hops about. An old woman gives Arthur a disapproving look and walks to the other side of the counter to where Gwen is wrapping.
“Fine! I didn’t want to wrap a hundred gifts for your cat anyway!” Arthur growls in the woman’s general direction.
Leon curls an arm around Arthur’s shoulder. “Arthur, calm down-- Christmas spirit and all that.”
“Leon,” Arthur grabs his friend by the collar. “Merlin is purposely giving that candy cane a blow job, and I can’t take it anymore. I’m out of here.”
He removes the apron with the ludicrous reindeer face on it that Morgana made him wear and throws it down before crawling out from under the counter and stalking across the mall to where Merlin stands, eyebrows raised, candy cane still between his perfect bow lips.
“Come on,” Arthur tells Merlin, taking his hand. “You got your wish.”
“What do you mean?” Merlin asks innocently. “You still have thirty minutes. You promised Morgana you’d work ‘til the mall closes.”
“Well, that’s just too bad,” Arthur says, pulling Merlin through the crowd. He finds a quiet corner and shoves Merlin into it, pressing him against the wall and taking those candy-sweet lips with his own. He licks the last remnants of peppermint off them before pushing his tongue into Merlin’s mouth, roaming over his teeth.
“Mmmm,” Arthur murmurs, the tension of the past few hours melting away, and Merlin smiles against his lips. Their hips press together, and Arthur feels his need for the man he loves building. “Let’s get home so you can put that mouth to good use,” he suggests.
Merlin nods eagerly and they head for the exit, arm-in-arm, candy cane discarded in the trash receptacle.