Hi, shorter chapter this time but we go back to school in the next chapter, which is when the main plotline starts. This chapter ties up the whole – Merlin/Morgana beginning awkward faze, and I guess starts something else as well. Thanks to my GORGEOUS reviewers – especially Timelord in Camelot xxx.
"Mmmm," Morgana moaned softly, as she bit in to a delectable slice of oreo, marshmallow, champagne and white chocolate brownies. The champagne had been a little bit of mistake, but as Morgana had informed Gwen, life was like brownie mix. Sometimes you could pour champagne on it, and it would still turn out all right.
"These are the best fucking brownies in the whole entire history of people!" Gwen declared, her beautiful headdress: inspired by Of Monsters and Men, skew-wiff on her head. Morgana tipped her head to one side. She had decided to go for the Burton Alice in Wonderland look, although her see through dress meant that Merlin had repeatedly tripped over sofas and dropped heavy objects on his feet.
"What were Stone Age brownies like?" Morgana queried, and Gwen gave her an incredulous look.
"Well, chocolate was made of stone in those days, wasn't it." Morgana frowned.
"Exactly how drunk are we?" Gwen considered the question, taking another bite of brownie.
"Drunk enough to make us regret this tomorrow." Morgana nodded, carefully absorbing the information.
"Where are the boys?"
"Merlin challenged Arthur to a Jedi fight. To the death." Morgana finished off her brownie, carefully licking her fingers.
"I like Merlin."
"I know."
"He makes me…" Morgana searched for the right word. "Happy. Really happy."
"You are so lucky. How come you get lovely, sweet Merlin, and I get your foster brother." Morgana grew serious.
"Sweetie if you don't like him you should break up with him."
"But that's the thing." Gwen moaned. "He's being so lovely and courteous and – he actually opened the door for me the other day. He's… he's… chivalrous." Morgana pressed a hand to her heart.
"Dear God no!" Gwen gave her a suspicious look.
"Are you taking me seriously?" Morgana shrugged.
"I can't take anything seriously when I'm this drunk." She hesitated slightly. "But…" Morgana sighed. "Look, I can't actually believe I'm saying this, but I think you should give him a chance."
"What?"
"Well Merlin told me that he really, genuinely likes you, and that his general prattishness is him trying to impress you. And he obviously cares for you." Morgana took a deep breath. "Please don't be too vocal about this, but I'm guessing the sex was alright." Gwen nodded.
"He was actually really gentle…"
"Argh too much information! Seriously, I think we can stop there!" Morgana screamed, getting up from the table and promptly falling over. "Ow."
"Who's driving you home?" Gwen asked, her drunken brain in slightly better working condition than Morgana's.
"Ken, I think – or I'm walking. I don't know. Whichever way lets Merlin come with me." Morgana said, gingerly picking herself up off the floor.
"Don't you still feel like a teenager sometimes? I mean, we're living with our siblings – we've never been independent."
"I know what you mean – I've basically gone in to the family business."
"I wanted to be an artist, but my brother told me that I had to earn some good money." Gwen mulled it over, deciding that she had had too many brownies to turn back now.
"I mean, Morgause and Cenred and Lizzie are a family now. And that's great – I just don't know how I didn't see this coming. I always thought Ken would leave, or – you know I don't even know what I thought. But it's…it's….mushy."
"Mushy?"
"Yeah – plus the fact that Morgause subjects Merlin to the Spanish inquisition every time he's over." Morgana imitated Morgause's husky tones. "So Merlin, what are your long term career plans? When are you thinking of moving out of Gaius's?" Morgana changed her tone again, rolling her eyes and deciding that the boys really didn't deserve three brownies each. Gwen contributed.
"Don't talk to me about the Spanish inquisition – you don't live with your brother. I can't even look at a guy without Elyan threatening to beat them up. I remember this one time Gwaine…anyway, that's the loudest I've ever heard someone shout 'I'm gay!'" Morgana giggled, but her tone soon grew serious.
"Let's do it."
"Do what?"
"Move in together. Like in Friends. Find an apartment, split the rent – we can bring Merlin and Arthur back without our siblings freaking out and eat all the ice cream." Gwen frowned.
"You had a problem with that?" Morgana's eyes glazed over as she recalled the previous nine months with mild horror.
"Well, so long as neither of us gets pregnant, we'll be okay. The whole of Morgause's pregnancy I never got a single scoop of any of the expensive ice creams she bought." Gwen patted her hand.
"I promise to try not to get pregnant." Morgana's eyes lit up.
"So are we doing this?" Gwen beamed.
"Yes, I think we are doing this!" The two girls shrieked and hugged, dancing around the kitchen together and crashing spectacularly in to worktops. Arthur and Merlin, hearing the crashes, pelted down the stairs.
"Where's the burglar," Merlin squeaked, his broom (which was being used as a lightsaber,) brandished menacingly. Arthur's attention, however, was drawn to the bottle on the table.
"You finished the drinks?" Arthur said, outraged. Gwen, remembering what Morgana said about giving him a chance, slipped her hand in to his. His face immediately mellowed, turning slightly pink as he grinned goofily down at the girl who had his hand in hers. Gwen looked up in to those aqua blue eyes, sought out the tendrils of green amid the azure blue that made them so wonderfully different from Merlin's and found her lips slowly drifting towards his. When his mouth finally pressed on to hers, warm and soft and just really nice, her hands came around his neck, just lazily enjoying the feel of his lips on hers and the way his hands softly explored her hair; the nape of her neck; the bones of her cheek. She broke off for air, and blushed deeply, ducking her head. Arthur's grin stretched the sides of his face. Before he hadn't been sure – didn't know whether she was too scared to break up with him or if she was just messing around. But surely kisses couldn't be that good if the other person didn't mean it? He caught her chin with his finger, and the two started kissing again, their drunkenness giving them added confidence. Gwen suddenly didn't care that she disliked Arthur; that she really didn't want the hassle of dating the headmaster's son. She just kissed him back, her hands moving up and down his arms as he pressed her against the wall. Gwen closed her eyes.
"There are condoms in my bathroom."
"What about Merlin and Morgana?"
"They'll live," Gwen breathed, her eyes still closed. Arthur gave her a final peck, before heading towards the bathroom. She slowly sank to the floor, touching her mouth gently with her fingers. Wow. She looked up and noticed that Merlin and Morgana were missing. Probably found a quiet place to snog. Wait, hang on a sec…the cogs in her brain began to whir, and she stumbled to her feet.
"Arthur don't go in…"
"GAH!" Too late. Arthur sprinted back in to the kitchen, tripping over a skirting board and skidding about a yard on his stomach before smashing in to a door.
"My eyes!" He howled, quivering in a heap. "They are forever branded." He raised his head, with the look of a man who had been tortured for ten years without relenting. "Merlin and Morgana, they were…it was…GAH!" He shuddered deeply, rocking back and forth, his eyes in a distant place. Gwen, trying to stifle her laughter, knelt down and wrapped her arms around Arthur.
"Hey, shh sweetie, it's okay." Morgana appeared in the doorway, breathless and with her dress buttoned up the wrong way.
"Arthur I can explain," A mad light came in to Arthur's eyes and he ran towards the bathroom door, pounding on it.
"Ambrose let me in!"
"No!" the muffled sound came defiantly through the door.
"Let me in now or I'll break this door down!" With a sigh, Morgana did what she had to do. She leapt on to her foster brother's back, causing him to back away from the door. Morgana pounded on his back.
"Arthur – Pendragon – shut – the – Hell – up!" Each word was delivered with an almighty slap, and Arthur was sent back reeling. Merlin's voice came from the bathroom.
"Gwen can I come out now?"
"I think you'd better, Merlin." Morgana maintained her grip on Arthur, her bare feet digging in to his back.
"I'm warning you Arthur, stay off my boyfriend!" Morgana hissed in his ear. As Merlin came out, trembling, Arthur looked as he did when Morgana tried to explain Quantum physics.
"He's your boyfriend?" Morgana tried to roll her eyes, but with all the champagne she had consumed it made her dizzy.
"Well, yes, actually he is. And I like him with his face intact." She carefully got down from his back, still holding him by the arms. "Now, can I trust you to behave?" Arthur nodded sullenly.
"I'm sorry, I can't hear you."
"Yes, alright? I'll behave." Arthur paused, his eyes flitting between Morgana and Merlin.
"He's your boyfriend? Since when?" It may have been a trick of the light, but Merlin thought that Morgana was blushing.
"The morning after we went to the Tavern." She went over to Merlin, who was in the corner watching Arthur like a rabbit might watch a fox, and nestled in the crook of his arm. A peculiar look came over Arthur's face.
"Oh God, you – you're actually in love, aren't you? This isn't just – this isn't just sex." Merlin looked in to the forest green of Morgana's eyes and nodded. Her face broke in to a grin, pulling his head down for a kiss. This was the first time he had ever admitted it in public – and it was so beautiful, just to hear it, just to hear him say it when her head was fuzzy from drink and her dress was still buttoned up the wrong way. Arthur however, did not see it that way.
"Oh God, no, just – argh!" Morgana giggled and pressed her forehead against Merlin's. Uther and her nightmares and Morgause seemed to fade away as she looked up at the man in front of her and thought that she could get through it all, all the black and the screaming and the man with the golden eyes who couldn't be Merlin, if she could have moments like this.
