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A/N - Well guys, just a little fluff to welcome in the New Year with our favourite boys. Just the same really, Merlin, Arthur and the others dont belong to me but you know that. Anyways, here it is, let me know what you think...

As soon as Merlin had unocked the door he rushed into the sitting room to place the box he was carrying down on the newly devilered sofa. He looked around the brightly lit apartment and smiled so much it almost hurt. Then he heard a crashing nosie from behind him followed by a 'Arrrgh!'. He turned to see Arthur, well Arthur's legs walking into the apartment as his upper body was obscured by four large boxes,

"Don't mind me! I just walked into a wall, crushing my fingers between said wall and these and topping it off, this belt is useless so my jeans are falling down." Merlin smiled as he went to take onbe of the boxes so Arthur could see, enabling him to put the rest of them down. When all the boxes were on the sofa Arthur looked around the finally finished apartment. He, Merlin and their friends, Gwain, Lance, Gwen, Leon and Percy had been working since they bought the place to have it ready for today, New Years Eve.

"Well Babe, will it do?" Arthur asked as he turned to face his boyfriend and found himself with his arms full of Merlin.

"Arthur, it could be a shoe box but it's with you. That's all I care about. You're my life, my family and my home." Arthur hugged Merlin even closer to him as he closed his eyes in a bid to keep the tears at bay. Arthur had never had a home, growing up he lived in a house with his father, it had never been a home, his flat in University with his friends Gwain and Lance was better but still it wasn't home. Merlin had always lived with his mum and while he had loved it her, there had always been something missing and until the day Arthur walked into his life it remained missing and when his mum passed away a few months ago Arthur was there for him to lean on, cry, scream and be mad at until he worked the worst of his grief away and Arthur was there when he was able to move on. Now here they were, in their own apartment with each other, togther, finally home.

As they pulled back Arthur dipped his head down to kiss Merlin gently.

"I love you."

"I love you too." Merlin smiled back at him.

"Come on then, better get all this put away." Arthur said moving to the boxes on the sofa.

"Yeah, then we can set up for the party tonight." Merlin finished the sentence for him, kissing him again Arthut smiled before picking up two of the boxes and taking them into their bedroom as Merlin headed to the kitchen to start preparing for the apartment warming/New Years Eve party later that night.

"Arthur?" Merlin shouted from the cupboard.

"Yeah?"

"Where's Prince's bowls?"

"Erm, in one of these I think." Arthur said as he walked back into the living room. He soon located them and took them into the kitchen. Prince was their dog, well he had been Arthur's dog but Merlin soon fell in love with the black labrador who had been staying with Gwain during the move as Gwain was the only one who still lived in the apartment they lived in from the second year of University as Lance had moved in with Gwen a while back. All of them had tried to set him up with guys and girls seeing as he went for both but Gwain claimed he was happy living the single life. Arthur sister Morgana, who was currently traveling around Europe had found the idea of the three of them living together extremely funny, personally Arthur couldn't see why a stright, bisexual and gay guy living together would be as funny as she found it but Gwain was sure it was because Morgana was a fan girl, a fan girl of what Arthur still wasn't sure.

Arthur filled one Prince's bowls with water and the other with food before setting them on the floor so they were ready for him when Gwain brought him over.

"Can you handle things in here? I'm going to hit the shower." Arthur said as he circled his arms around Merlin's waist resting his chin on the smaller ones shoulder.

"Yeah yeah I'm fine won't take long. Leave the water running, that way it will still be hot when I go in." Arthur felt a evil grin spread across his face,

"Well, why don't we save water and time and go in together?" he asked innocently before not so innocently attacking Merlin's neck with kisses. Merlin tried half heartedly to get away from him before saying,

"Because you know exactly what will happen and it will not save time at all. Plus, it would spoil what I have planned for later." Merlin said with the same evil grin he had picked up from Arthur.

"Later?" Arthur asked, his interest peeked.

"Only one way to bring in the New Year Arthur. Now go, shower." Arthur relutently left Merlin to get the apartment ready, not that there was much to do he guessed, they had everything ready, it was just a matter of bringing the stuff over that they had kept at the house Merlin had lived in all his life while they got the apartment ready, clothes, DVDs, Arthurs laptop and whatever food they had there, everything else had already been seen to, it was like they have lived there for weeks anyway, Merlin just needed to sort out the vast amounts of alcohol they and their friends could consume and food to soak up alittle of that alcohol. Arthur finished up in the bathroom then crossed the hall to their room, he got dressed, white T - shirt, black waist coat, black jeans and white converse, he then towel dried his hair and walked back into then living room as Merlin walked out of the kitchen.

"Ah, good, you're finished. All set up in there and you look extremly hot by the way." Merlin said, eyes raking over every inch of Arthur.

"A well known fact but thank you." Arthur joked

"Prat."

"Idiot." Merlin smirked at there age old banter dating back to the day they met, the day Gwain introduced them when he and Merlin ran into Arthur as they headed to a lecture in the room Arthur's lecture had just finished, Merlin called Arthur a Prat for showing off for some reason before walking off and stumbling over his own laces earning him his first 'idiot' from the love of his life.

Merlin walked around Arthur to head into the bathroom, avoiding the blonde as much as possible because even though Arthur was grade A hot all of the time at the moment he was pushing a A* and Merlin's control was slipping, he needed a cold shower. Arthur smirked at his effect on his boyfriend as he threw himself into his lazy boy easy chair and used the remote to flip the TV on and settled on a tea time chat show, not that he watched them, but this one had a Supernatural exclusive on today and well to say Arthur had a crush on one of the stars, Jensen Ackles was a understatement, he freaking loved him, something he liked to remind Merlin about when they watched one of the DVDs (at least every other day) but then Merlin would just go on about how hot Jared was and they would continue until the show was finished.

Just as the exculsive finished Arthur heard Merlin closing the door on their room, turning his neck he saw Merlin was wearing a button down shirt, the same shade of blue as his eyes, Arthur knew this because he was a pro at knowing what shade of blue his boyfriends eyes were, he was also wearing deep blue jeans and a black pair of converse, which Arthur knew were his becuase the laces were tied really tight as his feet were a size bigger than Merlins.

"Well? Will I do?" Merlin asked,

"You'll do for me." Merlin grinned at him,

"Then thats all I want. What time is it?" he asked as he sat on the arm of Arthurs chair, as Arthur glanced at his watch,

"Just after six."

"Gwen said she and Lance would be here about half six."

"Whoa whoa! Lance is drinking form half six? The guy is a lightweight, come midnight he'll be plastered!"

"I dout Gwen will let him get too bad before midnight."

" You better hope so. Trust me Merlin, you didnt live with the guy for over two years, more than a few drinks and he is out for the count." Merlin smirked before getting up and going to the kitchen then coming back with a bottle in each hand and gave one to Arthur, turning to get the bottle opener, intenting to use it then hand it over to the blond but by the time he turned back Arthur was already using his teeth to get the top off 'typical student' Merlin thought to himself.

"You can tell you went to University."

"So did you."

"I never lived in the halls though."

"You have no idea what you missed." Arthur said just before the door bell went, glancing at his watch again Arthur said,

"They' re early." as Merlin went to open the door and Arthur stood up and used the remote again to flick over to one of the music channles that was playing music that apparently brought the New Year in with a bang. Then he went to welcome Lance and Gwen.

Nearly five and half hours later when everyone had arrived and had time to get well and truely merry with the alcohol the count down was just a few minuets away. Prince was laying on the floor next to the sofa watching everyone going by, Prince wasn't really bothered by crowds so he just obsevered, going into the kitchen when he wanted something. Lance was singing at apparently nothing as he sat perched on the arm of the sofa, Gwen watching him with fond eyes, Gwain was currently making out with one of Arthur's friends from work, Andrew, Arthur had called him when Merlin asked, Percy was flirting with a blonde girl that was one of Merlin's friends. Merlin and Arthur themselves were sat in Arthurs Lazy Boy chair together, Merlin sat across Arthur's lap. Arthur grabbed the remote and flicked over to BBC One for the count down,

10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1 Happy New Year!

Gwen pulled Lance down next to her, Gwain clamed the lips of his new friend, Percy and the blonde girl shared a kiss too and Merlin turned to Arthur and whispered, 'Happy New Year.' then used his weight to push Arthur back into his own chair and covered those perfect lips with his own as the fireworks on the TV started and could be fainly heard in the distance too as they didnt live all that far from them.

"Welcome home Merlin." Arthur said with a smile as Merlin snuggled into him.

The End

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