Time's Up, Chapter 2 (part 1)

[lullbeblessed]

Chapter 1


...
Part 1
...Merlin’s nail scratched across the already shredded edge of the laptop sticker, which he stubbornly picked at for the entire hour of the lecture. His nerves were fried. His withdrawal symptoms weren’t worth asking a doctor for a prescription, but nonetheless, Merlin felt like shite. Okay, the conversation with that tosser shook him up a little, making him, as his father put it, “come to his senses”.  Like a good boy, Merlin let the cleaning lady into his room, and watched her like a hawk so nothing vital from his precious collection of junk ended up in the trash. He came down for dinner, ate properly, took a shower and even went to bed before 2 am. He showed up for class this morning, damn it all! Now his thoughts were far away and had nothing to do with organic chemistry. His migraine was killing him, and he felt weak; his hands shook as if he were suffering from Parkinson’s.

If he could just get fucked up and forget the world...


Noting in the file where they stopped with the lecture, Merlin closed the laptop screen, threw his backpack on his shoulder, and stalked toward the exit. Matt, his mate from another class, called his name; Merlin shook his head; he had no interest in talking, and went straight outside.

He had no desire to explain himself; the inquisition from his family was enough. And why was it that he had to bare his soul, and they didn’t? His mum refused to talk about last night’s visitor. She mentioned his name-Arthur-and that was it, as if that could help Merlin anyhow. How could you dig up dirt on someone if all you knew was his first name and how he looked? Wouldn't it be great if he could ask on Google, “Hey, find that blond cocky arsehole with a superiority complex”?

As it turned out, he didn’t need Google. Arthur was waiting for him by a car parked next to the entrance-audaciously taking the spot of dean A.G. Ravain. Merlin arranged his face into an unreadable expression and walked right past Arthur. He felt his bag being yanked, and Merlin grasped the strap harder and turned around.

“Oh. I didn’t see you there.” He smiled wide. “What are you doing here?”

Arthur gave him incredulous look; first dropping his gaze down and then slowly moving it up. As if Merlin were some spotty bird asking for a quick fuck, or an intern sent to fetch coffee for a big boss-a mix of appraisal and disdain.

“Gaius said you’re smart. Your grades support his claim. Yet, simple logic eludes you.” Arthur sighed and then said slowly and clearly, practically spelling out every word, “I am waiting for you, Merlin. Why else would I be here in the middle of my busy day? Get in the car.”

“Hmmm.” Merlin pulled down the corners of his mouth as if he were in deep thought. “Fuck you. I’m not going anywhere with you. I don’t like you and won't waste my time on you. How’s that?”

“Not going to work.” Arthur yanked on the strap of Merlin’s backpack again. Merlin staggered back, losing his footing, and would’ve landed on his arse if Arthur hadn’t embarrassed him by catching him and tucking him into the backseat of the car with impressive agility. “I wasn’t offering, Merlin. Remember this: you do what I say.”

The door closed with a soft click and the automatic locks engaged, like a deadbolt blocking any chance to escape. Something was wrong with this world, Merlin decided. He was practically being kidnapped, the entire campus as a witness, and no one said a single word to this bastard. Where was the highly-praised security, where were all those law abiding citizens, calling the police?

Matt appeared out of nowhere at the perfect moment and walked straight to the car. Arthur flashed a brilliant smile, all white teeth, and waved a hand towards his captive as it was no big deal and said, “I’m picking someone up.”

As if under a spell, Matt nodded, turned away and began unchaining his bike.

“Are you mental?” Merlin raged as soon as Arthur took the driver seat.

“Quiet.” Arthur switched gear and smoothly took off from the parking lot. “Think of it as if you were still in the waiting room and not in my office yet.”

The car sped up easily and joined the traffic. Merlin briefly considered the suggestion but changed his mind. Why would he listen to this prick? Although, wait a minute... He wanted to dig up dirt on Arthur? Elementary! He’d note the license plate on the car and search the database. With his last name-hello Facebook, and other social media.

“Cool car,” said Merlin. “Never seen anything like it.”

“What’s the problem? Make money and buy one,” Arthur replied, switching lanes. “Oh, I’m sorry. I shut down your little venture, didn't I? By the way, Gwaine’s notified your mates to look for another supplier.”

Merlin flopped back on the seat and crossed his arms.

“Are you always this infuriating? It’s impossible to have a normal conversation with you. Oh, I know how you got this job. Gaius decided to throw you a bone and help you to get at least one client.”

“Sure, sure, that’s why I’m driving this cool car,” Arthur agreed easily. “Like I said, logic isn’t your strongest suit.”

Too bad Merlin had nothing available to throw at Arthur. A pair of smelly socks, for example, would be an excellent weapon. He should start carrying them around...

His boiling agitation was interrupted by a ringing phone. To Merlin’s surprise, instead of a pop song or a funny phrase, Arthur’s ringtone was a standard sound like an old phone.

“Hello.” Arthur pressed the button on his iPhone.

“Just because you’re my boss, it doesn’t mean you can borrow my baby without talking to me first!” said an unfamiliar voice through the speakers without any preamble.

Merlin swore inwardly. His genius plan had just crashed and burned: car’s license plates were no use to him.

“Relax, I’ll bring it back in perfect condition,” said Arthur, not dropping his eyes from the road.

“I swear, if I find just one scratch...”

“If you try to take advantage of me and fix old damages on your baby at my expense, I’ll set George on you.”

“You’re such an arsehole, do you know that?”

“I have someone in the car who agrees with you wholeheartedly.” Arthur flicked the turn signal and took the next exit.

“You have company? Hullo, my nameless ally!”

“Sod off, Gwaine. When are you back in the office?”

“Hm, around five. You know how those birds can be.”

“Okay. Talk to you later.” Arthur ended the call and turned off the engine.

Distracted by eavesdropping, Merlin hadn’t noticed that they seemed to have arrived at their destination. The phone call didn’t help one bit. Who was this bloke who dared to speak to his boss in such a manner? Especially to Arthur, who was practically married to his own ego! And, what birds? Questions were piling up like beer bottles at a wild party.

“Like it so much you decided to live here? Get out.” Arthur opened the door and waited for Merlin to leave the car.

“Aren’t you a charmer,” Merlin retorted, squinting at the bright sun. He whistled when he saw the name of the restaurant. The place wasn’t for your everyday folk to drop by for lunch. It was a fancy restaurant for executives with big wallets and for foodies, appreciating gourmet cuisine. “Is this a date? You should’ve warned me. They won’t let me in.”

Merlin gestured at his tattered jeans covered in bleach spots from chemicals. His trainers were way past their prime as well. Merlin didn’t care; he rarely paid any attention to his physical appearance, especially at school. Warm and comfortable-what else did he need?

“As long as you’re with me, you’re welcome anywhere,” Arthur said, shrugging, and pressed his car’s remote. The security alarm  beeped obediently.

“Aren’t you mistaking me for Julia Roberts?” Merlin asked, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“She wasn’t an addict, you movie buff.” Arthur pushed him forward slightly and walked behind.

As Arthur predicted, the maitre d’ made no comment on Merlin’s outfit. They were led to a private booth, the Reserved plate removed from the table, and, after being handed the menus, left alone. Excellent customer service, no complaints. Merlin hated places like that-he was a lot more comfortable at the local cafe with flirty waitresses. Sure, your food might be cold and beer warm, but at least no one acted like a hopeless prat.

“You’d prefer McDonalds?”

“They have the best chips.” Merlin scratched at the leather of the menu and immersed himself in it. Alas, the opportunity to choose his own food didn’t come. Arthur took away their menus and pressed the call button on the table. The waitress appeared immediately. “Two of your specials. One salad. Water.”

She quickly noted the order on her notepad. “And for dessert, sir?”

“Surprise us.” Arthur smiled, unleashing his charm on the girl, and kept his eyes on her as she walked away.

“Small dick syndrome?” Merlin pressed his elbows on the table. “Why do you have to make decisions for everyone? To compensate?”

“Nice try, Emrys.” Arthur switched his phone to silent. “Let’s go back to the beginning. And this time without a long prelude. Tell me how you turned into a low-life, small-time dealer and became an addict.”

Merlin’s rage reached a boiling point in no time. He knew he was about to lose it horribly but couldn’t control it any longer-and didn’t really want to.

“Why skip the prelude? I love foreplay! It really turns me on,” he said and, abruptly changing seats, flattened himself against Arthur, finding his lips. His hand wrapped comfortably around Arthur’s shoulder, crumpling fabric under his fingers, while his tongue licked into his mouth, taking over. It was a risky move; Merlin mentally prepared himself to be pushed away, but Arthur leaned in, his palm stroking Merlin’s back, and deepened the kiss.

Fuck, what was wrong with this guy?

Merlin felt a sharp pang of regret that this was just a provocation. He wouldn’t mind if this date were real. Too bad it would never happen again.

Shifting back, Merlin settled next to Arthur and sighed. He did feel bad, but this handsome bastard here had brought this on himself. It wasn’t Merlin fault.

“And this concludes our special programming,” he said calmly, looking Arthur straight in the eye. It felt great to be in control of the situation again!

“Oh really.” Arthur rubbed his chin.

Oh god, he was more stupid than he thought. “Absolutely.” Merlin took a glass of water from the waiter, who just returned, and, when they’d been served, added, “You’re fired. You can no longer be my therapist.”

“Why is that?” Arthur snatched a slice of gherkin served as a garnish and began crunching on it.

“Seriously? Arthur, don’t be a sore loser. You broke the code.”

The guy should’ve been an actor! Arthur frowned as if he had no clue what was happening. “What code?”

No pity for the ignorant.

“God, do you even have a degree as a shrink, you wanker? The code. According to which you can’t have any personal contact with your client. One call, and you can say bye-bye to your license.”

Arthur didn’t have to know, but Merlin wasn’t a heartless bastard to ruin someone’s career. Although, if this shite kept pissing him off...

“Ah, I see.” Arthur stole another slice of gherkin from the plate. “I didn’t break any code.”

“We kissed. You kissed me back,” Merlin reminded condescendingly. Suddenly, he was worried. Arthur was too calm.

“It’d be stupid to refuse someone coming on to you so willingly...” Arthur paused and corrected himself, “...or falling for you.”

His cheeks flamed. Merlin always blushed easily-thanks to the fair skin he inherited from his mum. What the fuck? He framed this fool, yet Arthur talked as if Merlin was flirting with him or acting like a snotty teenager!

“You did break it,” Merlin helplessly suggested again. All his clever arguments dissolved like a plume of smoke in the wind.

Arthur studiously checked the content of his plate and picked up the silverware.

“First of all, Emrys, I did not initiate personal contact-you did. Second, I don’t have a degree or a license in psychiatry, therefore I have no code to follow. Lastly, I’m still waiting for you to tell me your story. Or do you use your mouth exclusively for tongue-fucking?”

Disaster. It was an absolute, pride-shattering, with no hope for recovery, disaster. Merlin slowly slid away from Arthur, pressed a napkin to his mouth, wiping away Arthur’s imprints, and glanced at his watch. They arrived about fifteen minutes ago. He’d just stay quiet and wait until Arthur left. If Merlin broke down and started trashing this restaurant, his father wouldn’t stop just at taking away his cards. Truthfully, he had no energy for any sort of debacle. Defeat drained him, leaving emptiness and apathy inside him. His only mission at this point was to sit through this sodding lunch and make it to the garage in the evening. So he had no willpower, whatever. Merlin was dead tired.

He had no appetite, but sitting still was even worse. Like a robot, he began eating, food tasteless on his tongue.

The phone beeped, and Arthur finished his water and stood up.

“That was productive. Thank you for such an enlightening conversation.”

“Any time,” Merlin replied, not trying to hide his sarcasm.

“Oh well. Okay, I can see you don’t want to do it the easy way. I have to take a different approach.”

Arthur unbuttoned his jacket, and Merlin looked at him wide-eyed. The most unbridled thoughts swirled in his head-and all for naught. Arthur pulled a few pieces of paper from the inside pocket and threw them on the table.

Merlin swallowed hard. His hands started to shake again, just like earlier during the class. If his parents saw this...

“What do you want?”

He’d do anything. God, he couldn’t even imagine his mum’s face-she wouldn’t survive this.

“World peace and no dickheads around me.” Arthur’s words were so out of place, Merlin just stared at him for several moments, dumbfounded.

“Fuck, I’m serious!”

“Me, too.” Arthur buttoned up his suit again. “It took my guy no more than a few hours to dig this up. If he could do it, anyone else driven by the right motivation could, too. Think about it.”

“But...”

“That’ll be all.” Arthur pressed the call button on the table, indicating the end of their lunch. “Time’s up.”



It’s like a sodding groundhog day, Merlin thought, getting into the taxi called by his father. Seriously, that was the third time as of late he had been bossed around. This morning, his father simply said, “By the way, you’re meeting Arthur in two hours. I already called for a cab.” And now Merlin was being dragged somewhere through the never-ending London traffic.

He had no desire to see Arthur. That insufferable knob knew all about him. Fuck, he even had the detailed statements from his bank account. Merlin’s back account! He trusted Santander! All right, as soon as he took care of the situation with Arthur, he’d file a complaint and withdraw all his money from that bank. For now... for now he had to somehow make it work with this self-centred arsehole, so he could be done with the useless shrink sessions as soon as possible. He couldn’t believe someone had been trying to fuck with his head without even a bloody proper degree! Obviously, his father was at the end of his rope.

When the car stopped at the already familiar restaurant, Merlin had outlined a strategy for himself, and if Arthur didn’t like it, then Merlin had no qualms about shutting up and not cooperating.

Arthur was already at the table in the same private booth. After a polite greeting, Merlin sat down across the table and picked up the menu.

“I hope you’ll let me choose my own food this time,” he said, trying to be nonchalant.

“Certainly,” Arthur agreed leisurely. “So, how are you?”

“Brilliant, sir.” Merlin flashed a fake smile, burying his nose in the shiny pages of the menu. “Like a man who came to confess his sins.”

“That’s the spirit.” Arthur sat back into the cushy seat. “Then let’s get on with it, my son, I’m all ears.”

“Where do I start?” Merlin bit his lip, feigning deep thought. “How about I start with my happy childhood? Oh, I was happy, so happy as a child. Since age five I’ve been spending my time in my father’s lab. At ten, I performed my first experiment, which could best the upper level studies in complexity.”

“Well done.” Arthur smirked and turned to the waitress. “Same as last time. Merlin?”

“I feel like having chicken. This one.” Merlin poked the line in the menu. “And tea, please.”

“Go on.”

“When I got older, all I cared about was chemistry. Many people say I was robbed of my childhood, but that’s completely untrue. I loved, and I still do, messing with the lab equipment and studying chemical reactions... It’s in my blood.” Merlin snorted.

So far, it was going swimmingly. He was feeding Arthur a well-prepared story. Arthur listened and, thank God, wasn’t commenting. To be fair, it wasn’t hard, since Merlin was telling the truth. Of course, he was omitting certain details. Like the time when his father whipped his arse because Merlin broke the tube with an experimental drug, or when the spilled acid ate through the rug. Or how his father kept him from participating in science experiments for the longest time, citing his young age, although at thirteen, Merlin was more advanced than a college student. Arthur didn’t have to know any of that.

“How were things at school?” Arthur asked lazily.

“Great. No one bullied me; the opposite, actually.” Merlin grinned. “I was respected and loved. Especially when I let them cheat off my tests. All last year, I dated the most popular girl at school. My best friend and I both wanted her; we even had a falling out because of that.” Merlin laughed. “So bloody stupid! Basically, it was all fine. It’s still fine. At uni, they were biased at first, although they didn’t show it. But I always know when people try to assess me-see if I can pull it off. Everyone knows my father and his company, nothing I can do. I have excellent grades, I’m sure Gaius told you. And that’s pretty much it. Oh, food’s here!” Merlin cheerfully grabbed a fork and picked up a piece of juicy-looking chicken fillet from the plate.

“I see.” Arthur jerked his head in a nod, and, after taking a sip of water, started eating his salad. “What did you say the name of your best friend was?”

A chill ran down Merlin’s spine. No way.

“Will. I didn’t tell you his name.”

“Will, then. Tell me about him. About the falling out.”

“Why do you care?” Merlin tried to keep his voice even. “I told you, it was stupid. Haven’t you ever had a fight with a mate because of a girl?”

“Never with my best mate, no.” Arthur raised his head and look straight at Merlin, and Merlin was the first to drop the gaze. “And it obviously affected you.”

“Rubbish,” Merlin scoffed.

“Sure, keep saying that.“

“There is nothing to say!” Merlin bristled. “I already told you, Freya chose me. Not Will. And he didn’t take it well.”

“He didn’t take it well because Freya chose you? Or because he thought she did it for your money?” clarified Arthur.

“What... you... She chose me for me! She was in love with me!”

“I’m not arguing about that. I’m asking what Will thought,” Arthur said in unexpectedly soft voice. “And it looks like I just found your sore spot.”

Merlin wordlessly bored his eyes into the plate. Found his sore spot... More like rubbed salt into a wound, mindfucker! It had been a year since he last talked to Will, with whom he had been inseparable since they were kids. After their fight, Will yelled that everyone was friends with Merlin because of his social status and money. Merlin still didn’t believe Will really meant it. He was his best friend, almost like a brother-his words were worse than betrayal. Furious, Merlin didn’t hesitate to beat Will with his own stick. “Oh then, are you in it for the money, too?”

That was the end of it. Will cursed him up and down; a fight broke out. They ignored each other the next day. Time passed, proving Freya’s genuine feelings for Merlin, but it didn’t help Merlin from feeling like shite. Will changed seats in class, choosing the furthest table, and even after a month, and then two, hadn’t attempted to make peace. Merlin had never realised until that point how tight they were before, how much he missed him. He had constantly caught himself having internal conversation with his friend, commenting on one or another problem he was working on. Stopped himself when his hand reached for the phone. Tried to not pay attention to the new fun friends Will had surrounded himself with.

That was when Merlin buried himself in books, formulas, and calculations; and soon the experimental dose of meth found its first client.

“Merlin?” Arthur snapped his fingers at his face.

“What?”

“People will always envy you. You have to accept it-you carry your family’s name.”

“Will didn’t envy me! We’ve been friends since childhood!”

“Then it’s especially strange he let a girl come between your friendship.”

“I understand what you’re trying to say, but I disagree.”

“Too bad,” Arthur said and drummed his fingers on the table. “I’m afraid this won’t be the last time you’ll be disappointed, then.”

“You’re saying it like you’ve been there before,” muttered Merlin.

“I deal with jealous people all the time.”

“For simpletons, I’m willing to repeat it again: Will was not bloody jealous!”

“All right, all right,” agreed Arthur, his whole demeanor indicating he didn’t believe him even for a moment. “Have you even tried to talk to him?’

“Me? No.”

“This is worse than primary school, I swear,” muttered Arthur.

“”What?” Merlin narrowed his eyes.

“I’m saying that’s enough for today,” said Arthur, pulling out his credit card and handing it to the just-arrived waiteress. “I have to go.”

“Well, I didn’t finish eating. I see no point in depriving myself, especially when it’s already paid for,” Merlin declared and picked up his fork.

Arthur smirked and punched his pin into the keypad to pay the bill. “You’re leaving the tip.”

“Whatever, doctor Freud, go work for... whatever greater good you work for.”

“Oh shut it.” Arthur smiled crookedly, and, with a good-bye salute, left the booth.

“Would you like to order anything else?” said the waitress.

“Oh no, I’m full, thank you. Everything was really tasty.” Merlin pulled a crumpled twenty out of his pocket. “Looks like Arthur loves this place.”

“Oh, Mr Pendragon is a loyal customer. He comes here often.”

“And I can see why.” Merlin smiled. “Your food exceeds expectations.” Getting up from the table, Merlin put on his sunglasses and left the half-full restaurant.

Arthur Pendragon, then.

His life was making a sharp turn, and Merlin couldn’t wait to see where it was taking him this time.



He shouldn’t have used Google, seriously. Merlin spent the last hour clicking one link after another and wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry. Of course, he’d heard of Uther Pendragon; his father only told him the story how their first lab got to see the light of the day a million times. But no one ever mentioned Arthur. And Arthur’s company came as a complete surprise to Merlin. The guy who took him under his wing wasn’t just some shrink. Merlin could read between the lines; and behind all the politically-correct phrasing he clearly recognised the, “Arthur Pendragon will turn you inside-out and back, and deny he had anything to do with it.”

Thanks, Gaius, thank you very much. Now he could see why Arthur was coddling him. The Pendragons were Emrys Chemicals’ stock holders, and a scandal could hurt their bottom line. Arthur probably had to sacrifice virgins to the bloody God of Money. Merlin’s thoughts trailed off as he started imagining Arthur without his usual business attire, wrapped in a loin cloth and with a knife in his hand. The image was very inspiring.

“Shite, I’m not even high.”

Merlin clicked around, closing all windows, and pushed himself away from the table. It looked like he owed Arthur a visit on his territory. To take a few shots at him, talk to him man to man.

Besides, Merlin couldn’t wait to see Arthur’s face when he realised Merlin figured him out, despite all the secrecy.

“Maybe you aren’t as good as you think, Pendragon?”

part 2