merthur fic recs: actor!arthur pt 3
1. No Flash Photography! by TheCourtSorcerer (@tcs-main)
“Oh, oh! Look at this one!” Arthur snorted, staring at his phone as he sat next to Merlin on the couch in the living room of their flat that evening. Merlin tore his eyes away from the movie they were supposed to be watching and raised an eyebrow at his boyfriend.
“What is it now?” He almost didn’t want to ask. When Arthur used that voice, it was almost always some bogus gossip story trying to either make them look bad, create a crazy affair for them, or somehow do both at the same time. He grimaced slightly, wondering which one of them and what it would be this time.
Arthur scooted closer and wrapped an arm around him, holding his phone between them so they could both read the screen. “Looks like you’ve got a secret girlfriend I didn’t know about! Who is this Freya Waterson, Merlin? I’m simply heartbroken!” He feigned distress, almost immediately killing the ruse by grinning stupidly.
-OR-
Arthur & Merlin, well-known actors who play leading characters Brenin & Gwyn in popular show Once & Future, have been together for eight years, everyone knows it! Well... They thought everyone knew it.
~~~
kind of random but that scene where they were acting as brenin and gwyn made me squeal. i adore that subtle reference to the actual merlin show. their interactions with eh once and future fandom is also really cute and it made me smile soo hard.
2. world looks better by helloearthlings
The next night, there were already flowers in Arthur’s dressing room when he returned from offstage – daisies this time, a little classier than grocery store flowers. The note inside them was just signed –M but it made Arthur smile. When he got home, he added them to the slightly upturned bowl of water that was holding the last night’s bouquet.
The next night, they were daffodils. The night after that, they were tulips. The night after that, Arthur finally bought a vase.
~~~
i adore this fic so much. it’s so cute and fluffy and “you can’t possibly think i’m still asking about the part” made me squeal.
3. Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies by rageynerd (@rageynerd)
Arthur Pendragon, coined the prince of film, is more than unimpressed with Hollywood's latest rising star Merlin Emrys. He comes in with naivety and a chip on his shoulder and, when they're cast as co stars in the same movie, he is sure that Merlin won't last long.
Merlin can’t stand that absolute tosser, Arthur Pendragon, that everyone seems to love. But he must learn how to make peace with him if he can star alongside him for this many months— in a romance, no less.
They both plan on leaving each other alone and focusing on work until the fans decide they love them together, and in an act of good publicity, Arthur and Merlin must spend way more time together than either of them want.
~~~
ahhh the fake dating with mutual pining trope!!! i adore arthur’s inner monologue and pining in this fic. it’s so well written.
