Fic: Never meet your heroes
Part VII
When he came to, Arthur realised two things: he smelled oddly like a hospital and his head hurt really, really badly.
“Open your eyes, Arthur, I know you’re awake.” Morgause‘s face swam into focus. He blinked a few times, careful not to move too much.
“What happened?” he groaned.
“Well, apparently…” - Arthur tried to get a better look at Morgause to figure out, why she had paused, only to realise she was trying to suppress her laughter - “you and Merlin have been channelling Lord Byron and went for a little swim in the canal.” She cast a gleeful look at the pile of sodden clothes at the ground near the couch where Merlin sat wrapped in a couple of blankets with Freya fussing over him. “You two are not safe to be let out, seriously.”
“Thanks Morgause. I’m glad that I can always count on you to be kind and sympathetic,” he said sarcastically. He turned to Merlin and pointing an accusatory finger at him. “I don’t know what you are snickering about though, Merlin. After all, you went in first.”
“I,” Merlin said very dignified,” was maliciously attacked by a pickpocket who had tried to steal a woman’s handbag and thrown into the canal. You, on the other hand, jumped in, hit your head at the side of a gondola and nearly drowned if I hadn’t pulled you out.”
“Why did you jump in?” Freya asked, the only one out of the sorry bunch that seemed to feel sorry for him. Nevertheless Arthur felt the heat slowly rising up into his face.
“Iwastryingtosave him.” Arthur grumbled.
“Sorry, what was that?” Merlin asked with a grin.
“You heard rightly.” Arthur said sheepishly, feeling stupid and embarrassed. “I was trying to save you.”
“My hero,” Merlin declared, not even trying to hide his amusement. “I’m honoured Arthur and I thank you for your good intentions but I was three when my dad taught me how to swim. My mum embarrasses me every time someone comes to the house by showing off the, I must say so myself, impressive number of trophies I won over the years. Four months ago we won the university challenge cup, second year running.”
Fifteen minutes later they were all thrown out for shouting angrily (Arthur) and laughing loudly (the rest of them).
Despite their adventurous afternoon Arthur and Merlin met Freya and Morgause in the lobby of the Danieli hotel at the slightly later time of 9 o’clock.
“Ladies,” Merlin bowed playfully, “you are looking positively ravishing.”
“You are a dear, Merlin.” Freya gave him a friendly hug. “And may I say you two are looking rather dashing as well.”
“Wash your mouth out with soap,” Morgause grinned. “Arthur does not need his head to grow any bigger than it already is. He might hit it on something, oh no wait, he already did.”
“Hilarious, Morgause,” Arthur said sarcastically. “Such wit, you slay me every time.” He gave Freya a peck on the cheek. “You are a sight for sore eyes and Merlin, I suppose you scrub up not too badly as well. Those open shirt buttons are a bit daring for you, though, I’d say. And dearest cousin, if I didn’t know any better, I would think you have forgotten to put a dress on. So, fair warning, if vice is coming to arrest you, I deny any acquaintance.”
Morgause merely laughed and headed for the door. “You just can’t deal with my hotness. Walk three steps behind me and don’t cramp my style.”
Merlin and Freya interlinked their arms and followed Morgause out of the hotel, leaving Arthur to bring up the rear with Leon, a British expat who worked in the Danieli and had become a member of their little social group. The club was only a 5 minute walk from the Danieli (carefully chosen by Morgause who loved her killer heels but wasn’t stupid) where Duvalli’s staff was meeting them.
Normally Arthur would have enjoyed all the attention he received but tonight, he was not in the mood for shallow small talk and overeager advances. He put it down to the bad day he’d already had. Merlin getting his fair share of attention had absolutely nothing to do with his bad temper. Merlin was wearing skinny black jeans that accentuated his cute, perky little arse (Silvio’s words not Arthur’s) a black dress shirt, top three buttons open and his hair was artfully tousled.
Arthur felt professionally compelled to save Merlin from wandering hands and protect his virtue, especially as Merlin seemingly had more than his quota of two alcoholic beverages and was now truly on the way to fairy land.
“Arthur, this is my friend Rico,” Merlin dragged his 8th dance partner over to introduce him. “Meet King Arthur, you know the one with the mighty sword.”
Rico, like the 7 before him, did throw a not so discreet look at Arthur’s general crotch area but unlike the others he found Merlin’s ridiculousness utterly adorable. Naturally Arthur felt compelled to tell Rico on his next toilet run to stay the heck away from Merlin. The rest of the night he alleviated the problem by sticking to Merlin like glue and glaring at everyone who dared to come close.
“Everyone is soooooooo lovely here,” Merlin threw himself down onto the seat next to Arthur after dancing with some of the Duvalli’s girls. “Freya, come here,” he waved excitedly at Freya who pulled a dopily smiling Leon after her. “I love it here. Everyone is so friendly, look,” Merlin extracted a bunch of crunched up notes out of his pocket, “I got all these phone numbers, isn’t that great?”
While Freya cooed at the idiot, Arthur discreetly poured his beer over the papers till they resembled a mushy pile of mush. (It was late and Arthur’s brain was too tired to come up with intelligent metaphors.) His head started to hurt and he really wanted to get Merlin out of here before the idiot did something ill advised.
“Why is none of you dancing?” Silvio arrived, all happy and excited. “We requested “The Time Warp”, come on everyone.”
“The Time Warp? Seriously?” Arthur snorted. “I think I’ll pass. Besides, I’ve seen Merlin nearly killing two sets of tourists with what he calls dancing.”
“Hey, I’m,” Merlin pointed at himself and almost poked his eye out, “a wonderful dancer.” He scrabbled off the seat, missed the table to support himself getting up and landed in a heap at Arthur’s feet. “Oops,” he giggled and looked up at Arthur with a lopsided smile that made Arthur’s stomach do very funny things.
“You are so going to bed, mister.” Arthur hauled Merlin up onto his feet.
“One dance,” Merlin fluttered his ridiculously long eyelashes at him and Arthur knew he didn’t have the heart to say no. And this was how Arthur totally undignified jumped to the left and put his hands on his hips.
Eventually Arthur managed to drag a happily singing Merlin back to the hotel. He deposited him on the bed and once again went to get a glass of water and some aspirin from the bathroom.
He took Merlin’s shoes off and helped him out of his jacket when all of a sudden he felt a hand closing around his wrist.
“Don’t go,” Merlin said quietly, closing the distance between them. He tasted of rum and coke and something distinctly Merlin and Arthur melted into the kiss, revelling in the soft, warm pressure of Merlin’s lips. Arthur pressed Merlin gently against the pillow, running one hand down his side while burying the other one in Merlin’s thick hair. Arthur came only to his senses when he heard Merlin quietly moaned his name.
“What the fuck!” Arthur jumped back and moved away from the bed. “You don’t know what you are doing. Sleep off the alcohol, Merlin. I won’t take advantage of you in this state.”
Merlin who actually didn’t appear as drunk as Arthur had originally thought regarded him with a strange look on his face.
“I’ve told you about Will, my best friend.” It sounded almost like a question but it was obvious Merlin didn’t require Arthur to answer. He sat up with his back against the headboard and clutched a pillow to his stomach. “Every time we talk on the phone I hold the receiver away for the first 20 seconds. ‘Got laid yet?’ he asks, without fail every single time. Will always had a way with words. I’m sick of it. That doesn’t mean though I throw myself desperately at every guy that shows a bit of interest. Did it ever occur to you that maybe you are the first man I ever found worth of losing this blasted virginity to.”
Arthur was stunned. “Merlin, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t attracted to you but I am not looking for a relationship. I can’t give you what you need. I have a serious commitment phobia. I get bored very easily and then I move on. I would break your heart within the first few weeks.”
“Instead you break it here and now, “Merlin said quietly. “Why don’t you even give us a chance?”
“I can’t Merlin.”
“You can’t or you won’t? You are a coward, Arthur. I might be naïve and had a sheltered upbringing but I am not totally clueless. So what, I never had a boyfriend but I know what love is. And I love you, Arthur. You can be a right prat and at the start I thought you arrogant and supercilious but I have seen you buying ice cream for a couple of street urchins and jumping into a canal for me.”
“Merlin, you don’t know what you are saying,” Arthur panicked. “You had too much to drink.”
Merlin was visibly upset. His face was flaming red and there were tears in his eyes.
“Please Merlin. I’m so…”
“If you say sorry I will punch you. Don’t worry about me, I got the message. I would like you to go now.” Merlin jumped off the bed and opened his hotel room door motioning for Arthur to leave. Outside Arthur hesitated. He wanted to say something to make this entire mess better but once again Merlin slammed the door in his face.
PartVIII