Behind Closed Doors (Merthur AU)

Chapter 6

Their drunken night quickly passed and the late morning sun shone through the window, disturbing Merlin from his sleep. Merlin stretched and yawned as he felt a slight hangover headache when he opened his eyes. He squinted and glanced around the unfamiliar room. It took him a moment, but memories from the night before flooded back into his mind. Merlin looked next to him and saw a sleeping figure, which happened to be Arthur. He remembered how close they got to sleeping with one another and it brought a smile to his lips.

Merlin gently turned to face Arthur, watching the man sleep peacefully. He reached over and gently pushed Arthur's hair off of his face, trying his best not to wake him. To no avail, Arthur moved and made a noise as he felt the touch from Merlin. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Merlin. Arthur didn't react for a moment before he quickly sat up, looking around them before landing his gaze back at Merlin. He felt an anxious bubble creep up in his stomach and his eyes widened a bit.

"Oh, for fucks sake," Arthur muttered quietly, getting off of the bed. "Please, tell me we didn't.." He was practically begging Merlin. "Jesus, we kissed...but I don't remember anything else."

Merlin watched Arthur and controlled his amusement quickly. "You don't remember?" He frowned and huffed a bit. "And here I thought it meant more to you." Merlin sat up, gazing at Arthur. It took him a good bit of effort not to laugh, but he couldn't help teasing Arthur in such a state.

Arthur's eyes widened even more as he heard Merlin and he rubbed his face. "Oh, shit!" He walked over to the bed and sat down, putting his face in his hands. "Merlin, I-...I'm so sorry..." Arthur couldn't bare to look at Merlin at the moment, fully convinced that he messed up.

Merlin couldn't hold it back any longer and he let out a laugh. "Oh, stop it. We didn't do anything." He gave Arthur a grin. "Unfortunately, someone came in and interrupted us." Merlin's shoulders did a small shrug. "Maybe next time we'll be luckier."

Arthur quickly looked to Merlin in confusion when he laughed. He listened to him speak and his expression changed as he stood up. He ran a hand through his messy, blonde hair and rested his hands on his hips, facing Merlin. "That wasn't funny."

Merlin looked to Arthur and hummed a bit. "It was a little funny." He stood up, knowing full well he wasn't going to let Arthur take back what they shared the night prior. For a moment, he wondered just what Arthur would do about it, but he tried to shake the negative thoughts away. Merlin nudged Arthur gently. "Loosen up a little, okay? It's not like anyone is going to say anything," Merlin kept his voice gentle. He knew Arthur was probably freaking out inside and he wanted to help him through it a little.

Arthur stayed silent as he watched Merlin's actions. He knew nobody would find out, but he crossed the line. Now, it was impossible to take it all back and get Merlin off of him, mostly because his drunk self couldn't keep his mouth shut. Arthur was aware that he basically confessed his feelings to Merlin, so he was screwed whether he liked it or not. "Merlin..." He spoke, softly.

Merlin went quiet as he heard Arthur and sighed, suspecting what Arthur was going to say. He ran a hand through his hair and looked up at Arthur. "You can't deny what happened last night, I won't let you." Merlin looked away, biting his bottom lip. "Besides, I like you, too. So, I fail to see the issue." He turned his gaze back to Arthur, the anxiety of admitting his feelings to Arthur sober nipped at him.

Arthur watched Merlin and stayed silent as he confessed. "The issue is my job." He chewed on his bottom lip and sighed softly. "Let's get going. Come on." Arthur grabbed his jacket from the floor and slipped it on as well as his cap that had fallen off. He unlocked the bedroom door and opened it up, letting Merlin out first and following after. He lead Merlin out of the house and to his car, unlocking it.