Work Text:
Arthur is well-aware that Merlin is a strange man. There had been a time, shortly after his magic confession, where Arthur had entertained the idea that he was maybe not that strange. His behavior started to make a lot more sense when the variable « magic » was added to the mix. His absences, his knowledge, his deep pride and confidence in his strength,… all the things that made him such a riddle to Arthur suddenly becoming things that were just… Merlin. The fog dissipating to reveal the bright morning Sun.
Which, wasn’t wrong per se. Merlin is not strange for a lot of things he thought he was. Yet, if having him as a court-mage-manservant for nearly 6 months had proven something : he was just another kind of weird. Namely, Merlin’s current behavior.
Arthur doesn’t think he has done anything to deserve being glared at for 2 weeks straight. It’s not even a constant glaring. Merlin just starts to do it out of nowhere at random intervals. One moment Arthur is eating then the next he feels something creeps behind him, only to turn and see Merlin looking at him from the other side of the room like he is going to maim him. Which he won’t.
Hopefully.
He should definitely ask Gaius another confirmation about Merlin supposed new immunity to curse, just to be sure (it’s the 6th time this week).
Merlin assured him he had done nothing wrong when Arthur confronted him. He has just mumbled something about New spell in progress. And as much as Arthur does not want to come anywhere close to these old unbelievably big magic book, if Merlin continues to glare he swears—
Arthur is going to knock Perceval down when he nearly stops on his tracks as he feels goosebumps on his whole body. And how is that even possible. That moment of distraction allows Perceval to destabilise and make him fall on his ass. Sure enough, when he turns back he sees Merlin glaring at him.
They truly need to talk—
Merlin being Merlin, he manages to surprise him once again even while being the Weirdest Warlock To Ever Walk The Earth (Arthur would like to emphasize on the fact that he has yet to met a magic user that isn’t a bit weirder than average) as the man suddenly stop to glare at him and nearly make his eyebrows touch his hairline.
Arthur watches bewilded as Merlin proudly marches towards him and then put both of his hands firmly on Arthur’s shoulders and cheerfully announces « Congratulate ! I resolved your heir problem ! You are pregnant ! » then walks away as if he hadn’t pronounced the most insane thing so far and he has said a lot of those. Arthur is so weirded out that he just stay there on the ground as Merlin goes.
Scratch the cursed hypothesis, Merlin just went insane.
Thankfully, after blowing out whatever was left of his sanity that day (and literally sleeping for 4 days no-stop, confirming that Arthur was right. The fool just went insane.) Merlin went back to normal. As normal as he has ever been, that’s it.
At least that’s what Arthur thoughts, until 3 months later as he peacefully walks in a corridor toward the council chamber he starts to glow.
He doesn’t notice it at first, it’s after all quite a sunny day and one is rarely expected to check if they are glowing. When he does finally notice (after a servant screamed ‘Sire !’), the glow has spread on his whole body and is starting to form some sort of bright fuzzy light ball in front of him.
Arthur nearly starts to panic but the magic doesn’t seem harmful, if there is one thing he learned so far is that you shouldn’t try to stop gentle magic or it may very well start to become less gentle. (Case point: Merlin). So, Arthur waits until the light ball slowly start to become less fuzzy and more baby sharped.
Arthur barely has the time to think That’s actually a baby before his reflexes kick in to catch him when the glow suddenly stops and the fully formed child nearly drops on the ground.
Arthur looks at him, mouth agape. The little fluffy black hair, the squinting eyes that open into bright blue eyes, his little nose, his mouth as he smiles and laughs, his hands trying to grab him.
Honestly, Arthur can truly do only one thing in this situation.
« MERLIN !!! »
Arthur paces back and forth in the council room. Regularly stopping in front of a very sweaty Merlin, pointing at him in a wordless tirade only to resume his pacing. Even the counclimen with them are silent as they just hold the baby.
He doesn’t even know where to start.
A part of him is very affronted about the fact that Merlin ‘knocked him up’ before :
1. Marrying him (how dare he and no he isn’t a poor maiden but he will still be mad about it. It's a matter of principle)
2. Having sex for the first time (if Gwaine learns about this and call him the Virgin Mary he swears to God—)
He also want to strangle him for ‘knocking him up’ at all without telling him. Another part of him want to yell at him about the fact he spelled him and couldn’t even be discreet abou— Arthur stops on his track. He doesn’t know why but it’s what suddenly piss him the most.
« YOU MADE ME BIRTH OURS CHILD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CORRIDOR. » and if that isn’t something Arthur never thought he would hear and even less say.
Merlin doesn’t seem to get the memo that he shouldn’t be arguing for once. « Well » He tugs on his collar as he looks away « Technically it’s yours not ou— »
Arthur is going to kill that man. He points toward the child that is literally making his eyes flicker with gold « First of all, he has black hair. DO I LOOK LIKE I HAVE BLACK HAIR » Merlin glups and for once he has some sense in his thick skull because he mouths No « Second of all SO YOU KNOCK ME UP AND WON’T TAKE ANY RESPONSIBILITY ».
Merlin’s expression clears and shift quickly to a serious one at these words. « I would never do that, you know I would never. » His voice is firm and leave no doubt.
Arthur tries to stay mad but he truly can’t. Because he knows Merlin would never. Even if Arthur were to pick up a random child, Merlin would never.
Gaius chooses this moment of silence to knock on the door and pokes his head through the doorway « You called for me, Sire » His voice betrays nothing despite the fact that he most likely choose very carefully when to intervene.
« Check on the child will you ? » He keeps looking at Merlin’s unwavering gaze « Now, everyone gets out. » The councilmen don’t need to hear it twice as they flee the room faster than a sorcerer would in front of father. Even Gaius gets the memo and walks away with their child in his expert arms.
Arthur barely waits for the door to close to stride toward Merlin and slams him against the wall by his collar. Merlin gasps but Arthur doesn’t let him say anything, he just snogs him until they can’t breath. Their foreheads rest against one’s other, Arthur can help but hold the collar tighter when he feels Merlin’s hands hovers right above his hair and then gently slips in it. « What was that for ? » Merlin’s nose gently push against him.
Arthur could respond in a lot of different way, but he just got the perfect one to make his message clear.
« I’m not going to let Gwaine call me the Virgin Mary. »