Merlin's Birthday, Part Five [The conclusion]
Title: Merlin's Birthday, Part Five [The conclusion]
Author: digthewriter
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/s: Merlin/Arthur
Character/s: Merlin, Arthur, Gwen, Percy, Gwaine, Morgana, Leon
Summary: Merlin and Arthur finally have an open discussion about their friendship and their future.
Warnings: Modern!AU. Angst.
Word Count: 1120
Prompt: "Valentine's Day Card" for
camelot_drabble
Author's Notes: You can read from part ONE here, or catch up on AO3 here
"Are you okay?" Merlin asked as he entered the room and closed the door behind him.
"Fine. Just thinking," Arthur said and placed his mobile in his pocket.
"Messaging someone?" Merlin asked.
"Just reading over our old texts," Arthur replied.
"Arthur..."
"Do you want to be with me, Merlin?" Arthur asked, looking up at Merlin, and there was something so raw there that left Merlin speechless.
"I do," Merlin answered honestly. "That's not the problem."
"Then what's the problem?" Arthur turned so he could be sitting face to face with Merlin; he caressed Merlin's cheek with the back of his hand and Merlin leaned into the touch. "You want this and I want this and what we did today-"
"What if it doesn't work?"
"Why wouldn't it work?"
Merlin shrugged. "Lots of friends get together and it ends up failing. I mean what do you think will happen if Gwaine and Percy get together and they don't work out?"
"They haven't known each other for as long as you and I have and our friendship has survived a lot. I think Gwaine and Percy would think it was worth it and that's why they would try."
"I don't know..." Merlin said again. He was just so afraid to take the next step, so afraid of losing Arthur he'd rather just be his friend than end up being nothing at all. He'd kept his feelings under control for years, he could continue to do it.
"Is it Mordred?" Arthur asked.
"What? No." Merlin shook his head fiercely because Arthur couldn't be more wrong. "It was never Mordred. It was always you, Arthur. We didn't work out because I was in love with you and Mordred knew that."
"And I love you, Merlin. I want us to be together." Arthur stopped talking abruptly and pulled Merlin in for a fierce kiss. This kiss seemed more desperate than the one they'd shared in the kitchen hours ago. It was as if Arthur was trying to tell him something and only a kiss would get that message through.
Merlin pulled Arthur closer, grabbing his shirt with his fists and kissed him back. It was a deep, heated, bruising kiss. It made him feel something Merlin had never felt before.
"What was that?" Merlin asked when they'd pulled apart.
"A birthday kiss. A kiss you deserve," Arthur said. "A kiss that tells you you're my everything and I don't want to be your friend anymore. I want more. I've wanted more for a very long time. If I'd know before arriving today that we'd end up doing...what we did. I would have brought you a cheesy Valentine's Day card just to prove that I really mean it," Arthur said with a hint of amusement in his voice.
Merlin was still slightly nervous. "Our friendship-"
"Our friendship won't survive if you're with someone else. I can't watch that happen. Do you want that? Do you want me to just turn away from you?"
Merlin shook his head. He gave a tentative smile and closed his eyes. They kissed again. Soft this time. Taking their time as if that was what they had - all the time in the world.
"So what do you say, Merlin?"
"To what?" Merlin asked, kissing Arthur's jaw before he made his way down Arthur's neck, and then kissing his collarbone.
"Will you be my Valentine?"
Merlin looked up at Arthur and they simply looked at each other for a very long time. "I say yes," he said.
Eventually, after a few more kisses, and hands groping each other as much as they could over clothes, Arthur and Merlin decided to go back to the party. Some of the guests had already left and some looked tired as they rested on the sofa nursing a drink in their hand.
"Where have you two been?" Gwen asked after Merlin walked into the sitting room first. "Charles, Jake, and Teresa left. They wanted to say goodbye, but were running late for another party."
"We were...celebrating," Arthur said, and kissed Merlin's cheek before walking away.
"Really?" Gwen said, sounding scandalised, though she had a huge grin on her face.
"It is my birthday," Merlin said shrugging.
It wasn't long before all the guests started to leave for their own plans for Valentine's Day. Percy was going over to Gwaine's place, and Morgana had invited Leon over to her flat.
As the room started to thin out, the realisation of the fact that Arthur would be spending the night was starting to settle in. Still, it didn't make Merlin nervous, but only excited him. He was glad to take their relationship-their friendship-to the next level. He was glad that Arthur was so sure for the both of them.
He had his birthday kiss and then a promise.
"Why do you look so happy?" Merlin asked Arthur when the last of the guests had left and the flat was entirely empty. "I mean, I know I'd said yes to me being your Valentine and all..."
Arthur shook his head and kissed Merlin again. "Just realised something," he said.
"Realised what?"
"Mordred didn't show up tonight."
Merlin shook his head. "I told you we're over. We'd been over for a long time. My invitation to him was a courtesy. He wasn't actually going to show."
"Hmm. He better never show if he knows what's good for him."
"You know, I never knew you were this jealous," Merlin said, locking the door to his flat, turning out the lights in the sitting room, and then pulled Arthur towards the bedroom.
"You better get used to it," Arthur said, taking his shirt off and then yanking Merlin's shirt off and over his head without asking for his permission.
Merlin threw his head back and laughed. "Hold on, before we do anything. I need a shower." He went into the linen closet next to the bathroom and pulled out a towel, which he threw at Arthur. "Care to join me?"
Arthur's eyes grew dark as he gave Merlin a once over and then stared back at the towel in his hand. "I...yeah. That...sounds good."
Merlin resisted the urge to laugh again. Instead, he grabbed Arthur's arm and headed them off to the shower. He had no idea what the future held for them, but he was glad Arthur wanted him badly enough to not care. Maybe he worried too much, or maybe someone needed to worry about it, yet at the same time Merlin knew living in the moment was far better than never having to experience it.
They'd been friends for a long time, and maybe now, they were going to be lovers, forever. Probably.
Author: digthewriter
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/s: Merlin/Arthur
Character/s: Merlin, Arthur, Gwen, Percy, Gwaine, Morgana, Leon
Summary: Merlin and Arthur finally have an open discussion about their friendship and their future.
Warnings: Modern!AU. Angst.
Word Count: 1120
Prompt: "Valentine's Day Card" for
camelot_drabble
Author's Notes: You can read from part ONE here, or catch up on AO3 here
"Are you okay?" Merlin asked as he entered the room and closed the door behind him.
"Fine. Just thinking," Arthur said and placed his mobile in his pocket.
"Messaging someone?" Merlin asked.
"Just reading over our old texts," Arthur replied.
"Arthur..."
"Do you want to be with me, Merlin?" Arthur asked, looking up at Merlin, and there was something so raw there that left Merlin speechless.
"I do," Merlin answered honestly. "That's not the problem."
"Then what's the problem?" Arthur turned so he could be sitting face to face with Merlin; he caressed Merlin's cheek with the back of his hand and Merlin leaned into the touch. "You want this and I want this and what we did today-"
"What if it doesn't work?"
"Why wouldn't it work?"
Merlin shrugged. "Lots of friends get together and it ends up failing. I mean what do you think will happen if Gwaine and Percy get together and they don't work out?"
"They haven't known each other for as long as you and I have and our friendship has survived a lot. I think Gwaine and Percy would think it was worth it and that's why they would try."
"I don't know..." Merlin said again. He was just so afraid to take the next step, so afraid of losing Arthur he'd rather just be his friend than end up being nothing at all. He'd kept his feelings under control for years, he could continue to do it.
"Is it Mordred?" Arthur asked.
"What? No." Merlin shook his head fiercely because Arthur couldn't be more wrong. "It was never Mordred. It was always you, Arthur. We didn't work out because I was in love with you and Mordred knew that."
"And I love you, Merlin. I want us to be together." Arthur stopped talking abruptly and pulled Merlin in for a fierce kiss. This kiss seemed more desperate than the one they'd shared in the kitchen hours ago. It was as if Arthur was trying to tell him something and only a kiss would get that message through.
Merlin pulled Arthur closer, grabbing his shirt with his fists and kissed him back. It was a deep, heated, bruising kiss. It made him feel something Merlin had never felt before.
"What was that?" Merlin asked when they'd pulled apart.
"A birthday kiss. A kiss you deserve," Arthur said. "A kiss that tells you you're my everything and I don't want to be your friend anymore. I want more. I've wanted more for a very long time. If I'd know before arriving today that we'd end up doing...what we did. I would have brought you a cheesy Valentine's Day card just to prove that I really mean it," Arthur said with a hint of amusement in his voice.
Merlin was still slightly nervous. "Our friendship-"
"Our friendship won't survive if you're with someone else. I can't watch that happen. Do you want that? Do you want me to just turn away from you?"
Merlin shook his head. He gave a tentative smile and closed his eyes. They kissed again. Soft this time. Taking their time as if that was what they had - all the time in the world.
"So what do you say, Merlin?"
"To what?" Merlin asked, kissing Arthur's jaw before he made his way down Arthur's neck, and then kissing his collarbone.
"Will you be my Valentine?"
Merlin looked up at Arthur and they simply looked at each other for a very long time. "I say yes," he said.
Eventually, after a few more kisses, and hands groping each other as much as they could over clothes, Arthur and Merlin decided to go back to the party. Some of the guests had already left and some looked tired as they rested on the sofa nursing a drink in their hand.
"Where have you two been?" Gwen asked after Merlin walked into the sitting room first. "Charles, Jake, and Teresa left. They wanted to say goodbye, but were running late for another party."
"We were...celebrating," Arthur said, and kissed Merlin's cheek before walking away.
"Really?" Gwen said, sounding scandalised, though she had a huge grin on her face.
"It is my birthday," Merlin said shrugging.
It wasn't long before all the guests started to leave for their own plans for Valentine's Day. Percy was going over to Gwaine's place, and Morgana had invited Leon over to her flat.
As the room started to thin out, the realisation of the fact that Arthur would be spending the night was starting to settle in. Still, it didn't make Merlin nervous, but only excited him. He was glad to take their relationship-their friendship-to the next level. He was glad that Arthur was so sure for the both of them.
He had his birthday kiss and then a promise.
"Why do you look so happy?" Merlin asked Arthur when the last of the guests had left and the flat was entirely empty. "I mean, I know I'd said yes to me being your Valentine and all..."
Arthur shook his head and kissed Merlin again. "Just realised something," he said.
"Realised what?"
"Mordred didn't show up tonight."
Merlin shook his head. "I told you we're over. We'd been over for a long time. My invitation to him was a courtesy. He wasn't actually going to show."
"Hmm. He better never show if he knows what's good for him."
"You know, I never knew you were this jealous," Merlin said, locking the door to his flat, turning out the lights in the sitting room, and then pulled Arthur towards the bedroom.
"You better get used to it," Arthur said, taking his shirt off and then yanking Merlin's shirt off and over his head without asking for his permission.
Merlin threw his head back and laughed. "Hold on, before we do anything. I need a shower." He went into the linen closet next to the bathroom and pulled out a towel, which he threw at Arthur. "Care to join me?"
Arthur's eyes grew dark as he gave Merlin a once over and then stared back at the towel in his hand. "I...yeah. That...sounds good."
Merlin resisted the urge to laugh again. Instead, he grabbed Arthur's arm and headed them off to the shower. He had no idea what the future held for them, but he was glad Arthur wanted him badly enough to not care. Maybe he worried too much, or maybe someone needed to worry about it, yet at the same time Merlin knew living in the moment was far better than never having to experience it.
They'd been friends for a long time, and maybe now, they were going to be lovers, forever. Probably.