The Downside of Having Magical Best Friends
Author: oflittleuse
Title: The Downside of Having Magical Best Friends
Rating: G
Pairing/s: slightly pre-Arthur/Merlin
Character/s: Arthur, Merlin, Gwaine, Leon, Gwen, Percival, Elyan, Lancelot, Morgana
Summary: There are times when having a magical best friend isn’t as great as it sounds.
Warnings: Un-beta’d, modern!au, kidfic
Word Count: 716
Prompt #4 Surrender
Author's Notes: This was unbelievably fun to write. Hope you guys enjoy it!
Arthur was the king when it came to the epic snowball fights that comprised the winter weekends. He was undefeated, thanks to his handy knights and wizard. The evil Morgana, Morgause and the creepy silent kid Mordred (or the three dreaded M’s of evilness as Arthur called them) could barely touch them. By the time they trudged inside, covered in snow, and noses red from the cold to warm up over a cup of hot chocolate Arthur’s group had always been the clear victory - no matter what Morgana said to make herself feel better about losing.
However, that weekend Morgana was down with a cold and without her Morgause and Mordred weren’t interested in playing. This meant that the knights had to be split up. Gwaine, Percival and Elyan marched off to the clump of trees that Morgana always liked to use.
“Merlin! Come on! Join the winning side!” Gwaine called, beckoning Merlin to join them.
Grabbing Merlin’s mitt covered hand to stop him from deserting them, Arthur called back. “Merlin’s on my team!”
“What, you scared you can’t win without him?” Gwaine taunted.
“Please, Merlin’s practically worthless, without me he wouldn’t last a second,” Arthur scoffed.
Merlin yanked his hand away, glaring at Arthur.
“You have no idea how many times I’ve saved your life!” Merlin argued. “If it wasn’t for me, Morgana and them would have taken your fort with no problem!”
“Please Merlin, you couldn’t beat me,” Arthur puffed out his chest.
“I’m joining Gwaine,” Merlin stomped off.
“Fine! But don’t think I’ll go easy on you because you’re my best friend! Traitor!” Arthur yelled after him, glaring at his back. By the time the first lobby of snowballs flew through the air, Arthur and the remaining knights of Lancelot, Leon and Gwen (who was an honorary knight despite being a girl partly because she brought the best cookies with her and had the best aim out of any of them) had a strategy. Gwen and Lance took the first lobby while Arthur and Leon took the second.
“They’re making a run for it!” Leon called out, sure enough Gwaine, already bored of just throwing the snowballs had made a mad dash into No Man’s Land. Gwen got him right in the face. Then things became unfair.
Arthur suddenly realized that Merlin was finally using his magic when all the snowballs attacking their fort weren’t attacking their fort - they were attacking him! There was only one thing to do about it, making his own mad dash between the forts; Arthur dived into the enemy fort. He could hear his troops following his lead with their own battle cries. Finding Merlin whose golden eyes showed Arthur had been right, the little sneak was using his magic. He didn’t even have time to gloat before two magically enhanced snowballs hit him smack in the face. Not letting that stop him, he tackled Merlin to the ground.
“Give up!” Arthur ordered. “Or I’ll give you a snow bath!”
Narrowing his eyes, Arthur was flung off of Merlin by a pile of snow falling off the tree branches above them. Merlin pinned Arthur, and grinned victoriously.
“You give up!” Merlin mocked him. “Admit it, you need me!”
“No. I. Don’t,” Arthur bit out, struggling against Merlin’s surprisingly firm grip. The two of them kept tousling. Arthur rubbed snow in Merlin’s face, Merlin shoved snow down Arthur’s coat, Arthur wouldn’t surrender and neither would Merlin.
Finally, cold and bone tired, Arthur looked up at Merlin’s stubborn face as his stomach rumbled. Everyone else had given up and they were inside, warm and cosy drinking hot chocolate.
“You win,” he muttered.
“What was that?” Merlin grinned his stupid idiotic grin.
“I surrender, now get off me,” Arthur grumbled.
“Ha!” Merlin jumped up victoriously. “See, I’m not useless. You need me.”
“Whatever, you only won because you used magic,” Arthur said defensively.
“You always tell me to use my magic against Morgana.”
“Because Morgana is evil.”
“Don’t worry,” Merlin smiled at him. “Whenever we fight evil I’ll be on your side.”
“Obviously. Otherwise you’ll be demoted to friend,” Arthur sniffed imperiously.
“Merlin and Arthur, the undefeatable duo!” Merlin laughed, holding up an imaginary sword.
“Arthur and Merlin,” Arthur corrected.
“Why should your name be first?”
“Because I’m cooler.”
“I just beat you, you surrendered! My name should go first.”
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
“... I’m older.”