Since these are a series of timestamps for various episodes, the episode the chapter is the timestamp for will be in the chapter title.
Arthur was in trouble.
And not the usual, magical monster and/or sorcerer attacking Camelot, Uther in a bad mood, Morgana up to something that would undoubtedly end with Arthur' humiliation kind of trouble. This wasn't even the at-death's-door kind of trouble. It was worse.
Arthur was in love.
Not that he'd ever put it that way out loud. He was a warrior, not a bard, and he'd never bought into the courtly love, send the girl flowers and horrendous love poetry deal. It was all a scheme, if you asked him. But he couldn't deny what he felt, unfortunately.
It was all Merlin's fault.
What right had he to go around being so unashamedly impudent and disrespectful and loyal and dedicated and selfless and, and, and flinging those charming smiles about and looking at Arthur like he hung the moon?
Yes. It was all Merlin's fault.
The looks didn't help. Oh, Merlin certainly hadn't looked like much when Arthur had first laid eyes on him. Scrawny, massive ears, chin on the pointy side… but he had come to admit, Merlin had his charms. There was the aforementioned charming smile, and the deep blue eyes that always seemed to be watching Arthur, as if there was nothing Merlin would rather do. There was a kind of odd grace to him, a way of moving that transformed the gangly frame and bony elbows into something to be watched with admiration, like a dancer or a bird. And his voice—most of the time it was just, well, a voice that happened to belong to Merlin, but sometimes it took on deeper, richer tones, where the vowels seemed to roll off of his tongue and it was all Arthur could do to ignore his tightened pants. Every day it looked more and more likely that Merlin's threat of being able to take him apart with less than one blow would come true. But Arthur could control it. He had been bred from birth to have absolute control. He wasn't going to let an insubordinate manservant—no matter how attractive or devoted—have a hold over him like this.
And it was going quite well until Cedric showed up.
Cedric, the traitor, who turned everything upside down by showing him what Merlin wasn't. He was quiet and meek and attentive and didn't even look a thing like Merlin, and that was the problem. Arthur found himself missing Merlin. His very stomach churned at his absence. He turned around expecting Merlin to be there, posed questions for Merlin to answer only to be met with silence, and reached out to grab Merlin only to close his hand around empty air. It was enough to make anyone's control snap.
But he could handle it. Of course he could handle it. He'd bite his tongue and will his erection down until he could take care of it in the safety of his own bed at night, and he'd ignore the urge to touch, to hold, to treasure.
Unfortunately, Arthur didn't realize the full extent of how much his control had slipped until after Cedric had been somehow defeated and Merlin was hauling him awake. It must have been a trick of the light, or he'd been hit harder on the head than he thought, but Merlin's eyes almost looked golden in that moment. The moon hit his skin and he seemed otherworldly somehow, a creature not fully of this world. But then he blinked and he was simply Merlin, Arthur's Merlin, normal and annoying and beautiful.
So he kissed him.
It was a bit stupid in retrospect, being out in the middle of the courtyard where anyone could see, but it was also dark and everyone was occupied with other things. So Arthur thrust aside such thoughts as this is stupid and we'll get caught in favor of reveling in the tiny shocked noises that Merlin was making. All in all Merlin seemed pretty shocked, but he wasn't pushing Arthur away, so Arthur considered that as much of a yes as anything.
It was at that point he realized he might be a bit entitled.
But Merlin was kissing him back, with more and more enthusiasm as they continued, and Arthur was used to getting what he wanted—which in this case was Merlin. He could definitely get used to having Merlin.
He was in so much trouble.