Eeensy weensy spoiler for the Hunger Games in this chapter so if you haven't read the book/seen the film and intend on doing beware.
Merlin was acutely aware of an overwhelming sense of happiness that filled him when he woke.
He was also aware of his desperate need to pee.
He tried to carefully pull himself out of Arthur's arms but a semi-conscious Arthur tightened his hold on Merlin.
"Arthur," he whispered. He heard a sound of acknowledgement from behind him. "I really need to go to the toilet," Arthur's grip loosened as he giggled slightly and Merlin slipped off the bed.
When he returned, Arthur was wide awake.
"Please get back in bed," he said.
"Well I was actually planning on going for a run -" he replied sarcastically, climbing back in and resting his head against Arthur's chest. Arthur held him close and planted a light kiss on his forehead.
"So what are we doing today?" Arthur asked.
Merlin wanted to do something normal, like go for lunch or a walk in the park.
"I'm not doing anything before coffee," he said instead.
"Well if it came down to a choice between getting up to get coffee or staying here in bed all day, I know which I'd choose," Arthur replied.
Merlin looked at the time and saw that it was still quite early so snuggled further into Arthur's chest.
"Maybe a little while longer then," he said softly, allowing his eyes to fall shut and for his breathing to slow down until it matched that of the figure that lay beneath him.
•••
When Merlin woke again he was very cold. Arthur was gone but he could hear laughing coming from downstairs. He hobbled out of his room and down the stairs and found Arthur, Gwaine and Leon sat around in the kitchen drinking coffee.
Arthur turned and saw him and smiled a smile that took over his whole face.
"So what's your story for why this one's here this morning then?" Gwaine asked Merlin as Arthur handed a cup of coffee, his fingers brushing against Merlin and causing a spark of desire to travel through him. As much as he hated to admit it, Merlin had always been particularly horny in the mornings.
"He stayed over, if that's OK with you, father. Hi Leon, how are you?" Merlin asked, changing the subject.
"I'm alright thanks, miss Morgana heaps though," he replied.
"When's she getting back?" Arthur asked.
"Tomorrow evening, why?"
"So that I can prepare myself for the guilt tripping about not being there for Uther that I'm sure to receive," Merlin laughed and Arthur shot him a look to say that this was not funny.
"You'll be fine," Leon told him. "Just don't answer her calls. Or texts. Or the door when she resorts to that," Arthur did not look amused.
"We should be getting going," Gwaine said to Leon. "Merlin, when was the last time you showered, mate?" Merlin threw the little remote for the radio at him. It was completely ineffective but was the closest thing to him which would not cause Gwaine any damage.
"Didn't mean it as an insult, just that you smell and should wash," Gwaine got three pairs of eyes glaring at him. "Whatever, see you later," he said as he grabbed his keys and Leon's arm and walk out of the kitchen, Leon waving at an awkward angle.
Arthur stepped behind Merlin and wrapped his arms tight around him. Merlin sank into the embrace and turned his face towards Arthur, which caused him to kiss Merlin's cheek, ever so softly. "Morning," Arthur said.
"Mmm," Merlin replied, his bliss causing him to lose all forms of coherence. He turned to face Arthur and kissed his lips with enough force to tell Arthur that he'd be quite content doing this all day.
"I like you in the mornings," Arthur joked, pulling Merlin by the hand into the living room where they both fell onto the sofa. Merlin leant against Arthur's side and threw his arm around his chest. Arthur was closest to the remote and so turned on the TV and started flicking through the channels.
Merlin stared at Arthur's neck and found himself drawn to the perfectly defined jaw bone which was connected to his lean, long neck which led to his equally defined collar bones. Merlin leant up and began placing light kisses along the path, lingering when he got to the collar bone and sucking gently. He received an almost inaudible moan from Arthur whose eyes had flitted shut and who had extended his neck even further. Merlin repeated the kisses going upwards and kissed behind Arthur's ear before making his way along the hollow beneath Arthur's cheekbones to his mouth. Arthur captured Merlin's lips in a firm kiss and took his bottom lip between his teeth. Merlin ran his tongue slowly along Arthur's upper lip and felt Arthur do the same to his lower one. Arthur released his teeth and they both slipped their tongues into each other's mouths, at first seeking to explore all the nooks and crannies of one another's mouths, then more slowly, as if by routine. Merlin pulled away to breathe and rested his forehead against Arthur's.
"Do you need to ring work?" Merlin asked quietly, not wanting to ruin the moment.
"Did it this morning before you came downstairs. What do you want to do today, or do I already know the answer," Merlin laughed and placed a lazy kiss on Arthur's lips.
"Do you fancy going to the cinema?" Merlin asked.
"Sure," he said grinning. "And for the record, I love how you smell right now, Gwaine was winding you up," This time Arthur kissed Merlin's cheek.
"Well never the less, personal hygiene is rather important, especially when one is leaving the house. I'll be out in 10 minutes," he said, removing himself slowly from Arthur's arms and bounding upstairs.
•••
Merlin came back downstairs with a towel wrapped loosely around his hips, his hair wet and his skin gleaming with the water he had yet to dry off. "I should have asked before, do you want a shower?" he asked, not realising the effect he was having on Arthur.
"Yeah, that'd be great thanks." Arthur had already been out to his car to grab his overnight bag and so would be able to use his own toiletries and change into clean clothes. Merlin showed him where the clean towels were and then Arthur turned on the shower, undressed, and climbed under the jet of steaming hot water.
His mind began to wander and Arthur soon realised that less than 10 minutes ago Merlin had been stood in this very spot, naked.
The hard on that had been beginning to develop when they had been making out on the sofa was now back in full force and Arthur could not bear to let it go unnoticed once more. He wrapped his hand around his erection and swiftly brought himself off. Afterwards, he felt incredibly guilty and scrubbed his hand until it was raw, as if Merlin would be able to tell what he'd been doing.
He exited the bathroom once he was clean and dressed and knocked on Merlin's closed bedroom door. "I'm ready if you are?" he said.
"Come in here a minute will you?" came Merlin's voice. He opened the door and found Merlin sat topless on the bed, once more struggling to fit his potted foot into the leg of his jeans.
"As much as I wouldn't be one to object to you leaving the house like that, I'm not sure the people at the cinema would appreciate it,"
"Shut up and help me get dressed or we'll miss the film,"
Arthur did as Merlin asked before realising that they hadn't even agreed on a film. "I didn't realise we were on a schedule?"
"The Hunger Games, 11:30, Screen 4," Merlin recited. "I just looked to see what was on and that was the only decent thing, hope you don't mind?"
"No, I've been meaning to go see it actually, it looks great. Good choice," Merlin was into his jeans by this point and picked up a striped blue shirt from the bed, pulled it on and then pulled a grey, v-neck jumper on over the top, rolling the sleeves on both items up. Arthur passed Merlin his crutches which he hadn't been using around the house from where they lay on the floor and then followed behind him back downstairs. Merlin took a thin leather jacket from a cupboard and put it on before walking out of the house behind Arthur and locking the door.
Today was going to be a good day.
•••
Being on crutches meant Merlin got to skip the queue which had formed at the ticket desk and was given VIP seating for free. He had been hoping for back row seats, but he was never one to look a gift horse in the mouth.
"Do you want popcorn?" Arthur asked.
"No thanks," he replied. Despite the fact he hadn't had any breakfast, Merlin was not hungry, and knew he wouldn't be for another few hours. "Can I have a water though?"
"Sure. A medium popcorn and 2 large waters please," he said to the teenager behind the counter. They received their refreshments and Arthur glared at the teen. "I don't know if it's escaped your notice, but neither my friend nor I have 3 hands. He can hardly carry any of this, can he? How hard would it have been for you to put the cups in one of those cup holders which are right behind you so that I can carry it all without having to perform some ridiculous balancing act?" The teen flushed with embarrassment and put the drinks into a cup holder while Merlin stared at Arthur in awe. As they walked away Merlin said to Arthur, "You could have just asked nicely, you know?"
"I could, but stupid people annoy me," Merlin laughed.
The cinema was empty when they entered, but they were there quite early and it could still fill up yet. They sat down in their allocated seats and Arthur automatically took off his shoes and curled his legs up under him. He passed one of the cups to Merlin and then put his popcorn in his lap and made a start on it.
"Are you going to save any of that for the film?" Merlin said to him.
"Maybe," he replied, his mouth full.
"Pig," Merlin mumbled. The sight of Arthur's bulging cheeks and lean neck made Merlin very hot and he took a sip of his drink, thankful he'd asked for ice, hoping it would cool him down before Arthur noticed the colour he had turned.
Unfortunately, he already had. "Take your jacket off if you're hot," Arthur said, assuming it was to do with the number of layers Merlin had on. Merlin took off his jacket and handed it to Arthur to put with his on the seat next to him.
As the lights dimmed and the adverts began to play, Merlin subconsciously shifted closer towards Arthur, who did the same thing. As the movie progressed, Merlin found that he was almost resting on Arthur, and so tried to sit up a bit more. Arthur moved the arm rest separating then and threw his arm around Merlin's shoulders, pulling him into his side. Merlin cried when Rue died and Arthur brushed the tears from his cheek and when Merlin jumped out of his seat when the first Mutt appeared Arthur could not contain his laughter. Merlin shot him evils but it was too dark for Arthur to see, and when he laid back into Arthur's arms, he was still shaking slightly. Arthur tried to soothe him by running his hand up and down Merlin's arm, but this just made Merlin feel even more on edge.
He then realised that they had wasted the gift of being the only 2 people in the cinema. Wanting to make Arthur aware of this, Merlin reached into the popcorn bucket and reached down to the bottom, pushing it into Arthur's lap. He then took a small handful and held up a piece to Arthur's lips. "Want it?" he whispered.
Arthur tried to take it from him in response but Merlin quickly put it in his own mouth. Now that he had Arthur's attention, he ate another piece of the popcorn, this time more slowly and sucking on the tips of his fingers slightly. Arthur took the next piece from Merlin's hand and fed it to him, allowing him to nibble softly on the end of his fingers. Arthur leant down and pressed his lips to Merlin's and they kissed until the lights came back on, signaling they had missed the end of the film.
Merlin's forehead fell against Arthur's. "I'm impressed we lasted that long," Arthur said.
"Hmm," Merlin mumbled in reply, seeking Arthur's lips out again. They kissed messily until the end of the ridiculously long credits and then made their way out of the cinema. Arthur desperately wanted to take hold of Merlin's hand, but he was using both of them for his crutches.
"Do you want to do anything else?" Arthur asked.
"I could do with picking up a few things from around town seeing as we're here, if you don't mind?"
"As long as we can go for a drink afterwards?"
"Sounds good to me,"
Once Merlin was done picking up new toiletries and browsing the new Topman collection, they went back to the car and Merlin directed Arthur to his local pub. When they got there, Merlin noticed Lance's car in the car park and was torn between sticking with the plan and bolting. He decided he might as well stay, seeing as he had had such a nice afternoon already and nothing was likely to spoil it. This time, Merlin left his crutches in the car and Arthur wrapped his arm around his waist to support him.
The second he was through the door, Gwen was stood up waving him over and shouting his name. He slid into the booth she was at alongside Lance, Gwaine and Leon and moved around so that Arthur could sit next to him. It was a tight squeeze, but Merlin was not complaining at the proximity of Arthur's body to his own.
"I didn't see your car outside Leon?" Arthur said.
"Then let me remind you of the conversation we had not 12 hours ago about the courtesy car I have while mine is in the garage," recognition spread across Arthur's face and everyone laughed.
"Merlin, we've been ringing you for the past half hour and you didn't pick up, we didn't think you'd show up," Lance said.
"We were in the cinema and my phone's still off, sorry. We didn't know you'd be here either, but Arthur said he'd only shop with me if we went for alcohol afterwards,"
"That is not true!" Arthur splurted out.
The next hour was the most normal Merlin had felt in a long time. He was able to relax and forget about the nightmare month he'd had and enjoyed spending time with his friends, old and new. Merlin saw Arthur stop himself from putting his arm around Merlin a few times, not sure how the others would react or if Merlin would be comfortable with it, so Merlin took his hand under the table and squeezed it to show Arthur he was fine with it. Instead of putting his arm over the back of the seat, he wrapped it around Merlin's waist once more to be less obvious and Merlin shifted so that his head was almost resting on Arthur's shoulder. Merlin saw Gwen smile out of the corner of his eye and then allowed himself to rest his eyes. He wasn't used to being out of the house for this long or being sociable and felt very tired. It didn't help that all he'd eaten all day was the popcorn, and at the thought of food, his stomach grumbled loudly.
"Anyone'd think you were about 80, Merlin," Gwaine teased. Merlin opened up his eyes far enough to give Gwaine the evils.
"Maybe I should take you home?" Arthur said into Merlin's hair.
"Food first," he replied.
"We can stop at the chippy on the way back?" Arthur offered.
"It's only about 3 isn't it? It'll still be closed; can we just get some sandwiches from here?"
"If you want. Does anyone else want anything to eat?" Arthur asked the group. It turned out they all did. Merlin sat up to let Arthur go to the bar and Leon followed him to order another round of soft drinks. The sandwiches came shortly after and Merlin reluctantly swapped places with Lance so that he could share his sandwich with Gwen. Gwaine left when he'd finished to walk to Elena's house which was just round the corner and told Merlin that he wouldn't be home until the morning.
"This is the second time I've been out with Gwaine and he's left to go see his girlfriend, why doesn't she just come out with you?" Arthur asked. Gwen instantly looked angry.
"It's probably not best to mention Elena around Gwen," Merlin told him quietly. "They don't get along. At all,"
Merlin was ready to fall asleep by this point and so they all said goodbye and left the pub. Arthur helped Merlin into the car and asked him for quick directions back to Merlin's house, not trusting him to still be awake when he needed him to be.
As Arthur predicted, Merlin was asleep by the time the engine was running and so Arthur drove back in silence.
Merlin had changed him so much. Arthur now cared deeply for someone who was not himself and found himself smiling from ear to ear as he glanced at Merlin's sleeping frame. He jumped in his sleep and Arthur reached over to touch his cheek in an effort to calm him down. It seemed to work and Merlin relaxed.
Arthur barely had time to come back to his senses when the car crashed into them from behind.
OOOH CLIFFHANGER, MUHAHA. School is getting a bit demanding at the moment so I apologise in advance for longer delays between updates! Hope you enjoy regardless, let me know if you do!