Chapter 10 – In need of a haircut
Merlin woke with a start; the ringing of those same words echoing through his mind – "He gave me no choice..."
After checking the time on his alarm clock, he clamped his hands over his ears and screwed up his eyes as his head throbbed uncomfortably. Fucking hell; how much did he have to drink last night? His throat burned and prickled as recollections of numerous shots flashed through his memory. Oh...hell...
The bed shifted next to him, causing him to freeze.
Shit Please don't say he pulled?!
He squinted to the left through his eyelashes and after being momentarily dazzled by the morning light cascading through the crack in the curtains, he managed to make out a pair of pale feet.
He sighed in relief – Of course, Mordred!
Merlin propped himself up slowly on his elbows and watched the other boy breathing gently. He certainly seemed okay – his expression was soft and peaceful. He looked so young when he was asleep, thought Merlin, even with the trickle of dried blood still on his temple and the morning stubble dusting his jawline.
He gently swivelled his legs off of the bed, so as to not disturb the duvet and wake him, and pulled himself into sitting over the edge. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror in the opposite wall.
To say he had bed hair was an understatement. The sweat from the club must have wet the gel in his hair and then dried on his head as he slept. The man looking back at him in his reflection looked as though he had a massive bat nesting on his head. He needed that haircut...
He eased himself into standing and crept to his ensuite. He might as well have a quick shower; that way he won't give Mordred a heart attack when he eventually comes around; that and he could take care of the very awkward tenting going on his trousers. If waking up in Merlin's bed didn't freak Mordred out enough, then seeing Merlin lying next to him with an erection would most definitely do the job.
He flicked on the light and turned on the shower; letting it run until the temperature became hot and steamy. He shrugged off his clothes and got in eagerly, allowing the water to wash away the grime on his skin. He took himself in hand and having closed his eyes, masturbated himself quickly to completion,;the image of Mordred sleeping in his bed fresh in his mind as he came.
He lent against the white tile wall as he caught his breath - Right okay so maybe Morgana did have a point and he was attracted to Mordred.
Just a bit of course.
He continued to scrub himself down with his various shower gels and shampoos, before stepping out of the cubicle and grabbing a towel to dry himself off.
It was only now that he wished that he'd brought his clothes in with him.
He wrapped the towel around his waist and tucked it in securely, before running his hand back through his damp hair and sweeping it out of his eyes.
He opened the door and stepped back into his bedroom. Mordred would still be asleep no doubt.
Or not as it seemed.
The other boy had sat himself up shakily in bed and was now propped up at an angle against the wall with his eyes clenched shut in the daylight.
Merlin could feel the tips of his ears burning red as he crept across the room towards his desk, hoping that he could duck in and out of the room without being seen.
"Merlin?"
He froze in his tracks and mentally cursed himself as he turned on the spot, to smile at his guest.
Mordred was shakily attempting to stand, his grey eyes fixed on Merlin as he did so, making him feel somewhat body conscious.
He got to his feet and stumbled slightly, causing Merlin to step forwards quickly to offer his stability; a thrill passing down his spine as Mordred clasped a hand on his bare shoulder.
'Woah there take it easy yeah?" he suggested softly as Mordred slowly regained his balance, "You had a pretty hard time of it last night!"
Once it was apparent that he could stand unsupported, Merlin backed away hastily, the contact between almost burning his exposed skin.
"I remember... being in the club," frowned Mordred as he spoke slowly, "We went to get drinks and then there was that bloke; the big one – Valliant yeah? He groped you and –"
"And you stepped in to help me," confirmed Merlin grimacing whilst nodding in agreement, "Then he turned on you and punched and kicked you to the floor for your troubles..."
Mordred must have seen the flash of guilt on Merlin's face as he laughed shakily, his hand rubbing the back of his head, "Then... I don't really remember much from that point, other than you shouting at someone for help and one of the bodyguards helping us outside..."
"Yeah," agreed Merlin, "that sounds about right and you were chundering like hell into the bins outside!"
They both laughed at this easily, although both oddly embarrassed enough to avoid eye contact.
"So... I'm guessing Arthur got his bodyguards to help keep Valliant at bay while we got out?" queried Mordred, "I'm just planning ahead for the various people I'm probably gonna be thanking today!"
Merlin looked up at this question, although his reply died in his throat. Did he really want to tell Mordred what really happened? Regardless he'd probably find out anyway at some point...
"Not... exactly no..." he ventured, choosing his words carefully, "I did call to Arthur to help but –"
"Ah," interrupted Mordred bluntly, closing his eyes, "But let me guess; he didn't want to damage his image in front of his mates so he just ignored you?"
"Pretty much," admitted Merlin quietly, "... Are you okay?"
"I've been better," scoffed the other boy, "Sorry," he added quickly, grey eyes darting upwards, "I didn't mean to snap at you, it isn't your fault... I just can't believe he'd just let Valliant do that to me!"
"I don't really know what to say," offered Merlin weakly, "I'm not really sure where we all go from here either?"
"It's not the sort of thing that'll just go away," replied Mordred flatly, his hands balled up into fists, "I won't forget this, and I certainly won't be forgiving him anytime soon; that brute could have killed me!"
They stood in silence for what seemed an eternity, as Merlin watched Mordred continue to shake with a suppressed anger, until eventually he took a deep breath and seemed to come to himself once more.
"Where's my shirt by the way?" he asked, his voice suddenly tired.
"Oh!" exclaimed Merlin, before he spun around, keeping a tight grip on his towel as he did so and picked the shirt off of the floor from the night before, "Yeah... you kinda got bin grime and puke on it so I thought it'd be best if you changed into one of my old shirts."
Mordred nodded in agreement as he shortened the distance between them in order to take back the grubby piece of clothing, "Thanks, I don't think I'd have really appreciated sleeping in that to be honest!"
Without warning he shrugged off the t-shirt he was wearing, revealing once more those purpling bruises and leaving them both standing shirtless in the middle of the room.
The atmosphere in the room became suddenly static and Merlin was acutely aware of every breath he took; feeling them catch and hitch in his chest as a trickle of water from the shower slipped down over his clavicle.
Mordred must also have felt a change in the air, as he stood briefly, looking at Merlin as though watching the progress of the water droplet as it ran down his body; his lips twitching slightly as though he was conflicted somehow.
"Thanks," he repeated again, holding the t-shirt out towards Merlin, breaking the tension in the air and causing Merlin to snap back into real-time.
"N- No problem," stuttered Merlin, the tips of his ears burning hotly.
"I err... should probably go have a shower myself," suggested Mordred, wincing as he caught sight of his dishevelled appearance in the wall length mirror.
Merlin laughed as he took back his t-shirt, "Yeah it certainly helps!" he agreed, "And I'm speaking from experience!"
Mordred chuckled as he made his way to the door, closely followed by Merlin
"So I'll probably see you around later?" he asked glancing around as he opened the door and stepped into the hallway.
"Yeah absolutely" Merlin grinned.
Mordred flashed one of his small smiles and after what Merlin perceived as a slightly lingering look, he unlocked his own door and moved inside.
The door had barely shut behind him, when a poorly suppressed squeal came from the other end of the hallway and Morgana launched herself towards him, her hands flapping with excitement.
"Oh my god!" she mouthed, her eyes wide as she pointed towards Mordred's door, "He came from your room; did you guys? –"
"It wasn't like that - nothing happened!" whispered Merlin hurriedly.
"Right okay and so I catch you both shirtless leaving your bedroom after a night out in which you both mysteriously disappeared in the early hours and you're expecting me to believe that nothing happened?" she squeaked, disbelief evident in her voice. "And by the way, don't you ever eat?!"
Choosing to ignore this blatant referral as to how skinny he was, Merlin grabbed Morgana by the arm and pulled her into his room, "C'mon I'll fill you in..."
By the time he'd elaborated on the real reason why he and Mordred had left the club early, Morgana was as white as a ghost, which was saying something considering her usual pale complexion.
"Oh Arthur you complete and utter prat!" she moaned to herself, "I warned him about Valliant!" she cried, "But did he listen? - Of course not because daddy knows best apparently!"
She seemed almost on the verge of hysterics, which to be frankly honest, Merlin didn't think he could cope with after the night he'd just had.
"And Valliant called you that in front of Mordred of all people oh sweetie I'm so sorry!" she gasped, clutching her face with her freshly painted nails.
Merlin shrugged, "Well he didn't mention it to me this morning, so I'm hoping he's okay with the whole gay thing... or maybe he hasn't put two and two together yet?"
This earned him a sceptical look from Morgana. She was right of course in her unspoken words – Mordred seemed far too bright to not have picked up on it by now.
"I'm more concerned about how Valliant found out in the first place..." he mumbled sadly, throwing himself down onto his bed.
Morgana sat down next to him and patted his hand sympathetically, "Arthur's done many a stupid thing in his time, but I think this has got to top them all off!" she sighed, "I can't believe he could be so ignorant as to let Valliant, who's homophobic enough when he's sober, know something like that in the state he was in!"
"Well it's done now isn't it," shrugged Merlin, attempting to produce a convincing smile.
Morgana of course saw right through it.
"Most importantly Merlin," she asked, "Are you okay, never mind Mordred?"
Merlin broke his gaze away to stare at the blue wall opposite, "I'm fine I guess... I mean... I just thought I'd managed to escape that kind of treatment here you know? That people were more accepting of someone for being gay in Albion."
"Most are I'm sure, "soothed Morgana reassuringly, "but I'm afraid Valliant is always going to be the exception to that rule..."
Merlin frowned to himself, remembering her immediately negative attitude towards Valliant's presence last night.
"What did he do, in the past I mean, to make you so hate him so much?"
Now it was Morgana's turn to look away, her expression momentarily clouded as she struggled to find the right words to explain.
"It's not so much one particular thing, more so a continuous stream things which all contribute to the fact that he's a sadist, who seems to delight in causing others pain and misery... His father's extremely wealthy and very influential, which is probably why Uther's so keen for him and Arthur to be best buddies."
"A sadist?" repeated Merlin, hoping to prompt her into revealing a more detailed account.
"When we were 15 he was caught by a teacher carving his initials into the hand of another boy with the fang of one of his pet snakes", she continued flatly, "It turns out that that was the tip of years worth of harassment and abuse on Valliant's part and when the doctors checked the other lad over they found numerous scars, some of them still fresh and obviously infected with venom... It turned out he was gay and that Valliant had taken it upon himself to make his life a living hell," she added sadly.
Merlin could almost feel the colour draining from his face, "Fuck, that's just... fuck!"
"Oh the stories I could tell you about Valliant," Morgana smiled grimly, " But the worst thing is that he never has to pay for the things he does, because his father scares the shit out everyone so much that nobody in their right mind would dare press charges."
They sat in silence for a while, whilst Merlin took the time to absorb this latest piece of disturbing information.
It was only when Merlin shivered slightly that Morgana jumped to her senses and stood up suddenly, "Anyway I should really leave you to put some clothes on; you're starting to make me feel cold!"
Merlin chuckled softly and stood up to follow her suit, "Yeah I should really get going, the barbers will probably be closed by the time I get down otherwise... and I still haven't eaten yet!"
"You should ask Gwen if she could cut it for you," she suggested offhandedly, "She was telling me last night that she always cut her dad and brother's hair at home – she was planning to do it here too to earn a bit of extra cash now and then."
Merlin nodded enthusiastically, "Wow yeah that'd be awesome if she could."
He paused in thought before asking tentatively, "Are you gonna say anything to her or Lance about what happened?"
Morgana shook her head sharply, "I don't think it's worth it for now really, but I will be having a word with my brother when I see him don't you worry!"
She gave him a friendly peck on the cheek and looked into his eyes one more time as though to determine if he really was okay, before she left him alone in his room to change.
Merlin hung his towel up on the back of his door, before pulling on some loose fitting jogging bottoms and an equally baggy t-shirt. He really couldn't be bothered making much of an effort today; especially with what he considered as the mother of all hangovers coming on.
He left his room and knocked gently on Gwen's door, waiting patiently as he heard her light footsteps padding across the floor towards him.
"Merlin!" she exclaimed with delight upon seeing him, "God you're looking rough... no offence!"
"None taken!" he chuckled; it was impossible not to see her kind face grinning at him like that and not crack a smile himself.
"We missed you last night," she continued, her eyes searching his face for his reaction, "Was Mordred okay after feeling sick?"
Before he had chance to reply, the door to Lance's room opened and Arthur swaggered out into the hallway, only to freeze upon realising Merlin was there.
It was only natural of course that at this precise moment, a recently showered Mordred should have chosen to tenderly walk through the kitchen door with a bowl of cereal in hand.
He also stopped in his tracks and Merlin noted the temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees.
Arthur cleared his throat, "So... you're okay then?" he asked almost bluntly.
"No thanks to you, you prick," replied Mordred hotly.
Merlin glanced towards Gwen as he heard her gasp quietly.
"Look, it wasn't my fault!" spluttered Arthur adamantly, "What the hell was I meant to do?"
"Anything!" hissed Mordred furiously as he stormed up to his door, "Anything rather than just sit back and watch like a fucking coward!"
This obviously struck a nerve as Arthur balled up his fists and made to advance upon the other boy; however he was interrupted by a shrill cough.
Morgana stuck her head out of her room, an eyebrow raised disdainfully and her voice dangerous, "Arthur my dearest... would you mind stepping in here for a little chat? I'd be ever so grateful..."
Arthur froze in his tracks and reluctantly backed away towards his sister.
"You want to choose your friends more carefully Pendragon," snarled Mordred, "But I assure you that I won't be forgetting this anytime soon!"
Then with an echoing slam, both men retreated into the respective rooms and shoved the doors shut behind them.
"Merlin... have I missed something?" Gwen asked anxiously, her face masked with confusion.
"It's really not worth concerning yourself over to be honest Gwen," he sighed, managing a small reassuring smile as walked past her into her room, "Besides, I've come to ask you for your services – I hear you know a thing or two about hairdressing?"
Gwen smiled to herself as she shut the door, but she wasn't going to be distracted that easily.
"I sure do" she acknowledged, nodding slightly, "however as payment you're going to tell me everything about what just happened there..."
Merlin grimaced. Ah shit.
But he did really need this haircut...