Domestic Bliss (1/2)
TITLE: Domestic Bliss (1/2)
PAIRING: Merlin/Arthur
RATING: NC-17
GENRE: Modern AU, Established Relationship, Romance
WORDS: This part 4000
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.
A/N Despite all the Modern AU's I've written, I realised that I rarely write them in an established relationship, so I thought I'd give it a go! This is Merlin/Arthur getting domestic. XD
Beta'd by the awesome sparkysluvchild who still agreed to beta this, even though I kind of sprung it on her XDD If there are any remaining mistakes, they are obviously my own.
And for anyone who is not from the UK, Coronation Street as a popular night-time soap. XDD
SUMMARY: Merlin and Arthur are both young, successful and completely in love. But Arthur's a workaholic, Merlin's insecure, and there are people just waiting to take advantage of it. So much for domestic bliss.
***
Domestic Bliss (1/2)
“Who the hell is that?!” Merlin grumbled, fisting his pillow with desperate fingers and attempting to bury his head beneath it.
The sharp, grating ring continued to echo through the room, however, until Merlin had had enough and kicked out his foot with an accompanying moan. It connected jerkily with Arthur’s shin and the blond jerked in surprise, letting out a pained yelp.
“Ow,” he complained, voice still thick with sleep. “Merlin!”
“Just answer your bloody phone,” Merlin retorted, turning away and clapping his hands over his ears, eyes screwed shut. He felt the mattress dip as Arthur shifted, scrambling towards the bedside table where his phone was still beeping incessantly.
“Hello,” the blond snapped, raising the phone to his ear and flicking his head hair out of his eyes. “Tristan? What is it? It’s five o’clock in the morning!”
Merlin, attempting to sink further into his duvet, silently cursed whoever the hell Tristan was. Didn’t the man have better things to be doing than ringing Arthur at the crack of dawn? Like sleep?
“I know it’s today,” the blond was saying, still sounding annoyed but faintly resigned. “Yeah, okay. I understand. Alright, I’ll help. I’ll be there soon.”
Arthur let out a tired sigh and hung up the phone, tossing it onto the bed moodily. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and stretched his arms, a sight Merlin couldn’t help but crack his eyes open for. Arthur always looked delicious and pliant when sleep-rumpled.
“Let me guess,” Merlin muttered, still partly unconscious. So unconscious, in fact, it was a surprise he was actually coherent. “Something at the office came up, so you have to go?”
“Got it in one,” Arthur replied, getting out of bed. It was still dark outside and the moon was shining off his bare chest, making Merlin sincerely sorry that the blond had to leave - they could have indulged in a mouth-watering round of early-morning sex, which, now that Arthur was working more, was becoming increasingly rare.
“Work? At five in the morning? That’s insane, Arthur,” Merlin mumbled, knowing that his protests would fall on deaf ears but unable to stop himself - the blond always had been a workaholic. Merlin suspected it was due to Arthur trying to live up to his father’s rather unrealistic expectations, but was never brave enough to actually mention it. Uther had always been a rather sore subject.
“We still on for lunch?” Arthur asked, stumbling around for his clothes, movements slow and sluggish in the dim light. It made Merlin smile - his boyfriend was usually the epiphany of beauty and grace.
“Yeah,” he replied quietly, closing his eyes and attempting to go back to sleep. “I’ll come by your office.
Arthur placed a brief kiss on his lips, shirt half-buttoned, and disappeared out the door, leaving Merlin to roll into the place that was slightly warm, still heated from Arthur‘s body.
***
“So, ready to go?” Merlin asked later that day, letting himself into his boyfriend’s office and giving him a smile.
Arthur looked up from his laptop, tapped in a few more numbers and returned the grin, hearing his fingers click as he flexed them. “In a sec,” he replied, picking up some documents scattered over his desk and sorting through them. He flicked through the pages, made a distasteful face, and let out a tired sigh. “I can’t wait to get out of here.”
“Was the emergency sorted out this morning?” Merlin asked, taking a seat on the other side of Arthur’s desk. When the blond said he’d be a minute, it was usually at least half an hour before he was actually ready. Merlin supposed it was one of the downsides of being a rich and successful businessman.
“Yeah.” Arthur shrugged, eyes scanning his work. “Tristan was freaking out about his presentation to Uther, so he asked for my help.”
Merlin raised an eyebrow, but couldn’t really argue the point - he knew firsthand how scary Uther Pendragon could be. “At five in the morning?”
Arthur shrugged again. “He spent all night working on it.”
“This is the new guy, right? Tristan?” Merlin vaguely remembered Arthur mentioning the newest employee of Pendragon Industries a few weeks ago.
“Yeah, he’s good actually,” Arthur admitted, causing Merlin to stare at him in surprise. It was rare that Arthur ever complimented anyone - it was the Uther Pendragon in him. “He’s really dedicated.”
“No kidding. He stayed up all night doing a presentation,” Merlin scoffed, feeling thankful that he was a lowly artist who didn’t have to answer to anyone, let alone sacrifice his precious beauty sleep for a crazy dictator like Uther Pendragon.
Arthur glanced up from his documents and gave his boyfriend a wry look, lips curling slightly. “I’ve stayed up all night to do presentations before, lots of times.”
Merlin rolled his eyes. “And don’t I know it. You’ve kept me awake loads of times with your obsessive workaholic tendencies.”
“Oh, how do you put up with me?” Arthur asked, sounding suitably sarcastic. He filed his papers away in his drawer and shut his laptop, fixing his boyfriend with a playful stare.
“I put up with you because you’re hot,” Merlin joked, licking his lips and giving the blond a lewd glance. To be fair, it was partly true - Arthur’s beauty often distracted Merlin from his less than desirable qualities, such as his complete inability to clean up after himself. His attractiveness was probably one of the only reasons as to why Merlin hadn’t actually throttled him yet.
Arthur tutted. “Just with me for my looks, Merlin? How shallow. What about my impressive bank account and delightful wit?”
Merlin grinned. “Also perks.” He looked down at his watch and tapped the glassy surface, unsurprised that they were already ten minutes late for their lunch reservation. “Do you know what’s not a perk?” He took a breath and continued before Arthur could reply. “Waiting for you when we’re supposed to be going out. Again.”
Arthur brushed his hands on his suit pants and flicked his blond bangs out of his eyes, climbing slowly to his feet. He put his pens away and avoided his boyfriend’s gaze, looking so uncharacteristically guilty that Merlin felt his heart clench. “I know. I’m sorry,” he said lowly. “Things have just been crazy here for the last few weeks.”
Merlin grabbed his hand and pulled his boyfriend around his desk, giving him a short, swift kiss on the lips. “I know you’ve been working hard, but you need to relax.” He smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring manner and stroked his fingers round Arthur’s smooth sharp jaw, marvelling at the softness of the skin there. “Come on. Let’s go.”
Before either of them could do anything more than turn towards the exit, however, someone knocked rapidly on Arthur’s door and opened it with a bang, causing both Merlin and the blond to leap backwards in surprise.
“Oh,” said the person who had just barrelled through, stopping dead in his tracks. He was tall and dark-haired, with broad shoulders and thick arms. “Sorry. Am I interrupting something?”
Arthur sighed. “No. What is it, Tristan?”
Tristan glanced at Merlin questioningly, before turning to address his boss, brow furrowed. “I wanted to talk to you about the presentation I did this morning.” He gave Merlin a pointed look. “In private.”
The blond looked unconcerned. “Tristan, this is Merlin, my boyfriend. We were just about to go to lunch. Can it wait?”
Tristan blinked in surprise, assessing Merlin with wide disbelieving eyes. “No, I’m sorry, sir. It can’t. Mr Pendragon -” Merlin assumed he meant Uther, not Arthur “- wants to make some changes to the proposal I gave this morning.”
“Now?!” Arthur looked pained.
“He wants to see the changes this afternoon,” Tristan explained, drawing himself to his full height and puffing out his chest.
In Merlin’s opinion, he looked faintly ridiculous.
Arthur shook his head and let out a breath, quickly regaining his stiff and unflappable composure. “Alright, fine.”
Merlin blinked, heart sinking. “What about lunch?!”
“Sorry, Merlin,” Arthur muttered, tilting his head towards him and giving him his sad eyes. It was unfairly successful. “Can we take a rain check?”
Merlin glared, seeing Tristan’s smirk of triumph out the corner of his eye. “Well, I guess I don’t really have a choice, do I?”
Arthur gave him an apologetic smile. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
“Damn right you will.” Merlin was already planning his revenge; it involved tying Arthur to their bedpost and having his wicked way with him. “I guess I’ll see you at home then.”
When Merlin drew forward to give his boyfriend an automatic goodbye kiss, Arthur stepped backwards, throwing a pointed glance in Tristan’s direction. Merlin let out a disappointed sigh and pulled away, unsurprised by Arthur’s rejection, but hurt by it nevertheless - the blond always did seek to remain professional at his work.
“Right,” he sniped, feeling irritated. “Bye then.”
Arthur smiled and Tristan smirked, looking victorious.
“I’ll see you later,” his boyfriend called, just as Merlin turned to leave.
He looked back and gave Arthur a strained smile a second before the door swung shut behind him, leaving him scowling distastefully at the polished wood.
Tristan was, decidedly, a complete ass. It was obviously why he and Arthur seemed to get on so well.
***
That night, Merlin returned from a drink with Gwen at six o’clock, to a depressingly empty apartment. Arthur evidently hadn’t returned from work yet - although it was hardly a shock, considering Merlin didn’t think Arthur had come home before eight in the entire time they’d been dating - but it saddened him nevertheless. He’d been hoping that his boyfriend might make a special effort and come back at a decent hour, especially as he’d blow him off during the day, but work was obviously still crazy for him.
He drifted into the kitchen and opened the fridge, blinking blearily at its emptiness. He hadn’t gone shopping for a while, and Arthur was so busy with work that he barely came home, let alone had time to cook anything.
Merlin let out a rather pathetic whine and pulled out some takeaway menus, knowing that Arthur would probably appreciate a Chinese takeout more than his own attempts at cooking anyway. The last time he’d tried to make a romantic meal for himself and Arthur, it had consisted of beans on toast - he was hardly a master chef.
He grabbed the phone, placed an order, and collapsed back on the couch, gazing pointedly at the clock on the mantle and awaiting his partner’s return. He hated sitting in front of the TV and eating takeaway on his own - he was a bottle of vodka away from being a sad middle-aged couch potato, and he was only twenty-three!
But when the takeaway arrived an hour later, Arthur had still not returned, leaving Merlin alone on the sofa, watching a rerun of Coronation Street and feeling increasingly more depressed. He let out a sigh and leant back against the cushions, feeling the room grow slowly dark around him, casting him in a rather appropriate shadow.
Eventually he fell asleep, awkward, uncomfortable and still awaiting Arthur's return.
***
Merlin tugged at the cuffs of his shirtsleeves and suppressed a groan, trying not to look as uncomfortable as he felt. From the exasperated looks his boyfriend kept shooting him, however, he was evidently failing.
It was one week later and they were both dressed in tuxedos, Arthur looking distinctly more dashing than Merlin, ready to go to one of Arthur’s many work events.
It mainly consisted at everyone getting drunk off champagne and bitching to each other but, as it was important to Arthur, Merlin had agreed to go. A decision he was coming to sincerely regret - he always felt awkward and out of place in the environment of the rich and famous. He would tell people he was an artist and they would scoff distastefully, evidently wondering, ‘What on earth is Arthur doing with you?’ Sometimes they even said it.
“Don’t look so grumpy, Merlin,” the blond muttered, as they walked into the crowded hall where the event was taking place, a small step ahead of his dithering boyfriend. “I can’t have my clients thinking my own boyfriend is miserable in my company.”
Merlin promptly tuned him out - it was a speech he’d heard hundreds of times in the past. “It’s not your company that makes me miserable,” he replied, fixing his face with a very wooden smile. “It’s theirs.” He gestured to the room at large.
“Don’t be so dramatic,” Arthur hissed, beaming across the hall so bright and radiantly that it made Merlin blink bemusedly, thought-train temporarily derailed. “It’s only a few hours.”
“This is the first time I’ve seen you for a few hours in over a week,” Merlin pointed out, unable to completely keep the bitterness from his voice - he couldn’t help it. He missed his boyfriend. Arthur was never there when he went to sleep and was always gone when he woke in the morning. If Merlin didn’t find his laundry scattered over the floor, he wouldn’t have known whether the blond had come home at all. “And we’re wearing penguin suits.”
“Oh, don’t tell me you’re going to complain all night?” Arthur asked, tone playful, but once realising Merlin hadn’t be joking he sobered, clasping his boyfriend’s hand in a warm firm grip. “This can be like a date, ok? A very, very fancy date.”
“I like Pizza Hut better,” Merlin grumbled, but was unable to stop himself smiling. A date sounded good - it was so long since he and Arthur had last been on one.
“Well, if you’re lucky,” the blond breathed, smiling slyly, “I might put out at the end of the night.”
However, before Merlin could think of a more appropriate retort than gaping soundlessly, Arthur was approached by a flock of businessman, all flourishing wine glasses and exclaiming loudly.
“Arthur Pendragon, it has been too long!”
“How are you, old boy?!”
“You’re looking smart, Pendragon. Uther should be proud.”
Merlin sighed and watched his boyfriend nod politely, ever the professional.
It was going to be a very long night.
***
Two hours later and Merlin was pretty much ready to shoot himself. There was only so much Arthur ass-kissing he could handle. Yes, Arthur was smart, rich, successful, and of course gorgeous, but was it really necessary for everyone to point it out all the time - Arthur’s head was big enough as it was.
He was in love Arthur, and even he didn’t dote half as much as some of the businessman did. It was very disconcerting watching all the old men gazing at his boyfriend in undisguised awe - it wasn’t even sexual, but was notably disturbing nevertheless. Most of them were far too old for hero worship.
Knocking back a glass of champagne, he stood by the side of the hall and instantly located his boyfriend, stood in the centre, bright blond hair gleaming in the florescent lights. He was standing in the middle of a throng of people, Tristan at his side, talking enthusiastically and laughing loudly, head tilted back in a way that was frighteningly tempting.
Arthur was drunk. Definitely drunk.
Not that Merlin could talk - he’d had quite a few himself.
He picked up another glass and decided to sip it slowly, choosing to admire his boyfriend from afar - it was much more enjoyable than actually listening to him. Arthur tended to talk about business at work events, and it was something that Merlin had absolutely no desire to listen to, despite how passionate the blond sounded when he was ranting about it.
Tristan however, appeared to be hanging off his boyfriend’s every word.
Narrowing his eyes, Merlin watched the newest employee of Pendragon Industries fawning over his boyfriend, laughing at his jokes and touching him far more than was strictly necessary. It was faintly nauseating and, if Arthur noticed, he certainly didn’t do anything to stop it. As usual, he appeared to be positively glowing under the attention, smile bright and eyes twinkling.
Merlin knocked back his champagne with a sigh.
So much for their date.
***
One hour later and Merlin was still standing in exactly the same place, gazing across the hall with an increasingly glazed expression and watching Arthur grow worryingly blurry. He’d drunk quite a few glasses of champagne and was beginning to feel the effects - the world tilting sideways every time he moved.
He swayed slowly and shook his head, attempting to get his bearings back, when somebody appeared suddenly at his side.
“Hello. Merlin, is it?” Tristan asked, swirling his champagne around his glass and cocking his head curiously.
Merlin blinked at Tristan confusedly before looking back at Arthur, who was still on the other side of the hall surrounded by admirers. Except Tristan was no longer one of them - he must have moved when Merlin wasn’t looking. Either that or Merlin was so drunk he simply couldn't see straight anymore.
“Um, yeah,” he replied, nodding his head slowly. “And you’re Tristan? We met in Arthur’s office.”
Tristan smiled, although it looked brittle. “Yeah, that's right,” he confirmed, sipping his drink and taking an exaggerated pause. “So, I was wondering why you were here all on your own? I would have thought you’d be by Arthur’s side.”
Merlin noted the condescending tone of voice but chose to ignore it, pasting on the politest, and most fake smile he could muster - one that he usually reserved especially for Uther. “He’s talking business so I thought it best to leave him to it,” he explained, feeling slightly defensive. “Arthur’s worked really hard and deserves the recognition.”
“Yes, I couldn’t agree more,” Tristan replied, inclining his head in a maddeningly superior manner. “All the late nights at the office. He leaves later than I do.”
Merlin frowned. He didn’t need Tristan to tell him, he knew Arthur’s workaholic tendencies all too well - he was the person who lived with him. He said nothing, however, and merely nodded politely, attempting to tune his companion out; he’d had enough practice with Arthur.
“I mean, you have to admire the dedication he has to his work,” Tristan continued, either not noticing or choosing to completely ignore Merlin’s stony expression. “He’s similar to me in that way. I think that’s why he asks me to stay behind in the office with him after hours - alone - because I understand how he feels.”
Merlin ground his teeth, but refused to rise to the bait, determinedly suppressing the urge to grab Tristan’s bow tie and strangle him with it. “How lucky Arthur is to have you…” he snipped, managing to sound only slightly sarcastic.
“Yes, well, I think he deserves to have someone like me in his life. Someone bright, ambitious and understanding.” Tristan gazed at Arthur across the hall and smiled self-importantly, drawing himself up to his full height - Merlin was pleased to note the man was still shorter than him, although admittedly, significantly broader. “They’re qualities Arthur’s obviously not getting-” Tristan glanced at Merlin pointedly “-elsewhere.”
Finding no other way to reply in order to express his anger efficiently enough, Merlin promptly threw his glass of champagne directly into Tristan’s face.
***
“Merlin, what the hell just happened?!” Arthur snapped, as soon as they’d crossed the threshold of their apartment. His fists were clenched and his eyes were narrowed, the air around him practically crackling with anger, making Merlin realise why most of Arthur’s employees were so afraid of him.
“Tristan was hitting on you, that’s what just happened,” Merlin snapped, his frustration getting the better of him. He hadn’t wanted to go to the stupid event in the first place.
Arthur let out a sharp breath and clapped his hands over his face, nails digging into the skin of his cheeks. “Tristan was just being friendly, Merlin,” he cried, shaking his golden head. “And you just made a complete scene for no reason!”
“Friendly?!” Merlin laughed, shrill and disbelieving. “You should have heard some of the stuff he was saying to me!”
Arthur raised his eyebrows and looked at him expectantly, throwing his arms up in exasperation. “Like what?!”
“Like how you and him work late hours. All alone. And that he ‘understands’ you!” Merlin made sarcastic quotation marks.
“That’s true,” Arthur replied, looking at him with a funny expression on his face. “We do work late hours. Alone. I don’t see how this resulted in you throwing a drink in his face?”
“It was how he said it!” Merlin snapped stubbornly, crossing his arms and setting his jaw - he didn’t care what Arthur said, Tristan had deserved it. “He’s trying to hook up with you!”
“Merlin, Tristan has been nothing but professional,” the blond retorted, with the irritating air of someone explaining something to a five year old. “You are just overreacting!”
“Overreacting?!” Merlin gaped, unable to believe that his boyfriend was not supporting him. He’d been nothing but understanding through Arthur’s numerous work crisis’, which often involved him getting woken at obscene hours in the morning by Arthur‘s ringing phone. “I haven’t seen you in weeks! And you keep blowing me off for Tristan!”
“I don’t blow you off for Tristan!” the blond yelped, stripping off his jacket and throwing it over the back of a chair - it reminded Merlin of a boxer stripping off his robe before a fight. “I cancel because I’m busy and I’ve got a lot of things to do! Things that involve Tristan because he works for me!"
Merlin laughed, but it was without humour. “Things to do?! Things that are more important than me?!”
Arthur blinked, and his expression softened ever so slightly. “I didn’t say that.”
“You don’t need to,” Merlin exclaimed, shrugging his shoulders with a nonchalance that he most definitely didn't feel. “Your actions speak for you. Every time something at work comes up, you desert me. I’ve barely seen you. It doesn’t even feel like I have a boyfriend anymore.”
Arthur stared at him for a long moment, momentarily silenced, his expression completely unreadable. “I didn’t realise you were so unhappy with me,” he said at last, sounding cold.
Merlin let out a cry of frustration. “That’s not what I’m saying! I’m unhappy because I’m not with you!” he snapped, the bitterness in his voice increasing my several degrees. “You're too busy swanning around with a man who drools all over you and undresses you with his eyes!”
“I don’t understand. What do you expect me to do?!” Arthur cried, looking completely at a loss. “I can’t fire him, he hasn’t done anything!”
“I expect you to tell him to fuck off! Even you aren’t that oblivious, Arthur! You have to know that he has feelings for you! I think you just enjoy the attention!”
Arthur apparently couldn’t find the words to voice his dismay efficiently enough and merely cried, “What?!” in a worryingly high voice.
Merlin ploughed on regardless, however, having already gotten into his stride. The anger, hurt and dismay of the whole month was rolling off him in waves, making him sound frighteningly short of breath. “We haven’t had sex in weeks,” he cried, unable to stop himself. “It is because you’re tired, or is there another reason? Say Tristan?”
Arthur gaped at him, looking nothing short of gob-smacked. “Are you - are you accusing me of cheating on you?!” He didn’t even sound angry, just dangerous - it was the voice of Uther Pendragon: tight, controlled and utterly terrifying.
Merlin opened his mouth to reply, but could find no words, his voice completely failing him. He suddenly realised there was a set invisible line, and he had evidently just crossed it - no turning back now.
“I can’t believe that you’d…” Arthur dribbled off, shaking his head. He was staring at his boyfriend unblinkingly, hands curling into whitening fists. “You know what, forget it. If that’s what you think of me, I’m going to leave.”
Before Merlin could voice any sort of protest, such as ‘I didn’t mean it!’ or ‘Please don’t leave me!’ Arthur was marching towards the door, back straight and head held high. He disappeared through the threshold and flung the door shut with an echoing bang, leaving Merlin standing alone in their empty apartment, leaving it even lonelier than before.
***
To be continued…
Part 2
***
A/N Um, I do realise I left this on quite a depressing note, but it does have a happy ending, I swear! Comment and let me know what you think! I’m curious as to whether people sympathise with Arthur or Merlin…