When Arthur Pendragon first stepped into his coffee shop, Merlin decided two things. One, that he was a walking sin, with the blond hair and facial features that belonged on the front page of men's fashion magazines. Two, that he was a pompous asshole, with a superiority complex; his nose was held too high, his expressions constantly patronizing and he had a general annoyed-at-the-peasants persona.

Merlin hated arrogant bastards, no matter how good looking they were.

So he really wasn't sure how he ended up here. Here ,where he felt giddy just because he was in the same room with the man he had sworn not to ever like.

Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Arthur was not arrogant at all once you got to know him, he was insecure and scared and used confidence as a shield to protect himself. Or maybe because Arthur was caring, to a pathological degree, and was smart, and sensitive, and funny and stupidly endearing. He had eyes the shade of clear sky on a beautiful day, or a calm ocean, deceptively dangerous; his hair were sun kissed, and glowing; his jaw line perfect; his lips a sin in itself; his teeth crooked,but gorgeously so, like a smudge of ink on a beautifully crafted painting, adding to the beauty of the complete picture by making it look more real.

God! Merlin was a sap.

When Arthur left after his promise of picking Merlin up from Albion on Saturday for their not-date, he slumped into the chair and put his head in his hands, mourning the stupidity of falling in love with Arthur Pratdragon-the biggest prat to ever prat.

Before he could drown himself in the sea of belated regret, he was startled by the sound of ringing telephone in the back room. Only one person ever called the Albion landline, and Merlin resigned himself to the inevitable teasing.

"Gauis." Merlin sighed into the receiver.

"Merlin! My boy." Came the cheerful greeting across the line.

"What do you want Gaius? You know I am working."

"Can't a man want to make sure his shop is still standing?"

"You mean MY shop, right?"

It was true. Merlin had grown up sitting on these tables, reading books and finishing home works for as long as he could remember. He had helped Gaius decorate the place over the years, his ideas slowly growing more and more eclectic for Gaius's tastes until he left the responsibility completely on Merlin. Somewhere along the way, Gaius even stopped coming into the shop except a couple of times a week, leaving most of the business on Merlin's shoulders, knowing he loved every minute of it.

"Anyway, why won't it be standing in the first place."

"I don't know. Young love. It can make strange things happen. Like fires in the shop, localized earth quakes, the usual."

"Gaius!" Merlin protested, as he felt his face warm up.

"What? I don't get the right to rub it in my nephew's face when he is so clearly smitten?"

"I am not smitten."

"Says the man who couldn't stop blushing all morning just because he slept, and by that I mean literally slept, in the same bed as the guy he is smitten with."

"Can we please forget about this?"

"Not at all my dear. I have waited for this moment all of my life."

"You never gave me so much hell for all the other boys I brought home before Arthur."

"That's because I didn't like all those boys. Cendred Merlin. Really?"

He cringed at the reminder of that disaster. He had been so blinded by the outer glamour that it had taken a slap to his face, and the order to show his boyfriend more respect, to shake him out of it. Unfortunately Gaius had witnessed that whole scene and warned the asshole that if he ever approached Merlin again, they won't be able to find his body. Merlin wasn't sure if Gauis had been bluffing.

"Wait a minute, does that mean you like Arthur?" Merlin had not expected that. He had been afraid that Gaius would see the superficial resemblance of Arthur with Cendred, in the fact that they were both handsome, rich, and proud- so what if Merlin had a type- and instantly dislike him.

"Your boyfriend is a very likeable man Merlin. Now get back to making sure you don't burn my shop to the ground while you are day dreaming. Goodbye my dear boy."

Before Merlin could protest about the fact that Arthur was not his boyfriend, he heard the phone click off.

Excellent start of the week, Merlin thought. But try as he might, his mild irritation and embarrassment could by no means hold back the rush of joy that was pouring out of him, engulfing him completely.

Monday was a strange day, that opened with Elyan clapping him on his back when he entered university and ask "Did you get laid mate?", and continued along those lines with his Professors calling him out on his absent mindedness, with varying degrees of pointed comments about where his thoughts were wandering. By the time his classes were over he had heard "Please play attention ", and "Stop thinking about last night Emrys!" and all the variation thereof from teachers and friends alike, resulting in his ears being flaming red all day.

Albion was a blessing after all that.

"Merlin! Elyan texted me you got laid last night? I can't believe Arthur finally made his move... not that he shouldn't have, but I mean he seems so shy! No shy isn't the right word. I am sorry. You know what i mean." Gwen, whose shift was over and was waiting for Merlin to come take over started gushing over the moment she clapped his eyes on him.

Maybe calling Albion a blessing was a little too premature.

"I am offended that you didn't tell me Merlin. Weren't you supposed to share these kind of things with your girl best friends?" She pouted when Merlin continued to stare blankly with her.

"Nothing happened dear Gwen," he clasped both his hands on her shoulders and navigated her towards the door. "Elyan is just being a jerk."

"Tsk Tsk. You think so low of me? You think I can't read your face?"

"Honestly!" Merlin tried to look earnest but his lips were too bent on the idea of grinning, which did nothing to allay Gwen's doubts.

"I am letting it be for now because I want to give you space. But remember. I want to know everything later. EVERYTHING." She told him ominously before leaving.

A while later, in between customers and thinking about Arthur's stupid gorgeous plush lips that he had already kissed twice and couldn't process it properly, and wanted to do it again and again and again, Merlin didn't realize he had been zoning out for a while now.

There was someone clearing their throat very pointedly in front of him.

"Morgana." He startled.

"Finally stopped thinking about the other Pendragon, have you?"

Trying very hard not to blush, because it would give him away completely, he ignored the comment and asked,

"You will have the usual right?"

Because Morgana had become as regular a customer as Arthur, though he suspected Arthur would have a fit if he knew he and his sister conversed on regular basis.

"Yeah. But I will also have some answers."

He raised his eyebrow in his best imitation of Gauis.

Morgana let out a peal of laughter.

"Oh you little kitten! Stern doesn't suit you. What I want to know is... what the hell have you done to my brother? Did you sleep with him?"

Merlin spluttered, no idea how to explain to her that yes he did sleep with Arthur, but he didn't sleep with him. Fortunately, she didn't seem to need an answer, and cackled,

"I knew it! Finally. Thank you Merlin. But please do something about his smile. Its maniac and its scary... Oh for god's sake. You have an identical one plastered on your face. You boys are hopeless."

She took one look at Merlin's face, and moved away from the counter shaking her head, pointing towards her usual table indicating he should bring her coffee there.

Merlin could not, for the life of him, understand why people kept assuming he and Arthur had had sex. It was becoming kind of annoying, because he wished it had happened, so at least then the teasing would have a leg to stand on.

If he could see himself, when a couple of hours later Arthur entered the shop, could see how his face lit up and his eyes glazed over, and how his every pore seem to stand at attention for that royal prat, he would probably make the same assumption about himself that he had been criticizing everyone for all day.

Wednesday, Gwaine stormed in, his face ashen and worried.

"Merlin, something is wrong with Arthur. He called to ask me if I was okay, and wanted to hang out. He has never done that before. What happened?"

Merlin, who had been reliving and remembering the moment he woke up in Arthur's arms, his breath warm over his neck, his arms wrapped tightly around him with almost no give, the rise and fall of his chest a peaceful rhythm against his back that had made him wish time could stop and he could stay here forever, looked at Gwaine in confusion when his thoughts were suddenly disrupted.

Gwaine took one look at his face, and let out an exasperated breath.

"Of course, you happened. Good for him. But a little warning would be nice the next time."

That's when he noticed Gwaine was already leaving.

"Hey! No coffee."

"I got what I came for thanks." He called back without turning.

Thursday, Arthur came in, drank a mocha latte (because no it wasn't a girly drink and Merlin was feeling all warm and chocolate-y himself so it fit perfectly), looked at Merlin with hearts in his eyes which were obvious to even Merlin, and no mention of the upcoming date was made. It was the most perfect day of the week.

His mom called on Friday. He was barely up, getting ready for his first class at 10:00am, already running late, when his phone rang.

Alarmed to see Hunith's number, he stopped trying to shove his leg into the skinny jeans, and stood in his room, naked from waist down except for boxers, and picked up the phone.

"Mum! Is everything alright?"

"Is everything all right he asks. Is it Merlin?" Her voice sounded wet with un-shed tears and Merlin felt like someone had gripped his heart tight into a fist.

"What's wrong Mum?"

"Why didn't you tell me about Arthur sweetheart?" She sounded so upset about it that Merlin didn't know whether to laugh or apologize.

"What?"

"I had to hear it from your uncle! Do you know what that felt like?"

"Mum! There is nothing to tell. We haven't even gone out on a date."

"That doesn't matter to me. Do you care about him?"

"Yes." He could not lie to his mother, and neither did he want to.

"Does he care about you?"

"Yes. I mean I think so."

"Do you love him?"

Merlin fell quiet at the question. He knew he was falling in love with Arthur, but was he already in love? He discovered the answer was yes. Yes he did.

"Fuck me! I do."

"Language Merlin."

"Sorry."

"He sounds like a good man," Hunith's voice was wet again, "you will bring him to meet me right?"

"How can I not Mum." He would promise her anything if it meant the hurt from her voice would go away.

"I love you. Stay happy."

"Love you too." He said earnestly.

When Saturday finally, finally arrived... Merlin couldn't decide if it had been the longest week of his life, which had made him a changed man, or if it had passed in a blink. Anyway, he didn't have any brain cells left to actually worry about time and its fickle nature; he was too busy freaking out about what to wear.

It was a date. He had made sure Arthur knew it was a date. What did one wear to dates to hospital, to children's ward? Whether he should dress for the children or for Arthur?

He stood in front of his wardrobe, with clothes stuffed inside it with no organization or folding of any sort, and sifted through them. When that didn't work he pulled them all out of the cupboard and threw them on the ground and picked them up one by one and examined them. They were all normal clothes. Were you supposed to just wear normal clothes to dates?

Deciding that he needed back-up, he pulled out his phone and called Gwen (because he decided that he would have to be suicidal to call Will for dating clothes advice).

"Gwen. Sweet beautiful Gwen. You are a blessing for all of earth." He said in lieu of greeting.

"What do you need Merlin?" Gwen was all faux exasperation, because Merlin could always hear the fondness and the laughter in her voice.

"Ihaveadatewitharthurandidontknowwhattowear."

"Pardon?"

"I have a date, um, with Arthur, and I don't know what to wear,"he could feel the tips of his ears getting red.

"Aha!... I knew it..."

"Its the first date."

"Whatever you say Merlin... So, you need to impress Arthur? There is a slight problem though."

"Problem?" His heart sank. Maybe he could never look impressive enough.

"Yes. Problem. The problem is, Arthur is already bloody impressed by you." Gwen laughed.

"Gwen please. Be serious. I am very confused here!"

"Okay. Calm down and tell me what type of clothes do you want to wear?"

"Type?"

"Yeah. The type you want him to rip off of you the moment he sees you, or the type ... hmmm... I can't think of any other choice. No worries."

He groaned which made her break out in laughter. She was really enjoying was evil. How had he never known that before. But beggars can't be choosers.

"Sorry sorry. It's just too good of an opportunity to miss." She said, suppressing her laughter.

"I would hang up on you if I didn't need your help." He moaned.

"Don't be an ass Merls. Let's see. You should go with blue. T-shirt. You have one?"

"Yeah..." Merlin rummaged in the pile in front of him and took out the newest shirt he had and examined it. It was blue with 'Dragons are real' written in front of it in bold red colors. Could have been worse, he thought. He didn't tell Gwen about that though.

"Okay you need a button down over shirt on top of it. Plaid. Anything in white and blue, or white and black. Wear it open."

He found one in white and red. But it matched with the writing on his t-shirt so he decided it was all good.

"Done."

"Use any jeans with it, black or blue, and you are set."

"Thanks Gwen. You are a life saver."

"If that's all..."

"No, no, no. Wait wait! Shoes Gwen! What shoes should I wear?"

"How many pair of shoes do you have Merlin?" She asked, not even bothering to hide her amusement.

"Three?" He said, unsure.

"Yes. Three. You have a pair of dress shoes, that definitely can't go with this outfit. You have a pair of runners that are a no too. So only thing left is the sneakers. Wear those. Now... I don't think you remember but Albion doesn't run by itself. I need to go. Bye Merlin."

"Bye Gwen..."

"Good luck. Get laid. Tell me all about it later."

He heard the click, which signaled she had ended the call before he could respond.

He looked at the clothes he had put on the bed, and decided to get ready. He didn't want to be late.