"Hey, Spidey."
Arthur looked up from his blurry laptop screen where he had been typing away diligently. Gaius was starting him of simple, with a couple of routine articles about the beginning of the tourist season. It wasn't glamorous, but it was only day two of many. Well, hopefully not too many if he got that position at Camelot.
However, nearly the moment he started on the document, the office door had opened without so much as a knock, revealing Merlin leaning against the doorframe almost lazily as he smiled over at Arthur.
"Hello, Merlin," he greeted him before quickly hacking down another couple of sentences that had sprung to his mind.
"Oh, c'mon, no Wolverine?" Merlin teased lightly as he strode fully into the room, pulling out the only other chair in Arthur's office, a rickety black spindly thing, and plopping himself opposite him.
Arthur regarded him skeptically as Merlin kicked his feet up onto Arthur's already too small desk without the addition of old and worn trainers. "I'm finding it hard to believe that the army would accept you," he said, taking note of the man's frankly horrible posture. "Aren't you supposed to stand up straight and say Sir, yes, sir?'"
He lifted a hand up in a salute to make his point.
"I'll leave that to Lancelot," Merlin said with a brush of his hand. "He's the model soldier here – Cap. I'm the rebel – Wolverine. See, we actually do think these things through properly."
"Sure," Arthur rolled his eyes, but his grin betrayed him. "So what are you doing here?"
"Gaius called me to come and fix the printer," Merlin replied. "I don't technically have a job, but I think everyone in town has dialed me up at least once to ask me to fix something of theirs that's broken. I'm kind of amazing at coaxing electronics back to life."
Arthur recalled that Merlin's being in Freya's shop yesterday was for the distinct purpose of fixing the coffee machine and chuckled slightly to his own self. He thought of his own barely lived in house and how he had woken up at two in the morning, shivering and freezing out of his skin. "Don't suppose you could take a look at my radiator, do you?"
It was a semi-joking tone, but Merlin's answer was serious. "Sure. What time do you get off?"
"Whoa, nice place," was Merlin's first comment upon entering Arthur's tiny cottage. After Arthur had left the office, Merlin had followed him home in an old, beat up pick-up truck, a direct contrast to Arthur's slick and shiny Prius, a gift on his twenty-first birthday. They had arrived, and Merlin wolf-whistled as he slid out of the driver's seat and came to stand next to Arthur.
"Not really," Arthur said. His flat throughout university had been nicer, although he wasn't going to say that.
"For Albion, this is great," Merlin's eyes flickered up and down the small, very nearly circular white building. He turned to Arthur with a lazy smile. "Are you going to invite me inside?"
Arthur rolled his eyes fondly. "What are you, a vampire? I thought you were a superhero."
The comment earned him a beam, Merlin's blue eyes twinkling over at him as if Arthur was the best sight he'd ever taken in. Arthur's heart warmed inexplicably. "For all you know, I could be a vampire superhero."
"If you're a vampire superhero, I'm definitely not inviting you inside," The banter rolled easily off of his tongue. But Merlin just looked at him with a knowing smirk until he finally sighed and decided to let Merlin's childlike sense of humor take ahold of him. "Would you like to come inside, Merlin?"
"I would love to, Arthur," Merlin's cheek was overwhelming as Arthur led him across the small stone path leading up to the front door. He opened it, letting Merlin in first before entering himself. The cottage wasn't much at all; just a sparsely decorated main room with an adjoining kitchen, a bedroom and a bathroom off in a tiny hallway. It wasn't fancy, but it was good enough for now. Merlin's eyes seemed to light up when he glanced around, though. He turned back to Arthur.
"I like it here," he said appreciatively. "The windows let in the light. And that's a gorgeous view of the lake."
There were two large windows over between the kitchen and the living room, but Arthur had barely glanced at them, let alone looked at the view. He knew that there was a lake out behind him, but only because he had seen a couple of fisherman go out on in this morning when he left for work.
Now that Merlin mentioned it, though, he did see that the sunlight was pouring through at a very distinct angle that made the house appear much prettier and fuller of life than he thought it was before.
"Thanks," he said before deciding to tackle the reason why Merlin was actually here. "So, the radiator?"
"Of course," Merlin said. "You've got tools, right?"
"Yes," Arthur said. "I'm not totally inept."
"And yet here I am, fixing your problems for you," Merlin spread his arms out and Arthur stepped toward him, shoving his shoulder lightly.
"Shut up. I could fix it on my own, but why should I when I can take advantage of the local expert?"
"I thought I was here to help –" Merlin cut himself off, a light blush appearing on his cheeks. "Oh, right. Local expert means me."
Arthur let out an opened mouth laugh. "I was right, you are an idiot!"
"Oi!" Merlin probably meant to sound threatening, but he was blushing too much for Arthur to take him seriously. "This is no way to treat someone who's going to fix your radiator for free."
"I can pay you if it means I can insult you," Arthur teased as he gestured Merlin toward the radiator, which was located right under the window with the view Merlin so much enjoyed. Arthur took the opportunity to take a glance outside; it was a nice picture, green and bright with the summertime sun, the crystal lake sparkling in the short distance.
"No thanks," Merlin knelt down next the machine, examining it for a moment before gesturing upwards and out the window. "Have you been out on the lake yet?"
"I moved here a grand total of three days ago," Arthur replied, leaning against the wall next to where Merlin worked. "I haven't exactly had the time."
"If you're not busy, I'll take you out this weekend," Merlin said. "I've got an old fishing boat from when I was a kid."
"I don't know," Arthur was slightly uncomfortable. Merlin was commandeering his life here, and yet he did it in such a way that it felt like it was all Arthur's choice, that Arthur could stop him at any time. "I've never actually…well, I've never actually been out on a boat before."
"What?" Merlin stood up fully, taller than Arthur again, his eyebrows disappearing behind his overgrown bangs. "Never?"
"I've always lived in London, and my dad was never into that stuff when I was a kid," Arthur shrugged uncomfortably, not liking to mention his father. It was a wonder he even made the comment at all. "So I've never exactly had an opportunity to before."
"That settles it," Merlin declared. "You and I, Saturday after you're finished at work. I'll meet you out here and we will go out on the boat and you will enjoy it and it will be etched in your memory for all eternity and you will thank me profusely for granting you such a wonderful experience."
"And you really think those expectations will be lived up to?" Arthur's tone was light, but he was touched by the sentiment of someone he had only just met wanting to do something special for him. He hadn't had that happen since…well, ever.
"I know they will," Merlin said. "It's a certainty. Fact of your existence, starting Saturday. Now get me some pliers."
When Arthur casually mentioned to Gwen the next day, at the lone coffee machine in the building, that he and Merlin had plans for Saturday, she failed dismally at hiding a grin and said "Wow. He must really like you."
"What do you mean?" Arthur asked, because he was confused and possibly a bit slow when it came to things like feelings and emotions.
"I'm just saying that it's been a couple of years since Merlin has been in a serious relationship," Gwen said and Arthur spluttered and choked on the glass of hot liquid he had just raised to his lips. "At least since he joined the army, and that was when he was twenty. It's nice to see him taking an interest, is all."
"That's not –" Arthur protested, but it was half-hearted. "We aren't –"
"No need to explain," Gwen shook her head readily as she turned away in the direction of her own office, just across the hall from Arthur's. "I'm just happy for the both of you. I hope it works out."
"There's nothing to work out!" Arthur called after her retreating back, but she had already disappeared. He sighed and took a long swig of coffee. It wasn't like this was a date or anything. Was it? Merlin had never explicitly stated it either way. Was it expected to be a date?
Arthur wasn't sure what he wanted. Merlin was charismatic and hilarious and warmed Arthur's heart in such a way that was so different and so much more terrifying than what he was used to, and the idea of more than friendship with him had put him into semi-crisis mode…so maybe. Maybe.
"Arthur, do you have the article typed up yet on the possible school being built?" Gaius called from the editor's office in the adjoining room. Arthur cursed under his breath and, grabbing his mug of coffee, hightailing it back to his own office.
There was actual work to be done.
"When you said boat, I did not think of a canoe. Honestly, Merlin, a canoe?"
"Canoes are boats, too. And it is a lovely canoe. Do not insult her."
"Her? Are we turning into Gwaine now?"
"Prolonged exposure to him and his ways has created a few interesting character traits."
"Dear Lord, help us all."
Merlin laughed, teeth glinting in the afternoon sun, and Arthur chuckled along with him. When Merlin had shown up at his front door with a canoe tied down to the back of his truck, he had been a bit skeptical. But now that they had lugged out to the clear blue lake, nearly devoid of all other patrons, just a couple of older men fishing out by the shore, Arthur was starting to enjoy himself.
Even if he was being forced into rowing.
He made his dissatisfaction known. "Why am I the one rowing when it's your canoe?"
"I'm rowing, too, prat," Merlin rolled his eyes from the opposite end of the vessel. They were facing one another, and Arthur occasionally had to squint, the sun bright in his eyes. Or maybe that was just the effect Merlin had on people.
"But I'm doing all the work," Arthur pushed hard against the oars for a fraction of a second to prove his point. The canoe moved accordingly and Merlin simply gave him a knowing look from his end of the boat, leaning against his own oars, not pushing in the slightest. "See?"
"I see nothing," Merlin quirked an eyebrow.
"You have very selective sight, then," Arthur quipped back. "You see only the things you want to see."
"Explains why I'm looking at you," Merlin said after a second. Arthur gave a start, because that was definitely flirting. Blatant flirting. There was no question.
"I am a wonder to gaze upon," Arthur decided the best course of action was to make this mutual. Whatever this was. He still wasn't entirely sure.
"Keep telling yourself that, Spidey," Merlin lifted his hand down in the water, lifting it up to flick water across the boat and onto Arthur's face.
"Hey!" Arthur shouted, reaching a hand to wipe away the moisture on his cheeks. "You asked for it, Wolverine."
Merlin's alarmingly large grin at the use of the nickname was wiped off of his face a moment later when Arthur scooped up an entire handful of water and threw it across the distance between them. A mischievous smirk took its place as Merlin let go if his oar completely, both hands now on either side of the narrow boat, each of poised to attack.
Arthur wasn't sure what exactly happened next, other than a plethora of splashing, a few war cries, and before he knew it, the canoe had flipped over and he was plunged into freezing, mind numbing temperatures. He panicked for a second under the water before bobbing up, wet and spluttering, Merlin's head appearing a few feet from his less than an instant later.
"This is your fault," Merlin said, although his voice was amused. "Very much your fault."
"You were the one that started it!" Arthur protested, but he was laughing so hard that not even a two year old would have taken it seriously. Merlin was laughing along with him, and even though Arthur was nearly fully submerged in icy liquid, it was still the best moment he'd experienced in ages.
It took them nearly half an hour to get themselves to flip the canoe over and climb back in, row to shore, and head back to Arthur's cottage for heating and a change of clothes. Arthur had given Merlin a sweatshirt of his, which was far too large on his skinny frame but in Arthur's humble opinion, looked perfect on him.
Getting them both mugs of tea as Merlin made himself at home on Arthur's couch, he called "Well, your goal of getting me to remember that experience forever was definitely accomplished."
"See?" Merlin said as Arthur strode back into the room, handing him a cup of steaming liquid as he settled in on the coach as well, and his body parallel to Merlin's own. "What did I tell you, Spidey? It was brilliant, wasn't it?"
"Brilliant?" Arthur scoffed, shoving Merlin's feet lightly with his own. "Not so much. I said unforgettable. You did dunk me in the lake."
"But you had fun," Merlin said it not as a question, but as a statement, as if he already knew this fact and was just confirming it. Arthur didn't grace it with a response, just a smile.
"…Thanks, Wolverine. For today."
"You're welcome, Spiderman."
