AN: I think Americans will relate to this more? I don't know what's going on in the UK. But British language is used. So, Brits, tell me if it's the same over there. We can complain together!
"I can't do this anymore," Merlin huffs into the phone and slams his door shut behind him.
"Can't do what anymore? You should really elaborate. I could think you're talking about us."
"Ha. Ha." Merlin rolls his eyes and thrusts his fridge open. "Two years together and you think I'd break it off with you over the phone? Does someone need to be told their loved?"
"Well, now that you mention it…"
Merlin chuckles despite himself and says monotone, "I love you, Arthur Pendragon. The amount of love I have for you competes with the love you have for yourself. I'd say it's winning but your ego's so big I just can't tell."
"Love you too," Arthur chuckles. "So, what happened? Another bad day?"
"I found the reason customer service is so easy to get into. It loses too many people to bridges."
"To…bridges? Construction?"
"No. To jumping off them."
It's horrible. Just awful. And yes, he knew it would be when he applied for the job but no one else responded to him. He is on every website, getting emails day after day (because no one wants you to call or visit or send in CVs and if you do, they just yell at you and tell you to go online) and yet the only jobs that take even a remote interest in him are shit pay or shit times or shit days or shit altogether.
He has talked to Arthur about it multiple times. This conversation isn't new. Being in customer service though, you have to rant to someone or your head will literally explode. Literally. And he doesn't even qualify for the shit health coverage yet.
"Do you know how many times I got called an idiot today?"
Arthur gasps dramatically, "How dare they? I'm the only one allowed to call you an idiot. Shall I hunt them down for you? Make them apologize and lick your boots."
Merlin shoves his pizza in the microwave and sighs, "My knight in shining armor. You go ahead and do that but make sure it doesn't get back to me. I can't lose this job."
"Why not?"
They've had this talk too. It's not like the job is hard or anything. It's just…draining. People are exhausting and especially on the phone.
"You're miserable every single day." Arthur continues, "The hours are crap. The company treats you like crap. You feel like crap. You know what that means? You should quit."
"I can't."
"Stop being an idiot."
Merlin has to smile at being called an idiot in at least one good way today.
It's not like he's not trying. He filled out twenty job apps just this weekend. Well, not the weekend. He doesn't get weekends off. At least he has days off though. This is his first full time job in a long while. Multiple part times don't allow the same luxury.
Money really does make the world go round and it is completely unfair. Just because he wasn't sure what he wanted to do for the rest of his life since primary school and since he didn't specialize or finish his Bachelor's degree -because he didn't want to spend money on something he wasn't sure about-, he's stuck with the shit jobs with shit pay and with loans to boot. And even most of those shit jobs aren't interested because he has a tiny bit of schooling that they just can't seem to ignore and that's apparently too much for them to consider him. He's both over and under qualified for everything.
Catch 22s all over the place.
Arthur patiently listens to him, as he has done for the past few months Merlin's been working there. A month of training, a month on the phone. Training wasn't too bad. The nightly rant sessions started pretty soon after sitting in his miserable excuse for a cubical. Seriously, it wasn't even like he had his own desk. It was two pieces of wood that barely covered his computer acting as the 'sound proof' barrier.
He would take Arthur's advice and quit if it were worth it. The only job he could possibly line up that would understand his quitting a job after two months would be if the job bank ever responds to him or if he agrees to what Arthur suggests –taking a job as a PA at his company.
"It's not a handout," Arthur argues before Merlin gets a chance to say it.
"Yes it is. And I don't want to work for you anyway. Being stuck in another desk job isn't what I want. Let alone being your running boy."
"I think it could be fun. I know all the secret closet spaces and I have all the keys. We could get up to a thing or two."
"Paying me for sex in closets now? Aren't we out of those?"
"We can pop back in for an hour or two."
"If this job keeps eating me like this, I might just be your rent boy."
"Only mine."
"Yes, only yours. " Pizza done, Merlin slumps into his chair and continues through bites. "I just…I feel like I'm meant for more, you know? More than being stuck behind a desk or filing papers or answering phones. I feel like my life is missing something. Like there should be something more to it."
It's true. He just has absolutely no idea what he's supposed to be doing. That's his big problem. Since entering the working world he's been stuck on a loop. On and on in an endless cycle of dead end, boring jobs. Well, now he knows for sure he doesn't belong in a call center.
"I hate settling for mediocrity for the sake of existence. The universe punishes those that are trying to find their place in it."
"Careful," Arthur teases, "You're starting to sound philosophic."
"I'm tired."
"I know you are. Want me to come over?"
It's almost eleven. Shit shift. "Tomorrow?"
"I will. In the meantime, think about what you want." Then comes Arthur's mantra, "You have to take a risk to get what you want."
"I can't risk not eating just because I'd rather be writing music all day long."
Music is not really what Merlin thinks his true life's purpose is. He loves it, with all his heart, but it doesn't quite fill the void. Less of a void since he met Arthur. More like a regular hole. Not that Arthur couldn't fill all the holes Merlin needed filling…but this has been nagging at him for as long as he can remember. It is what has kept him hopping from job to job and hobby to hobby.
Music, creating and playing it, is very therapeutic. It's just not what he is missing. Not what he's destined for.
Arthur sighs through the phone, "You haven't even picked up your guitar in weeks. Not with this job. You can't keep going on like this. You know I wouldn't let anything happen to you. You're not going to starve on my watch. Hell, maybe it'll be the push to get you to move in with me."
Merlin nearly chokes on his crappy pizza. "You- you never asked me to- you never-"
"I just did, idiot."
"Prat," Merlin smiles so wide it hurts. Not that he's smiled all day. Or really, since the last time he spoke with Arthur.
"I miss seeing you. Both in general and seeing you happy. So this is what you're going to do. Tonight you're going to think about what you want. If it's worth it to hate the job you have and never do anything you love ever again, then fine. Stay in customer service. If not, then you can come be my rent boy for a while and figure out how you'll save the world or feed the penguins or whatever you want to do."
Merlin smiles wide and shakes his head. Somehow, he feels like he's cheating. Like it's pathetic to cave into his desires and take Arthur up on his offer. He wants to. He really, really does. But is it the right thing to do or will he end up regretting it?
Arthur beats him to the punch in his silence, "You already proved to the world that you can survive on your own doing something you hate. Time to prove you are made for more. I believe it. You can do anything."
"Have you ever considered being a motivational speaker? Because you're rubbish at it."
Bickering comes second nature and soon Merlin is smiling and done complaining about his day, listening to Arthur talk about the idiots he has to fight in his latest case at the law firm.
He thinks a bit more about taking Arthur's offer. It could be just as terrible as anything else but it would be better than nothing, and the hours were stable so he could get a proper night's rest every night. Plus weekends off. God, he misses weekends off. Just two days off in a row would be fantastic.
There's Arthur to think about. Seeing him too much could jeopardize their relationship. Especially if they do end up moving in together. Which would save on rent. And food. And heating. Not on loans but if he's saving money on the rest…Hmmm.
He doesn't sleep much that night. The next morning he is a ball of tired nerves as he drives to the call center. He sits at his desk and signs in, the sound of suppressed frustration and hatred churning in the background. His first call is alright. Honestly, most calls are alright. It's just the ones where he can't help people or the ones with assholes that drain him. Those ones are the worst, especially when combined, and that just so happens to be his second call of the day.
Two hours into the never-ending phone call and Merlin makes up his mind.
"I did it!" he yells, running into Arthur's flat. Lucky for him, Arthur works from home that day and doesn't mind the afternoon visit.
"Did what?" Arthur mumbles, caught up in his paperwork.
"What do you mean, did what?" Merlin mutters and pulls the folder from Arthur's hands, replacing it with his body plopped in Arthur's lap. "Why would I be at your place in the middle of the day?"
"Because you have Tuesdays off and you like to bug me when I'm working."
"I had Tuesdays off last week. This week it was Sunday and Thursday."
"So…" Arthur eyes him and drops his hands onto Merlin's hips. "It's just that you like to bug me then?"
"I quit my job, you idiot! I feel great." He really does feel fantastic. "I threw my headset and everything! Alright, not really. But I almost did."
"So," Arthur's smile matches his own. "Becoming my rent boy after all?"
"Apparently."
Arthur feigns seriousness and pouts his lips in mock concentration. "I think I have to interview you for that position." His pout loses muster with his smirk. "And many other positions too."
"Better get started then."
Merlin latches his lips onto Arthur's and dips his hips until his knees press through the gaps under the arms of the office chair and he feels the heat of Arthur's growing erection push against his thigh. Arthur's groan opens a path for his tongue and he dives in, tasting coffee and biscuits as he flicks a stripe between his teeth and pulls at his lip.
The chair rocks forward and Arthur chases him, his head coming off the rest and his hands squeezing Merlin's hips before sliding around his back and locking him in place with a pair of strong arms.
Merlin is stuck pushing against the rickety chair for leverage, his balance easily lost as his head weaves from side to side. His thighs burn from the stretch as he sinks lower, the strain of his trousers preventing him from dipping the extra inch he needs. He can almost push their cocks together. If only Arthur would turn them just a-
"Ah," Merlin gasps as his entire body lifts out of the chair and thumps on the desk in one swift movement. He can hear the crunch of paperwork crumpled under his bottom but Arthur's mouth is too busy to complain at him for the moment –though he is sure Arthur will blame him for it eventually. For now, Arthur is sucking harshly at Merlin's neck, biting his way to the collarbone where his fingers part the buttons on his work shirt.
Merlin grabs at Arthur's hips and pulls him forward until he's teetering on the edge –until the pulling need swelling at his center presses against something hard and warm and he ruts.
Arthur's need to undo the buttons puts a stop to Merlin's humping. He actually has to push Merlin back, one strong hand against his chest, moving him further and further away until non-existent abs fail him and he plops back on the desk.
The buttons are undone soon after, leaving Merlin's chest exposed and ready for biting. Arthur grabs him on either side and turns his body to his liking, creating a trail of wet, sloppy kisses circling up and around the soft of his stomach to the hard of his pecks.
"The chair-" Arthur muses between bites. "The desk- You know- I really- Do see you- Working for me- Working out."
Merlin half laughs, half moans as Arthur's hands pull towards his thighs and lifts them up, allowing him to wrap his legs around Arthur's waist. "Does that mean I passed the interview?"
"We haven't even looked at your CV yet." Arthur chuckles and goes back to kissing him breathless.
"Or my references."
"Your references can piss off," Arthur hisses before biting a possessive bruise at the point where neck meets shoulder.
Merlin's mouth falls open in a gasp and he melts under the pleasurable pain sucking him of any will power –not that he had much to begin with. His hands twist in Arthur's tee-shirt until it slides up to shoulder blades and he rips it over his head as quick as he can, smiling as the heat of Arthur's body slips against his skin.
"So, Mr. Emrys." Arthur pulls away to proceed with his interview process. Merlin's legs unfortunately dangle towards the ground but Arthur can't be bothered to listen to his complaint. He is running his tantalizing fingers all the way from shoulder to pants, his nails leaving small pink lines that curl every muscle they pass. "I see you're rather fit." The hands glide lower until he has Merlin's arse cheeks gripped in each palm. "A firm, perky arse-"
"Did you just call my arse perky?"
Arthur doesn't laugh, just cocks a brow and dips one hand lower. "A tight little hole I bet."
One of his fingers presses against the seam of his stretched trousers and bluntly pushes against his entrance, a sick tease of pressure, held too far away by layers of completely unnecessary clothing.
Arthur continues his mock questioning while making rough, horrible, toe-curling circles with both finger and hips, "Is it aching to be filled by my cock? That will be one of your main duties as my rent boy. But what about your cock?" Arthur flicks open Merlin's trousers and pulls out his dick, leaving it there to the mercy of the air. "Nice and long. Is it waiting to be swallowed up?"
Consciously or unconsciously, Arthur licks his lips and Merlin groans. Then that finger presses harder and follows the line up the front of his trousers until it presses a ruthless, teasing trail from base to head.
"Arth-"
"We'll make it one of your perks." Arthur drops the fingertip just barely brushing his slick slit and leans over him, keeping Merlin's hips pinned in place as he whispers into his ear, "Every lunch break I'll take you to my office and make you close the blinds. I'll push you into my chair and take you in my mouth. You'll cry out so loud there won't be a person in the building who doesn't know what we're doing. Then I'll pin you down and open you up, trousers wrapped around your ankles, keeping you there. I'll fuck you across my desk and make you scream again."
Arthur's hips are rough from his jeans as they buck across his aching cock and Merlin lets out an overstimulated cry.
Arthur isn't done. He presses his thumbs into the taught muscles of his abdomen and thrusts again, punctuating each of his points with a brutal slide. "Make you come a second time. All over the floor. And leave it there for the janitor. We'll do it every day and everyone will know but no one will say anything. They'll be too embarrassed. They like it. They like the way you scream. You make such pretty noises."
Merlin made a poor impression of a scream with the low yelp escaping his throat at Arthur's low, yet somehow professional voice.
Arthur bucks again for the same noise and says, "They'll see the blinds close and they'll all get fucking hard and wet and they won't know what to do but touch themselves as they listen to you come. Both times. Every day. Go on and scream. Make them come too."
Merlin's imagination has always been very active. He can picture it all too accurately. Arthur pushing behind him, the edge of his mahogany desk bruising his thighs, the cries he would try to keep inside with his fist but Arthur peeling his hand away from his mouth. The yells he would let loose and the way they would echo across the walls. Even with the blinds closed he would probably still be able to see between the cracks. See all of Arthur's high and mighty lawyer co-working blushing, sweating, wriggling, moaning. "Oh god."
Arthur nips at his ear and licks a line across his neck, leaving behind a glossy, wet, temporary collar. "So, Mr. Emrys, why do you want to be my personal rent boy?"
"Because- because- ah-" His foggy brain really does try to think of something witty but settles on, "Fuck your damn mouth."
Arthur stops all teasing movements and pulls away for another mock pout of concentration. "Does not think fast on his feet. Hmmm. That may count against you. But the mouth fucking- now that sounds promising."
"Take me to bed and I'll show you what I can do with my mouth."
It need not be said more than once. Arthur instantly hauls Merlin off the desk, dick out and all, and spins them towards the hall. Their kiss is hot and messy as Arthur fumbles them from door to door and wall to wall.
They do eventually make it to the right room causing Merlin to cry out, "Ow! My head."
Arthur had taken a rather preemptive jump and ended up whacking Merlin against the frame instead of through the door.
Arthur grunts his apology and swipes a quick hand over the back of Merlin's head as he carelessly chucks him onto the bed, leaving him to bounce.
"I won't be much good in the office if I have a concussion," he says with a smirk as he watches Arthur unbutton and unzip.
"That just means I'll have to keep an eye on you. Make sure you don't sleep. And I can think of one way to keep you up," he winks as he drops his jeans and boxers to the ground.
"I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to have sex with someone with possible brain injuries."
"I don't see a doctorate on your CV, Mr. Emrys." Arthur dips down to remove Merlin's shoes and trousers without any protest or help from him. "I suggest you leave the sexpertise to your boss."
"Did you just say sexpertise? You twit."
"Does not respect authority. That's two against you now. Your arse better be as good as it looks or we may have to look at our other options."
"Have a lot of options do you?" Merlin laughs as Arthur jumps for the lube, ignoring the bit where Merlin promised to use his mouth on him. Oh well. He would make up for it another time. "You should hire me because I'm the only one that puts up with you. And-" Merlin groans as Arthur inputs the first finger, wiggling it as he kisses Merlin's neck. "And because I already know what I'm going to wear when we christen your desk and scar your coworkers for life."
"You know the dress code, do you? Because, I'm fairly certain yours will be naked. With clothing Fridays. Just to mix it up."
"I have a better idea," Merlin says and grabs both of Arthur's shoulders. "That suit, the one that actually fits me –oh god," Arthur ads the second finger. "Oh fu- And- uh- I have that purple shirt you like."
"Mmmm."
"And I'll even wear those glasses I only need for fine print. I'll-" Arthur's fingers brush against his prostate and Merlin's hips jerk to the air, his cock bouncing between their stomachs. "Yes."
"God, yes."
"And-" Merlin tries to swallow around the moan taking up space in his throat. "And- god- and those red- red panties." Arthur's bites and moans stop abruptly, as do his fingers. He pulls away to stare into Merlin's smug eyes as he continues to say, "The ones you spotted at the store three months ago and thought I didn't see. I may or may not have bought them on the way home today."
"With the-"
"Black lacing. Yes." Merlin steals a quick kiss so he can take a moment to stop smiling before he says, "I'll keep them on while you fuck me across your desk."
"Ughn-" Arthur's crashes back into him, claiming his mouth and rutting against him –moving his fingers at a pace that is almost too fast.
"Boss likes red panties." Merlin mocks Arthur's interview voice. "Will need to ask for raise."
"Have it-" Arthur pants, quickly kissing him again and again, barely getting a breath in. "Take it- I don't care. Take all my money."
Merlin laughs and moans and pants, his body heating up immeasurably as he feels a third finger added to the two. God, he feels fantastic.
"Won't matter anyway," Arthur says. "Not if you're moving in with me."
"You're asking me now?" Merlin still can't help the laugh in his voice.
"How hard did you hit your head, Merlin?" Arthur jokes, pulling out his fingers and inspecting his eyes for dizziness or something equally stupid. "I believe I asked you last night."
Merlin chuckles and wraps his hand around Arthur's neck, pulling him down for a long kiss. "Yes. Yes, I will take all your money."
Arthur shoots him a glare and he laughs harder.
"Alright!" He surrenders and starts again. "Yes, I will move in with you."
Arthur's smile rivals the brightness of the sun streaming in the open window. And that will be the first thing Merlin will change about this room. Blackout curtains.
"You're happy?" Arthur asks.
Merlin beams back at him, "Yes. Very much."
Arthur hums against his lips and Merlin sinks back into the pillows, enjoying the slide of their bodies as they both whisper an I love you to the other.
That slow, beautiful moment in their gleeful love making explodes back into lust when Merlin's hips cant to the side and his prick brushes against Arthur's. Arthur groans, quickly checks that Merlin is prepped enough, and slicks up his cock.
There is no teasing. They are too far gone for that.
Arthur pushes his way inside, taking his time, and paying mind to Merlin's hitches and twitches, inching in slowly. He pulls back just as cautiously but it isn't long before Merlin is meeting his every thrust and pulling at his arms, back, shoulders, legs –anything to get him closer than physically possible.
Arthur holds him close as he can and kisses him as long as they both can stand until the rocks take their bodies over and the pleasure rockets through their systems.
The build feels so good. The strangest sense of weightless tingles along his nerve endings, spooling from his back and encasing every bit of his body. The heat grows even as Arthur falters in his pace.
The ecstasy rises so much Merlin could swear he is actually glowing. But no he isn't…
Isn't…
But…
But.
But he is.
No.
Arthur is.
Arthur is glowing gold. Literally. Gold! His skin matches his hair and the shine travels through his eyes –wide with shock- and Merlin tries to blink it away but then he just sees the gold on himself. It travels from body to body, swarming around them like some kind of tingly locust, and soon he is glowing too.
The strange pleasure pops in bursts of light jumping in front of his eyes and he gasps. His head, not his cock, but his head is the one exploding. He pants for a whole new reason as a lifetime of memories washes over him in seconds. Bombarding his brain and crowding in on the life he lives now.
Ealdor. Hunith. Gaius. Camelot. Uther. Magic. Gwen. Morgana. Arthur. Arthur. King Arthur! Mother fucking King Arthur!
The glow fades but Merlin is still struck dumb by the flow of magic as he stares up into Arthur's now blue eyes. "S-s-s-s-s-sire?"
Arthur's face shifts from a wide smile to horror in less than a second. Merlin too looks down at their bodies intertwined and drops his hands back to the bed, uncurling his legs from around Arthur's waist and stopping his traitorous heels from pushing Arthur further into him.
"Mer- Oh- I-" Arthur seems not to know what to do as they look down at the point where his cock is buried deep inside Merlin's body. His hands shift on the bed as he assesses what to do. His mouth moves to speak in a jumble of words, "I'll just- I- I can- Merl- shit- I-"
He starts to pull his body out and Merlin cries out in a scream of sudden bliss, his hands jumping to grip Arthur's back and force him to stay still. "Arth-" he breaths but cannot finish his thought as his body clamps every part of itself shut, pinning Arthur's prick in place. "Oh, fuck."
Arthur groans long and low. Usually Merlin would be excited by such a noise. Arthur only makes those sounds when he is truly keeping himself in check, keeping Merlin on edge. But this isn't really his boyfriend of two years, ready to move in together, Arthur. This is Arthur, King of Camelot.
King of fucking Camelot with a cock up his arse!
So yes, it makes him more than excited. It also brings a horrible blush everywhere and he tries to stare anywhere but at Arthur's face -slack with pleasure as he remains inside.
"Merlin," Arthur whines.
Merlin has to force himself not to respond by biting his lip. Hard. Hard like his cock brushing up against the King's stomach.
Arthur groans again and Merlin cannot help his hips rising, needing to hear that groan break.
It does. Arthur's voice cracks and his hips instinctively thrust forward. Slow, but enough for Merlin to feel his prostate pushed again. He whimpers loudly.
They should stop. They should stop and talk about whatever the hell just happened. They should talk about their lives and what this means and magic and reincarnation and the future and their jobs and moving in and relationships and sudden concussions bringing on past memories and consequences of said concussions and past memories and Camelot and how Arthur really needs to move his fucking cock or Merlin is going to explode!
"Arthur," Merlin begs, "You need to pull out. I can't- can't take it if you-"
"You're the one holding onto me," Arthur counters as he tries to pull out slowly again, Merlin's fingers digging past skin and into muscle. Arthur stops at once. Merlin feels his face contort in frustration and he pinches his eyes closed, forcing himself to try and calm down.
One of Arthur's arms gives way and his body collapses on Merlin's. Arthur's breath hitches into the pillow and Merlin's legs spread further, opening to him better.
They lay there, with Arthur breathing hot air into the sensitive curve of his ear and Merlin clinging to him for dear life, muscles contracting around the object filling him inside. He is not sure how long he lays there with Arthur's full and completely naked weight on top of him. It doesn't matter. The desire isn't leaving him. It's just rising. His prick pressed down between two stomachs isn't exactly helping the situation.
Then, just barely a movement, Arthur's hips roll. Merlin thinks he's about to pull out again and grips onto his shoulders with more force but Arthur isn't pulling out, he's pushing in. Gentle, small, fast pushes that have the breaths in his ear come out ragged and harsh.
"Can I-" Arthur barely has a chance to ask.
"Yes. Fuck, yes. Arthur, please. Move that royal cock already!"
"I was going to say pull out now."
"Oh." Embarrassing. Merlin feels his face heat with an even harder blush –seriously, he must be purple by now- and his hands slip as he tries to uncurl his vice-like grip. "Um."
Arthur smirks and it's the smirk he's always had. The smirk he had when they first met centuries ago and the smirk he had the day he first met him, just over two years ago. "But the royal cock cannot resist a formal request."
Merlin outright laughs and presses his hips down, pushing Arthur in deeper. With only a small amount of sarcasm he says, "Please, Your Majesty. Fuck me."
Arthur does.
They share the same humid puffs of air as Arthur pulls back and slams into him, no restrain in either of them as they claw at each other, slamming together at too fast a pace. The rough bravado does not matter to either of them. The power of whatever spell was just preformed lingers in the air and it fuels the flames of desire higher. They are engulfed in each other.
Merlin scratches down Arthur's back as the feeling pushes him too far. His orgasm is just on the verge of bursting when Arthur quickly takes him in hand –just as he always does- and rubs him to the finish.
Merlin makes all the pretty screams Arthur was expecting.
Arthur is quick to follow, groaning into Merlin's neck until his body goes slack.
Normally they would kiss at this time. They always kissed after coming. What were they supposed to do now?
Merlin looks to Arthur for an answer but Arthur's face seems troubled. At least that look is not focused on Merlin. Arthur is looking around the room, utterly baffled.
Merlin follows his gaze and gasps, "Holy shit." Everything that is not bolted to the ground is floating around them, more than one item swaying from one wall to the other. He feels his magic spinning around the room and quickly calls it back, everything thumping back down into place. He is pretty sure he broke Arthur's alarm clock. That doesn't seem to matter at the moment.
"You have your magic again," Arthur states the obvious.
"We have our memories," Merlin felt the need to return the sentiment. "We- uh-"
"Yes."
"I'm dating the King of Camelot."
"I'm dating my manservant."
They both dissolve into a massive fit of giggles that ends up dislodging their embrace so Arthur can tumble to the side.
Arthur gasps, "We are so fucked."
"I believe that was me." He laughs giddily –another probable side effect of his concussion- as Arthur playfully swats his stomach. "And will be me. At your office on Monday. Oh my god. The King of Camelot is a lawyer."
"And you're my PA." Arthur laughs hard at Merlin's face.
"For fuck's sake! I've come full circle!"
"Shut up," Arthur says and smacks him again, this time with the closest pillow. Memory foam. Definitely a concussion on the way. "You love it."
"I love y-" Merlin's voice breaks along with his smile.
That part has never changed. He's always loved Arthur. But is he allowed to say it now? They've said it so many times already but what does it mean now that they know both who they were and who they are? The same? Everything? More?
"Me too, Merlin." Arthur says and they lock eyes.
There's so much there, in that look they share. It's a bond they could almost touch if needed. There is trust and confusion and endorphins and probably some form of brain damage, but most of all, there is love.
Arthur reaches out and pulls Merlin's aching head in for a bumbling, post brain fuck, post actual fuck, kiss.
Awkward, definitely. Damn the universe's sense of humor. Really though, all Merlin can think is, Oh my god. I think I found my destiny.