for @merthurmicrofic | prompt : « stars » | ~800 words
Arthur wasn’t looking at Merlin’s shirt for any reason in particular, oh no, it just happens that one evening he notices the little golden ornamentation that now adorns it.
“Merlin, what’s that on your shirt?”
Merlin feigns innocence, and if Arthur happens to grab his sleeve and pull him close, so close that he can feel Merlin’s breath brush past his ear, then it is only to illustrate his point, nothing more.
Arthur lets go of Merlin’s sleeve, and instead grabs the hem of his blue tunic. There are three little stars embroidered there, just to the left of the seam.
“I’m sure these weren’t there yesterday,” Arthur says, eyes locking with Merlin’s.
And no, they hadn’t been there yesterday at all, and Arthur is nothing if not observant. And of course, it doesn’t mean anything special that he is so observant of his manservant, of all people. No, he simply notices things, like a good future king would. That is all.
“Gwen’s been teaching me how to embroider,” Merlin replies, voice chipper as always. “She says it’s a useful skill to have, and it’ll help me get better at darning all those many holes that somehow end up in your socks. Oh, and when you get another hole in one of your shirts, I can patch it up with some pretty little embroidered flowers. I bet you’d like that!” He smiles, looking down at the embroidered stars, as if admiring his handiwork. “Do you like them?” he asks, a twinkle in his eye.
Yes, they’re beautiful, Arthur wants to say. Beautiful just like you. He pictures Merlin’s deft hands working away at the golden thread, doing whatever it is that people do when they sew (he’s not sure of the details, being such a manly knight and all). Instead, what comes out of his mouth is, “You’re such a girl, Merlin.”
Merlin laughs and gives him a little shove. “Of course,” he says, winking. “Just part of my charm!”
Arthur goes to bed that night dreaming of Merlin sewing, wondering what else those deft hands of his can do.
And so, the following morning, if Arthur just happens to deliberately cut a little hole in the sleeve of one of his shirts, it is only to give himself an opportunity to test Merlin’s newfound embroidery skills, nothing more.
He presents said shirt to Merlin, complaining of the hole that just appeared there, all by itself! If Merlin notices the surprisingly clean edges of the hole, he doesn’t say, and obediently takes the shirt away to be patched up.
The following evening, Merlin comes into Arthur’s chambers wearing his shirt. And if Arthur just happens to be staring at Merlin, transfixed, then it’s only because he’s trying to identify whatever flowery embroidery Merlin has added to it… nothing more. Merlin twirls around, clearly pleased with himself. “Do you like it?” he says as he spins. “It’s good as new! Better than new, in fact!”
“Stand still, Merlin, I can’t get a good look if you’re dancing around like that!”
After a few moments more, Merlin stills, and trots over to Arthur, sticking his arm out so that Arthur can examine the embroidery on the sleeve. There, Arthur sees a little dragon, rendered in shimmering golden thread, staring up at a constellation of twinkling stars. Merlin has even added tiny beads on to make the stars glitter just so. Arthur can barely find the words to describe his emotions (which, for him, is not so unusual).
Arthur is just beginning to compose himself enough to formulate a response when Merlin takes the shirt off. Arthur blinks, slowly. Merlin is standing in front of him, shirtless. “Come now, is it so bad that you don’t want it back?” Merlin teases, brandishing the shirt, seemingly unaware of the effect he’s having on Arthur.
“No, I– I want it back, please,” Arthur manages after a pause, his voice small.
Merlin grins, and gently places the shirt on top of the side table. His eyes travel down to Arthur’s lips.
And if Arthur just happens to kiss Merlin on the lips, right there and then, well, it’s because… If he’s honest, it’s because he really wants Merlin, and hiding his growing infatuation with his manservant over the past year has been becoming quite unbearable, actually. He is pleased to learn that this infatuation is seemingly mutual, as Merlin kisses back with such force that Arthur can’t help but emit a little moan from deep in the back of his throat.
Things move on quickly from there, and soon they are both on Arthur’s bed. Merlin has a wicked grin on his face, as he whispers into Arthur’s ear, “Since we’ve been talking about embroidery so much, how about I show you how to put my needle into your hole?”
Arthur goes bright red, but remains very, very aroused.
jbbartram-illu
germansingergirl
jacobvanloon
stormborns
tangentwithtanner
