Merlin's magic (Oneshots) 1

A servant's worth- 3. Crushin' through

A.N.// Remember that this is a fanfiction, please. I'm taking quite a few liberties with this one too.
God damn it... the writing demon in my head has thoughts... Funny thoughts, but holy hell, I have exams going on!

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"Merlin..." Arthur said his name a second time, his arms twitching numbly at his side. Merlin sent him a suspicious glance before slowly stepping further into the room. "You're not a cat."

Merlin came to a halt in front of him and tilted his head. "That's oddly specific."

Arthur's mind short circuited and he staggered forward so quickly that he kicked the chair backwards. It almost landed in the fire. A moment later, before his own mind could catch up with him, Arthur was pulling Merlin into a deep hug. He buried his nose in Merlin's neck and shook with relief. His eyes closed, he felt more safe and at home than ever before while holding back tears.

"Er-" Merlin didn't hug him back. "What are you doing? Since when do we hug?"

It was only then that Arthur's mind caught up with his heart and he pushed Merlin back. "The FUCK have you been, Merlin?! I thought Morgana turned you into a cat!" More nervous than angry, and desperate to smooth over the awkward hugging situation, Arthru whacked Merlin over the head.

"Ow." Merlin confusedly rubbed the spot where Arthur hit him and glared at him. "How the hell did you come to THAT conclusion?"

Arthur pointed at the cat that had jumped up the nearest cabinet. "Because that BLACK cat with BLUE eyes over there is wearing YOUR neckerchief and keeps stealing my food and there was a note sent by Morgana!"

Merlin opened his mouth, then closed it. "Oh."

"Yes oh, you idiot! I was worried SICK about you! I was about to ask Gaius to use magic to cure you. Do you have any idea -"

"You were that worried about me?"

Arthur choked on his own words, falling into immediate silence. In the end, he stammered. "Don't be stupid, I would never -"

"I was worried SICK about you!." The asshole quoted in Arthur's voice, oddly smug. However, there was something else underneath. Something like quiet astonishment.

Arthur stared at him. "You know what? YES, I was fucking worried!" His worry turned to anger again. "As I said-"

Something must have clicked in Merlin's mind because suddenly his amused expression fell and he opened his mouth in a gape. "Hold on- Did you say you would have asked Gaius to use magic to cure me?"

Arthur felt irritated at this point. "How else would I have turned you back?"

"I dunno, have you tried kissing me?" Arthur grew stock still and he felt his face heating. His answer took too long. "Oh my god, you HAVE? Who have you -"

Arthur's panic saved him for once. "No one! I mean- don't remind me. I want to get that image out of my head." He cursed himself.

Merlin snorted but then his eyes turned fond. "I didn't know I meant that much to you."

Arthur blinked as suddenly, realization hit him like a dragon. "Oh shit."

Merlin's expression turned to worry. "What? What is it?"

Arthur covered his mouth. Oh FUCK no! He had just told the coin maker to put Merlin on Arthur's money. Sure, he wanted people to remember Merlin, he wanted everyone to know how important Merlin was to him... everyone BUT Merlin. Merlin was going to make fun of him, or laugh, or... gods, he might be mad! But it was too late. Arthur had already signed the blueprints and he couldn't sneak around Merlin and undo it. Merlin was far too observant for that. Arthur had no choice. Merlin could never see the money. He'd have to cut his salary, completely strip him from any kind of income and lock him in a tower so Merlin would never see what Arthur had done. He could blind him. Arthur shook his head. Gosh, how anxious was he that he thought about mutilation before considering a confession?