Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin, perhaps in my dreams, but unfortunately not in reality... you can take that whatever way you please. =)
A/N: Well, at least I didn't scare all of you away... I think there was a few that no longer want to read this story, as my review adverage plummited to it's untimely death. Anyway, for those loyal readers out there, I'm sorry to say, things aren't getting better quite yet, BUT don't worry little ones, as it will all end happily soon. I have in mind a sequel at the moment... which proves that this will have a happy ending. Anyway, enjoy... or not... and Review... or not.
Six minutes was all it took for Merlin to gather his things from out of Cabin Four, and in those six minutes he felt the world crashing down upon him.
Grabbing his packer bag off the floor, Merlin took one final look at the place he had been forced to leave behind; the very place Arthur had held him tight whilst he slept.
Taking a deep breath, he pulled the door shut behind him and made his way up to the administration building where Uther would tell him what cabin he would be moving too.
As he entered the familiar room with pictures hanging off the walls, Merlin waited patiently until Uther came in, glaring at him intensely.
"First of all, that was extremely inappropriate of you. Throwing a plate at your fellow campers is rude not to mention dangerous. You're lucky I'm not sending you straight home this very instant!" Uther walked behind the wooden desk that was situated at the back of the room.
"You're lucky the plate didn't hit you in the face..." Merlin muttered, looking away out the window to see everyone heading back to their cabins. For a brief moment he saw Gwen and Morgana, who were both chatting to Arthur with their hands on his arms or shoulders.
"What did you say?" Uther snapped, as he grabbed a list out of a draw.
"I said I'm sorry for what I did in the first place," he replied nervously.
"Secondly, I have no idea what you did to my son to cause him to act so upset; he came up to me demanding you were removed from his cabin, but not once told me why," Uther clasped his hands together and leaned over the desk so he was staring straight into his eyes. "I suppose you're not going to tell me either?"
Merlin reluctantly shook his head. "I have no idea why he doesn't want me with him anymore. Not with him in the sense," he stammered, feeling even more anxious now that Uther was raising an eyebrow. "What I mean is..."
"I do not care what you mean," Uther cut in before Merlin had a chance to make himself look like any more of an idiot. "From this night onwards, you will be sleeping in Cabin Three with Lancelot. But if you have one more little outburst like you did tonight, I will call your parents and have them pick you up. Do you understand?"
"It's parent... My father's dead," Merlin sighed before looking at the picture of his mother on the wall. He had never really known his father, but from the stories Hunith had always told him, not once did he recall her speaking about him in a bad way.
"You stay here while I go organise the arrangements for Cabin Three," Uther said, unphased by what Merlin had just said and walked out of the building, leaving Merlin alone with the eyes of the photo's staring at him.
"Stop looking at me!" Merlin whispered at the photo's as the paranoia settled in. "I had no other choice, okay? And anyway, Arthur's probably much happier without me. Ever since he met me, all I've been able to do is get us both into trouble, and look where it got us! I'm useless, that's what! I can't even hold a relationship for an entire day. What was I supposed to do, anyway? Let his father find out about us?"
Merlin stopped, almost wishing the pictures would hold up their end of the conversation, but typically, they remained silent, instead they continued staring intensely at him from all angles.
Sighing, he leaned up against the desk, accidentally knocking the phone onto the floor. Picking it up, Merlin decided to make a phone call.
"Hi mum," Merlin said softly.
"What's wrong?" Hunith replied knowingly.
"Nothing wrong," Merlin denied.
"Darling, you're calling me at eight-thirty at night. A mother just knows when her child's upset, now please, tell me what's wrong?"
"I..." he took a steady breath before continuing. "Something happened between me and Arthur, and now we're no longer talking."
"Could you be a bit more specific," she asked gently. Merlin wasn't quite sure if he wanted to be any more specific than that. Not once had he conceded the possibility that Hunith knew that he was gay, although, she always had a knack at guessing, and in the end she was nearly always right.
"Not really..." Merlin said finally after a few seconds of thought.
"Well whatever happened, surely it can be fixed. Nothing is set in stone dear. Only you can control your destiny, so if what happened between you and Arthur means a lot to you, don't just sit around feeling sorry for yourself. Instead find some way you can mend your friendship, or whatever it may be, with him."
What she was saying made a lot of sense, but there was still the fact that Nimueh would no doubt go straight to Uther if he even attempted to befriend Arthur again.
"Thanks mum, it means a lot," Merlin couldn't help but smile over the phone.
"Now that we've sorted that out, I really have to go, my favourite show is on in five minutes and I do not want to miss it, love you sweetheart," Hunith blew a kiss over the phone.
"You also," Merlin replied, also blowing a kiss back before hanging up the phone.
As he listened to the clock on the wall tick away, the door to the building swung open behind him, revealing Uther completely drenched with muddy water. It couldn't possibly be raining... could it? Though, that didn't make sense as there was mud cacked all through his hair.
"One word and you'll be sent home, do you understand?" Uther warned.
It took a lot of effort for Merlin to prevent himself from laughing, but somehow he managed to keep a straight face the entire time.
"I've talked to Valiant, who was sharing Cabin Three with Lancelot, and he has been kind enough to swap cabins with you," Uther grabbed the bottom of his shirt and attempted to wring the water out of it. "Well," he said looking at him thoroughly annoyed. "Don't just stand there, go on, move it."
"But... if Valiant's swapping cabins with me, that means he'll be sharing a cabin with Arthur!" Merlin stated in a sudden panic.
"How intelligent of you," Uther mocked. "Now get out of here."
Reluctantly, Merlin grabbed his bag and made his way out into the humid night air. Just as he had guessed, it didn't appear to be raining at all, which brought up the question, how did Uther get wet? He soon found out the answer when Merlin tripped into a small hole in the ground, flying forward into a small puddle that he only saw seconds before impact.
"Just dandy," Merlin remarked sarcastically to no one particular. Hauling himself off the ground, he began wiping the mud off his shirt, and continued walking to Cabin Three, which just happened to be almost directly next to Cabin Four. Even dandier, this day couldn't possibly get any worse.
As he drew nearer to Cabin Three, Merlin couldn't but help notice the curtain of Cabin Four open slightly, revealing the figure of Arthur, who was now glaring daggers at Merlin before closing it again.
"What happened to you?" Lancelot asked as Merlin walked up to the door of Cabin Three.
"I fell in a puddle, what do you think?" Merlin snapped, but instantly regretted it as he walked into the small cabin. It was almost identical to the one he and Arthur had shared, almost too identical for his liking. The only difference was the window was on the opposite side, facing towards Cabin Four's window.
Unpacking his things, he placed all his clothes in the small cupboard before closing it again. He no longer felt embarrassed about stripping in front of people, so Merlin removed his wet clothes and opened the window, placing them on the window frame so they could dry overnight.
Lying on his bed in only a pair of boxers, Merlin grabbed the pillow and faced the wall, hugging it tightly as he imagined it to be Arthur. Even now he could still smell the blonde's scent. That alone made him even more upset.
"I understand that it's none of my business," Lancelot began slowly, "but what happened between you and Arthur?"
For a moment, Merlin had completely forgotten Lancelot was in the room. It was only when he spoke that Merlin took notice of his presence.
"Nothing happened," Merlin replied as he gripped the pillow tighter.
"You expect me to believe that?" Lancelot folded his arms across his chest before raising an eyebrow.
"Sort of... Yeah," Merlin exhale quietly before sitting up on the bed, running his fingers through his hair.
"Thought as much," Lancelot chuckled. "If you don't want to tell me, then I won't push the matter any further. I just wanted to help."
"Believe me, I wish I could tell you... but I can't," Merlin mumbled between his hands, not once looking into the other boys eyes.
"Why not?" Lancelot asked, scratching his head before sitting down next to him.
"It's complicated," Merlin replied truthfully, half expecting Nimueh to be listening at the window.
"You really can't tell me, can you?" Lancelot said, obviously finally realising that he wasn't allowed to speak about it.
"No," Merlin replied after a short pause. Just outside the window, there was a loud squawk from a crow as it flew past, causing Merlin to tense up.
"Okay, then answer me this. Do you love Arthur?" Lancelot inquired bluntly.
"Of course I do!" Merlin let slip loudly, so loudly in fact that he wouldn't be surprised if Arthur could hear him from Cabin Four.
"Then why the hell are you two fighting? When I saw you two kissing last night, I couldn't believe how much both of you care for one another. Even with what me and Gwen have, it could never compare to you and Arthur," Lancelot paused, and then closed his mouth rather quickly.
"You and Gwen are together?" Merlin chuckled slightly. He'd seen that coming from a mile away, especially with Gwen basically drooling over the ground Lancelot walked over.
"Yeah, ever since English the other day," Lancelot replied with a broad grin on his face. "Stop trying to change the topic."
Merlin frowned slightly as Lancelot continued talking for what seemed hours, but relatively speaking, it was only a matter of minutes before his eyelids began close as his attention drifted away elsewhere.
"...I'm sorry, but that just happens to be how I feel about it. What do you think?" Lancelot finished, and immediately Merlin's eyes flung open painfully once he realised that he had been asked a question, and he had no idea what that question was in the first place.
"Can I phone a friend?" Merlin asked jokingly, only for them to both laugh hysterically until their sides hurt.
"You weren't even listening, were you?" Lancelot said before rolling his eyes.
"Not really... No," Merlin giggled before getting up off the bed and over to the window, where his clothes were. The night air had dried them considerably fast, but they were still slightly damp so he decided to leave them there a little longer.
A glimpse of bare skin from Cabin Four got Merlin's attention almost instantly, but when he looked over to the open window, there was nothing. It's just your imagination, he kept telling himself. Wait, no, there it was again, just a tiny patch of naked skin on the very side of the window in Cabin Four.
It took no more than one hundredth of a second for Merlin to realise what was happening as Valiant came into view, topless and kissing Arthur, who happened to be also topless.
"No..." Merlin stammered as his eyes widened in disbelief at the image before him. He had to be imagining this, or perhaps it was his subconscious's way of telling him not to let Arthur slip through his fingers before someone else got with him.
Lancelot cussed under his breath as he stood next to him, staring out the window to show both Arthur and Valiant who were putting on a show to those who looked, the tattoo of a snake in the middle of Valiant's back clearly visible.
"I'm so sorry Merlin..." Lancelot placed a comforting hand on his shoulder before closing the curtains so he no longer had to watch them.
He was too late. There was no way he would ever have a chance with Arthur again, and it was all Nimueh's fault. It was lucky that the manipulative cow wasn't anywhere nearby, because there was no doubt in Merlin's mind that he wouldn't think twice about slapping her across the face until she was unconscious.
Holding back the tears for as long as he could, Merlin's face began streaming with tears as he once again felt as if a rusty dagger had been plunged into his heart.
"It's okay," Lancelot comforted, allowing him to bury his head into Lancelot's chest where he cried until he no longer had the strength to stay awake.
*
Arthur hated himself for what he said to Merlin earlier, and right now he hated himself even more. At first he began to think everything would be better now that Merlin was no longer in his life, but it wasn't. He missed Merlin more than anything, but what good was it now? Merlin had said flat out that he never loved him, which ended that chapter of his life instantly.
But now he felt so broken, almost as if half of him was missing, one side of a coin whilst Merlin was the other.
"What's the matter?" Valiant grunted as he continued kissing Arthur, but not once did he kiss back. It wasn't the same... Merlin had innocence in his kiss, while Valiant was violent, demanding more with each passing second.
He tried his best to think about the matter at hand, both of them were naked from the waist up, and currently heading towards the bed, Merlin's bed, the bed where he slept, the bed where Arthur had held him tight while they slept.
"I can't do this," Arthur said pulling away from Valiant, opening the window to allow some fresh air in.
"You're thinking too hard," Valiant groaned, trying to pull Arthur back into the kiss. "Forget about Merlin, he's nothing to you now."
"What if I don't want to forget?" Arthur snapped, pushing Valiant away from him and slipping his shirt back on.
"Oh? So you're going to play hard to get now?" Valiant began circling him, like a wolf hunting its prey in the dead of night.
"Why do you care? Hell! Why did you even kiss me in the first place? I don't want this. I don't want any of this!" Arthur growled.
"Yes, well, I guess we can never really get what we want. Take Merlin for instance, what a shame it is that you and him are no longer together, but don't let it bother you. You've got me now," Valiant placed a kiss on his neck, causing Arthur to shiver. "Let me make you feel better and forget all about that idiot."
Valiant's seduction might have almost worked if he hadn't shoved his hand down Arthur's pants, making Arthur jump back and shake his head vigorously.
"Touch me again and I'll break your neck, do you understand?" Arthur threatened, but Valiant didn't seem to care much as he only yawned before flopping himself on Merlin's old bed.
"Whatever," he replied unphased.
"And you can get off there as well," Arthur growled. "You're sleeping up there."
Muttering under his breath, Valiant collected himself off Merlin's bed and up the ladder until he lay down where Arthur had previously slept, but no longer.
Not even bothering to remove his own clothes, Arthur stroked the place where Merlin once slept. Easing himself onto the bed, he closed his eyes and dreamt of the one person he cared about more than anything in the world.
That person was Merlin.
To be continued...
A/N: Did any of you pick up the Stargate SG-1 reference? *giggles* If not, then oh well, I did it for my own personal ammusement. Our poor hero's, and those damn manipulative bullies! Any idea's on how I should get rid of them in the end? Killing them off would be too easy and obvious, so I'm trying to think of some sort of MAJOR public humilation etc. BUt that doesn't mean one/both don't get killed in the process. Reviews are loved!