Ten thousand points to whatever House you're in if you know what the title is from tbh.

Special thanks to my best friend Julie for betaing this because I didn't feel like doing shit other than writing.

Disclaimer: What do I own, man? Nothing, not a damn thing. Not even Merlin. And it's sad, yes, but life goes on.

Kiss kiss (fall in love)

*.*.*.*.*

There was something off about Arthur that day, Merlin noted in the back of his mind, something off and different that he couldn't quite pinpoint the cause of. There was no specific reason for it, as far as Merlin could tell, he had simply been in a funk when Merlin had gone to awaken him for the day, merely sighing and pulling himself from his bed without another word of prompting or from Merlin on the subject. A frown had painted Merlin's face at the sight of Arthur throwing back his covers and dragging himself over to where his breakfast was waiting, not even a good morning leaving his lips until some time later.

To call it out of character for Arthur would have been an understatement.

But it was fine, really, Merlin told himself, because that's what Arthur said, in response to the worrisome look that was on Merlin's face, with a shake of his head. It was fine, Arthur was fine, he just wasn't any sort of morning person at all.

*.*.*.*.*

But he was an afternoon person, he was a training person, an evening person, he was an I like to tease Merlin sort of person, but that day he wasn't any of those people. He was bland and moody and mopey and sulky and Merlin didn't like it one bit, but God help him if Arthur wasn't being difficult as all hell, as he always was anyway, refusing to talk about it, refusing to even acknowledge that anything was wrong and he was acting any different than he usually was.

A skeptical frown etched itself deep into Merlin's face that day, and he was just glad that they didn't have any rogue magic users to thwart or any battles to fight, or treaties to see to—by all accounts, it was an easy day, and Merlin couldn't have been more grateful for that. If it was any more difficult, things would not have ended well for someone or another, and he would have been damned if that someone had been Arthur.

Luckily, the day went by without an unfortunate incident of any kind. It was a quiet day, a lonely day, a boring day, but it went by without any incidents anyway, and before Merlin knew it, the day was over and it was just him and Arthur tucked away in the king's chambers over chores and dinner, and soon enough, Arthur would be tucked into bed, and Merlin would simply have to hope that he would wake up himself again the following morning.

There really was nothing else to do or hope for.

"I want a kiss," Arthur sighed finally, voice stern and stubborn and flat, a request and yet a demand all the same as he broke the silence that had been hanging over them for God only knew how long.

Merlin looked up from his sharpening at that, unsure that he had heard right, because what? Obviously his mind was playing tricks on him, the silence getting to him and making him hear what he wanted to hear, regardless of whether or not Arthur had actually said anything at all, let alone that.

Or he was dreaming. He was probably only just dreaming.

Arthur was sitting just across from him, head resting on his arm that was laying across the table, something like a pout on his face as he stared up at Merlin, who was trying to catch up to what was going on, wondering at what point he had fallen asleep and why he was just being allowed to sleep when he still had a plethora of chores that Arthur wanted him to do before the day was done.

Merlin remained still for a moment, blinking down at Arthur who merely blinked back, raised his eyebrows in a way that Merlin couldn't quite read, hands still gripping at Arthur's sword as a way to keep himself grounded and sane and told him that maybe this probably wasn't a dream from the way his fingers began to ache as his grip tightened all the more.

Alright then. So he wasn't dreaming, that just meant that Arthur had clearly gone out of his mind from the stress of being king or he'd taken a few too many blows to the head at training that afternoon or… or something. There was no way he was being serious. If nothing else, this had to be a test to see how seriously Merlin was taking his job, how loyal he was—though what that particular declaration had to do with proving Merlin's loyalty he wasn't completely sure just yet, but obviously it had to be something, because Merlin's suddenly foggy mind just couldn't comprehend any other reason for Arthur to say something like that, especially after a day spent sulking and moping about.

The returned silence between them was almost impossible to break, Merlin decided just then, still blinking down at Arthur, partially because he didn't know what to say, and partially because he had already let it stretch on for so long. But really, just what the hell did Arthur expect him to say to that? How did Arthur think he would respond—how did he want Merlin to respond?

"W… what?" Merlin managed at last, mouth dry.

"I said," Arthur sighed again, eyes flitting to Merlin's lips before he looked back to his eyes with his pout still in place, confusion and curiosity and excitement stirring in Merlin at that. "I want a kiss."

"Right," Merlin nodded slowly, sat Arthur's sword down on the table. He flexed his aching fingers as he nodded again, still blinking at Arthur.

Any moment now, he was sure, Arthur was going to right himself up and break into a grin, declare that he was just joking and God couldn't Merlin even take a joke anymore?

But a moment passed and Arthur said no such thing. And then another. And then another. And before Merlin knew it, another stretch of moments passed by slowly, and Arthur's eyes and pout stayed locked on him all the while.

So maybe he wasn't joking then.

"And, uhm," Merlin coughed to try to clear the awkward air that was no one's fault but his own. "who… do you want this kiss from, exactly?"

Arthur's eyes widened at Merlin in a disbelieving sort of way, clearly not sure why Merlin was bothering to ask a question such as that at a time like this. Perhaps it was a bit ridiculous to ask, it wasn't as though Arthur would just send Merlin off to fetch some servant girl or knight or whoever at this time of night just for him to kiss, and it wasn't like there was anyone else there besides the two of them and Arthur's sword, and Arthur cared about his sword a great deal but, well, Merlin wasn't sure his love for his weaponry ran that deeply. Probably. Knights were a bit odd sometimes, he would admit, but this particular knight wasn't that odd, he didn't think.

"You have to say it, Arthur," Merlin said then when Arthur didn't reply, voice insistent and urging, each pounding of his heart screaming for Arthur to say it say it say it, the words all he could think, breathe, and believe in that short moment between him insisting on it and Arthur blinking up at him.

Finally, Arthur said, "I want a kiss from you."

Merlin sucked in a breath as the words left Arthur finally. Just because he'd known that was what Arthur was after didn't mean he'd been ready to hear them. God.

"And what makes you think I want a kiss from you in turn?" he asked, raising a teasing eyebrow at Arthur with the question he didn't want to ask, but God, it'd just slipped out without him noticing at all, and he wouldn't be Merlin if he tried to take it back; if Arthur suddenly changed his mind on that kiss because of that comment, however, he would have to rethink how he saw himself and what he thought were appropriate responses to questions and statements and situations like this. He would have to.

Lucky for him, Arthur knew him better than that, and he turned his skeptical look back on Merlin in full force, so silent that night but every word he meant ringing loud and clear in Merlin's ears anyway.

"Right, that's fair," Merlin sighed, drumming his fingers on the table contemplatively for a moment. "Well," he drawled on. "I suppose if you want a kiss from me, you're going to have to sit up and stop pouting, aren't you? I can't be kissing someone who's pouting, you know, it's bad for my reputation."

Arthur snorted, a ghost of a smile on his face for the first time in so many eons, it felt like. God, had Arthur been pouting like that all day, watching Merlin like that just because he wanted a kiss from him? Or, well, no, Merlin supposed there had to be something else to it, something beyond Arthur just wanting a kiss. Kings didn't pout over wanting their servants to kiss them, don't be ridiculous Merlin.

"You have a reputation now, do you?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Merlin replied, moving closer to Arthur and lowering his head to the table just near Arthur's despite what he'd just said about Arthur sitting up, eye level with him now with a careful smile on his face.

The smile slowly faded, however, when he stared into Arthur's eyes for a moment, something so still and soft and serious there, a weight behind his eyes that nagged at Merlin for a moment in the form of an itch at his scalp; he wanted to pry, wanted to ask what the pout and the urge for a kiss was really all about, but something told him to tamper that urge, bury it, leave it alone for now and let his scalp itch in anxiety and curiosity. He wasn't used to not finding out what he wanted to know, wasn't used to leaving his curiosity unsated for any amount of time if he could help it but…

If it was for Arthur's well being, surely he could manage to leave it be for now? Eventually he could ask about it, eventually Arthur would want to share, would be unable to keep it to himself for too much longer, and he would seek Merlin out and he would share, but tonight…

Tonight Merlin could do with a kiss instead, if he had to. But only because he had to.

Without another word, Merlin closed the little distance that remained between them and pressed his lips to Arthur's, sated his anxious curiosity and erased the pout that left Arthur too adorable for his own damn good anyway.

The one press of lips led to another, led to another, and another, and another still, Merlin's curiosity making him take kiss after kiss to keep him from itching and asking, to keep an awful, awkward silence from taking them over again, and to keep Arthur from looking at him with those damned eyebrows of his.

Eventually, Arthur was the one to pull back, eyes shut and everything about his movements still and careful as his eyes fluttered open.

"I knew you wanted a kiss from me too," Arthur murmured, licking his lips as he did.

"Fine, so you were right for once. Shut up and kiss me again," he sighed, pressing forward to kiss him before Arthur could get the chance to do so himself.

If Arthur was still in a mood the next morning, Merlin decided then, he'd only have to bargain a kiss for an answer, waiting any longer than morning be damned.

*.*.*.*.*