The truth of what was really driving Merlin away dawned on him then.
"No," Arthur said. He cradled Merlin's worried face in his hands. "I won't let you leave me to protect me. My father was going to find out about me sooner or later, and if I have to move out to be who I am, then that's what I'm going to do. For the first time, I'm proud of myself for standing up to him. So don't make this decision for me. You don't have the right."
Merlin bit his lip.
"I'll be okay, yeah?" He stroked his thumb over Merlin's cheek. "No matter what happens, I can take care of us. I'm not giving up - not on uni, and certainly not on us."
Merlin pressed their foreheads together, close enough now that Arthur smelled Merlin's familiar mix of metal and soap. It was a smell that had grown reassuring. Their lips found each other's and Arthur let himself get lost in the kiss.
They were both winded when they finally drew apart, but happy, too.
"Come on," Arthur said. "I'm taking you home."
*
Arthur didn't speak to his father for two weeks. It was easy when he left before Arthur rolled out of bed and didn't return until after Arthur had settled into his bedroom for the night, but there was still plenty of time when they inhabited the same space, and Arthur could no longer settle for living like a caged animal squirreling away his stash of secrets. Arthur had stopped shying away from ruffling Merlin's hair when he felt the impulse or taking his hand, even if his father was in the room carefully averting his eyes. It wasn't always comfortable, but Arthur was relieved he didn't have to hide Merlin anymore. He stopped secluding Merlin in his bedroom when he went to school and making certain George didn't catch them on his evening rounds. Although Arthur sometimes wondered if his father would take Merlin when Arthur wasn't there to stop it, he didn't believe his father would stoop that low. Arthur may not have approved of Uther's politics or the rigid lines with which he divided the world, but the man wasn't a total monster.
Still, it came as a surprise one night at dinner when his father, after droning on for fifteen minutes about the imbeciles orchestrating the merger at the office, announced in between bites of his steak, "And you can stop wasting your time hunting for a flat."
Arthur had no idea how his father found out he was looking, but then his father had never been shy about invading his privacy. It wasn't as if Arthur was already packing his belongings, but he needed to be ready for when the other shoe dropped. "I'm not-"
"No," Arthur said. He cradled Merlin's worried face in his hands. "I won't let you leave me to protect me. My father was going to find out about me sooner or later, and if I have to move out to be who I am, then that's what I'm going to do. For the first time, I'm proud of myself for standing up to him. So don't make this decision for me. You don't have the right."
Merlin bit his lip.
"I'll be okay, yeah?" He stroked his thumb over Merlin's cheek. "No matter what happens, I can take care of us. I'm not giving up - not on uni, and certainly not on us."
Merlin pressed their foreheads together, close enough now that Arthur smelled Merlin's familiar mix of metal and soap. It was a smell that had grown reassuring. Their lips found each other's and Arthur let himself get lost in the kiss.
They were both winded when they finally drew apart, but happy, too.
"Come on," Arthur said. "I'm taking you home."
*
Arthur didn't speak to his father for two weeks. It was easy when he left before Arthur rolled out of bed and didn't return until after Arthur had settled into his bedroom for the night, but there was still plenty of time when they inhabited the same space, and Arthur could no longer settle for living like a caged animal squirreling away his stash of secrets. Arthur had stopped shying away from ruffling Merlin's hair when he felt the impulse or taking his hand, even if his father was in the room carefully averting his eyes. It wasn't always comfortable, but Arthur was relieved he didn't have to hide Merlin anymore. He stopped secluding Merlin in his bedroom when he went to school and making certain George didn't catch them on his evening rounds. Although Arthur sometimes wondered if his father would take Merlin when Arthur wasn't there to stop it, he didn't believe his father would stoop that low. Arthur may not have approved of Uther's politics or the rigid lines with which he divided the world, but the man wasn't a total monster.
Still, it came as a surprise one night at dinner when his father, after droning on for fifteen minutes about the imbeciles orchestrating the merger at the office, announced in between bites of his steak, "And you can stop wasting your time hunting for a flat."
Arthur had no idea how his father found out he was looking, but then his father had never been shy about invading his privacy. It wasn't as if Arthur was already packing his belongings, but he needed to be ready for when the other shoe dropped. "I'm not-"
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