Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Nothing to worry about."
"Merlin, we don't have time for this, whatever this is," the blond man growled, sweeping a hand at the room.
While Merlin's room was usually in a state of constant mess, it was nothing compared to the level it was today. A small mountain range of torn and shredded newspaper lay stretched and scattered across the room, interrupted by a few cardboard boxes. Those small brown cubes looked more like houses, with little doorways gouged out in a haphazard fashion, creating a neighborhood in their artificial valleys. Odd enough, none of the usual mess was there. The piles of clothing and odd knickknacks that usually inhabited the floor and crowded underneath the narrow bed was missing, though the closet to the left was suspiciously closed. The bed itself was still the same, sitting in the corner covered in rumpled blankets and sheets. The television, however, had been moved from its usual spot across from the bed to the space between the mattress and the desk. The jumbled tangles of wires and cables were missing as well, replaced by a black tubed that snaked from the back of the entertainment system to the outlet. A similar situation could be seen from the desk with even more tubing to snake in and out of the shabby structure.
In the midst of It all sat the man in question, ignoring the newcomer as he huddled over his current project, a couple more boxes stacked next to him as well as a few bags of plastic ties, cut lengths of plywood, wooden dowels, and a couple of clamps. Clad in the typical faded T-shirt and jeans, Merlin hardly looked a nervous mess. In fact, the only evidence of the catastrophe the past month brought was the too long hair the hung over his eyes and partially covered his too-big ears.
"Just a small project—" Merlin began, his tone as nonchalant as his posture.
"You idiot, what made you think we had tim—"
"Relax, Arthur," the raven haired man rolled his eyes, finally turning around to look at his friend, "we still have three days left."
"Unless the plan is to catch us off-guard—"
"Even though we're already ready for an attack."
"—and we fail to stop the attack from killing thousands—"
"Which we have countermeasures for."
"—and start another world war!" Arthur growled, stalking over to the middle of the room to stand by the other man, his arms crossed.
"There's no point worrying about a situation we have little control over," Merlin pointed out, his eyebrow lifting as he took in the state of his best friend. "You look awful."
"Shutup," Arthur grumbled with a glare, the intensity of which dampened by the fatigue in his eyes. He bent over and plucked an empty box next to the warlock, reading, "Wire storage cubes? Why the bloody hell do you have these?"
"Because," the warlock sighed, extending a hand as his eyes flashed gold, "I can't find a cage big enough."
"Big enough for wha—" Arthur leaped back, casting a suspicious glance at the ground. He could have sworn he just felt something nudge his le—"Merlin…"
"Before you ask, no, I'm not getting rid of him."
Arthur pinched his nose, "To think your brain survived all those years… we don't have time for this!"
"Three days, Arthur. Three. Days," Merlin drawled with his tone sounding as if he was speaking to a child. "Besides, I'm not going to just sit around and panic."
"But a rabbit? Of all things, you had to get a rabbit?"
"Well I couldn't just leave him in the streets."
"Shelters are an option, idiot."
"What, so he can be euthanized?" Merlin snorted, "no way."
Arthur groaned, scratching at the stubble that bristled his jaw, "The centuries really hasn't changed you?"
"Of course it has," Merlin mumbled as he gave his friend a slight, albeit sad, smile. "I've only learned to appreciate the living."
Arthur regretted his comment the moment the pale man turned those too ancient blue eyes upon him. He hadn't meant his words to be taken that way. Quick to distract the man from his memories, Arthur crouched down by the animal and reached out his hand as he asked, "So what do you even know about taking care of a rabbit?"
"A lot, actually. For one, you don't stick your hand in their face like that," the warlock chuckled as he watched the rabbit lunge forward with a swipe and a growl at the offending hand.
"The hell? I thought rabbits were supposed to be friendly."
"Not if you're going to shove your hand in his face," Merlin rolled his flickering eyes as he waved his hands about, lifting his project upright before directing towards the far wall. It was fairly tall pen made of the small, square panels of storage cubes. Another series of incantations furnished the new cage, adding multiple levels and a ceiling to complete the setup. With a wide, satisfied smile, Merlin chirped, "Finished!"
The rabbit, white and brown cow-like spots, twitched his nose for a moment before he slowly began to lop over to the warlock. The small creature gave the man a couple of incessant nudges until he reached he down and rubbed at the top of his head, between those two long ears. Content, the rabbit scoot back into the warlock, eyes half lidded as he grew comfortable.
"Such a girl," Arthur smirked, though irritation still lingered. "Of course a fluffy little bunny wouldn't be afraid of someone like you."
"You're just jealous because he doesn't like you."
Arthur snorted, "Like I care."
"Here, sit down there—" he wave his free hand at the spot on the other side of the rabbit, his magic clearing the spot of clutter "—and stay quiet."
"I don't car—"
"Trust me, or do you not want to make friends?"
"You're right, I don't"
"Being an ass isn't charming."
"Good thing I'm not trying to charm you," Arthur grumbled, though he dropped to the floor with legs crossed. "Now what?"
"You wait."
"Are you kidding me?"
"Nope," Merlin said with a pop and was rewarded with a slow sigh. "Gefyxaþ héafodsíena eac múres ætwiste."
His hand, the one still stroking the rabbit between the ears, had slid a thumb over one eye and an index finger over the other. The rabbit simply flicked his ears as his eyes glowed from beneath the warlock's gentle hands. Then Merlin gave the small ball of fluff one more pat before turning his attention back to Arthur's questioning looks.
"What did you do to him?"
"Nothing too drastic. I've only made it seem as if the room is smaller so he doesn't stray far."
Merlin beckoned for the next stack of junk, settling it in front of him as he began his next project. What he was building, Arthur had little clue. He watched his ex-servant for the moment, his nimble fingers that were normally clacking away at a keyboard were instead manipulating a pair of scissors to awkwardly cut through a cardboard box.
"Why'd you come around here anyways, Gwen kicked you out for driving her insane?"
"No, I came by to make sure you weren't your usual lazy self. Are you sure you have everything set and ready?"
"For the most part," Merlin shrugged. "When everything goes to hell is when I'll find out if it's enough."
"How're you staying so calm?"
Another shrug. "Years of practice."
Arthur shivered, still bothered by the casual way his best friend mentioned his long life. Outliving generations of people was not a topic that can be spoken as one would the weather. As the once king considered what to say to his too old friend, he was caught off guard by the sudden weight of fluff on his leg. Glancing down, Arthur watched with interest as the rabbit balanced himself on his thigh. His small, twitching nose snuffling at his crumpled shirt with interest. His hand twitched, about to give the rabbit a quick pat on his head, but he was stopped by the shake of Merlin's head and a near silent no.
As the bunny navigated across his legs, nimble legs taking him from one limb to the other, Merlin spoke, "I can't promise you this would all turn out fine, that our plans would be perfect—"the warlock chuckled, shaking his head"—no, there'll definitely be a problem. But come what may, we'll get through it."
"Bumbling our way through half blind?" Arthur snorted.
"Obviously," Merlin rolled his eyes, reaching for a roll of tape, then laughed, "Oh, and you can pet him now, between his ears and eyes. And go slow."
During their short conversation, the rabbit had gone from sniffing at the king to instead nudging his nose incessantly at the side of his leg, the creature's own legs now on the floor. Careful, Arthur reached a hand to give the creature a quick stroke at the indicated spot, watching as the rabbit wiggled for a moment as he relaxed down on the ground.
"Thanks Merlin," the blond murmured, after a moment.
"What? For helping you get in touch with your inner girl."
"Shut up, you know what I mean."
"Sure, sire, anything you say."
"What'd you name him anyways?" Arthur asked, restraining himself from smacking the warlock in the back of the head.
"Uther Pendra—Ouch! Prat!"
AN: Hello! Long time no see! Happy Easter to those who celebrate!
First off, I'm not giving up on the two unfinished fics. I have near zero time for them right now, and probably won't be able to fully work on them until after May. Too much work, too much school, and this is my last semester. Sorry for the delay! Once I am able, I'll begin updating once more.
Second, my email thought it'll be fantastic to mark all the mail from this site is junk mail. I just fixed it, so if anyone messaged me and what not and didn't receive an answer, I wasn't ignoring you. I only go on this site from my phone and check the site on my computer for messages if I got alerted by it on my email. If I missed your PM or question, feel free to send me another message. I'll respond as soon as I'm able.
Third, why was I writing this one-shot if not my unfinished fics? Well, I had this idea for awhile now and been wanting to write it. Plus, it was short and sweet and I just wanted to write something adorable. Also, I wanted to take this opportunity to say…
Fourth, PSA!
Not sure for anywhere but the US, but over here Easter causes the increase in pet rabbit sales. For those who have bought a rabbit (or know someone who has) or is interested in doing so, I just ask to at least do a cursory research on rabbit care (if you haven't already). Rabbits aren't easy or cheap as pets and they actually have a decent lifespan (avg 8-10 years). They are not starter pets! There's actually a ton of misconceptions on their care which can lead to bad experience for everyone involved. For a good resource for their care, check out the House Rabbit Society website. They have a ton of solid information. If anyone has any questions at all, or need any help with rabbits, feel free to message me. I can answer as best as I can or redirect you to a solution xD
Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcomed!
Adios, for now!