Title: Hidden Lens
Pairing(s): Merlin/Arthur
Rating: Teen
Warnings: Maybe voyeurism.
Word Count: 759
Summary: Their eyes hungrily feast on every moment of his life, from every angle, every camera unseen by him, every day of his life.
Notes: This was written for the 2011/2012 Merlin_Games, over at so much to the lovely and wonderful patchcat. To my Honeybee who helped me to make this story make sense. To wickedcherub who helped me in the beginning, and to my awesome friends, ya'll rock!
Prompt and Prompt ID: Big Brother is Watching You #242
It's been a while since they have last seen him. No longer is he skinny or too short for his age. He's a blue eyed, blond-haired young boy seeking the attention, the approval, and whatever small bit of acceptance from his father he can get. His father is a man whose emotion emulates stone - cold, hard, and impossible to obtain and change.
But now stands a man; a man who at one time was a boy unsure of his place and welcome, who has begun to learn that he matters. He has learned confidence and strength. And more importantly, he has learned that a man may go through hell, and yet, still manage to come out a better for it.
No thanks to his father or the Agency who, unknown to him, has watched his every step and controlled his life like the cruel puppeteer manipulating his puppets for the enjoyment of his audience. The very audience who now see the man he was meant to become. A strong, tall, broad-shouldered man, still with the same crooked smile - a smile that was once rarely seen but that now can brighten a room. Brighten the universe if willing.
His confidence can be seen and felt in the way he walks and how he talks. Though he can be a little arrogant at times, or embody the perfect amount of self-importance, he still manages to captivate and show respect. It is a graceful dance that none his age have been able to achieve. His every movement shows that he is sure of himself and of his worth, and that he can so easily convince you of the same as well.
On the other side of the looking glass, they watch him, have watched him. Their eyes hungrily feast on every moment of his life, from every angle, every camera unseen by him, every day of his life. They have watched his transition with curious fascination and sit on the edge of their seats for more. Even now, at this moment, they watch the interaction between him and a black-haired, willowy man. Together, this warrior and this magician are mystic and thrilling to the eyes. There is love and intimacy in the way their hands brush against each other, or the little smiles seen while the other speaks. There is happiness to be seen, to be witnessed, and everyone around them can sense it.
But for the two men, there is no one else in the world besides them. Amongst the sea of a thousand eyes, Arthur and Merlin can only be made aware of each other. Forever they will be too caught up in each other to notice that they are not alone. They smile like every step, breath, touch, kiss hasn't been watched and recorded. Like their lives aren't on display for the Agency to see. Like every choice they have made and will make is their own, and not at the will of others who would seek to manipulate it.
In the control room, the cameras watch the two men intensely. They watch every exchange, every smile and innocent gesture and look these two men share. There are murmurs and questions, and notes being taken, for all in the control room who watch are truly baffled by what they see. The two men don't know that the cameras are slowly zooming in on them, watching every movement, every glance. It watches their eyes as they catch the light, eyes that show longing and happiness. They stroll calmly hand in hand, as they pass store after store, camera after camera. They stop only once, to stare into each other's eyes, and talk without moving their lips.
The cameras search for something not easily understood - something profound that these two men are in possession of.
The two young men start walking again. They find their way through a street fair that brightens the dark night, bringing their beautiful features to light. Their faces brighten and glow with love, genuine acceptance not easily found in others, and the kind of joy that brings anxiousness to seeing another day just so it all can begin again.
They stop under a store's canopy, and the camera in the store swivels to catch their faces in the glass. The impact of glass and light makes ill contact, outshining the camera lens, and gives no clear picture of the two young men. The cameras outside swivel frantically, trying to find one good angle, finding none until the two men start walking again.