Same Place, Same Time (1/2)
Title: Same Place, Same Time (standalone)
Author: Sara / ivesia19
Rating: R
Pairing: Brendon/Ryan (Panic) and Merlin/Arthur (Merlin)
POV: 3rd
Summary: The one where Brendon and Ryan end up in Camelot, and Ryan and Merlin don’t like how friendly Brendon is with Arthur’s sword.
Disclaimer: AU. I don’t own any of the characters of Merlin or Brendon and Ryan unfortunately. This is what we call wishful thinking fiction.
Author Notes: For 0bamboo_shoots0 on her 21st birthday!! Merlin fans, don’t know about these boys at a Disco? Aren’t they adorable? And hey there, Panic fans, want to learn about what the hell Merlin is about? This should explain a few things!
---
This couldn’t be right.
Ryan’s head was pounding, his eyes were a little blurry, and the last thing Ryan could remember was yelling at Brendon, telling him once again to let me have my space, oh my God, you’re like a fucking leach!. He had gone to sleep pissed off, a little at Brendon, but mostly at himself because he never could brush off that heartbroken look that crumbled on Brendon’s face whenever Ryan yelled at him. It was possible that despite everything he claimed, Ryan was a little bit in love with his lead singer.
The thing was though, Ryan fell asleep in his bunk alone, and now, waking up, eyes slowly adjusting themselves, Ryan could see that neither one of these statements were true.
Apparently, the bright morning sun had woken Ryan up. Well, it could have been that. It could have also been the arms that were currently wrapped around him, pulling him closer.
Ryan turned his head a little to the side, catching the barest hint of Brendon’s portfolio out of the corner of his eye. He and Brendon were lying, snuggled together in what appeared to be a wide open field. When Ryan had fallen asleep he had been in his bunk, driving through New Jersey.
Yeah, things really weren’t adding up.
Next to him, Brendon seemed to be stirring. A groggy groan was muffled against Ryan’s neck, and he could feel Brendon loosen his hold on him to stretch out his arms.
“Knew you couldn’t stay mad at me,” Brendon said, his lips so close to Ryan’s skin that he could feel Brendon’s breath hot against him. He could feel it when Brendon smiled too. “And you say I’m clingy? I’m not the one who snuck into your bunk for snuggle time.”
Ryan huffed and detangled himself from Brendon’s hold. “You idiot, look around,” he shouted as he got to his feet. His face felt a little hot, but he hoped it didn’t show. He had gotten good at not letting anything slip. “We’re not in our bunks.”
Brendon furrowed his brow as he looked around. “Where the fuck are we? Ryan, how did you manage to carry me into a field while I was sleeping? It’s romantic and all, but I’m a pretty light sleeper.” His eyes grew wide. “You didn’t drug me did you?”
“What?” Ryan asked incredulously both at Brendon’s flippant use of romanticism, used as if he didn’t really care, and also at his apparent belief that Ryan Ross had date rape drugs. Sometimes Brendon could be exceptionally stupid.
“You did!” Brendon claimed. “You drugged me!” He pointed an accusatory finger at Ryan and then frowned. “You didn’t rape me did you? Because I totally would have said yes if I was conscious. You would have had a stigma for nothing.”
Ryan let out a frustrated groan. “Brendon, I didn’t drug you and I definitely didn’t rape you.”
“All you have to do is ask,” Brendon said, seemingly unaffected by Ryan’s tone.
“Can we stay focused?” Ryan interrupted testily. It was always so difficult with Brendon, always just a big joke. “We woke up in the middle of a fucking field, Bren!” He looked around once more. “I don’t even know where the fuck we could be. There aren’t any buildings within sight, and I don’t hear any cars so I doubt a road is nearby. How the fuck did this happen?”
Brendon pulled himself up, yawning a little, stretching. “Dude, it’s either a dream or magic, and considering you and I aren’t making out already, I’m gonna have to cast my vote for magic.”
Ryan didn’t even want to think about what type of dream Brendon was talking about, but really, magic was the most moronic idea ever. Magic didn’t exist. He had learned that the hard way. His invocation spells with his so-called coven never actually accomplished anything. Magic was all a waste of time, and to make matters worse, he still had those stupid tattoos on the back of his arms.
“Magic doesn’t exist,” Ryan said.
Brendon quirked an eyebrow. “I remember someone preaching the wonders of Isis not too long ago.” Ryan shot him a look. “Just saying, dude” Brendon responded, holding his hands up in a defensive manner, “you had a book of shadows”.
“Whatever,” Ryan responded, trying to brush off his failures as a bad ass Wiccan. It was a great idea. Way cooler than Catholicism. “We need to find our way back to the bus. Do you have your phone with you?”
Brendon checked his pockets. Thankfully he was wearing clothes, a miracle considering how many times Ryan had seen Brendon stumble naked out from his bunk. Though that was another story entirely.
Ryan, too, was thankful for his own relatively normal outfit, though he felt a little bit naked with only jeans and a t-shirt. He was itching for some accessories.
“No luck,” Brendon said. “I’m surprised you don’t have your phone with you considering how much time you spend texting.”
Ryan flicked Brendon off easily. “It ran out of batteries, and I had to charge it.”
Brendon sighed. “Well, I guess we walk? Find a place with a phone.”
“Walk?” Ryan repeated. The word was distasteful in his mouth. “We don’t even know which way to go!” he objected. “Plus, neither one of us has shoes on, Bren. How far do you think we’re going to have to go before we actually run into someone?”
“We could always just ask that guy over there,” Brendon said, pointing just beyond Ryan’s shoulder.
When Ryan turned around, he saw a guy around his age trudging through the field. Ryan tilted his head to the side. The guy had a pretty cool neckerchief on.
---
Merlin grumbled to himself. Arthur was always sending him out on the stupidest chores. He didn’t see why it was his responsibility to pick flowers for Morgana. He wasn’t the one that had upset her. He had had half a mind to just get Gwen to go get her flowers since she didn’t seem to mind doing menial tasks if they made Morgana smile, but Merlin knew it would get back to Arthur somehow, and he really didn’t want to spend another afternoon in the stocks.
Stupid Arthur with his stupid power trip.
He should just conjure some flowers up that left Arthur’s hands multicolored or something. He was making his way across the field towards that place that he had found those flowers the other week (the pretty blue ones that he pressed in the pages of Gaius’ books for fun) when he heard someone yell out to him.
“Hey!”
Turning, Merlin could see two men around his age standing in the middle of the field. They were wearing rather strange clothing, and one of them was jumping up and down, waving his hands around while the other was looking moody. Merlin stopped for a moment. There was something definitely off about those two, but he changed his path towards them.
“Hello,” he said.
Up close, their clothes were even stranger, and on one of the boy’s arms there was an odd marking: something that was alternating black and white with vibrant flowers around it. Maybe they were part of some strange clan.
Thankfully, they didn’t look like Druids.
“Hi,” the one man said again, grinning widely. He seemed much more approachable than the other, who didn’t step forward with his companion and greet Merlin. “Do you happen to have a cell phone we could use?” he asked, and then in the same breath he said, “I love your outfit, is there a Renaissance Faire around here or something?”
The boy with the lighter hair let out a soft snort, but Merlin didn’t pay him any mind. He was too confused by the questions.
“A cell phone?” he repeated, frowning. “I don’t… and what about renaissance? A rebirth?” He was flustered. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
It was possible that these men were mad.
Frowning, the man asked, “Well, do you know where we are?” He turned to his companion. “I think we can’t be that far from the bus.” The other man shrugged.
There was a dull throb in Merlin’s head now. Nothing was really making sense. So many of the words that the man was using were foreign.
Suddenly, Merlin felt a hand on his own, pulling him out of his confusion. “I’m Brendon by the way,” the friendlier man said, shaking Merlin’s hand. “And that’s Ryan.” He pointed just behind him. “We’re a little lost. Don’t really know how we ended up here really, but we need to find a phone or something so we can get back to our friends.”
There was that word again: phone. Yes, they were definitely insane.
“Do you know where your friends are?” Merlin asked, trying to just deal with what he could make sense of. It was all a little strange, and Ryan, the other man, the one who hadn’t said anything, was staring at Merlin with a calculating look.
Brendon shrugged. “I assume they’re on the road somewhere. I’m not really that observant to where we are,” he admitted. “But they probably stopped the bus when they realized Ryan and I were missing.”
Merlin really wished he could understand what in the world this guy was talking about. It was getting more than just a little bit frustrating. Maybe he could cast a spell so Brendon would stop speaking nonsense. “So you need help finding your friends.”
“Pretty much,” Brendon said. He smiled. “I’m sorry, I never got your name.”
“It’s Merlin.”
There was a little laugh, one that was almost hysterical, and then Ryan spoke up. “I don’t fucking believe this.”
Brendon furrowed his brow, turning to his companion. “What?”
Ryan finally took a step closer, close enough for Merlin to see the faint smudge of something (charcoal?) around his eyes. “This is so lame,” Ryan said.
“What is?” asked Brendon. Merlin watched as Ryan shook his head and ran a hand through his hair.
“We’re in fucking medieval Camelot, Bren.”
Brendon laughed. “I know we woke up in the middle of a field, Ryan, but Camelot? Really? Man, you have to stop smoking up so often.”
Ryan frowned, pointing at Merlin. “His name is Merlin,” Ryan said. “He doesn’t know what the fuck cell phones are or buses and he’s wearing like a fucking wool tunic.”
Now Merlin was even more confused. If that was possible. “I’m sorry, but can I interrupt for a second?” Neither boy said anything so Merlin plowed ahead. Despite all their crazy talk, they definitely needed some help. “We are right outside of Camelot. I can take you there if you’d like. I could take you to a place to stay,” he offered.
“Told you,” Ryan said, his voice sounding smug. Brendon tilted his head to the side, looking at Merlin in a way that made him a little bit uncomfortable. He was even more uncomfortable when Brendon poked him hard in the arm.
“Hey!”
“Just making sure you’re real,” Brendon said unapologetically. “And why aren’t you old? Aren’t you supposed to be old? And have like an owl or a pointy purple hat or something?”
Merlin blinked. “What?”
Ryan sighed. “Okay, here’s a summary. Basically Brendon and I are from the year 2009 and we somehow woke up here with you. And you’re a famous medieval magician.”
“I’m not a magician,” Merlin protested, panic coursing through him. Didn’t these men know any better than to accuse someone of using magic. It was dangerous - a death sentence!
“You totally are,” Brendon said. “I remember that. And you make plates dance.”
“Anyway,” Ryan said, ignoring Brendon (Merlin figured that was for the best since he didn’t know what the man was talking about), “since you’re a wizard and all that, we’d really appreciate it if you could send us home.”
“Oh!” Brendon interrupted, “can you make it really cool, like a swirling, colorful time vortex?” It was taking Merlin a while to catch up. Apparently these men knew about him somehow and were from the future. He paused a moment, thinking about the likelihood of that. Well, he had seen stranger things. There was just one problem.
“Um, I don’t really know exactly how I could send you home,” Merlin admitted. “I’m not really that well-versed in magic.”
Ryan frowned. “You’re Merlin.”
“You keep saying that like it means something,” Merlin grumbled. He sighed a little to himself. Why did everyone around him get to know more about his future than him? First the dragon and now these men from the future. Well, actually, that made a little bit of sense.
“It does mean something,” Brendon asserted, but Ryan cut him off.
“Can you take us to someone who can help us?” Merlin frowned. His tutor Gaius wouldn’t be back until tomorrow, but he couldn’t really leave Ryan and Brendon in the middle of a strange land. “All right,” he agreed. “Follow me.”
Brendon let out a happy yelp, pulling on Ryan’s arm. “We’re going to Camelot, this is so cool!”
---
“Camelot is way more cool in the movies,” Brendon bemoaned, keeping close to Ryan and Merlin. “It smells terrible here!”
“Could you maybe try to be a little more inconspicuous?” Merlin asked, looking around the overflowing streets warily. “Your accents will cause suspicion.”
Ryan arched an eyebrow up at Merlin. “I think our clothes would be a bigger problem,” he pointed out. “You all haven’t discovered the wonders of denim yet.”
Merlin didn’t look amused by Ryan’s comment, but he continued leading them through the streets. Brendon was hurrying after, head constantly swinging from side to side, trying to take everything in. “Did you see that?” Brendon whispered loudly to Ryan as they continued through the crowd (it was more like a yell really, but the noise of the place was overwhelming). “There are real live chickens.” He squealed. “Oh my God, Ry, they have stocks! This is like the time we visited Revolutionary America!”
Brendon excitedly ran up to the stocks, and a horrified looking Merlin quickly ran after him. Ryan simply stood down below the platform, shaking his head as he heard Merlin try to convince Brendon that “No, it actually is a terrible idea to put your head through that.” And “Yes, people actually do get locked in them”, which was followed by an exasperated “rotten fruit actually hurts a lot when someone throws it at you.”
Ryan joined Merlin and Brendon as they left the stocks behind, a small frown tugging on Brendon’s lips. Ryan tried and failed miserably to not find that adorable.
“I guess it doesn’t really matter,” Brendon told Ryan. “I don’t have my camera with me anyway.”
Brendon’s sad expression lightened a little as Ryan patted him on the back. He vaguely considered holding his hand (because yeah, Brendon sort of loved that and maybe Ryan got a little warm and fuzzy when he dared to let himself reach out), but Ryan decided that two guys holding hands in Medieval Europe was probably a bad idea, so he let his hand remain down by his side.
Merlin was a little way ahead of them, muttering something to himself, every so often throwing a look back at Brendon and Ryan, shaking his head.
“Just out of curiosity,” Ryan started, “where exactly are you planning on taking us?”
“I suppose the only place I can take you is back to the castle,” Merlin answered.
With those words Brendon’s pout was completely gone. His eyes widened to an almost comical size and he actually stopped dead in his tracks, holding his hands out in front of him as he took a deep breath. “We get to go to an actual castle?”
He sounded awed.
“Well, that’s where I live,” Merlin answered. “I’m Prince Arthur’s manservant.”
Ryan snorted.
“What?” Merlin asked.
“That’s just a little gay,” Ryan responded. “What, do you like dress him and do his hair in the morning?”
Merlin crossed his chest. “I do other things too.” His face turned red as Ryan began laughing. “Come on, we should get moving,” he said, changing the subject as he started to walk through the streets again.
“Will I get a four-poster bed?” Brendon shouted up ahead, tripping just a little over his feet, but Ryan knew that it was because he was so excited. It was a little cute, actually.
“You’ll get whatever I can scrounge up,” Merlin said. “It’s not like Arthur is going to offer you a guest room. In fact, it would be best if Arthur didn’t know that you two are here.”
“Why?” Ryan asked as Brendon whined “But I want to eat dinner with him around the Round Table!”
Merlin threw a confused look at Brendon, but answered Ryan’s question. “Magic is outlawed here. If Arthur or his father find out that you two are from the future…” He paused. “Well, let’s just say that the stocks would be a far too lenient punishment in their minds.”
“How can you be Arthur’s sex slave if magic is forbidden,” Brendon asked. “Doesn’t that cause some problems?”
“I’m not a sex slave!” Merlin yelled. Ryan figured that Merlin was probably glad that the market place was so loud since his words didn’t appear to be heard by anyone but Brendon and him.
“He’s very defensive,” Brendon whispered to Ryan and Ryan laughed.
“I’ll just drop you two off at Gaius’ quarters before I finish my chores. We’ll start working on your problem later,” Merlin said.
“Okay,” Ryan responded, but when Merlin got far enough ahead he leaned in close to Brendon and said, “I bet his chores are kinky.”
Brendon grinned. “Sex. Slave. Ross, that’s so fucked up. How did history get it so wrong?”
---
Arthur sighed. “Merlin, you are the worst manservant ever.”
Despite the fact that Merlin heard that exact complaint at least four times a day, it never stopped being a little bit hurtful. And it wasn’t his fault that he didn’t get the flowers. It’s not every day that people get thrown into the past. But still, Merlin didn’t want an angry Arthur on his hands. Even though he made angry look good.
“I can go back out and get the flowers if you’d like,” he said. It had taken longer than he had thought getting Brendon and Ryan situated in Gaius’ quarters, and even though he had explicitly told Brendon not to touch anything, he had his doubts.
“No, no, that would be idiotic,” Arthur snapped. “Then you would be far behind on your other chores.” He frowned. “For instance, shouldn’t you be doing something manservantly now?”
Merlin tried desperately hard not to think about what Ryan and Brendon had said about what they assumed were the tasks that a manservant performed.
Upon Arthur’s angry tisk, Merlin pulled himself out of his quickly developing daydream. One that involved a rather low cut v in a well-hung tunic. “Sorry, what did you say?”
Arthur pursed his mouth a little, shaking his head, obviously annoyed at Merlin’s lack of attention. To be honest, Merlin didn’t really care. Sometimes it was fun to see the color rise in Arthur’s cheeks. It offset his hair nicely.
“Finish your chores,” Arthur commanded, waving Merlin off with a flippant jerk of his hand. “If you think that you could manage that.”
Merlin managed to suppress his eye roll as he made his way out of Arthur’s chambers.
As soon as he left Arthur, his heart, which had seemed to be beating faster than normal, slowed down. It always did that when he left Arthur. It was strange. Merlin thought back to that one dream that he had had only the night before. The dream where the dragon was telling him, repeating ad nauseum “Two sides of the same coin”.
He remembered how Arthur had been there, how he had looked at Merlin, how he had touched Merlin… …How Merlin had woken up flushed and panting… He hurried off to finish his chores quickly, trying to clear his minds of anything thoughts of Arthur or a stupid, meaningless dream.
He had bigger problems to worry about at the moment. Like boys from the future.
He just hoped that Ryan and Brendon weren’t getting into too much trouble.
---
“Ryan, I’m bored,” Brendon whined from his seat around the long, wood table. “You’d think that a sorcerer’s stuff would be interesting, but this is all boring and really confusing.” He threw the book he had been looking over to the side.
Picking up the book, Ryan frowned. “That’s probably because The Great Vowel Shift hasn’t occurred yet,” he said. Brendon didn’t even bother to ask, and Ryan didn’t go on. Honestly, he didn’t care about it either. Stupid English lessons lingering in his brain. He wondered how much more pot he would have to smoke until all that useless information dissipated.
“Let’s explore the castle,” Brendon suggested. “Oh! Let’s go to the stables and look at the horses. You know they have to have horses.”
Honestly, Ryan wasn’t a huge fan of horses (okay, maybe they scared him a little), but Brendon looked so genuinely excited at the thought of looking at horses that Ryan didn’t quite know how to say no. He could tell Brendon that Merlin had told them to stay in the room, but really, what sort of trouble could they get into?
“Yeah, okay,” Ryan agreed, pulling himself up out of the very uncomfortable chair. “Just for a little though. We have to get back before Merlin does or he’ll freak out.”
“He seems to be a little tightly wound,” Brendon commented.
“Probably just needs to get laid,” Ryan said, snorting.
Brendon grinned lavishly. “Well, I could be a good Samaritan. You know, take one for the team.”
Ryan’s heart possibly stopped for a second. But only a second, really. The thought of Brendon with Merlin actually made it difficult to breathe. There was no way he was going to let some stupid wizard from the past put his hands on his Brendon.
Somehow though, he managed a laugh. “I don’t think you’re his type.”
“I’m everyone’s type,” Brendon argued. He got up and circled his fingers around Ryan’s wrist. “Come on, let’s go find these stables.”
The various hallways in the castle were confusing. Ryan and Brendon seemed to make several little circles around the same corridors before they managed to make their way outside.
“I see them!” Brendon exclaimed, pulling Ryan across the long grass towards a wooden structure not too far away. Ryan tried to keep up with Brendon’s quick pace, Brendon’s tight hold on his wrist burning hot where their skin touched.
He could smell the horses before he could see them, but Brendon didn’t seem to be deterred by the odor.
“They’re so pretty,” Brendon cooed, reaching a hand out to stroke down the side of a large, chestnut colored horse. Ryan was relieved to see that the horse didn’t bite Brendon’s hand off. “She’s got your eyes, Ross.”
Ryan rolled his eyes but gave Brendon a playful nudge in the side.
“Here, pet her.” Brendon let his hand fall from the horse’s mane, and he took Ryan’s hand in his own. His fingers splayed out the tightly held fingers of Ryan’s right hand, and he placed his own palm, warm and comforting, overtop Ryan’s hand as he led him towards the horse. Ryan’s hand wasn’t even shaking. That much. “Gently,” he said, and together their hands smoothed over the horses side.
Ryan shifted forward a little, feeling a little more comfortable, a little less scared, and suddenly Brendon was right behind him, his body an electrifying presence, and when the horse snorted and Brendon laughed, Ryan could feel the tickle of Brendon’s breath against his neck.
The thought occurred to Ryan then, the thought to turn around and face Brendon, throw him a coy smile. It would be easy, he could do it. He could turn around and kiss Brendon, no problems. He could finally take that chance, that chance that he had been letting pass him by for five years.
Except for the fact that at that moment a voice cut through the quiet hum of the stables.
“What are you two doing here?”
---
When Merlin looked out through the back windows of the castle and saw three figures off near the stables, all of which he could recognize, he knew that there would soon be trouble.
He grumbled to himself about how he knew it was a bad idea to leave those two alone, but mostly his ramblings were serving to try and distract himself from blind panic. Because yes, that was there too.
Arthur was talking to two boys from the future. Magic hating Arthur. Boys from the future. Not good.
He hurried across the lawn, but when he got close enough to make out what the figures were actually doing, he frowned.
Arthur was standing behind Brendon, and his arms were wrapped around him. “Yes, hold the sword just like that,” Merlin could hear Arthur say before a murmur of encouragement spilled out.
Merlin didn’t know why, but seeing Arthur’s arms wrapped around Brendon was not something he wanted to see. Especially when they mirrored the look of Arthur’s arms around him in his dream. Peeking over at Ryan, who was slouched against the wall of the stable, Merlin took some comfort in knowing that he wasn’t the only one who was obviously bothered by this….display.
Brendon turned, grin bright on his face as he swung the sword. “Merlin!” he cried happily. “Arthur is teaching me how to fight.” He looked over his shoulder at Arthur. It was sickening how much Brendon seemed to glow as Arthur smiled.
“You didn’t tell me you had friends visiting, Merlin,” Arthur chastised. “If I had known we were having guests I would have planned a feast.”
Merlin knew that Arthur would never plan an entire feast for guests of his. Not normally. He held back the glare that he desperately wanted to throw at Brendon. “I was just teaching Brendon how to wield my sword,” Arthur continued.
In the background, Ryan snorted a sardonic laugh, and Merlin could just barely hear a muttered, “I bet you’d like that, asshole.” Brendon and Arthur, however, seemed to be oblivious to Ryan’s angry mutters and Merlin’s increasing irritation.
“I think that you could put together a nice dinner for tonight for our guests, don’t you, Merlin?” Arthur asked. For some reason, his eyes didn’t seem to leave Brendon’s. Merlin felt something harsh and hot course through his body.
“Yes, sire,” he practically spit out as he wondered exactly how he could manage to make flying horse brushes attacking Arthur seem like a normal occurance.
“Excellent,” Arthur responded happily. “And make sure to get some guests rooms ready and show Brendon and…”
“Ryan,” Ryan grumbled.
“Right.” Arthur shrugged. “Ryan to where they’ll be sleeping.”
Merlin could barely believe this. How in the name of anything sacred did Arthur stumble upon two boys in jeans and not get suspicious of magic? How could he look at Brendon like that? Like he wanted to….
That was impossible. Merlin knew that Arthur wasn’t like that. Even if sometimes Merlin wondered.
“Oh, and Merlin, make sure that their rooms are near mine.” Arthur took his sword back from Brendon, and Merlin could see how he let his fingers linger. “The rooms are nicer there.”
---
Ryan didn’t bother knocking on the door to Brendon’s guest room. The room that was right across the hall from that fucking Arthur.
"What’s up?” Brendon asked as Ryan slammed the door behind him.
Ryan quirked an eyebrow. “Oh Arthur, your sword is so big!” he feigned. “Can you show me the grip you like?” He snorted. “You have to be fucking kidding me, Bren.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Brendon insisted, crossing his arms across his chest as he sat down on the bed.
“You were practically asking him to fuck you in the stables!”
Brendon grinned. “You jealous, Ryan?”
Ryan burned red. He wasn’t jealous. And even if he was a little bit (teeny tiny, really) that wasn’t the point. “It’s just wrong. He’s from the past. It’s creepy.”
"Lame,” Brendon said.
“Whatever,” Ryan defended. “I just don’t like the way he looks at you.”
“And how’s that?” Brendon asked, rising off the bed, suddenly right in front of Ryan.
Ryan took a deep breath and sighed. He knew what he should say, what he could say. He knew he could say that he didn’t like Arthur looking at Brendon like Ryan looked at Brendon, at how he always thought Brendon looked at him, but he didn’t.
“I just don’t think it’s right for you to flirt and give him the wrong idea,” Ryan said. “And did you see how Merlin reacted to Arthur ‘showing you his sword’? That boy is obviously in love with Arthur. You don’t have to be an asshole and rub what he doesn’t have into his face.”
Brendon’s body stiffened a little bit. “I was just having a little bit of fun, Ross. Jesus, you don’t have to get all morally superior on me.” He scratched the back of his neck, raising his arm so that his shirt lifted up just the tiniest amount, uncovering a small silver of toned stomach. “I was just excited to be able to see a real sword. I promise, I won’t make a move on the mythical future king of Camelot.”
Brendon threw Ryan a silly grin, one that made Ryan wonder why he had ever been mad at Brendon at all. It seemed as if a giant weight had been lifted off of Ryan’s chest, and he managed to throw Brendon a half-hearted smile.
“Good. I’m glad.”
“Because of Merlin?” Brendon asked, and Ryan wondered if he was misreading the look in Brendon’s eyes. It was only there for a moment, reveling and startling, but it was gone so quickly that Ryan couldn’t help but think that he had just imagined it.
There was a chance, another chance, a chance where Ryan could say that it wasn’t really about Merlin, it was about how he didn’t want Brendon to hang all over some guy. Some really, really ridiculously hot guy. Hell, he even rocked a good v-neck. But once again, Ryan let his mind take over, and he smiled, leading the conversation back to safer waters.
Part Two
Author: Sara / ivesia19
Rating: R
Pairing: Brendon/Ryan (Panic) and Merlin/Arthur (Merlin)
POV: 3rd
Summary: The one where Brendon and Ryan end up in Camelot, and Ryan and Merlin don’t like how friendly Brendon is with Arthur’s sword.
Disclaimer: AU. I don’t own any of the characters of Merlin or Brendon and Ryan unfortunately. This is what we call wishful thinking fiction.
Author Notes: For 0bamboo_shoots0 on her 21st birthday!! Merlin fans, don’t know about these boys at a Disco? Aren’t they adorable? And hey there, Panic fans, want to learn about what the hell Merlin is about? This should explain a few things!
---
This couldn’t be right.
Ryan’s head was pounding, his eyes were a little blurry, and the last thing Ryan could remember was yelling at Brendon, telling him once again to let me have my space, oh my God, you’re like a fucking leach!. He had gone to sleep pissed off, a little at Brendon, but mostly at himself because he never could brush off that heartbroken look that crumbled on Brendon’s face whenever Ryan yelled at him. It was possible that despite everything he claimed, Ryan was a little bit in love with his lead singer.
The thing was though, Ryan fell asleep in his bunk alone, and now, waking up, eyes slowly adjusting themselves, Ryan could see that neither one of these statements were true.
Apparently, the bright morning sun had woken Ryan up. Well, it could have been that. It could have also been the arms that were currently wrapped around him, pulling him closer.
Ryan turned his head a little to the side, catching the barest hint of Brendon’s portfolio out of the corner of his eye. He and Brendon were lying, snuggled together in what appeared to be a wide open field. When Ryan had fallen asleep he had been in his bunk, driving through New Jersey.
Yeah, things really weren’t adding up.
Next to him, Brendon seemed to be stirring. A groggy groan was muffled against Ryan’s neck, and he could feel Brendon loosen his hold on him to stretch out his arms.
“Knew you couldn’t stay mad at me,” Brendon said, his lips so close to Ryan’s skin that he could feel Brendon’s breath hot against him. He could feel it when Brendon smiled too. “And you say I’m clingy? I’m not the one who snuck into your bunk for snuggle time.”
Ryan huffed and detangled himself from Brendon’s hold. “You idiot, look around,” he shouted as he got to his feet. His face felt a little hot, but he hoped it didn’t show. He had gotten good at not letting anything slip. “We’re not in our bunks.”
Brendon furrowed his brow as he looked around. “Where the fuck are we? Ryan, how did you manage to carry me into a field while I was sleeping? It’s romantic and all, but I’m a pretty light sleeper.” His eyes grew wide. “You didn’t drug me did you?”
“What?” Ryan asked incredulously both at Brendon’s flippant use of romanticism, used as if he didn’t really care, and also at his apparent belief that Ryan Ross had date rape drugs. Sometimes Brendon could be exceptionally stupid.
“You did!” Brendon claimed. “You drugged me!” He pointed an accusatory finger at Ryan and then frowned. “You didn’t rape me did you? Because I totally would have said yes if I was conscious. You would have had a stigma for nothing.”
Ryan let out a frustrated groan. “Brendon, I didn’t drug you and I definitely didn’t rape you.”
“All you have to do is ask,” Brendon said, seemingly unaffected by Ryan’s tone.
“Can we stay focused?” Ryan interrupted testily. It was always so difficult with Brendon, always just a big joke. “We woke up in the middle of a fucking field, Bren!” He looked around once more. “I don’t even know where the fuck we could be. There aren’t any buildings within sight, and I don’t hear any cars so I doubt a road is nearby. How the fuck did this happen?”
Brendon pulled himself up, yawning a little, stretching. “Dude, it’s either a dream or magic, and considering you and I aren’t making out already, I’m gonna have to cast my vote for magic.”
Ryan didn’t even want to think about what type of dream Brendon was talking about, but really, magic was the most moronic idea ever. Magic didn’t exist. He had learned that the hard way. His invocation spells with his so-called coven never actually accomplished anything. Magic was all a waste of time, and to make matters worse, he still had those stupid tattoos on the back of his arms.
“Magic doesn’t exist,” Ryan said.
Brendon quirked an eyebrow. “I remember someone preaching the wonders of Isis not too long ago.” Ryan shot him a look. “Just saying, dude” Brendon responded, holding his hands up in a defensive manner, “you had a book of shadows”.
“Whatever,” Ryan responded, trying to brush off his failures as a bad ass Wiccan. It was a great idea. Way cooler than Catholicism. “We need to find our way back to the bus. Do you have your phone with you?”
Brendon checked his pockets. Thankfully he was wearing clothes, a miracle considering how many times Ryan had seen Brendon stumble naked out from his bunk. Though that was another story entirely.
Ryan, too, was thankful for his own relatively normal outfit, though he felt a little bit naked with only jeans and a t-shirt. He was itching for some accessories.
“No luck,” Brendon said. “I’m surprised you don’t have your phone with you considering how much time you spend texting.”
Ryan flicked Brendon off easily. “It ran out of batteries, and I had to charge it.”
Brendon sighed. “Well, I guess we walk? Find a place with a phone.”
“Walk?” Ryan repeated. The word was distasteful in his mouth. “We don’t even know which way to go!” he objected. “Plus, neither one of us has shoes on, Bren. How far do you think we’re going to have to go before we actually run into someone?”
“We could always just ask that guy over there,” Brendon said, pointing just beyond Ryan’s shoulder.
When Ryan turned around, he saw a guy around his age trudging through the field. Ryan tilted his head to the side. The guy had a pretty cool neckerchief on.
---
Merlin grumbled to himself. Arthur was always sending him out on the stupidest chores. He didn’t see why it was his responsibility to pick flowers for Morgana. He wasn’t the one that had upset her. He had had half a mind to just get Gwen to go get her flowers since she didn’t seem to mind doing menial tasks if they made Morgana smile, but Merlin knew it would get back to Arthur somehow, and he really didn’t want to spend another afternoon in the stocks.
Stupid Arthur with his stupid power trip.
He should just conjure some flowers up that left Arthur’s hands multicolored or something. He was making his way across the field towards that place that he had found those flowers the other week (the pretty blue ones that he pressed in the pages of Gaius’ books for fun) when he heard someone yell out to him.
“Hey!”
Turning, Merlin could see two men around his age standing in the middle of the field. They were wearing rather strange clothing, and one of them was jumping up and down, waving his hands around while the other was looking moody. Merlin stopped for a moment. There was something definitely off about those two, but he changed his path towards them.
“Hello,” he said.
Up close, their clothes were even stranger, and on one of the boy’s arms there was an odd marking: something that was alternating black and white with vibrant flowers around it. Maybe they were part of some strange clan.
Thankfully, they didn’t look like Druids.
“Hi,” the one man said again, grinning widely. He seemed much more approachable than the other, who didn’t step forward with his companion and greet Merlin. “Do you happen to have a cell phone we could use?” he asked, and then in the same breath he said, “I love your outfit, is there a Renaissance Faire around here or something?”
The boy with the lighter hair let out a soft snort, but Merlin didn’t pay him any mind. He was too confused by the questions.
“A cell phone?” he repeated, frowning. “I don’t… and what about renaissance? A rebirth?” He was flustered. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
It was possible that these men were mad.
Frowning, the man asked, “Well, do you know where we are?” He turned to his companion. “I think we can’t be that far from the bus.” The other man shrugged.
There was a dull throb in Merlin’s head now. Nothing was really making sense. So many of the words that the man was using were foreign.
Suddenly, Merlin felt a hand on his own, pulling him out of his confusion. “I’m Brendon by the way,” the friendlier man said, shaking Merlin’s hand. “And that’s Ryan.” He pointed just behind him. “We’re a little lost. Don’t really know how we ended up here really, but we need to find a phone or something so we can get back to our friends.”
There was that word again: phone. Yes, they were definitely insane.
“Do you know where your friends are?” Merlin asked, trying to just deal with what he could make sense of. It was all a little strange, and Ryan, the other man, the one who hadn’t said anything, was staring at Merlin with a calculating look.
Brendon shrugged. “I assume they’re on the road somewhere. I’m not really that observant to where we are,” he admitted. “But they probably stopped the bus when they realized Ryan and I were missing.”
Merlin really wished he could understand what in the world this guy was talking about. It was getting more than just a little bit frustrating. Maybe he could cast a spell so Brendon would stop speaking nonsense. “So you need help finding your friends.”
“Pretty much,” Brendon said. He smiled. “I’m sorry, I never got your name.”
“It’s Merlin.”
There was a little laugh, one that was almost hysterical, and then Ryan spoke up. “I don’t fucking believe this.”
Brendon furrowed his brow, turning to his companion. “What?”
Ryan finally took a step closer, close enough for Merlin to see the faint smudge of something (charcoal?) around his eyes. “This is so lame,” Ryan said.
“What is?” asked Brendon. Merlin watched as Ryan shook his head and ran a hand through his hair.
“We’re in fucking medieval Camelot, Bren.”
Brendon laughed. “I know we woke up in the middle of a field, Ryan, but Camelot? Really? Man, you have to stop smoking up so often.”
Ryan frowned, pointing at Merlin. “His name is Merlin,” Ryan said. “He doesn’t know what the fuck cell phones are or buses and he’s wearing like a fucking wool tunic.”
Now Merlin was even more confused. If that was possible. “I’m sorry, but can I interrupt for a second?” Neither boy said anything so Merlin plowed ahead. Despite all their crazy talk, they definitely needed some help. “We are right outside of Camelot. I can take you there if you’d like. I could take you to a place to stay,” he offered.
“Told you,” Ryan said, his voice sounding smug. Brendon tilted his head to the side, looking at Merlin in a way that made him a little bit uncomfortable. He was even more uncomfortable when Brendon poked him hard in the arm.
“Hey!”
“Just making sure you’re real,” Brendon said unapologetically. “And why aren’t you old? Aren’t you supposed to be old? And have like an owl or a pointy purple hat or something?”
Merlin blinked. “What?”
Ryan sighed. “Okay, here’s a summary. Basically Brendon and I are from the year 2009 and we somehow woke up here with you. And you’re a famous medieval magician.”
“I’m not a magician,” Merlin protested, panic coursing through him. Didn’t these men know any better than to accuse someone of using magic. It was dangerous - a death sentence!
“You totally are,” Brendon said. “I remember that. And you make plates dance.”
“Anyway,” Ryan said, ignoring Brendon (Merlin figured that was for the best since he didn’t know what the man was talking about), “since you’re a wizard and all that, we’d really appreciate it if you could send us home.”
“Oh!” Brendon interrupted, “can you make it really cool, like a swirling, colorful time vortex?” It was taking Merlin a while to catch up. Apparently these men knew about him somehow and were from the future. He paused a moment, thinking about the likelihood of that. Well, he had seen stranger things. There was just one problem.
“Um, I don’t really know exactly how I could send you home,” Merlin admitted. “I’m not really that well-versed in magic.”
Ryan frowned. “You’re Merlin.”
“You keep saying that like it means something,” Merlin grumbled. He sighed a little to himself. Why did everyone around him get to know more about his future than him? First the dragon and now these men from the future. Well, actually, that made a little bit of sense.
“It does mean something,” Brendon asserted, but Ryan cut him off.
“Can you take us to someone who can help us?” Merlin frowned. His tutor Gaius wouldn’t be back until tomorrow, but he couldn’t really leave Ryan and Brendon in the middle of a strange land. “All right,” he agreed. “Follow me.”
Brendon let out a happy yelp, pulling on Ryan’s arm. “We’re going to Camelot, this is so cool!”
---
“Camelot is way more cool in the movies,” Brendon bemoaned, keeping close to Ryan and Merlin. “It smells terrible here!”
“Could you maybe try to be a little more inconspicuous?” Merlin asked, looking around the overflowing streets warily. “Your accents will cause suspicion.”
Ryan arched an eyebrow up at Merlin. “I think our clothes would be a bigger problem,” he pointed out. “You all haven’t discovered the wonders of denim yet.”
Merlin didn’t look amused by Ryan’s comment, but he continued leading them through the streets. Brendon was hurrying after, head constantly swinging from side to side, trying to take everything in. “Did you see that?” Brendon whispered loudly to Ryan as they continued through the crowd (it was more like a yell really, but the noise of the place was overwhelming). “There are real live chickens.” He squealed. “Oh my God, Ry, they have stocks! This is like the time we visited Revolutionary America!”
Brendon excitedly ran up to the stocks, and a horrified looking Merlin quickly ran after him. Ryan simply stood down below the platform, shaking his head as he heard Merlin try to convince Brendon that “No, it actually is a terrible idea to put your head through that.” And “Yes, people actually do get locked in them”, which was followed by an exasperated “rotten fruit actually hurts a lot when someone throws it at you.”
Ryan joined Merlin and Brendon as they left the stocks behind, a small frown tugging on Brendon’s lips. Ryan tried and failed miserably to not find that adorable.
“I guess it doesn’t really matter,” Brendon told Ryan. “I don’t have my camera with me anyway.”
Brendon’s sad expression lightened a little as Ryan patted him on the back. He vaguely considered holding his hand (because yeah, Brendon sort of loved that and maybe Ryan got a little warm and fuzzy when he dared to let himself reach out), but Ryan decided that two guys holding hands in Medieval Europe was probably a bad idea, so he let his hand remain down by his side.
Merlin was a little way ahead of them, muttering something to himself, every so often throwing a look back at Brendon and Ryan, shaking his head.
“Just out of curiosity,” Ryan started, “where exactly are you planning on taking us?”
“I suppose the only place I can take you is back to the castle,” Merlin answered.
With those words Brendon’s pout was completely gone. His eyes widened to an almost comical size and he actually stopped dead in his tracks, holding his hands out in front of him as he took a deep breath. “We get to go to an actual castle?”
He sounded awed.
“Well, that’s where I live,” Merlin answered. “I’m Prince Arthur’s manservant.”
Ryan snorted.
“What?” Merlin asked.
“That’s just a little gay,” Ryan responded. “What, do you like dress him and do his hair in the morning?”
Merlin crossed his chest. “I do other things too.” His face turned red as Ryan began laughing. “Come on, we should get moving,” he said, changing the subject as he started to walk through the streets again.
“Will I get a four-poster bed?” Brendon shouted up ahead, tripping just a little over his feet, but Ryan knew that it was because he was so excited. It was a little cute, actually.
“You’ll get whatever I can scrounge up,” Merlin said. “It’s not like Arthur is going to offer you a guest room. In fact, it would be best if Arthur didn’t know that you two are here.”
“Why?” Ryan asked as Brendon whined “But I want to eat dinner with him around the Round Table!”
Merlin threw a confused look at Brendon, but answered Ryan’s question. “Magic is outlawed here. If Arthur or his father find out that you two are from the future…” He paused. “Well, let’s just say that the stocks would be a far too lenient punishment in their minds.”
“How can you be Arthur’s sex slave if magic is forbidden,” Brendon asked. “Doesn’t that cause some problems?”
“I’m not a sex slave!” Merlin yelled. Ryan figured that Merlin was probably glad that the market place was so loud since his words didn’t appear to be heard by anyone but Brendon and him.
“He’s very defensive,” Brendon whispered to Ryan and Ryan laughed.
“I’ll just drop you two off at Gaius’ quarters before I finish my chores. We’ll start working on your problem later,” Merlin said.
“Okay,” Ryan responded, but when Merlin got far enough ahead he leaned in close to Brendon and said, “I bet his chores are kinky.”
Brendon grinned. “Sex. Slave. Ross, that’s so fucked up. How did history get it so wrong?”
---
Arthur sighed. “Merlin, you are the worst manservant ever.”
Despite the fact that Merlin heard that exact complaint at least four times a day, it never stopped being a little bit hurtful. And it wasn’t his fault that he didn’t get the flowers. It’s not every day that people get thrown into the past. But still, Merlin didn’t want an angry Arthur on his hands. Even though he made angry look good.
“I can go back out and get the flowers if you’d like,” he said. It had taken longer than he had thought getting Brendon and Ryan situated in Gaius’ quarters, and even though he had explicitly told Brendon not to touch anything, he had his doubts.
“No, no, that would be idiotic,” Arthur snapped. “Then you would be far behind on your other chores.” He frowned. “For instance, shouldn’t you be doing something manservantly now?”
Merlin tried desperately hard not to think about what Ryan and Brendon had said about what they assumed were the tasks that a manservant performed.
Upon Arthur’s angry tisk, Merlin pulled himself out of his quickly developing daydream. One that involved a rather low cut v in a well-hung tunic. “Sorry, what did you say?”
Arthur pursed his mouth a little, shaking his head, obviously annoyed at Merlin’s lack of attention. To be honest, Merlin didn’t really care. Sometimes it was fun to see the color rise in Arthur’s cheeks. It offset his hair nicely.
“Finish your chores,” Arthur commanded, waving Merlin off with a flippant jerk of his hand. “If you think that you could manage that.”
Merlin managed to suppress his eye roll as he made his way out of Arthur’s chambers.
As soon as he left Arthur, his heart, which had seemed to be beating faster than normal, slowed down. It always did that when he left Arthur. It was strange. Merlin thought back to that one dream that he had had only the night before. The dream where the dragon was telling him, repeating ad nauseum “Two sides of the same coin”.
He remembered how Arthur had been there, how he had looked at Merlin, how he had touched Merlin… …How Merlin had woken up flushed and panting… He hurried off to finish his chores quickly, trying to clear his minds of anything thoughts of Arthur or a stupid, meaningless dream.
He had bigger problems to worry about at the moment. Like boys from the future.
He just hoped that Ryan and Brendon weren’t getting into too much trouble.
---
“Ryan, I’m bored,” Brendon whined from his seat around the long, wood table. “You’d think that a sorcerer’s stuff would be interesting, but this is all boring and really confusing.” He threw the book he had been looking over to the side.
Picking up the book, Ryan frowned. “That’s probably because The Great Vowel Shift hasn’t occurred yet,” he said. Brendon didn’t even bother to ask, and Ryan didn’t go on. Honestly, he didn’t care about it either. Stupid English lessons lingering in his brain. He wondered how much more pot he would have to smoke until all that useless information dissipated.
“Let’s explore the castle,” Brendon suggested. “Oh! Let’s go to the stables and look at the horses. You know they have to have horses.”
Honestly, Ryan wasn’t a huge fan of horses (okay, maybe they scared him a little), but Brendon looked so genuinely excited at the thought of looking at horses that Ryan didn’t quite know how to say no. He could tell Brendon that Merlin had told them to stay in the room, but really, what sort of trouble could they get into?
“Yeah, okay,” Ryan agreed, pulling himself up out of the very uncomfortable chair. “Just for a little though. We have to get back before Merlin does or he’ll freak out.”
“He seems to be a little tightly wound,” Brendon commented.
“Probably just needs to get laid,” Ryan said, snorting.
Brendon grinned lavishly. “Well, I could be a good Samaritan. You know, take one for the team.”
Ryan’s heart possibly stopped for a second. But only a second, really. The thought of Brendon with Merlin actually made it difficult to breathe. There was no way he was going to let some stupid wizard from the past put his hands on his Brendon.
Somehow though, he managed a laugh. “I don’t think you’re his type.”
“I’m everyone’s type,” Brendon argued. He got up and circled his fingers around Ryan’s wrist. “Come on, let’s go find these stables.”
The various hallways in the castle were confusing. Ryan and Brendon seemed to make several little circles around the same corridors before they managed to make their way outside.
“I see them!” Brendon exclaimed, pulling Ryan across the long grass towards a wooden structure not too far away. Ryan tried to keep up with Brendon’s quick pace, Brendon’s tight hold on his wrist burning hot where their skin touched.
He could smell the horses before he could see them, but Brendon didn’t seem to be deterred by the odor.
“They’re so pretty,” Brendon cooed, reaching a hand out to stroke down the side of a large, chestnut colored horse. Ryan was relieved to see that the horse didn’t bite Brendon’s hand off. “She’s got your eyes, Ross.”
Ryan rolled his eyes but gave Brendon a playful nudge in the side.
“Here, pet her.” Brendon let his hand fall from the horse’s mane, and he took Ryan’s hand in his own. His fingers splayed out the tightly held fingers of Ryan’s right hand, and he placed his own palm, warm and comforting, overtop Ryan’s hand as he led him towards the horse. Ryan’s hand wasn’t even shaking. That much. “Gently,” he said, and together their hands smoothed over the horses side.
Ryan shifted forward a little, feeling a little more comfortable, a little less scared, and suddenly Brendon was right behind him, his body an electrifying presence, and when the horse snorted and Brendon laughed, Ryan could feel the tickle of Brendon’s breath against his neck.
The thought occurred to Ryan then, the thought to turn around and face Brendon, throw him a coy smile. It would be easy, he could do it. He could turn around and kiss Brendon, no problems. He could finally take that chance, that chance that he had been letting pass him by for five years.
Except for the fact that at that moment a voice cut through the quiet hum of the stables.
“What are you two doing here?”
---
When Merlin looked out through the back windows of the castle and saw three figures off near the stables, all of which he could recognize, he knew that there would soon be trouble.
He grumbled to himself about how he knew it was a bad idea to leave those two alone, but mostly his ramblings were serving to try and distract himself from blind panic. Because yes, that was there too.
Arthur was talking to two boys from the future. Magic hating Arthur. Boys from the future. Not good.
He hurried across the lawn, but when he got close enough to make out what the figures were actually doing, he frowned.
Arthur was standing behind Brendon, and his arms were wrapped around him. “Yes, hold the sword just like that,” Merlin could hear Arthur say before a murmur of encouragement spilled out.
Merlin didn’t know why, but seeing Arthur’s arms wrapped around Brendon was not something he wanted to see. Especially when they mirrored the look of Arthur’s arms around him in his dream. Peeking over at Ryan, who was slouched against the wall of the stable, Merlin took some comfort in knowing that he wasn’t the only one who was obviously bothered by this….display.
Brendon turned, grin bright on his face as he swung the sword. “Merlin!” he cried happily. “Arthur is teaching me how to fight.” He looked over his shoulder at Arthur. It was sickening how much Brendon seemed to glow as Arthur smiled.
“You didn’t tell me you had friends visiting, Merlin,” Arthur chastised. “If I had known we were having guests I would have planned a feast.”
Merlin knew that Arthur would never plan an entire feast for guests of his. Not normally. He held back the glare that he desperately wanted to throw at Brendon. “I was just teaching Brendon how to wield my sword,” Arthur continued.
In the background, Ryan snorted a sardonic laugh, and Merlin could just barely hear a muttered, “I bet you’d like that, asshole.” Brendon and Arthur, however, seemed to be oblivious to Ryan’s angry mutters and Merlin’s increasing irritation.
“I think that you could put together a nice dinner for tonight for our guests, don’t you, Merlin?” Arthur asked. For some reason, his eyes didn’t seem to leave Brendon’s. Merlin felt something harsh and hot course through his body.
“Yes, sire,” he practically spit out as he wondered exactly how he could manage to make flying horse brushes attacking Arthur seem like a normal occurance.
“Excellent,” Arthur responded happily. “And make sure to get some guests rooms ready and show Brendon and…”
“Ryan,” Ryan grumbled.
“Right.” Arthur shrugged. “Ryan to where they’ll be sleeping.”
Merlin could barely believe this. How in the name of anything sacred did Arthur stumble upon two boys in jeans and not get suspicious of magic? How could he look at Brendon like that? Like he wanted to….
That was impossible. Merlin knew that Arthur wasn’t like that. Even if sometimes Merlin wondered.
“Oh, and Merlin, make sure that their rooms are near mine.” Arthur took his sword back from Brendon, and Merlin could see how he let his fingers linger. “The rooms are nicer there.”
---
Ryan didn’t bother knocking on the door to Brendon’s guest room. The room that was right across the hall from that fucking Arthur.
"What’s up?” Brendon asked as Ryan slammed the door behind him.
Ryan quirked an eyebrow. “Oh Arthur, your sword is so big!” he feigned. “Can you show me the grip you like?” He snorted. “You have to be fucking kidding me, Bren.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Brendon insisted, crossing his arms across his chest as he sat down on the bed.
“You were practically asking him to fuck you in the stables!”
Brendon grinned. “You jealous, Ryan?”
Ryan burned red. He wasn’t jealous. And even if he was a little bit (teeny tiny, really) that wasn’t the point. “It’s just wrong. He’s from the past. It’s creepy.”
"Lame,” Brendon said.
“Whatever,” Ryan defended. “I just don’t like the way he looks at you.”
“And how’s that?” Brendon asked, rising off the bed, suddenly right in front of Ryan.
Ryan took a deep breath and sighed. He knew what he should say, what he could say. He knew he could say that he didn’t like Arthur looking at Brendon like Ryan looked at Brendon, at how he always thought Brendon looked at him, but he didn’t.
“I just don’t think it’s right for you to flirt and give him the wrong idea,” Ryan said. “And did you see how Merlin reacted to Arthur ‘showing you his sword’? That boy is obviously in love with Arthur. You don’t have to be an asshole and rub what he doesn’t have into his face.”
Brendon’s body stiffened a little bit. “I was just having a little bit of fun, Ross. Jesus, you don’t have to get all morally superior on me.” He scratched the back of his neck, raising his arm so that his shirt lifted up just the tiniest amount, uncovering a small silver of toned stomach. “I was just excited to be able to see a real sword. I promise, I won’t make a move on the mythical future king of Camelot.”
Brendon threw Ryan a silly grin, one that made Ryan wonder why he had ever been mad at Brendon at all. It seemed as if a giant weight had been lifted off of Ryan’s chest, and he managed to throw Brendon a half-hearted smile.
“Good. I’m glad.”
“Because of Merlin?” Brendon asked, and Ryan wondered if he was misreading the look in Brendon’s eyes. It was only there for a moment, reveling and startling, but it was gone so quickly that Ryan couldn’t help but think that he had just imagined it.
There was a chance, another chance, a chance where Ryan could say that it wasn’t really about Merlin, it was about how he didn’t want Brendon to hang all over some guy. Some really, really ridiculously hot guy. Hell, he even rocked a good v-neck. But once again, Ryan let his mind take over, and he smiled, leading the conversation back to safer waters.
Part Two