tampered | [OPEN]

When; Midnight between the 15th and the 16th
Rating; PG?
Characters; Merlin and you
Summary; Merlin is revived after Arthur kills him and immediately tries to think of a way to set things right. Sit down for a while for once, man.
Log; By the time midnight comes around, Merlin's body disappears from his and Charlie's bed, and Merlin blinks blearily around him as he finds himself lying right beside the fountain. He can breathe, he notes, and if he looks down and rubs his hand over his torso, there's nothing there.

He takes a very deep breath, closes his eyes for a moment, and finally pushes himself up.

That's a first. He knows dying isn't permanent, but it's a first experiencing it. He's not sure what he was expecting out of it, but he feels very... empty. Hollow. The only thing...

Well, he has to return. Return home. And... do something. He has no idea what. What do you do after you've died and come back? Died by your best friend's hand, nonetheless. Tell Arthur that it wasn't his fault, first of all, and check so that Charlie knows that too. Because it's not Arthur's fault, couldn't be, with all the times he's saved his life.

It's not.

Which is why he hurries back - doesn't run, but walks quickly and with his eyes fixed forwards. Except when he finally opens the front door, he stops. Hesitates. Suddenly feels uneasy, and with no idea whatsoever to do, where to go.

It just... hurts.

((OOC: If your character has a habit of taking a walk during the night or something, feel free to run into him while he's headed home. Or approach him at the fountain. Something. /waves hands))

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Charlie's out with Gwaine because the tiny dog has a tiny bladder and needed to pee at "God damn it, dog-thirty" in the morning. She's very much so lost in thought, leash around her wrist and both hands jammed deep into the pockets of her hoodie. She's not staying at home, currently, so the direction she comes from isn't the one from the mansion. It was too hard staying there and she didn't want Ken around all that so she and her adopted kid are staying in one of the apartments for a couple days.

It's Gwaine that sees and smells Merlin first, barking loudly and tugging on the leash. Charlie doesn't tug back. She watches her dog with a faint tilt of her head before dropping the leash and letting the dog go. She knows that bark anywhere. The excited full body wiggle of the small dog and the need to run and find Merlin wherever his human is.

And Charlie follows. When she spots Merlin, her quick walk turns into an outright run. He better be ready for one tearfully happy wife throwing herself into his arms.

Merlin would easily recognise that barking anywhere, and if Gwaine is out with a leash on him, that means Charlie has to be too. So he's most definitely ready, and while he'd bent down to pet Gwaine before Charlie comes into view, he stands up as soon as she does and takes off to meet her halfway, Gwaine bounding after him.

They practically collide and it's only just barely that he manages to stay on his feet. His arms wrap tight around her, tight tight, his nose presses into her neck and he spins her around, a choked, sobbing laugh pressing its way through his throat. Sobbing because he just died, died by Arthur's hand and it hurts, and it's not Arthur's fault but still. And he supposes it's all right to crumble in Charlie's arms. At least for a moment, a little bit.

Enough for the laughter to sound like crying, at least. He doesn't let tears fall.

It really is him. It is and she's holding onto him for dear life. When he spins her around, she lets out a choked laugh. Her fingers tangle themselves thoroughly in his hair and she kisses him everywhere she can reach. Face. Ears. Lips. Neck. And then it's back to holding him as if the City's going to try to take him away yet again.

Charlie's starting to rethink her self-proclaimed 'not a crier' status because for what feels like the billionth time in days, she's crying again. Freely this time because it's Merlin and he's alive and not City!Dead and she's allowed to cry around him. She wouldn't have married him if she couldn't.

Gwaine circles the pair, barking and pawing the air for attention before finally tugging at the cuff of Merlin's pants. He wants attention, too. What's going on? Why are his humans acting so strangely.

Charlie doesn't look at the dog, though. Just her husband, her forehead pressing against his and her hands framing his face for a moment before she kisses him, a kiss that to passerby's would seem as though she hadn't seen him in too long.

She is very much allowed, and so is he in return. He wouldn't really have expected to feel that way, honestly, but maybe he should have. He's only really hidden tears when the reason for them can't be known and, so, after a little while, as she kisses him as if their life depended on it, tears do fall.

He's not sure if they're out of pain or happiness, but maybe it doesn't really matter. Maybe it's both. Either way, they probably need out. And either way, he's kissing back just the same because he's here, he's here and it's all right now.

Somewhat, at least. They will be, they have to be.

At least they are for the most part. Arthur coming into the equation makes a difference, but just them? They're fine.

They will always be okay. They will always be fine. Especially in a City where death is temporary. She can't not be fine, now that he's alive and she's holding him and kissing him and this feels like a dream but he's right there. His tears are falling on her skin and she actually welcomes them.

"There's my wonderful husband," she finally whispers, letting out another half-laugh/half-sob. "I was starting to worry that..."

Nope. She's not saying that at all. Her kisses have finally calmed some and now she's just resting her forehead against his, nose brushing against his just slightly. "My Merlin."

She reaches up, gently brushing the tears off of his face and ignoring her own.

Meanwhile, Gwaine has just given up on getting attention and curls up on Charlie's feet with a yawn.

He makes a soft hushing sound, moving to press another soft kiss to her lips before he finally stills, tangling his fingers in her hair and just. Holding on. He can't promise that he'll always come back no matter how much he wants to, so that's what he can think of. Noises and touches.

Words are difficult.

"My Charlie."

That's reassuring her for the most part. She sighs against his lips, nerves calming somewhat. Okay. Okay, she was alright now. Sort of. She sighs again, leaning against her husband and easing her arms around him. Yes, she missed this. She missed holding him and being around him.

And then, she remembers something kind of awful.

"So...I'm not staying at the house right now. I...Ken and I are staying in one of the apartments for a bit. Just until..." Merlin came back. It's going to take her a while to say why she left.

There's a long pause at that as he tries to... figure that out. Charlie's a brave, stubborn woman, so why would she...? Arthur told her how he died, of course, because knowing that idiot he's blaming himself completely when there's no single way that he could actually have wanted to do that.

It was the City, that's the only explanation. But he can't really see why Charlie would leave because of a curse that made Arthur kill him. So... then what?

"Why?"

[ Arthur was kneeling in the garden, in clear sight of the room that Charlie and Merlin shared, keeping his night long vigil. He was armored for battle though he had striped any insignia that may have identified him as something more then just a man in armored clothing.

He didn't deserve to wear it.

No, he knelt with his head bowed before the light in the window, mourning his friend, mourning the blood he had shed by his own hand. He was not a stranger to death, but he atoned when he could. This, however, would require more then an evening of prayer. It would require a lifetime. Even if Merlin returned, even if Merlin forgave him, Arthur was certain he'd never forgive himself.

Curse or no, he had wanted the death. He had no excuses. ]

[ It took a good while for Merlin to finally move from the doorway, to slowly step through the house, and another good while for him to finally find Arthur. It was really quiet and it made him uneasy, but he wasn't sure what he should have expected anyway. And seeing Arthur...

Something in his throat clenched and he had to take a deep breath, something calm and calculated like he hoped it would work. He did hope it would work, but it didn't seem to...

No, of course it didn't. There was no point, so he only shook his head, swallowed and slowly approached. ]

Arthur...

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