Not Your Average Happily Ever After
Merlin leant back until he was firmly cuddled into the arm wrapped around him and sighed, content with the position. He smiled against the shoulder his head was currently snuggled into and relaxed.
"Bad day I take it?"
Rather than answering, Merlin nodded, his eyes drooping as he fought the fatigue sweeping over his body now that he was finally warm and comfortable. He grinned as the arm tightened until he could barely tell where their bodies separated. This was his favourite part of the new relationship he and Arthur had entered into. Not that the sex was not amazing but it was the intimacy that Merlin craved and the feeling of safety that Arthur exuded.
"So I thought we could order pizza in as I didn't fancy pasta again."
Merlin muffled his snort, Arthur was a disaster in the kitchen and his only edible dish was pasta, and although there were many variations on the ingredients mixed with the pasta, there was only so much he could eat. He nodded again and mumbled 'nap first', letting his eyes drift shut as Arthur's hand rubbed circles into his back and he fell asleep.
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Arthur woke abruptly to the vibrating of his phone against the wood of the coffee table and groaned at the sudden noise. He looked down to find Merlin was still dead to the world and shook his head fondly, only his boyfriend could sleep through the violent buzzing. He checked his phone, careful not to jostle Merlin and sighed as he noted the missed call and email from his father. Although it was cowardly, he had yet to tell Uther about the new developments in his relationship with Merlin. It was not that he thought Uther would disapprove, he had been the one to notice Arthur's crush but he would not accept it easily. Arthur's refusal to settle down and marry simply to give him an heir was a sore point in their relationship and it was due to this that Uther had decreed that should Arthur not be married by thirty five, he would lose his right to manage the Pendragon Enterprise, he would still inherit his share but the management and running would be given to Morgana, a bitter pill for Arthur to swallow should it ever occur. The worrying part was that Arthur was not far from his thirty fifth birthday and he did not want Merlin to believe that he wanted him only for the sake of his inheritance and so he had decided not to tell him about his father's condition. However this meant that Arthur had to keep Uther from finding out about the new status of his and Merlin's relationship as he would believe that this meant a marriage would soon be following and Arthur refused to ruin this chance by rushing things and risking Merlin doubting his feelings for him.
He opened the email only to find that Uther had decided he wanted to visit and needed to know when he was free. Arthur cursed quietly wondering how he could stop his father rom the visit but his angry whisper had disturbed Merlin who was sitting up and looking over at him quizzically while rubbing his eyes, looking so endearing that Arthur could only lock his phone and pull him close for a kiss.
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Merlin nodded at Gaius and went to his office, his eyes bright and his movements full of energy due to the early morning exercise Arthur had insisted on. He smiled at the thought of his boyfriend, happier than he had been in a long time. He knew that Arthur was it for him and although it had taken Arthur professing his love for him to make Merlin acknowledge his feelings, Merlin knew there would be no one after Arthur. He only wished he knew what was worrying him, he had been alternating between silent and moody and loving and possessive for the past couple of days and it was beginning to worry Merlin now. He had tried to ask Arthur the night before but he had been shut down and since then Arthur distracted him with sex when he so much as opened his mouth to ask a question. Merlin sat at his desk, sipping his coffee and considered contacting Morgana to ask if she knew what was troubling Arthur but knew that would only make things worse.
He looked up from his musings as a knock sounded on his office door and Gaius entered. He smiled at his boss and friend before pointing to the seat opposite his own.
"Hey, take a seat. How can I help you Gaius?"
"Well Merlin, I had a phone call from an old friend last night, he wanted me to look into an od account for him and modernise the contract and ensure all is at it should be. You're the best with contracts around here though so I wondered if you would mind having a look for me."
"Oh, of course I will Gaius, you know I don't mind. If anything, it'll be a distraction at least."
"O is everything alright, my boy?"
"Yeah just working out some relationship kinks, don't know whoever said love was easy. It'll be nice to work on something else than my own head though. Why don't you email over the contract and I'll take a look. Did your friend say what he wanted revised?"
"He said that the contract is reaching its conclusion date and he needs to ensure that there are no loopholes and that a copy be sent out to those involved."
"Seems easy enough Gaius, leave it with me."
"Thanks Merlin, I'm sure Uther will appreciate it."
Merlin nodded and took another mouthful of coffee before registering what Gaius had said, Uther, as in Uther Pendragon, as in Arthur's father. He looked to the door where Gaius had disappeared and considered calling out to him and telling him he could not work on the contract but stopped when a small part of him considered that by helping out the older man, he could win over some of his favour which might help when Arthur told him of their new relationship.
It was not until after lunch that Merlin received the email and it took him twenty minutes of useless deliberations to open the attached folder and pull up the contract. He paused when he noted the names at the top of the document, Uther and Arthur Pendragon. Merlin stared at the screen, he had no idea what the contract could be about but he was unsure as to whether reading it would be an invasion of Arthur's privacy. His mind made up, he decided to look it over as he was sure if it was a big secret then Uther would not have asked Gaius to find someone to look it over and if it ended soon then it would not matter if he knew the contents.
Merlin's eyes widened as he reread the sentence stating that Arthur had to marry by thirty five in order to fully inherit the Pendragon companies. He sat back in his chair, his mind full of questions and theories. He was hurt that Arthur had never told him about the contract, ten years ago when it was drawn up but especially within the past couple of months of their relationship. Surely, if Arthur was so committed to their relationship then he would have told Merlin about the conditions of his inheritance and although it would have been a shock, he could have adjusted and they could have figured it out together. Merlin already knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Arthur and wanted marriage and eventually children so it would not have shocked him to have to marry with a time scale though it would not have been his first choice. The way he saw it, they had been living together for as long as most married couples anyways and already knew the bad and good points of each other, they were already practically married. However, if Arthur had not told Merlin about the contract, only two months before he turned thirty five, then clearly he was not thinking of them in terms of marriage and forever.
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Merlin left the office late, something he had not done since starting his relationship with Arthur, choosing instead to spend as much time with his boyfriend instead, enjoying their easy banter and lazy nights in watching tv on the sofa. He still did not want to go home and confront Arthur, knowing that he would have to tell him he knew about the contract and break things off. If Arthur had not considered a permanent relationship with him, then Merlin would end things and give him time to find someone he did deem suitable to marry so that he would not lose out on his inheritance. He knew how important the company was to Arthur, and even if it meant losing him, he would hate to be the cause of Arthur losing something so integral to his life.
Feeling like a coward but not particularly caring, Merlin took a taxi to Gwaine's knowing that he could stay there for a few hours and not be expected to share or even entertain. He felt like wallowing and knew that Gwaine would give him the space he needed. Despite their different personalities, Gwaine was his best friend; Arthur had always been more than simply a best friend, even when things were platonic so when Gwaine came along, he had filled the role spectacularly. He had always been there for Merlin, no matter what he had needed and though Arthur had never really warmed to him, Merlin loved the cheeky rogue like a brother.
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Merlin knocked on the door to Gwaine's flat, soaked through, the short walk from the taxi to the front door had been more than enough when the rain was hammering down. He watched as Gwaine pulled the door open and burst out laughing, his face fixed into a grimace as his thin frame shook with the cold. He allowed himself to be pulled into the warmth of the flat, and even allowed Gwaine to leave his arm around his shoulders, the warmth of his skin needed against Merlin's own chilled body. He waited while Gwaine grabbed him some warm clothes and quickly went to change in the bathroom, laughing hollowly at how they dwarfed him though not as much as Arthur's did. Merlin loved nothing more than pulling on one of Arthur's shirts to sleep in, shrugging when Arthur would tease him.
"Yo Merlin, you have to be changed by now. Come out or I'll have to come in and tell Arthur I saw you partially naked. Remember last time, he wouldn't let me come over your flat for weeks."
Merlin smiled at the memory, Arthur was always wary of Gwaine's flirtatious nature and one day snapped at his teasing, resulting in Gwaine being refused entry to their flat for two weeks, while Merlin told Arthur to stop being so jealous and to get used to Gwaine in their lives. After all, Merlin had to accept that the wall of muscle that was Percy saw Arthur sweating and in barely any clothes at the gym and vice versa, not that merlin could complain at the view of either.
"Yeah I'll be out now."
"Good, your tea is ready and I know you hate it cold."
Merlin smiled, and after one last glance, folded his wet clothes up and left them in a pile on the corner of the bathtub, making a note to pick them up before he left. He walked into the living room to find Gwaine sat on the sofa with his own mug and watching the tv. He sat next to him, picking him own cup up and taking a sip, grateful for the heat. He did not realise his friend was watching him until Gwaine's voice registered.
"So you want to tell me what's wrong? It's not that I don't want to see you, but you barely come over after work anymore, and especially not looking like someone stole all your ale and replaced it with water."
"I just wasn't ready to go home."
"Are you and Arthur fighting then?"
"No not really, but I found something out today and basically, he's not thinking long term for our relationship and due to his father he needs to be married by his thirty fifth birthday, so I'm going to break things off and give him chance to find someone who'll be suitable enough to appease Uther."
"Wait, what? Why would you think that Arthur doesn't want to marry you or isn't thinking long term with the relationship? I've seen him around you, and that's not the behaviour of someone who's only in it for a fling."
"He never told me about this condition of needing to marry and there's only two months left Gwaine, he's had months to bring it up and he hasn't so clearly I'm not his choice for a partner. I need to give him space so that he can find someone who'll make sure all the boxes are ticked and he doesn't lose out on his inheritance."
"Wait so if he doesn't marry by thirty five he loses his inheritance?"
"Well, basically, he still gets his share but he loses management rights and Morgana will be head of the company. Running that company has been Arthur's life for years, he loves it, I can't be the reason he loses it, simply because he didn't want to marry me but didn't want to ruin our friendship by breaking up with me."
"Maybe you have it all wrong? Maybe he doesn't care about his inheritance?"
"No I don't have it wrong, look at us Gwaine, we've been married in all but name for years, and he knows I love him so why wouldn't he tell me unless it was because he doesn't want me. In my heart, we were always heading towards marriage so I would have been fine with a deadline, a little pissed at the short notice but happy nonetheless to be marrying the man I love. Arthur clearly doesn't see things as I do. "
Gwaine nodded though he still had his doubts on the whole things, he looked at his friend, sitting so miserably and knew his duty as best friend was to get him drunk and forget about the whole thing for a couple of hours. He grabbed the vodka and whiskey from the kitchen and two shot glasses, bringing them back to the living room where Merlin was still sat, radiating distress. Hoping he had enough alcohol, he poured the first round of shots and pushed the glass into Merlin's hand, encouraging him to down it, wincing when he did so with no reaction despite the burn rushing down his own throat. It was going to be a long night, he could tell.
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Everything was fuzzy in Merlin's vision and he could hear an annoying ringing that would not stop, he grabbed one of the three arms that belonged to his best friend, and tugged pathetically.
"Gwaine.. please.. make t'stop… it 'urts 'head."
He saw Gwaine nod and get up to walk over to the front door; Merlin had no idea why until the ringing stopped as the door was opened. He heard loud voices and decided he did not like it so he led back on the sofa, one arm stretched above his head, not realising it meant the shirt he had borrowed was revealing his whole stomach. He heard footsteps behind the sofa but had no energy to turn and look, calling out instead.
"Gwaine… come back.. t'is cold and I… ca'feel a draft."
Instead of seeing the familiar eyes of his friend he was faced with icy blue ones, anger brightening the colour until Merlin felt that he was surrounded by the beautiful blue of Arthur's eyes. He sighed.
"You have such beautiful eyes Art'ur."
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Arthur felt like he was going mad, Merlin was late home form work and when he had rung the office, they had said he had left hours ago. He rang him mobile again but it went straight to answerphone. Anger and worry filled him as he thought of all the things that could have happened to Merlin. He decided to ring around all their friends on the off chance they had heard from him and in hope that he had bumped into one of them and lost track of time. It wasn't until his fourth call that the idea paid off and he spoke to Gwaine who told him Merlin was there but didn't want to see him and was too busy to come to the phone. Before he could respond, the line went dead and Arthur was left with a different sort of panic, why wouldn't Merlin want to talk to him? Why was he around Gwaine's? And what was he doing that meant he was too busy to come to the phone? He knew rationally, that they were just friends and nothing would ever go on between them but some part of Arthur flared with jealousy at the intimacy Gwaine had implied with his words. Worry overruled his anger though and he knew he had to see Merlin and know personally that he was safe. He pulled on his jacket and left.
Arthur sighed and pressed the buzzer to Gwaine's flat again and again as he was ignored. He almost fell as the door was yanked open but righted himself in time to see Gwaine smirk at him; he scowled and held his breath as he noted just how badly the other man smelt of alcohol. At east that explained why Merlin was busy, he was either looking after his friend or was as drunk as him.
Arthur pushed his way into the house, freezing as he heard Merlin call out, his feet leading him over to the sofa where he saw his boyfriend led out, wearing baggy clothes that obviously belonged to Gwaine, his pale skin showing and his eyes blurry with the effect of the alcohol. At Merlin's words, Arthur stopped himself from the angry rant he could feel building and instead forced himself to calm down. He kept his voice polite and steady as he asked Merlin if he was alright and whether he was ready to go home. Merlin sighed sadly, shaking his head.
"Can't ever go home Art'ur. It's finished, I know so, you see, I know that we'll never go anywhere and you'll find another rich, important person to marry."
The words hit Arthur like a punch, the idea that Merlin thought Arthur was like the stuck up, snobbish people his father associated with and thought he judged others on their class was hurtful and ridiculous. It was the first part that scared him the most.
"What do you mean we're finished Merlin? You want to break up with me?"
"Well it's not so much what I want but what I need to do. I couldn't live with myself if I stayed with you."
Arthur recoiled from his boyfriend and shook his head, hoping he could shake the words from running through his head. The pain built as he registered that Merlin really did not want to be with him and he needed to get away. He pushed past Gwaine who was looking far more sober and watching the proceedings with a bemused look on his face and left the building, gulping for air as he was hit with the chill of the night breeze, Rather than drive, he walked the half hour back to their apartment, before falling on the couch he had found Merlin on those months ago when everything was new and looked to be the start of the rest of his life.
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Merlin woke slowly, his head pounding as he lifted his head to look for Arthur, blinking wearily as he registered he was lying on a sofa and not in their apartment. He recognised Gwaine's furniture and fell back with a flop, restraining a groan as he fought off a wave of nausea. Memories flooded back as he got his stomach under control, visions of an angry and hurt Arthur storming out of the flat, of uncontrollable weeping as Merlin sobbed in his best friend's arms, of falling asleep as Gwaine laid a blanket over him and tousled his hair gently, before grabbing his phone from the table. Thinking of phones, he looked around for his and remembered he had turned it off, leaving the office and it was in his work coat, hung over the back of the chair. He stood up slowly, weaving his way over to his coat and grabbing his phone, before stumbling back to his seat, his head banging and his vision blurry. He turned his mobile on wincing to find numerous calls and texts from Arthur. He listened to one of the various voicemails, his eyes filling with tears at the obvious worry in his voice as he begged him to answer.
Already he regretted getting drunk the night before and not talking to Arthur about the whole thing. He should have contacted him as soon as the email came through, and he could not blame Arthur for the mess when he was the one refusing to communicate past the issue even if Arthur was the one who had hidden it from him in the first place.
"Hey buddy, heard you get up from the bedroom. How are you feeling?"
Gwaine's voice shocked Merlin into dropping the phone into his lap and he turned slowly to see him watching from the doorway to the kitchen, holding a glass of water and bottle of painkillers. He smiled dimly, hoping his friend knew how grateful he was for looking after him.
"I'm fine. My head hurts but it is nothing compared to how sick I feel and it's not all due to the alcohol. How could I be so stupid Gwaine? Why didn't I go home and talk to him about everything?"
"It's not all your fault Merlin, you were hurt and angry. Everyone would've reacted the same way. He hid something from you and even if you should've asked for his side of things before judging the situation, it's easy to see why you were so angry."
"I still don't understand why he didn't tell me Gwaine; surely he could've talked to me about it. I would rather him tell me and lose him than stay with him, knowing I'm ruining his life."
"Maybe that's not how he sees it, after all, he's had years living with this over his head, maybe he's come to realise that he doesn't care enough to be dictated to by his father."
"But it's unnecessary, he could've asked me and if I said no, then fair enough, but he didn't know I wouldn't say yes."
"Maybe he didn't want to put you in that spot Merlin, Arthur for all his faults, is a good man and loves you. Anyone can see that, and he's lived with you for years knowing he loves you, but thinking you didn't feel the same. It could be he's giving you time to catch up."
Merlin remained silent as he mulled over what Gwaine had said, he took a second to ponder just when the carefree charmer had gotten so wise, and then decided that the only way to fix this was to speak to Arthur, He stood up slowly, taking two pills and swigging them back, hoping to clear his head.
"I need to see Arthur. I don't even know where he went last night; I was too out of it to even think. What sort of boyfriend am I? I don't even deserve him. What if something happened to him last night?"
"Merlin calm down. I spoke to him last night, after you went to sleep. He went home, I told him you were sleeping it off and would be home in the morning, ready to talk about it."
"Thanks Gwaine, where would I be without you?"
"Uh don't thank me yet, I might have done something bad,"
"Why? What did you do?"
"He was ranting and raving and I might have let slip that if he had only spoken to you about the contract, then it wouldn't have been a shock and you would've reacted differently."
"Wait so he knows that I know?"
"Uh yeah, sorry man, it slipped out, I was just annoyed at what he was saying y'know."
"Don't worry, you didn't mean to tell him and he was going to find out anyways."
Gwaine nodded looking relieved. Merlin just smiled and went to get changed back into his dry clothes, wanting to go home and sort out what was going on with him and Arthur. He thanked Gwaine again as he left, knowing his friend had gone through a lot, an angry or worried Arthur was a loud one and looking after a crying Merlin was never a good night.
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Merlin walked into the apartment, calling out for Arthur, as he dropped his keys on the table and noted the curtains were still closed. The bedroom was empty and the bed made, he tried the kitchen and living room but it was empty. Feeling worried he pulled out his phone to ring him, but it went to voicemail. Looking around frantically, he almost missed the note on the coffee table, but the white stood out from the dark wood. Nervously, he scanned the note, feeling detached as he read that Arthur had gone to visit his father and would be gone a couple of days, maybe a week. Merlin sunk onto the couch as he saw that Arthur had told him not to call.
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Merlin ignored the doorbell as he turned the tv up louder and pulled the blanket higher up, to cover his neck where his skin was icy cold. Arthur had only be gone a day but already Merlin missed him, even before they had gotten together, they would spend weekends watching tv and holing up, talking or doing paperwork but always together. The emptiness of the flat was like a strike to the heart as the silence threatened to overwhelm Merlin. He looked up in shock as a letter was pushed through the door, shaking his head as Gwaine shouted through the letterbox to read it and answer at least one of his texts.
Sighing heavily, Merlin retrieved the letter, sliding back under his blanket to read it. Gwaine had told him to make sure he ate something and to keep trying to get hold of Arthur and that they were both being stupid by avoiding each other.
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Arthur ignored Morgana as she tried to force him to talk, choosing instead to go back to his tv show, the programme he and Merlin had started watching only a few weeks previous. It wasn't that Arthur was avoiding dealing with Merlin; he just needed time to process. Clearly Merlin had found out about the contract and had reacted as Arthur knew he would: rejection of Arthur's love and their relationship. Arthur did not know how to cope in a world without Merlin and he wanted to salvage some of their friendship, enough that they could go on with a civil acquaintance, there was no way Arthur could ever be merely friends with him, not after finally being able to love him.
"Oh come on Arthur. Talk to me, you're worrying us. It's been two days, and you haven't said anything. Why aren't you answering your phone to Merlin? Have you two split up? "
"Morgana would you just leave it please, I don't want to talk about it?"
"Fine but only for a couple more days, it's not healthy to keep everything bottled in"
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Morgana looked around the street and knocked quickly on the door in front of her. She waited for minutes until finally it was pulled slowly open. Merlin's face emerged, unshaven and drawn. She shook her head at the ridiculousness of men as she pushed her way past and into the apartment. Moving briskly, she pulled the curtains open and opened a window to let the fresh air in.
"What is it about male idiots that mean they can't sort anything out themselves? Or maybe it's just my brother and his silly boyfriend."
"What are you doing here Morgana?"
"I'm trying to help you. And myself actually, I can't stand Arthur moping around anymore. It's so silly, why haven't you two just talked about whatever it is that's causing the problem? It's obvious you love each other so what could be so bad that you would let yourselves get this far?"
"I know about the contract Morgana."
Morgana raised an eyebrow and stared at him.
"Yes, I know, it was my idea for Uther to send it to you, indirectly of course, couldn't make it too obvious."
"What? Why would you do that?"
"So you would know and Arthur would stop worrying about it obviously."
"So Arthur couldn't even figure out how to break up with me without help?"
"What? Why would Arthur be trying to break up with you?"
"Well he's had months to tell me about this contract Morgana and he hasn't so clearly, he doesn't want to marry me."
"Oh and you don't think my brother was simply wiling to lose his inheritance instead of bowing down to the will of some contract?"
"Of course he wouldn't care about money or an inheritance over the happiness of someone he loves but that just emphasised the problem. He knows I love him and would marry him without question so he didn't need to worry about losing out on anything and hence the only alternative is that he didn't want that future with me."
Morgana sighed and looked at Merlin sternly.
"I'm only going to say this once Merlin so listen up. My brother loves you, he has for years. He told Uther years ago that he would settle for no one but you, I don't think he ever believed he would have you. You made him the happiest man alive when he found out you loved him to. The thing with Arthur is he's insecure about himself, he thinks he has to earn love or some rubbish like that. He thought if he told you about the contract when it was first written, you would ask why he refused to look for a suitable candidate and he wasn't ready to tell you that he loved you so he kept it quiet."
"Fine I guess I can understand that but why not tell me when we got together? It seems everything would have fallen into place nicely."
"Merlin, Arthur knew he loved you for years but to him, you'd only felt the same way in the past couple of months. It took him pretending to be your boyfriend and a fake break up fight for you to both tell each other. He thought if he told you about the contract, you would feel forced to marry him, and he would never be sure if you did it because you loved him or to help him."
"But… but that's so…"
"So Arthur, I know. That's why I had Uther send the contract, I thought if you knew about it, you would be sensible and ask him about it and then you would both talk and it would be sorted. Clearly I overestimated your common sense."
"Well can you blame me? I had to read something that said Arthur had to be married by thirty five and he had failed to mention anything about it to me a mere two months before the day. My only thought was that it meant he didn't want me."
"Oh Merlin, how can two people so in love doubt the other?"
"I don't know, I guess I just can't imagine him loving me back, he's it for me Morgana, it wasn't that I didn't love him for all those years, it was that I didn't let myself but once that wall broke, he was endgame for me."
"Did you ever tell him that?"
"No, I guess I didn't. I thought he'd know."
"Men, honestly, it's not a crime to talk about feelings Merlin, in fact it helps a relationship."
Merlin smiled fully for the first time in days.
"No need to be sexist Morgs, we talk, we just act first."
Morgana grinned and nodded, before grabbing her bag to leave.
"So I trust there'll be an extra guest at dinner tonight?"
Merlin paused, unsure what to do, he wanted to talk to Arthur but did not want to have to face Uther, but on the other hand, if he was to make sure Arthur got his man and inheritance he would have to deal with the man eventually. He nodded at Morgana and walked around her to shower, as she headed to the front door, having done what she had set out to do.
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Arthur sat at his seat on the long dining room table; his movements slow as he glared resentfully at his father. Uther knew he did not want to attend these dinners with him and Morgana but took his satisfaction in making him come down. He waited for Morgana to join them as his father continued to watch him.
"I've only ever wanted the best for you, you do know that right Arthur?"
Arthur looked up as his father spoke, almost wishing he could agree if only to end the conversation but he couldn't, the bitterness of the past couple of days forcing him to respond harshly.
"Of course you do father, which is why you created a contract that would force me into a marriage and has effectively lose me the only person I've ever loved."
"Well I can't disagree that the contract was an awful idea but I wouldn't say all was lost."
Arthur spun around as the familiar voice sounded from behind him and he saw Merlin smiling sheepishly from the doorway, Morgana standing smugly behind him. Arthur opened his mouth but nothing came out despite the numerous questions in his head. Most importantly why was he here. Merlin seemed to sense his inner struggle as he shrugged self-consciously and answered quietly.
"Morgana came to see me earlier and explained a few things which I should have given you the chance to do. I thought it was time we talked things through."
"What a great idea. Why don't you and Arthur take your dinner in the family dining room and discuss things in there?"
Merlin nodded at Uther politely as he spoke grateful for the chance to speak to Arthur in private. He followed Arthur out of the room, as he stood without a word. Morgana squeezed his arm as he passed and he smiled reassuringly, he wasn't going to lose Arthur.
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Arthur sat down silently, his eyes back on Merlin who sat opposite him, his eyes fixed on Arthur.
"Let me start Arthur, it's my fault that I didn't come home and speak to you when I found out about the contract. I should have known that you had secrets and given you the chance to explain before jumping to conclusions. I'm sorry for that, and for getting drunk without telling you where I was going, that was stupid and selfish. Having said that, this could have been avoided if only you'd trusted me and told me about the contract."
"I didn't want you to think that I expected you to marry me Merlin. How messed up would that be? We'd only been together a couple of months and I'm proposing and in order to ensure I get my inheritance. How would you not think I was only using you?"
"I know you silly, we've been friends far too long for me to ever believe you would use me or lie to me. We might have only been together a matter of months but we've been practically married for years now, all that's changed is we get amazing sex out of it, and a different label. "
"See, this is what I was worried about. You're doing this for me, to help me, and finding excuses for it. I needed to know that if we ever got married, to would be because we were in love and wanted to make it official."
"Well what difference does it make when we get married? I love you and always had marriage in mind; it doesn't matter to me whether it was two months from now or two years."
Arthur remained silent, watching Merlin across the table, his face showing his confusion and need to believe what he was saying. Merlin moved around the table slowly, pausing to move Arthur's hand from where they were crossed on his chest and sat in his lap, his face inches from Arthur's own as he looked him in the eye and told him firmly.
"Arthur, my only resistance to the contract was that I thought you didn't want me as you had never mentioned it to me. I thought I was helping you by breaking up with you and giving you time to find someone more suitable. I now know differently and its time you knew that I love you and I have always wanted to marry you. Some stupid contract doesn't belittle a marriage between us; it just gives it a deadline."
"Merlin, you idiot, there is no one else for me."
"That's what you took from that, you ass?"
"No, I heard you say you loved me and wanted to marry me, I just needed you to know that you're my one. I don't want anyone other than you, and that's why I didn't tell you about the contract, losing control of the company wouldn't bother me if it meant we could marry in our own time after I'd thought up some elaborate manner to propose and a period of time in which I could introduce you as my fiancé."
"That's very romantic but we'll never be that romantic movie couple and I don't care. Marrying you would be an honour Arthur and don't care about the circumstances of our engagement. I happen to think two months is a perfect engagement period."
"You do?"
Merlin grinned and nodded, his lips brushing Arthur's as he brought them together, to press down gently, savouring the contact and relief of being back in Arthur's arms. The kiss deepened as Arthur seemed to realise that this was real, that Merlin was in his arms, and he tightened his grip, never wanting to let go.
Before things could go too far, a discreet cough from the doorway had both Merlin and Arthur looking up to see Morgana looking at them.
"Glad to see you two boys have made up. Am I to tell Uther to expect wedding bells?"
Before either boy could answer, Uther entered the room to stand next to Morgana, his smile widening as he looked at Arthur and saw the immediate difference from the moping, angry man he had been without Merlin.
"Actually I'm sure an official engagement should suffice. There is a minor loophole in the contract that states should Arthur be engaged to a person of whom I believe he fully attends to marry, then the conditions upon the inheritance no longer stand. Unfortunately that loophole only allows you a further year in which to marry, but there is no need to rush for now."
"Father, how could you not tell me this? This would have meant that I had plenty of time in which to tell Merlin."
Merlin rubbed his hand calmingly on Arthur's knee.
"No, I'm glad the way this has turned out. Thank you Mr Pendragon for telling us of the loophole, it gives us more time to organise and also for the foresight of including it in the first place. I didn't spot it when I first looked over the contract."
"Wait, I never did ask how you found out."
"Gaius asked me to look over a contract as a favour for an old friend and it turned out, the friend was your father."
Arthur looked angry at the meddling before he sighed and just nodded, tired of arguing and just happy that he no longer had to worry about telling Merlin. He smiled up at his father and nodded his thanks; he was not in the mood for talking it out with his family. Right now, he just wanted to go home and snuggle up with Merlin on the couch or in bed.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xx
Merlin turned to press a kiss to Arthur's bare chest, his lips warm against the chilled skin. He smiled into the blue eyes watching him, content for the moment to lay in silence. Although, nothing was easy for them and they did not have the most conventional relationship, it worked. He knew they would never have a textbook happy ever after and that there would be more arguments, fights and drunken nights with separate friends, but he did know, they would always find their way back to each other, no matter what.