Work Text:
It was a beautiful day, blue skies, birds chirping, and children laughing as they skipped through the streets. It was the kind of day that usually Merlin would allow herself to find a few moments of solace in. None of which explained her current dark thoughts and foul mood.
A sudden exclamation of “Are you jealous?!” just made her already bad mood drop even lower. Of course the captain would stumble upon her and take this opportunity to stick his nose where it wasn’t wanted.
“No” was the mage’s clipped response, although she never took her eyes off the scene in front of her. She was hoping short answers and lack of attention would get him to drop it and leave her alone.
“Really?” No such luck apparently. “Cause I can hear you grinding your teeth from here. Not to mention you’re glaring, and if you tighten your fists any further you’ll draw blood”
If anything the laughter in the demon’s voice only made the mage glare harder at the scene.
“Yo” called Ban as he appeared next to them and Merlin couldn’t believe her luck was truly this awful. “Who pissed in Merlin’s breakfast?” Seriously what God did she... actually nevermind. That list was far too long to work out which God was toying with her. “Escanor?! Didn’t think he had it in him”
“He doesn’t” grinned Meliodas. “It’s the puppy” Merlin really didn’t like where this was going but she really couldn’t stop glaring at the scene in front of her no matter how much she wanted to.
“What puppy?” was the confused answer, until Escanor happened to turn in their direction and sure enough, there in his arms was an adorable golden retriever. The boar despised that mutt.
“The one currently licking his face off” grinned Meliodas and Merlin could hear the absolute mirth in his tone from toying with her. Stupid Demon.
“Why’s she angry at the puppy Captain? It piss on her or something?” Merlin had had enough.
“I’m not angry” she growled slowly, still not taking her eyes off the puppy.
“She’s jealous” happily added Meliodas and yea, Merlin probably should have seen that coming. Would have if she’d been paying more attention.
“That doesn’t even make any sense” She exclaimed passionately, aiming her glare at the captain. “Why would I be jealous of a mutt?” It might have sounded rhetorical but it really wasn’t. Merlin wasn’t stupid, she knew she was acting jealous, but she didn’t understand it at all.
“Maybe you wish it was you wrapped up in those muscled arms” grinned Meliodas, causing Merlin to huff, roll her eyes and turn her glare back to the stupid Mutt.
“Maybe you wish you were the one slobbering all over his face” adds in Ban and honestly Merlin isn’t sure why she expected anything else from these two idiots.
“Maybe you don’t like that the puppy has stolen Escanor’s attention from you” And, yea ok that did something to her chest but that was utterly ridiculous. She knew her place in the man’s mind was greater than some street mutt…
“Oooh” grins Ban “That’s it Captain. She’s totally jealous that the puppy has stolen what’s hers!”
An equally ridiculous notion in Merlin’s mind. Just because Escanor did a lot for her and she regarded him as a fascinating puzzle did not make him hers. He was his own man. With his own thoughts and feelings…
“Maybe she wishes he was hers” Merlin whips round, Meliodas’s remark causing something inside her to clench and she’s had enough.
“If you two don’t shut the hell up this second I’m going to…”
“Merlin-San”
She stills at the sound of her name spoken in that masculine voice and for the first time in half an hour wishes he was still halfway down the street playing with the mutt.
“I’m terribly sorry for getting distracted from our shopping excursion” Escanor continues.
Merlin takes a few deep breathes, trying to ignore the snickering coming from the two idiots, before turning around to face the man… and apparently the mutt that he was still cuddling.
“It’s fine” She’s secretly proud that she managed to unclench her teeth.
“Were Ban and the captain bothering you?” enquires Escanor. The words sounded friendly but his eyes have found the snickering duo and the gleam within them is anything but.
“Actually we were just leaving, right Ban?” gulps Meliodas as he starts backing away.
“See you around Merlin” grins Ban but he doesn’t feel like being pulverised today so he turns tail behind his captain and the two of them sprint off.
Merlin breathes a mental sigh of relief with their departure and smiles when Escanor’s gaze moves back to her. Neither seem sure of what to say and so they just stand there smiling until the puppy (which might have looked like a puppy amongst Escanor’s muscles but is actually fully grown) decides they’ve gotten boring and almost leaps at Merlin to give her the same treatment that Escanor has received.
Merlin isn’t sure what happened. One moment she’s looking into baby blue eyes, the next she has a face full of dog with Escanor’s arms being the only reason she and the mutt are still both upright. And, ok now that Escanor’s arms are around her and she can just about make out his grin between licks, she guesses that maybe the mutt isn’t all that bad after all.