Title: More than casual
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/s: Merlin/Arthur
Character/s: Merlin, Arthur, Gwen
Summary: Arthur likes Merlin, and Merlin is playing hard to get.
Warnings: NONE
Word Count: 560
Prompt: Commitment for
camelot_drabbleAuthor's Notes: Written last minute to meet the deadline, pardon the errors. I tried really hard to make sure there weren't any.
He drove Arthur wild with jealousy and allure.
They’d met at a party and to say that Arthur wasn’t intrigued by Merlin the instant they had met was a lie. But Merlin also knew of Arthur’s reputation and wasn’t interested in playing the game.
“Come home with me tonight,” Arthur had whispered as he was about to head for the door.
“Some other time,” Merlin had answered with his signature smile.
The song and dance continued and Arthur couldn’t figure out why Merlin was so difficult to attain. He even tried forgetting about him, but it wasn’t possible. It was like Merlin was just always there, in Arthur’s way. Merlin would rile Arthur up so much that he wouldn’t be able to flirt his way into someone else’s trousers—because he’d only be interested in Merlin.
“What do you want from me?” Arthur blurted out half-drunk at Gwen’s birthday party.
“Want from you?” Merlin asked, sounding and looking confused.
“I know you like me; you always talk to me and you respond to my advances.” Arthur had pushed Merlin against the wall in a dark corner and he knew that Merlin could have easily pushed Arthur back and walked away but he hadn’t.
“I don’t do casual…” Merlin said, looking Arthur straight into the eyes and gulped. He was nervous, Arthur could tell. “Now if you’ll excuse me my date—”
“Your date?” Arthur snorted, and Merlin looked at him angrily. “You could do a thousand times better than that bloke.”
“You think so?” Merlin asked; he still hadn’t moved from his spot, and Arthur’s hand was still on Merlin’s shoulder. Arthur nodded in response. “You think you are a thousand times better?” Arthur nodded again. “How so?” Merlin asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, for starters…I wouldn’t let some other bloke talk to you in a dark corner at a party—if you were my date.” Arthur leaned in and gently breathed into Merlin’s ear. “I wouldn’t let you out of my sight—”
“We haven’t made that sort of a commitment yet, so I’m sure there’s a reason he’s not being crazy possessive. Which I don’t appreciate, anyway,” Merlin retorted and gently pushed Arthur back. Arthur reckoned Merlin was getting ready to walk away.
“I could—”
“You could what?” Merlin brushed past Arthur and turned to look at him. Arthur knew he’d caught Merlin’s attention.
“I could make that sort of a commitment…” Arthur paused for a moment to read Merlin’s face. It was blank. “I could do more than casual…you just had to tell me.”
“I didn’t realise I was required to enlighten you. I’d heard you were smart.”
“Don’t believe everything you hear,” Arthur answered.
Merlin sighed. “Fine. Then tell me why or how you think you can do something more than casual with me?”
“Because it’s you,” Arthur answered.
“That’s it? That’s your answer?” Arthur nodded to Merlin’s question. “You don’t even know me!”
“And you don’t know me…”
Merlin turned his back towards Arthur and walked away, leaving Arthur confused in the corner of the room. He returned a few short moments later, and handed Arthur’s coat to him as he put on his jacket.
“Let’s go then,” Merlin said with a commanding voice.
“Go where?” Arthur asked, confused, yet continuing to put on his coat.
“Coffee. Let’s get to know each other, then?”
READ PART TWO: A CASUAL DATE
