Random snippet of a Merlin fic I did not write. Merlin visits his mum while he's at uni, he brings home a non friend non boyfriend possibly enemy Arthur. Pre-slash obv it is Merthur but they are not aware of that yet.
1.
People notice when Hunith Edwards starts to smile one Saturday afternoon. Dorcas the head nurse tells her it's a good look, the doctor who visits says she looks ten years younger, three of the residents ask her if there's going to be a party. Blessing, the other carer who's been at the home for more than ten years and Hunith's best friend, gives her a knowing look.
"Did that wayward child finally think to get in touch with his mother?" Blessing asks.
"He did. He's collecting mw from work," Hunith says, proud of her Merlin, off at university but coming home for a visit.
"They never let that one drive!" Blessing exclaims; she has seen Merlin wield a bike on a road.The row of bells goes off, four at once."Not again. That woman!"
They have a short stay who is very demanding.
"I think Merlin's friend is driving. He left me a voicemail about it today, I missed his call, so I haven't actually spoken to him," Hunith says.
There is another bell going off. The women sigh and climb the stairs, it's been a long shift. They go room to room to find out what is needed. After that there is the bedtime routine, and more bells going off, nurses sending them here and there, one of the residents managing to get into the shower before he gets stuck and calls for help. A young woman working in the laundry room nearly floods it. The usual.
Hunith smiles kindly amd gets on with things, letting Blessing do their complaining. The end of their shift rolls around and they lean in the office doorway to say goodbye to other staff, Hunith has her coat amd bag ready and is watching her phone. It rings and she beams around as she answers.
"Ask the child if I can get a lift too, if he's not driving," Blessing says.
"Mum what does she mean if I'm not driving? Is this about the incident with my bike? That wasn't my fault!"
Hunith has the sound up too high so everyone hears Merlin. Ali is on duty that night running things, he ushers Blessing and Hunith to sign out and calls to Merlin that they're coming out now, whoever is driving. He has only been there for one year and has not met Merlin, but everyone who works wirh Hunith for more than a week feels like they know Merlin. She talks about him all the time.
She and Blessing step out of the locking door and Merlin pops out of the passenger side of a very nice Jaguar. It brings Hunith to a stop, Blessing whistling and crowding at her shoulder. Merlin gives a huge goofy grin and ushers them over, popping the back door for them to climb in, hugging them both. Blessing quite reluctantly. They're enemies.
"Edwards, you should offer your mother the front seat," says a voice from the driver's side. Hunith tries to get a look, but the boy has a hoody on and glasses and doesn't turn.
"Do you want me to vomit? In this car that's more expensive than everything I own added together?" Merlin huffs, leaning in after Hunith to hug her again then taking the front and shutting the doors. "Just drive. I need to change the satnav though, unless you're coming to ours, Blessing?"
"I am not. I am going home to smoke with my wife and probably have some wonderful dozy sex," Blessing says.
She has a spark in her eye, watching Merlin's posh friend for a reaction. She doesn't get one, he's focussing on the road and not listening. Merlin squeaks and squawks and does a bad job of getting the address into the satnav. It sends them the wrong way so Merlin gives directions over its increasingly insistent instructions to turn around until Hunith suggests switching it off.
Blessing reminds Hunith to make sure Merlin does lots of things for her, once they reach Blessing's home. She ruffles Merlin's hair and demands he be a gentleman and let her out, tells him to look after his mother, and then leaves with a slammed door and a sauntering swagger to her front door. The car is silent without Blessing, a bit tense. Merlin yawns. Hunith looks out of the window, watching Blessing's village blur away into the dark, her own coming up suddenly and shortly around them. They drive past the house.
"Merlin, love," Hunith says, softly and calmly.
It doesn't help. It never has. Merlin jerks, looks wildly around, flails his limbs about, startles his friend, there's a lot of noise and chaos and the car draws to a stop, hazards ticking on.
"Edwards!"
"What? What?"
"Shut up. Did I go past?"
"Yes!"
"Where can I turn around?"
"I dunno!"
"Then shush."
That sorted, the hazards come off, and the car moves slowly until there's a layby, then a neat three point turn, and back they go. Hunith takes the initiative to tell them the house is coming up on the left, and then tells them where to turn. They park up and the car turns off. There's silence. Hunith tries to open the door.
"Ah. It's got a childlock on. Let your mother out, Edwards," Arthur says.
"You haven't got children. I don't believe a child has ever been given into your care," Merlin says, in no hurry to let Hunith out, distracted by this new unexpected fact.
"No, but Fitzwylliam Darcy can open the doors," Arthur says, talking slowly.
"Don't act like I'm daft for not knowing your ridiculous dog needs a child lock," Merlin grumbles. He's opening the glove compartment and rooting around.
"Edwards."
"Mm?"
"Get out."
Merlin looks up, looks around, laughs, and does so. He trips around to let Hunith out of the car, hugging her again, taking her bag. He talks as they walk to the front of the house, it's broken into flats they have to go around the back the tall gate falling off its hinges.
"i'll fix that," Merlin says, "and then the light went red so we had to stop anyway, and Arthur was really pissy about it all but actually didn't really care. Oh! You painted!"
Hunith watches Merlin taking in the small kitchen, and then turns to see Arthur step into the light. He's wearing a baseball cap under his hood, hands in the big front pocket, he doesn't look nervous. He's tall but not taller than Merlin, he has a very nice face, a bit haughty. He smiles at her and his whole body relaxes, he meets her eyes, he takes his hood and hat off and holds out his hand.
"Hello, I'm Arthur, ma'am," he says. When Hunith takes his hand he uses both hands to press hers warmly, it's all very charming and polite. "I apologise for not introducing myself before, I hate driving."
"Then, thank you for doing it to bring Merlin home," Hunith says, smiling.
It makes his smile go a bit bashful, which is amusing. Hunith pats his hand and points him to Merlin, who's hovering, impatiently, ready to mock him for his posh manners. It's nearly midnight but Hunith hasn't eaten much and the boys have no care for time, ravenously hungry no matter what the clock says. Merlin cooks, which is nice, and Hunith asks Arthur a few questions, but he seems uncomfortable and bewildered talking about school. Hunith talks to Merlin instead, resting her head on her hand, elbow propped on the table, watching him move about by the stove talking enthusiastically.
2.
"Who is he?" Hunith asks.
Arthur has gone to bed, she and Merlin are sitting up with tea still talking. He rang her two weeks ago to say he was coming home, and then four days later he rang again to ask if he could bring someone. Blessing, on a break too, had leant in to the call to whoop and whistle for Merlin getting a girlfriend but Merlin had said no, and no to the suggestion of a boyfriend. Hunith had been pleased he was making friends, but he'd said no to that as well. He'd been worried.
"Arthur Pendragon," Merlin says, frowning, putting his mug down, speaking quietly.
"Pendragon! You said you're not friends?" Hunith says.
"We're not. We had an argument the first time we met and then just kept arguing, and he's really posh, and a bit of a bully to people," Merlin says. "Will hates him. Says he acts like he owns everything."
"Does he?"
"Ha! No. But… I was out, and he was fighting. Propper fighting, like Kanen's on a bad Saturday fighting. He was bleeding and it was going to shit. So i stopped it."
Hunith reaches out to touch his hair, his cheek. Her soft little poof with the big heart, growing up with Will always in trouble. People make the mistake of not realising that Merlin not only knows how to fight but knows how to make it hurt enough to make people stop.
"You saved him," Hunith says.
"Took him home. He was a mess."
"That's when you rang me?" Hunith asks. Merlin shakes his head. "No?"
"It was a week later. I don't know why he's at Ealdor, Mum. Me and Will went cus its close and cheap, Arthur lives on Wil's hall, cheapest shitest rooms," Merlin says. "He was crying. Will told me. Will could hear him crying."
"It sounds like he isn't having an easy time," Hunith says, "you have a big heart."
"It's not just that. I don't think we're friends, we're definitely not anything else, but somehow I feel like I know him. Probably from fighting his stupidity," Merlin says. "I think he might be gay."
"Maybe he is."
"He doesn't seem to know any of us. I got lucky growing up with you, and Blessing- never tell her I said that I'll deny it. And uncle Gaius. And you told me Dad was gay."
"Yes, he was. He was my best friend and evidently…" hunith points at Merlin and Merlin frowns then pulls a face. Huntih grins. "Yes, well, we had a lovely sex life. But yes, he was gay."
"I was concerned, and no one else seemed to be," Merlin finishes.
"Be careful," Hunith says, then grins again. "Do you want to know what I think?"
"No. Not when you look like that."
"I think you like him. Despite yourself," Hunith says.
She gets up and kisses his head as he sputters and tells her how terrible and awful Arthur is while she washes up the mugs, and then he goes to sleep on his bedroom floor in a sleeping bag because the boy he hates so much has his bed. Hunith laughs to herself as she gets ready to sleep too.
3.
Arthur Pendragon does not rise early. Hunith learns this; Merlin is up by nine am to have coffee with her, she suggests waiting for Arthur but Merlin laughs and says that will be futile, so they head out for a walk through the village instead. Hunith likes walking on Merlin’s arm, she’s not sick anymore but when she was they got into the habit, and they keep it up now out of affection. They head for the pond, and then up the hill, round the back and across to the farm where they sell fresh eggs, down through the fields and along the huge drive that leads to the small road. The manor house is at the top, the Kanens who own most of the land stretching all the way to the river. And the pub. And most everything. Merlin met him once. It went well for neither of them.
“Are you getting out a little more?” Hunith asks, as they reach the road, Merlin relaxed and humming, looking around to spot the interesting birds. He scowls at her, the same as he has since he was four and she asked for the first time if he was doing okay with kindergarten.
“I get out,” Merlin says.
“You always tell me about the essays you’re working on, and you’re in the library so much, and you get such good marks,” Hunith says. “I’m very proud of you, but you should have fun too.”
“I have fun,” Merlin says. He sighs. “You work so hard, Mum, this opportunity wasn’t easy for us to get. I want to do well.”
“Do you know what I want?” Hunith asks, heading them toward home.
“No. Probably something awful,” Merlin says.
“Yes. I want you to be happy,” Hunith says. “I want you to enjoy your studying, and have some freedom. To meet people your own age, as smart as you, as powerful as you. I don’t care if you don’t get top marks every time.”
“Are you telling me to skive off and hand in shoddy work?”
“I absolutely am. Come on, I feel bad leaving your friend to fend for himself,” Huntih says.
“It’s barely eleven thirty, Pendragon will be snoring,” Merlin scoffs. “He lives next door to Will, did I mention that? Because it’s hilarious. Will wants to guillotine him. Reign of terror, the whole bit.”
Merlin turns out to be correct, Arthur is still sleeping. Hunith leaves him to it, but Merlin goes up about twelve and wakes him, tossing him into a shower and bringing him down dressed and mostly awake and very polite and apologetic about sleeping in. Merlin assures him it’s fine, calls him a lazy git, wonders if he wants to go see a pig, decides they should drive Hunith anywhere she wants to go instead. Hunith doesn’t really have anywhere she needs to be so the boys bicker over it for a while. Arthur seems to have done meticulous research about things that are nearby their home, he lists off all the local attractions.
They go to the castle that’s a thirty minute drive in the end, Merlin complains about the cost until Arthur promises to pay, adding ‘obviously, Edwards’ with rolled eyes, then catching Hunith watching and flushing, apologising for being rude. This makes Merlin boggle at him. They bicker quite a lot, Hunith doesn’t think there’s any dislike behind any of it, despite what Merlin says he seems to be friends with Arthur. They get along. Their bickering seems to based on TV shows they both watch, books they both read, or classes they both take. Hunith doesn’t know most of their references.
“I think I should buy one of these swords, Edwards, then I can whack you when you’re incorrect,” Arthur says, in the gift shop where they have to get the tickets. "Actually, I really should. This is cool.”
He gets two, and he and Merlin battle their way through the castle, chasing each other. Luckily it’s cold and a bit drizzly and they don’t mow anyone down, the only other people there an older woman with a bored looking child of maybe twelve. Arthur and Merlin both spot him and head over in unspoken consensus, offering him one of the swords. Hunith stands with the woman and watches their game.
“Your boys are kind. He’s my grandson, I didn’t know what to do with him now he’s so big.”
“They’re difficult when they’re that age, aren’t they?” Hunith says, neutrally. She had no problems with Merlin, but he’s her son, not her grandson, and no one is quite like Merlin.
They introduce themselves and talk a bit, not much in common but not bad company for each other. Then Arthur comes over and offers Hunith the second sword with a grin. She had no desire to join their game before, but as soon as she has the sword in her hand she gets the urge to swing it, and when Arthur dances out of her way with a laugh, it is tempting to go after him. When she does, he lets out a whoop of delight, and he’s so bright and eager, and Merlin is cupping his hands around his mouth to shout ‘get him, Mum!’.
[break]
They head for the pub after they exhaust the castle of entertainment. Arthur walks ahead, hands in his pockets, damp because he hasn’t got the right clothes for this sort of outdoors. He seems happier up there than walking with them, so Huntih talks to Merlin and doesn’t try to include him. It’s about ten minutes to walk to the Red Lion, easy to fill. Merlin isn’t paying much attention, though.
“What is it?” Hunith asks.
“Nothing really. Just thinking about work I have due,” Merlin says, shrugging. Then he grins. “Though, after your pep talk this morning…It’s just one essay, I might skip it.”
“Edwards! Skip an essay! Apocalyptical,” Arthur says, catching the end of that, coming back to walk the last few metres with them. “He’s far too conscientious, Ma’am.”
“Just because we had that one group project and I made you do a tiny bit of work,” Merlin says.
“You’re always in the library,” Arthur says.
"How would you know? Have you even found it yet?"
“Never seen you out of it, have I? Batman sitch. Never in the same room etc. Look, pub. We got here.”
“Yeah it was such a long walk,” Merlin says. “Thought we’d die of starvation. And such difficult terrain."
Hunith leaves them to yet more bickering. Merlin, she knows, is enjoying himself. He gets spiky and much, much meaner when he's truly irritated. Arthur she doesn't know, but he seems bright and bouncy, just squawking a bit when Merlin insults his intelligence, his taste, his hair, his ability to pull a pint (which she's pretty sure Merlin can't do either). One of Merlin's school friends works on the bar, tall and built like a brick shit house covered in pride flags, both boys watch starry eyed as she lazily goes about serving the quiet pub, changing a barrel, leaning to chat. Hunith finds a seat to give her feet a rest. Arthur follows her after a moment with her wine and sits too, shoulders hunched.
"If you're tired, that's fine," Hunith murmurs, watching him try and fight it. He slumps, rubs his face, gives her an apologetic smile. "Even Pendragons must get tired sometimes."
"Ah. You know who I am," Arthur says. He sounds sad, but he straightens his shoulders and meets her eyes, as if preparing to take on everything his father did.
"That's alright. We all come from somewhere," Hunith says.
Hunith changes the subject, asking him about the sword fight and listening to him talk eagerly about fencing for a while, watching Merlin sitting at the bar chatting happily. He comes over when their food arrives, following the bar-keep. He brightens when she gives him a coaster with her number on it, making a joke about him not to mistake it for flirting which makes him blush red as a tomato. Hunith stifles her amusement, Arthur does not, and they're back to bickering.
4.
Arthur never stops calling her Mrs Edwards or ma'am, and he's very polite without fail when talking to her. Still, she feels a warmth from him, and she catches the way he looks at Merlin once or twice, naked gratitude and raw affection. Whatever Merlin saw that caused him concern, Hunith can see it too; this boy is needing something. By the time they leave, Hunith has decided that what he needs is friendship.
"Don't give yourself away," Hunith tells Merlin, the night before, Arthur out the back of the flats pretending to smoke. "Be a friend. Just that."
"Just! I have seen you and Blessing, Mum. There's no 'just' about friendship."
Hunith remembers too; being so sick, knowing Blessing would make sure Merlin was collected from school when needed, had his bus pass when that was needed, had food when she had failed to provide. And she remembers going to get Blessing when Liam was drinking and had left her here, there, anywhere. Hunith did not like Liam at all. She likes Jack, the woman Blessing finally married much better, though she still doesn't know her well.
"Well, I like him," Hunith says, smiling at Merlin. "We have something in common."
"Oh god dont tell me you're after watching the rugby again Mum, it was bad enough the first time, that lady didn't even fancy you back!"
"Child! She did, in fact! We had a lovely courtship for two months and then a fantastic two weeks of sex. Not everything needs to be a love story," Hunith says. "I didn't mean rugby, anyway, foolish. I meant you. He likes you, as do I."
When they leave, Hunith misses Merlin before he's even gone. She sees them in the car already bickering, then Arthur's coming back to thank her very sincerely for having him, and then halfway to the car again he comes back a second time to ask if she'd like him to email her photos he's taken here.
"I got some nice ones of Edwards," Arthur explains, indicating Merlin who's hanging out the car yelling at Arthur to hurry up and then yelling sorry to Hunith and then yelling he loves her and laughing.
"That would be nice, Arthur. Take care of him," Hunith says. "Let him take care of you. Just be good to each other."
"Yes ma'am."
"Come ON! Or I'll think you're flirting with me mam! Move your bum, pretty boy!" Merlin calls.
Hunith goes to hug him a last time before he leaves, and then hugs him again, and then waves them off. She has a night shift so she has to get ready for work, she's glad to have something else to focus on besides missing Merlin.
