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"I hate sleeping on the floor” Merlin grumbled, punching his pillow into a decent shape before wrapping himself in the blanket.
“You’re my servant, Merlin. I could have you sleeping on the floor every day back home if I chose to”
Merlin glared up at him. Arthur grinned smugly from where he lay on the bed.
“Wow sire, how could I ever be so ungrateful” he drawled. Somehow the title sire always sounded like an insult when Merlin said it.
“It’s because I spoil you too much.” Arthur said, enjoying the way Merlin bristled.
He wondered if Merlin would ever figure out Arthur only said those things to mess with him. It was so fun to watch his feathers ruffled. It was like watching an angry kitten.
To be fair, he did spoil him, as far as spoiling a servant could go. Normal servants did not get hand-me-downs from their lords, did not get to insult their lords like Merlin did. Normal servants didn’t get to nick from their lord’s breakfast and get away with it, especially if the lord was sitting right there. Normal servants didn’t get their own horse.
But Merlin wasn’t a normal servant. He was his servant, his friend, even if Arthur didn’t say it often.
“How the hell do you spoil me?!”
Arthur laughed and turned to his other side.
“It’s only for a few more nights, Merlin, just until the snowstorm passes and then we’ll go back to Camelot”
Merlin grumbled something but said nothing else.
Silence stretched on for a while but Arthur couldn’t sleep. The night was cold, he could feel that even under the duvet. The fire was lit, but the chambers were big and it barely did anything. Frost gathered on the window glass, he could see it was still snowing.
The most distracting thing was his servant on the floor next to his bed, barely moving to avoid dislodging his thin blanket, but obviously shivering.
What kind of friend are you? A little voice whispered.
Another voice gave him a more selfish reason to do what he did next.
“Damn it, Merlin, come here” he growled.
Merlin, the cheeky fucker, leapt from the floor and into the bed like he had been waiting for the invitation.
“Is the door locked?” Arthur asked him as he watched Merlin slip under the covers.
Merlin nodded, beaming at him. When Merlin lifted the duvet a cold breeze hit Arthur’s legs and he was suddenly glad he’d let Merlin sleep on the bed.
“Thanks Arthur”
Arthur changed sides to avoid looking at that smile.
“Don’t ever say I don’t spoil you” he grunted. “And no touching, stay on your side of the bed”
“Yes, sire” Merlin laughed. Arthur ignored the way his ears burned.
Falling asleep came much easier that time around.
…
Sunlight streamed in through the window. The first thing Arthur noticed was how warm he was, a welcomed contrast to the last few days.
The next thing he noticed was that his pillow was breathing.
Arthur’s eyes snapped open. His head was lying on Merlin’s chest, his arm around his servant’s waist, hand resting on his hip. Merlin in turn was surrounding Arthur’s chest with his arms.
Heart beating so hard Arthur was afraid Merlin would wake up from it, he started to move away (because of course it was Arthur who had moved to Merlin’s side), but Merlin’s arms around him tightened. His head dipped down so that his face was hidden in Arthur’s hair. Alright then. No moving.
He considered rolling away forcefully, even if it meant waking Merlin up, but… it was so warm, and it was early anyway, there was no need…
Arthur resigned to his fate and closed his eyes, and maybe, just maybe, reveled in the way he seemed to fit just right in Merlin’s arms, like two pieces from a puzzle.
He breathed in through his nose, Merlin’s scent intoxicating him more than any drink he had ever tried.
He could get used to this.
And just like that, he was wide awake once again. No. It was no use to think like that , he told himself firmly. It could never be.
But by God, did he want it. He wanted drowsy mornings, waking up every day like this; he wanted to make Merlin laugh and to stare at him unabashedly. He wanted Merlin to be his, and only his, he wanted to care for him, to love him the way he deserved.
He wanted Merlin. His destiny, his missing half, his happiness.
Maybe it was better to just enjoy the moment, and maybe pretend Merlin was his and Arthur was Merlin’s, just for a little while.
…
He didn’t realize he had dozed off until Merlin shifted and his breath hitched. Arthur had decided to feign sleep until Merlin got out of bed to save them both the embarrassment, but he could barely repress a grin as he felt Merlin's heart speed up. Merlin took a deep breath that he blew out through his mouth. Fingers danced through Arthur’s hair and he felt his own heart speed up. With a carefulness Arthur would’ve never expected from Merlin, he was rolled away from his servant. He shifted to a more comfortable position, and felt Merlin push his fringe away from his eyes. Arthur didn’t dare breathe as Merlin’s fingers ran down his cheek, so softly he could’ve imagined it. But he hadn’t, his heart was racing in his chest, he hoped to God Merlin wouldn’t notice his burning ears.
Merlin pulled away and stood up, fluttering around the room to get ready for the day.
“Whenever you’re ready, sire” he called. Arthur tried very hard not to move, but it was useless. He should’ve known, Merlin knew him better that he knew himself.
“If you ever talk about this I’ll have you hanged for treason” he muttered, not daring to look up from where his face was buried into his pillow.
If Merlin had known he was awake, then why-
“Arthur?”
At Merlin’s closeness, he looked up and found his friend next to him, crouched next to the bed. He was so tantalizingly close, he could reach over and-
To hell with it.
He leaned forward until he was an inch away from Merlin, suddenly losing his courage in one breath as his heart leapt to his throat and his stomach plummeted.
For a moment he was terrified that Merlin would back away, that he’d be disgusted and maybe a little scared, that the moment by the bed had only been an innocent gesture and not…
But Merlin’s cheeks had flushed pink. He looked at him with those bright blue eyes, wide with wonder and surprise. He was beautiful, with his hair still messy, his lips parted, pink and incredibly soft looking, twitching like he wanted to smile. Arthur leaned forward-
A knock on the door made them spring apart. Merlin’s cheeks turned a deep red as he stood up and ran to the door.
A maid stood in the corridor, looking quite nervous as she handed a note to Merlin. He sent her off with a smile and a thank you.
His smile slipped the moment the door closed, embarrassment and nervousness clouding his expression.
“Merlin-“
But Merlin cut him off, reading the note.
“You have an invitation to lunch with the queen, and before that Leon wants to meet in an hour to determine when exactly we’ll be able to go home”
“Merlin-“
But the servant was already moving, talking a hundred miles per hour as he buzzed around the room, collecting Arthur’s clothes.
Arthur let him, watching with amusement as the man rambled on about anything that came to mind. In other circumstances he might have faked being annoyed, but he felt too happy, too amazed to do little more than stare at Merlin fondly.
The idiot liked him. Arthur had never been sure, but Merlin hadn’t moved away, had leaned forward until they had been interrupted.
So Arthur let him rant, waiting patiently until the moment Merlin ran out of breath.
It turned out the moment came after Arthur dressed, after Merlin straightened his collar and made to walk away to get his breakfast.
“Merlin?”
“Hmm?” Merlin still wouldn’t look at him, at least not directly. He stayed with his back turned, his hands fidgeting relentlessly.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?”
Merlin turned around confused as he looked Arthur up and down, trying to decipher what he had forgotten.
This man. Ridiculous.
“Merlin, look at me”
And Merlin did, as if he’d been waiting for Arthur to ask. There was a vulnerability in those eyes, they looked desperate and hopeful, as if he still had doubts of Arthur’s feelings.
With a roll of his eyes, Arthur grabbed at his servant’s neckerchief and brought him closer, pressing his lips against his. Merlin made a noise but quickly complied, wrapping his arms around the shorter man’s neck.
They pulled apart after a few moments, both pairs of eyes closed as they simply breathed, foreheads resting against each other.
When they looked at each other, Merlin grinned nervously.
“Hi”
Arthur huffed out a laugh.
“Hello Merlin”
Neither moved, Merlin’s grin turned softer, nothing but pure adoration in his eyes. It made Arthur warm all over, the way Merlin looked at him, it was one of the reasons he’d fallen for the man.
Merlin reached up and trailed his fingers down Arthur’s cheek, exactly like he’d done earlier that morning. Arthur moved his head and kissed his fingertips, his eyes never leaving Merlin’s.
Merlin’s expression turned guilty as he said, “I really do need to go grab the breakfast”
Arthur stepped back and sat on the bed behind him, weaving him away in dismissal.
Merlin hesitated before leaning forward and pressing a chaste kiss on his lips.
“I’ll be back”
That made him smile.
“I know that, Merlin”
Merlin was ridiculous. He’d always known this but it felt good to have proof. But to be fair, he was in love with the man, so who was the more ridiculous of the two?
He said nothing of this, only watched happily as Merlin stumbled out of the room, ears burning and steps light.
If he’d known sharing his bed with the man would lead to this he would’ve done it a long time ago. Now, if he could just get Merlin to confess his magic…
One thing at a time, he decided. It was better to just enjoy the moment.