Behind Closed Doors (Merthur AU)

Chapter 1

It was a crisp and insignificant Monday morning. The new year had just begun and today marked the first day of the second semester in the small town where Merlin resided. Merlin, himself, was fast asleep in his bed, unaware of the events that were going to unfold in the day ahead of him.

Merlin's alarm soon went off, jolting him upright in his bed. Once he calmed down, he reached over to his phone and shut off his persistent alarm. He let out a low groan and rubbed his face a bit to try and wake himself up more. A sigh escaped him, as he squinted around the room.

"I guess I have no choice but to get up, huh?" Merlin muttered to himself, before getting up from the bed and stumbling to the bathroom. His house was fairly small, with only two bedrooms and a bathroom. His room was located upstairs, while his mother stayed in the bigger room downstairs. Merlin flicked on the bathroom light and caught a glimpse of his bed head in the mirror above the sink. He was quick to look away, focusing his attention on the shower. He turned the knob, not allowing the water to get very hot; dropping his clothing to the floor, he stepped into the shower, shivering slightly.

He was quick to bathe himself, not wanting to waste unnecessary water. His mother had a very inconsistent flow of money for bills, so he learned to try and cut back on most things. After a mere ten minutes, he shut the water off and grabbed a towel, quickly drying his hair. He hummed to himself, walking over to the sink. He wrapped the towel around his waist and quickly brushed his teeth.

Merlin ran a hand through his damp hair, exiting the bathroom back to his bedroom. He walked to his dresser and pulled it open; the older dresser squeaked in protest as he did so. He pulled out a simple white tee and some dark skinny jeans, slipping the outfit on easily. Merlin faced his long mirror after he changed and fussed with his dark hair. He messed with it, trying to make it look less flat.

Merlin then grabbed himself a hoodie and pulled it on but didn't zip it up. He put on shoes and, once satisfied with his look, grabbed his book bag. He slung it over his right shoulder, walking out and down the stairs. He made it down where his mother called goodbye to him and he made his way out.

Merlin lived relatively close to the school, so he almost always walked the few blocks. He put his earbuds in and blared his music with a slight smile on his lips. He was feeling better than normal. He looked around as most people tended to avoid him, but that's how he preferred it. He stepped into the school building and made his way straight to first period, which was English Literature.

On the other side of town was Arthur. At around the same time Merlin was getting ready, his own alarm had woken him up, as well. Arthur let it ring for a minute or two before he rubbed his face and yawned. He shut off the alarm before sitting up and turning on the bedside lamp. Arthur stretched, hearing his bones pop a little. He looked at the time and figured he had enough to shower, get ready, and possibly have breakfast, as well. He had worked out the night before so he deemed a morning run wasn't necessary.

Arthur got off of the bed and turned on the bedroom light, before heading down the stairs to start up his coffee. While he let it brew, he quickly showered. It was his first day teaching at a new school, so he was feeling rather nervous; he wasn't sure how the students would be, but that wasn't anything new to him.

Once he was well dried up, Arthur got dressed in black jeans with brown boots and a black shirt. He pulled a blazer-like jacket on top and fixed his blonde hair in a mirror. He thought he looked decent enough but not too professional for his first day. He made sure everything was in order before he grabbed himself a snack for breakfast and prepared himself a coffee to go. He walked out to his car, quickly making his way to the school.

Arthur shortly arrived and he walked to the front office, meeting with the principal, Uther Head, to make sure everything was in order for his new room. He was handed the keys to the room and he headed down the hallway and to the classroom. He unlocked the room, turning the lights on. He set his cup down on his desk and dug through his bag to look for expo markers. Arthur had his back towards the door, so he didn't notice when Merlin entered the classroom, being the first one there.