Stage Two: Maybe It's True

Merlin POV

Merlin couldn't stop thinking of Gwaine's words. Maybe he was just in denial, maybe these feelings were real. Hell, maybe he was in love.

Merlin still didn't want to admit it, because admitting it would be, it would be terrible. A servant in love with the King? The Once and Future King at that.

And Gwen, sweet, sweet Gwen, who was probably still madly in love with Arthur. Merlin couldn't just take that away from her. Merlin didn't even know if Arthur liked him like that.

Merlin was so confused, all these feelings running through his head, chasing, chasing and not giving up. Determined to make Merlin admit how he truly felt, but Merlin didn't want to.

Arthur POV

Arthur stared at Merlin, as he polished his armor in his chambers. His arms moving fluidly, fingers brushing over the armor, polish lathering his fingers.

Merlin brought a dirty, grimy hand up to his head and scratched, and Arthur had to kick himself mentally, 'STOP,' Arthur screamed in his own head,' he's your manservant, not your boyfriend.'

'But I want him to be,' Arthur shook his head, trying to eliminate those thoughts from his head.

Arthur had been feeling like this for a while, a long while. He admitted, they had been going on for quite a while without he himself noticing.

The feelings and thoughts had started to flourish and spread and he started to become much more aware of his true feelings, of where his heart truly stood through all of this.

Repeatedly Arthur found himself thinking these thoughts of Merlin, these thoughts that were so... alien to him that he considered magic for a while. Not for long though, no, he started to realize that maybe these thoughts were really his and maybe he really did think of his ma - no, maybe he really did think of Merlin this way. He just didn't know if Merlin thought of him like that. It was killing Arthur, not knowing. Not knowing if the man you loved, loved you back.

Maybe, just maybe the truth was staring him strait in the face, and he was too stubborn to see it. Arthur snorted silently, glancing up when he noticed out of the corner of his eye Merlin's shoulder move slightly at the sound, Arthur quickly settled his face into a serious frown. Merlin slowly went back to work.

'This isn't a very good time to think of this,' Arthur decided, and he walked away from the side of his bed towards where Merlin was polishing and fixing his armor. Arthur needed to get to training.

No POV

The people of Camelot really didn't understand how to people could be so blind. Everyone could see it, yet it seemed that the two people who mattered the most didn't.

It was the most frustrating thing to watch. See two people, who were so obviously in love, not see that the feeling was being returned by the one they loved.

It was tiring to know that they could easily be so happy, if they just opened their eyes and just paid attention. But the master and the servant, the prat and the idiot were just too stubborn to see it.

Mixed POV

Merlin and Arthur were in Arthur's chambers. Merlin cleaning, Arthur completing the paperwork that he was required to fill out as King. The most tiring thing that Arthur ever had to do.

Merlin was whistling as he cleaned, and for once Arthur wasn't agitated. Not as much as he had expected. In fact, Arthur found the soft whistling almost calming. Sweet and smooth. Arthur recognized the whistle that followed a tune of a song that Merlin used to sing softly on hunting trips.

Oh Sweet little bear

Sitting in the humming tree

Oh how you swear that life is fair and just

How do you feel

How do you know

Life seems to hit you rough

You smile and weep day after day

Your heart has ripped

It's not heaven it's hell

A sweet old rhyme that never did help

You lie and you lie because there's love he don't share

Arthur always found it creepy, a sad song that he didn't seem to understand, but Merlin seemed to understand, by how much he hummed the song.

Arthur sighed, and glanced at Merlin, his back to him. He watched his shoulders move with his arms. His torso twisting every now and then when he moved to clean something else. Arthur let this distract him, not caring about the paperwork when Merlin was in the room.

Merlin could feel Arthur's eyes on him, but he didn't want to turn around for fear of what he would see.

He continued to hum the rhyme he had learned in Ealdor. He would hear little girls sing and hum the song, and soon he had begun to do it too. Then he soon come to realize that he was the bear. The lonely bear, the loneliest bear under the humming tree.

Merlin was going to explode if he didn't get it out soon. He was going to scream if he couldn't say how he felt. He would scream louder if Arthur didn't feel the same way, if he looked like an idiot in front of his King. His Once and Future King, his Once and Future Love.

Arthur continued to stare at Merlin, and he cursed him for making him feel this way. For making him think this way, and for putting his feelings on a roller coaster he seemed to have no control over. For making him love like he had never loved before.

For a split second he almost got out of his chair, he almost walked over to Merlin and put his hand on the small of his back. He almost kissed him. He almost showed how he truly felt and now Arthur was officially confused.

How could Merlin make him feel like this. Like a school boy on a playground looking at his crush, staring at the way he moved, the way his lips would part, the way he would smile every few seconds as if someone had just said something hilarious. As if there was life everywhere.

How could someone make his feelings spread everywhere like this. How could someone make him so confused. With his feelings and himself.

He felt like he was slowly dying inside. He had to say something soon.

Merlin POV

Merlin needed to say something soon. He had to. He felt like he would explode. He felt like he would die if he didn't admit how he felt. He would not survive if he didn't tell him, if he didn't tell his one love how he felt. If he didn't speak up soon, he may not ever be able to speak up again.

Arthur POV

'It's now or never,' Arthur thought. If not now not ever.

Merlin POV

'Now!' Merlin screamed in his head, 'do it NOW!'

Merlin breathed deeply and turned, "Arthur," Merlin said.

Arthur POV

As Arthur stood, Merlin turned, and as Arthur said, "Merlin," Merlin said "Arthur."

And soon they just stood there.

Mix

"Arthur I -" Merlin started and stopped

"Merlin I -" Arthur looked down, and slightly turned his chin up.

Soon both their eyes met, the words they had wanted to say for so long on the tips of their tongs, but not knowing how to say it. How to admit their feelings. It felt like forever.