Merlin pulled the blankets from Arthur's bed and began to fold them. He glanced at Arthur out of the corner of his eye, and saw his prince leaning on the table on his elbows, his face stern and contemplative.

Merlin cleared his throat, but didn't say anything.

"Yes, Merlin?" Arthur asked, not looking up from the parchment he was reading.

"Nothing; I didn't say anything," Merlin corrected, staring at the oh-so-interesting pattern of Arthur's bed sheets.

Arthur shrugged and didn't respond.

After a few minutes, in which Merlin finished making the bed and began to sweep the floors, Merlin cleared his throat again, louder and more insistent than the first time.

Arthur looked up immediately and lets his arms fall on the table. "Alright, Merlin, you have my full attention," he said in irritation. "What do you need to say?"

Merlin stopped sweeping and looking at Arthur. "I heard some interesting rumors around the castle," he said emotionlessly.

Arthur blinked. "And what is the nature of these rumors?" He leaned against the back of his grand chair and put a hand on his chin and a finger on his lips in an expression of mock interest.

"The nature is you, sire," Merlin said, beginning to sound slightly annoyed.

"So why are you upset?"

"I'm not," Merlin said, resuming his sweeping. He'd been sweeping the same place since he started.

"You sure sound upset," Arthur responded. "Pray, tell me; what am I doing in these rumors, Merlin?"

Merlin stared hard at the floor. "You're, uh . . . with someone. In the armory. At night."

Arthur's eyes widened slightly, but he remained silent.

"At least . . . at least that's what I heard," Merlin said quietly, picking a splinter from the wooden head of the broom.

Arthur stood and began to pace. "You think . . . you think they know?"

Merlin sighed. "I don't know."

"Well, they're just rumors, right? They can't really know."

"I don't know, Arthur, they had a pretty clear picture of it all," Merlin said bitterly. "Oh, if they know . . . I'll be burned at the stake! You're father'll kill me! I don't even want to think about what he'll do to you . . . and the people of Camelot . . . what will they think? . . . Arthur, this is bad; really, really bad, Arthur. . . ." Merlin began to get hysterical, and the broom fell from his hands, forgotten.

"No, it's not, Merlin," Arthur said firmly. "It'll all be fine. Nothing will happen to you and nothing will happen to me. Do you like . . . polishing my armor?"

Merlin blushed at the metaphor, his pale skin glowing pink under the fondness in Arthur's eyes. "Yes."

Arthur pulled Merlin to him in an embrace.

"Do you like it when I polish your armor?" Merlin asked into Arthur's neck.

Arthur shivered. "Very much."

Merlin smiled. "Good. It's good fun, you know."

Arthur pulled back slightly and studied Merlin's face. "I know."

Merlin laughed, rich and deep. The sound came from his stomach and rumbled up his throat and escaped from his mouth and it made Arthur smile.

Arthur leaned forward and laid a kiss on Merlin's grinning lips.

After a few seconds, Arthur pulled back, curiosity on his face. "Who did you hear these rumors from?"

Merlin smiled. "Leon."

"Leon?" Arthur said with a laugh. "And how would Leon know?"

"Well," Merlin began with a sigh, worry appearing in his eyes and the way his mouth sat, "he said he went to the armory when he heard screams coming from inside."

Arthur frowned, and scolded Merlin by saying sternly, "You really must learn how to be quieter, Merlin."

Merlin blushed again. "I know. Anyway, he said he heard you . . . well, Leon said moan -"

"I do not moan," Arthur said.

"- Leon said you moaned my name."

Arthur blinked. "No, that can't be. I don't moan anybody's name; I never have."

Merlin laughed. "Yes, you do. You always do; every time."

Arthur's eyebrows furrowed. "I moan your name?"

"Yes," Merlin said with a nod and a smirk.

Arthur blushed, smiled, and pressed their foreheads together. "You must be pretty special then."

Merlin flushed scarlet. "Good. I should be, if I polish your armor every night."

Arthur laughed and broke the embrace. "I wouldn't say every night. More like . . . twice every night. As many times as a person can."

Merlin laughed. "As many times as a warlock can."

Arthur grinned. "Does it really make a difference?"

"I hope so, or I must really have a problem."

"I wouldn't say you have a problem," Arthur said thoughtfully. "More like a gift."

Merlin laughed. "A gift? Well, thank you." Merlin bowed.

Arthur grinned.

*LATER THAT NIGHT*

Arthur paced the length of the armory, arms folded and a scowl on his face. Merlin was an incompetent servant and was always late when he had to wake Arthur up in the morning, but he was never never late polishing Arthur's. In fact, he was always there before Arthur, despite having to travel a larger distance.

Arthur huffed in frustration, and made a move to leave when Merlin burst through the door, out of breath and flushed.

"It's nice of you to show up, Merlin," Arthur said sarcastically. "I'm glad you're so passionate about polishing armor; it's heartwarming."

Merlin rested his hands on his knees gasping for air. "Sorry, Sire . . . Leon . . . and the . . . armory. . . ."

"What are you babbling about?" Arthur asked, putting his hands on his hips.

Merlin recovered his breath hastily and said, "I ran into Leon on the way here."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"Well . . . he stopped me, and . . ." Merlin trailed off.

"And?" Arthur asked again.

Merlin avoided Arthur's eye contact when he re-countered what happened.

*flashback*

Merlin carefully closed the door to Gaius' front door, quiet not to wake his father-like-figure who rested on a small bed in the general room.

The young warlock turned away from the door and made to walk, (well, skip might be a better word), to the armory, but he ran right into chain mail.

At first he thought it was Arthur, so he smiled, his eyes closed against the metal chest. He wrapped his arms around the figure, and said in a husky voice,

"You're early, Sire. Is your armor dirty? Do you need me to polish it?"

The figure froze. "Um . . . Merlin?" The voice sounded slightly horrified, but curious nevertheless. "What're you up to?"

Merlin's entire body clenched in fear. He took a few slow steps away, terror on his face as he perceived a wide-eyed Leon staring at him.

"L-Leon. . . ."

"Hello, Merlin . . . what're you doing?" he repeated.

"What . . . what are you doing?" Merlin stuttered, his hands clasped behind his back. He rocked back on his heels innocently.

Leon folded his arms. "I don't really think you're in the position to be asking questions, Merlin."

Merlin looked away.

Leon leaned forward and said in a whisper, "So I was right, wasn't I? The rumors are true?"

Merlin rubbed his elbow absentmindedly and stared at a fixed point on the floor. "What rumors?" he asked nervously.

Leon deadpanned. "I told you of them yesterday. And you weren't exactly calm then, either."

"W-well . . . the accusations are . . . pretty ridiculous," Merlin said, unblinkingly.

"So is claiming you want to polish Arthur's armor, Merlin," Leon said slowly.

"What? Th-that's not what I said," Merlin said, finally looking at Leon with a short pitiful laugh.

"What did you say then?"

Merlin quietly racked his brain. "I said . . . 'you're early, Sire . . . um . . . is your armor dirty? Do you need me to polish it?'" He repeated what he said in a more goofy-Merlin-like voice.

"I'm well aware of what you said, Merlin; why did you say it?"

"I'm the prince's servant," Merlin said. "It is my duty to -"

"I'm not going to push you Merlin," Leon said, raising his arms slightly in surrender. "I'm just curious."

Merlin let out a sigh of relief, and turned to leave.

"But, I'm not anymore; now that I know I'm right."

Merlin froze. "Right about?" he asked slowly.

"Say hello to Arthur for me!" Leon said, turning and walking away.

"I'm not going to see Arthur!" Merlin called after him.

"Don't pull a muscle polishing Arthur's armor, that's the last thing Gaius needs," was the last thing Merlin heard before Leon turned the corner, laughing to himself.

Merlin groaned and ran a hand down his face. "Oh, what am I going to tell Arthur?"

*End flashback*

Arthur listened in silence.

Merlin paced impatiently, waiting for Arthur to say something, but he never did.

"Oh, and Arthur," Merlin added suddenly. Arthur looked over at Merlin. "Leon says hello."

Arthur stared at him. He smiled. He began to laugh, slowly at first, but it grew and soon he was clutching his stomach and wiping tears from his eyes. "Oh, Merlin," Arthur said finally.

"What?"

Arthur chuckled some more before responding in his best Merlin-impression, "You're early, Sire. Is your armor dirty? Do you need me to polish it?"

Merlin laughed through his embarrassment. "I thought it was you."

"Oh, I got that part," Arthur said with a grin.

There was a slight pause before Merlin said suddenly, "Is it?"

Arthur blinked. "Is what?"

Merlin walked over to Arthur, his eyes lustful and his lips parted slightly. "Is your armor dirty?"

Arthur backed into the wall and let his back slide down until he sat on the stone floors. Merlin followed him down and straddled his hips. He placed his hands on Arthur's shoulders and pressed their foreheads together, letting their breath mix, but he kept their lips at a safe distance a part.

Arthur growled. "Very."

Merlin nuzzled their noses together, rubbing his cheek against Arthur's and said, "And what would you like me to do about that, Sire?"

"You know full well what I want you to do, Merlin," Arthur said, trying to get Merlin's lips on his.

Merlin escaped every time Arthur tried. "I'm sorry, Sire, I haven't a clue. I'm but a lowly servant -"

"You're a warlock and the best servant I could have asked for and my best friend and the greatest person who's ever lived, Merlin, now polish my armor!" Arthur commanded.

Merlin froze and pulled away. "You think I'm the greatest person who's ever lived?" he asked in a hushed voice.

Arthur's eyes softened slightly. "Of course I do."

Merlin gazed into Arthur's eyes for a moment before breathing out, "Oh, Arthur."

"Merlin, I like all this staring at each other business, but my armor's getting rather . . . you know." Arthur glanced down between Merlin's legs.

Merlin blushed and nodded. "Of course. Your armor." Merlin lunged forward, taking Arthur's lips in his own powerfully. He let his hands wander lower and lower on Arthur's body until he felt Arthur's belt buckle.

"What's this?" Merlin asked, pulling back just enough to speak huskily into Arthur's lips. "We can't have that, now, can we, Arthur?"

Arthur shook his head, trying to find Merlin's lips again.

Not really feeling like undoing the belt buckle on his own, Merlin's eyes flashed gold and the belt flew from Arthur's body.

"I love it when you do that," Arthur said, gazing hungrily into Merlin's face.

"Do you?" Merlin asked, leaning forward to kiss Arthur again.

The kisses grew more and more passionate, and the gold in Merlin's eyes removed their clothing, bit by bit, until Arthur was shamelessly moaning Merlin's name and Merlin was screaming from pleasure.

Leon was pretty sure all the knights believed his little 'rumor' now.