Little Glow Worm
Author: archaeologist_d
Title: LIttle Glow Worm
Rating: G
Pairing/s: none
Character/s: Merlin, Arthur, Gaius
Warning: none
Summary: Merlin hated cleaning out the leech tank. So, he used a spell to get the leeches to do it.
Word Count: 1001
Camelot_drabble Prompt: 502, What did you do?
Author's Notes: unbetaed, cracky again.
Disclaimer: Merlin characters are the property of Shine and BBC. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
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“Merlin!”
He should have known better, should have waited for Gaius to go on his rounds before trying out things but Arthur would surely want Merlin for something, polishing or mucking out the stables or just plain plotting to annoy the hell out of Merlin because Arthur was a prat most days, and Merlin had the audacity to want to sleep once in a while.
So, spells.
Turning around, grinning like a gormless idiot, Merlin said, “Umm, yes Gaius?”
Gaius wasn’t fooled for a moment. Scowling, his narrowed eyes almost thunderous with annoyance, Gaius pointed to the leech tank. “What did you do? The leeches are out of control.”
Merlin knew what he had done and now he was in for it. Shrugging, he tried to sound innocent. “I… umm… cleaned the leech tank. Like you told me to.”
“I did not tell you to do… this,” Gaius barked. “The leeches are glowing. And dancing. And they have on hats.” He sounded almost affronted.
“Only tiny ones. Oh, and little mops, too.” Merlin thought he’d done a wonderful job brightening the whole leech-tank-cleaning thing into something more than a slimy task. Plus, he’d been trying to train them to put on a show. But since Gaius might not be as happy about it as Merlin would have liked, he put those plans aside. For now.
It was too bad, too, as he got Herbert, the lead leech, to twirl around his mop and get Daphne and Prudence to follow his lead. And yes, he named all the leeches, damn it, but he wasn’t going to tell Gaius that.
“Merlin, change them back this instant.” Gaius was getting more agitated by the minute.
Still, Merlin tried one last time to make Gaius see reason. “But Gaius, they’ve almost finished cleaning the tank.”
At that, Gaius’s eyebrows shot up. “Magic is not for getting out of your chores. Need I remind you that sorcery is forbidden, and you could lose your head for… glowing leeches?”
Of course, they both knew that, but Arthur was pretty oblivious to most things so Merlin didn’t think it would be a problem. He even pointed it out to Gaius. “Well, Arthur won’t notice. Besides, it’s better than ten-foot-tall leeches which I… mumble, mumble, mumble.” Merlin didn’t mention the bit of a hiccup on the initial spell. Even ten-foot leeches were too much for Merlin and he quickly downsized them. Thankfully, the spell worked. Although Herbert was a little miffed about it.
“Now.” When Gaius got that look on his face, there was no way Merlin could talk him out of it.
“Fine.” Letting out a long, put-upon sigh, Merlin muttered, “Edstaðele.”
The leeches stopped glowing at least. But there were still little hats and mops left in the tank. Herbert was dragging his around and Merlin hated to take it away from him, but Gaius was glowering at him.
With another heroically long sigh, Merlin reached in and began clearing out the debris.
Of course, the pillock, Pratface Pendragon, showed up, and leaned over, smiling down at Merlin through the glass. “Hunting for leeches, are we?”
Gaius’s voice was a bit muffled, but Merlin could see Arthur waving him away. “It’s all right, Gaius. I was just looking for my idiot servant.”
Merlin scrambled back out, his hands full of tiny mops and hats.
For once, Arthur didn’t say anything, although the smirk should have given Merlin a clue. He just stared at Merlin’s face, then reached over and plucked Herbert off Merlin’s face. Gazing down at the leech, his little hat still stuck on his head, Arthur looked like he were trying not to laugh, but then he must have realised that he was holding a leech after all, and with a grimace, tossed Herbert aside.
Merlin didn’t screech at him, although it was a near thing. Now, Merlin hoped Arthur hadn’t hurt him. Trained leeches were hard to come by and Merlin had grown rather fond of Herbert.
Nodding down toward Merlin’s hands, Arthur said, “What you do in your spare time is your own business. At least, you are no longer stealing Morgana’s clothes but leeches, Merlin, leeches? Making little hats for them? What’s next, full gowns and jewels?”
“They help me clean out the tank,” Merlin protested.
“Merlin, they aren’t smart enough to be cleaning tanks and frankly, neither are you.” Arthur shook his head. “I despair of you, I really do.”
Then nodding good-bye to Gaius, he said, “Be out in ten minutes. We’re going hunting. And as I can see you are so eager to dive into small spaces, we’ll have you flush out the game.”
“But you always complaining that I scare away the animals,” Merlin whinged.
“Well, it looks like your luck has changed,” Arthur said, reaching over and pulling out another leech stuck in Merlin’s hair. Penelope by the look of her. He slapped her into Merlin’s hand-luckily leeches don’t squish that easily-, and wiping his hands on Merlin’s tunic, Arthur said, all jolly and butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-his-mouth, “If nothing else, we’ll throw you in the river and you can attract more leeches for Gaius. And then you can make your little hats and gowns or whatever else you get up to in your spare time.”
“I don’t… you prat,” Merlin groused.
“Ten minutes, Merlin,” Arthur snickered, sauntering out the door as if he were Prince of Camelot, which he kind of was.
Gaius was snickering, too, when Merlin scrambled to find Herbert. Finally, little leech in his hand, Merlin said, “Don’t worry, Herbert. I’ll bring you some friends, okay, and one day, Arthur will see what a terrific leech you are. Until then, look after Gaius.”
Merlin could have sworn Herbert bowed to him. But it must have been his imagination.
And if someday, all the leeches glowed and did little dances to the delight of the court, well, he wouldn’t tell Arthur or Gaius that he told them so.
On the other hand, he totally would.
Title: LIttle Glow Worm
Rating: G
Pairing/s: none
Character/s: Merlin, Arthur, Gaius
Warning: none
Summary: Merlin hated cleaning out the leech tank. So, he used a spell to get the leeches to do it.
Word Count: 1001
Camelot_drabble Prompt: 502, What did you do?
Author's Notes: unbetaed, cracky again.
Disclaimer: Merlin characters are the property of Shine and BBC. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
------------------------------
“Merlin!”
He should have known better, should have waited for Gaius to go on his rounds before trying out things but Arthur would surely want Merlin for something, polishing or mucking out the stables or just plain plotting to annoy the hell out of Merlin because Arthur was a prat most days, and Merlin had the audacity to want to sleep once in a while.
So, spells.
Turning around, grinning like a gormless idiot, Merlin said, “Umm, yes Gaius?”
Gaius wasn’t fooled for a moment. Scowling, his narrowed eyes almost thunderous with annoyance, Gaius pointed to the leech tank. “What did you do? The leeches are out of control.”
Merlin knew what he had done and now he was in for it. Shrugging, he tried to sound innocent. “I… umm… cleaned the leech tank. Like you told me to.”
“I did not tell you to do… this,” Gaius barked. “The leeches are glowing. And dancing. And they have on hats.” He sounded almost affronted.
“Only tiny ones. Oh, and little mops, too.” Merlin thought he’d done a wonderful job brightening the whole leech-tank-cleaning thing into something more than a slimy task. Plus, he’d been trying to train them to put on a show. But since Gaius might not be as happy about it as Merlin would have liked, he put those plans aside. For now.
It was too bad, too, as he got Herbert, the lead leech, to twirl around his mop and get Daphne and Prudence to follow his lead. And yes, he named all the leeches, damn it, but he wasn’t going to tell Gaius that.
“Merlin, change them back this instant.” Gaius was getting more agitated by the minute.
Still, Merlin tried one last time to make Gaius see reason. “But Gaius, they’ve almost finished cleaning the tank.”
At that, Gaius’s eyebrows shot up. “Magic is not for getting out of your chores. Need I remind you that sorcery is forbidden, and you could lose your head for… glowing leeches?”
Of course, they both knew that, but Arthur was pretty oblivious to most things so Merlin didn’t think it would be a problem. He even pointed it out to Gaius. “Well, Arthur won’t notice. Besides, it’s better than ten-foot-tall leeches which I… mumble, mumble, mumble.” Merlin didn’t mention the bit of a hiccup on the initial spell. Even ten-foot leeches were too much for Merlin and he quickly downsized them. Thankfully, the spell worked. Although Herbert was a little miffed about it.
“Now.” When Gaius got that look on his face, there was no way Merlin could talk him out of it.
“Fine.” Letting out a long, put-upon sigh, Merlin muttered, “Edstaðele.”
The leeches stopped glowing at least. But there were still little hats and mops left in the tank. Herbert was dragging his around and Merlin hated to take it away from him, but Gaius was glowering at him.
With another heroically long sigh, Merlin reached in and began clearing out the debris.
Of course, the pillock, Pratface Pendragon, showed up, and leaned over, smiling down at Merlin through the glass. “Hunting for leeches, are we?”
Gaius’s voice was a bit muffled, but Merlin could see Arthur waving him away. “It’s all right, Gaius. I was just looking for my idiot servant.”
Merlin scrambled back out, his hands full of tiny mops and hats.
For once, Arthur didn’t say anything, although the smirk should have given Merlin a clue. He just stared at Merlin’s face, then reached over and plucked Herbert off Merlin’s face. Gazing down at the leech, his little hat still stuck on his head, Arthur looked like he were trying not to laugh, but then he must have realised that he was holding a leech after all, and with a grimace, tossed Herbert aside.
Merlin didn’t screech at him, although it was a near thing. Now, Merlin hoped Arthur hadn’t hurt him. Trained leeches were hard to come by and Merlin had grown rather fond of Herbert.
Nodding down toward Merlin’s hands, Arthur said, “What you do in your spare time is your own business. At least, you are no longer stealing Morgana’s clothes but leeches, Merlin, leeches? Making little hats for them? What’s next, full gowns and jewels?”
“They help me clean out the tank,” Merlin protested.
“Merlin, they aren’t smart enough to be cleaning tanks and frankly, neither are you.” Arthur shook his head. “I despair of you, I really do.”
Then nodding good-bye to Gaius, he said, “Be out in ten minutes. We’re going hunting. And as I can see you are so eager to dive into small spaces, we’ll have you flush out the game.”
“But you always complaining that I scare away the animals,” Merlin whinged.
“Well, it looks like your luck has changed,” Arthur said, reaching over and pulling out another leech stuck in Merlin’s hair. Penelope by the look of her. He slapped her into Merlin’s hand-luckily leeches don’t squish that easily-, and wiping his hands on Merlin’s tunic, Arthur said, all jolly and butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-his-mouth, “If nothing else, we’ll throw you in the river and you can attract more leeches for Gaius. And then you can make your little hats and gowns or whatever else you get up to in your spare time.”
“I don’t… you prat,” Merlin groused.
“Ten minutes, Merlin,” Arthur snickered, sauntering out the door as if he were Prince of Camelot, which he kind of was.
Gaius was snickering, too, when Merlin scrambled to find Herbert. Finally, little leech in his hand, Merlin said, “Don’t worry, Herbert. I’ll bring you some friends, okay, and one day, Arthur will see what a terrific leech you are. Until then, look after Gaius.”
Merlin could have sworn Herbert bowed to him. But it must have been his imagination.
And if someday, all the leeches glowed and did little dances to the delight of the court, well, he wouldn’t tell Arthur or Gaius that he told them so.
On the other hand, he totally would.