Fic: Fridge Communication
Title: Fridge Communications
Pairing: Merlin/Arthur
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 5697
Summary: Modern AU in which Merlin and Arthur communicate via magnetic letters on the fridge and reveal some interesting things about their relationship.
Notes: This was originally going to be a quick, short, fun little story. Then it ate my brain and I ended up making pictures of magnetic letter messages and writing far more than I intended. Yay?
Fridge Communication
They could never remember whose idea the magnetic letters were, or who bought them. Both Merlin and Arthur claimed the credit but Morgana was insistent she was the one who had given them the box of brightly coloured plastic letters as a house-warming present. Gwen hadn't claimed credit but as she had thought they were a brilliant gift both Arthur and Merlin were pretty sure she thought it had been Morgana.
Whoever was responsible for them, for weeks they sat in the box unused, and unnoticed, in the kitchen cupboard. They could well have been there since Merlin and Arthur first moved into the new, bigger house. As Merlin had had to do all the unpacking it had taken a long time and six months on there were still boxes lurking all over the house; in the bedrooms, the offices and the kitchen. The magnetic letters were in one of these boxes.
They would probably have stayed there, in their box, lost and forgotten, however Merlin knocked the box over when he was reaching for a bottle of vinegar one Saturday night. The letters fell out of the box and tumbled across the floor, spreading out in front of him. That gave Merlin an idea. Forgetting the vinegar he began to pick them up and carefully arranged them on the fridge.
The next morning Arthur, still half asleep as it was the weekend, wandered to the fridge to get some milk. He paused in front of the fridge door. On the door were some bright, plastic letters. It took him a little longer to work out that they were spelling something out.
Merlin! It had to be. Arthur debated what he should do. Wake Merlin up by throwing a jug of cold water at him? Make sure there was no hot water left for his shower? Hide his clothes and/or towels? No Arthur had a much better idea. He was after-all an expert in the art of warfare, even if this was about to be magnetic letter warfare. He located the box of letters on the kitchen table and began to make a few changes.
By the time Merlin had got up Arthur had already been up, and had breakfast, before going out for a run and a gym session followed by his morning fencing training. Arthur took a great deal of pride in being at the peak of physical condition and Merlin wasn't one to complain, just as long as Arthur didn't drag him along every morning. Fencing wasn't something Merlin was skilled at, even aided by magic.
He did wish that he had been present for Arthur's reaction to the message he had left on he fridge though. It was then he noticed that the letters on the fridge had changed. His own message was gone and there was a reply in its place.
Merlin smiled. Arthur had clearly entered the spirit of the magnetic letters. Even if he had got it a little wrong. He took off some letters and replaced them. No doubt Arthur would see the result when he got back. Merlin wondered how long it would take him to notice.
As it turned it turned out it didn't take him long. Arthur's priorities when he got back were to see if Merlin had responded to the message he'd left and to make a cheese and ham sandwich. Both these things required him to go to the fridge so, after throwing his bag in the hall for Merlin to deal with later, Arthur headed into the kitchen.
It seemed that, yes, Merlin had seen his message and had decided to edit it.
Arthur wondered about the accuracy of that statement. Anyone who put the coloured laundry in with Arthur's white shirts, causing him to wear pink shirts for a week, wasn't a genius as far as Arthur was concerned. Still, at least Merlin had got the joke. Unfortunately Merlin had not got the butter when he'd done the weekly shop and so Arthur had to make his sandwich without it. So, he left Merlin a message.
Merlin was aware of Arthur's return from the gym bag dumped carelessly in the hallway. He would deal with it later. Although quite why Arthur still trusted him with the household chores Merlin didn't know. The last set of laundry he'd done he'd mixed coloureds with Arthur's white shirts and Arthur had ended up with pink shirts; which he'd had to wear until he could buy new ones or Merlin changed them back with magic. It hadn't escaped Merlin's notice that Arthur still wore the 'ruined' shirts.
He went through into the kitchen to find Arthur seated at the table chewing on his usual post-gym sandwich. He had a strange look on his face. It was the same look he got just before Merlin's towels mysteriously went missing whilst he was in the shower. With an incline of his head Arthur indicated the fridge, mouth too full of sandwich to really speak to Merlin.
So Merlin went over to the fridge and sure enough there was a message from Arthur.
Merlin rolled his eyes. It was only Arthur who ever ate the butter, Merlin preferred Flora. It wasn't his fault that Arthur was very greedy when it came to dairy and/or meat products. Besides the shopping list was always pinned on the fridge for a couple of days before Merlin went shopping so Arthur could add things he wanted to it. It was his own fault he hadn't put butter on it.
There really was only one thing to do. Merlin reached for the box of letters and began to carefully edit the message Arthur had left.
Arthur was aware that Merlin had seen his message. He was also aware that Merlin was now making one of his own. He concentrated on his sandwich, waiting until Merlin had finished before he looked. It was silly; Merlin could just say something to him, no doubt some sort of witty retort would come to his mind. Yet there was something a little bit fun about this.
It was silly, yes, but noticing the grin on Merlin's face as he left the kitchen, Arthur found himself smiling. Silly, yes, but also amusing. Which was probably why Arthur was smiling when he went to see what Merlin had put on the fridge.
Okay, so it was Arthur who used the butter, but Merlin did the shopping and really he should be checking the fridge for what supplies they needed. He seemed to rely far too much on a list that couldn't be deciphered by any human mind alive. Merlin's handwriting was appalling. At least with the magnetic letters Arthur had no trouble reading what Merlin was trying to say.
He was aware of Merlin's head peaking around the kitchen door, obviously he was waiting for Arthur to respond. Arthur swallowed the last bit of his sandwich and grabbed some different letters. It was rather obvious what his response should be.
Merlin watched carefully from the kitchen doorway. Arthur was busy putting a reply on the fridge door. Indeed, Merlin could probably guess already what Arthur was going to put, but still there was a lot of fun in the anticipation of finding out if he was right or not. Of course he knew Arthur so well that he was right. As soon as he took a look at the fridge he knew it.
Some things never changed, Merlin thought. And Arthur never really changed either. Arthur wasn't even going to leave the kitchen this time. He was sat at the table pretending to read the newspaper but, as he'd been reading the page about the kitten rescued from dishwasher for the last half hour, Merlin doubted Arthur was actually paying much attention to the words in front of him.
Still, apart from occasionally feeling Arthur glancing his way, Merlin wasn't being watched. He kept parts of Arthur's message. It was much quicker that way. The letters were now also haphazardly scattered on the side next to the fridge as well as in the box, so Merlin soon found the ones he was looking for. When he had finished he gave a subtle cough.
Arthur turned around at the sound of Merlin coughing, he wasn't very subtle. He had decided to wait in the kitchen whilst Merlin did his reply. He didn't really want to move out of his chair. Plus, there was a very interesting article in the newspaper about a poor kitten that had been rescued from a dishwasher. It was the sort of thing Merlin liked; small furry creatures in distress and Arthur wondered if he had read this article.
However, now he had other things to read, such as Merlin's message on the fridge. He came over to look at it and, this time, Merlin hadn't moved but was standing back observing his handiwork. Arthur leaned over his shoulder to read it.
Giving Merlin a look that he hoped passed for 'Oh really, Merlin', Arthur casually reached around him and grabbed a few letters to change the message. He was pressed right up against merlin but he didn't feel uncomfortable at all. He was well aware that Merlin was watching his hands. It was a bit awkward to make a new message with Merlin standing there, and having to work around him, but Arthur was determined and having too much fun to care.
He finished lining up the letters and pulled his hands back to allow Merlin to read it.
"I'm not unoriginal," Merlin said, almost startling Arthur by speaking. "I just tell the truth."
"Merlin, you put you were a genius," Arthur replied.
"Exactly; the truth."
Arthur rolled his eyes and put a hand on Merlin's shoulder. "Well, if you're such a genius perhaps you can use magic to turn my shirts back to white."
Merlin smiled. "But pink suits you."
"That's why I think we should buy you some pink shirts." Although Arthur had to admit Merlin was right; he did make pink shirts look good. "But now you need to sort out my gym bag."
Merlin sighed, although the actual sigh came off more amused than annoyed. "And what are you going to do?"
It wasn't as if Merlin didn't already know Arthur's routine. "I'm going to finish writing the report for my father on Camelot's half yearly profits."
"Have fun then," Merlin said, cheerily.
Somehow Arthur thought Merlin would have more fun sorting out smelly gym socks than he would sorting out his family's publishing company's endless number crunching.
It was several days before the magnetic letter conversation continued. During that time Arthur and Merlin did various things together; including falling asleep on each other on the couch after watching a late night film. They went to the gym together and Merlin spent the rest of the day nursing his sore muscles. Then there was the trip to a restaurant. If they didn't know any better they might even suggest they were dating, of a fashion.
However, the lure of the fridge could not be ignored for long. As it was, it was Merlin who reignited the magnetic letter warfare. He couldn't really resist after he had seen the outcome of his and Arthur's last discussion. Especially given what he found when he went into the fridge to get the tub of Flora.
Arthur didn't notice the message on the fridge until he came home from the office. He'd wandered into the kitchen to find Merlin hard at work cooking something. What that something was, he wasn't sure he wanted to know, but he knew he'd find out soon enough. Merlin's cooking skills weren't much better than his laundering skills but they couldn't afford to eat out or order takeaways every evening. Besides, Arthur clung onto the faint hope that Merlin was improving with practice.
After greeting Merlin he headed to the fridge for a glass of milk; something that would settle his stomach before he had to taste Merlin's efforts at preparing edible food. He stopped before he opened the door and looked at Merlin who was grinning back at him.
Merlin was pleased to see Arthur's reaction to him cooking wasn't greeted with the usual comment about its lack of edibility. He was pretty sure this time he'd got the recipe right. After-all, this was his fifth attempt at spaghetti and meatballs and now he had discovered you could buy pre-pared sauces it seemed a lot simpler. Now Arthur was studying the fridge door.
It appeared that his message amused Arthur, who offered Merlin a smile. He was already rearranging the letters for a reply. Merlin turned back to the sauce instead of watching Arthur, a hard decision but he felt that Arthur probably wouldn't appreciate their meal burning. He stirred the sauce a few times until he heard a cough from Arthur.
Merlin looked over and Arthur helpfully opened the fridge door to display the message so Merlin could see it from his position by the stove. It seemed Arthur had only one thing on his mind.
The smell of the food Merlin was cooking was surprisingly enticing to Arthur, who felt his stomach rumble. That was probably why he'd put the message he had on the fridge. It hadn't been too much of an effort for him to pop to the shops one lunchtime and buy butter. He'd even managed to find the right brand. Of course, he wasn't going to make a habit of buying his own butter, and he hoped Merlin realised that.
It seemed Merlin realised something as he raised his hand and muttered a few words. With a flash of gold in his eyes Merlin changed the letters on the fridge, not even having to step away from the stove to do so. It seemed magic could be very handy when it came to rearranging magnetic letters on a fridge door. At least it saved their food from being burnt.
Arthur closed the fridge door so he could see the message that Merlin had left.
Despite Arthur's best attempts to conceal his rumbling stomach Merlin had heard it. It was no surprise really. Arthur used up a lot of calories with going to the gym, fencing and walking to the shops to buy butter during his lunch hour. It was easy to rearrange the letters with magic to reflect his fact.
Arthur was now looking into the fridge, possibly looking for a snack, or something in case Merlin's cooking efforts went wrong. It was then that Merlin realised that Arthur might notice there was something missing. He hadn't had time today to do any shopping and Arthur was bound to notice the empt space in the fridge.
A few moments later Arthur was rearranging the letters on the fridge again and Merlin was in doubt that, yes, Arthur had noticed. When he showed Merlin his new message he did so with a slight scowl.
Arthur wondered why Merlin had eaten his cheese. It wasn't something that Merlin did. He didn't like cheese that much, well, not as much as Arthur. However, it just wasn't very thoughtful of Merlin to eat the cheese without even asking. Arthur hoped that the letter message conveyed his displeasure at Merlin's actions.
It seemed to as Merlin looked a little bit guilty, but he didn't say anything. He just raised his hands and rearranged the letters. With magic it took no time at all. Almost as quickly as if Merlin had opened his mouth and spoken the words.
Merlin was feeling a little bit guilty at eating Arthur's cheese; he wasn't even that fond of cheese, but the sell by date had been that date and the last he wanted was to have the cheese stinking out the fridge. That had happened when Arthur had brought home some very fancy French cheese and had forgotten it was there. It had taken Merlin weeks to get the smell out of the fridge and it had lingered in the kitchen for days afterwards.
However, now he could see that perhaps he could have used the cheese in the meal he was making. However, he hadn't read the recipe at that point. Even so he could see that Arthur must have had a similar idea as he read the reply Arthur had made on the fridge. He was getting a lot quicker at this.
Arthur was sure that the best before date on the cheese was today. They could both have had some along with the spaghetti that Merlin appeared to be cooking. Or at the very least they could have had a couple of cheese sandwiches as a starter, or a snack.
Merlin hoped that Arthur could see his apology was sincere. He was sorry that he had eaten all Arthur's cheese. Not that there had been much left but he knew how Arthur liked it. Still, he was already formulating a plan to fix things, apart form his apology. Their meal was nearly ready anyway and he sorted some plates out whilst Arthur finished off leaving him another message.
He heaped food onto the plates and put them on the table, ready to eat. Arthur came over and sat down and Merlin peered at the fridge. He couldn't help but smile when he saw Arthur's reply.
Arthur was smiling back and the cheese incident was pretty much forgotten.
After that they sat down to a meal of spaghetti and meatballs dished up by Merlin. It wasn't burnt and was more than edible. It was so tasty that Arthur asked for a second helping. They talked about the usual things during the meal; how their respective days had gone which consisted of Arthur's latest board meetings and Merlin's attempts to meet the deadline for his next best selling children's book about King Arthur and his wizard Merlin.
They were normal things, the sort of things they talked about daily, and the things that didn't involve rearranging magnetic letters, yet there was a sense of fun pervading the meal. There didn't seem anything the least bit odd in the two of them wiping tomato sauce from each other's chins or dividing the last meatball. It was domestic, it was nice.
It was a couple of days before they went back to some communication by magnetic letters on the fridge door, and again it was Merlin who started it up, as Arthur noticed when he returned home for lunch on as Thursday afternoon.
As Arthur wandered to to kitchen he noticed the house was very quiet. Merlin was probably in the office, no doubt working on his illustrations. Once he got into the flow of it he was so focussed he probably wouldn't notice the house blowing away, let alone Arthur coming home. So Arthur was alone when he noticed that Merlin had been doing other things that morning, including rearranging the letters on the fridge.
Not that he didn't trust Merlin but Arthur still opened the fridge to check. True to his word, well his magnetic letter message, Merlin had bought more cheese. In fact a selection of cheeses. There was some Cheddar, some Cheshire, some Wensleydale and even a bit of Brie. All of Arthur's favourites in fact. Arthur chose the cheddar to make himself a cheese sandwich with. There was even an extra packet of butter.
Such care and attention on Merlin's part to Arthur's taste in dairy products obviously deserved a thank you. As he ate his sandwich and drank a glass of milk (Merlin had even got a couple more pints) Arthur wondered about disturbing Merlin to thank him. However, last time he had done that Merlin had put one black line in the wrong place and had had to redo the whole illustration.
Glancing back at the fridge Arthur realised there was a much better way of conveying his message.
It was around three in the afternoon when Merlin took a break. He'd finished a particularly nice illustration of King Arthur falling off his horse and now felt he should reward himself with some food. He'd missed lunch and he realised he'd missed Arthur coming home.
Well, that was what he thought when he saw there was a new message on the fridge, and he was pretty sure burglars weren't given to making messages out of magnetic letters, especially not ones that mentioned his name.
It appeared his earlier trip down to the shops had yielded a reward. He smiled at the current fridge message.
Contrary to what Merlin might have told other people Arthur did thank him but it was perhaps less regularly than anyone else would. So there was something special in having Arthur write him a thank you in magnetic letters. It made Merlin feel warm, wanted, maybe even a little loved.
Feeling less hungry, and more than a little giddy, Merlin arranged the letters on the fridge again. He did think it probably was a little bit silly to refer to himself in the third person in communications written in magnetic letters on a fridge door, but then Arthur seemed to like it. As long as Arthur was joining in Merlin didn't see any harm in it.
Stepping back to admire his work Merlin smiled. Feeling inspired he grabbed a packet of crisps and a glass of water and went back to drawing Merlin the wizard helping King Arthur onto his horse.
When Arthur got home he found he had a new routine. A few weeks ago he would get in, yell for Merlin and then get changed. Sometimes he'd read the paper, or watch the TV, but generally he got home, got changed, perhaps eat something Merlin had prepared and went off to the gym. Now though his routine was, as soon as he got in, to head to the kitchen; and the fridge.
Sure enough when he got there he was not disappointed.
He had already enjoyed the cheese earlier that day but presumably Merlin hadn't noticed yet. It didn't surprise Arthur as Merlin hadn't noticed when they'd needed more butter. The only time Merlin really looked in the fridge was for chocolate, fruit juice or vegetables, or occasionally Flora, in that order. In fact Arthur was pretty sure the only cheese Merlin ate was cheese about go off.
Still he deserved a reply. Arthur had enjoyed the cheese and was sure he would enjoy the rest of it. This time he might even suggest that they share a bit. He'd go to the shops tomorrow lunchtime and buy some crackers for the purpose. It was only fair. Now though he had to make his approval known to Merlin.
He had only just finished his reply when Merlin, hands stained with ink and paint, came into the kitchen. Arthur waited for him to notice the message on the fridge, coughing as Merlin first headed for the sink.
Merlin turned toward the fridge and his face seemed to light up.
Merlin had wondered if Arthur had already had some of the cheese. As he had been home at lunchtime it wasn't a huge leap of logic to assume Arthur had been in the fridge. Somehow Merlin thought that Arthur would have checked the cheese was there anyway, and once he had he would have eaten some. Arthur could never resist a nice bit of cheese.
Arthur was smiling at him, an open genuine smile. Merlin smiled back and looked at the letters of the fridge. He was getting very good at using his magic to rearrange them as he wanted. He wouldn't be telling Arthur he had had a few practices whilst Arthur was at work. It was much better Arthur think he was skilled enough to be able to do it flawlessly first time.
It was handy though, as it saved him getting ink and paint on the letters and/or the fridge. Some of the stuff Merlin used for his illustrations was very difficult to get off surfaces without the use of magic. Arthur was fussy about wanting a clean fridge anyway.
After he had rearranged the letters he caught a look a pleased look on Arthur's face and went back to washing his hands in the sink.
Arthur took in the message that Merlin had so deftly arranged.
It really was ridiculous to feel this happy about being bought cheese and leaving messages in magnetic letters on the fridge, but for once Arthur's sensible nature was beaten. He could feel his palms slightly sweaty as he reached for the letters. He focused on arranging them, not wanting to catch Merlin's eyes before he could reveal his message.
He rubbed his palms on his trousers as he finished. Standing up he saw Merlin leaning against the sink, drying his hands. At first Merlin's face seemed impassive, unreadable, but within a moment it changed to delight as he focussed on Arthur's message.
Not that Merlin had ever really doubted it, but he appreciated Arthur admitting it. It was perhaps an unusual way of admitting it but even so; Arthur liked him, actually liked him. The thought danced about in Merlin's head and it was all he could do not to laugh out loud with the joy of it.
Such was his giddy feeling of happiness he was barely aware of his magic making a slight change to the letters on the fridge. It was only when he saw Arthur smiling at him with something extra that he noticed what he'd done.
They broth broke out into happy laughter and, after a moment of awkwardness, Arthur came over and put an arm around Merlin. Leaning froward into it Merlin put an arm around Arthur turning it into a semi-hug. Arthur didn't even complain when the wet towel Merlin was grasping made his shirt damp.
Neither of them made an attempt to change or alter the message. They just left it there as Arthur went upstairs and got changed and Merlin started on the evening meal. They had visitors coming around and, given his success with spaghetti and meatballs, Merlin had the courage to try another pasta dish on their friends; Morgana and Gwen. Arthur had forewarned them that they would be guinea pigs for Merlin's cooking but they had still seemed keen to come.
It was something of a triumph for Merlin in the end. Even though he was sure he had put too much basil into the sauce nobody said anything. Gwen said it was 'lovely' and Morgana said it was the best example of Merlin's cooking she'd tasted. Even Arthur said that it tasted as good as a restaurant dish. Merlin had just blushed and missed the knowing look between Morgana and Gwen.
At one point Morgana left the table to get a glass of water. Neither Merlin or Arthur thought about the message they had left on the fridge and, even after Morgana had come back and winked at them, they hadn't realised. Nor when she whispered something to Gwen, who had looked at them and blushed.
It was only after the girls had left, and Merlin and Arthur both went into the kitchen to wash the dishes, that they became aware. It was Merlin who noticed the letters on the fridge had changed and were spelling something out.
"Erm, Arthur," he said, pointing at the message, ambling over to the fridge for a closer look to make sure he hadn't misunderstood.
It wasn't hard to guess who was responsible.
"Morgana," Arthur said. "Who does she think she is, coming in here and putting that on our fridge?"
"A friend?" Merlin ventured. It was a pretty bold statement, even if he did want it to be true. To Merlin's mind it wasn't a bad thing.
"If friend interferes with other friends' love lives," Arthur replied. "How we feel is no business of hers."
Merlin found there was a familiar warm presence at his back as he looked at the fridge. "How we feel?"
"Merlin, you really are an idiot," Arthur said, pulling Merlin away from the fridge to face him.
Just like that they were kissing. After they would never agree who kissed who first. Arthur was convinced it was him and Merlin, well, Merlin, was convinced it was his idea. No matter whose idea it was, they both agreed it was a good one, as they seemed to keep kissing each other; slightly awkwardly as they learned how the other liked it. Practice was making perfect though, as Arthur suckled at Merlin's lip and was rewarded with a little hint of a moan.
Of course, no matter how much passion they had, kissing standing up in the kitchen had its limits. Arthur found he was now facing the fridge and was surprised he hadn't actually got Merlin pressed right up against it to take advantage. It was then he noticed that Merlin had rearranged the letters whilst they had been kissing.
He smiled. "Did you make my bed this morning?" Arthur asked.
Merlin nodded. "Of course I did."
"Good." He took Merlin's hand and pulled him out of the kitchen and up the stairs.
“What's wrong with using my bed?" Merlin asked as they stumbled into Arthur's room.
"Yours is a single," Arthur pointed out and, to stop Merlin even thinking about arguing, he kissed him again.
They found out that Arthur's bed was more than big enough for the two of them. Arthur already had a few ideas of what they could with Merlin's old room as there was no way he was going to let then go back to separate sleeping arrangements.
A couple of days later, having informed Morgana and Gwen of the happy news by phone, they invited their friends round to celebrate. Morgana was convinced she was the magic matchmaker who had got them to admit their feelings. They both denied it, which was how the argument about how had bought the magnetic letters had started. However Gwen had diffused the situation by turning the discussion into congratulations for Arthur and Merlin.
The evening went well. Arthur found it ridiculously easy to hold Merlin's hand, or pat his knee, or casually put an arm around him. It felt right and it was fun to see Merlin trying to work out of he should appear embarrassed or pleased by the attention. As the evening wore on and they ate their meal, and drank perhaps a little too much wine, Merlin stopped looking embarrassed and looked more pleased.
When Morgana disappeared to get a top up for her wine glass Arthur was sure she was up to something. Excusing himself from the table he followed her to kitchen. He wasn't really surprised to find her rearranging the magnetic letters again.
Arthur wasn't sure if he should admit the truth to Morgana or put a message on the fridge about meddling friends; something along the lines of: 'Morgana should stop interfering'. He didn't get the chance though, as Gwen and Merlin appeared in the kitchen as well, obviously suspicious and curious about what message the fridge was currently displaying.
Morgana looked up at them and smiled, showing off her message to their friends. Gwen was smiling and giving Arthur and Merlin her 'you're so sweet' look. Morgana had no such look. Her face seemed to be saying something more along the lines of 'I told you so'. However it wasn't their reactions Arthur was interested in. He was more interested in Merlin's reaction.
As it turned out Merlin's reaction was to use magic to rearrange the letters, adding a few more. It took only a moment and left Morgan and Gwen looking slightly impressed. Arthur wasn't impressed, well not really. The message though, that was different.
Not that he had doubted it but it was still nice to see Merlin admit his feelings. They hadn't done much talking, and perhaps that was for the best. Their actions had said it all for them. Or perhaps it was easier, and more sincere, saying it through letters. This sort of thing had never been easy for either of them. Referring to themselves in the third person helped.
Merlin smiled as he saw Arthur's message. Arthur didn't have to tell him he loved him; his actions were proof of that but still it was nice to see it there, real. Etched out in magnetic letters on a fridge door it was the most romantic declaration of love Merlin could think of. Especially as it was there to be read by anyone in the kitchen at the time.
The people in the kitchen; Morgana and Gwen, seemed delighted about the whole thing. Morgana clapped her hands and Gwen was patting Merlin's shoulder. They were smiling at each other too and went up to the fridge, giggling as they rearranged the letters. Arthur had to admit he wasn't really paying that much attention because Merlin was there in the kitchen and the sight of him was doing funny things to his insides.
Arthur was barely aware he was actually kissing Merlin in the doorway until he heard the giggles of Morgana and Gwen who were pointing at the fridge. He stopped the kiss, but still kept his arms around Merlin as they looked at the fridge door.
"We're not sweet!" Arthur protested. "Are we Merlin?"
Merlin was blushing. "Well..."
Before Merlin could say anything Arthur shut him up with another kiss. It didn't take long for Morgana to mention she and Gwen would see themselves out. Arthur couldn't remember if he actually said goodbye to them or just mumbled.
It was Arthur who put an ending to that magnetic letter conversation as Merlin found out the next morning when he appeared, looking rumpled and bleary eyed after the night he and Arthur had had. Still he looked happy. Happy and, not that Arthur would admit it to Morgana, cute.
He saw Arthur by the fridge and came to look, putting a chin on Arthur's shoulder and feeling Arthur wrap his arms around him.
And they did. Magnetic letters on the fridge door and all.
Pairing: Merlin/Arthur
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 5697
Summary: Modern AU in which Merlin and Arthur communicate via magnetic letters on the fridge and reveal some interesting things about their relationship.
Notes: This was originally going to be a quick, short, fun little story. Then it ate my brain and I ended up making pictures of magnetic letter messages and writing far more than I intended. Yay?
Fridge Communication
They could never remember whose idea the magnetic letters were, or who bought them. Both Merlin and Arthur claimed the credit but Morgana was insistent she was the one who had given them the box of brightly coloured plastic letters as a house-warming present. Gwen hadn't claimed credit but as she had thought they were a brilliant gift both Arthur and Merlin were pretty sure she thought it had been Morgana.
Whoever was responsible for them, for weeks they sat in the box unused, and unnoticed, in the kitchen cupboard. They could well have been there since Merlin and Arthur first moved into the new, bigger house. As Merlin had had to do all the unpacking it had taken a long time and six months on there were still boxes lurking all over the house; in the bedrooms, the offices and the kitchen. The magnetic letters were in one of these boxes.
They would probably have stayed there, in their box, lost and forgotten, however Merlin knocked the box over when he was reaching for a bottle of vinegar one Saturday night. The letters fell out of the box and tumbled across the floor, spreading out in front of him. That gave Merlin an idea. Forgetting the vinegar he began to pick them up and carefully arranged them on the fridge.
The next morning Arthur, still half asleep as it was the weekend, wandered to the fridge to get some milk. He paused in front of the fridge door. On the door were some bright, plastic letters. It took him a little longer to work out that they were spelling something out.
Merlin! It had to be. Arthur debated what he should do. Wake Merlin up by throwing a jug of cold water at him? Make sure there was no hot water left for his shower? Hide his clothes and/or towels? No Arthur had a much better idea. He was after-all an expert in the art of warfare, even if this was about to be magnetic letter warfare. He located the box of letters on the kitchen table and began to make a few changes.
By the time Merlin had got up Arthur had already been up, and had breakfast, before going out for a run and a gym session followed by his morning fencing training. Arthur took a great deal of pride in being at the peak of physical condition and Merlin wasn't one to complain, just as long as Arthur didn't drag him along every morning. Fencing wasn't something Merlin was skilled at, even aided by magic.
He did wish that he had been present for Arthur's reaction to the message he had left on he fridge though. It was then he noticed that the letters on the fridge had changed. His own message was gone and there was a reply in its place.
Merlin smiled. Arthur had clearly entered the spirit of the magnetic letters. Even if he had got it a little wrong. He took off some letters and replaced them. No doubt Arthur would see the result when he got back. Merlin wondered how long it would take him to notice.
As it turned it turned out it didn't take him long. Arthur's priorities when he got back were to see if Merlin had responded to the message he'd left and to make a cheese and ham sandwich. Both these things required him to go to the fridge so, after throwing his bag in the hall for Merlin to deal with later, Arthur headed into the kitchen.
It seemed that, yes, Merlin had seen his message and had decided to edit it.
Arthur wondered about the accuracy of that statement. Anyone who put the coloured laundry in with Arthur's white shirts, causing him to wear pink shirts for a week, wasn't a genius as far as Arthur was concerned. Still, at least Merlin had got the joke. Unfortunately Merlin had not got the butter when he'd done the weekly shop and so Arthur had to make his sandwich without it. So, he left Merlin a message.
Merlin was aware of Arthur's return from the gym bag dumped carelessly in the hallway. He would deal with it later. Although quite why Arthur still trusted him with the household chores Merlin didn't know. The last set of laundry he'd done he'd mixed coloureds with Arthur's white shirts and Arthur had ended up with pink shirts; which he'd had to wear until he could buy new ones or Merlin changed them back with magic. It hadn't escaped Merlin's notice that Arthur still wore the 'ruined' shirts.
He went through into the kitchen to find Arthur seated at the table chewing on his usual post-gym sandwich. He had a strange look on his face. It was the same look he got just before Merlin's towels mysteriously went missing whilst he was in the shower. With an incline of his head Arthur indicated the fridge, mouth too full of sandwich to really speak to Merlin.
So Merlin went over to the fridge and sure enough there was a message from Arthur.
Merlin rolled his eyes. It was only Arthur who ever ate the butter, Merlin preferred Flora. It wasn't his fault that Arthur was very greedy when it came to dairy and/or meat products. Besides the shopping list was always pinned on the fridge for a couple of days before Merlin went shopping so Arthur could add things he wanted to it. It was his own fault he hadn't put butter on it.
There really was only one thing to do. Merlin reached for the box of letters and began to carefully edit the message Arthur had left.
Arthur was aware that Merlin had seen his message. He was also aware that Merlin was now making one of his own. He concentrated on his sandwich, waiting until Merlin had finished before he looked. It was silly; Merlin could just say something to him, no doubt some sort of witty retort would come to his mind. Yet there was something a little bit fun about this.
It was silly, yes, but noticing the grin on Merlin's face as he left the kitchen, Arthur found himself smiling. Silly, yes, but also amusing. Which was probably why Arthur was smiling when he went to see what Merlin had put on the fridge.
Okay, so it was Arthur who used the butter, but Merlin did the shopping and really he should be checking the fridge for what supplies they needed. He seemed to rely far too much on a list that couldn't be deciphered by any human mind alive. Merlin's handwriting was appalling. At least with the magnetic letters Arthur had no trouble reading what Merlin was trying to say.
He was aware of Merlin's head peaking around the kitchen door, obviously he was waiting for Arthur to respond. Arthur swallowed the last bit of his sandwich and grabbed some different letters. It was rather obvious what his response should be.
Merlin watched carefully from the kitchen doorway. Arthur was busy putting a reply on the fridge door. Indeed, Merlin could probably guess already what Arthur was going to put, but still there was a lot of fun in the anticipation of finding out if he was right or not. Of course he knew Arthur so well that he was right. As soon as he took a look at the fridge he knew it.
Some things never changed, Merlin thought. And Arthur never really changed either. Arthur wasn't even going to leave the kitchen this time. He was sat at the table pretending to read the newspaper but, as he'd been reading the page about the kitten rescued from dishwasher for the last half hour, Merlin doubted Arthur was actually paying much attention to the words in front of him.
Still, apart from occasionally feeling Arthur glancing his way, Merlin wasn't being watched. He kept parts of Arthur's message. It was much quicker that way. The letters were now also haphazardly scattered on the side next to the fridge as well as in the box, so Merlin soon found the ones he was looking for. When he had finished he gave a subtle cough.
Arthur turned around at the sound of Merlin coughing, he wasn't very subtle. He had decided to wait in the kitchen whilst Merlin did his reply. He didn't really want to move out of his chair. Plus, there was a very interesting article in the newspaper about a poor kitten that had been rescued from a dishwasher. It was the sort of thing Merlin liked; small furry creatures in distress and Arthur wondered if he had read this article.
However, now he had other things to read, such as Merlin's message on the fridge. He came over to look at it and, this time, Merlin hadn't moved but was standing back observing his handiwork. Arthur leaned over his shoulder to read it.
Giving Merlin a look that he hoped passed for 'Oh really, Merlin', Arthur casually reached around him and grabbed a few letters to change the message. He was pressed right up against merlin but he didn't feel uncomfortable at all. He was well aware that Merlin was watching his hands. It was a bit awkward to make a new message with Merlin standing there, and having to work around him, but Arthur was determined and having too much fun to care.
He finished lining up the letters and pulled his hands back to allow Merlin to read it.
"I'm not unoriginal," Merlin said, almost startling Arthur by speaking. "I just tell the truth."
"Merlin, you put you were a genius," Arthur replied.
"Exactly; the truth."
Arthur rolled his eyes and put a hand on Merlin's shoulder. "Well, if you're such a genius perhaps you can use magic to turn my shirts back to white."
Merlin smiled. "But pink suits you."
"That's why I think we should buy you some pink shirts." Although Arthur had to admit Merlin was right; he did make pink shirts look good. "But now you need to sort out my gym bag."
Merlin sighed, although the actual sigh came off more amused than annoyed. "And what are you going to do?"
It wasn't as if Merlin didn't already know Arthur's routine. "I'm going to finish writing the report for my father on Camelot's half yearly profits."
"Have fun then," Merlin said, cheerily.
Somehow Arthur thought Merlin would have more fun sorting out smelly gym socks than he would sorting out his family's publishing company's endless number crunching.
It was several days before the magnetic letter conversation continued. During that time Arthur and Merlin did various things together; including falling asleep on each other on the couch after watching a late night film. They went to the gym together and Merlin spent the rest of the day nursing his sore muscles. Then there was the trip to a restaurant. If they didn't know any better they might even suggest they were dating, of a fashion.
However, the lure of the fridge could not be ignored for long. As it was, it was Merlin who reignited the magnetic letter warfare. He couldn't really resist after he had seen the outcome of his and Arthur's last discussion. Especially given what he found when he went into the fridge to get the tub of Flora.
Arthur didn't notice the message on the fridge until he came home from the office. He'd wandered into the kitchen to find Merlin hard at work cooking something. What that something was, he wasn't sure he wanted to know, but he knew he'd find out soon enough. Merlin's cooking skills weren't much better than his laundering skills but they couldn't afford to eat out or order takeaways every evening. Besides, Arthur clung onto the faint hope that Merlin was improving with practice.
After greeting Merlin he headed to the fridge for a glass of milk; something that would settle his stomach before he had to taste Merlin's efforts at preparing edible food. He stopped before he opened the door and looked at Merlin who was grinning back at him.
Merlin was pleased to see Arthur's reaction to him cooking wasn't greeted with the usual comment about its lack of edibility. He was pretty sure this time he'd got the recipe right. After-all, this was his fifth attempt at spaghetti and meatballs and now he had discovered you could buy pre-pared sauces it seemed a lot simpler. Now Arthur was studying the fridge door.
It appeared that his message amused Arthur, who offered Merlin a smile. He was already rearranging the letters for a reply. Merlin turned back to the sauce instead of watching Arthur, a hard decision but he felt that Arthur probably wouldn't appreciate their meal burning. He stirred the sauce a few times until he heard a cough from Arthur.
Merlin looked over and Arthur helpfully opened the fridge door to display the message so Merlin could see it from his position by the stove. It seemed Arthur had only one thing on his mind.
The smell of the food Merlin was cooking was surprisingly enticing to Arthur, who felt his stomach rumble. That was probably why he'd put the message he had on the fridge. It hadn't been too much of an effort for him to pop to the shops one lunchtime and buy butter. He'd even managed to find the right brand. Of course, he wasn't going to make a habit of buying his own butter, and he hoped Merlin realised that.
It seemed Merlin realised something as he raised his hand and muttered a few words. With a flash of gold in his eyes Merlin changed the letters on the fridge, not even having to step away from the stove to do so. It seemed magic could be very handy when it came to rearranging magnetic letters on a fridge door. At least it saved their food from being burnt.
Arthur closed the fridge door so he could see the message that Merlin had left.
Despite Arthur's best attempts to conceal his rumbling stomach Merlin had heard it. It was no surprise really. Arthur used up a lot of calories with going to the gym, fencing and walking to the shops to buy butter during his lunch hour. It was easy to rearrange the letters with magic to reflect his fact.
Arthur was now looking into the fridge, possibly looking for a snack, or something in case Merlin's cooking efforts went wrong. It was then that Merlin realised that Arthur might notice there was something missing. He hadn't had time today to do any shopping and Arthur was bound to notice the empt space in the fridge.
A few moments later Arthur was rearranging the letters on the fridge again and Merlin was in doubt that, yes, Arthur had noticed. When he showed Merlin his new message he did so with a slight scowl.
Arthur wondered why Merlin had eaten his cheese. It wasn't something that Merlin did. He didn't like cheese that much, well, not as much as Arthur. However, it just wasn't very thoughtful of Merlin to eat the cheese without even asking. Arthur hoped that the letter message conveyed his displeasure at Merlin's actions.
It seemed to as Merlin looked a little bit guilty, but he didn't say anything. He just raised his hands and rearranged the letters. With magic it took no time at all. Almost as quickly as if Merlin had opened his mouth and spoken the words.
Merlin was feeling a little bit guilty at eating Arthur's cheese; he wasn't even that fond of cheese, but the sell by date had been that date and the last he wanted was to have the cheese stinking out the fridge. That had happened when Arthur had brought home some very fancy French cheese and had forgotten it was there. It had taken Merlin weeks to get the smell out of the fridge and it had lingered in the kitchen for days afterwards.
However, now he could see that perhaps he could have used the cheese in the meal he was making. However, he hadn't read the recipe at that point. Even so he could see that Arthur must have had a similar idea as he read the reply Arthur had made on the fridge. He was getting a lot quicker at this.
Arthur was sure that the best before date on the cheese was today. They could both have had some along with the spaghetti that Merlin appeared to be cooking. Or at the very least they could have had a couple of cheese sandwiches as a starter, or a snack.
Merlin hoped that Arthur could see his apology was sincere. He was sorry that he had eaten all Arthur's cheese. Not that there had been much left but he knew how Arthur liked it. Still, he was already formulating a plan to fix things, apart form his apology. Their meal was nearly ready anyway and he sorted some plates out whilst Arthur finished off leaving him another message.
He heaped food onto the plates and put them on the table, ready to eat. Arthur came over and sat down and Merlin peered at the fridge. He couldn't help but smile when he saw Arthur's reply.
Arthur was smiling back and the cheese incident was pretty much forgotten.
After that they sat down to a meal of spaghetti and meatballs dished up by Merlin. It wasn't burnt and was more than edible. It was so tasty that Arthur asked for a second helping. They talked about the usual things during the meal; how their respective days had gone which consisted of Arthur's latest board meetings and Merlin's attempts to meet the deadline for his next best selling children's book about King Arthur and his wizard Merlin.
They were normal things, the sort of things they talked about daily, and the things that didn't involve rearranging magnetic letters, yet there was a sense of fun pervading the meal. There didn't seem anything the least bit odd in the two of them wiping tomato sauce from each other's chins or dividing the last meatball. It was domestic, it was nice.
It was a couple of days before they went back to some communication by magnetic letters on the fridge door, and again it was Merlin who started it up, as Arthur noticed when he returned home for lunch on as Thursday afternoon.
As Arthur wandered to to kitchen he noticed the house was very quiet. Merlin was probably in the office, no doubt working on his illustrations. Once he got into the flow of it he was so focussed he probably wouldn't notice the house blowing away, let alone Arthur coming home. So Arthur was alone when he noticed that Merlin had been doing other things that morning, including rearranging the letters on the fridge.
Not that he didn't trust Merlin but Arthur still opened the fridge to check. True to his word, well his magnetic letter message, Merlin had bought more cheese. In fact a selection of cheeses. There was some Cheddar, some Cheshire, some Wensleydale and even a bit of Brie. All of Arthur's favourites in fact. Arthur chose the cheddar to make himself a cheese sandwich with. There was even an extra packet of butter.
Such care and attention on Merlin's part to Arthur's taste in dairy products obviously deserved a thank you. As he ate his sandwich and drank a glass of milk (Merlin had even got a couple more pints) Arthur wondered about disturbing Merlin to thank him. However, last time he had done that Merlin had put one black line in the wrong place and had had to redo the whole illustration.
Glancing back at the fridge Arthur realised there was a much better way of conveying his message.
It was around three in the afternoon when Merlin took a break. He'd finished a particularly nice illustration of King Arthur falling off his horse and now felt he should reward himself with some food. He'd missed lunch and he realised he'd missed Arthur coming home.
Well, that was what he thought when he saw there was a new message on the fridge, and he was pretty sure burglars weren't given to making messages out of magnetic letters, especially not ones that mentioned his name.
It appeared his earlier trip down to the shops had yielded a reward. He smiled at the current fridge message.
Contrary to what Merlin might have told other people Arthur did thank him but it was perhaps less regularly than anyone else would. So there was something special in having Arthur write him a thank you in magnetic letters. It made Merlin feel warm, wanted, maybe even a little loved.
Feeling less hungry, and more than a little giddy, Merlin arranged the letters on the fridge again. He did think it probably was a little bit silly to refer to himself in the third person in communications written in magnetic letters on a fridge door, but then Arthur seemed to like it. As long as Arthur was joining in Merlin didn't see any harm in it.
Stepping back to admire his work Merlin smiled. Feeling inspired he grabbed a packet of crisps and a glass of water and went back to drawing Merlin the wizard helping King Arthur onto his horse.
When Arthur got home he found he had a new routine. A few weeks ago he would get in, yell for Merlin and then get changed. Sometimes he'd read the paper, or watch the TV, but generally he got home, got changed, perhaps eat something Merlin had prepared and went off to the gym. Now though his routine was, as soon as he got in, to head to the kitchen; and the fridge.
Sure enough when he got there he was not disappointed.
He had already enjoyed the cheese earlier that day but presumably Merlin hadn't noticed yet. It didn't surprise Arthur as Merlin hadn't noticed when they'd needed more butter. The only time Merlin really looked in the fridge was for chocolate, fruit juice or vegetables, or occasionally Flora, in that order. In fact Arthur was pretty sure the only cheese Merlin ate was cheese about go off.
Still he deserved a reply. Arthur had enjoyed the cheese and was sure he would enjoy the rest of it. This time he might even suggest that they share a bit. He'd go to the shops tomorrow lunchtime and buy some crackers for the purpose. It was only fair. Now though he had to make his approval known to Merlin.
He had only just finished his reply when Merlin, hands stained with ink and paint, came into the kitchen. Arthur waited for him to notice the message on the fridge, coughing as Merlin first headed for the sink.
Merlin turned toward the fridge and his face seemed to light up.
Merlin had wondered if Arthur had already had some of the cheese. As he had been home at lunchtime it wasn't a huge leap of logic to assume Arthur had been in the fridge. Somehow Merlin thought that Arthur would have checked the cheese was there anyway, and once he had he would have eaten some. Arthur could never resist a nice bit of cheese.
Arthur was smiling at him, an open genuine smile. Merlin smiled back and looked at the letters of the fridge. He was getting very good at using his magic to rearrange them as he wanted. He wouldn't be telling Arthur he had had a few practices whilst Arthur was at work. It was much better Arthur think he was skilled enough to be able to do it flawlessly first time.
It was handy though, as it saved him getting ink and paint on the letters and/or the fridge. Some of the stuff Merlin used for his illustrations was very difficult to get off surfaces without the use of magic. Arthur was fussy about wanting a clean fridge anyway.
After he had rearranged the letters he caught a look a pleased look on Arthur's face and went back to washing his hands in the sink.
Arthur took in the message that Merlin had so deftly arranged.
It really was ridiculous to feel this happy about being bought cheese and leaving messages in magnetic letters on the fridge, but for once Arthur's sensible nature was beaten. He could feel his palms slightly sweaty as he reached for the letters. He focused on arranging them, not wanting to catch Merlin's eyes before he could reveal his message.
He rubbed his palms on his trousers as he finished. Standing up he saw Merlin leaning against the sink, drying his hands. At first Merlin's face seemed impassive, unreadable, but within a moment it changed to delight as he focussed on Arthur's message.
Not that Merlin had ever really doubted it, but he appreciated Arthur admitting it. It was perhaps an unusual way of admitting it but even so; Arthur liked him, actually liked him. The thought danced about in Merlin's head and it was all he could do not to laugh out loud with the joy of it.
Such was his giddy feeling of happiness he was barely aware of his magic making a slight change to the letters on the fridge. It was only when he saw Arthur smiling at him with something extra that he noticed what he'd done.
They broth broke out into happy laughter and, after a moment of awkwardness, Arthur came over and put an arm around Merlin. Leaning froward into it Merlin put an arm around Arthur turning it into a semi-hug. Arthur didn't even complain when the wet towel Merlin was grasping made his shirt damp.
Neither of them made an attempt to change or alter the message. They just left it there as Arthur went upstairs and got changed and Merlin started on the evening meal. They had visitors coming around and, given his success with spaghetti and meatballs, Merlin had the courage to try another pasta dish on their friends; Morgana and Gwen. Arthur had forewarned them that they would be guinea pigs for Merlin's cooking but they had still seemed keen to come.
It was something of a triumph for Merlin in the end. Even though he was sure he had put too much basil into the sauce nobody said anything. Gwen said it was 'lovely' and Morgana said it was the best example of Merlin's cooking she'd tasted. Even Arthur said that it tasted as good as a restaurant dish. Merlin had just blushed and missed the knowing look between Morgana and Gwen.
At one point Morgana left the table to get a glass of water. Neither Merlin or Arthur thought about the message they had left on the fridge and, even after Morgana had come back and winked at them, they hadn't realised. Nor when she whispered something to Gwen, who had looked at them and blushed.
It was only after the girls had left, and Merlin and Arthur both went into the kitchen to wash the dishes, that they became aware. It was Merlin who noticed the letters on the fridge had changed and were spelling something out.
"Erm, Arthur," he said, pointing at the message, ambling over to the fridge for a closer look to make sure he hadn't misunderstood.
It wasn't hard to guess who was responsible.
"Morgana," Arthur said. "Who does she think she is, coming in here and putting that on our fridge?"
"A friend?" Merlin ventured. It was a pretty bold statement, even if he did want it to be true. To Merlin's mind it wasn't a bad thing.
"If friend interferes with other friends' love lives," Arthur replied. "How we feel is no business of hers."
Merlin found there was a familiar warm presence at his back as he looked at the fridge. "How we feel?"
"Merlin, you really are an idiot," Arthur said, pulling Merlin away from the fridge to face him.
Just like that they were kissing. After they would never agree who kissed who first. Arthur was convinced it was him and Merlin, well, Merlin, was convinced it was his idea. No matter whose idea it was, they both agreed it was a good one, as they seemed to keep kissing each other; slightly awkwardly as they learned how the other liked it. Practice was making perfect though, as Arthur suckled at Merlin's lip and was rewarded with a little hint of a moan.
Of course, no matter how much passion they had, kissing standing up in the kitchen had its limits. Arthur found he was now facing the fridge and was surprised he hadn't actually got Merlin pressed right up against it to take advantage. It was then he noticed that Merlin had rearranged the letters whilst they had been kissing.
He smiled. "Did you make my bed this morning?" Arthur asked.
Merlin nodded. "Of course I did."
"Good." He took Merlin's hand and pulled him out of the kitchen and up the stairs.
“What's wrong with using my bed?" Merlin asked as they stumbled into Arthur's room.
"Yours is a single," Arthur pointed out and, to stop Merlin even thinking about arguing, he kissed him again.
They found out that Arthur's bed was more than big enough for the two of them. Arthur already had a few ideas of what they could with Merlin's old room as there was no way he was going to let then go back to separate sleeping arrangements.
A couple of days later, having informed Morgana and Gwen of the happy news by phone, they invited their friends round to celebrate. Morgana was convinced she was the magic matchmaker who had got them to admit their feelings. They both denied it, which was how the argument about how had bought the magnetic letters had started. However Gwen had diffused the situation by turning the discussion into congratulations for Arthur and Merlin.
The evening went well. Arthur found it ridiculously easy to hold Merlin's hand, or pat his knee, or casually put an arm around him. It felt right and it was fun to see Merlin trying to work out of he should appear embarrassed or pleased by the attention. As the evening wore on and they ate their meal, and drank perhaps a little too much wine, Merlin stopped looking embarrassed and looked more pleased.
When Morgana disappeared to get a top up for her wine glass Arthur was sure she was up to something. Excusing himself from the table he followed her to kitchen. He wasn't really surprised to find her rearranging the magnetic letters again.
Arthur wasn't sure if he should admit the truth to Morgana or put a message on the fridge about meddling friends; something along the lines of: 'Morgana should stop interfering'. He didn't get the chance though, as Gwen and Merlin appeared in the kitchen as well, obviously suspicious and curious about what message the fridge was currently displaying.
Morgana looked up at them and smiled, showing off her message to their friends. Gwen was smiling and giving Arthur and Merlin her 'you're so sweet' look. Morgana had no such look. Her face seemed to be saying something more along the lines of 'I told you so'. However it wasn't their reactions Arthur was interested in. He was more interested in Merlin's reaction.
As it turned out Merlin's reaction was to use magic to rearrange the letters, adding a few more. It took only a moment and left Morgan and Gwen looking slightly impressed. Arthur wasn't impressed, well not really. The message though, that was different.
Not that he had doubted it but it was still nice to see Merlin admit his feelings. They hadn't done much talking, and perhaps that was for the best. Their actions had said it all for them. Or perhaps it was easier, and more sincere, saying it through letters. This sort of thing had never been easy for either of them. Referring to themselves in the third person helped.
Merlin smiled as he saw Arthur's message. Arthur didn't have to tell him he loved him; his actions were proof of that but still it was nice to see it there, real. Etched out in magnetic letters on a fridge door it was the most romantic declaration of love Merlin could think of. Especially as it was there to be read by anyone in the kitchen at the time.
The people in the kitchen; Morgana and Gwen, seemed delighted about the whole thing. Morgana clapped her hands and Gwen was patting Merlin's shoulder. They were smiling at each other too and went up to the fridge, giggling as they rearranged the letters. Arthur had to admit he wasn't really paying that much attention because Merlin was there in the kitchen and the sight of him was doing funny things to his insides.
Arthur was barely aware he was actually kissing Merlin in the doorway until he heard the giggles of Morgana and Gwen who were pointing at the fridge. He stopped the kiss, but still kept his arms around Merlin as they looked at the fridge door.
"We're not sweet!" Arthur protested. "Are we Merlin?"
Merlin was blushing. "Well..."
Before Merlin could say anything Arthur shut him up with another kiss. It didn't take long for Morgana to mention she and Gwen would see themselves out. Arthur couldn't remember if he actually said goodbye to them or just mumbled.
It was Arthur who put an ending to that magnetic letter conversation as Merlin found out the next morning when he appeared, looking rumpled and bleary eyed after the night he and Arthur had had. Still he looked happy. Happy and, not that Arthur would admit it to Morgana, cute.
He saw Arthur by the fridge and came to look, putting a chin on Arthur's shoulder and feeling Arthur wrap his arms around him.
And they did. Magnetic letters on the fridge door and all.