It was, Merlin mused a few weeks later, almost a challenge. Merlin spent time with Will, who didn't seem to want to share him with others. Although to that end, Merlin refused to give up his Friday's in the pub with Gwen, Arthur and the rest of them. Will came again once, and then instead made other arrangements with Merlin. Merlin didn't mind, it was nice to reconnect with Will, and it seemed to be going well.
He shifted his folder, tucking it under his arm as he slipped through the doors, heading into the austere looking office. The receptionist looked up at him expectantly.
"I'm here to see Arthur Pendragon."
"Is he expecting you?" she asked.
Merlin frowned. "I think so, he just answered my text."
"Merlin!" Arthur's voice called. Merlin smiled as he saw Arthur, tightening his grip on the folder, and shrugging his backpack back on his shoulder, as it slipped down his arm.
"HI!"
"Come though to my office. I bought us some lunch."
"You didn't need to get me any lunch."
"I know I didn't have to," Arthur said, with exaggerated patience as he took Merlin's arm and started to lead him in the right direction. "I chose to get us some lunch, as you said you could come at lunchtime, and having someone in my office means I get to eat said lunch without getting interrupted. Except by Leon, who is obviously coming to view his picture. I've left him a message, he has a meeting up until 12:30, so we may have to wait for him."
"That's fine. I hope he likes it, since I was a little creative with it."
"I'm sure he will," Arthur said. "I doubt you could go wrong with it to be honest."
"I don't know, I've never done a proper commission before," Merlin said. As they entered Arthur's office he propped the folder against a filing cabinet. There was a temptation to show it to Arthur, just to check what Leon's reaction might be, but that also felt a little inappropriate to Merlin. The only person who had seen it had been Will, who had come over at the weekend to help Merlin replace some tiles in the bathroom, and have pizza. Will, despite his acidity towards anyone around Merlin, was supporting Merlin quite well. But he remained wary of everyone else. Merlin hadn't yet gathered up the courage to say to him that he was as possessive as Cenred had been, in not wanting to share him; even with Gwen.
"What's up with you?
"Oh, sorry Arthur. I was just thinking."
"Well, you didn't look miserable, so it's not your serious thinking face."
"I was just thinking," Merlin said with a smile. "That you put up with things you don't like in people, because you love them. But you wouldn't stand it with anyone else."
"Okay," Arthur said, reaching to pull packets out of a small fridge in the corner of the office and started laying stuff in the centre of his desk, in a clear spot, moving other things out of the way to increase the space. It was all very domesticated, Merlin decided.
"Do you want a coffee, or juice?"
"Juice please," Merlin said, looking around as he sat down, rather awed by the look of Arthur's office. There were files and papers on the desk, filing cabinets against one wall, and folders on top, all slightly listing to one side, trickles of paper pressing out from the bottom, since they looked to be stuffed full. A bookcase of what Merlin presumed were legal books, along with a few paperbacks stood against the other wall, on Merlin's left. It all looked a little haphazard, although Merlin got the feeling that if Arthur needed to find something, he would know exactly where it was in all the chaos. Because, it probably wasn't chaotic. Arthur, as far as Merlin could tell, was ridiculously organised.
"Earth to Merlin!" Arthur said, raising his voice. He waggled a glass of juice in Merlin's face, who took it off him.
"Sorry, miles away."
"You looked it, I'm sure my office is not that interesting."
"It is," Merlin said, looking around again. "I'd like to draw it."
Arthur sat down in the chair next to Merlin, rather than his own on the far side of the desk and started opening packets of pre-prepared pasta salads. There were also some of fruit for dessert, and, as Arthur knew Merlin liked them, meringue nests to go with it.
"You'd like to draw my office?" Arthur queried, looking bemused.
"It's got an atmosphere," Merlin said, taking the pot of pasta off Arthur and prodding the swirls with a plastic fork.
"Okay…" Arthur said looking around, clearly not entirely sure what Merlin was getting at.
"Well it looks disorganised, but you probably know where everything is. It sort of has your personality on it, and it's got a life of it's own," Merlin rambled as he warmed to the subject. He shovelled some pasta into his mouth.
"You'll get hiccups," Arthur warned him as he speared a few pasta pieces in his own tub, and ate them a little more delicately than Merlin's shovelling.
"Thanks, this is nice," Merlin said of his lunch, then went back to the subject at hand. "Your office sort of breathes."
"My office does a lot, but I would never have thought of that. Although I probably do know where everything is. I couldn't tell you where it was, but when I want something I usually just get up and go to it straight away."
"Like an extension of your personality, you know when someone inhabits a room like that," Merlin said.
"So, for that reason you want to do a portrait of my office," Arthur said grinning. Merlin gave a mock scowl, and gave Arthur a light kick on the shin.
"Stop making fun of me."
"Stop making it so easy for me then Merlin."
He didn't manage a retort, as he struggled to think of one. They were both distracted as there was a knock on the door and then Leon popped his head through.
"Hi, come in," Arthur said. Merlin put his pasta down and wiped his hands on a napkin and he got up and went to the folder which held the drawing. Arthur tided the desk and slowly stood up as Merlin started to talk, concentrating on revealing his artwork.
"I had all the photographs, and I could have condensed it, but I thought I'd go for a bit of a montage look."
Arthur's eyes widened as Merlin revealed the drawing which he had worked into a composite of the pictures that Leon had given him. One picture remained dominate, which was an exceptionally cute one of Freya as a kitten, looking directly at the camera. Merlin has blended the further pictures round, as if to make a frame from them in an oval formation. Merlin blinked as Leon, who studied the picture for a moment, gave a funny little hitching breath and placed the picture down on the desk.
"Excuse me," he said, disappearing out of Arthur's office, closing the door behind him.
"Oh god," Merlin said, turning a wide-eyed gaze on Arthur, who merely ate more pasta. "He hates it."
"No, he doesn't," Arthur said. "It's stunning, and very life like and he's just gone for a little cry."
"Are you sure?" Merlin asked, he held up the picture for Arthur, who eyed the portrait carefully. Each of the pictures captured something about the cat, whom Arthur's hadn't liked very much as she always seemed to dislike him, or at least she always seemed to run away from him. However, she had trotted about after Leon, and sat as close to him as possible, whenever he was home, devotedly.
"Very, Merlin. The portrait is great, and very innovative. He'll be back, he'll probably pay you extra."
Merlin looked oddly confused and distressed by that, so Arthur made a decision. Since Merlin had been shocked by the price Arthur had arranged, and now Arthur didn't need the pair of them getting upset at each other.
"I won't let him, don't worry," Arthur said. "Eat your lunch."
"Shouldn't you go and check he's all right?"
"He'll be fine. Leon's very soppy at the end of the day. Not during it though, he's got a very mean reputation in court. Sit down, Merlin, don't fret, eat your lunch."
Merlin did as he was told, prodding his pasta rather unenthusiastically and eating the occasional piece when Arthur frowned at him.
After ten minutes Leon returned, looking a little pink around the eyes but otherwise composed. Merlin gave Arthur a look, demanding help. Arthur gave him a reassuring smile as Leon looked at the picture again.
"It's great," he said.
"You can keep it in the folder until you get it framed. I put the card of the bloke who has a studio at the art shop, he's really good, and will do a good job," Merlin said.
"Thanks, I will. I was thinking of just buying one but I'll do that. I need to give you your commission."
"Don't worry if you haven't got it now," Arthur said casually. He stretched out in the chair he was sitting in. "I can hand it to Merlin on Friday, you're coming to the pub right?"
"Yeah, of course," Merlin said. Arthur grinned and ate more pasta.
"Good. You should come too Leon, to the pub. It's about time you got a social life."
XxxxxxxxxxxxxX
As he ran interference, Arthur alleviated what could have been a moment of embarrassment for both Leon and Merlin. Leon thought he ought to pay more, but Arthur shut that down, and told Leon he ought to start supporting an animal charity. And Merlin received his £50, because Arthur said that a - Merlin's work was worth it, as he broke down the costs, and b- Leon would be upset if he couldn't pay what was agreed. Both those arguments meant that Merlin caved and took the money. He couldn't argue that it wasn't useful.
"I've got you another commission," Leon said as they gathered in the corner of the pub that Gwaine had commandeered, ensuring he got Merlin on the seat next to him.
"Really?" Merlin asked, his voice squeaking. "I'm not sure I..."
"Don't sell yourself short," Gwaine, Gwen and Arthur said to him at the same time. Merlin hunched a little. Gwaine put an arm around him.
"You do though, probably down to your bell-end husband," Gwaine said.
"Soon to be ex, divorce is almost through."
"And then you can marry me," Gwaine said. "The handsome prince of the story."
Everyone rolled their eyes to varying degrees. Gwen looked at Merlin, leaning forward a little, so she could talk over Lancelot and Gwaine, who were sat between them.
"Doing a few portraits for a few people is a good thing. What's the commission?" she asked Leon.
"My secretary saw it. She's short of ideas for her parents anniversary present, but they are very into horses, and have owned various ones over the years. It was how they met. So if she picks out a few horse pictures you could do something similar, and she wants something in the middle with her parents names and the date of the wedding," Leon said. "You could probably charge more than you did for me, but I said she would have to sort that with you."
"She sorted it with me," Arthur said. "Since she knows Merlin is my friend. Same price, although considering it's slightly different, you might be able to charge more. But I didn't think you would like that," Arthur said.
"No I don't," Merlin said. "It's not my job, it's my hobby."
"Maybe, and I know you don't want to be a professional artist, but this is only your second commission. Don't put your cart before Mithian's parents horses."
"Or your art," Gwaine said. "Doing the odd thing is just a bit of extra pocket money, and you can't just draw for yourself, and you don't want to not do it. Seems like the perfect compromise."
"I suppose," Merlin said. "If she's gives me the photos, I can have a look. When does she need it for?"
"It's not for a couple of months, so you have time to play about with it and offer various ideas," Arthur said. "Pop round to my office again for lunch and you can discuss it with Mithian. I'll let her know when you are coming."
"You've had lunch with Arthur?" Gwaine asked.
"I bought him lunch when he brought the portrait in for Leon," Arthur said. "Merlin said he could make it at lunchtime, or at least just before twelve, which in my world is lunchtime, so I bought some lunch in and fed Merlin. He looks to need it."
"OI!" Merlin snarled at Arthur, who grinned and then turned back to Gwaine.
"So, if he comes again to talk to Mithian, I will say come at lunch, and I'll buy him another lunch."
"Or I'll bring something. You bought the last lunch, so it's only fair I buy the next," Merlin said.
"Deal," Arthur said. "We should make it a regular thing. When it's nice weather I go and sit outside."
"Sounds good, we should do that. And take turns to produce the lunch."
"Certainly. So how about Wednesday?"
"Cool. Do you like couscous?"
"Can't say I've ever thought about it," Arthur said. "I might have encountered it.."
"Right. See you next week then."