But I don't know any lullabies (Mpreg lullaby verse ) Modern au. (Chapt. 11-19/28)
Originally posted at camelot drabble, yet again as a series that grew from of prompts.
Author: amarie_authiel
Title: But I don't know any lullabies.
Rating: PG-13 (?)
Pairing/s: Arthur/Merlin, Gwaine/Morgana
Character/s: Arthur, Merlin, Mordred, Morgana, Gwain, Gaius, Uther Summary:They always knew they would part ways and follow their ambitions. What he didn't know, and noone would have guessed, was that their one night together made something impossible happen.
Warnings: Mpreg, angst
Author's Notes: I am venturing a bit outside my comfort zone, but it's an idea I've had for a while that doesn't want to let go. Might post more if people are interested. Inspired by a fic I read where Merlin was a doctor and magic was an everyday thing. I should look it up and give proper credit.
Nearly normal (Prompt:#131 Enchant)
Merlin pulled up a chair and lets Arthur hold on to his hand. It would have been easier if Merlin had been angry. But Merlin is being very Merlin-y; a big pile of kindness and warmth. It's not something Arthur deserves, not now. Not when he still hasn't asked about the “altercation” or Merlin's bruise, not when Merlin could just be pretending not to be mad because Arthur is such a feeble, withering flower. He is startled though when Merlin brings an end to the moment by drawing his breath and patting Arthur's hand.
-Ok. We have to get down to business.
Arthur half expects a break up speech and is annoyed at himself for thinking that at the same time.
-Arthur, I really need you to eat something.
Merlin turn away towards the table and returns with a plate.
-Let me instead entice you with an assorted selection of lovely salty crackers. Fresh from the box.
Merlin presented the meal with a benevolent smile, while balancing a trusty, worn hospital plate on the tips of his fingers. A trick he learned years ago when he worked as a waiter and, quite frankly, you did that to avoid touching the plate more than absolutely necessary. A pang of times gone by hits Arthur, but it didn't make the crackers look any more tempting.
-Merlin... You shouldn’t have. Honestly.
He sits up a bit and Merlin puts the plate on his lap.
- You should try to eat. And then we might work our way up to a slice of bread or toast. You will feel better, and maybe you won't need the IV.
Arthur let out a small huff. Just the thought of food was repulsive.
-I had soup earlier.
-Enough to feed a sparrow. I can get you soup if you want.
-Can't I just get the IV? Then later I will feel better and I'll get my appetite back, right?
He looks at the back of his hand. A needle and a tube had to be better than forcing food down only to have it return.
Merlin follows his eyes.
-It’s not that kind of IV. It's the kind that goes in through your nose and back.
He turned his face sideways and drew a line with his finger along his nose and over his cheek. He stops as Arthur gulps and hurriedly puts a Ritz in his mouth.
-You are quite manipulative you know.
Merlin looks apologetic.
-But it was the truth.
Arthur tries to be annoyed and stuffs in two new crackers. For his own good, not because Merlin looks less worried when he does. Humor. Humor makes it easier to talk.
-Yum... This is grand and certainly not dry… I’ll recommend this restaurant to all my friends.
Merlin nods.
-Yeah, it’s our new motto. Get sick, get crackers!
-Fab. Wine list please?
He waves his hand impatiently until he is handed a glass of water.
-The house white, do enjoy, sir.
And he did, marginally.
-Why can't you just magic me un-sick! Enchant me so I'll eat and not throw up. I give my permission!
Merlin smiles sadly.
-Magic is not a quick fix to a problem. Not when it is more complex than an upset tummy. You know that.
Arthur tries to smile but fails. Yes, he does know that.
Merlin removes the glass and the plate while Arthur thinks of his mother and wondered what she would have thought of all this had she lived.
Merlin moves about and finally sits down with the papers. Arthur sits quietly watching Merlin's face scrunch up with thought and his mouth pouting now and then.
-Why aren't you talking? What are you not telling me?
Merlin looks up at him.
-Why do you think that?
-Because you are acting like there is nothing more to talk about.
When there really, really is a lot more, he doesn't say.
-Come on. You know me. I like information. I like to know what I am dealing with.
Merlin frowns, but seems to agree.
-Your father is here and wants to see you.
Arthur groans and throws his head back on the bed.
-Arthur, I know it's not the most fun and relaxing thing to do... And you don't have to see him now, or today or tomorrow. He's at a hotel, driving the staff crazy no doubt. But he thinks you are dying, Arthur. You are locked up in some magical institute, he’s not allowed to see you and you are not answering his calls.
-That’s because Gaius took my phone at admittance.
Merlin says nothing. He is not fooled. Of course he is not. Merlin was one of the people Arthur should have called long before it came to this.
-I need something strong. Pass the Whiskey.
-Yeah, that’s likely. You can have some ginger tea.
-Make it a double.
-Ok. I'll be back soon.
Merlin heads for the door, but stops and turns.
-I didn't use magic on you.
Arthur looks bewildered so Merlin continues, looking scared and not knowing where to put his hands.
-The baby...
Arthur's heart was barely hanging together before and it certainly shattered now.
-I know. You would never... You wouldn't.
His vision blurred, but he thinks he sees Merlin dab his cheek before he steps out the door.
He is far more puffy eyed and red nosed by the time Merlin returns. Merlin sits on the sofa and Arthur braves to sit in the recliner even if Gaius told him to stay in bed. The tea is a bit unusual, but it is ok. Warm and sort of spicy. It’s nice and comfortable, despite everything. Almost normal.
All that haunts us. (Prompt: 132 Haunted)
They sat for a while sipping tea and nibbling on crackers. Merlin went back to flipping though the pages and wondering what he might get Arthur to eat next time. It was a small reminder of their lives before all this, where Merlin would be lost in his books and Arthur would flip through channels. Arthur reached for the remote and turned the tv on, hoping to amplify the feeling.
“There have still not been any official statement to business mogul Uther Pendragon's violent outburst at the Albion Institute in Ealdor City yesterday. Here we see him entering the building. While the Institute still refuse to comment, people we have been in contact with say he was being loud and threatening and even attacked one of the staff before he was escorted away.”
Arthur's jaw dropped as the words were accompanied by a shaky, pixelated mobile recording which showed his father leave a car and rush into the building.
Somehow he was able to put the cup down on the table without spilling. Merlin's voice barely registered.
-Um, you know, it's not as bad as it sounds, you know how the media exadurates.
Shock is swiftly replaced by anger and a feeling of betrayal. He stands up and gestures to the screen, where they have left the topic and moved into the weather forecast.
-You knew about this and you didn't tell me! I said I wanted to know... You kept this from me!
-You didn't need to know that. He truly is at the hotel.
-Did he attack you?
Merlin sighes wearily.
-Arthur... Don't worry about it.He's a haunted and scarred man and believes the worst every time magic is mentioned.
-He did!
Arthur is not sure if he is more sad than angry.
Now Merlin is on his feet too.
-It doesn't matter!
-IT MATTERS! HE HURT YOU!!
Small golden sparks glitters among the blue, his voice drops a notch. It means Merlin is pissed.
-He was scared for his son. If I believed he had put you in the hospital I would have punched him as well, maybe worse. And this matter far less than your health and the health of OUR BABY! Sit. Down.
Arthur does, grundingly. He hates when Merlin wins an argument. But Merlin is being all growling and protective. And hot.
Merlin huffs a breath out his nose.
-Good. Gaius has already claimed the guilt for that one, no need for you to do the same.
Arthur blinked at him.
-How is this Gaius' fault?
-He didn't tell me that you were the mystery pregnant man. If he had then I might have had an idea what he was freaking out about.
Arthur drops down in the recliner again, submerged in guilt.
-It's my fault. I'm the one who got pregnant.
Merlin blinks.
-So... You got yourself pregnant? You hijacked my super magical sperm and get pregnant all on your lonesome?
Arthur pouted. Merlin made it sound so silly when he put it like that.
-We... It was goodbye. But I wished you would stay.
Merlin is quiet for a bit.
-Mh. I think we found the title of Gaius' chapter about us. 'Magic favors fools'.
Merlin sits down on the big, padded armrest and loops his arm around Arthur's.
His voice is barely a whisper, and it's not at all mocking like Arthur had expected.
-I wished the same.
Bucket, oh bucket (Prompt:#133 Wicked)
The world is a wicked place. No sooner had the faint hope of a happy ending sneaked into Arthur's hearth, before the measly amount of crackers he had eaten demanded to see daylight again. He did have time to mutter “Gonna be sick” and to be startled as a pink plastic bucket materialized in his lap.
Merlin stepped back and let him have some privacy. Arthur was a proud man, serving him pity and pats on the head would only make matters worse.
Instead he focuses on his job and on what he might have done wrong. He should stick to fluids only, perhaps. He tries to think of vitamin mixes and drinks that might help. He should look into herbs and such as well. The magical effects of potions and brews would vary with the level of magic the recipient had, he had better leave the actual making and dosage to Gaius.
Arthur leans back in the chair with watering eyes and flames in his throat. He downs what is left of the tea, mainly because it is there and he needs to drink something. Merlin gives the bucket a rinse in the bathroom before he puts it next to Arthur’s chair.
A disapproving noise comes from Arthur followed by a dismissive wave of the hand.
-Take it away, I don’t want be seen with it. It’s pink.
Merlin chuckles.
-I was not aware you were such a bucket snob.
-I’ll have you know my bucket and I have a very special bond. You should never come between a man and his bucket.
-I can see why that might turn ugly. And now you have had your hands all over someone else.
-It was an emergency, my bucket will understand.
-You have a good handle on your bucket.
Arthur chuckles softly. Merlin takes the unwanted bucket and gives it a friendly pat.
-Poor Pinky. A simple wash bucket, drawn into the world of the rich and pratty and then cast aside. I shall give her a good scrubbing and send her back to where she came from. Hopefully she will find her true purpose there.
Arthur smiles weakly as Merlin leaves again. It was good to have Merlin around. But how long would it last? He shouldn’t get used to it. Merlin can only stick around for so long before he has to get back to his real studies. And Arthur isn't supposed to stay here the entire pregnancy, he's supposed to get better and go home. Work, buy baby things... But if he soaked up all the good feelings and the way Merlin rolls his eyes at him and the way he doesn’t crowd him and the way he knows what to do because he knows Arthur. If he could take that with him, he might... Well that's later. Not now. Merlin will be back, Gaius will be back. They will use the Ultrasound thing to determine if the baby is fine. And Merlin will sense the baby. Their baby. Merlin's baby.
Merlin catches him staring at the machine's blank screen, subconsciously running small circles over his stomach with his thumb.
The world is a wicked place. They should be happy and thrilled. Merlin sets a glass filled with something on the table. Arthur reach for him before he had a chance to say what it is. He tugs him gently so he comes to sit on his lap. Merlin finds the handle that flips the foot rest out. They both fit in the recliner, Merlin had always been a skinny ol' thing and Arthur's a ghost, so they stay there tangled together.
-I want to wrap you in cotton and take you home and keep you safe.
Merlin's voice is soft. Arthur feels warm through and through.
-You are my cotton. And my bucket.
-A pink bucket?
-No. Not pink.
Merlin sighs deeply.
It's kinda wonderful.
Hello little one (Prompt:#134 mistake)
Gaius stops dead in the door and takes in the scene. The bed is empty. There is tea and a plate with a lone cracker sitting on the table. The TV is muted and forgotten. His patient is sleeping snuggled up to Gaius’s assistant, looking far more content and calm than Gaius had seen him so far. He quickly shuts the door behind him.
He probably should have made a long speech about boundaries and such. But as long as Gaius makes sure the papers clearly states when Merlin clocked out as a professional and signed up as a father-to-be, this shouldn’t be much of problem. Spending a fair share of his day trying to take care of Uther's many concerns and bone deep distrust had been been just as exhausting as he had imagined. Just getting there had been a cloak and dagger affair like nothing he had experienced. It was rather poetic finding the younger Pendragon literally embracing his father’s demons.
-I failed.
Said 'demon' was not sleeping, it seems.
-A few crackers and some tea, Merlin whispered. -Then he vomited again. I don't know what to do. He really doesn't want the IV.
Merlin was watching Arthur mournfully. Gaius put on his serious frown. It was his duty as a teacher and guide to clearly inform his students when they were mistaken. He did keep his voice down for the sake of the resting patient.
-Then he will be motivated for trying solid food later. You are a promising student with good instincts and a lot of potential, but I was not expecting miracles. In this case I don’t expect you to be a good doctor. But I did believe you would be good medicine.
---
Arthur found it a bit embarrassing to wake up to the sound of Merlin and the Doc discussing procedure and find he had been drooling on Merlin's shoulder. Gaius' acted like nothing was out of the ordinary and Merlin kept stroking his back. He could get used to this. Well... he would prefer less clothes, less puking and definitively no Gaius hanging around making notes! But now it was time for take two of the baby viewing machine, so it was back to bed and a quick repeat of what had been said and done earlier.
Gaius made sure to measure his blood pressure when Merlin was not in the room. Clearly Gaius knows how to form sentences with his eyebrows, because Merlin eyebrows rose high and his mouth shaped a soundless “oh!”. Then he managed to blush and look smug at the same time.
Arthur hoped this wouldn't make it into Gaius' book.
Feeling far less jittery and with Merlin's hand firmly wrapped around his, they watched as a tiny heart was beating eagerly on the monitor. Arthur was nearly composed too, until Merlin whispered with awe;
-Look what we did.
Gaius called it 'a father's privilege' and Arthur could see why. Merlin's hands moved over Arthur's stomach and Arthur could see the second he connected with the magic inside. He had never looked happier.
Tell him (Prompt:#136 Oath)
Gaius had graciously agreed to give Arthur his phone back if he swore to leave the work email alone. Dutifully, Arthur removed the email settings while trying really hard not to notice how many unread emails there were. He could go online to find them, but they would be easier to ignore when they didn’t pile up on his phone. Also, the connection here was rubbish. Thankfully.
The text messages were a bit worse, he felt guilty just by looking at the icon and exhausted by the thought of reading and replying. He had taken a picture of the ultra sound print which was the most baby-like. He had added the words “we’re fine” and his father’s number, and there it stopped. Now he sat there staring a hole in the screen, only touching it when the power save settings kicked in and turned off the screen. Each time he worried he had accidentally pressed ‘send’ and then he felt slightly disappointed that he hadn’t. The only other sounds in the room where of Merlin shifting in the chair and the turning of pages.
-Just send it.
-He’ll call the second he sees it.
Arthur scratched at the damned tubes going down his nose and Merlin sent him a glare to make him stop.
-He has probably received a ton of ‘message delivered’ notifications by now anyway. Just send it.
Arthur frowned.
-Or you can put in on twitter.
-What?! No!
-Then send it. You want to.
Did he? Knowing Uther had actually punched Merlin made Arthur not want to see him at all. But a part of him wanted him to be there - to WANT to be there - and Merlin had said his father was worried.
-You do it. No. Yes. You decide. Don’t tell me if you’ve done it or not.
Merlin sighed and took the phone from Arthur’s outstretched arm. He turned his back for a moment and left it screen down on the sofa table.
Arthur tried not to regret his decision while Merlin sits down trying once again to read his textbook. He gets about 5 seconds of peace before Arthur started talking again.
-If he received it, you think he might come right up instead of calling?
Merlin mumbles, still trying to read his book.
-No. He is not allowed to make unauthorized visits to the hospital.
He immediately pulls a face, realising that this should probably be followed by some elaboration and consolation.
-Which doesn't mean he can't come, he just can't show up unexpected. He's allowed in if you wish to see him, and if he agrees to be escorted by discrete guards and under the agreement that he will be kicked out if he upsets you or any other patient or staff. Or something like that, only in lawyer lingo. If you want him to come then just say so, and I am sure he will be here before the ink is dry on the paperwork.
Arthur quietly thought of the short movie he had seen of his father on TV. Uther was not one to give up easily.
Merlin appears to have given up on reading. He starts to move things about and straighten the covers on Arthur's bed. Arthur absent-mindedly wiggles his toes. They moved freer now, but the covers would be balled up soon again. He kept kicking them off and on, so there was not much point in what Merlin was doing. Perhaps he too was trying not to think of Uther.
-What happens if he tries to come either way?
-He'll be attacked by deranged, evil gnomes. Or paparazzi as you call them.
-Piece of cake. He battles them on a daily basis. Then what?
Merlin s and moves over to Arthur’s side. He fluffs Arthur's pillows for some reason. It makes him come close, so it’s all good.
-Hm… Then he has to sneak in unnoticed.
Arthur smiles. It's like being told a story. His father was rarely the hero.
-He can be quite sneaky.
-Then he has to get past me.
Arthur chuckles, before he realizes Merlin is being serious. It’s a bit weird to imagine his gentle, soft hearted Merlin being an effective barrier against Uther ‘The Dragon’.
Clearly he was looking at Merlin in a funny way. Merlin titled his head and pouted.
-What? It’s not like Uther is the only overprotective father around here.
Arthur wrecks his brain for a comeback which isn’t a goofy hormonal giggle.
-Knew it. You're only interested in my body.
Merlin gasps and slaps Arthur’s arm.
-That’s not true! I am totally after your money as well! And your vast collection of identical black shoes.
-Oi! I need those shoes for work! And they are not identical.
-Are too.
-D 2.
-Nerd.
Seems the last untidy bit of the room was Arthur’s hair and they forget to argue as Merlin runs his fingers through it. It feels good to have him so near. Without thinking he reaches out and pulls Merlin closer and he kisses him.
Merlin draws his breath though his nose. He is a little surprised at first and Arthur feels a tingle of fear. But then he replies and all is slightly sloppy, warm and wonderful bliss. It's not perfect though. It is a little too gentle, and the nose tube is a bit in the way. Arthur wants more. He doesn’t know if he could deliver, but oh how he would like to try!
There's a series of knocks on the door. Merlin pulls away, sucking Arthur's lower lip in the process.
-Don't go. They can come back later.
Merlin groans mournfully.
-That's Mordred's knock. That means the ink is dry... I thought… It’s better to know than to wonder, isn’t it?
Father! Merlin jerked aside as Arthur sat up in bed and instinctively looked around as if he had to be ready for an inspection. But Merlin had tidied up, hadn’t he? He leaned back and scolded himself. Seconds later he smiled at the ceiling and then he smiled at Merlin.
-Merlin?
-Yeah?
-I love you.
Merlin beamed like the sun, like all his worries had blown away.
-I love you too.
Mordred knocked again. Merlin hurriedly kissed his nose and went to open the door.
Uther could yell for hours for all Arthur cared. He lay in a hospital bed with tubes down his nose and the sick bucket within easy reach and was the happiest man alive.
The Visitor (Prompt:#138 Anticipation)
It was an understatement to say that Uther Pendragon had mixed feelings about all this. He had been taken through back doors and parking garages guided by the weird kid with the phone obsession and a burly looking man from hotel security. Sneaking around like a thief in order to see his own son. It was degrading. They should have let him enter when he first arrived, then none of this would have been necessary.
He had not minded when Arthur found his own apartment. It was good to learn to be independent. He was a bit skeptical when Merlin moved in. But it was also good to learn how to share your space with another individual. While other young boys were sent away on boarding school, Arthur had stayed at home and gone to the local schools. Ygraine would have never sent her son away and Uther could better oversee his son’s education this way.
Merlin had grown up with his mother and seemed to be Arthur’s opposite in every way. The fact that he was a magic user was disconcerting. There was no crime in having magic, Arthur had argued. Any person alive had the potential of doing great thing and horrendous things.
He had had many arguments with Arthur about this. Yet the man had seemed to be a good influence and Arthur had learned to see thing from a different perspective. He even proved to be caring and understanding when Merlin’s mother passed away. Uther was rather proud of the man his son had become and knew he would be a good corporate leader if he kept his focus.
Still he had underestimated Merlin. Gaius could talk until he was blue in the face, Uther did not believe that this had been an unplanned pregnancy. He only had to figure out what Merlin had hoped to achieve by this. Maybe the glory alone was enough. Perhaps all he wished was to conquer life and death and be celebrated as the one who succeeded where others had failed. It had to have been a plan set in motion years ago.
It had taken a lot of preparations and powerful magic for Ygraine to conceive a child and the consequences had been dire. The NIMUEH project had claimed to have nothing but good intentions. But they were using poorly tested methods and showing little interest in the welfare of mother and child. They made life grow where years of fertility treatments had failed, in a body nature never intended to bear a child. His beloved Ygraine was reduced to an experiment. While she could still speak she would sing to her growing baby, but in the end she was barely more than an incubator. Now he may have failed them both once more.
The burly man left them by the staff elevator. Mordred put his phone away, pushed the button and turned towards Uther with his arms folded across the chest, glaring at Uther’s rigid posture.
-It’s not a funeral.
Uther turns slowly, eyeing him with deep distrust while trying to acknowledge him as little as possible.
-Excuse me?
-I said ‘it’s not a funeral’. He’s expecting and he is not well, but he is not dead. You could have brought a bear or something.
Uther looks at him.
-A bear?
Mordred rolls his eyes and nearly laughs.
-Yeah. A toy, a gift, balloons, flowers. Like normal people do.
Uther huffs and looks away. As if this kid had any right to lecture him about what was normal.
Mordred rolls his eyes and strikes out his arm in exasperation.
-Fine, be that way. But there’s one thing you need to see.
He digs out his phone - again - and trusts it into Uther’s hands.
Uther seethes when he sees the man on the video, there is a limit to what a man can bare to be exposed to.
-I have no interests in seeing this! I know fully well this criminal is teaching…
-We all know that, Mordred interrupts and Uther has to remind himself that the kid could easily toss him around like a rag doll and this may all be a ploy to make him break the written agreement and to keep him away from Arthur.
-It’s the Q and A which is interesting, Mordred continues.
And yes it is in fact rather interesting.
The elevator stops and Mordred keeps the doors open until Uther has finished viewing the video. He returns the phone to him without a word. They walk down a corridor which has that very distinct hospital air. The very building reeks of loss and stolen trust.
Mordred knocks a series of beats on the door. When there is no immediate reply, Mordred leans against the wall. They wait in silence. Mordred stretches out his hand and knocks again, not taking his eyes of Uther. The lack of trust is mutual. This time the door opens a little bit and then fully.
Merlin looks more like a wary intern rather than a victorious warlock, not quite what Uther had anticipated. He holds the door open to let them in. Mordred strolls in and flops down on the sofa. No respect. Uther pitied the kid’s parents.
Arthur is a shadow of his former self. He appears hollow and drained, yet there is a slight pink taint in his cheeks. There’s a familiar sent of ginger. It’s been many years but it takes him back. The rooms itself looks fairly nice, there was clearly an effort made to make it appear more homely. There is nothing he can immediately identify as “witchy” or suspicious. Arthur croaks a “Hello father” and looks like he is expecting a reprimand. His eyes dart towards Merlin, not in fear or concern, but rather seeking support it seems. Interesting.
-So, mr Emrys, Uther says with pointed neutrality.
-I hear you are studying medicine.
Truth seekers (Prompt:# CD-Morgana)
“I hear you are studying medicine”, Uther says like he had not been aware of Merlin's ambition and dream for years. He makes his face and posture as unreadable as possible. He has years of training, after all.
There's a twitch in Arthur's eye, one Uther is sure he would have hidden far better if he was not weakened. He's sure he appears rude or condescending. It doesn't matters. His son’s life is at stake. That little bundle he had been handed years ago, new to the world and loudly demanding his attention. It’s seeing him grow strong and healthy that makes the guilt and pain of Ygraine’s death bearable. But it's a balancing act. He has lost his temper once, and not one person in this room will forgive him if he does so again. Instead he observes.
He sees Merlin, how he holds his hands, how he replies, what he chooses to say and what he doesn't say. He sees the exchange of looks between the two, and how Mordred plays on his phone seemingly unbothered.
Uther knows a lot from this alone. Whatever Merlin's true motives are, Mordred has Merlin’s back. There is no need for words or looks between them, leaving Merlin free to focus on the Pendragons. It is an interesting observation in this shaky truce. He absorbs it all, leaving all options open. He cannot afford to lose his son.
Merlin opts for showing his polite and friendly bedside manners. He smiles and appears non-hostile, but definitely not yielding.
“Yes, I do study medicine. I’m in my first year of MagiMed.”
Merlin is aware of the trap, not falling in by losing his temper - that had been Uther’s error - or resolve to spitting sarcastic venom. Uther can respect that in an adversary, Merlin is no fool.
“And you see yourself making a career from this.”
Merlin’s lips quirk a bit, slightly amused perhaps. This was familiar territory for both, on opposite sides of the legalizing of Magic.
“I hope so. I have taken a special interest in diagnostics. The magic element in people can make them react differently to conventional medicine. Some cases which have been seen as immune or non-responsive to treatment may benefit from magical aid. ”
Uther offered no more than a grunt as comment. Under normal circumstances he might have interfered more in Merlin’s speech. But the look Arthur was sending Merlin echoed Ygraine. He needed a short moment to process it. That’s all.
“.. I believe, in time, MagiMed clinics and MagiMed staff will be available to the whole country, not just in a few open-minded cities and counties as it is now. I am sure you can see the benefit of having formally educated personnel providing diagnosis and prescribing medication, rather than just any ‘magic Mike’ off the streets. ”
“And while will you be while you wait for your Utopia to come true?”
He hit a nerve there.
“Camelot and Ealdor might as well be on different planets. And who knows where I end up working? I don’t mind being on the front-line for what I believe in, but Camelot is years away from accepting magic. I can’t spend my life with my head bowed, pretending to be ashamed of who I am. That is why we never… we didn’t think it was meant to be.”
“Merlin’s going to be the best doctor ever. I’m not sure the company will have me now…”
Arthur’s voice was shaky, but his faith in Merlin was clearly not.
Uther huffs at their indecisiveness.
Perhaps this may not be as bad as Uther had feared, but it was certainly far from reassuring. While he had yet to find proof that Merlin was a knowing part of a cruel plot, he was shocked that there seemed to be no planning involved at all! If it were true that Merlin had been unaware of this until Uther had arrived, that still left several hours of which should have been used to plan ahead. Such dilly-dally might be expected from Merlin, but not from a Pendragon.
“We are a modern company, son. We do not fire people for getting pregnant. We have a fine system in order for leave of absence during pregnancies or adoptions. The workers’ unions have worked hard for this. Why shouldn’t you benefit from it as well?”
He took his smartphone out and started tapping.
“I will have George send over the personnel handbook and ask him to procure the necessary information. Is there no signal in this building?”
…
Morgana might have done her best to cut all ties to Uther’s side of the family, but gossip will always reach her. She had cursed Uther many a time for trying to dictate what she said, how she acted, who she should spend time with and whom to love. She cursed him for succeeding in impregnating her mother yet passing on the inability to have children to her. And most of all she cursed him for not supporting her trying so-called “alternative” methods for conceiving. He never saw any difference between the skilled, honourable people she had met and the butchers he had sacrificed his wife to.
The grainy video of Uther charging into the hospital like a raging bull had barely ended before Morgana was on the case. And unlike Uther, Morgana had connections within those walls. As she waited for the phone to be answered, she glanced over at her husband Gwaine. He looked at her with concern, but was leaned casually against the wall. Not crowding her, not blocking her, not telling her what to do. He was just there.
She hated not knowing. She hated to be kept out of the loop. There had been far too much of that in the past. In Gwaine she had found a rebel soul like herself, one who understood most everything she threw at him and never turned his back to the parts he didn’t understand. He gave her strength.
Hashtag Grandfather (Prompt:# CD-Merlin)
Merlin and Arthur watches with a sense of disbelief as Uther frowns at his phone, lifting it up in the air and moving it around to find a signal.
“’Fraid you won’t have much luck.” Mordred informs from the sofa with the distant enthusiasm of a teen promising to do the dishes later once he’s finished this level.
“But there’s a booster antenna in the lobby, and guest wifi. I can show you when we leave.”
Not willing to trust Mordred’s… well, anything really, or give any notice of the emphasis on 'leave', Uther moves closer to the window to complete his testing.
Seeing he is no longer the main target of Uther’s scrutiny, Merlin slips closer to Arthur. He had been standing just a few steps away, but it was a few too many. Seems Arthur was having similar thoughts. Arthur’s hand opens for Merlin to hold and his eyes soften as he looks at Merlin rather than his father. Merlin can tell he’s more tired than he wants to let on and more tense than he ought to be. He gives Uther a quick glance before he leans closer to whisper.
“I know what he’s really doing. Taking a selfie for twitter. Hashtag: grandfather.”
Arthur’s snort a laugh, as best as the tubes will allow. The thought of seeing the grumpy face Uther aims at the phone on a twitter post was too amusing. This was followed by ideas on what things his father might write on twitter, making him smile even more. “Olaf tried hostile takeover of firm. LOL. #fail #LOL #worklolz #olafsux.”
He would have liked to share it all with Merlin, he'd see the fun in it. It was just a bit hard to find the words. But it could wait. Merlin is looking at him in that lovely way only Merlin could look. Arthur's eyes fall shut, nearly drifting of to sleep. Quickly opening them again he notices his father has stopped his search and is instead watching them. Arthur knows that look, Uther has decided on something.
“Hm. I believe I have some buisness to take care of. There's a conference room on level three that is in need of an update.”
Arthur doesn't really know what to make of that. The conference room was updated just three years ago, it was hardly a pressing matter. Merlin didn't seem much wiser.
“Well then. Mordred will walk you out. This has been...”
“Quite. I will be in touch.”
Mordred is already by the door, holding it open.
“You should have brought a bear.” Mordred's voice is low, but Merlin catches it.
Uther grumbles, but leaves the room with his head held high.
“Or a bunny.”
“A bunny! Not going to happen.”
Merlin is about to ask Arthur what that might be about, but he has fallen asleep. Merlin makes sure he is comfortable and everything is in order.
Three days later a thrilled Mordred drags a worn out Merlin into their shared apartment where a big TV and various tech supplies fill the space.
“Video conference stuff!” He exclaims with childish joy. “Great for gaming!”
Merlin blinks at the logos and sender information on the huge boxes, and at the bubble wrap wrapped brown teddy bear perched on top. He shakes his head and gives Mordred the all clear to get started. Maybe things would make more sense after some sleep.
Happy thoughts (Prompt:#154 - Unwinding)
The days seem a bit brighter after Uther's visit. It's easier to breathe somehow, like he hes been been tied up in knots inside and now they are finally unwinding. Merlin was right, Arthur has to admit. It was right to invite Uther, and it could have gone worse. It hadn't been fun seeing Merlin under fire and being unable to defend him the way he should have.
Arthur sniffles and blinks towards the ceiling. Seems he had better getting used to crying, now he cries because he is so hearth shattering fond of the brave idiot currently sleeping next to him.
Merlin really is wonderful. He works so hard with his studies and being Doc Gaius' trainee or whatever as well as being Arthur's unofficial nurse and supporting father-to-be. It is so unfair that he has to defend himself against Uther, when all this had been unexpected and not at all planned, and they were both consenting adults. Very consenting. Twice. Arthur smiles. It's a good memory, despite remembering the agony of parting ways, the sorrow of how things might have been. It lead them here, to their second chance to make it right.
The memory brings out other emotions too. Merlin is determined that nothing naughty will happen in Arthur's bed, which is a bit frustrating. It is also reassuring that when Arthur tugs him near Merlin doesn't expect anything other than to be close and near each other.
In the shower though.... Now that's a different story. They now had the cleanest dicks in town for sure. Merlin had been very thorough. God, it felt so good to be touched, it felt so good to touch! Arthur might still be a wobbly pile of hormones, but Merlin still wanted him. Still wants him. Still loves him, despite his homicidal father and peculiar text messages from Gwaine congratulating Merlin on becoming Uther's least favorite son-in-law.
It's worth a tear as well before he settles down to sleep.
But before he drift away again, Arthur sets himself a goal. Any cracker or soup or food of any kind Merlin brings him, he will eat. If it didn't stay down he would try again. He will get well enough to come to Merlin's place, where they will be away the hospital and what was expected of him here. He smiles ruefully and whispers into Merlin's still damp hair.
-With God as my witness, you will fuck me again.
Merlin sleeps lighter than expected, because he smiles and whispers;
-Can hardly wait, babe.
(cont.)