Work Text:
Arthur should’ve known better than to pick up the black and gold envelope from the pavement. But it was during a case and he was collecting evidence that had scattered all around a busy park. The small, rectangular thing had a dark, pearlescent sheen and two gold circles linking together in the front.
It wasn’t in his hands for long before a chipper voice called out in front of him, “Congratulations, young man!”
Startled, Arthur glanced up and saw a middle-aged woman, an old lady, and an old man. They were smiling, their eyes bright with excitement, and Arthur was immediately wary.
“Excuse me?” he said, frowning.
“What a lucky day! We’ve been waiting all afternoon for someone to pick up that envelope!” the old woman said unhelpfully, clapping her hands together. “What did I tell you, Gaius?” she murmured to the old man beside her, nudging his shoulder. “This park was the right choice and he’s going to be perfect!”
Now Arthur was suspicious. “Perfect for what?”
“As the groom for my dear son’s wedding,” the middle-aged woman on the left explained, beaming, but then she sighed with a forlorn expression. “Merlin always wanted to marry. If only he hadn’t died so young...”
“No long faces now, Hunith!” the old woman said, her voice still in high spirits as she patted Hunith’s arm. “And you too, Gaius dear! Isn’t there a handsome man right here?”
The old man, Gaius, whose eyes were dull a moment ago like Hunith’s, brightened. “You’re right, Alice, he’s just Merlin’s type!”
Hunith hummed in agreement, nodding her head approvingly at Arthur and smiling again. “What’s your name, by the way, good sir?” she asked.
Arthur, however, was not feeling the same cheer as they were. In fact, goosebumps had broken out on his skin since he heard the words “son” and “wedding”. Posthumous marriages weren’t uncommon these days but the chills and nausea he was feeling wasn’t because of the practice itself. It was the thought of being married to a man, and one called “Merlin” nonetheless (and how lame a name was that in itself?).
Smiling stiffly, Arthur reached into the inside of his jacket and flipped open his badge. “I’m Officer Arthur Pendragon and I’m looking to put a thief behind bars, not wed myself off,” he nearly sneered the whole introduction and the cheerful expressions on the three’s faces fell. Putting his badge away, he then shoved the black envelope into Hunith’s hands. “Find someone else as your ghost groom.”
With that, he turned on his heels. Yet, unexpectedly, after a step, he felt a light smack on his bottom.
Giggles immediately erupted behind his back and he spun back around to glare at the three strangers. They were too far to have touched him so he peered over his shoulder to look at his arse. Stuck on his pants was the same black envelope!
Annoyed, Arthur tore it off and threw it back at the three people. “Is this some sort of prank—”
The envelope fluttered momentarily in the air before swishing down to seal his lips, cutting off any further accusations.
“Look, Merlin really does like you!” Hunith said, giggling. The others joined her, clearly amused.
This time Arthur wasn’t just annoyed. He was furious—and flustered. Red-cheeked, he ripped off the envelope and threw it down on the ground, stomping it for good measure. It was just a coincidence that it had gotten stuck on his pants and just a coincidence that it had landed on his lips earlier. Yes, it was all just a coincidence! There was nothing supernatural going on!
“Stop that!” Hunith cried, kneeling down to grab for the envelope before Arthur could stomp any more. She hastily picked it up and brushed dust off it, holding it close to her chest like something precious.
Alice and Gaius patted her shoulders and arms to comfort her before throwing a frown at Arthur.
“You’ve upset them both,” Alice said, her voice and demeanour void of any friendliness from earlier. “If you don’t accept the marriage, don’t expect to have an easy life from now on.”
But Arthur wasn’t afraid and huffed. “You’re the ones impeding my investigation. If you stop me any further, I can arrest you for obstructing justice.”
The three shook their heads, truly looking disappointed, and sighed.
“He doesn’t deserve someone as good as Merlin,” Gaius muttered.
“Come on, Hunith,” Alice said, guiding her away, “let us wait and see.”
Arthur turned away too and walked off without saying anything more. He gathered a few more scraps of evidence before deeming that it was enough and headed to his car.
By then, the bad mood he was in had mostly dissipated. Now that he had everything he needed for the investigation, he turned on the radio, whistled, and headed back to the police station.
Who knew that he would get into an accident, sent to the hospital, and released with a cast to his elbow? By the time he was back at the station, Arthur’s mood was sour again. He remembered what the strangers from the park said and shivered. Then dismissed it by reminding himself that he’ll be up for commendation soon.
But things didn’t get better from there.
Before he could even sit down at his desk, he was called into the chief’s office, reprimanded, and succinctly demoted. Apparently, his previous conduct during a case, recorded by bystanders, had painted him as a bigoted brute prejudiced against homosexuals.
Not even a smile from Gwen, the cute records specialist he was crushing on, could brighten his day.
“You’ve really done it now,” Gwaine said, grinning as Arthur slumped into his seat beside the brunet’s desk.
Ever since they had started at the precinct a few years ago, Gwaine and him have been deskmates. They got along well enough—as long as Gwaine wasn’t looking him up and down or checking out their fellow officers.
“Shut up,” Arthur grumbled, facing away from him. He was met with a dark-haired woman’s face instead, her beauty only marred by the smug smile on her lips.
“Serves you right,” she said with a raised brow. “You’re even making us look bad.”
“Morgana,” Arthur started, jaws tight and eyes closed with contained patience, “just because we’re related doesn’t mean you can—”
“What’s wrong with you?” Morgana sharply interrupted, the teasing in her voice suddenly gone.
Arthur glanced at her, surprised that she was using such a tone with him when she wasn’t talking about their father. Or when she wasn’t talking about her sixth sense. “With me?” he asked, confused.
Her bright blue eyes scanned him over before settling on the space above Arthur’s shoulder. She frowned and murmured hesitantly, “There’s something following you.”
This time, Arthur’s body went cold and his heart thumped ceaselessly.
On Morgana’s urging, Arthur sought out a spiritual healer on his next day off. He had been plagued with misfortune since picking up that black envelope a few days ago, including being scammed online, drinking expired milk, losing his lucky socks, and getting a parking ticket in front of his own home. On the way here, he had almost been crushed under an air conditioner that fell from an apartment window he was passing under.
“You’re being haunted,” Taliesin, the spiritual healer concluded after speaking for under ten minutes.
Seated in a quaint but bright hall, Arthur’s leg bounced up and down on the ball of his foot as he impatiently tried for more answers. “Obviously, but how do I stop being haunted?”
“You said that you were selected as the bridegroom?” Taliesin asked and Arthur nodded. The old man appeared grave. “Then I’m afraid the only possible way to get rid of your misfortune is to marry this ghost.” Before Arthur could explode in disbelief, Taliesin calmly raised a palm to stop him. “You see, your fates are already intertwined and your connection strong. In your past lives, you were loyal friends.”
“We knew each other?” Arthur didn’t believe much about karma, rebirth, or the supernatural in general, but he was inexplicably pulled in now and a little intrigued.
Taliesin inclined his head in agreement. “You were king once and he your servant. Now, I suggest you get in touch with those strangers you met and arrange the marriage, lest you befall another disaster.”
Not wanting to die a horrible death, Arthur begrudgingly found the strangers again that same day. They were in the same park, sitting together on a bench, idly watching the world go by. On the ground by their feet, ignored by everyone walking by, was the same black envelope, its entwined gold rings glinting brightly under the sun.
With a resigned sigh, Arthur reached out to pick it up again.
All three strangers glanced up but didn’t greet him.
Swallowing his pride, Arthur grit his teeth and asked, “So, how do I get married to this Merlin?”
The wedding was held two days later, coincidentally, at Taliesin’s temple. When Arthur expressed his surprise and doubt at the location, the old man said quite simply, “I’m also a marriage officiant on the side and occasionally rent out this space for events.”
“How…versatile,” Arthur commented, still wary. He had never thought that a spiritual place could be anything more than what it was.
“Now, let’s proceed,” Taliesin said warmly, leading the small group that Arthur arrived with from the entryway to the centre of the hall.
Not many people had been invited so the ceremony was intimate by default. Only Hunith, who Arthur remembered as Merlin’s mother, and those other two strangers at the park, Merlin’s godparents apparently, were in attendance.
On Arthur’s side, there was only himself. He didn’t think of this as a real wedding and he was most certainly not going to invite his father, or anyone he knew, nor was he going to let anyone know. But then when he was standing before the decorated altar, seeing for the first time a grinning picture of the man he was going to marry, the marriage application laying open before them, Arthur realised just how real, and legally binding, all of this was.
The process was neither too quick nor too slow as Arthur floated through the whole ceremony, feeling light-headed and dazed. He signed the papers, watching his hand move like it belonged to someone else, and held Merlin’s picture frame in front of him as he walked out of the temple together with Hunith and the godparents.
He led them back to his home where they set up Merlin’s frame on a side cabinet and brought a few of his belongings: pictures, his favourite blue mug, and a blue scarf and worn leather jacket that they hung in the closet. On top of that, there were wedding gifts: a fruit basket, a beautiful bouquet, and, to Arthur’s horror, a gold-trimmed white wedding blanket.
They cleaned this and that, Arthur feeling lost as he didn’t know what to do in situations like these but Alice was apparently proficient, being the one to help Hunith set up the black envelope with a lock of Merlin’s hair in it, his handwriting, and a small photo of him. Then they all gathered at the table and ate some lunch that Hunith had made.
Arthur lived by himself and even when he had lived at his father’s, no home cooking ever tasted like this–heartwarming with a mother’s touch. He gobbled it all up and sincerely thanked Hunith, secretly envious of Merlin for having such a mother.
Hunith smiled, the corners of her eyes crinkling, and she patted Arthur’s hand reassuringly. “We’re family now, Arthur, don’t you forget that. I can always bring you more in the future.”
“You have our support as well,” Gaius said from across the table. “Alice and I are old now but if you need anything, we’ll try our best to help you.”
Seeing how sincere everyone was, Arthur felt ashamed at his previous treatment and attitude towards them. “Thank you,” he mumbled and didn’t know what else to say.
After more small talk, where Arthur learned that Merlin was an animal lover, kind to all, worked as a paramedic, and had died in a car accident, he was then instructed to sleep on the right side of the bed for the first night. After that, Arthur waved goodbye to his guests and began to get ready to turn in for the night.
For a while though, he stared at his queen-size bed with the stark white wedding blanket draped over it. And shuddered.
Who knew what tonight would have in store for him.
Steeling himself, he took a deep breath and dived under the covers. It’s just sleeping on my bed like usual, he mentally cajoled. It wasn’t like he was actually inviting a ghost to his bed. Still, no matter how he tried to comfort himself, Arthur still felt uneasy. The eerie moonlight illuminating the room did not help his mood.
He laid stiffly on his back, staring at the ceiling for a good thirty minutes before deciding nothing was going to happen, and turned toward the inside of the bed. There, facing him, was the solid form of a familiar man lying down where there was no one earlier. A smile was plastered on his pale face, but it wasn’t sincere in the least.
Arthur’s heart leapt and he screamed, fully intending to jump out of bed, but the other man—his newly wedded husband, Merlin—did it for him, kicking him roughly out onto the floor.
“That’s for stomping on my envelope!” the ghost huffed, his voice as solid as the kick he sent out. Sitting in the middle of the bed, arms crossed over his chest, he looked as righteous as how Hunith had described him.
Too stunned to scream again, Arthur laid sprawled on the floor for a moment before scurrying to stand up. “W-we’re m-married now so s-stop haunting me!” he stuttered, pointing his finger threateningly at him while backing away from the bed and inching towards the door. Police training never showed Arthur how to deal with ghosts, so if he was just a little afraid, that wasn’t his fault!
Merlin rolled his eyes. “It’s not like I wanted to marry you, entwined fates or not.”
Arthur was actually pretty relieved that this Merlin ghost didn’t appear bloody or ghastly, or creepily crawling on all fours chasing after him. He seemed…decent and fairly rational, if just a little bit annoyed. So Arthur gathered the courage to demand some answers, “T-then why did you stick to me to begin with? A-and what’s with all the bad luck?”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” Merlin said bluntly. “The wind was coincidentally wild that day so you can blame Mother Nature. As for all the bad luck? You’re far from a model policeman so that’s karma biting you in the arse.”
While Arthur had nothing to say about being a model policeman, he was sure it hadn’t been windy that day in the park where he had picked up the envelope. In fact, he couldn’t recall a single breeze at all, but Arthur wasn’t going to argue with an angry ghost.
He did pause at the door though and ventured hopefully, “So…if the bad luck has nothing to do with you, we can…divorce?”
“We’ve more than married through paper,” Merlin said grumpily. “Our spirits have been bound with the ceremony you just went through. We’re stuck with each other now.”
Still hoping for some sort of out, Arthur asked, “There’s no way to break it?”
Merlin’s glowering face then turned into a smiling one again. He patted the bed invitingly, sending shivers throughout Arthur’s body. “Why don’t you lie down to rest and we can figure it out together?”
Arthur gulped as he looked between the bed and Merlin’s smiling face, not sure if he should trust it. At the same time, it had been a long day and Arthur was tired. All he wanted to do was to sleep. And Merlin seemed sort of friendly now so Arthur warily headed back to bed.
“No f-funny business,” he warned, slowly pulling up the blanket. “Even though we’re married, d-don’t even think about touching me in my sleep! I’m not gay!”
Merlin snorted and rolled his eyes again. “I’m not that desperate.”
Most gay men fell for Arthur, something which simultaneously flattered him but mostly made him uncomfortable. Seeing that Merlin had zero interest in him, Arthur felt somewhat offended. But it was overall a good thing if his husband didn’t want to get into his pants, so Arthur sighed with relief and closed his eyes.
Then felt a hard kick on his side that sent him tumbling out of bed once more.
The Next Day…
“So you’ve married but the ghost hasn’t left?” Taliesin summarised, sitting across from Arthur at a table in the same temple as before.
“My name is ‘Merlin’,” Merlin grouched, pacing behind Taliesin, but the old man couldn’t see or hear him. “You officiated our wedding yesterday!”
“He says his name is Merlin,” Arthur reminded tiredly, slumped heavily on his elbows over the table. He hadn’t slept well last night to say the least and coming to see Taliesin was the only thing he could think to do to remedy his situation. To Arthur’s annoyance, Merlin was really quite the chatterbox, having complained with him throughout the night and into the morning about almost everything Arthur had done recently.
Taliesin hummed thoughtfully to himself before suggesting, “Then this Merlin must still be very attached to this world. Perhaps there are a few things he wants to achieve or settle before he can pass over?”
“I do!” Merlin exclaimed, pausing and turning to them with bright eyes.
“He says he does,” Arthur reiterated hollowly.
“Then you must help him achieve it!” Taliesin concluded.
And so, Arthur’s days of carefully crafted peace and singledom were over. He had no choice but to help Merlin cross off his life wish list.
“You have to visit my mum every week,” Merlin rambled, “and my godparents too!”
They were walking down a street back to Arthur’s car, Merlin matching his speed effortlessly as he listed off his—Arthur’s to-do list.
“It’s a miracle if I even see my father three times a year,” Arthur muttered, shrugging his shoulders towards himself to try and appear like he wasn’t talking to himself to passerby, “now I have to see your family too?”
“Oi! You’re like their second son now, can you at least treat them nicely?” Merlin didn’t say “In my place?” but Arthur could hear the sentiment. He recalled how Hunith, Alice, and Gaius were kind to him and thought maybe it wouldn’t be too bad to visit them every so often.
“Only if you say ‘please’,” Arthur said and tried not to break into a smirk when Merlin, who had been talking all day, finally quieted and grit his teeth, unwilling to speak. “Come on now, let’s hear it,” Arthur goaded, happy for a little payback, “everyone made you sound like a saint but you don’t even know how to ask for a favour properly?”
“...Please, you goddamn clotpole!”
Arthur laughed at the unorthodox insult; Merlin truly was a saint if he couldn’t even curse properly. To his surprise, Arthur felt much better, even more so when he saw how red-faced Merlin was, for a ghost. It was funny and somewhat endearing too.
Shaking his head, he quickly cleared his throat and asked more seriously, “What’s next?”
“...Since we’re on the topic of family,” Merlin mumbled, “I want to find my father.”
For a moment, Arthur wanted to say that Merlin did have a father-in-law now. But said father-in-law would most likely pretend he didn’t exist rather than accept a gay man as a second son. By relation, Arthur would also be disowned as a consequence. So Arthur wisely didn’t mention it and asked, “I assumed he passed away? I can’t imagine anyone would leave your mother.”
“There were special circumstances and mum doesn’t say much but I know he’s out there. I just don’t know if he knows we’re out there too.”
From Merlin’s sombre tone, Arthur didn’t make fun of him and agreed.
“And I want a puppy,” Merlin added as they got into the car.
“And how, exactly, are you, a ghost, going to take care of it?”
“You’re going to of course,” Merlin replied, grinning innocently now when Arthur turned to look at him unimpressed. “We’re doing this so we can be rid of each other, remember?”
“...Alright!” Huffing, Arthur started his car and headed to work.
Merlin sat in the passenger side and they spoke some more about what else he wanted to do: help the world be a better place, walk the beach during sunset, fall in love and marry.
“Hey, you’re married to me now,” Arthur said, frowning as he drove. “You can’t just go off and marry some other bloke just like that when you’ve already got me!”
“What’s the use in marrying a straight man?” Merlin mumbled, crossing his arms and slumping in his seat. “I didn’t want you. Besides, this was my original wish list before I died. I’m just saying.”
Arthur thought it was strange too how they had ended up together and felt a little guilty that they wouldn’t be able to fulfil that last wish of his. Could Merlin really still pass on with that regret?
Then Arthur worried what life would be like for himself if Merlin couldn’t move on at all.
At the precinct, Arthur had the false hope that Merlin would be quieter considering the environment. It was the opposite.
“Oooh, you like that records specialist earlier, don’t you? Don’t lie, you smile like a maniac every time you see her.”
“And who’s that tall glass of water? I’d sure like a drink from him!”
“I can’t believe your deskmate is Gwaine!” Merlin said excitedly after Arthur finally sat down at his workstation.
“...What about him?” Arthur muttered irritably under his breath, trying again to appear discreet and not insane.
“He was a good lay,” Merlin sighed dreamily.
Arthur’s skin instantly itched all the way to his scalp. “Shut up, Merlin, I didn’t need to know that.”
“Know what?” Morgana suddenly asked, pulling her chair out and sitting down at the desk beside his.
“Nothing,” said Arthur quickly, clearing his throat and sitting up straighter. He tapped away at the keyboard, reminding himself to look for Merlin’s father later.
But Morgana wasn’t done speaking with him. “Arthur…have you gone to see the healer I mentioned?”
“That reminds me, this woman really has good intuition,” Merlin commented in the background. “You mentioned you’re both related. Is she your sister?”
“Uh huh,” Arthur muttered but then said clearly to Morgana, “Yes, I did.”
“That’s good. You look a lot better today. Perfect image of an arsehole,” she said with a smirk and turned back to her own computer.
“Oh, I like her,” Merlin snickered.
Arthur clenched his jaw and just as he was going to retort, Morgana spoke first, her attention not moving from the computer screen.
“Father wants to have dinner with us tonight, by the way.”
While Morgana continued to type away on her keyboard, Arthur had paused.
“I’m busy,” he said curtly.
She snorted. “You have nothing but work and a one-sided crush on a taken woman.”
Arthur couldn’t believe it. “Gwen has a boyfriend?”
“Yes and, surprise, it’s not you so if you’re not out on a date then come to dinner.”
Arthur didn’t know what possessed him to say, “I do have a date.”
“How dare you!” Merlin’s voice exploded near his ear. “You’re married to me—when did you go on and get a date?!”
Covering his ears, Arthur glared over his shoulder and hissed, “It’s with you, you idiot!”
“…Oh,” Merlin said, blinking before saying no more.
Meanwhile, Morgana stared strangely at him. “You…on a date? Who’s the unlucky girl?”
“…My wife.”
“Who says I’m your wife!” Merlin shouted once more at the same time that Morgana asked, stunned, “Since when did you get married?” while Gwaine joined in to say, “And I wasn’t invited?!”
Arthur took a deep breath and tugged his hair, cursing his mouth that spoke before he could thoroughly think. He really didn’t want to see his father and said the first thing that came to mind.
Fortunately, before he could answer anyone, the chief came in and announced an urgent case. Arthur, Morgana, and Gwaine said no more and swiftly left their seats.
It turned out that having a ghost tag along was quite useful during a case. Arthur had easily apprehended the criminal after Merlin floated through a building and told him where he was. The chief and everyone else congratulated Arthur, who took it in stride but after out of sight of everyone, he turned to Merlin and simply said, “Thanks.”
“Oh, so you do have manners,” Merlin said, raising a brow.
“Despite what you think of me, I know when to give thanks when it’s due,” said Arthur, huffing. “Now let's go back to the station.”
There, Arthur quickly changed out of his uniform and got into his personal car, with Merlin again in the passenger seat. Before he could leave, however, the passenger side opened up and Morgana slid in—right through Merlin.
“Hey!” the ghost said, indignant and pale, but of course he went unheard. Only Arthur knew his distress.
“Just move!” he hissed, gesturing his head to the backseat.
“I got here first!” Merlin cried. “Tell her to move!”
“Arthur, when did you get—”
But Arthur couldn’t hear Morgana over Merlin’s enraged voice. “I’m the husband! Why do I have to sit in the back!”
Perplexed and frustrated, Arthur really didn’t know what to say. He was married to a ghost who didn’t want him and yet this same ghost really liked to declare that they were husbands.
Not wanting to hear him complain any further, Arthur quickly hushed Morgana. “Off, off! Get in the back!” and shooed her.
“Excuse me?” Morgana said, both brows shooting upwards. “Why can’t I sit here?”
Arthur forced through his teeth, “Only my wife—”
“Husband!” Merlin interrupted.
“—can sit on the passenger side,” Arthur finished, feeling his cheeks go hot.
A look of disbelief crossed over Morgana’s feature once more and she scoffed, getting out to sit in the back instead. “Happy?”
“Yes!” Merlin answered and Arthur really wanted to strangle him, but once he saw how chipper Merlin was, smiling and all bright-eyed at him, Arthur pushed down the urge.
“What do you want?” he asked, turning to look back at Morgana.
She went straight to the point. “Are you really married?”
Although Arthur wasn’t really on good terms with his family, Morgana was the exception. She was a pain in the arse most times but Arthur wouldn’t lie to her. “Yes,” he muttered.
“…Since when? Why weren’t we invited?”
Arthur wasn’t prepared for the hurt he saw and heard in her expression and voice. She was his sister after all and cared for her.
“…Just yesterday and it was a…ghost marriage to a man so how was I supposed to invite anyone?” Arthur mumbled.
Morgana’s eyes widened. “You’re married…to a ghost?”
“Uh huh,” Arthur grunted, not wanting to say more but Morgana was always the perceptive one in the family and figured things out quickly.
“Don’t tell me it was the one following you before? Didn’t Taliesin help you?”
“He sure did,” Arthur said bitterly, “by marrying us off!”
“So…you don’t have a wife,” she said slowly, piecing things together. “You actually have a… husband?”
Arthur didn’t like where this was going. “Yes,” he answered, quick and blunt. “Now that you know the truth, get out.”
“Hey, don’t be rude,” Merlin interjected.
“You, shush! You don’t know what she’s like when—”
“Oh, is your husband here now? Is that who you’ve been whispering to all day?”
At the sly tone, Arthur turned back to Morgana and sure enough, her smirk matched her voice. “Did my ‘straight as an arrow’ brother actually marry a man? The irony of life. Tell me, what’s your husband’s name?”
Arthur gulped nervously and turned back on his seat. “…It’s Merlin Emrys.”
“…Like Merlin the wizard Merlin?”
“…Yes.”
Morgana clapped her hands together and laughed, although it didn’t sound as mocking as Arthur had expected. “Well,” she said eagerly, “do you have a photo of my new brother-in-law?”
Arthur froze. He didn’t. During the wedding, he never thought to take any photos. If there were any, Hunith and the godparents would most likely have them.
“Of course you wouldn’t,” Morgana said with a snort and took out her phone. “Well, let’s see if he has any social media.”
“She won’t find any,” Merlin commented. “I’m a private person.”
“You won’t find any,” Arthur repeated. “He’s a private person.”
Morgana tucked away her phone. “Well, you’ll have to show him sometime. He’s part of our family now isn’t he?”
“Not like he wanted to be,” Arthur muttered. “We only married because Taliesin thought that would get rid of my bad luck. But now that we are married, Merlin won’t leave me alone so I’m gonna help him with his wish list so he can move on.”
Merlin gasped, affronted. “You make me sound like a pest!”
“You are a pest!” Arthur shot back. “Complaining about this and that like a nagging wife!”
“Husband!” Merlin corrected.
“Fine, husband!”
“Sounds like you’re an old married couple now, congratulations!” Morgana interjected and quickly added, “I can’t actually hear you Merlin but I assume you’re in the passenger. My apologies if I sat on you.”
“Wow, why aren’t you anything like her?” Merlin asked him.
“He was practically screaming his head off for you to sit somewhere else earlier,” Arthur said spitefully to Morgana, who only chuckled and waved him off, unaffected.
“Since you’re going on a ‘date,’ I’ll have to have dinner with Father alone. But you owe me for next time.” Then she glanced at the passenger seat. “To Merlin, I’m sure you think it’s a misfortune itself to be tied down to my brother. I assure you though that beyond his bigoted brain, he has a kind heart. He’ll help you for sure.”
And with that, she wished them luck and left.
“She’s too good to be your sister,” Merlin finally said after some silence. Arthur started the car and didn’t reply. Sometimes he felt the same way too.
For the rest of the week, Arthur tried his best to check off Merlin’s wish list, starting with the easiest.
They adopted the puppy Merlin had reserved and welcomed “Aithusa” to her new home. Arthur had to admit, she was an adorable fluffy white thing—when she wasn’t desecrating his rugs. And having her made Merlin happy, which lifted Arthur’s mood—not because he was happy Merlin was happy but because that meant Merlin wouldn’t bother him for a while. Since Aithusa was fairly intuitive, she was able to sense Merlin’s presence and react to him, although Merlin couldn’t do much except watch and laugh and tell Arthur what to do, it was enough to fill him with simple joy.
Next was making the world a better place. Arthur was already a policeman and trying to do that already through the law but Merlin wanted him to do more. So they, meaning only Arthur, went out to volunteer picking up litter around the park. Arthur even changed a few habits, after Merlin’s consistent nagging that plastic was bad for the environment, and brought reusable containers when he wanted take-out. Lastly was donations to a children’s charity. This, Arthur took a harder stance against.
“I’m not donating a thousand pounds,” Arthur argued. “Do you think I’m made of money?!”
“Then do smaller monthly donations!” Merlin said, exasperated. “Imagine how many kids you could be feeding if you weren’t paying that amount to watch porn!”
Merlin had caught him one time attempting to watch it and feeling thoroughly guilt-tripped, Arthur tapped his credit card number into the keyboard and submitted the online donation form.
During that same week, Arthur tried looking for Balinor, Merlin’s father, but it wasn’t as easy as he had originally thought, not even with the police’s database at his full disposal. In the same while, Arthur disrupted Merlin’s wandering eyes that stared too long at any handsome man.
“Would you stop that?” Arthur whispered when they had passed Constable Percival at the front desk once.
“I’m dead, why can’t I look? It’s not like anyone’s ever going to flirt with me again,” Merlin had said, sounding unusually dejected.
From then on, Arthur hadn’t been as harsh. For good will, he even slept closer to Merlin on the same bed, their shoulders brushing, and fell asleep to their breathing instead of Merlin’s ranting.
At the end of that week, Arthur brought flowers and some snacks to Hunith’s home. She greeted him warmly and they conversed long into the afternoon. She missed Merlin and pulled out photo albums, showing him his baby pictures and school photos and even some embarrassing ones.
“Mum!” Merlin cried but how could she hear him?
The more he complained, however, the more Arthur wanted to know all of Merlin’s embarrassing moments. He listened gleefully as Hunith gladly went on and on while Merlin demanded he stop listening.
Arthur took his leave two hours later.
“Here, take this home with you,” Hunith said at the door, giving him a casserole bowl of baked something. “It was Merlin’s favourite.”
“…Thank you, mum,” Merlin weeped, hugging her shoulders.
Seeing his poor ghost of a husband trying to embrace his mother that could neither hear nor feel him, Arthur felt a pang in his heart and reached out. He hugged Hunith himself, covering Merlin’s back as he did so, and thanked her in her son's place.
“I’ll make sure to eat it well,” Arthur added and was stunned when Hunith hugged him back.
“No, thank you, Arthur,” she said and drew away, hands resting on his elbows as tears filled her eyes. “I’m glad that it was you who picked up the envelope. You were the right choice after all.”
That night, Merlin cried again and again. Arthur couldn’t take it anymore. Apparently, “don’t be a girl” hadn’t been the right thing to say when cajoling him, so Arthur shifted right up behind Merlin’s curled body and wrapped an arm around him. The body of a ghost wasn’t as cold as popular belief made it up to be. Instead, Merlin was warm, trembling, and very much the human he once was.
A foreign, unexplainable feeling rushed through Arthur at that moment and he tightened his hold.
“What’s there to cry about?” he mumbled, resting his chin above Merlin’s fluffy black hair. “We’ll be seeing her again next week, won’t we? I’ll get her flowers again, like ones she’s never had before and double the amount!”
Or tell her that Merlin was literally with them in spirit.
But Arthur wasn’t sure how well mother and son would take that. Perhaps, it would be fun for a while but what if they had to say goodbye again when Merlin truly left the world for good? Arthur didn’t want to imagine it.
“…D-don’t be a cabbage head,” Merlin sniffled out and fell silent. His sobbing slowed to a few hitched breaths but it relieved some of Arthur’s discomfort.
Even though Arthur wasn’t the consoling sort, he couldn’t just lie back and do nothing. And even though he never knew his own mother, he could imagine one. That Hunith was like his mother and that he was the son who couldn’t be seen.
Not knowing what else to say, he quietly held onto Merlin until they both fell asleep.
The weeks after that came and went even faster than before.
While visiting Hunith regularly, and the godparents once in a while, Arthur doubled his efforts on making the world a better place by starting with himself. He wasn’t sure who he was trying to impress but he stopped being offensive towards gays. It wasn’t hard at all actually. All he had to do was think of Merlin’s gloomy, furious expression and the words in his brain wouldn’t fly out of his mouth. He even began wondering why he acted so rudely to begin with because no one deserved it.
Gwaine had been the first one to be surprised, then Morgana, but who really mattered was Merlin.
With Arthur’s change of attitude, fortune came back knocking on his door. He was up for promotion, he had leads on Balinor, and Aithusa finally learned where to go when she needed to relieve herself.
And Merlin. What to say about Merlin?
He was weird and…amazing.
Arthur had at first found him annoying but they worked well together—as Arthur’s third wheel of a police partner and personal scout. There were a few close calls where without Merlin’s experience as a paramedic and fast reflexes, Arthur would’ve surely joined him in the afterlife. He found it funny, and endearing, how Merlin fussed over him constantly to be careful. Not only that, Merlin was as witty and kind as everyone claimed. He knew how to take Arthur down a notch when he was being unreasonable and, similarly, knew how to boost his mood when he was down.
Merlin was a good, vibrant contrast in his life.
“Remember what Taliesin said? That we were connected in the past?” Arthur asked one day, lying beside Merlin on the bed as they stared at the ceiling.
“I remember.”
“Do you believe him?”
“…Do you?”
“…I think…we were more than king and servant,” Arthur said slowly.
“…He did say we were loyal friends,” Merlin reminded him.
I think we were more than that, Arthur secretly thought and it was such a horrifying idea that he didn’t say anything further.
But a few days later, after some careful consideration, Arthur took Merlin to the beach. It would’ve been easier to check off this wish if he had brought him early on, but the more Arthur knew Merlin, the more difficult it had become to take him here.
Today though, he brought courage.
The sun was low and the air was lukewarm. It was the middle of the week and barely anyone remained at the picturesque shore.
Arthur took off his shoes, held them with one hand, and with his other, tugged Merlin along to walk with him by the lapping waves.
“Can you feel the sand?” he asked, hand in his pocket.
Merlin was walking slowly beside him, bare feet, but his footsteps left no imprints behind. “I don’t know,” he mumbled, thoughtful. “Might be easier to feel if we were touching…”
So Arthur withdrew his hand from his pocket and linked it with Merlin’s, facing the setting sun as he asked nonchalantly, “How’s that? Feel anything?”
“…Yeah.”
Arthur glanced at Merlin, saw an uncharacteristically shy smile, and felt his stomach tumble and his heartbeat dance like it had done so often these days.
He didn’t let Merlin go until they walked back to the car.
Another week passed and this time, Arthur found Balinor’s address.
“What do you want to say?” Arthur asked Merlin as they sat in the car. They were in a different city, parked across the street from a little townhome.
Merlin contemplated. “I’m not sure. I just wanted to see him, to let him know that he has a son, and…and to keep my mum company like he should’ve.”
So Arthur knocked on Balinor’s door, introduced himself, and repeated Merlin’s sentiments. The older man, with greys showing in his hair, lived alone and wasn’t very friendly to begin with, but once he heard who he came on behalf of, he was stunned.
“I..I have a son?”
“Had,” Arthur corrected. He wasn’t sure of the circumstances that led Balinor to part from a pregnant Hunith, so he withheld judgement as much as possible.
Balinor looked aggrieved, saying nothing for a while before asking, “And Hunith? How is she?”
“You can ask her yourself. She’s been waiting a long time,” Arthur said and left him a phone number.
He didn’t stay after that, allowing Balinor to absorb everything and wanting to take Merlin, who had been quiet all that time, away.
On the drive back, he offered Merlin his hand and when a cool hand slipped into his, their fingers slotted together, Arthur felt some tension melt from his being. He wasn’t the one who had just met a long-lost father but he felt comforted anyway.
“How do you feel?” he gauged.
Merlin absently looked out the window. “Neutral I suppose. I never knew him but I guess I’m relieved he didn’t outright reject me or mum. That’s all I wanted to know.”
After that, there was only one thing left on Merlin’s wish list. Technically, the list was complete since Merlin already married Arthur—the only thing missing there was love itself. There had been none when they bonded their souls, but now? Arthur felt sour whenever Merlin’s attention diverted to any other handsome men, or when he heard about any past flings. Whenever it was too quiet, Arthur wondered what Merlin was doing. At bedtime, he made sure to tuck Merlin in even though there was no need to. Merlin wouldn’t feel the cold but Arthur thought he’d like that. More and more he thought about what would make Merlin happy. And more and more he thought why he would want that when Merlin was a man. Then more and more, Arthur thought how special Merlin was and that there was an exception to everything.
And Arthur didn’t think he was alone in that regard. He could tell how Merlin had changed too. The ghost didn’t yell as much anymore, unless Arthur really was being especially senseless, or checking out a woman, or being reckless. Merlin seemed…softer now, cooperative, was quite humorous actually, and more open, sharing stories about his past and hopes and dreams. And sometimes, the way he smiled warmly at Arthur made him think they were friends. Other times, they reminded him that they were married.
That same evening, with Merlin still in his sombre mood, Arthur guided him to bed and pulled him close under the blankets. Merlin didn’t say anything at first but then he wrapped his arms around Arthur too and buried his face against his chest.
He too knew that his wish list had been fulfilled and there should be nothing more tying him down.
“I…I don’t want to go,” Merlin mumbled. “I thought I could. I thought I would have no regrets but, but…”
Arthur listened and held his breath.
“I…don’t want to leave you alone,” Merlin whispered. “What if you forget about me and shirk your promises?”
“I won’t,” Arthur said, tilting Merlin’s head up and brushing his fringe away. Wide, teary eyes looked back at him. “I won’t,” he repeated, solemnly, and kissed Merlin’s forehead, trying to pour his sincerity into it. “We’re husbands, after all. And if you don’t want to leave then don’t. If you’re not around, who knows how long I’ll live if you’re not there looking out for my arse.”
“…You really want me to stay?” Merlin croaked and Arthur nodded. Then, blinking innocently with every bit of seriousness, Merlin said, “Aren’t you as straight as an arrow? I have a cock.”
Arthur nearly choked at the bluntness. To be honest with himself, he wasn’t sure if he was completely straight anymore. Or if he had ever been. He assumed he was because everyone else did and expected him to be, but only he can define himself.
“Well, my arrow may be missing a few feathers,” Arthur shrugged, smiling. “Besides, we can take things slow?” He wasn’t sure how physical he could get with a ghost but they were fine thus far, weren’t they? Still, Arthur wouldn’t mind doing more, he truly wouldn’t, but he was new to this and wanted to savour every progress and affection.
“How about another kiss for now?” he offered.
The way Merlin smiled didn’t make him seem like a ghost at all. “Ok,” he agreed and pecked Arthur’s lips.
“…Are you sure that’s enough?” Arthur teased.
Merlin teased right back. “You said let’s take it slow!”
Arthur chuckled and patted his back. “Alright, alright. Let’s get some sleep then.”
“You know I actually don’t need to sleep?”
“Then what do you do when you close your eyes here?” Arthur mused.
“I dream. About the time I was living,” Merlin murmured, then beamed at Arthur. “Now, I dream about us too.”
“Well, have sweet dreams then,” Arthur said fondly and kissed him one more time.
At sunrise, Arthur was almost afraid to open his eyes. He dreamt that Merlin had left, or rather that he had left him, dying in his arms and sinking into a bottomless cold lake. Arthur wouldn’t know what to do if Merlin really passed on while he cluelessly slept, all their talk the previous night would become Arthur’s eternal wish list. But then he felt a weight on his chest, not as heavy as a solid body would be, but a weight nonetheless. And a warmth that was both cool and soothing at the same time.
He was lying on his back with Merlin’s head resting on his chest, their arms encircled around each other. Gold light basked the room and Arthur saw how Merlin’s pale skin glowed with an otherworldly radiance. He stroked Merlin’s head, curled his soft locks in his fingers, and when Merlin stirred, blinking blearily at him, Arthur dragged him up his body until Merlin straddled his hips.
There was no time to take it slow. Merlin could be gone today, he could be gone tomorrow. Arthur didn’t dare think about when and if. What mattered was living with him now. So he cradled Merlin’s face in his palms and kissed him deep.
Up to that point, Arthur had never thought of himself to be sentimental, or possessive, or obsessive—but now he knew he was. If there was a past life then there must be a next life—and the next one; and a next one. And in all of them, whether he became a ghost too, or not, Arthur knew he would find his way to Merlin every time, always.
∞ End ∞