DRABBLE SIX – MOONLIGHT TONIGHT (SHINE ON YOU)
Drabble Prompt: Moon
1963, and the heady Arizona air makes Merlin's thoughts lopsided. He sways out of the diner and finds the moon, hanging like a pearl in the wide, black night. The jukebox hums a gritty guitar tune through the door that won't quite close, a rhythm he can't shake.
Merlin didn't come here tonight to dance, but there's a man under the moon with eyes Merlin knows like his own bones, a smile Merlin still tastes in his dreams. Lancelot offers his hand, and the steps may have changed over the centuries, but this dance is still the same.
One song slides into another, and Merlin is dancing to another melody altogether – Lancelot's laughter, the quiet warmth of his gaze. His hand finds the small of Merlin's back like a well-worn habit.
"It's been a long time."
Merlin grins against the ache of being recognised. "Stay this time."
Selfish, the thought bites. Lancelot has a life here, rooted in his American twang and easy stride – but this night is so short, and the centuries apart have been so long.
Lancelot's gaze promises no more farewells. "Just keep dancing," he says, and if the song should change again, neither of them notice.
