Work Text:
“Arthur! Have you seen my scarf?” Merlin called from the hallway.
Arthur, who had just finished getting dressed in their bedroom, frowned lightly while working on putting on his jacket, a sleek black one with a tan fleece lining that was perfect for this cold day. “Your scarf?” He remarked, looking down to button up his jacket.
“Yes, my dragon scarf. The dark green one with the flames coming from his mouth? Remember?” Merlin clarified, the noises coming from the hall signaling that he was looking.
Arthur was very familiar with the ratty, ugly and extremely long scarf Merlin loved to wear the moment it got cold enough to do so, like tonight. His boyfriend had owned that scarf since he was a kid, a gift from his father that was bought during some national football game in Wales. The scarf clearly wasn’t meant to last a year, never mind two and a half decades, since it was threadbare in some places, held together by bright green thread in others, it was slightly discolored in spots and Arthur was positive it made Merlin colder rather than keeping him warm.
He wanted badly to throw it out. Merlin deserved a much better scarf, in Arthur’s opinion. But, it was the last gift that Balinir ever got Merlin before the man passed away suddenly the following month, so he fully understood why Merlin refused to get rid of it.
That didn’t mean Arthur had to like the damn thing.
“It should be in the closet, no?” Arthur suggested as he finished buttoning up his jacket and walked over to the satchel he used for work, starting to unzip it.
“I’m already looking in the closet and it’s not there!” Merlin’s voice was a mixture of frantic and angry. He had every reason to be, but it was in there, he knew it. Arthur made sure —
His thoughts stopped as two black, plastic eyes stared up at him when he looked in his satchel, its mouth open to let flames escape.
To Arthur, though, the open mouth was mocking him, as if saying to him, “Forget to put me back, eh? He’s gonna be very upset with you.”
“Arthur! Where the fuck is my scarf?!” Merlin shouted, his voice angrier now as the sound of stomps were heard heading towards their bedroom. Before Arthur could even think, he quickly closed his satchel and looked up as the black-haired man stormed into the room.
Immediately, Merlin rolled his eyes, glaring at Arthur. “Seriously? I'm searching for my scarf so we can go to this fucking party I didn’t even want to go to and you’re more concerned with work? ” He snapped, crossing his arms as he gave Arthur the coldest glare he’d ever seen on the other. “Your priorities are really fucked up, Arthur.”
Arthur frowned, his instinct to argue back taking over and throwing all logic out the window. “To start with, you were the one that agreed for us to go to Gwaine’s party, not me. You seemed eager to go then and now you don’t want to go? What gives?” He asked, then continued without pausing, “And secondly, who said that I wasn’t looking for your scarf?”
“In your work bag?!” Merlin clarified incredulously, ignoring Arthur’s first question. “There’s no reason it would be in there! It’s always hanging in the closet, always!” After taking a few quick breaths, Arthur watched as Merlin’s face turned from angry to disbelief. “You threw it out.”
Arthur’s head spun as he tried to process Merlin’s accusation. He blinked at the other, confused. “What?”
“You threw it out. You hated that scarf, you always did. You kept telling me how ratty it was, how old it was, how it needed to be thrown out. Even after i told you why I kept it for so long, you kept complaining about it, every fucking chance you got!” Merlin’s hands were waving around, his face a mixture of emotions as he ranted. “You probably took it while I was at work and threw it out, didn’t you?”
Wait, what? Merlin thought he threw it out? No, no! He had it all wrong! “Merlin, no —” Arthur tried to explain.
“Didn’t you?!” Merlin repeated, glaring with tears in his eyes. “I bet whatever you bought instead is what’s in your work bag. That’s what you were getting when I walked in here, some…brand name, overpriced piece of shite you bought to replace it.”
Arthur let out a soft sigh and tried to go over to his boyfriend. “Merlin, please let me explain —”
“Don’t come near me!” Merlin snapped, stepping back and giving him another ice cold glare. Arthur stopped in his tracks, his heart twisting as he watched Merlin furiously wipe the tears that started falling before crossing his arms. “I want you to show me whatever overpriced piece of garbage you bought me after you threw out the only thing I have left to remind me of my Dad, then I want you to get the fuck out,” Merlin demanded, his voice shaky, yet firm. “We’re done, Arthur Pendragon. I can’t believe you’d throw out something that meant so much to me!” He hiccuped, then turned his head away and took a few deep breaths. “Show me, then leave.”
Arthur tried to ignore the painful drop he felt in his stomach, tried to ignore the way he felt his heart break when Merlin said they were done. Instead, carefully, He stepped back over to his satchel and unzipped it. “This is what I got you.” He lifted Merlin’s dragon scarf from his bag and unrolled it carefully, letting it hang from his hands. Arthur watched as Merlin looked over at him finally, then saw his eyes widen at the scarf.
Instead of the ratty and ugly scarf that had been long since ready for the trash Merlin used to have, it looked almost like how it looked back when Merlin first got it. Its color was back to its original vivid dark green and even sparkled in a few places. It was completely intact, no signs of wear, tear or even age. In gold cursive just above the head of the dragon were the words, “Love, Dad”.
Arthur cleared his throat, trying to keep his emotions in check long enough to see Merlin’s reaction. “I understand how much it means to you and while you do deserve something better, I would never force you to take something else and leave it behind. So, I…I found a seamstress who restores worn clothing, such as your scarf. She does amazing work, I looked at her reviews everywhere I could. It took a while to do, but…I got it back the other day. I completely forgot to hang it in the closet,” Arthur recounted. “I’m sorry I upset you by taking it without letting you know, but I wanted to surprise you. If you still want me to leave, I understand, but please know that —”
“You did that for me?” Merlin asked quietly, walking forward until he was in front of Arthur, the scarf just inches from him. “You got it restored..for me? Even the embroidery?” Surprise and shock was etched on his face, and Arthur hoped that was a good sign.
“You mean everything to me, Merlin. I did it for you, because I love you and I know how much this scarf means to you. I wanted to be sure you could keep it for years to come and be warm at the same time. The embroidery was…to hopefully remind you that your Dad loves you, even now.” He fiddled with his thumb ring, his mother’s wedding ring, for a moment in an attempt to relax and took a deep breath. Arthur then held out the scarf and offered a shaky smile to the other. “I hope that’s okay.”
Wordlessly, Merlin took the scarf in his hands and looked at it for a long moment before he held it against his chest and let out a sob. Instantly, Arthur reached out and pulled Merlin into a one-armed hug, keeping Merlin close to his chest as he cried, while Arthur let out a few tears he’d been holding back.
“I’m sorry,” Merlin finally hiccuped out after a minute or so, looking up at Arthur with tears rolling down his face. “I’m sorry I got so mad, I’m sorry I thought you threw it out, I’m so sorry I broke up with you before hearing you out, I’m so sorry —” He sobbed, lowering his head again and clutching the scarf to his chest.
Arthur, still teary-eyed himself, gave a gentle smile to Merlin and used the tips of his fingers to gently lift his chin up until they were eye to eye. “It’s okay. It’s okay. Do you still want me to leave?” He asked gently, his voice calm and shaky. At Merlin’s quick head shake, he leaned in and kissed his cheek. “Everything’s okay, Merlin. We’re okay, everything’s going to be okay.”
Merlin sobbed again and leaned in, capturing Arthur’s lips in a sweet, loving kiss. After returning the kiss, Arthur broke away and pressed their foreheads together. “Why don’t I let Gwaine know we’re not feeling well and we can spend the night in?” He suggested.
At that, the black-haired man shook his head and wiped his eyes with his hand. “No, Arthur, it’s o-okay, we can g-go,” Merlin tried to say, his voice still wobbly and hiccuping a little. “I-I didn’t mean what I said earlier, ’m o-kay —”
“Merlin,” Arthur interrupted, his voice gentle and steady. He cupped Merlin’s cheek and shook his head. “Neither of us are in any state to go anywhere, never mind party. Let’s just stay in, eat our weight in sugar and watch Netflix or something, yeah?”
After a long moment, Merlin nodded once and swallowed a few times. “I’m so sorry.” He looked up at Arthur, tears in his eyes still. “I love you. I swear I do.”
Arthur, a few tears still in his own, just gave him a small smile and wiped Merlin’s face with his jacket sleeve. “I know, Clotpole. I love you too.”