AN: I love modern AU and the friends becoming lovers is one of my favourite trope. So of course when someone wanted a fic with those two, I had to write it. :)
"See, the thing is, Sophia blew me off tonight and now I have no dinner. So how about I buy you dinner at one of those expensive restaurants you can't afford?"
Her phone clamped between her cheek and her shoulder, Gwen tried to simultaneously pour herself a cup of coffee to deal with her awful headache, give her kitten a rub and sort through her pile of papers for a receipt from 2 weeks ago.
"Mmmph," she grunted. Why she picked up Arthur's call was a mystery. It wasn't usually anything important. What was important was the overdue bill her landlord was adamant she owed. She knew she had paid up already but unfortunately, she seemed to have lost the receipt again.
"Have you lost something again?"
This was the other reason she should have never answered Arthur's call. He must have bugged her house or something because he always seemed to know what she was doing. That or she was entirely predictable.
"Ow! Stupid cat …"
"Tell you what, since I have nothing on tonight, I'll just pop over now. Maybe two set of eyes can find whatever it is you've misplaced. Then we can have dinner. I'm quite eager to try out that new Italian place."
Tossing her phone onto her overflowing couch, Gwen sipped what was left of her coffee as she frowned at the mess on her so-called work table. Perhaps she should clean up the coffee spill first before Excalibur got to it.
Within half an hour, she heard the key turn in her lock.
"So what is it this time? Your car keys?" Arthur strode into the tiny apartment, shaking his head at the mess it was in, "I did offer the services of Merlin to help you clean this place up you know."
It was this argument again. Arthur was constantly trying to "make her life easier" with his millions and he never seemed to understand how important it was for Gwen to make it on her own. If he wasn't offering her a room at his mansion, he was trying to offer Merlin's help in everything. It wasn't as if Merlin had nothing better to do - Arthur often kept his personal assistant very busy.
"Have you seen Merlin's place? It's in a worse condition than mine," scoffed Gwen as she continued to push the papers on her table around.
Arthur laughed then reached out a hand to tug at her hair, a habit he had which annoyed her. Now that she thought about it, a lot of what Arthur did annoyed her. So why was he her friend?
"Fine, you know I didn't mean to have Merlin actually come by and do cleaning. So what are you looking for? I'm willing and able," Arthur moved to the table and started sorting through the mess.
Two hours later, Arthur had managed to sort all her papers into various piles, cleared her couch and gotten rid of most of the junk in her apartment. He also made a new pot of coffee. He did not, unfortunately, find the receipt.
Gwen could tell that Arthur was itching to tell her two things - to keep her receipts properly and to move out of this apartment into his mansion. He didn't actually have to voice them out. She could see it in his eyes.
"Don't say it. Look, if I explain -"
"Your landlord has been trying to cheat you all the months you've been here!"
"Come on, where else will I find such a cheap apartment so near the city? Your mansion is practically another country away. And don't tell me you'll drive me in. We all know that you barely go into the office."
"I work from home!" pouted Arthur before settling himself comfortably on the couch beside Gwen.
As he shifted, his thigh pressed briefly against Gwen, causing heat to curl in her stomach. They may have been friends for years, yet Gwen found it difficult to temper the attraction she had for him. As annoying, as arrogant and as frustrating he could be, Gwen suspected that she would forever harbour an illicit attraction to him. Once, she dreamed that he would share the attraction and perhaps their relationship would become more. But that was years ago. She long realised that for her and Arthur, a close, and sometimes prickly, friendship was probably for the best.
After all, how many people could lay claim to being a close friend to Arthur Pendragon, scion of Uther Pendragon, the country's most successful businessman-turned-politician?
"How does Chinese takeaway sound?" she asked, grabbing her phone, "we should call Merlin too. I bet he doesn't have dinner either."
"Hey, what about my Italian plans?"
"It's late -" She took the moment to yawn to emphasise her point. Honestly, she disliked the attention that was always lavished on Arthur whenever they went out.
Gwen suspected Arthur could tell she was lying. He rolled his eyes and snatched the phone from her hand before calling their usual Chinese takeaway.
"Call Merlin," she mouthed as she disappeared into her room to change into something more comfortable.
Later that night, after both Merlin and Arthur had left after a very mediocre Chinese dinner, she spotted a wad of cash and a note on her coffee table.
For dinner. And don't bother trying to return it.
A.
Maybe if she stuffed it in his briefcase, he wouldn't notice.
