New one this, please read and review. The situation surrounding Arthur and Merlin's marriage and all the other missing details will be explained as the story progresses, please bear with me.

Hell or Highwater

Chapter – 1

"Arthur please don't…" said Merlin pushing him way with gentle but firm hands. Arthur looked up at him from where he'd been buried in Merlin's neck placing light pecks that made Merlin want him so much and yet he couldn't, couldn't give Arthur this now though he'd wanted Arthur in this way for so long it felt surreal.

"Merlin…Merlin baby please…." Arthur slurred the words and Merlin realized Arthur must have been drinking again.

It only made his resolve stronger as he pushed Arthur away and got up and out of bed intending to put as much distance between them as possible.

"Go back to your rooms Arthur…" Merlin said it with a sigh; this was the fifth time now that Arthur had tried to illicitly seduce him after being drunk and out with his mates.

Arthur usually pouted and made a fuss about going away but today he seemed to get angry and demanded "Get back here Merlin! I have the rights to have sex with you, I'm your husband!"

"You remember that now that it's convenient for you" Merlin spat bitter at having to deal with this again and again. "And you have no rights on my person, unless I say yes!"

Arthur's anger deflated and he looked lost and pathetic and Merlin had a hard time keeping the distance between them and not running back to Arthur to comfort him.

"I'd make it so good for you, promise…" Arthur opted for persuasion with a lewd smirk in Merlin's direction.

Merlin rolled his eyes, all the amusement from Arthur trying to get into his pants in the most cheesy of ways had faded at about the third time or so. Now he was tired, sleepy, and had an early shift tomorrow at the hospital, he was not amused that Arthur had chosen this night to harass him again.

"Why are you resisting Merlin? I know you want it, you know you want it!"

"I do not you arrogant assuming prat, now get out of my room." Merlin enunciated all the words like he was dealing with an impertinent child and Arthur shifted finally getting his ass of the bed and making his way towards the door. Merlin moved to the opposite side of the door towards the bed just so Arthur wouldn't decide to catch him again and try to seduce him again.

"Sweet dreams my Merlin…you know I'll be thinking of that ridiculously pale arse of yours tonight."

Merlin flushed despite himself and just gave a grunt as he rolled into the bed and fell back asleep in minutes.

It was always the same routine these days thought Merlin as he came down dressed in his work clothes. Arthur seemed to be everywhere all at once when before Merlin had gone weeks without even a glimpse of Arthur in their shared house or scary mansion as Merlin liked to call it.

Arthur seemed to be nursing a head ache and Merlin thought 'serves him right' for drinking so much. He was sat in one of the plush dining chairs set around the dining table.

Merlin went into the kitchen to grab some bread and cheese for a light morning snack and the maids were already up and preparing a sumptuous breakfast for Arthur. The head cook narrowed her eyes at him like she always did when he didn't eat in the house and he just smiled at her and waved before stepping out to find Arthur in the same position as before. He still had some time to kill as he'd called in to tell the staff in the hospital that he'd be late, however this late night visits to his room must stop if he wanted some peace in his life and he decided to address the issue now that Arthur was here.

When he heard footsteps Arthur looked up and smiled at Merlin who narrowed his eyes and said "I'm going to shift my rooms if you keep coming into them unannounced and disturbing my sleep."

Arthur who was overzealous during the night always became a bit awkward and contrite about his behavior the morning after.

This time was no different as Arthur scratched his neck, not meeting Merlin's eyes.

Merlin expected that to be the end of it but then Arthur said "I wouldn't if you'd just sleep with me!"

Merlin looked up shocked and a bit outraged when Arthur raised his hands and said "Sleep in my room I meant….don't get your feathers ruffled!"

Merlin snorted and asked "Why so you can harass me 24 seven?"

"It's normal for married couple to share a bedroom." Arthur said this like it was perfectly normal as if it wasn't him who'd decided he wanted to be as far away from Merlin as possible and told him in no uncertain terms that they would not be sharing bedrooms or their lives just because they were married.

"True, but we're not a normal married couple. In fact I remember you throwing me out of your rooms on the first night I came here….and what was it that you said…" Merlin tapped his fingers on his chin pretending to think about it before saying, "Oh I remember, don't ever presume or take rights on my person just because we are married, this is an arrangement and we will keep it so, stay out of my rooms and never enter them again."

Arthur winced knowing all this to be true and put his head in his hands.

"Oh and you also said something about wanting to keep a sleazy gold digger like me as far away from yourself as possible…" added Merlin cheerfully not feeling guilty in the slightest about Arthur's disgruntled expression.

"I apologized, quite profusely for it in fact. What do you want from me?" asked Arthur, at the end of his rope himself.

"Nothing actually" said Merlin casually and isn't that the irony of the situation thought Arthur glumly. He could see the truth in Merlin's answer and couldn't help but feel like an utter fool. He'd thought Merlin wanted his money, his fame, the notoriety of being married to a Pendragon but then alas the joke was on him as it seemed Merlin seemed to want none of those things.

He'd been to Merlin's workplace once and it seemed Merlin had told nobody that his husband was Arthur Pendragon, god did Merlin really hate him so much? Why then did he save Arthur's life?

Merlin saw Arthur's sadness at his declaration and felt like a tit, he shouldn't really considering the way Arthur had treated him before he realized that Merlin wasn't actually into all his money and the benefits of being married to someone as rich and handsome as Arthur, but he couldn't help it.

No matter how much he tried he could not help but love Arthur, even back then when Arthur was being a right bastard to him. It was the fact that under all that harsh exterior Arthur was quite a decent man inside and Merlin considered him to be one of the richer men who actually seemed to have a heart, it was just that the circumstances in which they'd been brought together hadn't been the best.

Merlin tried to cheer him up saying "Oh come on…don't pout, you look pathetic…"

"Jee thanks Merlin…"

Arthur seemed to slump further in his chair and Merlin being the great big softie that he was said "Actually I do need something from you…" it wasn't real but then when Arthur looked up at him with those hopeful eyes he couldn't take his words back.

"Anything…" promised Arthur, he hadn't made this much of a headway with Merlin in six long months since he'd pulled his head out of his arse and realized he was married to one of the most beautiful person in the world, both outside and inside and he was this close to loosing it all because he was being a stubborn prat.

After that realization he'd tried to appease himself to Merlin, he didn't ever think it was going to be easy but he'd never quite thought it was going to be almost impossible either. He'd tried everything in his arsenal from his charms to giving Merlin gifts, flowers, books, expensive clothes or watches or anything that he thought Merlin could like, like all his previous flings had but nothing seemed to make Merlin even look at him once.

He'd just turned away all the gifts, distributed the flowers to the maids and downright refused all the expensive niceties by sending them back to their shops.

Then he'd turned to downright dirty tricks after accepting the suggestion from Gwaine of all people, on hindsight he should have known it was going to backfire spectacularly although it did make a chink in Merlin's armor, so that was something at least.

He'd taken to wandering the house half naked trying to tempt Merlin into his bed atleast, playing footsie with him under the table when they were dining and all but harassing Merlin by grabbing him everytime his back was turned.

Merlin however seemed to take it all in stride and didn't react much beyond giving Arthur the cold shoulder and dropped off the face of the earth for a week without informing anyone about where he was going.

Suffice to say Arthur had been reduced to a guilty, ashamed mess by the time Merlin returned and as soon as he was home Arthur broke down in apologies promising to never hassle Merlin like that ever again. There may have been some tears involved and finally Merlin looked at him with a little less coldness and Arthur had decided to pursue him in a less devious manner.

"Can you come pick me up at seven from the hospital? The trains are always packed on a Saturday…"

Arthur nodded his head a bit too exuberantly and Merlin had to hold back a chuckle, "I'll be there…"

"Alright then…I better get going now…" Merlin couldn't quite stop the smile from blooming when he'd turned away from Arthur.

When Arthur came into work that day with a grin etched on his face and a spring in his step when he'd been a grumpy bastard for several months now people were surprised and wondered at this new side as it seemed to persist throughout the day, not even one intern had run out crying saying Arthur was absolutely the evil incarnate of satan himself.

Morgana who worked in the same place as Arthur came up to his office in the afternoon, on seeing Gwaine she went straight for him asking "What's gotten my brother in a mood?"

Gwaine shrugged saying "I wouldn't question the lucky stars, don't look a gift horse in the mouth and all that rot."

"No really Gwaine….ask him what's happened…"

"Why should I when you can do it as well as I can?"

"I'm his evil sister; you're the cool cousin he blabs everything to."

"It's probably something to do with…"

"Merlin" they both said simultaneously.

"Do you think…" asked Gwaine his expression going bawdy.

Morgana slapped his hand hissing "Merlin's not that easy!"

Gwaine nodded and then looked unsure, "Maybe…but this is Arthur we're talking about…"

"Hmmm, he has been insufferably 'chipper' today…" mused Morgana.

"Let's find out!" exclaimed Morgana and dragged a half heartedly protesting Gwaine into Arthur's office.

And wonder of all wonders Arthur didn't even bother to tell them off for barging in without permission, not that either of them minded it much but still Arthur made it a point to tell them off every single time they did this.

"What do you want Morgana?" asked Arthur and he even seemed to be pleasant about it.

"Did you finally have sex with Merlin?" Morgana blurted while Gwaine smirked from the side.

Arthur huffed seeming put upon before saying "My personal life is none of your business Morgana so piss off!"

"Why are so insufferably happy today? You're positively elated…"

"Are you jealous dear?" asked Arthur twirling a pen in his hand.

"Now now Princess, let's not get nasty, we just want to know if you've finally broken the camel's back, so to speak…"

Arthur sighed knowing there was no way Gwaine or Morgana would leave him alone until they'd gotten all the details and said "No, I've not had sex with Merlin. Now shoo!"

Gwaine and Morgana turned bewildered looks on each other before Morgana gave Gwaine a meaningful look telling him to suss it out before walking out.

"So what happened?" asked Gwaine as he sat on Arthur's desk and played with the paperweight.

"Nothing, he just asked me to pick him up from work today that's all."

Gwaine looked dubious and then looking at Arthur's sincere face he burst into laughter saying "Oh you're so arse over tits mate…."

"Shut up Gwaine…"

"It's the first thing he's ever asked of me…" said Arthur in a quieter tone now.

Gwaine's eyes softened then and he said "You should turn it into a date…"

Arthur frowned and Gwaine wondered how one of the most intelligent person he's ever met could be so dumb sometimes.

"You're picking him up at night right, so take him out to dinner…talk to him."

Arthur wondered why he hadn't thought of that before but there was one small problem not that he can't throw money at it and solve it but still, "Hmmm, it's a bit late to make reservations though…"

Gwaine rolled his eyes and thumped Arthur on his head with a file making Arthur look at him in accusation.

"He probably wouldn't want you to take him to an expensive place you arsehole, haven't you learned anything about him yet?"

"Where do I take him then?"

"Oh I don't know Arthur, somewhere he wouldn't be required to dress appropriately or count the tines on five different forks!"

Arthur nodded trying to think of a place that met the requirements and came empty handed, he directed a pleading look to Gwaine who sighed and said "Why do I help you mate?"

"You're my cousin…it's your duty."

"There's this place called the The Dragon's Lair that's new and the foods decent, I'll text you the address later."

Arthur nodded his head already nervous for this because he didn't think Merlin would appreciate him springing this on him so suddenly.

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