This story is dedicated to Taylor, or .com, and everyone else who stood up for me when somebody plagiarized the prequel to this. You're a great friend and I can't thank you enough.
The sign on the door was flipped to "closed," but Arthur pushed his way into the shop anyway, the little bell loud in the quiet of the shop. He closed the door quietly behind him.
The lights were all on, the interior of the shop reflected against the black of the windows outside. The space was quiet, a welcome difference from the loud, bustling noise of the opening hours. Tabletops were wiped down, chairs were pushed in, and all the napkin dispensers were refilled.
In the middle of the floor stood Merlin, still wearing his dark green apron, swaying his hips as he pushed a mop around on the floor. His headphones hung from both ears, blaring so loudly that Arthur was surprised Merlin still had hearing capabilities at all.
As Arthur crept closer, Merlin got more into what he was listening to, swinging his mop around like an enthusiastic dance partner. Then, Arthur stifled a fond laugh as Merlin started singing along.
"You, you got this spell on me, I don't know what to believe, kiss you once now I can't leave, cause everything you do is magic!"
Merlin's voice cracked painfully as the notes got higher, but he only went louder, swinging the mop back and forth to the beat.
"So le-le-let me take a picture let me spread it round the world now," Merlin sang, "I wanna put it on my record I want everyone to know now."
Arthur cast an amused glance around the room. The lights behind the counter were off, the menus and machines only shadows. The syrups were set in order on the counter, meaning Gwen must have helped organize before leaving Merlin to close. Merlin couldn't organize anything if he was held at gunpoint.
The sound of his name had Arthur returning his attention to Merlin, but Merlin's back was still turned, ass still moving.
"But Arthur you-oo-oo got me moving too fast, cause I-I-I know you wanna be bad," Merlin dipped the mop on the word 'bad,' and Arthur caught a glimpse of the most recent addition to Merlin's wardrobe on his finger: the golden ring Arthur had given him earlier that day. "And Arthur, when you lookin like that, dada, da dada," Merlin struck a pose, "I can't hold back."
Arthur's laugh was loud, but Merlin still didn't hear him, instead carrying on his performance, oblivious to his boyfriend-turned-fiance watching.
"You got this spell on me, I don't know what to believe..."
Merlin's voice rang out, filling the entire shop with the sound. His voice cracked on too many notes and he was more shouting than singing, but he sang loud and proud nonetheless. Arthur leaned against the nearest table and watched, unable to stop the besotted smile that formed on his face as Merlin's voice grew in volume, shouting his happiness to the empty shop.
This wasn't the first time Arthur had walked in on Merlin singing. The first time Arthur stayed the night at Merlin's flat, Arthur had woken to the smell of bacon in his nostrils and Merlin's voice coming from the kitchen, singing "Can't take my eyes off of you." When Arthur had wandered into the kitchen, Merlin had looked over from the stove, fixing him with that blinding grin of his. He then broke into the main chorus, unashamedly pointing the spatula in Arthur's direction when the lyrics said "I love you baby."
They had only known each other for a month at the time, but Arthur felt no reason to question Merlin's lyric choice. Instead he had grabbed Merlin by the hips and kissed him on the lips.
"...kiss you once now I can't leave, cause everything you do is magic."
Merlin spun around, taking the mop with him and sending soapy droplets of water flying in every direction. His eyes finally fell on Arthur and he jumped, dropping the mop and ripping his headphones from his ears.
"Arthur!" Merlin exclaimed, "How long have you been standing there?"
"Long enough," Arthur said, getting up and moving closer. "I didn't want to stop the display."
Merlin's cheeks colored, but his smile didn't fade. "What can I say, I love mopping the floor."
"And One Direction."
"And you."
Arthur grinned into the kiss, linking their fingers together. Merlin's headphones dangled around his shoulders, the last notes of the song blaring out.
"...But everything you do is magic."
"I missed you today," Arthur said, breaking the kiss.
"Me too," Merlin replied, "I was so distracted Gwen nearly killed me."
"Got a lot of orders wrong?"
"Mm," Merlin said, "I kept stopping to look at the ring, and Gwen threatened to take it off me. There were too many angry customers."
Arthur laughed and kissed him again. "If it's any consolation, I didn't get any work done either today."
Merlin scoffed. "You don't do work anyway. It's all your poor PAs."
"I didn't even have any orders to give them."
Merlin's eyebrows rose in mock surprise. "Goodness, you must have had something on your mind."
"Nah," Arthur said, "Just some idiot I saw in a coffee shop."
"Prat."
They kissed again. Arthur squeezed their palms together, feeling the hard metal ring between his own fingers.
The shop suddenly grew quiet, silent but for the sound of the two of them kissing. Their lips moved together, passing unspoken words between them. In these kisses Arthur tried to tell Merlin everything, a grand, soppy speech he would never dare to say out loud. He tried to tell Merlin all the reasons why he loved him, from his endearing ears, to the way he brightens the lives of everyone he meets, to the way he fanboys over One Direction and doesn't deny it.
Arthur tried to show Merlin the things he thought every morning when he woke up next to him, how he was caught off guard every day by the perfection of his skin, and how bewildering it was that Merlin could love a prat like Arthur, of all people.
He tried to convey the way in which he cherished the time they had already spent together, every kiss they've shared, and how he could't wait to see what destiny holds for the two of them.
From the way Merlin's hand curled around Arthur's shoulders, Arthur knew he understood.
"Oh!" Merlin broke the kiss, taking back his hands as he scrambled for his earphones. "Here."
Merlin placed one earphone into Arthur's ear, and put the other into his own. Arthur rolled his eyes but didn't resist, allowing Merlin to restart the song and set the volume.
The light strum of a guitar filled Arthur's ears, soon accompanied by someone's voice.
"Am I asleep, am I awake, or somewhere in between..."
"Really Merlin, more One Direction?"
"Shut up, you know you secretly like them too."
Arthur rolled his eyes again, but his protests were silenced by Merlin's mouth pressing against his.
"...Like branches on a tree, or twigs caught in a vine."
As the song continued, Merlin rested his head on Arthur's shoulder, snaking his arms around his shoulders and clutching tight. Arthur held him, pressing his nose into the side of Merlin's neck.
"...Truly, madly, deeply, I am foolishly completely fallin'..."
They stood clutching each other like that, swaying to the music. Arthur had to admit, as the song went on, that it was quite appropriate. After all, they had their lives ahead of them, stretching out into infinite possibilities, and on every path and in every corner they were together.
They stayed like that until the song ended and Merlin's iPod fell silent. With the night outside and the mop forgotten at their feet, they remained folded in each other. Truly, madly, crazy, deeply in love, just like the song said.
I don't actually know any One Direction songs other than "You Don't Know You're Beautiful," but I felt these fit the situation. "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You" is a song by Franki Valli and the Four Seasons.
Magic
watch?v=CnQFIn-VBds
Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You
watch?v=LcJm1pOswfM
Truly, Madly, Deeply
watch?v=A7cZTnwGFvo