Best Arthur/Merlin Fluff Fanfics
The best fluff Arthur/Merlin (Arthur Pendragon/Merlin) fanfiction on AO3, curated by popularity. Pure serotonin - sometimes you just want to see your favorites being happy and in love.
Top Arthur/Merlin Fluff Fic Recs
3 fluff Arthur/Merlin fics matched, followed by other top-rated Arthur/Merlin stories.
The Time to Rise
Fluffby viridianaln9
The side stories for I Will Not Bow. Any side story goes here.
Dream or reality? (A re-write)
Fluffby SnakeDraig
Arthur and Merlin keep having nightmares and bumping into each other on midnight snacks and tasks. Arthur needs to check if he's dreaming.Also, just cute Arthur courting Merlin and general shenanigans
The moon and the sun
Fluffby Fallenmagic
Arthur accepted the little tube, placing it between his lips like Merlin said. “I’m gonna light it for you,” Merlin said, leaning forward. “When it catches, just breathe in.” Arthur nodded, almost going cross-eyed as Merlin flicked the lighter and held it to the end of the tube. It started to smol
The Burden of a Gift
by EvocativeOpulence
A banquet, a drink, and one (un)fortunate mistake. Merlin awakens in Arthur's bed with little memory of the previous night, but with all of the physical reminders.While pretending it never happened works for Arthur, it's less easy for Merlin as he comes to realize that he is carrying more than just
Sunlight
by maryofmossandmoonmilk
In a world in which Arthur told Merlin to leave and never come back after finding out about his magic.A year later Merlin is back and ready to defend Camelot with his magic.....but he's not the same Merlin.
A straight approach to being queer
by SueRose
Rich nepo boy Arthur Pendragon joins his university's queer club. And pretends to be queer, because he needs to write a paper about queer representation. But.... He has not expected this. This being the leader of the club, namely Merlins Emrys, who does not believe a word he says. Will he be able to
Coming of Age
by dance_in_moonlight
Over the winter, Arthur slowly realises he's in love with Merlin - and has to find a way to deal with that next to preparing the yule ball and satisfying his father's expectations.
The Eternity of Life
by DragonTraining101
Merlin attempts to take his own life, but instead sets in motion a series of events the gods did not plan for. The gods are now scrambling to force a new prophecy. Faces from the past and present blur together as Merlin tries to save the world he wanted to leave.
The dying need but little dear
by Memoryloss_yes_again
After a hunt goes sideways, in a true Camelot fashion, Merlin gets stuck in a bedroll. Arthur is drowning in feelings he doesn't dare to say out loud. The knights won’t stop asking questions. And somewhere in the middle of all that, Merlin might be immortal. Overall a pretty normal day in Camelot.
[Reddit] My bestfriend is a vegan cannibal [Night Mode version]
by AchilleUwU
u/Snowbalding on r/AITA: it remind me of that post where some dude thought his best friend wanted to eat his actual meat…u/BigFootsTiddies: What the fuck ? u/Snowbalding : There you go. There is a light mode version if you prefer but I didn't do the light mode version yet for chapter 2
When Hope Withers
by Trialbyname
“𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘳, 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬!” No… he had been in it. “𝘔𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘯? 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵?” He had been in it. He was sure of that. “𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘢, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦.” And he had not been alone. “𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘺�
The Weight of What He Carries
by KillingButterlies88745
When Arthur starts sensing magic, he assumes the worst. After all, magic is evil. Magic destroys kingdoms. Magic killed his mother. At least, that's what he's always been told. But as Merlin helps him investigate the truth behind his strange new ability, Arthur begins to realise that magic, and perh
THE WIZARD BEHIND THE THRONE?
by RitaSkeeter
𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧’𝐬 𝐌𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫,𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐑𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐁𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝𝐬 𝐁𝐲 𝐑𝐢𝐭𝐚 𝐒𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐃𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐭 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 𝟏𝟒 �
Recipe for Disaster
by reclaiming_erebor
“Gwen is dead and to our knowledge, Arthur has no living relations. There is nobody to claim the throne. Not legitimately, at least. That makes Camelot vulnerable to outside attacks from people who want to take the throne. There’s going to be people from within the kingdom fighting amongst themselve
Confessed Love
by Shippeoforever
Merlin is a brilliant but reserved science student who prefers to fly under the radar and stay in the library rather than participate in university social life. In contrast, Arthur Pendragon is the popular quarterback of the football team, the center of attention across campus, and—in the eyes of th
That time Kilgharrah turned himself human
by SillySpaceRock
Merlin hasn’t visited for a while, Kilgharrah decides to visit him.But he needs to go under cover. With cute murther parenting shenanigans, Kigharrah being Merlin’s Uncle and Aithusa being a cutie pie
Once and Future
by ALonerInDisguise
Twitter is a confusing place for Arthur. What is Once and Future and why are people yelling at him about it?
Le chemin vers la rédemption
by Tsubakichansan
Merlin a attendu le retour d'Arthur pendant mille ans, préservant sa jeunesse grâce à ses pouvoirs. Selon la prophétie du Grand Dragon, le Roi devrait revenir au moment où Albion aurait le plus besoin de lui. Alors que Merlin se dirige vers l'ancienne Avalon, il est la cible d'une agression. Arthur,
What is true? I hope it's my love for you?
by KeeperOfDragons
Merlin always worked so terribly hard for his and Arthur’s kingdom, sometimes too hard. Or Merthur Microfic Sickness
Spun Faster and Faster
by Fallenmagic
After they had all died, all left him behind, Merlin had withdrawn from the world, wandering aimlessly alone for years. As the gap of time passed while Merlin sat on the floor, he could feel that pain, that loneliness. The time ticked on. By this point, the sun had set long ago and the moon was ma
Find More Arthur/Merlin Fluff Stories on AO3
Browse the full AO3 archive for fluff Arthur/Merlin fanfiction, sorted by kudos. Then read offline with Fanfict Reader.
Why Fluff Arthur/Merlin Fanfiction Works So Well
Arthur Pendragon/Merlin — King Arthur Pendragon and his loyal servant Merlin, bound by destiny and an unbreakable bond that transcends their roles.
Fluff — Light, happy, feel-good stories focused on sweet moments and happiness.
The devotion between king and servant, combined with magical secrets and legendary status, creates endless romantic possibilities. Pure serotonin - sometimes you just want to see your favorites being happy and in love. That's why fluff Arthur/Merlin fanfiction is one of the most consistently popular combinations on AO3.
More Arthur/Merlin Tropes
Arthur/Merlin · Slow Burn
A romance that develops gradually over time, with tension building across chapters or the entire story.
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Arthur/Merlin · Hurt/Comfort
One character is hurt (physically or emotionally) and another provides comfort and care.
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Arthur/Merlin · Angst
Stories focused on emotional pain, drama, and intense feelings.
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Arthur/Merlin · Mutual Pining
Both characters are in love with each other but believe their feelings are unrequited. Readers can see the truth while characters remain oblivious.
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Arthur/Merlin · Canon Divergence
The story follows canon faithfully up to a chosen moment, then branches: one different decision, one survived death, one secret told early, and everything downstream changes. One of AO3's largest tags, because almost every 'what if' is a divergence.
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Fluff in Other Ships
Love fluff? Explore the same trope in other popular pairings:
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