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Arthur wakes up to the smell of coffee and bustling outside the room. A quick look at the clock on the wall tells him it's noon and he's slept more than he should have. After twenty-eight hours of working non-stop the first empty sleeper chair he found looked like heaven. He was going in for a fifteen minutes power nap, but it's been forty minutes since then. Panic wants to take over him until he realizes he doesn’t have any appointments until much later.
He stretches feeling the pull of his muscles and joints, the soreness and ache from having slept in a weird position more evident. At least he doesn't feel like he might faint from exhaustion at any given second anymore.
His eyes settle on a cup of coffee down on the floor next to his chair, he takes it gingerly filling his nose with the scent of roasted beans. Up close Arthur sees that the red cup has a drawing of a snowman with a scarf, hat and carrot-nose, and the words Hello, Arthur scrawled across it. Without giving it much thought he decides to take a sip, he's surprised to find that the coffee it’s exactly how he likes it. He'd think it's creepy and mildly stalkerish that someone in the hospital knows down to perfection how he takes his coffee, but his brain is still fogged up with sleep.
And anyways, aroune the holidays people tend to be nicer, they smile a bit more like they've smoothed down their hard edges for the time being. Especially in the hospital where bad news are an everyday occurrence and a smile or kind word can do wonders.
Anyone could've left him coffee taking pity on his passed out form crumpled over the chair, except...He knows that handwriting. He stares at the letters, yes, he's seen it many times before. He's sure.
He gathers himself, trying to pull his hair into a decent look but fails. Arthur stops by the nurses' station before making his rounds, catching a glimpse of dark hair amongst the others. He gives a smile in passing to Gwen who's too busy operating the phone.
“Merlin,” he says, clearing his throat.
He turns around, the grin on his face slipping. “Arthur,” he breathes out.
“I suppose I have to thank you for this,” Arthur declares shaking the cup.
“I--It was nothing,” Merlin responds, shrugging and crossing his arms, acting nonchalant.
“All right. Thank you anyway.”
Arthur stares at Merlin, Merlin stares back, each waiting for something that doesn't happen. They just stand there looking at each other like they’re trying to figure something out. Perhaps each other.
“I need to go, do things,” Arthur says, tapping his fingers against the cup.
“Oh. I guess I'll see you around?” Merlin says, cringing when his words come out as a question. He waits.
Arthur looks at him, really looks at him. Appraising. Wondering. “Sure.”
Arthur turns around, leaving Merlin to figure out what just happened.
"You are really terribly lousy at the whole secret admirer thing," Gwaine says coming up to stand in the way of Merlin watching Arthur walk away.
“I wasn't--” Merlin begins but is stopped by Gwaine’s hand over his mouth.
“Don’t. Your crush can be seen from miles away. We all have a bet going on.”
Merlin is mortified when Leon winks at him.
“Just remember, the next time you try to be secret anything or you want to declare your love: the key to success is to be inconspicuous.”