Merlin's Favourite (джен)

“Arthur? Gwaine? What are you doing here?” Merlin sounded perplexed, as if he couldn’t quite fathom how they had managed to walk out of the castle on their own.
For several seconds, Arthur was distracted by the bloody entrails Merlin and Lancelot had been waving around like bait. The innards--which now hung limply in their grasps--might have been enough to turn a weaker man’s stomach, but they only gave Arthur a moment’s pause because then it hit him how mortifying this whole situation was. Was he really going to ask Merlin if he preferred Arthur over Gwaine?
Apparently Gwaine didn’t have any such qualms. “We were just wondering which of us is your favourite.”
Merlin stared blankly, a sight that was especially absurd given the blood coating his arms all the way to his rolled-up sleeves. “I'm sorry?”