Heart Of The Team (Merthur One-Shot)

Heart Of The Team

The big day had arrived. The quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin. The game that determined who won the quidditch cup for that year.

It was Arthur's last year at Hogwarts and he'd been desperately pushing the team harder during practise. Being the Gryffindor quidditch captain for four years had come with it's privileges, but also left Arthur stressed and under an immense amount of pressure. He felt like everyone was expecting him to be something great, something extraordinary. He was just never sure if he could be that.

His thoughts flipped over in his mind as he sat in the Gryffindor locker room tying his shoelaces. He was extra early to change before the game, ensuring he gave himself enough time to run over their plans through his head. He'd checked them three times already but, just to be safe he'd check them again.

He sat back on the bench and propped his chin on his hand, arm held up by his knee. What if he couldn't do it? What if he wasn't good enough and he'd fail the entire team. The entire house. He wasn't sure he'd be able to take the failure. He was close to panicking when the light crept through the door to the locker room. A familiar brown-haired boy poked his head around the door and looked around. "Arthur?" He whispered for some reason.

Arthur stands back up from the bench and attempts to smile at the boy. "Merlin, I'm here."

The boy, Merlin, leaves the doorway and walks over. "Did you eat? You weren't at breakfast." He hands him some toast from a napkin that he must've taken from the Great Hall.

Arthur looks down at the toast and rolls his eyes, a small smirk on his face. "I appreciate the thought but I'm not hungry."

"You have to eat before a game, remember how you felt the last time." Merlin pushes the toast into Arthur's hand before he could protest.

He considers what Merlin said about the last time he didn't eat before a game. It had lasted for quite a long time and his stomach had felt awful once it was over. They lost that match too, and that was something Arthur was not risking this time. He quickly took a bite of the toast and sat back down on the bench. Merlin sits beside him and looks around the room a little.

"Are you nervous?"

"Of course not Merlin."

Merlin looks at him with an incredulous face. He didn't believe him. Of course he knew Arthur was nervous, how could he not? They'd been quite close friends since first year.

Arthur sighed and scratches his neck a little. "Fine, I am a little... I just- This is our last game. It's my chance to prove I'm a good captain. I don't know what I'd have if I wasn't good enough for this..." He doesn't look at Merlin, he keeps his eyes trained to the floor.

Merlin leans forward a little to see Arthur's face more clearly. "You've always been a good captain Arthur. Your team thinks the same. You were meant for it, and if you didn't have this then, you'd still have me." He smiles a little and nudges Arthur's shoulder jokingly.

How can Merlin always say the right thing? He surprises Arthur constantly with the type of things he says. But he thinks about Merlin's words. Arthur was meant for it...

Even before Hogwarts, he was fascinated by quidditch. His father was in a professional quidditch team for years and years before having Arthur and he'd always wanted his son to take up the mantel. And of course Arthur was more than willing to do so. He'd joined the Gryffindor quidditch team in his second year, much to his father's satisfaction, and continued from there. Merlin had been supportive of every choice Arthur had made. And somehow he gets the feeling that he wouldn't have made it very far without him by his side.

He looks back to Merlin and smiles softly. "Thank you Merlin." He was rewarded with a big grin and sparkling eyes.

In the quiet tent, with the sun peeking through the door and onto Merlin's face, time seemed to slow suddenly and Arthur found himself staring into the boys deep blue eyes. He was entranced, his body taken over by some unknown force. But he didn't want to stop it. He didn't want to look away or move back. He ignored the screaming in his head and embraced the feeling in his veins to just go closer. To close the gap between them. His heart pumping and hands slightly shaking. Merlin looked almost how he felt, scared yet curious. Cautious and intrigued. Arthur didn't protest when Merlin was the first to move forward. He didn't try moving away when Merlin pulled him closer. He didn't break the kiss that Merlin had started. He indulged in it.