Fic: Kiss Me Slowly
Oct. 13th, 2011 02:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the_huffsterTitle: Kiss Me Slowly
Author: the_huffster
Pairing: Uther/Morgana
Rating: R
Timeline: Modern AU
Synopsis: There's a thin line between friendship and attraction. When Morgana realizes she has feelings for Arthur's father, that thin line becomes uncrossable. So she does the only logical thing she can think of- deny, deny, deny. But, of course, things are never that easy when it comes to the matters of the heart.
Author's Note: So I basically can't write set time periods and I really wanted to write a Merlin fic. Which is why this is modern day. With that said, this is the test chapter for me to see if it'll have enough interest for me to continue.
Pale green eyes stared at the front door, debating on knocking or walking right in. Deciding that Arthur could survive if she walked in on him, Morgana put her hand on the doorknob and pushed the front door open. She rolled her eyes when the door opened so easily. One of these days Arthur was going to learn to lock his front door.
“So Arthur,” she began as she walked towards the living room, preparing herself for whatever she might see. “I was walking over here and had a thought.”
“Yes, Morgana, feel free to invade my home.” Arthur’s voice sounded as he walked in from the kitchen, sending a glare at her before he dropped on to his couch.
“It’s not invading if you give me a spare key,” she pointed out as she sat on the other side of the couch, turning to look at her friend. “And besides, you left your front door unlocked. Again.”
“Why should I lock my door if I’m home?”
“Because I have no desire to walk in on you having sex with someone. Again.”
Morgana smiled at the blush that spread on the blonde’s face, his blue eyes focusing on the floor. Granted it may have been over three years when she walked in on him and Gwen, but she still loved to tease him about it. Hell, she still loved to tease him about the fact that she had been his first crush when they were growing up.
“Did you have a reason for just barging in like you own the place?” Arthur finally asked as he leaned back against the cushions.
“I wanted to talk to you about tonight,”
“We’re having dinner with my father. Like we do every Friday, Morgana.” He rolled his head towards her, raising an eyebrow at the conversation topic. “Unless you’re here to tell me that you’ve picked up a night class on Fridays, or that one of our friends no longer has class until six, then nothing has changed.”
“You should tell Uther tonight.” She blurted out, fighting back the giggle at his shocked expression.
“Why?” he sat up as he looked at his best friend. “What makes you think that’s a good idea?”
“It’s been nearly three years, Arthur. Don’t you think your father deserves to know that his only son is never going to date a woman?”
Arthur just stared at her before shaking his head. “Why do you use so many words to say I’m gay?”
“Because I know deep down it bothers you,” she smirked before going back to the conversation. “I don’t understand why you won’t tell him.”
“Oh yeah, I can see that conversation clearly, ‘Hey Dad, I’m gay. And you know my friend Merlin? Yeah, I’ve been shagging him for two years’.”
“You don’t have to tell him you’re dating Merlin just yet.”
“I’m not ready to tell him, alright?” Arthur looked at her, willing her to understand him. “I’ll tell him when I know for sure he won’t disown me. Because if he disowns me, that means he goes back to doing what I’m doing for the studio until he dies. And that won’t end well for anyone.”
Morgana just sighed and ran a hand through her dark hair. She understood where he was coming from, but she was just so frustrated with having to lie about non-existent dates Arthur was having. It wasn’t fair to Arthur, and it wasn’t fair for Merlin to always pretend to be just a friend whenever Uther was around. And she told Arthur just that.
“Merlin understands,” he told her. “And that’s all that matters. Besides, I’ll tell him tonight if you tell me who your new man is.”
“What?” Morgana raised an eyebrow at the younger man.
“Come on! I’ve seen the change in you,” Arthur said, grinning at the idea that he may be on to one of Morgana’s secrets. “You’re…in higher spirits than usual. You only ever get like that if there’s a new man in your life.”
“Arthur, there’s no one new in my life and you know I have no time to date anyone. Besides, I have nothing to do with you telling Uther about you being gay.” She shook her head. “He’s your father, he’ll still love you Arthur.”
“My father also happens to be a massive, judgmental prick when you get down to it.” He added. “And based on what I know, Dad would never…”
“I would never what?”
Arthur and Morgana snapped their heads towards the opening to the living room just as the subject of their conversation walked in.
“I was just telling Morgana…” Arthur started, struggling to come up with anything at the idea that his father had heard their whole talk.
“Arthur was just telling me about a script that he passed up on.” Morgana jumped in as Uther made his way into the living room. “Apparently it was just awful, and he said so when he read it.”
“Yeah. And then the screenwriter had the nerve to say that you wouldn’t have passed up such a movie.” The blonde finished, sending a silent “thank you” to his friend. “I was just saying that you would never had allowed such a bad script to be made into a movie that the studio was backing.”
“You shouldn’t talk about work so much, Arthur.” Uther grinned as he sat in one of the armchairs.
“Says the man who only ever talked about worked.” Arthur rolled his eyes as he got to his feet, asking his guests what they wanted to drink. “Anyways, why are you here so early?”
“What? Am I no longer allowed to visit my son?”
“No, but…you could visit Morgana once in a while.” Arthur called from the kitchen. “I know she gets lonely living by herself.”
“I visit Morgana more often than you’re aware of, son.” Uther answered, sending a wink her way before he continued. “But I’m sure you wouldn’t want me to keep her company in your living room with you in earshot.”
Morgana gawked at the older man while the sound of breaking glass echoed from the kitchen, quickly followed by Arthur swearing. Uther let out a bark of laughter at the reaction his response had gotten, his laughter dying into giggles by the time his son walked out with two bottles of water and an unopened beer bottle.
“That wasn’t funny, Dad.” He grumbled as he handed the beer bottle to his father, sending a quick glare at the older man before walking back to the couch and handing Morgana her bottle of water.
Uther just chuckled as he took a sip of his beer.
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“I’m perfectly capable walking the few blocks back to my flat by myself,” Morgana said as she slipped her hand to the crook of his arm.
“I know you are, but my car is at your flat.” Uther answered, his right hand going into the pocket of his pants.
“Why is your car there and not here? It would’ve been easier to just drive me back to my place,”
“True, but I also know you’ll be getting into a car a little bit after I drop you off.” He gave her a small smile before looking ahead of them as they walked down the street. “A little walking won’t kill you, Morgana.”
The 22 year old rolled her eyes as they fell into an easy silence. Moments like this were rare between her and Uther. Anytime they were together they were either talking about the studio, her coursework, or arguing over some pointless thing. But the moments when they could just be in each other’s company and not say anything comfortably were the moments she enjoyed the most with the older Pendragon.
“I think tonight was the first night were no one was arguing with someone else.” She pointed out, inwardly wincing at how pathetic of a conversation topic that was.
“It was, wasn’t it?” a small smile appeared on his face for a second before it was gone.
“Why do think that is?”
They walked in silence as Uther thought over the answer. Morgana was beginning to think that he wasn’t going to answer when he began to speak.
“Well you and Arthur are older now,” he said, looking at the young woman out of the corner of his eye. “And with you two being older, there is a noticeable lack of squabbling when we’re all together.”
“Squabbling?” Morgana raised a questioning eyebrow. “And who was doing the squabbling?”
“You and Arthur, of course.” He replied.
“And what about you, Uther?” she asked, a smirk on her lips.
“I don’t squabble, Morgana.” He straightened his back and held his head up with pride.
“Oh please!” she scoffed, reaching into her pocket to fish out the keys to her flat.
“What?” he turned his head to look at her, puzzlement in his green eyes.
“You ‘squabbled’ just as much as me and your son,” she explained as they walked up to her door. “In fact, I’m sure you were worse than both of us combined.”
He just looked at her as she turned to lean against her door, crossing her arms over her chest. “How was I worse? I don’t recall…”
“Of course you don’t,” she laughed as she rolled her eyes, giving the older man a smile. “The arguments you’ve always been involved in have been the worse ones, and it’s mainly because of you.”
The smile fell from Morgana’s face at the expression that appeared on Uther’s, his mouth opening to say something in protest.
“But it’s who you are, Uther.” She quickly continued, wanting to avoid any argument that would result from his response. “And I wouldn’t have you any other way,”
Her eyes widened at the realization of what she had said, a slight blush creeping up her neck. Uther merely looked at her with a slightly raised eyebrow, not sure how to react to that.
“I’m sure Arthur wouldn’t want you to behave any differently,” she added, running a hand through her hair. “I mean, you wouldn’t be as interesting if you weren’t so…”
“Argumentative?” he asked, amusement dancing in his eyes.
“Something like that,” she smiled.
Uther gave her a rare smile, his hand moving to push a stray strand of hair behind her ear. They stood in front of her flat for a moment before Morgana slightly cleared her throat and made a small gesture behind her.
“I should get inside and freshen up before Gwen and Merlin come pick me up,” she explained, an apologetic smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. “If it wasn’t for the fact that I already have plans, I’d ask you to stay for a while.”
“It’s entirely alright,” he assured her, pulling his car keys out of his pocket. “I do remember what it was like to be your age on the weekends, believe it or not. Have fun,”
She gave him a smile as he began walking back towards his car, turning around to unlock her door. Just as she opened the door, Uther’s voice rang out.
“Yes?” she asked as she looked over her shoulder to find him standing a few feet in front of her.
“Be careful, and keep an eye on Arthur.” They shared a smile before he continued. “You know the trouble he can find himself in,”
“Goodnight, Uther.” She laughed as she walked into her flat, closing the door behind her.
Author: the_huffster
Pairing: Uther/Morgana
Rating: R
Timeline: Modern AU
Synopsis: There's a thin line between friendship and attraction. When Morgana realizes she has feelings for Arthur's father, that thin line becomes uncrossable. So she does the only logical thing she can think of- deny, deny, deny. But, of course, things are never that easy when it comes to the matters of the heart.
Author's Note: So I basically can't write set time periods and I really wanted to write a Merlin fic. Which is why this is modern day. With that said, this is the test chapter for me to see if it'll have enough interest for me to continue.
Pale green eyes stared at the front door, debating on knocking or walking right in. Deciding that Arthur could survive if she walked in on him, Morgana put her hand on the doorknob and pushed the front door open. She rolled her eyes when the door opened so easily. One of these days Arthur was going to learn to lock his front door.
“So Arthur,” she began as she walked towards the living room, preparing herself for whatever she might see. “I was walking over here and had a thought.”
“Yes, Morgana, feel free to invade my home.” Arthur’s voice sounded as he walked in from the kitchen, sending a glare at her before he dropped on to his couch.
“It’s not invading if you give me a spare key,” she pointed out as she sat on the other side of the couch, turning to look at her friend. “And besides, you left your front door unlocked. Again.”
“Why should I lock my door if I’m home?”
“Because I have no desire to walk in on you having sex with someone. Again.”
Morgana smiled at the blush that spread on the blonde’s face, his blue eyes focusing on the floor. Granted it may have been over three years when she walked in on him and Gwen, but she still loved to tease him about it. Hell, she still loved to tease him about the fact that she had been his first crush when they were growing up.
“Did you have a reason for just barging in like you own the place?” Arthur finally asked as he leaned back against the cushions.
“I wanted to talk to you about tonight,”
“We’re having dinner with my father. Like we do every Friday, Morgana.” He rolled his head towards her, raising an eyebrow at the conversation topic. “Unless you’re here to tell me that you’ve picked up a night class on Fridays, or that one of our friends no longer has class until six, then nothing has changed.”
“You should tell Uther tonight.” She blurted out, fighting back the giggle at his shocked expression.
“Why?” he sat up as he looked at his best friend. “What makes you think that’s a good idea?”
“It’s been nearly three years, Arthur. Don’t you think your father deserves to know that his only son is never going to date a woman?”
Arthur just stared at her before shaking his head. “Why do you use so many words to say I’m gay?”
“Because I know deep down it bothers you,” she smirked before going back to the conversation. “I don’t understand why you won’t tell him.”
“Oh yeah, I can see that conversation clearly, ‘Hey Dad, I’m gay. And you know my friend Merlin? Yeah, I’ve been shagging him for two years’.”
“You don’t have to tell him you’re dating Merlin just yet.”
“I’m not ready to tell him, alright?” Arthur looked at her, willing her to understand him. “I’ll tell him when I know for sure he won’t disown me. Because if he disowns me, that means he goes back to doing what I’m doing for the studio until he dies. And that won’t end well for anyone.”
Morgana just sighed and ran a hand through her dark hair. She understood where he was coming from, but she was just so frustrated with having to lie about non-existent dates Arthur was having. It wasn’t fair to Arthur, and it wasn’t fair for Merlin to always pretend to be just a friend whenever Uther was around. And she told Arthur just that.
“Merlin understands,” he told her. “And that’s all that matters. Besides, I’ll tell him tonight if you tell me who your new man is.”
“What?” Morgana raised an eyebrow at the younger man.
“Come on! I’ve seen the change in you,” Arthur said, grinning at the idea that he may be on to one of Morgana’s secrets. “You’re…in higher spirits than usual. You only ever get like that if there’s a new man in your life.”
“Arthur, there’s no one new in my life and you know I have no time to date anyone. Besides, I have nothing to do with you telling Uther about you being gay.” She shook her head. “He’s your father, he’ll still love you Arthur.”
“My father also happens to be a massive, judgmental prick when you get down to it.” He added. “And based on what I know, Dad would never…”
“I would never what?”
Arthur and Morgana snapped their heads towards the opening to the living room just as the subject of their conversation walked in.
“I was just telling Morgana…” Arthur started, struggling to come up with anything at the idea that his father had heard their whole talk.
“Arthur was just telling me about a script that he passed up on.” Morgana jumped in as Uther made his way into the living room. “Apparently it was just awful, and he said so when he read it.”
“Yeah. And then the screenwriter had the nerve to say that you wouldn’t have passed up such a movie.” The blonde finished, sending a silent “thank you” to his friend. “I was just saying that you would never had allowed such a bad script to be made into a movie that the studio was backing.”
“You shouldn’t talk about work so much, Arthur.” Uther grinned as he sat in one of the armchairs.
“Says the man who only ever talked about worked.” Arthur rolled his eyes as he got to his feet, asking his guests what they wanted to drink. “Anyways, why are you here so early?”
“What? Am I no longer allowed to visit my son?”
“No, but…you could visit Morgana once in a while.” Arthur called from the kitchen. “I know she gets lonely living by herself.”
“I visit Morgana more often than you’re aware of, son.” Uther answered, sending a wink her way before he continued. “But I’m sure you wouldn’t want me to keep her company in your living room with you in earshot.”
Morgana gawked at the older man while the sound of breaking glass echoed from the kitchen, quickly followed by Arthur swearing. Uther let out a bark of laughter at the reaction his response had gotten, his laughter dying into giggles by the time his son walked out with two bottles of water and an unopened beer bottle.
“That wasn’t funny, Dad.” He grumbled as he handed the beer bottle to his father, sending a quick glare at the older man before walking back to the couch and handing Morgana her bottle of water.
Uther just chuckled as he took a sip of his beer.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
“I’m perfectly capable walking the few blocks back to my flat by myself,” Morgana said as she slipped her hand to the crook of his arm.
“I know you are, but my car is at your flat.” Uther answered, his right hand going into the pocket of his pants.
“Why is your car there and not here? It would’ve been easier to just drive me back to my place,”
“True, but I also know you’ll be getting into a car a little bit after I drop you off.” He gave her a small smile before looking ahead of them as they walked down the street. “A little walking won’t kill you, Morgana.”
The 22 year old rolled her eyes as they fell into an easy silence. Moments like this were rare between her and Uther. Anytime they were together they were either talking about the studio, her coursework, or arguing over some pointless thing. But the moments when they could just be in each other’s company and not say anything comfortably were the moments she enjoyed the most with the older Pendragon.
“I think tonight was the first night were no one was arguing with someone else.” She pointed out, inwardly wincing at how pathetic of a conversation topic that was.
“It was, wasn’t it?” a small smile appeared on his face for a second before it was gone.
“Why do think that is?”
They walked in silence as Uther thought over the answer. Morgana was beginning to think that he wasn’t going to answer when he began to speak.
“Well you and Arthur are older now,” he said, looking at the young woman out of the corner of his eye. “And with you two being older, there is a noticeable lack of squabbling when we’re all together.”
“Squabbling?” Morgana raised a questioning eyebrow. “And who was doing the squabbling?”
“You and Arthur, of course.” He replied.
“And what about you, Uther?” she asked, a smirk on her lips.
“I don’t squabble, Morgana.” He straightened his back and held his head up with pride.
“Oh please!” she scoffed, reaching into her pocket to fish out the keys to her flat.
“What?” he turned his head to look at her, puzzlement in his green eyes.
“You ‘squabbled’ just as much as me and your son,” she explained as they walked up to her door. “In fact, I’m sure you were worse than both of us combined.”
He just looked at her as she turned to lean against her door, crossing her arms over her chest. “How was I worse? I don’t recall…”
“Of course you don’t,” she laughed as she rolled her eyes, giving the older man a smile. “The arguments you’ve always been involved in have been the worse ones, and it’s mainly because of you.”
The smile fell from Morgana’s face at the expression that appeared on Uther’s, his mouth opening to say something in protest.
“But it’s who you are, Uther.” She quickly continued, wanting to avoid any argument that would result from his response. “And I wouldn’t have you any other way,”
Her eyes widened at the realization of what she had said, a slight blush creeping up her neck. Uther merely looked at her with a slightly raised eyebrow, not sure how to react to that.
“I’m sure Arthur wouldn’t want you to behave any differently,” she added, running a hand through her hair. “I mean, you wouldn’t be as interesting if you weren’t so…”
“Argumentative?” he asked, amusement dancing in his eyes.
“Something like that,” she smiled.
Uther gave her a rare smile, his hand moving to push a stray strand of hair behind her ear. They stood in front of her flat for a moment before Morgana slightly cleared her throat and made a small gesture behind her.
“I should get inside and freshen up before Gwen and Merlin come pick me up,” she explained, an apologetic smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. “If it wasn’t for the fact that I already have plans, I’d ask you to stay for a while.”
“It’s entirely alright,” he assured her, pulling his car keys out of his pocket. “I do remember what it was like to be your age on the weekends, believe it or not. Have fun,”
She gave him a smile as he began walking back towards his car, turning around to unlock her door. Just as she opened the door, Uther’s voice rang out.
“Yes?” she asked as she looked over her shoulder to find him standing a few feet in front of her.
“Be careful, and keep an eye on Arthur.” They shared a smile before he continued. “You know the trouble he can find himself in,”
“Goodnight, Uther.” She laughed as she walked into her flat, closing the door behind her.
