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In the dim light of the wings, he exchanged a glance with partner; it was time. The final act of the night.
With a leap, he burst forth onto the stage, enveloped in crimson light as his feet snapped and stomped and his body swayed and snaked like the flames which decorated the fabric clinging to his skin. Holding out an arm, he beckoned to his partner, who twirled her way onto the stage.
Together, their heels clacked and cracked, and then they separated, her skirt billowing out in a whirl of gold and orange and red, and as the lights and the music cut out, they stilled, fire turned to ash.
One, two, three heavy breaths, and then the world erupted in applause.
Grasping his partner’s hand, he raised their arms and as one, they bowed. Then, the stage began to fill with the rest of their company, and one by one they all linked together, the appreciation of the crowd growing in response.
Well, I made it.
If only someone else had.
One Week Earlier
Merlin finished rinsing the remnants of his oatmeal down the sink, and then he put his bowl in the dishwasher. His sharp ears picked up the sound of his roommate stumbling into their tiny excuse for a kitchen, and he announced, “Your breakfast is on the table.”
He got a grunt in reply, and he turned in time to see Arthur slump listlessly into his chair. Crossing his arms, Merlin waited until Arthur had taken a few sips of coffee before clearing his throat. “There’s something else on the table for you, as well.”
With what must be half a waffle in his mouth, Arthur stared up at him blearily and then he looked back at the table, his eyes searching until they landed on the shiny slip of perforated paper. His face turned grim, and he worked to finish chewing with extra determination. When at last he’d swallowed, he looked at Merlin once more. “We’ve talked about this.”
“Right, I know. You have your internship, and finals, and you probably won’t make it. But just - just hold onto it, yeah? Just in case?” As much as Merlin would never admit it, he felt pathetic right now, practically having to beg Arthur to take the ticket. Ever since they’d been thrown together their first semester, Arthur had been the definition of dedicated - to everyone and everything but Merlin. And as much as he hadn’t wanted to, Merlin had fallen fast and hard. He would do anything for Arthur. He just wasn’t sure Arthur would do the same.
And now it was Merlin’s final performance in on the university stage, and all he wanted was for Arthur to come and see him. He had the lead part, and he had worked so hard to land it, practicing with Freya every chance he could before and after auditions. So for once, he wanted Arthur to be there for him - to support him.
Why was that too much to ask? Gwaine and Gwen had both promised they’d be there, and their schedules were just as full; not to mention that his mum had taken a day off from work to come and see him, even though he had told her she didn’t have to.
In the ensuing silence, Merlin felt his heart grow heavy, and at last he nodded, unsurprised but not unhurt. “Well. I don’t want to be late. See you later, Arthur.”
He walked away quickly, only pausing to scoop his bag off of the couch and his keys off of the little coffee table.
Even if Arthur wasn’t going to be there, hundreds of other people would be, and Merlin had every intention to make this his best performance yet.
Four Hours to Present
Things had been tense in the flat Merlin shared with Arthur for the whole week. They’d see each other for a few minutes here and there, but Merlin always made sure to be gone long before his roommate could broach the topic of the performance, or worse, the strained silence between them.
This afternoon, he had popped into their flat for a light snack before heading over to the auditorium. He’d seen Arthur sitting at the table, surrounded by coursebooks. Merlin had grabbed what he needed and popped right back out, not giving Arthur a chance to say goodbye.
Perhaps he was being petty, but Merlin was tired of reaching out and not being met halfway. He mulled it over as he walked along the familiar pathways, but when the art building came in sight, he pushed thoughts of Arthur aside, determined to focus on other things.
Tonight was his night, after all. For once, he wasn’t going to let anything take away from that.
Present
He saw his mother coming towards him, and he hurried forward to sweep her up in a hug. She fell into it gratefully, ignoring how sweaty he was after many years of practice. A moment passed, and then she pulled back in order to reach up and place her hand on his cheek. “You were wonderful, Merlin.”
“You think so?”
“I know so. And so does someone else.” She stepped away then, saying nothing in response to his open confusion.
Then Arthur was there, and Merlin was wrapping his fingers numbly around the bouquet which was pressed gently into his hands. “Hunith is right. You were amazing. And I nearly missed it. I’ve been an arse, Merlin. You’re always there for me, and I’m never there when you need me. I’m sorry.”
Merlin stared down at the flowers, struck dumb. He’d hoped for something - anything - but never actually thought that he would get it, and now that Arthur was standing here, waiting for him to say something, he simply could not find the words.
But maybe that was okay. Maybe they didn’t need words. Without taking the time to analyze it, Merlin threw his arms around Arthur, bouquet and all, and brought their mouths together.
For a heart-stopping moment, Arthur was frozen, and Merlin almost broke away, but then he felt Arthur kissing him back, and this, right here, was everything he had ever wanted.