Archive of Our Own

The autumn chill traveled into Gwaine’s bedroom through the slightly open window. It mixed with the warm air and lowered the temperature above the blankets. The leaves on the maple tree outside of the apartment rustled, and the sound travelled into the room.

    Merlin woke up slowly, feeling blissful and pleased with his life. He breathed in the autumn air, and smelled the biting cold and the withering leaves outside the window. Merlin loved that smell. The smell of nature going to sleep. It was a smell he was used to, as he could always smell it on his own skin.

    He could feel the wind over his pale arms, and his own maple leaves rustling under his skin. He smiled.

    The warm body pressed up against his back groaned softly and flung an arm around Merlin, and pulled him closer. Merlin couldn’t help chuckling.

    His friend and current lover Gwaine mumbled a sleepy ‘What?’ and snuggled up closer to Merlin. ‘Your leaves are making sounds. Tell them to go back to sleep.’

    Merlin giggled softly into the pillow at Gwaine’s playful tone. He knew far too well that Merlin didn’t control his tattoos, even if they usually did what he told them to.

    ‘And if they don’t want to go back to sleep?’ he asked softly, and carefully turned over in bed to face Gwaine. Gwaine grinned at him with lustful eyes and traced Merlin’s high cheekbones with the tip of his thumb.

    ‘Mhhh.. Then maybe we should do something with the extra time we got on our hands. Now when we’re not going to sleep through it I mean,’ he mumbled. Gwaine pressed his body against Merlin, and let his hands travel up Merlin's sides. Merlin’s breath hitched and he grinned widely.

    ‘I’d like that...’

At an early age Merlin and his mother had discovered the powers Merlin held. Magic that Merlin was convinced no one else had. He was alone in this, until his mother had told him about his dead father. About how he also had magic when he was alive. Merlin didn’t feel as alone after that, because he knew there were others like him, somewhere in the world.

    Merlin had been 16 when the first tattoo had appeared. A dragon on his left wrist. His mother had been enraged when she had first seen it, until Merlin had explained that it was probably his magic spooking around again. She hadn’t believed him at first, but as time went on, Merlin’s worried looks directed at the tattoo and the fact that the tattoo actually moved made her understand.

    He watched and felt the dragon flying around his wrist at night and every time he got more and more fascinated with tattoos in general. Merlin had always loved art, and to draw, but tattoos had been an unknown area until then. It was like his magic urged him to explore it, and he did. He quickly realised that he had found what he wanted to work with in the future.

    The next tattoo appeared only a year later. Two griffins on his right forearm. It got harder to hide the moving tattoos in school, but he did his best. Merlin always wore long sleeved shirts, until he discovered that apparently his tattoos had ears, because when he had his first little tantrum, wishing they could just be still, they stopped circling around his arms and was motionless just like any other tattoo. Merlin had grinned broadly when he had discovered this. Suddenly he didn’t need to wear long sleeved shirts all the time, and people started complimenting him.

    ‘Nice tattoos man,’ was an often used phrase.

    Two years later two new tattoos appeared. First came a circle in the middle of his chest. It looked like a big hole, filled with many white sparkling crystals. The crystal cave he liked to call it.

    After that came the wide band of runes over his torso, circling his body and hiding behind the crystal cave when it passed. Merlin couldn’t read what the runes said, but he was convinced that it was a spell. When he traced the runes he could feel the tingling of magic in his fingers, and a protective warmth enfolded him. It was then he had decided to move away from home.

    He woke up with the last tattoos the day after he had completed his studies. When Merlin finally was a real tattoo artist. Maple leaves enfolded his shoulders and upper arms. The leaves had a red orange colour and Merlin could instantly smell them on his skin. Nature falling to sleep. Autumn air. Merlin fell in love with that smell.

    He started working in a tattoo parlour in town, trying to make a name for himself. That’s where he met Gwen and Lance. Lance wanted his arms covered with tattoos of roses, from shoulder to hand, and Merlin had to work on them over several appointments. Eventually Gwen had invited Merlin over for dinner and they had soon become good friends. Through Gwen and Lance he had then met Leon, Percival, Gwen’s brother Elyan, Mithian, Elena, and of course Gwaine. His best friends, Freya and Will, back home, were jealous he had made so many new friends.

    It had taken some time, but finally, at age 27 he had been able to open his own Tattoo parlour. He named it after his chest tattoo, Crystal cave tattoo parlour, and he was insanely proud of it.

After messing up the sheets all over again and then some happy cuddling, Gwaine and Merlin got into the shower together. It was a sunday, and Merlin was happy to spend his free day with Gwaine.

    The two of them were what you would call friends with benefits, though all of their friends seemed to think they were a couple. They enjoyed each others company, had sex and flirted a lot with each other, but there was no actual romantic love involved. While Merlin thought Gwaine was dead sexy, those feeling just hadn’t grown into something more, and Merlin had told Gwaine so.    

    Gwaine had laughed and said, ‘I’m fine with that mate. To tell you the truth, I don’t really feel that way about you either. But I swear I’ll tell you if that becomes the case.’

    The relationship weirdly enough worked. Merlin believed it was because of Gwaine's way of being, because two normal persons couldn't possibly pull this off without love becoming involved. The relationship type suited Merlin just fine though. He had a good friend, which he also regularly took to bed. It worked in favour for them both.

    Gwen was still convinced they were both head over heals for each other and just hadn’t realized it yet, even after Merlin telling her how wrong she was way too many times, and he would keep telling her.

    Merlin stepped out of the shower and dried himself off with Gwaine in tow. He went back into the bedroom and grabbed his boxers from yesterday and one of Gwaine’s t-shirts.

    ‘I’m borrowing your shirt,’ he told Gwaine as he slipped the clothes on. The t-shirt was a little bit too big for Merlin, but the material was soft against his skin.

    ‘Go ahead mate,’ Gwaine said, as he picked out a pair of jeans and one of his tight fitting, long sleeved shirts out of his wardrobe. Merlin left the bedroom to steal Gwaine’s food. He wanted breakfast, and Gwaine never seemed to mind anyway.

    Gwaine didn’t join him as he made breakfast, as he was busy detangling his long dark brown hair. Merlin dried his own mop of black hair with a quick spell that made his eyes shine bright gold for a moment. It had irritated Merlin as a child that he could not use his powers in front of his mother without being discovered. The change of colour in his eyes always gave it away.

    He was filling his bowl with cereal when someone came storming in through the door. ‘Gwaine you git!’ shouted the stranger, and Merlin almost dropped the cereal box.

    A blond man, with blue eyes and a strong jaw stomped into the kitchen, and stopped to sweep his eyes over the room.

    When he spotted Merlin, wide eyed and only dressed in boxers and a t-shirt, he said, ‘Who are you? Where’s Gwaine? Why aren’t you dressed?’ The man was pretty fit, and even though he seemed a bit stupid, Merlin was instantly attracted to him. Damn his luck.

    The cogs in the strangers brain worked for a little while until he finally asked, ‘You’re the new boyfriend?’ Gwaine joined them in the kitchen before Merlin could answer.

    ‘Arthur! Nice to see that you’re back man!’ Gwaine put an arm around Merlin’s neck and grinned just like he usually did. A grin full of mischief. The stranger named Arthur seemed to go red with anger instantly.

    'I come back after 2 years and my apartment is trashed! You were supposed to keep it clean, not throw a fucking party in it!' Gwaine only laughed.

    ‘Your apartment is way too nice not to throw a party in princess!’ Merlin looked at Gwaine with a face that said ‘Really?’ and punched him in the shoulder, before slipping out of the grip around Merlin’s neck. Gwaine chuckled as Merlin sat down by the table and added milk to his cereal. Arthur seemed even more pissed off and hissed between clenched teeth.

    'I'm never trusting you with my apartment again.'

    'You should never trust him with anything that can break, get dirty or die,' Merlin commented with a snort.

    The dragon had just woken up and was flying happily around his wrist, so Merlin hid his left arm under the table. He cast it a quick glare and hoped this Arthur hadn't noticed.

    'You trust me with your body,' Gwaine pointed out and wiggled his eyebrows at Merlin.

    'Unlike an apartment I can both clean myself and go to the hospital,' said Merlin with a grin and stuck his tongue out at his friend.

    Arthur, or Princess, as Gwaine had called him, looked at Merlin for a moment, laid his eyes on the tattoos on his right arm, then looked at Gwaine again and frowned.

    Why was Merlin attracted to stupid men?

    ‘Yes yes. You are an amazing fuck buddy Merlin.’ Gwaine ruffled his dark brown hair, and Merlin quickly dropped his spoon to bat Gwaine’s hand away. He still couldn’t move his left hand from under the table.

    Something seemed to click in Arthur’s brain.

    ‘What? He’s not your boyfriend?’ he asked Gwaine with a confused look.

    ‘Well. He is a friend and he certainly is a boy,’ Gwaine answered. Arthur sent him a glare.

     ‘No we’re not a couple’, said Merlin with a sigh, and picked up his spoon again to eat his cereal. Arthur’s gaze was once again on Merlin.

    ‘Oh.’ He scanned Merlin’s face and upper body, (or what he could see of it anyway,) and nodded.

    ‘I see.’ Merlin could feel his cheeks heat up and quickly stuffed his spoon with milk and cereal into his mouth.

    Gwaine looked back and forth between the two and asked after a few awkward seconds of silence, ‘Sooooooo… How was your stay in the USA?’

    ‘Gwaine,’ Arthur said warningly, and Gwaine sighed.

    ‘Fine fine. I’ll come by and clean up next week. Just calm down mate. Have you eaten breakfast by the way?’ Merlin cast Gwaine a shocked glance. Was this Arthur going to join them?

    He could feel the tattoos shifting on his skin and he swallowed, quickly excusing himself. Merlin disappeared into the bathroom quickly, and scolded his tattoos silently for moving in company of a person who didn’t know about the magic.

    When he came back out, Arthur was sitting by the dining table with Gwaine, without breakfast, while Gwaine ate his usual toast. He spoke about some company that he had worked at and about his 2 years in the United states. Merlin sat back down, and started munching on his cereal again while he listened to Arthur’s stories and Gwaine’s teasing.

    Before Arthur left he took Merlin’s hand and shook it. His hold was strong and his hand warm.         

    ‘Well, it was nice to meet you. Merlin was it?’

    ‘Yeah. Yeah. You too Arthur.’ Merlin felt a bit awkward where he stood, shaking hands with Arthur without any trousers on, even though Arthur seemed to have forgotten about Merlin’s trouserless state.

    ‘Oh. And nice tattoos,’ said Arthur as he let go of Merlin’s hand. He gave Gwaine a quick wave, and then he was out the door.

    'Don't forget your trousers next time,' Arthur's voice echoed in the stairwell. Okay, so apparently he hadn't forgotten.

    ‘Hmmm. So. He isn’t going to take my place in your bed, right?’ Merlin scowled, and hit Gwaine in the back of his head.

    ‘Shut up.’

A few days later, Gwen was entering Merlin’s shop to pick him up for their chinese food night with the rest of the gang. They usually went there once a month, and it made sure they always kept in touch. People like Elyan and Mithian usually got so focused on work they broke contact with all their friends.

    Merlin was busy tattooing an eagle onto an old man’s back, but he looked up when Gwen came in, and gave her a little smile.

    ‘Hello Merlin,' she said.

    ‘Hello. Give me a minute Gwen. I’m just finishing up.’

    The old man glanced Gwen’s way, then looked back onto his hands. After a few minutes Merlin was wrapping the man’s torso with a bandage.

    ‘All done sir. Keep the bandage on for a minimum of 2 hours. Wash it gently with a wet towel after that. Also, don’t soak the tattoo. No baths.’ Merlin smiled at the man as he took his gloves off. He took care of the last things, payed for his work and wished the man a good day.

    Merlin cleaned up with a quick spell, and Gwen smiled at him in amazement.

    ‘Your eyes are beautiful when they go golden like that,’ she said.

    ‘Thank you Gwen,’ Merlin chuckled before grabbing his jacket and joining Gwen by the door.

    ‘Wait outside while I lock the place up.’ She nodded and went outside, and it took only a few minutes before Merlin had joined her again.

    ‘All done! Let’s go!’

They entered the usual chinese restaurant a few minutes later, happily chatting with each other at they made their way over to the booth where the rest of the gang sat. Merlin greeted Leon, Percival and Elena with a hug.

    He was just about to hug Gwaine when a familiar voice said, ‘What!? You’re part of the gang now?’ Merlin looked up to see a wide eyed Arthur on the other side of the table.

    ‘Oh yes. He has been for almost two years now,’ Percival said and elbowed Arthur in the side after sitting down next to the blond in one of the big leather seats again.

    ‘You’ve missed some things while you were gone mate,’ Gwaine laughed and put his arm around a chuckling Merlin after he had taken his place next to Gwaine on the other leather seat. Gwen sat down on Merlin’s other side.

    Elena plopped down in Mithian's lap, and Mithian put an arm around her waist. 'Don't worry Arthur. He hasn't replaced you,' Elena said with a little grin.

    'Of course he hasn't. No one can replace my role in the gang. I'm simply too good,' said a smirking Arthur.

    'Haha. Did you feel threatened by little Merlin? He's just our tattoo artist.' Gwaine rose an eyebrow at Arthur. A smirk played on his lips.

    'And Gwaine's boyfriend,' Leon added.

    'Still not his boyfriend,' Merlin declared with a glare. His friends laughed.

    'You should stop denying it you two,' Gwen said with a sigh and Merlin rolled his eyes. Gwaine just snorted and took a sip of his coke. The friends who were a bit more understanding of Merlin and Gwaine’s situation, Elyan, Mithian and Elena, also looked like they thought Gwen’s dreams about a romantic relationship between the two were becoming a bit too much. The raised eyebrows and rolling eyes was routine by now, but it didn’t quite stop them from smiling.

    The waitress came over to their table and the gang greeted her before ordered the usual.

    'Sooo. Merlin. You're a tattoo artist?' Arthur asked. He sounded genuinely interested, light blue eyes twinkling with curiosity.

    'Yes. I own a parlour just a few blocks away.' Merlin hummed and ran his fingers over the dragon on his wrist. The dragon vibrated gently under his fingers, like it was purring.

    'When I think of a tattoo artists they usually have more tattoos,' said Arthur and scanned Merlin’s arms which were apparently not tattooed enough.

    'Want to see the rest?' Merlin fiddled with the hem of his blue jumper with a little grin. It was soft to the touch and he pulled gently at the material. His mother had gifted him the jumper two years ago, and Merlin loved it.

    He thought about his tattoos, all magically created. His magic had in fact rejected anything he tried to draw on himself. After lots of hard work, it was still gone the next morning. Merlin just couldn’t put so much love into something and then see it gone, so he stopped trying to paint his own skin, and let the magic do it instead.

     'Well, yeah.' Arthur nodded, leaning forward slightly, as if he thought Merlin would show him pictures of the tattoos on his phone.

    ‘All right then,’ Merlin said and nudged Gwaine’s arm off him, before pulling his jumper up over his chest to expose the crystal cave and the band of runes. Arthur immediately sat back and gaped, then leaned forward again to inspect the tattoos.

    Gwaine whistled with a look at Merlin’s chest.

    ‘Shut up Gwaine. You’ve seen them before,’ said Merlin and grinned. Arthur glanced between them and rose an eyebrow.

    ‘I can understand why all your friends think you’re a couple.’

    ‘Urg. Not you too,’ Merlin groaned and pulled his shirt down. Arthur laughed.

    'Haha. Okay then. Fine. You don't seem like a couple. So how did you get the idea for those?'

    Merlin had gotten the question before, and had answers prepared. Only his mother, Will, Freya, Gwaine, Lance and Gwen knew about the magic, so he was used to needing an explanation to why he got them.

    'Well, I'm pretty interested in Arthurian legends and fantasy. So the dragon is the great dragon, The crystal cave, is the cave in which we find the crystals that show us the past, future and the now. Gryphons are cool and dangerous. Magical runes.. Well, if I'd have to choose I'd totally be a mage,' Merlin babbled, rubbing the dragon on his wrist once again.

    'And the maple leaves?' Arthur asked.

    'Oh. I just like autumn. I feel connected to it. It's hard to explain.' Merlin grinned, and patted his upper arms. Leon chuckled.

    'You should see him when he finds a leaf pile. He jumps into it without even hesitating.'

    'Shhhh Leon!' Merlin hissed. His friends was once again laughing. So was Arthur. Merlin felt his cheeks heat up and he smiled a little to himself. Maybe he liked this new guy just a little. Gwaine was going to tease him to death. He was already giving him looks and wiggling his eyebrows at Merlin.

    Merlin had a lot of fun that evening. They ate and talked and laughed. Merlin got to chat with Arthur some more and decided that yeah, he did like this new guy. He managed to get his number and saved it under King smexy arsehole Pendragon.

    Arthur seemed interested in Arthurian legends as well. Supposedly because of his name. They both laughed about their given names, and joked about how they were destined to be best friends. Also, Arthur called him his old warlock with the long beard, even though Merlin was none of these things, besides maybe a warlock. Not that he admitted that.

    (‘Haha. My loyal old warlock with the long beard over here-’

    ‘I happen to be perfectly clean shaven Arthur.’

    ‘Details, details.’

    ‘I’m not that old either.’

    ‘Shh Merlin.’)

    That’s why he was called arsehole on Merlin’s phone and not Arthur.

‘You like him? You like him! Haha! I knew it!’

    ‘Shut up Gwaine,’ a blushing Merlin muttered into the phone. He was marching around the tattoo parlour, cleaning up and preparing for his next client.

    It had been a couple of days since their chinese food night. It was cold outside. The ground was wet after the recent rain cloud that passed over town, and Gwaine was annoying Merlin more than usual.

    Arthur and Merlin had kept in contact since the last time they met. Arthur sent Merlin a few messages a day, and Merlin was now quite convinced Arthur was interested in him as well.
Merlin had confessed to Gwaine that he sort of liked Arthur, and his friend, and occasional bedwarmer, thought it was hilarious, but remained supportive.

    ‘Shit. I’ll have to find a new fuck buddy,’ he laughed into the phone. Merlin sighed, and avoided Mordred’s gaze, his only present staff today.

    Merlin genuinely liked Mordred, he was a nice guy, but all the intense stares hinted at one special feeling he felt towards Merlin, and Merlin wasn’t interested. He just hoped he would never have to reject the poor kid to his face.

    ‘I don’t know if he likes me yet you know,’ Merlin mumbled, low enough for it not to reach Mordred’s ears.

    ‘Don’t be stupid Merls. It’s obvious he does.’

    'It's not obvious,' Merlin grumbled, and rubbed his neck which Mordred was staring holes in.

He raised his head as the bell by the door sent it’s melody out into the shop, calling for attention.

    ‘Shit,’ he hissed.

    ‘What?’ Gwaine asked. Merlin ignored him in favour of waving at a newly arrived Arthur Pendragon.

    ‘Good bye Gwen!’ he quickly said as the blond approached Merlin. The distance was shrinking alarmingly fast.

    ‘Merls, I know our names are alike but-’ Gwaine never got to finish his sentence before Merlin hung up.

    ‘Hi there,’ Arthur said with a little grin and stopped in front of Merlin. Merlin couldn’t keep the goofy grin in. He blushed softly, and met Arthur’s sky blue eyes as he leaned against the front desk, a hand resting on his book with sketches and ideas for tattoos.

    ‘Hi.’ Arthur met his eyes and stared for a second, and then sent a glance over Merlin’s shoulder.

    ‘Who’s that?’ he asked softly. He was frowning slightly and Merlin wanted to smooth out the wrinkle between his brows with his fingers.

    ‘Mordred. He works for me. Is he watching?’ Merlin said even more softly, to avoid being overheard by said Mordred.

    ‘Mh. Yeah. Definitely looking. I think he might want to kill me with that stare,’ Arthur mumbled, then looked back into Merlin’s sea blue eyes. Merlin felt his heart speed up a little under Arthur’s intense gaze. Merlin loved it when their eyes met. It was like the sky and the sea crashing together, and if Merlin was better at poetry, he would write about just that.

    ‘He’s had a crush on me for ages. Glares at any man I am friendly with.’ Merlin sighed softly and gave Arthur a shy smile as he unconsciously rubbed the dragon on his wrist.

    ‘Soo… You came by because?’ he asked and Arthur flushed and looked away from Merlin for a moment.

    ‘I was just wondering.. if you.. Ugh. This is stupid. Um. Have lunch with me?’ Arthur looked both hopeful and embarrassed. Merlin was a bit shocked, but soon broke into a grin.

    ‘All right! It’s a date!’ Sadly, in his excitement he was a bit loud, and Mordred made a disgusted sound from behind him. Arthur gave Mordred a look, before sending Merlin a grin.

    ‘When are you ready to leave?’

    ‘I have another customer. Um. Come back in an hour?’ Merlin said and scratched his neck.

    ‘All right Merlin. I’ll be back in an hour.’ Arthur instantly became a little awkward once again.   ‘I’ll.. Um. See you later.’ He gave Merlin a weak smile and planted a soft kiss on Merlin’s cheek. Merlin turned pink in an instant.

    ‘O-okay. Bye.’

    Arthur laid his hand on Merlin’s shoulder for a moment, and let it linger, before he turned and left. Merlin sucked in a breath, and smiled widely. He had a date!

Arthur came back looking eager and nervous exactly an hour later. He wasn’t even a minute late when he entered the tattoo parlour.

    Merlin was just finishing up. He drew the last letter into his client's skin, and tried to not let his eyes leave his work, even if Arthur was more exciting to look at for the moment. Merlin’s stomach fluttered nervously. Arthur watched him as he completed the tattoo, and just like Mordred’s gaze, Merlin could feel Arthur’s on his skin.

    Mordred was watching them both like a hawke as he put away his tools and charged his customer. Merlin was mildly uncomfortable because of this, and he shifted a little bit in his seat.

    ‘All done,’ he told his customer and gave her a small smile.

    Merlin finished up under Mordred’s watchful gaze, grabbed his jacket and joined Arthur by the door.

    ‘Can we go now?’ he asked and sent a meaningful look towards Mordred. Arthur didn’t even look at Mordred, just offered his arm and nodded.

    ‘Let’s go.’

    As they walked Arthur teased Merlin as usual. Merlin probably should have thought Arthur was annoying, but instead he thought him to be quite charming. What really was annoying was how much Merlin felt like a lovesick fool every time he was around Arthur. They hadn’t even known each other for that long!

    ‘Look Merlin! A leaf pile!’ Arthur called and pointed at the big pile of leaves lying around next to the road while he nudged Merlin with his elbow. Merlin groaned and shoved him.

    ‘Come on! You know you want to!’ He grinned widely when he saw the longing look Merlin sent the leaf pile. Arthur pushed him towards the pile, and Merlin gave in with a sigh and a small laugh. When they finally left the little hill of foliage Merlin had more than one leaf in his hair and on his clothes.

    When they arrived outside the lunch restaurant, Arthur spent a few minutes picking leaves of off a giggling Merlin, before they entered the facility. The restaurant was warm, and Merlin felt himself relax.

    They picked out a table close to the windows and Arthur laughed as he spotted one last leaf on Merlin’s neck. He reached out and plucked it from Merlin’s skin.

    ‘I can’t believe you actually jumped into the leaf pile.’

    ‘Leon warned you,’ Merlin said with an embarrassed grin as he struggled to get out of his jacket.

    The waiter came over to their table and Arthur ordered their drinks after they received their menus.

    ‘You don’t want wine?’ he asked Merlin, and Merlin shook his head.

    ‘I’m still working after this you know,’ he told Arthur with a little smile.

    ‘Yeah. Right. So… Mordred?’ Arthur raised an eyebrow at Merlin, suggesting he was a bit curious about the situation at the parlour.

    ‘Hm. Yeah. Mordred,’ Merlin began and coughed a bit awkwardly, because it was a pretty awkward subject. ‘Well, I hired him a year ago, and he’s pretty talented to be so young. He’s 20 by the way. And well, some time into his employment it seemed he had gained a huge crush on me, and I’m afraid I don’t know how to reject him.’

    ‘So you’re not interested?’ Arthur asked and stared Merlin in the eye. ‘In him I mean.’

    ‘What? No. If I was I would already be dating him and I would probably not be here… on a date... with you,’ Merlin said and blushed to the tips of ears when voicing that they were actually on a date. He looked down into his menu for a little while and managed to decide what to eat while trying to will the blush away from his cheeks.

    ‘Mh. Good. And Gwaine?’ Arthur asked with a little smirk.

    ‘One of my best friends?’

    ‘And fuck buddie?’

    ‘Ex fuck buddie,’ Merlin said, once again blushing. ‘He’ll be able to find himself a new one in no time.’

    ‘And that doesn't bother you?’ Arthur let go of the serious expression for a minute and smiled at the waiter as she set their drinks down on the table and took their orders.

    ‘No it doesn't bother me,’ Merlin then said, after she had left them alone.

    ‘All right,’ Arthur said, pursed his lips and nodded before taking a sip of his drink. He seemed quite pleased.

    They talked about life and their friends for a little while after Arthur’s little check on Merlin’s love life. Merlin hadn’t though Arthur was the jealous type, but perhaps he had been wrong.

    Soon, the topic of work came up.

    ‘Why did you become a tattoo artist then Merlin?’ Arthur asked softly.

    ‘Mh.. Well, I have always been interested in art and things like that,’ Merlin said, took a sip of his drink and smacked his lips before continuing, ‘And then I got my first tattoo and suddenly I just… got sucked into this world. And I decided I wanted to be a tattoo artist.’ Merlin finished the sentence with a little smile.

    ‘Which one is your first?’ Arthur asked and looked over the table. Merlin chuckled softly and showed Arthur his left wrist. Arthur reached for his hand and took it to inspect the tattoo.

    ‘Amazing. How old were you?’

    ‘16,’ Merlin said.

    ‘16!?’ Arthur’s eyes widened and he sat back in his chair, looking more than a little surprised.

    ‘Yeah.’ Merlin laughed softly.

    ‘I can’t believe it..’ Arthur’s expression was highly amusing, and Merlin had to laugh some more. The grin he wore was too big for his face, and his cheeks hurt terribly, but the bubbling laughter filling his chest felt wonderful.

    ‘I’m guessing I don’t seem like the kind of person who would get a tattoo that young, do I?’ He finally asked when the laughter had died down. He spread his fingers out over the surface of the table, and looked into Arthur’s sky blue eyes. The feeling of hard wood under his fingers made him feel more steady and less like jelly.

    ‘You could say that. I bet you’re that kind who always takes your mother’s coat and hangs it up for her everytime she comes over,’ Arthur said, put his elbow on the table and laid his head on the backside of his hand. Merlin had to admit that he, embarrassingly enough, was that kind of person.

    ‘Maybeeee,’ he said, dragging the E out more than necessary, and probably giving himself away by doing so. Arthur showed off his shining white teeth by grinning widely, and Merlin didn’t feel too bad about giving himself away after all.

    The waiter arrived with their food seconds later, and it took a minute or two before Merlin picked up the conversation again.

    ‘So. You’ve been away for two years. What have you been doing?’ Arthur looked up curiously.

    ‘I was working for my father’s company. For two years in the USA.’

    ‘Oh. What kind of company?’ Merlin asked and picked at his food as he watched Arthur intensely.

    ‘Um. Well. Pendragon. They make sportscars.’

    ‘Oh yeah. I know about them,’ Merlin said. Will, who hated everything that said royalty or high class, happened to love sportcars, strangely enough. Merlin was rather familiar with them after all these years of knowing him. ‘Wait.. that means your father is Uther Pendragon?’

    Uther Pendragon was the well known owner of Pendragon, the masters of sports car making. The only reason Merlin knew about the owner was the couple of scandals Uther Pendragon had been a part of the last couple of years, one of them being his best friend’s daughter, Morgana le Fay, actually happening to be the result of an affair Mr. Pendragon had had with his best friend's wife many years ago. Morgana, who was famous actor and fashion model, had managed to make the scandal big enough for it to be well known around the world by lashing out on her biological father in public, at a gala for one of the many help organisations around the world that Pendragon had decided to donate to.

    Arthur immediately looked defensive. ‘Yes. Problem with that?’

    ‘No. Not really. Just surprised,’ Merlin said and blinked in surprise at Arthur’s change of attitude. He scanned Arthur’s face and mumbled a quiet, ‘Sorry?’ Arthur was silent for a few seconds.

    ‘I should apologise,’ he then finally said. ‘People just usually seem to assume I’m like him. The press nags me about his mistakes, and tries to make me say things that’ll create more scandals, and I….’ Arthur sighed. His hands lied clasped in front of him on the table. ‘I just want to be my own person.’ The last bit came out very quietly, and Merlin suspected it was the first time Arthur told anyone this.

    ‘I think I understand. It’s all right,’ Merlin said softly and reached out across the table to take Arthur’s hands in his. He gave Arthur the tiniest warm smile he was able to give, and waited for some kind of response. Arthur just stared at him at first, but soon his face slowly drifted into a small warm smile, and he raised Merlin’s hands and rested his forehead against Merlin’s fingers. Merlin’s face immediately brightened.

    ‘I overreacted. Sorry,’ Arthur mumbled behind Merlin’s hands, and Merlin could feel his eyelashes fluttering against Merlin’s fingers.

    ‘Apology accepted. Shall we eat before the food turns cold?’ Arthur peeked at him over the top of Merlin’s fingernails and Merlin sent him a wide grin. A chuckle burst out of Arthur’s mouth.

    ‘As you wish my old warlock.’

    ‘I’m not even 30 yet.’

Gwen and Lancelot’s kitchen was dimly lit by the autumn light pooling in through the window and the yellow light from the tiny lamp fastened in the ceiling. Merlin was deseeding a pumpkin for his and Gwen’s classical pumpkin pie, one of the many things they did together in preparation for Halloween, while listening to the conversation Elena and Gwen were having with one ear.

    ‘I’m just waiting for her to propose! Like, it should have already happened, but Mithian’s just so focused on work she forgot about it!’

    Elena always complained about Mithian when the three of them gathered together at Gwen and Lancelot’s flat. It wasn’t that Elena and Mithian weren’t happy together, usually Elena talked about some romantic movie night they had enjoyed together as well. Elena just needed something to complain about, and the not yet made proposal was an ever returning topic.

    Merlin chopped the pumpkin into chunks as Elena continued to speak.

    ‘I want to marry her,’ she whined softly and twirled her light blond hair around her index finger.

    ‘Why don’t you propose instead? Maybe Mithian just haven’t thought of it,’ Gwen asked softly and squeezed Elena’s hand over the kitchen table.

    ‘I could… but... I want to wear the ring,’ she said with a pout and stared at her ring finger. Merlin giggled softly from his spot by the stove, dropped the chunks of pumpkin into a large saucepan and poured water over them. Elena turned her head towards Merlin and gave him a look that said ‘Shut up Merlin,’ and asked,

    ‘And how’s your love life going Merlin?’

    ‘Quite well,’ said Merlin and smiled warmly to himself. Elena stared, and then she laughed.

    ‘You’re falling in love! How sweet. Who is it?’ Merlin met the curious gaze and the enormous grin.

    ‘Arthur,’ he said softly, because he didn’t want to hide it from his good friends.

    ‘What!?’ outburst a surprised Gwen, just as Elena asked, ‘Aw! Have you been on a date?’   

    Merlin had to roll his eyes at Gwen and said ’Gwen, Gwaine and I have never been and will never be in a romantic relationship,’ and then he continued to say, this time looking a bit shyly at Elena, ‘He’s taken me out for lunch a few times now.’

    ‘What? How many times?’ Elena eagerly asked as Gwen just sat back and looked mind blown.

    ‘Three.’

    There was a knock on the door in just that moment, and Elena got up to open the door, while Gwen and Merlin just watched her back as she went.

    ‘Speaking of the devil,’ she called from the door, and seconds later she walked into the kitchen again with Arthur in tow.

    ‘I heard you are talking about me,’ he said and joined Merlin by the stove to put an arm around his waist. Merlin tilted his head back slightly so it was resting on Arthur’s shoulder.

    ‘Don’t get all high and mighty now,’ Merlin said with a little snort.

    Gwen stared at them for a little while before she said, ‘Oh god. This is so embarrassing,’ and buried her face in her hands.

    ‘Aw Gwen.’ Merlin slank out of Arthur’s grip and went to embrace his good friend by the dining table. ‘Hey. It’s all right,’ he said and ran his fingers through her curly hair.

    ‘I’m sorry I kept insisting,’ Gwen mumbled and Merlin had to chuckle.

    ‘It’s okay Gwen. You just wanted me to be happy,’ Merlin whispered, and Gwen looked up and met his smile with one of her own.

    ‘So Arthur, while they have their little moment over there, mind telling me why you’re here?’ Elena asked while sending amused looks at her good friends on the other side of the kitchen.

    ‘Oh. Lancelot told me they had wood glue so I came over to borrow some,’ Arthur said, after turning his head towards Elena. He had placed one hand on the corner of the stove and was now leaning carefully against it.

    ‘So what’s broken?’ she asked. Merlin snorted and moved his gaze over at Arthur. He got up and joined him by the stove again.

    ‘Are you as bad as Gwaine at keeping stuff whole?’

    Arthur shoved Merlin playfully while Gwen giggled in the background and he said, ‘No, it just happens to be Gwaine who has been partying in my apartment the last two years, and is the reason my cabinet handles keep falling off.’ Merlin burst into laughter.

    ‘Typical Gwaine,’ he said.

    ‘So you need glue for your cabinet handles huh?’

    ‘I’ll go get it,’ Gwen said with a soft chuckle. She rose, and disappeared into the livingroom.

    Merlin sighed happily and leaned into Arthur, with his eyes on the stove. Arthur put his arm back around Merlin’s waist and placed a silent kiss on the side of his head.

    ‘Aww. You two are so cute,’ Elena cooed from where she now stood, leaning against the fridge.

    ‘Oh yes. We are extremely cute,’ Arthur stated proudly and squeezed Merlin around the middle. Merlin’s face became a tad bit pink, but he just shook his head and pretended his cheeks weren’t changing colour.

    Gwen came back with a little tube of wood glue in hand and handed it to Arthur.

    ‘Will you stay and finish the pumpkin pie with us?’ she asked him with a gentle warming smile. Arthur smiled back at her and nodded.

    ‘Sure. Why not. I have nothing left to do today expect gluing handles back on cabinets anyway.’ Merlin grinned up at him.

    ‘Good. I mean, nice,’ he said, and Arthur sent him a smirk that made Merlin shiver down to his bones. The maple leaves on his arms tickled Merlin’s skin and it was all Merlin could do not to scratch his upper arms.

    ‘Hm. Yes. Very nice,’ mumbled Arthur into Merlin’s hair.

By the time the dark arrived, Arthur had decided that Merlin was going to follow him home, and Merlin hadn’t protested because even if he wanted a cat, he had absolutely none to go home and feed.

    ‘Bye Gwen! Bye Elena!,’ he called into the kitchen before Arthur dragged him out of the apartment. Merlin was still struggling to get his dark blue down jacket on.

    ‘Thanks for a nice evening!’ Arthur called, and then he closed the door and pulled Merlin alone down the stairwell.

    They walked hand in hand past the apartment blocks, and Merlin was getting excited about finally seeing Arthur’s apartment. He wasn’t just excited, but nervous as well, and the energy bubbled in his body and made him unsteady on his feet. He felt high on caffeine and a bit hung over at the same time. The only thing that kept Merlin grounded was Arthur’s hand in his and the cold concrete under the soles of his shoes.

    ‘Excited to see my apartment?’ Arthur asked with a little grin and squeezed Merlin hand tighter. Arthur’s hand was a bit sweaty, but hot against Merlin’s palm.  

    ‘Yeah. A little,’ Merlin shyly said and smiled warmly as their shoulders brushed.

    ‘I’m sure you’ll love it. Broken cabinet handles or no.’

    They came closer to some more luxurious looking apartment buildings and Merlin’s gaze raked over the building.

    ‘You live in one of these big apartments that cost a ton of money don’t you?’ Merlin asked and sent Arthur a judgmental look.

    ‘How did you know?’ Arthur laughed, and pulled Merlin into one of the buildings. Merlin allowed himself to pulled past the glass doors and was met with a beautiful and modern reception, and a bitter female doorman behind a desk. The sign on her chest told Merlin her name was Katya.

    ‘Maybe because you seem like the common rich kid,’ Merlin said as he inspected the new space he found himself in. Arthur waved at the doorman behind the desk, led Merlin into the elevator and pressed number 12.

    ‘I know she seems a bit bitter, but at least she keeps the press away,’ Arthur mumbled to him. He pulled Merlin close and leaned against the mirror on the elevator wall. Merlin gazed directly at him and broke into a grin as his hands splayed out over Arthur’s shoulders.

    ‘Hi,’ he softly said and leaned his forehead against Arthur’s. Their noses bumped and their gazes travelled lower until they stopped by their lips.

    ‘Hi,’ said Arthur and then slowly they leaned closer to kiss. Arthur’s lips were firm but soft, and slot together perfectly with Merlin’s. The kiss was wet and dry, intense and gentle. Merlin’s head swam in a sea of elation. Arthur’s mouth was warm against his, and their lips moved together, almost kneading each other. Merlin couldn’t breath, but had too much air all at once.

    They had exchanged many pecks before, but this was the first time they had kissed like this. With such passion.

    The elevator door opened and they both tumbled out into the corridor. Arthur fumbled for his keys and shoved a golden one into the lock. He turned the key, the door swung open, and Arthur dragged Merlin into the apartment. The door slammed shut behind them.

Dark blue sheets enfolded Merlin, and Arthur’s warm body, that night. When Merlin woke up he did so with Arthur wrapped in his arms. The room was dully lit by the grey clad sky, and the rain could be heard smattering against the uncovered window.

    Merlin smiled into Arthur’s neck and enjoyed the smell of the fruity shampoo Arthur had admitted to using, mixed with the light fragrance of sweat. He ran his hands over Arthur’s naked chest and breathed into his hair. The warm body in his arms shifted and made a soft sound.

    ‘Good morning,’ Merlin whispered softly into his ear and nuzzled the side of Arthur’s head.

    ‘Mhhh…. Morning,’ Arthur mumbled and laid in hands over Merlin’s and squeezed, then brought them up to his face and kissed them softly. Merlin giggled into his shoulder and his heart fluttered in his chest.

    Suddenly Arthur froze with a tight grip around Merlin’s hands. He let go of the right one, and proceeded to hold the left up in front of him. Merlin didn’t see what he was doing, but he felt the tickling of the moving, now awoken, dragon around his wrist. He held his breath.

    ‘What’s this?’ Arthur asked with shaky voice. Merlin was quiet for a little while. It was hard to breathe.

    ‘I….. I have to tell you something,’ he mumbled, and sat up slowly. Arthur let go of his hand as the blanket pooled around Merlin’s waist. The crystals on his chest shimmered, the leaves rustled and the griffins showed off their large majestic wings. Merlin was filled to the brim with power.

    ‘I have magic,’ he said, and he was so nervous he almost felt like he had to throw up.

    Arthur was silent for a long time. He stared straight into Merlin’s eyes and his face was closed off. The tension in the room was so thick Merlin could almost touch it, and suddenly Merlin knew this wasn't going to go well.

    ‘You’re kidding me right?’ Arthur sat up and glared at Merlin with all his might. Merlin froze and his stomach churned in fright.

    ‘No. Arthur-’ Merlin tried to interrupt, but Arthur spoke again.

    ‘No. You must be joking. I don’t know what technology that is but it’s not funny!’

    ‘It’s not a joke!’ Merlin burst out, but Arthur coldly ignored him.

    ‘You’re just pulling a prank on-... That’s what you’re doing right? You’ll go to the press with this! Uther Pendragon’s son believes in magic! People all over the world would laugh at me!’ Arthur looked at him with disgust in his eyes. Those eyes who had been filled with such love last night, and it hurt. It hurt in his chest because Arthur didn’t believe him. He didn’t trust Merlin.

    ‘That’s why you went on a date with me wasn’t it? You just wanted to make fun of me in front of the press right from the start!’ Arthur snarled and filled the room with a bitter chuckle. ‘I can’t believe I fell for it. I’m so stupid.’ Merlin couldn’t take any more of Arthur’s bullshit. If he thought Merlin was that kind of person, a liar with intentions to hurt in such a disgusting way, then he wasn’t worth all this pain. Merlin grabbed a pillow, and threw it hard at Arthur’s face, causing Arthur to fall back on the bed with a surprised cry.

    ‘Fine! If that’s what you want to think! I don’t give a fuck anyway!’ Merlin got out of bed and quickly went to grab his clothes that were shattered around the room. He dressed as fast as he was able, and was out of the bedroom in a few minutes with Arthur calling, ‘Fine! Just leave!’ behind him. Merlin did a fine job with slamming the doors behind him and hurried down the stairs, past another doorman, as he vowed he would never set a foot in that posh apartment again.

    Merlin arrived at Gwaine’s apartment 15 minutes later, and when his best friend opened the door he said, ‘Start up the ps4. We’re playing Battlefield.’ Gwaine was about to laugh until he saw Merlin’s face.

    ‘Yeah. All right man.’ Gwaine laid his arm around Merlin’s shoulder and led him into the familiar apartment.

Merlin was over at Gwaine’s the following weekend as well. He felt that he needed Gwaine’s support. Gwaine was always eager to comfort, though Merlin had refused any offers of comfort sex. He didn’t feel ready for that.

    They did cuddle a lot, and that was exactly what they were doing again today. It was a saturday, and Merlin was sitting in Gwaine’s lap while playing dragon age inquisition at the same time.

    ‘Are you doing to kill any dragons yet?’ Gwaine asked him, and Merlin hummed with his eyes fixated at the tv.

    ‘Soon. I have to level up to level 10 first. I’ll never be able to beat it otherwise,’ Merlin mumbled and killed some more templars that were running around with their swords and bows. Gwaine hummed and wrapped his arms around Merlin.

    They’d been playing a lot of these kind of games lately. There was a lot of killing and a lot of Merlin angrily screaming at the tv. And then when Merlin went home, he never seemed happy. Instead his shoulders looked to be laden with mountains of sadness.

    ‘Going to follow me to the party at Leon’s tonight?’ Gwaine asked, and Merlin paused the game to look at him.

    ‘Will Arthur be there?’ was the question Gwaine received, and Gwaine frowned.

    ‘Yes. I think so. Hasn’t he fucking apologized to you yet?’

    ‘No,’ Merlin mumbled and scowled as he turned and silently watched the tv screen. Gwaine squeezed him a bit tighter. Merlin could feel stubble scraping against his cheek.

    ‘Bastard. The guy needs to get over himself,’ Gwaine said and grabbed his phone. He started texting someone. Who? Merlin couldn’t see. ‘I’ll go out for a bit. I’ll be back and spend the evening with you. Fuck the party. Why don’t you go onto netflix and choose a movie Merls?’ Gwaine gave him a small grin and pushed at Merlin to make him stand up. When the taller brunette left his lap, he got up and went to grab his leather jacket.

    ‘Feel free to take the chips! You know you want to,’ he called from the hall and Merlin could hear Gwaine struggling to get his boots on. He glanced up from his game and used magic to get the bag of chips to come to the living room. He heard Gwaine snort as it zoomed by the hallway, and Merlin grabbed the bag just as the door to the apartment closed. He briefly wondered where Gwaine was going and why he had changed his mind about the party, just as he tore the bag of chips open. Then the game slowly sucked him back in, and he stopped wondering for the rest of the evening.

The knock on Merlin’s door was uncertain but strong. Merlin glanced up from his dinner and  hesitated before leaving the dinner table and walking out into the hallway. He stood with his hand on the door handle for a few seconds, debating whether he wanted company or not. In the end he decided to open the door, and maybe that was a bad decision, because on the other side of the door stood Arthur.

    Merlin scowled at him and stared coldly into his eyes, waiting for whatever it was he had to say. He didn’t really want to look at him, but he felt like he had to keep his defenses up. Arthur would not hurt him again if he didn’t leave himself vulnerable.

    ‘Hey… Look, I’m sorry,’ Arthur said, and Merlin conjured his glass of water from the kitchen, his eyes glowing gold. It whooshed into Merlin’s hand, and with Arthur staring at the whole procedure he dumped the water onto Arthur’s face.

    Merlin didn’t believe that he was sorry for even a second.

    ‘Oh. I guess I deserved that,’ Arthur mumbled, looking considerably surprised, shocked and tense all over. His eyes darted from Merlin’s eyes to the now empty glass several times, before he numbly nodded.

    ‘All right. I see… Um. Anyway. I would like to talk. Apologize. Yeah.. Gwaine came to me a few days ago and explained how this whole magic thing worked and I-,’ he rambled. Merlin rolled his eyes and tried to close the door. Arthur stopped the brunette with a sneaker clad foot.

    ‘No! Wait! Please Merlin! I was wrong, okay!? I’m paranoid, create problems out of nothing, and I hate admitting to being wrong! I’m stupid! Merlin, please.’ Arthur looked at him with pleading eyes, and Merlin felt his heart clench. Arthur was a dumb idiot and Merlin was even dumber for having such a dumb crush on him still, even after the blond hurt him. He sighed and leaned against the door.

    ‘Do you really care about me Arthur?’ He asked and Arthur was fast to nod.

    ‘Yes! Of course I care. I like you a lot actually. I think I might even be falling in love with you..’ The last sentence came out a bit strangled, as if it was hard for Arthur to admit. Merlin’s face turned red and he had to be quiet for a little while to process it all.

    ‘My magic is a part of me, like an arm or a leg. If you want me, then magic is part of the package,’ Merlin finally said as he searched for lies in those eyes, but only found truth.

    ‘Yeah. Yeah I get that. I just… I was so surprised, and it all became disbelief. I’m not the guy who usually believe in supernatural things, and stuff like that, and the moving tattoos just were a bit… Much, all at once. I was scared and paranoid so I just made up something to make it not seem so strange.’ Merlin snorted and Arthur gave him a tiny smile. ‘Okay, it was still pretty strange… I’m sorry for not believing you like I should have. I’m stupid, I know. Aannnddd, the magic you just did was pretty cool. Your eyes are pretty when they’re golden too,’ Arthur finished with a deep breath and rubbed his neck nervously.

    Merlin stared at him with a wildly beating heart and then said, ‘If you really care, then I want you to make it up to me.’

    Arthur was frozen for a while, and then his whole face shone up, like a flower opening for the sun to reach it. Merlin took a deep breath at the dashing smile.

    ‘All right! I promise I will,’ he said, planted a chaste kiss on Merlin’s cheek and turned to rush down the stairs. Merlin looked after him in surprise. His whole face was red and his heart was beating rapidly in his chest. He hadn’t expected that. In truth he hadn’t expected any of this, but maybe that was all right. Maybe he’d give Arthur a second chance. Maybe there was hope.

    Merlin glanced out into the stairwell one last time, before silently closing the door and returning to his dinner. His skin was prickling with magic.

One and a half years later

‘How do you like it so far then?’ Arthur asked as he glanced around the naked apartment. It was big and airy, with white walls and a light wooden floor. The light that came in through the big windows made the space shine up and the small dust particles visible. They sparkled like tiny diamonds in the air. Merlin felt right at home within these walls.

    ‘I like it. The windows are nice and big, the kitchen is modern and there is a bathtub! Don’t you like it? I think it’s perfect,’ he said and happily gestured around. He stopped in front of the window and gazed out. ‘The view is nice too. And it’s not too posh, like your apartment.’ He watched people walk by the apartment complex. Simple and complicated humans, with a workplace, or maybe not. Humans with lovers, and family, and some who had none. Maybe there was one human, outside the window, who had the same powers Merlin had. He smiled to himself.

    ‘What? My apartment is perfectly ordinary!’ Arthur said, faking offence.

    ‘Shows what you know,’ Merlin mumbled and snorted, earning himself a light slap in the back of his head. The hand who had just playfully hurt him decided to gently and lovingly caress his neck. Merlin shivered.

    ‘Merlin? The back of your neck is pretty warm. Um. Unnaturally warm.’ Arthur’s voice sounded worried. Merlin suddenly felt chills all over his body and he gasped. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling, but the coldness soon turned comfortably warm.

    ‘T-that was weird,’ He mumbled and glanced worriedly at Arthur. Arthur was watching the back of Merlin’s neck with great interest. He slowly lifted his hand and a grin formed on his face.

    ‘You... There’s a new tattoo Merlin,’ he said, without letting his eyes leave Merlin’s neck.

    ‘What? I can’t see. Take a picture!’ Arthur struggled to fish his Samsung out of his pocket for a few seconds before the sound of the phone’s camera could be heard, echoing inside the empty apartment.

    ‘It’s two trees,’ Arthur mumbled as he showed Merlin the picture, and discretely laid his hand on Merlin’s hip.

    ‘Two maple trees,’ Merlin said with a little nod and scanned the picture of the new tattoo. The trees wore only a few bright green leaves, such as trees do during early spring. They slightly leaned against each other, and the branches that touched seemed to cling lovingly to each other. Merlin stared at the trees, and his face broke out into a big smile.

    ‘We’re getting the apartment,’ he told Arthur, and Arthur, who looked a bit surprised, said, ‘Oh. Are we?’

    ‘Yes. We are,’ was Merlin’s final words before he planted a passionate kiss onto Arthur’s lips. Arthur made a surprised sound, but was soon kissing back, and when Merlin moved away he was reluctant to break the kiss. Merlin snickered and planted his hand on the blonde’s face to keep him from going in for another.
    ‘Come on. We’re joining Gwen and Lancelot for dinner. There’s no time to snog.’ The smirk on his lips made Arthur pout.
    ‘Fine. Let’s go.’