InsaneJournal

who: arthur and merlin
where: mall
when: morning after this
what: buying kittens and books
rating/status: pg / incomplete log

The coat Merlin had brought him the day before was finally dry, no thanks to Guinevere's little prank. He could still feel icy snow trailing down his back. Later, much later, he would get payback for that, for now though, he was going to head down to Merlin's room and drag him into the city. He knew he wanted a book, though for the life of him he wasn't sure why or what kind. It was like an itch at the base of his spine, persistent and irritating and no way to politely scratch at it without looking like an arse.

He sighed, jamming his hands in the pockets and heading out the door, leaving a note for Gwen in his wake.

Merlin had just opened the door when Arthur reached his room, and while it probably made sense to say hi, close the door, and walk out of the building with Arthur -- When did Merlin do anything that made sense? So instead he smiled and walked right back into the apartment, leaving the door open behind him because naturally Arthur would follow.

"I got your shoes." He called, eventually offering up a pair of black boots, laced and polished already. It had taken him ages to find a pair, mostly because he hadn't realized how many different types of shoes people had now to choose from. Apparently there were shoes for running, and tennis shoes, and strange things called flip flops that looked flimsy and useless. All in infinite colors and styles. Some how he didn't think Arthur would appreciate this fact as much as he did though, so he kept that to himself. "The ones with holes in them wouldn't be a good idea in the snow."

Not that he had much choice, Arthur trailed after Merlin and folded his arms. He wasn't sure what Merlin was doing, nor did he dare ask. This was Merlin after all. They had all the time in the world, but if pushed, Arthur would admit he would like to get back to the apartments before dark. It got colder then, he was already pushing himself going out twice in two days.

"They weren't." Arthur took the pair from Merlin's hands, slipping one under his arm to inspect the other. They were different, to be certain, but they felt more familiar in his hand than the pair of trainers he was wearing now. Flipping it over, he ran his thumb over the rubber sole and frowned. He toed out of his shoes and kicked them toward the wall, before placing the ones he'd been holding on the floor.

"Thank you," he said once in the new boots.

Merlin watched Arthur inspect the shoes - They were plain, black, and didn't seem disagreeable to him. So why didn't he seem pleased, especially with the soles? Before Merlin got the chance to ask though Arthur had already kicked off his shoes, and replaced them with the new ones. Said thank you as well, imagine. Merlin just smiled and shrugged. "You're welcome."

Now that that was done, he headed back out, locking the door behind him, and starting out of the building. The snow had been nice to begin with, but trudging through it constantly was kind of putting a damper on Merlin's mood. Not only that, but it didn't show any sign of stopping any time soon. He tugged the long coat a little tighter around himself, and started down the side walk (which he discovered also ran the risk of being just as slippery as the ice even if the snow was shoveled away, so his steps were slow and careful.) towards the mall.

"Want to get some hot cocoa on the way there?" He asked absently as he shoved his hands into his pockets, remembering he'd bought gloves for them as well, and pulling two pair from his pockets. It was fairly obvious which pair was for who. Arthur got respectable looking black ones, which Merlin held out, while he had a pair of light blue ones with little yellow ducklings wearing red neckerchiefs that looked suspiciously like the one Merlin used to wear constantly. Shut up, Arthur.

Arthur slid on the gloves in grateful silence. They were well lined and warm against the snow and cold air. He eyed Merlin's pair, before lifting his gaze to Merlin's. The trouble with going any place with Merlin was he frequently said things that made little sense, though, Arthur supposed this was another thing he ought to know by now and had chosen not to learn about. He was still trying to fathom what to do with the canister of coffee sitting in his cupboard.

"Hot cocoa?" he repeated. At the very least it would be warm, that was a small consolation.

The snow crunched beneath their feet as they walked and Arthur watched the tread of his new shoes mold the snow into zig-zag patterns. They would get some getting used to, they were heavier, but not better fitting, than his old ones. He suspected they would be sturdier as well, though he couldn't be sure they were better made. All in all, Merlin had done a good job of fully outfitting him for the winter months, and it brought forth an odd sense of shame and guilt that he'd been associating solely with Merlin for the past few weeks.

"You haven't had - Oh! I'll get us some, it's really good!" Merlin grinned excitedly, glancing up the street until he spotted a Starbucks on the corner. He could only assume a 'star buck' was the odd, two tailed, half-woman creature on their sign, and what that had to do with coffee and chocolate drinks he'd probably never know. He stopped caring after trying their hot cocoa, so it was fine. He picked up the pace a little, leaving Arthur behind, and hurried into the coffee shop. A few minutes later he exited the shop where Arthur stood, and gave him one of the steaming cups.

Arthur lifted it to his nose curiously and nearly got a foam filled nostril for his trouble. It smelled sweeter than wine and decidedly unlike anything he'd ever had to drink in his life. But Merlin appeared blissfully accomplished and was already sipping at his, and he certainly wasn't dying, a very ringing endorsement, considering. It really left Arthur with only one choice. He took a tiny sip of the hot liquid, scalding his tongue and winced.

"It's burning hot. How can you already be drinking this?"

"Blow on it." Merlin suggested, taking another small sip, and cradling the warm drink in both hands. The warmth was nice in all this snow, and chocolate was amazing. "Or just give it a minute to cool."

He certainly looked far too pleased with himself. The younger couldn't help it. He'd actually tended to Arthur, and didn't receive a single complaint. Casually ignoring the scalding drink comment, that is. Still - the jacket, shoes, and gloves had all been accepted. He'd even gotten a thank you for his effort. Now they were going out to the bookstore, like proper friends, which probably pleased Merlin a little more then it should.

"So what made you suddenly want to start reading?"

<i>Blow on it.</i> Arthur thought that was a rather dubious suggestion, but did as he was told before trying another sip. It burned his tongue, but not as badly as before, and it allowed for the flavor to finally be acknowledged and Arthur pulled the cup back in mild shock. It was sweeter than any warm beverage he'd grown accustomed to and he couldn't say he disliked it.

And, as an added pleasure, his hands were warming even faster than before and the journey no longer felt as unpleasant.

"I'm fairly sure we've already had this discussion."

"No, you dodged the question." Merlin distinctly remembered asking, and never getting a straight answer. Instead it was just turned back to talk of him falling over. He wanted to know what had Arthur curious enough to go looking for books when there were so many more active alternatives.

"You should try some of the sports they have here." He'd meant to suggest baseball to Arthur ages ago, but had a bad habit of forgetting or getting side tracked. It was active, looked kind of difficult, there were teams -- Sure it wouldn't be like training the knights back home, but Merlin thought it suited Arthur better then being curled up with a book.

"I won't go out on the ice with you." Arthur eyed Merlin warily and stepped around the post box before rejoining him on the curb. He stirred his cocoa with the wooden stick and sighed. Merlin would notice he hadn't answered the other question. He would push, because he enjoyed irritating Arthur to the very brink of his sanity, and Arthur wasn't sure any answer he could give at this point would be deemed satisfactory.

He took another swig of hot cocoa to mask the uneasy silence. "I need to get a book for Guinevere," he finally answered. It wasn't the whole truth. He did want to get a book for Gwen, that hadn't been a lie, but there was a need to go search the shelves and see what he could find about himself. He was sick to death of everyone around him knowing things he didn't. Things they shouldn't know, certainly not all of it was truth, but there were some parts that were, that rang a little too true, and Arthur needed to know.

He couldn't begin to explain that to Merlin without Merlin trying to prevent him from doing just that.

"I hadn't meant that. There are others - I wouldn't even try, I'd just make a fool of myself. I'll show you later." If Merlin readily admitted he would look foolish then you know it had to require some level of skill and coordination. And yes he did notice the lack of an answer to his first question, which he wasn't going to let go that easily. Arthur did finally volunteer an answer. Maybe not one that Merlin liked, but an answer all the same. It also ensured that all further questions on the subject would stop because where Arthur and Gwen as a pair were concerned, Merlin tried to avoid the thought for reasons he'd rather not think about any more then he had to. He hadn't even considered that Arthur might look up the stories about them, even though it was perfectly likely.

"Oh." It was all he had to say about that before changing the subject himself. "They have a pet store in the mall too. I think we should go. I really want one." Which was true, he'd sat on the floor of the shop playing with the puppies for an hour or so last time he went, and had to resist the urge to adopt all of them.

"Only one?" Arthur's lips moved toward a smile that he firmly squashed with the lip of the paper cup. Merlin was a literal bleeding heart. Unless the animal was deformed or dying, there was no one creature Merlin would want more than another. It sounded like a perfectly bad idea in Arthur's mind, but he was already dragging Merlin into a bookstore without giving his full reasons, he may as well let Merlin have something nice.

"We'll go there first."

"Really?" He had to fight to keep the excitement from his voice, and failed miserably regardless. Of course, he would probably have to keep Arthur from picking him something that would better serve as a hunting dog then a house pet. Merlin actually was a little more fond of the cats anyways.

"I think it's close to the bookstore too. Are you sure you want to go first though because if I got a pet I'd have to buy all the stuff for it too like the food, bowls, a collar, um -- I'm sure there is other things too. I'll have to think of a name." No, not excited at all. Merlin probably wouldn't stop smiling without some effort on Arthur's part to put a stop to it.

Arthur smiled and shook his head, casting snow off into his face where it melted slowly and slid to the ground. "Or, you could stay there, do all those things, while I go and fetch the book I want."

His ears stung and he wondered if Merlin wouldn't know where he could buy a hat. Now was not the time to get distressed by the fact that he'd been here months and still had little to no idea where to purchase certain things. They hadn't been necessary before; it was the only way he could console himself.

"I guess that would work too." He kind of wanted to ask what sort of book Arthur wanted to get since he seemed to have a set idea now as opposed to earlier when he'd just wanted to read something. However, as the book was for Gwen, he sort of lost interest, deciding he'd rather not know what Arthur was getting her. Chances were he'd get into the pet store and forget all about it anyways, so Arthur's idea would be perfect.

He held the door open when they reached the mall. Merlin had gotten lost in it the first time he came, and had ended up drawing a copy of the large map for himself that they had posted in one of the halls. Now he had a general idea of how to get around, but don't be surprised if it takes them a while to get back home.

"It's -- uh -- that way." Merlin started off determinedly in the direction he'd pointed.

Arthur caught up to Merlin easily, falling in step beside him. He slowly tugged off his gloves and paused at the last finger. "You're already lost, aren't you?"

"No!" Not that he would admit it if he was, and he wasn't sure that he wasn't. The mall did go in a circle though so they HAD to run into the store eventually. Merlin got lucky though because tucked away in one corner was the pet store with puppies still in the windows, and not too much further down was the book store like he'd promised. A smug grin found its way across his features as he pointed them out. "See?"

He dragged Arthur to the pet store first, pressing against the glass at eye level with the small retriever in the window. Through the glass he spotted a large cage of kittens though that caught his attention. "Look at those!" He hurried in and looked hopefully at the woman behind the counter who laughed right in Merlin's earnest, eager face as she opened the cage for him.

Merlin's enthusiasm was more embarrassing than contagious, but he stood by the exit with a fond, nearly indulgent smile, waiting for Merlin to settle in with his pets. He wouldn't leave until he was sure Merlin was fully distracted and wouldn't follow after him. The possibility was too real for him to ignore it and when he was certain the kitten crawling over Merlin's shoulder had his attention captive, Arthur stepped out of the shop and didn't hesitate to cross over to the bookstore.

The first thing he noticed was the brightness. The second was the neatness. He blinked, momentarily lost just in the entrance, before reading over the signs above the shelves, weaving in and out of them until he found a promising section stuffed full of books with different colors and sizes. He frowned, perhaps he should have kept Merlin with him to help, he couldn't possibly read them all to determine which would be best.

Arthur settled on a book at the far corner of the shelf and pulled it from its snug space. The cover was fairly simple, a drawn image of a mother with an infant and it appeared readable, but Arthur had no idea what he was looking for, more lost than ever.

He would come back to that later.

Someone around the corner swore quietly, before moving around with a loaded metal cart of books.

"Can I help you?"

Arthur slapped down the instant reaction to turn away in dismissal and nodded, hurrying to explain what he needed before Merlin managed to untangle himself from what he was sure would be a pile of fuzzy baby animals and adoring children. Ten minutes and two books later, he left the shop, not feeling any better than he had upon entering it.

And as predicted, Merlin was rolling around with animals and surrounded by excited looking children.

Marvelous.

"Merlin."

Merlin looked up from his seat on the tile floor where he and several children were playing with half a dozen little kittens. He beamed up at Arthur, and scooped up one golden colored feline in his arms as well as a couple bags. He also offered a little wave bye to the kids before walking over to Arthur, holding the kitten up in one hand.

The cat meowed at Arthur and turned its nose up at him, sliding back into the crook of Merlin's arm contentedly instead where he held it under the warmth of his coat for the walk back home. "I thought of a name for him as well."

The kitten had fought playfully and won against all the others, and had a habit of putting it's little nose or butt in the air as it strutted away. It even had the same color as Arthur's hair, and one girl here had named her dog after him so really -- That made it okay, right? "I named him Pendragon."

He chuckled, and as if on cue the kitten's head poked out of his coat for a moment. "See, he already likes it!"

Arthur observed the kitten's antics with an impassive air. He'd never been too fond of cats. They were willful, independent and selectively affectionate. While this was only a baby of a cat, already Arthur got the sense the creature had a slight dislike for him and wasn't that wonderful. Like owner like pet. This kitten would be a menace and then Merlin had to go and give him that name.

He scowled at Merlin and the kitten in turn. "He better prove he's worthy of it."

Though, with the amount of attitude already being exhibited, Arthur suspected he would fit the name too well.

"He is." Merlin said decidedly, standing beside Arthur with the kitten hidden in one arm, and his bags in the other hand. His gaze flickered to the smaller bag Arthur had. A trip entirely well spent if he did say so himself. He'd only noticed Arthur had vanished ten minutes after the fact, but that was fine because he'd caught the smile the blond had given him before leaving.

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

Arthur waved the bag in front of Merlin's face, hoping he wouldn't count the number in it. What Merlin didn't know, wouldn't hurt him, and he got the feeling that Merlin just didn't want him to know what these pages would reveal to him.

Luckily for Merlin then, they'd got that magic thing out of the way weeks ago. "Yes."

With their bags all gathered up, and Pendragon secure inside Merlin's coat they were ready to head back. He didn't try to count the books, he'd lost interest in whatever Arthur had wanted to buy when he'd mentioned it was for Gwen. Besides, the kitten was a perfect distraction. All and all he thought it was a nice trip out. They didn't even argue once, which was saying something considering their track record lately.

"I'll start getting you hot chocolate more often, they have mixes." He said cheerfully, as they wandered away from the pet shop. "Just don't burn yourself." Come to think of it, he put a lot of things in Arthur's kitchen - most of it was breads, cheeses, cold cuts, fruit...That sort of thing, but there was also a few things that needed to be cooked, and he doubted the prince was capable of cooking.

"Do you know how to use the stove and microwave yet? I should probably come over and show you how to make a few things. I've been learning at work."

"Yes, thank you, Merlin, for that warning. I never would have thought that otherwise." Arthur slid his gloves from his pocket to put them on and paused mid-motion. Merlin had that funny look about him again. The one that said he was going to do or say something ridiculous, or sound serious and make Arthur want to do nothing more than laugh at him.

"I get by." But, he wouldn't say no to having Merlin come by at a time when Arthur was awake or around.

"I'm just full of good advice." He replied, resisting the urge to stick out his tongue childishly. Merlin just smiled instead, deciding that he would go by to teach Arthur some time. Easy stuff, little things the guys at work had taught him first. Pasta and warming up soup. Pizza. Pizza was really good.

"It'll be fun. I'll teach you how to make some small meals."