The room fell into a comfortable lull, the only sounds being the occasional hum of a car passing outside and the soft ticking of the clock on the wall.
Nathan, now fully settled in, draped an arm over the back of the couch, shifting slightly to face Merlin.
"You know," Nathan mused, "This is the first time I've ever been in your space, and you haven't tried to run away yet."
Merlin didn't look up from his phone. "Yet."
Nathan chuckled. "You're seriously allergic to social interaction, aren't you?"
Merlin didn't respond, still scrolling through his screen with an expression so blank it was almost impressive. Nathan sighed dramatically, leaning his head back against the couch.
"You should talk to people more," Nathan continued, tapping his fingers against the fabric. "I mean, I get that you're all broody and mysterious or whatever, but I'm telling you, it's gonna be a problem someday."
Merlin finally glanced at him, his expression unreadable. "And why's that?"
Nathan grinned, as if he had been waiting for the question. "Because, my dear Merlin, one day you're going to be stuck in a life-or-death situation, and you'll realize you have no one to rely on."
Merlin let out a quiet breath through his nose. "I don't need anyone to rely on. I have myself and I'll be strong enough to protect myself. I don't drag others into my own trouble."
Nathan just stared at him for a moment before shaking his head, his smile dimming slightly. "That's a terrible way to live."
'How is that even terrible?'
Nathan sighed again, stretching out his legs. "Alright, fine, I won't lecture you. But at least let me come over sometimes. It's not like I'm gonna wreck the place."
Merlin raised a brow. "That's debatable."
Nathan laughed. "Come on, you think I'm that bad?"
'Yes, you failed at saving your own world, dumbass. You are the worst.'
Merlin just looked at him.
Nathan put a hand over his heart in mock offense. "Wow. You wound me."
Merlin set his phone down on the coffee table, rubbing his temple. "You talk too much."
"Yeah, yeah, I've been told." Nathan waved a hand dismissively. "Anyway, you're lucky I'm not one of those friends who takes things personally."
"I told you. We're not friends."
Nathan gasped dramatically. "How dare you."
Merlin pinched the bridge of his nose, but there was no real malice in the action. He was getting used to Nathan's energy, for better or worse.
The room fell quiet again, and for a moment, neither of them spoke. Nathan stared up at the ceiling, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.
"…You know, you really are different from the others," he murmured.
Merlin glanced at him. "What?"
Nathan turned his head slightly, meeting Merlin's gaze. "I don't know. It's hard to explain. But you feel… different."
Merlin held his gaze, his expression unreadable. "That's because I am different."
Nathan snorted. "See, it's stuff like that. Normal people don't say things like that."
'I am different, I literally don't belong in this world.'
Merlin leaned back, closing his eyes. "Maybe I'm just not normal."
Nathan hummed in agreement. "Yeah, no argument there."
Silence stretched between them again. This time, it wasn't uncomfortable, it was something else.
Merlin exhaled, rubbing his temple as Nathan stretched lazily on the couch, looking far too comfortable for someone who wasn't even supposed to be there.
"Why don't you just go home?" Merlin asked, standing up.
Nathan made no effort to move. "Ehh, it's late."
Nathan grinned. "Which is why I should stay the night instead of wasting money on a taxi."
"I mean, it kind of is, since I'm already here."
Merlin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I don't have a guest room."
Merlin narrowed his eyes. "You planned this, didn't you?"
Nathan grinned. "I would never."
Merlin stared at him, weighing his options. Kicking him out at this hour was more trouble than it was worth, and knowing Nathan, he'd probably find a way to stay regardless.
"…Fine. But if you snore, I'm throwing you out the window."
Nathan beamed. "Got it, got it. You're the best, Merlin."
Merlin rolled his eyes, already regretting his decision.
Merlin sighed, rubbing his temple before turning away. "Suit yourself."
Nathan took that as full permission and immediately sprawled out on the couch like he owned the place.
He stretched his arms behind his head, grinning like a satisfied cat. "Man, your couch is actually pretty comfortable. You sure you don't wanna trade?"
'He cannot be fucking serious.'
Merlin shot him a deadpan look. "I'd rather sleep on the floor."
Nathan laughed. "Your loss."
Ignoring him, Merlin turned toward the hallway. "I'll get you a blanket. Don't touch anything."
"I'd never," Nathan said, way too quickly.
Merlin didn't trust that at all.
He disappeared into his room, grabbing a spare blanket from his closet.
His room was just as sparse as the rest of the apartment—minimalist, with only a bed, a desk, and a single bookshelf tucked against the wall.
There were no decorations, no unnecessary belongings. Nothing that hinted at personality.
When he returned to the living room, Nathan had already made himself at home. His jacket was draped over the armrest, and he was casually flipping through his phone, looking completely at ease.
Merlin tossed the blanket at his face. "Here."
Nathan yelped, pulling it off his head with a glare. "Rude."
Nathan grinned. "Nah."
Merlin sighed and walked past him toward the kitchen. He wasn't tired yet, so he poured himself a glass of water.
Behind him, Nathan shifted on the couch. "Hey, Merlin."
Merlin didn't turn around. "What."
Nathan hesitated for a second before continuing. "Do you always live ?"
Merlin took a slow sip of his water. "Like what."
"I don't know. Just… you don't have anything personal here." Nathan waved vaguely at the room. "It feels kind of empty."
Merlin placed his glass down with a quiet clink. "I don't need anything else."
Nathan studied him for a moment before exhaling. "You're really bad at this, you know?"
Merlin frowned. "At what?"
'What the hell is he even saying?'
Merlin turned his head slightly, meeting Nathan's gaze. Nathan wasn't mocking him, wasn't teasing—his expression was lighthearted, but there was something genuine beneath it.
Merlin looked away. "And you're bad at shutting up."
Nathan laughed. "Yeah, yeah. I'll shut up now."
Merlin finished his drink and left the glass in the sink before heading back to his room. "Good. Go to sleep."
"Night, roomie..Oh could you brung me a pillow..?"
Merlin closed the door behind him without even bothering to answer.
He stood there for a moment in the dim light, letting out a quiet breath.
But for some reason, Merlin hadn't kicked him out.
He sat down on the edge of his bed, running a hand through his hair.
The apartment was quiet now, save for the occasional shifting sounds from the living room where Nathan had settled in.
He exhaled. He wasn't tired. He rarely was.
Instead, he pulled up his system.
'System. Training Menu.'
[Training (Daily) Currently available]
[Would you like to proceed with the training? Y/N]
It appeared in front of his vision, its familiar interface glowing faintly in the dark.
The interface flickered for a second.
Merlin frowned. That was new.
[Training Mode Unavailable.]
[System Malfunction Detected.]
Merlin's fingers tightened around the edge of his bed.
He tried again, resetting the system, navigating back to the training function.
A cold sense of unease settled in his chest. The system had never failed him before. It was one of the few things he could rely on, one of the few advantages he had over this world's natural order.
Merlin closed his eyes, inhaling deeply.
Merlin stared at the glowing error message for a few more seconds before closing the interface with a flick of his hand.
'It's not like I can do anything..'
Whatever the problem was, he wasn't going to solve it now. If the system was malfunctioning, it would either fix itself or he'd have to figure out an alternative later. Worrying about it wouldn't change anything.
With a quiet sigh, he stood up and grabbed a spare pillow from his closet. He walked back into the living room, where Nathan was sprawled out on the couch, already half-asleep.
"Here." Merlin tossed the pillow onto Nathan's face.
Nathan let out a muffled noise before grabbing it and glaring up at him. "You could've just handed it to me."
Merlin ignored the complaint and turned back toward his room. "Don't touch anything."
Nathan huffed. "Yeah, yeah. Goodnight to you too, ice prince."
Merlin didn't dignify that with a response. He shut his bedroom door behind him, climbed into bed, and closed his eyes.
Tomorrow, he'd deal with whatever was coming next.