fifty-fifty.dreamwidth.orgTitle: A Less Ordinary Day
Rating: Teen and Up
Pairing/s: Merlin/Arthur
Character/s: Merlin, Arthur
Summary: It’s just another ordinary day existing for Merlin, when a chance meeting completely turns things on their head.
Warnings: None
Word Count: 461
Prompt: #278 – 500
Author's Notes: I found it a real challenge only having a word limit, but no word to prompt an idea. I’m not completely happy with this, but I wrote it for this prompt, so I’m going to go ahead and post it. Also now on AO3 here.
It was an average day in Merlin’s life these days. He wasn’t working just now, but knew he would need to soon. Not for the money. But to preserve what little sanity he had left as he trudged on through his daily existence, wondering what they hell he’d done that was so bad that he was punished with immortality.
He didn’t make friends now, not if he could help it. He knew the best avoidance tactics. Friends were too painful to have, because eventually, after not too long, he had to leave them. Or they would leave him. Permanently. Forever. Going where he could not go. It had taken him many centuries to learn that he just could not keep subjecting himself to that kind of heartache.
He crossed the street, not taking particular notice of where he was going; just his brain acknowledging that there were no cars. God he hated cars. Sure they were convenient. But they were noisy and dirty and would never have the warmth and charisma of a horse who you cared for day in and day out and loved and appreciated you. His heart gave it’s usual lurch of longing. Yearning for days long gone.
Pulling his coat tighter around him to shield against the cold, and as he thought about the central heating warming his house, he begrudgingly had to admit that the centuries had brought some good things with them. Yet a huge part of him would give anything to be walking through draughty, stone lined corridors.
He pushed his way through the busy crowds, wondering what he might cook for dinner that night. That usually worked against his melancholy thoughts. He’d become rather adept at cooking over the years and was not above using a bit of magic here and there to make things quicker. A nice vegetable soup would do the trick today, hearty and warm.
So deeply absorbed in his thoughts was Merlin that he bumped hard into someone who had been walking in the opposite direction.
“Oh my gosh,” he exclaimed. “I’m so sor-” He blinked as he took in the man and examined his face. The bright, blond hair as if spun from the sun itself, the kind blue eyes and the noble set of his nose and jaw.
“Arthur!” he flung his arms around him and squeezed. “Arthur,” he whispered, choking back tears.
The man smiled at him, delighted and radiant with joy. “Merlin! My very own Merlin,” he said and kissed him through wet and salty tears. “I’ve finally found you.”
Merlin laughed. “You have. You have Arthur and I’m never ever letting you go again.”
***
Later that night, they lay sated and whole in each others arms, and they never were parted ever again.
