a/n: thank you for your reviews, favs and follows. I really appreciate it.
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Forty-four months after the break-up and
One year after starting over
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It was Arthur and Merlin's one year anniversary. Merlin said it was their anniversary because they had their first date, or as they often said, their second first date, exactly one year ago.
Arthur, on the other hand, considered their anniversary to be the day he walked over to Merlin in the pizza parlor while he was sitting with Morgana. "Arthur, that doesn't count because I stormed out of there without speaking to you. You and Morgana both pissed me off so why would you want to say that's are anniversary? Are you trying to piss me off again, because if you are, it's working. If you don't want to count our first date as our anniversary, how about the first day we had coffee together or lunch together or maybe when we first kissed? Something a little more pleasant."
Arthur broke out in laughter. He thought it was so adorable how easy it was to rile Merlin up over this. If the truth be told, Arthur did consider today to be their real anniversary too but he wasn't going to tell Merlin that.
When Arthur got home from work, Merlin was in the kitchen making something that smelled delicious. His hair was wet so he must have gotten out of the shower just minutes before Arthur arrived. If only he had gotten home sooner, he could have joined him. Oh well, maybe later.
Arthur walked into the living room to activate the motion sensor lights so Merlin could see that he was home.
Merlin turned around and smiled as soon as he saw him, "happy anniversary."
Arthur walked into the kitchen and put his arms around Merlin's waist and pulled him close for a kiss. When he released him he signed, "but it's not our anniversary."
Merlin rolled his eyes and shook his head before turning back around to the stove. Arthur hugged him close from behind and started nibbling on his ear, then kissing his neck. Merlin tried to tell Arthur he was going to ruin their dinner if he didn't stop, but Arthur didn't care. He had other things on his mind, and eating wasn't one of them.
He turned Merlin around in his arms for a proper kiss while he shut off the stove. He then lifted him up onto the counter and moved between Merlin's legs. His hands were running up and down Merlin's arms while Merlin's hands were in Arthur's hair pulling his lips impossibly closer. Arthur moved his hands down Merlin's back, over his hips and under his thighs. He pulled him off the counter, hands now under his arse holding him up. Merlin wrapped his legs around Arthur's waist as Arthur carried him out of the kitchen and down the hall into their bedroom while never breaking their kiss.
He finally let Merlin down. They took turns undressing each other until they were naked and breathing heavily. They scrambled up onto the bed and got to work on those other things that were on Arthur's mind.
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"Merlin, lets go out to dinner." The dinner Merlin had started was ruined but they both thought it was a small sacrifice to make and well worth it.
They went out for a lovely dinner and then took a walk after since it was such a nice evening. They walked towards the park in silence holding hands. Arthur reached down and felt in his pocket for the twentieth time. He had had this all planned out for weeks, now, he just had to wait for the right moment.
They walked along the path that led to the river. Arthur felt like he couldn't take it any longer. He'd been dreaming of this moment for so long that he was now a nervous ball of energy.
Once they were under a light, Arthur turned so he was facing Merlin before he got down on one knee. He looked up into Merlin's eyes and signed, "Merlin, you are my life and I love you with all my heart. Will you marry me and make me the happiest man alive?"
He then took the box that held the ring out of his pocket and opened it. His hands shook while he waited. He didn't have to wait long before Merlin nodded his head and said, "yes, yes I'll marry you." He took the ring and slipped it onto Merlin's finger before he stood up and embraced him like he had no intention of ever letting him go.
They went home to celebrate in the privacy of their own home and their own bedroom.
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The next day, they gathered all their friends together to announce their engagement. Everyone was so excited and thrilled for them.
Gwaine pulled Arthur to the side. "You did good. Now hold on to him tightly because you won't get a third chance. I hope you know how lucky you are because Merlin's special, he's one of a kind."
"I do know how special he is Gwaine and trust me, I will never let him go again." They then rejoined the others in their celebration.
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"We don't care Morgana, just keep it small and simple."
Merlin and Arthur were letting Morgana plan their wedding since she loved this kind of thing and neither of them had even the slightest idea of where to begin. The only thing they insisted on was that it was to be small. They only wanted their friends with them to celebrate their day, no business associates or long lost relatives. Morgana asked Arthur if he wanted her to invite Uther. "Go ahead but I really don't expect him to come."
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Forty-seven months after the break-up and
Fifteen months after starting over
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"So how're you feeling? Are you ready to make a run for it?" Gwaine teased Merlin while they were getting ready. Merlin was wearing a dark grey tux and Gwaine had on a black tux.
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"I can't believe it's really happening! I feel like I've waited three lifetimes for this day to finally arrive," Arthur said to Leon as they were putting on their ties.
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Arthur and Merlin were standing in front of their friends exchanging vows.
Leon and Gwaine stood up with them as the best men. Lance was standing beside the minister signing his spoken words. When it was time for the rings, Gwaine handed Arthur's ring to Merlin and Leon handed Merlin's ring to Arthur. Finally, Arthur heard and Merlin saw, "I now pronounce you to be married. You may kiss your husband." Arthur pulled Merlin into his arms for a long passionate kiss while everyone cheered.
No one noticed the older man standing in the back watching the ceremony.
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Morgana had arranged for their reception to be in a fancy restaurant she had rented out. They had the tables arranged to make it feel very intimate which was exactly what the grooms wanted. There was an open bar and a dance floor.
Everyone was already seated when Arthur and Merlin entered. Their guests all waved their hands and cheered when they saw them. Both their smiles lit up the room. They looked so happy and so in love.
Again, no one noticed the same older man who sat at a table hidden in the shadows.
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Gwaine and Leon took turns giving their best man speeches. Gwaine's had everyone laughing while Leon's was much more serious.
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After everyone finished eating, the band started playing. Most of their guests were dancing and everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time.
Merlin and Arthur were sitting at their table, with their eyes locked on each other and matching smiles on their faces before Arthur pulled him in close and kissed him deeply.
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Arthur stood up and walked over to the stage when the band had just finished a song. He turned around and looked directly at his husband as he began signing and speaking.
"Merlin, you have made me the happiest man alive. You are absolutely incredible and amazing, I still can't believe you ever agreed to marry me.
I know I don't deserve you. You are such a better man than I could ever hope to be, but I will spend every day trying to be a man worthy of your love.
You are so special and just having you in my life is a gift, but having you as my husband is...well, it's almost overwhelming. I can't believe it's real. All my dreams have now come true and I will do everything in my power to make all your dreams come true too. Merlin, I love you with all my heart. Thank you for giving me a second chance, thank you for trusting me, thank you for believing in me, but most importantly, thank you for loving me."
By the time Arthur was finished, Merlin was standing in front of him. They both had tears streaming down his cheeks along with most of their guests. Arthur hopped down off the stage and Merlin grabbed his face and they just stared into each others eyes, "I love you," they said to each other before Merlin pulled him into his arms and kissed him lovingly.
Once they broke the kiss, they put their foreheads together and continued looking into each others eyes while still holding on to each other. The music started playing again. The band was playing the first song he and Merlin ever danced to.
Arthur took Merlin's hand and lead him onto the dance floor for their first dance together as a married couple. "They're playing our song," Arthur signed before he wrapped his arms around Merlin's waist. Merlin rested his arms around Arthur's shoulders as they moved to the music, Arthur leading. Their friends all smiled and joined them on the dance floor.
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The happy couple made their way over to the bar to get a glass of champaign. When they turned around, there stood Uther directly in front of them.
The first thing Uther did was grab Arthur and pull him in for a hug. "I am so proud of you Arthur. You followed your heart. I can see how happy you are and how much you love each other."
Uther let Arthur go and then turned to Merlin. He just looked at him for a minute, during which time, Arthur moved over and put his arm around his husband's waist protectively. Finally, Uther let a smile spread across his face and raised his hands to sign, "welcome to the family, son," and then pulled him in for a hug.
Arthur and Merlin were both dumbstruck but Merlin finally snapped out of it once Uther released his hold on him. "Thank you sir. It's nice to finally meet you."
Uther tried to sign back something but Merlin looked confused so Arthur raised his hands and interpreted for him. "It's nice to finally meet you too and please, call me Uther."
Merlin smiled and nodded.
All of a sudden, it struck them both that Uther was signing, even though he wasn't very good at it.
Arthur signed as he spoke to his father, just like he always did so Merlin didn't get left out of conversations. "Father, what are you doing here and when did you learn to sign?"
"I'm here to watch my only son get married. When you told me Merlin was the love of your life, I may have had him checked out. When I discovered that he was deaf, and, knowing how you felt about him, I thought that maybe I should try to learn sign language, but sadly, it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks. I know some of the basics but after all these months, you'd think I would know more." He looked over at Merlin now, "I'm sorry Merlin, and I will keep trying, but we may have to resort to written messages when Arthur isn't around to help," Arthur interpreted for him.
Arthur and Merlin were both in shock at the realization that Uther did all this so he could be a part of their lives.
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Merlin and Arthur were worn out, it had been a long day. They thanked everyone for coming and sharing in their special day before they headed off to the hotel where Morgana reserved a suite for them.
They opened the door to their room to find lit candles everywhere. There was champagne chilling in the ice-bucket and chocolate covered strawberries on the side table, all courtesy of Morgana. It was a wonderful way to start the first night of their lives together as a married couple.
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Three years after getting married
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Merlin and Arthur were trying to sleep when all of a sudden there was a scratching sound moving across the wood floor. Fortunately, Arthur heard it in time to brace himself before their dog jumped into bed with them. Unfortunately, Merlin couldn't hear anything so he was caught unprepared for the dog leaping into their bed.
Soon Sam and Jessie came into their room and crawled up onto the bed with them. Samuel and Jessica were their children they adopted just over a year ago at the ages of three and four. Jessica was deaf but she had been helped greatly with new hearing aids and was starting to vocalize words. Even though Sam was younger, he always watched out for his sister.
Merlin and Arthur didn't need an alarm clock on the weekends because their kids were their alarm.
Today, they were going to the park for a picnic with Grampa, Aunt Morgana, Uncle Leon and Bailey, their two year old daughter. Gwen and Lance would be there if Gwen wasn't throwing up from morning sickness. Percy and Freya were a yes and Gwaine texted Merlin telling him that he, Elena and their twin boys would be there, but knowing Gwaine, it was hard to say when that would arrive.
"How soon til we go Daddy?" signed Jessie.
"Ask your Papa," Merlin signed back to her.
Jessie looked at Arthur, "how soon til we go Papa?"
"We can go as soon as we are all up, have eaten breakfast and gotten dressed so you better get moving," he signed and spoke to her.
Both kids scrambled off the bed and ran down the hall to the kitchen to get breakfast.
Arthur rolled onto his side and leaned over to give Merlin a kiss. "Good morning sunshine," he signed before he grinned and bent down to kiss Merlin's nose. He then laid back down and wrapped Merlin up in his arms.
"Shouldn't we get up?"
Arthur shook his head and snuggled in closer to his husband.
"Daddy, Papa, we're hungry!" Sam yelled from the kitchen.
"Coming," Arthur yelled back, gave Merlin one more kiss then yanked the covers off him laughing.
Merlin just rolled his eyes and shook his head trying to suppress a grin.
'Why do I love this man again,' Merlin jokingly thought to himself while Arthur thought to himself, 'God, I love this man'.
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They went to the park for their picnic and Arthur and Merlin surprised Jessie and Sam by stopping at an ice cream stand on the way home. 'Life couldn't get any better than this' they both thought to themselves.
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Ten years after getting married
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Arthur had made a vow to himself long ago that if there was ever a way for Merlin to get his hearing back, he would do it. Always sitting in the back of his mind were those words: 'You're not worth it!' Those last words Merlin ever heard him speak to him. Merlin had never once brought it up and Arthur hoped that he had long since forgotten them but it was still with Arthur after all this time.
Arthur was always looking into new innovations dealing with hearing loss for both Merlin and Jessie. He finally saw something that looked very promising for Merlin and went to see the doctor researching it. He told him about Merlin's condition. The doctor sounded optimistic that he could help Merlin but said he really needed to examine him before he could say for sure.
Arthur was so excited he could hardly wait to get home. He sat Merlin down to tell him all about what he'd learned. Merlin didn't look nearly as excited as Arthur thought he would. When Arthur asked him why, he explained that that was a different life, a life where he had and then lost Arthur and he didn't want to ever go back to a time when it reminded him of that.
Arthur again just looked at the man in front of him and couldn't believe he was his. He held Merlin so tightly he was afraid he might break him but he never wanted to let go of this gift from God.
With that settled, Arthur was finally able to let go of the guilt caused by those harsh words he had spoken to his love all those years ago. They both knew how far they've come, they've left the past in the past and were just focusing on their future together.
The end.
Thanks for reading.