A little something I wrote for the wonderful EachPeachPearPlum, who got very excited about a possible huddling for warmth fic, but ended up with something just a little different. Thank you for reading!
Glass rattles in its frame, wind knocking with fists of oak and ash. The cottage is sturdy, unbreakable, built of stone and magic, but Merlin can feel the foundations tremble under the force of the storm.
The earth is magic and magic is earth, after all, he thinks. But the storm won't reach us here.
Here, in their bed, a pocket of space and time and one Merlin knows is completely theirs, tucked away in the corner of their home.
Gwaine lies next to him, awake and staring with eyes telling a story Merlin knows like the back of his hand. Romancer, he simpers.
Gwaine sighs a smile and runs his bare feet along Merlin's calves, sending shivers up his spine. "Where are you right now?"
Merlin lifts a hand to Gwaine's face, traces the lines around his eyes, marvels at the subtle streaks of silver in his hair. "I'm here with you."
Gwaine turns his head to kiss Merlin's palm, and he eyes him with a stare that says not quite, love. "And?"
"I'm listening to..." He gestures with his hands to the window, and the tempest outside. "This. This storm is… different. Change is coming; I can feel it like a bruise on my bones."
Gwaine hums, running a hand up from Merlin's navel to his chest, letting it rest over his heart, pushing like his palm is the one thing keeping his it in his chest. "Good change?"
"It's neither good nor bad. Just different."
Thunder and rain persist; they settle into each other, trusting that their home will keep them safe.
Gwaine shifts, "Will you light a fire, for me?"
When there is so much unbalance between the earth and magic, such a spell might only light the tips of his fingers, or make the forest melt into the ground. Better to try such things in the morning, when all is calm once more. "Not now," he replies.
"Ah, but it's cold, love."
"Then come here and let me hold you," he whispers. "It will work just as well."
