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“Can someone please tell me what I did wrong since it apparently is my fault?” Arthur said acidly and glared at his friends who’d gathered in his living room. Gwen sighed, Morgana rolled her eyes and Merlin looked downright pissed off.
“He doesn’t even know” Gwaine groaned, putting his face in his hands. “Oh dear me, what are we going to do with that one?”
“I’d say we hit him over the head but killing the last few brain cells he has isn’t solving much” Merlin muttered as Morgana and Gwen exchanged looks.
“If someone could be so kind as to tell me what the fuck I did wrong, right now!” Arthur exploded, suddenly fed up with people talking in riddles. “So what, I got Leon a crappy gift, big deal. Happens all the time. Doesn’t mean he should just run off sulking like a baby, does it?”
“You didn’t just give Leon a ‘crappy gift’ ” Merlin said vehemently, quoting Arthur. “You embarrassed him in front of the whole bloody office. Well done, you.” He gave Arthur a sarcastic applause before getting off the couch and offering his hand to Morgana.
“Leaving?” he asked her.
“Leaving” she confirmed and turned to Arthur. “Make up with Leon” she told him, making it sound like a threat, before following Merlin out. Gwaine and Gwen were next to leave as he’d promised to drive her home. Arthur looked around his now empty living room and wondered what the hell he should do.
::
He tried calling Leon but his friend didn’t answer. He texted but got no replies. He then tried with Percival, who’d gone with Leon, but without success. And since he absolutely refused to call his sister and get her further involved in this he steeled himself and punched in Merlin’s number.
“How thick-headed can a person be?” Merlin asked in lieu of a greeting and then barrelled on without waiting for an answer. “You really don’t know what you did? Leon’ just started to admit to himself and his closest friends that he is gay and you basically scream it out to the world with that idiotic gag gift.”
“You make it sound like it’s such a big deal!” Arthur snapped. “Plenty of people are gay, or bi, and they…”
“... At least get to choose when and to whom they come out” Merlin interrupted. “Have you already forgotten crying on my sofa because you were scared people would hate you for being bi?”
“No, but…” Arthur tried but was interrupted again.
“And if Leon was bi, like you, he could just have continued as normal, no problem. But now that he’d realized he’s gay, his whole life changes. He’s disappointing his parents that expected him to marry Mithian and he’s going to have to look for a new job as the head of the Legal department is a homophobic cunt that would rather die than to promote him. And your stupid gift on top of that.”
“But I… I didn’t mean it like that.” Arthur murmured, feeling as if his heart sank to the bottom of his stomach. “It was just a laugh and I support him and he…”
“And not to mention,“ Merlin continued as if he hadn’t heard Arthur, “he has to deal with the fact that he likes his best friend and that said best friend clearly indicated that he’s not interested by choosing a supposedly funny book of gay dating rules as a Christmas gift. Oh, and not to mention, that said best friend also offered to go cruising for a bear that would like to adopt a, and I quote, ‘curly-haired little cub.’ So you’ve managed both to out him, embarrass him and friend-zone him all at once. As I said, well done.“
Complete silence reigned after this, on Merlin’s part because he needed to take a breath and on Arthur’s part because he needed to wrap his head around what Merlin had just said. He’d always liked Leon but he’d also known that nothing could ever come of it because Leon was as straight as they came.
“You know I like Leon” Arthur stammered. “I always have. But he’s…”
“Straight?” Merlin filled in. “Nope. So fix it, you clotpole.” Then he hung up on Arthur who was left sitting staring into space, still pressing the now silent phone to his ear. How could he not have noticed that Leon was interested? How could he not have noticed that Leon was gay for crying out loud? Granted, he’d had a busy period at work, but still… Arthur sighed and thought that he probably was a strong contender for the Crappiest Best Friend of the Year Award. He’s have to go see Leon and make things right before he ended up winning the whole bloody competition, as well as lost his friend.
::
An hour later Arthur was standing in front of Leon’s door, as he had for the past ten minutes. He’d lifted his hand ever so often to knock but always lost his courage at the last moment and dropped it back down. Before he could make another attempt the door was yanked open to reveal a slightly annoyed Leon.
“Are you going to stand there all night or what?” he asked as he opened the door. “It’s a bloody snow storm tonight, Arthur, just get in here already. Or go home, for all I care.” Leon stalked back to the living room and left Arthur to nervously fret in the hallway as he took off his coat and shoes, deliberately doing it slowly to give him some more time. On the drive over he’d practiced what to say but now he couldn’t remember any of it and he decided that he’d just had to improvise. Sadly, that was not his forte.
“So, I guess was a bit of an idiot” he said and regretted the words the second they were out of his mouth when he saw Leon flinch. He’d not been a bit of an idiot, he’d been a giant, ignorant, oblivious and thoughtless idiot that had messed really up. Leon deserved a better apology than that.
“You could say that” his friend answered tightly and Arthur could see that Leon gripped his beer bottle so hard that his knuckles whitened. “You could also say that you’ve acted like a bloody dickwad of a moron” Leon continued, his voice rising, and Arthur hung his head. He supposed that Leon’s description was fairly accurate.
“I’m sorry” he said quietly as it seemed to be the safest thing to say and Leon chuckled humourlessly.
“You should be. You damn well should be.”
“Listen,” Arthur said pleadingly, “I’ll help you out at work, I’ll let you tell people at your own pace, that joke was so tacky, I shouldn’t have said anything like that, I won’t in the future, I’m so sorry I haven’t been there for you these last moths and I… and I just don’t want to lose you as a friend. Can you forgive me?“ Arthur was so into his apologetic speech that he didn’t notice Leon flinching again, this time when Arthur said the word ‘friend’.
“I forgive you” Leon said in a flat voice and Arthur shot him a relieved grin.
“Great!” he beamed. “I mean, not great because I acted like a jerk but great because we’re still friends, right?” he added hastily and Leon sighed.
“We’re still friends” he answered in the same flat tone and Arthur frowned.
“Leon? Something you’re not telling me?”
“We’re fine” Leon snapped, glaring at the carpet.
“Doesn’t sound like that to me” Arthur insisted. Leon still looked down on the floor and since Arthur couldn’t think of any other way of catching his gaze, without resorting to violence, he dropped to his knees in front of his friend.
“Tell me, Leon” he demanded, putting his hands on Leon’s knees and shaking his friend slightly. “I can’t make it up to you if I don’t know what’s wrong.” Leon let out a strangled gasp and as Arthur took in his flushed cheeks, and remembered what Merlin had said earlier, he suddenly understood.
“Oh.” Arthur cleared his throat. “And I’m sorry that I’ve been so busy telling myself that my best friend is straight, and that I shouldn’t fancy him, to notice that he might, in fact, actually be interested in me?” The last part came out as a hesitant whisper and Arthur held his breath as a slow smile spread over Leon’s face. He hauled Arthur up to sit beside him at the couch and then said:
“We’re a right pair of idiots, aren’t we?”
Arthur didn’t answer as he was too busy kissing the living daylights out of his boyfriend.