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“… so, we should split into pairs and search this place for any weapons and armour that could come in handy,” Leon finished. Technically Arthur was in charge, but Leon had always been better at the practical side of things. Plus, Arthur was currently distracted gazing deeply into Gwen’s eyes, the most sappy smile imaginable on his face, mirrored on hers. Merlin smirked.
Leon scanned the room and obviously spotted the problem: Merlin and Lancelot, Gwen and Arthur, Elyan and Gwaine, and-
“Why don’t you come with me?” he asked Percival kindly, turning to him.
Quick as lightning, Elyan grabbed the new guy’s arm. “It’s all good Leon, we got him covered!” he assured him brightly, flashing him a smile. Merlin distinctly heard Percival mutter amusedly “Oh do you now,” and caught Gwaine’s conspiratory grin.
“…all right then,” Leon said, shooting them an odd look but moving on.
Gaius, sitting at the table, rolled his eyes.
Merlin glanced at Lancelot, and smirked again.
…………………
Ok, so maybe he and Lancelot had been shooting covert looks at each other all day. But at least they’d been subtle about it,.
Alas, subtlety was not a thing that came naturally to Elyan and Gwaine, whose obnoxious bickering in the cave had gotten more and more laden with sexual tension as the week progressed, and who had spent the day thus far flirting pretty heavily with Percival. The big man had appeared slightly surprised at first, but not at all opposed to it.
During lunch, Elyan had kept shooting Percival his most dazzling smile, and Gwaine had kept throwing back his head when he laughed so his hair caught the light. And Merlin couldn’t deny, they were… effective.
“’Excellent muscles’ huh?” Lancelot’s voice had sounded amusedly in Merlin’s ear, smooth and rich like dark honey, just a little too close for friends.
“Was I wrong?” he answered, not giving him the satisfaction of turning around.
“No. You weren’t.”
“You didn’t do so badly for yourself either.”
“Percival’s taller.”
“I got two.”
“We should probably stop objectifying them.”
“Agreed.”
Merlin turned to look into Lancelot’s broad, warm smile, his eyes twinkling with humour.
“You know, me and Percival, we never actually… we’re just friends.”
Merlin grinned too. “Same with me and them two. I was just being a petty little shit because I was mad at you for leaving.”
Lancelot’s expressions sobered instantly. “I really am so sorry for that.” He winced. “Both times.”
“Three,” Merlin supplied helpfully.
Lancelot grimaced. “Three then. I was a coward.”
Merlin shook his head. “Not a coward. Just… honourable.” Gods, he was sick of honour. His eyes flicked up to his. “Will you-“ He broke off. He couldn’t ask him to make promises he might not be able to keep.
To his surprise, Lancelot did it for him. “I’m not going anywhere Merlin,” he said softly. “I won’t leave you again, not if you don’t want. I promise.”
Unbidden, tears pricked his eyes. No one had ever promised him that. Or, no one had ever survived it. Instinctively he tried to push away: “You came here for Arthur. For Gwen.”
“Yes,” Lancelot answered, in a measured tone that told him he knew exactly what Merlin wasn’t saying. “For them too. But you called me. And I came for you.”
Merlin pressed his lips together, desperately trying to stop them from trembling, and tentatively reached for Lancelot’s hand. ”You know I kept every one of your letters right?” He blinked hard, and injected some levity into his tone. “I was going to frame the picture you drew, but I thought Arthur might see it and execute me in your stead.”
He did not tell him how many times he had read every missive, tracing each painstakingly scrawled letter until he had memorised every word, every stroke of ink on parchment.
Lancelot laughed. “And I still have yours. All of them.”
His words immediately brought Merlin’s thoughts back to their last correspondence, and he could tell by the pensive look on Lancelot’s face that he was thinking of the same.
“I wish we were alone,” he whispered.
Merlin nodded in sympathy. It felt too private, too special to discuss surrounded by people.
Besides, he wanted to do more than just discuss it, he thought as his gaze was drawn inexorably to Lancelot’s lips. But before he could make up some lame excuse to drag him into the trees, Arthur called from beside Gwen “All right! Let’s move out!” and the chance was gone.
When Lancelot got up and offered him a hand to pull him to his feet, Merlin was bold enough to twine his fingers with his and not let go.
…………………
Now, finally, they were alone. Lancelot had offered him his hand again as they’d left the main room, his face full of shyness and longing, and Merlin had taken it with a smile. Now they wandered slowly down the empty corridor, tension singing between them. After a minute Lancelot broke the silence. "How long did Leon say we have?"
"An hour."
"Interesting." Lancelot busied himself examining their entwined hands.
“Mmm.” Merlin skimmed his thumb over Lancelot’s knuckles and grinned when he heard his breath hitch.
Just then they reached the first door off the corridor, and turned to look at each other. Lancelot’s dark eyes met his and there was suddenly such smouldering desire in them Merlin’s heart felt like it would burst.
"Let’s check in here!" he said hurriedly.
"Great idea!" said Lancelot, just as hastily.
With that Merlin dragged him inside and kicked the door shut and pushed him up against the wall.
By all accounts their first kiss should’ve been slow and gentle and tender, but Merlin could never find himself to regret what it was: breathless and desperate and hungry, all hands tangling in hair and soft gasps as they finally did what they’d both wanted to do all day, and far longer before that than either of them would admit.
“I love you,” he mumbled against Lancelot’s lips, again and again. “I love you so much.” Lancelot sighed into his mouth at his words, his hands roaming over his face and back and arms as if not quite sure he was real. His lips left Merlin’s and trailed across his cheek and along his jaw and began mouthing down the pale expanse of his neck-
BANG.
The door flew open and Merlin and Lancelot jumped apart, to be faced with a giggling Percival Elyan and Gwaine. Percival had somehow lost his chainmail, Elyan’s shirt was all rucked up on one side and Gwaine’s usually flawless hair was looking distinctly ruffled. They pulled up short at the sight of the pair, standing there frozen.
“Oops! Sorry lads!” Gwaine exclaimed cheerfully, recovering almost at once and grinning wickedly.
“We’ll, uhh, leave you too it,” Elyan added, pressing his lips together as if trying to contain a laugh.
Percival looked torn between embarrassment and amusement but allowed himself to be propelled out of the room by a now cackling Elyan.
Now faced with just Gwaine Merlin realised with a flash of guilt that he’d kind of abandoned him ever since Lancelot had returned. However the rogue didn’t seem too cut up about it, if the wink and the mouthed get it! he bestowed upon him before being dragged out of the room was anything to go by.
The door banged shut again and Merlin and Lancelot looked at each other.
“Suppose we should’ve seen that one coming,” Merlin said, and they laughed a little.
Lancelot’s hair was as ruffled as Gwaine’s, stray bits sticking up in all directions, and Merlin reached up and smoothed a few down, curling his fingers into his soft hair before he could resist and combing through it.
Lancelot hummed, watching him with those deep, intense eyes Merlin longed to lose himself in, a soft smile curling his mouth. “I love you,” he murmured. “And I won’t ever tire of saying that.”
“Then don’t,” Merlin said, and tugged him in for another kiss. Lancelot stumbled back against the wall again, eagerly reciprocating the passion of it, and Merlin went right with him. His hands rushed from his hair down his shoulders and found the bottom of his chainmail, pushing it up and sliding his hands under the hem of his gambeson, hands moving up-
BANG.
This time when Lancelot and Merlin jumped it was to see Arthur standing there with Gwen in his arms, her legs wrapped around his waist.
“Um.” said Lancelot, his voice squeaking a little.
“We were just…" Arthur began, rapidly turning a remarkable shade of Pendragon red.
“Looking for swords," Gwen finished breathlessly as she slid to the ground.
"So were we," Merlin said automatically. His hand were still up the front of Lancelot's gambeson. His skin was warm and his heart was beating very fast.
"Of course." Gwen was staring determinedly at the ground, her eyes huge.
Arthur coughed and cleared his throat. "Right. Well… we'll just… um-" He waved his arm around vaguely. Mercifully Gwen caught hold of it and pulled him out the room, the door swinging shut behind them.
Merlin looked back at Lancelot somewhat anxiously, but he only looked mildly perturbed as he gazed at the closed door. “Should we have warned them about the other three?” he wondered.
Merlin grimaced. “Oh yeah, that could get awkward. Ah well.”
"At least we won’t be interrupted again... unless Leon walks in." Lancelot fiddled with Merlin's neckerchief, gently stroking over the divot between his collarbones.
"Please to all the gods, don’t let Leon walk in," Merlin prayed fervently. His hands were still under Lancelot's gambeson, tracing patterns over his ribs. “You know, we might die tomorrow.”
Lancelot looked solemnly at him. “I will not let that happen.”
“Still…” Merlin’s hands wandered lower, brushing over his toned stomach and making Lancelot draw in a sharp breath. “Maybe we should make the most of it.”
Lancelot grinned, and pulled him in for another searing kiss.
…………………
When they reconvened about an hour later everyone in the search parties was rather flushed and there was much adjusting of clothing. Gwen and Arthur carefully did not look at each other, but their hands brushed whenever they thought no one was looking. Elyan Gwaine and Percival, on the other hand, kept standing far too close for public decency, and smirking shamelessly at each other. At least the two groups didn’t seem to have bumped into each other at any point.
Gaius’s face was a picture.
As they gathered Merlin saw that the others had done no better than he and Lancelot. Gwen and Arthur had one sword (Arthur’s) and Elyan, Gwaine and Percival had actually managed to return with less weapons than they had left with. Leon returned last of all, slightly out of breath and face flushed with delight, his arms full of three swords and several crossbows.
His enthusiastic grin fell a little when he saw that they all had not returned with similar bounty. "I had hoped the search would be more fruitful," he said, sounding disappointed.
"Oh believe me Leon," Lancelot suddenly spoke up, because he was more of a bastard than anyone else would believe. "It was."