Hiking, that had been his father's idea. Arthur was used to hiking though, his father had taken him hiking since he was four, and, even though Merlin seemed out of shape when jogging, he was keeping up today…so far.

"Slow down, dad, Merlin's out a shape," Arthur called ahead, smirking at Merlin. Who had been walking next to him for some time now.

"I'd think you'd keep him in shape with all the-"

"Shut up, Morgan!" Arthur spat. She was really getting on his nerves today, not unlike any other day he visited though. "That offer still stands from this morning, the one about taking you out before your birthday gets here."

"And I'm still saying you're a bitch," Morgan shrugged, their mother was not close enough to hear her this time. "I bet you are the bitch, too," she glanced over at Merlin and chuckled darkly to herself. "Yep, definite bitch."

"If you-"Arthur started but Merlin tapped his shoulder, pushing him back a bit.

"Arthur says I'm out of shape, but…I beat him at Footie," Merlin explained. And Arthur thought he would help him! Jerk!

"You did?" Morgan asked, wide eyed, she looked at Arthur amused and then looked back at Merlin.

"Yes," Merlin grinned. "Beat him at Mario Kart too."

"Oh my god!" Morgan declared and Merlin laughed, nodding. They walked off together then, talking really fast, with their heads together. Fucking pricks, Arthur thought. They went a bit further down the trail, Arthur walking alone now. He wished Merlin would stop talking shit about him with this sister, and get back here!

They reached a stream before long and his father stopped, looking around, rather pleased.

"Ah, this will be a perfect spot for lunch!" he said, looking at his children and at Merlin with a smile. "Cold hotdogs and chips, the works!"

"Actually, dear, uncooked hotdogs," his mother then said, biting her lip. Arthur's father looked over confused. "I thought there would be a grill to cook them on."

"This is the woods, Grace, why would there be a grill?"

"I thought you would have one on you, Robin."

"Why would I have a grill on me, Grace?" he asked, throwing his hands around. "Where would I keep a grill? Up my.-"

"Sir," Merlin stopped him. "Why don't we just build a fire?"

"Dad sucks at starting fires," Morgan explained.

"He does not suck, dear," Arthur's mother explained. "He really sucks."

Morgan laughed.

"I don't!" his father protested.

"I can start a fire," Merlin said. "There's nothing to it."

"Can you?" Arthur's father asked then, walking over to them.

"Of course I can, I grew up building fires," Merlin said, walking forward and looking for something. "Everyone try to find branches and things like that, things that will burn."

"An outdoorsman," his father declared, with a grin, tapping Arthur on the belly, just like he did when Arthur had won a Footie game or something. "I like it!"

He walked away then, going to aid Merlin in their quest for good firewood. Arthur watched them, Merlin must have been saying something funny, because Arthur's dad was laughing heartily and thumping Merlin on the back, while Morgan had her phone out, showing Merlin pictures of whatever it is teenage girls take pictures of. Arthur smiled at this; Merlin seemed to be getting along quite well with his family. Even after that extremely awkward breakfast, they had that morning.

Pepper never got along this well with them, she would always fake smile and fake laugh whenever she saw it was fit and never truly gave them a chance, they had fought about it before, way back when. But now, Merlin didn't seem to be faking anything, he was showing Arthur's father, how to start a fire with two twigs and the slightly building man seemed to be completely in awe. When the flames were finally lit it felt like Arthur's whole body had been lit on fire with them. He watched as the flames grew and with them grew the shading on Merlin, light's flickering on his skin as he laughed at something Morgan said.

"He's a nice boy," his mother said, making Arthur jump about two feet in the air. Arthur took a breath and tore his eyes away from the fire squad to look at his mum.

"There's nothing going on between us," Arthur explained, sighing. "He….he doesn't love me," he said, thinking of the king. Merlin loved the king. "We're just….friends."

"And what I caught you doing today..?" she asked with a grin.

"It was nothing, he…he's a wrestler," Arthur lied.

"I see," she said, nodding. "But you love him."

"I don't," Arthur shook his head. "I mean…I just," he sighed yet again. "You can see it in my eyes?"

"Yes," his mother smiled then. "And in his."

In his eyes? Arthur thought, but of course she did, because Arthur was just some sort of portal Merlin was putting up with until the king showed up. He had said it himself, on the bridge over Camlann, they would have been friends if he hadn't known who Arthur was, FRIENDS. He didn't say they would be anything else. Arthur sighed for the third time; he was being such a fool. He wanted to cry then, but he wouldn't dare.

"I think you should talk to him," his mother told him, after a moment, smiling her sweet, motherly smile before walking away. Talk to him? And say what? 'I fancy you, but you're only in it for a dead king that may or may not come back?'' Nope! He couldn't say anything. He walked over to the stream and sat down at the bank, looking down at himself in the blue water. It reminded him of Merlin's eyes and he wanted to puke. Damn him, damn Merlin, Arthur had been happy before, happy and straight, and now….he was screwed, doomed to love someone who wanted him to be someone else. How could he let himself be so stupid?

It had been this long and he couldn't remember being the king, maybe Merlin was wrong, maybe a signature didn't prove Arthur was the king, it was just a bloody damn signature after all. Merlin could have copied it, he had magic, maybe there was a magic trick for that. Maybe after all this time, Merlin really was just crazy.

"Hi," a voice said next to him and he looked over to see Merlin there, crouching down with a hotdog in his hand. "I got you this," he handed it to him, Arthur ignored their fingers brushing. "You've been quiet."

"Yeah," Arthur replied, he wasn't hungry.

"Is it because I told your sister about Mario Kart?" Merlin asked, smiling a little. Arthur laughed; (snorted more like,) damn that bastard for being cute!

"No," Arthur said, finally, and taking a bite of the hotdog. Merlin sat down next to him then and looked at the water. "I told my mum you're a wrestler, to cover for this morning, just so you know."

"Oh," Merlin said, nodding. "Got it, I'll just go around making weird grunting noises to keep up with appearances."

"Wrestler's don't make weird grunting noises," Arthur explained, finishing off his hotdog. Merlin shrugged then, smirking at Arthur.

"My wrestling team does."

"Ass," Arthur told him, giving him a shove. Merlin protested with a grunting noise and shoved him back. Arthur laughed, falling over, onto his back. "My mum wants us to talk, about our feelings for each other," he said, not sure why he felt the need to tell Merlin this, he probably shouldn't have. "I guess she didn't buy the wrestling thing all the way."

"What does she want us to talk about?" Merlin asked.

"I don't know," Arthur shrugged. "But this is all your fault."

"My fault?"

"Yes, you're fault," Arthur said, getting up on his elbows and smirking at Merlin. "Stop being so punch-able."

"Stop being an aggressive prat!"

(A/N: Hello everyone, hi! You guys are really catching up on me, I keep writing other things and not working on this story, I must work on it, I must! Anyway you guys are getting dangerously close to finding out why this story is called Flames in the Fire, are you ready? ;D This was a really short chapter, I'm sorry! It was kind of a filler...)