This chapter isn't very long, but it's very Merthur *winks* I hope you'll like that!
CHAPTER 6
Rule Number One
In the meantime, Merlin was lying in Arthur's bed and thinking. About a lot of things. About how much he wanted to stay on Earth and learn from Arthur how to be human and how much he wanted Arthur to feel the same way. Now that he knew that it was love that he felt, he couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like to be loved back...
He knew it was breaking rules again. And he knew he shouldn't be doing that and he wouldn't, he really wouldn't... but first, he needed to find out whether the prince actually felt the same or didn't. He didn't want to read his mind though, this was too personal. But if Arthur felt the same way, he would need to find a way to stay here, to stay on Earth and continue his life as a fallen angel. And if Arthur didn't feel the same... well, then Merlin would leave him and return to Heaven, where he belonged. Even if it didn't feel that way. And he'd spend the rest of his life watching over Arthur from the Garden, having his heart broken with every moment spent there and not with the prince.
Merlin let out a huge sigh and closed his eyes as he rolled on the other side of the bed. On the side that Arthur slept on the previous night. He didn't know if he would spend another night on Earth, in this room, in this bed... but he really wished he could.
He could even smell Arthur's scent, it was all over his pillow.
And then the door opened and Merlin instantly made himself invisible.
"Merlin?" It's me." He heard Arthur say. So he quickly moved to his side of bed and let Arthur see him. He smiled when Arthur's eyes landed on him.
"Hello," he greeted him. But Arthur wasn't smiling and he looked nervous.
"Is there something wrong?" Merlin asked and watched as Arthur went closer to him.
"No," Arthur said and Merlin already knew it was a lie, but he let him continue anyway. "I just wanted to ask you something, but..." Arthur's eyes wandered around the room until they settled on the table. "I have a lot of work, see? All those papers." He pointed at the stack of papers on the table and smiled awkwardly, going towards them. He sat down on the chair and took a quill, looking over them.
It was quite obvious that Arthur was avoiding something.
"We can still talk while you work. Or we can talk and then you can work." Merlin suggested, staying on Arthur's bed and stretching his wings. Now that he knew what flying felt like (since he didn't do that often in Heaven), he missed it and wished he could use his wings again, but the canopy was too low and he didn't want to destroy Arthur's bed, so he could only move them around a bit. When he looked back at Arthur, he noticed the prince was staring at his wings again.
"Sure," Arthur nodded, blushing slightly when he saw Merlin was looking at him. Then he cleared his throat. "I was wondering... when do you think the angels will find you?" He asked finally.
Merlin's smile disappeared instantly. Did Arthur not want him around?
"I don't know." Merlin shrugged. "I have no idea if they even find me or if they've already found me and decided I wasn't worth saving."
"You are worth saving, Merlin." Arthur smiled at him as soon as he heard Merlin had doubts. That made Merlin smile a little. When he nodded, Arthur continued, "I was just wondering if we could ever talk again after you went back home."
That made Merlin look at him again with hope in his eyes, but then he shrugged. "I hope that we can, but... to be honest, I don't like the idea of coming back home." He admitted. That was the first time that he voiced his thoughts and it made him pause. Did he just make a mistake by telling Arthur? Or should he confide in him more? Arthur was a good man, he knew that from watching him in the pond for so long.
Arthur frowned at him, fiddling with the quill between his fingers and obviously wondering what made Merlins say that. "Why?" He asked as Merlin expected. "Are there some angels you don't like or something like that?"
"Not really," Merlin looked down and took a deep breath. He missed Will, that was true, but angels weren't the problem. "It's the opposite situation actually. In Heaven, there'd be someone missing." He said and looked up at Arthur. Before he could finish his thought with saying you though, he cleared his throat and looked down again. He could save that conversation for later. When he looked up again, he managed a weak smile. "But you should work, don't leave it for tomorrow."
Arthur looked down at his papers and the quill in his hand as if he had forgotten about them. Then he nodded and started working, reading through them and signing what was needed.
Merlin wondered if he did that often. And he wondered what it was that stopped him when he was seconds away from confessing what he really felt. But considering the fact that Will or other angels probably haven't found him yet... he'll have more time tomorrow to continue that conversation.
So he let Arthur work in silence.
xoXÖXox
In the end, Merlin helped Arthur with some of the papers (he was mostly just reading them and shaking his head at how detailed problems some citizens seemed to have) and Arthur was signing everything he thought he should. No one disrupted them and they kept working for a few hours at least, judging by the quickly setting sun that Merlin saw from the window. (He kept pacing through the entire chambers while reading the papers.) That was because he was getting a little bit bored, Arthur on the other hand didn't have a choice but finish his work. As a prince he had a lot of responsibilities. He couldn't just throw them out the window because he had a beautiful angel in his chambers, no matter how tempting the opportunity might have been.
Arthur glanced at the pile of papers that he still had to go through and let out a sigh. For a second he tried to imagine he didn't have to read all of them and that he could just go to sleep... but that thought quickly disappeared. Maybe he could wake up early and do the rest in the morning though?
"They're so beautiful." He heard Merlin say from behind him. When he turned around in his chair to see him, Merlin was standing beside the window, looking out at the stars. He didn't dare open the window, but he still had a slight smile on his face. It made Arthur's heart melt.
"The stars?" He asked and Merlin nodded in response.
Arthur stood up from the table and walked over to Merlin, who was still holding a paper in his hand. He didn't turn to Arthur as he kept watching the two or three stars he could see through the castle window.
"Yes." He answered. "I've never seen them like this, from the Earth. Well, I did on the night I found you, but I couldn't really enjoy them then, I was worried and lost."
Merlin turned to Arthur and looked into his eyes, his smile turning into a grin.
"I can't remember the last time I admired them." Arthur admitted, looking at Merlin. Their eyes locked and he could swear that Merlin's eyes wandered down to his lips, even if for just a fraction of a second.
Then the angel turned away again and looked out of the window. "I wish I could see more." He whispered. Then he turned back to Arthur so quickly that he almost jumped in surprise. "Let's go outside!" Merlin smiled at him with a plea in his eyes.
Arthur frowned slightly and thought about the papers. "I can't," was his first response. "You'd need to be invisible, and I shouldn't leave the chambers at this hour." He added because it was indeed almost midnight.
"Please," Merlin stepped a tiny bit closer, looking so deep into his eyes that Arthur was almost sure he could see into his soul too. Merlin's eyes were as if sparkling – again, and his wings were close to his shoulders and his hair fell across his forehead so perfectly and his red lips were parted in such a way that it almost made Arthur lose his mind-
"Yes." He decided.
One word from Merlin. That was all it took and he was lost. But to be honest, he could use a break from the work and he knew Merlin could too. "Alright." He added.
"Thank you!" Merlin smiled and unexpectedly threw his arms around Arthur, squeezing. The moment was gone before Arthur could even register it though and Merlin was already staring out of the window again. "Come on, then!" He smiled as he took Arthur's hand – his hand! - and dragged him out of his chambers, making himself invisible on the way so it looked like Arthur was strangely following his outstretched hand in the air.
It took a moment for Arthur to realize what was happening. They were (well, he was, as Merlin was invisible) already running down the stairs, when suddenly Arthur seemed to come back to his mind and he stopped him.
"Wait," he whispered. There were no guards around, but he couldn't see Merlin and wasn't sure where he was. He knew he stopped though and was probably watching him right now. "We can't leave the castle." He could almost see Merlin's sad eyes. "We'll go to one of the towers instead." He added. It didn't occur to him until that very moment, but now when he thought about it, it wasn't a bad idea. There wouldn't be anyone guarding it – well, there would, but probably not the highest tower that wasn't often used for guards to look out for enemies. There wasn't a reason to expect any attack anyway.
"I'll lead you." Arthur added. He could feel Merlin's fingers in his palm, and he squeezed, gently leading him up the stairs again.
It took a couple of halls and staircases – both straight and spiral – to get to their destination. Arthur opened the door that led right into the tower and then closed it when he was sure Merlin was there with him.
"Thank you," he heard Merlins say as he turned to him and found him standing in front of him. He was visible again, even his wings. And his eyes... they were full of stars as the angel looked up. So many more of them have become visible in the sky since the moment they left Arthur's chambers!
"No problem." Arthur smiled. The soft grass beneath their feet made him remember the times his maid took him to this very tower after he would spend days pleading her. He used to come there alone when he was older, but then... he wasn't sure what happened. When he stopped. He guessed he just grew up... had more responsibilities on his shoulders and forgot about the wonders of nature.
"I like watching the stars from Heaven." Merlin said as he grabbed Arthur's wrist and led him closer to the wall, pointing at the stars. It made Arthur realize that at some point, he must have let go of his hand. Merlin's fingers weren't in his palm anymore, now they were around his wrist. And Merlin? He seemed even happier than when they were watching the deer together by the river.
"What do they look like from there?" He asked, not really realizing it but putting his other hand over Merlin's fingers on his wrist anyway. He felt as Merlin tensed a little bit, but the tension was soon gone and his wings seemed to... relax.
"They're a little bit different and a little bit the same." Merlin laughed when he looked back at Arthur. "It's hard to explain." He smiled and looked up again. "The stars... they're all around us. In Heaven. But it doesn't feel the same, here... it's better. It feels more... true."
"That sounds nice." Arthur nodded, but he knew they were both aware that he didn't really understand. That was fine though. They were both here, in the highest tower of Camelot, watching stars together.
"That one is Vilia." Arthur whispered.
"Which one?" Merlin asked.
Arthur took Merlin hand from his wrist and guided it across the sky until they were both pointing at one of the brighter stars. Then their arms dropped back. "I used to give them names when I was young." Arthur added. It was all coming back to him now. The memories and the feeling of peace when he could be here alone. Never for long though, someone always noticed he wasn't in bed.
"That's cute," Merlin chuckled.
Arthur rolled his eyes and pursed his lips, but he was smiling anyway. "It was stupid." He said.
That made Merlin turn to him. They were already standing too close to each other, but now when Merlin was facing him, Arthur had to swallow to focus on staying in control.
"No, it's not." Merlin protested as he smiled again. "I like it." He looked into Arthur's eyes and raised his hand, gingerly taking hold of Arthur's loose red tunic.
Arthur was way too aware of that. "Do you give them names too?" He asked. Suddenly it was almost too hard to breathe. Merlin was staring into his eyes and smiling and oh god his eyes were so impossibly blue. It had to have something to do with him being an angel.
"No," Merlin laughed softly. "But I can start." He added. "How's the name Arthur sound to you?"
That took Arthur by surprise a bit. "You'd name a star after me?" He asked. He saw and heard Merlin swallow. This time he was sure Merlin's eyes glanced at Arthur's lips and he couldn't help but lick them. He was losing control, and fast.
"I'd name them all after you if I could." Merlin admitted. His voice sounded a little bit quieter and he looked into Arthur's eyes. After Merlin swallowed again and tightened his hold on Arthur's tunic, he added, "You're the most beautiful person that I've ever seen."
Arthur gasped slightly and instantly turned red when he realized that. He's already lost control. Merlin was an impossible person, the most beautiful angel in Heaven and he didn't care that he hasn't seen them all. He was more breathtaking than any stars that ever existed.
Merlin was suddenly grinning and it took Arthur a while to realize he'd said that out loud. But he didn't care. Morgana told him that he should take the chance and talk to Merlin about his feelings. He wasn't brave enough to do that earlier, but now he didn't even have to because Merlin's intentions were clear.
The angel laughed and found Arthur's other hand, bringing it close to his heart. Then he looked at Arthur's lips again and into Arthur's eyes and Arthur shivered. Their eyes locked and in the next second, they were both already leaning in.
"What about the rule?" Arthur whispered just a second before their lips would meet. "You said an angel couldn't fall in love with a human."
Merlin considered that for a second and then raised his eyebrows as if in invitation. "Some rules are worth breaking, don't you think?"
Arthur didn't even have time to nod as he smiled and finally leaned closer, their lips meeting and their hands wrapping around their necks and shoulders. Merlin's lips felt warm and soft and Arthur's eyes were closed the second they touched. His mind went completely blank and his control went out the window as he felt Merlin's wings touch his shoulders. An angelic hug was nice, but an angelic kiss was even better. Merlin kissed with everything he had in his power and mind, his love pouring into Arthur like the warmth that was spreading through his entire body.
He was breathless when they finally parted and his eyes were still closed as he grinned. When he opened them, Merlin was so close that he wondered if this was a dream. But then he felt Merlin's feathers under his fingers and knew that this was the most real thing that's ever happened to him.
That was until the next moment.
Merlin tensed and swallowed, his wings immediately unwrapping from around Arthur and his face looking both sad and terrified. Arthur could almost feel his heart stop as he realized what was happening. He whirled around and-
Yes. In front of him stood another angel.
And he didn't look very happy.
TBC
I really wanted to end it with this cliffhanger! I hope you enjoyed the chapter because next week I'm gonna post the last one, where everything is finally resolved :)
