Anime High

Chapter Seven

The sun was just starting to rise, but Merlin was already awake. She was in her kitchen, experimenting with her chemistry set. She used to do this in the shed out back. But something went wrong and she blew it up. Since her Dad was never there, she just moved everything inside. She liked this better anyway.

When she's in the kitchen she has a view of Meliodas's house. He lives directly across the street and has for his entire life. He was the middle child of three boys, and the odd one out. His brothers pick on him and their father looks at him like he's a failure. When Meliodas was younger he would run away from home. Not one of them would freak out. They all said he would be back and if he wasn't, well good riddance.

So Merlin would be the one to go find him. And she always did. No matter where he hid. She would bring him to her house, and he would stay there for a day then say he's going home. Merlin hated the look in his eyes when he discovered they didn't miss him.

Things got better when he started high school and joined the Seven Deadly Sins. He felt like there were people who needed him when he was at school.

Merlin heard a knock on her back door.

"Come in Arthur." she called smirking.

Arthur lived behind her. There was only a fence separating their gardens and a couple years back, Arthur's mother got annoyed at him for climbing it all the time. So she asked Merlin if they could just put a gate in. And they did just that.

"Hey." Arthur grinned when he entered the kitchen. "I thought I saw lights."

Merlin rolled her eyes.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"I need help." Arthur scuffed his feet on the floor and wouldn't look at her.

Merlin is basically his tutor. Whenever Arthur had trouble with school he would always come to her. She thought it was adorable how he was still awkward about asking her for help when he'd been doing this for years.

Merlin set down her measuring cup and walked over so she could stand in front of him.

His amber hair was as messy as ever, purple eyes still wouldn't meet her's.

She leaned down so they would be the same hight.

"What would you do if I said no?" she asked glaring at him.

Arthur's gaze shot up and fear filled his face.

Merlin laughed and ruffled his hair.

"I'm kidding." she smiled wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"You almost gave me a heart attack!" he cried rubbing his chest.

"I'm a little sad you took me seriously." she said clearing some space for him to set his stuff down. "I've been helping you for years. Why would I suddenly stop?"

"That's just it." Arthur said. "You've given me so much. I keep expecting you to just shut me down. 'Do it yourself!' or something like that."

"I'm not going to abandon you like that." assured Merlin. "I'll be here as long as you need me."

"You promise?" he stared up at her, hope filling his eyes.

It was super cute. Merlin gave him a smile and nodded.

"Yay!" yelled Arthur wrapping his arm around her and giving her a quick hug.

Sometimes he could be just like a child.

"But first I'm going to go change." Merlin pulled away from him and gesture at her pajamas. (Tiny shorts and a little tank-top) "Wait here, and don't touch anything."