Much more (4/9)
Title: Much more (4/9)
Author: bunnysworld
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Arthur/other, Arthur/Merlin
Spoilers: No spoilers
Warnings: modern non-magic AU, violence, abuse
Word Count: 5536 altogehter
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, the boys aren’t mine. Just took them out to play a little. I give them back unharmed - if I have to. Own nothing, no copyright infringement intended.
Summary: Arthur is in an unhealthy relationship. Will Merlin be able to get him out of it?
Thanks to the wonderful tambear13 for betaing and struggling with all of my Americanisms. All mistakes that are still in there are completely totally and utterly my own. If you find them, you’re welcome to give them a new home at your place. And since she is who and what she is, this story is for her. She gave me the prompt and demanded it to be Arthur to be the abused one.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Merlin wandered through the city, his mobile clutched in his hand. He needed to get his head clear to make a plan. Their friends were as concerned as he was. They needed to intervene. But how could they make Arthur see what was going wrong?
When his head felt totally empty and his feet ached, he made his way back to the apartment.
Arthur hadn’t called yet. So probably Valiant let him stay for the night and things weren’t as bad as Merlin feared?
Merlin tossed his keys on the counter and switched the lamp next to the TV on. He startled when he found Arthur sitting on the couch.
“Give me a heart attack, will you! What are you doing here sitting in the dark?” He stopped his rant at what he saw.
Arthur just sat at the far end of the couch, staring ahead of him.
“What happened, Arthur?” Merlin carefully approached him.
When he didn’t get an answer, Merlin sat on his haunches in front of Arthur and gasped when he got a closer look. There was a cut on Arthur’s cheekbone and his eye was swollen. His jaw showed an angry bruise, too.
“That fucking damn arsehole!” Merlin jumped up, got the first aid kit from the bathroom and a damp cloth. He felt like hitting something, someone, preferably Valiant, but taking care of Arthur was more important now.
So he cleaned Arthur’s face, wiped the blood away and put a huge plaster on the cut. Then he dabbed some slave on the bruise on the jaw and got a cool-pack from the fridge. “Hold that to your eye.”
He was just about to put the stuff away, when a thought occurred to him. “Where else did he hurt you?”
Arthur hadn’t said a word, hadn’t even flinched when Merlin treated his face and didn’t react now.
“Arthur,” Merlin pleaded. He had to make sure Arthur was alright. Well, he wasn’t alright, that much was obvious. So he started to tug Arthur’s shirt up, expecting some struggle. But Arthur just let him pull the shirt away. There were bruises on his chest, but they were in various stages of healing, nothing fresh.
Merlin sat on the couch next to him, one leg under himself, facing Arthur. “Arthur, mate, tell me, did he....are you...do you need the salve again?”
Arthur shook his head, a very small gesture and Merlin reached out and gently pulled Arthur against him, just holding him. He still was very angry. But that wasn’t what Arthur needed right now.
When he noticed that Arthur shivered, he nuzzled into his hair. “Come on, let’s get you to bed.”
Without a word, Arthur let Merlin pull him up from the couch and manoeuvre him over to his bedroom. He didn’t protest when Merlin found a sweatshirt and put it on him and didn’t even struggle when Merlin opened his jeans and made him step into his sweatpants.
Holding up the covers, Merlin gestured. “Get in.”
Arthur obeyed and then looked at Merlin for the first time.
“I’ll just make you some tea, okay? I’ll be right back.” Merlin intended to call Leon while making the tea. He had to tell someone, had to channel his rage and he couldn’t let it out on Arthur.
But he’d seen that look before. Arthur had looked at him like that when he’d had appendicitis and firmly believed he’d die from it, he had looked at him like that when his first boyfriend dumped him, he had looked at him like that when his father had died. The look said what Arthur couldn’t say: Don’t leave me alone.
So Merlin kicked his shoes off, climbed onto the bed and wrapped his arms around Arthur. He felt Arthur relax a bit as he leaned his head against Merlin’s shoulder and after a while, he heard Arthur breathing evenly. But sleep wouldn’t come to Merlin, there was too much on his mind.
Part 5
Author: bunnysworld
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Arthur/other, Arthur/Merlin
Spoilers: No spoilers
Warnings: modern non-magic AU, violence, abuse
Word Count: 5536 altogehter
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, the boys aren’t mine. Just took them out to play a little. I give them back unharmed - if I have to. Own nothing, no copyright infringement intended.
Summary: Arthur is in an unhealthy relationship. Will Merlin be able to get him out of it?
Thanks to the wonderful tambear13 for betaing and struggling with all of my Americanisms. All mistakes that are still in there are completely totally and utterly my own. If you find them, you’re welcome to give them a new home at your place. And since she is who and what she is, this story is for her. She gave me the prompt and demanded it to be Arthur to be the abused one.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Merlin wandered through the city, his mobile clutched in his hand. He needed to get his head clear to make a plan. Their friends were as concerned as he was. They needed to intervene. But how could they make Arthur see what was going wrong?
When his head felt totally empty and his feet ached, he made his way back to the apartment.
Arthur hadn’t called yet. So probably Valiant let him stay for the night and things weren’t as bad as Merlin feared?
Merlin tossed his keys on the counter and switched the lamp next to the TV on. He startled when he found Arthur sitting on the couch.
“Give me a heart attack, will you! What are you doing here sitting in the dark?” He stopped his rant at what he saw.
Arthur just sat at the far end of the couch, staring ahead of him.
“What happened, Arthur?” Merlin carefully approached him.
When he didn’t get an answer, Merlin sat on his haunches in front of Arthur and gasped when he got a closer look. There was a cut on Arthur’s cheekbone and his eye was swollen. His jaw showed an angry bruise, too.
“That fucking damn arsehole!” Merlin jumped up, got the first aid kit from the bathroom and a damp cloth. He felt like hitting something, someone, preferably Valiant, but taking care of Arthur was more important now.
So he cleaned Arthur’s face, wiped the blood away and put a huge plaster on the cut. Then he dabbed some slave on the bruise on the jaw and got a cool-pack from the fridge. “Hold that to your eye.”
He was just about to put the stuff away, when a thought occurred to him. “Where else did he hurt you?”
Arthur hadn’t said a word, hadn’t even flinched when Merlin treated his face and didn’t react now.
“Arthur,” Merlin pleaded. He had to make sure Arthur was alright. Well, he wasn’t alright, that much was obvious. So he started to tug Arthur’s shirt up, expecting some struggle. But Arthur just let him pull the shirt away. There were bruises on his chest, but they were in various stages of healing, nothing fresh.
Merlin sat on the couch next to him, one leg under himself, facing Arthur. “Arthur, mate, tell me, did he....are you...do you need the salve again?”
Arthur shook his head, a very small gesture and Merlin reached out and gently pulled Arthur against him, just holding him. He still was very angry. But that wasn’t what Arthur needed right now.
When he noticed that Arthur shivered, he nuzzled into his hair. “Come on, let’s get you to bed.”
Without a word, Arthur let Merlin pull him up from the couch and manoeuvre him over to his bedroom. He didn’t protest when Merlin found a sweatshirt and put it on him and didn’t even struggle when Merlin opened his jeans and made him step into his sweatpants.
Holding up the covers, Merlin gestured. “Get in.”
Arthur obeyed and then looked at Merlin for the first time.
“I’ll just make you some tea, okay? I’ll be right back.” Merlin intended to call Leon while making the tea. He had to tell someone, had to channel his rage and he couldn’t let it out on Arthur.
But he’d seen that look before. Arthur had looked at him like that when he’d had appendicitis and firmly believed he’d die from it, he had looked at him like that when his first boyfriend dumped him, he had looked at him like that when his father had died. The look said what Arthur couldn’t say: Don’t leave me alone.
So Merlin kicked his shoes off, climbed onto the bed and wrapped his arms around Arthur. He felt Arthur relax a bit as he leaned his head against Merlin’s shoulder and after a while, he heard Arthur breathing evenly. But sleep wouldn’t come to Merlin, there was too much on his mind.
Part 5