Heyo! Alright, so, I stayed home from school today. Wanna know why? Cause I get to pick up my dad from the hospital in about half an hour because he spent the night there after having surgery to have his appendix out. So, there's probably a good chance that there'll be a Merlin one-shot with the same subject... ^_^ *grins* Sorry dad! Love you!

Anywho, I wrote this one a long time ago to use when I had writers block... and well, I don't have writers block, per say, but I thought it was finally time to publish this. :D

Summary: Arthur is injured and dying, and Merlin refuses to let him. Inspired from one of the closing scenes in 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice,' with Nicolas Cage.

Characters: Arthur, Merlin, Gwen, Knights

Warnings: None, nope, noda

Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Friendship

Word Count: 1,405

A person who truly loves you will never stop believing in you and never let you go no matter how hard the situation.

Merlin narrowed his eyes and planted his feet, quickly conjured a glowing blue shield in front of him as the sorcerer threw a fizzing ball of energy at him. He returned in kind, acting so fast that the ex-Druid hadn't the time to make a shield for himself. Just like sorcerers before him, namely anyone who dared to cause harm to any one of Merlin's friends, he was killed.

As soon as Merlin saw the threat was over, his shoulders slumped and he turned on his heel, grinding his boot on gravel as he ran to the spot several feet behind him where Arthur had been thrown backwards.

Merlin's mind was only half aware that he'd just revealed his magic to anyone who'd been watching: Arthur, Guinevere, and the Knights at the top of the stairs.

He threw himself to the ground, his bony knees skidding on the ground and dirtying his deeply brown trousers with dirt and grass stains from weeds that ventured out in between the dingy cobbles in the courtyard.

Guinevere sat shell-shocked on Arthur's other side, her hand grasping his as his breathing became ragged and dangerously uneven. Tears bubbles up in her chocolate eyes, one crystal clear one rolling down her beautiful face as she tore her gaze away her husband to look at Merlin pleadingly, her mind still too shocked to register that he'd just saved them with magic. "Merlin, please help him."

Merlin, with a frighteningly serious and worried look on his face - a look more serious than Guinevere ever thought had business being on kind, loving Merlin's face- scanned Arthur for injuries with a physician's eye. He seemed alright - except for one large burn mark in the center of his chest from the fireball that the sorcerer had first sent; the one that had alarmed them to his presence in the first place.

But the biggest problem was that the fireball had burnt through the chainmail that Arthur wore, burning his whole chest area and, in turn, his lungs and his heart. Both were betraying him as they raged like fire in his chest.

Arthur drew in another ragged breath, choking, and his pain filled eyes closing as his breathing slowed. His body shuddered and Merlin knew he only had seconds left.

Barely aware of the running Knights coming up behind Guinevere, he held his shaking, long-fingered hand inches from Arthur's savagely red torso.

"Cneasaigh sruthán," he whispered, his voice ragged with worry and panic. Even more so when nothing happened.

"Cneasaigh sruthán." This time it was louder, tears starting to pulse against the back of Merlin's already dazzling blue eyes. "Darn it, Arthur! Come on!"

He gripped his wrist -the one over Arthur's chest- with his other hand, willing it to help as he tried to push in more of his final time it was shouted.

"Cneasaigh sruthán!"

Merlin's lithe shoulders slumped in defeat as Gwen, without tears falling but still bubbling in her compassionate chocolate brown eyes, sniffled and whispered in a choked voice, "He's gone."

Elyan came up behind her and laid a hand on her shoulder comfortingly, the mantra of MerlinhasmagicMerlinhasmagic running through his head. He shoved it aside, not caring at the moment as his sister finally smothered a sob by covering her mouth.

Gwaine came up behind Merlin, frowning and about to lay a hand on his broken friend's shoulder in comfort when Merlin suddenly straightened, squaring his shoulders as he raised both hands slightly above his head, a glowing sphere of pure magic growing in his cupped hands and he held them together.

It wasn't a surprise to Gwaine, he'd seen Merlin's magic dozens of time since he'd learned his friend's secret; what did surprise him, though, was what Merlin did next.

When the sphere, a pulsing and yet transparent blue with golden wisps flicking about, grew to fit comfortably in his hands -about the size of a large egg- Merlin rapidly brought his hands down and pushed the elemental healing magic directly into Arthur's still chest.

The rest of the Knights and Gwen, who hadn't known about Merlin's magic until a few moments ago, watched in utter awe as Merlin repeated the process.

"Don't you dare leave, you prat!" He had a determined bite added to his words even as desperate tears gathered in his stormy topaz eyes. Another shot. "I have lost too many people; Will, Freya, my father, Lancelot." And another. "I have worked too hard to keep you alive you stupid clotpole." And another. "With your stupid Knight's code and your idiotically thick head."

Each shock sent a wave of blue through Arthur's body, sinking into his skin quickly until he himself was almost pulsing with an enchanted blue.

"Ya' know it's funny, you clotpole, seven years and you still don't notice me saving your life with magic on a daily basis!" More magic. "I've defeated Nimueh, Sigan, Morgause, Morgana." Again, another shot. "Trolls, goblins, Sidhe, you name it, and now... Now you need to wake up to yell at me for it. For everything." His voice finally broke.

"You need to yell at me about how much I've skimped on my chores and yell about how I had Gwaine distract you so many times so I could go kill a Griffin, or a Basilisk, or whatever in all of Albion was threatening Camelot. You need to yell at me how reckless I've been, how I've taken too many risks, nearly died too many times." Merlin sobbed as he shoved one last egg of magic into Arthur's unmoving, painfully still, body. "Wake up, you prat!" he screamed desperately.

Hot tears trailed down his face as he slumped down, his back bending as he sobbed into his folded knees. Gwaine, tears in his own softened brown eyes, finally laid a hand on his shoulder, kneeling beside the broken man, both completely oblivious to the shocked faces staring at Merlin on the other side of Arthur's body.

"I had a dream..."

Merlin's head snapped up, red eyed and a lump in his throat as his breath caught.

"...that you were insulting me repeatedly."

"…Arthur?"

Azure colored eyes blinked opened and the owner of the rickety voice smirked and slowly sat up, bracing himself on his elbows by himself, everyone else still too shocked to help him.

As soon as Merlin broke out of his hazy, wonderment enhanced daze to find out that this was real, he jumped, throwing his arms around Arthur before even Guinevere was broken from her trance.

He completely disregarded the fact that he almost bowled Arthur over once again and if it hadn't been for Arthur's shoulders locking up instinctively, he would have. Merlin, weighing next to nothing in Arthur's thoughts, hugged him impossibly tightly, his blue shirt rubbing slantwise against Arthur's -unbeknownst to both of them- completely healed chest as his heart beat strong and healthy.

"I t-thought… I thought you were… d-dead," Merlin said, his voice cracking as he sobbed.

Arthur closed his eyes once more, burying his own face into Merlin's shoulder and wrapping his arm around the man's lithe waist. His voice was low and soft, brotherly love, affection, compassion, and comfort seeping into his tone. "I know... It's alright Merlin. Everything's alright. I promise."

Something caught in Merlin's throat, a half-sob and a half-choke. He sniffed, almost daring to believe that things were so. "But you almost...-"

"Shh..." Arthur hissed quietly into his friend's ear. "I'm alright Merlin... because of you."

Merlin flinched and almost pulled back -but didn't- as he squeezed his liquid-filled eyes tighter, white hot tears flowing freely down his face, amazingly flushed and deathly pale at the same time. "Arthur, I am so sorry. I should have told you about my magic."

Arthur smiled softly, nuzzling Merlin's shoulder and feeling his ear gently brush against the man's jet-black hair as he hugged him tighter. "It's alright... I've known for awhile now Merlin... And I don't care."

Merlin felt what could have been utter relief, absolute astoundment, or the final dam breaking in his heart and releasing a floodgate of emotions -or all three- as his surprisingly strong arms entangled themselves even tighter around his best friend and he sobbed into Arthur's neck, knowing everything would truly, be alright.

I hope you liked it... I should really get going actually... ^_^ Please drop a review! I'll be happy to read them when I get back! ;)