Love me like you do (Gwaine x Lancelot | Lancelot/Gwaine)

Chapter 8

'Gwaine are my boots out there? ' he called and he heard footsteps a few moments later.

'Yeah, here you... Lance you complete idiot. ' Gwaine laughed.

Lancelot took the boots out of Gwaine's hand and began pulling them onto his feet.

'What?'

'Your shirt is back to front.'

Lancelot looked down and sure enough the black shirt he was wearing was the wrong way round.

'Well.. I don't know how I managed that...' Lancelot said with genuine puzzlement.

'To overexcited about going for a walk with me.'

'Of course. ' lancelot scoffed and Gwaine grinned cheekily. He walked slowly over torwards Lancelot who was attempting to pull his shirt off.

'I got it.' Gwaine said and reached out to help him.

'Err no.' Lancelot said and backed away, almost falling over and still struggling with his shirt.

'Come on I'm only trying to help.'

Lancelot turned away from him and finally managed to tug his shirt off and spin it round so it was facing the right way.

'See. I'm not completely hopeless. ' Lancelot said proudly and gestured to his now properly worn shirt.

Gwaine laughed and stepped forward so he was in front of the slightly taller knight. He reached his hands round Lancelot's neck who found himself frozen at the touch. 

Gwaine proceeded to straighten the collar on Lancelot's shirt and gently pat his shoulders when he was done. 'There you go.'  He said gently and met Lancelot's gaze which was fixed on gwaine's face.

'Thanks.' Lancelot choked, trying to keep his face as neutral as possible.

'Come on then. Merlin will have to use his magic on you when he gets back.'

Lancelot managed a nod and led the way outside.

***

Gwaine was leading the way through the forests near camelot with Lancelot stumbling along happily behind him. 

His ankle still hurt when he put pressure on it and he hoped Merlin healing it tonight would make walking a little more bearable.  He ducked under a low hanging tree branch and carefully planted his crutch down, trying not to place it anywhere that it could sink.

'You okay Lance?' Gwaine asked, turning back to face him with that infectious grin on his face that Lancelot had grown to love.

'I'm good. I can manage, don't you worry about me.' Lancelot insisted and stepped over a bramble tendril on the forest floor.

'I can't help it.' Gwaine smiled and picked a leaf out of Lancelot' s hair.

Lancelot couldn't bring himself to argue that he wasn't completely helpless and continued to walk on along side Gwaine with a small smile on his face. 

He occasionally cast sideways glances at the other knight but looked away quickly if Gwaine was already looking at him.

They filled the air with their relaxed conversation,  stopping when they needed to allow Lancelot to rest his ankle. Gwaine was patient with him, rather like Lancelot had been with Percival and even though he'd deny it to anyone, Lancelot liked being cared for by someone else.

The pair continued for some time in content silence and occasional chatter until the sun was high in the sky and the smile began to slip from Gwaine' s face.