The One
Part 1 of ?
"You're joking." Arthur's eyebrows were raised, his mouth set in a permanent scowl. Morgana rolls her eyes, flicking his ear with one of her blood red painted nails. "No, I certainly am not. Now, do you want to look like a fool in front of Uther? Hmm? Do you want him to whore you off to every business partner's single daughter?"
Arthur buries his face in his hands, groaning. His half-sister just smirks, patting his arm. "Yes, I thought not. Disgusting, heterosexual, socially awkward girls, no less." Arthur lifts his head to glare at Morgana. "Shut up, Morgana! You're enjoying this way too much."
She just rolls her eyes, pulling him into the office. The room is modern, the lights were a luminous neon blue that flickered against the walls giving it an underwater feel. There were egg chairs, long white couches and faux waterfalls. Arthur was, though he would deny it, impressed.
"It's… ahh… it's…" Arthur began as Morgana shot him a smug look and picked up the book the receptionist had passed her. "It's not a whore house, Arthur. These are respectable people." The young Pendragon raises his eyebrows. "Oh really! And how would you know?"
"I was one."
He really didn't have much to say to that.
The red headed receptionist leaned over the counter, her long pink lacquer nails thrumming against the counter top. She blinked her ridiculously fake lashes at Arthur as she popped her bubble gum. "What can I do for you, darling?"
Morgana chuckles, tapping the book onto the counter. "This, darling, is for him." She says pointing at her half brother with the book. Morgana pulls Arthur away as the receptionist continued to splutter behind them.
His face burned as Morgana pulled him down onto one of the long white couches. "Morgana! You can't just go around-" She gives him a pointed look. "What? It's not like you're still hiding in the closet. God forbid it took you long enough to come out. I thought you'd sure remain in there forever, you were in so deep I was certain you'd found Narnia and been frolicking around with Mr Tumnus and singing show tunes."
"M-Morgana!"
He glared, but she continued to look down right pleased with herself as she flipped open the book.
Albion Elite Escort Service was embossed on the cover and the inside page as she shot Arthur a wary look. "Now… how old are you looking for? Eighteen? Seventeen? Don't go too young, Arty. It is a company party." She watches him over the book, her lips spread in a smirk.
"Jesus, Morgana! I'm not a- I'm not a pedophile! No! Someone my age will get the job done just fine!" He runs his hands through his blonde hair in exasperation. She raises a hand in surrender, before nodding at the book. "Yeah, , let's take a look!" She rubs her hands together in glee, that left Arthur feeling a degree of fear he never realized was truly possible.
"Oooh. He's cute. What do you think?"
Arthur lifts his head to look down at the book where a man with long wavy brown hair smiled up at him, his jaw covered in coarse hair. Arthur could just see himself running his fingers through that hair his- No. No, he just couldn't do it. Beard burn. Turn off, indeed. He wouldn't even be able to pretend that they were anything more than friends.
"Let's see here, interests are swimming, tennis and look! Football! You two are perfect for each other!" Arthur shook his head frantically. "No. No. I thought the point of this is to make people believe we're together! Not that I brought along a footie mate!"
Morgana just hums as she flips the pages of the book leisurely. She pauses, her bright red lips spread wide over white teeth as she shows the page to Arthur. His breath hitches in his throat as he stares at the man on the page with his brilliant blue eyes that were framed by his pale face and dark hair. His lips were pale and parted in a smile.
Arthur could see those pale lips meeting his, those pale cheeks flushed as he pants beneath him while Arthur bit and sucked- Arthur flushes, waving his hand at the page.
"Umm… He will… do."
Morgana shoots him a knowing look. "His interests are reading, writing, watching old movies and oh, photography, Arthur."
Arthur mumbles something under his breath, and Morgana shoots him a smug look. "What? What did you say Arthur? Something along the lines of me being right, I'm sure?"
Arthur groans, sure he'd never hear the end of it.
"I said, he's the one!"
Morgana smirks, standing up and walking over to the receptionist.
"Merlin Emrys, it is!"
Morgana snapped her fingers repeatedly until she got the attention of the receptionist, then deliberately made a giant show of tell her that she found the perfect boy for he blonde, handsome, rich brother in the black suit and blue tie that was sitting right there.
Arthur's face burned as he saw people begin to turn around and point at him. Good lord. He couldn't take Morgana anywhere! "Arthur!" The blonde looks up, warily, as he recognizes his half-sister's voice calling him; twenty four years of caution has been built into him.
"Arthur Pen-"
Arthur rushes over, his hand clamping over Morgana's mouth; much to the receptionist's amusement. "Whatdoyouthinkyouredoing!" He hisses, quickly letting go when he sees amusement turn into irritation. She raises a perfect eyebrow at him, opening her compact to check her lipstick.
"I was merely just calling you over, Arthur. Really. Now, tell us more about this Merlin Emrys, Miss. Does he have a nice arse?" Arthur splutters, his breath catching in his throat. He really couldn't bring Morgana anywhere, could he?
"Um… well, yes. He's our most popular and highly requested escort! He's been an escort at Albion's Elite for about three years, he…" Morgana raised her hand and slapped it down on the counter. "We'll take him!" The receptionist accepts the credit card he hands her but turns back to Morgana as they gossip and handle the things she had deemed were too 'adult' for him to comprehend.
Whatever that meant.
When they were finally finished, and Arthur had been hit on by an array of women (though he was sure she was a man), Morgana finally called him over. This time, the receptionist made flirty eyes at his half sister, and trailed her claws all over her arms. Arthur felt truly nauseous.
"Merlin will call you to confirm the date and time, alright? You guys should be all set." Arthur thanks her and pulls Morgana away from the receptionist while she made very unsubtle, 'call me' hand signals. Arthur rolls his eyes as he gets into the car, Morgana hopping in after him into the passenger seat.
"You whore."
She just shrugs.
"I never said I wasn't."
—-
Arthur completely forgot about Merlin Emrys. Well, he tried to at least. It was the next day, a mere twenty four hours before the party where he would surely have to face alone and get eaten by hormonal, socially awkward, heterosexual females. He was not looking forward to it at all.
Not that Uther cared; he thought of Arthur simply as a pawn to boost business and gain more alliances to increase income. And when he had told his father that he was gay, it was quite anti-climatic to be honest. Eighteen years of stolen kisses behind the school with punches to the jaw after from boys that couldn't accept their own sexuality, hidden gay porno rags hidden deep inside his closet (which was quite ironic).
And having to lie and say,'Yes, father. Yes, Elena is very beautiful.' and 'Yes, yes, I'd be lucky to marry her.' made him almost angry when Uther simply shrugged and said, "Fix your tie and smile. No one wants to deal with your issues, Arthur."
He clenched his fists, his eyes saw red and once again the darkness of his mind and heart seemed to whisper to him. How easy would it be to take a simple pill to end the pain? To sink into a bottomless pit and to continue to fall forever. Uther's eyes pierced his mind, the anger and irritation continued to pricked his skin under the permanent bruises that peppered his torso.
Uther had never given him much affection, besides the contact of a fist upon soft skin. But Arthur didn't complain. He would take what he could get.
The phone rang, loud and shrill as Arthur jerked back to consciousness, no longer falling into the depths of his own mind. "Hello?" He whispers into the phone, his mouth hoarse from the tightness in his throat and chest. "Arthur Pendragon?" A voice chimes from the other end of the line.
"Yes? And who is this?" Arthur fiddles with his invitation to the company party and considers stuffing it down the garbage disposal. "Oh! I'm Merlin! Merlin Emrys? I'm to be your escort for… this Saturday? At nine?" Arthur's chokes, momentarily forgetting how to breathe as he listens to the smooth silky voice.
For some strange reason, it reminded Arthur of butterscotch pudding.