Day Eighteen: Doing Something Together:

"Put. It. In. The. Hole. Arthur!"

"It won't go in, Merlin. It's stuck."

"Jesus, straighten it out!"

"I did!"

"Well, then you're doing something wrong. This isn't rocket science."

"Wait, I see the problem. It's…stuck on-"

"Ow!"

"-There…oops, sorry Merlin, are you alright?"

Merlin had a hand over his eye, the fabric of the tent in the other. "Do I look alright? You just stabbed me in the eye with the tent pole."

Arthur stepped over the tent and took Merlin's hand off his face. "Let me see, Merlin let go, oh…"

"'Oh', what? Is it bad?"

"N-no just a scratch." Arthur gave Merlin a half-hearted smile and rubbed the back of his neck, "With some blood. Guess I don't know my own strength, huh?" Arthur said, sheepishly.

"Obviously, you ripped the tent." Merlin swept an arm over the tent.

Arthur looked down and saw where the pole had ripped through the loop. "Don't worry, we can fix it. Just some tape and-"

"No, Arthur, we can't fix it. You ripped the loop, off the tent. There is literally a hole in the tent and it won't stand up properly now." Merlin threw his hands up and plopped down on a log. With a groan, he buried his face in his hands.

Merlin had been planning this camping trip for a while now, and he wanted everything to be perfect. He planned activities, bought the new tent, and read up on camping in the wilderness. Now Merlin was frustrated and angry with him. Not only did Arthur rip the tent and injure Merlin, but he had also forgotten the extra blankets and bug spray.

"Well…we'll figure something out. It's still early, we have all day and there're other things we have planned." He crouched in front of Merlin, "So, let's forget about the tent for now, forget everything else, and let's go have some fun, yeah?"

Merlin grinned, "Yeah, okay."

"Alright…okay, so what other activities did you plan?"

"There are a couple local caves that everyone talks about; I thought we could explore them. Then there's canoeing on the river, and a campfire of course…"

Arthur stood up and held a hand out for Merlin. "Caves it is then. What do we need?"

Merlin's smile widened and his chest puffed out a little, "Uh, our backpacks, water, and flashlights."

They gathered their gear and Arthur followed Merlin as he read a map and compass.

"You sure you know how to use that?" Arthur asked, nudging him.

"Positive. Why? Do you doubt my navigation skills?"

Arthur smirked, "Not at all. Lead the way."

They walked up hills, down hills, through bushes and tall grass, they even climbed a wall of rocks. When they finally arrived at the caves, Merlin and Arthur were covered in dirt, scratches, and sweat. They sat outside the caves and rested.

"Arthur, slow down, we still have to walk back you know," Merlin said, scolding Arthur for gulping down his water.

Arthur swallowed his mouthful of water, ignoring Merlin, "So what's in these caves? Anything exciting?"

"It's called The Crystal Cave…I guess thousands of years ago these caves used to be filled with, well, crystals."

"Crystals? Hm, maybe we'll find some?" Arthur wiggled his eyebrows.

Merlin smiled, "Sorry, but legend says people removed the Crystals from the caves because they believed the crystals contained powerful magic and they should be hidden from the world. They feared the crystals would be used for evil. No one knows where the crystals are kept." Merlin stared at the entrance of the cave, mesmerized by the darkness within. His brows furrowed and he looked troubled.

"Merlin?"

"Does…does something seem familiar to you? Like we've been here before?"

Arthur looked around, "But…we haven't been here before, like, ever."

"Right…just déjà vu I guess," Merlin said. He slung his backpack over his shoulder. "Let's go!"

Arthur followed Merlin into the cave, eager to see what was inside. The cave was extremely dark and smelled of moss and mildew. The coolness of the cave sent chills over Arthur's skin. Merlin dug around in his backpack for his flashlight. It flickered on and Arthur could make out a small passage stretching ahead of him.

"How far back does this go?"

Merlin shrugged, "No idea, why, you scared?"

"Ha. Ha, very funny. So where did the crystals use to be? Is there any kind of map of the cave?"

"All I know is it's within the heart of the cave."

Merlin continued further, flicking his flashlight here and there to examine the walls wet with water. They twisted and turned down endless tunnels. Both of them were silent for the most part. There was something about the cave that made it feel like a sanctuary. Only whispered words were allowed. Maybe it was the chill of the dark that kept them quiet. It wasn't until Arthur ran into Merlin, who stood stock still in the entrance to a larger room of the cave that Arthur finally spoke.

"Merlin, what are you doing?" he whispered.

"I-I don't…we should turn back."

"What? Why?"

Merlin turned and ran into Arthur's chest. Arthur stopped him from getting past, "Where are you going?"

"We shouldn't be here. Something's not right," he said, trying to push past Arthur.

"Oh no, you don't. We came all this way to explore the caves, and that's what we're going to do."

"But-"

"No, Merlin, turn around and go into the big, dark, scary room." Arthur grabbed Merlin's shoulders and spun him in the direction of the room. Merlin reluctantly went inside, Arthur close behind him, holding his waist. They took small steps as they tried to avoid touching the walls, or stepping in the wrong place.

When they entered the room, Merlin swept the beam of the flashlight over the walls.

"What…" Arthur breathed.

On the walls before them were thousands of cave drawings of ancient symbols. They were made up of swirls, geometric shapes, and squiggles…none of which Arthur could make out or put names to their meanings. On one side of the cave, there was a pile of rocks, as if it had crumbled over the years, covering up another entrance. On the opposite side of the cave, there looks to have been a giant hole at one point that was filled in by eroding dirt.

"Merlin…this place. It's…wow."

Merlin shivered where he stood. No doubt the cave was beautiful and unique, but there was something about it; like it held secrets. He couldn't believe Arthur couldn't feel it. It was a vibration that quaked under his skin. The hairs on his body stood up, and his pulse raced. He walked into the room and went over to the first wall with symbols on it. He ran a hand over the smooth stone.

Arthur watched him as he ran nimble fingers over the rock, "What do you think they mean?" Arthur asked.

Merlin shook his head, "No idea, but whatever it is, it's powerful."

"Powerful?"

"Yeah…you don't feel it?"

Arthur's tilted his head to the side, "Feel what?"

Merlin sighed. Arthur didn't feel it, but why could he? Merlin shook his head, "I don't know. It's like, an electric current, or well, like when you touch me and it sends shivers down my spine and heat radiates and…what?"

Arthur was staring at Merlin, "Are you telling me a cave is turning you on?"

"No! No…I just, really Arthur? I'm trying to explain that this place isn't your average cave and you assume I'm horny?"

Arthur considered for a moment, smiling. "Yes."

"Prat."

Arthur laughed and turned to investigate the rest of the cave. "So, this feeling you're having. It's a good one?"

"Not necessarily, more of a 'beware, powerful stuff ahead'."

Arthur nodded, though he doubted Merlin saw. The gleam of Merlin's flashlight casted shadows over the rocks Arthur was attempting to climb, when he saw something flash out of the corner of his eye.

He reached his hand in-between the two rocks and pulled out a large, weathered coin. It was rough around the edges and had an 'x' in the middle. A small bird was carved over top of the cross. If there had been any wording on it, it was gone by now. He wanted to shout to Merlin to show him, but something held him back, something telling him that this should be kept secret until the right moment. So he quickly stowed the coin in his bag and jumped down from the rocks.

"It's like…" Merlin began.

"What?"

Merlin looked embarrassed, "It's like there's magic in here."

"Or maybe there are fumes in here and your inhaling a copious amount."

Merlin laughed, "Maybe."

Arthur jerked his head towards the cave entrance, "Come on. Let's get going. It'll be dark soon." They've explored the cave as much as they could, and besides the coin and cave drawings, there was really nothing special about the cave.

Once they were back outside, breathing in the open, warm air, Arthur took another swig of his water bottle. As he closed his eyes and tilted his head back, a butterfly landed on the bottle. He jumped a little when he opened his eyes, not expecting to see a butterfly on the other side.

He lowered the bottle, but it didn't move.

"Merlin," he whispered. "Look, I made a friend."

Merlin turned around and chuckled at the scene, "No, we can't take him home, sorry. It is beautiful though."

The butterfly was a muted blue, like the sky on a warm spring day, kind of like Arthur's eyes. Though, it shone with magnificence, as if it had been polished.

It flapped its wings and then fluttered off the bottle, hovering in front of Merlin's face for a moment and tickling his nose, before ascending to the tree tops.

Merlin looked back at Arthur and smiled. Arthur took his hand in his and their fingers laced as they headed back down the path to their campsite.

~o0o~

Arthur stood by the river, waiting for Merlin to finish packing up the canoe. His back and shoulders were stiff from lying on the forest floor in the tent and his neck had a crick in it from sleeping in an awkward position in order to fit in their makeshift tent.

They had used shoelaces to tie the corners of the tent to branches above the campsite. The tent now stood crooked, the front leaned to the right, while the back leaned to the left, making the tent look twisted.

The day had not started out well. Besides their aching bodies, Arthur had burnt the coffee. Merlin was a blithering mess without his coffee.

Arthur made a mental note to make sure the rest of the day went accordingly. He wasn't sure how many more mistakes Merlin could handle. Arthur was at the end of Merlin's annoyance rope, and he really didn't feel like hanging himself with it.

"Alright, everything is tied down and ready to go," Merlin said, standing up. His back cracked and he groaned, "You owe me a back rub later." He pointed at Arthur and rubbed his back.

Arthur grinned, "Anything for you." Arthur watched as Merlin put on his red bandana, "I still don't see the point in wearing that thing." Arthur flicked it with his finger.

"It has many uses, Arthur. I can use it to wipe away sweat and-uh…" Merlin gazed down at it, "Well other things." He shrugged and smiled his goofy smile. Arthur just shook his head and crossed his arms.

Merlin stepped cautiously into the canoe and gently sat on the seat. He looked up at Arthur and smiled, "Ready?"

"Of course." Arthur followed Merlin's steps, but sat on the other side of the canoe and faced away from Merlin.

They pushed off the shore and started rowing. They were quiet to begin as they took in the beauty of the river; the soft trickle of streams, the chirping of birds.

Arthur heard crinkling paper and he turned to see Merlin looking at a map.

"Where to captain?"

Merlin hummed in thought, "Straight, then there's a fork in the river."

"Which do we take?"

"I'm not sure, one's very twisty turny, but the other is straight."

"I say we take the curvy one, it'll be more entertaining."

Merlin was silent for a minute, and then he spoke, "I don't know. On the forest camping guide the route highlighted isn't curvy. We should probably take the straighter path."

Arthur scoffed, "Oh, come on Merlin, what could possibly be down that way?" Arthur turned to look at Merlin. He was studying the map, trailing his finger along the blue lines.

"Well…I guess. I mean it doesn't end far from where we originally wanted to get out."

"Then twisty turny it is!"

Arthur faced the front again and began paddling. It wasn't long until they reached the fork in the river. Arthur was glad he suggested taking the curvy route. It looked a lot more interesting. The woods in that direction were thicker and darker, giving off a mysterious vibe.

They were both silent again, holding their breath as they rounded the first bend that marked the beginning of the new stretch of river.

"Well, that was anti-climactic," Merlin said, letting out his breath. Arthur chuckled as he let his breath out too.

"We're gunna have to really work together to turn the boat, the current is stronger here. You're the controller of direction Merlin, so pay attention because I really don't want to end up in the rocks."

"Yes, sir," Merlin responded.

The turns were difficult to maneuver at first, but they finally got the hang out it. It was a good thing too, because the current was becoming faster and choppier.

"Um, Arthur, these aren't the beginning of rapids, or oh I don't know, a waterfall?"

Arthur barked out a laugh, "Merlin, seriously? I think they would've mentioned if there were rapids or a waterfall so people would know. It's probably just a rocky section." Arthur sounded sure of himself, but deep down he had to wonder if Merlin was right.

That question was answered minutes later, when they turned the next corner and came face to face with white, foaming waves splashing down on large grey boulders.

"Shit. Shit, fucking, shit, Arthur."

Arthur tried sticking his oar into the river bed to wedge it into rocks, but it never met solid ground, and it was almost ripped out of his hands. "I know! Damn it. Merlin, use your oar, try and turn the boat!" They were fairly close to the right bank. If they could just turn the boat and get closer, maybe they could grab a branch and pull themselves to shore.

Merlin stuck his oar into the water and rowed with all his strength. The boat started to turn and Arthur helped Merlin to get it closer to the bank, "Go, Merlin, come one almost there…no…no no no!"

The boat hit a rock and spun around. They were flying down the river backwards, straight for the rapids.

"Arthur! Oh my God we're gunna die!" Merlin tried sticking his oar in the water too. He almost had a rock, but the boat dipped down suddenly and popped back up. Merlin's oar was ripped from his hands and he was thrown back into the boat. He landed at Arthur's feet. Arthur hooked his hands under Merlin's arm and lifted him up, "You okay?" He yelled over the roar of the river.

Before Merlin could speak, they were sprayed with a blast of water. As they wiped their eyes, they hit another rock which caused the back of the boat to fly into the air. They grabbed onto the sides of the boat, hoping it wouldn't flip over.

Arthur's heart was pounding in his throat and his eyes widened in terror. He had never been white water rafting; he had no idea what to do. Merlin was now clutching at his seat, his eyes squeezed shut.

Arthur had done it again. He ruined a perfect moment for Merlin, one that could get them killed.

The boat jerked to the left, throwing Arthur to the side. Merlin yelped, "Arthur!" More water sprayed down on them from the sides. Arthur grabbed his seat, and both he and Merlin sat in the bottom of their boat, scared for their lives.

Merlin peeked over the end of the boat and his mouth fell open in horror. He pointed behind Arthur and tried to yell, but nothing came out. Arthur whipped around and his whole body froze. Before him were a series of smaller waterfalls, small enough for white water rafting, but large enough to crush their boat.

"Shit, okay, shit, Merlin!" Merlin scrambled over to Arthur. He got tossed to the side as the boat hit another wave. Merlin clutched at Arthur's seat. Arthur huddled over him, wrapping his arms around Merlin and the seat. "It's okay!" He yelled, "We'll be fine! It's okay, I promise!" He kissed the top of Merlin's head and clutched him tight as they plunged over the first waterfall.

The boat pivoted as it went over, but it stayed upright. Their screams were shut out by a splash of water. Their clothes were now soaked through and they were shaking with fear.

"How many more?" Merlin yelled.

Arthur lifted his head to survey the river, "Two!" He decided not to tell Merlin that the last two were larger and more fierce than the first one.

Arthur wondered if he could make it less out of their control if he tried rowing. He was about to reach for his oar when the boat lurched forward, forcing him to clutch to Merlin's waist. Their stomachs dropped and Arthur felt he would be sick. He got a glimpse of white foam before the front of the boat plunged into the water.

"No!" The boat would go under if they didn't put weight to the back of the boat. Arthur flung himself and grabbed the other seat. His weight helped to bring the boat down. The end of the boat that was submerged in the water popped back up, bringing buckets of water into their boat.

"Arthur, we're gunna sink with all this water!" Images of their broken and bruised bodies floating down the river popped into Arthur's mind. He shook the image away and thought quickly. The next waterfall was approaching fast, and he would not end up on the news as a stupid pillock who went down the rapids with no experience.

He grabbed his oar and stuck it into the river. He rowed so the boat would take a smoother course down the river. Merlin scrambled over and helped Arthur push and pull the oar. They avoided boulders and larger waves. Their boat entered a small passage between two larger boulders and it shot them down the river. The last waterfall approached with terrifying speed. The roar of the water was deafening and his body ached with the effort and the boat creaked as it hit waves. Merlin growled with his efforts, but Arthur could see he was struggling, just like he was, to keep the boat from hitting boulders and cascading over waves.

He decided that they did their best to avoid the worse of the river before the waterfall. Their safety was more important now.

"Merlin, we gotta brace ourselves! I don't know if this boat will hold!" Merlin whipped around to face Arthur, the terror in his eyes made Arthur's heart constrict. His bottom lip quivered and his face scrunched up as he fought to hold back tears.

Merlin latched onto the seat again, burying his face in the crook of his arm. Arthur wrapped one arm around the seat and another around Merlin. He used his legs to push against the side of the boat. If the boat didn't break, he wanted to brace himself in case they were thrown out of the boat. Merlin did the same, his legs tangled with Arthur's. He hoped this wouldn't be the last time their legs got tangled up together.

The boat jerked side to side, Arthur's body throbbing with the effort to protect himself and Merlin. The boat dipped twice over small waves and finally, all Arthur could see was the drop. He tensed, waiting for the fall…waiting for their fate to be determined by the river.

"Arthur, I lov-" Merlin's shout was lost in the roar of the waterfall as their boat tipped forward. Their shouts mixed with the roaring of the waves and the splashing of the river as their boat crashed over the waterfall.

They hovered in mid-air before landing with a smack into the water. There was a loud crack as their boat hit a boulder, splitting in half. Arthur was thrown off Merlin into the raging river. He was tossed and tumbled under the water and against rocks. He covered his head with his arms and tried to find footing. His foot caught between two rocks and he used it to stop himself from being swept away by the rage of the river. He grabbed onto the boulder and pulled himself on top of it. He pushed his wet hair out of his eyes and rapidly looked around. It seems like the river was finally calming down at this point, but that doesn't mean Merlin was okay. He could've hit his head, he could be unconscious and Arthur wouldn't be able to find him.

"Merlin!" He bellowed, his voice raspy from all the yelling. There was no answer.

Arthur panicked. He saw half of the boat floating away down the river, but it wasn't the half where he and Merlin sat. He couldn't see any sign of the other half of boat from where he sat. Nor could he see any signs of dark hair that stuck up at odd angles in the morning. No sign of the eyes that lit up when he laughed. No sign of arms that held him at night, or legs that wrapped around his waist. There was no sign of his Merlin.

"Mer-lin!" His voice cracked and tears poured down his face. He couldn't lose Merlin. He couldn't lose him, not yet, it was too soon. He had so many things he wanted to tell Merlin. So many things he wanted to do with him.

He jumped off the rock and fought against the current to get to the river bank. That's when he saw it. The other half of the boat, crushed against a large boulder, pieces of it floating away from the wreckage. He whipped his head left and right, looking for Merlin. He didn't see him in the woods behind the boulder, nor did he see him amongst the debris.

He traipsed his way over the rocks until he reached the wreck. All that remained was bits and pieces of the boat. Their supplies that were tied to this end were gone. And there was no Merlin. Something red caught Arthur's eye and he reached down and pulled it from the wreck. It was Merlin's silly bandana that he insisted in wearing around his neck. His vision blurred as tears pooled in his eyes. He clutched the scarf and screamed for Merlin.

Over and over he screamed his name, pain ripping through his heart, forcing the screams from his lungs. He was doubled over in his efforts. Sobs wracked his body and his legs gave out from under him. He sank to his knees and tried to breathe normally. He couldn't think. He couldn't breathe. He needed Merlin.

"Arthur?" Arthur's head snapped up, searching for the source of his name. Nothing. He was already going crazy.

But it came again, "Arthur?!" Arthur stood up and answered.

"Merlin?!" Arthur heard rocks tumbling and someone hiss in pain. Merlin appeared from behind a boulder further down the bed of rocks. Arthur's heart leapt with joy when he saw him. He was alive.

Arthur bounded over to Merlin and pulled him into a vice like hug. Merlin's arms snaked around Arthur's and clutched at his t-shirt. They didn't speak. Silent tears fell down Arthur's face, as sobs wracked Merlin's body.

"You're alright, Merlin, I'm sorry…I'm so sorry." Arthur rubbed Merlin's back, comforting him. His shoulders stilled and he lifted his head off Arthur's chest. He put his hands on Arthur's chest and pushed him away.

"We were almost killed, Arthur. All because you wanted to take a 'more interesting' route!" He shoved at Arthur's chest, who stumbled back, alarmed by Merlin's sudden anger. "We could've died!" His face was twisted with anger and pain.

Arthur could've argued. He could've said that it wasn't his fault Merlin agreed, or his fault that the camp guide failed to mention that there were rapids down that route. But he didn't say anything. He kept his mouth shut.

Merlin pushed at Arthur again, "Why don't you say something, huh? Arthur! Say something…please…" Merlin's eyes were wild with fear and tears poured fresh down his face. Frustrated that Arthur wasn't saying anything, Merlin hit him again in the chest and tried turning to walk away. Accept he didn't get very far. He stumbled over onto the rocks and yelped in pain.

Arthur went over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I fell down a waterfall, you arse!" Merlin shrugged off Arthur's hand. "Just, leave me alone, you've done enough damage today."

Arthur sat back on his heels and swallowed the lump that formed in his throat.

"You know," Merlin started, "All I wanted was a stress free, fun weekend with you. No one else, just you and me and nature. I wanted to cuddle with you in a sturdy tent, take stupid, silly pictures with you on a hike, have a picnic by the river, and now….now it's all ruined." Merlin stood up and hopped on one foot until he was comfortable standing.

"So, you're blaming me for everything that happened?" Arthur said, a little more loudly than he intended. "I'm the reason you're not having a good time? If I'm that much of a downer and killjoy, than why did you even ask me to come? Are there any other times we've been together on dates or whatever where you weren't having a good time because I 'ruined it all'?"

"No, that's not-"

"What? That's not what you meant? I'm not ruining everything in your life?" Arthur was furious. How could Merlin think that?

"No, Arthur," Merlin started. He limped over to Arthur, "You don't ruin everything. I'm just-I wanted this to be perfect. I had higher expectations and this image of total perfection and, well, nothing ever goes as planned and I'm sorry I got mad. It was stupid of me, irrational, and Arthur…the last thought on my mind, was that I may never get to kiss you and hold you again. I love you Arthur, and you know, I don't car that the tent is ripped, I don't care that we never got to have our riverside picnic."

With effort, Merlin hobbled over to Arthur and flung himself into Arthur's arms, "I don't care that this trip wasn't perfect. I almost lost you." He mumbled into Arthur's shirt. Arthur hugged Merlin.

So many emotions had run through Arthur's system within that last hour, that he couldn't even create tears any more. He just held Merlin tighter and kissed him.

"Come on, let's get back to the camp before it gets dark. Are you okay to walk?" Arthur held Merlin out at arm's length and looked Merlin over. From what he could see, Merlin had a gash above his left eye, blood pouring down the side of his face. He had scratches here and there and there was a red burn on his neck where he guessed the scarf was torn off. His hair and clothes were caked in mud. Arthur was sure he looked no better.

Merlin tested out his ankle. He flinched when he tried to put weight on it. He looked at Arthur helplessly and shook his head.

Arthur wrapped an arm around Merlin's waist, and Merlin used Arthur's shoulders for support.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you Arthur."

Arthur squeezed Merlin's waist, "It's okay. I'm sorry your camping trip didn't go how you wanted it to go."

Merlin laughed, "Screw the perfect camping trip. I just want to rest in our ramshackle tent and cuddle up next to you." He laced his fingers through Arthur's hand that was resting on his hip.

Slowly, they hobbled back to the campsite. It took hours, but they finally arrived. They washed off the dirt and blood in a nearby creek. Arthur tried to make Merlin leave now and get his ankle checked out, but he refused. He wanted to spend one last night in the great outdoors.

While Merlin rested in the tent, Arthur lay out in the grass and looked up at the starry sky. He thought the pain he felt earlier this morning from sleeping funny was bad. Now, his muscles screamed in protest whenever he moved.

He felt bad about this weekend. Even though Merlin dismissed it, Arthur still wanted to make it up to him; especially now that he got his ankle twisted.

Arthur was about to close his eyes when he saw a quick flash of light. He sat up and stared at the sky. It couldn't have been, could it?

He saw another flash of light. It was!

"Merlin!" He got up and wrenched back the tent opening, Merlin sat up, looking around wildly for the source of Arthur's excitement.

"What?"

"Come here, I want to show you something, quick!" He helped Merlin out of the tent and brought him over to the clearing.

He tugged Merlin down with him on the blanket. "Arthur, what are we doing? What did you want to show me?"

Arthur leaned against a tree and pointed up to the sky, "Watch." Merlin sat between Arthur's legs and lay against his chest.

A few moments went by, "Arthur, I don't see any-"

"Shh, look!"

"Oh…wow…" Merlin face lit up as he watched the meteor shoot through the sky. They sat in silence, watching meteor after meteor fly overhead.

Arthur wrapped his arms around Merlin, holding him against his chest. Merlin was so mesmerized by the show in the sky, that Arthur was sure Merlin was unaware that he was trailing his fingers up and down Arthur's legs.

"Hey, Arthur," Merlin said.

"Hm?"

"I take it back."

"Take what back?"

"This camping trip did turn out to be perfect. Thank you."

Merlin looked up at Arthur. Arthur leaned down and pressed his lips to Merlin's. It couldn't get any more perfect than this.