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"Damnit!" Merlin pushed back in his chair and groaned at his computer screen, which displayed an array of uncovered mines and the signature yellow dead frowny-face. He knew Minesweeper was hard—he loved a good challenge—but he had been at this for hours. The intense search for the perfect minefield exhibition had his mind trapped, and the endless number of rounds he played were lost to time.
It took a familiar jingle of keys at the door to snap the blond out of his trance, and he blinked to feel the sting of his dry, hurting eyes.
“Hey, Merlin? You home?” Watery footprints trailed behind the Drowned as he shut the door behind him and dragged himself into the living room, the thud of heavy, dirty boots drawing closer and closer.
“Siren, boots off in the house, remember?” Merlin deadpanned while rubbing his temples. “You’re leaving water everywhere.”
“It rained outside. I can’t not bring in water,” Siren said as he took off his waterlogged boots, “plus, have you seen me?” The Drowned zombie brushed back his soggy, dark hair and readjusted his glasses before walking over to his seemingly irritated boyfriend.
“You alright?” He asked. Merlin looked over at him from the computer and shrugged.
“Is that Minesweeper? I love that game!” Siren leaned in closer, looming over the blond. “Have you won any yet?”
“I’m not trying to win, I’m trying to pick out the perfect field and none of them look right.” Merlin explained blandly.
“What do you mean?”
“You remember that field I told you about, right? Next the pillager outpost? Raiden and I are gonna turn it into a minefield. The only issue is that we need a reference for the landmine placement.” He dragged his mouse across the screen and started a new game.
“How much TNT do you plan on placing?”
“Mmm… as many as I set up. Raiden dropped off all the supplies earlier, about two large chests worth, I think.” Siren smiled warmly and ruffled his partner’s hair.
“Alright, let me know if you’d like my help, and don’t overexert yourself. I’d like to treat you to dinner.”
“I don’t think you paid attention to my stove lessons enough to do that, plus we already have leftover chicken in the fridge.” Merlin looked up from his computer. “ Plus plus, you won’t be cooking in the kitchen without me.”
“Oh? But you’re busy working, are you not?” Siren asked as he crept towards the kitchen. Merlin spun around in his chair to face the other, determined to keep him away.
“Wait! You don’t even know where my cookbooks are!”
“On the bookshelf, top right. We organized the books by genre.”
“You… you don’t know what ingredients we have!”
“We have an abundance of this season’s crops, you told me this on Saturday.”
“It’s Wednesday, I went to the village and traded.” Siren raised a brow in confusion.
“...It’s Monday?”
The two men stared at each other in silence and uncertainty. Merlin awkwardly scratched the back of his neck and shrugged.
“…maybe that's why their prices were so off today..?”
“Alright, that does it.” With a smirk, Siren snatched the blond out of his chair and hauled him over his shoulder, carrying him into the living room and tossing him onto the couch.
“SIREN WHAT THE HELL?!” Ignoring his protests, the Drowned grabbed a nearby blanket and draped it over him gently.
“Relax, easy now. You need a break.” He said softly as he planted a kiss on Merlin’s forehead. “I’ll handle dinner tonight and once I’m done I’ll come back to you.”
“I’m not tired, I don’t need this! I have work!!”
“Oh please, your eyes look dryer than the Badlands. Work can wait, so lie down and rest a bit before I make you. Remember that pillow we have stuffed with bricks?”
“…You wouldn’t.”
Siren moved to the end of the couch and eyed the pillow before looking back at his boyfriend and his now shit-eating grin. “You’re right. I wouldn’t,” he smiled as he left the living room. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.”
Merlin grumbled to himself as he got comfortable under the blanket and stared up at the ceiling, taking in the sounds of the stove heating up and the scent of leftover chicken leaving the fridge.
“You’re gonna burn the kitchen down!” He groaned out loud and turned onto his side, forcing his eyes shut as he breathed in deeply. God, he felt tired.
Even then, his mind refused to let him go down that easily.
I was doing so well, why did he stop me? I just need a little more time and then I can draw out the perfect field, then I gotta get to work on the TNT, there’s only so much time until the pillagers come back and if they’re back then we won’t be able to set up the field in time and I’m running out of time I only have a few days why can’t I-
With or without carrots?
“Huh?”
“I said, ‘with or without carrots?” Siren’s voice echoed from the kitchen. Merlin blinked and rubbed his eyes as he peeked over the couch to where his partner stood. He had just finished chopping up vegetables and sliding them into a boiling pot.
“Uh, with, and what are you making?”
“Only the finest of meals for the bravest of men,” he replied, holding up a pot with triumph, “chicken noodle soup!”
The Drowned’s sudden enthusiasm sent Merlin rolling his eyes and snickering at him while sinking back into the couch cushions. How Siren would give anything to see the blond smiling, safe, and not out there doing something reckless- at least not without him present. Seeing Merlin in general made Siren’s (undead) heartbeat a little faster, especially since he knew how the scientist spent most of his days and nights; cooped up in his workshop and tinkering with redstone contraptions, 24/7, 365. Siren couldn’t remember the last time they were in the same area together outside of the workshop, but he made sure to cherish every moment. Chopping vegetables included.
Merlin laid sprawled out on the couch, gazing tiredly around the living room while trying not to fall asleep. He traced the patterns of the curtains in his head as if he were counting sheep, and it had nearly distracted him from his Minesweeper craze- though it wouldn’t hurt to take just a short break, right? Something inside him must’ve agreed because before he knew it, he was finally taking a well-needed nap.
Moments later, he was reawakened by Siren adjusting the radio, and two bowls of homemade chicken noodle soup sitting on the coffee table. Merlin sat up and grabbed a bowl when Siren plopped down right beside him, pulling some of the blanket along with him.
“Hey, you’re sitting on the blanket!”
“We’re sharing it now, Goggles.” As soon as the two got comfortable, Merlin leaned closer into Siren, resting his head on the other’s shoulder and finally relaxing right beside him. Sharing a meal while lying under a warm blanket with his partner wasn’t how Merlin expected his evening to go, but at last, he felt at peace.
“So, how do you pick out the ‘perfect field’ from a Minesweeper game?” It was that single question from the Drowned that flipped the conspiracy switch back on in Merlin’s mind. He sprung up, startling his own bowl of soup as he turned to Siren with a wide grin.
“Well look, if you think about it this way…”
Where there is peace, there is always chaos as well.