The Storm's Brewing

 

Merlin hummed happily, treading lightly on the kitchen floor on bare feet as she moved around. She grabbed a popcorn packet and set it up in the microwave before turning to face Tristan, who was watching her move around in amusement.

 

“I was wondering,” she finally started to say, slightly sounding nervous. “What am I? I mean, what am I to you? What are we? I know I…I joked…compared myself to not wanting to be some kind of clingy girlfriend on the phone earlier…but…am I? Your girlfriend? Not-not to be presumptuous or something,” she hurriedly added.

 

He raised an eyebrow at her. “Presumptuous? I wouldn’t think so. As for girlfriend? Well, I would like…to have presumed that.” He looked hesitantly at her. “Unless I’ve been mistaken these past two weeks? In that case, I’m the one who’s been presumptuous.”

 

She blinked at him, inwardly rather relieved. “No. I’m just happy to have that cleared up, and not be so unsure where we stand. I know you’ve really been there for me since we met, despite the fact that we have just practically met…but I wasn’t sure about that.”

 

He grinned slightly at her, walking to her side and leaning over her shoulder, stopping the microwave just as it pinged! and signaled the popcorn was ready. She distractedly whirled to face it and took out the bag, blowing at the bag cutely to help cool it down as she pinched the top with the tip of her fingers. He couldn’t help fondly giving a full grin as he watched her. He left her to open the bag and transfer the contents into a bowl, traveling over to the radio and fiddling with it, his grin at once becoming bittersweet and yet also rather contented hearing Coldplay’s Fix You come on.

 

Striding back over to her side, he plucked the bag from her and pushed the bowl away.

 

“Your mom’s not here, right?” he asked her, surprising her with the question.

 

“Yeah…she’s gone ‘til tomorrow, and my brother’s with his new girlfriend. Why?” she tilted her head adorably and he had the hugest urge to crush her to his chest and hold her tight.

 

His grin became a small smile. “I think it would look odd if I decide to suddenly kidnap her daughter.”

 

“Kidnap?” her jaw slightly dropped, brow furrowed in confusion.

 

He tossed the bag of popcorn lightly back to the kitchen counter, but away from them.

 

“It’s dinnertime and popcorn isn’t dinner. I can’t cook worth a lick and there’s no way I’m going to make you cook when I’m the one supposed to be treating. So I’m taking you out,” he took one of her hands and threaded his fingers through hers. “What do you say?”

 

“There’s…there’s a burger joint down the block that I like,” she suggested shyly, turning a light red. “It isn’t costly and…well, we can just sit there and be together,” she looked down, feeling rather embarrassed. He would never choose to go to such a small and cheap place, or do such a simple thing with her…

 

“Great,” he beamed at Merlin, surprising her. “Let’s go.”

 

He gripped their clasped hands tighter and led the way out, the both of them laughing and enjoying themselves as they ran out like little kids, grabbing jackets on their way out as they decided to just travel on foot and spend the time walking there together.

 

“And I will try to fix you~”

 

The song continued playing in the kitchen, left on and forgotten by them.

 

Of course, as much as he’d have liked to have spent the night in her room, he had work the next day and she had school. There was also that who knew when her mother was coming back, and Merlin had yet to introduce him to her. Or to anyone important in Merlin’s life actually.

 

He’d have to work on that.

 

His phone vibrated, alerting him to a text and he smiled as he saw it was from Merlin. Yesterday had been wonderful, but he was looking forward to more time with her.

 

Hey, I forgot to tell you something yesterday. It’s really important. See you later?

 

Wondering what it was that was so important and that she’d forgotten to tell him about, he text back an affirmative and waited for his day to be over so he could come over and see her.

 

Technically though, he should have known that things would go off course like usual. It always did.

 

Otherwise, Uther Pendragon’s visit wouldn’t have caught him off guard like it did.

 

Uther, himself, had been both dreading and looking forward to this confrontation. He’d locked himself in his home office after his spat with Arthur and had been practically tearing his hair out about the situation.

 

The shock of finding out that Merlin was casually dating his brother-in-law started to finally wear off and then he realized it.

 

Merlin was dating Tristan. Dating. And that blew his mind and he finally started to freak just a bit more about the situation than he’d initially had.

 

There was a nine year age difference between the two in the first place. Tristan was already a grown man, already successful in the business world and plenty of world experiences on his belt. Merlin was still in high school. She’d never even been on a date before until the one with Arthur, failed though it was –until Tristan came swooping in to save the day, like some kind of knight from a fairytale or something.

 

And then he remembered the smile Merlin had on her face as she talked about Tristan and he faltered in his thinking. He’d never seen such a sweet and genuinely happy smile on her face before, not even when it came to Arthur. And, though he hated to think it, Arthur wasn’t really deserving of such a smile at the moment, so he knew he had to grit his teeth and accept it.

 

Because she’d never looked happier and all he’d wanted was her happiness.

 

He dazedly spent almost an hour on his computer before he realized Morgana had somehow managed to break into his office. He stared at her.

 

“This place is locked. How did you…?”

 

She shrugged. “I stole the key you gave to Merlin for her to use for whenever you end up locking yourself up in here. Don’t worry; I’ll give it back to her when I finally get to see her.”

 

Her voice was obviously bitter about him getting to be the one who saw Merlin first and was able to talk to her. He winced.

 

“Well, I promise she won’t be avoiding you anymore,” he gently told Morgana, who slightly relaxed.

 

“At least you finally use your evil powers of persuasion to do something useful,” she smirked slightly and he rolled his eyes.

 

“I don’t have evil powers of persuasion, and I did no such thing to her,” he huffed.

 

“Yeah, yeah. What are you looking up?” she curiously looked over at his computer and he reflexively moved the monitor out of view.

 

Her eyebrows flew up and she stared. “Oh? Are you looking at porn, Uther dearest?” she teased.

 

“No,” he immediately denied, becoming flustered but glaring at her all the same. “I’m just…researching. Age differences.”

 

“Age differences? Why on earth are you looking that up?” Morgana remarked in astonishment, before becoming mischievous, shifting the can of soda in her hand with a touch of teasing. “Unless, don’t tell me you’re interested in a younger lady, Uther?”

 

Uther flinched. “No.” He sighed. “I…it isn’t really something for me to tell, and she’ll probably end up telling you the whole thing later on anyways, so I could probably say the basics…but Merlin is dating an…older man.”

 

Morgana spat out the soda she’d been drinking, drenching Uther’s wall (thankfully bare). Uther cringed in disgust and looked at the desecrated wall with a look of revulsion, scooting his chair away from it.

 

“An…older man,” Morgana said faintly, hand blindly reaching out and searching for a chair. She sat down on it heavily, gazing off dazedly. Her head suddenly snapped over to him and she looked at him intently. “Is that really okay? I mean, Merlin’s barely really known these kind of things, and for her to be dating an older man –aren’t you worried? What if this guy, someone who clearly knows more and has more experience, wouldn’t you worry about him taking advantage of her or-or-or pressuring her into things? Especially those kind of things?”

 

Uther miserably slumped in his chair before reminding himself of Merlin’s smile.

 

“No,” he told her, voice surprisingly decisive. “I’m not worried. I even know him. You know him,” he held up a hand to stop her inquiries. “I can’t say. Merlin will tell you anyways, you just have to be patient for her. And it’s a long story anyways. Just…you didn’t see her. She was really happy, Morgana. Don’t ruin it for her. As much as I’d like differently, I don’t think Arthur is the right person for her right now.”

 

“Or deserve her,” Morgana said bitterly.

 

Uther sighed at her reaction and her words.

 

“I’m trying to be supportive for Merlin,” Uther smiled gently at her. “I don’t want to push her or make her unhappy, and as far as I’m concerned, right now this person is doing a good job with her and I don’t want to mess that up.” He gestured at his computer. “So I’m trying to find ‘age difference’ relationships that work and reassure myself this can work. And keep an open mind.”

 

Feeling a bit lost, Morgana dragged her chair next to his and readjusted the monitor back to normal.

 

“Well, let’s get reading,” she mumbled.

 

“Surprisingly, age differences aren’t all that uncommon,” he commented idly, in a daze again as he thought about it. “Regular people, and even more common as people get older. It’s become kind of a trend nowadays too…And celebrities. I mean, do you know how old George Clooney is and Stacy Kiebler?”

 

“It’s George Clooney,” Morgana deadpanned. “He’s untouchable. He doesn’t count.”

 

“But still.”

 

“What are you reading anyways?” Morgana changed the subject, looking at the screen. “It looks like a comic.”

 

“Did you know,” he started out, sounding as if this astounded him beyond belief, “there are comics, mangas or something, that have age differences as pretty common?” he blinked at her and she had to stifle a laugh at how thunderstruck he seemed over the fact. “And the girl’s 16 in here, while he’s 26. Same age as Merlin’s boyfriend.”

 

“Well…he’s cute,” Morgana remarked about the male protagonist in the story. “At least he is. Is Merlin’s boyfriend cute? That counts.”

 

“Morgana!”

 

They spent the rest of the night trying to read and watch what they could, with Uther reluctantly reassuring Morgana that Merlin’s boyfriend was “cute.” Which was very odd and uncomfortable for him, considering who exactly Merlin’s boyfriend was. But Morgana was persistent in the matter and he had to get her to stop somehow…

 

And now he was heading over to Tristan’s office, unsure of what exactly he was going to say. He knew for sure that he had to guarantee a warning in there somehow, and make sure that Tristan was actually serious about Merlin while he was at it.

 

But strictly speaking? How was he going to confront Tristan about dating a girl who wasn’t even his daughter, especially with the strained relationship that he had with him in the first place? Things were no longer hostile between he and Tristan, but he also knew they weren’t exactly the best of friends. Ingraine’s death had really torn things apart between them, more so when Tristan lashed out and initially blamed him for her death.

 

This wasn’t going to be an easy talk, no matter how he looked at it.

 

~*~*~

 

“So…I thought you weren’t avoiding Pendragons anymore?”

 

“Tch. I’m not. But just because I’m not doesn’t mean I’m suddenly going to abandon you and stop hanging around you, you know?”

 

“Hmph. Stubborn little brat.”

 

But Merlin could tell that, by the small twitch of Edwin’s lips upwards, that he appreciated and liked the gesture. She, herself, had gotten quite attached and fond to her science teacher, snarky, broody, and ill-tempered (and a real smartass about everything) though he was. Those were just quirks of his and just how he was, and she’d gotten quite used to it.

 

Especially as, in the time she’d been actively avoiding Morgana and Arthur at any turn, she’d been hiding in the library where Edwin was stuck being a sub there in his free time outside of class, because the actual librarian was on maternity leave. Since he had let her hide in there (especially during lunch) and there was nowhere else she could think to go or anyone else to be with, she ended up being stuck there and with him.

 

And even now, though she’d promised Uther to stop avoiding the whole lot of them, she still liked and didn’t mind continuing to hang out with him.

 

“Class is soon. Finish your sandwich and get out,” Edwin told her in a bored tone. “I’ve got class to teach too.”

 

“Yes, sir,” she mock-saluted.

 

She practically gobbled up and stuffed her face with the rest of her sandwich in retaliation, cheeks puffy with food and making her look like a chipmunk as she looked at him smugly. Instead of the gobsmacked and exasperated reaction she’d been aiming for, he burst into guffaws and doubled over in laughter, laughing at her ridiculousness. She inwardly pouted and vowed vengeance, conceding she lost this minor battle to him.

 

“I’m getting going,” she rolled her eyes. “See you later.”

 

Edwin waved lazily, but had gone back to focusing on his book again and therefore hadn’t looked at her. He flipped a page and then made a note with his pen, before he was startled (though he’d never admit or show it) by the loud thud of something against his table.

 

“What is it now, Mer –” he began to drawl as he looked up, but shut his mouth quickly with a loud click. “You…what the fuck are you doing here?”

 

The beautiful woman laughed lightly, arrogantly tossing her dark hair behind her.

 

“Edwin, how cruel. You’re the one who’d gone and meddled with things first. Why can’t I join in the fun?” her blue eyes twinkled in mocking amusement.

 

He shut his book with one hand, standing up abruptly as his other hand clenched by his side.

 

“Bitch,” he insulted directly, glaring at her. “The hell you want? And you’re the one who was driving her crazy in the beginning of the year, appearing out of nowhere. Technically, that makes you first.”

 

A vague smile played across her lips.

 

“Don’t mess around with my plans, and I won’t mess around in yours,” she taunted.

 

“Hello?” a voice interrupted them. Edwin inwardly groaned as Morgana Pendragon strolled into view, holding up a book. “Sorry, Mr. Muirden, but I wanted to turn in this book before class started.”

 

Morgana looked at the woman beside him curiously, but didn’t say anything as she handed over the book to him.

 

“Hello there,” his current companion greeted suddenly. “I’m Nimueh. I’m going to be your new Social Studies teacher.”

 

Edwin almost reacted to that, but managed to control himself in time to look normal and as if that hadn’t been news to them. But shit, Nimueh was now working at the same school as him and Merlin, and evidently going to start “working” more in the open.

 

Things were getting more volatile.

 

Meanwhile, Merlin had left him to head over to her locker. Which was exactly where Arthur had finally managed to corner her, wearing a cocky smirk and looking confident and eager to right things and get a second chance.

 

“Hey, Merlin. It’s been awhile, huh?” he tried to get them started on the right foot.

 

Merlin only gave him a bland stare. His smile faltered before returning strong.

 

“So, about that night…I was an idiot. I know. I’m really sorry. But you know I get like that, right? I just get dumb sometimes. Let me try again. We could go out tomorrow –”

 

“Is that supposed to make it better?” she bit out, though had meant to not talk to him at all. “Being dumb? Are you expecting to easily get a second chance? And does another date supposed to fix everything and erase what happened before?”

 

He stared at her dumbfounded.

 

“I thought so,” she said quietly. “I wish the roles could be reversed and I was a boy asking you out, and then leave you hanging and being watched and whispered about somewhere and feeling absolutely humiliated. But then you’re just a boy and wouldn’t understand, right?”

 

She slammed her locker close and shouldered her backpack more, turning on her heel and walking away from him. He stared after her, still taken aback, but then upset and frowning to see Merlin pulling out her phone and look at something at it, immediately becoming incredibly happy and smiling like he’d never seen her smile before.

 

Who the hell was making her smile like that?

 

He felt something hard get thrown at his back, and he yelped as he turned around and spotted his sister glaring at him, phone out and directed at him for some reason. She came closer and grabbed her purse (which was what she’d thrown at him), before huffing and she started to sneer.

 

“Idiot,” she slung the insult at him. “And you’re not supposed to be around Merlin, remember? Dad warned you off.”

 

“Yeah, well, I wasn’t just going to leave it alone, was I?” he snarled at her. “And he’s not going to know, is he?”

 

Morgana sniffed in disdain at him. She held up her phone and then clicked a button. Arthur furrowed his eyebrows, before his eyes widened and it was his turn to glare angrily at her.

 

“You recorded that and sent it to him?! What the hell?! Why would you do that? What’s wrong with you?” he lunged for her phone, even though it was too late and the video had already been sent to his father.

 

“Because I’m pissed at you and you keep acting like a dumbass,” she hissed out. “I hate you so much right now. And you ruined a perfect opportunity for me to finally talk to Merlin.”

 

Arthur narrowed his eyes at her. “God, you’re so freaking unbelievable. I wish you would have just stayed with your mom.”

 

Morgana shrieked, never mind the stares that drew to them, and started angrily hitting his arm.

 

“Don’t ever mention that bitch to me ever again,” her voice turned shrill. “Don’t talk to me, you bastard!”

 

Morgana turned and stomped away from him, and the hallways started to finish clearing out as everyone headed to class.

 

Arthur stood in the middle of the empty hallway, the bell ringing and signaling he was late.