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Merlin braces himself against Gwaine's chest. He couldn't do this in good conscience as long as Gwaine didn't know about his secret. He liked Gwaine, he was one of his best friends but if they were going to take this step he had to tell him about his magic no matter how he pressed forward and kept trying to prolong the kiss. "Gwaine," he said trying to push him away but getting distracted by his chest and his smile and his hair. He shook his head trying to focus. He could do this.
"Gwaine," he said, more forcefully this time. He made a noncommital noise that Merlin took as he had some of Gwaine's attention. "I have something to tell you."
He made an affirmative noise and nosed the length of Merlin's neck. "Go on, I"m listening," which he most assuredly was not doing but that was the best he was probably going to get.
He steeled his nerves and looked to the ceiling. "I have magic," he admitted in a soft whisper. All he received in return was a hmm, that's nice. He blinked and shoved Gwaine away. "That's nice? That's all you have to say?"
Gwaine shrugged before his eyes widened. "Oh were e still pretending I didn't know about your magic? I thought that charade ended ages ago, my mistake." He schooled his face in surprise. "Oi! Merlin you have magic? You despicable sorcerer, you. Can we get back to what we were doing or..?"
He didn't really seem to want an actual answer because he went back to kissing Merlin's neck but Merlin was a little too busy with the realisation that Gwaine knew he had magic.
"Could we maybe back up a bit to the bit where you already knew?"
Gwaine groaned but pulled himself away from Merlin. He took smug satisfaction that it seemed to take a lot for him to fully pull away. “Gods, Merlin. Just because I act like I have the same amount of brain cells as Arthur was born with doesn’t mean I actually do. I’m not that daft, give me some credit.”
Thinking back to it Merlin did find it odd that Gwaine was able to survive on his own for so long yet be so trusting and unobservant as he’d been for a few months. It made no sense to Merlin as to why though. He knew Gwaine had different shades to him and he was clever, no reason to hide all that away.
“Why though? You could have said something.”
Gwaine looked up at Merlin under his lashes and a soft smile on his face. “I could of but it seemed at the time that you like them a bit dull,” he says giving Merlin a distinct look that he has no way of misconstruing.
He tries to evade his looks though. “I have no idea what you’re talking--”
“Oh get off it. How Arthur made it without you up ‘til know no one will ever know but you can’t deny he’s a bit soft in the head. Deny it, I dare you.” Merlin laughed out loud at that because...it was kind of hard to argue. “It worked in the end though because you obviously fell for me.”
Merlin rushed up to kiss him. “Did I?”
Gwaine moaned in affirmation. “Pretty sure. Now I can stop pretending not to know about your magic and you can stop pretending you aren’t heels over arse over me and finish what we started in the hall.”
Merlin couldn’t argue with that.