And here we are again, my friends. Welcome back, or welcome aboard! While the year for us is 2017, the year this story takes place in is 2021.
Happy New Fears.
Happy New Year.
You all know the rules by now, and if not, go read ADTAYALTAL (omfg I can't believe I stuck with the title of the first fic for a whole year.)
Title from Anthem Academy's "Good Life." I might change it.
"Papa," a sweet but loud whisper in his ear rouses him from sleep.
Arthur makes a faint questioning noise in response, not yet wanting to open his eyes.
"Papa."
When Arthur still refuses to open his eyes, the voice stops and Arthur thinks that's the end of it. A moment later, he is proven wrong when all the air in his lungs are whooshed out of him by a sudden weight on his chest, causing him to finally open his eyes.
"Gracy, darling, what did I tell you?" Arthur's husband asks amusedly from beside him.
"To wake Papa, Daddy."
"Yes, darling. Wake him, not make him sleep forever."
The three-year-old eases up enough for Arthur to breath a little easier but Grace rolls her eyes that look so very much like Merlin's, but roll and sharpen so very much like Morgana's; but Arthur supposes that's what he and Merlin get for using Merlin's sperm and Morgana's eggs to have this beautiful baby girl that is (almost quite literally in the biological sense) theirs.
"Sorry, Papa."
Weaky attempting to smooth down his daughter's unruly mess of bedhead that he knows he has no actual way of taming, Arthur smiles up at his girl.
"I'll forgive you if you can give me a good morning kiss."
Smirking, Grace leans towards Arthur's puckered lips and gives him a big smooch and waits until Arthur blows a raspberry against her tiny mouth.
Giggling, Grace pulls back.
"Good morning, baby," Arthur tells her.
"Mornin', Papa! Foxy has stinky breath and Minnie is seven today!" Grace chatters on cheerfully.
"Seven months," Merlin emphasizes.
"Months," Grace repeats back to Arthur very serious like, but with a glint in her eyes.
"Is she really?" Arthur asks, wide-eyed and with faux surprise.
"Yep!"
"And how old is Daddy?"
"Younger than you," Grace announces Merlin's usual answer proudly.
Arthur turns a bland expressed face to his husband.
"I was going to say good morning to you, but I don't think I will now," he informs him before turning to the baby in Merlin's lap and Foxy at Merlin's curled up feet. "Hi, babies. Good morning." He reaches out a hand, pointer finger extended for the newly turned seven-month-old Jasmine to grab onto after he's given Foxy a quick scratch behind the ears.
"Alright, don't say good morning to your husband of five years, then. It's not like I made you breakfast or anything," Merlin says with an air of being hurt, but Arthur knows he's just playing.
Smiling a crooked little smile, Arthur glances up at his husband.
"Hello, my love."
Despite himself, it seems, Merlin can't help but smile back.
"Hello, my love," Merlin parrots Arthur's words back to him.
"Good morning."
Smile widening with the corners of his mouth stretching even farther across his face, Merlin tells him, "Now that's much better," before getting a secure hold on the baby and standing up from the bed. And ever the dedicated pet, Foxy immediately stretches before bounding off the bed and across the floor to follow Merlin out the door. Silently, Arthur watches them go, though mostly he's watching Merlin's arse pull against his briefs.
A bright voice pulls him out of his daze.
"Papa, Daddy says you have ta help me brush!"
She means her teeth, and dragging his tongue across the front of his own, Arthur grimaces and thinks a morning brush is much needed.
"Up we get, then," he directs his little girl.
Grace is more than happy to bounce her way off to the bathroom where she waits before the double sink for Arthur. When he arrives, she puts her arms out so Arthur can grab her by the armpits and lift her to sit on the counter.
Once settled, she reaches first for Arthur's toothbrush, which she silently hands to him-
"Thank you, baby girl."
"Welcome, Papa."
-before grabbing her own. She then waits patiently once more, but this time, she is waiting for Arthur to put her special children's toothpaste onto her brush, as she still has difficulty figuring out how much is too much.
"Thank you, Papa."
"You're welcome, baby."
"What candle do you want, Gracy Lu?" Merlin asks his oldest daughter when she skips into the kitchen.
Tilting her head, she scrunches her nose up in contemplation for a few short moments before gasping in anticipation.
"Cherry!"
"Arthur-" he starts to call out, only to be cut off.
"I heard her, love, I've got it."
"Thanks."
Merlin turns back to the kettle, waiting for it to boil.
At the sound of a lighter, he sighs, excitedly anxious to find out if the new candle Arthur bought him for Christmas smells as good when it's burning as the previously unlit wax suggests it will.
When the first hint of the candle reaches his nose, Merlin closes his eyes to better take it in. But, putting most of his focus on only one sense, it leaves him vulnerable. Therefore, he is surprised when arms wind around his stomach and a pair of lips attach to the nape of his neck then slowly make their way up his neck and to his ear."
"Good morning," Arthur whispers before placing yet another kiss to Merlin's skin, this time behind his ear.
Opening his eyes and letting the corners of his mouth tilt upwards, Merlin leans back to better mold his body against his husband's.
"Good morning."
He turns his head to the side, a silent request for a kiss that Arthur is more than happy to fulfill.
They pull apart at the sound of the kettle going off followed by mild fussing.
"You get the baby, I'll get the tea."