WANTING - Part 1 SUMMARY: When Morgana must go on a three-month business trip, she asks her cousin Arthur Pendragon to 'keep an eye' on her sixteen year old adoptive brother, Merlin. RATING: NC-17 WORD COUNT: Just shy of 18k WARNINGS: Age difference (Merlin is 16; Arthur is 22); Arthur and Merlin are 'cousins' though not blood-related as Merlin is adopted. POV: Arthur WANTING “My father is sending you to Dubai?” Morgana nodded. “For three months,” she replied. “To promote a business partnership and set up a shell corporation. So I need you to look out for Merlin during that time.” Arthur frowned. “And you’re sure Merlin’s going to be okay with me playing big brother while you’re gone?” “He worships you, Arthur.” “That’s ridiculous,” Arthur countered, blushing slightly. “He does not.” But Morgana insisted. “He’s always worshipped you. Fancies you as some kind of knight in shining armour,” she said, smiling. Arthur rolled his eyes. Really, Morgana was going to go there? “Since mother died and my father decided to have a nervous breakdown, Merlin doesn’t have anybody but me in this world,” Morgana pressed the point. “I could tell your father that I won’t go but we both know that would be career suicide, even if we are family. I have to go to Dubai. And I can’t take Merlin with me. You’re the only one I can trust to keep an eye on him.” “Really? Me?” Arthur teased lightly. “Even though I pulled your pigtails relentlessly when we were kids?” Morgana slapped his shoulder playfully. “He’s sixteen, Arthur,” she said. “He knows how to feed and wash himself. And he doesn’t need to be reminded to brush his teeth. He’s not a puppy who needs fresh food and water and to be walked three times a day.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Because I would definitely not trust you if he was. But Merlin is s self-sufficient teenager. I just need you to look out for him while I’m away.” Morgana wouldn’t trust him with a puppy? Wow, that hurt. “He’s in school during the week,” Morgana continued. “And he pretty much keeps to himself the rest of the time. It’s not like you’ll have to drive him to band or football practice. He likes to read and draw.” “Draw?” Morgana nodded. “Sketches and stuff. He’s quite talented actually.” Morgana beamed. “Talented enough for The Ruskin.” Arthur raised his eyebrows. The Ruskin was considered one of the most prominent art schools in the country. If Merlin really had that kind of talent, then Arthur knew Morgana would pull every string she knew to make sure her precious little brother got accepted into Oxford’s finest school for the fine arts. Merlin had always been the centre of Morgana’s world. Morgana’s mother Vivienne – his father’s sister and Arthur’s aunt – had fallen in love with the four-year old orphaned boy and had insisted on adopting him, making him an integral part of the Le Fay family. Thirteen at the time, Morgana had fallen just as hard as her mother and from the day Merlin was brought home to stay with her family, his cousin started doting on him and had never stopped. Merlin was perfect in Morgana’s eyes and heart. Her world revolved around the boy. The only one of the Le Fay family who had been immune to Merlin’s charms was Gorlois, Morgana’s father. He had welcomed the boy into his home because his wife and daughter loved him, but Gorlois had never fully embraced love for Merlin. Arthur suspected that the man had always been a little jealous of Merlin for capturing Vivienne and Morgana’s hearts. When Aunt Vivienne had lost her battle with cancer three years ago, it had been a devastating loss for all of them. Completely heartbroken, Gorlois had essentially withdrawn from his family. The last Arthur had heard, he had gone to stay with his daughter from a previous marriage – Morgause – because the memories of his wife that lingered in the house and through Morgana and Merlin were just too painful. Morgana had been much stronger and better able to hide the pain of losing her mother, focusing all of her attention instead on Merlin. And Merlin...Vivienne’s death had taken a great toll on him. Like Gorlois, he had withdrawn but more so into himself than away. Morgana was now really the only family he had. Now that Morgana needed to go to Dubai for three months, it would leave sixteen year old Merlin on his own, with no immediate family. Arthur understood Morgana was worried about making Merlin feel ‘orphaned’ again and was relying on him – the only other ‘family’ she and Merlin had – to look out for him. He also knew this worshipping thing was absolute bunk – a ploy on Morgana’s part to get Arthur to agree to “keep an eye” on Merlin. It was true Merlin had tagged after him when they were kids but that was because Arthur had tagged after Morgana and Merlin, the youngest of them, had simply tried to keep up. There were no stars in Merlin’s eyes. No hero worshipping. Just a kid who didn’t want to be left behind. Arthur could relate to that. “Okay,” he said. Morgana threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. “Oh, thank you, Arthur! You’re the best!” “So when do you leave?” he asked her, extracting himself from her bone-crushing embrace. “Sunday,” she told him. “That soon,” he replied. “Are you sure you’re going to have time to pack your fifty pairs of shoes?” he teased. Morgana grinned. “Watch me,” she said then spun on one of her signature death-defying heels and clipped her way toward Arthur’s door. ** Arthur pulled his black SUV into the Le Fay’s driveway. It was Wednesday. Morgana had just left for her three-month business trip the past Sunday and Arthur figured he’d touch base with Merlin so the boy knew he really did have someone to count on while his sister was away. After all, he had promised Morgana that he would act the responsible adult so that one day she might actually trust him to watch a puppy. Arthur knocked on the side door of the house – it was the one the Le Fay family had always used that opened up into the kitchen – and waited for Merlin to answer it. When two full minutes went by, Arthur started to wonder if Merlin was even home. But just as he was considering getting back into his truck, the door opened, revealing the house’s only current occupant. Merlin mumbled “hey” and gestured for Arthur to come inside. Arthur hadn’t seen much of Merlin over the past three years since Aunt Vivienne had passed away, except for the occasional holiday get-together. He still looked the same – bright blue eyes, killer cheekbones, dark hair that curled at the ears – but somehow different. More mature. More beautiful. His long, lean frame was accentuated by dark blue jeans and a black t-shirt and he moved lithely, gracefully. His dark hair was lightly tousled, damp, as though he had recently come out of the shower. “Just checking in on you,” Arthur explained, moving into the kitchen. He watched Merlin pull open the fridge, extract a jug of milk, uncap it, then lift it to his lips and chug some of it back, his Adam’s apple bobbing with each swallow. He swiped the back of his hand over his lips, re-capped the jug, and returned it to the fridge. “Morgana just left,” Merlin said. “I’m not a puppy who needs to be walked.” Arthur saw the corner of Merlin’s mouth twitch and realized the kid was being cheeky with him. “Yeah, well, I told Morgana I’d keep an eye on you the next three months while she’s away. So this is me doing the first of that.” Arthur gave Merlin a pointed look. “You got a cell phone?” “Yeah.” “Go get it,” Arthur told him. When Merlin returned with is mobile in hand, Arthur passed him a piece of paper. “That’s my mobile number. Put it into your phone.” “Like right now?” “Yeah, like right now.” Arthur watched as Merlin’s long fingers tapped out the numbers of his mobile into his contact list. Arthur pulled his own mobile phone from the inner pocket of his leather jacket and said, “Okay, now what’s yours?” Arthur keyed in the numbers as Merlin relayed them out loud. When he was finished, he typed a simple text and hit send. Merlin gave Arthur a sardonic look when his mobile chirped, indicating he had a text message. “Just testing,” Arthur said with a grin. Merlin rolled his eyes but his mouth lifted in half-grin. “Got enough food in the house for the next couple of weeks?” Arthur asked. Merlin nodded. “Know how to do your own laundry?” Nod. “Brushing your teeth every night before bed?” Eye roll. Arthur smiled. “What do you say I pick you up at school this Friday for pizza and a movie with Lance and me at my place?” Merlin shrugged a shoulder. “Sure.” Well, there was one thing Arthur could say about Merlin that was still pretty much the same – he wasn’t much of a talker. ** Arthur pulled alongside the curb on the north side of the school, which was the designated pickup area, and waited for Merlin and the other students to be released. He had intentionally arrived early so that Merlin could spot him easily but had sent him a text message for good measure anyway to let Merlin know he was parked in the pickup area, already waiting. Five minutes passed before kids started spilling out of the front and side doors, making their way in every direction. Arthur scanned the crowd for Merlin, finally spotting him – clad in a well-worn black hoodie. It was March and Arthur made a mental note to review the basics of dressing for the weather with Merlin before – God forbid – the boy should catch a cold on his watch. As Merlin crossed the grounds towards Arthur’s truck, a group of burly jock-types zeroed in on him and started shoving Merlin around among them. Arthur was about to get out his truck to lay it out for the gang but he saw Merlin give a firm a...
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