Arthur has a minor magical ability: he can hear people’s thoughts when he touches them (unluckily for him, he never learned to control it so he gets this overwhelming and painful rush of thoughts whenever he touches someone… but as the crown prince he can usually avoid touching people and he always wears gloves).
BUT THEN he meets Merlin, his sassy and clumsy manservant. He doesn’t let Merlin dress him at first, too scared of the barrage of thoughts/feelings/memories/emotions. But one day Merlin trips and Arthur instinctively catches him, accidentally brushing his skin. He braces himself for a loud flood of Merlin’s thoughts, but instead all Arthur can sense is just a 'wall' and he can’t hear anything beyond it. So he starts becoming super handsy with Merlin to try and figure out why Merlin is different. Arthur has never had to wonder what someone was thinking before, but Merlin is a complete mystery to him.
Cue: Arthur watching Merlin closely to learn his mannerisms and facial expressions, Arthur asking Merlin about his life back in Ealdor, Arthur falling in love in the process.
BUT LIKE ALSO Arthur is touch-starved because of his gift, and suddenly Merlin is the one person he can touch without being completely overwhelmed with their toughts, and Arthur takes every excuse to manhandle touch Merlin because he's never been able to be physically affectionate before.
celebrating the season by reading Loaded March for the very first time, wish me luck
fanfics are one of the best things that humanity has come up with. i fucking love reading stories about my favorite characters from people who have the same brainrot as me
'And so it was not even ten o’clock when Arthur sent the beautiful girl he’d been on a date with off to bed, and curled up in his own bed to call Merlin.'
Read it here:
Tag list: @neptunesyellowsands @atlasflower @sibrino @221b-bitch-st @josephinthepast @sugar-coated-prat-dragon @incorrect-camelot @idk-anymore-mydudes @thedaughterofkings @toomanyfanficsbruh @ace-does-writing (as always feel free to let me know if you want to be added or removed from the list)
Gwaine: Merls, what's your body count?
Merlin: .........I don't know?
Arthur: what do you mean you don't know? You just going around sleeping with people?
Merlin: oh, that body count
Arthur: you killed people!?
Merlin: no comment
arthur becoming king and showering merlin in gifts to the point where it looks like hes a nobleman. camelot going yup thats the kings consort, i think we’re two months away from a royal wedding. visiting nobles/royals who have no idea about “merlin and arthur” treating merlin like a nobleman until he corrects them. visiting nobles/royals who DO know about “merlin and arthur” not being surprised in the slightest. merlin getting away with everything and blatantly stealing from the kings plate during a feast and they’re all just like “yeah alright” idk just merlin being spoiled by his bf who isn’t his bf but who desperately wants to be
ok, i did in fact scour the internet for fics like this (and sadly there is not many! @ fic writers please feed us) but here is a list of ones i found:
Kissing Lessons by objectlesson [6k words | Rating: E]
Summary: Arthur is a shitty kisser. Merlin offers instructional assistance.
This fic is AMAZING and it is a CRIME that it's still incomplete! (but still reads well as a standalone piece)
People Should Marry for Love, Not Convenience by Fantasy_lalaland [6k words | Rating: M]
"So you don't know a lot about women." Arthur stands, strides over to his bed and flops ungracefully onto the mattress. "But you do know lots about men. Well I'm a man. Show me." Merlin's definitely hallucinating. There'd been something in the wine because this was impossible. Arthur waiting for him to come to his bed and fool around with him. He doesn't move from his spot on the floor. He only peers curiously at Arthur from beneath his heavy eyelids. "How will that help you know how to bed your wife?"
That Awkward Age by i_know_its_0ver [3k words | Rating: M]
Arthur is secretly in love with Merlin but can't tell him, so he comes up with a plan to get Merlin to help him "practice" his kissing.
Only Incidentally Homosexual by itsspanner [6k words | Rating: T]
“Merlin, would you be willing to kiss me?” Arthur asks nonchalantly, sounding perfectly monotone as if that was an acceptable thing to ask Merlin first thing in the morning, or at any time really. Merlin and Arthur kiss for the first time, never intending for a repeat. But who were they kidding really by thinking that they could stop once that they had a taste of what they wanted most? Or 5 times Merlin and Arthur kiss and one time they actually do anything about it
These probably exist, perhaps I even read them, but that's only more reason to ask for recs:
Arthur has never been kissed. As prince, it's hard for him to go out and try these things, and he mentions it to Merlin.
Merlin may or may not opens up the idea that he and Arthur could... You know...
Practice
Merlin (talking about gay marriage): “it’s legal now”
Arthur (thinking he means sorcery)
*cue a bunch of hilarious miscommunications*
do you guys think merlin and arthur knows its legal now
y’all weren’t lying when you said this fic was god-tier, i am HOOKED
was completely unprepared for this military fic to have a whole fake dating plotline… absolutely screaming and kicking my feet rn this is the best
celebrating the season by reading Loaded March for the very first time, wish me luck
maybe I'm dumb that it took me this long to realize but when Arthur tells Gwen he has a dream to run away and be a farmer his only frame of reference for how farmers actually live is that one time that he was in Ealdor with Merlin sleeping on his cold floor and eating porridge and he hated it, my god, did he hate it but he was also with Merlin and it's the only time he didn't have to be Prince Arthur he could just be Arthur and he remembered that feeling of being just Arthur and Merlin and he coveted it so deeply that it became his dream?????
pov you're some noble attending a royal gathering or whatever in camelot and you're all excited to meet the prince and then you get there and he's just hanging out with his twink of a manservant the whole night
she/her | 22trying my hand at a bit of fanfic writing | ao3 mostly just Merthur
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