A new oneshot for all the Mergana lovers out there! I got the idea from a lovely story called Maybe it's a Date by Lady Aurora-Pendragon. Check it out! :)
Morgana and Merlin sat at a table in the café. They were inside the book shop at which they were employed—both as assistant managers. The Book Nook was one in a chain her father owned. She didn't need the work so much as the experience—soon she'd be starting her MBA. Merlin definitely needed the work though. He was on scholarship and needed the money to pay for his postgraduate work.
They had known each other for the better part of a decade, when her father moved her and her half-brother Arthur to this town. Uther had wanted to relocate his headquarters to a smaller city, and he thought his children would benefit from the quieter lifestyle.
Merlin and Arthur didn't get along at first. Morgana befriended Merlin, and through him, his friends. She figured Arthur would pull his head out of his rear sometime, and he had. Now he and Merlin were best friends, rooming together at uni.
"So . . . graduation," Morgana started. "Are you ready?"
"Not in the slightest," Merlin replied. "Real life is scary."
"You can handle it, I'm sure. Besides, you have a mentor to help you along."
"So do you."
"Uther is not a good mentor unless you have no opinions of your own."
"Oh, yeah." Merlin had come to a certain understanding with Uther; he'd thought him not good enough to associate with his children. But all three wore him down with a combination of nagging and charm.
"You two are still here?" Leon, their manager today, asked. They hadn't noticed him walk over. He wasn't surprised—these two were wrapped up in each other, but insisted they were just friends.
"Oh hey Leon," Morgana said. "Just whining about real life."
"Don't get me started," he replied. "But it's Friday, my humble minions. You should get out here and enjoy it."
"Okay Leon, but only because you said so," Merlin said. He winked at the manager and stood. "C'mon Morgana, we'd better spilt before he sends us to the stocks."
"That's right." Leon smirked as Morgana stood. She and Merlin walked to the employee area at the back of the shop.
"So, do you have any plans for the evening?" Merlin asked her as they gathered their things.
"Gwen set me up on this blind date tonight. I guess she figured it was time for me to go out again."
"That's true."
"Hey!"
"I shouldn't talk though—it's been two years since Freya, and . . . well, Arthur's forcing me to go on a blind date too."
"'Forcing'?"
"Well, no, but I somehow always let him twist my arm."
"My brother's awfully good at that."
"Yes, he is." Merlin sighed.
"Hey, if I have to 'be' over Al, you have to 'be' over Freya."
"Fine. So if I have to go on my blind date you have to go on yours."
"It's a deal. Though if she wasn't my best friend . . ." They shook hands. "Fancy a ride home?"
"Yes please."
xxxXxxx
Shortly after Morgana got home, Gwen showed up at her door. "Big night huh? Want some help getting ready?"
Morgana rolled her eyes and let Gwen in. "I should make you do all the work since you got me into this."
Gwen just laughed her sparkling laugh. "I happen to know that you will enjoy this date."
"What, are you psychic now?"
"No, I just know you well."
"Arthur's a bad influence on you."
Gwen helped Morgana through the usual angst of selecting the perfect outfit. It helped that she knew the place where Morgana was meeting her date. "China Lily? Is that the new upscale Chinese place a few blocks from here?"
"Yes. You can walk there. Now, how about this blue sleeveless dress? Blue really brings out your eyes."
"Isn't it still a bit cold for that?"
"Take a sweater."
"All right." The dress was royal blue crepe and went down just past her knees. And the best part was she had matching shoes already!
They chatted while Morgana applied her makeup. "The reservation is under the name 'Seymour Butts.'"
"Are you serious Gwen? That isn't even funny—it's crude."
"Not my idea. You should know Arthur has the sense of humor of a six-year-old."
"How did I forget?"
Morgana finished her makeup and transferred her essentials from her everyday purse to her fancy one. Gwen played with Morgana's hair, braiding it part way and letting the rest fall free. A jeweled clip and a matching bracelet later, she declared Morgana ready. "Go get 'im girl!"
Morgana started for the door but suddenly paused, nervous. "Gwen, please tell me he's nothing like Al."
"Honey, he's nothing like that slime Alvarr, I promise. If I'm wrong, and I won't be, I'll clean your flat all the way through grad school."
"Hmm. Fine."
"Don't worry; you'll be fine. He's a really great guy. Now come give me a hug."
Morgana strode over to embrace her best friend. "Thank you Gwen. Call you tomorrow?"
"You bet. And don't worry. I won't be here when you get back, just in case." She winked flirtatiously.
"Gwen!"
"Go!"
"Bye Gwen." And Morgana was off, but she'd forgotten the sweater.
xxxXxxx
Merlin was so nervous he shook. Before he even started getting ready, he called Arthur. "I blame you for this," he told his friend.
"Well hello to you too! What are you blaming me for now?"
"You got me into this date thing and now I'm so nervous I'm shaking and I can't think straight."
"Oh, for a minute there I thought you noticed I didn't clean your blue shirt after I wore it."
"Arthur! I was going to wear that one tonight!"
"Oh don't whine. Try the red one instead."
"Fine. But you're taking that shirt in for cleaning tomorrow."
"Okay! Now, how are you feeling?"
"All right, I guess."
"Ha! My plan to distract you worked."
"Ohh, I get it. Thanks for that, but you're still cleaning the shirt."
"I said okay. Now, did I tell you the name of the restaurant?"
"No, only that it's Chinese."
"It's called China Lily. It's new and upscale—better than take away quality."
"That sounds good."
"Oh, it is. And the reservation is under the name 'Seymour Butts.'"
"Interesting name."
"I know."
"Any other advice?"
"Treat her like a princess and everything will go well. For what it's worth, I think you two could really be something."
"Um, thanks? That's awfully sentimental for you, Arty."
"Idiot. For once just take my advice. She's worth it."
"Don't tell me what to do, prat, but you're probably right."
"I know I am."
Merlin could just feel his smirk over the network. "Thanks again. Have fun with Gwen."
"Oh I will. I'm at hers now. It's movie night."
"Enjoy."
"Bye Merlin."
Merlin hung up on him for that jab. He put down his phone and commenced getting dressed. Just to be sure, he checked the blue shirt—it was dirty. He scowled at it and put on the red shirt and navy blue sport coat. At least that was clean.
When he finished dressing, he glanced at the clock. Time to go. He grabbed his wallet and keys and left for the tube station.
The tube dumped him a couple of blocks from Morgana's flat. He hoped her date went well, for her sake. Her last boyfriend had been borderline abusive, so he could understand her reluctance. He looked up, saw the restaurant in the distance and began walking.
He opened China Lily's door and was immediately stunned. This was unlike any Chinese restaurant he'd ever been in. It was modern and sleek but still felt like he could've stepped into the Orient.
"May I help you?" A polite female voice asked.
Merlin looked up and saw a pretty Chinese woman. "Um, yes." He began walking closer. "I have a reservation?"
"What name?"
"Seymour Butts." Now that he said it out loud, he wanted to smack Arthur.
"I'm sorry?" the woman asked, shocked.
"Sey—oh never mind, you heard it. My friend has a sick sense of humor."
The poor woman's face was flushed when she said, "Right this way." She led him to a table with two chairs, next to a gas-lit fireplace.
"It's lovely, thank you," he told her kindly. She left and he settled down to wait for his mystery date.
xxxXxxx
Morgana walked into China Lily, a little later than she'd planned. The interior was gorgeous and tasteful. She only went places like this when her father took the family to dinner—to show off his wealth. The hostess stood a few steps away. "May I help you?"
"Yes," Morgana said, approaching her. "I have a reservation."
"Name?"
"Um—" She didn't want to say it.
The woman looked up and beckoned Morgana closer. She pointed to a name in her book. "Is it this?"
"Yes! Thank you."
"Not a problem. I already went through this with the gentleman." Morgana's stomach filled with butterflies. "Right this way please."
She was led through the restaurant while those butterflies kept flapping away. In that nervousness, she was looking down when the hostess stopped. "Here we are. Have a pleasant evening."
Morgana didn't want to look up yet, but a familiar voice said, "Morgana?"
She looked up. "Merlin? What?"
"It appears we've been set up," Merlin commented.
"Oh, I'm gonna tell Gwen off right now!" She pulled her mobile out of her purse.
"Whoa," he said, standing. He walked over to her chair and pulled it out. She was about to say something but he spoke again, "At least sit down before you tell her off. I'm going to text Arty right now."
Morgana sat and looked at him. "I'm sorry; I didn't know they did this. Obviously."
"Don't apologize. Besides, you look amazing. And we might as well enjoy being here. This place looks fantastic!"
"Okay. Let's give it to our friends." Her call to Gwen was short and sweet, and not the least bit satisfying. Gwen told her to stay and at least enjoy the food, ambiance and friend-time. Morgana "humph'ed" and ended the call. She looked over at Merlin, who was still texting. "What's he saying?"
"'Relax and enjoy dinner.' Oh, and if I hurt you he'll make my life a living hell. I still have to get him back for 'Seymour Butts.'"
"Yeah, that's pretty awful, even for Arthur."
"He's a bad influence on Gwen," Merlin snarked and rolled his eyes.
"That's what I told her."
"Well, we might as well order and enjoy." Their waitress had come by a few minutes ago with menus. "Let's look at it this way—we're simply two friends enjoying dinner together. We don't have to call this a date."
She nodded in agreement, and they both picked up their menus to peruse them. By the time the waitress came back, they were ready to order. Morgana fumed while they waited, lost inside her head for a few minutes. She had an odd feeling and looked up to see Merlin staring at her. "What?" she asked.
"I can't believe I didn't notice this before, but didn't you used to wear contacts? Your eyes are beautiful—you don't have to hide them."
"Too many guys hitting on me—I got tired of it."
"I didn't know that. I could have helped—pretended to be your super jealous ex-boyfriend or something."
"It's okay. I must have heard every cheesy pickup line that exists though." They both laughed.
The couple spent the next few minutes chatting about inconsequential things. Then their meals arrived and they began eating and raving about the food. Morgana really like the fruity dishes like orange beef and lemon chicken (she'd ordered the chicken but had been torn). Merlin enjoyed anything with sesame.
Before either of them noticed, their food and was gone their diaphragms hurt from laughing. And the check had been lying next to them for quite a while. There were two fortune cookies laying there with the bill. "I wonder what they say," Merlin commented.
"Let's find out," Morgana replied. They both grabbed one and opened them. Her hand flew out to cover his. "Before you read it out loud, let's play the game Arthur and I made up."
"Oh no. This doesn't involve lewd comments, does it?"
She gave him a wicked smile. "Of course it does. Okay. We read the fortune out loud, and at the end we add, 'between the sheets.'"
"Oh no."
"Come on."
"All right." She took her hand off his and he looked down at his. "'Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much¹' . . . between the sheets. Ohh no, that's awful!" But he was laughing hard.
Morgana was laughing so hard she nearly fell off her chair. It took her a few moments to compose herself. "That was . . . That was hilarious!" She paused to catch her breath. "Okay, now mine." She pulled the little paper out and read: "'Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes²' . . . between the sheets." She burst out laughing again the same time Merlin did. The other diners, who'd been giving them looks all night, openly stared.
"Uh oh, I think it might be time to go," Merlin whispered. He signaled the waitress and gave her his credit card. A few minutes later she returned with the card and receipt. He helped Morgana out of her chair and held out his arm for her to take, which she did.
They walked out the door together and stopped a metre or so from it. She let go of his arm and he turned to her. "I could walk you home, if you like."
"I would like, thank you. I don't think I've ever seen you act more the proper gentleman than tonight."
"Why thank you, my lady!"
They walked in silence for a few moments, content. Merlin was staring down at the sidewalk, but a car's honk made him look up. He saw something amazing across the street. "Oh look, swings! I haven't been to a play park since . . ."
"You big child."
"Growing up is overrated."
"True that."
"Let's go!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her across the street during a lull in the traffic. Once they'd made it, he looked to her. "Race you to the swings!" he yelled, and took off.
"What? No, wait!" She ran, but he was metres ahead of her already. "You cheated," she complained when she caught up.
"Maybe. I need to use every advantage I've got. I'm not naturally athletic like you Pendragons."
She stuck her tongue out at him. "Fine. But you have to push me first." She sat down primly in a swing and waited.
Merlin smiled and went around to her back. He bent and grabbed the seat, pulled her back then gave her a mighty push. She surged forward and soared into the air. He continued this for a while and they chatted when they caught their breath. Finally he'd had enough and said, "Okay, one more then you swing yourself."
She agreed and he pulled her back until she reached his head. Then he pushed her while running forward and let go when she was at his head again, behind him. He turned and backed up to watch her.
She was stunning. Her head was thrown back and her mouth open in laughter. Her ebony hair streamed back and forth, but her jade eyes were closed. She seemed different somehow, and was clearly enjoying the soaring sensation. Good thing her skirt is tucked under, he thought.
When she finally slowed, Merlin sat in the swing next to her. They swung and chatted for a few more minutes, then Morgana spotted the slide. "It's time to slide," she said, and jumped up to run over to it.
Merlin was amazed at how she could run in the severely high-heeled shoes she wore. Then he remembered her dress. "Morgana, I'm not sure that's such a great . . ."
Before he could finish, she came down the slide with a "wheeee!" Then he saw that she'd kicked off her shoes and had come down hugging her knees. He sighed and ran around to the ladder.
The slide was tall and long. She beat him around and climbed up before him. When he got up, she was waiting at the edge. "Sit," she commanded.
He swallowed. "Behind you?"
"Yeah. I don't have cooties, you know." She winked and he climbed up to sit behind her, his legs going outside of hers and his arms around her waist. He felt tingly. Once he was settled, she asked, "Ready?"
"Yep."
"Okay! One, two, three, push!" They both flew down the slide, whooping like little kids the entire time. At the bottom, she didn't get up right away, but turned her head to look at him. "Wasn't that fun?"
Her face was so close to his, he became flustered for a moment before he could reply. "Yeah," was all he could manage. Her nearness caused a haze over his brain, and she smelled wonderful. Hadn't he exorcized this feeling long ago?
She got up and ran for the see-saw. "Merlin!" She yelled impatiently. He shook his head and ran over to sit opposite her.
After the see-saw, they went to the carousel. Morgana insisted on lying spread-eagle right in the middle. Merlin watched as she closed her eyes to enjoy the spinning sensation. She was beautiful, like some fae from another world. Her porcelain skin glowed in the moonlight. The light gave her hair a blue-black sheen; her red-painted lips looked luscious. Luscious? Why was he thinking this way about Morgana?
When the carousel slowed, he climbed on and sat on the edge. She sat up and scooted to the edge next to him. He looked thoughtful, kind of like he was arguing with himself about something. Ever since they'd gone down the slide together, he'd seemed distracted. But he'd agreed to everything she wanted.
While he sat, she studied his face, like she used to. She'd never really noticed before that his coloring was almost exactly the same as hers—pale and dark. But those cheekbones were the same; sharp enough to cut glass. His eyes were a changeable shade of blue she's only ever seen once, like the ocean. And suddenly those ocean-y sapphires were looking back at her.
"Hi there," he said. She gulped and shivered. "Are you cold?"
"Yeah. I wore this posh dress with high hopes." He looked a little hurt at that. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking straight."
"It's all right. I'm not exactly Prince Charming. But would you like my jacket anyway?"
"Thanks." She paused for a moment. "You're wrong, you know. You are Prince Charming."
"Thanks. You might be the only one who thinks that."
"I'm sure Freya thought so too." He looked stricken. "Oh, man, I'm sorry, Merlin. I keep sticking my foot in my mouth."
He took a deep breath. "No, it's all right. She did think that. Sometimes I still miss her. But I actually hadn't thought about her all night." He cleared his throat. "Are you ready to go home?"
"Only if I can offer you some hot chocolate to apologize and cheer you up."
"It's a deal."
He stood and stuck out his hand to help her up. She took it and he gently pulled her up. The instant their hands touched, a light shock went through both of them. They looked at each other, but neither said anything and neither let go.
xxxXxxx
The walk to Morgana's flat was mostly silent. Both were wrapped up in thoughts of the changed mood between them. They were still friends, but now there seemed to be something more there.
They were so self-absorbed that they nearly missed her building's entrance. Both laughed, which broke most of the tension that had silently mounted. She squeezed his hand and pulled him inside, up the stairs and to her door. She was nervous again, so it took her a minute to find her keys, but finally she had the door open and they were inside.
It had been several months since Merlin had been to her flat. There were a few changes, but overall it still screamed Morgana. Her theme was black and white with small splashes of color; very unique, like her. She'd gone back to the kitchen and now said, "Please sit. Would you like some biscuits too?"
Merlin contemplated that for a moment. He'd worked up a little appetite from the activity at the play park. "That would be great," he called back. He turned and watched her work; the beauty of an open floorplan.
After a couple minutes, she re-entered the living room with a tray loaded with mugs and biscuits. "I didn't know whether you wanted marshmallows . . ." she said as she sat the tray in front of him, on the coffee table.
"Mm yes," he replied and saw that she'd included some on the tray. "Thank you."
She handed him a mug and he spooned some marshmallows in. She copied him and they both sat back on the chic sofa; neither sipped. "So, any other plans for the weekend? I don't have any, but I do have to go food shopping. Then I might—"
"Morgana."
"Zip downtown. There's a new boutique that opened up that I thought I'd check out. Elena says they have the cutest—"
"Morgana."
"Handbags and shoes, just like a place I saw a few months ago in London. There's no way I could possibly—"
"Morgana!" That finally stopped her rambling. "Thank you. I-I wanted to talk about something else." Being back in her home gave her a sort of energy, and when that combined with the nervous tension between them . . . she turned into a motor mouth.
"Okay. What?" She felt she should be puzzled, but she wasn't.
"Did you . . . feel something different tonight?"
She had indeed. "Like what?"
"Oh, I don't know, a shift in our friendship. A . . . I don't know how to describe it."
"Attraction? Interest? Warmth?"
"Sounds about right," He sounded slightly miserable.
"What's wrong with that?"
"Nothing?"
"Is that an answer or a question?" He opened his mouth to speak. "No, that was rhetorical. Look, people have been telling us for years that we belong together. We've laughed in their faces and stayed friends, but I'm willing to bet it was deeper than that sometime before."
He was silent for a long moment. "Yes," he said quietly. "When you and Arthur first came here. I-I fell for you. Hard. But while you never noticed, Arthur did."
"Captain Oblivious figured that out and I didn't?"
"Yeah, I know, right? But he warned me away, so I admired from afar. Then I met Freya and she . . ."
"I see."
"I didn't imagine you'd ever feel the same, so I just sort of shoved it to the back of my mind. And when she died . . ."
"Ah. I get it." She took a deep breath. "Well, you see, I liked you too. Even back then. But you didn't talk to me—you seemed too good for me. Now I know why. So I lost hope and my self-esteem. Then you found her. That's when I started dating losers and I admired from afar."
"I never knew. How did you hide that from me?"
"You're almost as oblivious as Arthur."
"Hey!"
"It's true. But when Freya passed, I still didn't get my hopes up. You were so torn up; I stayed the supportive friend and kept dating losers. So here we are."
"Here we are." They stared into each others' eyes again. It seemed like they'd been doing it forever when he spoke again. "Would you mind if I—?" He leaned a little closer.
"No, go right ahead—" She leaned toward him too.
They stared for a moment, hearts pounding, then Merlin closed the gap and pressed their lips together. It was sweet relief, but intoxication at the same time. Morgana immediately slid forward until she pressed against him. His hands slid up to cradle her head between them, and she moaned at the contact. Her hands snatched at his shirt and held on; she simultaneously licked his bottom lip. He opened his mouth with a sigh and their tongues met and played together.
But this wasn't enough. His hands slid down to her hips and he pulled her forward until she was straddling his waist. They broke the kiss for a moment to get settled, then came back together more eager than before. He held her there while her hands moved up his chest to the back of his neck where she held on tightly. They kissed and broke for air, then kissed again.
After a few minutes, Merlin switched to kissing her neck. She moaned at the new sensation and threw her head back so he had better access. He licked and nibbled at her neck, then moved down to her collarbone. She sighed and subconsciously pushed her hips into his; that triggered all sorts of new sensations.
Merlin broke away from her and groaned. His hands shot up to hold her head again, and they looked into each others' eyes. The blue eyes asked a question that the green ones answered affirmatively. With another groan, he pulled her lips back to his; she matched his desire with her own. He gently pushed her backwards and pressed her into the sofa. For a moment everything seemed to fade into the haze of renewed love and pent up hopes.
Morgana opened her eyes reflexively, and the sudden closeness cut through the haze. She pushed his chest gently upwards, which separated their lips. He looked down at her questioningly with those gorgeous desire-filled eyes. "Just . . . hold on . . . a minute," she panted out. "Got to . . . do this . . . before . . . we can't think . . . anymore."
". . ." (He just shook his head.)
"We're going from zero to one hundred here, way too fast."
"Oh. Guess we got a little . . . crazy there."
"Little? Crazy?" She moved to sit up, which prompted him help her up and sit himself back.
"You have a point there. But obviously we still have feelings for each other. That means everyone was right about us and we were clueless."
"Arthur, and by extension, Gwen, will be insufferable."
"Maybe they don't have to know."
"What do you mean?"
"We could just tell them there was no spark. That we're still just friends."
"Intriguing. We'd have to hide this." She pointed at both of them. "Us. Together."
"Exactly. We'd fool them like they fooled us."
"You don't like lying."
"Normally, no. But this would be fun, like an extended prank."
"Ohh. In that case, yes, definitely."
"Come here, you."
"Okay, but let's not go past, um, 'second base,' as they say."
"Fair enough. Plenty of time to work up to that—" Merlin was cut off as Morgana pounced on him. He fell back and Morgana smashed their lips together. They could always work out the details of their plan later. They both had other ideas now.
Notes: ¹Helen Keller, ²Zig Ziglar
Also, I have a sequel planned and partially written, but I have several other projects to work on before I get back to this, but I'll let y'all know somehow. ;)