Merlin Imagines

Percival x Reader: Distractions

"Y/N," Gwaine tipped his head as you walked past him. "That's a very nice dress you're wearing today. You look very beautiful," You smiled at Gwaine.

"Thank you Gwaine." You replied sweetly. "Would you like to wear it sometime?" Gwaine burst into laughter, along with the rest of the knights.

Save one. You watched out of the corner of your eye as Percival stiffened before going back to hacking at his training dummy. You looked at Gwaine, who was smirking at you. It was working. You had had a crush on Percival for as long as you could remember, and you had no idea if he liked you back. You had confided in Gwaine, who had come up with a plan. You had decided to fake flirt with each other and gauge his reactions. The results were promising, though you felt bad. You walked over to the rack and pulled a bow and arrow, failing to notice Percival's eyes following your figure. You notched an arrow, and took aim. Just before you released the arrow, you felt arms wrap around your waist and lift you up. You shrieked as your arrow flew well over the top of the target.

"Gwaine, put me down!" You smacked at his arms as you shrieked with laughter. A loud crack caught your attention. The two of you turned around. The training dummy Percival had been using was missing an arm, and the knight in question was striding off the field. You turned to look at Gwaine, who was looking at you with a twinkle in his eye.

"You're welcome," He put you down and left in the other direction. You smiled and shook your head as you put your equipment away.

"Hey, Y/N!" You turned as Merlin ran towards you.

"Hi, Merlin," You smiled at him. "What do you need?"

"Gaius and I are working on a project, and I need to grab an artifact from the store room of the castle," He told you. "And if I get caught..."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure no one catches you." You had stumbled upon Merlin's secret when he first came to Camelot, and you had become close friends after the fact. Whenever he had to run a magic-related errand, he asked you to act as his lookout.

"You're the best! Let's meet at the store room in three hours, okay?" You nodded and he left. You finished putting away your things and retired to your chambers.

...

A few hours later you put on your darkest gown and made your way to the store room.

"I should only be a few minutes," Merlin told you. You nodded.

"I'll knock if someone's coming." He nodded and disappeared inside the room. You waited outside, looking down each side of the hall periodically. It was pretty uneventful, but about twenty minutes later, you heard footsteps approaching. You subtly knocked on the door as Percival turned the corner. He looked angry and was walking with heavy footsteps. He was staring at the floor until his eyes landed on the hem of your skirt. He looked up, and as soon as his eyes met yours, he dipped into a bow.

"Your highness," He greeted softly.

"Good evening, Percival," You replied.

"What are you doing at this hour?"

"Oh, just enjoying the change of scenery," You lied effortlessly. He raised an eyebrow. Crap. He's not buying it. You tried to think of another excuse, but you were distracted by aloud crash.

From inside the storage room. Oh God. Percival swiftly but gently moved you away from the door as he unsheathed his sword.

"Stay back," He told you. You were panicking.

"No wait!" You stalled. "I think it came from that way," You pointed in a random direction but he wasn't budging. You were forced to use your last resort. You began to run in the other direction like he had told you, but you fake-fell. You let out a loud shriek of pain. Percival whirled around, the noise in the store room forgotten. He flew to your side and kneeled down, examining your ankle. He gently removed your slipper and held it gingerly in his hand.

"It looks fine to me," He told you. You nodded.

"I guess I fell weird," You admitted sheepishly. He smiled at you, but he was distracted by another crash. Dammit Merlin! He went to stand up, and you knew you wouldn't be able to stop him a second time.

There was one thing left to do.

You grabbed Percival's shoulder, pulled him down to your level, and firmly pressed your lips to his. He stiffened, before wrapping his arms around you and kissing you back hungrily. You wrapped your arms around his neck as he lifted you up and into his arms. You distantly heard the door open and footsteps run in the other direction. When you pulled apart, you were both panting.

"But...what about Gwaine?" He asked uncertainly.

"Don't worry. He's just a friend."

"But you two are always flirting."

"Well...to be honest... we were just doing that to make you jealous. I've liked you forever, but I had no idea if you felt the same or not." He stared at you for a moment, before smiling softly. He pressed his forehead to yours.

"Of course I felt the same. How could I not?"

I wanted to know for sure." He laughed softly.

"How's this for confirmation?" He murmured before quickly claiming your lips again.