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comment_fic2011-02-24 10:47 am
badfalcon.livejournal.com) wrote in comment_fic2011-02-24 10:47 am
Thursday: Vacation
We've reached Thursday, which means it's my last day as your host. I've had a blast and I hope you have too. We're going to finish the week off by going on vacation. All-inclusive 5-star resorts or dumps with cockroaches? Relaxing by the pool or sight-seeing?
Please just remember:
And, as ever, the correct format for prompts is as follows
Criminal Minds, Rossi & Hotch, you do remember what a vacation is, don't you?
Quantum Leap/Chuck, Sam Beckett, family vacation with the Bartowskis
If today's round of h/c doesn't take your fancy, please remember there's always the Lonely Prompts
Please just remember:
- Only three prompts for the same fandom & only five prompts in a row (though if one of your prompts is filled, you can prompt again).
- No spoilers in your prompts for at least a week after the airdate/release.
- Warn for any spoilers for your fic in bold and leave at least three spaces before the text.
- Take the monkeys into consideration when writing your prompt. If the prompt is too long, it becomes very hard to record it properly in the archive. Fics are also meant to be comment sized! If you get very inspired, that's ok, but long detailed prompts deserve long detailed stories, and that's not what we're about. Thank you!
And, as ever, the correct format for prompts is as follows
Criminal Minds, Rossi & Hotch, you do remember what a vacation is, don't you?
Quantum Leap/Chuck, Sam Beckett, family vacation with the Bartowskis
If today's round of h/c doesn't take your fancy, please remember there's always the Lonely Prompts
no subject
no subject
Arthur sipped his coffee and winced. Nobody made coffee like Merlin. Why did he give him the day off, today of all days? Obviously that was temporary insanity. On the day he had the meeting with Castle Keep, his biggest client. Holy crap, what was he thinking?
He sighed and pushed the button on the intercom. “Bridget, do you have the Castle Keep file? I think Merlin keeps it in the top drawer. Under ‘C’.” Obviously, but Bridget hadn’t shown herself to be the sharpest tool in the box. She arrived at 10:00, having forgotten to adjust her clock to Daylight Savings Time.
Merlin. Arthur mused for a moment on his personal secretary. He’d been working for him for a year and had surprisingly proved himself indispensable. Things hadn’t started out that well, with Merlin pushing a file cart into Arthur, causing his coffee to spill all over the Castle Keep files. Merlin had spent a month recreating them, after Arthur decided to promote him to his personal secretary. It had nothing to do with the dimples in his cheeks or the deep blue of his eyes. Nothing whatsoever. He kept telling Morgana that, but she refused to believe him. Merlin’s résumé was impressive, despite his difficulty in manoeuvring down an office hallway.
He wondered what Merlin was doing today. Merlin had only given him hints of his personal life. That one time Arthur had taken him to lunch when he gave him a raise, and that other time Morgana had invited them both for drinks. She’d made strange faces at him the whole time, with little mysterious gestures toward Merlin. He still couldn’t figure out what she was on about.
Merlin had said he was just going to relax today, maybe do a few errands, and have lunch with a friend. Friend. Arthur tried not to wonder too much who the friend was. It was really none of his business. He remembered hearing Merlin on the phone a few times to someone who sounded like a friend. Merlin had been laughing and his colour was high. His eyes were sparkly too. Not that Arthur ever noticed that kind of thing. He was too busy with his important clients.
Arthur tried to concentrate on some of the files he needed to go through for the Castle Keep meeting. But his mind kept wandering to Merlin. What kind of friends did he have anyway? Merlin had invited to a party at his flat, once. And he’d mentioned a roommate. Bill, was that his name? Arthur couldn’t quite remember, but apparently he was overly fond of Guinness and never cleaned the bathroom. Arthur had been busy with a client dinner that night and couldn’t go.
Somehow the scent of Merlin’s soap seemed so much more interesting to think about than Castle Keep’s profit and loss statement. Arthur sighed and had another sip of weak, watery coffee. He bet anything that Merlin liked those fruity soaps instead of something manly and bracing.
The meeting was interminable and god-awful boring. He made his presentation at the beginning and after that he could relax. Uther’s voice droned on and on and the numbers soon swam before Arthur’s eyes. It wasn’t long before he was discreetly texting Merlin. After five texts, he gave up. Why didn’t Merlin text him back? OK, he was supposed to be having a day off, but really, how did he know Arthur wasn’t having an emergency? “What are you wearing right now?” and “What kind of coffee beans do you use?” didn’t exactly exude an air of urgency, but still. Arthur needed him. To, um, be there for general support, yeah, that was it. Bridget just didn’t know where things were.
Merlin 2/3
The car pulled up to Merlin’s building in a slightly seedy part of town. Arthur ignored the ramshackle corner shop and suspicious blokes hanging around outside, passing around something Arthur strongly suspected wasn’t a cigarette, and walked assertively up the front steps. He surveyed the flat buzzers. “Grand Wizard/Young Workers United” read the label to 4D.
Dear god. Arthur sighed and pressed the buzzer.
“Who is it?” said Merlin.
“A tool of the oppressor,” Arthur said.
He heard some static, and then the door buzzed to let him in.
Four floors. He had to walk up four floors to get to Merlin’s flat. No wonder Merlin was so skinny. When he finally made it up to the fourth floor landing, Merlin had the door open already.
“Arthur! What are you doing here?” Merlin looked at him with wide eyes, a rag in his hand.
“Erm , well.” Now that he was here, the surge of need that had initially propelled him came to a grinding halt. Why was he here? Logic didn’t provide an answer. “I just, um, needed to tell you the Castle Keep deal went through.”
“You came all the way here on my day off to tell me that.” Merlin raised an eyebrow. “You know, there’s this thing called the telephone, came in early last century, maybe you’ve heard of it.”
“I thought it merited a report in person,” Arthur huffed. He inwardly cringed at the ridiculous explanation. But the way Merlin’s eyes twinkled merrily in response was worth it.
“Okay then.” Merlin threw the rag on an easel nearby that Arthur hadn’t noticed before. “Would you like some coffee or tea? Seeing as you came all the way here.” The easel held a painting in bold colours. So Merlin was a painter. Arthur was glad his impetuous little adventure had revealed at least one heretofore unknown fact about Merlin’s life.
Re: Merlin 3/3
“It’s all part of my master plan to take over the universe. Sorry for the mess. I’m painting.” He pulled coffee beans and a filter out of the cabinet. “That’s what I like to do on my days off. I’m having a show at my friend Gwen’s gallery in a couple of months. Well, gallery...” He made a dismissive gesture. “It’s more like a café with a few pictures on the wall, but I’m excited to have the exposure.”
Arthur noticed the stacks of paintings lined up along the edges of the flat, leaning up against the walls. “Why didn’t I know about this? These are marvellous.” He walked back into the lounge to take a better look. “You’re really talented, Merlin. You must let me know when the show is. I’ll drag Morgana along and we’ll buy something.”
Merlin blushed. “Okay. Thank you.” He cleared his throat. “You don’t have to.”
“Happy to.” Arthur smiled at him. Merlin smiled back and there was a moment of silence while they both looked at each other. Arthur admired how relaxed Merlin seemed outside of the office, in his jeans and T-shirt, a ratty black cardigan wrapped around his lean torso, red Converse spattered with paint. It was a good look. Arthur wouldn’t mind seeing Merlin like this all the time.
“You’ve got...” Arthur gestured to Merlin’s hair. “There’s...”
“What?”
Arthur put a hand up to Merlin’s tousled hair where there was a big blue streak of paint. “Here. There’s some blue paint.” Merlin suddenly seemed much closer than he had before. Arthur’s hand wavered in the air above Merlin’s hair. He was so tempted to touch it. It looked wavy and soft.
“Oh,” Merlin said meaninglessly, looking at Arthur with big blue eyes, crinkled at the edges and ridged with thick black lashes.
Arthur felt paralyzed. “I, uh...” He didn’t know what he was doing, this seemed insane, but he found himself leaning in closer, propelled by the soft, ripe look of Merlin’s mouth. He kissed him softly, lingering on that lush lower lip, waiting for Merlin inevitably to slap him or push him away. But it didn’t happen. Arthur’s mouth moved just slightly, testing the waters, and Merlin responded, adjusting his lips to Arthur’s, opening them slightly to his touch. Arthur put his hand on Merlin’s shoulder and that was it, they were off in a frantic clash of lips and tongue and teeth.
“Arthur, I, “ Merlin gasped for air. “I don’t know if we should..You’re my boss...”
“Shut up, Merlin,” Arthur growled before closing his mouth on his again. “Obviously, you’re quitting and I’m setting you up in your own studio.” He curled a hand around Merlin’s hip possessively. “Talent like yours needs space to grow and flourish. How does being a kept man sound?” He pushed his crotch into Merlin’s for emphasis, pleased to feel that Merlin was just as aroused as him.
“Delightful. I think you should be my first subject. A full nude sounds like a good place to start, don’t you think?” Merlin started to loosen Arthur’s tie and unbutton his shirt.
“Definitely.”
Re: Merlin 3/3
I love it! ♥♥♥ Thank you (again)!
Re: Merlin 3/3
Re: Merlin 3/3
Re: Merlin 3/3
Re: Merlin 3/3
Re: Merlin 3/3
Re: Merlin 3/3