Imagine.

The cab ride to Royal London Hospital was quiet. It was 5:37p.m. and they'd spent the day with Gaius and forensics to see if there was anything else to help them in the case. Still, Arthur hated himself that it had taken until Sunday to check on Gwaine. He hated that Friday had ended so badly. It was New Year's Eve and he hadn't kept in touch with any of the others beyond the investigation into the double homicide and updating them on Nix in the magic homicides and drugs case. Even though he'd kept an eye on Merlin the previous day they had barely spoken. He'd kissed him in the Yard's bathroom. Words somehow didn't get across the way they felt now. Made them both tea and sorted through witness statements. Examined the crime scene again.

'What are you thinking?'

Arthur turned to Gwen. They'd just passed Aldgate station and would arrive in a few minutes. His heart wasn't in any of it. He'd been close to death, actual real death, only a day and a half ago. In fact, he had died. Merlin has undone it. The only person who knew was Merlin. The only reason he was alive was Merlin. He was the one who was supposed to protect him. Instead he felt like a helpless bystander watching his best friend, his partner, wonder if he was losing his mind. Which he might be. Again, there was nothing he could do. He could love him to the end of his life, die for him and fight for him, but none of that helped him.

'The double homicide. I know it's a fresh case, but the whole thing feels off,' he said. She watched him a moment longer, which told him she knew he hadn't told her everything. The realisation had made him rethink a lot. About how to deal with life, work, and what was important to him. How he'd never appreciated Morgana. How his father really had tried his best and had probably loved him in his own way. How important he was to Merlin, and what it meant to be cared for like that by another person. For the first time in his life he found himself prioritising a person over his own ambition. The only silver lining was Kilgharrah hadn't told the team about Phoebe for whatever reason.

'We'll figure it out. I still can't believe Gwaine overdosed. I've only ever heard him talk about weed. Even then he only ever used it in Amsterdam.'

Arthur hummed in agreement. If only she knew. Oh, hey Gwen, did I mention that I almost died Friday night? That I voluntarily followed Dorocha into a dark locked-up park? Or that Merlin murdered Phoebe to keep her from killing me just before Christmas and we've lied about it to all of you? Also, we're being blackmailed, so if I don't go to prison for murder or manslaughter I'll have to move to Brazil and assume a new identity? Also, Merlin said Mordred's name when they were having sex. Does that mean Merlin is in love with Mordred or is it only some magic-lust connection? Does he even care about almost being raped a year earlier?

Arthur winced and he realised he'd dug his fingernails into the palms of his hands with enough force to break the skin. Half-moon circles of dark pink mixed with pricks of blood glared up at him.

'We're here,' Gwen said and opened the cab door. Arthur stepped out, careful on the icy ground, and slipped his scarf back around his neck to hang loosely. Gwen took the lead and took him inside the hospital and up to the second floor ward where Gwaine was kept under observation.

He inhaled the smell of disinfectant, let the blue curtains and uniforms pass him by, and only stopped to focus when they came to Gwaine's bed. He was a little rough around the edges, unshaven, and more tired than usual, but otherwise just as strong and happy. Arthur was continuously impressed by them all, ex-Knights and close friends. How they kept themselves together was beyond him. There were days where they were the only thing keeping him together. Like today.

'Finally dragged your royal arse over here, huh?'

He managed to smile and Gwaine. 'They're still keeping you in here?'

'Today's the last day,' he said and shrugged. 'Sucks that I'll start the new year in a hospital gown completely sober.'

'Are you feeling better?' Gwen asked and put her hand on his ankle. Arthur couldn't help but remember Merlin being attached to an IV drip several weeks before.

'Loads. It's all a fluke. I don't even remember what I took. I swear I didn't take anything to start with but my blood tests speak for me in here. The last thing I remember is going into Merlin's bedroom to search for clues. Figure out where he might have disappeared off to on Christmas.'

Arthur wanted to tell him. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to or not. 'You think you could have been framed?'

'I had you pegged as the paranoid one,' Gwaine said with a wink, but then his happy demeanour wilted. 'But yeah. Maybe. Heard that they're launching an inquiry? I could lose my job over this and I can't even remember doing it. How fucked up is that?'

Arthur rested his hands on the bottom rail of the bed. 'You've got plenty of enemies.'

'We all do. Why'd they shoot for me and not one of you sods? No offence.'

Gwen sat down on the edge of the bed. 'That's a good question.'

'We'd better know and soon. Is Merlin avoiding me by the way? Where did he go?'

'He—' Arthur clamped down on the explanation. Gwaine's heart beats beeped out every other second. 'Long story. We've both been distracted. He's with Leon right now working on our new homicide.'

'Yeah? Tell me more.'

'I think Merlin should be the one to tell you,' he said.

'Come on, mate.'

'He's your best friend, right?'

'Right.'

'Then trust that he'll tell you when he can.'

'He can be a secretive bastard. You know that,' Gwaine argued. 'If I don't know whatever's kept his beautiful face away from me within the week I'm coming for you.'

Arthur smiled. 'I accept your terms.'

'As if you had a choice,' he said. 'No celebrations tonight?'

Arthur opened his mouth to say no when Gwen said, 'We'll be having drinks at mine and Lance's. Mandatory except for those of us bed ridden in hospital. When you feel up to it we'll have another party for you obviously.'

'Thanks, Gwen,' he said and took her hand to squeeze it. 'You're the sweetest of us all. Make us look like the arrogant dicks we really are, but that's a price I'm willing to pay to have you with us.'

'Enough sweet talk. You need rest. Is Percy picking you up tomorrow?'

'Yeah he is. I think the poor guy's still freaked out after finding me like that. I hate that I did that to him.'

Arthur understood the sentiment. Then a thought struck him and he asked, 'Was there anything in Merlin's room? Anything different?'

'I don't think there was. Oh, apparently they found whatever I took there when they went to investigate. Apparently they can't figure out what the drugs were, and I don't see Merlin as the type,' Gwaine told him, eyes staring at the bed covers in thought. 'It's obvious. Drugs, me not remembering because I didn't- I couldn't have taken them. It was that drug-peddling creep from Old Religion, right? We're investigating him, so obviously—'

'Nix?' Gwen chimed in. 'You think he tried to frame you?'

'Or kill me, or Merlin,' Gwaine cut in with a dark look.

Gwen narrowed her eyes with thought. 'It wouldn't exactly make him less of a suspect in the case if he did.'

'He might not care about that,' Arthur added. His blood was pumping faster. 'On Friday he showed up at the crime scene to taunt Merlin.'

Gwaine sat up straighter. 'He did what? That bastard—'

'For god's sake, it doesn't stop,' Arthur said and ran a hand across the back of his head. 'We have no proof, not yet anyway, but from this moment on we don't do anything or go anywhere alone. Merlin's been staying with me and he will until this is all over. Gwaine, if you could bunk with Percy or Leon? Nix has already been in your home.'

'Mate, we've got to lock this guy up.'

'We will,' Gwen said. 'It's what we're best at.'

Arthur nodded and reached into his pocket. 'Oh, bit of a side note, but I have something for you.'

He took out the tickets, a present he'd completely blanked on as he'd ordered them weeks ago and they'd only arrived in the post Friday, post he hadn't checked until that morning. It wasn't the right moment to give him the gift, but he had a feeling there wasn't going to be right moment for a while yet.

'Six Nations tickets? No way.'

'Rugby's great in the pub, but better in person. I thought we could go since Ireland will be playing England and—'

'I'm feeling a lot of affection towards you right now,' Gwaine said and held out his arm. 'Bring it in.'

Arthur grinned and walked around to give him a hug. 'You can hold onto the tickets if you want.'

'Now we need to survive the magic apocalypse to see Gwen and Lance get hitched and see Ireland crush you,' he said and winked at Gwen. 'This is great. Thanks, Arthur.'

'Thank me if we make it to the match.'

Gwen slapped his arm and stood up. 'Come on, it'll take an hour to get to mine with the roadworks and you're have to help us set up.'

'Text me ongoing commentary,' Gwaine said and she agreed with a smile, kissed his forehead and left. Arthur lingered a moment longer partly because he missed his friend, the guilt for not coming sooner, and the urge to tell him everything. He'd almost told Gwen in the cab.

Gwaine smiled at him. 'Go have fun, mate.'

Arthur nodded and left. It was a surreal experience. Rugby games with Gwaine, Gwen's wedding in February, it was what he needed to ground him into life. Work certainly didn't do that anymore. He mulled it all over and asked Gwen about the wedding plans, if she and Lance were going to stay in Bermondsey or north of the river, and with the traffic they only reached their house a few minutes before 7p.m.

Lance was attaching metallic streamers across the arches of the doorways when they walked in. They hugged and then he and Gwen kissed and Arthur had a pang in his chest. He saw a future when he looked at them. Deeper than that, he could see himself like that with Merlin. They could have that future. He looked down at the leaf-engraved ring. Why hadn't it saved him when he'd almost died? Hadn't that been the whole point? Or maybe it hadn't saved him because Merlin was going to. Did the magic inside it know that was going to happen?

'Lost in thought for the new year?' Lance asked and passed him a beer.

'You have no idea,' he said and took it.

'Help me with the decorations?'

'Yeah, this place looks great.'

Arthur took a sip of the IPA and started cello-taping the ribbons of silver and gold to the walls.

'Just before midnight we'll head outside to see the fireworks,' Gwen told him as she untangled a section of the ribbons before handing it to Lance. They strung them all up, Arthur asked Lance about how work at his hospital was going, told him what he could about his own job, and by then Elyan and Percy had arrived with snacks. It was dark outside but the din of celebration drifted through London's air to the point Arthur could swear he smelled it when he opened the door and let them inside.

It was 8:43p.m. when Gaius showed up with wine and half an hour later Leon and Merlin arrived. It was different without Gwaine, but conversation was easy and the drinks helped, and they all relaxed into it. Work was forgotten temporarily.

Merlin leaned into him where they stood against the kitchen counter listening to Elyan's childhood memory of his first real crush who he'd failed to realise liked him too. Arthur wanted to pull Merlin in closer, kiss his cheek, but the closeness and warmth of his body was enough. Hearing him say Mordred had been unexpected, horrific, painful, and he hadn't managed to forgive it yet, but what he felt for him was more than that. It was stronger than that. He knew it more so now than ever before. He couldn't imagine ever being without him. He wanted to live his life with the man. He wanted to see that goofy smile again, his strange sense of humour, the way he saw the world so optimistically. He wanted Merlin to be happy again.

'You okay?' Merlin asked and Arthur realised they others had moved into the living room.

'Never better,' he said and kissed him. A quick peck, soft. 'Do you want to be my date to Gwen and Lance's wedding?'

Merlin blinked at him, thrown by the question. He actually blushed a little. It was ridiculous and beautiful. God, he loved him so much.

Merlin smiled. 'Yeah. Yeah, of course.'

'Cool,' Arthur said.

'Cool,' Merlin repeated. The doorbell rang and he gave Merlin another kiss before joining the others.

'Invite someone else?' he asked Lance and Gwen. Lance was apparently content keeping his work and personal life separate to the point where he hadn't invited friends from his hospital over. Apparently most of the people he would have had pulled shifts that night for the extra cash.

'No,' Lance said slowly. 'I'll go see who it is.'

'It's half past. Should we head outside yet?' Leon asked.

'In a moment, just hold still,' Gwen said with her phone up. Arthur walked into the room in time to be caught off guard when the white flash blinked through the air. 'Sorry, I forgot the flash was on. I'll take another. I need to update Gwaine. Merlin, get in there.'

Merlin jogged a little to reach the room and Arthur took him by the arm and pulled him closer in time for the next photo. He tripped a little and Arthur almost spilled his fourth beer catching him.

'Perfect, sending it now,' she said.

They both laughed and he helped straighten Merlin up. 'Clumsy as ever, huh?'

Merlin grinned, and Arthur knew he was tipsy with his fifth beer. The grin broke. Arthur didn't know why until he heard the laughter and conversation die. He turned around. Mordred stepped in behind Lance with another man with him. It took a moment, then he recognised him. William from Ealdor. Merlin's childhood friend. The music cut out.

'Merlin,' Mordred said.

Merlin stared back at him. 'Mordred.'

'Nice to finally see you again,' William said with an awkward smile.

'William?' Arthur asked to double check. When the man looked at him he recognised his eyes.

'You know who I am?' he said with a small frown. 'Did Merlin tell you about our Sixth Form days?'

They knew each other in this lifetime as well? Arthur shook his head. 'No, he didn't.'

'Oh.'

Mordred and Merlin were still staring at each other and Arthur swallowed the irritation. He had to rein in the sharp and biting anger.

'What are you doing here, Mordred?' he asked.

'Something happened Friday night. I waited till now to be sure. I know the timing is bad, but—'

William leaned in towards him. 'Leir, you have to tell them.'

'I think our thing is back. I felt something happen to you, Merlin. I almost died with you,' he paused, eyes fixed on Merlin, and seemed genuinely pained with what he wanted to say. It made the anger worse and Arthur slipped his hand into Merlin's to try and ground himself. The warmth did help. When Merlin squeezed back helped even more.

'Wait, you almost died?' Leon cut in, but Merlin ignored him as Mordred wasn't done. He shifted his weight a little, William put his hand on his shoulder and nodded.

Mordred sighed and now he looked directly at Arthur. 'Morgana's alive.'

Arthur waited. Mordred didn't laugh. His black humour was blacker than he'd thought. No one said anything. Disbelief, waiting for that second shoe to drop, strung out the silence in the air, wound it into something hard and uncomfortable. She wasn't alive. She couldn't be. Why wasn't Merlin telling him that? He knew.

'Mordred,' Merlin began, voice soft.

'She's alive because of you, Merlin. When you came back and tore the veil, you didn't just free those things,' he continued and Arthur's heartbeat was slow, steady, hard. 'You opened a door in a way and she came back through it too. Only, she's now disappeared. Something happened to her. My flat was a wreck. That's when I felt you.'

'Felt me,' Merlin repeated, a slight frown pulling at his gaunt features.

'Your breath. How cold you were,' Mordred explained, and Arthur could have sworn he saw that golden light, dim and only for one heartbeat, glow in his eyes. 'Like when those men attacked you. After that I didn't— We didn't— But, Friday it happened again. Didn't you feel it?'

Arthur looked to Merlin. He wasn't responding.

'You did,' Arthur said. That's why he'd said Mordred's name. When Merlin had been dying, when they'd both lied there being killed, they were together but alone. Mordred had really been with Merlin in a way he never could be. God, he knew it didn't matter in that way, that he and Merlin were great, but it hurt. Mordred thought Morgana was alive. He couldn't breathe. He took his hand back and scrubbed his face, ran them through his hair to the back of his head, squeezed his eyes shut and tried to take deep breaths. It wasn't enough. It was never enough. Never a break, not a single moment that could ever be untouched by the rest of the crap in their lives. Love, sex, dying, work, Christmas, New Year's Eve, none of it was left alone.

His head spun, and when he opened his eyes again it was still quiet, tense, sombre, confusing, Merlin wasn't responding, Mordred was staring, William was frowning, Gwen looked ready to either hug or slap someone.

'For God's sake,' Arthur huffed and dropped his arms. His chest was tight, and breathing was harder than it should be, and his heartbeat was wrong. 'For God's fucking sake!'

The shout rang in his own ears several seconds afterwards. He channeled the panic, the fear, and pushed into that feeling. Into the frustration and anger he'd felt his entire life.

'Upstairs. Just you. Now,' he ordered. Mordred stepped back out of the room and went up the stairs. 'If the rest of you could give us a minute.'

He took Merlin's hand and led him out to follow. No one said anything when he did and William stepped out of their way when they passed. He'd almost had a panic attack. In front of his entire team, his friends, bloody Mordred. Arthur let Merlin walk into Gwen and Lancelot's bedroom where Mordred waited first. Then he closed the door behind them.

'Are you lying?' he had to ask. Merlin frowned at him when he did and Mordred shook his head.

'No, I'm no—'

'Then, I'm sorry, but you bloody well deserve this—'

His knuckles crunched into Mordred's nose. White pain branched through his fist and Mordred hit the floor with the momentum. As Arthur pulled back he saw the blood begin streaming down over his mouth.

'What the fuck,' Merlin yelled and moved towards Mordred. Arthur let him go, but Mordred pushed him away and, wiping pointlessly at the blood, stood up again. His eyes were watering, and the bright red wound its way around Mordred's pale hand, down into the shadow of his coat sleeve.

'How dare you wait until now to say anything,' Arthur said, the anger turning his words into a growl. 'You had no right. No fucking right.'

'I know,' he said, voice muffled and changed with the blood. 'I'm sorry. Truly sorry.'

Part of him didn't believe Mordred, and the man may well be delusional, but his anger was still justified. It felt right, and unbelievably therapeutic, to break his nose.

'I don't know what to do about what's been happening. With Morgana, the screams, whatever happened to you,' Mordred continued, looking to Merlin. 'What did happen?'

'Dorocha tried to kill us,' Arthur said.

'What screams, Mordred?' Merlin asked, and Arthur felt the anger slowly leave his rapid heartbeat. It drained and his breaths evened out.

'I hear them, the Dorocha I guess. Sometimes anyway. I hear them screaming in my head. Morgana thinks it's because I never went to the place you and she did.'

Arthur frowned. 'What place?'

'No idea,' Merlin said.

'She said that you both went somewhere, a cliffside with a dragon,' Mordred continued, tipping his head back to stem the blood flow with a squinted expression. 'It sounds crazy when I say it, but that's what she told me.'

'Dragon?' Merlin repeated, and Arthur knew that distant look in his eyes. Recognition.

'Like what Kilgharrah used to be?' Arthur said.

Mordred was struggling with the blood. 'I don't know.'

'Do you want to get some tissues?' he suggested, and Mordred nodded and left into the ensuite.

'Merlin?'

'It rings a bell. I don't remember going anywhere with Morgana, though. The dragon thing, that I remember from Friday. With the fire. It was dragon fire. I know it was.'

'Fire?' he asked. He'd evidently been unconscious before that part.

'That's what I used to destroy the Dorocha. Before my magic changed time.'

'Right.'

'Did you have to hit him?'

'Yes.'

'Yeah,' Merlin said. One word, and one look, and Arthur knew he understood. Which was all he needed. 'You're not okay, are you? Not just about what happened between us. You're not okay with what happened during the attack.'

'Neither are you. You were coughing all day yesterday and last night.'

'I'm not anymore,' he added, almost sheepishly. 'I'm sorry about Friday. I'll find a way to control whatever's between Mordred and I.'

'Thank you.'

Mordred stepped back in, cleaned up, with tissues pushed up against his nose. The bone was back in place.

'Magic?' Arthur asked.

'Mhm.'

'So, you think Morgana's alive?'

'Because she is.'

Merlin frowned. 'I haven't felt her magic.'

'Trust me. Now she's missing and I can't track her. That's why I'm here, that and you being attacked. Sorry I haven't seen you until now.'

'Probably for the best,' Merlin said. 'If you can't track her I won't be able to either. How can we help?'

'Well, Arthur,' Mordred bore his eyes into him, 'you know her better than most.'

'Knew,' he corrected. 'And I don't know where to start with the idea of her being alive, let alone finding her.'

'Oh,' Merlin said, the distant look back in his eyes. 'She might not be alive.'

'I told you—'

'Mordred, listen to me. You hear the Dorocha while we've seen them. Felt them. They exist here with us because I let them come here. Morgana, well with her magic and the fact she died recently—'

'She's one of them?' Arthur asked, struggling to let any of it sink in.

'Or she came back like you did—'

'I never actually died, Mordred. I was in a coma from a physical wound. You said that Nimueh attacked Morgana, which means she probably used magic, and that combined with the physical fall from a mountain,' he trailed off. 'She might be something like the Dorocha. Not the same but similar.'

'She's back and she's alive.'

'Not alive. Back, but not alive. Which is why I haven't felt her magic.'

Mordred's expression hardened. 'I felt her.'

'We have to close the rift, and if she is like them, when we do she'll—'

Mordred pulled the bloody tissues away and they burned up into nothing but smoke in a second.

'I just thought you should know,' Mordred bit out. 'I'm glad you're all right. And sorry again, Arthur. Will and I should go since you're not going to help.'

'No, wait,' Merlin moved in front of him and stopped his approach to the door. 'Arthur, can you leave?'

'Why?'

Merlin's eyes were soft, with no irritation. Only patience. 'Arthur.'

Giving Mordred one more look he put his hand on the door's handle. 'Fine.'

He hesitated when the door closed behind him. Merlin's voice was muffled and low through it. Arthur sighed, ignored the jealous and angry temptation to eavesdrop, and stepped away. When he walked into the living room he found the others standing, leaning, sitting around the sofa and chairs by the front bay windows. The music had been turned down low enough to keep the silence from turning uncomfortable. The clock hands pointed to ten to midnight on the wall, the second hand ticking away.

'Didn't kill him, did you?' William asked from the sofa's armrest. Arthur shook his head, lips pressed together, the last slivers of anger and tension ebbing away.

'What happened Friday, Arthur?' Percy asked, and pushed away from the wall he'd been leaning against.

'We were attacked by Dorocha.'

'Why didn't you say anything?'

'What's the point?'

'What do you mean?'

'None of you could have helped. It happened and we survived. Sort of. Telling you,' he paused. 'We all know the situation. Being attacked is a part of that. Not to mention what happened to Gwaine. That takes priority.'

'They seem equally important to me,' Percy said.

'They're not, okay?' he snapped. 'Merlin and I, we're the ones who brought all this shit into your lives. Not the other way around. It's our fault. Which is fine. Merlin has his magic, and I— I'm with him. All of you, you were with us so far as dealing with magic goes, with people like Nix. But the undead? A tear between the worlds of the living and dead? There your safety takes priority because it was never meant to be your fight.'

'You know that's not your job—'

'It's got nothing to do with my job. It's about what's right and wrong, okay? I refuse to see your lives ruined because of my decisions. Not again. Not ever. I'm willing to bet most of you are willing to die to protect innocent people, each other, and as police that's great. Even dealing with magic it's great. But the chances of you losing your lives increases ten fold when it comes to this Dorocha nonsense, and that's not okay.'

'We can't exactly turn a blind eye to it. We can help and it's just as much of a threat—'

'You're not getting it.'

'I do,' Gwen said. 'You're wrong, but I get it. Thank you for caring so much, but remember that we care about you and Merlin just as much. If involving us with the Dorocha situation will distract you, then I'll stay out of it.'

'Five minutes, guys,' Elyan told them and stood up. Arthur heard footsteps come down the stairs and he turned to see Merlin and Mordred. They both seemed more at ease, although Mordred's expression was darker than it had been when he'd arrived. William moved to Mordred's side immediately.

'We'll be going,' Mordred said darkly.

'Fireworks are about to go off,' Lance started, 'You might as well join us outside. Grab a drink if you want one.'

'Great idea, thanks,' William said with an oddly charming smile. Arthur blinked away the strange image of him standing with Mordred, one lighthearted and the other with an expression like a storm cloud. Merlin was already picking out several beers from the fridge. The conversation upstairs had sobered him up, but there was a slight freeness to his movements that showed he was a little out of it. Gwen and Lance were the first to head out, then Lance, Percy and Elyan with Mordred and William in tow. Leon waited behind and gave a long look, clapped him on the shoulder and left.

Three minutes. Arthur watched the hand tick, tick, tick.

'Here,' Merlin said and handed him an opened beer. 'Thanks.'

'For what?'

'Giving me time to talk to Mordred alone. I know that was hard for you. So, thank you,' he explained, and gave him a small smile and with it some of the distance between them he'd felt since Friday night closed. 'About Morgana—'

'I know,' he said, and they started to walk outside.

Grabbing their coats, they stepped into the cold air. Ahead at the wall in front of the Thames they saw their friends, with Mordred and William, clustered. Other people had joined them, forming a rank of laughing and celebration strangers which ran as far as Arthur could see down the street on either side. He and Merlin joined them at the wall just as people began the countdown. It was surreal to be there again, the same celebration each year, when the last had been so different, and all the years before that impossibly normal in comparison.

Arthur took a swig from his beer, laced his hand with Merlin's, let go of as much as he could and followed the others' count, 'Five! Four! Three!'

Merlin's voice chimed in, 'Two! One!'

Gold sparks and red, white, blue, fire broke out against the sky. Exploding crackles and the shimmering sound of falling fireworks filled the air above the buildings. Round after round, lights sparked through the darkness. It reflected in the dark water, a strange shifting mirror for the colours. Close by the sound echoed in Arthur's chest, behind them, ahead, either side. Like a drumbeat, a heartbeat, in the sky and ground, each explosion of light keeping them all alive.

He couldn't even smile. Everything was perfect. He felt Gwen press a kiss to his cheek, and then he looked at Merlin, each firework lighting his face up with a different colour. He was grinning, a child-like joy, and Arthur smiled. He leaned forward, closed his eyes, met Merlin's lips, his warmth, and stayed there with him as another barrage of fireworks cracked through the air. When he pulled back and opened his eyes Merlin's stared back at him. Blue. Gold. He loved them either way.

'We can do this,' he said. It came out like a whisper with the laughter, explosions, the sloshing sound of the water and conversations around them.

Merlin looked over his face with a curious frown which turned into another, softer smile. 'Yeah. I mean if we don't it's sort of the end of the world, so.'

Arthur laughed with horror, disbelief, recognition, exhilaration. 'No pressure.'

'None at all.'

He didn't know how part of him felt like they would do it, survive, be happy, while another part felt like this was it. This was the end. This is what would kill them. But Merlin had said it all. They didn't have much of a choice. Like hell would he do nothing about the end of the world.

(Playlist for Imagine:

Happier by Ed Sheeran

Get It by Kyla La Grange

Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran

Blinded by Emmit Fenn

Castle by Halsey

Not In Love by Crystal Castles

Break The Chain by IAMX

We Could be Beautiful by Wrabel

Rollercoaster by Bleachers)