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“Seriously Arthur what possessed you?” Merlin asked as he rubbed Arthur’s half-frozen fingers between his palms.
“S-s-s-orry, ne-next time,” he sucked in a breath between chattering teeth, “I-‘ll let my idiot manservant fall in instead.”
Merlin rolled his eyes, blowing softly on Arthur’s fingers, “I would have been fine.”
Arthur managed to arch an eye at that.
“I’m not as helpless as I seem,” he shot back.
“O-hhh yes, thhat I would love to see,” Arthur laughed softly, the sound more fond than mocking.
Rolling his eyes again, Merlin moved to stoke the fire. “One day, Arthur, you will realize exactly how often I’ve saved your royal arse.”
Not for the first time in recent days, Arthur studied his manservant and pondered his words. Merlin was more than he seemed, Arthur could see that now. He wasn’t sure when his perception had changed, but it had; much as like when he realized that despite all odds Merlin was his best friend and he couldn’t imagine a day, let alone a life, without him by his side. He probably should have noticed then that his gangly manservant was something more. Now, though, now, Arthur noticed all sorts of things, like the way Merlin’s neckerchief hung to one side after he’d been working for a while, exposing a pale patch of collarbone, or the way his long fingers worked nimbly over the delicate buttons of his clothes or the detailed mending of his armour, or the way when he bent too stoke the fire the firelight set him aglow with his pale skin and raven hair and high thin cheekbones making him seem otherworldly and ethereal. Yes, there were many things Arthur had been noticing about Merlin; things that made his stomach flip when he laughed or smiled and made him do stupid things like falling into a river in his place.
Merlin came back and sat in front of Arthur with a large goblet, “Here, drink. It’ll help warm you up,” he promised.
Arthur took the cup of warmed mead in only slightly shaking hands, and drank deeply.
Absently, Merlin brushed a lock of blond hair from Arthur’s face; jerking his hand back when he realized what he was doing. “Sorry,” he mumbled when Arthur stopped drinking to look up at him. He might want nothing more than to wrap Arthur in his arms with the heavy blanket pulled tight around them, but that was not something he would ever have the chance to do. “It’s good that we were so close to the castle,” Merlin began to babble, “and that Gaius was here…”
Arthur smiled; Merlin was adorable when he was nervous. “I think you could’ve managed without him,” he admitted.
“Well, yes, of course, I could, it was just a little dip, no permanent damage,” he agreed just to give him mouth something to do. Eventually his brain caught up. When it did Merlin stopped and looked up at Arthur through slanted eyes, “I thought I was an idiot?”
“Oh thank the gods he agrees with me!” Arthur teased.
Merlin resisted the urge to thwack the prat upside the head. “Hey, you’ve stopped chattering,” Merlin said happily.
“Yes, it tends to happen when one warms,” Arthur informed him.
“Prat,” he muttered as he stood. “If the chill’s off we should get you into bed.” He offered a hand to help Arthur up.
“No,” Arthur whispered. “I want to stay here a while longer,” he added as he pulled the woolen blanket up.
Shaking his head, Merlin made to move to prepare the bed, when Arthur’s voice stopped him. “Sit,” was all he said, but there was something in his voice that told Merlin it was important that he do as Arthur wished. Merlin eased himself down next to Arthur, his long legs bent so he could rest his arms across his knees as he watched the flames jump playfully over the wood in the fireplace.
“Beautiful,” Arthur whispered.
He turned to look at Arthur, he was about to speak when he caught the blond’s gaze and his breath caught at what he saw there. Arthur was looking at him, not the fire and from his expression he’d been looking for some time.
The back of Arthur’s hand brushed over Merlin’s cheek, gasps passing between them at the touch. His fingers slid down to rest beneath Merlin’s chin, using the light touch to pull Merlin towards him until they were a breath apart. “Absolutely beautiful.”
The kiss was soft and new and far from chaste. A slow burn as they explored each other, wrestling until they lay side by side on the floor trading touches.
“Are you sure we shouldn’t get you to bed?” Merlin sheepishly broke their silence.
“Mmm, maybe we should,” Arthur agreed standing and pulling Merlin with him to the bed. “We should definitely get to bed,” he said as he laid down with Merlin on top of him. “Definitely.”