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The windows of the limousine were blurred from the onslaught of rain. The rain was getting harder and was falling in diagonal sheets. Wipers swished back and forth in a futile attempt to part the attack of the rain. Arthur groaned and leaned his head back, fingers tapping against the newspaper folded in his lap. Of course his limousine would break down. The limo he painstakingly took care of, the one he personally changed the oil on and maintained broke down. In the pouring rain. In the middle of nowhere.

But not really, oh no. Arthur was lucky enough to have his limo break down right in the front of a bar. A God damned country western bar to boot. Oh yes, the fates had a funny way of screwing Arthur Pendragon over. It's not like Arthur doesn't work his ass off working for his Father's publishing company or anything and his only comfort was getting home and curling up on the couch with his cat. Arthur owned a cat.

Cats were manly.

George was a very manly cat.

Arthur shoved the newspaper off his lap and stepped out into the rain, bowing his head and walking over to the front of the limo to speak with Leon, his driver. Leon was a good soul, handsome and generally likeable. Arthur had no issue with him, with the exception that his sister was currently making come-hither-and-drop-trou eyes at him. Uther was not strictly against his children dating the 'help' but he would certainly frown upon it. The back handed passes aggressive comments and the 'tsks' he made at dinner were enough to grate on anyone's nerves. It wasn't worth the trouble…generally. But Morgana wanted what she wanted.

"How's it looking?" Arthur asked as he bent over the open hood of the limo.

Leon nibbled at his cheek, his furry beard wriggling like a living organism. "I don't know, sir. I'm not a mechanic."

Arthur tried not to grumble aloud. Arthur could fix it—he could. Despite the suits and the shiny shoes (Morgana keeps telling him the designer but who the fuck cares) he loved getting under his cars and tweaking the engines and everything else he could get his hands on. His Saturdays and Sundays were spent knee deep in oil, gasoline, and dirty rags.

But he didn't have any of his tools. And in the rain and in the dark he could barely see. "Let's go inside and call for some help…maybe get us someplace warm to camp out." Leon nodded and slammed the hood shut. His father would disapprove of their friendship but he didn't need to know that Leon often came over to his house to play poker, along with his gardener Gwaine and footie mate Elyan.

Arthur never said he was the strait-laced son his father thought him to be, he would tell anyone who asked about his fascination for cars. But here he was currently, pretending to be the son his father wanted, with a broken down limo when all he wanted to do was be a man and cuddle his cat George.

He had been in Dallas assisting his father in setting up a branch of the publishing company when he broke down in the middle of whothefuckcares, TX.

Arthur pushed open the door and stepped inside, shaking his head out and rubbing his feet on the mat. The effort was futile but hey, he made the effort right? Leon followed in behind him and actually wrung out his beard. He grinned at the look on Arthur's face. Arthur would definitely be telling Morgana about that.

The bar was actually quite nice on the inside: all red grained wood with soft ambient light. A few circular tables sat in the middle of the room and six booths lined the wall to the left. At the back of the bar was a cleared out space for a band and dancing. There was no band tonight, being a Tuesday and all, but two older couples were on the dance floor. They danced in that way that can only be developed from years of partnership. The sight made Arthur's heart melt a little and even Leon was smiling underneath his beard.

The bar was long and shiny and the two soggy men made their way to it, sliding into the spinning bar stools. Arthur resisted the urge to spin himself in circles.

"What'll it be?"

The voice was deep and resonant and when Arthur looked up he found that he already knew what the man looked like from his voice alone. Deep blue eyes, bluer than any eye had the right to be really, were staring at him. They were filled with warmth and Arthur found himself unable to look away. Those eyes were surrounded by an expanse of pale skin, dark fringes of hair hung over them in an untidy but gorgeous way. Arthur found himself comparing the bartender to a greyhound—thin and agile but stocked with muscle and grace.

Arthur almost found himself asking for everything but Leon ordered coffee first and Arthur bit down on his tongue. He gesture vaguely at Leon then himself. The bartender raised an eyebrow at him but seemed to understand what he meant. Leon gave him a strange furry look but didn't say anything. Leon, Gwaine, and Elyan all knew he was gay. He didn't hide it or care that anyone knew. Even his father had some idea, though he did not want to have the conversation to confirm it. Morgana even got him a subscription to Abs and Buns monthly. He told her it was a nuisance but he read it religiously…for the articles.

"Here you go." The bar tender said, setting the two cups of coffee on the counter in front of them. Arthur made some sort of strangled noise and Leon turned a knowing smirk on him.

Besides the two couples on the dance floor the bar was relatively quiet. The bar tender smiled—his lips were pale pink and soft looking—and rested his elbows on the polished surface of the bar. "My name's Merlin." His grin deepened and little, "And don't start with the mocking. I know it's silly."

"My last name's Pendragon…I get the mocking." Arthur suddenly found his voice and he was surprised at how easy it was to talk to this Merlin.

"So, Merlin where's your accent? I came to Texas expecting hats, boots, and southern drawls."

Merlin laughed, his blue eyes sparkling. Arthur was entranced. He changed his mind—fate really did love him.

"You should check your expectations." He said. "We're not all good 'ol boys down here. I studied at Yale before moving down here."

"Why Texas?"

Merlin smirked and leaned forward, eyes darting around as he whispered his secret. "You haven't seen the skies."

Yep, Arthur was doomed. Being that he was doomed anyway he may as well go down swinging. Go big or go home. Everything is bigger in Texas right?

At some point Leon called a tow truck and then sidled over to talk to a man with a truly impressive beard. Arthur imagined they were discussing tactics on growth and bushiness.

He talked to Merlin all night—through all of Merlin's chores and him serving the other patrons, while he locked up the front door and wiped down glasses, while Leon curled up in one of the booths and fell asleep. They ended up sitting on the bar, two glasses of milk between them laughing so hard their abdomens hurt. Their laughter died off to meaningful glances that sparked with heat and electricity. Then there was a lot of hands and groping, firm lips pressed against each other with friction that sent electricity down Arthur's spine. Merlin flung himself towards Arthur and briefly all that could be felt was a tangle of limbs and elbows (Merlin) and grunts of pain (Arthur). But when everything fit into place, like a puzzle balanced precariously on the bar, it was like magic was sparking off them. Arthur wouldn't admit it out loud but he was pretty sure there were flickering lights and dancing unicorns.

It was mostly kisses and groping. Merlin felt so good and hard against him, his lithe body smooth and mostly hairless and hello, there's a new thing Arthur really liked. His fingers were tangled in Merlin's hair when he felt long cold fingers sliding down his pants and gripping him tightly and there were stars and more dancing unicorns as his hips bucked up into the touch. Merlin was far from an expert but neither was Arthur and just Merlin's touch alone could cause him to shudder violent and forget everything except that white hot blaze that erupted against his skin every time he was touched.

There was scratching—Merlin was a little rough but Arthur wasn't complaining, nope—but he was also generous and at moments downright loving. After some rough hand jobs and lots of biting and sucking of collarbones (Merlin's collarbones were meant to be sucked upon, it's not Arthurs fault they were a work of God).

After they were both covered in spunk and delightfully boneless, hips pushing against the wood of the bar but neither wanting to move. Merlin was warm, like a little sweaty radiator, but also kind of pointy…in a way Arthur loved. His hair was silky and his fingers carded through easily. They were curled up on the bar, Merlin on top of Arthur, giggling and petting. Arthur spent the majority of the time staring into Merlin's eyes as he talked about his hopes and dreams. About how his degree was essentially useless because he loved working at the bar.

"We're gross." Merlin pointed out after a moment.

"Whining are we?" Arthur teased, tickling along Merlin's ribs. Merlin grinned and squirmed against him, tucking his head into the crook of Arthur's neck.

"Do you believe in fate?" Arthur asked suddenly. Merlin was so still he thought he might have fallen asleep.

"I guess I do tonight…this morning." Merlin glanced at the clock behind the bar.

Arthur grinned and hugged Merlin closer.

After a long moment he wriggled around and reached behind him into his back pocket. Merlin had unzipped his trousers and left them gaping but there wasn't room to really disrobe. Merlin whined and Arthur shushed him. "There's something…" he muttered pulling out a coin and looking at it. It was warm from their combined body heat.

Merlin smirked and gestured at a sign on the wall: Two halves of a coin.

Arthur and Merlin shared a look before laughing. Arthur's belly moved so much that Merlin had to scramble to hold onto his perch.

"So…we're thinking fate is a good thing?" Merlin laughed and planted a sloppy kiss on Arthur's lips.

"I don't." Leon grumbled from the booth he was curled up in.

The bright red the flushed up Merlin's cheeks was worth the embarrassment. Arthur would have to owe Leon big time for this.

"So tell me about this sky…"