Work Text:
Arthur shifted in his seat, staring at the clock at the front of the classroom, biting his lip anxiously.
It was a Tuesday afternoon, five minutes till the end of his Sociology class, with the teacher droning on about something he didn’t care much about.
Everything was as normal as it could be in Arthur’s life.
Except not that day.
Because he had made a promise to himself and to his friends who had been exasperatedly waiting for this moment, a promise that he had procrastinated on long enough that he needed to fulfill even if it required him to look like an idiot.
The promise?
To ask Merlin, the guy he had been crushing on for months, out on a date.
He had resolved to finally do it after the end of his Sociology class, knowing that Merlin was in the same class as him and he would have an excuse to go talk to him. Not to mention, his best mate, Leon, was in this class and he would never let Arthur live if he decided to chicken out last minute. (Leon seemed to be suffering the most out of everyone based on the glares he received most of the day and the audible sighs he could hear whenever Arthur stared longingly at Merlin, which happened to be quite often).
So, this was it. It was time for him to finally face this.
And after all the waiting and the tension and adrenaline he had been feeling all day, it felt almost nice to know he was finally going to do this.
He sighed, resigning to himself to his face.
He was ready.
The bell rang and time seemed to fully stop in front of him.
Oh, gods, he wasn’t ready.
Fuck.
For once in his life, he wished the class would never end because fuck, he couldn’t do this.
Was it too late for him to back out now?
Based on the daggers Leon was shooting him, it seemed as though it was.
He sighed, deciding to get it over with. At least, it would give him a reason to shut his friends up for once, especially when Merlin would embarrassingly reject him. (He ignored the pit in his stomach at the idea of being rejected).
He braced himself for the awkward conversation as he reluctantly walked towards him, preparing words in his head.
Hey Merlin, I kind of like you—
Nah, that was stupid.
Merlin, friend-o, hey—
Gods, could he sound any worse?
“Merlin,” he squeaked as his voice cracked. “How is–are you doing?”
Fuck, apparently he could absolutely sound worse.
Merlin, for his part, just grinned and raised an eyebrow. “I’m good,” he replied, replicating his squeaky voice crack and making Arthur blush profusely.
He grumbled to himself. “Glad to hear it,” he spoke under his breath.
Merlin grinned, clearly enjoying his frustration, and Arthur’s mouth twitched in an attempt to smile.
The conversation lulled and the pit in his stomach grew somehow, knowing what he would have to say and still dreading every moment before it. Arthur hid his shaking hands in his pockets as he swallowed, trying to find the courage within him to speak.
But before he could, Merlin beat him to it. “I was wondering, did you want to hang out later today? There’s a diner just outside of campus that I thought we could try.”
Arthur blinked once. Then twice.
“As a… friend thing?” Arthur asked, pretending to sound as nonchalant as Merlin did.
Merlin shrugged. “If you want it to be. I also don’t mind it being a date, as well.” And then the idiot did the one thing he least expected him to do.
He winked.
He goddamn winked.
He felt like he had stepped into an alternate universe or like, the Twilight Zone, because what the fuck?
“You’re–you’re asking me on a date?” he couldn’t help but sound incredulous because again, what the fuck?
Merlin smiled faintly, a look of concern in his eyes. “If that’s what you would want as well.”
Arthur barely had time to think before he was nearly hysterically shouting, “But–but I was supposed to ask you out! I was–I was so anxious and then you just”—he gestured wildly about as if that helped his case—“you just decided to say that so casually? Like ‘hey Arthur, lovely weather we’re having—oh by the way, let me just casually give you some life-altering news?’”
Merlin bit his lip clearly trying to hold back a laugh as he raised an eyebrow. “Sorry?” he said, sounding far more amused than apologetic.
Arthur, for his part, just opened and closed his mouth, truly flabbergasted. He couldn't believe that after all of that worrying, Merlin had just… gone and said it. And so casually, as if it had taken no energy.
The absolute bloody prick.
“As much as this is truly entertaining,” Merlin drawled, snapping Arthur out of his shock, “I do have another class after this so… is it a yes or a no?”
“I–uh,” Arthur stammered, having forgotten that he was meant to be answering a question. Finally, taking a deep breath, he couldn’t help but grin as he breathed out, “Yes, I’d like that.”
Merlin beamed and it was infectious as Arthur smiled right back. The shock was finally draining away, the realization that Merlin had asked him out on a date and that he had said yes finally sinking in.
His heart felt like it was about to burst and his cheeks hurt from smiling.
Gods, he was so fucked.
But, honestly, with the way Merlin was grinning at him, he wasn’t so worried about that anymore.
It seemed like he wasn’t the only idiot around after all.