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When the shouting and laughter starts in the courtyard below his window, Arthur ignores it at first.
When he realizes he distinctly recognizes some of the voices, he gets up and looks out; sure enough, down below the knights and Merlin are engaged in some kind of snow fight. He favors them with a small smile before turning away and getting back to work. He's gone over the numbers twice already, but he needs to be sure that Camelot's stores have enough food to keep the people alive if this winter's to be a long one as Gaius predicts.
Eventually, however, he finds that he can't concentrate with all their bloody noise- Gwaine whooping and hollering, Percival growling like a bear, and ringing out above it all, Merlin's laughter, which Arthur has sorely missed as of late. He sighs, annoyed, and marches down to tell them all to go be useful; the knights should really be helping the people of the lower town chop firewood, and Merlin, well, there's always a laundry list (no pun intended) of tasks Merlin should be doing.
When Arthur steps into the courtyard, letting the door close heavily behind him, Leon immediately notices him and stands to attention. The other knights catch on just as quickly, although they follow more reluctantly (and Merlin doesn't even bother to do more than look in his direction).
He's in the middle of lecturing them for playing about when there's still work to be done when something hard, cold, and wet hits him smack on the side of the head. He's in shock for a few seconds before he whips around to find Merlin trying, and failing, to look innocent. There is silence in the courtyard as they stare at each other before Merlin gives up and grins shamelessly at him, shrugging. That sets Gwaine off, and when Arthur doesn't stop his laughter, the other knights join in.
Arthur continues to look at Merlin, who's still meeting his gaze but whose expression has shifted from lighthearted to challenging, his smiled turned more to a smirk.
Arthur knows he should let it go, ignore it, but when has he ever been able to do that where Merlin's concerned?
He gives it a beat before he advances on Merlin. Merlin's expression, before he turns and runs, is victorious.
They chase like maniacs through the maze of tunnels and courtyards that make the grounds of the castle. Arthur knows every inch of Camelot like the back of his hand, but it's Merlin who travels the backways every day and knows every shortcut, so he does a good job of staying just out of Arthur's reach. Arthur tries to take him down (and Arthur wonders if the people would even recognize their king, yelling like a loon and throwing snowballs at a servant), but Merlin always manages to escape, somehow, his laughter following him away.
In the end, Merlin ducks up the servants' staircase and into Arthur's chambers, where Arthur finally tackles him to the bed and kisses him, mouth hot in contrast to the rest of him, which is freezing. He pulls away to settle over Merlin better, mouthing his way down Merlin's neck, licking at cold water droplets. Merlin hums a little and threads his fingers into the hair at the nape of Arthur's neck, other hand curled around Arthur's shoulder.
They make out like that for awhile before their adrenaline fades and they simply press their foreheads together and breathe each other in.
Merlin shifts, sliding his hands so they cup the back of Arthur's head, thumbs tracing his cheekbones. "It'll be alright, Arthur," he says, quietly getting to the root of Arthur's problem just like he always does. "You've done everything you can. And if something goes wrong," here his eyes glow faintly gold, "you have me."
"Well thank god we're prepared," Arthur retorts, pressing a quick kiss behind Merlin's ear. Merlin swats him on the head and then hugs him tight briefly before shoving him off.
"Now come on, Arthur, don't you know there's work to be done?"
Arthur swears the next time he catches Merlin he's going to tie him down and make him pay.