Hypotheticals

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Fanfiction
Title: Hypotheticals
Author(s): platonic_boner
Date(s): 2018-11-24
Length: 974 words
Genre: Slash
Fandom: Merlin (TV series)
External Links: Read on Ao3

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Hypotheticals is a Merthur fic by Platonic_Boner, in which a conversation between the two about someone having paid Merlin to kill Arthur culminates in their first kiss. It is tagged with Fluff and Canon Era.

Author's Summary

In which Arthur tries to teach Merlin that the word "hypothetical" does not mean what Merlin thinks it means.

Reception

As of February 2021, the work had 350+ bookmarks, and over 10,000 hits. Many of the comments on the fic praised the humourous tone and the well-crafted dialogue.

Reactions and Reviews

This is the BEST THING EVER!!! THE. BEST. THING. EVER!!!! HOW CAN SOMETHING SO SHORT IS SO FULFILLING!!!? I LOVE IT SOOO MUCH!!!

No one can pay Merlin to kill Arthur... And Arthur teased Merlin at the end... Just... ABSOLUTELY GREAT!!!

[1]

Cute cute cute cute cute I love how nonchalant Merlin is and how suave Arthur is, this made me smile so much! [2]

Forgive me for going a bit Writing Dork on a fic that's less than 1000 words, but what you've done here with the word "hypothetical" and the concept of assassination/bribery, the teasing-to-tenderness-to-teasing-to-tenderness ping-ponging that feels so perfectly them, to how all of the above weaves together for that ending? It's just so well done. Perfectly constructed. I'm not sure I'm making any sense, but this kind of microcosmic themes and weaving together rhyming patterns (not literally rhyming, of course, but how "these people tried bribing me to assassinate you" becomes "you're trying to bribe me not to assassinate you" becomes "I'm definitely going to assassinate you because of your lack of concern over the possibility of me assassinating you" etc.—and I could point out the rhyming pattern of the definition of hypothetical too) is exactly what I'm always looking for opportunities to do in my writing, and you do it here so naturally. It's just so, so well done. And everything they said and did made me so happy. ♥ ♥ ♥ [3]

Related Fanworks

References