A/N: Well, I'm posting the author's note up here today to give the whole chapter an air of dramatic effect so my mindless sayings won't take your attention away from what's about to go down.
Anyways, thank you to all who reviewed/fav-ed/followed. Love you all!
Okay, this is one of the last chapters. There's going to be about one more, unless you people want a happy ending.
Laughter filled the air. It ranged from high-pitched to something deeper, like the laugh of a boy who had just gone through puberty.
"OMG, Merlin," Arthur said in puffs through his laughs, using text language instead of saying the actual words. "You looked as though you were going to pee yourself!"
The warlock glared, but with no real heat behind it. "You little bastard."
Arthur smiled, his chest heaving. "Takes one to know one!"
Merlin pouted, which made the young teenager laugh again. Feeling a little resentful, Merlin reached out and jabbed Arthur sharply in the side – otherwise known as "tazering." The blondie let loose a squeal (a very many squeal, mind you. He was thirteen. Almost a man.) and ended up falling to the ground, clutching his side and still laughing. Merlin smiled down at him.
Arthur's laughter had ceased after a while and he was left just shaking on the ground, still giggling silently. Merlin rolled his eyes fondly before crouching down beside him.
"Hey, take it easy. You need to breathe sometime," Merlin joked, noting how red Arthur's face was. The teenage boy nodded, his body still having slight laughter tremors as he tried to actually get some air in his system. Raggedly, he sucked in a breath. His eyes widened.
"Merlin," he wheezed out, putting a hand on the top part of his chest. The warlock's smile faded and he nodded, rushing out of the hallway to grab Arthur's inhaler.
When he was first diagnosed, Arthur had come up with a type of signal to give Merlin when he felt an attack coming, which was the grabbing of his chest. Merlin never panicked when this happened (well, at least on the outside he didn't), because Arthur then would panic and make the whole thing at least ten times worse.
Socks making him slide on the hardwood floor, Merlin came up to Arthur who had stood using the wall to support. Merlin sharply shook the inhaler twice before opening the cap and holding it to Arthur's mouth. He pressed the top.
"Shit," he swore when nothing came out. Arthur's eyes turned wide and his breathing got more labored. Merlin quickly tried to pacify him.
"Shh, Arthur, it's okay. Do you know where your spare inhaler is?"
Arthur nodded, but his breathing didn't calm. Unable to force his vocal cords to work without oxygen, he mouthed one word. School.
Merlin cursed again. He had left it at school.
"Okay, Arthur, I'm going to need you to calm down. We're going to go to the hospital – " Arthur seemed more panicked at that – "And they're going to take care of you. Okay? C'mon."
Merlin half-dragged, half-carried Arthur to the car. He uncharacteristically made sure Arthur was securely buckled in before rushing to the driver's side himself. He pulled out of the driveway and had a lead foot the whole way there.
Except they didn't make it the whole way there. The route they were taking was in a traffic jam. Merlin went off in another exit and tried to go the long way.
"Arthur," he said. "Focus on my voice, okay? Try to calm down."
He was answered with wheezing.
"Just try to calm down. You're going to be fine; you'll see you prat." Merlin shot a glance over at him and his heart dropped. Tears were streaming down Arthur's face. He really couldn't breathe.
"Shhh, Arthur, try to breathe with me; in, out, in, out, in, out…."
Arthur's faint attempts at getting air were beginning to get more rapid. Instead of Merlin's in, out, in, out it was more like IN, IN, IN, MOTHERF*CKERING IN. One would think he was merely hyperventilating, not running a risk with death.
"Arthur, c'mon. You've got to calm down, please," Merlin begged.
But that seemed to be physically impossible at the moment. It looked as though Arthur was sobbing, gasping for air, and having a seizure all at the same time. It was painful to watch, as he rocked back and forth, his hands massaging his aching chest where his air-starved lungs were. Merlin bit his lip.
"We're almost there, almost there, just hang on and –" Merlin was cut off.
He'd been so preoccupied he hadn't been paying attention to the road. He was swerved into the other lane and the car already in it had hit them, sending the warlock and past king into the guard rail. The front part of the car was totaled.
Merlin's eyes snapped to Arthur, who seemed to be getting worse by the minute. Trying to unbuckle his seatbelt against the passenger-safety lock, Merlin broke loose and rushed around to the other side to get Arthur.
"Hey, asshole, why don't you watch where…." the pissed off driver that he had hit voice trailed off as he saw Merlin open Arthur door.
"Arthur, you're going to be alright. I'm going to call an ambulance, okay?"
Merlin quickly dialed.
"What's your emergency?" the operator's bored voice said.
Merlin quickly gave her all the information, having to repeat himself often because his voice was quivering so much. With her promise of "we'll be there in a few minutes" he hung up and his arms went around Arthur.
"Arthur, it's just you and me, okay? Forget everything else and just focus on the two of us. Focus on calming down. Breathe with me."
Arthur nodded and closed his eyes, breathing ragged as ever. Merlin shook his head, dismissing negative thoughts that were bubbling up. Everything would be okay.
More tears began to slip out of Arthur's eyes and the puffs of air that were called breaths started to calm, but not in the good way. Arthur was passing out.
"No, no, Arthur hang on. Stay away for me, please…please, I can't lose you. Not again." Merlin felt tears built in his eyes. This was not happening.
Arthur brought his glazed over eyes to Merlin, staring at him as if committing the warlock's face to memory. His breathing was still labored, but was slowing as was his heartbeat. Merlin pulled him closer to his body.
"Arthur, no. You're going to fight."
Light wheezing was heard. Arthur closed his eyes and leaned his head forward and rested it on Merlin's shoulder. His fingers played some sort of rhythm on the warlock's back.
Tap, tap, Arthur's finger tapped. Tap, press, tap, tap. Press, press, press. Tap, tap, tap, press. Tap.
Merlin didn't realize what Arthur was doing.
Press, press, tap, press. Press, press, press. Tap, tap, press.
As soon as Arthur finished his little finger-tapping thing, he went completely limp in Merlin's arms. The warlock cried out.
"Arthur, don't you dare! Don't you dare do that, young man! You wake up this instant!"
Arthur didn't respond. Merlin shook him.
"Arthur, dammit, wake up! Don't do this to me again, don't do it! I forbid you from…from…" Merlin swallowed heavily.
Arthur's rough breaths were coming out slower and slower. Merlin kept shaking him over and over, calling his name.
"Arthur…" he tried for the last time. "Please…"
The paramedics showed up about two minutes later. Two minutes too late. They pushed Merlin out of the way and immediately put Arthur on a gurney, and hooked him up to a breathing-machine. Merlin couldn't see with all the people in the way, but he did hear three letters. Three letters that made his heart stop.
D.O.A.
Dead on arrival.
Arthur was gone.
