"Merlin? What are you still doing here?!" Arthur shouted at Merlin from across the room, as he came out shirtless from behind the screen.
"My job?" Merlin stated, tilting his head to the side.
"Merlin, you're meant to be at home! The entire city, including the castle, are on strict curfew! After that robbery I can't let anyone out of their homes or people out of their rooms in the castle past dark!"
Merlin gawped at Arthur. "No one told me! I'll leave now!" He turned to let himself out the door, but was stopped by Arthur's strong hand on his thin arm.
"Merlin, did you not listen to a single word I said? We're on strict curfew! There are knights dotted around the castle and city with strict orders! How are we supposed to let you be an acception? Rules are rules or you'll have to be thrown in the cells!".
Merlin stared at the young king, and asked. "What now then?"
"You'll have to stay in my room for the night. There, the bed's all yours, I'll sleep on the floor."
"What?! No! I'll sleep on the floor. It's your bed."
"Merlin, I'm not letting you sleep on the floor."
"Why not? I'm a servant - you're the king! You have the bed!"
"But I'm trying to be a good king, and a good friend! YOU sleep on the bed. I'm fine with sleeping on the floor."
The servant looked at Arthur and shrugged. "No."
"NO?!" Arthur said, shocked.
"You're not sleeping on the floor."
"Merlin! Why don't you ever listen?!"
Merlin started to grab a blanket from one of Arthur's cupboards.
"Oh, I listen. I just don't do what you say."
Arthur grabbed the blanket from Merlin's hands.
"I'm not sleeping in that bed if it means you have to sleep on the floor! I'd feel too mean!" Arthur protested.
Merlin chuckled. "That's a first."
Arthur scowled at him, then walked over to a wooden chair in the corner of the room and sat down in it, and Merlin perched on the end of Arthur's bed.
Merlin started to make clicking noises with his tongue.
"Will you stop that?" Arthur complained.
"Not until you say you'll sleep on the bed."
Arthur groaned and looked at the ceiling.
Oh no. Merlin thought to himself. What if he refuses to let me sleep on the floor, but I refuse to let him sleep on the floor?! There is no way...
"I've got it!" Arthur proclaimed, and stood up.
Merlin looked up at him. Oh no.
"We can both sleep, on the floor."
"How does that solve anything?!" Merlin bursted out.
"Oh, right." Arthur looked down at his feet.
"Oh no." Arthur said aloud.
"I know." Merlin nodded.
"How do you know?" Arthur asked, with furrowed eyebrows.
"Maybe because I thought of it first?"
"Right."
Arthur waited a few seconds before saying, "Would it be that bad?"
Merlin looked at him in shock. "Seriously?"
Arthur looked flustered. "I mean, of course, if it would make you feel uncomfortable-"
"No! No no, not at all."
Arthur looked at him, confused, and Merlin made a gesture with his fingers. "Teeny tiny bit uncomfortable."
"So..."
Arthur looked down at his torso, remembering that he wasn't wearing a shirt, then walked over to the bed.
Merlin un-knotted his scarf at the back, and pulled it off.
"Would you look at that?" Arthur called from the bed. "You actually have a neck!"
Merlin laughed, then, flustered, quickly pulled his shirt and shoes off, and walked toward the bed.
"God, you're so pale." Arthur stated.
"Yeah, well, shirt stays on two thirds of my time, and the other third is spent under a blanket so, not much sun." He smirked.
Merlin quickly got in the bed, next to Arthur, and Arthur thought about telling him to sleep with his head by the other end of the bed, but decided against it.
Then they fell asleep, only a teeny tiny bit uncomfortable, and maybe faster than normal.
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