A/N: Hey y'all. I was listening to "Someone Like You" yesterday, and I began to think "Hey, what if this was set in a modern-day AU for Merlin?" Thus, The Forgotten Friend was born. I still haven't gotten any responses as to what y'all wanna be called, so I'll try something out. How about TaiPies? IDHAFC. Help me out guys! I can't keep calling you guys "Y'all"! *sigh…*

~Tai-chan

Merlin stared down at the baby shower notice that he got from Arthur and Gwen. He didn't want to go, not if he had to see him. He tore it up and threw it away, going to sit in his chair. He stared out the window and remembered, his favorite pastime.

Merlin and Arthur were 11, just starting middle school. Arthur spun back around to look at Merlin, his eyes twinkling as he laughed. "Come on, Merlin! We're gonna be late!"

They were 14. They were sitting in Arthur's bathroom. Arthur was bleeding. His father had beaten him again, and he was losing a lot of blood. Merlin used the knowledge he got from his Uncle Gaius and patched him up.

They were 16. Merlin had confessed to Arthur, and ran away after Arthur's friends started jeering at him, and locked himself in a toilet to cry. There was a knock on the door. Merlin slowly opened it to a kiss. His eyes widened as he saw a blushing Arthur in front of him. Merlin wrapped his arms around Arthur's neck and kissed him. Pulling back, Merlin smiled happily when Arthur asked him to be his boyfriend. "Yes, Arthur! I would be delighted to be your boyfriend."

They were 18, at senior prom. The most special night of Merlin's life. Or so he thought. Arthur was voted prom king, with Guinevere as his queen. Merlin privately laughed at how much like the actual Camelot this was, but only for the night. Merlin watched as Arthur danced the obligatory king/queen dance with Gwen. Then he watched as they danced another one. And another one. And another one. He saw when Arthur kissed her. He didn't see what happened after that.

Merlin and Arthur hadn't spoken since that night. But, despite it all, Merlin still loved that clotpole.

Merlin was walking home from work when a rainstorm started. He put his hood up and started wandering. The rain would clear his thoughts. When he looked up again, he saw that his feet had carried him to Arthur and Gwen's house. He sighed and knocked on the door. Arthur opened it, glowing. That glow dropped when he saw Merlin's soaking wet and bedraggled form. Merlin snorted at the cold expression on Arthur's face. "Hey Arthur. Remember me? Remember us? No? Well, sorry then. Hope you two are happy together. Don't forget me, Merlin Emrys, okay?" With that, Merlin walked away.

Merlin sighed, and started silently sobbing. He didn't want to go. He didn't even know why he got an invite. But he knew it must have been Gwen. She was the nicest person ever, but sometimes she didn't realize that it was best to let sleeping dogs lie. Looking around his lonely flat, Merlin sighed again, and wiped away his tears. He had changed his mind. He would go to this baby shower, if only to see Arthur one last time.

He went to his bedroom and grabbed his soft brown hoodie and his favorite red scarf. He rearranged his hair and put on a fake smile. His smiles were always fake. He had gotten quite good at it. He grabbed his keys and exited the flat.

He came back hours later, nerves frayed. He leaned back against the door as flashes of memory blurred past in his mind. Arthur. Gwen. Gwen's pregnant belly. The smiles on their faces. Arthur's stone-cold gaze every time he happened to look Merlin's way. Nobody remembering him. Anatomy books. Insults from high school. His father. His mother. Their funerals. Uncle Gaius's funeral. Everybody ignoring him.

He ran into his room and closed the door. He fell asleep sobbing. The next day, paramedics found him dead in his bed. They said he had died of a broken heart.

His funeral was small, not many people came. Just his friends Will and Freya, and his history teacher Mr. Kilgarrah. Off in the distance, a tall blonde man stands on a hill with his arm around his pregnant wife. She was sobbing. He had tears in his eyes as he finally remembered just exactly who Merlin Emrys was.

A/N: Whelp. That's that. I think I'm actually trying to make myself cry. Subtle message, but a powerful one. In other words, don't go breaking people's hearts! It can hurt them more than you think. Also, don't fuck with people's feelings. Um…. I can't have a cheerful ending to this A/N. Uh, check out my profile, look at my social media, review, whatever. Give me a name for the fanbase please… Ima go drown my sorrows in XBOX Live… Bye.

~Tai