Disclaimer: Merlin doesn't belong to me.
A/N: Okay, the title sounds like the name of a Big Bang Theory episode. I did that accidentally on purpose? LOL
A/N2: Warning for squick. If you don't like barf, I'd skip this one. Not as terrible as it sounds.
Bonus Chapter 15: The Regurgitation Situation
.~.
After a long, productive day teaching his students, Merlin was closing up the magic school. All of his students had left for the day, as had his apprentice Morgana. He had just put all the spell books away when George came bursting through the entrance. Merlin was surprised to see the servant, who was wheezing and coughing.
"Here, George, catch your breath," Merlin instructed, and helped him to sit down.
"I've a message for you," George choked out. His breathing began to slow as Merlin comfortingly patted his back.
'What's wrong?" Merlin prompted, a sinking feeling in his stomach as he realized from George's pinched expression that he was the bearer of bad news. Please don't let Arthur be hurt, Merlin prayed. Please don't let the bad news be about the man that I love, the man to whom I've pledged my life.
"The king has locked himself in his chambers," George relayed and Merlin's heart sank. "Apparently he's quite sick. He wouldn't let the physician in to see him, nor would he admit the queen. She ordered me to summon you at once, in hopes that you'd be able to get through to him."
"I'm on my way," said Merlin, all thought of tidying up forgotten as he brushed past George and magicked the front door open.
The court sorcerer sprinted back to the castle, all sort of worries turning over through his mind. He knew Arthur wouldn't behave this way unless it was something serious - the man prided himself of his strong image. What if it was an affliction that was fatal? What if he didn't arrive in time? What if...
He pushed those worries away as he clambered up the stairs, taking them two at a time in an attempt to get to Arthur as fast as he could. Running down the corridor, Merlin skidded to a stop in front of his and Arthur's chambers, where Gwen and the physician stood.
"Merlin, I'm glad you're here," said an anxious Gwen. "He won't let either of us in." Merlin frowned at that. He knocked on the door but there was no answer. Now Merlin was really worried.
"Arthur?" Merlin called. "It's me. Are you alright?"
After a long pause, they heard the faint words, "Go away."
"Arthur, what's going on?" Merlin asked.
"Nothing. Leave me alone." Arthur's voice was strained.
"Arthur, if you're sick, we need to take a look at you," said Merlin. "Please, let us in."
There was a long pause, until Arthur replied. "I don't want anyone to see me." Arthur's voice was muffled. "I'll be fine in a few hours."
"Let me be the judge of that," said Merlin, a determined note in his voice. "Arthur, I'm coming in."
"You can't misuse your magic like that," Arthur tried.
"I can if I believe you're in danger."
"Wait," Arthur pleaded. "I'll see you, but only you."
"Alright," Merlin sighed. "For now." He whispered a spell and the door to Arthur's chambers swung open. After giving Gwen and the physician a reassuring glance, Merlin entered the room and closed the door behind him. However, Arthur was nowhere to be seen.
Merlin reached out with his magic and found that Arthur was hiding in the adjoining room, Queen Ygraine's old chambers, which now belonged to him and Lancelot. Predictably, when Merlin tried the door, it was locked.
"Arthur, I'm getting tired of this," said Merlin, annoyance slipping into his voice. "For God's sake, quit being a prat and open the door."
"Please don't come in," Arthur pleaded. "I just want some privacy." That was when Merlin heard a retching sound. Ah, so that explained it, Merlin thought. Arthur was throwing up his last meal.
Merlin realized that Arthur was embarrassed at being caught in such a 'weak' position. But that wasn't any reason for him to suffer. Merlin was confident that he could perform a healing spell on Arthur's stomach and digestive tract and then Arthur wouldn't have any more trouble. Merlin just had to figure out a way to convince him to let him in. He didn't want to have to force his way in and break Arthur's trust.
"Arthur, it's just me," Merlin began. "I've seen you in all sorts of states. I've seen you drunk, bespelled, depressed, delirious, boiling mad, and ridiculously horny. That last one is of course my favorite of your states but that's not the point," Merlin hastily said. "I know you're throwing up in there. It's alright to let me see."
"No," Arthur insisted. "I can do this myself. I-" Merlin heard the retching sound again, and Arthur's small moan of misery.
"I can perform a healing spell on you," Merlin informed him. "You'll start to feel better right away. But I have to put my hand on you - I can't just perform it from here."
"Merlin, please," Arthur said. "I don't want you to have to see this."
"Arthur, I've been emptying your chamber pots for years," Merlin said, beginning to get exasperated. "Trust me, there's nothing that I haven't seen already."
"But you're not my servant anymore," said Arthur. "I don't want you to have to deal with any of that. It's not befitting of your station as my unofficial consort." Merlin's heart was warmed to the core when he heard that, but he found that Arthur's concern was completely misplaced.
"Let me make that choice," said Merlin. "I want to take care of you."
"I don't need any help," Arthur ground out. "I can take care of myself-" Merlin heard the retching sound yet again. He then heard Arthur's tiny plaintive moan.
Merlin hated to hear the man he loved in pain. If Arthur would just put his pride aside, Merlin could help him. "Arthur, stop torturing yourself," Merlin advised. "There's no reason why you should suffer. I hate hearing you like this. For the last time, let me in!"
"I'm the king. You can't tell me what to do," was Arthur's stubborn response.
Merlin threw up his hands in frustration. "Argh!" Merlin cried. "I won't think you're weak, Arthur. I promise." But Merlin knew that his king was fighting years of conditioning from his father, to not let anyone see your weakness, less Camelot would be in danger.
Predictably, Arthur didn't say anything. Merlin decided to take a different tactic. "Arthur, if our positions were reversed, would you help me?" Merlin asked.
This question gave Arthur pause. "That's kinda gross, but I guess I would help you if you asked me to."
"There you go," said Merlin. "Now let me in."
"I can't," Arthur whispered.
"Yes, you can," Merlin instructed. "I really don't want to have to use my magic again. I don't want to abuse that power. Please, Arthur. I love you, more than anything. I want to be by your side in all things. Even when you're sick. If you really love me and trust me, you'll let me in."
A few moments went by and the door was unlocked.
Merlin smirked to himself, proud of his tactics. That certainly did the trick!
He stepped through the door. What he saw inside tugged on his heart strings. Arthur was on the hard floor, hunched over the chamber pot, which was filled with sick. A fetid stench filled the room, the strong scent a powerful assault on Merlin's senses. But the court sorcerer didn't care about all that. He went over to Arthur and took his hand in his own. The mortified king's face was pale and bathed with sweat and his body was wracked with shivers. Arthur didn't look anything like his usual self. Merlin could understand why he didn't want anyone to see him like this. But Merlin wasn't just anyone. He was Arthur's other half, and although they hadn't been formally married, Merlin took the 'in sickness and in health' vow very seriously.
"Thank you for letting me in, love," Merlin said softly. He gently pushed Arthur's bangs away from his eyes. "Let's fix this." He muttered a spell and placed his hand over Arthur's ailing abdomen. In a few minutes, Arthur began to feel a little better.
"You still might get sick a few more times," Merlin cautioned. "You have to expel all of it from your stomach. My spell prevents any further retching on an empty stomach, and decreases your discomfort."
"Anything's better than before," Arthur said, sounding weary. "I'm glad you're here, Merlin."
"I wouldn't abandon you when you needed me," said Merlin. "Even though you told me to stay away. You know, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't do that-"
Without warning, Arthur hurled into the pot. Merlin held his head while he emptied his stomach contents.
"Here's some water." Merlin magicked a glass from the nearby table and gave it to his king. "Don't drink it. Just swish it around in your mouth and spit it out. It will get the bad taste somewhat out of your mouth." Arthur did so gratefully.
"I'm going to go grab another chamber pot. Will you be alright for a bit?"
Arthur nodded. Then Merlin disappeared, and quickly reappeared with a clean chamber pot. "Here you go, in case you need it," said the sorcerer. "I'm going to take the full one and put it in the next room so we don't have to smell it. Then I'm going to tell Gwen and the physician what's going on, that it's nothing for them to be concerned with."
Merlin returned and Arthur held out his arms. Touched by Arthur's gesture, the sorcerer carefully wrapped his body behind Arthur's, giving him access to the chamber pot should he need it.
"I know I shouldn't be this weak," Arthur murmured. "But I just want you close. Is that weird?"
"No," Merlin assured him. "A lot of people feel that way about their caregivers when they're sick."
"I think I'm done," said Arthur, as his stomach began to settle.
"That's good," said Merlin. "The worst is over."
"I'm never eating anything again," Arthur groaned. "That was horrible."
"I wonder if it was something you ate," Merlin mused. "Perhaps you ingested some spoiled food or-"
Arthur cut him off. "Um, I think I just ate too much last night." He blushed at Merlin's surprised look.
'Huh," said Merlin. "Usually you're pretty good about how much you eat. What happened?"
Arthur sighed. "I'm just stressed out about this treaty with Mercia. If we don't agree on the terms, it could lead to war."
"Really?" Merlin frowned. "The last thing I heard was that the talks were going well. But I've been at school for a few days straight, and have missed several council meetings. Why didn't you tell me, Arthur?"
"I didn't want to bother you," the king muttered.
"But I'm your advisor," Merlin reminded him. "How can I advise you if I don't know there's a problem?"
"I'm sorry - I should have told you," Arthur admitted.
"Yes, you should've," Merlin said sternly. "You've got to take care of yourself, so you can be the best king you can be."
"I know," Arthur agreed. "It was a momentary lapse of judgement."
"It's alright," Merlin reassured him, tightening his arms around his king, taking care to avoid his stomach. "We all have those from time to time. Do you want to tell me about the Mercian situation."
"Can I lie down first? I'm exhausted," Arthur admitted.
"Of course." Merlin helped a limp Arthur up to bed. He decided to put the king in Lancelot's bed, as it was closer than the one in Arthur's chambers. "Under the covers you go."
"No," Arthur mumbled. "Too hot." He stretched out on the bed on top of the covers. Merlin put a pillow behind the king's head, and grabbed a cool cloth. He mopped the sweat off Arthur's brow in an attempt to cool him down.
"Thank you, Merlin," Arthur said, grabbing the warlock's hand and holding it with his own. "You went above and beyond the call of duty. Why you would do that for me is beyond me."
"I was happy to do it." Merlin smiled at his king, realizing he must look quite besotted. Arthur returned his grin, which held a promise for more after he was well again. "I'm kind of in love with you, you know."
"I'm the king, of course you are," said Arthur, but Merlin heard the words that were unsaid. Arthur had bared enough of his soul today already. The king closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. Merlin removed the wet cloth and kissed his brow.
"We'll talk about the treaty with Mercia tomorrow," Merlin whispered. "Sleep well, love. I'll be back after I eat and talk with Gwen and the physician."
Merlin was true to his word, and a few hours later, slid into bed beside Arthur. He watched his king's chest rise and fall. Then he fell into slumber, pleased that yet another wall between him and Arthur had come down.
.~.
End Bonus Chapter
A/N: What did you guys think? I hope it came off as fluffy and not gross. I think that was an intimate situation and for Arthur to eventually trust Merlin shows the amount of his trust in Merlin. Hope you liked :)
