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Outside the storm was raging and the wind was howling, sending shivers through Merlin's body eventhough he was safe inside his room. He tried so hard to supress his fear by smiling and focusing on Arthur, not the terrifying noises outside.
It was lucky that Arthur arrived before the storm got terribly rough. A light drizzle was all that had rained down midmorning. How quickly the weather had shifted.
They were playing videogames when suddenly the lights started to flicker, the TV turned off, and then everything commenced to shut off. All around them the house was smothered in black.
Merlin frantically shouted for Arthur who he quickly realized was inches away from him and laughing at his turmoil.
"Merlin, you idiot, I'm right next to you." He spoke through his laughing.
Merlin attempted to shove him off the bed, but over judged his strength and pummeled towards Arthur's lap. He quickly rectified the situation and pushed Arthur so he was lying on his back. Quickly thrown off balance, Merlin wriggled to get right back on him. He bracketed Arthur with his body and let his breath ghost a centimeter from Arthur's face. "Don't call me an--"
In the dark room with only the tingling of Merlin's breath so close to his and the light weight of his body hovering over him, Arthur captured those lips in a kiss before he could finish.
Suddenly the door of Merlin's room was wrenched open. The pair seemed not to notice and just continued to shower each other with kisses, ignoring the figure at the doorway. Since the dark concealed them they found no reason to stop.
"Are you blokes kissing again?" Came the voice at the door. "Of course you are, anyways, I leave the room for five minutes and the whole place is dark?"
Oh yeah. Will was here too.
The sound of more frenetic kissing is all he receives in response. "Are you two even listening?"
He walks towards them, feeling his way around the room, trying not to break anything, then gives the blanket a hard tug.
In hind sight maybe that wasn't the greatest of ideas. Merlin and Arthur tumble straight to the ground, in a blur of limbs. When they recover Merlin is crying and holding his arm. Then he hears Arthur's menacing voice calling out for him.
Will leaves the room quickly while Arthur is comforting Merlin, thankful that the dark keeps him hidden. He shouts a quick "Sorry Merlin!" As he races away from Arthur's wrath.
•••
Set up in the middle of Merlin's bedroom sat a haphazard fort. The blanket had deeply sunken in the middle and the chairs were arranged in an out of sync circle to grapple at the sides of the blanket, holding it up. The power had been out for over an hour and Merlin, Arthur, and Will were passing the time, huddling under their fort.
Holding up a flashlight, they amused themselves by making shadow puppets out of their hands and giggling at the images they created.
"How can you not see that this is a lion? Not a turkey!" Will thought it was pretty obvious.
"Because it looks just like a turkey!" Insisted Arthur. He looks over at Merlin for support and is met with a shrug follwed by a "I guess it could be?"
"Fine then, Arthur your turn. Let's see you do it." Will crosses his arms and stares at Arthur intently.
"I will."
After Arthur finishes Merlin starts laughing. "What the heck is that?" Asks Will, eyeing his shadow skeptically.
"A dogbird." Arthur says proudly.
"Arthur there is no such thing as a dogbird!" Even in the single ray of light cast by the flashlight, Merlin's smile still held that effortless sparkle. It made Arthur's heart stutter.
"Not so easy now, is it?" Says Will, smugly.
"You have to make a real animal or a thing!" Says Merlin.
"Fine." Arthur tries to replicate a dragon and Merlin's eyes light up.
"See you can make something!" Merlin sets the flashlight down and attempts to curl and fold his hands the same way, but with no avail. His brows furrow and his movements become more disjointed and clumsy. "Ugh. I can't do it." His lips form a pout and he looks visibly dejected.
"Give me your hands Merlin." Arthur shifts himself so that he is facing Merlin's back. He reaches around Merlin's torso and takes his hands.
Feeling Arthur's breath on the back of his neck and the soft touch of his fingertips atop his own, Merlin lets out a soft sigh. His body instantly relaxes into Arthur's hold and he moves to sit in his lap.
Arthur wraps himself around Merlin tighter making him lean his head back to rest on Arthur's shoulder and nuzzle into his neck. Arthur tweaks and maneauvers Merlin's fingers in and out to create the perfect dragon shadowpuppet.
Merlin begins to grin like crazy. "I'm doing it!" He turns to kiss Arthur on the cheek, body shaking with joy.
Arthur is sure that his face just got hotter. He wasn't quite sure why but Merlin always had that affect on him. "Of course! It's because you had my help!" He kissed each of Merlin's jutting fingers, featherlight.
Sitting in the dark room held alight by the simple light source of the flashlight, they are silouhetted behind the fallen panel of a blanket. Shadows meshing into one with a little dragon before them.
Suddenly the fort is too small for Will. He feels out of place. Fixing his gaze anywhere but at the pair of them. They were always so loving. He understood why all his friends never hung out with them alone. They hardly paid attention to anyone else when they were together.
Will knew he was Merlin's first and also other best friend. He also knew Merlin had loved Arthur the moment he saw him, even kept bothering Will about the boy with golden hair and the face of a prince.
He loved the pair of them, loathe as he was to admit it, he couldn't help it. He wanted someone who he could fall apart against, someone who he could hold through thunderstorms, and someone who he could love like Merlin loved Arthur.
He wants to know how they did it. How they fell in love. He wants to be in love too. Although he always tried his best to hide it.
The loud crash of thunder made them all jump.
Immediately Merlin was squirming in Arthur's arms. He burrows his face in his neck and Arthur's hand reassuringly strokes his back. "It's just noise Merlin. You snore louder than this." Arthur whispers into his ear.
"Hey, you snore even louder." Merlin says, face still buried into Arthur's shoulder.
The way their bodies curled together as if they were molded to be so, sent Will yearning to have someone of his own even more.
He would ask them, after all they were the experts. Maybe they could help him out. But after the storm cleared, right now all Will could do was close his eyes and whistle a tune to distract himself.