"All For You"
RATING: At this point, T. Probably won't change.
SUMMARY: A songifc inspired by John Elton's Your Song. A few snapshots of Arthur and Merlin's life together in and around Camelot. Friendfic, slash if you squint.
MUSIC: Your Song, John Elton
WORDS: 699
It's a little bit funny this feeling inside.
I'm not one of those who can easily hide.
"Merlin! Get in here now!"
Cringing, Merlin turned and stepped back through the only recently-closed door to face his prattiness the Prince of Camelot.
"Yes?"
Arthur frowned. "That's 'yes, Sire,' to you." Then, as if awoken from the brief interruption, the frown was replaced with a scowl. "And what the hell kind of breakfast is this! Bread and cheese and- and that slop you dare to call porridge?" Expression irritable, he gave the tray of food one last glare before pushing it across the table towards Merlin, the rough planks of the table impeding the otherwise-petulant gesture slightly. "Take it back."
'Should I… No,' Merlin considered, tossing away the idea of walking out of the room as if to exchange it and then magicking the food to a better standard while out of Arthur's view. "Sire," he began, hoping the subservient tone would make an impression – the raised eyebrow he got in return said maybe not – "we're in an inn in a country town somewhere on the border of Cenred's kingdom. Not only would the people here not have anything better to spare, using your… position to try and gain any preferential treatment would be unwise."
By the end of Merlin's impromptu speech Arthur was blinking in astonishment. "You know, I think that all that studying with Gaius is starting to pay off. That sounded almost smart." He took another look at the tray of food, hesitancy and disgust written all over his face. "Are you sure there's no other option?"
"Quite." Merlin grinned and quickly tore a piece off the corner of the prince's hunk of bread.
Arthur gaped, then stood and took a swipe at Merlin's head with an angry expression. "What do you think you're—"
Merlin grinned as he dodged. "I thought you didn't want it?" Taking a bite out of the admittedly tougher-than-normal bread he interrupted Arthur with a mumbled, "S'not bad. Besides-" Seeing Arthur's look he swallowed before continuing, "Besides, the amount of coin that would be needed to buy a breakfast such as the one you're craving would be far beyond what two travellers from Mercia would be expected to be able to pay out for one morning's food."
There was silence for a minute as Arthur considered Merlin's words and Merlin carefully watched Arthur for signs that he was going to attack him again, but the warlock relaxed when he finally saw Arthur's shoulders slump in resignation. "There really is no other choice, is there?" He asked resignedly.
"Nope," Merlin replied with excessive cheer and a wide grin.
Arthur sighed as he slumped back onto the bench and pulled the tray of food back towards him again, taking the first mouthful of 'porridge' with a grimace.
Merlin moved to leave, his arms still full of the armour that he had originally been going to clean before he was dragged back. "Trust me Sire," he threw over his shoulder, "if I could I'd buy you your own little inn in every town between here and Camelot so that you wouldn't have to suffer the pitiable food like all us mere mortals do, but I'm afraid the pay I get for attending to your every whim isn't large enough for that." A cheeky grin lit his face as he turned at the door to face his prince. "If however you'd like to spare some gold—"
Habit and long practice had Merlin ducking through the door right as the fork Arthur had thrown hit the wall where his head had been a moment earlier.
As Merlin continued down the hall, whistling merrily while he considered whether he could be bothered to do Arthur's armour by hand or not, and Arthur got back to eating his breakfast – which honestly wasn't as bad as he'd been making out – neither saw the genuine smile that escaped onto the face of the other as soon as they were out of sight.
But then, they didn't need to.
I don't have much money but boy if I did,
I'd buy a big house where we both could live.