[fic] The First Time - Merlin/Arthur (Gen)
Title: The First Time
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin ish.
Rating: G
Genre: Gen
Summary: The first time Merlin visits the twenty-first century, he's almost hit by a car
Notes: Written to get me out of this weird writers block I've been stuck in. Hasn't helped at all. I'm still stuck. And this kind of sucks because it has no point.
The first time Merlin visits the twenty-first century, he's almost hit by a car (he thought it was some sort of metal beast at first), subsequently falling into a river and fished out a few minutes later by a boater that happened to see him fall.
Fortunately the boater was a kind older woman who dried him off and gave him something to wear that "didn't look like it came out of a medieval guidebook". Not that Merlin knew what a 'medieval guidebook' was, but he was certain it had to do with clothing.
He wore what was called a 'tea shirt' and trousers that didn't quite fit correctly. "They're my brother's," was her only explanation for the bright pink color. She also said it was the right size, but he thought it was just a tad (actually more than just a tad--it hurt his manbits) small on him.
"My name is Merlin," he introduced himself and she gave him one of those smiles that reminded him of every magical person he knew--the smile that said that they knew a whole lot more than he did.
"That's a rather interesting name. I'm guessing you're not from around here?"
Merlin shook his head. "I'm from Camelot. In fact..." Merlin blushed hotly. "I'm not quite sure where I am..."
"You're on the other side of the pond, I'm sure of that." Her laugh was loud and boisterous; the sound of her words seemed accented in a way that Merlin couldn't place. "You're also out of time, Merlin." Her smile was the last thing Merlin saw before he woke up in Arthur's bed with the prat yelling in his ear.
***
The second time Merlin visits the twenty-first century, he does not fall into a river, but instead falls off a roof and into a garbage heap.
"We really have to stop meeting like this." Merlin said to the woman who rescues him from soggy, half eaten sandwitches that looked a little more round than anything he'd ever put in front of his prince.
"Not my fault that you landed in my garbage," she shrugged, holding her nose as she sprays him with a machine that shot water out from a rope. A 'hose' is what she called it and if Merlin weren't Merlin, he would have thought it was magic.
It was this time that Merlin learned the transportation spell he'd been working on was making him not travel distances, but travel through time. "That's real dangerous magic, Merlin," the woman warned. "You shouldn't try it again."
"But think of the things I could learn and share," Merlin argued, motioning around at the kitchen she had him sitting in. "This is...it's like magic but not! And you live freely here!"
"I do not live 'freely'," she scoffed, setting a cup of tea down in front of him with a deafening clank. "Magic has all but left the world. Replaced by machines. The Gift is almost extinct."
"And yet you have it."
She laughed and it was a harsh sound. "One of the very few people that do," she confessed scathingly. "Most people don't even realize they have a gift at all." She shook her head and took a deep breath before continuing. "Merlin, your time is different. It's better. Less polluted by what the non-magicals have done to the world to make their life easier."
It didn't make any sense to Merlin, but he wasn't from this time so he kept his mouth shut. They spend some time talking of the Old Religion and of those machines that roved around the roads of black. She challenged everything he'd come to think of as reality and then some. It was some hours before Merlin realized that the outside had turned dark. "I wonder why I haven't returned yet..." Merlin wondered and at that second, he woke up in his room with Gaias pounding at the door.
***
The last time Merlin visited the twenty first century, he browsed through the woman's books on cooking and machinery. They were fascinating and almost too much for his mind to understand. He committed most of it to memory, hoping to help his people with technology beyond their time.
Some of the others were stories that he'd never heard of, of vampires and werewolves and other things that went bump in the night. Some of them were in a language he couldn't understand, others in languages he'd seen Gaias and the librarian read. One in particular caught his eye and he picked it up.
The title read 'The Once and Future King.'
Frowning, Merlin opened the cover to read the first page.
***
The only time she visited Camelot, Merlin slammed her against the wall with the force of his magic, eyes glowing a heated gold. "You made me read that book."
"I did not make you read anything, Emerys." She was calm against his rage. "You picked it up."
"Are you trying to say that I read it by chance?"
"Nothing in this world or mine is by chance," her own eyes glowed golden and she dropped down to the floor as Merlin flew into a chair, breaking it to pieces. "Your future cannot be changed, no matter how you want it to be."
"Those words are not true."
"Those words are the truest you will ever read. You know the future Merlin. What you do with that is up to you." She vanished in a puff of smoke.
"What am I supposed to do with the knowledge that I lose the person I love most in the world?" He asked thin air, tears falling down his cheek.
***
The first time Merlin woke up in the twenty-first century, he was hit with a bucket full of ice cold water. He sputtered in indignation. Who in the world would dare throw water at Merlin? He looks up and comes face to face with his king and all things fade in the background. The last time he'd seen that face, it had been drawn with pain and pale with death.
He glared heatedly. "I see a few hundred years hasn't changed your personality. You're still a prat." Merlin is disoriented and his body felt as if he'd been sleeping for years. His bones creek when he brings up a hand to wipe his face.
"I see a few hundred years hasn't changed your habits. You're still not allowed to talk to me like that." Arthur smirked. Merlin resisted the urge to turn him into a toad.
"So you boys ready to save the world?" A familiar voice asked and Merlin focused on the woman standing behind Arthur.
"You." He now knew why the face looked so familiar. She was an older version of
"Yes me." She smirked and threw him a book. Merlin didn't have to look at it to know what book it was. "Time to face your future gentleman."
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin ish.
Rating: G
Genre: Gen
Summary: The first time Merlin visits the twenty-first century, he's almost hit by a car
Notes: Written to get me out of this weird writers block I've been stuck in. Hasn't helped at all. I'm still stuck. And this kind of sucks because it has no point.
The first time Merlin visits the twenty-first century, he's almost hit by a car (he thought it was some sort of metal beast at first), subsequently falling into a river and fished out a few minutes later by a boater that happened to see him fall.
Fortunately the boater was a kind older woman who dried him off and gave him something to wear that "didn't look like it came out of a medieval guidebook". Not that Merlin knew what a 'medieval guidebook' was, but he was certain it had to do with clothing.
He wore what was called a 'tea shirt' and trousers that didn't quite fit correctly. "They're my brother's," was her only explanation for the bright pink color. She also said it was the right size, but he thought it was just a tad (actually more than just a tad--it hurt his manbits) small on him.
"My name is Merlin," he introduced himself and she gave him one of those smiles that reminded him of every magical person he knew--the smile that said that they knew a whole lot more than he did.
"That's a rather interesting name. I'm guessing you're not from around here?"
Merlin shook his head. "I'm from Camelot. In fact..." Merlin blushed hotly. "I'm not quite sure where I am..."
"You're on the other side of the pond, I'm sure of that." Her laugh was loud and boisterous; the sound of her words seemed accented in a way that Merlin couldn't place. "You're also out of time, Merlin." Her smile was the last thing Merlin saw before he woke up in Arthur's bed with the prat yelling in his ear.
***
The second time Merlin visits the twenty-first century, he does not fall into a river, but instead falls off a roof and into a garbage heap.
"We really have to stop meeting like this." Merlin said to the woman who rescues him from soggy, half eaten sandwitches that looked a little more round than anything he'd ever put in front of his prince.
"Not my fault that you landed in my garbage," she shrugged, holding her nose as she sprays him with a machine that shot water out from a rope. A 'hose' is what she called it and if Merlin weren't Merlin, he would have thought it was magic.
It was this time that Merlin learned the transportation spell he'd been working on was making him not travel distances, but travel through time. "That's real dangerous magic, Merlin," the woman warned. "You shouldn't try it again."
"But think of the things I could learn and share," Merlin argued, motioning around at the kitchen she had him sitting in. "This is...it's like magic but not! And you live freely here!"
"I do not live 'freely'," she scoffed, setting a cup of tea down in front of him with a deafening clank. "Magic has all but left the world. Replaced by machines. The Gift is almost extinct."
"And yet you have it."
She laughed and it was a harsh sound. "One of the very few people that do," she confessed scathingly. "Most people don't even realize they have a gift at all." She shook her head and took a deep breath before continuing. "Merlin, your time is different. It's better. Less polluted by what the non-magicals have done to the world to make their life easier."
It didn't make any sense to Merlin, but he wasn't from this time so he kept his mouth shut. They spend some time talking of the Old Religion and of those machines that roved around the roads of black. She challenged everything he'd come to think of as reality and then some. It was some hours before Merlin realized that the outside had turned dark. "I wonder why I haven't returned yet..." Merlin wondered and at that second, he woke up in his room with Gaias pounding at the door.
***
The last time Merlin visited the twenty first century, he browsed through the woman's books on cooking and machinery. They were fascinating and almost too much for his mind to understand. He committed most of it to memory, hoping to help his people with technology beyond their time.
Some of the others were stories that he'd never heard of, of vampires and werewolves and other things that went bump in the night. Some of them were in a language he couldn't understand, others in languages he'd seen Gaias and the librarian read. One in particular caught his eye and he picked it up.
The title read 'The Once and Future King.'
Frowning, Merlin opened the cover to read the first page.
***
The only time she visited Camelot, Merlin slammed her against the wall with the force of his magic, eyes glowing a heated gold. "You made me read that book."
"I did not make you read anything, Emerys." She was calm against his rage. "You picked it up."
"Are you trying to say that I read it by chance?"
"Nothing in this world or mine is by chance," her own eyes glowed golden and she dropped down to the floor as Merlin flew into a chair, breaking it to pieces. "Your future cannot be changed, no matter how you want it to be."
"Those words are not true."
"Those words are the truest you will ever read. You know the future Merlin. What you do with that is up to you." She vanished in a puff of smoke.
"What am I supposed to do with the knowledge that I lose the person I love most in the world?" He asked thin air, tears falling down his cheek.
***
The first time Merlin woke up in the twenty-first century, he was hit with a bucket full of ice cold water. He sputtered in indignation. Who in the world would dare throw water at Merlin? He looks up and comes face to face with his king and all things fade in the background. The last time he'd seen that face, it had been drawn with pain and pale with death.
He glared heatedly. "I see a few hundred years hasn't changed your personality. You're still a prat." Merlin is disoriented and his body felt as if he'd been sleeping for years. His bones creek when he brings up a hand to wipe his face.
"I see a few hundred years hasn't changed your habits. You're still not allowed to talk to me like that." Arthur smirked. Merlin resisted the urge to turn him into a toad.
"So you boys ready to save the world?" A familiar voice asked and Merlin focused on the woman standing behind Arthur.
"You." He now knew why the face looked so familiar. She was an older version of
"Yes me." She smirked and threw him a book. Merlin didn't have to look at it to know what book it was. "Time to face your future gentleman."