Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a tough lesson, but Gwen quickly found out on the first day at her new primary school making friends was harder than it looked. At least, harder than multiplication tables. She couldn’t help that her family had just moved there, and she didn’t know anyone yet. It was Year 3, and it was obvious everyone had already made their friends. When she came home that day, as soon as she got off the bus and into the new flat, she ran straight into her father’s legs and started bawling her eyes out into his trousers.

“I’m never going to make any friends,” she sobbed, barely able to get the words out.   

Dad did not say a word of complaint, only squeezing her shoulders and wrapping his arms around her. Gwen let go of his trouser leg and wiped at her face with the backs of her hands, and he took that opportunity to kneel in front of her.  

“There now, love, that’s not true,” he soothed. “It was only the first day after all! You’re going to have lots of time to meet new kids at school, I promise.” 

A jangling at the door latch distracted both of them into looking that way, and Gwen tried her best to blink the tears out of her eyes as she saw her older brother step into the front room. He was wearing his usual gray and brown hoodie, so she couldn’t quite see his face. Elyan liked being mysterious and, at best, an arm’s reach away. While she didn’t mind her dad seeing her like this, Elyan was different because he’d absolutely never let her live it down. Maybe he would just go up to his room and not pay them any attention. 

Of course, she could never have her way.

Her father’s smile lit up at seeing his son. “Ah Elyan, how was your first day at secondary?”  

“I hate it here,” he replied in monotone and without looking in their direction. He made to go to his room when, but Gwen sniffled without meaning to, and he turned to glimpse back at them. 

Elyan asked, “What’s wrong with you?” 

“What’s wrong with you?” She parroted back, not able to think of another comeback. 

Her dad sighed. 

“Kids, please. I know this change isn’t easy for any of this, but we all have to try to adjust. What would your mum have wanted from us?” 

The mention of her mum made her shut up real quick, Elyan too. He remembered her better, since she’d died just two years after Gwen was born. But Gwen liked to think she knew some things about her mum. In the photos her dad had kept, her smile was nice, so she had to be nice too, right? 

“Let’s just try and give this a shot,” her dad spoke into the somber silence of the room. “Be kind, and others will be kind to you.”

Elyan scoffed and stalked out of the main room. The soft shutting of the door meant he wouldn’t be coming out anytime soon. 

“Maybe...I can bring flowers to class,” Gwen said, thinking of the garden on the rooftop. “Flowers can brighten anyone’s day.”  

“My girl, you’ve got such a good heart.” 

Her father leaned forward and kissed her forehead, and Gwen beamed back.  

So, now here she was, with a basket of flowers on her arm. Sure, she got some stares on the public bus, but she didn’t care. Instead, she took to assorting them; a few daisies, chrysanthemums, some dahlias. She made sure there would be enough for everyone in her class. There’d only been one rose still in bloom, so she had to save that for someone really special.

Gwen decided afternoon break was as good a time as any. The boys were busy playing football on the asphalt, so she steered clear of their game, instead walking over to a group of three girls by the swingsets, engaged in hushed conversation. 

Gwen smiled cheerfully at them all, even though they hadn’t even noticed her, trying to not look as nervous as she felt. While they all were dressed in the same uniform as her, a sweater vest with a white top and a navy skirt, most of them were wearing makeup, unlike her—except for one girl with very tangled blonde hair, who took that exact moment to belch as loudly as possible. Gwen stopped in her tracks, raising her eyebrows in shock. 

“Oh my god!” Another petite blonde girl shrieked in a high-pitch voice. “Burping is so gross , Elena, honestly only the boys do that.” 

“Maybe acting like a boy isn’t so bad, Vivi,” a pretty girl with long brown hair said simply. 

Vivi, Gwen supposed, scoffed loudly and turned hard eyes on her…friend? Gwen wasn’t sure at this point.

“I didn’t ask for your opinion, Mithian. Anyways, what would you know? You’re such a tomboy.” 

Maybe then wasn’t such a good time to pass out flowers. She grimaced, stepping back to leave them to whatever this was, when the woodchips and branches underneath her shoes made a distinct snap sound and had all heads swiveling in her direction. 

Great. 

“What do you want?” Vivi asked, scrunching her nose in a way Gwen thought meant she was displeased. 

Gwen chewed her lip before asking, “Um, sorry I don’t mean to interrupt, but I didn’t know if any of you would want some flowers?” 

The face of the first girl—Elena, Gwen remembered—lit up in delight. 

“Sure thing,” Elena chirped, grabbing a daisy to bring to her nose, only to sneeze so hard that her body doubled over. When she sprang up, a trail of blood was running from her nose, much to Gwen’s horror, but she merely pressed her finger to it in morbid fascination and grinned over at Mithian. “Oh, Mithy, look! That’s the second time my nose’s bled today!” 

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Gwen cried out, panic rising. Dropping her basket, she dug around her pockets vainly for tissues she knew she didn’t have.  

“Sorry about this, it’s not your fault. She gets nosebleeds like no one else,” Mithian offered to Gwen before wrapping her arm around Elena and guiding her away from the rest of them. “Let’s get you to the nurse, Elena.” 

Vivian’s sharp, unforgiving eyes rooted Gwen where she stood, and if it was possible after yesterday, her heart sunk further. 

The other girl bent down, taking another one of the daisies from the basket, and held the flower limply by its stem and openly laughed. 

“I’ve never seen anything more pathetic,” she said, and, without breaking eye contact, crushed it between her two fingers.

It was humiliating. Everyone, even the boys on the asphalt, was staring at them now. Gwen tried to keep it cool, not break down, this had been her idea even if was the most stupid thing she ever thought of— 

“Do you have to be such a brat, Vivian?” 

The question was raised with a distinctive Irish lilt to it, and Gwen turned her head to find a girl had emerged from the crowd of boys, a football tucked casually underneath her arm. It was almost impossible to explain how Gwen hadn’t noticed her before, because while Mithian had looked pretty, this girl was…well she could be a runway model. Her dark hair was cut in the shape of a bob, framing a pretty, angular face and bright, piercing eyes. The confidence in her posture was almost visible and rolled off her in waves, and yet it seemed different from Vivian’s nastiness. 

“What did you just call me?” Vivian demanded, but it came out more like a shrill shriek. 

“Only what you are,” the other girl replied with a smirk. 

“You’ve crossed a line,” Vivian seethed, rising to her feet. “No one can call me that, not even if your father is Uther bloody Pendragon! I’m going to tell everyone about this!”

With that, Vivian crossed the woodchips, kicking the basket of flowers on her way and glaring at the girl with the football the entire time, as she stomped off to a teacher talking into his radio. Someone telling Vivian off was nice, but Gwen still felt as though she wanted the ground to swallow her up. She got to her knees, hastily throwing the overturned flowers back in the basket and planning on hiding in the loo for the rest of the day. 

It was a shock when she saw a pale hand grab one of the dahlias, and Gwen snapped her head up to see her. The football girl. Well, she’d abandoned the ball out with her team. Inexplicably, Gwen thought if this girl was a boy she’d be like a real-life knight in shining armor. 

“Vivian’s awful to everyone, don’t take it to heart,” she reassured softly while placing the dahlia back in the basket. 

“I’m sorry, you didn’t have to do that back there. And you don’t have to do this,” Gwen added earnestly, sighing after. “I just wanted to do something nice for everyone.” 

“Oh don’t worry, I meant what I said. Vivian is a brat. It actually felt rather good to admit it,” she said smugly, strangely making Gwen feel warm, as though they were both on the inside of a shared joke. 

She stood, extending a hand to Gwen to help her up. 

“It’s so nice of you to bring these to school for other people,” the girl said, gesturing to the basket Gwen was balancing on her arm. “I think flowers are lovely.” 

Gwen bit her lip for a moment and went to rifle through them, finding what she wanted—the rose, which thankfully hadn’t been ruined. She held out the flower to the other girl, who widened her eyes in surprise. 

“A rose? For me?” 

“Well, you helped me,” Gwen explained. “And you’re the prettiest girl I’ve seen at this school, so it suits you.”

“That’s so sweet!” 

The girl brought the flower to her nose, sniffing it daintily. 

“What’s your name?”

“Gwen. My full name is Guinevere.” 

“I think that’s a beautiful name.”

“What’s yours?”

“Morgana,” she spoke just before the teacher started ringing the bell to file in line, ignoring a pouting Vivian crossing her arms beside him. “Why don’t you sit next to me in class today?”

Gwen’s heart fluttered in her chest. She had found a real friend.

Chapter Text

“You know, Merlin, I really thought you were my friend,” Gwen said into her mobile, mostly joking because she knew Merlin would take it entirely seriously. 

“ What ?!” 

Right on cue , she mouthed to Elena sitting in the backseat next to her. 

The noise from inside the cab and outside on the streets was loud, but since her texts had been going unanswered for two days, a call was the only other option that was likely to get a response. 

“A real friend would have answered his phone and come with me and Elena to the pub, especially since we all haven’t properly celebrated graduating university weeks ago now.” 

He sighed loudly, and then there was an abrupt clattering noise in the background meaning he’d dropped something (again). He swore not so quietly under his breath before saying, “I’m really sorry, I wish I could, but you know how much Gaius needs me at the shop. He’s getting up there, Gwen.” 

“I know,” she acknowledged, fully aware of how much the older man, who’d raised Merlin like he was a son, meant to the friend she’d known since the first day of university. 

Gwen had met Gaius once or twice whenever he dropped Merlin off at campus after long shifts at The Coffee Cave, the shop the man owned that for some reason kept very late hours. Merlin had been employed there since he was 16 and was so enamored with the place that he worked on weekends while studying. And now he was still there helping Gaius out, looking for a full-time gig somewhere. Not that she was doing much better in that department. 

“He cares about you too, Merlin. I’m sure he wants you to have fun every once in a while.” 

“Now I know you’re trying to pull my leg. He loves to work me to the bone,” Merlin groaned before pausing. “And now he’s giving me the eyebrow because I haven’t cleaned the counters. Listen, I’ll meet up with you two tomorrow, alright?” 

“Fair enough. See you tomorrow!” 

Elena, who’d been staring out the window for most of the conversation, turned back to face Gwen. 

“So Merlin’s not able to make it to the Rising Sun?” 

‘No, unfortunately not. But that doesn’t mean the two of us can’t still have fun tonight.” 

The day had started out so well. Really, properly well, considering the amount she and Elena had to drink the previous night. Gwen had woken up to a pastel pink sky and a beautiful, burnt orange sunrise, gone the extra step of flavouring her morning tea with honey, and even found the rare motivation to leave her cramped flat and go for a brisk run, one of the last days of fall to do so before it turned frigid cold. The one, fatal mistake she had made was checking the mailbox on the way back. 

The large envelope was discarded on the coffee table in the sitting room, and the letter was crumpled in her hand, her other hand holding her phone. A million thoughts raced through her head as the dial tone rang and rang until finally she was greeted with a bleary “hullo” from her best friend.

“I’m doomed.” 

“Cutting straight to the point today, are we?” Merlin answered on the other line, chuckling as he did so. “You know, Gwen, most people start calls with ‘hello’ or ‘good morning.’”

She resisted the urge to sigh in frustration, but it’s not as if she could be upset at his chipper mood when he didn’t even know what was going on. Instead, she got up off the couch and started pacing the six feet of the room. 

“Yes, well, most people aren’t suddenly realizing that they’re not going to be able to pay their rent in a few months.” 

“What happened?” He asked, the tone of his voice suddenly shifting from bemused to concerned in an instance. “Do you need me to come over?” 

“No, no, it’s just...I got a letter from my landlord,” Gwen explained, sighing as she smoothed out and reread it miserably in her head as she said, “He’s saying unless I can start paying almost double by the New Year, Elena and I have to move out.” 

There was an undignified scoff on the other end from Merlin, and even though she felt completely overwhelmed, she knew it was a good thing that she called him of all people. 

“What an ass! God, Gwen I’m so sorry. What’s Elena said?” 

Oh god. Elena. She had to know; after all, this impacted her just as much as Gwen since they were flatmates. And they’d been through everything together, after they’d met in primary and become such good friends in secondary that they’d even attended the same university. Other friends had come and gone, and although it had taken her a while to completely see Elena’s charm amid her unique quirks, Gwen was very glad the other woman was a part of her life. 

All morning, Gwen had been too caught up in a panic spiral of how she was going to have to manage to pull off a miracle or end up back at her dad’s (which would be so shaming since Elyan had been out of his own for five years with no problem) that she hadn’t even considered how the other woman would be dealing with this. The leftover money they’d saved up over the years wouldn’t cut it for this amount of rent. 

“I haven’t gotten around to it. It’s just—you know how late she sleeps in.” 

“Gwen—”

“I knowww,” she drew out. “I need to do it. But I almost don’t have the heart to tell her. It’s just...how am I going to find a job this quickly in London?”

There was a brief silence on the other end, but long enough that Gwen worried the call had dropped, before Merlin began again.   

“You know, I know Gaius was saying last night we could use more employees, especially since he doesn’t want to be out in the front so much serving customers. It pays decently. And he likes you.” 

“He does?” Gwen asked disbelievingly. 

“Yes! And Gaius having a good opinion about someone is no easy feat, trust me. Why don’t you and Elena come round today? I mean I doubt he’ll even want to interview you two, so we could jump straight to training. If you want, that is.” 

It took her brain a second to catch up with it: a job offer, which she desperately needs to stay in her flat for the foreseeable future. 

There really was no other answer than, “Yes, yes of course! Merlin, thank you, you’re a literal lifesaver.” 

“No problem, anything I can do to help!” Merlin exclaimed, and she could practically hear the toothy grin in his voice. He always liked helping people. “I’ll see you later and oh—did you two still want to go out after today?” 

“Yeah, we should! I know I started off your morning with bad news, but graduating uni is still a big deal for all of us.”

“Great! And don’t worry, I’ll pay for our drinks.” 

“Merlin, you don’t have to—” she started but he’d already hung up. 

It was then that her flatmate walked into the sitting room, hair all knotted and the belt of her bathrobe dragging behind her. She took a long yawn and then seemed to realize Gwen was there.

“Morning!” Elena said cheerfully before taking in Gwen’s face and the crumpled letter in her hand. “Did I miss something?” 

Chapter Text

Being a barista sounded easier than it actually was. 

It took three weeks for Gwen to learn how to make all the drinks and the assorted baked goods, all which had a long list of instructions from Gaius that made her suspect he may have been a chemist or a physician in another life. The Coffee Cave was one of those places that was big on organic drinks and blends—essentially, coffee for rich people and hipsters. She didn’t mind the former so much, especially since they tipped well. The few times Gaius was in the cafe, he took any opportunity to tell her little bits of trivia about the place: like how he had started the shop with his partner, Alice, 20 years ago or that the original name was supposed to be The Crystal Cave before they’d realized no one would realize from the name that it was about coffee. 

It took some getting used to, but working at the cafe wasn’t all that bad. After all, she mostly had Merlin and Elena to keep her company during shifts and another co-worker, Sefa, occasionally had some hours too. There were a few nice regulars she liked—Leon, a school-teacher, was kind even when she’d mess up his order during her first week there, Lance, a guitarist for a few bands, had an easy smile and asked after how she was doing, and Gwaine (who she wasn’t sure had a job at all) was a shameless flirt with anyone behind the counter but all in good fun—and he always left very generous tips. 

The days went by, and nothing much remarkable happened. At least, not until her third week.

She got in about 6 on a Monday morning, earlier than her usual start. Since Merlin and Sefa had been there the longest, he usually opened and Sefa would come in mid-morning. But he had called off sick, so Gwen was here covering his shift. 

The door to the shop opened only five minutes after she’d unlocked it, and Gwen perked her head up to see two customers walk through. It was a man and a woman, both looking well to do in formal business wear—the man dressed in a standard black suit with red tie, and the woman in a green, half-sleeve dress and pair of sleek heels. Gwen could admit the man was fair-looking, with broad shoulders, blue eyes, and a pleasant smile. But it was the lady next to him who caught her attention. The woman’s hair cascaded down her shoulders in dark waves, and the ruby shade of her lipstick and dark emerald smokey eyeliner contrasted starkly against her pale skin and well-defined cheekbones. She strode forward with an air of confidence, almost like nobility, as though she knew her worth and could prove it. 

Gwen had the feeling she’d never seen anyone like her and yet knew her, somehow. The woman did not take notice of her, though, too invested in a conversation with the man. She cast her gaze aside out of respect and started brushing down the counters with a rag. 

“I don’t think you’ve given this place enough of a chance,” the man said to the woman as they entered. 

“Well, I know I was sick as a dog after I went for the first time,” she contested strongly. Unlike the man, whose accent was most definitely from Southern England, hers was Irish. Almost like the Pendragons that Gwen had gone to school with—but that couldn’t be possible. “You weren’t there. I swear the barista was trying to poison me with that latte.” 

“Who, Merlin? Maybe he’s an idiot sometimes, but I sincerely doubt he would actively try to hurt anyone. You’ve always been picky, and, besides, he makes an amazing breakfast—” the man stopped as he took notice of Gwen behind the counter. “You’re not Merlin.” 

“No,” she said. “But I can promise not to poison either of you.”

The man abruptly shut his mouth and looked properly embarrassed, but the woman next to him smirked. 

It would be mad to think it was Morgana. But that smirk was so familiar. 

“I’ll keep you to that,” she said with a satisfied smile and good god whoever she was, she was gorgeous. “I’ll have a small Americano.” 

“Sure thing,” Gwen managed after clearing her throat. 

“You’ll need it for that board meeting with father today,” the man noted to the woman with some amusement before adding, “I’ll take a medium black coffee and two of those blueberry muffins.” 

“Umm names? For the orders?” 

“We’re the only two people here,” he deadpanned. 

“Morgana and Arthur,” the woman told Gwen before turning to Arthur, “Was that so hard?” 

Shit. It was absolutely them. 

“I’ll have those right up for you two.”

Gwen rang up the orders in the systems, taking their cards for each and swiping them all in a blur. It had been years since she’d last thought about Morgana, let alone seen her. They’d been best friends all during primary, almost inseparable, and spent most afternoons after school at each other’s houses or out somewhere in town having fun, occasionally with the other girls like Elena and Mithian. Or tried upsetting Arthur, Morgana’s half-brother who was younger than the both of them, since he could be a right bully sometimes. The last time Gwen saw Morgana, actually face to face, must have been the last day at primary school. It’d been just a week after that Morgana’s father moved them across the country to an elite public school; the details were a bit vague to her now. Of course, they had traded the information they could, but it’d been hard to keep in touch and lost track of each other. Plus, they’d been 11, and cell phones were barely a thing. 

It was so strange seeing her now, especially since Morgana was the girl who’d made Gwen realize…she wasn’t just into boys. A childhood friend who’d quickly turned into a childhood crush. This was actually very shaming, even if the other woman had no idea about it. 

“And what’s your name?” Morgana inquired as she took her card back and Gwen stepped behind the espresso machine. “I didn’t see your name badge?”

“Oh, we don’t do those here,” she muttered in a rush, head spinning and wanting to be anywhere else than in the store. 

“Hold on…I thought for a minute you looked familiar, but I almost dismissed it completely out of hand. Are you Gwen Smith? Went to Albion Elementary?” 

She had two options. Either tell the truth and go down whatever embarrassing path that would lead or entirely lie about who she was. In the end, she didn’t have to pick, because a spark of recognition lit in the other woman’s eyes. 

“Oh my god, it is you! It’s been forever!” Morgana exclaimed, now choosing to lean over on the countertop with her elbows. “This is absolutely mad seeing you here. When did you start working here? What’s been going on in your life? God, I have so many questions.” 

“Morgana, can you stop harassing this poor girl?” Arthur groaned, dragging a hand over his face. “It’s barely past 6 in the morning, and you don’t even know if she’s someone you knew literal years ago.” 

At this point, the cat was out of the bag. She might as well fess up. 

“No, it’s fine. I am her—Gwen Smith, that is. I wasn’t sure if you’d recognize me.” 

“I should have, before now,” Morgana admonished. “Why didn’t you say anything sooner?” 

Gwen opened her mouth to speak, to give some kind of answer that probably would have been the first excuse that came to mind, but the question was apparently rhetorical because Morgana went on with: 

“This has to be remedied, it’s almost like fate bringing us together.”

Gwen had nearly forgotten Morgana was like this. When they were kids, she always had these big ideas about huge concepts like destiny and fate, things others might have dismissed out of hand or called silly. It had been one of the qualities Gwen had most admired about the other woman. 

“I suppose it is,” she agreed shyly, gazing at Morgana who was now looking intently at her. 

A pointed cough from Arthur snapped Gwen out of her daze, and she followed his eyes from her to the coffee cup that had been sitting off to the side for far too long. 

“Oh right, your orders, sorry!” 

Hastily, she grabbed the cup, the Americano, and the muffins somehow only with two hands. In the background, she saw in her peripheral vision that the two siblings were arguing again. 

“Honestly, Arthur, were you never taught it’s impolite to interrupt a conversation?” 

“I understand that, Morgana , but if we don’t get going soon we’ll both be late.”

“Sorry again for making you wait,” she managed to get out as she deposited all the items on the counter in front of the two. 

“No need to apologize; I held you up, and besides my brother and I chose to make this detour and now I’m very happy we did,” Morgana maintained as she accepted her drink and passed Arthur his things. “I could stop by sometime later this week?”

“Sure! I mean, I work here so, uh, I’m here a lot,” Gwen stammered out. “But I think I’d like that.”

Morgana acknowledged her answer with a picture-perfect smile and followed her brother who had taken to impatiently waiting by the door. 

On their way out, Gwen spotted Morgana bringing the cup to her lips. Some sort of sense of confidence suddenly came forth within her, enough to break through the nervousness buzzing in her brain. 

“Is it better than poison?” she teased cheekily. “Figured I should ask in case I need a lawyer.” 

“Yes,” Morgana let out in a laugh as she turned back to face Gwen. “Much better.” 

The other woman raised her cup to Gwen in a mock-toast gesture and left out the front door, letting the chill slightly in the Coffee Cave. But strangely, Gwen still felt warm.

It was two on a Friday afternoon, and no one had come in at least an hour. These kinds of days were almost painstakingly slow, only to be interrupted by the hectic after-school rush of rich teenagers eager to spend their parents’ money and appear more adult. Intermittently, Gwen would sweep around the place while Merlin took stock, or play Candy Crush. 

She kept what had happened two days ago to herself. Truth be told, she hadn’t even gotten around to telling Elena. There wouldn’t be much of a point of bringing it up, anyways, would there? Seeing two people you’d known in school wasn’t all that remarkable. And there was totally no way Morgana was really coming back, so there was nothing in thinking about it or what Gwen would say if she saw her again. Or consider what her life would have been like if Morgana hadn’t moved away—

“I’m gonna take out the rubbish since it’s slow. Need anything?” Merlin asked, picking up his brown jacket off the nook and shrugging into it. 

Gwen looked up from her mobile and blinked twice.

“Nope, should be fine to hold down the fort.” 

“Great. Shouldn’t be gone too long.” 

Once he left out the back, she tucked her mobile into her back pocket in case of a customer showing up. The front of the Coffee Cave was completely glass and the ordering counter was outward-facing, meaning she had pretty good advance warning of anyone coming in, but it never hurt to be alert. Especially if Gaius showed up by surprise because he would go mental about any of them being on their mobiles. 

Figures passed by outside here and there, avoiding the place entirely, until another came into view. A woman with a high-tail ponytail in stilettos, a black pantsuit and…oh hell it was her. Actually here and coming for the door…Gwen wasn’t ready for this. 

Without thinking, she ducked underneath the counter and made herself as small as possible in a corner on the laminate floor.  

“Hello?” Morgana’s voice called out. 

Gwen grimaced as she hid underneath the countertop, hoping not to make a single sound. This was ridiculous. She was being ridiculous. It was very much possible to have a nice chat with an old friend and not bring up the awkward crush you used to have on said friend. Or the fact that they had become even more attractive since you last saw them. And Gwen wanted to know what Morgana had been up to in all that time. How much she’d changed or not. Gwen didn’t have any hopes of rekindling their friendship, that had probably died in the past, but it would be nice to know that her oldest friend was doing alright. But there was a deep-held fear, the kind tangled between a racing mind and an aching stomach. As though, if Gwen went out there and it all went horribly wrong or if their conversation was stilted and uncomfortable and didn’t lead anywhere, that staying down here until Morgana left was better than that. So Gwen remained rooted in her spot.

But of course it was just her luck that because she was focusing so much on not being heard, she shifted her shoulder ever so slightly and knocked three bottles of syrups onto the floor. 

“Well, it seems like someone’s here,” the woman drawled, and Gwen pursued her lips in embarrassment before rising up slowly to meet her fate. 

“Sorry, I was cleaning and didn’t quite hear you,” she lied not at all convincingly, twirling a strand of hair around a finger. 

“Of course,” Morgana said in a way that meant she was not at all convinced. “Is now a bad time or are you here all alone?” 

They both startled from where they stood as a set of footfalls sounded as the floor and Merlin entered through the door to the right of the main ordering area. 

“So, what level did you get to in Candy—” He began before realizing Morgana was there. “Oh hello, can we help you?” 

The other woman looked once over at Gwen, an uncertainty in her eyes. She must have observed something in Gwen’s own because her face then shifted into a pleased smirk. 

“Yes,” she answered, placing one hand on her hip. “I’m going to steal your co-worker for a moment, and you’re not going to pull her away for anything. Does that sound doable?”

His eyes narrowed in confusion, his gaze darting questioningly between the two of them.

“Okay?”

“Excellent. Glad we’re agreed. And try to make drinks for people that can actually be consumed by human beings.” 

With that, Morgana took Gwen’s hand and started leading her over to a small wooden table with a matching set of chairs by a window. She tried not to read anything too much in the gesture and was distracted enough by Merlin coming over to their table.

“Wait, are you Arthur’s sister? He was saying just yesterday morning he had a sister who didn’t like me,” the man complained. 

“How do you know my brother?” 

“Oh, he’s a regular, been coming in for ages. He can’t stop talking about his father’s business and makes me take 10 extra steps for his drinks and food. Bit annoying. And a prat, if I can be honest.” 

“Hmm, he won’t like to hear that from you. Maybe you do have some redeeming qualities,” Morgana commented drily. “Although, Gwen’s drinks are still better than yours.” 

Gwen snorted, and Merlin’s eyes widened comically and scoffed. 

“Okay, this is bordering on slander. No offense, Gwen, but I’ve worked here longer! I think I know what I’m doing!” 

Gwen mouthed a sorry at him, and whatever pointed look Morgana shot him had his shoulders and face falling into accepted defeat. 

“Ugh, guess I will make myself busy,” he huffed as he headed for the back room. 

Morgana unbuttoned her suit jacket, draping it over the back of the chair as she made to sit down. Gwen loosened the ties on her apron so she could sit comfortably and did the same.

“He’s quite a nuisance.”

“He’s actually very sweet,” Gwen argued warmly. “And my friend, who got me this job. So I wouldn’t be here without him.” 

“So that’s how you ended up here? I was wondering.”

“Yeah, after uni. It’s a job, but it pays the bills for me and Elena at least.”

“Hold on. Elena from primary?” 

Gwen nodded her head. “She’s my flatmate.” 

“You’re kidding me! Oh this is mad,” Morgana remarked, clapping her hands once together. “So you remember Mithian? Our fathers put us in the same public school, and we became flatmates too once we moved out on our own.” 

“Oh, that’s fantastic! How is she?”

“Brilliant. She’s doing amazing things at Nemeth Corp. under her father. I imagine she’s going to take over from him when he retires.” 

“And you?” Gwen pressed, inching her chair closer. “How have you been?”

It was then that Morgana’s expression shuttered, her exuberance and openness cast in dim shadow compared to just a few moments ago. 

“Oh, I’ve been alright enough. I work for my father as the COO of his company.” 

“COO? Morgana, that’s incredible!”

“The recognition’s nice, and finally not being treated like a child anymore,” she said neutrally as she traced a finger in patterns along the table. “I didn’t end up going to university since my father says entrepreneurs don’t do that sort of thing. I think it would have been rather interesting. What did you study?” 

“Communications,” Gwen admitted with a sheepish look. “Not very practical, but I think it’s important for people to understand what’s going on.”

“Believe me, it’s more important than people give credit for. The number of stupid executives and clients who don’t know how to write an email is astounding,” the other woman chuckled, her good humour returned. 

It went on like this for some time, each of them recounting the parts of their lives the other had missed. It felt natural and easy. Almost like they hadn’t been out of touch for several years, but a few mere months. She was about to go into a story from university when a bunch of teenagers walked through the door, and she had to resist the urge to roll her eyes at the timing of it all. 

“Looks like we’re being swamped by teenagers, so I might have to come to Merlin’s rescue,” Gwen said apologetically. “You know, I don’t get why I was so nervous about this, I guess I just thought…”

“What?” 

Morgana’s eyes were inquisitive and keen; it was like looking at a bright light for too long. Gwen’s gaze fell downwards, and she started pulling self-consciously at the sleeves of her jumper. 

“I guess we’d talk, and you’d think that I’m…too boring. Or something.” 

“Boring? Please, Gwen, this is the most riveting conversation I’ve had in a long time,” Morgana promised. “You know what we should do? I know it’s been ages since everyone’s all seen each other, but you, me, Mithian and Elena should all get together for a girl’s night out. No one would be on the clock, so we wouldn’t worry about teens or anything equally unpleasant ruining our fun.” 

Gwen sat back in disbelief. Morgana wanted to spend more time with her? As friends? These sorts of reunions usually only led to another awkward end, but this was going somewhere. She wanted to find out where. 

“I’d love that,” Gwen said, smiling for not the first time in the conversation. 

“You do! Great, umm,” Morgana trailed off and checking her jacket for something, pulling out a pen from it and a napkin from the table. She started writing some digits on it. “Here’s my number. Text me and we’ll set something up.” 

The other woman reached over for her hand, squeezing it once, before getting up and passing through the door. When Gwen opened her palm, the napkin with Morgana’s number was on it. She quickly punched it in her phone and rushed up to the espresso machine to help Merlin with the rush of orders. Once that had died down again, her friend leaned against a wall with a smug look that had her asking irritably : 

“What?” 

“Nothing, just were you trying to sneak in a date while on the job, Gwen?” 

“No! No, of course not,” she denied vehemently. “Morgana’s just an old friend. Really nice, but, no definitely not dating her. Not that she’s not a dateable person, it’s just, it’d be weird because well this was one of the first times we’d talked in years. And she’s a friend.” 

“If you say so,” he sing-sang at her while walking backwards towards the back room. 

It took a lot of restraint on her part not to smack him with a wet rag.

Chapter Text

She’d like to think that she wasn’t putting too much effort into picking out this outfit, but truthfully that would be a lie. This wasn’t to say she didn’t mean what she’d told Merlin, she absolutely was not pursuing Morgana, but it never hurt to look impressive for a night out. In the end, she chose a tight-fitting black skirt and a dark red blouse with flowing sleeves along with heels.

After that was done, she waited out in the hallway by Elena’s door as she got ready. She heard a few bumps and dropping of objects from the bedroom, but that was fairly standard fare for her flatmate. 

Still, she wasn’t impolite, so she felt the need to ask, “Alright in there, Elena?” 

“Yep! Oh, I think this is a wonderful idea, Gwen,” Elena said, her voice slightly muffled by the door. “I mean, when’s the last time we had a girl’s night? And a proper one that wasn’t just you and me? I think it will be so much fun to see Mithy again after all these years, and Morgana too of course.” 

“Right! I think it will be too.”

When Elena came out of the room, she was wearing a white top, light blue jeans and a set of glossy yellow heels and a matching jacket. 

“Oh, you look lovely!” she gushed. 

“Same with you! So even if it ends up being a complete disaster, we both know we look hot,” Elena stated confidently. 

“Come on,” Gwen laughed as they left the flat and made their way out.  

They were meeting up with Morgana and Mithian at a club neither she or Elena had heard of, but when Elena googled it in the cab it seemed upscale, which wasn’t a surprise to Gwen. The kind of rich lifestyle Morgana was used to leading was much different from hers, but Gwen didn’t mind the extravagance every now and then. 

The two other women were waiting outside by the time she and Elena got there. They had dressed for the place too, with Morgana in a purple cocktail dress and the other woman next to her, who must be Mithian, in a fashionably white pantsuit. She waved over to them and started walking over, and Morgana came forward and embraced Gwen.

“So glad you could make it.”  

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Gwen breathed close to her ear. It must have been her imagination acting up to think Morgana shuddered in her arms then. Or if it had happened, it was because of the cold. It was December now after all. 

They pulled apart, and her gaze landed on Mithian and Elena who were just pulling away from a hug as well.

“Did I not dress fancy enough for this?” Elena questioned, comparing her outfits to everyone else.  

“You’re fine,” Mithian assured her. “Half the men go in there with jeans so there’s not exactly a dress code.”  

Morgana stepped aside so that she was in front of the whole group before announcing: 

“So the plan is we’ll have a few rounds here, some shots all around, and we’ll see where the night takes us.” 

“Oh alright then!” Elena enthused. 

“Morgana is a serious partier, so be warned,” Mithian told them with an ominous tone. “I can barely keep up with her sometimes.” 

“That’s because you’re a lightweight,” the other woman countered. “We’ll see how Gwen and Elena do.” 

With that, they went into the club. The first observation she had was that it was extremely loud after noticing that it had an ultra-modern look to it. They were on the first floor where the drinks were served, with see-through glass tables and slate walls. Underneath that was the pit where the DJ was set up, and there had to be at least a hundred people down there, dancing to dropped beats and synth. 

It was truly impossible to hear each other over the noise and understand half of it, but they still ordered two rounds of shots and rounds of drinks and attempted to chat as best they could. They went into the craziest stories of the drunkest they’d ever been, the things that had happened in their lives after they’d all split, reminisced on their days together back in school. As Elena finished her drink, she belched, and Gwen winced in second-hand embarrassment. 

“Some things never change,” Morgana quipped.

Elena, probably not aware of how loud her voice was at this point, shouted, “Need to go to the loo!” 

“I’ll go with you,” Mithian offered and took Elena’s hand in hers as they walked off.

There was an idea forming in Gwen’s head, terrifying and exhilarating all at once. She knocked back the rest of her gin and tonic, needing the courage.  

“Do you want to dance?” 

“What?” 

“Do you want to dance? On the dance floor?” she repeated loudly, trying to speak over the music.

“Oh! Yes, good idea,” Morgana agreed. 

They both descended the stairs, which was slow going down with all the people behind and in front of them. One woman going up shoved into her shoulder, and she reached for Morgana’s hand in an attempt to not lose her.

The music pulsed from the speakers, the floor thrummed with the beats, and the entire room was aglow in blaring purple and green lights. More people were there now than when they’d first showed up and were throwing their arms up, yelling with the music at the top of their lungs. It took a minute when they got to the floor to get into the energy of the crowd, but she and Morgana found it together and soon were throwing their hands up and twisting their hips in time with the rhythm. It was packed, and there was a feeling of the heat rising. The tight space between other people had Gwen bumping into Morgana rather clumsily or Morgana pressed flush up against Gwen, which she tried to not think too hard about. 

What was better was as soon as the song changed and some of the crowd began moving Morgana started making ridiculous moves and pulling faces, which had Gwen bending over laughing. Naturally, when Gwen tried some of her own, her foot fell out of her heel. They both looked at the shoe, then at each other, and started giggling so much it almost became difficult to breathe. Bending down, she made to pick it up, when a man stepped back, causing her to stumble. In a rush, Morgana caught her in her arms in a gentle yet firm enough grip and whirled her head to face the man.  

“Watch where you’re going!” Morgana bellowed. “You could have trampled her, you idiot! Give us her shoe at least.”

“Sorry,” he muttered as he handed the heel to Gwen, who accepted it gingerly. 

“You should be,” Morgana retorted testily.  

Gwen hastily stepped her foot into the shoe and followed her friend as she rapidly left the floor and up the stairs. Morgana swirled around to look at her, placing a hand on Gwen’s shoulder and using the other hand to cup her face. 

“Are you okay?” 

“I think so,” Gwen replied, shrugging her shoulders. “Just wasn’t expecting that.” 

“I wasn’t either,” the other woman sighed. “Let’s go to the loo. I’m not going to feel good about it until we’ve at least had a decent look at you under some real lights.” 

She linked her arm in Gwen’s, and they started making their way through the groups of people drinking over to the back of the club. 

“I really think I’m fine,” she insisted as they traveled down the halls of the club, but Morgana continued on determined. 

The door to the loo swung in under the pressure of Morgana’s arm, but the sight inside that they were met with…well, Gwen certainly hadn’t expected to see Elena and Mithian snogging over by the sinks. They seemed totally enraptured with each other, and Gwen averted her eyes out of respect. 

“Well, that certainly took a turn,” Morgana observed mildly and let the door swing shut. “Want to go outside?”

Gwen nodded. It was out of some unspoken agreement that they silently left the club, choosing to stand outside. Gwen’s mind all the while was spinning. Elena and Mithan had always been close when they were growing up, sure, but knowing there had been those feelings? Buried and reborn now that they were in each other’s lives again? She stopped herself short. It wasn’t the same for her and Morgana. That would have to mean that Morgana had been or was currently interested in her, which was most definitely not the case.

“I will say, Mithian was right when she said you were a partier,” Gwen remarked, to which the other woman barked out a laugh. 

“She’s getting up to crazier things than me tonight. Who would’ve thought, her and Elena?” 

“Yeah. Who would’ve thought,” she repeated dully, looking down at the pavement. 

There was a shift in the air, and she felt more than saw Morgana’s gaze zero in on her before the other woman spoke again. 

“It was…rather obvious, though, wasn’t though?” Morgana mused thoughtfully. “Two girls, inseparable all throughout school? If it had been a boy and girl, all the kids would’ve been gossiping. I mean, if we’d all known what lesbian and bisexual and pansexual and all of it meant, it would’ve been much easier.”

“It would have?” Gwen asked, looking up. She tried not to appear or sound too eager. 

“Yes. For Elena and Mithian, I mean,” Morgana clarified, clearing her throat afterward. 

“Of course.”  

Morgana pulled out her phone, fingers racing across the screen. “I’m texting Mithian in case she’s too drunk to get home. Or in case she’s doing something she regrets.” 

Right. Morgana had mentioned MIthian was a lightweight. It was important both she and Elena knew what they were doing. There was a pause, and then the woman’s phone chirped with a notification alert. 

Morgana snorted before saying, “Oh she’s definitely fine. If she was drunk, she wouldn’t be able to text. Didn’t even see you and me in there. She says she’s going to stay at the club a little longer with Elena. How sweet.” 

“You wanted a girls’ night, and instead you inadvertently played matchmaker,” Gwen grinned.

“You’re right, I did! Honestly, good for Mithian. It’s been ages since she’s been with anyone. Elena’s trustworthy?”

“Oh absolutely, she’s an angel. I don’t think she’s capable of hurting anyone even if she tried.”

“Good. I know a man nearly toppled you over tonight, and I’m going to trust you when you say you’re alright, but this is the most fun I’ve had in a long while,” Morgana reflected with a soft smile Gwen’s way. 

She tried not to blush in response.

“Yeah, oddly enough I feel the same.” 

“Let’s meet up next week. They have an arts festival over in Primrose Hill that’s supposed to be stunning. We could grab lunch before?” 

“Sure!” 

As they both beamed at each other, Gwen acted on impulse and hugged Morgana tightly. 

“Thanks for tonight,” she whispered. 

Walking away backward for a few moments, she grinned when she saw Morgana’s pleased face and turned to hail herself a cab.

Chapter Text

The next few weeks passed in a pleasant blur for seemingly everyone. For one thing, both she and Elena were making well enough to cover the rent, so the assurance that there would be a roof over both their heads was nice. And speaking of Elena, she was positively elated now, if she wasn’t already the happiest and content person Gwen knew. Mithian started stopping by at the Coffee Cave and would come to the flat some evenings too. The woman was just as agreeable as she was in school; polite, thoughtful and adventurous, all of which was a perfect match for Elena. The two of them now took to spending their Saturdays horseback riding at Mithian’s stables in the country. 

When they were wrapped up in each other at the Coffee Cave, and it wasn’t busy, Gwen took to texting Merlin…and increasingly Morgana. 

They were talking on a near daily basis now. Most times, they would update each other on the small things, like an annoying customer in Gwen’s case or a client in Morgana’s. Gwen discovered from Morgana that Uther was still a strict and unthinking father, demanding nothing but excellence from her and Arthur, which made Gwen’s blood boil, especially when she thought of her own father, loving and kind. Inside jokes developed over time, and it made Gwen weirdly happy that only Morgana would understand a certain string of emojis if it was sent her way. And they were hanging out more too, in ways that the time spent more like dates than simple hangouts, but she was happy in any case. Maybe it had to do with Christmas being just around the corner too, her favourite holiday.

“You’re smiling more,” Merlin told her one time they were working together. 

“I. It’s just things are really good right now. And you can’t tell me you aren’t feeling the same. I’ve seen you humming around the store.” 

“I’m working with my best friend! Of course I’m happy.”

“You also went to uni with me for four years and have never been like this. What’s going on?”

Merlin ducked his head sheepishly, tugging on one of his ears. 

“There might be something…with a guy.” 

“Merlin, that’s fantastic! Who is he? How did you meet?”

“Easy, I don’t know if it’ll turn out to be anything. I want to see where it goes before I tell you.”

“Fine, make me wait in suspense then,” Gwen accepted resignedly. 

“How about things with you and Arthur’s sister?” 

“Morgana? I mean, we’re really good friends now,” Gwen said, then felt a vibration from her mobile in her pocket. 

It was a text from Morgana, who’d sent her a meme from The Crown , the show they had taken to watching over at Morgana’s flat. She chuckled to herself, reacting with a crying eyes emoji, before looking back up at her friend. 

“Just friends?” Merlin questioned, eyebrows raised. 

She sighed, locking her mobile and putting it away. “Just friends.” 

Outside, the frost covered cars and snowflakes danced in the air to make London a true winter wonderland. It was magical-looking, but too cold to really enjoy, so Gwen stayed inside and invited Morgana over to make Christmas biscuits while Elena was over at Mithian’s. She insisted they wear aprons in the kitchen, but that didn’t stop the flour from getting in their hair. It made Morgana look a delightful mess, and Gwen’s heart beat two times faster whenever she looked at her. 

“This is so sweet, Gwen. And not just the bake,” Morgana mentioned, popping a sugar biscuit in her mouth. 

Gwen tutted disapprovingly, taking the tray away from the other woman’s fiendish fingers and packing them into the tupperware. 

“Don’t eat too much of them! I send them out to everyone, and there at least has to be enough for my father, brother, Merlin, Elena, Mithian, Sefa, Leon, Lance, Gwaine, Gaius, and Arthur.” 

“None for me?” 

“You’ve already had four tonight,” Gwen noted amusedly. 

Morgana gasped in mock offense.  

“It’s not my fault your baking is as sinfully delicious as your coffee.” 

As if to accentuate the point, she dipped her finger into another bowl of batter Gwen had set aside on the counter and brought it to her lips. 

“No! You’re going to contaminate the batter!” She joked, laughing as she crowded Morgana’s space to get to the bowl. “Do not stick that finger back in, Morgana, I swear to god!” 

It was a small kitchen, so as soon as Gwen got close, Morgana’s back hit softly against the wall and Gwen was mere inches from her. The fun, carefree energy suddenly became charged, and she found herself staring at the other woman’s lips. 

“You have flour in your hair,” Morgana noted, though her voice had gone quiet. 

“So do you.” 

Tentatively, her friend reached out her hand and ran her fingers through Gwen’s hair once. Not of her violation, Gwen’s eyes shut and she shivered at the sensation. 

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” Morgana murmured, withdrawing her hand. 

Gwen’s eyes snapped open, and she waited. 

“I wanted to see if you’d be interested in coming with me to Pendragon Inc.’s Christmas party,” Morgana chewed on her lip slightly. “As my plus one.” 

“Is this your father’s Christmas party? Isn’t he a bit of an ass?” 

“Yes, but unfortunately it’s one of those things I have to be at. Do you want to go with me?” 

Gwen considered. She wasn’t sure why there was such a nervous gleam in Morgana’s eyes, but perhaps it was just the anxiety the woman had about her father. If that was it, she’d absolutely go to support Morgana. 

“Well, if you want me there, I’ll be there.” 

“Really? Oh Gwen!” She surged forward, grabbing Gwen by the shoulders and kissing her on the cheek. “You are such a darling.” 

Gwen gaped. It was just then that the oven timer beeped, signaling another batch was ready. She watched Morgana with careful eyes, but she didn’t speak a word of the kiss for the rest of the night, so neither did Gwen.

Chapter Text

The thought of the party had Gwen slightly on edge. She had recruited Mithian earlier in the week to find a dress, since she was more used to these types of functions. The woman had been delighted upon hearing that Gwen was going as Morgana’s plus one and been extremely helpful in selecting what she was wearing now. The red bodycon dress with long sleeves stopped just a few inches above her knees and suited her figure, she thought, and paired well with the silver heels. Along with that, although she normally left her hair down, she pulled it up in a loose bun. 

It was not only thinking about the fact she would be among a bunch of rich, entitled people for hours, but that this was so close to what she wanted—going to a party as Morgana’s date. But she wasn’t the date. She was the friend going to help her friend, and she reminded herself that she could accept that. 

There was a December chill in the air, so Gwen was glad when a cab pulled up to the kerb. 

“You look amazing,” Morgana admired from her seat, as Gwen slid in and shut the door. 

“So do you,” Gwen responded in kind, taking in the woman’s off-the-shoulder emerald dress. 

Morgana smiled and told the cabbie the address, and the ride was fairly smooth from there. 

“We only need to be there for a few hours at most,” Morgana said. “I’m letting Arthur deal with all of the networking since that’s the only trait he has over me.”  

“Hmm, I’m not too sure about that. He was pretty rude to me the time I served him coffee.” 

“He was! Well, you can tell him off yourself when we get there.” 

The party itself was being held in a reserved ballroom in an elite hotel, somewhere Gwen wouldn’t even dream of staying. Once they got out of the cab, Morgana took her hand in hers, something that happened often enough now that Gwen didn’t even question it at this point. The minute they entered the room itself, she could sense the prestige and elegance it was trying to purport. It was elaborately Christmas-themed, with wreaths hanging from every pillar possible, candles on each table, and extravagant flower displays everywhere. Gwen was privately pleased she could name every flower, but it wasn’t too difficult, with red roses being front and center. 

Almost immediately after their entrance, an older man in a blue suit walked up to the two of them, heading towards Morgana specifically.

“Morgana? My, you’re all grown up now, aren’t you?”

With a scrutinizing gaze, she was able to tell he barely washed his hair and generally was the type of uncomfortable, oily man to avoid at all costs.   

“Uncle Agravaine, it’s a pleasure to see you,” Morgana replied, though it was clear it was anything but. 

“You as well, my dear. Now your father tells me you’ve been up to some impressive business in the last few quarters. Why don’t we chat about that?” Agravaine said, wrapping an arm around her waist and dragging her away from Gwen. 

Morgana threw back an apologetic look and mouthed be right back before turning to engage in conversation with her uncle. 

“Gwen, you’re here!” A familiar voice cried, and she whirled around to find no one else but—

“Merlin?” 

“Yeah, it’s me,” Merlin chuckled. 

He was sporting a standard black suit and had a half-empty champagne glass in one hand. 

“What are you even doing here?” She pointed out, the sight of Merlin in a fancy outfit nearly sending her into shock. This was the same friend who normally wore a tattered T-shirt and jeans back in university on a daily basis. “No offense, but this isn’t exactly your scene.” 

“It isn’t,” A man Gwen instantly recognized as Arthur admitted, and he threw one arm around Merlin’s shoulders. “But seeing as Merlin is my partner he has an obligation to attend these sorts of things.” 

“I didn’t even get a choice,” Merlin quipped. 

“You’re—this is the guy you’re seeing! Why didn’t you just tell me?” she admonished, smacking him on the arm. 

“In my defense, it’s a very recent thing! We only just had our first official date two weeks ago.” 

“He’s terrible about keeping secrets,” Arthur chided. “I had no idea he was interested in me until he wrote his number on my coffee cup one day.” 

“You weren’t taking the hints,” Merlin stressed. “They were subtle but there.” 

“Well, congratulations to you both. I’m very happy for you, Merlin,” Gwen told him wistfully. 

“I should give you congratulations with Morgana,” Arthur remarked. “She’s never had a steady partner in her life before now. I’ve never seen her happier than when she told me the news.” 

Like a pin dropping, she took a sharp intake of breath as she began to realize she was not completely understanding what was going on. 

“The news?” She repeated. 

Arthur was about to speak again when another cut him off. 

“Ah so you’re Morgana’s…girlfriend then?” a deeper voice asked. 

She spun around to find an older man, older than Morgana’s uncle, who had a face full of crinkled lines and was nearly bald. He carried an aura of arrogance and seemed like someone she would make fun of with her friends in university. 

“Yes! I mean, well, in what sense do you mean?” Gwen tried, grimacing as she did. 

The man raised a stern eyebrow, carrying the weight of silent judgment.

“I’d imagine you being my daughter’s plus one that it had entered into…that territory,” the man—who was most definitely Uther—waved his hand in a vague gesture Gwen. “You know, like Arthur and what’s his name…” 

“It’s Merlin,” Merlin stated tersely. 

“Right, yes of course,” he replied dismissively. “If you’re just friends, that’s more than fine with me, I’d prefer it. I’m not very up to date on these…well what younger people are considering ‘relationships’ per say. Everything’s so liberal these days. What’s the acronym for it now? L—”

“Father, how about we talk to some of the investors?” Arthur suggested, clearly as uncomfortable as Gwen and Merlin were at the moment. 

“Hmm? Oh yes, excellent idea,” he mused as they walked off to another corner of the room. 

“He’s the worst,” she said quietly once Uther was out of sight.  

“I know,” Merlin commiserated. “Can we talk for a moment?” 

When they were outside the doors of the room, he began, “You know you’re here as Morgana’s plus one? Her plus one ?” 

“Yes, Merlin, I know. I wouldn’t be here otherwise.” 

“Okay, but does she know you only think you’re friends?” 

“I…she invited me as a friend,” Gwen replied with uncertainty.  

“She did?” 

The stress of the situation made her snap: “Well, she didn’t tell me we were girlfriends!” 

There was a beat of silence before there was an audible clicking of heels on the floor, sounding further and further away. It could only be one person. The enormity of her mistake came crashing down on her in one single second. 

“Shit,” she swore, taking off her heels and starting in the direction of Morgana’s footfalls. She must have left her conversation with her uncle only to find her and Merlin talking like this. On her way after Morgana, she stopped, picked up a rose from one of the displays, and started running. 

“Morgana!” She called out. 

Ultimately, it took sprinting down a hall, two flights of steps and almost breaking her ankle before she found Morgana in an alcove in the lobby, eyes sheened over in tears. Gwen’s heart broke in her chest, and she hoped, desperately, that this could be fixed. 

“I’m sorry I misread signals,” the woman tearfully confessed. “You can leave if you want.” 

“No, no, no, Morgana, it’s not that at all,” Gwen pleaded. “You—You don’t have any idea how long I’ve liked you. How I’ve admired you. And when you came back into my life, that all came back. And more. Because now…now I know. I know how much I love you. And how long I’ve been in love with you. Because I think, it may have been from the first day we met.” 

With one hand she withdrew the rose, which she’d kept hidden behind her back, and extended it towards Morgana. She wasn’t sure if the reminder of their first meeting and the way it’d happened would work so she continued on, tears starting to gather in her own eyes:

“I’m sorry I didn’t realize what you were asking me at first. I thought all you wanted was a friend, but you have to know I would’ve said yes to being your date. Any time.” 

Morgana’s expression was blank as she took the flower from Gwen’s hand, setting it down gently on the floor. Then, in sudden quick movements, she was right in front of Gwen, hesitated for just a moment before they both leaned in, lips finding each other’s, pouring the passion and longing of years into a single kiss that took Gwen’s breath away. Eventually, they broke for air, and there was the feeling of a thousand butterflies fluttering in Gwen’s stomach. 

“Making you cry on our first date,” she said ruefully as she wiped away her now-girlfriend’s leftover tears. “I hope I haven’t ruined the whole night.” 

“You’re joking? After that speech? The night would’ve been a disappointment without it,” Morgana attested, cupping Gwen’s face between her hands. “Besides, you always know how to cheer me up, darling.”