Why Not Have Both?
Title: Why Not Have Both?
Pairing: Arthur/Gwen/Merlin
Rating: PG 13+
Word Count: 4, 479
Summary: Written for Piper's bday, who wanted OT3 fluff, be it romance or friendship. I went with romance, hope you don't mind. Shameless fluff, very little plot. Modern AU
Warnings: ShamelessCad! Merlin
Merlin was coming home.
Gwen couldn’t contain her excitement. Arthur had never met him - Merlin had been living in Australia for the duration of their year long relationship - but he smiled at her excitement and nodded politely when she expounded all his wonderful qualities at length.
Gwen had thought she couldn’t love Arthur any more than she already did, but she was wrong. Her heart swelled at his perfect contentedness to patiently listen to her wax lyrical about her best friend, a man he knew to be at the centre of her break up with Lance.
“Thank you,” she said warmly to him over breakfast one day.
“For what?” he asked.
“Not getting jealous about Merlin. I mean, since you know the reason Lance and I broke up.”
“Hey,” he said, getting up and wrapping her in a hug from behind. “I love you and I know you love me. What is there to be worried about?”
Gwen smiled contentedly. “Nothing at all,” she said, turning around to kiss him.
But for all her reassurances to Arthur, in the weeks leading up to Merlin’s arrival back in London, Gwen did begin to worry.
Thing was, despite growing up with him, she had always been a little in love with Merlin. She didn’t understand how anyone who met him could not be.
Lance had broken up with her because he didn’t understand that just because she loved Merlin didn’t mean she didn’t love Lance or even that she didn’t love Lance more; she had.
What if Arthur didn’t understand either? Despite her feelings for Merlin, she didn’t want to jeopardise her relationship with Arthur.
Watching him play with Leon and Mithian’s children at a bbq at their house one day, seeing how gentle and caring he was with them, she understood that she loved Arthur more than any man she had ever met. But what if he grew jealous of Merlin? Insisted she stop spending time with him? She didn’t think she could do that.
But Arthur continued to appear completely at ease with listening to her talk about Merlin, and so it was with a mixture of trepidation and excitement that Gwen took him with her to pick Merlin up from the airport.
“He’s coming Gwen,” Arthur said, rolling his eyes good-naturedly as she checked her watch for the fifth time. “Plane’s still arriving in 15 minutes it hasn’t changed from the last time you checked your watch about thirty seconds ago.”
“I know,” Gwen said, chewing her lip. “I just keep hoping that time will have magically sped up since the last time I looked.”
Arthur laughed and gathered her into a hug.
After a wait that seemed simultaneously to be as fast as light and slow as molasses, Gwen was bouncing anxiously on the balls of her feet looking over the heads of the other passengers until she finally spotted what she’d been waiting almost two years to see again.
“MERLIN!!!!”
He dropped his carry-on bag and opened his arms and Gwen threw herself into them with so much force she almost knocked him over.
“Merlin!!!” she shouted again, unable to contain her excitement.
“Ow Gwen, my ear,” he said laughing.
“Sorry!” she exclaimed anxiously, quickly letting him go.
They drank each other for a few seconds before she remembered they had company.
“Oh Merlin, I need you to meet someone,” she said, walking backwards towards Arthur.
“Hi Arthur, I’m Merlin,” Merlin said, extending a hand toward him, which Arthur accepted.
“I didn’t even tell you it was him!” Gwen exclaimed, a little cross at having her introduction stolen from under her.
“You didn’t need to,” Merlin said with a grin. “Buff, tough, save the world kinda guy that looks like him.”
Gwen blushed a deep red, mortified that Merlin would tell Arthur how she’d described him; she could tell by the way Arthur was laughing that she’d be hearing about it every time she told him he was too arrogant for the rest of her life.
They went to collect Merlin’s luggage and, because Merlin didn’t have a place of his own yet, drove him back to spend the night at theirs before he went to stay with mother while he looked for a flat.
Gwen could hardly keep her eyes of him; he’d put on weight whilst living in Australia but it suited him - he looked better than ever.
She made them coffee when they got back and set a mug down before Merlin and demanded he tell them everything that happened to him while he was away.
“You already know it all Gwen you skyped with him every week,” Arthur said. “Let the man go to bed his jet lag must be terrible.”
“I like you already,” Merlin said to Arthur gratefully.
“Everyone needs someone to save them from Gwen’s enthusiasm,” Arthur said in a grave voice as Gwen spluttered protests in the background.
“You must have had it so hard,” Merlin said to Arthur while he smirked at Gwen, “having to deal with her all on your own for so long.”
“They were trying times I confess. But I’m a buff tough save-the-world kinda guy so I managed,” Arthur said smugly.
“I hate you,” Gwen said fiercely to the pair of them. “I should have let you get a cab to your mother’s instead of picking you up,” she finished with a special glare for Merlin, who answered with a shit-eating grin.
But she followed Arthur’s advice and showed Merlin to the spare room and he flopped onto the bed with a sigh.
“Malkjafk,” he said, once he was spreadeagled onto his stomach, his voice muffled by the pillow.
“What?” Gwen laughed, sitting on the edge of the bed beside him.
“I said I’m never getting up again,” he answered, raising his head to smile at her. “Thanks for letting me stay here,” he said warmly. “I really missed you.”
“I really missed you too,” she said softly, horrified to realise there were tears in her eyes. She blinked and tried to hide them, but he was too quick for her.
“Oh Gwen,” he said, reaching up and brushing her cheeks; Gwen gave in and let herself sob and be pulled into his arms.
“I’m sorry,” she said into his shoulder. “I’m being an idiot.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Merlin said, kissing the top of her head. “But you are an idiot.”
She swatted his arm and pulled herself up.
“Um, there’s a spare toothbrush in the bathroom for you,” she said, drying her eyes. “And you can come wake me up if you need anything,”
“I will,” Merlin said smiling at her. “Goodnight Gwen.”
“Goodnight.”
***
When she awoke in the morning, it was to a scene of Arthur and Merlin arguing from opposite ends of the breakfast table, looking as though they were having the time of their lives.
“No way,” Merlin said, pointing at Arthur with his spoon. “You’re a complete dollop-head if you think 30 Rock is better than Parks and Recreation.”
“A what?” Arthur laughed.
“A....never mind,” Merlin mumbled.
“Did you just make that up?” Arthur asked. “Are you that defeated by my superior wit already?”
“I did not!” Merlin protested. “It’s a real word,” he finished with a less convincing mumble.
Arthur threw back his head and laughed.
“You,” Merlin, brandishing his spoon so fiercely that bits of cereal went flying, “are an arrogant prat.”
“I’m wounded Merlin,” Arthur said melodramatically. “Please, I can’t take any more of your cutting insults.”
“Oh shut up,” Merlin grumbled, returning to his cereal and hiding the small smile on his face.
“I hope he isn’t being too mean to you,” Gwen said to Merlin, walking over to place her arms around Arthur’s neck.
“Nah,” Merlin said, turning a mocking grin to Arthur. “I’ve handled buffer and tougher guys than him, I’ll be alright.”
Arthur grinned back at the challenge, and Gwen smiled to herself.
They spent the rest of breakfast bickering good-naturedly, until Merlin announced that he had better go and collect all his stuff to take to his mother’s soon.
“I’ll drive you,” Gwen offered.
“K, thanks,” Merlin smiled back, just as his phone started ringing.
He made an apologetic face and went to stand in the hallway to take it while Gwen collected their breakfast dishes and took them into the kitchen.
The kitchen was quite close to the hall, and Gwen couldn’t help but listen as Merlin’s voice rose on the phone.
“Oh wow that’s amazing! No mum, what are you talking about, you have to go. Don’t worry about me I’ll be fine. How long is it for? Yeah, I’ll be fine by myself till I find my own place. No mum don’t worry, I mean it, you should go.”
Silence.
“Yeah. Yeah. Alright, well I’ll see you this afternoon. Ok, love you too. Bye!”
He hung up.
“What was that all about?” Gwen asked.
“One of mum’s friends won a holiday. Two months around Europe. She wants to take mum but mum didn’t want to go cause she didn’t want to leave me alone,” he said rolling his eyes.
“Do you want to stay with me and Arthur while your mum’s away?” Gwen blurted before she could stop herself.
Merlin raised his eyebrows a little.
“I mean, you know it’s better than living alone,” she finished with a blush.
Merlin studied her for a few moments.
“If it’s ok with Arthur,” he said carefully.
“Yes! I mean, I’m sure it will be, you guys get along. In your own kind of way,” Gwen finished as Merlin laughed.
“Well, I’m still gonna go visit her till she leaves so....”
“Right,” Gwen said, somewhat flustered. “Well, let’s go get your stuff and I’ll take you over there to go visit her till she leaves.”
“Thanks,” Merlin said smiling at her, and Gwen couldn’t help but feel, as her heart melted at the sight of it, that she might have made a mistake in inviting him to stay with her and Arthur.
***
“Are you sure it’s alright?” Gwen asked Arthur worriedly later that night.
“Gwen it’s fine,” Arthur said, walking over and placing his hands on her shoulders.
“You haven’t properly seen Merlin for two years, I like the guy and,” he said, trailing his hands down her arms and coming to rest them on her waist, “as long as -“ here he kissed her neck “- he’s not in,“ another kiss up under her ear “ - our hair every minute of the day...” he trailed off to place an open mouthed kiss on her lips, “.... then it’s not a problem having him in the spare room.”
Gwen smiled to herself as his hands trailed suggestively over her belly and lower back.
“Shall we go to the bedroom?” she asked.
He grinned at her.
“Better make the last use of the couch we’ll have for awhile”
***
Despite his two years away, living with Merlin was like being transported straight back in time.
When she woke up, she was unable to stop herself from going into his bedroom and jumping on the bed like the excited five year old she used to be, who would run to the house over the fence to do the same thing many years ago.
They would watch movies together on the couch and pretend they weren’t playing footsies on the coffee table, like they did as teenagers.
They would lay in bed and text each other when they were too lazy to get up and chat, even though they occupied rooms across the hall, like they did at university.
And everyday, Gwen would pretend that she and Merlin weren’t flirting; they had always done this, everyday of their lives, and nothing had ever happened between them.
But if Arthur ever had a problem with it, he didn’t show it. In fact, he and Merlin had taken to each other straightaway.
“That is a stupid question and I am not going to stoop to answering it Merlin. Come back when you actually have something of substance to talk to me about.”
“Oh come on,” Merlin laughed teasingly, taking a step closer to Arthur. “You can pretend you want to discuss tax breaks all you like, I know you love batman, you were riveted during The Dark Knight. You’re itching to tell me all the ways he’s better than Superman.”
“I am not, and I only watched that movie because Gwen wanted to,” Arthur said blushing.
“She fell asleep! You watched it all the way through!”
“I did not and how would you know anyway. What are you, watching me like a stalker or something? Why don’t you go read the Financial Review or something Merlin.”
But Merlin would just laugh and ask Arthur if he preferred red or blue, swatting him on the forearm when Arthur asked him if he was 8 or 28 in return.
***
Gwen’s fantasy that living with Merlin wouldn’t have any impact on her relationship with Arthur could not last however.
On Thursday, Gwen could no longer deny that something was happening between herself and Merlin. Standing at the sink washing her breakfast dishes, she heard the sound of footsteps in the kitchen and cereal being poured into a bowl; somehow she knew without turning around it was Merlin.
“If you give me your bowl when you’re done with it I’ll wash it up for you,” she said, without turning around.
“Thanks,” Merlin said. “But I don’t wanna make you stand there and wait for me to finish eating, it’s alright.”
“No, no, I’m already here. Its fine,” Gwen reassured him.
Merlin snorted.
“You’re far too nice Gwen,” he said.
“What are you talking about? It’s one bowl,” Gwen protested.
“Yeah, but you’re always doing nice things like that for me. Remember when we were kids and you used to get in trouble for destroying the neighbourhood gardens picking flowers for me?”
Gwen blushed at the compliment and smiled at the memory.
“You paid me back with all those flowers you bought me as soon as you got your first job though,” she said.
“Yeah,” Merlin laughed, voice sounding a lot closer.
And suddenly, he was standing right behind her and his arms were snaking around her waist and he was pulling her closer towards him. Despite the inappropriateness of it, Gwen felt herself leaning back against him, placing her hands over his on her belly. They stood like that, gently swaying for a few moments, Gwen feeling as though a warm fire had been lit in her stomach and was spreading throughout her body.
“Thanks for always being there for me Gwen,” Merlin whispered in her ear. Gwen closed her eyes at the feeling of his breath on her neck and shivered.
When she opened them it was to see Arthur staring them. Dread flooded her body and she jerked, but Merlin didn’t let her go. Instead he slowly unwrapped his hands from her stomach, stepped away normally and said “morning Arthur,” with his usual cheer, as though nothing had happened.
Gwen looked guiltily at Arthur, but he didn’t appear to be angry at all. Instead, a strange, unreadable expression hovered over his face, and he simply stared at the pair of them before shaking himself slightly and walking over to kiss Gwen as he did every other morning.
“Morning,” he said to both of them.
“Running a bit late this morning, so I can’t stay long sorry,” he said, while Gwen hovered awkwardly by the sink unsure of what to do.
“Um....would you like some breakfast? I can make you something quick if you like,” Gwen offered.
“Ok, thanks,” Arthur said. He appeared to be perfectly fine as he wandered around trying to find everything he needed for work, but Gwen was too nervous to meet his eyes, and concentrated on buttering his toast, handing it to him without a word.
“Bye,” he said, picking up his briefcase, giving her a kiss on the lips and walking out the door.
“Oh my god,” Gwen groaned, putting her head in her hands as soon as he was gone.
“What’s wrong?” Merlin asked, slurping the remains of his cereal.
“What’s wrong?!? Merlin you were there!”
“Gwen, he really didn’t seem like he had a problem with it. Besides, it was just a hug,” he said unconcernedly.
An incredibly inappropriate one, Gwen thought, but didn’t bother to say out loud. The truth was, it was a hug she had enjoyed far too much for someone who just supposed to be Merlin’s friend.
But she was going to be late for work herself if she continued to stand in the kitchen and worry, so she washed Merlin’s bowl, gathered her things and walked out.
***
Gwen worried all day at work about what Arthur would say when he got home. Despite everything, she didn’t want to lose him; she genuinely loved him and deeply.
And as much as she hated herself for it, she was worried about what would happen to Merlin; she didn’t want him to move out, or be asked to cut him out of her life.
She ignored Merlin when he asked her why she was so worried while she sat on the couch chewing her nails and waiting for Arthur to come home. She was disgusted with herself for wanting two things at once already; she didn’t want to make her moral shortcomings a reality by confessing her desire for both Arthur and Merlin to Merlin himself.
In the end though, it was Merlin who had the better measure of the situation. When Arthur got home he wasn’t upset or angry at all; in fact he was downright cheerful.
He chatted happily about his day, offered to cook dinner, teased Merlin about his lack of financial literacy while they were eating it and hugged and kissed Gwen as they were clearing it up.
Gwen was relieved, but still nervous, so while he was humming as he removed his tie for his shower, she asked “are you....is everything alright?”
He looked at her. “Why wouldn’t it be?” he asked.
“Oh,” she said awkwardly. “I just thought....this morning....”
“It’s fine,” he said, somewhat gruffly. “You guys weren’t doing anything untoward, it was just a hug.”
“Right,” Gwen agreed, unsure of what else to say.
“I’m getting in the shower now,” Arthur said, removing his boxers and flashing her a cheeky grin. “Want to join me?”
***
For a few days, Gwen kept expecting Arthur to turn around and confess that he did have a problem with her flirting with Merlin under his own roof after all, and kick the pair of them out.
But it never happened.
In fact, if Gwen was being completely honest, it was starting to look more and more like Arthur was flirting with Merlin himself.
Arthur and Merlin had always argued, but now it seemed that Arthur was deliberately picking a fight with Merlin over increasingly ridiculous and obscure topics, face shining whenever Merlin bit back and eyes alight as he called Merlin a cabbage-head or whatever their shared insult was for the day.
“I am telling you Merlin, if Batman existed in real life he would be locked up as a terrorist. And rightly so. There can be no room for vigilantism in modern society.”
“How can you say this?!” Merlin cried, momentarily halting his mission to cover every last inch of his piece of cake with cream.
“You love Batman!”
Arthur grinned wickedly.
“I never said that Merlin you decided I loved Batman.”
“Oh shut up,” Merlin said warmly, and without any warning he put a finger into his cream and wiped onto Arthur’s face, who gasped in shock, but could not have looked more pleased, never breaking eye contact with Merlin as he nervously wiped it off face with his own finger.
Gwen was no longer able to sneakily run her foot up Merlin’s calf while playing footsies or to snuggle up to Arthur whilst watching a movie; now Merlin and Arthur always insisted they find the other before watching any film, and they would squash up against each other (“the couch is too small”) and talk throughout the whole thing (“Russel Crowe acts rings around Hugh Jackman” “I thought you said you didn’t like musicals? Shouldn’t you be reading the Financial Review or something?”).
Gwen got a taste of her own medicine several weeks later, when she arrived home early from a girl’s night with Mithian to find Arthur leaning back against the kitchen bench, palms resting on the edge, mere centimetres away from Merlin, who was smiling as he whispered something to him with a soft smile on his face.
They weren’t touching - for all she knew, it was just a normal conversation - but Arthur’s jerk at hearing her arrive and guilty look immediately put Gwen in mind of her own kitchen experience with Merlin only a few weeks ago.
“Gwen,” Merlin said, stepping back. “How was your night?”
“Fine,” Gwen said, feeling odd.
She should have been feeling jealous at seeing such an intimate between her boyfriend and her best friend - hell, she should have been jealous over their behaviour over the past few weeks. But she wasn’t. All she felt was a mixture of curiosity, confusion and - dare she admit it - arousal.
“Um,” she said, shaking her head to clear it after a moment’s pause. “Yeah, it was a really good night.”
She noticed Arthur watching her with worry as she expanded on her dinner with Mithian, but it wasn’t until they were alone in the bedroom that her experience of déjà vu was complete.
“Are you -,“ Arthur started, then cleared his throat. “I mean...”
She knew what she was talking about. She even knew exactly how he felt, having experienced it herself.
And now she was wondering if he might not have been feeling the same thing she was now, when he walked in on her and Merlin.
“It’s fine,” she reassured him with a gentle kiss and deep smile. “Everything’s fine.”
But an idea had taken root in her mind, and although she tried to tell herself it was stupid, impossible, she couldn’t let it go.
Every passionate kiss she shared with Arthur, every brush of the hand and kiss on the cheek from Merlin only served to strengthen it, until one day she saw Merlin whispering “buff, tough, save-the-world kinda guy,” cheekily into Arthur’s ear, and saw Arthur blush a deep red in response and she knew she had to do something.
The next day, Gwen organised for Will, Merlin’s childhood friend from primary school, to take Merlin out to the pub while she waited for Arthur to come home with a candle and a bottle of red wine on the table.
“What’s all this?” Arthur asked when he arrived home that afternoon, taking off his scarf and hanging it up by the door.
“We need to talk,” Gwen said simply. “Not like that,” she added, seeing alarm in his eyes. “It’s about Merlin.”
“Oh,” Arthur said, sitting down looking confused and worried. “What about him?”
Gwen hesitated. She had never been one to mince words, usually preferring an honest and straightforward approach, but this was a matter that needed to be handled with delicacy.
“I think he likes you,” she said finally.
“Oh,” Arthur said carefully an unreadable look on his face.
“And,” she continued, deciding it would be best if she didn’t make this seem like an interrogation of Arthur. “I think he likes me too.”
Arthur’s face cleared and his eyebrows lifted.
“Did he tell you that?”
“No, he doesn’t need to.”
She stopped, hesitating again, before deciding to trust her instinct and follow the idea about Arthur that had slowly been taking shape in her head over the last few weeks.
“I think we’ve both always kind of liked each other,” she confessed.
Arthur said nothing but traced a pattern in the wood on the table for a few moments before saying, “I thought so.”
“And you don’t mind that?” Gwen asked.
He looked her clear in the face.
“Do you love me?” he asked.
“Of course! Of course Arthur,” she said, tears welling in her eyes. “From the bottom of my heart, I will always love you. I love you more than anyone,” she finished in a whisper.
“Then,” he said slowly, lifting his eyes to hers. “I don’t see what the problem is.”
Gwen’s heart swelled, but she didn’t allow herself to show it; she needed absolutely to get this right. “So just to be clear,” she said seriously. “I love you. But I also love Merlin. And Merlin loves me too. And you’re ok with that?”
“Yes,” Arthur said softly.
“And you and Merlin?”
He blushed.
“I thought so,” she said with a smile.
“But...are you....I mean, it’s not the same - as you and Merlin, obviously, cause -“
“I don’t mind,” Gwen cut him off. “I’m not going to judge you. In fact, I’m very ok with it.”
“So,” Arthur said uncertainly. “What do we do now?”
“I think,” Gwen said, a grin slowly unfurling on her face. “We should probably tell Merlin.”
Arthur smiled at her and got up from the table. Accepting his outstretched hand, Gwen let herself be pulled up for a kiss.
“I can’t believe you got wine and candles for this,” Arthur said smiling down at her, his arms around her waist.
“Oh, I didn’t get it for this,” Gwen said wickedly.
***
Night found Arthur and Gwen sitting side by side at the table, with Gwen’s head resting under Arthur’s chin and her hands clasped in his.
“What’s all this?” Merlin asked when he opened the door, seeing them each sitting facing the door, a bottle of wine and some candles placed on the table in front.
“Merlin,” Arthur said standing up and pulling Gwen to her feet beside him.
“We have a proposition for you.”
***
“That,” Merlin panted, falling back to lie between Arthur and Gwen two hours later, “was a really, really good idea.”
Gwen grinned wickedly down at him and looked up to find Arthur doing the same to her; her heart melted and she leaned over Merlin to kiss him.
“Are you guys sure you really wanna do this?” Merlin asked when they broke apart.
“Oh come on Merlin,” Arthur said, rolling his eyes. “As if you weren’t trying to instigate this from the start. You’re the most shameless flirt out.”
Merlin grinned to himself, and then sobered up.
“Yeah, I know but....I mean, are you sure it’s ok?”
“Absolutely,” Gwen said, snuggling down and pulling him in so that his back leaned up against her chest, whilst Merlin did the same to Arthur.
“But tomorrow night, I get to sleep in the middle.”
Pairing: Arthur/Gwen/Merlin
Rating: PG 13+
Word Count: 4, 479
Summary: Written for Piper's bday, who wanted OT3 fluff, be it romance or friendship. I went with romance, hope you don't mind. Shameless fluff, very little plot. Modern AU
Warnings: ShamelessCad! Merlin
Merlin was coming home.
Gwen couldn’t contain her excitement. Arthur had never met him - Merlin had been living in Australia for the duration of their year long relationship - but he smiled at her excitement and nodded politely when she expounded all his wonderful qualities at length.
Gwen had thought she couldn’t love Arthur any more than she already did, but she was wrong. Her heart swelled at his perfect contentedness to patiently listen to her wax lyrical about her best friend, a man he knew to be at the centre of her break up with Lance.
“Thank you,” she said warmly to him over breakfast one day.
“For what?” he asked.
“Not getting jealous about Merlin. I mean, since you know the reason Lance and I broke up.”
“Hey,” he said, getting up and wrapping her in a hug from behind. “I love you and I know you love me. What is there to be worried about?”
Gwen smiled contentedly. “Nothing at all,” she said, turning around to kiss him.
But for all her reassurances to Arthur, in the weeks leading up to Merlin’s arrival back in London, Gwen did begin to worry.
Thing was, despite growing up with him, she had always been a little in love with Merlin. She didn’t understand how anyone who met him could not be.
Lance had broken up with her because he didn’t understand that just because she loved Merlin didn’t mean she didn’t love Lance or even that she didn’t love Lance more; she had.
What if Arthur didn’t understand either? Despite her feelings for Merlin, she didn’t want to jeopardise her relationship with Arthur.
Watching him play with Leon and Mithian’s children at a bbq at their house one day, seeing how gentle and caring he was with them, she understood that she loved Arthur more than any man she had ever met. But what if he grew jealous of Merlin? Insisted she stop spending time with him? She didn’t think she could do that.
But Arthur continued to appear completely at ease with listening to her talk about Merlin, and so it was with a mixture of trepidation and excitement that Gwen took him with her to pick Merlin up from the airport.
“He’s coming Gwen,” Arthur said, rolling his eyes good-naturedly as she checked her watch for the fifth time. “Plane’s still arriving in 15 minutes it hasn’t changed from the last time you checked your watch about thirty seconds ago.”
“I know,” Gwen said, chewing her lip. “I just keep hoping that time will have magically sped up since the last time I looked.”
Arthur laughed and gathered her into a hug.
After a wait that seemed simultaneously to be as fast as light and slow as molasses, Gwen was bouncing anxiously on the balls of her feet looking over the heads of the other passengers until she finally spotted what she’d been waiting almost two years to see again.
“MERLIN!!!!”
He dropped his carry-on bag and opened his arms and Gwen threw herself into them with so much force she almost knocked him over.
“Merlin!!!” she shouted again, unable to contain her excitement.
“Ow Gwen, my ear,” he said laughing.
“Sorry!” she exclaimed anxiously, quickly letting him go.
They drank each other for a few seconds before she remembered they had company.
“Oh Merlin, I need you to meet someone,” she said, walking backwards towards Arthur.
“Hi Arthur, I’m Merlin,” Merlin said, extending a hand toward him, which Arthur accepted.
“I didn’t even tell you it was him!” Gwen exclaimed, a little cross at having her introduction stolen from under her.
“You didn’t need to,” Merlin said with a grin. “Buff, tough, save the world kinda guy that looks like him.”
Gwen blushed a deep red, mortified that Merlin would tell Arthur how she’d described him; she could tell by the way Arthur was laughing that she’d be hearing about it every time she told him he was too arrogant for the rest of her life.
They went to collect Merlin’s luggage and, because Merlin didn’t have a place of his own yet, drove him back to spend the night at theirs before he went to stay with mother while he looked for a flat.
Gwen could hardly keep her eyes of him; he’d put on weight whilst living in Australia but it suited him - he looked better than ever.
She made them coffee when they got back and set a mug down before Merlin and demanded he tell them everything that happened to him while he was away.
“You already know it all Gwen you skyped with him every week,” Arthur said. “Let the man go to bed his jet lag must be terrible.”
“I like you already,” Merlin said to Arthur gratefully.
“Everyone needs someone to save them from Gwen’s enthusiasm,” Arthur said in a grave voice as Gwen spluttered protests in the background.
“You must have had it so hard,” Merlin said to Arthur while he smirked at Gwen, “having to deal with her all on your own for so long.”
“They were trying times I confess. But I’m a buff tough save-the-world kinda guy so I managed,” Arthur said smugly.
“I hate you,” Gwen said fiercely to the pair of them. “I should have let you get a cab to your mother’s instead of picking you up,” she finished with a special glare for Merlin, who answered with a shit-eating grin.
But she followed Arthur’s advice and showed Merlin to the spare room and he flopped onto the bed with a sigh.
“Malkjafk,” he said, once he was spreadeagled onto his stomach, his voice muffled by the pillow.
“What?” Gwen laughed, sitting on the edge of the bed beside him.
“I said I’m never getting up again,” he answered, raising his head to smile at her. “Thanks for letting me stay here,” he said warmly. “I really missed you.”
“I really missed you too,” she said softly, horrified to realise there were tears in her eyes. She blinked and tried to hide them, but he was too quick for her.
“Oh Gwen,” he said, reaching up and brushing her cheeks; Gwen gave in and let herself sob and be pulled into his arms.
“I’m sorry,” she said into his shoulder. “I’m being an idiot.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Merlin said, kissing the top of her head. “But you are an idiot.”
She swatted his arm and pulled herself up.
“Um, there’s a spare toothbrush in the bathroom for you,” she said, drying her eyes. “And you can come wake me up if you need anything,”
“I will,” Merlin said smiling at her. “Goodnight Gwen.”
“Goodnight.”
***
When she awoke in the morning, it was to a scene of Arthur and Merlin arguing from opposite ends of the breakfast table, looking as though they were having the time of their lives.
“No way,” Merlin said, pointing at Arthur with his spoon. “You’re a complete dollop-head if you think 30 Rock is better than Parks and Recreation.”
“A what?” Arthur laughed.
“A....never mind,” Merlin mumbled.
“Did you just make that up?” Arthur asked. “Are you that defeated by my superior wit already?”
“I did not!” Merlin protested. “It’s a real word,” he finished with a less convincing mumble.
Arthur threw back his head and laughed.
“You,” Merlin, brandishing his spoon so fiercely that bits of cereal went flying, “are an arrogant prat.”
“I’m wounded Merlin,” Arthur said melodramatically. “Please, I can’t take any more of your cutting insults.”
“Oh shut up,” Merlin grumbled, returning to his cereal and hiding the small smile on his face.
“I hope he isn’t being too mean to you,” Gwen said to Merlin, walking over to place her arms around Arthur’s neck.
“Nah,” Merlin said, turning a mocking grin to Arthur. “I’ve handled buffer and tougher guys than him, I’ll be alright.”
Arthur grinned back at the challenge, and Gwen smiled to herself.
They spent the rest of breakfast bickering good-naturedly, until Merlin announced that he had better go and collect all his stuff to take to his mother’s soon.
“I’ll drive you,” Gwen offered.
“K, thanks,” Merlin smiled back, just as his phone started ringing.
He made an apologetic face and went to stand in the hallway to take it while Gwen collected their breakfast dishes and took them into the kitchen.
The kitchen was quite close to the hall, and Gwen couldn’t help but listen as Merlin’s voice rose on the phone.
“Oh wow that’s amazing! No mum, what are you talking about, you have to go. Don’t worry about me I’ll be fine. How long is it for? Yeah, I’ll be fine by myself till I find my own place. No mum don’t worry, I mean it, you should go.”
Silence.
“Yeah. Yeah. Alright, well I’ll see you this afternoon. Ok, love you too. Bye!”
He hung up.
“What was that all about?” Gwen asked.
“One of mum’s friends won a holiday. Two months around Europe. She wants to take mum but mum didn’t want to go cause she didn’t want to leave me alone,” he said rolling his eyes.
“Do you want to stay with me and Arthur while your mum’s away?” Gwen blurted before she could stop herself.
Merlin raised his eyebrows a little.
“I mean, you know it’s better than living alone,” she finished with a blush.
Merlin studied her for a few moments.
“If it’s ok with Arthur,” he said carefully.
“Yes! I mean, I’m sure it will be, you guys get along. In your own kind of way,” Gwen finished as Merlin laughed.
“Well, I’m still gonna go visit her till she leaves so....”
“Right,” Gwen said, somewhat flustered. “Well, let’s go get your stuff and I’ll take you over there to go visit her till she leaves.”
“Thanks,” Merlin said smiling at her, and Gwen couldn’t help but feel, as her heart melted at the sight of it, that she might have made a mistake in inviting him to stay with her and Arthur.
***
“Are you sure it’s alright?” Gwen asked Arthur worriedly later that night.
“Gwen it’s fine,” Arthur said, walking over and placing his hands on her shoulders.
“You haven’t properly seen Merlin for two years, I like the guy and,” he said, trailing his hands down her arms and coming to rest them on her waist, “as long as -“ here he kissed her neck “- he’s not in,“ another kiss up under her ear “ - our hair every minute of the day...” he trailed off to place an open mouthed kiss on her lips, “.... then it’s not a problem having him in the spare room.”
Gwen smiled to herself as his hands trailed suggestively over her belly and lower back.
“Shall we go to the bedroom?” she asked.
He grinned at her.
“Better make the last use of the couch we’ll have for awhile”
***
Despite his two years away, living with Merlin was like being transported straight back in time.
When she woke up, she was unable to stop herself from going into his bedroom and jumping on the bed like the excited five year old she used to be, who would run to the house over the fence to do the same thing many years ago.
They would watch movies together on the couch and pretend they weren’t playing footsies on the coffee table, like they did as teenagers.
They would lay in bed and text each other when they were too lazy to get up and chat, even though they occupied rooms across the hall, like they did at university.
And everyday, Gwen would pretend that she and Merlin weren’t flirting; they had always done this, everyday of their lives, and nothing had ever happened between them.
But if Arthur ever had a problem with it, he didn’t show it. In fact, he and Merlin had taken to each other straightaway.
“That is a stupid question and I am not going to stoop to answering it Merlin. Come back when you actually have something of substance to talk to me about.”
“Oh come on,” Merlin laughed teasingly, taking a step closer to Arthur. “You can pretend you want to discuss tax breaks all you like, I know you love batman, you were riveted during The Dark Knight. You’re itching to tell me all the ways he’s better than Superman.”
“I am not, and I only watched that movie because Gwen wanted to,” Arthur said blushing.
“She fell asleep! You watched it all the way through!”
“I did not and how would you know anyway. What are you, watching me like a stalker or something? Why don’t you go read the Financial Review or something Merlin.”
But Merlin would just laugh and ask Arthur if he preferred red or blue, swatting him on the forearm when Arthur asked him if he was 8 or 28 in return.
***
Gwen’s fantasy that living with Merlin wouldn’t have any impact on her relationship with Arthur could not last however.
On Thursday, Gwen could no longer deny that something was happening between herself and Merlin. Standing at the sink washing her breakfast dishes, she heard the sound of footsteps in the kitchen and cereal being poured into a bowl; somehow she knew without turning around it was Merlin.
“If you give me your bowl when you’re done with it I’ll wash it up for you,” she said, without turning around.
“Thanks,” Merlin said. “But I don’t wanna make you stand there and wait for me to finish eating, it’s alright.”
“No, no, I’m already here. Its fine,” Gwen reassured him.
Merlin snorted.
“You’re far too nice Gwen,” he said.
“What are you talking about? It’s one bowl,” Gwen protested.
“Yeah, but you’re always doing nice things like that for me. Remember when we were kids and you used to get in trouble for destroying the neighbourhood gardens picking flowers for me?”
Gwen blushed at the compliment and smiled at the memory.
“You paid me back with all those flowers you bought me as soon as you got your first job though,” she said.
“Yeah,” Merlin laughed, voice sounding a lot closer.
And suddenly, he was standing right behind her and his arms were snaking around her waist and he was pulling her closer towards him. Despite the inappropriateness of it, Gwen felt herself leaning back against him, placing her hands over his on her belly. They stood like that, gently swaying for a few moments, Gwen feeling as though a warm fire had been lit in her stomach and was spreading throughout her body.
“Thanks for always being there for me Gwen,” Merlin whispered in her ear. Gwen closed her eyes at the feeling of his breath on her neck and shivered.
When she opened them it was to see Arthur staring them. Dread flooded her body and she jerked, but Merlin didn’t let her go. Instead he slowly unwrapped his hands from her stomach, stepped away normally and said “morning Arthur,” with his usual cheer, as though nothing had happened.
Gwen looked guiltily at Arthur, but he didn’t appear to be angry at all. Instead, a strange, unreadable expression hovered over his face, and he simply stared at the pair of them before shaking himself slightly and walking over to kiss Gwen as he did every other morning.
“Morning,” he said to both of them.
“Running a bit late this morning, so I can’t stay long sorry,” he said, while Gwen hovered awkwardly by the sink unsure of what to do.
“Um....would you like some breakfast? I can make you something quick if you like,” Gwen offered.
“Ok, thanks,” Arthur said. He appeared to be perfectly fine as he wandered around trying to find everything he needed for work, but Gwen was too nervous to meet his eyes, and concentrated on buttering his toast, handing it to him without a word.
“Bye,” he said, picking up his briefcase, giving her a kiss on the lips and walking out the door.
“Oh my god,” Gwen groaned, putting her head in her hands as soon as he was gone.
“What’s wrong?” Merlin asked, slurping the remains of his cereal.
“What’s wrong?!? Merlin you were there!”
“Gwen, he really didn’t seem like he had a problem with it. Besides, it was just a hug,” he said unconcernedly.
An incredibly inappropriate one, Gwen thought, but didn’t bother to say out loud. The truth was, it was a hug she had enjoyed far too much for someone who just supposed to be Merlin’s friend.
But she was going to be late for work herself if she continued to stand in the kitchen and worry, so she washed Merlin’s bowl, gathered her things and walked out.
***
Gwen worried all day at work about what Arthur would say when he got home. Despite everything, she didn’t want to lose him; she genuinely loved him and deeply.
And as much as she hated herself for it, she was worried about what would happen to Merlin; she didn’t want him to move out, or be asked to cut him out of her life.
She ignored Merlin when he asked her why she was so worried while she sat on the couch chewing her nails and waiting for Arthur to come home. She was disgusted with herself for wanting two things at once already; she didn’t want to make her moral shortcomings a reality by confessing her desire for both Arthur and Merlin to Merlin himself.
In the end though, it was Merlin who had the better measure of the situation. When Arthur got home he wasn’t upset or angry at all; in fact he was downright cheerful.
He chatted happily about his day, offered to cook dinner, teased Merlin about his lack of financial literacy while they were eating it and hugged and kissed Gwen as they were clearing it up.
Gwen was relieved, but still nervous, so while he was humming as he removed his tie for his shower, she asked “are you....is everything alright?”
He looked at her. “Why wouldn’t it be?” he asked.
“Oh,” she said awkwardly. “I just thought....this morning....”
“It’s fine,” he said, somewhat gruffly. “You guys weren’t doing anything untoward, it was just a hug.”
“Right,” Gwen agreed, unsure of what else to say.
“I’m getting in the shower now,” Arthur said, removing his boxers and flashing her a cheeky grin. “Want to join me?”
***
For a few days, Gwen kept expecting Arthur to turn around and confess that he did have a problem with her flirting with Merlin under his own roof after all, and kick the pair of them out.
But it never happened.
In fact, if Gwen was being completely honest, it was starting to look more and more like Arthur was flirting with Merlin himself.
Arthur and Merlin had always argued, but now it seemed that Arthur was deliberately picking a fight with Merlin over increasingly ridiculous and obscure topics, face shining whenever Merlin bit back and eyes alight as he called Merlin a cabbage-head or whatever their shared insult was for the day.
“I am telling you Merlin, if Batman existed in real life he would be locked up as a terrorist. And rightly so. There can be no room for vigilantism in modern society.”
“How can you say this?!” Merlin cried, momentarily halting his mission to cover every last inch of his piece of cake with cream.
“You love Batman!”
Arthur grinned wickedly.
“I never said that Merlin you decided I loved Batman.”
“Oh shut up,” Merlin said warmly, and without any warning he put a finger into his cream and wiped onto Arthur’s face, who gasped in shock, but could not have looked more pleased, never breaking eye contact with Merlin as he nervously wiped it off face with his own finger.
Gwen was no longer able to sneakily run her foot up Merlin’s calf while playing footsies or to snuggle up to Arthur whilst watching a movie; now Merlin and Arthur always insisted they find the other before watching any film, and they would squash up against each other (“the couch is too small”) and talk throughout the whole thing (“Russel Crowe acts rings around Hugh Jackman” “I thought you said you didn’t like musicals? Shouldn’t you be reading the Financial Review or something?”).
Gwen got a taste of her own medicine several weeks later, when she arrived home early from a girl’s night with Mithian to find Arthur leaning back against the kitchen bench, palms resting on the edge, mere centimetres away from Merlin, who was smiling as he whispered something to him with a soft smile on his face.
They weren’t touching - for all she knew, it was just a normal conversation - but Arthur’s jerk at hearing her arrive and guilty look immediately put Gwen in mind of her own kitchen experience with Merlin only a few weeks ago.
“Gwen,” Merlin said, stepping back. “How was your night?”
“Fine,” Gwen said, feeling odd.
She should have been feeling jealous at seeing such an intimate between her boyfriend and her best friend - hell, she should have been jealous over their behaviour over the past few weeks. But she wasn’t. All she felt was a mixture of curiosity, confusion and - dare she admit it - arousal.
“Um,” she said, shaking her head to clear it after a moment’s pause. “Yeah, it was a really good night.”
She noticed Arthur watching her with worry as she expanded on her dinner with Mithian, but it wasn’t until they were alone in the bedroom that her experience of déjà vu was complete.
“Are you -,“ Arthur started, then cleared his throat. “I mean...”
She knew what she was talking about. She even knew exactly how he felt, having experienced it herself.
And now she was wondering if he might not have been feeling the same thing she was now, when he walked in on her and Merlin.
“It’s fine,” she reassured him with a gentle kiss and deep smile. “Everything’s fine.”
But an idea had taken root in her mind, and although she tried to tell herself it was stupid, impossible, she couldn’t let it go.
Every passionate kiss she shared with Arthur, every brush of the hand and kiss on the cheek from Merlin only served to strengthen it, until one day she saw Merlin whispering “buff, tough, save-the-world kinda guy,” cheekily into Arthur’s ear, and saw Arthur blush a deep red in response and she knew she had to do something.
The next day, Gwen organised for Will, Merlin’s childhood friend from primary school, to take Merlin out to the pub while she waited for Arthur to come home with a candle and a bottle of red wine on the table.
“What’s all this?” Arthur asked when he arrived home that afternoon, taking off his scarf and hanging it up by the door.
“We need to talk,” Gwen said simply. “Not like that,” she added, seeing alarm in his eyes. “It’s about Merlin.”
“Oh,” Arthur said, sitting down looking confused and worried. “What about him?”
Gwen hesitated. She had never been one to mince words, usually preferring an honest and straightforward approach, but this was a matter that needed to be handled with delicacy.
“I think he likes you,” she said finally.
“Oh,” Arthur said carefully an unreadable look on his face.
“And,” she continued, deciding it would be best if she didn’t make this seem like an interrogation of Arthur. “I think he likes me too.”
Arthur’s face cleared and his eyebrows lifted.
“Did he tell you that?”
“No, he doesn’t need to.”
She stopped, hesitating again, before deciding to trust her instinct and follow the idea about Arthur that had slowly been taking shape in her head over the last few weeks.
“I think we’ve both always kind of liked each other,” she confessed.
Arthur said nothing but traced a pattern in the wood on the table for a few moments before saying, “I thought so.”
“And you don’t mind that?” Gwen asked.
He looked her clear in the face.
“Do you love me?” he asked.
“Of course! Of course Arthur,” she said, tears welling in her eyes. “From the bottom of my heart, I will always love you. I love you more than anyone,” she finished in a whisper.
“Then,” he said slowly, lifting his eyes to hers. “I don’t see what the problem is.”
Gwen’s heart swelled, but she didn’t allow herself to show it; she needed absolutely to get this right. “So just to be clear,” she said seriously. “I love you. But I also love Merlin. And Merlin loves me too. And you’re ok with that?”
“Yes,” Arthur said softly.
“And you and Merlin?”
He blushed.
“I thought so,” she said with a smile.
“But...are you....I mean, it’s not the same - as you and Merlin, obviously, cause -“
“I don’t mind,” Gwen cut him off. “I’m not going to judge you. In fact, I’m very ok with it.”
“So,” Arthur said uncertainly. “What do we do now?”
“I think,” Gwen said, a grin slowly unfurling on her face. “We should probably tell Merlin.”
Arthur smiled at her and got up from the table. Accepting his outstretched hand, Gwen let herself be pulled up for a kiss.
“I can’t believe you got wine and candles for this,” Arthur said smiling down at her, his arms around her waist.
“Oh, I didn’t get it for this,” Gwen said wickedly.
***
Night found Arthur and Gwen sitting side by side at the table, with Gwen’s head resting under Arthur’s chin and her hands clasped in his.
“What’s all this?” Merlin asked when he opened the door, seeing them each sitting facing the door, a bottle of wine and some candles placed on the table in front.
“Merlin,” Arthur said standing up and pulling Gwen to her feet beside him.
“We have a proposition for you.”
***
“That,” Merlin panted, falling back to lie between Arthur and Gwen two hours later, “was a really, really good idea.”
Gwen grinned wickedly down at him and looked up to find Arthur doing the same to her; her heart melted and she leaned over Merlin to kiss him.
“Are you guys sure you really wanna do this?” Merlin asked when they broke apart.
“Oh come on Merlin,” Arthur said, rolling his eyes. “As if you weren’t trying to instigate this from the start. You’re the most shameless flirt out.”
Merlin grinned to himself, and then sobered up.
“Yeah, I know but....I mean, are you sure it’s ok?”
“Absolutely,” Gwen said, snuggling down and pulling him in so that his back leaned up against her chest, whilst Merlin did the same to Arthur.
“But tomorrow night, I get to sleep in the middle.”