Hey guys! It's been a while since I've posted anything on here, so please forgive me for any formatting issues as I get back into it. Anyway, I hope that you all enjoy this, and as a quick note, Merlin doesn't have magic in this story.
Despite the normally dreary weather of their little north coast island, the sun was out and shining with uncharacteristic intensity, warming Merlin's cheeks as he looked across the ocean. Today was one of those rare days when the sun decided to actually show itself, and he was going to enjoy every last second of it. Sighing a little in contentment, he settled into a more comfortable position and closed his eyes, pleased that he had managed to escape the clutches of Mordred once again. Smiling weakly, he let the lapping waves and tweeting birds lull him into a light doze.
The next thing he knew, there were little drops of water hitting his face. Must be raining again, He thought, aiming to go back to sleep when the situation actually sunk it. Jumping up in shock, Merlin shot forward and looked to the sky, expecting to see coal black clouds. Instead, he was surprised to see that the sky was still cloudless.
"I totally got you." A voice cackled behind him.
"Arthur ." Merlin groaned, turning around to face his best friend who was standing behind him, a water bottle in his hand and a wide grin on his face.
"You totally thought that it was raining again."
"Of course I did! I felt water on my face, so I thought it was raining! Besides, you know that I hate rain!"
"I know, Buddy, I know," Arthur replied, swinging an arm around Merlin's shoulders, leading him away from the bench and back toward the school.
"Why are we going back to school? Did I miss something important?"
"Well, besides a buddy of mine almost missing the start of lunch, resulting in his smarter and better-looking friend to go and find the poor guy, nothing's happened. Anything on your end?"
"Oh shove off. We both know that you wouldn't be able to pour water out of a boot with directions on the heel."
"That may be true, but at least you've learned by now not to question my beauty."
"You say that as if looks will get you everywhere in this world."
"Oh, my friend, but they will. Do you even know how much money strippers earn Mr. I'm-Going-To-Be-In-College-For-Thirty-Nine-Years? While you'll be spending money you don't have, I'll be earning a six digit salary."
"I can't believe we're even having this conversation," Merlin muttered in response, his attempt at smoothly slipping out from under Arthur 's arm ruined when he tripped over his feet. Pitching forward, he closed his eyes and braced for impact, shocked when it never came. "What?" he squeaked, opening his eyes to find himself held tightly in his friend's arms.
"Shit, Merls, you okay?" Arthur panted slightly, looking beyond worried, "Here, let's set you back on your feet."
"I'm fine. I trip all the time, so this is nothing new." He responded, his cheeks flushed a dull pink from embarrassment as his feet were again firmly attached to the ground. "You don't have to do that," he added, watching as Arthur grabbed his hand. "I should be able to get back to school without falling over air."
"I don't want to take any chances. I mean, how else are you going to get that doctor's job you've been wanting since you were six if your brains are scrambled from hitting the ground one too many times?" Arthur lightly joked, worry still creasing his brow as he started to carefully lead Merlin away from the spot they had been standing. "I would hate to see your dreams just go poof, right before your eyes." The abnormal seriousness of Arthur's voice struck Merlin deep in his core, leaving him completely unable to respond. I didn't know the guy could be that serious, He thought, looking down towards their still intertwined hands. Especially when it has something to do with someone else.
The rest of the trek back to school was spent in silence, and before Merlin knew what was happening, Arthur was dropping his hand, instead reaching forward to tug the front door open; the old oak creaking on its hinges as it slowly swung inward.
"Do you think we've missed the start of lunch?" Arthur asked, walking up to stand next to Merlin after closing the heavy door behind them.
"Knowing my luck, we've missed it entirely," Merlin joked, starting to head toward the school's massive cafeteria.
"Don't be so sure about that. You may have the luck of a train stuck in mud during a rainstorm, but I sure don't."
As it turned out, Arthur was right, and instead of finding an empty hall, they were standing in front of the whole school on lunch break.
"Maybe we should come back later. I think I may have gotten some splinters on my thigh from sitting on that bench," Merlin started to protest, but it fell on deaf ears, as Arthur grabbed his elbow and started to drag him through the crowd and toward their usual table at the back of the room. It was already full of Arthur 's rowdy friends, all of which were laughing and talking at the top of their lungs. After making sure Merlin was comfortable with his spot at the table, Arthur disappeared into the crowd again, coming back five minutes later with two plates piled high with food.
For the rest of their lunch break, Arthur and Merlin sat side by side, Arthur joking with the long table of people and Merlin quietly sketching out the bird that he had seen the day before.
The rest of the day flashed before Merlin's eyes, and before he knew it, the bell indicating curfew was ringing. Prompted by the dull clang of the bell, everyone in the massive dorm room all started moving, packing up their homework and pulling on pajamas.
"You'll actually try to sleep this time, right Merlin?" Arthur asked, suddenly appearing at his side, "it's not healthy to average fifteen hours a week, and you're really starting to worry me."
"Yes, I'll try, but that doesn't mean it's going to happen." He responded, slipping under the covers of his bed. Arthur didn't look fully pleased with the answer, but walked away anyway, throwing a smile over his shoulder before disappearing around the corner and into his own dorm room.
Just like Merlin had suspected, sleep didn't come, so he quietly got out of bed and crept out of his dorm room, walking silently down the hall and around the corner until he stood in front of a door that read ROOF ACCESS. Why his school needed to access the roof, Merlin didn't know, but he was thankful for it, as after climbing a small spiral staircase, he found himself sitting at the top, legs dangling over the side as he stared across at the ocean. He loved it up here. The way the moon illuminated the ocean was breathtaking and it was so quiet, Merlin could feel himself relaxing.
The night was so still that he immediately noticed when something shifted besides him. Turning his head, Merlin scanned the area but saw nothing. He frowned, looking back to the ocean and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw a figure hovering in front of him. "W-what are you?" He asked, voice cracking with fear as he scrambled backward, scraping the back of his legs on the rough surface of the roof. The figure just chuckled, a deep sound that vibrated in Merlin's chest, and drifted forward, settling down into the spot Merlin had just vacated. Bright yellow eyes stared him down as Merlin just sat there, petrified with fear.
"I can see why you don't have any friends." The figure finally grumbled, leaning forward to look at Merlin closer, "you don't seem like a very good person to have a conversation with."
"Hey! Arthur 's my friend." Merlin defended, "the only one I really need." He added, looking away slightly, not at all surprised with how shaky his voice sounded.
"If you say so." The mysterious creature muttered, standing up suddenly. It started to pace around Merlin, muttering something under his breath. Gentle music began to play around them. Before Merlin knew what was happening, he was being lifted from the ground and into the air until he was at eye level with the silhouette. "You'll be perfect." It purred, reaching forward and grabbing both of Merlin's hands, "just perfect."
The figure closed his eyes and began to chant. Wind suddenly started to whip around them and the music got louder. Merlin just watched in terror as he drifted higher and higher from the ground. As if it was possible, the wind started to get stronger and stronger, forming a tight circle around them. And just as suddenly as the wind had started, it stopped, dropping Merlin back to the roof where he collapsed in an undignified heap. There was still quiet music playing in the background, but that eventually faded away, leaving Merlin alone on his roof.
He lay there for a while, trying to process what had happened, but to no avail. Finally, he pushed himself onto his hands and knees, stopping to rest as the world spun, and then slowly stood. Stumbling toward the door, he yanked it open and carefully descended the stairs, knowing that a fall down them would probably kill him. It took a while, but eventually, he was back in his dorm room and climbing back into bed, his hands shaking as he pulled the quilt over himself, feeling the most tired he ever had in his entire life.
The next morning, he awoke to the heavy ringing of the bell, prompting him to sit up, groaning as his sore muscles protested. He watched as the rest of his roommates bustled around, pulling on shirts and pants before climbing out of bed himself. It was going to be a long day. To his surprise though, the rest of the week passed quickly, and beside the feeling of something buzzing under his skin, nothing happened.
"You're coming to the party, right?" Arthur almost yelled as he crashed into Merlin's dorm room without knocking.
"I wasn't planning on it." Merlin replied without looking up from his homework.
"Merlin, you promised that you'd come with me to at least one party a month, and you've already turned down all the other one's this month!"
"I'm not feeling well tonight, and I have a lot of homework that I have to do."
"You say that every time." Arthur groaned dramatically as he collapsed down onto Merlin's perfectly made bed. "You're no fun."
"I'm not any fun." Merlin corrected, finally turning around in his chair to face his friend.
"See! That's just what I'm talking about!" Arthur declared triumphantly, his face lighting up into a killer smile
Melin just sighed and looked at his friend pleadingly, putting on the best pair of puppy eyes he possibly could.
"Nope! Not going to work this time." Arthur replied, gently taking Merlin's arm and dragging him out of his desk chair. "Come on! It'll be fun!"
"Fine." Merlin sighed, allowing himself to be dragged out of his room and into the hallway "But the second I get uncomfortable, you'll let me leave?"
"Of course I will! That's always been a part of the agreement!"
Merlin just smiled weakly at his friend, a smile that immediately dropped when they arrived outside the door, music already playing so loudly it made Merlin's head hurt. It took half a second for Arthur to notice his friends discomfort, and before Merlin knew what was happening, he was being pulled into a hug.
"You can do this man, don't worry about it." Arthur said after pulling back. Merlin nodded and took a deep breath in, his fingers fiddling with the hem of his shirt. With one more cautious look at his friend, Arthur pushed the door open and led the way, knowing how much Merlin hated entering rooms first.
The party was loud and packed. It was so full of people that Merlin lasted five minutes before it became too much for him. He quickly sought out Arthur who had disappeared into the crowd, finding him near the snack bar.
"Arthur ." Merlin panted, feeling panic starting to creep up his spine. "I can't do it."
"Okay, that's fine, I'll take you back to your room," Arthur replied calmly, instantly noticing how panicked his friend looked. He excused himself from the person he was previously talking to and took Merlin's hand, a gesture he always did when Merlin was panicking. He carefully lead Merlin out of the room and into the hallway, where Merlin immediately collapsed to the floor, hands shaking and breath coming out in short gasps. "Stay here for a moment, I'm going to get some water," Arthur muttered, keeping his voice level before disappearing back into the room they had just come from.
Merlin just sat there, trying to regulate his breathing when he noticed that the door leading outside was cracked slightly open, letting cool air flow into the hallway. His brain was on such an overload that the only thing Merlin could focus on was cool air, so he crawled forward, pushed the door open, and dragged himself out into the quickly fading daylight, completely forgetting that Arthur had told him to stay in one place.
Once outside, he collapsed in a heap and shivered slightly, the cool air starting to slowly calm him down. He lay there for a while, his nerves starting to settle back down until he felt himself being dragged up. He opened his eyes, and then tried to scream when he found himself face to face with Mordred.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?." He growled, pushing Merlin toward the railing that separated them from the ocean. Merlin just curled into a ball, trying to block Mordred out. "Aw, you're no fun to play with," Mordred called, giving Merlin's back a sharp kick.
"You don't have to just take it." Soft music starting to play as a voice echoed from the depths of his brain, "you can always fight back." Merlin just whimpered and curled into a tighter ball, again fighting to regulate his breathing. "Fine, if you're not going to do it, then I will." And before Merlin knew what happening, he was uncurling from his protective ball and standing up. "No! Stop it!" Merlin cried, trying to fight the movements his body was making, but it was no use. He was no longer in control. So instead, he just watched helplessly as his fist made contact with Mordred's face, snapping his head around and knocking out his two front teeth. He tried to stop himself when his arms reach forward and grabbed Mordred, pulling the dazed boy toward the railing. And he tried to scream to the limp body that he was sorry, but his mind was frozen. So all he could do was stare at the slowly sinking corpse that was being stolen by the waves and fight the feeling of pride that was seeping from inside him.
"You didn't have to take it." The voice echoed from inside
I tried to make these characters as close to canon as I possibly could but still give Merlin social anxiety. If you think I struggled with that, just let me know and I'll try to make it better. Or if you liked the story, I would love to know!
Thank you all for reading!