A/N: Modern AU; Arthur goes away to Tokyo on business and sends Gwen mixtapes. Touch of Morgana.
He sent her a mixtape with the words 'forever' and 'always' in each song hoping she would hear in each his wish. Arthur said in the letter that accompanied the package he had wanted it to be just 'forever' but the music industry had something against him so he put 'always' in the mix to even the playing field. Besides, he wrote, since this was for her he knew he absolutely had to put in a certain Mariah Carey song for a certain girl who used to sing it in her flat when she thought no one in the hall could hear her. She smiled as she tucked the paper into her planner before leaving the house. When the first few chords of Forever fill her car, Gwen bursted into a fit of giggles, nearly swerving into the other lane. Looking at the tape deck with exasperation in her eyes she shook her head.
"He can't be serious," she managed to say before another fit of laughter overtook her. The image of Arthur dancing for her in their small kitchen dressed in his boxers and undershirt as he tried to prove to her he did in fact have some moves was too much for her to take. The morning sun had played lightly in his hair as he slide across the linoleum Risky Business-like a coy smile on his lips as she rolled her eyes. Walking with what she had guessed was his attempt to appear rhythmic he sidled up to her.
"It's gonna be me you on the dance floor," he had sang to her blue eyes twinkling as he picked her off the kitchen counter and twirled about with her in his arms, "Cause we only got one night. Double your pleasure, double your fun."
"Honestly," she had laughed her legs wrapped about his waist, "You're terrible."
"Am not."
"How are you going to dance with me like this?" she teased her nose brushing the tip of his as she draped her arms over his shoulders lazily. Gwen almost regretted she had said anything when she saw a familiar gleam in his eyes. Fixing his hands behind her Arthur grinned wickedly up at her.
"I can manage."
Holding her close he swayed all the while making her laugh at how ridiculous everything was. She had swore to him that she'd never bring him to her boss's wedding if he was going to embarrass her so and he simply smiled before telling her she'd have a hell of a time getting rid of him if she was going in that pink slip. Before the song had ended though, dancing and debating had been all but forgotten as Arthur tumbled over her onto bed covers, their bare legs tangling with a spell of laughter that had weaved its way into the afternoon.
Their love story was ordinary, almost boring she guessed, nothing thrilling like those enchanting stories she had read as a child, but when she thought of how he made his way to her across the library that one day in college, his nerves clear in his eyes, she could only think of words that were anything but. Gwen hadn't known much about Arthur at the time, he was one of those military boys she had guessed from the uniform he wore once and a while when he walked passed her door to Merlin's but that had meant little to her other than that he was a glorified jock. And disgustingly rich, if the Chopard that he brandished about on his left wrist meant anything at all. They rarely ever talked, only on the rare occasion when they had to and their social spheres while adjacent never quite touched. Not that Gwen had any desire to get to know him. In fact if she had been pressed she would have said that she mildly disliked him.
He was a bit of a snob, not friendly like his friend Merlin and definitely not hospitable from the cold way he had looked at her when she innocently asked him one day at the laundromat if he minded lending her his detergent. He had a frosty air to him, one that most of the other girls at school had found attractive, but it put her off when he behaved as he did. So needless to say Gwen had been a little more than surprised when he sat down across from her that day, blue eyes shy and skittish. He almost looked human.
"Hi?" she said cautiously as she peered at him over the art book she had been poring over. The library had been near empty at the time, it being Friday when everyone with a life went out, and there were plenty of other empty tables for him to sit. She couldn't understand his unnecessary proximity but she could see that he certainly looked lost.
"Hi," he answered with a stiff nod of his head, "How are you?"
Raising her brow she decided to play along with whatever it was he was doing.
"Good. You?"
"Fine, thank you. I was wondering what you were doing Saturday night?"
Her first reaction was to tell him it was none of his business, but a little voice inside told her that she deserved to have a little fun or at least some form social contact, after all it was Friday and she had been miserable all day. After trotting around the library all day in the dumpy sweats and the Eeyore sweatshirt she usually wore trying to find something brilliant to write about the French and gleaners that would finally impress her professor, Gwen definitely needed more than hot cocoa to liven her up. The April rain had just added to her foul mood.
"Depends on who wants to know."
"I want to know?"
"Booked, I have a paper due Monday."
"But it's only Friday and you've been working on that for days."
Her eyes had flew up towards him in mild surprise, "How do you know how long I've been working?"
"It's not hard," he answered in the matter of fact way that had irritated her, "You've been sitting with that big thick book in front of you everywhere all week, it's very hard to miss. Small girl, big book."
"I could have been doing something else," she retorted, "Don't just assume my life is that simple."
If the slight look of contrition in his eyes had surprised her Gwen was left speechless by his next response.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed. I just thought," Arthur hesitated, "...that you were trying to find a way out of spending time with me."
A million thoughts flew at her along with a blank slate that knocked them soundly out of her mind. Gwen looked at him and blinked. And then blinked again.
"Wait, what?" she asked though Arthur hadn't spoken, "What did you just say?"
His face had turned an indescribable red, "I was going to ask you out."
If Gwen hadn't been sitting securely in her chair, her feet tucked into the legs, she was positive she would have fallen over.
"What?" she asked again in disbelief.
"Is that all you're going say?"
"I'm not quite sure what you're trying to say."
"Sunday there's no school and the movies are just a block away...I was going to ask you if you were free to go out with me on Saturday," he explained patiently the tips of his ear red now. Gwen had continued to look at him blankly.
"Is this where everyone's supposed to come out and laugh? Is this for some show or something?"
"No...what are you talking about?"
She had looked at him in quiet consideration for a moment, allowing herself to collect her thoughts as he returned to his natural color. He looked sincere. After all, she observed with slight glee, if he were faking he wouldn't be so embarrassed. There was only one question she had now. Letting her highlighter fall to the table with a soft thump, she leaned towards him.
"Why me? You barely know me, you don't even talk to me unless you have to."
"Why is that a problem?"
He said it so easily, as though she couldn't figure out a simple math equation and he had just told her to flip the fractions. Gwen had looked at him uncertain of how to respond.
"Well...I could be a complete bitch and ruin your entire evening."
"...That's...a risk I'm willing to take."
"See, I don't like that pause," she said quickly before picking up her highlighter again, "It means you were considering it."
"Was not."
"Then why did you pause?"
"I was trying to imagine you being a bitch," he had said a slow smile coming to his face. He looked almost charming now, "Took me a while."
"I have a paper," she repeated though it had sounded strangely hollow to her own ears. Arthur simply nodded as he opened his books and settled down in front of her.
"Well, at least you considered."
Later when they were on much better terms and Gwen would tease him about being turned down, Arthur would insist that he hadn't expected her to say yes anyway. He'd say, with a cock sure grin which by then she had come to love, that he was just planting an idea in her head. After all he had planned it so well in advance that she wasn't supposed to have known what had hit her. Gwen would just scoff.
His next mixtape told her in every way that he missed her, missed being home, missed holding her, and how he was sorry he was away without him ever saying so. That was just his way. While Morgana stopped by and put the kettle on the stove for some tea, Gwen sat down at their kitchen table listening as the chords of a guitar accompanied a promise that he'd be there soon. In his letter he talked of Tokyo, how sashimi wasn't to his taste but the beer was wonderful, how his work was going well that they had finally managed to agree to some terms of the trade agreement. He wrote about how the school girls followed him around on the streets and one had even asked him for a bit of his hair. Most of them were so short too, he said, so it was impossible not to stand out even when he wore a hat to cover his blonde hair. Gwen had laughed at the image of Arthur sneaking around Tokyo with a group of girls in hot pursuit before.
"What's so funny?" Morgana asked turning to her.
"Your brother," Gwen answered with a slight smile, "Seems like he's a bit of a celebrity over in Japan."
"Arthur?" the brunette snorted, "That's a little ridiculous to imagine."
"He has to go out wearing a hat so the girls won't follow him."
"Ugh, as if his ego weren't big enough."
"He'll be unbearable when he gets back," Gwen agreed laughing before turning back to reading the letter. Though she had laughed her face quickly became wistful as she read on. He said that couldn't understand a lot of things there and that he was getting tired of the curry and rice he ate alone in his hotel room every time he got off work. He sounded like a little child whining to his mother, but Gwen knew it was much more than strange food and a language he wasn't familiar with. He ended with telling her she was beautiful like he always did but this time it was a memory that told her he wished to be anywhere but there.
I still remember that night on the rooftop. It was after graduation and you were all depressed with your hair tied up in that knot thing you do. You kept saying everything was all over and that you were scared and I kept thinking you had too much to drink and were going mad. Yeah, I'm a prat, you can hit me when I get back. But you know, you were lovely that night, the way you cried. I must be mad now I even think the way you cry is beautiful. Watch out your boyfriend might have become a sadist. Love you still though. God, next month will be hell.
For the moment Gwen was breathless as her brown eyes traced his words. He had probably laughed at the last part, that loud laugh that was almost obnoxious but not quite, before he read it over again. He was always careful about things, even with her. Gwen smiled as she remembered what he had left out.
They had climbed up together to the rooftop to get away from the drunken mess that Merlin's apartment had turned into. Sitting together they had star gazed a little, watching the lights of city glimmer below the glowing blue arc of the Eye when their necks had tired. That night he had confessed to her that she had surprised him when he had first seen her. He told her with a cautious tilt of his lips that now that he thought about it he seemed to have always dated blondes before her and she had told him that she never cared much for them before him. Dark eyes sparkling over red cups they decided maybe they were meant to be. After all they'd never been with anyone quite like the other. They were the exception, the one in a million that took each other's breath away. The thought of that still made Gwen's heart pound.
The mood that night had overwhelmed her Gwen supposed - the high of finally graduating, the uncertainty of the future, the warm assurance of Arthur's hand wrapped around hers - she really couldn't blame herself for crying when she looked out at the vastness of the city so full of strangers and realized it was time to grow up. Though thinking back she couldn't blame Arthur for thinking she was insane, the way that she had started blathering on about how it was the end of the world. He had sat there dumbfounded at first, just watching her cry. And then as if he couldn't think of anything else to do, he pulled her stumbling towards him and kissed her.
He was gentle, warm lips moving tenderly over hers as his hands brushed her curls out of face and it had made her cry harder. She had felt his confusion when he hesitated, about to pull away, but before he could her hands grasped the front of his shirt pulling his closer. Closer till she wasn't sure if it was her heart that she felt beating or his. But she remembered he was so warm that night in early May.
Faithfully played in the background when Gwen began her letter. From the kitchen Morgana made a comment about Arthur getting soft in the head if he was listening to all this sappy music. She laughed, her cheeks hurting a little. She began her letter like she always did, as though they were picking up a conversation they had previously dropped.
You know, I do worry about what all that fawning is doing to your ego. Those poor girls. I bet they haven't realized how much trouble you actually are...
Sensible, affectionate, as if he'd never left. She wrote so he could see a real part of her besides her words and as she wrote she felt him sitting across from her, watching her his yellow hair tousled from a Saturday afternoon nap. Gwen never mentioned the distance though she was sure that just as she did, he thought of it daily. At the end she told him it was really only one more month of practiced penmanship. In a way it made it worse, in a way it made it better, and she was sure he'd agree with her either way.