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“I am looking forward to dinner,” Harry said. Eggsy would say he was using a sex voice, but this was Harry’s perfectly normal voice. Maybe pitched a little lower, a little slower. Okay yes he was trying to use his sex voice on Merlin, he had spent decades perfecting it on marks, it should finally be of some use in his personal life.
“Me too,” Merlin agreed and sounded clearly distracted.
“Our reservation, for tomorrow night?” Harry’s voice was truly back to normal. “The one we’ve waited three weeks for and that short a wait took a 200 pound bribe. For our first date?”
“Yes, yes,” Merlin said and continued typing. There was a pause. “You bribed someone 200 pounds for a bloody reservation? That is wasteful.”
“Do not get penny pinching now. This is our first date,” Harry’s voice was definitely not normal now and was in fact starting to get testy. “The first date we have both secretly wanted for decades and are finally having. I would have paid double, triple that, to finally hold your hand by candlelight and pay for over priced chicken and wine that is not as good as they suggest but you look perfect in that soft candlelight and our ankles touch under the table and it is all soft and awkward and astonishingly happy.”
“That is a lot of pressure on our first date, maybe we should get fish and chips,” Merlin said.
“I hate you.” Harry tapped the side of his glasses to cut off communication. He paced his office a bit and then tapped the side again. “Eggsy would you like to go to dinner with me at the most exclusive restaurant in London?”
“Wot you mean the place you are taking Merlin to tomorrow night? That’s weird.”
“I am aware, but I was very excited about the date, and he has ruined it. So now, you benefit.”
“Okay, but if one person gives us that look, you know the you are my sugar daddy one, I’m punching them.”
“Right new plan, pass the phone to your wife.”
“Harry,” Tilde’s voice was a balm in his ear.
“May I please escort you to dinner tomorrow night?”
“Why thank you, Harry, that is a lovely invitation and I graciously accept.”
He sighed in contentment at actual manners. “I will pick you up at 7.” He switched channels. “Right, I’m taking Tilde to dinner. You are off the hook.”
“What?” Merlin sounded shocked. “I was looking forward to our date at your stupid restaurant.”
“That right there! It isn’t stupid, it is exquisite.”
“I wanted that hand holding candlelight stuff too! I was looking forward to it.”
Harry paused, “You were?” he was hesitant, unsure, which he did not care for.
“I was,” Merlin agreed. “You caught me in the middle of coding, I was distracted. But I was looking forward to the pleasure of your company.”
“Bugger,” Harry groaned. “Well I can’t cancel on a princess, can I?”
“Fish and chips the night after?” Merlin suggested. “The shop the lane over got rid of all its cockroaches.”
Harry decided to hang up instead of answer that. He and Tilde had a lovely dinner, and he wished desperately it had been Merlin across from him.
************************************
“If you didn’t want to do this, you should have said so,” Merlin groused when Harry answered his line an hour late.
“I did want to do this!” Harry protested.
“Then why am I on the grounds alone with no sign of you?” Merlin looked at everything he had bought. It was stupid to think that Harry Hart would want to plant flowers with him.
“I am just a little late, but I will be there -”
“Excuse me you will not,” a voice said.
“Dr. Pierce?” Merlin recognized the voice of the Kingsman Chief Medical Officer.
“I’m fine, be right there,” Harry said quickly.
“You sat on gardening shears and need five more stitches in your arse!” the doctor shouted. “Why the fuck were there shears in your back pocket anyways?”
“Because Merlin wanted to garden with me, and I wanted to make him happy,” Harry snapped.
Merlin melted just a little, “Harry listen to the doctor, we can plant these another time.”
“I was looking forward to the pleasure on your face when you planted the flowers. You like talking about flowers.”
“I do,” Merlin agreed.
“Ow,” Harry whined.
“I could come hold your hand,” Merlin offered.
“Much hand holding, next date,” Harry promised and hung up.
“Next implies we have had a first,” Merlin muttered to himself and then decided to go ahead and plant the flowers.
*********************************************
They both stood there in impeccable new evening suits and started at the theatre that they were to see the play in. One they agreed they would both enjoy.
The fire brigade almost had the flames dealt with.
Merlin and Harry just nodded to each other, shook hands and walked in opposite directions away even though they lived precisely 3 houses apart these days.
Who went to a Chekov play for a first date anyways. Madness.
**********************************************
Harry received the text that Merlin had to cancel their plans to dance, terribly sorry, but a mission was going tits up. It was so pathetic a lie that Harry could have been furious. But he had been anticipating this.
Harry went to medical and talked to the doctor and left with a small bag and made his way to Merlin’s office where Merlin was sitting at his desk, with his glasses off, and his palms pressed to his eyes. “You could have just said no to dancing.”
“It is very hard to say no to you when your eyes light up like that.”
Harry touched the patch covering the one eye. “Eye,” he corrected.
“Eye,” Merlin said. “It is very hard to say no to you when your eye lights up like that. You were so happy at the thought of dancing.”
“I wanted you in my arms, I’ve always wanted you in my arms,” Harry replied. “Now, is it just that you didn’t want to do it, or are you have a bad day?”
“Bad day,” Merlin had to admit.
“Is there a mission that went tits up?”
“Well, I did see Roxy’s breasts as she seduced her mark, but she is already on the plane home.” Merlin gave a faint smile.
“Okay then,” Harry said and handed the bag that he was holding to Merlin who took it automatically and then grunted when he was thrown over Harry’s shoulder. “I expected you to be lighter.”
“How?”
“You only have half your legs, that has to cut down the weight some.” Harry adjusted the fireman carry and started through the estate, thankful when people moved out of the way. Luckily the candidate room was empty because Harry was pretty sure that he would die if he had to carry the man up some stairs. He dropped Merlin a little too abruptly on one of the beds. “You weigh too much.”
“Weigh less than you.”
Harry stilled and glared. “I have put on a little as Arthur but still I do not see how -”
Merlin looked at him and removed both legs. “See, weigh less than you.”
“The dramatics in this relationship are supposed to be on my end, you know. You are the calm measured one; I am the one with the short fuse and over the top reactions.” He took the bag from Merlin and knelt at his feet. “Chafing?”
“Just a day my body does not feel right,” Merlin replied.
“Do you trust me?”
“Not a fucking lick, ye annoying bastard.”
Harry had to smile at that. He pressed his forehead against Merlin’s thigh. “Do you trust me?”
“Completely,” Merlin said softly.
Harry reached up and undid the belt around Merlin’s waist and gently pulled his trousers off. He wrapped the heating bandages he had been given around Merlin’s thighs and rubbed lotion onto the stumps. He spoke of silly things, gentle things as he worked and he was pleased when he heard Merlin’s quiet snore. He kissed Merlin’s forehead. “We would have looked beautiful on the dance floor together.” He wrapped the man in a blanket and sat beside him, kept him safe.
**************************************
“No, no no no no no no no,” Harry shouted. “Merlin and I have a date!”
“You have dates all the bloody time, and this is a little more important,” Eggsy shouted back.
“Point of fact we have not and nothing is more important than Merlin,” Harry snapped as he drove through London.
“My baby is coming, that is more important than everything. Turn right there is a short cut.”
“No there isn’t,” Harry was almost screaming. “And Merlin is the most important thing in the universe!”
“Even he’d agree he’s shit in comparison to my kid!” Eggsy kicked the back of the driver’s seat. “Why are you even driving you only have one eye. You are going to kill my kid.”
“Because you needed to be back there consoling her wife, helping her through her pain.” Harry reached a hand back and tried to smack Eggsy. “I was going to have my first date with Merlin. Finally.”
“But you two have been together since our wedding over a year ago, yes?” Tilde asked. She was rubbing her stomach and breathing slowly.
“Together yes, but we haven’t actually managed to have a proper date yet,” Harry groused. “It is frustrating. Every attempt at a proper first date and something happens. The world is conspiring and I finally got a reservation at that restaurant again, and here you are fucking it up.”
“My baby is not fucking up shit!” Eggsy kicked the seat again. “And stop bloody swearing around him, already you bastard. See if you are godfather after all this bullshit.”
Harry pulled up to the hospital and he and Eggsy kept bickering and Roxy and Merlin were out front waiting.
“Your highness,” Merlin said with a bow and holding the handles of a wheelchair.
“I have an overnight bag for you, your midwife has been notified, and the attending emergency doctor has an excellent record in case of problems. Word has been sent to your parents and they asked to be informed the minute you have the child,” Roxy smiled. “Are you ready to be a mother?”
“I am,” Tilde smiled happily. They all looked to where Harry and Eggsy were still bickering in the car. “This is good for him, will bleed off the nerves a little. He was driving me crazy the last couple weeks. Nesting insanely.”
Merlin laughed at that. “Let’s get you settled in,” he said and pushed her into the hospital. He had her just inside the doors when he was shoved away.
“Oi, my Tilde, our kid, I got this,” Eggsy said.
“Do you?” Merlin asked.
“No,” Eggsy was white.
Merlin gave him a hug. “You do,” he promised his friend.
“Okay,” Eggsy agreed. He took a deep breath. “I’m going to be a da.”
“And a brilliant one,” Harry said coming up to them. “Go on, take care of Tilde.”
“Thank you for the drive, Harry,” Tilde said.
“Come along, I know where you are going,” Roxy said.
“We really should just put Roxy in charge of everything, always,” Tilde said.
“Probably,” Eggsy agreed and pushed Tilde along behind where Roxy was leading them.
“We should buy balloons or such,” Harry said.
“Very well,” Merlin agreed and they went to the gift shop and bought a few too many things and then went to the waiting room. They sat there, and Harry occasionally paced and Merlin played on his phone.
Harry looked at the clock, “they will have given the table to someone else.”
“Likely.”
Harry came and sat next to him. “Candlelight,” he mourned.
“Grandson matters more, I would think.”
“Godfather, not grandfather,” Harry huffed, “Not old enough to be a grandfather.”
“No, of course not,” Merlin reassured him. “Harry, I’ve been thinking.”
“That they should name the baby Harry? Yes I quite agree.”
“No,” Merlin rolled his eyes.
“Well they aren’t naming him after you. No way will that baby look like a Brodie.”
“They might choose a Swedish name and stop distracting me, I had a thought about you and I.”
“Oh?”
“Harry, at this point I think it is safe to say that our dating life is cursed and it should end immediately.”
Harry froze for a moment. “For it to be over, I think you should give it a chance to start in the first place,” he knew his voice was stiff, the words bitten sharply off.
“Oh I want to give us a chance, just I think we should finally kill this first date nonsense.”
“What do you propose exactly?”
“I propose,” Merlin replied.
“Yes, what?” Harry felt off kilter.
“I propose,” Merlin replied.
“You propose what?” Harry was ready to murder the man.
Eggsy ran into the room. “He’s so squiggy and perfect. Oh god, Harry, my son is perfect.” Harry stood and caught Eggsy as he came flying over. “He’s tiny but not scary tiny, just tiny. Bastian. Bastian Lee Unwin. Oh god, Harry. I got a son.”
“You do,” Harry said and hugged Eggsy tight. “And I am going to spoil him so.”
“You can meet him in a few minutes okay? Roxy will let you know. Swear down, thank god she was in there too. Wouldn’t have survived without her. You and her are going to be perfect godparents.” Eggsy ran back out as fast as he came in.
Merlin stood up beside Harry. “You look happy.”
“I am,” Harry replied. “We have a grandson.” And in that minute what Merlin had meant was crystal clear. “Oh,” he said and leaned against Merlin. “I accept.”
**************************************
“I now pronounce you, married. Please enjoy your first kiss as a married couple,” they were told and Harry pulled Merlin tightly against him.
“Hi,” Harry said. “We’re married.”
“We are, so bloody kiss me already to seal the deal.”
Harry’s mouth was smiling as it pressed a kiss against Merlin’s eternally dry and chapped lips. It was soft and chase and then slowly grew heated until Eggsy poked Harry’s shoulder. “Oi, keep it rated g in front of Bastian,” he said.
Harry looked at the three month old was happily asleep and drooling in Eggsy’s arms. “I imagine he has seen similar between you and your wife.”
“Grandpa kisses are different,” Eggsy insisted.
“He’ll cope,” Merlin said and pulled Harry in for another kiss, hard and unyielding and it made Harry’s head swim and he swore he head bells ringing, until he realized it was the small crowd clapping and cheering. They broke apart and moved to the crowd and congratulations were exchanged and hugs and kisses flowed as much as the champagne did. Harry snuggled Bastian while Tilde and Eggsy danced and he forgot the whole world existed every slow song that Merlin agreed to move about the floor with him for.
Speeches were kept to a minimal and when Harry got too choked up to continue his words Eggsy rapped his fork against his glass and the sound echoed in the room. Harry laughed and wrapped a hand around Merlin’s neck. His husband.
His gorgeous husband whom he had never had a first date with, and had loved for over 20 years. “I don’t even know your favourite colour,” Harry said. The sound was getting louder.
“It is the colour of the pants I am currently wearing,” Merlin replied and his brushed his nose against Harry’s jaw. “Guess you will find that out soon enough,” he whispered.
Harry shivered in anticipation of that, of the pleasure that was waiting for them later. Merlin pressed his forehead against Harry’s and Harry tilted his head so that his mouth could slot against his husband’s. It was a kiss that promise many things. Until death do them part, a lot of love and a good deal of hunger.
It was a perfect wedding kiss.
“Careful, you’ll get someone pregnant you keep kissing like that!” Roxy called out and everyone in the room laughed and Merlin and Harry did not stop kissing.
They had waited too long for such a perfect kiss to stop it anytime soon.
Later that night, Harry paused and dropped the zipper that he had been pulling down with his teeth. “You aren’t even wearing pants, does that mean you don’t have a favourite colour? Or that your favourite colour is pasty Scottish skin?”
Merlin began to laugh so hard that he fell out of the chair he was sitting in and he and Harry were a pile of limbs tangled on the ground.
Harry figured another kiss would maybe stop the giggles, and he was right, and for once, nothing interrupted their plans and they thoroughly enjoyed the pleasure they had anticipated all day.