My Camelot Romance (A Merthur Fanfiction)

Chapter 8

November

(Mentioning Bruises and scars)

When he returned to Camelot the next day he was attacked. All the boys came running towards him to squeeze the air out of him. They would all hug him so hard that his body ached for hours after. The bruises was that made it all so utterly painful. He understood that quickly when a soft hug from Will made him nearly fall apart in pain. He knew how he looked under his clothes. He knew that he was completely black, blue and purple from mid-chest and down to mid-thigh. Mostly stomach and hips though. But both his chest and legs had their areas that was twice as painful as they looked. Most of the time he wanted nothing more but to scream in utter agony but of course he couldn't. He just had to bare through it and fake a smile. Like he's alway done with his mother.

The day was as normal as always. They would eat their food, do their schoolwork and Merlin would take his 10pm shower. He would stare at the bruises, the scars and the sad face hovering above the broken body. He didn't even realise he was gone for an hour. Luckily he had just changed to his pyjamas when Arthur came down. "Hey" Merlin smiled to him and walked over to his clothes. "Hey". Arthur looked around the room as he walked towards Merlin. "You okay?" Merlin nodded and gathered up his things. "Yeah. Of course. Why do you ask?" Arthur looked at him slightly suspicious. "You've been gone for over an hour." Merlin looked down at his clothes. He didn't really know what to say to that. He didn't really know what to say to anything lately. He was getting lost in his thought all the time it would seem. Thinking about how to tell people what was going on in his life. To tell people what was going on in his head. What he might do. What he's already done.
He felt Arthur's hand on his shoulder and Merlin looked up. Arthur looked worried. Like he cared. That his main focus was on Merlin and no one else. He looked deep into Merlins eyes. All the way into his soul. "Are you sure you're okay?" Merlin wanted to just drop everything in his hands and just cry. Just cry into the blonde boys arms and feel his strong hands wrap around him. Holding him. Safe and secure.

He snapped out of the thought and smiled the way he always did. Happily. With a hint of pain in it. Only noticeable for the people who really looked. And he could tell Arthur really did. "I'm fine." He knew that he was lying. Arthur knew he was lying. But none of them said anything. Not a word from the bathroom to the bedroom. Just a comfortable silence that screamed. "I understand".