Escaping Reason: Merthur AU Arthur's new roommate, Merlin, is a bit strange. He's obviously gay without being flamboyant, is very clever and secretive, but is managing to gain Arthur's trust with little effort. Add to that strange things happening when he's in their flat, and he's a verifiable mystery.
Sorry to everyone waiting on the first story (Escaping Classification to any newcomers) to be finished (I am working), but I put together a playlist to help generate ideas for that fic, and one of them had me start seeing things how Arthur has been seeing them.
So, writing the same fic from a different perspective. My fave fics like that are a pair of Supernatural fics and a pair of adorable ColdFlash fics. Had the idea: taking it for a spin. Also, gonna try to call it a 'flat' instead of 'apartment'. Realized halfway through Escaping Classification and didn't want to re-upload each chapter with that edit. Other little changes like that.
Some things haven't been changed because they were perspective neutral. (And some seemed to pull away from my close 3rd on Merlin, because they were already what Arthur was experiencing without Merlin there. Which means I'm a bad, bad writer for not spotting that in the first place.)
(-)
Arthur carried the box up the stairs to his new flat. It wasn't too heavy for him, but it was awkward. It was a test of his dexterity to keep the box in his hands and not let the duffel bag strap fall off his shoulder.
His head was still spinning with possibilities. He had been talking to Morgana while he finished packing about some worst-case scenarios as far as flatmates went. Any partiers or heavy drinkers would be a nightmare, or drug users. Loud music would be difficult to cope with if he wanted to study.
"Best-case scenarios?" Morgana had asked and forced Arthur to consider how things could go well.
Someone lacking all the undesirable qualities previously listed. Someone who could respect boundaries. Someone quiet who would be okay studying. Someone funny. Someone who could understand Arthur, that he could talk to. Someone…special.
When Morgana suggested he just try speed dating, he tossed a dirty sock at her. He wasn't looking to fall in love. He needed to cohabitate with someone who wouldn't drive him mad. All he could do was cross his fingers and hope.
Arthur reached his door and belatedly realized he had no hand free to get his key out. But he noticed that the door was slightly ajar. His new flatmate must have had the same problem and left it open for Arthur. Thoughtful. Or forgetful. Hopefully the former.
The door on the right when Arthur walked in had noises of movement inside and a poster of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" on the open door. Guess the new flatmate was a geek. And he'd already chosen his room. Fair enough, he got there first.
Arthur slid the duffel bag off his shoulder as he noted the kitchenette to his left, bathroom door between that and what would be his room, and the basic living room furnishings. He admitted, as he studied the couch intently, that he was putting off meeting his new flatmate.
So, he manned up and walked into the doorway of his flatmate's room. The guy was bent over a box of clothes, unpacking T-shirts, and Arthur couldn't see much of him. Dark black hair, thin, puny looking, and Arthur was sure he'd be tall when he was standing, given his lanky limbs.
"Blimey, you're a skinny little git, aren't you?" The words were out before he thought about them. Arthur sometimes had issues with his filter.
The guy looked back at Arthur, showing very captivating blue eyes, and a quick flash of annoyance crossed his expression. "And you certainly have a singular way of introducing yourself, don't you?" the guy said. He went back to his clothes, obviously trying to dismiss Arthur.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Arthur asked, although he knew exactly what his new flatmate meant.
"It means that saying your manners are lacking would qualify me for some understatement award." There was dry humor there. Funny.
Arthur hummed thoughtfully, trying to decide how to make a better impression. "I'm Arthur."
His flatmate turned with a reluctant smile and offered a hand that Arthur had to shift his box to shake. "I'm Merlin."
Arthur noticed Merlin wore two rubber bracelets. One was rainbow, the other purple. He wasn't sure what the purple was for, but he picked out the words "Gets Better" from the side. "Are you gay, Merlin?"
Clearly the wrong thing to say as Merlin narrowed his eyes and reclaimed his hand. "Yes. If you have a problem with that, you'll want to get reassigned, pronto."
Arthur's lips stretched lightly as he saw barriers going up, and Merlin trying to demonize him. He looked genuinely surprised when Arthur said, "Nah. That's your business. Unless you try to make it mine, in which case we will have a problem."
Merlin grinned. "Fair enough. You're not my type anyway."
Arthur had to put the brakes on that, it stung. "Ow. Man or not, that's insulting to my ego."
"Well, you aren't." Merlin shrugged, and that stung further. He returned to his box of clothes, and Arthur wasn't sure what to do with that assertion. Which was ridiculous because nothing needed to be done; it was the desirable outcome. Merlin changed the subject anyway. "Do you want any help getting your things up here?"
"Your twig body would probably snap under the strain." The offer both amused and touched Arthur. "Thanks, Merlin, I'll be fine."
He set the box in his room, looking around the blank space and planning what he would put where. When he paused to consider Merlin, all he could think was, 'So far, so good.'
(-)
Around noon, when Arthur had all his boxes in the flat, if not all unpacked, there was a knock on the door. Odd, he was planning to meet the Knights in a bit, so they likely wouldn't drop by now.
It was a girl, warm caramel skin, black curls pulled into a bun, and brown eyes that shared the smile on her face as she noticed his appreciation of her. Her clothes were odd, he would say, as they belonged at a Renaissance fair. Still, she was lovely.
"Is Merlin here?" the girl asked, returning his look with a very slightly flirty look of her own.
She was here for Merlin? Arthur blinked, then turned to call over his shoulder, "I thought you said you were gay!"
Merlin appeared from the door to his bedroom and rolled his eyes. When Arthur turned back to Merlin's visitor, she did not look amused. At her stony yet still hostile stare, Arthur held up a placating hand and said, "I was joking. I have no problems with Merlin."
"Then I shouldn't have too many problems with you," the girl said, and she gently pushed past Arthur, dismissing him. Well. That had gone south quickly.
"Hey, Gwen. Are you all unpacked?" Merlin asked. He looked discreetly amused as Arthur pouted.
"Not entirely. But I wanted to make sure you were doing okay," Gwen said. Something about the way she said it made Arthur think she was talking about him. He couldn't tell with her back to him. He just leaned with his back on the door, watching and listening to them.
Merlin sighed. "I can stand up for myself, Gwen. I'm not seven years old anymore."
"Still just as cute though," Gwen replied. "And predators go after cute, vulnerable men." Arthur wondered what kinds of problems Merlin had had that made Gwen say things like that.
Merlin quirked an eyebrow. "Go after them in what way?"
"Rape, bullying, who cares?" Gwen shrugged in indifference. "If they hurt you, I'll have to get out my Castration Knife to defend you with extreme prejudice."
Arthur's eyebrows shot up, and he was certain he looked alarmed. The "Castration Knife" was bad enough, but she seemed to have concerns for Merlin that wouldn't even have crossed Arthur's mind. Rape? Maybe it was because Arthur was well built and a man, but that never factored into his decisions. Merlin was a stick-thin gay guy, but did he really attract rapists?
Merlin grinned at Arthur over her shoulder. "You're scaring my flatmate."
"Good. He should be scared, or at the very least, wary," Gwen said, looking over her shoulder at Arthur. Arthur just hoped the nod he gave her looked non-threatening and submissive, because this was obviously a woman he did not want to be on the wrong side of.
"We've settled it, Gwen. We're good," Merlin assured her.
Settled what? That Arthur accepted Merlin's homosexuality and Merlin's somewhat insulting dismissal of him?
"Merlin, you are hopeless." Gwen statement was punctuated with a sigh.
That seemed to confuse Merlin. "Yes, in many ways, but which one brought on this comment?"
"It's not settled," Gwen told him. "Call it Woman's Intuition."
That confused Arthur too. 'Not settled'? Arthur didn't know what she meant by that. But she obviously cared about Merlin, and her desire to protect him was nice. Reminded him a little of Morgana. She was also quite obviously mad.
With that cryptic statement she waved and left, Arthur moving to open the door for her. "That bird is crazy," Arthur said as he closed the door behind her. "I like her."
"You like her? After she indirectly threatens to castrate you?" Merlin looked at him like he was mad.
"Well, yeah." Arthur wasn't all that threatened. Sure, Gwen could try to deliver on her threats, but he was a fighter. Of course, if his father found out he'd been threatened like that, he'd get a protective detail at best, and Gwen would get an unpleasant visit at worst. One of many reasons Arthur was very glad he'd convinced his father to enroll him anonymously and keep his distance.
"And you say she's crazy," Merlin mumbled, rolling his eyes.
"Well, yeah," Arthur said, with more emphasis. Ren-fair clothes-wearing girls touting about castrating blokes were in short supply, and not considered stable. Of course, she had already come to visit Merlin and they were obviously close. It made Arthur wonder something else. "Is she the only person you know on campus?"
Merlin looked sheepish. "Yeah. Gwen and I both did two years at a community college. So I'm technically a junior, but I'm new to campus."
Arthur wasn't entirely sure why he said what he did. The Knights were a private, personal group that had a lot of secrets between them and inviting his flatmate that he'd just met was out of character for him. "Want to come have lunch with some of my mates? Then you'll know some faces, at least."
Merlin looked nervous at that idea. "I get the feeling I wouldn't fit in with your friends."
"Well, no, obviously not. But that doesn't mean you can't hang out with us," Arthur said. Merlin thought he was a frat guy, or a jock, with a bunch of over-aggressive alpha male friends who would jump at the chance to victimize Merlin. He knew his abrupt question about Merlin's sexuality had made a very bad impression, and he was determined to correct it. Maybe that was why he invited Merlin. To see that Arthur wasn't that kind of guy.
"I won't hide that I'm gay, but I try not to go into situations where I'll be targeted because of it," Merlin said. His voice was increasingly defensive and warning, and Arthur found his unnecessary caution amusing.
"Naturally not," Arthur agreed, nodding. Merlin looked more and more undone with Arthur's good-natured-ness about his concerns.
"Arthur, you don't seem to understand that I'm not comfortable with this notion."
"I do." Arthur took great pleasure in contradicting Merlin. "But I don't think it's called for. One of our friends admitted he was bi, a while back. Our group thinned then, losing anyone who wasn't okay with that."
Merlin blinked, surprise evident on his face. It made Arthur grin as he finally got to call Merlin on his pre-conceptions. "Ha! I could see you labeling me 'Barely Non-hostile Jock-Type' when I asked if you were gay. Fitting me into a category and filing me away. Well, Merlin, I won't fit into your box so easily."
Merlin looked shocked and uncertain what he should say. Better to throw him a line so he didn't drown in awkwardness. "Do you want to come to lunch?" Arthur asked with a chuckle, still grinning.
A small smile lit up Merlin's face before he said, "Sure, that sounds like fun."
(-)
Merlin took Arthur's friends in carefully. Arthur would lay money that Merlin was trying to spot the bi guy. Lancelot wasn't overly obvious, but if Arthur was a stranger trying to guess, he might settle on Lancelot.
"Sorry we're late, guys, but I had to disarm my flatmate," Arthur said. Beside him, he saw Merlin turn red.
Everyone looked Merlin over. Then Gwaine asked, "Was it melee or ranged?"
"Did he ambush you when you brought in your stuff?" Percy asked.
"I'd recommend a spear for killing Arthur," Lancelot said to Merlin.
Merlin smiled and nodded, looking less embarrassed. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Hey, I think I'd do fine against a spear," Arthur protested. After a moment's thought, he added, "Since I'm so skilled, I think you'd have to rig a trap."
His friends groaned, and Percy said, "You're insufferably arrogant."
Arthur just rolled his eyes and took one of the two unoccupied chairs. This meant Merlin had to sit in between Arthur and Lancelot. "Merlin, that's Lancelot next to you. Percival is across from him, and then that's Gwaine next to him," Arthur said, pointing at each of his friends in turn.
"Why do you introduce me with my full first name?" Percy whined. "Percy isn't great, but it's better than that."
"It makes you sound terribly pretentious, that's why," Arthur said with a grin.
"It's better than when he wanted us to call him Perce, before we explained to him that's what women carry their things around in." Gwaine laughed.
"I hadn't thought about it like that!" Percy snapped defensively. "Anyway, shouldn't we be teasing the new guy? Why did you have to 'disarm' him, Arthur?"
Merlin got red again. "Eh, he's shy," Arthur said. He wasn't going to embarrass Merlin when his whole point was that Arthur wasn't the kind of guy who liked to victimize others.
"I can see," Lancelot said, giving Merlin a friendly smile.
The waitress came and took their orders. She brought Arthur and Merlin their drinks a moment later; the others had already received theirs. "So, who are you, Merlin?" Gwaine asked. He was the self-appointed inquisitor, wanting to know what kind of people took an interest in him and his friends.
Merlin froze, and Arthur wondered if he disliked discussing his sexuality. Seemed unlikely; he wasn't ashamed or hiding it. "Who is anyone? Nobody is completely sure who they are. There is always another dark corner to prod, another weakness to assess. Self-awareness is a never-ending chore," Merlin said, and Arthur thought that was a strange answer to a normal question.
They just stared at him for a moment. Then Lancelot said, "I like this guy." And Arthur could tell he did. The kind of guys Lancelot was attracted to were…special, different. Arthur definitely fell into that category.
"Definitely," Percy agreed.
Gwaine nodded, but he wasn't going to be thrown off track so easily. "Okay, I'll be more specific, lest you wax philosophy again. What are you majoring in?"
"English. I'm minoring in business management," Merlin said.
"Is that why you're so well-spoken?" Lancelot asked. He sounded highly complimentary, and it bothered Arthur.
"No doubt," Arthur said disparagingly.
"Hey, you could take a lesson from him," Percy said teasingly. "A powerful man like yourself could use good verbal skills like his, down the line."
Arthur shot Percy a glare, irritated that Percy would bring that up in front of Merlin, and Percy abruptly fell silent. Merlin's dodgy answer to Gwaine's question seemed to be in the interests of hiding something, and that was fair enough; there were things Arthur wanted to hide as well. And while he acknowledged to himself that mutual respect of privacy was best, he had a nagging curiosity as to what Merlin was hiding. He was strange and mysterious enough to pique Arthur's interest.
Lancelot cut through the growing awkward silence by asking, "Merlin, do you do any sports?"
Merlin barked out a laugh. "Do I look like I do any sports?"
"Running, maybe swimming," Lancelot said, his gaze assessing Merlin's frame. Arthur rolled his eyes at the obvious play.
Merlin asked, "What sort of sports do you fellas play?"
"Swordplay and various other melee weapons, martial arts, a little archery..." Lancelot trailed off, trying to think of something he might have missed.
"Horseback riding," Percy threw in.
"That's not a sport," Gwaine said.
"So you're all fighters?" Merlin guessed.
"Knights," Percy said.
At a quirked eyebrow from Merlin, Arthur sighed and explained. "Because of our particular set of interests, our group has acquired the title of Knights. It stuck, and there are worse things to be dubbed."
That made Merlin smile. "Almost makes it sound as if you're superheros. Why not go out and defend justice, use your talents to fight crime?"
"I plan to," Lancelot said. "I'm going to be a police officer. Maybe I'll even make command, one day."
"Fight crime with swords and bows?" Merlin wondered.
Lancelot laughed. "If only! No, I'm also trained with guns. Unfortunately, I still have a lot to improve on in that area, whereas I'm quite skilled with swordplay."
"Lance has a lot to live up to," Percy explained.
Gwaine cuffed Percy on the back of his head, saving Arthur the trouble. When Percy protested, Gwaine said, "If we were superheros, you'd be the idiot who ripped off our masks on accident."
"What?" Percy whined. "Arthur brought Merlin, so what's the harm?"
His statement earned him another cuff. "Take off your own mask, and let everyone else wear them as they will," Gwaine said, his tone one of stern reprimand.
"Um..." Merlin looked like he didn't know if he should leave or just remain silent.
"I like Merlin, I'll trust him," Lancelot said. "My father's the Chief of Police of Camelot."
"Oh," Merlin said, his face neutral while somehow still looking extraordinarily nervous.
"See? He's fine," Lancelot said, gesturing to Merlin. Percy nodded, but Gwaine didn't look convinced, and Arthur was certain he was hiding something.
"That must be rough then, trying to break into the same world as your father without being seen as riding his coattails," Merlin said, regaining his composure. After a wary glance at Lancelot, he added, "Sorry if that was rude. I just can't imagine the myriad of dilemmas that you have to deal with to distinguish yourself from your father."
Lancelot had been listening intently to Merlin, his face also a careful mask, but then he smiled warmly. "You sound like you know a lot about it."
Something was up. Arthur watched Merlin force himself to remain calm. "Not really, I'm just very good at viewing perspectives." Merlin shrugged.
"Our waitress is bringing the food out," Gwaine said. He looked at Merlin a little less critically, but Arthur couldn't help but keep intense interest focused on him. The same statements that warmed Lancelot to Merlin struck a chord with Arthur. It did sound like the things he and the Knights dealt with, as far as fathers went. But Arthur told himself that digging into his flatmate's personal life without cause was wrong. He certainly wouldn't appreciate Merlin researching him.
As they started eating, Merlin looked thoughtful and nervous as he watched Arthur and his friends. And as Arthur watched Merlin, he decided that, despite his twitchy secretiveness, he was already beginning to like his new flatmate. Already Merlin promised to be someone…special.
(-)
Don't be mad I'm starting this! If nothing else, it gives me another reason to keep my head in this game as opposed to my other fanfics or my original fiction (though that second group should actually come first). And, yes, this kept pretty close to Escaping Classification's first chapter, but once we get to the parts where they aren't together, a more distinct alternate storyline will emerge.
Let me know what you think (furious, disappointed, pleased, or other feelings). Reviews let me know what you want, and while it won't be able to affect the set plotline so far, it could helps steer the rest of Escaping Classification, if this makes you think new things.