Fic: Spring Bloom, Gwen/Merlin, G, futurequeen challenge
Title: Spring Bloom
Author: kepp0xy
Rating: G
Characters/Pairing: Gwen/Merlin
Warning: Fluff and romance
Summary: After saving Camelot, Merlin and Gwen unwind in each other's company.
Author's Note: written for the Gwen battle summer 2009 hosted by thefuturequeen. Prompt was: Gwen/Merlin - bloom.
Comments are ♥ & concrit appreciated.
Gwen was seated across from him, before the hearth in Gaius' chambers. It was they two who had saved the kingdom this time: Merlin and Gwen. Only Gaius knew the truth, however, a single soul in the entire kingdom besides themselves, and Merlin grudgingly admired Gwen's lack of bitterness about the thankless situation.
One would think, given he had dealt with just these circumstance for months verging on years, that he would have a handle on it. Yet there Gwen sat, entirely serene. Letting his eyes wander across her face as she stared pensive into the firelight, Merlin wondered if perhaps she was not as unfamiliar with all this as he first assumed.
Gwen tipped her head back, pressing the chalice to her lips and swallowing the last of her wine. Merlin was master of avoiding staring at those assets of Gwen's which would get him in trouble, ignoring the bob of her throat which would lead his gaze across her neck and down her chest. Instead, he looked at the curls of dark hair tumbling across her shoulders and down her back, the style was one she wore longer than he'd ever seen previously. The firelight flickered across her cheeks as she lowered her face back down, painting her with a bronze sheen, and the delicate pale pink flower pinned carefully above her left ear looked almost like adornment of pure gold.
"I finally understand your love of flowers," he said suddenly, voice quietly blending with the comfortable silence which had fallen between them.
Gwen cocked her head, and smiled a little, eyes flashing her gentle style of mischief. "I'm pleased for you, Merlin," she said offhandedly.
Merlin blinked, then narrowed his eyes. "What?"
"We've known each other for more than two years," she said innocently, and had he not known her well, he would have thought she was being entirely earnest. "It's good you've now realised I'm a woman."
She laughed in delight as he rolled his eyes with a sigh and patted his hand consolingly where it rested on the table between them. "All right. What do you understand?"
"You love them," Merlin declared, deciding to rise above her jab - one she had hopefully picked up from Morgana, who had hopefully said it about Arthur in that educational context, and not against Merlin in one of their secret, feminine, mysterious conversations. "Because you are like them."
Her expression turned from amusement to gentle curiosity, before she shook her head with genuine modesty and looked away to her goblet once more. "I don't know what you mean."
"I mean, look at you," he said, beginning to feel a little daft for broaching this subject at all. Gwen glanced down at herself, a small frown tugging her brows together. "You've bloomed into this amazing woman, from the little seed of a handmaiden."
Gwen watched him solemnly for a moment, then shook her head. "I used to really like you, you know," she said thoughtfully and Merlin was embarrassed as his cheeks flamed with pleasure. "Because you'd say things like that - so naturally."
A sharp twist had jolted him at her use of past tense, but he hid the regret by smiling hugely for her. "It's no wonder; I'm a natural charmer." Gwen chuckled softly, but she seemed a little troubled and Merlin swallowed uncomfortably. They had, by some silent agreement, settled into the ease of a close friendship. It was an arrangement which had suited them both, or so Merlin would vehemently insist to himself as he lay awake on chill or stressful nights in the kingdom, overly aware that Gwen did the same only a few streets away.
So he murmured, "it's all for the best, though," all the while wishing he didn't notice as his palms turned sweaty with the anxious and hopeful patter of his heart. Gwen was watching him, still frowning just a little, as though uncertain what to make of his words.
"Do you think?" she finally asked softly with a slight tilt of her head. With a pleased twist in his stomach and his heart's eager throb, Merlin moved from his seat across from her to stand just before her.
"What are you doing?" was the question she had likely been trying to say, but Merlin had stooped, and pressed a sloppy kiss to her mouth before she finished her second word. When he drew back, Gwen's eyes fluttered up at him, and one of her hands - he had never before noticed how delicate they were - rose to her throat. "Oh," she breathed.
He stood straight, looking down at her, waiting in limbo until she slowly rose to her feet. Her eyes swept across his face and down his chest and he watched in fascination as half her bottom lip disappeared to be pinched between her teeth. "Do you want to do that again?" she asked, finally allowing her eyes to meet his.
Merlin laughed, and Gwen smiled, and her fingers were touching his neckerchief, then sliding around to grasp the back of his head, and his hands rose to hold her face, and their mouths touched once more.
A couple of seconds passed before Gwen pulled away and touched her forehead to his. "That was much better," she said lightly and Merlin kissed her nose.
Author: kepp0xy
Rating: G
Characters/Pairing: Gwen/Merlin
Warning: Fluff and romance
Summary: After saving Camelot, Merlin and Gwen unwind in each other's company.
Author's Note: written for the Gwen battle summer 2009 hosted by thefuturequeen. Prompt was: Gwen/Merlin - bloom.
Comments are ♥ & concrit appreciated.
Gwen was seated across from him, before the hearth in Gaius' chambers. It was they two who had saved the kingdom this time: Merlin and Gwen. Only Gaius knew the truth, however, a single soul in the entire kingdom besides themselves, and Merlin grudgingly admired Gwen's lack of bitterness about the thankless situation.
One would think, given he had dealt with just these circumstance for months verging on years, that he would have a handle on it. Yet there Gwen sat, entirely serene. Letting his eyes wander across her face as she stared pensive into the firelight, Merlin wondered if perhaps she was not as unfamiliar with all this as he first assumed.
Gwen tipped her head back, pressing the chalice to her lips and swallowing the last of her wine. Merlin was master of avoiding staring at those assets of Gwen's which would get him in trouble, ignoring the bob of her throat which would lead his gaze across her neck and down her chest. Instead, he looked at the curls of dark hair tumbling across her shoulders and down her back, the style was one she wore longer than he'd ever seen previously. The firelight flickered across her cheeks as she lowered her face back down, painting her with a bronze sheen, and the delicate pale pink flower pinned carefully above her left ear looked almost like adornment of pure gold.
"I finally understand your love of flowers," he said suddenly, voice quietly blending with the comfortable silence which had fallen between them.
Gwen cocked her head, and smiled a little, eyes flashing her gentle style of mischief. "I'm pleased for you, Merlin," she said offhandedly.
Merlin blinked, then narrowed his eyes. "What?"
"We've known each other for more than two years," she said innocently, and had he not known her well, he would have thought she was being entirely earnest. "It's good you've now realised I'm a woman."
She laughed in delight as he rolled his eyes with a sigh and patted his hand consolingly where it rested on the table between them. "All right. What do you understand?"
"You love them," Merlin declared, deciding to rise above her jab - one she had hopefully picked up from Morgana, who had hopefully said it about Arthur in that educational context, and not against Merlin in one of their secret, feminine, mysterious conversations. "Because you are like them."
Her expression turned from amusement to gentle curiosity, before she shook her head with genuine modesty and looked away to her goblet once more. "I don't know what you mean."
"I mean, look at you," he said, beginning to feel a little daft for broaching this subject at all. Gwen glanced down at herself, a small frown tugging her brows together. "You've bloomed into this amazing woman, from the little seed of a handmaiden."
Gwen watched him solemnly for a moment, then shook her head. "I used to really like you, you know," she said thoughtfully and Merlin was embarrassed as his cheeks flamed with pleasure. "Because you'd say things like that - so naturally."
A sharp twist had jolted him at her use of past tense, but he hid the regret by smiling hugely for her. "It's no wonder; I'm a natural charmer." Gwen chuckled softly, but she seemed a little troubled and Merlin swallowed uncomfortably. They had, by some silent agreement, settled into the ease of a close friendship. It was an arrangement which had suited them both, or so Merlin would vehemently insist to himself as he lay awake on chill or stressful nights in the kingdom, overly aware that Gwen did the same only a few streets away.
So he murmured, "it's all for the best, though," all the while wishing he didn't notice as his palms turned sweaty with the anxious and hopeful patter of his heart. Gwen was watching him, still frowning just a little, as though uncertain what to make of his words.
"Do you think?" she finally asked softly with a slight tilt of her head. With a pleased twist in his stomach and his heart's eager throb, Merlin moved from his seat across from her to stand just before her.
"What are you doing?" was the question she had likely been trying to say, but Merlin had stooped, and pressed a sloppy kiss to her mouth before she finished her second word. When he drew back, Gwen's eyes fluttered up at him, and one of her hands - he had never before noticed how delicate they were - rose to her throat. "Oh," she breathed.
He stood straight, looking down at her, waiting in limbo until she slowly rose to her feet. Her eyes swept across his face and down his chest and he watched in fascination as half her bottom lip disappeared to be pinched between her teeth. "Do you want to do that again?" she asked, finally allowing her eyes to meet his.
Merlin laughed, and Gwen smiled, and her fingers were touching his neckerchief, then sliding around to grasp the back of his head, and his hands rose to hold her face, and their mouths touched once more.
A couple of seconds passed before Gwen pulled away and touched her forehead to his. "That was much better," she said lightly and Merlin kissed her nose.