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Merlin (youngmagician) wrote in colligo_threads,
@ 2009-11-08 18:54:00

Entry tags:

#complete, arthur pendragon, merlin

who: arthur and merlin
what: chatting with ghostly merlin, and being changed back to normal
why: because he's bored, and arthur hasn't been annoyed nearly enough
when: around 11 o'clock
where: arthur's room.

Merlin had never been so bored in his whole life. He knew because he was quite sure he was dead now, and could never remember having so little to do. He couldn't sleep, couldn't touch things, half the time people didn't even notice him, and when they did they ran off. The worst was at night. During the day he could sneak into movie theaters, and explore same as ever. At night, however, everything was off, everyone was asleep, and the things that were happening -- Merlin didn't want to see.

He'd also been watching over Severus a little more, concerned by how much the older man was drinking. On the other hand -- he hadn't seen any of his other friends. He kept peeking into Lancelot's room, but some how he always seemed to miss him, and didn't have the patients just to float around waiting. And Arthur -- They hadn't seen much of each other at all for, well since they arrived here really. First it was the magic, then it was fear thing, then he got involved with Gwen, now he was going to be a father...Merlin took care of his food, cleaning up, it was like he was just an actual servant now. It wasn't like there was anything to save him from here either except the weird stuff that affected all of them.

"Arthur? Are you awake still?" He called quietly into the room, deciding he had nothing but time so now was as good a time as any to go see Arthur. The sorcerer floated through the door, glancing into the bedroom.

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youngmagician
2009-11-09 06:20 am UTC (link)

"Yeah." Merlin nodded and immediately he could see where this was going. Another argument about keeping secrets, not trusting, or something else along those lines. He really didn't want to deal with that.

"I didn't want to bother you with -- After you and Gwen. It'd just be a -- There isn't anything to be done, I didn't think surprising you with this while I was upset..." He was always crap at explaining things like this, he just didn't want to cause anymore problems between them. He hated how strained thing seemed to be already.

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a_royal_prat
2009-11-09 06:32 am UTC (link)

"It'd just be a what, Merlin?" Arthur stood at the end of his bed and gripped the rail frame. He couldn't say what he would do had Merlin come to him so soon after the party. There was a strange sort of tension in the set of Merlin's pearly shoulders that Arthur would have thought being dead would have eliminated.

"Come over here," he demanded, holding out a useless hand.

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	youngmagician 2009-11-09 03:47 pm UTC (link)
	"Well, a burden I guess." Merlin shrugged. They had enough problems without Merlin adding to it. He stood and walked through the bed to Arthur's side becoming a little easier to see with the light from the window reflecting through him. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

a_royal_prat
2009-11-09 04:17 pm UTC (link)

Arthur didn't bother trying to respond. His lips curved downward as Merlin reflected light like a beacon as he moved through the bed. This, by far, was the most ridiculous thing he had to put up with here so far. As if having a baby wasn't ludicrous enough, and really, he had thought nothing could top that, but here Merlin was.

If he wasn't freezing, he'd assume he was still sleeping soundly, albeit oddly.

He brought his hand up to Merlin's shoulder, touching nothing more than cooler air when his hand went through him. He could see his hand right where Merlin's heart ought to have been and a violent shudder ripped through him. Arthur tore his hand back and stared at it uncertainly.

"Can you even feel anything?"

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youngmagician
2009-11-09 05:08 pm UTC (link)

Merlin stood awkwardly as Arthur attempted to set a hand on his shoulder. Because walking through the bed hadn't been sign enough that he wasn't actually solid anymore. He wasn't sure what he was trying to prove. That this wasn't some weird magic trick of his or something.

"Yes!" He started quickly, taking the question the wrong way before managing a small 'oh.'

"No, not really..." Merlin wasn't sure what else there was to it. He could still do a little magic, but he couldn't imagine that would be much comfort to Arthur.

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a_royal_prat
2009-11-09 10:50 pm UTC (link)

Arthur found himself rolling his eyes long before Merlin opened his mouth to speak. He folded his arms across his chest and waited for Merlin to rectify his mistake. It wasn't a long wait.

Merlin appeared as confused as ever, though, which only gave Arthur the barest amount of comfort, and likely gave Merlin none whatsoever. Arthur was beginning to speculate that Merlin had some sort of curse on his person that activated every three weeks or so to be especially irritating.

"Right."

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	youngmagician 2009-11-09 11:14 pm UTC (link)
	Merlin shrugged again, not sure what else to say about it. At least Arthur was taking it well. He supposed the prince had dealt with enough strange stuff that he was starting to take it in stride now. "I came by cause - Well, I don't sleep either, and I was bored. I hadn't told you yet either, so I thought I'd come by." Merlin explained. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	a_royal_prat 2009-11-10 04:18 am UTC (link)
	"Yes, thank you for that." Arthur glared when he spoke and continued to scowl long after. "As you can see, it's a perfectly reasonable time to wake me and inform me that you had died." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

youngmagician
2009-11-10 04:36 am UTC (link)

"I could have not told you at all." Merlin snapped. No pleasing him was there? Here he was, dead, and all Arthur could think about was the time? Prat.

"Let's see how concerned you are with the time when you die." It didn't help the constantly depressed pout he'd been wearing for the past week. Arthur didn't anyways, but you know what did? The pillows he sent flying from the bed to smack Arthur did.

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	a_royal_prat 2009-11-10 04:59 pm UTC (link)
	"You could have told me days ago as well!" Arthur stiffened when the pillow smacked him in the face. It fell to the floor with a flump and Arthur didn't even look at it, didn't move. His jaw was clenched so tight his mouth grew sore with it. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

youngmagician
2009-11-10 06:11 pm UTC (link)

"I could have died properly too! Not become a ghost, and then it probably would've taken you ages to notice." He threw the pillows at Arthur again, and attempted to storm off. It was hard to manage though when you can't slam doors or even stomp because your feet don't hit the ground. He moved into the other room, arms crossed, and half pacing/half floating back and forth. It wasn't even that late. It was hardly even midnight. It didn't help that Merlin didn't feel well again, which wasn't fair because if he was a ghost he really shouldn't get sick.

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a_royal_prat
2009-11-10 06:16 pm UTC (link)

He jerked as if slapped across the face. And then Merlin was trying to run and no matter how many pillows Arthur batted away, he couldn't grab Merlin. He wasn't solid, Arthur didn't know how to get him to stay put. He couldn't tackle him or he'd run headlong into the door and there was something inherently wrong with running through a person that he only followed after him.

"That is not my fault," he said in a fierce whisper.

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youngmagician
2009-11-10 07:23 pm UTC (link)

Not his fault? Fault that what -- he wouldn't notice Merlin had gone and died? It would obviously take at least a week. Then however long after that until he ran out of food. "No, I just expected to much...Thinking you'd act like a half decent friend."

Merlin grumbled and stalked back over to Arthur. "I just wanted some one to talk to, Arthur. I didn't know what else to do, I died, I don't sleep, and -- " Maybe he should just leave the prince to sleep. Lancelot would probably talk to him for a little while, or he could check on Severus if he was still awake. "Go back to sleep, I'll find someone else to talk to."

Moving to leave the room, Merlin stopped half way, and doubled over. When he had 'died' Merlin had just felt light-headed and passed out. This time he dropped from mid-air like a stone, laying (solid again) sprawled on the ground, rubbing his head.

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a_royal_prat
2009-11-11 05:32 am UTC (link)

It was his destiny to watch Merlin collapse at his feet countless times. Arthur could pretend Merlin's words had eased over his shoulders like rain water. He could pretend Merlin was out of his ever-loving mind, but he couldn't pretend Merlin was well when he went ahead and fell over.

Arthur crossed to Merlin's side and crouched down next to him. He wasn't unconscious. That was immediately clear to him. Arthur supposed that could be counted as a blessing. What wasn't immediately clear was what the hell had happened. He grasped Merlin by the wrist, not yet tugging him up--though, really, if Merlin already believed Arthur disliked him that much, why not give Merlin a logical reason to dislike him back--and feigned indifference to being able to touch Merlin once again.

It wasn't anything like relief at all, what he was feeling, crouched beside Merlin, gripping his wrist like a lost child. It wasn't relief at all.

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youngmagician
2009-11-11 08:50 pm UTC (link)

"Ouch. Who ever heard of ghosts dropping out of the air? It's not supposed to hurt." Merlin grumbled, surprised at the feel of a hand gripping his wrist. Aside from the still throbbing pain, Merlin definitely didn't have any other complaints. Pain was good, right? That meant he wasn't dead anymore -- as strange as that sounded. How someone went from dead to suddenly alive again made no sense.

Looking up at Arthur, who was the one holding his wrist ( who else would it have been, but it still seemed just as odd as being alive again ) was giving him the strangest look. Merlin wasn't sure what to make of it. "Am I not dead then?" It was all he could manage, leaning up slightly.

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	a_royal_prat 2009-11-11 11:07 pm UTC (link)
	Arthur pursed his lips as Merlin grumbled his way back into sanity and finally seemed to notice he was even there. Why Arthur stayed was the question of the hour. "I think not," he agreed. Arthur caught Merlin under the arm with his other hand and hauled him to his feet. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

youngmagician
2009-11-11 11:28 pm UTC (link)

Merlin moved awkwardly to his feet as Arthur lifted him, and arm around the blond's shoulders. He had just gotten used to moving effortlessly, and now he stumbled over his own feet again. Still, he laughed and threw his other arm around Arthur.

"I'm not dead!" He said again, much more cheerful and definite this time. It was a relief after all, enough that he didn't even realize that he should probably stop hugging Arthur.

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a_royal_prat
2009-11-13 04:11 am UTC (link)

Merlin really should probably stop hugging him, Arthur thought, startled when the idiot not only did a catastrophic imitation of a dancer, but he stepped on his foot and then shouted in his ear. So, yes, Merlin should stop hugging him.

But so should Arthur release Merlin's arm. And so should Arthur drop his hand from Merlin's back now that he was steady, or as steady as Merlin ever managed to be. Arthur sighed in a soft puff of air and gave into the exuberance of Merlin's declaration and just hugged the fool back.

He was grateful. There was enough madness in this world without Merlin gaining a new way to be supremely obnoxious.

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youngmagician
2009-11-14 12:42 pm UTC (link)

Merlin had hugged Arthur without thinking, too pleased with being not a ghost to care. However, when Arthur actually hugged him back, and it took him a minute to realize exactly why there were arms wrapped around him, he could have died of shock.

He stepped back, bouncing on the balls of the feet, pleased that he was standing on solid ground for the first time in a week instead of going through it. Merlin started to speak too, but couldn't make the sound come. Instead he just grinned like an idiot. Any of his previous anger or upset gone...

"I could -- I can sleep again, and eat, and I'm not dead!" Merlin said excitedly, grinning, and taking his chances by hugging Arthur one more time.

"Thank you, Arthur. Sorry I woke you up. I'm going to go to sleep now."

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a_royal_prat
2009-11-15 06:57 am UTC (link)

Arthur wiped a hand down the side of his face, unable to hide a teasing smile. Really, it was a miracle Arthur managed to put up with Merlin. He patted him on the back when he wound up in a second hug, and how that happened, Arthur couldn't quite say.

And yes, fine, he was glad Merlin wasn't dead. Permanently.

He waved his hand dismissively toward the door. "Please, go."

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