Red-handed
Title: Red-Handed
Fandom: Merlin
Characters/Pairing(s): Merlin and Arthur
Rating: safe for toddlers, unless there is swearing, I don't recall
Warnings: nope, none
Word Count: 607
Words/Prompts Used: Caught Red-Handed and Pot Calling the Kettle Black
“Merlin, you have to be the biggest idiot to ever walk the earth!” Arthur stormed into his chambers and threw his gloves down on the table.
“Pot/kettle,” Merlin grumbled under his breath as he laid the fire.
“What was that?” Arthur sounded cross.
With a dramatic sigh, Merlin turned around and raised an eyebrow at him in a way that only someone who lived with Gaius would be able to achieve. “I said I’ll just fill the kettle. For your bath water.”
Arthur didn’t look like he believed him for a second.
“Care to explain exactly what it was you did to my gloves?” Arthur folded his arms in front of him and continued to glare.
Merlin effected his best innocent face. “Gloves?”
“Yes, Merlin. Gloves.” Arthur scooped the offending objects back off the table and waved them around for Merlin to see. “The leather is all cracked and distorted, and a child would be lucky to get its hand in there!”
“Ah.” Merlin turned back to the hearth and began trying to light a fire - usually an easy enough task, but not with Arthur watching him, and it wasn’t like lighting a fire without magic was something he really knew how to do.
“Ah? Ah? Is that all you have to say? Have you ever tried doing sword practice without adequate hand protection, Merlin?” He held his right hand up to show Merlin the blisters.
Merlin got up and came over to inspect Arthur’s hand, feeling guilty.
“Is this what they call being caught red-handed?” He attempted to joke.
Arthur completely failed to see the funny side. Couldn’t blame him, really. “What did you do?”
“Er…” Merlin awkwardly rubbed at the back of his neck.
“Er? That’s all I’m getting, er?” Arthur narrowed his eyes in a manner that suggested Merlin was about to get something heavy launched at his head.
“I… um, I’m sorry?” Merlin attempted his best winning smile.
“Well, at least you admit it was you I suppose.” Arthur grudgingly allowed Merlin to take hold of his hand and inspect it. “What did you do, any way?”
“I, er, I tried to wash them. In really hot water, because they were pretty disgusting.” Merlin was dismayed as he looked at Arthur’s hands. The blisters were pretty bad, and several of them had burst. Typical Arthur, carrying on with training when his hands were in this state!
“You boiled my favourite leather gloves?” Arthur had that slightly screwed up nose expression that said he actually genuinely couldn’t believe how anyone could be as stupid as Merlin. To be fair, this time he might have a point.
Merlin gave him a sort of half smile, half grimace - a smimace, if you will. “Sorry,” he tried again.
“Why didn’t you at least tell me? I could have worn my spare pair, or even borrowed a pair!”
“I didn’t realise swordfighting would have such an affect on your hands. You usually only let me be the punch bag.
“I can see why you’d think that - I mean, why would wielding a big, heavy piece of metal hurt your hands after a while?” Arthur winced as he moved his hand.
“I’ll just nip over to Gaius and see if he has any ointments for this.”
He fled the room as quickly as possible and fled over to Gaius. Gaius also clearly thought Merlin was an idiot and handed him a jar of salve with instructions that Arthur should apply it at once and avoid sword practice for the next few days. Merlin did not look forward to being the one to tell Arthur that.
Fandom: Merlin
Characters/Pairing(s): Merlin and Arthur
Rating: safe for toddlers, unless there is swearing, I don't recall
Warnings: nope, none
Word Count: 607
Words/Prompts Used: Caught Red-Handed and Pot Calling the Kettle Black
“Merlin, you have to be the biggest idiot to ever walk the earth!” Arthur stormed into his chambers and threw his gloves down on the table.
“Pot/kettle,” Merlin grumbled under his breath as he laid the fire.
“What was that?” Arthur sounded cross.
With a dramatic sigh, Merlin turned around and raised an eyebrow at him in a way that only someone who lived with Gaius would be able to achieve. “I said I’ll just fill the kettle. For your bath water.”
Arthur didn’t look like he believed him for a second.
“Care to explain exactly what it was you did to my gloves?” Arthur folded his arms in front of him and continued to glare.
Merlin effected his best innocent face. “Gloves?”
“Yes, Merlin. Gloves.” Arthur scooped the offending objects back off the table and waved them around for Merlin to see. “The leather is all cracked and distorted, and a child would be lucky to get its hand in there!”
“Ah.” Merlin turned back to the hearth and began trying to light a fire - usually an easy enough task, but not with Arthur watching him, and it wasn’t like lighting a fire without magic was something he really knew how to do.
“Ah? Ah? Is that all you have to say? Have you ever tried doing sword practice without adequate hand protection, Merlin?” He held his right hand up to show Merlin the blisters.
Merlin got up and came over to inspect Arthur’s hand, feeling guilty.
“Is this what they call being caught red-handed?” He attempted to joke.
Arthur completely failed to see the funny side. Couldn’t blame him, really. “What did you do?”
“Er…” Merlin awkwardly rubbed at the back of his neck.
“Er? That’s all I’m getting, er?” Arthur narrowed his eyes in a manner that suggested Merlin was about to get something heavy launched at his head.
“I… um, I’m sorry?” Merlin attempted his best winning smile.
“Well, at least you admit it was you I suppose.” Arthur grudgingly allowed Merlin to take hold of his hand and inspect it. “What did you do, any way?”
“I, er, I tried to wash them. In really hot water, because they were pretty disgusting.” Merlin was dismayed as he looked at Arthur’s hands. The blisters were pretty bad, and several of them had burst. Typical Arthur, carrying on with training when his hands were in this state!
“You boiled my favourite leather gloves?” Arthur had that slightly screwed up nose expression that said he actually genuinely couldn’t believe how anyone could be as stupid as Merlin. To be fair, this time he might have a point.
Merlin gave him a sort of half smile, half grimace - a smimace, if you will. “Sorry,” he tried again.
“Why didn’t you at least tell me? I could have worn my spare pair, or even borrowed a pair!”
“I didn’t realise swordfighting would have such an affect on your hands. You usually only let me be the punch bag.
“I can see why you’d think that - I mean, why would wielding a big, heavy piece of metal hurt your hands after a while?” Arthur winced as he moved his hand.
“I’ll just nip over to Gaius and see if he has any ointments for this.”
He fled the room as quickly as possible and fled over to Gaius. Gaius also clearly thought Merlin was an idiot and handed him a jar of salve with instructions that Arthur should apply it at once and avoid sword practice for the next few days. Merlin did not look forward to being the one to tell Arthur that.