So this is kind of sort of inspired by/loosely based upon Keith Urban's "Cop Car." I heard it on Pandora yesterday and, long story short, I listened to it sixty-seven times whilst writing and editing this fic, which, if you must know, is how many times I need to listen to a song in a row before I get sick of it. So.

Also: AU, modern day. And keep in mind: it's totally just as much Arthur's fault as it is Merlin's. You'll know what that means by the end of the fic.

Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin or "Cop Car," the song that is responsible for this coming into being.

I Think You Can Still Have That Kiss

*.*.*.*.*

Arthur had known Merlin for what felt like forever—though, in reality, it had only been a few years. They were in school together, always had a couple of classes together, their lockers were right next to each other, they ate lunch together, spent considerable amounts of time at each other's houses and just in each other's lives in general; late night texts and calls that started in the middle of a sentence when the other finally picked up made it all seem natural enough when Merlin finally asked Arthur out.

"Like, on a date." He had clarified, rocking back on his heels as he buried his hands in his back pockets. "Not like hanging-out, but on an actual, romantic, like, kiss-at-the-end-of-the-night-if-you're-good sort of thing. Just the two of us." He prattled on, twitching nervously as Arthur raised an eyebrow at him, yanking his backpack out of his locker and slamming it shut without checking back for anything he might have forgotten.

"Well?" Merlin asked half a moment later, his face expectant and hopeful.

Arthur bit his lip, pretending to mull it over for that half a moment—just to make him squirm—before breaking out into a grin. "But what if you're not good—do I still have to kiss you then?" He asked.

"You are such a prat." Merlin rolled his eyes, a wide smile taking over his face, and he had to know Arthur well enough by now to know that it was a definite yes.

*.*.*.*.*

"That was a 'no trespassing' sign." Merlin said needlessly, pointing out the window as Arthur kept driving past it bumpily, his car ill-equipped for off-road driving, though he insisted on doing it anyway, on driving off the road, taking that dirt road that led to this field that Arthur went to often enough as it was, wanting to show Merlin the view—because was there a better way to end a first date other than star-gazing in a field somewhere that they weren't supposed to be at in the first place?

"Very good, Merlin, you know how to read."

"So what the hell are you doing? This is private property, if we get caught out here—"

"We won't get caught." Arthur told him, casting a look at him out of the side of his eye as he slowed his car to a stop.

Arthur had come out to this clearing, this field, way too many times to count in the past—it was his favorite spot in the world, quite honestly. And yeah, okay, it was, technically, private property, and they would probably be arrested if a cop caught them out here, but, again, he'd driven out there way too many times, he had done this enough to know that the odds of being caught were slim to none.

"But what if we do? You know I have a problem with authority, Arthur." Merlin told him, unbuckling his seatbelt and following Arthur's lead of getting out of the car anyway.

"You have a problem with people, Merlin." Arthur snorted, nodding his head to get him to follow him around to the front of the car. He shook his head and jumped up onto the hood of his car, the warmth from the engine dulled by his jeans. He laid back against the windshield, tucked one of his arms behind his head and looked up to the sky, admiring the stars as he waited to feel the car shift beneath Merlin's weight.

"This is a terrible idea." Merlin sighed.

"Shut up and come on. View's great from over here." Arthur said, patting the hood next to him.

"View's pretty good from up here, too." He said appreciatively.

Arthur glanced over and saw him looking down at him, eyes sweeping down his body and face in an exaggerated manner.

"Don't be such a sap." He rolled his eyes, giving Merlin a look, his cheeky grin enough to make Arthur smile himself. "Come on." He repeated, sweeping his arm across the windshield.

Merlin rolled his eyes but, much to Arthur's satisfaction, joined him on the hood of the car, pressing into him slightly, his warmth sending a pleasant sort of tingling sensation through Arthur's being.

"Thank you. You keep this up, you just might get that kiss after all." He said, more to distract himself than anything else.

"Sod off, you idiot." Merlin chuckled, tucking one of his arms behind his head and letting the other snake down to take Arthur's free one, twining their fingers together and squeezing for a moment before letting them fall to rest on the car between them, the silence comfortable and warm as the butterflies in Arthur's stomach started up again, his heart beating nervously in the way it did when he was alone with Merlin for an extended period of time.

"What are we doing out here?" Merlin whispered some moments later, his thumb stroking Arthur's.

"Stargazing." Arthur whispered back, volume forbidden in such an atmosphere.

"You bring many girls out here, then?" Merlin teased.

"No girls allowed, Mer. Only you."

"That supposed to make me feel special?"

"Does it?"

"A little." He chuckled lightly.

Arthur looked over then, from the stars to Merlin's face, from the way they twinkled above, so full of wishes and hope, to the way his eyes were crinkled in bliss, content and full of laughter, his face awash in a quiet sort of way in the warm, blue light of approaching—

Oh shi—

"That's a cop, isn't it?" Merlin asked, turning to face Arthur, his mouth drawn into a tight line that promised little amusement at the sudden turn of events.

"Yeah." Arthur nodded, propping himself up on the hood to watch the car approach them, the lights flashing, sirens off.

Merlin sighed and sat up, loosening his hand from Arthur's and running it through his hair instead. Arthur followed his lead, resting his hands on the hood on either side of him, lips pursed as he realized that his father was going to kill him for this.

He looked to Merlin, to the way he was watching the car approach slowly, almost teasingly, threateningly with the promise of consequences for passing that sign too many times without thinking he would ever get caught.

"We could always make a run for it." Merlin suggested then, turning to Arthur, eyebrow raised in challenge.

"What?" Arthur chuckled, because there was no way in hell he was serious.

"Yeah, they're not here yet, not out of the car, we could just… get in the car, drive away, make a run for it—makes a better story than "we waited patiently on the hood of the car for them to arrest us," doesn't it?"

"You're out of your mind, you know that?" Arthur asked, grinning with amusement despite himself.

"So we're not running, then?"

"No. Jesus." He laughed, shaking his head as he slung an arm around Merlin and yanked him close, pressing him to him for a minute, eyes closing against his hair as he breathed in deeply, a scent that was uniquely Merlin resting in his lungs and nesting, staying within him long after he slowly pulled back, smiled softly at Merlin and the way the lights were playing across his face, deep in his eyes, something awakening within him as the police car finally came to a stop near them and two cops piled out—one was fairly tall, dark hair gelled back, and the other was probably shorter than Arthur, and bald—approaching them with their flashlights out and pointed in their faces.

Merlin's face hardened for half a moment, and something in his eyes made Arthur wince in anticipation, remembering his words from earlier, remembering how he got in class with his teachers, with anyone who was in any position of power, really. He really did have a problem with authority, and Arthur was sure that was about to be made abundantly clear to the police officers approaching them.

"What seems to be the problem, officers?" Merlin asked, turning to face them, a wry sort of smirk on his face. And Arthur had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing, shaking his head the slightest bit as the officers gave each other a look, as though they recognized Merlin and the sort of person he was, the sort of trouble he was likely to cause for them.

"Do you two know this is private property?" The tall one finally asked, turning back to the pair.

"Is it?" Merlin asked, faux innocence in his voice.

"There's a 'no trespassing' sign at the entrance—you might have seen it as you drove past." The bald one said, almost as snarky as Merlin was known to be. Almost.

"Is that what that says? Sorry, it's a bit dark out—couldn't quite make out what it said."

"So what exactly do you two think you're doing out here, huh?" The first cop asked, eyebrows raised, face that of a man who suspected they were up to no good.

Merlin opened his mouth to reply, but Arthur elbowed him, scowled in his direction, and answered them himself.

"Look, it's my fault, it's our first date and I was just trying to impress him—you know how it us when you're crazy about someone, don't you?" He asked, making doe eyes in Merlin's direction, praying to whatever sort of God there might have been that they would find it in themselves to be sympathetic and just let them go. Because, if he got arrested for trespassing, of all the things there were to be arrested for, his father was going to kill him…

"Yeah, you're crazy all right." Merlin snorted. "'Bout as crazy as cops who have nothing better to do on a Friday night other than harass a couple of teenagers lying on a car in the middle of a freaking field. Aren't there murderers and druggies out there you could be catching right about now or are we the best you can manage?"

Arthur made a face, unsure if he should groan or laugh at Merlin and his god damn mouth, because, the next thing he knew, they were being ordered to their feet, the cool metal of handcuffs encircling their wrists tightly as they were led to the squad car, shoved into the backseat unceremoniously.

"Eh, you got a light, mate? Since you're not doing anything useful, I mean, might as well light me up and fix that." Merlin said, smirking at the bald cop. And Arthur couldn't help but laugh then, knowing that Merlin didn't even fucking smoke.

The cop glared at the pair of them, slammed the door in Merlin's face, making him wince slightly before he turned to face Arthur. The officers climbed back into the front seat, and, without another word to either of the boys, started the car and began to drive off, taking them away to wherever the hell they would.

"You're freaking insane." Arthur laughed, shaking his head as Merlin slid closer to him.

"I told you I have a problem with authority." He mumbled back simply, ducking his head slightly.

Arthur nudged him, smiling softly when he looked up at him, trying to reassure him that it was fine. Yeah, okay, Arthur's father was probably going to kill him—and how the hell he was going to get his car back would be another matter entirely—but, Jesus, he'd had a good night. They'd gone to a movie, gotten dinner at their favorite fast food joint, and then wound up in that field and had gotten arrested.

But even still, sitting next to Merlin, of all people… It was worth it. Worth every second.

"Yeah, but… it's fine."

"Really?" Merlin looked up at him, skeptical.

"Really. There's no one else I'd rather be arrested with, Merlin."

"Oh well now who's being the sap?" He joked, bumping his shoulder into Arthur's playfully.

"Shut up." Arthur rolled his eyes, grinning widely as he bumped back into Merlin.

Merlin shook his head and moved over, leaned into Arthur as he started prattling on about something or another that had nothing to do with the cops in the front seat, who were probably listening to every word they were saying as Arthur grinned back and added this joke or that one. The time spent in the car seemed to pass in a blur of eye rolls and sarcasm and too wide grins and Arthur and Merlin looking at each other with too much wonder and something like love in their eyes.

After what felt like hours of being driven around in the back of that damned cop car—really, the officers weren't even doing anything; other than the buzz of the radio in the front, there was nothing being said in the car other than what Merlin and Arthur were saying, so why the hell did they take so long just driving around? Surely, they had things to attend to other than a couple of love-sick teenagers?—they finally pulled into the parking lot of the police station. The car came to a stop and the officers piled out once more, each of them yanking open the door on their side and helping the boys out.

They turned, silent as stones for the first time all night, and faced the building. God, Arthur had forgotten that, at some point or another, they would be marched into the building, probably put into holding cells or something, their parents called, and Arthur's life would then, of course, be over—he probably wouldn't even be able to kiss Merlin, because, even though he'd gotten them arrested, he still would have kissed him.

When the officers exchanged looks with each other, nodded, pulled their keys out and uncuffed both boys… Well, what the hell was Arthur supposed to make of that?

"Uhm…" He tilted his head, eyebrow quirked, quiet, wondering, against all logic wanting an answer of some sort. He literally had a get-out-of-jail free card and he was really going to question it—had Merlin rubbed off on him that much?

"Look," The bald officer sighed, shook his head, looking as though he wanted to say something or another but couldn't seem to find the words.

"We remember what it's like to be young and in love, is what he's trying to say." The other officer supplied. "And… After you get your car back, stay the hell off that land, all right? If we have to arrest you for trespassing again, we will have to actually take you in, call your parents and all that."

"Keep your noses clean—got it?" The bald officer added quickly, pointing at the pair of them in turn.

"We will," Arthur said quickly, elbowing Merlin when he opened his mouth, worried he would say something stupid and get the cuffs put back on them. "And thank you. Really, thank you."

"Don't mention it, kid. Now get the hell out of here before you miss curfew."

"Oh, and here's that light you wanted." The tall officer said, pulling a lighter out of his pocket and tossing it over to Merlin.

He laughed, shook his head and pocketed it. "Yeah, thanks, officer." He grinned.

"Have a good night, officers. And thanks again. Come on, Merlin." Arthur said, grabbing his hand and tugging him away from the chuckling duo, clasping his fingers tightly as he led him away from the station, down the street.

Arthur would still have to explain where the hell his car was to his father when he got home, but, as he twisted down the familiar streets—Merlin's house was closest to the station, as it turned out—he couldn't be bothered to care. He might be grounded for a few weeks, maybe a month or two, but at least he had been arrested with Merlin, at least he was walking free with Merlin, at least his hand felt right between his fingers, at least this felt like the beginning of something amazing and terrifying, at least they had those moments together in the back of the cop car, those moments of laughter and stories and nothing else mattering—at least he had that moment of falling even more in love in the back of that cop car.

Arthur couldn't be bothered to know what time it was when they finally arrived at Merlin's front door, the porch light on and illuminating the slice of silence they had between them.

"So…" Merlin said, chuckling breathlessly, nervously.

"Interesting first date—Next time, could you maybe not get us arrested?" Arthur teased, taking a step forward, leaning in ever so slightly, just to see how Merlin might react, if he would even want to kiss Arthur or if the feelings were strictly one-sided—after the night they had, that would be a shit thing to have to deal with, but he would, if it turned out that he had to…

"Sorry. Suppose that wasn't very good first-date behavior, was it?" Merlin asked, grinning at the double-meaning of his own words.

"I suppose not." Arthur agreed. But he shrugged not a second later and added, "But… I think you can still have that kiss, anyway."

"And what if I've decided you can't have it?" Merlin asked, chin jutting out defiantly, eyes sparkling teasingly.

"Have you?" Arthur asked.

"'Course not, you idiot."

Arthur chuckled, closed the distance and leaned into him, tingling sort of sparks lighting through him as their lips connected and he sighed into him, pressing his hand against the small of Merlin's back, pressing him closer to him, relishing the feel of this moment, of a perfect night spent in a cop car and with a kiss too perfect to ever be rivaled by any other kisses they might have shared after that moment.

When they pulled apart slowly, Merlin sighed, his eye still closed as he grinned a small grin, something wonderful about the way he did so, one of his hands coming up to press against the back of Arthur's neck, pull him close for another one, soft and full of fire and snark and something that was years in the making.

This time, when they pulled apart, Arthur smiled widely, chuckling in a way that was light and full of affection.

"Sod off." Merlin said gently, eyes slipping open as though it was difficult, the last thing he might have ever wanted to do.

"Sorry, but…" Arthur shrugged, his hand coming up to card through Merlin's hair. "It… was a good night. I'm just sorry it has to end."

"Don't be such a sap." Merlin said, his tone suggesting he only half meant it.

"It was, though, Merlin. Best first date ever."

"Even the part where we got arrested?" Merlin asked, skeptical.

"Especially the part where we got arrested. I swear, Merlin," He shook his head. "I could almost feel myself falling even more for you in those moments."

"That's not really first date talk."

"It is when you've known your date forever."

"It hasn't been forever yet."

"Feels like it, though, hasn't it?"

"In a good way or bad way?"

"What do you think?" Arthur mumbled, leaning down for another kiss, this one more lingering than the first two, each of them more sure of themselves now, more willing and ready, knowing what to expect out of it.

"I'm gonna go with bad." Merlin mumbled when Arthur pulled back.

"Oh yeah?"

"Mm-hm." Merlin nodded, tugging him back in for another. "Really bad."

Arthur laughed again, wondering how the hell he was going to find a way to top getting arrested on their next date, but deciding, as Merlin's lips lit a fire within him, that that would be yet another problem to deal with as soon as the promise of Merlin's lips dancing against his own was safely fulfilled for the night.

*.*.*.*.*