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Chapter Text

Hell would freeze over before a Pendragon wouldn't smile upon seeing Merlin Emrys.

That is what Morgana Pendragon thought as her phone rang the sound of 'Centuries' by Falloutboy, therefore signaling Merlin's incoming call. His name blinked up in bold letters, a small bird accentuating it. He was one of the few people Morgana didn't leave waiting when he called.

"Morgana, I need your help!"

She immediately regretted picking up. "Hello to you too, Merlin."

"I fucked up!" His voice was almost distorted with how much he was panicking and shouting against the sensitive mic. "I really fucked up! Royally! Massively! I might as well dig my own grave!"

Morgana put some distance between her ears and the phone. "Merlin, calm down, what's going on? I'm sure whatever it is, you can handle it. You've been through worse."

"It's Valiant."

With that, Morgana's interest was immediately piqued. She leaned back into her chair. "Now that I gotta hear."

"Okay, so, please don't laugh, but he invited me to another class meeting. It's our ten year anniversary, you know?"

Morgana's eyes drifted to her calendar. Not that she would have Merlin's anniversaries written on them. "That's this year?"

"Yes!" It rang desperate from the phone. "And he's married now! To Penelope Noire! The model! Can you believe that? Anyway, he was like, 'I'm going to invite all my classmates to our holiday residence in Canada - CANADA! That posh fucker! - He's paying for all the flights and stuff! I got the letter and tickets in the mail this morning!"

Morgana listened intently. "Okay... But that's not too bad? Merlin, you're friends with like... the richest people in the country. Your oldest friend is a model too, and WE'RE friends and I'm an actress. And to top that of, daughter of THE richest man in the country. Surely you don't feel inferior to Valiant like last time, do you?"

"That's the THING! Morgana, he's SO annoying, so utterly - urgh! I hate that guy!"

"Of course you do, he's your childhood bully."

"That's not the point! So, we were supposed to call back whether we could make it, right? So, when I did, I kinda told him that I was back on my feet and got my degree and made it to being surgeon as I always dreamed-"

"Which you did." Morgana nodded her head proudly as she rotated around on her chair. Moving kept her focused.

"He didn't believe me!" There was a slight pause in which Morgana could hear his frustrated breathing. "And I already KNOW that if I show up alone, he'll just dismiss everything I say and paint me as a liar in front of all my classmates like he always does!"

Morgana frowned. "So, what is your solution?"

At that, Merlin's voice lowers a little and he sounds embarrassed. "That's where I messed up. I kind of... told him I was dating someone really rich and famous and that if I showed up with that person, he'd regret ever thinking me a liar."

Morgana's eyes widened and she knew where this was headed. "Merlin, you didn't!"

"I'm SO sorry! He just sounded so smug on the phone and I was annoyed! I need a fake girlfriend for that weekend." He hesitated. "Please tell me you can help me. It's on the weekend of the 5th to 7th May."

Morgana stared at nothing in particular. "Hold on, that's in two weeks..." Morgana flipped her calendar to the next month, already knowing this was too sudden. She just wanted to see the evidence. "I'm really sorry, Merlin. I would, but Gwen and I are going to Jamaica for three weeks, starting the first of May."

Merlin cursed on the other side. "Shit."

"Does it have to be a woman?" Morgana waited a while for Merlin's response. The man was bisexual and often tended to keep his word choices gender neutral when talking about relationships. If he had, then there might be hope yet. After all, most of Merlin's friends were suitable candidates. It was just that most of them were male.

Merlin's voice lightened up a bit. "No. I think I said 'partner'." He paused for a another moment. "That doesn't mean it's easier though."

Morgana's smile twisted into a smirk as an idea hit him. "I could ask my brother?"

Another moment of silence followed. "You mean ARTHUR? Oh, please no. He's such a prat, like ALL the time! And he's a terrible liar too! Remember when he tried to convince us that he didn't watch Barbie as a child? I could smell that lie from MILES away."

Morgana chuckled at the memory. Arthur had desperately tried to convince them that he would never, under any circumstances, watch a Barbie movie. When they bought tickets for the new one, the man got excited about every single Ken figure and told them exactly what edition they were from. In his defence, at that point, Morgana had already ruined his reputation by telling everyone that he used to cry when she broke her Barbie dolls as a child. Arthur and her used to swap their toys as kids. So, it had basically been HIS toys, while she played with Arthur's hotwheels.

"Merlin, Arthur used to get acting roles. He's not THAT bad at lying. Besides, we have the same insanely rich father. Only that Arthur is going to be the one to inherit his wealth. No matter how great Valiant's girlfriend is, you can be sure that dating Arthur will top that."

Merlin murres on the line. He doesn't seem convinced by the idea just yet. "Doesn't that make it worse? You're hiding your relationship from your father because he's homophobic! Arthur isn't even gay! If we mess this up, he might lose everything! Inheritance and all."

"Thank god that Uther's gaydar is utter shit, then." Morgana twitched a smile. "Besides, I'm sure I can convince Arthur anyway."

There was a pause on the other end of the phone. "You're going to blackmail him, aren't you?" Merlin's voice was neither blaming nor angry. Merlin sounded exasperated, Morgana's favourite reaction to her shenanigans.

Morgana snorted. "Only if he's being an idiot about it." She could tell that Merlin didn't sound assured. "Trust me, Merlin. I've got this. She didn't let him talk himself out of it and hung up before he could say anything.

On the other end of the phone, Merlin was staring at his phone, regretting everything he had been doing the past couple of hours.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Morgana didn't visit her brother often. They usually met with their friends at the local bar called 'the rising sun' once a week. With the same friend circle, they saw each other more often than either of them was comfortable with. But sometimes, usually when one of them needed something from the other, they would show up uninvited to their house.

Arthur Pendragon lived in a small house on a hill just outside of the city. There, where the space between houses was bigger and the forests dared to edge closer to the backyards, Arthur's Mercedes parked in front of a red painted garage. Everything looked modern and well kept. No doubt thanks to Arthur's personnel.

It was no wonder that Merlin thought Arthur was a prat. The man was very adept at looking like a complete arse. Just as rich and posh as Valiant. But that was why he was perfect for the job. That, and the fact that he had a heart of gold and would do anything for his friends. Especially Merlin.

Where she not Morgana, she wouldn't have known that Arthur's servants occupied their own little flats within the house to lowest possible rent prices. She wouldn't know that Arthur only kept two rooms really for himself. His bedroom and a study for office work.

Everything else was for the entire staff to use, be it the garden, kitchen or living room. The lowest floor was wheelchair accessible, except the front door, and Arthur often played babysitter for his servant's children.

None of this was public knowledge. Arthur was a very private person and kept a low profile. His friends, however, knew and teased him for his soft side. There still were some things he kept from them, but those had to do with the privacy of other people. Arthur didn't put people on the spot and he didn't betray those who trusted him with their secrets.

As Morgana parked her motorcycle at the front entrance, she noticed about half a dozen footballs and tennis equipment lying about. And the wheelchair ramp had been put in front of the front door. Ah... SHE was here.

Morgana pressed the doorbell and only had to wait a couple minutes to wait before she was let in. A young girl, maybe 12 years old looked up at Morgana with wide eyes. Then, as she recognised Morgana, she squealed. Morgana grinned back at the little blond. "Elena, darling, how are you?" She then picked the child up and moved into the hallway.

The girl on her arm was growing rather heavy but what did Morgana go to the gym for? "Today uncle Arthur played Tennis with us! Mordred almost hit the car! He cried all morning!" She laughed, as if the prospect of her baby brother crying was somehow funny.

Morgana laughed, knowing that Arthur had probably taken care of it already. "Really? Where is Arthur now?"

"The kitchen! Moomy wants him to cook!"

Morgana grimaced. "Urgh. Is the kitchen still standing?" She finally put down the child and took off her helmet and leather jacket. As soon as she was done hanging up her possessions, the child pulled her in the direction of the kitchen. It wasn't far off. Arthur's rooms and the community era were all downstairs. The family flats where on the second and third floor.

Morgana was happy for Arthur. She really was. There had been a time where Arthur's life had looked grey and uninviting. Their father had always been distant and while Arthur had still been trying to figure out how to be a second Uther, he had holed himself up in giant luxurious flats. He had isolated himself and grown lonely.

And then, someday, something had changed from one day to the next. Suddenly, Arthur had quit his old life and told his father that he wanted to live a little before he took over as Vice CEO. He acted for a while, painted, even tried a mechanical job which he soon gave up on because he lacked the talent, and eventually moved in with a friend as he wanted to figure out the student life.

Then, his mother had been dying. And it seemed like a part of Arthur had been buried in those weeks. The Arthur who had come back from the hospital that final day had been fundamentally changed. Morgana supposed that if you had been this close to losing someone, change like that was inevitable.

"Morgana! How nice to see you, my darling! Now come in and hurry up, your brother is going to burn down the kitchen!" That was the voice that greeted Morgana as soon as she entered the kitchen. The woman in the wheelchair was laughing at the sight in front of her. She was as blond as both Arthur and Elena, just paler and much older.

Arthur was standing in front of the oven, eyes scrunched in frustration and half his shirt covered in either blood or tomato sauce. One would think Morgana would know the difference. And she did, but she also needed plausible deniability. "Morgana? What are you doing here?" He sounded embarrassed. And he looked the part too, with his face flushed like that.

Morgana laughed and turned to Ygraine de bois. "Hello, moomy! I didn't expect to see you here!" She bowed down to embrace her stepmother tight and Ygraine responded in kind.

"I take it, you're not here to see me then." Ygraine's eyes twinkled. She had the same smile as Arthur did, she just looked sicklier and thinner since her latest liver transplant.

"That too. But I have something to discuss with my dear little brother." Morgana looked him over and frowned mockingly. "But I'm not hugging you. I'm not sure if you're trying to do some killer cosplay, or if you've actually cut yourself."

"It's Bolognese," Arthur deadpanned. That was the moment Morgana realised that he was trying to make Lasagna.

Morgana took out her phone and snapped a picture.

"MORGANA!" Arthur shouted. "Don't send that!" He flushed a deep red. "That's not fair! Had I known you'd show up -"

"I know, I know. You wouldn't have attempted to learn basic recipes like a ten year old." She giggled and immediately sent the picture into their friend group. Arthur growled in response, fists clenching at his side.

"Morgana, dear. Don't make fun of your brother. He's trying." Ygraine said that but she lifted not a single finger to stop her. "And don't be such a child, Arthur dear. It IS kinda funny."

Arthur puffed out a deep breath. "Why are you here?"

Morgana looked up from the dozens of reactions she had already received upon the sent picture. "Oh. I need a favour."

"No!" Arthur growled. "After THAT? NEVER!"

"It's not for me." Morgana rolled her eyes. "But maybe we should go to the living room to talk about it." After all, she would have to ask him to play Merlin's boyfriend. Embarrassing him even further in front of his mother and Elena, while also keeping her phone up was probably a bad method to convince him.

Arthur seemed to sense that she was serious, because he sighed, wiped off the Bolognese from his shirt and rubbed it into his pants instead, while Ygraine chastised him for it. Then, finally, he followed Morgana into the empty living room. Morgana sat down on the comfy sofa but Arthur remained standing.

"What kind of favour is this?"

"You're going to help out our dear friend Merlin with an important project."

Arthur paused, arms crossed and eyebrows raised. He twitched once, then repositioned his stance. "You mean the surgeon? Merlin Emrys?"

Morgana rolled her eyes at his antics. "Yes, Arthur. The guy we've been hanging with every week for nearly five years. The only Merlin we know of. The guy you wouldn't shut up about after you first met him at a Starbucks."

"I did not complain about him THAT much. He just misspelled my name!"

Morgana couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her lips. "He wrote 'König Artus" on your cup. That's the German version of King Arthur. It was a good joke."

"What do you want from me? You weren't even there!"

"The point is, you're going to be his boyfriend."

The moment froze. The look on Arthur's face was priceless. Morgana cursed that she had put her phone back into her pocket. She would have loved that expression as a sticker. Arthur neither flushed nor paled. He looked like he was watching as someone very slowly swung a bat at his face. Finally, he sputtered a completely exasperated: "WHAT?!"

"You're welcome."

"Hold the fuck on." Arthur covered his face with one hand. "Can you like... start from the beginning? I'm not even gay, in WHAT world would I be dating Merlin Emrys?"

That was where Morgana's fun strike sadly had to end. She sighed, knowing she had to be serious about this if she wanted Arthur to agree. "Look, okay, hear me out. Merlin is our friend and I dare you to make fun of him for this but he really needs your help."

She looked up to find Arthur listening attentively. He seemed to have grasped the seriousness of the situation because he no longer looked annoyed.

"Remember when he told us about how he was homeless that one year?" Arthur's stance immediately tensed and he sat down on the couch beside Morgana, facing her seriously. Distractingly, he had Lasagna in his hair. Morgana was really fighting with herself to remain serious.

"I remember," he confirmed slowly, eyes hiding emotions that Morgana couldn't quite grasp. "He mentioned it."

"Exactly. Erm. Well, in that year they had a class meeting. It was their fifth year after graduation. This guy, Merlin's personal bully from highschool, really prodded at him and forced him to reveal a lot of details about that time. About him being homeless and also the police case against him and that he lost his study place and all that stuff. And this year, it's their tenth anniversary." Morgana found Arthur looking very thoughtful at that. "And the guy was making fun of him again. He didn't believe that Merlin made it back on his feet and Merlin might have oversold his story a little and told him that he now has a rich, famous partner." She paused. "Which he doesn't."

"Why me?" Arthur looked at her strangely. Sometimes Morgana thought that Arthur was living in a completely different world, seeing things she would never have access to.

"A Pendragon is an unbeatable option and I'm preoccupied in that time." Morgana waited for the fog to clear behind Arthur's eyes. The man seemed to be deep in thought.

The thing was, Morgana had no doubt that Arthur would agree. The man could be really stubborn, but when he was given the chance to help his friends, then he wouldn't ever say 'no'. "So... will you help him?"

"I hate you." That, if nothing else, was a 'yes'.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Pendragon's were the pinnacle of the managing and marketing business. Almost all their contractees were famous and successful, no matter what job they had secured due to the Pendragon influence. Naturally, people of this standing would always want a private bar or lounge to hang out in, without being pestered by paparazzi or fans. Thus is why The Rising Sun existed.

The bar consisted of several separate, secluded rooms that fit about a dozen people each. Each room also had their own catering service, barkeeper and dance floor. The regulars even got their own decorations, requested tapestries, and drinks on the menu.

The room Arthur and his friends occupied was styled in medieval fashion and no other than Gwaine, Lancelot and Merlin were to blame for that. Decorative armour and swords collected dust in the corners and the beamer projected a hearth fire on the stage where guests could sing karaoke and dance.

As Arthur arrived, his friends were already on their best way of getting completely plastered. Arthur chuckled at the sight of Gwaine swinging Merlin around and having to catch him mid step. The surgeon may have been graced with finesse and elegance, but that elegance was reserved only to his hands, provided you entrusted him with a knife and living bodies to dissect. Alcohol, tea and soups were better handed to him in plastic cups. And when he danced, Merlin was a newborn calf without the sense of direction or rhythm.

Morgana, Gwen, Leon and Lancelot were sitting at their round table and greeting him with elaborated cheers. They met here nearly once a week. All except Merlin who's shifts rotated so much that he couldn't always attend. With a bright grin, Arthur handed his jacket over to one of the serving staff and slid into his regular seat next to Lancelot.

Normally, Arthur would wait for his drink before he participated in any conversations. He was content with watching his friends have fun and listening to the most ridiculous of their stories. Today, however, his appearance had started a chain reaction and before he knew it, Merlin was by his side, facing him directly.

Arthur almost flinched back as the man had suddenly come this close. They may be in the same friend group but Merlin and him had the least to do with each other out of all of them. It's not that Arthur didn't like him, on the contrary, he just never knew what to say to the other man. Besides, Merlin was often so focused on Gwaine and Gwen that it was difficult to get between them. To be stared down by him so suddenly put Arthur a bit on edge.

"Did Morgana talk to you?"

Next to Merlin, Gwaine slid into his seat beside Morgana, flinging his long hair back. Everyone's attention was now on Arthur and he wasn't sure if he was comfortable with that. He had been sure this would be a private conversation, if Merlin approached him at all. "Yes."

Merlin's eyes were completely black in the dim lit room and his skin flickered golden in the candle light, because of course they had candles on their tables. Fake candles, but they had the same effect as real ones. "So, will you do it or not?"

Helplessly, Arthur's eyes flicked to Morgana. Had she not texted Merlin? Morgana smirked back at him and took a sip of whatever witches like her got drunk of. "I will."

The tenseness from Merlin's eyes dripped away and he sighed in clear relief. Arthur no longer felt miserable and skidded over to make space for Merlin on the seat beside him. That was a new one, since they rarely sat next to each other. And when they did, then not as far on the edge of the bench.

However, their small conversation did not go unnoticed by the others and Gwaine leaned over the table, eyebrows raised in curious suspicion. "Hold up, what's going on? What are you helping Merlin with?"

To Arthur's chagrin, Morgana filled the others in. "Oh, wait till you hear it! Merlin needs a fake boyfriend for his ten year anniversary class meeting."

Gwaine's mouth dropped in open scandal: "And you asked ARTHUR? What about ME? We've been friends the longest! I am SHOCKED! The betrayal!" Gwaine raised his hand to his heart in mock offence.

Gwen sat her drink down. "Why do you need a fake boyfriend?"

Merlin got handed his own drink by Gwaine, as it had stood in a different place before, and took a huge sip before putting it back down and wiping off his mouth with his sleeve. "Look, I would have asked you, Gwaine, but this is Valiant we're talking about! He reads ALL the gossip News and you've already given three interviews on your new relationship with that Percival guy!"

Arthur grimaced. It wasn't that it hadn't occurred to him that he was Merlin's last choice. That didn't mean it was pleasant to hear. Besides, he wouldn't have asked himself either.

Gwaine pursed his lips. "You could have asked Lancelot."

Lancelot shook his head. "He did call. I just have to attend a wedding that weekend."

Merlin nodded. "And Morgana is on vacation with Gwen. And LEON just got a job in overseas for the next two months, so he's out too. And Elian got his internship approved and can't afford to be missing during the probation. Arthur is just the only one without a life, so I had to ask him."

Arthur nearly growled. That's what he got for being so kind to help him? "Wow, thank you Merlin. That really does convince me to help you."

Merlin quickly turned around, eyes narrowing and pointer finger raised. "You already agreed, no take backs!"

Gwaine blinked at Arthur. "That IS a surprise though. I wouldn't have thought our private obsessed CEO in training would agree to be put in the spotlight like that."

"Morgana is blackmailing him," Merlin unhelpfully supplied. Much to Arthur's surprise. For a moment he wondered what the hell Merlin was talking about, then he considered that it may actually seem odd that he had so easily agreed. The risks were much higher for him than they were for Merlin, or any of the others for that matter. Arthur could lose his inheritance over this, could lose his social standing, his reputation, his wealth. And he did it without compensation? Arthur side glanced his sister and found her nodding at him, as if telling him to just go along with it.

"Really? What is she blackmailing him with?"

"The point of blackmailing, Gwaine, is that it's things you guys don't know about me yet and that I would like to keep hidden." Arthur rolled his eyes.

"You know we will get it out of her eventually, right?," said Merlin of all people.

Arthur frowned. "Do you want my help or not?"

Merlin's eyes widened again. "I... of course I do. Sorry." He couldn't hide a grin from twitching. Then, his voice lowered a bit. "Did she tell you what you need to do?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "You want to rub in your old classmate's face that you're a catch." Arthur grinned at him. "Naturally, that means you need the best looking, richest and most charming partner you could find in a ten mile radius."

Merlin raised both eyebrows and retorted back to him dry: "Yeah, that's why I asked your sister. Alas, she's not around, so I'll have to take the fancy trash instead."

As always, that caused the others to erupt into uncontrollable laughter. Arthur had to admit, he had walked into that one. He had to hide his own laugh behind a mask of exasperation. In another time, in another world, as a different person, Arthur may have been mad and taken back his offer to help Merlin out. In this world, however, friends like Merlin were hard to find and Arthur was glad that Merlin had never been intimidated by Arthur's financial powers.

Catching his composure, Gwaine shook his head. "Seriously though. After everything you told me about Valiant, I'd love to see the look on his face when he sees how much better you're doing than him."

Merlin's smirk turned a tad bit more malicious. "Oh, buddy, me too."

Arthur watched this with amusement, as Morgana also had to give her two cents. And if it hadn't been clear before, it should be very clear now that everyone at this table cared a ton about Merlin. "I swear, Arthur. Don't fuck this up. You will have to be a very good trophy boyfriend, is that clear? Make Valiant regret that he ever made fun of Merlin!" Her eyes filled in what would happen if Arthur's failed to do so.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes. I'll do my best to pretend that I find merlin at all tolerable."

"MORE than tolerable, dear brother." Morgan tilted her head in a manner that made Arthur wonder if the life of an Eunuch would be preferable to her wrath. "You have to find Merlin to be the hottest, most endearing, desirable person you've ever met!"

Before Arthur could answer, Merlin answered for him: "But not TOO tolerable. If we oversell it, he'll know that something is up. It still has to be believable!"

"Yes, guys, chill!" Arthur deadpanned. "I've read the job description. You can get off my back now."

"Have you?" Gwaine's eyes bored into Arthur's. "Can you pretend you're in love with Merlin for a whole weekend? Come on, then, show us!"

Arthur grimaced. Now?

It must have been the wrong answer because Merlin looked increasingly uncomfortable. "Guys, I'm sure it will be fine. Arthur used to take acting jobs! I'm sure he's got this." He turned to Arthur for confirmation. "Right?"

"Eh... I'll do my best."

Merlin's expression fell. "Urgh." Aaaand... he put his face in his hands. Definitely wrong answer.

"You JUST said I was an actor!," Arthur reminded him.

"Yeah, but I just remembered why you were fired."

"I was not fired!"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

FIVE YEARS AGO

The winter was a cold one, Arthur thought as he sat on his couch with hot chocolate in his hands and a towel in his hair. The TV was running with one of Gwaine's children cartoons. The volume was low and Arthur's eyes were trained to the window, where heavy snowflakes hit against the window. It were minus degrees outside and he froze just thinking about it. At the bottom of the TV program ran a blizzard warning and Arthur already knew he would be stuck here for at least a couple days.

His phone blinked up. Gwaine texted him. He was snowed in at a friend's place and wouldn't be able to make it back in the storm. Arthur sighed, he had warned him. He texted him back to let him know he wasn't waiting for him.

It had been almost five months since Arthur had moved out of the fancy flat his father had bought him. Five months since he fought his father head on about the principles of his company. Five months since he had vouched for Gwaine and made sure the man would be given the chance to live his dream as a model.

Drug addict or not, Gwaine was a good guy and he had made huge progress. Not only was he one of the most talented models the Pendragon company had ever seen, he had also turned his life around and got things under control. Not on his own, not at all, no. But he had asked for help and received it and kept receiving it, and Arthur had been right all along. Uther had been under the assumption that Gwaine would be bad for the company. Arthur had argued that most rich people had a drug problem, but few companies could pride themselves with the fact that they had helped their contracts out of their struggles. And THAT was the kind of company Arthur wanted to lead. That was the kind of CEO he wanted to be.

And Arthur would never forget who had made him realise that. And he doubted that he would. Arthur rubbed the side of his mug and let the heat seep into his fingers. The thought of the rude barista always made Arthur smile to himself. Then he was reminded that he was unlikely to ever see him again and his smile instantly fell.

To this day, he didn't know why the man had been fired. He didn't know if the man had ever become a surgeon as he had planned. He didn't even know if the man was still in the city. Arthur shook his head. He was chasing shadows at this point.

But that's how it was when you met someone who turned your life around. Arthur didn't think it was destiny, nor did he think that it was normal that one conversation could bring such change. But that was even more of a reason why it wouldn't leave his mind. It had been nice to finally meet someone who didn't care who he was. Who wasn't intimidated by Arthur's wealth, who didn't -

The doorbell rang and made Arthur flinch. His chocolate spilled half over his trousers and he cursed. What IDIOT was outside his door during this weather? For one second, Arthur debated with himself whether he should keep sitting on the couch. How would they know he was home?

Arthur shook his head anyway and checked the mirror if he was representable for a surprise paparazzi attack. Then, he slowly opened the front door to the blizzard hitting him in his face. The cold BURNED and caught his breath.

For a moment, there was silence. Arthur froze, but not because of the cold. In that same moment, Arthur was convinced he was haunted by a demon. And he had just summoned him.

"Is Gwaine home?"

In front of his door stood the rude barista. Arthur's breath hitched in utter shock.
How on EARTH did the guy know where he lived? No, wait, where Gwaine lived! By all the rules Arthur could think of, he should close the door and call the police and find out how this guy had figured out their address... but then he registered what he was seeing.

"The actual hell..." His eyes widened.

The man looked up and seemed to recognise him. He was completely drenched from head to toe. He was shivering, black hair glued to his forehead while his lips quivered in an unhealthy blue colour. His expression shifted from nervous and ashamed to completely closed off. "Fuck!" He looked desperate, if not completely devastated. "Wrong door. Forget about it, I'm... I'm leaving."

As he stepped backwards, Arthur noticed that the man was limping. The jacket shifted and Arthur could see that the man had bruises all over his neck. Arthur caught himself just in time. "Wait, stop. Are you insane? There is a blizzard out there! Gwaine isn't home, he texted me that he can't make it in the storm! I'm his flatmate, I-. For god's sake, come inside!"

As the man turned back to him, his features were lightened in their surprise. He didn't have a scarf, not even gloves. His fingers looked stiff and whatever was in that bag would hardly get him through the night. The jacket was too thin and he wouldn't get any shelter in this weather elsewhere.

Arthur stepped aside to let Merlin in. Hesitant, the boy walked past Arthur and Arthur would swear the room got colder around the man.

Merlin was already talking when Arthur closed the door. "I wanted to text Gwaine but my phone died. He just... he gave me his address... for emergencies and I figured this was an emergency." His voice was quiet, as if his vocal cords were as frozen as the rest of his body.

Arthur felt a little lost at the explanation. "What emergency?" Right after he said it, it clicked in Arthur's head.

The man flinched and stood dripping in Arthur's entrance. His shoes were muddy but he didn't make a move to take anything off. "I just... need a place to sleep." His shoulders were tense in embarrassment.

Arthur scanned him once more. "You're freezing. Take off that jacket. And your shoes. You can take a shower if you want. That blizzard isn't going anywhere in the next few hours. I'm not letting you go back outside like that. Nor on my couch."

Merlin's eyes widened. "I don't have anything to change..."

"I'll get you a bathrobe."

Merlin hesitated for a moment, then he complied. As he took off his shoes, Arthur winced as he saw that not only where Merlin's socks as wet as the rest of him, but they had holes in them too. When he took off the jacket, he revealed a thin undershirt, the bruises Arthur had noticed before and a frame that was so much thinner than what Arthur remembered.

"What?" Merlin glared at him.

Arthur blinked back at him, realising that he had been staring. "Nothing. I'll show you where the bathroom is. You can wash your things later."

Merlin simply nodded. For some reason he seemed close to tears. If of anger or gratitude, Arthur couldn't quite tell. Finally, Merlin turned to him, his eyes wet and his voice hoarse. "Thank you."

It was the most genuine thank you Arthur had ever received. So, as emotionally stunted as Arthur was, he hid into himself and turned around. "Don't thank me Merlin, it doesn't suit you." He waved his hand at the door where the bathroom was and Merlin disappeared behind the door. Merlin never asked him how he had known his name.

Chapter Text

Friday, 7:11 am

Arthur was not a punctual person himself. At least, he didn't count himself as one. Then again, being over an hour late to a flight was kind of ridiculous. In Merlin's defence, they were told to be two hours early for the flight, so Merlin was, by definition, still early. But this was about the principle! Arthur had been waiting for over an hour and he was growing impatient.

It was just past 7 am when Merlin hurried through the full airport. He must have bought himself a new coat because Arthur didn't recognise that one. The trolly he dragged behind him, however, was much older and well worn. Merlin also had bought himself new shoes for the occasion. If Merlin Emrys was going so far as to replace his shoes, Arthur thought wildly, then this whole weekend was more serious of a business than Arthur had anticipated.

"You're late." Arthur said anyway when Merlin came to a halt beside him.

"Don't be a dick, Arthur. I'm early enough." He straightened his back to catch some air before he ran a hand through his hair. Did he get a hair cut too?

Arthur twitched a smile and crossed his arms. "I hope you didn't forget the tickets."

"Of course not." Merlin rolled his eyes, then pulled out an envelope from the new coat. He opened it and handed Arthur his ticket. Merlin paused, then looked at the luggage behind Arthur. "Is all of that yours?"

"Yes?" Arthur blinked. So, what if he had two bags instead of one? He was prepared, alright?

"How long are you planning to stay? Two weeks?"

"Don't be ridiculous, MERlin." Arthur glanced at the ticket and frowned at what he read. "Hold on, we're flying economy class?"

Merlin's brows twisted into a frown, then he whispered to himself. "Rich people, I swear." Then he raised his voice. "Look, Valiant paid for the tickets, I'm not going to complain!"

Arthur shook his head. "Merlin, you're an outstanding surgeon, you have the money to upgrade to first class no problem." Merlin didn't immediately answer but there was a mischievousness in his eyes that Arthur couldn't overlook. "Merlin... don't tell me you're intending to embarrass him for putting ME on economy class."

Merlin's grin twitched a tad bit wider. "He'll be so embarrassed."

"He can still be embarrassed if we upgrade the ticket with our own money." Arthur shook his head. "I'm not going to suffer through crying children and sweating old men, just because you insist on revenge." Merlin was about to say something but Arthur shushed him. "NOT worth it!" He muttered the rest. "Be glad I'm not calling us a private jet."

"That would be terrible for the climate!" Merlin scowled now.

Arthur had already pulled out his phone and was currently scrolling through their flight options when he paused. "That can't be right. All the first class seats are sold out. They are NEVER sold out."

Looking up, Arthur found Merlin sigh. "I bet it was Valiant. It would be so him if he bought out the entire first class, only to sit me down in economy without the option to upgrade."

"Damn, just how rich is the guy?"

"He married a model. Penelope Noire. Have you heard of her?"

"Have I... Of COURSE I have. She's working for my father!" Arthur groaned. In fact, they were often working closely together. This was a good thing though, Arthur liked Pen. "I'm going to speak with a flight attendant. If no one shows up, we might be able to get a seat in first class anyway. I want a bit of calm before the storm."

It turned out, and Arthur couldn't say he was surprised, that being Arthur Pendragon made his life a ton easier. The flight attendant immediately recognised him and apologised for the circumstances. And that they had, indeed, been called to keep first class booked out. But of course, they couldn't overlook that he was Arthur Pendragon, so of course he and his friends could go to first class. They would send the anonymous buyer an apology.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Who are you texting?"

Merlin didn't bother looking up from his phone. "Will."

"Who is Will?"

Merlin rolled his eyes as he leaned further back in his seat. "He's a childhood friend of mine. The only reason why I even go. I can't leave him alone there. He's in on the entire thing, by the way. But he doesn't like rich people."

"How fun." Arthur didn't know what else to answer to that. "Good... can you turn off your phone now?"

Merlin raised a brow. "Why?"

"Because we're on a flight and I don't want the signal to cause an accident."

Merlin burst out laughing. "What? You actually BELIEVE that? That's superstition! That doesn't happen!"

Arthur felt offended. "Excuse you? What do you think the 'flight mode' is for?"

Merlin didn't stop giggling. The sound rang through the empty first class. "Oh my god, shut up. I'll turn it off." He shook his head though as he began to tap quickly on his screen.

"I feel like you're not taking this seriously." Arthur crossed his arms.

"I feel like you're an idiot."

"You can't feel like someone else is an idiot, Merlin. That doesn't make sense."

"Stop being such a clotpole, Arthur." Merlin didn't even look up from his phone, yet he knew exactly what Arthur looked like right now. All pouty and angry.

"What did you call me?"

"A clotpole. Aren't you listening? Done, see? I've turned it off!" He waved his black screen in front of Arthur's face. "Now, let's talk about our story."

"Story?" Arthur blinked at Merlin as if he had never thought about that before. Which was stupid, this was going to be his JOB for the weekend.

"Our boyfriend get together story! And boundaries! Can't forget about the boundaries."

Arthur tilted his head just a little. "We don't need an elaborate story. We're in the same friend group, it's not like this is the first time we've met. We can just tell them the truth."

Merlin froze. "You just want to go with... that?"

"Why not?" Arthur raised his brows.

Merlin bit his lip. "It's not very romantic." His eyes were trained on his hands, as if he was deep in thought. Arthur wondered what he was seeing.

"Every story is romantic if you talk like it is. We've got this." Arthur waved it off. He's seen people make compilation of movie scenes he had been starring in, with whatever character they were shipping him with. Most of those scenes was just him looking at someone or shaking their hand. Slowing down a scene, pausing it at eye contact and putting romantic music underneath it made every ship look like THE canon ship. If they could do it, Arthur could do it too.

Merlin finally relented. "Okay, but make it sound more casual. I don't want it to sound like you're too over the moon. Also, I don't want to talk about my time on the street."

Arthur paused, his mind trying to puzzle together what Merlin was saying. It didn't add up. What did that have to do with their first meeting? "Why would they ask about your time on the street?"

"The first time we met... At your flat? During that blizzard?" Merlin looked like he was questioning Arthur's mental state.

Arthur stared at him, really stared. "That... was not the first time we met though?"

Merlin slowly lifted his head to meet Arthur's eyes. "Wait... you mean... "

"We met at Starbucks." Arthur frowned. "You don't remember that?"

"YOU remember that?" Merlin's eyes widened. "I was sure you would have forgotten about it!"

Oh... Arthur was slowly starting to see what was happening here. "Merlin, I can count the amount of times a stranger insulted me to my face on my left hand. And it's even rarer when the person finally knows who I am and then insults me AGAIN. Of course I remember you. You annoyed the heck out of me."

"Oh." Merlin blinked. "We can go with that then." Somehow, he looked confused, if not distracted. His eyes were far away, not looking at Arthur but also not not looking at Arthur. "What about PDA? Just because we're pretending doesn't mean you have to be uncomfortable."

Arthur thought about that for a second, then sighed. "Okay, so, listen..." He scratched his face. "When Morgana told me to help you, she said I was going to be your boyfriend for the weekend. So, that's what I'm gonna do. I'll be your boyfriend for the weekend."

Merlin's eyes narrowed. "Fake boyfriend."

"Yes, yes, I know." Arthur waved it off, knowing how this sounded. "The thing is, you know I'm an actor. Or used to act, that's not the point. The point is that if I'm given a role, I'm not going to pretend being that role, I'm going to BE that role. So, if my role is to be your boyfriend, then I will be Arthur Pendragon, Merlin's boyfriend. Your boyfriend wouldn't be uncomfortable around you, would he?"
Merlin nodded slowly, as if he was starting to get the gist. Arthur acknowledged the response with another nod. "For me, I'm a really private person when it comes to my relationships. I have to avoid paparazzi because I want to keep my relationships to myself. So, this isn't a question of how much we want to pretend, this is a question of what the nature of our relationship is."

There was a short pause in which Merlin seemed to sit on an answer. "Well... I want this to be a romantic one that has nothing to do with your or my wealth. You've even known me before I was homeless and took care of me WHILE I was homeless... But I don't like talking about that. I mean... You can mention that it happened, but we should keep the details to ourselves, yeah?" He did sound uncomfortable.

Arthur nodded. "And as the perfect boyfriend, I will respect that and make sure to avoid those situations." He didn't have to be the boyfriend to respect such a wish.

Merlin glared at him. "Valiant will play at my weaknesses."

"Then I will be mad at him." Arthur crossed his arms. "I can start a fight with him if you want. I'm sure he'll feel really bad then and I'm also sure Penelope will get upset." Arthur paused. "Penelope is a nice person though, I don't want to upset her too much."

Merlin pursed his lips. "No... please don't start a fight. I hate when couples do that. Can't you just glare at him and then go after me like you care?"

Arthur blinked at him. "Depends how bad it is."

Merlin sighed. "Fine, we'll figure it out. Are you sure you'll be fine with like... kissing and shit? I'm still a guy."

"Like you haven't kissed Gwaine or Lancelot during spin the bottle!" Arthur rolled his eyes. "I've kissed guys before, it'll be fine."

"Not me though." Merlin had his arms crossed. "And it has to look like it means something to us."

Arthur couldn't help but sigh. Merlin was overthinking this. "If it only has to look like it, that will be easy. We just need to read the room. If they demand us to kiss, it's fine if we're nervous about it in front of judging strangers. What is important is that we keep eye contact. If you can't do that, look at the crease between my eyebrows or the bridge of my nose. They can't tell the difference. And if you're REALLY uncomfortable, just tell them 'no'. Even if they claim that we're faking it, they have no proof."

"But then he'll know."

"Nope." Arthur shook his head. "People don't know shit. They will look at us, they will hear that we're together and from then on everything we do will be considered romantic. Even if we fight, it will be a couple's fight. Besides, if I'm going to BE your boyfriend for the weekend, then it's not fake either way."

Merlin huffed a laugh. "You make that sound so simple."

"It really is that simple." Arthur grabbed himself a bottle of water that were provided for them on the table between them. He opened the lid with a twist and took a sip. "A little bit of hand holding, a little bit of looking at each other a lot and boom... we've convinced everyone."

Merlin sighed. "At least you're not worried about it."

"Just remember. If there IS something you're uncomfortable with, let me know. There are boundaries in all relationships."

Merlin nodded. Fuddling with his hands, he finally looked back up. "Are you REALLY okay with this though? If any of this comes out, you'll be in the News. For being gay or, if we fail, for engaging in a fake relationship. The gossip papers will eat this up. And your dad isn't exactly known for being accepting."

Arthur closed the water bottle. "He isn't. But quite honestly, I've worked really hard in the past couple of years to make our company more inclusive. I've fought with my dad about it and he eventually relented. And I proved to be correct that it was a good call for the company to go with the times. Some old investors quit, but many more new ones signed up. Diversity is our brand now. If he kicks me out for being gay, he'll lose a lot more than just a son." Arthur smiled. "Personally, I don't mind what the public thinks about my love life. There was an article about me where they claimed I was starting to breed dogs, just because some paparazzi filmed me petting one. Most of these papers are made up and there will always be people who believe it and people who don't. Unless I confirm anything, it will blow over in like a week."

Merlin watched him for a moment, as if guessing if Arthur was messing with him. "I wish I could be that confident."

"I'm not confident, I'm just used to it." Arthur sighed.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The flight would still last about 7 hours but after the flight attendants brought them champagne and food, Merlin confided in Arthur that he'd had to work overtime the night before. And he also couldn't sleep due to nerves. That was why eventually, Merlin had curled up in his seat and fallen asleep in a very uncomfortable position. Arthur wanted to give him a blanket but he didn't keep one in his bag. And it wasn't like Arthur was feeling warm either.

For a while, Arthur watched Merlin, while he tried to ignore the increasing pressure in his ears. The clouds outside were shaped like an ocean and the champagne tasted a bit stale at this point. Arthur decided to ignore it all and decided to check his wallet.

It was more of a habit for him at this point. Almost ritually, Arthur would pat his pockets if his wallet was still there and when he was given the time, he would check if his cards were still there.

He remembered his last holiday in Italy where someone had stolen it. Arthur almost hadn't recovered. He had moved heaven and hell to get it back. He had even announced to the police that he didn't care if his cards and passport were missing. He could get them replaced in no time and his bank account could be blocked before the thief was able to really use it.
What Arthur had been afraid of losing was something far more valuable. In one of the card holders, he kept a laminated piece of paper. It didn't mean anything to anyone else. But to Arthur it was irreplaceable. Arthur chanced a glance at Merlin again. He wondered if Merlin remembered it. He wondered if he was the only one who thought of this joke as the base of their friendship.

He had been thinking about it for a long time now. About returning it. Softly, he touched the edges of the plastic cover, checking if it had opened up in places. He would have to laminate it again.

It was a bit stupid to keep it, Arthur thought. He could end this joke, the circle of giving and taking, if only he gave it back. The words were slowly fading out too. Arthur smiled. 'Maybe after this weekend, ' Arthur thought to himself. Then, he put it back into his case. Maybe he was overthinking this. Maybe he should throw it in the trash.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Five years ago...

The blizzard was still blazing outside. If anything, it seemed to be getting worse. After some time, Arthur's TV flickered. From one moment to the next, his room was completely dark. Those damn landlines!

There was a shriek and a shout and Arthur grabbed his phone to light his way to the bathroom. "Hey, everything alright in there?" He didn't walk in. He would allow Merlin THAT much privacy.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." The voice sounded hoarse. Either Merlin hadn't used it much, or he was simply catching a cold.

"The water still works, right? The landline is old. I suppose the wind blew it over. It shouldn't affect the heater though!" Arthur leaned his ear against the door. "I also have candles in the basement. I'll get them, alright?"

"Yeah." The sound was even weaker than before.

"Are you sure you're okay?" There was a click and the door to the bathroom opened in Arthur's face. Arthur's phone light shone directly into Merlin's eyes and the striking blue of them burned into Arthur's mind. Arthur quickly stepped back to give him some space.

"I'm fine!" Merlin sounded frustrated but wiped off some stray tear. "I'm fine. You can get the candles." He looked like a giant marshmallow in Arthur's old bathrobe. Even though it was an older one, it was way too big for Merlin's thin frame. It suddenly occurred to Arthur that Merlin had no socks and his hair was wet. If the man didn't get a blanket soon, he was sure to catch a fever soon.

"There is a blanket on the couch. I could get you some socks."

Merlin stared at him, opened his mouth, then shook his head. "We need light first."

"Alright." Arthur hesitated for a moment. He had so many questions he wanted to ask him but none saw the light of day. "I'll go get the candles." Arthur turned on his heels and shone himself a way to the basement. With only the flashlight of his phone, he felt like in a horror movie who was about to make a horrible mistake.
Ignoring his instincts, he hurried downstairs, grabbed himself the package with candles and ran back upstairs as if something was after him. Back in the living room, he put them on the table and moved to the kitchen to get a lighter.

As soon as he was in the kitchen, he was suddenly reminded of the fact that he had a gas stove and no idea how to use it. He tapped his leg with one hand. He should make Merlin some tea. The man had been freezing out there.

As Arthur moved back into the living room, he caught Merlin unfolding his wet and half frozen clothes from his bag.

"What are you doing?"

Merlin turned to him. "If I don't hang them up to dry, they will get moldy. And without electricity I can't put them in the wash."

Arthur directed his flashlight at the bag. "I'm sorry to break this to you, mate, but those clothes look like you washed them in mud."

Merlin's face twisted into a frown. "They are all I have."

Arthur wanted to laugh. But this really wasn't funny. "Come on, that can't be true. I know student's have it tough but not THAT -" Arthur paused as he saw Merlin tense. "Didn't you have a job?"

When Merlin turned back to Arthur, his blue eyes contrasting stark against his pupils and the redness around his tear-ducts more prominent than ever, Arthur felt like facing a monster from 'The Last Of Us'. Merlin's cheeks were completely hollowed out in shadow. That look told Arthur a story and he didn't like that story at all.

"Wait..." Arthur took in the sight of Merlin again, and holy shit the guy was crying! Then Arthur's gaze dropped to the bag with muddy clothes, his mind went to how Merlin had stood completely drenched in front of his door, asking for a couple nights to stay to survive the blizzard. "Are you homeless?"

"FUCK you!" Merlin spat the words at him. He hiccupped a sob and averted his gaze while clenching his fists.

Arthur stood there like he had been slapped. This didn't make sense. Why would a medicine student, who had a stable work place at starbucks, end up on the street?

"Please don't tell Gwaine."

Arthur's eyes widened. "Huh? Didn't you come here because you needed his help?"

Merlin angrily wiped off his tears. "I'm not... He doesn't need to know anymore. He's not here and I don't want to drag him into my shit. He just got out of HIS shit and I -" Merlin shook his head. "I'll only stay for as long as the blizzard is there. I'll leave right after! I swear, I just can't freeze to death! Please! Don't tell him!"

Arthur turned off his phone light to give Merlin some more privacy in the shadows. Give him the moment to not be stared at. Then he walked over and grabbed Merlin by the arm. He took the gross clothes from Merlin's hand and lead him to the kitchen despite his protests. He grabbed one of the candles and put them on on the counter before he showed Merlin the stove. "I hope you know how to light this thing. I never had to use it before. We're going to make you some tea, alright?"

Merlin didn't move. Arthur pressed the lighter into his hand. Then, finally, Merlin turned on the stove so easily that made Arthur feel like a complete idiot. He held the lighter to the gas and soon, he could regulate the heat to a lower temperature. Arthur got out a pot and filled it with water. Then, he put it on the fire while Merlin simply stared at it.

"You're Gwaine's former flatmate, aren't you?" Arthur had to ask. "There is only one person he would give our address for emergency and I know that with emergency, he was talking about him relapsing. That's you, isn't it? The guy who dragged him to rehab?"

Merlin nodded slowly, although he hesitated a bit.

Arthur couldn't believe how small the world was. All this time he had been searching for him... and all he needed to have done was ask his flatmate. "Then I owe you. He's one of the most promising newcomers we have in the industry. Stay for as long as you need."

"You don't owe me." Merlin's voice was a whisper. It was so small that Arthur barely heard it.

"I do." Arthur ignored everything else and brought the teabags from the top of his shelf. And a thermos to go. "And even if I didn't, you're still welcome."

Shaking, Merlin dried another fresh wave of tears. Arthur watched him for a moment. "Look, I can understand that this is frustrating to you, but I can't watch this anymore. I'm getting you some socks. My god. I'm freezing just looking at you!"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A part of Arthur had done it to give Merlin some space. The other genuinely didn't know what to say.

And maybe another part just simply didn't know how to cook.Arthur was happy that he knew how to use the microwave. Gwaine was the one of them who knew how to cook and Arthur was trying every day to learn from him. With less than desirable outcomes.

Merlin walked into the living room nearly half an hour later. Somehow, he had managed to find two bowls of heated soup (he probably cooked it himself, to Arthur it was magic) and sat them both wordlessly down on the TV table. He then disappeared into the kitchen and brought the thermos can and two of the little candles which he then put on the dark table as well.

Just as wordlessly, Arthur handed him a pair of plush socks. Merlin stared at them for a moment before he put them on. "I still have to dry my clothes."

Arthur pointed behind him and Merlin followed his gaze. The door to the bathroom stood open and Arthur had put the clothes on his laundry rack.

"Thank you."

After Merlin put the socks on, Arthur also handed him a blanket. Merlin hesitated but finally put it around him too. Then, he grabbed the bowl of soup and began to eat.

Arthur hesitated, but finally grabbed his own bowl as well. It was a simple soup but Arthur had no clue where the man had found the vegetables. They must have been Gwaine's. That reminded him... everything that was inside the fridge would be ruined by tomorrow because of the electricity. He shook his head. He could take care of that later.

"Did you get into a fight?"

Merlin flinched before he choked on the soup noodles. As the coughing calmed down, he grimaced again. "I ran into some drunk people."

Translation: I was beat up. Arthur didn't know what to say, what to think. His mind ran a mile a minute. "Did you call the police?"

By now, Arthur should have known that everything he was saying just made the situation worse. Because now Merlin wasn't just wiping off tears, he was ugly crying into his bowl of soup. And Arthur sat beside him, completely helpless as to what to do.

"Okay, okay. I'll stop asking! Can I get you something? I don't know... I still have ice cream? Urgh... probably not the best idea. Chips? Beer? I'm sure Gwaine has some beer left... Or wine! He likes wine!"

Merlin put the bowl back on the table and hugged his knees close to his face. "Just leave me alone." He was still sobbing but he was trying not to be loud about it. It looked like a dam had broke of emotions he had contained for far longer than what was healthy.

Arthur was completely out of his element. Shocked and motionless, he tried to disappear into the couch. It almost seemed like Merlin was going to cry for the rest of the night. About half an hour later, however, Merlin fainted. What Arthur had thought was exhaustion, turned out to be fever.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Friday, 4:17pm

The Noire residence lay hidden on a small cliff, including loads of green land and a giant pool. Merlin and Arthur had arrived with an uber and now stood at the edge of the field. The residence was a white speck of marble against a wooden forest. It was a luxury villa as you saw them in magazines.

"Where are the other's from your class? We can't be the first to arrive, right?"

Merlin looked tired and sweaty from the long flight and the drive here. He had long exchanged his coat for a T-shirt that must have been from uni. It sported the name 'Camelot University' on it and looked incredibly cosy. Black shirts made Merlin look fit these days. Since Merlin had gotten back on his feet, he had been working out and it showed. This shirt was definitely too small though, Merlin needed a few new ones.

"I was wondering why we haven't met anyone at the airport." Merlin snarled angrily.

Arthur hesitated. "Do we have the address wrong? It's kinda small for what was promised, isn't it?" Admittedly, Arthur was a bit damaged. His father's holiday residences were at least three times this size and looked like replicas of the Buckingham Palace.

Merlin turned to Arthur slowly, a small grin spreading on his face. "Oh please, say that to Valiant when you see him."

Almost as if it had been calculated that way, that was the moment a plane sired through the sky and grew awfully bigger, the closer it got to them. It was a private jet. Merlin's smile immediately disappeared. "Oh that absolute WANKER!"

Arthur wasn't sure what to feel. Anticipation? Anger? Discomfort? The plane landed with a loud gust of wind. It was so loud that Arthur and Merlin had to hold their ears covered against the noise. And soon, after the engines turned off, a row of people walked out of the plane. They looked cheery and excited for what they were going to find. Arthur suddenly understood why Merlin hated Valiant.

This was more than a prank. This was more than making fun of Merlin for being poorer than Valiant. This was downright mean. Not that Merlin liked private jets or anything... but to go out of his way to buy Merlin a ticket for economy class, making it impossible for him to upgrade to first class, and THEN arrive in a private jet with everyone else who was invited was just... something else. "I think I hate this guy."

"Thanks for noticing." Merlin's sarcasm could be heard even on top of the engines.

It didn't take long before the first people flooded onto the estate. Loads of excited faces were walking about, pointing at things. Merlin, in the meantime, had crossed his arms.

Arthur spotted Penelope as one of the people who left the plane last. She was a tall woman with long black hair that she kept in a tight ponytail. Her make up was spot on and her smile was as kind as that of a young mother. Although Arthur knew she didn't have any yet. The man beside her was the same height as her, hair purposely greyed and wearing too many earrings to count. He wore sunglasses too and a hawai-shirt.

He looked like the kind of people who were born rich and old and had never been to school before. Arthur couldn't imagine the man sitting beside Merlin during math.

The man's eyes glazed over everyone and spotted Merlin for one moment. He sported an evil smile before he was about to avert his gaze, then, however, he froze and turned back around. The smile? Gone.

After a moment of complete silence, he turned to his wife and when she turned around, she nearly squealed. "Holy shit, ARTHUR PENDRAGON?"

Her voice carried over the entire estate and multiple heads turned their way. That was the moment Arthur realised he had fucked up.

It was easy to forget, when he was with Merlin, just how much attention he received in a room, in a magazine, in the News. Arthur's life was never as private as he wanted it to be and the company he kept was rarely trustworthy. Merlin was, to Arthur's luck, one of the few actual exceptions. The problem was, with Arthur as the centre of the attention, Merlin would be completely overshadowed by his presence if Arthur didn't act soon.

Penelope's hug was as startling as it was welcome. Arthur hadn't lied, he did get along with her, she was just a bit more touchy than Arthur was comfortable with. Arthur chuckled a bit as he patted her back.

Valiant came closer behind her, eyes wide in utter surprise. "Mr. Pendragon! Welcome." If confusion had a name, it would be Valiant Noire. "I'm so very sorry, I have not been informed of your arrival. Did my manager arrange some kind of meeting?" He looked panicked and completely unprepared. 'Good.'

Arthur could feel Merlin hiding behind him. This would not stand. Arthur was not here to steal the show, he was here to put MERLIN in the spotlight. And he had to do it now. The longer he waited, the harder it would get to put Merlin back into it. "Oh, no, of course not. I'm so sorry for the intrusion." Arthur reached out his hand and gave Valiant his most formal smile as he shook the clueless hand. "I'm not here on official business. I'm Merlin's boyfriend."

Arthur could see the pin dropping in Valiant's eyes. The surprise faded into shock, then mortified horror.

Arthur was not done. "Thank you for providing the tickets, Mr Noire. It was too kind." Thankfully, Arthur had been trained to be polite even to people he utterly despised since he was a child. "Merlin keeps telling me that private jets are terrible for the climate. And it's so difficult to get him to upgrade to first class." He hoped he wasn't rambling though. "One would think that a busy surgeon like him would like to get a break from all the stress, am I right?" Arthur chuckled.

The horror intensified and Arthur felt pure glee at the sight. "And imagine my surprise! When I FINALLY convinced him to upgrade the tickets, they were all sold out! It was such a hassle! And in the end, no one else even showed up!" Arthur shook his head, almost laughing at how pale Valiant had gone.

Arthur turned to Merlin who was watching him with wide eyes, arms fallen uselessly to his side. Then, Arthur shook his head. "Oh, I am so sorry. I don't want to hog all the attention." He turned to Penelope. "I would LOVE to check up with you later, but I feel like I'm interrupting the whole reunion."

When Arthur turned back to Merlin, he did it with the softest smile he could muster. To his own surprise, it wasn't very hard to fake.

Then, he whispered into Merlin's ear: "Don't forget, I'm the trophy, not the main event. Don't leave me in the spotlight for too long." Out loud, he announced: "I'll go get our luggage inside, Merls. You can check up with your old friends." Then, almost as an afterthought, he pressed a light kiss to Merlin's cheek before he grabbed the luggage and headed towards the entrance of the residence where he could see servants already breaking out into chaos.

He did not see the way Merlin stared after him, however. His shock almost rivalled Valiant's.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Merlin's POV:

Merlin stared after Arthur, eyes blinking and unsure of what had just happened. Whatever THAT had been was almost too perfect to be real. The kiss still tingled where Arthur's lips had touched him. And he couldn't even deny the shiver that had run down his spine when Arthur had whispered in his ear.

It had been a good call to first introduce himself so casually, and then move out of the way. A good boyfriend would never try to steal the spotlight. Arthur had prepared the stage JUST enough that all eyes were now on Merlin.

Merlin's however, were still trained on the window door that Arthur's frame just disappeared inside. Arthur was even carrying their luggage, like a gentleman. That man usually didn't even hang up his own jacket. He hadn't been kidding. He wasn't going to pretend to be Merlin's boyfriend. Arthur Pendragon was going to BE Merlin's boyfriend for the weekend.

Merlin turned back to face a Valiant who couldn't tear his eyes away from him, and that was a first. Valiant usually looked over Merlin's head while he completely denounced Merlin's existence. They had been playing this game for years and for the first time, Merlin was winning.

Penelope was the one who broke the silence. "Val! Did you KNOW Arthur would come? I had no idea your classmate was Arthur's lover!" She sounded beyond excited. "You must be Merlin, right? After everything my husband told me... I can't believe my own eyes! You're looking good too!" Her kind eyes ran over Merlin's frame, clearly approving and she enthusiastically shook his hand. Merlin tried hard not to laugh at the way Valiant sputtered.

Slowly, Merlin noticed that around him, the rest of his classmates were also staring at him in utter shock. Some were whispering Arthur's name like a prayer. It was weirdly distracting.
Valiant, trying to ignore his wife's praise, nervously turned to Merlin. "You didn't mention that your partner was Arthur Pendragon." He sounded PAINED.

And suddenly Merlin understood why Arthur had been so confident about the whole charade. Who in their right mind would think that the heir of the richest company in the entire country would, under any circumstances, lower himself to pretend dating a regular surgeon?

"Well..." Merlin cleared his throat. "Arthur is a rather private person. And we haven't been dating for very long, so it seemed safer to just... keep it on the down low for now." Merlin just realised that this explanation implied that if Arthur was ready to go to Merlin's school anniversary, they were about to step up their relationship. Damn, the lie practically wrote itself.

Valiant's painful smile turned a tad bit wider as he put both hands on Merlin's shoulder. "You should have TOLD me... it's Arthur Pendragon! That's something I would have needed to PREPARE for!"

Merlin faced the desperate stare with ignorance. "Why, would you have believed me?"

Valiant flinched backwards.

Merlin shrugged. "I didn't think so. Besides, he doesn't like it when I make a big deal about him."

"You can't be serious. He's ARTHUR Pendragon! How can you NOT make a big deal about being his boyfriend?"

Merlin really didn't know what Valiant was getting at. Sure... other people might. But HIM? Valiant should know him better than that! "Why would I do that? He may be a Pendragon but that has nothing to do with me, does it?" It occurred to Merlin then, that if they were actually together and seriously together, it would. After all, they would be dating and maybe even consider marriage. The idea felt very odd. "If he doesn't care where I'm from, why would I care about the reverse?" Fake dating or not, Merlin still wished that if Arthur ever truly dated someone he cared about, that they weren't in for the fame and the money. Arthur was a good man. He didn't deserve to be used.

Valiant seemed to not have expected that response but he didn't get to say anything about it before Will broke through the small crowd and forced Merlin into a hug. "MERLIN, you foolish idiot, where have you been? The flight was so boring without you!"

Merlin's grin was back. "WILL!" He hugged him right back, laughing all the while. "I can't really tell you. We took a normal flight."

Valiant seemed uncomfortable now. "Merlin, I really am sorry. There must have been a mix up with the tickets... You know, I was originally going to fly here by-"

Merlin didn't want to hear the no doubt terrible excuse. "It's fine, Valiant. Mistakes happen and you were never very bright to begin with." He sent him a dark glare that even an idiot could interpret to: 'I know exactly what you did and why. Accept you defeat, asshole.'

So, Valiant did. He excused himself and walked after Arthur. No doubt to make some last minute arrangement so that their bedroom situation would suit the tastes of a Pendragon. At least, Merlin would assume that, based on Valiant's quick pace and slight curses.

Will's whisper distracted Merlin. "You brought Arthur? I thought you wanted to bring Morgana?"

Merlin whispered back through his teeth. "I wanted to. She didn't have time! I'll explain later!"

After that, Penelope and some of his former classmates preoccupied Merlin's attention. He had to answer a ton of questions. Most of them made him regret coming here.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Arthur's PoV

The residence was giant, there was no doubt about it. Yet, Arthur had seen bigger places. The entrance hall lay behind a glass door that he had come in from. It was well lit and looked like it was used for banquets and dances. A little further in the room was a retractable wall that seemed to lead into the dining room.

The serving staff, however, didn't let him explore further than that. They insisted to take the luggage from him and asked him who's partner he was. When he replied with "Merlin Emrys" he could tell that at least half of them went pale as sheet paper.

The flight must not have been the only stunt Valiant had pulled. Arthur's mouth involuntarily twitched into a smile. One of the serving girls signed herself a cross and Arthur began to feel curious. How bad was the room they were about to give Merlin? It didn't take long until Valiant stormed into the house, trying to look and sound casual. He hectically talked with one of the servants and then cleared his throat.

"Mr. Pendragon. I apologise for the delay. If you would follow me." He heavily gestured in the direction of a staircase and Arthur sighed inwardly as he followed the gesture. He was trying hard to be as formal and polite as his father had taught him to be, but this was ridiculous! Who went out of their way to bully someone to this extend?

Valiant lead him to a rustically looking room. There was a king sized bed with two night stands that occupied the bigger part of the room. Each wall was framed with shelves and tons of books. There was enough space for them to put at least three times as many bags into the cabinets and they had their own TV as well. A tiny voice in Arthur's head was complaining in Merlin's voice: 'Rich people' and it made him smile just the tad bit more.

"I hope the arrangement will please you, Mr. Pendragon. Had I known you were coming, I would have prepared a room far more suiting to your tastes -"

Arthur interrupted him. "I am well aware of my family's reputation, Mr. Noire. But I'm not going to complain about gifts. Besides, Merlin would just call me an arrogant prat if I did." Arthur enjoyed the way Valiant paled at those words. "Few people have as large estates as my father does. It wouldn't be fair of me to compare you to that standard."

Valiant lowered his gaze, seemingly still embarrassed. "That is very gracious of you." He paused. "I am just... still surprised to see you. It's, to say the least, a bit overwhelming."

Arthur raised a brow. "I take it this has to do with your animosity towards my boyfriend, doesn't it?"

Valiant went ashen in the soft sunlight that flooded the room. "I assure you, whatever he has told you -"

"He didn't need to tell me, Mr. Noire. I'm not that dense that I wouldn't notice how he has received special treatment for the flight and of course, how the servants were reluctant to show me our room." Arthur stared him down. "I will not judge whatever history you may have. But I expect you to treat him fairly for the rest of this weekend."

Valiant slowly nodded like a scolded child. "I must apologise for my behaviour, I am very sorry. Merlin and I never got along as you said. I did not like his attitude towards authorities. He never treats them with respect and always made it look like he was smarter and better than other people." He hurried to add on to this. "Of course, we have all grown up now and it was childish of me to indulge in these old habits."

Arthur sighed deeply. People like Valiant were always so quick to relent, it was no fun at all. "You don't owe ME that apology, Mr. Noire. You owe it to Merlin. For the record, I enjoy his insolence terribly."

Valiant looked up in surprise. "You do?"

Arthur felt himself twitch a smile. "You married rich, Mr. Noire. You haven't been among these circles for very long. You will understand soon how tiresome it is to talk to people who all want something from you. Be it money or fame does not matter. A new friend can always turn out to be a journalist who only wants to investigate your private life for profit. A butler at a bar may turn out to be a fanatic fan who will do everything to get an autograph. A new lover may expose your sexual preferences to the press after a breakup. It's rare to have a friend like Merlin in your life."

"A friend?" Valiant sounded surprised.

Arthur blinked. "Merlin and I have been friends long before we got together."

Valiant hesitantly met Arthur's eyes. "I hope for you that he is everything you think he is."

Arthur was a bit taken off guard by those words. Not that Valiant said it, but the hesitance which he said it with. It had never occurred to Arthur to doubt his impression of Merlin. And even now, the idea that Merlin would ever use him was simply ridiculous. "He is." Arthur said those words with more feeling than intended.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Arthur was currently putting his clothes inside the cabinet, when Merlin burst into the room with the biggest, stupidest smile Arthur had ever seen him wear. It was almost contagious. "YOU, good Sir, were BRILLIANT out there!" His entire face lit up with mischievous glee.

Arthur masked his own smile. "I was a GOOD actor, Merlin.," he emphasised, only to hear Merlin laugh as he fell backwards on the bed.

"At first, I was a bit sceptical because of how much attention you got for just existing, but you handled that perfectly! Valiant was ready to cry!" Merlin giggled at the mental image.

Arthur shook his head. "Yeah, I get why Gwaine wanted to see that so bad. I kind of regret that we didn't take a hidden camera."

Merlin kept chuckling. His chest was moving up and down with every inhale. "And you acted like a totally smitten boyfriend too! The others will NEVER believe it! Especially Gwaine. I was so sure that you would be all big talk but then be nervous when it came down to it! God, Valiant is SO going to regret inviting us!"

Merlin had a nice smile. It was too wide for his face, like his body couldn't contain all that joy. Arthur liked seeing him like that. It was the complete opposite to the Merlin he had first met. Okay... Not FIRST met, but the one he had first gotten to know. "Well, if I'm doing this, I might as well make it worth it, right?" Arthur shook his head. "Besides, he treated you like shit, he deserves it."

Merlin's laugh halted. He sat up to stare at Arthur in sudden surprise. "You think so?"

Arthur blinked and put down the shirt he was just about to refold. "Yeah? He was acting like a dick."

"I didn't know you cared."

It was as if someone had turned off the light. Arthur was so caught off guard by that sentence, he almost forgot how to speak. "Excuse me? I'm not a heartless monster!"

"I know." Merlin still sounded confused. "But Morgana is forcing you to do this. And I mean, it's just me. I didn't think you would go that far for me."

Arthur stared at him. "Merlin, I'd do far worse for my friends."

Arthur did NOT like the look that Merlin sent him then. One of complete wonder and surprise. Then, he said the most unhinged shit Arthur had ever heard. "We're friends?"

"Hold on, you thought we WEREN'T?" Arthur felt like someone had ripped the ground underneath him and pulled.

"Well, I mean... If that were true, then you wouldn't need to be bribed into helping me!"

Was this guy serious? Arthur's stomach dropped. "Merlin, we hang out EVERY WEEK."

"Because we have the same friends! Not... not because WE are!"

"Merlin, what the actual FUCK?! I was there when you received your doctorate! You INVITED me! I've helped you out every time you were moving into a new building!"

"To be fair, you broke more than you actually helped!"

"I called you half a dozen times to get Gwaine out of the gutter when he was getting too drunk! I drive you home when YOU are!"

Merlin's eyes had widened now with sudden realisation. "Holy shit, we're friends?"

Exasperated and seriously wounded, Arthur shook his head. "I can't believe we're having this conversation."

Chapter Text

5 ½ Years ago

Arthur was in a terrible mood. Everyday was more stressful than the last. "Yes, father, I understand why you think he is a risk - NO! I don't think we should cut him out of - Can you please LISTEN to me?" Phone calls with Uther Pendragon never went well, Arthur had known that since he was a child. Sometimes he felt foolish to think that the next call would be normal at least.

Arthur had the phone clutched between his left shoulder, while he carried a box full of contracts and informations with him. Normally this was the job of an assistant but Arthur just had to fire his last one for stealing documents from the workplace.

"What I'm saying is that I think Gwaine would be a good addition to - Fine, Mr. Fahej would be a great addition to our team. - I'm telling you, except for that one issue, he'd be perfect for the commercial." Arthur tried his best not to roll his eyes and failed desperately.

"I don't care that he had a problem with drug abuse! We're talking about models and actors, how many of them DON'T have a drug problems, father?" Arthur was about to go insane. "He's getting the help he needs! ... What? No, I don't think he'll fall back into- I know one can never be sure! He's still better than CENDRED..." Arthur bit his lip and let the tirade of his father's words wash over him.

"I know Cendred has been an old client of ours but he's incredibly sketchy! He's never on time and the only good thing about him is that he can bribe the police to erase his record!" Arthur paused. "No, father, that is NOT a good thing, that was a joke!"

After that, it was just Uther talking Arthur an ear off about responsibility and loyalty. Eventually, Arthur was too tired to listen to him anymore. "Father, I'm on break now. - NO, we'll talk AFTER my break!" Arthur was ready to cry when he hung up and locked his phone. It instantly fell to the ground. The sound of metal on concrete made him wince and he prayed like an idiot that the screen wasn't broken.

Arthur knelt down, only to find that he had the worst luck today. Not only was the screen broken, a third of the screen was also completely black. "FUCK!" Arthur said and ignored the glaring mother that walked past him with his children. Until she, of course, recognised his face and immediately covered her mouth before increasing her pace, shoving her son along.

Arthur hated his life. Today was just one thing after another. His car broke down, his father was mad, he had a talk with aforementioned Cendred scheduled in half an hour, he hadn't slept in what felt like 40 hours and now his phone was broken as well.

His only hope was the sound of the Starbucks bell as he entered the building. Half a dozen heads turned to him and Arthur noticed that some of them were instantly taking pictures. Why would they not? He had recently been featured on the newest gossip page and why?

Fucking Vivian talking lies about his preferences in bed! They had broken up over a week ago and Arthur couldn't for the life of him remember why he had ever agreed to dating her. She was rude and loud and difficult to handle. She had expected expensive gifts every single week, and gotten mad over his work load. Not that it was too much, NO. It was too LITTLE. Because a true alpha male worked 100 hours a week, apparently.

Uther had approved of her, of course, and Arthur was ashamed to think that that had been the sole reason why they had been together.

"Welcome at Starbucks. What can I get you?" Arthur looked up at the tired looking barista. He had black fluffy hair and an indifferent smile on his face, worn from all the customers he was forced to send it to. His cheekbones and those large ears stood out to Arthur almost instantly. He shook off the thought, thinking it impolite.

"Give me a Venti and fill it with espresso."

The man looked up and raised a brow, waiting for Arthur to order anything else in addition to the coffee. "You carried that box all the way to Starbucks just for an espresso? Dude, the coffee here isn't THAT good. The Frappuccinos, sure, they are special and you hardly get them anywhere else, but the normal coffee? Don't you have better ways to waste your money?"

Arthur heard one of the guy's coworkers gasp at the man's behaviour. Arthur was too tired and not nearly angry enough to cause a scene right now, so he ignored it. "Just... do it man. I'm having a shit day already and I would like to drown it in alcohol but I still have work, so espresso it is.

"Sure, what's your name?"

Arthur blinked at him. Seriously? "The name is ARTHUR." He said that extra loud, waiting if it would ring a bell. It didn't seem to. Arthur sighed. "I'll just wait over there." Arthur pointed at where everyone else was waiting for their coffees.

"As you wish, my lord." The man rolled his eyes at Arthur.

Had Arthur not had such a shitty day, he would probably have understood the joke. But then the minutes passed by and his break evaporated under his watch and Arthur was starting to get nervous. Person after person entered the line before the coffee stand, some pulled out their phones to snap a quick shot of him and that only added to his stress. As more and more people got their order, Arthur was starting to get really anxious. Time and time again he checked his watch, only to find another two minutes having past and another couple of customers having been served before him. The barista completely ignored him and worked quickly on every drink with that same indifferent smile he had worn for Arthur. One cup stood out to Arthur that had stood there for quite a while now with a foreign name on it and no one seemed to pick it up. Arthur felt like he didn't exist and he had never felt THAT way before. At some point, Arthur talked himself into such a rage that he completely ignored everything he had been taught in formal propriety and etiquette, and threw caution to the wind.

It had been twenty minutes already and Arthur only had ten minutes remaining until he would have to be at Cendred's place. "Hey, Barista! Where is my order? I asked for it twenty minutes ago!"

The man looked at him unimpressed. "Yeah, and I rang it up fifteen minutes ago. It's standing right there!" The man pointed at the cup with the foreign name on it. 'König Artus.'

Arthur sputtered as his tired mind suddenly connected the dots. Yet, he wasn't able to accept it just yet. "THAT is NOT my name!" And it was the barista's job to make sure the customers knew what their cups were!

"It's a joke. Geez, don't get your panties in a twist!" The man had the gall to roll his eyes.

Arthur was so done with today, with this guy's attitude, that he was THIS close to turn into a Karen. "Listen here, you little - Merlin? What the fuck kind of name is that?" Arthur was confused. The guy just grinned at his displeasure. Arthur caught himself and resumed scowling. "Look, I don't want to cause a scene right now, but I've had a really shit day and I needed this coffee like an hour ago. I'm going to be late because of you and trust me, you don't want to get on my bad side!"

The man sighed. "Are you always such a prat or do you just like to annoy underpaid barista's? I'm not responsible for your bad day, posh boy! Or your lack of perception for that matter." He glanced at Arthur's suit, remaining unimpressed.

Arthur huffed out a laugh. He never truly played this card, but the guy was truly getting on his nerves. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to?"

The man's expression didn't change. "I don't CARE, your highness. You've made a mistake. You can't blame me just because you don't have any reading comprehension skills."

"I'm Arthur Pendragon! Vice CEO of Pendagon Scouts? SON of Uther Pendragon? Ring any bell?"

"Sorry, mate."

Arthur felt a bit disappointed as he always did when people relented so quickly. Partly in himself, partly in the guy before him. Annoyed, and only mildly confused at Merlin's indifferent attitude, Arthur relented. "You're forgiven."

The man raised a brow. "No, you misunderstood me. Your father is a swine. Sorry that that's your life."

Arthur looked up very slowly to find Merlin still looking unimpressed. There was no cowering, no embarrassment, only amusement. The guy was making fun of Arthur and apparently didn't give a shit who he was. A strange warmth got hold of Arthur's soul. This was new. "Excuse you?" The words came out more soft than shocked.

"Okay, dude, I get why you need the espresso now, so here is the deal. I'm going to remake your coffee, I'll make sure you'll get it this time. Then you're going to pay for both of your orders and then you'll give me a tip." The man already grabbed a cup as if Arthur's word in it didn't matter.

"A tip for what?"

The man grinned. "For putting up with you!"

Arthur gaped at the man. He felt weird bubbles bursting in his stomach area. He huffed out a laugh. "Are you serious? I'm not paying for BOTH of those coffees AND your insolence!"

Arthur barely noticed how Merlin's manager had been called and looked like he wanted to cut in when Merlin said the most unhinged bullshit Arthur had ever heard.

"Yes, yes you are. Because if you don't do it, then I'll have pay for the extra one. And I'm definitely NOT going to pay for any idiot who comes in here and thinks they are the shit. And before you sue me, I think we both know that this coffee doesn't cost half as much as a lawyer. I'm a student who makes minimum wage on this job. And I need this job to become a surgeon. And in five years, when your depressed drinking habits have killed your liver, I will remember your generous tip, and remember not to botch up the surgery." Merlin had already finished the new coffee and before Arthur knew it, it was put it in front of his nose with a wide smile. "Will that be all, my lord?"

The manager looked ready to cry. But Arthur's eyes were glued to that shit eating grin and the glint in his eye that told Arthur not to fucking mess with costumer service.

Arthur didn't know what he was feeling. If it was the smile, the insolence, or the inspiring 'I don't give a shit' attitude, but Arthur suddenly really really liked this guy. Who would have thought that this conversation had been exactly what he had needed today?

Arthur grabbed his brief case and pulled out 100 bucks. "Keep the change."

Finally, that made the man's eyes widen. "Huh?"

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Arthur grabbed the Venti-cup and shouldered his box before leaving the café. As he was outside, he could see Merlin stare at him through the window. Behind him, the manager seemed ready to faint or die or something. Either way, he was as speechless as Merlin had been. Arthur couldn't help but smile to himself.

He walked only until the next corner before he put the box down and grabbed his phone. It was hard to navigate with a third of the screen blind, but he soon dialled his father's number once more.

"Hello, father? Yeah. I'm giving Gwaine the job." He had made up his mind. All his life, he had been following this system of power over moral. And everyone he had met had followed the same principles. Just now, he had met someone who wasn't ruled by the system. Who followed it just enough to achieve his own goals.

Uther did not sound pleased but Arthur had never felt this sure. "NO, YOU listen! He's getting that job and if you have to disinherit me over it! I'm tired of how this company is run! You told me to take initiative and I am going to do that from now on! I won't inform you of the decisions I'm making anymore. If the results fail you, you will have to fire me like you do everyone else." With that, Arthur hung up, feeling free for the very first time in his life.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Friday, 7:23 pm

Arthur had seen the Dining room before, but only through the door of the retractable wall that separated it from the entrance hall. Now that they were inside, he was able to see the sheer size of it. A long black rectangular table occupied the biggest part of the room. It shone in the light of the fancy chandelier, polished to perfection, and well aligned with the designer chairs beside it. They had little decorations to it, but the cushions were very comfortable. Behind them, the walls were covered in fancy paintings of the manor and it's owners.

There was space for at least forty people at the table. Merlin had informed Arthur that their class had consisted of twenty-nine people but of course, not everyone had the time to come. Let alone along with their partners.

The only thing Arthur wondered about, however, was that they had been assigned to their seats. While Valiant and Penelope sat at one of the short ends of the table, Arthur and Merlin had been placed at the exact opposite end.

Correctly interpreting his confusion, Merlin leaned over to Arthur to explain: "He does this every time. He wants me to watch as he's the centre of attention. The short end is terrible, everything is too far away and you have to engage with people only to get the butter. He doesn't even have to talk to me to make me feel like vermin. That's how he called me out on being homeless in front of everyone too, last time."

Arthur felt his stomach sink. "Seriously?"

"Yeah." Merlin sighed and watched as the servants brought the plates to the table. "The only reason I even came was because I thought no one knew. Of course, he had somehow figured it out."

Arthur bit his tongue to not say something insulting at the table. He had been raised better than that. Before he could say something censored, yet fitting about their host, he noticed Merlin struggling to pick a spoon for the soup.

"Merlin?"

Merlin's lips were thin from the pressure. Then, his eyes flickered to Arthur's questioning glance and finally, he relented and leaned back over. "To be honest, I have no idea which one to use."

Arthur raised a brow. "What, you don't have spoons in your house?"

Merlin gaped in mock offence. "Excuse you? We have plenty table ware. This-" and he pointed at the entire set of spoons, forks and knifes, "-is ridiculous. There is at least twelve of them and I'm sure I read in a story that one of them is for snails."

Arthur laughed. He couldn't help it, he hid his mouth in a hand to not cause a scene. "Well... To be honest, hehe, sorry." Arthur leaned back over to whisper back to Merlin. "I have no idea either."

Merlin turned to him in surprise. "What?"

Arthur shrugged. "Do you think a five year old child has the patience to learn all this nonsense? The trick is to pretend that you know exactly what which tool is for. Feign confidence and just use whatever. They can't tell the difference."

Merlin frowned. "That can't be right."

Arthur couldn't help the giggle that still escaped him. "It isn't. But I bet ten bucks that Valiant is the only one here who actually knows which ones to use. But everyone else will think that I'M the expert. He'd look like a fool if he called me out on it."

The look Merlin sent him after that made Arthur's heart kickstart. Merlin always looked like this when Gwaine suggested a new prank or Lancelot told them a completely unhinged story. It was the first time, however, that that look was directed at Arthur. If he didn't know better, he'd think Merlin had just fallen in love with him. The way that you fall in love with your friends sometimes when they say something hilarious or sweet.

Merlin leaned back over. "Okay, but do it REALLY wrong!"

How could Arthur say 'no' to that smile? Soon, Arthur grasped his composure and let Valiant do the opening speech and thank everyone for coming. It was a long formal speech about being old friends and thanking new faces for having patience with his sentimental old self and other nice things like that. Then, finally, the soup was handed out and Arthur did as promised and used one of the smaller spoons to eat it.

Not few of the guests hurriedly tried to turn to each other to find out which tool to use and nearly all of them seemed to orient themselves on Arthur's table manners. Arthur kept a straight face as Valiant grabbed the proper spoon. His eyes too, wandered over the table and he seemed to slowly realise what was happening.

Arthur was pretty sure that the whole reason for the fancy set of spoons and forks and knifes was only to psychologically overwhelm the guests and make them feel inferior. It was a wordless game they were playing and Valiant was going to lose it. The best part was, since Arthur challenged him with an open and friendly smile, Valiant KNEW Arthur was messing with him. And thus, thinking Arthur used the wrong tools on purpose, when in fact, Arthur never bothered to learn proper etiquette. That was more Morgana's thing.

The entire game went really well until dessert where Arthur was pretty sure he was eating the fruits from his waffles with the snail fork. Valiant looked ready to cry.

It was around that time that Penelope turned from her half eating, half conversing position with her bench neighbour and turned to Arthur and Merlin. "Arthur, I'm sorry, but I'm so curious. I MUST know, and I think everyone here is as curious as I, how did you and Merlin meet?"

The distraction came sudden but not unexpected. The attention on them was followed by immediate silence too. Arthur could feel that Merlin was freezing up beside him. Arthur grabbed his hand under the table, making Merlin turn to him in slight surprise. Arthur was asking him with his gaze whether he should tell them, or if Merlin wanted to do it, and Merlin seemed to get the gist of it, because he squeezed Arthur's hand expectantly.

Arthur turned to their hosts openly. "It's not really a romantic story, to be honest. It's been a long time since then, long before we ever got together. But I don't think I will ever forget it." Arthur smiled at the memory. He let honesty slip into his voice, knowing it would make all the difference. "We met at a Starbucks. Merlin was the barista and I had a really shitty day. I was running late and Merlin misspelled my name -"

To think Merlin wouldn't interrupt him was a mistake. "I did that on purpose, you idiot. König Artus is a play on your name. Because you acted like an entitled king. It's not my fault you didn't get the joke!"

"You watched me wait for my drink for over twenty minutes!," Arthur argued, falling back into the old habit of riling Merlin up.

Merlin rolled his eyes. "You were being a Karen, Arthur! I was certain you were going to call my manager! I don't care how bad your day was, don't be a fucking Karen!"

Arthur gasped. "You didn't think that!"

"I did!"

The table was quiet for a moment before Arthur started laughing and returned to their hosts. "Well, anyway-" He shook his head. "Then I made him make me another espresso and left."

"Correction, I offered him a refill, as long as he'd pay for both. Then he gave me a hundred bucks as a tip!" Merlin's voice sounded somewhat weird at that and when Arthur turned, he found Merlin smiling softly at him. As he turned back into the round, he saw a couple people trying to hide their scandalised expression.

Valiant was one of them. "He got your order wrong and you tipped him?"

"No no." Arthur waved it off. "He insulted me to my face, and when I told him who I was, he threatened that if I ever needed surgery, he'd botch it up if I kept behaving like I did." Before Arthur could stop himself, he shook his head and continued with a huge smile, "That was the most refreshing conversation I'd had in years."

A silence followed that Arthur hadn't quite expected. No one was laughing. Not even Merlin, who looked genuinely surprised. "Really?"

Arthur raised a brow. "Yeah! There aren't many people who insult a Pendragon to their face!" Why on earth did Merlin look so surprised? He knew that! A little caught off guard, Arthur focused back on Penelope. "Anyway. That's how we met."

Arthur had intended to end the conversation there but Valiant seemed to have other ideas. "How long ago was that? I remember the last time Merlin came to our class meetings, he had just been fired from Starbucks. I assume it was the same place." There was a tilt to his voice, like he was trying to test Arthur.

The moment Arthur noticed it, he felt his stomach twist with growing hostility. Arthur opened his mouth to answer, when suddenly, Merlin did.
"It was two days before I was arrested.."

Arthur's world stopped turning. Two days? Had he heard that correctly? Two DAYS?

"Two days?" Valiant sounded just as surprised. He however, seemed to sense an opportunity. "Damn." Valiant's eyes flickered to Arthur but Arthur couldn't look at him. Faintly, in the back of his mind, he registered that Valiant was clearly trying to make Merlin look bad in front of him. At the moment, that was the least of Arthur's concerns.

"That was THAT close? Merlin, you idiot, why did you never tell me?"

Merlin's face twisted into a grimace. "You know I don't like talking about that time. Besides, it's not like we would have met again. How often do you even go to Starbucks with your reputation?"

"After meeting you, I went there every day." It slipped from Arthur's tongue without hindrance. Merlin looked back at him, his brows raised as if asking if Arthur was making that up for their story. Arthur shook his head. "I don't think you understand, Merlin. That day had been complete SHITE. My father was on my back, the decisions and changes I was making for the company were always blocked and I felt like I was walking in circles. You inspired me to stand up for myself. THAT'S why I gave you the tip. Because you were brave enough to do what I couldn't."

Merlin scanned his face, as if searching for something in Arthur's eyes. Whatever he found, surprised him. "Oh."

"Yeah."

"Is that why you recognised me?" Merlin blinked. "When I showed up at your place, I thought Gwaine must have mentioned me to you, but that's not why you let me in, is it?"

Arthur shook his head, instantly connecting what time Merlin was referring to. "I did. But I would have let anyone in if they stood drenched in front of my door in the middle of the blizzard of the century!"

"I always thought I owed Gwaine for that..."

"Gwaine owes you that I accepted his application! He named you as the reason why he was clean. And ... funnily enough, he was the case I was fighting my father about when I met you." They stared at each other for a moment and barely noticed how someone cleared their throat.

It was Valiant. "Excuse me, would you enlighten us? What is that about the Blizzard and about Gwaine... You mean the model?"

Arthur waved him off without a thought. "Merlin and Gwaine are old friends from uni. But I was his flatmate at the time Merlin showed up. I took Merlin in during the blizzard that kept half the city without power. The idiot would have slept on the street otherwise and frozen to death!" Arthur glared at Merlin. "Because you never ask for help!"

"HEY! I DO ask for help!"

Arthur was suddenly reminded that Merlin asking for help was the reason why he was here in the first place. "Yeah, but it took you forever to get that far!" Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Mr Pendragon..." Valiant interrupted them. "Are you fully aware of why Merlin was arrested? Why he was homeless at the time?"

Arthur sighed, feeling that quiet rage irritating him at the back of his head. "I know that the entire case was dropped because the victim never accused Merlin in the first place and the actual subject was an asshole who made a bad attempt at framing him. And THAT'S how he lost everything."

Merlin flinched at the harsh words and Valiant seemed to latch on to Merlin's uncertainty. "You're aware that the case included drug abuse and sexual abuse against a -"

"I am fully aware of what the case was, yes." Arthur glared at him. "I do wonder why YOU know, however, Mr Noire! This is private information that you should not bother sharing with the public unless you want me to file a case against YOU! The case was dropped because Merlin is innocent." Where the anger came from, Arthur had no idea. "So drop it!"

Valiant paled. "I didn't mean to-"

"Of course you didn't." Arthur's anger spiked at the obvious lie.

"Arthur!" Merlin's whisper sounded shocked. "They already know. It's fine."

Arthur's glance softened. "I don't think it's fine, Merlin." Arthur put his hand on Merlin's arm. Whether to assure himself or Merlin, he didn't know nor care.

Their glances interlocked for a moment and Arthur found himself oddly distracted by the way the chandelier light bounced off of Merlin's cheekbones and reflected in his eyes. Blue eyes that were so dark against the shadows of a simple room but lit up like embers in the sunlight.

Finally, Merlin rolled his eyes and cleared his throat. "Maybe we should change the topic, Valiant." For some reason, Arthur had the thought that Merlin didn't say that for himself but for Arthur's sake.

Arthur tore his eyes away from Merlin and caught on to a guy who was watching him with a confused frown. But the way he glanced at Merlin with more concern than shock had Arthur deduce that it was Merlin's childhood friend. Will was his name? Arthur decided to talk to the man later.

It didn't take long before Valiant had reigned the attention in on himself and his plans for the weekend. "Well, everyone. This is all for tonight. However, I would like to remind you all to wake up early tomorrow for breakfast. Not too early, I have ordered my staff to provide each room with a plan with the events you may attend. For tomorrow morning, I would like to invite you all to ride out with me and have a look around the estate."

He went on about the priced horses he had bought and how well his stable hands were taking care of them. In the afternoon, they were invited to play poker in the entrance hall and that evening, they were allowed to join him for a movie night. On Sunday there would be scheduled Escape rooms that they could all sign up for and in the evening, they would be brought home with the private jet in which they would be served fancy wine.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Friday, 10:02 pm. Valiant's POV:

"Did you see how he was looking at me? He HATES me. Arthur Pendragon HATES me!" Valiant grabbed his hair and pulled at it, completely ruining the style that he had put so much effort into.

Him and his wife had returned to their bedroom. Penelope was currently in the middle of brushing her teeth in the bathroom. He could hear her humming from where he lay on their bed in his silk pyjamas. He heard the sound of her spitting out the rest of the toothpaste and the tab water running. A moment later she came out in her own, matching, pyjamas, already in the process of flossing.

"To be fair, hun, you HAVE been acting weird around his boyfriend. What's up with you? You don't normally make mistakes like what you did with the flight! And since when do you call people out on their past in the middle of dinner?" She flopped herself down beside him.

Valiant exhaled deeply. "I don't know. I just don't like Merlin. Ever since we met, he was always ahead in everything! He had better grades, was better at making friends, he was popular and he absolutely hated me for focusing more on finances than he did!"

"Hun, that was over ten years ago. Can't you let it go? Merlin seems like a kind enough person. And what happened to him clearly was enough karma, wasn't it?"

"Yeah sure." Valiant crossed his arms. "Karma doesn't come back to you and hand you your dream job on a silver plate AND get you to date Arthur fucking Pendragon!"

Penelope snorted. "Are you jealous?"

"Of course I'm-" He halted. "PEN, I don't want to date Arthur Pendragon! I just don't want him to hate me!"

She giggled at his reaction. "I don't think Arthur hates you. I think he's just protective. I must say, He surprised me just as much. I've never seen him react like that for anyone."

"I still can't believe it. I mean, Merlin HATES authorities! How did this even happen?"

Penelope threw her flossing kit in the trash bin and leaned towards her husband. "Well, Arthur is definitely head over heels in love with him. The way he looks at him... I've only ever seen him direct that look at that picture in his wallet."

Valiant paused. "What picture?"

"I don't know. I've never really seen it. But whenever he has a tough day at work, he keeps looking at it and it seems to make him happy."

Valiant frowned. "That's odd... Why would he do that if he can call him? Doesn't he have a dozen pictures on his phone of Merlin? Why keep one there? We're not living in the 20th century anymore."

Penelope sighed. "Are you seriously questioning why someone who is in love will keep a picture of their partner around? Though, I must say, I'm not sure if it IS Merlin on that picture. I mean, they said their relationship was recent. Arthur has kept that thing around for a couple of years. I think he even lost it once and moved heaven and hell to get it back. It was bizarre." She smiled. "I always thought that whatever it was, was really important to him."

Valiant bit his lip and played with the hem of his shirt. "I don't know, Pen. Something seems off."

Penelope raised her brows. "What, you think they instigated this just to make fun of you? Do you really think Merlin is that petty? From what you told me, Merlin came from a farm. He's been poor all his life and he was homeless for a while. Heck, he was even charged with drugging that poor girl and abusing her! I can understand why HE might want revenge on you for outing that to your class, when all charges against him were dropped. You can be a petty child sometimes, V. But why would Arthur go that far?"

"I don't know. But if there is a chance that Merlin has something on hand against Arthur Pendragon, then I want to figure out what it is! If it turns out that Arthur is only here because he owes Merlin a favour-"

Penelope snorted. "What kind of favour could Arthur owe MERLIN? Hun, you're being paranoid. Just drop your stupid games and make up with Merlin."

"And let Merlin win? Never."

Penelope sighed. "Valiant, please. Just let them have this. If you simply ignore them, you might be able to build a real friendship with Arthur Pendragon. As you wanted. Wouldn't that annoy Merlin even more than you just ruining things?"
Valiant muttered to himself and Penelope pecked him on the cheek. "Go to sleep, V. You were so excited for this anniversary. Don't let them ruin that for you."

He took a deep breath."You're right."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5 years ago

Arthur had no idea how to take care of someone with a fever. The electricity was off, as well as the phone line and the internet connection. And here he was, the barista who had been haunting his dreams, passed out on his couch in only a bathrobe and a blanket and sweating bullets.

Homeless... Merlin had been homeless and Arthur had failed to find him. The thought occupied his mind, urging him to do something, to make up for it. Clearly, Merlin had lived on the streets and fought to survive. And now that he was safe inside, his immune system had kickstarted him into a full blown fever.

Arthur cursed. He had grown up without his mother for most of his life until he had found her number in one of his father's work drawers. He still felt strange talking to her but he did his best to reconnect with her. That said, she had never taken care of a fever of his. She had been too sick to care of someone else. Arthur's nurse had always done that. And Arthur had been unconscious the bigger part of those times.

The last person he had seen with a fever... had been Gwaine. The man had almost relapsed when he was given medication by his doctor, which was why Arthur had finally decided to move in with him to keep an eye on him. The doctor had given Arthur a small booklet with information on what to do for someone who was relapsing, in addition to having him see someone about it again. But Arthur was sure that there had been something in there for normal medical problems too.

He hurried to his room and fished the notebook from his nightstand and flipped through the pages. Didn't Gwaine have a box with medical supplies in the kitchen? Arthur's mind was a mess and straying and all the while it circled around Merlin's passed out frame. On the couch. In their flat!

Before he knew it, Arthur had found Gwaine's medical box and opened it, only to find bandages and headache cures and scissors? Arthur rummaged through the box, hoping against hope that Gwaine didn't normally power through his fevers. Finally, he found what he had been looking for. A small box that read: "Against fever and cold symptoms." Jackpot.

And now what? Merlin was passed out! He wouldn't be able to drink it! Bordering on panic, Arthur grabbed the box and put it on the table in the living room. Then, in a small moment of genius, he was reminded that his nurse had always suffocated him in blankets when he had been sick. Without a second thought, Arthur put one arm under Merlin's legs, the other under his shoulder and picked him up.

Merlin weighted little to nothing. He was too light and too starved to keep much meat on his bones. Arthur shook off the sickening thought and carried Merlin into Gwaine's room. Merlin would likely feel more comfortable if he woke up in the bed of someone he knew, right? If there were objects around him he would recognise, right? Besides, Gwaine had dozens of blankets!

Arthur put Merlin down carefully and rearranged the pillows around Merlin. He looked like a painting like that. Face stark pale against his black hair. The bathrobe loosely hanging around him, while he breathed shallowly into the pillows. Arthur hurried to grab as many blankets as he could find and buried Merlin underneath them.

What would Merlin need when he woke up? The medicine, for sure. How about water? And the soup Merlin had made... Arthur would warm it up once Merlin woke up. And when Merlin woke up... then Merlin could tell him what to do! Merlin was a medicine student! He'd know what to do!

Arthur was a mess.

. . .

Merlin's POV:

Merlin did eventually wake up in the middle of the night, storm still blazing outside and completely sweaty. The room he found himself in felt familiar, yet he had no idea where exactly he was. The smell around him was familiar and he was fairly sure he recognised the Star Wars pillows he was sleeping on. "Gwaine?"

He felt weak, and his stomach hurt from how empty it was. He felt too tired to sit up but knew he would have to, eventually. Groaning, he forced himself upright. The blankets fell away and he immediately felt the air against his sweaty skin. The bathrobe he was wearing felt damp and had loosened even further around him. His throat felt dry.

There was a glass of water on the nightstand beside him. Along with a note and medicine. Merlin looked at the package and was glad to find that it hadn't expired yet. Well, Merlin DID chastise Gwaine on the expiration date of medicine when they were still living together. The note, however...

"Hey, Merlin. I'm sorry, I have no idea what I'm doing. Drink the water and maybe take the medicine, I don't know if it's the right one. Please call me if you need anything. Sincerely, Arthur."

That was definitely not Gwaine's handwriting. Merlin caught his breath. Arthur! The rude customer! THAT Arthur was now Gwaine's flatmate! And HE was the one who had taken care of Merlin! Merlin looked around and found a light switch next to the bed. He flipped it. Nothing was happening.

"Hello?," he yelled weakly into the semi-darkness.

A rumbling sound could be heard and shuffling, then a nervous curse, as suddenly, a very blond head appeared in the doorway. "You're awake!"

Merlin stared at him. "The light isn't working."

"The blizzard cut the landline. We're out of power." Arthur answered quickly, looking oddly relieved. "Do you want soup? I can heat up the one you made yesterday." He blinked. "Gas stove," he hurried to explain.

Slowly, the events of the previous day, night, hour (?) returned to Merlin and he started to realise what was going on. Right. Gwaine wasn't here. Arthur was. And Arthur wasn't going to kick him out. "I... uh... Yeah. I think that would be good."

"Good." Arthur smiled, relieved. "Did you read the note? Gwaine has a box of medicine stuff. I don't know what to give you, I figured you would know."

Merlin shrunk at the words. "I... uh. Sorry. Yeah. But what you brought me is fine."

Arthur shoved the door further open and closed the distance between him and the bed. He sat down at the end of the mattress, not even close enough to touch Merlin's feet. Yet, the proximity felt distracting and strange. "How are you feeling?"

"I... I think I'm sick."

"Yes, I noticed that. You're so hot that even I could tell you have a fever. And I am in over my head with this."

Merlin was too sick to laugh at Arthur's phrasing. Arthur must be straight if he hadn't noticed it. Then again, shouldn't he be more sensible of such wordings after living with Gwaine? The next moment, Merlin was wondering why his head went there at all.
"The soup would be good. I'll take the medicine... and then sleep. There isn't much more you can do. Except maybe open the window. Fresh air, you know?"

Arthur looked more worried now. "During THAT weather? Will that be fine?"

"Don't open it for longer than five minutes." Merlin said these words as he measured himself the right dose of the medicine and drank out the glass of water in the process. Then, he watched as Arthur did his best to follow the instruction. "You're a good man, Arthur Pendragon."

Arthur flinched, eyes wide. "I didn't do anything?" But Merlin had passed out again after that. The chill of the cold wind didn't distract him for long before Arthur closed the window again and hurried to heat up the soup. That night, Merlin dreamed of blond hair and a bathtub full of medicine.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Arthur's POV:

Merlin remained in Gwaine's bed for a couple of nights. When the blizzard let up and the electricity had been restored, Merlin loaded his phone and washed his clothes in Arthur's washing machine. He washed Gwaine's blankets as well to get the sweat out.

Arthur never commented on it. In fact, they barely really talked. Arthur felt like he was walking on egg shells around the man and Merlin wouldn't tell him much about what had happened. At some point, Arthur gave up on the idea of asking. And one morning, Merlin was just gone. Gone, without a word or trace. No 'thank you', no note of where he was going or when he would return. He never would return. Arthur, who had wanted to make breakfast for Merlin, found only the box of medicine back on the kitchen table.

It almost was as if Merlin had never been here. And Arthur cursed himself, because he had nothing to remember these days by, except the haunting images of a starved, exhausted and depressed Merlin, who, to top it all off, had been beaten by some random guys.

Arthur grabbed his phone and called Lancelot.

It rang for a couple of seconds before Lance's familiar voice responded. "Hello, Camelot police station, this is Lancelot Noble. How can I be of help?"

"Lance, this is your private number."

"Oh. Hey Arthur. I'm at work."

"I know." Arthur didn't really know what to say. "Look, Lance, I need to ask you a favour."

"Oh? Since when do you ask for favours?"

"Only since... uh, today. Listen. I need you to keep an eye out for someone. He's Gwaine's uni friend and he was beaten up really badly the other day. I don't know what's going on with him, but I know he's a good guy." It was silent on the other end of the phone for a while.

"Gwaine's uni friend? You met him? Seriously? With how often he mentions him but never brought him around, I was sure he was a legend! It's THE guy who helped him through his addiction?"

"Yes. That's the one. I would like for you to keep an eye out for him. He seems to have lost... everything. I was really surprised. I would have thought Gwaine would have helped him out. But it doesn't seem like he told him."

"Oh, yeah. I can imagine that. Types like that tend to help anyone they can and then forget to help themselves. So, what's his name? Gwaine likes to be mysterious about that, doesn't he?"

Arthur sighed in relief. "Yeah, exactly. His name is Merlin. Merlin Emrys." The line was dead silent for a few moments longer than Arthur would have expected. "Lance?"

"Come again?"

"His name. It's Merlin Emrys."

It was silent once more and Arthur could hear Lance inhale a deep breath. "You're joking."

"No? Why would I be joking?"

"Because... Fuck. Arthur, i shouldn't be telling you this, but the guy is currently part of an ongoing trial. He's been accused of drug dealing and sexual abuse. One of the students at his uni named him as the main perpetrator! He has been expelled from his university, lost his flat and as far as I've heard, he also lost his job! He shows up once a month for a mandatory drug test. And the past few days, he completely vanished from our radar. He was meant to stay in the city, but he just... ran off. We couldn't reach him. He can't be the same guy."

Arthur felt like he had been hit by a bus. "No. No, Lance. That has to be wrong. He was here. He came for Gwaine to ask for a night to stay because of the blizzard! He was drenched to the bone, full of bruises and looked like he was going to fall over any second. We had no electricity and no internet connection for several days! He was ill with a fever! He didn't run away, he was trying to survive!"

The line went quiet for another moment and Arthur was sure Lancelot could hear his blood pumping through the phone. "You'd vouch for him?"

"Lancelot! You know I don't normally do this, but Merlin is innocent. Whatever they said he's done... he didn't do it. I can't imagine it."

Lancelot winced. "Arthur... I know it's hard to believe. But-"

"He can't be that person! He's the one who helped Gwaine through his addiction! Why would a drug dealer HELP an addict? Moreover, he didn't even ask him for help when he was clearly homeless for a long time! How long has this whole thing been going on for?"

"Nearly half a year?"

"HALF A YEAR?" Arthur's heart stammered to a halt. "And you think someone would CHOOSE to live on the street if a guy who owed him his career kept sending him his address in case he'd relapse? Lance, something about this story is really, really wrong! Gwaine has lawyers, Gwaine has money! Gwaine has a place to live and got his life back together! If Merlin were a ruthless person who abused women and was dealing drugs, don't you think he would LOVE to get back in contact with Gwaine? Either to help himself or get connections to more rich people to sell his drugs to?"

A tapping sound rang through the phone. "To be honest... I've met him too. I thought he was a really nice guy. And the victim in this case seemed rather conflicted about facing Emrys as the main perpetrator. She said she couldn't believe it was him all along. That it was an organised crime. But first appearances often fail us, don't they?"

That was it. Arthur had had enough. "Lancelot. Does Merlin even have a lawyer?"

Lancelot hesitated. "A public one."

"Call Leon. Show him Merlin's case. Leon is the best in this area and I KNOW he has a better sense than most about people."

"You'd give him your own lawyer? You'd pay for that? Arthur, are you sure?"

"Lance, I would bet my life on this guy. I'm not asking you to change law in his favour. I just want him properly defended. I'm sure that honesty alone will get him out of there."

Lancelot didn't respond for another thirty two seconds. Then, finally, he caved. "He must be quite some guy to have left such an impression on you. I've got it, Arthur. I'll make sure he'll get his chance."

"And Lance. Make sure that the victim doesn't have to suffer because of this. Find the real culprit and bring them to justice."

"I'll just do my job then." Arthur could hear the grin through the phone. "See you on Thursday."

"See ya."

. . .

Three months after the incident, Lancelot and Leon keeping Arthur vaguely updated on the process of Merlin's trial, Arthur received a letter. Arthur got a lot of mails, but rarely did he receive handwritten notes with his normal mail address. All fan mail was delivered to him through his work office.

Only for a moment did Arthur wonder if his address had been leaked, then he opened the envelope. Out fell a card and a small piece of paper.

The note had been written in black ink and was very nice to read. "Hey, prat. Thank you for letting me stay. I'm not back on my feet yet, but I am positive that I will be soon. This is everything I can repay you with. I assume you won't understand the pun for what it is, so here is a hint: I will be a surgeon. I'm sure you can figure it out from there. Sincerely, Emrys."

Arthur's breath hitched and he grabbed the small cut out paper from the ground. It was a handwritten ticket. And Arthur couldn't help but grin at the stupidity of it all.

A couple months later, when Lancelot and Leon introduced Merlin to the group, looking healthier and happier than Arthur had last seen him, Arthur's life was beginning to feel complete.

He kept the ticket in his wallet ever since. Laminated and under his watchful eyes, Arthur read the words again and again:

"Free delivery"

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Friday, 11:46 pm

What a world had Merlin fallen into? Merlin was already in bed and now somehow doomed to watching Arthur getting changed right in front of him. For all the fun Merlin made of him, he sometimes forgot that Arthur worked out. It was sweet torture.

Merlin had always known that Arthur was a kind person who genuinely cared for his friends. But up until now, they had rarely ever talked. And when they did, they were bickering. It hadn't felt like Merlin was considered a part of Arthur's friends for a long time. Arthur's friends all seemed to have an air of royalty and chivalry around them that Merlin simply didn't associate with himself.

Merlin didn't know why, not really, but he had never been brave enough to talk to Arthur about their first meeting. Nor about the time Arthur had taken care of him. It seemed too intimate. Too intimate to make fun off, too intimate to casually talk about. And Arthur and him... they didn't do sentimental. It was easier to be annoyed by Arthur than have a genuine conversation.

Tonight, however, Arthur had revealed something that made Merlin ache to bring it up. It bubbled under the surface like it had been heated over a small fire for years and finally reached the boiling point. It even distracted him from Arthur basically stripping.

Merlin shook his head. What was he even thinking? That was just ridiculous. Sure, Arthur had said some kind words about him and defended him in front of Valiant and also kind of pranked the guy and also seemed like being Merlin's boyfriend was an honour and not a chore, but still! What was his point again?

Merlin flushed. He just had to point it out. "You shouldn't have been that mad. I think you were overselling it."

Arthur paused in the middle of putting on his shirt, keeping him shirtless just a moment longer. Can you fault Merlin for staring?

"Overselling what?" Arthur raised a brow and gave Merlin the look he always gave when he didn't understand a question.

"You... Your worry about me. You didn't have to get that angry at Valiant."

Arthur's frown sharpened. "He talked about it in front of an audience! Do you know how much that can harm your reputation? You already have it written in your police record! If people start talking about it, don't you think this will get in the way of your career?"

Merlin blinked at him. "You mean... it wasn't part of the act?"

Arthur stared at him, discarded his shirt, and walked closer before he sat on the bed beside Merlin. It oddly reminded him of the time when he had been sick. Just that Arthur looked perturbed by Merlin's words. "Merlin... did you even listen to me? How could I call myself your friend if I didn't encourage the best parts of you and protect you from shit like that?"

Merlin felt something blossoming in his chest and tried desperately to swallow it down. "Yeah... but..."

"There is no but, Merlin."

Merlin grabbed the blanket and fiddled it between his fingers. "So... you meant all of that?"

"Meant what?"

Merlin looked up to find Arthur look at him expectantly. "That you gave me the tip because I inspired you."

Arthur's confusion faded into a soft smile. "You're an idiot."

Merlin frowned. "That doesn't answer my question."

"If I lied about the things I liked about you, it would become very obvious very quickly. To enact something like that, you have to feel it. You have to believe it, and Merlin, I do. I needed you to call me a prat to my face. You changed my life. I cannot thank you enough."

Merlin smiled back at him, distracted by Arthur's genuine care. Then, a shadow settled over Merlin's thoughts and he turned back to the sheets. Arthur noticed the change.

"Merlin... I know this is all very weird, since we normally don't talk about it. But now that we are, I just wanted to say... I'm sorry."

Merlin raised a brow. "Sorry for what?"

Arthur's expression turned somewhat sad and reluctant. "Whenever I think of what happened... I can't help but blame myself. If only I had found you sooner... I just... It took me weeks to find out you had been fired because your manager didn't have the heart to tell me. I wish I had known, I-"

"Then what?" Merlin looked up to meet his gaze. "Arthur... I wouldn't have accepted your help. I didn't even trust my own friends with it. I..." Merlin took a shuddering breath. "And you did help. More than you know."

"If you're talking about the blizzard-"

"I'm talking about the tip." Arthur went quiet and Merlin felt himself burning with shame.

"The tip?"

Merlin closed his eyes. It was now or never. "After I... after I lost everything... The guy who accused me was my flatmate and I had left my wallet at the crime scene... Which was our room. It became part of the investigation. I got kicked out by the police, then by my landlord and ... I didn't have access to my money in over a month. It was just a hundred bucks but... I had them on me. I had put them in my jeans when you gave it to me, and forgotten they were there, until I got really hungry and realised I had just enough money to buy something to eat. I lived off of that tip for weeks, Arthur."

A silence followed that felt like a huge weight on Merlin's shoulders. And when he looked up, he found Arthur staring at him with eyes so wide, and horror so prominent in them, that Merlin had to swallow.

"I had no idea."

"I owe you my life, Arthur. Twice over!"

Arthur shook his head so violently that Merlin leaned backwards. A moment later, Arthur had captured Merlin's face in his hands. With that, and breathing heavily, Merlin was forced to look into blue eyes as wide as saucers. He was close. Arthur was very very close.

"Merlin, you'll never owe me anything in your entire life, is that clear?"

"Not really." Merlin's mind was beginning to mush around in his brain. He was suddenly very aware of how close they were, of how shirtless Arthur still was, of how very not public this entire conversation was. Merlin had never felt more naked than in this moment and Arthur's gaze felt heavy enough to break him.

"You don't owe me anything. I don't want you to owe me. I want you to be you, Merlin."

Merlin's breath hitched. For a moment he was sure Arthur was going to kiss him. And for that one, terrifying moment, Merlin wanted him to.

All too sudden, Arthur ripped himself from the moment and Merlin was reminded that Arthur was just here on Morgana's orders. That Arthur might have just gotten lost in the act. That he had become so good that he was even able to fool Merlin, and Merlin felt like a fool for feeling this way. He was burning on the inside and aching and he quickly turned away to process what was happening.
This couldn't be! This was Arthur! Silly old Arthur! In what universe would Merlin think about kissing him? In what universe did Merlin long for him? To Merlin's luck, Arthur shoved him aside before Merlin could contemplate the rest of it.

"Huh?"

"Move over. I always sleep on the left."

Merlin stared at him, heart ache quickly forgotten. "What?"

"Trust me, you don't want me sleeping on the right side! I kick out everyone who sleeps on my left. I have enough ex girlfriends as witness."

"You are such a clotpole." The crushbaloon had lost its air and flown away. Merlin's senses were finally clear once more.

"A what?"

"A clotpole!" They spent the reminder of the night arguing about silly nothings until eventually, they fell asleep.

Chapter Text

The next morning left Merlin in tatters as he woke up. The pillows were so soft that he felt like he was floating, or drowning, or both. Groaning, Merlin turned on his side, only to be faced with a snoring Arthur.

Arthur looked stupid. His hair was a mess, his mouth was half open in an asymmetrical 'oh' shape, while his limbs seemed to have forgotten what angles were. The sight made Merlin snort. He had half expected himself to freak out over their shared bed situation. But Merlin had platonically shared a bed or couch with almost all of his friends before. And this one was big enough for at least four adult men.

And then his smile fell a little. Even in this position, snoring and drooling in his sleep, Arthur was still Arthur. A man who had come along on Merlin's request and behaved like the perfect boyfriend. Not perfect as in being perfect all around as a person, but he cared genuinely, he roasted Valiant with enthusiasm for Merlin's sake and didn't look like he disliked Merlin's company altogether.

Merlin was suddenly reminded of his first boyfriend, a guy whom Merlin had had an immense crush on and whom he had let dictate their entire relationship. Merlin had been so happy that the man had liked him back that he invested everything he had in them. From the moment they first kissed to their first night together, Merlin had been giving his all for them to work out, and Kayne... Kayne had spent half the time on the phone. He had never listened to Merlin as they hung out and had made out with half a dozen random people when he was drunk. Merlin refused to call it cheating in his head, as he had eventually discussed it with Kayne and given him permission to explore for a while. Merlin had been patient, had waited for the man and had rearranged his entire life around him. And one morning, Merlin had received a text that explained nothing. That had been the end of it.

Merlin's second relationship had been with a nonbinary person. That one had arguably been better than his first relationship, but Merlin had gone into it with hesitance. They had been patient with Merlin and Merlin had eventually begun to feel comfortable around them. Eventually, Merlin had begun his studies for medicine and they had focused on architecture. Their friend circles had been quite different and they had slowly drifted apart.

Merlin's third partner had been a closet case and those were always messy. When Merlin had met Freya soon after, he had believed to have found his soulmate and broke off with Ned. They remained in contact but Ned had then been moving from town to town as his family had disowned him after coming out. For him, it had been parties and drugs from then on out. And that was actually how Merlin had met Gwaine. Ned had asked Merlin for a favour during one of the uni parties and take his friend in, and that's how they met.

At that point, Merlin had been dating Freya. Then, Freya's mother had turned sick and she had returned back home. She had told Merlin that she didn't have the mind for a relationship at that point and that looking at a surgeon in the making, while her mother was dying from cancer would only wear her down. The break up had worn Merlin down for a long time, but he'd also been busy with taking care of Gwaine and that put his mind off of things. Then, eventually the police case was opened and he had no longer had a mind for relationships.

Merlin had never dated someone whom he had been friends with first. None of his relationships had shared his humour or had argued with him the way that Arthur did. They had all been more quiet, not comfortable with speaking out to authorities, and had kept telling Merlin not to be rude in front of them. In a weird sense, Merlin felt that with Arthur by his side, on this stupid mission, he didn't feel pressured or anxious about what he said or any mistakes he could be making. In this one day Arthur had shown more care for him and demanded less control over his behavior than any of his previous relationships ever had together. If it was so easy to play that part, why had none of them done it? Even if only for a day?

It was more than that. Arthur knew Merlin in a way no one else did. It had to do with how they had first met, how they shared those few nights during the blizzard, and the way Merlin felt after telling him about the tip. He had never dared to tell anyone about that part. None of the others were aware of just how life changing their first meeting had been for both of them.

And now that Merlin knew how much it meant to Arthur too, he didn't know what to do with that information. Because Arthur had not sounded, not even once, like it had been a secret. Or like he was ashamed of it. Arthur looked at Merlin like he was glad Merlin was there, had been there, continued to be there and it made Merlin feel oddly out of place. Because that look wasn't new, he had just never bothered to think about it in depth. Now that he did, it felt overwhelming and nearly unbearable.

Slowly, Merlin reached out his hand and watched as Arthur's face twitched into a small smile as Merlin played with his hair. And suddenly, Merlin wondered why Arthur had agreed to help him in the first place. What did Morgana have on him? What was it that made Arthur invest in this story with such enthusiasm? Merlin's hand flinched away at the thought.

He must be imagining it. Arthur was acting. Arthur was taking everything he knew about acting, everything he knew about Merlin and mixed it into the facade that was this fabricated fake boyfriend persona. It was Arthur's job to like Merlin. It was Arthur's job to be in love with him for the weekend and the man had somehow tricked Merlin into believing him himself. If he could convince Merlin of feelings that he should know weren't there... then Merlin didn't have to worry about Valiant in the slightest.

And yet... The seeds of a crush were taking root and Merlin was terrified.

In order to drown those thoughts, Merlin reached out to his nightstand and grabbed the glass of water he had been keeping there since yesterday. And with a single movement, he emptied it on top of Arthur's head. Arthur was easier to deal with when he was awake.

The reaction was instantaneous. Arthur jumped up in shock and with a shriek, arms flailing like a handicapped butterfly, throwing the blanket all over the place. Then, he slipped on the bedsheets and somehow fell backwards off the bed. He hit the ground with a thud and a groan.

Merlin covered his face with both hands in shock. The fucking hell just happened?

"MERLIN!" Arthur sounded mad and Merlin burst out laughing. Arthur appeared at the end of the bed, hair wet and an angry frown on his face. However, the angry frown twitched as he saw Merlin laughing.

Merlin scrambled from the bed, knowing what was about to come. And he was right, Arthur was onto him in a second, knocking him to the ground with a well placed attack. Merlin landed with a similarly stunned sound as Arthur had earlier, two hands easily bending his arms behind his back. His breath knocked out of him, Merlin was now caged underneath Arthur's grip, pressed into the carpet but he couldn't stop laughing.
Arthur's fall had been much more than he had expected and it was simply hilarious.

Arthur was breathing hard but his breath evened into his own laughter. "Stop laughing, that wasn't funny."

"You should have seen your face." Merlin was wheezing.

"You've got quite the mouth for someone who's basically kissing the ground right now."

"Too late, it's in my mind now. I can't unsee it." Merlin giggled, finding the ground particularly hurtful against his cheekbone.

"You little shit!" There was a smile in Arthur's voice that Merlin could hear even without seeing him. He could imagine it though. The same smile Arthur usually sported whenever Merlin said something witty. Like Merlin's mind could blow his mind and make his day in the same moment. Mouth stretched so far up that they would reach his sparkling eyes that could see nothing but Merlin.

That suddenly threw him off.

Merlin stopped struggling against the grip. Not because he was surrendering but because he knew with a frightening clarity that Arthur would let go of him as soon as he did. Eyes wide, Merlin felt how Arthur's grip loosened. To top it all off, he pulled Merlin back up by the hand and ruffled his hair affectionately. The smile Arthur sent him was contagious, everything Merlin had imagined, and somehow even brighter. Yet, Merlin's expression remained glued to it, his own expression unchanging.
'What is wrong with me?' Merlin's mind was breathless.

"Merlin? Are you okay?" Arthur's expression turned from amused to concerned. "You can't be mad, you started this. Or did I hurt you?" Arthur immediately scanned him as if he could find the problem if only he looked hard enough.

"What?" Merlin snapped to Arthur to face his questioning glance. Full of concern. "Oh, no, I'm fine. Just thinking about something."

"What is it?" Arthur's concern only grew. "Is it Valiant? Is there something going to happen today? Is he planning something? Is there something about today I should know?"

"I- what? No." Merlin quickly shook his head. "I was just wondering if things will be fine with our story and all. Since you're a terrible actor and everything." He didn't mean it. Heck, he could barely look at Arthur. Arthur was obviously way too good at this.

Yet, Arthur's eyes widened. "Shit, did I do something that gave it away? I'm sorry. I wasn't focusing too hard on the story. I thought it would be best to just analyse the friendship we have and look what steps we'd have to take to turn it into a romantic one."

Merlin stared at him, his heart clenching inside him. He felt sick. "No... I... Arthur... I just... When was the last time you were in a serious relationship?"

Arthur blinked, somehow looking guilty as though he actually believed that he had messed something up. "Eh... A serious one?" He puffed out a breath. "The last serious one must have been Vivian. She broke up with me... around the time I met you, I think. She's kind of the reason why I don't think I could mess this up. She was awful, always ignored me, asked for too much... and still no one questioned that we were together. I spent more time with the barkeeper at her stupid parties than with her in private."

The words echoed in Merlin's head. "What?"

"She was just like that." Arthur rolled his eyes. He put a hand to his mouth in worry.

Merlin quickly shook his head. "No. What was that about you not dating since we first met?"

Arthur blinked up at him. "Like I said. You inspired me to challenge my father. Which meant, I no longer went out with the daughters of his business partners just because he told me to. I spent that year working on what kind of CEO I wanted to be... And after the blizzard, I decided to explore other jobs I could do instead. I wasn't thinking of relationships during that time. Someone told me that to have a long lasting relationship, one that means something, I need to be able to live with myself first. So I did that."

"Did Leon tell you that?"

"How did you know?"

"Sounds like something an asexual person would say."

"Ah." Arthur smiled. "That's probably why it sounds so wise, too. I suppose I'm a bit rusty when it comes to relationships." His smile fell. "Do you think he knows?" 'Valiant.'

Merlin quickly shook his head. "No, Arthur, you're doing perfectly fine. Great, even. I was kidding earlier. I'm pretty sure they all think you're head over heels in love with me. What I'm scared about is the reverse." Merlin swallowed and pulled at his own hair. "I think I'm the problem." In fact, Merlin worried that if Arthur taught him how to be in love with him, he wouldn't be able to stop. Arthur made it look so... simple. It was incredible. Almost like a dream.

When he saw Arthur's expression turn to confusion, Merlin waved his hands in front of his face. "Because I've never acted before! I have no idea what I'm doing."

"Really? I thought you were doing fine." Arthur tilted his head. Then he frowned. "I don't think you have to worry too much. If worse comes to worse, they'll think you were playing with me, and then we can stage a messy break up. You would have broken my heart, and I mean... If I did my job right, that would be plausible. Partners fight sometimes, even in public. In the end, every relationship is an experiment and if ours is doomed to fail, then so be it. It's not like THEY can tell the difference."

Merlin stared at him. "You would be fine with that? Do you know how many articles would be written about this?"

Arthur shrugged. "Love is nothing to be ashamed of." Out of Arthur's mouth it sounded an awful lot like 'Being in love with you is something I'd be proud of.'

Merlin inhaled a deep breath. "I'm starting to think that you're having way too much fun with this." Fun was not the word he would normally use.

Arthur chuckled. "It IS fun. It's so satisfying to see how someone like Valiant doesn't get what he wants for once. Especially since he's been doing it on your expense. And it's nice hanging out with you. We never do that. Just the two of us, I mean."

"Because I didn't think we were friends." Guilt latched onto Merlin's voice.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "That's because you're a blind idiot. And we cleared that up already." Arthur paused and his glance softened a little. "You know... Gwaine always wanted to keep your privacy, so he never mentioned your name, but he was talking nonstop about you when we still lived together. I've never seen Lancelot enjoy himself quite as much up until you met, and Leon... He's less tense, I think. And Morgana finally has a best friend whom she can gossip with, and Gwen doesn't take things as seriously as before. I like hanging out with all of you. And now I get to be your partner in crime. Maybe it's just my turn to benefit from your silliness."

Merlin twitched a smile. He couldn't help it. Arthur's romance may be fake, but his love for his friends definitely wasn't. Was Merlin really part of that group? Was he that lucky? To be friends with a man who cared so much? How on earth had Merlin ever thought Arthur didn't consider him a friend? "You're a good friend too, Arthur."

Arthur paused and smiled back at Merlin. "You think so?"

"Yeah. You're doing a lot for us." Merlin bit his lip before he could say something like 'I owe you one' or something like that. Arthur had made it very clear that he didn't like that.

"Anytime, Merlin." Arthur beamed and clapped his shoulder, as if it was the best thing in the world to do something for him. Merlin took note of that. Arthur's main love language was acts of service, then. That was quite surprising. Arthur had always seemed like some sort of king. Someone, whom people did things for. His love language should have been gift giving, or words of affirmation or something. In one way it was surprising, in every other it absolutely wasn't.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Saturday, 10:22 am

After breakfast, Merlin was pulled aside by Will. Merlin instantly smiled upon seeing his oldest friend. Will was a bit smaller than Merlin, with brown hair and an attitude that gave you 'fuck off' vibes. That expression served him well when he went onto the street to demonstrate against fashists and the like. Merlin loved the guy.

"Why him?" Will kept an arm conspiringly on Merlin's shoulder as he whispered in his ear. Merlin suddenly knew why Will wanted to talk.

Merlin sighed. "He was available."

"You said you would bring Morgana."

Merlin winced. "I wanted to. She didn't have time. And the others... They were all busy and stuff. They wanted to help. Gwaine even went mad when I didn't ask him first."

Valiant removed his hand from Merlin's shoulder and crossed his arms. "I kinda wish you took him. Are you sure Arthur's a good idea? Last time we talked, you weren't even friends with him!"

Merlin quickly shook his head. "That was a mistake on my part. Arthur considers me his friend."

Will frowned at that response. "Really." Merlin nodded in response. "Because it looks like a lot more than that."

Merlin raised a brow. "So? That's kind of the point."

"I've seen movies with Arthur Pendragon in it. He's not that good of an actor. And neither are you."

Merlin's laugh turned painful. He wished people would stop saying that. Arthur was clearly very good at this. "We're friends. Obviously it's easier for him to play the part with someone he actually knows. He told me himself."

Will's gaze narrowed. "And you?"

Merlin paled. "What about me?"

Will shook his head, looking more and more concerned the longer he watched Merlin. "The way you looked at him yesterday. And during breakfast. And the panic in your eyes when I mention him?"

Merlin quickly averted his eyes. "We've been here for a day max, Will. How could I go from not even thinking we're friends to being in love with him within a day?"

"But something is changing." Unfortunately for Merlin, Will had always been perceptive. "Merlin, listen. He is a bad idea. He may be nice... and honestly, I think it speaks a lot for him that he's helping you at all, and then he's trying so hard to make it look right, but he is still a rich guy. You and I know how his kind are."

"He's not like that." Merlin bit his lip. "Not that it matters. I'm not in love with him and I'm not trying to be in a relationship with him. It would be a disaster anyway."

Will's gaze softened. "I don't think it would be a disaster. Not, if he keeps acting like that."

Merlin was confused. "What are you saying? Do you want me toI pursue him?"

"Gods no." Will sighed frustrated. "But it is nice to see you with someone who is treating you right. What I'm saying is..." Will seemed conflicted. "Honestly, I have no idea."

Merlin froze. "YOU... have no idea?" In all the years Merlin had known Will, the man had never not hated the people Merlin was dating. Freya had been on thin ice, but he had known her for over a month when he had begun to warm up to her. Will was perceptive and skeptical. And from all the things he hated, he hated nothing more than white rich blond guys. Especially those who tried to date his friends.

The thing was, Will was protective of his friends. The only thing bigger than his hatred for entitled prats, was his care for his friends. And Merlin was one of the few lucky ones that Will considered one of them. Will seemed mad at himself, as if he couldn't believe it himself. "He HAS only been here for a day. And he is rich and entitled and arrogant... But-" He took a deep breath. "He stood up for you without a second thought, and he cares about you. You needed him for your revenge and he came. He gets a pass... for being your friend. But if he breaks your heart, I will murder him."

"WILL! I'm not in love with him!" Merlin made sure to whisper the last part.

"I'll keep my eyes on him." Will's eyes spoke clear business. "Do NOT fall for him!"

"I'm NOT!" Merlin was beat red at this point. In all fucking honesty, THIS conversation with Will made it all the harder. Merlin bit his lip. Arthur was almost... ALMOST WILL APPROVED! After a day! This had never happened before.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Arthur's POV:

What Arthur hated more than people making fun of his friends was those same people buttering him up for no reason. Precisely that was happening now as Arthur was the only one being introduced to his horse. A priced trophy horse, already saddled and brushed and everything.
Arthur was convinced that taking care of a horse was what truly formed the connection between the rider and the horse. In that way, he took it as an offence that people took the bonding moment from him. And they did it disguised as a kindness. Not to mention that Merlin's horse was currently in the process of buckling and whining at the stablehand who tried (and failed) to tame it.

Arthur sighed deeply. He hadn't even been allowed inside the stables. Arthur patted the horse and leaned his face against her neck to bury his discomfort with the situation. Everyone else seemed to be struggling with what to do. Not everyone knew how to ride a horse. Or saddle it... Yet, they were forced to do it. Arthur was convinced Valiant did that on purpose too.

Merlin was currently staggering towards him through the high grass. It was a wonder he hadn't fallen on his face yet. "Merlin? Do you even know how to ride?" Arthur didn't look up when he asked him this because Merlin didn't complain about riding out, which Arthur would have supposed he would.

Merlin was standing beside him and waiting for his horse to be brought to him because... the stablehand was still wrestling with the horse.
Merlin hummed. "I grew up on a farm. Of course I know how to ride. What about you? Afraid you'll be thrown off?" Merlin winked at him and confidently walked towards the poor servant. In an almost magical performance, Merlin removed the stablehand from the horse and managed to calm the horse with a few calm words and patting. Then he lead it back to where Arthur was waiting.

Arthur couldn't help but smile at the sight. Of bloody course Merlin was a horse whisperer. "My mom and I used to ride out together." He hadn't meant to bring that up but it's not like it was a secret.

Merlin chuckled and began to brush off the horse and saddle him. "Used to?" He kept patting and partly even massaging the horse. The horse leaned against the touch, head falling forwards and eyes closing. Arthur decided he liked that horse.

"Yeah." Arthur hesitated for a moment. "She... She had a surgery about a year ago. She's not ready to walk again. Let alone ride."

"Oh?" Merlin turned to him. "What was the diagnosis? Maybe I could-"

Arthur quickly interrupted him. "No, no. It's fine. Her surgeon was very competent and did all he could. I trust his judgment."

Merlin chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Gee, thank you, Arthur, for having so much faith in my expertise."

"I do." Arthur bit his lip again. Merlin had no idea how much. "It's just... it was a miracle surgery. She was failed by many other surgeons, so I'm just a bit biased." Arthur shook his head. "Doesn't matter. What about you and Hunith? Did you ride out together?"

That seemed to (thankfully) distract him. "No. My mom didn't like using horses like that. She says they are monsters who walk on their fingernails and aren't meant to be ridden on. Which, fair. But my father taught me. That is... before he died."

"Oh." Arthur felt a heavy lump in his throat. "I'm sorry."

"Thanks, but that was forever ago. I was ten when it happened. Cancer. He didn't trust doctors and refused to go to the hospital." Merlin paused as he heaved the saddle on the horse's back. Then he fastened the belts. "It's why I wanted to become a surgeon. He could have been saved." Then, he smiled. "You don't have to worry about it, I'm fine."

Arthur smiled weakly. "I'm sure he would be proud of you now."

Merlin's eyes softened. "Me too."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Valiant's estate was a far bigger than Arthur had first expected. Not bigger than any of Uther's estates... but Arthur had already established that the man couldn't be held as a standard to anyone. Still. Once everyone had somehow mounted their horses, even as some needed one of the stablehands to lead them by the leash, they made their way into the woods. In the meantime, Valiant held another speech of where his possessions came from, who had lived here before him and how much he had invested into this place.

Arthur zoned out far too soon and just watched the wildlife out here. And he couldn't help but bicker with Merlin. It was just too much fun. The man kept complaining about how stupid it was that Valiant put so much effort into it all, when nature was best left alone. And who were these poor people anyway that had been driven out due to Valiant's influence. Will greatly supported those claims from the side.

Arthur didn't comment on the odd looks Will sent him now and then and just kept listening. Sometimes, however, he had to disagree with Merlin, because YES, sometimes it needed human intervention when the pine-trees were infested with bugs. To which Merlin then countered that monocultures were human made and that getting the idea to plant different kinds of trees should never have been needed in the first place, because those bugs only affected pine trees. To which Arthur responded that those actions had nothing to do with Valiant as the NEW owner of the estate and his attempts to solve the problem should be honoured.

Then Merlin called him a traitor and refused to talk to him for five minutes before he started talking about squirrels.

Eventually, Merlin had had enough of Arthur's counter arguments and turned away from him to chat with someone else.

Arthur watched him leave and let Will ride up next to him. "He's a good guy."

Arthur turned to him, almost surprised to see him but far more surprised for him to speak up. "Merlin? Of course he is."

Will rolled his eyes. "You know that I know about your little scheme, right?"

Arthur needed a moment to connect 'the scheme' with the fake relationships, but then he nodded, confusion raised at whatever Will was implying. Arthur struggled figuring out what it was though. "He told me on the plane. It doesn't concern me, if that's what you thought. I'm glad Merlin isn't alone here with his old school bully."

Will hummed. "I just mean... I've seen him through all his previous relationships. Not all of them were disasters, but he put a lot more effort into them than they did. I'm glad he didn't show up with one of those people."

"Hmm." Arthur tried to imagine it. Merlin in relationships, giving more than he received. "I've never met any of his exes, to be honest. I've seen how he flirts, he's a disaster." Arthur felt a small wave of affection wash over him. "But if what you say is true... It's hard to imagine. Merlin tends to appreciate everyone for who they are and what they can contribute. It kind of motivates you to do better. People are naturally drawn to him and want to impress him. Look at the horse. It was wild and angry just before Merlin talked to him. Now it's tame as a puppy!"

"It's true though." Will seemed to be waiting for something. As if what Arthur said mattered for some reason. Arthur had no idea what he was waiting for though.

"Well... They clearly don't know what they're missing." Arthur sent Will a smile, hoping to appease his care for Merlin.

Will stared back at him blankly. "What about you? Are you a puppy in Merlin's company?"

Arthur snorted. "More like a tamed watchdog." He shook his head and grinned at Will, who was still not changing his expression. "I'm kidding. I meant what I said yesterday, though. Merlin tends to make people's life better by just being there."

"He insulted you."

"I needed that."

"That's not how people would normally feel though." Will seemed to contemplate something. "Playing his boyfriend seems to come natural to you. I've seen one of the movies you were in... I can't say your acting skills convinced me then, but you're doing great this time."

Arthur beamed at him. "You think? That's good. I really don't want to mess this up for him." Arthur sighed. "But I suppose he makes it easy to play the part."

Will's eyes narrowed slightly. "Yeah?"

Arthur nodded quietly. "We've been friends for a while and he means a lot to me. I don't think dating him is such an outlandish idea, to be honest."

"Uhu?" Will blinked again sounding like he wanted to say something but didn't quite know how to say it. "Have you imagined dating him before?"

Arthur frowned. "Not really. No. But I've always felt like he was very distant and I wanted to become better friends with him for a long time. I don't think that's much different from a relationship."

"Can you imagine what it would mean to be with him for real? Holding hands... Kissing... Going further than that? Valiant thinks that that's what you're doing. Could you imagine that?"

Arthur blinked, then flushed, then scratched his neck. "I mean... I've held hands with friends and kissed them before... so I can imagine THAT. But... I try not to think of having sex with friends. You have no idea what kind of games Gwaine usually puts us through and I really don't want to give him any ideas." Arthur quickly hurried to add. "For truth or dares and such. Seriously, never go out drinking with Gwaine if he invites you. It's hell."

Will took a deep breath, ignoring the Gwaine comment. Arthur was beginning to feel like this was an interrogation. "What about your previous relationships? Were you imagining it with them before you got together?"

"Urgh." Arthur huffed out a deep breath. "Not really... But they weren't really good relationships. They were set up by my dad and they felt like it too. All rich and blond, so... kind of all of them were my dad's type. It was extremely awkward."

Will pressed his lips together. "So... have you ever been with someone you cared about as much as you care about Merlin?"

Arthur didn't need to think twice about that and nearly laughed. "No."

Will's mouth opened comically. "Are you really straight?"

"Huh?" The question took Arthur by surprise. "Why are you saying that? I did sleep with some of them and liked it very much, thank you." Will's stare pierced Arthur's eyes so that he had to avert his gaze.

"Have you-" Will said this very slowly, because enjoying sex and finding people attractive were different things, "have you been sexually attracted to them? To any girl? At all? Ever?"

Arthur frowned and reminded himself to straighten his back as a branch wiped at his hair. "I'm not gay if that's what you're asking."

"Holy shit, Arthur, answer the question. Are you attracted to girls? At all?!" Will sounded serious.

Arthur frowned. "You're asking me some really fucking personal questions, mate. Alright... fine. I have no idea, okay? I think I might ... HAVE felt like that towards someone once. Probably. Her name was Mithian. She was one of my father's ideas, but she was really kind. We really bonded over a few things... In the end she broke things off with me. BUT-," Arthur turned back to Will, "I haven't felt anything like that with a guy ever. I don't think I would mind if I did... but I never have. I don't know why you're so obsessed with this anyway."

Will's stare softened a little. "Do you think you could be asexual?"

Arthur bit his lip. "Well... I HAVE felt something for Mithian. That rules it out, doesn't it? But maybe. It's a spectrum, isn't it? One of my oldest friends is aromantic asexual, and he said what I'm feeling might be demisexual... or -romantic, or both.." Arthur sighed. "Why are we talking about this? I swear, if I find this in a magazine tomorrow-"

"I literally hate those magazines. If it makes you feel better, I'm pansexual." Will paused. "But you know... I think it's interesting that you're focusing so much on the 'not gay' part."

"Are you not coming on to me?" Arthur blinked.

Will looked agast. "To YOU? Are you nuts? Never. I have standards."

To that, Arthur broke out into laughter. "Oh man, you almost got me there. No wonder you're friends with Merlin." He shook his head. "Seriously though, why are you asking me all this stuff then?"

"Because-" Will returned to his serious front. "I'm just making sure you're not in love with Merlin."

"Huh?" Arthur froze, eyes widening. "Am I really THAT good?" That hadn't occurred to him. To people who knew that Merlin and him weren't together, it would normally be obvious that they weren't together, right? If he still made Will question it, then Arthur felt a tiny bit proud of himself.

Will kept shaking his head. "From what you just told me, I don't think it's just acting."

"You think I have a crush on Merlin?" Arthur raised both brows. This was just getting better. Merlin had said that Will was perceptive. Arthur wasn't messing this up, this was great!

"I think you're head over heels in love with him."

Will watched Arthur's reaction but Arthur felt... flattered. Proud. He didn't know what it was, but something satisfied nestled in his stomach area, like it was telling Arthur he was doing a good job. Arthur had no idea why but it made him smile. He knew, without a doubt, that this was about more than his skills. Although he couldn't quite point out what it was. "You know... A good friend of mine told me once that if people don't think you're at least a little bit in love with your friends, then you should question your friendship."

"Who told you that?" Will raised a brow.

"Gwaine."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

One year ago

Arthur hated going to the hospital. It smelled like disinfectant. The sterile atmosphere seemed to bleed into the mood of the patients, and the nurses as well. And Arthur was tired of walking into these rooms. They looked the same in every hospital with only a small variant shades of white.

Arthur hesitated in front of the door. He was carrying a bouquet of roses. He was shaking. Sure, the nurse had told him that his mom would be fine now, but after everything she had been through, Arthur was hesitant to believe it. Almost shaking, Arthur knocked at the door.

"Come in." Ygraine's voice was soft.

Arthur's heart was beating hard in his chest. Her surgery had been only a couple days ago and the last time he had visited, she hadn't been confident to make it. At least not for long. This had been her third transplant. Her body had seemed to accept the donor organs at first, both times, and then suddenly rejected them. She had been struggling with it even before Arthur and her had reconnected. Now, he was afraid of the news that this third transplant would kill her.

Light flooded the room as Arthur allowed himself to step inside the patient room of Ygraine de bois, ex wife of Uther Pendragon. Ygraine turned to Arthur, tears sparkling in her eyes. The bouquet dropped from Arthur's hands. She was smiling.

"Mom!"

"I'll live."

Arthur's hands were shaking, the white of the bedsheets, the walls, everything was suddenly much brighter and more welcoming than before. "How-" Arthur was speechless, tears already falling from his eyes. A burden fell from his shoulders that he was pretty sure was his mother's to bear.

Before Arthur knew it, he had fallen into his mother's arms, hugging her as tight as her bandages would allow. She chuckled against his frame. "It wasn't the liver," she whispered. "It was never the liver. It was the arteries around it. They couldn't tell because it was so small, but that's how the surgeon explained it. I never rejected the organs. The arteries were clogged."* She was half laughing half crying into his shoulder. "He fixed it. He fixed me. I'm going to live!"

Arthur would never be able to explain how he had felt in that moment. He would never be able to describe the river of tears that fell in streams from his eyes. His entire life he had been told that his mother had died at his birth. And when finally, he had found her, met her and talked to her, he had been threatened to lose her any day. Whoever had saved her, he owed them more than his life. He owed them a future, the future of reconnecting with his childhood, and finally, for having a mother.

As Arthur left the hospital that day, singing praises at the surgeon who had saved his mother, he promised to pay them whatever the hospital needed, just give the person a raise. They had found a problem that several experts had not been able to find in years of examining her. They had saved her life, Arthur would pay them handsomely.

"Of course, Mr. Pendragon."

"But please don't tell them who her son is, please. We would like to keep this private."

"Of course, Mr. Pendragon."

. . .

Ygraine was checked out of what had been her home for nearly five years around two months later. Arthur had brought a car that could store a wheelchair and brought her to rehab, where she would spent the next couple of months regaining her ability to walk. And it was there, in the safety of her new home, that Ygraine mentioned the doctor once more.

"You know... They originally didn't want him to do this surgery. He's young, and came fresh from university. They only showed him my file to teach him some stuff. They told me he immediately noticed that something was wrong with my tests and he basically forced himself into my case." Ygraine took a deep breath as she rolled into her room. "Thank god he did. I didn't think I had anything to lose, not after the first two transplants, so I allowed it. Dr Emrys sure is something."

Arthur froze. "Huh?"

"He really is young too, I think even younger than you."

"Dr Emrys? Dr ... Dr MERLIN Emrys?"

Ygraine slowly turned to him. "You know him?"

Arthur covered his mouth, eyes wide as saucers. "Holy shit."

"Arthur? Do you know him?" Ygraine had her head tilted as she looked at her son. "Is he a friend of yours?"

"Yeah... Yeah... I think he is." Arthur couldn't contain his smile. "He really did it." More than did it. Arthur's eyes widened. "MOM, he DID IT!" And he had saved his mother's life! Arthur's hands were shaking as he forced his wallet out of his pocket and grabbed the ticket. "He did it," he whispered in quiet disbelief.

"Arthur?"

"I'm sorry, mom. I have to go." Arthur turned around, barely even noticing her concerned expression. Arthur got in the car and drove back to the hospital.

Once inside, he ran towards the information desk. "Hold up, wait... urgh..." Arthur was unsure what to say to the startled nurse. All he saw was the wide eyes of the woman in front of him.

"Mr... Pendragon, Sir?"

"Where is Dr. Emrys?"

"Dr Emrys? He was promoted last week. He got a new position in a hospital on the other side of the city. It sure was crazy. He was here for merely two months! But I must say, I've never seen a doctor work harder and more focused than him. All the patients loved him. And guess what? One of his first surgeries was a miracle surgery! That man is quite a wonder! Did you know? He almost didn't become a surgeon! That poor woman... she would have died without him."

"Yeah, I know." Arthur hadn't realised how breathless he was, or how he was still clutching the ticket in his hand. "I know."

*A.N.// The author is not a medical expert, they are making shit up.

Chapter Text

After they returned to the estate, everyone was exhausted. The couples and singles returned to their rooms to take a shower and get changed. On the plans for the afternoon was to play poker together.

That's how Arthur came out of the shower, a towel around his waist and one around his neck. He felt glorious today. Something he couldn't quite name gave him energy and he hadn't felt this alive in quite a while. Maybe ever. He opened the door to their bedroom and found Merlin in the process of grabbing his things for his turn to use the shower.

Arthur stopped short at the door, half smirking.
Because he expected Merlin to glance him over. Arthur was under no illusion that he was attractive. More than enough people had boosted his confidence and he couldn't deny that he liked the attention. And Arthur thought it would be funny to tease Merlin about his wandering gaze. Arthur may be arrogant, but he wasn't blind and he also wasn't wrong. Almost everyone in their friend circle was into men, except Morgana, Arthur himself and Leon, therefore Arthur had been at the receiving end of subtle glances more than once. Which was, obviously, fuel to his self confidence. In Gwaine's case, the glances had never even been subtle.

When Merlin turned around, however, he was averting Arthur's gaze. Arthur, on the other hand, felt rooted to the spot. All previous thoughts were practically wiped from his mind in an instant.

Merlin had taken his shirt off.

Everyone in their friend circle was into men except Arthur? Suddenly, Arthur felt hot. It was the rarest, yet fiercest tug he had ever felt in his stomach area, as his eyes scanned every inch of Merlin's visible torso. He had known that Merlin worked out and even noticed it when the man wore a simple shirt. Right now, however, he could basically count his abs if he wanted to. Not that they were very visible, but Merlin had grown firm and strong. A heated blush creeped onto Arthur's face and he had to blink his stupor away.
'What the heck?'

"I hope you left some hot water for me." Merlin said as he moved past Arthur. Arthur was too slow to respond and suddenly the bathroom door clicked shut behind the surgeon.

Arthur covered his mouth. Will's words from the ride echoed in his head but Arthur shook it off. Arthur hadn't felt anything like this before, yet he felt like it had always kind of been there. Maybe he was reading too much into this.... Was that sexual attraction just now?! The very present urge in his mind to touch spoke volumes.
Arthur shook his head. It was probably a fluke. Will's words were messing with his head. And if it weren't... Merlin was a good man. There were worse people to be attracted to. And finding someone attractive didn't mean you were in love. Arthur calmed his racing heart, surprised that it had sped up in the first place.

A different feeling settled in as he closed his eyes, warm and soft and proud. Arthur exhaled a deep breath. If he truly had a crush on Merlin, he'd feel uncomfortable around him, right? He'd be nervous and overwhelmed for sure. Instead, he usually felt like everything was easier, simpler with him. If this were love, Arthur thought, if he truly were in love with Merlin, then love wasn't as scary as he knew it to be.

Arthur shook it off and got dressed.

. . .

On the other side of the bathroom door, Merlin turned the water on cold. He tried not to think and not to close his eyes. The sight of Arthur after a shower had burned itself in his mind. And it had been much worse than what he had imagined while the door had been closed to begin with! He had done his damn hardest to avert his gaze, yet he had been able to see him from his peripheral. Merlin felt the sudden urge to hit his head against the bathroom tiles.

Had he fallen into a parallel universe? One in which it made total sense for him to be attracted to Arthur fucking Pendragon? Was he insane? Merlin groaned and let the cold water wash over his head. It nearly froze his brain shut and he wished it did.
It wasn't like Merlin hadn't considered Arthur attractive before. There had been a few times in which Merlin had appreciated Arthur's frame. But those had been far more superficial than whatever was happening today.

The change, Merlin thought, was in the way Arthur talked. And how much closer they were now. Merlin found the way Arthur bickered with him, complimented and defended him far more attractive than any personality trait his exes had had. Merlin had liked people for far less. Merlin pulled at his hair. He liked Arthur's PERSONALITY.
Jesus Christ, he was done for!

The problem was, now Merlin could imagine it. Holding hands, kissing, making out, even... Everything he imagined seemed tangible and just within reach. He knew how Arthur smiled at him when they bickered, even knew what it was like to live with him. He knew what it looked like to wake up beside him, knew what it felt like when Arthur went out of his way just to spent time with him. Not making excuses so he could get a break like Freya had in the end. Merlin knew that Arthur would be there should he have any problems. He would be patient and respect Merlin's boundaries, might even find them endearing. Because Arthur, despite all the pretence, had made it very clear that he enjoyed being around Merlin.
And to Arthur this was just how friends behaved. Merlin literally hit his head against the wet tiles of the shower now. He was beginning to freeze, yet his face burned. Merlin was LONGING, he was PINING and he felt like a total idiot. This was ARTHUR. What on earth was he thinking?

And what was Will thinking, pretty much approving of Arthur? This wasn't helping his situation at all! It wasn't like Arthur would ever like him back anyway. Not like this. Not to mention how much Merlin already owed him.
Arthur's intense expression, of when he had firmly told Merlin to never think THAT, crossed Merlin's mind and he took a deep breath. Then he shook his head and turned the water hot, so he could clean himself without dying. It was no use thinking about this.

Alright, Arthur was hot, Arthur was kind, Arthur looked at Merlin like he meant the world to him. That didn't mean anything. It couldn't mean that anything was ever going to happen between them because... because they were friends. Except, they'd grown closer and if Arthur would look at him like that every day, thinking of them as friends, Merlin might actually die. If Merlin fell in love with him, he wouldn't be able to bear it. Not when being friends meant that Arthur's eyes locked with his, so bright and glazing with affection. The smile stretched and meant only for Merlin to see.
Merlin's heart tripped and his eyes widened. Almost in slow motion he felt like he was falling.
He was doomed. Merlin was utterly and completely doomed.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Merlin was a mess. While they entered the entrance hall that had been transformed into a small casino, with decorated tables and some of the staff members posing as game makers, Arthur had his arm placed around Merlin's waist. His side was pressing against him and Merlin's mind was swimming with a dozen contradicting thoughts.

Arthur was wearing a nice suit, because of course he had packed one. He looked formal and handsome and Merlin felt completely underdressed in his best black jeans and the white button up shirt. He felt like he belonged more to the waiting staff than at Arthur's side.

Arthur made sure to publicly disagree because he led Merlin around to talk with all of Merlin's old classmates. While Merlin's mind was a lovesick fool making him unable to speak, Arthur was questioning them all about what they were all doing and finding seemingly everything they said genuinely interesting. And whenever they asked about whatever project Arthur was working on, he'd respond with his return to the Pendragon company and how hard it was to argue with his father. And of course, of BLOODY course, he would talk about their weekly meet ups at the Rising Sun and state how his friends gave him life.

Eventually, they would ask about what Merlin did, and that's when the real trouble really began, because while Merlin tried to be modest and hold himself back, Arthur BRAGGED.

Apparently, Arthur had been listening to all of Merlin's drunken complaints at the Rising Sun, because he could tell them nearly every problem and hindrance that he had overcome at the hospital. Merlin felt out of place. He should be parading ARTHUR around. Arthur was meant to be the trophy boyfriend. Instead, Merlin was presented like a painting at the Louvre. Only that Arthur seemed genuinely excited and proud. Merlin wanted to melt into the ground.
What was even worse, Merlin's old classmates sent Merlin smiles that looked like they were genuinely happy for him. Or like Arthur's antics amused them.

Merlin was suddenly reminded that the chances were high that someone would quote and film Arthur during this event. Magazines would talk about them. Interviewers would want to speak with Merlin. Online articles would features them together and paint him, Merlin Emrys, as Arthur's new boyfriend. His coming out story. And if they captured them both in one of THESE moments, then Merlin would probably do something stupid like cut out the pictures and put them in a scrapbook.

Thankfully, at least, no one asked them about their sex life. Merlin decided that he hung out too much with Gwaine. He had almost been prepared to lie about how good Arthur was in bed while fighting himself not to imagine it. People didn't ask these questions. Not when they had learned how to be properly polite. And in this company... they were.
Merlin was starting to sweat anyway when they were finally told to go to a table and start playing.

Arthur's eyes were glinting. "Merlin, wish me good luck?" He looked at him expectantly.

Merlin's heart burst. He knew what Arthur was asking of him. But it was stupid. Arthur's question was stupid. All of this was stupid and perfect for the cover story and Merlin HATED that Arthur was such a natural at this. This was something Gwaine would do. It was an inside joke within their friend group that Merlin's kisses brought them luck in games like these. Just that Arthur used to make fun of that tradition, even though he lost ALL the time. They all lost to whoever Merlin was siding with for reasons Merlin didn't even know himself. Elian had once won two hundred bucks and was convinced it was because Merlin kissed his lottery ticket.

Merlin gathered all the confidence he could muster to stay cool. "Sure." Merlin's voice sounded more relaxed than he felt. He leaned over to Arthur's face and innocently blinked at him. "Where do you want your luck, my lord?" He didn't know why he said 'my lord', nor how he managed to act normal. It almost felt like an oddly fitting pet name, making Merlin flush just the slightest bit. His heart was fluttering, because this felt weirdly natural to do.

Arthur glanced back unimpressed. "My hand, Merlin. The thing I'm grabbing the cards with."

Merlin snorted despite himself. He could hear a couple beside them laughing at their small exchange. Merlin blinked again. "I thought you don't believe I was a good luck charm."

Arthur refused to twitch a smile, even though Merlin could see it in his eyes. "You're neither lucky nor charming. But I do have the suspicion you're using magic to win. And I would like some of that."

"I'm sure it's not your hands I've enchanted." Not knowing why he was doing this at all, yet ultimately feeling like he didn't have a choice, Merlin grabbed Arthur's hand and softly kissed his fingers. He made sure to keep his eyes locked with Arthur and found, to his own surprise, that Arthur was blushing. There was still affection there, his smile just slightly brightening. It almost caught Merlin off guard.

Arthur stared at him. He seemed to twitch with something but it wasn't a laugh or anything, it looked like he was holding himself back from doing something else. "Maybe we should ask Valiant if this counts as cheating."

"If luck in a game of luck is illegal, then I think we should play somewhere else."

"Good point." Arthur grabbed his cards, clearing his throat, while Merlin sat beside him, only to watch him for a while. Merlin didn't often gamble. People often accused him of cheating, even though he (almost) never did. Arthur began to play while Merlin ignored everything that was going on. His eyes were trained on Arthur, watching how his expressions changed only subtly. His pokerface may be something for the other people at the table, but Merlin could read him like a comic relief.

When Merlin turned around, he found Will watching them both. He had a brow raised at him. Merlin flushed and glared back, then shook his head. "I urgh-," he said to Arthur, making the man instantly turn to him. It was almost eerie, the way Arthur gave Merlin 120% of his attention whenever he was given the chance. "I'll get myself a drink. Do you... want one?"

Arthur looked like a puppy, with his eyes wide and trained on Merlin like that. "Get me whatever you get."

"Eh..." Merlin paused. "You hate everything I like."

"Which means I won't drink as fast and one of us needs to stay sober."

Merlin couldn't argue with that logic, really. "Okay... fine." Then, Merlin slipped out of his seat and hurried to get to the bar. He needed some air. Fresh and cleansed from Arthur's loving nature. Merlin was pretty sure he needed to get drunk to get through the afternoon.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Arthur's POV

The moment Merlin left was the moment Penelope Noire slid into the seat beside him. Arthur hummed, tearing his eyes away from Merlin's disappearing figure for a second. In that moment, they were told to open their cards and Arthur realised to his own surprise, that he had won with a royal flush. He had WON! Arthur never won anything! Especially not in poker! He turned around in searching for Merlin one last time. Maybe it was time he believed in Merlin's impeccable lucky charms. It would explain a lot.

Penelope giggled. "He's been gone for a minute, Arthur. He'll be back."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Arthur shook his head, feeling caught, and turned back to her. "Well, Pen, what brings you here?"

She snorted. "This is my husband's house."

"True-." Arthur chuckled slightly before signing the guy with the cards that he would skip out on the next round to be able to properly talk to Penelope. "But you hate gambling."

"Yeah yeah." She waved it off and smiled. "But Valiant loves it. And I would like to talk to you about him, actually."

Arthur's interest was piqued. "He's not hurting you, is he?"

"What? NO!" She looked genuinely shocked at the suggestion. "Valiant is the kindest most forthcoming and generous man I've ever been with!" She paused. "But I guess, if I were getting hurt, it would be nice of you to check in. That said, why do you distrust him so much?"

Arthur frowned. "Because he's mean to Merlin."

She raised both her eyebrows. "Arthur, darling, Valiant is being childish and desperate for attention but that doesn't make him a bad person." She shook her head. "It really bothers him that you dislike him this much. Just like it bothers him that Merlin keeps overshadowing him."

Arthur frowned. "So what? You want me to leave, so he can hold his career and money over Merlin's head?"

"Arthur!" Arthur felt genuinely guilty as he heard her exclaim his name like that, so full of judgement. "Isn't it the same way the other way around? Merlin came here with YOU! Don't you think that to everyone else, it looks like he's holding your relationship over everyone else? Valiant worked hard to get where he is now, and then comes Merlin who just caught up to him by latching on to you."

"Excuse you?" Now it was Arthur who was gaping. "Merlin worked himself up from the street! The case on his back put him off for a good year or so, but then he picked up and reached the top by himself! He didn't latch on to me! He'd NEVER allow me to support him with my money! Didn't Valiant latch on to YOU?"

Penelope frowned. "No?" She paused, then sighed, head tilted deep in thought. "He worked himself up from the small firm his parents owned and made a fortune with it."

"His parents had a firm!" Arthur sent her a frown. That didn't sound like he came from nothing.

She seemed to be guessing his thoughts and rolled his eyes. "They were bankrupt. He worked it all out and made it big, despite the concurrence. You have to understand... Valiant may really like the attention, but that is how he defines his self worth. His parents weren't very kind. They were pretty strict, had some really high expectations that he couldn't meet, even after he technically exceeded them. This -" She pointed around them, showing Arthur once again how big the residence was, "Is how he's trying to prove that he made it."

"Then why does he compare himself to Merlin? Why would he expose Merlin's problems in front of everyone at the last anniversary?" Arthur felt the itch to say something rude, but he pressed his lips together. Penelope was a good person and was usually better at reading people than Arthur was. He hoped that she was happy and safe here, but he wasn't sure she could trust Valiant.

"Is that what Merlin told you?" Penelope looked somewhat sad now. "Well, that's understandable from his point of view. The truth is-" She sighed deeply. "The last time Valiant was only pretending that his firm was doing well."

Arthur's eyes widened in surprise. He adjusted his seat, now genuinely curious.

Penelope smiled sadly. "At the time, he had just taken over the company and was drowning in problems. He and Merlin had this whole rivalry going on since they were children. About grades, sports, art, anything you can imagine and Valiant had always lost to these things. He even told me how Merlin had never even seen him as a challenge. Personally, I think, Merlin probably never really saw him as a rival. Valiant told me about how the comparison had always upset and stressed him. His parents also played a part in that, but I think Valiant was mostly pressuring himself with it. For the anniversay, he'd been wasting company money he didn't have to host everyone and pretend he made it. And he had heard Merlin was becoming a surgeon and of course he knew how smart Merlin was. He was upset. He was under a lot of pressure and he told me that a part of him had WANTED Merlin to hold it over his head." She sighed again. "He didn't mean to out Merlin to the rest of his classmates. He wanted to hear that Merlin was doing well. He wanted Merlin to knock him down so that he didn't see the uncertainty hanging over his head anymore. He was anticipating Merlin to expose him, he didn't know about Merlin's problems. After the whole thing escalated, he offered to help Merlin find a place to live but Merlin declined."

"He did?" Arthur's eyes went wide. "Seriously?"

She nodded. "My husband is a show off and doesn't take well to rejection. I do admit that he's a real child sometimes, but he has a good heart." She smiled to herself and stirred around in her cocktail. "Valiant isn't a complicated man. Which means that he does foolish things sometimes."

Arthur leaned against the counter. "You must really like him if you can excuse all of these things so easily."

Penelope's eyes softened. "I feel about him the same way you do about Merlin."

Arthur nodded instinctively, before his mind caught up to the words. He ignored it. This was part of the act. He was Merlin's boyfriend, it was his job to be in love with him. If he could convince even himself, then he could convince everyone else too. Arthur relaxed. Still... "You think so?"

"I've seen how you look at him when he's not there. Or at that photograph in your wallet. You rarely smiled this genuinely for a long time. It's a good look on you. I'm happy for you."

Arthur looked up. "Huh?" He paused, trying to figure out how to dissect that comment. "What photograph?" He didn't carry a photograph around.

Penelope blinked slowly. "Well, that photograph you've been carrying around for years! You look at it during your breaks at work. Lately more than ever."

Arthur needed a moment to figure out what she meant, then hesitated. Could she mean... He pulled out his wallet and opened it. "If you're referring to this... it's not a photograph."

"No?" She said curiously and blinked a couple times as Arthur handed it to her. "That..." She turned the piece of paper around. "A free delivery ticket?" She frowned. "I don't understand." Her thumb trailed over the slightly abused laminated plastic.

Arthur smiled softly at it. "It's... a joke. Between Merlin and me." He bit his lip. He knew this was good for their story, but it was also very emotional. He almost itched to take it away from her.

She looked up at him. "Did he work in delivery service?"

Arthur shook his head. "No. No, that's not..." Arthur sighed. "He gave this to me after he won the police case. To tell me that I didn't need to worry about him anymore and that he would make it on his own. It was a sign to tell me that he got his student place at the uni back."

"Huh." She blinked. "That's ... I don't think I get it."

That didn't surprise him. "When we first met, I was quite stressed and got mad at him. And he told me that with all my coffee consume, I would need a liver transplant one day. He said I should treat him, an ongoing surgeon, kindly, or else he'd botch up my surgery." Arthur smiled softly at the memory. "With this, he basically told me that he would be there should I ever need him."

"Oh." Penelope blinked again, this time probably to hide her emotion. "It's not delivery as in deliver you something, but as in 'replace your liver'?."

"Yeah." Arthur whispered the answer.

"I sure hope you won't have to use it." She smiled encouragingly but Arthur's smile fell.

Arthur took the ticket back and looked at it. "I already do."

Penelope paused. "You... But you're healthy? Why would you need to..."

Arthur shook his head. "That doesn't matter. What does matter is... I should be giving this back. Merlin has always been there for me ever since and he shouldn't feel like he owed me. I... I just feel like if I- if I hand him the ticket, I'd lose him. For good, you know?"

Penelope watched him curiously. "Why?"

"I don't really know. It would feel... final, I think." Arthur let out a deep breath and looked back at her. "Please don't tell him that."

"Oh, Arthur." Her eyes were shining, that's how touched she felt from Arthur's story. Before he knew it, she was already hugging him. "You're such romantic! I'm sure you don't have to worry about that."

Arthur knew that that was what she would think. And it was a good thing for their cover, he thought as he let her hear his raging heart beat. He didn't even care that Will was listening in on them. But he did mind that 'romantic' didn't quite hold the weight that Arthur associated with this ticket.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

08:16 pm: Merlin POV

Merlin may or may not be drunk. He'd returned to Arthur's place a couple moments after he had left, only to see him chatting away with Penelope and hugging her. Merlin, who had bought three drinks and drunken one on the way, had pointedly sat down on the only available chair left. Namely, Arthur's lap. To your information, Merlin was a lightweight. Plus, the two Margherita's he'd already drunken at the bar had been pretty strong.

The idea had come to him unprompted and he was only faintly aware that it had to do with Penelope being so close to Arthur. Merlin had then undermined their entire conversation with drunk facts about seagulls. Which Penelope was understandably curious about. Arthur just laughed and didn't complain as he let Merlin drink all the drinks he had brought by himself. He never threw him off of his lap, even held him by the stomach to make sure he wouldn't slip off. Merlin knew that technically, Arthur HAD to play along, but he felt a bit possessive. And someone HAD to assert his claim over Arthur, or else Penelope would get ideas. Maybe. Probably not. She was happily married and had been friends with Arthur for longer than Merlin had known him, so obviously not, but still.

The afternoon went by like that. Apart from Poker, which they quickly abandoned, they sat in a corner booth and enjoyed the dinner buffet. Merlin was drinking cocktail after cocktail as Arthur forced him to eat some sandwiches and vegan meat substitutes to keep him from completely wasting himself.

Penelope seemed to have a lot of fun with them while her husband was off entertaining his guests. At some point, Will joined them and then two or three other of Merlin's classmates.

Around 8 pm, Valiant announced to the class that they could now join him for a movie night, or do whatever else. Most people decided to join him to watch a horrible movie about school. If it had been high school musical, Merlin would have insisted on joining, but he didn't recognise the name of this movie and besides, he felt too drunk to properly enjoy the show.

So, Merlin grabbed Arthur by the hand and led him into the kitchen.

"We just ate!" Arthur laughed.

"YES! But!" Merlin theatrically turned around to face Arthur. "Stolen food tastes better!"

Arthur laughed again. "Merlin, Valiant said we can get food from the kitchen whenever we want!"

"Psssht! You can't tell me that, it'll ruin the fun!" Merlin shushed Arthur with a finger to his mouth. That is, Merlin's finger on Arthur's mouth. It was somehow tempting to touch his lips and this was a safe way to do it under the cover of being too drunk to think. Arthur moved backwards a little but kept grinning.

"Well, a little more food and you may be a bit more sober. I don't want you to throw up in our bed."

Merlin grinned and giggled. "And there was only one bed."

Arthur laughed along and followed him into the kitchen. Inside was the pure coordinated chaos. Kitchen staff was hurrying around, into and out of the room, to wash the dishes, dry them, put them in cabinets, etc. It reminded Merlin a bit of his time working at Starbucks. He turned back around to Arthur. "May I make you a deathpresso."

"A what?" Arthur asked.

"A Venty full of espresso. The Deathpresso. My invention. I named it after you."

"Your puns are getting worse when you're drunk." Arthur's incredulity was overshadowed by his amusement. "But sure, I'd like one."

Merlin already turned around. "Where is the Kitchen Queen? Queen of the kitchen! Tho must tell me, where is thy coffee maker!"

A small woman, who must have been a maid giggled at the slurred demand and pointed at a large as espresso machine on the counter top between the fridge and the drying dishes. "There you go, good Sir." She bowed to Merlin, joining in on his ridiculousness.

"PERFECT! Thank you, your majesty." Merlin went and kissed her hand. "Good luck shall befall you." She blushed.

Arthur crossed his arms. "You better believe him. His kisses are magical."

Merlin felt his entire face flush at the compliment. The girl looked just as surprised. In a moment's notice, Merlin turned his back on Arthur, lest he see his reaction and was on the machine to make a soup bowl of coffee, because he couldn't find a normal cup, and besides, he had promised a venti size. Then, he halted and found a radio. Without thinking twice about it, Merlin turned it on.

A catchy tune started to play. It might have been a song by Katie Perry or something, Merlin didn't care as he hummed along to it, moving his hips around as his mind suggested him. Merlin was a happy drunk. Alcohol made him sing and made him dance. He may be terrible at both, but it was fun regardless.

"Oh, please tell me you're not going to dance. Merlin, you suck at dancing," Arthur said but his expression said something else. He looked fond. He always looked fond. It made Merlin drunk on something other than the alcohol.

Merlin turned to Arthur, a determined glance in his eyes. Arthur never danced. So, naturally, Merlin was going to make Arthur dance and embarrass himself. Merlin held out his hand and forced Arthur to take it. Arthur looked somewhat surprised but quickly let himself be led through the kitchen. It was easier to convince him than Merlin had expected. Merlin stepped on Arthur's foot a couple of times, laughing at the way Arthur stumbled after him.

"Merlin!" Arthur laughed. "Hold up!" He grabbed Merlin's hand tighter and forced him to slow down. His left hand found Merlin's waist, shooting electric signals through Merlin's body. Then, Arthur grabbed his hand and pushed them chest to chest. "How about you follow MY lead instead?"

Merlin blinked down at Arthur, only an inch apart. On instinct, Merlin's grip tightened on Arthur's shoulder. "Go on then, my liege. I'm sure you'll lead me into a golden future."

The music switched from Katie Perry to Lady Gaga's "pokerface", making Arthur snort and bury his nose into Merlin's shoulder. "What is with this music?" He quickly gathered himself and put on a semi working pokerface himself before he moved Merlin through the room. It was nice, in a way, to let go of the control he usually preferred. Arthur's movements were clean and wide. He swirled Merlin around, perfectly avoiding Merlin's failed steps and giving him just enough time to adjust to Arthur's movements.

"You can dance?" Merlin's eyes widened. There went his plan to embarrass Arthur.

"I have many talents," said Arthur and grinned so widely at Merlin that Merlin found himself flushing.

Lulled from the alcohol, Merlin's eyes trailed down to Arthur's lips. "Many talents, huh?" Merlin didn't mean to, but his mind did wander. "Didn't know being a prat was a talent." Thankfully, insulting Arthur was an instinct, not a skill.

Arthur sputtered out a laugh, ignoring the way the maids giggled behind them. Suddenly, despite the alcohol, Merlin was hyper aware of them. They were watching. Merlin knew they were watching. But then, Arthur's eyes too, trailed to Merlin's lips. Was this part of the disguise? Probably. Arthur was so good at this, he could even fool Merlin. But drunk Merlin didn't care.

Suddenly, Arthur pushed Merlin into a twirl in tune to the music. Merlin followed against his own volition. A moment later, he was back in Arthur's arms, gasping against his jaw. And it reminded Merlin that Arthur was publicly a private person. He wouldn't kiss Merlin in front of Valiant's serving staff. Not when they held out their iPhones to film them. No matter how disappointing that was.

"And I didn't know someone so smart could be such an idiot." Arthur shot back, but it was a weak retort.

Merlin found himself back in Arthur's space again. "It's just another part of my charm."

Arthur's eyes trailed over Merlin's entire face, his pupils slightly dilated, his cheeks flushed, mouth twitched in an eternal smile. Was he drunk too? He HAD drunken a couple cocktails, but he should be the more sober one out of the two of them. Arthur's grip on Merlin's waist tightened and Merlin hummed at the feeling. Suddenly, Arthur's other hand found Merlin's cheek in a soft caress.

Merlin stupidly smiled up at him. What he wouldn't do to kiss Arthur right now. The moment was perfect, despite the audience. Arthur's face was tilted, just enough that all Merlin would need to do was lean in. Arthur's lips would taste like butter and the sweet cocktail Merlin had forced on him, his lips a bit more chapped than Merlin expected. And Merlin would probably forget to breathe until Arthur's hand moved to properly hold Merlin in place. Pressing impossibly closer, Arthur would take control of the kiss and it would be deeper and more personal than anything he had ever felt.

It took Merlin a moment to realise that this was actually happening.

Chapter Text

Merlin wasn't dreaming. There was a pressure against his lips, the wet feeling of a tongue brushing his bottom lip asking for entrance and it was all real. Merlin felt a bit lost as he let him in, his own arms reaching around Arthur's neck to pull him closer. He forgot that he could do something else. He didn't want to do anything else.
His heart was beating faster, making him burn from the inside. He couldn't make sense of what was happening. It wasn't real, couldn't be real, yet he felt Arthur gently pressing closer into him.

Merlin was painfully aware that Arthur didn't kiss his girlfriends in public. And there were cameras around them right now. And yet...
Yet, there was the undeniable fact that Arthur was kissing him right now in a kitchen full of people and Merlin didn't want him to stop. Arthur kissed as he did everything else. With compassion and his entire heart on display. Merlin found himself moaning slightly into the kiss, wishing it would last forever. When they parted to catch their breaths, chests heaving with more than just the lack of air, Arthur was looking at Merlin like he had just created the stars.

Merlin was breathing hard, his mind swimming, his entire being buzzing with desire. Before he knew it, he was kissing Arthur again from the top, using the forgotten half inch he had on Arthur to his advantage. Arthur let him. Arthur held him. Arthur pressed him closer, encouraged him to deepen the kiss once more. Merlin loved this, loved this more than he would have ever dreamed. When Merlin pulled back a second later, he whispered into Arthur's ear. "Maybe we should go back to our room."

There was a moment of silence in which Arthur stared at Merlin with wide, confused eyes. "Yeah." Arthur sounded a bit breathless too, his lips just a tiny bit swollen. "We probably should." For some reason, he seemed embarrassed. There was something painful in his gaze and Merlin assumed that Arthur was simply nervous.

They had both forgotten about the coffee and the giggling girls when Arthur led him back to their shared room by the wrist. The entire house was quiet. From a distance, Merlin could hear some chatter that must belong to the movie. The way to their room seemed to take forever. And then, the door finally closed behind them and Merlin was ready for anything. Literally anything.

Except: "Well, that went a little out of hand, didn't it?" Arthur nervously smiled at Merlin. "We didn't overdo it, did we?"

'What?' It took Merlin a moment to register the words. Merlin's excitement fell away to confusion, then realisation, then shock in quick succession. And finally, in the most sobering way, horror. That... Arthur had PLANNED that!? That had all been part of the act!? Shame flooded his face. Fucking HELL, how stupid was Merlin? "May...be?" Merlin heaved back. His heart felt shattered. He felt lost, he felt completely crestfallen and heartsick. 'What the actual FUCK!?'

"But that was..." Arthur fidgeted with his hands. "I mean, I thought you'd have trouble acting it out... but that... It was pretty good."

Merlin wanted to SCREAM, he wanted to tear Arthur's HEAD OFF. "Thanks." Merlin forced himself to say. He felt so stupid. He had actually fallen for the joke. "I think I'm going to throw up." With those words, Merlin locked himself in the bathroom before Arthur could follow.

'Shit shit shit shit shit!' Merlin may be drunk, but he knew where his limit was. He had eaten so much that it had soaked up a lot of the alcohol. And the shock from a second ago rattled him deep in his bones. His weight now rested on his arms against the sink.

In the mirror, he found himself staring back at him. How had it come so far that he had misread the situation so severely? That first kiss... that shouldn't have lasted as long as it had! Arthur had only played along because it would have been weird for him to push Merlin away. It was probably just meant to convince the staff that they were a lovely couple who sometimes kissed. The moment had called for it! Drunk couples kissed in front of people without thinking twice about it! Who of them had started it? Oh god, had MERLIN forced Arthur to act it out like that?
And then Merlin had turned it into a make out session! "Fuck" Merlin said to his reflection, finding his eyes swelling with tears. And now those guys filmed it and Arthur's public reputation...

Merlin closed his eyes. "Shit shit SHT!" He punched the wall.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Arthur sank to the floor, hand in front of his mouth. He could still taste him. The alcohol, margaritas, cocktails, fruits and tequila. Merlin had been DRUNK, for god's sake! What had Arthur been thinking, kissing him like that out of the blue? Arthur closed his eyes, his lips trembling from the afterthought.

And the worst part was... Arthur had been this close to forgetting himself! The kisses had been... overwhelming. In a good way. In a distractingly good way. In a way Arthur hadn't experienced before. And then they had parted and Merlin told him to go back to their room. And Arthur had realised what this was implying. Arthur had realised that he had let urges lead him to overstep a boundary. They had talked about this on the plane. Arthur had TOLD Merlin that he was a private person and then he let it escalate to that point that he'd literally made out with Merlin. He'd even been tempted to go further. When had Arthur ever been tempted?

Merlin had told him to go back to their room. How else was Merlin supposed to ask him to stop in front of people he needed to convince that they were together? How else was he supposed to make him stop if not by asking him to take it to a private room? Merlin had been uncomfortable and Arthur had only truly sobered at those words.

'Since when am I like this?' Arthur thought and hugged his knees close to his chest, eyes wide. So desperate, so needy, so... GONE for someone? Not even Mithian had managed to make him react like that. She had always been coaxing him into sleeping together. Talked him into the mood by painting their future together. Arthur had been into it, but he always needed more time than Mithian had.

Just now, Arthur had completely forgotten what he was doing. All he could think of was Merlin.
This was bad, this was REALLY bad!

And now Merlin was in the bathroom, throwing up from the alcohol and Arthur's kiss. Arthur grabbed his hair and pulled at it. He wanted to cry. This was insane. Would Merlin even believe his desperate cover up earlier? They HAD gone too far for the pretence. Though, Merlin really had been good at playing along. Maybe he would buy it? Had Merlin realised how much Arthur had been shaking? Had he seen how affected Arthur was by it all?

Merlin must feel awkward. Merlin would have pushed him away had he touched him upon entering the room. He would have been shocked Arthur even SUGGESTED going so far! He was probably mad right now! Arthur had been so close to losing him! Arthur had been playing a dangerous game with stakes that were far too high and not even realised it!! 'Fuck,' it wasn't even over. If Merlin came out of that room, he might throw him out yet!

No matter how beautiful Merlin had looked, how kissable his lips were, how well he had responded, Arthur shouldn't have let it escalate to that extend. He shouldn't have initiated that kiss, forcing Merlin to comply.
'Fucking hell,' Arthur thought as he touched his lips. If Merlin kissed like that if he was drunk and pretending, how would he kiss if it was real? Arthur's lips quivered again, the taste lingering deliciously. 'Shit.'

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Merlin came out of the bathroom half an hour later. Arthur had somewhat calmed down. His anticipation spiked however, when Merlin sent him a single glance. "You can use the bathroom now."

Arthur swallowed at the cold reaction and nodded before he wordlessly complied. Saying anything now, he knew, would make things awkward. That is, more awkward than it already was. So, Arthur took his time to brush his teeth, floss, wash his face and prepare himself mentally for sharing a bed with Merlin for another night.

It was different now. Yesterday it hadn't meant anything. Now, he would go lay down next to a man he'd made out with less than an hour ago. And Arthur was scared of himself, of how he would act around Merlin, if he would be able to control himself. That was a stupid fear to have but Arthur was still tense and he knew how it had escalated earlier. It was completely new to him to be so overcome with desire that he'd lost the consciousness to ask first. And Merlin deserved better than that.

Arthur took a deep breath before he returned to the bedroom. Merlin already lay in bed, covers dragged over his head. Yeah... Arthur had severely fucked up. Still, he HAD to say something. He needed to clear this up now. It wouldn't be fair to let Merlin wallow about it all night. He had to apologise. He had to make sure Merlin would be okay. "Merlin... Can you move over? The left side is mine, remember?" Arthur was an idiot.

Merlin mumbled something that sounded a bit like: "Deal with it!"

"Merlin, I don't want to kick you out. I'm saying this for YOUR sake, okay?" Arthur's hands were still shaking. Bickering felt safe and Arthur was a coward.

"Shut up and go to sleep. You can do ONE night on the wrong side of the bed!" Merlin refused to move. His voice was muffled by the blankets and he sounded either tired or angry. Arthur couldn't quite discern it.

"Merlin, I-" Arthur swallowed heavily. Bickering was not an option, then. "I'm sorry, I should have asked. It just... We were in front of people and-" Why was Arthur lying? Why couldn't he admit that he had looked into Merlin's eyes and just felt the urge to kiss him? That he hadn't questioned it because it just seemed right? Why couldn't he admit that he had lost himself in his desire? Because it was embarrassing and new and Arthur had never felt like this before. It was scary. It was as simple as that.

"I get it. It was a reasonable call. Now go to sleep, Arthur."

Arthur bit his lip. Was it though? "Are we okay, Merlin?" He desperately wanted to pull down the blanket from Merlin's face to properly see him. But he didn't want to take away something that probably gave Merlin comfort. "It seemed right in the moment but if you're disgusted with me now-"

Merlin pulled the blanket off himself to look at Arthur. "Disgusted? I'm bisexual, why on earth would I be disgusted with you?"

Arthur blinked at him. "Because this wasn't part of the deal. We agreed to pecks and public kisses when it was demanded as proof... Nothing of this was demanded. And you were drunk."

"Arthur, I AM drunk. And I'm pretty sure so are you. I'm not going to complain about making out with a hot guy to a Lady Gaga song. It's FINE. Let's talk about this tomorrow."

Arthur stared at him. 'Hot?' He flushed a little. "I... okay." He bit his lip. Merlin had just offered a good point. Which mean, Arthur had no choice but to resign to his fate and lay down as well. Merlin was right, they were both drunk and Merlin clearly wanted to sleep a night over this before he'd actually talk to Arthur. Hopefully.
And as Arthur buried his face in the pillow, he really hoped that it had all just been the alcohol.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sunday, 7:56 am, Merlin POV

There was something magical about the night. Dreams were the fables that you lived through and all your problems seemed to wash away. Of course that didn't count for people with insomnia, but Merlin thankfully didn't have nightmares often. He felt warm and comfortable in the soft pillows.

Merlin's arm hang just over the edge of the bed. He tried to shift a bit, only to notice that he was dangerously close to the edge. He opened his eyes. A light fell through the curtains, painting a stripe of colour on the bedsheets. Arthur hadn't been kidding, left was his side of the bed.

Except... Merlin hadn't been kicked out, just pushed to the edge of the mattress. Merlin held his breath, suddenly wide awake. Arthur was wrapped around Merlin. The grip was tighter than Merlin had anticipated. Even if he were to try to go closer to the edge, Arthur's grip tightened as if he was unconsciously aware of how close Merlin was to falling off the bed. Arthur's arms were twisted over Merlin's chest, his legs entangled with Merlin's. Merlin no longer felt warm, he felt hot.

What the actual hell was going on?
At that moment, the memories kicked in, of him and Arthur making out and then abruptly stopping themselves. Merlin blinked. Scratch that. What the FUCK was going on?

Arthur and him had never been close and now this? Arthur was meant to be straight and Merlin was meant to not be into him and yet, nothing felt more natural than flirting with him, of Arthur acting like he were his boyfriend, of them kissing and then going to sleep together. And worse... Merlin liked being hugged like this. Wasn't this just something that happened in fiction? Merlin wrangled one of his arms free and found Arthur inching even closer, breathing down his neck. The shiver it caused travelled all over Merlin's back.

"Hmm." Arthur hummed contently, his nose pressed into Merlin's neck.

"Arthur." Merlin didn't want to wake Arthur like this. He'd freak out for sure. But Merlin couldn't move. A part of him even wanted to linger in this position but he really, REALLY needed to get out of here. "Arthur."

"Mrln." Arthur murmured against Merlin's skin, lips brushing against it.

Merlin went stock still. "Arthur. Wake up before I kick you."

Arthur seemed to tense for a moment, then his face (and lips) disconnected from Merlin's neck. Merlin twisted his head around to look at him. Arthur blinked dopily at him. "Merlin?" Then, finally, he seemed to realise what he was doing, or who he was doing it to, because panic collected in his eyes as he scrambled backwards. "Shit, sorry."

"Didn't you say you kick people off the bed rather than cling to them like a koala?"

"That's... because I do!" Arthur voice was a tad bit too loud. He seemed confused and alarmed and a little like a puppy who had never been allowed to be on the bed in the first place. He was kneeling now, blankets twisted around him like they had been yesterday when he had somehow stumbled over them. "Merlin, I swear, this has never happened before, I'm so sorry-"

Arthur was apologising a lot, Merlin noticed. For kissing him, for hugging him.... It was almost too panicked, as if he was scared he had done something unforgivable. "Arthur, it's fine. I just need to pee." Merlin wondered if Arthur would have looked the same way had he actually kicked Merlin out of the bed. In fact, it almost sounded like he was sorry that he hadn't. Someone should make sense of that.

Arthur blinked again. "Oh."

"Yeah."

Merlin stood up, feeling slightly irritated as he made it to the bathroom. Why would Arthur react like that? Merlin was the one who had taken the kiss too far, and shit, hadn't Merlin called Arthur hot yesterday? Why was Arthur acting like he was afraid he was pushing too far? Merlin flushed the toilet and went to wash his hands. Was Arthur that scared Merlin would read it the wrong way? He gritted his teeth. This was so frustrating.

When Merlin felt ready enough, he went back to bed, noticing how Arthur was still sitting on the bed, back to the wall and staring at Merlin in shame. His eyes were still wide, and seriously, who taught him the puppy eyes? This was a crime!
Merlin stopped. "Arthur, are you okay?"

Arthur's eyes widened even more. "Me? I thought you were mad at me."

Merlin's shoulders dropped. God damn it, they needed to get over this awkwardness before they went down for breakfast. "Arthur, this may be the first time that you kissed a guy..." Merlin paused, thinking back on Arthur's insistence that he's kissed some of his friends before. "Well, with tongue anyway. But it's fine. I'm not mad at you. I'm more worried of how this will pan out on your reputation. The kitchen staff was filming us. And you being clingy isn't something to be mad about. You were sleeping. It's fine." It wasn't fine. Not really. But one of them had to be calm and right now, Arthur wasn't it.

Arthur visibly relaxed. "Oh god, I was sure I messed up really bad." He covered his eyes, clearly relieved.

Merlin blinked. "Arthur... your reputation?"

Arthur shook his covered face. "I don't care about that. It's not as important as our friendship."

Merlin felt floored. Huh, yeah, that checked out. Merlin had forgotten that Arthur was like that. Merlin hesitated, then he walked over to the nightstand where he'd put his phone and looked if there were any blogs talking about their kiss yet. There actually already where some. Merlin swallowed hard. Of course he had expected it, gossip travelled fast, especially gossip about rich people. ESPECIALLY about Arthur. But what he found was a bit excessive. "We're... in the News."

Arthur hesitated. "Us?"

"It's linked." Merlin nodded and waited as Arthur shifted closer to him before he read the article first.

'Arthur Pendragon has a new flame... Last night a video instantly went viral when Arthur Pendragon, son of Uther Pendragon, and vice CEO of Camelot scouts, makes out with his alleged boyfriend. According to.... '

Merlin skipped the rest. It was kind of predictable. Arthur seemed to be twitching nervously as they clicked on the video that had... 300 k views? Dude, the video had been out for only a couple of hours!

And then, Merlin saw the video. The angle was a bit off and you could hear the sound of the dishwasher and giggling in the background. Merlin's and Arthur's conversation was mostly cut off... but the way Arthur smiled, the way Merlin smirked at him playfully, the awkward dance moves and the laughter, they couldn't be more visible. And then, suddenly, something in Arthur's expression shifted in the video. It wasn't determination, which Merlin thought was a bit off. He seemed lost in the moment, somehow. His eyes were glazed over with an emotion Merlin couldn't place. A second later, he was kissing Merlin. It looked a little messy from the outside view, but so full of compassion and love. After they parted, Merlin's grin was as wide as it had ever been and Arthur? Arthur looked like Merlin was everything he could see. It was quite amazing that this was just an act, Merlin thought.

The maker of the video had written comments to each little shift in the atmosphere, circling them with hearts in the corners and words like: 'OMG, I know where this is headed.' With random fruit emojis that Merlin didn't interpret for the sake of his own sanity. And of course the caption of: 'didn't expect to encounter this at my job.' A time stamp showed when and where the video was made.

Merlin was a bit shocked to learn that ARTHUR had initiated the kiss. He'd been sure that it had been himself. Merlin felt Arthur tense behind him and decided to do something about it, even if it pained him to say it. "That looks kinda hot." It did. Unfortunately, it really did and the top comments seemed to agree. God damn it. Merlin would never live this down, but he had to make light of it, or else Arthur would realise how much this affected him.

Arthur seemed to startle at his words. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. Great acting too. You almost had even me fooled. Now no one is ever going to doubt us." Merlin's voice sounded much more impressed than the monotonous way it did in his head. He felt dead saying it.

Arthur relaxed again. "That's good."

"I'm honestly surprised you managed to look like we've done this a dozen times." Why couldn't Merlin just shut up? It had been enough, he was overdoing it now. "This doesn't look very straight." Now that was just presumptuous and mean.

Arthur tensed again. For some reason, he now seemed even more uncomfortable than before. "I'm... not straight."
Merlin froze.
"I mean, I'm not gay either. I just... I don't really know what I am, to be honest."

Merlin paused and turned to him in surprise. "No?"

"I ..." Arthur paused, seemingly deep in thought. "I've never... been into men?" It came out weirdly like a question. "And rarely ever into women. It feels like I'm neither straight nor gay, but also kind of both with a preference, but also not?" He looked down at his hands, like he was struggling to put it into words. Merlin shifted, determined to hear Arthur's explanation to the end. "Like... I have really high standards, I think?" Arthur's confusion seemed to grow even more. "But also like, I don't have standards at all, because I don't have a type and don't care what people look like or what their job is or certain personality traits? But I think it kind of changes when I have a really close bond to someone, then it's... somehow different." Arthur scratched his hair. "It's very confusing and contradicts itself all the time."

"That... uh, okay." Merlin blinked. "That's does sound confusing."

"I know." Arthur clung to his knees now, the discomfort written on his face. "I've been researching a lot but I can't really put a finger on it. I don't have a word for it... I mean, Leon said I may be demi, but I don't know if that's really it, you know? And I think that's okay. I'm trying to just... figure it out as I go. It doesn't really matter what I call myself when the relationship works, right? But it does make it harder to explain to people what I want. If that makes sense.."

Merlin nodded slowly. He really hadn't expected things to get this deep. But Arthur did look somewhat confused and shaken after the way they had woken up and after watching the video. Maybe the whole thing yesterday had just added another layer of confusion to Arthur's identity. Merlin wondered in what way the kiss had affected Arthur if he was so lost right now.

Almost on instinct, Merlin reached out to lace their hands together. Arthur looked up and their eyes locked. "You're dealing well with it then. I know that this is technically my lie and not yours but if there is anything that makes you uncomfortable, then you can tell me. You said you were going to BE my boyfriend for the weekend, so I'll be yours in return. I can respect your boundaries, you just have to be clear about them." Merlin was half expecting Arthur to say that they shouldn't kiss again. That Merlin shouldn't get drunk again.

But Arthur simply nodded with quiet relief, only meeting his eyes, as a grateful smile spread onto his face. It looked- and Merlin felt strange labelling it that way- like love. Or like he didn't think Merlin could do wrong at all.
Instantly, Merlin wanted to kiss him again. This time, however, he was sober and he knew that Arthur was in a vulnerable spot right now. Instead, he patted Arthur's head in the smae way that Arthur sometimes ruffled his own.

Instantly, Arthur shrank a bit, looking up very confused. "What are you doing?"

"You look like a kicked puppy. I'm comforting you."

Arthur blinked and relaxed. "This is kinda nice, actually." He closed his eyes and let Merlin continue. It was a bit weird, a bit intimate and a bit funny and perhaps exactly what they had needed.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Valiant's POV

The next morning was a disaster. It was almost 9 am and Valiant had already been up for a couple hours. While breakfast was being readied for his guests, he was anxiously anticipating their arrival. Normally, Valiant loved bringing everyone together for breakfast, but this morning he dreaded it.

This was really bad. Normally, Valiant would have loved to make fun of Merlin for ... literally anything. He'd even go out of his way to mock him, like he had with the plane, and would have with the bedrooms if it hadn't been for Mr. Pendragon. Merlin still annoyed him, was a constant thorn in his eye, but this? This could cost him his career. All of them, really. Valiant, Merlin and Arthur Pendragon as well.

But Valiant didn't have a choice. So he stood in the dining room and waited as slowly, his former classmates trailed in. Their original hesitance had slowly faded after the poker game and movie night and they now seemed much more content with what Valiant had to offer. Two serving girls flanked him, seemingly very uncomfortable.
And then, finally, as the last to arrive as always, Merlin and Arthur trailed in. They seemed rather content and soft with each other, all things considered. But who knows whether they had already seen the News.

Hesitantly, Valiant signed the two servants to follow him and came to a halt in front of Merlin and Arthur. "Emrys, Mr Pendragon." He took a deep breath. They both stood frozen in front of him, Merlin warily eyeing him confused.

"Is there something you want, Valiant?"

"In the name of my household and my serving staff, I must apologise. Last night, these two here filmed a very private moment of yours and uploaded it online. I am aware of the consequences this may have on the both of you and I had them delete the video as soon as I found out. I have to ask for your forgiveness." He lowered his head, pushed the girl's heads down as well and bit his lip as he hated every second of this.

As he looked up, he found both men to be very surprised. Arthur was the first to speak up. "Uh... It's okay, really. This doesn't need to... It's not a big deal."

"I didn't know you knew how to apologise." Said Merlin, and made Valiant's eye twitch in annoyance.

"Merlin, be nice." Arthur scolded him and smiled at Valiant. Valiant let out a relieved sigh. "Mr. Noire, we're not entirely innocent. We were both a bit drunk and messing around in your kitchen. And we both noticed that we were being filmed and didn't speak up."

"That is no excuse." Valiant insisted. "I pride myself and my staff with discretion! This video should never have been made in my house and of my guests. I will do anything to compensate for the inconvenience."

"Mr Noire-"

"I'm aware that you could lose your position because of this! This is no laughing matter and I would like to make sure that neither of you has to suffer because of this stupid mistake."

Arthur seemed to relax. "Thank you, really, Mr Noire. But if my father were to kick me out of the company, I will sue him for discrimination."
Valiant blinked up at the man, looking straight into the eyes of someone who was tired of obeying by the rules of someone else.
"My father may be homophobic, but thankfully, the bigger part of this world is not. I haven't been keeping my orientation secret because I'm ashamed, but because it's simply a private and -," he turned to Merlin, "-complicated matter. If my father wishes to disinherit me, so be it."

Valiant opened his mouth, then closed it. Then looked at Merlin who seemed proud, understandably so, but Valiant still shook his head. "I don't think you understand. This is about the principle! This video should not have been leaked, regardless of the circumstances of your standing. So, I ask once more for your forgiveness. And please let me know what I can do to right this wrong." He hesitated, then decided to keep the other factor out of the apology. With those words, he turned around, signing the serving girls to come along.

. . .

Valiant made his way back to the kitchen after that. After scolding the girls one last time, he let them off the hook. It had been an honest mistake after all. They were merely teenagers and everyone their age used TikTok as if it was the centre of the fucking universe.
He covered his face. This was bad. This was very bad. Even if Arthur Pendragon didn't seem to care... Valiant did. He cared a lot.
The entire morning, he didn't feel like he could eat, nor could he enjoy the feast. Of course this had to happen now of all times! This was all Merlin's fault. If it hadn't been for Merlin, then Arthur Pendragon would not have angered his father. If Arthur hadn't angered his father, on Valiant's property no less, then Valiant wouldn't be in this mess right now.

The call during breakfast didn't come out of nowhere, but it did come far sooner than Valiant had hoped it would.

"Hello, this is Valiant Noire, CEO of Noire fashion, how can I help?" He already knew who was on the other end, but Valiant didn't know how else to answer the phone. His personnel was hurrying around him, the man who had handed him the phone was shifting nervously, unsure whether to leave or stay for moral support.

"Hello Mr. Noire, this is Uther Pendragon of Pendragon scouts. I have been informed that my son is currently residing within your care. I have been informed of him behaving indecently in a video on... TicTac?."

"TikTok." Valiant wasn't sure how to feel. He was shaking. "I am aware, Sir. I have already taken first measures to have the video erased. I-"

"Do you support this kind of behaviour, Mr. Noire?"

Valiant laughed nervously. "Sir, I wasn't aware I was your son's caretaker. I can hardly control what he does-"

"The other man on the video is his boyfriend, is he not? You should not have let him into your house and send him away as soon as you were able."

Valiant swallowed. "Mr Pendragon, Sir, I MUST remind you that Arthur Pendragon is your only son! I could hardly refuse him entry, just because he's dating someone you don't approve of -"

"I took you under contract after the great failures of your parents because I had faith that you value tradition, Mr. Noire. That you had a spine! If I had known my son was of such nature, I would not have let him take charge of my company. Be assured, I will not let this stand. And neither should you. I will contact your secretary for a next meeting. There we can talk about whether or not we should continue our partnership."

Valiant was shaking as his grip tightened on his phone. "Mr Pendragon -"

"Good day, Mr. Noire." The beeping sound of the phone echoed in Valiant's ear for a long time. He was still sweating and shaking. This was the end of this business, wasn't it? It didn't quite register within him yet. He felt that if he put down the phone, the consequences were final.

And suddenly, when it really hit him, nothing made sense anymore. How was this his life? How was THIS what would ruin his future? Why was it ALWAYS Merlin Emrys? Always smarter, always more popular, always more loved, even though he was an only child with a single mother while Valiant had two parents who absolutely HATED him? Why did Merlin get the girls, the uni he wanted, friends who wouldn't betray him, rich ones to boot? How much luck could one person have?
Why was it Merlin who managed to work his way up from the bottom without anyone who would cut him off at a wrong move? In what universe did he live in that Merlin Emrys even pulled ARTHUR PENDRAGON? And then managed to make him lose his job and his father and Arthur didn't even care? Why was it VALIANT who bore the consequences? Why was it VALIANT who was made responsible?

This couldn't be right! Something had to be wrong about this! This wasn't FAIR! He would expose him. Expose the fraud that he was and if it was the last thing Valiant did! He hung up the phone with a crashing sound. Fuming, he stormed out of the room. He had some research to do.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Arthur's POV:

Sometime shortly after breakfast, Arthur received a call. The caller was no one other than Uther Pendragon. Arthur's heart sank. His father must have seen the News.
Arthur's stomach twisted with anxiety and for a moment he wondered what he would say, what he SHOULD say. His father would disinherit him. His father wouldn't shout, he'd be absolutely disappointed, maybe angry, maybe something worse. Arthur would lose his job, Arthur would lose his father. He swallowed hard, and for that brief moment he was convinced he'd take the call.
Until the weight of a hand settled on his shoulder and Arthur looked into the concerned expression of Merlin Emrys.

"What's wrong?"

And then, Arthur wondered. What he would do if Merlin actually were his boyfriend. If Arthur were so lucky to be in love with Merlin, he'd move heaven and hell to be by his side. Uther Pendragon be damned. It was such a simple thing but it was incredibly calming. To know he had people in his mind who were much more important to him than his father. The anxiety left Arthur as that glance alone assured him that this conversation wouldn't be worth it. Arthur should be able to live his life how he wanted it to, with people he cared about. He didn't HAVE to explain himself to his father. He didn't have to justify who he was with and it shouldn't affect his career. Merlin gave him strength. "It's nothing." Arthur absently pressed the 'decline' button and his phone went silent.

"Who was that?"

"My father."

Merlin's eyes bored into Arthur's. "Do you think he saw?"

Arthur shrugged with a soft smiled. "Why else would he call?"

Merlin's eyes searched his face for another moment. "This... it doesn't mean that you'll lose your job for real, will it? You SAID you'd sue him, but are you sure?"

Arthur nodded. "I... always kind of knew that I'd disappoint him one day. Not that I haven't before... Just to a point where I can't fix it. I have a plan B. I made sure I have some money saved. After all, I DID work for him, he can't exactly take that money back. Plus, I own part of the company, it will be difficult for him to get rid of me. It was my fail save, in case hiring Gwaine would backfire. I..." Arthur stopped as he saw Merlin's concern grow worse. Arthur grabbed his hand warm hand. "Don't blame yourself, this was my doing. I kissed YOU. I'm the one who LET them film us and I don't regret it, alright?!"

Merlin blinked in obvious surprise. "You don't?"

Arthur flushed and his shoulders tensed. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. Then, he simply shook his head. He couldn't exactly say that he'd do it again in a heartbeat now, could he? "I suppose, I'm kind of relieved. If I'm done disappointing him, I don't have to fight against it anymore. I can just... be myself."

"Oh. Yeah... That sounds ... good." Merlin's eyes travelled to their interlocked hands. Arthur reflexively let go.
"You..." Merlin smiled in a way that looked almost wistful. "You make it all look so easy but it must be so difficult. Knowing you can't ever do right by your father... Working at the company, working as an actor and everything... and then the thing with me..."

Arthur frowned. "What do you mean? The thing with you?"

Merlin shrugged. "Isn't it difficult?" He looked around, checking if someone was listening. "Pretending to liking me, especially when you're not even sure of what you're really into? I've had several partners who kept telling me I was difficult to handle. Or left me because it was too much of a hassle to stick around. I can't imagine how difficult it must be-"

"I wish I was in love with you." It took a moment for Arthur to register what he'd just said. And when he did, his heart started racing wildly. Only Merlin's widened eyes told him that he'd actually just said that out loud. Arthur bit his lip. He knew he had to explain, but it was so embarrassing. "I wish I was... because you're so easy to love. I've never truly felt at home with my friends before you came around. You make them happier, you make me happier. You've come to be a home to us, the person we all turn to for anything. You have great humour and you're easy to talk to. All of us want you around and we'd follow you around the earth if we had to, I'm sure. That your partner's didn't appreciate you isn't your fault, it's their loss. You will make someone really happy one day, I know you will."
The Merlin in front of Arthur was a version that Arthur had never seen before. Merlin was a frozen statue, unable to retort or comment on what Arthur had just said. His mouth slightly agape, and a complicated expression in his eyes like he wanted to ask or say something. Arthur wasn't sure whether he was ready to hear it though, so he awkwardly laughed it off. "Have you tried the sausages? They were awful."

Somehow, that did distract Merlin enough to turn the awkward silence somewhat amicable again.

. . .

Merlin felt off after that conversation. He let Arthur distract him but... Arthur's words echoed in his mind, bothering him all morning. Every time his mind brought it up, his heart nearly exploded. Who in their right mind told someone 'I wish I was in love with you.' WHO said that?! What the actual FUCK did that even mean?
And Arthur sounded so wistful and sad too. Like he really, REALLY meant it. Like it was more difficult for him to handle that he wasn't in love with Merlin than it was to pretend to be with him. How on earth did Arthur sound more sad about not being able to like Merlin than any of Merlin's exes had during their break up? And the worst part was, Merlin didn't know what to do with that information.
Because Merlin's heart squeezed at the idea of being with Arthur for real. Merlin wanted it. He wanted the heated glances, the sloppy kisses, the lazy afternoons and the movie nights. It sucked to figure that out after Arthur already kissed and then rejected him. But it was just that simple. Arthur was attentive, he was kind, he was respectful and he cared so, so much.

It should mean something, Merlin thought. The public kiss despite Arthur's usual reluctance to do so, the fact that Arthur cared more about their friendship than his disinheritance, the fact that Arthur WANTED to be in love with him. But the way Arthur phrased it didn't make sense. If he thought loving Merlin was so easy, why didn't Arthur straight up ask him out? What the hell was Merlin supposed to take from that?

Merlin wasn't even demanding. He knew what boundaries were. If Arthur's orientation made it hard for him to get in the mood... sure, then they wouldn't do it. If Arthur didn't feel romantic towards him then why didn't he just say so? If he felt neither for him, then why did it bother Arthur at all? Merlin didn't even know why... but he'd take Arthur exactly as he was, with everything that included... or excluded. Because these few days... Merlin had felt more whole than he had in years. He felt like he belonged and he didn't like the idea of going back to before. Merlin closed his eyes for a moment, thinking of how much he had started to like Arthur. It was overwhelming and distracting and he couldn't help but ache for the idea of THEM.

It was also painful to think about it, knowing it couldn't be. It was even more painful looking at Arthur and not knowing WHY it couldn't be. Merlin felt the need to ask... but how to bring it up?

Merlin was so occupied by those thoughts that he didn't notice the fact that Valiant was absent almost all day.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sunday, 7:52 pm

The entire day had been filled with anticipation. While the morning and afternoon had been left relatively empty for the weekend plan, the guests were free to explore the mansion on their own. Everything Valiant had introduced to them was free to use and examine, the fields around the mansion easy to orient yourself in. Whoever wanted could ride out with some of the personnel to guide them through the unknown Canadian terrain. The next plan in program was the promised Escape room that evening.

Merlin knew that something big was about to happen, because Valiant had promised them one thing... Or at least those were the rumours... that he'd include personal anecdotes about each person in their round. Technically, that was just how Valiant was as a person, always gathering information about people and then subtly, or unsubtly spreading them all over the program.

For most people, these games were fun. In an Escape room, Merlin could imagine that some of their names might become the key to a treasure chest, which could be jokes on people who's names had always been misspelled in class. One of their classmates had turned to study archeology, so Valiant could leave around little glyphs to be deciphered, and other stuff like that.

"If he'd going to point out any of my embarrassing stories or make fun of me, it will most likely be during this game," Merlin explained to Arthur as they were waiting in the entrance hall to be called for their room. Arthur, Merlin, Will and Penelope had decided to enter the Escape room together and signed up for it that very morning during breakfast.

Arthur nodded hesitantly. "He hasn't really done MUCH these past few days. Are you sure he will do it now?"

"I'm not sure but it's likely." Merlin leaned in to whisper. "Or if he found out we're fake."

Arthur quickly whispered back. "I've seen you puke in Morgana's car and watched you steal a street sign that said 'Cumbridge road' because you thought Gwaine would find it funny. If he can top any of that, I'd be impressed."
Merlin snorted.
Arthur shook his head. "Wouldn't it be far more evil if he made it public? If it's just the five of us in that room, it's not really going to ruin your reputation, is it?"

"The point of it isn't to humiliate me in front of other people..." Merlin sobered up quickly. "The point is to show me how much better HE is doing than me. If he can prove to me that I'm not doing as well as him, then that's enough for him to rub under my nose. In fact, if he does it in private, he can confirm his suspicions before he exposes me to other people." He paused. "I'm not saying it IS going to happen... I'm just cautious. Exposing me gives him control. I just don't know what he's going to expose."

"Of course." Arthur smiled warmly at him. It caused electric waves to run down Merlin's neck. Gosh, how on earth was he supposed to go back to being friends? Merlin let out a shuddering breath and ignored the way Arthur grabbed his hand to hold it. His hand was so warm. Arthur was warm. His presence, his smile, his everything.

After this weekend was over, Merlin swallowed, he'd have to confess. His heart wanted to explode just thinking about it. But he just HAD to confront Arthur's feelings. Just not now. Not when they were in the middle of a pretence. Merlin didn't want to risk making Arthur uncomfortable while he was stuck with him. But gosh, he needed to know if there could be something between them. Because, as shocking as it was, it wasn't completely hopeless. Because Arthur may not be gay, but he wasn't straight either and he did say it was POSSIBLE for him to like someone. And if Merlin wasn't completely misreading the situation... then maybe... There was a lot of stuff that didn't make sense, but maybe it would in hindsight. IF, only IF Arthur maybe sorta liked him somehow.

"Mr. Arthur Pendragon, Merlin Emrys, William Clawthorne and Lady Penelope Noire, your room is ready." The woman who invited them sounded chipper and enthusiastic as she called the four of them out for their game. Merlin could only assume that preparing Escape rooms must be a fantastic job.
Sweating bullets, Merlin let go of Arthur's hand and wiped it on his trousers. Then, he followed his chattering friends. He really, really hoped he wouldn't regret this.

Their room had been prepared in the basement. Here, the walls were less rustical and far less expensive decoration roamed the corridors. There were no paintings, only blank white tapestries that eerily reminded Merlin of the night shift at the hospital. Except, these halls weren't even accentuated with flowers or inviting colours.

"You're lucky, Mr. Noire himself is going to guide you through the game." The woman said, sounding almost jealous.

Merlin's stomach dropped. Okay, this confirmed it. Valiant definitely had something planned. Taking a deep breath, he let himself and his three friends be locked into an empty room. It was dark inside as they heard the woman twist the key for the room.
Merlin really hoped that whatever Valiant had planned didn't involve letting them starve to death inside a locked room. Then he was reminded that Valian's wife was with them and chatting away excitedly with Will.

Finally, they heard his voice coming through speakers that must have been hidden in the corners of the room or something. "Hello and welcome to our little Escape room. Don't worry, I can hear and see you through cameras and microphones and I'm here to guide all of you through this room. Should you encounter any problems, you can ask for help or demand for the session to be stopped. Once I switch on the light, you will be tasked to solve riddles all over the room. I will introduce the story to you in a second. So, be patient.
First of all, you can move all the objects in the room. Do not dismantle any electric objects or cut cables. They are not part of the game. Every riddle is on eye level or below, so you won't have to climb onto anything. Any questions?"

Merlin wanted to shake his head but even cameras wouldn't be able to see it when it was this dark. "No." From somewhere to his right, Will disagreed. "Why is it dark in here?"

"To not spoil the story."

After that, it was silent for a second, until Penelope said: "We're fine, hun. We can begin."

"Alright." The speaker crackled a bit when Valiant must have pressed a button to play a prerecorded audio.

"In 2024, in a small village near Avalon Creek, the police found the body of a woman. Except for a deep, precise cut on her abdomen, there was little the police could find out about her. Neither her name, nor her family could be identified. The cut let's assume that the murder was done with a sharp tool by a medical expert. The woman had probably been alive for a while, unaware of her own condition. The police could find drugs within her system.
Because of the circumstances, the most likely suspect for her murder is assumed to work at the St. Avalon hospital only a couple of Kilometers away from the crime scene.
You four are a group of investigators who were told to go undercover at the hospital before any of the staff can be informed of the police's findings. You already found out that the information you seek is most likely contained within the ICU of the hospital. It is now your job to find the name of the murdered woman, the murder weapon and the name of the doctor who murdered her. As well as his motivation for doing so. You have one hour until the room will be cleaned."

With that, the recording ended. Arthur leaned over to Merlin. "That's not very accurate of either police work nor hospital work, is it?"

Merlin whispered back. "It's a game. It doesn't HAVE to make sense."

During Merlin's words, the light in the room was switched on into soaring LED lights. For a moment, it was rather blinding. In the background they could hear a soft melody running. Before them was what Merlin could only call an inspired version of a hospital room. The blank walls did their part in making it all look rather creepy and horror-movie-esc. A silver table stood in the centre of the room. A couple white cloaks had been hung from the door (which Merlin cringed at, that was unhygienic). Packaged of plastic gloves and medical equipment had been placed on a tablet on one of the tables in the room, a giant locker stood at one side of the room, looking like you needed to find a key to open it and so on.
Merlin could tell that this place was designed on a whim by non professionals. But it was well made regardless.

Will clapped his hands. "Well then, let's investigate!" Without another word, they all scattered to explore the room.

Merlin, not wanting to feel like an idiot, first went to check the cloaks at the door. The cloaks didn't have too many pockets, which Merlin was grateful for. It were three cloaks in total and each of them had a name tag. "Dr. Steven Crown... Dr. Glen Wood... Dr." Merlin halted at the final cloak, staring at the familiar name tag. "Dr. Merlin Emrys." He bit his lip and took off the name tag. This was definitely not a coincidence. But no matter how Merlin twisted and twirled the idea in his head, he couldn't for the life of him guess what this fake case would reveal about himself.

He shook his head and put the name tag apart. Who knew? Maybe there was something inside. And look and behold, out fell a key. "I've got something!" He told the other's and immediately went to check if the key worked for the locker. Arthur was already on it, investigating all the notes that had been pinned with magnets to metal door.
Merlin didn't need long to find out that the key wouldn't fit, however. The lock on the metal shelf was encoded by a four digit code lock. "It's not for the locker then," he told Arthur.

Arthur looked at him. "There are letters on this thing signed by you."

Merlin nodded. "This was inside a name tag with my name on it. That's not my handwriting though, what's on it?"

Arthur shrugged. "It's encrypted. I suppose it's one of the riddles we'll have to solve. Or... maybe it's the code for the lock."

Merlin nodded and sighed before he spoke out loud. "If there is something you want to tell me, Valiant, why not just say it?"

Valiant's voice crackled in. "I don't know what you mean. I just thought it would be fun to include your names within this game. Merlin's isn't the only one I used."

Merlin and Arthur exchanged a glance. That was ominous and Merlin didn't like this one bit.

The game went on like this for a while. Step by step they figured out what the riddles were, found some of the clues, and eventually had to admit that for a self made escape room, this was well done. It was when Will managed to rearrange a giant jigsaw puzzle in the room into a picture of Penelope, that something clicked and the code to the locker was exposed in her irises.

"I got it!" He said and immediately went to open it.

Merlin watched as Will emptied the locker under small teasings at Penelope's expense who had gone read when they now had a giant portrait of her watching them. It was weirdly sweet for all the creepy vibes this was giving Merlin. Inside the locker were a bunch of files. Merlin stepped closer to read the names on the files, wondering what information or riddle they'd be facing next.

Then, he froze.

Will's voice almost drowned out for him. Will was already trying to connect what informations of the files could be used for which open riddle. He seemed to assume that one of these files was the victim, or maybe the culprit, but Merlin balled his fist at his side and yelled at the camera, no longer caring about the game. "What the actual FUCK, Valiant! You can't just give out patient names! These are confidential! How the hell did you even get them!"

Everyone's eyes snapped up to him, eyes wide. Penelope was the first to speak. "Val? What is he talking about?"

Arthur seemed confused, however. He hadn't yet looked at the files and Merlin wondered if this was the moment where he'd have to hide the files from everyone. Wasn't this kind of his duty as a doctor? "Do you remember all your patient's names?"

Merlin bit his lip, about to answer, when Valiant's voice cut in. "I have no idea what you mean. All these cases are made up. Although, if there is something you would like to share with the class-"

Merlin held up the file, directly into the camera. "Ygraine de Bois was the patient that got me my promotion and you damn well KNOW this! If there is SOMETHING you wish to tell me, Valiant, say it to my fucking face!"
Then, suddenly, a horrifying thought came to Merlin's mind. "Don't tell me..." Merlin turned around, looking into the file, then the others, trying to find out if Valiant had put some info inside. None of the dates or medicinal notes made any sense, but that was to be expected. Merlin bit his tongue so hard he could taste blood. "Valiant-" Merlin was shaking now. "Valiant, is she DEAD?" Merlin stared at the camera, unsure what to think, what to say. Was this what Valiant had planned? Had he set up this whole Escape room just to show him that after all this time, the woman he'd thought he'd saved, the woman who's recovery had founded the life he lead today, had had complications and died? Maybe because of him? Was this it? He was so focused on the whole thing, he didn't notice Arthur flinch next to him.

"What are you talking about?" Valiant's voice was quiet but more than thrown off. "She's not dead. Why the hell would you think that?"

Merlin didn't know what to think, what to do. "Really, then WHY would you put her on this fucking file!"

The room was quiet, except for the silent music in the background. No one in the room seemed to know what to do.

"Because-" Valiant paused and for some reason, he sounded beyond confused. "Are you telling me you have no idea who she is?"

Now, Merlin was more than irritated. "WHY is she on these files!"

"BECAUSE!" Valiant's usual calm voice suddenly rang loud and angry in his head. "BECAUSE you're a fraud is who you are! You like to tell everyone that you've worked yourself up from nothing -"

"Which I HAVE!" Merlin's hands clenched at his side.

"No, you have NOT!"

Before Merlin could answer, Penelope stepped between Merlin and the camera. "Val, what the hell is going on? I told you to leave him alone! You're behaving like a child-"

"A child doesn't lose his entire company because some random FUCK decides to sleep with the son of your business partner!"

Merlin froze. "What?"

"Valiant?" Penelope sounded as lost as Merlin felt.

"You came here, to MY HOUSE, sprouting all this nonsense of how well you've been doing and how you built up your life from NOTHING when ALL OF THAT is a LIE! The only reason you won that trial is because Leon Knight stepped in as your lawyer. And oh what a coincidence that he's only Arthur Pendragon's lawyer and friend, am I right?"

"Yes, that was a coincidence, Leon makes charity cases all the time -," Merlin tried, but Valiant wasn't done.

"Oh yes, what a wonderful coincidence. Just like it's a coincidence that basically a month after you became a surgeon, you got a huge sum of money for your promotion-"

"What the hell does that have to do with anything? I saved her life! Her family was happy with my work-"

"Yeah, I WONDER why." Valiant was downright PISSED. "What does that have to do with it? Oh, only that the money came from the bank-account of a certain... what's his name? ARTHUR PENDRAGON."

Merlin stilled, the words not making sense at first. Slowly, very slowly, he turned to Arthur. Arthur's face was twisted into something downright painful. He was clenching his hands by his side, his jaw set as if he was trying to keep himself from screaming. "Arthur... this can't be true. He's lying." 'Tell me he's lying.'

"Oh as if you don't know." Valiant had lost all lingering mercy and empathy for him. "This is why you're dating him, isn't it? All you had to do was wrap him around your little finger. Guilt trip him into buying you everything you want. That's the true reason you were homeless, wasn't it? Make me look like shit in front of the entire class for calling you out on your bullshit, while you sweet talked yourself into Arthur Pendragon's heart. Your job, your friendships, everything was built up due to his influence! And while you were at it, you could just waltz in here, embarrass me in front of Arthur Pendragon himself, make him hate me from the get go and let yourself be filmed making out with him, so that HIS father gets wind of it, and your revenge is complete. I'm losing my most valuable business partner because of your whoring around and after this, you can throw Arthur Pendragon in the dust because he's about to lose everything as well. And all you had to do was do your fucking JOB and save his mother's life."

It didn't make sense. Merlin stared at nothing, he felt deaf, really. Arthur hadn't even said anything yet, he just stood there, frozen and even more in shock than Merlin was. Merlin stared at him. "She's your mother?!" Merlin stared at Arthur, and suddenly Valiant was forgotten.

Arthur's expression twitched. "Merlin, I can explain-"

"All this TIME..." Merlin stepped backwards, the file fell from his hand. "All this time she was your mother and you never said anything!"

"Merlin-"

"YOU'RE the reason I was promoted?!" Merlin was trying to connect the information from Valiant's bullshit accusation. There was... so much. "Is it true... YOU were the one who called Leon to defend me?"

Arthur walked forward slowly, hand reaching out before he thought better on it and pulled back. "Merlin... You were out cold on my couch with a fever, you were beat up by someone and I didn't know what had happened. And you just disappeared, so I called Lancelot to keep an eye out for you. That was ALL. Then he told me about your case -"

"You KNEW?!" Merlin's eyes widened. "This entire time, you KNEW about my case!" Merlin pulled at his hair. "And you're the reason I even got out of there! You PAID Leon for my defence!"

"Yes, I did, but -"

"Why the HELL would you do that?!" Merlin was breathing hard. "All these years I didn't even think we were friends and you're the reason I have a job, I have friends, I have a LIFE!" Merlin couldn't express how much his heart burned at that moment. It hurt so deeply, it felt like it would turn to ash. "What, is this some sick twisted kink of yours?"

"Merlin, would you just listen-!' Arthur was in pain.

"You said I don't owe you anything, but I do, don't I? I owe you EVERYTHING I have!" And then, Merlin stilled as a thought crossed his mind and finally, everything clicked. Merlin stilled, eyes drooping with barely concealed rage. "You're doing this to piss off your father, aren't you."

"What?" Arthur looked downright massacred in that moment. "NO! Merlin, that doesn't even make sense -"

"Is that why you came with me? Why you agreed to be my fake boyfriend? Because you wanted to ruin one of Uther's business relations? Is that it?"

At that, the atmosphere changed. Valiant's voice filtered in in surprise. "FAKE boyfriend?" Penelope covered her mouth for likely the same reason.

Merlin didn't care. He didn't understand this. It didn't make sense. None of it made sense. A thousand thoughts filled his mind. Arthur grabbed his own hair and pulled at it. "Merlin, I came here because I wanted to help you out! Because you're my friend-"

"I thought Morgana blackmailed you." Merlin needed to hear it, because this was the part that didn't fit. Merlin was shaking. Arthur was only here because Morgana had something on him. He HAD to be.
Because Merlin he hoped it was true. He hoped Arthur HAD been blackmailed, because then none of the rest would make sense. Then Arthur wasn't this evil mastermind who had wanted to anger his dad and had planned all of this. Arthur had said it, right? That he had a save file for whenever Uther would be completely disappointed with him. All of this was just a convenient part for such a scheme. Yet, Merlin somehow knew that this wasn't what Arthur would say.

"Morgana didn't blackmail me! She simply asked and I volunteered because I care about you!"

Merlin's heart broke. "So, it really was all part of your plan, huh?"

"What?" Arthur's face twisted into something frustrated. "Merlin, NO. I came here to help you and it was that only-"

"REALLY!" Merlin was now finally shouting. "So, you gave me the 100 bucks out of the goodness of your heart, you let me stay at your house, you helped me with my trial, you paid for my promotion, because WHAT? This isn't something people do for strangers, Arthur! This isn't even something you'd expect from FRIENDS. All this time, I knew I owed you, but I never knew how MUCH I owed you! And the one time I do something that could actually repay for SOME of the things I owe you... you never even mention?" Merlin had walked forward now and he kept pushing his pointer finger into Arthur's ribs so he'd walk backwards against the nearest wall.
Merlin had never been so angry before.

"Merlin, for the love of god, let me EXPLAIN! I didn't- I..." Arthur seemed at a loss for words.

Merlin growled at him. "Then fucking explain!"

Arthur struggled to get out any words. His eyes drifted everywhere, from Merlin to Penelope to even Will, but he couldn't seem to find what he was looking for. Eventually, with shaking hands, he pulled out his wallet. Merlin blinked and watched as Arthur fumbled with it. It looked like he was trying to reach for money and for that moment, Merlin was blind with rage. The mere idea that Arthur was going to bribe him had him fuming hot. But the laminated piece of worn paper that fell into his hand was neither money nor a photograph. In fact, it looked awfully familiar.
'Free delivery.'

The rage flared up and then... Merlin suddenly felt absolutely numb staring at it. In a dangerously quiet voice, Merlin spoke up. He knew what it was. It had been a joke, once. But that joke wasn't funny right now. Why the hell was Arthur showing him this? "What the hell am I supposed to do with this garbage."

Arthur's eyes widened and for the first time Merlin had met him, Arthur looked downright crushed.
The sight nearly startled Merlin out of his rage, as he could see something break inside Arthur's eyes.
Almost in a free fall, tears spilled from his eyes as though he had just bared his entire soul and Merlin had violently stepped on it. Merlin didn't know how to make sense of this either, but before he knew it, Arthur pushed past him and walked towards the door to where they had come from. He tried to push the door open, only to be reminded that the door was locked. He hammered against it, shouted in a broken voice: 'OPEN THIS DAMN DOOR, DAMN IT!' Then, a fumble with keys, the face of the confused girl from before, and moments later, he was gone.

Merlin stood there, staring at the door, feeling like someone had ripped his heart out as he clenched the paper in his hand until it nearly cut his hand.

The silence was heavy until finally, Valiant disturbed it. "What the hell just happened?!"

"Exactly what you wanted, Valiant. I hope you're happy." That was Will and gosh, he sounded even more pissed. His tone didn't even change when he turned to Merlin. "And YOU! What the FUCK was that! Since when have you been so full of pride that you can't even appreciate it when someone is trying to help you?!"

"Shut up, Will." Merlin grumbled.

Now, he had pissed Will off, because a vein on his neck pulsed. "Nope, you don't get to say that!" Will pushed Merlin backwards until he was pushed against the same wall that Arthur had just braced himself against. "I'm not having this with you, right now. I've been watching this guy fawn over you ever since you arrived and made sure he wasn't here to mess with you. And he wasn't messing with you. If anything, I think it was the other way around. YOU'RE the one who asked him to play this STUPID charade for you STUPID pride and your STUPID revenge! Arthur Pendragon may be rich and entitled and proud, but he didn't deserve what you just did."

Merlin scowled at him. "I didn't do anything!"

"You did." That was not William who said that. That was Penelope. The silent calm with which she said it made her sound dangerous. She looked like someone who had just been thrown off a cliff. "You have no idea what you just did. What that ticket means to him."

Merlin squinted. Why was everyone suddenly angry with HIM? He wasn't the one who had kept such a big secret from someone. "What it means to him? It's just paper! It's a STUPID JOKE I made years ago-"

Penelope slowly walked over to him, and then, promptly, slapped Merlin across his face. Her eyes were wet and Merlin could only stare at her in shock and stinging pain. "It's THE joke you made when you first met!" Penelope was heaving and shaking. "It was the joke that made him stand up to his father. It was the joke you made after you finally got back on your feet, after you left and made him think you would die on the street. It's the promise you fulfilled when you saved his mother's life!" She was breathing hard now and looked like she was about to punch him again. "He's kept that thing around for years to get him through his insecurities when his father still dismissed him. Every single time he was sad, this STUPID JOKE cheered him up!" A single angry tear spilled, while Merlin's eyes widened. "He TOLD me he was terrified to give it back to you, even though he thought he should. Because he thought if he did, he no longer had a right to be part of your life!"

Merlin stared at her, face still stinging, mouth slightly agape. "He just told you that for our story." His own words cut deep into his own flesh. Yet, it was easier than processing what she'd just said.

Another tear spilled from her eyes, the anger even worse than before. "Really." Her voice was deep and broken. "That's what you want to go with."

At that moment, Valiant stormed into the room, looking panicked and confused and like this had not at all gone as planned. Before either Merlin or Penelope could do it, Will had already stormed towards him and punched him in his stupid square face. Valiant stumbled backwards and hit the wall with his back. They could hear a crack and a whine as Valiant held his hand to a bleeding nose.

"Is this FUN to you!" William shouted at him. "Putting people on display, locking them in rooms so they can't escape the humiliation? And then laying out hints of what you THINK they are going through?"

Valiant barked: "They are costing me my business-"

"Well then Uther Pendragon fucking SUCKS!" William was done. "Every fucking time we talk to you, all you do is make yourself look bigger and better than everyone else! You think I didn't KNOW your company was bankrupt last time you organised this mess? Do you think I couldn't have pointed my finger at you and humiliated you too? Do you think you impress ANYONE with this big mansion and your table manners and movie nights and horses and what not? You're RICH, congratulations! You built your business up by yourself? Awesome. And then what? Where is that wonderful personality that your wife married you for? Because all I see when I look at you is money. And that is all you're good for. Have you ever thought that the reason why you disappointed your parents is because of how obsessed you are with your own image? I'm sure they would have loved to have a compassionate child, one with true ambitions and hopes for the -"

With a scream, Valiant jumped to his feet and his fist collided with Will's jaw. Stumbling backwards, Will grabbed himself one of the files and threw them at Valiant. It turned into a downright brawl. Although Will was the only one of them who had ever truly participated in fights, and thus, Valiant received far more than he lashed out.

The fight escalated to a point, where Penelope tried to step in, while Merlin stood frozen against the wall, heart beating violently against his chest. Eventually, some serving girls tried to step in. An idiot serving boy tried to side with Valiant and received a concussion for his attempts. In all the chaos, no one ran after Arthur, and as everything took hours to resolve, Arthur had already caught his flight home.

Chapter Text

Arthur was gone. He hadn't left a note but his things were packed and a serving girl had told Merlin that Arthur had run off with his stuff without a word. Merlin didn't know what to think, or what to feel. He knew what he had done. And he knew he was wrong, but the stubborn part of himself refused to run after him. He even refused to connect the dots. He refused to acknowledge that after everything that's happened, Arthur's feelings were more than clear. The broken look in Arthur's eyes haunted him. And Merlin didn't deserve the meaning behind it, no matter how much his heart longed to believe it.

The worst part was, his anger had faded and Merlin was faced with exactly how unsensical his initial conclusion was. The way Arthur had behaved didn't speak of revenge. Arthur hadn't even taken Uther's call. Arthur had simply turned away from Uther. What about that was evil? The anger was now replaced by guilt and shame.
Merlin had been the one to ask Arthur for the whole charade. MERLIN had been the one who let it escalate to this point. Everything Will had accused Valiant of doing... hadn't Merlin done the same thing? Hadn't he been the one playing with Arthur's feelings? He hadn't even acknowledged their friendship before this weekend. Hadn't ever thanked Arthur for helping him and then he'd gone and lashed out at Arthur for doing the same? No wonder Arthur hadn't confided in him, Merlin was an arsehole.

Merlin's heart ached and burned, so he did the only thing he could think of doing besides calling Arthur. Because Arthur was on a plane and therefore would have his phone off, the idiot. Merlin closed his eyes.
'What am I supposed to do with this garbage?' Merlin still had the ticket. It rested in his hand, and thought by thought, Merlin could feel the weight of the ticket increasing. Arthur had kept this for years. Arthur had carried around like a promise and a treasure. And Merlin had called it garbage. "Who's the trash now?" Merlin mumbled to himself.

The phone rang for a couple seconds before a tired sounding Morgana picked up. "Merlin? The hell are you waking me up for? I'm on vacation, remember?"

Merlin bit his lip. "I messed up." His voice broke with his emotions.

Morgana was silent for a second before she seemed to shift wherever she was. "YOU messed up? Not Arthur? Now that I gotta hear. Does Valiant know about the-"

"I don't care about that right now. I-" Merlin interrupted himself. He hadn't thought he was still capable of cracking his voice but that had just happened. "Fuck, Morgana, I think I really hurt him."

Morgana seemed to wait for him to finish, before her voice dropped to a rare gentleness. "I doubt that you did. Arthur isn't easily hurt. Where is he now?"

"He caught an early flight home."

"Oh." Morgana sounded more than shocked. "What the heck? What on earth did you do to make him run away? That man didn't even run when Uther threatened to disinherit him for giving Gwaine a job!"

That... stung. "I honestly don't really know." Merlin swallowed. He did, but he couldn't really fathom it. He refused to accept it. Because the people who told him about Arthur's feelings were people whom they had fooled. "What do you know about the ticket in his wallet?"

Morgana's voice now turned cold and almost threatening. "What did you do to it?!" It resonated with her. Morgana KNEW.

"I called it garbage." Merlin wondered how much Morgana knew. What he took from her reaction was that she had definitely kew it was important to Arthur. Which meant that Penelope hadn't been kidding. This hadn't just been something Arthur said, even MORGANA was aware of it.

"That's all?" Morgana sounded confused. "You didn't like... steal it, or drop water on it?"

"That's all." Merlin felt somewhat relieved, although there was a hint of disappointment there. "I mean, I may have grabbed it rather tight when he gave it to me, but it doesn't look like I broke anything." Merlin ran his thumb over the laminated piece of paper, finding to his surprise that the ticket was worn, as if Arthur had done the same thing a dozen times.

"Wait... you have the ticket, but Arthur is gone?" Morgana sounded confused. "He GAVE it to you? Indefinitely? What the- When Arthur lost that ticket in Italy, he moved heaven and hell to get it back. That thing is more important to him than ANYTHING he owns. What the hell do you mean you HAVE it!"

Ba-dump.
"What?" There was a pause. "Morgana, ... do you know how he got the ticket?"

Morgana hesitated. "I'm not sure. Arthur never told me. He just had it one day and kept staring at it when he got sad. He said someone really important gave it to him. I always assumed it was a present from Mithian when they were still together. She was the only girl he could stand to be around. He must have really loved her, I've never seen him this besotted with anything else before-"

Merlin's mouth dropped open, heart nearly leaping out of his throat.. "Morgana-"

"You should give it back to him, Merlin. I don't think that man can function without it."

"Morgana, it wasn't Mithian."

Morgana shifted again, her voice suddenly dangerously on edge. "What do you mean? Then who gave it to him?"

"It was me."

Morgana turned silent for a full minute. Sixty seconds was a very long time for a conversation. The seconds ticked by as Morgana seemed to process the information. "I- hold up...! YOU?!"

And so, Merlin began to explain the entire story to her. He tried to put all the pieces together as neatly as he could, but of course he only had his own side of the story. It took a while for him to finish, until finally, he went silent and let Morgana stir in the new information for a while. She seemed to be frantically typing as he talked and Merlin wondered if Morgana was taking notes on her laptop to make sense of everything. He wouldn't blame her if she did.

"That..." Morgana paused. "Oh my god, I'm such a FOOL! That makes so much sense!"

"Does it? Because it doesn't really make sense to me," Merlin had to admit. Or rather, he didn't WANT it to make sense. Because if it did, he'd probably burst.

"Of COURSE it does! Jesus Christ, Merlin, I'm his sister, I should have been the first to know! Gosh... I don't think even HE knows!"

"Knows what?"

"Merlin, listen to me, and listen to me closely. Ever since you met Arthur at that Starbucks-"

"You know about that?"

"Of course I do! Who do you think had to listen to him gush about you and complain that he couldn't find you again? He's been fighting Uther ever since. I didn't... Jesus Christ! Arthur has been making plans to leave the company in case he'd ever completely disappoint him. And one day... out of nowhere, he said he'd stop work to try out being an actor and everything, and now that you mention it, that could have been right after he let you crash at his place. YOU'RE the reason he even questioned Uther about his mother's whereabouts! And then he found her and she turned sick, and then, when she had her miracle surgery, Arthur suddenly got the idea to move out and buy his own house and become independent and everything! I always thought those were coincidences, but if it was you-"

"Morgana, I don't understand-"

"I never blackmailed Arthur to help you out, Merlin. I told him your situation and he immediately wanted to help. You may think you owe Arthur, but to Arthur, it's probably the other way around. He probably thinks he owes you everything he has. And..." There was a crack in the background and the sound of romantic music echoed in the speaker. Then, a gasp. "Merlin." Morgana's voice was driven by emotion and Merlin hadn't heard that voice since the day Gwen confessed to her. "Gosh, He's definitely in love with you."

Ba-dump.
Merlin's heart constricted. "Why would you think that?"

"You told me he kissed you and that it's on Tiktok? The original video was deleted, but nothing ever leaves the internet. While you were talking, I looked it up on my - Holy fucking shit!" Her last words were muffled, as if she'd put a hand in front of her mouth.

"Morgana?" The silence was somehow filled with more emotion than Merlin was comfortable with.

"Merlin, I'm begging you, watch ONE of Arthur's movies. JUST one. I thought he was in love when he looked at that ticket but... holy fucking hell, Merlin!"

"Morgana, what is it?" Merlin's heart was pounding hard in his chest. He felt miserable and hopeful and everything at once.

Morgana's voice was determined when she caught herself. "Merlin, so help me god, go, catch the next flight and talk to my brother before I come over there and castrate you!"

"But-"

"NOW!"

And thus, since Merlin was very attached to his testicles, he did as he was told. He packed his things and called himself a cab. The next flight would be in three hours or so, but he was lucky to even get one at all today. He moved past Valiant who was being chastised by his wife and past Will who was stuck in the same situation. They were lucky that no one had called the police, really. But despite feeling like he was watching a stupid fight on school grounds again (Will had often gotten into them), Merlin no longer felt welcome.

He'd overstayed his welcome and even though he knew him and Valiant had made the same mistake, he didn't feel like confronting him about it. Valiant wasn't nearly as important and Arthur was.

And now that Merlin thought about it, he had never felt like he belonged anywhere, except that morning when he'd woken up in Arthur's arms.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Monday, 1:30 am

Merlin was not watching an entire movie with Arthur in it. During the flight, Merlin RESEARCHED. Which meant, he was looking up Youtube compilations where people were shipping Arthur's characters with other characters. Merlin may not have any context, but he didn't need any. In fact, Merlin didn't even need to THINK, because as soon as he entered the rabbit hole, he was swallowed by it.

There were entire websites dedicated to Arthur Pendragon and the characters he was playing. There were fandom sites exploring the ships he was involved in, there were collections of articles about people speculating on Arthur Pendragon's relationships with famous model Vivian, or Mithian, or whoever.
And, since the TikTok scandal, they had gotten analytical updates. Morgana hadn't been kidding, the internet did not forget. Between thousands of memes of Arthur 'obviously being in love with the actor of Valery', were a dozen more about people laughing at their past 'mistakes'.

'Have someone look at me the way Arthur Pendragon looks at black haired hottie-' The comment already made Merlin blush, but the screenshot made it worse.

'How Arthur Pendragon kissed his girlfriends' vs, 'How Arthur Pendragon kisses his boyfriend'. The comparable gif were a paparazzi photo of Arthur kissing his then actual girlfriend Mithian in front of the camera. It was taken as 'proof' for Arthur's homosexuality. Arthur, on that photo, looked nothing like he did in the TikTok. The kiss was merely one on Mithian's cheek. It didn't look like he hated it or anything, but there wasn't that gleam in his eyes that Arthur ALWAYS looked at Merlin with. His smile looked a tad bit less genuine, a tad bit more forced. But only in comparison. Because Merlin was sure that up until that blasted video, Mithian had been Arthur's truest love. It simply paled next to the absolute ignorance and carelessness and the longing Arthur portrayed in that video.

There were a dozen new crafted profile pictures with Arthur with a rainbow or gay pride flag in the background. And the typical tumblr Supernatural News format meme: 'I love you', 'Arthur Pendragon came out by making out with his boyfriend.'

Then of course, came the horror scenarios for Merlin. People commenting on instagram posts like: 'Holy shit, I know that guy. He's the surgeon who did my father's heart surgery last year.' People knew who he was. People could find out where he lived. Merlin didn't know what to do and how to feel. It was... wild, in a sense. It was overwhelming and terrifying and it made him feel SO MUCH and Merlin truly understood why Arthur had insisted on keeping his private life private before. But then... why? Why put so much effort into kissing Merlin in front of a camera when Valiant hadn't even been there to see it?
Merlin closed his eyes. He knew why. But the knowledge burned, so he didn't accept it.

Of course, there was the usual homophobia, but there were a lot of positive comments underneath that called the homophobes out on their shit.

Merlin's heart, however, couldn't deal with the things he saw next. After he scrolled past half a dozen movie scenes that people captioned as 'it's so obvious that this guy is gay, I mean, come on! Look how he looks at women, then look at this (the TikTok).' And then, he saw how someone had somehow filtered out a behind the scenes video from a show Arthur had once starred in. In the scene, Arthur was sitting on a chair, waiting for his make up to be reapplied, while he seemed to be looking at some kind of picture in his wallet. The soft smile he was wearing there... It nearly knocked the breath out of Merlin, because he KNEW, he KNEW what Arthur was looking at. And that smile alone looked more in love than any of the scenes he'd starred in.
The caption under THOSE videos were like: 'Do you think he's looking at pictures of his girlfriend?' Conspiracies of their times. They seemed to be years old, according to the time stamps. To which there were more memes of 'I wish someone would look at me like Arthur Pendragon looks at this picture.' And then, reblogs with people stating: 'Bet he's been looking of pictures of HIM instead?'

Merlin didn't know what then moved him to do this, but he wanted, no NEEDED to know what they'd think. And just like that, for the first time in Merlin's life, he made himself a tumblr account and a video of himself. He had bought himself a first class ticket and now he was going to use the moderate silence on the plane for his response.
"Hello, everyone. You guys probably saw me in that TikTok where I was dancing with Arthur Pendragon. And yes, that was me." Merlin swallowed, unsure how to do this. He normally didn't make videos, but he just... he felt compelled to answer, to make this right. If not for his own, then for Arthur's sake. "My name is Merlin and I've... . That TikTok was never meant to be posted. Especially, because Arthur and I are not dating." He covered his eyes for a moment before looking back up. "I've seen a couple of people out there now painting him as gay and everything, but he's not. He's not gay. The reason why we were making out in that TikTok was because I hired him to play my boyfriend for a weekend. I feel the need to correct these posts because Arthur is usually a very reserved person about his relationships and I don't want to be the reason he'll be wrongly outed in public. I hope you understand."
Merlin posted the video and then forced himself to sleep a few hours.

. . .

Nearly four hours later, the video already went viral on the internet. But not the way Merlin had expected.

'Holy SHIT, that's the BARISTA!'

And suddenly, there were more videos out there. Videos taken from three different angles of the day Merlin and Arthur first met and Merlin was suddenly slaughtered by Arthur's expression as Merlin first insulted him. Arthur, who had looked annoyed and dejected when he'd entered the Starbucks, shifted at Merlin's dismissal of Arthur's heritage. While the barista (Merlin) in the video turned around to make Arthur's coffee, Arthur's eyes widened and there it was, that very first gleam in his eyes. The Arthur in the video was frozen, eyes glued to Merlin as he seemed to be shaken out of a long dream.

And then, there were the comments. 'Holy shit, how did we never see these before?'
'You can literally pin point the moment Arthur Pendragon fell in love with that guy.'
'You think it's a coincidence that this video was made only days before that News article that said Arthur Pendragon was going to reform Pendragon scouts?'
'Haha, so he's bisexual then?'
'Dancing? Is that what they are calling it these days?!'
'grduihtdloiuhxyuhjbv!!!!!!!! Holy SHIT! @Pendragonsgirl03 You won't believe this!'
'A fake relationship AU?!?!?! I want a fic!'

Merlin's heart was burning.

And there were more. Videos showing Arthur how he was helping a drunk Merlin into his car and driving him home, videos of Arthur Pendragon at Merlin's graduation, because of COURSE there had been people filming. People were always filming. And Merlin was faced with all the evidence that he'd been loved by Arthur Pendragon since the very day they met.

It had escalated even more than Merlin had expected. Instead of correcting them, he had added fuel to the fire. His heart, in the meantime, was victim of an inferno.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Arthur's PoV, several hours earlier:

Arthur couldn't sleep on the plane. He didn't take the chance to watch any movies, as his first class ticket would normally allow. He couldn't even say why, just the thought of watching anything made him feel sick. Arthur hadn't felt this terrible since the day before he met Merlin. He felt dejected, worse, he felt rejected. It didn't make sense, it was simply pain. Arthur even kept looking at his phone, not having dared to put it off. What if Merlin would call while he was on the flight? What then? What if Merlin asked him to turn around? He never did.

He couldn't shake the expression Merlin had worn from his mind. 'What am I supposed to do with this garbage?' His stomach churned just thinking about it.

Yeah, Arthur, what was Merlin supposed to do with that garbage? Arthur cringed at himself and fought the tears as he thought back on it. Why had he given Merlin the ticket? He'd known it was stupid. He'd known he was being stupidly sentimental by even keeping it. It didn't hold the same value to Merlin as it did to him. And while Merlin didn't care, the loss made Arthur feel empty and numb. He no longer had it, which meant he no longer had the right to partake in Merlin's life.

Arthur covered both his eyes as he left the airport and sat in the cab on the way back to his house. He could feel himself shaking but he didn't know why. He thought giving Merlin the ticket would be an answer to a question that had never been posed. He had thought handing it over would explain everything, yet it hadn't. Now he felt like a fool for thinking it would. It was all the answers he had, answers that even Arthur himself couldn't put into words.

How could he be so heartbroken about a single piece of paper? How could his heart ache for someone he'd never even been with? With someone whom he only ever wanted to hang out with? Now, that wasn't quite true. Arthur had been starting to find Merlin attractive. But that didn't mean anything. Normal people were attracted to a dozen people all the time. The way Arthur felt was confusing, because he would have been fine if all he could do was spend time with Merlin, laugh with him, and meet once a week as they had before. He didn't need all the complicated relationship things that other people seemed to be so fond of. But now that he didn't even have that anymore, he felt like a zombie. Like something had been ripped from his heart that he'd never appreciated enough. But hadn't he? Hadn't he valued what they had? Or had it simply not been enough? Or had he held on to it so strongly for it to bleed like that?

If anything, the fake relationship thing had showed Arthur that being with Merlin wasn't complicated. It was simple and it felt RIGHT. Being without him felt like the world was crumbling around him.

For Merlin, Arthur thought, he'd do anything. Heck, he almost HAD. He'd been kissing him, he would have gone further had Merlin implied as much, he'd hold hands with him, he'd even sell his house if he had to. Arthur bit his lip, hard. This wasn't normal, was it? Merlin was right, this isn't how far you go for someone you barely know. This isn't even something you'd do for a friend.

Arthur gave the cab driver a generous tip and brought all his stuff inside his house. People were greeting him but Arthur marched straight to his room and locked the door shut. He needed time alone. He let himself fall on his bed, mind horribly clear.

As Arthur stared at the ceiling, vision blurry, the scary question entered his mind if he'd give up his family for Merlin. If he'd give up on his friends. If he'd had to decide whom to have in his life, the round table or Merlin, whom would he choose? Arthur's heart beat double time as he tried to intently imagine the situation. Which wasn't so far off. If Merlin hated him now, he'd HAVE to make up his mind soon. He might lose them...
And in his manic frenzy, Arthur's answer was even more terrifying than the initial question. If this whole story ended up with Merlin demanding that Arthur leave all of them, if his friends at the round table would have to decide between Merlin and Arthur, Arthur would retreat in a heartbeat. Arthur would give Merlin everything, even if that meant losing Merlin as well. If it meant Arthur would end up on the street, he'd give Merlin his house. He'd do anything if only Merlin was happy. Was this an obsession? Or was this a toxic kind of love? This was not what Arthur had wanted when he had been searching for love.
Arthur had the choice for or against Merlin. But he was incapable of deciding against him. Arthur could even lose Merlin, if it was what Merlin wanted.

Tears streamed down his face, past his eyes and down to his ears as they soaked coldly into his pillow. Arthur's life, he felt, hadn't been his own for a long time. And now that he was told to take it all back, he didn't want it.
The moment Arthur realised that, he wept for what he'd lost. And Arthur missed the comfort of the ticket that was now gone.

. . .

Arthur didn't know how long he'd been laying in his bed just staring at the ceiling. After he'd wept for like half an hour, he'd felt exhausted and dried out. It had begun to rain, he could hear the sound of car wheels driving fast over the wet road from here. Arthur never bothered to switch on the light in the room, but now that the sun was rising, the glow stars he'd bought specifically for his adult bedroom faded into darkness. Hesitantly, he reached out to his phone and checked for messages.
He had a missed call from Morgana. She probably saw a funny movie on her holiday and wanted to chatter his ear off. He kept it on unread, hoping that Morgana would leave him alone for the rest of the day. It was the middle of the night, after all, she'd have to forgive him for being asleep. Even thought he'd be lying to her. That was all he had received next to the occasional work meme Gwaine had posted in the group chat.

Merlin had neither texted nor called him.

Arthur swallowed and felt how his throat burned at the thought. He didn't know what he'd been expecting. For Merlin to come after him and stop him from taking the next plane home? Heck, Arthur had even left his phone on call on the plane, thinking that his own superstition be damned. He'd rather cause a plane crash than miss a call from -
Arthur covered his eyes again, groaning into his sleeve. This was messed up. HE was messed up. When had this happened? When had he become like this?

A gentle knock on his door made his heart race. "Who is there?"

"Mr. Pendragon?"
Arthur exhaled slowly. It was just Mordred. He almost laughed. What had he been thinking? That Merlin would just appear out of nowhere?
"There is a wet man at the door."

Arthur sighed. Paparazzi. Maybe the cab driver had ratted him out. He knew he shouldn't have risked it. "Does he have a camera?"

The tiny voice hesitated. "No. Should I call the powice?"

The downside of being as famous as Arthur was, was that living with other people meant he put them at risk when he was being stalked. Yet, a tiny voice in Arthur's head told him that this could be Merlin. But then, Merlin would have had to take the very next plane after Arthur's and immediately gone to his house. Which sounded highly unlikely. And, he'd have to have Arthur's address. That last part made it much easier to calm himself down. It wouldn't be Merlin. Where would Merlin have gotten Arthur's address from?

As calm as he could, Arthur opened the door to the hallway. He didn't even know how late it was. Was it morning already? Had the stranger woken Mordred? Arthur walked to the entrance door and braced himself before he looked through the door spy.

His heart stopped beating.
It was, actually, Merlin.
Arthur's heart rate immediately picked up pace and Arthur had to hold his hand to his heart for a moment to take in the information that Merlin was HERE! And Arthur was distantly aware that his heart had never doubled down like this. Not even around Merlin. Then again, he had never feared to talk to him either. Why was he here?! Then, it occurred to Arthur that he was keeping Merlin, a very wet and freezing Merlin, on his doorstep, waiting. Arthur shooed Mordred back into the living room and opened the door for Merlin.

Merlin looked up, somewhat unsure as their eyes met.

Arthur would never be able to explain how the mere fact that Merlin was standing here glued his feet to the ground. How that single glance knocked the breath out of him. It didn't make sense because Arthur had always taken Merlin's presence for granted, never had his heart-rate pick up before. Because he'd never been afraid of talking to him before. Because talking to Merlin had always been an honour and a privilege. But one he had grown used to. It was no longer like that.

"Can I come in?"

Arthur immediately stepped aside and held the door open for Merlin. He felt like a puppet on a string, just doing as he was told, afraid what would happen if he didn't.

Merlin nodded at him and moved past him and waited in the hallway, as if to wait where Arthur was going to lead him. Curiosity won Merlin over quickly, however, as he turned around and took everything in. From one moment to the next, Arthur was caught in a trap of anxiety. He'd just returned home, the luggage was thrown carelessly in the corner of the hallway. The living room was occupied with children, children who had their toys thrown around everywhere, even the lawn. And Arthur had been laying in his room with a closed window for hours, meaning that the air was probably stuffy, not to mention he hadn't dusted in over a week, and he was still somewhat sweaty from the plane and his eyes red from crying and-

"Let's go into my study." Arthur opened the door to the most formal room in the house. It may not be much, but Arthur had the room organised during his vacation. And the air was probably fresher than the one in his room.
Arthur pointed to the chair in front of his computer for Merlin to sit on, while Arthur sat down on the coffee table in the corner. Far... far away from Merlin. Merlin sat down reluctantly.

"I didn't know you lived with so many people."

"They are... people who work for me, and their families." Arthur wondered if that sounded too posh in Merlin's ears. "Sometimes my mom comes over too."

Merlin nodded and Arthur itched to give the man a towel. However, Merlin hadn't said anything about why he was here and how long he would stay and Arthur still felt stiff and like he wasn't allowed to move unless he had a permit. Merlin then sighed as he looked up to meet Arthur's eyes. "I - Arthur, I've been an asshole to you, all weekend. And I'm sorry."

Arthur pressed his lips together. He felt somewhat surprised by that introduction, but when he thought back on what had happened, it did make sense that Merlin would start with an apology. It was weird. In all these hours of driving home and laying around, Arthur had not once thought about Merlin's accusations. Only ever about the returned ticket. "You weren't."

"I was." Merlin immediately corrected him and he didn't sound like he doubted his own words for a second. "I've acted like a child because of Valiant and I dragged you into it. And not just that, I used your kindness, I risked your carrier and then I had the audacity to accuse you of using me to piss off your father. And worst of all -" Merlin took a deep breath. "I didn't even notice I was playing with your feelings."

When he looked up, Arthur knew that Merlin KNEW. From one moment to the next, Arthur was TERRIFIED. Of course Merlin knew. Merlin was smart. Smarter than Arthur. Of course he'd figured it out before Arthur figured it out for himself. He closed his eyes, bracing himself for the inevitable rejection. He wasn't sure if he could deal with a second one in such quick succession.

"The whole world knows... but I feel like I should tell you, and put it out there. I know you're in love with me."

Arthur wasn't ready for this. He covered his face with one hand. "I..." A part of him was glad that Merlin had said it, another was SCREAMING that he didn't know what to do now. He could only confirm it, no matter how much it tore his insides apart. "Yeah."

Merlin seemed to be watching him for a moment, before he spoke up again. "I shouldn't have called that ticket garbage. Penelope explained to me what it means to you. I don't know how to- here." As Merlin stretched out his hand, Arthur saw the ticket being held out to him.

"I- I can't take it back." Arthur tried to look away but he couldn't. He was terrified. He was scared of that piece of paper. It didn't make sense, but taking it felt like Merlin was giving him his heart back and if Arthur took that fragile, broken thing, it would scatter on the ground like glass.

"Why not?"

"Because I should have given it back to you the day you saved my mother. And I wanted to. I was just too late. You were already promoted when I found out it was you and..." Arthur sighed. "You held your word. The ticket was a stand in for when you'd repay me for letting you stay at mine and Gwaine's place and you have. I can't take it back. We're quit."

Merlin still held out the ticket, looking somewhat astounded. "But... Penelope said you held on to it because it allowed you to be in my life?"

Arthur's eyes widened. His eyes flickered over Merlin's confused expression and then to the ticket. "You mean... you don't want me to leave?" His heart was pounding in his ears. He didn't have to leave? Merlin still wanted him in his life?

Hurt flashed in Merlin's eyes. "You thought -" He looked confused now.

Arthur averted his gaze, feeling sad and tired and overwhelmed by Merlin's presence. "I never wanted you to think that you owe me, Merlin. And I still don't. I've been forcing my place in our friendship and..." Arthur sighed, emotion heavy on his vocal chords. "I can't force you to -" A shaky sob escaped Arthur's lungs. "Sorry, I - I just realised what- I need a moment."

Merlin stood before him in a moment's notice. "Realised what?"

It was too much. Merlin was right in his face and Arthur still didn't know where this would lead. If Merlin was going to reject him or if Arthur had somehow rejected Merlin. "I don't want to lose you," he confessed in a wet voice.

Merlin's eyes went wide as the whisper reached him. "Arthur, you're not going to lose me!" Cold, wet hands found Arthur's cheeks as Merlin held him close. "Fucking hell, Arthur. Do you realise that when you lose me, I'd lose you too?! Have you ever considered that maybe I don't want that!"

"Maybe..." Arthur let Merlin guide the direction in which he was looking. "You were so angry that I helped you out, I- All I want is to help you. And if you hate that, then -"

"You thought I'd hate you." Merlin's voice was gentle but oh so fond. "Oh Arthur, in a day of pretending you love me, you've been treating me with more care and love than any of my exes have. You've made it look so easy, that I fell for it myself. When we went back to our room after you kissed me and you TOLD me that was make pretend, I nearly DIED. Do you have any idea how humiliated I felt when you kissed me like that and then rejected me?"

Arthur flushed. "But you were the one who told me to go back to our room."

"Yeah because -" Merlin stared at him. Then he huffed, then he laughed and as he shook and snorted he pushed his forehead against Arthur's collarbone. "Oh my god!"

"What?" 'What did I say?' Could Merlin feel Arthur's heart pounding against his rib cage?

"Arthur, you stupid idiot, I was inviting you to sleep with me."

Arthur's face burst to flames and turned into a statue.

Merlin kept laughing against him, forcing Arthur to stand ragged still. "You thought - you thought I took you back to our room to stop?"

Humiliation added to all the other confusing emotions Arthur was feeling. "Well... Fake relationships don't do kissing and stuff in private, right?"

"Arthur Pendragon doesn't do kissing stuff in public either, and yet there are thousands of pages filled with you making out with me now." Merlin amusedly looked up to face Arthur properly this time. "Arthur, I like you. Gosh, I REALLY like being with you. I was even planning to ask you out after the whole weekend, had Valiant not pulled his stupid stunt."

It knocked Arthur's breath out. The intensity with which Merlin said it. Arthur wasn't being rejected. Arthur was being accepted, and asked out and... What was Arthur supposed to do or say? Merlin shook his head, as he pushed the ticket in Arthur's hand. "Look at it."

Arthur, as confused as he felt, as much as his heart was racing, complied. This was not the 'free delivery' ticket. It was a picture. In fact, it was a screenshot of Merlin and Arthur dancing, zoomed in to show them both smiling at each other, completely besotted, moments before the kiss. As Arthur looked up, he found Merlin blushing at him.
"I decided to freely deliver a relationship proposal to you. And I was hoping you would keep this photo in your wallet from now on, instead of that ticket. ... That is, only if you want."

Arthur swallowed deeply. "You want to be in a relationship with me?" There was a nod. "Are you sure?"

Merlin frowned. "Arthur, I'm doing all the emotional work here, with explaining to you how we both feel. But you have to be the one to decide whether or not you want to be in a relationship with me. If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't be asking. And if you hesitate -"

Arthur nearly doubled over with how hectically he stuttered his answer. "I want to. Of course I want to." Arthur's hands reached out to hold onto Merlin as well. Fucking hell, Arthur would do anything for Merlin. He was just terrified what would happen if he got too close and Merlin wanted to get rid of him. Because Arthur was pretty sure he wouldn't survive that. And then it occurred to Arthur that being together meant that Merlin and him would be closer than ever, probably do things that friends wouldn't do and with Merlin, it would mean the world to him. Arthur wasn't even sure if he could hold Merlin's hand without spontaneously combusting, how on earth was he supposed to go further than that?

Merlin smiled at him. "We can take things slow, if you'd like."

Arthur instantly relaxed, although he was still terrifyingly nervous. "Oh good god, I really don't want to mess this up."

Merlin laughed. "You've been act dating me without any problems and exceeded my expectations by FAR. You'll be fine." Merlin reached out to fumble with Arthur's hair a bit. "Though I suppose there wasn't all that much acting involved."

"No?"

"Arthur, you're not that good of an actor."

Arthur supposed that was true. He was still embarrassed to hear Merlin say it, because it meant that Merlin had watched movies with him in it and COMPARED them. Right now, however, Arthur had Merlin in his arms and it was slowly sinking in that Merlin wanted to be there. Not just at the same table at the Rising Sun, not just side by side, back to back, while they talked to other people. No, Merlin wanted to be here, in his arms, in Arthur's presence, and telling the world they belonged together. "Can I kiss you?"

Merlin looked up in surprise. "That's okay with you?"

Arthur stared at him, heart racing. "More than okay." Merlin's nod was a confirmation, but it was Merlin who leaned in to capture his lips beneath his own. It was slower than last time, yet it sent electric signals down Arthur's body and had him wonder, how on earth it had taken him so long to realise what he was feeling. Arthur leaned back into the kiss, leaving it innocent and sweet and the butterflies in his stomach raging war on him. When they finally parted, Arthur rested his forehead against Merlin's. "You should probably get changed."

"Oh, should I now?"

"You're soaked, Merlin."

"I don't see a problem with that."

"I do. I don't think I have any fever medicine in my house this time and I really don't want you to get sick."

Merlin snorted into Arthur's shoulder. "You're insufferable."

"I love you." Arthur nearly choked on the words as he realised he'd messed up. He'd meant to say, 'you love me', but he was bursting with emotions while he was tired as hell and Merlin stood right before him, and holy shit, Arthur had been full blown in love with him for so long, he'd grown used to the feeling. He'd been in love for so long, it had merged with his personality.

Merlin blinked up at him through wet strands of black hair. His eyes widened and they gleamed up at Arthur. "I think I love you too."

Arthur wrapped his arms around him, feeling relieved and excited and so, so exhausted. "I'm tired."

Merlin laughed. "Didn't you sleep on the flight? You're heavy, by the way."

"I couldn't sleep, I was sad. And I -." Arthur looked up, face unimpressed. "Are you calling me fat?"

Merlin sheepishly blinked at him. "Just a little." Something flickered across his face. "How about we each take a shower and then we'll go head to bed?"

Arthur wasn't sure what exactly Merlin was implying. "As long as you stay."

Merlin's smile couldn't be wider. "As long as you'll have me."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"You really thought I was doing it for revenge on my father?" Arthur couldn't help asking as he watched Merlin sitting in front of him at the breakfast table. Or rather... It was just past lunch and they were brunching. Merlin was wearing on of Arthur's old shirts. They were a little big on him, but not by much.

Merlin flushed. "In my defence, Valiant was trying to humiliate me and I thought that he'd somehow found out that you fooled me all this time. It was really stupid in hindsight." Merlin stuck his fork into his pancake. Merlin ate it with marmelade and strawberries and Arthur felt a little happy learning something new about him.

"What WAS he trying to do anyway? And what was that about him losing his business partner?"

Merlin shrugged his shoulders. "I barely listened to it, to be honest, I was too occupied learning that all this time, you've -" Merlin looked up, flushing a little as he looked at their hands. Arthur had long reached out his hand over the table to play with Merlin's non dominant hand. And yes, Arthur was using his own non dominant hand to eat because he felt that letting go of Merlin would be a grand mistake. He was still scared that Merlin may disappeared or change his mind, so he held on as long as he could, while his heart tried to repair itself. Merlin cleared his throat. "Anyways, apparently Valiant's business is somehow associated with your Pendragon scouts. And when Uther saw the video, he threatened to cut him off."

Arthur blinked. "That's stupid. And illegal. What the hell." Arthur frowned. "But I'm not too surprised. My father has high standards for his business partners and often threatens to cut them off when they don't share his morals. My father's business is separate from mine, but I think I could look over their contract and maybe offer Valiant to move over to Albion scouts."

Merlin stared at him. "Albion scouts?"

"I told you I have a save file. My father gave me reign over a part of his company, but after I met you, I slowly began to cut ties with my father's influence. Most of Uther's business partners ran over to the subsection of Pendragon Scouts that I lead because his methods are old fashioned and don't fit with modern times anymore. I fired others that I didn't disagree with and had to fight with my father until he saw that I was making more profit than he did. So, when everything crashes down on me, I will take my work, meaning the contracts I made with my business partners, the staff that works for me, and move to a different building to start Albion scouts. My father won't like it, but it's what he's gonna get when he cuts me off."

Merlin's eyes widened a tad bit, gleaming with something that could be pride, could be excitement or love. The last thought put the flames back to Arthur's cheek and he had to clear his throat. Merlin grinned. "That's - You would do that for Valiant?"

Arthur met his eyes and squeezed his hand. "That is, if you want me to. If you want to bury that rivalry the both of you have, then I'd give him a call."

Merlin blinked. "You want... ME to decide?"

Arthur nodded. "I care about Penelope. She and I have been working together for years. And I don't hate Valiant, I was just mad about how he treated you."

"I never saw him as a rival." Merlin looked down. "I saw him as a bully."

Arthur nodded again. "But you were children. And children do weird things all the time. If it still effects you, then I won't help him out. I want you to be happy, Merlin. But this could be a chance for you to overcome your differences. Maybe, if you meet him with kindness, you could even become friends."

Merlin looked up at him again, a small smile playing at his lips. "Is that why you gave me the 100 bucks back then? Because you regretted being mean to me and wanted to make up for it and become my friend instead?"

Arthur stared at him seriously. "Merlin... I would exchange everything I own and all the friends I have, only to see you smile one more time."

Merlin's hand twitched inside his own. "You- ... That's kinda intense."

Arthur swallowed, feeling troubled for having exposed that part of himself. "I know." He took a shuddering breath. "Sorry."

Merlin bit his lip. "And I thought I was gone for you." He chuckled nervously.

Arthur couldn't help but blush again. "It's fine if you don't- if you wouldn't do the same. It's kinda scary. But it's okay, as long as you feel comfortable. This wasn't too much, was it?" Had Arthur sprung it on Arthur too soon? Was this too much? Of course it was too much, Arthur could hardly contain it himself, of course it was way over the top-.

"Arthur, it's fine. It's... I don't understand how you can feel so much at once, for me of all people, but I don't dislike it. Not even a little." Merlin smiled softly and with affection. "And about Valiant- You're right. Penelope was right. We've both been acting like children. And he seems to be treating his staff right and his morals are in the right place... even if he seems to forget about them when I'm involved." Merlin bit his lip. "I think he would be a good business partner for you. And I think I can talk out my differences with him, but I doubt we'll ever be friends."

Arthur nodded. "It's your decision." He might as well have said 'I'm at your service, whenever you need me, and whatever you need me for.'

Merlin smiled. Then, something in his gaze shifted. "I love you too."

If it took Merlin a couple minutes to drag Arthur out of his statuesque stupor, only Mordred would know who suddenly appeared in the doorway, chasing after a screaming Elena while their exhausted looking mother tried to shoo them out of the room.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Epilogue: Two years later

"Is my tie okay?" Arthur was sweating nervously. It was only half an hour before the ceremony and his fight or flight instincts were kicking in. He was wearing a tailored suit but he was pretty sure he'd sweat through the whole thing.

Merlin rolled his eyes, but moved over to correct Arthur's collar for him. It was a familiar and a calming feeling all at once. Arthur took a deep breath as he looked into Merlin's midnight blue eyes. "Arthur, you're only handing Morgana over to Gwen. It will be fine."

"But she's my sister! What if I do it wrong? What if she kills me on the way? The whole tradition of handing over the bride if mysoginystic to begin with! Besides, our father should be the one doing it, and anyways -"

Merlin shut him up with a soft peck to his lips. It never failed to render Arthur speechless, not to mention the way his heart doubled over when Merlin looked at him with so much affection. "Your father, silly, has lost his right to hand her over, the day he cut you off of Pendragon scouts. It's his own fault. And Morgana won't kill you for stumbling over nothing."

Arthur frowned. "You're the clumsy one."

"Yes, but look who's the calm one of the both of us today."

"That's because -" Arthur stuttered over his words. He rubbed at his face. "Okay, fine, you're right."

"When am I not right?"

"Since it doesn't matter whether or not you are." Arthur smiled nervously at his boyfriend and brushed a stray strand of hair behind Merlin's ear. It was a fruitless endeavour since Merlin's hair was so short, Arthur did it regardless. "Have you ever thought about it?" Arthur bit his lip. He hadn't meant to ask that out loud.

"About the fact that you're a romantic sap?"

Arthur laughed. "About ..." Arthur waved around in the little storeroom that he'd been brought to to get ready. Since Morgana was marrying a woman, she couldn't have a wedding at a church, so they'd rented a mansion at the beach. Merlin and Gwen had been chasing each other with all their ideas for the wedding and even Percival had somewhat hesitantly insisted to help them plan. Arthur was pretty sure that he'd propose to Gwaine soon. Although he could imagine that it was difficult, seeing as Gwaine was't really into all these traditional things. Perhaps he'd be convinced if Percival brought the tax evasion argument.
"...getting married." Arthur lamely finished, then blushed as he watched Merlin's eyes widen in surprise. "I mean, in general. I mean..." Wonderful, now Arthur was anxious for a completely different reason. Gosh, what if Merlin took this as a proposal? He didn't even have a ring, god damnit!

"I have."

"Yeah?" Arthur waited a couple heartbeats, wondering if Merlin would elaborate. "And... What do you think? Of marriage. In general."

Merlin's snort turned into a giggle. He didn't answer, just watched Arthur with that awfully fond expression. "I would tell you that I talked to Morgana and she told me that she'd kill me if I don't make her my best woman." Merlin raised his brows, eyes glancing at his watch. "In general, I mean. Regardless of whom I'll get married to." He paused, then looked at the watch again. "I'd also say that Gwaine is a tad bit late right now."

"I thought Gwaine was responsible for the drinks?"

It was that very moment that someone knocked on the door. Arthur shot a glance at Merlin once more before he went to open the door. Then, he halted in confusion. Before him stood Gwaine, looking a bit hurried and out of breath. "Sorry, sorry, I know I'm late."

Arthur blinked. "Late for what? I still have twenty minutes -"

Gwaine grinned as he pulled out a package. "I have a delivery for a certain Arthur Emrys. If he'd like to accept it. The ring, and the name that is."

"Arthur Em-" Arthur paused as Gwaine pushed the package into his open arms. It was a small brown box with only two words written on it in sharpie. "By Merlin." Right after that, Gwaine quickly closed the door and probably hurried off for the rest of the preparations.

Arthur turned to Merlin, eyes wide, only to watch how Merlin went down on one knee. "You asked me if I've ever thought about marriage and I have. In fact, I've been thinking about it for a while now. And I asked Morgana if it would be okay to ask you today."

Arthur nearly dropped the box in his attempt to open it. Inside was a small box decorated in red velvet. And inside was a silver ring. It looked like a small handcrafted dragon was wrapped around the silver ring and it's eye was replaced by a red Sapphire. This was an engagement ring, with no doubts or buts.
"I-"

"If you'd prefer, I could also become Merlin Pendragon, but I figured the delivery would be more obvious that way." Merlin expectantly looked at Arthur, waiting for his response.

Arthur wanted to say something, but his voice was stuck in his throat.

"Do you get it?" Merlin's smile brightened. "I let it be delivered to you, because of the ticket-"

Arthur threw himself at Merlin, nearly knocking him off his knee. Because he still couldn't speak, he kissed Merlin as passionately and deeply as he could to convey a fraction of his feelings. It took them a moment to catch their breath and part, when Arthur nearly whined. "Merlin, what the hell?! How am I supposed to go out there now!" As if on cue, Arthur's eyes were swimming with tears and he nearly bawled his eyes out. He was so fucking happy, he couldn't put it into words.

"Is that a yes?"

"Of course it's a YES, you stupid asshole!" Arthur buried himself in Merlin's neck, eyes closing in order to process his own emotions. Merlin was going to marry him. Arthur's wildest dreams just came true. How could he not cry about it?

And then Arthur looked at Merlin, and thought of their future. And like that, he couldn't imagine a single day in which this man wouldn't be able to make him smile.

The End.