Chapter Text
Ding-de-la-ding-dong.
“Arthur, can you get that?” shouted Merlin from the kitchen. The oven dinged in front of him and he bent to retrieve a massive tray of sticky chicken wings.
“God, that smells divine,” said Gwen, floating into the kitchen.
“It’s my personal recipe,” said Merlin. “Reheated chicken wings from Costco.”
“C’est delicieux,” she said, nodding sagely.
Merlin snorted at her as he pulled at a pair of tongs and started transferring the wings to a serving tray.
Ding-de-la-ding-dong.
“Arthur?” called Merlin.
“I think he’s off playing with Sarah. I’ll get it,” said Gwen. She ducked out of the kitchen and picked her way between the boxes still lining the hallway. The bell rang again as she made it to the foyer, and she wrenched the door open.
“Alright, alright. Hold your horses,” she chided.
Morgana laughed. “In our defense, those two once left me at the door for ten minutes while they screwed around inside.”
Gwen smiled, and stepped forward to hug her. “God, I know. At least they’ve got the world’s most annoying doorbell now. Try ignoring that.” She broke away from Morgana and leant up to press a kiss to Gwaine’s cheek.
“Speaking of which,” said Gwaine, reaching forward to tap the doorbell again and again and again.
Ding-de-Ding-de-Ding-Ding-Ding-de-Ding-de-la…
“Oh my God, will you shut up?” yelled Merlin from the kitchen.
“Answer your own damn door then!” called Gwaine. “You are the worst host ever!”
“Eat me!”
“Merlin!” chirped a chastising voice.
“Crap, Mum, I thought you were still in the yard.”
“I’m sure you did.”
Gwen rolled her eyes. “Best you come in,” she said, standing aside.
Gwaine happily sauntered in with Morgana, making his way around the corridor.
“How the crap have they not finished unpacking yet?” he said, taking in the scattered boxes. “We brought this shit in like a month ago.”
Gwen shrugged. “Easily distracted? I think this stuff is meant to go to storage.”
“Which means it will probably stay there for the next six months,” said Mrs Emerson, smiling as they entered the kitchen. “Neat and organised, my son is not.”
“Hey, I resent that,” said Merlin.
“You resemble that,” she snarked.
Morgana laughed. “It’s good to see you, Mrs Emerson.”
“You too, dear.”
The two women shared a brief embrace, and Merlin nodded to her over his shoulder.
“How you doing?” he asked.
“Hungry,” Morgana said, peering over at the wings.
Merlin finished dipping up and put the tray on the counter, next to a cluster of bowls filled with salad, fried rice and potato gems.
“Good timing. The table’s set out back if you want to help me carry.”
“I’ve got it,” volunteered Gwaine. “Where’s Arthur?”
“Last I saw him, Sarah was dragging him that way,” said Mrs Emerson, pointing toward a side corridor.
“I’ll get them,” said Morgana.
She left the rest to set up lunch and made her way through the corridor. Distantly, she could hear a small voice chattering away.
“So then the girl lions were in the tree and they fell asleep up there cause they don’t fall. They’re really smart.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“They are! They do all the hunting cause they’re strong and they know how to fight things the best.”
“Okay, hun, stay still.”
“And then they mate with the boy lions and have babies. Mating is when two animals get married.”
A soft chuckle. “I guess that’s true.”
Morgana knocked at the door. “Can I come in?”
“Morgana!” came a delighted voice.
“Wait, Sarah, stop squirming, just for a sec. Come in Morgs. Maybe you can keep this hellion still.”
Morgana swung the door open to reveal a bathroom. Arthur was sat on the edge of the tub, holding a wet cloth to Sarah’s outstretched arm while she bounced in place. Sarah meanwhile had contorted herself around her trapped arm to beam up at Morgana .
“We’re doing tattoos!” she said gleefully.
“Very cool,” said Morgana, taking a look. Sarah’s arms were dotted with butterflies and flowers, and there appeared to be a dragon on her left cheek.
“Okay, good to go,” said Arthur, removing the cloth and carefully peeling away the paper to reveal a full-length Wonder Woman winding up a vicious punch.
“Awesome! Thank you!” grinned Sarah, flexing her arms and admiring them in the light.
“You should go show your Mum,” said Morgana, “Lunch is ready.”
“Okay!” agreed Sarah, and promptly bolted past Morgana, causing her to wobble on one foot.
“She’s been here half an hour and I’m already exhausted,” said Arthur, chuckling. He bent to pick up the discarded pieces of tattoo paper and Morgana saw pink and blue flowers over his wrists and forearms.
“Looks like she’s taking good care of you.”
“She wanted to paint my nails first but decided we couldn’t because we didn’t have blue. Boys are meant to paint their nails blue.”
“Obviously.”
“Apparently some kid called Justin in her class told her.”
“Oh, she told you about Justin?”
“Just that he knows a lot about everything. Why?”
Morgana nudged the bin over to Arthur with her foot so he could dump the papers.
“I was helping her with her spelling work the other day. The back page was graffitied. Sarah and Justin sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G.” She led the way out of the bathroom with a musical twirl.
Arthur rolled his eyes and followed.
“Kids can be teasing little shits.”
“It was her handwriting.”
Arthur blinked, then let out a guffaw, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Oh my God, of course it was.”
Morgana giggled, running a hand through her hair. It was the most relaxed she been in ages. Arthur looked over and took her in, eyes warm.
“You look good. How are you feeling?”
Morgana smiled sadly and shrugged. “It’s one of my better days. I’m getting there.”
Arthur tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “I’m glad.” She flicked him on the wrist, lips quirking into a sardonic smirk and his gentle smile widened.
Thumping footsteps interrupted their moment and a tiny tornado ploughed into the corridor.
“Oh my God, what is taking so long?” demanded Sarah. “The food is out so COME ON!”
Arthur’s expression turned stern.
“Excuse me Sarah,” he said in a firm voice, “Is that how you talk to people?”
Sarah pouted. “But you’re so slow!”
Arthur leant down a little. “Morgana and I were having a conversation, and I know you have better manners than that.”
Sarah looked at her shoes and said nothing.
Arthur took in her flushed face and tight lips. He softened his voice.
“Hey, don’t worry, sweetheart, it’s just something you’ve got to remember. Always be patient and have good manners, okay?”
Sarah nodded, still not looking up, and Arthur smiled.
“Why don’t you go let Merlin know we’re on our way?”
She jerked her head in another nod and pivoted, disappearing out the far door.
“I remember that,” said Morgana softly. Arthur turned and raised an eyebrow at her, noticing her eyes were a little unfocussed.
“The stern-but-reasonable dad stuff,” she continued. “Used to drive me nuts. It’s hard to stay mad at someone being kind.”
“As I recall, you managed it well enough,” he said with a wry smile.
“Yeah, but that’s sort of the natural order, isn’t it?”
“Indeed. Children must resent their parents at least thirty percent of the time. It is known,” said Arthur with solemn gravity. Then he chuckled, and Morgana leant back against a wall.
“Man,” she said, “this is so weird. I remember you cleaning me up after mud fights in the village, but I also remember changing your nappies when you were my nephew.”
“Really? Jesus. I’m glad the first few years are always pretty fuzzy.”
“No kidding. Man, our relationship is fucking weird. Just in case you weren’t aware.”
Morgana rubbed a palm across her forehead and giggled helplessly. Arthur leaned against the wall opposite, watching her with his arms crossed.
“She reminds me of you, sometimes,” he said in a low voice.
“What, Sarah?” asked Morgana, incredulously.
“Yeah. Mostly when she’s being super stubborn.”
“Oh, get stuffed, Arthur,” said Morgana, pushing off from the wall and smacking him on the shoulder. He held up his hands in submission, but laughed anyway.
“No, really!” he said, relaxing back into the wall, “She’s got your spirit.”
Morgana sighed. She looked back to where Sarah had disappeared, and seemed to lose focus a little. When she spoke again her voice was dreamy, and her smile tinted with a little tragedy. “Maybe, once I get better… if I’m really good… I’ll remind you of her.”
Arthur stepped forward to wrap an arm over her shoulders, turning them towards the door and coaxing her into a walk.
“You’re good, Morgana,” he murmured, and they made their way out to the yard together.
Flecks of sun were poking out from the usual England gloom, making the backyard seem warm and welcoming. Two large, rickety tables had been pulled out onto the grass, and a big group of people were seated around them, chatting and laughing.
“There you are,” called Merlin. “Were you two trying to hunt your own food in there? You’ve been ages!”
“Aaaaaaand there goes everything I just said to Sarah,” groaned Arthur, and Morgana giggled into his shoulder.
At the table, Gwaine gestured to the empty seat beside him and Morgana ducked out from Arthur’s arm to join him. Beside them, Elyan was pulling faces at the confused baby in Leon’s lap, while Mrs Emerson loudly told everyone present about the time a five-year-old Merlin flushed all his army men down the toilet so they could investigate the poo universe. Leon’s wife, a tall, sweet-faced woman who often reminded Arthur of Roslyn, bit her knuckles to muffle her snigger as baby Merlin shouted orders into the toilet bowl and pressed his ear to the cistern to check their progress.
Arthur took a seat between Merlin and Percival, pressing a kiss to Merlin’s very flushed ear. Merlin pouted, shooting him a beseeching look, clearly demanding that Arthur offer some kind of defense for his dignity. Arthur nodded at him seriously, and when a break appeared in the conversation, he volunteered,
“He also decided to climb up our cupboards so he could hide the chocolate at the very top where I can’t reach and accidentally stuck his foot in a giant back of coffee. He still has grounds in his nails! Show them, Merlin!”
Gwaine and Mrs Emerson snorted into their drinks and Merlin turned an utterly betrayed look on him. Arthur answered with a wide-eyed, innocent smile, and Merlin flicked him on the nose.
“Dick,” he whispered, letting his head fall onto Arthur’s shoulder. “I can un-forge that ring, you know.”
“Don’t you dare,” said Arthur, nuzzling gleefully into his hair.
“Okay, okay, before we dig in, I’d like to propose a toast,” declared Mrs Emerson, standing up and raising a sparkling glass of chardonnay. “To my son, and his wonderful fiancé, here in their new home. May your lives be long, and full of love. And Arthur, please try to keep an eye on him. No more kitchen parkour, okay?”
“Yes, ma’am,” agreed Arthur.
Sarah climbed up on her seat, waving her hands.
“My turn, my turn!”
“Go ahead, kidlet,” said Merlin.
She straightened, looking as regal as any seven-year-old with a dragon on her face.
“To my brother! The most powerfullest wizard in the land!”
The group quieted, watching the little girl, until Merlin leaned forward.
“I’m a warlock, remember?” he replied in a conspiratorial whisper.
“Oh yeah. Warlock,” nodded Sarah, sitting back down.
Mrs Emerson patted her on the head and rolled her eyes at Merlin. “Must you encourage her?”
“Absolutely,” said Merlin, looking to his sister with a grin. “Sarah knows what’s up.”
He offered his fist and Sarah solemnly bumped it with her own. Arthur bit back an amused smirk, but said nothing.
Gwen’s eyes sparkled, and she lifted her own drink. “Now me, I think,” she said, smiling at Arthur and Merlin. “To new beginnings.”
Lance matched her gesture. “To the endurance of good things.”
Merlin raised his glass, catching Arthur’s gaze and holding it, low and intense. “To an end we’ll see out together.”
Everyone around the table took a sip, and the moment was heavy with promise. A shaft of sunlight broke through the clouds to light up their faces and Merlin felt warmth through his chest.
He took Arthur’s hands in his own. Their matching firestone rings glinted in the early afternoon light.
Arthur kissed him.