Dragging the tip of his finger down the rows of text, Merlin propped his elbow against the table he sat at and slumped into his hand while blinking sluggishly at the book before him. As his eyes skirted across the same paragraph for the third time, the warlock dropped his head onto the open pages and sighed long and loud.
The noise echoed throughout the empty room, the absence of the physician one that the boy was almost unfamiliar with. It was rare that whenever Merlin was in the man's workshop that Gaius himself wasn't present. Of course most of the boy's time was spent with Arthur, or doing something for Arthur, or worrying about what he'd be subjected to next by Arthur. So really, a bit of time alone was nice, if only he'd been granted the opportunity to enjoy it how he wanted.
Glancing reproachfully towards the brewing potions beside him, Merlin lifted his head and shifted on the stool. Gaius had been incredibly specific when explaining the process, one that the warlock was truthfully interested in, although he could have gone without the reiterations of importance. So he sat, watching and waiting for the slow boiling concoctions to be finished as he tried to keep himself busy with the numerous books Gaius had.
Closing the cover of the tome he'd entirely lost interest in, Merlin shoved it aside and pulled a different one closer, flipping through the pages halfheartedly. The physician was meant to be back ages ago, and while the boy didn't mind keeping an eye on things, he was bored.
Tapping a finger against his temple as his cheek pressed back into his palm, the warlock's eyes drifted over the sketched out images of various magical creatures spread throughout. Detailed descriptions and observations were written beside each one, and Merlin found himself suddenly searching for a particular beast.
Page after page he flipped, becoming more involved in the book with each one until a sudden knock on the door startled the boy from his trance, his body knocking against the table as a small stack of parchment scattered across it while blue eyes flew towards the opening door.
"Gaius?" Morgana called out, her fingers wrapping around the edge of the door as she stepped inside and looked around, soft green hues landing on the boy as he slammed the book shut and stood, jostling the table again as he did. "Oh, Merlin, is Gaius here?" She asked, the door falling closed behind her as the warlock shook his head.
"No, he's off doing his rounds. Can I help with something?" He offered, taking a step towards her as a faint smile began to curve upwards on her face.
"Thank you, but no. Gaius asked to see me, but I must be early."
"He's just late. He was meant to be back a while ago." Merlin shrugged as Morgana turned towards him, her dress moving around her ankles as she tilted her head a fraction.
"Uhm, Merlin, you've got something on fire." She pointed behind him as the boy glanced over his shoulder before doing a double take, his eyes widening at the sight of a piece of parchment half in the flames of the brewing potion he was meant to be watching. The fire ate through the page rapidly and grew as it made its way onto the table and towards the books that Merlin had shoved away earlier.
"No!" He yelped, lunging forwards and tugging one of the tomes towards him. In a flurry of movement Merlin dropped the first of the books on a stool and reached for the next, the fire barely an inch away as the boy slammed his hand down on it without thinking. A soft hiss shot out of him as he batted the flames away and shoved the last book aside and to safety before wrenching back from the table.
"Here." Morgana spoke from behind him, holding out a pitcher that he quickly took. Throwing the water across the end of the table, the flames died out immediately, thin streams of smoke curling into the air from the charred pieces of parchment and half a folded piece of cloth that had been in the fire's path.
Heaving out his next breath, the pitcher lowered to the warlock's side as he glanced towards the books in relief before he heard a laugh erupt from the girl beside him. Turning, Merlin found Morgana with a hand covering her mouth and her eyes wide while her shoulders trembled from the failing effort of concealing her laughter.
"You're a lot like Gaius, aren't you?" She finally managed to get out, her hand falling to her side as Merlin's brows drew together in confusion.
"What?"
"Do you often start fires like this?" She teased as Merlin cracked a sheepish smile.
"I'm really not sure how that happened." He shrugged, drawing his hands up at the sharp pain that spiked through his palm.
"At least you saved Gaius' books, he'll be relieved they're safe I'm sure." Morgana remarked as the warlock shuddered and turned away, beginning to gather the books together.
"I think he would've put me in the stocks himself if anything had happened to them."
"He sounds almost as bad as Geoffrey."
"I think he might be worse." Merlin rolled his eyes, carefully stacking them against his arm while curling his fingers in on his left hand. "Once when he was having me research something, I accidently crumpled one of the pages and the look he gave me would've been enough to scare off one of the knights." He continued, carrying the stack to one of the other tables and dropping them down on a chair. "He does this thing with his eyebrows and honestly, it can be terrifying."
At the sound of Morgana's returning laughter, Merlin found himself smiling wider. "Well, he takes great pride in his books." She stated once the amusement had subsided. "Although the mess to spare his things is rather large."
Glancing over at the sopping table, the warlock grimaced. "Probably shouldn't have just thrown the whole thing over it all." He mumbled with a frown.
"Are you alright?"
"What?" Turning back to the woman, concerned green eyes had settled on where his hands were drawn near his chest, one cupping over the other without him having realized he'd done it.
"Your hand, it looks like you've burned it." Twisting his wrist, a bright patch of red skin stretched along the side of his hand and partially into his palm, the injury a side effect of his desperate attempt to keep the flames from reaching the books.
"Oh, right. I'm fine, it's not that bad." He shrugged, lowering his hands and watching as a small frown took the place of the smile she wore.
Before he could even blink Morgana walked up to him and extended her hand out. "Let me see."
"Really, I'm alright." He said quickly, keeping his hands by his sides as she stared him down.
"Merlin, I know you, remember? Let me see." Biting back another objection, the warlock relented and lifted his hand, holding it out to her as she took it in her own and gentle fingers brushed over the sensitive skin. "You're always getting yourself into trouble, aren't you?" Morgana shook her head at him as his heart began to beat faster.
"Usually only at Arthur's hand." He murmured back with a weak laugh.
"Does Gaius have any salve for burns lying around?"
"Somewhere, but really, I'm alright." He persisted, beginning to draw his hand anyway as her fingers curled in, the edge of her nail catching the side of the burn. Merlin grimaced before he could stop himself, the pain flaring through him as Morgana shot him a pointed stare.
"Over on the shelf, then?"
"Morgana-"
"I've got to wait for Gaius anyway, I might as well be of some help." She stated firmly before turning and marching over to one of the shelves where the physician had stored a myriad of remedies.
Standing still and staring at her back as she looked throughout the various vials and jars, Merlin forced himself to swallow and shift his gaze back to where the water was gathered in puddles on the table and had begun to drip slowly to the floor.
Determined to keep his thoughts from running amok, the warlock busied himself with trying to tidy what he'd made a mess of, pulling the partially cooled mixture off its drenched stand and setting it carefully off to the side while gathering together the charred pieces of parchment.
"Here, sit down." Morgana spoke behind him, blue hues flickering up from his work as she gestured towards one of the stools. "Arguing isn't going to work, I can see it on your face." The words were uttered with the hint of a smile as the boy obliged, sitting himself in front of her as she sat a small jar and a dish of water on the driest part of the worktable.
"You really don't need to do this." Merlin tried again as she pulled a cloth from the dish and began to wring some of the water from it.
"I know I don't." Staring at him patiently, the warlock surrendered his hand as she rested it in one of hers, the other placing the cool fabric over the burn. It was painful at first, the feel of the rough cloth making his body tense before the water eased over the irritated skin and Merlin was sagging at the relief.
"I wouldn't have expected you to know how to treat a burn."
"Well," She began, one shoulder jerking upwards in a half shrug. "I know a lot more than most might expect from me."
An image of the woman fighting in Ealdor flitted through the boy's thoughts, the way she carried herself and the sword burned into his mind as he looked away, his heartrate picking up again.
"I know we haven't had much of a chance to speak since but.. how are you doing?" Her question was hesitant, appearing out of thin air as the boy dared to look up and found sympathetic eyes focused on him.
"I'm fine." He said quickly, forcing a smile to widen across his face. "Aside from dealing with Arthur."
"That's not what I meant." Morgana shook her head, though she smiled faintly at the quip.
"I know." He murmured, his expression falling. He didn't want to talk about it, he didn't really want to even think about it. He'd spent enough time dwelling and he'd decided to focus on other things. Gaius had been kind, had supported him when he'd needed it most, but it was time to move on. Time to let the memory of Will rest and try to get on with life as usual.
"It's barely been a week and, well, I know what it's like to have someone important to you taken so suddenly." Morgana continued, her eyes on his hand as she pulled the cloth away and opened the jar of salve.
"I'm fine, really." He repeated, though the words were quiet as their eyes met for a moment and an understanding fell over the girl.
Clearing her throat and dipping her fingers into the jar, she looked away. "You know, I never told you, but your mother was wonderfully kind." She declared, twisting his hand and spreading the salve carefully over the skin.
"She's something special." He admitted, smiling a bit at the mention of her.
"Sort of like you." Looking up, sincere green eyes watched him as her words struck the boy dumb. "You've changed Arthur."
"I highly doubt that." Merlin scoffed as she pulled her hands away and wiped them against the rag.
"You really have. I've never seen him take a liking to someone as quickly as he has with you, let alone a servant."
Beginning to retract his hand Morgana's shot out and stopped him, her fingers curling against his wrist as she drew a roll of bandages closer. "If anything I've merely given him the opportunity to focus all of his energy on tormenting one person."
He said that, but did he truly believe it? After all, he'd helped him when he was poisoned. And when he'd kept Sir Silas from hurting him further. Not to mention the fact that he'd shown up in the middle of the night to help him fight for his village.
"Well I think he considers you a friend, just as I do." She stated with a widening smile, wrapping the bandage around his palm gently before securing it and resting her hands in her lap. "And unlike Arthur, I'm not too proud to admit it."
Unsure of what to say to the king's ward, Merlin drew his hand close and smiled faintly. "Thank you, Morgana."
"Gwen cares for you too, you know." She stated, rising from her seat and flashing him a teasing smile before she began to gather the supplies she'd used. "She's quite fond of you I think."
Blinking at her back, Merlin's fingers drifted lightly over the bandages covering the burn. "I'm grateful for her help, for the help that you all gave me." He spoke earnestly, his eyes trailing after her as she walked across the room to return the salve to its original place.
Morgana was so different from what anyone would expect. She could fight, she was brilliant, and she cared about people no matter where they came from. She'd risked everything in helping that druid boy, and then she'd gone along with him to help in defending his home. He couldn't help but wonder what she might become, too. If she did have magic, if her dreams were more than just nightmares, would she become someone he could trust? Someone who wouldn't wish to see him dead for what he was able to do?
The boy's mind was lost in thought when the door to the chambers opened again, this time giving way to the physician who strode in wearily. "You're back." Merlin spoke, his eyes darting towards Morgana who peered over her shoulder.
"Very observant, Merlin." The man uttered as he smiled for the woman walking towards him. "Morgana, my dear, I'm sorry." He apologized, catching her arms and leaning in to kiss her cheek. "I'm afraid I was caught up with a patient. You weren't waiting long, were you?"
"Not very." She smiled, dark hair falling against her face as she shook her head. "Merlin kept me company."
The elder's eyes cut towards his ward as the warlock placed his hands in his lap and fought back a grin at the expression the man wore.
"I'd wanted to discuss your dreams," He spoke slowly, looking back to the girl. "But I'm afraid I took far longer than I'd planned and you have dinner with the king soon, don't you?"
"Is it really so late already?" She asked, shock spreading over her face while the physician nodded.
"Here." Reaching around to the table beside her, Gaius retrieved a small vial and placed it in her hands. "Take this, and we'll find another time to sit down and discuss things, alright?"
"Thank you." Wrapping her fingers tightly around the glass, Morgana started towards the door as her eye caught the warlock's. "Goodbye, Merlin."
"Bye." He grinned finally, watching her leave as the door fell shut and her footsteps echoed down the staircase. His smile only lasted a moment however, the gaze that burned across the room from him having Merlin shifting on his stool and brows lifting in question towards the elder as he set his bag heavily on the table.
"What happened?"
"What do you mean?" He asked innocently, hearing another drop of water fall to the floor from the workbench behind him.
"You look as though you're hiding something, Merlin." Gaius stated suspiciously, walking nearer to him as the boy leaned back and rested his elbow against the damp surface while leaning his body back in an effort to hide the mess.
"Nothing, nothing at all. You're probably just over tired, imaging things."
"Really?" The physician narrowed his gaze at his charge, stopping and glancing down at the stack of books that Merlin had hastily moved and left haphazardly on a chair. Lifting his head and staring at the boy, a single brow arched in question as the warlock began to fidget. "Merlin, I've had a long and tiring day. Tell me what you broke, or did, and let's be on with it."
Pressing his lips together tightly, the boy drew himself away from the table and offered a sheepish smile. "Why is my bench dripping?" Gaius questioned, cutting his eyes towards the boy while he stood.
"There was just a bit of a problem, but I took care of it and everything is fine." He assured him, his hands easing behind his back while the elder frowned.
"The table caught on fire, didn't it?"
"It was an accident."
"And how did you manage to cause this accident exactly?"
"Well a bit of parchment got caught in the flame and sort of, you know." Merlin shrugged a bit as the physician whirled back around to look at his tomes.
"Did you damage-"
"No!" The warlock spoke quickly, lifting his hands in a defensive manner as the man turned back to face him. "No, I swear, Gaius, everything is fine. The only damage is some scattered empty pages. Well, that and the list of herbs I was meant to gather tomorrow." He laughed nervously as the man walked closer to him, an unreadable expression on his face as his hand shot out and caught ahold of the boy's left wrist, pulling it forwards and twisting it around to see the bandage wrapped over it.
"That's all that was damaged, you say?"
"Well, I.. it sort of.. I'm fine." He stuttered out, tugging his hand back while a mixture of annoyance and amazement settled onto his guardian's face.
"How is it Merlin that whenever I leave you alone you either end up injured or in some sort of mess?"
"I'm talented?" He offered as a frown reappeared.
"Did you at least put some of that salve on it?"
"Yes, it's been taken care of." He nodded, backing away and grabbing a dry cloth to clear the water from the table. When the man failed to respond Merlin dared a glance over his shoulder and found the physician staring expectantly at him. "What?"
"Did Morgana help you?" For a minute the boy had the urge to lie, to laugh and shrug off the question that somehow felt too personal. But in his brief moment of deliberation a smug smile had crept onto Gaius' face and the warlock could feel his cheeks warming.
"Yeah, she did, yeah." He finally responded, turning back again and beginning to mop up the water.
"How very kind of her." The man remarked in a lighter tone as Merlin cleared his throat and nodded.
"Yeah, she.. it was."
"Merlin-"
"You know I think I hear Arthur calling for me." He cut the physician off, turning abruptly with the sudden need to leave and ignore the way his heart was hammering away inside his chest. "I'd better go and see what he wants."
"I didn't hear anything."
"Well you are getting a bit on in years, your hearing isn't as good as it was." Striding across the room to the door, the boy was nearly through when the elder called out again.
"Merlin?" Looking over his shoulder, he found Gaius watching him with a faint smile. "Perhaps you should wait to see Arthur until your face no longer resembles that of a beetroot."
The warlock's face grew warmer as he turned and slipped through the door. "Bye, Gaius!" He shouted louder than necessary, tugging the door shut behind him before quickly running a hand down his face. He had no idea what the man was talking about; no idea at all.
A/N
I love the idea of Gaius being fully aware of Merlin's crush on Morgana and teasing him about it when the opportunities arise. I also just love seeing Morgana be soft. I wish we had more season one moments with the four idiot kids because their (mostly) innocent nature and relationship with each other is so underrated.
I had someone say that I should make a note of which episode the story lies in, so this one currently takes place between episode ten (The Moment of Truth) and episode eleven (The Labyrinth of Gedref) of season one. I started the story a couple of weeks after episode seven (The Gates of Avalon) and it's gone on since then. I think I'll be writing one to two stories between each episode, and I'll normally reference the previous episode in each story too, so hopefully that helps with any confusion!
Hope you guys enjoyed, I needed a cute story after the traumatic one I wrote previously. I would love to hear from you, so drop me a comment! Thanks for reading! ^-^