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Stars Are Just Ok

Summary:

Arthur drags Merlin out into the cold to look at the stars, Merlin refuses to say he's enjoying it.

Notes:

Fluffbruary day twenty-six! Prompts are Ice | Beautiful | Night and I used them all.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

"I am not going out there! There is ice, Arthur! Ice!"

"So it's a little chilly, we won't be long!"

"I don't have the extra insulation you do! I'll freeze!"

"Are you saying I'm fat?"

"I'm saying you may survive out there, but I won't!"

"Just come outside for a second!"

"Why?!"

"You'll see when we get there!"

"If I freeze to death, it's your fault."

"You're not going to die from the cold, Merlin."

"You've never heard of hypothermia?"

"That's not going to happen!"

Merlin eventually caves and follows Arthur out the door into the cold night, wrapped in Arthur's well made winter coat, cloak, and gloves.

"Why do I have to do this again?"

"It's a surprise."

"I like surprises as much as the next person, but this is ridiculous."

"Stop your complaining and walk."

"I thought it would only be for a second?"

"Obviously longer than that!"

Merlin groans but continues to allow himself to be pulled along, trying to steer clear of ice patches.

"There, look!" Arthur says, pointing up into the starry night sky.

"The stars? You dragged me out here for the stars? I can look at those when it's warm!"

"No, just watch!"

Merlin watches as a shooting star streaks across the sky.

"Psh, I can do that." He says, not going to let Arthur know he likes watching them.

"No you can't!"

"I can make a light shoot across the sky! And I could do it in front of the fire too."

"Show me."

Merlin says a spell, watching smugly as he makes a light fly around them.

"See? And I can do that inside."

"There's no way you're even cold, why are you complaining?"

"Because it's fun to annoy you."

"You're the worst."

"You love me."

"So what? You're still the worst."

"Love you too, Dear."

"I know you like looking at the stars."

"That doesn't mean I want to now."

"Why don't you just magic yourself warm if you're so cold."

"Because then I wouldn't have a reason to complain."

"Just do it. There's supposed to be a lot tonight."

Merlin pretends to be annoyed about it, but enchants the air around them to be warm, as well as the ground so they can lay back and not hurt their necks.

Their hands immediately clasp together, warmth seeping through the gloves.

"Now that you're warm, admit that you're enjoying this."

"But that takes all the fun out of it."

"Merlin."

"Alright, alright. It's beautiful. And if I wasn't having so much fun annoying you, I'd say you are too. Oh, but that makes you blush! So you're beautiful too, Love." Merlin teases, laughing when Arthur flushes, as he knew he would.

"Don't you remember, Dearest? We're two sides of the same coin, so if I say you're beautiful, you'll blush too! Won't you, Beautiful?" Arthur says, quickly being proven right.

"Shut up, Handsome."

"You shut up, Handsome."

"Can't think of anything else, Gorgeous?"

"Of course I can, Stunning."

"You look as red as your jacket, Pretty-Boy."

"You do too, Pulchritudinous."

"What did you just say to me?!"

"It's Latin, peasant."

"How did you go from 'Stunning' to 'Peasant'?"

"It's your fault, showing how uneducated you are."

"Yet I'm still more mature than you."

"You are not!"

"I am too!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Uh-huh!"

They laugh at how childish they sound, wriggling closer together.

"I suppose this wasn't completely horrible." Merlin admits.

" I told you."

"Oh, hush."

"Or else what?"

"Or else I'm leaving you out here all night."

"Surely you wouldn't do that to me."

"In a heartbeat."

"I say again, you're the worst."

"I say again, you love me anyway."

"How did you get so lucky?"

"Oh, you know. All part of my grand scheme to take over the kingdom."

"Yeah, right. The last time someone tried to use a title for you, you told me you wanted to make them slip."

"It was just a stupid Lord, anyway. He probably deserved it."

"Doesn't mean you should make him fall for trying to be respectful."

"Shhhh. I don't want to hear it."

"Just because you don't like something doesn't mean it's not true."

"Sure, but I shouldn't have to hear it."

Merlin decides the best way to not hear Arthur say annoying things is to otherwise occupy his lips, so he quickly kisses him, and that's the end of that.

Notes:

How did Arthur know about the shooting stars? Royal astronomers, of course.

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