Chapter 5

Merlin knew that after his conversation with Morgause, Arthur would want a night out, full of shots and drunken complaints before he pulled some gorgeous thing to take back to his loft. He called Lance on his way – it was always good to have sensible company around – and the three of them met in The Rising Sun.

Merlin bought the first round, in a display of how much he understood Arthur's pain (although he didn't, not really, they were being sensible, for god sake!) and they leaned against the pillars that divided the space with booths to the middle of the bar, where a tiny stage stood and there was some dancing space.

It was meant to be a nice, relaxing evening, so, of course, Morgana showed up. Arthur gave her a proper scowl as she came by, grinning a little manically, as she would do whenever her brother was in trouble.

"Hello, dad" she said in a sing song voice.

"I bet you knew it" he complained, and she merely grinned at Merlin and Lance.

"That you'd make a fool out of yourself, yes, I knew it. It doesn't take a genius to know it; you always make a fool out of yourself."

"You know why they chose me, right?" he said, smiling angrily at her. "Because I'm smart, rich and handsome as fuck."

Morgana laughed out loud at that, as did Merlin, and Lance suppressed a grin. Arthur looked at all of them, annoyed.

"I'd say they chose you because they couldn't use Morgana" he said, pointing the woman with his drink.

"I'm just spunk to them" said Arthur, sounding wounded. "I'm just a sperm donor, a money source. She said so, fucking Morgause."

"I bet she didn't" answered Morgana. "She isn't one to state the obvious."

Merlin spitted on his own drink, as he laughed, and Arthur looked betrayed. He shrugged as an apology.

"Besides, Elena will inherit Gwent Enterprises by herself" The woman pointed out, smartly. "She doesn't need your money, your son does."

"Of course you'd side with them" complained Arthur. "You're more Morgause's sister than mine."

Morgana smirked in a way that made Merlin not want to know what she was thinking about. He was rather glad that she didn't voice his thoughts, for Lance spoke before she did, safely steering the conversation away from the siblings' bickering.

"Did you see him yet?"

Morgana face softened as she looked at him.

"He's adorable, looks a lot like Arthur when he was a newborn."

"You were three, you don't remember when I was born" he complained, and she didn't even care to answer that.

"They didn't say you were there" Lance pointed to both of them. "They said it was Vivian, Sophia, Morgause and Elena."

"I had left, of course" was Morgana's answer. "One day you'll find out that you are grownups and that you have to take care of the house, the children, work for a living…"

"You don't work for a living" interrupted Merlin, and she gave him an evil stare.

"… And that you're knackered after eleven pm."

"Where did you leave the boys?"

"My Mother is taking them to a holiday" said the woman, nicely. "They'd go over first thing this morning; I just dropped them a bit earlier. Unlike some people, I couldn't miss it."

Merlin thought that Morgana was being particularly pushy tonight, but ever since she had divorced, six months ago, her humor had being worse than usual and Arthur had always been her favorite punch bag.

"I didn't miss it" was his answer. "And she's not your mother."

Arthur was deeply touchy when his mother was mentioned; he was protective of his deceased mother in ridiculous ways. Even though Uther had started the relationship before Arthur's second birthday and remarried right after his third, Arthur never called Nimueh "mother" or anything other than simply "Nimueh". Morgana, on the other hand, had a very good relationship with her step mother, if a bit explosive. They looked much alike, and their personalities were also eerily similar. Of course, Morgana was also particularly gifted, and had Nimueh had dotted on Morgana for it, while Uther valued Arthur's hard work instead.

Neither Uther nor Nimueh knew how to be motherly or fatherly in usual ways, and hardly showed by words or touches how much they cared about the children they raised, but they were clearly proud of them. It was especially hard for Arthur, he looked too much like Ygraine to Uther's comfort, and was so physically different from them that at the age of eight he had voiced the idea that he had been found in a dumpster. Even as, after others pointed out, he begun to see the similarities in Morgana's and Ygraine's profile, and on how much he looked like Uther with certain expressions (such as the trade mark death glare of the Pendragon's), he begun to accept that he couldn't possibly be anyone else's child.

As the years passed, he saw also that Morgana and Nimueh's physical appearance only matched in the pale color of their skin against the darkness of their hair and, of course, in their special gifts – even their eyes were wrong, and as he and Merlin had grown to be friends, he told him that everyone that felt like family to him looked too much alike for it to be normal.

Merlin hadn't known whether to be elated or crushed at the sentence.

All those years later, he's going with elated.

(Merlin was a shitty liar to everyone else, but he fooled himself just fine.)

Morgana didn't seem to pay much attention to Arthur's complaints, and kept on talking to Lance about Gwydion. Merlin joined them – he had always liked children, and Morgana had named him godfather to her second son, even if they never made it to church out of principle. Arthur wasn't listening to them, he kept complaining, even if they weren't listening properly.

"I bet they get benefits, don't they, single mothers?" He nudged Morgana. "Don't you?"

"I'm not a single mother" she said, bitterly. "And I don't think Elena would be eligible to it anyway."

"Did Alvarr come back?" he asked, displaying his usual lack of touch.

Morgana merely raised her eyebrow at her brother, and spotted something far more interesting behind him.

"It's Karaoke night!" she said, clearly excited. "I must do a number!"

As she left, ignoring Arthur, Merlin saw that Lance was eyeing their friend with pity – which probably resembled his own features. It would never cease to amaze him how emotionally stunted his best friend was.

Soon enough Morgana was on the stage, having found a can-can styled skirt on their makeshift dressing room, a fake pearl necklace, and a random topper to finish her outfit as she climbed on the stage to sing her version of "Diamonds' are a Girl's Best Friend". Merlin couldn't help but smiling fondly at her, and Lance grinned at Arthur.

"She's a better gay man then we are."

Arthur merely scowled at them, not paying the slightest attention. Morgana wasn't over nearly as much as she did before becoming a mother, but many people still knew her, and she had her way with the crowd, engaging them on her presentation. As she left the stage, Merlin turned toward the door, only to be greeted by a most unwelcome vision.

"Guess what? Twelve o' clock" he said to Arthur, and Lance looked around.

"What?"

"Arthur's little chicken showed up."

Mordred had now spotted them and was walking towards them. Arthur hissed under his breath.

"His name is Mordred" added Merlin to his friend, and then he remembered Morgause. "Be nice to him. And I don't mean shag him!"

Arthur looked at him bewildered.

"Ok, everyone is having a go at me today!" he complained.

"Hey" said Mordred, reaching them, with a shy smile. "How's the baby?" he asked, politely.

"You can ask my solicitor!" said Arthur, walking away, even more annoyed now that Mordred had remembered him of what happened.

Merlin smiled at the boy, who was clearly crestfallen, trying to make it easier to deal.

"It's a touchy subject" he said, shrugging.

Mordred nodded, but didn't say anything else. He just stood there, as if he didn't know what to do once Arthur had left. Clearly he hadn't thought this one through. Soon a group of people was upon the stage, singing a mock version of "It's Raining Man", full of weird trinkets. Lance took one look at it and started laughing, and Mordred eased up a bit when he saw it. Soon Arthur was back with them, a drink in his hand and a smile on his face.

"What a mess" he said, laughing. "They are just ridiculous."

"It's a freak show" agreed Lance, smiling. "Look at that one" he said, pointing, and Mordred added up.

"She's a moron."

Merlin looked to the pointed woman, and couldn't avoid bursting out laughing, while Lance's eyes were as wide as plates, as he looked at the boy.

"It's his mother" he said, looking at Merlin.

The look on Mordred's face was confused for a second, before he answered.

"As if! A totally maniac like that."

Now Arthur joined Merlin on his fit of laughs, while Lance looked weary.

"It is, though" said Arthur, clapping Mordred's back.

Mordred's expression was something that should be kept for posterity. Merlin had never seen someone look so confused, shocked and embarrassed all at once.

"It's ok, she's plastered" offered Merlin, as Hunith screamed for him and he waved at her.

"Your mom is here?" said the boy, amazed, and Merlin nodded.

"She's out most nights" added Lance. "Everyone knows Hunith."

Mordred didn't seem to know exactly what to do with his hands or feet, but Merlin had to give the boy points for the effort to try and sound friendly.

"My mom wouldn't be caught dead in a place like this." He said, his voice trembling. "She'd kill me if she found out I was here. A few years ago, my cousin was getting married, and she didn't even open the invitation or anything, she said she wouldn't go to a wedding if neither bride would wear a dress, or if both would."

"Ah, but avoiding a lesbian wedding isn't homophobia" said Arthur. "It's just good taste".

Merlin laughed, and Lance did too, although he punched Arthur in the arm. He was very politically correct, Lance.

"Oh, right, your mother wouldn't like to see you laughing at that, right, Mistress LGBT Rights!" added Arthur, smiling at their friend.

"What about your mother?" asked Mordred, as innocent as they come.

Merlin flinched, and Lance got silent, and of course that was the exact moment Morgana decided to show up.

"She's still waiting for the golden boy to get married" she said, behind Mordred, and the boy turned around, startled.

"A drink" said Arthur, and as he left, Merlin knew he'd have his hands full this night.

Behind Mordred was the prettiest woman he had ever seen. She was absolutely perfect, like a porcelain doll, a model or an enchanted princess of a fairy tale. Her hair looked silky as it tumbled in dark waves contrasting to her pale skin and blue eyes. As they looked at each other, it felt a bit like the world had slowed down around them – there was a clear pull here, not in the same way he felt around Arthur, but something different, that he had never felt before. His magic seemed to flow outwards around her, snoozing her sides, and she smiled at him – a smile that would have been terrifying, if his extra senses weren't telling him that he was home.

"So, who are you then?" she said, putting her arm around his arm easily.

"He's Mordred" said Merlin, and he was thankful, for speaking seemed to be a bit too much right now. "Did Morgause talk to you about him? She met him yesterday."

"I see" said the woman, smiling at him. "I can imagine how excited she was."

Mordred felt like he was missing something in the conversation, but was too scared to say anything. He had felt his magic doing weird things during his night with Arthur, or in some occasions where he was threatened or scared, but this was something else – soft, nice, motherly.

"I'm Morgana" she offered, and he merely gaped. She tilted her eyebrow. "Arthur's sister. I dare say you met him."

He could only nod, and look around. The third guy wasn't there anymore, and somehow it seemed unreal that he was being held by someone named Morgana while a Merlin grinned at him.

"So, are you Alice's?" said Morgana, tilting her head to the left.

"What?" snapped Mordred, confused.

"I guess that's a no" she added, and looked at Merlin, smiling. "Oh, tell me we can keep him!"

Merlin shook his head in disbelief, and then sighed.

"Of course we can keep him, since you and Morgause seem to have fallen in love with him."

"We'll treat you nicely" said Morgana, her voice promising, and she seemed to be a moment away from pinching him too.

"I'm not a stray dog" he said, mildly annoyed.

Merlin laughed at this, and Morgana smiled at him.

"I bet you'd say differently if this was Arthur" said Merlin with a hint of bitterness.

Mordred felt the color rise to his cheeks, but didn't say anything, although Morgana laugh reached his ears.

"My brother will never change" she said, shaking her head. "I hope he didn't mess up with you too badly… Was it the first time?"

He was now completely mortified – had it been obvious? Had Arthur told that to everyone, as an anecdote? He looked down, unable to face her, until something touched his arm.

"She's not talking about that" Merlin's voice was soft and full of mirth. "Although certainly we have an answer about that now."

Mordred looked to where he thought Merlin hand rested, but there was nothing there – the guy was still leaning against the pillar, both hands inside his pockets. He snapped, looking at the other man, his eyes amazed, only one word resounding loudly in his mind:

'What?'

Morgana shook her head, letting go of his arm.

"Telepathic boy" she said, and Merlin agreed. "That was a bit loud, thankfully it wasn't about my dear brother."

"What?" he voiced now, absolutely surprised. He heard his voice crack a bit.

"It's ok" reassured Merlin. "It's going to be ok."

Mordred was scared – properly scared now.

"Was it the first time your… gifts manifested?" asked Morgana, her voice even.

"No" he said, shaking his head, and then, thinking better. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

Morgana just smirked, and Merlin sighed.

"You're not fooling anyone, mate"

Mordred took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He had never met anyone that could hear him, it was generally the other way around.

"I… I really don't know what happened."

"Meaning you don't generally speak inside people's minds?" asked Merlin, grinning. "I try not to make a habit of it too."

He looked at both of them, feeling like a rabbit being cornered by a hungry pack, but Morgana's face was reassuring. She took his hand, pressing them tightly inside hers.

"We have a group… For gifted people to learn and practice…" she said, her voice calm. "We'd like you to join us. We can help you. It's not always easy to deal with those things, especially when they come to us so suddenly…"

"It didn't" he said, and then staggered around, looking for words. "I… I've always… It's not new" he added, lamely.

Morgana smiled at him once more, and he noticed that he had been trembling and fought to control it.

"Still, we'd like for you to join us" she said, looking at him like he really mattered. "At least once? You don't need to come back if you don't want to."

He looked at Merlin, unsure about what to do, and the other man nodded at him.

"Sure" he said, his voice tight. "I'll… come?"

It was the right thing to say – Morgana promptly squeezed him, and Merlin patted his arm. Around the same moment Arthur came back, being steered by the guy he hadn't been introduced to.

"Let's get a table" announced Merlin, walking further from the stage, and Mordred followed. He allowed himself to be sat down beside Morgana, as Arthur and Merlin got drinks.

"Did he run off?" asked Morgana, and the other man nodded.

"It's one of these days" was the answer. Merlin and Arthur were back, carrying pints for everyone. Mordred didn't usually drink but he didn't want to stand out, so he took a sip as Merlin and Arthur sat on the table, Merlin by his side. They all seemed to be waiting for him to say something, so he said the first thing that popped his mind.

"So, how did you guys met?"

This was good – it meant he could just hum and hear, he wouldn't be able to make a fool of himself. Morgana laughed at this.

"One day, I was playing happily, and my dad came around to tell me I'd have a little brother. I thought it would be good, but then it turned out to be Arthur."

They all laughed at that, even if it seemed a bit forced from Arthur's side.

"We met at school" said Merlin, shrugging. "Arthur and I, that is. He had just moved, the teacher introduced him, I lent him my notes, end of story."

"And then he ruined my first pair of Loubotins" added Morgana, smirking. "Puking dad's whisky after getting drunk during the afternoon."

They all laughed, and Merlin looked sorry.

"I had to work for the rest of school to pay her up" he said, and his eyes went wide. "And she threatened me with her freakish long claws."

"I didn't have claws" she said, showing her tongue. "It was a beautiful manicure."

"For Scary Spice, maybe" Arthur laughed at his sister, and then clapped his friend's back. "We actually met Lance because of his mother."

"What?" Mordred said, and then, he noted that this was probably his name. His life was getting just ridiculous.

"My mother is really… Vocal about lgbt rights" said Lance, a bit uncomfortable. "She came around to try and convince people to come to a manifestation. Arthur was as welcoming as ever."

"I'm charming" complained Arthur, and Merlin laughed with his drink on his mouth, causing pint to come out of his nose.

"You told her that you'd rather tie yourself up to her son than to the city hall" corrected Merlin.

"It's a compliment" Arthur tried to say, but they were all laughing at the memory.

"And he did it too" said Lance, smiling. "He tied himself to me and to street lamp to prove a point."

"That was later" interrupted Merlin.

"Still, he was true to his word."

"I don't think this was what he meant" said Merlin, tilting his head.

"I did it both ways, mate" added Arthur, and Merlin looked shocked, while Lance blushed. Mordred felt his heart break a little – was it something unfinished between Arthur and Lance? He couldn't possibly compare to the guy; Lance was tall, more to the muscular side, and with an easy latin sensuality that people like Merlin and Mordred could never hope to achieve.

"I really rather not remember that" said Lance, finally. "It was a complete disaster, and I'll never make that mistake again."

Mordred felt that he could breathe more easily now – he didn't doubt Lance's words, there was something fundamentally honest about the guy.

"I should move to London or New York" was Arthur's response, shaking his head. "I've had everyone here."

"You didn't have me" said Merlin, quickly, and Mordred couldn't avoid noticing the hopeful hint in the edge of his voice. He didn't need to turn around to know that Morgana was probably looking at her friend as she had looked at him earlier, like a lost puppy.

"I did, that one time" said Arthur, his gorgeous smile twisted into a provocation.

"What?" said Morgana, surprise clear in her voice. "I didn't know about this."

"It wasn't…" Merlin started, but Arthur cut him, speaking.

"It was just a few months after we moved over" he said, his voice holding the suspense. "We were what? Thirteen, fourteen? And Merlin had this magazine with Heath Ledger…"

"Not this story" complained Merlin, but Arthur took little notice.

"On his Conan clothes… All that leather, and it wasn't even proper leather, it was battered leather… And we got hard just by looking at it…"

"Come on" said Merlin, hiding his face.

"So I just went and opened up his zipper…"

"Oh My God, you had each other!" said Lance, thoroughly shocked.

"Let me finish it" said Arthur, bossy. "So I opened up his zipper, and pulled his dick out – nice one, by the way, Merlin…"

"Shut up" was all the response he got, and Mordred was at the same time horrified and amazed.

"And started giving him a nice slow wank…"

He stopped for a moment, for effect, and looked at them. Arthur knew just how to keep everyone's eyes on him.

"And just as I opened my trousers for him to be able to grab me too…. His mother opened the door."

It was easy to laugh with them, it was a good story, and Merlin looked completely mortified by it, while Arthur clearly didn't mind at all.

"It's not sex if you don't cum!" announced Merlin, shaking his head, and Morgana rose.

"That's as much shock as I can have for a night. I'll see you guys" she messed with Mordred's hair and with Arthur's, before leaving. Lance was still smirking.

"Now, Heath Ledger… You are showing your age" he said, easily. "He's been dead for half a decade."

"Why, how old are you?" asked Mordred, wondering it for the first time.

"How old do you think?" shot back Arthur, grinning. Mordred tried to do the math.

"Thirty-three?"

That led Lance and Merlin into a laughing fit, while Arthur looked angry.

"I'm twenty-nine!" he barked, crossing his arms.

"I'm sorry" said Mordred, and Arthur finished his pint.

"Beer" he said, and rose.

"Enjoy your last months before bladder deficiency starts" said Lance, still teasing, and he didn't get an answer.

"I'll turn thirty first!" said Merlin, smiling.

"Yeah, but you don't really count" said Lance, clapping his shoulder. "I've got to work", he said, standing up.

After being left alone, Mordred didn't really know what to say or do. It took them ten minutes to realize that Arthur wasn't coming back, and Merlin steered Mordred out of the bar.

"He always does that" he complained, under his breath, then got his wallet. "This will get you home, yeah?" he said, offering him some money. "You'll be alright?"

"I'll sleep over Freya" he said, tightly, and Merlin nodded.

He hailed a cab, and smiled at Mordred.

"I'm sorry… It's just… Look, Arthur isn't your boyfriend. He doesn't do boyfriends."

Mordred looked the man before speaking.

"You stay around him all the time."

"It's different… We go way back, but, Mordred, really, he's an ass."

Merlin opened the cab door, but Mordred just stared at him.

"So you're friends with an ass" he said, but Merlin didn't seem to mind. He hated Merlin for speaking that way about Arthur – it wasn't like that, and Mordred knew it. It had hurt, being talked to as if he didn't know what he was doing, and he wanted to make Merlin feel the same. "You never got to finish that wank, did you?"

That seemed to raise something hard inside of Merlin, and he looked at him sternly.

"Ok, little chicken, you said your piece, now off you go."

Merlin closed the cab door behind him, to send him home, but Mordred had other ideas.

He wasn't going to listen to a man that rather pine silently than do a move.

So he steered ordered the cab to where he wanted to be.