Hello dear readers! This is it! The final chapter! I guess its the epilogue but its really just the extra fluff and of course smut!

Thank you everyone who followed this story as I wrote it and I hope you're happy with how it turned out.

Lots of Love X MOCHI (plz review if you enjoyed!! Or if you hated it lol)

Epilogue

Arthur fell asleep with Merlin wrapped around him, a comfort beyond anything he'd known before. He awoke to the distant sound of birdsong and the gentle snoring of his love beside him.

They ate breakfast in bed with the warm morning sun streaming in, Arthur feeding Merlin berries and fruit and kissing him between each bite.

Merlin told him about his time with his emotions locked away, how afraid he had been and how he thought he'd never make it back from the dark place he'd imprisoned himself.

"I was there the whole time, under the surface," he said. "Part of me, at least. Small and weak and drowning. I don't know what I was thinking, Arthur," Merlin admitted remorsefully.

Arthur wrapped his arms around the smaller man. Arthur knew what Merlin had been thinking, he had been in pain. Arthur squeezed Merlin to him tighter, wishing again that he had never hurt Merlin, but also thankful that they were together again with that behind them.

"I was reaching out to you from the beginning." Merlin said, nuzzling into Arthur's strong chest. "But you never heard me. I'd almost given up hope. Well..." Merlin pulled away just far enough to look into Arthur's eyes.

"Actually in all honesty, I had given up," he said. "The last time I saw you in your dream… I was saying goodbye."

Arthur fought to stay composed, willing his tears to stay put in his eyes.

"You told me you loved me," Arthur remembered, just now realising that had been Merlin's farewell.

"And you heard me." Merlin leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Arthur's lips. "I just had to say it to you once, even if you never heard me. But you did. And you brought me back to you."

"Because I love you too, Merlin. I have loved you for so long. I just didn't know how to show it. Please forgive me."

"I do, Arthur. You've said sorry enough." Merlin kissed his cheek. "But if you ever pull some bullcrap like the way you treated me again," Merlin warned, but there was humour in his tone. He knew now with all his being that Arthur would never hurt him again.

"You have permission to punish me however you deem fair," Arthur said with a lopsided grin.

Merlin's eyes sparkled at that. "Oh I've had years to think about how to punish you, sire."

Arthur felt simultaneously scared and turned on at the implications.

"In fact there are a few things I need to teach you a lesson for right now."

Merlin had Arthur pinned under him before Arthur could even react. They laughed together, Merlin dipping down to capture Arthur's lips. He felt Arthur's smile against him and couldn't help but smile too. As fast as Merlin had done just before, Arthur locked his leg around Merlin's and flipped their positions.

"Hey, I'm meant to be punishing you!" Merlin giggled as Arthur nibbled down his neck.

"Oh you are, Merlin," Arthur groaned, pulling Merlin's collar down to press a needy kiss at his collarbone. "You have no idea what you do to me."

Merlin decided then that their new position was quite pleasing and he wrapped his legs around Arthur's strong hips, pulling his pelvis flush against him.

From there clothes fell away like petals falling from a rose. Their skin met in a warm, soft slide. It was different than before. Although they both cherished the somewhat odd beginning of their intimate relationship, it paled in comparison to this. No longer connected only by their bodies but also their hearts. Arthur cherished and worshipped Merlin, placing kisses frantically upon every inch of his body.

They were aching for each other, simultaneously relieving their need and creating more need with every touch and stroke and kiss. Arthur licked from Merlin's navel to his thigh, following the crease where leg meets body down until he reached the quivering pink flower, flush with anticipation. Happily, Merlin let Arthur bring his thighs up to rest on the king's shoulders. Then Arthur dove in, teasing his hole with his eager tongue. Merlin's body shook as Arthur's wet organ entered him, thrusting in and out.

Between moans Merlin couldn't keep a smile of pure contentment off his face, completely monopolised by Arthur's ministrations of love as he lay sprawled in the royal sheets.

"Please… I need you, Arthur," Merlin begged. Arthur didn't grant his request right away, taking his time to lap at Merlin's hole a few more times, like a cat licking the saucer long after the milk is gone.

Merlin let his legs down from Arthur's shoulders and brought the man up as though to kiss him. Instead he moved his lips to the King's ear and growled.

"Arthur, fuck me. Now."

Arthur smirked, loving how needy and unravelled Merlin was becoming, but he knew better than to make him wait any longer so he prepared Merlin quickly. Merlin was fucking himself on Arthur's fingers the moment he put them in, and he protested when Arthur took them away.

And then Merlin was eagerly watching as Arthur lined up the hot slick head of his cock to Merlin's entrance. Merlin would have thrown Arthur on his back and taken his cock if he had the strength in his body to do so. But Arthur's tongue on his nipple and other hand smoothing down his abdomen were sapping the control from his limbs. Arthur slid into him almost infuriatingly slowly, and once he was filling Merlin to the brim, he didn't move, just reveling in the feeling.

"Fu-uck, Merlin," he breathed against Merlin's lips, too distracted to capture them in a kiss.

Merlin gripped Arthur's arse, and he got the message. He began to move, sliding out slowly but thrusting back in hard. With each thrust, Merlin felt a surge of pleasure go through him and his moans filled the royal bed chambers. The tender pace was agonising but beautiful. Arthur filled him up so perfectly and this time felt like they were making love, rather than fucking.

Neither man could last long after that foreplay, and Arthur found himself coming hard into Merlin, shooting his load deep and hot with a shuddering groan. Merlin came to that sensation as well as Arthur giving one last blow to his prostate.

They collapsed onto the bedsheets, wrapped up in each other; sweaty and happy and absolutely in love.