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[thedarksideofthecoin-blog]

Merlin allowed himself a dark chuckle at Arthur's threat. They would see about that... For now, better to trick this Arthur into believing him innocent of malicious intent, the better to fool him later.

With a glance down at his outfit, Merlin said, "Actually this is all I've got." The clothes he was wearing, plus a magical box of money, a heavy tome, and a long red robe in the bag slung over his shoulder. Realizing how they would probably react to this statement, he hastily added, "Well I mean, it's not all I've got, it's just all I brought with me. And thanks for letting me stay with you."

One Day You'll Wake Up And Find That You're Missing Me [Arthur, Merlin, Gwaine]

-

Gwaine snorted. “I don’t know what your definition of great is, but it seems a bit skewed.” Although, Arthur and Merlin had always seemed like the type of people who at least somewhat enjoyed working. He could never understand it.

He gave Merlin an awkward thumbs up from his position on the couch. “That’s cool. I’m not going home, either. I think… Arthur, your dad’s here right? You wouldn’t even have to-” He sat up suddenly when it finally dawned on him what Merlin meant. “Oh. Yeah.” Everyone he knew from then is dead. Not exactly something to make the holidays cheerful. Merry Christmas, your friends are dead, and a happy new year! He realized belatedly that his sudden change in attitude might seem strange to Arthur. He tried to think of something that would distract him. “Well Merlin, that means you can help me catch Arthur in theater. If we’re both staying we’ll have plenty of time to plot.”

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As the banging of the door and of Gwaine’s projectile shoes signaled his flatmate’s arrival, Merlin kept his eyes glued to the paper. He blinked as the couch shifted under Gwaine’s weight, but didn’t look up at his friend’s words. A little smile appeared beneath the blanket when Gwaine shoved his book to the floor.

Merlin raised his chin to rest it on the lip of the blanket and turned his big sad eyes to his friend as an answer to his question.

Like Old Times || Merlin & Gwaine

-

Gwaine crashed loudly into the apartment and slammed the door shut. He had been set on actually attending a class for once for some strange reason. The problem was he couldn’t remember where the classroom was, since he had only been there once before. He had ended up wandering around campus for an hour before deciding to head back.

He hung up his keys and kicked his shoes in random directions before heading towards the couch. He was about to throw himself onto it when he realized the blanket in the corner had eyes attached to it. He sat down at the other end of the couch and watched Merlin stare sadly at his paper. “You look like a kicked puppy. What did that paper ever do to deserve that look?” He glanced over what Merlin had written and pushed it away with his foot. “Never mind, it deserves to be glared at.” He pushed it off the edge of the table and considered dragging Merlin to the floor so he could have the couch to himself before he realized Merlin’s angst may be from more than just the paper. There was usually more to it with him, and Gwaine knew what the problem was. “Are you moping about Arthur again?”

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"Mm. Point taken." Surely he could perform at least as well as Gwaine. Shouldn't be too hard. "I wouldn't put it past him," Merlin chipped in, giving Gwaine a skeptical look. And then he laughed outright at the thought of Gwaine making the rounds in theater, doggedly chasing after Arthur.

"Oh, yeah, that sounds great." He made a mental note to ask Arthur what sort of shelters later on - homeless shelters and other such types were wonderful of course, but he'd much prefer it be an animal shelter. With lots of cats. Maybe he could adopt one, if Lance got on with cats alright. Maybe more than one. And then - family? It had been a long, long time since family had had any relevance for him. "Oh, well, I don't really- have- Um. I'll be staying here over the holidays."

One Day You'll Wake Up And Find That You're Missing Me [Arthur, Merlin, Gwaine]

-

Gwaine could have died from laughter, but he contained himself so he wouldn’t embarrass Merlin. Even so, it took him a few moments to compose himself. “Honestly, Merlin, they thought it was a good idea to hire me of all people. You’d be hired in a heartbeat.” He waved off Arthur’s earlier comments and grinned cheerfully. “Call me a dog all you want. At least I’ve never humped your leg.”

Feeling almost ridiculously happy, Gwaine leaned back and relaxed. It was like being back in Camelot; poking fun at each other, talking, just being together again. What had they been called on that quest? Strength, courage, and magic. None of us could have gone on that quest without the others, and we can’t even die without coming back to each other. He sat back up when he remembered someone in their little group was still an oblivious prick. And Merlin’s waited so long… "So, since it appears to be decided, you two might want to know a little bit more about each other. Since I know both of you, I’ll just sit back and enjoy it. Go on, let the sharing time begin."

[thedarksideofthecoin-blog]

Like Old Times || Merlin & Gwaine

Merlin dropped his pencil atop his book and the paper he'd been working on, and leaned back until he crashed into the couch. After picking at the worn leather for a moment, he reeled in a blanket from the other end of the couch, curled into a ball beneath it, and tucked his chin under the edge. He turned his sad eyes onto the paper as if it had ruined his life. It was a psychology paper on the functions of different parts of the brain. When he'd gotten to the hippocampus - the part that dealt with the formation of memory - his attitude toward the assignment had soured considerably. Maybe Arthur's problem was magical (or something) rather than neurological, but Merlin wasn't exactly fond of the reminder. It wasn't that he was having a mental rant with himself about his friend's amnesia, it was just that he was feeling upset and he could tell Arthur was the root of it. Of course he was.

He wriggled down further under the blanket, scrunching himself into the corner of the couch until only his eyes peered out over the blanket, beneath a moody forehead and frowning eyebrows. He continued glaring at the paper, as if it might sink into the table if he stared with enough angst. Regrettably it did not.

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Christmas drabble for Sam

Stories of Merlin’s recent activities had hit local papers, which he knew. What he didn’t know was that these seemingly innocuous anecdotes were attracting the attention of a rather dangerous man.

It had been a long time since he’d touched up on healing magic - it had never been his forte, but over the centuries it had improved, and it was something he thought would be useful to keep in working order.

Thus his travels, flitting from town to town, seeking out the injured and the ill, saving some from the brink of death. It was good practice, and it felt good.

At the moment he was just returning to his motel room from his last patient - a man with early stage skin cancer. Not fatal, just expensive to treat, and the man and his wife weren’t sure they could afford the medical bills. Merlin did his work for free.

Flopping backwards onto the bed, he grasped for the remote and flipped the telly on. God, motels were ruining any semblance of sophistication he’d ever had with all their crap shows.

A solid knock came at the door. Merlin hit the mute button on the remote and stood with a little sigh.

He gazed through the peephole, and had to look up a bit to see the man standing outside. Black suit, sideburns, not at all hard on the eyes, smooth poker face. Merlin opened the door warily, but put on a smile.

“Hi! Can I help you?” he asked, chipper as ever.

The man’s lips twitched in a perfunctory smile. “Yes, I’m looking for Mr. David Alden?”

It took Merlin a moment to recognize his current alias. “That’s me.”

“I’ve just got a few questions about your work. Do you mind if I step in for a minute?”

“Of course.” Merlin moved aside and gestured for the man to enter. “Does someone need help?”

“No, no, that’s not why I’m here.” The man took in the crammed little motel room rapidly, eyes searching Merlin’s few scattered possessions. “From what I hear, you’re capable of some pretty astonishing miracles. You’ve saved eight people from almost certain death within the last two months.”

Merlin eyed him cautiously. It wasn’t unusual that someone should know about him - he didn’t ever let pictures of himself find their way to the local articles on him, in case he should need to disappear, but aliases and stories were hardly uncommon. But he couldn’t say he was keen on the man’s tone, or the clandestine way he was still inspecting Merlin’s things.

“Would you care to explain how you managed to heal those people?”

There it was. The authorities trying to analyze him, again.

Usually when the people he helped asked him what he did, he answered that he had a gift - saying he had magic more often than not caused a lot of unwanted mayhem. Many asserted his ‘gift’ was a blessing from God, and he quickly adopted this idea upon realizing its usefulness. Time to spin his story, then. “Are you a religious man?”

A strange expression flashed through the man’s face. “I believe in some things.”

“Do you believe in miracles?”

“That depends.”

“Well, believe me when I say that what I do is an example of miracles in action.”

The look in the other man’s eyes said that Merlin’s story wasn’t convincing him. “So you’re saying that God gave you the ability to perform miracles?”

Merlin shifted. “If that’s how you’d like to think of it.”

The man’s lips pressed together. “Mr. Alden, I think you’ll find this much easier if you just tell me the truth.”

“I don’t understand.” A frown appeared between Merlin’s brows.

“Mr. Alden, have you ever heard of a reaper?”

So not the authorities, a hunter.

“A reaper? Like the grim reaper?”

“Something like that. Have you ever come into contact with a reaper?”

“I’m not really sure what you’re-”

“They can be enslaved and forced to save one person’s life in exchange for another’s. Like what you’ve been doing.” The hunter’s hand moved to his hip, a pistol glinting at him threateningly.

Merlin took a small step back. “That’s not what I do, I’ve never met a reaper-”

“So you do know what they are?”

“Yes, but that’s not what I do!” protested Merlin.

“Then what exactly is it?” The gun raised slightly.

Feeling cornered, Merlin broke his pretense. “It’s- magic.”

One eyebrow climbed the man’s forehead.

“Look, I can show you-” At this, the gun whipped up to point straight at his chest. Merlin raised his hands gingerly. “I’m not going to do anything to you, I’m just going to show you.”

Calculating eyes studied him for a moment, then - “Don’t try to pull anything.”

Merlin lowered one hand to chest height, palm up and fingers spread. With a brief golden flare in his eyes, a flurry of sparks danced into existence above his palm. The sparks coalesced and then stretched out into the shape of a stag, galloping through the air and circling around Merlin’s head. With a twitch of Merlin’s hand, the sparks dissipated and slipped away.

There was now tentative curiosity in the man’s face, though the gun was still aimed at his torso.

“What I do doesn’t hurt anyone, I swear, it’s not like with reapers. Nobody else dies.”

“How can I know you’re not lying?”

“You’ve been tracking me, right? There haven’t been any unnatural deaths following me. You know it.”

The gun lowered a few inches. “How is it that you have magic?”

“I was born with it.” Merlin replied honestly, shrugging his shoulders. He could still see a bit of skepticism in the hunter’s eyes. He sighed. “You’ve heard the stories of King Arthur and Merlin?” It was nearly a rhetorical question, but he waited for the man to give a nod. “Well - I’m Merlin.” Normally this wasn’t a piece of information he would drop on someone and expect them to believe him, but he knew that hunters dealt with people of a sort much crazier than himself.

The hunter raised both eyebrows, looking like part of him believed Merlin, though the gun didn’t drop any farther. “You’re telling me the legend of King Arthur is true?”

“Yeah.”

There was a quiet pause, in which the hunter seemed to be processing this and Merlin bounced awkwardly on his heels. The man tilted his head at Merlin, gauging him, and then with grudging trust, lowered the hand with the gun to hang at his side. Merlin relaxed visibly, and after a moment sat himself on the nearest motel bed with a creak.

“So, if you’re telling the truth, that makes you… about 1500 years old?”

“Yup.”

“But you’re human.”

“Um… Yes…?”

“Then how is that possible?”

Merlin shrugged. “I’m actually not sure. I’ve always assumed it’s because of my magic.”

“Huh.” After a moment, the hunter took a seat on the bed opposite Merlin. “So, this is what you do then?”

“Hm?”

“Go around healing people.”

“Oh. Well. Sometimes, yeah. I dunno.” He shrugged again.

“Must be nice to have that power.” Merlin couldn’t be sure, but he thought there was a bitter note to the hunter’s tone.

“It can be.” There was also a bitter note to his own voice. He glanced up at the hunter, and their eyes met for a moment, a mutual understanding passing between them. “Look, Mr.- whoever you are-”

“Winchester, Sam Winchester.”

“Nice to meet you, Sam Winchester - anyways, I know being a hunter isn’t always the easiest or the safest job-” -here Sam smirked with sardonic knowingness- “-so, um, if you ever need any help, or anyone patched up, I’d be willing to lend a hand.” As he spoke, he grabbed a pad of paper and a pencil from the nightstand and scribbled his number, tearing out the page and handing it to his new acquaintance.

Sam took it with a quick look and a nod, smiling at Merlin. “Thank you. I’m sure this will come in handy.” He dug a hand into his pocket, withdrawing it with a business card, which he passed to Merlin. “The same to you, if you ever need help with any supernatural trouble you can’t deal with yourself.” Merlin accepted the card, smirking briefly at the alias and fabricated occupation.

“Thank you.” Merlin slipped the card into his pocket.

Sam stood, straightening his suit with an unconscious tug. Merlin stood as well as Sam reached out a hand to shake. “Well, it was good to meet you, Merlin. Hopefully we’ll see each other again some day.”

Merlin shook his hand. “You too. Yeah, yeah.” He took a few steps toward the door, following behind Sam. In the doorway, the hunter turned back to face him.

“Keep doing what you’re doing.”

“What?”

“Saving people. It’s great, what you’re doing.”

“Oh. Thanks. And you too.”

Sam nodded in thanks and stepped from the doorway, swinging the door shut behind him. Merlin stood in front of it for a moment, soaking in the encounter. He pulled out the business card, staring at the number in contemplation, before slipping it back into his pocket.

[thedarksideofthecoin-blog]

Merlin laughed earnestly, and was hit by a sudden surge of emotion at the immersion back into his old life, worlds and lifetimes away, with the people of whom his memories had grown faded, foggy, but whom he had never forgotten. It was like his life had been painted in shades of gray for centuries, and now the artist of his canvas was splashing every hue of color on it. He couldn't help the broad grin that stretched muscles unused to such activity, lighting up his face. Then his expression faltered as he was reminded of his anonymity to Arthur - but he refused to let this positive mood be pushed down. He would remember, eventually, and even if he didn't, it was better to be with an Arthur who couldn't remember him than without him at all.

"Heh, Lance sounds great, though I may have some difficulty putting up with this one." Merlin gave a mock frown and shook his head morosely. "We'll have to train him. As to the job, no, I just got in town, but.. If that cafe's hiring, I dunno, it looked like a nice place. D'you think they'd take me?"

One Day You'll Wake Up And Find That You're Missing Me [Arthur, Merlin, Gwaine]

-

Gwaine sighed happily as he thought of the women in theatre. “I have to admit theatre is a good choice. There’s more kissing than in a normal class, which I wasn’t expecting. That was a very nice surprise.” When he had discovered that fact, he had made it his goal to have a love scene with everyone in the class. He’d even spent more than five seconds planning it out. At the rate the girls were volunteering he would be done with them by the end of the month, and then it was on to the men. Arthur would be difficult, but he was working on that.

He was happy to see that Arthur hadn’t kicked Merlin out yet, and Merlin seemed to be relaxing a bit. However, both of them were avoiding the issue at hand. Gwaine gestured back and forth between the two. “So Arthur, he hasn’t pulled out a chainsaw and hacked us to pieces yet. I’m pretty sure he’s not a serial killer, and you’re getting along with him just fine. You even threatened bodily harm with a pillow. That usually takes at least a week to come up. Are you going to let him stay?”

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Merlin snorted to himself. "Well, I remember it quite differently."

He felt he traced a hint of suspicion in the wolf's voice, but as he didn't pursue the subject, Merlin said nothing more about it. Still following at the man's shoulder, he asked, "So what brings you to New York? Are you a native or a visitor?" Surely casual conversation couldn't hurt, and if he could keep tabs on the supernatural population of the area surrounding Arthur, all the better.

What Bright Eyes You Have || Merlin & Derek

[thedarksideofthecoin-blog]

Merlin laughed at the story and following banter, finding it difficult (and hilarious) to imagine Arthur jumping into anyone's arms.  He continued to chuckle as Arthur made fun of Gwaine - he didn't remember the king being so joking, at least not often.

Oh, you do know me, you just don't know it yet. "Ha, no, I tried basket-weaving once." He had, for more than a decade, actually, and he got quite good at it. He started selling them for a handsome profit, which he used to buy cat food. "Wasn't my thing, though. Um, life goal...?" Well, for a while, many centuries, in fact, finding Arthur. That, however, would be difficult to explain. "Not sure. I do enjoy acting though - I'm signed up for theater as well." Or he would be. "I'm sure I'll enjoy your antics." He grinned.

One Day You'll Wake Up And Find That You're Missing Me [Arthur, Merlin, Gwaine]

-

Gwaine groaned dramatically at the thought of his own schooling. “I refuse to decide on a major until they force me to. I’m hoping something like underwater basket weaving is an acceptable option. I read somewhere a college actually offers that as a class. Not this one, unfortunately.”

He glanced between Arthur and Merlin hoping something interesting would happen.  A sudden memory, Arthur tackling Merlin or jumping into his arms… The last idea brought up a memory of his own that made him laugh. “Arthur forced me into joining a theater class. Something about speaking in front of people for political reasons; I really don’t care about that. We had to do a skit and he ‘forgot’ to remind me that he had to jump into my arms. Some people are a little heavier than they look.” He shot a quick grin at Merlin in an attempt to make him feel more comfortable. If there was anything more awkward than remembering someone for hundreds of years and them not knowing you at all, he couldn’t think of it at the moment.

"So Arthur, since you’re responsible one, why don’t you share your plans for success and world domination? Then I can try and explain to you again why basket weaving is the way to go."

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Silly Fluffy Merthur Christmas Drabble

Clink!

The dark, steamy liquid splashed almost out of its mug before Merlin lowered it to his lips and took a long sip. The smooth chocolate pervaded his mouth, marshmallows bobbing against his upper lip and leaving a sugary film. Darting his tongue out to lick it off, he smiled. Gwaine and Arthur sat beside him in the living room of their apartment, a crackling fire the only source of light in the room, though a soft gleam from the hallway told that the kitchen light was on.

“Merry Christmas!” Gwaine exclaimed, as soon as he’d swallowed his gulp of hot chocolate.

“Merry Christmas, Gwaine, Merlin.” Arthur’s smile flashed to each of them in turn. Merlin grinned responsively and stuck his face back into his mug, with a mumbled “merry Christmas” in return.

They sat around the fire a while longer, exchanging stories and laughing, happy to relax at the end of the semester. After some time Gwaine stood and finished off his hot chocolate in a few gulps. “This is lovely and all, but I’m getting a bit of a hankering for something with a little more alcohol involved. I’m going to mix that rum we bought, you two want anything?”

“Thanks, but I’m good,” replied Merlin.

“Nothing for me, either.”

“Right, two rum-and-cokes on the way.” Gwaine sauntered away into the pale kitchen light, leaving Merlin and Arthur chuckling on the couch.

“Bastard,” murmured Arthur, tossing a grin Merlin’s way. Merlin giggled. A few more words were spoken, but then for a while they just sat and enjoyed the warmth and each other’s company.

Arthur broke the silence a moment later: “I hope you’ve been enjoying your holiday. I certainly have been.” This last was said with a smile to Merlin.

“Yeah. Yeah, it’s been great.” Merlin smiled back and hoped that the firelight hid the flush to his cheeks.

Unbeknownst to them, Gwaine edged into the room with utmost stealth, peering around the doorway before withdrawing and then entering as usual, carrying two glasses. These he plunked down on the coffee table beside Merlin’s end of the couch. “Drinks are served!” he announced with far too much joviality, and then retreated back into the kitchen without making an excuse.

“Mm.” Merlin reached for his and took a sip. A little too heavy on the rum, but of course Gwaine would tip the scales towards the alcohol.

“Could you hand me mine?” Arthur asked, scooting closer to Merlin so he could hand over the drink.

“Sure.” Merlin passed the glass to his friend, and took another sip of his own before putting it down. Arthur drank from his, made a pleased noise, and then reached over Merlin to put it back on the coffee table. Merlin leaned back to make room, trying not to breath and blushing more, cursing himself for his stupid thoughts.

Just as he was setting down the glass, Arthur slipped - unintentionally, he told himself. Merlin lunged forward and snagged the glass by its edge, and they both watched as a single drop plunged over the edge and smacked the ground. Arthur breathed a sigh of relief, Merlin chuckled, and then he realized that now their faces were an inch apart and Arthur was leaning against him. He almost dropped the glass he’d just caught.

At this point, again unknown to them, Gwaine peeked into the room, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He observed the situation, pleased, and slipped back into the kitchen to wait.

Merlin wasn’t sure whether to let Arthur get up first or to put the glass back on the table, but then he noticed that Arthur didn’t seem to be making any move to get up. Eyes darting up to Arthur’s, Merlin found that Arthur was staring at him, a curious expression on his face. Merlin forgot to breath for a moment, and found himself taking in the features of Arthur’s face, even better up close. When he realized what he was doing and flicked his gaze back to Arthur’s eyes, he found Arthur still staring at him with the same look.

“Um,” Merlin uttered, but that was all he could think to say. He didn’t think this was how friends usually respond when confronted with their friend nose-to-nose and leaning on top of them. This response was much different and was what Merlin often daydreamed about but oh hell don’t go down that path he’s just your friend he doesn’t love you you idiot now shut up and put the glass down before you do something really stupid- Hang on. Arthur still wasn’t pulling back, and now he was leaning in, just a fraction, asking permission for something and Merlin wasn’t sure how to respond but he didn’t draw away and that must have been good enough, because then Arthur leaned forward a little more. Then a little more, and then their noses brushed and they were kissing, Arthur’s lips pushing gently at Merlin’s, soft and warm as he’d fantasized.

Suddenly Arthur pulled back, a worried look in his eyes as he searched Merlin’s expression. A smile spread across Merlin’s face, slowly at first, and then he was grinning his big, idiotic grin, and Arthur smiled with relief and leaned forward again. Merlin felt a hand creep around his lower back, pressing lightly against him. Opening his lips, Merlin moved his tongue over Arthur’s lips. They parted obligingly, and Merlin set about exploring, hardly believing what was happening. He moved to wrap his arms around Arthur and suddenly remembered the glass in his hand, tightening his fingers just before he dropped it. He laughed into Arthur’s mouth, clumsily setting the glass on the coffee table and then snaking his hands around Arthur’s back. He pulled his tongue back into his mouth for a moment, and Arthur dragged his teeth over his lower lip. Merlin leaned his head back, drawing it out, before sighing and diving back for more, Arthur’s smile on the tip of his tongue. Gwaine’s sneaked his questing gaze back into the room, grinning triumphantly. He moved back to the kitchen. Merlin felt another hand slip around the back of his neck, fingernails digging into his hair. He pulled Arthur tighter.

“I’m heading out!” They jumped apart, Merlin blushing furiously and Arthur trying to straighten his clothing. Then, with immense relief, they both realized that Gwaine’s shout came from elsewhere in the house. “Leon’s having friends over for drinks. I’ll be back later tonight! ...Maybe! Actually scratch that, you know what, I’ll probably just crash on his couch. Anyway, I’ll catch up with you later! Merry Christmas!” Merlin could have sworn he heard a crafty chuckle by the front door as it banged shut.

Arthur gave a nervous laugh, grin reclaiming his face as they closed for another kiss. Drawing back, Arthur stood and extended a hand. “Shall we?” he queried, jerking his head to indicate the hall to his room. Merlin smiled a coy smile, placed his hand in Arthur’s, and stood. Arthur smirked and turned, leading Merlin down the hall. They swept into the bedroom, and Merlin, grinning, closed the door with a bang.

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OOC:

//So I’m gonna go on a little hiatus until probably this Saturday, ‘cause finals week + gigging + feeling like Thor’s personal punching bag from ridiculous sickness is pounding me into the ground. Happy holidays to all <3

[thedarksideofthecoin-blog]

Activity check! Please respond privately to this message within 24 hours and reply to a para or start a new thread within 48!

//Woop I'm not sure when I got this but I did reply to a thing two days ago, so I suppose it was before then. My mailbox doesn't like telling me when I have messages :V But am I still alive. Barely.

[thedarksideofthecoin-blog]

Merlin started as Gwaine pushed between himself and Arthur, disrupting their handshake with the typical impertinence that Merlin just realized he'd been missing so badly. Merlin was too nervous to laugh at Arthur's mistake, but he did pull out a smirk, which he quickly hid as he followed Gwaine through the door. Arthur disappeared from the room, and Merlin shot Gwaine an anxious glance before he returned, now shirt-wearing. Gwaine began to ramble from his lounging position on the couch.

Here for school? Well, that would work. He hadn't really planned much of what was to happen - for a start, he'd rather been counting on Arthur recognizing him. The nightmarish thought of being unknown to Arthur when they met again had frequently crossed Merlin's mind, but he hadn't given it serious attention, maybe because he hadn't wanted to. As it was, school was fine. It would give him a way to keep an eye on Arthur.

And living with them? Wonderful! Centuries in a lonely hut had tempered him to generally dislike constant company for more than a few days, but now he found himself relishing the thought of the company of these two. Well, Gwaine at least. Arthur would be a bit - stressful - until (or if, said a seditious voice in the back of his head) he regained his memories.

"None taken," he replied to Arthur, "though I don't consider myself a mental killer, if it makes you feel any better." He answered the next bit with much awkward nodding and huffs of responsive laughter. "Aha, no, I mentioned to him that I was looking for a place to stay, so..." He shrugged. Uuhhh, classes?! "Ahh, I'm a bit undecided. What are you two going for?" Sheesh, the deception was coming back far too easily for him to feel morally comfortable about it.

One Day You'll Wake Up And Find That You're Missing Me [Arthur, Merlin, Gwaine]

-

Gwaine noticed Merlin falter and decided to step in. “Yep. Arthur, Merlin. Merlin, Arthur. Now we’ve all met. Isn’t that nice? Arthur, you’ve finally embraced answering the door in varying stages of nakedness without knowing who it actually is. Well done!” He pushed his way passed Arthur and gestured for Merlin to follow.

Leaving Arthur and Merlin to get a better look at each other, Gwaine threw himself on the couch. He belatedly realized he might need a good reason for bringing Merlin back with him, and figured if he just started rambling he would find one eventually. “So yes, Merlin. Met him at work. He’s from the motherland as well, if the accent doesn’t give it away. He’s here for school.” Gwaine hoped he was right about everything he said from this point on. If Merlin had come rushing over here from England in a hurry to find Arthur, he probably hadn’t planned everything out ahead of time. If he had, well, Gwaine was changing those plans a bit.

"He doesn’t have a place to stay, so I figured he could room with us. An extra person would help with the rent. What do you think?"

[thedarksideofthecoin-blog]

Gwaine's knocks echoed in Merlin's head, meshing with the sound of his pounding heart. It had been a long time since he'd been this nervous for anything. The noise of approaching footsteps reached his attentive ears.

The door swung open, and behind it stood Arthur.

He looked almost exactly the same, and yet simultaneously he was a totally different person. Merlin could look into his face and see the old Arthur he knew, but this Arthur was in modern clothes - well, pants, at least, though the shirt was lacking - and in the background Merlin saw all the elements of a typical college kid's life, all 21st century. Arthur looked the same, but Merlin could see the clear signs of an entire life that he had no clue about. It made him feel a bit hollow inside.

And then Arthur threw out a casual question - "Who's this?" But maybe it would be like it was with Gwaine. Merlin smiled falteringly, trying not to let his emotions slip onto his face. "Hi, I'm- Merlin. Nice to meet you." The word 'meet' felt sour on his tongue. He held out a tentative hand to shake, Hope, momentarily beaten back, surged up again.

One Day You'll Wake Up And Find That You're Missing Me [Arthur, Merlin, Gwaine]

Arthur had been planning on spending his morning before work doing something of value, such as sleeping and then leisurely waking up to make breakfast. He only paused by Gwaine’s door to make sure the idiot had actually made it completely out of bed and the flat before heading to the shower. He loved days like this. No class, no homework that needed to be finished immediately and work later in the evening. Completely stress free.  He’d only just yanked on some trousers and pants when there was a knock at the front door. He frowned briefly, stepping into the living room while he was toweling his hair and checked the hook where their keys usually went. Gwaine’s were gone so either the idiot lost them or someone who couldn’t just unlock the door was visiting. He moved across and peered out the peephole, making out Gwaine’s brown scruff and hair. He furrowed his brow and unlocked the door. “What? Forget your keys again?” Arthur asked, pulling the door open and rolling his eyes,”Aren’t you supposed to be in the middle of a shift. You know you can’t keep skiving off like th-Who’s this?” He blinked curiously at the boy standing close behind Gwaine. He looked slightly familiar. 

[thedarksideofthecoin-blog]

OOC

//So I haven’t replied in.. I dunno it hasn’t been that long but just announcing that on Sunday I probably should have announced a hiatus because this week is eating me. Between recital practice and getting orchestra audition stuff together and being sick and mountains of homework I am struggling to find thread time. Be assured after this week I will be back in business. However at this moment I am having difficulty remembering the correct grammar to use in English sentences or how English even works (not that I usually understand that) Anyways point is I’ll be dead until this week is over but after that I shall be revived.

[thedarksideofthecoin-blog]

"Thanks," Merlin mumbled gratefully as he stepped after the wolf. "Ah, no, actually I've been here before, it's just... been a while." He left it at that, feeling that mentioning that his last visit was probably before the other man had been born would bring up more questions than he wanted.

Weighing the risk of giving his intentions, Merlin responded, "Looking for an old friend." He suppressed a pang of emotion at those words.

What Bright Eyes You Have || Merlin & Derek

[thedarksideofthecoin-blog]

Merlin opened his mouth to defend himself, quickly realized the futility of such an attempt, and closed it. He sighed in defeated frustration and opted for a little more honesty. "Okay, I'm completely lost. D'you think you could, point me the right way?" Giving directions was hardly a binding favor, so Merlin figured he'd be safe enough from involvement. Then again, with werewolves one could only hope for the best.

What Bright Eyes You Have || Merlin & Derek

[thedarksideofthecoin-blog]

Merlin winced as he watched the emotional progression on Gwaine's face. He hid some of it, but the telltale signs combined with Merlin's experience with loss told him most of the story. Here comes the strained cheerfulness.

On cue, there appeared a weak grin on Gwaine's face. Merlin found himself answering it, if sadly, and then he did brighten sincerely at the next words.

"It really is," he breathed, half to Gwaine and half to himself. A millennium and a half of waiting, wishing, grieving, and hoping were about to cultivate into the moment he would meet Arthur for the second time in his long life. He felt light-headed for a moment. Even with that much time, no matter how many times he went over the events of his time with Arthur, he knew there was no way he could really prepare himself for how Arthur would receive him. Friendship was a possibility - but so were anger, mistrust, hatred, and blame. But whatever the outcome, he had to face it, he thought, swallowing nervously. "Let's go."

I've Missed the Useless Chatter

-

Gwaine knew what was coming as soon as he saw the change on Merlin’s face. In the time it took Merlin to get it out, he tried to build up the mask of the tough knight who was prepared for loss. He needed to keep everything under control; if not for Merlin, then for himself. If he… after all I could have done to stop it…

I really did fail him, didn’t I? There had been some vague hope in the back of his mind that maybe, just maybe, he had done some good. That it had been too late for Morgana to reach him, or… anything really. Anything other than the obvious truth.

As soon as the words made it out of Merlin’s mouth, the mask was gone. The pain was clearly showing on his face judging by the look Merlin was giving him.  How could Merlin feel sympathy for him when it was partly his fault? How could he even talk to him right now? He at least got to die with Arthur…

Then what Merlin was really saying hit him. He didn’t die with Arthur. He had to watch Arthur die. Oh God, that’s… I couldn’t have done that. Gwaine pulled himself back together - not all the way, but enough. If Merlin could get through the pain, then he could, too. They could be emotionally damaged together. He tried a small grin and found that he could at least do that.

"I guess it’s time you got to see him, isn’t it?"