The tall boy with brown hair sat outside of the recording studio looking dejected. It wasn't the first time this had happened, it was the third time this week. Merlin was just trying to make a living. The studio complimented Merlin on being really good, and yet they still wouldn't give him a record deal.
"You're not what we are looking for." They would admit before turning their backs. It had been a long day and it only started.
Not wanting his mood to worsen, Merlin set off to go find his best friend, Gwen, at the cafe in town. Gwen, Morgana, Gwaine, and Arthur all met at the cafe every Thursday afternoon, when they were able to catch a break from their busy lives. Morgana, the oldest at 23, worked at the local bank. Gwen, the tailor, Gwaine, the owner of the local MMA fighting gym, and Arthur, the photographer, were all 22.
Then there was Merlin, the unsuccessful rocker, just a few days shy of 21. They had all become friends when they went to college together in the small town of Camelot.
When Merlin got to the cafe he saw Gwen sitting with Gwaine. The two were inseparable. Gwaine really liked Gwen and hoped to make her his girlfriend one day, when he finally got the balls to ask her out.
"How did the thing at the recording studio go?" Gwen asked sipping her coffee as she watched Merlin flop down beside her.
"Same as the others." Merlin replied sadly. Gwen wrapped her arms around his shoulders in an attempt to comfort him.
Gwaine went to go get Merlin a much needed cup of tea. Merlin was very lucky to have such good friends that were always there for him.
Arthur and his sister Morgana walked through the door right as Gwaine came back with Merlin's tea. Arthur's face broke into a beautiful grin when he saw Merlin. Everyone wanted Merlin and Arthur to get together, but the two were just too stubborn.The others saw the secret looks Merlin and Arthur gave each other, there was a lot of money in a betting pool on who would make the first move.
"Hey, Merlin." Morgana said coolly, sitting down across from him, "We saw you walking from the recording studio. How did it go?"
"Ugh." Merlin sighed, throwing his head on the table in frustration.
"So I'm guessing it went badly?" Arthur asked, ruffling Merlin's hair.
"Of course it went badly, Arthur. He wouldn't be like this if he got good news." Morgana said, smacking Arthur on the head, who looked at her with hurt-filled eyes. The rest of the table, excluding Merlin, laughed at their antics.
"Why won't they produce my music? Is it really that bad?" Merlin asked, finally bringing his head up from the table. Everyone looked at Merlin with sad eyes. He was an awesome musician, but just not awesome enough to get a record deal.
"Just give it some time. They will be begging to have you." Gwen said, sympathy in her eyes.
"Don't ever doubt your music Merlin. We have all heard it and it's amazing." Arthur said, throwing his arm around Merlin's shoulder.
"Thank you for trying to lighten my mood. I think I'm going to head home. See ya." Merlin said, standing up from the table.
On the way home, Merlin passed the recording studio, sighing as he looked up at the metallic structure. All he wanted was for people to hear his music, but that was never going to happen at this rate.
Merlin continued walking down the street, eyes glued to the ground. The only light came from a handful of street lights scattered up and down the street. Since the street lights provided little illumination, he didn't realize that there was someone right in front of him.
"Excuse me, but you look troubled, young man." The stranger said. From what Merlin could make out through the darkness, it was a woman that looked to be in her 50s.
"I guess you could say that." Merlin replied wearily, he took a small step back from the suspicious stranger. "Who is this lady?" Merlin asked himself. "Why is she asking about my life?"
"Well, I am here to tell you it gets better." The lady said airily. In the next second she disappeared; it was almost like she was never there.
Merlin shook it off, blaming it on his imagination, and hurried on home. When he got to his flat, Merlin headed straight for his room. Easily navigating past the mounds of clothes and other junk. He threw himself on the bed, not bothering to change into pajamas, and quickly fell asleep.
XXXXXXXXXX
There was a banging. Someone was at the door. Merlin, who was in a peaceful slumber, groaned and dragged himself to the door. When he opened the door, Arthur was standing there with a huge smile on his face. Merlin glared at the blonde.
"Good morning, sleeping beauty!" Arthur exclaimed, he pushed past Merlin, who was still standing there glaring intently.
"Why are you banging on my door before noon?" Merlin whined as he looked down at his watch. He was, under no circumstances, a morning person.
"Because I am here to turn that frown upside down. Yesterday you were really upset, so I figured we should do something fun." Arthur explained cheerily, walking into Merlin's closet to pick out clothes for him.
"First, I do not have a frown. Second, I was not upset." Merlin stated, sitting on his bed watching Arthur.
"Whatever, everyone knows that you were upset. When Morgana asked about it you threw your head down like a little kid." Arthur said, currently throwing things out of the closet.
Arthur came out of the closet, and threw Merlin's clothes on the bed. Arthur gripped Merlin's arm and pushed him to go take a shower. While Merlin was busy, Arthur made him breakfast: waffles.
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Merlin leaned his head against the shower wall. 'Why can't I get a break?' he thought. He let the warm droplets of water fall against his pale body. He was still upset, but it wouldn't be long until he would spend countless hours applying for more record deals. This was the way rejection had always made him feel; more determined. Though it became hard when he came no where close to getting a deal.
"Maybe I should become a teacher," Merlin thought to himself. "Teach kids to never follow their dreams."
XXXXXXXXXX
The waffles, now finished, lay on a plate in the microwave. As Arthur waited, he noticed the sheets of music on the table. Merlin was always writing new songs. Arthur smiled, he couldn't wait to hear these.
"Do I smell waffles?" Merlin asked, walking into the kitchen with his hair still wet.
"Yes, you do. I decided to make you breakfast before we leave. Are waffles okay?" Arthur asked, he turned around with a plate full for Merlin.
Merlin lunged for the plate. "Waffles are perfect." Merlin said, his mouth already filled.
"After you're done with the waffles, I thought you could help me clean my flat." Arthur said, watching Merlin stuff his face with waffles.
"What?! No way. I don't even clean mine. Why would I clean yours?" Merlin asked, almost choking on his waffles.
Arthur looked around the flat. 'It's true, he doesn't clean his own...' he thought.
"Well good thing I cleaned yesterday." Arthur smirked,"No actually today I need to go take pictures. I need someone to model for me." Arthur explained, looking hopeful. He was an amazing photographer, and had been doing it since his teenage years.
"Alright." Merlin sighed with a mouthful of waffle. "I will model for you. Only because you look like you would be extremely upset if I said 'no'."
Arthur jumped up with glee and hugged Merlin. He grabbed Merlin's plate and put it in the sink. Not a moment later he was pulling Merlin's arm, dragging him out the door.
They started out taking pictures on this beautiful bridge. The sun was shining down on Merlin, who assumed many different poses. One pose had Merlin leaning against the bridge. His was head thrown back, and the sun in his face. Another one had him leaning against a tree, the sun reflected off his black leather pants. The blue shirt that he wore made his eyes more vibrant, and he seemed alive.
Later, they headed towards the park. Arthur took even more pictures. A lot of them Merlin didn't even know Arthur took. These were the ones where Merlin looked relaxed, a nice break from stressing about record deals.
"Are we almost done?" Merlin asked, whining like a little kid.
"A few more, and then I am done. Promise." Arthur said, his camera already up, taking more photos.
"One more. That is it." Merlin stated firmly.
"Fine and it will be the best." Arthur said with a smile. Merlin stood looking at the camera, waiting for Arthur to take his picture.
When Merlin wasn't expecting it, Arthur leaned over to be in the picture. His lips against Merlin's soft pale cheek in a gentle kiss.
"Perfect!" he said as he looked down at his camera after the picture was taken. Merlin's face a bright red.
XXXXXXXXXX
After that kiss in the park, nothing was the same, and Merlin had been thinking about it a lot. 'Did Arthur like him? Or was that just a friendly kiss?'. The big question in his head though was 'Am I gay for liking it?'. Merlin had been curious for a while, sure, but could he be gay? Sometimes, he would get these awkward feelings around guys...but no, he's not gay. He likes girls. Girls are great. Boobs are great. Right?
Merlin had been shy around Arthur after the kiss. Arthur would try to talk to Merlin, but he would only say a few words.
"What's going on with Merlin? You guys hardly talk anymore." Morgana stated, noticing Merlin standing across the room talking to Gwen. They were all at the Pendragon's for dinner, and Merlin was still ignoring Arthur.
"I honestly don't know." Arthur replied dejectedly. 'Surely this wasn't because of that kiss.' Arthur thought, his eyes trained on Merlin the whole time. They really needed to sort things out.
Well, I decided to upload another story. Hope everyone likes it! Please review.
-Jade :D