Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin or any of the characters in the series, I'm just borrowing them from their respective owners to play with a little and I promise to give them back when I'm done. No copyright infringement is intended and I don't make any money from writing fanfiction.
Something's missing
Gwaine's being moody and Merlin tries to figure out what's wrong…
"What's wrong?" Merlin asked since his lover hadn't said one word during the whole evening, and in Gwaine's case that was cause for some serious alarm.
"Nothing" Gwaine said shortly and continued to stare into the fire. Now Merlin definitely knew something was amiss and he manoeuvred himself around so that he could look Gwaine in the eyes.
"Didn't you like the feast?" he asked, searching Gwaine's face for clues but he just stared blankly into the fire and shrugged.
"Are you still worn out from the last patrol, maybe?" Still no answer, just another shrug and Merlin frowned. This was really not like Gwaine and, come to think of it, he'd been a bit moody for a couple of days now. The need that Merlin felt to find out what was bothering Gwaine just increased.
"Were you disappointed with your gifts then?"
"No, I liked them."
"Is your shoulder still hurting from training?"
"My shoulder's fine."
"Was it something Arthur said?" Merlin continued stubbornly, knowing that Arthur had been hard on Gwaine since he found out that they were lovers.
"Nope, Princess' just being his usual pratty self" Gwaine said, attempting a smile. "Merlin, stop worrying, everything's fine."
"See, that's why I don't believe you" Merlin said. "You forget that I know you well enough to tell the difference between when you smile for real and when you're pretending to be fine just so that everyone stops asking you what's wrong."
"I see there's no fooling you" Gwaine said winking and slid his hands around Merlin's waist. "How lucky I am, to have a lover that's both smart and handsome." His hands continued lower and Merlin leaned into the embrace at first, only to pull back a moment later.
"Oh no, you don't!" he said warningly as he gripped Gwaine's wrists. "You're not going to side-track me by groping my arse, although I have to say that it was a good attempt." He looked at Gwaine sternly. "What's wrong?" His lover tried to turn away but Merlin didn't allow it, keeping a firm hold of Gwaine's hands.
"It's stupid" Gwaine said after a while. "It's really nothing." Merlin just kept looking at him encouragingly and Gwaine sighed. "Promise you won't laugh" he said and Merlin nodded.
"I promise."
"I miss the snow" Gwaine admitted. "I know that everyone think it's better like this, when it's not so cold, the roads are easier to travel and no one has to spend their days shovelling snow but there's something missing. It doesn't really feel like Christmas without it." He looked up. "We always had snow at Christmas when I grew up" he said softly and Merlin pulled him into a hug. Gwaine rarely talked about his family but apparently this was something that meant a lot to him, and Merlin would make sure that he had his prefect Christmas after all.
"Let's go to bed" he suggested. "Maybe it'll snow, I heard a travelling merchant talking about it yesterday, that colder weather was approaching." Gwaine didn't look to hopeful but allowed Merlin to pull him down under the covers and rested his head on Merlin's chest.
When Merlin was sure that Gwaine had fallen asleep he whispered a few words in the old language and his eyes flashed briefly in gold. Merlin smiled. When Gwaine woke up the next morning it would be to a winter wonderland.