Work Text:
Good Thing, Indeed
There was nothing even remotely decent about winters at all. Of this, Merlin was certain.
From the icy winds which seemed to slice right through his multiple layers of clothes to the boring, short, dark days stuck inside – the only thing Merlin liked about the cold season was the fact that it eventually passed and faded back into spring every single year. Granted, every season brought along its discomforts, but at least most of those couldn't potentially kill him whereas frostbite could .
And right now it most definitely felt like it would, too.
"Merlin, lay still ," Arthur growled, effectively breaking the silence which had fallen between them some time ago after they had both decided to try to get some sleep. What was once a pleasant crackling fire was now nothing but small smoldering embers – too weak to offer any real warmth or even cast enough light to see anything in the dark cave they had sought refuge in for the night. There was a faint dripping sound somewhere in the deep recesses of the cave and the wind distantly howled outside. It would take at least another few days before they'd be home and even though Merlin knew this trip had been important and couldn't have been avoided... He missed his lumpy bed back in Camelot terribly. For just this once he wasn't afraid to admit it. Even if Arthur would surely ridicule him for it.
Perhaps what irked Merlin most was that it would only take him a few words to make them both so much more comfortable but, tempting as it was, the fact that Arthur didn't know about Merlin being a warlock remained and Merlin could quite possibly get hanged if Arthur did find out, so he had no other option than to accept things for the way they were right now.
Even if they were less than favorable.
The real problem right now, though, was that Merlin's teeth couldn't stop chattering. And if that wasn't enough to piss Arthur off then of course it had to be Merlin's constant shifting. Merlin just couldn't find a comfortable position on the hard, ice cold cave floor no matter how hard he tried, and unfortunately for Arthur, he hadn't stopped trying for the past five minutes, jostling and bumping into the blonde every single time. It had slowly gotten to the point where the more Merlin trembled and moved about, the worse Arthur's temper seemed to become. And a sleep-deprived Arthur would never be a kind Arthur.
Not that Merlin could blame him. Merlin even became annoyed at himself. Usually the pains and aches of the day went away when he slept and he desperately wanted to do just that because he was beyond exhausted from the day's activities. Running after someone as demanding as Arthur would take its toll on anyone.
It was just that his body refused to cooperate.
Arthur exhaled another annoyed, drawn-out sigh when Merlin curled up into a fetal position for the third time. They were covered by the two blankets Merlin had thankfully brought along - one for each of them, however it hadn't taken them longer than 45 minutes at most to decide that one thin blanket wouldn't save them from hypothermia, and so the decision had been made that they ought to share both their bodyheat and blankets. Merlin was freezing cold in every place that wasn't touching Arthur, which so happened to be his entire body except for a small part of his upper back, which was pressed against Arthur's. It seemed like Arthur was hellbent on staying as far away from Merlin as possible. That stung a little, considering Merlin's feelings and devotion towards the prince, but Merlin had no other choice than to accept this, too.
“Sorry,” Merlin belatedly mumbled. “I'm just so cold.”
"We'll start riding at first light," Arthur announced softly in the darkness then, voice a little kinder as though he was finally taking pity on Merlin. Merlin wasn't sure why he had to voice he was cold for Arthur to understand Merlin couldn't help himself. Surely, the teeth-chattering must have made it more than clear. Or was Arthur truly that dense?
"Perhaps if you'd grow some meat on those bones of yours you wouldn't have it so bad now," Arthur added as an afterthought.
"We can't all be meaty like you," Merlin answered with a huff though he didn't feel offended. Banter was a good sign when it was between the both of them. It put him at ease.
Arthur snorted - loud enough for it to echo through the cave. Merlin hoped there wasn't some creature out there slumbering in the darkness because he was sure the sound of that one snort would've reached the very end of the cave by now. In fact, he wouldn't be surprised if the entire forest had heard it too. For a well-trained warrior, Arthur sometimes had the grace and tact of a bull in a china shop.
"Thankfully, not everyone's a frail little girl like you either," Arthur teased. There was a beat and just when Merlin was about to say something he felt Arthur turn to lay on his other side to face Merlin, Arthur's hand sliding over Merlin's ribcage to pull him closer against Arthur's body, until Merlin's back was pressed to Arthur's chest.
Merlin blinked in the darkness when he felt Arthur's body curl over the length of his own. It was almost protective and welcoming - had he not been so cold he might have flushed with how Arthur just rested his cheek on the top of Merlin's head like it was the most normal thing for him to do. Although Arthur had claimed to never, ever want to be caught dead hugging Merlin, Arthur sure seemed pleased when he murmured a soft, "Good thing I am here to protect you, my lady".
Merlin whimpered softly when Arthur pulled out Merlin's hands from between Merlin's thighs and started rubbing some warmth into them with his own fingers. When they were warmed up enough Arthur kept holding onto them even though he didn't have to.
Slowly, something blossomed inside of Merlin. Something which he normally ignored, because it always came back to life whenever Arthur got too close or undressed around him or looked at him like that.
"Good thing indeed, noble knight," Merlin managed to bring out when he finally found his voice. It earned him a pleased hum, and Arthur shifted a little. His body was now curled perfectly around Merlin's, their similar heights allowing them to fit together just right. When another tremor went through Merlin Arthur's thumb started tracing soothing circles onto the back of his hand.
It wasn't very often Merlin got treated to this side of Arthur. But when he was, it made Merlin ache with a burning need to just be infinitely closer and it made him hope that maybe one day, he wouldn’t have to freeze to death in order to be on the receiving end of it. He couldn't help himself. Merlin was entirely too greedy for his own good.
"Will you allow me to get some sleep now?" Arthur asked exasperatedly.
Merlin nodded. There was no way Merlin himself would be able to catch some sleep now, but he was comfortable enough to keep himself from squirming around. That should be good enough.
"I think I might."
"Good. Now please, Merlin - just shut up."
Merlin swore he could feel Arthur press a soft kiss against the back of his neck to ease the sting of his words. It kept him up for a good few hours - blood having managed to rush to his face to turn it to a brilliant pink right after it happened. When Merlin was certain Arthur was at last fast asleep, which was easy to tell because the prince started snoring right into his ear pretty soon, Merlin focused on the dying embers and watched them turn to small flames once more. They danced about in the darkness in abstract shapes, finally capable of spreading warmth, and Merlin felt at ease when Arthur mumbled something in his sleep and pressed his ice cold nose into Merlin's scarf.
Perhaps Merlin ought to reconsider his opinion on winter after all.