Chapter Text
It had taken a while for everything to slowly fall into place, and more for Merlin to actually be honest about when credit was owed. It infuriated Arthur how Merlin would offhandedly mention something as they were walking to a council meeting, only to make Arthur stop in his tracks and gape at Merlin like a dead fish.
Merlin, as Merlin does, would simply give him a questioning look and gesture for them to continue on their way.
This was a problem, because Merlin and Arthur have the most religious routines ever recorded in the royal documents, the documents no one is allowed to read. Arthur loves how Merlin is painfully stubborn about waking him up and the two of them eating breakfast together, and then the same in the evening. He loves how both him and Merlin know what to do when there is a tourney or battle, their perfect little routine.
But what Merlin has gotten in the habit of doing, it has to stop. Each time Merlin comes in and throws open the curtains, ergo waking up Arthur, Merlin will ask him how he slept. Arthur will say wonderfully because they both know about the little charms Merlin has covered Arthur in. Then in turn Arthur will ask Merlin how he slept.
The Court Sorcerer’s answer was often like this. “Got to bed late, Gaius had me grab some herbs ‘cause he was out of spares and then I bumped into this strange fellow. Who then started to rant about some stupid crap about Pendragon’s being bad and blah blah blah… y’know?”
Arthur certainly didn’t know.
When this happened for the first time, after Merlin had eluded to some late night battle, Leon had marched into the Council Room mid-meeting and declared that he had caught a bound up man who was yelling about how he would kill the king. Later Arthur received a report from Leon detailing the injuries and confessions from the man Leon had found on patrol, the man was bound and severely beaten up.
Once Leon had left, and Arthur was sure the lock was firmly in place, he shot up from his desk and over to Merlin’s.
“What was that about?” Arthur asked with a steely voice, daring Merlin to make up some lie.
Merlin slowly looked up at Arthur, like a child being caught doing something he shouldn’t. “The man I was talking about this morning, the one who was off his rocker? That was the same one Leon found.”
The Court Sorcerer tried to shrug it off like it didn’t matter. But it did, it really did.
“I’m not angry that you hurt him, Merlin.” Arthur tried to clarify. “I just don’t understand, why didn’t you say anything about it this morning?”
“Force of habit, I guess.” Merlin didn’t meet Arthur’s gaze-turning-glare.
“Force of habit?!” Arthur exclaimed, his back snapped straight and he stepped away from his friend's desk and ran his hand through his hair. “Just how many times have you done this?”
“A lot.” Merlin said in a small voice, it sounded so far away with Arthur’s back turned away.
“A lot.” Arthur repeated. “So you just, what? Save my life nightly and bind the would be killer up, leaving them for the morning patrol to find?”
“It’s what I’ve done in the past, not often like that, but to sum it up, yes.”
Arthur spun around to see Merlin standing up with a pained expression behind his desk.
“But things are different! You don’t have to hide this anymore!”
“I’ve always been hiding! Never telling anyone what is actually going on! I have had to repeatedly catch myself during court discussions to remind myself that I no longer need to hide the truth from anyone in that room!”
He didn’t know what to say to that, Arthur gave in. Sighing he messily tidied up the stay papers, under Merlin’s watching gaze, and left the room.
In the doorway Arthur paused and looked over to Merlin. “I don’t know what you’re going through, there’s still so much I’ve yet to learn from you. But I am your friend and you don’t need to hide from me anymore.”
After several mornings like this, he grew frustrated with himself and Merlin.
For once, he was actually able to say that, that he was at fault. Merlin was at fault because Arthur wasn’t doing enough. And that weirdly, almost perfectly, finally felt right to say. Not out loud though, not yet. Arthur was in the wrong and he needed to get into the right so that he could help Merlin.
Previously he would have been too arrogant or brutish to even think he could be incorrect. But that’s what happens when Merlin befriends you, he changes how you think for the better, makes you see the light and the truth. Merlin just has a habit of not taking his own advice.
This was a habit Arthur begged to break.
So when Arthur heard there was a snarky message pinned to man with said man stuck to a wall, Arthur was proud of Merlin in an inane way.
Leon, poor Leon, had run into his chambers with a paper in hand, panting like a dog and looking mentally, emotionally and physically exhausted.
“There’s a woman, stuck to the wall by vines, and the vines, they’re coming out of the wall,” Leon made a bunch of vague gestures. “The other knights are getting her down as we speak, but this was left on the wall.”
The knight handed Arthur the sheet of parchment, without looking at it Arthur took it. Leon looked like he had seen a ghost of Uther just drop down bothy prostitute style.
“Leon, I’m speaking to you as a concerned friend, take the next three days off, I don’t want to see you anywhere remotely near the training grounds.” Arthur raised an eyebrow, daring the man to argue.
All Leon could do was nod weakly and he walked out of the door.
He turned his attention from the now empty door, to Merlin who wasn’t looking at him, the warlock seemed to be admiring how dirty the ceiling was and how it needed a good clean. It was easy to see that small proud smile Merlin had on.
Arthur looked down to the note.
She wanted to kill the king, don’t blame her, he’s being an ass.
Returning to his breakfast, Arthur said without looking up, “I’m telling Leon it’s you who’s been doing this, the poor man thinks we must have a crazed vigilante on the loose, instead it’s our resident sorcerer.”
Arthur knew that Merlin was smiling, that’s all that mattered. He didn’t care how or why Merlin had finally made the first step to being rightfully noticed, but it was babysteps, and this pace is good for Merlin. So it is good for Arthur.
But there is one little problem, Arthur doesn’t know just how much Merlin is still hiding.