Work Text:
It's 5:00pm now. Arthur's been staring at his laptop since....about 10:00am. In that time, he's written one page, filled with shitty dialogue, shitty exposition, and shitty....well, everything.
He does note that he hasn't been entirely counter-productive. He's done the dishes, and the laundry, and he made himself a very nice lunch. Not to mention the clearing out of his wardrobe, organising his computer files, and....
With a groan, Arthur bangs his head against his desk.
"Fucking hell..."
There was no denying it.
Bloody writer's block.
---
If Arthur is being truly honest with himself, there is one thing that is far worse than writer's block. And that was monthly dinners with Morgana.
"Oh hush, Arthur, you're being such a drama queen. Besides, you don't rely on me for your income, unlike your writing. I think writer's block trumps."
"As always, it's all about the materialistic, isn't it, Morgana?"
Swishing the wine around in her glass, she rolls her eyes and takes a sip, not deigning to reply.
"The problem is, I don't know how to get out of this slump," Arthur sighs, resting his arm on the table and leaning his head against his hand.
"Elbows off the table, brother dear, this place is posh," she instructs him. "And clearly in this so-called 'slump', you've forgotten about everybody's best friend."
Arthur shifts. "What are you talking about? You don't have any friends."
Morgana tuts. "Considering I don't hole myself up in my flat every day, I dare say I have more than you."
Arthur harrumphs.
"Besides, I was talking about Googling it."
"Hmm, yeah, I should probably do that," Arthur muses.
---
The very next day, Arthur types into Google, 'how to overcome writer's block'. Thanks to the miracle that is the internet, he is greeted with a plentiful heap of websites, all of which have lists of multiple ways to cure writer's block. Smiling to himself, he clicks on the first link.
"It happens to every writer. It's inevitable...blah blah blah," he mutters to himself as he scrolls down the page, "Ahh, here we are, 'Creative Solutions to Writer's Block'. Oh good, there's a long list, starting with...going for a walk."
Sitting back in his office chair, Arthur lets himself smile. This could definitely work. Things were looking up.
---
Things were not looking up. Rather, they were pouring down.
"Bloody, buggering hell," Arthur grumbles as he walks quickly along the sidewalk, jacket pulled over his head. Even so, he was soaked through already. Walking, what a stupid idea to help get over writer's block.
(Ok, so maybe Arthur should've taken the dark, stormy clouds as a warning when he went out not half an hour earlier. But still. Stupid.)
---
"Eliminate distractions...this is going to be hard..." Arthur sighed, frowning at his screen.
He decided that on a Sunday, he would dedicate the entire day to ensuring that there were no distractions in his flat. No washing, cleaning or sorting was to be had. All video games, DVDs and TV remotes were to be locked away, and he would lock himself up in the office for the day, with food on hand. This was completely foolproof (and also extremely productive).
However, Arthur didn't count on the factor (and ultimate distraction) that was the internet.
---
"Do something to get your blood flowing...oh for fuck's sake, I'm not about to go running, especially after that bloody walk in the rain!"
---
The next thing on the list is 'play'. It also suggests Lego, but Arthur goes immediately to his video games.
This also proves to be entirely counter-productive, as instead of writing, Arthur spends the next week trying to finish some hard levels on a game he hadn't finished. Bugger.
---
"Change your environment..." Arthur mutters to himself, before stating it loud enough for Morgana to hear. "Change your environment, what do you think it means by that? Should I move things around, make my flat look a bit different?"
Morgana walks over from the couch to where Arthur sits, at the kitchen countertop, on his laptop. "Is that all it says?"
"Yep."
"I think it means that you should go somewhere else to write, instead of being in the same place. Besides, if you decided now to redesign your flat, that'll waste another week of writing," she tells him.
Arthur looks up at her. "Where would I go, though?"
"You really need to get out more, don't you?" she rolls her eyes at him. Immaturely, Arthur pokes his tongue out at her.
She takes a seat next to him. "Here, I'll write you a list of a couple of good spots I know that might be good for writing," she tells him as she grabs a piece of paper and scrawls a list for him to use. "The park is a good space, especially during weekdays when its quiet. You could try the library as well, for a bit of piece and quiet. Or, if you want somewhere a little more quirky and artistic, you should check out 'The Dragon's Egg' cafe. It's a quaint, little underground place in the city centre. To find it, you do have to go down an alleyway that makes you think you're going to get mugged, but it is well signed. And oh! The staff are absolutely charming!" she tells him, a dreamy look appearing on her face.
"Ooookay then," Arthur says, carefully taking the small sheet of paper from her hand. Morgana is now dreamily gazing off into the distance, and Arthur is starting to question whether he should go to this cafe or not. Perhaps he'll try the other places first, and leave it as something of a last resort. Hopefully, he won't need it.
---
The park was a disaster.
First of all, Arthur couldn't find anywhere decent to sit. The park benches were all uncomfortable as hell, and lying on the grass made it too difficult to write. He tried leaning up against a tree as a kind of compromise, but that completely backfired when he was shat on by a bird. So then, he tried sitting on the grass, in the sun. But he didn't have a hat, nor had he put on sunscreen, leaving him to get miserably sunburnt. Not to mention that being in the sun meant he had to have his laptop's brightness up full, killing its battery after a short period of time. Also, parks don't have wifi.
Never. Again.
The library...wasn't much better.
Yes, there were comfy chairs and desks, some solid free wifi, and no sun to burn his skin. However, he forgot to bring his headphones, and the silence of the library was doing his head in. Somehow, it was just too hard to concentrate. It didn't help when later on, a group of rowdy high-school students came in, making it equally as hard to focus. On top of this, the library was filled with, well, books. Lots of them, and many that Arthur hadn't read yet. So as a way to try and distract from the noise, he picked out a good novel and began reading. He also finished said novel, and then the library was closing. So much for getting any writing done.
(In his defence, reading was the next thing on the list of how to overcome writer's block. It doesn't count as being a 'distraction'. It doesn't!)
So that left the little cafe Morgana had talked about (and then glazed over for about ten minutes as she day-dreamed about goodness knows what). So much for not having to use the last resort.
---
"Morgana, I have been walking around the Camelot city centre for half an hour, down many alleyways, and I still haven't found this bloody place. And I nearly did get mugged!" he exclaims into his phone. "Ah, how I suffer for my art-"
"Stop being such a drama queen, Arthur," Morgana huffs. "Also, if you had told me that you were going to 'The Dragon's Egg', I would have come with you."
"Well, you're not here now, so I need you to give me a little more description than 'an alleyway you could get mugged in in the city centre'," Arthur grumbles, exasperated.
"Fine, fine. You need to go to George Street, walk toward the Mary Street intersection, and look for the signs that say 'The Dragon's Egg'. They will direct you down an alley and when you get to the end you'll want to take a left. The entrance is right there, you'll spot it immediately. Head down the stairs and that's the cafe," Morgana explains.
"Thank you, 'Gana."
"I've got to go. Talk later." She hangs up abruptly.
Arthur gets onto George St, and as he walks down a bit further, he finally sees the sign for 'The Dragon's Egg'. Below the sign is a grimy looking alleyway, smelling of cigarette smoke and trash. Scrunching up his nose at the smell, Arthur walks down the alleyway, not at all finding the appeal in this place. When he turns left, he's met with a bit of colour and some outdoor tables, as well as a red, old telephone box transformed into a doorway. The staircase is narrow but short, and Arthur can smell the scent of good coffee, wafting out the entrance. As unappealing as this place seems, Arthur's feeling a little more than inspired, so why not give it a shot? And if their coffee tastes as good as it smells...at least he would get something out of it. (And coffee was technically on the list of how to overcome writer's block, too).
Making his way down the stairs, he's met with a cafe that fits Morgana's description perfectly. It's quaint, with its small and narrow layout, artistic, with lots of different kinds of art hanging on the walls, and considering he had to go down some stairs from ground level, it was underground.
What Morgana had forgotten to mention was how hipster the place was. Some obscure indie music plays in the background, and the cafe was made up of mismatched tables and chairs, with a couple of couches toward the back. Not to mention that the art was very modern.
"Hello, welcome to 'The Dragon's Egg', what would you like to order today?" a voice said, coming from next to him where the front counter was.
Arthur swung quickly to his left, only to be met by a young male barista, with vibrant blue eyes, endearingly large ears, and cheekbones to die for. He watched Arthur hopefully, waiting for an answer.
"I...uh...I...flat white? Please?" Arthur managed to get out.
The cute barista flashed him a toothy grin, which melted Arthur's (very manly) heart. "Small or large?"
"Large."
He wrote down the order and punched a couple of buttons to enter it into the till. "Is that everything today?"
"Yes...wait! Uh...I'm lactose intolerant-"
"We do soy, almond, or zymil milk," the cute barista told him, clearly realising that Arthur was struggling to get his words out coherently.
"Zymil, please," Arthur mumbled, slightly mortified at his lack of normal speech.
"It's an extra 50c, so that'll be $4.50. Have here or take-away?"
This is it. This is his chance to end the embarrassment and leave, if Arthur wanted to. But this place is so inviting, with its couches, heavenly smell, and fire roaring in the corner of the shop. (And he was here to write, of course).
"Have here," Arthur sighs, pays the man, and tries to force a smile onto his face. He probably looks deranged. No, he definitely looks deranged, if the expression that has formed on the cute barista's face was anything to go by.
"Here's your change, feel free to take a seat anywhere, and the coffee won't be long," says the cute barista, chuckling slightly at Arthur's now dazed expression.
Forcing his legs to move away from the counter, Arthur sits in one of the extremely comfy couches, and set up his laptop.
A minute later, a young woman with curly brown hair, sweet brown eyes and gorgeous dark skin brought him his coffee. Whilst he was slightly disappointed that cute barista didn't bring it, he had to admit that the two workers were both beautiful in their looks.
"Enjoy your coffee, sir," she smiles.
"Thank you..."
"Gwen," she supplements for him. "I'm Gwen."
He flashes her his most charming smile. "I'm Arthur."
She gives him one last shy grin before walking back to the counter.
Arthur picks up his coffee and takes a sip, moaning at how good it is, and then he gets to work. There was no doubt that he was well on his way to getting out of his writing slump, with words finally starting to come out of his head and onto the page.
---
Two days later, Arthur decides to venture to 'The Dragon's Egg' again. This time, it was a bit busier. There's a small queue, and all the couches are taken (much to Arthur's disappointment).
"Sorry about the wait...ah, it's you again! I see we've gotten you to come back a second time," cute barista rhapsodises.
Arthur blinks, surprised. He feels a slight blush rising on his cheeks. "Wait. You remember me?"
Cute barista nods. "I remember all my regular customers. Will it be a flat white again today? Or would you like to have a cappuccino?"
"Hold on a sec," Arthur starts, "I'm hardly regular, this is only my second time here!"
"Perhaps, but believe me, I know when someone's going to become a regular. I can already see it," he smirks, giving Arthur a very cheeky grin.
Normally at such cheek, Arthur would be miffed. But there was something about this guy...
"So, what can I get you?" cute barista asks him, after about 10 seconds of Arthur just staring at him with his mouth slightly open. Snapping out of his reverie and pulling himself together, he ordered another flat white (with Zymil), and takes a seat at one of the small tables for two.
Three hours and two zymil flat white's later, Arthur has made a bit of progress on his planning and working his way through some of the earlier scenes in his book. However, it was about to be interrupted.
"So, what is it that you've been working on?" Cute barista asks as he takes the seat across from Arthur.
Arthur glances up for a moment. "A book. I'm a writer."
Cute barista hums, leaning back in his chair.
Arthur glances up again. "Shouldn't you be working?"
Cute barista shrugs. "Nah, it's gone quiet and Gwen's able to cover. Thought it was about time I got to know my latest regular."
"Not a regular," Arthur grinds out, teeth clenched together.
"Not yet, anyway," he smirks. "I'm Merlin, by the way."
"Arthur."
"So, Arthur, what exactly is it that you're writing?" Merlin asks again, tapping his fingers against the table.
Arthur shuts his laptop, accepting defeat. Now that Merlin has come over and seems intent on questioning him, there was no chance of him getting any more work done.
"I told you before, I'm writing a book," Arthur frowns.
"Yes, but what's it about?" Merlin chuckles at Arthur's defensive response.
Arthur eyes him carefully. "Why should I tell you?"
Merlin just puts up his arms in defence. "Only if you want to, of course. I wouldn't want to offend his majesty," he retorts.
At this, Arthur lets out a low growl of annoyance. Yet, Merlin isn't deterred. Sitting up straight, he stares Arthur down.
"How about you tell me why you're here then?" Merlin questions him.
Arthur sighs. "I have-or had, I don't know-writer's block. I googled a bunch of suggestions, and one was to change up the environment I write in. So my sister recommended-"
"Wait, who's your sister?" Merlin cuts in, stopping Arthur mid-sentence.
"Morgana Pendragon. Technically she's my half sister, but-"
"Oh! Morgana!" Merlin loudly exclaims, making Arthur jump. "Hey, Gwen! This is Morgana's brother, Arthur."
"Half-brother," Arthur protests weakly.
Gwen pokes her head out from behind the counter. "Morgana has a brother?"
"Half-half...oh, never mind," Arthur mumbles.
Gwen approaches the table. "Oh, I remember you, Arthur! I served you the day before yesterday. You're so lucky to have Morgana as a sister. She's such a dear, isn't she?" Gwen gushes, a dreamy look appearing on her face.
"More like a harpy," Arthur mutters, earning him a kick to his shin from Merlin.
"Ow! What the hell was that for? Do you normally abuse your customers like this?" he scowls.
Merlin tuts as he stands up. "Only those that insult one of our most loyal customers," he informs Arthur.
"And here I thought I was the regular," Arthur replies.
Merlin walks towards the counter with a smug expression on his face. "Guess I was right, wasn't I? My instincts about who become regulars here are never wrong," he boasts to Arthur with a large smile on his face, only to then trip over a chair leg and fall on the ground. Arthur can't help but chuckle as Merlin, sitting up, looks simultaneously mortified and annoyed.
Arthur gets up from his chair and walks over to where Merlin is still on the ground. He offers him a hand, and (very reluctantly) Merlin takes it, helping him to his feet.
"Thank you," Merlin whispers.
"You're welcome."
Up close, Merlin somehow manages to be even more gorgeous, bordering ethereal. His eyes...God, you could get lost in those eyes. His hair is dark, soft and thick, and Arthur has to restrain running his hand through it. And his lips, oh, they are gorgeous and plump and all Arthur wants to do is-
"Arthur?"
"Yeah?"
"You're still holding my hand."
Arthur looks down. Oh. So he was. Quickly, he let go. He walks quickly over to his table, gathering his things and without so much as a quick goodbye, he hastily exits.
"Oh, bugger, fuck," he swears. That's the second time he's made himself look like a complete and utter fool in front of Merlin. Now there's no chance he'll be able to go back, not without reliving the mortification. No. It looks like he'll have to stay away.
---
Arthur's plans to stay away from 'The Dragon's Egg' came crashing down that Friday, when Morgana invited him out for coffee and a chat. Without thinking of the possible consequences (which he really should have, given that this is Morgana, the witch), he went, only to discover that Morgana's cafe of choice was the last place he wanted to go.
"Oh, no. No, no no. We're not going in there," Arthur states as Morgana walks down the grubby alley.
"And why not?"
"Uh..." Fuck. Now Arthur has to think on his feet. He's a writer. He thinks carefully about what to write, plans and then edits, he doesn't do ad lib for fuck's sake! "The coffee was shit."
Morgana raises an eyebrow. "You must've gone to the wrong cafe, then. The coffee here is the best in this part of the city."
"No, I-" Morgana raises her other eyebrow, and with Arthur's lack of words, she smirks, claiming her victory. "This way, brother dearest."
Grumbling profanities about 'that witch' and 'harpy', Arthur has no choice but to accept defeat and follow his sister.
When Merlin sees the Pendragon siblings coming down the stairs together, he positively beams. "Hello, hello, lovely to see two of our regulars back again! What'll it be, a chai latte for you Morgana, and the typical zymil flat white for Arthur?"
Morgana slowly turns her head to face Arthur, her eyebrows raised, and a quizzical and surprised look on her face. "Regular? My, my, dear brother, it seems we have some catching up to do."
Arthur looks down at his feet, feeling a blush grow on his face as both Morgana and Merlin's attention stay on him.
Morgana eventually turns back to Merlin. "We'll both have our regular orders, thank you, Merlin. Is Gwen around?"
Merlin nods. "Yes, she's just in the backroom at the moment, but she'll be the one to serve you."
Morgana smiles, pays, and walks over to where one of the couches are free. Arthur reluctantly follows and sits next to her. She turns to Arthur, her expression full of disbelief. "Regular? I can't believe it! And why on Earth didn't you want to come in here if that was the case! Explain, now," she almost threatens him.
"I've only been here twice before, and I spoke to both Merlin and Gwen the second time, that's all," Arthur grudgingly confesses.
"That's all, my arse," Morgana smirks. "There's something more, I know it."
"There's nothing else, I swear," Arthur replies defensively, but his eye line betrays him. It changes from Morgana's smug face, to watching Merlin in the distance at the counter, making what was most likely their drinks. Unfortunately, Morgana notices.
"Ha! I knew it! There is something more," she crows, grabbing his wrist.
Arthur scowls at her. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh, but I do. You're in love with a certain barista," she giggles, lowering her voice so only Arthur can hear her.
Arthur pulls his arm out of her grip. "I am not, don't be ridiculous."
She lifts her chin, staring defiantly at him. "Fine. Deny it all you like, dear brother, but believe me when I say that that look gave you away. You can't keep any secrets from me."
"No, I can't, because you're a bloody harpy," he retorts.
She snorts, just as Gwen walks over with their coffees. "One flat white and chai latte. Lovely to see you again, Arthur," Gwen says sweetly. "And you as well, Morgana. Of course. Don't think that I forgot you, because I didn't! You're one of our best, loyal customers here," she rambles.
"Just one of them?" Morgana teases, but this has the opposite effect than she had intended, sending Gwen into a flustering mess.
"Oh, no, that's not what I meant! You are definitely our most wonderful regular, Morgana. At least, I think that. Not that Merlin doesn't think that, I'm sure he does! Oh dear," she panics.
"Thank you, Gwen, you're so sweet," Morgana smiles, and gently touches her elbow. Gwen goes bright red, and scuttles off very quickly. Morgana leans back into the couch, gazing dreamily at Gwen and letting out a soft sigh.
"It would appear that I'm not the only Pendragon that isn't immune to the charms of the cafe staff," Arthur smirks, whilst Morgana glares at him.
"Whatever you say. Now, how is your writer's block going?" Morgana bristles, moving on quickly.
"Hey, that's not fair, if you're going to inquire after my life, I should be allowed to do the same with you!" Arthur complains. However, his defiant sister doesn't budge, so he gives in rather quickly. "I've been doing some free writing, another one of the writer's block suggestions. It's been going rather well, actually. One of my ideas is actually rather decent, and I think I'm going to develop it now, rather than continue trying to write the story that got me stuck in my slump in the first place."
She gives him a gentle nudge. "That's really good to hear, Arthur."
"Yes, it is."
Arthur looks up to see Merlin hovering over them.
"I have a little bit of time, so I thought I'd quickly come and catch up with you both. Oh, and Morgana, Gwen wanted to apologise for her ramblings and potential insults?" Merlin told them.
A fond smile appeared on Morgana's face at the mention of Gwen. "Oh, the dear doesn't need to apologise. It was sweet. And endearing."
Merlin sits in the armchair, next to where Arthur sits at the couch. "So tell us about this idea."
Morgana nods fervently in agreement.
"Umm, okay," Arthur says, shyly. "So, uh, it doesn't have much of a story base yet, but it's set in the middle ages, and it's about the King of this great kingdom, and his Warlock, who's his main advisor. And they go on all these adventures together, trying to keep the land and their people safe, in order to unite these five kingdoms under one rule. And uh...yeah, that's about it so far."
Morgana gives an encouraging nod and smile, but when Arthur looks to Merlin, he sees an expression of...awe, and amazement on his face, as he gazes at Arthur. He feels a blush rising on his cheeks, for whilst many have been inspiring and encouraging, none have ever stared at him as though one of his silly ideas had also hung the stars and the moon.
"I love it! I'm a huge fantasy fan, Arthur, you wouldn't believe it, and even bigger for all that traditional, medieval rot."
"It's only a small idea, still has a long way to go before it becomes anything," Arthur mumbles.
"Believe me, it's already something," Merlin breathes, and Arthur found his gaze fixating on those gorgeous, bright blue eyes...
"Anyway, I should go back and help Gwen before our next big trade comes through. But I'm looking forward to hearing more about this idea of yours, Arthur." With that, Merlin flashes one of his toothy yet completely charming grins, and Arthur knows he is smitten.
"If you're going to deny your feelings, you could at least do a better job of hiding it. Goofy grins are a huge giveaway, and that's only the tip of the ice burg," Morgana notes, prompting Arthur to hit her with one of the couch's cushions.
---
Before Arthur knew it, he was going to 'The Dragon's Egg' every single day, spending no less than an hour there. On Mondays and Wednesdays he would free-write for a short period of time, sometimes stopping to talk to Merlin about a new idea, or an awful customer. On Tuesdays and Thursdays he would be there for the full day, working on developing his project. Friday's had now become the day when he and Morgana would go along together to catch up, however in recent times its become less enjoyable for Arthur, seeing as Morgana spends most of her time making eyes at Gwen, who makes eyes right back. When this happens, he complains about it to Merlin who is purely amused at the situation (until he realises Gwen isn't doing any actual work, and then he gets miffed).
One of the suggestions to get over writer's block involved settling into a consistent routine, and this was exactly what he was doing by coming here so frequently, regardless of Morgana harping on at him about 'his undying love for a barista apart from the fact that you're too emotionally constipated to do anything about it' as the real reason for his frequent visits. (Whilst he would never admit it to Morgana, and because the main reason was the writing, being around and talking to Merlin was a definite plus).
---
One Tuesday, Arthur is ready to tear his hair out. Nothing he has tried to write in terms of his planning about the King and his Warlock seems to be working, like it's missing something.
"Glaring at your laptop for hours on end won't make the words come out of your head and onto the page, nor will it set it on fire," Merlin teases him.
Arthur looks up. "Shut up, Merlin," he grumbles, though he's secretly pleased for the interruption.
"So, what's the problem?" Merlin asks, as he takes a seat.
"Today's one of my planning days, but nothing I'm coming up with seems to be working," he huffs.
"Is there anything on that writer's block cure list that you reckon could help?" Merlin tries.
Arthur shrugs. "I'll give it a look. I suppose I could go for a walk this afternoon-"
"It's going to rain," Merlin informs him.
Oh, thank the Gods for Merlin, Arthur thinks. Saving him from another walk in the bloody rain.
"Ok, so ruling that out...I could read another book, or-"
"Wait, wait, is there anything on the list that you haven't done?" Merlin interrupts.
Arthur nods. "There's a few. Four or five, I think. Why, do you think I should try them?"
"Yeah, why not? Might help, if some of the previous ones did."
"Sounds like a plan," Arthur agrees. "So, my options are listening to music, something classical or jazzy, spending time with someone who makes you feel good, call an old friend, bullet point ideas, and quotes of inspiration," he lists.
Merlin looks thoughtful. "Listening to music could be good, same with the quotes, and calling an old friend. If you have a significant other maybe you could spend more time with them too, and bullet points might be better to save for when you're feeling more inspired with ideas," he suggests.
"Yes, yes, that sounds good. Only thing is, I wouldn't know what classical or jazz music to listen to, or inspiring quotes. I don't have a significant other, you're definitely right about the bullet points. So I guess that leaves calling an old friend? I suppose I could call Morgana..." Arthur rambles his train of thought.
"Sounds good," Merlin replies, sounding slightly distant. "So, uh...what's stumping you?"
"These character's-they're good, but they're almost too good. It's like they're more at the middle or end of their story rather than at the beginning, you know?" Arthur rants, waving his hands around. "Yes, they're saving the Kingdom, and there's a clear goal in mind with the unification of all the lands, but in terms of the King and the Warlock, it's like they've reached the end of the line in terms of character development. So I'm frustrated."
Merlin hums. "So I guess the answer would be to go to back before the character's were well rounded? When they had flaws, and made terrible mistakes and the consequences that resulted from it."
Arthur looks at Merlin, nodding slowly. "Yeah, yeah, I think you're right. I guess it's just a matter of finding that point."
"Based on the fact that these characters are both powerful men, you'll be wanting to go back to before that," Merlin tells him.
"Of course..." Arthur zones out for a second, the cogs turning in his head, before snapping into an expression of delight as he figures out what to do. "Wait-what if, they start out as boys? Or, well, maybe more like teenagers, even in their early twenties. Instead of powerful King and great Warlock, it's Crown Prince and Apprentice Sorcerer!"
Merlin grins. "That sounds great, Arthur! Now to actually write about it," he teases, standing up and patting Arthur on the shoulder as he walks away. Arthur scowls in his wake.
---
The next day is a Wednesday, which means free writing. However, there is something slightly off this morning, he notices, as he walks into the cafe. He observes his surroundings. None of the art has been changed, the place smells the same, both Merlin and Gwen are here (and Merlin is looking mighty fine, Arthur notes, so that's definitely not it). He orders his usual and takes a seat at his favourite couch.
Unusually, Merlin brings Arthur his flat white instead of Gwen. He decides to take the opportunity to ask Merlin if he knows what the change is, because he is going to get to the bottom of this, no matter what!
"Enjoy your zymil flat white, Arthur," Merlin shyly smiles.
"Thanks Merlin, but...I have to ask. Have you changed something in the shop today? Just something doesn't seem quite right," Arthur asks, narrowing his eyes slightly when Merlin blushes and a sheepish expression appears on his face.
"Er, well...yesterday you were talking about some of the other ways to help overcome writer's block, and one of them was listening to classical or jazz, so uh...I found an old jazz CD at my flat and brought it into work today. Thought it might help you with your writing," he explains, scratching the back of his head.
"You sacrificed that hipster, indie, alternative crap that you always listen to and seem to love, to put on some jazz music because it might help me write?" Arthur is dumbfounded.
"I-um...yes?" Merlin blushes.
Arthur smiles, and a real, genuine, fond smile, not the usual smirks he often throws Merlin's way. "Thank you, Merlin, that's very kind."
"You're welcome. Enjoy your, ah, coffee," he mumbles, and scuttles back to the counter.
When Arthur leaves that day, he finds that that had been his most productive free writing session yet. And he was secretly charmed by the fact that Merlin would play jazz music in his cafe, just for him (although Arthur would deny feeling such until he was six feet under).
---
"How does the story go?" Merlin asks, the next day. Arthur has been in the zone all day, writing furiously as words actually came out of his head and onto the page. It's close to closing, Arthur knows, but he's just too excited that he doesn't think he can stop.
"It's going great! Things are starting to come together. The whole idea of starting the characters' journeys from when they were younger is bloody brilliant, and that's thanks to you, Merlin," Arthur proclaims.
Merlin ducks his head in embarrassment. "Ah, I hardly did anything. You're the writer after all, you came up with the idea."
"I wouldn't have come up with it if it weren't for you," Arthur beams.
Merlin takes a seat. "So, what's the latest?"
Arthur clears his throat, ready to launch into great detail. "The young sorcerer has come to the Kingdom in order to greater learn about his powers, and thus he is in the care of the Court Sorcerer. Anyway, so him and the Prince meet, it doesn't go down too well because they fight and the sorcerer nearly loses his head. But anyway, at the same time there's this lady, a witch, who's come into the Citadel, disguised as a famous singer. She's out to kill the Prince because the King, the Prince's father, killed her son for treason. The sorcerer finds out, and working together with the Prince, they manage to stop the woman and save the day!"
Merlin chuckles. "It sounds really good Arthur, filled with lots of twists and turns."
This makes Arthur frown. "Yes, but...I think it's missing something, in terms of conflict. Like there needs to be something else to make the stakes higher."
"Yeah, maybe. What if...it wasn't just related to this, but to the whole story overall? Perhaps these two character's are at odds, or something, that to reach the King and Warlock status they need to get past."
"Hmm, yeah, yeah, I think you're on to something. Maybe..." Arthur pauses, fingers flying across his keyboard as he writes down a few ideas. "What if magic was banned?" Arthur poses.
Merlin looks taken aback. "Magic banned? But then how does the Sorcerer rise to power?"
Arthur grins cheekily. "Exactly! It's conflict. So maybe the Prince can't know that the Sorcerer is, well, a sorcerer, so that raises the stakes even more. If he's caught, he dies. So he just has to make sure he isn't caught."
"And this creates conflict between both the Prince and the Sorcerer because he has to lie in order to keep himself alive. Oooh, the plot thickens!" Merlin finishes.
Arthur nods enthusiastically. "Time to write it down, I guess."
By accident, the two young men end up staying well past closing time, stuck on throwing around ideas and discussing Arthur's story. And as Arthur watches Merlin light up with enthusiasm about the idea of having a dragon in the story as well, he can't help but fall in love. Just, a tiny little bit, head over heels in love with Merlin.
(He's fucked. Still in denial. But fucked).
---
Another Friday, another weekly coffee with Morgana. (Arthur doesn't know why he agreed to this, it was far worse than the monthly dinners!). However, both of them are greeted with a surprise.
Decorating the walls are lots of different, inspiring quotes. Some famous, some unknown, but all very, very endearing. Arthur couldn't help the grin that rose on his face. He knew that one of the other things he had mentioned in the fight to overcome writer's block were inspiring quotes. The fact that Merlin did all of this for him makes his heart leap.
He starts to read some of them. "'You haven't lost your smile at all, it's right under your nose. You just forgot it was there.' Unknown." Arthur rolls his eyes. Of course Merlin would pick a quote like that.
"Do you like it?" a familiar voice asks from behind him. Arthur spins to see Merlin looking slightly nervous. He fidgets, moving from one foot to the other and wringing his hands together.
"Of course I do. This is...amazing. It must have taken you so much time, writing them all up, printing them out, and then sticking them up everywhere. And you were with me during most of yesterday evening! I'm very impressed," Arthur gushes.
Merlin beams. "I'm glad. Take a seat, appreciate the surroundings, and I'll bring you and Morgana your regular orders. On the house."
He leaves to get their drinks ready. Arthur's gaze lingers after him, desiring him more in this moment than he had done ever before. Shaking himself out of it before Merlin, or worse, Morgana notices, he walks away and chooses a seat. Good God, when had Arthur turned into a lovestruck girl?
He collapses with a sigh onto the couch, and continues to read the quotes that are plastered all over the walls near him.
'The richest man is not he who has the most, but he who needs the least.' 'If they can make penicillin out of mouldy bread, they can sure make something out of you.' 'A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself.'
Morgana finally joins him (she was off doing goodness knows what with Gwen), and shortly after, Gwen brings their coffee.
"Thanks, Gwen," Morgana sighs, and Gwen blushes, gently leaning down to kiss her on the cheek, making her blush rather brightly. Arthur hides a smirk behind a sip of his coffee (but not very well, because Morgana glares daggers in his direction).
On the saucer of Arthur's coffee cup lies a small piece of paper, wrapped around a chocolate coated coffee bean. Arthur pops the coffee bean in his mouth, and then unfolds the piece of paper. On it was a few quotes, however, they were hand written (presumably in Merlin's hand). It said;
'We are shaped and fashioned by those we love.' -Geothe
'I'm much more me when I'm with you.' -Unknown
'I swear I couldn't love you more than I do right now, and yet I know I will tomorrow.' -Leo Christopher
Arthur huffs, then laughs. Oh, Merlin.
---
A little later, Merlin comes over and joins Arthur and Morgana who are deep in conversation.
"...but this absolute bitch decides that she-oh, Merlin! Come join us," Morgana cuts herself off and beckons him over. He takes a seat next to Arthur, looking hopeful in his direction.
"Did you like the quotes?" Merlin asks, sounding a little worried.
"Of course I did! And, I love the idea you've given me," Arthur grins.
Merlin looks confused. "Sorry? What...what idea?"
"That the story between the King and the Warlock is actually a love story! It makes so much sense when you think about it. There's so much affection between them, even though it's a lot of subtext. For example, when the young Sorcerer drinks the poison in order to save the Prince, and then the Prince-"
"That does make a lot of sense, Arthur. If you'll excuse me, I think Gwen needs my help," Merlin cuts Arthur off and hastily leaves them be.
Arthur is disappointed. He adores Merlin's company, and the way he was just acting was strange. Normally he loves to listen to Arthur talk about his latest ideas. "Do you think he didn't like my idea? Is that why he left so quickly?"
Morgana frowns. "What did it say on the piece of paper, Arthur?"
Without hesitation, he hands her the paper. She reads it, her expression changing, yet constantly unreadable. A thoughtful look appears on her face, but she quickly snaps out of it, and rises from her seat. "Excuse me, Arthur, I think you're a bit of an idiot but I need to get confirmation first." With that, she leaves him, befuddled about what the hell was going on.
When Morgana doesn't seem like she's coming back from talking to Gwen anytime soon, and Merlin continues to be occupied without so much as a glance toward Arthur, he decides to leave.
"Bye, Merlin," he tries, but Merlin just ignores him. With a hollow feeling in his chest, he leaves the cafe.
---
That evening, Morgana calls him.
"Ah, I'd forgotten to make my call to an old friend in order to help me overcome my writer's block," he greets her in reply. "This is very good timing."
"More like an old enemy," he hears Morgana quietly grumble, before properly speaking. "I just wanted to let you know that I got that confirmation on you being an idiot."
Arthur grunts. "I don't know what you're talking about, you bloody harpy," he grumbles.
"Do you still have the piece of paper Merlin gave you at the cafe this morning?" she questions him.
"Er, yeah, I do," he mumbles. Even though he was a bit upset about being given the cold shoulder by Merlin, he didn't have the heart not to keep the note.
"Good. Now, I want you to read it. However, ignore the fact that it's a bunch of quotes. Instead, pretend it's a short note from Merlin to you," she instructs.
"Why?"
"So you can see why you're an idiot, that's why," she replies smoothly, making Arthur scowl.
"Fine, whatever, I'll do it as long as you shut up about me being an idiot," he snaps.
He takes the note out of his pocket, and starts to read it aloud. "We are shaped and fashioned by those we love. I'm much more me when I'm...with you. I swear I couldn't....love you more than I do right now, and...yet I know I will tomorrow," he stumbles, the pieces finally clicking into place. "Oh, God, I really was an idiot!"
"Hmm, yeah, no shit Sherlock," Morgana retorts, and he can practically hear her rolling her eyes.
"Merlin was..." he trails off.
"Trying to confess his feelings to you, yes. But you were decidedly a thick and oblivious idiot who is so deep in denial you can't even see the signs without it being pointed out to you!" she shrieks at him.
"Alright, alright, I get it," Arthur complains. "So what do I do? No wonder he was ignoring me..."
"You've got to do something romantic in return. Something to equal the quotes, and the classical music," Morgana tells him.
"Hey, how do you know about the music!?"
"I have my sources." Gwen. Of course. "Tomorrow afternoon, just before closing time, you will go to 'The Dragon's Egg', and you will do whatever the hell it takes to get him back. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am," he says sarcastically.
"Good. Now, what are you going to do about it? Considering you're quite the idiot, I'd suggest you run it past me first," she points out, and Arthur knows he has to agree.
"Well, I do have this one idea..."
---
The next day, at 2:55pm, Arthur rocks up to 'The Dragon's Egg'. As he stands outside, getting together the nerve to face Merlin, Gwen just so happens to walk out. It seems she is done for the day, and Merlin has let her out a little earlier.
"Arthur! What are you doing here?" she exclaims.
"I'm, er, here to see Merlin, actually," he explains, looking down ashamedly.
"Oh, I see. He's just closing up."
Arthur nods, and heads for the doorway.
"Good luck," Gwen calls out as she walks away, and he goes inside.
When he is at the bottom of the stairs, he sees Merlin at the other side of the cafe, slowly taking the quotes down. Sad classical music plays in the background, and if it weren't for the fact that Arthur was stupidly in love with the man, it would seem more than a little tragic.
"Gwen, I thought I told you to go home-" Merlin turns around, and his eyes widen at the sight of Arthur. He must've heard him coming down the stairs.
"We're closed. Go home," he says coldly, and turns back to continue taking down the quotes.
"Merlin-"
He whirls back around. "I don't understand. Why are you here?"
Arthur can see the anger, frustration and sadness in his eyes, and his heart begins to hurt. "I need your help."
"With what?"
"Overcoming my writer's block?"
Merlin scoffs at that. "I thought I'd already done my bit to help," he scowls, and turns away from Arthur.
Arthur bites his lip. This was going to be harder than he thought. Thankfully, he did have something that he was positive would work.
"You see, I'm doing the whole brainstorming ideas in bullet points. And I figured you would be the expert in brainstorming bullet points on why I, Arthur, am an idiot."
Merlin stops what he is doing. Slowly, he turns back to face Arthur, and takes a couple of steps forward. "Believe me, I have a fair few points on that subject," he grumbles, and Arthur does his best to hide a smile. He was starting to break through.
Arthur sits down at one of the tables and opens his laptop. "If you'd care to enlighten me?"
Merlin paces around the back of the cafe as he thinks. "Arthur is an idiot because...he goes for walks in the rain because he didn't check the weather."
"That was one time!" Arthur protests.
"Arthur is also an idiot because he insults our favourite regular, Morgana," he adds.
"Yeah, well, she deserves it if you ask me," Arthur grumbles.
"Arthur is an idiot because he gets writer's block," Merlin grins cheekily, before collecting himself, seeing as he's supposed to be mad at Arthur.
"Ouch. Touche."
"Hmmm...I'm sure there's plenty more," Merlin ponders, and Arthur takes this as his opportunity to cut in.
"I also have a point to add to the list. Arthur is an idiot because he was stupidly oblivious to a wonderful person's tokens of their affections toward him," he adds carefully into the conversation. Merlin freezes at that, looking at Arthur with something more akin to...fondness. But Arthur wasn't done yet.
"Well, we can always come back to that list. There's another set of points I want to brainstorm."
"And what's that?" Merlin asks quietly.
"Why Arthur the idiot is completely in love with Merlin," Arthur replies, feeling very shy.
Blushing, Merlin walks over to where Arthur is and sits across from him. "Are you going to tell me what's on that list?"
Arthur nods, and begins typing. "Arthur the idiot is completely in love with Merlin because he makes amazing coffee, especially zymil flat whites," he starts.
"I knew you were only in it for the coffee," Merlin teases.
"Arthur the idiot is completely in love with Merlin because of his brilliant blue eyes and adorable smile," he continues, making Merlin bite his lip and blush like mad.
"Hmmm, continue," Merlin smiles, with a hint of redness still on his cheeks and the tips of his ears.
"Arthur the idiot is completely in love with Merlin because he puts up with Arthur, rambling on about all his crazy stories," he adds.
"This is true," Merlin smirks, earning him a gentle kick from Arthur under the table.
"Arthur the idiot is completely in love with Merlin because he is a kind, sweet, funny, cheeky, and all around good person, and Arthur can't help but fall for him," Arthur finishes quietly. This time, Merlin has nothing to say.
"There's another thing on the writer's block list which I still haven't done yet, and I also thought you could help me with this, too."
"Oh really?" Merlin raises his eyebrows.
"Mmhmm. It-it tells me that I should spend time with-with someone who makes me feel good, and, uh, well, you...you make me feel. Good," Arthur stammers.
Merlin lights up at that. "Arthur Pendragon, are you asking me out on a date?"
"M-maybe? Depends on your answer," Arthur looks down, going bright red. Bloody hell, he really is a lovestruck girl!
He grins. "Of course I'll go out with you. Nobody else is as saintly as I to put up with your sorry arse," he smirks, making Arthur go from shock, to happiness, to slight annoyance.
"Oi! I'll have you know-" Arthur begins, but is cut off by Merlin pressing his lips against his in a soft, sweet, yet chaste kiss.
"...that you're an idiot? Yes, I know, but you're an endearing one at that," Merlin replies cheekily after pulling away. Arthur rolls his eyes, but deep down, he loves it. The cheek, the banter, and most of all, Merlin himself.
END