A/N: I know, I know, I really need to update the main fic, but I've written over forty pages of papers over the last ten days, and my brain is fried. I have another twenty pages to go before Monday, so "For All the Things I Couldn't Tell You" will have to wait until I get those out of the way and mentally recover. But! snippets of Mergana fluff keep coming to me to calm me down, so here's another little ficlet, or whatever this is from their happy early days.
Morgana's fixed on the computer screen in front of her, barely blinking, when a sandwich appears seemingly out of thin air and startles her. Heart racing, she looks up and she barely makes it a millisecond before bursting into a smile at the sight of Merlin standing before her, setting a glass of water, another sandwich, and two mochaccinos down on her table.
"What's this?"
"It's one in the afternoon, and you've been here for six hours straight. You've barely moved."
Morgana begins to object, gesturing at the empty cup of coffee in front of her, but Merlin beats her to the punch.
"No, no," he continues. "You need food. And water."
Morgana gives him a closed-mouthed smile and shuts her laptop before moving it and the pile of books off the table to give Merlin room to spread out. "Thank you."
"It's my pleasure."
"Gaius seems grumpy this morning," Morgana observes, reaching for her sandwich. It's mozzarella and tomato with fresh basil – her favourite. Olive oil drips over the edge of the crispy bread and onto her fingers, and Merlin looks distracted as she sticks a finger in her mouth before reaching for a napkin.
She raises an eyebrow, and Merlin flushes before looking to where Gaius is frowningly rushing around behind the counter.
"It's a busy day. We think there must be a conference somewhere nearby. There are far more business people around."
Ugh. I'm glad I've been zoned out. I get enough of that with Uther."
"Are you working on your thesis?"
"Yep. I have a chapter due tomorrow."
"Fun."
"Such fun." Morgana sighs and takes another bite of her sandwich.
She watches Merlin as they quietly eat. His hair is slightly scruffier than it usually is, and he's wearing the gray jumper that looks so soft that she always wants to reach out and touch. As if it's the cashmere and not the man under it that's calling out to her.
Morgana shakes her head and smiles, causing Merlin to raise his own brow. It's been three weeks since she first came in and spent her Tuesday morning in the shop, quietly working. Then she came in on Thursday morning, and then Saturday, and their mornings and lunches quickly added onto their nighttime routine. It's been three weeks since then and six since that first night in January, and barely a day has gone by where they haven't seen each other.
Three weeks, and Morgana knows that whatever's happening between them is happening quickly.
Quickly and yet painfully slowly.
Sighing, Morgana leans back in her seat, mochaccino in hand. "I'm so tired."
She feels bad for complaining. She's been writing for six hours straight, but Merlin's been on shift for just as long. He thinks she hasn't noticed, and she has been zoned out for most of the time, but she's watched him rushing to and fro between paragraphs.
Merlin nods in agreement and drinks from his own coffee. "We should get out of here."
Morgana swallows her chocolatey drink, and a smirk begins to form. "And go where?"
Merlin shrugs. "We could go to the cinema."
Morgana twists her mouth to one side. "I'd fall asleep. We could just walk around? Ooh, we could go to the park!"
"It's pouring!"
"But that's half the fun!"
Merlin guffaws. "Alright then. Coffee then rain."
They trade their books for umbrellas, and take off towards the park. The streets are packed as people bustle to and fro, but they cross Park Lane and the paths before them clear as they enter.
"I love coming to the park in the rain," Morgana declares as she walks ahead of Merlin and twirls, holding her hand out to the falling drops as she does.
Merlin laughs as he watches her, taking in the way her face lights up. His heart races as she holds her hand out to him but calms as he reaches out and their fingers interlace. Every moment he spends with her fills him with joy, and the feel of her palm against his sends shivers of both excitement and ease racing through him as he notes how natural it feels.
Natural, yet monumental; romantic, yet easy.
He wants to cherish the moment and their slow progress towards wherever they're going, but he wants to rush ahead at the same time. He wonders what it would be like to forget their umbrellas and the rain, to pull her closer to him and kiss her before the tension between them mounts any more.
He almost does, but then a roll of thunder sounds and Morgana laughs and pulls him along down the path as it begins to pour.
