"I'm just gonna go."

Arthur couldn't help but feel a little bit of satisfaction as he watched Merlin shoot up out of his seat and practically sprint out of the diner. After his make-out session with Gwen the night before, he'd driven home on his scooter alone, his previous urge to go mental and dance until he passed out gone completely. He'd planned it all out in his head in the days approaching the rave, finally allowing himself to dream a bit after weeks of trying to keep his relentless thoughts about Merlin under control:

He and Merlin would ride to the rave on his scooter, would dance like it was their last night on earth, would maybe find a quiet place to talk when they got tired before going back to the floor after regrouping…

…and as the night progressed, their proximity to one another would dramatically decrease until Merlin would look deep into Arthur's eyes, smiling coyly as he wrapped his arms around him, the expression on his face melting into a look of pure bliss before their noses touched, their lips moving closer together…

"Are you going to eat anything?"

Arthur turned to Gwen, who was still gazing at him with the same wide-eyed hopefulness she had been all morning. He fidgeted awkwardly.

"Nah, I'm gonna go too I think. You go ahead though."

He slid the plate nearest to him over to Gwen before standing up, hoping to get away before she said anything else. No such luck.

"Arthur…are you going to Merlin's Mum's wedding reception tonight?"

Arthur had forgotten all about that. He really needed some time away from Merlin, time to get his head together and try and get over him as best he could. He didn't fancy finding out if he was back with Lancelot, visions of them dancing and kissing in the middle of The Swan flashing through his mind and making him feel that painful sickness he was so familiar with. Before he could tell him no, he jumped in.

"…because if you are, do you fancy, maybe…going together?"

She was so confident, Arthur thought. He'd always liked that about Guinevere, how she would relentlessly pursue what she wanted once she set her mind on it. Too bad she was barking up the wrong tree in this case. Then again…

"Alright, cool."

She smiled sweetly, and Arthur gave her a small smile in return. "I'll come by yours around 6, yeah?"

"Sounds great!" Gwen looked down at the full English in front of her before her eyes moved up slightly to the seat opposite.

"Oh, Merlin's left his bag behind."

Arthur had already begun to feel guilty about saying yes to Gwen's proposition, his head still in a complete mess. He just had to get out of there, that's all he knew.

"I'll drop it off." Arthur said, lifting Merlin's bag from the seat, noticing it was open. Zipping it up, he slung it over his back and walked forward, kicking something across the floor as he did so. It was a scrunched up piece of paper. As he moved towards the door he stooped to pick it up, holding it in his hand as he left, figuring that it fell out of Merlin's bag.

What was he thinking? Didn't he just decide that he didn't want to see Merlin for a while? Yet there he was, walking in the direction of his house, the feeling of dread increasing with every step. There was a part of him that longed to speak to him, despite everything. He'd arranged the debrief to find out what happened between Merlin and Lancelot after they'd kissed, to find out if it was just a friendly fumble or if it meant something more. Lance had kissed him on the cheek as he left the diner, but they always did that. That didn't mean anything, right?

But what if they'd had…? No, the thought was too much for Arthur to bear, his throat suddenly becoming dry. He clenched his fist, only just remembering the piece of paper in his hand. He saw a bin nearby, walking towards it to chuck it in. Glancing down at his fist, he stopped himself when he saw a blob of hot pink underneath one of the folds. He stood on the kerb, unfurling the crumpled paper in his hands.

His heart skipped a beat when he saw his own face, a picture of him cut out and stuck in the middle. His figure was surrounded by different coloured hearts, brightly coloured stickers and glitter. He recognised Merlin's handwriting, remembering the piece of paper with her home phone number on it stuck on the cork-board in his room. His heart began to pound hard as he read what he'd written around his body.

Arthur felt his face burn hotter and hotter as he read, a feeling of pure elation sweeping over him. It wasn't until he read the biggest phrase, written in thick bubble writing and coloured in deep red that he felt like he was going to explode with happiness:

'I LOVE HIM!'

He re-read it over and over again, feeling himself grinning like a total idiot. Merlin did like him! He bloody loved him! He had proof! He couldn't believe it! He didn't want Lance…he wanted him. Merlin loved him. Merlin Emrys loved Arthur Pendragon.

He was suddenly snapped out of his reverie by the sound of somebody running towards him. When he looked up, he was greeted by a breathless Merlin screeching to a halt, looking at him with utter horror.

"Oh my God! No!" He suddenly turned on his heel, running away from Arthur as fast as he possibly could.

"Merlin!" Arthur shouted, setting off after him. He folded up the paper as he ran, putting it in his pocket so he could use his arms to pick up the pace. He kept calling Merlin's name as he chased him, pleading with him to stop and talk to him. Merlin ignored him, turning a corner and running into the underpass, running faster than he ever had done before. Arthur managed to catch up to him just before he hit the end of her street. He grabbed the back of his shirt, wrapping his arms around his shoulders to slow him. He tried to struggle free, but Arthur held on as tight as he could, his forehead pressing against her temple. They stood on his street corner, both panting hard, Merlin hunching over slightly and leaning on his knees. As he did so, Arthur shifted so his cheek rested on his back, still holding on. After he caught his breath, he released him slowly moving in front of him. Merlin stood upright, tears springing down his cheeks. He couldn't look Arthur in the eye, instead keeping his eyes locked on the pavement. He looked defeated.

"Arthur…you must be so disgusted. I didn't mean for you to see any of that." He sniffed, clenching his fists in front of him. "Now you know how mental I am…that I'm n-not normal at all." The last few words came out in a near whisper.

Arthur couldn't believe what he was seeing, what he was hearing. For the first time in weeks, he realised he was thinking in perfect clarity.

Dropping the bag from his back, he slowly brought his hands to Merlin's face, wiping away his tears with his thumbs before moving his hands down to hold his shoulders. As he did so, Merlin looked up at him, his eyes widening and crossing slightly due to how close he was to her. He spoke slowly, his voice deep and gravelly due to all his previous yelling.

"You're not mental, Merlin…you're brilliant."

A small smile appeared on Merlin's face, and Arthur beamed back at him. He moved back reluctantly, taking his hand in his. He unclenched his fingers, listening to Merlin's breath hitch as he wrote on her palm.

'I…love…you…too.'

He looked up at him, still beaming, and Merlin's smile grew significantly bigger. He let out an embarrassed chuckle, which Arthur mirrored, before tentatively lifting his hand to place a kiss on his palm. Arthur linked his fingers with Merlin's, stooping to pick up his bag. Slinging it over his shoulder again, he walked Merlin back to his house, relishing him ecstatic grin with every step.