A/N: Okay, I'm gonna be real: the original prompt calls for bed sharing/only one bed, but… My poor ass has shared a bed with siblings wayyyy too many times to take it seriously
Sooo, I'm ignoring that factor :p
(I mean, they still end up in a bed, but not because they're forced to. And no, they don't bang, get thy mind out of the gutter, this is about them building a relationship :p)
Since this is a fantasy AU, I decided… To go with a Merlin!AU, with Tim being the prince, Conner being the warlock, and I suppose this makes Jack Drake the big bad?
(Uther is the real big bad of Merlin, don't let anyone tell you otherwise)
Anyways, that means Jack gets a lot of shit tossed at him in this fic. Mostly because Uther was a piece of shit. While I don't like Jack since he's the definition of a neglectful parent, he's nowhere near as bad as Uther, so I apologize here and now for any wild characterization of him.
Note: Dubbilex is the Gaius of this 'verse because, let's face it, Clark was not much of a mentor to Conner. Dubbilex was in Conner's comic run, and the dude does not get enough credit. I think he shows up… Twice in a throw away storyline in the YJ Cartoon where Dubbilex hoped Conner could make a positive change for the clones imprisoned in Cadmus, and they kinda never built on it?
For this 'verse, characters and their direct counterparts (andddd also take note that most probably won't appear unless I decided to add bonus chapters later, so this is mostly for personal reference):
Bart Allen II | Gwaine
Stephanie Brown | Guinevere
Cassandra Cain | Morgana
Jack Drake | Uther Pendragon
Tim Drake | Arthur Pendragon
Dubbilex | Gaius
Kal El | Balinor
Dick Grayson | Iseldir
Roy Harper | Percival
Lois Lane | Hunith
Lex Luthor | Kilgharrah
Conner Kent | Merlin
Martha Kent II | Aithusa
Rachel Roth | Morgause
Ray Terril | Leon
Jason Todd | Lancelot
Damian Wayne | Mordred
Published: 7/29/2019
Warnings: Mentions of homophobia, and having magic is pretty much treated as lgbt coding (because it was totally lbgt coding, and we all know it)
Featured Character:
Tim Pendragon
Conner
Supporting:
Dubbilex
Bart Allen
Cassandra Cain
Damian Wayne
Antagonist:
Jack Pendragon (Background)
TimKon Week I - Merlin AU
Timothy Pendragon, heir to the Throne of Camelot, would like to say that he was a hard man to fool, thank you very much. From an early age, he had stunned his scholars with his ability to process information, for his ability to intuitively decipher the best options, the best paths.
That wasn't to say Tim was undeceivable. He wasn't perfect. He'd been tricked before. He'd placed his heart in the hands of others whom he should never had trusted.
He'd put his faith in Cass, and she had turned around and sworn her allegiance to Witchcraft and Magic. He'd put his faith in Jason, and Jason had gone and slept with Stephanie behind his back, although from what Tim understood there was some sort of weird magic involved in that particular incident. He'd put his faith in Raven, and she had manipulated and lied to him in an effort to get him to murder his own father.
Through it all, however, there had been one person Tim had believed, with all his heart, that he could always trust. One person Tim had put his faith in, that Tim had believed in. One person that he would risk his life for without question, and who would risk theirs in turn for his. One person that Tim had believed would always stand by his side, always be the rock that stood by him when he needed it.
A person who was currently breaking his heart.
Tim closed his eyes before opening them again. Once. Twice. Three times, for good measure.
The sight before him did not change.
His idiodic Manservant, his best friend that he pretended wasn't really his best friend, the person he confided in and trusted with all his secrets… Was reclining back in a chair, humming to himself as he read through one of Tim's many books, while several items floated around the room.
Tim watched as his bed made itself, pillows becoming fluffed out, sheets straightening themselves. A mop, sweeping across the floor of its own volition. A broom in the other corner, sweeping away. His clothes, strewn about, lifting themselves up and washing themselves while Conner didn't have a care in the world.
Magic.
Conner had magic.
Conner was a warlock.
Tim could see it, clear as day, in the red glow coming from his eyes. Unusual, since every other sorcerer Tim had come across had a golden glow, but Conner, of course, had to be extra. He just had to be a goddamn anomaly, didn't he?
Was he even human, Tim wondered, or just a thing pretending to be, like that troll that had almost married his father?
Conner was every single thing Tim had been raised to hate and abhor. His 'best friend' was a literal spy, and had probably been collaborating with Cass this entire time.
How had Tim been so stupid! How had he not seen this coming! How had he not realized this! How could he not have seen that Conner- that Conner-
A broken, choked gasp escaped Tim's lips.
That was just it. Conner.
Conner, the moron that had challenged the Prince of Camelot in combat because Tim was being an asshole to a couple of peasants. Conner, who always gave as good as he got whenever Tim messed with him. Conner, who always let him know his opinion and never once treated Tim any different because of Tim's class or Tim's lineage. Conner, who had always treated him like a person.
Conner, who was looking straight at him, eyes widening in horror.
The floating objects fell with a clatter.
"Tim," Conner gasped, rising from his chair.
Tim, eyes already misty, did not want to hear it. He didn't want to hear whatever excuses Conner was going to toss at him. He didn't want to hear whatever lies Conner was going to invent.
At this point, Tim realized he was too emotionally attached. He couldn't think straight. Not with this. Not with Conner. Not with this secret.
So, Tim did the only thing he logically could do. He turned, and he ran.
Dubbilex hummed to himself as he prepared more herbs and healing potions. How Jack Pendragon had yet to noticed that his Court Physician was still practicing magic behind his back to make his remedies, Dubbilex would never understand.
Hell, Dubbilex constantly used magic to cast an illusion on himself so people wouldn't freak at having a nonhuman wandering around Camelot. Then again, Dubbilex had been doing that for so long that it was practically second nature.
"Dubbilex! Dubbilex!"
Dubbilex looked up as Conner tossed himself into the room. Taking in his ward's utterly panicked expression, Dubbilex set down the stone he had been using to smash herbs into paste and turned towards him.
"What's wrong?" Dubbilex got right down to the point.
Conner didn't bother answering. He was projecting far too loudly. Dubbilex froze.
"I- he ran. He just ran. He didn't let me talk to him, he didn't let me explain! He just ran off and- and- do you think he's going to tell his father?" Conner spoke, more to himself than to Dubbilex. The fear in his voice was palpable.
Tim knew Conner's secret. Tim knew Conner's secret and, if he chose to do so, he could take the information straight to his father. If he chose to do so, there would be no mercy. No leniency. Only blood.
The King had had children executed in the square for the crime of Witchcraft. He would have no contemplations against doing the same to his son's manservant.
There was but one answer Dubbilex could give in such a situation. Stalking forth, Dubbilex placed his hands on his wards shoulders, halting his movement. Conner paused, staring up at him.
"You must go," Dubbilex commanded.
Conner stared at him, startled.
"But- but- It's Tim, 'Ex. He'd never- He wouldn't…" Conner stifled a sob.
Because that was just it. They didn't know. They didn't know what Timothy would do. That was the point. That was why they had hid.
What would win out in the end, a friendship and a bond that had been built over the last few years… Or decades of Jackson Pendragon brainwashing his own son into hating any and everything about magical beings?
They couldn't depend on it, no matter how much Conner might want to. Decades of hateful rhetoric fed into the mind of a child had their effect, and it was not something they could just dismiss out of a misguided sense of hope. That same 'hope' had already gotten hundreds executed.
These were dark times indeed.
So, again, there was but one answer Dubbilex could give his ward. One answer, and one answer only.
"You must go," Dubbilex repeated, "while there is every chance Timothy hasn't informed his father yet of what you are… There is still the small chance that he has. You know this."
Conner sniffed and nodded, pulling back.
"I- I'll go to Cass. I mean, hell, I've been helping her smuggle suspected Sorcerers out of Camelot for years."
It was true. When the Great Dragon had informed Conner that Cassandra Cain would one day become his greatest foe and that he should just leave her in her confused suffering, Conner had… Told Lex to screw off.
(Also, who names a 'Great Dragon' Lex? Then again, Conner had named the dragon egg he'd found 'Martha'...)
Lex had warned Conner against trying to fight Destiny, but Conner hadn't cared. When he had been young and alone and scared, terrified of powers he didn't understand, he would have given anything to have had someone who stood by his side and helped him through it. How, then, could Conner have possibly lived with himself knowing that Cass desperately needed someone to help her with powers she didn't ask for and couldn't possibly comprehend?
He couldn't, so Conner had taken the risk, and hadn't regretted it since.
(*whistles*, Ignore the author tossing shade at one of Merlin's shitter plot points, the show was good over all but mannn did Merlin have the stupid ball more often than not)
So, Conner had helped her. He'd guided her. Because of it, Raven hadn't been able to manipulate Cass to the Dark Side. Indeed, Conner was actually half convinced they were slowly converting Raven to the light.
It was a work in progress. Definitely a work in progress. Raven wasn't just a Priestess of the Old Religion, she was also a pretty damn powerful empath, and feeling the deaths of thousands at Jackson Drake's hands had definitely driven her down a dark path.
Dubbilex nodded.
"Go. I will cover for you here."
Conner shot his guardian a look of concern.
"Won't they be suspicious?"
Dubbilex snorted.
"Kon El," Dubbilex spoke the name the Druids called Conner, "they have yet to figure out I'm not even human."
Ah. True, true.
Nodding, Conner turned to go to his room, prepared to grab all his meager belongings before fleeing.
Fleeing, because Tim knew his secret.
Because Tim…
By Rao, Conner didn't even know if Tim would betray him or not. Tim had looked so heartbroken himself. Tim was as confused and hurt as Conner was scared. If only he'd had time to explain, if only...
Conner paused as a sudden realization hit him. Conner couldn't leave things like this. He just couldn't. The misunderstandings would grow, and… No. Just no. Knowing now what he had to do, Conner turned back towards his guardian.
"I… I can't leave, Dubbilex."
Dubbilex frowned and crossed his arms.
"And why not?" The DNAngel asked.
"My duty is here," Conner told him. "Lex is usually full of shit, like that time he told me I should execute a child," Conner said, referencing to that time a Druid boy had shown up and Lex had ordered Conner to kill him because the boy was 'destined to end Timothy's pathetic existence, Kon El, end him now!'. "But, if there's one thing I believe, it's the Great Prophecy."
Conner hadn't, of course, believed at first. Timothy Pendragon was an utter asshole of epic proportions. He was a spoiled little brat that had fun messing with his subjects. He was a pampered little prince that had everything handed to him. He was a man that had murdered a unicorn because he thought the horn would look nice mounted on his wall, and boy oh boy had that been a clusterfuck to get out of.
But, he was also the guy that had willingly chugged a cup full of poison for Conner without a moment's hesitation, like a moron. He was also the guy that had followed Conner back to his hometown, against his father's wishes, when a local warlord had threatened to burn the whole place down. Tim was the guy who had stuck out his neck, time and time again, for someone who he should have considered 'beneath his station'.
Tim was Conner's best friend. He couldn't just leave him.
Conner had a duty. A task. A Destiny to fulfill, and it was one he and Tim had to do together. So far, they hadn't really made any progress on that Destiny. They hadn't, because Conner had been to scared to say anything. He had been too scared of how Tim would react, of how things might play out.
Maybe this was it.
Maybe this was how things were meant to play out. Maybe it how they had always been meant to play out.
Conner turned fully to face his guardian.
"If- no, when Tim comes down here, looking for me… Tell him that I'll be waiting for him, in the Dragon's Cave beneath the castle. Tell him that I… That I will only reveal myself if he comes alone. Tell him," Conner couldn't help the sharp gasp that escaped his lips. "Tell him that if he wants to end me… I won't fight him. If he wants to execute me, I'll let him. But, he has to do it himself. I won't be chained and executed before the public, like every other Sorcerer they've hauled up there. If he wants me dead, he's going to have to do it his fucking self."
Tim hacked away at a training dummy. At the rate he was going, not a single one would be left.
For the first time in his life, Tim didn't want to think. He didn't want to consider. He didn't want to 'figure it out'. Tim wanted one thing, and one thing only: he wanted to forget, and he wanted to drown it out.
The only problem was, of course, his brain refused to let him.
Why hadn't Conner told him?
Why had Conner hid this from him?
No, wait, stupid question. Really stupid question. Magic was illegal, punishable by death. If Conner had told Tim, then Tim would have had to… Would have had to…
No, nope, not thinking about it, nope.
Killing Conner… No. It just wasn't an option. Tim just couldn't do it. Yes, Conner had betrayed him, but the idea of killing him… Tim didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to consider it.
He wanted the knowledge erased from his mind. Tim honestly couldn't believe he was thinking this, but ignorance really was bliss.
Goddamnit, why did Conner have to chose to do this?!
Because, that's what it was. Magic was a choice. That's what Tim had been taught, from a very early age.
Magic wasn't something that occurred naturally. You had to choose it. You had to surrender your soul to the Triple Goddess. In exchange, they give you strength. They give you power. They give you magic.
Your soul, for power.
It was a twisted, vile exchange, and Tim had always been taught that it was evil. That it was wrong. They and their ways were wrong.
And yet…
Two people.
Two people close to Tim had now chosen that path.
First, it was Cass, who'd aligned herself with the Sorceress Raven.
Now, it was Conner, who might have been in league with Cass all along.
It made a twisted bit of sense when Tim considered it. Both Conner and Cass had, time and time again, appealed to him on how all magic couldn't be evil. Had tried to convince him that those pathetic devil worshipers weren't monsters. Had appealed in many cases, attempted to dissuade the notion that Sorcerers were dangerous and a menace to society.
Of course they had. Those that sympathise with monsters lie with them.
What was next, Stephanie would reveal she'd been in league with them the entire time too?
(Not that it would matter… Stephanie had been vanished when she and Jason were found in bed together. Both of them had. With the uproar that had followed the incident, it was all Tim had been able to do to keep the both of them from being executed.)
Who else had betrayed Tim?
Bart? Ray? Roy? All of them? None of them? ARGH!
With a single brutal swing, Tim took the training dummy's head clean off. Panting, sweat falling down his face, Tim let the sword drop with a clang. Crouching down, Tim wrapped his arms around his knees, screaming into them incoherently.
Damnit, damnnit, damnit, damnit!
Why did Conner have to do this? Why did that moron have to not only learn magic, but use it repeatedly? How had Tim not noticed before! How had Tim not realized that Conner-
Well. That was just the thing, wasn't it? Tim hadn't wanted to see, so he hadn't seen. He'd ignored it, because of course he had. Tim hadn't wanted to consider it. He'd suppressed the information.
Small incidents came to mind. Conner, seemingly the only one in the group resistant to some sort of spell or another. A conveniently placed branch, here or there. Wind coming at the opportune moment inside a bloody cave to smite a monster. Jason's lance, bursting with blue fire as he struck down the Griffin.
The Great Dragon beating the utter shit out of Tim and his knights, only for Tim to awake to Conner's grinning face, telling him that Tim had mortally wounded the dragon and that it had fled, even though there wasn't any damn dragon blood anywhere in the clearing and Tim's sword had shattered on contact with the dragon's scales.
…
Oh god, Conner had been a Sorcerer this entire time!
Tim really had been blind. Years. Years! Conner had hid this shit behind Tim's back for years! Conner-
Startled, Tim looked up, confusion clear on his face. What in the hell was Conner even doing? Conner had saved Tim's life more times than he could count. If Conner had wanted him dead, all he would have had to do was do nothing. If Conner had wanted Tim's father dead, he would have had to do nothing as well.
Hell, Conner had once talked Tim out of murdering his own father by telling him that Sorcerers and Magic were evil, that Raven had been full of shit with that story about how his father had used magic to ensure Tim's birth, and in the process had killed Tim's mother.
Why would he do that, if he was a Sorcerer all along?
Godammnit, Conner didn't make a lick of sense!
"Wow there, Tim buddy. What did that training dummy do to you? Yikes with a capital Y!"
Tim looked up. There, standing a few feet away, stood Bart. Bart was looking about, worry clashing with amusement on his face as he took stock of the dozen different dummies Tim had dismantled in his rage.
Staring at Bart triggered something in Tim's brain. Before he could even register what he was doing, Tim had stood, backed Bart against the nearest wall, and leveled his sword to the fellow Knight's throat.
"Woah there. Tim, I don't know what's wrong but… Ah hell, you aren't enchanted, are you?" Bart asked, far too calm in this situation for Tim's liking.
"Did you know!" Tim bellowed, face coloring.
"Did I know what?" Bart asked, perplexed.
Tim did not have time for this bullshit.
"Did you know Conner was a Sorcerer!" Tim snapped.
Now, Bart looked alarmed. Surprised, even. Ah. Good. So, he hadn't known. Bart hadn't betrayed him too. Tim's grip relaxed. That was his mistake.
Bart had always been the quickest among them. What he lacked in raw strength, he made for with finesse. As such, the second Tim had relaxed his hold, Bart was on him, knocking the sword out of his hands. Tim found himself spun as their positions were reversed, his back slamming against the wall. Hand raised to cover Tim's mouth, Bart's eyes dashed about frantically before focusing back on Tim.
"Tim, what the hell man? You can't just yell something like that out loud! What if someone heard you and took the news to your dad?" Bart hissed.
Tim gasped. Bart... Bart's concern was for Conner, that backstabbing, slimey devil worshiping traitor? Bart lowered his hand once he deemed them alone.
"Tim, you can't just shout stuff like that! Seriously, what's the point of keeping Conner's secret if you're going to go around shouting it to the heavens," Bart rolled his eyes.
Tim's jaw hit the floor.
Bart… BART HAD FIGURED IT OUT BEFORE TIM HAD? Bart? Okay, Tim knew Bart was nowhere near as dumb as many people assumed, but… BART?
Not only had Bart figured it out… He'd been hiding it on purpose this entire time?!
"You knew?" Tim cried out, betrayed.
"You didn't?" Bart looked surprised. "I mean, it was kind of obvious."
"No it wasn't!" Tim lied.
"His eyes glow red," Bart pointed out. "And things conveniently go flying whenever he's around. And there was that one bar fight he was in where he started flinging things left and right. Speaking of bars, you kept complaining that Conner is always in the tavern, but I've never actually seen him in the tavern, so I assumed that was code for 'doing something possibly illegal'."
Tim gaped.
"You- you- you thought I knew and thought I was covering for him?!"
Bart blinked.
"Well, yeah. I mean, he is your boyfriend, and that's also illegal, but that hasn't stopped the pair of you so far."
"... HE IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND!" Tim snapped.
Alarmed, Bart looked around again.
"Tim, what part of 'don't shout secrets' loudly don't you get?" Bart chastised him. "And what do you mean he isn't your boyfriend? You two go off on walks in the woods all alone. I've walked in on you sharing a bed. You guys complete each other's sentences. Hell, I've seen the way you guys look at one another when you think no one else is watching."
Tim was speechless. How in the hell had Bart come to these conclusions?
Bart, it seemed, was slowly coming to the realization that Tim was ignorant of every word that was currently leaving his lips.
Bart was now the one gaping.
"Wait, you mean you didn't know?"
"Of course I didn't know! I'm not courting Conner!" Tim snapped.
Bart crossed his arms and huffed.
"Well, I don't know why not. You guys are clearly in love, and, like I said, I've caught you checking him out. You likey like."
Tim's face grew red.
"I do not!"
Bart nodded enthusiastically.
"You do! Which, honestly, is the only reason I can see as to why you hadn't figured out Conner's other secret. You didn't want to think about it."
Tim raised a single finger, ready to bellow out his denial… When he came to the startling realization of, oh shit he's right.
"I'm in love with Conner," Tim whispered, the words falling out his mouth of their own volition.
"Duh," Bart rolled his eyes.
"Bart, this is serious!" Tim glared at his friend. "It's illegal. And, I'm the heir to the Kingdom. Even if… Even if I love Conner, I have a duty to my people."
Bart blinked several more times.
"Bro, Stephanie knew."
"... WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE KNEW?"
"Everyone knew. I knew. Jason knew. Stephanie knew. That little Druid boy your dad wanted to kill knew. Half the palace guards know."
Tim spluttered.
Had everyone realized Tim's feelings for his bloody manservant before Tim had?
Wait…
"Does Conner know?" Tim demanded, because he could not handle the extra betrayal of Conner knowling using Tim's feelings against him like this.
… Oh god, was Tim under a love spell?
Wait, no, that couldn't be right. Tim enjoyed trolling the fuck out of Conner too much for it to be a straight up love spell.
"I assumed he did, but considering you weren't aware either, he's probably as stupid as you are about it," Bart shrugged.
Tim wanted to hit him. So, so bad, So, he did.
"Owe!" Bart yelped, rubbing at his shoulder.
"How could you hide this from me! How could you hide Conner having magic from me!" Tim demanded.
"Well, sorry, I just assumed you knew. Like I said, he was being pretty obvious!" Bart claimed.
"And why didn't you turn him in!" Tim continued, ignoring the words.
Bart stopped rubbing at his shoulder and looked up, staring straight into Tim's eyes for several seconds. Bart's face went eerily blank, and then…
Tim grunted as he hit the ground, Bart's fist hitting with a force Tim hadn't believed the other knight capable of. For a moment, Tim laid there, stunned. Bart… Bart had never been the aggressive one. Admittedly, Tim was being pretty aggressive himself right now and he probably owed Bart an apology for it, but Bart lashing out…
It was one of those things you heard rumors about, but never actually saw. It just wasn't a genuine thing, so Tim wasn't sure how to respond to it. So, Tim did the only thing he could think of.
He looked up, and waited patiently for an explanation.
"I decided to follow you because I thought you were different. I decided to follow you because I thought you'd make a chance to this land, different from the hell your father has inflicted on us all," Bart declared, face still scarily blank. "If you think for one second that I'd turn Conner in to be executed for the way he was born, then you have another thing coming, and you aren't the man I thought you were."
With a growl, Tim tackled Bart from around the ankles. Bart went down like a lump of potatoes, back hitting the ground hard. Straddling the other knight's skinny waist, Tim pinned Bart down and glared.
"Conner wasn't born that way! No one is! He chose it! They all choose it!"
Bart stared at him for several more seconds before sighing sadly, anger seemingly deflating from him.
"Tim… Who in their right fucking minds would choose to be different in a way that's going to get them killed?"
Tim opened his mouth and… And found he didn't have an answer. Because there wasn't one. Because Bart had a point. Because Bart was right. Because, really, who would choose magic when the end result was prosecution and death?
Power was tempting, but power was useless to the dead.
Tim closed his eyes. Tim closed his eyes and let out a sob.
This didn't make sense. None of it made sense. Conner didn't make sense. Bart didn't make sense. Tim's feelings didn't make sense. It was too much, all at once. It was too much, and it hurt, dammit!
How, exactly, was Tim meant to process this all?
"Oh shit, crying Tim. Damnit, I'm not good with tears! Er. There, there. Everything is gonna be okay," Bart patted Tim's back awkwardly.
Huffing, Tim forced the tears back before pushing the hand away. Getting up, Tim offered Bart his hand, helping the other to his feet.
Bart continued to eye Tim wearily before speaking.
"So, what're you going to do?"
Tim sighed, leaning against the wall.
"... The only thing I can do. I… I need to confront him. I need to hear it from his mouth. I need to know why. And… And I know just how to find him."
With that, Tim turned, stalking off with a single destination in mind.
There was only one person who might know where Conner had run off to. One person who most likely knew Conner's secret from the start, and had willingly chosen to keep their mouths shut about it this entire time.
Dubbilex.
"What do you mean, my brother saw you using magic?" Cass demanded.
Conner, personally, had never heard Cass say so many words in a single sentence. Well, unless she was yelling at the King, but he'd never had the same energy directed at him. Cassandra Cain was a woman of few words.
And Conner had managed to trigger her fully.
After leaving Dubbliex's quarters, Conner had come down to the cave where they had once kept the Great Dragon imprisoned. As a precautionary measure in case Tim really did come down here with Camelot's army to apprehend him, Conner had decided to contact Cass and inform her of the situation.
Her astral form was not taking the news well.
"I may or may not… Have used it to clean his room while reading a book?" Conner admitted.
Cass shot Conner a look that told him, quite bluntly, that she would be beating him black and blue if she was actually physically here. Conner didn't doubt it. Cass was still the only person he'd ever met who could get past his magical defenses with ease.
"Stupid!" Cass cried.
"Maybe." Conner wasn't about to deny it. Not in the face of such evidence.
"Moronic! Lazy!"
"I am not!" Conner denied. Cass paused and merely stared at him. Conner squirmed. "Okay, maybe a little."
"Did the idiot clone accidentally reveal his magic to Pendragon?" a voice yelled from the other side of Cass' connection.
Conner blinked.
Only one person had ever called Conner a clone. One person, and one person only, even if the term didn't really apply. So what if Conner looked so much like his dad that Jack Pendragon not recognizing him on sight was the biggest plot hole ever conceived?
(A random A/N Appears: Merlin definitely didn't look like his dad, but Conner does look like Clark. He looks so much like Clark that he once got yeeted backwards in time, the Kents found him, and assumed he was their kid. See issues of Zero Hour for details)
(... Holy fudge, I just advertised for DC Comics lol…)
"... Is that Damian?" Conner asked.
As if summoned by the words, Damian appeared. The small boy glared at Conner.
"I always knew you were moronic, Kon El. I was merely unaware of the level of moronic you could possible achieve."
"Hey!" Conner cried out, offended.
"Tt," Damian replied dismissively, his little head turning away.
"Listen here, you little brat," Conner pointed a finger at Damian.
"The Fate of all Magic lies in the hands of an imbecile," Damian, ignoring Conner, turned to Cass. "Cain, we are doomed."
"Kill Jack." Cass suggested with a shrug.
Conner glared.
"For the last time, Cass, if we murder Jackson Pendragon, Tim will continue hating magic forever," Conner reminded her.
Cass glared at him. "Jack is a monster. How many children has he left orphaned?"
As if on cue, and it probably was, Damian raised his hand.
Conner sighed.
"Okay, I get where you're coming from, but-" Conner began. He was interrupted as a shrill shriek ripped through the cave. Turning, Conner realized it could only mean one thing. His alarm spell had been triggered.
The shriek paused and stayed still.
One person.
Could it be…
Conner turned back to Cass and Damian.
"Go! If I don't contact you guys within 24 hours, send help," Conner told them.
"Tt," Damian tsked. "If you do not contact us within 24 hours, Kon El, we shall assume you have been assassinated and act accordingly."
With that, both of them vanished in a flurry of light. Conner cursed to himself. "You know what? Maybe Lex was right when he said Damian was destined to kill Tim…" Conner muttered to himself.
Conner had blatantly ignored the order to murder Damian, because, hello, once you've reached the killing children stage you've crossed any possible moral event horizon (hint hint, Jackson Pendragon ordering every last being possessing magic to death, regardless of age hint hint).
Still… Sometimes, Conner genuinely wondered if that particular fate was unavoidable. If it was, Conner hoped it was far enough in the future where he could- nope, huh uh, not going there. Damian may be a little shit, but he was a good little shit who just wasn't much of a people person and instead preferred the company of his literal zoo of pets.
And Cass. Can't forget Cass.
Turning, Conner stood patiently.
One person had entered the cave. Conner desperately hoped it was Tim. He desperately hoped he was going to get an opportunity to explain all this. He hoped, but… At the same time, he worried.
It might damn well be Tim coming down… And Conner, honest to god, wasn't sure if he was ready to face him.
Dubbilex had surprised Tim when he had gone down to see the old physician. The man had taken one look at Tim, titled his head, and told him point blank that Conner was hiding in the tunnels beneath the castle before Tim had even had the chance to ask.
Tim hadn't even bothered asking the man if he'd known either. It had been clear as day on Dubbliex's face.
Tim, perhaps, was the last one to know.
His love had blinded him.
And, Tim could admit that now.
Love. He was in love. He was in love with Conner. It was wrong, it was forbidden, it was something taboo and something unspoken of. The Crown Prince was in love with a servant. The Crown Prince was in love with a male servant.
Tim had already made a scandal when he'd courted Stephanie. Like Conner, she too was a servant, and Tim giving her actual romantic attention had shocked many. A Prince wanting to be a servant wasn't out of the ordinary, but Tim?
Tim had never been one for casual sex. It didn't interest him in the slightest. He had to know a person, had to love them, before sex was even a consideration.
High standards, maybe, but that was Tim.
It seemed that Tim, indeed, had a bloody type, and it was bitchy servants that didn't take shit.
Tim was in love, and his love was forbidden. If his father found out, Conner would be executed on the spot, magical aspect notwithstanding. If his father found out about both factors, he'd assume Conner had enchanted him, and would have Conner executed to 'correct the transgression'.
Tim was in love, and he had to push it down. He had to, because he needed to confront Conner. He needed answers. He needed to know why Conner had done this. He needed to go into this, with a clear head and a clear mind.
He needed to suppress his emotions.
Think, don't feel.
Tim finished walking down the steps, and… There he was. Conner, standing far off at the ledge of the chasm that had once contained the Great Dragon. Tim's father, in his arrogance, had kept the Great Dragon chained down here. That arrogance had cost many lives when the dragon has escaped and ravaged Camelot.
Before Conner had put a stop to it, because it had always been Conner, hadn't it? It had always been Conner, behind the scenes, hidden from view. Time and time again, saving a Kingdom that would see him dead and murdered.
Tim didn't understand. There was no logical answer. There couldn't be. Conner, Tim realized, was just as crazy as Tim was.
Because Tim was crazy. He'd come down here, alone, to confront a Sorcerer that had enough raw power to take out the Great Dragon. Take out or, at the very least, force it into a retreat. Coming down here alone without alerting anyone was the definition of madness.
Obviously, Conner had infected him.
"Tim," Conner greeted, his stance hesitant. Clearly, he didn't know how to go on or what to say. Tim understood. He really, really did.
He didn't know what to say either.
Except, maybe he did.
"How long?" Tim demanded, because he needed to know. He needed to know how long Conner had kept this from him. He needed to know if this was something new, or if this was something that had been happening from the start.
"... It started when I was a little boy," Conner confessed, leaving Tim gaping, because that went against everything Tim had ever learned. Magic was a choice, willingly given.
Children don't make those kinds of choices.
"My mom said I was levitating things right from the start," Conner continued. "I was just born like that. I was born with these gifts and these powers that I didn't understand. I could make things happen by just thinking of it. I could make the house warm when I wanted it. I could make it snow when I wanted to play outside. I could do anything. It was wonderful… And horrifying."
Tim was startled by the vehemence in Conner's voice. The self loathing, dripping from that last word like a poison.
"Why?" Tim asked, and instantly regretted it when Conner's face twisted. Tim had never seen Conner like this. He'd never seen Conner full of so much raw pain and anger. It was scary. It was terrifying.
It hurt to watch.
It hurt to know that Tim was the one placing him in this situation. It hurt knowing that Tim was the one making Conner relive those moments, that Tim was the one making Conner remember times he'd rather forget.
It hurt, but it was something Tim needed to do. This wasn't optional. He needed answers. That was the only way they would be able to move forward.
"Why?" Conner repeated incredulously, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. "Why? Tim, I had to hide who I was from everyone. I had to pretend to be someone I wasn't. Every moment of every day was a lie. I could never really be myself. Do you know how utterly frustrating it is to have a part of you that you can't share with the world? To have a part of you that you know the world will hate and condemn you for, a part of you that you can't change, a part of you that you were born with- to have something like that, and to have to suppress it? Because, I tried. I honest to god tried! I wanted it gone! I WANTED MY MAGIC GONE!" Conner shouted, face glowing red. Literally red, energy cackling from his form. Tim couldn't help but take a step back as angry tears began to spill down Conner's face.
"I WANTED IT GONE! BUT I COULDN'T! IT WOULDN'T GO AWAY! I'D HOLD IT IN, AND IN, AND IN, AND IT WOULD JUST COME BURSTING OUT! I COULDN'T CONTROL IT! THERE WASN'T ANY CHOICE FOR ME! DO YOU GET THAT? DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT? I JUST WANTED TO BE NORMAL! I JUST WANTED ONE DAY, ONE, WHERE MY MOTHER WASN'T TERRIFIED HER LITTLE BOY WAS GOING TO FUCK UP INFRONT OF THE WRONG PERSON, AND THAT WAS IT! They'd take me away, and- and- and they'd make her watch-"
With a sob, Conner turned away, splotchy tears falling down his face. In that moment, Tim had never once before felt like such an asshole as he did now.
These last few hours, all Tim had been able to think about was how Conner had betrayed him. How Conner had deceived him. How Conner had kept this all from him, how Conner had lied to his face time and time again.
Conner had looked him in the eyes and told him that magic and Sorcerers were evil… Because Conner had internalized the hate.
Because of something Tim's father had started, because of systematic purge aimed at the heart of an entire people, Conner had grown up hating himself. How could he not, when the air was strife with fear and condemnation?
However, there was one other thing Tim was getting from this rant, and it needed to be addressed. Immediately.
Conner… Was a fucking moron.
"Why in the living hell would you willing choose to come live in the literal heart of magical persecution, you- you- you clotpole!" Tim snapped.
Conner blinked, clearly not having expected that sort of response.
"Er… Uncle Dubb lived here and mom said he could help me control the magic?" Conner admitted before going wide eyed. "Not that Dubb is practicing magic. He used to. Everyone knows that. But he doesn't anymore, so mom thought he might know how to stop it and stuff. You know. Because he's an ex Sorcerer."
Holy mother of whatever gods Tim didn't believe in, how had Conner kept this from him for so damn long? Tim really had been willingly ignorant, hadn't he? All the pieces had been there, right from the start, but Tim had adamantly refused to put them together.
He really had been in denial about the whole thing.
"You idiot. You complete and utter idiot!" Tim continued. "Why would you do that? Why would you come here? Why would you risk your life like that? Why would you risk your life for me, time and time again?"
At the last bit, Tim wasn't able to keep his voice from cracking. Because, he really didn't understand. While Tim now knew that he was in love with Conner, it couldn't possibly be reciprocated. Tim stood for everything that had made Conner's childhood a living hell.
Tim stood for the witch hunts, for the end of the Old Religion, for the execution of magical folk and their kind.
Hell, Tim had led actual witch hunts. He had killed Sorcerers, slayed them as his father commanded. Tim's hands were not clean. Far from it. They were caked with the blood of the innocent, and Tim knew it. Conner knew it. Cass had known it, and had grown to hate him for it.
Tim was starting to hate himself for it too.
"Why would I risk my life for yours?" Conner repeated, incredulous, as if it was the stupidest thing Tim could have possibly asked him. "Tim, of course I'd risk my life for yours! I don't know how this hasn't managed to get past that thick mulish head of yours, but we're best friends! You make me laugh and you make me smile and you give me hope for the future! Why wouldn't I risk myself for you? Jackson Drake isn't my King. YOU ARE."
Goddamnit, Conner, you can't just say shit like that.
"That, and the Great Dragon wouldn't leave me the hell alone until I befriended you."
Tim's entire world, for the second time in a single day, came to a brutal, grinding halt.
Only a moment too late, Conner seemed to realize what his words had implied.
"You were in contact with the Great Dragon?" Tim spoke, voice a deadly whisper.
"His name is Lex," Conner confessed. "He's telepathic and really, really loud," Conner said, somehow oblivious to Tim's growing rage. "He can also see the future too, although some of the things that come out of his mouth seem like pure bullshit, so I ignore 'em. He actually tried to talk me into murdering a child once which, screw that, I wasn't doing it."
Tim's anger almost deflated on instinct. Images of a Druid town flashed into his mind as the order had come down to execute them all.
Every last man, woman and child.
And Tim…
The image of a little boy, his tear splotched face etched into the back of Tim's mind forever, flashed into his mind.
His father had ordered Tim to kill the child, and Tim… Tim had been too scared to say no. Dear gods, Tim had been too scared to say no, and he… He'd done it. Despite his reservations, despite his gut instinct telling him that it was wrong, Tim had obeyed.
That had been the first time Tim had questioned their crusade.
The second had been Damian, a lost little Druid boy with an attitude problem that his father wanted killed on the spot. Tim had made the mistake of obeying his father once when it came to infantacide. It was something that would always haunt him, as it damn well should.
He'd vowed never again.
It was a secret Tim would take to his grave. A skeleton, peering out at him through his closet. Something Tim had gone through great lengths to hide and suppress.
And yet, Conner had looked the Great bloody Dragon and the face and told it to go screw itself when the Dragon had demanded the same sin from Conner.
Conner had had the balls to do what Tim hadn't. And, he'd done it in the face of a literal fire breathing monster capable of incinerating him. Powerful Sorcerer or not, that took bravery.
Alright. So, Conner being in contact with the Great Dragon might not be as bad as Tim was assuming. Conner clearly was able to say 'no' to the thing, so he probably wasn't the one who'd let him out.
Still…
"Did you let the Dragon out?" Tim asked, because he really did need to know.
Conner winced.
Tim spluttered.
"Okay, before you start yelling-" Conner began.
"That dragon murdered a dozen knights! He torched at least twice as many homes! How could you release him?!"
"He bound me in a magical promise," Conner admitted with another wince. "It was when Raven set her undead army on Camelot. He refused to tell me how to stop them unless I vowed to release him once I had."
Tim glared.
"And you couldn't bind him back with a promise to stop him from torching the town?"
"Only a Dragonlord can do that."
A Dragonlord… Tim and Conner had gone out to hunt the last of the Dragonlords down, who had wanted nothing to do with them. Tim remembered the tale of betrayal Kal El had spun for them.
It had been another nail in the coffin that told Tim that maybe, just maybe, his father was wrong.
… Who was Tim kidding, his father had been wrong from the start. His father had been wrong and Tim had followed. Tim hadn't thought for himself. He'd been a good little soldier, and done as commanded.
A good little murderer.
The monster of Conner's childhood.
The monster that a part of Conner was still clearly terrified of, if his expression was anything to go off of.
"... But you made the dragon go away," Tim pointed out, startling Conner. "There's no way I killed it. Which means you had to have either overpowered it or commanded it. But, to command it, you would have had to have been a Dragonlord. But, if you had been a Dragonlord the entire time, the Dragon wouldn't have…"
Tim trailed off as yet another horrible realization hit him. Conner's face said it all.
Kal El. The Dragonlord, who'd tossed himself in front of a sword for Conner without a moment's hesitation. Conner's heartbroken cry, the agony that had been painted all over his face.
A power, passed down from Father to Son…
Tim faltered, taking a step back involuntarily.
"Kal El was your father," Tim said in stunned realization. "Kal El was your father and… And we drove him away. My dad drove him away. He drove him away, and your hometown treated your mom like a harlot because she had a bastard child with a man who hadn't- oh fuck, how much of your life have I screwed up?" Tim cried, turning away. He couldn't face him. He couldn't face Conner.
He couldn't face him without feeling the crushing guilt, weighing down on his shoulders. Because Tim was slowly coming to the realization that he hadn't been the hero. He hadn't been the good guy, sweeping in to save the day.
Tim was the villain of the story. He wasn't even the head villain, just some ignorant mook following the lead villain's roll.
For god's sakes, after Kal El had died, Tim had looked Conner straight in the eyes and told him that no man was worth his tears. How… Utterly insensitive! Tim hadn't know, but the signs had been there and Tim might accuse Conner of being a moron, but Conner was also a moron that had fooled Tim a thousand times over.
"Hey! Hey!" Tim felt Conner's hand on his cheek, turning his face back towards him. Conner looked at him, wide eyed and earnest. "You didn't ruin my life, Tim. You didn't. You gave me a reason. You gave me a purpose. You gave me hope."
"Why?" Tim choked out. "Why would you put your faith in me? All I've ever done is follow my father's orders. All I've ever done is be a good little soldier. All I've ever done is kill your kind."
"Because, I believe in you. I believe you're a good man. I believe you will be the change the future needs. I believe that one day, you'll make things rights. I believe in you, because I've seen your heart. I've seen you, and you're pure. You're good. You aren't perfect. You make mistakes. You infuriate me. You're full of yourself. You're arrogant. You act like a knowitall half the time. But, your heart is always, always, in the right place, and that is why I will never, ever abandon you. You're good, and I will always follow you. No matter what, I'm with you. I will always be with you."
Tim responded in the only way he could to such a declaration.
Hand reaching forth, Tim gripped the back of Conner's head, pulled him forth, and kissed him.
Conner froze.
Realizing Conner wasn't kissing him back, Tim pulled back, apologetic. "I'm sorry. I- oh hell, I didn't even ask, I'm the wors-"
Conner interrupted Tim. With his lips. For a moment, the world and all the worries in it melted away. All that existed as Tim and Conner, right here, right now. All that existed where the strong arms, wrapping around him and pulling him close. All that existed was Conner, who clearly felt the same way.
Bart had been right. Tim should get him a goddamn metal.
They still had things to talk about. They still had things to consider. They still had a dozen issues between the pair of them that they needed to hash out, that they needed to discuss.
But, for the first time since the morning… Tim felt like they were going to be okay.
Several hours later found the pair of them in Tim's bed with the door locked. Conner wasn't even sure how they'd ended up back here. All he knew was, one moment they'd been there and the next they'd been up here.
Not that they had done much more than make out. They'd just laid here, with each other, until the days events had led to the pair of them passing out.
As light started creeping in through the curtains, Conner's eyes opened.
There, right in front of him, was Tim's sleeping face. He looked so peaceful when he slept. All the worry, all the pressure, taken right off.
He looked so precious.
Conner was in love. Which he'd known for a while, really, he just hadn't expected Tim to love him back.
They still had a lot to talk about though. Hell, Tim didn't even know Conner was still in contact with his sister.
Wait…
Startled, Conner sat up so abruptly that it shook Tim awake.
"Wha- Conner, stop that, lemme sleep…" Tim mumbled.
"Shit, I forgot to contact Cass back! She warned me that if I didn't, she'd invade Camelot for executing me!" Conner exclaimed.
Okay, technically Damian had done the threatening, and it had been more of an implication than anything else, but Conner was not ready to explain to Tim how he'd helped Tim's sister to adopt a demonic child with a penchant for slicing people with swords.
Tim's eyes snapped open, all signs of drowsiness leaving his system.
"Wait… You mean to tell me… You really have been spying on us for Cass!" Tim snapped.
"Er… Kinda? I mean, I've been sneaking out sorcerers your dad is going to execute and casting illusions in their place."
Tim stared at Conner for several seconds before groaning. Hands reaching up to grip Conner's shoulders, Tim pushed him down before cuddling against him aggressively, burying his face in Conner's shoulder.
"I'm too tired for this shit, just let me bask in your presence for at least another hour before you start giving me a headache," Tim demanded grumpily.
Well… Damian had given Conner 24 hours. Hands reaching up, Conner wrapped them around Tim and just let himself enjoy it. Because the rest of the world could wait just a moment longer, and, for once, Conner was really, truly happy. Really truly happy, and he wouldn't trade it for the world.