FIC: Shall We Dance? (Merlin/Arthur - PG-13)

[winter-mod.livejournal.com]

Title: Shall We Dance?
Author: ???
Pairing(s): Merlin/Arthur, (background Gwen/Lance)
Prompt: Vaguely based on prompt No. 39 ”Hogwarts AU: staying at school during the holidays”.
Word Count: 4473
Rating: PG-13
Contains (Highlight to view): *Cheese. Lots of cheese.*
Disclaimer: Merlin characters are the property of Shine and BBC. Harry Potter characters and universe are the property of J. K. Rowling. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: Thanks so much to Moon for doing an early read and being really encouraging when I panicked about this. Another many thanks go to Katie, my incredibly competent beta, for helping me fine-tune it into something readable. You are both awesome cheerleaders and I wouldn’t have been able to do this without your help! And of course lots of thanks to the mods too for running this lovely fest! Apart from that, I’d like to inform the reader that some of the descriptions were taken from J. K. Rowling’s Goblet of Fire chapter 23 for accuracy’s sake (they were, of course, modified to fit the POV). With that said I hope you’ll enjoy my contribution, happy holidays everyone <3
Summary: It’s time for the Yule Ball, and Arthur has no idea how he’ll muster up the courage to ask out his crush, Merlin, so he suggests they go as just friends instead. Will it go well, or will there be hurt feelings and broken hearts at the end of the evening?
Read it on AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/12821769


When Merlin rounded the stairs into the entrance hall, Arthur’s mouth fell open.

“Y-you look... good.” Damn it! He sounded like a flustered Third Year girl on her first trip to Madam Puddifoot’s.

“Likewise,” said Merlin, smiling shyly.

The corner of Arthur’s mouth twitched upward in a sad attempt at returning the smile. ‘Pull yourself together!’ he told himself.

It wasn’t like this was a date. It was just going to be a nice evening between two mates, both of whom hadn’t found a partner and had thus agreed to go to the ball as friends. Nothing serious, and absolutely no feelings involved. At least, that was what he’d made Merlin believe.

Arthur himself was, to be completely honest, just a coward. He’d had enough offers from girls, but he’d declined all of them in favour of trying and completely failing to work up the nerve to properly ask out his crush. So here they were. Just two mates going to hang out at the Yule Ball together. Dateless. It was a recipe for disaster from the start.

“Shall we?” asked Merlin, pulling Arthur from his thoughts.

“Wha— uh, yeah.”

‘Oh, real smooth, Arthur! At this rate, he’s going to fall into your arms swooning any moment,’ remarked a dry voice in the back of his mind that sounded suspiciously like his older sister Morgana.

‘Shut up, you meddling harpy,’ he told the voice.

“Lets… just go, right?”

“Right.” Merlin shrugged awkwardly. “I suppose they’re opening the ball soon. You reckon Dumbledore will be wearing dress robes? I’m dying to see—I really can’t imagine him in anything that isn’t either purple with glittering stars or canary-yellow.”

Arthur chuckled. Merlin always babbled when he was flustered. Well, seemed like he at least wasn’t the only nervous one.

“We’ll see soon, I suppose,” he said.

They exchanged another set of lopsided smiles, both hesitating for a few moments. Waiting for the other to move.

Finally, Arthur pulled himself together. He gave Merlin what was supposed to be a casual nod, but probably looked more like he was having nervous convulsions, and started toward the Great Hall. On wobbly legs he walked through the archway, not daring to look around to check whether Merlin had followed.

All around him, students oohed and aahed at the transformation the usually homely hall had undergone. The walls were sparkling with silver frost, with garlands of mistletoe and ivy spiraling up the pillars and across the starry night sky of the ceiling. Instead of the House tables, about a hundred smaller, lantern-lit ones scattered the room. The jury and champions had already assembled at the head table—Dumbledore indeed wearing canary-yellow, Arthur noted, only partially surprised.

“Do you see the others?” he asked finally, looking around, desperate to make conversation in lieu of this uncomfortable silence. Curse be it all, he wanted this to be casual!

Merlin grimaced. “Ah. No… wasn’t Gwen going to—”

“There you are, boys!” Suddenly a set of hands clamped down on their shoulders in an iron grip, making them both jump.

Morgana pushed herself in between Arthur and Merlin, locking arms with one of them on either side. “Hurry along now, we’re all waiting for you. My, you really didn’t spare us any details tonight, Merlin.” She ran her eyes appreciatively over his tight-fitting, dark blue dress robes.

Merlin blushed and rubbed the back of his head bashfully. “Thanks. You... you look really pretty, too.”

“Could we get on with it?” Arthur scowled at his sister.

Her scarlet-painted lips quirked upward ever so subtly into a razor-sharp smirk. “Why in such a hurry, brother dearest? Dinner not starting soon enough?”

Merlin chuckled, throwing her a not-so-subtle amused glance.

‘That traitor!’ thought Arthur. He let out a huff and opened his mouth to protest. “I am not—”

“—fat, we know,” sighed Morgana. “You can have your little tantrum when all of us are seated, Arthur. Right now you two need to come with me, so we can get to the table Gwen has saved for us.” She pulled the both of them along as she walked across the hall, towards a table in the far corner where the girl in question was already waving at them.

“Arthur, Merlin,” Gwen got up from her chair when they reached her, looking them up and down and giving a bright smile. “You both look wonderful! It’s so great you decided to come together— I mean… it’s…”

She exchanged a look with Morgana, who was taking a seat next to the hot Beauxbatons guy she’d been somehow able to bag.

Beside Arthur, Merlin coughed slightly.

“L-let’s just sit down, why don’t we?” Gwen waved her hands around, uncertain. “I think the feast will be starting soon.”

“Yeah.” Arthur gulped. He had a feeling this was going to be a very long night.

~*~

The feast proved to be a more than awkward affair. Arthur could hardly stand to look at Merlin, let alone talk to him when they sat so close, shoulders almost brushing and hands directly next to each other on the table. With all the lovey-dovey couples surrounding them, whispering sweet nothings into each other’s ears, an uncomfortable silence had settled between them.

Everyone but the two of them was here with a partner. Most of Arthur’s friends from Gryffindor dorm had arrived with a girl, and the rest had preferred to stay behind in the common room. Gwen and her boyfriend Lance were fully caught up in their own little world, as usual. Even Morgana was too busy ensnaring her latest victim, err, date, to give her brother any more than the occasional smug glance.

It had Arthur’s armpits sweating buckets. What if Merlin started to notice? Would he realize this was kind of a date after all?

Next to him, the boy in question sighed deeply.

Arthur bit his lip, reaching for the cup of pumpkin juice that sat in front of him. When he accidentally brushed against Merlin’s hand—for the umpteenth time tonight—he withdrew as if he’d been stung. “Sorry, I...”

In that moment Dumbledore clinked his glass, unknowingly coming to Arthur’s aid. “Now, everyone, I hope that all of you have sufficiently fed and watered yourselves,” the old wizard boomed, rising from his chair and motioning for everyone else to follow. “I think it’s time we finally opened the ball.”

Excited murmuring erupted in the hall as everyone got up from their seats.

Arthur let out a relieved breath. Maybe it would loosen the tension in the air for everyone to move their feet a bit.

With a wave of Dumbledore’s wand, the tables were swept to the sides, and a raised platform appeared along the wall. A set of drums, several guitars, a lute, a cello, and some bagpipes were set upon it.

The musicians for the evening, called the Weird Sisters, trooped up onto the stage to wildly enthusiastic applause. They were some wizarding music group Arthur, being muggleborn, had never heard of before all this talk about the Yule Ball had begun. Still, he clapped along, chancing a sideways look at a beaming and cheering Merlin. At least he wasn’t sighing anymore.

After the Weird Sisters had gotten into position, all the lanterns on the tables went out, leaving alight only those floating above the dance floor. The champions and their partners walked to the center of the hall as the musicians struck up a slow, mournful tune. They were supposed to open the dance. Arthur didn’t envy them.

On the way down he saw Potter trip over his dress robes, which prompted several people in the crowd to erupt into snickers.

“Poor guy,” murmured Merlin.

Arthur nodded, watching mesmerised as the champions started moving with the rhythm. After a few sequences, more and more people joined in, and soon the entire hall was full of dancing couples.

“Should we…” Arthur began suddenly, turning around.

Merlin gave him a quizzical frown. “...Yeah?” he breathed, licking his lips.

Unwittingly Arthur’s eyes were drawn to the motion. God, how he wanted to kiss those lips. How he wanted to— Oh no. When had their faces gotten so close?

“N-nothing!” Arthur drew back quickly, holding up his hands. He had to get his act together, or Merlin would start to suspect they were here as more than friends. Which they weren’t! He could not let those ridiculous feelings get in the way. His heart hadn’t gotten the memo, unfortunately; it was still thumping wildly in his chest.

He needed a break, to calm down. “I’m going to get us some drinks.”

Merlin blinked slowly. “Al-alright.”

Was he imagining things or did Merlin look almost a bit… disappointed? ‘No.’ Arthur shook his head. He could not allow himself to get hopeful.

Before he could start having second thoughts, he turned around abruptly, marching in the direction of the bar table with such vigorous steps that several students in his path backed away in fear. He could feel Merlin’s gaze at the nape of his neck as he disappeared into the crowd.

~*~

“What do you think you’re doing?” hissed Morgana, suddenly materialising beside him at the bar table.

Arthur almost choked on his butterbeer. He knocked on his chest, hunching over as he hacked up the cinnamon-flavored concoction through his nose. “What… what do you mean?” he rasped, trying to regain his breath.

She wrinkled her nose in distaste. “Sometimes I fear you’re beyond help, dear brother.”

He huffed, drawing himself up to full height again and crossing his chest. “Was there something you wanted?”

“You’ve been avoiding Merlin.”

It wasn’t a question. Arthur made a face at the piercing glare she was shooting his way. Why did she have to be so annoyingly perceptive? “Look, I don’t see how it’s any of your business. We—”

“You’ve left him standing there for twenty minutes!” snapped Morgana, pointing at the boy in question, who was leaning against a pillar, completely alone in the sea of couples.

Arthur winced, a guilty feeling gnawing at his conscience.

“Look,” said Morgana, rolling her eyes, “I know you’re a self-centred, immature, emotionally-constipated manbaby, but if you don’t step up right now, someone else might just ask him before you. I will not have you mope to me for the rest of the school year because you missed this chance, so stop hiding and get your arse in gear!”

He blinked slowly at her for several moments, at a loss for words. Maybe, if he ignored her long enough, he mused, she would give up and disappear again, just as suddenly as she’d appeared.

Morgana raised one perfectly-trimmed eyebrow. “Well?”

Arthur sighed. “I… I can’t do this, okay? I didn’t even tell him this was supposed to be a date. He’s under the impression we’re here as just friends.”

“You’re a coward.”

He cringed. Did she really have to twist the knife in the wound like that? He knew perfectly already, had in fact been telling himself so all evening.

“Why don’t you go back to digging your claws into that prey of yours?” Arthur finally shot back in an annoyed tone. “I’m getting by perfectly on my own, thank you very much. I have no need of your meddling!”

“Well, in that case”—Morgana shrugged, picking up her glass with a jerk—”have fun sulking silently in your corner. But don’t come crying to me afterwards!”

With her head held high, she turned on the spot and pranced away.

Arthur’s gaze trailed after her pensively. An uncomfortable feeling rose in his belly at the thought of Merlin dancing with someone else. She was right. He couldn’t let that happen. Why did she always have to be right?

He clenched his fists, almost shattering the delicate stems of the glasses he was still holding. He had to do something; that much was obvious. Maybe he couldn’t work up the courage to actually ask Merlin to dance as Morgana had suggested, but what he could do was to at least stop avoiding him. He’d invited Merlin to go to the dance with him as mates, so he would take responsibility and keep him company, dammit!

With determined steps Arthur set off into the crowd again, looking around for the pillar where Merlin had been waiting.

The Weird Sisters had started playing a lively song, inspiring many of the students and even some teachers to jump along wildly to the rhythm. Merlin was nowhere to be seen in the sea of heads. He would have to get through the dance floor first.

Precariously, Arthur weaved through the crowd, balancing the glasses in both hands so they wouldn’t spill over as arms and legs moved around him.

Finally, he reached the pillar. Now to make up an excuse for why he’d taken twenty minutes to get the drinks. “Merlin!” Arthur called, trying to sound important and not at all like he’d been avoiding his friend. “I realise this took a while but…”

He didn’t get any further, taking in the sight in front of him with his mouth hanging open in confusion. It almost made him drop the butterbeer in shock. Merlin wasn’t waiting at the pillar anymore.

Merlin was there, in the crowd. Dancing. With someone who wasn’t Arthur.

~*~

Arthur was completely frozen, an ugly feeling rising in his gut. “Who the hell is that guy?”

“Oh, him? With the nice hair?” asked a classmate who’d been hovering close by with a giggling friend. “That’s Gwaine Greene from Hufflepuff.”

Both girls sighed dreamily.

“He’s so charming, right?” gushed the other one. “He danced with me too, earlier. Twirled me right round. I wish some of the other boys would ask me to dance like that…” She fluttered her eyelashes at Arthur not-so-subtly.

He scoffed. That guy was supposed to be a Hufflepuff? He seemed way too suspicious for that—Hufflepuffs were wimps! Well, except Merlin, of course. If they really were from the same House though, it meant they could be just friends. ‘Oh, please let them be just friends…’ Arthur prayed.

He watched as Gwaine Greene’s hand travelled down Merlin’s lower back, stopping dangerously close to his buttocks.

‘Ha! Friends, my arse!’ he thought.

“Is that even allowed!” Arthur pointed his finger at them indignantly. Why wasn’t Merlin doing anything? Was he actually okay with that sleazy guy touching him like that?

The girls giggled again. “Ooh, he’s so forward. I think I saw him do that exact same move with Fleur Delacour earlier. He’s one of those guys who just can’t help it—even going for other boys, right?”

Arthur shook his head in disbelief. Merlin was letting himself get charmed by such a flirt? What was he thinking? Surely he couldn’t expect to take anything that guy said at face value! Or maybe Greene had tricked him; Merlin was earnest enough to fall for such tactics. Well, if that scumbag thought he was going to get away with it, he hadn’t counted Arthur into the picture.

Just then, Greene’s hand slid even lower, giving Merlin’s behind a firm squeeze. Merlin jerked in the guy’s arms, looking startled.

‘Oh, that’s it!’ Arthur saw red.

With forceful steps he stomped across the dance floor towards the two boys, not caring whether or not he ran into some other couple on the way. Left and right, people gave him a wide berth as he approached with elbows extended.

Merlin and his partner, though, were so fully immersed in their movements that they didn’t see him approach until he was right next to them.

“I’ve got our drinks!” Arthur bellowed over the music, making Merlin jump with surprise.

He stopped dancing, letting go of Greene to turn around. “Arthur…? What are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here? I should ask you that! I told you to wait for me!”

Merlin let out an incredulous laugh. “I can’t believe you—I waited for twenty minutes straight! Just because you can’t get your act together doesn’t mean I don’t get to…”

“Get to what, Merlin?” Arthur ran his mouth, feeling the anger rise. “Abandon me to dance with some guy just because he paid you a petty compliment? Are you that insecure?”

“What are you even talking about?” Merlin shook his head, uncomprehending. “You mean Gwaine? You know, we’re just—”

“I saw you!”

Arthur knew he should probably try and calm down before he said something he was going to regret, but there was no use. He was coming into full swing, all frustrations of the evening bubbling up.

“I saw you with him just now! I saw everything, Merlin. You letting him touch you like that… just because no one asked you to dance doesn’t mean you should rub up to the first person who pays you attention, you complete idiot!”

Merlin took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a short moment as he clenched his jaw. When he opened them again, his blue irises were sparkling furiously.

Arthur gulped.

“I see how it is, now.”

He paused for a short time, and Arthur felt the dread crawling up in his insides. He’d never seen his friend this angry before.

“Because you’re too much of a coward to actually, I don’t know, deal with your feelings, I shouldn’t have any fun either? Then why did you even invite me to go with you ‘as friends’ just to ignore me the whole evening?”

Arthur opened his mouth to protest, but Merlin wasn’t having it.

“You’re so entitled, Arthur. You think you’re just doing everyone such a favour by spending time with them—but I’ll have you know, I was actually asked by several people to go to the ball with them. The thing is, I told all of them ‘no’, because I hoped that the one person I actually wanted to go with would just ask me properly instead of being a jealous, possessive prat!”

With these words Merlin pushed past him, making him lose grip of his butterbeer glass. It shattered on the floor with a loud clang. Arthur barely paid it any attention.

He turned around slowly, mouth still hanging open.

Then he looked back at Greene, who gave him a shrug. “I would go after him, mate,” he said, an aggravating grin on his lips.

Arthur shook his head. Sleaze or not, the guy was right. He could deal with him and his inappropriately wandering hands later. For now, he had a best-friend-turned-maybe-date to catch up with.

“W-wait!” he called, running after Merlin’s retreating back.

~*~

Arthur stumbled out of the crowd again on the other side of the dance floor. No sight of Merlin here or anywhere else this side of the hall.

“You!” he barked at a passing-by younger Gryffindor, a chubby blond kid from Fourth Year if he remembered correctly. “Have you seen Merlin Emrys around here? Tall, skinny, dark haired? Ears like one of those frisbees from Zonko’s—you know, the self-rotating ones?”

“U-um, I think I saw him going outside just now...” stuttered the boy nervously.

“Hmph,” grunted Arthur, marching past him through the archway that led into the entrance hall.

The front doors stood open. Fluttering fairy lights in the rose garden winked and twinkled as he went down the steps, bathing the courtyard in a soft blue shine. Here and there, a few couples sat together on carved benches. But still no Merlin in sight.

Arthur sighed. He already had an idea where his friend could be hiding. There was one place in particular Merlin would often seek out when he wanted to be left alone. “Well, tough for him. I’m not going to let him run away just like that!”

He looked around to check whether a teacher was close, and then quickly dove around the corner to find the path that would lead him away from the castle.

As expected, Arthur found Merlin at the Black Lake. He was sitting at the shore underneath a cluster of trees with his knees pulled up to his chest, drawing patterns into the sand absent-mindedly with his index finger. He gave no indication that he’d noticed Arthur approach.

Arthur bit his lip. He felt his chest constrict at the sight of him, all lonely there beneath the stars. He looked strangely beautiful like this.

Arthur considered turning back then and there to leave Merlin alone with his thoughts like he probably wanted, but… no. No more doubt. He’d hurt his friend once already this evening. There was no way around it. If he wanted to fix this, he would have to tell the truth.

“Merlin.”

The boy started, looking up with a dazzled expression. When he spotted Arthur on the other side of the walkway, his brows drew together into a scowl. “What do you want?”

“Merlin, I…” Arthur trailed off, at a loss for words now that they were face to face.

“Want to make fun of me some more?” Merlin continued, bitterly. “Look at the sad little fool, hoping to get noticed by Gryffindor’s golden boy. Of course, who would want to date silly Merlin? He’s lucky people give him attention at all!”

He spoke with contempt in his voice, but his eyes were sad. Arthur’s words earlier must’ve cut deeply.

It made him feel all the more guilty. “Merlin. Listen—”

“You’re right about me being an idiot, I guess.” Merlin tore his gaze away to look over the lake’s frozen surface, which was glittering silver in the moonlight.

“Blaring out my feelings like that in front of everyone... Don’t know what came over me, really. For one moment I really thought they’d be reciprocated. Ridiculous, isn’t? After all, whoever could possibly like clumsy, oafish, funny-looking, idiotic—”

“Merlin!”

Arthur had had enough. He crossed the rest of the path that separated the two of them from each other and hauled Merlin up by the front of his robes. “Shut up and listen to me for once! And stop this tirade, for God’s sake. Self-deprecation really doesn’t suit you.”

Merlin huffed, refusing to meet his eyes. “Oh, so you’re allowed to say it but I’m not? Should’ve known.”

“Spare me the sarcasm. Now pay attention, because I’m only going to say this once. I… I’m sorry, okay?”

Merlin’s head spun around, mouth dropping open in shock.

“Did you really just—to me? I… huh?”

Arthur rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “Try not to catch any flies, Merlin. I’m sure you heard me quite well with those ears of yours.”

“Huh.” Merlin shook his head in wonder. “You really just apologised. Is this a prank?”

“I’m a prefect! I don’t pull pranks, as you very well know.”

Merlin raised an eyebrow.

Arthur sighed in defeat. “Fine,” he admitted.

“Yes, I apologised. You were right, and I was wrong. I behaved like a complete prat, as you would call me, and said some awful things to you that I didn’t mean and that I also regret terribly. I hope you will forgive me because I care for you quite a lot.”

He looked at Merlin with the saddest puppy-eyes he could muster up, protruding his lower lip in a pout.

Merlin seemed torn. “Arthur. I don’t…”

“Look,” Arthur gathered all his courage and grabbed the other boy’s hand with a jerk. “I understand you’re hurt and that you don’t want anything to do with me right now. But even if it’s only for this evening, give me one more chance. Please.”

For a few moments Merlin was silent, staring at their joint hands in marvel. Arthur was already starting to sweat when he looked up once more. There was a small twinkle of mirth in his eyes.

“Saying ‘please’ and ‘sorry’ in a single evening? I’ve half a mind to bring you to the hospital wing.”

“Is that a yes?” Arthur asked, guardedly. His hands were feeling clammy, and his pulse was racing. His mind begged him to let it go, to scream and deny, say that it had only been a joke. He felt almost naked before Merlin, baring himself like that.

But then Merlin broke out into a timid smile, lighting up his heart like a bonfire, and Arthur knew that he could never go back to how it’d been before.

“It’s a ‘I haven’t given up on you yet, clotpole.’”

Arthur met his smile with a hesitant one of his own, a flush growing on his cheeks. He found that he didn’t really care. “I suppose I can work with that. In that case…” He made a flourishing bow in front of Merlin without letting go of his hand.

“May I have the honour of this dance?”

“You may,” answered Merlin, grinning like a loon.

They nodded at each other, an unspoken understanding passing between their eyes. Entwining their arms, the two of them headed back up to the castle in comfortable silence.

They made it as far as the courtyard when a panicked Gwaine Greene came running up to them, his robes disheveled and a red lipstick print on his left cheek. “Everyone get inside, quick! Snape is checking the bushes for hiding couples!”

Arthur and Merlin took a horrified look at each other. “Let’s… just go, right?”

“…Right.”

~*~

When they reached the Great Hall, the Weird Sisters were just striking up their last tune for the evening. It was a slow ballad, romantic and sweet. Dreamy. All around them people were dancing closely together. No one really noticed them entering.

“Shall we?” Merlin asked.

Arthur felt his skin tingling beneath his surface. ‘Just focus on him, tune out everyone else.’ He nodded slowly, and stepped on the dance floor.

When Merlin curled his arms around him, it felt so natural he almost forgot to breathe.

Quickly, he returned the embrace, putting his hands on Merlin’s waist and drawing him closely to himself.

Deep blue eyes met his own in surprise. “Woah there! Weren’t you lecturing me for rubbing up to people earlier?”

“Really, Merlin.” Arthur clicked his tongue. “Learn to keep up. I was only doing that because I was worried about people’s intentions. Obviously, I’d know that I have nothing dishonourable in mind.”

Merlin raised an eyebrow. “Your hand is straight above my arse, you prat.”

Arthur had to suppress a smirk at that.

“Merlin?”

“Yeah?”

“Shut up and concentrate on the dance. I won’t have you stepping on my gucci dress shoes.”

“I guarantee for nothing,” Merlin said, and they continued, dancing so closely they were almost chest to chest, hearts facing each other.

And if they passed by a whispering and giggling Gwen and Lance, a smirking Morgana or a winking Gwaine Greene while they glided over the dance floor, Arthur paid them no mind at all. Because he was right here with Merlin in his arms, trusting him. Confident in him. And he couldn’t be happier.