Unburdened - Merthur Oneshot
Post-Magic Reveal, Explicit, 2.3k
After a spell forces Arthur to spill his secrets, the relationship between he and Merlin has become strained. Merlin can’t forget what he heard, nor can he resist following Arthur when he disappears at night.
After all, Arthur said he wanted him there.
“Would you like me to leave…Sire?”
Arthur licked his lips, his eyes darting about the room. “No. I can’t lie about that, can I?”
“You were under a spell.”
“That forced me to speak the truth about my…I was not able to lie.”
Merlin closed his eyes a moment. He’d known that, but still…
“I shouldn’t have come here,” he said, turning to go.
Merlin halted, his back to Arthur. He didn’t know what to do. He shouldn’t have followed him. He should have forgotten everything Arthur had said, and yet, he couldn’t.
“I want…if you want to, you can stay,” Arthur said.
Merlin turned. “Alright,” he said, after several moments of tense silence. “I’ll stay.”
Arthur nodded, and looked about the room again. It was more furnished than Merlin had expected. It was cold though, the fire unlit. Of course, if Arthur had servants cleaning it, he could explain it away as maintenance, but to light the fire would give away too much.
“I could light the fire for you,” he murmured, feeling out of place.
Merlin turned his eyes back to Arthur. His voice was more normal, firm, commanding. It demanded attention, and Merlin was all too happy to obey something so familiar, when everything else was so different.
“You’re not my servant in here, Merlin.”
The way Arthur said his name made him shiver. It was soft, intimate.
“What am I then?” he asked.
A heavy silence followed his words. That question extended far beyond the stone walls of that room, and they both knew it.
“I want you to watch,” Arthur said, avoiding the question. “As you know, I’ve…I’ve thought of that. Often.”
Merlin’s breath hitched, as Arthur’s hands fell to his clothes.
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