Morcalivan_Merlin_Roll15.pdf

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Roll 15 for an Insight Check

Merlin/Arthur | NC 17 | 35 000

Arthur has always known exactly who he was, what was expected of him and the privileges to be gained from it.

What he couldn't figure out was where an off-center, too skinny best friend and a crush who seemed to notice

everyone but him, fit in.

Includes: HighSchool!AU. Jealous/pining!Arthur. Slightly criminal!Merlin. Rugby matches. D&D games. Lots of

cluelessness and denial. One sided Merlin/Gwaine and Arthur/Gwen.

Roll 15 for an Insight Check

caliofthecastle

Written for paperlegends | Betad by hel_bee

morcalivan @ caliofthecastle

caliofthecastle

:: :: ::

It started, as it always did, with footsteps thundering up the staircase. Arthur groaned and pulled his

pillow over his head, trying to hold onto sleep for just a little longer. The elephant continued to

stampede its way down the hall. Arthur had given up trying to figure out how someone so slight

could move with such a heavy tread,

The door creaked.

Arthur squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath, his only semiconscious brain reverting back to

the age of seven and the hope that if he held still enough he wouldnÔt be discovered.

The footsteps approached the bed. There were loud thumps as shoes were pulled off and dropped

unceremoniously onto the floor. Cool air leaked in when the duvet was pulled back far enough for

an equally cold body to slide in next to his.

A sharp knee dug into the small of ArthurÔs back. He grunted and rolled over, making more space.

An arm settled in next to his, long fingers wrapping around ArthurÔs wrist and curling in to rest

against his pulse. Touchy feely freak.

ÑTime is it?Ò Arthur mumbled, voice scratchy from sleep.

An amused puff of air tickled the skin just below his ear. ÑLittle after dawn,Ò said Merlin and he

burrowed closer, the chill of his clothes leeching off all of ArthurÔs body heat.

Arthur yawned and stretched, getting in a knee nudge of his own. Merlin made a faint sound of

protest, but didnÔt move any of his limbs out of the way. ÑDid you at least bring coffee?Ò

ÑNo. It will stunt your growth.Ò

ÑYouÔre one to talk,Ò Arthur muttered. ÑIÔve seen you so buzzed up on caffeine I could use you to

charge my mobile phone.Ò

ÑLies.Ò

by morcalivan

morcalivan

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They lay there in silence, Arthur listening to the annoying birdsong outside his window while

MerlinÔs free hand worked the bedcovers, slowly stealing them off Arthur. On days he felt more

awake, Arthur had an epic three minute rant about the cover hogging. Three minutes exactly; Merlin

had timed it. Still, it beat having Merlin try to warm his icy feet against ArthurÔs back. That had

happened only once and it was the only time Arthur had given into the impulse to punch Merlin.

ÑDonÔt go to sleep,Ò he warned when things became just a little too quiet for his liking.

Predictably enough, Merlin whined. ÑArthurrrr.Ò

ÑIf you wanted to sleep, you should have stayed in your own bed.Ò

ÑWell, I was going to take you out for a big, hearty breakfast before the game, but now I shanÔt.

Ungrateful lug.Ò

Arthur sighed dramatically. ÑThank you, Merlin, for walking the incredible distance of around the

block to disrupt my sleep and steal my heat.Ò

ÑYou said you wanted an early start.Ò

ÑNot this early!Ò

ÑI swear, nothing is ever good enough for you. DonÔt know why I bother.Ò

Arthur wasnÔt entirely sure why Merlin bothered either, but it was a fact of life he didnÔt care to

examine too closely. They had known each other forever. Were practically brothers. Actually would

have been if his father and HunithÔs whirlwind romance when the two of them had been four hadnÔt

run itself straight into a brick wall.

His stomach rumbled loudly, making Merlin laugh.

ÑShut it,Ò Arthur groused. ÑYouÔre the one who brought up breakfast.Ò

Merlin continued to laugh until Arthur twisted under the covers and got a good enough hold on him

to shove him right out of the bed. Merlin hit the floor with a thump. He bitched something under

his breath that Arthur couldnÔt be arsed to listen to.

Eventually even Merlin had to run out of steam. With a last mutter, he clambered to his feet, messy

dark hair coming into view over the side of the bed. It was ArthurÔs turn to laugh; in his haste to

yank Arthur out of the land of nod, Merlin hadnÔt even taken the time to dress, he had simply pulled

an ugly brown jacket on over his pyjamas.

The sad thing was, even if anyone had been up to see him cross the street to ArthurÔs, no one would

even bat an eye. They had all seen Merlin looking far worse, and wearing far less.

:: :: ::

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ÑHey, Arthur,Ò Cenred called, a shit eating grin on his face. ÑHow sweet of your boyfriend to come

along to cheer you on to defeat.Ò A few of his friends laughed, but the tall blonde girl he had his arm

around didnÔt even crack a smile. Talk about failure to impress.

Arthur offered him a two finger salute and then turned his back on the entire group. Merlin bristled,

but knew better than to engage the enemy.

ÑHate that guy,Ò Merlin grumbled. ÑHeÔs an even bigger prat than you, which shouldnÔt even be

possible.Ò

ÑIs that why you sent him a valentine last year?Ò

A wide smile cracked MerlinÔs face at the memory of that. He had never actually explained the

reasoning behind the action, and knowing him it could have been anything; he could have genuinely

fancied Cenred or he could have just enjoyed fucking with his head.

A hearty clap on the back kept Arthur from pressing the issue. He turned to see ElyanÔs beaming

face, and behind him, his sister sneaking hopeful glances at Merlin. Something small but sharp

wedged itself in ArthurÔs throat, making every swallow hurt and his voice come out raspy.

ÑReady for battle?Ò

ÑAm I ever not?Ò Elyan shot back, eyes bright with anticipation.

Arthur forced himself to smile and nodded at the girl who hadnÔt yet so much as looked at him.

ÑMorning, Gwen.Ò

She started and then stifled a laugh. ÑMorning. Good luck. With, you know, the game.Ò

ÑThanks. And thanks for coming,Ò Arthur said, and then wanted to stomp on his own foot when all

of them just looked at him. Of course she came, her brother was playing. He cleared his throat. ÑI

mean, weÔre clearly the best team, but having the support of the crowd never hurts.Ò

Merlin saved him by linking his arm with GwenÔs. ÑOf course she came, who else would perv on

Rugby players with me?Ò

ÑBehave yourself,Ò Arthur warned, though he knew he was wasting his breath.

ÑTell yourself,Ò Merlin said, eyes gleaming. ÑIÔm not the one who will be rubbing up against cute

boys in tight shorts for eighty minutes.Ò He paused for a moment, looking contemplative. ÑOn

second thought, maybe I should join the team.Ò

ÑYes, and the first time someone tackles you, youÔll just lie on the grass and cry.Ò

ÑYouÔd avenge me, wouldnÔt you? Get in a sneaky elbow during the scrum or something?Ò

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Arthur rolled his eyes. ÑMerlin, youÔre not worth ten minutes in the sin bin.Ò It was an utter lie, of

course, but there was no way Arthur would ever admit that. Merlin might try to hug him. Arthur

tried to avoid those at all costs. It was one thing to put up with Merlin and his octopus arms in his

bed, but public displays of affection were just not on.

ÑThatÔs not what you said last night,Ò Merlin said, a little too loudly. A loud guffaw went up from

Cenred and his cronies.

Merlin grimaced and mouthed sorry at him. Arthur merely shook his head, being friends with Merlin

got a person used to a certain amount of embarrassment.

He slugged Merlin on the shoulder. MerlinÔs jaw hung open and he cradled his arm like a shark had

attempted to rip it off. Arthur beamed widely at him before jogging off to get kitted up for the

game.

:: :: ::

ÑShite,Ò Elyan wheezed, bending forward to rest his hands on his knees. ÑItÔs like playing against an

undead horde! They just keep on coming.Ò

Arthur nodded in agreement, trying to catch his own breath. He suspected some sort of chemical

assistance. Certainly they had all expected CenredÔs team to offer no quarter, but they had brought

an entirely new level of toughness to the game. Several of them had stood up and continued to play

after receiving injuries that would have crippled regular players for the rest of the season.

He eyed the scoreboard. The tally was still 9-9, and all of that just by way of penalty kicks.

ÑCould say the same about us,Ò he told Elyan. ÑWe havenÔt let them through yet.Ò

Elyan snorted like it mattered little, and circled his shoulders to relieve the aches of nonstop

defence. He looked the roll as well, with one eye already turning puffy in what would be a shiner to

be proud of in a couple of hours.

ÑWe need to regain possession,Ò Arthur muttered, more to himself than anything else.

ÑLike we havenÔt been trying?Ò

The refereeÔs whistle sounded shrilly, calling them in for a scrum.

Both teams were fairly evenly matched in terms of weight. Arthur strained, digging up clumps of

grass and breathing like a bull through his nose. Over two hundred kilograms of pressure pushed

him forward, while the same shoved into him from the front. His fingers curled white knuckled in

the jerseys of the players on either side of him and his spine creaked under all the force.

Then their opponents made their first real mistake of the day; someone in their front row buckled.

Arthur hooked the ball with his foot and kicked it back.

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The crowd roared in approval as they broke away and ran. They moved the ball to the wing and then

back again, desperately searching for a gap in the defence. Arthur lost track of how many phases

they had already played, concentrating only on shoving a way through to the goal line.

He was ready when a bit of space opened up. ÑHere,Ò he barked.

Owain didnÔt even look around, he just passed the ball back, fully confident that Arthur would be

there to catch it. He did.

Arthur tucked the ball under one arm and surged forward, so close that he could already taste the

chalk line.

He didnÔt see the flanker coming from the side until it was too late. The tackler barrelled into him,

low enough to catch Arthur with a shoulder in the stomach. Arthur felt the impact all the way into

his teeth. His feet left the grass and the ball slipped from grasp. He would have cried out in dismay if

heÔd had any breath left.

Arthur had the vague sense of falling. His head struck the ground first, causing blinding white

starbursts in front of his eyes. He thought he heard the whistle, but it could just have been his ears

ringing. Darkness rolled over him like high tide, and then he didnÔt hear anything at all.

:: :: ::

ÑTo the conquering heroes!Ò a voice rang out over the crowded cafe.

Arthur grimaced, but dutifully raised one hand in acknowledgement. The last thing he was in the

mood for was celebrating their victory. Not when he could still taste blood in the back of his throat

and his head felt like it had been switched out for a helium balloon.

He gritted his teeth when a weight settled against his side. It was only Merlin attempting to take

advantage of the moment by flaunting their friendship in the face of all ArthurÔs other friends.

Arthur let him, too tired to fight Merlin off and kind of enjoying the comforting warmth.

It was slow going to ArthurÔs usual booth. He had to stop every few minutes to receive

congratulations on the win, or accept critique on things he could have done better.

The place was unusually packed, even for a Saturday night, and it was only by knowing the right

people that ArthurÔs favourite booth had been left open for them. The right person in that particular

case was Merlin, who had discovered the pub when his friend, Nimueh, had started a waitressing job

there and forced all her mates to support her.

The service wasnÔt the best, but the food was good and the seats were comfortable. It was homey in

a way ArthurÔs house would never be, and had quickly become a refuge of sorts.

ÑGood work on the field today,Ò Nimueh said, her patented IÔm up to something smile on her face. She

wiped the table down needlessly, leaning over far enough that Arthur had a good view down her low

cut blouse.

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