Chapter six.
Half an hour later Merlin heard his phone ringing on the table, disentangling himself from Arthur he walked over to the dining table, picking up his phone he looked at Rthe caller I'd, and with a slightly confused face pressed the green button; "Mum?" He didn't however expect what came next. "MERLIN EMRYS! What do you think you are doing? Did you and Arthur actually just tell Sophia she was a dissapointment and that you don't trust her!" Hunith shouted down the phone. Merlin had always thought that he would never find anyone who his mother was as protective over as she was over him, but when Sophia came along that was soon to change, as soon as she had uttered the word 'Nanny' at the mere age of 2 their whole world had changed. The rankings now seem to go Sophia then Merlin then Arthur. All they had to do was so much as give their daughter an annoyed look when Hunith was around and she would be on their case. Sighing Merlin turned back to the phone he had pulled away from his ear to avoid permenant damage from his mothers shouting. "Mum.. Mum.. MOTHER! LISTEN TO ME! She is exeggerating -as per normal; he mumbled- yes we did tell her we were dissapointed with her after her behaviour today, and we did say how are we meant to trust her if she carries on this way, but you don't know the full story, and if you aren't prepared to listen then I guess there is no point in this conversation." He said, hanging up before Hunith had a chance to reply. Shouting up the stairs as he walked back to the sofa "Don't try telling tales on us to your Grandmother Sophia, its not going to work, you're still in trouble!'
An hour later Sophia was stood at the top of the steps, she could her dad's talking downstairs, she was trying to find the courage to go downstairs and apologise, she stepped on the first step and then slowly onto the next, slowly and quietly down each step till she reached the bottom one, she slowly stopped towards the living room door and peered round the door, all she could see was her daddy cuddled up into her Mi-Mi and could heard daddy was crying, 14 years, she had seen Mi-Mi cry but never once before had she seen her Daddy cry. She slowly walked into the living room, slightly worried "Daddy ... Mi-Mi ... I ... I am sorry i let you down, and i am sorry i made you cry Daddy"Arthur looked up at Sophia and cried a bit more "It's not just you sweetie, it's much more than that ... Come here you" Sophia gave Arthur and Merlin a hug "Look, i know me and your dad say a lot of things when we are angry, but it doesn't always mean that we mean them, when we are upset or angry with you, these things need to be said, do you understand?""Yer, but i am still sorry, i know how bad being suspended is ... Grandma rang me back and asked what i had been in trouble for and i told her and even she is cross with me""I love how she hasn't rang to apologise to me thought" Merlin winged"Shut it you" Arthur laughed joke pushing Merlin away "So you know how Mi-Mi Daddy is back ... Does that mean i have to sleep in my own bed tonight?" Sophia asked"Yes" Both Merlin and Arthur said very quickly at the same time while smiling"Ewwww, did you both have to answer that so quickly. Now i am scarred for life" Sophia winged"Did that little cow scratch your face?" Arthur said placing a hand on her cheek and moving her face from one side to the other to see scratches all down both sides of her face"Yer, they hurt alot" Sophia answered"You know if you hadn't attacked her first and you didn't attack back we could of pressed charges""Is that all that goes on in that lawyer mind of yours daddy?" Sophia asked laughing"No, but have you seen the state she has made of your face, We need to clean that up or that's going to be a right mess"Later Merlin and Arthur were lied in bed, and Sophia was lied at the bottom of their bed, she had been watching TV in their room and fallen asleep in there on purpose thinking they wouldn't move her."I'll let you take her to bed, i used to beable to move her when she was little but she is 14 now" Merlin laughed, Arthur turned his head away from his book"Alright, thanks, i love you too" Arthur said, he put his book down and went to pick up Sophia when they heard mumbling then 'danny' Arthur backed away and sat back down next to Merlin "Did she just say Danny? As in her best friend Danny?"Merlin looked at Arthur and the panicked look on his face and couldn't help but laugh "Seriously Arthur, you have paranoia issues, just take her to bed"Arthur took Sophia to bed and then went back into his and Merlin's room, he sat down and picked his book up but before he could open it Merlin took it out of his hand."No reading, you are talking to me""I'm fine now Merls, I let it all out earlier" Merlin looked at Arthur knowing what he was saying was complete rubbish"Arthur, you cried earlier but you said nothing, now get talking""But can't we get to the bit where i say i love you and then you hug me, tell me everything will be okay and we end up having sex" Arthur asked moving in closer to Merlin"Erm ... no" Merlin answered smirking "And Arthur, baby, that's when i am upset and you tell me you love me anyway and you hug me, tell me everything will be okay, and then you end up coming onto me, I'm just saying""Well, the thought was there" Arthur laughed slapping Merlin"Right what's getting to you? Uther, Sophia, Work, Me?" Merlin asked turning to look at Arthur properly, he could see tears in Arthur's eyes, Merlin couldn't bare to see Arthur cry, it broke his heart whenever he did."Everything, My Father, Sophia's change in behaviour, the last case put extra pressure on me with the circumstances of it, i know i shouldn't but i am glad i lost that last case, defending a guy who abused his child, i can't believe I didn't get the full breifing before being handed that case, he was a jerk, i know Sophia drives us mad but i couldn't imagine how someone could get to that point where they could hurt there child in that way, i am petrified everything else is going to put uneccesary pressure on us and you will get fed up of my temperemental ways" by this point Arthur was crying, his breath was getting heavy from being so worked up and he just leaned his head into Merlin's chest and cried more "I love you Merlin, i fucking love you so much" "shhhh..I love you too Arthur, we're gonna be okay" Merlin soothed, this could wait he decided, they would have to have this conversation at some point, but not now, it was still too raw, he couldn't watch Arthur like this. "We'll talk about this later." He added, almost as an after thought so Arthur knew where they stood on it. Holding onto each other they moved down in the bed so their heads reached the pillow, and slept in each others arms for the rest of the night, neither holding the other more, but equally so, they were a unit, stronger together than apart, they just needed reminding sometimes.
The following morning Merlin awoke alone, confused he pulled his head out from under the covers, he could hear music coming from downstairs, music he hadn't heard in years. With a flutter in his heart and a smile on his face he made his way downstairs, reaching the bottom he stood there on the step, just watching the scene before him. Arthur was sat behind the black piano in the corner of the room, shirtless and hair still ruffled from him slumber. Looking up Arthur saw Merlin watching him, with a slight chuckle he motioned for him to come join him, blush rising in his cheeks as the other boy walked over towards him. "What's this? You haven't played in years, man you haven't played since Sophia was a baby!" Merlin asked, "That's exactly it Merls, we shouldn't let things we enjoy slip away from us, especially in times like these, when everythings kicking off and it seems like the world around us is going mad! I thought I was losing you the other day when you left, it made me think about some things. I don't ever want to be apart from you like that again!" Arthur replied before leaning over, and while still playing, placed a soft kiss on Merlin's lips, "Happy Anniversary M." "Happy Anniversary Arthur." Merlin replied with a smile. There happiness was to continue throughout the day, but things soon turned dark again. After a day of peace and laughter they didn't think anything could get them down, how wrong they were.