Another monster emerged, this time in the shape of a giant sludge creature the size of a bear. Any weapons fired towards it were absorbed. Anything it came into contact with, it consumed. Worse of all, anything it consumed caused it to grow. Captain Arthur Pendragon watched as the creature stretched its mouth around a nearby truck and swallowed it hole, completely unphased by the barrage of bullets fired into its back during the process. Beside him, Leon cursed.
They had tried everything, and nothing was working. He knew his team was more than capable of handling supernatural emergencies, but they were still chartering new grounds and there were still gaps in their knowledge and technology when it came to these kinds of threats.
"Should we draw straws, then?" The man asked.
Arthur released a sharp breath and surveyed the area, taking note of the emptied homes and abandoned streets. At this point it was just him and his men defending that part of town. Thankfully the residences had been evacuated twenty minutes ago. He holstered his weapon and wiped the sweat from his brow, knowing he'd put off the inevitable long enough. Well, shit.
"No. I'll do it."
"What do you mean he's busy?"
Mordred looked up from his book of sudoku puzzles, feet still crossed atop the reception table. "I mean he's busy," he drawled. "Did I stutter?"
Lance pushed Arthur aside before he could put a hole through the wall. "Please, Mordred, the city is in danger. We need to see him."
"The city's always in danger when you guys visit," the receptionist said, fanning his book in the air. "Disturbing Mr. Emrys in his downtime is a direct breach of contract. I'll have to charge you a penalty fee for this." He typed away on a calculator hidden somewhere behind the desk. Quietly, he added, "Besides...he's napping."
"Well, shit." Gwaine threw up his hands and made for the exit. "Now what?"
Lance stared at the Captain. "Arthur?"
Arthur knew this was a possibility, and it was why he tried everything he could before coming here. Those lucky enough to survive the aftermath of disturbing the sorcerer's slumber knew full well never to do it again. But Arthur had lost his patience hours ago and he wasn't turning back now. Not when the city was in danger.
"Let us in, Mordred."
Mordred pursed his lips in a tight frown. Finally, he waved a hand to the door behind him and buzzed them through. "It's your funeral."
"It's like pulling teeth with you." The Captain grumbled past the threshold. "Every damn time."
He made quick work of the blackout curtains on the far wall and turned to scan the room. The room was large, with dark hardwood flooring throughout, save the plush burgundy area rug. There was a small bed in the corner that was untouched and perfectly made. Beside it was a bedside table and short black dresser. As always, all surfaces were clean and free of any clutter or really any indication that anyone had inhabited the space at all. In all honesty, if Arthur didn't know any better, he'd be tempted to say no one was in the room at all. But luckily for him, or rather the city, he did know better, and that's why he made a beeline to the enormous pile of stuffed animals taking up the entire corner of the room.
"You sure you're up for this? Wouldn't it be easier to just buy another city?"
"Shut up, Gwaine," Arthur called back without heat. He kicked the pile of stuffed animals, backing off slightly when a few toppled down the mountain. When nothing happened else, he kicked again. "Get up!"
"Arthur," Lance warned in his usual let's-not-go-asking-for-trouble tone (AKA his 'dad tone'). "Maybe a gentler approach would be best?"
The Captain scowled. If it were up to Lance, the whole city would be in ruin by the time they managed to coax their savior from the stuffed animal mountain. Arthur checked the time on his phone - it had been about an hour since they left Leon and the others to fend off the beast. He hadn't heard anything back so they must be managing, but he didn't want to push his luck. The sooner the creature was contained, the better. He shoved the phone back into his pocket and continued kicking the pile, stopping momentarily when a large stuffed duck came rolling down. He crushed the neck under his boot, feeling the beans crunch under his heel.
"I swear by the angels, if you don't come out right now I'll rip off them all apart. I swear I'll tear all their heads off. Every last one of them!"
The mountain quivered and shifted. Arthur crossed his arms and stepped back. Morgana would have a field day with his tombstone if he died by suffocation under a mass of plush toys. He glanced back at Lance and Gwaine who, like the traitors they were, had backed up to the entrance, and Mordred, who was leaning against the doorframe with a cup in one hand and a teabag in the other. He was smirking at Arthur, as if he knew something terrible was about to happen and was determined to enjoy every last nanosecond.
The stuffed-animal mountain was slowly sinking into a stuffed-animal carpet as the pile gradually spread out. The pile had decreased by half its height when a slight, slender figure became visible. He was muttering under his breath as he tossed his teddies aside. Not with his hands or feet, but with small flicks on his finger.
"By the angels. By the angels." The boy continued to mutter. Arthur took in his appearance as the stuffies fell away - his cow-licked hair, his tattered, grease-stained t-shirt, his too-big jeans held on by a leather belt that had seen better days. Though he couldn't yet make it out, Arthur knew the boy was barefoot, because Merlin always went around barefoot and it was always always Arthur who had to give him piggy-back rides when his precious little feet started to hurt. For a man only three years younger than Arthur, Merlin had no idea how to act his age. A characteristic made all the more deadly coming from the world's most powerful sorcerer. "I'll have you know I could turn those angels into flies in seconds."
"Be that as it may-"
"Would you like to know what it's like to be a fly, Arthur Pendragon?" The boy cut him off with a glare, and Arthur paused. He paused just long enough to wonder if waking a sleeping Merlin was really the best course of action. But then he remembered the city was in danger and steeled his resolve. Behind him, he heard Mordred snicker.
Arthur cleared his throat and continued. "Camelot is in trouble."
"Camelot's always in trouble," the boy said with an eye roll. He waded through the sea of stuffed animals and nestled against a large dragon stuffie that took up the entire space between the floor and ceiling. Merlin snuggled into the dark green plush and closed his eyes.
Mordred barked a laugh. "That's what I said-ouch!" Arthur glanced to see the receptionist rubbing his head when he'd apparently been smacked. Gwaine was inspecting his nails. Lance was studying a painting on the wall.
The Captain kicked through the plush sea and made to grab Merlin before he could fall back asleep. But the moment he touched the sorcerer, Arthur found himself knocked back. Merlin lunged at him, pinning his wrists up above his head. Arthur nudged away the bill from a purple duck and looked up to see large blue eyes staring at him with severe intensity. At the entrance of the room, he felt the others still.
"Nice knowing ya, Captain." Though he didn't turn to see, he knew Mordred was giving him a mock salute, earning him another smack.
"Shut it, you."
"Don't forget who pays for all your luxury teas."
There was a long, reluctant sigh at the threshold. "I suppose it would be an inconvenience to flay our most-" he paused, searching for the right word "-loyal customers. Maybe take it easy on them, sir?"
Merlin didn't move, eyes still fixed murderously on the older man pinned beneath him. Arthur remained still. Not because he was afraid of what the sorcerer would do to him. No, he knew exactly what Merlin was capable of. He didn't move because he knew that so long as Merlin got his way, he'd be all the more likely to comply with their request.
"Merlin," he spoke calmly.
"Arthur." The was a small crack in the sorcerers grumpy exterior made evident when he sank slowly and rested his head on Arthur's chest. He moaned softly. "You promised me a day off, remember?"
"I remember."
"Yet here you are."
"Here I am."
Merlin got up and stared at him, continuing to stare until something began to vibrate. With his hands still pinned against a fat grey whale stuffie, Arthur shifted uncomfortably as his phone continued to ring. Even so, he made no move to answer it.
The staring match continued until Arthur's phone began ringing a third time. With a tsk, the young man released the Captain, crossing his arms and pouting in a way that was definitely not adorable. Arthur reached down to grab his phone, answering to his lieutenant who forged all greetings. "We can't hold it off much longer. We need back up. Please tell me you're on your way."
Arthur didn't speak. He didn't need to. From the way Merlin's ears dropped, Arthur knew he'd heard the panic in Leon's voice. From the slight downturn of Merlin's lips, Arthur knew they didn't have to worry about whether the city would be saved or not. Merlin could be a petulant child with a temper to challenge a raging bull, but he would never fail to protect the people of Camelot. Even if it meant giving up his naptime.
There was a commotion on the phone, followed by gunshots and shouting. Leon came back moments later. "Arthur?"
The Captain rose to his feet, reassured the lieutenant they'd be on their way, and hung up. He extended a hand down to the man still semi-submerged in the pool of stuffed animals. Merlin was still pouting, but at least he was staying upright on his own. Merlin continued staring at the outstretched hand.
"We have coffee on site," Arthur offered, which earned him one of Merlin's signature beaming smiles.
Merlin yawned in the afternoon sun. He wiped his eyes and winced at the grotesque blob currently migrating down the street, consuming signage and whatever other material it could get into its mouth. In its wake, buildings had been crushed under the weight of the growing mass. It was a strange creature and it didn't seem to care about the army that had it surrounded. The soldiers in the area were still attempting to bring it down with a barrage of explosives when they rolled up in Arthur's Range Rover.
"You woke me up for this?"
"Normally we wouldn't classify the target as more than a level two threat, but containing the creature has proved rather difficult." Lance read the report off his clipboard. He looked up every now and then at the scatter of men and women, who were moving the line back when their most recent attempt to halt the creature failed. The crew took one look at the dishevelled, grumpy, sleep-deprived sorcerer and booked it as far away from them as possible. After what happened last time, no one wanted to be within an inch of Merlin if they could help it.
("It wasn't even that bad," Merlin groused.
"Wasn't that bad?," Arthur exclaimed from behind the wheel. "When Galahad used one of your toys as a silencer, you threatened to skin his friends and family and use them as cannon fodder to blow up his house."
"Well maybe next time he'll learn to listen when I say don't take gold from a goblin! Your men are rather thick, aren't they?"
"Shut up, Merlin!")
"And what have we learned?" Which was Merlin's way of asking for more information, however rude and condescending it came off. He was stretching now, moving his neck side to side and swinging his limbs around to loosen up. He had started some jumping jacks when Lance told him about the creature's strange ability to absorb any impact into its body. Nothing they did seemed to bother it in the least. When they tried ensnaring it or boxing it in, it just oozed its way back to freedom. And then there was the problem with it growing every time it consumed something.
Merlin finished up with a few burpees before righting himself. He tugged on the stuffed dragon hanging around his neck, making sure the arms were secure on his shoulders. Finally, the sorcerer turned back and smiled at the dragon's black beady eyes. "Well, Aithusa, what do you think? Simple containment spell?"
The stuffie's head fell forward, and Lance couldn't help but smile. It was an endearing quality of the man -his love of stuffed animals- and though it perplexed many why a grown man would keep such a collection, he had to admit it also made Merlin a bit more approachable. After all, it was hard to remain fearful of the world's most powerful sorcerer with a rainbow-coloured plush dragon hanging off his shoulders.
Merlin made quick work of the situation, as he always did. In one smooth motion, Merlin curved his arms and gestured in circles until the creature was surrounded in tendrils of light. A golden sphere enveloped it and plucked it from the earth. Then with a slow exhale, Merlin brought his hands together, shrinking the sphere down until it was the size of a large Christmas bulb. And that was it.
"That's it?" Gwaine skipped over, coffee in hand. Merlin swiped it when he came close enough, tossing the orb in exchange. Gwaine inspected the miniature terror with delight and curiosity. "Well, will you look at that. Why don't we have a shrinking orb thing, Lance?" He turned to the head of research and development, who rolled his eyes.
"Tell Arthur to get me more funding and we'll see." Lance turned to Merlin. "I hate to ask, but could you-"
Merlin held up his index finger and turned, walking lazily down the street. With a hand still wrapped around the Styrofoam cup and lips still nursing his drink, the sorcerer wagged the finger around the neighbourhood. Like something out of a fairy tale, the rubble and debris swirled to life. Streets lights and road signs rematerialized from thin air. Houses put themselves back together. Hedges regrew from the earth, lush and full as if nothing had ever happened. In a matter of minutes, the scene before them was more pristine than it had been before the attack. Merlin strolled back to the two men and handed Lance the now-empty cup. "You were saying?" He teased, coaxing a delighted sound from the man.
Gwaine clapped a heavy hand down on his friend's shoulder. "What would we ever do without you?"
"Get eaten by a pack of Wilddeoren?" The young man posed in mock thought, bringing more laughter his way. Before too long, he said his goodbyes and headed back to the car where Arthur was finishing up a phone call.
"It's done then?" He asked. The sorcerer nodded.
Arthur nodded and gestured for Merlin to get in, and soon they were back at the office. Mordred was waiting for them as he always was after a job, sipping his tea without a care in the world, just waiting for his moment to pounce. While Arthur was never his biggest fan, he had to admit he was grateful that Merlin had Mordred looking out for the financial aspects of their business. The man was a bloody shark when it came to making sure all debts were paid in full. They walked past him without fuss, but Arthur knew getting out without harassment would be a different matter.
Though not as mountain-like as before, the family of stuffed animals had been repositioned in a heap near the centre of the room. Merlin immediately jumped in, stretching out and resting his head in the tentacles of a pink and red octopus. Arthur heard the subtle clicks and pops of Merlin's joints as the boy settled into a comfortable position. Arthur walked across the room to the plush pile and the young man who had yet again saved Camelot, and knelt down to ruffle his soft brown hair. Though Merlin hadn't dozed off just yet, he was close, and Arthur couldn't resist pressing a gentle kiss to the man's forehead.
"Mmm," the sorcerer leaned into the touch. "I did good? Does this mean I get a day off?"
"Two." Arthur couldn't help but laugh.
This damn man of his. All the power of the universe and all Merlin cared about were days off, stuffed animals, and sleep. He traced his thumb along his cheekbones and jawline, and down to adjust his shirt, idly wondering when Merlin would pay him another visit and raid his closet. He'd been wondering where his favourite belt had gone.
The Captain opened his briefcase and dug around, later pulling out a soft plush lion. He regarded the toy for a moment, looking back and forth between it and Merlin's ever-growing collection, and added it to the pile. Merlin curled around it instantly, burying his face in the golden mane and holding it tight against his chest. Arthur allowed himself a few more moments to drink in the sight before getting to his feet. He closed the curtains and walked to the door to turn down the dimmer knob, bringing the room to near darkness. He spared one last look before shutting it off.
"Until next time, love. Sweet dreams."