Archive of Our Own

        A PAINFUL SIGH escaped Merlin’s lips as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers, which were sore from repeatedly drumming them on his desk out of a lack of patience. That was something he’d lost twenty minutes ago when this woman first walked into his office.

His office, if you could even call it that, was quite small, only allowing enough room to safely move around. Except for that one time that Merlin tripped over a lump in the carpet, hit his hip on the edge of his desk, and landed on an unusually damp spot on the floor where a potted plant came falling down from the desk right on top of his head. It explained the lack of plants in his office, which would have been too dark to keep anything alive anyway. He’d tried putting a few lamps in the room to help, but the lack of windows was the real culprit.

Merlin did his best to make the office appear better than it seemed, or at least mildly presentable to clients. He bought some fake plants, incapable of concussing him, and placed them on a table next to the mini coffee bar. He’d also framed one of his certificates and hung it up on the wall beside his desk. The real problem was that most of his clients were leaving before they even set foot inside. His room, which was actually an old utility closet, was located in the basement at the very end of an extremely long hall. The only way to get to said basement was via an old elevator that could be found in a very discreet area of the office building. Clients found it a bit suspicious by the time they reached the long hallway, and typically turned the other way, heading right back where they came from.

Merlin hadn’t had a case in what felt like weeks. So when an older, brown-haired woman with red, cat-eye glasses and a presence that made Merlin oh-so anxious came waltzing into his office, he really couldn’t say no.

“So let me get this straight… You’re asking me to investigate your daughter’s husband without her knowledge? Does she even suspect him of having an affair?” Merlin made an attempt to sound as kind as possible, but it was obvious he was irritated.

It wasn’t really his place to judge any of his clients. But if Merlin’s mother hired a private investigator to stalk his girlfriend-- not that he had one, he would definitely not be happy about it. Sure, Merlin had taken cases in the past where someone had hired him to investigate their spouse. But that was the difference! No one had ever asked him to investigate their son-in-law before. And if this woman was as dumb as she was grumpy, then he probably didn’t have anything to investigate!

The woman, Mrs Meyers as she’d told him, pursed her red-lipsticked lips together. “Well, she hasn’t explicitly told me she wanted me to hire you, but--”

“Oh, lord.”

“--but, it’s a mother’s duty to look out for her child. Wouldn’t you do the same?”

Merlin pinned his judging eyes on her, staring at her, blankly. “No.”

“Hm. Well, you’re not very chipper, are you?” Mrs Myers sighed as she crossed one of her legs over the other from the chair she was sitting on.

“If you add an extra £50, I’ll smile and pretend to like this case,” Merlin suggested, giving her his best convincing smile, which caused her to roll her eyes.

“Just get on with it. And if you get caught, I don’t want my name coming out of your mouth. Is that understood?” With that said, Mrs Myers snatched a stack of Sticky Notes from Merlin’s desk and began writing something down-- an address he assumed.

“I don’t get caught. Never have, never will.”

Mrs Myers stopped scribbling and drew her eyes up to glare at Merlin. “Then why are you working out of a supply closet?” Mrs Myers placed her pen back in her purse, then slid the pile of sticky notes towards him. “This is Mithian and Arthur’s address. I trust you took note of everything else I already told you? Or do I need to write that down as well?”

It took everything in Merlin’s body to not tell her off right then and there. “I have everything written down on my laptop. I’ll begin the investigation first thing tomorrow. Have a good night, Mrs Myers.” Merlin stood up from his chair, implying that Mithian’s mother should also stand up and get the hell out of his office so he could work.

“Be quick about it, but don’t rush things. I don’t want you getting caught. If my daughter finds out I hired a PI to investigate her husband, she won’t ever trust me again.”

Merlin bit his tongue to keep himself from saying something he’d regret. Instead, he walked to the door of the office and held the door open for Mrs Myers, who shot him one last unconvincing look before stepping out into the hall.

·········

It was around ten in the morning when he finally noticed movement in the house.

Merlin was parked down the street from Arthur Pendragon and Mithian Myer’s home, but close enough to get a good view of the window next to the front door. They lived in a very beautiful two-story home, detached from the others on the street. A short hedge fence wrapped around the yard with a charming white gate joining both sides in the centre. One side of the yard had a luscious garden, full of colourful flowers, vegetables, and fruits. Merlin could tell that they must’ve been pretty well off to afford a house like this one. After all, Mrs Myers explained that Mithian was a cardiologist and Arthur some kind of manager for a big tech company.

Merlin took a sip of his coffee, now lukewarm from sitting around in the car, as he watched the front door slowly open. He was at too much of a distance to notice any detail, but he could tell from his build and the colour of his hair that the man walking out of the house was none other than Arthur Pendragon, the alleged cheater. Arthur closed and locked the door behind him, walking to the left where his car was parked in front of the garage.

“Where are you going?” Merlin mumbled to himself, setting his coffee into his cup holder and putting his car into drive so he’d be ready to tail.

As soon as Arthur backed out into the street and was far enough away, Merlin turned his car around, following the car down the road and copying his turns without any suspicion. About ten minutes later, Merlin recognised where they were. It was a park he’d gone to a couple times to meet his friends. The sun was shining bright, the birds singing. It was a perfect day, which meant that the park was filled with families and couples or individuals walking around, enjoying the weather.

Merlin turned into a car park, pulling into a stall on the opposite side of where Arthur was parked. He remained in his vehicle as Arthur stepped out of his vehicle. He didn’t want to draw any attention to himself. From where he was, Merlin could see most of the park anyway. He’d wait a few minutes before following him. If Arthur remained stationary, Merlin could sit on a bench, pretending to doodle in his notebook as he watched for anything suspicious.

The blond man walked into the park, his hair blowing in the gentle breeze. He only managed to get to the fountain in the centre of the park before he stopped, looking around. Merlin wondered who he could be looking for. Maybe Mrs Myers was right he was supposed to be meeting his lover. Unfortunately, Arthur found no luck searching for this mystery person so he took a seat on the edge of the fountain, eyes glued to his phone.

Grabbing his keys and notepad, which was small enough to fit in his pocket, Merlin stepped out of his vehicle and made his way into the park. He couldn’t stop the smile already forming on his lips. It was beautiful days like this where Merlin was glad he wasn’t stuck behind a desk doing paperwork. He continued across the park, stopping near a group of people where he wouldn’t be noticed. He found a bench and took a seat with the perfect view of Arthur. Now he could finally see him a little closer.

He was a handsome guy, much better looking in person than in any of his photographs. Merlin managed to find his Instagram, but he was still waiting for the request to be accepted. It’s not like he had dozens of photographs to study. So seeing him semi up close and personal was a much better way to investigate.

Besides his blond hair, Arthur had very beautiful blue eyes that just demanded to be looked at. He looked young in the photo that Mrs Myers had shown him. But it seemed Arthur had aged a bit more since it was taken. He was wearing athletic clothes and running shoes. Merlin knew there was a trail somewhere in the park that was popular with the runners. Underneath his clothes, Merlin could tell that he was built nicely-- tall, muscular with a good jaw. But something about him also looked soft. Merlin couldn’t quite put a finger on it, but he wouldn’t have guessed that he was having an affair… well, allegedly.

Merlin found himself writing down information about his physical appearance. It wasn’t highly important, but it was good to keep track of things that didn’t seem significant just in case. Arthur wasn’t really doing much. He was sorta just sitting there, fidgeting around. Merlin wondered if maybe he was meeting his lover for the first time in public. It would make sense why he was so nervous.

About ten minutes later, Merlin had distracted himself by sketching a little bird that had approached him. He was just finishing up the shading under its wing when he noticed Arthur’s head poking up. Merlin followed his gaze across the park to a woman who was waving. She was also wearing running clothes, he noted.

The woman had dark hair pulled into a ponytail with beautiful green eyes. Her jaw was sharp and her lips were stretched into a grin. “Arthur! Sorry it took so long. Leon forgot to pack the kids’ lunches for school before he went to work so I had to take a minor detour to drop them off. But I’m here now!” The woman explained as she approached Arthur.

Interesting…. Was she simply a friend or was she also cheating on this Leon guy with Arthur? Merlin turned the page in his notepad and jotted it all down in his notes.

“Oh, don’t worry about it. It’s a nice day out anyway,” Arthur smiled for the first time as he stood up from the ledge. Something about his smile seemed to brighten his day.

The woman looked up at the sky as if to agree, then she started stretching in place. “Don’t forget to stretch. We don’t want you straining your ankle like last time.”

Arthur rolled his eyes at this. “You sound like Mithian. Every time I go out for a run, she’s always nagging me to stretch.”

The woman gave him a look that Merlin couldn’t quite read. “Speaking of, when are you going to tell her?”

Merlin sat up in his seat, his ears perking up. It was rare that a discussion like this was brought up so quickly. He readied his pen on the paper.

“I will soon. I just need to find the right time. It’s not like it’s going to be easy to tell her, y’know?” Arthur sighed as he reached his hands above his head, stretching.

“Well, I don’t know how much longer I can do this. Mithian and I are best friends. I feel bad enough as it is that she’s being kept in the dark about this. Just promise me you’ll tell her soon, okay?” The woman held out her pinky, sending Arthur another glare.

The blond man scoffed at this, but extended his hand and shook her pinky with his.

Merlin noted that the mystery woman knew about Arthur’s alleged affair unless, of course, they were talking about something else. There were a couple theories Merlin had about this mystery woman. One interpretation being that this woman was the one Arthur was having an affair with. The other being that maybe this woman was just a friend that knew Arthur was cheating on his wife. But Merlin assumed it was the latter. The two of them had shown zero romantic interest in each other, and the woman seemed far too concerned for Mithian to have a part of it.

“You ready, Arthur? Feeling stretched out enough?” The woman teased him.

“Oh, shut up. I’m not an old man. In fact, I can probably beat you in a race if you’re up for it,” Arthur winked as he began walking towards the running trail. “You may have outrun me when we were kids, Morgana, but I’ve been practising! Try to keep up, huh?”

“I’ll be waiting for you at the finish line, little brother!” Morgana smirked, sprinting ahead of him.

Merlin let out a sigh, writing his findings down in his notepad. The mystery woman was Arthur’s sister, of course. He remembered Mrs Myers mentioning that Arthur had a sibling. But at least now he knew that Arthur hadn’t kept his affair a secret to everyone. If she knew, who else knew? Merlin was one step closer to finding the truth.

·········

Merlin drank the last bit of coffee in his cup, holding back a tired yawn. He reached his hand over to the passenger seat to grab the cardboard box that held his fuel inside. Twisting the cap off, Merlin poured himself another cup of room temperature coffee. Typically, these big cartons of coffee were purchased for events or parties, but seeing as Merlin had been on a stake-out since eleven that night, the carton of coffee was much needed.

Over the past week, he had been tailing Arthur places, following him around town, listening in to conversations, and taking photos when anything suspicious came up. He hadn’t found anything that would count as evidence yet, but he had overheard a conversation he had on the phone with his supposed lover at the grocery store.

“I’m busy with Mithian that night. How about Thursday when you get off of work?”

Merlin had written down that it appeared as though Arthur’s lover knew that he was married to Mithian, or at least knew of her existence.

“Oh, twelve… in the morning? I suppose that works. I usually stay up late anyway. I just have to make sure I’m back before she has to leave for her shift around four.”

As much as Merlin was trying to keep things professional, he really wanted to punch Arthur in the face for being such a dick. He didn’t know much about Mithian, but just being around Arthur made Merlin want to run up to her and give her a big hug.

The phone conversation, although difficult to listen to, was also very helpful. Merlin had parked his car outside the house an hour before Arthur told the woman on the phone that he'd arrive. He didn’t know how far away this woman lived, whether Arthur had the tendency to leave early or late, but it was simply good practice to be one step ahead.

Though, as time ticked by, Merlin found himself wondering if maybe they’d cancelled their plans. It was already twelve-thirty, and there was no sign of Arthur. To pass the time, besides drinking coffee, Merlin had also been stalking his Instagram. The prat had finally accepted his request.

His Instagram struck Merlin as rather odd for a man who was cheating on his wife. It didn’t look like he posted too often-- about once a month. But most of his photos were with Mithian, and his sister, Morgana. The strange thing was that none of the photos where Mithian and Arthur were posing together looked romantic. If Merlin didn’t know who either of them were, he would’ve guessed they were just friends. Quite often, there would be some hint to marriage in either one of the spouse’s bios or post captions, especially if they were worried about making the marriage appear flawless. But in Arthur’s case, there was nothing. They had only married about two years ago, and he hadn’t made his first post until months after. No wedding photos, nothing.

For someone who didn’t post often, there sure were a lot of comments on each post. Most of them were complimenting either Arthur or Mithian, but only a few mentioned a relationship. After clicking on some of the comments that mentioned marriage, it was clear they came from members of either Arthur or Mithian’s family.

Mithian had also been tagged in a few posts, but her account was completely empty. She was only following a few people: Arthur, Morgana, her mother, an aunt, and someone called Gwen. So far, that was as far as Merlin had investigated. It would take more than an interesting Instagram account to find evidence.

Suddenly, Merlin saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He shifted his gaze to the door just in time to see Arthur locking it behind him. Merlin followed a familiar routine of waiting for Arthur to drive down the street before proceeding to follow him.

At nearly one in the morning, there weren’t too many cars, even on the main roads. So Merlin made sure to stay behind far enough so Arthur wouldn’t get suspicious. Fortunately for him, the man wasn’t that bright.

It took around fifteen minutes to get to the woman’s house. She lived on a street where several cars were already parked, so Merlin had no problem blending in. He readied his camera as Arthur stepped out of his vehicle and walked up the pavement to the woman’s house. Merlin took a couple photos before Arthur knocked on the door. He’d splurged on a nice camera that could capture a fair photo, even in the dark. Merlin heard a rumble in the distance, and just as the door was about to open to reveal Arthur’s mystery lover once and for all, a van drove past Merlin’s, blocking his vision of the doorway completely.

“No, no, no! Ah, fuck!” Merlin cursed to himself, nagging the vehicle to move faster. What felt like an eternity later, the damned old lady driving the van finally passed him to reveal a closed door, no one in sight. “Shit!” Merlin angrily groaned, kicking the interior of his car.

Merlin rested his head on his hands holding the steering wheel, groaning once more. He was so close! If he’d gotten that shot, along with some other information, Mrs Myers’s stupid case would have been done and over with.

One thing was for sure, Merlin sure as well wasn’t going to stick around for another three hours, waiting for Arthur to come back out. Instead, he turned his car around, heading back to his flat.

·········

“Jesus, Merlin. And I thought I was picky!”

Merlin was lying down on his best friend’s bed, staring up at the ceiling where glow-in-the-dark stars and moons had been plastered all around. Merlin was doing his best to ignore Lance by focusing on something else, but it really wasn’t working.

“I’m not picky. They’re just all so… boring sounding. We get it, you like Starbucks, dogs, and you’re studying psychology at university. How unique. One of the profiles was using a picture of her hamster as her profile picture. If that's not a red flag, I don’t know what is,” Merlin explained, not once looking down from the ceiling.

Lance was sitting beside him with Merlin’s phone in his hands, reading off the bios of random women on the dating app he’d downloaded for him. He was convinced that Merlin needed a girlfriend. Merlin didn’t hate the idea of dating anyone, not at all. He was just severely unimpressed with all of the women Lance had shown him.

“You’re acting like they’re all the same, Merlin. Maybe give them a chance instead of giving up by the first sentence? Just… scroll until you find someone you feel like you connect with. It would probably help if you actually did some of the work,” Lance explained, extending his phone out to Merlin.

With a sigh, he took it and began swiping through the profiles. “They’re all good looking, Lance. I’m sure they’re all very nice and interesting, but I feel like I’m just looking at a picture on a screen, y’know?” Merlin shook his head as he continued to look at new profiles.

He felt Lance lay down beside him, taking his phone once again. He went to settings, clicked on the preferences button, and scrolled to the bottom.

“How do you feel about adding some male profiles then?” Lance asked as his thumb hovered over the button.

Suddenly, Merlin could feel his face burning up. “I-- no. I’m good. I don’t fancy guys like that. I’ll stick to the women,” Merlin rushed out, snatching the phone from Lance before he could hit the button.

Despite not looking at Lance, Merlin could feel him rolling his eyes. “Whatever you say, Merlin. Just know that the button will always be there if you decide you want to see some cute guys.”

“Well, all I have to do is look in the mirror so I’ve got that covered. Thank you very much,” Merlin joked as he abruptly stood up from bed. “I should actually get going. I have a case I should be working on that takes priority over my dating life.”

Lance stepped out of bed and began following him to the door to say goodbye. “I think everything takes priority over your dating life, but sure. Good luck with the case. I’ll see you soon?” He gave Merlin a smile and outstretched his arms for a hug.

“Sure, you dork,” Merlin chuckled, engulfing his friend in a hug. After sharing their goodbyes, Merlin left Lance’s flat and headed down the stairs to the ground floor.

Lance’s apartment building was located in the centre of the city where most of the shops were. Merlin had managed to find a parking spot across the street despite it being very packed. The main doors closed behind him as he ventured across the street where his vehicle was waiting. Just as Merlin placed his hand on the car door, he heard a familiar voice coming from the right. Merlin looked over to see none other than Arthur Pendragon walking down the street with a woman who was definitely not Mithian.

Not wasting any time, Merlin crouched down behind his car so he was out of sight. He took his phone out of his pocket and pointed it at the pair from the side of the car. He took a few photos just in case. Merlin could hear very little of what they were saying, but when they passed him by, their words became a little clearer, and so did their faces.

Merlin recognised the woman as Gwen, one of the few accounts that Mithian had been following on her Instagram. It made sense that Mithian and Gwen were friends since Arthur and Gwen would have needed an opportunity to get close. But he still wasn’t certain that she was the mystery lover.

Merlin remained behind the car, watching from afar. Suddenly, the pair stopped beside a blue moped parked on the street. Gwen smiled and opened her arms for a hug. Arthur accepted her embrace and they hugged for a few seconds before pulling away. Gwen leaned in, giving him a peck on the cheek, before waving goodbye and stepping onto her moped. A moment later, she took off, leaving Arthur by himself… well, besides his stalker.

Not knowing whether to call it a day or continue to tail Arthur, Merlin made the quick decision to follow him down the street. It looked like he was going somewhere-- perhaps to one of the shops or cafes. If Arthur was a regular at any of them, maybe Merlin could ask one of the employees if they knew anything about him. Had he brought Gwen to any of them? Merlin continued on, keeping a safe distance between himself and Arthur.

The more he investigated, the more confused he felt. Gwen seemed like a lovely person. He wouldn’t have taken her as someone to get involved with a married man. Did that mean she was simply a friend or was she something more? Nothing made sense anymore. Whose house was Arthur at that night? Was he cheating on Mithian with multiple women?

He followed the prat a bit more until he watched him turn into a building Merlin hadn’t been inside of before. When he grew closer, he noticed it was a quaint, little bookshop. Stepping inside, Merlin searched around for the culprit, but between the many, many bookcases, he couldn’t see anything.

Merlin walked around the bookshop, weaving his way through shelves and tables. He finally noticed Arthur in the way back of the store, searching through books in the animal training section. It looked like he had his phone pressed to his ear, talking to someone. Merlin quickly darted to the aisle on the opposite side. He could hear Arthur crystal clear and make out most of his face through the bookshelf.

“Yeah, sorry about that, Alex. I was hanging out with someone,” Arthur spoke through the phone, still shuffling books around. There was a pause so Merlin assumed that this Alex was talking now. “Well, Mithian isn’t going to be home tonight. You could come over if you want to… do some catching up. How long has it been since we were last together? Two months?” Arthur let out a light-hearted chuckle. It made Merlin want to sock him in the jaw.

That bastard! How many women was he sleeping with?! Gwen, Alex, Mithian, and whoever he visited at one in the morning? He had no respect for anyone’s feelings whatsoever! Who knew how many others there were? Merlin never got too attached to his cases, but something about this blond idiot just infuriated him!

“It’s settled then. You can come over tonight when…”

Arthur suddenly looked up, catching him by surprise. Merlin quickly snatched the closest book and covered his face as best he could without raising suspicion. He remained like that for a few moments, even pretending to flip the page at some point. One thing he found odd was the complete silence that now filled the bookstore. Had Arthur hung up on Alex? Figuring Arthur must’ve picked a book up himself, Merlin slowly lowered his.

He looked through the shelf, expecting to find Arthur standing with his nose in a book, but the spot was empty. Uh oh.

Suddenly, Merlin was being grabbed by the collar of his shirt and thrown towards the nearest wall. He groaned when his back hit the surface with a thud, the book falling from his hands to the floor. When he opened his eyes, Arthur was staring at him in the face, eyes filled with anger. When Merlin tried to move, Arthur just tightened the grip on him, shoving his body against the wall once more.

“Who are you and why the hell have you been following me?!” Arthur seethed, knuckles pressing into his chest.

Fear flashed through his eyes. It was a feeling he dealt with very rarely on a case. But never had he been physically attacked while on the job before.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talk--”

“Oh, don’t play dumb,” Arthur shoved him once more. “You’re lucky I took one look at you and realised you weren’t threatening enough to have to call the police.” The blond man looked him up and down with his eyes, making him feel small.

“Listen, I don’t know who you think I am, but--” Merlin tried once more.

“I don’t know who you are at all! But I do know that you’ve been following me. I’ve seen you at my house, tailing me with your car, at the park with my sister, following me around town, at my friend’s house, just now on the street, and, finally, at this bookshop! What do you want from me? You obviously can’t hurt me. And you’re strange, but you don’t give off serial killer vibes. If you wanted to steal something, you would’ve tried taking it already. So I’ll ask one more time… Who the hell are you and what do you want?”

Merlin wasn’t incredibly experienced with detective work, but he took it seriously and blowing his cover was the last thing he wanted. But now the son-in-law of the woman who hired him had him pressed against the wall, and it felt like there was nothing he could do.

“You must have me mixed up with someone else. I was just doing some reading, I swear,” Merlin lied, anything to get him out of this situation.

Instead of getting angrier as Merlin had expected, Arthur just looked at him with a coy smile. Arthur surprised him by taking his hands off the collar of his shirt and bending down to pick up the book he’d been holding. Merlin was too scared to even think about moving.

“A Mother’s Guide to Raising Honest Children,” Arthur read from the cover of the book with a laugh. “Sounds like your mum should have read this when she had you.”

Merlin couldn’t help the blush that had found its way to his cheeks.

Something in Arthur’s eyes shifted. He was no longer angry, just curious, needy. He placed a hand on Merlin’s shoulder as his eyes pierced directly into his. “Come on, man. Just tell me what you want. Please,” he said sincerely.

“Well, I--” Merlin’s breathing shuddered at his touch. Those pleading eyes just stared back at him, begging for an answer. Merlin let out a long sigh, finally giving in.

·········

If someone had told Merlin that he’d be sitting across from the lying, cheating son-in-law of his client at a coffee shop, sharing the details of a very private case, he would’ve called them crazy. But here he was, across the street from the bookshop where Arthur had caught him and everything turned to shit.

It’s not like Merlin really had a choice. He trusted Arthur’s arms would just shove him against the wall if he tried leaving again. The muscles didn’t lie. And anyway, he didn’t really want Arthur to believe that he was this crazy, obsessed stalker. So in this case, the truth really did seem like the best option. As soon as that coffee Arthur had bought him hit his tongue, Merlin was naturally more talkative and energetic. It seemed like the perfect storm.

So here Merlin was, details slipping out of his mouth like butter. He told him about the allegations, how Mrs Myers hired him, and all the stalking he had to do, but most importantly, how Merlin knew he was a cheating bastard! If Merlin had to come clean about everything, at least then he didn’t have to hold anything back. The only thing stopping him from socking Arthur in the face was the fact that the man could probably catch his fist and break it before Merlin ever saw it coming.

Merlin had expected Arthur to look scared by the news. Surely, Merlin would’ve had some leverage now that Arthur knew he had information and photos that could possibly prove his unfaithfulness. He knew all about his affair, the woman-- or women he’d been sleeping with. Surely, this would’ve given him the higher ground! But when Arthur’s face turned from a blank stare to a giant grin, Merlin could tell this wasn’t about to go the way he’d hoped.

“Wait, wait. Mithian’s mother hired you? Oh, this is gold! I knew that woman was crazy!” Arthur exclaimed, letting out a loud laugh that only angered Merlin more.

“You’re one to talk! I’m not particularly fond of the woman but at least she had the courage to take you down,” Merlin snapped.

“Take me down? God, you make a terrible private investigator,” Arthur chuckled, shaking his head.

“How can you just pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about? You’re such an arsehole!”

Arthur’s laughing stopped abruptly. He stared at Merlin in silence, contemplating his words. The man looked genuinely confused. “Wait, what? You seriously believe I’m cheating on Mithian?”

Oh, hell no. Merlin wasn’t just about to let this prat manipulate him. They both knew what Arthur was really up to. He couldn’t just stand by and do nothing about it.

“I’ve seen you, you prick!” Merlin yelled at him, feeling his anger bubbling up. “Going to all those women’s houses, sneaking off. You’re having multiple affairs with several women and your wife has no clue! Tell me all about Gwen and Alex. Or are you going to lie and pretend you don’t know them either? Hell, your mother-in-law had to get involved and you still won’t own up!” Merlin balled his fists to keep himself grounded. It was rare that he let a case affect him like this, but something about the way Arthur was joking about it so lightly made him feel so furious!

He was waiting for Arthur to crack under pressure. Any day now, his face would fall and the tears would start steaming out as he begged Merlin to keep his lips sealed. He stared at Arthur for a few moments, waiting for the frown to appear on his lips… but it never came. Instead, the corners of Arthur’s mouth tugged into a smile, his eyes pinning Merlin’s in a way that made him scared to move.

Arthur let out another light-hearted chuckle. “You’re cute when you’re mad,” he noted, ever so slightly biting the bottom of his lip.

Merlin gripped his coffee mug so tight that his knuckles went white. He narrowed his eyes at Arthur, feeling a wave of fury crashing down on him.

“You’re only getting more adorable the angrier you get, darling.”

Merlin shot up from his chair as soon as he heard those words come out of Arthur’s mouth. He slammed his mug on the table and shot the bastard one last dirty look before taking off. Before he could make it past the table, Arthur caught his wrist, tugging him closer so he wouldn’t leave.

“Come on. It was a harmless joke. Where are you going?” Arthur looked up at him with those fake, pleading, puppy eyes.

“Off to see Mrs Myers and report that you are indeed a scumbag,” Merlin retorted, yanking his wrist out from Arthur’s unusually soft hands. He began walking away once again, but apparently, the bastard wasn’t finished talking.

“Wait, wait! Hold on, just… sit back down and I’ll explain everything.”

Merlin turned back around to face Arthur. He looked honest, although he hated to admit it. Hearing his side of the story couldn’t hurt. In fact, maybe it could help Merlin with the case. With a long, pained sigh, Merlin rolled his eyes and begrudgingly sat down in his chair once again.

Arthur took a long sip from his tea, then set it down, cupping his hands around the mug as he spoke. “I’m not really married to Mithian.”

Merlin’s jaw nearly dropped at the news. “But- but I’ve seen your wedding photos. Mrs Myers showed them to me.”

Another smile appeared on Arthur’s face, this one more genuine than he’d seen so far. “We did have a wedding, and it was one of the best nights of my life. I love Mithian more than you could ever know… but not like that,” Arthur resituated himself on his chair as if preparing to give his life’s story. “I’ve known Mithian since we were children. And ever since then, we’ve wanted to get married. I can’t explain it, Merlin. But when you find your best friend-- your soulmate, it’s the best feeling in the world. I really do want to spend the rest of my life with her. So we had a wedding, and we celebrated our friendship. God, she looked so beautiful in her wedding gown,” Arthur grinned at the memory.

After a long pause, he continued, “we live in the same house, eat all of our meals together. We do anything a normal married couple would do, just with no strings attached. The only difference is that we’re not actually married. We never signed the papers, we just enjoyed our wedding night. I don’t expect you to understand. It’s very strange, but it makes us happy and I think that’s all that matters.”

Merlin stared at him, dumbfounded. His jaw was probably hanging open, but he was too shocked to say anything. “I-- uh, what? But then why does Mithian’s mother think you’re a couple?”

Arthur nodded his head at this like he understood where Merlin was coming from. “Well, here’s the thing… We’re both very gay. But Mithian isn’t out to her family yet. Most of our friends know and my family is okay with it, although they find it a bit odd. It’s sort of a win-win. We got to have the wedding of our dreams, I get to hang out with my best friend whenever I want, and Mithian doesn’t have to rush to come out to her parents until she’s ready,” Arthur explained before taking another sip of his tea. He said it so matter-of-factly as if this was a normal situation.

“Right… and I’m just supposed to believe that you and Mithian are married-- or not married as a cover for you both being gay.”

“We didn’t get married as a cover. We had a wedding and we live together because we love each other, just not like that,” Arthur rolled his eyes at Merlin’s clear lack of understanding.

Something about the situation still seemed fishy to Merlin. “But what about sneaking off to that house in the middle of the night? You told her over the phone that you had to be back before Mithian woke up for her shift. Or how about that woman you were walking with down the street? Gwen? Or the phone call you had with Alex? And your sister, Morgana. At the park, she said something about a secret she had to keep from Mithian! How do I know you’re not making up a cover story?”

Arthur raised his eyebrow at all the information Merlin had gathered. He was suddenly laughing very loudly, cupping his hand over his mouth in an attempt to stop himself. It seemed like forever before the prat finally stopped, wiping a tear from his eye.

“I’m impressed. You managed to find a lot of information about me. Although, none of it is exactly correct. First of all, that house I was sneaking out off to is one of my friends. And I was hooking up with him, but as I said, Mithian and I aren’t a thing. I’m not seeing anyone at the moment. And the reason I had to be back before Mithian left for work is because we have a puppy at home who can’t be trusted alone. I have to watch her when Mithian goes to work, hence why I was in the animal training section at the bookshop today.”

The longer Arthur explained, the more dumb Merlin was beginning to feel. Everything felt like it was falling into place.

“The woman I was talking to when you were stalking me was Gwen… Mithian’s girlfriend. They’ve been together for around six months and we’ve all gotten pretty close. She’s one of my best friends. I’m assuming you saw her kiss my cheek? That’s just Gwen. She’s a sweetheart… and also very much a lesbian. Now, the phone call with Alex. I was indeed talking about hooking up, but Alex is a guy and only my friend. I haven’t seen him since he moved away so we wanted to meet up.” Arthur seemed to be amused by the look on Merlin’s face. He chuckled at his expression, then continued on.

“And last but not least, Morgana certainly wasn’t talking about me cheating on Mithian. I… Well, I lost my job and I’ve been avoiding telling Mithian. I don’t want to disappoint her, y’know? So I’ve been struggling trying to find a way that I can be open and honest about it. But Morgana’s been nagging me every day.” Arthur exhaled long and hard. His eyes were pinned on the table now, hands gripping the mug tightly. “Mithian and I are best friends, nothing else. I hook up with guys sometimes, but I’m single. I would never cheat on anyone. The only thing I’m guilty of at this moment is lying to Mithian about my job. But I am going to tell her soon.”

Before he knew what he was doing, Merlin was reaching his hand out to place over Arthur’s. He gave him a sympathetic smile, feeling slightly bad for misinterpreting the entire situation.

“I know how you feel, Arthur. My mum still doesn’t know that I’m a private investigator. And after messing up this case, it’s probably better that she doesn’t. You’ll tell Mithian when you’re ready. And if she loves you as much as you love her, she’ll understand,” Merlin gave his first genuine smile. “Listen, I’m sorry I got this all wrong. I don’t think I have as much talent as I thought I did.”

Arthur’s eyes softened when he looked back up at Merlin. “Oh, please. It added some excitement to my life. Mrs Myers led you in the wrong direction, that’s her fault. And to be fair, you did gather a bunch of information. It was only piecing them together that you struggled with. But I don’t know of any detective that could’ve figured out the exact truth. My situation is pretty unique,” Arthur gave him another smile.

Butterflies seemed to flutter in Merlin’s stomach when Arthur began brushing his thumb along Merlin’s hand. He blushed madly, enjoying the touch for a second before pulling his hand away.

“Merlin,” Arthur said his name softly, causing him to blush even deeper. “It’s too nice out to let the sun go to waste. Care to join me for a walk around the square?”

“You mean I get to stalk you by your side now?” Merlin smirked at him, earning a chuckle from the ex-culprit.

·········

Not even a week later, Merlin was standing outside Arthur and Mithian’s house, trying to find enough courage to knock on the door. He and Arthur had been texting ever since that day in the coffee shop. Something about him kept pulling Merlin in. He’d never felt that way about anyone, so when the prat invited him over for lunch, he only hesitated a little before accepting.

Mithian was at work, Arthur had told him. So it would just be the two of them, as well as their little golden doodle puppy, Freya, who would be fast asleep in her doggy bed. Merlin was quite nervous. He really only ever hung out with Lance and his mum. And he still didn’t know whether or not this was intended to be a date. But he’d thrown on some black jeans and his nicest, red flannel, hoping to impress Arthur.

Taking a deep breath, Merlin raised his hand and gave a pathetic knock. Seconds later, it was opened by Arthur, who looked quite nice in his jeans and white t-shirt, which was tight enough to reveal his muscles.

“This is weird,” is the first thing Merlin decided to say. Not “hey” or “how’s it going?”

But, after all, it was the first time he’d been closer to the house than his car allowed him. It also wasn’t typical to be hanging out with a client’s faux son-in-law. But Arthur laughed at his comment and further opened the door for Merlin to come inside.

The interior was beautiful. To be honest, he hadn’t known what to expect. There were plants everywhere: sitting on window sills, on top of stands, hanging from the ceiling. It was clear they liked the company.

“I was just starting on lunch. I hope you like frittata? I just have to mix everything together and throw it in the oven,” Arthur smiled at him as he walked into the open kitchen.

Merlin took his shoes off and placed them next to Arthur’s on the floor. He walked towards the kitchen and took a seat on the barstool across from where Arthur was cooking. Perfect view.

“That sounds lovely,” Merlin smiled as began nervously playing with the ends of his flannel. “Does Mithian cook too? Or is it mostly you?”

He watched Arthur pour the mixed egg and vegetable batter into a cast iron pan, then turn around to place it in the oven. “We take turns cooking and cook together when we can. She usually works four to four so we can eat together. But sometimes we just end up ordering pizza or going out to eat. Actually, you should join us for dinner sometime. She’d love to meet you. And maybe she can bring Gwen along. Then you two can officially meet outside of stalking,” Arthur winked as he set a timer for the frittata.

Merlin rolled his eyes at this, the smile on his face never faltering. “I’d love that! They both seem very nice.”

Arthur stepped away from the kitchen and walked over to the couch, motioning for Merlin to join him. He obeyed and stood up from the stool to follow. Arthur took a seat on the right side of the couch and Merlin awkwardly sat more towards the left, leaving space between him.

There was a deep chuckle that came from Arthur, and when Merlin turned to look at him, he was already standing up, moving himself closer to Merlin. He sat back down on the couch, this time close enough to be pressed against Merlin.

“So what did you tell Mithian’s mother?” Arthur asked him.

“Well, I didn’t lie,” Merlin shrugged with a smile. “I said that I found no evidence of any sort of affair and that you seemed nothing less than a faithful man. Do I think she bought it? No. That was pretty much a given once she demanded a refund.”

“Someday soon, we’ll tell her. And then she’ll realise what a good detective you are.”

Merlin couldn’t help the blush that found its way to his cheeks when Arthur extended his arm, wrapping it around Melin’s shoulders.

The butterflies were once again fluttering around Merlin’s stomach. He bit down on his lip to keep himself from blushing more, then proceeded to fiddle with his sleeves once again. He didn’t know exactly what to say. He’d never done anything like this before. Arthur must have noticed immediately.

“Are you alright?” He asked, voice laced with deep concern.

“Oh, I’m perfect,” Merlin said honestly as he looked up, leaning into his touch. “But I’ve never liked a guy before…” He trailed off. The blush on his cheeks only deepened in colour.

“Well, I’ve never fallen for my stalker before, so this is new for both of us,” Arthur joked, gently brushing a piece of Merlin’s hair behind his ear.

He almost chuckled at the joke, but he was a bit too preoccupied with the burning sensation in his stomach and the fluttery feeling in his heart. Arthur had fallen for him?

It was hard to believe the man he was investigating barely a week ago was playing with his hair on the couch inside his and his platonic wife’s home. Merlin had developed feelings for Arthur quicker than he had for any woman before. Something about him was just different. It didn’t feel too fast or unusual to already be pressed against him on the couch. It felt perfectly right.

Merlin nearly lost it when Arthur’s hand came down to cup his cheek. He allowed the man to pull his face closer until their lips were only inches apart. He suddenly found himself longing for the gap to close. He wanted to feel Arthur’s lips on his, wanted his arms around him right then.

“You’re amazing,” Arthur sighed, staring deeply into his eyes. “Can I kiss you?” He asked in a sweet voice as his thumb began rubbing soft circles on his cheek.

“Please,” was the only word Merlin could muster out. It sounded desperate and needy, a feeling that was foreign to him.

So, with his permission, Arthur slowly closed the gap between them, connecting their lips for a slow, gentle kiss. As soon as he felt Arthur’s mouth, something inside him felt whole, as if he’d been waiting for this his entire life.

Arthur’s lips were soft, warm, and full of so much love and passion that it made Merlin’s heart flutter. His hand was pressed against his cheek, guiding him, while the other had fallen to his hip where it felt like it belonged. Merlin pressed his mouth harder against Arthur’s, then he felt something brush against them. He let out a shy moan, face burning red as he parted his lips for Arthur.

He allowed his arms to swing around Arthur’s neck, bringing his body closer for ease. Everything felt hot now, not just his face. He was on fire in the best way possible.

“Come here,” Arthur broke his mouth away to utter those words, and Merlin received the message.

He allowed Arthur to pull him into his lap, knee on either side. The blond man’s hands wandered to his hips, gripping them as if to keep him there. Merlin slid his hands to Arthur’s jaw, then deepened the kiss to a whole new level, taking Arthur’s bottom lip in his mouth, biting and sucking. He felt Arthur’s hands slowly slide from his hips down further, gripping his arse.

Merlin let out an embarrassing moan, but Arthur seemed to like it because he made no effort in removing his hands from his butt.

He’d never done anything like this before, but Arthur was certainly the perfect first, and he was so glad he waited.

“Arthur,” Merlin whimpered shamelessly, breaking away from his lips to catch his breath.

“Merlin,” Arthur panted back, cupping his face so he could stare into Merlin’s eyes. It made him feel like fainting on the spot.

“Sorry about investigating you, but I’m really glad I did,” he blushed heavily, hiding his giddy smile by pressing his face in Arthur’s neck.

He felt Arthur’s lips begin to press sweet kisses in all the right spots on his neck. He let out a small whimper, blushing more and more with each kiss.

“For the record, I’m really glad you were stalking me too.” He felt Arthur’s chest vibrate as he chuckled. “I feel like everything around me disappears when you’re around, Merlin. And It’s the best feeling in the world.”

With that, Arthur guided Merlin’s face back up to his, pressing their lips together again.