AN: Merlin might be a tad OOC here because I was trying to depict a Merlin who is just starting to explore his human emotions more!

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Bond 1: Allies

"I've been observing you from afar, but now we will be allies fighting side by side. I want you to know that you can count on me. Especially if you want romantic advice!"

Merlin flashed a smile towards you, which was reciprocated with a small smile in return. You hadn't been together for long, only just short of a month. Despite his antics in Babylonia, Merlin had a certain type of demeanour; a sense of reliability that was calming to you. Despite that warmth, however, you couldn't help but feel that there were so much more you haven't discovered about him yet. It's hard to fully trust someone who admits to being a monster, after all.

"I'll be sure to take you up on that offer one day," you replied, hoping that your smile came off as genuine. It's not that you didn't want to be fully sincere, you just found it hard to. You patted him twice on the shoulder before walking away, hoping that would make you appear friendlier. You were actually aiming for his head, but his 178cm frame was unfortunately out of reach. Bummer, those snow-white locks look really soft.

Bond 2: Flowers

"Although I'm called the Mage of Flowers, that's just because I like flowers. I'm not sure how to feel about having flowers bloom as I walk, though."

You wondered how eating lunch together in the Chaldea cafeteria turned into a discussion about flowers, but you went along with it.

"But Merlin, you do bloom flowers when you walk..." you trailed off, a flashback of Merlin engulfed in flowers playing in your mind. "Remember that time when you stood in one place for too long? You're literally a flower-producing machine!"

Merlin, in mock offence, placed his hands on his hips dramatically and pouted.

"A machine? How rude! I have feelings too! Besides, flowers are pretty and they smell nice, so it's not that terrible."

You rolled your eyes at his antics, although a pouting Merlin is admittedly quite cute – unbefitting for one of the most powerful mages in the world – but cute nonetheless. In all honesty, you liked getting a rise out of him. It was fun.

Finishing off the last scraps of your lunch, you picked up your tray and bid Merlin farewell. Before exiting the cafeteria, you turned back with a sly smile.

"And to be honest, I don't even like flowers that much!"

Merlin's face was priceless.

Bond 3: Fairy

"Am I good or evil, you ask? That's for you to decide. I'm kind of like a fairy who only people connected to the future can see."

"But you're not a fairy."

It was rare for Merlin to start conversations. So, when he popped down beside you in the Chaldea library, you jumped at the chance to get to know him better; even though he had rudely interrupted your daily reading session. The more you interacted with Merlin, the more you realized that Merlin never gave straight answers to questions. In fact, they usually opened up more questions than answers. Your deadpan response only widened his smile into a Cheshire-like grin. You felt like you were being played into some sort of trap, though you had no idea what it could be.

"You're right. But fairy sounds more mystical and pretty than incubus, doesn't it?"

You shrugged in nonchalance, only half paying attention as you turned the page of a very exciting crime-thriller. Fou was napping peacefully beside you, tail occasionally twitching every now and then.

"What's an incubus anyways?" you echoed without much thought.

"You don't know? Incubi are demons who feed on human emotions, via close contact – especially sex. We usually descend upon humans when they sleep, so they don't even know-"

"Okay, okay, enough! I got the point!" you spluttered, heat rising into your cheeks. Both of you were silent for a while, Merlin looking fairly amused, whilst you desperately tried to get rid of the blush from your cheeks. You weren't very experienced in matters of love and sex and didn't want to appear childish in front of him.

"So, you…did that too?" You asked, narrowing your eyes accusingly. Part of you wanted to change the subject out of embarrassment, but the other half of you couldn't help but be curious. It's not every day you meet what is basically a mythical creature after all.

"Hey, hey, don't look at me like I'm the bad guy!" Merlin pouted, "It's natural for us; like how humans have to eat!" Merlin pouted. It was infuriating how he could go from sly fox to cute puppy in less than a second.

"Besides," he continued, "Since I'm only half-incubus, I didn't have to do it as much. Plus, I was good at it. All the ladies loved my company! If you want Master, I can show you–"

You threw the first thing you grasped at him, which unfortunately for him, was Fou.

Merlin walked around Chaldea with scratches all over his face for the rest of the day because you forbade him from healing himself with a command seal.

Come to think of it, he still owed you a proper answer to your question.

Bond 4: Training

"The tough battles aren't going to stop. But an easy battle is just a mundane task. Just think of pain and struggle as precious in their own right."

"Um, Merlin, we're just carrying crates to the kitchen. I would hardly call this a task, let alone battle…"

You had no idea why EMIYA requested for you both to carry the crates of vegetables when Merlin could probably magic them there immediately, but now you had an inkling. Merlin doing physical labour was amusing as hell.

Merlin turned to look at you, distraught. "But Master! Why do we have to do this? I can teleport all of these crates into the kitchen in one go!"

Chuckling at his dismay, you replied, "think of it as endurance training. What's the point of having B rank strength if you tire so quickly? I mean, even EMIYA can fight close-combat and he's an archer."

They approached the kitchen, setting their crates down. Merlin sent a glare towards you, though it didn't feel threatening at all. It was just another day of their playful banters, after all.

"I'll have you know, Master, that I trained in swordplay too. I was the one who taught Arturia swordsmanship. I'm no Saber, but I could totally beat that pretentious Archer!"

"Oh?"

The two of you turned around to EMIYA, eyebrow raised in amusement. "You think you can beat me in close-combat, Caster?"

Merlin visibly gulped. Even Merlin looked small in front of EMIYA. You felt like a dwarf in front of the two of them. Is this how Fou feels every day?

"I'd be happy to take you on Caster," EMIYA continued, smirk growing wider with every word. "But if I win then I get to go on all of your missions with Master."

Merlin's face was unreadable for a second. Then, all of a sudden, he grabs you and wraps his arms around your shoulders possessively, his head resting on top of yours. You gasped as you looked up at him, about to protest, but he spoke first.

"If you think you can take away my Master you're sorely mistaken. But win, and I'll carry crates for you for a month. One. At. A. Time."

Although his voice still carried a degree of playfulness, his eyes flared in challenge. Both EMIYA and yourself gaped at him, taken aback by the unexpected reaction. EMIYA, the first to recover, left the kitchen with a chuckle. "Nah, I think I've gotten enough amusement in one day."

You were glad Merlin couldn't see your face, because you were probably two shades away from becoming a tomato. Thankfully, Merlin never looked. Taking your hand, he dragged you out of the kitchen and towards the Chaldea dorms.

"Whew, I'm so glad EMIYA let it go! I'd rather go back to the damn tower than carry more of those crates. Now that that's been taken care of, let's go take a nap together, Master. I promise I won't do anything strange to you in your sleep!"

Perhaps it was time you hired Fou as a full-time bodyguard.

(Unbeknownst to you, Merlin's face was fully flushed too.)

Bond 5: Journey

"Our journey has been quite a long one. I only joined you because I was a little curious, but you've become an important part of my life. My Lord. May flowers bloom wherever you wander."

"I am honoured, Merlin. You are also an unforgettable existence to me. I couldn't imagine being without you anymore," you replied, meaning every word.

Merlin seemed to be lost in your gaze for a moment, but the sincerity your response seemed to snap him back into reality. Suddenly, he felt embarrassed for being serious for once.

"W-well anyways! You're going to France, right? I'll join you!" Merlin swished past you, lightly dragging you along.

Things had been unusually quiet around Chaldea, until Dr. Roman suddenly discovered a disturbance in the France singularity; apparently a rogue dragon had shown up in Bordeaux. You'd never thought you'd have to go back there anymore after the whole Jeanne debacle, not that you were complaining. The French countryside was breathtaking, and perhaps this time you'd get to actually enjoy it after defeating the beast.

As you turned into the main corridors, you almost bumped into Merlin's back, when he suddenly stopped in his tracks. You'd never realised how sturdy his concealed body was. A flash of a shirtless Merlin entered your mind, but you made sure to shake it out before your body started, ahem, reacting strangely.

"M-Merlin? What's the matter?"

Merlin didn't respond, although he didn't need to. Sitting gracefully across from them on one of the corridor benches was none other than the King of Knights, Arturia herself. She was nose deep in a book, however, and didn't seem to notice the two of you approaching. Merlin used this opportunity to drag the two of you back to the other side of the corridor, obstructing your view of the small king.

"Arturia…I wasn't expecting to see her. Master, you're so cruel! How could you not tell me that Arturia was also here? I'm not mentally prepared for this!" Although Merlin's tone was cheery, you knew that he was being serious. After being together for so long, you'd realised that Merlin never not spoke in a jesting fashion; rather, it was his eyes that gave away what he was really feeling underneath.

"Was I…supposed to?" you asked slowly, unsure why Merlin would have a problem with her.

"Well it's just that she…she…" Merlin took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. "Part of me wants to see her, but part of me believes that she hates me and wouldn't want to see me. When I look at her, I get this unsettling feeling in my chest."

"…Do you perhaps love her?" You asked, and though your tone was teasing, your chest stung at the thought of that. You willed it away. This was about him, not you.

"No…at least, not in the way you think. I feel, responsible, I suppose, for her demise. She was too young to understand the gravity of her decision. When she went to pull the sword from the stone, I warned her, but didn't really care what it meant for her future. I was simply amused."

"But Merlin-"

"And when I foresaw the collapse of Britain, I didn't tell her. I simply let fate play out."

"Merlin, look at me," you cupped his cheeks in both of your hands, forcing him to lean down and face you at eye level. In your haste to speak you hadn't noticed the faint blush on Merlin's cheeks. "What happened was not your fault. Fate is fate, Merlin. Even if you had interfered, it may still not have made a difference. The point is, we'll never know. What's done is done; it's pointless to dwell on the past. If you really feel responsible, you should face her properly and apologise. Then you can move on."

You felt a little bit bad for the lecture, so you flashed a small smile to show that you weren't angry. Merlin just stared back at you for a second, speechless. Eventually, he warmed up and smiled in return. He placed his hands over yours, gripping them tightly. You never realised how warm his hands were.

"As usual, you're right, Master." Merlin admitted, "I've decided. I'll talk to her. I'll do it right now, and I'll accept whatever happens."

"I'm glad Merlin." You were sincerely happy with his newfound resolve, but you couldn't help but tease him a little. "Aww, look at little Merlin, all grown up! What would you do without me?" You pinched his cheeks for extra measure.

Merlin pouted in response - or tried to at least. "I guess you'll just have to stick with me forever then, Master!"

You chuckled, unsure whether he was joking or being serious. "I guess I'll have to."

Merlin gently removed your hands from his cheeks. Leaning closer, he gently placed a chaste kiss on your forehead.

"M-merlin!" you exclaimed. Yep, you were a fully ripe tomato now.

"What? Was that not enough for you? If you want we can go all the way–"

"MERLIN!"