Aletheia

St. Albion Student and Sleep-deprived Boyfriend of Merlin

Summary: University AU. The lives and times of Arthur and Merlin at St. Albion.
Rating: PG-13
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Arthur/Merlin, mentioned Lancelot/Gwen and Gwaine/everyone
Warning: Reverse chronology.
Notes: Written for agenttrojie's prompt: "They'd stay in bed, but they've got lectures to attend."

I'm finally posting this because I want to sign up for this year's camelotremix. Please do tell me if you notice any errors, SpaG and otherwise. (The two people I lined up ages ago to beta/Britpick this thing fell through, and then I gave up ^^;;) This could've been tighter/more concise.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction – none of this ever happened. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is made from this work. Please observe your local laws with regards to the age-limit and content of this work.

( Five Moments in the Life of Arthur Pendragon, St. Albion Student and Sleep-deprived Boyfriend of Merlin )

( Read it @ AO3 )

He swallowed again.

"Are you sure?" He looked into the knight's eyes, willing him to change his answer.

Bran had arrived at Camelot barely three months ago, and it was clear that he idolized the Crown Prince.

"Yes, sire." The young man sounded painfully earnest. "It was indeed sorcery; I saw it with my own eyes."

Arthur's lips were set in a thin line. How could Bran spend so much time under his command, and not realize how much Merlin meant to him?

"Very well." Arthur's voice was flat. "I will inform my father of this matter personally. You’re dismissed."

---

A/N: This was my first Merlin fic ever. *feels nostalgic* All the S1 feels~
And it won merlin100's Celebratory challenge =D.

[ DW | IJ | LJ ]

"If you come at four in the afternoon, then when three o'clock strikes my heart will know to be happy."
Arthur met Merlin in the park and made him his friend.

Content Notes: Minor character death. A vignette with whimsical symbolism. Based on Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince (primarily chapter 21).
Word Count: 1.5K
Beta: lovely_dusk
Prompts: merlin_games' Peter Pan Syndrome and an old kinkme_merlin prompt that asks for LittlePrince!Arthur and Fox!Merlin (I thought it was KMM 6, but apparently not. And trying to use del.icio.us just caused rage-induced stomachache >_<)

Disclaimer: This permutation of Merlin, Arthur, etc. are created and owned by BBC. No money is being made, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

( Four in the Afternoon )

( Post a new comment @ DW | AO3 | LJ )

Leave Kudos ♥ @ AO3

Fanworks based on this fic = <3

An X-Men: First Class fusion//ModernDay!AU.
Powerful telepath Merlin went through life identifying as an empath until the night he encountered a brilliant mind in the waters.

Characters: Arthur/Merlin pre-slash, Morgana, Gwen, Gwaine, Leon, Lancelot, Morgause, Anhora
Word Count: 8989
Betas: Part one betaed by dear symetric and proofread by lovely_dusk, part two betaed by lovely_dusk <3
Content Notes: SPOILERS for X-M:FC. Italics.
Prompt: sweetestel's awesome manip for merlinreversebb.
Give feedback to her lovely posters and wallpaper here <3
Author's Note: Thank you sweetestel for letting me switch around Arthur and Merlin's roles from your original prompt. Brainstorming with you and sending you fic snippets helped me stay motivated <3
All references in the fic are Google-able. Here are the spoiler-y Mutants: Second Generation "Playlist" and the spoiler-y character list.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction – none of this ever happened. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is made from this work. Please observe your local laws with regards to the age-limit and content of this work.

( Have no story to be told )

( Making a home down there )

( Post a new comment @ DW | AO3 | LJ )

Leave Kudos ♥ @ AO3

---

Feel free to write anything for this series: sequel, prequel, deleted scenes, timestamp fic, remix, side story, drabble, listfic, etc. (I call dibs on Arthur prequel/backstory and Morgana prequel/backstory). Just link me so I can compile it on the series' main page =) I'm also open to co-writing offers. Here's Camelot First Class character list, for your reference.

Fanarts, translations, podfic, fanmixes and other fan creations = <3

Summary: While on a hunting trip, Merlin skipped stones by the moonlight. Arthur came across him at the lake shore and found something good.
Character(s): Merlin-centric, Arthur/Merlin
Rating: PG-13
Original story: “Hunting Trip: 01 Men Behaving Chivalrously (or not)” (Merlin/Arthur, PG-13, 1891 words) by Harlequin/slashweaver
Beta: symetric
Word count: 1582~ words
Notes: Written for camelotremix @ AO3. This ended up being a not-so-ambitious remix*, employing pov change and tone change (and a bit of structural change) but keeping the main action more or less the same. I was possibly too enamored by the notion of Arthur and Merlin skipping stones together.
* I love writing vignette-y remixes, but that wasn't my vision for this particular story (for once).
Disclaimer: This permutation of Merlin, Arthur, etc. are created and owned by BBC. No money is being made, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

( More Precious Than (The Found Something Good Remix) )


[ LJ | AO3 | DW ]

Character(s): Arthur-centric, implied Arthur/Merlin, Arthur/Leon mentioned
Rating: R for subject matter
Original story: “Thirteen Years” (Merlin/Arthur, PG, 1066 words) by nyargles
Beta: symetric. Audienced by rea_saint. Thank you netgirl_y2k, symetric and other lovely, helpful British people who answered my questions.
Word count: 1317 words
Content Notes: suicidal thoughts, suspicions of child molestation, sexual behaviour in children (12/15), parenting, original characters, outsiders' pov, vignettes/snapshots in reverse chronology <-- Highlight for content notes
Author's Notes: Here's the tl;dr A/N aka "An extremely brief discourse on reincarnation."
Written for camelotremix @ AO3. Section titles from The Beatles' "All Together Now."
Disclaimer: This permutation of Merlin, Arthur, etc. are created and owned by BBC. No money is being made, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

( Perhaps that, right there, was where it went wrong. They were greedy for time, and now they both had to pay the price. )


[ LJ | AO3 | DW ]

This is a remix, and non-fic transformative fanworks for this fic is welcome.

Arthur often ribbed Merlin about Professor Nimueh or his flatmate Gwen, but this was uncharted territory.

Merlin had blown him off two Fridays in a row to help Freya; there seemed to be a new academic crisis whenever Merlin was supposed to be spending time with his best friend.

Arthur sat alone in a cafe and stared at his mobile.

"I'm sorry!" Merlin materialized in front of him, breathless. "I was leaving on time, but Freya—"

"Did you sleep with her?" Arthur blurted out.

"Wh-whatever gave you that idea?"

As the blush rose on Merlin's face, Arthur's heart sank.

---

A/N: Answers prompt_in_a_box prompt: "Did you sleep with her?" and merlin100's Change prompt.
Tried to come up with an optional epilogue/sequel, but no inspiration yet. Feel free to throw ideas at me or write your own optional epilogue/sequel.

[ LJ | IJ | DW ]

Fandom: BBC Merlin
Pairing: Merlin/sexy dreams of Arthur
Rating: soft R
Beta: symetric; Britpicked by vivitchi
Word count: 730~ words
Notes: Written for summerpornathon's kindness challenge; posted anonymously at kinkme_merlin here to (sort of) fulfill the first half of this prompt: Arthur/Merlin, magic book. Merlin finds a sort of magic book that turns him on and makes him come in the best kind of ways whenever he fondles it.
Disclaimer: This permutation of Merlin, Arthur, Gaius, Geoffrey, etc. are created and owned by BBC. No money is being made, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

( The Tome of Magical Delights )

( * )

( ** )

( *** )

( **** )

[ LJ | AO3 | DW ]

I've always wanted to address Vivian's fate after Merlin 2 X 10, in which she remained enchanted and would continue to be so until someone she truly loved kisses her. Her fate is even more disturbing than A Midsummer Night's Dream's Demetrius, who is, after all, an unfaithful, inconstant jerk.

How is the enchantment ever to be broken since:
a) Vivian is young and never falls in love before (unlike Arthur/Merlin Arthur/Gwen), and
b) Vivian's dad would kill and decapitate anyone who dares touch his precious daughter?

This is not that fic.

It's a silly modern-day!AU ficlet for summerpornathon, because BY GOODNESS I cannot address the above issue in just 500-750 words.

Title: Enchanted No More
Fandom: BBC Merlin
Pairing: one-sided Vivian/Arthur, Vivian/Leon
Rating: mostly PG-13, but soft R for explicit kissing, I guess?
Beta: symetric; Britpicked by vivitchi
Word count: 500 words
Notes: Written for summerpornathon's challenge four: write other pairings. Also answers these writing_game prompts: As the World Turns, Flushed, Mint-Flavored, Old Money, Part, Quaint, and Rosebud.
Disclaimer: This permutation of Arthur, Uther, Vivian, Leon, etc. are created and owned by BBC. No money is being made, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

( Enchanted No More )

[ LJ | AO3 | DW ]

"Merlin! Come here and explain this!"

"Yes, Arthur?"

Arthur waved at his laptop screen. "What's this—this pornographic poem you've posted for all the world to see?"

"Technically I mailed the postcard, and the site owner put it up. Wow, he actually picked my postcard." Merlin beamed.

"Never mind that!" Arthur said, impatient. "Who gave you permission to write porn about the Prince of Wales?"

"Why would you think it's about you?" Merlin asked, smiling coyly. "That's a Prince Albert apple."

Arthur snorted. "A prince's flavour. Real subtle, Merlin."

( Merlin's Post Secret )

---

A/N: Written for merlin_flashfic's Post Secret challenge. Once upon a time, benebu misread my drabble "A Prince's Favour" (The Rights of Possession Remix) as "A Prince's Flavour."
I'd prettify the Post Secret except I've spent too much time on it already T_T My Photoshop skills are sadly lacking.

[ LJ | IJ | DW ]

(Or, Everything is Not As It Seems)

Fandom: BBC Merlin
Pairing: Merlin/Arthur-bodyswapped-with-Morgana <-- Highlight for spoilers
Rating: R
Betas: first draft by sequinedfairy, final draft by symetric; audienced by vivitchi
Word count: 888 words
Notes: Originally written for summerpornathon's Temperance challenge Option #2: Bodyswap. <-- Highlight for spoilers
There's at least 2/3-of-a-sentence in here that belongs to symetric. Thank you, dear <3
Disclaimer: This permutation of Arthurian characters is created and owned by BBC. No money is being made, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

( King’s Ward Is a Vampyr; Prince’s Manservant Was Sucked Dry! )

( * )
( ** )
( *** )
( **** )

[ LJ | AO3 | DW ]

"Arthur, what are you doing with my tea tray?"

"This isn't your tea tray; it's my chest plate!" Arthur informed his sister smugly.

"Arthur, give it back! Gwen and I are having a tea party."

"Yeah? Well we are playing knight and dragon."

"Hi, Morgana," Merlin said, voice muffled behind the paper plate dragon mask he was wearing.

"Merlin wants to have tea with us, don't you Merlin?" Morgana asked sweetly.

"No! He wants nothing to do with your stupid tea!"

"We have chocolate biscuits."

Merlin took off his mask. "Please, Arthur? This dragon is hungry."

"Oh, alright," Arthur groused.

---

A/N: Answers merlin100's armour prompt and writing_game prompts: Finders Keepers! & Retaliate. I pictured clubcamelot kids when I wrote this.

[ LJ | IJ | DW ]

Finally got around to pimping this series on DW and IJ =)

I'll keep you guys updated every time I write two or more new drabbles in this 'verse. So far the series consists of nine drabbles and two crack drabbles.

You can read them on DW (cupbearer) or on LJ. New readers, please do tell me what you think!

"The King's Bastard" (Uther AU gen, PG-13, 100 words)
"The Anniversary" (Uther & Merlin AU, PG, 100 words)
"The Cupbearer" (Merlin & Arthur AU, PG, 100 words)
"Shared Breath" (Merlin/Arthur pre-slash AU, PG-13, 100 words)
"Stranger" (Merlin/Arthur AU, PG-13, 100 words)
"Lovers" (Merlin/Arthur AU, PG-13, 100 words)
"A Constant Strain" (Merlin/Arthur AU, PG-13, 100 words)
"The Mask" (Merlin/Arthur AU, PG, 100 words)
"Forever" (Merlin/Arthur AU, PG-13, 100 words)

Crack!Extras:

"The Half-Brother Plan" (cameos from Aziraphale & Crowley, PG, 100 words)
"Not an orphanage" (Uther, Arthur, Morgana AU, PG, 100 words)

[ DW | IJ ]

Sunday tradition dictates Merlin showing up at nine bearing breakfast, just in time to greet Arthur from his morning run.

“Donuts again, Merlin? It’s a miracle your eyes haven’t turned brown.”

Arthur secretly loves Merlin’s Sunday offerings. In the past two years, they never repeated even once.

Merlin grinned. “It’s raspberry glaze this week. The owner swears it’s his best yet.”

He took a big bite and chewed. “Aren’t you having any? They’re really good.” He licked glaze off of his fingertips.

Leaning forward, Arthur licked the corner of Merlin’s mouth.

“You’re right,” Arthur smiled. “It’s the best I’ve tasted.”

*******
Answers 31_days prompt: "Donuts make my brown eyes blue" and awdt prompt: "That's the best we've tasted, so far."

A/N: In my head Merlin and Arthur are friends, and this is Arthur's first move. But you may read it however you wish, of course ;-)

[ LJ | IJ | DW ]

---

君がいなけりゃ息も出来ない
(Merlin/Arthur haiku, PG-13, implied erotic asphyxiation)

Red scarf on white neck:
Arthur counts ten fingerprints
hidden from their eyes.

*******
Answers summerpornathon's poetry challenge. So what if it's not pr0ny >_>

A/N: Japanese title: kimi ga inakerya ikimo dekinai (I can't even breathe without you) from a boys' love manga. Because I obv. read too much BL.

Lemme know if I should put those three lines above under an LJ-cut.

"When you said 'a mystical evening on the beach,' this was not what I expected."

Arthur toed the scarf-sized blanket.

"But Arthur—"

"No buts!" Arthur pointed his finger at his boyfriend. "I'm missing football on telly for this; there should at least be a bottle of wine."

"We can cuddle for warmth?" Merlin suggested hopefully.

"As skinny as your arse is, Merlin, I don't think both of us can fit onto that handkerchief you call a blanket."

Merlin sighed. The blanket promptly transformed into a familiar beaten red couch.

"Better?"

Pulling Merlin close to his side, Arthur smiled. "Much."

---

Answers merlin100's mystical prompt & writing_game's diss prompt

A/N: OHAI I'm writing Merlin again \o/

How've you been this past *cough* half a year, F-list?

[ LJ | IJ | DW ]

It’s not that Merlin hates being in the middle. Arthur’s bed is big enough for three grown men, especially if one is as skinny as Merlin. It’s just that the king and the first knight always gravitate to the middle, effectively quashing him.

Lancelot would tuck his head into Merlin’s neck, one of his legs trapping Merlin’s. The man is so selfless that Merlin doesn’t have the heart to shove him off, even if his flyaway hair tickles.

Arthur would toss and turn, kicking the blanket off no matter how cool the night air is. Then, lying on top of the covers, he would turn on his side and half-lie across Merlin.

Some nights, Merlin would gently extricate himself and slip quietly next door. Gwen always scoots over to make space for him in Morgana’s bed. Most nights, however, he would lie overheated under his lovers’ embrace, awake and content.

---

ETA 5/25/10: The Russian translation by nataliny1 is here.

A/N: Cut it down to 150 words. Go me!

In my fanon, Gwen and Morgana keep an extra nightgown* for the nights when Merlin drop by. It's important that they match~ after all.
Also, Santiago Lancelot grows his luscious locks out thanks to Merlin's Pout of Magnitude. The HEA end.

* Part 1 starts here

[ LJ | IJ | DW ]

When Arthur was six, he faced down a dragon with a wooden sword.

The dragon (a monster as big as a mountain!) took one look at his toy sword and snorted.

"You don't scare me, dragon! Knights always kill the monsters in the end!"

"Prince Arthur Pendragon," the dragon said, as if Arthur had not spoken. "The world will kill and eat you. But not if you eat the heart of the world first."

Arthur frowned. The dragon wasn’t following the storyline.

"Two golden children sharing one destiny."

In the morning, he would think that it was all a dream.

---

Answers merlin100's sword prompt & writing_game's exasperating prompt
The dragon's prophecy is inspired by Sylvia Plath's poem "Mary's Song" ("O golden child the world will kill and eat.")

[ LJ | IJ | DW ]

“A prince’s favour is a precious commodity,” his father once told him before taking his favourite horse away.

Arthur had taken the lesson to heart, doling out equal camaraderie to noblemen’s sons and equal flattery to their daughters.

Except he had slipped horribly—over Merlin, of all people—and it was no use to protest that he’s mine or you gave him to me, because he had not forgotten that Apple was a present when he turned seven.

His father had no rights on his manservant (his friend, his favourite), and still he left marks of possession on Merlin’s skin.

---

Companion drabble/remix of sophinisba's "Keep Your Head Down" for remixthedrabble.
Audienced by snakeling.

[ LJ | IJ | DW ]

Of all the barely legal men out there, why did he fixate on the headmaster’s son?

Arthur was a good student who didn’t give the staff any trouble. Except for his Literature teacher.

On Tuesdays, Merlin always wore long jackets, because Arthur would be right there with his pouty lips and pen-biting.

Today, Arthur had stayed behind and ambushed Merlin with a kiss. Of course, the headmaster just happened to wander by.

Lifting guilty hands from Arthur’s shoulders—to push him away, not clutch him closer—Merlin contemplated throwing himself out the midget-sized window.

“What is the meaning of this?”

---

Answers merlin_flashfic's Alternate Universe challenge.
Audienced by oconel.
ayes_sid gave me the prompt: Merlin/Arthur, Uther finds out and there's no way out for Merlin. She didn’t say I can’t write a ModernDay!AU, so =P

---

In other news, people should go check out cliche_bingo, a multi-fandom challenge (no deadline, min. 500 words for fic, you can do recs/fanarts/icons instead, etc.) Will make a proper pimping post later, although they really don't need it.

[LJ | IJ | DW ]

( The Aftermath (implied Merlin/Arthur, PG-13 for gore & implied violence) )

Answers merlin_flashfic's Nightmares and monsters challenge and merlin100's dance prompt.

---

1. What Dreams by suaine, PG
Summary: There was always a price. The balance of nature was transactional - one thing of a certain value required the sacrifice of equal value given up by the one who asked.

But Arthur never finished those thoughts, kept all of his heart locked up tight. Merlin knew what he was going to say anyway, knew of the way Arthur kept looking over his shoulder when he thought no one was watching. Arthur had nightmares, dreams of a world without him in it, all the more terrible for their warmth and muted beauty, hitting like a physical blow when he woke up.

2. merlin_flashfic's AU challenge will run until 22.00BST on Saturday the 13 June.

3. In lieu of #2, please answer this poll on AU Merlin fics =)

[ LJ | IJ | DW ]

First Time (Merlin/Arthur drabble, PG-13)

The first time Merlin kissed Arthur, they were standing on an ocean of grass.

Merlin trembled a little, and the kiss remained chaste until Arthur pulled at his stupid scarf—trust Merlin to be wearing a scarf on a glorious summer day—and plundered Merlin's lips.

The grass was heavy with dew, and later Arthur would find mud dotting the back of his jeans. But right this moment he could only listen to the tiny sounds Merlin made at the back of his throat.

The first time Arthur kissed Merlin, just two nights ago, he had thought Merlin was asleep.

***

Answers merlin100's Ocean prompt and writing_game's Scarf, Kiss prompt

( *** )
Extracurricular Service (implied Merlin/Arthur, PG-13 for suggestiveness)

"Well, this is awkward," Merlin said from his kneeling position on the floor.

Gwen let out a helpless giggle behind her hand. Lancelot, ever the gentlemanly knight, kept his eyes on Merlin's face. He was favoring his left ankle, Merlin noted. A sprain from training exercises, perhaps.

Arthur, red-faced and flustered, pulled on his long red tunic. "You're giving them the wrong idea!"

"Right, of course," Merlin said distractedly. "I wasn't performing any...extracurricular service. I was merely giving the king a physical examination."

"Oh, is that what they're calling it these days?" Gwen said with a smirk worthy of Morgana.

***

Answers merlin100's Awkward prompt and writing_game's Kneel prompt.

[ IJ | DW ]

( Arthur/Merlin, reincarnation, one time they get re-born as brothers. )

---

A/N: Answers kinkme_merlin's prompt: Arthur/Merlin, reincarnation, one time they get re-born as brothers.
Also answers writing_game Cupid Undone prompt and merlin100's Awkward prompt.

If someone wants to make this long and pr0ny, be my guest. *beams*

One of these days I'll write canon incest. And by that I mean Arthur/Morgana, not Uther/Arthur =P Although Igraine/Tristan has potentials.

ETA: derryere wrote an awesome EPIC based on this teeny drabble:
at least it would seem that we don't | M/A AU | NC17 | ~15,8K

[ LJ | IJ | DW ]

In which Arthur stole Merlin's food, watched his DVD, took him out to a boring party and manoeuvred him to bed (to sleep).

★ All-in-one beta & Britpicker: lilithilien ♥
☆ The first version won third place at armer_gayms' Bro Code challenge.

☆ 555 words. Or 731. It's all relative.
★ Borrowed the varying flashfic length from b_hallward's Increments (Merlin/Arthur)--am not the genius that came up with it. The 5, 10, 20, ..., 100 words structure fits what I have in mind, didn't mean to steal ^^;;

---

( In which Arthur stole Merlin's food, watched his DVD, took him out to a boring party and manoeuvred him to bed (to sleep). )

---

<-- Merlin's pyjamas Arthur's Arsenal shirt. Please credit if taking, etc.

Rambling A/N of sorts:
There's a funny story about this fic. ( Read more... )

[ LJ | AO3 | DW ]

Sloth & Pride are companion drabbles. Everything else stands on its own. I'm not cool enough to make all seven drabbles related, sadly.
I want to do another sins set in the future (with different characters & prefferrably an interconnected storyline) because these ones come across as sympathetic & rather tame.

*******

"Gluttony" - Gaius, G
( Gaius grew up in a small village where going hungry during lean winters was a fact of life. )

"Wrath" - Uther, Igraine, G
( Given time, perhaps his queen could have tempered his iron grip )

"Envy" - Morgana, PG
( If only she could trade her visions )

"Sloth" - Merlin, Arthur, G
( If he had polished Arthur's armour by hand, this wouldn't have happened. )

"Pride" - Arthur, Merlin, G
( Arthur had always prided himself of his judgment. )

"Lust" - Lancelot/Gwen, Arthur, PG-13
( The first time it happened, they were young and carefree in love. )

"Greed" - Mordred, Arthur, G
( 'Your precious prince, now grown old to be a pitiful king.' )

ETA 07/06/10: dreaming_athena podficced my Seven Deadly Sins drabble series here =DDD [ @ Audiofic Archive
1. Is there a Merlin LDWS comm. somewhere? We have Merlin tweetfic comm., there should be a Merlin LDWS, yeah?
LJ, IJ, DW, doesn't matter.

2. Also, LDWS comm.s, why the high upper limit? 499-word = flopsy, not a drabble. And 1K words = ficlet, not a drabble.
This is what modding a drabble community get you, you turn into a purist without realizing it =P

3. You know what Merlin pastiche hasn't been done yet? Merlin/FMA. So, Merlin characters in an FMA-like world.
Consider this: magic ~ balance // alchemy ~ equivalent exchange.

Merlin saves Arthur's life but Something Goes Horribly Wrong. Arthur comes back to life, but now he's caught in a never-ending loop of Saving the Day and Dying a Bloody, Tragic Death at a Terribly Young Age.
After the however many times Merlin had Arthur dying in his arms, Merlin swears to break the circle. But what does Merlin have left to offer up in exchange (and not having Arthur die on him again?)

Depressing plotbunny is depressing.

[ LJ | IJ | DW ]

( The turtle moves. )

---

This was originally submitted as an answer to armer_gayms' ModernDay!AU challenge. Check out roflolmaomg's submission, 'tis epic! Whereas ifyouweremine slays you with baby cuteness =P

[ LJ | IJ | DW ]

ETA 5:53 p.m. Good thing to know: when you click "edit tags," the edits aren't automatically x-posted. I have different tagging systems over at IJ/LJ, so yay!