It had been really hard to convince Hunith to let Merlin preform a song at the wedding, it involved a lot of begging and explaining that he just wanted to do something nice for her, and eventually, even after insulting him several times, the likes of, 'You will only embarrass me,' and, 'You are not talented enough to write a whole song,' and the list went on, but finally...finally she agreed, though she would have to hear the song first and approve it. It was a start. So, Merlin began working on it as much as he could, whenever he had time. He had a feeling she wouldn't approve, just simply because she really didn't want him to do it, so he planned on coming up with several songs, that way he had a back up plan, she couldn't disapprove all of them.
It was now the beginning of April, and Arthur was on his way home for a Spring Break from his school, where he got a few weeks off. Merlin was actually really excited to see him, even though they did talk at least three times a week on FaceTime, it was obviously easier to do this, and speak to each other more often, when in the same house. Also, on top of that, Uther had been talking about a family holiday, he was very vague, but apparently they went on one every year. Merlin had never been on holiday before, his father had been too poor to afford it, and his mother wouldn't ever, even dream of taking him somewhere for fun.
Merlin heard Arthur's car pull into the drive way, and in no way had he been waiting in the sitting room, looking out the window for the last hour. But he didn't get up, he just continued to sit there, ears straining to hear anything. He didn't want Arthur thinking he had been waiting for him. Which was kind of dumb, if Merlin really thought about it, so...he decided not to. But kept sitting there anyway.
"Excuse me!" came Arthur shouting, just a moment or two later. "Does no one in this house love me anymore? I don't even get a greeting?!"Merlin paused, eyes fluttering shut as a smile formed on his lips. He kept sitting there, for another few seconds, he still didn't want to look eager, and then stood up and headed into the foyer. When he first saw Arthur, just standing there, bags all over the floor, he felt a little jolt in him. Arthur looked over and glared at him. "About bloody damn time, what am I the step child?"
"Nope, that's me," grinned Merlin.
"Don't make this about you," said Arthur, but with no real irritation in his voice, or anger in his eyes. He was trying to fight a smile, actually. "You just sitting around on your backside, and look at me...no one's even come to hug me yet, what is this, prison?"
Biting his lip, Merlin offered his hand out to shake and Arthur stared at it for several seconds before reaching out and taking his hand. But instead of shaking it, he yanked him forward, making him trip over one of Arthur's bags, and pulled him into such a tight hug, it was actually painful.
"Ah!" he yelled out, struggling, not to get away, necessarily, but to get his footing back. "Yer-Killin'-me!"
"YER A WIZARD, 'ARRY!" yelled Arthur, ruffling Merlin's hair now. Merlin manged to get free and pushed Arthur away from him, flatting his hair back down.
"Why are you saying that?" demanded Merlin. Arthur grinned at him.
"I don't know...you look like a lad that'd sleep under someones stairs," said Arthur, and Merlin, though he didn't know why, found that kind of offensive. "And...a lot of the time your Irish accent doesn't come out that much, but right there..." Arthur smirked. "It was very sweet, I liked it."
"You're a freak..."
It was about this time that Uther came down the stairs, he marched over and slapped Arthur on the back. "Nice to see you, son," he said, almost formally and Merlin took a few steps back. If he was being honest with himself, he was a little sad Uther had appeared, he much preferred it when he and Arthur had conversations alone, but he was his father...so he probably had more rights to be talking to him than Merlin did.
Not long after this, Merlin was asked, by Uther, to talk Arthur's stuff upstairs for him and the two, father and son, disappeared into the sitting room, talking heavily of sports and how Arthur was fairing in training this year. Merlin didn't mind doing this, he dropped Arthur's stuff off at his door and headed to his own room. He played with Dragoon for awhile before dinner was ready. It was nothing special this time, unlike last time Arthur had arrived back from school, when Hunith and Merlin had met him for the first time. They only ate in the kitchen, instead of the dinning room and Hunith did not make Arthur's favorites. Dinner was pretty uneventful, it was just like any other day, just that Arthur was there this time rather than not. Afterwards Morgana forced Merlin to help her with a school project, where he was forced to hold a blown-up Earth ball and let her take pictures of him.
"Why did you choose me for this?" he asked, after an hour of standing in the dinning room, against the windows, and seeing red and white flashes in his eyes from the flash of the camera.
"Because you have a...very Earthy look," said Morgana, as she looked through the pictures. "Like you just rolled in dirt."
"I am beginning to think you all think I'm ugly..." he trailed off, dropping the ball to the floor. Morgana did not reply to this and Merlin frowned. He looked up, in time to see Arthur coming down the stairs in a midnight blue dress shirt and fancy dark washed jeans. He looked very nice and Merlin wondered why. He left, ignoring Morgana's protests to stay, and instead headed out of the dinning room. "Where are you going?" he asked, Arthur, meeting him at the end of the stairs. He sounded a little bit demanding, but he hadn't meant to, not that he really wanted Arthur to leave, but he couldn't stop him if he did go out.
"Gwaine is in town, he's throwing a party at a mutual friends house tonight," said Arthur, he looked Merlin up and down. "What the hell were you doing in there anyway?"
"Helping Morgana for this thing..." Merlin rolled his eyes. "She says I look like I roll in dirt." Arthur laughed at this, and Merlin pouted. "Have fun at your Uni party...prat."
"You could come with me, you know?" offered Arthur. Merlin paused at this and did not hide his alarm. "Aw, come on...it'll be fun!"
"I don't know...I...I'm not a party guy, I'm a no friends guy..." said Merlin. "Thanks though, but Uther would never allow it anyway."
"Hm...wanna bet?" Arthur smirked, and walked away. Merlin didn't know where he was going at first. He thought, maybe, he was leaving, but instead he headed into the sitting room. Merlin followed behind him, only because he was confused. There, sitting on the sofa, was Uther, watching an old-time movie about war. "Well, dad...I'm heading out, don't suppose I'll be back until morning."
"Now, Arthur, you know how I feel about you staying out all night," said Uther, looking over and glaring. "I said no to it, if you remember..."
"I know...I just don't care," said Arthur,with a shrug. "I'll do what I want."
"I don't mind if you go, but under my roof, son, you have to at least follow my rules half-assed..." Uther sighed and shook his head. "Take Morgana with you, she'll have you dead before you do something stupid again."
"She hates going to Uni parties, she says their for small-minded drunkards," said Arthur, with a shrug and a smirk. And Merlin, still confused, wondered what exactly he was doing.
"Can't say she's wrong..." Uther trailed off. He looked up, looking around the room for the first time and noticed Merlin there. His eyes widened. "Why don't you take Merlin?"
"WHAT?" yelled Arthur, but it sounded a little bit fake. "I...no, he's not old enough!"
"Well, then you will just have to pay attention to him, won't you?" Uther smirked, a wicked kind of smirk and sat back, deeper into the sofa, clearly pleased with himself. "And obviously you wouldn't be able to stay out all night, you have to be responsible for him..."
"I don't need a babysitter, dad!" said Arthur, but he was already turning to head back out of the room.
"I believe you both do," said Uther, pleasantly. He grinned at Merlin. "You don't mind, do you?" Merlin opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again, and shrugged. "Perfect, you'll have fun...but just remember not too much!"
Arthur heaved a deep sigh, and then shoved Merlin from the room, he could swear he heard Uther laughing from inside, and Arthur was smirking now. "He fucking fell right into it..."
It shocked, and kind of amazed Merlin, how Arthur could manipulate his father like that, just so easily. It actually proved something about Arthur. Because yes. he was kind of old school, but Uther was no fool, which made Arthur, who so easily hoodwinked him, rather smart. Arthur steered Merlin out of the front door and toward his car. It annoyed Merlin slightly that he wasn't allowed to change, he was wearing some dumb, save the world T-shirt Morgana made him put on. Not that Merlin thought that was dumb, his father had preached the same thing to him for years about saving the world, he just wished he could be dressed more like Arthur.
His eyes traveled over to him, as he drove down the street. Arthur was still looking very pleased with himself. But Merlin was starting to feel nervous. "Arthur..."
"Yeah?" Arthur looked over, as he reached a stop light. Merlin bit his lip.
"I'm scared..." he admitted, Arthur smiled at this. "I never even went to a kid party...I don't know what to expect at this."
"I'll be honest, a lot of drinking, smoking, drugs," said Arthur, driving forward again, once the light turned. "Loud music, loud people...but don't worry about it."
"All those things sound awful, and you're telling me not to worry about it?"
"I'll stay with you the whole night, alright? It will be fun, I promise," offered Arthur, as he turned down a road Merlin didn't know. The whole area, actually, he didn't know. "I don't know that many people at this party anyway, except Gwaine and I don't know if my other mates are driving in..."
"I don't know why you wanted me to go..."
"For company...?"
"I'm not very good company..."
"Yes you are, you idiot," said Arthur, sternly. "I know you're nervous, it's alright, but you don't have to be...not with me."