The sky streaks above them: an intoxicating pink and blue tango of air that sparkled with the twilight as they unboarded Josphine: the spaceship. Merlin tilted his head back ideal smile playing on his lips as Arthur watched him out the side of his eyes. His strong jaw was set firm, and his blonde hair glone like an prismatic halo, as radiant as the firmament.
"We're just restocking, Merlin. It's a quick in and out. I don't want to wondering off and getting lost" spole the captain's ominous voice.
"Don't you worry, Princess, I'll keep both my eyes on him" assured Gwaine in cokiness.
"Pfft, your eyes are more prone to wondering than Merlin is" scoffed Arthur. Gwaine girnned ribaldously in response and waggled his arcticulate eyebrow.
"Aye, and what sights they have to wonder at" he joked, his eyes running up and down the length of Merlin's elegant frame.
"Watch it!" Arthur snapped, blushening at Gwaine's evil crackle.
"Oh, Princess you're watching him enough for us both. Besides, I've got my eyes on a bigger prizes." he laughed and winked over his shoulder as he sauced towards where Percival stood tinkering with a broken communication pod, which stood on the space dock.
"Come with me" Arthur growled and gesuted, a light dust of red decorating Merlin's cheeks at the sound as he nodded obediently, his blue eyes comically wide and his mouth unusually silent.
"Percy, you too" Arthur called as they walked passed the muscled communications expert who followed along, Gwaine coming too chattering ten to the dozen, pointing out the stalls and explaining market goods to Merlin in a way that made a jealous plume of smoke weave its way through Arthur's torso - iIt was a feeling that lasted though out their brief trip into the trade port, even as they carried their supplies back to the ship, Percival's hands full with the bulk of the goods, but even Merlin carrying a token small bag, and still as Arthur slipped a secret object:unpaid for, one from the stalls into his pocket as the others walked ahead.
As the four of them clattered back into the communications deck of the ship Leon and Elyan looked up from where they were hunched over an antique tones hushed but clearly arguing.
"No, we'd need to go left at the Elba nebula and then straight on" hissed Leon.
"That doesn't make any sense, we'd get sucked into the Folloncia black hole." replied Elyan.
"Who taught you cosmo-geography? Follonica's East of Elba!" Leon retorted. Elyan walked around the table so that he stood on the same side as Leon and gazed down at the map, which was not the right way up to his view instead of upside down as it had been from his previuos view.
"Ah." he muttered.
Arthur cleared his throat loudly.
"Gentleman if you're quite done. We have supplies to unpack" he commanded gracefully. Leon stood to attention. Elyan smiling sheepishly.
"Sorry, sir, we got a bit carried away" Leon said.
"We'll get the supplies put away now." Elyan added, rolling up the ancient paper map, and tucking it into his billowing trousers, before joining Leon in taking the supplies from Merlin and Gwaine and heading towards the hold with Percy.
"What was that?" asked Merlin, innocently.
"They've got a treasure map!" Gwaine laughed.
"Treasure?" Merlin asked, his eyes wide in delight and surprise.
"They're going to pay for our retirement" Gwaine grinned, Arthur rolled his eyes.
"Pay it no heed. It is a folly of Elyan's. I know not why Leon indulges him so." he said of his stolwort first mate.
"Oh, have you not seen Elyan, well worth indulging in Princess" Gwaine minxed, causing a snort of amusement from Merlin who had unfortunately become more, and more, familiar with the pilots jokes. Arthur sighed deeply as he started fiddling with the controls, hoping that Lancelot had had time to set the course for Gaius as the engines roared to life, spitting orange fire like a fearsome dragon as they took off back into the deep black velvety earthy sky of space.
Stars flashed past with windscreen in a blur or time, but their beauty was lost on Arthur - not only because he'd been a spacefarer for years and had somehow got used to the site, but because Merlin, more enchanting than the brightest star, sat on the floor of the deck of the bridge, legs crossed, trailing a scrap of fabric along the floor in fromt of a very amused Leo,was crouched low, his face resting on his poors as he wiggled his haunches in the air, his tail whisping about in concertration. His eyes were cunning and tracking the movements of the fabric, his ears pressed back against his skull, intent Suddenly and silently he punced. His claws digging into the fabric as his back legs skittered for purchase on the smooth spaceship floor, his tail waiving in fierce anger as he skidded into a pile. Unpeturbed, he stood up proudly, looking his head around and pretending he had meant to do that as he eyed the fabric again.
Merlin laughed, the dim bridge lights that Arthur preferred not seeming to shroud him in shadow, but to highlight him, his skin almost silvery in its opalesence, his eyes seeming to glimmer as if in starlight as the ship flew away.
***
Two days passed on the ship as it hurtled through space with Merlin making himself more and more comfortable in the presents of the crew, his early shyness dimming away and a sweet personality starting to shine out of himself. On the afternoon of the second day the SS Josephine pulled up to the Kronos System. Arthur's eyes glimmered excitedly as he stared down the the planet below them.
"Is that your home?" Merlin asked, his voice softly as he silently siddled up next to the captain. The captain sighed moribundly.
"I think I have a home Merlin, but Gaius is the closest thing I have to family." he replied softly. Merlin moued in confusion casting a quick glance around at the space crew dotted around.
"He's important to you." he said. Not asking.
"He's wise, he'll know how to help us get you home." Arthur said, there was an abruptness of decision in his voice, cutting through their silent conversation like a hot pick through ice as he turned away from the window to face his pilot for an update.
"We'll be landing in twenty minutes, you've got time to get ready" Gwaine said.
"Thank you." Arthur said with curd nod and abruptly turned on his heel and left the bridge. Merlin thought it best he be left alone - his mood has changed to precipitously he didn't want to bother him but his heart ached to see the dignified captain fear his vulnerablity so.
"So. What's Gaius like?" The dark haired man asked, saunterin over to where Gwaine was entering hte landing sequence on his desk top. The brash pilot snorted.
"Grumpy." he declared amusedly.
"He's only grumpy to you because every time we see him you break something!" Leon added from the control lecturn.
"Not every time!" Gwaine protested twisted in his seat indingnantly.
"No, last time it was steling." Percival leveled out without moving his eyes from his screen. The brunteet man shrugged and turned back to his station.
"Well I am a pirate" he intoned, a smirk dancing about his face.
"We're all pirates Gwaine!" Elyan put in from across the brisge.
"Then you should act like it" he replined petulantly.
"And you should act your age." ironically proving the bosun's point, Gwaine stuck his tongue out at him rudely then turned back to his display. Out of the screen the mottled purple planet loomed larger as they descended towards its surface.
YOU ARE READING
Dismantle The Sun
Science FictionFor Arthur Rothwell, space has always meant freedom. Since he was young he has been called to a dangerous life amongst the stars, but the arrival of a mysterious man on his ship changes the course of his life. If only he could work out why the stran...
