bunnysworldTitle: Up
Rating: PG
Pairing: Merlin/Arthur
Warnings: none
Word count: 318
Prompt: Bingo Card – Vertigo, Illegal
Summary: Merlin drags Arthur up a tower and Arthur is not too fond of it
Author’s notes: Not beta’d. Yay! What else is new? And I got a Bingo, vertical, 2nd line
Arthur tried not to pant too hard. Those were just stairs and he was fit, but Merlin had dragged him about on this trip and the day had been long and exhausting as it was. Now he had to huff and puff his way up the impossibly long spiral staircase that didn’t want to end.
“Come on, Arthur, the view is beautiful from up here!”
He finally made it all the way up and had to stop and put his hands on his knees. “Stairs…should be…illegal.”
“Oh, come on.” Merlin grinned. “You are the ‘fittest’ and ‘nothing can get you out of breath that easily’.” He tossed the quotes with which he had bragged about his fitness just this morning over breakfast right back at him.
Arthur slowly straightened up. He was still sweating slightly, but he already made plans to make Merlin pay. Preferably by fucking him through the mattress of their hotel once they were back. He would see who was out of breath then.
He turned in time to see Merlin grabbing the balustrade of the tower. “Merlin?”
Merlin just huffed out a breath.
“Merlin, what is it?” In no time Arthur closed the space between them and wrapped his arms around him to steady him.
“Nothing. I’m just…” Slowly Merlin slid down to sit on the ground, his back to the balustrade. “I’ve had this as a kid…”
“Vertigo?” Arthur guessed, but that would be weird, they had been to so many towers and hiked up mountains before and Merlin had never showed these signs.
Closing his eyes, Merlin nodded. “Just let me sit here for a while, it’ll pass.”
Arthur sat next to him. “Take your time.” And maybe, next time before you force me to climb a million stairs, you might remember this moment and just…don’t do it, he thought. But he didn’t say it out loud and just held Merlin’s hand.