Chapter Twenty Eight
It was warm and soft and sent so much pleasure through Merlin he wanted to scream. He moaned, shifting in his sleep. He wasn't sure what he was dreaming about, there didn't seem to be any pictures, just the warm feeling around his cock and the pleasant sucking.
Wait he thought and opened his eyes, this wasn't a dream. He blinked several times and then looked down to find a mop of blonde hair bobbing up and down. He grinned and moaned as Arthur groaned. Merlin bit his lip, letting out a loud moan of pleasure as he came hard into his mouth, gasping as Arthur continued to suck and swallow until there was nothing left but the lingering buzzing of his orgasm.
"Good morning," Merlin finally panted and Arthur grinned up at him. He pulled himself up high enough to wrap his arms around Merlin's stomach and rest his chin just above his belly button.
"Morning," he beamed and Merlin ran his fingers over the crinkles around his eyes as he smiled.
"What was that for?" He asked, unable to keep the adoring look from his face.
"I missed you," he answered and pressed his lips to the soft skin covering Merlin's ribs. He kissed him lightly, letting his mouth roam across his torso. Merlin closed his eyes and sighed happily, it was just too much to have Arthur with him like this.
"I love you," he whispered and pulled Arthur up to kiss his lips. Arthur greeted his kiss with his own lips, their mouths twisting together in a heated embrace.
"I love you too," Arthur breathed, nipping at Merlin's ear and then buried his face in his neck. Merlin wrapped his arms around his shoulders and legs around his waist and drew in a deep breath. How did he get so lucky? How was it possible that someone like Arthur even noticed him?
"You're never leaving," he stated and Arthur laughed against his neck making Merlin squirm.
"But food," he said and tried to pull away but Merlin clung on even tighter. Arthur laughed and tried to pull his arms from around him but Merlin just shook his head.
"Nope, not letting go."
"I guess I'll just have to manage," Arthur smiled and with a bit of effort, stood up. Merlin clung to the front of him like a baby monkey and they nearly collapsed in a fit of laughter. He continued to hold onto him and Arthur marched out of the bedroom and went into the kitchen. "Fuck, you're like a little spider monkey," he said, attempting to shake him off but not trying too hard. It was far too amusing to look at the full grown man wrapped around him and clinging on so tightly.
"I told you, I'm not letting go." Merlin just shook his head and rested it on Arthur's shoulder.
"Alright, alright," he said, feigning surrender. He walked over to the bar stool and held Merlin over it. "I will just have to resort to extreme measures then." And with that, he began to tickle Merlin's ribs until he was squealing and fell onto the chair.
"Ahhh you're horrible!" He joked, laughing as Arthur's unrelenting fingers dug at his ribs.
"Make me breakfast," Arthur said, not really asking but willing to torture Merlin via tickling until he agreed.
"Fine!" He shouted, nearly falling backwards in attempt to get away from the fingers of death. "I'll make us breakfast," he laughed and Arthur finally pulled away. He could barely catch his breath. Arthur watched him as he moved around the kitchen, pulling out dishes and food as he began to cook. He couldn't help himself from smiling as he watched Merlin. He loved him so much, his stupid little idiot.
"I'll get it," Arthur said as the phone rang. Merlin just nodded and continued to hum to himself. "Hello?" He heard Arthur say, swaying to the music in his head. When he realized that it was a little too quiet he turned around. The jug of milk slipped from his hand as he looked at Arthur's ashen face.
"Arthur, what's wrong?" He asked in a panic and Arthur blinked and stumbled. Merlin quickly ran to his side, helping him sit on the bar stool. "Arthur..." he was terrified, Arthur's was shaking all over and seemed to be in some kind of shock.
"My father..." he whispered and Merlin searched his face for some kind of answer.
"Is your father ok? Has something happened?" Arthur shook his head.
"No... he's dead." He finally said and Merlin stared at him in disbelief.
"What? How? When?" He asked, this wasn't computing. Arthur and Morgana had just been at his manor yesterday, he was fine unless there was an accident.
"Heart attack..." He mumbled and Merlin frowned. "He's had a bad heart for a few years... been on medication... we kept it quiet, didn't want anyone to know but..."
"Oh Arthur," Merlin pulled Arthur to him in an attempt to comfort him.
"I need to go... I need to..." he stood up suddenly and grabbed his keys.
"Arthur wait!"
"No, I'm sorry Merlin, we'll do breakfast tomorrow. I have to get to the manor, there's going to be press-"
"I understand but... you're naked. You'll want to get dressed," He pointed out with a sad smile and Arthur looked down at himself and realized he was telling the truth.
"Right," he stood rooted to the floor though, as if he had forgotten how to move. Merlin's heart broke as he watched him. He was slightly surprised by the fact that he was not at all sad Uther was dead but he was sad for Arthur. Despite all of Uther's failings, he was still Arthur's father and Arthur loved him and he would Merlin to help him through this.
"Here," Merlin gently took his hand and led him into the bedroom. He helped him get dressed in his most appropriate suit. "I'll drive you," he said once both of them were dressed.
"You can't..."
"You're in no state to drive Arthur," Merlin took the keys from him and led him to the elevator.
"Ok," he nodded, unable to argue with Merlin and still too shocked to do anything else but trust Merlin to get him where he needed to be.
"I can call Percy. This is something he would deal with right? I mean the press and all that?" He asked, pulling out his phone and looking at Arthur for confirmation. He only nodded once and Merlin called Percy. He asked him to get the rest of the board together and to meet at the Pendragon residence.
An hour later, Merlin was pulling up to the house. The driveway was full of police cars and the press was already there, intruding on this private moment. He hated them for Arthur, how could they be so insensitive? Arthur and Merlin rushed into the house, pushing past the people who lingered outside the door. Stewart opened the door for them and pulled them inside, shouting angrily at the leeches who tried to push past and snap pictures. Inside the house was eerily quiet. Arthur shook off his wet jacket and ran his hand through his hair that was damp from the rain outside.
"The Lady Morgana is in the sitting room," Stewart said, taking both their jackets and gesturing for them to make their way inside. Merlin followed Arthur shyly, not sure of his place in this situation except that he knew he needed to be by his side.
"Arthur," Morgana's voice broke as Arthur came into the room and renewed tears fell down her glass cheeks. Arthur pulled her into his arms and hugged her, the tears would not come and Merlin knew they would not come until they were alone and no one else could see him.
"What happened?" He asked finally, pulling her away and they sat on the couch together.
"We were having breakfast and... and..." she hiccupped, "he just... collapsed. He died before the ambulance could get here." She cried and Arthur's jaw twitched. Merlin couldn't help but wonder just how broken up Morgana really was or if this was just an act. Would it be easier now, for her to do what she needed to do now that Uther was gone?
"I've called the board to meet us here, we need to take care of Camelot," he said coldly and Merlin felt a shiver wash over him.
"Arthur our father is dead! Who cares about Camelot?" Morgana cried, glaring at her brother.
"Our father cared about Camelot," he replied quickly, "and the death of the owner and acting CEO could be the end of Camelot if it's not managed carefully." Merlin shook his head, for once he agreed with Morgana. Who the fuck cared about business at a time like this? But Arthur was right, as always, and a part of him admired Arthur for his strength.
"How can you be so callus?" She asked bitterly and Arthur glared at her.
"Because I don't have time to be upset right now! Somebody has to make sure everything will be ok. There are lot of things that will need to be done. While we're waiting for everyone, can you please tell me exactly what happened?" He asked and Merlin could tell he was barely holding it together despite the very strong appearance he was giving off.
"When he collapsed, I called the ambulance but he was already dead when they got here. They said there was nothing they could have done, that it looked like he'd had a major heart attack. They called the police and coroner and they just left with...with... the body" She explained quietly.
"Why didn't you call me right away?"
"I was too shocked, I wasn't thinking," she shook her head, "I called you just as they were leaving, I just... I'm sorry." He nodded and pulled her into his arms again, hugging her tightly.
"I'm sorry that you had to go through this Morgana," he said gently stroking her hair.
"Sire, Percival and the rest are here." Stewart announced from the doorway and the rest of the board members filed into the room. Lance immediately hugged Arthur and the others shook hands, offering him their condolences. Morgause hugged Morgana and Merlin noticed that they seemed to be a lot friendlier than the last time he saw them together. They whispered to each other in hushed tones, glancing at the others before Morgause noticed Merlin watching them. They separated then and Merlin wondered if this was the other people Morgana had helping her. It didn't make sense but then again, neither did the entire situation.
"Leon is on the next flight," Lance informed him and he nodded.
"Thank you."
"I have your father's will," Lance said, "I'll need to go through it before we can discuss it. Do you know what kind of arrangements he wanted?" He asked solemnly.
"He wanted a private funeral." Arthur said and looked over to Percy.
"Percy can you handle the press?" Morgana asked and Percy nodded.
"Of course, what should I tell them?" He asked, straightening his clothes.
"Tell them he had a heart attack and whatever else but that we would like to be left alone to grieve. We will have a press conference in a couple of days, schedule it for Wednesday," Arthur paused to clear his throat, "the funeral will be closed to the public but we will have a viewing and we'll let them know when we have more information." Percy nodded and left the room. The rest sat down in the various seats around the room and Stewart reappeared with tea and coffee for everyone. He gave Merlin's hand a gentle squeeze and a meaningful look that seemed to say he was glad that he was here for Arthur. Merlin smiled sadly and sat in the back, listening to the others discuss what would happen next.
"Lance, what did my father say about what would happen in the event of his death?" Arthur asked a few minutes later and Lance shifted uncomfortably.
"In the event of Uther's death, he appointed you Arthur as the acting CEO, assuming that the board would not disagree with that decision." He explained, only glancing at Morgana once to judge her reaction. She was not surprised, but then why would she be Merlin thought. She had to have known that that's what would happen.
"Ok, what do we need to do?" He asked, looking at the older members of the board, hoping someone would give him some advice.
"You're already doing it," Morgause said, "you've sent out your media rep to handle the press and you've called all of us here. You just need to decide what to do from here. When should we review his will? Will Camelot close its doors on Monday? How will Camelot grieve in the public eye and how will it respond? Are you going to make a donation to the Heart and Stroke foundation? What action are you going to take to prevent this from happening?"
"Prevent it from happening?" Arthur frowned, "my father was seventy eight years old. He lived a long, good life and was in perfect health except for his heart which was not the result of an unhealthy lifestyle."
"Then you need to make sure that's clear. You need to preset a strong unified front and you need to reassure shareholders that Uther's death, though sad, will not affect Camelot's stock. You need to convince everyone out there that you, Arthur Pendragon, are ready to take control of Camelot and that you can continue to lead it." Morgause directed and Merlin wondered again how it was she was even a board member although she did seem to know her stuff.
"You're right, thank you." Arthur nodded and looked at the rest of them, "I know that I'm young but my father has been preparing me for this my whole life. I would like to keep Camelot open Monday and Tuesday, I think that will placate the shareholders, show them that just because Uther's gone it doesn't mean we won't do our jobs. Also, on Monday I'd like to address all the employees and we should set up a meeting with the head of all the departments. I know almost everyone but there's still some that I don't know. I think I should introduce myself as quick as possible. We should offer some kind of... grief counselling or something... or open up a board room for people to pay their respects, maybe have a few candles that people can light or whatever." He directed and Merlin smiled, watching Arthur take on the leadership role so easily. He was so strong, even with the loss of his father so fresh; he was able to hold himself together. "Merlin can you call George? I'll need his help in making the funeral arrangements."
"Sire," Stewart knocked gently on the wooden doorframe.
"Yes Stewart?"
"The police would like a word with you," he said gently and two police officers walked into the room.
"We're very sorry for your loss Mr. Pendragon," one said, shaking Arthur's hand.
"Thank you. What can you tell me?" He asked, folding his arms across his chest and looking at the two with an iron gaze.
"Your father appears to have had a stroke but we'll be conducting an autopsy to confirm cause of death. Once that's been determined, the body will be released to you." He explained, "We were just wondering if there was anything we needed to take into consideration, any religious beliefs that we should be aware of?"
Arthur shook his head, "no, my father was an atheist. How long will this take?"
"It should only take twenty four hours. Is there a funeral home you would like the body to be released to?" Arthur looked to Lance for the answer to this question and Lance quickly reached into his briefcase and pulled out a file. He scanned it for a moment before answering.
"Thomas B Treacy Funeral Directors," he answered and the police nodded.
"Can you do anything about the press?" Arthur asked, "Set up some kind of barrier or something?"
"We have sir, and I'll have a couple cars stay here until the circus quiets down." He assured and Arthur thanked him. Once he left the room, Arthur turned back and took his seat again. Merlin called George whose response was to break down into tears. It took Merlin another half hour to convince George to pull himself together and get to the manor right away.
"When do you want to have the funeral?" Nimueh asked.
"I don't know, I would say Friday? Is that too far away?" He asked, looking at Merlin for support.
"I think that'd be appropriate," Merlin answered him, "Have the viewing for the public Wednesday and Thursday and then the formal funeral Friday." Everyone was staring at Merlin and no doubt, they were all wondering why this junior staff member was even here at such an important meeting. Arthur held out his hand, silently asking Merlin to come sit with him, which he obeyed but he felt uncomfortable under the gaze of everyone else.
"Does that sound reasonable to everyone else?" Arthur asked, looking around at each member.
"That seems appropriate." Morgause agreed.
"Ok," Arthur drew in a deep breath, "what else?"
"We should discuss your relationship with Merlin," Nimueh said bluntly and Merlin nearly broke his neck his head snapped up so fast to look at her with wild eyes.
"What does my relationship with Merlin have to do with anything?" Arthur asked and Nimueh laughed a cruel laugh.
"Everything Arthur. For starts, he's a man which if the press gets wind of you being gay will be enough of a disaster as is but the fact that he's your employee, well Uther will be rolling over in his grave."
"How dare you-" Morgana started angrily but Arthur held up his hand.
"No, Morgana, she's right." He looked at Merlin with such a horrible sadness Merlin's breath caught, "it would not be good for Camelot if we were to become public right now. I have to think of the company and the legacy my father spent his life building. If I come across like I'm trying to change that too fast, it could be disastrous." Merlin nodded, he understood, he knew Uther's death changed noting, at least not right away.
"It's ok, I understand." He patted Arthur's knee reassuringly.
"That being said," Arthur said, eyes still on Merlin, "if any of you think that you have a right to comment on my personal life and tell me who I can and cannot share my life with," he looked up with fire in his eyes, "then you will find yourself sadly mistaken. I appreciate all of your counsel and support but I expect that no one will cause any problems because of this." He said firmly and Merlin blinked in surprise, as did Morgana. He had basically just said that he wouldn't come out right now but that he had full intentions of doing so in the future. Merlin gulped, wondering just how ready he was for that himself.
AN: woohoo! Uther's dead!
