Merlin ▻ One-Shots

Marmite On Toast

"Morning." Arthur's voice mumbled, sounding hoarse and thick with sleep.

Merlin glanced over his shoulder, surprised to see Arthur awake so early. Well, it made sense - he'd had enough sleep to last a dozen lifetimes.

"Good morning." Merlin replied with a cheery smile, turning around to study his guest. Arthur looked dishevelled, hair tousled and rumpled with sleep, dressed only in borrowed sweatpants. Merlin's eyes travelled over his body, fleetingly lingering on his bare chest - but he forced his gaze away, ears burning with shameful embarrassment.

Arthur leant against the kitchen's doorframe, surveying the squashed room with a heightened air of confusion - of course, almost everything would be baffling and new to the awakened King. Noticing his keen interest towards the toaster, Merlin jumped to explain.

"It's called a toaster. It's like... a bread oven."

Arthur blinked, slightly embarrassed to have been caught staring in such bewildered interest. However, he brushed the feeling aside and nodded, cautiously approaching the foreign contraption.

"An oven? Where do the flames come from? It's tiny!" He exclaimed with nervous laughter - before reaching out to pick up the kitchen appliance.

"Don't!" Merlin cried sharply and hastily grabbed Arthur's hands, pulling them away from the scorching metal. Arthur frowned - a solemn look of shock and remorse - and glanced at their tangled fingers. Almost instantly, a fiery blush crawled up Merlin's neck and he snatched his own hands away, firmly planting them upon the counter instead.

"It's hot - really hot. Imagine... smouldering-coal hot." He explained quietly, a reluctant smile shielding his blazing cheeks.

"Oh," Arthur grinned bashfully - any embarrassment seemingly already forgotten - and ran a hand through his golden hair, "it's just... really strange, I guess."

Merlin nodded; he understood. It had been hard enough, adapting to the way the world changed gradually - he couldn't imagine how Arthur felt, having just been thrust into the twenty-first century. All the technology - cars, phones, toilets, TVs, controllers, even toasters - would surely be confounding and complicated to the newly awakened king.

"Yeah. You put the bread in, pull this lever and... some metal inside heats up. It gets really hot and turns the bread to toast. A toaster." Merlin articulated. As if to aid his explanation, the toaster chortled and two slices emerged.

Arthur stared - nothing short of flabbergasted - as Merlin pinched the crusts, carefully manoeuvring them to a plate.

"One for you, one for me." He hummed and turned away to rifle through a cutlery drawer. "Had I known you were going to be awake for breakfast I would have popped out and brought another loaf. Not that it matters. We have cerea- ...other breakfast foods." Merlin sighed dejectedly and pulled out two butter-knives. He needed to stop presuming that Arthur knew what everything was.

It was like having a toddler in the house; and this likeliness was only confirmed when Merlin turned to see Arthur chomping on the plain toast.

"Wh-What are you doing?" Merlin stammered.

Arthur looked immediately guiltily, hastily returning his half-eaten slice. "I'm sorry - did you want that bit? You said I could have a piece." He fretted, eyes flickering between Merlin and the toast.

Merlin chortled with realisation - it was like having to look after a toddler!

"No, no, it's okay!" He gushed warmly and pulled open the fridge, yellow light spilling out and highlighting his sharp features. Arthur frowned and tentatively picked up the slice once again - only to place it down again with a grumble of annoyance when Merlin added, "Don't eat it yet. You have to wait for the best bit."