Merlin walks out of the bathroom and finds his way back to the private booth on the east side of the restaurant. From the rich brown hardwood to the cream crown moldings, the atmosphere outshines Merlin easily. Anyone could appear greater than they are in a place like this… Which might've been the point in setting him up here with one of her friends, since, as it were, Morgana had planned the blind date for him a couple of days ago.

While checking his cell phone for the time, Merlin scoots into the side of the booth where his red wine was awaiting him – just as the server had promised him. He finds that he doesn't get far before he is met with an unmoving force. "Oof," the blockage says.

Immediately Merlin recognizes the voice, though, and he drops his phone in favor of covering his face with his hands. "Bloody hell, what are you doing here?"

"Blind date. Gwen said she had a friend who was interested."

Trying to keep his cool, and also trying to decide if he should laugh or scream, Merlin moves out of the booth and sets across from Arthur Pendragon. This man is his boss, though only technically speaking, and his best friend. For years they've been working their way up the ladder at Pendragon Publishing. His father thought it would give Arthur a 'full' life experience. Mostly Arthur appreciates it, but sometimes he thinks it's annoying.

Like this.

This is annoying. "How long ago?" he asks, ruffling moussed black hair. He'd gone through the extra steps to look nicer than usual for this occasion. Arthur has already seen him at his worst, unfortunately, so it is a waste now. Once you sleep on an office floor after working a twenty-hour day – there's no turning back from that image. Arthur takes Merlin's red win and gulps it back, and back, and back, until it's completely gone.

"Two days ago, why?" Arthur asks, sometimes dafter than such a brilliant man should be at times, only to see Merlin unlocking his phone. By the time it registers why the day matters, there's a calendar displaying on Merlin's phone screen. Two days ago was the first of April – also know as April Fools' day.

"It's a joke," they say together, exasperated and tired. Earlier that day they were racing around to get a finalized manuscript formatted for the client wanted to move up the release date of this musician's biography since they'd announced an album release. The change will yield a larger profit margin, but the process was hell.

Merlin can't help but tilt his head down but stare over at Arthur. This blind date isn't all that disappointing, not really in the grand scheme of things anyway. More than often than not, Merlin and Arthur spend their nights together. Sometimes, sure, it is to work late, but generally they go home with each other. They are as domestic as anyone can be, really, and there's comfort in that.

So much comfort that Merlin can't even imagine his life without Arthur now. His counterpart isn't as quick to admit it, though when things matter the most it's Merlin that he turns to, so that's the proof in the pudding. Arthur catches his friend's gaze and shutters a bit before looking out of the booth at the rest of the patrons. "Well, I guess it could've been worse. At least I know I like you already."

Merlin smirks and tucks his phone away back in his pocket. Surely Morgana is here, Gwen close in tow, waiting for the perfect moment to come out and say 'got you' before offering to cover their bill anyway. Unlike Arthur, Morgana lived with her mother and stepfather for a number of years. She enjoyed a fairly normal life until they passed away in a terrible car accident. And unlike Arthur, Morgana has no problem toying with the lives of others for a laugh or two. Thankfully, it is very rarely in poor taste.

"Good, because I am fond of you too," Merlin admits, his face as serious as he can make it and his voice low. His friend's shaggy blond hair flips when he turns back abruptly. One of his brows shoots up in an effort to question whether Merlin is meaning what it sounds like he's meaning, and Merlin nods at him curtly to admit that he is meaning precisely that. "I certainly wouldn't be disappointed if this turns out to be a proper date."

Arthur chokes out a laugh, but his eyes show that he's relieved. During the seconds that tick by while he tries to find the right response, Merlin lets his hand rest just past the middle of the table at the base of the empty wine glass. Everything is in Arthur's control now – he can choose to reciprocate the sentiment by putting his hands over Merlin's, or he can reject the confession and regard it as sarcasm.

Suddenly, though predictably, Morgana and Gwen show up under the guise of servers, offering to get refills for both gentlemen on their red wine. Arthur gets out of the booth and gets very close to his sister's face, not revealing his emotions and more than he was when he'd been sitting down. Merlin decides to stand at his side.

"What a funny joke, right?" Morgana's voice is dripping with amusement, though something sinister hides between her words. Gwen reaches out to Morgana's arm and holds her wrist gently, though the contact is broken so that she can cross her arms over her chest. "A bit of shock seeing that your date was Merlin, huh?"

Morgana's mockery of Arthur and his lifestyle has always drawn out his natural instincts. Whenever she pushes him past his breaking point, his truest self is revealed. This is one of those times. Merlin doesn't have the chance to admire the man he works with, though, because Arthur slides his hand around the back of Merlin's head. Before he can protest he finds that Arthur's lips are pressed against his own. The embrace is quick and powerful, but Merlin can taste on his tongue that this act is sincere.

"Well," Arthur begins, speaking when he's not even an inch away from Merlin's lips. When he faces her directly once again, his voice changes. It's deeper now. Normally this means he's upset or disappointed. Instead, though, there's a tickle of laughter behind his words now. "Joke's on you, isn't it?"

Gwen giggles, almost as if she knew all along the truth. She curls her body towards Morgana, adding clarity to the situation. "I think we've done them a favor, actually."

Morgana rolls her eyes and scoffs, "You're no fun."

"Sorry to disappoint," Merlin hums, taking Arthur's elbow and gesturing back towards the table. Gwen wishes them well on their date, only she's properly saying it now, and Morgana flashes a toothy grin despite the turn of events. Once the ladies leave, the men are left sitting in the booth across from one another.

Merlin can't resist the urge to ask, for his own peace of mind. "So this is no joke, then? That was real?"

"April Fools' day was two days ago, why would I try to pull a fast one now?" Arthur says, his lips curling into a smirk with glistening eyes watching his reaction closely. Merlin has come to read his boss more easily than any of the manuscripts that they've ever had turned over. He knew that Arthur was genuine before but this look – it cements that knowledge in stone.

Merlin shrugs, daring to hold onto this moment as long as possible. It feels good to know that it isn't all in his head for once, or littering his dreams night after night for that matter, too. Arthur Pendragon actually likes him back. "Fantastic! I'm ready to stop pretending like I'm your dedicated assistant and just be in love with you instead."

Author's Note: I threw this together super last minute, not having originally intended to do one for April Fool's Day or Easter (I don't really care for either one, personally). But in the middle of a game of Scrabble with my family, this idea of a joke backfiring was really appealing. I hope I've done it justice. Admittedly, I didn't go back and edit it through - so apologies for that.
Also my apologies for doing so many Modern!AU versions of Merthur. It's kind of my guilty pleasure.

Thanks for reading! You're fantastic, absolutely fantastic!