Title: Starting Over

Summary: Its Morgana's birthday and Merlin has a mission. MERGANA fluff.

Author's Note: I believe my love for Mergana is slowly burning down with every fic I write. It's like having a secret that you're dying to share with others, and once you do, the urge to tell it dies. But I'll continue writing, whether it be Mergana or something else entirely. I'm not sure. Only time will tell. Hope you all enjoy this fic though. Please leave a review.

-McDiggin'It

…

"It's Friday." Merlin says with a wide grin.

Arthur glances over at his friend and gives him an odd look. "I know this, Merlin."

"But do you know why today is special?" Merlin asks excitedly.

Arthur rolls his eyes as he turns his head back towards the the video game they're currently playing. "No, Merlin… What makes today so special?" he asks without taking his eyes off the TV.

Merlin smacks Arthur in the back of the head, glaring at him. "It's Morgana's birthday!"

Arthur grits his teeth as he pauses their game, sets his controller down and turns his entire body on the couch they're sitting on so he can face his friend properly. "Merlin, this obsession you have with my sister is a little unsettling." He says jokingly, earning him a glare and a shove from his bestfriend.

"It's not an obsession. You know how I feel about her."

At that, Arthur laughs. "Merlin, the whole school knows how you feel about her."

Merlin shrugs, "It doesn't bother me."

"Obviously." Arthur sighs heavily. "I don't know why you like her so much. She treats you like a piece of gum under her shoe, ignores you when you try to talk to her, and goes out of her way to avoid you."

Merlin huffs, shaking his head. "Arthur, you don't understand. I hurt her first."

"I know this, but it doesn't matter who hurt who. Point is, she hates your guts now, and won't be giving you a chance anytime soon."

"Aha!" Merlin exclaims triumphantly as if he'd just found a pot of gold. "So you do admit that you think I have a chance with her?"

"What?" Arthur asks exasperatedly. "Where the bloody hell did you get that!?"

"You said she won't be giving me a chance anytime soon, which means you think she'll possibly give me a chance later."

This time, it's Arthur who slaps Merlin in the back of the head.

"Ow!"

Ignoring him, Arthur huffs, "That's not what I meant, and it doesn't matter what I think, or what anyone else thinks. That decision is entirely up to Morgana."

Merlin shrugs, "But there's hope."

"Whatever. Come on, we're gonna be late for football practice."

Merlin nods, getting up to follow his bestfriend out the door. "Can I come over to your house after?"

"No."

Merlin looks incredulously at Arthur's quick dismissal of him. "Why not?"

"Because it's Morgana's birthday and I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to see you."

"Why not?"

Arthur stops in his tracks and stares at his friend. "Do you really want me to answer that?"

Sighing disappointedly, Merlin shakes his head. "I suppose not."

"Damn straight. You broke her heart, you giant idiot. And for that, I'll probably never forgive you. You're like my brother, and I really hate you for hurting her, but I also know that you didn't mean to."

"I really didn't. I was under the influence of alcohol!"

"No, you were under the influence of your penis!" Arthur snaps angrily.

Merlin rolls his eyes, "I resent that. I was drunk and slept with Morgana's ex-bestfriend. And I wasn't even with Morgana then. Or ever for that matter, so I don't really know why she's so mad at me."

"You knew she had feelings for you. She's been in love with you since we were 6 and she was 5! For christ's sake, she made a love bracelet out of those weird little heart thingies, and carved your initials on them for you on your birthday when we were 9!"

"Exactly! We were nine! I didn't even know what love was then, and I definitely didn't know that Morgana had such feelings for me. Matter of fact, I didn't know that ever until after I slept with Mithian and Morgana slapped me the next day at school."

Arthur laughs at the memory of Morgana walking right up to Merlin in the boys locker rooms and slapping him hard across the face. "Yes, I still think she should've punched you instead."

"Shut up, Arthur." Merlin says irritated. "You're absolutely no help."

"She's my little sister, Merlin. First of all, you hurt her, second of all, she's my sister and there's no way in hell I'm settting anyone up with her. Even if that person is you."

Merlin huffs before squaring his shoulders and puffing his chest out. "I know she'll forgive me someday and then finally give me another chance, but at least let me try."

Arthur huffs, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. "Fine, you can come over after practice... but not immediately after." Arthur adds quickly. "I'm pretty sure my father won't appreciate you being in your football gear at his table."

"Yes!" Merlin fist pumps. "Thank you."

"Yeah yeah." Arthur rolls his eyes. "Come on. Coach will string us up by the balls if we're late again."

…

Merlin smiles widely at Uther Pendragon as he opens the door. "Hello, Merlin! Come in!"

"Hey, Mr. Pendragon." Merlin greets politely.

"Merlin, I've told you before, call me Uther."

"Yes, Mr. Uther." Merlin chuckles as he steps into the foyer of the Pendragon residence.

Uther chuckles lightly, shaking his head as he closes the door behind the boy. He's very fond of Arthur's best friend. The boy is always polite and full of surprises. Although almost abnormally skinny, he had not only made the football team, but is also the main receiver for the team because he's a fast runner. Perks of having freakishly long legs, he guesses. But that's not entirely why he likes that Arthur chose Merlin as a best friend. Arthur was always very athletic and fit, but when it came to academics, the boy wasn't very good at it. But Merlin always made sure to keep Arthur on top of his homework and schoolwork. And for that, Uther is extremely grateful. He can't exactly hand his company over to Arthur if he keeps flunking. Uther pats Merlin on the back as they walk slowly towards the dining room where the rest of his family is gathered in a small but lively celebratory gathering for his daughters birthday. "We have another guest!" he calls through the dining room upon entering.

All the occupants in the room turn their heads to look at their new guest and smiling, Arthur being the first to jump out of seat and run over like a little boy on Christmas morning. "Oh, thank God!" He grabs his best friend and hugs him tightly before pulling away and whispering discreetly after his father walks away towards the dining table. "What took you so long?" he whispers furiously. "I mean I love this family to death, but if I don't get out of here soon, I'm going to lose it."

Merlin laughs, looking over Arthurs shoulder towards the dinner table where everyone is still sitting, watching them. "Errr, hello everyone." he waves, suddenly feeling shy. His eyes roam over the people there from Uther, to Ygraine, to some people he's never seen before, and finally, to Morgana… who's currently glaring daggers at him. Merlin sighs heavily as he stares right at her, not caring if it makes her or anyone else uncomfortable. Arthur turns, looking between the two before nudging Merlin in the side.

"Knock it off." Arthur hisses under his breath.

"Or what?" Merlin asks dreamily, even as Morgana's eyes narrow dangerously at him.

"Or my father will rip your balls off." Arthur whispers seriously.

At that, Merlin finally tears his eyes away from the love of his life and looks over to an amused Uther.

Ygraine chuckles, shaking her head. "If I weren't Arthur's mother, I would've thought he was your biological brother, Merlin."

Arthur rolls his eyes as Merlin laughs. Merlin turns his head, whispering into Arthur's ear. "I love your mother, but I'm really glad we're not actually brothers. That would make Morgana my sister."

Arthur huffs, nudging Merlin again and whispering back furiously, "No it wouldn't. Morgana and I don't share the same mother."

"Totally not the point. Legally, Ygraine is Morgana's mother. So if I were your biological brother, that would legally make Morgana my half sister."

"Oh dear God, Merlin. School ended 5 hours ago. I don't need a lesson on biology."

"Technically, it's not biology. It's—,"

"Shut up, Merlin." Arthur snaps before taking Merlin's arm and pulling him away from the dining room. "Mother, father, everyone. Merlin and I will be in my room playing video games!"

"But-" Merlin begins to protest, but Arthur smacks him behind the head.

"

Don't wait on us!" Arthur calls towards the dining room, and with that, they both rush upstairs to Arthur's room.

Merlin glares at Arthur, earning him an incredulous look from the blonde.

"What?" Arthur asks incredulously.

"I wanted to stay downstairs."

"For what? They're having dinner and talking about all of Morgana's great accomplishments, and how awesome she is, and—"

"Arthur, you do realize that I'm in love with your sister, right?"

"I wish I didn't." Arthur mutters, rolling his eyes as he takes his controller and turns on his Xbox.

"I came here to wish her a happy birthday and give her the present I got her."

Arthur quirks an eyebrow at his friend and looks him up and down. "I don't see a present, Merlin."

"Well of course… It's hidden."

Arthur's eyebrows furrow in confusion before widening in horror, disgust, and anger. "Merlin, I swear to god, if you say you wrapped your penis for Morgana, I will—,"

"What?! No! What the— where the bloody hell did you get that?!" Merlin asks incredulously.

Arthur raises his hands in surrender and shrugs, "I don't know, Merlin. You're pretty unpredictable when it comes to Morgana. It's scary."

Merlin rolls his eyes as he reaches into the pocket of his jeans and pulls out a small silver wrapped box. "I got her an actual gift."

"What is it?" Arthur asks curiously.

Merlin shrugs, "Can't tell you."

"Why not?" Arthur asks suspiciously.

"Because it's not for you, you idiot."

"But I'm your best friend."

"Yes you are. And when it's your birthday, I'll get you something."

Arthur folds his arms stubbornly across his chest and looks at the small box in Merlin's hands. "I demand to know what it is."

"Demand all you want, Arthur." Merlin laughs as he stores the box away in his jacket pocket. "I'm not telling you what it is." he looks at Arthur and finds him staring at his pocket. "I'll tell you what it's not though." Merlin says as he sits down beside his best friend and turns to smile widely at him. "It's not my penis."

Arthur glares at his best friend and shoves a throw pillow in his face. "Smartass."

Merlin laughs as he throws the pillow back at Arthur. "Better than being a dumbass."

…

Merlin leaves around 10pm, thanking the Pendragon's for their constantly amazing hospitality. Ygraine hands him a plate with a fairly large piece of cake from Morgana's birthday cake and thanks him for coming over. "And please say hello to your parents for me." she says.

Merlin nods, thanking her again before leaving. At half past 11, he drives back to the Pendragon residence and parks down the street before walking up to the house and climbing into the backyard. He checks that all the lights are off before quietly climbing up the trellis that he knows leads to Morgana's bedroom window and trying to avoid the rose thorns adorning the wooden frames of the trellis. It's hard, but after falling off the trellis halfway up and trying again, he finally manages to get up to her window with just a few thorns in his palms.

Merlin looks through the glass, squinting to try and make out any movement. He doesn't, so he knocks softly on the window and waits.

Morgana's eyebrows furrow when she hears a soft knock from her window. Perhaps she misheard, she thinks as she checks her phone for the time. It's midnight. Sighing, she closes her eyes and tries to get some sleep. Her friends had demanded that they go out and have their own celebration of her birthday in the morning. But then theres another knock, this one much louder than the last. Sitting up slowly, Morgana looks at the window, and though she can't really see outside, she thinks she sees something move. Getting out of bed quietly, she grabs the first thing she finds, which is her swiffer mop, and raises it over her head defensively as she approaches the window. Taking a deep breath, she quickly unlatches her window and pulls it open as she takes a step back and gets ready to kill whatever is out there. What she sees surprises the hell out of her. "Merlin?" she asks incredulously. He smiles at her, and she has to force herself not to melt directly into her carpet.

"Hi…" he looks at the mop in her hands and gives her a sheepish look. "Ermm, can I come in?"

She glares at him as she drops the mop onto the floor and steps closer to the window. "What do you want?… And why are you climbing up my window?"

"Errr, kind of a long story… So can I come in?"

She looks at him for another moment longer before finally sighing and stepping back. "Be quiet. I think my father is still awake."

Merlin nods as he sticks his head through the window, wincing as his bleeding fingers grip the bottom frame of the window and pulls his body through. He falls headfirst onto the floor and groans as he pulls his legs through and finally rights himself. Getting up, he first looks at his bleeding palms, squinting at the little thorns now sunken deeply into his skin.

"You're bleeding." Morgana points out, shaking her head. "Why the bloody hell did you think it was a good idea to climb up the trellis?"

"It was the only way to come up here." Merlin says sheepishly.

"Have you ever heard of a door?"

Merlin rolls his eyes, "I doubt your father would let us be alone."

"Well there's also this thing called a cellphone."

Merlin quirks an eyebrow at her. "Would you have answered if I called?"

Morgana's silence is answer enough for him. Instead, she asks, "This couldn't wait until tomorrow?"

Merlin shakes his head and smiles at her, "Tomorrow's not your birthday… and I wanted to give you your birthday present before midnight."

"You didn't have to get me anything, Merlin."

He nods, "I know."

Sighing, she takes his wrist and pulls him towards her bathroom.

"What are you doing?"

"I can't have you bleeding all over my room." she says defensively.

"But what about—,"

"You can give me my present after." she cuts him off as she points to the edge of the tub. "Sit."

Merlin nods, sitting down on the edge and looking at her. She deliberately avoids his stare as she looks through her things for a few moments before pulling out a tweezer and a roll of bandages, though he's not sure he needs bandages. "You're probably the smartest idiot I know." she says with a roll of her eyes as she sits beside him and takes one of his hands in hers.

Merlin smiles, his heart jumping with excitement. This is the closest he's been to her without her slapping him. It's a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. He tries not to wince as she begins plucking rose thorns from his palm, the silence suddenly too loud in the bathroom. "Errr, I think I may have killed some of your mother's rose bushes on the way up here." Merlin murmurs sheepishly.

Morgana laughs at that, and he swears it's the most beautiful sound he's ever heard. He's heard her laugh many times before, but its been a while. At least not since the incident with Mithian. Morgana looks up at him as she pulls out the last thorn, and Merlin winces a little. She then turns, switching on the water in the tub and pulling Merlin's hand under the warm water. "You could've called Arthur to let you sneak in." she says matter-of-factly.

Merlin shakes his head at that, "He wouldn't help me."

Morgana gives him a skeptical glance as she takes his hands out from under the running water and laying the back of them on top of her lap. "He's your best friend. I'm pretty sure he'd do anything for you." She turns again, taking a clean towel from a shelf behind her before taking Merlin's hands again in hers and dabbing gently at them.

Again, Merlin shakes his head. "Not this. Believe me, I've asked for his help, but he wouldn't. It's not that he doesn't want to help. He just doesn't want to see you get hurt again."

Morgana tenses up, her hands stilling over his before throwing a narrowed look at him. "And what makes him think I've been hurt before?"

Merlin sighs, gently pulling the towel from Morgana's hands and placing them beside him on the edge of the tub. "Let's stop pretending like you don't hate me for what I did."

Morgana turns her head away, trying to hide the tears stinging in her eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Morgana, I know you." he lets go of one of her hands so he can gently grasp her chin and pull her face so she's looking back at him. His heart aches at the tears in them. "I know how stubborn you can be… I also know how you feel about me. Or, should I say, felt about me." Merlin sighs heavily as he really looks at her. "I didn't know until after I made the mistake of sleeping with Mithian… I was drunk, she was there, and it just… happened. But it sure as hell didn't mean anything to me. Because after that, you started avoiding me and I realized how much you mean to me. I realized that I've been in love with you for a while and just mistook it for friendship."

"Merlin, you don't have to explain anything to me."

"Yes, I do." Merlin insists, pulling her closer. "Morgana, you have no idea what I've been feeling since I realized I was in love with you. When you started dating that stupid Ken guy, I seriously thought I was gonna lose my mind. I've never felt so—,"

"Kyle." Morgana interrupts.

"What?"

"His name is Kyle. Not Ken."

Merlin blinks incredulously at her. "That's besides the point… Ken was an idiot."

Morgana laughs at that, shaking her head. "No, you're right. I knew he was an idiot."

"And you still dated him?" Merlin asks in mock bewilderment.

Morgana shrugs, "How else would I get you jealous?"

Merlin blinks rapidly in surprise at her. "Really? You dated him to make me jealous?"

Morgana laughs, rolling her eyes. "He asked me out, and at first I was going to say no, but then I thought of you and how much I wanted you to feel a smidge of what I felt when you and Mithian decided to hook up that other night. So I agreed to date him."

Merlin frowns at that. "I didn't know you were so vengeful."

"I'm a straight A student, Merlin. Not a saint."

He laughs at that and pulls her hand up to his face. "Can we start over?"

Morgana's eyes take on a more serious look at the question. She looks down where their hands are joined and shakes her head. "Merlin, what I went through after finding out about you and Mithian was… quite possibly the most painful thing I've ever had to endure. And you didn't make it easy with all your insistence that we go out, or talk, or simply be in the same room… If I give you a chance and you hurt me again, I don't know if I can handle that."

Merlin shakes his head, letting go of her hand to pull her face towards his. "I won't ever hurt you again, Morgana. I promise you that. I never would've hurt you in the first place if I had known how you felt about me."

Morgana huffs, shaking her head. "Merlin, my whole family, and yours knew about my feelings for you."

"I wasn't the most observant person in the world, you know?"

Morgana laughs a little, shaking her head again. "Yes, you were probably the most oblivious guy on this planet."

He chuckles, nodding in agreement before looking more seriously at her. "So… can we start over?"

Morgana stares at him for a very long moment, before giving him a curious look. "Weren't you here for a reason other than to kill my mother's roses?"

He knows she's stalling, and though he's disappointed, he nods, smiling widely at her. He reaches into his pocket, pulling out the little silver box in there and handing it to her. "It's not a ring." he says sheepishly at the wary look on her face. "I promise it's not over the top as well."

Morgana nods, smiling at him as she begins to pull away the bow secured firmly around the box. It takes a few moments, but finally, the bow comes off and she slowly pulls the lid away. There's a sharp intake of air on her part as she stares at the beautiful silver bracelet laying inside. She smiles as she pulls it out, noticing the way it's made of silver connecting hearts. Upon closer inspection, she sees her own initials, engraved on each heart, and her head snaps up so she's staring at Merlin with wide eyes. "You…" she trails off when Merlin pulls out a black necklace around his neck. Tears collect in her eyes when she sees the little pink hearts, each with his initials carved into it, hanging from the string.

"I kept it…" Merlin says softly. "I wore it everyday around my wrist until it didn't fit anymore, so I made it into a necklace."

"I… I never knew that."

"You remember?" Merlin asks softly, his eyes holding so much hope and longing.

She nods immediately, tears quickly falling down her cheeks. "Of course I do." She smiles as she stares at his necklace. She remembers how she made him a bracelet and used a kitchen knife to carve his initials into them. He had smiled at her and told her that he would keep it forever. She believed him then, but as they grew up, she thought he must've lied about keeping it because she stopped seeing him wear it. She never thought about the fact that his wrist got too big for the small bracelet she made him.

Merlin smiles goofily, and then looking down shyly at his hands. "I… I know I'm a few years late, but I want you to know that I really do love you, Morgana… and I'm so sorry I never knew about how you felt until it was too late."

Morgana bites her lip, making her decision then and there. She looks at him, and raises a hand to his face, gently caressing his cheek. "I suppose it's not exactly too late."

Merlin looks up at her, eyes wide and hopeful. "It's not?"

She smiles lovingly at him and shakes her head. "Just because I was angry at you for hurting me, doesn't mean that I stopped loving you."

"You didn't?"

She nods, and hands him the bracelet he got her. "Will you put it on me?" she asks and gives him her left wrist. He nods, taking it silently and clasping the bracelet quickly around her wrist before raising her hand and kissing the inside of her wrist. Morgana smiles lovingly at him, slowly grabbing his face and pulling it towards hers. She stops him right before her lips touch his. "I love you too, Merlin."

Really, that is all he needs to hear before he finally leans in the rest of the way and kissing her gently. It's soft, sweet, beautiful, and absolutely life changing. When they pull away, he rests his forehead against hers, eyes closing as he inhales her delicious vanilla scent. "You have no idea how that makes me feel." he says softly.

Morgana chuckles, leaning forward and kissing him again. "I've been in love with you since I was five, Merlin." she says upon pulling away again. "I know exactly how you feel."

That night, Merlin does everything right. He spends the night in her bed, holding her and just talking, sneaking in kisses every now and then. They make plans for the next night, and in the morning, he sneaks out the front door while Morgana keeps a lookout after a heavy makeout session on her bed. "I'll see you tonight?" Merlin asks softly as he pulls the door open.

Morgana turns to him, nodding. "Yes. Now go before my parents come down." she whispers, leaning up on her toes and kissing him one last time. When he leaves, Morgana goes out the backdoor, and laughs hysterically at the state of her mother's rose bushes. She's gonna have to come up with a good reason for why there's a trail of dead leaves leading from the bushes to her window. She smiles as she thinks of the real reason behind the death of her mother's roses. She has to admit, now that they're starting over, she knows he'll be so much trouble. But he's still so totally worth it.

…

A/N: BTW, if you're reading "The Thief", I'm still working on chapter 3. I'll try to update that one soon. Thanks for reading. Please review!

-McDiggin'It