Quick note:Looselybased off of BBC Sherlock. Merthur. Fake suicide. This is just an epilogue darlings, buckle up for the real thing soon. My Sherlock and Bones stories are not forgotten but my muse requested some Merlin so here I am.
Thanks for reading! Reviews are so adored bbz.
Their meeting was odd, but not entirely unsatisfactory.
"I just need a flatmate." Merlin sighed, nuzzling farther into his arms with his shoulder hung in defeat. "But...who wants a flatmate like me?" Gwen made a noncommittal noise, because she really couldn't argue. She and Merlin had shared a flat in their first years of uni, and for her was the most hellishly interesting years of her life.
Merlin was an idiot, yes, he tripped over nothing and flailed when he saw a bug. The amount of cups he broke had driven Guinever to near madness, and honestly couldn't he just tell telemarketers to go away without buying something? Merlin burnt pots until they melted, and destroyed three toaster, five microwaves, and one blender before he was forbidden to enter the kitchen. He was honestly hell to live with on an average level, but it didn't stop there.
Walls were covered in random notes, and black boards. Chalk dust hung in the air like fog, and if the wall lacked something respectable to write on, it was dressed in scribbled pencil marks. Books larger than Gwen's head were thrown all over, and nothing was ever in a place that made sense. She'd find peanut butter under the table, next to a book on computer software. A bag of flour, that appeared to have been used as a pillow, near a window, surrounded by articles on ancient language.
Gwen remembered all too well coming home from a party at 4 in the morning to find Merlin bent over old Gray's Anatomy books, flashlight in hand and concentration etched so deeply around his eyes she thought it was cemented there. His hand shook from the things he'd written hours before, the chalk notes covering every black board and even some walls. Low in the background music drowned on, the disk probably have been on repeat for hours. Dark bags under Merlin's eyes made Gwen yawn in sympathy, and she was thankful again for choosing to study Journalism.
Merlin Emrys was an idiot, but he was a genius. In school he was top of every class, except physical anything, and the teachers adored is odd work ethic. He was magic in mathematics, a lord in English, and purely frightening in history. The man could memorize nearly anything, and could compare everything he'd ever learned and come up with something entirely genius. To anyone who didn't know him he was a dorky idiot with a talent for memorizing random facts, but to the people he knew….He was a wizard.
Merlin Colin Emrys may have been the smartest person Gwen had ever known, but it was dreadful to live with.
"You'll find someone." Gwen smiled, pulling herself from memories of waking up at five in the morning to shouts of victory and giant equations covering her living room walls.
"Only if they're blind, deaf, and maybe paraplegic." Merling rumbled into the table as Gwen rubbed circles into the tense line of his spine. "I'm gonna die in a cardboard box in some ally."
"Merlin please don't be ridiculous." Gwen mumbled, growing tired of this conversation. Merlin had been back a week and was already nearing a large panic attack because of his living situation. Merlin just turned to look at her, shrugging off her arm and pushing his lip out in a small pout.
"I've got to go, I have a paper to write up for some medical journal." Merlin waved a hand, but a small light of excitement hidden low in his strange eyes. Gwen smiled at it, seeing a flash of the Merlin that had been around before. The Merlin that smiled at a flower, and talked on and on about the bones of the human body. The Merlin she -and Lance and Elyan-missed.
The Merlin before his fathers death, before his surprise round the world trip, before his mother's illness.
"Wait!" Gwen's dark eyes went wide as she remembered, and the smile on her face was ecstatic. "I've got the perfect solution!"
"For my paper?"
"No!" Gwen rolled her eyes, snatching Merlin's hand with the most frightening smile on her face. "For your homeless man future."
"Gwen what-"
"I've got a flatmate for you!"
Merlin tripped over his own feet on the way to the park, and kept shouting at Gwen to slow down as she giggled and pulled him forward. After ten minutes of cursing and running they were breathless and laughing under a tree. Gwen turned to him, eyes wide and hopeful and all Merlin could do was try and make the best of this meeting, for her.
"He's been complaining to Lance about needing a flatmate for almost a month now," Gwen said as they walked, "He's less clumsy than you, but just as eccentric." She drew her brow at that, making a face. "Don't tell him I said that, he fancies himself normal."
Merlin laughed as she went on about this mystery man. Apparently he was studying law and police work, but really was already running his fathers firm. His father ran half the city, according to Gwen, and was friends with everyone who ran the things he did not. This man could afford any flat he liked in all of London, but was choosing to work as a fencing instructor while going through his schooling. The man, who remained nameless, wanted to prove he could run his own life, and was doing well. He was also a freelance basically anything, and even worked with the police force occasionally. He was studying to become a member of the force, and had apparently blown some high profile case wide open.
"He's not even out of uni and already has death threats!" Much to Merlin's bemusement this made Gwen smile, like it was some wonderful feat. "He'll be an absolute jerk at first, but give him a chance." Merlin gulped, this sounded absolutely terrifying, and that was not just because he had social anxiety.
When they finally made it to a large open field, Gwen was done rambling and was now just vibrating with excitement. A few feet in front of them was a group of men, including Lance, Gwen's boyfriend, and Elyan, her brother. Lance spotted them first, and his face broke into the love sick grin it always did when Gwen was within his eyesight. Elayne saw his friend about a second from drooling and laughed. Both were soon on their feet and making their way to the duo.
"Merlin!" Lance said, throwing one arm around the smaller man's shoulders and hugging him before turning to moon over Gwen.
"Hey genius." Elyan grinned, "What's got my little sister dragging you out into nature?"
"She wanted me to meet someone, something about a-"
"Yes!" Gwen interrupted, bounding on her toes as she waved frantically at the other men. "Arthur! C'mere!" A blonde man looked up, raising his eyebrows and flashing crooked-tooth grin at her before running over.
"Arthur, I think I found you a flat mate."
"Who?"
"Merlin!" Gwen grinned, flapping a hand at the man in question, who was methodically trying to hide behind Elyan. "He just got back from a round the world trip and is needing someone to help pay rent.
"Oh, already got a place?" Arthur asked Merlin, and his voice oozed 'I'm better then you and I know it' as he drug his gaze up Merlin body, causing the shaking genius to sweat.
"A place in central London," Merlin muttered, looking at his fading converse. "I know the landlord and he's giving me a deal, but I still need a bit of help."
"Where?"
"513B, Albion Avenue." Merlin replied, and Arthur gave him a pleased smile.
"Suppose I can look at it."
And that is how Merlin Colin Emrys and Arthur Bradley Pendragon ended up together in a flat, testing out new tea remedies for a crazy old physician.
And the next chapter will be up soon, yes this is also posted on AO3 on my account there, love all of you!
Until I write you again xx