This was kind of inspired by Taylor Swift's "Jump Then Fall."
Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin or the song that inspired this.
Not A Cliché
*.*.*.*.*
Falling in love is strange and slow and curious, Merlin thinks; even though it seems to hit him out of nowhere, it still felt like a process, like it has been happening slowly but surely over the course of text messages and stinging words and light chuckles passed in a crowded school hallway when nothing else matters but the world between him and Arthur. It seems as though it was as inevitable as the rising of the sun and other happenings that were necessary for everyday life to go on uninterrupted and without incident, really.
And it feels like it has been happening for some time now, that he has been slipping and falling into this feeling for quite a while without even noticing, without even realizing it, and he really doesn't notice it for a while. Not until he decides to ring Arthur far too early one Saturday morning with a far too chipper, "'Morning, sunshine!" and he catches Arthur just waking up, and his voice is groggy and thick and confused and probably a little irritated that Merlin is waking him up so early without a good reason, but Merlin manages to ease him into conversation about nothing at all, and his voice perks up and really, it's not Merlin's fault that he tells some stupid joke that makes Arthur laugh like it's the funniest damn thing he's ever heard.
Merlin doesn't even realize until after he's hung up the phone that making Arthur laugh—hearing Arthur laugh—Arthur's laugh... well, it's actually probably one of the best damn things Merlin has ever heard.
That's when he thinks, with a pleasant sort of realization, that maybe he could be...
*.*.*.*.*
The next week as they are sitting in class, Arthur is called on for some reason or another, made to answer some question or another for the discussion they are having. His seat is just across the aisle from Merlin, so when he begins to speak, sitting up ever so slightly, chin jutting out and hands moving as he goes on a tangent of sorts, passion for the subject at hand in his eyes and making them hard and beautiful, hair catching the hideous lighting of the room and somehow making it, too, look beautiful... Merlin isn't even aware that he is gawking until Arthur stops talking, satisfied smile on his face slipping when the whole of the room turns to look at Merlin instead.
Sitting up in his seat, Merlin feels his face flush as Arthur turns his head, cocks an eyebrow at Merlin before nodding towards the instructor at the front of the class, who Merlin instantly throws his attention to instead, trying to pretend his face is not flushed as he is asked if he found Arthur's words so captivating that he couldn't help but stare or if he found himself enticed by something else that had little to do with what was being talked about?
As the class titters around him, Merlin manages to tell the teacher that no, there's nothing else, Arthur just happens to be particularly well-versed on this subject and really, who among them was not captivated by the way he expressed himself?
No one needs to know that Merlin isn't actually entirely sure just what it was that they were meant to be talking about anymore.
*.*.*.*.*
He avoids Arthur for the rest of the day, though he wonders if Arthur even noticed, truly, if he read into Merlin's stare, into what the instructor had to say, if his heart will ever stop pounding when he thinks about it, if his face will ever stop flushing...
He wonders if things are going to be weird between them now—though, really, it was just a bit of staring, how could that possibly make things weird?—if...
He is in luck, however, because Arthur calls him that very night to ask him about some of their homework, and everything is normal, Arthur's laugh is as wonderful as always, the conversation never stilted or awkward, and everything is fine until Merlin hangs up and realizes, without another lingering doubt in the world, that he is...
In love with Arthur. And he has been, he thinks, for some time now.
And that is perfectly and wonderfully and amazingly...
Okay.
*.*.*.*.*
Merlin isn't actually an idiot, and he likes to think he isn't a cliche, either. He has read enough books and watched enough television to know that usually when someone realizes they are in love with their best friend, they stay silent for year upon year, not wanting to risk the friendship without knowing for sure how the other party feels and whether they return the feelings or not.
Merlin is actually fairly confident that, even if Arthur does not return the feelings, they can still remain friends. He is sure, actually, that they can and will, that Merlin can tell Arthur that he's in love with him and Arthur will either tell him he returns the feelings or he won't; things will either progress between them into something more, or stay exactly as they are now, and Merlin is okay with those odds, truly, decides that since he knows how he feels for Arthur, it would be unfair to both himself and Arthur if he didn't say anything.
*.*.*.*.*
So he does. They are sitting at the table in his dining room studying for an upcoming test together, books and papers spread all over, heads ducked for the most part, questions being thrown at one another and answers rattled off or searched for in the pile of books and papers.
Arthur glances up from the study guide that is in front of him for a moment to ask a question, and Merlin looks up as well, eyes lock onto Arthur's, and suddenly it's all he can focus on and this moment is not about studying anymore it's about... Well.
"I love you." He blurts out then, hands gripping the book that is opened in front of him as he swallows.
Arthur's eyes are still stuck on Merlin's and they widen slightly, softly. There is a heart-pounding sort of pause then, and Merlin can't make his eyes leave Arthur's, he simply swallows again and awaits the rejection or reciprocation.
"Don't look so worried, Merlin." Arthur says then, soft smile on his face, one of his hands reaching out to rest atop of Merlin's. "I love you, too." He adds, tone much too soft and nice to hold any sort of jest or trick.
And Merlin is much too busy grinning to notice that Arthur is going for a kiss until his lips are on Merlin's, and all that matters anymore is the way they melt together and how amazingly perfect this moment is.
*.*.*.*.*