The Day After

[daniel_brown]

Going home after what had happened wasn't easy, it wasn't until after many pizza-flavored kisses and a text message threat from home that he reluctantly put his clothes back on and forced himself to say "Goodnight" - leaving his panties purposefully tucked into the sheets to be found later.

He slept deep and well, waking the next day to go about business as usual - aside from a stop for confidential STI testing - even though it was hard to keep his head out of the clouds. After settling into the team bus it was hard not to want to reach out to him.

He types out several messages - "I think I love you." "I want you so bad." "Are you thinking about me?" - and erases them all, opting for a much more neutral message.

what r u doing?

Comments

[mysticism]

Despite himself - despite knowing that there'll be talk when someone as visible and popular as Daniel slopes off early, and that it's not something he ought to encourage - Merlin smiles broadly, and it comes through in his voice when he presses the door lock.

"Come up. My front door's unlocked."

[daniel_brown]

Grinning wildly despite himself, Danny to the stairs in twos, letting himself in with the faint tremor of someone who knows something's about to happen.

Staying rooted near the entry, locking the door behind him, Danny looks for where he might be in the small apartment.

"I have my results with me," he says nonchalantly; "Sadly I'm not pregnant."

[mysticism]

Merlin emerges from the bedroom, still berobed but now carrying a towel that he's scrubbing through his hair. The flash of a grin peeks through from under the white, though.

"You're not? I'm gutted. Bought one of those books full of names and all that." He tosses the towel aside and strolls up to meet the younger man, taking in the view. Unsurprisingly it's a hundred times better in the flesh. "How was it?"

[daniel_brown]

His lips curl in an irrepressible grin and Danny takes his time answering Merlin's question. Closing the distance between them, he takes the terrycloth in hand and pulls him into a kiss.

"Mmm. Awful." He responds honestly enough; "But it's over now."

[mysticism]

"That'a shame," he says softly, and leans in for another kiss. "Can't argue with the results, though."

He takes half a step back, looks down at himself in comparison to how gorgeously Daniel's dressed, and chuckles self-effacingly. "...I was going to put some clothes on, I promise."

[daniel_brown]

The obvious appreciation draws a blush across his cheeks and Danny lowers his head a second before looking back up to say; "You don't need them."

Tracing over the front of the robe, Danny reaches out with both hands to hold Merlin's. "You're gorgeous any way."

[mysticism]

Merlin smiles, rubbing his thumbs over Daniel's hands.

"...You too. And now I've got proof you look better in formal than I ever have," he adds with a sly half-smile.

[daniel_brown]

Holding back his laugh behind a shy smile and twines their fingers together with a gentle squeeze.

"I didn't see you at the game last night," his voice remains soft, if not the slightest bit hurt - it's just as possible he was there in the crowd; "I hoped you'd see us win."

[mysticism]

"I'm really sorry," he says, his smile fading.

"I got a call from home and it took a lot of sorting out - I couldn't get away. But I did ask Alec," or Mr. Palmer, Physics, as he's more commonly known, "to record it for me. Looked at me like I'd grown a second head, but he did it. I watched it this morning."

[daniel_brown]

Still, Daniel's smile only stretches slightly and he asks; "You saw my touchdown? Number twenty-five?"

It takes a second to realize that a call from home probably means something more important than a football game. "I mean," he shakes his head and asks; "is everything ok?"

[mysticism]

Merlin smiles at his enthusiasm and shakes his head.

"Everything's fine. I needed to make arrangements to go home for a funeral, but...it's not anyone I was close to. More about being there for my mum. And yes, I saw your touchdown."

[daniel_brown]

"Oh..." His eyes soften at the news and he gives the fingers twined with his another fond squeeze.

Looking away from Merlin's sweet face for a moment, shifting somewhat uneasily in his dress shoes, he asks; "Should we have a drink or something?"

[mysticism]

"Yeah. Yeah, we should." He leans in and kisses Daniel's mouth fleetingly. "I, uh - I got some bubbly in, if you want some. Champagne's a bit rich for my blood but it's still something nice."

[daniel_brown]

His lips curl into a smile, but his brow wrinkles. "You didn't have to do that."

Pushing closer, Danny's eyes dart down to the slightest hint of Merlin's chest exposed by the robe.

[mysticism]

"Yeah, but if you only did what you had to then life'd be boring, wouldn't it? Anyway, I wanted to."

Watching the path of Daniel's eyes, he smirks and pulls his robe tighter with completely manufactured selfconsciousness.

"Come on."

He leads Daniel into his little kitchen, retrieving two flute glasses he hasn't used in about a year before going to his fridge for the bottle of cava waiting on the shelf.

"So, what was so terrible? Or d'you not want to talk about it?"

[daniel_brown]

Danny leans against the counter beside him, watching with a biased eye.

The question makes him look down, pretending not to frown. "Just the usual, you know? Somewhere I don't really want to be with my sort-of-date that wants to be there with someone else as much as I do."

He sighs, looking back up to him; "It sucked."

[mysticism]

"I'm sorry," Merlin says softly, and even though he's intellectually aware that it's a terrible idea he goes on: "After you've graduated, I'll take you out, yeah? Somewhere decent. I mean - if you want to. No pressure."

Which assumes a few things, not least that they'll still be doing...whatever this is, by the time he graduates, which after only a week is a bit of a leap. And if Daniel doesn't want to come out that quickly, he can't really fault him there either. He busies himself with the bottle for a moment, aiming for a gentle release of pressure and not an explosive pop that's going to waste half the bottle and make his kitchen sticky.

[daniel_brown]

"We'll figure it out," Danny's quick to assure, pushing a hand through his hair before offering a somewhat awkward shrug.

"We're here now, right?"

He can't let himself think too far ahed despite his brain already jumping quick to make plans for a time that might never come.

[mysticism]

Merlin smiles easily, more than happy to leave it at that. "We're here now."

He gets the cork out of the bottle with minimal drama and fills the two flutes, holding one out to Daniel.

[daniel_brown]

He's had champagne before, and he knows it's more about the celebration than the kind of burning taste - and accepts the glass for what it is.

"To happy surprises?" He offers with a slightly suggestive tone in his voice; "And being here now."

With his free hand, he reaches out to brush his fingertips against Merlin's cheek - driven more than anything just to be close.

[mysticism]

Merlin smiles at that, tilting his head into the touch.

"Sounds like a toast to me. Cheers."

He touches the rim of his glass lightly against Daniel's and takes a sip. It's sweeter than champagne - obviously he's a huge girl and everything, but dry wine does nothing for him and kind of sounds like a contradiction in terms.

[daniel_brown]

Inexperienced, Daniel clears the flute in a long swallow and sets it aside - blinking back against the bite despite the sweetness before leaning in even closer to him.

"Cheers," he whispers, finding Merlin's lips again with a more lingering kiss than before. "I'm glad we're here."

[mysticism]

"Me too," Merlin whispers, setting down his glass so he can wrap his arms around his waist. "God, I really can't get over how good you look like this. Can't imagine how many hearts you broke, leaving early."

[daniel_brown]

A flush colors his cheeks and it's more than just the drink talking. Lowering his head again, Danny lets out a half-laugh and leans into Merlin's shoulder.

"They don't know me."

It's a simple enough admission, he's spent most of his life just coasting through - getting good enough grades just good enough and earning enough ribbons and trophies to keep everyone happy. He can count the number of people that actually know more than that about him on one hand.

[mysticism]

Merlin strokes his hair softly and holds him close, feeling protective of Daniel even though he's the larger and stronger of the two. Strength comes about in different ways, he supposes.

"I want to," he says quietly.