"One bed. There is one bed." Merlin moans, as soon as they enter the room allotted to them.
"That's a very comfy looking bed." The blond prat who is the very reason for their current situation sighs and flops down on the bed, making it bounce.
"Ugh." Merlin runs an exasperated hand down his face.
"No it really is." Arthur raises his head and assures him. "Come try it out." He pats the place next to him.
Too exhausted to care anymore, Merlin takes a few steps and collapses on the mattress. Yes, the bed was very comfortable.
"I refuse to sleep on the floor." He feels compelled to state.
"Don't be ridiculous Merlin. Nobody is sleeping on the floor." Arthur is rolling his eyes, Merlin could tell without checking.
Merlin turns and glares at the prone form of MI6's best agent. He was being difficult on purpose. There was no other explanation. Fine, two could play the game.
Giving up the subject of sharing a bed for the time being, because what the hell. Merlin could hardly complain, and they were both adults, so if anything were to happen… it would be consensual. If not, they could deal with that too. It's not like Merlin had been pining of Arthur's touch on his skin for better part of a year- more maybe.
"So what's the plan?" Merlin asks, looking at the ceiling art. It was painted in gaudy colors, creating an art form out of naked bodies of men and women wrapped around each other. He ends up trying to figure out which limb belonged to which body.
The day had been nothing but exhausting till now. The really short time he got to fix up some devices specific for the trip deprived him of sleep in the last few days, and Merlin had a hard time trying to relax on the nine hour flight- flying made him nervous, even if it was on a private jet. After landing in Esseter they had a limousine waiting for them, which they rode for another two hours to reach the Fyrien Castle. The next hour had been spent in going through one of the most intensive checking Merlin had experienced till now, including when he was cleared for MI6 the first time. He was suddenly glad he had not tried to sneak in electronics after all.
Finally, finally they were allowed peace and quiet, and Merlin feels like would sink in the bed and melt. But they really needed to talk strategy.
"Huh?" Arthur answers groggily, as knackered as Merlin is.
"Plan Arthur. You know? It's a thing people have before stepping into enemy territory."
"I have a plan." He answers.
"And? What is it?"
"There are actually two plans."
"Still waiting on details here."
"Argh. Can we please discuss them in the morning? I want to sleep." For a secret spy, Arthur sure whines a lot.
Merlin doesn't say anything for a while, extremely tempted to just agree and fall asleep, but they both needed to change for one, and he won't be able to rest unless he knew what their next move was. Talking strategy was always one of his jobs even when Arthur was on the mission solo. The agent planned best when he was speaking, and if not harassed for stating every detail of it, he would always go in blind.
Sometimes Merlin felt like his job was more babysitting than being the head of one of the branches of MI-6. Nobody threw tantrums better than secret agents.
"No."
"You're the worst Merlin."
"Yes, yes. I am a spoil sport for wanting to get out of this alive. Now, spill."
"Alright," Arthur sighs, and then toes off his shoes and scoots to prop himself up on the pillows and the headboard. Merlin follows suit. "Plan A, Seduce Morgause and tr…"
"… What?" Merlin spluttered.
"You think I can't do that?"
"Do you have a death wish? Morgause is terrifying."
"Pfft. Just because you are incompetent with women doesn't mean they are terrifying."
"I am not incompetent. I am just not interested." Merlin protested.
"Whatever you say Merlin."
"Arse."
"So… where was I? Yes. Try and seduce Morgause, access her laptop. Figure out where the data about fusion weapons is hidden and retrieve it."
"That sounds like not-a-very-thorough-plan."
"Welcome to the field newbie. You can't plan for everything."
"I can improve on it. There is this drug, lowers inhibitions. You can try slipping it in her drink at a party or something."
"Brilliant. That would definitely work." Arthur beams. "Women can't resist this on a good day, with lowered inhibitions it would be checkmate." Arthur gestured with a swipe of hand down his body, and Merlin throws a pillow from his side to land on the blonde's face.
"Okay what's the second plan?"
"Well. In it, you become useful and sneak into their network center, hack into the system and find us the location. We retrieve them and go home. The sooner the better."
"Better. I trust plan B more."
"No reason we can't do both at once."
"Okay."
"Okay."
"Oh before I forget," Merlin exclaims suddenly, jumping off the bed and rummaging into his carry-on bag. He deliberately ignores Arthur saying 'like that would be something new', deciding to concentrate on subject on hand.
"Tada." He straightens up triumphantly holding two small syringes, sterile wipes and band aids in his hands.
"No way." Arthur sits up straighter, and against all reason… terrified.
"Oh come on big boy. You have been to medical after every mission, you can't be scared of needles."
"That's because I trust actual Elena to know how to avoid cutting my whole artery out. Also because she is scary when I complain." Elena is their chief of medicine back at headquarters. Arthur is right. She is an absolute sweetheart even on a bad day, but if you try to go against her medical advice, she can be terrifying without even trying.
"You cry baby. I know what I am doing."
"What are you doing anyway? What's in the syringe? If you want to dose me with sedative so I won't attack your virtue, you needn't worry."
"It's a tracker, you giant arse. It's synced to our watches. Probably can't transmit as long as we are in range of jammers inside this castle, but just in case we get lost…" Merlin trails off, feeling stupid. He had thought it was a pretty neat idea.
"Merlin?" Arthur says slowly.
"Yeah?"
"That's actually a brilliant idea." He beams and looks up to see Arthur beaming back. To his credit, Arthur barely tenses when Merlin wipes the crook of his elbow with the sterile wipe, and presses his thumb slowly to find the vein. When Merlin glances up at Arthur to see if he is doing alright, syringe poised, he is surprised to notice that he is being stared at with wide eyes and open mouth, the agent's breathing heavy.
Must be the fear of needles, he almost convinces himself.
Merlin wasn't joking. He is pretty good at this. So he presses the needle, in and out within a few seconds, band aid firmly applied. He sits down on bed and quickly repeats the process on himself.
"Done. Now we can at least find each other's dead body if someone abducts and dumps us. The tracker will last in our blood for a week."
"We aren't going to die Merlin."
"Don't think I didn't notice how you didn't protest to the abduct bit."
"It's a dangerous mission." Arthur shrugs, "I make no promises."
"Ass." Merlin mumbles, and then quiets down, contemplating how this had become his life.
After a few minutes when the agent does not move or say anything, Merlin speaks so that they can get on with the night, before Arthur falls asleep in his travel suit.
"You should go shower."
"Do you mean to say I smell?"
"Nine hours flight… is all I am saying."
Arthur huffs, but gets up and trudges towards the bathroom door. Merlin contemplates about the coming week. It won't be difficult, no matter how much he complains otherwise. Arthur would never try to encroach on his boundaries if he didn't want him to, and Merlin was more than immune to seeing Arthur flirt with everything that moved. It was part of job description.
What scares him more is the proximity, and the fact that Merlin wants more. Ten minutes later when Arthur comes out of the shower, nodding towards Merlin to take one himself, the fear is reinforced. Arthur was outrageously gorgeous and he knew it. But he did not yet know the effect that had on Merlin.
He would be insufferable when he found out, Merlin muses, as he turns the water temperature to cold. It was better to avoid any… accidents… preemptively.