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Camelot's King Arthur was enjoying a peaceful time in his reign, so it came as a great shock to him to be violently awoken by a sorcerer. "Rise and shine!" Merlin's voice called out far too cheerily in Arthur's humble opinion. Light assaulted his eyes as Merlin threw open the curtains with a glance, the golden sun making his eyes shine even more brilliantly. Arthur couldn't help but stare; he always did when Merlin used his magic. Or when Merlin did much of anything really.
Merlin looked back at Arthur and smiled softly as his king threw an arm over his eyes. Merlin approached the bed and put his hand on Arthur's arm. Lingering for perhaps a moment before shaking it. Arthur in return let out a loud sigh and stubbornly refused to move. "Get up you big prat!"
Arthur didn’t say anything, just grumbled sleepily. Merlin let go of Arthur's arm and Arthur immediately missed the warmth, he removed his arm from his eyes and watched Merlin's back approach the table. Merlin dropped himself into Arthur's chair and smiled wickedly at Arthur before picking up the roll on the plate and taking a bite out of it.
"What do you think you're doing Mer-lin" He shrugged and took another bite of the roll before deigning to answer the prat still lazing about in bed.
"Well if you're not going to make use of it it just seems like a waste to have George bring it back down to the kitchens." Merlin made a grand show of selecting a piece of fruit and tossing it in his mouth. Arthur was transfixed by Merlin's movements, so it wasn't until Merlin looked back at him with victory already in his eyes that he answered.
"You're hardly a servant anymore 'Lord Merlin' can't you just go have your own meal and not keep pilfering off of mine." Merlin playfully glared at Arthur and the mention of his title, which for the record, Merlin did not want. It had been granted to him wholly unwillingly and he could do without all the servants suddenly bowing to him and all the odd things he as an unwilling member of the nobility was now expected to do thank you very much.
Merlin felt he was being very kind to Arthur earlier, he revoked the earlier act with a wave of his hand and Arthur's blankets were suddenly dragged to the floor. A pillow never found its mark, instead hung suspended in midair as Merlin's eyes danced with golden light. If Arthur had thrown it fully knowing that Merlin would use his magic to catch it then it was no one's business but his own.
Merlin watched Arthur track the progress of the pillow back to the bed, before Arthur's eyes met his. Merlin cleared his throat and stood. He turned to the door "Well, my love, I've let you laze around long enough. I'll see you at the council meeting." Merlin quickened his steps and the door closed softly behind him.
Merlin practically fled Arthur's chambers. He got down the hall and leaned against the stone wall. Did he really just slip up in front of Arthur? He hadn't meant to say it, but it was all stupid Arthur's fault. Who gave him permission to look that way, with his stupid soft looking hair, and blue eyes that Merlin wanted to stare into. Merlin's blush deepened and he sank further into the stones, wondering if he could come up with a spell for the walls to just swallow him whole before that meeting.
--
Arthur was still staring at the door by the time George walked in. George started sputtering, saying that he had only relinquished his duty to Merlin that morning because he had been assured that Arthur wouldn't be late for the council meeting. Arthur dressed in a haze and listened to George give him his schedule distractedly. It wasn't until he was walking down the stone corridors that he began to process what Merlin said.
What were the chances that Merlin really meant what he said? Arthur fought to keep a huge grin from splitting his face. Did Merlin love him? Of course, he didn’t stay for very long afterwards, he practically ran from Arthur’s chambers. Was it a mistake? A small frown made its way onto his face when he sat at the Round Table, where Merlin’s chair was notably empty. Merlin slipped into the meeting late and when Arthur looked at him to say something Merlin flushed, and looked everywhere at the room but Arthur’s eyes so Arthur simply let it drop.
Arthur kept stealing glances at Merlin during the meeting. This happened every meeting of course, the knights were quite tired of all the pining actually. The only thing that made this particular day exceptional was that Merlin refused to meet Arthur’s gaze. Usually Merlin would look at Arthur and raise an eyebrow at whatever noble decided to pick problems this week, or would whisper to Arthur about what the hypothetical consequences would be if they just happened to lose their voice suddenly and inexplicably. Today Merlin looked resolutely in front of him. But Merlin absolutely knew that Arthur was looking at him. Oh gods oh gods he knows, so Merlin wasn’t focused on anything but the man sitting beside him, but he was trying so hard not to be. He was trying to ignore that he could feel Arthur’s eyes on his face, he was determined not to blush in front of the entire council simply because Arthur was looking at him.
Needless to say not much was accomplished in council that day. As soon as the meeting was adjourned Merlin shot up and out of the room. Arthur would have sworn that he used magic to get himself out of there faster. He frowned after Merlin, wondering if perhaps the warlock was avoiding him now. If he didn’t mean to use that word for Arthur and was avoiding him in the hopes that Arthur would, what, just forget? If that was what Merlin wanted then Arthur could do that, he sighed to himself as he went to get ready for training.
--
Arthur walked onto the field, and the knights immediately questioned him about Merlin. “Where’s Merlin, Sire?” Lancelot questioned, Arthur shrugged.
“How should I know? He’s hardly required to come to knights training, he doesn’t really have to use a sword Lancelot.” Arthur kept walking, hoping to get some of the prospective knights into drills, but Leon spoke next. “So nothing happened between you and Merlin then?” Arthur turned to face him with narrowed eyes.
“What do you mean?” Leon glanced back at the others and continued.
“Well, we just noticed you acting odd during the council meeting is all.” Arthur took in a breath and let it out just as quickly.
“No, nothing happened between Merlin and I. Now if you are all ready, we do have training to get to today.”
----
Gwaine walked up the steps to Merlin’s tower, cursing the stairs the whole way up. He pushed open the door to Merlin’s workroom and found three separate spell books open, as well as the warlock himself, leaning on the table and glaring at a small pile of stones.
“Merlin, mate, what did you do to the Princess to work him up into such a fuss.” Gwaine practically fell into the other chair by the table. Merlin sent him a sympathetic look, but pink dusted his cheeks and the tips of his ears. Gwaine perked up instantly, “Oh so something did happen, yeah? Arthur told Leon it was nothing.” Merlin looked back at the pile of rocks before dragging a hand over his face. He mimicked Gwaine from earlier and threw himself into the chair.
“It was nothing, it was stupid of me. I accidentally called Arthur ‘my love’ this morning, and I just, what if he doesn’t feel the same way.”
“What do you mean? I thought you two were courting?” Gwaine tilted his head at Merlin. Merlin’s blush spread and he looked at Gwaine with wide eyes.
“You thought- wait who else thinks this? WHY do you think that?” Merlin stood again and Gwaine started laughing.
“Merlin, mate, why wouldn’t I think that? All the Round Table sees how you two look at each other.” Merlin put his hands in front of him.
“Wait so you’re telling me that Arthur..” Merlin grinned at Gwaine and rushed out of the tower.
-----
Merlin opened one of Arthur's doors and slipped inside it, smiling at Arthur as he sat at his table, where two plates sat instead of one. Arthur looked up and his breath caught in his chest for a moment. All Merlin had to do was smile and Arthur wouldn't know how to act. Merlin noticed now that he knew to look for it, and smiled brighter.
Arthur glanced down at the plates and cleared his throat. "George said that Gwaine asked him to grab an extra plate, I wasn't expecting you." Merlin watched Arthur's hands as he spoke, and he caught the way Arthur smoothed the napkin under his hand. The nervous gesture brought a smile to Merlin's face, he didn't know how he never noticed it sooner.
Merlin laughed, a carefree sound, and Arthur looked up to see his face. He loved to hear Merlin laugh. "Sorry to have caught you off guard, my love." Arthur held his breath, and looked at Merlin's face, waiting for him to double back, crack a joke, but he didn't. Merlin just smiled at Arthur and took a few steps closer.
"It's fine, darling." Arthur said quietly, but Merlin still easily heard it, and Arthur watched his cheeks warm, a tendency Arthur privately thought was adorable. Arthur closed the gap between them, Merlin reached for his hand and intertwined their fingers. Arthur breathed deeply and brought their joined hands to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to the back of Merlin's hand. "It's worth it to have this moment with you."
"Arthur", Merlin breathed out, "I love you." He said it softly, and Arthur leaned his forehead against Merlin's, releasing Merlin's hand only to place his own around Merlin's waist. Merlin's arms found their place on Arthur's shoulders, and he leaned his forehead forwards against Arthur's.
"I love you too Merlin." Merlin leaned further, gently pressing his lips to Arthur's, who sighed and deepened the kiss. They pulled apart smiling, Merlin's fingers toying with the end of Arthur's stupidly soft hair. Arthur stared into Merlin's eyes and saw gold reflected back at him, and noticed that he and Merlin were surrounded by golden orbs glowing softly. He chuckled softly, "you are a wonder, Merlin" he whispered.