"Merlin, are you alright?" asked Gawain. Tears were forming around the corneas of Merlin's eyes. He quickly tried to ward them off, but Gawain was too quick.
"Yea, I'm fine," said Merlin, sitting down on his bed, not doing a good job of hiding his emotions.
"You don't need to lie to my face Merlin. What's wrong?" asked Gawain, sitting down next to him, a little too close for comfort. Merlin didn't mind however.
"Nothing."
"Please, just save the act," said Gawain as he placed his hand on Merlin's shoulder. The warm touch swam through Merlin's back, calming him only a little.
Merlin felt so distraught. His entrance into the Crystal Caves only confirmed that Arthur's death would be much close than he thought. At worst, the sullen pit of his stomach felt it would be due to his fault. He understood that eventually he couldn't always save Arthur, but it was ultimately his destiny to protect him from danger. The fate of Albion rested upon his fingertips.
"I just feel like Arthur's in grave trouble," said Merlin, turning to face Gawain.
"Well, he is the prince. It comes with a price unfortunately. What happened that made you so worried now?" asked Gawain, his eyes glistening from the miniscule light emitted from Merlin's small window in his room. He wanted to tell Gawain that he used magic and how many things he knew were going to happen, but that could only lead to trouble.
"I just have a feeling," said Merlin. Gawain looked at him peculiarly, but decided not to push the subject further.
"Don't you worry, I'll have his back," said Gawain to which Merlin smiled. Gawain was always so appropriate with him. He knew when he needed a little uplifting or a certain joke. He then glanced down as if there was something on his mind as well. "You like him a lot, don't you?" He took his arm off of Merlin's back. A huge burden relieved Merlin; however he missed the temperate weight, the pressure of Gawain's brusque palm.
"Arthur? He's a prat. But he's my… destiny," said Merlin, feeling comfortable speaking such words.
"Destiny? So you're intertwined with him for life? He should make you Queen with the amount of devotion you show him," said Gawain. Merlin chuckled.
"He should. Then I'll get him to shine my shoes," said Merlin. Another flashing gilt shined in Gawain's eyes. He shuffled his hands together.
"I see. So you have feelings for him?" asked Gawain, disappointment creeping through his throat.
"What are you talking about?" asked Merlin, a little flustered. He was not sure where Gawain was taking this.
"You love him, don't you?"
"Well, I do, but not like Gwen. Love Arthur? That's a joke," said Merlin.
"What's a joke? You liking Arthur or you liking men?" asked Gawain, a little defensive in his reproach.
"Well, me liking Arthur is just silly," said Merlin, trying to evade Gawain's questions.
"And what about the other option?"
"I suppose I'm not one to judge."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing. I mean I'm just a peasant, when do I get a say?" Gawain looked at Merlin with a 'Are you serious?' look. Merlin looked away, shamed. He knew his peasantry was non-existent in Gawain's eyes. "Why, do you?" asked Merlin, trying to take the subject off of him.
"Always say, try everything once," said Gawain, a smile etching his lips. His face lingered closer to Merlin's, who was pulling back slightly in confusion.
"That's… open-minded," said Merlin.
"I believe so. " said Gawain, forcing his weight onto Merlin, his arms pinning him down, his supple lips on Merlin's.