Protecting Merlin {Merwaine - MerlinxGwaine}

Chapter Three

It was as if the man was placed here in Camelot simply to make things stir in Merlin's abdomen and a blush rise to his face. With his head leaned back against the wall and his chest pushed out... dear lord, Merlin needed to get him into a shirt as soon as possible before the warlock embarrassed himself in front of the beautiful man. He was downright godly, perfectly muscled in the chest, leading up to defined collar bones and a flawless neck that Merlin wanted to taste. The stubble of his face spilled partway down his neck, and his teeth held his plump bottom lip firmly, as if he was holding himself back from something. With his eyelids shut again, Merlin noticed how long his dark lashes were, fanned out across his tanned skin. Gwaine took a deep breath, and Merlin watched the rise and fall of his chest as if in a trance.

"Like what you see?" Came the voice of Gwaine a few seconds later. Merlin snapped himself out of it, blushing and coughing to try and recover some of his dignity.

"Can you raise your leg for me?" Merlin asked, carefully not meeting his eyes.

"It would be my pleasure," Gwaine smirked.

His slid his body further down the bed, stretching out onto his side as he placed his elbow on the pillow and propped his head up. The blanket slipped off the rest of his body, and he brought his knee up. The pose was very near erotic, and Merlin gulped nervously as he grabbed the clean bandages and his eyes flickered over Gwaine's very prominent abdomen. Do not look at his crotch, do not look at his crotch, do not look at his crotch, he repeated the mantra in his head as he reached forward. And Gwaine knew precisely what he was doing posing like that.

Merlin gingerly began to wrap the bandage around his leg, holding the end against his warm skin to keep it in place. He wrapped him tightly, but loosely enough to allow some air to get in and keep things dry. Dampness breeds infection. Gwaine made a small noise in the back of his throat, and Merlin's head snapped around to look at him.

"Did I hurt you?" He asked in concern, stopping immediately.

"Quite the opposite," Gwaine admitted, biting his lip again. Merlin frowned in confusion, and Gwaine smiled. There was a very light blush across his cheeks, but Merlin noticed it. "You're driving me crazy," he murmured, his voice husky and his eyes intense.

"Oh, I- sorry, I..." Merlin stuttered as he grew more and more flustered at Gwaine's admission, his insides growing hot and his heart fluttering wildly in his chest. His mind was conjuring up several very enticing images of Gwaine's bare body...

He cleared his throat, getting ahold of himself and finishing his work as quickly and gently as possible with this new knowledge. Although, he couldn't help smirking a little at the fact that Merlin affected Gwaine as much as the man affected him.

"So why do you hate nobility so much?" Merlin asked, purely as a distraction for them both.

"Besides my previous mentions? My father was a knight," he admitted, and Merlin could detect the undertone of resentment. "He was knowingly sent to his death without a second thought, and did as he was told knowing he would die anyway. Tell me, what person is worth such loyalty? Is worth dying for?"

"Arthur is," Merlin murmured quietly. Gwaine scoffed disdainfully at the response, and Merlin sat back to meet his eyes. He looked genuine and entirely resolved on the matter. Gwaine knew instantly that the man would risk his life for the prince. "I'm not saying you're wrong- there are many noblemen not worth the dirt we walk on. But there are a few rare, good men among them. Arthur is one of those men. He'd die for his knights just as they would die for him. And your father sounds as loyal as the knights of Camelot, and that is something to be proud of."

This was said with such conviction that Gwaine couldn't find it in himself to argue. He'd already realized that Merlin was good people, he'd thrown himself into the bar fight his prince had started without thought... and somehow Gwaine trusted his judgement. If Merlin believed that firmly in the man, who was he to argue when he knew so little about Arthur? He did, however, feel a swell of pride in his chest at Merlin's observation about his father.