Happy Merlin Holidays, eldee! (4/4)

[merlin-hols.livejournal.com]

Merlin rolled to the side of Arthur, sweaty and panting heavily as exhaustion surged through his body. He could hear the sound of Arthur's deep breaths beside him, finding the sound surprisingly soothing to listen to. "I would have never pegged you as the kinky type," Arthur said after a few moments to catch his breath, "Especially after how you were the first few times."

Merlin blushed as he quickly grabbed his vibrator that he had retrieved from his flat and tossed it somewhere on the ground, making a mental note to replace the batteries. "Shut up, it was the only action I was getting for a while," Merlin finally responded, cursing himself inwardly for feeing so comfortable around Arthur that he revealed pretty much everything, save for his magic.

Arthur suddenly rolled so he was above Merlin, holding himself up with his arms and knees, before leaning down to place a simple kiss on Merlin's lips. As he pulled away, Merlin couldn't help but share the same grin that was plastered on Arthur's face. "I'm just surprised that you decided the best way to spend your first time topping me would be by asking me to fuck you with your vibrator at the same time," Arthur stated with an amused look on his face.

A blush immediately spread across Merlin's face, even reaching his ear, upon hearing Arthur's words. Merlin flashed Arthur a fake glare before replying, "And it was amazing too." Suddenly, the angry glare was instantly replaced with a goofy grin as he wrapped his arms around Arthur's neck and brought Arthur closer to him. "But trust me, I much prefer it when you do the topping," Merlin admitted with his grin on his face.

"That's hot," Arthur said before leaning down to attack Merlin's lips with his own.

After another hot, sweaty and bed-creaking round, in which Arthur shagged Merlin's brains out causing Merlin to erupt into a moaning mess, the two lay snuggled up against each other, both on the brink of sleep. Just as Merlin felt sleep about to overtake him, a random thought came to his mind. "I forgot, my mum really wants to meet you."

Arthur's eyes slowly opened as he comprehended what Merlin had said. "Why are you thinking about your mum right now of all times?" Arthur questioned.

"I don't know. I felt like I forgot to talk to you about something," Merlin answered with a sleep- laced voice.

Arthur nodded slightly in understanding before returning, "I'd like to meet her too. You can bring her over any time."

Merlin shook his head sluggishly before replying, "Let's go to Ealdor for a couple of nights. That'll make mum really happy."

Arthur stayed silent for a few minutes before asking, "Would it make you happy?" Merlin nodded in his sleep-heavy state.

"Okay, we'll go to Ealdor," Arthur said.

Merlin snuggled up closer to Arthur, although the two were already skin to skin to begin with. "Thank you," Merlin said as sleep finally overtook him.

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"How were you actually able to convince him to go?" Morgana asked as she sat in the reception room with Merlin and Mordred.

"It wasn't hard. I just asked, and he said yes," Merlin said as his leg bounced in anticipation. He checked his mobile to read the time; 5:01 PM. "Where is he? He said he'd be home by five," Merlin said rhetorically.

"Uther has been on him all day. When I left there to pick up Mordred, Arthur looked like he was ready to kill someone," Morgana stated as she recalled Uther's sudden appearance at the office, demanding Arthur's undivided attention as Arthur was about to leave.

"But we've had this trip planned for over a week," Merlin said in an irritated voice, knowing deep down that Arthur didn't have control over his father's random tirades.

"Not the first time he has ruined someone else's plans," Mordred mumbled in obvious reference to his grandfather.

Suddenly, the sound of the front door flying open and footsteps immediately caused Merlin to perk up before shouting, "You're late!"

"I know, I'm sorry," Arthur's voiced echoed through the flat as Merlin heard him run up the stairs.

"And I don't think he has packed yet," Merlin thought out loud with a sigh, knowing that they were going to arrive at Ealdor later than he wanted.

"Arthur packs fast, don't worry. And he drives fast," Morgana said reassuringly. Merlin simply nodded before staring down at his hands; his mind wandered to thoughts of what his mother was going to think of Arthur. Anxiousness began to intensify as the possible scenario of his mother disliking Arthur played in his mind; his heart dropped a little.

"Ready to go?" Arthur's voice ripped Merlin out of his thoughts; he looked up to see Arthur standing in the doorway with a small luggage bag. Merlin shifted his eyes to his own bag, noticing that his bag was bigger than Arthur's.

"Is that all you need?" Merlin asked; had he over-packed?

"I could take longer to pack," Arthur said with a teasing smirk on his face, causing Merlin's eyes to narrow.

"Shut up. Let's go," Merlin replied as he got up off of the couch and grabbed his luggage.

Arthur smiled at Merlin before turning towards Morgana, "Make sure Mordred doesn't miss school tomorrow. And don't forget to feed him."

"This isn't my first time watching him you know," Morgana said with an insulted look.

Arthur quickly made his way towards his son and gave the boy a quick hug. Arthur frowned as he let go of his son before saying, "Maybe one missed day of school wouldn't be too bad."

"Arthur, no. Mordred has already missed enough school. And this will give you and Merlin some alone time," Morgana stated firmly as she made a motion for Arthur to leave.

Arthur ignored Morgana as he asked his son, "Do you want to come with? I can call your school on the way there. You'd just have to pack fast."

Merlin smiled fondly as he watched Arthur's difficulty in leaving his son behind, prompting him to say, "We don't mind waiting. I know my mum would love to meet you." Arthur quickly flashed Merlin an appreciative look before turning back to Mordred.

"Hey, no! Stop trying to take away my bonding time with my nephew," Morgana said dramatically as she hugged Mordred from behind.

"It’s up to you, Mordred," Arthur ignored Morgana once again.

"I'll stay here. She bought us tickets for the Hyde Park concert," Mordred said, though his eyes revealed that he was conflicted between staying behind and going with his father.

"I'd probably do the same thing," Arthur replied with a smile, trying to soothe some of the conflict in his son's mind. "Alright, we should get going. Merlin is ready to kill me," Arthur said before turning around and giving him a small kiss of apology.

"We'll walk you out," Morgana said as she followed Merlin and Arthur towards the front door; Mordred ran past her to catch up to his father.

"Do we have to rent a car?" Merlin asked as the four of them piled into the lift to go down to the lobby.

"No, I had the valet go get my car," Arthur replied, suddenly remembering that Merlin had never seen his car before.

"You have a car? How come I didn't know about this?" Merlin said with a confused look.

"We've never had to drive anywhere. And it's not like driving is practical in London anyway," Arthur answered just before the lift doors opened, revealing the lobby.

As soon as the four stepped into the lobby, the receptionist stood up, blatantly ignoring the individual she was supposed to be helping as she shouted, "Mr. Pendragon. Your car is ready and waiting for you in the driveway as requested. Is there anything else we can do for you?"

"No," Arthur replied in his stern voice; both Morgana and Mordred laughed under their breath.

"Do the receptionists always do that?" Merlin asked as he stared at the now sitting receptionist, earning a small glare.

"I do own the most expensive flat in this place. Kind of comes with the territory," Arthur said as they stepped through the double doors to exit the lobby.

As soon as they were outside, Merlin's eyes widened at the two-door, convertible, four-seat, dark grey car parked along the curb. "Here are the keys Mr. Pendragon," the young valet said as he handed the keys to Arthur.

"Thank you," Arthur replied before opening the trunk and throwing his bag inside. Merlin stayed motionless as he stared at the vehicle in front of him, immediately recognizing the Bentley symbol on the front and inside of the car. "Merlin," Arthur said, snapping him out of his daze.

"Sorry," Merlin said before slowly handing his bag to Arthur for him to throw in the trunk. Merlin turned around to Mordred and Morgana, giving them a small wave as he said, "I'll see you guys soon."

To his surprise, Mordred gave Merlin a small, quick hug, which made Arthur smile. Mordred then turned towards his father to give him one more hug before saying, "Don't crash and die."

Arthur laughed as he opened the door, and sat down inside. "I don't plan to," he said as he started the car; Merlin followed Arthur's example and climbed into the passenger seat. Merlin took the moment to admire the red and black leather interior of the car, smiling as he thought the colors matched Arthur almost too well.

"Have fun, you two. Don't make too many stops along the way," Morgana said suggestively; Merlin felt his face flush.

"We'll keep it down to five," Arthur said with a grin before giving his son one last wave and stepping on the gas pedal, causing the car to speed out of the driveway and onto the congested London road.

After a few moments of silence, Merlin finally spoke up, "You know, we won't be able to do anything while staying at my mother's house. Do you think we'll be able to hold off that long?"

Arthur laughed softly at the almost disappointed tone in Merlin's voice, "We're going to have to. I didn't pack anything."

"I didn't either," Merlin said before slouching in his seat, realizing how long the two-day trip was actually going to be.

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As they drove by a small sign stating that Ealdor was ten kilometers away, Merlin instantly began to fidget in anticipation. "You need to calm down," Arthur said jokingly as he placed his hand on Merlin's thigh. Merlin immediately froze and stared at the hand and its proximity to his inner thigh. After a few seconds, Arthur immediately snatched his hand away as he mumbled, "Sorry."

Merlin flashed Arthur a small smile, inwardly frustrated that he was already having trouble resisting the urge to jump Arthur after only a four hour car ride. "I'm just excited for you to meet my mum," Merlin said. Merlin spent the next couple minutes in silence, thinking of his childhood home until it dawned on him that he forgotten to mention the size of his mother's house to Arthur. "I should probably warn you," Merlin began as he though of the right words to say, "Homes in Ealdor are a lot…cozier."

"Cozier?" Arthur replied.

"My mum's place is small. I know you're used to big, extravagant things, but please don't say anything pratish," Merlin said.

"I'm insulted that you would think me capable of such a thing," Arthur said dramatically.

Merlin laughed softly before replying, "You're driving to a small village in a Bentley sports car. I think we both know what you're capable of."

"Well, I know you know what I'm capable of," Arthur responded as he nudged his eyebrow. Merlin tried not to blush as vivid images flooded his mind.

"Stop that. We agreed on no sex for the next two days," Merlin said as he attempted to rid his mind of the images. It was at that moment that Merlin finally realized that they had just turned onto the main street of Ealdor. His earlier excitement returned. "I can't believe we're actually here," Merlin spoke out loud as he took in the familiar sights of the small stores along the main road.

After a few simple directions, Merlin was able to lead Arthur to his mother's home; his excitement reached its peak as Arthur parked along the curb in front of house. Merlin immediately jumped out of the car and rushed to the trunk, tapping it just loud enough to tell Arthur to open it. "Go on inside, I’ll bring up the luggage," Arthur said, not wanting to stall Merlin's reunion with his mother.

Merlin nodded before rushing up the small stairs to the worn but well-maintained home, immediately feeling nostalgic as he approached the front door. Merlin rang the doorbell as he barely registered the sound of the car door shutting, waiting patiently for his mother to answer the door. Just as he heard the trunk of the car slam shut, the door opened to reveal Merlin's mother. "Merlin!" Merlin's mother greeted as he out stretched her arms for a hug.

As Arthur approached the doorway with Merlin and his bags, he couldn't help but feel small pain in his chest at the sight of the two hugging. When he was just about two meters away from the door, Merlin stepped to the side inside of the house and said, "Mum, this is Arthur."

Arthur immediately put down the bags as he smiled at the woman, "It's nice to meet you Ms. Emrys."

Merlin's mother gave Arthur one of the warmest and friendly smiles he had ever seen, before replying, "Please, call me Hunith." Before Arthur had a chance to respond, Hunish stepped forward and pulled him into an unexpected hug; Arthur tensed up. After a few seconds, Arthur returned the hug awkwardly. "Not much of a hugger?" Hunith asked as she stepped away.

"Arthur won't even hug his own sister. The only person he'll openly hug is Mordred," Merlin said with an amused look on his face.

"Where is this boy Merlin keeps talking about?" Hunith asked as he took a quick glance over Arthur's shoulder.

"He has school tomorrow, and he is spending some time with his aunt," Arthur replied.

Hunith nodded in understanding before her eyes suddenly widened. "Oh dear, where are my manners? Please, come inside," she said as she made a motion for Arthur to follow her into the home. With a smile, Arthur picked up the two bags and followed Hunith inside before Merlin shut the front door behind him.

Arthur took a moment to survey his surroundings, taking in the sight of the simple reception room and dining room with an attached kitchen. Arthur couldn't help but agree with the adjective Merlin had used to describe the home, cozy. "You two must be hungry. Why don't you settle in while I finish cooking dinner," Hunith said with the same warm smile that was obviously inherited by her son.

"You didn't have to cook for us," Arthur said, obviously surprised Merlin's mum would actually take the time to cook for him, especially this late into the night.

"I wanted to," Hunith said before turning her attention towards her son. "Take him to your room. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

Merlin nodded before grabbing onto Arthur's arm and dragging him down the narrow hall, inwardly slapping himself for noticing the firm muscles of Arthur's biceps. As soon as they stepped into his old room, Merlin shut the door behind him, only to turn around to see Arthur staring at his old bed. "Oh yeah, and we're going to be sharing a small bed," Merlin stated with a smile, indicating that he had forgotten to mention it earlier.

"Not like it matters. You always end up attached to my side or on top of me," Arthur said with a shrug as he set down the two bags in the corner of the room.

Merlin took a seat on the bed, inwardly comparing how inferior it was to Arthur's expensive mattress, before staring up at Arthur, "I didn't know you could be so polite."

"Your mother seems nice, so why wouldn't I be?" Arthur said; his response caught Merlin off guard.

"Are you okay?" Merlin asked, slightly concerned with Arthur's overall demeanor.

"I'm just surprised that she made us dinner. It's been a while since someone made dinner for me," Arthur said, his voice revealing to Merlin that he was uncomfortable. "I guess I'm just so used to fancy dinners, chef-prepared meals and takeout food, that's all."

Merlin got up off of the bed and pulled Arthur into an affectionate kiss. Merlin pulled away with his trademark goofy grin on his face. Arthur felt less awkward about the entire situation. "Just enjoy the dinner. And if you're going to stay with me, home cooked meals from my mum is probably something you'll have to get used to," Merlin said with his arms still looped around Arthur's neck.

"How will I ever survive?" Arthur said sarcastically. Merlin shook his lead in laughter.

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The next morning, Merlin woke up on his side with a strong arm slung over his side, another arm sandwiched between him and the mattress, and a firm torso to his back. He stayed still, simply listening to the sound of Arthur's light breathing. He recalled the dinner the night before, replaying the polite and friendly attitude Arthur carried throughout the meal. To his relief, his mother took an instant liking to Arthur, even going so far as to team up with Arthur to pick on him a little.

Knowing that Arthur was exhausted from a day full of meetings and driving, Merlin attempted to slip out of Arthur's embrace; the wiggling of his hips causing him to rub his arse against Arthur's prominent morning erection. Merlin froze, becoming hyper-aware of Arthur's breath against his neck, the weight of his muscled arm, the firmness of Arthur's torso, and the slight throb of Arthur's cock against his arse. "Shit," Merlin mumbled quietly, realizing that he had his own morning erection.

As carefully as he could, without rubbing himself against Arthur even more, Merlin slipped out of the small bed, letting out a sigh of relief when Arthur remained contently asleep in the bed. Merlin then quickly rummaged through his luggage to find an oversized shirt and some pajama bottoms before putting the clothes on. He then rubbed his forearms a little in attempt to combat the early morning chill before closing his eyes to try and calm his throbbing erection.

As if on cue, Arthur let out a low groan in his sleep, completely undoing the small progress Merlin had made in controlling his erection. "Just have to make my life difficult," Merlin mumbled before walking out of the room and simply opting to adjust his cock so it was bound by the elastic of his pants. Once he entered the reception room, he was surprised to see his mother sitting on the couch with a half dozen or so photo albums and scrap books on the small coffee table in front of her. "Good morning mum," Merlin greeted

Hunith immediately looked up and smiled before saying, "Merlin, come here." As much as he wanted to resist looking through the photo albums, the excitement in his mother's voice forced him to sit down next to her. "Is Arthur awake yet?" Hunith asked as she looked though the pictures, occasionally pointing a picture with a fond laugh.

"No, he had to work all day yesterday before driving here," Merlin answered as he stared at the photos with his mother.

"Why didn't you drive if he was so tired?" Hunith questioned, turning from the pictures to her son with a curious look.

"I don't have a license, remember?" Merlin said.

A moment of silence passed between the two as they continued to look through the photo album. "I wish I could have taken more pictures when you were growing up," Hunith said with a small frown.

"Don't beat yourself up over it. We have plenty of pictures, a lot more than I wish we had," Merlin replied with a smile.

"Have you been able to look through Arthur's pictures?" Hunith asked with a curious tone.

"I don't really have any," Arthur's voice ripped through the room. Both of them looked up in surprise. Merlin adored Arthur's sleepy look and messy hair.

"Come, join us," Hunith said as she patted the empty space to her left, prompting Arthur to simply nod and sit down where he was told.

The three spent some time going through the photo albums; Hunith pointed out pictures before giving Arthur humorous back-stories. While he laughed, Merlin would cringe with embarrassment. As much as he wanted to say that he didn't want Arthur to see his childhood photos, the genuine smile on Arthur's face allowed Merlin to enjoy the small stories much more. "Arthur, do you mind if I ask you something?" Hunith asked as she shut the second photo album they looked through.

"Not at all," Arthur replied calmly, though Merlin could detect the small hint of reservation in his voice.

"Why don't you have many photos?" Hunith questioned with a respectful curiosity.

Merlin watched as Arthur bit the inside of his lip, obviously uncomfortable with the idea of sharing something personal. When Arthur glanced at him, he couldn't help but give him a reassuring smile. Arthur's face relaxed as he explained, "My father isn't the sentimental type so he didn't take pictures of my sister and me when we were growing up. The only pictures we really have are from special functions, school, and our yearly Christmas card."

"What about your mother? Didn't she take any pictures?" Hunith asked.

Before Merlin could open his mouth, Arthur surprised him. "My mother died during childbirth. It was just my father, sister, and me growing up." Merlin stared in disbelief at Arthur, knowing full well that Arthur rarely spoke of his mother's death.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through that. It couldn't have been easy," Hunith said with a comforting tone.

"I got through it, and I turned out pretty perfect," Arthur said, causing both Merlin and Hunith to laugh. Suddenly, a small leather bound book caught Arthur's eye. "What's that?"

Hunith followed the direction of his finger before landing on the small scrap book; her eyes lit up at Arthur's curiosity. She grabbed it and opened it, revealing a page of clippings from small magazine advertisements for a trip to New York City with some accompanying pictures. "This is a small scrap book Merlin and I made of places we always said we'd visit someday," Hunith explained before flipping to the next page which was dedicated to Hong Kong.

"How many cities did you go to?" Arthur asked as a small frown appeared on Hunith's face.

"We were never able to make any trips. As much as I tried, I could never save up enough money to afford it," Hunith replied; her tone displayed her defeat and disappointment at her lack of ability to take Merlin on at least one vacation. "But Merlin recently went to Paris, so that is one city we can check off the list," Hunith added.

"How about you, would you like to go to Paris?" Arthur asked.

"Maybe someday. But right now my place is here," Hunith said, sounding hopeful.

As his mother continued flipping through the scrap book of dream vacation spots, Merlin couldn't help but notice the contemplating look in Arthur's eyes. Merlin's eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out what was going on in Arthur's head. After a few moments of failure, Merlin finally decided to question Arthur later.

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"You're seriously going to ditch us for bingo?" Merlin asked his mother in disbelief as she put on her evening coat.

"It's Friday night. And besides, I'm sure you two could use some alone time, especially after spending the whole day with me," Hunith said, surprised at her son's protest of her departure, before adding, "I remember when there was a time you couldn't wait to get me out of the house."

"That was before I drove four hours here with Arthur to visit you for only two full days," Merlin replied.

"I just thought that you two would like some time alone. You'd have the whole house to yourself for the next few hours. Might as well use the time."

"I spend plenty of time with Arthur," Merlin said.

Hunith simply shook her head before saying, "Well, I would like to go out for bingo night. We're spending all day tomorrow together. I'm sure you two won't miss me."

As soon as the door was shut, Merlin turned around to face Arthur. "What do you want to do?" Arthur asked.

"No clue," Merlin replied as he followed Arthur down the hall to his old bedroom, admiring the taut muscles of Arthur's shoulders and back. As soon as they were in the room, Merlin shut the door. "You can't walk around half naked like that."

Arthur smirked as he ruffled his hair a little, "Why not?"

"Because it's hard enough to resist you as it is. Especially after the way you were so open with everything today," Merlin said without really thinking.

Arthur raised an eyebrow as he stepped closer to Merlin. "Does it turn you on when I'm vulnerable like that?"

Merlin rolled his eyes as he closed the gap between Arthur and him before grabbing a hold of the hair on the back of Arthur's head. "Shut up," Merlin demanded before smashing his lips against Arthur.

At that instant, Merlin's control snapped. He slowly pushed Arthur back towards the bed. As soon as the back of Arthur's legs hit the small bed, Merlin shoved Arthur backwards; he ended up in a sitting position with his back against the wall. Before Arthur had a chance to do anything, Merlin straddled his thighs and reattached his mouth to Arthur's.

Arthur's hands gripped onto Merlin's hips, prompting Merlin to roll his hips. "Fuck," Arthur groaned out loud.

"That's the idea," Merlin said before removing his shirt and throwing it on the floor behind him. Merlin then leaned in towards Arthur's ear and whispered in a needy voice, "You have no idea how much I need you to fuck me."

Arthur let out a groan. "We can't. I forgot to pack stuff," he muttered.

"I know," Merlin said before getting up off of Arthur and standing at the edge of the bed, palming himself through his pants. "Doesn't mean we still can't have fun," Merlin added before clumsily unzipping his pants. He shoved his trousers and boxers down his legs before stepping out of them, kicking them to the side.

Arthur heart jumped as his eyes raked over Merlin's naked form, enjoying the sight of his slender body, pale skin, and rock hard cock begging for attention. Suddenly, an idea popped up in Arthur's head, prompting him to get off the bed and rummage through Merlin's luggage. After a few moments of receiving a confused look from Merlin, Arthur finally said excitedly, "Found it." A grin appeared on Merlin's face as he saw the travel size Vaseline in his hand. Arthur then made his way back to the bed and stripped himself of his boxers before lying down on the bed. Merlin took the moment to drink in the sight of his naked body, his gaze landing on Arthur's firm cock that stood proudly. Merlin then looked at Arthur's face, only to see him look back at him suggestively before motioning his head towards his cock. "Suck it."

Merlin nodded obediently, enjoying it when Arthur took control, before kneeling next to the bed so he was perpendicular to Arthur; Merlin inwardly cursed the shortness of the bed which prevented him from getting comfortably between Arthur's legs. Merlin gave the length of Arthur's cock an experimental lick, prompting Arthur to throw his head back. Just as Merlin was about to lick him again, he felt Arthur grab onto his upper arm before gently motioning for Merlin to climb onto the bed. "How am I supposed to suck you off if I'm up here?" Merlin questioned in a somewhat irritated voice.

Arthur shook his head in amusement before replying, "It's called sixty-nine."

"Oh," Merlin said as the words processed in his head, once again feeling inexperienced compared to Arthur.

"Now hurry up," Arthur demanded; Merlin snapped out of his thoughts and climbed over Arthur; his knees on either side of Arthur's head while he propped himself up mere inches away from Arthur's cock. With a smile on his face, and the desire to surprise Arthur, Merlin quickly grabbed a hold of Arthur's cock and wrapped his lips around the head, suckling the tip teasingly. "Fuck, Merlin," Arthur groaned as he involuntarily thrust up into Merlin's mouth, surprising him with sudden force. Before Merlin had a chance to do anything, he felt Arthur take him into his mouth, causing his arms to shake slightly as he moaned around the cock in his mouth.

Merlin remained slack jawed for a few moments as he felt Arthur bob his head around his erection; Arthur took as much as he could until the head of Merlin's cock hit the back of his throat. Suddenly, Arthur thrust his hips upwards again; Merlin gagged at the sudden intrusion. "Prat," Merlin mumbled as he completely pulled off of Arthur's cock to regain his breath. Arthur simply deep-throated his cock in response. Knowing that this was Arthur's way of telling him to get on with it, he quickly wrapped his lips around Arthur before taking in as much as he could. He tried to replicate Arthur's actions, but his gag reflexes prevented him from deep throating Arthur. He then closed his eyes as he continued his task, focused solely on the sounds Arthur was making.

Suddenly, he felt Arthur pressed two fingers against his hole and before slowly sliding them inside; he gagged around Arthur's cock in surprise as his arms threatened to give out. Merlin quickly let Arthur slip out of his mouth before letting out a moan. "Who said you were done," Arthur stated as he pulled his fingers out and slipped them back in; Merlin's magic intensifying the pleasure of the penetration as familiar surges of magic-created pleasure traveled throughout his body.

Merlin nodded as he tried to catch his breath before once again returning to his task, this time his movements much more erratic and less controlled as Arthur continued to deep throat him and finger him. Suddenly, Merlin felt a third finger join the other two, forcing him to let out a long, drawn out moan as his hole was stretched even more. Unable to hold off his raging desire anymore, Merlin quickly pulled his mouth off of Arthur's cock before scooting forward; his leaking erection slipped from Arthur's mouth while Arthur's fingers slipped out of his arse. "I can't take this anymore," Merlin exclaimed as he attempted to turn around on the small bed.

"What are you doing?" Arthur asked.

As soon as Merlin turned around, he knelt with his legs on both sides of Arthur's hips; his eyes revealed his feral need as he stared down at Arthur. "You'll see," Merlin replied huskily as he reached for the small jar of Vaseline. He quickly scooped out a large amount with his fingers before reaching down below him and grabbing onto Arthur's cock; his shaky hand twisting and turning as he attempted to coat the organ as evenly as possible.

"Wait, wait," Arthur protested as he grabbed Merlin's wrist before continuing, "We shouldn't do this." Merlin stared at Arthur for a split second, reading the intense look of lust, desperation, and desire in his eyes. Although Merlin could tell that Arthur was hopelessly turned on, Arthur's hold on his wrist did not falter as he struggled to stay in control.

"Fuck, I love you," Merlin finally let out before continuing to coat Arthur's cock with his hand, knowing full well that Arthur wouldn't hold his wrists against his will. "You're always worried about me. Always trying to make sure that I'm comfortable with what we're doing." Merlin struggled to form words and sentences as he lowered himself down onto Arthur's erection, only to have Arthur quickly move his hands to hold him up. Merlin stared at Arthur with confident, comfortable, and loving eyes, finally prompting him to move his hands away to allow Merlin to continue. "I love you," Merlin said again as he used his hand to guide the head of Arthur's cock to his entrance. With one quick movement, Merlin slammed his hips down, taking in all of Arthur's erection until he was perfectly seated on Arthur.

Merlin quickly raised his hips before slamming back down, earning a groan from Arthur as his entire body shook with magically enhanced pleasure; Arthur moved his hands to grip Merlin's hips while Merlin placed his hands on Arthur's abdomen for leverage.

"I'm not going to last long," Arthur admitted between pants.

"Me, either," Merlin said with a moan.

Merlin stared at him as Arthur returned the stare, obviously mesmerized by the sight of him brutally impaling himself on Arthur's cock while his own erection bounced with each rise and fall, begging for attention. Arthur quickly gripped his hips possessively before moving one hand to his neglected cock. "Oh fuck, Arthur," Merlin panted upon feeling Arthur's hand around his cock; his arms trembled. "Don't, I'm too close."

"I am too," Arthur replied before stroking the length of Merlin's erection. Merlin moaned and arched his back as he came, his swollen cock shooting his load all over Arthur's torso. Arthur once again gripped Merlin's hips and thrust up into him; Arthur's orgasm threatened to come closer as Merlin's muscles seemed to clench around him.

Arthur thrust into Merlin for what felt like eternity; the feeling of Arthur's cock slamming inside of him drew out the after effects of his orgasm. Determined bring Arthur to completion, Merlin tightened his hole as much as he could around Arthur's cock.

With two sharp thrusts, Arthur let out an unintelligible moan as he reached his peak, shooting his load inside of Merlin while his grip on Merlin's hips tightened. Merlin collapsed onto Arthur as soon as he felt Arthur fill him up with his seed; he surprisingly did not mind the feeling of Arthur's come coating his insides, even slightly enjoying it. Merlin lay on Arthur for an unknown amount of time, simply trying to catch his breath as Arthur did the same.

After some time, Merlin finally sat up on Arthur again; Arthur's softening cock still inside him. Merlin stared at him, his heart jumping in his chest at the loving and vulnerable gaze he was receiving from Arthur. Merlin's eyes then traveled down Arthur's taut chest, taking in the sight of his seed beginning to dry on his bronzed skin. With a mischievous grin on his face, Merlin quickly scooped up some of his come off Arthur with two fingers before bringing them to his mouth and sucking on them; Arthur's eyes immediately widened as his cock began to stir with life again.

"I guess you like that," Merlin said as he felt Arthur hardening inside of him, prompting him to lean down and lick as much of his come as he could off of Arthur's chest.

Arthur quickly scooped up some of Merlin's seed off of his lower abdomen before bringing the fingers to Merlin's lips, his eyes closing with a groan as Merlin eagerly took the fingers into his mouth. Arthur felt Merlin's tongue work around and in between his fingers, making sure that he completely cleaned Arthur's fingers of his come. As soon as Arthur's fingers slipped from Merlin's mouth, Merlin once again leaned forward to rest on top of Arthur. A few moments of silence passed between the two, both of them simply enjoying being so close to each other, until Arthur broke the silence, "I love you too, you know."

Merlin grinned as he lifted himself to kiss Arthur's lips. "So you don't think it's too early to say it?" Merlin asked, his voice revealing that he was worried he might have said the three words too soon.

"No," Arthur replied with a sincere smile, "Especially when I feel the same way too."

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Throughout the next day, Merlin and Hunith simply dragged Arthur around the entirety of Ealdor; the fact that it was a small town meant that there wasn't much to do, and was easy to cover.

"Mum, I think we can stop introducing Arthur to people," Merlin stated as the ninth person Hunith introduced Arthur to walked away to finish their Saturday stroll through the park.

Before Hunith had a chance to say anything, she was interrupted by the sound of Arthur's mobile ringing; Arthur fumbled with the device to ignore the call. "Arthur, your phone has been ringing all day, you should just answer it," Merlin said.

"It can wait. We're here visiting your mum, remember?" Arthur replied, earning a soft smile from Hunith.

"Arthur, why don't you take the call? Merlin and I don't mind waiting. Besides, I'm sure you need a break from our constant ramblings about Ealdor," Hunith interjected.

Arthur stared at the two with confusion before finally deciding to listen to them and return the call, "I'll be quick."

"We'll go sit down on a bench. Take your time," Hunith responded in a quiet voice. "I like him Merlin," Hunith said as soon as they were seated and out of hearing distance from him.

Merlin grinned as he turned to his mother, "You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that. Though I kind of already guessed."

"Do you love him?"

"Yeah," Merlin answered with a smile, earning a nod of approval from his mother. A moment of silence passed between the two before Merlin spoke up again, "Do you think that it is too early for me to love him?"

Hunith took a moment to contemplate the question before replying, "No, not with you two. There is just something about you two that makes it seem alright. You're like two sides of the same coin." Merlin visibly cringed. Another few moments of comfortable silenced passed between the two before Hunith spoke up, "Does he know?"

"Know what?"

"About your gifts." Merlin’s stomach dropped.

"No," Merlin mumbled, earning a look of disapproval from his mother. "I want to tell him, but I'm not sure how he will react. He may not even know magic exists," Merlin quickly tried to explain himself, frowning inwardly as he saw his mother's look remain unchanged.

"I know it's hard, and that you are scared. But if you wait too long and he finds out-," Hunith began to say, only to be cut off by her son.

"I know mum," Merlin interrupted as he rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hand before continuing, "I just don't want to lose him because of it. It has already ruined enough of my relationships."

Hunith immediately wrapped her arm around her son before saying, "I know, I know. Trust me, I don't want you to lose him too. But the longer you wait, the harder it will be."

Merlin let out a sigh of defeat as he nodded in agreement. "I'll tell him soon. I'm just not ready to risk it yet," Merlin replied as he saw Arthur walk towards them out of the corner of his eye.

"And when you do, I'll be there to support you," Hunith promised.

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The next morning after leaving his childhood home, Merlin rambled to Arthur about the trip as they drove out of Ealdor. "I love you," Merlin declared randomly as he leaned in to give Arthur a quick kiss.

"I do too," Arthur said. After a few moments, Arthur spoke up again, "I was thinking, we should take your mum to Paris sometime. Just you, me, Mordred, and her."

Merlin stared at Arthur in disbelief. "I don't want you to pay for that. A trip to Paris is expensive."

"Merlin, you know money is hardly an issue," Arthur said in a firm voice before adding, "And I know you want her to see Paris just as much as she wants to."

"But-," Merlin began to say, only to be cut off by Arthur.

"Merlin, do you want to take your mother to Paris or not?" Arthur questioned, his voice revealing that he wanted a straight and simple answer.

"Yes," Merlin finally conceded before immediately adding, "But I don't want to put that on you. It's my job to pay for her things, not yours."

Arthur turned towards Merlin with a raised eyebrow, "Well, you technically work for me, so your ability to pay is dependent on what I pay you. So how about I stop paying you, since you pretty much live with us anyway, and we'll treat the trip to Paris as your payment for tutoring Mordred."

"You're a prat, you know that?" Merlin finally said in defeat, finding it pointless to continue. Yet even in defeat, Merlin couldn't help but love Arthur's persistence on the matter.

"Oh, and you might as well just officially move in too," Arthur added as if it were a random thought.

"Yes, sire," Merlin replied mockingly with a grin on his face.

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"Arthur, there you are," Morgana said upon seeing him step into the flat.

"What's going on?" Arthur asked as he shut the door.

"Uther fired Morgause because he found out she has magic!" Morgana shouted furiously as she glared at Uther standing opposite to her.

"Who is Morgause?" Arthur questioned as he ran his hand through his hair, inwardly disappointed that his weekend had been reduced to another argument about magic, this time in front of Merlin.

"She is my friend and one of the legal consultants at work," Morgana replied

"I will not tolerate magic within my company. I have told you time and time again that magic corrupts those who practice it and I will not risk my company's future to someone under my employment that is a sorcerer. I've lost far too much to sorcery already," Uther said in a similarly firm tone.

"Father, if Morgause proved to be a valuable asset to the legal team, then it seems rash to fire her because of her magic," Arthur said to his father in a calm, controlled voice.

"Arthur, I respect that you are trying to be considerate of your sister's friendship, but we must not take the threat of magic lightly. Sorcerers are the reason why all of my early business ventures failed. They stole millions from me, Arthur," Uther said in a similar tone as Arthur's before glancing at Merlin and the luggage set on the ground. "Did you two just go on a trip?" Uther asked.

"Yeah," Arthur replied hesitantly, knowing Uther would not be thrilled about his relationship with Merlin.

Uther's gaze kept shifting between the two males; his face revealed that he was slowly beginning to figure out the nature of their relationship. Uther then let out a disappointed groan before stating, "I do not care what you do on your own time Arthur. But make sure it does not interfere with the success of the company. And Mordred's tutoring. The boy needs to remain at an advanced level for him to have any chance of taking over the company when you and I are gone."

"Don't worry about Mordred, Father. I know what I'm doing," Arthur replied with a confident voice.

"You better hope you do," Uther said before brushing past Arthur to exit the flat.

"Arthur, you're just going to let him leave? He fired Morgause only because she had magic!" Morgana exclaimed, obviously irritated by Arthur's passiveness.

"It's not my fight, Morgana," Arthur replied.

Morgana immediately opened her mouth to say something, but immediately closed it upon looking at Merlin. She then let out a groan of frustration before directing towards Merlin, "I hope you had fun on your trip. I want to hear all about it when I get back."

Arthur immediately shut the door after his Morgan's departure before turning to Merlin. "Sorry you had to witness that."

"Its fine," Merlin replied as his mind wandered, trying to figure out Arthur's stance on magic.

"How was your trip?" Mordred asked as he stared at Merlin, inwardly noting the fact that Merlin didn't seem at all surprised or taken aback by the mention of magic.

"It was a lot of fun," Arthur replied as he thought of the scene that had just unfolded. More importantly, he thought of Merlin's lack of a reaction to the talk of magic. He wondered if Merlin would accept Mordred's magic.

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Late one afternoon Merlin trudged up and down the stairs with his boxes. Mordred sat slouched against the leather couch staring mindlessly at the television. He knew that he should offer to help the Merlin unpack, especially with his father in a video conference upstairs, but he couldn't get himself to get up off of the couch. "It is Sunday," Mordred said out loud to rationalize his laziness.

Mordred's eyes remained fixated on the television as he struggled between the decision to help Merlin or sit and watch his show. He closed his eyes for a couple of minutes as he leaned his head back, using his magic to locate Merlin to feel if Merlin needed his help. Just as his magic had located Merlin in the kitchen, a sudden wave of magic radiated from the kitchen and flooded the entire flat, pushing Mordred's magic back to him. Mordred's eyes immediately snapped open in shock; a small grin appeared on his face as he saw the picture on the TV frozen in place.

Mordred relaxed for a few moments before dispelling the time freeze effect on his body, allowing him to stand up off the couch and slowly make his way towards the kitchen. As he moved quietly through the entry room, he glanced outside to see the sight of birds frozen mid-air with all of London behind them. Mordred couldn't help but feel impressed; he had never met someone whose magic was equal to or greater than his before.

The closer he got to the kitchen, the more the little strange incidents in the past made sense. Once he crept into the kitchen, he saw Merlin frantically grabbing glasses and mugs that were frozen mid-air. "My dad did always call you clumsy," Mordred said.

"Mordred, what-," Merlin said, only to be cut off by the sound of the remaining floating glasses and mugs smashing into the ground, shattering everywhere. Merlin looked down at the mess before staring at Mordred with widened eyes, his face revealing absolute panic.

"So scaring you breaks your time stop," Mordred stated in observation before continuing, "I guess it makes sense that you have magic."

Merlin's voice cracked as he barely managed to say, "Please, don't tell Arthur. I'll do anything."

Mordred cocked his head in confusion before his eyes lit up in realization a few seconds later. Instead of answering with words, Mordred channeled his magic to levitate all of the broken shards of glass and ceramic on the floor before throwing them out in the trash. "He doesn't care," Mordred finally said.

Merlin gaped in disbelief as he witnessed Mordred's display of magic. "You have magic?" Merlin asked slowly.

"Yeah," Mordred replied with a nonchalant tone.

"And your father knows?"

"Yeah."

Merlin scratched his head for a second before finally saying, "He is going to kill me for breaking all of his glasses and mugs. I was just trying to make room for mine."

"He doesn't care. A lot of stuff breaks because of magic in this flat," Mordred responded with a shrug. Merlin stared at him with an understanding but unsure look, and sighed before saying, "You should tell him. He'd be sad if you kept it a secret from him."

"Are you sure he won't mind?"

Mordred shrugged before replying, "I don't know. I don't think he will." Merlin's head fell forwards a little as his shoulders sagged. Upon seeing the way Merlin reacted to what he said, Mordred spoke up again, "You could wait, I guess."

Merlin shook his head before saying, "No, I'll go tell him now."

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Merlin made his way out of the kitchen and up the stairs; his heart raced as the different outcomes of what was about to unfold played in his mind. Before he realized it, he was standing in front of Arthur's open office, staring directly at him. "Hey," Merlin finally said after taking a deep breath.

"Hey," Arthur said as he looked up at him with a smile. "You okay? You look like someone just kicked your cat," Arthur asked with a concerned look, obviously trying to lighten the mood with a joke.

"I have magic," Merlin blurted.

Both Arthur's and his eyes widened at his words. An unknown amount of time passed between the two as they stared at each other; Merlin knew his face was a revealing a mix of panic, hopefulness, fear, and anxiety while Arthur remained expressionless. "Please say something," Merlin begged.

"Not sure what there is to say. I guess it would have been nice if you had told me earlier."

"So you could break up with me then?"

Arthur stared at him with dumbfounded look. "Is that what you're worried about? You think I'm going to break up with you?"

"I don't know."

"I'm not going to break up with you. I just wish you told me earlier just so I could know."

"So you're not mad? And you're completely okay with it?"

"No, I'm not mad. And of course I'm okay with it. Mordred has magic too, after all," Arthur said before adding, "I guess we just have to tell Mordred."

"He already knows," Merlin replied with a goofy grin. "He found me moving around after I had stopped time," Merlin explained.

"You can stop time?"

"Yeah,"

A suggestive grin appeared on Arthur's face as he said, "I've got a conference call any minute from now. But I think you need to come over here to make it up to me for hiding your magic for so long."

Merlin's goofy grin spread as he walked over to Arthur's desk. He straddled his lap as he draped his arms around Arthur's shoulders. "I think I need to make it up to you too," Merlin said in a low voice before his eyes flashed gold; the office door slid shut while time stopped all around them.

"Your eyes glow when you use magic." Arthur tilted his head up to breathe over Merlin’s ear before whispering, "You have no idea how much that turns me on."

"Well, now you have all of the time in the world to show me," Merlin replied, motioning towards the frozen television screen with his head. "Now where were we?"

"You were about to make it up to me," Arthur said before leaning forward to attach his lips to Merlin's. Just before their lips met, the sound of the sliding door flying open echoed through the room, causing both of them to jump with a start and turn towards the door to see Mordred glaring at them.

Mordred's eyes narrowed in concentration before motion and sound suddenly continued on the television as Merlin felt his time stop dissipate. "I'm watching the telly! Don't stop time just so you two can kiss. You do it enough at night!"

Merlin held in a laugh while Arthur let out a frustrated groan. "Or we can just stop time again and use magic to lock the door," Arthur said childishly.

"I'll just start time back up again and dispel the lock," Mordred replied with the familiar Pendragon challenging and firm look.

"Can he do that?" Arthur asked Merlin quietly, earning a nod. "Fine, go watch your shows," Arthur said in defeat. Mordred shut the office door with magic. Before either of them had a chance to say anything, Arthur's mobile began to ring.

Merlin climbed off of Arthur and adjusted his hard-on into a more comfortable position. "I guess I should finish unpacking," Merlin said with a small frown.

"Remember, you still owe me though," Arthur said in a playful tone before reaching for his mobile.

"Trust me, I'm looking forward to it."

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"Are you two done packing yet?" Arthur asked one day when he found Merlin and Mordred using magic to launch multiple footballs at each other in the entry room. Arthur stared at the two. "That's just a cheap way to play football. You're not even using your feet."

"We're trying to see who can break the other's concentration first," Merlin replied with gold eyes.

"Sounds pointless," Arthur pointed out as he crossed his arms, his eyes darting back and forth as the two sorcerers rocketed footballs at each other.

"I like it more than packing," Mordred stated while maintaining his concentration on the small magic battle.

"You two don't even have to do anything. You can just sit and use magic to pack," Arthur said.

"Arthur!" a loud, stern voice echoed through the room, causing him to turn around in shock while both Mordred and Merlin lost control of the balls, sending them off in different directions at high speeds until they bounced off of something.

"Father," Arthur mumbled upon seeing the eldest Pendragon standing at the doorway looking furious. "What are you doing here?" Arthur questioned with a surprised tone.

"I came here to see if it was true that you were going on another trip tomorrow. But instead I find you standing around while sorcery is openly being used in front of you!"

"I'm not sure what you want me to say," Arthur replied with a sigh.

"What I want for you to say is that you're going to ensure that magic is removed from this home! I will not tolerate the use of magic in my family!" Uther shouted.

"I have magic," Mordred suddenly spoke up.

Uther stared at him in shock. "How long?"

"Since I was born," Mordred said firmly, refusing to back down

Uther turned to his son with a glare and asked, "Is this true?" Arthur sighed before nodding. Uther's face reddened with anger. "How dare you keep this from me! And you just stood by and watched as his magic festered and grew. It just proves that you are not responsible enough to be a father!"

"No, what it proves is that I am a more tolerant man than you are! My son was born with magic, and there was no way I was going to forsake him like you would have done," Arthur added in a calmer voice.

"I will not tolerate magic in this family, Arthur! First get rid of your fling then we will figure out a way to undo the harm you have done by allowing Mordred's magic to grow."

"Merlin is more than a fling. And if you refuse to accept my relationship with him, and your own grandson's magic, then I'll just make a new family. One that is tolerant of magic and does not include you!" Arthur retorted with an unyielding tone.

"Don't say things you will regret, Arthur," Uther said with a similarly firm tone.

"I'm not," Arthur stated, and Uther's eyes narrowed in disgust.

"You've disappointed me Arthur, and disgraced the Pendragon name," Uther said calmly before pivoting on his feet and opening the front door. Just before the eldest Pendragon stepped into the hall, he stuffed his hand into his pocket and fished out his key before throwing it on the floor behind him. "I expect your apology soon," Uther said before exiting the flat and shutting the door.

The three stood in silence for a few moments; both Mordred and Merlin staring at Arthur in disbelief as he contemplated what had just happened. A small smile appeared on his face as he felt surprisingly comfortable and at ease with his decision. He then turned around to face the two sorcerers and said, "You two really need to pack."

"Okay." Mordred gave him a quick hug before making his way upstairs.

Once Mordred was out of sight, Merlin stepped towards Arthur and gave him a loving and reassuring kiss. "You okay?" Merlin asked.

"Surprisingly, I am," Arthur replied; glad that he had finally moved his family out of the looming shadow of his father.

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At exactly 4:15 AM the next morning, loud beeping could be heard echoing from the two ends of the Pendragon flat. A few moments into the beeping, a small thump could be heard from one end of the flat, quickly followed by light footsteps before the loud beeping ended. On the other end of the flat, shuffling could be heard as a pair of solid feet moved to turn off the morning alarm.

Mordred emerged from his room, trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes as he slowly made his way towards the stairs. As he got nearer to the stairs, Arthur stepped into the hallway and began his descent down the stairs with his son in tow.

The two began their early morning routine; both Pendragons moving fluidly through the kitchen as they prepared their breakfast. Just as the food was close to being finished, Merlin finally trudged groggily into the kitchen before sitting down at the center island and resting his head on the counter. "Hey, set the table," Arthur said as he shoveled the scrambled eggs onto a serving place.

"Not a table. It's a counter," Merlin mumbled as his eyes turned gold. The plates, napkins, cups, and utensils arranged themselves perfectly for the three of them.

"You looked tired," Mordred pointed out as he grabbed toast and crumpets and placed them on a serving place.

"It's too early," Merlin mumbled in response before closing his eyes.

Mordred simply rolled his eyes before using his magic to pour orange juice into the three cups and saying, "We're going to be late; I know it."

"No we're not, now eat," Arthur said before setting the eggs, sausage, and bacon on the island.

After spending a leisurely amount of time eating, the three found themselves in a rush to change their clothes and get to King's Cross.

"Good morning Mr. Pendragon," the receptionist said as she stood up; Arthur simply ignored the woman as he briskly walked through the lobby with Mordred and Merlin in tow.

Once outside, Mordred climbed into the cab first and told the driver, "King's Cross, fast." Once the cab door was shut, the driver peeled out of the driveway and onto the mostly deserted London street.

Once at King's Cross, Arthur handed the driver a £50 note before exiting the cab after Merlin and Mordred, not even bothering to tell the driver to keep the change. Mordred then led the two older males through the crowd to the express check-in. Once they had cleared security and customs, the three rushed through the mass of people to their gate; Arthur read a clock as he passed by one, 5:33 AM. They had two minutes to make the train.

A minute and a half later, Mordred stepped onto the train just before Merlin and his father; the three males letting out a unanimous sigh of relief. As they heard the conductor speak through the overhead speakers, Merlin made his way through the train car until he reached a group of four seats facing each other with a woman sitting in one of them. "Sorry we're late," Merlin said as he took the seat next to his mother.

"I was worried you were going to miss the train," Hunith replied while Mordred took the window seat across from her and Arthur sat down next to his son.

"If Merlin had been any slower we probably would have," Arthur stated half-serious, half-jokingly.

"My boy has never been the most punctual of people," Hunith admitted. Arthur and Mordred laughed while Merlin sighed, knowing that it was pointless to try and challenge the true statement.

Hunith then turned towards the boy across from her and smiled before saying, "Hi, you must be Mordred."

Mordred simply nodded before saying, "It's nice to meet you, Ms. Emrys."

"I see you take after your father's way to speaking," Hunith replied with a light laugh.

"You have no idea. He is just as sarcastic as Arthur as well," Merlin added.

"I'm sure Mordred is a perfect ten-year-old boy, who also happens to be our translator," Hunith stated before turning to Mordred and saying, "I hope you don't mind if I ask you to translate often."

"I don't mind."

Hunith flashed Mordred a smile before turning to Arthur, "Thank you for this trip. I know you didn't have to do this."

"It's my pleasure, Hunith. I'm just glad that we were able to make the train," Arthur said as he cast an accusatory glance at Merlin.

"It wasn't all my fault," Merlin defended himself as he lightly tapped Arthur's leg with his foot.

"Really? Then whose was it?" Arthur said with a laugh. Merlin rolled his eyes.

"Yours," Mordred immediately spoke up, causing Arthur, Merlin, and Hunith to turn towards him in surprise.

"My fault? How is it my fault?" Arthur asked.

Mordred smirked before answering. "You're the one with a man who can stop time, but we still almost missed the train."

"Mordred."

"Yes?" he replied with the smirk still on his face.

"Shut up," Arthur said, his tone revealing that he couldn't think of anything to come to his defense. Mordred's smirk grew as he leaned back in his seat and rested his head against his father's upper arm. As his eyes slowly shut, he couldn't help but feel glad that his father and Merlin had gotten together, and thankful for the new family that came with it.