Summary: How are you supposed to react when you discover your best friend is an unborn butterfly? Apparently Merlin is destined to help Arthur come out of his shell.

A/N: In case you're worried, no this isn't Merthur slash, but there's a central GQ issue, so if that offends you then bye-bye. For those of you that remain, this will be a story of self discovery and loving friendship.

Unborn Butterfly (Part 1: Glimpse) by frostygossamer

Are you happy in your skin? Are you happy with what life expects from you? Is there something more you need to be? Do you have the balls to go for it? Those weren't questions that Merlin had ever needed to asked himself. But they turned out to be the most vital.

('o')

It all started on the day that Merlin's best friend Arthur unexpectedly announced his engagement to Gwen, his girlfriend of six months. Gwen had been, for a few short weeks, Merlin's almost girlfriend. That was until he had introduced her to the handsome blond hunk that was Arthur Pendragon.

The usual gang were all sitting around a table at the Camelot Inn, having lunch. The Cam Inn was their favourite meeting place, because it had booths with big round tables.

There was Merlin, Arthur, Gwen, Lancelot, Arthur's best mate since Winchester School, Percival, another rugby chum, and Morgana, Arthur's half-sister, dolled up to the nines on her way to a date, and only popping in for the actual toast.

There were congratulations, everyone wished the happy couple good luck, and Merlin went to the bar to get in another round. The barman had to prompt him twice, before he came out of his trance and reeled off his order.

('o')

Merlin Emrys worked at the sandwich shop opposite the entrance to PDG's UK headquarters. PDG stood for 'Pendragon DeGrance', and the enormous logo in the foyer was a hideous neon construction of red and yellow, Pendragon red and DeGrance yellow. This was Arthur's father's company and so, obviously, that was where Arthur held an executive position.

Uther Pendragon had founded PDG, many years ago with his oldest friend, and fellow Winchester old boy, Sir Leon DeGrance, Baronet. Leon had been Uther's 'fag' at Winchester, which simply meant, when Uther was a senior boy, Leon, a junior, had acted as a sort of servant for him. They had formed a close bond, and Uther trusted the younger man implicitly.

Arthur had followed his father to Winchester, and he met Merlin later at University, where they became study partners. They had both read Business at the LSE, but Merlin, after the sudden death of his father, Balinor, had dropped out without taking his finals. He had instead chosen to return home and look after his distraught mother, Hunith. He was just that kind of a lovely fella.

After Merlin had spent nearly a year squirreled away with his grieving mum, Arthur had become the only real male friend he had left. That wasn't because Arthur was particularly empathetic to his emotions, certainly not. In fact he could come over as pretty stuck-up, Merlin thought.

It was more to do with the fact that Arthur came into his little shop nearly everyday for a sandwich, and was well brought up enough to always remember to enquire about Merlin's mother, and how they were doing. He was charitable that way.

That was how Merlin's promising academic career had ended up with him making sandwiches in a tiny submarine franchise, rather then being a high-powered executive like Arthur. But Merlin had to admit that Arthur was pretty damn good at his job, even without his father being co-owner of the firm.

Arthur enjoyed popping in for a breakfast sub on his way into work. He liked Merlin, even though he was the polar opposite of his other blokey, rugby-playing, beer-swilling friends, and perhaps because of that.

('o')

So Merlin was a nice fella and, by that evening, he had rethought his silence, and decided that he should go round to Arthur's to congratulate him personally on his good news.

Merlin parked his Toyota behind Pendragon House and slipped in through the back door. The cook gave him a good-natured smile.

"Mr. P's in his study", she warned him. "Arthur will be up in his sitting room, probably."

Merlin nodded and went directly upstairs. Arthur's rooms were at the end of the corridor, opposite Morgana's, and well away from their father's. As was his wont, Merlin barged into Arthur's bedroom without knocking.

The sight that assaulted his eyes took his breath away.

Arthur was sitting at the mirror opposite the door. He was wrapped in some sort of long sky-blue satiny cloth, and Merlin could see that he was holding a stick of lipstick in his hand. A glimpse of Arthur's face in the mirror revealed that his lips were red, his eyelids blue, and mascara darkened his long eyelashes. Arthur had been making himself up.

Merlin let out a little yelp of surprise, and Arthur turned his head automatically. Seeing Merlin standing there staring at him, Arthur jumped up from his chair and Merlin took in, for the first time, that the long sky-blue satiny thing, wrapped loosely around Arthur's body, was a dress, an evening dress. Merlin recognized it as one of Morgana's. He was horrified. They both were.

"Good God, Arthur", Merlin croaked, ears turning scarlet. "What the hell are you doing? You blinking... perv!"

With that he bolted from the room. As he raced back down the corridor, he heard Arthur's door slam behind him. He rushed into his car, and shot off down the drive towards home, beyond shocked.

('o')

After slamming the door shut behind his fleeing friend, Arthur stood for a while in that ridiculous dress, unable to move. Merlin was perhaps the ONLY one of his many friends that Arthur had thought just MIGHT be open-minded enough to TRY to understand what he was going through. Apparently he was wrong. And it hurt.

He tugged off the stupid dress and flung it on the floor, scrubbing his hands over his face until it was an ugly mess of red, blue and black.

"Idiot!", he growled, angrily. "Arthur, you bloody idiot!"

('o')

Hunith was a little surprised when her son arrived back home so quickly. She was even more surprised when he stomped straight up to his room, and slammed the door. This wasn't like her Merlin. He and Arthur must have had an argument. That was the only thing that ever upset Merlin that much.

An hour later, after she'd called "Your tea's ready" up the stairs, and Merlin had deigned to come downstairs and eat, she broached the subject.

"Something wrong?", she enquired. "Fallen out with your friend Arthur again, have you?"

Merlin grumbled into his shepherd's pie.

"Probably", he admitted. "I think... I know he's been keeping secrets from me. I'm supposed to be his friend, right?"

Hunith chuckled. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"Can't", Merlin replied. "It's not something I can talk about."

"Why not?"

"Well, because it's impossible to explain."

"Ah-ha", Hunith responded. She might as well have said "Touche".

Merlin felt an involuntary smile appear on his face.

"Well, I really didn't give him a chance to say anything."

"There you are then", Hunith concluded. "You can give him a ring later and sort it all out."

"I doubt it'll be that easy", Merlin replied. "But you're right. I'll give him a ring after I've finished my tea. Then I'll see what the prat has to say for himself."

('o')

It wasn't an easy call to make, and it wasn't an easy one to receive. Arthur hesitated for a long time before he answered his mobile.

"Yes", he said, shortly.

"Arthur", Merlin began. "I'm sorry. Really. We need to talk. Come down to the Cam Inn and I'll buy you a beer."

Arthur's end of the line was silent for several anxious seconds. Then...

"Fine. I'll see you there", and the call terminated.

TBC

A/N: So now we know what kind of butterfly Arthur is. What is Merlin going to do? Part 2 coming soon.

A/N: This bit was inspired by the Jack Vettriano painting 'The Blue Gown II'. Take a look at it at www. jackvettriano. com / exhibitions / half-way-to-paradise / the-blue-gown-ii / (remove spaces).