"What?"
"I told you, you won't like it," Arthur grimaces but Merlin waves his hand repeating.
"What?"
"Don't be so melodramatic…"
"No, no. I really need you to repeat the words you just said. I didn't hear you right."
"Come now Merlin. Cenred isn't a bad guy. Except for all the… killings."
Merlin puts a finger in his ear and pretends to clear wax.
"Again."
Arthur sighs. "Alright. Just, charm yourself into Cenred's room. What's the big deal?"
"What's the big…" Merlin opens his mouth and closes it, unable to formulate words. What the hell was wrong with Arthur?
"What the hell is wrong with you," he shouts.
"Okay. Alright. I get it. You don't want to do it. It's not like I didn't know it already." Arthur placates, raising both hands.
Merlin huffs, and then paces the room. This is the most insane plan he has ever heard. "This is the most insane plan I have ever heard," he proclaims.
"I know. Forget that I mentioned it. I will try to seduce Cenred myself."
"You what?" Merlin whips around and gapes.
"There really isn't another way to get into Cenred's suite. You said so yourself… unless he takes you there."
"Arthur, you tried to seduce his wife just yesterday." He feels obligated to point out.
Arthur winces, "I know. Not the best of the situations. But I have dealt with worse."
"You're insane." Merlin shakes his head and resumes pacing.
"What did you expect I would do? I am trying my best here." Arthur throws his hands up exasperatedly.
"I don't know… aren't you a secret agent. Don't you have hi-tech ways of infiltrating into a top secret place?"
"Well… you're the tech geek." He waits for the statement to register, and when he notices Merlin's ear start to color up he says as a sort of apology. "I am sorry you had to discover how unglamorous secret spy lives are."
"I never wanted to discover anything. You dragged me into this. Morgana would've been so much better suited for the job."
"I know. Hindsight is a terrible thing."
Merlin flops down on the bed and stares at the floor desolately. "Even if I do agree to it," and ignores the noise of 'you don't have to', soldiering on, "even if I do… there is no reason Cenred would want me." He finishes, and swallows hard.
"I beg your pardon?" Arthur sounds baffled.
"I mean… look at me," he scoffs. "I am no you. I don't have any charms to speak of. I am not good at this whole seduction thing."
"You got to be kidding me right now." The muted fury in Arthur's tone makes him look up and gaze at him. He knows his eyes are wide. He hates feeling insecure like that, but Arthur's body is something hand sculpted by the gods, and he is just a gangly awkward guy, whose physique hasn't yet accepted that he isn't a teenager anymore.
"I have never been very successful at this wiles thing even when I was honestly trying." He tries for lighthearted, but it comes out self-deprecating.
"Merlin," Arthur says, his voice threatening and solemn, "if you continue in this tone I will have to shake you until the shrunken brain of yours get even more damaged by hitting against your skull and you forget this bullshit."
"Wha-."
"Are you seriously trying to imply you aren't attractive?" Arthur asks, flummoxed.
"I mean I- Cenred has so many options, why would he ever choose me?"
Arthur comes and stands in front of him, and then he uses one hand to raise his chin, bending down a bit, until they are so close Merlin can appreciate the cerulean hue of his eyes. Arthur's face is serious, all humor gone, his forehead wrinkled in focus.
"Shut up Merlin," he whispers, and Merlin can feel his breath rustling the air between them. They both stare at each other for a few moments, frozen, and then Arthur says, "Trust me. He would want you. Hell, everyone in this God damn castle would want you. You have no idea, do you?" He sounds so awed, that Merlin feels his heart do weird flips inside his chest.
"All this genius, crammed into this small frame, the allure so difficult to contain, bursting out… you don't even have to try." Arthur proclaims, and then bends a little, and Merlin closes his eyes. The emotions in Arthur's gaze are too much, and he feels as if he is staring right into the sun and would go blind.
Without conscious thought, he lifts his chin, waiting for the kiss, dying for it. For a tantalizing second, he feels Arthur move closer, his breath ghosts over Merlin's lips and his breath hitches. Suddenly, Arthur withdraws, his hand from his chin falling away and he hears him take a step back. Feeling cheated, he opens his eyes to see Arthur standing with his back to him, his red neck visible before he raises his hand to absently rub it.
It takes him a few minutes to calm himself, to bring his galloping heart to more of a steady paced rhythm. He wonders whether they are going to talk about the moment, or ignore it.
Arthur absently coughs, and says to the wall, "So if that's what you're worried about… honestly. It's the least of your worries."
So, ignoring it is.
"Why Arthur," his voice comes a little unsteady, but he is proud of the fact that it doesn't break, "I didn't know poetry was one of your talents."
"Do be quiet Merlin," Arthur says, his weak comeback doing miracles for Merlin's ego.
"I still don't know why, out of all the people in castle, Cenred would choose me," Merlin muses, and Arthur lets an annoyed puff of breath and turns. His cheek are flushed. It looks unfairly appealing on his skin.
"Are you for real? I just explained. Oh if that's not enough… He has been checking out your arse for days now."
"He what?" Merlin sputters.
Arthur just shrugs, "It's a nice arse. I can't fight people for the right to stare at it."
Merlin is sure his face had traversed the area of red and now is on it's way to turning into a shade not even on visible spectrum. What is he supposed to say to that?
"Also, if it helps, Cenred would be interested even if you were a dead log. You're my plus one. And what won't he give to steal something from the Pendragons." He sounds more like himself now. More like a massive absolute prat.
"Oh, so everything is about you now is it?" The return of things to normal makes him find an even footing as well.
"It's not my fault the power of my charm is more believable to you than yours. I tried the other way first," he shrugs.
Damn it. Merlin cannot argue with that. He stares at the ground. This is a situation he never thought he would find himself in.
"I am sorry," Arthur says, and his eyes widen.
"Wait… did you just say you're sorry?"
"Yes. You idiot. I am sorry. I shouldn't have dragged you into this awful position in the first place." He actually even looks sorry. Merlin realizes with a sick feeling that he would do anything to take away that look from the agent's face. Even throw himself on Cenred, if need be. "You have every right to say no. I understand. We will figure something else out."
Merlin considers that. The wise thing to do would be to opt out. He cannot not see himself pulling it off in any feasible way… but on the other hand, they have only two days left and this really is the best course of action. Arthur wouldn't have suggested it otherwise.
"Okay. I will do it," He agrees.
"Merlin…"
"Shut up for a few minutes Arthur, and don't try to talk me out of it. You know there really isn't a choice if we want to prevent those blueprints from falling into the wrong hands." He closes his eyes and raises a hand, gesturing for no arguments. If Arthur provides him with a logical reason to refuse… he won't be able to resist it.
"Okay." Arthur says, and then a quiet. "Thank you."
A/N:Wow. So this took forever. I don't know if anyone is still reading this thing, but if you are... it's complete now. I will be posting regularly, twice a week or something. And I REALLY am sorry for taking so long.
This is dedicated to everyone who basically encouraged me to finish it and stuck by it, and were just absolute darlings. I wouldn't have been able to finish writing it without you all. Thank you.