Merlin turned the page of his graphic novel and gave himself a few seconds to admire the illustrations of the athletic main character before focusing on the action and the dialogue.
The little bell above the door jingled to announce the arrival of a new customer.
"Hi, welcome," Merlin said automatically, barely glancing up from his book.
Normally, patrons walked past Merlin and his register and went straight for the books - used on the first floor, new on the second floor - but when Merlin didn't hear retreating footsteps, he looked up properly.
There was a man - a handsome, muscular man with a soft profile - standing in front of the gaudy display of rainbow flags, mugs, magnets, buttons, pins, stickers, and jewelry. He was wearing a button-down shirt tucked into tailored slacks and he looked lost.
Merlin straightened up and slid his graphic novel onto a shelf under the register. It wasn't often that someone wandered into the bookstore looking that vulnerable, but Merlin liked to play his part in making everyone feel safe.
"Can I help you find anything?" he offered, putting on his brightest smile.
The man seemed to struggle to tear his eyes away from the sea of rainbow memorabilia, but when he finally met Merlin's gaze, Merlin's heart stuttered in his chest. Goodness, those eyes were blue.
"Just browsing," the man said, his tone polite and removed, but his expression still giving him away; he seemed overwhelmed. His eyes dropped to the tattoo on Merlin's upper arm and he stared for a moment before turning away again.
Merlin pulled out his book again to give the man some privacy and to keep himself from scratching the tattoo. It was new and itchy and he'd been reading as a distraction all day. He read one page, and then another, and then a third, but the man still hadn't left or gone any further into the store.
"First time?" Merlin asked.
The man, who was pretending to admire the postcard rack, shoved his hands into his pockets and nodded stiffly.
"Welcome, then! We've got used books on the first floor here," Merlin said, gesturing to the next room. "And new books upstairs. I'm happy to help if you have any questions."
The man gave the front door a long, almost lustful look before he turned and headed towards the next room.
"Holler if you need anything," Merlin called after him.
He jerked awkwardly to a stop and glanced over his shoulder. "What?"
"Holler. If you need me," Merlin said again. "Name's Merlin."
The man narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he thought Merlin might be the strangest part of the flamboyant front room of the unapologetically queer bookstore, and then stepped away to hide amongst the books.
Merlin sighed and returned to his reading, wondering why the prettiest boys were always the most judgmental.
-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-
Merlin was bored.
He'd finished his graphic novel - only the supporting characters had been gay and the overall plot was a little lacking - and there were still three hours left in his shift. He didn't want to read another book and Gwen was too busy taking inventory to keep him company at the register but he still really needed something to do with himself other than scratch at his new ink.
Thursdays were always slow.
To keep himself entertained, Merlin rubbed some moisturizer on his arm and started people-watching out the large front windows of the store. The weather was nice - sunny and breezy and inviting - and plenty of people had been lured outside, but no one was coming into Kilgharrah's.
A tall, slender, dark-haired woman walked by in a comically oversized hat. A stocky man rode by on a sporty bicycle. Couples wandered aimlessly by, holding hands and paying no attention to their surroundings.
Two devilishly handsome brown-haired men, maybe a couple if their interest in the store was anything to go by, stopped on the corner and had a brief discussion. Their smiling golden-brown pit bull sat patiently between them as talked. After a minute, the longer-haired man handed over the leash to the shorter-haired man and stepped through the front door while his partner and pet waited outside.
"Hi, welcome," Merlin said.
The man flashed him a wide, mischievous smile. "Have you seen a boyish blond come through here?"
Merlin started to shake his head, but then he remembered the blue-eyed man from earlier.
"Yeah, maybe about 3 hours ago," he said, checking the time on his phone. "I don't remember him leaving, but I'm sure he must have by now."
"Clearly you've never seen Arthur attempt to date a bookstore before," the man said, winking ridiculously as he stepped into the next room.
Merlin glanced back outside to see the other man leaning against a lamppost and busying himself with his phone. The dog was sitting calmly at his feet, watching all the pedestrians with interest.
When neither the blond man nor his brown-haired friend immediately emerged from the depths of the store, Merlin crouched behind his counter to pick through the returns and donations he'd started processing that week. Maybe he could find something new to read to distract himself from how bored and itchy he was.
Deciding to skim through a book he'd already read, Merlin stood back up just in time to see the brown-haired man sprinting up the stairs towards the new books. Merlin smiled to himself and opened his book, barely taking in the words as he tried to imagine the relationship between these three men. Were they roommates? Were two of them a couple and the third just a friend? Were they all together in a polyamorous relationship?
"I don't need a chaperone," the blond man - Arthur - said as he followed the brown-haired man down the stairs a few minutes later. His arms were completely full of books.
"No, but I do, and that's why Lance is coming," the other man said, stopping in front of the magazines and leaning closer to look at the glossy covers of shirtless men.
"Find anything good?" Merlin asked, eyes widening as Arthur set down his hoard of books on the counter.
"He found everything," the brown-haired man said, moving over to inspect the array of rainbow flags. "You want one of these?"
"No," Arthur said firmly.
"Liar." The man picked out a set of six small hand-held flags and a larger rolled-up banner and set them down next to the books. "Gotta get you visible."
"Shut up," Arthur muttered.
Merlin raised an eyebrow but said nothing as he started scanning the books. They seemed to be mostly histories and biographies.
"Think of it as a house-warming gift," the brown-haired man said. "Now you can decorate your room like you've always wanted."
"I've never wanted a rainbow-splattered room," Arthur said, annoyed.
"Put this all on my tab," the other man said, ignoring his friend and handing over his credit card.
Merlin glanced at the card as he swiped it, seeing the name Gwaine Greene on the front.
"New to town?" he asked Arthur as he started bagging the books.
"Just got here last week," Gwaine answered when Arthur said nothing. "I'm trying to show him around but I'm… unacquainted, as it were, with the local gayborhood haunts. Any recommendations?"
Arthur crossed his arms and turned to look at the postcards, pretending to be uninterested in the conversation. Merlin couldn't help but stare at Arthur's pout for a few seconds before turning his attention back to Gwaine.
"Anything up this street is a good bet," he said, gesturing at the window. "There's the pizza shop, the gym, the old gross video store, the ice cream shop, the… the leather shop, a few bars…"
"The ice cream shop is gay?" Gwaine asked curiously.
"Not specifically, I guess. It's just the location… and the owner… and most of the staff." Merlin grinned as Gwaine laughed.
"And which bars do you frequent?" Gwaine asked, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"I like the Manhole for weeknights," Merlin said, putting on his best flirtatious smile. "And the White Swallow on the weekends - they've got a dance floor upstairs."
"Okay, Manhole I understand, but White Swallow?" Gwaine asked, grabbing the bags off the counter. "It's a bird."
Merlin cleared his throat and licked his lips, waiting for the joke to land.
When the silence stretched out for a little too long, Arthur blurted out, "It's cum, Gwaine, and you're an idiot. Can we go?"
Gwaine snorted and passed off one of the bags to Arthur. "The princess is mad that I ended his book date too early," Gwaine said, reaching across the counter to shake Merlin's hand. "Thanks for your help."
"Oh, any time." Merlin watched, amused, as Arthur followed Gwaine out the door while muttering angrily under his breath.
Outside, Arthur ducked down to rub the pit bull's head as it got up on its hind legs to greet him. He took the leash and led Gwaine, the other man, and the dog away from the shop, leaving Merlin alone again.
-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-
The next night, Merlin spent almost a full hour getting himself ready to go out. Normally he didn't think about it too hard, but he has a suspicion that he might run into Gwaine and Arthur, and he didn't want to let the opportunity go to waste.
After trying on an embarrassing amount of clothing, Merlin finally settled on a pair of tight dark blue short shorts and a lighter blue loose tank top that had a pattern of majestic narwhals on the front.
He looked gay as hell and that was exactly what he wanted.
When he was satisfied with his outfit, he rubbed some lotion over his new tattoo as he admired it in his bathroom mirror. It was a series of butterflies fluttering up from his elbow to his shoulder, each one a different shade of the colors of the rainbow. He'd saved up for it for almost a year and he absolutely loved it, but he couldn't wait for it to heal and stop driving him crazy with how much it itched.
When he'd put on enough lotion that he had to wash his hands twice to scrub off the oils, he slipped his wallet, keys, and phone into his pockets and headed out.
There was a drag show on the first floor of the White Swallow so Merlin sat himself at the bar so he could watch. He ordered a cocktail from the cute bartender and drank it slowly, giving himself time to feel the alcohol before heading up to the second floor with a second drink in hand.
The club was dark and crowded and Merlin danced his way into the middle of the throng to get a better look at the scene. He didn't immediately see Gwaine or Arthur, so he danced with a few sweaty strangers before extracting himself to the bar in the back.
"Knew it!" Someone slammed their hands so hard onto Merlin's shoulders that he had to brace himself against the bar in order not to face plant on it.
He turned around in time to see Gwaine's grinning face before he was wrapped in a hug.
"You look sexy," Gwaine shouted in his ear.
"I know," Merlin shouted back.
Gwaine laughed and slung his arm around Merlin's shoulders as he stepped up to the bar. "What're you drinking?"
The bartender chose that moment to look their way so Merlin leaned forward to be heard over the thumping music.
"Screaming orgasm."
The scantily clad bartender winked and then turned to Gwaine to take his order as well.
"Is that a drink or do you have plans with him later?" Gwaine asked after the bartender turned away.
"Why, are you jealous?"
Gwaine slid his hand down to Merlin's backside and gave one of his cheeks a firm squeeze. Merlin rolled his eyes and pulled out his wallet to get cash for his drink.
"Are you here by yourself?" Gwaine asked, knocking Merlin's hand out of the way as he gave the bartender his credit card.
"Yeah. Do you just pay for everybody's stuff all the time?" Merlin asked as he put his money back into his wallet, remembering that Gwaine had paid for Arthur's books the day before.
"It's the least I can do."
"There's definitely less that you could do," Merlin pointed out. He picked up his drink and took a sip before leading Gwaine away from the bar. "Are you here by yourself?" he asked.
Gwaine shook his head and tapped his shot glass against Merlin's cup before knocking it back. "Arthur and Lance are here somewhere. Come dance?"
Merlin shrugged and let Gwaine grab his wrist and drag him back into the crowd. He'd danced with his fair share of drunk straight men before and it wasn't how he had thought he'd spend his night, but he wasn't going to complain. Gwaine was sexy and gregarious and Merlin knew how to keep boundaries.
They danced near each other for one song, at each other for the next, and then when Merlin's drink was empty and the cup lost on the floor, Gwaine wrapped his arms around Merlin's waist and started grinding their hips together. Merlin went along with it, pushing the sweaty hair off of Gwaine's forehead before draping his arms over Gwaine's shoulders.
"I think I forgot your name," Gwaine admitted, not looking remotely embarrassed.
"You definitely never knew it," Merlin teased. "It's Merlin."
"Merlin, huh? So, do you think Arthur's cute?"
Merlin snorted. "Yeah."
"What do you like about him?" Gwaine pressed.
"Why do you want to know?" Merlin asked, leaning back a little.
"Just making conversation," Gwaine said, grinning ridiculously.
Merlin rolled his eyes and tugged at Gwaine's hips until Gwaine turned around. He pulled Gwaine's waist close until the pressure of Gwaine's ass on his dick was enough to make him forget how ridiculous their conversation was.
"I like how exaggerated his facial features are," he said against the back of Gwaine's ear. "His eyes are big, his nose is big, his mouth is big… it shouldn't be hot, but it is."
Gwaine bent forward and wiggled his ass until Merlin was laughing too hard to keep dancing.
"You're a little crazy," Merlin pointed out when Gwaine turned back around.
"I like to have fun," Gwaine said simply. He pulled out his phone, sent someone a text, and slipped it back into his pocket. He slotted his hips against Merlin's again and swayed to the music. "Arthur thinks you're cute, too. He told me he likes your ears. And your tattoo."
Merlin smiled and threw his arms up in the air as a new song came on. He rocked and rubbed against Gwaine as outlandishly as he could, wondering where Arthur was hiding and how long he was going to have to keep waiting. Gwaine was fun, but straight, and Merlin wanted more. Arthur seemed serious and smart and just begging for a long, hard fuck.
That was how Merlin decided to interpret Arthur's tense body language, anyway. Arthur had seemed uncomfortable and uptight in Kilgharrah's, but mostly he had just seemed new. Maybe he had only recently come out and was still unsure how to handle everything, but he was making and effort - spending 3 hours in an LGBT+ bookstore wasn't easy for those who weren't confident in themselves - and Merlin respected that. But he wanted to see Arthur relax and have fun because he had a feeling it would be an ever prettier sight than Arthur's obscene pout.
"Hey," Gwaine said suddenly, sliding his hands up to Merlin's face.
Merlin raised his eyebrows and dropped his hands to hold onto Gwaine's wrists.
"Hey," he said, confused as Gwaine continued holding onto his cheeks.
Gwaine's gaze lingered at something over Merlin's shoulder for a moment and then he leaned in for a sloppy kiss.
"Um," Merlin said stupidly when Gwaine pulled away. "Are you… not straight?"
Gwaine laughed and moved his hands back down to Merlin's waist. "I'm… I mean, whatever, you know? I've fucked guys before."
"I thought you were trying to set me up with Arthur," Merlin admitted, holding onto Gwaine's shoulders. He wasn't prepared for this.
"Oh, I am," Gwaine said, lifting one hand to wave at someone nearby. "I'm trying to make him jealous."
Gwaine stepped back just as Arthur and the third man from the day before joined them.
"Hey," Arthur said, leaning close to be heard over the music. "Gwaine texted me your drink. The bartender gave me a very interesting look."
Merlin took the cup from Arthur, not sure what to make of the situation. He stalled by taking a drink and trying to subtly check out Arthur. Arthur looked more confident and sure in this setting, although he also looked drunk and Merlin figured the two weren't unrelated. He was wearing tight jeans that really showed off his athletic build and a soft-looking white t-shirt with a large replica of Van Gogh's sunflower painting on the front. It was a very different look than his business casual attire from the bookstore.
"How's tricks?" Gwaine asked loudly.
"Lance found a straight girl," Arthur said, taking a sip of his own drink. "We think."
"Did you scare her off?" Gwaine teased.
"She left with a friend," the third man, Lance, explained before turning to Merlin. "I'm Lance, by the way. I like your shirt."
"Thanks! I'm Merlin."
"Cheers, Merlin," Lance said, tapping his cup against Merlin's before drinking.
"Have you found the bathroom?" Gwaine asked, giving Lance a meaningful look.
Lance nodded and Gwaine grabbed his hand, leading the way out of the crowd and leaving Merlin and Arthur alone.
"Sorry," Arthur said awkwardly. "He's got a short attention span."
Merlin laughed and took a long gulp of his screaming orgasm. "Thanks for the drink. I can pay you back."
"Don't worry about it."
Arthur turned to watch his friends retreating and Merlin couldn't help but stare at his profile. Everything still looked too big, but all together it made a very nice picture, and his lips were even more full than Merlin had remembered.
"Do you want to dance?" Merlin asked, feeling silly for standing still for so long in the middle of the crowd.
Arthur shrugged as he turned back to face Merlin but he started swaying to the music almost immediately. "I'm not a very good dancer."
"All you have to do is move," Merlin assured him. "It's dark, anyway, and everyone's drunk, so…"
Arthur licked his wide lips before finishing off his drink with a shudder. He rolled his hips enticingly as he started dancing in earnest and Merlin tried not to stare but there was no use. Arthur had the perfect broad, toned body and Merlin really wanted to press himself closer to feel those hard muscles moving against him.
"Do you come here a lot?" Arthur asked.
Merlin looked up quickly, hoping he hadn't been caught staring at Arthur's crotch. "Yeah. Yeah, I love it here. Do you - wait, you just moved here, right?"
Arthur nodded and moved a little closed so they could hear each other better. "Yeah. It's been… I don't think I've gone out clubbing since college."
Merlin took a sip of his drink to hide his surprise. "You don't like it?" he guessed.
"I like it. I just-" Arthur stumbled forward slightly as someone pushed their way past him. "Sorry," he muttered, stepping back.
"Don't apologize," Merlin said, reaching out to grab Arthur's hip. He pulled Arthur close again and rocked his hips slowly. "Is this okay?" he asked when Arthur didn't react.
"Yeah… but I thought… you and Gwaine?"
Merlin shrugged and took another long drink. "Your friends are pretty weird."
Arthur laughed and slipped one hand under Merlin's shirt to hold onto his bare side. He pushed his hips forward, keeping Merlin's slow and steady rhythm as their bodies rolled together. Merlin slid his hand up a little, smiling when he found that Arthur's shirt was just as soft as it looked.
"He does it to make me jealous."
"Did it work?"
Arthur considered Merlin for a moment before moving in for a light, teasing kiss. "Yeah," he said quietly. "Kissing a man looks good on you."
Merlin laughed and shifted to get a thigh between Arthur's legs so they could grind against each other more effectively. Arthur bit his lip at the new friction and Merlin pressed a kiss to his jaw.
"Scared newbie looks good on you," he countered.
"I'm not new," Arthur insisted, sliding his hands around to Merlin's ass. "Or scared."
"You looked like you wanted to run straight out of the bookstore yesterday," Merlin pointed out.
"I have never seen that many rainbows before," Arthur said seriously. "It's not… there aren't any places like that where I'm from. It was a little overwhelming at first, but it's what I wanted - I wanted to be there. It's time for me to start doing what I want," he said as if he were trying to remind himself.
"As opposed to?"
"What my father wants." Arthur looked down for a moment and then gave Merlin a forced smile.
"Did you decorate your room with those flags?" Merlin asked to give Arthur an excuse to change the subject.
"Do you always try to carry out full conversations while dancing?"
Merlin smirked and finished off his drink. "No."
"Damn."
"Did you want me to say 'yes?'" Merlin asked, dragging his fingers through Arthur's sweaty hair.
"Would have given me an excuse to shut you up."
Merlin rolled his eyes and scraped his fingernails across the back of Arthur's neck as he pulled Arthur in for a long kiss.
"Can I tempt you into going to the dog park tomorrow?" Arthur asked when they broke away.
Merlin chuckled. "That's the weirdest pick-up line I've ever gotten."
Arthur smiled and gave Merlin another brief kiss. "I, uh… I like to take it slow."
"Slow is good," Merlin agreed, rolling his hips in a wide, slow circle to make a point. "Dog parks are good. Was that your dog yesterday? The pit bull?"
"Yeah, Excalibur - Callie. She's a man's best friend. Remind me to get your number before I go."
"I'm not letting you leave without it," Merlin said seriously before licking Arthur's pouty bottom lip and then moving in for a proper kiss.
Arthur wrapped his arms around Merlin's back, holding him closer as the kiss deepened.
"Knew it!" Gwaine announced himself for the second time, slapping both Merlin and Arthur on the shoulders. "I hope you didn't get too lonely with out me," he teased as they stepped away from each other.
"You could have at least bought us more drinks," Arthur said, pouting adorably.
"I'll buy you drinks if you come with me and Lance to the quote-unquote straight bar a few blocks over."
"Why the hell would we do that?" Arthur asked.
Gwaine grinned. "That's what I thought. I'll see you two kids later." He waved and then disappeared back into the crowd with Lance.
"Your friends are pretty weird," Merlin said again.
Arthur frowned and then turned back to Merlin, looking guilty. "I think I'm going to go home," he said, "before I forget that I want to take this slow."
Merlin smiled and held himself back from giving Arthur another kiss. "I'll head out with you."
Arthur nodded and grabbed onto Merlin's waist as Merlin led the way, only letting go when they reached the narrow staircase.
"Do you need a cab?" Arthur asked when they were outside.
"I just live down the street," Merlin explained. "Do you still want my number?"
"Yes," Arthur said emphatically, handing over his cell phone.
Merlin added his number and sent himself a text so he'd have Arthur's number, too. When he finished, he turned the phone over to look at Arthur's case; the design was a close-up of the same Van Gogh sunflowers on Arthur's shirt.
"I have to work in the afternoon," he said, smiling and giving Arthur back the phone. "But I'm free any time before noon, or all day on Sunday."
Arthur nodded as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. "Okay. I'll text you." He glanced out at the street and held out his hand as a taxi drove by. It stopped a few yards down and then backed up to let Arthur in.
"Have a good night," Merlin said as Arthur stepped off the curb.
Arthur grabbed Merlin's wrist and pulled him in for one last kiss. "Night," he whispered as he pulled back. He tugged on Merlin's lower lip with his teeth and then turned to open the back door of the cab.
Merlin gulped and watched as Arthur slid into the seat. The car drove off a moment later and Merlin adjusted himself as subtly as he could. He should have known better than to wear these shorts - they didn't hide much.
"Merlin!"
Merlin turned to see Gwaine and Lance stepping out of the club. "Where's your prince charming?"
"Off on his white horse for the evening. We've got big plans for the dog park later this weekend."
"That is fucking wild," Gwaine said, grinning. "Really out of control, I don't know how you gays manage to go at such a frantic pace all the time."
Merlin snorted. "It's an art form. I'll see you around?" he asked, taking a few steps backwards.
"Good night!" Lance called after him.
"Don't let the cooties bite," Gwaine added.
Merlin waved and then turned to walk the six blocks back to his apartment. His feet were aching and his ears were ringing and his shirt was sticking to his sweaty back, but he didn't care. He had a date with Arthur.
Merlin pulled out his phone to add Arthur as a contact and saw that Arthur had already sent him another text after the one Merlin had sent to himself, which had just said "rainbows."
What is it with you and rainbows?
Merlin smirked and typed out a response.
I am a rainbow. What is it with you and sunflowers?
I like them. It's simple
Same with me and rainbows. Simple
I never claimed to BE a sunflower. Besides, I thought you were a narwhal
Narwhals are rainbows
Is anything not a rainbow?
I feel like maybe Lance isn't a rainbow
Fair enough but the rest of us make up for his short-comings
Short CUMings
Ah yes, I see your point there. Very interesting stuff
The White Swallow
Gwaine is an embarrassment
"Your friends are pretty weird"
Merlin tripped over an uneven part of the sidewalk and put his phone away for the rest of his walk to avoid drunkenly face planting on to the concrete.
When he got home, he emptied his pockets and peeled off his clothes before falling into his bed naked and making a mental note to wash his sheets in the morning.
His phone buzzed on his nightstand and Merlin grabbed it quickly to see a chain of texts from Arthur.
My friends are pretty weird
But I like it that way
I like you too
Home?
Merlin grinned and turned off the lights before responding.
Home, in bed, about to pass out. Let me know about dog park. Sleep well. I like you too too
Merlin tossed his phone back onto his nightstand and fell asleep to thoughts of Arthur bounding through a field of sunflowers with Callie at his heels.