A Fortunate Fall (8/18)
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Title: A Fortunate Fall
Fandom: Merlin (c) BBC
Genres: AU, Romance/Drama
Rating: PG-13/R
Words: 6165
Progress: 8/18
Summary: Single father Arthur Pendragon, at the end of his rope, finds a miracle in the form of a young cashier boy at the local convenience store. As for Merlin, he's not quite sure about what to make of his new job as an au pair for the wealthiest man in town; but he does know that his employer has more than a few skeletons in his closet.
Notes: Wow...>.> So many responses for this chapter, I'm kind of scared for the fate of this one. Thank you all <33
1/18: raspberry-pop.livejournal.com/871.html#cutid1
2/18: raspberry-pop.livejournal.com/1393.html
3/18: raspberry-pop.livejournal.com/1632.html#cutid1
4/18: raspberry-pop.livejournal.com/2056.html
5/18: raspberry-pop.livejournal.com/2638.html#cutid1
6:18: raspberry-pop.livejournal.com/3158.html
7/18: raspberry-pop.livejournal.com/3410.html#cutid1
---
"So...I might be moving out at the end of this month." Will announced cheerfully between a mouthful of chicken. It was a rare time that found all four of them--Merlin, Mordred, Matthew and Will--in the living room together eating chicken, drinking soda. This was the way everything was, before things like Arthur Pendragon inspired his thoughts to the most inappropriate places, before Will met Stephanie, before Mordred discovered condoms meant safe sex. (Safe sex apparently led to the discovery that lots of sex didn't hurt.)
"So you're finally getting married." Matthew gulped soda noisily, "Good for you."
"Engaged." Will corrected him amiably. "I'm moving in with her, and we'll see how long we can stand each other." He grinned, "If it's a long enough time, then we'll get married."
"If Merlin had your philosophy, he's probably already married to Arthur Pendragon already." Matthew chortled, as if it really was that funny.
Mordred laughed appreciatively, but Merlin hid his grimace behind a napkin. He had yet to tell everyone that he had been practically outed by his five-year-old charge, and that even if his job was heaven sent, it was hardly a steady job, seeing as how his employer was as sensitive as a rock, and as prone to explosions like a ticking time bomb.
And besides, he found Arthur attractive. That wasn't the same thing as liking someone. And even, besides that, Arthur was a hard person to like. Perhaps that was why little girls who didn't know any better like Sophia Tirmore tried so hard. They just didn't know any better.
"Yeah. The two of you guys can have a double wedding." Mordred smirked, "I'll be the oversized ring bearer, and Matthew can be your best man, Will. Lancelot can be Merlin's."
Lancelot. Merlin had hardly thought about him these days since Arthur was being confusing. Lancelot was never confusing, he was just a down-to-earth nice guy. But Merlin couldn't fathom living with him twenty-four-seven. Too much perfection and niceness made him want to throw up. "It's not that funny." He said flatly, downing his soda, "Arthur and I aren't married."
"I know, I know." Mordred clapped him companionably on the arm, "You guys totally skipped the honeymoon and you went straight to being his wife and licking his boots. I don't know if that's really your thing but--"
"Mordred, listen to me." His forehead prickled in warning, "There's nothing going on between me and Arthur. I work for him, and I'm going to be professional about this."
"And so Arthur dating his underage secretary is professional?" Matthew wanted to know.
"Sophia's not underage. She's twenty-one. Twenty-two soon." Arthur had mentioned it once, and he'd also mentioned that he had no idea what to get his girlfriend. He didn't want to spend an undisclosed amount on jewelry, and he didn't want to buy her a dress. In fact, Arthur had practically admitted flat out that he didn't want to buy anything for her at all.
And since it was her birthday in a couple of days, it became Merlin's job to get her present.
"That's not the point! The point is you're still defending him, and you went up with him on the roof."
Only Mordred would come to the conclusion that going up on the roof with another person meant surefire sex. "...And you're missing my point." Merlin said wearily, as the conversation propelled itself headfirst into a long, familiar cycle, as if without guidance, it knew perfectly well where it was going. "The point is, Arthur has a wife."
That got their attention. "What?"
Mordred looked at him, "You met her?"
"No. But I know she exists." Merlin reached for his soda, "I saw a picture."
"Is she pretty?"
"Yeah." And then Merlin realized, "...Mordred, please don't."
To which his brother cut him a baleful look, "I can't even ask if a girl is cute now?"
"No. You can't."
--
"What's up with you?" Will asked him later. The two of them were sharing a quiet moment in the kitchen...and it was only quiet because neither Mordred or Matthew voluntarily did the dishes. "I'd expect my best friend to be happy for me."
"I'm happy for you." Merlin assured him. "I'm just a little bit worried for my sanity."
"You'll be fine." Will grinned at him, "Quit being such a drama queen. If anything, you'll probably move out when I do."
Merlin sucked in a deep breath. "You know, I really hate this thing where everyone thinks I'm in a hypothetical relationship with my boss. And besides, I'll probably be fired soon."
"...What'd you do now? Or does he threaten to fire you every day just because he can?" Will glanced at him over his shoulder.
Merlin sighed, "It might actually be legitimate this time. Alex outed me. He says he won't fire me, but it's Arthur."
"I thought you said the kid wouldn't care."
"The kid happens to think there's nothing wrong with having two dads." Not that Merlin thought that there was anything wrong with that either, but Alex was only five years old and Aunt Morgana probably warped his head. "So he probably told Arthur without meaning to tell him. It's not Alex's fault."
"And there you are, making excuses for them again. I might be sane, but I'm almost inclined to agree with those who are not so much." Will said, "You're practically married to the Pendragons."
"Am not."
"And anyway, you're not fired yet, so it's not like Arthur's totally against you." Will pointed out.
Yes, that Merlin could agree with. But he didn't agree with the part where Will had him 'practically married' to the Pendragons. Besides, Arthur had a wife. Who knew where his wife went, but that was not the issue here.
"I want to go out for a drink." Was what he ended up saying, "Don't tell Mordred."
--
And then...there were times when Merlin desperately needed someone to be nice and not judgmental--and not affirming his practically nonexistent relationship with his boss, the 'wonderfully' attractive Arthur Pendragon was an added bonus. He threaded through the crowds of La Havana alone looking for just that. The music sounded too loud to his ears, and really, the weekday crowds weren't that different from the weekend ones, and he hoped that the bartenders didn't change shifts too often.
He found what he was looking for, Lancelot--albeit it was Lancelot with a young boy's head on his lap. The boy looked barely legal, and Lancelot looked happy to see Merlin.
As for Merlin, he couldn't help but feel a little relieved at the sight of the strange boy. If Lancelot took him seriously, what he'd come here to stay would have just soured everything. "Hey, got a minute?"
"For you?" Lancelot patted the cushion beside him, "Always. Just give me a moment. Quinten here broke up with his girlfriend." He said, stroking the boy's curls nonchalantly, "He came to me for liquid courage."
The boy, Quinten, mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, "I'm going to kill you if you tell everyone."
"Merlin is not everyone, Quin." Lancelot said soothingly, "Do you think you could give us a few minutes? Find the bar and ask Ella to fix you a drink. She's a nice girl, you'll like her."
Quinten raised his head, Merlin thought his eyes looked like they were bleeding. But he didn't say anything, and after taking a few experimental steps, Quinten gave Lancelot a hopeful smile, "I'll be right back?"
"And I'll be right here." Lancelot sent him on his way with a disarming smile. When Quinten was gone, he turned to Merlin, "How can I help you?"
Merlin let himself rest his head on Lancelot's shoulder, it made for a convenient pillow, and it was soothing. "I guess you do this all the time, huh?"
"Do what all the time?"
"Offer random people TLC in your bar." Merlin smiled at him, "It seems like you."
"You're too kind." A girl in a short miniskirt swept by and Lancelot grabbed a bright blue drink off of her tray. "Am I really?"
"Yeah." Merlin accepted the thin glass when Lancelot handed it over. He sat sipping it for several minutes before he found the courage to speak again. Lancelot just rubbed his neck and kept up a soothing hum about something or the other. Merlin caught the words 'ice cream', 'peppermint', and 'lawyer'.
"Lancelot?"
"Yeah?"
Merlin swallowed, "This is going to sound very stupid."
"I won't laugh." Lancelot's hand settled promisingly on his knee. Suddenly, Merlin thought of Sophia and her preoccupation with Arthur's knee.
"I...um. I might...like my employer. And everyone thinks we're married."
Lancelot took a long moment to look him over, and he grew so still that Merlin began to fidget until the bartender looked away, "...Is he married?" Lancelot asked finally.
"...I don't know. He has a ring on, but I haven't seen his wife around." Merlin confessed, "He has a girlfriend. His son thinks she's a skank."
It took Lancelot a few more seconds to process that, "So...Alex thinks his Dad's girlfriend is--"
"Yep."
"Alex is some kid." Lancelot shook his head. "Makes me glad I don't have any."
"Alex is a good kid." Merlin argued, "It's just...he has Arthur as a dad."
Lancelot cupped his face, he had soft hands, they were softer than Arthur's. "Merlin. Listen to me. Look at me." He ran his thumb lightly over Merlin's cheekbones, and Merlin realized that he wasn't melting like he had expected to. (Did that make him an idiot?) "You're a nice guy that works too hard. If you really have to work so hard for a guy to like you, then...maybe, you should think about it again."
"But I--"
Before Merlin could finish, Lancelot leaned in and nuzzled his jaw. It left a warm spot that spread to his ears, and then his cheeks. "But if you really like him. Then, I hope that this Arthur realizes that he's plenty lucky."
--
"Here you go."
It was a Monday morning, and Arthur stared hard at his screen, trying not to listen to the soft thuds that was Merlin's footsteps. He finally looked up though, and saw Merlin holding out a blue gift bag. "What's that?"
"It's Sophia's birthday today, isn't it?" Merlin asked. "This is her present, you asked me to get it."
Arthur glanced blearily at the calendar he always kept nearby for reference. He hadn't even made a note; the spot for Mon. "...Is it her birthday?"
"You told me Monday. Today's Monday." Merlin was not amused. "Something's wrong if I remember your girlfriend's birthday and you don't."
Yes, something was wrong. That, Arthur was rather inclined to agree, but he didn't know what. He doubted that he wanted to know what. Because he had a feeling that Merlin had something to do with it. He didn't want to know. "...I didn't forget, I just...thought it was next Monday."
"...Right."
"Honest." Arthur peered inside the bag, "What'd you get her, anyway?"
"Certificate for three manicures to Green Life Nail Salon, and then I called Gaspard. The two of you have a reservation at Robuchon tonight, show up anytime between 6:30 to 7:30. A couple of Danielle Steele paperbacks, and a bottle of Chere perfume. I looked that one up on the Internet" Merlin folded his hands neatly before him as he spoke.
"You made us a reservation?" Arthur very nearly ripped the bag, "Why did you do that?"
"Arthur, she's your girlfriend." Merlin's voice was not completely steady. "Whether you like her or not, it's her birthday." He took a deep breath, "It'd never forgive my--boyfriend if he didn't at least take me out to dinner for my birthday."
Arthur stared at him. Merlin stood there looking so guilty, fists clenched. He felt a knot tighten in his abdomen without exactly knowing why. "Did he?" He asked, keeping in mind that his voice stayed bland.
"I didn't have one when my birthday came last year." Merlin replied flatly. "I stayed in my apartment and Mordred ordered pizza."
"...How about Lancelot?"
Arthur watched as Merlin cleared his throat and shifted from one foot to the other; after a while, he spoke,"We just met. And for the record, he's not my boyfriend. Alex might have told you that we were, but we're not. I have no intention of letting this interfere with my work, Arthur."
The knot loosened. And again, Arthur had no explanation. "Merlin--"
To which Merlin only gave him a resigned look, "What?"
"If...you still don't have a boyfriend by the time your birthday comes, I'll take you to Robuchon." Arthur said, and he found that he meant it entirely. "But don't make me take Sophia there." Besides, if Gaspard saw her, he'd probably have a heart attack. She was nothing like the madame that Arthur knew Gaspard adored like his own daughter.
"But you said you liked that restaurant."
Arthur wanted to hit sense into him, really, he did.
"Sophia will make you hate things." He admitted quietly, and then wondered at the words that came out of his own mouth. Maybe she did, and one of those things included 'women', or perhaps having a sister like Morgana already inclined him to that conclusion. "I like Robuchon, and I want to keep it that way. Find something Italian and cheesy."
Merlin opened his mouth and then closed it. And then, he merely smiled. Arthur had the craziest urge to reach out and poke one of Merlin's dimples.
"Fine. Shall I fix breakfast? Or does Sophia make you hate that too?"
Arthur glowered at him. Merlin only grinned some more and went to the kitchen.
--
"I had fun." Sophia smiled at him, leaning heavily onto his arm. For a moment, Arthur thought it might break. But somehow, they managed to get to and into Arthur's car...and then she giggled and locked her arms around him, "But you know what would really make my birthday,Arthur?"
She had fun, and Arthur was glad that Merlin had found him a nice cheesy Italian place like he had requested. At Rossetti's Piazza, the food was bad, the wine was better, and consequently, they had stayed for more wine than food. He was sure that this place really had its priorities straight.
"What would make your birthday, Sophia?" Arthur asked, suddenly feeling way too old for this kind of thing.
"You could come home with me." Her hand with their newly manicured nails rubbed suggestively against his thigh, and Arthur bit back a shiver of what seemed to him as disgust. "And Merlin can stay with Alexander."
Arthur's mouth tasted all at once like bitter bile. He opened his mouth, and then closed it.
He drove her home, left her there, making a quick detour at a cheap gas station so he could throw up (although he didn't). Arthur went home, and for some reason, it was so gratifying to let Merlin take his coat and smile at him.
"I was almost expecting you to stay out all night."
Arthur cut eyes at him, "Fuck you." He said, only because Alex didn't seem to be downstairs. "I'm going to take a shower, you can leave."
Merlin's eyes seemed to follow him, and a different kind of shiver crawled up Arthur's spine. His mind was not altogether his, as he watched Merlin tug on faded sneakers. He was not a man easily given in to temptation, but he said: "Actually, Merlin, if you wait for me to shower, I'll drive you home. Are the buses even running so late?" His watch read eleven-thirty.
"You're worried about me." Merlin said, and sounded much too smug. "I've taken the late bus at more ungodly hours than eleven-thirty. Try three am."
Three am. To Arthur's unfathomably ancient mind, three am seemed...well, it wasn't that late, but Merlin had no call to be out so late. "What in the world were you doing out at three am?"
Merlin pursed his lips, "Clubbing."
Clubbing. "Oh." How Arthur wished to be young again. The last time he'd gone clubbing was at his stag party before his official engagement party, where his frat brothers had promised him a night full of 'chicks, boobs, and booze'. It was a crude promise, but Arthur guessed the youthful part of him craved that. The night's memory was hazy, Arthur really didn't remember anything--there'd be lots of girls, as promised, lots of alcohol, maybe a smattering of drugs. He didn't remember. What he did remember was that he'd been twenty-three, Merlin's age.
"How'd you manage to find your way back?"
This time, Merlin wore a rueful smile, "I get invited to these things because 'straight-laced Emrys never gets bombed.'"
"That's bullshit." Arthur looked at him, "You're not a college student if you don't get bombed."
"I held out until the first semester of my junior year." Merlin shrugged, "Not something I'm particularly proud of."
Arthur looked at him, "You held out longer than I did." But perhaps he'd always been destined to drown his sorrows in alcohol. His father drank.
"Yeah, but you probably joined a frat." Merlin said knowingly, "Of course you drank. Seriously. Just go to bed. You'll feel better in the morning. I'll be fine."
"It's not a long drive." Arthur insisted, even as his body ached for a warm shower and a soft bed.
"You need all the sleep you can get. I don't know if I trust you to drive at the moment."
"Hey."
"I'm serious, Arthur, one of these days, you're just going to crash." The concern in Merlin's voice was sincere, "Alex needs you, think of your son. I'll be perfectly fine for one day without you driving me."
"Will you call me when you get back, then?"
"If you want."
"Call me." Arthur returned to his task of dragging himself up the stairs. After what seemed like an eternity, he made it to his bathroom. And then a few more eternities after that, he made it to his bedroom naked except for a towel--because he hadn't the foresight to bring clothes with him.
His phone jingled noisily inside his pants, and Arthur had to go through all the pockets before fishing out his phone.
"Yes?"
"It's Merlin." Came the reply. "I'm home. Go to sleep, okay, Arthur?"
"Fine."
"Good. Good night, then."
--
Alex was beaming again. He had, perhaps innately sensed that things were all right with Merlin and Arthur again, so he was much more cheerful.
Merlin, Merlin did not know where he and Arthur stood at the moment, they probably stood on a knife's edge, where the slightest push would send both of them where they were probably not prepared to go. Merlin hadn't been to see Lancelot since, and he was sure that the bartender would not miss him (that much.) It'd been a week since then.
"Merlin! If I have to hit you to get you to stop spacing out, I really will."
Arthur's voice cut cleanly into his thoughts.
"I'm sorry?" Merlin blinked.
This was an unusual day, Arthur was home early. Merlin's heartbeat was also unusual. It was beating too fast (he was trying very hard to ignore that abnormality for . Alex was looking at him, "So today's Award Night at school." The boy explained, "Can you come?"
"Award Night?" Merlin thought this over, he'd promised to be home to cook dinner for the guys and Stephanie, but one look at Alex's hopeful face and his resolve melted. "Are you getting an award?"
"I dunno. Probably." Alex reached out and tugged at his hand, "But even if I don't, you should come anyway." His lips curled into a childish pout, "Please? Dad's going."
"And it won't take long, an hour at the most." Arthur added, obviously taking the cue from his son's expression, "I'll give you a ride back to your place."
--
"Yeah, of course we don't mind, have fun on your date!" was not the reaction Merlin expected. But he got that, and, "Bring them along for dinner, Stephanie took over the kitchen. She's making gumbo." As usual, Mordred had more than his fair share of fun.
Merlin hung up and stared at his phone. Arthur glanced over at him as he turned the corner. "If they're angry, just blame it on me and say I coerced you." He suggested.
And yes, that excuse would definitely fly...considering that Arthur did coerce him into most things. Merlin pocketed his phone. "Quite the opposite...actually." He admitted, "Do you want to come to my place for dinner? My friend's fiancee is making gumbo. You're invited. Alex too."
Alex peeped between their seats, "Is she a better cook than you?"
Merlin considered the question, better to be modest, he decided, "I think so, yeah."
"Then can we go? Please, Dad?"
Arthur gave him another look, "Are you sure?"
"It's really stupid for me to ask and then not be sure." Merlin wondered if Arthur ever had a casual dinner with someone, not at a restaurant. Probably not, given how confused his employer looked at the moment, "It's fine. I talked about you a lot and everyone's curious." A hand went over his mouth as soon as the words slipped.
"You talked about me?"
"Er." Merlin kicked himself, "I said good things."
"Really."
"Might have mentioned that you were a workaholic once." He added quickly as he read the disbelieving arch of Arthur's eyebrow. "And then that you were...sort of demanding. But everything else is good. I swear." Merlin held up his hands.
--
Alex ended up getting awarded twice. Once for Most Creative---apparently coloring trees pink and the grass yellow was creative. And he also got awarded Spelling Bee Champion in the first and second grade division. The winning word had been doughnut. Arthur thought it was kind of ridiculous. He was only clapping and looking pleased only because Merlin had leaned over and nudged him so hard in the ribs that it still hurt.
"Merlin, you have the boniest elbows of anyone I know." Arthur complained as he rounded the corner into the parking lot of Merlin's apartment building.
"After tonight, I'm kind of glad, I put them to good use." Merlin shot back good-naturedly, "After all, Miss Collins kept glancing over at you. It wouldn't look good for you to look so tortured."
Arthur sighed, Alex was too busy examining a plastic trophy with his name on it to be listening. He parked the car in the nearest spot that he could find. "--She likes me."
"I can hear Sophia grinding her teeth just now."
Arthur fixed Merlin with a sour look, "You're not helping. Which floor?"
"Third, it's the second door."
Alex consented himself to be carried after being told that he had to climb up three whole flights of stairs, and after some cajoling from Merlin, also consented to leave his trophy in the car. Arthur felt Alex snuggle into his neck and oddly welcomed the familiarity. Given what he had seen of Merlin's companions so far, it only worried him a little.
It ended up being not bad at all. Arthur was admittedly, sort of out of his usual element eating in the living room with his hands with young twenty-somethings, but Will was sane, Stephanie was sweet. Mordred entertained Alex with stories that were carefully censored with Merlin's glares as supervision. Matthew arrived late, was loud, but he was no different from the frat brothers that Arthur had hung around with in college.
And every so often, Merlin would beam at him with a mouthful of gumbo. Arthur was still not used to eating with his hands, but he'd learned that napkins were a rarity in Merlin's apartment. Alex, however, took to his new surroundings like a fish to water.
Will and Stephanie got to talking about their wedding. They wanted a May wedding because they wanted actual wildflowers and not flowers pre-ordered from a florist. The whole ceremony was planned to be outside. It was not for another year, but they were young. Arthur listened with half an ear--he was actually more concentrated on the way that Merlin was reacting to this, the idea of Will getting married.
Merlin's overall demeanor was bright, cheerful, but he still held himself rather stiffly.
"What was your wedding like, Arthur?"
At Will's question, Merlin tensed, but Arthur was feeling oddly charitable; he put a hand on Merlin's shoulder. "It was big, and trust me, you'll hate tuxedos for the rest of your life. I don't think I knew half the people there." But then, his wedding was...well, not an ordinary matter. "I remembered it was really hot, although we got married in late August." It was getting to be a little too dangerous, so he switched angles.
"My friend's son was the ring bearer. He lost the ring right before it was his turn. It turned up afterwards, but we had to skip that part of the ceremony."
Merlin was looking at him. And Arthur didn't even want to decipher what he saw. "Alexander, let's go. You have school tomorrow."
"Do I have to?" Alex cradled a juice box in his hands.
"Yes, you do. You'll see Merlin tomorrow." Arthur was suddenly in a hurry to leave. "Come on." To Merlin and company, Arthur nodded; perhaps a bit too formally, "Thanks for dinner."
Alex was dragging on his feet, until Mordred smiled at him, "...Hey, next time you come by my ice cream place and I'll give you free ice cream again."
--
Merlin's shoulder was tingling. It was not until Arthur stood that Merlin realized that his hand had been there for a long time. He hastily got to his feet when Arthur made his way to the door, Alex in tow. "I'll walk you down."
"You don't have to." Arthur slipped on his shoes.
"I'd never forgive myself as a host if I didn't." Merlin opened the door for them and followed them out. Good timing too, because Mordred was snickering.
Outside, Arthur just stood there, leaning on the railing, looking forlorn. Merlin came up beside him, "...Sorry about that. I should have said something."
"It's not your fault." Arthur said, "It's not like you know."
Emboldened by this confession--maybe even too much so, Merlin turned his head, "Are you going to tell me?"
"It's..." Arthur faltered again, "It was really hot that day, and although I've never worn one, I've been told by Morgana and a lot of other people that wedding dresses weighed a ton." So saying, he scooped up Alex, "Honestly, I thought Guinevere was going to get heatstroke or something on our wedding day."
Merlin's heart caught in his throat. "Guinevere...is that her name?"
"Her parents were old-fashioned. She went by 'Gwen' in college to save face."
Merlin's eyes stung, "Did she get sunstroke?"
"Luckily, no. It would have been really embarrassing." Arthur turned, "I'm going to go now."
--
For all his lecturing, Merlin found it ironic that he was the one that was currently lying in bed with a high fever. He found it even more ironic that it was Mordred standing over him with a thermometer. "You're not going to work today. Just stay in bed."
"Alex needs someone to look after him though. Arthur can't find anybody."
"Or you just can't live out a day without seeing your precious Arthur."
"Mordred." Merlin groaned, "I don't need this right now. I need to go to work."
"Seriously." Mordred rolled his eyes, "You're in no condition to work right now. Why do you pick up all of Arthur's bad habits?"
"At least I don't smoke."
Mordred apparently couldn't disagree with that, so he settled with, "...Look, if you're afraid of missing a day, I'll skip today to look after the kid for you. You can come with me, but you're going to be resting all day. Christ. When did your work ethic get so noble?"
"Mordred, I don't want you to skip school."
"I never skip. You can forgive me once." His brother said shortly, "Get changed then."
--
Arthur opened his door to find both Emrys brothers standing there. Merlin swayed unsteadily on his feet and Mordred looked a little less than amused. "Merlin, Mordred."
"Merlin's sick." Mordred announced, "So I'm looking after Alex today."
"Well." Arthur looked at Merlin, "...You could have just called me and sent Mordred over."
"But that wouldn't be right." Merlin told him, eyes somewhat glazed. "That's not how I do things."
"He's delirious." Mordred said, "But I couldn't convince him to stay home. I guess he can just lie down on the couch or something while you give me the lowdown on Alex."
Arthur eyed Merlin pensively, "Has he been to see a doctor?"
"I was hoping you'd have some cold medicine lying around. He's just tired."
Somehow, this seemed familiar, except the roles were reversed. "Let's get him to bed then." Arthur took a hold of Merlin's other arm.
"I'm not that sick."
"Yes, you are. And as long as you're under my roof, you do as I say." Arthur said. "Actually, Mordred, would you mind waking up Alex while I get your brother settled?" He was already late for work anyway, and any distraction to keep Sophia further away was welcome. "His room is upstairs, second door down. There's cereal in the pantry."
Mordred went, and after a few moments, Arthur managed to get Merlin into the guest bedroom, and then onto the bed. Merlin gazed up at him with a fever-flushed face and a frown. "Sorry about this."
"You're crazy." Arthur said, "You are."
"I'm responsible."
"You're just crazy right now." Arthur repeated, "Even I took a day off. There's nothing to be sorry about if you're sick."
Merlin looked away. "I just feel bad, it's such a short notice. I would have called Morgana, but I realized I didn't have her number."
Arthur sat down on the edge of the bed, "If you even thought about calling Morgana, I really wouldn't forgive you."
"She's honestly not that bad."
"I'd probably think that if I wasn't related to her." Arthur shook his head, "Unfortunately, I am."
Merlin laughed hoarsely. "Shouldn't you be leaving for work?"
Arthur peered down at him, "Are you really so eager to get rid of me so you can get back up and work yourself sick again?"
"Ha ha, that's really funny coming from you. I have to drive Alex to school, don't I?"
"I'll drop him off on my way to work." Arthur touched his arm, "I've been working thirteen-hour days my whole life, I can handle it. You're not like me." He'd meant it to be kind. Because, hell, he couldn't see how Merlin would want to be like him. Even Arthur Pendragon, if given the slightest sliver of chance, wouldn't be Arthur Pendragon. Instead, he thought he'd make a nice toy shop owner or something in a small town where no one had ever heard of cameras. He'd have a nice unassuming name like Joe Smith. Or something like that.
"Shit."
And Merlin was honestly crying, and Arthur wanted to laugh because the flushed face and the tears streaming from his nose and his eyes made him look undignified, like a sniffling little boy. Instead, his throat caught.
"Arthur, I'm sorry."
"For what?"
Merlin grabbed for him, and due to some error of judgment, Arthur let him find a fistful of freshly pressed fabric. And then it was even worse judgment, that must have accumulated thanks to his many vices, because Merlin found his mouth too and kissed him, kissed him, kissed him.
Then he just sobbed some more and blew his nose with Arthur's tie. (which was not new, thank goodness.) Arthur just held him there, mind numb. His hands were numb too, and yet his hands managed to rub soothing circles on Merlin's back. And his mouth didn't remember how to speak. It took ages just to form two words.
"It's okay."
"I'm delirious."
Arthur leaned forward, so that Merlin's back was against the mattress. "That's normal. You're sick."
"I don't know what I'm doing."
Neither did Arthur. He didn't know anything at all, including how to get out of the guest room while looking more than a little bit washed up. His lip was probably bleeding, he had snot on his tie. There was just a lot of things wrong with this picture. He'd just been kiss by a boy--guy, man. Someone male.
He walked a slow circle around the room, and then tossed a conveniently present tissue box onto the bed because it was something to do.
"Merlin. I"m going to go to work now." Arthur hated his voice for not being steady, for being confused. "When I come back, we're going to talk about this...calmly."
Merlin nodded once, looking grave, pained, sick.
Arthur couldn't quite swallow. Before he could be tempted into doing something even more outlandish, he left the room.
--
Arthur Pendragon had the worst luck in the world, because when he stepped out of the guest bedroom, he ran smack into Mordred, who looked startled.
"Um." Mordred looked at him up and down, "You're not...leaving the house like this, are you, Arthur--er, Mr. Pendragon?"
"Arthur." Mr. Pendragon made him just want to curl up and die. Actually, that wasn't a bad idea at the moment...sadly, it wasn't an option that was available to Arthur at the moment. "And no, I'm not. I'm going to go change." That just sounded strange. "I'll be just a couple of minutes." And then he added, "I think Merlin's sleeping. Let him sleep. And uh, Alexander gets out of school at two. Ask Merlin for his book."
"Oh."
"Is Alexander done yet?"
"Almost. I think he's being picky this morning...your lip is dripping."
Arthur almost blanched--at least Mordred didn't say something stupid and indecent like, "Boy, don't you look totally bombed." like Arthur had halfway expected him to.