dollsome: (MERLIN ● arthur&morgana › first)
dollsome ([personal profile] dollsome) wrote2008-11-09 02:43 pm

Your Mouth Is Lovely (Not That I'm Looking) (Arthur/Morgana)

Title: Your Mouth Is Lovely (Not That I'm Looking)
Pairing: Arthur/Morgana
Word Count: 987
Summary: One of the king's knights has got it bad for Morgana, and Arthur thinks it's hilarious. At first. (For [livejournal.com profile] lalumena's prompt, 'Morgana/Arthur; love letter')
Author's Note: Thisssss was way too much fun.

Also, the notion of tiny!Morgana inflicting physical harm upon tiny!Arthur was put into my brain by the wonderful works of [livejournal.com profile] doylefan22, and has become irresistibly canon to me. :D


--

One of his father’s knights has fallen madly in love with Morgana. Arthur thinks it’s the stupidest idea he’s ever heard of. To be turned into a stuttering fool, to stare with such raptness, to lose one’s appetite and toss and turn instead of sleeping, all for the sake of Morgana!

It’s lunacy, and he tells her so. She doesn’t say anything angry back, which is the truly annoying thing. Just says, in tones all airy and even, that she’s flattered by the attention. That it’s sweet.

He wonders if she likes it.

That would just be …

Well, it’s not like he cares or anything. It’s just that it’s a pain, being surrounded by people who’re acting so dumb. (Over Morgana.)

And yeah, okay, so she’s gotten quite … decent to look at. Arthur hadn’t really noticed at first. When he thinks of Morgana, he thinks of the mad little girl who stole his toy sword and walloped him over the head with it. He’d liked her because she wasn’t stupid about stuff the way most girls were. Then she’d gotten stupid about stuff, a little, but she was still Morgana. It’s just that most of the smacking around has turned verbal instead of physical.

Secretly, he’s always been glad about that part. It definitely wasn’t right, having a prince get beaten up by a girl.

Not that he couldn’t have taken her. He was just being a gentleman.

But now they’re both fifteen, and he realizes that it probably won’t be long now before she’s off and married to someone. Not to Sir Lathrop, obviously. Sir Lathrop’s an idiot. Morgana would never settle for an idiot.

But to someone.

He’s not sure he likes that.

For the poor husband’s sake, that is.

Still, one day he’s walking with her through the corridor after supper, and he sees that she’s got something in her hand. Parchment. With writing on it. Oh, God, it’s a letter. And there’s little doubt of who it’ll be from.

Arthur snatches it. Morgana seems like she’s going to put up a fight for a minute, but once he’s unfolded it, she resigns herself to her fate. She stands there looking every bit the elegant lady, but her eyes are burning with fury. It’d be a lie to say he didn’t enjoy that.

“‘Milady,’” he begins in a grand, ridiculous voice. The words bounce off the stone walls. “‘I have tried to suffer in silence, but no longer can I contain my feelings. I know I am only a humble knight’ – yeah, a humble jackass more like—”

“Oh, you’re one to talk,” Morgana snaps, her resolve melting as she makes a grab for the letter. He lifts it easily out of her reach.

“—‘but I must strive to tell you what I feel. My every thought is of your grace and beauty. Your hair—’ Oh, this is too good, ‘—your hair is like the blackest of midnight skies, a sky in which I yearn to drown.’ Drown in the sky. Right. He’s a regular poet, isn’t he? Forget knighthood, we’ve clearly got the next royal bard on our hands. ‘Your eyes are bright as diamonds. I long for their sparkle to fall upon me.’ Ha! Be careful looking at him next time he’s around, Morgana. You might sparkle him to death with your beauty. ‘Your lips...’ Your lips?” His stomach does a weird twisting thing that he doesn’t think can be blamed on supper. He stares down at the sentence, which likens her lips to ripe fruit. And roses. Suddenly, it’s stopped being funny. “Morgana, this is unacceptable.”

“I doubt that,” Morgana replies, sounding not the least bit concerned. “The man’s too shy to speak to me without stammering.”

“Yeah, but – Morgana, come on.” He can’t believe she’s being so calm about this. Is she completely mad? Does she want to get herself ravished or something? “It’s inappropriate.”

“It’s sweet,” Morgana says. She has the nerve to look at him like he’s the one being crazy. “It’s nothing to worry about.”

“I’m going to have to talk to him about this,” Arthur declares, more to himself than to her. It seems really important. He’d planned on a hunt tomorrow, but giving Sir Lathrop a talk about how he’s to address the king’s ward suddenly threatens to take priority. “Get him to knock it off.”

“Arthur, don’t be stupid—”

“Morgana,” he says, frustrated, wanting to grab her shoulders and shake some sense into her, “your lips.”

“What about them?” she demands.

He stares down at her. At her lips. Which are … red. And parted, revealing glimpses of pearly teeth. The stupid comparisons – ripe fruit, roses, all that rubbish – suddenly seem disturbingly understandable.

It’s hard to think about lips without thinking about kissing, even if the lips in question are Morgana’s. That, that’s just … nature. It’s inevitable.

It’s—

It’s Morgana, for God’s sake.

“I don’t see what the lunkhead’s going on about,” he says, tearing his eyes away from her. He throws in a scornful laugh for good measure.

“Fortunately, they’re none of your concern,” she replies crisply. She doesn’t seem unsettled. He wishes she did. It’s just like her, to be completely annoying about something like this. She reaches over and slips the letter out of his hand. Her fingertips graze his skin for a second as she does it. “I’ll just take that, thank you.”

She turns, graceful as anything, and walks away. Her pace is unhurried – languid, almost. He’s preoccupied by the side-to-side sway of her hips, thinks in a muddled, accidental way that there, there’s something you could drown in, forget the midnight sky—

Oh, this is so not the thing to be thinking. Ever, in fact.

“You shouldn’t encourage him!” he calls after her.

“Goodnight, Arthur!” She doesn’t bother to turn around.

He watches her walk away until he realizes he’s doing it.


[identity profile] lovestories.livejournal.com 2008-11-09 08:58 pm (UTC)(link)
DAMN YOU, YOU HAVE MADE ME SHIP ARTHUR/MORGANA. The bickering! And the getting beat up by tiny&adorable!Morgana! WIN.

[identity profile] dollsome.livejournal.com 2008-11-09 09:01 pm (UTC)(link)
You know what, on this show, I think everyone should just ship everybody with everybody. It makes everything so joyous and cracky and delicious!!

Thank you for reading, and for having a momentary crisis of shipping. :D

[identity profile] vega-ofthe-lyre.livejournal.com 2008-11-09 09:09 pm (UTC)(link)
Secretly, he’s always been glad about that part. It definitely wasn’t right, having a prince get beaten up by a girl.

!!!!

!!!!

This was amazing!

And you included sparkling! (Almost as good as ~*dazzling*~!)

And I clearly need moar nowwwwww. FANTASTIC JOB.

[identity profile] dollsome.livejournal.com 2008-11-11 02:48 am (UTC)(link)
I CAN'T RESIST THE SPARKLING! I am much like Bella Swan in that way. (Except, um, not. I hope?)

Thank youuuuu, buddy! ♥
ext_41053: (merlin. a&m. arthur and morgana.)

[identity profile] snowfire.livejournal.com 2008-11-09 09:13 pm (UTC)(link)
FLAIL. YES. I loved this, even if I don't wantttt to love them this much. His indignancy about the letter! And THIS:

And yeah, okay, so she’s gotten quite … decent to look at. Arthur hadn’t really noticed at first. When he thinks of Morgana, he thinks of the mad little girl who stole his toy sword and clonked him over the head with it. He’d liked her because she wasn’t stupid about stuff the way most girls were. Then she’d gotten stupid about stuff, a little, but she was still Morgana. It’s just that most of the smacking around has turned verbal instead of physical.

Secretly, he’s always been glad about that part. It definitely wasn’t right, having a prince get beaten up by a girl.

Not that he couldn’t have taken her. He was just being a gentleman.


Words cannot describe how much I love this.

[identity profile] dollsome.livejournal.com 2008-11-11 02:49 am (UTC)(link)
:D :D :D Thank you so much!!

YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO LOVE THEM THIS MUCH. YOU KNOW YOU DO. YOU JUST KNOW. (I am so ~persuasive!~)

[identity profile] shantirosa.livejournal.com 2008-11-09 09:22 pm (UTC)(link)
eeeeeee

(That would be the sound of me squeaking with joy.)

This is their dynamic! You've got it down PERFECTLY: how Arthur is a clueless prat even about his own jealousy, and how Morgana has him wrapped around her finger, and how silly and snarky they are with each other and just, yay. <333 Lovely Arthur/Morgana makes me happy.

[identity profile] dollsome.livejournal.com 2008-11-11 02:50 am (UTC)(link)
:D Thank you so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

[identity profile] doylefan22.livejournal.com 2008-11-09 09:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Well if I can help in even a tiny way to inspire great stuff like this then I'm very glad indeed!

I loved this. You had their banter down perfectly and Arthur's reluctance to like her is very much him. He so doesn't want to like her but he just can't help himself. :D

I would try to give some more constructive feedback but it's getting on for one 1am and I should be sleeping so I'll just finish with 'yay! write more!'

[identity profile] dollsome.livejournal.com 2008-11-11 02:51 am (UTC)(link)
:D :D Thank you very much!! (And, necessary sidenote: I've been enjoying your fics so much! Oh, you bring much joy to my Arthur/Morgana-shippin' heart.)

[identity profile] biggrstaffbunch.livejournal.com 2008-11-09 09:35 pm (UTC)(link)
WAIT. YOU EVIL.

YOU EVIL EVIL.

YOU EVIL PERSON.

HAVE YOU GOTTEN ME INTO ANOTHER BRITISH SHOW THAT IS UNACCEPTABLY AWESOME?! HAVE I LEARNED NOTHING FROM MY UNREQUITED YEARNING FOR RICHARD ARMITAGE? YOU MAKE PEOPLE YEARN FOR WEIRD THINGS.

LIKE ARTHUR/MORGANA.

[identity profile] dollsome.livejournal.com 2008-11-11 02:51 am (UTC)(link)
DO IT, DO IT, DO IT, DOOOOOO IT. DO IT AND NEVER LOOK BACK, IT IS SO WORTH IT, DO IT.

[identity profile] falseeeyelashes.livejournal.com 2008-11-09 10:00 pm (UTC)(link)
OH YOU.

You write bickering and bantering like no other, my friend. This is so, so great.

He’s preoccupied by the side-to-side sway of her hips, thinks in a muddled, accidental way that there, there’s something you could drown in, forget the midnight sky—

LOVE IT. Well done, you!

[identity profile] dollsome.livejournal.com 2008-11-11 02:52 am (UTC)(link)
:D :D Thank youuuuu! By God, I do love me some banter.

[identity profile] sophieisgod.livejournal.com 2008-11-09 10:04 pm (UTC)(link)
OHHH, YOU. OHHH, THESE TWO. Banter! Delicious, snarky banter with frustrated!Arthur and everything!

Dammit, show, damn you and your enticing poly-shippable ways.

[identity profile] dollsome.livejournal.com 2008-11-11 02:52 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you!! :D

And I am inclined to suspect it is the polyshippable...est show in the history of EVER AND ALWAYS.

[identity profile] lalumena.livejournal.com 2008-11-09 10:05 pm (UTC)(link)
I SECOND [livejournal.com profile] shizuka_blooms. :D And the love-letter being a combo of Austen and Meyer was a crazy kind of awesome. I literally laughed out loud.

Does she want to get herself ravished or something?
Hee! I liked the way you wrote Arthur and Morgana, and there was a nice balance between silliness, combativeness and Oncoming Feelings.

[identity profile] dollsome.livejournal.com 2008-11-11 02:53 am (UTC)(link)
Bwahaha, I was like, 'Huh. Love letter. Right.' And immediately, my brain was like, 'MR. DARCY.' And I was like, 'Okay. Whatever. I'm not gonna fight the impulse.' But then I realized it probably shouldn't sound like Austen. ENTER MEYER.

It was all very meaningful and creative.

Thank youuu muchly, I'm glad you enjoyed! :D

(no subject)

[identity profile] lalumena.livejournal.com - 2008-11-16 07:45 (UTC) - Expand

[identity profile] fauxkaren.livejournal.com 2008-11-09 10:06 pm (UTC)(link)
Ahaha! I think you did a great job of capturing how these two interact. I love them so. I hope you write more about these two! :D

[identity profile] dollsome.livejournal.com 2008-11-11 02:54 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you very much! :D I had so much fun writing them. I think I just might have to again at some point in the (near?) future!

[identity profile] voicelikehoney.livejournal.com 2008-11-10 01:47 am (UTC)(link)
That. was. Perfect. You completely have their voices down to a tee - it's like reading a scene directly from the show! Loved it.

And I need Merlin iconage, demmit.

[identity profile] dollsome.livejournal.com 2008-11-11 02:54 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you so much!

And, dude, my userpics are being CONSUMED BY MERLIN. It would be scary if it wasn't so awesome.

[identity profile] crimson-riddler.livejournal.com 2008-11-10 05:30 am (UTC)(link)
Very nice. You really captured Arthur's reluctance to think of her in that way, and also his momentary blank: OMG HER LIPS ARE GORGEOUS - but in a slightly more articulate and elegant form. ;)

[identity profile] dollsome.livejournal.com 2008-11-11 02:55 am (UTC)(link)
:D Thank you very much!! I had a lot of fun writing Arthur here. Oh, silly boy.

[identity profile] gnimaerd.livejournal.com 2008-11-10 07:07 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, this was hilarious and lovely and SO in character, I could COMPLETELY see it happening on the show (if we ever get some kind of flashback - which we SO NEED).

My one quibble would be that I really don't think that Arthur would use the word 'Jackass'. That's an Americanism which isn't common even in modern Britian, let alone our historically ambiguous Camelot.

Other than that, I loved every word of this. Great work! ^_^

[identity profile] dollsome.livejournal.com 2008-11-11 02:56 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you so much!! (Dude, flashbacks would be AWESOME.)

And thank you for the little note! I am tragically, hopelessly American. One day I will get the Britspeak down! (Or, well, a girl can dream.)

[identity profile] girl-called-sun.livejournal.com 2008-11-10 12:36 pm (UTC)(link)
This is wonderful, the dynamic and the banter are perfect.

[identity profile] dollsome.livejournal.com 2008-11-11 02:57 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you! :D

[identity profile] radiotardislive.livejournal.com 2008-11-10 03:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Yay for tiny!Morgana and tiny!Arthur beating the hell out of each other. We need more fic like this :D

Love how he's jealous without realising it. Typical Arthur.

[identity profile] dollsome.livejournal.com 2008-11-11 02:57 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you so much! :D And, dude, I think there should be a whole damn chronicle of tiny!Morgana and tiny!Arthur beating the hell out of each other. It's just That Great a notion!

[identity profile] themirrorofsin.livejournal.com 2008-11-10 03:32 pm (UTC)(link)
teheehee oh it was love <3 Arthur's self arguments were great xD

[identity profile] drjenny88.livejournal.com 2008-11-10 05:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Haha, this worked really well :) I always think of them as more siblings that romantic interests, but for some reason you managed to get me seeing it a little here.

I especially loved Arthur reading out the letter - that's something the Arthur from episode 1 would have done, and you wrote it brilliantly.

[identity profile] dollsome.livejournal.com 2008-11-11 02:59 am (UTC)(link)
:D Thank you very much!! And oh, man, I ship them so bad. I still worry that the show might be all, 'Gotcha! THEY'RE SECRETLY SIBLINGS,' and I will have to ... feel bad, because even that won't be enough to get me to stop shipping them. It's dangerous business.

(no subject)

[identity profile] drjenny88.livejournal.com - 2008-11-11 10:02 (UTC) - Expand

[identity profile] makesometime.livejournal.com 2008-11-11 03:35 am (UTC)(link)
Eee! I love them! And I love this!

Great stuff :D

[identity profile] dollsome.livejournal.com 2008-11-11 03:44 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you! :D

[identity profile] wolkendunst.livejournal.com 2008-11-11 04:54 pm (UTC)(link)
What a lovely story!

I especially liked this passage: When he thinks of Morgana, he thinks of the mad little girl who stole his toy sword and walloped him over the head with it. [...] It definitely wasn’t right, having a prince get beaten up by a girl.

[identity profile] dollsome.livejournal.com 2008-11-11 07:38 pm (UTC)(link)
Aw, thank you very much! :D
ext_7867: (Merlin - wie Geschwister)

[identity profile] lenija.livejournal.com 2008-11-12 09:38 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, I love it! That's so absolutely them.
(And I really don't usually ship Arthur/Morgana at all, but when I saw your name I remembered another of your fics that I really liked, and I had to take a look. Glad I did. :))

[identity profile] dollsome.livejournal.com 2008-11-14 01:22 am (UTC)(link)
:D Thank you very much!! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[identity profile] feministyogini.livejournal.com 2008-11-14 01:14 am (UTC)(link)
Okay, I'm bookmarking this to revisit later but how did I not know you were venturing into Merlin territory? I'm going to friend you, if that's okay, because I don't want to miss your fic postings.

[identity profile] dollsome.livejournal.com 2008-11-14 01:22 am (UTC)(link)
It's sort of a recent development! Just over the past few weeks, Merlin has conquered my fannish attention and userpics. :D And I miiiiight just have to bust out more Arthur/Morgana in the future.

Friend away! :)
ext_31773: (merlin | otp)

[identity profile] ever-obsessed.livejournal.com 2008-12-24 09:24 pm (UTC)(link)
WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE MY PURE JOY AT THIS FIC so I will stand here and flail at it in impossible Arthur/Morgan(a) joy because, oh, there's so much heavy imagery and symbolism and meaning and OMGANGST and this show has given me a hint of a happier, not quite so completely doomed ship and I didn't realize how much my inner Arthur/Morgana fangirl needed happy and THIS BE MY CANON FROM NOW ON.

Because between this: When he thinks of Morgana, he thinks of the mad little girl who stole his toy sword and walloped him over the head with it.

And this: He’s preoccupied by the side-to-side sway of her hips, thinks in a muddled, accidental way that there, there’s something you could drown in, forget the midnight sky—

This is completely perfect, their history from before their current state and how aware of her he is now without even realizing it and the undertones in that second line especially and beyond how perfect it is, your imagery is just fantastic and works and, oh, my ship, how I love thee and how I love this fic, and am reccing it, thanks so much for sharing it, :D

*loves it so very much*

[identity profile] dollsome.livejournal.com 2008-12-24 10:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh my gosh, thank you muchly! :D Guh, I love these two, and I really liked that in addition to the pretty and the impending angst, we got to see some humour and childishness in their relationship as well. Their bickering match at the end of episode two will always bring me far too much joy!
ext_35071: (arthur & morgana - a remedy for all ills)

[identity profile] shardsofblu.livejournal.com 2009-01-01 09:59 am (UTC)(link)
Perfect x10000. Arthur couldn't have been obvious, and I love him so tripping over himself trying to mock poor Sir Lathrop.

[identity profile] dollsome.livejournal.com 2009-01-01 10:00 am (UTC)(link)
:D :D Thank you! That Arthur -- what are we to do with him?

[identity profile] captanddeastar.livejournal.com 2009-01-30 09:53 pm (UTC)(link)
This is utterly super adorable, and of course even at fifteen, Morgana was turning full-grown knights into stammering idiots - how could it be any other way?

Thank you for sharing!

[identity profile] sweetumms33.livejournal.com 2009-03-10 03:19 am (UTC)(link)
This is soooo adorable! Very in character, Arthur is such a teenage boy!

[identity profile] dollsome.livejournal.com 2009-03-10 03:20 am (UTC)(link)
:D Thank you very much!

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