Modern day AU. That is all.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, least of all Merlin.

The Water Is Fine

*.*.*.*.*

Arthur's curfew was 10:00 PM; Merlin's curfew was 1:00 AM. That was three hours Merlin had without Arthur every night, three hours he had to kill, three hours they could have had to be young and dumb together if Uther would simply see reason and allow Arthur even a little bit of leniency in these summer months. Honestly, it wasn't as though they'd get incredibly stupid, wasn't as though they'd hit up all the gay clubs in town and have crazy, unprotected sex with everyone who looked at them, they just wanted to have a little extra time together to be stupid and talk shit and maybe watch the stars and kiss a little—nothing too out of the ordinary for kids their age.

But Uther Pendragon was a stubborn man and, no matter how Arthur pleaded or bargained or reasoned, he simply would not relent; Arthur, and his sister Morgana, were to be in the house by 10:00 PM and not a second later and that was that.

And so he was. Every night. He made a big show of coming in at exactly ten every night, greeting his father with only a little venom in his voice, and then slinking off to his room to mope until his father went to bed a half-hour later. Morgana was usually so much more pleasant about it, sometimes arriving back home an hour or two before curfew—just to be a kiss-ass, Arthur was sure—but Arthur couldn't be bothered with such pretenses, not when he was missing out on valuable time he would rather be spending with Merlin.

It was the same thing every night that summer: Uther would go to bed at ten-thirty, be asleep by a quarter to eleven, when Morgana would sneak off to go meet Gwen or Leon or whomever, and, ten minutes later, if Uther was still asleep—he usually slept through the whole night once he was out, but there were the rare occasions when he would pop out of bed for a drink or to use the washroom, and then Arthur would need to cover for Morgana, should he stop by and find her bedroom empty—Arthur would climb out his window, and walk down the street to meet Merlin where he usually waited for Arthur this time of night in his car.

Most of the time, they did little other than sit there and talk. Occasionally, they would drive off somewhere to watch the stars or get something to eat or perhaps meet up with their other friends for a good bit of late night trouble, but, typically, they didn't get into much trouble or do much of anything other than enjoy each other's company.

One night, however, when Arthur slid into the passenger seat of Merlin's car after sneaking out, and kissed Merlin as though he hadn't just seen him an hour or so ago, he noticed something about the way Merlin grinned at him, a sparkle of mischief in his eyes… and it told Arthur they would not just be sitting around talking that night.

"What?" Arthur laughed, playfully bumping his nose against Merlin's as he pulled back.

"You'll see." Merlin smirked, turning the key in the ignition. "Buckle up, pretty boy." He added, nodding in Arthur's direction as he slid back into his seat and did so, watching curiously as Merlin turned through the streets, leading them somewhere he could only wonder about.

*.*.*.*.*

"No fucking way." Arthur said, adamant, crossing his arms over his chest as he contemplated Merlin and the half grin on his face as he tore his shirt off and threw it to rest on a nearby rock. After driving them around for maybe fifteen minutes, Merlin had pulled up to a pond of sorts, a dirt road leading up to it that didn't seem to have seen much traffic in its time.

Still curious, Arthur had followed Merlin out of the car and approached the pond. It looked… well, like it was out of a god damn fairytale or something. There were trees on both sides, lush and beautiful in a perfectly summer sort of way, with shrubbery scattered about, and the pond itself, which was small enough and yet seemed as though it went on forever, was beautiful in the moonlight reflecting off of it. The fact that such a thing even existed so near where they lived, well, it was quite the find on Merlin's part. But why he would bring Arthur there was a tad beyond him. Perhaps he just wanted to show it to him, or snog a bit in private or—

"Strip." Merlin had said then, turning to face Arthur impatiently. When Arthur pulled a taken aback, if slightly willing face, Merlin had explained his plans for the pair of them that night, and, well... "I've never been skinny dipping, and I figured you wouldn't exactly pass up an opportunity to see me naked, so…" He'd trailed off, amusement spreading through his features as he watched realization set in across Arthur's.

Arthur wasn't exactly shy about his body, and Merlin was right, he wasn't about to pass up a chance to see him naked, but… there was no way he was going skinny dipping.

"You're out of your mind if you think I'm getting in that water naked." Arthur said, narrowing his eyes even as he watched Merlin unzip his jeans and slowly kick off his shoes.

"The water is fine, Arthur." Merlin rolled his eyes. "I was out here just before I went back to wait for you, and it's fine. There are a few fish, but as soon as we get in they'll—"

"I am not getting into a pond, that has fish in it, naked, Merlin!"

"Stop being such a prat! They won't even bother you."

"How do you know?"

Merlin turned around fully, then, to give Arthur an incredulous, impatient look. Rather than answering, he rolled his eyes and yanked his jeans down and stepped out of them, Arthur transfixed by his every movement.

"If you change your mind," Merlin clucked his tongue, throwing his jeans so they landed with his shirt. "I'll be in the water. Perfectly naked and perfectly alone." He added, turning away from Arthur and walking towards the edge of the pond. Slowly, teasingly, he dropped his boxers where he stood and then dove into the water, resurfacing not a moment later and brushing his wet hair out of his face. He flashed Arthur a wide grin that made him groan, knowing all hope was lost in that moment.

Fuck.

Arthur shook his head in defeat and did the same as Merlin had: left his clothes in a pile on a rock and walked to the edge of the water, with Merlin eyeing him hungrily as he slowly waded into the water and swam over to him, the cool water rather refreshing and relaxing in all the right ways.

Merlin wrapped his arms around Arthur when he was finally within reach and pulled him into a kiss that made him heat up despite the water and the breeze.

"Not so bad, is it?" Merlin murmured against his lips.

"Not at all." Arthur mumbled in response, kissing him long and slow again.

And even if there were fish swimming around bits Arthur would rather they weren't... well, he couldn't mind that much at all when Merlin tugged him close and kissed him like that, and it was just the pair of them floating there together in the cool water, and nothing else mattered at all.

*.*.*.*.*