Work Text:
The little hobbit hole hadn't been made to fit an entire company of dwarves, but they had all squeezed in regardless. Gwaine couldn't help but feel a bit impressed with their host, Merlin Took, who clearly hadn't expected quite so many visitors, but was still doing his best to provide enough for all to eat their fill.
Gwaine would help but Lancelot and Gwen had taken one look at the overwhelmed hobbit and joined him in the kitchen, so Gwaine figured he was free to kick back and enjoy a hot meal and what was the best ale he'd tasted in a good while.
"Look what I found." Percival sat down next to him, grinning and holding a jar of pickled eggs aloft.
"Percival, my friend, you know me too well." Gwaine grabbed at the jar and Percival let him have it, laughing as Gwaine shoved an egg into his mouth and let out an exaggerated groan of pleasure.
A cheer rose up around the table as Merlin, Gwen and Lancelot entered the room, setting more food onto the overburdened table. Merlin made to leave the room but Gwen grabbed onto his sleeve and invited him to sit down with her, while Lancelot filled a plate with food and pushed it in front of him.
"Looks like they've made a friend," Percival said, nudging Gwaine in the side.
Gwaine observed the trio with curiosity. He couldn't help but want to know more about the mysterious 14th member of their company. Merlin had been kind and welcoming, despite them barging in and taking over his dining room, and he didn't look at the dwarves with the mistrust that most people did.
It wasn't until after the food had been eaten and the dishes cleaned and tidied away and everyone was sitting around the fireplace relaxing and puffing on their pipes, that the leader of their company finally announced his arrival with a loud thudding knock. They all followed Merlin and the wizard Iseldir to the foyer. Gwaine dropped to the back of the group, partially hidden behind Percival and Elyan.
"Merlin, I'd like you to meet the leader of our company, Arthur Pendragon." Iseldir said, "Arthur, this is the burglar I mentioned to you."
Arthur entered the room and circled Merlin, looking him up and down, judgement clear in his eyes.
“You must be joking, Iseldir,” he said. “He looks more like a farmer than a burglar.”
The tips of Merlin’s ears went red and he drew himself up to his full, if still lacking, height.
“Funny,” he said. “You act more like a prat than a king.”
Gwaine threw his head back and laughed loudly at the gobsmacked look on Arthur’s face, not caring that it drew Arthur’s scowl towards him.
Gwaine waited till the others were settling down for the night before approaching Merlin. The hobbit was in his bedroom. The door had been left open and he could see Merlin in there, seated at a desk, scribbling something down on a piece of paper.
"What are you writing?" Gwaine asked, and Merlin startled, turning to him.
"Just a letter," he said. "To let my friend know I'm going away. What to do if I don't come back."
"Very high chance you won't," Gwaine said, wandering further into the room and sitting down on the edge of Merlin’s bed. "Practically a suicide mission what with the whole fire breathing dragon."
Merlin frowned. "I'm aware."
"So why are you coming?"
"Why are you?"
Gwaine grinned. "Maybe I just like the look of those odds," he said. Merlin raised an eyebrow at him and he sighed.
"My closest friends are all going," Gwaine admitted. "I tried to talk them out of it and couldn't. So I figured, why not join them?"
Merlin pushed himself away from his desk and sat down next to Gwaine on the bed.
"My mother used to travel when she was young," Merlin told Gwaine. "And somewhere out there she met my father. I know it's stupid but part of me hopes I'll find him."
"I don't think that's stupid," Gwaine said. Merlin smiled up at him and Gwaine found himself hoping that he could give Merlin more reasons to smile at him like that.