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The cobble stone path leading to Hunith's front door seems a lot longer than usual. Maybe it was because of how anxious Arthur felt. Every footstep felt heavier and heavier. He had to rub his hands together and work on keeping his breathing normal. He was crazy. Absolutely insane, he should turn around now. He wished he had something like a cigarette to calm his nerves, but then again he didn’t smoke.
Pull yourself together Arthur. He had faced snippy clients, demanding colleagues, ornery customers, and yet he turned into a scared bundle of nerves in the anticipation of meeting a kind, gentle-hearted woman he'd known almost all his life.
He stares at the knocker on the door for a good five minutes before he works up the nerve to pick it up. Five solid knocks. Arthur’s heart is thudding loudly in his chest and he thinks he may collapse into a heap on the floor before the door is answered.
Just when Arthur thinks about running off the steps and high tailing back to his flat, the door opens.
“Arthur?”
Hunith stands in front of him with her hair clipped back, wearing a simple green dress. She greets him with a warm smile and immediately stretches her arms to embrace him. Arthur reciprocates the hug, and she invites him inside.
“Is Merlin not with you?”
“No, he’s out with Will."
Hunith is surprised. Arthur rarely visits her without Merlin. She didn’t want to get ahead of herself but she feared something was the matter with him. Arthur never just visits her for tea. He’d have phoned before if it was a casual visit. Arthur looks pale as a ghost, and she couldn’t help but notice how stiff his movements were.
"They’re at some sort of Science convention.” Arthur tells her, he sets his coat on the back of the chair by the front door, and follows Hunith into the kitchen. Immediately she starts to make him a cup of tea. Arthur didn’t have to tell her how to make it. He’d practically grown up in this house, counting all the times he’d been over and it was basically muscle memory for Hunith to remeber how he liked his tea.
She sets up the tea kettle and starts to get out the teacups. Arthur can’t speak. He feels like he’s lost the ability to, he opens his mouth to say the words, but he can’t. Instead he just watches Hunith as she prepares the tea. Hunith is humming some folk tune faintly. She couldn't stand complete silence, just like her son.
Hunith carries the tea cups to the table. Arthur thanks her, and takes a quick sip from the teacup. The tea is still piping hot, and it burns hip lip. He sets the the teacup down on the table, and rubs his fingers back and forth along the bottom of his chin. Hunith puts her hand over Arthur’s and steadies it.
“What’s the matter Arthur?” Her eyes are crinkled in worry.
The expression sobers him up. “Oh, nothing’s wrong. I’m sorry I must seem a bit of a mess right now, don’t I?”
Hunith gives him a small smile. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before. Tell me now, what is it?”
Arthur lets out a deep breath, and sags a bit in his seat. “I was driving home from work, and I remembered that I had forgotten to pick up this particular kind of chocolate from this obscure grocery store, located practically in the middle of nowhere. Merlin promised his biology students he’d make them brownies tomorrow.” Arthur pauses and runs his fingers through his hair. “Anyways, the drive got me thinking about how much I loved the guy to be driving forty-five minutes out of my way to buy chocolate for him.”
Hunith smiles and squeezes his hand. Arthur lets out a small chuckle, and then takes a large breath. “I’m just going to say it.”
Hunith realizes the reason Arthur’s acting peculiarly. Silly man, she thinks. Hunith remembers when Arthur was a seven-year-old pudgy, sweetheart of a child, with a crooked grin, and a golden heart encompassed by love she knew never faltered. Now here he was, all grown and handsome, yet resembling that same boy, about to put his heart on his sleeve, and declare the obvious.
“I want to ask for permission to marry your son.”
Hunith didn’t squeal.
Did she just squeal? , thinks Arthur.
Arthur barely has time to recover from his words before Hunith jumps up from her seat and runs towards him with open arms. She practically jumps on him, and Arthur quickly pushes the teacup to the center of the table from where Hunith had dropped it dangerously close to the edge.
“Yes, yes, yes!” Hunith is grinning like a madman now. “Why on Earth were you so nervous telling me Arthur? You couldn’t possibly think I’d say no?” She releases her death grip on him, and regains her composure.
“I can’t help it. I just—I mean the realization of what I’m saying to you, what I’m actually going to do seems unreal.” Arthur feels immense relief like a wave crashing over him. “Thank you Hunith, your son means everything to me, and I want to spend the rest of my life with him.”
Hunith has tears in her eyes now. “You’re an outstanding man, Arthur Pendragon. You should know I already think of you like a son.” Hunith wipes her tears with the edge of her sleeve. “I feel like the luckiest mother in the entire world.”
“I can’t thank you enough for how much love you’ve shown me. You were the mother I never got to have. “
That makes Hunith cry harder. She wraps Arthur in another hug, and he feels her tears soak into his t-shirt. He holds her there, and smiles. From the table his phone buzzes several times.
Hunith lets Arthur go, and sits back down in her seat. Arthur reaches for his phone, and his face breaks into a grin.
Convention is over. It was wonderful. Missed you though. You should have come—actually you would have made fun of everything so maybe it was better that you didn’t.
Did you pick up the chocolate from that place I told you? I’m sorry it’s so far away. But you’ll definitely get a reward if you get it… Maybe more than one…
Are you and Will keeping secrets from me? He says he wants full details on how “the incident” went. What the hell is he referring to Arthur?