Merthur One-shots

"It Brings Out Your Eyes."

Summary: Merlin thinks Arthur is pranking him. But in reality, he just doesn't realize that Arthur and he are in a relationship.

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It started with the tournament. And that damned smile, of course.

It was a very small thing, really. It shouldn’t have been a big deal. The noblewomen were falling over each other, trying to give King Arthur their favor, and the prat was hiding in his tent to avoid them all.

Said prat was moaning all about it to Merlin, and if that wasn’t enough, he was also using Merlin’s name to get out of rooms where any eligible women were present. And Merlin had had it with it. So to put a stop to it, he ripped off his neckerchief (which was his favorite one, his mother had embroidered a shining ‘M’ in one corner of it for him) and tied it around Arthur’s chainmail on his arm.

Arthur stopped blubbering and gave him such an odd look, Merlin got genuinely concerned for him. It was the same look he gave him when Merlin would wish him goodnight at night before leaving, and it was the same look he gave Merlin when the young man would fuss over his safety. It was a look Merlin didn’t understand. It did things to him, things he couldn’t figure out what, but they filled him with the warmth of a honeycomb on a hot summer’s day.

Before Merlin could ask him what the look meant, Arthur had turned around and walked out towards the crowds, which were now cheering his name.

It really wasn’t a big deal, Merlin tried to convince himself as he joined Gwen on the stands to watch Arthur fight.

It really is not a big deal, he thought, when Arthur won and spun around, as if searching for him, and gave him a dazzling smile, his sword lifted in the air. Like he won for him. For Merlin.

That should have been an end to it.

Unfortunately for Merlin, it wasn’t.

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Arthur was being nice to him.

Normally Merlin wouldn’t have objected, because it felt good to be complimented instead of insulted once in a while. But then it became a regular thing.

“Merlin, can’t you get a single thing right?” Arthur had asked him, but the bite in his tone had disappeared, and there was something akin to fondness in it. Merlin stared at him like he had grown two heads and promptly left the room, leaving King Prat to his mood swings.

Then there was the whole deal with bidding the lords who had come for the tournament goodbye. One of the lords had complimented Merlin on his exceptional service, and Arthur actually agreed!

“I must admit, Your Highness, your manservant is certainly one of the most loyal people I’ve ever met. Not to mention, his service was brilliant, really.”

He had shot him that dazzling smile, making his knees weak, and said, “He is, isn’t he? Brilliant, that is.”

Merlin stood there for a good fifteen minutes, trying to figure out if the prat was playing a prank on him, and when he finally shook himself out of his thoughts, the leaving party had departed and Arthur had gone back to his chambers.