redkay
Fandoms
- Shameless (US) (11)
- Merlin (TV) (6)
- 9-1-1 (TV) (1)
Recent works
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Summary
Arthur was having a terrible day.
Merlin had been late (a phenomenon so common it hardly bore remarking upon) and had nicked all of Arthur’s sweetmeats, training was called off due to a light drizzle his knights insisted on calling a thunderstorm, Merlin dropped half of Arthur’s armor on his foot, and now there was apparently a murderer in the castle.
And, what’s worse, Merlin had disappeared and hadn’t been seen in hours.
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He tries to tell himself its fear of the magic, of the thinning veil between the worlds, of the possibility that his servant has been enchanted by whatever foul witchcraft is happening here. But he finds he cannot lie to himself in this place, on this night, and as he looks at Merlin he doesn’t see the glassy-eyed, empty expression men wear when they’ve been enchanted. Instead, his eyes are bright with wonder and a pure joy; the same face he’d worn that morning in the great hall, and the first time he saw Camelot in the snow, and when they’d seen that (blasted) unicorn.
And Arthur knows, deep in his belly, that what he truly fears is that this isn’t foul witchcraft at all, but that Merlin may belong here more than he ever has with Arthur.
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“Get out of my sight, and don’t come back until you can prove to me why I should allow you to remain in my service.”
Merlin stares at Arthur, confused. His tone was ominous, and it certainly sounded like a threat, but Merlin can’t quite work out what part is supposed to have him shaking in his boots. He’s halfway back to Gauis’ chambers when it dawns on him: Arthur actually thinks this stupid, degrading job is something he would be willing to fight for - as though Merlin’s life wouldn’t be complete without the honor of scrubbing the sheets Arthur manages to soil on a disturbingly regular basis.
In which it takes Merlin a bit longer to warm up to Arthur than it does in canon, but he gets there in the end.
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“How are you feeling?” Buck asks for the seventh time since he sat down.
“Fine,” Eddie answers honestly. He thinks he’s getting better at being shot; like it’s a skill that improves with practice.
“Really, Eddie?” Buck says, his voice caught somewhere between amused and annoyed, and Eddie realizes he might have said that out loud.
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In the event (oh, alright then, the inevitability) of his death at the hands of this monster, the chances of Merlin returning to Camelot to deliver news of any sort are quite slim, which Arthur finds both galling (the idea of Merlin being cold and lifeless is surprisingly unpleasant) and a little comforting (he’s not entirely sure a servant will be assigned to him in the afterlife, so bringing one along seems rather forward-thinking of him, a trait Arthur has rarely been accused of in life)
Recent bookmarks
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Summary
Everyone insisted that Arthur needed time to process, to accept that Merlin was gone. The only problem was that Merlin wasn’t.
Arthur didn’t know how to explain it without sounding like Uther when he’d seen Ygraine in the well, like he was losing his mind and looking for ghosts. He didn’t know how to look at his court and make them understand that Merlin had once told him about nature, about the sacred connectedness of the earth, and asked Arthur if he felt it. He didn’t know how to say that he hadn’t felt it back then, but that he did now. He felt it all. He felt Merlin in it.
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Merlin saves Arthur's life at Camlann at the cost of his own. Merlin can't die, so it's not that simple.
Bookmarked by redkay
26 Jul 2026
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Summary
They still fought, but now they said what they meant, and that tended to make fights short and intense. They fought in bright bursts of flame unlike the simmering embers of resentment that were practically Camelot’s status quo.
Merlin still sometimes forgot that he could tell Arthur about magical issues, and that the weight of the world did not rest on his shoulders alone. Arthur still sometimes forgot that Merlin could take care of and think for himself. Both of these casual forgettings were done with the desire to protect, and it was difficult for either of them to stay mad at that.
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in a universe where Arthur survived Camlann, he and Merlin discover the joys of honesty.
Bookmarked by redkay
26 Jul 2026
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Summary
Merlin, when he casts a spell in front of Arthur and the knights, might panic slightly. As in, he convinces Arthur that he definitely, no way, was aware that he could do magic. Arthur, being the kind and wise king he is, tries to help his idiot manservant figure out his new powers.
The Knights of The Round Table are mostly there to see what kind of cool things Merlin can do.
Bookmarked by redkay
26 Jul 2026
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Lost and caught in a sudden snow storm, all Arthur can think about is keeping Merlin safe and warm. With no way to start a fire, things aren't looking good. If only Merlin would trust Arthur enough to use his magic. If only Merlin could stay awake.
Bookmarked by redkay
01 Aug 2025
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Summary
They’re fifteen the first time Patrick asks Art if he’s fucked anyone, and Art looks at him, and scoffs, and says, “You know nobody looks at me like that when we’re here.”
Patrick doesn’t think that’s true, but he can’t figure out a way to shape his mouth around that whilst also holding onto the smile that’s almost-permanent when he’s looking at Art.
Instead, he says, “I mean, doesn’t have to be a tennis girl.”
Art gives him that look he gets sometimes, like he’s exasperated and hopelessly endeared at once. Like Patrick has said something completely incomprehensible, but Art can’t help but stay and talk to him anyway.
“Who else would I do that with?” Art asks.
Patrick has nothing to say.
That’s the thing about Patrick Zweig. All he does is want. He doesn’t know how to stop.
—patrick zweig, on desperately wanting someone to look back at you, even if you have to drive them away to do it
Series
- Part 6 of the personhood files
Bookmarked by redkay
13 Jan 2025
Bookmarker's Notes
The Tashi in his head berates his play, his work ethic, his commitment to the sport they all ostensibly love, and the Art in his head is forever on the cusp of nineteen, with sunlight streaming through his hair. He never opens his mouth. Patrick can’t decide if that’s his head’s gift or punishment
Perfection from start to finish