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Merlin shivers. It was freezing. He looks over at Arthur who is seating himself down on some loose snow that he pushed into a cushion for a more comfortable time sleeping on the frozen ground.
He bets Arthur would feel really warm. Sometimes when Merlin wakes him up in the morning he feels like a furnace, even on the coldest nights of winter, he is always so warm. Warmth sounds really nice right about now.
Especially considering they were currently being taken by their captor to Ismere, where Morgana is. Who will probably kill them as soon as she sets her eyes on them. Which Merlin isn’t going to let happen, but how he will go about that without revealing his magic, he has no clue.
Merlin shivers much more violently, which then gets Arthur’s attention.
Arthur sighs. “Get over here Merlin.”
Merlin looks back at Arthur in confusion. “What?”
Arthur looks around and must find whatever he was looking for and opens his arms, motioning Merlin to come closer.
Merlin scoots over to Arthur and was just opening his mouth to ask him what was going on when Arthur reaches out and pulls Merlin against him. Merlin lets out a noise of surprise as Arthur lays down, dragging Merlin to lie with him and shifting slightly to get comfortable.
Merlin is still tense laying against Arthur’s chest. “What are you doing Arthur?”
“I didn’t think you were that stupid Merlin.” Merlin scoffs when he sees a tiny smile on Arthur’s face. “It is absolutely freezing out, do you really want to lay by yourself?”
Merlin frowns as he thinks about laying separately, in the freezing cold, when he could be curled up against the furnace that is Arthur.
He wraps his arms around Arthur and buries his face into his neck. The warmth Arthur emits isn’t as great as when he is waking up in his warm bed, but it feels so good to Merlin right now.
“You will tell no one about this Merlin or I will have you mucking out all of the stables in the citadel for the next month,” Arthur says sternly, but the effect of his words lessens some when he holds onto Merlin tighter.
Merlin huffs but nods his head in agreement and drifts off quickly.
He isn’t sure what wakes him at first. He and Arthur are still curled up tightly around each other. Arthur is still fast asleep, and all the other captives they were near were also sleeping or at least resting.
Merlin pushes himself up onto his elbow and looks around the surrounding area.
Their captors have set a fire and are all sitting around it eating. Merlin tenses when Mordred looks over at him. Merlin isn’t sure how long they stare at each other for. When Mordred breaks the stare by looking at another man offering him some food to eat, Merlin also looks away and down at Arthur.
As much as Merlin would love to lay back down with him, he just can’t. He shouldn’t have in the first place. Mordred could have done anything, and Merlin would have been at fault because he had decided to lie down and go to sleep.
Merlin carefully untangles himself from Arthur and sits up to face the men sitting at the fire. He wraps his arms around himself as a stronger gust of wind blows through. Arthur hugs himself in his sleep as he curls up to try and get warmer without the heat that Merlin had provided.
Merlin wants to go back to how he was before, but he can’t. He needs to keep an eye on Mordred, so he can’t.