Warnings: None.

Orbiting, Spiralling, Upward

Merlin does not know what he does to Arthur—when Arthur is around him he feels all the emotions of the spectrum. From anger to sadness, from happiness to exasperation. It was as if Merlin undid the laces that were holding all of these emotions in when Arthur was in the presence of others, and set them free, to fly through the air, up into the stars. It was magical.

Merlin was able to insult, admire, and injure Arthur's ego all in one breath; a feat no one else was able to accomplish. It was only Merlin. Merlin was the one who could change Arthur's mind in a heartbeat, just with a look. Determination transformed into pity, hatred into affection. Arthur learned when he was with Merlin. Merlin pulled open the doors of his mind, letting in all the ideals of the world, causing new things to pull on Arthur's heartstrings like never before.

Merlin could not complete any of the chores that Arthur laid before him, to any satisfactory degree, yet Arthur really didn't mind. Merlin was far better company than he was at being a manservant. Merlin ad Arthur could talk all night, plunging into the vast unknowns of their minds; Arthur's especially. It was Merlin's ability to talk about nothing that matters, and yet everything that could change, at once. This made Arthur feel as though he was deep underwater when he was in a conversation with Merlin. Arthur's inability to talk to another person like this had changed his perspective on other people. They weren't Merlin.

There was another thing Merlin could do that no one else could—Merlin was able to see past the title, and into the person. Arthur was not a prince in Merlin's eyes; he was a mere man. This suited Arthur more than any color in his wardrobe, than any shallow appearance. In fact, Arthur preferred Merlin's company because Merlin chose to speak to the real Arthur—the slightly prattish, not really spoiled, real Arthur.

It never had to be complicated with Merlin—and that's what Arthur loved. Everything had a charming simplicity when dealing with the young servant. When they argued there was never a secret argument hiding beneath the one. It was just about how Merlin didn't want to wear a ridiculous outfit to a particular banquet, or something as equally trivial. When arguing with his father there was always a hidden meaning struggling to force itself to the surface. In Arthur's mind, there was no one else to argue with any longer. Just Merlin.

To have Merlin around gave Arthur a purpose; he needed to protect him. Arthur especially enjoyed proving time and time again that he was capable of protecting Merlin—thus all the time they spent on hunting trips. Arthur would go to absurd lengths to keep Merlin from trouble, even if that meant getting scolded by his father and getting into dilemmas himself. In fact, it was often Arthur who got Merlin into trouble, only to pull him out of it again—but it didn't really matter, as long as Merlin was safely tucked away in his bed by the end of the day.

Arthur loves it when Merlin comes into his room, without knocking, even though the boy might very well be walking in on something he may not want to see. But no matter how many girls enter and leave Arthur's room, he still prefers when Merlin doesn't knock. Knocking would add a formality that Arthur does not want to impose on Merlin. Arthur loves the casual way that Merlin addresses him, and the equality in this he shows Merlin.

Arthur also loves it how Merlin seems to know exactly when he is needed gravely. Merlin knows to show up in the middle of the night, in Arthur's room, when Arthur is just waking from a particularly awful nightmare. Merlin always has a pale yellow blanket folded in his arms when this happens, which he wraps over Arthur's shoulders. Arthur—who would never admit to these dreams being nightmares—would not say a word. Neither would Merlin; he would just sit on the floor beside the bed, waiting for Arthur's breathing to even out, even if it takes until dawn. Arthur loves how committed Merlin is.

Arthur above all loves Merlin's attitude. The way that Merlin adapts his mood to the situation—cheerful when a morning seems dull, serious when there is something important happening. Arthur can't help feeling as though Merlin purposely pushes his buttons during situations that require his attention to be focused on something other than Merlin. Arthur loved how Merlin seemed to capture his focus at any point in the day.

Arthur had begun to wonder exactly when his life chose to revolve around Merlin—his answer being the day they met.

Oh my.
I have not read this over at all.
I didn't even read it over as I was writing it.
It was almost a pointless rant.
Ha ha, I'm not sure if I should keep writing for Merlin.
I do prefer reading. :C

-Taryn