Chapter Text
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FLASHBACK
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“Merlin! I've thought of where we should go for our anniversary this year!” Arthur came bursting through his boyfriend's office door on the night when the temperature began to fall for winter.
He has been with the same raven-hair man for three whole years but loved him for more.
Arthur had the hugest crush on this nerd back in University, falling head over heels for a simpleton who would rather spend his summer holidays buried in the library.
In the end, Arthur ditched all his plans and friends just to be with him. The library became theirs…It soon became their little sanctuary for their love to unravel and to explore one another.
In a blink of an eye, they have become capable working adults. With Arthur taking over his family business and Merlin landing a high managerial role in a technological company, they were thriving. But their relationship…Wasn't.
Well so…Arthur thought otherwise.
Slowly, Merlin removed his glasses as he turned to Arthur with tired eyes, forcing himself to focus on his boyfriend with the remaining energy he got. “Arthur…How many times must I remind you that I have a whole load of work waiting on me. I don't think I'll be able to leave this time.” Merlin frowned and his tired expression just got a whole lot worse.
“I know Merlin…But just think of the break we deserve! You deserve it! We can finally go to Asia as you have always wanted! List your countries down and I'll make them all come true!” Arthur exclaimed whilst planting a soft kiss on Merlin's beautiful raven hair.
“That's very sweet Arthur but didn't we agree on saving money to buy our dream house?” Merlin prompted but Arthur was quick to brush it off, “You wouldn't have to worry Merlin. I got it all covered!”
“With what? Your father's money? Arthur I know you don't see money the way I do but I thought I had discussed this matter with you! I want us to buy this house together…Not your father. Not anyone else.” Merlin reasoned, pushing himself off his chair and away from Arthur.
That dwindling flame was slowly beginning to ignite once more for the exact same reason. He had lost count of the number of times Arthur brushed him off on this matter. He was growing restless.
“Merlin I understand. But, you really don't have to worry about the money.” Arthur smiled trying to reassure his boyfriend however what came next was an unexpected turn of events.
He never would have thought this day could even happen.
“I think we should break up.” Those words slipped through Merlin's mouth with knives accompanied with them. Each not missing their target: Arthur Pendragon.
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PRESENT
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“Owain! Dylan! Grab your bags! We are leaving soon…The cab is about to arrive.” Merlin ordered from downstairs as he was busy packing and double checking, triple checking, ensuring all necessities were brought for three.
The two boys, an 8 year old with black hair yet bright gleaming blue eyes and a 6 year old with brown hair and brilliant green eyes came racing down the stairs.
“Owain have you helped your little brother pack his very first luggage? What needs to be brought and what should not be?” Merlin questioned sternly at the older brother as he served the kids their breakfast.
“Yes daddy! Owain showed me how to squeeze the air out of my bags! It was so cool!” Dylan squealed in excitement because this was his first time flying on an airplane!
Merlin had always been busy with work but he toggles between working and being a single parent very well that he never neglected either. Thus, he never had time for himself nor took the kids overseas.
The only exception was when Owain was 2, he gave in to his friends' pleas, Lancelot and Guinevere mostly, and agreed to take a break with Owain.
“Daddy, have you been to Japan before?” Dylan asked while munching on his cereal. “Unfortunately it will be my first time too…Daddy has always been fascinated with Asia but never got the chance to travel there.” Merlin answered earnestly while his heart carried the faintest ache from the past.
But today, he was going to finally visit the place that he has always been dreaming of. The place he could only imagine through his television screen.
“Hurry along, the cab is arriving anytime now.” Merlin rushed the boys out of the house with their small sized luggage behind them while Merlin was dragging his, a slightly bigger one compared to the boys.
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When arriving at the airport, with the help from Owain, the family of three managed to navigate to their correct check-in counter. When it comes to directions, Merlin wasn’t the best…To make matters worse, it has been awhile since he last came to the airport.
“Daddy! What time is our flight?” Dylan asked excitedly as Owain helped Merlin load their baggage onto the conveyor belt so that it would be transported to their designated flight. “Calm down Dylan, let me load up our luggage first.” Merlin muttered to the youngest while he tried his best to focus on the task at hand.
Finally, after they have received their boarding passes, Merlin made sure Dylan and Owain were following him as he walked through the large crowds of the busy airport. It was the holiday season which meant, people were flying in and out of the country.
“The gates open in an hour's time, we don’t have much time left. Shall we grab some food before our flight?” Merlin suggested just as Dylan’s stomach growled aloud as if agreeing to his father’s suggestion. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
They settled for the first fast food restaurant that they saw then Merlin went to order for them while Owain helped look after Dylan.
While he was waiting for their food, he overheard a familiar voice at the counter. Slowly, he turned his head in that direction and to his horror, it was the man he hadn't seen in a long time…To be direct, it was the man he left 9 years ago.
Arthur Pendragon.
He left out of fear…Fear of how he would be seen…
A man carrying a child. Monstrosity…How was he supposed to tell the man he loved so dearly he was carrying his child? So Merlin did what he could, he left. Bearing the secret alone.
Now, finally seeing Arthur after so long, he didn’t know what to do. He felt helpless, clutching his stomach as a phantom pain grew inside him.
Subconsciously, he tugged his scarf higher, covering part of his face as he went to retrieve his order when Dylan came running towards him whilst yelling, “Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!”
Panicking, Merlin swiftly turned the boy around, covering his mouth with his empty hand before guiding them out of the restaurant in a rushed manner. His voice came muffled as Owain chased behind, “Dad! I’m so sorry. Dylan ran away from me!”
“Dylan! Why are you not with your brother? It’s dangerous to run alone.” Merlin was quick to reprimand the smaller boy as he pouted and clung onto his brother once again. “Owain, grab your brother. Let’s go…” Merlin rushed them further away from the restaurant, away from Arthur mainly.
“Dad, are you alright?” Owain, being the only one who sensed his father’s distress, questioned while he held Dylan down before he could run away again. “Huh?”
“I’m fine. We need to go now or we will be late!” Merlin answered, passing Owain his drink and Dylan his box of nuggets.
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Soon, the boarding time came and when it was their turn, Merlin ensured Dylan and Owain were by his side as it was their very first time boarding a plane themselves. Then, Owain began distracting Dylan from the queue by asking him which seat he wanted and the perks of the different seats on flight.
Merlin listened in on their conversation while his mind wandered away to back at the restaurant when he encountered Arthur.
The man changed so much it took Merlin a minute longer to realize why the blonde was so familiar to him. He was bulkier now and neatly tidied, no more of that natural messy hair he once left uncombed. He was even wearing a suit in the restaurant, it used to be one of Merlin's favourite things about him.
Now, he silently prayed he would never cross paths with Arthur again. More so, do not share the same flight as him right now.
Without realizing, Merlin and the boys soon reached the door of the airplane and were directed to their seats at the back of the plane. The flight was long and Merlin was counting on Owain to tire Dylan out before their flight so he could enjoy this long flight peacefully.
“Do you guys remember our promise?” Merlin nudged Dylan who took the middle seat beside him. They were seated in the three middle seats so Merlin and Owain were seated by the aisle.
“Do not make trouble for daddy and the others.” The brothers replied in sync but Dylan still had his cheeky smile plastered on his face thus, Merlin pinched his cheek, “Especially you my love. Do not cause a scene during the flight please.”
After getting the brothers to promise him again, Merlin finally felt at ease, wearing his headphones and closed his eyes before he quickly drifted off to sleep. The past few weeks, work was hectic and heavy for him so this holiday was meant to be a break for him.
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|| MEANWHILE ||
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- Arthur’s POV -
“Yes Morgana, I’m already on the plane.” I spoke through my phone monotonously while my sister continued to blabber excitedly about the holiday she booked for me without my permission.
“Don’t be a miserable old git! I would kill to be on that plane with you.” She replied. “Oh please do Morgana, I’ll gladly swap places with you. You know that I have unfinished work yet you booked this trip without checking with me.”
“My dear brother, would you have said yes if I asked? If not, shut up. Just enjoy this holiday, you need it! We all can see just how tired you are. Plus, you need some spark in your life right now…It’s so boring and overflowing with work.” She complained disdainfully, making me sigh.
“Morgana have you ever wondered, perhaps I do like it like this?”
“That’s ridiculous. No one would want to be as sad as you. After Merlin left, you have been like this! It’s time to move on.” No matter how long it has been, hearing that name would always cause a sharp pain in my heart. “I have moved on! I’ve been on dates that you and father organized.”
“Yet, no outcomes. Because YOU didn’t like any of the hundreds of girls we sent your way. You may have moved on but mentally you are still thinking of Merlin.” Morgana scolded and that was when I’ve decided I heard enough.
I quickly said goodbye to her before hanging up on her then throwing my phone aside.
The flight attendant attended to me the moment I ended the call, asking if I needed anything but I declined politely. Whenever I fly, I would purchase the seats around me because I detested being seated beside someone who would irritate me with their noise or behaviour. Thus, the almost empty first class cabin.
As the plane took off, I waited patiently for the seatbelt sign to switch off before heading to the bathroom to change into comfortable clothes. The suit was killing me by restricting my movements and it was simply uncomfortable.
Then, after speaking with a flight attendant on my meal request, I went back to my seat.
However, to my dismay, two little boys were squeezing on the empty seat beside mine. Jumping around while giggling to the flight attendant lady who was speaking with them.
“My god, Mr Pendragon, your boys are so adorable!” She exclaimed with the brightest smile which left me even more confused. As I walked closer, the two boys turned their heads around which stunned me for a second.
I was speechless for a moment, I understood in a heartbeat why the flight attendant would think they were my kids…Because they looked so similar to me! However, the older boy reminded me of Merlin…His black hair and bright eyes…He looked like a baby Merlin…
“Could you bring them each food as well please. I’ll pay the extra.” I requested with a smile and she nodded before waving goodbye to the boys and left. “Hi! What are the two of you doing here?” I asked nicely, still fascinated by how similar they looked to me.
“We just wanted to look around, that's all! We haven’t caused any trouble…Please don’t tell daddy!” The little boy explained but I continued to smile, assuring them it was alright.
“Where’s your daddy?” I asked and they pointed to the back then did I understand they snuck in here from the Economy Cabin. “Have you told your dad that you guys would be here?”
“No…He’s sleeping. I’m sorry sir, it’s my little brother’s first time on an airplane…He wanted to look around.” The boy with the raven hair replied but I wasn’t mad at all.
“It is Owain’s first time here too! He hardly remembered the first time he flew with daddy.”
Assuming the older boy’s name is Owain, I lightly gestured, “My name is Arthur, what’s your name little guy?” “Dylan! And this is my brother Owain.”
“Have you two eaten? Would you like to eat something here with me?” I asked just as the air stewardess came with our food. They smelt the delicious food presented to us and were quick to agree.
Surprisingly, it was my first time enjoying a meal on a long flight. Perhaps it was the two boys keeping me company. Watching them interact reminded me of my past days with Merlin.
I would love to think that we looked as happy as they are, sharing a meal together during our school days.
Even though they had some friendly squabbling, the brothers would always exchange spoonful of their own meal which was the most wholesome moment I’ve witnessed so far.
“Will the two of you be heading back soon? If not, I would love the company. You two are free to stay here for the rest of the flight.” I offered them as I watched their eyes light up, “Really?! Daddy would love it here! It’s more spacious than where we were.” Owain exclaimed excitedly which warmed my heart even further. It showed just how much the two boys were brought up to love the people around them.
“If the two of you don’t mind, I have enough seats for you three.” I said and they began mumbling excitedly amongst each other before nodding their heads. “After your meal, you can bring your daddy here.”
- End of Arthur’s POV -
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It has been ages since Merlin had a good nap but he was awoken by an air steward who was heading down the aisle, serving them their meal.
Groggily, he cracked his eyes open and mumbled to Owain and Dylan, asking what they felt like eating but to his horror, both seats were empty.
“Dylan? Owain!” He practically jumped out of his seat, all his fatigue seeped away within seconds. “Where are they?” He subconsciously asked the steward who looked equally clueless as he was.
Idiot, if their own father doesn’t know where they went, why would he? Merlin cursed under his breath and muttered an apology before informing the steward to be back later as he went to search for his missing kids.
He searched the bathrooms and sheepishly went to an air stewardess for assistance. How pathetic of a father he was, losing his two sons on a plane!
Just then, one of her colleagues overheard our conversation and approached slowly, “I’m sorry but are you referring to the two adorable boys up front? I was serving them in the first class cabin half an hour ago…”
Merlin gasped, his eyes widened after hearing that information from the lady named Klara. “Are you sure? They were in row 21…” The other reconfirmed because how would the boys from the economy cabin be suddenly changed to the first class cabin?
Impatiently, Merlin ended up pulling a family photo of the three of them on his phone and showed it to the two ladies. “Yes! I’m positive it is them! Mr. Pendragon was very welcoming of them.” Klara exclaimed with a smile of confirmation however the moment Merlin heard that surname, his grip on his phone loosened and his phone dropped to the floor.
“Sir? Are you alright? We can bring you to them.” Klara reacted quicker than Merlin himself as she picked up his phone, offering her help to lead the way to the first class cabin.
Surely…It can’t be Arthur Pendragon right? There could be more than one pendragon family in this world, there must be!
The world couldn’t play this cruel joke on Merlin. Especially after he tried so hard to hide the two kids from the truth…The truth of having two biological fathers. It cannot happen!
Slowly, he followed behind Klara through the business class cabin then the first… Eyes were on him as they wondered why he was being walked to the front of the airplane in the middle of their flight.
However, when he arrived, he held onto his breath and almost forgot to breathe. The scene felt the most dreadful yet heart wrenching to Merlin.
The sight of his two precious boys sleeping soundly while sharing the spacious seat beside Arthur’s. Dylan was leaning against Arthur’s broad arms, drooling on his sleeve in fact while Owain dozed off against him.
It was something Merlin couldn’t possibly dare dream of but it was reality…He was about to be exposed.
“I am terribly sorry! Please don’t wake him up…I’ll get my boys and leave immediately.” Merlin apologized and was about to reach out to wake Owain when Klara suddenly stopped him and said, “However Mr. Pendragon has given his permission for them to stay. In fact, we were about to go find you…He said you could stay with your boys here for the rest of the flight.”
“What? Why?” Merlin didn’t know how to respond.
“Mr. Pendragon always purchases extra seats around him when he flies, so all these empty seats are available for you and your boys. He has already instructed us to accommodate your family.” Klara smiled as she gestured to the empty seats that were literally around Arthur’s seat.
Somehow Merlin wasn’t surprised that Arthur would spend this much money on a flight or behaviour. However, he was not going to accept his offer, especially at the risk of letting the boys get close to Arthur.
“I apologize sir, we sincerely thought your boys were Mr. Pendragon’s hence this misunderstanding…They really do look alike.” Klara smiled earnestly but it sent a wave of panic, biting his tongue, Merlin quickly bent down to rouse the two awake as quietly as he could without waking the sleeping man beside.
But luck was simply not on his side when he instead woke the man up while his two boys slept like logs.
The moment his eyes met with Arthur’s, he knew he was doomed and an explanation would be pending.