Work Text:
Merlin stood close beside Arthur as he recited the blessing over the Hanukkah candles.
Merlin was so proud of his boyfriend; this was Arthur’s first time celebrating Hanukkah as a real, official Jew, having formalized his conversion earlier that year. When they had first met, Arthur was still involved with the church his father attended, though he had been questioning his beliefs since his teenage years. After they began dating, Arthur had started to celebrate shabbat and other Jewish holidays with Merlin. Merlin enjoyed getting to see Arthur fall in love with the religion and customs that Merlin was raised with. And eventually Arthur decided to convert to Judaism.
The little flames on the candles added to the warmth of the room far more than their size would suggest. The warm (both literally and figuratively) little flat with Arthur was infinitely better than the Hanukkahs that Merlin had spent alone in his drafty student housing, unable to return home to celebrate with his mother. This year, though, Hanukkah coincided as perfectly as it could with Christmas, meaning Merlin and Arthur both had time off work, and they had spent the previous few days in Ealdor, visiting with Merlin’s mum through the first night of the holiday.
Tonight they were back in their little flat in London, eating Chinese takeaway and latkes in front of the fireplace. They had returned to London for Christmas lunch with their friends at Gwen and Lance’s flat. Though they didn't celebrate Christmas, it was a tradition in their friend group, and it was one of the few opportunities they had during the year to see some of their friends who no longer lived in London.
Now that they were alone and enjoying the peace and quiet, Merlin pulled out the box he had been carrying around in his pocket. “Happy Hanukkah Arthur,” he said quietly.
Arthur unwrapped the little box and opened it to find a silver ring and a note which read “meet me under the chuppah?” Arthur stared for a moment before turning suddenly to kiss Merlin. When they parted he said, “of course, idiot.”