Merlin has never been so amused in his life before. Lancelot had occasionally needed a hand with something and being a good friend, of course Merlin helped him out. Gwaine kept getting drunk and into trouble, so being a good friend of course Merlin helped him out. Arthur was being a prat as usual, so being...well just wanting to keep his job Merlin tries to do it but between Lancelot's daily adventure and Gwaine's nightly adventure he was exhausted. This of course led to a huffy whiny pouting child called a Prince and then one innocent request from Lancelot led to an explosion.
"He's not some toy that you own! He has his own mind and can choose what he wants to do!" Lancelot shouted.
"He's my servant and has a duty to serve me first!" Arthur roared.
Gwaine looked highly amused, Percival had found the window far more interesting and Leon wondered if it was too early to retire, he also cured Elian to have the excuse of working in the Blacksmith to escape this argument.
"He's my best friend and I'll defend him from your stupid demands and lack of respect!" Lancelot snarled, Merlin couldn't help but feel all warm and fuzzy inside. No one has ever said that about him before.
"What? Oh that's it! It's bad enough to you try to steal Guinevere from me and you try to steal my title of the Best Fighter in Camelot, and now you're trying to steal Merlin from me!"
"I didn't know you cared," Merlin said grinning.
"Shut up Merlin."
"Hey! Don't speak to my best friend like that," Gwaine said standing up. The amused small smirk he usually wears had disappeared and there was a cold look on his face that reminded Merlin far too much of that time when Arthur and him fought over Merlin's life and he had to save their arses again, with his magic.
"Your best friend?" Arthur and Lancelot said in unison with perfect matching looks of shock and indignation.
"Of course, me and Merlin have been best buds since he kept defending me from the tyranny of Arthur's boring attitude. He always asking me for help when he has to save Arthur's backside on some stupid quest." Gwaine looked rather smug and both Arthur and Lancelot had to resist the urge to punch him. After all that was his everyday look. "Besides, he's the best drinking partner I ever had."
Merlin rolled his eyes. "Gwaine, I rarely drink when we go out drinking."
"Exactly and I have the best fun because you tell the best stories and then I get home safely and you tuck me into bed and then give me the best breakfast the next day. You're my best bud."
Merlin felt his cheeks turn red and the colour then died as Arthur gave him a very dirty look.
"Yeah, well Merlin has been my best friend since I saved his life from a griffin and in return he forged a nobility seal to get me into the knights." Another dirty look from Arthur made Merlin take a few steps back. "And I know Merlin's most darkest secret!"
"What secret?" both Arthur and Gwaine said turning to look at Merlin. He smiled innocently and then shot a dirty look at Lancelot.
"Well it doesn't matter, I've known Merlin longer than both of you put together and we've been best friends ever since...err..."
"You're not even friends!" Gwaine exclaimed. "He's your servant that saved our backsides more times than I count. I think it's fair to say that I'm his best friend."
"Hell no, I'm his-"
"I'm royalty! I think I have the right to say who Merlin's best friend is an-"
"Oh, using your royal status to get what you wants, what would Gwen say?"
"You're both a pair of twats and it's so obvious that Merlin likes me better."
"Oh yeah? Well let's have a duel, last man standing get's Merlin."
Leon drew the line at this. He stood up and coughed loudly, he had done this so often in the past few months (honestly, for such good warriors the three of them plus Merlin were such children), that the three men stopped and looked at him. "Why don't you ask Merlin who he thinks is his best friend?" he suggested.
All eyes landed on Merlin and he mentally cursed Leon while swearing he'll turn that man every colour there is for the next month!
"Well?" Arthur demanded.
"Err...well...all three of you are great...really...even if Arthur's a prat..." sniggers could be heard and Merlin could feel Arthur's glare on him. "But the truth is...none of you are my best friend."
"What?"
"In fact, Gwen is."
"Gwen?"
"Guinevere?"
"Why her and not someone that's...well a bloke?"
Merlin glared at the three of them. "I have you know that Gwen has been nothing but nice to me since she found me in the stocks (which you put me in, Arthur!), she could probably out fight all three of you with her eyes shut, helped me out in a lot of sticky situations, fed me, actually remembers my birthday and has been very supportive."
"But does she know about your secret?" Lancelot asked, wanting at least to have one over Gwen.
"What secret?" Gwen asked cheerfully as she walked in.
"Merlin's deepest darkest secret that he hasn't told anyone and I only know it because I witnessed it," Lancelot said very smug as Arthur and Gwaine glared at him with a deadly glare that not even Uther could compete with. "Do you know his secret, Gwen?"
"What that he's a cross dresser?"