An Interlude || Locked to Saber

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Despite Merlin's ability to take almost anything life threw at him and simply roll with the hit, routine had always been something of a comfort to him. It kept his hands busy and his mind free to wander as he wished, to quietly contemplate all that weighed on his mind. Recently, those thoughts had been occupied by his closest friends in Johto and

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☙ NOVEMBER 18; (evening)

[tiercelet]

[After talking to both Kanji and Yosuke, it's little wonder that Merlin wants a bit of time to himself. It's true he might not have been as close to Naoto and Yukiko like the rest of the Team, but they had still been friends. Friends who could have become better friends with time. Now, when they do come back, he knows he'll have to start from scratch again, slowly build up their friendship like he's done several times before.

This time, though, something else has been clawing at him, adding to the already present ache. Kanji and Naoto had only just accepted their feelings for each other, hadn't they? And now Naoto is gone, leaving Kanji bereft of her company, and needing to start from square one if she does return. It's a nightmare of a situation that hits so close to home for him, only Kanji and Naoto had the advantage of knowing each other before Johto. What if he or Arturia got called back to their worlds, no matter how much they struggled against it? He'd overcome that fear when he confessed to her just days before, but it returns ten fold now. Merlin doesn't regret the decisions he'd made, but that doesn't lessen the fear any. The painful truth is, neither of them know when they'll leave. All they have is now, and what they choose to make of the time they have left.

Sighing heavily, Merlin rolls onto his side, back facing the door. He presses his face into his pillow as his arms wrap around his torso--but still he does not feel warmer.]

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[Even if it's Arturia, Merlin has to struggle with himself for the briefest of seconds, wondering if he should answer her or not or simply close his eyes and try to sleep. Drained as he is by this day's events, Merlin isn't sure he'll be the best of company, and he doesn't want Arturia, of all people seeing him in a bad temper.

Thankfully, sense wins in the end, and he lifts his head from the pillow, rearranging himself until he's facing her.]

Just a little. [His voice is rough--from all the speaking he's done today or from exhaustion, he can't tell--and little more than a whisper. He feels oddly vulnerable, letting her see him this distraught, without bothering to hide it. Still, she is the one who approached him this time, and Merlin wants to acknowledge that somehow.

A moment's hesitation later, he lifts the blankets up while looking at her with a tentative expression. It's a silent invitation--one that Merlin isn't sure she'll accept so soon.]

/pats

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[Despite the sudden flaring of heat in his cheeks--right...tapping, he hadn't even thought of that--Merlin manages to stay calm instead of sputtering incoherently. It's a result of so many things having been put out in the open as they were when he finally revealed his feelings for her. That, and he's worn thin and wants some proof that she's still here.]

Not...like that. [Merlin clears this throat, letting the covers drop back into place.] Just wanted you to...stay with me.

no one is safe...

[tiercelet]

[There is always a chance she might still decide against it when she figures out what he's asking, but her reply takes away some of his hurt anyway.

Merlin tugs the blankets out from under her and pats the space beside him, indicating that she should just lie down.]

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[Once she's settled, he lets the blanket drop into place, then scoots toward her. One arm snakes around her waist as he does so, the hold snug enough to keep her close, but loose enough that she can move away if she's uncomfortable with the proximity.

Merlin shifts and, after a feather-light touch of his lips to hers, tucks her head under his chin comfortably.] This okay?

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Course not. [He allows her warmth to pull him from his previously dark thoughts, her presence soothe him. It's only now that the tension in his body bleeds out, and he can finally close his eyes with a sigh.

For a moment, he tucks himself more securely against her.] I love you. [The words come as a soft murmur. Uncertain as he is right now, he wants to make his feelings known. Just in case.]