Dushen's Curry Palace
Author:tygermine
Title:Dushen's Curry Palace
Rating:Gen
Pairing/s:Arthur/Merlin
Summary: Merlin has the worst timing. Ever.
Prompt:Confessions
Author's Notes: Continuation of Arthur and Merlin's Bali vacation
“I have a confession to make,” said Merlin, perched on the hotel room balcony as far from the bathroom as possible.
“What?” groused Arthur, hanging over the toilet bowl. “You’re a terrible boyfriend?”
Merlin flipped him the bird that he couldn’t see. “I’m a great boyfriend.”
“So, what’s this great confession?” Arthur retched a bit more while wondering how the hell Merlin wasn’t praying to the porcelain god as well. “Oi, why don’t you have your head in a toilet?”
“If you’d seen our school dinners, you’d also have an iron stomach. No Jamie Oliver saving us from cement potatoes.”
“if you’ve got such a strong stomach, why aren’t you here?”
“Holding your hair back? No way. Sorry, but I can’t.”
“Pansy,” Arthur muttered and retched some more. It was now just bile coming up and his stomach muscles hurt like hell.
“Says the one who can’t even handle a little exotic food,” Merlin teased, anxiously checking his watch. The doctor said he’d be there in fifteen minutes, twenty minutes ago.
A knock sounded on the door and Merlin raced to answer it, ushering in a haggard looking doctor. He went to the bathroom door, took one look at the wretched looking Arthur and turned to Merlin.
“Dushen’s Curry house, right?”
Merlin nodded.
The doctor sighed, opened his bag and pulled out various packets and bottles. He instructed Merlin to use one of the packets to make some juice and handed Arthur two little white tablets, which he washed down with the juice.
“Get him cleaned up and in bed and make him drink this for the rest of the night. He should be back to normal by morning.” With that the doctor left, leaving a hefty bill.
Merlin manhandled Arthur into the shower and held him up under the spray.
“I like showering with you, just not like this,” Arthur muttered.
“Likewise,” Merlin whispered, rinsing Arthur off. He pulled him out and wrapped him in a towel. “Ok, brush your teeth.”
Arthur gripped the basin and tried not to gag on his toothbrush or the smell of the toothpaste. A few minutes later, he was tucked in bed and sipping the juice through a straw.
“So, what was that big confession?” Arthur asked, eyes slightly closed.
“Forget about it. Not the right time,” Merlin rolled over and grabbed the remote control.
“So, while I’m hanging over a toilet its ok, but now that I’m in bed, it’s the wrong time? Honestly Merlin, sometimes I wonder about you,” Arthur huffed and pulled the duvet higher up over his shoulder. This holiday was turning out to be a complete disaster. He heard Merlin sigh and get up from the bed. There was some rustling as he dug through the suitcase.
He heard Merlin come around to his side of the bed and squinted and eye open to find merlin kneeling next to the bed looking at him with anxious eyes.
“What?” he snapped.
Merlin let a small smile pull on his lips and lifted his hands, uncurling his fingers. In the palm of his hand lay a silver ring, with two parallel bands of embedded amber running around it. This was not the ring he bought.
“I don’t understand,” Arthur muttered, frowning.
“You obviously threw up your brains,” Merlin smiled wider. “Arthur, I love you, more than anything in the world. Without you, my life is boring, lonely and when I imagine my future, you’re in it. So, do you want to make that future a reality with me?”
“Oh fuck,” muttered Arthur and lurched from the bed.
“That was not quite the answer I was expecting,” said Merlin, watching Arthur dig through his bag, cursing and throwing clothes around haphazardly. With a small, triumphant crow, Arthur stood up and stumbled to the bed. He smiled as he opened his fist to show Merlin a silver ring, with a small dragon and runes engraved in it. He swallowed and whispered “What you said.”
Merlin gasped and flung his arms around his boyfriend hugging him close.
“You utter wanker. Really? Really?”
Arthur could only nod, the lump in his throat choking him.
They exchanged rings and as Merlin leaned in for a kiss, Arthur turned a slight shade of green and raced to the bathroom. Merlin retreated back to the balcony.
“Worst boyfriend ever,” Arthur cried, between retches.
“Uh uh, best fiancé ever.”