It was happening...today, Uther and Hunith were going to be officially married today, and Merlin couldn't be more happy to have it finally be over. In the last week his mother had turned into such a jerk, such a horrible, ruthless bitch, that he was sure, at least twice, Uther was going to cancel the wedding. They fought and fought and she cried and cried, big alligator tears. But Uther had stuck it out, looking stressed and older than he normally did. Everyone just looked tired, walking around on eggshells, because anything could set her off...and it did, several times a day.

Where they were getting married was legitimately a castle, with rolling hills and a golf course behind it. And because Uther knew the owner, they got to stay there for free the night before the wedding, the day of and the day after. It pays to be rich and in everyone's business, apparently.

"You look disgusting!" shouted Hunith, as she had passed Merlin the hall, heading toward the elevator, that morning. Merlin's mouth fell open a little, not sure how to take that. He hadn't really started getting ready yet, he had only woken up and gotten a shower. The wedding was at four, so he had plenty of time. "You will not ruin my special day, Merlin...with your hair looking like that!"

"I've not even done it..."

"DON'T TALK TO ME!" Hunith screamed and ran off, Morgana, who had been forced to tend to Hunith, as she was the Maid of Honor, or Maid of Horror as she had started calling herself throughout the last week. She gave Merlin a look that said she was sorry, and followed after his mother. Arthur came out of his room, the door Merlin just so happened to be standing in front of, mostly because he had been planning to go see him, before he had seen his mother in the hall.

"Was that the delightful bride I heard?" he smirked. Merlin shook his head and shrugged.

"My presence offended her again."

"You should stop doing that," said Arthur, almost seriously, he couldn't quite keep a straight face though. "Don't you know it's her special day?" Merlin grinned at him. "I'm off to see the groom, ask if he might want to reconsider before ruining his life...care to join?"

"Sure, I guess...but I have to go at some point to fix my hair, so my dearest mum can't tell me I ruined her wedding," said Merlin, as he followed Arthur into the elevator.

"I like the way your hair looks," said Arthur. "What's wrong with it?"

"Just I am...I think," said Merlin. They reached the floor above the one they were staying on and walked down until they reached the Honeymoon suite. Uther was forced to rent out an extra room, where Hunith and Morgana would get ready, so Uther wouldn't get the chance to see Hunith before the wedding took place. But judging, at how Uther just sat in an arm chair and took deep drags from a cigar, he never had any plans to catch a peek of his future wife at all. In fact, Merlin doubted that even if she stood before him, completely jacked up in her white finest, Uther wouldn't care at all.

"Father..." said Arthur, as he sat down on the sofa in the room. It was a circle sitting room, with red and white furniture, and two doors that led off to other parts of the suite. Merlin sat down next to Arthur, and just looked around. "Having a good time?"

"I've had seven shots of Brandy so far," said Uther, looking up from his news paper and grinned, drunkenly, at his son. "Woman's driving me mad, all her crying and whining...she acts like the world should stop for us because we're getting married. She's told off the Front Desk woman."

"The lady that looks ninety-two?" asked Arthur.

"Yes, the very same!" said Uther, shaking his head and taking another long, long drag of his cigar. "Woman is knocking on deaths door and there's Hunith pushing her through..." Arthur laughed and Merlin didn't know what to do, so he just sort of sat there. "I can't wait for this all to be over, so she can relax...I realize this is her first wedding, but good Lord..."

"You're not nervous at all?" asked Arthur now. Uther looked up, raising an eyebrow at Arthur and shook his head no. "You remember your lines this time?"

"I remember I do, that's all I need to know..."

Twenty or so minutes later, and after Uther made sure to tell Arthur to get ready in time for the ceremony or be slain by Hunith. 'There will be no saving you from that fate. "' Merlin and Arthur were leaving the room now. Arthur was laughing as they went.

"This divorce is going to be fun..."

"How do you know they'll get divorced?" asked Merlin. He hadn't said anything in with Uther, but he tended not to like to talk around Uther too much, it was still something he needed to work on, Uther still just kinda scared him a little bit.

"Please, Merlin...they're not right for each other, we all know that...we can all see it."

Merlin understood what Arthur meant, and he didn't know why...but he didn't want them to get divorced. It wasn't because he wanted them to be happy or anything, it was much more selfish. "But what happens to me if they get divorced?" Arthur paused at this, and also at the elevator doors, he looked over at Merlin. "I mean I know I don't really matter to their marriage, I'm sort of just here, but..."

"Hopefully by then you'll be old enough and...I don't know, move in with me I guess."

"But we wouldn't be family anymore," said Merlin, as he followed Arthur into the elevator, for the second time that morning. Arthur let out a laugh.

"We're not technically family now, not yet at least...and it's not like my dad is adopting you," explained Arthur. "So I assume we're more friends, mostly, and why wouldn't I let my friend live with me? You don't want to stay with your mum, do you...?"

"No," said Merlin, without question. The doors opened and the two stepped out onto their floor again. They needed to start getting ready soon. "But it's kinda wrong...you know."

"What is?" Arthur asked, as he headed toward his room and Merlin just continued to follow.

"Us...talking about them getting divorced on their wedding day," Merlin looked over at Arthur, and he was smirking. "I mean...it's mean."

Arthur laughed again, opening his hotel room door and allowing Merlin to walk in first. "It's facts, Merlin...it's not going to last."

Merlin spent forty-five minutes in Arthur's bathroom, using all of Arthur's hair products, to try to make his hair look in a way his mother might be okay with. It ended up just being flattened to his head and very sticky, but he figured he couldn't do anymore than that, and gave up. By the time he had come out, Arthur was in his suit. Well, most of it...

He wore the blank suit pants and a white dress shirt, with it tucked in. And Merlin didn't know why, but this startled him, and made him feel...in a way he shouldn't be feeling about a person who, in about two hours, was going to be his stepbrother. It was just the way it shaped him though, around his butt and his muscles in his arms, that made him just look...

Merlin felt his cheeks turning red, embarrassment at his thoughts, maybe, or just the rush of it all, and he couldn't quite stop looking. Arthur turned around, draping an untied tie over his neck as he did. He grinned up at Merlin's hair. "What is that mess?" he asked, but Merlin was too distracted by the fact that he, Arthur, was just so fucking hot, he couldn't breathe. "You better get dressed..."

Merlin tore his eyes away, sadly...just very sadly, and saw on Arthur's bed his own suit had been laid out. He switched his clothes quickly, not bothering to go back into the bathroom and put away the hair gels, because he really doubted Arthur would care anyway, and they needed to hurry up. Because, although Merlin was not in the wedding, he needed to go to the front of the resort and pick up Gwen and get to the venue by the time of the wedding, and Arthur was the best man, so he needed to be on time.

When Merlin turned around, Arthur had tied his own tie and had his suit jacket on, and also...his eyes on Merlin. He felt a little uneasy about that. but ignored it, instead, to wrap the red tie around his neck. At least he got to wear the same colored tie as the wedding party, even if he wasn't in it. He fumbled with the tie, in a rush, and a very nervous sort of way, for some reason.

"Stop...let me help you," said Arthur, walking closer to him. He pushed Merlin's fidgety fingers out of the way and straightened out the tie. Merlin had to admit, after his very inappropriate thoughts just a few moments ago, having Arthur this close to him now was kind of weird, and also a little exciting... Arthur's eyes were on his neck tie, as he tied it, but every so often they would move and look up, into Merlin's face, eyes looking over him for a second, before returning to the tie.

"How do you know how to do this?" asked Merlin, because he didn't know what to do in this situation. Merlin didn't know how to tie a tie because he never had a reason to, he had always been poor, and ever went anywhere fancy.

"My dad showed me...the day of my mum's funeral..."

"Oh..." Merlin felt bad for having asked now. He just assumed Arthur knew because he was rich. Arthur finished with the tie, and smiled at Merlin, telling him it was okay and he wasn't upset about the question. Instead of removing his hands though, he placed both on Merlin's shoulders.

"It was a sad day...but one it's of my favorite moments I've had with my dad," he explained. "Before then he had never felt much like a dad to me, but right then he was." Merlin bit his lip and tried to hide the smile he wanted to show him. He knew Uther had his good sides and no matter what Arthur said, he loved his father very much, this made Merlin miss his own dad, but his death had felt so far away and so long ago at this point, that even though it was sad, Merlin didn't feel like crying. "You look good," said Arthur, after a moment of them just standing there. "Can't tell it's a used suit at all...fucking cheap bitch."

Merlin took a step back and Arthur's hands fell to his sides. "The legs are a little too short," said Merlin, as he looked down and his black socks showed much more than Arthur's did.

"I kinda like it...it's cute," said Arthur. "It suits you."

"It looks like I'm going to start tap dancing!" argued Merlin, Arthur grinned.

"Hunith didn't say no to that..."

(A/N: I wasn't going to post this tonight, but I had time and I thought why not...? So I did it. But YAY the wedding is starting! Some serious stuff GOES DOWN, during this wedding. Can't wait for you all to see it!)