Protecting Merlin {Merwaine - MerlinxGwaine}

Chapter Three

"I hate the word servant," Gwaine decided as Merlin carefully peeled back the bandage.

The man barely flinched, even as the bandage stuck to the open wound beneath. Merlin tried to be as gentle as possible, but Gwaine seemed unfazed. Used to pushing through the pain then, Merlin thought.

"It's not particularly flattering," Merlin agreed. "But I couldn't have asked for a better man to serve."

Gwaine's eyes searched Merlin's, but they didn't give anything away as he was still focused on his task.

"You care about him," Gwaine observed.

Merlin's movements paused for a moment and he smiled up at Gwaine, "I do."

And those words were stated with such surety, such devotion that Gwaine felt a pang in his chest. Perhaps they were even more involved than he'd feared.

"Are you together?" He blurted before he could bite his tongue. Merlin's mouth dipped open in surprise, before he burst out laughing.

"He's a prince! I'm a servant!" He laughed, holding his stomach as tears of laughter formed in his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous."

"Well that's a relief," Gwaine grinned as Merlin wiped the tears off of his face. He removed the rest of the bandage and smiled crookedly at Gwaine.

"And why would that be a relief?" He wondered with a curious glint in his eyes.

"It makes my chances much more realistic," Gwaine stated as he squared his shoulders and sat up a little straighter.

Merlin's eyes snapped up to meet Gwaine's, and they stared at one another for a breathless moment. Merlin bit his lip to hide his smile as he processed what the man had said, and that he appeared to mean it. Then again, they barely knew one another. How could Merlin possibly know his intentions were positive? Perhaps he was just looking to seduce him and move on. They had yet to know each other properly, for him to be able to judge.

"There's no chance at all until we get to know one another," Merlin smirked, grabbing a clean cloth and dipping it into the fresh water.

"Ah, playing hard to get," Gwaine smiled a devilish smirk. "I like the odds of that game."

"Is it a game you play often?" Merlin rose a brow and watched his face carefully for any hints.

"I never stay in a place long enough to try," Gwaine shrugged, a playful mask plastered on his face.

"That must be lonely," Merlin observed as he softly cleaned the wound on his leg. Gwaine only hummed, offering no other response.

They fell quiet as Merlin worked, his movements gentle and thorough. He'd picked up many things from Gaius over the years, and this was one of them. Gwaine didn't so much as hiss or flinch throughout, only watched the quick and careful fingers of Merlin. One of his hands rested gently on the bare skin of Gwaine's thigh, holding him steady and successfully distracting him. Because god, did Gwaine love the feeling of those calloused, yet soft hands on his skin. In fact, he loved it a little too much. He became painfully aware of every touch Merlin administered. Each time their skin came into contact was like a small strike of lightening through his veins.

He swallowed thickly as he realized he hadn't been paying attention to controlling himself, and was beginning to get hard. And his crotch was very much in Merlin's line of sight. He leaned his head back against the wall with an audible groan, biting his lip and shutting his eyes. He knew his inner thighs were sensitive, but it had never been a problem before. At least not until now.

Merlin, on the other hand, was thoroughly distracted himself. He immersed himself in his work, like he so often did, becoming oblivious to the world around him. He cleaned the wound and applied the salve in a way that showed his attention to Gaius's detailed work. After that was done, he glanced up to Gwaine.