[identity profile] amarie-authiel.livejournal.com posting in [community profile] camelot_drabble
Author: [livejournal.com profile] amarie_authiel
Title: More than one direction to choose
Rating: Pg-17 (to be far over on the safe side)
Pairing/s: None.
Character/s: Arthur, Morgana, Merlin.
Summary: Merlin finds Arthur, and does a bit of thinking.
Warnings: Mentions drinking. Perhaps underage drinking, I am not sure how old they are...
Word Count: ~390
Prompt: #95 Song prompt 2.
Author's Notes: Follow up to of last week#s I thought I knew you Also I really really should be sleeping instead of doing this.


(Previous chapter)

Morgana's voice was clearly annoyed when she answered the phone.
-What do you want, Arthur?
-It's not Arthur, it's Merlin.
He spoke fast, worried she would hang up. Everybody knew that the two half-siblings could barely be in the same room without arguing.
-Merlin?
-Yeah, from school? Don't hang up.
-How did you get his phone? What's he gone and done now?

-I found his phone in his pocket. Um, I'm in the alley by Luigi's pizza, I was heading home from work and...
he's flat out on the ground, laughing at the falling snow and singing... I think it's One Direction? There's no-one around, Luigi's is closed and... That Leo of yours has a car, right?

Morgana's swears, then her voice sounds tired.
-It's Leon. Not Leo. Yeah, I'll come get him. Thank you, Merlin.

He puts the phone in his coat pocket in case she calls back and leans against the brick wall. It was odd to watch Arthur, drunk beyond reason and unaware of any danger. He had tried to drag him to his feet, but Arthur was to far gone to stand. He just laughed and flopped back down, singing something about “you make me stronger” while finding himself immensely amusing.

Merlin sighed heavily and looked around. The area was deserted. He wished he could just walk away. Hate would be so much easier than this damned thoughtfulness he was plagued with.

His mother used to say that only small people needed to step on others to feel big. Then there were those, his uncle Gaius would add, that were too stupid to know that they were doing. Arthur clearly was the stupid kind. Valiant on the other hand knew exactly what he was doing, he knew which targets to choose and which allies to make. He knew how to make people rely on him and how to manipulate. Merlin could easily imagine that Arthur and his money had played their part for the evening. Valiant's legendary party basement was nearby, loosing a follower or two on the way to the next party wasn't going to worry Val at all.

It didn't matter much for Merlin how much or how little thought was behind the comments and the ridicule. Cruelty was cruelty. In the end it simply came down to what person you wanted to be.

Next chapter

Date: 2014-02-12 12:41 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] archaeologist-d.livejournal.com
At least Merlin was there to help Arthur out. He could have been seriously hurt, that drunk.

Date: 2014-02-12 02:42 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] osky291.livejournal.com
I missed last week's so I had to go read it before this made sense. I am very much intrigued! Why does Merlin hate him so much?

Date: 2014-02-12 10:12 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rottencreampuff.livejournal.com
There's finally a sequel! I'm very glad Merlin had his wits about him to get Arthur's phone and call Morgana.

Date: 2014-02-16 02:51 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] aeris444.livejournal.com
I'm really happy you wrote a prequel to your last drabble! God job with this!

Date: 2014-02-26 12:58 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] brunettepet.livejournal.com
Drunk in sub-freezing weather? That's a deadly combination. It's a good thing Merlin stumbled across Arthur.

This scene makes Arthur's delight in teasing Merlin in the first story seem crueler than Arthur thinks. He calls it teasing but Merlin seems to be internalizing it as bullying.

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