"Truth or dare?" Arthur asked, Merlin's head on his lap. It was Sunday, lazy day, and neither had moved aside from sitting up or laying back down.
"Truth," mumbled the raven-haired boy, eyes half closed.
"Okay," said the blonde, after thinking for quite a while. "Why are you covered with bruises?"
Merlin's eyes shot open and his breathing ceased for a moment. "W-what do y-you mean? I-I t-trip a-all the t-t-time. T-t-that's w-why."
"Merlin," said Arthur, pulling his friend up and making him face him. "You can tell me."
"Y-y-you a-always comment on how c-clumsy I a-am," Merlin stuttered. His eyes looked far away for a moment, as if remembering something, but they were back in an instant with tears in them.
"Merlin! You all right?"
The boy's breathing had hiked up and he was clinging to Arthur like a lifeline. He stopped on hearing Arthur's voice, but for some reason looked so…..fragile. "Merlin?"
"Truth or dare?"
"Merlin, you just had a fit of some sort-"
"Truth or dare?"
"Merlin-"
"Truth or dare?"
"Fine, dare."
Merlin smiled and told him to close his eyes, which Arthur complied to. He felt his friend get close, so close, in fact he could feel his breath on him. They was a paused just as-
Wam! "Arthur, what are you doing?" asked the icy voice of Morgana. Arthur opened his eyes, seeing a beet-red Merlin in front of him and his angry little sister in the doorframe. "Daddy says we have to go."
Great, thought Arthur, along with a string of bad words the fifth graders taught him at school. They had to visit their grandmother for some bizarre reason, which meant Arthur had to leave Merlin behind.
"Oh, hi Merlin," said Morgana in a sickly sweet voice. In the past year, she had developed a sort of crush on him.
"Hi Morgana," Merlin smiled, forgetting this time last year he was making faces at her. She turned very red and smiled at him shyly.
"C'mon, Merlin," said Arthur, angry for some reason. He grabbed his friend's hand and pulled into the hallway. Unfortunately, that is where they met Uther.
"Ah, your name is Marvin, correct?" said Uther, really not caring for an answer as he eyed his son's hand gripping Merlin's. Merlin just nodded and bowed his head, making sure there was no eye contact between him and this overbearing man.
"His name is Merlin," Arthur snarled. His father never liked his best friend, but was it too much to just remember his name?
Uther really wasn't paying attention and he walked off, leaving the two boys there. "Sorry," said Merlin. "I think I should leave now."
"Why'd you apologize? You didn't do anything."
Merlin shrugged. "I don't know. But you have to leave in five minutes."
"Right! So, umm, where's your coat?"
Merlin's coat was downstairs, as they found after six minutes of vigorous searching. It really was more of light jacket, and it didn't seem to be able to keep Merlin warm. Arthur had offered him better coats in the past, but all were refused. Thinking of a way to keep his friend somewhat warm, Arthur ran to the closet and revealed a-
"Scarf?" said Merlin, eye-brows raised.
"No," said Arthur, tying it around his friend's neck. "A neckerchief. A man scarf."
"Arthur-"
"Just take it, Merlin," Arthur pleaded, giving him the look.
Merlin sighed and nodded. "Thanks."
"Now, Merlin, don't do anything stupid while I'm gone," said Arthur, drawing his friend in close.
"Stupid? Me? You insult me, Arthur Pendragon!" Merlin flourished his arms, then went back in for another hug. "And besides, you're going to be gone for what? Two days? I think I'll survive."
"I know." And with that, both broke apart and said their farewells (that involved many more hugs). Arthur watched Merlin go, as Morgana came and stood next to him.
"Are you gonna get married to him?" Morgana giggled (stupidly, as Arthur thought). "You loooove him, don't you?"
"Shut up, Morgana, you're only eight," said the nine year old.
"You loooooove him!" she crooned. "But he's too pretty for you! He'll fall in love with me and we'll move into a castle and I'll be a princess!"
Arthur rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right."
"Once we're married, we'll kiss a lot and we'll have babies and we'll – Ow!" Morgana flinched as Arthur slapped her arm. Really, it couldn't have hurt her and she did that sort of thing to him all the time. Besides, she was asking for it; Merlin was his.
"Daaaaaaaaaaaddy!" Morgana faked cried and ran off. Arthur sighed. This would not be fun.
Before Arthur knew it, the two days were up and he was home. His grandmother had been okay, but again, Morgana was the favorite. It didn't really matter, and he really couldn't care less, but it did still hurt a little.
He flopped on his bed and almost passed out (it was past his bedtime), but an image of Merlin filled his head. He now had the strange inclining to go search for his friend. He got up and snuck out the back door and began walking, really not sure where he was going. His feet just carried him down the street, down another street, then near the town park, where an alone figure sat at the swing-set.
"Merlin?" he asked as he got closer. The figure jumped up, and with a wail of pain, sank to the ground. Arthur was there in a heartbeat. "I thought I told you not to do anything stupid!"
"Sorry," Merlin winced.
"No, no, I'm sorry. What happened to you?"
"F-f-fell down the stairs. Then c-came h-here 'cause it f-f-feels safe," said Merlin, Arthur sitting him up and assessing the damage. Using technical nine year old terms, he would say Merlin had an arm bent wrong, an ankle that was purple, and many scratches on his face.
Arthur's face turned dark. "Merlin, this is bad. I need to get you to a hospital."
"No!" Merlin shot up. "No. Besides, ummm, my family has no insurance?" The raven-haired little boy desperately hoped that was a good excuse.
"Well…." said Arthur, thinking. "We could take you to Old Man Gauis."
Merlin nodded. Gauis was an elderly man that lived on the older side of town. The old man had been a physician at one time, but now was retired and healed hurt animals children brought him. Everyone thought him as a form of a grandfather.
"Can you walk?"
Merlin gritted his teeth and ignored his screaming ankle. Arthur saw straight through it. Rolling his eyes, the blonde picked up his friend bridal style.
"Put – me – down!"
"Merlin."
"Fine." Merlin must have really been in pain, because he always gave more fight than this.
The trip to Gauis' was uneventful. Merlin had fallen asleep, with the slow rhythmic walk of Arthur lulling him. Arthur wasn't even tired when they reached their destination and Merlin really didn't seem that heavy. Knocking on the door with his foot, Gauis came to the door.
"Ah, Arthur what may I – what happened?" the old man started, panic seeping in his voice. Arthur and Merlin visited Gauis about once a week, with either a story to tell or to listen to.
"Lay him on the couch," he directed, his physician days coming back. Arthur did so and hovered around without a purpose. "Broken arm, fractured and bruised ankle," muttered Gauis, hands going to the places in question. "A few scraps and that's it. Arthur" – he turned to the blonde – "was he unconscious when you found him?"
"No," he said. "He fell asleep when I carried him here."
"Good," said Gauis. "Come here. I need you to hold him down as I set the bone."
Arthur grimaced and nodded. He held his friend very tight as the old man with surprising strength pushed Merlin's arm back into its correct position. The little boy eyes had shot open and he began writhing in pain. But Arthur would not let go.
"There," Gauis puffed out. "I'll go get a cast; still have a few from the good ol' days."
The two were left alone.
"Arthur," Merlin said, breath shaky. "It hurts."
"I know," he whispered back. "I know."
"Arthur? I wonder if it hurts to die."
Arthur looked at his friend in shock. "Why?"
Merlin seemed sad for a moment. "Would it hurt less than this?" Arthur knew Merlin wasn't talking about the pain in his arm.
"Merlin," said Arthur forcefully. "Never think that."
"Why? It's not like anyone would miss me…." Merlin sighed. "I'm worthless."
"Merlin." Arthur's voice was almost bogged down by tears. "You're not. A lot of people would miss you. I would miss you the most."
"Really? What would you do if I died?"
Arthur smiled grimly and sadly. "I would follow you. We're best friends, remember? We spit-shaked on it. Best friends can't live without each other. Merlin, if you die, I die."
The next day at school, everyone wanted to sign Merlin cast, which only was possible if Arthur let them within ten feet of his friend. The blonde hadn't let Merlin's side all day and wasn't planning to.
" 'Love Gwaine,' " said Gwaine, finishing his message off. He smiled brightly at both of them, before Arthur's glare scared him off. The blonde was seriously regretting letting Gwaine near his Merlin.
Merlin rolled his eyes. "You're such a big guard dog."
"Woof," said Arthur, raising his eye brows. The bell rang and everyone scurried to their respectable third-grade cubbies, grabbing their coats and backpacks. Arthur got Merlin's much to his protests.
"I could've gotten it myself," Merlin pouted.
"You're slower than a snail with your hurt ankle. Speaking of which" – Arthur had an evil grin on his face – "I need to get you out of here somehow."
Merlin's eye's widened. "No."
Arthur's grin widened. He scooped his best friend up and held him bridal style. Merlin squirmed, kicked, and almost bit, but Arthur just carried him with a smug look on his face. Outside, they spotted Alice, who was not very surprised to see the young Pendragon carrying his friend.
On the playground, Gwaine was watching. With Merlin his arms, Arthur sent him on look.
He's mine, not yours.
A/N: Hello Everyone! Well here's the chapter! And I would like to take a moment to thank all the lovley rewiewers, favoriters, and followers! All of them get purple peguins, which actually (read: not really) exisist! :D