Merthur fic part 3
“You have been to the British Museum before, haven’t you?”
“Yes, I have,” Arthur replied, shaking his head and smiling at Merlin as he pulled open the door and let him go in first. He didn’t mention that he hadn’t been since an outing in primary school, but that wasn’t important.
“Just wanted to check,” Merlin said, passing right by Arthur without a thank you. “Sometimes the most cultured people are just pretending.”
“I went to Oxford.”
Merlin shrugged, grinning over his shoulder as Arthur followed him into the large entrance area of the museum. It did look different than he remembered.
“Doesn’t prove anything except that you’ve got money.”
Arthur rolled his eyes and crossed the lobby with Merlin.
He wasn’t exactly sure how he’d been talked into coming to a museum, but a part of him felt like he would agree to anything Merlin suggested. The thought made him uneasy, but he didn’t fight it, and when it gave him the opportunity to check out Merlin’s bum as they climbed a flight of stairs, he didn’t protest.
All things considered, Arthur thought he was rather good at this being mates thing. It had been almost two weeks since they’d shagged and they were getting along pretty well.
“So what are we here to see?” he asked as they reached the second floor.
“Anything. Everything. Nothing.” Merlin paused. “I don’t suppose you’d be interested in taking a look at the chalices?”
“Chalices?” Arthur repeated, arching an eyebrow at Merlin’s hopeful expression. “This is for your thesis, isn’t it?”
“No! Well, yes, but I invited you because I knew you would appreciate it. You know, chalices made in England are extremely rare.”
Arthur didn’t know what it was about Merlin that made him laugh and silently agree to go look at golden cups, but there was something.
“How does this relate to your thesis?”
“Chalices are often regarded as religious artifacts, and as a part of my research, I’m researching the medieval belief systems.”
“You mean you’d rather look at cups than chain mail?”
“No, we can look at that too. Knights were said to be very fit. I bet the chain mail was a big turn-on.” Merlin grinned at him as they headed into the room filled with artifacts.
Arthur eyed him, a stirring in his gut rising that he quickly tamped down.
“Pretty sure you wouldn’t have been a knight then.”
Merlin had the good grace to act surprised. “Are you saying I’m not fit? We can’t all be like you.” He reached over and poked Arthur’s stomach.
Arthur caught his wrist, meeting Merlin’s amused eyes. Merlin’s skin felt soft and smooth under his fingers, and it took Arthur a second too long to clear his throat and release it. As he glanced over, he caught Merlin rubbing the spot he’d touched him. His heart squeezed and he forced himself to focus on the golden chalice in front of him.
“So what happens when you drink from the chalice?”
“Nothing special,” Merlin replied. “It was said that old magicians could turn water into wine.”
“Can you?”
Merlin paused thoughtfully. “I could change grape juice into wine.”
Arthur laughed. “I’m not sure that’s the same thing.”
“Of course it is!”
“I meant magic.”
“I make a mean balloon giraffe.”
Arthur crossed his arms, lips pressed together. “Impressive.”
Merlin laughed, shoving Arthur’s arm. “What do you want? I’m only a mere mortal.”
“I guess I expected more from Merlin the magician.”
Merlin only pretended to be hurt. “If I was a real magician, I certainly wouldn’t use magic for party tricks.”
Arthur turned back to gaze at the chalice. It was rather nice, if he thought about it. He imagined what it must have been like for kings to drink out of such things at fancy parties and feasts. The fascination didn’t last long, though, considering it seemed an awful lot like how he’d grown up, except instead of chalices, it had been wine glasses with dinner and parties for his father’s business colleagues that he had found tedious and boring.
“If I had magic, I would magic myself out of this wedding.”
He knew Merlin was looking at him, but he was glad when Merlin said nothing about it.
“Let’s go look at the chain mail. It’ll help my thesis, no really.”
Arthur let Merlin pull him away from the chalice and thoughts of growing up and what was to come.
*
“What about Alice?” Arthur suggested, staring at the list of names in front of him. Next to him at the conference table, Leon looked up from his list.
“She’s been with the company nearly twenty years.”
Arthur sat back in the creaking chair, plush gold fabric rough against his back. “I realize this isn’t an easy task, Leon, but the merger can’t afford to keep everyone if we want to grow. Cuts need to be made.”
He had dreaded this all week, putting off deciding who to let go and who to keep, but Uther had made it clear that it needed to be done, and Arthur wasn’t one to disobey direct orders.
“How about Anhora? He’s getting up there. We could offer him early retirement.”
Leon didn’t look completely comfortable with the suggestion, but he made a note next to Anhora’s name. Setting down his pen, he glanced up at Arthur.
Arthur suspected he was about to ask the question that everyone asked - how was the wedding planning going? - but he didn’t particularly want to answer it, so he scanned the list for another name.
“George has had a few write-ups,” he said before Leon could ask any questions. “Perhaps we should let him go as well.”
“I thought George was quite good at his position.”
“He can’t take criticism,” Arthur pointed out, circling George’s name. “A good employee takes advice and learns.”
Leon picked his pen back up, and Arthur paused this time, staring at the list of names, of people he had known for years. Deep down, he knew it had to be done. Cuts had to be made for the growth of the company in the long run. That didn’t make things any easier.
“Am I meant to bring a gift this weekend?” Leon asked abruptly, and Arthur blinked.
“Sorry?”
“I’m not sure on engagement party etiquette,” Leon went on. “I’ve never been to one. Are gifts expected?”
The engagement party. Arthur’s stomach sank as he remembered. Now that the official announcement had been made to the press, Uther had somehow arranged a party for him and Elena. Everyone at the company was invited as well as other friends and family. Arthur was sure he wouldn’t know half the guests, but he rarely did.
“I don’t know,” Arthur said slowly. He had no idea what the expectations were for himself let alone the guests. He wished he could invite Merlin so at least he could have someone to talk to, but he thought perhaps that would be too awkward considering the situation.
Leon frowned slightly, tapping the pen against his mouth. “Perhaps I’ll just bring wine.”
“Always a good idea,” Arthur agreed. He could definitely use some wine this weekend. In fact, he could use some right now, but he pushed the thought from his mind and set back to the list. “We have three more to cut. Let’s just get it over with.”
Leon appeared about as pleased as Arthur felt about the task, and they both settled in to choose three more.
*
What are you doing right now?
Arthur glanced quickly at his phone, juggling it around the glass of champagne in his hand and checking that no one at the party was looking as he typed in his response.
At my engagement party.
He stuffed the mobile out of site as Elena joined him, slipping an arm around his.
“This is lovely,” she commented, gesturing at the room that had been specifically reserved for the afternoon. It was high up, overlooking the river, every table covered with a lacy white cloth, waiters in crisp shirts offering trays of food to the guests. “Uther is really quite generous.”
Arthur glanced over to where Uther was talking and laughing with his brother-in-law. They appeared to be having a wonderful time while Arthur waited impatiently for Merlin to respond to his text.
He ought to have been enjoying the party. It was for him and Elena after all, but instead, he could only think of how much he wished it was over.
“Are you hungry?” he asked instead of responding to her question. “I could get you something.”
“Oh!” She sounded surprised at his offer and smiled. “Yes, I’d love to try that mushroom thing I saw going around. Could you find me one?”
“I’ll be right back.” He slipped free of her arm just as his mobile vibrated.
Fancy. Does it come with tiny foods on silver platters?
Arthur smiled to himself as a waiter passed by with the mushrooms, but he didn’t take any.
Would you prefer it didn’t?
I’m not there to enjoy it, am I?
For a moment, Arthur wasn’t sure what to say. Inviting Merlin had seemed like a bad idea, but now he wished he had. Maybe Merlin would have been more comfortable with it than he guessed. He wasn’t sure he liked the idea of Merlin and Elena meeting, though, despite the fact that Merlin was just his friend.
“Who are you texting so secretly?”
Arthur gave a start, jumping back half a foot at Morgana’s voice in his ear.
“Morgana,” he said, pressing a hand to his chest and feeling the frantic beating of his heart at being both caught and surprised. He turned to face her. She merely smiled. “Enjoying yourself?”
“Quite,” she replied, taking a sip of champagne. “Uther throws very nice parties.”
“Yes,” Arthur agreed. “How’s Sophie Anne?”
“Fine.” Morgana glanced around the room, her eyes landing on Elena. “She’s begun taking piano lessons.”
“Oh, does she like them?”
Morgana didn’t reply for a moment, looking back at Arthur. “Have you spoken with Gwaine lately?”
“Gwaine?” Arthur frowned at the question, suspicious as it was. “No, why?”
“You did break up rather abruptly,” she said, taking another sip. “I imagine he was upset.”
Arthur frowned. “Gwaine is a tough bloke. I’m sure he’s bounced back by now.”
“And you don’t miss him at all?”
“It wasn’t really anything serious.”
Whatever he and Gwaine had, it wouldn’t have lasted. He had known that from the very first time he had met Gwaine and Gwaine had invited him back to his ridiculously messy flat for a shag ten minutes later. He didn’t miss Gwaine aside from the sex and Gwaine’s complete lack of ever being serious. He could have used a sense of humor to get through this afternoon.
His mobile vibrated again but he forcefully didn’t check it as Morgana’s eyes moved to it. He slid his thumb up to cover the name on the screen.
“It’s admirable how well you’ve adjusted to the idea of getting married on such short notice,” Morgana said instead. “I had thought you would put up a bit more of a fight.”
Somehow, Arthur knew it wasn’t a compliment, not coming from Morgana.
“It will make Father happy and it’s a good move for the company,” he said, parroting all the things he’d been told in the past few months. Perhaps if he said them, he could convince himself as well.
“And we wouldn’t want to upset Uther,” Morgana replied, finishing off her glass. She smiled tightly. “Good luck, Arthur.”
She left him alone with an uneasy curl to his stomach.
His mobile vibrated again and he pulled it out this time to see two new messages.
Want to come to mine tonight?
If you’re not busy.
Arthur glanced up as the tray of mushrooms passed him by again. Elena stood by the window, giggling at something Uther said to her, and Morgana stood to the side, a complacent smile on her face.
No, he wrote, I’m not busy, and hit send.
*
Arthur wasn’t sure he’d ever been in this part of London, at least not when he didn’t need to hop on the train to Paris for business trips. The area around King’s Cross station, though filled with fast food restaurants and tourists fresh off the train, wasn’t completely terrible, and he found Merlin’s flat with relative ease, climbing up four flights of stairs to finally reach it.
He knocked on Merlin’s door and stood back to wait, tamping down the nerves bubbling up. He wasn’t there to do anything aside from talk and spend time with a friend.
The door opened a moment later and Merlin stood there, barefoot on the wood floor.
“Hey,” Merlin greeted him with a smile, opening the door wider to let him in. “I was thinking we could order in. Do you like Thai food?”
“Sure,” Arthur agreed, shutting the door behind him and turning to take in Merlin’s flat.
It was about a quarter the size of Arthur’s own, practically a studio with the kitchen butting up to the living area. Merlin had managed to squeeze in a small sofa and a chair, though there was no coffee table, and the small television sat propped up on what looked like a nightstand, the DVD player sitting on the floor below it. Peeling wallpaper revealed brown walls behind them, but it only added to the charm.
“Welcome to my palace,” Merlin said as he rummaged through drawers in the kitchen and pulled out a takeaway menu.
Though it was cramped, there was a certain something about it that made it feel comfortable. The wall behind the television was plastered with documents and photocopied pictures of chainmail and knights. Arthur squinted at one document - an essay on Charlemagne and the division of Europe.
“You like spicy food, right?” Merlin asked from the kitchen, his mobile up to his ear.
“Yeah, sure.”
As Merlin ordered, Arthur continued his exploration of the small living space. In the corner, a small white rabbit thumped at Arthur from its cage on the floor. Merlin’s DVDs were piled in an uneven stack on the floor, a strange mix of romantic comedies, action films, and “smart” films as Elena would have called them.
“It’ll be here in fifteen,” Merlin said, rounding the couch and tucking his mobile away. “See anything you like?”
Arthur glanced up at him, his eyes scanning from Merlin’s bare feet to his loose shirt, smooth lines of his neck and soft, pink lips.
DVDs. He was talking about DVDs, Arthur reminded himself.
“Whatever you like is fine.”
Merlin squeezed past Arthur in the small space between the couch at the television, and Arthur could feel the press of his body as he passed. He purposefully didn’t move back.
Merlin either didn’t notice or ignored it, gazing at his pile of DVDs.
“How about something completely historically inaccurate?”
Arthur laughed. “Sounds good.”
Merlin picked out a case, standing and popping it in the player. Arthur finally moved back, taking a seat on the somewhat lumpy sofa. Merlin flopped down a second later, grabbing the remote from where it was wedged between the cushions and turning on the television.
“So how was your party?” Merlin asked as the previews plays on the DVD.
Arthur paused. “You know that feeling when you’re at the grocers and there are only two people in front of you but the one at the register is trying to make exact change and can’t find it all?”
Merlin smiled as he nodded.
“Like that.”
Merlin stretched his legs out, wiggling his toes. “I know you have to get married, but do you really have to marry someone you find so boring?”
Arthur would have argued that Elena wasn’t boring, but it was so true he couldn’t even muster the energy. Perhaps to someone else, she would be fascinating, but to him, it was like spending time talking to a rock.
“Her father runs the corporation we’ll be merging with. It is a sound business decision.”
“I thought arranged marriages went the way of the horse and carriage. Aren’t they supposed to be about love? I mean, we, or well, I can’t marry a bloke if I wanted to, so I’d be glad to even have the chance.”
Arthur didn’t admit to feeling the small pang as Merlin changed the “we” to “I” as if Arthur somehow didn’t count. He probably didn’t considering he was all set to marry a woman despite his sexual preferences.
“Yeah,” Arthur agreed after a second.
“Don’t be sad,” Merlin said, nudging Arthur’s thigh with his. “I’m sure you two will have perfectly posh children who wear bows in their hair and call you ‘Mother’ and ‘Father.’” He laughed when Arthur gave him a disgusted look.
“I hope when you have children, they call you ‘Oy, Old Man.’”
Merlin’s eyes crinkled as he laughed harder. “If only I’ll be so lucky.”
“You don’t think you’ll have kids?”
Merlin shrugged, skipping ahead to the main menu on the DVD. “You heard Gwen. I’ll probably never find someone to do that with. I’m a bit strange.”
“Everyone’s a bit strange,” Arthur pointed out, inexplicably sad at the thought of Merlin growing old alone.
“I’m a bit stranger than most,” Merlin said, biting his lip as he smiled easily. “Clyde would agree, wouldn’t you, Clyde?”
He glanced over his shoulder at the rabbit, which only flopped down onto its side and ignored him. Merlin shrugged.
“I like that you’re strange,” Arthur said without thinking, heart contracting as Merlin met his eyes.
“I’m glad,” Merlin said finally, and Arthur felt the urge to lean forward and kiss Merlin, but just as the thought started to cement, a knock came on the door. “That must be the food.”
Merlin jumped up from the couch and Arthur leaned back, shaking his head. He watched Merlin pay for the food, laughing at whatever the delivery guy said. He must have ordered from this place frequently.
“Thank, mate, I’ll see you later!” Merlin waved off the bloke and shut the door. He turned to Arthur, holding up the bags of food. “Dinner.”
Arthur said nothing as Merlin brought it over, pausing to dig forks out of the kitchen drawer. He shouldn’t have been thinking of kissing Merlin, especially since Merlin didn’t seem to be thinking of it at all judging by the way he had jumped up to get the door. Maybe Merlin was better at this mates thing than he was.
“Here.” Merlin handed over a box and Arthur took it.
“Thanks.”
“I hope you don’t mind,” Merlin said, reaching for the remote and finally hitting play on the DVD. “But I’m always really annoying when I watch films with other people. Feel free to give me a shove if I talk too much.”
“I will,” Arthur agreed, and Merlin grinned, settling in next to Arthur to watch the film.
*
Somehow, April had turned into May without Arthur realizing it, October seemingly creeping closer and closer. The only bright spot was Merlin. Over a month had passed since they’d met, though Arthur could hardly believe it. Between texting and meeting up for films or Merlin dragging him to see the new exhibit of swords at the museum (Arthur had teased him heavily for that one), they’d fallen into an easy routine that Arthur hardly batted an eye at.
It was a nice break from the mounds of work piling up on him at the office where Uther insisted on knowing every detail of the merger, right down to exactly who was being let go and why and how Godwyn’s people were being incorporated.
“More financial reports from Owain,” Gwen said as she entered with a stack of papers in her hands and placed them on Arthur’s desk.
To his credit, Arthur didn’t groan, although he did glance up when Gwen didn’t immediately leave.
“Is there something else?”
Gwen seemed to be making a decision about something as she hesitated. “I was just wondering-no, never mind.”
She turned but Arthur frowned.
“Gwen, what is it? You can ask.”
Gwen turned around slowly, fiddling with the ring on her right hand nervously. “I just wanted to know if you knew of any good ring shops.”
“Ring shops?” Arthur’s eyebrows furrowed. “You mean jewelers? Why do you-oh my god, Gwen, did Lance propose?”
Arthur hadn’t thought Gwen could blush this much as her face went bright red, but she nodded, and Arthur was out of his chair in a second, pulling her into a hug.
“Congratulations!”
When he let her go, the pink had receded slightly and she wore a stupid grin.
“He asked last night. We went to the London Eye and he asked right at the very top.” She couldn’t stop smiling now. “But he doesn’t have a ring, so we were going to go look together.”
“That’s fantastic, Gwen!” Arthur couldn’t believe it. “I’m really happy for you.”
Gwen beamed. “It’s only been a few months, but I could just tell, you know? We have so much in common and we get along so well. It’s like it was meant to be.”
Arthur nodded. “Sometimes you just know, right?”
Gwen nodded, unable to get her grin under control. “Yes, I suppose you do. I should get back to work.”
As she left, Arthur sunk into his chair. Gwen and Lance engaged after only a few months. He hadn’t seen that coming, at least not so soon. He wondered if Merlin knew, although he probably did since Gwen was his best friend.
The thought of Merlin made his heart swell and he smiled to himself and pulled out his mobile to text him.
Free this weekend? he typed, sending the message.
Arthur had plans only to meet with Elena and the wedding planner for what had to be the thousandth time in a month. How many decisions could there possibly be to make about flowers and food? The prospect of seeing Merlin would make it all that much more bearable.
His phone vibrated.
Going to Edinburgh.
Arthur stared at the words on the screen. Merlin had never not been free before.
For how long?
Four days.
Why?
It took Merlin a few minutes to respond this time. In the meantime, Arthur’s heart seemed to beat faster, although he didn’t know why.
Research for my thesis. Have to look up files in dusty Scottish libraries.
Arthur didn’t know why Merlin’s response made him feel anxious. He didn’t want Merlin to go, although that made no sense at all.
Can’t you do it here?
Leaving tomorrow. Be back late Monday.
Arthur frowned at the words on his screen. He didn’t like them, but there was nothing he could do to stem the twisting feeling in his gut.
Have fun, he forced himself to type, setting the mobile aside despite the answering vibration of a text.
Perhaps this was what he needed, he told himself, to be able to focus on work and the wedding, although the thought only seemed to make the pit in his stomach worse.
*
“How do you feel about finger foods?”
Arthur wasn’t sure how long they’d been sitting in the office that smelled strongly of peonies and had framed photographs of roses on the walls, but it was long enough that his temples had begun to throb. It had started off small enough, but after they’d passed the second hour, he really needed something to numb the boredom of discussing finger foods, cake flavors, and how many guests they would actually be inviting to both the ceremony and the reception.
A steady rain fell outside the window, and Arthur would have given anything to be at home with the radiator on and a good book, but instead, he was forced to answer the question when the planner looked to him first.
“Er, well, being that it’s going to be quite a traditional wedding, I suppose a catered meal would do better. I’m not sure my father would approve of the casualness of finger foods.”
He tried to imagine the face Uther would make when faced with pigs in a blanket as food at the reception, but he couldn’t quite manage it.
A similar look of regret at the suggestion passed over the wedding planner’s face, and she nodded her head, obviously remembering their search for the reception location.
Beside him, Elena fiddled with a ribbon on her dress, entirely unconcerned with what type of food they should serve, and Arthur wondered why he had to be there at all. He had no interest in the menu, and cake tasting was something he would leave to Elena. He had never really had a sweet tooth.
The longer he sat there, the more he wished he was anywhere else. Rain formed little rivulets on the window pane, dribbling down, and the sky darkened so that five in the afternoon became like eight.
He only wanted to get home, take a nice, long, hot shower, and take a good book to bed.
The meeting dragged on, though, and he struggled to pay attention to what the woman was saying.
He wondered if the wedding planner picked up on the strange arrangement before her, him and Elena and the fact that the closest they got to romance was holding hands. He was sure they didn’t act like the typical engaged couple. Gwen came to mind as he squinted at the black and white photograph of roses behind the desk. Gwen blushed at the mere mention of Lance, and when he had asked, she had already talked excitedly about her ideas for the wedding.
“Arthur?”
Elena spoke and Arthur realized both she and the wedding planner were looking at him.
“Sorry, what?”
“I guess that means no,” Elena said cheerfully, but Arthur was lost.
“Sorry?”
“Cake tasting,” she repeated herself. “Do you want to come on Monday?”
“I’m really not too fond of sweets. I’m sure whatever you pick will be fine.”
Elena seemed satisfied with his answer. As long as Uther didn’t find out, he probably wouldn’t have to go.
“Have we finished then?” he asked hopefully, and the planner seemed to deflate, but she gave in.
“That’s all for now.”
Grateful, Arthur stood and pulled on his jacket, glancing out the rain-streaked window.
He and Elena left, taking the lift down to the first floor. They stood by the front doors for a moment, watching the rain, and Elena pulled on her coat over her dress.
“I’m really looking forward to the cake,” Elena said as they stood there.
Something in her voice made Arthur pause, rather than dismissing it as her usual nonsense. She gazed out the glass door, a melancholy expression on her face.
It was gone in a second, though, as she shook her head.
“Shall we get a taxi?”
“Sure,” Arthur agreed, watching her closely, but the sadness was gone. He stepped through the doors instead and hailed a passing cab, rain soaking his coat.
*
Rain pattered against the bedroom window, and the lamplight spread slowly to the walls, but the book just couldn’t hold his attention.
The clock on the wall told him it was nearly ten at night - not exactly late but too late to go do anything. Setting down the book, Arthur sighed and marked his place. He wasn’t going to get any reading done.
He wasn’t sure what was distracting him - he couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but something tugged at the back of his mind as he sat in bed, warm and comfortable. He wanted to do something, but the thought of getting up and going somewhere seemed completely unappealing at the moment.
Setting the book on the nightstand, his eyes fell on his mobile. It had been mostly silent for two days, since he had last texted Merlin.
Merlin was in Scotland, though, far away, too far to be able to come over and have a pint and argue about which book to movie adaptations could be viewed as a fair try.
It had been two days since he had talked to Merlin, though. Two days.
Two days wasn’t that long in all honesty, but it made Arthur want to say something, so he grabbed his mobile and typed in a message.
How are the Scots treating you?
When no response came right away, Arthur wondered if Merlin was already asleep, though it wasn’t that late.
His mobile vibrated a few minutes later, though.
Help. They’ve got me chained up in the dungeon keep.
Arthur smiled, the familiar feeling of warmth he got whenever he talked to Merlin filling him.
And they didn’t take your mobile?
Scots are tricky.
Arthur chuckled, sinking down onto his bed instead of sitting up. For a moment, he imagined Merlin doing the same, lying in bed in some cheap motel in Scotland and smiling at his messages.
How’s London? Merlin wrote.
Same as always.
Merlin didn’t text back immediately, but there wasn’t much to respond to. For a long moment, Arthur gazed out the darkened window, listening to the rain. He imagined Merlin doing the exact same, although he wasn’t even sure it was raining in Edinburgh. Merlin was probably in just his underpants, ready for bed, hair ruffled and mussed in a way that made Arthur wish he was there with Merlin.
Grabbing his mobile, he looked up Merlin’s name and hit send, raising it to his ear.
It rang a few times before Merlin picked up.
“Hi,” he said, speaking softly as though afraid of disrupting the neighbors.
“Hi,” Arthur replied, settling down on top of the coverings. “What are you doing right now?”
“Talking to you?”
Arthur could hear the smile in Merlin’s voice even through the sarcasm.
“Is it raining there?”
“A little, yeah.” There was a pause. “Did you call to ask about the rain?”
“No.”
“Then why did you call?”
Arthur shrugged and then realized Merlin couldn’t see. He ran a hand through his hair, brushing it off his forehead. He really needed to get a trim, but he barely had time to eat let alone get a hair cut.
“Just wanted to say hi.”
“You could have texted me,” Merlin pointed out.
“I was texting you. Sometimes it’s nice to hear a voice connected to words.”
Merlin laughed quietly on the other end. “You have a nice voice.”
“Good to know.”
“Have you been drinking?”
Arthur scoffed. “No. Should I be pissed to want to talk to you?”
“No,” Merlin said simply. “I like that you called. It’s been a bit boring up here.”
“Well, you’re the one who went.”
“I had to. If I ever want to finish my doctorate, I have to finish my thesis. Despite what Gwen may say, I do want to finish and start living in the real world.”
“Don’t do that,” Arthur protested, closing his eyes and trying to picture Merlin lying on his hotel bed, the phone pressed to his ear, ready for bed. “Stay in Uni where it’s safe.”
“At some point I’ll have to finish,” Merlin pointed out.
Arthur hummed in agreement.
“So you’re coming back on Monday?” he asked instead, changing the subject.
“My train gets in late on Monday, yeah.”
“I wish you were here right now.”
Arthur didn’t know what made him say what he had been thinking, but the words came out of his mouth and there was no taking them back. When Merlin didn’t speak for a moment, he wondered if he should make up some excuse why he said that, but then Merlin made a small noise.
“Really? And what would we be doing right now?”
Stretching out, Arthur slid a hand down his chest, taking a deep breath. “Well, you wouldn’t have any clothes on.”
“Yeah?” Merlin asked, sounding curious. “Why not?”
“Because I would have taken them off.”
“Oh.” Merlin’s voice went softer, and Arthur hummed softly.
He usually tried not to think of this, to think of what it would be like with Merlin a second time, but after a month of no stimulation, it didn’t take much to send his imagination into overdrive. If he listened hard, he could hear Merlin’s breathing through the receiver, soft and steady at the moment.
His hand moved lower, slipping under the waistband of his trousers and circling around his cock.
“You can’t say you haven’t thought of it,” he murmured into the mobile, smoothing his hand over his prick. Things were a little too dry, and he reached over with his free hand, the phone cradled awkwardly against his neck, to reach for the lube in the nightstand drawer.
“I’ve thought about it,” Merlin replied quietly.
Arthur groaned softly, the lube adding an easy slide to his palm over his prick as he jerked himself off. He moved slowly at first, stroking lazily.
“What have you thought of?”
His cock hardened as he stroked, eyes closed against the dim light filling the room, picturing Merlin jerking himself off, moaning his name.
“Arthur,” Merlin said instead, and that only made the blood rush to Arthur’s prick, the way the name rolled off Merlin’s tongue.
“Merlin,” he muttered, squeezing against the heat filling his body. “I want to do this to you, jerk you off, get you naked.”
Merlin’s only response this time was a soft exhale of breath in the receiver.
If he could get Merlin alone again, in his flat or even in Merlin’s, surrounded by historical mumbo-jumbo, he would get Merlin’s trousers off, get his hands underneath, watch the way Merlin’s eyelashes fluttered against his cheek as he got closer and closer to release.
Pressing his face into the pillow, Arthur bit back his groan, hand moving faster now as his cock strained in his grip. The rational part of his brain knew he shouldn’t have called Merlin, but listening to Merlin’s increasing pace of breath made it all worthwhile as he jerked himself off.
The throb of blood filled his prick, hot and heavy in his hand as he stroked faster. Merlin had to be doing the same thing. He knew from the slight hitch in breath he heard on the other end of the phone.
“Arthur,” Merlin whispered finally, voice high and breathy in the receiver. “We should…”
“God, Merlin,” Arthur groaned over him, wishing he was there, that he could touch him, drag his fingers over his sharp hipbones, plant his mouth along his collar bone and suck until it was bright red, bite down on his shoulder and shag him until they both couldn’t remember their names.
His hips pushed off the bed into his grip, the pressure building under his skin as he got closer. It had been over a month since he’d gotten off, and it was obvious from the way he didn’t hold back his gasp, trying to focus on Merlin’s noises on the other end.
Where Merlin had been loud the first time, now he was quiet, making small, barely-audible noises. Little huffs and half-moans, small exhales into the receiver, and he didn’t speak anymore.
Arthur didn’t care, twisting his wrist in just the right way to make the feeling in his stomach tighten, a hot flush rising along the back of his neck as his hand moved. It wouldn’t take much, just a few more strokes before he rolled to the side, buried his face in the pillow and muttered, “Fuck.”
He came on his hand, wet and messy, hand shaking as he pulled it away, and wished he had a towel to clean up with.
For a second, he said nothing, taking a deep breath and letting it out. The phone had slipped from his hand, and he pulled it back to his ear.
“Merlin?” he asked. “Did you…?”
“Almost,” Merlin seemed to choke, and Arthur heard a muffled moan as if he had buried it in a pillow. “Oh, oh, shit!” Then there was silence aside from Merlin’s harsh breathing.
Rolling onto his back, away from the wet spot on the coverings, Arthur opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. He wasn’t sure how he felt, but at least this time he didn’t have to kick Merlin out of his flat in a completely unceremonious manner.
“So,” Arthur said finally when the other end had gone silent completely. “You’re back on Monday?” He knew he had already asked, but he could find nothing else to say aside from taking back what they had just done, but he didn’t want to say it, not out loud, not to Merlin again.
“Yeah.”
Arthur paused. “I guess I’ll see you later then.”
“I guess so.”
He wanted to say something else, something about how much he wished he wasn’t getting married so he could date Merlin for real, so they could go out to brunch and spend Saturday mornings never leaving the flat, but he couldn’t force the words to come out, so he only sighed.
“Goodnight, Merlin.”
“Goodnight, Arthur.”
He hung up the phone and rubbed at his face. Why did everything have to be so complicated?
*
The actual date for the merger was set for August first. A fitting date, Uther had said, and as far away as it had seemed at the beginning, it crept ever closer. The merger was the least of Arthur’s worries, however, whenever he sat down and thought of Elena and the wedding. She had told him that she had chosen a cherry flavor for the cake, which Arthur wasn’t completely sure if that was a real cake flavor.
Sitting in his office, the door opened a crack, Arthur wasn’t actually doing any productive work, staring at his computer screen and the game of solitaire there. Gwen was on the phone, and he could hear the soft responses to questions.
It took him a moment to realize Gwen wasn’t on the phone and someone was actually in the office.
“You’re engaged? That’s wonderful!”
The smooth, practiced manner of the compliment could only be one person: Morgana.
Standing, Arthur crossed to the door and opened it to reveal Morgana leaning against Gwen’s desk.
“You must let me give you the name of the cake shop we used. It was simply divine. Have you set a date yet?”
Gwen looked slightly surprised at Morgana’s interest, but she smiled politely in return.
“No, but it probably won’t be until next year at the earliest.”
“It’s good to wait,” Morgana advised her. “You’ll have more time to plan and less stress for the big day.”
“Morgana,” Arthur interrupted before she could give Gwen anymore unsolicited advice.
She glanced up at him, her usual smile gracing her face as she approached and gave air kisses.
“Arthur, you look well.”
“Thank you.” He frowned, glancing at Gwen behind her, but Gwen shrugged and shook her head. “What are you doing here?”
“I just came to see Uther,” she replied, sweeping her long hair over her shoulder. She seemed paler than the last time Arthur had seen her. “See how the merger was coming along.”
“It’s fine,” Arthur replied, wondering what she was really doing there. She had never shown much interest in the company, and he doubted a merger would be of any interest to her.
“And Elena? I haven’t seen her in weeks. How are you two?”
Arthur paused, thinking back on the dinner they had gone to a few days ago. Most of the night had been spent in uncomfortable silence. They honestly had nothing in common that Arthur could find, and the prospect of spending the rest of his life with her seemed almost unbearable.
He hadn’t spoken much to Merlin either in the last week, and he wondered if perhaps he should never have called him that night.
“She’s great,” he said finally, missing the flash of suspicion in Morgana’s face. “We’re still planning for the wedding.”
“That’s fantastic,” Morgana agreed easily. “You should both come over for tea sometime. Sophie Anne would love to see you and get to know her new aunt.”
“Yes, of course,” he agreed without thinking, the sense of duty kicking in. “We’d love to.”
“Lovely.” Morgana smiled as he kissed her cheek, mostly out of habit. “I’ll call you.”
“Good,” he said, keeping his smile on as she said goodbye to Gwen and left. It slipped from his face as she turned the corner into the hall.
He looked at Gwen, but Gwen said nothing, an uneasy look on her face as she turned back to her work.
Arthur didn’t know what it was that made her uneasy, but the same thing made him uneasy as well as he returned to his office and closed out the game of solitaire.
Part Four>>