Boy in the bubble (Modern Merthur AU) (Discontinued)

Chapter Sixteen

Arthur stretched and rubbed his eyes, sitting up slowly from his bed and pulling the sheets back fumblingly. The room was still dark and it was night outside his window. He groaned and stood up, yawning as he made his way to his door. With his eyes half lidded he made his way down the hall to the bathroom at the other end.

~~~

Hiking up the pair of sweatpants Morgana dropped off five days ago he walked out the bathroom and back down the hall. It was Wednesday and Arthur was still staying at Merlin's, they even continued their study sessions.

Merlin's door was open a crack as Arthur walked past and for a moment he stopped to stare through it.
Merlin was lying flat on his stomach in the top he had lent to Arthur just the other night but it hadn't fit, his head resting in folded arms on the pillow, his face fallen in a relaxed frown as he slept. Arthur guessed he had never looked so peaceful during sleep in his whole life, he always woke up in god knows what position with the duvet half of the bed, he also knew no one had looked upon him while he slept and felt half of what he couldn't help but think he feels toward Merlin. Like an instinctive pull on his heart that he's never felt before about anyone. His body has slumped against the door frame and his breathing has slowed to match the rise and fall of Merlin's chest and never had Arthur felt so... tingly.

"Arthur..?" Someone asked from behind him and he spun to find a very tired looking Gaius standing in the middle of the hall gazing upon him with sad curiosity, "come on my boy it's the middle of the night, you should probably sleep."

Arthur took one last look at Merlin's sleeping form and nodded solemnly, "yeah. Yeah you're right. Sorry."

Arthur didn't know why but looking at Merlin sleep made him incredibly sad; maybe it was because he could have stared at him until daybreak thinking forbidden things and Merlin would never even know he was there or maybe it was because he could never have the boy, who even with drool running down his pale cheek, looked stunning or because Arthur was brought into a broken family from another and he didn't know how long he was going to be staying for but he knew that he didn't want to leave just yet, however one day he'd have to got back to his dead beat, drunk father who had never really loved him.

Arthur didn't know why it made him sad but when he went back to his room and lay down a few single strands of tears worked their way over the bridge of his nose and dropped down sidewards onto his pillow.

~~~

"Rise and shine!" Merlin called, throwing open the curtains, "you'll be late for school."

Arthur groaned, "what time is it..?"

"8:05" Merlin said, putting Arthur's school uniform out on the chair in the corner.

"Shit! Why so late? I'm usually up for 7:30."

"Well Gaius said to let you sleep in for a little while. He said you were up really late and could probably use an extra half an hour or so. So I had my shower before I woke you."

"Oh..." Arthur sat up and rubbed his eye, still half bathed in the duvet, "...is that all Gaius said?"

"Yeah... why..?" Merlin asked, stopping what he was doing.

"No reason. Just wondering." He coughed, standing up and smiled at Merlin who left to let him get changed from his solo sweatpants.

~~~

"Hey Gaius." Merlin smiled, coming into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Merlin. " He said, not taking his eyes from the newspaper he was reading.

"Get me a bowl?" He asked, pulling the frosties and rice crispies boxes down from on top of the fridge, "... thanks." he said, nodding gratefully to the bowl Gaius handed him.