Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin or any of the characters in the series, I'm just borrowing them from their respective owners to play with a little and I promise to give them back when I'm done. No copyright infringement is intended and I don't make any money from writing fanfiction.
Don't freak out, ok?
"I could die for some popcorn right about now" Arthur mused. "Perfectly crispy and salty and buttery." He looked like he was about five seconds away from salivating at the mere thought and Merlin actually wouldn't mind some snacks either. He purposely chose to ignore the fact that they'd have crumbs all over the bed afterwards. Maybe he could get Arthur to clean since it had been his idea in the first place anyway?
"We have kernels in the cupboard" he said helpfully but that didn't make Arthur get out of bed and start preparing anything, it only made him sigh deeply.
"I know" he answered.
"And?" Merlin prompted.
"And what?" Arthur looked away from the movie, focusing on his boyfriend instead.
"You want popcorn, I tell you that there's kernels in the cupboard and all you say is 'I know'. Why don't you go make some then?"
"I don't want to" Arthur replied. "But I do want popcorn" he added, pouting, and Merlin tried to rein in his frustration over the giant baby that was his boyfriend sometimes.
"But all you have to do is melt some butter in a saucepan, toss the kernels in there and wait for them to pop. It'll take five minutes, tops."
"I know, but I don't want to get up of bed" Arthur all but whined and now it was Merlin's time to sigh deeply.
"Why?" he asked, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.
"Because it's cold" Arthur pouted and Merlin gave up. He didn't really want to get up either as he'd just managed to get his pillow perfectly fluffy and just the right shape and he was warm and cosy beneath the duvet. Arthur was right, his flat was quite chilly in the evenings.
"Okay" he simply answered, resigning himself to movie night without snacks and turned back towards the television.
"But I still want popcorn" Arthur insisted, whining.
"But not badly enough to go make some I'd guess?" Merlin asked, mostly rhetorically. He already knew the answer.
"Nearly, but nope." Arthur wiggled deeper beneath the duvet. "Too cold."
"And you're going to moan and whine about wanting popcorn nonstop until I finally cave and make you some?" Nearly before the words had even left his mouth, Merlin winced at his own thoughtlessness. Now he'd never get out of doing it and those stone tiles in the kitchen would be freezing to stand on.
"There's a chance of that happening?" Arthur asked, suddenly hopeful.
"No!" Merlin said firmly but they both knew that he was lying. There was no resisting those puppy dog eyes and they both knew that too.
Merlin silently debated with himself. He'd thought about telling Arthur for some time now but he hadn't really come up with a good plan to do it yet, couldn't decide on when to break the news. But perhaps now was as good a time as any? He took a deep breath.
"Yeah, ok" he mumbled and Arthur smiled widely.
"Really?"
"Yeah." Merlin "Just, uh, just don't freak out, ok?"
"About you making popcorn?" Arthur laughed. "Of course I won't freak out about that."
"No, really, don't freak out. Promise?" Arthur looked a little puzzled but he nodded and Merlin looked down briefly so that his eyes wouldn't show, murmuring a few quick words.
"What did you say?" Arthur looked even more puzzled at this, and the fact that his boyfriend didn't move to get up, and Merlin nervously dragged a hand through his hair.
"Just wait, ok?" Several tense moments were spent in complete and awkward silence as both of them tried to seem like they were paying attention to the movie. Just as Arthur opened his mouth to ask what was going on there was a small sound coming from the kitchen. Then another one and another until the sound of popping corn filled the whole apartment.
"Is that..?" Arthur asked incredulously.
"Popcorn, yes" Merlin managed to say, throat tight with nerves.
"And is someone in the kitchen?" Arthur asked slowly.
"No."
"But someone's making popcorn?"
"Yes, I am."
"But you're here."
"I am." Arthur guffawed out a short, disbelieving laugh and threw back the covers to get out of bed.
"Is this a joke, are you're playing the sound of popcorn with your phone or something? Merlin, this isn't…"
"No, it's no joke, Arthur, please." Merlin interrupted, knowing that he'd come across as desperate but he didn't care as he gripped Arthur's shirt to get him to stay. "Just wait, please!"
"Wait for what?" Arthur asked, pulling himself free. He didn't try to leave however and Merlin counted that as a small victory.
"This." The bedroom door suddenly swung open to reveal a bowl popcorn floating mid-air.
"Merlin?" Arthur choked out as the bowl steadily made its way towards him, scrabbling to get as far back against the headboard as he possibly could. "Merlin! There's flying popcorn and it's coming towards me!"
"I know." Merlin said, trying to appear calm for Arthur's benefit but his stomach was full of butterflies. "Just relax."
"Relax? What if it's out to get me?" Merlin couldn't help but giggle at this. The sight of his boyfriend, pressed against the wall and seemingly terrified of a flying bowl of popcorn was too much for him to handle. It made him lose his concentration momentarily and the spell that kept the bowl levitating broke. The bowl wobbled and Arthur caught it reflexively before its contents could spill. Then he seemed to realize what he'd done and all but threw it in his boyfriend's lap.
"Take it, take it!" Merlin, still giggling, righted the bowl and set it on the duvet beside him before turning towards his boyfriend.
"What. The. Hell. Was. That?" Arthur demanded to know in a tone of voice that was meant to be forceful but the effect was lost since his hands shook as badly as the last time he went to the dentist.
"It's a bit hard to explain" Merlin started slowly, picking at the duvet. "I, uh, I have…"
"Do try" Arthur insisted when Merlin's voice trailed away.
"Ihavemagic" Merlin blurted out, just wanting it to be over and Arthur looked at him as if he'd suddenly grown an extra head.
"I beg your pardon?"
"I have magic" Merlin repeated more slowly. "I can make things like that happen, I can move things, I can heat up food when it's gone cold, I can find your missing phone, I can make the boxes lighter to carry when moving to a new flat. I can, uh, affect object and people around me." He paused, looking at his boyfriend's stony face pleadingly. "Please, Arthur, say something."
"I'm going to check the kitchen" Arthur answered abruptly and stomped towards the kitchen as Merlin slumped back against the pillows, fighting the tears that threatened to fall. Still, it was expected that Arthur would be suspicious, as he'd been all the previous times that Merlin had revealed his magic. No matter how many lives they'd had together it seemed that Arthur had always grown up under the influence of his stern father, disapproving of all things deemed even the slightest bit alternative. The modern version of Uther might not have been a king, but well the headmaster of a prestigious university, and Arthur had grown up to regard anything that could not be scientifically proven with quite the dose of suspicion. Things were progressing, Merlin supposed, as in this day and age he luckily wouldn't risk getting burned at the stake for having magic, only being hauled off to a top secret governmental facility and tested for his abilities.
"There's no one but us in the flat" Arthur concluded as he returned to the bedroom and Merlin was startled from his thoughts on life as a governmental lab rat.
"I told you that already" Merlin added, unnecessarily, and Arthur glared at him as he climbed back into bed.
"So, magic?" he asked, almost grudgingly, but Merlin still dared to feel a bit of hope. Arthur was still there, hadn't stormed out of the flat or called the police. He also hadn't called for his personal guards, tried to have Merlin admitted to a psychiatric institution or have him sent him to see a priest. Arthur may not remember these past revelations but Merlin sure did, even if it always had worked out well in the end.
"I've been like this my whole life Arthur, I was born with it." Merlin searched for the right words and it didn't matter how many times they'd been in this situation already, it was always so difficult. "I only use it to help people, to help you. Always for you." Then he took Arthur's hand, relieved to see that his boyfriend wasn't pulling away from him, and proceeded to tell him everything about his magic. He told him about growing up with it, about scaring his mother when accidentally levitating his crib at the age of three, about how his magic had helped him escape from the kids bullying him, how he'd really managed to get the coffee stain out of Arthur's favourite shirt and how he'd used his magic to find the thief that stole Arthur's laptop that had his entire thesis on the hard drive. He'd also used his magic when Arthur got tired being called an idiot for not doing a back-up of the hard drive and threw the remote control across the room. The remote mysteriously landed safely in a flower pot and he didn't have to hear Arthur groaning about having to get up to change the channel as she would have if the remote had been damaged.
"I need a drink" Arthur groaned when Merlin was finished and he'd run around the room looking for wires or something similar that could explain the flying bowl, only to admit defeat when he couldn't find anything. He threw back the covers to once again get out of bed, this time because of a desperate need of alcohol.
"Arthur, wait." Merlin pulled him back. "The purpose of all this was that none of us would have to get out of bed and get cold feet.
"A little late for that, isn't it?" Arthur asked wryly but he stayed put.
"Just let me." This time he looked Arthur straight in the eyes as his own flashed golden, murmuring a word so ancient that he was probably the only person on earth to know its significance. And for the second time that evening something came floating through the bedroom door, only this time it was Arthur's favourite bottle of scotch and a tumbler that made its way towards them. The tumbler parked itself neatly at the nightstand as the bottle tipped to pour a generous amount of liquor into the glass. Arthur stared at his nightstand for a good ten seconds after the bottle had righted itself, then he seemed to steel himself, took the glass and tossed back its entire contents in one gulp. Arthur struggled to process the information, that much was clear, but he tried so hard and Merlin felt a few of those tears slip away from his control.
"Merlin, what's wrong?" Arthur's hands were suddenly cupping his face, gently wiping away the tears. "What did I do? This is a bit much to handle, I'm sorry, but I'm trying and…"
"You didn't do anything, you're perfect. It's just that this isn't something that you tell people on a first date, you know? People think you're some sort of freak or lunatic." Merlin sniffled a little. "Not everyone would even try to understand it either and…" His lower lip wobbled a little.
"But I'm not just anyone, am I?" Arthur asked, pulling him into a hug.
"No, definitely not" Merlin smiled. He couldn't wait for Arthur's memory about their past lives together to return but until then he was perfectly happy where he was, in Arthur's arms.