To Fan The Flame for twilightHDfan
Title: To Fan The Flame
Author: nyargles
Rating: PG
Warnings: Slightly mentions of minor character death
Word Count: 3,200~
Summary/prompt: For twilightHDfan. AU. Arthur is Merlin's son's kindergarten teacher, Merlin has a huge crush on him, Morgana plots to set them up at her Samhain party.
Leon charged up to Merlin, hacking away at his knees with a foam sword and roaring a
bit. Merlin laughed, holding his hands out in front of him to defend himself from the vicious attack. "I surrender! Now go give that back! Arthur won't like you stealing his swords, young man."
With an 'aww' noise, Leon stopped whacking at his father and dutifully trooped back, his
coat trailing on the floor as he towed it around by a sleeve. "Thanks for the sword, Arthur," he chirped as he then tripped back towards the front of the classroom. His classroom teacher, Arthur Pendragon, saluted him with a tired, but amused smile. Merlin winced - he was probably exhausted after trying to keep the boys from hurting each other seriously all afternoon.
Merlin crouched down and Leon gave him a hug that somehow turned into a silent plea
for a piggyback ride. Merlin chuckled, and let Leon climb all over him, whose adrenaline
was starting to wear off. "Yes, thanks," Merlin smiled at Arthur gratefully. Although Merlin knew that it was just his job, he admired the other man for how well he got on with the kids, managing to keep order without being too strict. Besides, his arse looked really quite pert when he was bending over to talk to a child, but that opinion was one he kept strictly to himself.
"Not at all," Arthur smiled at him and Merlin could only beam back. If it was a little more than parental gratitude for looking after a child, no one mentioned anything.
By then though, Leon was becoming a heavy load on Merlin's back (Merlin suspected that he'd dozed off and was probably drooling down the middle of Merlin's shirt), and so he raised a hand. "See you tomorrow then." He hefted Leon up, starting towards the car.
"Of course." Arthur nodded, with a little wave to Leon's sleepy form.
"Merlin!" A female voice hailed him, and Merlin turned to see Morgana running across the tarmac towards them. "Wait!" She stopped in front of them, blue paint dribbling down her trousers from her waist downwards and her hands smeared blue. "I meant to catch you earlier, but I got a little held up," she said apologetically, managing to appear completely unflustered despite the rivulets of blue paint racing to reach her knee. "Both of you - I'm hosting a little Samhain gathering next weekend - it’ll just be a Halloween thing for those who don’t celebrate Samhain. I expect to see you there."
While she was the other teacher of the kindergarten class, Morgana was also a close friend of Merlin's best friend, Gwen, and so Merlin suspected that she was calling to him on an entirely unprofessional capacity. "I hope you're inviting all the parents," Merlin said dryly. She attempted to indicate the envelopes sticking out of her apron pocket, and Merlin managed to fish them out without looking like he was groping her, and passed one to Arthur. "Thanks. I think I'm free next weekend; Leon has a party he's invited to."
Morgana waved a smurf-y hand airily. "I'm sure he does. I'll see you both there!" She
tottered back towards the classroom and Merlin and Arthur exchanged exasperated smiles. They had, of course, noticed that she hadn't once entertained the notion that they might not turn up to one of her parties.
+ + +
"Wow." Staring out from the back seat of Gwen and Lance's car, Merlin stared.
"Told you," chorused both Gwen and Lance as they parked the car. They were in front of
a large three-storey house, the old Victorian ones that were mostly divided up into multiple flats and could house six different families. They could smell the distinct smell of a bonfire, and the sound of people laughing and chatting carried over from the back of the house.
Readjusting his warlock's hat and tripping over the long black coat he was wearing, Merlin got out of the car and promptly nearly impaled himself on a tree branch. Morgana had trees (multiple) lining her driveway. "I don't suppose it would be a reasonable
question to ask if these were flats and Morgana only lives in part of this place, would it?"
Merlin asked weakly as they hovered at the front door.
Unbundling his honest-to-God white sheet with eyeholes, Lance gave him an amused
look. "I got lost in here once because I went to the wrong dining room." That seemed to say it all.
"Hello!" Morgana threw open the door and managed to hug all three of them at the same
time. Lance choked a little from his place in the side of her breasts and Merlin was then
glad that her shoulder was uncomfortably wedged in his throat. "You have the most perfect timing: food's just ready but no one's eaten too much of it yet. Nice costumes!" Their host in question was clothed all in black, complete with a veil, with what looked like a couple of pairs of stuffed tights tied to her back. "I'm a Black Widow," she explained cheerfully as they all took several moments to process the double meaning and made 'ahhhh' noises appreciatively.
"“I thought you did celebrate Samhain?" Merlin frowned.
"No one's going to stop me from celebrating dressed a giant spider, Merlin," said Morgana loftily.
They followed her through the hallway and through what Gwen called 'the Main Living Room' to the double set of doors that were currently open, revealing the garden with two blazing bonfires. ("She has an orchard in the back of her garden," whispered Gwen as Merlin stared.) People were standing around the fires, huddling a little for its warmth; Lance filtered off towards the food tables and Gwen walked with Morgana, catching up.
Merlin waved her off and stepped towards the bonfire, revelling in the warmth on his face. He inhaled, enjoying the smoky fragrance. That was, until he inhaled some ash and started coughing. A hand over his lips, Merlin hacked away for a bit as the irritation in his throat niggled at him. A broad hand clapped onto his lower hand and Merlin found a glass of water thrust in front of him. "Thanks," he wheezed, sipping it slowly.
Straightening up as he cleared his throat several more times, Merlin flushed as he realised
that Arthur was standing in front of him, white shirt dramatically ripped open. Not even the red flecks of fake blood could deter Merlin's mind from the fact that he could almost definitely see Arthur's nipple. "No problem." Arthur looked far too amused. "I don't think Morgana would appreciate you dying within seconds of walking in, especially not at Samhain, Mr Emrys."
"Merlin, please." He always found it strange that he and the children called the kindergarten teachers by their first name whilst they in turn addressed the parents formally. "...Nice costume," Merlin coughed: this time his cough had nothing to do with ash at all.
Arthur looked down himself, pulling his shirt straight absently and smiled ruefully. "I came without a costume. So she tore my shirt."
Merlin laughed outright - how typical of Morgana. He twiddled the glass in his hand. "I
haven't been to a Halloween party in years," he mused. Not a proper one, anyway, where
people actually put effort into having events and real food. In fact, Merlin was a tiny bit baffled as to what was supposed to happen at a party nowadays; he hadn't been to very much since before Leon had been born, and had therefore never made the transition from when parties involved copious amounts of alcohol and little else into more sedate affairs.
"Morgana just likes to have an excuse for a party," Arthur snorted. "She's got all these
games set up because she likes seeing people make a fool of themselves." Merlin followed Arthur's line of vision before spotting a large cauldron with several people kneeling around it, attempting to fish apples out with their teeth. Merlin groaned: he was rubbish at this sort of thing. Arthur laughed. "I like the sound of that. Apple bobbing we go then."
Merlin choked as Arthur took him by the wrist. "Oh, no. No no no no no. Where do people even get cauldrons nowadays?!" His mind grasped at the only logical thought he could manage at the moment.
"Oh, come on," Arthur smiled brightly. He did let go of Merlin's wrist though, hands up as if to show that he wouldn't make Merlin do anything if he really didn't want to, but...
Knowing full well that he'd lost this already, Merlin sighed. "All right, let's go apple bobbing."
Arthur grinned, face lighting up. Merlin suddenly understood completely why he got on so well with the children. "I'll go first if you want," he offered, leaning over the edge of the cauldron to nose at an apple. It took him several tries and more than a few swallows of liquid as he dunked his face under, but he came up triumphant with his teeth sunk around an apple. Merlin clapped appreciatively, laughing; he most definitely hadn't been watching Arthur's backside for half the time as he bent over the cauldron. Arthur unhooked his teeth from the apple, taking a bit out of it and wiping his wet face with the sleeve of his already ruined shirt. "Your go," he waved Merlin towards it.
"Urgh," Merlin muttered. Entirely self-conscious of his arse sticking up in the air as he leaned over, he picked an apple that was reasonably close and aimed slowly for it. His face inevitably dunked under, and Merlin spluttered. "This is cider!" He choked, wiping his mouth.
Arthur raised his eyebrows. "Of course. It's Morgana's party."
+ + +
When the silly frivolity of Halloween had worn off later that night - the chocolates had been handed out to the trick-or-treaters coming round, the food had all been eaten and Merlin had tried to apple-bob several more times - Merlin sat on the grass. The wind hit his back and he shivered, even though his front was practically being roasted.
Merlin stared at the flickering fire, feeling warm and fuzzy and entirely glad that he had come after all. He loved his son very much, but spending time with Leon did mean that his social life was limited, usually to having Gwen and Lance around occasionally. "All right?" Arthur asked from next to him. Both of them had been introduced to other people there, but it seemed more comfortable just to latch onto a familiar face.
"Yeah," Merlin smiled as the atmosphere shifted into mellow as Morgause started a reading for those who could not be there with them. They fell into silence, listening to Morgause's strong voice drift through the air, strangely enchanting.
"Have you lost anyone?" Arthur asked quietly as they let the heat of the fires wash over them.
Merlin nodded slowly. "My girlfriend. Leon's mum. You?" He flicked his eyes to look at Arthur, trying to decipher the expression past the orange and shadows playing on his face.
"My mum when I was young, and my father a couple of years ago." They sat there for a while in quiet silence, reflecting.
A loud clap interrupted their thoughts, waking them from their contemplation. Those of Morgana's friends who did celebrate Samhain gathered between the two bonfires, picking up the mood as they whooped and cheered. "What's happening?" Merlin asked, eyeing the group in interest.
"Lots of rites for good luck for the winter," Arthur replied, shuffling them both to one side so they could see better. Merlin watched as they started passing between the fires one by one, and somehow felt at peace. Morgana, the last to walk through, managed to not singe a single one of her legs, and everyone clapped again.
"And now to light the hearth!" Morgana announced. She picked up one of the lit branches from a bonfire and marched towards the house.
Merlin gave Arthur an enquiring look, seeing how he seemed to know more about this than he did. "You all light your fireplaces from the bonfire, but since no one really has fireplaces anymore, everyone just picks a different room in Morgana's house to light." Arthur grinned. "It's a show of community, everyone starting from the same fire and all. Let's do one." He went to retrieve a branch, somehow managing to juggle alcohol in one hand and fire in the other and Merlin followed him into Morgana's house; in fact, he followed very closely for fear of actually getting lost in this place.
"I usually do this one because she insists on it," Arthur informed Merlin as they opened the door of a room that seemed little used. Merlin frowned, and Arthur explained. "It's my old bedroom? She seems to think it's still my responsibility."
Merlin choked. "You're related?!" He wondered how this piece of information had managed to elude him for so long.
"Yes...?" Arthur shot him an amused look. "Well, she's my adoptive sister, so more or less. This is the house I grew up in." As Arthur knelt by the fireplace and set about lighting it using the branch they had carried up, Merlin took the time to try to imagine Arthur growing up in such a lavish house. He glanced around the room, wondering what it had been like when Arthur still lived here even though it was devoid of belongings now. He somehow felt as if he was intruding into a more private part of Arthur's life than he should really know.
Arthur turned around when there was no response. "Merlin? Are you all right?"
Turning back around, Merlin smiled. "Yes, of course." He held his hands out to the fire. "I'm sure someone must have told me before that you and Morgana were related." He shook his head in astonishment, surprising himself with how much he didn't know about the other man.
"There we go," Arthur stood up with satisfaction, watching the small fire take root, and Merlin cast another look at the empty bedroom. No, he was being stupid. Why would he know particularly much about the private life of his son's teacher?
"Listen," Arthur spoke from bent over the fireplace to Merlin, and Merlin turned his head. Arthur looked a little unsteady. "Would you like to come and have a drink with me sometime?" Arthur raised a hand as if to ask Merlin to hear him out first. "I realise that it's highly unorthodox as a teacher-parent sort of interaction, but you are already friends with my sister, and..." Arthur backtracked. "Well, you being friends with my sister has nothing to do with it really," he added firmly. His head stayed bowed, as if he was too scared to watch Merlin's reaction.
Merlin gaped at him a little, and then glanced down at the glass in his hand. "Are you drunk?" He asked, somehow desperately hoping that Arthur wasn't.
"What? No." Arthur glanced down at his mostly-drunk cider too. He shifted from his seat, perhaps leaning away from Merlin a little more than earlier. "Erm, never mind. Just ignore what I said."
Merlin reached forward, startled. "No! I mean, no, that's not what I meant. I mean, what I meant..." Merlin smacked his palm against his forehead. "I mean, yes. Yes, I would really like to go and have a drink with you. Another drink with you. More drinks with you," he babbled, getting more flustered with each ridiculous thing that came out of his mouth. Arthur laughed.
"Now I know where Leon gets his rambling from," Arthur said easily. He stood, and smiled at Merlin, and Merlin found himself relieved at the small motion. He reached forwards, hesitantly, and placed his hand on Arthur's forearm. Something churned in his stomach, and it wasn't just the cider. He hadn't done this for a while. A long while. He hadn't expressed feelings or interest in anyone since Freya, and he simply let his hand hover there, not certain how to approach it.
Arthur seemed to sense this though, and smiled. He took Merlin's wrist, using it to pull him closer until their knees knocked together. Arthur wrapped his free arm around Merlin's waist before he could topple over, and planted a quick kiss on Merlin's lips. Merlin gasped, and blinked owlishly up at Arthur, his own free arm automatically wrapping around Arthur's neck for better balance.
"Just drinks?" Arthur murmured, his face so close to Merlin's that Merlin could feel his eyelashes brush against Arthur's face when he blinked.
Merlin flushed. "Well. Drinks... and maybe more." Arthur put his drink down and stole the glass out of Merlin's hand too, setting them both firmly down on the mantelpiece before pulling Merlin properly into his arms and pressing their lips together. Whereas the first kiss had been barely a peck, this one was drawn out, and exploring. Merlin opened his mouth slightly, sighing into the kiss. Arthur's hands were a warm weight on Merlin's back and his lips were dry and slightly chapped. Merlin didn't even notice that his eyes had fluttered closed until he had to open them again, just in time to see Arthur looking right into his eyes. He couldn't stop the brilliant smile that curled over his lips, and Arthur grinned back at him in return.
"Come on," Arthur tugged them both to the bed, where they perched on the edge. "If we want to do this for a while, let's not tire our legs whilst we do it."
"A sound reasoning," Merlin replied deadpan, shuffling closer until his thigh pressed against Arthur's. Arthur's hands slid from his waist to roam across his back, to up his shoulders and Merlin hummed into it. It was slightly mortifying actually, how much he reacted to all of this; it was as if his body was rediscovering that it could even feel like this all over again. Arthur's fingers teased gently into Merlin's coat, slowly rucking up the hem of his shirt a little bit at a time, and Merlin shuddered.
Arthur frowned. "Merlin?" His fingers froze, and Merlin almost wanted to throw himself at Arthur in gratitude for his concideration.
"I'm fine," he said hoarsely. "It's just..." he struggled to find the best way to say it. "I've haven't... seen anyone since Freya." Saying it out loud, even to himself, sounded strained. He loved Freya still, of course, but he had also moved on, even if there hadn't been anyone to move on to. That wasn't the issue at all; Merlin had simply forgotten all the subtle signs and nuances there was to flirting, to responding. He felt in over his head again, like a teenage boy, and was struggling to keep up with Arthur. "I mean, it's just been a while," Merlin finished, hoping that it conveyed what he wanted to Arthur, staring at his knees in embarrassment.
"Of course!" Arthur ruffled his hair and Merlin looked up, surprised. Arthur shook his head. "I don't... We don't - " Arthur stopped, and slipped Merlin's hand into his own, before kissing the knuckles. "Why don't we start with a drink?" He grinned.
Arthur left his arm around Merlin's waist though, and Merlin smiled, giddy and intoxicated on the promise of more. It was, he reckoned as he stared into the slowly growing fire at Arthur's hearth, truly in the spirit of Samhain.
Author: nyargles
Rating: PG
Warnings: Slightly mentions of minor character death
Word Count: 3,200~
Summary/prompt: For twilightHDfan. AU. Arthur is Merlin's son's kindergarten teacher, Merlin has a huge crush on him, Morgana plots to set them up at her Samhain party.
Leon charged up to Merlin, hacking away at his knees with a foam sword and roaring a
bit. Merlin laughed, holding his hands out in front of him to defend himself from the vicious attack. "I surrender! Now go give that back! Arthur won't like you stealing his swords, young man."
With an 'aww' noise, Leon stopped whacking at his father and dutifully trooped back, his
coat trailing on the floor as he towed it around by a sleeve. "Thanks for the sword, Arthur," he chirped as he then tripped back towards the front of the classroom. His classroom teacher, Arthur Pendragon, saluted him with a tired, but amused smile. Merlin winced - he was probably exhausted after trying to keep the boys from hurting each other seriously all afternoon.
Merlin crouched down and Leon gave him a hug that somehow turned into a silent plea
for a piggyback ride. Merlin chuckled, and let Leon climb all over him, whose adrenaline
was starting to wear off. "Yes, thanks," Merlin smiled at Arthur gratefully. Although Merlin knew that it was just his job, he admired the other man for how well he got on with the kids, managing to keep order without being too strict. Besides, his arse looked really quite pert when he was bending over to talk to a child, but that opinion was one he kept strictly to himself.
"Not at all," Arthur smiled at him and Merlin could only beam back. If it was a little more than parental gratitude for looking after a child, no one mentioned anything.
By then though, Leon was becoming a heavy load on Merlin's back (Merlin suspected that he'd dozed off and was probably drooling down the middle of Merlin's shirt), and so he raised a hand. "See you tomorrow then." He hefted Leon up, starting towards the car.
"Of course." Arthur nodded, with a little wave to Leon's sleepy form.
"Merlin!" A female voice hailed him, and Merlin turned to see Morgana running across the tarmac towards them. "Wait!" She stopped in front of them, blue paint dribbling down her trousers from her waist downwards and her hands smeared blue. "I meant to catch you earlier, but I got a little held up," she said apologetically, managing to appear completely unflustered despite the rivulets of blue paint racing to reach her knee. "Both of you - I'm hosting a little Samhain gathering next weekend - it’ll just be a Halloween thing for those who don’t celebrate Samhain. I expect to see you there."
While she was the other teacher of the kindergarten class, Morgana was also a close friend of Merlin's best friend, Gwen, and so Merlin suspected that she was calling to him on an entirely unprofessional capacity. "I hope you're inviting all the parents," Merlin said dryly. She attempted to indicate the envelopes sticking out of her apron pocket, and Merlin managed to fish them out without looking like he was groping her, and passed one to Arthur. "Thanks. I think I'm free next weekend; Leon has a party he's invited to."
Morgana waved a smurf-y hand airily. "I'm sure he does. I'll see you both there!" She
tottered back towards the classroom and Merlin and Arthur exchanged exasperated smiles. They had, of course, noticed that she hadn't once entertained the notion that they might not turn up to one of her parties.
+ + +
"Wow." Staring out from the back seat of Gwen and Lance's car, Merlin stared.
"Told you," chorused both Gwen and Lance as they parked the car. They were in front of
a large three-storey house, the old Victorian ones that were mostly divided up into multiple flats and could house six different families. They could smell the distinct smell of a bonfire, and the sound of people laughing and chatting carried over from the back of the house.
Readjusting his warlock's hat and tripping over the long black coat he was wearing, Merlin got out of the car and promptly nearly impaled himself on a tree branch. Morgana had trees (multiple) lining her driveway. "I don't suppose it would be a reasonable
question to ask if these were flats and Morgana only lives in part of this place, would it?"
Merlin asked weakly as they hovered at the front door.
Unbundling his honest-to-God white sheet with eyeholes, Lance gave him an amused
look. "I got lost in here once because I went to the wrong dining room." That seemed to say it all.
"Hello!" Morgana threw open the door and managed to hug all three of them at the same
time. Lance choked a little from his place in the side of her breasts and Merlin was then
glad that her shoulder was uncomfortably wedged in his throat. "You have the most perfect timing: food's just ready but no one's eaten too much of it yet. Nice costumes!" Their host in question was clothed all in black, complete with a veil, with what looked like a couple of pairs of stuffed tights tied to her back. "I'm a Black Widow," she explained cheerfully as they all took several moments to process the double meaning and made 'ahhhh' noises appreciatively.
"“I thought you did celebrate Samhain?" Merlin frowned.
"No one's going to stop me from celebrating dressed a giant spider, Merlin," said Morgana loftily.
They followed her through the hallway and through what Gwen called 'the Main Living Room' to the double set of doors that were currently open, revealing the garden with two blazing bonfires. ("She has an orchard in the back of her garden," whispered Gwen as Merlin stared.) People were standing around the fires, huddling a little for its warmth; Lance filtered off towards the food tables and Gwen walked with Morgana, catching up.
Merlin waved her off and stepped towards the bonfire, revelling in the warmth on his face. He inhaled, enjoying the smoky fragrance. That was, until he inhaled some ash and started coughing. A hand over his lips, Merlin hacked away for a bit as the irritation in his throat niggled at him. A broad hand clapped onto his lower hand and Merlin found a glass of water thrust in front of him. "Thanks," he wheezed, sipping it slowly.
Straightening up as he cleared his throat several more times, Merlin flushed as he realised
that Arthur was standing in front of him, white shirt dramatically ripped open. Not even the red flecks of fake blood could deter Merlin's mind from the fact that he could almost definitely see Arthur's nipple. "No problem." Arthur looked far too amused. "I don't think Morgana would appreciate you dying within seconds of walking in, especially not at Samhain, Mr Emrys."
"Merlin, please." He always found it strange that he and the children called the kindergarten teachers by their first name whilst they in turn addressed the parents formally. "...Nice costume," Merlin coughed: this time his cough had nothing to do with ash at all.
Arthur looked down himself, pulling his shirt straight absently and smiled ruefully. "I came without a costume. So she tore my shirt."
Merlin laughed outright - how typical of Morgana. He twiddled the glass in his hand. "I
haven't been to a Halloween party in years," he mused. Not a proper one, anyway, where
people actually put effort into having events and real food. In fact, Merlin was a tiny bit baffled as to what was supposed to happen at a party nowadays; he hadn't been to very much since before Leon had been born, and had therefore never made the transition from when parties involved copious amounts of alcohol and little else into more sedate affairs.
"Morgana just likes to have an excuse for a party," Arthur snorted. "She's got all these
games set up because she likes seeing people make a fool of themselves." Merlin followed Arthur's line of vision before spotting a large cauldron with several people kneeling around it, attempting to fish apples out with their teeth. Merlin groaned: he was rubbish at this sort of thing. Arthur laughed. "I like the sound of that. Apple bobbing we go then."
Merlin choked as Arthur took him by the wrist. "Oh, no. No no no no no. Where do people even get cauldrons nowadays?!" His mind grasped at the only logical thought he could manage at the moment.
"Oh, come on," Arthur smiled brightly. He did let go of Merlin's wrist though, hands up as if to show that he wouldn't make Merlin do anything if he really didn't want to, but...
Knowing full well that he'd lost this already, Merlin sighed. "All right, let's go apple bobbing."
Arthur grinned, face lighting up. Merlin suddenly understood completely why he got on so well with the children. "I'll go first if you want," he offered, leaning over the edge of the cauldron to nose at an apple. It took him several tries and more than a few swallows of liquid as he dunked his face under, but he came up triumphant with his teeth sunk around an apple. Merlin clapped appreciatively, laughing; he most definitely hadn't been watching Arthur's backside for half the time as he bent over the cauldron. Arthur unhooked his teeth from the apple, taking a bit out of it and wiping his wet face with the sleeve of his already ruined shirt. "Your go," he waved Merlin towards it.
"Urgh," Merlin muttered. Entirely self-conscious of his arse sticking up in the air as he leaned over, he picked an apple that was reasonably close and aimed slowly for it. His face inevitably dunked under, and Merlin spluttered. "This is cider!" He choked, wiping his mouth.
Arthur raised his eyebrows. "Of course. It's Morgana's party."
+ + +
When the silly frivolity of Halloween had worn off later that night - the chocolates had been handed out to the trick-or-treaters coming round, the food had all been eaten and Merlin had tried to apple-bob several more times - Merlin sat on the grass. The wind hit his back and he shivered, even though his front was practically being roasted.
Merlin stared at the flickering fire, feeling warm and fuzzy and entirely glad that he had come after all. He loved his son very much, but spending time with Leon did mean that his social life was limited, usually to having Gwen and Lance around occasionally. "All right?" Arthur asked from next to him. Both of them had been introduced to other people there, but it seemed more comfortable just to latch onto a familiar face.
"Yeah," Merlin smiled as the atmosphere shifted into mellow as Morgause started a reading for those who could not be there with them. They fell into silence, listening to Morgause's strong voice drift through the air, strangely enchanting.
"Have you lost anyone?" Arthur asked quietly as they let the heat of the fires wash over them.
Merlin nodded slowly. "My girlfriend. Leon's mum. You?" He flicked his eyes to look at Arthur, trying to decipher the expression past the orange and shadows playing on his face.
"My mum when I was young, and my father a couple of years ago." They sat there for a while in quiet silence, reflecting.
A loud clap interrupted their thoughts, waking them from their contemplation. Those of Morgana's friends who did celebrate Samhain gathered between the two bonfires, picking up the mood as they whooped and cheered. "What's happening?" Merlin asked, eyeing the group in interest.
"Lots of rites for good luck for the winter," Arthur replied, shuffling them both to one side so they could see better. Merlin watched as they started passing between the fires one by one, and somehow felt at peace. Morgana, the last to walk through, managed to not singe a single one of her legs, and everyone clapped again.
"And now to light the hearth!" Morgana announced. She picked up one of the lit branches from a bonfire and marched towards the house.
Merlin gave Arthur an enquiring look, seeing how he seemed to know more about this than he did. "You all light your fireplaces from the bonfire, but since no one really has fireplaces anymore, everyone just picks a different room in Morgana's house to light." Arthur grinned. "It's a show of community, everyone starting from the same fire and all. Let's do one." He went to retrieve a branch, somehow managing to juggle alcohol in one hand and fire in the other and Merlin followed him into Morgana's house; in fact, he followed very closely for fear of actually getting lost in this place.
"I usually do this one because she insists on it," Arthur informed Merlin as they opened the door of a room that seemed little used. Merlin frowned, and Arthur explained. "It's my old bedroom? She seems to think it's still my responsibility."
Merlin choked. "You're related?!" He wondered how this piece of information had managed to elude him for so long.
"Yes...?" Arthur shot him an amused look. "Well, she's my adoptive sister, so more or less. This is the house I grew up in." As Arthur knelt by the fireplace and set about lighting it using the branch they had carried up, Merlin took the time to try to imagine Arthur growing up in such a lavish house. He glanced around the room, wondering what it had been like when Arthur still lived here even though it was devoid of belongings now. He somehow felt as if he was intruding into a more private part of Arthur's life than he should really know.
Arthur turned around when there was no response. "Merlin? Are you all right?"
Turning back around, Merlin smiled. "Yes, of course." He held his hands out to the fire. "I'm sure someone must have told me before that you and Morgana were related." He shook his head in astonishment, surprising himself with how much he didn't know about the other man.
"There we go," Arthur stood up with satisfaction, watching the small fire take root, and Merlin cast another look at the empty bedroom. No, he was being stupid. Why would he know particularly much about the private life of his son's teacher?
"Listen," Arthur spoke from bent over the fireplace to Merlin, and Merlin turned his head. Arthur looked a little unsteady. "Would you like to come and have a drink with me sometime?" Arthur raised a hand as if to ask Merlin to hear him out first. "I realise that it's highly unorthodox as a teacher-parent sort of interaction, but you are already friends with my sister, and..." Arthur backtracked. "Well, you being friends with my sister has nothing to do with it really," he added firmly. His head stayed bowed, as if he was too scared to watch Merlin's reaction.
Merlin gaped at him a little, and then glanced down at the glass in his hand. "Are you drunk?" He asked, somehow desperately hoping that Arthur wasn't.
"What? No." Arthur glanced down at his mostly-drunk cider too. He shifted from his seat, perhaps leaning away from Merlin a little more than earlier. "Erm, never mind. Just ignore what I said."
Merlin reached forward, startled. "No! I mean, no, that's not what I meant. I mean, what I meant..." Merlin smacked his palm against his forehead. "I mean, yes. Yes, I would really like to go and have a drink with you. Another drink with you. More drinks with you," he babbled, getting more flustered with each ridiculous thing that came out of his mouth. Arthur laughed.
"Now I know where Leon gets his rambling from," Arthur said easily. He stood, and smiled at Merlin, and Merlin found himself relieved at the small motion. He reached forwards, hesitantly, and placed his hand on Arthur's forearm. Something churned in his stomach, and it wasn't just the cider. He hadn't done this for a while. A long while. He hadn't expressed feelings or interest in anyone since Freya, and he simply let his hand hover there, not certain how to approach it.
Arthur seemed to sense this though, and smiled. He took Merlin's wrist, using it to pull him closer until their knees knocked together. Arthur wrapped his free arm around Merlin's waist before he could topple over, and planted a quick kiss on Merlin's lips. Merlin gasped, and blinked owlishly up at Arthur, his own free arm automatically wrapping around Arthur's neck for better balance.
"Just drinks?" Arthur murmured, his face so close to Merlin's that Merlin could feel his eyelashes brush against Arthur's face when he blinked.
Merlin flushed. "Well. Drinks... and maybe more." Arthur put his drink down and stole the glass out of Merlin's hand too, setting them both firmly down on the mantelpiece before pulling Merlin properly into his arms and pressing their lips together. Whereas the first kiss had been barely a peck, this one was drawn out, and exploring. Merlin opened his mouth slightly, sighing into the kiss. Arthur's hands were a warm weight on Merlin's back and his lips were dry and slightly chapped. Merlin didn't even notice that his eyes had fluttered closed until he had to open them again, just in time to see Arthur looking right into his eyes. He couldn't stop the brilliant smile that curled over his lips, and Arthur grinned back at him in return.
"Come on," Arthur tugged them both to the bed, where they perched on the edge. "If we want to do this for a while, let's not tire our legs whilst we do it."
"A sound reasoning," Merlin replied deadpan, shuffling closer until his thigh pressed against Arthur's. Arthur's hands slid from his waist to roam across his back, to up his shoulders and Merlin hummed into it. It was slightly mortifying actually, how much he reacted to all of this; it was as if his body was rediscovering that it could even feel like this all over again. Arthur's fingers teased gently into Merlin's coat, slowly rucking up the hem of his shirt a little bit at a time, and Merlin shuddered.
Arthur frowned. "Merlin?" His fingers froze, and Merlin almost wanted to throw himself at Arthur in gratitude for his concideration.
"I'm fine," he said hoarsely. "It's just..." he struggled to find the best way to say it. "I've haven't... seen anyone since Freya." Saying it out loud, even to himself, sounded strained. He loved Freya still, of course, but he had also moved on, even if there hadn't been anyone to move on to. That wasn't the issue at all; Merlin had simply forgotten all the subtle signs and nuances there was to flirting, to responding. He felt in over his head again, like a teenage boy, and was struggling to keep up with Arthur. "I mean, it's just been a while," Merlin finished, hoping that it conveyed what he wanted to Arthur, staring at his knees in embarrassment.
"Of course!" Arthur ruffled his hair and Merlin looked up, surprised. Arthur shook his head. "I don't... We don't - " Arthur stopped, and slipped Merlin's hand into his own, before kissing the knuckles. "Why don't we start with a drink?" He grinned.
Arthur left his arm around Merlin's waist though, and Merlin smiled, giddy and intoxicated on the promise of more. It was, he reckoned as he stared into the slowly growing fire at Arthur's hearth, truly in the spirit of Samhain.