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Merlin wakes in the barely there light of pre dawn, blinking gritty eyes. In recent years, he’s become an early riser. Mainly because Gaius had stopped trying to wake him and Merlin had been yelled at from one end of the keep to the other.
So Merlin began to rise with the birds. That didn’t change once he’d started to share Gwaine’s chambers. Merlin looked to his side, where Gwaine’s face was barely lit by the ambient light of morning. It wasn’t quite peaceful, and Merlin smiled softly as he ran his fingers over his lovers scalp. The face smoothed out almost immediately as Gwaine emitted a soft rumble of pleasure that Merlin had to choke back a chuckle to keep from waking Gwaine. He decided the knight could sleep a little longer this morning.
As Merlin rose from the bed, he keenly felt the chill from where the fire had gone out in the night. Quickly, he dressed himself and got some wood from the pile by the hearth. Diligently, he set them up, but grabbed no flint. With a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure Gwaine was well and truly asleep, he let his eyes glow with a softly whispered spell. Fire blossomed beneath the wood, catching almost instantly. Heat hit his face in a burst, and Merlin took a few moments to bask in it.
He tiptoed from the room to make his way toward the kitchens, which were already busy with other servants preparing the meals for this morning. With deft hands, Merlin pilfered quite a good breakfast for Gwaine, and of course, something for himself. Glad the head cook wasn’t in quite yet, he took himself back out of the kitchen without the usual accompanying cacophony that followed him.
More light filled the corridors already, and Merlin hastened to get back.
Gwaine was exactly where Merlin had left him: curled around his pillow like it was a child’s toy. Merlin couldn’t help the indulgent smile as he closed the door softly behind him. The room was warm now, if not a little cluttered from both of their things being strewn about. It was home though.
Struck with a sudden fondness for the life the two of them shared, Merlin crossed to the bed and sat gently on the edge. With gentle fingers, he brushed hair out of Gwaine’s face before he pressed his palm to Gwaine’s sleep-warm cheek. His lips were easy to claim while he slept so, and Merlin took full advantage. It took a bit for a Gwaine to respond more than with a sleepy groan, but soon, his hands were on Merlin’s shoulders, urging him forward. Breaking the kiss at last, Merlin grinned lazily. “Good Morning, sleepy head.”
“Good Morning, indeed.” Gwaine never questioned these mornings where Merlin was especially attentive, but he always gave all of himself to it in return.
Gwaine’s soft gaze had Merlin smiling brightly. With another soft kiss, he withdrew, much to Gwaine’s obvious displeasure. “Come on, Gwaine. Eat up.”
“Breakfast too? I’m the luckiest knight in all of Camelot.” Gwaine stretched much like a feline, despite his puppy like devotion. Merlin just watched as muscles rippled under skin where the blanket didn’t cover his body. When he sat up, he noticed all that had been done. “I take that back. I must have died, because this is too perfect. Have I missed an important date? Is it my birthday? Is it YOUR birthday?”
Merlin laughed loudly at Gwaine’s confusion. “Can’t I just do something nice for you?”
“Well yes. And if it weren’t for the breakfast that would get cold, I’d do you a favor you’d never forget in return.” Gwaine’s eyes trailed down as he stood from the bed, displaying himself as he came to the table to eat.
“How unlucky then that I’ve got to go wake Arthur and Gwen shortly.”
Gwaine leaned in and whispered dmwords IN Merlin’s ear that made him blush up to the tips of them. “You can tell Arthur that and then come back to me.”
Merlin nodded and grabbed an apple. “Best morning in quite a while then.”
“Very much so,” Gwaine agreed as he bit into his own food.”
—-
Arthur gave them both the entire day off. When the two returned the next day to their duties, they couldn’t stop themselves from smiling.