Replies:
Scarletbanner: You're right, Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase is one of the best remakes ever! I think I have it on DVD so I might have to watch it now. Ooh, and I like the idea of Gwaine and Morgause together – I'll have to pair them up at some point. And also the idea of Morgana blogging, but maybe counselling would be better? I don't know really. Have loads of mega fun in Norway even though there's no internet.
IcarusLSU: Haha thanks, I'm glad you like their relationship!
Renaissancebooklover108: Aw, I'm sorry. I wish I could've taken you all with me to see the Tempest, but that would've been difficult. Morgause will be fine soon. She just needs a power nap :)
Sjritts: Oh, goody! Morgause was one of my fave characters in the show and I wish they'd given her a bit more of a background.
Merlinlovr: Maybe an Arthur/Gwen engagement, we'll have to see! Hope you like this chapter!
ClaraRosePendragon: Haha, yes I am one lucky duck. I'm happy you like the comedy in this story!
MICKEY.G.B: I'm winning on the cuteness points for Mordred! I hope you like Merlin and Gwaine's conversation!
Gespav: Understanding you loud and clear! I actually thought English was your first language until you told me different! You'll find out more on Morgause soon and Mordred's father! Colin was as amazing as everyone says he is, if not better. It's a bummer that everyone doesn't live in the UK so they can go and see him.
Sakhr al-Jinni: (For Chapter 34) Glad you like the new photo and I hope you had fun on your holidays! Here's the next chapter! (For Chapter 35) Haha, Gayine! I like it. Thanks, I hope you like this, too.
XXX
"Gwaine, you have really got to tidy this apartment," Merlin says with a weary sigh, glancing around at the rubbish tip that was Gwaine's flat.
There are many pairs of underpants and socks, probably all worn, littered over the floor, along with a black bra and a deep pink thong that is crumpled on the sofa.
Gwaine grins and runs a hand through his hair. "You're probably right. I'll do all that shit tomorrow... or maybe next year."
Merlin gingerly picks up the bra by its strap and throws it to Gwaine so that he can sit down. His friend tries catching it with his toes, falling over in the process.
"Had someone round?"
"Yeah, great company actually. Should I go into the details?" He holds up the undergarment and waves it around. "Do you think she'll want it back?"
"I'm sure she's got plenty. Why was it on the sofa?"
"That's where she took it off," Gwaine explains, as if this was obvious. "Or rather, I did."
Merlin cringes and shuffles to his left. "Nice."
Gwaine laughs. "Ah, don't be such a prude, Merlin. You can't play the virgin card any more, not when you've got a fabulous sex life of your own."
Merlin snorts. "What makes you think it's fabulous?"
"You've got Morgana! Night time with her can't really be bad, can it?"
"Gwaine!" Merlin hisses at him. "She's my girlfriend!"
He shrugs. "Yeah, but she's gorgeous and I'm allowed to have fantasies. You've got them somewhere, tucked away in the back of your head. Haven't we had this conversation before?"
Merlin's cheeks and ears burn. He did have a very active imagination lately but he was much better at hiding it. "You have fantasies about Morgana? Have you got no shame?"
"Hey, I can't help it. I fantasize about lots of women. It's a natural thing."
His eyes narrow. "But you sent me that text. You said you thought you might be gay!"
Gwaine's eyes do the opposite. "What, did you actually believe me? I thought your reply was just you playing along!"
"I didn't think it was a joke, I thought you were being serious!"
" So your reply was a legitimate one?" Gwaine starts laughing. "Are you gay? Oh, now I know why you don't like your sex life, Merlin!"
"Don't be so stupid. Morgana sent that before I could stop-"
"Of course she did, Merlin. Of course she sent it," Gwaine interrupts him, smiling at his version of events.
"I'm not gay!" Merlin shouts, wanting to get his main point across. "And that was a horrible joke!"
"Yeah yeah, okay," Gwaine says dismissively, sitting down next to him. "I'll write you an apology some day. So why are you here, anyway? Why have you chosen to venture into the dark depths of my flat?"
"Well, I came to talk to you, obviously. I was going to try to help you figure out your sexuality, but now you don't need me," Merlin says, thoroughly annoyed at Gwaine.
Gwaine holds his hands up in surrender. "Okay, I'm sorry, man. I didn't mean to waste your time. Maybe I can help you instead."
"Yeah, how?" Merlin asks.
"Need advice on how to please a certain woman?" Gwaine grins at his reaction.
"What! No, of course not!"
"Yeah, you do. I can tell. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
"You don't need to tell anyone anything because I don't want or need advice!" Merlin insists.
"Right, well answer me this, sex god. Has she moaned your name yet?"
" We are not having this conversation right now."
"Ooh, I think I know what that means!" Gwaine says, enjoying Merlin's embarrassment.
"Stop it, Gwaine! It doesn't mean anything!"
"Haha, whatever. You know, I always knew this would happen," Gwaine says thoughtfully, biting his thumbnail.
Merlin frowns. "What do you mean, 'this?'"
"You asking me for help."
"Well, you don't have to be so smug about it," Merlin says, frustrated. This was awkward enough without Gwaine making it worse.
"I'm not smug, I just know the future. I'm psychic. Anyway, what does Morgana think of it?"
Merlin shrugs. "I'm not really sure. She says she likes it when I kiss her."
"Well, that's a start," Gwaine says, trying to boost motivation. "What else?"
"She likes it when I touch her."
Gwaine waggles his eyebrows. "Touch her where?"
Merlin sighs unhappily. "She won't tell me. She says I have to figure it out for myself."
"Why's that?"
"Apparently it's more fun that way," Merlin replies, not liking this method at all.
"Damn, she's a feisty one," Gwaine comments with a look of envy.
Merlin rolls his eyes. "Like I didn't know that already. Now, please. Just share some of your knowledge with me."
Gwaine straightens his back and clicks his fingers out before taking a deep breath. "The first thing you need to know about women is they have this little button thing..."
XXX
"I'm back!" Merlin calls out as he steps through the front door, feeling sexually liberated and more than a little excited. Gwaine suggested it would be a good idea for him to take Morgana out on a date and then come back to the house to show off his new bedroom skills.
She rushes out to meet him with a murderous I-want-to-slap-you-around-the-face look in her eyes. "Where the hell have you been?"
Merlin tries to stay positive. "At Gwaine's. We were talking about... stuff."
She isn't convinced. "I rang you five times."
"My battery died." He sees a suspicious look pass over her features and tries to dissolve the intensity. He holds out the wild flowers he has been hiding behind his back and smiles. "I got you these. I picked them myself."
Her anger melts away for a second and she takes the flowers from him. "Thank you."
"So, um, why were you trying to call me?" He asks, wanting to sound vague so that she wouldn't rage at him. Her temper was something of an untameable beast when it came into full flow.
She grabs his hand with her free one and drags him into the living room. There is a pile of towels and blankets and a cardboard box made into some kind of den in the corner of the room. He can hear a faint mewling sound.
"Aithusa had kittens this afternoon," she tells him without much hesitation. "And there was nobody here to help me."
His mouth drops open and he sits down next to the blankets. "How many are there?"
Morgana joins him on the carpet. "Three. It was a bit touch and go because I didn't think one of them was going to make it, but they're all okay."
He looks at her in awe. "But how did you know what to do?"
"Aithusa did most of the work." She reaches in and strokes the mother cat. "I just helped with making the nest and getting towels. The internet said I should put a warm water bottle under the blankets to keep them all warm."
"When did all of this happen?"
"About two hours ago. She started giving birth at 2 o'clock and there was one kitten every 30 minutes or so. Look," she gently scoops up one of the kittens and lets it rest in her palm. It has a thin layer of brownish fur covering it's pink skin and another patch of dark fur developing around one eye. Morgana gives it to Merlin so that he can hold it, too. "This one's a girl. I haven't named them or anything."
Merlin smiles down at the tiny creature that was currently sucking on the tip of his index finger. "I wonder who the father is."
"Mm, that's what I was thinking. I haven't seen any other cats around here but I'd like to find out."
"What's the sex of the other two?" Merlin asks pointing to the other kittens that were squirming around in their nest.
"This one's a girl as well," Morgana says picking up a smaller, dark brown kitten and cradling it between her hands. She puts it back next to Aithusa's side and picks up the last one, a black and white kitten that was trembling slightly. "This one is a boy. It's the one I had trouble with because I had to help him get the fluid out of his mouth."
Merlin strokes him lightly with his hand, settling the kitten with the patch over one eye into his lap. "Stressful?"
"You have no idea. There was blood and all this white fluid stuff that was everywhere-"
"Amniotic fluid," Merlin provides and Morgana scowls at him.
"You know Merlin, I wasn't really thinking about that at the time because Aithusa was in the process of giving birth and I was on my own trying to help her," she snaps back and Merlin quickly apologizes. "What are we going to do with them?"
"Well, I don't think we can keep all of them. Maybe one. We'll have to give the other two away, even though I really don't want to," Merlin says sadly, wanting to keep them all. "Know any people who want cats?"
"Me?" Morgana suggests and Merlin sends her a patronising glance that would've resulted in a slap had he not been holding the kitten.
"Apart from you?"
"Gwen might want one. She used to have a tortoise-shell cat called Charlie. Arthur says she killed it with love because she fed it too much."
"Which one do you think she would want?"
"This one," Morgana decides, pointing to the chocolatey brown one that Aithusa had protectively placed her paw on.
"Why that one?"
"Because it's fur will match her carpet," Morgana says with a grin. "Gwen likes matching things."
"Okay, so hopefully that's one kitten gone. What about the others?"
"I personally want to keep Felix," Morgana says, nodding to the black and white one in her hand.
Merlin frowns. "I thought you said you hadn't named them?"
Aithusa meows loudly at them, wanting her babies back.
"I hadn't. Until two minutes ago," Morgana says, putting Felix back into the nest with Aithusa. "Put kitten Number 1 back in, please. I don't want them getting cold or Aithusa getting worried."
Merlin does as she says, carefully placing the kitten back inside the den. "It should be about two or three weeks before their eyes open. Then they'll start walking around and chewing things apart."
"I can't wait. They're all so cute and adorable," Morgana says excitedly.
Merlin stares at her, amazed at how her personality could change from day-to-day. One minute she was incredibly sexy and seductive, and the next she would be sitting around with cats and giving them silly names. It was one of the things that let him love her even more.
"Stop glaring at me." Morgana interrupts him.
"I'm not glaring at you. I'm just... looking at you."
She narrows her eyes at him. "Why?"
"Because I like to look at you. It's become a hobby of mine."
"You're weird, Merlin."
"I know. Come here." He gestures for her to come closer and she does, sitting back on her heels in front of him. "I'm really proud of you for today. I'm sorry I wasn't here to help you, but I think you did just fine on your own, don't you?"
She shuffles towards him more, their faces so close that their noses are almost touching. "Do I get a thank you?"
"Yes," he presses his lips against hers. "Later."
She sits back, feigning surprise. "You mean I have to wait?"
"Mm." He slips his hands around her shoulders and pulls her close so he can kiss her again. "But I think you'll like it."
Woo! Aithusa had some little baby kitty-cats! I honestly couldn't wait to write that, so I hope you all liked it! And now we know the truth behind Gwaine's text – just him playing a prank like he usually does.
This felt like a weird chapter, I don't know why but it feels different from the others. Maybe because it was more of a filler than anything but just so you know, in chapter 38 (probably) I've got something planned that will make you all go "Whaaaat?"
Anywho! Please review and tell me your thoughts! What do you think of Merlin and Gwaine's usual banter? What about Aithusa's kittens?
Thanks for reading!
Next Chapter: Merlin and Morgana go on their second date. And probably an appearance from Gwen because I miss her.
