tygermineTitle: Supportive Behaviour
Rating: G
Pairing/s: Arthur/Merlin
Character/s: Arthur, Uther, OC
Summary: Arthur needs help to ask Uther something very important
Warnings: none
Word Count: 489
Prompt: Therapy
Author's Notes: AHAHAHAHAHA. IDEK.
“So Arthur, why don’t you tell us why you asked your father to join us today?”
Mary Anne’s glasses had a cat-eye shape with diamantes in the corners and the green eyes behind them were bright.
“Yes, Arthur, why did you bring me here? I thought we were going for lunch.” Uther sat as far from Arthur as the couch would allow, but was turned towards him. Arthur was sure he spied an upturn to the corners of his mouth.
“Well, you see-” Arthur’s mouth went very dry and he grabbed the glass of water on the coffee table in front of him and emptied it. “The thing is… well… I just...I need to ask you something.”
Uther lifted an eyebrow. “And this couldn’t be done over a steak with a nice wine?”
“Maybe? I just. The thing is. I don’t know how you’re going to react and so…” He waved his hand between them and Mary Anne.
Uther’s other eyebrow joined the already raised one but remained quiet.
“Go on Arthur,” Mary Anne smiled. “We’ve discussed this and I’m sure it will be fine.”
“Right. You’re right. Okay. Right.” Arthur nodded. “The thing that I want to ask. The question is uh… sensitive? And I want you to know that I will be okay with whichever answer you give me, I just really need to understand something that’s been bothering me my entire life. But I don’t want you to be offended by it. Okay?”
“Arthur, please get to the question.” Uther checked his watch with a flick of his wrist. “If this is about my being ‘okay’ with you dating Merlin,” Arthur could hear the inverted commas. “Then this is all a waste of time as I have no problem with it. In fact, I think you’ve never been happier and that is all I want. Well, that and for you to not drive the family business into the ground, but that very expensive MBA you earned at Harvard will ensure that.”
Arthur turned to Mary Anne, his eyes wide with panic as if to say ‘you see what I mean?’
“That’s not my question but it does raise a lot of others. Don’t you have faith in me?”
“Of course I do,” Uther huffed. “You earned that MBA through hard work and I hope to see you apply the same amount of effort to our business.”
“Are you saying I’ve been slacking off?”
“Hardly. In fact, I’m surprised I haven’t received an irate call from Merlin about all the hours you’ve been spending at the office.”
“That’s because he spends as much time at his office as I do.”
“Arthur,” Mary Anne interrupted. “Why don’t you just ask the question you want to ask and then we can unpack all the other things that came out.”
“Yes. Right. Okay.” Arthur blew out a hard breath. “Right, so, father… why on earth do you support Arsenal?”