InsaneJournal

Who: Arthur, Merlin, Dagonet
What: Researching Arthurian legend
Where: Their apartment
When: Monday night (Arthur is no longer a girl)
Rating: PG
Status: Closed; Incomplete



Merlin, arms full of books, somehow managed to knock on the door using his shoulder. When he determined that wasn't loud enough, he kicked the door lightly. "Arthur? Morgana? It's me!" He kicked it again.

It would be cruel to leave Merlin out in the hall. Arthur tilted his head and folded his arms as he stared at the door, listening to Merlin huff and bang about on the other side of it. Really, it wasn't a challenge to open a door. All Merlin had to do was set down whatever he was carrying and turn the knob. The door was unlocked after all. "I don't know anyone by that name."

Grunting in frustration-- Arthur was not at all funny, not even a little bit-- Merlin decided the effort wasn't worth it and said a spell to push the door open. Arthur was just at the other side, and Merlin marched straight past him and dropped the pile of books on the dining table with a loud thump. "You should know that you are not nearly as adorable as you think you are." His irritation was absolutely genuine, of course.

"I didn't know you found me adorable, Merlin." Arthur followed Merlin and settled a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back into a hug. "What's all this for?"

Merlin found himself pressed against Arthur's chest, arms around his waist, and had to work at an apt grumble. "That's because I don't. You're a clotpole." He settled one arm over Arthur's and reached his other hand out to the books. "'All this' is our life stories, apparently. King Arthur and Merlin and Guinevere and Morgana and Camelot, according to centuries of historians and artists."

"I see." Arthur reached for the top-most book and examined the cover. The artwork showed a mistral with a lute and Arthur snorted. "I can't believe you're even bothering."

Turning to grin at him a little, Merlin shrugged. "You can't tell me you haven't been the least bit curious," he said.

Arthur shook his head. He wasn't going to stop Merlin from reading. He wasn't a monster, but he truly didn't want to hear anything else about their supposed story. "I'd rather not know more than I already do."

Merlin figured that was fair enough, especially considering some of the things they'd learned even before his scavenging through the library. Mordred, for one. Gwen and Arthur's marriage, for another. That was one of the biggest knots in Merlin's stomach. But he'd always been naturally thirsty for knowledge, and he hadn't been able to help himself.

"Most of it is completely ridiculous, but some of it is nice. Did you know one of the most popular stories says you were made king because you were able to pull a sword from a stone? It had a spell on it so that no one but the rightful king could remove it."

Arthur blinked. "Why would anyone put a perfectly good sword in a stone?" It was, admittedly, one of the most fanciful claims Arthur had heard when people talked about him and he doubted there was a more innocent one.

Merlin snorted. "Suppose the people needed more than your brains and stunning good looks to convince them." He reached for a thick red book with an all-too-familiar name on the cover. "And look at this one. Look who the author is." He passed it to Arthur so he could look closer.

"Oh for God's sake." Arthur took a look at the author on the cover and shook his head, lifting his gaze to meet Merlin's. "He always did keep far too many notes."

"He must have started to go a bit senile later in life," Merlin commented, leaning back against Arthur again, "because most of what he wrote is just as full of errors as the rest."

"He must have started to go a bit senile later in life," Merlin commented, leaning back against Arthur again, "because most of what he wrote is just as full of errors as the rest."

Arthur nuzzled Merlin's cheek to rile him. "If you've already read most of this, why have you brought it back here?"

Briefly, Merlin shut his eyes at the sensation. Then he laughed. "That may be the first time you've ever overestimated my intelligence. I'm not nearly finished," he said.

"I'm constantly amazed with your mental capacity. I keep my expectations low so you can continue to exceed them," Arthur philosophized. "For example, today I learned you could read books that are thicker than your head."

Grinning, Merlin elbowed Arthur lightly in the stomach. "I can even understand them, too. Here." He moved out of Arthur's clutches enough to scoop up all the books again and gestured for Arthur to follow him to the couch.

Once there, he handed over a small (relatively) yellow book. "You should read this one. I haven't finished, but so far it's all about how I wisely teach you the ways of the world by turning you into various animals."

"Is this the story where you grow a beard down to your knees?" Arthur flipped the book over in his hands to read the back. He liked that about modern books. There was no reason to begin reading something that would never hold your interest.

"There may or may not be a beard involved," Merlin answered, pressing himself to Arthur's side so he could see the pages too. "I also apparently live backwards." He still hadn't quite figured that one out, and sort of hoped he would never have to.

Arthur winced and sighed. Some days it was easier than others to lock out what he knew. He liked to think it was strength of will when really it only depended on how distracted he got. "Do not grow one or I will tie it in knots around your neck."

Running a hand over his currently smooth chin, which seemed incapable of growing more than an uneven mass of fuzz, Merlin smirked. "I really don't think you need to worry about that." As Arthur looked over that book, Merlin reached for another, this one black and a bit more worse for wear. He opened to the page he'd bent a little. "'Sir,' says the senatour, 'so Crist mot me help, the vout of thy visage has wounded us all! Thou art the lordliest lede that ever I on looked. By looking, withouten lees, a lion thee seemes!'" Merlin lowered the book and raised his eyebrows Gaius-style at Arthur. "The most ridiculous part is that you react so modestly to all this praise."

"I always act with dignity and modesty, Merlin. Always." Arthur really tried to read the book handed to him, but he could not get over the fact that Merlin was ancient, possibly more ancient than Gaius and Arthur was a stick living as a servant in some low-lifes castle. He skimmed the text, catching brief passages that made fundamentally no sense and others that made him snort in derision. Though the passage about becoming a fish kept his attention for longer than he intended it to and when he looked back up to find Merlin watching he scowled.

When Arthur's eyes caught him staring, he bit his lip against an innocent smile. "What?"

"I swear to you I'm not nearly that interesting. Why aren't you reading?"

"Interesting enough for all this, apparently," Merlin pointed out, glancing at the pile on the coffee table. But he knew that wasn't what Arthur meant. Pulling his feet up onto the couch beneath him, Merlin shrugged. "I guess I was just thinking... I can see it. What all these people wrote, why they wrote it. You-- I can see it." He left it at that, thinking if a blush hadn't already come, it would.

"You are an idiot." But Arthur dragged Merlin into a soft kiss, one that almost completely missed Merlin's lips, hitting the corner. "I doubt I'll be any such person." He already knew that he could not be that good and benevolent while ruling the kingdom, no matter how hard he would try, at some point, he would break and things would go horribly, terribly wrong. People would get hurt and likely die and Arthur couldn't imagine marrying Guinevere, no matter how sweet and feisty at turn she could be. He owed her more than he could give her and he had seen her with Lancelot, even if they had tried to mask it.

Merlin didn't argue. He didn't see much sense in it. Arthur knew how much faith Merlin had in him without him needing to overemphasize it; the kiss was just further indication that Arthur knew. He gave Arthur another kiss, sure to press it full on his lips this time, and backed away smiling. "Yes, well, I suppose I wouldn't expect you to have a child with Morgana. Especially if she was your sister."

"Because it would be sick and wrong and she would hurt me, yes. Among other inconsistencies. I'm fairly sure you weren't alive when I was born."

"Not to mention helping your father, er-- bed your mother," Merlin shuddered. Honestly, where had some of these stories come from? "Can't say I'm too keen on the idea of being trapped in a cave for eternity, either." Unfortunately, that wasn't one of the myths he was able to disprove just yet. Which was perhaps just a little unnerving.

Arthur wound his arm around Merlin's shoulder and tucked him neatly into his side. "I won't let that happen to you." Even if he died and was carried off to some strange mythical land, he would rant and rave until Merlin was allowed to properly be free, or to die.

The sudden comfort, protectiveness, was somehow both unexpected and unsurprising. Though to some extent, Merlin wanted to protest that he wasn't actually scared about it, he knew that would be a lie and he knew he wouldn't. "I won't let him kill you," he responded after a beat, turning to look at him.

Arthur grimaced at that. Mordred may have been his one mistake born out of compassion for both Morgana and Merlin and learning what he had, he wasn't sure if he would have done anything differently, not even the raid on the Druid camp, though that was mainly because of a lack of alternative options.

His father would never have let him run off after Morgana on his own. Going after Guinevere was hard enough, but his father had not been watching him as carefully then as he could have. With Morgana, all safety and precautions had been taken. And they had been overzealous. And Mordred had been there to witness it.

Merlin doubted he would ever fully stop regretting the path he had let Mordred take. Though he couldn't entirely begrudge himself saving a child who, at the time, had been innocent, it weighed on him heavily to know what the future might bring. He could never forgive himself, ever, if Arthur was lost to Merlin's own mistake. Which was one reason why he would do everything in his power- and he had a lot of power- to protect Arthur from the future those books held.

"Merlin, why do you have all these books?" Arthur had asked earlier, but now the question carried more weight. He set the book in his hand on the floor and relaxed back on the sofa, tilting his head toward Merlin.

Blinking, Merlin looked back and then away again. "I told you. I was curious," he said again. "And it's entertaining," he added, for good measure.

"You find the possible deceptions of our futures entertaining?"

"I find the tremendous errors entertaining." Which was true enough.

"If you depress yourself, it will only be your fault."

It seemed like Arthur was closing off whatever observation he'd begun to make, which was a relief to Merlin. Having to explain his other, less innocent motivation for 'depressing himself' would be embarrassing, and it seemed so silly anyway. Even if it was hard to convince himself of that. "I appreciate the concern, but I think I'll be fine," he retorted, nudging Arthur lightly.

"We'll see." Knowing Merlin and knowing how easily things made Merlin upset meant Arthur was going to be stepping warily for the next few days until Merlin gave up his scholarly sojourn and returned to normal. Arthur could wait for him to do so, but he wanted it know that he was waiting under duress. He bent and lifted the creature that had been sniffing his bare feet, tickling his toes with its whiskers and set it on Merlin's lap. Irregardless of the fact that it was, definitely, Morgana's bunny and not Merlin's.

The barely-sharp digging of claws into his jeans and the wispy soft warmth of fur brought an instant grin back to Merlin's face. "Dagonet," he lifted a hand to settle in the silky fur. "Hey. Was there something I can help you with?"

Arthur smirked and rubbed his knuckles over Merlin's far shoulder. "You shouldn't coddle him. He was attempting to eat my toes."

Merlin turned to smile at him, both in amusement and gratefulness, before letting the moment pass and looking back to Dagonet. "Yes, I'm sure he caused you unfathomable pain and suffering. I do hope you'll be able to walk again."

"I may be bleeding."

Merlin shook his head, smiling still, and turned Dagonet in his hands to look the bunny in the eye. "Sir Dagonet, I'm sure you had a perfectly good reason for eating Arthur's toes off. But you really should allow people to keep their body parts." He fixed a stern-- oh yes, very stern-- glare on the rabbit and then lost it entirely and kissed him on the head. "There. I have administered appropriate disciple. Happy?" he asked Arthur.

"Extremely. Now, tell me, what are your thoughts on waterparks." No one said Merlin was allowed to be the only strange, spontaneous one and Arthur had been meaning to bring it up to Merlin for days now. He'd seen a pamphlet in the lobby of the Zenner building, had then done research on his computer, which he was still learning but felt more confident using now than he had months before, and had decided that it was pointless entertainment. The kind of pointless entertainment Merlin would enjoy, and perhaps Morgana to an extent.

"A water-what?" Merlin tried to repeat, furrowing his brow as he scratched between Dagonet's ears.

"Park. A place that's main attraction is water." Arthur pursed his lips and sighed. "It's something to do."

Merlin had never found water to be particularly entertaining, except when he'd sometimes make shapes with it. It was just a necessity for drinking and cooking and bathing. But Arthur seemed sure about this, and Merlin had to admit, he hadn't steered them wrong much since they'd gotten here. "Sounds like fun."

"It's nice to see your faith in me is impeccable." Arthur slid off the sofa and moved to fetch the computer that was balancing on a stool by the counter in the kitchen. He'd prepared for this because he knew he'd be unable to explain it all properly without some type of aid and opened the top and the screen flickered back to life. He sat back down and turned the computer so Merlin could read the screen and not relinquish his hold on the rabbit.

Studying the screen, Merlin began to understand the concept. There were huge, brightly colored tubes and chutes with water rushing through them, and people shot down them on big rings, some just on their bum or stomach. He grinned. "That really does look fun," he confirmed. How did Arthur even find such a thing?

Arthur smiled some. "It's outside the city but people have been able to leave for a brief time only to return and this heat..." Why was he explaining himself?

"Beats my idea of carrying a bucket of ice around," Merlin said. And admittedly, it beat sitting around and reading about all the many horrible misfortunes that may or may not befall them and everyone they loved. "When should we go?"

"Whenever you want." Arthur supposed they ought to at least wait for Morgana to determine whether she wanted to join them.

That sounded like a good enough plan to Merlin. Satisfied with the idea, he decided having Arthur beside him was more desirable than pictures of a park, however colorful. "Great," he said, then nodded to the now unoccupied space on the couch. "You might want to reclaim your seat. Dagonet has been eying it since you got up."

"Dagonet should be careful he doesn't become dinner." Arthur took up his hold seat and stole the rabbit from Merlin, lifting it to his face. "Though maybe we'll wait a few years."

"Arthur!" Merlin mock-gasped. After all, it hadn't been so long ago that they really did rely on rabbits to provide a meal. "You'll scare him. Don't listen to him, Daggy. He's just a bit of a numbskull." He pat Dagonet's rump.

"Daggy. Seriously?" Arthur choked on a round of laughter that welled up in his stomach almost before he fully realized it.

Merlin elbowed him again, with a little more force than last time. "I happen to think it suits him."