Title: Slimy Yet Satisfying
Authors:
mydoctortennantPairings/Characters: Arthur/Gwen, Merlin
Warnings: Not a lot...
Disclaimer: Not real. Despite birthday wishes and night time prayers to Santa (all Hail Amy Pond!) Merlin still isn't mine!
Rating: PG
Summary: Arthur wants to do something nice for Gwen, and it requires Merlin's help.
Author Notes: This was written for the lovely
wickedvampirate for her prompt. This went through several carnations until it came to this, but this was something that came to me after my brief funk.
The title is taken from The Lion King, and doesn't actually relate to anything said, but does to the whole 'feel' of the piece... It's Simba trying a new thing he doesn't think he'll like...
My Merlin Prompt Table Gwen sat at her table as per the instructions of the Crowned Prince of Camelot. He stood behind her and lifted a scrap of material over her eyes. She moved back from the material and collided with Arthur’s chest as he stood behind her seated form. She looked straight up to him with a worried look on her face, “Arthur, what are you going?”
“Trust me,” he placed the blindfold over her eyes forcing her to shut them as he tied the knot behind her head.
“I don’t know that I want to,” she admitted as she reached up to pull the material from her eyes.
Arthur laid his hand over hers and guided it away from her face, “I promise not to kill you,” he said softly into her ear. He placed his hands on her shoulders ready you lead her to the table.
“That’s not exactly reassuring,” she said looking over her shoulder towards him frowning beneath the blindfold. Arthur chuckled and continued in his plight. Gwen followed the push of his hands to sit at her table on one end of the bench.
Arthur milled around her, placing a couple of things on the table before her then joined her on the bench. It was disconcerting not being able to see what it was he had done.
“Trust me.”
“Okay,” she agreed blindly.
x
”I don’t know if I want to aid you in poisoning Gwen,” Merlin said as he sceptically looked at the Prince after his somewhat bizarre request.
“That’s the point of having your help,” it pained him to admit that, for once in his Princely life, he needed assistance from his manservant. “So I don’t.”
Still unsure of whether or not it was a good idea, Merlin eyed Arthur sceptically. The blonde would never admit to the pleading glance her sent his manservant’s way, but he was desperate, “Okay. Okay. I’ll help you.”
“Thank you.”
x
Gwen felt something warm being held in front of her face, “Blow,” she as instructed and she gently did so, “Open,” she felt the spoon being guided into her mouth once she’d followed his commands. She swallowed the content and smiled.
“That’s, what is that?”
“Vegetable soup. Made by myself and Merlin,” he replied honestly. Merlin had told him exactly what to do, showing him techniques before leaving the Prince to do them himself.
“It’s delicious.”
“That’s not all,” she heard him cut something, “open again,” she followed his orders and was this time presented with a small chunk of chicken and a small chopped mixture of vegetables.
x
”You have to be careful how close to your fingers you get. Don’t go cutting your fingers.”
“I think I can manage that,” Arthur started off slowly, gradually building up to the steady speed chopping the carrot before him into circular chunks.
“You’re used to swords and maces. This is a small scale. So watch you-“
“Owh!” Arthur sucked the top of his left thumb into his mouth wishing for the cut to stop bleeding.
“I warned you.”
“Shut up, Merlin.”
x
The Prince sat himself opposite a de-blindfolded Gwen, much like he had during his stay as Sir William. “Arthur, this is amazing,” Gwen said now she could see the spread before her. A bowl of soup for each of them followed by a portion of the roasted chicken and boiled vegetables.
“This isn’t everything,” he revealed as he spooned his spoon into his mouth at a fast pace. He hadn’t done a bad job of it. He found it moderately tasty, considering the finery he was used to.
“It isn’t?”
“No,” he grinned cheekily and pointed her he bowl and plate, “Eat up, and you’ll see.”
x
”You roll the pin across the dough like so. Then you lay it in the tray, put in the filling then lay the other pastry we rolled out on top,” Merlin mimed as they stood in the middle of Gaius’ quarters.
“Right.”
“The apple will be cooked enough soon. So if you roll out the pastry dough then lay it in it should be done enough to fill.”
“Okay.”
x
“I’m so full,” Gwen rubbed her flat hand over her belly, feeling twice the size she didn’t usually after a meal - considering she’d only have a simple soup an d some bread usually.
“No room for anything else?”
“Whatever this other surprise is I’m sure I can find room,” she shifted on the bench and pointed to the higher part of her stomach, “That be there. I can fill that bit.”
“I don’t want to make you sick,” Arthur offered her an out, expecting her to take it.
Gwen shook her head, “Just don’t be offended if I can’t eat too much?”
x
Merlin pulled the pie from the range and lifted it to his nose, "Smells good.”
“Doesn’t look great,” Arthur replied dejectedly.
“Well if it smells good, it will taste good. You can always blindfold her so she can’t see,” Merlin joked.
Arthur seriously considered his manservant’s suggestion, “That’s not a bad idea.”
x
Gwen shifted on the bench as Arthur walked around her with the scrap of fabric back in his hands, “Again with the blindfold?”
“Trust me. It’s better you taste before you see,” he tied the blindfold against her curls, and lifted the pie from the range. He dug a spoon into the centre - the cooked pastry crumbling slightly around the intrusion and he lifted it to her mouth.
“Okay,” she opened her mouth wide before cracking up and laughing.
“Guinevere.”
“Sorry,”
“Here,” he guided the metal spoon into her open mouth and she accepted the morsel, chewing the second Arthur had pulled the implement from her mouth.
“This is delicious,” she said once she had swallowed with a beaming smile on her face. She didn’t quite know where to look so she turned herself on the bench to face where she could feel Arthur’s body heat and reached out to blindly take his hand.
“I’m glad you think so.”
“Thank you.”
“Anything for you.”
Gwen blushed, bowing her head. She felt Arthur hook a finger beneath her chin and guide her to face him. Her heart was racing in her chest. Not being able to see she didn’t know what to expect from him. She chewed on her lip. Arthur ran his thumb over her lip, dislodging it from her teeth before he leant forwards and gently kissed her.
With one hand Gwen pushed the blindfold from her eyes and over her head letting it fall to the floor. Feeling calmer with her visual confides discarded she unconsciously moved forwards from her seat causing Arthur to stand taller as she pushed into the kiss firmly.
He looped one hand around her waist, his other hand in her hair. Gwen took a shot step back to balance herself, forgetting the bench behind her and tripped back into it. She reached out of the table for something to hold onto but it landed straight in the apple pie that he hand just given her.
She gasped as her hand connected with the warm fruit in the middle.
“I’m so sorry.”
“It probably looks better now.”
Gwen lifted her hand from the pie, small flakes of pastry stuck to the apple on her hand. She brought her thumb into her mouth and sucked the fruit from it, “It still tastes good,” she commented as she cleared her index finger of the filling.
“Really?” with a mischievous glint in his eye, Arthur leant forward and swiped his finger through the dessert and licked it clean, “You’re right,” he raised one eyebrow and repeated the movement but this time he tapped Gwen on the nose with the mixture. She squealed and retreated as her nose crinkled.
He stopped her hand from swiping the apple from her face and leant down and kissed the tip of her nose, cleaning it of food. She grinned and captured his lips in a short kiss.