Ok first I want to thank those people who reviewed my first story Knock First. I am glad you enjoyed it! I also want to re-mention that I am a 20 something year old from America. New Jersey at that. I have my own words for things, so if that comes out in my stories, I apologize. I will try to be a bit….British in my stories! :P
Ok chapter one:
Merlin sighed. It was 10 after 7 in the morning. They had school to get to. Merlin stopped at Mrs. Baxter's Coffee Shop and got him and Arthur a coffee and a sticky bun. It's a tradition really. When he and Arthur were old enough to walk to school, the two boys would go to the shop for breakfast. It started with sweet tea and a bagel. Eventually the boys started to like coffee.
The bagel turned into some sort of pastry and walking together turned into Merlin picking it up and Arthur giving him the money. Merlin really had no idea how that last bit happened, but it didn't bother him.
But now, Arthur wasn't answering the door. They had 22 minutes to get to school. Merlin took out his mobile and dialed Arthur's number. No answer. He sighed and was just about to go round back when the garage opened.
Arthur's dad, Uther, was pulling out and stopped when he saw Merlin. He rolled the window down and smiled at Merlin. "Arthur's coming." He chuckled to himself and continued on his way.
Merlin sat on the porch swing and waited. About 6 minutes later, a panicked Arthur burst through the front door. His normally groomed golden hair was all over the place, he was struggling to put his trainers on, his hoodie was halfway on, and he dropped his school bag on the ground; everything falling out.
Merlin laughed but helped his best friend out. He re-filled Arthur's bag, while said boy got his trainers on right. Once that was done, Arthur ran a hand through his hair a few times to calm it. Merlin handed him a coffee and Arthur gave him a small smile of gratitude.
They had to be at school in 15 minutes. Luckily, Arthur only lived about 5 minutes to school. Which was a 10 minute walk and they will just make it to homeroom before the late bell.
So they walked faster than normal, still enjoying their breakfast. Neither boy talked, but they didn't need to. They've been best friends since they were 3 years old at Pre-School. They didn't need to talk to know what the other was thinking.
But when Arthur pulled his hoodie off in homeroom, Merlin's jaw dropped a bit. Arthur's tee shirt had ridden up a bit, and Merlin was so confused. He knew that Arthur's side didn't look like that yesterday.
He knew Arthur didn't have a big purple/black bruise on his side. They had gym together. They had a locker next to one another. He knew that bruise wasn't there yesterday. But then Arthur pulled his tee shirt down and Merlin blinked. Maybe he didn't really see it. Maybe it was an illusion or something. Because when they were in gym class, the bruise seemed to have vanished.
But Merlin kept thinking of what he saw in homeroom. The bruise was real. He could have sworn of it. But why wasn't he seeing it in gym? Did he cover it up? Did he forget to do it that morning?
But where did he get the bruise from in the first place?
Arthur knew something was wrong. Merlin kept looking at him strangely. Almost like he had 14 heads and one was wearing a bra for a hat. He had asked Merlin what his problem was. But Merlin smiled, and said "I don't know what you're talking about." Then went on his way.
Arthur couldn't help but to let his mind wonder. Did he know? Was there a chance? He was in a rush this morning and forgot the make-up. The kind he stole from his sister. Plus side was that he watched with amusement as she thought she lost it. But he had hid the bruises after homeroom. Ran right to the bathroom and covered all of it.
He hated himself. He hated that he hasn't said anything to anyone. He hated that he was lying to himself and his best friend. But Merlin couldn't know. No one could. They will not know that Arthur Pendragon was being abused by his boyfriend.