Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It really was all Merlin's fault.

Arthur looked down at the scale and sighed. This morning he had discovered that his belt no longer fit him - a fact that was mocked thoroughly by Merlin.

Chapter Text

The first thing Merlin noticed was his hair. 

He wanted to touch it. Run his hands through it. How could it possibly look that soft, and that golden? Did he somehow harvest the sun's rays and store them in his hair? Merlin had seen kittens with fur not half as silky smooth. Silently vowing to somehow bring up the topic of hair products, he lowered his eyes to the rest of Blondie's face.

Oh.

And Merlin had thought his hair was stunning. 

Blue eyes were staring back at him, so intense that Merlin had to blink a couple times, just so he wouldn't go weak-kneed. Cheekbones as sharp as glass. And holy crap, that jawline...

This man very well be the most attractive customer Merlin's served to date.

Soon enough, he realized that, hey, he was here to deliver food, not gaze at customers gormlessly - however mesmerising their eyes may be. Mentally shaking himself, Merlin soon realized that Mr. Sunshine Hair was still staring at him. Was there something on his face? Was his hair sticking up in odd places? Merlin reached up nervously and attempted to flatten the unruly mess. 

He coughed awkwardly.

Twice.

Just when Merlin realized that he himself was actually the one who was supposed to speak first, The Sun Ray Harvester (Merlin was quite proud of that one) snapped himself out of it, and spoke. More like shouted, actually.

"Where the HELL is my pizza?"

Well, there's that perfect illusion shattered. Of course the hottest guy within miles of this place is a rude, stuck up (and rich, judging by the looks of the apartment) prat. It took all his self-control to keep his Service With a Smile face on.

"Sorry, but I'm pretty sure you ordered hot wings." Merlin said, holding the said hot wings bucket out in front of him, just the faintest hint of annoyance in his voice.

He found himself being stared at again, but this time, incredulously.

As Blondie sputtered and stammered, Merlin found himself wondering what his name might be. Probably something ridiculously posh and regal, like 'Humphrey' or 'Ernest'.

"I most certainly did NOT order hot wings, I ordered a pizza. Large, pepperoni with extra cheese and peppers on half? Any of that ring a bell? And since when do you guys even sell hot wings?" 

Humphrey (Merlin liked that one best) seemed to have calmed down, but his voice was still shrill. God, Merlin hated dealing with rude customers.

"First of all, it's a new thing we're trying out. Second, I don't take the orders, I just deliver, and I was told that this address had ordered twelve hot wings from our new promotion, extra spicy. Oh, and it's a combo. Here." Merlin brandished a can of Sprite at him.

"I don't WANT this! All I wanted was a damn pizza after a long day of work, and now I'm here, almost TWO HOURS after ordering, might I add, with a bucket of extra spicy hot wings and a can of Sprite that I didn't even want IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

Merlin pretended to wipe spit off his face, which in hindsight wasn't a very good idea, as Humphrey gave him a death glare that would send braver men than him running for cover. 

Merlin probably shouldn't have noticed how hot he looked when he did that.

"With all due respect, I'm still at work and you're making my day a little bit longer." Couldn't he just take the freaking hot wings? It wasn't his fault he got lost on the way. Well, maybe a little. "Sir." He added after a pause. Gotta stay professional.

Merlin wasn't quite sure why, but those blue eyes bugged out at that last bit, and he could have sworn he saw the beginnings of a blush. Huh.

Then it was gone, quick as a flash, as his facial expression reverted back to annoyance. He threw his hands up in the air in frustration before turning away (Merlin failed miserably at not ogling his arse), striding into his apartment, and pointing at a glass table.

"Fine. I give up. You can set it down over there." 

Merlin could practically hear the "fuck you" in his voice.

But couldn't he just take the bucket himself? He probably took pleasure in making Merlin do more work. Prat. Well, at least victory was his, right? Merlin smirked before stepping through the threshold.

"Hey, who eats a large pizza by themselves anyways?" Merlin asked conversationally while walking towards the table.

"I'll have you know, I've had a very long, very hard day at work, and you're not making it any easier."

"Right, right. My apologies, sir."

Rolling his eyes, Merlin set the bucket down on the edge on the table and spun around to face him again. "That'll be £8.99 plea-"

A startled "Oh!" slipped through his lips. Blondie (it really was impossible to call him anything else when all that gorgeous hair was less than a foot away) was standing much closer than he had been thirty seconds ago, and there was a hungry sort of look on his face that made Merlin gulp.

Then again, that could just be, you know, hunger. He had been waiting for his pizza quite a while.

And if he wasn't already close enough, he took another step into Merlin's personal space that Merlin didn't know existed.

He tried coughing, but all of a sudden, his throat was all dried up. A few more seconds of way too intense for comfort eye contact passed before Merlin caved and attempted taking a step back. Of course, he had forgotten about the glass table and the bucket of extremely messy hot wings perched precariously on the edge, and of course his Domino’s satchel thing decided to swing around and knock the entire thing onto the very white, very plush, very expensive looking, carpet.

Well, whatever had been going on a few seconds prior was over now.

"Fu- I am such a shit head, I am so sorry, hold on lemme get like a dish cloth or something, I can't believe this-" Merlin kept rambling on as he edged around Blondie and dashed towards what he hoped was the kitchen (or at least in it's general vicinity.) He ended up in a dark hallway with half a dozen doors. Geez, how big was this guy's apartment?

"Oh. My. God. I can't believe what total and complete IDIOT you are!" Merlin heard Blondie yelling from the living room.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Merlin said as he ran back, scooped all the wings back in the basket and rubbed fruitlessly at the deep red stain with a napkin instead. He heard a groan and suddenly had the napkin swiped out of his hands.

"You're only making it worse."

"That's so not true, it was starting to fade!"

They both looked at the offending stain. It was somehow even bigger and more vivid than it had been a minute ago.

Blondie covered his face with his hands. "What do you normally do in these situations?" he asked, voice muffled.

"I- I don't know, this has never happened before."

"Really? For some reason, I find that hard to believe."

Merlin would have glared at him, but seeing as this was mostly his own fault (but really, he wouldn't have bumped into the table if someone hadn't been standing so damn close) he decided to ignore that comment.

"Let me call my manager, she'll know what the proper etiquette for this situation is."

"She'd better." Merlin heard Blondie mumble before he sat wearily on the couch, face still buried in his hands.

Turning away from the splotch on the white (of course it had to be white, WHITE, of all colors!) carpet, Merlin quickly took out his phone and dialed Gwen. Strictly speaking, Gwen wasn't really his manager. She had started off delivering, like him, where they had struck up a quick friendship. Soon, with her easy charm, sweet manners, and skills in customer service, she was promoted to assistant manager. Thankfully, they remained close friends and Merlin could always count on her to help him out when he got in situations like this. In all honesty, Merlin was a hundred percent sure that if it wasn't for her, he'd have been fired ages ago. Plus, it's not like he could tell his real manager, could he? Gaius was understanding, but this would be a breaking point for sure. Merlin would for sure lose his job, and there'd be no way Gwen could help him.

Finally, the ringing stopped and she picked up

"Hello?"

"Hello, Gwen? Oh thank God, it's Merlin, I'm kinda in a situation and need your expertise."

"Again Merlin, really? You're lucky I'm on my break." Merlin heard her sigh.

"Yes, again, Gwen. I'm an idiot, you know that. See, I may have just happened to accidentally spill hot wings all over a customer's carpet - please don't judge me."

She giggled.  "Oh my God, really? You lunatic!"

"Alright, alright, you can laugh at me later, Miss Never Spills Anything, just tell me what to do!"

"Well, the difference between you and I, Merlin dear, is that I have never spilled anything in a customer's house before!"

She started laughing again, and her laugh was so contagious that Merlin started chuckling too. Good ole Gwen. Trust her to take what had been a mortifying experience and make him laugh about it instead.

"There's really nothing funny about the situation, you know!" Blondie said irritably. 

Merlin shushed him, ignoring the look of indignation on his face, before returning to Gwen.

"Okay, seriously now, help me before this guy murders me."

"Ooooh, it's a guy!" She sang teasingly.

"Gwen!"

"Is he cute?"

“Gwen!”

"Okay, okay. Have you tried offering him coupons?"

There was a long pause.

"Coupons, Gwen? Really?"

"I'm not kidding! Okay, maybe a little, but it's actually not a bad idea. But about the stain - Merlin, I'm sorry but you know the store doesn't cover things like that. I mean, obviously, we'll reimburse him for whatever he ordered and kiss his arse like he's the Queen of England if we ever see him again, which I doubt, but I'm afraid that if he wants you to, you'll have to pay to have it cleaned yourself."

Merlin groaned. "Can't I just like, buy him a can of Oxi-Clean or something?"

Gwen snorted. "No Merlin, you cannot just buy him a can of Oxi-Clean."

"Dammit."

"Alright, break's over, gotta go. Good luck and have fun dealing with this!"

"Okay, thanks for everything Gwen, I owe you, like a million. Love ya."

When Merlin hung up, he noticed that he was once again, being stared at incredulously.

"What?" 

"That was your manager?"

"Um, yeah."  It didn't count as lying if it was to a stranger, right?

"Well, are you dating your manager?"

"What?! Ew, no!"

"Then what was all that?"

"All what?"

"Oh, Gwen, you're sooo hilarious! Love ya!" He imitated Merlin mockingly in a high pitched voice.

"Okay, a) I don't sound anything like that, and b) I would never date Gwen. She's... " 

Merlin was about to say that Gwen was lovely and amazing, but she was a woman, and that was kinda a deal breaker for him, but then decided against it. This guy could be a raging homophobe for all he knew.

"... Um, she's like my best friend." He finished lamely. "Also that's none of your business, why do you even care? I don't even know you."

"I don't care!" Blondie said defensively. "I just think it's weird for an employee to date their boss, that's all." 

"I'm not dating Gw- forget it. I don't owe you anything." Merlin crossed his arms.

Blondie smiled wickedly. "On the contrary, I think you might find yourself owing me quite a bit." He looked meaningfully at the stain.

Merlin ignored the little shiver he got from those words. Focus, man. Focus. 

"Right. Well, Gwen said to reimburse you for whatever you ordered, so here's £8.99 for the hot wings-"

"I didn't order hot wings, I ordered a pizza!"

"Okay, really? Really? We're doing this again? Just take the damn £8.99, you're getting a better deal out of it anyway, the pizza costs less."

"Oh, well in that case, fine." He got up from the couch and took the money Merlin held out to him.

Of course, he was probably one of those fat cat, business man types. Always about the money.

"And what are we doing about this?" He asked in a silky smooth voice, gesturing at the stain again

Ugh, did Merlin really have to tell him this? It's not like Merlin had any extra money lying around anyway. Quite the opposite, in fact. He bet Blondie over here made more money in one day than he made in a month. Merlin could just pretend that he had no obligations to take care of the stain and walk out right that instant. He should. He would.

He didn't. Why did he have to be such a good person?

"Uh, I guess, if you so choose, of course, you can kindamakemepayforit." Merlin said the last few words all smooshed together in the hopes that Blondie wouldn't hear, or understand.

No such luck, of course.

"Well, well, well, that sounds like an excellent idea!" His grin was wider than the Cheshire cat’s. 

"Yeah, just great. I don't have any personal cash on me right now, so you're gonna have to wait a bit. Not all of us mere mortals are swimming in money like you." Merlin started walking towards the door. "You can call our Domino's branch whenever, they'll put you through to me and we can work out the details." 

"Wait, who should I ask for?"

"Oh, yeah. Uh, Merlin. Merlin Emrys. At your service." He did an imaginary tip of the hat, which backfired spectacularly as he forgot that he was already wearing his Domino’s hat, which was promptly knocked off onto the floor.

"You're joking. Merlin?" 

Surprisingly, Blondie picked the hat up and passed it to him. Maybe he had some redeeming qualities after all. Merlin dusted it off and placed it back on his head before saying "Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want, I've heard it all before. It's Merlin. No joke. Er, and your name is?"

"Arthur, Arthur Pendragon." It sounded as if Merlin should recognize his name, but he didn't. Arthur. Hm. It was no Humphrey, but it suited him well enough. 

Wait a second.

"Arthur, like King of Camelot Arthur? And I'm Merlin? Well, isn't this just a match made in heaven?" Merlin said dryly, testing the waters a bit.

"Ha ha. You're just the dictionary definition of sparkling wit, aren't you Merlin?" Sarcasm dripped from his voice.

"Hey, I'll have you know, my friends think I'm the epitome of witty."

"You have friends?"

Once he was out the door, Merlin spun around to face Arthur. "Real original. How long did it take you to think up that one?"

"Oh, shut up. Unless you want me to find the most expensive carpet cleaning services in London?"

"…You wouldn't."

"Oh, trust me, I would."

Somehow they'd gotten closer and closer during the conversation until those damn eyes were waaaay too close again. Nope, nope, nopity-nope, this was not happening again. Merlin didn't know if Arthur liked to stare into everybody's eyes intensely while invading their personal space, but it made Merlin have some very, very uncomfortable thoughts about him. So, of course, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"Coupons!'

Arthur took a step back. "Excuse me?"

"Oh, uh, Gwen recommended I give you coupons too, so, um, here." Merlin pulled a wad of coupons out of his pocket (he carried them wherever he went) and handed them over. 

"Oh. Uh, thank you?"

"Don't thank me, thank Domino’s! Ciao!" 

And with that, Merlin turned and walked away, heart racing. It was only when he got to the bottom floor that he realized. Ciao? Really? That was the best he could do? Who even says "ciao" anymore? Well, besides all of Italy, of course.

Merlin smacked himself on the forehead. Great. Now Arthur probably thought he was clumsy and an idiot.

Not that he cared what Arthur thought. Arthur was an arrogant, pompous, prat and Merlin couldn't wait to be rid of him.

Right?

Tues 27 Aug (1:02 am)
gwen? 

(1:03)
you up?

(1:06)
ugghhhh. no. go to bed

(1:06)
I cant sleep :(

(1:08)
okay but i can, and was, until I was so rudely interupted

(1:09)
forgive me? I'll bring you a peace pie tomorrow

(1:10)
cherry?

(1:11)
what else?

(1:13)
you know me too well Merlin, cherry pie is my weak spot

(1:15)
it's not like you can stay mad at me for long anyway ;)

(1:17)
dont make me start ignoring you again

(1:18)
you wouldn't do that gwen, you're too sweet.

(1:22)
gwen?

(1:26)
c'mon, really? 

(1:31)
k I take it back, you, gwen smith are not too sweet to ignore people when they're being annoying

(1:32)
oh, so now I'm rude?

(1:33)
what? no!

(1:34)
kidding, Merlin
now, whatsup? you only ever text me after midnight if you're a) drunk, b) in need of advice, or c) want to rant about some hot guy. Which is it?

(1:36)
a little bit of all three

(1:36)
just kidding! I'm not drunk... yet

(1:37)
merlin you are officially insane

(1:38)
I think we established that a looong time ago gwen. Anyways, remember that guy whose carpet I spilled hot wings on?

(1:39)
how could I forget?

(1:41)
yeah, he’s making me pay for his carpet

(1:42)
sounds like a dickhead

(1:45)
he kind of is, but I guess it’s his legal right or whatever

(1:46)
yeah that’s what I thought too, I was just trying to be a good friend :)

(1:49)
it really means a lot that you pretend to be mad at people for me :’)

(1:50)
anyways, he’s sort of really attractive though, and he has really nice hair

(1:50)

dammit i forgot to ask what hair product he uses

(1:51)
only you would ask a total stranger about their hair regime merlin, only you. what’s his name?

(1:52)
i'm one of a kind ;) and it’s arthur pendragon

(1:54)
YOU’RE KIDDING RIGHT??!!

(1:55)
Um no, why?

(1:56)
oh my god

(1:57)
don’t you ever read the newspapers merlin???

(1:59)
yes! sometimes… just tell me who this guy is before I google him myself

(2:03)
he’s this businessman, and like the youngest billionaire in a decade or something, but he wouldn’t be known at all if he weren’t so devastatingly good looking.

(2:03)

oh my goodness merlin you guys have to get married

(2:04)
well his apartment was ridiculously expensive looking so I guess that makes sense. And ew gwen, he may be the hottest guy I’ve ever seen, but he’s also like 97.5% a dickhead, so no thanks

(2:06)
he’s probably just covering up all the pain that comes with being rich and famous and good looking

(2:09)
suuuuure. kay I need to sleep now, I’ll see you at work tomorrow? Night :)

(2:10)
yep, definitely! You can tell me more about him then ;) night!

(2:24)
Oh my god

(2:25)
merlin

(2:26)
You spilled chicken wings on arthur pendragon’s carpet

(2:27)
goodnight gwen.

(2:28)
fine, I’ll stop. Goodnight :)

Chapter Text

Wednesday the 28th of August:


Contrary to public belief, Arthur's life had been planned out and structured since birth. He would grow up in a wealthy family (check), go to a good school (check) become a partner in the family business (check), marry a respectable girl, have three blond kids and live happily ever after with his perfect family.

That was the plan, anyway. 

What he didn't expect was to be  (not to brag or anything) as wildly successful of a business man as he currently was. 

What he didn't expect was for Pendragon Inc.'s profits to double since he joined the company. 

What he didn't expect was for photographs of him walking down the street with any random woman (half the time it was an unrecognizable Morgana) to be featured in The Sun every other week.

Morgana said it was just his ten minutes of fame and that any half-way attractive, young, successful entrepreneur went through it. She was in the papers quite a bit too, but he suspected that her headlines were not as innocent as "Arthur Pendragon Spotted in Local Starbucks with Female Friend."

Being in the public eye wasn't all bad, though - there were definitely perks.  It was just unexpected and completely out of his own control, which at times, was just a little bit overwhelming.

Keeping that in mind, was it really so much to ask that the few things that Arthur did have control over in his personal life turned out exactly how he wanted?

So when he ordered a large pepperoni pizza with extra cheese and peppers on half, he expected a large pepperoni pizza with extra cheese and peppers on half, dammit.

Not that he was thinking of that disaster of a night anyway. Or that not at all cute delivery guy, Merlin. Arthur didn't know what he was thinking last night when he mentally called him "bloody gorgeous" or whatever. He was probably drunk, never mind the fact that he'd only had one beer. His alcohol resistance levels had probably gone down, for some odd reason. 

Maybe he should get that checked out.

C'mon, there's no other reason he would think Merlin was attractive. First of all, he was a guy. Objectively speaking, Arthur supposed his singular features, like his cheek bones and eyes, were aesthetically pleasing, but that was all. Arthur liked girls, remember? Second, he was an idiot who messed up Arthur's order and brought him hot wings instead of the pizza he was craving. Third, he was a clumsy idiot who then spilled said hot wings on Arthur's rug. 

Which reminded him, he still needed to look into carpet cleaning services. 

"George!" Arthur pushed his chair back and yelled out his office door.

The assistant ran in immediately. "Y-yes, Mr. Pendragon?"

Arthur took in his appearance and sighed. Sweaty, eyes down, and fiddling with the cuff of his sleeve. Poor George. He was probably terrified he would get shouted at again for shredding that report from Monday. Thankfully, Uther was in meetings all day yesterday and hadn't mentioned it, but Arthur knew it was just a matter of time. 

"I need you to look some things up for me."

George looked up, relieved. "Of course Sir! What is it you need me to look into?"

"Carpet cleaning services."

"Why, is there a stain anywhere in here? I'm sure I could get that out for you, my Mom taught me a trick where-" He had dropped to his knees and started scouring the office carpet for a stain.

"Wha- no George, that's fine, you can get up."

George kept blathering on about his mother's miraculous stain removing treatment from where he was now located under Arthur's desk.

Arthur sighed again. George was a good assistant, just a little overly helpful.

"Get up, George. Now."

He hastily stood up, smoothing down his rumpled shirt. "Right. My apologies. I will look into that right away Mr. Pendragon." 

"Thank you."

Just before his assistant reached the door, Arthur remembered something from his conversation (if you could even call it that) with Merlin.

"George, wait a second."

"Yes, sir?"

Arthur struggled with his conscience for a few seconds before giving in.

"Try to look for less expensive ones, alright?"

"Yes, of course Mr. Pendragon." With that, George left.

Arthur put his feet up on his desk. Hey, he might be an arsehole sometimes, but he wasn't 100% a dick. The guy delivered pizza for Pete's sake, there's no way he could afford some of the pricier places George was sure to have picked.

Suddenly, the assistant poked his head back into his office.

Arthur hurriedly put his feet down. 

"I forgot to tell you Mr. Pendragon, your father wishes for you to visit him in his office immediately."

Great.

"When did he say that?" Arthur said while getting up.

"About an hour ago, Sir."

"WHAT?!" 

Well, isn't that just fan-fucking-tastic. 

Arthur backed out of Uther's office, closed the door and let out a deep breath he hadn't realized he was holding. For over an hour he had sat in his father's office on the top floor and listened to Uther lecture him about how Arthur "really needed to get himself together so he could take hold of the company when it was time." That was pretty much the gist of the whole conversation.

At least he got another few days to redo that progress report.

Arthur leaned against the wall and took out his cell phone. It was just past six, he was supposed to already be home by now. Of course, George had given him the message over an hour late, so he supposed that wasn't really Uther's fault. 

Ping! 

He looked down. One new text from Morgana.

Wed 28 Aug (6:02pm) 
We're meeting up for drinks at my place to celebrate getting through half the week. You coming?

Arthur all but ran to the elevator and stabbed at the down button, quickly typing out a reply.

(6:04)
Already on my way.

Morgana lived in the ritziest, most over the top penthouse suite you could imagine, just a mere five minutes away from his office. The whole neighborhood gave off a vibe of "We're richer than you, and we know it," which suited her well. She even had a private elevator, for crying out loud! Then again, he supposed that was a rather Morgana-esque thing to have.

The elevator dinged and Arthur stepped out into the brightly lit suite, looking around. He could hear voices coming from around the corner, probably in the den, and started towards them. 

"Morganaaaaaa, I'm here!" Arthur said as loudly and as obnoxiously as he could.

"Ah, look who decided to grace us with his presence." Morgana walked out to meet him, still in her work clothes. "Welcome to my humble abode!" She smiled and curtsied mockingly.

"You're acting as if I wasn't here just last week." Arthur fought his laughter as he stood in front of her, hands on his hips.

"Isn't a girl allowed to miss her little brother? C'mere, you." She pulled him into a hug.

"Step-brother," Arthur corrected from where he was squished into the side of her head, getting a mouthful of hair in the process. Ugh. Why did she always have to wear it down?

"Always so particular." She released him from the hug, rolling her eyes.

"What's the matter with you? You're usually not this affectionate." 

"I resent that! Haven't I always showered you with love and affection? That's why you're so spoiled and bratty now." She started walking towards the den, grinning at Arthur from over her shoulder.

"I am not- okay, ignoring that, I know you're just trying to distract me." Arthur followed her through the suite. "Anyways, usually I get a punch in the shoulder or an 'Oh, it's you.' And that's if I'm lucky."

Morgana sighed melodramatically. "Well, I heard that Uther was giving you a rough time today because of that shredded report, so I thought I'd be extra nice to you today. That's just the kind of sweet, considerate, caring, sister I am."

Arthur didn't bother correcting her. "How do you even know about that?!"

She waggled her eyebrows at him. "My eyes and ears are all over the city Arthur. I know everything."

There was no point in pursuing the conversation any further. Arthur had tried figuring out more about Morgana's all-knowing ways before, and didn't plan on doing so again.

"Stop doing that thing with your eyebrows, you know I hate it."

"What thing? This?" She waggled them again.

"Yes that, you look ridiculous Morgana."

She flipped her hair dismissively. "I look adorable."

"No-ope."

Morgana laughed and shoved him through the entrance to the den, where he was promptly hug-tackled into a wall by Gwaine, nearly hitting one of those odd, abstract-y paintings that Morgana loved so much.

"Careful!" She shrieked right in Arthur's ear as she ran over to straighten it.

Gwaine ignored her. "Good to see you princess!" He said, simultaneously thumping Arthur on the back and planting a loud smack somewhere on his cheek. Unlike Morgana, Gwaine was always this affectionate.

"Yeah, yeah, good to see you too Gwaine. You mind letting go? You're crushing my spine."

Arthur was grudgingly released.

"Sorry 'bout that, but you know what they say- absence makes the heart grow fonder." 

"Gwaine, I saw you like two weeks ago. And stop calling me princess."

"Of course, whatever you say..."

Well, that was unexpected. 

"...princess." Gwaine finished his sentence and fluttered his eyelashes innocently.

Arthur made a face and playfully shoved Gwaine away, who retaliated by pushing him back into the wall. A brief scuffle broke out before the two burst into laughter, leaning against each other for support.

"Oi, get a room!" Morgause called from where she was standing next to the fireplace, smirking.

Arthur looked around to see who else was there. Morgause, Lancelot, Percy, and Leon (plus Aithusa, Morgana's demon-cat from hell, but she didn't count) were all perched, sprawled, or lying down, on various surfaces in the room, watching their display. He nodded hello to all of them before returning his attention to Gwaine and Morgause.

"Don't worry Morgause, there's plenty of me to go around, no need to be jealous." Gwaine winked roguishly at her.

She pantomimed throwing up. 

"Oh, yes, very mature." Arthur said teasingly.

"I wouldn't tease her like that if I were you," Morgana said from were she was now seated on the couch, stroking Aithusa on her lap. "She can beat your ass in two seconds flat." She pulled Morgause down next to her on the couch, both of them laughing when Aithusa hissed angrily and leaped onto the other couch, only to settle in Leon's lap instead.

"It's true bro," Percy added in knowingly, eyes wide, while Lance nodded solemnly from his spot on the ground. "Once, I saw her take down this guy bigger than me!" 

Arthur laughed and walked over, settling himself down on the floor and leaning against an ottoman, with Gwaine next to him. "I appreciate your concern guys, but Morgause is my cousin, remember? Who do you think she practiced on when we were growing up?" 

The room rang with laughter while Morgause shrugged. "What can I say? I was a violent child." She tossed an unopened beer can at him, which glanced off his chest before landing in his lap. "Whoops. Think fast?"

"Wow, thanks for the heads-up." 

She looked completely unrepentant.

The room was quiet for a while. Leon soon broke the silence by chuckling and asking Arthur, "Hey, how was your 'pizza' on Monday?"

Arthur's eyes widened. He'd spoken to Leon a few times since 'The Incident', as he'd taken to calling it, but had forgotten all about Leon's dickish-ness in the meantime. 

He picked up a couch cushion from where it was conveniently located on the the ground next to him and threw it as hard as he could at Leon. Aithusa hissed angrily again and stalked out of the room altogether. 

Leon burst out laughing while everyone else looked at them curiously. 

"This is all your fault! If you had just told me that it wasn't an actual fucking pizza, I would have told you to send that idiot away and then I wouldn't have a huge-ass hot wings stain on my carpet!"

Leon stopped laughing and looked perplexed. "Hold on a second, what even happened after I sent him up?"

Arthur started to speak but was interrupted by Gwaine. 

"Okay, I get that Arthur ordered a stripper and Leon sent up the wrong person, but where does pizza and hot wings fit into the story?"

Lance snorted into his drink. "I doubt that's actually what happened Gwaine, but Arthur, you might need to back up a little bit so we're all caught up."

Everyone nodded and murmured their agreement.

"Yeah, this sounds like a story I definitely want to hear," Percy said, leaning forward eagerly.

Arthur sighed.

"Well, it all started at work-"

"Wouldn't it have started when you decided to order a pizza?" 

"Shut up Morgause, I'm telling the story, and you don't even know what happened."

"Morgana told me."

"Guilty as charged!" Morgana smiled innocently from where she was sitting.

"Morgana, how do you know what happened?!"

She waggled her eyebrows at him.

"Never mind, I don't wanna know. Anyways, it all started at work, where I was having a completely shit day..."

Ten minutes later:

"And then he threw some coupons in my face and left."

There was silence for a few moments before everyone spoke at once.

"Well, it definitely sounded like you and this Merlin guy had a spark," Morgana said dryly.

"Are you actually making him pay?" Lancelot, ever the noble one, looked concerned on Merlin's behalf.

"Was he good-looking?" Gwaine asked with an impish grin on his face.

"You brought the coupons, right?" Percy piped in anxiously.

"Okay, ignoring Morgana, but yes to Lance, I don't know to Gwaine, and no, Percy, I did not bring the coupons."

Morgana pouted. "C'mon, guys, I can't be the only one shipping this! Can't you sense the passion? The desire?!"

"You are the only one shipping it Morgana, now please stop." Arthur scowled at her, ignoring Leon as he nodded thoughtfully.

"How can you not know if he's good looking or not? I know you're not into dudes but you can still tell, can't you?" Gwaine looked very disappointed. 

Arthur willed himself not to blush and most definitely did not picture Merlin's face before saying "No, I can't tell, Gwaine. Now can we talk about something else, please?"

"Yeah, like the coupons you should have brought? Man, you know I love Domino's!"

"We are not talking about that Percy. Anything else?"

"Fine. I'm getting kinda hungry, aren't you?" Morgana stood up and stretched.

"Oh, yeah, definitely." Morgause joined in. 

"Starving," Leon said, nodding. "And you never did get your pizza, did you Arthur?"

Arthur shook his head. "I know what you guys are trying to do and it's not gonna work."

"Funny enough, I am in the mood for pizza today," Morgana said as she walked over to the phone. "Domino's cool with everyone?" 

She was met with a chorus of "Yeahs" and "Mhms". 

"I hate all of you." Arthur tried to quell the nervous feeling in his stomach while everyone laughed. Bastards.

Wait a second.

Nervous? He wasn't nervous. That funny feeling was probably just anger at his so-called friends for raising his chances of coming into contact with that joke of a pizza boy a minute before he had to. Why on earth would he be nervous? 

Arthur shook the thought from his mind as Morgana rattled off their pizza order on the phone.

"Actually, I am completely okay with this. You know why? What are the chances he's even working today? And even if he is, how are you supposed to guarantee that he's the one to bring our pizza?" Arthur smiled and stretched his arms behind his head. "Your hilarious little plan to annoy the living hell out of me is, fortunately for me, very flawed."

Morgana smirked at him before saying into the phone, in what many people said was her most charming voice (although Arthur personally thought it made her sound like the Wicked Witch of the West), "And sorry to trouble you, but do you think you could tell me if a Merlin Emrys is working today? Oh, it's okay, we know him. Kind of. He is? Do you think you could send him? Yes, yes, of course. Don't tell him though! I want it to be a surprise. Thank you so much!" She hung up and smiled victoriously at Arthur. "Anything's possible with a little bit of charm, brother dear." 

"Ooohhhh, she's got you there princess!" Gwaine hooted while everyone else laughed.

Arthur sighed in resignation. "You know, that's probably illegal or something. Whoever you talked to is an idiot and should be fired."

She flipped her hand through the air in a flamboyant, yet dismissive gesture that Arthur was obviously supposed to interpret for himself.

"It'd serve you right if he dropped the pizza on your carpet too."

"Don't worry, it'd be worth it."

Arthur looked around. Everyone looked positively gleeful at the prospect of meeting the guy who had absolutely ruined Arthur's Monday night (not that it had been going well before anyways.)

He sighed for what seemed the hundredth time today.

"And you're supposed to be my friends."

Chapter Text

Wednesday the 28th of August:


Merlin looked around in awe, jaw hanging open. He was standing in the lobby of the wealthiest looking building he'd ever even walked by, let alone been inside. Seriously, there was a gold fountain. Right smack in the middle of the lobby, a fountain! Made of actual gold!

He paused next to it and (very inconspicuously) took out his cellphone, snapped a picture and sent it to Gwen.

Aug 28th 2014 (7:14 pm)
This is in the lobby of a building where I'm delivering, can you believe it?

(7:16) 
holy crap there's no way that's real gold though
also you still havent told me any details about arthur in person yet 
I NEED DETAILS LIKE I NEED AIR MERLIN

(7:15)
I've barely gotten a second to talk to you today gwen, it's been so busy! I am sorry though- your desire for every last detail is understandable ;)

(7:16)
I'll make you two peace pies, howabout that?

(7:18)
okay, you're forgiven. now stop talking to me and go deliver that pizza! :)

Merlin pocketed his phone, smiling, and strode past the fountain and up to the elevator, still wide eyed at just how lavish the lobby was.

Suddenly, a muscular looking woman with a security badge (who seemed to have appeared right out of thin air) stopped him, glaring.

"And where are you going, young man?"

Oh no. Merlin never had been good at dealing with aggressive security guards.

"Me?"

He was met with a stoney silence.

"Oh, of course me, there's no one else here! Silly me." He laughed nervously.

She didn't look impressed. 

"Right. Ahem, I'm just delivering this pizza." Merlin gave her his most winning smile, which got him a (well deserved, he guessed) eyeroll.

"Yes, I can see that. I meant who are you delivering it to?"

"Oh! Um, gimme a second." He fumbled with the napkin where he had written down the details of the delivery and squinted at it. Damn his messy writing. Eventually, he made out a name. "Morgana? Morgana Le Fay?" 

She pointed him towards another elevator a few steps away. 

"Use that one. It goes straight up."

"Yes, of course, I don't know what I was thinking. Thank you." Merlin tried not to look as if he was running away. He'd delivered pizza to hundreds of apartment buildings before, but no matter what, the security guards would always scare the living hell out of him. 

Merlin jabbed at the up button, and the door opened immediately. He stepped inside and was met with the comforting sound of The Lumineers. 

"I belong with you, you belong with me, you're my sweetheart, I belong with you, you belong with me, you're my sweetheart"

What type of elevator even played indie rock?

Tapping out the familiar beat against the pizza box, Merlin wondered just what he was going to say to Gwen about Arthur. He knew she didn't mean any harm, but to be honest, Merlin really didn't know what to tell her. 

"Hi Gwen! You wanted details, right? Well, here they are. When Arthur first opened the door, he took my breath away. Not even joking, as cheesy as it sounds. He literally took my breath away. You know what he looks like, you can understand why, right? But there was something else too, something I didn't even want to acknowledge while it was happening, because I can't explain it, it doesn't make sense - not even to me. You always talk about Love At First Sight and I always scoff, because it seems ridiculous to me, and it still does, because sorry to let you down, but that's not what this was either, not at all. This was something different, and weird, and wonderful, because oh God, Gwen, it felt so right, just standing next to him. Not like the beginning of something new though - more like the continuation of something thousands of years old. Just talking to him, it was like falling into an old routine. Don't get me wrong, he's still an enormous prat. Huge. I'm surprised his head even fits through a doorway with the size of his ego. He was rude, and unreasonable, and a complete ass, but still likable, somehow? It's strange. And I'm dreading seeing him again because he really is so fucking annoying, but also looking forward to it, which I hate, so, so much. I don't want to end up wanting him, which, knowing me, is bound to happen eventually. Because to him, I'm probably just the idiot pizza boy who messed up his order. And that's frightening."

Yeah, that made complete sense. Gwen would totally not think he was insane.

Inside the (very spacious, might he add) elevator, something shiny caught his eye, distracting him from the thoughts he had put off since Monday.

No way.

Really? The gold fountain wasn't enough? 

It seemed the answer was no, because the elevator buttons too, looked as if they were plated in gold. 

There was no way that stuff was real if they had enough of it to throw away on elevator buttons, of all things.

What was next? Were the suites made completely out of gold too?

Ding! 

The elevator doors opened.... Right into the suite.

Of course, it was a private elevator. Go figure. Because it was such a hardship to walk down a hallway and open a door, right? 

What were people as rich as this doing ordering pizza anyways? Wasn't it a rule that they only ate caviar and like, shrimp paté? Is that even a thing?

While pondering the unoffical rules of Rich People-Hood, Merlin had forgotten all about the elevator door, which started to close before he had even moved a step. He yelped (rather loudly) and hastily hit the button that held the doors open with his elbow, as his hands were a bit occupied with balancing the pizza box.

"Uh, I think the pizza's here, guys.Either that or I'm being robbed someone with a very high pitched voice," A female voice said from somewhere in the suite.

Great.

Time to meet whoever it was that lived in this ridiculous building. And his voice was very deep and masculine, thank you very much!

But wait. Did he come out of the elevator (risking getting caught in the door) and wait inside the suite, or stay in the elevator with his elbow awkwardly glued to the button? What did delivery boys usually do when faced with private elevators? This wasn't in his Domino's handbook - not that he'd ever read it.

The decision was made for him when the owner of the voice, a tall, professional looking young woman (Merlin pegged her at 27 or 28 years old) who looked like she would fit right in with those Beautiful People in magazines that Gwen was always talking about, walked around the corner, an expectant look on her face. 

"Uh, hi. Pizza for Morgana Le Fay?" Merlin smiled weakly from where he was trapped inside the elevator.

"That's me."

Morgana (who now that Merlin thought about it, looked like she could play one of the vampires in Twilight) took in his predicament, tipping her head to one side, and smirked before speaking in a lilting voice.

"For some reason, they never know whether they should come in or not."

"So, this happens often then?" 

"More often that you'd think." She stared at him for a long time with an odd look on her face. Merlin got the feeling he was being judged, although he didn't know what for.

Merlin was starting to get uncomfortable, and not from her intense gaze. The corner of the pizza box was digging into his chest, and he was getting tired of contorting his body so he could reach the elevator button.

"Sorry, but d'you think you could help me out a bit?" Merlin tried his best to look apologetic, but it was hard when he was getting cramps in his elbow. How did that even work, cramps in someone's elbow?

She snapped out of her little trance.

"Wait, you mean you're actually stuck?" 

"Uh, yes? I waited too long to get out, and now if I let go of the button the doors will close before I get through, and I can't hold it down with one hand and slip through without dropping the pizza."

Unfortunately, this wasn't the most embarrassing thing to happen to him while on a delivery - that award would have to go to the hot wings incident on Monday.

Morgana covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. "Usually they're just too intimidated to come inside, no one's ever actually gotten stuck before!" 

"Yeah, hilarious," Merlin said dryly as she rushed forward, ignored the outstretched pizza box, and instead slipped her arm inside to hold the button down for him. 

He stepped out and turned to face her as she released the button and snaked her arm out before the doors shut. 

"Thanks, I wasn't sure what I was gonna do there." Merlin supposed he would have had to either make a mad dash for it or endure his elbow cramps and stay in the elevator while she paid for the pizza.

"No problem at all Merlin. It is Merlin, right?"

"Yeah, but how did you know that?"

She just smiled mysteriously. Ooo-kay then. Not creepy at all.

There was a loud thud from around the corner, and Merlin heard two muffled male voices bickering, one of them vaguely familiar. 

Morgana scowled.

"Excuse me for just a moment." She nodded politely at Merlin before striding over to where the noise came from and out of his sight.

Merlin strained his ears, but only caught snippets of the conversation.

"You two better not have broken.... Or I swear...."  That was Morgana's voice.

"I can't believe you actually.... I don't want... he's an idiot!" There was the vaguely familiar voice again, sounding somewhat panicked. Merlin wondered who he thought was an idiot.

"C'mon, princess... just introduce... don't be so..." Merlin didn't recognize this voice. It was deeper and more gravelly than the other one and sounded like it was having the time of his life.

Silence for a few moments. The familiar voice groaned (in defeat, it seemed) and the other male voice cheered. 

Morgana emerged from around the corner looked half annoyed and half amused. Merlin hastily rearranged his features into what he hoped was a casual smile.

"So, extra large deluxe pizza with no anchovies, yes? That'll be-"

"Oh, let's forget about that for a bit, tell me about yourself Merlin! Where are you from? Any brothers, sisters? Girlfriend, boyfriend? Do you prefer dogs or cats? What's your favorite color? C'mon, don't be shy. I don't bite, promise."

She smiled at him nonchalantly, as if these were completely normal questions to ask your pizza delivery boy.

Merlin gulped. Okay, this was definitely getting weird.

"Uh, as much as I'd love to stand here and tell you my life story, I've got a question of my own - how do you know my name? Are you, like stalking me or something?"

She laughed before sitting on the edge of an armchair and pointing at his chest.

He looked down. 

Ooooh, right. Name tag. 

He looked back up at her and smiled sheepishly. "Whoops, forgot about those." 

Morgana grinned, revealing perfectly straight teeth. "To be honest Merlin, I knew your name before anyways. I think you met my little brother a few days back?"

Little brother?

Merlin suddenly realized where he recognized that voice from.

Oh, fuck.

"Hold on, is your little brother-"

"Step-brother."

Merlin whipped around.

"Arthur!" He blurted out.

There he was, in all his blonde, fit, gorgeous, glory, pouting like he was a male model. Of course not five minutes after Merlin actually let himself think about the weird, yet right, feeling he had on Monday, the subject of the said feeling shows up without any kind of warning.

Oh God, Merlin forgotten how annoyingly kiss-able (among other things) he was.

Arthur raised one eyebrow. "Yes, Merlin, that is my name. Any other brilliant realizations you'd like to share with us?" 

He was saved having to think up a witty comeback by the entrance of a dark-haired, roguishly handsome bloke (who also had really amazing hair), who slung an arm over Arthur's shoulders and grinned wolfishly at Merlin.

Good. Another piece of evidence for Merlin's quickly developing theory that insanely attractive people only hung out with other insanely attractive people. 

At least now there was someone to distract him from the flurry of frantic and panicky thoughts Arthur's appearance had caused.

"Ah, so you're the famous Merlin, are you? My, my, Arthur's description of you didn't do you any justice." Merlin recognized his voice as the one who had been talking to Arthur and Morgana before.

"Uh, thanks?" Merlin looked questioningly at Morgana for confirmation that this was indeed a compliment. 

She was clearly holding back laughter, but silently mouthed "just go with it" at him anyways.

Okay. Merlin could do that.

"And you are?" His voice came out way more flirtatious than he had intended, but could you blame him? Merlin needed a distraction, and the guy was beautiful. Almost enough to make him forget about Arthur and all the questions that came with him.

Almost, but not quite.

The unnamed handsome one swaggered (there really was no other way to describe the way he walked) up to him and shook his hand. "Gwaine, friend of Arthur and Morgana's. Pleased to make your acquaintance." He winked, making Merlin giggle like a schoolgirl. 

Merlin liked him already.

Arthur snorted from somewhere behind Gwaine's head. 

Merlin noticed he was still holding Gwaine's hand and hastily let go. Gwaine smiled mischievously and flopped down on the armchair that Morgana was perched on the edge of, putting his feet up on the coffee table.

"So, Merlin, you do any modeling?" Gwaine asked casually, ignoring Morgana's attempts to make him put his feet down.

"What?"

"Is that a no? That's a shame, those beautiful cheekbones of yours could cut glass." Gwaine made an appreciative noise.

Merlin laughed out loud at his blatant shamelessness. 

"Oh, don't flatter yourself, he's like this with everyone." Arthur scowled and pushed past Gwaine's outstretched legs, ignoring his sound of protest, before sitting down in the armchair opposite.

Merlin glared at him before turning to Morgana. "So, I'm assuming you somehow rigged it so I would be the one to show up, yes?"

She looked angelic. "What are you talking about?! I would never manipulate the system like that, this is just a happy coincidence!" She gave him a sly wink.

Merlin laughed, deciding that he liked her too. Arthur really did hang out with novel people. They were fun, welcoming, and not at all rude, unlike someone he could mention.

"Hey, Gwaine, where are the others anyway? I would've thought they'd want to meet Merlin too." Morgana poked Gwaine in the side.

Merlin gaped and looked at Arthur. "How many people did you even tell about me?!"

Arthur looked down and mumbled something at the ground.

"Oh, there's a bunch of people back there who are just dying to meet you!" Gwaine gestured at the hallway he and Arthur had came from. "But they all got a little too invested in a game of Jenga, so it might be a while."

Merlin laughed again.

"Well, can't beat a good game of Jenga!" He joked.

Suddenly there was a crash from the hallway and the sound of disappointed groans resonated throughout the suite.

"Ah, well that's game over. You better get out of here Merlin, or they'll be on you like a pack of wolves." Morgana stood up and traded him some cash for the pizza, setting it down on the table. 

"Right." To be honest though, he kind of wanted to meet them. Hopefully his disappointment didn't show on his face.

"Oh, cheer up Merlin! You can meet them at my party this Saturday. Gimme your number and I'll text you the details." Gwaine must be good at reading faces.

Arthur's head snapped up from where he was seated. 

"Uh, sure, okay, that sounds great!" Merlin added his number into Gwaine's cellphone and straightened up. 

Hold on.

He couldn't go to a party that Arthur Pendragon would most likely be at and not invite Gwen, right? She would kill him.

"Hey, uh, d'you mind if I bring a guest? Just my friend, Gwen." 

Arthur scoffed. Merlin ignored him again.

Gwaine smiled brightly. "Sure! The more the merrier. Unless she's your date, in which case, no." 

Merlin stared blankly at him.

"It was a joke Merlin, relax! You can bring anyone you want, date or not." 

"Oh, okay." He laughed nervously and started walking back to the elevator.

Then, feeling bold, he turned back around and said "She's not my date anyways, don't worry."

Gwaine looked delighted, but for some reason, it wasn't his, but Arthur's eyes that Merlin met as he said this. 

Morgana stood by the elevator, holding it open with one arm. 

"You boys quite done? I'm not gonna hold this open forever."

Merlin laughed and jogged over, went inside, and held it open himself, no pizza box to hinder him this time. 

"Thanks." 

She looked, oddly enough, very pleased. "No problem Merlin."

Merlin pulled away from her piercing stare to look back out at Gwaine and Arthur.

"Until we meet again, Merlin dear!" Gwaine called theatrically. 

Merlin smiled and nodded at him before releasing the elevator button.

The last thing he saw before the doors closed was Arthur's face, looking sullen, annoyed, and something else that Merlin couldn't quite put his finger on.

Chapter Text

Thursday the 29th of August: 

Arthur couldn't get up. 

All his muscles had stopped working for some reason.

What the hell?

Around him, strobe lights flashed, music blared, and half naked dancing bodies swarmed him from where he was stuck in his chair.

The air smelled of perspiration, cheap alcohol, and, surprisingly, fresh pizza.

It was hot, too. Really hot. Arthur was sweating. So were the people around him, he could the the drops glistening on their bodies.

They came uncomfortably close to him, and it was damn near impossible to lean away when he was stuck in the chair.

And then for some reason, Morgana was there, a part of the writhing mass.

He guessed she couldn't hear him over the music, because when he yelled for her to help him up, she just kept dancing (grinding against, really) with - was that Cenred?! Oh my God. He really was quite bendy, as she'd so eloquently put it.

He looked away. They were in public, for Christ's sake. 

Suddenly, he noticed that everyone around him was someone he knew.

There was Percy, and Morgause, and Leon, and Lancelot, and Gwaine, and George, and Uther, and the secretary who had nearly killed him with a paperweight, and probably everyone who worked at the office.

And of all these people, nobody could hear him yelling for them to help him, and everyone was dancing in a similarly sexual and disturbing fashion. 

Even his father.

That's it. Arthur had to get outof here, and if nobody was going to help him, he supposed he'd have to help himself. 

As hard as Arthur had tried to get up, all that he ended up doing was knocking the chair to the ground, so he was no less stuck, and also squished painfully into the floor, in danger of being trampled.

And then, one black combat boot almost did step on him. He looked up, and it was Gwaine, busy sucking greedily on some dark haired stranger's neck. 

Except.

Except that was no stranger.

"Merlin?!"

Unlike the rest, Merlin seemed to hear him. He looked down at him with what seemed like pity, and Arthur burned red with embarassment. 

And then, not sparing a second glance, Merlin went right back to arching into Gwaine's body, running his hands through his hair and moaning.

This was wrong. This was so wrong. What the fuck. 

It got a little harder to breathe. 

And then Morgana was breaking away from her embrace with Cenred and crouching down next to Arthur where he was lying pathetically on the ground, still glued to his chair's seat.

She looked at the entwined figures of Merlin and Gwaine and looked back at him, smirking.

He felt her fingernails on the side of his face before she leaned in and whispered in his ear.

"I ship it."

That's when Arthur woke up, panting and sweating.

Oh, God. The image of Merlin and Gwaine twisted around each other was going to be forever burned into his retinas. Great.

He really needed to stop drinking coffee before bed.

By the time he had gotten dressed, he'd convinced himself that it meant nothing. 

Mostly.

By lunchtime, he had stopped replaying in in his head over and over again. 

Mostly.

By the time he left work, he had forgotten all about it.

Mostly.

By the time he got home, Arthur was done pretending it had never happened.

Seriously, what the hell brain? Where did that dream even come from?

Arthur scowled and cracked open his can of beer. He knew where. From Gwaine and Merlin's little fucking display yesterday. Could they be more obvious? Gwaine, with his stupid cheesy lines that always somehow worked, and Merlin, with his stupid blushing face and stupid not at all endearing ridiculous ears. They were perfect for each other, really. They were both ginormous fucking idiots. Not that Arthur cared or anything. He wasn't jealous, of course not. But after all their blatant flirting yesterday, what else was he supposed to dream about? It was just a simple case of something being shoved in his face so much that it somehow invaded his dreams. Nothing more.

Arthur closed his eyes and leaned back from where he was sitting on the couch. Almost immediately, the (as of now, forbidden) images crept back into his mind. He violently jumped up and started pacing his living room, definitely not lingering to look at the still bright as ever stain on his carpet.

Dammit. Arthur needed to get his mind of things. Eat dinner, relax, watch some television... And of course, what else was he really craving, but pizza. Dammit. Again.

He sighed in resignation, picked up his phone and started dialing the familiar number, a little concerned by the fact that he had it memorized, before stopping.

No.

He was NOT going to put himself through dealing with Merlin, who he didn't want to see at all, not even a little bit, again. He'd order pizza from somewhere else instead. Arthur dialed the number to a different pizza place and placed his order before pacing the floor nervously.

Why on earth did that feel so wrong?

15 minutes later:

Ding!

Wow, and it was early too. This was a nice change. So much better than Domino's already, really.

Arthur strode over to the door and pulled it open.

Woah.

He was met with a gum chewing, bored looking woman who still somehow managed to look regal, even though she was wearing a baseball cap and holding out a pizza box. 

She was pretty hot, in other words.

"£8.99 please."

Arthur quickly snapped out of it.

"Sorry, what?"

She gave him an appraising look before smirking.

"£8.99. You know, for the pizza."

"Ah, right. Of course."

Arthur fumbled getting his wallet out of his pocket. Obviously, he then proceeded to spill the contents of said wallet all over the floor. 

He dropped to his knees to pick it up, ducking his head so the pizza girl wasn't able to see the brilliant red his face was turning. 

She crouched down, balancing the pizza box on her knee. Surprisingly, she was... smiling?

Probably laughing at was an absolute dork Arthur was. At least she hadn't recognized him though, that would have been even worse. 

"Hey, are you blushing?"

"What? No, why would I be?"

She made a face.

"I don't even know you, and I can already tell you're a terrible liar."

They both straightened up, Arthur busied himself by sorting out the money for the pizza, even though he could still feel her eyes on his face.

"I'm not blushing. I don't blush."

She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, whatever. It's cute."

Arthur finally met her gaze.

"You think?"

She smiled mischievously at him before ignoring the question completely and looking meaningfully at the $8.99 in his hand.

Right.

Arthur traded her the money for the pizza box and by the time he looked back up at her, she was already heading back towards the elevator, not sparing him a second glance.

Huh.

Arthur shut the door and sat down at the couch, digging into his pizza.

It really wasn't longer than ten minutes before he noticed the writing on the stack of napkins he got with it:

647-234-5756

- Mithian

Well, would you look at that.

Aug 29th 2014 (9:56 pm)

Looks like I got a hot pizza girl after all morgana 

(10:01)

oooh look at my little brother the stud

(10:03) 

yeah, wrote her number down on the napkin and everything

(10:04)

I'm probably not gonna call though

(10:06)

what, why?!? You said she was hot 

(10:08)

yeaaah well not my type

(10:09)

something tells me there's someone elseeeee

(10:11)

I can't believe you didn't tell you you liked someone

(10:12)

poor girl

(10:13)

or guy

(10:15)

a) I don't like anybody else

b) I'm not gay

(10:17)

Never said you were brother dear, just suggested you might have feelings for a guy. Two very different things, you see."

(10:18)

yeah well I don't like anyone guy or girl so bye

(10:19)

is it merlin? I bet it's merlin.

(10:21)

you're crazy morgana

(10:22)

Nah, you're just in denial

(10:23)

fuck off :)

(10:24)

:)

Chapter Text

Friday the 30th of August:

Merlin hated working on Fridays.

It was always busy, he missed all the best parties, and for some reason, he always managed to trip at least once.

So, when Gaius called and left a message asking for him to come in that day, Merlin seriously considered being "sick" to get out of it.

C'mon, it was almost noon and he was still in bed, all snuggled up in his Doctor Who bed spread, just about to pop in a movie, eat some popcorn and definitely not day dream about a certain blonde someone.

He did NOT want to go to work, that's for sure. He'd call in sick, have a mini movie marathon, and push back all those complicated feelings to deal with later.

Yeah. That was a good plan.

But then, Gwen texted him.

Aug 27th 2014 (11:07am)
Merlin

(11:08)
Merlin where are you

(11:08)
Merlin I need you here I'm going to die of boredom PLEASE

(11:09)
Don't tell me you're calling in sick

(11:10)
Merlin I'm begging it's just me and Cedric today and he's being even creepier than usual

(11:11)
P l e a se

Merlin sighed.

So much for calling in sick.

(11:13)
I'll be there in ten. You owe me.

Twenty Minutes Later:

Okay, so maybe the look on Gwen's face when Merlin walked into the store made this slightly more worth it.

Slightly.

Stupid Gwen, and her stupid, stupid smile that made flowers grow and birds sing. Making him miss his day off. She SO owed him.

Gwen rearranged her beaming smile into a mock pout when Merlin walked up to the counter.

"You said you'd be here ten minutes ago!"

Merlin scowled at her.

"You're lucky I'm here at all! I'm missing a day snuggled up in bed just so you won't have to be alone with, y'know."

He looked pointedly back into the kitchen, where Cedric was mindlessly mopping the floor.

Gwen beamed at him again.

"Yes, I know, and I absolutely ADORE you for it Merlin, you know I do."

Merlin struggled for a few moments, trying to keep the scowl on his face, before giving in to Gwen's infectious enthusiasm and smiling back at her.

"Yeah well, I don't have your peace pies from before anyways, so we're even." He grinned cheekily at her, ducking when she attempted to swat the side of his head.

She opened her mouth, probably to yell obscenities at him (Gwen did love her pie), but then a customer walked through the door, looking around as she entered.

Gwen gestured towards the back.

"Just go, you madman. There's a stack of deliveries waiting for you. But we will discuss this matter further, trust me."

Merlin backed away from the counter to make room for the customer.

"Sure Gwen, whatever you say!" He stopped before disappearing from her sight though, and quickly added, "Hey, did I mention that I saw Arthur again yesterday?" before waltzing through the door.

Judging from the undignified squawk Merlin heard, he had won that round.

A few hours later:

Gwen burst into the break room, looking around wildly before noticing Merlin sitting with his feet up at their usual table.

"Ah, Guinevere. I was wondering when you'd join me." Merlin smirked unapologetically as she stomped over and sat down, rather forcefully too, might he add.

"You win. Spill, and maybe I won't kill you and bury the body after my shift tonight."

"Maybe?"

"Okay I definitely won't kill you. Not tonight anyway. Happy?"

"Very." Merlin smiled innocently at her and continued to eat his pizza.

Gwen waited expectantly.

After a few seconds of silence, she sighed and smacked him upside the head.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?!"

"Arthur, you idiot! You said you saw him again, left me in suspense for HOURS and now you're just teasing me. A minute more if this and I might explode, so spill."

Merlin grinned sheepishly and said "Sorry sweetheart, I don't kiss and tell."

Then, seeing the look on Gwen's face, he quickly added "Kidding, I'm kidding Gwen, we didn't kiss! We barely talked for heaven's sake, nothing's changed. You can unclench now."

Gwen let out a breath.

"I was about to go back on my word that I wouldn't kill you today, Merlin. The second anything, and I mean ANYTHING, happens between you and Arthur you better text me."

Merlin snorted.

"Nothing's going to happen, Gwen."

She shot him a disbelieving look.

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that. Anyways, tell me about what happened! How did you see Arthur again?"

Merlin took a bite of his pizza and waved his hand around in a dismissive gesture.

"It wasn't a big deal. Turns out he told his friends about how completely awesome I was, and his sister ordered a pizza and arranged it so I would be the one to show up."

It was comical how perfectly "o" shaped Gwen's mouth had gone.

"Not a big deal. Not a big deal!? Merlin he TOLD people about you, that is a big fucking deal!"

"Really? How? Enlighten me, oh wise one."

"It means he likes you smart-ass." Gwen rolled her eyes. "Ugh, boys can be so oblivious sometimes. Anyways, continue."

Merlin ignored her last comment. "That's all there is to it really. I met his sister Morgana, she seems pretty cool."

"You met MORGANA? Oh my god Merlin oh my god, she is my idol!"

Merlin smiled at her fanish-ness. "Yeah well, you have my stamp of approval. She was way nicer that Arthur."

Gwen smiled at him before pushing her chair back and standing up.

"My break's over in five, I'll see you after work, yeah? You can tell me more then."

"My shift's actually over and I'm heading home, so I'll just see you later, okay?" Merlin stood up to hug her goodbye.

She started walking away and was just about to pass through the door when Merlin remembered.

The party.

"Gwen, wait!"

He jogged over to her and was about to just blurt out the invitation before pausing.

Hold on. This was a rare opportunity. He should make the best of it.

Merlin sank down on on knee in front of her and took her hand.

"Guinevere Smith..."

Her eyes widened.

"Merlin, what are you-"

"Will you do me the honour of being my companion at Arthur's friend, Gwaine's party?"

Gwen shrieked and pulled Merlin up, jumping up and down.

"Merlin, you're kidding?! A party that ARTHUR PENDRAGON will be at? Of course!"

Merlin pretended to wipe the sweat off his brow.

"Whew, I wasn't sure there for a second."

Gwen laughed and swatted his arm before pulling him in for another hug.

"Oh my god, thank you so much for inviting me Merlin! I'll see you then!"

Merlin grinned before releasing her and saying "You know I'd love having you there Gwen. I'll text you the details, and see you then!"

She ruffled his hair and practically skipped out the door.

Merlin shook his head fondly before pulling on his coat and heading home.

[UNKNOWN NUMBER]

Aug 30th 2014 (11:32pm)
merlikins?

(11:37)
um, yes, I suppose? Who's this?

(11:38)
Oh good, I was starting to think you'd given me a wrong number.

(11:39)
oh, gwaine?

(11:40)
you guessed it ;) just letting you know for the party tomorrow, I'm in the building opposite Morgana's, suite 21.

(11:41)
oh, and bring your own beer

(11:42)
sounds good, I look forward to it! and okay lol

(11:43)
im kidding merlin, of course you don't have to bring your own beer, I am gladly providing drinks

(11:44)
oh thank goodness
goodnight :)

(11:46)
night merlin, see you soon ;)

Chapter Text

Saturday the 31st of August:

Arthur sighed and reached for another can of beer. He'd gotten here at least an hour ago and spent the majority of this time sitting in the same spot and observing the rest of the crowd. Honestly, how on earth did Gwaine know this many people? Arthur didn't recognize at least 3/4 of the people here.

A good indicator of how his night was going was the fact that the highlight so far was when Merlin had got here. Pathetic, right? Oh, and of course, just as Merlin walked in, Arthur's brain decided to abandon the plan of studiously ignoring him and instead had jumped up without anything to say. He ended up gaping like a fish for a few moments before sitting back down in silence. Merlin just seemed confused, but Morgana was ecstatic, God knows why. Merlin had barely looked at him since.

Anyways, at least he had finally got to meet the famous Gwen. She was really, very pretty and extremely sweet, but Arthur hadn't spoken to her too much. Truthfully, she had seemed a bit star struck. Besides, her and Lancelot had taken to each other right away. Actually, where was the pair? A couple minutes ago Arthur could've sworn he saw them chatting in a corner somewhere. He scanned the room. Ah. They were by the door, clinging to each other, obviously about to leave.

Well, Arthur hoped that they had a great night together. He was definitely not bitter, or lonely, or pining. Who would he even be pining for? Across the room he could see Merlin and Gwaine cozied up on the couch, laughing about something ridiculous, probably. Whatever. He didn't care. Really, he didn't. Not one bit.

"What don't you care about?"

Arthur looked up, startled. He had NOT meant to say that out loud.

Standing in front of him was Morgana, her trademark smirk on her face, beer can clutched in her hand. She was quite clearly more than a bit tipsy. Flopping down on the couch, she repeated her question, looking at him curiously.

Arthur thought fast. "Uh, that they had to order pizza, AGAIN. Is there not any other party foods in the world?"

Smooth.

Morgana snorted, putting her feet up on the coffee table.

"It's not a party without pizza. Idiot."

Arthur glared at her.

"Also, that's clearly not what you were talking about. You're a terrible liar, you know that?"

Okay, maybe she was more sober than he had thought.

Arthur looked away and took another gulp of his beer.

"Could it be the fact that Merlin seems to be having a fantastic night with Gwaine?"

Arthur scowled.

"For the last time Morgana, I. Am. Not. Gay." He bit out the words.

She gestured lazily with her beer can, spilling more than a few drops over the sofa (and Arthur's lap.)

"Who said you were? I'm not gay, but I'm not saying I wouldn't like to get to know Gwen a little better. Bisexuality, dear brother. It exists."

Well, she had a point there.

"You're out of luck, she left with Lance a few minutes ago."

She pouted, but continued, "Look, I'm not saying you and Merlin are meant to be, but you're totally meant to be! Just because I'm the least romantic person in the world doesn't mean I don't know this shit."

"Thanks for the advice Morgana, but I'll stick to what I know."

She punched him in the arm.

"Ow, what the fuck was that for?!"

"You are so in denial! God, you can be really stupid sometimes."

Standing up, Morgana flounced back to whatever dark corner she had come from, only stopping to throw her empty beer can at him and yell "GO TALK TO MERLIN" across the room. Arthur was actually pretty sure Merlin turned away from Gwaine, a curious look on his face, at that. He sank down in to the couch as far as humanly possible, cursing Morgana to the deepest pits of hell.

Twenty Minutes later:

August 31st 2014 (9:52pm)

I'm leaving morgana

(9:53)

what???? no you're staying hold on where are you  

(9:55)

getting my coat

(9:55)

Arthur you are staying if I have to forcibly duct tape you to a chair and I can't find you?

(9:56)

Answer me

(9:57)

ARTHUR 

(9:58)

I'm already downstairs

(9:59)

Arthur pendragon if you leave this party I'll tell Merlin about spring break of 2008

(10:02)

... im on my way back up

(10:04)

also, fuck you.

One hour after the failed escape attempt:

Arthur stood by himself in the kitchen, demolishing a bowl of Cheetos. This had to be the worst party he'd ever attended. The longest conversation he had held so far wasn't even a conversation - it was Morgana yelling at him for trying to sneak out of the party early. He'd probably better get back out and socialize though, before Morgana dragged him out.

He grabbed one last handful of Cheetos and started to head out. Then, reconsidering, he went back and got the whole bowl. Screw the diet, Arthur needed strength to get through the rest of this party. He turned back around, only to bump straight into somebody.The bowl shattered on the ground, Cheetos flying everywhere.

Arthur moaned internally at the loss before looking up to meet the eyes of-

Well, fuck.

Guess who decided to finally acknowledge his existence.

Chapter Text

Half an hour prior:

Merlin really was enjoying himself at the party, really! The atmosphere was great, the people were nice, and the music was perfect. His only complaint? There was a lack of the kind of party food that Merlin was used to. Nowhere in sight were the traditional bowls of chips and candy that he preferred. There was, however, plentiful alcohol to make up for it.

What he especially craved at the moment were some good old fashioned Cheetos. Sure, the orange powder got all over your face and hands, but the cheesy goodness was worth it, was it not? Cheetos were blessed, end of story.

If Merlin was being honest, he had one other complaint.

Arthur had barely even looked at him since he got here. Once, Merlin could've sworn he heard him say his name while talking to Morgana (quite angrily, actually), but Gwaine had distracted him quickly with embarrassing stories from his and Arthur's college years.There was one tale that he refused to tell though, something about spring break in 2008.

Whatever, he'd ask Morgana later, after Gwaine wrapped up his dramatic re-enactment of an incident involving an angry group of male models, a nun costume, and a very confused police officer.

"Oi, Merlin I'm heading to the bathroom, feel free to reload on snacks while I'm gone!" Gwaine finished his story and practically leaped off the couch where they had been sitting.

Seriously, where did he get all that sheer energy?

Merlin nodded and smiled at Gwaine in response, but he was already bounding off, chatting with everyone he passed as he went.

Settling back into the couch, Merlin pondered his first complaint again. There had to be some sort of real snacks around somewhere, right? Maybe in the kitchen? So there was his mission then - to go find some chips or something before Gwaine got back (definitely not an attempt to get his mind off of complaint #2.)

Merlin picked himself up and wandered through the crowd, hopefully ending up in the kitchen somehow.

Unlike Gwaine, he didn't have a problem with multitudes of people stopping him to say hello. Besides Gwen (who had disappeared somewhere) and the people he had met through Arthur (who was nowhere in sight), Merlin didn't really know anybody else. They all were friendly enough, but a couple were rather snobbish and stuck up.

Merlin finally pushed through the last remnants of the people congregating near where he had been sitting, only to walk smack into a rather large and angry looking man. Merlin raised his hands sheepishly in apology, but the man promptly scowled at him before shoving past anyways.

Some people were just so - ugh. Shake it off, Merlin, shake it off.

All he needed to do was find the goddamn kitchen and return to his seat with some food in the next few minutes. He could do this.

Merlin recollected himself, and looked around at the less densely packed living area. He didn't recognize one bit of it. Did he mention how ridiculously large this flat was?

Ten minutes later: 

Well, he finally found the bloody kitchen.

And of course, none other than Arthur Fucking Pendragon had to be there, and now the Cheetos (those were Merlin's absolute favourite, by the way) were wasted, the bowl was lying in pieces on the floor, and the blonde git was staring at him like this was all HIS fault.

Or maybe he was staring at him differently.

It wasn't really an accusing look actually. To be honest, it kind of looked the way Merlin felt right now - panicked, confused, nervous, even embarrassed? But that didn't make sense. What did Arthur have to feel embarrassed about? Merlin was the one who had been staring at the back of his head (and other things, if he was being truthful here) like a giant oaf. It was his fault that there was now an orange powder coated mess of Cheetos and broken glass on the floor, which was definitely not a winning combination.

Who put Cheetos in a fucking glass bowl anyways?

Arthur still wasn't saying anything.

Shit. Okay. They couldn't just stare at each other all day!

He obviously had to say something.

Anything.

The silence continued.

Right about now would be a great time for a witty one liner to hit him.

"Why is it Merlin, that our interactions often end with some sort of messy food being spilt?" Arthur's voice oozed sarcasm.

Oh, finally Arthur had said something!

He no longer needed to go bury himself in a hole somewhere out of embarrassment. Merlin mentally had a miniature dance party to celebrate the awkward silence being broken.

"Merlin? Hello?" Arthur was looking at him quizzically.

Right, he needed to respond! Because that's what normal people did in polite conversation, and clearly Merlin was not a civilized human being.

Maybe he would need that hole to bury himself in after all.

Merlin chuckled weakly. "Maybe the universe is trying to tell us something."

Arthur scoffed. "What could the universe possibly be trying to tell us from this?"

Merlin shrugged and knelt down to try to gather up some of the mess, not meeting Arthur's eyes. "Maybe that we ought to avoid each other from now on."

He expected some sort of agreement from Arthur, but that's surprisingly, not what he got.

Instead, Arthur snorted in dismissal. "Even if that's what I wanted, I'm pretty sure that Morgana would never let it happen."

Huh? "What's Morgana got to do with anything?" Merlin questioned as he tried to quell the hopeful butterflies in his stomach.

Arthur blushed. "Never mind. Isn't there a dustpan or something around here? You're gonna split your hands open on a piece of glass if you carry on like that."

"That's actually a good idea. Why didn't I think of that?"

"Because you're an idiot."

Merlin rolled his eyes in response as Arthur somehow procured a dustpan from somewhere in the kitchen and knelt down next to him to help.

"I'm not going to dignify that with a response. Git."

Arthur raised an eyebrow at him. "Here I am, being a nice person and helping you clean up this mess that YOU created, and this is how you treat me. You wound me Merlin, honestly."

Merlin smiled cheekily. "I try my best."

They cleaned in silence for a bit, Arthur dusting up the Cheetos and Merlin doing his best to pick out the shards of glass without slicing his hand open.

"You know," Merlin began conversationally, "I bet these Cheetos are still good."

"Ew. That's disgusting, Merlin, honestly."

Merlin tried not to notice the adorable (and okay, kind of sexy) way Arthur drew out the r's in his name.

"What, haven't you ever heard of the five second rule? C'mon, I dare you."

"Nope. And it's been like five minutes."

"Double dare?"

Arthur just sighed.

Merlin slumped in defeat, looking down sadly at the mess. "I guess you're right. It's pretty gross, who knows what's happened on this floor?"

"It is Gwaine's apartment, after all. You seem to know how he is."

Whoa, what was all that about? Was that a hint of bitterness in Arthur's voice that Merlin detected? He tried to look at Arthur questioningly, but he wouldn't meet his eyes.

Whatever. Probably possessive of his friends.

And then, Merlin got an idea. A brilliant, genius, outstanding idea.

"Hey, if I eat one, can you forget about me owing you money for that, y'know, minor hot wings incident we had?" Merlin put on his best puppy dog eyes.

Because seriously, he was broke and not entirely knowledgable on the subject of how much carpet cleaners cost. Whatever it was, the cost would probably be outside his budget at the moment.

Arthur burst out laughing.

Was that a yes?

Arthur kept chuckling (for a quite disproportionate amount of time) before he said "Sure, Merlin. Go for it."

Merlin grinned wildly before attempting to reach for an un-crushed and relatively clean Cheeto. Of course, his extreme clumsiness had to kick in now, of all times. Somehow, somehow, Merlin managed to slip from his kneeling stance (don't ask him how), and had to use the hand that was reaching for the Cheeto (that would have surely save him a large sum of money) and stop himself from falling. Which would have been fine, except Merlin had to place the hand right of top of a particularly sharp piece of glass.

He winced and pulled his hand back quickly, hoping Arthur wouldn't notice. No such luck.

"Jesus Christ, Merlin, are you all right!?"

Merlin tried to play it off. "Yeah, yeah, what, this? Psh, barely a scratch."

Arthur's eyes bugged out of his head in disbelief. "Barely a scratch? You're bleeding. Let me see."

He pulled Merlin's injured hand into his own for inspection. His hands were not what Merlin expected. He thought they'd be either soft and manicured, like most wealthy and famous men, or calloused and rough, from whatever pseudo manly sport Arthur was sure to play. In reality, however, they just felt like ... normal hands. Maybe a bit warmer than most.

Mind blowing, right?

"Doesn't look like you'll need stitches or anything, just a bandage should be fine."

"Will do, Doctor."

Arthur half smiled before releasing Merlin's hand, finishing up the cleaning, and standing quickly with the majority of the Cheetos and hopefully all of the pieces of glass in his dust pan.

"There's bandages in that drawer over there. Try not to bleed on the floor, will you?"

Merlin mock saluted him and cupping his cut hand, turned to the mentioned drawer and quickly pulled out a bandage. As he was putting it on, he noticed something else in the drawer.

Oh my God ... were those - They were.

Merlin doubled over in laughter.

"What's so funny? Or is the blood loss getting to you?" Arthur somehow managed to look at him both quizzically and prattish-ly at the same time.

Merlin straightened up, still laughing. "Only Gwaine, only Gwaine, would keep these in a kitchen drawer with bandages, duct tape, and eating utensils."

He finished bandaging his hand and then held out the little jar of condoms for Arthur to see.

Arthur snorted. "Doesn't surprise me, he's always been very open. I bet these kitchen walls have seen quite a lot - which is the biggest reason why I wouldn't eat off his floor."

Speaking of eating off floors ...

"Oh my God please tell me you didn't already empty the dust pan!"

Arthur held up the empty dust pan. "I did, why?"

"Dammit. We forgot about our deal from before."

"Oh relax, Merlin. You can forget about paying me back, I honestly couldn't care less."

Merlin's mouth dropped open. "You're lying to me. This is just a cruel joke."

"Nope. Seriously, I release you from all payment."

Merlin suddenly had the urge to hug - tackle Arthur. Maybe he wasn't such a prat after all.

Arthur cleared his throat. "Well? Aren't you going to thank me?"

Merlin bowed humbly. "Thank you, oh great one, for your mercy. I shall forever be in your debt."

Arthur rolled his eyes and sat down on the floor, leaning his head back against the side of the counter.

"You know Merlin, this is the longest conversation I've had so far tonight."

Merlin sat down next to him. "Not gonna lie, that's kind of pathetic."

Arthur half heartedly swatted at his arm. "You seem to be having a good time with Gwaine though."

That was a hard statement to reply to. Merlin liked Gwaine, he really did! It's just - honestly, Merlin had more fun talking to Arthur for ten minutes than he had for the past hour with Gwaine.

"Yeah, Gwaine's a riot. He can get a bit, you know, much, but still."

Hopefully that didn't offend Arthur. The two were friends, right? Arthur didn't say anything, just nodded distractedly and stared ahead.

Okay, no more denial. Merlin liked Arthur. Really liked him. Who knows why, how, or when this happened, but he did. And he didn't want this conversation to end, God help him. Gwen was going to be ecstatic. 

"So, uh, Gwaine was telling me this story about you two during spring break, 2008?"

Arthur's face immediately morphed into embarrassment and shock. "He told you about that!?"

Whoa, not the reaction he was expecting!

"No, calm down, Christ! He refused to tell me any details."

Arthur calmed down. "Oh. Good."

"Okay, but now I'm curious. You have to tell me."

He looked at Merlin in disbelief. "No fucking way. Some things are meant to stay secrets."

"Oh, c'mon. Scared I'll blackmail you?"

"Psh, you don't have the guts to do that."

"Aha! So it is blackmail worthy then?" Merlin poked him in the side victoriously.

Arthur scowled. "Oh, shut up. It's not even that big of a deal."

Merlin kept poking him in the side wheedlingly.

"Forget it Merlin, it's not happening. And stop jabbing me, for God's sakes!" He pushed Merlin's hands away.

"Fine. But only because you were nice enough to forget about the money I owed you."

"I wouldn't use the word 'nice'. More 'apathetic', or 'indifferent'."

"Just shut up and accept the compliment." Merlin gave him his trademark impish grin.

"Fine." Arthur almost grinned back.

They sat in silence for a few moments.

"You know, despite your incessant yammering, I'm glad you came. I wasn't sure if you would show."

Merlin laughed. "You weren't even the one who invited me, you prat!"

Arthur snickered. "True. Nevertheless, I'm still glad you're here."

Dozens of thoughts raced through Merlin's head, hundreds of things he could say next, thousands of cheesy romantic gestures he could do here in the quiet of Gwaine's kitchen.

He didn't say or do any of them. Instead, he shifted just a bit closer to Arthur, enough so it was possible that he would notice, but it wouldn't be weird if he did, and smiled at him, a genuine smile this time.

"Me too."

And he was.

Chapter Text

Sometime after midnight:

How they had ended up on the roof, Arthur had no idea.

What he did remember, however, was being a bit too honest, drinking a bit too much, and stumbling around Gwaine's apartment like a drunken idiot. And all of these activities were done with Merlin, of all people, who was equally as drunk and stupid.

Even though felt like a betrayal to himself to even admit it, Arthur was finally having fun at this godforsaken party.

Well, how's that for unexpected?

Around 11:30:

Arthur wasn't quite sure what had prompted his sudden honesty with Merlin. He'd barely had anything to drink (although that was soon to change) and hadn't really had any major sentimental epiphanies, so what was that openness about?

He had never been a very outwardly emotional person, not even as a child. Morgana called it "a defence mechanism of emotional constipation", but what did she know? Arthur preferred to think of it as simple stoicism.

Whatever it was, his so called "defence mechanism" was failing him right now.

It wasn't that he liked Merlin, per say. He just liked talking to him. And sitting next to him. And making fun of his ridiculous ways. And somehow, that unfairly endearing grin was managing to get under Arthur's skin and make him be less guarded and more honest about his feelings, which was annoying.

That didn't mean he liked him though, alright? Christ.

Arthur started as Merlin's voice interrupted his thoughts. "So ... you going back out there?" Merlin nodded towards the exit of the kitchen, leading back to the living room.

Arthur made a disgruntled face. "I don't want to, but Morgana might kill me if I don't."

Merlin snorted. "She can be quite intimidating." He nodded in agreement and then reluctantly stood up, offering a hand to Merlin to help him up.

Once he was standing, Merlin batted his eyelashes exaggeratedly, clasped his hands together and exclaimed "Oh, what a gentleman!" in a falsetto voice.

Arthur shoved him lightly, laughing. "It's not my fault if you resemble a damsel in distress."

Merlin rolled his eyes. "I was hardly in distress. The floor was pretty comfortable, it's not like a dragon was about to eat my face or something."

"Oh, shut up."

They walked out of the kitchen together, somewhat ready to face the crowd once again.

To be perfectly honest, Arthur wouldn't have minded spending the duration of the party sitting on the kitchen floor with Merlin, just talking.

Every so often as they were walking, Merlin's arm would brush up against his. Or was Arthur brushing his arm against Merlin? Or was the brushing mutual?

Oh my God, what was wrong with him? Why was he obsessing over whose arm was brushing whose?

Merlin interrupted his thoughts again, just as they reached the spot where he had saw Merlin sitting with Gwaine before. "Huh. He just said he was going to the bathroom."

Arthur couldn't help but retort "Gwaine's like that. He can be a bit flakey."

Okay, that was kind of not true. Well, there was that one time in college when Gwaine had ditched him to hook up with some guy even though they had plans, but that was one time.

Anyways, was it just his imagination, or did Merlin look disappointed? "Well, I'll try to find Gwen then, I haven't seen her in a while."

"I'm actually pretty sure she left. With Lancelot."

"Oh. Without telling me? That's weird."

He wasn't imagining it this time, Merlin definitely looked hurt at that. This was Gwen after all - he had sounded utterly smitten when they talked on the phone before.

Merlin continued, "I guess I'll just ..." His voice drifted off as he looked around the room uncertainly.

He looked so lost and so helpless that Arthur couldn't help himself. "For goodness sake Merlin, I'm still here you know? You don't have to look like a kicked puppy."

Merlin looked at him, his surprise evident on his face. "Really? But you have so many friends here, you don't have to ditch them all just so I won't have to be alone for five minutes."

"Merlin, why do you think I was hiding out in the kitchen in the first place? I barely know anybody here, besides you, Gwaine, Morgana, and a few others."

He paused for a moment and then leaned closer. "I don't know where Gwaine finds these people, to be honest. They all freak me out a bit."

A large man passing by overheard his comment and glared at him. Whoops.

Merlin's eyes widened and he grabbed Arthur's arm and turned him so they were facing the other way. "I bumped into that guy earlier tonight and thought he was going to kill me!" he hoarsely whispered.

Arthur had to smile at the look on Merlin's face. "Fear not, fair maiden! Nothing shall harm you while I am at your service." Arthur bowed mockingly.

Okay, since when did Arthur engage in silly role play? Merlin really was getting to him.

Merlin grinned that stupid, radiant grin again, almost making the loss of Arthur's dignity worth it.

Arthur straightened up quickly and cleared his throat. "So, uh, shall we go say hi to Morgana?"

Merlin nodded, still smiling. "Lead the way, oh chivalrous knight!"

Arthur gave him a quick "I think you're adorably funny but there's no way I'm going to say that out loud" smile, and turned away, scanning the room for Morgana.

Ah, there she was. Thankfully away from the main horde of people, Morgana was perched on the edge of a table, laughing at some (probably obnoxious) joke she had told with Morgause, Leon, and Percy.

Oh, she was going to love this.

"C'mon. She's this way."

"Where?" Merlin started trying to look the the throngs of people in the most crowded part of the apartment.

Arthur sighed. "Other way, Merlin." He grabbed his wrist and started pulling him in the right direction.

"Jeez, you don't have to be so grabby."

Somehow, Morgana heard him from across the room (Arthur had stopped questioning her seemingly endless abilities at a young age) and her gaze drifted down towards where Arthur's hand was encircling Merlin's wrist. She met his eyes again and grinned victoriously.

Arthur quickly let go as they approached the table.

"Brother dear!" Morgana gracefully hopped off the table to greet them.

She must be at least tipsy by now, how was she still so damn graceful? Another annoying thing about Morgana - most people get less and less dignified as they drink more. Not her. She could be at the point of needing someone to hold back her hair while she vomited, but still retain her class. Not that Arthur's ever seen her throw up anyways.

God, the list never ended.

"Step brother" he corrected for the umpteenth time.

She diligently ignored him. "And Merlin too! So nice to see you again!" She smiled winningly at him.

Merlin smiled hesitantly back. "Nice to see you again too, Morgana."

Poor Merlin. He, like everybody else, was helpless to Morgana's wily charms.

"Wait, Merlin? As in the same Merlin who spilled hot wings all over Arthur's carpet?" Morgause interrupted from where she was leaning against the wall.

Merlin blushed. "Yep, in the flesh."

Arthur didn't blame him for being nervous around Morgause. With her dark makeup and clothes, she gave off an aura of "fuck with me, and I'll knock in your teeth."

She gave him a thoughtful nod of approval, which was a hard thing to obtain. Good on Merlin.

Leon suddenly got up from where he was sitting on the floor and enveloped Merlin in what looked like a suffocating hug.

Merlin looked at Arthur helplessly. "Uh, thank you?"

Leon stood back, wiping a tear from his eye. "It's just SO nice meeting new people, you know? Especially you, because of Arthur and you, and you know what? I love you Merlin." He stood back and gesticulated wildly. "I love all of you!"

Did Arthur mention that while Morgana was a classy drunk, Leon was an emotional one?

Morgana and Morgause broke out into laughter.

Percy stood up and put his arm around Leon. "We love ya too, buddy. Let's sit down now, okay? Don't wanna scare Merlin away, right?"

He grinned at Merlin in greeting. "Sorry about him. He's a sappy one."

He led Leon back to his seat, shaking his head as he almost tripped over his own feet. If every group of friends has a "mom friend", Percy was definitely theirs.

Merlin chuckled. "It's no problem, I get that way sometimes. And I'm a hugger too, so it's all good."

Morgana slid back to her seat on the table. "You know, you were both gone a long time? What were you doing?"

She asked it innocently enough, but Arthur could hear the innuendo in her voice. He glared at her. She smiled sweetly back.

Oh God, he was going to regret bringing Merlin here, wasn't he?

Merlin, however, seemed oblivious. "Oh, Arthur dropped a bowl in the kitchen and we cleaned it up, nothing too exciting."

"Hey! I only dropped the bowl because you bumped into me."

"Actually, if my memory serves me Arthur, I was standing perfectly still and you turned around and bumped into me."

"Well, yeah because you were standing right behind me!"

"It was not right behind you, you prat! I was a very reasonable distance away."

The tips of Merlin's ears turned red.

He was such a liar.

Arthur opened his mouth to shoot back, but Morgana cut in. "Boys, boys! Why the domestic now? Come, have a drink or two, loosen up! You both seem much too sober."

Merlin eagerly nodded (not before giving Arthur a smug look) and Morgause passed him a beer from the conveniently located ice box next to her, before throwing one at Arthur.

Like she always did.

He glowered at her before picking it up off the floor where it had landed.

Morgana smirked at his misfortune before raising her own beer. "Bottoms up boys!"

Merlin turned to him, that same grin on his face, and they clinked their drinks together before complying.

Only the next morning did Arthur realize that getting them hammered?

It was probably all a part of Morgana's evil matchmaking scheme.

Several drinks later:

"And that," Arthur said, pointing to a couch cushion, "is where Gwaine threw up on St. Patrick's day in 2010."

Merlin giggled and poked the cushion hesitantly. "It doesn't look like anyone's thrown up on it."

Arthur staggered to his feet from where he had been sitting cross legged on the floor. "The stain's on the other side. Wanna see?"

Merlin made a gagging noise. "Eeeeew. That's gross."

Arthur broke out in a fit of laughter. "I know!"

They both laughed hysterically for a few minutes.

It had been Morgana's idea for Arthur to show Merlin around the flat. Gwaine had lived here for quite a while, so there were certainly lots of memorable stories he could share with Merlin. That was her reasoning, anyways.

The pair were currently in the room where Arthur and the others usually gathered after work - when they weren't at Morgana's place, that is.

It seemed to be the least crowded place in the apartment - Arthur and Merlin were the only two there at the moment.

"What's this for?" Merlin picked up a trophy from it's spot on the mantle of a fireplace.

Arthur smiled brightly and straightened up in pride. "That's from college, our rugby team won the finals."

Merlin snorted. "I knew it" he mumbled under his breath.

"Excuse me? Knew what?" Arthur asked indignantly.

"Knew that'd you'd play some hyper masculine sport like rugby! I've had a hunch since we met, and now it's been proved right." Merlin smiled smugly.

Aha! Arthur had him now.

"Actually, Merlin, I don't play rugby anymore, I stopped after college. So your little hunch was wrong!"

Ha.

Merlin considered for a moment. "Nah, it was still right. Because you USED to play rugby, which still counts, so there."

Ugh. Whatever.

Arthur gave him a dirty look. He didn't have to be so particular about it.

While he was thinking of a witty comeback, Merlin positively skipped over to the window and peered outside. His jaw dropped open and he turned to Arthur, gesturing nonsensically. "There's stairs out there!"

"Yeah, it's called a fire escape." Arthur drawled sarcastically. "It goes all the way to the roof too. I think."

Merlin pouted. "Can we go up there?"

"But I'm so tiiiiired. Can't we just sit in here?"

"Absolutely not! Don't be so boring." Merlin exclaimed.

That's what Arthur thought he said, anyway. The first part came out like "absawoolty."

Merlin grabbed Arthur's arm and attempted to pull him to the window.

Arthur didn't move an inch.

"C'mon, Arthur, pleeeeease?" Merlin looked at him beseechingly, his (ridiculously blue) eyes wide, and gave Arthur's arm another futile tug.

Morgana had said to give him the complete tour, right? The roof was technically part of the flat, and he had to show Merlin it. The flat, that is. And the roof. That too.

"Fine. Let's go."

Merlin whooped in delight. For a moment, Arthur thought he was going to hug him, but then he let go of Arthur's arm and jumped into the air, pumping one arm up in victory.

Of course, he stumbled on the landing and miraculously avoided a sprained ankle from slipped on the bunched up rug.

Merlin held up his hands from where he was now sat on the floor. "I'm okay!"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Get up Merlin, before you hurt yourself any more than you already have tonight."

Arthur walked up to the window (Merlin scampering after him) and promptly nearly tripped on the rugby trophy that Merlin had left lying in the middle of the floor.

Merlin giggled.

Arthur (deciding to be the bigger person) ignored him and opened the window, the resulting fresh air a welcome change.

He felt, rather than saw, Merlin approach him and stand by his side, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly. "It looks nice out tonight." Merlin murmured, sounding much closer than Arthur had thought.

Arthur nodded in agreement. Gwaine's building afforded them a breathtaking view of the city below and the sky above.

They stood there in silence for a few seconds, appreciating the view together. Then, Arthur turned to Merlin, bowed slightly, and held out his hand. "After you, fair maiden."

Merlin's infectious laughter rang through the room, making Arthur break his facade and do the same. "You're very kind, brave knight!"

Merlin's chuckles died down and he accepted Arthur's offer of help without complaint this time.

None too gracefully, he somehow made it out the window and onto the fire escape, immediately starting to run up the stairs.

Arthur lightly stepped through after Merlin, closed the window behind him and steadied himself.

Thank goodness it wasn't one of those old and rickety escapes that swayed back and forth, metal groaning, or they'd never make it to the top, even though there were only three flights to climb.

In fact, in their current inebriated state, they'd probably each end up with a concussion, or even worse.

Standing there on the fire escape, away from the crowd, the wind lightly blowing against his skin, and Merlin with him, Arthur was happy.

Really, truly, happy, not just "well nothing's bad happened, so I guess I'm happy" happy.

He looked down at the people milling through the late night streets, just passing time, and wondered if any if them had ever felt this before - this euphoria rushing through his blood and consuming his brain, making all things seem tinier, but greater, in a way.His heart was pumping hard in his chest, he could hear it thudding in his ears, but Arthur had never felt so at peace with the world.

Happy didn't cover it, actually - he was ecstatic.

Arthur never wanted the feeling to end.

"You coming or what?" Merlin called teasingly from where he was already one flight ahead of him, the street lights giving him a warm glow.

He wondered if Merlin was feeling it too.

Then Arthur laughed, just from the sheer joy of being alive, and began his ascent towards Merlin, who gave him an ear splitting grin and resumed his race up, eventually disappearing on to the roof.

When Arthur finally pulled himself over the top, Merlin was already sitting down, leaning against the only available wall (there was a small alcove that held the door through which one could enter the room from the inside of the building.)

He saw Arthur approaching and smiled, patting the ground next to him in invitation.

Arthur obliged, settling himself down beside Merlin, their arms and legs just barely touching.

Merlin exhaled slowly and tilted his head back against the wall, looking up at the night sky. The movement elongated his neck, and Arthur was suddenly struck with how close the two were. He could see how flushed Merlin was, the red blush a really, quite lovely contrast to his pale skin.

Arthur swiftly got the urge to touch Merlin's neck, just to see if it was as warm and soft as it looked.

In fact, he almost reached out to do it before checking himself mentally.

That was completely normal between mates though.

Right?

September 1st 2014 ( 1:02 am) morganana!!!

(1:04)

yes arthur?

(1:05)

Tihs was a GOOOD idea. The tour thing

(1:07)

lmao I'm glad you're enjoying yourself

(1:09)

I am!!! Merlin is fun

(1:10)

I know he is arthur, but you didn't, that's why I had you show him around

(1:14)

arthur?

(1:17)

don't tell me you guys are ignoring me to snog instead

(1:18)

what??no of course not and also it's merlin now hi morgaaaana! I stole arthurs phone because he was ignoring me and now he's mad

(1:20)

riiiight

(1:21)

It's true, aslo it's arthur again hello

(1:23)

okay, well I'll leave you to it then, but where even are you guys?

(1:24)

ughh we weren't snogging morggana god and YOU will neveer find out

(1:25)

alright, alright, whatever you say, brother dear. have fun boys

Arthur giggled and set his phone down next to him. "I can't believe she thought we were snogging." he said, elbowing Merlin in the side.

Merlin chuckled. "Crazy, right?"

Their laughter sounded small on the rooftop, almost like it was fading into the air as soon as it left their lips.

Eventually they lapsed into silence, the only noise the thumping bass of the music from the party indoors.

Merlin sighed. "I'm going to miss this."

Arthur turned towards him a bit. "Miss what?"

He gestured vaguely, a wistful look on his face. "This, the partying, the lack of responsibility, the freedom."

Arthur didn't understand. "What d'you mean? That stuff's not going anywhere."

Merlin gave him a strange look. "School's starting up again soon, remember? We're not all successful business tycoons like you."

"I didn't know you were still in university." Arthur was struck with a sudden fear. "Wait a second, how old are you?"

"I'm 22. Going into my final year." Merlin looked absurdly proud of himself, probably for surviving the hell hole of studying Arthur remembered university to be.

"Oh. I'm 25."

"I know, I googled you." Merlin grinned unabashedly.

Arthur looked away to hide the way too delighted expression on his face.

"You know, it's weird that I didn't know you were a student." He turned back to Merlin, composing his features. "Tell me about yourself."

"Well, there's not much to tell. I grew up in the country, a small town called Ealdor. My mum, Hunith, is the best person in the world. Moved here a few years back for university - I'm majoring in computer animation, by the way - got a job, made some friends, and that's about it. "

Arthur considered this for a moment. "And by friends, you mean Gwen."

"Well, yeah. And her brother, Elyan. I think you two would rather get on, actually. And this girl named Freya in my program. And I still talk to my best friend from back home, Will, occasionally. And now you."

Arthur smiled (not at all goofily) at that, but quickly shook it off.

"Gwen seems like more than a friend to you, honestly."

Merlin scoffed. "Oh please, Arthur. I'm gay for goodness sakes."

Aha. So his predictions were right.

"Oh, okay. Gwaine, then?"

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Haven't we already been over this? What about you, anyways?"

Arthur did a double take. "Me? Nope, no girlfriend ... or anything."

Merlin turned his face away slightly, but Arthur could swear his saw the corners of his mouth turn up slightly.

Okay. Time to change the tone slightly. This was getting too messy.

"Speaking of all that, maybe you could help me with something, y'know with you being gay and everything."

"I'm listening." Merlin had an intrigued look on his face.

"So, I have a friend, let's call him ... Bob."

"Bob." Merlin nodded solemnly, but Arthur could see that he was laughing on the inside.

"Oh, shut up. It's not his fault that's what his parents named him. Anyways, Bob has a problem. Bob's always though of himself as a pretty straight guy. I mean, his whole life he's liked girls. That's what he told me, anyways. But then, Bob met this really annoying guy, uh, Joe. And he thinks he might like Joe. What does that make him?"

Hopefully Merlin couldn't see though the aliases.

"Hm. " Merlin stroked his chin mockingly. "Well, I'd tell this friend of yours, Bob, that if he's really attracted to Joe - who, by the way, probably wouldn't be as annoying if Bob just stopped being a prat - then he's probably bisexual, or pansexual maybe, or really, whatever he wants to be. The only one who can really decide is Bob."

Judging by that smirk on his face, it seemed like Merlin was onto him. Damn. 

Arthur sighed. "Yeah, that's what Bob's sister, uh-" He fumbled wildly for another name. "Morgan, told him."

Merlin's smirk was a full blown grin now.

"His sister's name is Morgan, huh?" Arthur nodded, refusing to meet Merlin's eyes.

"Yep. Anyways, I'll tell Joe what you said."

Merlin prodded him. "Don't you mean Bob?"

Shit.

"Yeah, yeah of course. It's just, y'know, the alcohol getting to me."

"Right."

Thankfully, Merlin let it go.

Instead of continuing to tease Arthur, he leaned back and looked back up at the sky. "You can barely see the stars here in the city." He complained, nudging Arthur. "In Ealdor you could always see the stars."

"It's called light pollution. And besides there's a star right there." Arthur pointed at it.

"Where?" Merlin craned his neck in the complete opposite direction.

"Turn around. Right there."

Merlin turned around and squinted, still not looking the right way. "I still don't see it."

"Oh my God, just-" Arthur gave up and just leaned in and grabbing Merlin's face with both hands, pointed his line of sight towards the star.

This brought them much too close together.

"Oh. Wait a second!" Merlin peered closer, before turning to look at Arthur again, their faces only inches apart, his breathe ghosting over Arthur. "That's not even a star, you dollop head. Those are the lights from a helicopter."

Arthur looked back. "Nope, definitely a star."

Merlin laughed fondly. "You're an idiot."

He leaned in just a fraction closer. Arthur's heart raced. If this were a movie, there'd be romantic music playing and the audience would be screaming "KISS HIM YOU FOOL!"

He steeled himself and moved closer.

And of course, that's when the door in the alcove behind them slammed open and Lancelot and Gwen stumbled in, holding hands and giggling.

Merlin and Arthur quickly jumped apart.

Gwen stopped in her tracks when she saw them and waved nervously, clearly sensing the tension in the air. "Oh, hello!"

Merlin quickly got to his feet, dusting off his pants.

"Hey Gwen, Lancelot, I thought you guys had left already?"

"Nope, we were just, ah, busy." Gwen blushed and Lancelot somehow looked both pleased and bashful at the same time.

Arthur opened his mouth so say something (he had no idea what - perhaps "Well that's great for you, but you kinda interrupted something here, please leave"), but Merlin beat him to it.

"Right, well I should, ah, go."

Wait, what?

He wouldn't meet Arthur's eyes.

And without another word, Merlin rushed towards the door and disappeared inside, leaving nothing but awkward silence between Arthur, Gwen, and Lancelot.

Arthur sighed.

This is what he got for trying to make a move.

Chapter Text

September 1st 2014 (1:43 am) Merlin?? are you still here?

(1:45)you seemed kind of upset when lance and I walked in are you alright?

(1:46) I'm sorry for interrupting btw I didn't think anybody else would be up on the roof!

(1:48) let me know when you want to leave and I'll call a cab, okay?

Merlin looked down at the messages from Gwen and sighed before pocketing his phone and morosely turning back to his untouched drink.

The giddying effects of alcohol were starting to wear off and at this point, Merlin was just tired and wanted to go home ASAP.

What had even happened tonight? Merlin knew where he had stood with Arthur before, but now everything was just... confusing.

He wasn't freaking out though.

Definitely not freaking out.

Okay, maybe a little. But could you blame him? He'd spent the past few hours with Arthur Fucking Pendragon and if he didn't know better, Merlin would think that Arthur was about to kiss him before Gwen and Lancelot walked in. That was, however, extremely unlikely.

Why would Arthur want him? It didn't make any sense.

Merlin's self pity was interrupted by the arrival of Gwaine, who promptly slung an arm over his shoulders.

"Merlin! Where've you been and what have you been doing?"

Merlin smiled weakly. What was the right answer to that question? He decided to keep it simple.

"I couldn't find you after I got back from getting a snack, and a bowl broke, and yeah. I lost track of time I guess. I was with Arthur, and er, Morgana and the others."

Gwaine narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously.

Merlin tried his best to look innocent. "What?"

He set his beer can down abruptly and steered Merlin away from the crowd, out some glass doors, and on to the balcony.

Merlin shrugged out of his grasp. "Gwaine, what're you doi-"

Gwaine cut him off. "Look Merlin, I've been with Morgana and the others for quite a bit now. I KNOW you weren't there and neither was Arthur, meaning you two were together. You seem quite shaken up and with all that sexual tension between you two, something was bound to happen, I'm not an idiot. Now spill." He crossed his arms.

Merlin gaped at him. Sexual tension? Since when did everybody on the face of the earth think he and Arthur had THAT?

He was about to deny, deny, deny, when finally, Merlin's exhaustion caught up with him. He slumped in defeat and felt everything he'd been holding back for so long swell up to the front of his mind.

He could trust Gwaine, right?

Merlin sighed.

"Alright. Here's the truth. I really like Arthur. Even though he can be a complete arse, I do. And we kind of, I guess, bonded tonight? I think Morgana set it all up. We were up on the roof, and maybe, perhaps about to kiss?"

Gwaine hooted in congratulations at that. Merlin ignored him.

"But then Gwen and Lance walked in and the moment was over and now I think everything's going to be awkward and weird and he's probably going to forget it even happened and oh God Gwaine, why am I such an IDIOT?"

Merlin felt his eyes prickle with unshed tears.

Gwaine's demeanour changed instantly.

"Hey, hey, hey! C'mere." He pulled Merlin in for a hug.

Merlin did his best  (but failed miserably) to not to sniffle all over his shoulder.

God, this was embarrassing.

Merlin wasn't usually this emotional, honest.

It was probably the alcohol.

"Sorry." He chuckled weakly, staring over Gwaine's shoulder and at the grip of his own hands on Gwaine's back. "I'm not usually like this."

Gwaine's voice was soothing when he said "It's all gonna work out, you know why Merlin? Because you, frankly, are quite the catch and if Arthur doesn't realize that, then he's a bigger arse than we thought."

Merlin snorted and pulled back from the hug.

Gwaine smiled brightly and patted him on the shoulder. "See, that's better!"

Merlin grinned. He really did feel a lot better, and only a little silly for breaking down the way he did. He might not have known him for that long, but Gwaine really was a good friend.

"Thanks Gwaine, you really know how to make a guy feel better."

Gwaine winked roguishly. "Well, I have many different methods of cheering people up. This was the PG13 version."

Merlin burst out laughing while also shaking his head fondly. Only Gwaine.

"But seriously, Merlin. Anything to help a friend, yeah?"

Merlin nodded at him. "Anything to help a friend," he repeated.

"So!" Gwaine clapped him on the back. "What d'you say we get back to that party, eh?"

Gwaine turned around to face the doors, but then stopped in his tracks, dropping his hand from Merlin's back immediately.

"Gwaine?" Merlin questioned.

When he failed to reply, Merlin followed his gaze to see what was putting that look on his face.

Oh.

Oh, fuck.

There, staring at them from the other side of the glass doors for who knows how long, was none other than Arthur.

His face was almost unreadable, but Merlin could swear he saw a tinge of... anger?

Merlin started towards the door to open it, not knowing what to say. Anything, anything, to get Arthur to meet his eyes.

But he didn't.

Instead, Arthur dropped his hand from where it had been resting on the door handle, turned on his heel, and marched off into the crowd of people, disappearing from view.

Merlin couldn't believe it. Why was this happening to him?

Beside him, Gwaine seemed to finally unfreeze.

"Shit Merlin, you just can't seem to catch a break today, can you?"

Merlin couldn't do anything but nod in agreement.

September 1st 2014 (2:07 am)

I think I'm ready to leave now Gwen

Chapter Text

That same night:

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.

Arthur did NOT want to be here right now. Anywhere would be better than here right now, actually. Anywhere where the air wasn't suddenly thicker and Gwen and Lance weren't staring at him like that, like they felt sorry for him.

He had to get out of here. Trying to look nonchalant, Arthur got to his feet and started towards the exit, mumbling something about having to go to the bathroom, hoping, praying, that nobody would stop him.

"Hey Arthur,"

He sighed. Today just wasn't his lucky day.

"Look I'm sorry if we interrupted or anything, we just-" Gwen started, looking apologetic, Lance nodding alongside her.

"You didn't." He knew he sounded irritated.

But then, because Gwen had these huge Bambi eyes that made him feel like he just kicked a puppy, he forced a smile. "Don't worry about it. Really."

Gwen opened her mouth again, probably to press about his feelings,   or something equally horrifying, but stopped after a slight nudge from Lancelot. Thankfully, he knew Arthur well enough to know that they should just drop it.

"I'll see you later this week then, yeah?" Lancelot covered his obvious concern with the casual question.

"Yeah, 'course."

He took one last look at their faces, their expressions nearly identical with guilt and worry, before turning around and walking out.

2:00am:

Arthur debated for over ten minutes whether he should look for Merlin or not.

When he found him, he wished he never had.

His life may not be a movie, but the thunder that suddenly cracked and unleashed a cascade of rain as soon as he stepped outside to hail a cab felt pretty damn melodramatic.

The next morning:

Thank God it was Sunday the next day, because with the pounding, hangover induced headache Arthur had, there was absolutely no way he would have been able to drag himself out of bed for work. Even if he did have to go to work, honestly, he probably would have called in sick.

This wasn't a normal hangover, Arthur could deal with those. It wasn't just his head that hurt. His whole body ached, his mind was foggy, he physically didn't feel capable of doing anything. At all. Vivid images of last night suddenly burst through his head. He shoved them away, not wanting to remember. Not now.

The alarm on his phone went off for the fifth time. Arthur pressed snooze without even bothering to check the time.

One hour later:

It was past lunch by the time he got out of bed. He had eight texts from Morgana, four from Gwaine, and one missed call from Uther. He ignored the texts from Morgana, deleted Gwaine's without reading them, and made a mental note to call his father back later.

Arthur just didn't feel like interacting with anybody he knew today, least of all Gwaine.

He was currently laying on his couch watching reality television. It was clearly going to be a real productive day. His headache had mostly cleared up, but he still felt... not great. Ugh. What was happening to him? Arthur Pendragon certainly didn't mope. Not did he wallow. Or sulk. He just needed to get his mind off the events of last night. Distract himself. Yeah. That sounded good.

Sitting up and turning the TV off, he scanned the room. His eyes fell on a hastily scribbled number on a napkin.

Mithian.

Arthur grabbed his phone and the napkin, dialled the number, and pressed the call button without even pausing to think about it. Almost immediately he wanted to hang up again, but no. He was Arthur Pendragon, he reminded himself for the second time that day. This was what he did. A pretty girl gave him her number, why shouldn't he call?

She picked up on the third ring. "Hello?"

Shit.

Arthur hadn't thought this plan through to the point of actually knowing what to say. "Oh, uh, hi, Mithian?" Why did that come out as a question? It was obviously her.

"Yes, speaking."

"Hi! Uh, again. It's Arthur." He mentally face palmed. This was cringe worthy.

"Who?"

Oh no.

"Arthur? Pendragon? You, um, left your number on a pizza I ordered. I mean, not on the pizza, but the napkins. That came with. The, uh, pizza."

Silence for a moment. "I do that a lot, actually. You mind describing what you look like?"

Well. There went his ego.

"Oh, er, okay. Blonde hair, blue eyes, I ordered a-"

She chuckled "God, I'm kidding! You really think I just go around giving my number to everyone? I remember you, and your blonde hair, and your blue eyes. Not what you ordered though."

Phew. She was just teasing. "I'm actually not sure if I remember that either" he said, making sure to keep his voice light. "Anyways, I was wondering, uh."

"Yes?" She prompted.

"Would you like to, maybe, if you're not busy tonight, that is-"

"Yes. Yes I would like to go out, no I'm not busy tonight. What'd you have in mind?"

Arthur sighed in relief. She knew just when to cut his babbling off. Maybe this was actually the start of something.

"How 'bout dinner?"

"Dinner sounds great. I can meet you at your apartment at 8, if you'd like? I know an awesome place just a five minute walk from there."

"That's perfect. I'll see you then."

Arthur could practically hear her smile.

"See you."

Click.

The line went dead.

Okay. That didn't go horribly. He got a date, right? So then why didn't he feel any better?

September 1st 2014 (10:52am)

Are you out of bed yet?

(11:34)

what about now?

(12:02)

now?

(12:59)

c'mon arthur this is pathetic

(1:09)

oh yeah, I know everything btw

(2:17)

dont you want to know how?

(2:48)

you should call Merlin

(3:03)

a date would do you some good

(3:20)

I already have a date tonight

(3:21)

he lives! and if it's not with Merlin I'm gonna kick your ass

(3:23)

it's not with Merlin ffs

(3:24)

wtf??? who is it then?

(3:25)

remember the pizza girl who left me her number?

(3:27)

Arthur this is the most obvious rebound I've ever seen

(3:30)

It's not a rebound okay

(3:32)

yeah, you keep telling yourself that

(3:34)

it's not! I really like her

(3:36)

I'm sure she's fan-fucking-tactic but she's not Merlin

(3:40)

forget it Morgana, that's never gonna happen

(3:42)

we'll see

(3:43)

what's that supposed to mean???

(3:48)

morgana? answer me

(3:52)

whatever you're thinking of doing, DONT.

Chapter Text

Sunday the 1st of September:

Chapter Text

Sunday the 1st of September, 7:57pm: 

Arthur was doing great. He was about to go on a lovely date with a lovely girl and he was doing great, really. He was definitely not thinking about Merlin, not at all. Why would he be? 

The sudden ringing of the doorbell jolted him out of his thoughts. Arthur straightened his tie, took one final appraisal of his reflection in the mirror, and headed to open the door. This was just what he needed, honestly. Mithian was witty, confident, poised, and there was absolutely nothing about her that would remind him of Merlin, or Gwaine, or any of the unfortunate events and feelings of last night that have been swirling around inside him ever since. She was perfect. Well, seemed perfect enough, for someone he barely knew, anyways. Arthur carefully placed a smile on his face and swung open the door, ready to be greeted by the beautiful face of-

Gwaine?!

“Listen mate, I’m sorry to show up like this, Leon let me up since you weren’t answering my messages - he's worried about you, by the way - and we need to talk.” Gwaine didn’t even have to barge into the apartment, as Arthur was standing slack jawed and staring, leaving the door wide ajar and allowing Gwaine to simply step past him.

“Arthur, this is ridiculous, I mean- it’s not like that y’know, not at all! Well, I mean, maybe at first but that was super one-sided and c’mon, you know how I am! That was just me being me, I wasn’t serious y’know? I don’t know how things looked to you but Merlin’s not, I mean he never even wanted to- he fancies you mate, not me! We weren’t doing anything, he was upset about YOU , he was talking to me about YOU, if you could just-“

“Gwaine.” Arthur couldn’t believe what was happening. Gwaine was here. In his apartment. Blabbering on about last night, right when Mithian was about to show up. Perfect.

Gwaine kept stammering, blurting out a rapid fire explanation of whatever it was that Arthur witnessed last night.

“GWAINE.”

Finally, he stopped, slightly out of breath. 

Arthur inhaled deeply before he spoke. “Look. Gwaine, I don’t know what you’re on about. You’re perfectly entitled to do... whatever it is you do with whoever you want. And so is Merlin. It’s perfectly clear who he fancies, and it sure as fuck isn’t me, okay? You don’t need to like, lie and make stuff up just to- 

“But Arthur-“ Gwaine interrupted, seeming to be looking at something over his shoulder, but Arthur needed him to listen, now. Before, God forbid, Mithian showed up.

“No, Gwaine, look. We can talk about this Merlin stuff later, okay? I'm sorry I didn't answer your messages, but I’m not mad, I’m not heartbroken, I’m not anything, really, but right now I need you to leave. I have a date, and she’s going to be here any-“

“Hope I'm not interrupting? Nobody was downstairs and the door was open, so I just came straight up.” Mithian peered in through the open door. 

Shit. Shit shit shit. Of course Mithian was punctual too - add that to her lengthy list of great qualities. Arthur steeled himself, mentally cursing Leon for always taking his break at the most inconvenient times, and placed a bright smile on his face before wheeling around to face her.

“Mithian! Not at all, please come in!” The enthusiasm in his voice sounded jarring and fake, even to him.

She stepped inside and extended a hand to Gwaine. “Hello, you must be one of Arthur’s friends?”

Gwaine almost managed to completely hide the angsty look on his face and go back to his roguish, charming self as he shook Mithian’s hand and introduced himself. But not quite though - Arthur knew him well enough to see that he was still upset underneath it all. 

“Well, Gwaine, don’t you have that, uh, thing? To get back to? That thing at the... place?” He tried his best to sound convincing, but based off of the skeptical look on Mithian’s face, he completely failed. 

To Gwaine’s credit, he played along. “Yes, uh, yes. That thing. I’ll get going. Nice meeting you, Mithian!”

Before today, Arthur didn’t think it was possible for Gwaine to look morose, but as he walked down the hall, hands in pockets and shoulders slumped, he looked positively defeated. 

Just when he thought the coast was clear, Gwaine paused before he turned the corner of the hallway and said over his shoulder “Just think about what I said, yeah? You know I wouldn’t lie to you mate.” He offered up a hopeful smile before exiting through the stairwell, leaving Arthur’s head an even bigger mess than it was before. 

Gwaine was a lot of things, but he wasn’t a liar. Under all the shameless bravado and flirting, he’d always been a good friend, an honest man when it really came down to it. But if what Gwaine said was true, if Merlin had been talking about him, did that mean-“

“So, dinner!” Mithian exclaimed brightly, clapping her hands together and jolting him out of his trainwreck of scrambling thoughts. 

Right. Dinner. A lovely date with a lovely girl. This was great. 

Later that night:

Arthur was right. Mithian was lovely, and that just made him feel all the more guilty for struggling to pay attention to a single word she had said all evening.

They had ended up having drinks and sharing an appetizer platter at a cozy (but still hip and cool) spot close to his flat that Arthur had honestly never even noticed. It was the type of diner-slash-bar place that had huge tables with groups of college students laughing raucously, couples (including one dressed in matching hoodies and sunglasses) lingering near the jukeboxes in the back, and a vintage looking bar where two women around the age of Arthur’s grandmother sat, immaculately dressed and sipping on glasses of red wine while they chatted. Music videos from the early 2000s played on screens behind the bar as the bartender absentmindedly wiped down the counter, nodding his head to the beat. Arthur would have felt ridiculously out of place in his suit if his mind wasn’t so hopelessly fixated on what Gwaine had told him earlier. If he was being completely honest, his first thought when he walked into the restaurant hadn’t even been how overdressed he was - it was how this seemed like the kind of place Merlin might enjoy.

Which was ridiculous, because Arthur wasn’t here with Merlin. He was here with Mithian, who was (as he reminded himself again), a lovely girl! 

She also seemed to be looking at him quizzically, probably waiting for a response to a question he hadn’t heard her ask for the millionth time that night. He opened his mouth to speak, but she got there first.

“Is something wrong? You don’t seem to be really here.” She didn’t look upset, exactly, but more concerned. 

Wow, he really was being a dickhead. 

“I haven’t really been the best company tonight, have I?” He smiled apologetically while picking at the remains of their food. 

“No,” She said frankly. “No, you really haven’t.” 

Arthur opened his mouth, not even sure of what he was going to say. What kind of apology would make up for his complete lack of interest on the date that he had asked her on?

Mithian cut in before he could start again. “You don’t have to apologize, Arthur. I mean, you seem like a nice bloke, but you don’t owe me anything, y’know?” She smiles ruefully. “Besides, I kinda guessed tonight might go like this based on the conversation I overheard with... oh, shit, what was his name? Right, Gwaine.”

Arthur groaned and buried his head in his hands. “You heard that?”

“Enough to realize that whatever you had with this Merlin person isn’t over yet." She popped a jalapeño popper into her mouth, looking pointedly at Arthur as if to emphasize her point. 

God, even the girl he’s known for all of two seconds can see it. At what point does denial become worrying? 

"Mithian, I don’t know what to say, honestly. You deserved such a better date than this, I am so sorry-"

“Stop that! No apologies, okay? We barely know each other, and you seem to really like this guy, so I say go for it. Despite how rude you’ve been tonight-“ She shot a quick smile at Arthur to let him know she was joking. “I really do think you’re a good guy. He’d be out of his mind to reject you.”

Wow. Arthur was reminded for the umpteenth time, what a lovely girl Mithian was and how much he didn’t deserve being let off this easy. 

It was just then that he noticed that one of the couples lingering by the jukeboxes earlier was now sitting a few tables behind Mithian and seemed to be staring at them intently. The woman was facing away from Arthur, and seemed to set a pair of sunglasses down on the table. As she pulled her hoodie slightly back and craned her head towards them as if to hear better, Arthur was greeted with a vaguely familiar head of dark curls. He looked back at the man who immediately looked away, pulled his own hood tighter around his head and gestured frantically for the woman to do the same. Arthur couldn’t see his eyes behind the sunglasses, but he was willing to bet that they were panicked. There was something so familiar about him...

Oh, no. Was that....?

The screech of his chair scraping against the floor as he stood up was so loud that several patrons’ heads whipped around to look, including the woman. As Arthur stared into her startled face, his fears were confirmed. 

“Excuse me.” Arthur tried not to grit his teeth as he spoke, looking down at Mithian. “I have to go to the bathroom.”

Arthur paced past the stalls, shaking his head as he strode back and forth. Why? Why the fuck were they here? If this was one of Morgana’s schemes he was going to absolutely-

The door squeaked open and in came a very abashed looking Lancelot, hood down and sunglasses clenched in his first like a weapon. As if that would protect him from Arthur’s wrath! Moments of silence passed, the two of them staring each other down. Just as he opened his mouth to... yell? Demand answers? Squawk incoherently? Gwen burst in, not one ounce of guilt on her face.

This shook Arthur and Lancelot out of their standoff. 

“Gwen, this is the male restroom!” Arthur shouted.

“You can’t be in here!” Lancelot looked frazzled beyond belief.

Gwen of course, ignored the both of them. “Look Arthur, l know you probably have questions-“

“Yeah just a few!” Arthur exclaimed, struggling to keep calm. 

“But we probably don’t have time to answer them all now.” She continued as if he had never spoken. “I'm sorry that we followed you here, honestly that wasn’t the plan! Morgana just wanted us to show up at your place and have a little intervention y’know, since I’m Merlin’s best friend and all, we thought maybe you’d listen to it coming from me? But just as we were about to come up, we-we saw you! We saw you leaving-“

“With a woman!” Lancelot interjected, looking aghast. 

“And then we ran into Gwaine and he told us you were on a date, and well, we didn’t know what to do! I know it doesn’t make sense and is ridiculously meddlesome, especially from me, someone you just met, but I mean, Lance thought it was a good idea-“

“Hey! Don’t pin this on me!”

“I’m just saying, it was your idea to come inside the restaurant and get these ridiculous sunglasses from the convenience store-“ 

“I was being thorough! Anyways, it was your idea to follow them in the first place!”

“Okay, but-“

Arthur’s mind was reeling and this back and forth wasn’t helping. For some reason all his anger at their meddling dissipated and all he could think about was what Gwen wanted to tell him. He wasn't even mentally cursing Morgana for meddling in his love life - well, maybe a little bit.

“Guys, enough.”

They paused their bickering and looked at Arthur. 

“Gwen,” Arthur spoke slowly, his gaze not leaving her face. “As Merlin’s best friend, what was so important that you had to follow me here on a date just so you could talk to me?” 

Gwen took a deep breath and Lancelot looked on expectantly, as if whatever she was about to say was going to change his life. 

“I needed to tell you that I’ve never seen Merlin like this before, with anyone. These past few days, ever since he met you, he’s been absolutely... incandescent, Arthur. Even with all the bickering and rocky start, no matter how much he denies it, he lights up when he talks about you, even if it’s just to complain about what an absolute prat you’re being. I know he fancies you more than he admits and I know that even after what happened when we interrupted you last night, those kind of feelings don’t just evaporate. And I can’t pretend I know you like I know Merlin, but it seems like you feel the same. I know it, Lancelot knows it, Morgana knows it, everyone knows it. It’s just you two that won’t admit it to yourselves.”

“Well,” Lance jumped in. “Until last night. Gwaine told us what happened. Mate, Merlin was upset talking to him about how much he likes you. Not Gwaine, not anyone else. You. And it looks like he’s finally admitted to himself and said it out loud to another person, but now he thinks.... well, I don’t know what he thinks, but it can’t be good since you stormed out and refuse to speak to him!”

Gwen nodded solemnly. “We know it’s beyond extra of us to follow you here and do all this Arthur, we just want you to know all the facts. I know you and Merlin have something good, and I would be an absolute shit best friend if I let someone so perfect for him slip away because of a misunderstanding.”

Arthur let out a deep breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. The pieces were starting to come together.

Holy shit. Merlin fancied him. He hadn’t been disgusted or horrified by their almost-kiss on the roof. He hadn’t run away into the arms of Gwaine because he wanted to reject Arthur. He liked Arthur. A lot, from the sound of it. And Arthur, the absolute fool that he was, was about to fuck everything up by pursuing Mithian (who by the way, in case he hadn’t mentioned it, was really very lovely).

He looked at Gwen and Lancelot, mouth agape. They were holding hands, previous quarrelling forgotten, and looking on at his epiphany with the proud but weary smiles of parents whose baby has just learned that food goes inside your mouth, not on the floor. 

“I... what do I do?” His voice sounded small but unwavering.

Lance grinned widely and clapped him on the back. “Well mate, miscommunications like these only seem to happen in rom-coms so...”

Gwen beamed at them both. “Sounds like you need a melodramatic movie moment to help clear things up!”

The three of them rushed back to where Mithian had been sitting, ready to put their plan into action. Arthur was wildly scrambling for some kind of apology about how long he’d been and an excuse about the fact that he needed to leave now, but when they arrived at the table, the bill had already been paid and Mithian was long gone. On the table, written on a napkin, was a note reading “you got this!! double date once you get your man? xoxo”

Gwen and Lancelot looked on approvingly as Arthur smiled, stuck the note in his pocket, and hurriedly gathered up the rest of his belongings. 

“Well, she’s no Merlin...” Lancelot began conversationally. “But she really does seem like a lovely girl.”

Chapter Text

Sunday the 1st of September, 8:04pm: 

Freedom from the mind-numbing monotony of wiping down tables at work had turned to be a bit of a double edged sword. As it turns out, being at home with absolutely nothing to do gave Merlin’s brain plenty of time to think about Last Night and how things had been so wonderful, and then so awful, so quickly. Why had Arthur left so quickly ? And without a word to anyone? Was it actually possible that he could be jealous? And if he was, did that mean Merlin - clumsy, broke, talks-too-much (or so he’d been told) Merlin- actually had a chance with Arthur? The supposed business legend, wealthy, and handsome beyond all belief (not to mention that hair ), Arthur Pendragon? Seriously, people must throw themselves at his feet, why on earth would he be jealous over Merlin ? 

You didn’t even know who he was last week , his brain smugly reminded him. There’s no need to be such a fanboy . 

Merlin sighed. Why’d his subconscious have to be such a dick? Although, looking down at his fuzzy Doctor Who pyjama bottoms (they were dalek and TARDIS spotted), he supposed that maybe his subconscious had a point about the fanboy part. 

He perked up suddenly. Obviously he couldn’t get these thoughts to leave him alone if he was just moping around in bed. He needed a distraction, and this situation called for drastic measures.

A little while later:

Merlin reached for the tissues and shovelled another spoon of ice cream into his mouth. His tear-filled eyes were glued to his laptop screen as he watched Van Gogh take in his artwork displayed proudly at a gallery. He had a selection of the most heart-wrenching episodes of Doctor Who queued up, and in his past experience, there was nothing they couldn’t distract him from. His plan was going perfectly. Okay, so maybe he had to skip past any romantic scenes so he wouldn’t think about you-know-who, but other than that he was utterly and completely taken in by the fantasy escapism that he had so desperately needed. 

That is, until Gwen texted him.

September 1st  (9:14pm)

merlin!!! we’re meeting up later tonight, k?

Oh, there was absolutely no way in hell Merlin was going out tonight. Sorry (not sorry) Gwen.  He turned up the volume and tried to get back into his episode, until- 

(9:20)

don’t ignore me merlin!! trust me, i’ve got a surprise for you that you’ll LOVE

(9:23)

please? :( 

Merlin sighed before reluctantly picking up his phone. 

(9:24)

come ON gwen, i’m already turned in for the night 

(9:24)

And super invested in a doctor who marathon right now

(9:25)

seriously i have my marathon pjs on and a tub of ice cream and everything

(9:26)

A doctor who marathon? you sound like elyan now, honestly

(9:26)

And i have something better than ice cream!! pleeaaase?

(9:27)

i’m too comfy to move!! besides, don’t you have work tomorrow morning?

(9:28)

some things are more important than work :)

(9:28)

and it’s literally not even 10pm yet merlin, the night is still young! 

She had a point there. Plus, she was definitely starting to pique his curiosity. 

(9:30) 

plus, you know i wouldn’t pester you unless the surprise was worth it!

Merlin sighed and closed his laptop, his mind made up. He knew that most people would probably resent the interruption of their peaceful Sunday evening, but hey, it’s not like Merlin hadn’t turned up unexpectedly at Gwen’s place a handful (okay, more like hundreds) of times before. And who knows, maybe some social interaction would do him some good?

(9:31) 

fine, but i’m not changing out of my pjs.

(9:31): 

YAY!! meet me downstairs at 10 :)

Half an hour later:

Gwen’s eyes widened as she took in Merlin’s fuzzy pyjamas. 

“Wow, uh, you weren’t kidding about the pyjamas!”

Merlin crosses his arms defensively. “If I’m being forced to be social, I at least want to be comfortable!” 

“Of course!” Gwen nodded reassuringly. “And not that I don’t love them, because I do, obviously! What’s not to love! But um, we’re in no rush, so if you want to change-“

“No way. You’re getting me in pyjamas or not at all. Now what’s this surprise I’m supposed to be all excited about? 

Gwen held up her hands in resignation and chuckled, a devious look spreading across her face before she grabbed his wrist and led him out the lobby doors. “Don’t worry, I promise you’ll love it!”

Fifteen minutes later: 

Merlin stopped in his tracks. 

“Gwen.”

“Yes?” She said, looking at him innocently.

“Why the fuck are we at work?”

Lo and behold, the great big neon Domino’s sign was staring down at him menacingly, a smaller “Closed” sign flickering in the window. What was Gwen on to think that this would be a good surprise? 

“It’s part of the surprise! Don’t you trust me Merlin?” Gwen’s ridiculously persuasive Bambi eyes stared him down beseechingly. 

“Gwen- I mean, yes, of course, but they’ve already closed and locked up and everything, how are we even supposed to-” 

She produced a key from her pocket in response, brandishing it triumphantly in Merlin’s face. “Perks of being assistant manager! I even managed to convince Gaius to close early for a private party.” She unlocked the door and walked inside, holding it open for Merlin expectantly. 

Merlin stared at her, jaw hanging open in disbelief. Private party? 

“Okay, sure, whatever, but Gwen surely you must know that this is the last place I want to be? It’s WORK, I literally was just counting down the hours to leave-“

“Just come ON Merlin!” She ushered him through the entrance and towards the break room hurriedly.

“This better be good,” Merlin grumbled, finally giving in and allowing Gwen to steer him towards the break room. “And my pie debt better be cleared after this. You owe me a peace pie now.”

Gwen smiled mischievously. “Already a step ahead of you Merlin.” And she swung open the break room door to reveal-

“SURPRISE!” a chorus of voices greeted him.

Merlin’s brain was definitely struggling to process the scene in front of him right now. True to Gwen’s word, there was a pie placed on their usual table (which was now covered in a red tablecloth), two slices neatly cut out and placed delicately on a platter that was covered in... rose petals? And was that a... heart shaped pizza next to it? Morgana and Lancelot were standing by the door, beaming brightly at Merlin with their arms wide. Percy and Leon were fussing away at the arrangement of the table, struggling to precariously pour a huge bottle of wine into two teeny glasses that Gwaine was holding, none too carefully. Morgause was flicking a lighter on and off in her hand, looking extremely pleased with herself as she examined a super elaborate candle arrangement. And there, standing helplessly in the middle of the chaos, one hand running through dishevelled, absurdly golden hair, and looking absolutely mortified ( and therefore , his subconscious helpfully added, absolutely adorable ) was Arthur.

Okay, Merlin had questions. 

“Um...thanks?” Merlin began weakly. “But it’s not my birthday.”

His voice seemed to jolt Arthur into action, who promptly began steering everyone out of the room without meeting Merlin’s bug eyed gaze. “No, no, no, of course it isn’t Merlin! Everyone was just leaving, right guys?” 

Overlapping complaints rang out as the room was cleared, Merlin clumsily side-stepping the steady stream of people leaving.

“But brother dear, we didn’t even get to-“

“Make sure you tell him that-”

“Oi, Princess, you better not fuck this up or-“

“I didn’t have time to get cutlery, forks are in the drawer under the-“

“Mess up my candles and I’ll kill you. They were very expensive.” 

“Yes, got it, okay, now LEAVE.” 

Gwen beamed and gave Merlin a thumbs up as she shut the door behind everyone, leaving Arthur and Merlin in silence.

Arthur was facing the door, one hand bracing against it as if to keep everyone shut out, and the other hand covering his face. He was the absolute picture of embarrassment. But why was he so embarrassed? Unless-

Oh.  

Slowly, Merlin started to piece together what was happening here and his heart began to fill with hope. The scene in front of him seemed to have all the signature markings of a... romantic gesture? A super over the top, incredibly cheesy one with a more than questionable location, but a romantic gesture nonetheless. And Gwen had said this was a surprise for him , hadn’t she? 

So all this meant.... Arthur was making a romantic gesture... towards him? Arthur was interested in him? Like, as in more than mates? As in, something really was about to happen last night and it hadn’t all been in Merlin’s head? Arthur had left last night because he was jealous of Gwaine? Because..... he fancied him? Merlin ? 

This revelation was way more than Merlin’s poor little heart could take and he suddenly really wished he was wearing something other than fuzzy Doctor Who pyjama bottoms. 

Okay. Breathe, Merlin. He needed to say something? Words? Words. Words were good. Maybe even a whole sentence. Keep it cool, keep it casual. Confirm what’s going on and try not to kiss him ( God, he really wanted to kiss him ), okay? At least, not until you know what’s going on in that ridiculously beautiful head of his.

“So.... candles?” Merlin said casually, trying his best to keep his voice from shaking. 

Arthur straightened up but refused to look in his direction. “That was all Morgause.”

Merlin nodded solemnly as he walked further into the room. “Of course. And the rose petals?”

Arthur threw his hands up in frustration. “Leon insisted! He said it was romantic, or whatever.” 

Romantic . That was a good sign. 

“Right, right, of course.” Merlin tried to keep the smile out of his voice. “And I’m assuming Morgana orchestrated this whole thing?”

“Well, I didn’t know she was going to be here! Or that anyone else would be here for that matter, they just all showed up ! It was just supposed to be-“ He cut off midway (through what was surely about to be an impressive rant) as he finally tore his eyes away from the floor (and the door, and the table, and basically anywhere that wasn’t Merlin) and looked at Merlin for the first time.

Arthur’s eyes widened almost comically and he bent over, shoulders shaking. 

Shit, he might have broken him.

“Arthur?” Merlin stepped forward, trying not to panic. “You, uh, you okay there?”

Laughter erupted from Arthur like Merlin had never heard it before, and when he finally did make eye contact with Merlin, he was practically crying tears of mirth. 

Okaaaay. Why was he-

“What in God’s name are THOSE, Merlin?” He struggled to get the words out, hiccuping between breaths and pointing to Merlin’s pyjamas.

Oh, right. 

Merlin flushed, cursing his past self for not listening to Gwen’s advice to change. 

“Oh, fuck off, they’re comfortable! Besides-“

“You look- you look absolutely ridiculous!” Arthur chortled before taking deep breaths in and out, evidently trying to calm himself. 

“Well I didn’t know I was going to be walking into a - a scene from a bloody Netflix rom-com special , did I?” Merlin sputtered. 

“Oh my god, you’re such a fanboy,” Arthur muttered with a hint of... was that fondness? He then straightened up indignantly as if he had just processed what Merlin had said. “Hey, who said anything about a rom-com?”

Merlin sputtered even more, trying to formulate a sentence. Trust this absolute prat to stand there in the middle of a scene so lovey-dovey it could be straight out of Cupid’s wet dreams and then deny that there was anything rom-com-esque about it!

“Uh, what’s THAT all about then?” Merlin finally got out, pointing to the heart shaped pizza with a theatrical flourish as if it had personally offended him. Watching Arthur struggle for an explanation though, Merlin couldn’t help but let a fond smile spread across his face.

Arthur’s shoulders dropped in defeat. “Yeah, that... that was actually my idea.”

“Excuse me?” Merlin stifled a chuckle, his previous indignation being replaced with the hope in his heart rising more than ever.

“In my defence, I thought it would be funny!” All the tension seemed to melt out of Arthur’s body when he finally noticed the grin on Merlin’s face. He smiled back, though somewhat abashedly, hand running through his hair once again. “And based off of that look on your face, I’d say I was right?” 

Arthur’s previous blustering seemed to have completely faded away and the earnest and hopeful look on his face might have been one of the most beautiful sights Merlin’s ever set his eyes upon. 

Merlin suddenly felt a rush of boldness at Arthur’s admission as he stepped towards the table and examined the pizza. “Not so much funny as it is cute, really.” 

Arthur’s eyes widened before a smirk spread across his face. “Cute? Me or the pizza?” 

Merlin shrugged noncommittally, giving Arthur what he hoped was a cheeky smile in response instead. 

See this , Merlin could do. Teasing Arthur felt like second nature to him, familiar as tying his shoes, even if he’d only known him for a short while. So what if there was a little more heat to it right now? He could do this, especially when Arthur was playing along. Especially with that smirk on his face ( oh God, that smirk ). It was so on.

Feeling even bolder, Merlin swiped his finger through the whipped cream that had been delicately placed on top of the pie, meeting Arthur’s eyes innocently as he popped the finger into his mouth and let the whipped cream melt onto his tongue. 

The air was suddenly charged with electricity. Merlin tried his best to keep his suave front up and not hyperventilate as the smirk on Arthur’s face grew. 

“Always such a tease , Merlin.” Arthur slowly started stepping towards him with an air of nonchalance, as if Merlin’s subconscious wasn’t running around in circles screeching inside his brain.

“Who, me ?” Merlin fluttered his eyelashes and placed a hand over his heart melodramatically, leaning against the table as he did so. “What about you?” 

Arthur actually looked somewhat shocked at that. “What about me?”

“You left me hanging just now.” Merlin hated to break the (dare he say sexual?) tension, but he wanted to know what Arthur had been about to say before he was reduced to a heap of laughter by Merlin’s choice of outfit. “You were saying how the others weren’t supposed to be here, it was just supposed to be.... something.” 

Arthur was now right by Merlin's side and he placed one hand on the table, dangerously close to where Merlin’s own hip was leaning against it. “Aren’t you curious today?” He cocked his head, that smirk back on his face (Merlin’s subconscious needed CPR at this point). 

“How could I not be?” Merlin put on an air of wide eyed obliviousness. “Go on, then. Supposed to be what?”

Arthur leaned in just a smidge, his smile growing as he got closer. “Supposed to be just us, y’know. Talking .”

“Just talking?” Merlin asked innocently, an impish smile on his face.

Merlin didn’t think it was possible, but Arthur’s smile grew ever wider, with an added glint in his eyes. “Must you cheapen the moment, Merlin?” 

Merlin tried (and failed) not to to take note of the way Arthur drew out the R in his name.

“Oh, moment? Are we having a moment then, is that what this is? I thought we were just talking .” Merlin shot back, hoping Arthur couldn’t tell he was melting inside.

Arthur leaned in even more. He was so close, Merlin could have ran his fingers through that ridiculously golden hair. 

“To be honest, I’m all talked out.” A bit of the bravado on Arthur’s face slipped and he looked almost contrite. “I feel like a million people have been telling me exactly how much of an ignorant ass I’ve been about everything all day.” 

“Ah, lucky them.” 

“Oh, shut up Merlin.” 

He was so close Merlin could feel the warmth emanating off of his body. 

“So you know that, last night, me and Gwaine, that wasn’t-“ 

“Yeah, I know.” 

Merlin couldn’t breathe.

“And your friend Joe.... he’s got his sexuality crisis all sorted out?”

Arthur snorted. “Surprised you remember that considering how wasted we were. It’s, well, sorted enough for now.” 

“It’s all starting to come back to me. And his name was Bob, actually.” Merlin ducked his head, scratching the back of his neck. “I think I was supposed to be Joe, in that scenario? Just testing you, I- I wanted to confirm that they were fake. And that you were, y’know. Actually talking about us. ” 

“Clever.” Arthur looked confident, but Merlin saw his hands trembling slightly. “You look nervous.”

Jesus Christ. They were so close Merlin could have counted his eyelashes. “Not at all. You?” He barely got the words out. 

“Not anymore. Honestly, on some level, I think I’ve been wanting to do this since the first time I saw you.”

Merlin breathed out his response, acutely aware of Arthur’s piercing blue eyes staring into his own. “Do wha-“

And then Arthur’s lips were on his own, his hand encircling Merlin's waist and pulling him close, and Merlin thought that this is probably what heaven is like. He entwined his own arms around the back of Arthur’s neck and rested his hands in his hair (it felt even more perfect than it looked), heart beating so fast he was sure Arthur could feel it thudding against his own chest. Arthur kissed like he was scared Merlin might just up and disappear, crowding his space up against the table until they were in danger of knocking over the candles, one hand gripping onto Merlin’s waist tightly and the other flirting with the hem of his shirt and brushing against the warm skin of his hip.  

There was no way Merlin would ever, ever, get enough of this. He snaked his hands out of Arthur’s hair, dragged them down past his neck, and ended up resting them against his chest and - oh . Merlin could feel Arthur’s heart, beating just as rapidly as his own, underneath his palm. Fuck breathing. This was all Merlin needed, for the rest of his life. Arthur’s lips moving against his, Arthur’s body pressed against his, Arthur’s heart beating in time with his. 

After what felt like both forever and also far too short of a period of time, Arthur finally pulled away, breathless, and rested his forehead against Merlin’s, still holding onto him like his very life depended on it. 

“So,” Merlin whispered, not wanting to shatter the mood, but not sure what to say either.

“So,” Arthur repeated, sliding one hand to rest comfortingly on the small of his back. 

“Pizza?” Merlin cringed as soon as he said it and buried his head in the crook of Arthur’s neck. “Actually, can you pretend I didn’t just say that and kiss me again instead?” 

God, he was so fucking awkward . However, Arthur must have found this endearing for whatever reason, because he laughed delightedly and pulled Merlin up for another short kiss. 

“Pizza.” he agreed, placing his hand in Merlin’s and pulling him to the table, where they sat down to enjoy what would surely be the first of many pizzas together.

Chapter Text

Monday September 9th, 8:52am (Around a week later): 

Arthur stepped off his scale, clad in only a pair of sweatpants, and plodded back into his bedroom. There, Merlin was rushing about, laptop in one hand, coffee (that was in immediate danger of spilling everywhere) in the other, and a halfway unzipped backpack haphazardly slung over his shoulder. 

“We are never eating pizza ever again.” Arthur said emphatically, face planting onto the bed (the sheets of which were in quite a state of disarray for a not quite PG-13 reason). 

“Might be hard, given my current occupation.” Merlin replied, the distraction apparent in his voice as he set his laptop and coffee down and riffled through everything on top the dresser. “Have you seen my phone?” 

“Right here.” Arthur pulled the phone out from under the covers and held it up, sitting up on the edge of the bed as he did.

The relief that spread across Merlin’s face quickly turned to fond annoyance as Arthur held the phone behind his back just as Merlin reached for it. “C’mon, you clotpole. I’m already running late!”

“So be late.” A cheeky smile played across Arthur’s face as he used his free hand to pull Merlin into his lap.

Merlin’s face twitched as he struggled to keep a strict look on his face.  “It’s the first day of classes. And shouldn’t you get dressed, don’t you have work?” 

Arthur sighed deeply. “Ah, college… you almost make me miss it. And I’ve got a day off, so no need to get dressed.” Arthur tightened his grip around Merlin’s waist and winked sleazily. “Like what you see?” 

Merlin rolled his eyes in response but placed his own hands on Arthur’s shoulders nonetheless, struggling to keep a solemn look on his face. “Always. No matter how many pizzas you eat.”

Arthur groaned and flopped backwards at that, all previous cockiness gone.

“No, I’m serious!” Merlin insisted, following Arthur’s descent down and ending up bracing himself on his hands and hovering over Arthur. “I know I was teasing you about the whole belt thing earlier but really…” He leaned in with an almost petulant expression, “You need to stop pretending you don’t know how hot you are.” 

Arthur snorted at that, but still managed to look pleased with himself as he reached up and pressed a soft kiss to Merlin’s lips. “Thanks.”

Merlin smiled down at him before taking advantage of Arthur’s distraction to snatch his phone away, glancing at the time, and scrambling up. “Shit! Now I’m actually late.” 

“Shame. Stay here instead?” Arthur smirked at him and propped himself up, leaning back on his elbows and waggling his eyebrows. “I’ll make it worth your while.” 

Merlin couldn’t help but chuckle at his shamelessness. “That’s what you said when you convinced me to stay over last night instead of going home, you prat! ” 

“And wasn’t it worth it?” Arthur made puppy dog eyes at him.

“Definitely.” Merlin stooped and pressed another chaste kiss to Arthur’s lips. “But I really have to go.”

Arthur sighed dramatically. “Fine, go, be a responsible student . See you at Morgana’s tonight?” 

“Wouldn’t miss it.” Merlin grabbed his laptop and coffee and turned to head out the door.

“Wait!” 

Merlin sensed Arthur’s presence behind him before he could turn around and felt a tug on his backpack. 

“Your bag was unzipped.” Arthur placed a sweet kiss on the nape of Merlin’s neck before stepping back. “Now go!” 

Merlin smiled over his shoulder, heart suddenly filling with warmth at all the subtle ways that Arthur showed he cared. 

“Thanks Arthur.” He reached back and squeezed Arthur’s hand, feeling more content than he ever had before. “Try not to mope about all day, I’ll see you later tonight!” 

“I’ll be counting down the seconds.”

September 9th  (9:23am)

my prof is late lmao

(9:23)

It’s a sign

(9:24)

The universe is telling you to come back and join me in bed immediately 

(9:24)

lots of students have left already so i'm actually tempted :( 

(9:25)

Not to be a complete sap but i literally miss you already

(9:25)

Things are just better when you’re here u know? 

(9:25)

arthur pendragon you soppy bastard 

(9:26)

first the candlelit pizza and now this

(9:27)

oh shut UP merlin

(9:27)

who would’ve thought you were such a closet romantic :”)

(9:28) 

I hate you

(9:28)

you love me and you know it 

(9:28)

unfortunately 

(9:30)

… did you just admit you love me for the first time  a) over text and b) after like a week of being together  

(9:30)

Uh 

(9:30)

I just hit send without thinking 

(9:30)

And now i’m mildly panicked 

(9:30)

Should I take it back and say it properly in like a month

(9:31)

properly? like maybe after a moonlit stroll and another heart shaped pizza?

(9:31)

Fuck off

(9:32)

i love you too :)

(9:36)

answer me u dollophead

(9:36)

… Really? 

(9:37)

we’re actually lunatics, but yes 

(9:38)

Oh

(9:38)

Come back to my place 

(9:38)

Please? 

(9:39)

already omw :)

FIN.