Merlin Imagines

Merlin x Chubby!Reader: Beautiful

"Did you hear what happened in the training grounds today?" Gwen asked you as you both scrubbed laundry by the fountain.

"No," You replied, looking up. "What happened?"

"Gaius has a new assistant, and the first thing he did was pick a fight with Prince Arthur." You dropped the tunic you were washing as your burst into laughter.

"That is the best thing I've ever heard!" You crowed. Gwen looked at you like you grew a second head.

"You shouldn't joke about this, Y/N!"

"Why not? It's about time someone put the prince in his place." You picked up your tunic and began scrubbing at it again. "I'd love to meet the guy who took Prince Arthur down a notch."

"You're in luck then; I can introduce you if you want." Gwen said. Before you answer, she was waving at someone behind you. "Hey, Merlin!" You turned around to see a boy with dark hair and a blue shirt walking towards you. "Merlin, this is Y/N. For reasons I can't understand, she thinks what you did with Arthur was hilarious. You two should get along just fine." You offered your hand, and Merlin shook it.

"Nice to meet you, Merlin."

"You too."

And thus began a beautiful friendship.

...

You were folding laundry in Arthur's room when Merlin came barrelling in and dove under the bed.

Arthur came in seconds after Merlin's feet vanished under the bed. "Where is he?" Arthur demanded. "I saw him come in here!" You balked as you tried to come up with an answer, but luckily you didn't have to. The door to Arthur's chamber slammed shut seemingly by itself. Arthur spun around and ran towards the door. He wrenched it open and took off down the hallway, yelling for Merlin. You laughed to yourself as you resumed folding laundry. Merlin pulled himself out from under the bed with a grunt.

"One of these days, you're going to run out of luck, Merlin." He sat down on the bed, watching as you worked.

"You're probably right, but I don't have to worry about that right now." You shook your head in exasperation, but a smile pulled at your lips. You picked up your pile of folded laundry and carried it over to the armoire. After putting the laundry away, you glanced out the window overlooking the courtyard.

"You better find somewhere else to hide; he's coming back up." You commented as Arthur all but stomped up the stairs.

"See?" Merlin said from right behind you, causing you to jump. "Who needs luck when I have you?" You rolled your eyes. Merlin kissed your cheek and took off running. You remained frozen in spot, raising a dazed hand to your cheek.

"Why don't you tell him?" You jumped again as Gwen strode in. You had to stop yourself from curtseying to your friend or else you'd be scolded.

"Tell who what?" You replied innocently. Gwen rolled her eyes.

"Please; it's obvious you like Merlin. Why don't you just tell him?" Your shoulders slumped.

"I have no idea how he feels about me." You answered honestly. "I don't want to ruin our friendship for something that might happen. And besides," You gestured to yourself. "I'm not exactly the ideal woman." Gwen sighed.

"Y/N. Don't start with this again." She put her hands on her hips.

"It's true though. I'm not what men look for. I think I'm beautiful, but it took me a long time to honestly believe that, and I know others don't think I'm pretty. Why would I take that risk?"