A/N: To all those who've been waiting for an update: I'm so sorry I'm only adding this chapter now. The entire story's written already, but life's been such a bitch lately that I couldn't find the time to simply post this. Really, you name it and it happened. Anyways, update should be regular again from now on as I've dealt with the trouble. Reviews are still very much appreciated, as is constructive criticism.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Seven

Some days I feel like I'm wrong when I am right.
Your mind is playing tricks on you my dear.

Merlin stole once last glance at himself in the mirror. His hair was unruly as ever, but other than that he looked rather fine. The dark jeans and navy blue shirt with long sleeves he was wearing were neat but not overly dressed up. In his eyes, it was the perfect outfit for a night spent at home with the man he desperately wanted to seduce.

Arthur was about to arrive for a night of watching films and playing games. It was early October now, and Arthur had needed this night filled with distractions. His parents were still trying to accept their son would never bring home a girl, and despite the fact they hadn't been angry, he found it hard to deal with them being a little upset over it.

It had been Merlin's idea to invite him over, saying that there was no need to sulk on his own when they could have fun together. Merlin also knew that Fred and Myra would not need much longer to come to term with it all. And he didn't doubt they'd like Arthur's first boyfriend as much as they'd liked his former girlfriends. Deep down, he hoped he could be the one.

So far his gentle movements towards deepening his relationship with Arthur hadn't had much effect, though. He'd been touching Arthur more often, albeit almost unnoticeably. He'd let his finger linger on his wrist or hand a little longer than was normal, or he'd hugged him more frequently than was strictly necessary.

Truth be told, he probably should have made it a little more obvious if he'd wanted Arthur to realise where he wanted to take things. But it would be Arthur's first relationship with another man if they started a relationship, and that would freak him out just a little. He hadn't wanted to scare him off.

And therefore, he was taking things as slowly as Arthur was comfortable with. If he could make him see this wasn't going to get him hurt, then there was a good chance they could be very happy in the end. He had waited for so long that it wouldn't be impossible to wait for a few more weeks or even months. Difficult, yes, but not impossible.

Descending the stairs, he quickly went over his mental list to make sure everything was ready; he didn't want to have to ran around all the time. He wanted to focus on Arthur and let the blond focus on him. That way, there would be more progress to be made, for both of them.

He hadn't been downstairs for more than five minutes when Arthur arrived. It was seven on the dot, exactly the time they'd proposed to meet. Merlin was not that surprised. Despite being hard to rouse, Arthur was in fact a very punctual man. That was probably due to having had a myriad of rules to obey all his life, punctuality being one the rules Uther had insisted not be broken.

"Hey, you. Are you ready to leave all that's bothering you on the doorstep and come in? if you need any more enticing: I have freshly made popcorn," Merlin teased, knowing it was one of Arthur's favourite film snacks. He'd discovered that the first time they went to the cinema two months after they'd met.

"I'm more than ready, you don't need the popcorn to persuade me to step in right now. Although it does help," Arthur shot back, having grown comfortable enough to start teasing Merlin in return over the last few weeks.

Merlin moved aside to let the blond in. Immediately, he let his eyes roam Arthur's form. He was wearing a pair of tightfitting black jeans combined with a dark red shirt and black leather jacket. The cut was perfect for him, as was the darkness of the attire, only interrupted by the red shirt. He looked absolutely divine.

Arthur flopped down on his sofa, picking up the pile of DVD's Merlin had laid out. There were drama's, comedies, romantic films and tragedies. In other words, there would definitely be something in there to hold Arthur's attention. And if he couldn't decide straight away, there were board games and the likes standing at the ready to keep them otherwise occupied for a while.

Arthur immediately settled on a film, though. The blond waved the box containing the DVD around excitedly, nearly literally hopping up and down. Merlin approached him with a smile on his face, glad to see Arthur this happy over something as trivial as being able to watch a movie he liked.

"I want to watch Sliding Doors. It's a little older, but it's an amazing film. Have you seen it before? I mean, you having it doesn't mean you have; it might have been a gift you forgot you had," Arthur explained his question, even though there really wasn't any reason to.

Merlin had never watched the film, but he knew what it was about. A woman, Helen, was fired and rushed to make it to the train. The audience then saw both possible futures she could have being shown in a parallel way. If she caught the train, she would meet a man called James. Upon returning home, she would find out her long-term boyfriend was cheating on her. If she missed the train, she wouldn't see her boyfriend's mistress leaving the house and she wouldn't meet James, so her relationship would continue.

This story was hitting a little too close to home for Merlin to watch the film without seeing the similarities between Helen's life and his. He too had a future would be shaped by a single discovery or the lack thereof. If Arthur never figured out who he was, then whatever the world needed him to do would remain undone. It could also make Merlin's life very difficult, as it would become more and more obvious he knew things about Arthur he really shouldn't know. The blond had already remarked on that a few times, and he'd barely been able to dodge the questions.

If Arthur did find out, there would be a lot of explaining to do. Not in the least, of course, about why he had kept this a secret from Arthur. There was no telling how that would go, there were simply too many variable to take into consideration. Which was the one and only reason Merlin hadn't let himself go there just yet. It would only lead to sleepless nights filled with worries, and he had no interest in that whatsoever. He had enough to worry about already with Arthur.

"I haven't watched it yet, no. I don't even remember where I bought it. Can you believe that? I do know what it's about, though. I think I'll like it too. If that's the film you want to watch, go ahead and pop it in," Merlin said, pushing the lingering doubt to the back of his head.

Arthur did as he'd suggested while Merlin strategically placed the basket filled with popcorn on his lap. That way, Arthur would have to lean into him to get his snacks. Maybe that would make him see how enjoyable it was when they were close together, and he might start thinking about the reason for that. It was a small push in the right direction, and the biggest one Merlin was comfortable giving him.

When the blond sank down beside him, they were so close their legs touched. Merlin let his hand fall to a spot right beside Arthur's, hoping the other man might be tempted to take Merlin's hand in his own. It would be the first time Arthur would be the one to instigate that kind of touch. Merlin had done it before, taking Arthur's hand in his to drag him over to threshold and into the house. Arthur had never protested, so Merlin had taken that as silent agreement.

"Why haven't you ever watched it before? If you own it, then there must have been a reason for buying it. It wasn't a nasty break-up or something, was it? Because then we're definitely not watching it," Arthur said, sounding so determined that Merlin couldn't help but laugh.

"No, it's nothing like that. I bought it because the whole idea that your future could completely change because of one decision instead of only changing a little had me intrigued. And then I started working at the hospital and moved here to be closer to work. Somewhere between all the work and the unpacking of my boxes, I forgot I even had it," he said, actually telling most of the truth.

Arthur seemed to be okay with the explanation, because he tucked his feet beneath him on the sofa and reached for the popcorn. His arms lightly brushed Merlin's before he pulled away. He felt Arthur's eyes linger on him for a second, and he had the feeling Arthur was trying to determine whether he was uncomfortable with the touch. Merlin therefor pretended to subconsciously drift closer to Arthur.

Arthur had a small smile on his face now, his blue eyes twinkling brightly. Could it be that he hadn't been convinced Merlin was flirting with him before? Could it be that Arthur was finally gathering his courage to start making his own moves?

Merlin inwardly shook his head. Arthur needed more time, he made that clear with everything he said and did. It was nothing more than wishful thinking, brought on by the memories of close to five years spent in each other's arms in a different life. He needed to curb his enthusiasm, or else he'd risk never getting to the same point with this version of Arthur, even if he should begin to remember things about his past soon.

Actually, it was strange Arthur hadn't had any dreams or visions of his time as King Arthur yet. Merlin had cooked things that should have reminded him of his favourite foods, he had taken Arthur on walks in the oldest part of the woods of the country to reawaken some memories of the hunting trips they'd gone on together. And then, he hadn't event touched on the fake sword fight Arthur had had with Simon and Gregory and the way Merlin always knew what Arthur was thinking. Those should have been a few rather large triggers.

Maybe Arthur just wasn't ready yet. Merlin had done part of his residency at the psychology ward at the hospital and he had seen patient that had blocked out entire days to protect themselves from the pain that had been inflicted on them. After a while, the memories gradually returned. Perhaps something similar was happening to Arthur. After all, it wouldn't be easy to realise he had had an entirely different life and family before, in a castle that had long since disappeared.

Because Camelot had been gone for a thousand years. Gwen had done her utmost best to ensure Camelot's endurance, but after her reign, things had drastically changed. There had been fights for the throne, all of the original Knights of the Round Table passed away and the new Kings had only sought to enlarge their territory; the people and the protection of the lands they already possessed were bested by their ambition.

Five hundred years after Merlin had left Camelot, the once great Kingdom was no more. The ruins had been overtaken by nature. Grass, flowers and weeds covered the once proud stones. No one beside Merlin even knew where the castle and other houses lay buried beneath the earth. Camelot had been a place of splendour and safety under Arthur and even under Guinevere's reign, but after Gwen had passed there had been little of that left. So it had lost its importance even before the passing of time tore it down.

The film suddenly didn't seem quite as interesting or even unnerving anymore. About half of it had passed by now anyway, and Merlin hadn't seen any of it. He'd been too caught up in the unexpected drag from the past.

Merlin curled into Arthur, the basket of popcorn tipped precariously on his lap. He hated this, the fear and insecurity thinking about his past could so easily make him feel. He knew it was because he had lost everything except Arthur for good and that he was afraid Arthur would end up following despite being he Once and Future King. But that didn't make it any easier to accept.

One of Arthur's arms snaked around him immediately, although his eyes never left the screen. It was obvious he was unaware of the emotion turmoil Merlin was, in and the raven-haired man was grateful for it. He wasn't in the mood to ditch up yet another lie, especially not to the man he'd vowed not to lie to over a millennium ago.

Arthur's semi-embrace was enough to calm him down somewhat, though. The tension drained from his form bit by bit, and his hand came to rest on Arthur's chest. Things weren't exactly going as planned, but maybe they didn't have to. Because Arthur was still at ease beneath his touch, no boundaries were being crossed.

Slowly, Merlin's eyes began to close. The situation had been demanding so much of his time and energy that he slept whenever he could. He tried to fight it, though, because it wouldn't do to literally and figuratively fall asleep on Arthur. The man might think Merlin thought he was boring, for pity's sake!

But he quickly found he shouldn't have worried at all. Arthur's hand came to rest on top of his, squeezing Merlin's fingers lightly. The blond softly drew circles on Merlin's skin, which entranced the warlock more than anything had ever done. When Arthur spoke, his voice was so soft Merlin had to strain to hear it.

"It's okay, Merlin. Go to sleep. You obviously need it. I promise I'll hold you for a while," Arthur murmured, his free hand coming up to toy with a strand of Merlin's unruly hair. The gentle tugging was so very Arthur that Merlin smiled through the ever deepening sleepy haze he was tumbling into.

He still tried to stay awake, though, wanting to enjoy being this close to Arthur for as long as possible. He hadn't had the opportunity before, and he would be damned if he was going to give it up without a fight. He hadn't had a choice in so many of the things that had come to pass, but in this he did have one.

"Not yet. I don't want to go to sleep yet," he mumbled, vaguely aware of the fact his words were hard to understand and that Arthur was chuckling slightly. The only reason he knew that was because the man's chest moved beneath his hand.

Eventually, however, he had to concede that the fight was futile. The world was disappearing from around him at a rapid pace, the fatigue becoming heavier than any cloak he'd ever worn. He was dragged further and further down, his breathing becoming slower and evening out.

The last thing he registered before he lost the battle against sleep was a soft pressure to the top of his head. For a second, he thought that Arthur had pressed a kiss to his head, but he decided his mind was playing tricks on him. After that, there was only peaceful slumber without thought.

He did wake up a little later, though. He was being carried up the stairs. If it hadn't been for him recognising the very unique smell of the person holding him in his arms, he'd have screamed. As it was, he simply curled his hand into Arthur's shirt as the man walked over towards his bedroom.

Merlin tried to reach for the blankets himself when Arthur gently deposited him on the bed, but with a soft hushing sound Arthur pushed him back down. Then, he tugged of Merlin's shoes and placed them by the bed. His jeans followed. He left his shirt on, though, probably because it would be warmer.

"Thank you," Merlin mumbled as Arthur tucked the covers in around him. His eyes flickered open with great difficulty, but he wanted Arthur to know he wasn't talking to a figment of his imagination.

"You're welcome. Besides, you'll make up for it by preparing breakfast in the morning," Arthur grinned. Then, he bent over to place a soft kiss on Merlin's forehead. His lips were slightly chapped from the cold weather, but that didn't make the sensation any less pleasant. In fact, Merlin hummed slightly.

Because this time there was no mistaken that the kiss had been real. It was undeniable proof Merlin had only thought that he'd been wrong in assuming Arthur was falling for him. And with that beautiful thought in his head, Merlin fell into the first fitful sleep he'd had since he'd literally run into Arthur at the Farmer's Market.