Day 25: Gazing Into Each Other's Eyes

Rating: K+

When Merlin first met Arthur, he got the impression of a tall, blond, loud-mouthed prat with shoulders that appeared too broad to fit through doorways. He had been too preoccupied with what was coming out of Arthur's mouth and the deadly weapon swinging from his hand to notice anything else. Then as Arthur's bodyguards grabbed Merlin's arms for the second time, the Prince had stepped into Merlin's personal space and suddenly nothing else existed. There was just Arthur's pale skin and straight nose and bright blue eyes.

Gods, those eyes.

Merlin had never thought himself much of a romantic. The girls back in Ealdor were nice enough and there were a couple that could be considered pretty, but none of them had really stood out. They were good-looking in an ordinary, tame sense, and Merlin had never noticed anything particularly extraordinary about them. But ever since he had first laid eyes on Arthur Pendragon, he couldn't get those godforsaken eyes out of his mind.

During the first few months of being Arthur's manservant, Merlin was subjected to many a glare from the crown prince. Arthur's eyebrows would either raise with disbelief at Merlin's incompetence, or pull together over his nose in anger for the same reason. His eyes would fill with something that Merlin couldn't place - beneath the annoyance and incredulity was something akin to puzzlement. Within those moments, Arthur's words would always come back: "There's something about you, Merlin. I can't quite put my finger on it."

As their relationship progressed, Arthur's default expression for when his gaze fell on Merlin changed too, if only subtly. The confusion always remained, and Merlin grew to expect it. It was only obvious to anyone who knew to look for it. Some part of Merlin shared Arthur's bewilderment; how could someone like Arthur find someone like him so difficult to figure out? It was as though Merlin's face was covered in words of an ancient and forgotten language that Arthur should be able to read, but couldn't. Merlin began to suspect that Arthur could somehow sense the magic that coursed through Merlin's veins, but then he reminded himself that this was Arthur. He may be a brilliant knight and military leader, but he was as thick as a plank of wood when it came to other people.

After he kissed Merlin for the first time, Arthur wasn't ashamed to stare into his eyes for eons at a time. Merlin came to realise that Arthur's eyes were windows: When he let his walls down, Merlin could see every little thought and emotion going through Arthur's mind. His eyes would subtly change colour according to his mood - when he was angry, they were like crashing waves tossed up by a storm. When he was happy, they were the soft, lazy blue of the midsummer sky. But whatever he was feeling, that same untraceable spark lingered. Merlin drove himself crazy trying to place it, until the day the pieces finally slotted themselves into place.

Arthur wore a dreamy smile, an expression that any other person would deem uncharacteristic for the King, but Merlin was the only one who knew otherwise. His left arm was tucked under his head, his golden hair splayed across the pillow. His eyes were half-lidded and sleepy, but still managed to give Merlin butterflies. The flickering candlelight made them shimmer like the wings of a dragonfly, and the blue of the irises was as intense as cut sapphire.

"Arthur?"

"Mm?"

The husky edge to Arthur's voice made Merlin shiver. "Your eyes are beautiful."

As soon as the words left his mouth Merlin wanted to snatch them back. He turned his face into the pillow, feeling like a blushing teenager with a crush. Arthur's fingers were cool despite the warmth of the room; he gently took Merlin's chin and turned his head, forcing the warlock to look at him. And suddenly Merlin understood. The nameless curiosity in Arthur's eyes was nothing more than pure, uncomplicated fascination. Merlin could practically feel his skin flushing red with the realisation, but he couldn't bring himself to look away. Arthur's eyes hypnotised him; the silver in them glittered like moonlight on the surface of a lake.

Merlin expected Arthur to laugh and tell him not to be a girl, but instead Arthur simply smiled and said, "Not as beautiful as yours. Now go to sleep."