Work Text:
"Excuse me, pardon me, coming though!" shouted Merlin as he shoved past the mass of students not currently in class. He had forgotten to set his alarm and was now panicking in his haste to get to potions. Miss Nimueh, the potions teacher, was a stickler for promptness, and Merlin did not want to get on her bad side. She once made a student scrub all the cauldrons by hand for falling asleep during a lesson. Merlin definitely did not want to scrub cauldrons. Doing labor of that sort always gave him a funny feeling; like there was something he needed to remember but couldn't.
The bell rang over the sound system, and Merlin groaned. He jogged the rest of the way to potions, arriving three minutes late. The other students stared as he entered, and Miss Nimueh's gaze pierced through his very soul. "To the front, Mr. Emrys. You will be our first presenter."
Bullocks, thought Merlin.
After class finished Merlin made his way to the cafeteria. He dramatically sat himself down beside Gwen who jumped and put her book down. She gave him an exasperated sigh. "What's wrong?" she prompted at the same time Morgana said "This should be good."
Merlin glared at Morgana before launching into a lengthy rant about potions. As he vented, Arthur and Lancelot joined their group. "And that's why her views on applied science in regards to potion making are completely absurd!" Merlin finished, slamming his glass down on the table. Lancelot looked around awkwardly before resting his eyes on Gwen. "Shall we go?" He prompted, extending his hand. Gwen smiled sweetly and laced their fingers together. She squeezed Merlin's shoulder with her free hand. "Try not to stress yourself out too much." "Yeah, yeah," Merlin grumbled as the couple walked away.
He turned back to Morgana and Arthur, who were hurriedly whispering to each other. Morgana was smirking, which never meant anything good. Arthur, on the other hand, appeared rather flustered. "Shut up," Arthur stated indignantly. Morgana only smirked back at him. Merlin would never understand the Pendragon siblings.
"So, Merlin. I was thinking about throwing an early Christmas party before the end of the term. Which is to say, I am throwing one, and you're coming. Be there at eight," Morgana said, leaving no room for argument. Merlin nodded absently, finishing the last of his lunch before the bell rang. He and Arthur walked to charms, discussing the upcoming dueling competition.
Eight o'clock arrived and so did Merlin. Hardly anyone was there. Morgana immediately put him to work, making him help her with last minute preparations. He should have known. The rest of the night went by in a bit of a blur. He recalled dancing wildly with Gwen while Lancelot and Arthur watched them with amusement. He recalled a heated argument with Morgana on the proper way to play Never Have I Ever, immediately followed by a hilarious round of said game. He recalled Morgana shoving him under the mistletoe and thoroughly snogging his best mate of five years...... He would think about that another time. There was something missing, however.
His potions assignment! In all the excitement he had forgotten to do it. Merlin scrambled out of bed, frantically typing out his essay. He figured arriving late to potions with a complete essay was better than arriving on time without one. He continued to work for twenty more minutes after the start of class. Finally, finished product in hand, Merlin sprinted into the potions classroom.
"Mr. Emrys. How nice of you to join us. If you're late again I am docking your grade. Essay," Miss Nimueh firmly prompted, extending her hand. Merlin handed her the paper and sheepishly slid into his seat. He had made a calculated decision, but math was never his strong suit...... Nor was potions, apparently. The rest of his classes weren't meeting that day, and Merlin spent the rest of it holed up in his room, alternating between sleeping, eating his feelings, and trying not to think about anything.
The following day his alarm went off, and Merlin jumped up, wasting no time getting ready. There was no way he was being late to potions again. He threw on a jacket and grabbed an apple to eat on the way. Almost there. Almost there. He was going to make it! Just as he was about to celebrate, a hand reached out and pulled him into an alcove. "Hey!" Merlin protested. "We need to talk," stated Arthur. Oh great. Merlin so did not have time for this, and he told Arthur just that. "If I'm late for potions again, I'm going to fail the term. We'll talk at lunch. I promise," persuaded Merlin. Arthur nodded in understanding, albeit somewhat annoyed. Then Merlin was off again, bursting through the door to potions. "Good to see you're on time," Miss Nimueh said, not looking up from the papers she was grading. Merlin grinned and celebrated internally. Today was going to be a good day.