Flowers

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Modern AU. No magic

the start of this may be triggering as it includes stalking and sexual advances that are not wanted. If this does make you uncomfortable skip to the ***.

Tintagel is home to Tintagel Castle, which is linked to Arthurian legends. So it felt fitting to set it there. Plus the village is quite nice, the coast is beautiful.

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Arthur was well known in the small village of Tintagel, mostly for his charming attitude and stunning looks. He had girls throwing themselves at him left right and centre, not that he gave any of them the light of day. One could go as far as to say he was equivalent to that of a Greek god.

But that doesn't mean he likes the attention he receives. Inside he was broken; scarred by the past actions of his family and so called friends.

A simple walk in the park turns into a fight for survival for the poor man, ducking from possible hunters stalking his every move. On this particular day, a young girl had been following him through a secluded park for about ten minutes. 

At this point Arthur was used to it, but it still scared him when he was followed. Especially when there was no one else around. He reached the edge of the park and stopped for two seconds. 

Mistake.

"Hi my name is Vivian!" The peppy stalker announced, scaring the life out of Arthur.

"Oh um...hi?" Arthur replied, looking for anybody to help get him out this situation.

"I was wondering if you wanted to grab a coffee or something." Vivian said with a sickly sweet smile that one could mistake for manipulative.

Arthur shook his head adamantly and turned to leave. Just as he did so the girl grabbed his wrist and spun him back around. "Oh come on, I really want to get to know you." She said her eyes flicking down and a small smirk appearing on her face.

'Am I cursed? why does this always happen to me?' Arthur thinks as he backs away from the girl. 

Large bushes surround them, trees shielding them from the rest of the park. Even if there was somebody there, they wouldn't be able to see this uncomfortable exchange. Arthur begins to panic, terrible memories flooding his mind when the girl rested her hand on his cheek.

"Please stop." Arthur whispered, to which Vivian placed a finger on his lips.

Her hands ran down his neck, stroking his arms so delicately that it sent shivers down Arthur's spine. He was now pushed up against a tree, still shielded from view. 

"I said stop." Arthur whispered slightly louder than before. Clearly by her larger smirk she didn't care for his protests.

Little did he know an ebony haired angel had heard the desperate tone of a broken man.

Vivian's hands now rested on Arthur's chest, making him grimace. He tried to push her off but she just giggled seductively.

"I love a man who plays hard to get." Arthur couldn't hold back a tear, the memories where getting to much.

"Hey. He told you to stop. Get of him." A man yelled, making Vivian jump like a skittish cat. She hissed like one too as she scuttled away.

***

Arthur slid down the tree, head in his hands. He could feel the presence of the other man but didn't try to engage in conversation. Luckily he didn't have to. The man simply sat opposite Arthur, distancing himself as to not make the blonde even more uncomfortable.

They sat in silence for a while. By the time Arthur lifted his head the sky was a deep orange and pink, purple clouds littering the sky like candyfloss. His eyes darted from the sky to his savior, allowing him to get  a better look at the man.

He had deep blue eyes that reflected the evening hue beautifully. Ebony hair flopped down on his face in a carefree way. That summed up his whole appearance, care free. A flowy patterned shirt hung of the man's thin structure, accompanied by light blue jeans cuffed at the ankle and white high tops. To top it all of a flower crown made up of various yellow, orange and white flowers rested on his tussled black locks. All in all he looked angelic, which was fitting for the person who saved him.

The man seemed to notice the sudden shift in atmosphere as he cleared his throat gently. "My name is Merlin. What's yours?"

"A-Arthur." He replied, voice still shaky from the flashbacks.

"Are you okay Arthur?" The genuine concern in Merlin's voice brought tears to Arthur's eyes. Never once has someone asked him that. No one ever seems to care what he feels. Nevertheless Arthur holds in his emotions and replies with the only logical statement he could think of.

"I'm fine." His voice betrays him. Multiple cracks let the hidden emotion spill out. Merlin shuffles closer and takes Arthur's shaking hand in his own.

"You're not okay. I know you have no reason to trust me, so of course you don't have to tell me anything. But just know that you never have to be afraid to talk to people."

"What if I can't talk to people. What if the people I am supposed to talk to are the reason I am so afraid."

"Find new people." He said it so matter-o-factly that Arthur was taken aback. He had honestly never even considered that. The fear of rejection has always been overwhelmingly strong that he put up walls of protection, separating his trauma from daily life. And here comes this boy whom is all but a stranger and knocks them all down.

"You know what, your right Merlin. Thank you." Arthur squeezed Merlin's hands, causing a light blush to paint the boys cheeks. He looked utterly adorable.

"Your welcome Arthur." Merlin replied with a goofy smile that made his eyes shimmer in the evening glow. "I better get going before it turns dark, I'll see you around yeah?"

Arthur nodded, letting go of Merlin's hands allowing them to stand. Merlin was about to leave when a thoughtful expression filled his face. He reached up to his head and gently pulled of the flower crown. He proceeded to place it on Arthur's golden locks.

"Now I have something to come back to." Merlin said cheekily before walking of into the night. Arthur gaped after him, heart a flutter at the slight weight of the crown. He couldn't describe this feeling, but he sure as hell liked it.

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This is going to be a two part story! Next part will be significantly longer so there might be a bit of a wait.

This is probably my favourite story to date, I love modern au's for these characters.

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