Call My Name: Winter
Title: Call My Name
Part: 2: Winter ("Autumn" can be found here)
Fandom: Merlin
Characters/Pairings: Arthur/Merlin, cameo from Gaius in this part
Rating: R for a non-explicit sex scene
Summary: Autumn has moved into winter. How are Merlin and Arthur dealing with the cold?
Spoilers: None
You just call out my name
And you know, wherever I am
I'll come running to see you again
Winter, spring, summer, or fall
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there
You've got a friend
"Merlin, what are you doing?"
Merlin turned his head, face a mask of childish excitement, to regard Gaius. Maybe he did look a bit ridiculous, balanced somewhat precariously on a stool to get a decent look out of the physician's window. But it was worth it.
"It's snowing, Gaius!"
The old man rolled his eyes and shook his head, moving away and turning his attention to breakfast. "Did it not snow in your village?"
"Oh, yes. But..." Merlin did not have the words to explain the difference, just gestured at the window, at the sight beyond. Camelot, completely covered in a thick blanket of snow, the same as the forests beyond the walls. He had never experienced views like this back in his old village, never seen anything so splendid made so beautiful.
"Get down off that stool before you break your neck and come and eat. If Arthur's insistent on taking you hunting, you're going to need sustenance. It's cold out there."
With a sigh, Merlin did he was told, face falling slightly before he quickly regained his composure. He had been looking forward to the prince's 'hunting trip' ever since he had mentioned it, and he hoped the snow would not cause problems. It had been strenuous enough for Arthur to persuade his father and the royal guards that he did not need extra protection to take a bow and arrow into the woods.
The young warlock bolted down his bowl of porridge as quickly as he felt he could without making himself ill, or Gaius unduly suspicious, and then he was on his feet and heading towards the door.
"Merlin?" Gaius stilled him with the call of his name. "You need to dress warmer than that if you're going outside."
Merlin sighed, exasperated, looking himself up and down. He was dressed in his normal trousers, shirt, scarf and jacket, and did not see anything wrong with that. More importantly, he did not have that much more.
"Here," Gaius was one step ahead, already passing him an old, musty-smelling cloak that Merlin had seen hanging on the wall every day since he had arrived in Camelot, and had never seen used. He was not all that sure he was grateful for the gift. Still, he shrugged his thanks and tossed it over his shoulders, fastening the clasp over his throat.
"May I go now?" He questioned, a hint of sarcasm in his tone of voice and rise of his eyebrows.
"Alright, go." Gaius laughed, waving a hand in Merlin's direction by way of dismissing his ward.
Smiling, Merlin turned tail and dashed from the room. He unfastened the cloak again, as soon as he was out of sight down the steps, tucking it under his arm and walking on swift legs to Arthur's chambers. At the doors he nodded to the guards on duty, before knocking loudly. He could get away with just walking in, he knew that, but he had to keep up appearances by acting the dutiful manservant. And as such, he made sure he waited for the prince's bellow before stepping through the door and into the warm chambers beyond.
A fire was already crackling in Arthur's hearth, and the prince himself was stood in front of the flames, warming himself. He looked as beautiful as ever, Merlin found himself thinking, and like so many times before his heart practically skipped a beat when those eyes looked up to meet his. It was enough to make him want to throw himself straight into those arms, wrap himself up in his lover and kiss him forever, and his heart glowed to see the same thoughts reflected in Arthur's eyes. Sometimes, that was exactly what happened, but today Merlin was greeted by a small and silent headshake.
Merlin nodded back, motion just as small and just as silent, to show he understood. They were not safe. And sure enough, moments later a servant came bustling through one of the archways connecting the various rooms of Arthur's chambers, fur-lined cloak in hand.
"Here you are, Sire. This should keep you warm out there in the snow, though... maybe you should reconsider a hunting trip today? That snow is thick."
"It is not your job to tell me to reconsider my plans. You'd do well to watch your tongue," Arthur retorted, letting himself be dressed in the cloak. "And the weather is perfect for hunting. Snow makes tracking a lot easier, and the animals are a lot more visible."
"Apologies, Sire," the servant ducked his head, suitably chastised. He finished fastening the prince's cloak, before turning and walking to the door. Merlin could not help but offer him a reassuring smile as he passed - it was not so long since Arthur had used the same tongue when speaking to him, after all. And then, they were alone.
Merlin found himself in those strong arms before he could blink, royal lips and tongue teasing at his own as Arthur kissed him tenderly. Dropping Gaius's dirty old cloak, Merlin let his arms wrap loosely around Arthur's neck, losing himself to returning the prince's affections, their movements well-practiced by now. It had been a couple of months, since those first awkward kisses in these same chambers, Arthur covered in mud after a wet training session. Their relationship had bloomed, and done so quickly, the prince and his manservant finding any and every excuse possible to find time alone together, away from prying eyes and gossiping tongues. This hunting trip was just the latest in a whole line of plans to get them some time alone together. Hunting was, in all honesty, at the very back of both of their minds.
"Ready?" Arthur questioned, once he had let himself pull away from his lover.
"Definitely," Merlin replied, goofy grin splitting his face from ear to ear.
Arthur took a couple of deep breaths to ground himself, made himself remember the face he had to put on when he and Merlin had to grace the people of Camelot, and then nodded. "Come on, then."
Merlin followed without argument, leaving his cloak crumpled and forgotten on the floor of Arthur's chambers.
***
After an hour on horseback, picking his way through the snowy forest after Arthur, Merlin was remembering that cloak most acutely. He was aching with cold, and had long since lost feeling in his fingertips. That in turn was making him moody, and he could not help but grumble at Arthur, riding at his side, that he had not expected them to actually go hunting.
Arthur laughed, reached across the gap between their horses to squeeze Merlin's knee, and pointed out that as the future king, he had a reputation to uphold. If he came back from a hunting trip, fake or not, he had to show that he had caught something. Especially considering the battle he had had to endure with his father, his knights, and even the damned weather taking objection to his plans. Merlin just huffed and mumbled something under his breath. Arthur would not have understood him, even if he had heard the words, but Merlin's hands were suddenly a whole lot warmer.
Another half hour of hopeless traipsing finally brought them across tracks in the snow. Arthur jumped from his horse to examine them, crouching down in the snow to inspect the shape of the indentations. "Deer," he declared after a moment's consideration, getting up and swinging himself back into his saddle. "Come on, the sooner we kill it, the sooner we can have fun." The wiggle of Arthur's eyebrows that accompanied the word 'fun' sent a shiver of apprehension right up Merlin's spine.
They followed the tracks for several minutes, until Arthur declared that they were getting close. How he could tell, Merlin had no idea, but he did not raise the question. Arthur was raised learning to do things like this, he most likely knew what he was doing.
"Stay here, with the horses," the prince commanded, swinging out of his saddle for the second time that trip. Merlin followed suit, and held the reins of the two animals tight in his fist as Arthur collected his bow and arrows, stringing the first shaft into place. "Don't follow until I call you," he added, before stalking off through the trees in pursuit of the tracks.
His call came quickly and Merlin, who had in the meantime resorted to yet more magic to keep himself from freezing, quickly moved to follow the sound, leading the horses after him. Arthur was not far ahead at all, and soon came into view in a clearing, standing over the fallen form of a doe.
"Help me lift her," another order from the prince. Merlin yet again obliged without complaint, purely because the activity would warm him up, and helped Arthur heft the animal up and over one of the horses. His horse, Merlin noticed with a small face of displeasure. Of course, it would be far too much to ask royalty to share their horse with a dead, bleeding animal.
"There!" Arthur exclaimed, seemingly exceedingly pleased with himself. If he had noticed Merlin's grimace, he chose to make no mention of it. "Now, just give me one moment..." The prince bent down, close to the ground, and for a moment Merlin thought him to be tying his bootlace.
It was a moment too late when he remembered that Arthur's hunting boots were not laced. The snowball was already flying towards his face, and his reactions were not quite quick enough. Arthur was amazingly lucky, right then, that Merlin enjoyed hearing the sound of his lover's laughter.
Still, although the prince's chuckle warmed Merlin's heart to the degree where he no longer felt that murder was a suitable retaliation, Arthur was far from off the hook. "Oh," Merlin spoke, grinning wickedly, "Is that what we're doing now?" A swift duck and grab at the snow beneath his feet, and Merlin had his own snowball hurtling towards his lover. It hit Arthur square in the chest.
And the game was on.
The two men lost track of time after that, thoroughly absorbed in chasing each other through the trees, snowballs in hand, hurling the freezing substance at each other whenever they managed to. Their running and laughing just about kept them warm enough to not care they were being covered in snow, and it was not until exhaustion began to slow them down that they both realised they were chilled to the bone. Still grinning from ear to ear, they called a truce and plodded back through the snow to the clearing where their horses waited for them, Merlin struggling to hide the chatter of his teeth.
"I can hear you shivering," Arthur told him when they reached their horses. "Come on, come here." And without waiting for any response, the prince pulled Merlin into his arms, pressing their lips together in a gloriously warm kiss. Merlin clung to that body, kissed back as if his life depended on it, soaking up what little warmth Arthur was giving out under layers of sodden clothing.
"You're very cold," Arthur murmured into his ear, and although Merlin nodded and grunted his agreement, he showed no intention of letting go of the prince. Even when he felt Arthur push forcefully down on his shoulders until his legs buckled, and they fell down into the snow together. Merlin could not remember feeling so cold in his entire life, his breath momentarily robbed from him, but then he had Arthur's body completely covering his own and his mind stopped complaining.
They lay like that for a while, in the snow, kissing and touching and pressing together until they both felt that ache in their stomachs that neither of them had been brave enough to act on before. But maybe, Merlin thought, maybe this time...
"We should get back," Arthur spoke abruptly, getting to his knees and then feet, pulling Merlin up by one hand. "The light is fading."
Merlin was pretty sure the light was far from fading, but he agreed with little more than a sigh. If Arthur was not ready, then he could wait. And after all, he really was very cold. Doing... that, it would have been foolish, out here in the snow.
***
Merlin's stomach was working itself into knots. He and Arthur had ridden back to Camelot with barely a word passed between them, and once Arthur had handed the doe and their horses off to his servants, he had beckoned Merlin to follow him with nothing more than a cold-hearted "Come with me". Merlin had no idea what had suddenly changed between them - their earlier passion in the snow now an awkward barrier between them - but he was almost certain it could not be a good thing.
He was led, in that same painful silence, back up to Arthur's chambers, where he was ordered to go inside and await his prince there. He listened through the door to Arthur's instructions to the guards -
"I wish to rest after my hunt. My manservant will remain with me to do his chores. You are not to let anybody else enter, under any circumstance. Am I understood?"
"Yes sire."
- brow furrowing in confusion. What was Arthur up to? The prince's smirk, when he appeared in his doorway, only heightened Merlin's curiosity.
"Now..." The prince crossed the room to the hearth, where Merlin had moved to, and yanked the dark-haired boy close to him. "Where were we?" One eyebrow rose, playful.
Merlin looked into his eyes, dumbfounded. "I... I thought I'd annoyed you, somehow."
Arthur threw back his head and barked out a laugh. "Oh, Merlin. You are a real idiot sometimes, you know that?"
"Better that than a prat," Merlin countered, but he was grinning too now, and happily accepted the quick kiss Arthur bestowed upon him.
"You were going blue out there, Merlin." Arthur explained. "And if you'd had your own, highly stubborn, way, you would have frozen to death if it meant pleasing me. I had to get you back here without you complaining."
Merlin let loose a long breath he had not previously realised he was holding. So, he was in no trouble. Arthur had just been fussing over him, as usual. Concerned. He really should stop being surprised by that. He allowed himself to give Arthur a smile, thankful and relieved, and then Arthur had his hand under Merlin's chin and they were kissing properly.
They stayed by the fire for a good while, letting the flames that had obviously been stoked in preparation for Arthur's return warm their achingly cold bones. When they were both warm and ready, Arthur shifted his hand, taking Merlin's own and gripping it softly, leading him through to his bedchamber. It was time.
They took their time undressing each other, marvelling in each new bit of skin revealed to them for the first time. Their mouths and fingers explored places they had never dared to before, each discovering a whole new set of sounds they could make their lover produce. And, when Arthur eventually took that final step, moved inside of his lover, both of them forgot how to breathe. Their entire world faded away around them, drifting into insignificance, until there was nothing left in the entire universe except the two of them, joined as one. It was the very definition of bliss, and when ecstasy came to consume them, they welcomed it with open arms.
Later, they lay together in Arthur's bed, wrapped up in one another and letting the cool air wash over them. Their hearts beat the same rhythm, and two identical smiles played across two faces, full of hope and wonder and love. And, although it had never been said out loud, they both knew the truth of the matter now. They both knew that they had taken the final step that afternoon, in Arthur's chambers, and all that was left was to speak the knowledge they both knew in their hearts.
"Merlin?"
"Arthur?"
They spoke at once, and it made them laugh. When they both nodded to the other, to continue, they both did so, speaking that truth in unison.
"I love you."
Part: 2: Winter ("Autumn" can be found here)
Fandom: Merlin
Characters/Pairings: Arthur/Merlin, cameo from Gaius in this part
Rating: R for a non-explicit sex scene
Summary: Autumn has moved into winter. How are Merlin and Arthur dealing with the cold?
Spoilers: None
You just call out my name
And you know, wherever I am
I'll come running to see you again
Winter, spring, summer, or fall
All you have to do is call
And I'll be there
You've got a friend
"Merlin, what are you doing?"
Merlin turned his head, face a mask of childish excitement, to regard Gaius. Maybe he did look a bit ridiculous, balanced somewhat precariously on a stool to get a decent look out of the physician's window. But it was worth it.
"It's snowing, Gaius!"
The old man rolled his eyes and shook his head, moving away and turning his attention to breakfast. "Did it not snow in your village?"
"Oh, yes. But..." Merlin did not have the words to explain the difference, just gestured at the window, at the sight beyond. Camelot, completely covered in a thick blanket of snow, the same as the forests beyond the walls. He had never experienced views like this back in his old village, never seen anything so splendid made so beautiful.
"Get down off that stool before you break your neck and come and eat. If Arthur's insistent on taking you hunting, you're going to need sustenance. It's cold out there."
With a sigh, Merlin did he was told, face falling slightly before he quickly regained his composure. He had been looking forward to the prince's 'hunting trip' ever since he had mentioned it, and he hoped the snow would not cause problems. It had been strenuous enough for Arthur to persuade his father and the royal guards that he did not need extra protection to take a bow and arrow into the woods.
The young warlock bolted down his bowl of porridge as quickly as he felt he could without making himself ill, or Gaius unduly suspicious, and then he was on his feet and heading towards the door.
"Merlin?" Gaius stilled him with the call of his name. "You need to dress warmer than that if you're going outside."
Merlin sighed, exasperated, looking himself up and down. He was dressed in his normal trousers, shirt, scarf and jacket, and did not see anything wrong with that. More importantly, he did not have that much more.
"Here," Gaius was one step ahead, already passing him an old, musty-smelling cloak that Merlin had seen hanging on the wall every day since he had arrived in Camelot, and had never seen used. He was not all that sure he was grateful for the gift. Still, he shrugged his thanks and tossed it over his shoulders, fastening the clasp over his throat.
"May I go now?" He questioned, a hint of sarcasm in his tone of voice and rise of his eyebrows.
"Alright, go." Gaius laughed, waving a hand in Merlin's direction by way of dismissing his ward.
Smiling, Merlin turned tail and dashed from the room. He unfastened the cloak again, as soon as he was out of sight down the steps, tucking it under his arm and walking on swift legs to Arthur's chambers. At the doors he nodded to the guards on duty, before knocking loudly. He could get away with just walking in, he knew that, but he had to keep up appearances by acting the dutiful manservant. And as such, he made sure he waited for the prince's bellow before stepping through the door and into the warm chambers beyond.
A fire was already crackling in Arthur's hearth, and the prince himself was stood in front of the flames, warming himself. He looked as beautiful as ever, Merlin found himself thinking, and like so many times before his heart practically skipped a beat when those eyes looked up to meet his. It was enough to make him want to throw himself straight into those arms, wrap himself up in his lover and kiss him forever, and his heart glowed to see the same thoughts reflected in Arthur's eyes. Sometimes, that was exactly what happened, but today Merlin was greeted by a small and silent headshake.
Merlin nodded back, motion just as small and just as silent, to show he understood. They were not safe. And sure enough, moments later a servant came bustling through one of the archways connecting the various rooms of Arthur's chambers, fur-lined cloak in hand.
"Here you are, Sire. This should keep you warm out there in the snow, though... maybe you should reconsider a hunting trip today? That snow is thick."
"It is not your job to tell me to reconsider my plans. You'd do well to watch your tongue," Arthur retorted, letting himself be dressed in the cloak. "And the weather is perfect for hunting. Snow makes tracking a lot easier, and the animals are a lot more visible."
"Apologies, Sire," the servant ducked his head, suitably chastised. He finished fastening the prince's cloak, before turning and walking to the door. Merlin could not help but offer him a reassuring smile as he passed - it was not so long since Arthur had used the same tongue when speaking to him, after all. And then, they were alone.
Merlin found himself in those strong arms before he could blink, royal lips and tongue teasing at his own as Arthur kissed him tenderly. Dropping Gaius's dirty old cloak, Merlin let his arms wrap loosely around Arthur's neck, losing himself to returning the prince's affections, their movements well-practiced by now. It had been a couple of months, since those first awkward kisses in these same chambers, Arthur covered in mud after a wet training session. Their relationship had bloomed, and done so quickly, the prince and his manservant finding any and every excuse possible to find time alone together, away from prying eyes and gossiping tongues. This hunting trip was just the latest in a whole line of plans to get them some time alone together. Hunting was, in all honesty, at the very back of both of their minds.
"Ready?" Arthur questioned, once he had let himself pull away from his lover.
"Definitely," Merlin replied, goofy grin splitting his face from ear to ear.
Arthur took a couple of deep breaths to ground himself, made himself remember the face he had to put on when he and Merlin had to grace the people of Camelot, and then nodded. "Come on, then."
Merlin followed without argument, leaving his cloak crumpled and forgotten on the floor of Arthur's chambers.
***
After an hour on horseback, picking his way through the snowy forest after Arthur, Merlin was remembering that cloak most acutely. He was aching with cold, and had long since lost feeling in his fingertips. That in turn was making him moody, and he could not help but grumble at Arthur, riding at his side, that he had not expected them to actually go hunting.
Arthur laughed, reached across the gap between their horses to squeeze Merlin's knee, and pointed out that as the future king, he had a reputation to uphold. If he came back from a hunting trip, fake or not, he had to show that he had caught something. Especially considering the battle he had had to endure with his father, his knights, and even the damned weather taking objection to his plans. Merlin just huffed and mumbled something under his breath. Arthur would not have understood him, even if he had heard the words, but Merlin's hands were suddenly a whole lot warmer.
Another half hour of hopeless traipsing finally brought them across tracks in the snow. Arthur jumped from his horse to examine them, crouching down in the snow to inspect the shape of the indentations. "Deer," he declared after a moment's consideration, getting up and swinging himself back into his saddle. "Come on, the sooner we kill it, the sooner we can have fun." The wiggle of Arthur's eyebrows that accompanied the word 'fun' sent a shiver of apprehension right up Merlin's spine.
They followed the tracks for several minutes, until Arthur declared that they were getting close. How he could tell, Merlin had no idea, but he did not raise the question. Arthur was raised learning to do things like this, he most likely knew what he was doing.
"Stay here, with the horses," the prince commanded, swinging out of his saddle for the second time that trip. Merlin followed suit, and held the reins of the two animals tight in his fist as Arthur collected his bow and arrows, stringing the first shaft into place. "Don't follow until I call you," he added, before stalking off through the trees in pursuit of the tracks.
His call came quickly and Merlin, who had in the meantime resorted to yet more magic to keep himself from freezing, quickly moved to follow the sound, leading the horses after him. Arthur was not far ahead at all, and soon came into view in a clearing, standing over the fallen form of a doe.
"Help me lift her," another order from the prince. Merlin yet again obliged without complaint, purely because the activity would warm him up, and helped Arthur heft the animal up and over one of the horses. His horse, Merlin noticed with a small face of displeasure. Of course, it would be far too much to ask royalty to share their horse with a dead, bleeding animal.
"There!" Arthur exclaimed, seemingly exceedingly pleased with himself. If he had noticed Merlin's grimace, he chose to make no mention of it. "Now, just give me one moment..." The prince bent down, close to the ground, and for a moment Merlin thought him to be tying his bootlace.
It was a moment too late when he remembered that Arthur's hunting boots were not laced. The snowball was already flying towards his face, and his reactions were not quite quick enough. Arthur was amazingly lucky, right then, that Merlin enjoyed hearing the sound of his lover's laughter.
Still, although the prince's chuckle warmed Merlin's heart to the degree where he no longer felt that murder was a suitable retaliation, Arthur was far from off the hook. "Oh," Merlin spoke, grinning wickedly, "Is that what we're doing now?" A swift duck and grab at the snow beneath his feet, and Merlin had his own snowball hurtling towards his lover. It hit Arthur square in the chest.
And the game was on.
The two men lost track of time after that, thoroughly absorbed in chasing each other through the trees, snowballs in hand, hurling the freezing substance at each other whenever they managed to. Their running and laughing just about kept them warm enough to not care they were being covered in snow, and it was not until exhaustion began to slow them down that they both realised they were chilled to the bone. Still grinning from ear to ear, they called a truce and plodded back through the snow to the clearing where their horses waited for them, Merlin struggling to hide the chatter of his teeth.
"I can hear you shivering," Arthur told him when they reached their horses. "Come on, come here." And without waiting for any response, the prince pulled Merlin into his arms, pressing their lips together in a gloriously warm kiss. Merlin clung to that body, kissed back as if his life depended on it, soaking up what little warmth Arthur was giving out under layers of sodden clothing.
"You're very cold," Arthur murmured into his ear, and although Merlin nodded and grunted his agreement, he showed no intention of letting go of the prince. Even when he felt Arthur push forcefully down on his shoulders until his legs buckled, and they fell down into the snow together. Merlin could not remember feeling so cold in his entire life, his breath momentarily robbed from him, but then he had Arthur's body completely covering his own and his mind stopped complaining.
They lay like that for a while, in the snow, kissing and touching and pressing together until they both felt that ache in their stomachs that neither of them had been brave enough to act on before. But maybe, Merlin thought, maybe this time...
"We should get back," Arthur spoke abruptly, getting to his knees and then feet, pulling Merlin up by one hand. "The light is fading."
Merlin was pretty sure the light was far from fading, but he agreed with little more than a sigh. If Arthur was not ready, then he could wait. And after all, he really was very cold. Doing... that, it would have been foolish, out here in the snow.
***
Merlin's stomach was working itself into knots. He and Arthur had ridden back to Camelot with barely a word passed between them, and once Arthur had handed the doe and their horses off to his servants, he had beckoned Merlin to follow him with nothing more than a cold-hearted "Come with me". Merlin had no idea what had suddenly changed between them - their earlier passion in the snow now an awkward barrier between them - but he was almost certain it could not be a good thing.
He was led, in that same painful silence, back up to Arthur's chambers, where he was ordered to go inside and await his prince there. He listened through the door to Arthur's instructions to the guards -
"I wish to rest after my hunt. My manservant will remain with me to do his chores. You are not to let anybody else enter, under any circumstance. Am I understood?"
"Yes sire."
- brow furrowing in confusion. What was Arthur up to? The prince's smirk, when he appeared in his doorway, only heightened Merlin's curiosity.
"Now..." The prince crossed the room to the hearth, where Merlin had moved to, and yanked the dark-haired boy close to him. "Where were we?" One eyebrow rose, playful.
Merlin looked into his eyes, dumbfounded. "I... I thought I'd annoyed you, somehow."
Arthur threw back his head and barked out a laugh. "Oh, Merlin. You are a real idiot sometimes, you know that?"
"Better that than a prat," Merlin countered, but he was grinning too now, and happily accepted the quick kiss Arthur bestowed upon him.
"You were going blue out there, Merlin." Arthur explained. "And if you'd had your own, highly stubborn, way, you would have frozen to death if it meant pleasing me. I had to get you back here without you complaining."
Merlin let loose a long breath he had not previously realised he was holding. So, he was in no trouble. Arthur had just been fussing over him, as usual. Concerned. He really should stop being surprised by that. He allowed himself to give Arthur a smile, thankful and relieved, and then Arthur had his hand under Merlin's chin and they were kissing properly.
They stayed by the fire for a good while, letting the flames that had obviously been stoked in preparation for Arthur's return warm their achingly cold bones. When they were both warm and ready, Arthur shifted his hand, taking Merlin's own and gripping it softly, leading him through to his bedchamber. It was time.
They took their time undressing each other, marvelling in each new bit of skin revealed to them for the first time. Their mouths and fingers explored places they had never dared to before, each discovering a whole new set of sounds they could make their lover produce. And, when Arthur eventually took that final step, moved inside of his lover, both of them forgot how to breathe. Their entire world faded away around them, drifting into insignificance, until there was nothing left in the entire universe except the two of them, joined as one. It was the very definition of bliss, and when ecstasy came to consume them, they welcomed it with open arms.
Later, they lay together in Arthur's bed, wrapped up in one another and letting the cool air wash over them. Their hearts beat the same rhythm, and two identical smiles played across two faces, full of hope and wonder and love. And, although it had never been said out loud, they both knew the truth of the matter now. They both knew that they had taken the final step that afternoon, in Arthur's chambers, and all that was left was to speak the knowledge they both knew in their hearts.
"Merlin?"
"Arthur?"
They spoke at once, and it made them laugh. When they both nodded to the other, to continue, they both did so, speaking that truth in unison.
"I love you."