Work Text:
“Hello.”, Arthur said distractedly on the phone, his eyes skimming over the reports from Floor 12.
“Hey there, handsome.”
The blond smiled as soon as the heard the voice on the other end.
“Merlin.”, he said, putting down the papers and leaning back in his rolling chair. His body ached from sitting in the same position for hours.
“I have a surprise for you when you get home.”, Merlin said in a sing-song voice.
“You do, huh?”, Arthur smiled, twirling his pen in his hand. “May I get a hint?”
“Well, it involves some wine. . . Candles. . .”, Arthur could hear his husband’s smile as he spoke. “Some music. . . Cuddling. . . Then maybe we could go someplace nice for dinner?”
“I just asked for one hint, you know?”, Arthur teased.
“Yeah, whatever. You know I’m terrible at keeping you in suspense.”
“And yet you always manage to surprise me.”
Merlin laughed. Arthur pictured him shaking his head at his cheesy lines.
“Come home soon.”, Merlin said.
“I will.”, Arthur promised.
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Arthur glanced at the clock. He sighed.
He was already an hour late.
All he wanted to do was get home and snuggle into a warm blanket with Merlin, sit back and maybe watch a movie. He was exhausted, and he could no longer make sense of all the words and numbers in front of him.
But he had to submit the file that he was compiling by that night, no matter how long it took.
Shaking his head, Arthur typed faster, hoping that Merlin would wait a little longer.
“Merlin?”, Arthur called, locking the door behind him. The keys jangled softly in the comfortable silence of the night. He took out the flowers he had brought for Merlin. “I’m home.”
He entered the hall, and his face immediately split into a fond smile.
Nestled cosily in a corner of the sofa was Merlin, his eyes closed, chest rising and falling slowly in his sleep and his lips slightly parted. He looked so peaceful that Arthur couldn’t help forgetting all his worries from work.
He walked to the sofa, and on getting closer noticed the two elegent glasses, the vase holding a rose and the unopened bottle of wine on the table. He also noticed the candles that were placed here and there, all around the room. But instead of emitting a soft glow, they were all melted and extinguished.
If Arthur had come home three hours ago, this would have been such a magical sight.
A faint waft of rose petals still lingered in the air, but it was hardly noticeable anymore.
Merlin’s phone lay on the table, his never-ending playlist still going on. ‘A Thousand Years’ by Christina Perri was playing, the volume too low to rouse Merlin.
It was Arthur’s favorite song.
He knelt in front of the sofa, leaned in and pressed his lips to Merlin’s. The boy shifted in his sleep, sighing.
Arthur watched him, wondering how he could make up for ruining this beautiful night.
After a while, the blond stood up and went to the kitchen, rubbing his hands together.
Merlin stretched, yawning. His eyes fluttered open.
He found himself wrapped in a soft quilt. He didn’t remember fetching a quilt. . .
In fact, he didn’t even remember falling asleep. And then he realized: he had drifted off while waiting for Arthur.
Merlin jumped up. He couldn’t believe he had fallen asleep in the last minute. He looked around, expecting the rose in the vase to have wilted and the candles to have melted.
But instead, he saw fresh, fragrant flowers in the vase. There were many more lit candles than he remembered lighting. He heard 'White Horse' by Taylor Swift playing on his mobile.
It was Merlin's favorite song. . .
“Wakey-wakey, sunshine.”
Merlin smiled when he heard Arthur’s voice.
He turned to see the blond holding dishes in each hand.
“You— you cooked?”, Merlin asked, eyes wide and lips beaming. “Arthur, you didn’t have to do that! We could’ve just eaten at some restaurant.”
“I wanted to make it up to you for being late.”, Arthur said, setting the food down on the table. “I'm sorry, love.”
“Well, I’m sorry for falling asleep.”, Melin said taking Arthur’s face in his hands amd kissing him. “Thank you for this.”
Arthur began serving the food. Merlin couldn’t believe how many things he had prepared.
“How long was I asleep anyway? You’ve made so much.”
“Just a couple hours.”, Arthur muttered, handing Merlin a plate of hot Chicken Spaghetti.
“Now, what do you wanna watch?”, he asked, grabbing the remote and plopping onto the couch.
“You can choose the movie tonight.”, Merlin said, smiling. “You’ve earned it “
Arthur laughed, and snuggled closer to Merlin under the blanket.
“I love you.”, the blond whispered and kissed his temple.
“I love you, too.”, Merlin said, resting his head on his husband’s shoulder.