Guinevere steals something of Arthur's

"Aha!" Arthur cries triumphantly, stomping forward, finger pointed in Gwen's direction. "You've got it! I have been looking everywhere for that!"

"What is he raving about?" Merlin asks Gwen. "He's making a spectacle of himself."

"Since when is that new?" Gwen answers calmly. "He's a walking spectacle."

Merlin laughs as the stormy-faced Arthur reaches down and snatches his favorite navy blue hoodie from its current resting place on the back of Gwen's chair in the coffee shop where she and Merlin were enjoying a quiet drink together.

Were.

"You're taking it back?" Gwen asks, frowning up at him.

"You stole it!" he blusters, digging into the pockets, pulling out an elastic hair tie and, to his horror, a tissue. "Yeesh," he exclaims, shuddering, dropping the tissue on the table between Gwen and Merlin, landing on top of Merlin's closed laptop.

Gwen sighs and grabs it, sticking it in her jeans pocket.

"You left it in our apartment after you got drunk and decided to go swimming in the fountain in the quad with Gwaine. I merely made sure it went to a good home after you abandoned it."

"Sit down, Cabbage Head. I'll get you some cocoa," Merlin offers, knowing Arthur's weakness. Arthur sits and Merlin stands, heading back to the counter.

"It's my favorite hoodie," he mumbles, playing with the hair tie that he hasn't given back to Gwen yet.

"It is quite cozy, yes," Gwen says, watching his long, strong fingers flex and bend, stretching the hair tie and releasing it, winding it around his fingers. "But you live in those bloody things, so I didn't figure you'd miss one…"

"Like I said: favorite one."

"Apparently so."

"It's much too big for you, I'm sure."

"That's why it's so cozy."

Suddenly the image of Gwen bundled in his favorite sweatshirt plays through his brain, and he decides it's not a bad image at all.

"It smells like you," she says quietly, taking a sip of her tea.

"Hmm?"

"Your hoodie. It… it smells like you."

"Well, of course, that's because it's mine."

She giggles now. "You're like a little boy," she says, but as she looks at him she realizes that there is nothing at all like a little boy about him. Not physically, anyway.

"Do you really like it that much?" he asks quietly.

She looks up at him through her lashes, bites her lower lip, and nods. "I like that it smells like you," she admits softly.

"Do you?" he says, inching his chair closer now.

She nods again, and when her hand comes to rest on his knee, he inadvertently shoots the hair tie across the coffee shop. It hits the window and lands limply on an empty table.

Gwen giggles again, and Arthur reaches up and tucks a curl behind her ear, his fingers lingering a moment, his thumb caressing her cheek.

"Guinevere…" he whispers her name, his voice full of wonder as they uncover the mutual attraction that has been simmering below the surface since they met the previous fall.

He leans forward and kisses her, tasting the tea she's been drinking on her lips, his hand still dallying at her cheek, now just holding lightly while they slowly savor this moment, the first kiss.

Gwen squeezes his leg, mostly to stop herself from climbing into his lap. Also to keep herself upright, as it seems all the bones have evaporated from her body.

"About bloody time," Merlin declares, setting Arthur's cocoa down in front of him. "I didn't think you two would ever figure it out." He plunks down in his chair, grinning at them as he hands the hair tie he retrieved to Gwen.

"Shut up, Merlin," Arthur says.

"You're welcome," Merlin rolls his eyes.

"Oh, right. Thanks for the cocoa. I see you got it to go."

"Yeah, well, I saw how things were going, and…" he lets the rest of the sentence fall, since Gwen and Arthur are already standing and Gwen is gathering her things.

"You done with classes for the day?" Arthur asks, holding the hoodie out for her.

"Yes. You?" she answers, slipping her arms into the sleeves and turning back to face him. He reaches down and zips her up, smiling at her.

"You do look really cute in it, I have to admit," he says. "And yes, I'm done. I am all yours."

"Good," she says. "Because I have a few things I want to do to – I mean, with you."

Merlin's eyes grow wide and he is very glad that he wasn't drinking anything right then, because it surely would have sprayed everywhere.

"What?" is all that Arthur can manage. Gwen leans up and kisses him again.

"I think you heard me just fine," she whispers, then pulls him from the coffee shop.