Thousands of years he waited. Thousands of years. And when he finally finds Arthur after thousands of years, he finds him as a child. Merlin knew destiny, or fate, or whatever higher being it was hated him.
Still, he had found Arthur. He was just four years old.
And this time around, he would not lose his king. He would protect him this time. And he had an idea how.
It wasn't stalking. It was research. Merlin watched the Pendragon family for a while, seeing that just like in Camelot, Arthur's mother was dead and his father still had that tough love for him. So, while Merlin stal – researched them, he realized that Uther had put out an ad for a full-time babysitter.
And that was how Merlin ended up being interrogated by his king's father.
"So," said Uther. "You've watched children before?"
Merlin nodded. "Plenty."
That was partly true. He had worked in an orphanage for a while after WWII, and had knowledge of how to handle children, but he knew this one-on-one would be different.
"Well, your background is good, your schooling is even better, and you look responsible enough." Uther looked him over again. "Now, the only thing that needs to be decided is if my son likes you."
Merlin nodded and stood. Uther led him into the backyard, where a blonde child was playing with a kitten.
"Arthur," Uther called, almost as if he was bored. "I have someone I want you to meet."
The little boy left the kitten alone for a moment while looking up, but rolled his eyes and ignored his father.
"Arthur! Get over here right now!"
Arthur ignored him.
Merlin smiled. "How about I talk to him?"
Uther glanced at his son. "Alright. I'll be inside if anything happens." He walked off.
Merlin turned back to Arthur. The little boy dangled a piece of string in front of his kitten, giggling as it bat at it with its paw. The warlock strode over.
"Hi, Arthur." Merlin knelt down on his level.
The little boy looked up briefly. "Who are you?"
Merlin smiled in what he hoped was an inviting way. "My name is Merlin."
"Are you going to try to be my new babysitter? 'Cause I don't need one. I'm a big-boy."
"Of course I'm not going to be your babysitter!" Merlin put on a surprised look. "I was hoping to be your friend." That time in the orphanage had paid off.
Arthur looked up sharply, but there was sadness in his voice. "I don't have friends."
Merlin felt his heart move a little at that. He knew in Camelot Arthur never had many friends.
"How about I'll be your first?"
The little boy considered that for a while. "Maybe."
Merlin smiled again. "So, what's your kitten's name?"
"Emrys."
The warlock' eyes widened. "What?"
"I named him Emrys. I made it up." Arthur looked up at him with big blue eyes. "Don't you like it?"
Merlin realized that he was seeking for approval. "Emrys is a fine name. I think it suits him, too."
Arthur's face brightened up and he handed Merlin another piece of string that he produced out of his pocket. Emrys pounced around after the strands of yarn for a while, before he got bored and decided to curl up on Arthur's lap.
Merlin checked his watch. "Holy Shi –" he was about to curse, but realized Arthur was staring up him curiously. He coughed. "Umm, it's really late. I think I should go now."
Arthur pouted. "You'll come back, right?"
Merlin smiled. "Of course."
With that promise, they walked back through the house. Uther and Arthur saw Merlin off.
"He's weird," Arthur said to his father as Merlin's car pulled out of their driveway. "But there's just something about him..."
Uther raised his eyebrows. "But do you like him?"
Arthur smiled. "A lot."
Weeks passed, and, as it seemed, Merlin made a damn good babysitter. The warlock didn't really find it any different from when he was Arthur's manservant, except there was no castle and Arthur was a small child.
Arthur on the other hand, was enjoying having Merlin around. The warlock would listen to his stories, no matter if they were made up or not, and he would always engage in a friendly banter. Sometimes, the four year old had the vague sense of déjà vu when this happened, but then he focused on his next witty comment he would throw at Merlin. And the best part about Merlin was, Arthur thought, was that Merlin was his. All his other babysitters had their own families or friends, and usually didn't want to spend extra time with the blonde child. But when he requested (not begged) that Merlin stay an hour more, he would. When he asked Merlin who his best friend was, the babysitter always said it was Arthur. So, of course, Arthur saw Merlin as his.
"Who's he?" giggled Dwaine, a boy in Arthur's pre-school class. Even though Arthur claimed not have friends, he suddenly made some after Merlin turned up in his life. The blonde turned and saw Merlin waiting for him outside the school building. He glared at the other boy.
"That's Merlin."
Dwaine giggled again and turned to his friend Percy. "He's pretty!"
Arthur scowled. "What's that supposed to mean?"
The other boy kept giggling. "I think he's cute!"
Arthur shook his head in disgust and stormed over to his babysitter, putting his arms up. Merlin took the hint and picked him up.
"How was your day?" Merlin shifted him so Arthur was rested against his hip.
"Hmmm," the little boy answered as he sent Dwaine a glare that said mine mine mine mine. Dwaine smirked in response.
"Arthur, are you alright?"
He turned to Merlin. "I don't like Dwaine."
The warlock knew this was probably a result of a small squabble between the two, but, nonetheless, pushed for further information. "Oh? How come?"
Arthur shook his head and wrapped his arms tighter around the warlock's neck. "Because."
Merlin started to walk, as they did most days to get home. "What happened?"
Arthur hid his face in Merlin's neck and his voice was muffled. "Don't wanna talk 'bout it."
"Arthur?"
The little boy looked up. "He called you cute."
Merlin stopped. "Oh?"
"I don't want him calling you cute."
"Why? Because I'm ugly?" the warlock joked.
Arthur shook his head. "No, because it makes me angry and makes my heart feel weird. I don't want you to leave me for him or anyone else."
Merlin laughed. "Don't worry. There's only one guy for me." He poked Arthur on the nose.
The little boy beamed and he rested his head back on the warlock's shoulder. "And there's only one guy for me too!"
A/N: Cute? Creepy? Amazing? Weird? Please tell me!
