Summary: Merlin thinks Arthur is pranking him. But in reality, he just doesn't realize that Arthur and he are in a relationship.
_______________________________________
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.
---
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.
---
The niceness didn’t stop, Merlin noticed. In fact, it just got worse in time. Arthur was now openly complimenting him.
Sometimes it was on the tunic he wore. “It brings out your eyes,” he had said, with the same unreadable expression in his eyes.
Sometimes, it was his behavior. Or his advice.
It all really baffled Merlin.
Perhaps it was a ploy to make a fool out of Merlin, and if it was, he was doing it splendidly. Most days now, Merlin was left struggling to find words when the prat would say something nice about him, especially in front of others.
Merlin wiped down on Arthur’s sword with a little more force, lost in his thoughts. Of course, though, he wasn’t left alone for a long time. King Prat walked in, and upon seeing Merlin working in his chambers, he gave him the odd look again, with the damned smile.
“Merlin!” he exclaimed and took the sword out of his manservant’s hands. Merlin’s hands flung out, trying to reach the sword, but Arthur simply walked away, like he hadn’t seen the warlock’s attempt to continue his work.
“You’ve been working all day. I think you should take a break, what do you say?” Arthur said, still smiling at him. Merlin felt his annoyance bubble under his skin but pushed it away.
“I don’t need a break, sire.” He said, trying to keep the anger away. Arthur’s face fell slightly before he quickly got the grin up again.
“It’s Arthur, remember?”
“Huh?!”
Merlin was beyond confused now. He had no clue what was happening, but this was going too far. “Are you under an enchantment again?”
Arthur chuckled, shaking his head. He walked to Merlin and took his hand. The warlock stared at his rough hand in Arthur’s soft one, trying to piece together the puzzle he was clearly missing. He looked up at the prat, and in his eyes. The blue was everywhere. It was… Merlin couldn’t quite put his finger to it.
Before he could ask, a servant burst into the chambers, saying Gaius needed Merlin for an errand. Arthur stepped back, his stance going all Kingly, and kissed Merlin on his knuckles, which he held softly. Merlin blushed to the tips of his roots and walked out, still dazed from the encounter.
When he walked into Gaius’s chambers with that expression, the physician raised his eyebrow but didn’t say anything.
That night, Merlin lay in bed, replaying the events of the day. It still didn’t make any sense to him as his sleep took over and put an end to his thinking.
---
Merlin was having his breakfast with Gaius when Gwen walked in, her hand clutching something and her face beaming.
“Gwen! What have you got there?” he asked, reaching for the paper, but she held it above his reach, her eyes gleaming with mischief he rarely got to see.
“It’s a personal message to you, from the King,” she said, using her other hand to cover her barely concealed laughter. Gaius smiled when she said that, and continued eating, watching the two with an amused expression. Merlin’s throat dried up when he heard it. If it were from King Prat, it would not be good.
He swallowed and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. He fixed her with a pointed stare and said, “Go on then. Let’s read it, shall we?”
Gwen opened the sealed letter and clearing her throat, began to speak.
“Dearest Merlin-”
“Did he really just say Dearest?!” he interrupted his face red. That was not even an insult. The audacity of the prat knew no bounds, truly.
“Don’t interrupt me,” Gwen glared at him. He shut his mouth and she continued.
“Dearest Merlin,
Roses are red,
Violets are not really blue,
My bed is soft and has space for two.”
From in front of him, Gaius promptly choked on his breakfast, turning a deep shade of red, and Gwen thumped his back, offering him some water.
Merlin was in shock. He pushed his own plate away, his appetite had disappeared. He grabbed the letter from Gwen’s hand and stormed to Arthur’s room, wanting an explanation.
He burst in, and to his surprise, the King was already dressed and in the middle of eating his breakfast. He looked up and took in Merlin’s disheveled appearance, and finally, his eyes fell on the letter the warlock clutched in his hand. And he was smiling. Again.
“So, how was it?”
Merlin silently fumed. Arthur looked decidedly proud of his prank, and Merlin counted down to ten in his head before responding.
“Too cliché. You can do better.”
“Okay, then. Challenge accepted.”
Merlin turned on his heel and walked away. He didn’t have time for whatever this was.
---
The compliments extended to touches now.
Arthur was taking every opportunity to touch him. From the steadying hand on his shoulder when Merlin dressed him, or the gentle holding of his hand in happier moments. The prat even messed up his hair more often than before, and cupped his neck, like a lady, on more than one occasion.
It’s sufficed to say that it left Merlin’s head reeling each time. He tried to play it cool, to show he wasn’t affected by whatever game Arthur was playing at, but he still blushed like a blooming rose every time.
“Merls, really, you’re resembling quite a tomato there,” Gwaine said, his annoying face crinkling from the wide, cheeky grin he held. Merlin swatted him away and continued to look at Arthur's training. At one point, the man turned and caught his eye, and waved wildly to him.
Confused, Merlin gave a small wave, which seemed to satisfy the royal prat who continued training with a newfound grace.
Unfortunately for him, Gwaine hadn’t given up on his teasing.
“Oi! Princess! Merlin here is waiting for you!”
“Gwaine!” Merlin hissed, pulling at the man’s arm, who refused to budge. When he turned his head, he found Arthur sprinting, sprinting, towards him.
“I’m almost done with it, Merlin. Don’t worry, I’m all yours.” Arthur said with a wink, and grabbed his hand, giving it a small squeeze before jogging back to the ground.
Merlin sputtered, trying to form a coherent response as Gwaine fell over laughing.
--
The Knights along with Arthur and Merlin were on their way to the outlying villages when the next attack on his heart took place. Arthur insisted on visiting the villages, something about being a ‘good King’ and whatnot, and Merlin dragged himself along, because who else would protect the prat, right?
Wrong.
It was him that needed protecting after all.
It was the middle of the night, and he was shivering just a bit in the cold when someone covered him with a soft cloth. He flailed around, trying to find the attacker, and whacked said attacker in the face.
“Who-wha-mph,” he said, managing to trip over his feet and tangling up even more in the cloth. Somehow, he ended up under the attacker, and just when he was about to use his magic, the cloth got ripped off his face to reveal a familiar grinning blonde.
“Arthur?! What the hell?!” he almost screeched, still pressed under the weight of his King.
“You were shivering, so you know, my cloak. To keep you warm.” The prat said, sounding smug about it. Merlin gaped at him, trying to figure out what Arthur was getting at when he rolled off him and to the side.
Arthur didn’t even get up, just pressed his nose to Merlin’s neck, placing a small kiss there. Merlin’s heart beat faster in his chest, and he struggled to breathe. What the hell was happening?!
The kiss was so normally placed, like Arthur would do that just for anyone. From across the fire on the other side, Lancelot shot him an all-knowing grin, and Merlin could barely make out Gwaine exchanging what looked like a bag of coins with Leon.
. Arthur’s hand was casually draped across his cloaked self, as he pressed his face more into Merlin’s shoulder. Merlin swallowed his thoughts and forced himself to fall asleep He’d deal with it another day.
---
Whatever prank Arthur had pulled his friends into, even Morgana seemed to be in on it.
He had spent his free day, which Arthur had given him willingly with a lot of hand-squeezes and puzzling looks, with her, teaching and honing her magic to perfection.
“Arthur’s a lucky man,” she said, giving him a look which said, I-know-something-you-don't and it didn’t reassure him one bit. Her eyes held that slightly manic glee that hadn’t faded even after Morgouse.
He wisely chose not to respond to that, giving her a small grin and they rode back to Camelot. They were greeted by Arthur waiting for them on the steps, giving Morgana a murderous look, which he returned just as fiercely.
Merlin watched the exchange, feeling even more confused, and tried to step away when Arthur’s hand shot out to hold him, rooting him on the spot. Morgana’s glare melted back into her smirk and she side-stepped the duo to enter the castle.
From that point, it was as though Arthur became even more insufferable than before.
The touches increased, and so did the kisses. The kisses, Merlin thought, were the best and the worst part of it all. All of which Merlin endured with the frantic beating of his heart.
It wasn’t even something the prat did in private. No, he did in full public view, with the knights wolf-whistling, and Gaius’s eyebrow disappearing into his hairline, and Gwen and Morgana giggling behind their hands.
After a point, Arthur was publicly holding his hand, tugging the warlock along wherever he went. Not that he didn’t before. No, now it was more prominent if the warmth in his cheek was anything to go by and the fact that Arthur’s hand was firmly clamped onto his.
---
Weeks passed by in the same fashion, and then came along another tournament.
This time, thankfully, no noblewomen were killing each other to give Arthur their favor. But that didn’t stop the prat in question from asking Merlin for his. Merlin gaped at him for a moment, trying to figure out if he was being serious before giving up with a huff.
“Stupid, pig-headed, supercilious-” he muttered angrily, tying his neckerchief around Arthur’s chainmail again. The smile he received almost melted his resolve. Key word being almost.
He was ready to push Arthur out of the tent when he turned around and gripped Merlin’s wrist, staring into his eyes intently.
“What, no kiss for good luck?” Arthur asked, looking at him with the same look he held all those weeks ago.
“Yeah, sure,” Merlin said chuckling a little, not taking him seriously at all. But apparently, Arthur was serious, because the next thing he knew, Arthur was cradling his face and placing a soft kiss on his lips. Merlin wasn’t sure if Arthur was taking his prank a little too far by now, but he didn’t care at that moment. He closed his eyes, leaning into the touch, and a sigh escaped his lips.
When he opened his eyes, Arthur was gone, the tent’s door flapping in the wind.
“Oh,” Merlin said, touching his lips gingerly with his fingers. With his heart racing, he realized. This was not good. He wasn’t supposed to fall in love with the King.
---
“Gwen!” Merlin raced after his friend, who slowed down a little, the basket of flowers swinging lightly in her arms.
“I need your help!” he said, panting a little, placing his hands on his knees as he took deep breaths.
“Tell me, Merlin.”
“How does one court a King?”
Gwen looked at him for a second before abruptly bursting into laughter. Merlin stared at her in confusion. She placed her hand on the warlock’s shoulder for support, dissolving into further giggles.
“Oh, Merlin. Did you and Arthur have a fight?” she finally asked, wiping the laughter-induced tears from her face. Merlin shook his head, still very confused.
“Then is it about the public thing? I thought you would’ve spoken to him before you made your relationship public.”
“What?” he asked her, dumbfounded.
“What?” she demanded back, still unsure of what he was asking.
“Arthur and me? We aren’t in a relationship!” he said. With that, she burst into laughter once again.
“That’s a good one Merlin. Oh, I haven’t laughed like this in ages. Thank you for that.”
“I’m not joking!” he almost yelled, staring at her with wide eyes. Gwen stared back at him, and realization dawned on her.
“Merlin, you are in a relationship with Arthur. Or at least he thinks so.”
“I mean- what?!”
Gwen stared at him solemnly, before shaking her head and walking away, muttering about them being a pair of idiots. Merlin watched her go, his heart beating treacherously in his chest. Did he really read it all wrong then?
---
He decided to confirm it, all at once that night. He brought Arthur’s and his dinner to the King’s chambers and sat down to eat. Oh yeah, Arthur insisted on Merlin eating with him during all mealtimes now.
“Arthur?” he asked, chewing his bread slowly.
“Hmm?”
“We’re in a relationship, right?”
Arthur stared at him, placing his spoon down on the table and reaching out to take his hand.
“Of course. Why would you doubt that?”
Ah. That cleared it up, Merlin thought. So he was an idiot. From the beginning. He cleared his throat, clutching Arthur’s hand tightly.
“No reason. And, uh-, we’ve been in a relationship for how long?”
Arthur’s thumb rubbed circles on his hand, and Merlin’s mind wouldn’t concentrate on much anything after. “I don’t know. The tournament? You did give me your favor if you recall. You made your feelings clear to me then, and I think I made it clear that I reciprocated them. Why? Is something wrong?”
Arthur was visibly looking afraid now, and Merlin wasn’t sure if he was afraid for the warlock or of something else.
Merlin rubbed his neck with his free hand, color rising to his cheek. “No reason. Just asking.”
Arthur stared at him for a moment, before his shoulders began to shake. And then he started laughing. He held Merlin’s hand tighter and roared with laughter.
“You didn’t realize we were in a relationship, did you, you absolute idiot?” he asked when he calmed down. Merlin pouted a little.
“In my defense, we never spoke about it. You didn’t ask me.”
Arthur looked nervous for a second and began to take his hand off Merlin’s.
“So, do you want to be with me? Or have I made a complete arse of myself?”
Merlin looked at Arthur, who was nervously chewing on his lip now, looking doubtful of himself. It was his turn to laugh and reach for his King’s hand.
“You make a complete arse of yourself without my help, sire. And yes, of course, I want to be with you,” he said softly and watched Arthur gain that smile again. That damning smile, which started it all. And Merlin was so grateful for it.
By InTooManyFandomsRay on ao3