Merlin's eyes widened in shock, he felt his mouth go dry at Gwen's announcement. Because he suddenly had a lack of air, Merlin let his mouth hang open, slack. Gwen's excitement only seemed to grow though. He was then grateful that the girl had made him sit down. Gwen had made him and Morgana sit down to here her news.
"I know, right?" She exclaimed, plopping down on the seat next to Merlin. To Merlin's right was Morgana, next to Morgana was her brother Arthur. Arthur Pendragon, the one Gwen was now engaged to.
"Holy fuck." Merlin forced out. He had never met Arthur before; he hadn't even gotten a chance to speak to the blonde before Gwen forced him to listen to her "big announcement." Sure, Gwen talked about him non-stop, how he was so agitating at first, that he was the biggest jerk she had ever met. But then she slowly began to fall in love with him, despite his annoying rudeness.
Gwen's face scrunched up in worry. "Breathe Merlin. Breathe." She instructed, going through a breathing exercise. It was the one Merlin recognized as the breathing pregnant women did when they were in labor.
"You two, of all people, are getting married?" Morgana said in disbelief, searching her brother's face. "I mean, it's wonderful and all. Wow," she said breathlessly, pulling them into a tight embrace. It was slightly awkward because Gwen had to bend over Merlin to do so. "Wow." She repeated. Her face was flushed and her eyes were shiny, it looked like she was about to cry.
"My little Gwen is growing up." Merlin murmured. Those were the first coherent words out of his mouth. "MARRIED." He said to himself, mostly. Then it finally hit him. He bounced off the couch and began panting. "Married!" He exclaimed, giggling to himself. "We're going to finally throw you a bachelorette party! Morgana, we have to plan immediately. It's going to be so embarrassing…" Merlin started listing things off to himself.
Gwen and Morgana busted out laughing at the boy. They didn't seem him get excited about a whole lot. "Merlin, calm down. We have plenty of time to do that… well, kind of."
"When's the wedding?" Merlin asked, stopping in his tracks. He had the biggest grin on his face, revealing his gleaming white teeth. His eyes crinkled at the corner.
"September twenty-fifth!" Gwen blurted out, clapping her hands excitedly.
"Uh-oh." Morgana's face contorted in panic. "You're not going to make me and Merlin fight over the position for Maid of Honor, are you? Because I'm not good at competing…"
"Of course not!" Gwen was quick to reassure her. "You both will be my Maid's of Honor! I could never choose over you guys. Plus, having you two fight over the position would be highly amusing but extremely destructive. Shit would hit the fan." Gwen's eyes went distant, imagining the horrible things that could happen. Their friendship would be in major trouble. But of course she wouldn't let that happen.
Merlin scoffed, "When I'm getting married you two will have to fight for it."
Gwen and Morgana quickly scowled at the man.
"Kidding!" Merlin said immediately, shrinking under their death glares. The room fell into a comfortable silence, everyone imagining the wedding. But Merlin quickly broke it, "That's only two month's away!"
Morgana gasped, not noticing how close the date was. "Are you insane, woman? That can't be done-"
"No worries! We'll be having the wedding at Arthur's dad's place, inside an old church around him. We only need to focus on a dress and a cake… and some other stuff."
Merlin let himself fall onto Gwen's old recliner. He felt himself sink further into the fluff, getting comfortable. "This is going to be hard."
Gwen smiled apologetically. "Everything will work out in the end! Trust me. But in the meantime… we have a flight to catch in about a week."
Merlin groaned at that as well. "Great, how much are the tickets going to cost?"
"That's not to be worried about." Morgana said this time. "I'm guessing we'll be taking our father's plane?"
Arthur nodded at that, talking for the first time that night with the exception of saying hello to everyone. "The girls and guys will be split up. There's a large amount of women that need picked up and a small amount of men. So, logically, the men will be on the smaller plane while the women ride on the larger one."
Merlin felt resentment towards the guy. He couldn't help it. He just pissed him off. The way he talked about his daddy's planes angered Merlin down to his core. But there was nothing he could do about it. And hopefully the man didn't mean to anger Merlin. Merlin couldn't hate him for being rich because of his dad. Well, he could if he really wanted to. But he didn't, for Gwen's sake.
"Sounds like a plan." Merlin put on a smile even though he was sure it looked forced.
Gwen smiled back, seeming as though she didn't notice. Her eyes were too busy taking in every inch of Arthur. Merlin's eyes narrowed at the two. He was supposed to be happy for his friend. Not be angry because she was eye-sexing her boyfriend. "Good, let's get dig into our food."
The food happened to be Chinese food, right out of the classic white containers. Merlin had tossed his chopsticks to the side, picking up a white plastic spoon. He hated bothering with those pieces of wood. All they ever did was give him splinters, they never helped him out with getting food in his stomach at all.
Gwen had turned the television on as they ate their food so it wouldn't be silent. Currently, they were watching some odd, cheap horror movie that was more funny then scary. Merlin turned to Gwen to see if she was laughing but instead met eyes with her fiancé. He was staring at Merlin, his food put to the side. He looked away though as soon as Merlin had looked at him. Merlin pushed it off, not sure what else to do.
He finished his food quickly after that, throwing away the container. He shrugged on his jacket, fumbling around for his apartment keys. Once found them he jingled them around, getting Morgana's attention. She was currently staying at Merlin's for the time being.
"Aw," Gwen whined. She was curled into Arthur's shoulder, watching Morgana rise to meet Merlin at her door. "Time for you guys to head home already?"
"Of course! You know," Merlin then formed an 'o' with his hand and moved it back and forth towards his mouth while pushing his tongue against his cheek. He was mimicking a blowjob and then motioned toward Morgana. "Going to get a special favor tonight."
"Excuse me?" Arthur then asked. His voice low and threatening.
Merlin jumped, paled, and then blushed. "I-I, that's-that's not what I m-meant-"
Morgana was laughing the entire time but finally put Merlin out of his misery by grabbing him by they collar and dragging him out the door. "See you soon." She called over her shoulder. Her hand clasped around the gold doorknob as she shut the door behind them.
Gwen was snorting as she watched Arthur fume. "I'll kill him-"
Gwen rolled her eyes and snorted again, obnoxiously loud this time. "You really don't have to worry about Merlin. He won't hit on Morgana, trust me."
"How am I supposed to believe that? That bastard just made my sister look like a whore-"
"Calm down, honey. You just have to believe me when I say Merlin's not interested. Neither is Morgana. Those two… together?" Gwen shuttered at the thought. "There are so many things I could say right now. But most importantly, they're not engaged in sexual activity."
Arthur growled at that. "Sure, like I'm supposed to believe that. I'll wring that guy's neck if he makes a move on Morgana-"
Gwen couldn't help but laugh. It was magnificent seeing Arthur react they way he was. His cheeks were flushed with anger and his eyes were sharp and intimidating. Her hand slid down up his chest so she could place her hand on his shoulder.
"He won't. Merlin's a gentleman… and other things. But that's not important. Pay attention to the movie." Gwen pressed her soft lips to Arthur's cheek, lingering a bit. She knew she could calm him down.
/
Morgana and Merlin had finished their cold walk to their home. The walk made them feel uneasy. The darkness seemed extra creepy that night, especially since there seemed to be extra people lurking in the shadows. There was this one guy smoking a cigarette, the yellow light from the tall, green lamp casted perfectly across his face. He had a long scar running down his face.
"Did you see that guy with the scar?" Morgana exclaimed, rubbing her arms to warm herself up. She moved to the left, right into her small room. She left her door open as she changed into her sleepwear. Merlin meanwhile made busied himself with making them both warm cups of hot chocolate.
"Yeah," Merlin called back, mixing the cold water into a plastic cup to microwave. "He was frightening. Although he made me feel like he was challenging me. I was very tempted to kick his wrinkled ass."
Morgana barked a laugh at that, fiddling with her hair as she exited her room. She wore a pair of plaid pajama pants and an oversized, black t-shirt. Even in her pajama's she looked gorgeous. She let her hair fall down over her shoulders, letting her shining black locks flow down her back. "You would have totally won that fight."
Merlin laughed and shook his head at that. He poured the powdery cocoa mix into the bowling water. He took a silver spoon and mixed it in. His thumb brushed against the prominent pattern. He grabbed onto the one of the mugs, taking Morgana's out to her.
She was on her laptop, staring intently at the screen. Her eyes were squinted at what she was reading but Merlin broke her concentration. She beamed at Merlin when he set the mug down. "Thank you!"
"Welcome," Merlin yelled as he ran off to change his clothes.
Morgana's middle finger ran across the mouse pad as her forefinger remained on the clicker. She clicked onto a familiar icon, bringing up a list of contacts. She smiled to herself, seeing Gwen's name and avatar. The avatar was a picture of her and Gwen, both clutching onto one another. She clicked the call button, waiting for her to pick up. It rang a total of three times before Gwen's face slowly filled the screen.
"You guys are home already?" Gwen asked in disbelief. She knew, from experience, that it was a long walk.
"Yeah. We booked it home because there are some crazy ass people outside." Morgana chuckled, taking a sip of the brown liquid. The warmth and sugar coated her tongue, making her groan in pleasure. "Merlin came home and made me some hot chocolate and it is so damn good."
Gwen pouted at that, "I want some hot chocolate."
Morgan rolled her eyes, "Go get your bitch to make you some. It really hits the spot."
Gwen seemed to ponder that but finally snapped her fingers. Arthur popped into screen, asking what she wanted. Gwen whispered something in Arthur's ear and then motioned towards her computer screen. His blue eyes flicked up, seeing his sister. He nodded and smiled, pulling up a chair beside Gwen.
Morgana opened her mouth, prepared to say something when music interrupted her. Turning around, she spotted Merlin at the music player. He started dancing goofily, swinging his hips and arms in small circles. Morgana also noticed that he had changed outfits, just not into his pajamas. He wore a pair of black skinny jeans that hung off of his waist, they were held up by a studded belt, revealing a generous amount of maroon underwear. His wrists were now dressed with multiple bracelets on both and around his head was a black bandana, the classic paisley pattern on it. Merlin had also spiked his black hair into a fashionable hairdo, sticking up over his bandana.
"What is it?" Merlin demanded. His back was still turned to Morgana. His voice sounded urgent, making Morgana want to answer quickly. But she couldn't hold back the laughs at the old tune.
"Is this Nelly? Uh… it's Dilemma by Nelly." Morgana said, snapping her finger as she answered. Her smile was smug as Merlin clapped his hands and congratulated her. She rolled her eyes, spinning in her computer chair to face her computer again. "I have to go guys, bye." After the other's said their goodbyes she quickly ended the call. Their faces disappeared and her background of her, Merlin, Gwaine, and Gwen dressed up for Halloween filled her eyes. She remembered how amazing Gwen had looked that night…
"Okay! Next one!" Merlin challenged. His voice deepened as he tried his best to sound like some kind of news anchor.
Morgana waited, listening to the upbeat tune. She knew what it was almost immediately but she let it play, shaking her hips professionally. She watched as Merlin did the same right in front of her. He mouthed along to the lyrics, moving his hands around himself. Morgana watched, nearly mystified at how the man in front of her could shake his hips better then a woman. But it quickly ended and he began jumping around and shaking his head back and forth. His neck would hurt in the morning for sure.
"So what is it?" Merlin said. A smug smile covered his face. He knew she would know it very well. It was the song that was playing when she met Gwen. He'd introduced the two at a very common restaurant. It was so ordinary that Merlin had begun to note how they would need to redecorate that place soon.
"You don't think I know a classic such as this one? You underestimate me Mr. Emrys." Morgana swung her hips sharply from side to side and then in multiple circles. She knew she was playing it up but it was a so great to just let go and dance around. No worries. It was such a rare moment to be completely free of stress or panic. She had to take advantage of the serenity. How could someone not?
Merlin laughed, moving closer to press his back against Morgana's. He felt ridiculous but he didn't care. It wasn't like anyone was around to watch him make a full of himself trying to dance. He hoped Morgana's compliments had been sincere but he knew they probably weren't. Stupidity would probably cloud his thoughts in the morning and make him feel like an idiot but he knew Morgana was having a good time so he couldn't deny her that. He pulled away quickly
When Merlin didn't respond, Morgana sighed and turned around to face him. "It's called Everybody Talks by Neon Trees." She said as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. Merlin could tell how she was trying her hardest not to say "Duh." She knew very well that Merlin was teasing her but she could help responding the way she did. She knew her music.
Merlin laughed and nodded, suddenly stopping the music. "You're correct, young one. I have underestimated you." He bowed his head, putting his hands together in a prayer like motion. Morgana had slapped them away though, making Merlin laugh and jump away.
Morgana rolled her eyes and teasingly pushed the male. Then she remembered his appearance. "Why are you dressed like that?" She chuckled out, running towards her computer to retrieve her computer chair. She loved having the ability to spin around and roll around the complete floor of the house without having to get up.
Merlin ran his hand through his hair, puffing his cheeks. Shrugging, he let the air out, looking a little red in the face. "I felt…" he breathed out again, looking around the room as if it would give him the answer. "I'm not exactly sure what the answer to that question is."
"You look sexy." Morgana put a huge emphasis on sexy, getting a laugh from Merlin. "You'll get a man if you start dressing and dancing like that. Too bad I won't get somebody doing that." Morgana pushed her lips out, pouting. "I'll be forever alone."
Merlin put his chin in his hand, circling Morgana. He began playing along with her outlandish statement. "I can fix this problem. Date Leon!" Merlin responded in an odd accent. He knew it was a stupid statement but it was worth a try.
Morgana's head fell onto her left shoulder as she just about glared at Merlin. "Very funny Merlin. That's a forbidden love right there." Morgana sighed and turned back to her computer, staring at her background. More like a specific person in said background. Gwen.
"No, you pretend date Leon. I have a whole thing planned out for us." Merlin pulled up his own roller chair. Putting his elbows on his knees, he caught Morgana's attention with the seriousness in his eyes. "You pretend to date Leon, making many men and women jealous. Then, for Leon's advantage, because we can't just have him do this and get nothing out of it, that's just mean, you could come into the coffee shop and flirt shamelessly with him. That should make big guy all hot and bothered and be possessive and stuff. I don't know. I don't really want to think about it from after that. Once Leon and big guy, what's his name? Percival, I think. One those two hook up you can pretend to be all sad and stuff and it'll bring in all the babes." Merlin clapped his hands and sat back in his chair, putting his hands behind his head. There was no denying that Merlin was proud of his rant.
Morgana kept a serious face for all but ten seconds. It was the funniest thing she'd heard in awhile. "When the hell did you come up with that? And why?"
Merlin swung his seat from side to side, keeping his eyes on Morgana. "Just know. Sounded better in my mind."
Morgana nodded, going over what Merlin had just said. "It's honestly a good plan. But we don't even know if Percival is gay or not. That'd be an awful train wreck if he wasn't. And then you'd and Gwaine would be left in the dust!"
Merlin scoffed at that, waving his hand about the air. "Don't worry about us. I'll come up with a plan for the two of us when we finally find some people that would be decent to date. We should have Leon wear some scanty clothes tomorrow. Really tight jeans or something. I'm not really sure what's considered scanty for a guy."
"Merlin, you genius, you." Morgana snickered, her eyes narrowed deviously. A plan was starting to cook in her head as well. "We might have to make some changes to that but that could totally work. First is first, we have to figure you if big guy has a thing for Leon or not…"
"He totally does! He stares at his ass the whole time!"
Leon worked at his uncle's busy coffee shop. He'd been working there for half a year when his biggest crush happened to walk in through the door. He'd never seen the man before then but it was love at first sight. What Merlin found ironic was that he remembered very strongly Leon telling him that love at first sight didn't exist.
"Whenever I order my coffee and Leon's getting it all ready he stares directly at his ass. I've never seen any be so not-secretive about it before. He's just not ashamed of it." Merlin added. His eyes now on Gwen's computer screen as well. He laughed at the background but his eyes scanned the screen, seeing little bar in the left hand corner. Merlin stared at it in confusion, turning to Morgana. "Did you talk to Gwen when we got home?"
Morgana nodded her head, her eyes were dropping slightly. She was ready to go to bed. "Yeah, but I hung up when you came out and started dancing."
Merlin stared at her in horror. Reaching forward, he clicked on the mouse, bringing up the window again. On the screen was Gwen, holding her hand over her mouth trying to keep her giggles quiet. Over her shoulder stood a familiar blonde. Gwen knew she had been compromised so she let her hand fall limp to her side, letting her head fall back and laughter escaping her throat.
Merlin blushed furiously, turning to see Morgana turn to see what the noise was. Her face reddened immediately and her mouth hung open. "Gwen! Arthur! What the hell? Why didn't you tell me I didn't hang up?"
Gwen tried to respond but was too busy gasping for air. So instead Arthur responded, amusement evident in his voice, "Good luck with getting all the babes. Morgana. Good night Merlin. By the way, there's a man behind you two." Arthur ended the call, making Morgana's screen go blank. Groaning, she let her head fall back on her cushioned seat.
Merlin turned to see who the mysterious man was, spotting Gwaine throwing his coat over the back of the couch. "You guys look like you had some fun."
"Some really embarrassing fun." Merlin muttered bitterly.
Thanks for reading! Tell me what you thought!