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It’s a normal day at the lab, Merlin was doing some much-needed research. Quiet.
“Bleeding fuckin’ hell Merlin, would you stop tapping your foot?” cried out Merlin’s colleague and friend Will, who was getting more annoyed with him by the second.
Yup, definitely a normal day. “Sorry,” Merlin muttered rolling his eyes. He forced his leg still as he read through the data on the chemical bond structure he would be working on.
“Merlin!”
Merlin turned to ask what when he looked down and oh. He was tapping his foot again. “Sorry,” he said, this time a tad sheepish.
Lance, snorted from his desk. “Give the man a break Will, he’s just eager about tonight.”
“What’s tonight?” Will asked, only to groan a moment later when he saw the look on Merlin’s face. “Ugh, I take it Prince Charming is back in town.”
Merlin ignored him and nodded. “His flight gets here at six, I should have just enough time to get there before he lands.”
Lance smiled at him, his face full of good humor. “Well, I’m pleased for you, I know it’s been a minute since you’ve seen him in person.”
Merlin hummed in agreement. It’s been five months since Arthur and him started dating and two since they last saw each other in person.
There had been plenty of video dates. Ordering food at the same time and eating together, watching films while face timing, running errands while talking on the phone, and of course some rather steamy sexting. It was wonderful, but not nearly as good as seeing the prat in person.
Will slid down a little in his chair as he clicked through emails. No doubt deleting them without bothering to read them first to check for important information. No, he’ll just wait for Lance and him to tell him the important bits.
“Well, at least I don’t have to worry about listening to your weird flirting tonight.” Merlin could feel Will’s eyes roll back into his skull.
He would be annoyed at the man if Will hadn’t been grudgingly understanding about all the times he had video chatted with Arthur when they had to work late. Still, he couldn’t resist teasing. “It’s called banter Will.”
“Whatever, you two talk all the fucking time I’m surprised you have anything left to talk about.”
Merlin turned his swivel chair and looked the man in the face as he said with a devious smirk, “Not really planning on much talking tonight.”
Will gagged.
Lance's laugh boomed across the small lab office. “You did that to yourself mate.”
Merlin grinned. “He really did.”
With far too much energy and a few swears thrown at him about his driving, somehow Merlin made it to the airport on time. The same could not be said about Arthur’s flight.
A flight, that should have been two and half hours somehow turned into a four-hour flight. He didn’t understand how and asking was no help. The bloke manning the information desk, George according to his nametag, went on a very dry and dull explanation about wind, weather patterns, and air traffic.
Merlin was a scientist, he loved learning about how things work. Even he found the man’s explanation too boring to understand. He had half a mind to think this was done on purpose.
Still, it was worth it to finally see Arthur’s handsome mug.
Merlin couldn’t help but frown when he saw him. Arthur’s face was grim, he was smiling but that awkward painful smile he always did when he was trying to be polite but rather not be. He would chalk it up to the long flight, but the man was walking so fast he was nearly running. But then Merlin saw it, or more accurately her, and Merlin can’t help but throw his head back laughing.
A little old lady, somehow matching Arthur step for step despite Arthur’s legs being much longer, was talking his ear off.
At the sound of Merlin’s laugh, Arthur’s head jerked towards his direction, and almost immediately his smile turned into that brilliant stupidly endearing smile that churned Merlin’s heart. Fuck, I love him.
He watched as Arthur stopped and turned towards the little old lady, said something, and then turned back and pointed at him.
Merlin waved in confused amusement. He barely had a moment to wonder what his boyfriend said before Arthur was striding towards him, his eyes looking determined.
“Hey-,” Merlin barely got the word out before Arthur dropped his duffle and pulled him into a searing kiss.
God help him but he could get used to being greeted like this.
He woke up slowly. His mind and body still loose and content from last night’s activities with Arthur. He smacked his lips a bit and was almost back to sleep when he heard a swear, loud and whispered, and clinking plate wear.
“Arthur?” He called out, his voice still thick with sleep, as he tried to rub the thread of dreams from his eyes. By the time Merlin’s eyes opened Arthur had already stepped through his bedroom door, carrying a tray with breakfast.
“Sorry, did I wake you?”
He wanted to tease him, truly, he did but he’s too stunned that Arthur was a) up before noon and b) had already cooked. “Where did you get that from?” He grabbed his phone and it’s only a few minutes after ten. “There are no shops nearby that are open this early on a Saturday.”
“You know there is a thing called a kitchen, right? You know, the thing with the fridge with all the food and the stove where you can cook said food on.” Arthur drawled teasingly as he carefully placed the tray down on the bed before sitting on the edge of the bed. On it was fried eggs and sausage, bread, tomatoes, and mushrooms. It was almost a proper fry-up, just missing some bacon.
“You made me breakfast in bed.” Merlin teased, but there was far too much fondness in his voice. So he tried to smirk as he said, “You’re such a sap.”
Arthur rolled his eyes, but Merlin can see the lightest of blushes start to spread across his face. “No, I made myself some breakfast and didn’t want to hear you going on about me starving you while you nicked my sausages, so I made extra.”
“You made me breakfast,” Merlin sing-songed. He loaded his fork with all the hardy goodness. The eggs are a bit overcooked for his liking but the sausages were perfect.
Arthur’s only response was a loud huff before he swiped at Merlin as he went for sausages. They ended up using their knives as swords and fought over the rest of the sausages.
They gobbled the food up like the greedy fools they are, laughing and teasing each other the whole time. It was when Arthur got up to grab the mushroom that Merlin bounced off his head when Arthur finally noticed it.
He froze, not sure how to react when Merlin’s voice broke him out of it.
“Arthur?”
Arthur still had his back to Merlin when he spoke. “You hung it up.”
There on the wall above Merlin’s desk was a framed copy of the letter. His letter.
“Yeah, I did.” Merlin’s voice, full of amusement then quietly, “Should I not have?”
Arthur wasn’t sure what to say so he didn't say anything. So of course, Merlin started to babble, “It’s just- well, it’s the most romantic thing that’s ever happened to me, but I can take it down if you like?”
“No.”
He’s surprised how strongly he rejected that. But once the option was given to him, he knew that he didn’t want that.
He finally turned back to Merlin. He’s looking at Arthur unsurely, as if at any moment Arthur was going to change his mind. “No, keep it up.”
“You sure? I can take it down if it’s too embarrassing for you.”
Arthur stepped back over to the bed and placed a kiss on the top of Merlin’s head. “I’m not embarrassed by my feelings for you.”
Merlin snorted good-naturedly and took hold of Arthur’s hands, playing with them as he spoke. “Yeah, I know that clotpole.” While Arthur wasn’t much for PDA, he had kissed him quite thoroughly at the terminal last night. “I just meant, I know you like keeping your thoughts and feelings on the private side of things so if you would prefer not having something so close to your heart on display, I understand.”
Arthur leaned slightly back, his face scrunched up in contemplation. Merlin let the silence fill the room, perfectly comfortable to wait as Arthur pieced together what he wanted to convey.
“You’re not wrong that I don’t usually like my private words out there for the world to see, but this is different. This is your home. I like the idea that even when I’m not here you have a piece of me here with you.”
“Yeah?” Merlin said, his voice soft and impossibly fond.
“Yeah… though I rather you not go around pointing it out to people,” Arthur said, his head tilting a little with a small shrug.
“I promise.”
Then Arthur smiled, his face relaxed and pleased and Merlin couldn’t help the rush of love in his chest, that he gets to claim Arthur as his own.
He pulled his boyfriend closer, reaching for his face and kissing him, muttering, “Such a ridiculous sap you are,” between kisses. For once, Arthur doesn’t disagree.