Title: Unexpected form of affection
Author: angelaccountant
Fandom: Merlin
Pairings/characters: Merlin/Arthur
Rating: PG-14
Wordcount: 970
Warnings: Does cuddling count? No? Okay.
Disclaimer: I'm afraid that I do not own any of these bloody beautiful characters, but I do like to write about them ;)
Summary: In which Merlin freezes his ass off and Arthur doesn't cuddle (except when he does).

It was supposed to be yet another normal patrol to the border of Uther's kingdom to do some routine check-up at a village named Andilf. Of course Merlin had no choice in whether he wanted to come with or not, not when he had a prat prince as his master. So, he suited up in his warmest clothing since winter was nearing, and started the journey with Arthur in the lead with a few of his knights following suit.

It started snowing as they had reached the far side of Camelot. Arthur could hear Merlin's teeth clattering as they passed through the forest of Nayard and let out a loud laugh. "Oh cheer up, Merlin. I can hear your teeth clattering from over here." Merlin gave him a pointed stare.

"I would if I could, but I'm freezing my arse off here, sire. Not everyone has warm royal garments like you," Merlin barked back at Arthur. The prince looked away from his friend for a moment with a hurtful look on his face.

"Look, I didn't –" Merlin tried to apologize, but the prince cut him off.
"Yes you did, and you are right." He slowed down so that his horse was next to Merlin's and threw him one of the thick blankets he had covering himself. "Take it and stop complaining," he insisted with a sharp sigh, but Merlin could see the small smile in his eyes.

"Why sire, who knew you had a heart after all." Merlin said, but he thanked Arthur with a small nod of his head which Arthur returned with a small smile of his own. Then he looked around, almost sudden aware that they were not alone, and looked what could only resemble embarrassed away from Merlin and went back to leading the group.

By the time they had reached the village, there was snow as far as the eye could see. "Merlin, take the horses and start setting up camp somewhere near here. I'll speak to the villagers." Arthur commanded to Merlin, but gave him a small nod before he went into the village with a pair of his knights following him.

Later that night when the affairs with the villagers were in order everyone except Merlin went into their tents to go to bed. He walked around in the area before finding a place next to a nearby tree. Merlin used his magic to scrape away the little snow that was on the ground and was about to lie down on the blankets he had laid there when Arthur came barging out of his tent shouting at Merlin for no apparent reason.

"Are you barking mad?" Arthur shouted at Merlin, his hands shaking. "Were you really planning to sleep out here in the freezing cold all night?"

Merlin looks unsecure down at the blankets that lay on the ground. "Umm…yes," he answered shakingly. The sun was starting to set down behind the nearest mountain and the cold air around him made him tuck his thin jacket tighter around him with a small huff.

Arthur walked over to him, snatched the blankets off the moist ground and started walking over to his tent again.

"Oh great, now I'll surely freeze to death!" Merlin shouted after Arthur.

He turned around and looked at Merlin with an indubious look when he was at the opening of his tent. Merlin looked baffled around him. Where in the world was he supposed to sleep now?

"Well, are you coming or not?" Arthur asked him while turning and walking into his tent.

Merlin just stood there dumbfounded for a second before he went into the tent reluctantly. Arthur's bed was in the left corner of the tent, so Merlin laid down at the opposite end of Arthur with a couple of blankets tucked around him. He tried to keep his shivers silent into the night, but the cold was too much for him.

Of course he could have used his magic to warm himself up, and that was exactly what he was planning to do while sleeping outside. He would have slept like a baby there, but no. The prince just had to choose that bloody moment to be nice to me and now I am most likely going to die from hypothermia by the end of the night. Just fantastic.

So now he was lying there, freezing his arse off, and with the prince whose father has banned magic laying a couple of feet away from him, he wasn't going to take any chances using magic. So he tried to make himself as small as possible, curling up in a fetal position, and tried to keep his trembles silent so that he wouldn't wake Arthur.

Arthur huffed. "Oh for god's sake, Merlin. I can hear you, you know. Come here."

Merlin looked up at Arthur for a second to see if this was just another one of his daily pranks, but when he saw the surprisingly genuine expression on Arthur's face he moved himself so that he was lying right next to the prince.

"Come here," Arthur repeated and moved Merlin closer so that he was snuggled against his chest, their feet entwined with each other.

"What are you doing?" Merlin whispered into Arthur's neck. Arthur put a couple of more blankets around them so that they were wrapped in a warm cocoon.

"Arthur are you snugglingwith me?"

"No I am not!" Arthur exclaimed. "Shut up Merlin. If you tell anyone about this I will throw you in the stocks," he threw out as a empty threath.

Merlin's laughter echoed through the tent.

"Have to keep the warmth," Arthur said as an excuse, and put his arms tighter around the boy next to him. Arthur's warm breath against Merlin's hair made him shiver.

Merlin didn't mind.