Disclaimer: All likenesses to any characters of the TV show Merlin belong to the BBC, or whatevs.
Author's Note: Chapter five! More Merlin and Arthur relationship development! Plot coming in next chapter. I've never been good with plot, really. And there's a little Mordred subplot, too. This is my favorite chapter to date.
Summary: Arthur Pendragon has had enough. He's run away to become Camelot, and work as a busboy in Ealdor, where he meets mysterious stranger Merlin Emrys, whose new goal in life is saving Camelot.
Warnings: The rating is M because of language in early chapters, and potential sexual situations in later chapters.
---
Arthur woke up fitfully, wishing that he could just hit the snooze button one more time, but Mordred wasn't letting him. That creepy bastard was standing at his bedside, fully dressed and just staring, waiting for Arthur to finally wake up.
"What?" Arthur finally grumbled.
"I'm hungry," Mordred stated, and kept staring.
"Ugh," Arthur replied, and then physically pushed himself out of his bed, away from the warm covers and pillows calling his name. "I've got to work today," Arthur reminded Mordred, "Don't you have a friend's you can go to?"
"No," Mordred sighed. Arthur had no idea what to do with the kid. He had never had younger siblings, or cousins, even. He didn't know how to deal at all. And he certainly didn't know what to do with the six year old pain in his arse for the whole day while he worked. "You better take me, Arthur, or else."
That's how he found himself carting the wide-eyed creeper with him to the diner, Mordred holding tightly to his hand as they crossed the street. When they entered the diner the usual bell rang. The diner was already open, and there were a few early birds there drinking their tea and coffee and eating light breakfasts.
"Do I have to spend all day here, Arthur?" Mordred whinged, changing his tune, and Arthur narrowed his eyes.
"You can't call me that here," Arthur hissed, shaking his head, "And you'll have to spend as long as I say here, until I can find somebody to take you while I work."
Arthur gestured to a seat at the counter and told Mordred to 'sit right there and don't even think of moving' and then went around into the kitchen, where he found Gwen and Hunith stirring a large bowl of pancake batter together. They both looked up and greeted him briefly, before returning to work.
Arthur slung his apron on over his head and pulled the hat on. He worked on cleaning up the kitchen a bit. Until in came Will like a tornado, shouting about something and that he was sorry for being late and that 'god he needed a drink.' But they were used to it by now.
"Oh, and who's brat is it that's out there carefully unscrewing the tops of saltshakers?" Will asked, and Arthur stiffened, grinding his teeth.
"I'll be right back," he said tightly before pushing his way out of the kitchen and storming towards where he had left Mordred. He hadn't expected to find Merlin sitting next to him, facing the wrong way, both their legs swinging as they sat on the high stools. They had their heads together, whispering with twin looks of mischief. Arthur was struck by how alike they looked with the mischievous looks.
Arthur stepped up to them and cleared his throat. Mordred shuffled a little ways away from Merlin then stared up at Arthur with his big baleful eyes, and Arthur kept frowning. "Will says you were unscrewing the tops of the saltshakers," Arthur said.
Mordred shrugged. "You shouldn't do that, Mordred. It's not nice," 'and I have to clean up after whatever mess you make,' Arthur added mentally.
"Ah, it's no big deal. Just some harmless fun, yeah?" Merlin smiled, "This one time, Will and I went around and poured all the mustard into the ketchup bottles and all the ketchup into the mustard bottles, then switched all the sugar and salt."
Mordred was staring up at Merlin with something akin to hero worship. "Don't encourage him, Merlin," Arthur said grimly, and Merlin grinned.
"So, you're staying with Cam, huh?" Merlin asked. Mordred nodded, "Poor you." Arthur glared. "Is he taking good care of you?" Merlin asked.
"No," Mordred answered candidly, "I'm starving." Hunith chose that moment to come out of the kitchens.
"Merlin! I didn't expect you by this morning," she said pleasantly, then set her sights on little Mordred, "And who's this?"
"It's Mordred," Arthur answered, "I'm watching after him for the Grindes, there was a family emergency."
"Oh! He's precious!" Hunith cooed, and Arthur knew that Hunith would take to Mordred like a fish to water. She was already leading him back to the bar and promising heaps of pancakes and waffles and pie. Mordred, who was actually showing some emotion, looked like he had died and gone to heaven.
"You have no idea what you're doing, huh?" Merlin asked, and Arthur had almost forgotten that he was there at all.
He sighed, "No, I don't. But the Grindes have been so nice to me. Well, Mrs. Grinde has, and I couldn't say no when she was crying and shoving the little beast into my room at five this morning."
"Mum'll be happy to help," Merlin said wisely, surely, "And I will, too. Just in case you know…need help," he offered.
"Thanks," Arthur sighed, then finally followed after Mordred and Hunith, Merlin close behind. Mordred was merrily stuffing his face with pancakes covered in chocolate syrup, whipped cream and sprinkles.
"How in the world did you stay so skinny, Merlin, if your mum fed you like this all the time?" Arthur asked, dreading the sugar rush this would cause as he began screwing the lids back onto the saltshakers.
"Mum didn't feed me like this," Merlin said, almost bitterly.
"Of course I didn't, you have a weak tummy, Merlin, dear," Hunith crooned, pushing some hair back from Merlin's forehead and pressing a kiss to his cheek.
"Mum," Merlin whined, squirming away from his mother. Arthur had started to clean off the stools and the counter of the bar, and Merlin perched himself next to Mordred on one of the stools after his mother had left and stopped fussing after him. He had shot daggers at Arthur when Arthur had snorted in attempt to hold back his laughter and Hunith's coddling.
"So Cam, a bunch of us are getting together and going to the lake later on tonight for a kind-of end of the summer bonfire, and some swimming," Merlin mentioned nonchalantly.
"Is that you're way of inviting me, Merlin? If so, that was pretty piss poor," Arthur said, grinning as he scrubbed at a spot on the countertop.
"Cam! Not in front of Mordred," Merlin hissed, though Mordred couldn't be bothered to care as he fished sprinkles out of the whipped cream. "And yes, I was inviting you along. And Mordred, too."
"Is this a kind of party for kids to be going to?" Arthur asked, glancing to his temporary ward.
"Yeah, there won't be drinking or anything. It's kind of tradition around here," Merlin told him, spinning back and forth on the stool in an extremely childish, but endearing, way, and swinging his feet.
"I guess it sounds like fun. What do you think, Mordred?" Arthur asked, nudging the little boy with his elbow.
"Sure, Ar- Camelot. That'd be fun," he chimed, and Merlin didn't seem to notice his almost slip up. "I don't have my trunks, though," Mordred stated.
"Don't worry, we'll find you some," Arthur said, eyeing the heaping plate of waffles that Mordred was about to turn to. "I don't think you should, Mordred. No more. You won't be able to swim if you have a stomach ache." Mordred glared at him for being scolded, but shoved the waffles away anyways.
"Hey Mordred, how 'bout I take you out?" Merlin suggested, "So you don't have to hang around the grump named Cam all day."
"Hey!" Arthur cried indignantly. But he was thankful that Merlin had offered. "Just don't feed him a bunch of crap all day, alright? And Mordred, be good for Merlin."
"I'm sure he'll be fine," Merlin said, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture, "Meet me out front when you're ready, 'kay Mordred?" Mordred nodded, and was already squirming in his seat to follow after Merlin.
Arthur ducked his head, grasping Mordred's shoulder, "You don't even think about telling Merlin anything about me, okay?" he hissed. Mordred's eyes widened, and he nodded solemnly.
"I promise," he agreed, then hopped off the stool and scrambled after Merlin. Arthur sighed, an odd feeling of despair settling in the pit of his stomach.
---
When the day was finished Arthur found he was inexplicably exhausted. It could be that he got some kind of spotty sleep the night before, and he was woke up too early this morning, or it could've been that biker gang that had rolled through and all decided they wanted to eat at the diner.
Merlin and Mordred met Arthur outside of the diner, Mordred devouring a large cone of chocolate ice cream, and Merlin with a more modest cone of chocolate-chip mint. Arthur tore off his hat when Mordred looked up at him, his mouth rimmed in chocolate, and told him that his hat looked silly.
"Did you have fun, then?" Arthur asked as they all waked back towards the inn. Mordred replied with an excited 'yes!' And then proceeded to tell him everything they had done that day. It was the most talkative Arthur had ever seen him. Merlin had taken him to Albion while he ran errands for Gaius, and then they went to pick fresh herbs, and then they went to the arcade, and then to see a movie, and finally to get ice cream. Arthur mouthed 'thank you' to Merlin, and Merlin had just shrugged. Arthur would pay him back, though. Arcades and movies and ice cream weren't exactly cheap.
---
"And Merlin got me some trunks, so I can swim tonight!" Mordred announced, holding up his bag.
"That's very nice of Merlin," Arthur said, sighing. Merlin had left the inn half an hour ago, saying he'd be back to pick them up in an hour. And Mordred hadn't shut up about how Merlin did this and Merlin did that and isn't Merlin the greatest human being to ever grace the earth with his glorious presence?
Arthur wasn't interested in winning the affections of Mordred, really. He never planned on having kids, and now he knows he never wants them. If he thought Mordred was a terror before, he was even more horrible on a sugar high. When he was done talking to Arthur he started wheeling up and down the hallway in a wheelchair that belonged to the inn, crashing into things until Arthur had to confine him to the room and put on a movie to entertain him until Merlin came to get them.
Mordred lay on his stomach, kicking his feet and watching the only movie Arthur had that was suitable for children, laughing at the serious parts that were supposed to be touching, not funny. Arthur was sitting on the little cot he had brought up for Mordred and reading through a book on astronomy that he had snagged from the bookstore during his break today.
"Hey Arthur?"
"Yes, Mordred," Arthur sighed, looking up from his book.
"Why'd you run away?"
"For reasons a kid shouldn't know about, keep watching the movie."
"I'm not a kid," Mordred informed Arthur in a haughty tone that could rival Arthur's.
"Yes, you are. Though you don't act like one. Honestly, what kid blackmails somebody with their own cell phone?"
"Blackmail?" Mordred asked curiously.
"You are such a precious little extortion artist," Arthur grumbled, and was saved by a knock on the door.
"Merlin! It's Merlin!" Mordred cried, flinging himself at the door and wrenching it open, "Hi Merlin! Come in! You look nice, Gwen," Mordred was suddenly a perfect gentleman, "Camelot and I were just watching a movie. Is it time to go swimming?"
"He's so adorable," Gwen cooed, and Arthur wondered what it was that made women go mad for children. Gwen was dressed in a pair of short shorts and a t-shirt over her bathing suit, and carried a beach bag. Will was behind her, on the phone with someone, and wearing similar beachwear. Merlin was also in a similar state of dress, and Arthur realized that he didn't have trunks.
"Aren't you coming, Cam?" Merlin asked, eyeing Arthur, still in his jeans and t-shirt from work.
"Er, yeah. I just don't have any shorts or anything," he admitted, standing up from the cot and setting the book aside.
"Don't worry! You can borrow a pair of Will's, he brought an extra," Gwen said after she had finished cooing over Mordred.
"I will not!"
"He will not!"
Arthur and Will cried out at the same time, and then glared at each other. Will was holding the phone down, covering the speaker with the palm of his hand.
"Well, it's either Will's spare, or Gwen's spare," Merlin said, using that voice that made him sound too logical, and Arthur scowled.
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
Arthur and Will glared at each other again, once again answering in tandem. "Only because I don't want to see Cammy in a bikini," Will said begrudgingly, wrinkling his nose, and then digging through the beach bag and tossing a pair of board shorts at Arthur, then returning to his angry phone call, pacing out of the room.
"I get the bathroom first!" Mordred chortled, snatching up his new trunks and rushing down the hall to the bathroom. Gwen wandered out after Will, and Arthur dropped to the edge of his bed, sighing.
"You alright?" Merlin asked quietly, and Arthur glanced to where he was standing at the foot of his bed.
"Yeah," Arthur muttered, suddenly remembering the night before where he had broke down in front of Merlin, had held Merlin's hand, had given him his sweater. He didn't know why he didn't feel awkward, like he knew he should after crying about his father to Merlin, but it was nice. Merlin was his friend, perhaps one of his best, and that was new for Arthur. The closest thing he had had to a best friend growing up was Morgana. He had his footie friends, of course, but they were more teammates then best friends. He supposed maybe Lance could be considered his closest thing to a best friend.
"Cam? Are you listening?" Oh! Merlin was talking. Arthur turned to face him again, a sheepish look on his face.
"Uh, sorry, no. What were you saying?"
Merlin rolled his eyes, "I said the bathroom's free, Mordred chased off after Gwen and Will," he said, stepping around the bed to prod Arthur in his arm with a too-bony finger. "Where were you at?"
"Ah, just thinking," Arthur replied, shrugging, and Merlin poked him again, "Ow. You have like, dagger fingers, stop that." Merlin chuckled as Arthur stood up, rubbing at his assaulted arm. He pretended to be hurt as Merlin laughed, then made his way to the bathroom.
When he was dressed in Will's board shorts (which were still a little too small for him) and a t-shirt, he made his way back to the room. Merlin was perched on the side of his bed, flipping through the book of astronomy that Arthur had bought. He had his head bent all the way down, his nose almost touching the pages of the book. Arthur couldn't help it, he laughed.
"You are such a nerd, Merlin," he laughed, tugging on his trainers.
"I didn't know you liked astrology, Cam," Merlin said, looking up from the book, and Arthur half expected him to be crossed eyed.
"I don't, really," Arthur shrugged, "I just figured that the next time we go looking at stars again, I should know a little more about it, other than that they're twinkly little bits in the sky that people write poetry about."
Merlin snorted, "Actually, stars are massive balls of plasma that are held together by gravity. They 'twinkle' because of thermonuclear fusion in their cores," he stated matter-of-factly.
"I reiterate; you are a nerd. Come on, everybody's waiting," Arthur said, tugging Merlin up by his elbow.
Merlin just grinned at him, but it was a goofy sort of grin that had some kind of hidden meaning behind it that Arthur didn't want to try to figure out. They were all packed into Hunith's little car. Will at the wheel, Gwen in the front, and Merlin, Mordred and Arthur packed into the back. Arthur had the pleasure of holding the two beach bags on his lap, and Merlin had a stack of pizzas on his. The whole way there Mordred chattered about his day with Merlin to anyone who would listen, and about his friends at school, and how his teacher had a large bottom.
In a lapse of conversation, Merlin had looked over to Arthur, a thoughtful frown on his face, "There's going to be a next time? You know, going out and looking at the twinkly little bits in the sky?"
"Yeah, I guess so. I mean, if you want to. I know there won't be another meteor shower or whatever, but if you need company for you star-gazing, I wouldn't mind going again," Arthur spoke quietly, "As long as you bring food and drink again," he added with a grin.
"Yeah, okay. I'd like that," Merlin breathed, and gave Arthur one of those genuine smiles that made Arthur's stomach feel warm. Arthur smiled back, and ignored the odd stare Mordred was giving both of them.
The rest of the ride to the lake passed in relative silence. Sometimes Gwen would speak up about something, or Will would have to answer his mobile again and have a quiet, angry conversation. Mordred would say weird things every once in a while. When Gwen finally announced 'we're here!' Mordred didn't even wait for Arthur or Merlin to open a door. He just climbed over Arthur's lap and flung the door open, nearly falling on his face in his rush to get to the water before it got too cold to swim.
"Mordred! Don't you dare go into that water without me!" Merlin was shouting, shoving the pizza aside so he could rush after Mordred. When Arthur stepped out of the car he could see the party was already in full swing. The bonfire was already bigger than it needed to be, and the sun hadn't even gone down yet.
There was music coming from somewhere, he couldn't pinpoint where, and people were dancing. The brave few who dared to actually swim were splashing along to the music. Merlin and Mordred had already made it to the water, and Mordred was splashing Merlin and laughing like a lunatic. Arthur half-suspected that he actually was a lunatic.
He was stuck with the pizza and Gwen with the bags, while Will wandered off with his phone glued to his ear. "What's that all about?" Arthur asked, nodding his head towards Will, who was flailing his free hand rather angrily.
"I think it's his latest booty call," Gwen said casually, "He swears he left his gold watch at Will's last night, but it's not here."
"Well," was all Arthur had to say about that, before he was attacked by a crowd of hungry teenagers and young adults, grabbing the pizzas from him. And then he was dragged away by Gwen and forced to play beach volley ball.
---
It was well into the night when everybody in their little group finally made it to the bonfire. Arthur, Merlin and Mordred all shared one bench. Mordred had fallen asleep with his head on Merlin's shoulder, drooling slightly. Merlin was talking to Gwen about something Arthur didn't care about and eating s'mores. Will, who was sitting on Gwen's other side, was finally off the phone and attached at the lips to some new bloke. Arthur looked away uncomfortably.
He tilted his head up to stare at the stars. Once again he was awed at the sheer quantity of stars. He started identifying the constellations he had learned from his book, the ones he didn't already know from childhood. Arthur wished he had had this growing up, like Merlin. Not just the stars, but the warmth of being surrounded by people who genuinely liked him. Or liked Cam, he should say. At home he was always trying to be impressed by so-and-so from such-and-such company. And here nobody cared about impressing him. Here he was just Camelot, who worked in the diner, who was kind of a prat, and who actually belonged somewhere for once.
Arthur was drawn from his thoughts as Mordred shifted between them, murmuring sleepily and laying down across his and Merlin's laps, his slimy cheek pressed into Merlin's thigh. The kid was alright, once Arthur got over the fact that he was being blackmailed by him. Merlin was pulling something out of a beach bag nearby, draping it over Mordred. Arthur recognized it as the sweater he had leant to Merlin.
"Hey, that's mine," Arthur said softly, not wanting to wake Mordred.
"Yeah. I brought it to return to you tonight. Hope you don't mind waiting a little longer," Merlin said sheepishly, staring up at Arthur. Arthur was going to reply with something like 'that little hellion doesn't deserve the warmth of my sweater' but he was distracted by a smudge of chocolate on the corner of Merlin's mouth that made him look ridiculously childish.
Without really realizing it, he had started to lean closer to Merlin, gazing at the smudge of chocolate. Merlin was staring at him wide-eyed. Arthur moved a bit closer and raised his hand, his thumb poised to wipe the smudge of chocolate from Merlin's mouth. But before he could remove the offending smudge, he was suddenly assaulted.
Merlin's lips were on his, and it was a painful clash of closed-lips. Arthur's tooth cut into his lip, and he heard Merlin let out a pained noise from the back of his throat, and he quickly leapt back, causing Mordred to grumble.
"Oh god, oh god, I'm sorry," Merlin lamented, covering his face with both his hands. "Oh god oh god oh god," he was mumbling like a madman into his hands, his voice muffled and Arthur thought he sounded crazy. "You were moving in, and I thought you were going to kiss me, and…and…Oh god. I'm an idiot."
"You are," Arthur agreed amiably, then reached forwards to peel one of Merlin's hands from his face. He was ignoring the copper taste of blood and the puffiness of his lip as he stared at Merlin. "It's alright though, I forgive you."
Merlin had that deer-in-the-headlights look going on for him now. He looked as if he thought Arthur might hit him, and that made Arthur's grin soften into a smile, and then a smirk. "I know I'm devilishly handsome and incredibly hard to resist," Merlin gave him a withering look then, "It's okay. I'd kiss me too," this made Merlin snort.
"You're a prat," he muttered, looking away from Arthur. Arthur let his wrist go and finally wiped away the chocolate smudge, then held up his thumb for Merlin to inspect.
Merlin groaned, "Oh god, you were just trying to wipe chocolate from my face, like I'm some kind of child. I'm so stupid."
"Merlin, shut up," Arthur said, squeezing Merlin's shoulder, "It's alright, really. Other than the fact that I have a busted lip, and everybody is staring at us- well, you, it's alright."
Merlin dared to glance around, and everybody in their general vicinity was staring, except for Will and Mystery Boy (who were still sucking face oblivious to whatever was going on around them). Arthur grinned, squeezed Merlin's shoulder once more, before turning to his neighbor to start a conversation about the new shop opening up in Ealdor, as if nothing had happened.
He didn't miss Merlin's horrified groan as he started to bemoan the experience to Gwen.
They remained there for half an hour more, before it was obvious everyone was tired, and that it'd be good for them to return home now. And Mordred did have school the next day. Arthur carried Mordred to the car, and Merlin carried the bags. Will wasn't riding with them, so Arthur offered to drive home. Gwen sat up in the front with him, and Merlin sat in the back with Mordred, who was clinging to him and sucking on his thumb and drooling all over Arthur's sweatshirt.
Arthur dropped Gwen off first, and then parked in front of the inn. Merlin carefully climbed out of the car, with Mordred clinging to him, and transferred the sleeping creeper into Arthur's arms. And then they stood there awkwardly, both wanting to say something, but unable to say whatever they wanted to say. Arthur's lip was still a little sore, and a little puffy. Merlin must've noticed that.
"I'm sorry," Merlin whispered, gesturing to Arthur's mouth.
"It really is alright, Merlin," Arthur replied. And it fell into awkward silence again.
"Well, I guess you have to go to sleep now," Merlin said.
"Yeah," Arthur said. And without really thinking about what he was doing, he leaned forwards, mindful of Mordred, and brushed a chaste kiss along Merlin's cheek. When he pulled back he could tell Merlin was flushed a bright red, even in the poor lighting of the street lamps. He took the opportunity to 'accidentally' brush his nose with Merlin's.
"'Night Merlin," Arthur whispered, and couldn't keep the ridiculous grin off his face, even as his arms were turning to jelly from holding Mordred for too long.
"Goodnight, Cam," Merlin whispered, and his voice was shaky and high-pitched and wavering and altogether too cute. He turned and headed back to the car, biting on his bottom lip the whole time, and Arthur watched until the car disappeared down the street.
When he entered his room, the first thing he did, before even turning on the light, was lay Mordred down on the cot by the door. When he turned to face his bed after peeling his shirt off he froze in something that could only be described as crippling horror.
"Morgana," he breathed.
"Arthur," she replied.
"Arthur!" and suddenly he was being punched in the eye by his supposed best mate Lance.