"Arthur...?" called Gwen. "Where are you?"
That was the moment Arthur let go of Merlin's hand and that was fine. Merlin slipped toward the counter and rested against it, as he looked at his TARDIS wedding cake some more. "In the kitchen!" Arthur offered back, but Merlin ignored that, too. He ignored the quick, heavy foot steps and then the sounds of Gwen entering the kitchen. The sounds of her kissing him and whispering something to him. The whisper was probably asking him what they were both doing in the kitchen, because it was probably illegal for both of them to be in the same room when she wasn't there. At least it was illegal to Gwen anyway.
"What on Earth is that thing?" said Gwen then, rather harshly. Merlin turned back at this, because she could be either talking about two things. Him, as she might wish to forget him sometimes anymore, or she meant the cake and honestly Merlin was more offended over the cake. Because that was a masterpiece. Even with a chunk missing at the bottom. Merlin would let no one judge her, not ever. She was flawless. And he did mean the cake...
"I got Merlin a five month wedding cake," said Arthur, and he was just being honest, which is a nice quality to find in someone. Even if the whole relationship he was supposedly in was a lie. Hey, Merlin would take the honesty where he could get it at this point. That being said, Gwen's face did not say she liked the honesty. She glared up at Arthur.
"Why?" she demanded.
"Because I thought it would be nice?" offered Arthur. Gwen hummed and looked over the cake, as the seconds ticked by her thin, penciled eyebrow went higher and higher. Arthur looked like he wished he had lied now and Merlin waited for her to have the fit he knew she was brewing up.
"It looks expensive," she commented, like she was tying to make it offhanded, but her undertone was that of pure anger. "There is being nice and then there is being extravagant for no reason. You have bills, Arthur, and no ones help to pay them..."
There was another slam at Merlin not paying rent, he ignored this. Though, he did want to point out Arthur whisking her off to expensive restaurant's so many nights a week was kind of the same thing. Arthur could have also used that money to pay bills or whatever...since he didn't have help, after all. "It wasn't expensive at all," said Arthur, and Merlin knew that now he was lying. "Really, I got a great deal."
"Hm..." said Gwen again and she looked over at Merlin then. That was the first time she had even looked at him since coming in. "Did you thank him, Merlin?"
"Um...yes, I guess," said Merlin. He didn't know what she meant by that. He wasn't five he knew how to say please and thank you. Unless she meant thank him in another way...and with Gwen who was to really tell what she meant? Merlin sighed then and added, "I think it's beautiful."
"What is it supposed to be?" asked Gwen.
"The TARDIS," answered Arthur. Gwen made a big show of rolling her eyes dramatically. No one commented on this. "Well..." said Arthur after a moment of them all just standing there, in some kind of uncomfortable silence. "I think after all that cake I'll take a run."
"You had two bites," commented Merlin.
"Yeah and you had more, if you wanted to keep your figure at all you'd consider running too," said Arthur. Gwen started laughing at this, forcefully so.
"Merlin never runs...he doesn't care about his health at all, he just does whatever he wants."
Merlin frowned at this, because okay...that was true. But that was yet another jab. "Fine, I'll go...but I won't like it."
Arthur grinned at this. And for a second Merlin thought Arthur was actually happy Merlin had said he would go, too. But now Merlin looked over at Gwen, waiting for her to say she was coming as well. As they couldn't be alone together, obviously. But she didn't and he was kind of surprised by this.
"Go put on shoes, unless you want to be a wild man," said Arthur then.
"Alright, fine...hold on."
Merlin ran upstairs to go locate some proper running shoes. He didn't really have any, but he chose some Toms and he just went with that. It could be worse, he supposed. Hopefully Arthur didn't make fun of him too much. By the time he had gotten back downstairs Arthur was already waiting in the hall. "Get a move on it, Pendragon!" teased Arthur, as Merlin got closer. Merlin stuck his tongue out at him and Arthur had even pulled open the door for him, when he suddenly paused at it and turned back.
"Wait, I got to go cover my cake, so I can stare at it more later," said Merlin, as he headed back toward the door to the kitchen.
"You are meant to eat it, you know?" offered Arthur as he went.
"Nah..." retorted Merlin.
"I'll be outside waiting, do try to hurry up..."
Merlin ignored him once again though and just headed into the kitchen instead. He heard the front door close as he did this. However, when he entered the kitchen, it was as if he had just entered a murder scene. Lined up on the counter were several napkins, all of which had pieces of cake on them. He felt his stomach turn, as he looked over to where his TARDIS cake had been and there was Gwen, knife in hand, chopping.
"What are you doing?!" said Merlin and maybe his voice did sound a bit pained, and maybe it was just a cake. But it had been the priceable of the thing. Arthur had gotten it for him as a gesture, as a gift. Merlin had loved it so much, he didn't want to stop looking at it, now it was just in pieces all over the kitchen. Gwen turned back and smiled at Merlin.
"I'm cutting pieces to take to my work ladies tomorrow," she explained, ever so presently. "Merlin, I know you'd like to try...but you could never eat that much cake. Arthur was silly to have gotten you such a big one."
Merlin's mouth was dry, he couldn't find words. He was so angry he could slap Gwen right in the face. He wouldn't, of course, but he would really like to. He didn't say anything to this. He didn't because he couldn't or it wouldn't be speaking, it would be screaming. Understandable or not. He just turned around and walked back out. But his walk had changed, his demeanor had changed. Once, just a few moments ago he was happy, just so happy and then just like that...it was ruined.
As he slammed the door and walked outside, he looked around for Arthur, he was standing a few feet away, on the sidewalk. Merlin wondered where she got the gull, where she got the nerve. How was this any of her right? How did she think she had the right to touch his cake, to say anything? To have any say in anything at all!
"That was quick," commented Arthur, but Merlin walked passed him, stomping down the street now. He knew the second that he had passed Arthur, he knew Arthur knew something was wrong. "What happened?" Merlin didn't answer, he only stomped forward faster. He could hear Arthur jogging to reach him. They were three houses down the street now. "Merlin!"
"Nothing," Merlin retorted.
"Oh, come on..." argued Arthur. "Five minutes ago you couldn't wipe the dumb smile off of your face, what happened? Did Gwen say something about the cake?"
"No," retorted Merlin again. He shook his head and suddenly paused in his steps. Arthur almost knocked him over, he was behind him and collided with him, as Merlin had just suddenly stopped without warning. "She killed it," he said, without turning around even as Arthur had to stop them both from falling into the pavement. "She cut it up into pieces..."
"Why?" asked Arthur. And Merlin turned around now, tears welling in his eyes. He felt stupid for crying over a cake. It was just a cake. But he couldn't help it.
"Because she is a stupid, petty bitch!" commented Merlin. He looked up at Arthur after he said this and Arthur only looked confused and kind of concerned. "You gave it to me and she couldn't stand it. Because it wasn't for her...because you cared enough about me to give me something nice. Because you had the audacity to give me something at all..."
"I know that she worries about...things," said Arthur, delicately. Merlin shook his head. He had no time for that right now. He was pissed, she did more than worry and they both knew that.
"Oh, she more than worries and you know it," Merlin said just that, because he wouldn't let Arthur protect her right now. "She undermines me constantly, treats me like a child...she never used to treat me like that. Treats me like I'm stupid. Act's like she's above me...acts like she can do and say whatever she wants because she is your girlfriend and I'm...I'm nothing..."
"You are not nothing, Merlin," said Arthur, pointedly.
"And she hates that you think that!" said Merlin. "She liked it much more when she thought we couldn't stand each other." Arthur only allowed his mouth to gap open a few times and then closed it after, each time. He clearly had no idea what to do. "I'm tired of it...she has no right to touch my cake. She had no right to cut our last one. I'm not the one who looks stupid...it's her, she looks like the biggest fucking dumbass."
"Maybe she didn't mean to," offered Arthur then. Merlin glared at him before he even finished talking. "Maybe she was only trying to help...?"
Merlin scoffed. "Oh please. She knew I loved the cake, she was angry and then she got even more angry when I said I would go on a run with you..." he shrugged one shoulder. "You didn't wonder why she didn't come along, too? I should've known she had something planned..."
Arthur gulped then. "I'll go talk to her..." he went to turn away, to walk back toward the house but Merlin reached out and grabbed the red hoodie he was wearing and pulled him back.
"There is no point, you two will just end up fighting," said Merlin. "It won't change anything anyway."
Arthur's jaw was set now, in a strong line. He looked angry. But Merlin was even more angry, and not just angry but also hurt. He felt tears well in his eyes again and he tried to blink them away, but they fell down his cheeks. "Don't cry," Arthur told him. His voce was softer now and he looked less angry suddenly. He reached up and touched Merlin's right cheek with the side of his thumb. "I'll buy you another one."
"But you can't," cried out Merlin, and yes he did feel kind of stupid still, it was only a cake, but that didn't stop the tears. "It was too expensive and you don't have anyone to help pay your rent, remember..?"
"Oh, shut up," retorted Arthur and then pulled Merlin by the arm. He pulled him right into a hug, which kind of surprised Merlin for a second. They had maybe hugged twice before this. They didn't really touch much. A little bit more when Gwen wasn't around, not for any other reason than the fact that she didn't like it. Which brought up that fact that she was a petty bitch again, but Merlin pushed those thoughts away. Even when they did touch when she wasn't around, it was more jovial things. Such as slaps on the arm or a pinch on the ribs. Once in awhile a hand grab, for whatever reason. But other than that they didn't really touch and they never really hugged. All this to say, that Merlin kind of liked hugging Arthur, because he was sort of soft and warm. Very warm, actually. It could be though, that he was wearing a hoodie while Merlin was not and it was a chilly October day. But whatever the reason may be, Merlin still liked it.
(A/N: I kinda catfished you all with the sweet, Gwenless-ness of the last chapter, but I knew this was coming. I mean obviously I did, I write it. And I mean, the gesture was still there even if Gwen did ruin it, right? They're bonding, feelings are forming in whatever way that might mean. Who knows what will happen. ;p Thanks for reading!)