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awritinglilypeaTitle: Broken Down
Fandom: Merlin
Pairing: Merlin/Valiant, Merlin/? eventual
Rating: NC-17 for domestic abuse overall.
Complete: No.
Genre: Angst, h/c
Prompt: Written for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
kinkme_merlin prompt here
Summary: Merlin gets taken care of and a plan develops.
Warnings: Contains domestic abuse, violence and possibly triggering materials
Beta'd by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ibonekoen who is a lovely human being.
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
When Gaius arrived he was quite surprised to find that Arthur did seem genuinely worried, and it was written all over his face. As long as he’d known the boy -- and that was quite while -- Arthur had been good at hiding his emotions, as a CEO for one of the largest advertising companies in London he’d made a living off being able to do so.
“What is it? What’s happened? I rushed right over because you sounded...odd...on the phone. Arthur, if this is another one of your drunken bouts, or Gwaine being an idiot again-” Gaius warned him, his frown severe.
“Gaius,” Arthur snapped without meaning to then took a deep breath. “It’s...Merlin,” he managed to get out, showing no remorse for having interrupted him. He gestured for Gaius to follow him into the bedroom and stopped just outside the door, turning to look at the older man. “It’s bad,” he warned him just before he opened the door and led him in. “Merlin,” he scolded immediately. “I told you not to sleep,” he approached the bed slowly, cautious.
Merlin’s eyes opened slowly and he nodded sluggishly. “Didn’t sleep.”
“Good.” Arthur summoned a smile, albeit a small one even though worry was written all over his face.
Gaius began his work a moment later, checking the bruising on Merlin’s ribs first of all without asking any questions. “I have a salve that might help with the bruising,” he murmured taking a quick glance up at Arthur, “it won’t help with anything cracked or broken though.”
Arthur’s brow furrowed and he nodded his head, his mind racing. He didn’t want to draw attention to where Merlin was, understanding that it was better to keep Merlin out of Valiant’s path at all.
Merlin just nodded and winced every so often but didn’t say anything even as Arthur watched and worried. Guilt weighed in on him, for getting one of his best friends and his mentor involved in this situation.
“It would be best for you to see a Doctor. I will leave a card for Arthur to call in the morning if that is all right,” Gaius muttered to him, a look of almost affection on his face.
“Okay, Gaius, thank you,” Merlin responded, grateful that no questions were being asked but knowing he could trust his mentor to keep quiet about what had happened to him.
Gaius nodded his head and turned to look at Arthur, a muscle in his jaw clenching as he did so. “Call if you should need anything else. You did a good job cleaning him up, Arthur.” There was anger in his eyes, and a sense of knowing.
Arthur jerked his head in an abrupt nod before he followed Gaius to the door and let him out, taking the time to make sure it was locked behind him. He leaned against the door for a moment, dragging his fingers through his hair he messed it up and fought to calm himself.
There was something about the sight of Merlin looking so pale and vulnerable when Gaius had looked over his wounds that was now burned into his brain and he didn’t think it would fade anytime soon. His anger at Valiant certainly wouldn’t, as it ate at him and made him want to get his revenge for Merlin in a violent manner. But right now it wasn’t his revenge and his anger that mattered. It was Merlin.
He needed for Merlin to get better. As he walked back to the bedroom, he squared his shoulders and prepared himself for whatever might happen when he walked through the door.
Merlin hunched over, face in cupped hands as he gasped and sobbed wasn’t quite what he had been expecting.
Arthur’s heart felt like it had been squeezed and his breath left him for a moment until he caught himself, and hurried over to the bed, perching on the bed he grasped Merlin’s hands gently in his.
“No,” Merlin moaned, trying to pull away. “Don’t.”
“It’s fine...you’re fine...” Arthur said, then swallowed heavily. Gently leaning in, he guided Merlin’s hands to his shoulders and carefully hugged his friend.
Merlin moaned again, sounding so pained that Arthur was tempted to let him go but wouldn’t, he couldn’t. He held Merlin close, and caressed dark hair until the shuddering motions turned to outright sobs.
“I’m sorry,” Arthur whispered, his hand pressed flat in between Merlin’s shoulder blades, holding him close and allowing him to cry. “I won’t let you get hurt again.”
“You can’t,” Merlin murmured through gasping, pain filled breaths as his ribs ached from crying and he fought to calm himself. “Don’t want you hurt too.”
Arthur pulled back enough to look into Merlin’s eyes solidly, a frown painted on his lips. “I will not get hurt, and I will not let you go back to that useless waste of flesh,” he said vehemently. “You will stay here, where you are safe, until he is caught. No one will get to you without my say so.”
Merlin looked like he was filled with doubt but nodded his head.
“Good, now rest, I’ll be right here if you need me.” Arthur slipped back into the armchair against the wall.
“You need to sleep too,” Merlin protested.
Arthur shook his head, “I’ll be fine. Just sleep.”
Merlin huffed out a sigh but nodded, relenting to Arthur’s demands, his breathing still ragged and his hands trembling lightly as he shifted down in the bed and closed his eyes.
Arthur remained where he was, his mind working over what he had planned for Valiant he didn’t even realize a couple hours had passed until he registered Merlin staring at him and jumped slightly.
“What are you thinking about?” Merlin asked him, shifting he tugged the sheets further up over himself, fidgeting.
“You,” Arthur answered him honestly, “and him, and how much I want to get back at him for this, for doing this to you.”
Merlin shook his head, “please don’t.”
“Oh, so you’re going to go back to him are you?” Arthur asked him, angry at the thought of it.
“No Arthur, I just don’t want you to get hurt,” Merlin replied, looking hurt at his tone of voice. “I don’t want you to get in trouble because Valiant is a horrible person.”
“I’m glad you realize that,” Arthur responded, “but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to go after him for what he did, despite what you might want, we’re not going to discuss it right now, you need more rest. The doctor will be coming tomorrow to look at you a little more than Gaius did.”
Merlin looked like he was going to protest, but really he wanted revenge against Valiant as much as anyone did.
“I have an idea,” he said suddenly, his eyes alight so much so that Arthur couldn’t help but lean forward in interest, intent on knowing what exactly Merlin could have planned that would cause such a look to appear in his eyes.
Fandom: Merlin
Pairing: Merlin/Valiant, Merlin/? eventual
Rating: NC-17 for domestic abuse overall.
Complete: No.
Genre: Angst, h/c
Prompt: Written for
kinkme_merlin prompt hereSummary: Merlin gets taken care of and a plan develops.
Warnings: Contains domestic abuse, violence and possibly triggering materials
Beta'd by
ibonekoen who is a lovely human being.Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
When Gaius arrived he was quite surprised to find that Arthur did seem genuinely worried, and it was written all over his face. As long as he’d known the boy -- and that was quite while -- Arthur had been good at hiding his emotions, as a CEO for one of the largest advertising companies in London he’d made a living off being able to do so.
“What is it? What’s happened? I rushed right over because you sounded...odd...on the phone. Arthur, if this is another one of your drunken bouts, or Gwaine being an idiot again-” Gaius warned him, his frown severe.
“Gaius,” Arthur snapped without meaning to then took a deep breath. “It’s...Merlin,” he managed to get out, showing no remorse for having interrupted him. He gestured for Gaius to follow him into the bedroom and stopped just outside the door, turning to look at the older man. “It’s bad,” he warned him just before he opened the door and led him in. “Merlin,” he scolded immediately. “I told you not to sleep,” he approached the bed slowly, cautious.
Merlin’s eyes opened slowly and he nodded sluggishly. “Didn’t sleep.”
“Good.” Arthur summoned a smile, albeit a small one even though worry was written all over his face.
Gaius began his work a moment later, checking the bruising on Merlin’s ribs first of all without asking any questions. “I have a salve that might help with the bruising,” he murmured taking a quick glance up at Arthur, “it won’t help with anything cracked or broken though.”
Arthur’s brow furrowed and he nodded his head, his mind racing. He didn’t want to draw attention to where Merlin was, understanding that it was better to keep Merlin out of Valiant’s path at all.
Merlin just nodded and winced every so often but didn’t say anything even as Arthur watched and worried. Guilt weighed in on him, for getting one of his best friends and his mentor involved in this situation.
“It would be best for you to see a Doctor. I will leave a card for Arthur to call in the morning if that is all right,” Gaius muttered to him, a look of almost affection on his face.
“Okay, Gaius, thank you,” Merlin responded, grateful that no questions were being asked but knowing he could trust his mentor to keep quiet about what had happened to him.
Gaius nodded his head and turned to look at Arthur, a muscle in his jaw clenching as he did so. “Call if you should need anything else. You did a good job cleaning him up, Arthur.” There was anger in his eyes, and a sense of knowing.
Arthur jerked his head in an abrupt nod before he followed Gaius to the door and let him out, taking the time to make sure it was locked behind him. He leaned against the door for a moment, dragging his fingers through his hair he messed it up and fought to calm himself.
There was something about the sight of Merlin looking so pale and vulnerable when Gaius had looked over his wounds that was now burned into his brain and he didn’t think it would fade anytime soon. His anger at Valiant certainly wouldn’t, as it ate at him and made him want to get his revenge for Merlin in a violent manner. But right now it wasn’t his revenge and his anger that mattered. It was Merlin.
He needed for Merlin to get better. As he walked back to the bedroom, he squared his shoulders and prepared himself for whatever might happen when he walked through the door.
Merlin hunched over, face in cupped hands as he gasped and sobbed wasn’t quite what he had been expecting.
Arthur’s heart felt like it had been squeezed and his breath left him for a moment until he caught himself, and hurried over to the bed, perching on the bed he grasped Merlin’s hands gently in his.
“No,” Merlin moaned, trying to pull away. “Don’t.”
“It’s fine...you’re fine...” Arthur said, then swallowed heavily. Gently leaning in, he guided Merlin’s hands to his shoulders and carefully hugged his friend.
Merlin moaned again, sounding so pained that Arthur was tempted to let him go but wouldn’t, he couldn’t. He held Merlin close, and caressed dark hair until the shuddering motions turned to outright sobs.
“I’m sorry,” Arthur whispered, his hand pressed flat in between Merlin’s shoulder blades, holding him close and allowing him to cry. “I won’t let you get hurt again.”
“You can’t,” Merlin murmured through gasping, pain filled breaths as his ribs ached from crying and he fought to calm himself. “Don’t want you hurt too.”
Arthur pulled back enough to look into Merlin’s eyes solidly, a frown painted on his lips. “I will not get hurt, and I will not let you go back to that useless waste of flesh,” he said vehemently. “You will stay here, where you are safe, until he is caught. No one will get to you without my say so.”
Merlin looked like he was filled with doubt but nodded his head.
“Good, now rest, I’ll be right here if you need me.” Arthur slipped back into the armchair against the wall.
“You need to sleep too,” Merlin protested.
Arthur shook his head, “I’ll be fine. Just sleep.”
Merlin huffed out a sigh but nodded, relenting to Arthur’s demands, his breathing still ragged and his hands trembling lightly as he shifted down in the bed and closed his eyes.
Arthur remained where he was, his mind working over what he had planned for Valiant he didn’t even realize a couple hours had passed until he registered Merlin staring at him and jumped slightly.
“What are you thinking about?” Merlin asked him, shifting he tugged the sheets further up over himself, fidgeting.
“You,” Arthur answered him honestly, “and him, and how much I want to get back at him for this, for doing this to you.”
Merlin shook his head, “please don’t.”
“Oh, so you’re going to go back to him are you?” Arthur asked him, angry at the thought of it.
“No Arthur, I just don’t want you to get hurt,” Merlin replied, looking hurt at his tone of voice. “I don’t want you to get in trouble because Valiant is a horrible person.”
“I’m glad you realize that,” Arthur responded, “but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to go after him for what he did, despite what you might want, we’re not going to discuss it right now, you need more rest. The doctor will be coming tomorrow to look at you a little more than Gaius did.”
Merlin looked like he was going to protest, but really he wanted revenge against Valiant as much as anyone did.
“I have an idea,” he said suddenly, his eyes alight so much so that Arthur couldn’t help but lean forward in interest, intent on knowing what exactly Merlin could have planned that would cause such a look to appear in his eyes.
